The Forgotten Melody

Art credited to wingflyte.deviantart

Chapter Five

Home Sweet Home

* * *

Twilight furiously ran through the evening air and past various shops in Ponyville. Maybe it was because Discord got her worked up. Maybe it was the stress of everything, with her coming home from two weeks of hard work. Either way, she knew that her mood needed to brighten up, even if she had to put on the happy mask. There were so many ponies dying to see her, including her own friends, and she just didn't want to disappoint them.

Twilight soon came up to the front steps of Sugarcube Corner. She trotted through the front door, and naturally, as she expected, the room was pitch black inside. Twilight walked in just a little bit further. She winced and folded her ears down, waiting. Any second. It would come...any moment...there would be a giant "SURPRISE!". But it kept on remaining silent. Nothing. Twilight began to wonder if she heard Pinkie right and if she was in the right place.

"Hello?" Twilight called out into the silence. "Pinkie? Applejack? Anypony?" But there was no reply. Just hallow silence. Using her magenta magic, Twilight sparked her horn and looked around. The entire place was normal and was even decorated with all kinds of party things Pinkie would usually have in her cannon. But there was nopony there. It was like they were there, but everypony had vanished!

"This is odd," Twilight said to herself aloud. "Pinkie Pie would never ditch on a party like this. And I swear all of Ponyville was here. But-"

"They're gone," came a dark tone from in the room. Twilight about jumped, but quickly turned around to face a dark navy shadow. Like stars, two turquoise eyes shone in the blackness.

"Princess Luna?" asked Twilight, confused. "What are you doing here? Where is everypony?" Luna took a few steps closer to Twilight. The pony was able to see the Regal Sister's face as she came into the light of her magic, and it looked solemn and grave.

"I have come to bring you a message," said Luna. Twilight then realized that the princess had finally grasped modern English, however, still had an accent like she was speaking in the royal dialect. "All of Ponyville has been wiped out. A disaster has occurred. I am sorry but...they are all gone." Twilight stared straight at the other princess, trying hard just to swallow and hold back from screaming. She may not have believed this from anypony else, but this was Princess Luna.

"G-gone?" she whispered, trying to hold back tears and screams. Luna nodded.

"I'm afraid so," she said. "It is wise for you to head home, however, Twilight Sparkle. The night holds danger, and I alone should deal with it. Rest. I shall meet you in the morning, hopefully with answers and clues to this flabbergasting vanishing." With that, the princess lifted herself with her smooth wings before shifting herself into a dark mist, leaving Twilight standing in the dark, tears in her eyes that shimmered from the light of her magic.

She stood there for a few moments in horror before pulling herself into the outside air. She stood for a second, looking at the moon, which Luna must have risen after the heartbreaking news. Twilight just couldn't believe it, no matter how many times she denied it while walking slowly to the library. How could they all disappear so fast? What was the disaster that had happened? She didn't know, and felt she wasn't going to get sleep that night. Tiredly and depressed, she opened the door to the library and walked in.

"SURPRISE!!!" The lights suddenly flashed on. Twilight was instantly blinded but then dropped her jaw when she realized that everypony in Ponyville was packed inside the library! Every inch of her home was decorated too, like it had been prepped for hours! The pony stood there motionless until Princess Luna walked up to her, smiling.

"But...but...but..." stuttered Twilight. That was when a gust of air came out of nowhere, almost crashing into the mare. Twilight caught a glimpse of a rainbow streak before she was faced by Rainbow Dash's magenta eyes, which seemed to laugh. The cerulean pegasus put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

"Heh, bet you thought we all died, didn't you?" said the flyer. Twilight looked at her, then at Luna, to see that both of them were snickering. Obviously this was some kind of trick, and Twilight stuck her nose in the air.

"What, me? Fall for something like that? No way!" she replied.

"Suuure," said Dashie, rolling her eyes. "Luna told me the whole story, Twi." The pegasus flew over and nudged the Moon Princess. "She's got the makings of an actress, doesn't she?"

"Yes," agreed Luna, extremely proud. "And I do believe I am doing fine in my studies of this...pranking! It it fun indeed!" The princess then brohoofed Dash and the two started laughing. Twilight grinned and shook her head, when a burst of excitement struck her face.

"Aren't you super duper ali-uper excited, Twilight?!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed to Twilight. "I was going to throw the party, honestly, at Sugarcube Corner, but then Dashie got the prank idea, and you know I couldn't resist a prank, but we realized that if she told you the 'news' or if I did, you would've seen it coming but then Princess Luna joined us and she was so interested in the idea of pulling pranks so we took her in and taught her all about it and she did a really good job, don't you think?!" Pinkie stood there grinning when her eye caught on some pudding at the snack bar.

"Be right back," she said as she zoomed off. Twilight laughed. Oh, Pinkie. The princess decided to continue greeting other ponies in the library, when a shock of perfume flowed in the air. Twilight was greeted by a sophisticated, pearly white unicorn with luscious plum curls.

"Oh, Twilight, how fabulous it is to see you again!" said the unicorn, who was one of Twilight's close friends, Rarity. She hugged Twilight only to pull her back and get a good look at her. "But goodness! You look extremely exhausted! It must be all that studying! Such hard work you put up with Twilight! Oh, and in fact, I got you a little something for the occasion!" Using her blue magic, Rarity brought out a small gift, which to Twilight's delight, was shaped like a book. The alicorn unwrapped it.

"Oh my goodness!" Twilight exclaimed. "You got me Fashions of the Ancient Royals and Wizards! I didn't know this existed!"

"Yes, well, I knew you liked books," said Rarity, "however, I had to use some of my knowledge to get you one you possibly didn't have, so I got you this!"

"It's great," said Twilight. "All these instructions on how certain robes and gowns were made." She flipped through the pages. "It's such a new perspective!"

"Oh, yes, and that's the other reason for why I got it!" said Rarity with a squeal. "If by any chance you want anything made for you in this book, just give me a call!" She pranced off to enjoy more of the party. Right afterwards Twilight turned around just to run into a blonde earth pony with freckles dotting her face. It was Applejack, and she grabbed the brim of her hat at the sight of her friend.

"Howdy, Twi!" she said enthusiastically. "Gee, haven't seen ya in a while! How'd studying in Canterlot go?"

"Long and drawn out," said Twilight. "But it was very useful."

"Well that's good to hear," said Applejack. "Things here have been a little more difficult. See, Big Mac caught the flu last week, been downright sick with the nasty fever ever since. The farm needed gatherin' so bad, us Apples tried gettin' more help! We called family, cousins from afar. Heck, we even shouted out for those hooligans Flim and Flam, just anypony who could buck or pick apples! But nopony helped, they've all been darn to busy!"

"Yeah, I noticed," said Twilight, grumbling. "And you settled for Discord."

"Don' remind me," said Applejack, furrowing her brow. "Ah had to hire him 'cuz Granny Smith said so, and 'cuz Fluttershy was goin' on 'bout givin' him second chances and I was gettin' worried she'd use the Stare next. But it doesn' mean ah'm happy with it, 'specially with all them trees goin' haywire." Suddenly a crash came from the side of the room. The two friends stopped to turn and see the snack table turned over. Pinkie Pie was there, not noticing the situation and still in the pudding bowl, but stuck under the tablecloth and sprawled all over the place was a blond-haired pegasus tangled up in the mess.

"Oops, my bad," she said, her wall-eyes looking sad. "Just wanted a muffin." Applejack shook her head.

"Heh, that's the third time that's happened tonight," she said. "Better put out those extra fritters then, I'll catch up with ya'll later, Twi!" Applejack bounced off to help clean up the mess. That was then Twilight heard a small voice and two frail hooves hugging her.

"Oh Twilight!" exclaimed a gentle yellow pegasus. Her pastel pink hair fell over her face as she ran to embrace her friend. This soft pony could be nopony else but Fluttershy. "I'm so glad you're back! I've missed you ever so much! Why, I'm so happy, I could cheer!" She took in a deep breath.

"Yay."

"Hello, Fluttershy," said Twilight with a smile. "Having fun?"

"Oh yes," she said brightly. "Especially since you're back now! I was so lonely while you were gone!"

"Lonely?" asked Twilight. "What about everypony else?"

"Well," said the pegasus, twiddling her hooves, "Pinkie Pie's been having to babysit a lot for Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Rarity was busy making another line of outfits for Sapphire Shores. Rainbow Dash, you know, has been in Cloudsdale an awful lot right now. Applejack's been having to care for her farm, and so has Discord." She gave Twilight a sad look.

"I'm sorry," sympathized Twilight. "Well, I'm back now, so everything's good, right?"

"Right!" Fluttershy perked. Twilight, then at that moment, realized that music had been playing, because it had suddenly stopped. She turned her head when she heard a growing argument fire up in the back of the library. A white unicorn with messy blue hair and snazzy shades was bickering with a grey, black-maned pony.

"Ouch, that was so on purpose!" she yelled.

"No it wasn't," said the more classy pony collectively. "I needed my elbow space, and that annoying wub of yours was in the way. Again."

"Well, then, take a couple steps to the side, 'Tavia, 'cause this is what the ponies wanna hear right now!"

"What are you saying? This rappy, poppy, hip-hop rubbish may be well in your eyes, Vinyl, but it certainly has no class to belong in a royal's welcome home celebration!"

"It's a party."

"Whatever."

"Well then what do you suggest, smarty?"

"Chopin, obviously, it's very sophisticated."

"Show pan? What the heck is that?!"

"CHOPIN!"

"Have the pronunciation your way, I'm playin' what the ponies want!" A fight then broke out. Many records were broken, strings were snapped. The ponies nearby just backed away as Twilight watched in confusion.

"Stop fighting!" yelled Pinkie, bursting in with chocolate all over her face. "Make peace! Make peace!"

"Not after Vinyl turns that obnoxious wub of her off!" said the grey pony, Octavia. She slammed a huge button. The unicorn, Vinyl Scratch, stood agape as her glasses fell off her face.

"You just set off me BASS CANNON!" she yelled. After that...

Huge explosion.

Yes, but everypony did make it home safely that night, but not after many apologies from the careless musicians. Twilight's anger from earlier resurfaced as she stood in the empty library after all the other ponies went home. She growled as Spike nervously laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm on it!" he said as he started to sweep in the awkward silence.