An unknown amount of time later, Wendelle opened her eyes again.

"Mmmm...........wha........what............happened.....???" She muttered.

From what she could tell, she was lying on her side in a grove of grass, as well as these really unique-looking dark blue flowers. They were a dark blue, almost black in color, had huge blooms, and their smell was almost heavenly. From elsewhere, Wendelle could hear the sounds of birds chirping, as well as what sounded like flowing water coming from close by. She slowly sat up, and began to look around her. At the edge of the grove she was in, there seemed to be some kind of path, and to her right, she could just barely make out the edge of what appeared to be a small river. The late-afternoon sun was shining, the air was warm, and a bit of a breeze was blowing too.

Wendelle smiled. "So peaceful. This feels like a dream, but yet, I know that it isn't." She then looked down, and saw the crystal pendant lying there on the grass close to one of the flowers. "Well, I don't know what to say about this yet, but I can say that it was probably all due to you that I'm here right now." She began to reach down to pick it up..............only to realize that she no longer had hands!

"What.......???" She began to look down at herself, and it was at that moment that Wendelle realized that she was NOT Human anymore! "WHAT?!?!?! WHAT THE F@#K?!?!?!" Normally, Wendelle did NOT use foul language like that, but considering the circumstances, one could say that it was justified this time around!

"WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!?!?! WHAT AM I?!?!?!" Looking down at herself, Wendelle saw that her hands had seemingly turned into hooves, and that she had violet-colored fur. She could also tell that her clothes were somewhat torn up, and that her shoes had been all but destroyed, with her feet having turned into hooves as well. "THIS IS NOT HAPPENING TO ME!!!! WHAT AM I?!?!?!" She asked again.

After looking around frantically for a few moments, she looked over and saw the nearby river. She ran over to it (on all fours without realizing it!), and once she was on the edge of the river's bank, she looked down into the crystal clear water below her, and for the first time, she saw what she really looked like.

Wendelle could clearly see that she was no longer Human. She now appeared to be some kind of equine-like creature, but not like any she'd ever seen before. She had violet fur, her blonde hair with red highlights had become a blonde mane with red highlights, as well as a blonde equine tail with red highlights on the tip. Instead of hands and feet, she had 4 hooves, her blue eyes were still the same, except that they were now almost cat-like with their slitted-pupils, she also had a pair of small fangs on top of her mouth, 2 VERY furry violet equine-ears on top of her head with furry tufts on the ends, and to her further shock, she even had wings! 2 bat-like wings were folded against her back, and after realizing that she had them, Wendelle unfurled them, and flapped them a few times, and sure enough, they were indeed real!

"Oh...........wow."

Her clothes were still on her, but because of her DRASTIC change in appearance, they were torn, tattered, and falling off of her. However, on her rump, thanks to her pants having torn just right, Wendelle could see that she had 2 pink hearts on both of her flanks. She then continued to stare at her reflection for a fair while longer, just trying to take it all in.

"Wow............I'm DEFINITELY not in Trimble, Tennessee anymore! What.......how....??? I guess that THIS is why you should ALWAYS be careful about what you wish for!" On a thought, she looked around at her stomach, and sure enough, she still had her small baby-bump, meaning that she was still pregnant, though now she had a sneaking suspicion that she was pregnant with a foal instead of a Human baby! "Well, I'm still pregnant at any rate. But wait a minute. If I'm here, (wherever that is) then that means that I'm not close to my school anymore. And if I'm not close to my school, I'm not close to home at all, and if I'm not close to home..............." Wendelle then fully realized that she was now in a strange new world, far away from her school, hometown, and even her family.

"Oh God, MY FAMILY!!!!" She realized that she had no way to contact them, or even let them know that she was ok. In her mind, many nightmarish scenarios began to play out. She knew that her parents and brother had to be looking for her, but she knew that they weren't going to find her. Wendelle stepped back from the river, and after stumbling back to where she'd been lying previously, Wendelle sat down next to her backpack, which was lying fully intact on its side close by, picked up the crystal pendant as best she could with a hoof, and after holding it close to her, she began to cry. She cried for herself, she cried for her family, and she cried for her unborn child.

Wendelle wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there crying, but she eventually felt something touch her shoulder. "Um.....excuse me, Miss? Are you ok?"

Wendelle jumped a bit, but she turned to where the voice had come from. She looked, and to her surprise, there stood 2 other equines. One looked to be a mare with pink-colored fur, and a teal mane and tail, as well as orange cat-like eyes, bat-like wings, and a gold ribbon bow on her flank, similar to the 2 pink hearts on her own flank. The other looked to be a stallion with light red fur, a fire-yellow mane and tail, amber-colored cat-like eyes, bat-like wings, and a sword and shield mark on his flank.

"Are you ok Miss?" The stallion asked again. "We heard crying, and then we came over here and found you."

The mare then seemed to notice her torn clothes. "My goodness! What in Equestria happened to you?! Were you attacked?"

Wendelle shook her head. "N-no......" She said through her tears. "I..........I'm lost. I'm........n-not from around here.......and I......I woke up here.......surrounded by these flowers..........so far from home..........I woke up as whatever I am now............and I just...........I just.............oh God!" She then started crying again.

The mare and stallion looked at each other with wide eyes. They could see the truth in Wendelle's eyes before she buried them in her hooves when she started crying again. They'd never seen her around there before, and they could clearly tell by her clothes, as well as her backpack that she wasn't from around there, and if her statements were to be believed, she wasn't even from Equestria at all!

The mare then went over, and pulled Wendelle close to her. "Shh.......it's ok Miss. You're ok. I'm here for you. You don't have to cry. Everything's going to be ok. You're safe here."

The mare wasn't sure why, but she had a gut-feeling that the young mare that she was holding was very special, though she wasn't sure why yet. She was hoping to find out soon though.

Eventually, Wendelle was finally able to calm down. Once she did, she looked at the mare who'd comforted her while she cried. "T-th-thank you." She whispered softly.

The mare smiled. "You're welcome. It was my pleasure to help you Miss."

"I have so many questions right now."

"Well, my husband and I have a few too, so maybe we can help each other out. We'll be happy to answer all of your questions, and in return, you can answer some of ours."

Wendelle thought about that. "Sure, that works. You can go first."

"Well, you could always start by telling us your name, as well as a little bit about yourself."

"Oh, ok. Well, my name is Wendelle. Wendelle Williams. I'm 18 years old, and as you can probably tell, I'm NOT from around here! I lived in Trimble, Tennessee with my Mom, Dad, and older brother Paul. I was in high school, my last year before I would graduate, and.........." Wendelle hesitated. She wanted to tell the mare and stallion about her present condition, but she was hesitant to do so.

"And what?"

"Nothing. It's............I don't want to trouble you with it. Anyway, on my way home from school earlier today, I found a crystal pendant, and then things started getting strange......" She then explained about the lightning, as well as the mass of white energy, and her winding up where they'd found her. ".....And that's how I got here. I'm not quite sure how long I've been here, but I think that it's safe enough to assume that I've been here for a few hours."

The mare and stallion were surprised. They'd never expected to hear a story like what Wendelle had just told them. They believed her story, but it was just so surprising to hear all the same.

"And now that I've told you a bit about myself, would you mind telling me a bit about yourselves?"

The mare nodded. "Certainly! My name is Moonlight Rose, and this is my husband, Red Dusk. I'm 32 years old, and my husband is 33, and we've been married for 6 years. We've lived in this area our whole lives, and are very fond of it."

Wendelle nodded. "Well it's nice to meet you Mrs. Moonlight."

"You can just call me Moonlight Wendelle."

"Oh, ok. And my next question is, where am I right now? I'm clearly a LONG WAY from Trimble!"

"This is the country of Equestria, which is the largest nation here on Equus."

"Oh. The country I'm from, America, was the most powerful nation on my planet, Earth. And please don't take offense to this, but my next question is, what are you? Or better yet, what are WE? We're all equines of some sort, but not normal ones!"

Red chuckled a bit. "Yes, we're not quite 'normal equines'! We're Ponies. Or to be more specific, we're a breed of Ponies known as 'Bat-Ponies'. We have bat-like wings, cat-like eyes, furry ears, fangs, fur and manes that are slightly thicker than normal, we can see in total darkness, have a heightened senses of hearing and smell, and among other things, are also able to 'scree' when we're really happy, and make other bat-like noises, not to mention being able to hang upside down like ordinary bats can!"

To say that Wendelle was surprised would have been an understatement; she was SHOCKED at what she'd just been told about what she was now!

"So.......I'm......a Bat-Pony now? Wow. That's a pretty far cry from what I used to be!"

"And what was that?" Moonlight asked.

"I was a Human. I stood on 2 legs, had blonde hair, no tail or wings, and my eyes had round pupils. I was also able to wear clothes that fit me, and I didn't have fur or fangs either. Humans were the dominant species on Earth, but I'm not Human anymore."

"No, you're not. And do you want to take those torn and ripped clothes off? I can put them in my saddlebags for you if you want."

Wendelle looked at her clothes, and then over at Moonlight, who was pulling a pair of saddlebags off of her back with her teeth, before setting them on the ground. "Ok, sure." Then, with help from Moonlight, Wendelle took off the remains of her clothes, before gathering them, as well as any pieces that fell off previously, and her ruined shoes, and putting them in Moonlight's saddlebags. Now she was as "naked" as they were in a sense, but neither of them seemed to mind, or really notice.

"There. Is that any better Wendelle?"

"Yeah, it is. Thank you Moonlight."

"You're welcome."

"And if you don't mind my asking, what are these marks on our flanks?"

"They're called 'Cutie-Marks'. They're to show us what our special talent it. Whenever we learn what our special talent is, a mark of it appears on our flanks. My special talent is working with ribbons and bows for store displays, and my husband's special talent is in combat, hence the sword and shield for his Cutie-Mark. And what's your special talent?"

Wendelle looked back at her own Cutie-Mark; 2 pink hearts on both flanks. "Honestly Moonlight, I haven't the foggiest idea. I just woke up with this a little while ago, and.........." She paused. She wondered if it had anything to do with her pregnancy, and the dream that she had of wanting a big family one day. ".........I just don't know."

Moonlight could tell that Wendelle had something on her mind, and she wanted to know what it was, but she didn't want to pry, since it could be something private. All she could do was hope that Wendelle would say something on her own.

"And if you don't mind my asking, what were you guys doing out here when you found me?"

Red answered that. "Moonlight and I were out for a walk. We take them often when the weather's nice, and we heard what sounded like somepony crying close to the Silver Shine River, and when we investigated, we found you."

"Oh." Wendelle then looked at the river that was close by. "So that's the Silver Shine River?"

"Yes. It's quite a nice feature here close to Sundale Mountain, which is where we live, as well as the rest of our colony.

"Um, colony?"

Red nodded. "Yes. Bat-Ponies live together in colonies, which are pretty much just small towns. Moonlight and I live in the colony of Lunar-Nova, which is located above and below Sundale Mountain. It's a very nice place to live, though the population's a little bit small, with only 1,307 Bat-Ponies living there."

Wendelle laughed a bit. "That's bigger than my hometown of Trimble, Tennessee. There's only about 650 people living there!"

Both Red and Moonlight laughed a bit with Wendelle. They never would have thought that her hometown was even smaller than theirs, but now that they realized that it was, it was kind of funny!

Moonlight then asked Wendelle a serious question. "Wendelle, do you...........do you have a place to stay?"

Wendelle frowned, before shaking her head. "No.........I don't. I just arrived here after being plucked away from Earth, and I just realized that I don't have a place to stay."

"You can stay with us if you want to. We have a spare room at home."

"I appreciate the offer, but I wouldn't want to impose."

"Oh it wouldn't be imposing at all. We would love to have you stay with us."

"Oh, well if you don't mind, then I guess that I could stay with you."

Moonlight nodded, and she asked Wendelle if she had all of her things together. Wendelle went over to her backpack, and after finding that it was still intact, she picked it up with her teeth, and set it upright again. She then saw the crystal pendant again lying in the grass next to it. Sighing, she picked it up with her hooves, and put it around her neck for the time being.

"Oh wow. That's the crystal pendant that brought you here?" Moonlight asked.

Wendelle nodded. "Yes. This is it."

"It's a nice pendant. I think that it looks good on you.

"Thanks. I thought that it looked pretty interesting when I found it under a bush on my way home from school. I'd never seen anything like it before, and I was hoping to be able to sell it so that I could have money for my........Oh........" She then stopped short.

"Money for what?"

Wendelle kept opening her mouth like she was going to say something, but no sound came out. Moonlight then put 2 and 2 together. While she'd been helping Wendelle remove her damaged clothes, she'd begun to wonder if she was pregnant, as her stomach seemed to be a little bit rounder than it should have been. Wendelle had also seemed to not want to talk about something, and now she talked about needing money for something, before stopping short.

"You're a mom-to-be, aren't you Wendelle?" She whispered softly.

Wendelle sighed, before nodding slowly. "Yes. I'm 1 month along." She then explained about Michael, as well as her family's support of her. "I wanted to keep my baby, and strangely enough, putting him or her up for adoption never crossed my mind. That's why I wanted to sell the pendant; so that I'd have more money for what was to come."

Moonlight had no idea what to say. She'd heard about this happening to young mares before, but now that she heard Wendelle's story, she felt sorry for her family, burning anger towards Michael, and she felt sadness for Wendelle herself. She'd done nothing to deserve the fate she'd been given, and now she was away from her family, 1 month pregnant with a foal, and had no one to take care of her.

"That settles it then. Even if you didn't want to stay with my husband and I before, with your current condition, there's no way I'd let you say no now. You can stay with us for as long as you like Wendelle."

Wendelle hugged Moonlight with tears in her eyes, before she hugged Red as well. "Thank you. You.......you don't know what this means to me."

"Maybe not, but I'm pretty sure that we can guess."

"And where do you live again?"

Red pointed up the path a ways. "Lunar-Nova is located maybe 2 miles from here, close to the top of Sundale Mountain. Our house is close to the edge of town."

"And can I walk there since I don't know how to fly yet?"

Red nodded. "Yes, you can walk there. Moonlight and I walked from there to here, and we were planning on walking back."

Wendelle nodded. "Ok. Just let me grab my backpack, and then you can lead the way."

"Ok."

She then walked over to her backpack. She tried to put it on like she used to, but due to it being the wrong size, it wouldn't stay on. Red then offered to carry it for her, to which Wendelle agreed. Just before they left the area though, Wendelle had one more question.

"And I have to know. What are these flowers called? They're so pretty!"

Moonlight agreed. "Yes, they really are, aren't they? They're called Lunar Halo Flowers. They grow all around here on Sundale Mountain, but due to their VERY unique anatomy, they can even grow in the caves deep underground due to them not requiring much sunlight!"

"What?! How can they not require much sunlight?!"

"That's just how they work. They're one of the most unique types of flowers in all of Equestria! They're also only found close to Bat-Pony colonies, though this is due to them only being found in and around caves."

"Wow! And can I pick one?"

Moonlight nodded. "Sure. There's no laws against picking the flowers, though the unspoken rule is not to pick more than one small bouquet per Pony per day."

Wendelle nodded, before picking one of the dark-colored flowers, and placing it behind her left ear.

"Aww, you look really cute like that Wendelle!"

Wendelle blushed a bit. "T-thanks Moonlight. And I can still smell it too!"

Moonlight giggled a bit, before she and Red began to lead the way back to Lunar-Nova.

After walking alongside the river for a while, the path that the 3 of them were on soon began to wrap around Sundale Mountain. About halfway up the mountain, Wendelle looked over and saw what looked like a town on the other side of the Silver Shine River maybe 2 miles away from where they were.

"What town is that over there?"

Red looked to where she was pointing. "Oh, that's Brulee. It's the closest town to Lunar-Nova, though it only has a population of 1,200 or so. It's also the closest town to us that doesn't just have Bat-Ponies living there."

Wendelle was surprised. "It doesn't?"

"No. In Brulee, you can also find Earth-Ponies, Pegasai, and even Unicorns. It's a nice little town, and there's a train station there, which makes for easy rail access to the rest of Equestria."

Wendelle blinked a few times. Not only were there Bat-Ponies in Equestria, but there were also Unicorns, Pegasai, and Earth-Ponies? "I know what Unicorns and Pegasai are, but what's an 'Earth-Pony'?"

"Oh, and Earth-Pony is a Pony that doesn't have wings or a horn, but they do have immense strength, and have remarkable skills when it comes to growing crops." Moonlight answered.

"And are Bat-Ponies, Pegasai, Unicorns and Earth Ponies the only types of Ponies in Equestria?"

Moonlight shook her head. "No, there is one more type; the Alicorns, but there's only 4 of them. Alicorns have the wings of a Pegasus, the horn of a Unicorn, as well as the strength of an Earth-Pony. Alicorns are also royalty, and they rule Equestria. At the very top are the 2 Diarch Princesses, Princess Celestia, Princess of the Sun, and Princess Luna, Princess of the Moon. They rule Equestria from Canterlot Castle, located in the city of Canterlot, in the center of Equestria. Then below them comes their niece, Princess Cadence, the Princess of Love. She and her (Unicorn) husband, Prince Shining Armor, rule over the Crystal Empire, which is a territory to the North of Equestria. Finally, there's Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. She more or less rules over the township of Ponyville, located to the south of Canterlot." (Moonlight thought about telling Wendelle that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna also controlled the Sun and Moon, but she didn't want to sound crazy, so she didn't mention it, and motioned to Red not to mention it either).

"And how does a Pony become an Alicorn?"

Moonlight shrugged. "Nopony knows. Some think that they're born as Alicorns, while others say that you just......become one somehow. Princess Twilight Sparkle ascended into Alicornhood somehow, though we're not sure how she did it. She's the most recent Alicorn, only having ascended last year."

"Oh. Maybe I'll have to make my way over to Ponyville, Canterlot, or the Crystal Empire someday. They sound like such nice places. Have you ever been to any of them?"

"Yes, Red and I have been to both Ponyville and Canterlot, though neither of us have been to the Crystal Empire. Ponyville is a nice little town, though Canterlot, since it's the capital of Equestria, is a VERY busy city! I'd recommend seeing Ponyville if you ever get the chance."

Wendelle nodded. "Ok, I'll keep that in mind."

Moonlight nodded, and the 3 of them kept walking.

Not too long after this conversation ended, the 3 of them finally arrived at Lunar-Nova.

"Here we are, Lunar-Nova!"

Wendelle looked around, a little bit confused. All she could see were a few small buildings surrounded by grass, a few more Lunar Halo Flowers, and a few groves of trees. "Um, I don't see a colony. All I see are a few small buildings."

Red laughed a bit. "And that's all you'll ever see if you only look above ground! Our colony is located in the caves BENEATH Sundale Mountain! Some buildings are above ground, though most are below."

Wendelle blushed a bit. "Oh, whoops! My mistake!"

"It's ok, a LOT of other Ponies who come to visit Lunar-Nova make the exact same mistake. The entrance to the caves is just around here." Red then led the way over to a large cave entrance.

The entrance was carved right into the side of Sundale Mountain, and there were several Bat-Ponies entering and exiting through the large entrance. After walking through it, the path that led to the entrance began to slope downwards, and kept going deeper into the mountain. The walls of the cave were lined with both torches and some sort of crystals that provided light, and pretty soon, the path came out at the edge of what looked to be a small town, though all of it was located underground!

Wendelle could see stores, restaurants, houses, a small park, and other businesses. There were Bat-Ponies everywhere, and when she looked up, Wendelle could see large stalactites on the ceiling of the cave, as well as the tops of a few buildings that seemed to go above ground. The ceiling and walls also had a few cracks that let in natural sunlight.

"Oh, so what I saw up there were just the top 1 or 2 stories of a much larger house or other building."

Red nodded. "Yes. Some wanted their house, or other building partially above ground, so while most of it was built down here, the top extends above ground."

Wendelle nodded, and she kept walking with Red and Moonlight. Pretty soon, they came to what appeared to be the town square. There was a beautiful glass dome covering the town square, and Wendelle also saw a building that appeared to be the town hall.

"Wow, this dome is amazing!"

Moonlight agreed. "Yes, it truly is, isn't it? It's called the Lunar Dome, and it dates back to when Lunar-Nova was first founded. The first residents built this dome to protect them against falling rocks and stalactites while they built the town. The dome was left in place even after construction work ceased, and it's been a prominent feature of Lunar-Nova ever since."

"And is that the town hall over there?"

"Yes, it is. That's where the mayor works, the town council meets, and there's an auditorium in there too for public events, though most public events are held here in the town square."

"Oh, so a mayor is in charge of your colony. And who is the current mayor of Lunar-Nova?"

Red spoke up. "Galaxy Cosmos is the current mayor. He's a Bat-Pony with midnight-blue fur with some white patches, as well as a black mane and tail, purple eyes, and his Cutie-Mark is a crescent moon with a white star on the inside. He's a very good mayor, and has been reelected several times now. Everypony here in Lunar-Nova loves him, though he may retire soon."

"Hmm, he sounds like a very nice stallion. I'd like to be able to meet him someday."

"Most likely you will Wendelle. He's at most public events held here in Lunar-Nova, and there are a number of them."

Wendelle nodded, and once she followed Red and Moonlight out of the town square, they led her to a small 2-story light-gray stone house on the other side of town.

"So this is where you and Red live Moonlight?"

Moonlight nodded. "Yes, this is where we live. We've lived here ever since we were married, and we love it here."

Once Red unlocked the door, he pushed it open, revealing a small entryway. Straight ahead from the entryway was the kitchen, and to the left was the living room. A flight of stairs led upstairs, and tucked under the stairs was a storage closet, with a small bathroom and a small dining room completing the first floor.

"Wow, this is a really nice house Moonlight. I can see why you like it here."

Moonlight smiled. "Thank you Wendelle. And Red and I hope that you like it here too."

"I'm pretty sure that I will. It reminds me a bit of my old house back in Tennessee."

Moonlight nodded, and while Red went into the kitchen to begin to make dinner, Moonlight led the way upstairs so that Wendelle could begin to get settled into her new room.

The upstairs of the house was a little bit smaller than the downstairs. At the top of the stairs to the left was a closet, and to the right was a small office. Just past the office was a bathroom, and just past the bathroom was a bedroom, and a guest room. A skylight at the end of the hallway provided some light, though the rest came from electric lights.

"This guest room is where you'll be staying Wendelle." Moonlight then pushed open the door, and walked into the room. Wendelle followed behind her, and when she saw the room, she smiled a bit. The walls were painted sky blue, and there was a queen-sized bed, a desk, a chair, a vanity mirror and stool, a closet, a dresser, and a fur rug that Moonlight identified as a Wampus-Cat fur rug. She went on to explain that Wampus-cats were VERY dangerous creatures that lived in some areas of Equestria, though not close to Lunar-Nova.

"Wow, yeah, I'm REALLY glad that they don't live around here. I'd be pretty scared if they did!"

"So would I." Moonlight then set Wendelle's backpack that she'd carried upstairs for her next to the bed, and she placed the remains of Wendelle's clothes that she'd stashed in her saddlebags in the nearby dresser. After showing her the bathroom, Moonlight led Wendelle back downstairs, and the 2 of them then helped Red cook dinner, though this was somewhat difficult for Wendelle, since she wasn't used to walking on all fours, or gripping things with her hooves and teeth!

After dinner that night, the 3 of them stayed up talking for a little while longer, before they all went to bed. Wendelle had a hard time falling asleep that night. As she lay in bed, Wendelle thought about her family, and she still missed them as much as she knew that they missed her.

"I wish that you were here Mom, Dad and Paul. I wish that I could let you know that I'm ok. I didn't run away, and I didn't kill myself either; I'm right here, just stuck in a different dimension, as a Bat-Pony!" She then reached down a hoof, and gently rubbed her baby-bump. "H-hey there Little One". She whispered softly. "I don't know if you can hear me right now, but a LOT has happened since I said that I would provide the best life that I could for you a little bit earlier today. We're now in the land of Equestria, and I'm a Bat-Pony, just as I'm pretty sure that you're a Bat-Pony foal! However, what I said before still stands; I love you with all of my heart, and I WILL do my best to provide the best life that I possibly can for you. It won't be easy, but I know that I can do it with help from Moonlight and Red." She then blew her unborn foal a kiss. "Goodnight, my sweet Little One. I love you, with all of my heart."

After saying goodnight to her unborn foal, Wendelle was finally able to fall asleep.

After being in Lunar-Nova for a few days, Wendelle was able to settle into a new routine. Life in the colony was so peaceful, and she kept herself busy by helping Moonlight around the house, or helping her make her ribbons and bows for store displays. Red Dusk was often busy with his job with the local guards patrolling the colony, and the rest of Sundale Mountain.

Not too long after her arrival, word of Wendelle's arrival began to spread across the colony. A number of Bat-Ponies were very eager to see Wendelle, and about a week after she arrived in Lunar-Nova, a party was held in the town square to celebrate her coming to live in the colony. Many of the residents of Lunar-Nova were in attendance, none the least of which was Mayor Galaxy Cosmos. He was delighted to meet Wendelle, just as she was glad to finally be able to meet him.

"It's an honor to finally meet you Miss Williams. I hope that your stay in Lunar-Nova has been pleasant so far." He said as he extended his hoof to her.

Wendelle nodded, shaking his hoof. "Yes, it certainly has Mayor Cosmos. Oh, and you can just call me 'Wendelle'."

"Certainly Wendelle. There's no finer Bat-Pony colony in Equestria than Lunar-Nova, and as I'm sure you can see, the whole town's honored to play host to such an amazing Bat-Pony such as yourself; especially one who wasn't a Bat-Pony originally, and instead came from another world!"

Wendelle agreed, and she eventually rejoined Red and Moonlight in enjoying the party, and getting to know the other Bat-Ponies of Lunar-Nova.

A few days after this, after a LOT of deliberation, Wendelle finally decided to get around to selling her crystal pendant. Part of her didn't want to do it, since it was such a lovely pendant, but she felt that it was the best thing to do; both for her, and for her unborn foal. She took the crystal pendant to Mineshaft Digs, which was the best place in Lunar-Nova that dealt with crystals, gems, geodes, jewelry made from these items, anything else related to rocks, and of course, the tools and equipment needed to mine/dig for them. The store was run by a Bat-Pony stallion named Hard Stone, though most in Lunar-Nova called him Digs. He had gray fur, green eyes, a white mane and tail, as well as a white beard. He also wore a prospector's hat, a dirty white shirt, suspenders, and blue sort of pants, which all but completely hid his Cutie-Mark of a miner's pick and shovel from view. In his present state, he reminded Wendelle of an old prospector from the glory days of mining in the Western US in the late 1800's.

He looked up at her from the old cash register when she walked in. "Well, It's nice to finally make your acquaintance Wendelle. I was wonderin' if you'd ever come to my humble shop here, and now it seems that ya finally did! Heh, heh, hee! Welcome to Mineshaft Digs, the FINEST shop in Lunar-Nova that deals in any and all things rock, and the tools to mine them! What can I do for ya?"

Wendelle couldn't help but smile. Digs sounded as much like an old prospector as he looked, and he looked like he'd just jumped off the page of a history book! "Well Mr. Digs, I was told that this was the best place in Lunar-Nova to sell crystals, gems, geodes, and any jewelry made from them, and I had a crystal pendant that I wanted to sell."

Digs nodded. "Yep, you've certainly come to that right place for that Missy! Though you can just call me Digs! Now then, let's see the pendant."

Wendelle pulled it out of her now resized backpack, (which now fit on her back perfectly, though she now used it like a saddlebag) and set it on the counter. Digs then pulled out a jeweler's eyepiece lens, and after putting it on, looked at the pendant.

"Wow, I ain't seen one of these in a VERY long time! Where did you find this Wendelle?"

"It was under a bush alongside a nature trail close to my old school. I found it just before I was sent to Equestria, and I thought that it looked unique. What is it?"

"This is a small chunk of a one-of-a-kind crystal known as the Nightmare Crystal. It was made famous, (or infamous!) by Nightmare Moon. She tried to rise to power over 1,000 years ago, but was stopped by Princess Celestia, and banished to the Moon for 1,000 years. However, before she was banished, she fashioned a special crystal that she planned on using to store Magic in. However, the crystal was destroyed when she was defeated, and its pieces were gathered up, and made their way across Equestria over the years since. The crystal in your pendant is a small chunk of the Nightmare Crystal!"

Wendelle was shocked. The crystal in her pendant was a small chunk of a one-of-a-kind crystal that was used by an evil would-be conqueror? "What happened to Nightmare Moon?" She asked quietly. "She's not gonna come looking for this chunk of her crystal, will she?"

Digs shook his head. "No, she won't Wendelle. She was defeated for good a few years ago, and she ain't comin' back." He then went on to explain more about the defeat of Nightmare Moon.

"And what's this crystal pendant worth?"

"It's actually worth quite a bit. I've seen chunks about this size sell for almost 400 Bits, which is close to what I'm prepared to offer you Wendelle. I can give ya 375 Bits for your pendant."

Wendelle was shocked. Originally she was hoping to get $100 or so for the pendant, but now she was being offered 375 Bits for it, and she learned about its history as well.

"Well, I sure hate to see it go, but I need the money for my unborn child. I'll take the 375 Bits."

Digs nodded. "Certainly Wendelle. I'll just ring that up for you." He then opened the register, and after counting them out carefully, handed Wendelle a bag of 375 bits.

Wendelle took the bits, and put them in her backpack. "Thank you Digs. I hope that you can find a buyer for that crystal pendant."

"Me too Wendelle. I appreciate ya selling it to me, and I hope that you'll come back sometime!"

"I'll try to Digs!" Wendelle then left Mineshaft Digs.

Once she was gone, Digs looked at the Nightmare Crystal Pendant. He didn't know why, but he had a strange feeling about that pendant. He felt like it would soon belong to somepony else; somepony else who was buying it for Wendelle for a special reason. He tried to shake the feeling as he put it in a glass display case behind the counter with other crystals, crystal jewelry, and crystal pendants, but it wouldn't quite leave him be.

"So strange." He muttered. "I've heard some pretty bizarre stories 'bout folks who found one of these chunks of the Nightmare Crystal, but now that I have one of the chunks? I'm gettin' weird vibes 'bout it. I hope I can sell it soon."

He then left the pendant be, and got back to work.

Once she had the 375 bits, Wendelle put most of them in her bank account that she opened not long after coming to Lunar-Nova. She also earned a little bit of money from helping Moonlight with her business of making ribbons and bows; money that also went into her account. Life was really starting to look up for Wendelle, but yet at the same time, aside from a few friends that she'd made since coming to Lunar-Nova, not to mention Moonlight and Red, she was lonely. She wished that she didn't have to be a single mom, and that she could meet someone, or rather, somepony, who would be there for her, love her like no other, and be her soulmate.

One night, Wendelle was walking on top of Sundale Mountain among the trees close to the tops of the few buildings that had their tops above ground, when she stopped to look at some Lunar Halo Flowers. She still thought that they were so beautiful, and she picked another one, before placing it behind her left ear. However, just as she was standing up again, Wendelle looked up, and she saw a shooting star pass by!

"Whoa!" Then, remembering the folklore surrounding shooting stars, Wendelle made her wish. "I wish that I could find my soulmate. Somepony who will be there for me to the end; somepony who will eventually be my husband." She then watched the shooting star vanish into the night sky.

Wendelle had no idea that her wish was about to come true, and that in a short time, she would indeed meet the one who would become her soulmate. She didn't know it yet, but she was about to be the happiest mare in ALL of Lunar-Nova!

Author's Note

And, that was Chapter 2.

So now Wendelle is in the colony of Lunar-Nova, she's a Bat-Pony, and she met Moonlight Rose and Red Dusk who were willing to take her in, and let her stay with them. She also learned a lot about Equestria, the Bat-Ponies, and the area around Lunar-Nova. Oh, and Wendelle also learned a bit more about the crystal pendant that she found, and she was able to sell it to better herself and her unborn foal. She's settling into life in Lunar-Nova, but the real question is, what now?

How long will Wendelle end up staying in Lunar-Nova? Will she ever find a house of her own, or will she continue to live with Moonlight and Red? Will she ever find her soulmate like she wants to? And what about Conner Dwight? Is HE Wendelle's soulmate? And what was it that I said in the description about him being onboard the ex-Paul F. Foster, and then almost getting killed before being sent to Equestria? And what could possibly happen next? Well, you know the drill; stay tuned, and I'll tell you!

In the meantime, as always, comments, feedback, questions, as well as spreading the word about this story are always appreciated, and I'll see you all again in Chapter 3!

ScarFox out for now!