A/N - Merry Christmas everypony! You didn't think I wasn't going to give all my awesome readers a Christmas present, did you? I hope you all enjoy your holidays! Don't worry, review responses will continue like normal with next week's update. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

I groaned and rubbed by sore back as I came to sometime in the wee hours of the morning; Luna's moon had shifted so that it was no longer casting its light into my small cell. I groaned again as my stiff body struggled to get me up off the uncomfortable hay pile that served as my bed. I tried to look around, but the entire chamber was filled with inky blackness, save for a small patch of floor that still had dim starlight shining in through the window. I looked out it and saw the same promise woven into the night sky, one that promised nothing but bad things for those who captured me.

After walking around for a bit to stretch my aching muscles and joints, I settled back down, closed my eyes and began humming to myself. I wasn't humming anything in particular, just a mish-mash of bits and pieces from some of the songs my grandmother had taught me. "That's really pretty…" My eyes snapped open at the young, feminine voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Would you mind humming some more? It was really comforting." There was a shuffling sound from somewhere down the hall to my right; it was hard telling, but it sounded like it came from one of the cells on the same side of the hall as mine. "My name is Mitta, what's yours?"

"I'm Blake. It's nice to meet you Mitta… more or less…"

There was a pause. "… Your name doesn't sound like a pony's. If you don't mind me asking, what are you?"

"Well, I'm a human. Apparently my species has been gone from this world for a very long time and I was brought here to see if we could coexist again."

Mitta sighed. "My mother used to tell me stories about humans when I was growing up, and I always wanted to meet one. I wish we could have met under different circumstances… Do you have any idea why we're here?"

I shook my head, forgetting that she couldn't see me. "I have no idea; these two stallions posing as police officers arrested me in Ponyville and brought me here blindfolded."

"That sounds awful… but, I've never heard of Ponyville before."

I shifted, trying to get more comfortable on the cold, hard stone floor. "It's a small town just on the eastern edge of the Everfree. How did you get here?"

She sighed again. "I was walking around outside my village a couple of nights ago when somepony threw a net over me and dragged me here. I heard them bring you in, but I was too afraid to look or say anything."

"Can't say I blame you; getting abducted like that must have been pretty terrifying. Where is your village anyway?"

There was a pause before she answered. "It's further into the Everfree. From here it's… northwest, I think."

"Would you mind telling me a bit about it?" I wanted to keep her talking, for both our sakes; the lonely, dreary feeling was lessened by the sound of a friendly voice.

She inhaled sharply, like she was suddenly afraid of something. "Alright… it's called Sunny Town, and it's only got a hoofful of residents. Please, promise me you won't go there Blake, the townsponies there aren't nice to anypony who's different."

This caught me off guard. "Then why do you stay there? You seem really nice, that doesn't sound like the kind of place a mare like you would want to call home."

There was a long pause followed by a heavy sigh. "It's… complicated. I'm sorry, but it's not something I want to talk about… let's just say I'm not allowed to leave for long and leave it at that…"

As much as I wanted to inquire further, I could hear the sadness in her voice and decided not to press the issue for fear of making her more upset. "Alright, I won't ask about that then. Since you told me a bit about your town, why don't I tell you a bit about Ponyville?"

Mitta took another deep breath, this one sounded like it was to calm herself. "Alright, fair's fair, and I wouldn't mind hearing about life outside of Sunny Town."

"Okay then. Ponyville's a fairly small town; it only has a few hundred residents at most. I think my favorite place to go is Sugarcube Corner, their sweet treats are the best I've ever tasted. Then there's the Day Spa run by Aloe and Lotus…" I talked until the light from a fresh sun began filtering in through the windows of the cells opposite us.

"Alright you, rise and shine; it's time for breakfast." I looked out through the bars as best I could to see another stallion in the same steel-grey armor trotting down the hallway with a tray of food perched on his back. So, this one's an earth pony eh…

He trotted up to my cell and placed the food on the small ledge much like the guard the night before had. Without another word, he turned and trotted off. Once I could no longer hear his hoof steps, I got up and inspected the meal. It looked like some kind of oatmeal or grits, and smelled like the former. I picked up the spoon resting in the stuff and took a tentative bite. While both bland and only lukewarm, the stuff was at least palatable, so I began to dig into the stuff. I stopped with the first spoonful halfway to my mouth when a thought struck me; I hadn't heard him stop to give Mitta anything to eat or drink.

Setting the spoon back into the bowl, I pressed my face to the bars. "Hey Mitta, did they give you anything to eat?"

"No, they didn't, I think they think I don't need to eat. It's alright though; I'm too stressed to be hungry anyway."

Why wouldn't they think she needs to eat? "I understand Mitta, I feel the same way, but you need to try to eat something to keep your strength up. Here, have some of my food." I stuck the bowl through the bars at the base of the door and slid it on the fortunately smooth stone floor.

The bowl clattered to a stop. "B-Blake… you didn't have to do that…"

"Mitta, you need to eat something. Besides, I had dinner last night too, so I'll be ok; go ahead and eat it all if you want."

There was a heavy sigh. "You shouldn't be so nice to me, I don't deserve it…"

I got the feeling there was probably a sensitive topic behind that remark, but my curiosity got the better of me. "What are you talking about? I mean, I know we only just met, but that's no reason for me not to be nice to you. Besides, you haven't done anything to show me that you aren't a good pony."

My heart sank as a stifled sob rang out from her cell. "That's because you don't know what I've done…"

I wanted to ask what she meant, but I didn't get the chance as a door slammed open and a pair of voices started echoing down the hall. "I still don't get why we need these two; I mean, doesn't that piece of armor have what we need?" This sounded like one of the stallions who 'arrested' me.

"No no no; the armor has small parts of Lady Moon's physical being, but we need magic from both her and that usurping whorse Luna as well as some of her blood to complete the ritual." Oh Hell no…

There was a short pause. "So… why do we need these two then?"

His companion groaned. "The human holds traces of our Lady's magic from when she defended herself from him in Canterlot, as well as the usurper's blood, and the mare holds a part of the usurper's magic. Now come on, the Mistress wishes to see the mare."

The two stopped at a cell just on the other side of the one next to me. I heard the lock of the door click open and the hinges squeal as it was opened. Then I heard a struggle. "No please! Don't hurt me!"

The next thing I heard was a muffled thud and a sob as one of the stallions slapped poor Mitta; it wasn't very loud in reality, but it was deafening to me. I threw myself against the bars of my cell door, the ancient metal groaning under the force. "Leave her alone! She hasn't done anything to you!"

One of the guards trotted over to my cell. He had a sadistic grin on his face. "Oh, don't worry, you'll get your turn; the Mistress will want to see you soon enough." He trotted back over to Mitta's cell and they carried her off, still sobbing from being struck by a steel-clad hoof.

I continued slamming against my cell's door in a futile attempt to break free and save my new friend, but the stubborn metal wouldn't budge an inch. I didn't stop until long after they had left, finally exhausting myself and slumping with my back to the bars. All I could do was wait.

Twilight

We boarded the train bound for Appleloosa and it set out for our destination. Once everypony was comfortably seated, we started outlining our plan. "Alright, so we know that this train goes to Appleloosa as its next stop, but it also stops at Dodge Junction after that. I think we should split up into two groups and investigate both towns at the same time, that way, we have a better chance of tracking Blake and his captors down."

Rarity raised a well-manicured hoof. "That's all well and good Twilight, but how should we decide who goes where?"

"I've already thought of that Rarity. I believe we should split up evenly; with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, you and Princess Luna going to Appleloosa, while Derpy, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and I head on to Dodge Junction."

Rarity's face screwed up in confusion. "Why split us up like that though Darling?"

I nodded once. "A fair question; that way, Applejack can meet up with her cousin Braeburn in Appleloosa and have him help in the search if he can. It will also give each group an earth pony, a unicorn and a Pegasus to help with the search. Now, I don't think I need to remind anypony that time is of the essence here; who knows what they have planned for Blake all the way out here, so we need to hurry and find him as quickly as we can."

Princess Luna stood up in the train car. "Twilight Sparkle is correct, if we are to find our dear friend… and more, we will need to be quick on our hooves in order to track him down and rescue him. It will do us no good do discover where he was headed if he is no longer there. I fear that whatever it is these strange ponies have planned for dearest Blake, it does not bode well…" She sighed. "I should tell you all now; I attempted to contact him in his dreams during the night, but… I could not find him anywhere within the Dreamscape."

Fluttershy's timid voice squeaked up. "B-but… what does that mean Princess Luna?"

She looked at our pink-maned friend. "It means that he either did not sleep, or magic was involved to keep him from the Dream Realm, likely to prevent me from contacting him."

I thought for a moment. "Princess Luna, wouldn't an inhibitor ring prevent him from entering your Dreamscape? If they knew about Blake, they would likely know he can use magic, so it makes sense that they would use one."

"I agree Twilight; I do believe that they would use an inhibitor ring on him. However, a standard inhibitor ring does not work that way; it works by disrupting the flow of excess magical energy that flows through magical beings such as unicorns, preventing them from tapping into that energy to cast spells, it would not interfere with his ability to enter the Dreamscape. A similar band is often used on Pegasi to disrupt the magic that allows them to fly. I fear that if it was indeed magic, it was specifically implemented to prevent him from making contact with me."

I was about to ask why they would do that when it hit me. "That way he can't tell you where he is… that means they know the two of you are dating…"

She nodded. "Exactly. This leads me to believe they have some nefarious purpose in mind for dear Blake, and that is why we must hurry."

The rest of the trip was shrouded in a solemn silence, like everypony wanted to say something but was too afraid to. After what felt like forever, the train finally pulled into the station. Applejack, Rarity, Princess Luna and Rainbow Dash all said their goodbyes and got off the train, leaving Derpy, Fluttershy, Pinkie and myself to make the trip to Dodge Junction.

Luna

We stepped off the train and onto the station platform of a quaint little frontier town. I had not seen such a settlement since before my banishment, and I found the quiet, rustic nature of it to be refreshing after so long trapped in the stuffy atmosphere of Canterlot. It saddened me that we did not have time to tarry and enjoy it, but I knew that doing so might very well spell doom for my human lover.

I looked around the quiet town for a moment before turning to my companions. "Applejack, please locate and inform your cousin of the situation, his knowledge of the town as well as the surrounding area will make his help most beneficial to our search. Miss Rarity, I would like for you to ask the ponies of the town if they have noticed anything unusual in the past week or so. Rainbow Dash, you and I shall take to the air and see if we can discover anything from above."

I spread my midnight blue wings and took to the air, intent on finding my love and returning him safely to us. Rainbow Dash and I began scouring the mostly barren landscape for any sign that they might have been through the area recently. I was taking a relatively slow pace, ensuring I did not miss any details that I might at a higher speed, while Miss Dash was flying around at speed, leaving behind a rainbow streak in her wake.

After over an hour of searching and coming up empty-hoofed, we decided it was time to rejoin the others and see if they had made any progress in their own searches. We landed outside of a salt saloon, where Applejack was speaking with a tan stallion wearing a brown vest and matching hat. The family resemblance between the two made it clear that this was most likely Braeburn. "Well howdy Princess! Welcome to AAAppleloooosa!"

I groaned inside, barely restraining myself from doing so physically. "Please do not do that, we have little time to waste."

The stallion grinned sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that Princess, I just get excited to welcome new ponies to our little town. Anyway, I'm Braeburn, Applejack's cousin, and she tells me y'all have a missin' pony that you think might've gone this a'way?"

"Yes, although he is not a pony; he is a creature called a human and he is the only one of his species on the planet. More than that, he is both mine and your cousin's special somepony." Applejack blushed.

"Shoot cuz, I didn't know y'all were involved with somepony; why didn't ya tell me?"

"Cause Ah didn't want ta make a big deal outta it Braeburn; now come on, we gotta get movin' if'n we're gonna find 'im."

Braeburn tapped his chin with a hoof for a moment. I turned to Rainbow Dash. "I would like you to find Miss Rarity and see if she has made any progress thus far with gathering information from the townsponies."

She gave me a salute. "Yes ma'am, I'll find her in ten seconds flat!" She then sped off, once again leaving a rainbow trail in her wake.

And so, with Braeburn's help, our search began in earnest.

Blake

It had been a few hours since they took poor Mitta, judging by the movement of the sunlight on the stone floor of the adjacent cell, and I was getting worried about what they might be doing to her. I alternated between pacing around the cell and looking out the small window, hoping she would at the very least come back safe. While I was glad the guards hadn't bothered to frisk me, meaning I still had my pistol and folding knife, I knew I had to bide my time to use them to any effect.

"Heya mister! You're Mitta's friend, right?"

I jumped as the tiny voice, belonging to a filly from the sound of it, suddenly rang out in the otherwise deathly quiet dungeon. I whipped around to see a little grey filly with a long blonde mane smiling at me. Her eyes were unsettling to say the least, being orbs of softly glowing yellow light, with no discernible features. "Who are you?" I asked simply, not sure what to make of the strange filly.

Her smile grew into a grin. "I'm Ruby! I'm Mitta's friend." Her smile faded. "She's ok for now, but I'm worried that those bad ponies might try to hurt her. Please mister, if I bring you the key, will you help her?"

I knelt down at the cell door. "Of course I will, she's my friend; but, how will you get the key?"

Without a word, the filly took off back down the hall. A chill ran up my spine as I noted the complete lack of sound from her hooves striking the hard stone. A moment later, I heard the jangling of keys that announced her running back down the hall. She appeared in front of my cell and set the keys down in front of the door. "Here you go Mister!"

I reached down and grabbed the keys. "My name's Blake, pleased to meet you Ruby." I fiddled with the various keys on the ring, trying to find the one that fit the lock.

Eventually, I came across the right one and unlocked the door with a loud *click*. The door creaked open loudly on its rusty hinges and I slipped out of the miserable cell. "Ok Ruby, Where did they take Mitta?"

She hopped up and started galloping down the hall. "Come on, I'll show you!"

I took off after her. "Wait Ruby! It's going to be dangerous, I don't want you getting hurt!"

She giggled and looked back at me with her glowing yellow eyes. "Don't worry about me, I can do this!" She immediately took a hard right and I looked on in horror as she careened face first into the stone wall… and passed straight through it…

I stopped and stood there, dumbfounded at what I had just seen. Ruby was an earth pony, and as far as I knew, they couldn't use magic; unless you counted Pinkie and her weird abilities. Ruby soundlessly popped back out of the wall. "See, I'll be fine!" She giggled as she ran in and out of the wall.

"R-Ruby… how did you do that?"

Her little face shifted into a different expression, one that was somewhere between deep thought and uncertainty. "I-I… I'm a ghost…" She sounded somewhat timid about the revelation.

My jaw dropped. How could such an adorable little filly be a ghost? "I-I don't really want to talk about it…" She must have read the questioning look on my face.

I knelt down and placed my hand on her head, which was suddenly no more insubstantial than a living filly's would be. "Alright Ruby, I won't ask… Now please, show me where Mitta is, I'd like to help her as quickly as possible."

Ruby looked up to me. "Right, we need to help Mitta! Come on, this way!" She took off again, leaving me to sprint to catch up with the surprisingly fast little ghost filly.

She led me down several winding corridors; all fortunately devoid of any kind of guard, leading me to believe that either they didn't feel a guard necessary, or that they didn't have the staffing to post sentries throughout the castle.

My hand kept wandering to the pistol holstered at my hip the entire time we ran, my mind craving the knowledge that it was still there, ready to be used at a moment's notice if the need arose.

Finally, Ruby stopped outside of an iron-bound wooden door that was in surprisingly good condition considering its great age. She slowly poked her head straight through the wood, pulling back a moment later. "Mitta's in here." She whispered as she pointed a hoof at the door. "They have her in some kind of big bird cage thingy."

"Good job Ruby." I whispered back. "Do you know how many other ponies are in there with her?"

The ghostly filly poked her head back into the door, her head swiveling as she looked around the room. She pulled back out and looked to me. "There are only two of the bad ponies in there, but they're talking to some kind of metal bowl."

This puzzled me, and I slowly cracked the door open to peer inside. Mitta was indeed in a suspended cage, lying down with her back to the door. I spotted the two ponies in question, who had their backs to the door and were indeed talking to a silvery bowl on a pedestal, although there was a deep purple mist gently rising from the bowl. "I don't care how you fools do it, just get it done! I have been trapped in the ether for far too long, and I will not be denied my revenge a third time!" It can't be…

One of the stallions bowed. "It shall be done Lady Nightmare Moon." The mist suddenly evaporated and the bowing stallion rose and turned to his companion. "Take her back to her cell and bring me the human scum."

I opened the door and stepped into the room. "You're a little slow on the draw; 'the human' is already here."

The stallions turned to face me. "How in Tartarus did you escape from your cell?!" As he spoke, the other stallion leveled a spear at me.

"It was fairly easy, seeing as you didn't bother to post a guard in the dungeon. A doubly bad move since that tells me you don't have the personnel to do so." I whipped my pistol from its holster and leveled it at the spear-wielding stallion. Now, you're going to lower that spear or we're going to have a problem."

The stallion snickered. "Or you'll do what? That thing doesn't look very-" He was cut off by the shaft of his spear exploding into splinters as the report from my gun reverberated throughout the small room.

"You were saying…" I leveled the gun at him once more, the sights planted between his saucer-wide eyes. "I suggest you drop what remains of the spear before you end up much like it…" My tone was calm but menacing, I was in no mood for games at this point; I wanted to grab Mitta and leave this place far, far behind.

The stallion complied, obviously having a strong desire to live, while his companion looked on incredulously. "How dare you! You would betray our Lady Moon on a whim?!"

The other stallion looked back to him. "We can't exactly serve her if we're dead, now can we?"

I cleared my throat, causing the two stallions to divert their attention to me. "Listen carefully, because im only going to say this once; the two of you are going to free my friend over there," I indicated the cage holding Mitta, only now noticing that she was jammed against the far side of the cage wall, her crimson eyes as wide as saucers as her grey-furred chest heaved. "And then you're going to get in the cage yourselves and hand over the key, understand?" The two stallions nodded, hesitantly complying with my order, Mitta reluctantly stepping out of the cage as the stallions unlocked it, her crimson mane rustling as she looked around.

She stepped nervously over to me as the two stallions climbed into the cage themselves. The grey mare placed a hoof to my thigh experimentally. "You are real…"