Princess Pinkamenaby PersephoneSleepsChaptersPrologue: In the Everfree ForestChapter 1. The Flying Earth PonyChapter 2. The Scorched MarePrologue: In the Everfree ForestThe moon rose bright above the frosty night. Princess Luna, who at last had a night to spend away from the courtiers of her palace, found herself walking along the path that led to her old castle. Her head ached from a long day of negotiations between several elite families, apparently nopony knew how to share anymore. It wasn't as if that old well was useful or anything... She rolled her eyes, and tried to clear these thoughts. "Never take your work home with you," she reminded herself, forgetting for a moment that the Everfree Forest was not really home. Not anymore. Brambles had grown over the disused path, and they pulled unpleasantly at her fur- but she hardly noticed. Her mind was becoming lost in memory. Some nights it seemed like all she need do was close her eyes, and she was a filly again. Basking in the sunshine, playing with her favorite person in the whole world. Echoes of laughter haunted her ears, and it felt as if she could look behind her and see Cel- No! Luna shook her head vigorously, as if to shake away the name and face that crept through her dreams. It had been night for nearly a thousand years, only a few remembered the true name of her sister- and those few chose to whisper it sparingly behind closed doors- lest they enrage their ruler. Her hooves finally reached the cool stone that signaled she had reached the old bridge. Across the river, rising up out of the mists, was her old home. It was little more than a ruin now, but with a little care (and copious amounts of magic) she felt as if she could bring it back to it’s former glory. Not that she ever would. No matter how often she returned to the castle, she could never find herself to cross the bride and actually enter it. Instead, she sat on the path and gazed mournfully across the river-eyes glazed over in thought. Again, the memories spilled into her mind. She felt utterly alone and cold as she played out the first birthday she had after their parents had died. Her sister, determined to distract her from her misery, had spent the evening pranking every servant in their castle, all for the purpose of making her smile. “Never stop laughing Luna,” she had said once she coaxed out the first laugh they had shared since their parent’s death, “it’s the only thing that makes life bearable.” Luna’s eyes teared up, You didn’t think about that before you tried to become an evil dictator, did you, she thought bitterly. Then, every hair on end stood on end. Her head whipped up, and aqua eyes scanned the trees. Ears pricked, she waited for the sound again. There! Luna leapt to her feet. Her breath came in quick puffs as she hurtled through the forest. Somepony was crying. Wailing, to be precise. Although she was too far away to be certain, she felt sure that the pony was very young. Who would let a foal wander around the Everfree forest? She thought angrily, jumping easily over a fallen tree. It was dangerous for a full-grown pony, let alone a colt or filly. She- being an alicorn- was more than capable of handling herself, but an innocent foal? She shuddered at the thought of what could happen, and redoubled her efforts. She burst into a clearing, and paused in confusion. It was empty, but she was certain that this was where the sound had come from. Then, the noise came again, a high, piercing cry from the hollow of a nearby tree. Luna scrambled over to the tree. Using the tip of her horn as a light, she poked her head into the hollow, and gasped. Staring up at her with tearful turquoise eyes, was the youngest filly she had ever seen. Luna guessed the foal to be only a few hours old- if that. “Hello little one,” whispered Luna, noting that the foal was still whimpering. “What are you doing here?” There was a scrap of paper lying next to the filly, and she pulled it into the light. In crudely formed letters someone had written the words: We giv a lyfe, to sav a lyfe- In the nam of the Wynter Stallion Anger burned hot in her belly, and she used her magic to tear the paper into strips. The Winter Stallion was an archaic god- one that had not been openly worshiped since her own fillyhood. Those who worshipped him felt that if they were too poor to support their families they could sacrifice newborn foals in exchange for the survival of the rest of their children. It was a stupid superstition- one that she thought had died out centuries ago. Gingerly, she pulled the little filly out. Her magic suspended the foal in midair as she scanned it for any obvious injuries. Before she could finish her examination, a low growl sounded from behind her. The smell hit her first, acrid and earthy. Whipping her head around, she was confronted with three timber wolves, their green eyes fixed on the still crying foal. “Stay back!” she roared, gently guiding the filly back into the hollow. Timber wolves were not generally known for their cooperation, and so it was no surprise when, with a snap of it’s wooden jaws, the nearest wolf sprang towards her. She turned, and kicked out her back legs, catching him straight in the jaw. He fell with a yelp, his snout cracked down the middle. The other two took this opportunity to jump into the fray, and they fell on her. Wooden claws were much worse than they seems, she noticed as a searing pain raked across her shoulder. She lashed out, breaking down the nearest wolf, and turning on the others with vengeance. Between her hooves and her magic, the fight was over quickly. Leaving the scraps of wood, Luna turned back to the hollow, and pulled out the foal once more. “There we go, little one,” she sighed. Her magic pulled the filly close, and for the first time the foal’s squalling ceased. A tiny smile crossed the filly’s face, and she reached a tiny hoof up to touch Luna’s nose. In that moment, Luna knew she was lost. Her chest filled with warmth, and she found an answering smile spreading across her face. The moment was broken by the rattle of wood behind them. “We must go,” sighed Luna, “before the timber wolves reassemble themselves.” She pulled the filly closer, and wrapped a foreleg around her for good measure. Then, in a puff of purple smoke, she disappeared. A second later they appeared in her sitting room. The room was empty, save for a single maid who jumped in fright at the sight of them. “P-P-Princess! Forgive me,” cried the grey mare, who sank into a bow. Luna waved her horn dismissively, “There’s no time for formalities,” she snapped, “I need you to go find Honey Crisp and send her to me at once.” The maid blinked in surprise, prompting the impatient princess to stamp her hoof and shout “What are you waiting for? Go!” The maid scuttled off, forgetting the bundle of firewood she had been hauling. For this, Luna was grateful, and she made quick work of building up a roaring fire. “Princess, you sent for me?” Luna smiled warmly at the amber-colored pony. Honey had been the closest thing she had to a friend. As head cook, she often fussed over Luna, making sure that the alicorn ate properly, and slept enough. Though much younger than the Princess, most of her interactions with the ruler resulted in what Luna referred to as “mothering.” “Yes, I- I need some oatmeal, I think. You see, I found her in the Everfree Forest-“ As soon as Honey registered what Luna was holding, she let out a squeal of delight. “A foal! Oh my, she’s so young! We need milk, not oatmeal! She won’t be able to have that for a while yet, but goodness, look at that smile! I’ve never seen a foal so young smile like that. How did you come across her?” As Luna launched into the story, Honey bustled about summoning all of the items she needed to warm the milk, and then assembled a bottle. “May I?” Luna asked, as Honey made to take the foal. “I’ve always wanted to, but I’ve never had the chance.” The bottle was happily passed over, and Luna grinned in delight as the little filly latched on with gusto. “Well, what are you planning to do with her?” asked Honey over the noise of the bottle. A faint blush crossed over Luna’s cheeks. “I- I thought I might keep her,” she said, suddenly feeling a little shy. “It wouldn’t be the first time a royal foal was born in secret- and she’s young enough… I’ve been wearing my regalia during court meetings, so nopony would really be able to contest…” Her aqua eyes met Honey’s butterscotch ones fearfully, “Do you think we could pull it off?” For a long moment, Honey said nothing. Then she grinned, and pulled the blanket down just enough to look at the filly’s fur. “Just as I thought.” She nodded, “She’s the same color as your grand-niece Pinkamena. She’s not a unicorn of course, but I think that will be overlooked given the circumstances.” “Then you think I should keep her?” Honey laughed good naturedly, “I think you’ve already made up your mind- but yes. I do. There’s lots to do though. We’ll need to send out an announcement, and plan a welcoming party- and oh! We’ll need to foal-proof everything!” Luna found herself giggling helplessly as the matronly mare prattled on about everything they needed to do. Already she was redecorating her private rooms in her head. As she looked around it became abundantly clear to her that this was not the right atmosphere to raise a foal. The sitting room was lavishly decorated in sapphire silk and amethyst velvet. The furniture was gilded in gold and the perfect size for the alicorn. But for all it’s beauty it was cold. Her entire palace was cold. Her life, though privileged, was lonelier than she had ever imagined. But as she peered back down into the filly’s tiny face, she felt something she had not in years… Hope. Author's Note Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, please let me know what you thought. Any constructive criticism is welcome! This is my first mlp story, so I'm still finding my footing. Chapter 1. The Flying Earth PonyBetween the dusty stacks of forgotten books, two young ponies worked. Well, one worked, one bounced around the room singing about her love of ice cream. "Pinkie!" snapped an overly-tired Twilight Sparkle, "If I'm going to finish this in time, I'm going to need peace and quiet!" Her ears flattened against her head as she compared the mass of ribbon and wood to the design she had found in some ancient inventor's diary. "Ooh! I can be quiet. I can be the quietest quiet pony you've ever met!" A purple swirl of magic lifted up a nearby magnifying glass, and Twilight used it to examine the stitching in front of her. "Then do so," she grunted, prodding an extended branch with her hoof. Pinkie smiled knowingly, and sat down beside her friend. When she first met Twilight Sparkle, the purple pony had been certain that they would never, could never, be friends. But Pinkie knew that they were going to be best friends. Her mother's personal student had been just as lonely and in need of a friend as she had been, and Pinkie's relentless pursuit had finally paid off. As if she was thinking the same thing, Twilight murmured, "Shining was sent to the Northern Border yesterday." She stamped her back hoof irritably, "My parents almost didn't tell me, they thought I might not be able to deal with it." "Oh Twily," Pinkie scooted closer to her friend, and draped her front leg around Twilight's shoulder. "Shining is the best soldier in Equestria! He'll be back before you know it." "Thanks, Pinkie." The purple pony sniffed, and made an effort to straighten her shoulders. "Now, let's get back to making this the greatest Birthday surprise the Princess has ever had!" "Is it ready?" "I think so," said Twilight, poking the contraption again. "It matches the diagram exactly, but what I don't understand is why no pony ever tried it bef-" "Can I put it on?" begged Pinkie, jumping to her feet. "Please, please, please, Twily?" Twilight laughed, and began to help Pinkie slide the contraption on. "Oof. Pinkie, stop wiggling!" "But this is so exciting! Mother is going to be thrilled!" "Hey! Watch your hooves." ... "Can I move now?" Twilight laughed at her friends's enthusiasm, and backed away. "Yes," she said finally, "Now you can move." Pinkie grinned as she looked down at the harness she had been strapped into. It was made from the scraps of roughly one hundred ribbons. All knotted together in a multicolored harness that held up two... well, they might be called wings. Twilight had tied sticks and branches together in a rough wing-shape, and then had stretched a wooled blanket over each. Had an older pony been present, the thing would have been burned on the spot. But the two fillies looked at it with pride and delight. "it's beautiful!" squealed Pinkie, bouncing up and down. "And we're just in time for breakfast," laughed Twilight. "When your Mother moves the sun higher into the sky, you can soar down over the party and surprise her!" They burst into a run, Pinkie lagging slightly behind due to the added weight of the wings. Their hideout was in a portion of the attic they called "The Overlook." A long time ago it had become a sort of storage area for excess manuscripts and damaged tomes. Over the years it had been filled with various curiosities and useless artifacts. The two fillies had found it a year ago- right after Twilight had become Luna's student. It was the perfect place for secret plans and heartfelt confessions. The fact that it had roof access made it even better. A rickety ladder was slung against one wall, right below the single round window. "Hello Mr. Spider!" Greeted Pinkie as she climbed past a rather large spider. She heard Twilight groan below. "Oh, and hi Mr. Spider's babies!" "Pinkie!" cried Twilight in a shaky voice, "The sun will be up any minute." "Got it." Pinkie's ears flattened in concentration as she scaled the rest of the ladder. She tried not to focus on how bulky the wings were, or how it chafed uncomfortably against her coat. She made it to the top, pushed open the window, and delicately stepped out onto the purple clay tiles of the roof. The wind caught at her mane and tail, pulling her gently. She breathed in deeply, and felt her nerves dissipate as she smelled the familiar sent of trees, grass, and Honey's cooking. Below, she could see the hundreds of guests filling the courtyard, their laughter floating up to her ears. Beyond them, the Everfree Forest tangled in comfortable chaos around them. The ruins of the lost castle could be seen in the distance. She knew that behind her was the only safe road through the Everfree Forest. She had dubbed it the "Shiny Road" when she was much younger, on account of the way the smooth stones shone in the moonlight. There was a whimper behind her, as Twilight stepped out on the roof. "So. Many. Spiders." She squeaked. "Come on Twily, we need to make our entrance before Honey brings out her hot chocolate." Pinkie hopped along the roof, oblivious to the gasps below. "Ready?" For the first time, a glimmer of doubt crossed Twilight's face. "Maybe we should've done some tests first. We don't know if it will hold one of us, let alone both of us." "Nonsense Twily. You're the second smartest Pony ever! It's going to be great." Twilight peered down at the ground, where a cluster of ponies were gaping up at them in shock. "I don't know-" But two pink legs wrapped around her middle, and then the two plummeted downwards. "Woohoo!" shouted Pinkie, her face right beside Twilight's. This was amazing! Everyone's eyes were on her, and any moment she and Twilight would soar above them. Any moment... "Ahhhhhhh!" Screamed Twilight, right at the moment that Pinkie realized that they were not flying... they were falling. The ground was getting closer, and closer. Pinkie tightened her hold on Twilight, her heart crushing as she thought of how sad her mother was going to be. Bracing herself for impact she whispered, "Bye Twily." But the impact never came. Glittering purple magic surrounded the two fillies, helping them drift slowly to the ground. They landed on the smooth stones of the courtyard, and Twilight promptly fell to the ground in relief. Pinkie, on the other hand, felt a lump grow in her throat as she met the furious gaze of her mother. "Pinkamena. What. Were. You. Thinking?" Huffed Luna, approaching the two fillies as the crowd parted to let her through. She held her head high as Pinkie shuffled from hoof to hoof. "I just... surprise?" Her mother's eyes widened, but her voice remained calm and composed. "We will discuss this later. Go with Honey." "But-" "Go Pinkamena. And think about what would've happened had I not been here." Soap bubbles filled the air as the two fillies scrubbed what felt like a mountain of dirty dishes. They had been set up in the far corner of the kitchen, where Honey had brought all of the dishes from the morning celebration. Racks of drying dishes hung around them, dripping rinse water onto their fur. Pinkie was unusually silent as she scrubbed a giant mixing bowl. She had never seen her mother look so... disappointed. Her ears hung low as she stared miserably at her reflection in the bottom of the bowl "We would have been splattered all over the cobblestones." She intoned gloomily. Twilight's ears pricked up, and she looked over from her tub of forks. "What was that?" The pink filly sighed, and lowered the bowl back into the sudsy water, "Mother said to think about what would have happened had she not been there, and I did." She turned to face Twilight, "We would have died. Our bodies would have been crushed beyond recognition, blood would've splashed everywhere, and Mother's birthday would have been ruined forever." "Well, I'm glad that you realized that." Both fillies jumped at Luna's voice. The dark mare stood with Honey, and watched bemusedly as the fillies dropped their scrubbing rags and waited to hear what the princess would say. Luna smiled gently, "Are you feeling alright Twilight, you look a little... ill." Pink spread across Twilight's cheeks. "Heh, heh, I'm completely fine, Princess. I just, er..." "Just feeling a little queasy at the idea of your blood 'splashing everywhere'?" guessed Luna knowingly. "Well I hope you have learned something from this Twilight Sparkle. You may be my most faithful student, but I will not tolerate putting yourself- and Pinkie-" she added, looking sideways at her daughter, "in trouble. Run along now, your parents are in the courtyard waiting for you." With a murmured "Bye Pinkie, Goodbye Princess Luna, Honey," Twilight trotted off. "I reckon I can finish the dishes sugar cube," said Honey in the silence that was left after Twilight's departure. "You two have some talking' to do." Pinkie kept her gaze directed at her hooves as she followed her Mother out of the kitchen and through the castle. The familiar path to her mother's apartments passed before her eyes, and before she knew it she was sitting in her favorite overstuffed armchair in the corner of her mother's bedroom. She could feel the cool air from the open windows gust over her as she shifted from hoof to hoof. "Darling, will you look at me please?" Pinkie looked up tentatively, tucking her tail around herself tightly. Her mother sat on the rug in front of her. Her mother's voice was gentle, but grave, "Do you understand why I was upset with you?" Pinkie struggled not to hang her head again. "Yes." "It was incredibly dangerous to jump off the roof. You know that already, so I won't rub it in anymore, but I don't think you could possibly understand... Mena, if I lost you I would never be able to recover. You mean more to me than anything in the world, and I can't imagine-" A horrible sinking feeling settled in Pinkie's gut as she realized that her mother was crying. In a flurry of pink she hurled herself from the chair and into her mother's arms. "I'm so sorry Mama, I wasn't thinking about what could have happened! I just wanted to be able to fly across the sky with you to welcome the sun." The little filly, scared by her mother's tears, could not stop the sobs that burst forth. "This was about greeting the sun?" "Kinda," sniffled Pinkie, she pulled back and gazed up at Luna, "I overheard someone-no I can't tell you who Mama- say that if they were the child of an alicorn princess they would be really disappointed if they were just a boring old earth pony. And then I realized that i would rather be an alicorn than a earth pony. But mostly because I wanted to fly. Imagine how much fun you could have pranking people if you could fly! And then they said that if they'd be even more upset if they were an alicorn who had a boring earth pony-" A large, dark blue hoof clamped over Pinkie's mouth. "That's enough of that. You are anything but boring, Mena. You are smart, and clever, and funny," she leaned down to nuzzle her nose against Pinkie's, and the little filly let out a squeal of laughter, "and perfect just as you are. I would never want anyone else for a daughter." They stayed like that for a moment. Pinkie closed her eyes and grinned as she felt her mother's warm fur surround her. There was nothing, she decided, better than hugs. Especially the ones that came from her mother. Something still bothered her though. "Mama," she asked quietly. "Hmm?" "I really wish I could fly though." Luna leaned back so that she could smile into her daughter's face, "All you had to do was ask." That evening, as Luna flew across the night sky to welcome the full moon, a tiny pink filly flew at her side. Wearing a magical set of turquoise wings (which her mother claimed were made from "morning dew and spider silk") that allowed her to glide gracefully alongside her mother, was Equestria's first flying earth pony. Chapter 2. The Scorched MareThe sun crept slowly above the trees as Pinkie trotted happily behind her mother and Twilight. Luna was teaching the young unicorn some complicated spell that involved tree seedlings, the Everfree Forest, and an abandoned well; and Pinkie (who knew her mother and Twilight well enough to guess that they had no plans to stop until Twilight had mastered the spell) elected to go along so that she could make sure they took a lunch break. And a snack break, and a tea break, and a dinner break if they need to! Thought Pinkie happily as she bounced along. She loved the castle more than anything, but her second favorite place had to be the Everfree forest and the little town that sat on the edge of it's borders. Most ponies would only dare to get travel to the castle by the protected path that Luna had constructed, but Pinkie and Twilight had been exploring the forest (under Luna's watchful eye) for years without any bad encounters. They came to the spot of the abandoned well- really just a pile of crumbling rocks, in Pinkie's opinion, and the three ponies dropped their saddle bags happily on the ground. They were standing in a small clearing filled with bright blue wildflowers. "When the moon rises, these flowers glow brightly in the moonlight," explained Luna. She stroked the petals of the nearest flower with her hoof, "When I was a filly, these used to mark the safest paths through the forest. We called them 'moon charms'." She smiled, "But enough about the past. Pinkie, will you be alright here while Twilight and I go find a seedling? You'll be perfectly safe, we are too close to Ponyville for there to be any real danger." Puffing her chest out with pride, Pinkie smiled, "I can handle anything that comes my way." Twilight cocked her head to the side, "Are you sure you won't get bored, Pinkie?" "Pfft! Me, bored?! Never!" Pinkie bounced in place, "Besides, Honey told me that her relatives live nearby, just beyond those trees-" she shook her tail over towards the opposite end of the clearing, "and that they have the best apples in Equestria! She said if I asked really nicely they'd probably give us some of their apples for our picnic. Can I ask Mother, please? PLEASE!?" She gazed imploringly up at the alicorn. With a little laugh, Luna swished her sparkly mane over Pinkie's face. "Of course you may. I trust Honey's judgment implicitly. But make sure that you go straight there, and come straight back. And take this-" there was a flash of dark blue magic, and a little silver whistle appeared on a ribbon around Pinkie's neck. "If you get into any trouble, any at all, Mena I expect you to sound this whistle. It will summon me immediately." "Okie dokie lokie!" As Luna and Twilight began their lesson, Pinkie sprang through the forest. She sang happily to herself as the moss-covered ground passed beneath her hooves. There were very few moments where she was permitted to be alone, and she enjoyed the space to be as undignified as she wanted, without the well-meaning, but judgmental stares of the courtiers. A splash of red appeared through the trees, and Pinkie grinned brightly as she came to the edge of the forest. Everpony had heard of Sweet Apple Acres- the delightful family farm that provided the castle's apples. She was especially happy to see the two fillies that stood nearby. "I told you, Applejack, it was an accident!" shouted the blue pegasus filly. Pinkie felt a twitch of delight as she took in her rainbow-colored mane and tail. The filly's hair was spiky, and rumpled, as if she did not quite know how to work a comb yet, and her voice was just a little bit squeaky. "Granny Smith trusted me to watch the farm while she went to town. What am I supposed to tell her when she finds her favorite tree burnt to a crisp?!" Shot the orange earth pony filly in a heavy accent. She was tall and a tad bit gangly, as if she had just gone through a growth spurt. The rainbow-haired filly shrugged, "That an accidental lightning bolt-" "Aw, forget it! That's the last time I ask you for a favor, Rainbow Dash." Rainbow Dash suddenly looked sorry, "Listen, AJ- Hey, who're you?" Having been spotted, Pinkie froze. "Hi! I'm-" "Princess Pinkamena!" Applejack ducked into a low bow, and shot a warning look at Rainbow Dash, "What an honor to have you visit our farm!" Rainbow Dash, whose mouth had dropped the moment the word 'Princess' was uttered, dropped into a bow as well. "Oh, you don't have to do that," said Pinkie cheerfully. "And you can call me Pinkie. Everypony does. Well, not every pony, most ponies call me 'Your Highness' but the ponies that I've decided to be friends with do- except of mother of course, she calls me 'Mena' or "Pinkamena' when she's mad at me. But anyway, I think the three of us can be friends, don't you? I'm really good at guessing people's characters, and I can tell that you're the type of fillies I'd like to be friends with! Want to be my friends?" She broke off, panting a little from the force of her speech. The two ponies stared wide-eyed at her. "You sure do like to talk, don't you?" Asked Applejack good-naturedly. "Sure, I'll be your friend. A pony can never have too many-" The other filly seemed to finally get over her shock. "Friends with a Princess? That'd be totally AWESOME!" She leapt into the air and raced around the other two, her wings beating so fast that Pinkie could hardly see them. "Great!" chirped Pinkie. "Although I can't stay too long, I'm here to get some apples for lunch." Rainbow raised an eyebrow, "They sent the Princess all the way through the Everfree Forest to get her own lunch?" There was a peal of giggles as Pinkie thought about that. "No, silly! Mother and Twily are having their lesson in the forest today, so I'm in charge of the picnic! Plus, I wanted to meet Honey's" "Apples for the Princess Luna!" Applejack turned and ran towards the nearest tree, "I'll buck the sweetest, juiciest, yummiest apples y'all have ever tasted." She let out a whoop, and hollered something about being lucky enough to help both princesses on the same day. "I thought I'd never find anyone as excitable as me," said Pinkie brightly to an amused Rainbow Dash. "Well, she's not usually so, er... enthusiastic." Said Rainbow Dash, rubbing the back of her head, "But today is special. We've never met a Princess before. What's it like?" "Like being me, I guess," said Pinkie. "I've never been anyone else, so I guess I don't really know how to answer that." Rainbow Dash laughed, "I guess that makes sense. But what's Princess Luna like? Is she regally awesome? Does she make everyone cower in awe and respect as she walks by?" "Uh, sort of? Most ponies are very respectful, but no pony has ever cowered before. Not in front of me, at least." Rainbow Dash was not listening, she seemed to be stuck in a daydream of Luna's awesomeness, "I bet she spends all of her time saving Equestria from disaster-" "Not reall-" "And making sure she's prepared in case the Scorched Mare comes back!" Pinkie's ears swiveled towards the blue filly, "Who?" There was a distant yell of "He-yaw!" and the sound of apples falling into a bucket. Rainbow's eyes bulged out of her head, "You've never heard of the Scorched Mare? But that was Princess Luna's biggest defeat in history!" Pinke sat down, sensing that her new friend was about to answer her unasked question. "Long ago, before Ponyville even existed, Princess Luna ruled the nights, while another alicorn ruled the day. Everything was peaceful, but then one day a horrific mare killed the other alicorn, and began to take over parts of Equestria. Whenever a town resisted," Rainbow Dash brandished two blue hooves in front of her, as if fending off an invisible assailant, "she burnt it to the ground." Something heavy settled in the pit of Pinkie's stomach. She both wanted Rainbow Dash to finish the story, and to stop speaking immediately. "Princess Luna asked the Scorched Mare to stop burning Equestria, but all that did was arouse the Mare's anger. She raised an army of fiery salamanders and turned on Princess Luna's old castle. It used to be the center of a beautiful capitol city- but the Scorched Mare destroyed everything. The only thing that survived was the ruins of the old castle. There was an epic battle, in which the Salamanders were destroyed, and Princess Luna returned the Scorched mare to the sun. But ever pony knows that any day she could return to seek vengeance!" Applejack returned with the apples, and Pinkie thanked both of the fillies for their help, and made them promise to write her sometime. But she walked back through the forest with small, even steps. Her thoughts were consumed with the story of the Scorched Mare. All throughout the story her chin had been quivering. And when her chin quivered, she knew that something was off. Who was the Scorched Mare? What had really happened? But most importantly- Why hadn't her mother told her?
Prologue: In the Everfree ForestThe moon rose bright above the frosty night. Princess Luna, who at last had a night to spend away from the courtiers of her palace, found herself walking along the path that led to her old castle. Her head ached from a long day of negotiations between several elite families, apparently nopony knew how to share anymore. It wasn't as if that old well was useful or anything... She rolled her eyes, and tried to clear these thoughts. "Never take your work home with you," she reminded herself, forgetting for a moment that the Everfree Forest was not really home. Not anymore. Brambles had grown over the disused path, and they pulled unpleasantly at her fur- but she hardly noticed. Her mind was becoming lost in memory. Some nights it seemed like all she need do was close her eyes, and she was a filly again. Basking in the sunshine, playing with her favorite person in the whole world. Echoes of laughter haunted her ears, and it felt as if she could look behind her and see Cel- No! Luna shook her head vigorously, as if to shake away the name and face that crept through her dreams. It had been night for nearly a thousand years, only a few remembered the true name of her sister- and those few chose to whisper it sparingly behind closed doors- lest they enrage their ruler. Her hooves finally reached the cool stone that signaled she had reached the old bridge. Across the river, rising up out of the mists, was her old home. It was little more than a ruin now, but with a little care (and copious amounts of magic) she felt as if she could bring it back to it’s former glory. Not that she ever would. No matter how often she returned to the castle, she could never find herself to cross the bride and actually enter it. Instead, she sat on the path and gazed mournfully across the river-eyes glazed over in thought. Again, the memories spilled into her mind. She felt utterly alone and cold as she played out the first birthday she had after their parents had died. Her sister, determined to distract her from her misery, had spent the evening pranking every servant in their castle, all for the purpose of making her smile. “Never stop laughing Luna,” she had said once she coaxed out the first laugh they had shared since their parent’s death, “it’s the only thing that makes life bearable.” Luna’s eyes teared up, You didn’t think about that before you tried to become an evil dictator, did you, she thought bitterly. Then, every hair on end stood on end. Her head whipped up, and aqua eyes scanned the trees. Ears pricked, she waited for the sound again. There! Luna leapt to her feet. Her breath came in quick puffs as she hurtled through the forest. Somepony was crying. Wailing, to be precise. Although she was too far away to be certain, she felt sure that the pony was very young. Who would let a foal wander around the Everfree forest? She thought angrily, jumping easily over a fallen tree. It was dangerous for a full-grown pony, let alone a colt or filly. She- being an alicorn- was more than capable of handling herself, but an innocent foal? She shuddered at the thought of what could happen, and redoubled her efforts. She burst into a clearing, and paused in confusion. It was empty, but she was certain that this was where the sound had come from. Then, the noise came again, a high, piercing cry from the hollow of a nearby tree. Luna scrambled over to the tree. Using the tip of her horn as a light, she poked her head into the hollow, and gasped. Staring up at her with tearful turquoise eyes, was the youngest filly she had ever seen. Luna guessed the foal to be only a few hours old- if that. “Hello little one,” whispered Luna, noting that the foal was still whimpering. “What are you doing here?” There was a scrap of paper lying next to the filly, and she pulled it into the light. In crudely formed letters someone had written the words: We giv a lyfe, to sav a lyfe- In the nam of the Wynter Stallion Anger burned hot in her belly, and she used her magic to tear the paper into strips. The Winter Stallion was an archaic god- one that had not been openly worshiped since her own fillyhood. Those who worshipped him felt that if they were too poor to support their families they could sacrifice newborn foals in exchange for the survival of the rest of their children. It was a stupid superstition- one that she thought had died out centuries ago. Gingerly, she pulled the little filly out. Her magic suspended the foal in midair as she scanned it for any obvious injuries. Before she could finish her examination, a low growl sounded from behind her. The smell hit her first, acrid and earthy. Whipping her head around, she was confronted with three timber wolves, their green eyes fixed on the still crying foal. “Stay back!” she roared, gently guiding the filly back into the hollow. Timber wolves were not generally known for their cooperation, and so it was no surprise when, with a snap of it’s wooden jaws, the nearest wolf sprang towards her. She turned, and kicked out her back legs, catching him straight in the jaw. He fell with a yelp, his snout cracked down the middle. The other two took this opportunity to jump into the fray, and they fell on her. Wooden claws were much worse than they seems, she noticed as a searing pain raked across her shoulder. She lashed out, breaking down the nearest wolf, and turning on the others with vengeance. Between her hooves and her magic, the fight was over quickly. Leaving the scraps of wood, Luna turned back to the hollow, and pulled out the foal once more. “There we go, little one,” she sighed. Her magic pulled the filly close, and for the first time the foal’s squalling ceased. A tiny smile crossed the filly’s face, and she reached a tiny hoof up to touch Luna’s nose. In that moment, Luna knew she was lost. Her chest filled with warmth, and she found an answering smile spreading across her face. The moment was broken by the rattle of wood behind them. “We must go,” sighed Luna, “before the timber wolves reassemble themselves.” She pulled the filly closer, and wrapped a foreleg around her for good measure. Then, in a puff of purple smoke, she disappeared. A second later they appeared in her sitting room. The room was empty, save for a single maid who jumped in fright at the sight of them. “P-P-Princess! Forgive me,” cried the grey mare, who sank into a bow. Luna waved her horn dismissively, “There’s no time for formalities,” she snapped, “I need you to go find Honey Crisp and send her to me at once.” The maid blinked in surprise, prompting the impatient princess to stamp her hoof and shout “What are you waiting for? Go!” The maid scuttled off, forgetting the bundle of firewood she had been hauling. For this, Luna was grateful, and she made quick work of building up a roaring fire. “Princess, you sent for me?” Luna smiled warmly at the amber-colored pony. Honey had been the closest thing she had to a friend. As head cook, she often fussed over Luna, making sure that the alicorn ate properly, and slept enough. Though much younger than the Princess, most of her interactions with the ruler resulted in what Luna referred to as “mothering.” “Yes, I- I need some oatmeal, I think. You see, I found her in the Everfree Forest-“ As soon as Honey registered what Luna was holding, she let out a squeal of delight. “A foal! Oh my, she’s so young! We need milk, not oatmeal! She won’t be able to have that for a while yet, but goodness, look at that smile! I’ve never seen a foal so young smile like that. How did you come across her?” As Luna launched into the story, Honey bustled about summoning all of the items she needed to warm the milk, and then assembled a bottle. “May I?” Luna asked, as Honey made to take the foal. “I’ve always wanted to, but I’ve never had the chance.” The bottle was happily passed over, and Luna grinned in delight as the little filly latched on with gusto. “Well, what are you planning to do with her?” asked Honey over the noise of the bottle. A faint blush crossed over Luna’s cheeks. “I- I thought I might keep her,” she said, suddenly feeling a little shy. “It wouldn’t be the first time a royal foal was born in secret- and she’s young enough… I’ve been wearing my regalia during court meetings, so nopony would really be able to contest…” Her aqua eyes met Honey’s butterscotch ones fearfully, “Do you think we could pull it off?” For a long moment, Honey said nothing. Then she grinned, and pulled the blanket down just enough to look at the filly’s fur. “Just as I thought.” She nodded, “She’s the same color as your grand-niece Pinkamena. She’s not a unicorn of course, but I think that will be overlooked given the circumstances.” “Then you think I should keep her?” Honey laughed good naturedly, “I think you’ve already made up your mind- but yes. I do. There’s lots to do though. We’ll need to send out an announcement, and plan a welcoming party- and oh! We’ll need to foal-proof everything!” Luna found herself giggling helplessly as the matronly mare prattled on about everything they needed to do. Already she was redecorating her private rooms in her head. As she looked around it became abundantly clear to her that this was not the right atmosphere to raise a foal. The sitting room was lavishly decorated in sapphire silk and amethyst velvet. The furniture was gilded in gold and the perfect size for the alicorn. But for all it’s beauty it was cold. Her entire palace was cold. Her life, though privileged, was lonelier than she had ever imagined. But as she peered back down into the filly’s tiny face, she felt something she had not in years… Hope. Author's Note Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, please let me know what you thought. Any constructive criticism is welcome! This is my first mlp story, so I'm still finding my footing.
Chapter 1. The Flying Earth PonyBetween the dusty stacks of forgotten books, two young ponies worked. Well, one worked, one bounced around the room singing about her love of ice cream. "Pinkie!" snapped an overly-tired Twilight Sparkle, "If I'm going to finish this in time, I'm going to need peace and quiet!" Her ears flattened against her head as she compared the mass of ribbon and wood to the design she had found in some ancient inventor's diary. "Ooh! I can be quiet. I can be the quietest quiet pony you've ever met!" A purple swirl of magic lifted up a nearby magnifying glass, and Twilight used it to examine the stitching in front of her. "Then do so," she grunted, prodding an extended branch with her hoof. Pinkie smiled knowingly, and sat down beside her friend. When she first met Twilight Sparkle, the purple pony had been certain that they would never, could never, be friends. But Pinkie knew that they were going to be best friends. Her mother's personal student had been just as lonely and in need of a friend as she had been, and Pinkie's relentless pursuit had finally paid off. As if she was thinking the same thing, Twilight murmured, "Shining was sent to the Northern Border yesterday." She stamped her back hoof irritably, "My parents almost didn't tell me, they thought I might not be able to deal with it." "Oh Twily," Pinkie scooted closer to her friend, and draped her front leg around Twilight's shoulder. "Shining is the best soldier in Equestria! He'll be back before you know it." "Thanks, Pinkie." The purple pony sniffed, and made an effort to straighten her shoulders. "Now, let's get back to making this the greatest Birthday surprise the Princess has ever had!" "Is it ready?" "I think so," said Twilight, poking the contraption again. "It matches the diagram exactly, but what I don't understand is why no pony ever tried it bef-" "Can I put it on?" begged Pinkie, jumping to her feet. "Please, please, please, Twily?" Twilight laughed, and began to help Pinkie slide the contraption on. "Oof. Pinkie, stop wiggling!" "But this is so exciting! Mother is going to be thrilled!" "Hey! Watch your hooves." ... "Can I move now?" Twilight laughed at her friends's enthusiasm, and backed away. "Yes," she said finally, "Now you can move." Pinkie grinned as she looked down at the harness she had been strapped into. It was made from the scraps of roughly one hundred ribbons. All knotted together in a multicolored harness that held up two... well, they might be called wings. Twilight had tied sticks and branches together in a rough wing-shape, and then had stretched a wooled blanket over each. Had an older pony been present, the thing would have been burned on the spot. But the two fillies looked at it with pride and delight. "it's beautiful!" squealed Pinkie, bouncing up and down. "And we're just in time for breakfast," laughed Twilight. "When your Mother moves the sun higher into the sky, you can soar down over the party and surprise her!" They burst into a run, Pinkie lagging slightly behind due to the added weight of the wings. Their hideout was in a portion of the attic they called "The Overlook." A long time ago it had become a sort of storage area for excess manuscripts and damaged tomes. Over the years it had been filled with various curiosities and useless artifacts. The two fillies had found it a year ago- right after Twilight had become Luna's student. It was the perfect place for secret plans and heartfelt confessions. The fact that it had roof access made it even better. A rickety ladder was slung against one wall, right below the single round window. "Hello Mr. Spider!" Greeted Pinkie as she climbed past a rather large spider. She heard Twilight groan below. "Oh, and hi Mr. Spider's babies!" "Pinkie!" cried Twilight in a shaky voice, "The sun will be up any minute." "Got it." Pinkie's ears flattened in concentration as she scaled the rest of the ladder. She tried not to focus on how bulky the wings were, or how it chafed uncomfortably against her coat. She made it to the top, pushed open the window, and delicately stepped out onto the purple clay tiles of the roof. The wind caught at her mane and tail, pulling her gently. She breathed in deeply, and felt her nerves dissipate as she smelled the familiar sent of trees, grass, and Honey's cooking. Below, she could see the hundreds of guests filling the courtyard, their laughter floating up to her ears. Beyond them, the Everfree Forest tangled in comfortable chaos around them. The ruins of the lost castle could be seen in the distance. She knew that behind her was the only safe road through the Everfree Forest. She had dubbed it the "Shiny Road" when she was much younger, on account of the way the smooth stones shone in the moonlight. There was a whimper behind her, as Twilight stepped out on the roof. "So. Many. Spiders." She squeaked. "Come on Twily, we need to make our entrance before Honey brings out her hot chocolate." Pinkie hopped along the roof, oblivious to the gasps below. "Ready?" For the first time, a glimmer of doubt crossed Twilight's face. "Maybe we should've done some tests first. We don't know if it will hold one of us, let alone both of us." "Nonsense Twily. You're the second smartest Pony ever! It's going to be great." Twilight peered down at the ground, where a cluster of ponies were gaping up at them in shock. "I don't know-" But two pink legs wrapped around her middle, and then the two plummeted downwards. "Woohoo!" shouted Pinkie, her face right beside Twilight's. This was amazing! Everyone's eyes were on her, and any moment she and Twilight would soar above them. Any moment... "Ahhhhhhh!" Screamed Twilight, right at the moment that Pinkie realized that they were not flying... they were falling. The ground was getting closer, and closer. Pinkie tightened her hold on Twilight, her heart crushing as she thought of how sad her mother was going to be. Bracing herself for impact she whispered, "Bye Twily." But the impact never came. Glittering purple magic surrounded the two fillies, helping them drift slowly to the ground. They landed on the smooth stones of the courtyard, and Twilight promptly fell to the ground in relief. Pinkie, on the other hand, felt a lump grow in her throat as she met the furious gaze of her mother. "Pinkamena. What. Were. You. Thinking?" Huffed Luna, approaching the two fillies as the crowd parted to let her through. She held her head high as Pinkie shuffled from hoof to hoof. "I just... surprise?" Her mother's eyes widened, but her voice remained calm and composed. "We will discuss this later. Go with Honey." "But-" "Go Pinkamena. And think about what would've happened had I not been here." Soap bubbles filled the air as the two fillies scrubbed what felt like a mountain of dirty dishes. They had been set up in the far corner of the kitchen, where Honey had brought all of the dishes from the morning celebration. Racks of drying dishes hung around them, dripping rinse water onto their fur. Pinkie was unusually silent as she scrubbed a giant mixing bowl. She had never seen her mother look so... disappointed. Her ears hung low as she stared miserably at her reflection in the bottom of the bowl "We would have been splattered all over the cobblestones." She intoned gloomily. Twilight's ears pricked up, and she looked over from her tub of forks. "What was that?" The pink filly sighed, and lowered the bowl back into the sudsy water, "Mother said to think about what would have happened had she not been there, and I did." She turned to face Twilight, "We would have died. Our bodies would have been crushed beyond recognition, blood would've splashed everywhere, and Mother's birthday would have been ruined forever." "Well, I'm glad that you realized that." Both fillies jumped at Luna's voice. The dark mare stood with Honey, and watched bemusedly as the fillies dropped their scrubbing rags and waited to hear what the princess would say. Luna smiled gently, "Are you feeling alright Twilight, you look a little... ill." Pink spread across Twilight's cheeks. "Heh, heh, I'm completely fine, Princess. I just, er..." "Just feeling a little queasy at the idea of your blood 'splashing everywhere'?" guessed Luna knowingly. "Well I hope you have learned something from this Twilight Sparkle. You may be my most faithful student, but I will not tolerate putting yourself- and Pinkie-" she added, looking sideways at her daughter, "in trouble. Run along now, your parents are in the courtyard waiting for you." With a murmured "Bye Pinkie, Goodbye Princess Luna, Honey," Twilight trotted off. "I reckon I can finish the dishes sugar cube," said Honey in the silence that was left after Twilight's departure. "You two have some talking' to do." Pinkie kept her gaze directed at her hooves as she followed her Mother out of the kitchen and through the castle. The familiar path to her mother's apartments passed before her eyes, and before she knew it she was sitting in her favorite overstuffed armchair in the corner of her mother's bedroom. She could feel the cool air from the open windows gust over her as she shifted from hoof to hoof. "Darling, will you look at me please?" Pinkie looked up tentatively, tucking her tail around herself tightly. Her mother sat on the rug in front of her. Her mother's voice was gentle, but grave, "Do you understand why I was upset with you?" Pinkie struggled not to hang her head again. "Yes." "It was incredibly dangerous to jump off the roof. You know that already, so I won't rub it in anymore, but I don't think you could possibly understand... Mena, if I lost you I would never be able to recover. You mean more to me than anything in the world, and I can't imagine-" A horrible sinking feeling settled in Pinkie's gut as she realized that her mother was crying. In a flurry of pink she hurled herself from the chair and into her mother's arms. "I'm so sorry Mama, I wasn't thinking about what could have happened! I just wanted to be able to fly across the sky with you to welcome the sun." The little filly, scared by her mother's tears, could not stop the sobs that burst forth. "This was about greeting the sun?" "Kinda," sniffled Pinkie, she pulled back and gazed up at Luna, "I overheard someone-no I can't tell you who Mama- say that if they were the child of an alicorn princess they would be really disappointed if they were just a boring old earth pony. And then I realized that i would rather be an alicorn than a earth pony. But mostly because I wanted to fly. Imagine how much fun you could have pranking people if you could fly! And then they said that if they'd be even more upset if they were an alicorn who had a boring earth pony-" A large, dark blue hoof clamped over Pinkie's mouth. "That's enough of that. You are anything but boring, Mena. You are smart, and clever, and funny," she leaned down to nuzzle her nose against Pinkie's, and the little filly let out a squeal of laughter, "and perfect just as you are. I would never want anyone else for a daughter." They stayed like that for a moment. Pinkie closed her eyes and grinned as she felt her mother's warm fur surround her. There was nothing, she decided, better than hugs. Especially the ones that came from her mother. Something still bothered her though. "Mama," she asked quietly. "Hmm?" "I really wish I could fly though." Luna leaned back so that she could smile into her daughter's face, "All you had to do was ask." That evening, as Luna flew across the night sky to welcome the full moon, a tiny pink filly flew at her side. Wearing a magical set of turquoise wings (which her mother claimed were made from "morning dew and spider silk") that allowed her to glide gracefully alongside her mother, was Equestria's first flying earth pony.
Chapter 2. The Scorched MareThe sun crept slowly above the trees as Pinkie trotted happily behind her mother and Twilight. Luna was teaching the young unicorn some complicated spell that involved tree seedlings, the Everfree Forest, and an abandoned well; and Pinkie (who knew her mother and Twilight well enough to guess that they had no plans to stop until Twilight had mastered the spell) elected to go along so that she could make sure they took a lunch break. And a snack break, and a tea break, and a dinner break if they need to! Thought Pinkie happily as she bounced along. She loved the castle more than anything, but her second favorite place had to be the Everfree forest and the little town that sat on the edge of it's borders. Most ponies would only dare to get travel to the castle by the protected path that Luna had constructed, but Pinkie and Twilight had been exploring the forest (under Luna's watchful eye) for years without any bad encounters. They came to the spot of the abandoned well- really just a pile of crumbling rocks, in Pinkie's opinion, and the three ponies dropped their saddle bags happily on the ground. They were standing in a small clearing filled with bright blue wildflowers. "When the moon rises, these flowers glow brightly in the moonlight," explained Luna. She stroked the petals of the nearest flower with her hoof, "When I was a filly, these used to mark the safest paths through the forest. We called them 'moon charms'." She smiled, "But enough about the past. Pinkie, will you be alright here while Twilight and I go find a seedling? You'll be perfectly safe, we are too close to Ponyville for there to be any real danger." Puffing her chest out with pride, Pinkie smiled, "I can handle anything that comes my way." Twilight cocked her head to the side, "Are you sure you won't get bored, Pinkie?" "Pfft! Me, bored?! Never!" Pinkie bounced in place, "Besides, Honey told me that her relatives live nearby, just beyond those trees-" she shook her tail over towards the opposite end of the clearing, "and that they have the best apples in Equestria! She said if I asked really nicely they'd probably give us some of their apples for our picnic. Can I ask Mother, please? PLEASE!?" She gazed imploringly up at the alicorn. With a little laugh, Luna swished her sparkly mane over Pinkie's face. "Of course you may. I trust Honey's judgment implicitly. But make sure that you go straight there, and come straight back. And take this-" there was a flash of dark blue magic, and a little silver whistle appeared on a ribbon around Pinkie's neck. "If you get into any trouble, any at all, Mena I expect you to sound this whistle. It will summon me immediately." "Okie dokie lokie!" As Luna and Twilight began their lesson, Pinkie sprang through the forest. She sang happily to herself as the moss-covered ground passed beneath her hooves. There were very few moments where she was permitted to be alone, and she enjoyed the space to be as undignified as she wanted, without the well-meaning, but judgmental stares of the courtiers. A splash of red appeared through the trees, and Pinkie grinned brightly as she came to the edge of the forest. Everpony had heard of Sweet Apple Acres- the delightful family farm that provided the castle's apples. She was especially happy to see the two fillies that stood nearby. "I told you, Applejack, it was an accident!" shouted the blue pegasus filly. Pinkie felt a twitch of delight as she took in her rainbow-colored mane and tail. The filly's hair was spiky, and rumpled, as if she did not quite know how to work a comb yet, and her voice was just a little bit squeaky. "Granny Smith trusted me to watch the farm while she went to town. What am I supposed to tell her when she finds her favorite tree burnt to a crisp?!" Shot the orange earth pony filly in a heavy accent. She was tall and a tad bit gangly, as if she had just gone through a growth spurt. The rainbow-haired filly shrugged, "That an accidental lightning bolt-" "Aw, forget it! That's the last time I ask you for a favor, Rainbow Dash." Rainbow Dash suddenly looked sorry, "Listen, AJ- Hey, who're you?" Having been spotted, Pinkie froze. "Hi! I'm-" "Princess Pinkamena!" Applejack ducked into a low bow, and shot a warning look at Rainbow Dash, "What an honor to have you visit our farm!" Rainbow Dash, whose mouth had dropped the moment the word 'Princess' was uttered, dropped into a bow as well. "Oh, you don't have to do that," said Pinkie cheerfully. "And you can call me Pinkie. Everypony does. Well, not every pony, most ponies call me 'Your Highness' but the ponies that I've decided to be friends with do- except of mother of course, she calls me 'Mena' or "Pinkamena' when she's mad at me. But anyway, I think the three of us can be friends, don't you? I'm really good at guessing people's characters, and I can tell that you're the type of fillies I'd like to be friends with! Want to be my friends?" She broke off, panting a little from the force of her speech. The two ponies stared wide-eyed at her. "You sure do like to talk, don't you?" Asked Applejack good-naturedly. "Sure, I'll be your friend. A pony can never have too many-" The other filly seemed to finally get over her shock. "Friends with a Princess? That'd be totally AWESOME!" She leapt into the air and raced around the other two, her wings beating so fast that Pinkie could hardly see them. "Great!" chirped Pinkie. "Although I can't stay too long, I'm here to get some apples for lunch." Rainbow raised an eyebrow, "They sent the Princess all the way through the Everfree Forest to get her own lunch?" There was a peal of giggles as Pinkie thought about that. "No, silly! Mother and Twily are having their lesson in the forest today, so I'm in charge of the picnic! Plus, I wanted to meet Honey's" "Apples for the Princess Luna!" Applejack turned and ran towards the nearest tree, "I'll buck the sweetest, juiciest, yummiest apples y'all have ever tasted." She let out a whoop, and hollered something about being lucky enough to help both princesses on the same day. "I thought I'd never find anyone as excitable as me," said Pinkie brightly to an amused Rainbow Dash. "Well, she's not usually so, er... enthusiastic." Said Rainbow Dash, rubbing the back of her head, "But today is special. We've never met a Princess before. What's it like?" "Like being me, I guess," said Pinkie. "I've never been anyone else, so I guess I don't really know how to answer that." Rainbow Dash laughed, "I guess that makes sense. But what's Princess Luna like? Is she regally awesome? Does she make everyone cower in awe and respect as she walks by?" "Uh, sort of? Most ponies are very respectful, but no pony has ever cowered before. Not in front of me, at least." Rainbow Dash was not listening, she seemed to be stuck in a daydream of Luna's awesomeness, "I bet she spends all of her time saving Equestria from disaster-" "Not reall-" "And making sure she's prepared in case the Scorched Mare comes back!" Pinkie's ears swiveled towards the blue filly, "Who?" There was a distant yell of "He-yaw!" and the sound of apples falling into a bucket. Rainbow's eyes bulged out of her head, "You've never heard of the Scorched Mare? But that was Princess Luna's biggest defeat in history!" Pinke sat down, sensing that her new friend was about to answer her unasked question. "Long ago, before Ponyville even existed, Princess Luna ruled the nights, while another alicorn ruled the day. Everything was peaceful, but then one day a horrific mare killed the other alicorn, and began to take over parts of Equestria. Whenever a town resisted," Rainbow Dash brandished two blue hooves in front of her, as if fending off an invisible assailant, "she burnt it to the ground." Something heavy settled in the pit of Pinkie's stomach. She both wanted Rainbow Dash to finish the story, and to stop speaking immediately. "Princess Luna asked the Scorched Mare to stop burning Equestria, but all that did was arouse the Mare's anger. She raised an army of fiery salamanders and turned on Princess Luna's old castle. It used to be the center of a beautiful capitol city- but the Scorched Mare destroyed everything. The only thing that survived was the ruins of the old castle. There was an epic battle, in which the Salamanders were destroyed, and Princess Luna returned the Scorched mare to the sun. But ever pony knows that any day she could return to seek vengeance!" Applejack returned with the apples, and Pinkie thanked both of the fillies for their help, and made them promise to write her sometime. But she walked back through the forest with small, even steps. Her thoughts were consumed with the story of the Scorched Mare. All throughout the story her chin had been quivering. And when her chin quivered, she knew that something was off. Who was the Scorched Mare? What had really happened? But most importantly- Why hadn't her mother told her?
