When Nightmare Moon returned, the country was shocked. But most expected Princess Celestia to deal with her. She had protected Equestria for a thousand years, hadn’t she? She was an alicorn!

But the night continued. Days. Weeks. Months. Ponies were unwilling to believe what the reports were saying, but more and more found it impossible to ignore: Princess Celestia had lost. Whether she was dead, or banished to the Sun — for the Moon no longer held the image of a pony’s head as it had during Nightmare Moon’s imprisonment — the Princess of the Sun was not coming back to return the light to the skies. The Moon hung over the country, unyielding in its cycle. No one dared think of what could be happening on the other side of the world where the Sun eternally showed, but there was hope that somehow, the Princess of the Night was balancing things so that the world did not completely crumble. After all, Eternal Night should have been cold, and yet temperatures remained bearable, plants still managed to grow. An uneasy peace settled over the citizens, but always tinged with fear of what the Mad Princess might do in her rage against those who had once ignored her night sky.

Then Pitch Black came to his family and told them a secret. A secret that shocked them. He was Agent Black Knight, a member of Princess Celestia’s elite service. He had been working for the crown for years, to protect Salespitch. He was part of a special unit trained to watch over the alicornus imitatos — to protect them from cultists and zealots, and, if necessary, to stop them should they go mad and try to lead a rebellion against the Princess under a false pretense of alicornness.

He had been sworn never to tell anyone — it was Celestia’s wish that every AI have the opportunity to live a normal life, free of the fear that comes with knowing you are always being watched, suspected. But that had changed… because now, Sales needed to run.

Several of the AI had already been taken. Nopony knew exactly what Nightmare Moon was doing with them, but the reason was clear: the spurned sister would suffer no challenge to her sole rule of Equestria. SHE was the only Princess the country needed, and she would not tolerate anypony representing possible alternatives. The Guardians had tried to hide their charges from her gaze, but now she knew of their existence — was enraged to find that so many existed where once even two at the same time was a rarity. She had ordered that they all be incarcerated, down to the youngest foal. No more would such potential threats be allowed to roam free in her kingdom!

Most of the family made it out of town. But Black was a little late; guards came close on their tails. His partner, Agent Windigo, came ahead of the unit sent after Sales, and helped them escape. Sales’ and Black’s mother, Pitch Forward, turned back to act as a diversion, leading their pursuers away, not giving the family a chance to stop her. They pray she is only imprisoned now, and not worse.

The night is eternal; fear chases their hoofsteps. But they are not alone. Others are also gathering, refusing to submit to the Mad Princess, hoping to liberate the true Princess and bring back the Sun. And Nightmare Moon’s greatest mistake was allowing her true greatest threat to escape: Princess Cadence leads a rebellion in the North that hopes to one day find the solution they all seek and restore her aunt to the throne.

Pitch Black hopes to unite his brother and their small party with that rebellion. Sales hopes to find safety for all of his family. They all hope the King, Prince, and Advocate will answer their prayers and stop this madness. But until that time, they run.