On my way

Chapter 3 - It’s the moon.

As I walked into the town hall where I heard Pinkie, sounding excited as ever, talking to Twilight.

“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,” Pinkie gasped exasperatedly. “But I mean really, who can top that?”

Soon Fluttershy’s birds started to sing the opening of the show, and Mayor Mare took her place center stage, to announce the start of the festivities. “Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration! - ” She paused for a moment to let the ponies cheer and then continued ” - In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year!”

Twilight turned her eyes towards the moon and started to look scared.

“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, still hovering away from the stage prepared her birds for their cue. “Ready?”

Mayer Mare pointed everypony’s attention to the balcony with Rarity. “...Princess Celestia!”

The birds song whistled in the background the curtains opened only for Rarity to notice the princess wasn’t there. “Huh?”

Ponies started chatting, and nervously at that.

Twilight’s fears started to look more reality than theory and she stated the obvious, “This can't be good.”

I rolled my eyes. “No, duh.” Even if I didn’t know what was going on, I still would have responded the same way to such an understatement.

The mayor was quick to try and keep control of the ponies growing panic, “Remain calm, everypony, there must be a reasonable explanation!”

Pinkie started hopping up and down, ready to make it a game, “Ooh, ooh, I love guessing games! Is she hiding?”

Before I could say it’s not a game to Pinkie, Rarity returned to her balcony with an announcement. “She's gone!”

Ponies started to grow even more worried in the crowd, gasping at the announcement.

“Ooh, she's good.” Pinkie said in a hushed voice, sounding just as impressed as she was clueless.

No sooner had she looked back up to the balcony, her eyes went with with shock and she yelped as a swirling twinkling magic aura of dark blue and violet billowed up from where Celestia should have been standing.

Twilight hunkered low to the floor and her voice spook quietly with worry, “Oh no… - “ She watched her fears materialize as the Princess of the Night returned - “ Nightmare Moon!”

Spike passed out, falling to the ground, and while I was picking him up, Nightmare Moon started to speak. “Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces.”

Rainbow Dash soon starts to jump the gun and tries to race towards Nightmare Moon,

“What did you do with our Princess?!” Rainbow Dash shouted before opening her wings and jumping up to race towards the dark Princess.

Applejack caught her tail just in time with her teeth. “Whoa there, Nelly,” She ordered with words muffled through Rainbow’s tail.

Nightmare Moon cackled to her audience before going on to mock them furter, “Why? Am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?”

Pinkie, of course, had to make it a game again, “ Ooh, ooh, more guessing games! Um, Hokey Smok-”

I stop her with an apple to the mouth and a disapproving glare.

Nightmare Moon pushed her way out amongst the ponies, questioning them with with a sneer as she gloated over them, “Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?”

“I did.” Twilight exclaimed, standing bravely alone in the center of the room and. “And I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon – Nightmare Moon!”

The crowd of frightened ponies gasped around me, now knowing they were in the presence of season one’s first villain. Well, I knew that. She probably just looked scary to the rest of them.

Nightmare Moon focused in on the unruley mare that called out her name, and she actually looked pleased.. “Well well well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here.”

Twilight began to stutter, “You're here to... to…”

I gained enough courage to answer this one, “To bring eternal night, but how would that work?”

Nightmare Moon looked at me. At first she seemed to be just as pleased to hear another know of her purpose, but then a look of confussion and irritation washed over her expression. Perhaps I struck a nerve with that one.

Either way, I kept going, “How would flowers live? How would there be warmth? How would you keep the world from freezing over? Can you please answer that to us. - ” I looked at her straight in the eyes, but shocked expression and mouth left agap told me how unprepared for what should have been common logic based questions. “That’s all I needed to know, bye.”

I started to walk away, but Nightmare Moon wasn’t about to let me leave.

“How dare you question my rule!”

I looked over my shoulder in time to see the magic building up in her horn and stepped to my left to dodge her blast. Then, as if some instinct had taken over, I quickly reached behind my ear and pulled out… a box? A generically looking metallic box with a comically sized button in its center?I didn’t ask for a box with a button?!

A glowing violet light caught me attention and I turned around to see another bolt heading towards me. I tapped the button in reflex and was teleported away from where an eruption of magic and dust filled the space I was just standing in.

Back in the town hall, Nightmare Moon chuckled at what she must have thought was my swift defeat. “Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!”

“Ok, that was weird.” I said to myself and struggled to stand up.

Rising back up to all fours, I noticed that I was surrounded by books and the Mane 6 all looking at me. Judging by their looks, I could tell this had to be the part where they were going to interrogate me, so might as well beat ‘em to the punch. “Ok, before I get bombarded by Questions, - “ I tried to soften the mood with a laugh, but it came out more as a cough “ - I am an earth pony with magical powers that I don’t understand yet.”

I reached behind me to scratch the back of my head but somehow grabbed a smoothie and reactivly brought it to lips and took a sip. “Mmmm. Banana… Wait? What?”

Twilight must of had too much thrown at her since arriving in Ponyville, because after she gave a long deadpanned stare, she just shrugged and went to give the mandatory exposition. “Anyways. There are seven Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth and seventh 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-”

At that point, they probably said the name of the location, but I had tuned them all out. I was too wrapped up in my thoughts, trying to understand why this setup was different. “Seven Elements?” I thought to myself. “She even said ‘sixth and seventh’ elements are a mystery. There’s no way I was remembering the numbers wrong… Was I?

It wasn’t long after I snapped out of my daze that were walking out of the library and out towards the edge of Ponville. A lot longer of a walk than I expected. Even longer since none of the girls spoke a word the entire trip there.

“The Everfree Forest!” They all said groaned in horror arouned me.

I did a quick double take between the lot of them and had to ask. “Did you all say that in unisen back in the library before we left? I kinda zoned out and probably missed some important-”

“Whee!” Pinkie Pie soon was at the ready cut me off mid sentence, “Let's go!”

“Not so fast” Twilight coldly stated.” Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'd really rather do this on my own.”

Applejack didn’t like that answer and stepped forward, despite the protest. “No can do, sugarcube. We sure ain't lettin' any friend of ours go into that creepy place alone.”

I gave an uncomfortable grunt from Rainbow Dash bumping into me. She was pushing me in towards the forest behind Fluttershy and Rarity who was following Applejack.

“We're stickin' to you like caramel on a candy apple,” Applejack added before crossing the threshold of the forest.

Everypony agreed, even me, though I wondered if they knew I did. And then I had a thought. Was I being forced into this? It felt like I was being forced into this. And why were they still pushing me? I tried to motion for them to stop herding around me and let me walk at my own pace, but they were ignoring me… I’m definitely being forced into this.

Pinkie reared up in excitement. “Especially if there's candy apples in there. - ” She looked back to Twilight who was staring at her with at least a dozen questions in their eyes, “What? Those things are good.”

Into the forest we go! Why me, too? I dunoo? Why the box? Why the smoothy? Why banana flavored? Why couldn’t it have been strawberry?

Regardless of these many unknowns, I was a part of it now and I wondered what my trail would be. What personal strength or weakness did I have that the forest or Nightmare Moon knew of to test me on? They didn’t know me or my history… Did they?