Memories and Melodies

Lyra mumbles as she rolls under her sheet, trying desperately to fall back asleep. Noticing that her brain is refusing to get back to rest, she groans and reluctantly opens her eyes. A quick glance at the clock reveals the time to be five minutes until midnight.

Waking up in the middle of the night again…Great…

Lyra sits up on her bed and rubs her eyes. Things like waking up just before midnight two days in a roll had never occurred to her before. Her instinct is screaming at her that something is definitely off, but she can’t exactly tell what it is.

While Lyra is wondering, a strange feeling runs through her body. Without warning, her horn starts humming a high-pitched sound. Her magic is resonating with something else once again.

Exactly like what happened last night…Then…

Lyra wastes no time as she jumps from her bed and runs up to her window. Peeking out, she instantly spots the familiar dark green glow outside the window. This time, though, the glow is much closer to her window, no more than 20 meters away.

I knew I wasn’t seeing things… Lyra thought. Looking closely, she can clearly see the glowing pony right outside her window. Though it is still not close enough for her to identify the detailed characteristics, she can still identify the dark green outline of the unicorn mare. Suddenly, almost as if realizing that somepony is looking at her, the unicorn turns around and trots towards the depth of the forest.

Lyra knows that this time she cannot simply sleep through and shrug this encounter into the back of her mind. For two nights this strange pony has been standing outside her window, watching her secretly in her sleep, not to mention that that pony’s whole body is glowing! Hack, she could be the reason of her waking up in the middle of the night! Something fishy is definitely going on, and this time, Lyra is going to find out!

Standing beside the window, Lyra concentrates and channels magic into her horn. Seconds later, the mint unicorn disappears in an ember flash, only to reappear in a bush down her window. Using the thick ground plants of the forest as cover, Lyra dims her horn and quietly follows the dark green glow, maintaining a 20-meter-distance between her and the mysterious pony.

The silent chase goes on for about 15 minutes, until Lyra decides that it would be better for her to get closer to her suspect. Increasing her speed, she starts shortening the distance between her and the green glow. Minutes later, the separation has decrease to about 10 meters. Just a bit closer so she can identify her characteristics---

Crack!

“Crap!” Lyra’s ember irises shrink into pinpricks as she accidentally steps onto a dead twig. The twig splinters under the high pressure, sending a small cracking sound throughout the quiet forest. Upon hearing the sound, the glowing dark green unicorn turns around towards the direction of the source.

Time seems to have stopped as the two unicorns lock eyes onto each other. Almost instantly, the dark green mare turns around and gallops into the depth of the forest, the glow getting fainter and fainter as she runs away.

“Hey, wait!” Lyra calls out, galloping after the dimming dark green glow. Knowing that there is no longer much meaning to keep hiding herself, Lyra lights up her horn to light the way and avoid bumping into any obstacles.

Two streaks of lights, one dark green at the front and one ember just behind, zip through the darkness of the forest. Galloping at her full speed, Lyra still couldn’t get any closer to dark green glow. The chase went on for no more than 5 minutes, until the dark green light zips around a large oak tree and disappears right behind it.

Lyra stops dead in her track as she loses her target. Frantically, she looks around in an attempt to relocate her target. The dark green glow, however, was nowhere to be found. The forest is almost completely dark save for the faint blue light of the illuminative mushrooms and mosses. A chill runs up Lyra’s spine as she realizes that she is inside a dark, creepy forest alone at midnight, and without any knowledge of how to return to Hollowshade.

“It’s Okay, Lyra…This is not the Everfree Forest…You are just a bit lost…Everything will be fine…” She mumbles to herself in a feeble attempt to alleviate the intense fear that is building in her heart.

Roaaar!

A howl is heard inside the forest, right behind the large oak tree, loud enough to break any bit of courage that is still left within the mint unicorn. Letting out a scream, Lyra turns around and gallops away from the tree as fast as her hooves can carry her. Behind her, she can hear the sound of splintering twigs and ripped-apart ground plants, indicating that something REALLY big is after her. All those noises only serve to stain more fear into Lyra’s intense-beating heart, forcing her to resume her intense gallop.

Oh sweet Celestia, I have to run! I cannot let it cat-

“Ouch!”

Letting out a yelp, Lyra trips over a large tree root sticking out from the ground, the intense momentum sending her flying a bit in the air and faceplanting into the ground. Before she can get back up, something large and black latches onto her, pinning her to the ground. It takes Lyra no time to identify the sharp claws and the menacing green eyes.

Not again…

A nightmare beast towers over the mint green unicorn, its mouth drooping with saliva as its greedy eyes stare at its defenseless victim. Lyra could almost see a grimace forming on the beast’s face as it rears its claw. Lyra barely had the time to close her eyes as the beast slashes down.

Boom!

Just before the claw reaches Lyra’s throat, a dark green magical burst pierces the darkness of the forest and lands precisely on the beast’s head, causing it to stagger back as its attack misses. Before the beast had any time to react, another magic burst arrives, aiming directly for the beast’s left eye. Letting out a painful whimper, the nightmare beast turns around and flees into the dark forest.

Still startled, Lyra feels a warm hoof wrapping itself around hers, as she is pulled up from the ground. Standing back up, she finds herself eye-to-eye with the very pony she had been chasing the whole night.

Standing in front of Lyra is a glowing dark green unicorn. Her long mane consists of alternating streaks of dark green and mint green, her eyes bearing a similar ember color just like Lyra’s. Watching the unicorn, Lyra instantly notices that her flank is still blank. No cutie mark.

What startles Lyra the most, however, are the mare’s irises. Unlike a normal unicorn, the irises of this strange pony are two narrow straight lines, much like those of a bat pony. Right now, the unicorn is just standing there, looking directly into Lyra’s eyes. For 5 minutes, the pair just stood there, staring into each other, until the silence is finally getting into Lyra’s nerves.

“Um…Thank you?” she says in a suspicious tone.

“You are hurt.” The mare replies in a serious voice, strangely similar to Lyra’s but a little deeper, as she points a hoof at Lyra’s swollen right hind hoof. Before Lyra can respond, a dark green aura envelopes her hoof and releases it seconds later. Looking back to her injured hoof, Lyra finds the hoof to be good as new. The wound is gone.

“Wow, did you just heal a swollen hoof in like, 5 seconds?” Lyra exclaims, “that is so cool!”

“You shouldn’t be following me. It’s dangerous,” The unicorn says, ignoring Lyra’s words.

“Hey, I won’t be following you in the first place if you didn’t just stand outside my window and watch me every night!” Lyra retorts, “Just why are you doing that?”

The unicorn seems to be not expecting this answer as she winces back, a small frown forming between her eyes:

“You are… not afraid of me?”

“Why should I?” Lyra blurts, “you just saved my life!”

The unicorn flinches back under Lyra’s high volume, her ember eyes forming an expression that is a mix of surprise and fear.

“Huh? Are you alright? Is something wrong?”

“No, no…Just…I wasn’t expecting anypony to say that to me…” The unicorn responds in a whisper, hiding her eyes behind her mane.

Not expecting anypony to say that to her? Well, that is reasonable judging from how she looks like. If anypony sees a unicorn that has thin-line pupils and a glowing body, there is nearly a 100% chance that they’ll scream and run away, right?

Looking at the dark green unicorn, Lyra rubs her chin. If that really is the case, then this unicorn could have been all alone in her whole life! She had known from Grey Wind that it must’ve felt really, really bad. Heck, she could even be the first pony apart from her family that actually talked with her!

Well then, it won’t hurt if we become friends, right? Lyra rubs her chin, a grin appearing on her face. It always feels good wo help a mare escape her loneliness. Besides, she has just become friends with a nanomachine aggregation last week. What’s the worst that could happen?

“No way!” Lyra exclaims, “Okay, maybe your eyes ARE a bit intimidating-“ The dark green unicorn winces a bit at the statement, “-you were super cool when you fended off that beast!”

“You think I’m…cool?”

“Of course!” Lyra smiles, “though why were you outside my window for two days? I sort of couldn’t fall asleep with you out there.”

“Well, I…”a glimpse of nervousness crawls onto the unicorn’s face, “I…I heard the music coming from your room… I thought it was beautiful.”

Some part of the answer seems a bit…off, but Lyra shrugs it away. That answer was reasonable enough for her.

“Oh, you liked that song? It is my favorite one as well!” Lyra exclaims, “Hey, I know! We can become friends!”

“F…Friends?”

“Yeah! We could become the best of friends! Why don’t you come back to the tree house with me? I can introduce you to my other friends!” Lyra exclaims.

“No!” The unicorn exclaims, making Lyra jump back in shock, “I…I cannot go to town! I can’t let the town ponies see me!”

“Well…I suppose you do have a point…” Lyra rubs her chin as she watches the unicorn’s glowing body, “I can’t run out of town during daytime as well…Bonnie and Grey may get worried if I do that…then…” Her eyes light up as an idea pops into her mind, “I know! We can meet again tomorrow night! At midnight, just outside my window! I’ll bring the music box so we can listen to the music together!”

The unicorn hesitates for a moment, and seems to be weighing her options. After a few minutes, she smiles weakly and responds:

“Okay…We can meet again tomorrow night…”

“Great!” Lyra extends a hoof towards the dark green unicorn, “My name is Lyra Heartstrings. Call me Lyra! What’s yours?”

“I…I don’t have a name…My mother never gave one to me…” The unicorn whispers.

“Is that so?” Lyra rubs her chin, “well then, maybe I can make you one! I’ll call you…” Lyra’s eyes light up as she blurts out the first name that jumps into her mind, “Midnight Melody! I can call you Midnight!”

“Midnight Melody…That is a nice name…I like it.” A smile appears on the unicorn’s face. Lyra smirks.

“Great! Alright, Midnight, nice to meet you!” Lyra exclaims as she extends a hoof towards her new friend. Hesitating for a moment, Midnight accepts her hoof and shakes it.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you as well, Lyra… I’m glad to be friends with you…”

“Same for me,” Lyra smirks, “alright, Midnight, I guess I do need to get back to the town now. My friends would be worried if they find out that I’m missing. Goodbye, Midnight.”

Turning around, Lyra walks away a few steps only to stop dead in her track seconds later. Turning back to the dark green unicorn, she smiles sheepishly:

“Um, Midnight? Do you know how to get back to town? I kind of got lost when I was chasing you.”

“Oh, of course! Let me help you.” Midnight says as her horn lights up. A dark green glow forms on the ground, painting a flowing dark green path through the dark forest.

“Thanks, Midnight,” Lyra smiles, “See you tomorrow at midnight, then!”

“I promise I will be there, Lyra. Goodbye.” Midnight returns the smile. Turning around, she trots towards the depth of the forest and disappears.

With the aid of the glowing path, it took Lyra less than half an hour to navigate back to the tree house. With another flash of her horn, she teleports her back to her bedroom, making sure that she does not wake up her friends in the process. Crawling onto her bed, she closes her eyes and returns to sleep, grinning at the new friendship she gained through this small midnight adventure.

Feeling the increasing amount of light shed onto her face, Grey Wind opens her emerald eyes and jumps from her bed. It is morning again, and the beginning of the first day of their quest to retrieve the star lyre. There are many things that must be done today.

Putting on her cloak, Grey Wind sighs as she recalls their visit to Lyra’s old family house yesterday. She was actually worried about what would happen if Lyra discovered the truth, but judging from her reactions yesterday, the mint unicorn seems to be doing fine. Both Grey Wind and Bon Bon are relieved by her acceptance of her past and her moving on to her future.

At least she isn’t sad anymore. Grey Wind thought as she descends down the stairs and arrives at the dining hall. Bon Bon and Lyra are already sitting at the table, munching into the fruits set on the plates before them. Noticing her, Lyra waves:

“Hey, Grey! Ready to start the investigation today?”

“You bet,” Grey Wind smiles. Sitting down at the table, she quickly proceeds onto her breakfast.

After breakfast, the three friends leave the tree house and head directly towards the Hollowshade Library. On their way, Grey Wind notices that the town seems to be slightly darker than it was yesterday. Not strange, though. Probably because of a cloudy sky above the forest.

The library is, like all other buildings in the town, a large tree house, though significantly older than her neighbors from the sole fact that it is at least twice the size of the neighboring houses. In fact, the library reminds Grey Wind of the Golden Oak Library back in Ponyville, The similarities between the two buildings are astonishing.

The door to the library is open, granting the three friends easy access. Walking into the library, Grey Wind finds a dark grey bat pony mare with dark purple mane and tail hovering beside one of the many bookshelves around the ground floor. Her cutie mark is a quarter moon encased by a black circle. Noticing the three visitors, she flies to the door and lands in front of them.

“Welcome to the Hollowshade Library! How can I-“ Her words are cut back into her throat as her eyes suddenly widen. Staring at the grey Pegasus in front of her, she scans Grey Wind, until finally her gaze fixes on the sewed-on cutie mark on Grey Wind’s cloak.

“Oh my gosh! G-Grey Wind?”

Grey Wind is startled by this sudden reaction. Managing a smile, she extends her hoof towards the bat pony:

“Uh…Hi?”

An overjoyed Squeee! is emanated from the bat pony as soon as she hears her confirmation. Jumping into the air and lifting both of her front hooves up to her face, she squeaks:

“In the name of Luna, it is really Grey Wind! THE Grey Wind that stopped a black cloud monster from gobbling up Equestria a week ago! I can’t believe it! Grey Wind is in my library!”

“Hey, Grey, you are a celebrity now!” Lyra exclaims.

Grey Wind blushes upon hearing the statement, lowering her head, she mumbles:

“I didn’t expect news to spread that fast…”

“Are you kidding? It is all over the newspapers these days!” The bat pony screams, “I became a fan as soon as I read the story! You were so cool and brave back there when you sacrificed yourself for Equestria, Ms. Wind!”

“It was…nothing, really. I just did what I had to do for my friends,” Grey Wind mumbles, her cheeks still flaming, “anyway, it is a pleasure to meet you, Miss…”

“Oh, where are my manners,” the bat pony lands in front of Grey Wind, grabs her hoof and hastily shakes it, “Nightshade Echo, the one and only librarian of Hollowshade Library, at your service! Just call me Echo!”

“It’s nice to meet you, Echo. I’m Grey Wind, as you already know, and these are my friends, Lyra and Bon Bon,” the two mares wave at Echo, as Echo waves back almost instantly, “Also, you can just call me Grey.”

“It’s an honor to meet you all, Grey Wind, Lyra and Bon Bon!” Echo exclaims, “so, what brings you to Hollowshade Library? How can I help you?”

“Well…We are looking for the almanac of the town,” Grey Wind scratches her head, “and a book about the magical artifacts of Princess Luna.”

“History books and almanacs are right here! I’ll show you!” Echo turns around and flies towards a bookshelf on the far side of the room, followed by Grey Wind, Lyra and Bon Bon.

Minutes later, Grey Wind, Lyra and Bon Bon are seated around a table surrounded by bookshelves, with Grey Wind studying Artifacts of the lost Era, written by Shadow Moon, and Lyra and Bon Bon examining the almanac of the town, which has been divided into two thick wooden-covered books. Echo is sitting across the table, eyeing the three friends with an expression that is a mix of excitedness and curiosity.

The sound of flipping papers continues for about half an hour until it finally ceases as Grey Wind stops at one particular page on her book. Raising her head, she calls out:

“Um… Girls? I think I found something.”

Instantly, all the ponies in the room, including Echo, gather behind the grey Pegasus. Laying the book onto the table and revealing a drawing of a dark blue lyre and a dark green broad sword, Grey Wind reads out:

The Star Lyre and The Blade of Moonlight

Introduction:

The star lyre and the blade of moonlight are two magical artifacts that are believed to be owned by Princess Luna herself a thousand years ago. According to legends, the lyre and the sword were infused with the Princess’ magic, and were wielded by her during the royal sister’s quest to free Equestria from the vile creatures and beasts born from dark magic. The blade could unleash the fury of the moon upon its target, and also served as a guiding light for Princess Luna’s night guards, while the music played by the lyre had the power to get rid of the negative feelings inside the heart of all who listen to it.
Current location:
Unknown
Extra information:
According to legend, after the royal sisters freed a small town within the Midnight Woods called Hollowshade, Princess Luna left the two artifacts to the town ponies as gifts to help them fend off the remaining dark creatures threatening the town. The town ponies had placed it into a temple they built for Princess Luna. However, none of these information had been helpful when it came to retrieving the artifacts, as the temple mentioned in the legend was never found.

*** The moonlight only answers the call of the brave***

“So, what do you girls think?” Grey Wind says as she finishes reading.

“Well…At least we now know what the star lyre can do, right?” Bon Bon suggests, “Also, this book confirms that it IS left inside an ancient temple for Princess Luna.”

“You are looking for the star lyre? That’s why you are in Hollowshade?” Echo squeaks, stars appearing in her eyes, “This. Is. So. Cool! I thought it was just a legend when I read about it!”

“Exactly! And take a look at what I found here!” Lyra exclaims as she flips the thick almanac onto one tethered page in the middle of the book and reads:

A.E. 430: Construction of the Temple of the Moon commenced under the supervision of the elders of the town under the Crescent Ridge.

A.E. 431: Temple of the Moon completed.

A.E. 432: The Darkest Night.

“Here it says that there was a temple of the moon constructed right below some place called Crescent Ridge! This could be the temple that holds the artifacts!” Lyra exclaims.

“The Crescent Ridge? I know that place!” Echo interrupts, “it’s a small hill right beside the Full Moon Lake! It was one of my favorite spots to hang around when I was younger! Though I didn’t remember seeing anything resembling a temple there.”

“Well done, Lyra, and I believe I just found something as well…” Bon Bon says as she lifts her half of the almanac onto the table, “turns out there is a map collection of the town attached to this almanac. Look at this!” She flips to a page at the very beginning of the map section, urging all the ponies around the desk to look into it.

Drawn on a piece of tethered paper is a sketch of the map of Hollowshade a thousand years ago. On the upper edge of the map, a small house shaped mark located at the foot of a hill, with the words ‘the Temple of the Moon’ written below it.

“This must be where the temple is!” Grey Wind exclaims, “excellent! There is a great chance that the lyre will be there! Now we just need to figure out how to get there-“

“I can take you there!” Echo blurts as she jumps in front of the grey pegasus, her eyes shining with excitement, “Ohhhh, please take me with you! I’ve always wanted to go on such an adventure!”

“Well…” Grey Wind scratches her head, “nopony knows what awaits in that temple. It could be dangerous…”

“Oh, come on! I’m tougher than I look like! I’ve been sneaking out into the forest since I was, like 5 years old? I’m confident that nopony in this town knows about Midnight Woods better than I do! I’m the best guide you can find!” Echo points to herself with pride.

“You know, she does have a point,” Bon Bon suggests, “we hardly know anything about all the stuff we’ve been seeing around this town. A guide could be handy.”

“I suppose you are right, Bon Bon.” Grey Wind smiles as she extends a hoof towards the bat pony, “Alright, Echo, welcome to the team!”

A wide grin appears on the bat pony’s face as she takes off and barrel rows in the air.

“I can’t believe it! I’m going on an adventure with Miss Grey Wind! This is so exciting!” Landing back onto the ground, she turns to the grey Pegasus, “so, when would you like to go?”

“As soon as possible!” Grey Wind smirks.

“Aye-Aye, Miss! Just let me grab my cloak and we’ll be on our way!” Echo salutes before grabbing a black cloak hanging on one of the bookshelves and dashing outdoors, quickly followed by Grey Wind, Lyra and Bon Bon. After Echo locks the door of the library, under Echo’s lead, the group leaves Hollowshade and head directly towards the Full Moon Lake.