It was a bright day in Ponyville, the sun was shining, birds singing, and a purple haired youth was walking back from her activities in the park with an owl perched on her shoulder. Her violet eyes shown bright in the sunlight and her smile was even brighter. She opened up the door to the hollowed out tree that she called her home.

“Owlowiscious, would you mind getting my calendar for me?” said Twilight coming in the door of the tree bound library.

“Who” responded the owl as he floated over from her shoulder to the drawer where it was always was.

“That was one of the play dates ever! I was totally surprised when Pinkie decided to do a play staring all the pets, and even more surprised at how well you guys did with no rehearsals!”

“Who” responded the owl with a sense of pride.

“Okay with the play date done, that leaves the rest of the week free to get ready to watch the lunar eclipse!” She mused excitedly.

“So let me guess,” a little boy clad in a purple and green jacket said coming down the stairs, “We need to get started on a checklist of all the items we’ll need to write the checklist of all the items we need to watch the eclipse?”

“Oh Spike, “ chided the purple haired girl, “You know we need to first make a verbal checklist of what we’ll need for the first written check list.“

Before Spike could interject on behalf of his hand, his cheeks puffed out before letting out a burp and flash of green flame that coalesced into a rolled up piece of parchment.

“It’s a letter from the Princess!” said Twilight, curiosity welling up inside her as to the contents.

“From both Princesses!” corrected Spike after seeing both the solar and lunar seals on the letter.

“Oh my, it must be an important task if both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sealed it.” She noted with some worry.
Spike cleared his throat before reciting the letter.

My dearest, most faithful student Twilight Sparkle,
Since the changelings were pushed back to the wastes, there have been pockets of Equestria that before were under their influence that have now been released.

“It looks like Princess Luna wrote this next part,” noted Spike before continuing

It is the opinion of our my sister and ourself myself , that these lands be thoroughly explored before the changelings amass in again and retake the land lost. We have sent expedition teams to most of the locations now liberated however…

There is a section of land nearer to Ponyville that has remained untouched and we cannot spare the extra help to search it. We would ask for your assistance in exploring this area and report back to us directly in Canterlot.

This is a task of the utmost importance Twilight Sparkle. We hope you send a swift reply so we may coordinate the other task forces accordingly.

“Wow, this is heavy…” lamented Spike as he rolled up the parchment

“Did the message say where exactly the territory was?” she asked, clearly exuberant.

“Uhh, no. Maybe they’re waiting for a response?”

“Then take a note Spike!” she said with haughty enthusiasm.

Dear Princess Celestia,

“And Luna,” added Spike. He was aware that she was just in a routine when dictating these letters.

“Right, Right, thanks Spike!” she answered with great appreciation.

Dear Princesses Celestia and Luna,
I humbly accept this great task you have set out for me. Please let me know which direction is the section you would like me to take care of.

Twilight blinked a little before turning to Spike.

“That seems a little short doesn’t it?”

“Well yeah” said Spike rereading the letter. “You really don’t have much to go on right now so that’s natural.”

“Well then,”

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

Spike rolled up the piece of parchment and wandered over to the window to deliver it. After coming back Spike had a question on his mind.

“Twilight, I thought you were looking forward to watching the lunar eclipse. Why did you accept the Princesses’ task?”

Twilight blinked multiple times. She ran on automatic, whenever the princess asked her for help she always accepted. But this time it may come at the cost of missing the eclipse.

“B- But the princesses asked for my help, I can’t rightly say no to them can I?”

“Well, yeah. They said it would help, not that you needed to do it.”

Twilight paced around the room thinking. The letter was sent so there wasn’t much she could do about that. But she really wanted to see this eclipse. It only happened once in a generation, and hadn’t happened at all while Princess Celestia was tasked with both heavenly bodies. Princess Luna was the one who thought of the eclipse as a way to get everyone to enjoy her night a bit more. Not enough as it turned out, but she never shared the secret of the eclipse with her sister. Thus, this was going to be the first lunar eclipse in over one thousand years. There would never be another event like it in her life time!

“Oh, what should I do Spike? If I don’t get back in time to watch the lunar eclipse, I’ll never get another chance to see it!”

“You could always ask Princess Luna to hold off on it ‘til you finished the task she assigned for you” said the young boy flatly. “After all, she’s the one who-“

“NO!” Twilight said loudly while nervously pacing about the floor. “I couldn’t ask Princess Luna to delay such a momentous occasion just for me! What about all the other people looking forward to it as well? They’ll be prepared for it and eclipse that won’t come!”

“You could always watch-“

“No Spike, I’ll just have to send another letter. She won’t be too disappointed if-“

Another burp and flash of green flame interrupted her and Spike quickly read the letter.

“They say that you’ll have to take the other wielders of the elements since they don’t know what to expect where they are sending you….” He kept reading past fluff and official wording and looked back at Twilight worriedly. “The other side of the Everfree Forest…”

The six girls were walking through the forest in a tight formation for safety. The front of the group was the golden haired Applejack. Her hard, farmworker’s body was perfect to trail blaze through the unknown wilds they walked through.

“It’s a good thing the Princess asked us to come along. Ah’d hate to cross the whole of the Everfree forest m’self.” Said Applejack.

“Mmhmm” answered Twilight from behind her, she was navigating the group with the map given to her by Celestia and updated by Zecora. They had decided to travel during the day to avoid getting lost through the thick branches and kept mostly to the trail until the map dictated they should leave it for the fastest route.

“It’s a good thing that Zecora knows this forest like the back of her hand, I would hate to be lost in this dreadful place for too long.” Said Rarity, tip toeing her way through the dirt and sludge in an effort to stay relatively clean. She of course brought the ‘best traveling dress’ to wear, a shorter length on her usual dress and her high heeled boots were ‘clearly useful for such travels’. Applejack had nearly snorted her drink out her nose when she heard Rarity say that.

“Ummm, did we really have to leave the road?” said a clearly nervous Fluttershy hiding behind Pinkie Pie and her own long forelock.

“Yes,” answered a concentrated Twilight. “This is the quickest way to the area we need to search.”

“And safest right?” asked AppleJack pushing past another branch.

“Uh huh, sure…” said Twilight disinterested. She was concentrated on the map, trying to find any shortcuts so she could make it back in time for the eclipse. Only she had noticed that they had looped back twice already in her efforts. She prayed that no one would notice if they had to do it again. Rainbow Dash, who brought up the rear of the group, was stomping through the path that her friends cleared through, clearly getting impatient.

“Seriously, why do we have to go through the forest? You gals could go around it while Fluttershy and I fly over and make a camp ahead of you guys.”

“Because that could take a week or two!” said Twilight distressed. Then I would defiantly miss that eclipse!

“Ah don’t think we should be splittin’ up in any case. We don’t know what’s waitin’ for us on the other side.” Affirmed AppleJack. She looked up at the canopy above them trying to get a sense of direction or time. She only found the answer to one. “Whooee, where did the time go? Maybe we should make camp girls, it’s about to be gettin’ dark.”

“What? No!” Twilight cried. “I’m sure we didn’t loop back that much! How did we lose that much time?” Her eyes shot back to her map.

“WHAT?!?” the other five said in unison.

“You mean to tell me that not only have I been walking in muck and filth for the better part of a day, but I may have walked through the same muck and filth TWICE?” Rarity complained. “These boots weren’t meant for this kind of abuse!”

“Sugarcube, why didn’t ya tell us we were lost?” Applejack asked after rolling her eyes at Rarity’s comment.

“Yeah, it already stinks enough that I can’t fly through this fast. But twice? And I wasn’t even going for a speed record.”

“I mean, I’m okay with having a sleepover party as much as the next person,” Pinkie Pie piped in. “But not in this super dark, scary, don’t even know what maybe around the next corner forest!”

All Fluttershy could manage was a small squeak at the prospect of having to stay even one night in the forest.

Twilight backed into a tree as all five of her friends pushed in with questions and accusations. She couldn’t tell them the real reason she had them circling around. That was much too selfish. Come on, think Twilight, think! Suddenly an idea to get them out of the forest quicker hit her.

“H-Hey,” she said channeling an illumination spell to her hand. “If I light the way we can keep walking ‘til we get out of the forest, then we can set for camp right?”

The five girls looked at her incredulously.

“What good does that do us if you don’t know where you’re going?” Rainbow said taking the map from Twilight and took off straight up into the air breaching the canopy. Before anyone can call up to her to find out what was going on, she came back down.

“Okay, I got some good news.”

“Spill it already!!” Pinkie said over excitedly.

“Chill Pinkie, from up there it looks like we’re around here.” She pointed to a spot on the map that was really close to the other boarder of the forest.

“Rainbow, I didn’t know you could read maps that well!” said a surprised Fluttershy

“The newer books of Daring Do have cloth maps of her adventure tucked in the front cover. I just compared the map to the layout I saw up above the trees just like she did!”

“Thank goodness,” sighed Rarity looking about her, “I don’t think my hair could stand sleeping in this mess.”

“Rainbow, you tell Twilight where to go. If’n ya need to take a survey of the land let us know before you take off.” Said Applejack taking command of the group.

“You got it!”

“ ’N Twi?”

“Yes…” she answer guiltily

“Yer gonna take the lead and light the way so we kin see where we’re goin’” Applejack finished sternly.

“Yes……” Twilight said dejectedly and leading the way out to the designated point navigated by Rainbow Dash.

Twilight woke up the next morning groggy. After Rainbow took charge of navigating, it only took two to three hours to get out the other end. Of course she wanted to begin the survey when they got there but everyone was exhausted and de facto leader AJ knocked that idea down. Twilight sighed as she got her first good look of the area. From the look of it, it was going to be a quick search, map it out, and be back by the time the lunar eclipse rolled in.

She decided she had put her friends through enough trouble and grabbed as much of the gear as she could and started the survey. So far it looked just like rolling plains, nothing much different from the area around Ponyville.
After about an hour of looking she decided to take stock and map out what was seen. She took out the map and noticed that, if the scale was correct, and if Rainbow Dash led them out of the forest that easily then it was, she hadn’t even covered half of one acre of the fifty acres she had to survey.

No no no no no no no!! At this rate I’ll never finish the survey in time for the lunar eclipse!! Come on Twilight, pick up the pace! But before she could start moving, her shirt got caught on something and pulled her back. She whirled around to see her five friends looking mighty cross at her.

“Twi, we may not know much about this surveyin’ stuff,” began AJ. “But we CAN tell when our friend is rushin’ to finish everything that she can’t even see her own hand in front of her.”

“Honestly Twilight,” said Rarity walking up and stroking Twilights purple locks, “You’re running yourself so ragged that your beautiful hair is suffering and I cannot stand to see my friend do this to herself.”

Everyone nodded in agreement to these sentiments.

“Oh girls, you really worry too much I-“

“Sugarcube, the faster you tell us the truth about what’s going on the faster we can help you finish this thing.”

Twilight sighed, she should have known better than to keep something from her friends. She recounted about the lunar eclipse and how and when the letter arrived to the girls.

“Welp, I guess that means we all gotta pick it up double time.” Said Rainbow smiling.

“Yeah! There’s no way we would let our friend miss a once in a lifetime opportunity! That would be like missing the best party ever! gasp That would be terrible!” Pinkie Pie continued.

The gesture warmed Twilight’s heart as she laid out the plans of how to survey the area. With six pairs of eyes the survey went much more quickly and by the end of the third day they were three-quarters the way done. When the fourth day began, Twilight was less than enthusiastic about the survey.

“Oh Twilight, you don’t look as energetic today, what’s the matter?” asked Fluttershy.

All the girls listened in on what could be bothering her. Twilight, knowing she couldn’t keep the truth from her friends this time, came clean.

“The lunar eclipse is tonight. So there’s no way we can get this finished before tonight AND make it back to Ponyville before the eclipse starts…”

“So why don’t we watch it here?” asked Pinkie Pie. “We can have an eclipse watching party!!! I think I brought balloons in my pack!”

That comment left everyone blinking. Of course they could watch the eclipse from here. Why didn’t anyone think of that? Of course, Twilight wished she had brought her telescope but she could still see the eclipse with just her eyes. It probably would be just as wonderful as from her home in Ponyville. And even better, she would spend the time with her friends.

Once they arrived at the last part of the land, the land closest to where the changelings were biding their time, they slowed down. There, the land was almost as if they had reached the wastes that the changelings called their home. And scattered across this barren territory were the empty husks of other people. They could only assume these were the previous meals for the creatures that lived not far from where they stood. The sight sent shivers down everyone spines. None more so than Twilight.

This could have happened to Shining Armor if the Changeling Queen didn’t need to keep up the charade. She thought to herself. Thank goodness she had been skeptical of ‘Princess Mi Amore Cadenza’s’ actions so she and the real Princess Cadence could rescue her brother from such a fate.

“This is so cruel, no one deserves a fate like this…” said Fluttershy quietly hiding deep behind her hair.

Twilight steeled herself and pressed onward.

“Come on girls, all we have left is this area. After this we can head toward home…” her voice trailed off at seeing the sheer number of victims. Was this a feeding ground way back when? Or just a dumping site for the bodies. Either way no one cared for this area, and Twilight detailed out the map as necessary. They pressed on until nightfall.

Right at the edge of that territory, the last necessary part to map, was another patch of green, much like all the lands previous. They would have all commented on the beauty of such a piece of paradise among the wastes, especially its timing as night fell, had it not been for the statue in the middle of the emerald blades of grass. One could quickly mistake it for another one of the former inhabitants of the land, however this one seemed more expertly carved and not worn and cracked. The statue was of a boy, seemingly no older than any of the girls. He seemed to be taking a defensive posture with his arms crossed in front of his face and his body crouched down low.

“Reminds me of how we left Discord.” Rainbow Dash said trying to alleviate the party somewhat.

Rarity chimed in, “Yes, the craftsmanship on this piece is exquisite! I would think that a young man was merely incased in the stone as opposed to the statue being sculpted out of one.”

Pinkie Pie was already knocking on it to see if it was hollow.

“Pinkie, don’t go touching things we don’t know. What if you break it?” Twilight scolded.

“Oh he’ll be fine, and lookie! There’s some writing!”

Twilight brought her face, with hand illuminated, close to the writing

The man who balanced both day and night, shall see neither until the time
That both sun and moon, titans of the sky, refuse to shine.

“The sun AND moon not shinin’?” asked a confused Applejack. Everyone seemed to mull over that point.

“I’m more curious about the line ‘The man who balanced both day and night’, what could that mean?” Twilight thought aloud.

“Maybe he slept at night and took naps all through the day? Ooh, or he balanced between that and staying up all day and night!” offered Pinkie Pie.

Everyone looked at her skeptically.

“Either way, why write a riddle like this on a statue? It couldn’t have been made by the changelings and Princess Celestia or Princess Luna would have told us about an important piece of art like this out here.” Twilight posited.

“What if it IS someone trapped in stone?” asked Applejack.

“We’ll find out whether or not it is soon enough” said Twilight.

“What are you talking about?” asked Rainbow Dash for everyone present.

“A lunar eclipse is when the moon is blocked from sight. And the sun isn’t in the sky so technically the riddle here comes true.”

Everyone turned toward the moon as a bit of it was already going dark. Everyone could feel the weight of the process as, little by little, the light of the moon was going dark. The shadow cast darkness on the land that was enveloping it faster that the moon was being obscured. Suddenly the six girls felt as though they wished they were witnessing this marvel from the safety of their homes in Ponyville. Soon enough the darkness shrouded the collection of shivering women in pitch darkness. Or was it?

Twilight opened her eyes and saw the marvelous stars twinkling more brightly than they ever had before.

Without the moon the stars look wonderful! If only-

Her train of thought was interrupted when there was a light suddenly shining from behind them. She turned to see the statue surrounded in a dim glow. Soon everyone was looking at the statue as it was the only source of illumination, save for Twilight’s spell. As soon as the moon became unblocked, even in the slightest, the statue seemed to vanish. As the moon lit the area again the statue was replaced by a boy, slumped on the ground. Unlike the statue, he seemed battered and bruised. He writhed in pain, mumbling something no one could hear. Twilight reacted first.

“He’s hurt!” she cried running toward the youth, hand flaring up with some healing magics as everyone followed her toward him. Rainbow sped past Twilight and held him up in her arms for Twilight to start with the more critical wounds.
His murmurs caught Rainbow’s ear. Her earlier statement now came back to her mind.

“Guys, he’s saying Discord! How does he know Discord?” she asked.

“That ain’t important right now Rainbow.” Scolded Applejack.

“That’s right, now lay him down, Rainbow.” Said a still concentrated Twilight.

Rainbow Dash slowly complied and set him on the ground. Now everyone could clearly see most of his features. He was a unicorn, athletically built. His hair was an orange red, almost the color of sunset. He had on the same clothing as the statue. With the statue it looked timeless but now, in the flesh, it seemed dated, although familiar to Twilight.

“Hey!” interjected Pinkie Pie “Isn’t that the royal insignia?”

Everyone looked at the symbol. The sun was the predominant feature but the moon was encased inside it, almost seeming like it was supporting it from the inside.

“I don’t think so Pinkie…” said Fluttershy “The royal seal is just the sun with princess on the inside of it ….. um.. right?”

“Yer right Fluttershy, that looks like A royal signin’, but not THE royal signin’.“

“It is the royal insignia, just an old one.” Said Twilight, hands ceasing their glow. “They were thinking of bring it back but Princess Luna decided to have her own seal. He’s wearing an old version of the guard uniform. I remember seeing it in History of the Guard back in the Canterlot library.”

“But why would he have that dreadfully outdated uniform?” Rarity questioned.

“Why would he poof in from nowhere?” countered Applejack.

“Umm, I think he may be coming to.” said Fluttershy.

The boy’s eyes fluttered open, he was barely conscious.

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash said harshly. “Who are you, what’s your name?”

“Rainbow, settle down.” Scolded Twilight. She turned to the youth and gently put her hand on his sweat laden brow. “Can you tell us your name?” she said gently almost cooing.

“….name.. is… Star… Dusk….” He said with a breathy voice before passing out entirely leaving the girls looking to each other for any answers.

“Um, what should we do now?” questioned Fluttershy.

“Well, today’s been a long day.” Admitted Twilight, “And I’m sure Princess Celestia will recognize the old uniform so she can cast more light on the situation. So, I suggest we sleep here for tonight then take him home with us.”

“But what if he’s dangerous?” Rainbow Dash interjected.

“Then it’ll be up to you an’ me to keep an eye on him, that’s all.” The blonde haired girl suggested.

“And you’ll get that chance too. I’ll put a sleep spell on him so he stays out.” Said Twilight, “I healed most of the external wounds but if he has any on the inside… well I don’t think he should be moving around by himself so soon. Plus the change in scenery-“

“We get it...” Said Rainbow Dash, “Let’s get some shut eye, I wanna get the full story from this guy ASAP.”

Everyone agree on the sleep sentiment and all slept soundly on that field of green underneath the bright stars.

Author's Note

Been forever since I last wrote anything, fanfic or otherwise. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.