Before Nightfall · 6:45am Feb 13th, 2016
"Before Nightfall" is my operating title for a series of stories about the Moonlight Six, and other Ponies of Equestria, in the Nightmare Moon worldline that Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle created while having their Tempus Fugue battle, after the worldline split off in 1490 but before the actual return of Nightmare Moon. At this point, Princess Celestia rules Equestria and NIghtmare Moon is still imprisoned; nopony knows that history has been pushed off the track that Celestia intended -- not even Celestia, though she's becoming a bit disheartened by her failure to find a worthy student to play her part in the trap she's laid for her erring Sister at Ponyville and the old Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.
The first such story is called "Barely Rescued," and it's about an incident in YOH 1493 involving the 19-year-old Big Mac Apple, his 3-year-old sister Apple Bloom, the 13-year-old adolescent hermit Fluttershy Wind, and a bear. This doesn't happen in the main worldline, because in main worldline, Big Mac has a 15-year-old Applejack to help him manage Applebloom, and Fluttershy has already been living at Ponyville for 3 years and knows better how to handle her animal friends. In the Before Nightfall stories, Applejack has moved to Manehattan 3 years ago, and Fluttershy only decided to come live on the ground less than a year ago, when her cousin Ill Wind tried to rape her.
I will probably do other stories in this continuity, and the larger Moonlight Nights one.
I've written the first two chapters of "Barely Rescued," and I intend it to have 1-2 more. It's going to be a short story, probably no longer than 4 to 6 thousand words. I hope you all like it.
I've been kinda been writing a short story with some buddies in 'Visit To Grim Dark Worlds' shared story on deviantart about that particular world line, have you been keeping up?
Not sure how I'm going to feel about this one. The specter of what will come is going to hang over everything. At least there's enough of Luna left in the Nightmare that the world isn't going to become a snowball. Not in the immediate future, anyway.
Still, it's interesting to see that you specifically referred to all of the Mane Six, given how we only have concrete data on Rarity and Rainbow Dash. If nothing else, I look forward to seeing your takes on the others in this timeline. I'll definitely approach this one with an open mind.
3751304
Main members of the Moonlight Six are Trixie, Big Mac, Dashie, Gilda, Rarity and Derpy, as NIghmare Moon's elite squad of Shadowbolts.
Of the four who would have been Mane Six, Twilight is the rebel leader Captain Smarty Pants, Pinkie is smuggling magecrystals, Orangejack is a supplier to Moonlight Castle and Fluttershy is a mad hermit.
I'll be sure to read this one. It sounds like it'll be great.
I just really really hope nothing awful happens to little 'Bloom.