Chapter One: Mare in the Moon
Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony along the land. To do this, the eldest, used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn, the younger, brought out the moon to begin the night.
Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one’s heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness, Night Mare Moon!
She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponykind. The Elements of Harmony! Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon, and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.
Twilight Sparkle finished her reading outside, laying down in the sun, under a shady tree in Canterlot. She was an average sized unicorn, with a lightly-colored purple coat, and a deeper purple, relatively straight mane. There were two lighter streaks of color, accenting her hair. Her tail matched her mane. She had purple eyes, and a slightly sophisticated look to her. Her cutie mark consisted of a large pink star, with smaller white ones dotted around it. Hmm, Elements of Harmony... she repeated thoughtfully, straining her mind, “I know I’ve heard of those before, but where?”
Twilight briskly walked down the lane toward her home’s library, pondering where she heard of the Elements of Harmony before. Twilight’s favorite hobby was reading, spending nearly all of her time at the bookshelves. Being the most faithful and hard-working student of Princess Celestia, the older sister in the story of Equestria, she puts forth incredible effort in her studies of magic and academics all around. She was thinking about whether or not the she would have a book on the Elements of Harmony when she was stopped in her tracks by three young ponies she recognized from around town.
“There you are, Twilight!” a white-coated unicorn said to her excitedly, “Moondancer is having a little get-together in the castle courtyard. You wanna come?”
As she said this, all three ponies, the other two being yellow and blue-coated unicorns, looked at Twilight expectantly.
Twilight looked a little surprised, and said, “Oh, sorry, girls. I’ve got a lot of studying to catch up on.” Having said this, she darted off on her way to the library.
The white-haired unicorn sighed, “Does that pony do anything except study? I think she’s more interested in books than friends.” The other two nodded in agreement and made their way to Moondancer’s party.
“I know I’ve heard of the Elements of Harmony!” Twilight said to herself with frustration as she continued running. Then, it hit her. A couple of ponies waved at her as she passed, but she ignored them.
Spike, Twilight’s assistant and brother of sorts, was carrying a wrapped gift in his hands with a pleased look on his face as he made his way out the door of the library. He was a baby dragon, with purple scales, green eyes, and slightly clawed feet. Unlike most dragons, he walked on two legs. Just as he was about to open the door, however, it was knocked open, throwing him off his feet.
“Spike! Spiiike! … Spike?” Twilight’s shouts turned to curiosity as she saw her assistant lying on the floor. Spike groaned.
“Quick, find me that old copy of Predictions and Prophecies.” She told him as he got up. Seeing Spike’s gift now thoroughly impaled on his tail, she asked him, “What’s that for?”
“Well, it was a gift for Moondancer, but-“ he stopped when a stuffed teddy bear fell out of the crumpled box. He wore a disappointed look.
“Oh, Spike,” Twilight said exasperatedly, “you know we don’t have time for that sort of thing.” She started tossing books around, hoping to find Predictions and Prophecies.
“But, we’re on a break,” Spike half-complained.
Twilight ignored him. She started levitating books past her, checking them. “No. No. No, no, no!” She checked impatiently, “Spiiike!”
“It’s over here!” cried Spike, holing it up to show Twilight. She quickly levitated it toward her, with Spike still attached. He hit the floor with a loud “smack!”
“Ah!” she cried in excitement as Predictions and Prophecies floated over to a table. Spike followed grumpily, picking up fallen books. “Elements, elements, ‘e’, ‘e’, ‘e’. Aha! ‘Elements of Harmony- see ‘Mare in the Moon’?” Twilight read curiously.
“’Mare in the Moon’? But that’s just an old pony’s tale.” Spike said.
“Mare, mare, mare. Aha! ‘The Mare in the Moon- myth from old pony times, a powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria, defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal!’” Twilight gasped after reading this, and asked urgently, “Spike, do you know what this means?”
“No,” spike said before falling off the library ladder and landing, hard, on Twilight’s back.
Twilight gave him a scroll and quill, “Take a note, please. To the Princess.”
“Okey-dokey.”
“My dearest teacher, my continuing studies of pony magic led me to discover that we are on the precipice of disaster.” She dictated to her assistant.
“Hold on… preci-, preci-,” he struggled with the word, and looked at Twilight expectantly.
“Threshold.”
“Thre—“
“Uh, brink?”
Still no good.
“Uh! That something really bad is about to happen!” she said, annoyed. Spike quickly scribbled that down. “For, you see,” she continued, “the mythical Mare in the Moon is in fact Night Mare Moon, and she’s about to return to Equestria, and bring with her eternal night! Something must be done to make sure this terrible prophecy does not come true! I await your quick response. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Twilight Sparkle… got it!” He finished writing aloud.
“Great! Send it.” She said.
“Now?” Spike asked.
“Of course!”
“Um, I don’t know, Twilight. Princess Celestia’s a little busy getting ready for the summer-sun celebration. And it’s like, the day after tomorrow."
“That’s just it, Spike. The day after tomorrow is the thousandth year of the summer-sun celebration. It’s imperative that the Princess is told right away!” she informed him with urgency.
“Imper-, impera-…” Spike started to write.
“Important!” she yelled at him.
“Okay, okay!” He drew a great breath, and blew green flames over it. It turned into a sort of dust, and flew immediately out the window to the Princess. “There. It’s on its way.” He paused, “I wouldn’t hold your breath,” he advised her.
“Oh, I’m not worried, Spike. The Princess trusts me completely. In all the years she’s been my mentor, she’s never once doubted me,” she said confidently.
Spike belched green flames, which immediately materialized into a return scroll.
“See, I knew she’d want to take immediate action,” she stated.
Spike cleared his throat, and began to read aloud, “Ahem, ‘My dearest, most faithful student, Twilight. You know that I value your diligence and that I trust you completely.” Twilight looked pleased. “But you simply must stop reading those dusty old books!”
Twilight gasped.
Twilight and Spike were flying high in the air, inside a golden carriage being pulled by two pegasi. Hardly enjoying the scenic view of Equestria as they traveled, Spike read aloud another letter from the Princess. “My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony’s life than studying. So, I’m sending you to supervise the preparation for the summer-sun celebration in this year’s location: Ponyville.” Twilight looked grumpy as Spike read on, “And, I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends.”
Twilight groaned.
“Look on the bright side, Twilight. The princess arranged for you to stay in a library. Doesn’t that make you happy?” Spike asked.
“Yes, yes it does,” Twilight replied excitedly, “You know why? Because I’m right! I’ll check on the preparations as fast as I can, then get to the library to find some proof of Night Mare Moon’s return!
As they descended, and neared their landing, Spike asked, “And… when will you make friends like the Princess said?”
“She said to check on preparations. I am her student, and I’ll do my royal duty, but the fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends.” She said as they landed.
“Thank you, sirs.” She said to the pegasi with a courteous bow. They nodded their heads appreciatively.
Ponyville was different from Canterlot in many ways. Instead of majestic-looking towers and castles, it had simple wooden houses. It looked very cheery, like the place where everybody knew each other.
“Maybe the ponies in Ponyville have interesting things to talk about,” Spike said.
A very happy-looking pink-coated earth pony skipped down the road in their direction. She had a very curly, dark-pink mane that rested on her shoulders and dangled in front of her head. Her tail was very bushy, swinging along behind her. She had bright, blue eyes, and an expression that suggested she had never frowned. She had a cutie mark that consisted of three balloons, two blue, and one yellow.
“Come on, Twilight. Just try!” Spike urged her as the pink mare came within earshot.
“Um, hello?” Twilight said to the pony quietly.
The pink mare gave a great gasp as she jumped into the air. She quickly dashed off past Twilight and Spike.
“Well, that was interesting, all right.” Twilight said, somewhat surprised
Spike sighed.
Twilight and Spike soon found themselves walking down a dirt road, hills and apple trees alike on either side of them. Spike read off a piece of parchment, “Summer-Sun Celebration Official Overseer’s Checklist; number one: banquet preparations, Sweet Apple Acres.
They walked through the open gate of Sweet Apple Acres, immediately noticing a large, rickety farmhouse, many different farm tools littering the ground, and hundreds of apple trees, miles around in any direction.
“Yee-haw!” Both Twilight and Spike looked over to find an orange-coated earth pony, with green eyes, a straight blond mane and tail, and a cutie mark of three apples, running straight toward an apple tree that had five buckets spread out beneath its branches. A brown cowboy hat rested on top of her head. She skidded to a halt, a few feet from the tree, and quickly turned around. She kicked out her hind legs with surprising force, bucking every single apple out of the tree with one, swift blow. The apples fell precisely in the buckets, not one out of place. She examined her work, impressed with herself.
Twilight sighed. “Let’s get this over with.” She approached the pony, “Good afternoon. My name is Twilight Sparkle-" she said, but she stopped short when the orange pony started vigorously shaking her hoof.
“Well, how’dya do, Miss Twilight? A pleasure making your acquaintance! I’m Applejack. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like making new friends!”
“Friends?” Twilight repeated, still having her hoof shaken, “Actually, I-“
Applejack cut her off, “So, what can I do ‘ya for?” She gave her a friendly smile.
Spike chuckled. Twilight cleared her throat with an annoyed look at her assistant, “Well, I am actually here to supervise preparations for the Summer-Sun Celebration. And… you’re in charge of the food?”
“We sure-as-sugar are! Would you care to sample some?” She asked.
“Oh, as long as it doesn’t take too long…” but the last of her sentence was missed as Applejack immediately ran off and rang a rusty bell.
“Soup’s on, everypony!” She yelled.
Immediately, many stampeding hooves could be heard on the rough ground, and a crowd of at least twenty ponies immediately followed Applejack, Twilight, and Spike to a yellow-tableclothed table that sat in the shade of two apple trees.
Applejack merrily said to Twilight, “Now, why don’t I introduce ‘yall to the Apple family?”
“Thanks, but I really need to hurry-” Twilight said sincerely, but was cut off as Applejack started introducing her family members. As each was named, they dropped an apple treat that matched their name onto the table.
“This here’s Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Red Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apple, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp,” she drew a great breath, “Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith.” Granny Smith was sleeping on a rocking chair nearby. Applejack said loudly, “Up, and at ‘em, Granny Smith! We’ve got guests!”
Hearing this, she jolted awake, and walked over to the table, which was holding a dangerously tall pile of apple-related sweets, and mumbled inaudibly.
Applejack said friendlily, “Why, I’d say they’re already part of the family!”
Twilight spat out the fritter in her mouth in surprise. She gave a nervous chuckle, “Okay, well… I can see the food situation is handled, so we’ll be on our way.”
At this, Apple Bloom asked her, “Aren’t you going to say for brunch?” She looked genuinely sorry that Twilight wouldn’t stay.
Twilight looked uncomfortable, “Sorry, but we have an awful lot to do.”
The entire Apple family gave a great “aww”, and each and every one, including Applejack, looked sad.
Twilight, at this point feeling very guilty, said begrudgingly, “Fine.”
The whole Apple family started to cheer, happy again as if a switch had been thrown. They began to chatter amongst themselves as they served Twilight and Spike to lunch.
A while later, they walked back into the main town, Spike reading, “next is weather.”
Twilight lagged behind spike, groaning. “Uhh, I ate too much pie,” she complained.
“Hmm, there’s supposed to be a pegasus pony named ‘Rainbow Dash’ clearing the clouds.” Spike looked up, searching for the pony.
Twilight, looking up at all the clouds still in the sky, said to spike, “Well, she’s not doing a very good job, is she?”
At that moment, a multicolored blur smashed into Twilight, knocking her into a mud puddle some fifteen feet away. On top of her lay a light-blue coated pegasus, wings outstretched. She had an untidy mane and tail, though unlike most ponies, they were full of streaks of different colors of the rainbow. Her eyes were light purple, and her cutie mark was a cloud with a rainbow colored lightning bolt racing beneath it.
“He, he, he. Uh, excuse me?” She got up and bent over Twilight. She continued to chuckle. “Let me help you.” She raced off, and brought back with her a cloud about her size to an annoyed and exasperated- looking Twilight. She placed it over Twilight, and flew up and jumped repeatedly on the cloud, sending rain cascading down. Within seconds, Twilight’s coat was mud-free, although drenched in water.
The pegasus chuckled again upon seeing Twilight. “Oops, I guess I overdid it.” Still smiling, she said, “Um, uh, how ‘bout this?” She immediately began to fly in a tight circle around Twilight at breakneck speeds. “My very own patented Rain-Blow Dry!”
When she was done, she said, “No, no. Don’t thank me. You’re quite welcome.”
She looked pleased with herself until she saw Twilight again, at which point she and Spike rolled on the ground, beside themselves with laughter. Twilight’s mane was incredibly messy and frizzy, and resembled that of the pink pony she met earlier.
Twilight wasn’t laughing. “Let me guess. You’re Rainbow Dash.”
The pegasus stood up. “The one and only!” She flew over to Twilight. “Why, you heard of me?”
“I heard you’re supposed to be keeping the sky clear,” she said accusingly. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and the princess sent me to check on the weather.”
“Yeah, yeah. That’ll be a snap.” She flew up and began lying back on a cloud about 20 feet in the air. She waved her hoof absentmindedly. “I’ll do it in a jiffy, just as soon as I’m done practicing.”
“Practicing for what?” Twilight inquired.
“The Wonderbolts!” Rainbow pointed at a poster pinned to a wall. “They’re gonna perform at the celebration tomorrow, and I’m gonna show ‘em my stuff!” She did an excited loop in the air, landing back on her cloud.
“The Wonderbolts?” Twilight asked skeptically.
“Yup.”
“The most talented flyers in all of Equestria?” She asked amusedly.
“That’s them.” Rainbow responded casually.
“Please, they’d never accept a pegasus who can’t keep the sky clear for one measly day!” Twilight said slightly snidely.
“Hey.” Rainbow was suddenly on the defensive. “I could clear this sky in ten seconds flat!”
Twilight glared at her with a slight smile. “Prove it.”
She launched into the sky, kicking clouds into nothingness one after another. She moved with astonishing speed. She whipped back and forth, leaving no cloud remaining. She landed back on the ground near Twilight.
“What’d I say? Ten. Seconds. Flat.” Rainbow chuckled lightly. “I’d never leave Ponyville hanging.”
Twilight’s jaw dropped. She was completely at a loss for words. Rainbow laughed at her expression. “You should see the look on your face,” she mused. “Ha! You’re a laugh, Twilight Sparkle. I can’t wait to hang out some more,” she said cheerily.
Rainbow flew away, and Spike said, “Wow, she’s amazing!” He laughed again at Twilight’s mane. She growled in annoyance, walking to their next destination. “Wait, it’s kind of pretty when you get used to it!”
They next examined the town hall, where the celebration would occur. “Decorations.” Spike declared. There were ribbons, bows, and great banners hung from various spots in the hall. Every aspect seemed carefully planned, and every decoration complimented one another. On the right side of the hall, a long, bright yellow banner hung, showing illustrations of the sun, and different markings and symbols. There was no question that appearance would not be a problem. Suddenly Spike’s voice was dreamy. “Beauuutiful.”
“Yes. The décor is coming along nicely,” Twilight agreed. “This ‘oughta be quick. I’ll be at the library in no time. Beautiful indeed.”
“Not the décor. Her.” He gestured to a unicorn with a bright white coat, curly and carefully trimmed mane and tail, blue eyes, and a cutie mark of three separate diamonds.
“No, no, no. Oh! Goodness no,” the white unicorn said to herself, levitating and examining different color streamers.
Spike looked dreamy. Standing behind Twilight, he asked, “How are my spines? Are they straight?”
Twilight rolled her eyes as she approached the unicorn. “Good afternoon.”
“Just a moment, please,” the unicorn held up a hoof. “I’m in the zone, as it were.” She spoke with a very polite and pleasant voice. She continued looking at different colors, and upon seeing a red, glittering bow, she said, “Oh, yes! Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Why, Rarity, you are a talent,” she said to herself. “Now, um, how can I help you- aaah!”
She looked utterly horrified as she caught a glimpse of Twilight’s frizzy mane. “Oh, my stars! Darling, whatever happened to your coiffure?”
“Oh, you mean my mane? Well, it’s a long story. I’m just here to check on the decorations and then I’ll be out of your hair,” Twilight said.
“Out of my hair? What about your hair?” She rushed over and led Twilight over to a dressing room.
“Wait! Where are we going? Help!” Twilight panicked, confused. Spike followed dreamily, still admiring Rarity.
A few minutes later, Twilight was being put into outfits, her mane long ago fixed. Rarity was fussing over what looked good on the new pony. “No, no, uh uh. Too green, too yellow. Too poofy, not poofy enough. Too frilly. Too shiny. Ah, now go on my dear; you were telling me where you’re from.”
As she tightened a stunning white vest on Twilight, accented with gems, Twilight struggled to speak. “I’ve… been sent… from… Canterlot… to-” She could hardly get the last word out.
Suddenly, Rarity stopped pulling. “Huh? Canterlot?! I am so envious! The glamour, the sophistication! Ah, I have always dreamed of living there! I can’t wait to hear all about it!” She walked over to Twilight. “We are gonna be the best of friends, you and I!” She looked at Twilight’s vest in distaste. “Emeralds? What was I thinking? Let me get you some rubies!” She walked off to do just that.
“Quick!” Twilight started to run out the door. “Before she decides to dye my coat a new color!”
Spike just sighed, his eyes unfocused.
By late afternoon, Twilight and Spike were walking through the town park, on their way to their next destination, Spike sitting on Twilight, the vest thoroughly off of her back. “Focus, Casanova. What’s next on the list?”
Spike cleared his throat. “Music. It’s the last one.”
Twilight suddenly stopped. A harmonic birdsong could be heard. She moved toward the sound. There, on the other side of some bushes, a pegasus could be seen conducting a flock of songbirds, all sitting on a small tree, facing the pegasus. She had a yellow coat, a pink mane and tail, that curved gracefully downwards, and teal eyes. They would give one the impression that they weren’t unfamiliar with tears. Her cutie mark showed three butterflies, with blue bodies, and pink wings.
Upon hearing the birdsong, she said in a quiet, gentle voice, “Oh, my. Um, stop please, everyone.” She flew up to a blue jay.
“Excuse me, sir? I mean, no offence, but, your rhythm is just a teeny tiny bit off.” She flew back to her original position. “Now, follow me, please. A one, a two, a one-two-three-“
“Hello!” Twilight said loudly to the pegasus, making her give a frightened squeal. The birds scattered. “Oh, my. I’m so sorry,” she said hastily, “I didn’t mean to frighten your birds. I’m just here to check up on the music and it sounded beautiful.”
The pegasus flew down next to Twilight and looked down, not saying anything. She pawed the ground uncomfortably.
Twilight gave an odd smile, “I’m Twilight Sparkle.” A pause. “What’s your name?”
“Um, I’m-” she barely whispered her name. She barely looked at Twilight.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” Twilight tried to clarify gently.
“Um, my name is-” Again, she hardly said her name.
“Didn’t quite catch that.”
The pegasus told her, though it was more of a whimper, and couldn’t be heard.
“Well, um, it looks like your birds are back. So, I guess everything’s in order. Keep up the good work.” Twilight was feeling very awkward now. The mare whimpered. “Oookay...” Twilight said, walking away.
“Well, that was easy,” she said to Spike.
One look at Spike and the pegasus changed in an instant. “A baby dragon?!” She wore a huge smile, and rushed over to him, accidentally knocking Twilight out of the way. “Oh, I’ve never seen a baby dragon before! He’s so cute!”
“Well, well, well?” Spike said slightly gleefully with a look to a fallen-over Twilight.
“Oh, my,” she continued, “He talks! I didn’t know dragons could talk. That’s just so incredibly wonderful! I just don’t even know what to say!” She was hovering in the air in excitement.
“Well, in that case, we’d better be going.” Spike was suddenly levitated into the air and onto an annoyed Twilight’s back. The pegasus followed as Twilight deliberately walked away.
“Wait, what’s his name?” She asked happily.
“I’m Spike.” He said nicely.
“Hi. Spike,” the pegasus said, “I’m Fluttershy. Wow, a talking dragon! And, what do dragons talk about?”
“Well, what do you want to know?” Spike asked her.
“Absolutely everything.”
Twilight’s eyes widened, and she groaned. It was going to be a long walk.
“Well, I started out as a purple and green egg…”
And a long walk it was.
“… and that’s the story of my whole entire life!” Spike finished. It was already sunset. “Well, up until today. Do you want to hear about today?”
“Oh, yes please!” Fluttershy said excitedly.
Twilight spun around. “I am so sorry. How did we get here so fast?” she said sarcastically, though Fluttershy didn’t catch it.
They were at the Ponyville library, a huge tree, three times as large as the neighboring buildings, with circular windows set at different spots. It was very randomly put together, though looked quite sturdy. “This is where I’m staying while in Ponyville, and my poor baby dragon needs his sleep.”
“No, I don’t-“
Twilight bucked her hips and Spike fell to the ground. Her voice was suddenly adoring. “Aw, look at that. He’s so sleepy he can’t even keep his little balance.”
Fluttershy swept him up into her arms, and said sweetly, “Poor thing, we simply must get him to bed.” Fluttershy carried him into the library.
Twilight rushed in. “Yes, yes. We’ll get right on that.” She pushed Fluttershy back out. “Well, good night!” And she slammed the door in her face.
Now in the dark, unlit library, Spike asked Twilight, “Huh. Rude much?”
“Sorry, Spike, but I have to convince the Princess that Night Mare Moon is coming and we’re running out of time! I just need to be alone and study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now, where’s the light?”
Just as she said that, the lights flicked on, and she found herself surrounded by about fifty ponies, all of whom yelling “surprise!” Streamers and balloons and party toys showered the scene, and Twilight gave an exasperated groan.
“Surprise!” Yelled the pink pony from before, now right in front of Twilight. “Hi. I’m Pinky Pie and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were you? Were you? Huh-huh-huh?” She was jumping now jumping in excitement.
“I’m very surprised,” Twilight said in an annoyed tone. “Libraries are supposed to be quiet.”
Pinkie Pie giggled. “Well, that’s silly! What kind of welcome party would this be if it were quiet?” she pestered Twilight. “I mean, duh! Boooring!” Twilight started walking toward the drinks table. “You see, I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all, ‘Hello?’, and I was all,” she imitated her previous gasp. “Remember? You see, I never saw you before, and if I never saw you before, that means you’re new! Cause I know everypony, and I mean, everypony in Ponyville!” Twilight let out a groan. “And if you’re new, that meant you haven’t met anyone yet, and if you hadn’t met anyone yet, you must not have any friends, and if you don’t have any friends, you must be lonely, and that made me so sad, and I had an idea! And that’s why I went-” again, she did her gasp. “I just throw a great big ginormous super-duper spectacular welcome party and invite everyone in Ponyville!” Twilight began pouring a drink.
“See?” she continued, as Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity joined her side, “And now you have lots and lots of friends!”
Twilight paused. She turned around with a very uncomfortable expression, as if she ate something very unpleasant. Except that she had tears in her eyes.
“Are you alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked her.
Twilight’s expression got worse, and then she ran off upstairs.
“Aww, she’s so happy, she’s crying!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed joyfully.
Spike then examined a red bottle from which Twilight poured her drink. “Hot sauce,” he read. That explained Twilight’s expression and tears.
“Ooh,” Pinkie said. She took the bottle, poured it over a cupcake on the table, and ate it whole. “What?” she asked as the other four still there gave her disgusted and surprised looks, “It’s good!” she said through a mouth full of spicy cupcake. The other four then smiled in amusement.
Upstairs, Twilight lay in her bedroom. Her head was buried under a pillow, trying to drown out the noise of the party happening below. She raised her head and looked at the clock, then groaned loudly.
Spike chose that moment to barge in the room downstairs, letting more noise in. He wore a lampshade on his head, with streamers resting on top. “Hey Twilight!” he shouted, “Pinkie Pie’s starting pin the tail on the pony! Wanna play?” He asked, raising his lampshade to look at Twilight.
“No!” Twilight shouted in frustration, “All the ponies in this town are crazy!” She sounded seriously angry now. “Do you know what time it is?”
“It’s the eve of the Summer-Sun Celebration. Everypony has to stay up, or they’ll miss the Princess raise the sun!” Spike explained. “You really should lighten up, Twilight. It’s a party.” With that, Spike turned around, lowering his lamp shade once more, and went to join the other ponies.
Twilight mumbled his words in a high-pitched mumble, then, out of greater frustration than before, curled herself up in her pillow. “Ugh. Here I thought I have time to learn more about the Elements of Harmony. But, silly me,” she said to herself, “all this ridiculous friend-making has kept me from it!” She turned on her side, looking out the window. She saw the moon, and got up, walking to the window. She repeated, “Legend has it that on the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about everlasting night. She looked at Predictions and Prophecies, which seconds before, lay on the ground near the window. “I hope the Princess was right. I hope it really is just an old pony tale.”
Again, Spike barged in, bringing with him more loud music from below. “Come on, Twilight! It’s time to watch the sunrise!” he told her loudly and happily.
All the ponies in Ponyville found themselves in the town hall, eagerly awaiting the moment when Princess Celestia herself would arrive and raise the sun. Pegasi floated in the air, while unicorns and earth ponies stood in the middle of the hall, or on slightly raised balconies on the left and right. Rarity’s decorations glimmered in the moonlight from the hall windows.
Down in the middle, Twilight and Spike stood waiting. Pinkie Pie rushed up to her.
She started talking in a rushed voice, words spilling out of her mouth one after another. “Isn’t this exciting? Are you excited? Cause I’m excited! I’ve never been so excited! Well, except for the time that I saw you walking into town and I went” for the third time, she did her gasp, “but, I mean, really? Who can top that?”
Immediately, many trumpets started playing and birds, conducted by Fluttershy, started singing. The Summer-Sun Celebration was starting.
A grey-maned tan pony walked onto the stage. Her cutie mark was a scroll, tied with a blue seal. Suddenly, she was in the spotlight. “Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer-Sun Celebration!”
Great cheers erupted from the entire audience. Nopony could wait. Spike was now on Twilight’s back to get a better view, being hardly two and a half feet tall.
Once the cheers died down, the mayor continued, “In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year!” Everypony looked up to the bright yellow banner. Twilight looked at the moon through an open window. Something was wrong. It looked different. Disturbed. Deadly.
“And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land. The very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day; the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria:”
Fluttershy turned to her songbird chorus. “Ready?” she asked quietly, smiling.
“Princess Celestia!” Trumpets blared, birds sang, and Rarity pulled a rope, opening curtains on the raised balcony on which she was standing. The spotlight swiveled to the space between the curtains.
Princess Celestia came into full view. Her coat is the color of white with a very slight tinge of pink. She has beautiful light grayish magenta eyes and her mane is a combination of cerulean blue, light turquoise green, light cobalt blue and light magenta. Her presence made everypony that had gathered around grew more excited. She smiled warmly at the audience and set forth raising the sun in a grand display. Twilight smiled in nostalgia and relief. Nostalgia on how the Princess raising the sun inspired her on studying everything about magic and relief that nothing bad happened despite her unease.
The Summer Sun Celebration went off without a hitch, but the uneasiness Twilight Sparkle is feeling is still eating at her guts. What if Nightmare Moon did escape but is just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike down Princess Celestia? What if Nightmare Moon is just recovering her strength from being banished for so long and is gathering her own army to challenge Princess Celestia to an all-out war? What if Nightmare Moon met Pinkie Pie along the way and got caught up in one of her ridiculous parties? Twilight shook her head. So many what ifs...
Twilight gazed at the sleeping baby dragon at her back. Poor Spike was up so late and his body's metabolism can't take it anymore. Smiling to herself, she trotted her way back to the library.
That's where she noticed something was terribly wrong.
Twilight looked around. Everypony else was still celebrating at the town square and there shouldn't be a reason for her to feel such an evil foreboding presence but she did. She traced the source deep within the eerie looking forest just outside Ponyville. "The Everfree forest..." she muttered.
Twilight hurriedly tucked Spike in his bed. The baby dragon was mumbling "Rarity..." and some words Twilight couldn't make out. She stiffled a giggle and turned her attention at the darkness beyond the Everfree Forest.
Something is out there, something bad... Twilight thought to herself. She first considered warning Princess Celestia about it but she fears the Princess would just brush it off and order her to make more friends. I guess I need to do everything myself.
She scanned the bookshelves downstairs, the passage about Nightmare Moon from Predictions and Prophecies nagging her. She is certain this evil presence she feels is none other than Nightmare Moon herself and she vows to stop her before things get out of hoof. But first she needs to find the Elements of Harmony, the only weapons known to defeat the evil mare.
After half an hour of frantic searching, Twilight finally found what she's looking for: The Elements of Harmony: a Reference Guide. Ironically it was under 'E', apparently she failed to take note that this library was using the alphabetical system to sort out its books. Not wasting anymore time, Twilight flipped over the pages until she stopped at a page she found helpful.
There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: kindness, laughter, generosity, honesty, and loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements, was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now the Everfree Forest.
She suddenly remembered where she felt the presence and groaned as she connected the dots. Nightmare Moon and the Elements of Harmony are both in the Everfree Forest. She quickly galloped her way out of the library and out of Ponyville; dashing into the Everfree Forest without a second thought. I must get to the Elements of Harmony before Nightmare Moon does. Oh I hope I'm not too late!
Following the traces of the sinister presence, Twilight found herself near a ridge deep within the Everfree Forest. A wooden bridge the only thing connecting her path to what looked like castle, ruined and abandoned in what must have been centuries. As she felt the sinister presence at its strongest in this place, Twilight mentally prepared herself for what would be a test of her magical abilities.
Alright Twilight, let's get this over with!
Twilight charged inside the castle, her horn glowing its signature purplish aura as she looked around.
She is standing in a large cathedral-sized room, most of the ceiling and walls open to the outside. Vines coated the brick walls and worn stone floor. In the center stood a large stone structure. It was about twice as tall as her, and looked more like a pedestal of sorts, with five shelves jutting out the sides. Sitting on each one was a stone spherical object, each with markings on the outside.
Twilight looked curiously at the shelves and the stone spherical objects sitting on top of each of them. These looks strangely familiar. She thought to herself and it hit her. These things looked like the Elements of Harmony!
"Well well well... what do we have here..."
Twilight felt herself glued on the spot as something overwhelmingly evil gathered behind her. For some reason she felt scared, really scared and can't concentrate on getting herself to focus on her magic, let alone move.
"A lone unicorn? I was worried for a second, I thought Celestia caught wind of my presence and followed me here." The voice spoke. Twilight regained part of her wits and turned around to face her enemy. The sight drained her energy however. Standing in front of her in all her glory is none other than Nightmare Moon herself towering over Twilight and overwhelming the poor purple unicorn with her dark blue aura. She possesses a very dark cerulean coat, almost black, wearing some kind of armor and owns eerie turquoise-colored, cat-like eyes.
"Although you must be one special unicorn, to even detect my presence this accurately where even the Great Princess Celestia cannot. I take pride in my ability to mask my presence."
Nightmare Moon gave a grin that made Twilight shiver more as they stared at each other eye to eye.
"And there's only one explanation why..." Nightmare Moon said in a whisper, "the bearer of the hidden element... the Element of Magic..."
With those words, Nightmare Moon's horn glowed an eerie cobalt blue and engulfed Twilight's entire body.
In a panic, Twilight tried desperately to break free of Nightmare Moon's hold but her futile attempts only made Nightmare Moon laugh and her hold on Twilight grew stronger.
"W-what are you doing?" Twilight cried in panic.
"You are a foal to think you can single-hoofingly defeat me, little filly. Not even a hundred of you can scratch me." Nightmare Moon gave an evil laugh. "I was planning on hiding until I can recover the strength I had lost in that thousandth year banishment and seeking out the only weapons that can possibly stand a chance to stop me."
"The Elements of Harmony..." Twilight muttered under her breath.
"That's right, I was trying to find a way to seek out the bearers of the Elements, what I didn't expect is the most important bearer handed over to me in a silver platter." Nightmare Moon smirked.
"The... most important bearer?"
"The Sixth and final Element of Harmony, the Element of Magic. Celestia didn't have access to the final element when she used them to destroy me. You may already know this, she used the five elements to do nothing more than banish me to the moon, she couldn't destroy me with them. Not without the sixth and final element that is."
Twilight risked a quick glimpse at the stone pedestal where the five Elements of Harmony are being displayed, hoping to spot a sixth she might've overlooked before.
"However I know where the final element is hidden. You detecting my presence is a testament to that theory," Nightmare Moon spoke in a monotone. The sudden change of her tone, made Twilight fear the worst.
"You are the Sixth and final element, and you just handed yourself over to me." Nightmare Moon gave out the most foreboding sinister laugh Twilight has heard in her life.
Twilight's thoughts are in a panic. She overestimated herself, she can't defeat Nightmare Moon, she can't even move! She cursed herself for her stupidity and now she's going to pay for it with her death.
As if reading her thoughts, Nightmare Moon turned her full attention at the purple unicorn, turquoise eyes staring at violet.
"Don't worry yourself. I'm not going to kill you. Killing an element bearer would only make my life more difficult since the elements will find another to take your place and I would need to repeat the process of looking for the bearers again. However if you are alive then the Element of Magic can't pass itself to another bearer." Nightmare Moon smiled. She has been smiling a lot for the past hour since her escape.
Twilight managed to find her voice, "W-what do you mean? If you keep me alive I would escape eventually and then you will be destroyed."
Nightmare Moon laughed, making Twilight regret her words.
"I wouldn't worry too much, since there's no way you'll try to escape."
Twilight was about to argue when she felt a searing pain suddenly enveloping her entire body and mind. Nightmare Moon was doing something to her, and it is shattering her soul.
"W-what... are...you..." Twilight gasped in pain and yelled in agony on the top of her lungs.
"Nothing much," Nightmare Moon answered as though she read Twilight's very thoughts,"I'm simply giving you my essence. It will empower you and make you stronger than you could ever imagine. Call it a gift, if you will. Your potential in magic is astounding, my little pony. You'll make a wonderful second-in-command."
Nightmare Moon's laugh echoed throughout Twilight's entire being. She felt as if her mind is going to break soon and noticed her body changing, growing slightly and turning as black as Nightmare Moon's coat color. Trapped and helpless... she thought to herself. But I'm not giving up without a single resistance...
Twilight gathered what is left of her mind and focused her entire power into her horn. Eyes glowing bright white, she directed her remaining magic at Nightmare Moon, blasting her full in the face. Nightmare Moon was quick though, and gathered her magic, creating a blue haze to absorb the blow. The two magic auras collide and shot out towards the sky in a shower of pure magical energy that every creature in Equestria can see.
Her entire energy used up in a failed attempt, Twilight collapsed to the ground, at the mercy of the triumphant Nightmare Moon.
Running... For as long as I can remember I've been running for my life at something I can't even remember. My entire body is in excruciating pain but I keep running anyway. There was nothing pursuing me in the immediate vicinity but my very being screamed to run and run until I collapse to my death, fearing whatever it was that I'm trying to escape might catch up with me.
Trees, trees, and more trees. I've been seeing trees ever since I can recall. Funny how I can't remember anything else aside from the scenery of trees...
Like something was hearing my thoughts, the trees gave way to daylight piercing out to what looks like the end of this forest path. To my relief I dashed towards the light. That light seems to put my mind at ease, all my fears momentarily calmed at the sight of its bright glory.
The scenery of trees gave way to a breathtaking sight. A wide valley stretched itself into a village farther in. I looked behind me and grasped my surroundings. The path of trees ends here and this valley stretched about ten miles from my estimate before the silhouette of a village. Some kind of boundary from the looks of it that separates this land from the forest.
The sun, the breathtaking view and the relief that I'm finally out of that forest, however, didn't prevent my pain and exhaustion from catching up with me. After a momentary respite, unimaginable pain got hold of my body. I screamed at the top of my lungs, until exhaustion finally settled in, and as I'm beginning to fall unconscious, all I can see is darkness...
Valiant Heart is well-known by everyone in his village as the most hardworking and compassionate creature in the entire village of Arvington, maybe even in the entire land of Fantasia. He is a brown coated earth stallion with a black-colored mane and golden yellow eyes. He possesses a woodcutter axe chopping a wood into two for a cutie mark, and is Arvington's resident lumberjack.
That particular morning, Valiant trotted his way at the end of the valley towards the dreaded forest of Everfree, carrying with him an empty wagon and his trusted lumber axe. The forest, as always, gives him a foreboding feeling that warns him not to come deeper into its boundaries lest he wants to get himself killed. The Everfree forest is known to be a dangerous and cursed place full of creatures from the fabled land of Tartarus, the gates of Hell. Not even the bravest creatures he know, the gryphons, want to come near the place. For everyone in the land of Fantasia, the world ends at the Everfree Forest, and nothing but hell awaits beyond it.
Even though Valiant fully knows the story, he still steadfastly trotted his way to the edge of the forest. So far nothing has come out of the forest ever since the village can remember, although those brave and stupid enough to prove to the world that there is nothing to be afraid of, ventured inside, never to be heard of again. Valiant believes that the forest is some kind of protection, a shield that prevents whatever is from the other side to cross over the boundary. This knowledge, followed by recklessness and the need for more lumber, prodded a young Valiant Heart into chopping some trees and gathering some tree saplings from the place for him to start growing sturdy trees to be used as lumber for the village, and some time ago, for the other villages as well.
This is where he got his cutie mark, a lasting reminder of his brave yet reckless efforts of long ago. He never went near the forest after those tree saplings grew into sturdy and young birches though. For reasons he cannot quite understand yet, something compels him to come to the edge of the forest yet again.
He noticed something lying on the ground further up and, concern disregarding cautiousness, galloped his way towards it. Upon getting nearer, he noticed what the thing was, a pony, a same breed of species as him, collapsed to the ground a few meters beyond the edge of the forest. He doubled his speed and soon found himself a few inches from the pony.
From the size of the pony, he quickly assessed it to be a unicorn mare, unconscious and from the looks of it, severely injured. She is covered in dust, scratches and burnt marks surrounded her body but he can distinctly recognize her original coat color to be a darker shade of lavender, her mane a mess of deep purple with moderate violet and brilliant rose streaks, her cutie mark a large pink star bursting into little white ones dotting around it. Wasting no time, Valiant carried the mare and gently placed her at the back of his wagon and galloped his way back to the village, this mare needs medical attention as soon as possible.
Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia, mover of the sun and moon, gave out a deep comforting sigh as her royal rump touched the soft bed, genuinely happy to have finally returned to her bedchamber in the royal castle of Canterlot. Gloriously raising the sun for the thousandth year Summer Sun Celebration took quite a chunk of her energy, although she have no complaints on doing so just to see her little ponies happy and full of renewed vigor. No. That was not why Celestia is totally exhausted that morning.
Yes, that may be a part of the reason, but Celestia's concern on the events that happened... or rather, did not happen during the last few hours is the real culprit. Yes, she fully knows her most faithful student was right, that Nightmare Moon was supposed to have escaped her thousandth year banishment from the Moon that night. And most likely did. Princess Celestia mused to herself. She planned it out well, even sent her beloved Twilight to Ponyville to make friends with the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and with the Elements in their command, finally cleanse her dearest sister from the evil inside her.
What she did not expect, is Nightmare Moon outsmarting her. She didn't plan on Nightmare Moon changing tactics, but a thousand years is a long time after all. Celestia remembered her as more of a show-off, a sadistic mare that enjoys seeing thousands upon thousands of ponies suffer under her. She fully expected Nightmare Moon to come straight into Ponyville the moment she was free, to disrupt the Summer Sun Celebration and quickly start on her long overdue torture session.
What happened, much to Celestia's chagrin, is quite the exact opposite of what she expected to happen. Nightmare Moon is free yes, but instead of letting everypony know she is back, she instead opted to hide herself, concealing her presence perfectly that not even Celestia can detect where in Equestria she is hiding. Probably regaining her strength as we speak. Already one factor that doesn't bode well in the long run.
Another thing she greatly worries more than Nightmare Moon herself, was that massive surge of magical energy shooting up to the heavens that came from their old castle in the Everfree. Only a few noticed it as the light only lasted a couple of seconds, but Celestia can sense great power like that quite easily. What was worse is the familiarity of the magic that came with it. But after sending her best flyers, the Wonderbolts, followed by herself teleporting to the ruins, they arrived at what is a perfectly ordinary and still abandoned castle. She even checked the throne room, where she found the stone pedestals of the Elements of Harmony safe and sound, the stone spheres perfectly untouched.
That would've been all well and good but when she returned to Ponyville to quell her suspicions, her greatest fear came to life when she realized her dear Twilight's familiar warm magical presence was simply gone. Outsmarted twice in one day does not bode well with the fate of the kingdom.
Celestia gave a long, drawn-out sigh.
The signs are ominous... I must be ready.
Celestia glanced at the sun shining through her window with much trepidation.
Darkness... all I can see for miles and miles is the infinite void of darkness. I can't remember how I got here or for how long I've been here. It feels like I've been here for my entire life, but that can't be right. This must be a dream... or a nightmare...
"Wake up..."
The lavender unicorn moaned as her consciousness is slowly returning.
"This isn't the place and time to laze around you idiot! The real world out there isn't waiting for you. Wake up!"
She slowly opened her eyes and observed her surroundings. She's lying down a soft bed made of hay, inside a small tent of some sort. She spotted a small wooden chair near her and a tray containing some wheat, a big juicy apple and a glass of water. Nothing else of importance was inside the tent she was in.
Trying to get up proved to be a very taxing effort as her entire body is still in pain, but she can't remember how she got severely injured that way.
"Oww... I feel like I just went from hellfire and back," the purple mare groaned to herself.
"From where I found you, I believe that's exactly what you did."
The lavender unicorn, startled by the voice, jumped despite the numbness of her body as a stallion entered the tent.
Valiant Heart smiled as he silently observed the distraught unicorn.
"You have quite a sturdy body for those injuries to heal that fast. Most ponies I know that suffered lesser wounds would wake at least three hours later than you would, and not be able to move at all for a day or two. Then again, unicorns have magic that can speed up healing and I don't know that much unicorns," he mused.
The unicorn's soft turquoise eyes gazed at the earth pony's golden yellow ones. They look hardened and weary, yet she can sense a soft, compassionate glow about them. For some reason, even though he is a complete and total stranger, she can't find a reason to fear him, and was she feeling a slight hint of trust for this stranger as well?
"W-who are you?" the lavender unicorn managed to voice out.
"Oh, a thousand pardons for not introducing myself yet. My name's Valiant Heart, Arvington's resident lumberjack, and also the one who found you beaten and unconscious outside the forest and dragged you to the nearest medical aid in the village." The brown stallion gave a heartwarming smile. "I hope I didn't startle you," he added as an afterthought.
"It's... it's fine. I guess I owe you for saving my life then," the purple mare replied. "T-thank you," she whispered softly.
"Don't mention it, I would be killing myself if I didn't come to your aid when I could, Miss..." he trailed off.
"Oh I... I'm sorry, it is quite rude of me to not introduce myself to my savior outright. I'm..." she stopped dead in her thoughts and gave a frown.
Nothing...
She gathered her thoughts to try and remember what her name is but all she can see is a thick fog of darkness blocking those memories.
"You alright?" Valiant's voice was full of concern.
"I-I'm fine... just having a headache, is all. Thanks for worrying, Sir Valiant Heart, my name's... Moonlight," the lavender unicorn answered after giving a bit of thought. Huh... that name came quite easily to her for some reason, not that it is an uncomfortable name and she needs to be called by something for the time being till she can regain her memories back.
"Call me Valiant, Miss Moonlight." Valiant smiled. Just like that, all of her worries and fears disappeared at the sight of that heartwarming smile. Moonlight blushed a little.
Stop thinking foolish things! You just met him for Celestia's sakes!
"Then just call me Moonlight too, Valiant." Moonlight fixed a smile in return. She can't help but feel a little awkward at the moment.
Sensing the unicorn's distress, Valiant shifts his attention at the food tray lying in the floor nearby, and lifts it with his muzzle.
"Doctor Summers would have my head if you didn't consume these the moment you woke up and I beg you mercy, I like my head where it belongs, intact to my body." Valiant giggled a bit as he placed the food tray directly in front of Moonlight.
"I don't think I'm that cold-hearted," Moonlight replied as she took a rather large chunk of wheat into her mouth.
They both laughed a bit at that.
"Yo Valiant, is she up?"
Valiant and Moonlight turned their attention towards the third pony who just entered the tent. An earth mare with wavy blonde mane, white coat and wearing black-rimmed glasses looked at them with pink eyes. She also have a stethoscope for a cutie mark.
"Doctor Summers!" Valiant exclaimed as he quickly stood up.
Summers glared at Valiant for three uncomfortable seconds.
"I get distracted for ten minutes and you move in on the girl like a hawk. Shame on you, Valiant," Summers teased.
"W-what?" Valiant blushed. "You honestly believe I'm that kind of a stallion? I just wanted to check, with good intentions, if she's okay! Besides, if I wanted to... you know... do stuff to her, I would've done it instead of immediately seeking your professional help!" Valiant blurted out, getting himself more flustered by the second.
"And how do I know these injuries weren't because of your attempts in raping her?" Summers asked as a matter-of-factly.
"R-rape?" Moonlight gasped.
"WHAT? ARE YOU SERIOUS, SUMMERS? Stop spreading ridiculous rumors about me! I am NOT that kind of stallion!" Valiant lost all his cool under one minute of talking with Summers.
Doctor Summers gave a hearty laugh.
"Valiant, you are so painfully straight and serious. Honestly, you are the most boring stallion I ever have the pleasure of knowing. You should relax and learn to take a joke." Summers patted Valiant's back.
Valiant backed away from Summers.
"And you are the most craziest mare I ever have the displeasure of talking to. It isn't funny at all, Summers," Valiant growled.
"Why thank you." Summers replied back with a smile.
Valiant's growl intensified by two.
Moonlight stared at her savior and his odd companion, a look of confusion strewn perfectly in her face. Were they friends or bitter enemies, she cannot figure it out. But from Valiant's earlier statement, she deduced this mare is a doctor, mostly the one who made sure she's still with the living and possible owner of this medical tent. Also the stethoscope cutie mark was kind of a dead giveaway.
"T-thank you Doctor, for saving my life." Moonlight managed to interrupt the two before their heated argument turn into bloodshed.
"Hmm?" Doctor Summers shifted her attention to the lavender pony in front of her. "Hey I'm a doctor, it's what I do. Although, full credit would come from this tree-hater right here." She patted Valiant's head much to the latter's annoyance. "If he didn't found you when he did, you might've died out there."
Moonlight smiled at Valiant. He replied with a smile of his own.
"Although, his uncanny timing was too much of a coincidence..." Summer trailed off. "I highly doubt he's all clean. I bet fifty bits he is part of the reason you're in this mess," she laughed.
"That's it! I'm going to buck you to next Tuesday, Summers!" Valiant raged.
"See what I mean. He's a dangerous criminal I tell you!"
"Lies! All lies! Stop lying for Lygatto's sakes!"
Doctor Summers's laughter intensified.
Moonlight gave them both her honest-to-goodness best confused look she can ever remember of giving.
"On serious matters, I highly recommend you stay and rest up for at least a week. Limit exhausting yourself until you can fully recover from your injuries, Miss Moonlight," Doctor Summers spoke up some moments later after a short introduction of each other, "in that regard, you are free to use the tent until then."
"Thank you," Moonlight replied, "that is really kind of you, Doctor Summers."
"Meh, don't mention it my dear. Besides, if I let you out, Valiant will no doubt offer you a place to stay in his home and I won't let that happen until you are recovered well enough to defend yourself," Summers mused.
"I am still in the tent you know!"
"I know, that's why I'm telling her this in front of your face so you won't get any ideas." Summers giggled a bit.
Valiant debated if he should fall into a brink of tears or go through with his word on bucking Summer's annoying face.
"Valiant..."
His attention shifted before he can decide though. Valiant smiled at the lavender unicorn who called him.
"What is it, Moonlight?"
"If it isn't too much trouble, could you show me around the village for a bit? I'd like to know where I am," Moonlight asked, her face a mixture of excitement and confusion.
"I don't mind. I plan on showing you around anyway when you feel willing enough." Valiant gave her a reassuring smile.
Moonlight brightened at the positive response.
"Not till you chow down the remains of that food tray first," Summers replied with a strict tone. "I don't want you collapsing in the middle of the road," she added with gentleness this time.
Moonlight nodded at her and pursued to finish her edibles.
Ten minutes later, Moonlight and Valiant Heart vacated the medical tent. Valiant, true to his word, proceeded in showing Moonlight the village of Arvington in all its glory.
"This is the northern village of Arvington, Moonlight," Valiant began, "it doesn't have famous landmarks like the capital city of Krysantine but it has its perks as a serene place to live in." They walked around the village as Valiant showed Moonlight the village square, marketplace, weapon and armor shops and other residential houses. "Arvington is also famous as the last village on the northern edge of the world," he stated after showing Moonlight his own place, a quaint little hut at the edge of the village, surrounded by a plethora of healthy trees.
"Edge of the world? Like, the world just cuts and ends there?" Moonlight asked with a spark of curiosity.
"No, not really. It is because after Arvington is the Everfree Forest, and from there on lies Tartarus and the gates of Hell where demons and other monsters live," Valiant explained.
"So it isn't really the edge of the world then. It's just the general populace deemed the world ends there because no one has really gone farther than the Everfree Forest to check the places beyond it," Moonlight deadpanned.
"In a way, yes. Many must have tried over the years, I even know a couple who ventured into the Everfree Forest, never to be seen or heard of again. Killed by those creatures from Tartarus from my guess," Valiant replied, a hint of remorse in his voice.
"By the way, where you found me... it's..."
"Yep, at the edge of the Everfree forest," Valiant finished for her.
Moonlight gazed at the forest at the horizon. Her turquoise eyes fixing into a death glare as her face took on a rather serious look.
From what I can remember, I must've came through the forest, where I collapsed at the edge of it till Valiant found me. In that case, I didn't come from here but rather from the other side. If that is the case... Moonlight frowned as she tried to remember more of her memories, but unfortunately for her, the thick fog of darkness clouding it is unrelenting in its efforts.
Moonlight sighed. She has a lot of questions that needs answering but doesn't know where to begin. Or wait... maybe she does know where to begin...
Valiant gazed at the horizon. The sun is setting. It will be night soon.
"I think it's time we head back to the village, Moonlight. It will be dark soon, and Summers will no doubt blame me if I didn't get you back before then."
Moonlight can clearly imagine how that fiasco would turn out and smiled.
"Yeah, we don't want that to happen."
The two ponies made their way back to Doctor Summers's fine abode.
