A terrified silence hung upon Ponyville. After the initial stampede, Lady Rarity had ordered Aurora Flash and her troops to clear the streets, and now scores of pegasus soldiers were perched on the city walls and rooftops, enforcing the curfew with a heavy hoof.
Above the silent town, the dark clouds roiled and swirled. The weather service was working overtime to keep their sunshade together under the glare of the terrible sun, fixed in the zenith of a sky turned into a pale, starless shadow of its usual glory. But every so often a beam of searing light stabbed through, and it was clear that they would eventually lose the battle.
In the library, a hasty meeting was taking place. Besides Moonlight Sparkle and her dragon assistant Spike, there were five ponies present: Lady Rarity and Aurora Flash representing the civil and military branches of local government, Sister Fluttershy as the head of the Royal Temple in town, and - at the far end of the meeting table - Applejack and Pinkie Punch.
Moonlight had grumbled about including them - especially Pinkie - but Rarity had pointed out that not only were they influential among Earth ponies, they also had the most experience about sunshine. The purple unicorn had to admit that Rarity, as a skilled administrator, had a point, and so the two civilians had been allowed in.
"Ladies, we are facing what may be the greatest crisis in a thousand years," Moonlight began, looking at each of the ponies around the table in turn as she spoke. "I've just returned from the hospital where Her Majesty was taken. Queen Luna is still comatose, and the doctors are baffled."
Noticing Fluttershy's raised hoof, she shook her head. "No, I could not get the Knightmares to release more nurses or medical supplies. They accept my authority on most subjects, but not when the Queen's well-being is in question."
The yellow pegasus looked sad. "Aww," she said in a soft voice. There had been numerous casualties in the stampede and the following crackdown, and Fluttershy had been instrumental in organizing the care for the injured ponies.
"You can't make a peace without breaking a few heads," Aurora Flash commented, taking another bite of her jerky strip. Moonlight hoped that it was made of something innocuous, but knowing Knightmares and how Flash emulated their manners, she had her doubts about that.
"I've sent Gilda and her griffons to patrol along the edge of the forest, so I think we're safe from any outside threats," Flash continued as she fixed her magenta gaze to Moonlight with suspicious intensity.
Rarity, looking spooky in the dark goggles whose obsidian lenses protected her sensitive eyes from the sunlight trickling through the cloud cover, tut-tutted at the pegasus. "My dear Aurora, we mustn't be pointing hooves at a moment like this! I am sure that everypony in this room is nothing but completely loyal to our Queen. However, I would still be interested in hearing more about these mysterious Elements of Harmony you mentioned earlier, Moonlight."
Both the Earth ponies, who had been silent until now, raised their heads at this. "Elements of Harmony?" Applejack asked. "Ain't that just an' old mares' story?"
Pinkie Punch, who'd been sampling her wares, looked excited at this. "Ooh! Ooh! Now how did those words go?" She cleared her throat, drew a deep breath and launched into a peppy song.
"When the moon is in the Seventh House, and Celestia aligns with stars, then peace will guide the planets, and love will break the bars! Harmony and understanding, sympathy and trust abounding, no more falsehoods or derisions! Golden living dreams of visions, mystic magic revelation, and the ponies' true liberation..."
Noticing the horrified stares she was getting from everyone else for this piece of musical sedition, Pinkie faltered and fell silent. "Uh... I just heard that somewhere and it stuck to my head, that's all! You know I'm such a sucker for snappy songs, and that one's about harmony and magic and all..." she said with a nervous giggle.
"Yes, thank you, Pinkie Punch," Moonlight said dryly. "After this crisis is over, we can discuss in detail where you heard that particular song. But now, we have more urgent matters at our hooves! The Elements of Harmony – Honesty and Kindness, Loyalty and Generosity, Laughter and Magic – are ancient artifacts of great power that Queen Luna used to banish her rebellious sister to the Moon. Applejack, do you know anything more about them?"
The orange pony glared at Pinkie, who had hidden her face in her pitcher of fruit punch, and spoke with obvious hesitation. "Ah first want to say that we Apples have always been loyal subjects of Her Majesty, an' y'all can have complete faith in me. But... there's some mighty old stories passed down in the family; just as bedtime stories, mind you, nothing more! An' one of 'em is about how a thousand years ago the Queen, she used to live in a castle in the Everfree Forest with her sister... an' how when she went an' built Canterlot, she left the Elements of Harmony there."
Moonlight nodded. "That matches what little I have managed to find out. Therefore, I have decided to enter the Forest, to search for the Elements. They are our only hope of waking Queen Luna up, and saving Equestria from the Hellion Queen and her eternal sun!"
Gasps of surprise and shock greeted this announcement, just as she had expected. "But Moonlight, it's much too dangerous to go alone!" Rarity protested, with the other ponies nodding in agreement.
The purple unicorn silenced the room with a wave of her horn. "I have made my decision, and I cannot be swayed. As the most faithful student of Queen Luna, it is my duty and honor to sacrifice my life for her if need be! I will leave Spike behind, so you can send dragon-scrolls to Canterlot and other towns to coordinate things..."
"T-that's not what we meant," Fluttershy said in a quavering voice. "W-we meant we are c-coming along with you!"
"What?!" Moonlight looked around her, astonished. Everyone was looking back at her, looking serious and resolute - even Pinkie Punch, although the pineapple bit stuck in her nostril spoiled the effect somewhat. "But, but you can't-"
"Sure we can, sugar," Applejack said. "The Apple family's never faltered in the service of Her Majesty, an' I just happen to know a couple of paths into the Forest."
"You're going to need someone who knows their way around in a fight, too," Aurora Flash said, gouging a long splinter out of the tabletop with one of her spurs. "Can't wait to tangle with some monsters!"
"I believe my magic can be quite useful as well," Rarity commented. "And Derpy is more than qualified to run the town in my absence!"
"I, umm... I'm a trained healer," Fluttershy said. "And... I like animals, so maybe I could be of some use that way..."
Pinkie blew the pineapple piece out of her nose and grinned. "And I'm just the pony you guys need if you got to keep your mood up, or distract a hungry beastie, or set off a trap or something! This'll be the coolest quest ever!"
The shred of cloud Fluttershy and Flash had taken with them to give some shelter from the blazing sun faded fast, and by the time the six ponies reached the eaves of the Everfree Forest, they were all sweating and blinking away tears, even the Earth ponies. Despite her goggles, Rarity had it the worst; she complained that the light burned her whole body. She refused to turn back, however, muttering something about noblesse oblige.
Taking up the lead, Applejack guided them into the deep shadows of the forest. The trees grew huge and threatening, their branches and leaves twined into a thick canopy that blocked even the sun's unnatural fury, making the place about as dark as an ordinary, starry night.
Moonlight soon realized that braving the Everfree Forest on her own would have been a doomed attempt. The path they followed was hard to find in the gloom, and several times it crossed other paths and tracks. Some of those were just as narrow and faint, while others were wide and made by huge, heavy feet. Several times, Applejack had to stop and think, but she never lost the way completely.
"It's a good thing we have you as a guide," Moonlight said after one of the longer pauses as she walked up to the earth pony. "How is it that you know your way around here anyway, Applejack? I thought nopony except the soldiers ever went into the Forest."
Applejack gave the unicorn a wary look. "Well, it ain't illegal, just dangerous. There's plenty of us Earth ponies who come here to gather mushrooms an' herbs an' stuff... Some of it sells for a pretty penny with traders from Canterlot an' elsewhere."
"I see," Moonlight said. It made sense; she had noticed a few patches of magical moss on the trees they had passed. "But we're getting rather deep into the Forest, aren't we? I doubt most ponies ever come this far, yet you seem to know your way around..."
The Earth pony sighed. "My Ma an' Pa vanished here when Ah was young, an' Granny Smith raised me an' my siblings," she said, looking uncomfortable. "Then as Ah grew up, Ah started comin' here, lookin' for them. Ah reckon Ah know this place better than any pony in the town..."
Moonlight nodded. "That's very admirable, if rather foolhardy. But what were your parents doing in the forest in the first place? Were they looking for something particular? It must have been something very important..."
Applejack scowled, looking like she had bitten a rotten apple. "You just can't stop askin', do ya? Fine. They were lookin' for the rebels. To join 'em," she growled and spat on the ground. "Me, Ah'm been lookin' for 'em, to make 'em pay for puttin' the whole Apple family in danger. But Ah've never seen so much as a sign of 'em. That's it, now you know my darkest family secret. Happy now?"
Feeling awkward, Moonlight fell back with the others. Applejack was right: if the news that the local heir of the Apple family had run off to join bandits and revolutionaries spread, it would do tremendous harm to the clan's business and standing all across the Equestria... She blinked. "Did anyone else see light over there? Something... like a pink flame?"
Applejack nodded. "Ah did. There's some old ruins thataway, an' we'll be passing close by. Let's be cautious, everypony, this place is dangerous. Rebels come here sometimes."
The ruins were scarcely enough to be called such; just the remnants of a small cottage, with most of its walls tumbled down to scattered blocks of stone, and the roof collapsed into a mess of rotting beams. Here, the canopy overhead was thin enough to let some sunbeams stab through. After the blessed darkness of the forest, they were an eye-watering reminder of what the whole of Equestria was suffering through.
"I wonder who used to live here," Moonlight said, curious despite herself. "I've heard the bandits don't build permanent structures."
Rarity shrugged. "I couldn't say, darling. The Forest has always held an attraction for the misfits and eccentrics. Perhaps this was the home of some overly inquisitive fool, who thought she could live here."
Flash, who had been circling warily above the others, dropped suddenly to the ground.
"Everypony quiet," she hissed. "I saw something moving in those ruins. Spread out, but don't get into the trees." She advanced in a low crouch, her open wings quivering. Then, with a single wing-assisted leap, she vanished behind the largest standing portion of the ruins.
There was a hoarse yelp, followed by a few sounds of struggling and a sharp cry of pain. "Just some half-starved rebel," Flash called, sounding vaguely disappointed. "You want me to stick a spur in him so we can get going again?"
"N-no!" Fluttershy shouted, before either Moonlight or Rarity could tell the soldier pegasus to go ahead. "Let me see him first, please?"
The unicorns exchanged a look and shrugged, following Fluttershy into the ruins. The rebel, an Earth pony pinned down under Flash in a very painful-looking position, was wiry and shaggy, with wild eyes and old scars crisscrossing his brown coat. "K-kill me if you want, you bastards, I won't talk!" He gasped in pain as the pegasus twisted his foreleg further.
"Uh, you can let go of him, Aurora," Fluttershy said. "He doesn't look like he could make trouble for us." The blue pegasus rolled her eyes but relented, moving aside and keeping her spurs ready. "Look at you poor, lost soul," Fluttershy continued in a kind voice, crouching closer to their captive. "Did the other outlaws kick you out from their band, or have you been wandering here all alone? Lost in the dark, without even Queen Luna's moon to guide your steps, terrified and without a purpose... Yes, I see your flank is bare. It's not just your poor body that's starving, but so is your soul. I can help you with that, you poor dear. Tell me, what is your name?"
The gaunt pony shivered as Fluttershy pinned his eyes with her serene gaze. "I'm F-f-Freedom," he managed.
"Oooh. That's a sad name for a pony," she said, shaking her head a little. "You have the freedom to live in this forest full of monsters, when other ponies live safely in Ponyville. The freedom to be all alone, when the others have their friends and neighbours to help them. The freedom to starve, when the others have enough food... Would you want a sandwich, Freedom?" she asked, almost as an afterthought.
Moonlight listened in increasing awe as Fluttershy, in her kind and gentle way, demolished the rebel pony's defenses. Five minutes later, he had told them about a path that would lead them past the bandit sentries and across a bog, and was now weeping openly and begging to be allowed back into Equestrian society.
"There, there," the yellow pegasus said as she helped him back onto his feet. "Here's another sandwich for the trip back to the town. You'll be put to hard work, but you will know it is for the good of everyone, most of all yourself. Go now with Luna's blessing, my friend!"
Still weeping, the new convert stumbled away in the direction of Ponyville as the other ponies watched, unable to believe their eyes. Pinkie was the first to recover. "Wow, that was about the super-scariest thing I've ever seen, Fluttershy!" she said. "Ooh! Ooh! Look, there's something pink there in the bushes! Aww, now it's gone..."
The path that Freedom had told them about continued level and easy for a while, before heading down a steep slope. Except for the occasional minor slip and stumble, the six ponies got down safely. "We must be gettin' closer to the river, the ground's gettin' muddy," Applejack commented, making Rarity grimace with distaste.
"Ah've never been in this part of the Forest myself... Ah just hope whoever made this path knew the route."
The ground became soggier and wetter, until they found themselves walking through a bog. There was enough solid ground for the earthbound ponies to get ahead with nothing worse than muddy legs, but it was still slow and unpleasant going. Even Fluttershy, who seemed to prefer walking to flying, had taken to wing, and hovered above as Applejack and Moonlight carefully picked their way through the dark pools and treacherous patches of mud.
"Wow, this place is starting to look really super-creepy," Pinkie commented, watching with avid interest the dark, gnarled trees rising from the bog all around them. Somehow, the pink pony managed to always find a solid patch of ground under her hooves despite paying little attention to where she was walking. "Look at those big branches! They kinda look like huge grasping claws to me, what about you guys?"
"Oh, will you shut up, you pink ball of fluff," Rarity snapped as she pulled her front leg from a sucking puddle of mud. "They're just trees! Now stop before you make poor Fluttershy any more nervous!" The pegasus was indeed looking increasingly anxious, and muttering litanies to Luna under her breath. "At least we're starting to get back on solid ground," the unicorn continued, nodding towards the cluster of large, brownish-gray rocks rising out of the bog a little way off.
Pinkie frowned as she looked at those rocks. "Gee, that's funny, Rarity. I didn't notice those rocks were there just a moment ago... And looky, doesn't that one look like it's got a big, ugly face on it?" The pink pony stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at it.
The "rock" opened a pair of yellow eyes and glared back at Pinkie, who yelped and jumped back. As Applejack and Moonlight turned to look what it was, the bog began to roil and bubble all around them.
"A hydra!" Moonlight screamed. "Run, everypony!" Her horn gleamed, and with a flash and a bang, the unicorn winked out only to reappear at the edge of the bog, several hundred feet away.
Applejack took one look at the hissing and roaring heads rising from the muck on long serpentine necks, swore under her breath, and ran for it, splashing through the bog with surprising speed. Pinkie Punch followed right on her heels, her pink mane standing up like a cloud of shocked cotton candy; somehow, even now, the odd pony managed to find footing wherever she bounced. Fluttershy and Aurora Flash hadn't wasted time, either, bolting towards Moonlight and the safety that the solid ground promised.
A scream of fear made everyone turn; in their panic, they had all forgotten Rarity! The unicorn noble stood shivering in the middle of the hydra's coiling necks, her head turning this way and that as she desperately tried to find a way out of the certain doom.
"Consarn it!" Applejack grunted. "Can't you do something 'bout that beastie?" she asked Moonlight. The unicorn shook her head mutely; the hydra was way too big for any of her spells to stun or stop. "Then she's done for," the Earth pony said in a grim tone of voice.
"Like Hell!" Flash shouted. "Hang on, Rarity, I'm coming!" Ignoring the others' shouts, she dodged Applejack's hasty lunge for her tail and dashed back towards the hydra and the cowering unicorn. Flying with reckless speed, the pegasus wove through the monster's necks, lashing out with her spurred legs just as one of the hydra's heads lunged towards Rarity.
The reptilian beast roared as Flash's kicks cut shallow but painful wounds in its thick, scaly hide, and missed, burying one of its heads in the bog with a massive splash that knocked the unicorn over. Two other heads snapped at the pegasus' heels, only to collide with one another with a loud thump as she looped around and dove for the white unicorn.
"Flash, watch out!" Fluttershy squeaked, pointing at the hydra's last head that was drawing back, ready to snatch two morsels with one strike. "Oh, Moonlight, can't you do something?!" she pleaded.
The purple unicorn closed her mouth that had been hanging open. "Uh... I can try," she said, and cast the first spell that came to mind. The purple flash struck the hydra just as it was about to strike at Aurora Flash and Rarity, and an enormous, bright green mustache sprouted on its face. Surprised and distracted, it missed its moment: Flash was back in the air already, Rarity hanging onto her legs for dear life.
"What the hell are you standing there for?" the pegasus rasped as she zoomed over them so low that Rarity's flailing legs almost knocked Applejack's hat off. "Run, you idiots!"
Trusting a soldier to know when to fight and when to run, everypony turned their tails and raced away from the hydra. Only Moonlight glanced back over her shoulder to see the monster turn away without chasing them, a pink light dancing around its heads like a magical halo...
Beyond the bog, the ground turned rocky and began to rise again. Moonlight scarcely noticed the change in terrain, for her mind was focused on the elusive pink light and what it implied. The ambient, unruly magic of the Everfree Forest made it impossible to be sure, but the unicorn had no doubt that the light was some manifestation of the Hellion Queen's will. But what was its purpose? It had led them to danger, but then turned the hydra away from their trail... was it taunting them, or somehow testing them?
A sharp gasp of pain jolted Moonlight out of her thoughts and made her look back. Everypony had stopped to look at Rarity, who was holding her right foreleg in the air. Carefully, the white unicorn lowered her hoof to the ground, testing her weight on it... and immediately lifted it up again, wincing in pain.
"Oh dear, let me look at that," Fluttershy said, landing next to Rarity and nuzzling the white pony's ankle with her soft nose. "Does it hurt when I do this?"
A shudder went through the unicorn's body."Y-yes," she said through gritted teeth.
"Oh. Ummm... can you flex your hoof? I know it hurts, but I need to know... Oh, that is enough, you don't have to continue. You've got a bad sprain there, but no fracture, I believe," Fluttershy said. "What happened?"
"Oh, she didn't look where she was going, and stumbled on that rock over there," Pinkie interjected, pointing at an unremarkable lump of stone jutting from the gravelly soil. "I think it's because of those silly goggles, I mean they look cool and all, but it's all nice and comfy dark here anyway, well most of the time, anyway, and–" A glare from Flash made the pink pony shut her mouth, but she still showed what she thought of Rarity's caution about the sun with an expressive roll of her eyes.
Rarity nodded, biting her lip. "I must have twisted my ankle when that hydra threw me down," she said. "I noticed that it was hurting a bit after Aurora Flash let me down, but I didn't think it would be that bad."
As Fluttershy started bandaging Rarity's ankle, Moonlight decided it was a good moment to share her thoughts about the strange light with the others. But just as she opened her mouth, she saw another glimmer of light in the distance, this time the familiar green of Spike's dragon fire.
A green-glowing wisp of smoke came twisting through the trees and solidified into a scroll before her eyes. The others, unused to dragon-mail, watched with keen interest as Moonlight opened the scroll and began to read aloud.
"Moonlight – the Queen is gone!" A chorus of gasps, and a sharp curse from Flash welcomed this. "There was a magical explosion at the hospital, and she is missing. All the Knightmares are also out cold, and we can't wake them up. A nurse who saw it said it was like pink fire blazing out of the Queen's room. Somehow the rumor leaked, and now the town is in chaos. Derpy has ordered the troops to clear the streets, but the riot is just spreading. You must hurry! – Spike."
Rarity was the first one to speak. "Fluttershy... can I walk properly once you're done?" The pegasus looked uneasy, and Rarity continued. "Then it's clear. You have to leave me behind, and go! I can tie up those bandages myself, and follow you the best as I can, but right now I'm just holding you back. No, I insist," she said as Fluttershy opened her mouth. "In fact, as a noblemare of the Realm and the Royal Governor of Ponyville, I command you to leave me behind, and continue on your quest to save Queen Luna and all of Equestria!"
Aurora Flash chuckled at this. "First time I've heard anypony pull rank to get her companions to abandon her! C'mon, help me get these saddlebags off her, there's stuff in here that might be useful..."
Soon, the other five ponies were on their way again, having left Rarity with nothing but some bandages, a canteen of water and her goggles. The unicorn had offered those to Moonlight, but she had declined the offer; she was sure her eyes could take the sun as long as it was necessary. "Good luck, everypony," Rarity said as they parted. "I'll be following you in my thoughts, even if I can't be there in flesh!"
Less than half an hour later, Moonlight was wishing she'd accepted Rarity's goggles. She and her four remaining companions were standing on the brink of a deep chasm, shading their eyes with their hooves as they looked at the ruined castle on the other side. It was small compared to the majestic palace at Canterlot, and badly in need of repair, but the unicorn thought it had a familiar look to it.
"So... how are we going to get across?" Pinkie Punch asked, poking at the ancient stone supports of the broken drawbridge with a hoof. The bridge had snapped and was dangling down into the chasm, vanishing in the billowing golden mist that filled the ravine.
Aurora Flash's only reply was a disdainful snort. Before Moonlight could stop her, the blue Pegasus had dived off the ledge. "Oh yeah! You've got wings," Pinkie said cheerfully. "I always forget."
Applejack frowned as she watched the soldier vanish into the mist. "Ah don't like the look of that stuff," she said with a sidelong glance at Moonlight. "It ain't natural!"
The unicorn agreed. Everything about the mist made her magician's nerves tingle, from its unnatural persistence in the cruel sunlight to its golden shine and the way it moved. Moonlight let out a loud sigh of relief when Flash rose up from the mist, the beats of her wings barely stirring it, as she dragged the other end of the bridge up towards the support posts on the other side.
There was some kind of magic in the bridge, for even though its old oak planks looked rickety and half rotten, they were still sturdy enough that they didn't give when Applejack tested the closest ones by stomping hard on them. "Ah guess we can all cross this," the Earth pony said. "C'mon, let's not linger here!"
Walking in a single file, the earthbound ponies began to cross the bridge. The two pegasuses were circling close above, ready to swoop into rescue if someone fell. As Moonlight approached the bridge's midpoint, she felt her mane starting to stand up on end, and saw the mist begin to roil and rise around them. "Quick, everypony! Run!" she shouted, but it was too late: the magical mists were already swirling around her knees and rising fast.
In just a few seconds, the five ponies were wrapped in the glowing golden mists, unable to see one another or even their own hooves. Moonlight could hear Applejack's voice calling as if from far, far away before the mist swallowed her words completely.
Then a voice began to speak out of the mist, seeming to come from right next to her. It was the voice of a young mare, soft, melodic and melancholy. Something about it reminded Moonlight of Queen Luna on those few times when her mentor had let her imperious persona slip a little, revealing the pony behind the dark majesty of Equestria's ruler.
"Moonlight Sparkle, my sister's most faithful student..." the voice said. "She has taught you much, but at what cost? You have no family, no friends, no goals beyond acquiring more and more magic and knowledge in your queen's service. Tell me, Moonlight... Are you truly happy?" The unicorn saw glimpses of another life in the swirling mists: a simple, pleasant life as a librarian, no longer feared and envied, with friends she could share her knowledge freely with for the sheer joy of helping others.
The voice moved on, leaving Moonlight standing in a wistful daze. "Applejack, the most honest and dependable pony in all of Equestria... You place your family above all else, yet you nurture and cherish a bitter hate of your own parents, poisoning the soil of your heart. Tell me, Applejack... Can you not let go?" She couldn't see what Applejack saw, but she heard the orange pony gasp as if in pain.
Now the voice echoed above them. "Fluttershy, oh Fluttershy... I know the anguish in your heart, the pain that you try to heal by pouring your kindness out to your fellow ponies, suffering under my sister's darkness. Yet you know that every last one of your good deeds lengthens the eternal night. Tell me, Fluttershy... Do you truly believe in my sister's divinity?"
Coming very close to Moonlight again, the voice continued. "Rarity, great-hearted and beautiful... You were not created to rule over other ponies, but to create and to stand as an example for others. Tell me, Rarity... When have you last made anything with your own hooves and magic?" Moonlight strained her eyes; was there a whiter smudge in the mist before her?
The bodiless voice changed, sounding both sterner and sadder than before. "Aurora Flash, loyal unto death, the fiercest and fastest flier in the skies... Such dark and terrible things you have done in pursuit of your ambitions, for there are no dreams lofty enough for you to chase in my sister's eternal night. Tell me, Aurora... Are there no limits to what you would do out of loyalty to your ruler?"
There was a moment of silence before the voice continued, full of pity this time. "And finally you, Pinkie Punch: so full of laughter that no one would guess how much you hurt. Your past, you have abandoned with your name; your future, you've built out of champagne bubbles and endless parties. Tell me, Pinkamina... How long will the party in your heart go on in this darkness?"
Moonlight's ears picked up a faint wheezing sound that turned into something like hiccups... then into slow, quiet giggles, rising into rich, mocking guffaws of laughter that echoed in the golden mist, louder and louder. At the sound of Pinkie's laughter, the mist wavered, and Moonlight felt like a dreamer struggling towards wakefulness.
"Oh, you're good, miss Snooty Voice," the pink pony laughed. "You got everypony else, and you almost got me too, but you made one teensy-weensy, tiny little mistake! You called me that silly, stupid old name, and nopony but nopony does that to Pinkie Punch, no ma'am!" Her voice rose as she forged on. "Pinkamina Pie... that was a whole other filly, the penniless bastard daughter of a bunch of dumb, dour, drab, inbred rock farmers, a pink freak they all hated almost as much as she hated them! I'm Pinkie Punch now, and I'm successful and happy, do you hear me? I've got all the candy and cupcakes and champagne and cherry brandy and hot chocolate and hot studs that I want, and the party's never ever going to stop! And if you think you can make me give up on all that, you've got another thing coming, you stupid sugary silver-tongued Snooty Voice! So ha-ha-ha!"
And with that last laugh, the mist let out what sounded like a sad sigh, and vanished just as quickly as it had appeared, sinking back down into the chasm. Moonlight was mildly surprised to see that they were already on the other side, and that Rarity had joined them somehow.
"Was... was that...?" Fluttershy asked in a trembling voice.
Moonlight nodded. "I'm certain that was the Hellion, yes. We are very close to our goal now, and she's getting worried. I believe she can't stop us outright, so she tried to tempt us into her service..." Her voice faded as she remembered the offer. She shook her head, steeling herself and reminding herself of her duty to her teacher. "We would have broken free eventually, of course," the unicorn continued, trying very hard to sound convincing. "But you shattered the spell, saving us a lot of time, Pinkie. Thank you for that."
The pink pony's grin looked a bit forced in its broadness, and there was an odd gleam in her eyes. "Aww, it's nothing, Moonlight! I just couldn't take all that sappy silliness seriously!"
Despite their excitement and wariness, every one of the ponies felt relieved when they entered the ruined castle. Although the ceilings were mostly gone, the tall walls and the overgrown trees around the ruin provided a little shadow that seemed all the more welcoming after the fierce light of the crossing.
"Everypony, don't get too close to the others," Moonlight said. "If the Hellion could teleport Rarity here, she might be able to scatter us all across the Everfree Forest, or worse. So keep your eyes open for that pink flame!"
"An' what're we supposed to do if it comes at us, Ah wonder," Applejack muttered under her breath as they picked their way over the cracked and tilted flagstones, passing deeper into the ruin. In front of them the light brightened again, and the ponies emerged into a large hall lit by the sunlight pouring in through the tall windows and the great, gaping holes in the ceiling.
"Moonlight... Could those be the Elements of Harmony?" Rarity asked in a suddenly strained voice, gesturing with her horn towards five stone spheres, held up high on five beautifully carved stone supports at the other end of the hall.
The purple unicorn nodded eagerly. "Yes! I can feel their magical power all the way over here! Come on, we must get them before-"
As if on a cue, the flickering pink flame flowed into the hall from a doorway behind the Elements. Before any of the ponies had time to act, it had formed a spinning whirlwind of rosy fire that careened towards the spheres.
Aurora Flash reacted immediately, letting out a war cry and flashing across the room with incredible speed, her spurs slashing through the pink fire without effect. There was a clash of multicolored light, and the Pegasus was tossed aside, hitting the wall with loud thud.
"The Elements! No!" Moonlight screamed. "I cannot let her take them!" Her horn blazed with magic as the purple pony desperately charged the spinning flame. Again, there was a flash of light, but instead of knocking her aside, the pink fire enveloped Moonlight. Then it winked out, taking her and the Elements with it.
When Moonlight Sparkle's eyes cleared, she found herself elsewhere, in a darker and better preserved chamber than the hall where the Elements had been. She barely registered her new surroundings, however, focusing instead of the two ponies before her.
Queen Luna was lying on the floor, her night-dark mane dim and limp and her flanks barely moving with her shallow, labored breathing. Even though Moonlight had visited her mentor and mistress at the hospital earlier, seeing her like this shocked her to her core. The five Elements were arranged in a circle around the dark alicorn's body.
Standing over the unconscious monarch was another winged unicorn, this one white as clouds, with a flowing mane of rose-colored fire and an ivory-white horn. She was only slightly larger than Moonlight, and built more like an ordinary pony, but there was an indefinable similarity between her and Luna that left the unicorn no doubts about the stranger's identity.
"The Hellion Queen!" she gasped, clambering back onto her hooves.
"That is the name my sister has called me for a thousand years," the Hellion said in the same soft, slightly melancholy voice that had spoken to Moonlight in the magic fog earlier. "But unlike her, I do not claim the title of a queen. I am merely the Princess of the Sun... Celestia."
Moonlight ignored her words. "What have you done with her, you monster!? Get away from her!" she shouted, scraping the floor with her hooves as she prepared for another, probably suicidal, charge.
The Hellion looked sorrowful. "The situation my sister finds herself in is entirely her own doing," she said. "Luna, in her pride, abandoned the cosmic balance long ago. Maintaining her eternal night has taken a terrible toll on her... My sister is close to death, but even now she struggles against me, forcing a standstill between day and night."
"Lies!" Moonlight gasped and charged. Instead of throwing her across the room, or making her burst into flames, the Hellion merely turned into a streamer of rosy fire and flowed out of Moonlight's way, materializing again behind the purple unicorn.
"I am not going to fight you, Moonlight Sparkle," she said in that maddeningly kind voice. "You and your friends do not have the power to stop me or harm me. All I have to do is to wait for my sister to relent... or to die. Either way, it will not take much longer."
As Moonlight turned around, ready to hurl her most destructive spells at the Hellion, she saw faint light at the other end of the room. It was the glow of Rarity's horn! And running and flying behind the white unicorn were the rest of her companions, their faces set in expressions of desperate courage. "Hold on, Moonlight! We are comin'!" Applejack shouted.
Something stirred in Moonlight's heart as she realized that they were coming to her aid, not to save the Queen. Moments from their journey through the dangers of the Everfree Forest flashed through her mind, as she put the pieces together. It was so clear to her now!
"You are right, Hellion... we do not have the power," she said, unable to keep her rising excitement out of her voice. The white alicorn tilted her head and looked at Moonlight with a curious expression on her face... it wasn't fear, exactly, but it was something close to that. "But the Elements of Harmony do, and my comrades –" the word came so easily from her lips now! " – have proven their worth, embodying all the five aspects! And you have foolishly put yourself right in the middle of the Elements themselves!"
As Moonlight spoke, the five stones rose up from the floor and started to glow, faint at first but growing brighter quickly. Colorful auras, each matching one of the Elements, were appearing around her comrades, who had stopped in awe to watch the events unfolding before their eyes. "Honesty! Kindness! Loyalty! Generosity! Laughter! Together with my Magic, we have you now!"
With a triumphant laugh, Moonlight reached out with her will, providing the final spark necessary. A rainbow of light was forming around the blazing elements, flowing out to swirl around the Hellion. "You are going back to the Moon, forever!" Moonlight shouted.
The Hellion raised her head and said a single word in a quiet voice.
"No."
Moonlight gasped as she felt the flow of power double, then double again and again. It was flowing through her, through the Elements and through her friends... but she was no longer in control! The rainbow-colored light was surging and swirling around the two alicorns, growing brighter and brighter until it outshone the sun itself.
Without a warning, the glowing rainbow imploded. A soundless wave of magic washed across the room, knocking the ponies down onto their knees and making their ears ring. Moonlight shook her head, trying to desperately clear it.
"Arise, my brave young friends!" The voice that echoed through the entire room was one that none of them had ever heard, yet hauntingly familiar. It was majestic, full of joy but tempered with a hint of sadness as well.
A single, winged unicorn now stood before the six ponies, tall and regal. Her coat was black and dappled with silver... or was it silvery white and dappled with black? It was impossible to be sure, as the colors seemed to flow and shift with every moment. Her wings were midnight black, her mane and tail flowing pink, her horn white with flecks of gold. On her flanks, they saw the image of a solar eclipse, the sun's golden rays shining around the black and silver moon.
"Wowzers! What happened? Where did Queen Luna and that Hellion go? And who are you?" Pinkie Punch asked, bouncing up and down with excitement. She had voiced the questions in the minds of every pony in the room, even as they stared at the majestic mare before them. She radiated an aura of regal power, similar to Queen Luna's, but not as overwhelming.
"I am them both," the alicorn said. "I am Luna's darkness and Celestia's light, held in balance once again and without the taint of the Nightmare Moon. You can call me..." She hesitated. Then a strange, knowing smile spread on her face. "Call me Equinox, the Twilight Princess. Yes, that name fits me well."
"But- but- I was trying to banish you! Uh, her. The Hellion!" Moonlight blurted out. Had she accidentally sent her mentor to the Moon?
"Yes, you did," Princess Equinox said. "But the Elements are more than just a tool of magic; they are the repositories of the spirit of Harmony. And even though Luna, maddened and twisted by her jealousy and ambition, could force the Elements to unjustly banish Celestia to the Moon, you and your friends couldn't. Instead, the Rainbow of Light returned the balance and harmony by uniting the two sisters... creating me. And for that, I owe you a great deal of gratitude. But now, we must go. I am needed, and so are you."
She spread her midnight wings and raised her head. Silvery fire, shot through with swirls of rainbow light, erupted from her horn to wrap around Moonlight and her surprised friends. The light flashed, faded, was gone, and so were all seven ponies. Only the Elements remained, their work done.
They returned to find Ponyville in chaos. The stampeding mob was surging against the magical shield maintained by the unicorn nobles holed in Rarity's tower, while the griffons and the pegasus soldiers circled above, strafing the rioters.
The sudden appearance of an unknown alicorn, blazing with power, brought the fighting to a stop as everypony ended up running away, kneeling in awe, or trying to do both at once. Seizing the opportunity, the six friends threw themselves at the tasks at hand. While Rarity and Aurora ordered the military to stand down, Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy began the job of calming the shocked ponies down. Moonlight herself roped up a dozen or so ponies from both sides who seemed to have kept their wits, and organized them as a fire brigade, putting out the fires and gathering the injured ponies for treatment.
By the time the terrible sun had set and the blessed night returned to Ponyville, the situation in town was more or less under control. The rest of Equestria was a different matter, as the growing pile of dragon-mail scrolls in Rarity's throne room indicated: Canterlot was torn by strife as the various noble houses contested the throne; half of Cloudsdale had simply melted away in the sun, leaving thousands of pegasus ponies homeless and the weather system in chaos; Trottingham and several other northern towns were being raided by griffons; Appleloosa and the other colonies in the Buffalo ranges had declared independence and kicked the unicorn governors out... the list seemed endless.
"My brave young ponies," the Princess addressed the six companions standing before her in the dark hall. "You have lived all your lives in the eternal night, but now that night is ending. Equestria and the entire world are changing, and you must change, as well. I am forever thankful for what you have done for me, but even though I can forgive your deeds before that, I cannot forget them."
She paused for a moment, looking at each of the ponies in turn. Moonlight felt very small before Equinox's many-colored gaze. It seemed to look right through her, discerning her every flaw and fault... but also her every virtue and good deed. Then it was over, and the alicorn's expression softened as she continued.
"There is something you can do to atone for your deeds, and to help your people. For all of my power, I am still just one pony, and cannot be everywhere at once. So, as I return to Canterlot to take the throne before Equestria tears itself apart, I require ponies who can be my eyes and ears, my horn and my hooves, in the outlying towns and provinces. They must be honest, loyal, generous and kind. They must be able to laugh at the danger... and they must be willing to learn the magic of friendship and true harmony. Moonlight Sparkle, will you and your friends serve me?"
Moonlight opened her mouth, prepared to reflexively agree to whatever her ruler asked of her... then hesitated. Was the alicorn her ruler? In the short time she had spent with Equinox, she'd come to realize that the Twilight Princess was very different from the Queen Luna she knew and had loyally served. Her Queen was in there... but so was the Hellion. Would she be betraying her Queen by swearing fealty to a being that was, in part, Luna's greatest enemy? But with Equestria in chaos, how could she afford not to?
Anxious, she looked at her comrades - her friends, now - in the hopes of some guidance. On every face, she saw her own fears for Equestria and her doubts about Equinox, but also something more. She saw Aurora Flash's ferocious loyalty and Rarity's magnanimity; Fluttershy's idealistic faith and Applejack's hard-bitten, honest pragmatism; and finally, Pinkie Punch's almost manic cheer that even now buoyed the pink pony. Realizing that these five would stand united behind her, no matter what she chose, Moonlight made her decision.
"No, Your Highness," she said as she turned back to face the waiting alicorn. "We will not serve you... but we will work with you, for the sake of Equestria and our Queen. Will you accept our help, freely given?
If the Twilight Princess was surprised by Moonlight's reply, she did not show it. "For the sake of Equestria, and for your own sake, I will gladly do so," she said and smiled as she spread her wings as if to bless them. "Together, may you six find redemption for yourselves and all of Equestria!"
Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to move the moon across the starlit skies. The younger brought out the sun, when the bright light was called for. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects: all the different types of ponies.
But as time went on, the younger sister's pride made her grow resentful. She envied the beauty of night and wished to impose the blazing light of her sun on the ponies and the world all the time. One fateful night, the younger unicorn raised the sun in challenge to her sister's beauty and glory. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the overweening vanity and pride in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of blazing fire: Hellion Queen. She vowed that she would burn away the night, blot out the stars and banish all rest.
Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponykind: The Elements of Harmony! Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her forever in the Moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for the night again--
The purple unicorn lifted her head from the old book she had been reading in the dark garden, and looked up at the moon, almost full and approaching its zenith. "...and harmony and order have been maintained in Equestria ever since," she finished the sentence. Something about the name "Elements of Harmony" rang a bell in her memory; she had read about them before, but where?
My Little Pony: Darkness is Magic
The young unicorn with the mark of stars on her flanks trotted through the moonlit terraces of Canterlot, deep in thought. She barely registered the way her fellow nobles nodded their horned heads to her, how the pegasus guards raised their wings in salute as they opened the doors for her, and how the occasional servant ponies hurriedly kneeled, their eyes lowered as she passed. As the Queen's favorite student, she had long since become used to such deference, and unlike some unicorns, she was not interested in reveling in her status.
Reaching the white marble tower of the palace library, the unicorn hurried up the winding stairs and entered the tall rotunda at the top of the tower. The silvery moonlight poured in through the large windows, illuminating the various astronomical instruments and the books piled on the long, low tables. More tomes and scrolls lined the walls, vanishing in deep shadows.
"Spike! Spike!" she shouted as her horn lit up with gleaming fairy-fire that cast flickering light into the shadows. There, green eyes glimmered in the darkness where the dragon crouched over something bulky. "Ah, there you are. What is that thing?" she asked, moving closer so that the faint light of her horn illuminated her assistant.
"It's going to be your gift for Moondancer," the small purple dragon said, looking critically at the ancient set of full plate barding he had been buffing and polishing. "Her great-grandfather used this in some war or other, and-"
"Yes, yes," the unicorn said, having completely forgotten the party. There were much too many such occasions in Canterlot, with various nobles showing off their wealth, sophistication, magical power and ancient lineage. "Let the servants finish the job, we don't have the time for that. I need you to find me "Predictions and Prophecies", the old, unexpurgated version."
Spike scampered off into the darkness, returning soon with a battered old tome. "Here you are," he said, placing it on the desk before the unicorn. She flipped the book open with a bit of magic, and leafed quickly through. "Elements of Harmony... see the Mare in the Moon. Ah, there! 'Mare in the Moon: A tale of olden pony times, of a powerful unicorn who defied the Queen's harmonious order and was banished to the Moon by the use of Elements of Harmony. A legend says that she is linked to the stars, and that after one thousand years, an evil conjunction will sap the Queen's strength, letting the Mare to escape. See also: Hellion, Legend of Fire, Star-Cults, Solar Heresy.'"
"Sounds bad," Spike said; he had been reading over her shoulder. "So, do you think this is connected to... you know." Even in their own library, away from prying eyes and ears, the dragon lowered his voice to scarcely above a whisper. Very, very few people were aware of the strange fainting fits and magical spasms that had begun to plague the Queen, and the ones in the know kept very quiet about the matter.
The unicorn nodded. Straightening her back, she looked up into the night sky beyond the library windows. "Spike, take a note, please." She waited a moment until the dragon had found an empty sheet of parchment and a quill, and started dictating her letter.
"To Her Tenebrous Majesty, Mother of Night, my most illustrious teacher, Queen Luna: My continuing studies of unicorn magic have led me to discover something that may have a connection to your recent..."
She hesitated, carefully considering how to word this.
"How about illness?" Spike suggested. "Or symptoms?"
"No, no, no... Strike the sentence; let's go with 'the recent events', instead. Got it? Good. For you see, I am convinced that the stars are moving to release the mythical Mare in the Moon, who is in fact the Hellion Queen. Something must be done to make sure that this terrible event does not come true. I humbly suggest that steps should be taken to acquire the Elements of Harmony, in case they are required. Your most obedient and faithful student, Moonlight Sparkle."
"Moonlight... Sparkle, got it. Do you want me to send it now? I mean, the Queen's pretty busy with the preparations for the millennial celebration of the Night of Victory..."
"Exactly," Moonlight said. "The prophecy says that that's when the conjunction happens! We need to be prepared with the Elements, if she is... if we need to do something," she finished.
Spike shrugged, raised the finished scroll to his face, and breathed green fire at it. The scroll caught fire and went up in a flame, the scintillating smoke wafting away. "There. I just hope she won't take this badly..."
Moonlight flicked her tail. "Of course not! I am her most obedient and faithful student, after all! In all the years she has mentored me, I have only striven to serve her to the best of my ability. She knows she can trust me utterly."
In truth, the unicorn wasn't quite as confident as she claimed to be. Yes, she was probably closer to the Queen than any other living pony, but no matter how close their relationship, it was all on Luna's sufferance, and should she anger her... Well, the Queen had absolute power of life and death over every pony in Equestria. Even - especially - her most faithful student.
A sudden burp of green fire from Spike made Moonlight skip nervously. She hadn't expected an answer quite this quickly! "What does she write?" she asked.
"Our faithful student Moonlight," Spike read. "We value your diligence and demonstrated loyalty, but this matter does not concern you. Rather than spending your time delving into useless and proscribed lore, you should prepare for the tasks of governance that lie ahead of you. Therefore, it is Our decision to send you to oversee the preparations for the Night of Victory Celebration in this year's location, Ponyville. Make use of this opportunity to make contacts with your peers. In Her Own Writing, Luna, Queen of Equestria."
"W-what?" Moonlight said, scarcely believing her ears. She hadn't expected the Queen to send her on some quest to gather the Elements personally, but she had assumed Luna would acknowledge her concerns. Instead, the Queen had brushed them aside, all but told her to give it up, and sent her off to some provincial town!
"I think that went about as well as we could hope, Moonlight," Spike said. "Think of the bright side: you don't have to attend Moondancer's party!"
The unicorn merely groaned in reply.
The first thing that Moonlight Sparkle saw of Ponyville was the cloud castle floating over the town, obviously the local garrison. The unicorn frowned a little; had there been unrest that necessitated bringing the fortress so close? She considered asking the leader of her guard detachment, flying alongside her sky-chariot, but decided against it.
As the chariot moved lower, the rest of the town came to sight, looking peaceful in the eternal moonlight. At the center of the town, almost directly beneath the garrison, stood a glimmering black tower, like a dagger of obsidian thrust at the starry sky. Between the purple-and-black banners of Equestria it flew smaller, white pennants bearing the governor's cutie mark: three blue diamonds.
Around the tower, surrounding the town square, were the townhouses of lesser nobles, the royal temple, and a handful of civic buildings and most exclusive shops. Beyond them lay the smaller and less elaborate houses of the prominent merchants, guildponies and municipal pegasi, mixed with common stores, taverns and such. And finally, crammed between their betters and the encircling wall, were the dark houses of the common ponies.
Moonlight's chariot swooped down and landed on the town square. The lieutenant touched down next to her, while the rest of her entourage circled above, showing off to the local troops that were crisscrossing the sky at a higher altitude. It was perhaps a bit overdone – there hadn't been notable uprisings or assassination attempts in years – but the guards were taking no chances with the life of Queen's favorite student.
"Thank you, lieutenant," Moonlight said as she stepped off the chariot, Spike on her heels. "I trust you will handle the arrangements." She acknowledged his wing-salute with a polite nod and walked off towards the front door of the black tower where liveried servants were already waiting for her.
The governor's audience chamber was just as dark as the outside of the building, all black marble and carved onyx and lit by the faint glow of enchanted gems hanging from the high vault ceiling on long chains. About a dozen unicorn couples, a few of them with their foals in tow, were gathered around in their best finery, along with some pegasi and even a couple of earth ponies. Moonlight didn't pay them much attention as she approached the dais where the governor, Lady Rarity, was lounging on her black velvet divan, flanked by two pegasus mares, obviously her chief aides.
One look at Rarity explained Moonlight the noblemare's penchant for dark interiors. She was an albino unicorn, with a snow-white pelt; a wavy white mane and tail, immaculately coiffed; an ivory horn and big, languid eyes whose red color matched the rubies that wreathed her slim neck and sparkled around her ankles. Against the dark background, she fairly glowed.
"My dear Moonlight Sparkle, I cannot say how honored I am to receive a student of our most gracious Queen in our humble town," she said in an affected tone. "My court is so rarely graced by visitors of such nobility and beauty as you, reminding us of the glories of the Royal Court!"
"Ah... Thank you for your kind words and, ah, warm welcome, Lady Rarity," Moonlight replied, trying hard not to roll her eyes. The governor looked - and sounded! - like the most effete and dandified members of the Canterlot set... although, admittedly, she would have turned heads even in the capital with her fragile beauty. Prepared for an endless circuit of introductions, hoof-kissing and pointless chit-chat, Moonlight was pleasantly surprised when Rarity clopped her hooves together a few times and announced that the audience was over.
As the locals filed out of the room, Rarity leaned over to whisper something to one of the pegasi, a gray mare with uneven eyes: one bright and golden, the other milky white and blind. She bowed deferentially and hurried away as the unicorn noble turned to smile at Moonlight. "I assumed you would be interested in getting straight to the business, darling," she said. "Allow me to introduce our captain of the guard, and the garrison commander, Aurora Flash."
Flash was a young, lean but strong-looking blue pegasus with close-cropped mane and tail that scintillated with all the colors of the aurora: soft purples, pale greens, deep reds and electric blues. She was looking dapper, if a bit uncomfortable, in her dress uniform, but even Moonlight's civilian eye could tell that the spurs on her hooves were no dress finery but lethal weapons. "Pleased to meetcha," Flash said with a smile, giving Moonlight a polite half-salute.
The smile made Moonlight's ears twitch: the mare had filed her teeth sharp, in the manner of the Knightmare Guard. Aurora Flash... The name rang a bell: a young officer of the Guard who was demoted and sent back to regular army after a duel over some filly in the Flight School at Cloudsdale, wasn't it? "Charmed," she replied, wondering if Flash had kept up the carnivorous diet after being kicked out of the Guard.
Rarity's personal study turned out to be just as dark as the audience chamber, but much more comfortable... almost too much so, as Moonlight felt herself smothered by the dark frills. "Let's cut to chase," she said when the servants bearing tea and trays of scones and crumpets had backed away, curtsying and bowing all the way to the door. "I'm not here to horn in on the way you run your fief or to do a surprise audit. My orders are to supervise the Celebration preparations, and that's all I'm going to do."
"Of course, darling," Rarity said with an easy smile. "I can assure you that everything is going splendidly. This is not a rich town, but we do manage, and the ponies are quite loyal both to the Crown and to me."
Moonlight couldn't help but to look around her. The study was almost decadently luxurious with the graceful ebony furniture, thick purple carpets and beautiful silk tapestries in deep, dark colors… not to mention the rubies Rarity wore; they had to be worth an entire mansion on their own!
Noticing her guest's disbelief, Rarity gave a little, ladylike laugh. "Oh, this is all bought with my personal purse! My family has a controlling interest in the gem mines of the Bowie Hills, you see. I prefer to keep the taxes low, as that makes for loyal and hard-working ponies. We don't have riots or other such unpleasantnesses in Ponyville!"
The purple unicorn nodded. "That's good to hear. But in that case, why is the garrison so low over the town?" That was typical of cities with frequent unrest, both because it allowed the troops to react quicker to any mobs of rioters, and because the cloud fortress would serve as an anchor for the cloud barrier. A few nights of pitch darkness, combined with hailstones and howling winds, could quell most unrest without the use of force.
Flash, who had declined a divan, replied to this. "It's because of the raids from the Everfree Forest." She ignored the governor's annoyed look as she continued. "Ponyville's the closest town to the Forest, so we get our share of bandits and the occasional monster. Don't worry, though, I've got it all under control, especially now that Lady Rarity finally agreed to pay for those griffon mercenaries. Can't wait for those skulking bastards to show their muzzle the next time; they've won't know what hit them!"
"Ah. Quite," Moonlight said, embarrassed that she had forgotten about the Forest. One of the largest areas of wild magic in Equestria, it was a breeding ground of monsters and a harbor for criminals and malcontents, living in small bands under the dark boughs. "Well, sounds like the security arrangements are in good hooves! Now, can you fill me in about the rest of the preparations?"
"Wow. She really was something, wasn't she?" Spike sighed as he followed Moonlight out of the tower. The small dragon had spent the whole meeting quietly goggling at Rarity, almost forgetting to eat his quartz-sprinkled crumpets. "All those rubies... and she's so white! That horn and those eyes..."
"Cool down, Casanova," Moonlight said, annoyed by her assistant's reaction. "We'll just have to check the catering and the music, and then we're done and I can focus on the really important matters!"
The dragon cast a surprised look at her. "Do you mean the Elements of Harmony? But... the Queen told you to drop that!"
"Well, she didn't actually order me to do that," Moonlight said, "so technically it is all right if I continue my research on the side. I brought a few reference works with me from Canterlot so I can check some things I found out; that's why I didn't let the servants pack it. And I have requested Rarity that I can lodge in the town library, too. These out-of-the-way towns often have some old books that have been missed in the purges! Now, let's hurry, Spike; I want this over with."
The catering rights for the feast had been granted to the local branch of the Apple clan. Originally just a humble family of farmers and orchard-keepers, the Apples had grown numerous, rich and influential over the centuries, and many unicorn nobles considered them a royal pain in the haunch. Still, the family was scrupulous in showing nothing but complete loyalty to the Queen, and that made them all right in Moonlight's eyes.
Sweet Apple Acres was located only a little outside Ponyville, but it was surrounded by a stout palisade fence. The farmhouse itself was on a small hill, protected by a moat and sharp stakes driven into the hillside. This reminder of the closeness of the Everfree Forest made Moonlight wonder if she should have taken some guards with her after all. Then she glanced up at the floating castle, and the orbiting silhouettes of griffons and pegasus guards, and relaxed. A quick flare of her horn would bring the whole garrison to her aid in moments.
An orange mare with a long, braided yellow mane hanging from beneath a broad-brimmed hat, and a burly red stallion wearing studded leather barding, were awaiting for Moonlight and Spike at the farm gate. They bowed politely as the unicorn approached, but showed no inclination to kneel. If they thought to tweak Moonlight's tail with that, they failed.
"Welcome to the Sweet Apple Acres, m'lady," the mare said. "Ah'm Applejack, an' this is Big Macintosh. He's in charge of the defenses, while Ah handle the day-to-day business 'round here." The stallion grunted in agreement, and Applejack continued. "We'll take ya to see Granny Smith first, if that's fine by you."
Granny Smith, the local Apple matriarch, turned out to be a frail, bedridden old pony surrounded by a gaggle of respectful relatives. She welcomed Moonlight in a faint, quavering voice and apologized that she couldn't personally attend the Queen's envoy. It was clear that she had not much longer to live, and once she went, Applejack would become the mistress of the farm in name as well as in practice. To her credit, the orange pony looked genuinely sorrowful about the prospect.
Once back outside, Applejack seemed to cheer up. "So, Ah could give you the big tour of the farm, but Ah reckon it's the food yer interested in. C'mon, the kitchens are here!"
As soon as they entered the large room lit by red firelight, a whole bunch of various Apple cousins, uncles, aunts, second cousins, step-cousins and other relatives hurried over to gawk at Moonlight and to offer her samples.
"Care for some lovely apple fritters, lady?"
"You gotta try this here applesauce, it is divine!"
"Ah've got some darn fine apple strudel for you, ma'am!"
"Shut up, everypony, an' behave!" Applejack shouted, making them back off and fall silent. "Now back to the work, the lot of you! The Celebration's tomorrow, an' we still got lots to do!" As the ponies resumed their cooking, Applejack guided Moonlight to a small table. "Ah'm on top of the things, no matter what Lady Rarity might've said," she said, sounding defensive.
"I'm quite sure you are," Moonlight said, looking around her. She wasn't very familiar with kitchens - if she was hungry, she just asked the servants to bring her a meal - but the place had the kind of a controlled hurry and ordered chaos to it that she associated with a well-run laboratory. "I'll mention that in my report."
That brought a broad grin on Applejack's face. "Thanks, m'lady! Now, how 'bout a sample of our very special black apple pie?" Without waiting for Moonlight's reply, she brought the unicorn a thick slice of the pie, oozing dark red juice on the plate. "No apple that went into this pie ever saw the sun," she said proudly. "Ah'm told it's heavenly!"
As an Earth pony, Applejack wouldn't have tried the pie: foodstuffs that had grown under nothing but pure moonlight were slow-acting poison to her. Thus, every week the Queen graciously brought the sun up for one day, so that her most numerous subjects wouldn't starve. For the earth ponies, these short breaks in the eternal night of Equestria were moments of frantic activity and work, whereas most unicorn nobles stayed inside the whole time, some going so far as to sleep through the sunlit hours in a drugged stupor. Moonlight just closed the curtains and went on with her studies.
Even though she wasn't really hungry after the tea with Rarity, the unicorn had to admit that the pie smelled delicious. She took a little nibble of it, then a bigger bite, and before she quite knew it, she was licking the plate clean in a very undignified fashion.
"Ah'm sure as sugar it's goin' to be a big hit among the nobles at the Celebration," Applejack said proudly. Moonlight believed her; the pie's dark richness was almost impossible to resist!
The pie was weighing down heavily in Moonlight's belly when she and Spike returned to the town. "Ughh... shouldn't have asked for the second slice," the unicorn moaned. "What was next on that list again, Spike?"
"Hmm... More catering, it looks like. A place called "Sugary Sarsaparilla Corner" handles the drinks for the Celebration," the dragon said, hiding his grin. Moonlight had chastised him more than once over gorging on gemstones, and he was enjoying the usually stoic unicorn's discomfort and the slower pace it forced on her.
The wine shop lived up to its name, looking more like some confectioner's fantasy made from brown sugar and plum candy than a building. To Moonlight's relief, this visit was blessedly short; the proprietress was out on some important business, and the elderly couple she'd left behind to handle things were so awed by the unicorn noble they almost stumbled over their legs to bring her a glass of tonic to help her digestion.
Her last stop was at the temple, to check out the choir. She could hear the voices of numerous colts and fillies raised in a hymn to the Queen all the way to the street. Not wishing to interrupt the practice, Moonlight and Spike slipped in quietly and stayed in the shadows as they watched. The conductor was a pale yellow pegasus, her pink mane hidden beneath a wimple and her tail braided and taped tightly. She hovered in front of the foals, her wings beating the time for the song.
It wasn't as impressive as the great choirs in Camelot, with hundreds of foals and geldings singing the Queen's praise, but even an unmusical unicorn like Moonlight could tell they were quite good. Satisfied that the music was in order, the unicorn nudged Spike with her hoof and turned to go. As they did, the dragon's eyes caught the reflected moonshine and gleamed in the dark.
One of the fillies noticed the eyes and gasped, pointing with her hoof. Instantly, the whole choir was in disarray, the foals clambering over one another as half of them tried to get away from the eyes, while the rest wanted a better look. "Oh, Spike," Moonlight sighed and lit her horn, the soft purple glow banishing the shadows and revealing her and the dragon to everyone.
The pegasus, who had adopted a protective posture in front of her wards, relaxed visibly. "Oh my," she said in a soft voice, approaching Spike with an expression of wonder on her face. "A baby dragon! I've always wanted to meet one, but I never thought... How did you get here, you sweet little thing?"
Moonlight cleared her throat, making the pegasus notice her. She immediately cringed and gave an ecclesiastical curtsy. "Oh my," she repeated. "Pardon me, milady... I didn't notice you. Um. Did you... did you enjoy our singing?"
"Yes, I did," Moonlight said. "You must be in charge of the music for the celebration, Sister..."
"Fluttershy," the pegasus said in a voice just barely above a whisper. Many of the winged ponies, naturally adventurous and aggressive, ended up in the military, while the less bloodthirsty ones handled the weather or served as fast couriers and charioteers for the nobility. The few that weren't cut out for such jobs almost uniformly entered the religious orders; this meek little mare was obviously one of those.
"Right, Sister Fluttershy," the unicorn said, giving the pegasus her best attempt at a friendly, encouraging smile. "I'm Moonlight Sparkle, sent here by the Queen to oversee the preparations for the Celebration, and this is my assistant Spike."
"Nice to meet you," Spike added, making Fluttershy squeak in delight.
"Oooh! He speaks! That's just so incredibly wonderful. I... I just don't even know what to say!" the pegasus gushed, leaning in to nuzzle Spike's cheek with her nose. "A talking dragon, wow! What do dragons talk about?"
"Everything and anything!" Spike said, grinning at Moonlight. "What do you want to know about?"
"A-hem!" the unicorn said, interrupting them. "That's all very well, but I am in a bit of a hurry with the Celebration arrangements, so if you don't mind..."
"Oh!" Fluttershy said and blushed a little. "But you haven't even heard the song we're practicing for Her Majesty's entrance! It's not long, I promise!" She turned around, waving her wings to silence the murmur of curious whispers. "Children, children! In B minor, if you please... and try to keep the time, Applebloom!"
Moonlight sighed as the choir launched into a new piece. "Why does everyone think their part of the Celebration is the most important one?" she whispered to Spike. "At this rate, I'll never get back to my research, and that's the really important thing!" The dragon decided it was wisest not to say anything, and just enjoy the music.
"Finally," Moonlight muttered as she and Spike approached the library. It was built into and onto a sprawling old black oak, its bare branches decorated with fey green fairy lanterns. "You were encouraging her in the end, weren't you?" Fluttershy, despite her quiet and meek manner, had showed remarkable tenacity in introducing her choir to the unicorn, then showing her and Spike around the temple, all the time asking questions about the dragon's life.
"I was just making contacts, like the Queen said you should be doing," Spike replied, with an innocent look on his face that made Moonlight snort.
"At least now it's all over, and I have the rest of the night to study in peace," she said, pushing the library door open with a flick of her horn.
The trumpet fanfare that greeted the unicorn as soon as she and Spike stepped inside almost made her jump out of her skin. As the fairylights hanging from the roof brightened above her, she saw that the large room was practically packed with ponies. Looking frantically around, Moonlight realized they were all people she'd seen earlier at Rarity's audience... and yes, there was the lady herself, lounging on a palanquin with her half-blind seneschal by her side.
"I'm sure you don't mind that we've started the Celebration early, dear Moonlight Sparkle," the pale unicorn drawled. "With all the official business out of the way, this is the perfect moment to introduce you to everyone in my town!"
Stifling a groan of frustration, Moonlight did her best to smile back at Rarity. This was the last thing she needed! "Ah, thank you; this was certainly a surprise..." she started.
"Whee! Hi, I'm Pinkie Punch," an irrepressibly cheerful voice piped up. "I'm so glad you were surprised, because what kind of a surprise party this would have been if you weren't surprised? A boring one, I say, and I know parties!"
Moonlight blinked at the pink earth pony with a frizzy, glitter-strewn mane that had appeared by her side. She smelled of wine and sugar, and her big blue eyes fairly glowed with manic energy. "I'm Pinkie Punch, just like I said, and I arranged this party just for you! Well, at Lady Rarity's request, of course, but still! Want a gummy port drop surprise? They're surprisingly delicious!"
"Uh, ah... thank you," Moonlight stammered, grabbing the deep purple candied treat with her magic. This had to be the owner of the wine shop; arranging a party like this on short notice certainly explained why she hadn't been available.
"Yay! Oh, and I hope you're not insulted because I didn't call you Lady or Your Highness or anything like that, Moonlight!" The wine merchant babbled on, cheerfully oblivious. "We're not so formal here in Ponyville, because this is such a little place and everyone knows everyone! Well, at least I know everyone, and they know me, so it's almost the same thing. Try the punch, it's great, I made it myself! Oh, just wait a second, I have to see to those waiters..."
She spun away like a pink tornado. Moonlight used to opportunity to hurry away in another direction, nodding to the local dignitaries. Flash was at the center of a small cluster of civilian pegasi over there; Applejack, without her bruiser brother, was talking with a couple of unicorns here... "Spike? Where are you now..." Moonlight started, then blinked as she saw the dragon in one corner of the room, sitting next to Sister Fluttershy. "What the hay? How did she get here before us…? Ah, yes. The wings," she sighed.
Moonlight managed to avoid Pinkie Punch for a while, but she caught up with her again at the buffet table, showing the same familiarity as before. Letting the pink pony's constant chatter go in one ear and out the other, Moonlight chewed on her crass sandwich with little enthusiasm. What she really needed was a stiff drink!
"Oh, I can help with that," Pinkie said, making the unicorn twitch. Had she said that aloud? "A little bit of this elderberry liquor, and a dash of these bitters, and a drop of blueberry fizz, and can't miss the rose wine either," the pink pony chattered as she poured and mixed the various drinks into a tall glass. "Ooh, and some cherry brandy too, it gives it such a nice little kick, and I hope you like bubbles, because this will put them up your nose for sure... Here! I call it my Super-Duper Aurora Special!"
Moonlight took the offered glass and looked suspiciously at the swirling, multicolored drink in it. Shrugging, she raised the glass to her lips and took a gulp. Her eyes widened as the dozen different tastes assaulted her tongue... and then the alcohol hit her, like a double kick to the head and solar plexus. "Glgkhl - hic - gahh - hic - huhhh!"
"I know! Isn't it super-duper-special?" Pinkie asked cheerfully and took a sip from the glass where she had been mixing a similar concoction. Moonlight, her nose itching with bubbles and eyes watering, declined to answer.
The party seemed to go on forever. Moonlight eventually managed to foist Pinkie on to a horrified-looking pegasus from the weather service, excused herself to Rarity and the most important guests, and vanished upstairs where the librarian's quarters were placed under her use.
Her head swimming with the drink, she decided to wait a bit before looking further into the Elements of Harmony. Curling up on a couch before the window, she was soon asleep.
Moonlight Sparkle woke up as someone shook her gently by the shoulder. Blinking and yawning, she focused her bleary eyes on Spike's face. The dragon looked almost unbearably fresh and cheerful. "Uhh... What time is it?" she asked.
"You've slept through half the night; the Celebration begins in just an hour," Spike said. "Your official regalia are ready, and I had the servants draw you a bath, because you sure look like you need it. C'mon, you don't have time to waste!"
After a steaming bath and a quick breakfast of honeyed toast and coffee – lots of coffee! – while the servants brushed her mane and tail, Moonlight felt fit for duty again. Letting Spike fuss with the lay of her gem-studded neck band and cloak, the unicorn thought about her worries. She hadn't been able to find anything more about the Elements of Harmony, and now all she could do was to hope that the old prophecy had been mistaken.
The celebration was held at a pavilion near Rarity's tower. Long trestle tables for the commoners spread out from the building, already bustling with expectant ponies. Moonlight ignored the awed hush brought by her guards and her medallion proclaiming her part of the Royal Household, and the eager murmur of speculation that followed in her wake. There were more important things on her mind.
Inside the pavilion, the dignitaries of Ponyville were awaiting for the arrival of their divine Queen, speaking to one another in quietest of whispers. Moonlight headed straight to where Rarity was resting on her couch. All the ponies she had met yesterday were here, she noticed: Aurora Flash on the upper balcony, with a squad of guards all in full barding; Applejack and Pinkie Punch seated at the back, the pink pony looking a bit hung over; and Sister Fluttershy over there with her choir.
"You seem anxious, darling," Rarity whispered as Moonlight took her place next to the governor, Spike sitting down on a pillow that had been thoughtfully provided for him. "I would think it should be us worrying about everything going well, my dear!"
The purple unicorn did not answer, her gaze fixed on the balcony where Queen Luna would be appearing any moment now. Four Knightmares in their night-black barding were standing there already, their eyes scanning the pavilion constantly.
Rarity's one-eyed pegasus seneschal rose to her wings before the crowd. "All rise for Her Tenebrous Majesty, Mother of Night, our Blessed God-Queen Luna," she called out. In a shuffle and stamp of hooves, everyone obeyed. Fluttershy's foals' choir began their welcoming song, and the curtains parted.
The enchanted gems and fairylights dimmed, and the moonlight pouring in from the windows faded away as Luna's presence filled the pavilion like a bonfire of night. She was tall, towering over the Knightmares around her, but graceful; her midnight wings seemed to spread over the whole room; her horn was a spiraling spike of utter darkness. Her mane swirled and sparkled like the starlit sky, casting its flickering light over her awestruck subjects.
Overcome by the awe and power radiating from their Queen, every pony in the room – the haughty nobles and stubborn yeoman land-owners, hardened soldiers and exuberant, newly moneyed businessponies – kneeled reverently before Luna. In the presence of their living goddess, they had no choice but to adore and obey.
"My loyal subjects!" her voice echoed in the pavilion, deep and beautiful. "We accept your love and obedience, and bid you to rise proudly." As the rustle of movement ended, Luna continued, her emerald-green gaze scanning the crowd. "Tonight We celebrate the one thousandth anniversary of the defeat of Our upstart sister, and the thousandth year of Our eternal Reign of Night! In the perfected harmony of Our order, every one of you, Our subjects, has your own place. The harmony has lasted for a thousand years and shall last for a thousand times thousand more years!"
She fell silent, and somepony in the back of the pavilion began to stomp their hooves in enthusiastic applause that stopped quickly when nopony else joined. Luna closed her eyes and shook her head, as if chasing away a fly; she swayed slightly; she collapsed on the balcony, the darkness of her presence washing suddenly away.
For a second, everypony was silent. Then a pandemonium broke free, and everypony was shouting and stamping their hooves. The Knightmares had gathered around the Queen to protect her with their own bodies even as they looked frantically around, trying to discover some assailant. Aurora Flash's guards filled the air, spurs and lances gleaming as they whirled around, unsure what to do.
Moonlight grabbed Rarity and shook the shocked unicorn roughly. "They don't know me, but they know you! You have to command everypony to stay calm, right now!" Sensing the fragile noble about to faint, she gave her a sharp, telekinetic slap on the cheek. "Don't fail me now, Rarity!"
The ruby red eyes focused on Moonlight, and intelligence returned to them. "Y-yes," she said. "You're right. I will do so." Her horn flared with sudden white light, and her voice echoed throughout the pavilion, drowning out the confusion. "THIS IS LADY RARITY SPEAKING! EVERYPONY STAY CALM! STAY IN YOUR PLACES AND OBEY MY COMMANDS!"
Flash had gotten her troops in order about the same time, and now there were armed pegasi at every window and door. She swooped down to Rarity and Moonlight, giving them her tense, sharp-toothed grin. "I've got the perimeter secured, and sent a messenger to the castle, with orders to put the town under a complete lockdown. In five minutes nopony's getting in or going out, but we need to –" She turned her magenta gaze to Moonlight and frowned. "What are you looking at?"
Moonlight Sparkle ignored the question and the gasps of surprise that followed it. Her eyes were fixed on the sky beyond the eastern windows. It was fast losing its familiar, blue-black color and turning into a succession of warm colors: first purple, then red, orange and yellow. "It is happening," she whispered, shocked despite having expected something like this. "It is really happening!"
Then the unexpected sun peeked over the horizon, golden and white and too bright for anypony's eyes to bear, brighter by far than the dim red ember of Luna's tamed sun. Moonlight averted her eyes, wincing in pain. The glare seemed to burn through her eyelids and sear right into her brain! She heard Rarity's amplified voice booming through the pavilion again, but it was not quite loud enough to drown the screams and whinnies of panic coming from every direction.
"The Hellion..." Moonlight whispered. "She has broken free!"
