A Story Never Told

Getting in the library had been fairly easy. Although the door had been locked, the library (a large, hollowed out tree that was somehow still alive) it had been fairly climbable, and the latch in the window could be done from the outside with a bit of creativity. I was standing in what appeared to be the upstairs study of the library, although it was quite a bit bigger than it needed to be. Although there were some books in the room, seemingly left by people who planned to continue reading the next day, the most interesting feature of the room was the telescope.

I got the telescope properly focused and looked into the night sky. My purpose in using it was to observe the stars, and perhaps learn something about the system, or any satellites the planet might have. However, when I began looking at the stars, something seemed off. They didn't quite look like stars. Acting on a hunch, I moved the telescope across the room, and looked at the same star to get a different view.

There was no denying it. The stars were close. Way to close. The one I had observed had been barely ten miles above the surface. Even more disturbing was the moon. Not only did it seem to have the image of a horned equine, but it was emmiting radiation that could only be explained with a massive energy buildup. Worse, it was slowly, but steadily, rising. Based on the size of the moon, the buildup would be enough to destroy it, and cause a major catastrophe on the surface in just a couple days.

I sat in silence for several minutes trying to comprehend the facts. This world seemed to obey few, if any, of the laws of physics and logic. The entire universe looked like a big capsule with a planet in the center. To top it all off, in 2-3 days, the entire world might as well be annihilated. I'd come to this world to get a fresh start, where I could build technology without masters pressing me for weapons, but it looked like I'd arrived shortly before the apocalypse.

Not one to let such things stop me, I got to my original purpose in finding the town library. You see, although I was capable of gleaning basic skills from being around others, knowledge besides that of a basic identity was beyond my reach at the time. I went down to the main library area, and began going through books. After a couple of hours of reading material I could barely understand, due to basic lack of knowledge of the language, I'd managed to glean some basic information.

There were three types of ponies that lived in the land of Equestria. Unicorns (I was one), Pegasi, and Earth Ponies. Each had different abilities. Although 'magic' was mentioned many times, the knowledge was so basic that it was not detailed in any books. The land was apparently ruled by an immortal ruler named Celestia of a rare race called 'Alicorns', with the traits of all three common races, as well as some abilities of their own. Although there were societies outside of Equestria, they were much less civilized, and were held back by fear of the might of Celestia.

Having learned all I could, and needing some sleep, I began to make my leave. Although I didn't lock the window behind me, I made a decent effort to disguise my intrusion. I managed to make it into Fluttershy's house through my bed sheet rope, and fell into unconsciousness instantly.

***

I woke up the next day to Fluttershy singing as she took care of her animals. I walked down the stairs, and out of the house to see her flying, with no means of support other than slowly flapping her undersized wings. Before she noticed me staring, I decided to speak.

"You're pretty good," I had achieved a level of understanding with the language that if I didn't use advanced words, I could keep from sounding like an idiot.

The moment she heard me, she landed and hid behind a bush with a startled noise.

"I didn't mean to startle you. Just compliment your singing. Could you resume?"

She waited a few seconds before responding, "I... Don't like ponies listening to my singing. I'm really sorry if that bothers you"

I raised one hoof in a gesture I hoped was calming, "No, not at all. I don't like people listening to my singing either," I had decided the way 'pony' was used was racist, so I was not going to use it, "I was just saying you're good. And I was planning on leaving soon anyway. Try to see if I can get a job there, and all that stuff. Besides, you've been plenty hospitable already"

She took a breath before speaking, "Thanks. It's no trouble at all. I try to help anypony I can who needs it. It's the least I can do"

"That's very generous of you. Before I go, do you know of anywhere I might get a some sort of job?"

"Oh. The apple farm northish of here, called Sweet Apple Acres, always needs work this time of year. But they're having a family reunion now, since Ponyville is hosting the Summer Sun Celebration the day after tomorrow. It's actually the thousandth one, so it's extra special. Anyway, I don't know how much work they have that they'd let a stranger do, but I'd say it's still your best shot at getting a decent job quickly. I mean, you may have a bit more trouble, being a unicorn and all, but still"

I knew that unicorns were the physically weakest of the races. I also knew that I was supposed to have telekinesis, and other abilities, but I didn't know how to use them. Although I needed to hang around unicorns to glean the skill to use magic, I would also need an excuse. I hoped at least some of the apple family were unicorns. However, something about what she said bugged me. The timing couldn't be a coincidence.

"What's the Summer Sun Celebration?"

She was surprised at my ignorance, but didn't hesitate to explain, "It's the beginning of the longest day of the year. As Celestia raises the sun, and the new year begins, ponies who have been staying up all night begin partying in earnest. Sometimes ponies drop where they're standing from exhaustion. Poor things"

"Would this celebration have anything to do with the moon? Even a little bit?"

"No. I don't think so," She thought for a few seconds before continuing, "Unless you count the legend about Nightmare Moon, but that's just a foal story"

"What is this legend about? Why would someone be named 'Nightmare Moon'?"

"Well, the story goes that once upon a time, Celestia ruled with her sister Luna. Luna became jealous of ponies enjoying day more than night, eventually becoming Nightmare Moon, attacking her sister, and being banished to the moon. The legend says that after a thousand years, she will escape to plunge the world into eternal darkness. A few ponies are actually convinced the story is true, but some ponies will come up with all sorts of conspiracy theories"

Disappointed that I had to leave after getting her on a roll, but also knowing that I wouldn't get any more useful information from speaking to her, I decided to take my leave.

"Thanks for everything, Fluttershy. I hope to speak to you later"

"Goodbye to you too, Recumen. I hope you come to visit again soon"

And with that, I was off to Sweet Apple Acres in an effort to get more pieces to this puzzle before it was too late.