How Bright the Moon Shines

by DMK2022

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Tragedy, Adventure
Length: 2735

When Equestria is at war with every enemy it has ever faced, they must put their faith in a group of young misfits. Will these unlikly heros save everypony? Can they even save themselves?

When a mysterious blue filly comes out of the Everfree forest, nopony gives it much thought. With Equestria on the brink of a war, there are more important things to think about. Six years later, Ponyville is one of the few places not destroyed in battle. Ponies start begging for the Elements of Harmony to stop the war, but after a surprising and frightning turn of events, nopony knows what to do.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-08-11 17:55:47 UTC

The Blue Mare

1

"Cutie Mark Crusaders, lumberjacks!"  Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle said in unison.  They smiled at each other.  The three of them were just outside the Everfree forest.

        "Girls, I know this time we'll get our Cutie Marks!"  Apple Bloom said, looking at her friends, the axes she had brought sitting in front of them.  Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement.

        "What do you think Scootaloo?"  Apple Bloom asked.  She didn't reply.  The orange Pegasus was just looking up at the sky.

        "Um... Scootaloo?"  Sweetie Belle asked uncertainly, shuffling her hooves.  "Are you ok?"

        Scootaloo blinked.  "Uh... what? Yea. Sorry."  She was awkwardly tilting her head to one side, and didn't straiten up.

        Apple Bloom frowned, looking sadly at her friend.  "You know, if they hurt too much, I-I mean, you know, if your sca-"

Scootaloo turned  away from them, her ears flat against her orange head.  "No. I'm fine.  Lets just do this if we're going too at all."  She turned back to glare at Apple Bloom. There was a moment of silence between the three friends.

       Apple Bloom mentally kicked herself for bringing up the topic.  Scootaloo was very private about the scars on her face and neck.  One scar on her face went through her right eye, making it look foggy and blind like it was.  She wouldn't say where she got them, but Apple Bloom was sure it was something about Rainbow Dash.  Ever since she had started teaching Scootaloo to fly, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's friend had come back from Cloudsdale every day with a new bruise or cut.  One day she just came down with those scars, obviously made earlier that day by somepony.  The lines were to strait and deep to be an accident, and they weren't infected or anything. They still bothered her every once and a while.

        "So..."  Apple Bloom looked up from her thoughts to see Sweetie Belle looking at the two of them.  "Are we going to do this or what, girls?"

Scootaloo shook her head slowly, careful not to hurt herself.  "Maybe another time."  She flew off into the sky, quickly becoming nothing more than an orange dot in the distance.

        Apple Bloom sighed.  Ever since her flight training had started, Scootaloo spent less and less of her time with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.   She had also become much more mean and secretive, lashing out whenever someone mentioned her training or scars.  Apple Bloom wasn't sure what Rainbow was teaching her, but whatever it was, it wasn't good.

        Sweetie Belle cleared her throat.  Apple Bloom turned to look at her white unicorn friend.  "Uh, I just remembered Rarity wanted to show me... something. I've got to go.  Bye Apple Bloom!"  She raced off.

Apple Bloom watched her go, an annoyed look on her face.  She then looked into the forest.  If neither of her friends wanted to hang out with her, maybe Zecora would.  She kind of knew the way to her hut, and if she got lost Zecora would find her quickly.  At least Zecora would listen to her and care.

It didn't take long for her to get lost.  Everything looked exactly the same!  After what seemed like hours, Apple Bloom decided to just wait and see if Zecora would walk this way.  "Zecora! Are you around here? It's Apple Bloom!" She called.  There was no answer.  Apple Bloom shivered.  She had never been in the forest alone for very long, and it was starting to get cold.  She looked up.  Through the thick foliage, she could just barely see the sky slowly getting darker.  She started to get nervous.  She heard a twig crack behind her.  "H-hello?"  She whispered. "Zecora?"  She heard a Timberwolf howl from somewhere.  Apple Bloom started to get scared.  She could hear her heart beating against her chest, and her breathing quickened.

"H-hello? Is anypony  there!"  She cried, starting to feel light-headed, her orange eyes wide with fear.  Suddenly she heard steps behind her, gradually becoming louder.  And they definitely weren't made by hooves.  She spun around, to scared to think of anything to do to protect herself.  She fell to the ground, curling up into a ball.  Her eyes squeezed shut as the steps turned into a run, getting closer and closer until she could almost hear the animal's breath puffing out, when suddenly...  BANG.  The steps stopped.  BANG.  Apple Bloom opened one eye.  The noise was coming from her left.  BANG.  Whatever was running towards her started heading towards the sound, getting farther and farther away.

Apple Bloom heard more steps, sounding more like hooves now, and looked up through half-closed eyes to see a blue unicorn looking down at her.  She looked tired and scared, just like Apple Bloom felt.  But Apple Bloom hardly noticed as a black wave covered her vision and she passed out.

Apple Bloom opened her eyes, then quickly closed them as bright light blinded her momentarily.  She moaned and turned her head to the side to block out the light, her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

        "Big Mac! She's awake!"  Apple Bloom heard a familiar voice say.  She opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the light.  When she could open them all the way, she saw Applejack happily looking down at her.  She looked around and saw she was in a hospital, laying in a bed.  She sat up.  Her entire family was gathered around her bed.  She smiled as she saw Sweetie Belle, but that turned into a frown when she didn't see Scootaloo's orange body.  "Where's Scootaloo?"  She mumbled, looking at all her family members.

Applejack looked at her with pity.  "She couldn't make it, sugercube.  She said she had important business with Rainbow Dash."

        Apple Bloom sighed, then noticed a blue unicorn about her age in a bed next to her staring at her.  "Uh... hi."  Apple Bloom said, staring back.

        Applejack chuckled. "That's Lunar Song, Apple Bloom.  She saved you from a timberwolf in the forest, then dragged you out."  Applejack said.

        Apple Bloom blinked.  "Really?'

Applejack smiled.  "Yea."

"I've never seen her before."

"She just moved in."

"Oh."

Applejack looked over at Lunar.  "Well, because she doesn't have a place to stay, she's going to stay with us for a while."

        Apple Bloom looked at her too.  "That sounds great!  I'm sure we'll be awesome friends!"  She did think it was a little awkward to have another friend with a Cutie Mark, and just hoped Lunar wouldn't turn into a bully like Babs did.  Apple Bloom shivered at the thought.  Well, She thought. At least we have one more story on how to get a Cutie Mark.  It wasn't exactly an amazingconcept, but she could live with it.

"Oh, and one more thing Apple Bloom."  Applejack said with big smile.

        Apple Bloom looked up at her big sister, a confused look on her face.  "What?"

"Lunar said she would love to join this 'Cutie Mark Crusader' group you always talk about."

6 Years Later

2

There were seven teenage or younger ponies sitting in the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse.  Apple Bloom, sitting in front of the crowd of four with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sitting by her side couldn't help but think a larger tree house may need to be built soon.  It wasn't exactly cramped in the small area yet, but more and more ponies were coming to Ponyville to escape the war, so more blank-flanks were bound to show up.

Sweetie Belle cleared her throat and stepped up to the makeshift podium the Cutie Mark Crusaders used for announcements.  "Welcome to this month's meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"  She eagerly looked around at the bored-looking Crusaders, a smile on her face.  "How is everyone?"

The quiet answers mostly consisted of "good", and "fine."

One of them, the only colt in the club, stood up.  "When are we actually going to do something to get our cutie marks? I feel weird not having one yet."  His name was Magic Sparks, and was the same age as Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.  "Also, why is she always here?"  He said looking at Scootaloo.  "I thought this was for fillies who don't have Cutie Marks yet."

Scootaloo didn't say anything in response.  She just looked out the window, covering her flaming wheel  Cutie Mark with her tail.

Apple Bloom glared at Magic.  "She is one of the founders, so she has the right to be here."  She replied sternly.  "Don't ask again or you'll get kicked out, ok?"

Pumpkin Cake stood up as well.  "Well, are we ever going to actually work on getting our Cutie Marks?"  She asked.  "All we ever do is talk about it."

"Yea."  Lunar said, standing up also.  "This is getting pretty boring.  We do the same stuff every month!"  She said, her silvery eyes glaring at Apple Bloom.  "You said this would be fun."

Beetle, the last filly in the room, stood up last.  "Yea.  I think my aunt is more help than you... I-I mean... sometimes..."

Apple Bloom looked at all of them in shock.  "B-but..."  She sighed, her surprised replaced by rage.  "If  you want to leave, you can.  But you'll be sorry!"  Her eyes narrowed with anger, her teeth grinding together.

Everyone ignored her as they walked out, even Beetle, who greatly took after her aunt Fluttershy, glared at her as she trotted out.

That just left the three founders in the club house.

Scootaloo looked at Apple Bloom, her blind eye gleaming.  "I didn't want to be here anyway.  I'm going."  She walked over to the door and took off with a beat of her strong orange wings.

Apple Bloom felt like she was alone in the universe.  At least she still had Sweetie Belle...

"I've got to go.... bye Apple Bloom!"  The white unicorn ran off.

As she watched her friend go, Apple Bloom felt like crying.  She would never get her Cutie Mark if she had no friends to help her.  She stepped out of the tree house and looked up.  She hadn't been able to tell from inside that it was raining.  "Seriously?"  She muttered.  "What is this, a movie?"  She started to head home.

On her way back, Apple Bloom decided to stop at Sugar Cube Corner.  She hoped eating something would cheer her up.  A bell on the door rang as she walked in.  There was only one other pony there, a brown stallion, so she would be  pretty alone.  She walked up to the counter.

"Hey Apple Bloom!"  Said a happy voice.  Yankee Pie, basically an orange, mini Pinkie, jumped up from behind the counter.  "What can I do 'ya for?"  She said with a big smile.

"I'll just have whatever I can buy for one bit."  Apple Bloom mumbled, just barely audible.

"Ok!"  Yankee jumped over to the case and brought out a cupcake.

Apple Bloom could clearly see her friend's party hat Cutie Mark as she did.  She sighed.

  "One bit please!" Yankee said happily.

Apple Bloom gave her the money and took the cupcake over to a table.  As she ate it, she thought about what had happened at the clubhouse.  When she finished she started heading home again, thinking hard.

Apple Bloom only got halfway home when she ran into Magic again.  "Oh, hi" She muttered, turning to go around him.

"Uh... hey." He replied quietly, looking the other direction, shuffling his hooves.

"What are you doing out here?"  Apple Bloom asked quizzically as she walked in front of him, looking back.  He lived with Princess Twilight as a personal student, and the library were they lived was currently behind them.

"Twilight sent me out to get some, uh, stuff."  Magic had to yell now, the rain was too loud to be heard over otherwise.  "You know, magical stuff."  He took his circular glasses off and worked to get rain drops off them with a now wet rag.

"Oh, ok."  Apple Bloom replied loudly.  She left him and continued back home.  She sighed and thought about how this day couldn't get any worse.  Apparently she was wrong .  Apple Bloom didn't get very far when she heard a loud explosion behind her.  She spun around, eyes wide and her mouth open.

Magic ran to catch up with her.  "What was that!?"  He cried,  looking back at the now blackened area, looking frightened, his mane that naturally stuck strait up making him look almost comical.  "D-do you think...."

He didn't have time to finish his question as the menacing changelings descended upon the unprepared Ponyville.

Chapter 3

3

Apple Bloom shrieked as the changelings mercilessly attacked the unprotected Ponyville.  She looked over at Magic, her eyes wild with panic.  "Why would they attack us?"  She yelled over the chaos and pounding rain.  "We pose no threat to anyone!  There are places with more advanced military that would be more sensible!"  She ducked as a changeling flew strait at her, narrowly missing her head.

"Probably because of the Elements of Harmony!"  Magic called back, casting spells to keep as many changelings away as he could, which was proving to be unsuccessful.  "We have to get shelter!"  He said, backing away from the horde.

Apple Bloom nodded and turned around.  "Follow me!"  She cried,  heading in the direction of the farm.  "We should be safe with my family!"

Magic nodded and followed her through the already mostly destroyed Ponyville.  Houses were either up in flame, the fire slowly being put out be the rain, or destroyed.  He jumped over an eerily still pony, her eyes closed, and burns covering her green unicorn body.  Another one, a tan earth pony with a navy blue and pink mane lay next to her,  breathing shallowly. He turned to Apple Bloom.  "We have to help!  Some ponies are hurt!"

She shook her head.  "We're almost there! We have to hurry!"  She kept running, not looking back.  "Somepony else can help them!"

Magic stared at the injured ponies for a moment longer, than ran to follow Apple Bloom.  The two of them ran into a back ally.

Suddenly Applejack stepped in front of them, looking tired.  "What are you two doing out here?  Follow me!"  She turned the opposite direction of the Apple Farm.  "Come on!  I know a safe place!"

Just as they were about to follow her, a yellow and pink blur tackled her.  "Stay away from them!"  Fluttershy yelled, hitting Applejack continuously.  She turned back to the horrified fillies.  "Get to the farm!"  She looked awful, her mane and tail burnt to a much shorter length, her eyes narrowed and determined.  "I SAID GO!"

Magic and Apple Bloom ran as fast as they could toward the farm.  As they ran, Magic fell and skinned his chin, crying out in pain.

Suddenly, Yankee and Pinkie appeared from behind a corner.  "Were heading to the Apple Farm!"  Yankee called,  standing on three legs, one covered in burns.  "Lets go!"

When the four of them finally got to the farm, Big Mac stopped them, staring each of them in the eyes menacingly.  After a quick analyses let them pass into the house, where Applejack, Scootaloo, Beetle, Lunar, and Twilight were waiting.

Apple Bloom and Magic froze when they say Applejack.  "B-but..."  Apple Bloom almost said, but decided not to.

Lunar ran strait up to Magic.  "Your poor chin!"  She cried, ushering into a different room.  "I'll fix that."

Magic's cheeks turned red as Lunar basically dragged him away, looking back at Apple Bloom awkwardly.

"Are you ok, sugarcube?"  Applejack said, looking at her little sister with concern.  "That must have been awful traumatizing."

Apple Bloom opened her mouth to speak when the door flew open.  She turned to see what it was about, her eyes wide.

Fluttershy was leaning against Big Mac, her breathing shallow and hoarse.  She looked like she couldn't support her own weight and was completely relying on Big Mac to carry her. Her wings were almost completely back from ash and burns, and half of her face had been ripped apart, were her eye one sat was now just an empty socket mostly covered by her burnt hair.

The entire room was in shocked silence as Big Mac carried her over to a table, gently placing the yellow Pegasus down.

After the destructive attack, everypony who survived came out of their hiding.  More than half the population was missing or gone.

Rainbow Dash soon joined the group as they arrived in the town center.  She told them Cloudsdale had ben attacked as well, and had the same result as Ponyville.  Her, Beetle, and Scootaloo flew up to help the other pegasi recover.

Everypony else split part and helped clear the wreckage, hoping to find anypony or thing important.

Twilight ran around, yelling for Spike in the area where the library was, now a pile or ash, half-burnt books, and wooden planks.  She yelled in delight when she pulled him up, squirming.

Magic and Lunar finally joined them after a while, Magic cleaned up.

After what seemed like ages,  nopony had found anything.  "I guess we did our best."  Twilight mumbled.  "I'll write to Princess Cel- I mean Princess Luna." She cringed as she made her mistake.  Princess Celestia had been the first pony to pass, declaring the war.

Apple Bloom sighed. As she turned to head back to the group, she stumbled on something.  She cleared the dust and dirt away, trying to make out what it was.

Everypony heard Apple Bloom's scream and ran over, thinking she was injured or something.  They stopped dead when they saw what she was standing over.

Lying on the ground completely still, not breathing, was Rarity.