//------------------------------// // Weather Today is Partly Clouded with a Slight Chance of Disaster // Story: Lord Phantom // by GlassAlicorn //------------------------------// Chapter 1: Weather Today is Disastrous with a Chance of More Disaster. It was a beautiful morning. Apple Jack happily trotted out of her house after breakfast, humming to herself. The weather was perfect as she made her way across the farm, and the sun was shining down comfortably, while a gentle breeze blew throughout. It was sure to be a good day. What could possibly go wrong...? “What in the hay?!” It was quite unfortunate how beautiful mornings were occasionally warnings of a bad day ahead. And this day just got bad. Apple Jack stared in bewilderment at the dead apple trees in front of her. Sure, it was just three, but they were perfectly healthy last she and her family checked, which was yesterday. How could they die overnight? And why just these three? There was no storm last night, or anything of that sort to damage them. It didn't make any sense... Apple Jack snapped out of her thoughts as she heard two ponies approaching her, and turned to face them, seeing Macintosh and Apple Bloom. Macintosh held a surprised expression on his features when he saw the trees, whereas Apple Bloom looked distraught. “W-what happened?!” she shrieked, running around the trees to give what Macintosh and Apple Jack assumed was a complete and thorough investigation. If seemingly creating a dust tornado due to moving so fast could be considered that. “Pardon my askin',” Apple Jack started, turning to her brother as the little filly continued to zoom around the trees, “But the trees were just fine and dandy last ya checked, right?” Macintosh looked thoughtful. “Ehyup.” he said bluntly. Apple Jack let out a sigh, knowing that was all she was going to get out of him. She also determined from Apple Bloom's franticness that the trees were fine last she checked. That left Granny Smith. None of them seemed to realize a Unicorn was watching them and laughing, before running off. Later... Apple Jack let out yet another sigh as she hauled the apple cart through town. Asking Granny Smith about the trees yielded little results, as everything was just fine last she checked (though admittedly, there wasn't much she could say there). That left Apple Jack with little to go on, as lack of care was effectively ruled out. So it had to be something else, as trees just didn't randomly die like that. And she'd be darned if she didn't find out what happened. “OUT OF THE WAY!! MY DYNAMITE IS RUNNING FROM ME!!” Apple Jack turned in the direction of the voice and her eyes promptly grew twice their size, then she desperately tried to get out of said pony's way, but his warning came too late and the dynamite rolled under the cart and exploded in a glorious burst of wood and apples -the juices and remains of which ended up on Apple Jack and the pony. Apple Jack opened her eyes and stared long and hard at the pony in front of her. He actually was quite plain. His eyes were blue, his coat was gray, and his mane and tail were yellow and spiky. What really seemed off was his Cutie Mark: A tied bundle of at least five or six sticks of dynamite. That one thing did not fill her with confidence at all. In fact, it filled all who knew of this pony with terror. Not because of his talent to create explosives, but because of his clumsiness and stupidity, which, when coupled with explosives, was generally something to be feared. That said, this Earth Pony had become somewhat of a 'legend' amongst various parts of the world and a scary bedtime story in Ponyville itself. He should feel proud of himself. “Cloud Blast...” Apple Jack said slowly, “What in tarnation were you doing this time?!” Cloud stepped back and put his front hooves in front of his face defensively, afraid she'd hit him. “I-it wasn't my fault, honest!” he cried, remorse evident, “It flew out the window before I could do anything!” “It...say what now?” “I'm not insane! It actually lit itself and flew out my window!! And I swear, it gravitated towards your cart somehow!!” Apple Jack stared into Cloud's eyes long and hard, seeing sincerity throughout his hysteria. Cloud may have been pretty idiotic at times, but he wasn't one to make things up, especially when it was something this bizarre. Simply put, he was smart enough to know when a lie was just too stupid to be believed. “Fine, I'll believe ya this time...” she conceded, then her gaze turned to the now deceased cart, frustration evident on her features. “O-oh!” Cloud stammered, wanting to clean up the mess he had created, “I-I can fix this no problem! It's just a few dents!” A few dents was an understatement. The cart held no semblance whatsoever to a cart. “Nah, it's fine...” Apple Jack quickly said, trying to sound calmer than she felt, “Ya've done enough... I think ya need to head home and simmer down...” Cloud looked disheartened, but after seeing her stern look, ran back to his home anyway, leaving her with a slight headache, a demolished cart, and another mystery. First trees dying for seemingly no reason, and now supposedly living dynamite. Apple Jack decided she would not bring up the latter to anyone. She'd let Cloud do that, if he desired. No one would believe him or her anyway, and she didn't feel like making herself look crazy. With that, the disgruntled pony went to clean up the mess. She failed to notice the purplish pony watching her and then disappearing. Cloud also never noticed it. Somewhere else... Twilight Sparkle is outside, walking by a house. Scootaloo's scooter is placed rather dangerously in front of said house's door. The house's occupant, a Unicorn, is about to open the door and walk out. Said Unicorn looks very tired and has a large container of coffee attached to a harness, positioned in front of her. If you think this is not going to end in a disaster, you are insane. The Unicorn by all means should've at least seen the scooter before she stepped on it, but her eyes were so droopy that she didn't, and she went airborne immediately, smashing into Twilight and sending them both tumbling through, well, everything. They smashed through some random fruit stand, brought further destruction to Apple Jack's cart, smashed into Fluttershy as she led some animals across the street, and then finally rolled down a hill and crashed into a pond. Somehow, the scooter had stayed with them to the bitter end and brained Twilight. Twilight sat there dazed as the scooter slid off of her head and into the pond with a splash. Once she regained her focus, she looked at the other pony. This pony could be described as one colour and one colour only: Green. Her coat was a lime green, her mane and tail were pine green and smooth, and her eyes were emerald green. The only thing that wasn't green was her Cutie Mark, which was a gold telescope with white sparkles around it. This wasn't including the brown harness or gray coffee container, of course. “Emerald Moon...” Twilight started worriedly, getting closer to the other pony, “Are you okay?” Emerald looked at her with a dazed and sleepy expression, struggling to keep her eyelids open. Then a moronic grin crept upon her face as recognition clicked in her mind and her eyes opened wide. “Good morning Twilight Sparkle!” she declared cheerily, then she took a huge gulp of her coffee, “SO HAPPY!!” With that said, she stood up and trotted off happily, completely oblivious to where she was and totally ignorant of everything that happened. “Um...okay...?” Twilight then picked the scooter up, shaking it a bit to get the water off. Looking at it closely let her figure out just who it belonged to. “Seriously...” she sighed, walking out of the pond and back into the street, in search of the Cutie Mark Crusader in question. She avoided making eye contact with Apple Jack and Fluttershy as she did so. Later... “So that's where my scooter went!” Scootaloo shouted in surprise, her eyes wide. “You should watch where you put it...” Twilight said sternly. “B-but I didn't leave it there! When I woke up this morning it was gone! And I know it was with me last night!” “Then who put it there?” “I dunno. It's a mystery! I better go find Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom! We've got some mystery-solving to do! We could be... Cutie Mark Crusader Detectives!” “Scootaloo, just wait-” The filly was long gone. “...Never mind...” Twilight let out a long sigh, and started walking off into the street, only to trip on a strategically placed rock and crash into a passerby Cloud, who, of course, was carrying an explosive, which went off. Both ponies laid there in silence, covered in soot, trying to figure out what happened. It was Cloud who broke the silence, by letting out a shrill scream, “Oh for crying out loud, why does this always happen to me?! AND I'M SORRY I DRAGGED YOU INTO IT UNWITTINGLY!!” Before Twilight could even tell him all was forgiven, he ran off, still screaming. “Okay, that was odd...” Twilight said simply, “Even for Cloud...” she dusted herself off, shaking her head in annoyance, “Today is not going the way I planned at all...” She then scanned the area for anymore potential disasters, and when she saw none, she quickly crossed the street to her destination, which was Sugarcube Corner. She hesitated for a moment, then dismissed whatever it was and walked in, not letting her brief hesitation show. “Oh, hi Twilight!” Pinkie cried, having seemingly popped up out of nowhere, “You came!” suddenly her smile turned upside down, “...Not that it matters that much now...” Twilight looked at her quizzically. “Why's that?” she asked, rather concerned. “Well, you see...” Pinkie turned her head towards the kitchen, which looked as if someone had decided to do some serious remodeling by way of blowing it up. “...What happened here?” Twilight asked with a grimace, as she critically scanned the area. “Stuff happened!” Pinkie cried as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What kind of stuff?” “That's what I wanna find out!” With that, Pinkie ran back into the kitchen to assist Mr. and Mrs. Cake in the clean up. “Do you want any help?” Twilight offered somewhat nervously. “It's fine!” Pinkie shouted back, “Just leave it to us!” Twilight looked doubtful, “Are you sure?” A loud clang caused by a pan hitting something was heard, “Totally sure!” “...Okay...” Without another word, Twilight left. She looked around the area with a critical eye, noticing a Unicorn just staring at her, deep purple eyes unmoving. The Unicorn seemed to be wearing a black cloak and mask, obscuring most of her body. The only thing Twilight could see was that the mare's coat was a dark blue, judging by her hooves and muzzle. Even her Cutie Mark was obscured. “Um, hi...” Twilight said nervously after a brief silence, unable to break eye contact with the odd pony, “Shadow Star, right?” The pony gave a brief nod. “Is there anything you want to say?” Silence. “Nothing at all?” “Beware of the shadows that lurk in the most unlikely of places... Swiftly and silently they move, striking many without warning... And by the time they are found, it is too late... Heed my words and prepare yourself. They can strike you at any given moment.” The response was a very blank stare. “We shall meet again...” “W-wait, what are you talking...!” Shadow disappeared in a puff of smoke. “...about...” Twilight shook her head and walked back home, albeit very carefully, having decided today was not the day to be walking around town. Pinkie had seen the entire 'conversation' between Twilight and Shadow, and had only one thing to say about it: “Whoa, a real live ninja! In Ponyville!” Clearly, she had nothing really useful to say. Somewhere else... '...An Alicorn made of nothing but hatred and nightmares, forged by the dark magic of Nightmare Moon. Her cruelty knew no bounds, and she thoroughly crushed any opposition to the Queen of Nightmares with such terrifying force that soon a fight with her was considered a dance with death. All she instilled into the hearts of many was despair, her very name. Once all of Celestia's army had been defeated and any thoughts of opposition within her subjects quelled, Nightmare Moon and Despair sought to do away with the Sun Princess and bring about an unending night. It was a fight that the elder sister knew she could not win, and in desperation, she wielded the Elements of Harmony and used them against the dark Alicorns, in hopes of destroying the abomination Nightmare Moon had created, and then freeing her sister from her own madness and bring peace. The magic forming the un-living Alicorn was torn apart and dispelled, the monster gone for good, but due to the doubt and fear clouding Celestia's mind, there was no true Harmony, and Nightmare Moon was banished from Equestria...' “That isn't true! That is not her!” Luna closed the book and levitated it, promptly flinging it across the room, where it smashed into the wall and landed on the floor with a glorious thud. She contemplated setting it ablaze for its horrifying inaccuracy, but decided that would not be a good use of her time. So she settled for just leaving it on the floor, turning to the desk covered with various other history books, every single one with the same story of Nightmare Moon, all made from vastly different periods of time, losing more and more pieces to the puzzle as they went on, until finally degrading what was left into mere myth, and no one really knew the true cause behind it all. Only the few ponies who bothered to search for books so old and worn would know. “It has been so long...” she mused, “And I still can't tell her the truth... I don't have the time to see her often, so how can I truly get to know her? The longer I wait, the further apart we seem...” she then opened another book and looked at the dark blue pony one of its pages depicted wistfully, “...Oh, if you were here, I know what you'd do. Rather than listen to anypony else, you'd march over there and tell her the truth, no matter what anypony else -or she, for that matter- thought. Yes, you never really thought things through, did you? But somehow, I would do the same, if my reputation wasn't still...shaky, for the lack of a better term.” “Luna?” Luna looked up from the book and turned to face Celestia as she walked in. She glanced at the books almost sadly, then back to Luna. “You don't need to read those...” she said quietly. “I don't care what they say about me,” Luna replied seriously, “I only care about what the books say about them, especially her...” “The words they say are not kind...” “I know.” “Then why...?” “I want to know why you would let them say such things.” Celestia stared at her in shock, taken aback by the question. “I did not want to allow such words,” she answered calmly, having regained her composure, “I tried to make them stop, but in the end, I couldn't stop anything they wanted to say. It was either allow it, or be seen as a tyrant. I couldn't stop them from forgetting who he truly was, and I couldn't stop them from making her out to be a soulless monster. It was hard enough forcing these books to be locked in the archives, so nopony, especially her, would see them. I am not on as friendly terms with everypony as you may think I am.” “At least nopony openly shows contempt for you,” Luna stated plainly, “I may have gotten the citizens of Ponyville to like me, but nopony else does. Especially the nobles. It's as if Nightmare Moon never went away.” Celestia shook her head, closing her eyes. “But what opinion means more to you?” she questioned, “The opinion of those you don't know, along with incompetent foals like the nobles, or what she thinks of you?” “...I would say her opinion matters more to me.” “Then you shouldn't have any reason to worry. She tried to help you, remember? She thinks highly of you. That should be enough.” Luna allowed a small smile, but she still looked sad. “But the things the nobles say about me...” she tried to say, but the rest of the sentence died in her throat. “Let them say those things,” Celestia replied, “All it will do is make them look like the foals they are, and eventually nopony will take them seriously. It's just a matter of time.” “How would you know?” “You clearly have no idea the things they've said about me, dear sister.” Luna's expression showed slight worry, “What do you mean?” Celestia, much to Luna's surprise, responded with a wide grin. “After the 'Best Gala Ever', Blueblood eventually found out that I was amused by what had happened, and then he found out I invited those 'treasonous demons' in hopes such a thing would happen,” the Sun Princess explained, “One lovely morning, he barged into the throne room demanding why I would plan the destruction of one of the most important social gatherings in Equestria, calling me a fiery destroyer from the depths of the underworld for allowing and wanting such an insult to him and the Gala to happen.” Luna's eye twitched, trying to comprehend what she just heard. “He...truly...did...that?” she breathed. “Indeed he did. I'm not sure what's worse: The fact that he considered what had happened as bad or worse than treason, or the fact that he was stupid enough to say such things to me outright.” Silence. “And to be perfectly honest, it frightens me that he claims he is my nephew, and ponies actually believe him. I would prefer to not be associated with such an immature, lazy foal.” “...Nephew?” “Yes. Don't ask me where he got such a ridiculous idea, because I stopped trying to figure it out long ago.” Luna's face paled as more realization dawned on her, “Wait, Tia... If he claims to be your nephew...then what does that say about me?” The look on Celestia's face screamed that she had no answer, “...Well, on that 'high note', I believe this discussion is over...” With that, Celestia walked out of the room, leaving Luna alone. The Moon Princess turned back to the book and began flipping through its pages, as if nothing had happened. She became absorbed in all previous thoughts again, looking at each passing page sadly. She knew she should wait, but it was hard.