Silver Quill placed a bookmark and closed the book, hearing a noise from outside. There was something in the bushes, headed straight for the cabin, and Dareasus was nowhere in sight. Silver Quill decided to hide in the rotten remains of what used to be a food chest. The rustling turned into thumping as the whatever-it-was made its way onto the porch of the house. Silver Quill felt her heat racing as she tried to keep her breathing quiet. That's when it walked into the house.
The thing in question was actually one of the royal guards, he had somehow tracked Silver Quill and Dareasus to the cabin. The stallion began searching the house. Silver Quill knew that the guard was going to find her eventually; she was going to have to try and make an escape. She didn't know where Dareasus had gone, but she would have to leave the cabin and get to a safer place. There was a mostly-rotten shelf positioned above the food chest, Silver Quill started working on it with her magic. She got done with it just in time, as the Royal Guard was making his way towards the food chest. With the groan and snap of old wood breaking, the shelf above the food chest mysteriously crashed down.
Now Silver Quill just had to escape while the guard was distracted. She tested the wall behind the chest to see if she could carve her way out. There was a small hole covered in moss that was just too small to fit her. Silver Quill crashed through the hole nonetheless, tumbling onto the front porch. She didn't care that the guard had heard, she just wanted to leave. She couldn't take the tension anymore. Luckily, Silver Quill had just made it to a small hiding place in some brush when the royal guard flew out of the door. Five more guards flew down from the treetops, apparently not noticing Silver Quill.
She slowly made her way through the forest, until she stumbled upon another cottage. This one was a lot better in condition, and may have been recently inhabited. After Silver Quill knocked on the door and looked in the windows, however, she concluded that nopony lived there. There was an open window on the top floor, a ladder placed conveniently close by. Silver Quill bucked the ladder down to the ground after she climbed it, and closed and latched the window she had just entered. After taking a few minutes to calm down, Silver Quill decided to keep reading the book.
Falling Star glanced at me for a second, then she began to tell me what was going on. "A long time ago, Celestia had a fight with her sister, Luna. Or as you know her, Nightmare Moon. Celestia feared that Luna would return to Equestria one day, and she feared that Luna would want revenge. So, Celestia started planning. She hired me and a few other ponies, her best magicians, to help her with her plan. She told us to devise a spell that would let her change any unicorn into an alicorn, it didn't matter if they were worthy or not.
We all told her that such a thing was not possible, and even if it was possible, that we shouldn't mess with that kind of magic. But she had her guards lock us up and forced us to work on a spell. Two of the other magicians were executed for not helping create the spell. If I was to know what was to happen, I would've preferred death over this. Eventually, Celestia grew impatient. We were disturbingly close to creating the spell when she demanded that the spell be given to her tomorrow. We insisted that the spell wasn't complete, but she couldn't wait. She got one of the magicians to hand her the scroll containing the uncompleted spell.
That's when the horrors began. Celestia tested the spell out on us, the foolish ponies who were just trying to survive. There were...unexpected results. Most of the ponies died very horribly, some turned into deformed monsters and locked away. Then there were two of us, me and another mare by whose name I can't remember.
At first it had seemed that we were successes, me and one other, but that was a big mistake. I constantly felt like my wings were going to fall off any second, which they eventually did, and my magical ability has been significantly reduced. I mostly can do just the simplest of spells anymore. The other mare had her lifespan greatly shortened instead of lengthened, and died of old age the next day. Celestia sent me here, with the other failures, to the moon, and I presume kept working on the spell.
She was consumed with the need to defend herself, no matter the consequences. Whenever she has a failed subject of her spell, she sends them here. To forever wander this desolate landscape, eventually wasting away into the white dust that covers this rock. The dust glows with their magic. That is why the moon is so white. There were actually two other mares who found my residence here. I enjoyed their company, but one's magic took control of her and she disappeared along with the other one. And here we are today, trapped on the moon with no hope of escape."
I was having a hard time understanding all that Falling Star had just said. We talked about other things, I believe they were conversations about returning to Equestria, but I was still shocked by Falling Star's story. The Celestia I knew would never do such a thing. Of course, now that I though about it, she did. I still have hope that there is some good left in Celestia. Falling Star had offered to let me stay with her and live out the rest of my days, however much those may be, in that cave, but I declined. She understood, and I wish to some day meet with Falling Star again.
But my destiny was not in that cave. I had left the cave, naively believing that I could just walk or fly back to Equestria. Occasionally I would walk upon a new test subject just recently sent to the moon. Half of them were dead by the time I reached them, and the other half broke into tears and screamed at me to leave. One even tried attacking me. I walked around like this in a daze for who even knows how long. One day, though, I would literally get a ticket home.
At some point (I was going to write 'one day' but there was never night or darkness on the moon so I couldn't tell if it was day or not) I was walking around a rather large crater, when I saw overhead a majestic chariot, the color of the sky but somewhat brighter. From it drifted down large quantities of silver tickets. I caught one, and upon further inspection found it was some sort of announcement. It read in great shining letters;
"To those still alive:
Loyal Subjects of the Lunar Empire:
I, your royal Princess Luna, am making a decree to all of my subjects.
Soon it shall be night in Equestria, a night they have named "Nightmare Night".
After all these years, thy Princess Luna has gathered the magic sufficient to return to Equestria.
Thy Princess' heart is heavy for you, I know thy plight. Henceforth, all subjects of Princess Luna's domain shall meet at her castle, where I shall send thee back to Equestria.
Do not tally, the time is near by.
-Princess Luna"
I couldn't believe it, Princess Luna was letting us return with her to Equestria! There was only one problem, I didn't know where the castle was, and if I didn't get there on time I would most likely get stuck on the moon forever. I could barely see the chariot in the distance, and I decided that following it would be better than wandering off in a random direction. I developed a method of making great leaps that eventually closed the distance between me and the chariot. By the time I was decently close to the chariot, I could see Princess Luna's castle looming in the distance.
At the front gate were the other alicorns that had received the message. Some had died waiting at the gate, but there were about ten including me when the gate opened. We walked through the gate and into the courtyard, where the ground was cold like glass. The main entrance into the castle was blocked by a giant blue swirling circle of magic. That was the portal. In front of it stood Princess Luna, casting spells into the portal's center.
She wore a very intimidating set of armor, and she was flanked by her royal guards, who held us back until the portal opened with a large flash of light. Once Luna had flown through, her guards starting flying through the portal, no longer paying attention to us. That's when we all decided to run for it. Once I went through the portal, I heard the sound of a thousand wind chimes and felt as if I was running head first into a strong wind.
All kinds of colors surrounded me, a lot of what happened was incomprehensible or I just don't remember. I do remember my return to Equestria. I found myself in some kind of stone structure, surrounded by seven other alicorns. In front of us stood a row of Celestia's guards, halfway in the motion of throwing spears. It was fight or die. Celestia had laid a trap for us, but Luna and her guards were nowhere to be seen.
At one point, a spear flew right for my face. On instinct, I used a bit of magic that I had never knew existed. The spear slowed midair, almost stopping. I moved out of the way, and using my normal magic, flipped the spear downward. My little bubble surrounding the spear disappeared, and the spear stuck in the ground.
The guard seemed stunned when he saw me do that, but I took the chance to dart off into the darkness. It was night, and I had dashed far away enough from the portal so that none of the guards could see me. But they could see the other alicorns. The slaughter was horrifying to watch. But I did remember watching one of them fly away into the night, I could've sworn that the mare had a white mane. I decided to leave the scene before any of the guards spotted me. The portal closed as I spread my wings and flew away.
I took my time flying through the night, to where I didn't know. The sound and feel of the breeze on my face was enough for tears of joy to sprout around my eyes. I was finally home, back in Equestria. Although my imprisonment had been rather short, or so I've been led to believe, it had felt like a veritable eternity since I had seen the green hills of Equestria.
There were two things I did once I found shelter. First, I wrote about my adventures, both to warn and to remember those sacrificed. I am going to place six copies of this book around Equestria. If I could only get one to Princess Luna, she would remember what her sister had done to so many innocent souls. Maybe she can end this horrible quest for the spell. I'm hoping she hasn't forgotten by now. Once I have stopped this evil, I'm going to find my life again. Hopefully, I can find Dareasus again. I really could use a friend right about now.
But my memory fails me again, and I fear for the worst. Fear the sun. Whatever you do, don't put this book in open sunlight. Because if you do--
Silver Quill jumped as she realized she was sitting in the sunbeam coming through the window. She threw the book with all her might to the darkest corner of the attic, but to no avail. The book was smoking and steaming, and Silver Quill watched in horror as it slowly bent in on itself and dissolved into white ash. 'Now I'm the only pony who knows' Silver Quill thought to herself. What was she going to do? She collected all of the ashes and placed them within her satchel.
She knew what she had to do. She searched the house and gathered anything she could. She went down the stairs and went out of the front door. Silver Quill was on a quest. A quest to find the last books and bring them to Luna. As she receded into the shadows, at least twenty royal guards flew down to the house, pouring in every orifice. Silver Quill realized that this was her life now, but some inner part of her had already accepted that.