Author's Note

My name is Fireflower and this is the third installment of my first My Little Pony fanfic that, like its predecessor and the one prior, is Mature and goes beyond the typical oneshots I had made before, using canon characters as human beings instead of their normal forms: as such, I have decided to focus on the main characters including Applejack, the main protagonist from her first story, Ocular Spectral Therapy; nevertheless, this story will be dealing with heavy subject matters unsuitable for certain readers so be warned.

As always, My Little Pony, or rather Friendship Is Magic, including its settings and characters belong to Lauren Faust and Hasbro; however, this concept of my fanfic belongs to me so I will say this line one time only: please do not steal this story or I will sue.

Lastly, let me also say that I hope you enjoy this chapter now and stay tuned for future chapters later on; having said that, prepare to face up to your first protagonist: Twilight Sparkle.

Moonset

Darkness and light, two separate but truly equal opposites, both were capable of switching places instantaneously and otherwise as the worlds around and within themselves turned. It was obviously clear to any observer inhabiting them to experience the similarities and differences between the two by definition in and of themselves therein immediately. Only then would the living beings that were dwelling amongst each other would quickly take a sides with either one at any given time whatsoever and stick with them all at once.

Now, it would seem that one part of the world had its very atmosphere had already applied some direct pressure upon itself with coldness and calculation. At the very least, the spacious skies objectively held up the golden sun alongside a few passing clouds that bore a silver lining within themselves already. The air all throughout crisp and cool enough to commute many different aromas from all walks of life, each of them were varying in quality and quantity. Even so were many flowers had slowly sprouted from the brilliant green, instantaneously bearing witness to ever rushing waters roaring from the cataracts. A calm gentle breeze was surfing onward and sliding about throughout the stony roads and dusty trails that was cutting across the vast hillside landscape. Nesting nearby the rocks and water was but a civilization already defined in such an intricate manner, bearing more colors and shapes than the earth. Density notwithstanding, it was only a matter of perspective to find an utter abundance of such individuals from finite but numerous typed demographics.

Out of all the places within the big city, there was one area that had stood out and about in particular: a high tower made of brick and mortar with some metal gear thrown into the mix. Resting at the top was a golden spire with a bulbous shape reminiscent of an onion with a lone arch made of glass to serve as an overlook to the rest of the world beyond its very confines. Hereon below was a stairway that spiraled around from the entrance to the solid earth that was already close to the walls, predominantly white save for some gold accents and a purple base. Nearby the other openings were a set of plants that were as blue as the firmaments above themselves albeit in a darker shade, save for a few that matched the grass that blew in the winds.

Inside, the rays of sunlight rained down upon the looking glass that was being called home, a corpulent structure that was filled to the brim with literature. Only every meter of the castle’s inner walls were painted in various shades of blue despite being in a different hue from the sky precisely composed anyway. Nearby shelves that were opened despite the presence of books allowed the existence of glass containers rounded off with liquids in such various colorings. There was a larger hourglass that was held up by golden fixtures, containing some white sand embedded right within the predominantly achromatic surface. Overhead, a black telescope was strongly affixed to the firmament and the glass that stood between them despite the very contrasts amongst the areas. Pillars of stone held the floor in place, standing on both sides of the azure postern as they stood across from the stairway to the penthouse above themselves. Hereon, the flooring was a stony lonesome of lavender, a darker shade than the gateway and skylight in essence from the first glance of any observer. On one side of the entrance were a series of plants right nearby the walls; on the other side was a bed consisting of some blue pillows and an identical duvet. Plopped onto the flow were books littered about with reckless abandonment nearby the bedside, many in the formation of tents with such paper taking sides.

Heavy breathing was now thrown into the mix, no doubt coming from a lone occupant in the bed already tossing and turning to and fro. Only then, a lone hand was found shaking about with no conscious sense of direction, bearing the qualities of some darkened copper. Reaching outward, tresses of sapphire, plum, and rose had just started peering outward alongside the owner’s brow in due time no less. Eventually, the entirety of occupant’s face ended up being shown, possessing vibrant complexion so smooth and soft like some wet clay. The fabrics on the owner’s form were instantaneously painted in a light periwinkle scheme with a big cluster of white shimmering stars. In a mere moment, the occupant’s eyelids flew open almost immediately, bearing irises of mauve brimming with overwhelming terror.

“CADENCE…!” the individual had cried out, shooting upward into an acute angling within earshot all at once.

Almost instantly, the occupant began to resume breathing at a steady rate, taking the time to do a search only briefly. Languishing about for a few seconds, the individual stepped out of the bed effortlessly and had started stretching. Long afterwards, the occupant scurried on to the stairwell, directly avoiding the littered literature that lay abandoned. Yards of distance later, the individual reached the penthouse with little hesitation, flinching at the sunlight overhead.

On the spur of the moment, the occupant was greeted by the sounds of knocking from beneath followed by a voice saying, “Twilight, are you there…?”

“Lyra’s birthday isn’t for a few more weeks… who could it be now…?” the eponymous individual cerebrated while turning around, “I’ll be right down…!”

Only then, it wasn’t long until the occupant backtracked down to the doors nearby the bedside, presumably unprepared for the identity of the visitor. Right after Twilight opened up, a lone towering woman stood before the former, sharing the same qualities but with different styles for effortlessly. Instantaneously, she had a pair of thick black glasses already overlaying her dark rank irises of purple, a trait that was also shared by the individual. Now the visitor possessed a rather wildly different spectrum of coloring upon her skin, light and bright like the shining sun upon the two very females. Encompassing the guest’s tresses were shades of red and purple in the same style as Twilight herself but with an extra adjunct holding up the peak. Snugly in place, the bespectacled visitor had worn a thick black turtleneck sweater along with some beige pants into the mix and a pair of sandals.

“Good morning, I’d assumed that you had slept well last night; is everything fine…?” the guest inquired, staring into the host’s baggy eyes.

At long last, Twilight replied instantly, “I wished I did, Moondancer… I can’t believe so much has changed in the past couple of years: I get sent to the countryside to make some friends and then the war breaks out before our friendship; even Swain was lucky he didn’t see it happen…”

“In no small form; were any of you dating…?” the aforementioned visitor asked, raising an eyebrow, “Princess Celestia told me about your interest in books but not in the opposite sex…”

“No, of course not; it had only been a few months since we had enrolled in the program: aside from the both of us and Fluttershy, Greystoke, Lighthouse, Zuul, and Krill were among the group before the war…” the darkened host stammered on.

Eventually, the bright skinned visitor sighed, “those guys seemed like trouble; how did you, Swain, and Fluttershy end up with them…?”

“Dancer, let’s just say it was by chance: Fluttershy was caught up in a brawl at the courthouse concerning who Messenger Bag described as ‘a remorseless dastard of a husband and a father compared to’ his and the judge; Greystoke and Lighthouse were bailiffs in the case while Zuul and Krill had criminal history…” Twilight sighed almost immediately, “our presence was for balance…”

“Balance…?” Moondancer repeated.

Only then, the host nodded and added onward, “Miss Alder said that I was assigned because of the lack of history in regards to crimes, mental history, or in the case of Lighthouse, civil complaints filed. Greystoke was the only one who volunteered out of his own free will because Lighthouse went too far with beating up Persimmon Tart, something that made Bag ridicule the justice system. Zuul was basically, in the eyes of Balance Beam, a sexual deviant in the making on the account of him being a rake with a penchant of sex, drugs, and ragtime reborn. Krill was a loose cannon who happened to have problems with tall people, if not anyone who he’d perceived as so much as looked at him funny. Fluttershy was basically a saint but they figure by adding Swain and myself to the roster, she wouldn’t ended up being corrupted by the three, or so they had thought.”

“Now that you mentioned it, what do you suppose had happened to her…?” the guest had asked immediately, “last time I'd heard, she was to be executed for crimes of being part of a separatist faction…”

“Because of our last prime minister Gelatin, mind you; Agar, the new one basically threw out the conviction altogether so she had ended up living in obscurity like before…” Twilight asked as she stepped away from Moondancer.

On her own accord, the light skinned visitor moved forward and enjoined, “doing what exactly…?”

“Nurturing a young son; Fluttershy had told me that she had adopted a baby from Applejack since the war ended: a sickly boy named Jasper Smith…” the despondent host replied, looking down at the floor, “according to nurse Sweetheart, he had a disease passed down from her after some soldiers raped her in a field one afternoon; she couldn’t stop crying about it now and then.”

“She reminds me of Lyra; I recalled Bon–Bon catching her attempting suicide one night…” Moondancer sighed sadly, a small tear currently escaping from the corner of the right eye.

Twilight sniffled as well, “just like my brother: he’d lost his wife–to–be in a terrorist attack at the wedding to a mad bomber named Mercury Promenade; he should have at least survived that cowardly attempt long enough to be killed by Shiny. At least Cadance would have been able to rest peacefully, alongside the many others in Applejack’s family; aside from killing her brother and destroying Granny Smith’s remains, she once recalled how her sister’s cousin ended up being killed by an automaton. That fucking war not took me not only from the town I had grown accustomed to and the citizens that lived there but also my home: I still can’t get the image of what happened to that library, especially since I could have died horribly there.”

“Really…?” the bespectacled visitor gasped, “but you looked fine to me…”

“Emphasis on the word ‘fine’ if you could even call it that…” the occupant had countered snidely, placing her hands on the rim of her blouse before raising the clothing upward.

Almost in an instant was Moondancer treated to the sight of Twilight’s newly unclothed state: an otherwise uniformed integumentary system in a lighter shade. Though that the tenant was baring supple breasts bearing the density of deflated volleyballs, they were offset by jagged edges nearby her own shoulders no less. Scars and scabs upon the rather abnormally whitened region of Twilight’s dark skin were painted into a picture of pain and panic to little end within sight so to speak.

The guest averted her gaze and had exclaimed instantly, “DEAR GOODNESS, WHAT IS THAT?!”

“Skin grafts and surgery courtesy of the medical staff at the capital after the fire…” the host answered bitterly, “they had said that I was lucky to be alive long enough to be taken back home…”

“I’m sorry; I mean I never expect that something like this would happen to you…!” Moondancer shrieked about before subsiding already.

Now it would seem that Twilight put her shirt back down as she had responded, “don’t worry about it, my friends need me more than ever and not just those from the countryside; after all, it was wrong of me leave you to the side when she sent me away…”

“It’s okay, that’s part of the reason why I’d shown up here: if you hadn’t survived, then I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself…” the guest had exhaled softly, “that is what my mother would have called a miracle…”

“As would my sitter Cadance, may she rest in peace…” the host said as she walked on over to her bedside slowly.

During the whole course of Twilight’s brief absence, Moondancer stepped in further and caught her smoothing the comforter out a bit, prompting the latter to speak, “I see that you’ve been doing a lot of reading lately; is there anything at all I can help you with, Twilight…?”

“If it means passing the time before I go back to sleep again, let alone see my therapist, then I can’t see why not; trying to get the place cleaned up just in case if it happens again…” the titular tenant told her guest as the latter moved forward, “anyways, I never caught your reason for stopping by just to visit me…”

“Your father stopped by to have me deliver a letter; it’s from your brother, Shining Armor: he’s been talking about you…” Moondancer had responded, pulling out a white envelope from beneath her jet black sweater almost immediately.

This had prompted the occupant to scurry back and grab the letter rather instantaneously, hurriedly attempting to open it as she said, “I wonder what could my brother might be talking about…”

“Hardly anything but the war; after all, I believe it has taken a toll on him…” the visitor replied as she had watched Twilight open the envelope, “of course, even your mom and dad can see it, no offense…”

“None at all…” the tenant chimed as she pulled out a piece of white paper carefully folded into a quadrangular shape.

With a small letter of text inscribed across the very way, Twilight focused her attention onto what was about to be said as Moondancer asked, “so what does it say…?”

“To My Dearest Sister…” the tenant had read aloud after exhaled, serving as an answer to the visitor’s question from not to long ago, “I hope that this letter finds you well; it would seem that it would have bore better tidings had Cadance been living. The only thing that kept me from going on a dangerous pursuit to reunite with her again was the thought of leaving you behind after what happened at the library. I wanted to ask how are you and what are you doing at this moment; it would seemed to be the kind of questions that our parents would’ve asked but I share much of the regret for not looking out for you. I heard from Captain Greystoke that you were a fighter and that he was sorry for not being there when Golden Oaks burned to the ground that night. Like us, he too lost a loved one: a wife by the name of Serene Accord; compared to me, at least he was strong enough to not even consider the idea of taking his own life. I also have to thank Princess Luna for making sure that the military got their shit together long enough to reach a truce; I just wish we could have caught some bad apples sooner. Speaking of apples, I heard that the survivors from Applejack’s family are now investing in militarization to recoup their losses, especially considering what happened to Big Macintosh and the Spartans are making sure it won’t happen again. Much like them, I ought to be considering myself fortunate to have a family despite everything; I just wished that I could have gone with you to the countryside if I had known what would happen.

Best wishes now and forevermore,

Your BBBFF, Shining Armor.

P.S. – Mom would like for us to go on a picnic next month; I hope to see you then if you have the time.”

When Twilight had reached the end of the letter, she decided to set it onto the bedside; at that moment, a deluge of tears unfolded before Moondancer’s eyes, prompting the observer to move forward. Even though that the guest was unaware of the situation that had inspired the written text thereof completely, the fact that the occupant was covering up her newly moistened face was taken as a first clue. A cruft of words in the eyes of Twilight had currently left her in such great despair; although that she didn’t see it as devoid of hopefulness, joy was also nonexistent in this very situation to say the least. Resigned to the role as an observer and a reporter, the lachrymose tenant had collapsed onto the bed, burying her face into the fabric underneath as she still hid her face away from Moondancer already. Sure enough, Twilight rested her weary head onto the floor as she began to feel the achromatic streams of fluids fell from her eyes and soon started wiping them away despite the overwhelming moisture.

“Twilight…” the guest had called out the tenant’s name slowly while moving onward over to her side.

The eponymous individual still cried softly, “it’s so funny, being sent off to serve as a mediator for a band of troublemakers and to protect Fluttershy from falling into the cracks only to let her be nearly executed on fallacious charges. Princess Celestia wanted me to do more than just spend my reading all these dusty books here and there to no end in sight; I bet she had found it ironic when I had nearly died in a fire at the Golden Oaks Library. Then again, what’s so funny about being nearly killed in a war when you learn about how people like Applejack ended up giving birth to war children and then some asshole attacks a wedding and kills a babysitter who could have been my sister–in–law instead…? The whole fucking war made me learn how I had neglected my friends and family for the world of literature, both fictional and otherwise and the one friend I do end up making nearly gets put to death with no chance of or even the time for appealing her sentence. I had remembered the night when I had stay over at her house at least a few weeks before Swain was killed: she had opened up to me about why she was keeping all of these animals there and we kind of came close to kissing. Fluttershy told me about how her pets helped her find a place in the countryside; like me, she came from a city but from one in the mountaintops rather than the capital where Lyra and I had been born and raised throughout my life. Come to think of it, if we had kissed even for one second, then we would have been living together like her and Bon–Bon; of course, I wouldn’t have considered the possibility of either Fluttershy or myself adopting a child like they had. At least compared to us, we can count on the youth like their child and Apple Bloom having it better than the lot of us although I can also understand them not seeing it that way, especially considering what had happened during the war.”

“But things can get better, Twilight; besides, you’re not alone as you may have thought of…” Moondancer said, stopping over to sit down at the foot of the bed right nearby the tenant’s feet, “after all, you have friends and family who love you…”

“I know that; it’s just that I had allowed my preference of ascertainment came at the potential cost of losing them in the process and a near–death experience made me realize that amongst other things…” Twilight wept onward.

The bespectacled visitor moved over to the tenant’s side and replied, “it’s okay, I was just like you in essence; I am still like you, if not are you. We may have studied underneath Princess Celestia and got the same grades but we had our own interests. As a matter of fact, all that I had wanted was a friend to be there for me; I was crushed when you didn’t show up at the party…”

“So I was told: Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine and Minuette offered an invitation to your little get–together several months ago…” Twilight had moaned, still unperturbed by Moondancer’s direct presence already, “so much for girl power now…”

“Don’t be like that, Twilight; if I had recalled correctly, the real you wouldn’t be so quick to even think of giving up that easily…!” the visitor had exclaimed sharply, catching the lachrymose listener off–guard.

Twilight started to look up and sigh, “maybe the me that refused to give up died when the library burned to the ground, or rather when Swain was killed; not even Fluttershy being sentenced to death would be enough to convince me to do so. What do I even know or hope to understand now? I’m just a prefect who can’t even do anything else other than remained cooped up in a high tower with all these books like an introverted cat lady…”

“That’s not true…!” Moondancer retorted with little warning whatsoever, “like I had said just before, we may have looked and behaved the same way as each other but the one thing that made me want a friendship with you was your refusal to cave in, no matter what: for all that I can at least speculate, that was another reason why Princess Celestia had sent you away from there. Even though that I was sad, I was moved by the fact that you were able to send progress reports to her that I had been able to obtain regarding the whole social experiment; for crying out, Greystoke even made a stopover here about a few months ago to tell me about you’ve been such a positive influence on him. He told me that ever since that you worked alongside him, out of the rest of your peers, he’s been able to talk with his two children more often than ever; as a matter of fact, he had even once said that your studious nature and can–do attitude reminded him of his own daughter. Alsike wanted to meet up with you because of how her struggles made her think of you: she had lost her mother and the people responsible for that deed had also done unspeakable things to her that I feel sick even thinking about; afterwards, all she ever thought about was getting her father to take her and her brother Robin over to the capital just to see you in person. I usually mince words about certain topics here and there but I think if she were to see you like this, then she wouldn’t help but feel crushed; come to think of it, can you even recall the time that you and Princess Celestia had visited Applejack at the hospital one time?”

“Applejack…!” the tenant gasped as her eyes widened in shock, melancholy minimized to a condensed cruft.

It wasn’t long until Twilight suddenly shot back up from her bed, prompting her guest to retreat away quickly; at this very moment, the latter said, “what’s wrong now…?”

“I just remembered; I’ve been meaning to reconnect my old friends back at the capital but I was so stressed out about the war that I had nearly forgot about the others as well…” the tensed host answered, jumping off from the bed, “I know that Lyra and Bon–Bon are living in Appleloosa with a child they had adopted from the countryside where they had stay before the war. I wonder if Pinkie had decided to stay there to reconnect with her family; I heard that they had fallen on hard times since the conflict broke out. Come to think of it, Minuette needs more than a care package to help her with raising a child, much like what Fluttershy is doing right now. Speaking of kids, I heard that Rainbow is looking after Scootaloo since her parents have perished in the factory bombing they had escaped from. Rarity is still separated from her sister Sweetie Belle on the account of nearly strangling her to death so Cheerilee has decided to take over as a parental guardian. Twinkleshine needs help finding a home as does Lemon Hearts so Cherry Jubilee is doing a little fundraiser; she says that it’s the least that she can do considering that Applejack’s family used to host a barn–raising back then. Speaking of family, Zecora and Apple Bloom have decided to work with one of the Guides in making a recipe to also raise money for the refugees and the homeless as well.”

“Maybe I can help you with all that; there’s no use in letting one girl do all that by herself…” Moondancer said as she followed after Twilight.

The tenant had turned around and said to her guest within seconds with only a straight face, “you will…?”

“Considering that everything had happened to the lot of us, it would be a nice experience to catch up on some lost time together…” Moondancer replied with a small but growing smile donned right upon her own face, “besides, I don’t think that your parents would mind me jumping into the fray…”

“OH THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU…!” Twilight twittered onward instantaneously, quickly hugging the beleaguered visitor without so much as any warning whatsoever.

Moondancer struggled to speak as the tenant was currently locking the former in a one–sided embrace within both arms length, “don’t… mention… it… please… let… me… go… already…!”

“Sorry… I’ve been trying to find some things to do with my life now that the war is over…!” Twilight chuckled sheepishly as she had released her guest instantly before walking away, “I’m gonna go take a shower now; I’ll be right back…”

“Okay…” Moondancer responded as she watched the tenant trot off to another room nearby the bed within due time, currently calm and peaceful than before.

It wasn’t even long until the bespectacled visitor was currently finally left alone to her own devices as she had started staring downward at the book riddled flooring around the feet, right away at ease already with the whole wide world so far considering the rather noticeable turn of events that had unfolded all around the way before her very eyes since her very arrival therein.