I sighed as I trudged through the dirty streets of Manehatten, walking to the train station in the center of the city. Most ponies came here for the sights like the Mare of Liberty or the attractions like Fashion Week or the musicals on Bridleway. I came here to make an honest living but had ultimately failed. I had a feeble resume and could barely get a job. When I did get a job I was either fired, or I quit because of my bad mood while working. Today I was headed to the train station to buy a ticket. I didn't know to where yet, but I knew I would be on my way to a better life.

I arrived at the station and got into line to buy a ticket. The board of stops was above the ticket clerk. I started to look at my choices. Canterlot was an option, though I knew it would be expensive to own a house there and the ponies would be pompous and base others' worth on their ties to royalty and amount of money in their bank account. Fillydelphia was eliminated as well, too much like Manehatten and I know how I turned out here. Soon, I narrowed down my choices to either the western-themed town of Appleoosa and the small hamlet called Ponyville.

"Hello? Sir? You're holding up the line." A voice broke me out of my inner musings. It was the ticket vendor.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought. Could I please have a ticket to Ponyville?" I asked as politely as I could. The stallion might be annoyed at me for stopping the line. I levitated ten bits out of my saddlebags packed with the necessities. In return, the ticket vendor slid a ticket across the desk.

I glanced down at the ticket. It had the time 7:30 on it. I looked at the clock to see it was 7:25. My blue-grey eyes widened as I started sprinting across the station to get to my train in time. I dodged ponies as I ran through the crowded hallways. Of course, my train is on the other side of the station! I just barely arrived at the train on time, only a minute left until the locomotive departed the station.

I wearily walked up the stairs to the train and handed my ticket to the conductor. He looked the slip of paper over before directing me to a seat. I sat down next to a window and let sleep overtake me as the train started moving and the tracks created a relaxing rhythm.

~~~~~

A sudden bump awoke me from my peaceful slumber. I looked out the window to see Ponyville just a few short miles away. I watched the scenery the rest of the way there. This place seemed like a nice place to live. There were lots of trees and flowers on the hillside overlooking Ponyville. One place though, seemed scary. It was the large, dark forest just on the boundary of the town. I would hate to live in there.

Finally the train arrived to the smaller Ponyville train station. I got off just in time to see a chariot pulled by two pegasi Royal Guards land near the center of town nearby. I galloped towards the chariot where a lavender unicorn mare with a purple, magenta, and indigo mane disembarked from her ride. She had a six pointed star surrounded by five five point stars as her Cutie Mark. A small purple and green dragon was following her for some reason.

"Maybe the ponies in Ponyville have interesting things to talk about. Come on, Twilight. Just try!" The dragon pleaded the purple unicorn, gesturing to a pink pony. I stepped in as Twilight was about to greet the mare in front of her.

"Hi there,” I said, looking at Twilight and Spike, “I was wondering if you could show me to the town hall? I just moved to Ponyville, and am planning to buy a house. My name is Steel Shine, by the way." I said to Twilight. She stepped back in surprise. She probably didn't see me come over.

"Actually, I'm new here too. I was sent by Princess Celestia to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration. I'll be on my way. Sorry, I couldn't be of more help. Come on, Spike." Twilight responded with a bit more haste than I thought necessary.

Spike looked towards me. "I'm sure we'll go past town hall. Twilight and I have to check the decorations there. If you'd like to join us, then you're more than welcome."

"Thank you. I'll take you up on your offer, if you don't mind." I respond, grateful for the small dragon's proposal.

Just then, the bright pink pony that Spike wanted Twilight to talk with came over. She took one look at us, let out a huge gasp, and zipped away before we could even say anything! All three of us looked wide eyed at the direction the mare went. Spike was the first one to snap out of his stupor and started reading off the scroll in his claws.

"Summer Sun Celebration Overseer's Official Checklist. Number one, banquet preparations-Sweet Apple Acres." Spike stated, checking off Sweet Apple Acres from his list.

The three of us started walking towards the farm stated on the list. The farm was very large, complete with a red barn, as well as several smaller buildings and a farm house. When we arrived, we saw an orange colored Earth pony mare with a blonde mane and tail wearing a brown Stetson gallop into view. The mare’s Cutie Mark depicted a trio of red apples. The mare turned to buck a tree, causing all the apples to fall into buckets. The mare crossed one forehoof in front of the other proudly as she smiled at a job well done.

Twilight sighed. "Let's get this over with.” She said to Spike and me before addressing the orange mare. “Good afternoon. My name is Twilight Sparkle-" Twilight started her introduction before the orange mare grabbed her hoof in a warm and hearty greeting.

"Well howdy-do Miss Twilight! Ah’m Applejack, and we here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do likin’ new friends!" Applejack excitedly said as she rapidly shook Twilight's hoof.

"Hello, Applejack. My name is Steel Shine." I introduce myself. The blonde maned farmer shook my hoof with just as much gusto as she did Twilight's.

"So, what can Ah do you for?" asked Applejack.

"Well, I am in fact here to supervise the Summer Sun Celebration. And you're in charge of the food?" Twilight stated proudly.

"We sure as sugar are! What about you, Steel? Are ya overseeing the celebration, too?" Applejack asked. It kind of surprised me. Not that many ponies give me the time of day.

"I'm just following these two around until we get to town hall. I am planning on buying a house here in Ponyville." I answer.

"Well isn't that just dandy! Ah’m looking forward to seeing you around. Well, Twilight would you care to sample some of our food?"

"As long as it doesn't take too long." she says reluctantly.

Applejack smiles and pulls out a triangle. "Soups on, everypony!" She calls as she rings the metal instrument. A stampede of ponies runs down the worn dirt path, nearly trampling the three of us. Luckily, I pulled Spike and Twilight out of the way before we got hurt.

"Thanks, Steel!" Spike says to me.

I just mumble a 'no problem' before joining Applejack under a gazebo.

"Now, why don't Ah introduce ya'll to the Apple Family!" she says.

"Thanks," Twilight starts, "but I really need to hurry-"

"This here's Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Red Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel," As each name is called they come up to the table and set one of their namesake dishes down in front of Twilight, Spike, and I. Applejack takes a deep breath and finishes. "Big Macintosh," who presents an apple, "Applebloom," who holds up a piece of cake, "and Granny Smith!" Applejack takes one of the named apples and shoves it into the mouth of the nearest pony which just so happened to be me. It was delicious!

"Up n' attem, Granny Smith! We have guests!" Applejack calls to an elderly mare who wakes up suddenly in a rocking chair.

"Wha? Soups on? Ah'm up! Here Ah come. Ah’m comin’.” Granny Smith says, obviously a bit tired.

"Why, Ah’ll say yer already part of the family!" Applejack calls to us cheerily.

"Well, I see that the food situation is covered, so I'd best be on my way." Twilight laughed nervously.

"But, aren't you gonna stay for brunch?" Applebloom asked, aiming an incredibly cute but sad face in our direction.

"Sorry, but we have an awful lot to do." Twilight said while I nodded. Not in agreement to her, but because I wanted to eat here. If their food was as good as their apples, than I would eat a ton.

The whole Apple Family sighed in disipointment. Twilight must've started feeling guilty because a couple moments later she sighed and said fine. At this the Apple Family and I cheered. Minutes later, everypony was diving for a piece of food. Me and Twilight had a bit of everything and it was all delicious! By the time we got out of Sweet Apple Acres we were stuffed.

"Food's taken care of! Next up, weather." Spike read off the list.

Twilight groaned. "Ugh. I ate too much pie." Her belly was noticeably full from all the food Applejack offered at her farm.

"Worth it!" I declared.

Spike chuckled before glancing down at the checklist again. "There's supposed to be a pegasus named Rainbow Dash clearing the clouds."

"She's not doing a very good job is she?" Twilight observed as she looked up at the cloudy sky.

In the corner of my eye I saw a light blue blur coming straight at us. "Twilight, look out!" I shouted before shoving her out of the way. The blur hit me full force and I got pushed into the mud. I opened my eyes to see a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane on top of me.

"Sorry. I was trying out a new trick, and I messed up." The mare said with nervous laughter as she was getting off me. After I got up, I saw I was covered in mud.

"Here, lemme help you." The rainbow maned mare zipped off before returning with a storm cloud. She put it over me and started to bounce on it. All the water in it came out and onto me in a mini rain storm. I was soaking wet by the time the cloud turned white.

"Oops, guess I overdid it. How about this? My very own patented Rain-Blow Dry!" Before I could turn her down she flew around me in fast circles, making a small cyclone. I was dry but my dark grey mane was a mess, all tangled up like cotton candy.

"No, no. Don't thank me. You're quite welcome!" The pegasus said with a lot of pride. Then she looked at me.

After one glance she started laughing hysterically, Spike joining in seconds later. Even Twilight who seemed stuck up through the whole trip, smiled a little.

"You must be Rainbow Dash." I said dryly.

"The one and only! Why? You heard of me?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight joined into the conversation. "I heard that you were supposed to be clearing the clouds. I'm Twilight Sparkle, official overseer of the Summer Sun Celebration. It says on my list that you're supposed to have the sky cleared by the time of the celebration."

"Oh, right. I'll do that in a jiffy. Once I'm done practicing." She responded nonchalantly, resting on a nearby cloud.

"Practicing for what?" I asked.

"The Wonderbolts! They're going to perform at the celebration tomorrow and I want to show them my stuff!"

"The Wonderbolts?" I questioned.

"Yep!" Dash answered.

"The most talented flyers in all of Equestria?"

"That's them!"

"Please," I scoffed. "They would never accept a pegasus who can't even keep the sky's clear for one measly day!"

Rainbow got up into my face. "Hey, I could clear the clouds in ten seconds flat!"

I narrowed my eyes. "Prove it." I challenged.

Rainbow smirked before zipping away, breaking clouds left and right. Soon all the clouds over Ponyville were gone. "What'd I say? Ten. Seconds. Flat. I'd never leave Ponyville hanging!"

"Wow! If you are this fast clearing clouds I can't imagine how fast your tricks must be. They must be incredible to watch." I said, very impressed by her work.

"Thanks. I try!" Rainbow stated, her voice gaining a more cocky factor. "See you around...I never got your name did I?"

"No. I'm Steel Shine. I'll see you at the celebration!" I told her. She waved her hoof as she was flying away.

"Wow! She's incredible!" Spike said, standing off to the side before looking at me and starting laughing again.

I rolled my eyes but smiled. "C'mon. We should get to town hall to check the decorations and get me a deed to a house. That's the next stop right?"

"Yup." Twilight responded before she starting trotting towards the building. "The sooner we''re done the sooner I can start my research."

"Research? On what?" I questioned.

"Twilight's just paranoid about this old mare's tale. The Mare in the Moon, I think. It says Nightmare Moon will be aided by the stars to escape her captivity in the Moon. Personally, I think it's fake, but she's dead set on finding out how to stop it from happening." Spike explained.

"Oh. Seems like you should stop worrying. If your getting it from an old pony's tale, than that's probably what it is, an old pony's tale. Pardon me for being a bit blunt, but I think you may be getting worked up over nothing." I told Twilight as we walked into town hall. Near the front there was an alabaster colored unicorn comparing different bows on a pillar.

"No, no, no, oh goodness no!" the mare says as she levitates different ribbons near the pillar.

"Good afternoon my name is Twi-" Twilight began.

"Just a moment please! I'm 'in the zone' as it were." The purple maned mare calls to us in a Canterlot accent, her sapphire eyes still focused on her task. "Ahh yes! There we go! Sparkle always does the trick does it not? Now then, how can I help-" Her question was cut off as she turned around and looked at me.

"Oh my stars, Darling! What ever happened to your mane?!" She shouts.

I look up at my hairstyle. I honestly forgot about that. "It's a long story. It really is nothing." I dismiss. "My friend, Twilight just needs to check the decorations and we'll be out of your hair."

"Out of my hair! What about your hair?" The white mare practically shouts. She starts pushing me out the door.

"What? Where are we going?" I ask, a bit of fear evident on my face.

"But! I! Oh come on!" Twilight shouts, gesturing at the decorations. A few moments later I saw her following us while grumbling something about not being able to get anything done.

The purple maned mare leads us to a building shaped a bit like a carousel. She brought me to the back room where there were many hair and makeup products. The mare led me to a chair to sit in and began idly chatting with Twilight and I. Spike just stood off to the side, a love struck grin plastered on his face.

"So, Twilight what brings you here? I'm Rarity, by the way." The mare introduces herself while she was washing my mane.

"Well, I was sent by the Princess in Canterlot to-"

"You're from Canterlot! I am so envious! The glamor! The sophistication! I have always dreamed of living there! What about you, Steel? Are you from Canterlot as well?"

"Nope. I'm from Las Pegasus, originally, but I moved to Manehatten a couple years ago. Now I'm moving here. I need a break from the fast paced city life." I answer as calmly as I could. Even the brief mention of Las Pegasus brought up some unwanted memories that made me feel angry and a bit depressed.

"Manehatten's nice. I believe they have a Fashion Week there that's simply marvelous!" Rarity gushed as she started drying and styling my dark grey mane. After a few moments of some more idle chatter, Rarity started washing my tail. Twilight and Rarity discussed some things about Canterlot while Spike just stared at Rarity in a loving fashion.

Soon, Rarity was done with my tail, and escorted the three of us out the door of the Carousel Boutique, where she worked as a clothing designer. She then led us back to town hall.

"See you later, Rarity!" I called as she was going back to her house.

"Isn't she wonderful?" I hear Spike ask as he and Twilight leave the building.

"Focus, Casanova," Twilight responds. "We still have one more stop- Music."

While Twilight and Spike head off to check on the last item on their checklist, I walk into a small waiting room. I asked the receptionist where to go if I wanted a deed for a house. She points me to a door at the end of a hallway with the plaque stating 'Mayor Mare'. I walked in and sat down on a chair in front of a rather large mahogany desk.

After sitting around for a bit, the door opened and a tan earth pony with a grey mane trotted in.

"So," she starts, looking over a stack of papers through her gold rimmed glasses. "I see you're attempting to buy a house. We currently have three options available for purchasing." The mare sets down three pieces of paper, each with a picture of a house and details about each one. "One is a townhouse, near the marketplace. Another is an apartment available for rent, also near the market place. The last available home is a quaint cottage near the edge of town, which is near the Everfree Forest. To buy one, just fill out the form below the description of the house you want."

I looked at each of the houses again before grabbing a pen in my magic and beginning to fill out the form. It had a lot of mundane questions like age, date of birth, cutie mark, race, and all that other stuff. In a couple minutes, I had finished and paid for a large portion of the actual cost of the house. Mayor Mare hoofed me an envelope with my new address on the front and my new house key inside.

“I see you have selected the town house near the marketplace. An excellent choice, sir! Here are the title deed to your new home, the address, and a key. Your mail will be delivered to your new home as soon as possible. As Mayor of Ponyville, I welcome you to your new home!”

The Mayor paused and then added, “Oh, you are just in time for the Summer Sun Celebration here in Ponyville! Stop back in Town Hall later tonight. Princess Celestia herself will raise the Sun, ushering in a new day!” I could hear the excitement in her voice. She must be very happy that Ponyville is hosting the Summer Sun Celebration.

I stepped outside, a large grin on my face. I arrived at my new house. I placed the key in the lock and turned. I knew that when I walked through this door my life would change forever. I turned the handle and walked in.

My first impression of the house was that it was bare. No furniture or decorations. Even all the wallpaper had been painted over with white. I would definitely have to do some major decorating. I also realized that I was being a bit too melodramatic about the whole 'my life will change from this moment on' stuff. Seriously, how crazy could things get in this small town? I decided that I would go for a walk to get the lay of the land. I can't exactly live here if I have no idea where anything is, now can I? I locked up my house and took off in a random direction after passing by many ponies, all of which gave me smiles and waves, I finally saw some ponies I actually knew. I saw Twilight walking down a dirt path with Spike on her back talking to a butter yellow mare I didn't know.

"...and that's the story of my whole life. Well, up until today. Do you wanna hear about today?" Spike asked, excitedly.

"Oh, yes please." the butter yellow pegasus responded, in a soft voice.

"Hi Twilight! Hey Spike!" I called as I trotted over to them.

"Oh hey Steel! Did you get the deed to your house yet?" Spike asked.

"Yup! I decided to take a walk to get the layout of Ponyville." I answered.

"So what happened today, Spike?" The pink maned pegasus asked in her extremely soft voice.

Twilight groaned and zipped around to face the mare. "I am so sorry, how Did we get here so fast? This is where I'm staying while in Ponyville, and my poor baby dragon needs his sleep."

"No I do-woah!" Spike started to protest before he was suddenly and somewhat subtly bucked off of Twilight. I looked at her curiously.

"Aww," Twilight said, her voice gaining a babyish factor, much like how you would talk to a foal. "Wook at dat. He's so sweepy he can't even keep his wittle balance!"

"Poor thing," the unidentified mare practically whispered. "We must simply get you to bed!" She cradled Spike in her hooves while flying in through the door of a house made out of a carved out tree. She was followed immediately by Twilight, who was followed by me. The lavender mare took the baby dragon out of the pink maned mare's hold and set him down.

"Yes yes, we'll get right on that. Well G'night!" and with that the mare whose name I still did not know was forcefully shoved out the door.

"Rude much?" Spike asked, aiming what I think was a glare at Twilight. I couldn't really see anything, it was so dark.

"Yeah Twilight, I'm sure that she would've gone out if you just asked her politely." I agreed.

Twilight yelped before realizing I was here too. "Sorry, but I have to convince the princess that Nightmare Moon is coming, and we're running out of time! I just need to be alone so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now where's the light?"

At that moment, the light was turned on and the pink mare from earlier shouted, “SURPRISE!” and blew on a noisemaker, startling Twilight Sparkle.

“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were ya? Huh? Huh? Huh?” The pink mare excitedly stated as she smiled brightly at Twilight and Spike, as well as myself. There were several ponies who showed up at the party. I recognized Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, as well as the yellow pegasus with the pink mane who was with Twilight and Spike when they arrived at the library.

"Yes, very. Especially since libraries are supposed to be quiet." Twilight responded to Pinkie with a rather harsh tone.

"Well that's silly! What kind of a welcome party would this be if it was quiet? I mean duh, bo-ring! Y'see I saw you two right when you got here. You two were talking and I was all like," She then imitated the gasp she made earlier today. "Remember? Y'see I've never seen you before and if I've never seen you before then that means you're new, 'cause I know everypony in Ponyville and I mean everypony!" I just gazed at the mare as she continued to ramble on and on without a breath. "And if you're new that means you haven't met anyone yet, and if you haven't met anypony yet, you must not have any friends, and if you don't have any friends, that means you must be lonely, and that made me sad, then I had an idea, which is why I gasped. I should have a great, big, ginormous, super-duper, spectacular welcome party and invite everypony in Ponyville! See? Now you have lots and lots of friends!"

There were a lot of ponies at the party, and true to Pinkie’s word, the whole town of Ponyville was in the library, either playing games or eating snacks. Twilight poured herself a drink while Pinkie rambled on about the party.

Just then, as Twilight took a sip of her beverage, her face turned red and she started crying.

"Aww look! She's so happy she's crying!" Pinkie exclaimed happily.

"I don't think that's it, Pinkie." I told her.

“Are ya okay, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, concern noticeable in her voice.

Twilight Sparkle did not respond right away, but galloped upstairs to the bathroom in haste to cool off her mouth. Her face and mane appeared to be on fire as she took off, leaving the party guests wondering what had happened.

Spike picked up the bottle Twilight got her drink out of and turned it to face the others, “Hot Sauce?” He asked quizzically.

Pinkie Pie laughed and began to cover a cupcake with it before popping one into her mouth. The others, me included, stared at her incredulously. "What?" She asked. "It's good!"

After a lot more partying with everypony, Spike decided to go and try to talk to Twilight. He left for a couple of minutes but came back unsuccessful. “Sorry guys,” He said to us. “Twilight just doesn’t want to come out.”

“Maybe I’ll try.” I told Spike. “I should at least get her to come out to see the sunrise happening soon.” I trotted up the stairs to the door of Twilight’s bedroom.

“Twilight, It's the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration! Everypony has to stay up, or they'll miss the Princess raise the sun! You really should lighten up, Twilight. It's a party!” I continued to cite various reasons why she should come to the party and meet the other ponies.

Twilight Sparkle groaned in frustration, “Ugh, here I thought I'd have time to learn about the Elements of Harmony but, silly me, all this ridiculous friend-making has kept me from it!” She then began to memorize the prophecy from her book, Predictions and Prophecies she had Spike find in the Canterlot library.

"Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about everlasting night." I hope the Princess was right... I hope it really is just an old pony’s tale…” Twilight thought to herself as Spike re entered the bedroom.

As she said those words, the stars near the moon moved closer to it and the image of the Mare in the Moon vanished.

Spike finally coaxed Twilight to come to town hall to watch the sunrise, “C'mon, Twilight, it's time to watch the sunrise!”

Eventually, Twilight reluctantly came to the Town Hall, where the other ponies had gathered to witness Princess Celestia raise the Sun. Twilight appeared to be nervous about the celebration, but found herself near the front of the crowd near Pinkie Pie. Rarity was at the balcony, ready to unveil the Princess, while the pink maned yellow Pegasus was with her birds, ready to play music on cue. Applejack and Rainbow Dash mingled in the crowd, waiting with anticipation for Princess Celestia to appear.

Pinkie Pie greeted us happily as we approached her. “Hi, Twilight, Spike, Steel! Isn't this exciting? Are you excited, 'cause I'm excited, I've never been so excited-- well, except for the time that I saw you walking into town and I went” Pinkie then gasped loudly to emphasize her point, “but I mean really, who can top that?”

Just then, some fanfare sounded, and the Mayor of Ponyville approached the podium set up for her to announce the start of the Summer Sun Celebration. The crowd drew their attention to the Mayor, who was preparing to speak.

Mayor Mare tapped her hoof on the podium to get the crowd’s attention. She cleared her throat. As the crowd quieted down, the Mayor began her speech. “Fillies and gentlecolts, as Mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!”

The crowd of ponies cheered and showed their approval by stomping loudly on the ground with their front hooves. Many of the crowd were excited for the Summer Sun Celebration.

Mayor Mare continued her speech, again quieting the cheering crowd of ponies, “In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria…”

Fluttershy raised her baton, to cue her bird choir to commence singing when Rarity opened the curtain to reveal Princess Celestia. “Ready?” She asked quietly to her birds.

Mayor Mare announced with excitement “ ...Princess Celestia!” The curtain was drawn back by Rarity’s magic, revealing Princess Celestia was not there. A collective gasp from the crowd, then mutterings of confusion soon spread among the gathered ponies in attendance.

Rarity had a confused look on her face as she peered behind the curtain to confirm the missing Princess. ”Huh?” She curiously continued to check behind the curtains for the missing Princess of the Sun.

The assembled ponies chattered noisily and many ponies, including Twilight Sparkle, especially, grew uneasy at the sign of the missing Princess Celestia.

Twilight Sparkle muttered to herself, “This can't be good.” She slunk back to hide among the crowd, and made her way near Pinkie Pie, Spike, and myself.

Mayor Mare began to try to get the other citizens of Ponyville to calm down through diplomacy. “Remain calm, everypony, there must be a reasonable explanation!” She urged, but to no avail; the ponies in the crowd were still uneasy about the current situation. Some attempted to leave Town Hall for the safety of their homes.

Pinkie Pie attempted to use her humor to diffuse the situation, “Ooh, ooh, I love guessing games! Is she hiding?” She asked us, hoping we had some answers.

Rarity gasped in horror, “She's gone!” She concluded, making the uneasy crowd of ponies more startled. The crowd joined Rarity in a collective gasp as the next event would confirm their worst fears.

Pinkie Pie chuckled to herself, “Ooh, she's good!” She then yelped as a strange dark blue cloud swirled near the balcony and appeared near Rarity. The dark cloud dissipated to reveal a dark blue alicorn with some type of armor and blue eyes whose slitted pupils gazed out at the crowds below. The crowd of ponies cowered in fear as the Mare in the Moon, who was thought to have been an old pony’s tale, graced Town Hall with her presence.

Twilight Sparkle recognized the mare from her prophecy book and gasped in fear, “Oh no... Nightmare Moon!” She looked up to see what the dark mare would say next.

Spike gasped in fear as he fainted at the sight of the Mare in the Moon, who was very much real.

Nightmare Moon made her grand entrance on the balcony, where Princess Celestia would have appeared. This mare had a dark blue flowing mane, and was covered in some type of armor. “Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious, little sun-loving faces.” She announced to the crowd, her voice dripping with sarcasm and contempt for the cowering ponies below here.

A trio of fillies; a unicorn, a pegasus, and an Earth Pony hid under a table together, shaking in their hooves as they looked up in fear of the Mare in the Moon.

Rainbow Dash glared at Nightmare Moon, shaking a forehoof at her, “What did you do with our Princess?!” She demanded, ready to take off towards the dark mare to challenge her.

Applejack grabbed a hold of Rainbow Dash’s multi-colored tail to hold her back. “Whoa there, Nelly…” The apple farmer said in a muffled tone, trying to reign in her friend.

Nightmare Moon chuckled evilly, “ Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?” She went over to Rarity and glared at the fashionista, flicking a piece of her dark mane at Rarity’s muzzle.

Pinkie Pie laughed with glee when Nightmare Moon posed her question, “Ooh, ooh, more guessing games! Um, Hokey Smokes! How about... Queen Meanie! No! Black Snooty, Black Snooty--” a cupcake was stuffed into her mouth by Applejack to keep her friend quiet while Nightmare Moon continued her monologue.

Nightmare Moon glared over the crowd, “Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?” She intoned, daring some pony brave enough to remember her.

Twilight Sparkle bravely stepped forward, pushing through the crowd, “I did. And I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon – Nightmare Moon!” She pointed a hoof at the villainous mare.

The ponies gasped at the villain's name - a name feared in legends and prophecy.

Nightmare Moon glared down at Twilight Sparkle, who was then joined by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “ Well well well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here.” .

Twilight Sparkle gulped in fear, “You're here to... to…” She stammered, knowing what this alicorn was planning to do.
Nightmare Moon chuckled evilly as she unfolded her dark wings, rising into the sky, surrounded by dark blue wispy smoke, “Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!” The flash of lightning and roar of thunder completed her threat to cover all of Equestria in eternal night!

Author's Note

Thank you for deciding to read my story. I would like to thank kwr2k13 for doing a lot of the editing and writing that whole last scene when I couldn't access a computer. I would also like to thank TheGingaNinja for editing and proofreading. Thanks again for checking out my story and I hope you stick around.