Knights of Equestria: I'll See You on the Other Side

Chapter III: The Light of Luna’s Moon

Later that evening, Pinkie Pie kept her word and invited Applejack; her son, Apple Slice; Rarity; Fluttershy; Rainbow Dash, her daughters; and three other ponies as old as Sol, to Twilight Sparkle’s home. The group, though still close, had not saved Equestria like they used to in quite some time. The Six hugged and giggled when they all met. Rainbow Dash, who kept her competitive nature, was surprised to find that Twilight had grown since the last time they met. At first, it was only by small increments, but now there was a sizeable difference.

“You just keep getting bigger!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she hovered in the air to reach Twilight’s height. Since the time of Tirek, Rainbow’s mane had grown longer and the rainbow colored striped blended together more to create what looked more like a watercolor painting. Her magenta eyes widened and her cerulean blue coat shined from a recent race.

“I’m still not nearly as tall as Princess Luna, though,” Twilight swiftly remarked.

“Will you get to be that large?”

“I’m not sure. Princess Cadence did.”

Before the party officially began, Pinkie brought cake, cupcakes, drinks, and minor decorations to scatter all over Twilight’s home with the help of the Cakes. To comply with Sol’s wishes, there were no presents or anything overly flashy. Still, when all was done, pink, purple, and orange streamers adorned the rafters and railings. Confetti cluttered the floor. Welcoming napkins and plates were set beside the concessions in the kitchen. Everypony chattered and talked closely, apart from the three newcomers whom had never met the Six.

“Hello, who are you?” Twilight asked the three, who stood together at the door when they arrived. Each of their written invitations were held in their mouths, which were set aside by Twilight as they came in through the door.

“I’m White Noise,” said the female silver-colored unicorn with a bright, white mane. Her tall eyes glowed a tremendous blue stronger than any color Twilight had seen.

“Diamond Promenade,” answered the female crystal Pegasus with a sparkling silver coat and blue mane. Like other crystal ponies, her coat shimmered, sparkled, and glowed when seen in any kind of light.

The last pony to introduce himself was a tan earth pony named, “Sandy Shores.” His physique was larger than the others, particularly in his shoulders, neck, and back. His muzzle was widened, his nose sturdy, and his hoof steps were capable of shaking the floor.

“Pinkie invited us,” Diamond added. “I’m not entirely sure why, though.”

“Come in, anyway! There’s cake and punch. Make sure to meet Solar Shimmer, she’s over there! She’s really friendly. It seems Everypony is forming a line to meet her,” Twilight pointed her hoof toward Sol, who was talking with Applejack and her son, Apple Slice. Applejack had just finished shaking Sol’s hoof so fast that it became invisible for ten full seconds. Apple Slice was much younger than Sol, about the same age as the Cutie Mark Crusaders during the raid of Tirek.

“So, yer from the past that mirror in Twi’s castle?” Applejack asked Sol, bending her eyebrows.

“Yes. My mom told me all about this place, but I never fully believed her, until now.”

“Well, that’s sumthin’.”

Applejack, too, had changed over the years. She kept her hair shorter, always with her trusty hat. Working on the farm at Sweet Apple Acres was hard labor, but all of the work kept her legs and back strong. Apple Slice, though still a young pony, had already begun to help his mother work the orchard. Like his mother, he gained his cutie mark at a young age.

Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and her daughters met with Sol at the same time after Applejack left. Fluttershy, as usual, kept most of her face hidden away under her thick locks of pink hair. When she would speak, her soft voice was barely audible amongst the other voices and sounds inside the house.

“I’m, I’m Fluttershy,” Sol finally heard. Fluttershy stared down at the floor and patted her hoof against the wood.

“Nice to meet you, Fluttershy!” Sol exclaimed with a wide smile. With her head still aimed downward, Fluttershy smiled back.

“And I’m Rainbow Dash!” said Rainbow Dash, abruptly. She flew into the air and presented Sol with a small flip before hovering. The flapping of her feathered wings circulated the somewhat stagnant air through the room and knocked over a few streamers and cups.

“Careful, Rainbow!” Twilight shouted from across the room.

“Hehe, sorry, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash grinned heartily, exposing all of her teeth.

“Nice to meet you, too. You’re really good at flying!”

Rainbow landed, and scratched the back of her head with her hoof and chuckled lightly. “Well, it’s a hobby of mine.”

When Rainbow stood straight, Sol noticed the blue and yellow vest she wore, and upon her breast, a peculiar golden badge.

“What’s with the badge?” Sol asked, pointing her hoof at the badge.

“Oh, this?” Rainbow inquired as she looked down. She answered in a clear and weighty voice, “I’m a member of the Wonderbolts!”

“Ooh! But, I’m not sure who they are.”

“They’re a group of elite fliers. It took mom many years, but she finally joined,” answered Rainbow Dash’s eldest daughter, Rainbow Bright. Solar looked over both of Rainbow Dash’s daughters, but only found similarities with Rainbow Bright. Like her mother, her coat was a deep cerulean blue, her eyes were reddish, and her mane was spiky, uneven, and was colored with rainbow stripes. Sunny Sky was her younger daughter, who had a thicker yellow coat with a shiny black mane. She also wore round glasses.

“This here is Rainbow Bright!” Rainbow Dash announced, “She’s a flier like me!”

“I’m hoping to be a Wonderbolt, too,” Rainbow Bright added with a smirk.

“And,” Rainbow Dash continued as she reached her hoof around her other daughter, “this is Sunny Sky!”

“Hello,” came her soft reply.

“It’s great to meet you all!”

Although there was never a set pattern, all of the guests who wanted to meet Sol had formed something of a line. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were next, followed by the three other ponies Pinkie invited. The others waited elsewhere in the room and sipped on juice while snacking on crackers and daisy sandwiches that were brought when the party began. A record had been playing over the phonograph quietly the entire time, but Sol hardly noticed. Her hoof was still sore after Applejack’s violent hoofshake.

When Rarity approached, Sol quickly noticed her flowing, purple mane with styled curls and blue hairclips. Her eyelashes were properly done over, her purple eye shadow was fresh, and her coat glistened in the light. Her smile lit up the room as she greeted Sol with an inviting embrace, and once done said to her, “Your mane is just gorgeous! You must come by my boutique and let me make you a new dress! But, oh, where are my manners? It is a pleasure to meet you! I’m Rarity.”

“That sounds like fun, Rarity!”

“I’m so curious, darling. What is it like on the other side of the mirror?”

“It’s nothing like this! I’ve only been here a short time, but everything is incredible. Everyone here has been so nice to me.”

“I’m glad to hear it, but I must move along. There are others for you to meet!”

Rarity walked past Sol, smiling at her, and made her way to the other side of the room. Before Sol could take a short breath, Pinkie burst onto the scene and grabbed Sol with a powerful embrace that let more air escape the unicorn’s lungs. “Hiya, again!”

With intermittent coughs, Sol muttered, “Hi, Pinkie.”

“Hmm? Are you okie dokie? You look all tired.”

“No, just need to catch my breath.”

“Aww, did I squeeze you too hard?”

With a smile, Sol nodded. Pinkie gasped loudly and grabbed Sol once more for an apology hug, which only hurt worse. Seeing Sol’s pain, Pinkie tapped her on her shoulder and sped off to join the rest of the party. The three whom Pinkie invited were next, and spoke to Sol all at once.

Diamond began, explaining to Sol, “Hi, Solar Shimmer. Pinkie invited us to come here.”

“Yeah,” White Noise continued, “We don’t really know anyone here except Pinkie.”

“That’s all right. I’ve been saying it a lot today, but I’m glad to meet all of you. What are your names?”

The three told her their names.

“Diamond, why is your coat so, so shiny?”

“I’m a crystal pony from the Crystal Empire.”

“The Crystal Empire? What is that?”

Twilight came up behind Sol and quickly recited, “The Crystal Empire is a city in the north where a powerful crystal heart gathers love and friendship from the ponies that live there so it can protect all of Equestria from harm!”

With widely opened eyes, Diamond responded, “Yeah, that.”

“Twilight, did you even breathe?” Sol asked.

“Hehe, kinda.”

Twilight left the group, blushing, and returned to Fluttershy and Applejack by the concession stand in her kitchen. As she sipped apple juice, Applejack asked Twilight in a hushed voice, “Do ya think all this’ll be safe? Remember what happened to Sunset Shimmer.”

“I remember, but Sunset changed. And right now, Solar doesn’t even know how to levitate.”

“Well, if ya need anythin’, let me know. I’ve been busy as it is ever since Big Mac moved on to Appleloosa. Oh, by tha way, where in tarnation is Midnight?”

“She was down here earlier. Last I checked, she was cleaning out her room. I don’t know what for.”

Diamond, Sandy, and White Noise continued talking to Sol later into the evening. As the sun inched closer and closer to the horizon, the sky grew darker until the twinkling stars could be seen. When the sun had been lowered by Celestia, Princess Luna in Canterlot raised the moon high into the night sky. With the late hour, the guests felt it was time to head out for the night. By then, most of the Ponyville crowds had gone and chimneys were lit for warmth as everyone settled in for the night.

“Goodbye! I hope to see you again soon!” said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Bright both shouted, “See ya, Solar! Stay Awesome!” However, Sunny Sky simply said, “Bye.”

Applejack, Apple Slice, Pinkie, and Fluttershy shouted their farewells at the same time, making one unintelligible cluster of words. All that remained were the three.

“We should be heading out, too. Maybe we can all hang out sometime?” Sandy asked the group. His question was met with approving responses. They soon left, leaving Twilight alone with Sol in the living room of her home. The streamers were still stuck in the rafters and cups half-filled with punch had been left on her counters. Sol helped put things away by knocking cups and trash into a bin Twilight elevated beside the counter.

Once all was done, Midnight came down the stairs and confronted her mother and Solar, who were very fatigued from the party. All of the talking and greeting left Sol’s voice hoarse and her hooves sore.

“How was everything?” Twilight asked once the cleaning had been completed.

“It was great,” Sol began, but let out a bellowing yawn before she could continue.

“Sounds like you’re ready for bed?”

Sol nodded fiercely, but asked, “Where will I sleep? Back at the castle?”

“I can take you there if you want,” offered Twilight.

“Wait,” Midnight held out her hoof and suggested, “Solar can sleep over here for tonight, if that’s all right.”

Sol glanced at Twilight, who gently nodded with a smile. The girls raced upstairs and slammed the door to Midnight’s room shut. As Twilight figured, Midnight had been cleaning her room out by shoving most of her junk under her bed or into her closet, leaving the floors mostly presentable. Her bed was wide enough for the two of them and was covered with a flannel blanket, black in color. Sol looked all about Midnight’s room and saw pictures pressed between the spaces of her mirror and the wooden base of which held it in place. There were lamps and books lying all around.

Midnight said little before turning out the lights. The two took to the bed and laid there quietly as the moon shined intently through the window that faced north. Within minutes, Midnight was asleep, yet Sol stayed awake to stare endlessly at the moon. Her heart was pounding and all the while it grew worse. Ultimately, she closed her eyes and calmed her breathing. She slept peacefully into Luna’s night.