Fire and ash.
The smell of burnt flesh.
The sight of their friends, injured or dead, scattered all around them.
Deafening silence in place of bloodcurdling screams and clashing metal they heard moments ago.
Countless presences that were darker than the night, emerging from the shadows surrounding them.

In an instant, the figure shot awake with a haunting scream, breathing rapidly and struggling to control their quivering body.

Were it not for the fire-resistant fabric that made up their tent and sleeping bag, these would have been burnt to a crisp before they had even woken up.

Tears streamed down their face as the inconsolable panicked being of shadow and flame tried to slow down their breathing and calm themselves, to no avail.

Instead, they harshly closed their eyes as they crawled outside, and carefully sat down in the dewy grass, praying to the Heavens above that they would not cause yet another uncontrollable fire.

Fortunately, the area was cool and quiet, and the sky was cloudless, allowing the Moon to shine its rays on the area around them.

Only after they opened their eyes to look at the countless stars above did the flames on their head and tail die down, slowly revealing the golden mane that flowed from their head, and wrapped around their neck to their chest.

Then, as the cloven-hooved being emerging from the fire and darkness took a deep breath, their pitch-black coat steadily brightened, until their sky-blue fur, adorned with green scales on their head and back, became visible to the eye once again.

Finally, the horn on their head, curved, branched, and marked in its own unique manner, regained its red colour, completing the Nirik’s transformation back into the Kirin who was now trying to clean their face of tears.

It had been far too long since Healthy Light had slept for a full night without being plagued by nightmares and visions of disaster, yet no being had been able to help them.

Their village was aware of the countless restless nights that they had to endure for years on end.

But to continue being as polite and understanding to others as they were, all while never failing to perform the duty to which they were bound, it was only natural that they asked for some time away.

Now, it had been a few days since they left their home, and set out to the capital of Equestria, where they hoped to find an answer to what had been tormenting them for so long.

Even though their voice had been returned to them years ago by now, thanks to Autumn Blaze and two Elements of Harmony, they had not yet been able to put their visions into words, be it spoken or on paper.

What little they were able to say or write down without losing their composure was collected into a letter so vague, it was almost cryptic, and sent along with a massive pile of packages and documents to be delivered elsewhere.

After a couple of months with no response to speak of, however, they prayed to the Heavens that it had at least safely reached the intended recipient, as they knew of no other being to whom they could send their message, be it of their own kin, or any other.

They had almost given up hope for a reply from the last being that they figured could help them, when the next shipment of letters arrived.

In this massive collection of scrolls, packages, and documents, to their immense relief, they found two letters addressed to them, of which, one that bore the Royal Seal of the Two Sisters of Equestria.

To their surprise, however, the second letter was an invitation from a name they had only heard in passing from Ponies and Dragons, Griffons and Hippogriffs. All visitors who travelled here to meet friends they had made with their kinsfolk.

They were very surprised, and somewhat unsettled to find, then, that the letter contained not only their full name, but even the species of tree and the colours thereof in which their house had been built.

Given that they had neither ventured far outside of the borders of their homeland, nor made themselves known to more than a couple of travellers who briefly stopped to talk to them at their post, at first, Light simply disregarded the letter.

Only after the delivery Pony told them with a chuckle that this was one of at least a small hoofful of Ponies in Equestria capable of the impossible, did they hesitantly take the letter, quietly thank the Mailmare, and headed home.

They had intended to return to their post, only for their companions to tell them that they would take over their watch for a while, and politely asked them to focus on themselves.

With a small smile that carried great burdens, Light nodded to their companions, told them to stay safe, and asked them to let them know if anything appeared, before they returned to their home.

Here, they carefully opened the letter sealed with the Royal Seal, in which they found a letter from the Lunar Princess, who sincerely thanked them for reaching out to her, even if she never expected to receive a message about such a terrible fate, least of all from their kin.

She admitted that she had not heard much news from their village since the Elements of Kindness and Honesty returned from their quest, but the historical records shared with them by Rain Shine, the Eldest, had taught her and her Sister much, and she would be glad to help them.

However, since her duties bound her to the Capital, they would have to travel there to meet her.
For this reason, she formally invited them to an upcoming event at the Royal Castle of Canterlot, where she hoped to make their acquaintance.

The moment they read the sentence that mentioned they were invited there, a golden ticket emerged from the scroll and hovered in front of them, upon which was written their name, as well as a small note in ink that ended in a long streak, as if the ticket was pulled away as she was writing.

Its minuscule size made it hard to read, but after Light gently took the ticket and looked closely, tears started to form in their eyes when they understood what the Princess had written to them:

“We promise thee, Light; this, too, shall pass.”
“Thine, Luna---”

After they wiped away their tears, Light found that the clear writing on the letter was vastly different to the hasty and messy scribble on the ticket, and they wondered whether the Lunar Princess had actually written the letter herself.

Knowing that they were likely just one of hundreds, if not thousands of beings across the world sending letters to the Sisters, they figured that her words were merely transcribed by another Pony.

Thanks to this, the note on the ticket meant even more to them, so they carefully placed it on their chest as they whispered their gratitude to the Princess, before they finished reading the letter.

After they rolled up the scroll, Light looked at a nearby map, and they figured that if they left now, they would have at least a couple of days to spare before they even reached the Capital, but waiting too long to leave could risk delaying them too much.

It took some time of thinking of what to do for Light to remember the second letter they were sent by a Pony they had only vaguely heard of.
Still, the name reminded them of another bearer of an Element of Harmony, as they were told by Miss Fluttershy when she and Miss Applejack returned.

After they slowly opened the letter, they found that it contained a brief letter and a pair of maps.
One circled a location near a town along their path to Canterlot, and the other detailed the grounds of a theme park of sorts, as well as trails of coloured horseshoes scattered throughout.

As they looked over the second map, though, Light realised that the colours of the horseshoes were identical to the colours of their hooves and scales, their coat, and even their horn and mane.
Even the darker-red markings on their horn matched the coloured marks they saw on the red horseshoes.

In response, Light discreetly looked around, fearing they were being watched, before they took the letter that came with the maps.
Instantly, they were stunned, as they read that “you don’t have to look around, I am not nearby”, before the writer asked them to “please visit ‘Pie Park’ if you are in the area. Signed, Banana Pie.”

While a part of their mind told them that it was too strange, and not to trust it, another part said that it was close to Ponyville, where they could visit the Elements, and ask them if they knew anything about this Pony before they continued on their journey to Canterlot.

Perhaps, they figured, it would even be wise to ask the Elements for guidance to Canterlot Castle.
Not only had they never been there before, but they knew nothing about the event that was being held there, and they did not want to make a poor first impression with the Lunar Lady.

Because it was still the middle of the night, they would very much like to continue sleeping, at least until the Sun rose. But their rapidly beating heart, combined with their expectation that they would only be haunted by visions again, told them that it was best to stay awake for a while.

With a deep sigh, Light slowly put a couple of logs on the smouldering fire that laid next to their tent, and poked around at it with their hoof. Although they cared little for the warmth, the light of the flames would at least make it a little easier to read the map they had taken along.

After some careful reading, retracing the path they took over the last few days, and looking at the Palace of Ponyville a mere stone’s throw away from where they were sitting, Light figured that they would reach the Park not long after sunrise.

Despite the pouch of coins they possessed, they did not even know if these would be accepted by any storekeeper. For that reason, as well as the time they arrived the evening prior, and their lack of knowledge about the area, they had decided to set up a small camp near the edge of the town.

When their stomach growled, though, they put the map back in their satchel, and from the same bag, they grabbed an unusually large cauldron, which they hung over the fire. To this, they added a mixture of meats and vegetables, and slowly cooked the stew for a while.

The delicious scent that emanated from the pot brought a sweet smile to their face and tears to their eyes. Even through their exhaustion, it always cheered them up to remember the times they spent doing the simplest of things, be it walking through the forest, or cooking a meal.

They often made the same stew they enjoyed with those closest to them, and they knew the recipe by heart. Still, they had yet to perfectly recreate the exact taste of the stew they made so long ago with the help of their dearest friends, but they were relieved to know they were never far off.

While they enjoyed their stew in peace and quiet under the light of the Moon, however, they stopped before they could fill their bowl again. Then, to make sure that what they were seeing was not a hallucination of sorts, they rubbed their eyes and blinked a few times, but the sight remained.

Floating through the air directly towards the pot of stew was a Pony, unadorned by either wings or a horn like the Bearer of Honesty. Both coat and mane were bright pink, and the mark Light saw on the flank of the Pony was one they recognised as that of the Bearer of Laughter, Miss Pinkie Pie.

However, Light did not dare raise a hoof to the seemingly sleeping and floating Pony before them, and merely watched as a kerchief was tied around her neck, and another bowl was placed in her hooves by little more than faint vapour rising from the pot.

The sight was terribly confusing, but it appeared as though the Pink Mare bore no ill will, and was merely drawn here by the scent of the stew. So, while keeping an eye on her, Light scooped a portion of stew into her bowl, before she slowly floated back to whence she came.

"If the one who sent me the invitation was even half as inexplicable", Light thought to themselves, "I'm in for a treat..."

Author's Note

Looking back at where I started writing over 2½ years ago by now, I've improved a lot. As opposed to the style I had gotten used to over that time, this story will be written with far better formatting.