“Oh, wow!”
On the outskirts of the Crystal Empire, Twilight and Princess Starlight had stood for the past 6 minutes, staring at an empty patch of land. Now, however, as the moondial struck the midnight hour, Twilight watched, as a massive fairgrounds shimmered into sight. As if by magic, a Ferris wheel, carousel, rollercoaster, and many more rides appeared.
As Starlight gestured for Twilight to follow, countless stands; minigames, and food materialized along the now winding pathway. An especially upbeat musical melody blasted from no discernable source, while many portals began to materialize across the grounds, from which stepped creatures from all over Equus.
“Welcome, little sister, to the 74,924th Moonlight Faire!”
A large plume of fire erupted from a roasted food stand, as a Dragoness, standing just taller than Starlight, graciously took the order of a Griffon chick. Next to the young griffon, stood a very ornately dressed male Griffon, watching with a smile as the Dragoness passed the roasted fish to the eager child. Instead of just taking it, however, both the child and the Dragoness exchanged formal bows as well as very pronounced ‘thank yous’, and ‘come again’.
Over by the Ferris wheel, a regal-looking mare, who wore a headdress, as was custom of the Pharaohs of Saddle Arabia, was selling horn-woven tapestries and outfits native to her kind. Though the sign said 5 bits, she seemed to be paid mostly in rubies and sapphires as well as gold bars by the adults.
Even stranger, perhaps, was a prim-looking Kirin who stood silently within a booth that advertised ‘face-painting for the youngsters’. She never spoke a word, but skillfully painted the faces of the many excited children from all walks. Meanwhile, the parents and guardians read from prepared lists; during which she nodded or shook her head in confirmation or denial to their questions; all of which were deliberately worded to be answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Taking in the immense splendor of her surroundings, Twilight watched as two dragonlings ran towards her, shouting.
“Oh my Luna! It’s Starbrite! Starbrite can we get an autograph?”
In confusion, Twilight looked around to see who they were talking about, and her eyes went wide with surprise. Standing beside her, where her sister had been was a large, furry, overly exaggerated Alicorn mascot, goofily waving at the two dragonlings.
Confused, Twilight watched in silence as the silver and gold clad mascot, leaned down and horn-aglow, scribbled an autograph in a small notebook passed to her. The dragonlings excitedly looked at it and one gave her folded parchments that were tied in a red string and stamped with a wax seal.
The strange mascot seemed to stare at the unraveled parchments for a moment before nodding, and Twilight heard her sister’s voice.
“Always happy to meet fans. And, yes, I think that can be arranged. Where’s your mommy little ones?”
Starting towards the Dragoness that they pointed to, ‘Starbrite’ called back to Twilight.“Come on sis, we got some business to attend to.”
Still confused as to where her sister had gone, Twilight decided to follow the strangely colorful mascot as it trotted and cantered towards the Dragon’s food booth. As she approached the stand she noticed some very peculiar details about the female dragon.
Standing 2 hoof-lengths taller than Princess Luna, the Dragoness towered above Twilight. Her scales were a rich midnight blue. Her thick tail snaked about the claws on her feet; each painted deep obsidian. The underbelly of the massive reptilian was an almost-polished silver which glinted in the moonlight On her well-toned shoulders, her thighs, and her neck was silver crescents that gleamed in the dark; tribal markings, though they appear to have been seared into her flesh.
As the moonlight struck her fearsome form, Twilight could just make out under each marking a band of 2 golden rings rested upon her wrists, ankle, and neck. The claws of her arms mirrored the ones on her feet, while on the base of her tail rested a cuff of golden brilliance. Her crimson eyes gave a merciless stare as she watched the two approach her.
Without warning, as Starbrite and Twilight came to a stop in front of her, the Dragoness reared back her head and spread her wings of midnight blue with silver inlay, letting loose a plume of emerald fire with an azure blue outline. This startled Twilight, causing her to whimper, immediately causing the dragoness to try and calm her.
“Hey, kid, it’s alright. No need to be afraid.”
Taking a closer look at Twilight, she inquired.
Who are you, anyway? Don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”
Still scared, Twilight attempted to hide behind the furry mascot beside her, whose head was glowing. The head of Starbrite lifted up to reveal Starlight’s face as she shook her mane to loosely fall about her.
“She’s with me, Lizardbreath.”
“You!”
The ghost of a smile appeared on Starlight’s face moments before she was tackled by the dragon. Twilight watched in stunned shock as the two wrestled, both clearly using their max strength, and snarling, both out for blood.
All around the fairgrounds, patrons stopped to watch the spectacle as the two thrashed upon the ground, some even calling support or bets on their favorite to win. For the next few minutes, Princess Starlight and Cinder desperately fought to pin the other.
“You can do it Cinder, rip her head off!”
“Not a chance, give me 4 gold ingots on Starlight. Easy money.”
The kids, much to Twilight’s surprise, began cheering. What was going on?
Finally, after a few furious minutes of snarling, biting, and clawing, Starlight sat on top of Cinder, the massive dragon pinned beneath the Alicorn’s flank as she lay, arm pinned behind her back.
“Alright, I give.”
Hopping off, Starlight flicked her mane and chuckled, reaching out a hoof.
“Still not strong enough to take me, Cinder.”
Graciously accepting her hoof, Dragonlord Cinder, slowly rose and dusted herself off.
“One day I will beat you, you fat pony. I swear it.”
Starlight hugged her with a grin.
“I’m sure you will. And hey, my flank isn’t that large.”
Grinning, Cinder returned the hug, causing Starlight’s wings to unfurl on their own from the shock of Cinder’s firm grasp, and stiffen as a rather rapid blush flushed both her cheeks.
“Nah, it’s just big enough to enjoy, just like always.”
Releasing her grip with a slight squeeze, Cinder glanced over at Twilight; who was still staring at her, looking at her nervously.
“So she’s with you? Finally had a foal of your own?”
Chuckling, as the embarrassment faded from her face, Starlight folded her wings with a little ruffle of amusement.
“No, that’s my little sister. Cinder, this is Twilight. Twilight, this is my best friend, Cinder, Dragonlord; Empress of the Dragonlands.”
Cinder watched in surprise as Twilight’s expression went from wary to utterly excited; jumping around Twilight eagerly shouted.
“You’re that Cinder? Oh. My. Mommy! It’s so cool to meet you!”
“You know me?”
Twilight reached her mouth into the saddlebag on her side and withdrew a special-looking book, bound with a sea serpents’ tanned leather preserved with beeswax.
“The only dragoness to ever compete and win the gladiatorial gauntlet required to become the Dragonlord. I’ve read your tale so many times! Can I have your autograph?”
Turning to look at Starlight in disbelief, Cinder found the Alicorn struggling not to laugh.
“She enjoys reading about the legendary fights of old, so I gave that to her for her twelfth birthday.”
Turning to look at Twilight once more, Cinder smiled.
“You can read Dragonia?”
Looking thoughtful for a moment, Twilight gave her an honest answer.
“Not fluently, the scratch and claw marks can be a bit confusing sometimes. But the more I was able to read, the more I wanted to read, and with Moonglow’s help, I can read most of it rather easily.”
Looking quite impressed, Cinder tapped her claws thoughtfully on her chin.
“You are quite the odd one. Not many ponies can understand dragon speak, let alone read Dragonia. Tell me, what about my tale interests you most?”
Twilight’s horn glowed brightly and the book flew open as she squealed with excitement while tapping the page.
“Tomorrow's my first bout. I’m scared, but I can’t let them see it. They tower over me, they are far more muscular, but I want it more than any of them. I won’t falter, I won’t lose. I will claim my place; my throne.
That raw determination to accomplish the nearly impossible goal. That drive, it’s so exciting!”
Nodding, Cinder glanced towards Starlight as she spoke to Twilight.
“So you like the idea of impossible odds, but the iron will to stand against them, huh? Tell me, has Starlight ever told you how she got those Alicorn wings of hers?”
“What? She wasn’t born an Alicorn?”
Scoffing, Cinder retorted.
“Of course not, she was a Unicorn like-”
At that moment, Starlight interjected, her voice filled with desperation.
“Hey Twilight, did you know mom came up with the idea for this fair?”
The distraction worked like a charm; eager to hear about their mom’s exploits, Twilight instantly took the bait.
“Really?”
Cinder stared at Starlight for a moment before realization sunk in. As she stared at her friend Cinder noticed the hurt in her eyes. Still haven’t forgiven yourself, have you? Immediately she chimed in too.
“Really. Legend has it, it all happened at a meeting of the tribes one moon. It is said that one dignitary spoke about how boring the get-togethers were. Jokingly, your mother asked well in that case, why not just throw a fair. Though it is believed to have been in jest, surprisingly the idea was unanimously accepted, and once attempted, the dignitaries claimed that it was much better and easier to relax during trade negotiations. And-”
Wrapping a comforting claw around Starlight, Cinder finished explaining. At that moment Twilight saw the pain in her sister’s eyes.
“That is how the Moonlight Faire began. Hey Twilight, do you mind if I talk to Starlight alone? We do have business to attend to after all, between our kingdoms.”
“Starlight are you o-”
***
Twilight awoke with a start, as sweat dripped down her face. What was that? She could recall her dream crystal clear, like no other. Prince Starburst, the throne room, that dragon, the fair, her sister, and that look of pain in her eyes. It was all vivid in her mind. But what did it mean? Suddenly, a light knocking was heard on her bedroom door. Moonglow’s voice could be heard crisp and clear.
“Twilight, I need you to gather up a travel bag. You’ll be spending the week with your big sister. Prince Starburst is on his way to get you.”