Chapter One: Meet Moonglow
As the last train for Ponyville left the station, a small shout was heard.
"Wait! Wait! Nonononono! Stop!" A young stallion with a silver coat, midnight blue eyes and vest, and dark red mane yelled over the din of the marketplace crowd. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put a market next to a train station sure didn't have me in mind. He thought to himself.
"Well shit. Now I gotta walk there" He grumbled as he began the long trek to Ponyville. "I sure as hell hope this is worth it" was the last thing heard as he trotted away from his hometown.
Meet Moonglow Sparkle, a one-of-a-kind unicorn with an uncertain fate. During the first lunar eclipse since Nightmare Moon's banishment he was born into Equestrian citizenship. A year later, Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic, was born. throughout his life, Moonglow learned many things, one of the being that he was more of an Earth pony than a unicorn.
[POV: Moonglow]
As I trotted along next to the rail tracks, I reached into my saddlebags and pulled out the letter that was the cause of my now arduous journey to Ponyville.
Dear Moonglow,
My name is Twilight Sparkle, when doing some research on family history, I only read a few things about you. I was hoping that you could come to meet me in Ponyville to help with the genealogy project that I'm working on and help me record more information about the more distant parts of the Sparkle family. I'll meet you at the Ponyville library, it's a giant tree, you can't miss it.
I hope this letter finds you well, Twilight Sparkle
I had received the letter early this morning and was ready to leave before noon. You see, my house had been pretty bare, containing only a few personal items and the essentials, after all, growing potatoes for a living doesn't exactly pay well. Plus, when my parents passed away, I was left noting in their wills. It all went to support the Canterlot Library's Starswirl the Bearded Wing. Luckily, the town had 'passed around a hat' and helped me build myself a quaint home.
Soon enough, my stomach growled at me, actually it was more of a roar. I hadn't eaten since breakfast, so I stopped by a small tree, sat down, and dropped my saddle bags. Opening them up again, I did a quick inventory check: water, apples, broken family photo, more apples, rope, even more apples, self-enchanted knife, and a few potatoes. Why I had so many apples still confused me, I didn't even like them! So, for a quick meal I got out a potato and peeled it with my knife. After around 10 minutes I cleaned up and resumed my travels. It was probably about 6 o'clock in the afternoon and I started to hum quietly to myself. My thoughts became flooded with anxious questions about Twilight. Would she like me? Would she treat me like a freak like the rest of my family? And many more like those. Then it struck me, I had no idea what she looked like!Oh Celestia panic! were the first thoughts in my head after that.
"No, bad. Panicking is bad" I muttered."Wait a sec, did I just say that out loud?"
"Eeyup" said a calm, baritone voice that nearly made me soil myself.
I looked around to see who was talking but saw nothing.
"Back here" came the voice again.
I looked behind me only to witness a great wall of crimson that could be called a pony. Seeing such a large pony nearly scared me to death, so I did the only thing I could think of. I fainted and face-planted into the dirt. Smooth.
=====================
Ugh... my head. What happened? Suddenly, everything came back to me. The letter, missing the train, walking, apples, big red dude. Man, today was weird.
*poke*
Dafuq was that!
*poke* *poke*
"Do not want. Five more hours please" was all I could say. Mental facehoof.
*POKE* *POKE* *POKE*
Okay, this is getting annoying. Waking up now. One eye open, all blurry from sleep. Two eyes open, Unidentified object detected! It was a cream and red blob, and it was standing on top of me.
"Ugh...what do you need? I'm broke, take my apples, just don't hit my face." Why do I keep saying these things? Again, mental facehoof.
"You're weird." The blob said.
"...uh, thanks?" I stammered. "Wow, I didn't know blobs could talk!"
"Ah ain't no blob!" It said defiantly.
I blinked a few times, and details appeared. First and foremost was that "It" was not a blob, but a cute little filly with a cream coat, light red hair and eyes, and a matching bow. It was standing on my chest, eyeballing me. I was laying on a ... couch? Where the buck am I? The room I was in was quaint, but a tad bit too country-esque for me to have returned to Trottingham. A fire was crackling over to my right, and I probably was lying there for a few minutes before my stomach growled/roared. I looked at the clock, it was around 8 o'clock in the morning. Damn, I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday! My stomach roared again, causing the little filly to laugh hard enough to fall off of me with an unusually loud thud.
"Um, excuse me, little miss? Sorry 'bout calling you a blob. Is there any food here?" I gingerly asked. Of course there's going to be food here you idiot! Man, I can be so stupid sometimes. I facehoofed, a tad bit too hard. I sure hope I don't get a black eye from that, I didn't even know I was that strong! The filly looked at me with concern.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
"O-kay, come on, the kitchen's this way. We have some leftover waffles!"
Waffles. Hell yes! I love waffles, a bit too much some say. So at the sound of that one special word, I bolted off of the couch.
"Ugh...lack of bloodflow...ack!" I said as I collapsed, slamming my head against the hard wooden floor, looking up at the swirly blob that was the celing. Why does this keep happening to me? Maybe I'm just really good at falling. *STBU brain.*** I felt a small trickle of blood run down the side of my head.
"Hey mister, you all right?" she asked.
"Umm...nope." I said as everything began to go black and swirly.
Hi there! Petro! here, I want to thank all you who read this!
I'm also giving a big shoutout to my friend Dracomis for knocking enough sense into me (over the internet) to get me to write this. Thanks dude.
BTW there will be some Swedish and Latin in my notes.
This is my thoughts
This is me yelling at my brain
But anyway, Lets get this show on the road! Låt oss vara av!
Have you ever been unconscious? No? Well, trust me, it's not much fun. It's like one of those naps where you wake up after five hours but it feels like five minutes, except more humiliating. I hope I didn't ruin her floor, I mean, nice hardwood flooring is hard to come by. Okay time to wake up. I attempted to open my eyes, but they didn't respond. O-kay, well, now what. Meh, time to sing in my head. After years of being in my school's marching band, it didn't take me long to find the right song: Kashmir.
Meanwhile...
[POV: Apple Bloom]
"I he gonna be OK?" I asked Dr. Strongheart.
"Yes, for the tenth time, yes! He'll be fine, it's only a minor concussion. Your friend Scootaloo has had worse." he grumbled.
He doesn't have to be so mean... I had been in the hospital room with the strange stallion, whose name was Moonglow apparently. After Applejack and I got him to the hospital, a letter fell out of his vest pocket. According to it, he was related to Twilight, but he looked nothing like her. He was silver and red, not purple and purple! The letter was addressed to Trottingham, which explained his funny accent. I looked up at him laying on the bed, I hope he'll wake up soon, Twilight was coming to see him. She was apparently very excited to 'interrogate' (her word of choice) him about his side of the family.
"Ugh... where are my waffles?" I heard him mumble.
[POV: Moonglow]
As I sang the final notes in Kashmir, I was able to open my eyes. I gave the room a quick once-around. Hospital. I hate hospitals. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the filly from earlier looking at me with concern. Since I didn't see or smell waffles, I did the only reasonable thing.
"Ugh... where are my waffles?" I mumbled. Damn, can't fully speak yet! "why am I in a hospital?"
"Mah sister Applejack and I brought you here after ya passed out" she yelled, earning a small gasp from me as she jumped up and put me in a one-way bear hug. "Ahm so glad you're OK, Ah thought you were gonna die." she whispered in my ear.
"Pfft! Are you kidding me? It takes more than a little blood loss to take me down!" I claimed triumphantly.
"I can see that." came an annoyed voice from the door way. He had a dark grey coat and dull brown made. He had a medical cross for a cutie mark, so I deduced that he was my doctor.
"What's up doc?" I said.
"I just reviewed your medical history, and I must say, how are you still alive? I mean, it says here that you had a house dropped on you?"
"Meh, I ducked in one of the windows when it landed. Dragons don't think things through."
"You fell in a tub of acid!?"
"It only had a pH rating of 6, higher than vinegar."
"And this, you set yourself on fire?"
"Umm... yeah... It was a bet. I got more than enough to pay the bill out of it though."
He just looked at me like I was crazy and walked off. I looked over to see the filly staring at me with her jaw open. I reached down and shut it for her.
"So, I never did get your name." I stated calmly.
"Ahm Apple Bloom, one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders and heir to the Apple family farm: Sweet Apple Acres." Apple Bloom Responded in kind.
"Wait, THE Sweet Apple Acres, producer of the best apples in Equestria?" I gawked.
"Yep"
Holy shit! I'm in the presence of farming royalty! I got out of the stretcher/bed thing and bowed down to her, earning me a funny look.
"I'm honored to be in your presence."I stated, awe clearly in my voice.
"Um, why?" she asked.
"You and your family are farming royalty!" I exclaimed.
"O-kay then. Wait! You don't look like a farmer, how do ya know that?" Apple Bloom looked at me suspiciously.
"Well, you see, I'm a potato farmer, so I learned it from agricultural news." I explained.
"Agra-wha?"
"Agricultural, it's from the Romane words for field and cultivation, it pretty much means farming." I expounded.
"What are you, a dictionary?" she scoffed under her breath.
"No, I'm a humble potato farmer." I replied.
And... BAM! Awkward silence.
5-6 minutes of silence later...
Well, this is awkward. No dip Sherhoof! STBU brain. I can normally hold a conversation for at least 10 minutes. Maybe you scarred her with your medical history. *Do you want me to kill you?Wouldn't that kill you too? **Buck you brain, buck you. Hehehe!* I looked over to See Apple Bloom staring at me like I was a madpony.
"Did I say all of that out loud?" I sheepishly inquired.
"..."
"I'll take that as a yes."
Another long awkward silence later...
*SLAM*
Dr. Strongheart opened the door rather quickly, enough to have it break some of the plaster on the wall, causing AB and I to jump. She landed on her hooves, while I fell to the ground with a thud. What did I tell you? *STBU.***
"Great news! Oh, are you OK?" he said.
"Just dandy, now what's the news?" I commented.
"You're being released!"
"Good. This pleases me."
He turned to leave.
"Wait!" I said.
"What do you want?" he snapped. Strange, he was so happy a second ago.
"Firstly, are you bipolar? Second, can I get something to eat? Third, can you hit me on the head with your clipboard?" I pleaded.
"First: no, Second: cafeteria's down the hall on the left, Third: I'd be happy to" He said as he whacked me on the head with the clipboard.
Ow! *Take that brain!***
It just so happened that while he was hitting me, two nurses saw him and pulled him out of the room, muttering something about how they need to reevaluate his résumé. Apple Bloom and I started rolling on the floor with laughter. I haven't laughed this hard in ages! I think I'm going to like this place.
"Excuse me, but why was a doctor being dragged away from here?" said a new voice.
I looked up to see a lavender unicorn with a darker purple mane. Who's this?
"And you are?" I said, still lying upside down on the floor.
"Oh, hi Twilight!" AB said excitedly.
Twilight, Twilight, where have I heard that before? Oh, right! The letter. I quickly regained my composure and stood up. Only to hit my head on the foot of the stretcher-thing.
"Ow"
"Are you OK?" Twilight asked.
"I'm good, how are you, Miss Sparkle" I replied.
"While you two catch up Ahm gonna go home." AB said.
"If it's OK with you Miss Sparkle, I'll walk home with Apple Bloom, I do have to thank her sister for taking me here, after all." I said while turning to Twilight.
"That's perfectly fine with me, and please, just call me Twilight or Twi, we don't need such formalities among family." She replied.
"Okie doke! Let's get a move on Apple Bloom!" I ushered her on. "Before the sun sets!"
"Be careful you two." I heard Twilight say as we left the small room.
Soon enough, we were out of the hospital and into the cool air.
"Lead the way!" I said to Apple Bloom, after all, I had no clue as to where anything was. Except for the library, I could see the top branches from here.
As the sun began to set on my first official day in Ponyville, I had a good feeling about the place. Ruining my train of thought, my stomach roared at me as we walked down the road.
"Oh hush you!" I scolded it, earning another growl from it that sent AB into a fit of laughter.
Faster than one could say "antidisestablishmentarianism" and pronounce it correctly, Apple Bloom was getting tired. One thing led to another and she ended up laying on my back, giving me directions. Faster than expected, she fell asleep, but it didn't really matter, I could see the sign that said "Sweet Apple Acres" and slowly walked to the small red farmhouse and knocked on the door. From inside I heard a muffled voice with a thick country accent saying,
"Ah sure do hope that's Apple Bloom, it's past her bedtime."
The door squeaked open and an orange earth pony mare with a blond mane and a Stetson looked at me, then to the sleeping filly on my back.
"Thank ya kindly" she said as she remove AB from my back. "Do ya have a place to stay?"
Still out of breath from carrying Apple Bloom, I just shook my head.
"Well, you can stay on the couch again tonight if ya want."
"Thank you very much Miss..."
"Applejack."
"Thank you Miss Applejack" I said as I slumped down on the couch and fell into the warm caress of dreams.
Prepare for a sob story, I felt the need to write something sad because my late grandmom loved tragic stories. I love ya, Grandma Yowell, wherever you may be.
*Sniff* *Sniff*
Why do I smell smoke?
I awoke to a warm sensation on my back. It felt good at first, but hen it kept getting hotter and hotter until it was unbearable. Sweet Celestia! It feels like my tail is on fire! Opening my eyes, I realized that I was on the floor, but the couch I had been sleeping on was on the other side of the room. Looking behind me to find the source of obnoxious heat, I fell to a sudden realization. My tail was on fire. About five seconds later, I stood up, still on fire.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed, like a little filly at that.
"What in tarnation?!" I heard Applejack say as she descended the stairs.
"It BURNS!" Nice one, we have a genius here.
"Hold still, Ah'll go get some water!" She ordered as she made a mad dash out into the night to get a bucket of water.
Wait...It's nighttime?! I can use magic again! After my delayed discovery, I immediately used the small amount of magic I could conjure up to retrieve my water bottle from my saddlebags. I teleported some water out of the bottle and used telekinesis to hold a small orb of it in place. Then, I quickly ran the aquatic orb over the burning parts of my back and tail.
"Ah...Sweet relief" I said while sighing.
*CLUNK*
I quickly turned around to see Applejack staring at me with her jaw wide open, and an empty bucket whose contents were now all over the floor. Suddenly, the water-covered floor was enveloped in a midnight blue aura as I magic'd the water back into the bucket. Applejack ran over to me and caught me up in a bear-hug.
"Ow ow ow, burn! There's a burn there! Ow!" I squeaked out, my lungs crushed by the hug.
"Oops" she chuckled, releasing me from her iron grasp. "Ahm just so glad yer okay, Apple Bloom would have a fit if ya weren't. In the mornin' Ah'll take ya to Rarity's to fix up yer coat, tail, and vest."
"Wait, the Rarity? The one who designed Princess Cadence's dress? That Rarity?" I asked.
"Yes-sir-ee, she's one of mah best friends."
After hearing that little snippet of information, I just stood there, dumbfounded. I was going to meet Rarity, famous fashion designer, at her house. I almost squealed with joy. After a minute or two of small talk, Applejack asked the worst question possible.
"So, since I told ya 'bout mah family, what's yer's like?"
*Sigh* "Nonexistent." I replied flatly.
"Don't lie to me sugarcube, everypony's got a family."
"Not this pony. You see, the Sparkle family is made up of powerful unicorns, so when my parents discovered that I couldn't use magic, except during the night, they ostracized me. I was the family's only disappointment. After Twilight was accepted into Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, I was never allowed to meet any more family members when they came, or go to any reunions. After my parents died, they left me with nothing. And when I went to live with my uncle, he kicked me out and disowned me. I've been alone ever since, luckily, the nice folk of Trottingham came together and got me a nice house and a steady job working at the local farm. I really think that without the kindness of others, I wouldn't be here. I guess that I'm one of the few ponies left who hasn't forgotten just how I am tho have such a nice life." I stopped to let it sink in, but I guess it already had. Applejack was hugging me, her tears wetting my shoulder as I sat there stoically. I had taught myself to not show too much emotion, since when I was young, I learned that the school's bullies fed off of it.
As I reminisced about my past, I heard another set of tears falling. Looking around, I saw Apple Bloom and the red stallion, who I learned to be called Big Mac, standing at the foot of the stairs. Apple Bloom was crying her little eyes out and Big Mac had tears in his eyes, but refused to let them fall. I opened up my forelegs for a hug, and Apple Bloom came running into my grasp. As Apple Bloom and Applejack cried into my coat, I nodded to Big Mac, letting him know that' it's okay to cry, and he followed suit.
Eventually, Big Mac went back to sleep and Applejack fell asleep on my shoulder. Apple Bloom was still crying into my chest, gripping me in one of the most sincere hugs I've ever felt. Slowly, she looked up at me, her eyes red from crying so much, and said with a cracking voice,
"Please don't ever leave us."
"I wouldn't dream of it." I replied, feeling a single tear roll down my cheek as I got off of the couch, placing a now sleeping Apple Bloom on the couch next to Applejack and covering them with a blanket.
I looked over at them, as Apple Bloom snuggled next to Applejack, and slowly let myself cry. They had the one thing I had always wished for: A loving family.