"Ocellus! I'm glad you made it." Moondancer blinked and adjusted her glasses. "Are you alright? You look like you just ran a marathon."
Several panting noises escaped Ocellus's self-control.
"Oh, nothing like that." Spike chuckled. "She just couldn't wait to be here and see you again." He pulled out the wrapped box. "Here, this is for you."
"Aw, thank you." Moondancer levitated it over to a nearby table. "Every pony else is already talking around the refreshments. Take your time and enjoy yourselves."
She levitated a couple party hats and put them onto the guests. Lyra hopped over and called for Moondancer's attention. As soon as they were out of earshot, Ocellus trotted over to a seat attached to a table. Once she gained control of her breathing so that it could be quiet, she pulled out the copy of 'Predictions and Prophecies'. Spike stood off to the side with his arms crossed.
"Seriously? You're reading before the party even starts?" He fiddled with his hat string. "We're on break. You know? A time to relax and unwind?"
"This is my best chance to find the main source." Ocellus flipped through the pages. "Ah ha! 'The Elements of Harmony: See 'Mare in the Moon'?"
"'Mare in the Moon'?" repeated Spike. "I thought that was just an old ponies' tale."
"M, m..." More pages were flipped. "Here! Mare in the Moon! One thousand years ago, on the night of the longest day, the Elements of Harmony were used to banish a pony of darkness and wickedness. Legend foretells that when the thousand years pass, the stars will align and aid her escape. It is then that she will bring about nighttime eternal." She gasped. "Spike, do know what this means?"
"Which cupcake do you want?" Spike brought back a couple different treats. "Chocolate or vanilla?"
"Vanilla." Ocellus paused, grunted, then shook her head. "Spike, this is serious! Tonight is the start of the Summer Sun Celebration, the night of the longest day. That means the Elements of Harmony need to be found now! We need to inform Princess Celestia right away!"
"I'm pretty sure she's busy with the celebration's preparations." Spike set a cupcake with lighter icing on the table while chewing up one with darker icing. "Is now really the time to bother her with old legends that don't have any current evidence?"
"That's exactly why this can't wait." Ocellus magically pulled some parchment and a quill from her bags. "If the Mare in the Moon returns and brings nighttime eternal, there won't be a summer sun to celebrate! Crops will slowly die out, the world will be frozen stiff, and no pony outside of a select few will survive!"
"Some pony is paran-...parini-... uh..." He wiped his mouth with his arm. "Irrationally scared."
"Just get to writing!" She practically shoved the paper and pen into his abdomen.
"Okay, okay..." Spike held the parchment with one hand and the tip of the quill in the other.
Ocellus cleared her throat:
"Dear Princess Celestia,
It has come to my attention that tonight, on the longest day, marks the legends' prophecy of the Mare in the Moon's return. Should the eternal night come to pass, Equestria itself will surely face the brink of destruction. That is why I request with urgency that we locate the missing Elements of Harmony before this turn of events can come to pass. Their power is the only known force that can fight against the impending darkness. I await your response with due diligence and discretion.
Your Faithful Student,
Ocellus"
After rolling up the letter, Spike gently blew a stream of green fire. The parchment dissolved as a purple wisp carried it away. "There, it's sent. But I wouldn't hold your breath."
"Oh, I won't have to, Spike." Ocellus nearly choked on the scent of her own confidence. "Princess Celestia trusts me wholeheartedly. She'll see how dire the situation is."
"Hey, Ocellus?"
The resident bug-filly yelped and nearly fell over. Fortunately, her hoof managed to slam down on the table for grip. Unfortunately, vanilla icing went right into her hoof's holes. She groaned, knowing how long that clean-up would take her later.
"I couldn't help but overhear part of what you were saying." Moondancer smiled. "Did you mention the Elements of Harmony?"
"Uh, yes." Ocellus hastily rubbed a napkin through her hooves. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, in my quest to study everything, I happened to check out a copy of 'The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide'." Moondancer levitated out a red-bound book. "If you need information on them so earnestly, you can borrow it."
As the aura on the book transferred from the unicorn to her friend, said friend smiled. "Thank you so much, Moondancer. You may have just saved all of Equestria."
"Well, I don't know about that." Moondancer chuckled. "It's just one resource in the literary sea."
Before Ocellus could object, Spike belched up a cloud of purple and green smoke. It swirled around in the air. In the next second, a letter marked with the royal seal popped down at Ocellus's hooves.
"See, Spike?" She held her head high. "I told you she'd want to take immediate action."
Spike unraveled the scroll and cleared his throat:
"My Dearest, Most Faithful Student Ocellus,
You know that I value your diligent input and you have my complete trust. However, you simply must take what you read from dusty old books with a grain of salt!"
Ocellus blinked twice. "Wait, what?!"
---
There was more to the letter, but Ocellus couldn't get her mind off one specific phrase. Make some friends? What in the world did the princess mean by that? She had plenty of friends: her mom and dad, Spike, Bro-Bro, Cadance, and her classmates. Why did she need more to distract her from her pursuit of knowledge and magic?
She had managed to put on her brave face before getting on the carriage. Her parents hugged her and Shining Armor petted her on the frill. Spike heaved their starting supplies before climbing up himself. For ceremony, the royal guards driving the carriage galloped their hooves while their wings did the real work. Soon, several clouds separated Ocellus and Spike from their childhood home.
"Hey, cheer up!" Spike wiggled his feet. "Maybe the ponies in Ponyville will be way nicer than the Canterlot nobles."
"I don't care if they're saints of the hippogryph temple! They couldn't possibly see the severity of Nightmare Moon's return." Ocellus sighed. "How could she just brush me off like that?"
"It'll be okay," he insisted. "Uh... hey! We'll be staying at a library while you're overseeing the Summer Sun Celebration's preparations! Doesn't that make you happy?"
Her wings glinted and she perked her head up. "Yes! Yes, it does! I'll run through the preparations as efficiently as possible, then swing by the library to study the Elements' reference guide for any hints."
He lifted a claw. "And... the princess's order to make new friends?"
"That's just some mentor advice," she said to herself as much as to her companion. "Friendships take time to develop properly, and they aren't going to help save Equestria anytime soon."
---
"Really? You're the overseer that Princess Celestia sent?"
"Is that going to be a problem?" Tempting as it was to magically defend herself, Ocellus chose to keep her wings closed and her horn's glow off. She scrunched her nose at the scent of displeasure and disbelief radiating off the orange pony in front of her. Thankfully, it seemed to simmer down into a resigned acceptance.
"I suppose I can trust the princess's judgment if nothing else." The mare adjusted her hat. "Mighty sorry about that. From a distance, I thought you might have been some new breed of timber-wolf. Name's Applejack."
"Apology accepted, Ms. Applejack." Ocellus nodded. "Am I to understand correctly that you are in charge of food for the banquet tonight?"
"You reckoned right." Applejack's grin gave off a proud scent. "Want a sampling to make sure it's up to the fancy-schmancy standards?"
"Well, just as long as it won't take too long-"
Ocellus's ears were assaulted by a triangular piece of metal. Her back was throttled by at least a hundred hooves. Before her mind could swim through the collected feelings of excitement and familial love, she and her dragon had been plopped into a couple of seats. A table was quickly covered and overflowing with various apple-themed dishes. All the while, Applejack introduced several names of her family members.
The overseer had a sinking feeling that she would not be leaving anytime soon.
---
Once the orchard of Sweet Apple Acres was far behind them, Ocellus retched into the closest trash can. "M-Mama? I don't need any more food this week. I'm full."
Spike snapped his claw while holding out a bottle and a cup. "Stay with us, Ser Ocellus. Antacid?"
A couple pills floated out of the cup and the bottle levitated in a light green glow. After swallowing the medicine and some water, Ocellus stood still until she could breathe normally. Her stomach was still in pain, but it ceased to violently contract at that moment.
"Dusk's Dawn, why did every single one of them insist on feeding me their pie?" She ran her hooves down her muzzle. "There was enough there to put the starving in Zebrica into a food coma."
He put the cup into a bag. "Well, maybe a walk around will give you some room for the real banquet."
She groaned with a hoof against her stomach. "Can we change the subject from food? What's next on the list?"
Spike flipped over the princess's letter. "Weather sorting. There's supposed to be a pony named Rainbow Dash in charge of clearing the sky."
Ocellus glanced up at the numerous clouds. "Looks like some pony is slacking."
A large, muddy object sent Ocellus head-over-hooves. The tumble sent what was left of the water bottle spilling onto the ground. She groaned as she stood up, still covered in the wet dirt.
"You picked a bad day to leave the Everfree Forest, mutant timber-wolf!" yelled some pony.
"Whoa. Déjà vu." Spike scratched his head.
Ocellus glared at the attacker. "For your information, I'm here on behalf of Princess Celestia to oversee preparations for tonight's Summer Sun Celebration. My name is Ocellus."
"Oh." The pegasus blinked twice. "Uh... huh. I guess real timber-wolves aren't that good with words. Hang on. I'll get you cleaned up."
The light blue pony rushed off. A moment later, she returned with a light gray cloud. She hopped on top of the cloud several times. As soon as it rained out its contents, the cloud turned white. Ocellus was drenched.
"No need to thank me!" The pegasus smirked with closed eyes. "Just your neighborly pal Rainbow Dash helping the littler ponies."
Ocellus spat and muttered, "I'm not that short."
Rainbow Dash finally got a good look at the visitor. "Whoa! Are you going through a goth phase? And... a cutting-your-own-hooves phase?"
"These are the hooves I was born with." Ocellus shook her head. "I don't know why they have holes. They just do. Also, they don't even hurt."
"O...kay, then." Rainbow shrugged before resting her back against another cloud.
"You said your name was Rainbow Dash?" Ocellus looked up. "The same Rainbow Dash in charge of clear weather for the Summer Sun Celebration?"
"That's me." Rainbow waved her hoof without even batting an eye.
"Hmm. Last I checked, 'cloudy' isn't the same thing as 'clear'."
"I'll get to it after I finish chillaxing." Rainbow flicked her tail.
Ocellus opened her right eye slightly more than her left. "Well, there aren't that many hours before tonight, and that's a large number of clouds still present."
Rainbow turned onto her side in irritation. "Hey! I could clear this whole sky in ten seconds flat!"
Ocellus squinted. "You're bluffing."
Rainbow stood tall. She gave off the scent of determination. In a multicolored streak, she rushed through the sky. Cloud after cloud poofed away. At one point, Ocellus and Spike thought they saw a glimpse of the pegasus punching and kicking. True to her word, the sky was completely clear ten seconds later.
"What did I say?" Rainbow asked rhetorically.
The bug-filly's jaw dropped. She couldn't even blink. Spike watched the pony do a midair jig.
Rainbow laughed. "You should see your face right now. You crack me up, Ocellus. Can't wait to hang out some more! Later!" Without another word, she was gone.
"Wow, she's amazing." Spike pointed a claw up.
"Narcissistic, maybe." Ocellus shook the water off her wings, holding them open to dry faster. "We've still got more to do."
---
"Beautiful," Spike said as the pair entered Town Hall.
"Yes, the decorations look like they're coming along nicely." Ocellus nodded.
"Not them." Spike held his quill in the direction of the back of the center room. "Her."
The mare in question was a pearly unicorn. Her mane was purple and curled. She was currently voicing negatives at several different colored ribbons in her magical grasp.
Ocellus trotted closer. "Excuse me."
"Just a minute, darling!" called the unicorn with a hoof wave. "I'm in 'the zone', as it were." Eventually, she settled on a couple red ribbons with extra sparkles. "Rarity, you've done it again. Now, how can I help- WA-HA-HA!"
Ocellus sighed. "Let me guess. I look like a mutant timber-wolf."
"What? Perish the thought!" Rarity immediately got in Ocellus's face, patted her torso, and gazed at the crystal-red wings. "You're a living embodiment of avant-garde. C'est magnifique!"
"Uh..." Ocellus tilted her head. "Thank you?"
She smelled desire and wonder coming from the unicorn. The fawning over every last detail made her uncomfortable with the attention she was getting.
"Who are you? Where are you from? I simply must know!" Somehow, Rarity managed to lift the bug-filly with her hooves, not her horn's magic.
"M-My name is Ocellus." Ocellus stared back. "I've been sent from Canterlot to oversee-"
"Canterlot?!" Rarity gasped with glee. "The glamour! The sophistication! I've always dreamed of living there! Oh, I can't wait to hear all about it." She rubbed her cheek against her new friend.
Ocellus looked left and right before slipping into a gallop. "Oh, wow! Would you look at the time? I've got to go!"
Despite the little valentines dancing in Spike's eyes, he managed to grab Ocellus's tail before being dragged out. "We'll be at Golden Oaks Library during our stay... my love."
"Okay!" Rarity waved. "We'll reconvene later!"
---
The sweet smell of infatuation threatened to make Ocellus nauseous. She lightly tapped his face with her wings. "Hey, Crushing Sheep. Please return to Equestria. What's next?"
"Huh? Oh!" Spike pulled out the list and skimmed it. "Music. It's the last one."
"Oh, finally." Ocellus sighed in relief.
A rhythm of sounds caught their attention. Just beyond some bushes along the path, they saw several birds of different colors. They were lined up on the branches of trees, chirping to a choir's melody. A faded yellow pegasus flew up to one of the branches and the song halted. Evidently, one of the birds wasn't quite keeping pace with the rest.
"Greetings!" Ocellus called out.
The pegasus mare yelped. Several of the birds flew away, echoing their conductor's startled expression with chirps.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." Ocellus folded her wings. "I didn't mean to scare you or your birds. I just overheard the music and... it sounds wonderful." She added a supportive smile.
The pegasus softly landed and stared at her.
"My name is Ocellus. I'm from Canterlot to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration's preparations."
The birds returned to the branches in their original positions.
"What's your name?"
This pegasus slowly took a step forward, but said nothing.
"You know, if you keep holding that face, it'll get stuck that way. Eh heh heh..." Ocellus chuckled nervously.
No response.
"Uh... I should go. Keep up the good work." Ocellus took a step back.
The pegasus's wings opened and pushed her toward the bug-filly. "You're so cute!"
"Wait, what?" Ocellus was bombarded by vibrant cyan irises and the scent of platonic desire.
"What kind of creature are you?" Feathered wings flapped like crazy. "Where can I find a den of you to snuggle and to feed and to protect?"
It wasn't nearly as bad of a touch as Rarity, but this still made Ocellus uncomfortable. "I...I don't know. As far as I know, I'm some off-shoot type of pony that no pony else has heard about. I also don't know if there are any more of me anywhere."
"Oh, you poor little girl." The pegasus hugged her between hooves. "Would you like to stay with me?"
"Actually, I already have a family of ponies." Ocellus gently pushed. "They're in Canterlot."
"Oh, that's good." The mare loosened her grip. "Are they feeding you well?"
"Very well, thank you." When Ocellus felt a hoof brush past her frill, she couldn't help but purr and stick her forked tongue out.
"Gee, look who's popular today." Spike stepped into the open.
The pegasus gasped. "A baby dragon!" She rushed over. "I've never met a baby dragon before! He's so cute!"
"Ah, so this is what it feels like." Spike put his hands behind his head.
"He talks?" The mare looked with intrigue. "I didn't know dragons can talk."
"Well, I don't mean to brag." Spike smirked. "But-"
Ocellus cleared her throat while magically dragging her baby dragon along. "Well, it was an interesting chat, but we should probably get going."
"Wait, what's his name?" The mare followed behind them.
He sat up backwards so that he could face the pony. "I'm Spike."
"Hi, Spike. I'm Fluttershy."
---
"And that covers my whole life." Spike tapped his chin. "Well, not what happened today. You want to hear about today?"
"Oh, yes please." Fluttershy nodded eagerly.
"Sorry to interrupt," Ocellus turned Spike around. "It looks like we've arrived at where we'll be staying for the duration of the Summer Sun Celebration. We've got some last-minute plans we need to go over and can't get sidetracked. Goodbye, Fluttershy. Maybe we'll talk again later."
"Oh, uh... okay." Fluttershy's ears flopped. "Talk to you... later."
Ocellus shoved Spike inside and shut the door behind her.
"Really tactful, Ocellus." Spike rolled his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Spike. If we keep stopping to chat with every last pony interested in one or both of us, that legend requiring the Elements of Harmony will rip our tails off." Ocellus looked around. "Could you get the lights, please?"
"Surprise!"
An entire building's worth of ponies appeared when the light switched on. Confetti rained down and noisemakers clattered. Cheers filled the air. Scents of happiness overwhelmed Ocellus and she just had one thing to say.
"Why...?"
"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie and I threw together this surprise party just for you, new visitor!" A puff ball masquerading as a pony hopped around, making it very difficult for Ocellus to keep her eyes on her. "Were you surprised? Huh, huh, huh?"
"Very much so." Ocellus managed to say between Pinkie's breaths. "A library is supposed to be a quiet place."
"Well, that's silly!" Pinkie pressed her mane against the bug-filly's face. "What kind of a surprise party is quiet? I mean, duh! Boring! You see-"
At this point, Ocellus could only hear white noise as she trotted into the building. Maybe she could drown out the noise with the sound of a straw pulling liquid. She took a bottle, poured its contents into a plastic goblet, and then set it back upright. Glancing around, she eventually found an orange bendy straw. She started drinking while her ears held closely to her head. The noise didn't stop, but Pinkie's voice did... for a split-second.
"Wow! I didn't know any pony liked hot sauce more than I do! I mean, sure. I sometimes put it on cupcakes just to feel adventurous, but I never thought of drinking it all by itself!"
Ocellus blinked and looked down at the contents of her cup. It was dark red and bubbling continuously at one edge of the top. This was hot sauce? Strange, it didn't feel very hot. Come to think of it, it didn't really taste like anything either. She shrugged and continued to sip at it, hoping beyond hope that the pink one would eventually run out of things to say.
She levitated one of the chip snacks toward herself. She bit it between sips of her allegedly hot beverage. The snack tasted salty.
---
After an uncomfortably long stay in the restroom, Ocellus came back into the main lobby. Most of the party guests were trotting out the door. She couldn't help but smile a little that the library would soon return to its proper volume: quiet.
"Oh, there you are!" Spike called out. "We've got to go watch the sunrise!"
"What?" Ocellus's tail went stiff. "But I never got a chance to read the reference guide!"
"I'm sure the prophecy was just an overactive imagination." Spike patted her gently. "That's what storytellers do."
She looked down at the floor while walking toward the door. "I hope you're right."
---
"Presenting Princess Celestia!"
The curtain was drawn back to reveal... nothing. Murmurs were exchanged between the ponies in attendance. Pinkie looked underneath some ponies' hooves, guessing that the princess was hiding. With the scents of every pony's worry amplifying her own trepidation, Ocellus glanced out the window. Four stars honed in on the moon. The splotchy image of a mare's head vanished.
A sudden laughter startled Rarity, sending her over the railing. Applejack threw a large bucket of apple sauce over. Rarity landed with a splash. Upon coming up for air, she went on a rant about how ruined her mane was. So, she was fine.
Back on the balcony, bluish-purple smoke gathered around. It gave off a glittering sheen, like the night stars. A couple large, black wings parted the smoke. The figure looked tall enough, but it wasn't Princess Celestia. Everyone else in the room stared in bewilderment.
Ocellus gulped. "Oh, Feragon, that's... Nightmare Moon."
"Well, well, well." Nightmare Moon's tone smelled malicious to the bug-filly. "If it isn't my little ponies, all gathered to witness me."
"Your ponies?" Rainbow snorted while trying to fly closer. "What'd you do with the princess?!"
Fluttershy hugged Rainbow tightly, preventing her from closing the distance.
"What?" Nightmare scoffed. "Is my crown void just because I've been trapped all these years? Was Celestia so cruel as to wipe my existence from the history records?"
"Just once, I wanted to be wrong about something!"
The outburst drew everyone's gaze to the lower space. Standing there was the filly with the onyx carapace, the crystal-red wings, and the fiercely cyan gaze.
"But the signs were all there!" Ocellus stomped her hoof. "The thousandth year, the longest day, the stars aligning... everything! The Mare in the Moon is standing there, right now! Nightmare Moon is here to bring about an eternal night! Tsuaf-ram-it!"
The crowd collectively gasped. A few sparse voices asked what was going on. Nightmare Moon's mane and tail swirled around, gliding her down to stand in front of the bug-filly. Ocellus spread her wings and lit up her horn, trying her best to look intimidating, even as she shook in place.
"What kind of abomination are you?" asked Nightmare Moon. "If you're trying to be an alicorn princess, your imitation is sorely lacking."
Ocellus bit her lip. "I never asked to be born this way."
Nightmare guffawed. "Well, whatever you are, you're right about me." The numerous fangs in the mare's grin put the bug-filly's jaw to shame. "Listen well, fillies and gentle-colts! You have all seen your last day. For tonight... will last... forever! Ah ha ha ha ha!"
A couple ponies in police garbs tried to rush her. However, the swirling purple smoke released lightning bolts. The places where the two ponies were standing, were quickly replaced by piles of ashes and hats. Pegasi in royal armor flew down from the opposite side of Town Hall. But Nightmare turned into a wisp of purple smoke and slipped away, leaving them to grab nothing but air.
Rainbow finally pulled free of her friend's hug. She flew after the nightmarish smoke. But as soon as she flew out the open door, Nightmare Moon was nowhere to be seen. Ocellus carried Spike and galloped through town.
---