I had informed Her Majesty that there was potential unease in the distant village of Apple Valley, and of my wish to help quell it before it grew. She didn’t seem that interested in it—after all, Apple Valley is home to mainly earth ponies. Eventually, she agreed to my errand, saying it should prove amusing at the least. I am glad she trusts me enough to travel without guard.

I have wondered about that, at times. Her Majesty, an all-powerful alicorn, deciding to take on an apprentice. Even her most recent behavior suggests some sort of indolence. Perhaps she has already done all she set out to do.

In any case, the travel out to Apple Valley was uneventful. It was my arrival, however, that was colder than a winter’s evening.

I do not blame them. There are things I have done, under Her Majesty’s tutelage, that I do not take pride in. I am not her right hoof for nothing.

Fortunately, Gala Star’s earlier arrival helped settle things down so that we could at least have civil discourse with the elders of the Apple Family Clan. We met in private, though I suspect there were many eavesdroppers.

Red Delicious, Fuji, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, and Macoun. The five eldest members of the Apple Family Clan. They looked mostly uneasy at my visit, and demanded what I was there for.

I decided to be open and honest: I told them about the alicorn in the deepest dungeon named Celestia. I told them I knew nothing of her, and wanted to learn.

The moment I said the name, a hush fell over all of them. I had never experienced such oppressive, contemplative silence before. They looked to one another, exchanging glances and grimaces. But at least I knew I was in the right place.

It was Red Delicious who came forward. And what he had to say… it has changed me. I shall do my best to faithfully record what he said to me:

“Once upon a time, there were two alicorns. Their names were Princess Celestia and her younger sister, Princess Luna. They ruled over Equestria’s day and night… that’s right, youngin’. There used to be a thing called day. I remember it…

“Day was warm, and full of sunshine and light. You saw other ponies and laughed and played. And then there was night, a time for meditation. To sleep. To rest. It didn’t use to just be night.

“I wasn’t there when it happened, but I’ve heard there was this tremendous battle. A great clashing of magic. Then this dark shadow appeared on the moon, and the night came and never went.”

I sat for a moment, gathering my thoughts about all of this. I knew what had become of Celestia, but where was Luna? None of the elders had the answer. They had the memory, but did not bear witness to this history.

I returned to the castle with Gala Star, reporting my mission successful to Her Majesty. It took everything within my being to not shake under her gaze. She simply smiled and thanked me, before dismissing me.

The others were shaken to the core when I told them. Gala had been bothering me about what they had said the whole way back, but I vowed we would all hear what the elders had said at once.

Stardust was interested in everything Red Delicious had described about the day. The others simply looked out the window, where the ever-full moon glared down at us. Along with that shadow that had appeared alongside the eternal night.

It will not be easy, but the only course of action I can see before me is to ask Celestia herself, as to what became of her sister and her day…

Author's Note

"Does thou also have a feeling of deja vu? I cannot explain it."