A Pegasus among Earth Ponies
Latenighter was born to a family of Earth ponies around Ponyville. They had all been earth ponies for as long as they could remember, so they were undoubtedly startled to find that the foal was born a Pegasus. The arguing and bickering found its way all the way to the ear of Princess Celestia. She approached the family and asked them why they bickered so. They told her that there had never been a Pegasus born into the dirt family. She agreed that there had indeed never been one until now, but she also told them that maybe the foal would grow to be a great flyer or a ground worker like them. They agreed and let the matter drop and raised the Pegasus foal to be a ground worker like they had been taught by their parents, and their parents before them. How the foal turned out however was totally different from any of their ideas.
He had always dreamed of writing his own novel, but he didn't know how to write the best. Sure he had passed all of his classes with his fellow students, but he would also be caught daydreaming or doodling in one of his notebooks, coming up with a small idea for a story he would one day write. Latenighter loved to read stories out of the Ponyville Library, and was always in there whenever he wasn't helping out on his family's farm outside of ponyville, or helping on the other farms surrounding. He loved to read the Fantasy books about times long forgotten and heroes saving the world from armies of enemies. He would usually work most of the day then spend half the night at the library, where he got his name. Latenighter was a greenish brown stallion with a fiery red and yellow mane and tail. Even though he was a full grown Pegasus now, he had still not received his cutie mark, but it didn't bother him much. He spent too much time working to keep their farm running and making errands for his family in town to worry about such things as a cutie mark. The others noticed though, and would go out of their way to make it known to him that he didn't have a cutie mark. Some nights were better than others, sometimes he wouldn't let the names get to him, Blank Flank, Failure, Mistake.
When the names got him down however, he would often be found on the roof of his barn, looking to the stars where he would find peace in the night sky. He would often speak to the mare in the moon, though she never answered back. He never expected her to, just a face to listen to the problems of the young pony. He would often ask her if she felt the same pain, being different from Everypony around her. His creative spirit would kick in and he would see her leave the moon and set beside him on the old barn roof, where the two would talk for hours about how they were different from the others and how they found comfort in each other's company. It would end the same every time, she would tell him a story of how the world was when she walked freely among them until he drifted to sleep, then would return to the moon for her own slumber.
One day after he had finished his chores for the evening, he flew into Ponyville into the library to find it full of ponies. "What's going on in here, and why is everypony in the library", Latenighter said as he walked into the now crowded library.
"Oh hello Latenighter how was your day today, I bet you worked super duper hard for the celebration tomorrow. We're throwing a party for a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle, she is moving into the library for a couple days to see over the Summer Sun Celebration, and she doesn't have any friends here so I am throwing her this party to get her a lot of friends", Pinkie Pie said all in one huge breath.
"Oh, that's Nice Pinkie Pie, but..., hold on, moving into the library", Latenighter said, nearly falling over.
"Yep, yep, yep, that's right Latenighty, she is moving in for a couple days, and I guess that means you won't be able to make your usual visits here", Pinkie said depressed a little.
"Don't worry Pinkie, I'll just take a couple of books home with me today and come back after she leaves for wherever she lives", Latenighter said as he picked up a couple of books with his hooves to take home with him. These two would work, The Mare and The Dragon, and The Great Star swirl adventures. He had read them both before, he had read them all before, but there wasn't anything wrong with rereading a good book.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay and party Latey, I'm sure Twilight would love to have a pony around that likes to read like she does", Pinkie said, trying to persuade Latenighter to stay. Pinkie had taken a liking to him and befriended him in school. He still talked to her when he wasn't busy on the farm or reading, but as far as just hanging out with her, he wasn't to sure anypony could do it.
"Nah, it's alright Pinkie, I really want to read these books again and I told mom I would be home early tonight so we could have chores done early tomorrow morning before we went to city hall for the sun rising. Thanks for the offer though, but I will see you in the morning", Latenighter said as he walked out the door of the Library.
"Ok, have fun tonight and don't be late to the City Hall tomorrow morning", Pinkie called out to Latenighter as he walked down the street to the old beaten path that lead to the stallions house.
When he arrived at the farm, Latenighter set the books on the table in his kitchen before walking outside and flying to the roof of the barn. The sky looked different tonight that it usually did, there were a set of stars moving towards the moon. Latenighter took it as a sign to make a wish and made one he had always wanted to make. "I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight. I wish that I could write stories as well as the ones I read and have ponies to read them to, and if it's not too much, maybe even a cutie mark too", Latenighter said to the sky with his eyes closed and heart pouring into his words. He watched in awe later that night when the mare in the moon disappeared completely from the moon. He had been overjoyed, his wish had been granted. He ran into the house as fast as he could and pulled out parchment and a quill from the family desk and began to write a story of his own design. He wrote a story about a young Stallion alicorn that protected the lands of equestria from all evil. After writing the story he fell asleep at the desk and slept through the day, and his chores.
He awoke around dusk and flew franticly around apologizing to his family for doing his chores for him. They merely shrugged and said he had deserved a day off and proceeded to tell him what they heard down the road at the apples about Nightmare moon returning and their granddaughter Apple Jack and her friends saving equestria. He was angry that he had missed such an event and stormed to the barn roof where he let his tears begin to flow. He had the chance to meet that mare Twilight yesterday and he said he had to be back home. He would have to arrange a lunch with Pinkie Pie to find out what she was like. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice clearing on the roof beside him. His eyes shot open to see what he expected to be his mom, but was instead an alicorn.
"Hello Latenighter", the alicorn said softly.
"You, you know my name", Latenighter said, stammering.
"Of course I do, you talked with me every night about how you were different, and I listened every night, even last night", the alicorn replied.
"Your the mare in the moon", Latenighter asked dumbfounded.
"I was the mare in the moon, but you can address me as Luna, princess and bringer of the night", Princess Luna said. "And I am here to help your wish come true".
"You, you are, but how. I am just the son of poor earth ponies, what good will I ever be as a writer", Latenighter said looking to the ground.
"You are more of a writer than you think, you described to me whole worlds every night, all you need is to take that and place it on parchment", Luna said as she lifted Latenighter's chin up. "And to prove it, I want you to write me a story every week and tell it to me here on your barn. Together we will make your dreams come true and maybe even find your destiny along the way", Luna said as she began to lift off of the roof. "You have until next Saturday to write a story for me to read", she said as she flew off into the beautiful night.
Latenighter looked out into the sky before smiling and walking inside of the house to begin a new story, and a new adventure.
