Author's Notes: This is a slightly awkward chapter, and it really should've been cut in half and just combined with the chapters on either side of it, but it's a bit late to do that, so whatever.

Also, I just realized that whenever I upload a story, fanfiction automatically takes out the row of asterisks I always use as a divider, which explains a lot of the feedback I've been getting about making transitions clearer.

One last thing, right now, I'm currently out of ideas. I want to keep writing, but I don't have any ideas that really seem worthy of writing up at the moment. So, if you guys have anything you want to see (that preferably includes Twilight) send me a private message, all credit for the idea will be given to the source.

But for now, grab a cup, can or bottle of your favorite beverage, sit back, read, review and enjoy.

I managed to get my wing up in front of my face and was able to open my eyes. The light was bearable if I kept them squinted closed, though vicious red and purple after-images danced like phantoms in front of me.

The throne room was filled with ponies and guards who were all staring at me. Dawn had taken cover behind me, and I extended my other wing to give her more of a shield against the blinding light. Twilight and her friends were staring at us, and I could barely make out Princess Celestia on the throne.

The light was pouring from the window behind the dias, the soft silver of the moon gone and replied by this harsh, burning light that forced my eyes closed once more.

"What is that?" I repeated, my voice pained. No one answered, and I had to lever my eyes open to peer around. No pony else was reacting to this agonizing light, in fact they all looked incredibly nonchalant about it.

Finally, Twilight spoke up, her face creased with confusion.

"What is what?"

"That!" I cried, gesturing toward the source of the light.

There was a long and confused silence. "You mean... the sun?" Rainbow Dash ventured eventually.

"Yes, sure, why not? Just shut the damn thing off!"

"You've never seen the sun before?"

"No, I don't even know what it is!"

"Sounds like somepony needs ta get out more," Applejack muttered.

Further comments were forestalled by Celestia rising to her hooves. "I apologize, but I need everypony to leave the throne room," she said, her voice carrying through the room. "I have promised these five a private audience."

"Weaver, Dawn, are you both all right?" the princess asked once the room had emptied.

"I'm fine," I snapped, a little irritated. The light really was extremely bright. "I really do enjoy being blinded."

"Celestia let out a little sigh and I felt a surge of magic as the light slowly dimmed. Not a lot, but enough that I could peer out from behind my wing without being blinded.

"I really shouldn't do that," Celestia said, peering at the window behind her with a slight frown. "But can I take it that you have never seen the sun before, Weaver?"

"Never seen anything like it."

"Then I'm afraid I may know where you two are from, but let's not jump to conclusions. Twilight, Dawn, how did you research go?"

"Boring," Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath and I heard Applejack swallow back a laugh.

"I couldn't find anything in the Library about a Darkmoon City, but we did manage to locate the spell Dawn originally used," Twilight said, before letting out a huge yawn.

"We were able to figure out enough of the spell that we should be able to reverse the effects, creating a portal back to where Weaver and I came from," Dawn finished.

Good, because I was going to ask for you to do just that," Celestia smiled. "If Darkmoon City is as dangerous as you say it is, I'm not sure I like the idea of ponies just dropping in from there. Twilight, I would like you and your friends to accompany Dawn and Weaver back to Darkmoon City and find out whatever you can about it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" I said, lifting my hooves. "Dawn and I are sorta persona non-gratis at the moment. Who ever said we were going back?"

"I did. I am asking you to go back and to act as a guide for Twilight and the others, to keep them safe and ensure that they return unharmed. Right now, I'm asking you this, but I could just as soon force you to do it." Celestia stood, and her smile was long gone from her face. "There is more going on here then you know, then I know, and my subjects may be threatened. I need to know more, and you and Dawn are the only ponies I can ask. Will you help me?"

"We'll do it."

"What!" I demanded, spinning to face Dawn. "Are you crazy? If we go back there, we're dead! The Artemi-"

"I know," Dawn said. Her voice was quiet, but it cut through my protests without a problem. "But what if they come after us, or what if the Empress decides that she wants to make her domain a bit bigger? The princess is right, something big is happening or is going to happen. If we don't go back, I don't think we'll be safe here for very long."

I wanted to argue, but I couldn't. Dawn was going to go back, and all I could do was go with her and make sure nothing happened.

When you've got nothing left you're willing to risk it all, well that's not entirely true. There's always something left that you'll never give up, even if it is just the mare you grew up with.

"Alright," I sighed. "Lets go."

Together, Twilight and Dawn cast the spell. There was a moment of vertigo, and then I was tumbling down into darkness.

(* * Asterisks go here * * )

The spinning stopped and I was dropped out onto dirty pavement. There were a few more heavy plops as everyone else dropped through, and then the rift zipped closed and we were alone on a dark and empty street.

I pushed myself to my feet and looked around, trying to take stock. From the look of it we were near the palace, quite a ways away from where the raid last night had taken place. That wasn't good, we'd have to get away from the palace rather quickly, there were to many patrols here for comfort.

They'd ignored me in the throne room, but if were going to have an easy trip here I was going to have to get them to start listening.

"Welcome," I cried, spinning in a slow circle with my wings outspread. "To Darkmoon City! Bustling metropolis, home to a million souls and twice that may warm bodies. Where a shadow could hide a guard ready to drag you away, and speaking your mind could sign your death warrant."

The rain was still drizzling down on the damp city, and the cheap, fizzing neon was reflected in the scummy puddles and the debris strewn gutters.

"Here, the moon is always high and full and the night is always young. The dawn is never coming, and the stars have long since forsaken this hell-hole! But it's not all bad, I hear the palace dungeons are to die for..."

"Stop trying to scare everypony," Dawn chided, whacking me gently upside the head as she walked past. "It's not nearly that bad here."

She was right, loath as I was to admit it, I felt much more at home among the shadows and glare of the neon then I had in the sunlight of Celestia's Equestria, but there was no need for the others to know that. I still wasn't all that happy with coming back here so soon, and if I was going to be scared so was everypony else.

"I'm not scared," Rainbow Dash scoffed, though it seemed a bit forced. Nopony else seemed to notice though, so I didn't comment.

"Where's tha sun?" Applejack asked as she craned her neck back to stare up at sky. "Wasn't it jus' mornin'?"

"There's no sun here," Dawn said. "There hasn't been one for so long that nobody even remembers it. It's always night here, and the moon is always full. Come on, we should get moving."

"What are we even looking for?" I asked Twilight as our group set off. "Your Princess just told us to show you Darkmoon City and here it is! Can we go back now?"

"What's the matter? Scared?"

I glared at Rainbow Dash as she swooped down along side me, smirking. "Yes, I am," I gritted out. The brash pegasus was really starting to get on my nerves "And you would be too if you had an ounce of brains."

"Hey!"

She came to a stop and I did too, swinging around in a tight circle to hover face-to-face with her.

"I'm not scared because I'm not a big baby!" she said, sticking out her tongue.

"No, you're not scared because you're stupid! You have no idea how dangerous this place is. If the Artemi don't get you there are plenty of other things that will!"

And that, of course, was when a group of ponies in black and blue armor rounded the corner.

"Everypony, stay calm," Dawn murmured quickly, before anypony did something stupid like try to run.

Though maybe we should've tried that, because the lead Artemi, a burly earth pony, took one look at us and motioned for her people to spread out and surround us.

"Hey, I know you," he growled. "You're the two who escaped from the raid yesterday! Well consider yourselves under arrest. In the name of the Empress, surrender or die!"

"Dawn?"

"Yeah?"

"Told you we shouldn't've come back."

"Shut up." Twilight and Dawn replied in unison.