Memories and Melodies

Grey Wind trots on the main street of Ponyville, past town square and towards a familiar two-story house not far from it. It’s already late at night, and the streets are almost empty. Streetlights illuminate the slumbering town, where most ponies have already switched off their house lights and drifted towards the dreamlands. As Grey Wind approaches her destination, however, she finds the lights to be still on inside.

Standing on the doorstep, the grey Pegasus lets out a sigh. During the train ride back to Ponyville, she and Twilight have come to an agreement that they will tell Lyra where she was born, while omitting any details regarding what happened to her parents. They will simply tell her that her parents went missing when she was very young. After they returned to the library, Twilight went to the basement to prepare for a magical experiment tomorrow, leaving the task of explaining to Lyra to Grey Wind.

So there she was, knocking on the door of Lyra and Bon Bon’s house at half past eight at night. After a faint “One second!”, the door swings open, revealing a milk white earth pony on the other side.

“Good evening, Grey Wind! What brings you here this late at night?”

“Good evening, Bon Bon. You remember Twilight’s promise to Lyra yesterday? We went to Canterlot Hospital earlier today, and…” Grey Wind manages a weary smile, “we found something.”

“That’s great! Come on inside. Lyra! Grey is here!”

“Coming!” Lyra’s voice comes from upstairs.

As Grey Wind enters the living room, a mint green hurricane dashes down the stairs and charges towards the grey Pegasus, stopping right in front of her, causing Grey Wind to flinch back and trip on the tea stand, falling flat onto the floor.

“Oops, sorry! Let me help you up!” Lyra exclaims. She envelopes Grey Wind’s left wing in her magic and yanks the Pegasus from the ground, receiving a painful “yelp!” in return.

Finally regaining posture and rubbing her sore wing, Grey Wind retorts:

“Lyra, you almost gave me a heart attack! Do I need to remind you that I’m no longer a nanomachine aggregation and won’t be able to reassemble if I am scared to death?”

“Hey, I apologized! But that’s not important now,” Lyra raises her left hoof dismissively as she looks at her friend with growing excitement in her eyes, “So, did you find anything? Did you find out who my parents are?”

“Well, about that…”A glimpse of uneasiness appears in Grey Wind’s eyes upon hearing the question, who quickly hides it and continues, “We didn’t find your birth record in the hospital, so we still have no idea who your parents are. I’m sorry.”

“Oh.” Lyra’s ears droop down, a small frown forming over her eyebrows. Her disappointment, though, lasted no longer than 30 seconds, as her ears flop back up and her frown disperses:

“But that’s alright! It’s still so great that you came to visit! We can still have a night treat or two—”

“But,” Grey Wind interrupts, a smile creeping back onto her face, “We did find out where your hometown was in the documents of the hospital. According to those documents, you were born in the town of Hollowshade.”

“Hollowshade? As in the Hollowshade located in the middle of the Midnight Forest?” Lyra’s eyes widen in surprise upon hearing the answer.

“Well…I suppose…Wait, you know about that town?”

“Of course!” Lyra lights up, small stars appearing in her eyes, “Everypony who studies ancient legends know about that place! That town was a religious center in ancient times, as most of its citizens worshipped Princess Luna! It was also one of the Princess’ favorite place to visit as well! I’ve always wanted to go there ever since I read about it! And, you are telling me that the one town I have been dreaming to go to is my hometown all along? This. Is. Awesome!” Lyra exclaims, hopping up and down around the room, forcing Bon Bon to stand clear of her path.

After Lyra finally calms down, she turns to Grey Wind and asks: “So…Did you find out what happened to my parents?”

“Well…Um…” Grey Wind flinches back, her eyesight evading Lyra’s eyes.

“Grey? What’s wrong? Oh, please tell me! I really want to know! Please!” Lyra runs up to her friend, pulling her face up against hers.

“Um…Okay, Lyra…Well…” Grey Wind mutters, “We found out that they…went missing 14 years ago. I’m sorry…”

Upon hearing the answer, Lyra steps back, leaning herself against the desk:

“Missing? What do you mean?”

“Well…”Grey Wind gulps, “According to what we found, one of your parents’ neighbors found out that they didn’t go to work that day, and went to look for them. They found nothing except their daughter under a bed sheet in their house. And they never returned as well.”

“I see…” Lyra mumbles as she lowers her head, “14 years ago…That’s when I was 3 years old…No wonder I don’t remember anything…”She manages a bitter smile, “Well, at least I know now that I used to have parents…”

“Lyres, are you—"

“I’m fine, Bonnie, really, I’m fine,” Lyra says as she lifts her head and wipes a tear from her cheek, “I had made mental preparations to face such results the moment I asked Grey and Twilight to look it up for me. Thanks for letting me know, anyway.”

“Lyra…”

“I’m Okay, Grey. Everypony needs to move on,” Lyra smiles, her jolly personality slowly returning, “So, it is real that I came from Hollowshade, right? Do you think we can visit there some time? You know, to check out what my hometown looks like?”

Judging from Lyra’s expression, the two friends can tell that there was not a bit of insincerity behind the cheerful ember eyes. Bon Bon’s nervousness eases, seeing her roommate really is fine.

“Well, now that you mention it, I remember reading in the newspaper about a new train line for that town being established, so I guess visiting there won’t be too much of a problem.”

“Yeah, Princess Luna informed me of that back in Canterlot,” Grey Wind nods, “and I do need to visit that town soon.”

“Visit Hollowshade? What for?” Bon Bon asks.

“Well, I promised Princess Luna not to tell her sister or Twilight, but I guess it would be fine if I tell you,” a small grey cloud floats from her left wing and hovers in the air, taking the shape of a hologram projector, which soon generates an image of a harp in the air, “Princess Luna had tasked me to retrieve a magical artifact called the star lyre. Apparently, she sensed a magical burst generated by that thing in Hollowshade some days ago.”

“Princess Luna gave you a secret mission? To Hollowshade? That is so cool! Can you bring me with you? I can sense another great adventure!” Lyra exclaims, grabbig Grey Wind’s body and rapidly shakes it.

Struggling in Lyra’s death grip and before Bon Bon can say anything, Grey Wind answers:

“Well, I guess one more helping hoof won’t hurt. Besides, it’s your hometown after all.”

“This is so great! Bonnie, are you coming?” Lyra turns towards her roommate.

“Well, I—”

“Come on, Bonnie! It’s going to be so much fun!”

Struggling in her mind for a few seconds, Bon Bon finally lets out a smile:

“Well, I guess one holiday from dealing with all my clients won’t hurt. Plus, somepony needs to ensure you don’t hurt your hoof or any body part again. So, when are we leaving? Are we going to tell Twilight about this?”

“I was thinking about taking a train that leaves at 10 a.m. tomorrow. I’m sure I can get two more tickets. I can tell Twilight that Lyra wants to visit her hometown. That should be enough to cover for Princess Luna’s mission.” Grey Wind rubs her chin.

“So it is decided then!” Lyra blurts, “Trip to Hollowshade, tomorrow morning! I’ll go pack up!” She turns around and zips upstairs, leaving Grey Wind and Bon Bon in the living room.

“Well, I suppose I should head back and pack up as well,” Grey Wind says, “Good night, Bon Bon. See you at the train station tomorrow.”

“Good night, Grey.”

Waving goodbye to Bon Bon, Grey Wind trots back to the library. As she walks into the door, she bumps into Twilight who was just getting upstairs, a batch of experiment apparatuses floating beside her.

“Oh, you are back, Grey! How did it go? How was Lyra? And did you tell her about her parents?”

“She was fine, Twilight, and I told her what we both agreed on. She seems okay to me, and she said that she had already made mental preparations for such outcome.” Grey Wind answers.

“Oh, that’s a relief,” Twilight lets out a deep breath.

“And one more thing. Lyra said she wanted to visit her hometown, so we are going to Hollowshade together tomorrow.”

“I see…” Twilight rubs her chin, “I may be unable to accompany you, since one of my experiments has entered its critical period. I’m sorry, Grey.” She sighs.

“It’s alright, Twi. We all know how you value your studies more than your friendships.” Grey Wind jokes.

Twilight’s eyes widen in fear the moment she hears the statement. Seeing her reaction, Grey Wind quickly adds:

“I’m joking, I’m joking, Twilight! Really, I know how busy your studies are, and I believe neither Lyra and Bon Bon nor me would want to give you more trouble. Plus, I believe I do need a small vacation after what happened last week. I’d better go and pack up now. Good night, Twilight.”

“Night, Grey.” Twilight relaxes as a weak smile appears on her face.

Returning to her room, Grey Wind drags her saddlebags (now with her cutie mark stitched onto them by Rarity) from the closet, and starts throwing all the needed adventuring gears into them, including a water-proof torch, a compass, and several cans of emergency food. She also brings along the dream orb, hoping that it will at least ensure her and her friends good night’s sleeps.

Finishing up, she crawls onto her bed and pulls the sheet above her. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.

As a strand of morning light shines through her curtains, Grey Wind mumbles and opens her eyes. Sitting up and extending her wings, she jumps from her bed, flips her saddlebag onto her back and puts on her cloak. After combing her mane, she walks down the stairs to the kitchen. Twilight is already there, munching into her sandwich while reading the newspaper.

“Good morning, Twi.” Grey Wind says as she sits beside the table, taking a huge bite from her sandwich.

“Morning, Grey. All packed up?” Putting down her newspaper, Twilight smiles.

“Sure. I got everything I need.” Grey Wind mumbles, storming her breakfast. Gulping down the last bit of her sandwich, she stands up from her seat and wave goodbye to Twilight:

“Well, guess I should get going. Don’t wanna miss my train. See you in a few days, Twilight.”

“Bye, Grey Wind. Have fun!” Twilight smiles, bidding her friend farewell.

Within 10 minutes, Grey Wind arrives at the Ponyville train station. By normal standard, today is still a workday, and the station is still mostly empty. At a distance, Grey Wind can already see Lyra and Bon Bon standing on the railway platform, both wearing a pair of saddlebags.

Noticing her friend, Lyra turns to Grey Wind and waves:

“Morning, Grey! Did you get the tickets?”

“Well, I was planning to buy them right before we get on the train,” Grey Wind scratches her head, “but I guess I can buy them now.” She says as she walks with her friends to the railway conductor.

“Two first-class tickets for the train leaving at 10 a.m to Hollowshade, please.”

“That would be 40 bits.”

“Here you go,” Grey Wind takes out a purse from her saddlebag and counts out the money.

Just before she hands the coins to the conductor, however, she hears Lyra yell at her side.

“First class? But Grey, you don’t need to—”

“I insist.” Grey Wind turns around and smiles to her friends, “It’s a 7-hour-train ride. Best to get comfortable for it. Plus, the Princesses gave me a large bonus for what happened last week, so my financial standards are much…freer now.”

The train arrives at the station 15 minutes later. After the three friends walked on the train and sit down around the round table in their carriage, the train starts to leave the station. Having decided that it would be best to double check her equipment, Grey Wind lays her saddlebag on the desk and pours out the contents of it, revealing a coin purse, a torch, an old compass, several cans and a black box.

“Wow, you even brought the dream orb along?” Lyra exclaims, eyeing the black box placed on the table.

“Yep, I presumed that at least it will ensure us good night sleeps after we arrive,” Grey Wind flips open the lid of the box, revealing the large pearl inside.

“That’s the thing you recovered from that creepy castle in Everfree? Interesting. Is it true that thing can get rid of nightmares? Just like Princess Luna?” Bon Bon asks as she eyes the pearl suspiciously.

“It certainly can,” Grey Wind replies, “it helped me a lot last week when I was torn by my old memories before coming to this world.”

“Well, guess I can expect a few nights without nightmares about my clients not satisfied with my products, then.” Bon Bon smiles, “So, what’s our plan once we get to Hollowshade?”

“The train is scheduled to arrive at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, and that won’t leave us much time for other stuff today. Therefore, first thing we do once we get there is to settle down. Believe it or not, I contacted Princess Luna in my dream last night, and she had agreed to arrange a place for us. She should give as the reply any minute now.”

Just as Grey Wind finishes the sentence, a scroll bearing the seal of a crescent moon appears directly above the table in a flash of dark blue light. Unraveling the scroll, Grey Wind begins to read:

Dear Grey Wind:

We have finished arranging thou lodging during thine stay in Hollowshade. Once thou arrive, look for Mr. Night Blade. He is a descendent of one of our most loyal night guard a thousand years ago, and has agreed to provide lodging for thee and thy friends. He runs an Inn in the south-most part of the town. A map of the town has been drawn on the back of this message.
Sincerely,
Princess Luna of Equestria

“Just in time.” Grey Wind smiles as she finishes her reading.

“And what about tomorrow? What’s the plan after today?” Lyra asks.

“Right. Tomorrow, we’ll visit the town library in the morning to look for the lead of the abandoned temple of the moon. Apparently the location of the temple had been lost not long before Luna turned into Nightmare Moon,” Grey Wind scratches her head, “and in the afternoon, we’ll stroll around the town and possibly buy some souvenirs for our friends back in Ponyville. We are on a vacation after all.”

“After that, we should take some time to make a plan for retrieving the star lyre, and commence the exploration of the shrine some time after that. Once we retrieve the artifact, we’ll spend the rest of the week relaxing and sightseeing around the town. We’ll return to Ponyville one week later.”

“Sounds good to me,” Bon Bon comments.

“Great plan!” Lyra exclaims.

“Is that so? Thank you, girls,” Grey Wind blushes a bit, “I actually learned most of the plan building from Twilight.”

Grey Wind’s expression invokes a round of chuckle from her two friends.

The rest of the train ride was uneventful. Grey Wind told her friends about her visit to Canterlot, and more specifically, her duel with Princess Luna. Both Lyra and Bon Bon were surprised by her matching Princess Luna in an all-out one-to-one combat. Grey Wind also showed her friends a range of arsenals she can form using her remaining subunits, ranging from sharp swords to plasma cannons.

Lyra, on the other hand, told Grey Wind about her stories with Twilight back when she lived in Canterlot. Both Grey Wind and Bon Bon awed at how Twilight had been the top student of the class in nearly all times. Bon Bon shared some of her candy ingredient lists with her friends, and even made one small butter candy using the butter provided on the train and a bit of Lyra’s cooling magic.

As the train nears its destination, all the ponies notice the change of scenery. About 4 hours after they left Ponyville, the scenery outside has switched from large, green planes to dark, flourishing forests. Though not so intimidating as Everfree, the path of the train has become less straight forward, making various turns to avoid rivers or valleys on the way.

After another three hours, just before the three friends run out of topics, the train finally comes to a full stop, a siren calling to signify its arrival. Stretching and walking out of the carriage, the three friends found themselves standing on a wooden platform in the middle of a forest, a dirt path before them leading away from the platform into the forest.

“Well…Are we there?” Grey Wind asks.

“According to what I read about, Hollowshade is located too deep in the forest to directly reach by train. Therefore, the train station is built outside the town, with a path connecting them,” Bon Bon responds, “The town must be down that path.”

“Then what are we waiting for!” Lyra exclaims. She jumps from the platform and starts trotting down the road, quickly followed by her two friends.

As the three trot down the path, they couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the forest around them. Although it’s still 5 in the afternoon, the forest is almost as dark as a night illuminated solely by a full moon. Tall oak trees grow on both sides of the path, with many plants of different shapes and sizes occupying the ground level. Vines wrap around the tall trunks, forming complex structures. Illuminative moss and mushrooms cover the fallen logs, emitting a faint blue glow. The scene is almost as serene as the dreamscape under Luna’s control.

After a 10-minute-walk, Lyra spots a faint green glow hanging on one of the tree branches on the path. Approaching, the three friends find the glow to be a signpost, with words on it written in some kind of illuminative paint:

Welcome to Hollowshade

The three friends exchange an excited glance, and hurry behind the post. After they walk past the sign, they find themselves standing at the entrance of the town of Hollowshade, a natural dome formed by two oak trees directly above them.

As the three ponies walk into the town, they all realize that this town is very much different then Ponyville. Like most other parts of the forest, the interior of the town is dimly lit, with nearly no sunlight penetrating the thick canopy.

Most of the buildings in the town are tree houses, carved out directly from large oak trees, much like the Golden Oak Library back in Ponyville. Unlike the neat arrangement of buildings in Ponyville, the tree houses in Hollowshade have nearly no arrangement patterns, forming a small forest of living quarters. Despite the narrow streets on the ground, most of the tree houses are also interconnected by wood plank bridges in the air. The town is lit not by fire or electric lights, but by some kind of round-shaped green lanterns hanging on most of the tree houses.

The town ponies the group encounter consists of all the pony species just like back in Ponyville, earth ponies, Pegasi and unicorns. The group even encounter several threstrals, or, in common sense, bat ponies on their way. What’s same about all the town ponies is that they all wear a long black cloak with a white crescent moon stitched on both sides. The sight makes Lyra and Bon Bon feel a bit uneasy, since they are the only ponies among the crowd who do not wear a cloak.

With the help of Princess Luna’s map, the three friends manage to navigate through the maze-like narrow streets to a tall tree house in the southern part of the town. A sign is hang above the front door of the tree house, with words on it written by blue illuminative paint:

The Night Inn

Walking into the open door, Grey Wind finds herself in a room that resembles a reception room of a regular hotel, with a wooden counter placed at the center of the room. Sitting behind the counter is a middle-aged male bat pony, with dark grey fur and dark blue wings. Noticing the three friends, he calls out:

“Welcome to the Night Inn, young ladies, how can I help you?”

“Um, my name is Grey Wind, and we are looking for Mr. Night Blade.”

“Oh, so you are the Pegasus the Princess had told me about. I am Night Blade. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Wind.” Leaving the counter, Night Blade walks up to the grey Pegasus and extends a hoof. Hesitating for a moment, Grey Wind accepts his hoof and shakes it.

“And these two here are your friends, I presume?” Night Blade says as he turns to Lyra and Bon Bon.

“Yes, My name is Bon Bon. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Blade.” Bon Bon says, shaking her hoof with Night Blade.

“Lyra Heartstrings, pleased to meet you, sir!” Lyra exclaims as she too shakes Night Blade’s hoof.

“Heartstrings…I must’ve heard about the name somewhere…Oh!” Night Blade’s eyes suddenly widen, an expression of pure surprise forming on his face as his sight fixes on Lyra’s cutie marks, “It can’t be…”

“Mr. Blade? What’s wrong?” Bon Bon asks.

“In the name Luna, it is you, the daughter of the Heartstrings family! So you have finally returned to where you were born after all those years! Welcome home!” Night Blade says, a grin forming on his face, “Last time I saw you, you were just still a little foal.”

“You…you know me?” Lyra asks, a frown forming in her eyebrows.

“I was not so sure at first, but I became certain as soon as I saw your cutie mark. It is nearly exactly the same as your father’s.” Night Blade smiles

“You…know my parents?” Lyra asks, her voice trembling.

“Well, they used to perform for a few times at my Inn here, so I know them a bit. I’m sorry for what happened to them, though. Sorry for bringing this subject back up,” Night Blade scratches his head.

“It’s alright, Mr. Blade. It’s all in the past now,” Lyra manages a weak smile.

“Glad to see that you aren’t mad,” Night Blade smiles, “why don’t we enjoy a dinner together? You are my first guests ever since the end of last summer, and I presume you must have been hungry after that long train ride.”

“That would be so kind of you, Mr. Blade.” A growl occurs just in time after Grey Wind finishes her sentence, causing her to smile sheepishly. Letting out a chuckle, Night Blade turns around and leads his guests into the back room.

After the ponies all sit around a round table around the room, Night Blade walks into the kitchen and moments later returns with four plates of different fruits balanced on his leathery wings. Putting the plates onto the table, he sighs:

“Sorry for dinner being a bit simple. I wasn’t expecting guests earlier today, and we bat ponies usually stick to fruits.”

“It’s alright, Mr. Blade, you are already too kind for agreeing to provide lodging for us,” Bon Bon replies as she lifts a mango from her plate and bites into it.

“I can’t possibly turn down the request from the Princess, right? Especially when my guests are the Princess’ friend as well.” Night Blade smiles, “So, what brings you here to Hollowshade?”

“Well, Princess Luna has tasked me with retrieving a magical artifact which she believed is hidden somewhere around this town. My friends and I have decided that it’s a great chance for a small holiday as well.” Grey Wind replies, “This town is very much different from where we came from.”

“Believe me, everypony who visits Hollowshade for the first time has the same reaction,” Night Blade chimes, “This town was originally found by a bat pony tribe more than a thousand years ago, and more ponies joined in later in history. Most ponies in this town used to worship Princess Luna as the goddess of the night. Now, although the religion is gone after the Princesses claim themselves as nowhere near gods, the traditions still preserve, and even become strong attractions for tourists and travelers.”

“Is it true that your ancestor was a personal guard of Princess Luna?” Bon Bon asks.

“From the family records, I can assure you that it is true, Miss Bon Bon, though I believe that was about 10 generations ago,” Night Blade answers, “After my ancestor retired, he returned to Hollowshade and started the business of the Night Inn. All of my family members maintain close relationships with Princess Luna until she turned into Nightmare Moon. Therefore, I cannot describe how excited I was when I heard that Princess Luna has returned.”

During the conversation, Lyra seems to be deep in thought, her head lowered and her eyes fixed on her plate. Noticing her expression, Night Blade asks:

“Miss Hearstrings? Is something wrong? Do the food not suite your favor?”

“No, no, Mr. Blade, the food was great,” Lyra hastily replies, “it’s just…since you know my parents, do you know where they used to live?”

“As far as I know, your parents used to live in a tree house on the northern edge of the town, far from the other tree houses. It’s at the end of a dirt path leading outside the town.” Night Blade rubs his chin, “Though I doubt you’ll find anything useful there. The house has been long abandoned.”

“I…I just wanted to see where my parents used to live, where I used to live, though I don’t remember anything about it,” Lyra says as she turns to Grey Wind, “Do you think we can visit my parents’ old house tomorrow morning?”

“Well, if you want to, of course we can!” Grey Wind answers, “Searching the library can wait until the day after tomorrow.”

Before the grey Pegasus can react, Lyra dashes towards her and pulls her into a tight hug:

“Thank you, Grey, thank you!”

“Anything for a friend.” Grey Wind smiles.

After the three friends finish their dinner, Night Blade led them to a tree house connected by an airborne wood bridge to the main building and gave them three copies of the key to the house.

The tree house is divided into three floors, with one bedroom on each of the floors. Bon Bon claims the one on the ground floor as hers, while Lyra takes the bedroom on the second floor, leaving Grey Wind the bedroom at the top. The three ponies quickly arrange their rooms and get ready to sleep as the night descends upon the town.

Putting her saddlebags back into a closet in the room, Lyra crawls onto her bed. Just as she lays down, however, she realizes one severe problem. The room does not have a single light source in it, and is engulfed almost in complete darkness.

Staring into the darkness around her, Lyra can feel a streak of cold crawling onto her spine. Frantically, she jumps from her bed and climbs onto the third floor as fast as her hoofs can carry her, before pounding extra hard on Grey Wind’s door.

“Lyra? What’s wrong?” Opening the door, Grey Wind mumbles as she rubs her sleepy eyes.

“Well…I was just thinking…Would you mind if I move the dream orb into my room? It’s…a bit dark in there.”

“Of course not, Lyra. I was actually wondering if its magic field can cover all three of us if I put it on the top floor.” Grey Wind answers. She turns back into the room and returns with the black box balanced on one of her wings.

“Thanks, grey. Good night!” Lyra replies, waving good night to the grey Pegasus, she returns to her room, places the box onto her nightstand and opens its lid, before crawling back onto her bed. The faint white glow of the pearl gives her a sense of assurance as it illuminates the dark room. Satisfied and assured, Lyra closes her eyes and drifts towards the dreamlands.