Growing Darkness

Hollow Shades is a nocturnal town of thestrals, founded by worshippers and admirers of Princess Luna. A dark alicorn lives in the basement of Hollow Shades' orphanage, her existence known to none but five: the orphanage owners Sweet Heart, Sharp Whistle, and Wet Nurse, and two thestral fillies Midnight Rose and Misty. The orphanage owners take care of the alicorn in secret, not wanting Celestia or Luna to take her under their wings and make her wicked like them. Midnight and Misty, both orphans, found the alicorn by accident, and now they regularly send letters to their “imaginary fairy friend”, which the orphanage owners deliver to her themselves.

Right now it was the middle of the night. The sky was clear, the moon full, the town active, and the alicorn, named Nox, was brushing up on Pre- and Early Equestrian history. According to the book, the alicorn sisters, Celestia and Luna, had saved Equestria from eternal chaos at the claws of Discord using magical artifacts called the Elements of Harmony. According to the book, the Elements were very picky and only allowed the most powerful and worthy of ponies to use them. Celestia and Luna turned Discord into stone and from then on ruled over the ponies, bringing them more peace and prosperity than they had ever known while they had been ruling themselves.

Nox had been told a lot about Celestia and Luna, and none of the things she’d been told were good things.