prologue
"st...stay aw...away from...from...m...me"
"YOU DARE DISOBEY ME, COME HERE SO YOU CAN RECIEVE YOUR BEATING"
"N...No...st...stay away"
"COME HERE NOW----Ponyville station, five minutes away"
"Wha...what"
"Gather your things please"
I gasped awake, my breathe caught in my throat from the nightmare, the same exact nightmare since he put that spell on me. I shivered at the thought of him doing it and kicked the covers off my now sweating body and flipped on to my stomach. I put my hoof to my rapidly beating heart, it felt like it was going to explode out of my chest. I started taking deep breathes to calm myself, A sigh escaping my lips as the fear inside me slowly changed to depression, but that too soon turned to anger, for the fact that I had fallen asleep once again. I snorted and threw my hoof into the train car wall with a thud. why was I so stupid to fall asleep again. it didn't matter if I slept or not, princess Luna, the princess of the night, had placed her own spell on me that made it to where I didn't need to sleep and I wouldn't have bags under my eyes if I didn't. I turned my head to the window, the full moon, lighting up the train car with its magnificent light, was just starting to rise into the sky, thanks to Luna of course. I had always enjoyed the night and it's sky, it soothed me. I had always been told that I had loved the night since the night I was born. I took a deep breathe, and reached for my saddle bags, right beside my bed, which of course I had rented. I pushed my neck out reaching for them, my neck now straining for them. I picked them up finally, with my teeth and placed them on my back. I clipped the buckle with a snap and sighed, a little more happily, but without a smile. I hadn't smiled since I was only a colt that could barely walk. The days of my childhood didn't really revolve around happiness. Those days were dark, but thanks to Luna, she made it...decent for me. I met Luna when ever I had only been a colt and she had been locked away in the moon. But she had visited me in my dreams, before the spell, but she wasn't nightmare moon when she visited me. She had treated me like I was her own until she became my teacher to train me how to wield and conjure the moonblade. The moonblade was one of two swords made by an ancient wizard by the name of starswirled the bearded who combined the magic in both of them to defeat an ancient, unknown, evil. Luna had wielded the mothballed herself and she was now passing its magic to me, saying that it was my destiny to use it to defeat evil. She taught me how to conjure, control, and use it. She helped me find my special talent of using the moon's ora as part of my magic as well, which helped me succeed during her lessons and my gaining of my cutie mark of two horns crossed in a full moon with silver magic surrounding it. But one of the reasons she had been teaching me was so I could stop her evil form, nightmare moon, which on the night she had returned she had asked me to join her but instead I attacked. I lost the battle and she said she would return to finish me when she was done with her "business", I sobbed about my failure after she left, but she did return but was no longer nightmare moon, but a weaker form of Luna herself. Her weaker form was about the same age of me, her mane no longer flowing, her shape was much smaller. But nonetheless I recognized her and so, I had cried as I ran over to her apologizing for my failure but she had soon caressed me into believing that I hadn't failed. She than trained me into the likes of a ranger, sometimes in person others in dreams but soon dream training had stopped due to the spell and she only was able to train me on occasion. Last time I had seen her was last night where she briefed me on my mission to find the elements of harmony in the small town of ponyville. She told me they would help me find and complete my destiny, which I believed about 90%.
I shook my head, coming out of the daze I was in. I soon realized the train was now, slowing to a stop. Finally after what felt like forever, the train whistle blew, signaling that we had stopped. I took yet another deep breathe, come on Silvermoon you can do this, just remember your objective, find the elements of harmony, it is that simple. I stood, forgetting about the lower ceiling bed above me, and hit my head making me yelp in a small sting of pain. "OW stupid bed" I mumbled as I got up off the bed and went over to the train car door, the conductor stood by the opening, a smirk plastered on his face. "Ticket, please" he said in a singsong voice. I put my head into my saddle bags and rummaged around for my ticket. Finally I found it and gave it to him. He took it, looked at it, than looked back at me. "Enjoy your stay in ponyville sir" he said than turned and walked to his quarters. "Alright , here we go" I told myself before placing one hoof outside and into ponyville.
This is where my new life begins.
I stepped out into the moonlight, a cool night breeze blowing my fur back. I looked around, everything was quiet. I looked at my surroundings, something was...off. I started to walk, slowly bringing my eyes to glance left and right and up and down, repeatedly. I stepped off the station platform and continued, staying alert, ears pricked and horn glowing. CRACK. I stopped and looked down at a broken twig under my hoof. Really Celestia, a twig are you just trying to-. I spun around, conjuring up the moonblade and bringing it up just as a dagger came down into view. A loud cling followed as the dagger came into contact with my sword. I pushed my sword forward, trying to throw the attacker off, but they pulled their dagger back and I fell foward. I looked up just as the dagger came into shape with the moon. It felt like time slowed as the dagger came down for a death blow. I quickly brought up my sword just as the blade came into hoof's reach. I loud clink was heard as the dagger clashed with my sword. The strength of my counter attack, made the dagger fly into the ground, a couple of yards away. I rolled to a stand and charged towards the unarmed figure, sword in the air. My attempt was cut short as a ball of magic hit me square in the chest. I fell back, placing my hoof to the "wound" on my chest as my back made contact with the ground. I coughed and winced as each cough brought pain to my chest. I pricked my ears listening for a rhythm of fast moving hoof steps, but everything was silent. I looked for the moonblade, (my magic had been cut off by the blow) it lay about five feet away. My attacker must have noticed as well and soon I was hearing slow hoof steps, getting louder as they got closer. I reached for the sword with my magic, my horn glowing, not only with my magic but the moon's ora as well. The hoof steps had gotten faster, much faster. I focused harder, sweat now crawling down face. Finally I felt the sword rise, and just as my attacker was on top of me, I brought the hilt to their head, making them grunt and fall beside me. I rolled on top of the struggling figure, quickly putting the blade to their throat, making them stop. I tried to see who they were but they were using a shadow spell (a spell that hid a pony's identity with a shadow). I pressed the blade harder into their throat, not enough to draw blood, for I needed to know who this pony was. "Who are you, reveal yourself, fool" I demanded, my teeth clinched together. "Or what, you will slice your own teacher's throat" a familiar feminine voice rang out. "Why should I believe you" I asked, my anger and alert nerves subsiding just a bit. The shadowy unicorn below me began to glow, removing the spell. I put a hoof up to shield my eyes from the light, the glow blinding. Finally, after what felt like forever the light dimmed and I was able to look back at the mystery pony. I turned my head to find a smirking, starry maned, pony beneath me. "Now do you believe me, student" princess Luna's gentle voice spoke in a calm manner that....soothed me.
LUNA
I lay in wait for my student's train to arrive for I had wanted to give him a "quick and safe" test. I looked at the railroad that would soon hold a stopped train with a pony that I had known since he was a young colt. I remembered back to the moment we first met. I was still locked away in the moon, but my sister gave me the privilege to venture into other ponys' dreams to keep the dream realm in check. I had been watching the dreams fly by when I came across a certain pony's dream. It was a small colt's dream that resembled the colt staring at the moon, my moon. Tears came to my face as I had finally found a pony who had enjoyed my night and it's sky. I than caught a glimpse of the colt he had a navy blue coat, that resembled mine, but it was just a bit lighter to show he wasn't mine. His mane was dark blue with a midnight silver stripe running through(same with tail). It was short and his bangs were just above eye level (it is close to button mash's and it still is just a bit patted down). His eyes were a bright yellow, or more like his eye for the other was swelled shut. I got closer to see that...he was covered in bruises. The worst of the bruises were on his ribs and flank. He looked as if he had been beaten to near death. I stood and listened as he began to speak. "M...miss...m...m...mare in....in the moon...are...are..y...you...just...just as lonely...as I...am" as he spoke tears traveled down his eyes. I listened as he brought his head down and sobbed, and soon I felt tears running down my face as well. This small colt had actually cared about me and instead of caressing him and making him feel....well less alone for say, I was just standing there sobbing like a fool. I finally began to move towards him, slowly so not to scare him, but fast enough to get to him. I lay next to the colt, who didn't seem to notice me at first. I brought up my wing and wrapped him in it, pulling him close. He stopped sobbing and slowly turned his head to face me. He stared at me, at first shocked, and than confused. He opened his mouth to speak but than shut it and looked down. "What is'ith the matter with thy colt" I had asked before I had learned to speak more modern like. "Speak child do not be afraid" I said quietly and in a calm manner. After a few moments he spoke, "who...Who are you" his voice sounded scared yet courageous. "I am the one who you spoketh to I am the mare in the moon" his eyes widened and soon we were in deep conversation for what felt like hours,until, he hesitated and looked down. "What is the matter now child, you must not hide things from me" he ignored it and spoke, "I...I never told you my name. I'm Silvermoon" "it is nice to meeteth you Silvermoon, we....I mean I am princess Luna, princess Celestia's sister" and with that I visited him more, and more, acting as the mother he wished he had until he was old enough for me to train him. Finally I passed the moonblade to him and still our relationship was strong. That is...until the night before my return as nightmare moon. It was the first time I had ever seen him filled with anger. "YOU'RE SORRY, SORRY WON'T HELP ME BRING YOU BACK LUNA" tears were streaming down his face as he yelled. "I'M NOT PREPARED TO fight the one who treated me like their son" his yelling turned to sobbing and all I could do was tell him what to do. "You must fight, don't think of her as me, think of her as a being who has trapped me inside of her. Just remember if you defeat her, I will be free and than we can see each other in person and than we can train every night." "But what if it....it's fake.....what if killing her means......." he stopped and placed his head in my chest, "I....I don't want to lose my only friend" he said his voice muffled by my fur. "And you won't lose me, I have acted like your mother and friend for far too long to let you lose me. But it's not only to free me either, she is going to try to recruit you, say no, and she will attack you. Just what ever you do, do not say yes to her, promise me that." "I....I promise"
I shook my head, as the train whistle blew and the train itself stopped. It was time for his "test".
TWILIGHT SPARKLE
I awoke to the sound of metal clashing against metal. "Psst, spike you can hear that to right" I called out to my dragon assistant. "Yeah it's starting to freak me out" his voice called from under the sheets. "I going to go check it out" I told him getting out of bed and stretching my wings. I moved my way to the door and opened it with my magic. I peaked out into the castle corridor, it was quiet. I took a deep breathe and stepped out into the giant hallway. I walked down the halls until I was in front of the giant door that led outside. I took a deep breathe and opened the door to the outside world. This better be worth it. I thought as a cool night breeze hit me, giving me goose bumps. I walked into ponyville following the noise of metal on metal. Finally I came to a corner. I peaked my head around to see two figures fighting. One of them had a sword, the other had two shorter blades. I recognized one of them, anybody could recognize the princess of the night, Luna, but why was she-. "Oh no she's in trouble" I whispered. I jumped into the clearing, shooting a beam of magic at the unknown figure. He moved his sword and blocked the beam. I had distracted him long enough for me to charge. I charged at him my horn starting to glow. He stood his ground, bracing himself. I was about to hit him when a magic field surrounded me and lifted me off the ground. I was than turned to face Luna. "You know it's very rude to ruin someone's training twilight sparkle"