//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - To The Moon // Story: The True Story // by Visharo //------------------------------// ===4=== In the far distance, the moon seemed like the best place to go. A round rock rotating around Equus, dotted with craters varying in sizes. When this decision was made, I made no move against it. I was here for an adventure, was I not? What's more adventurous than the moon itself. Seven days and seven nights, we sailed across the endless expanse. The beauty of such a void beheld many in wonder, myself included. Our navigator, with the talent of navigating, could not make tails or heads with the starry sea. The crew didn't mind. Our sails were pointing towards the rocky satellite, and nopony had any other ideas. Making dock was not a hard of a task. Once our ship had been safely stowed away, we made way toward a large hill. Height is one's friend if the profession is exploration. An easy amount of curious equines made their way to the top, myself in tow. Grins were given everywhere, ponies upon a celestial body; there were no words. The summit beheld more riches for the eyes to seize. Below the mighty outcrop lay a city like no other. Towers and a castle that rose above the horizon, mysterious creatures roaming the streets, and the overall beauty of the entire scene. The sight bringing serenity into many a pony, relaxing sighs were heard by all. Some even chose to sit on the dusty ground. I could not care less, for my eyes were peeled on the metropolis that blessed this land. However, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. The soundless air was filled with the beating of leathery wings. My lazy gaze casted upwards just in time to see a mare of strange proportions, then before I knew it, I was up in the air. My brain tried to fire commands, but my body was unresponsive. I just had enough will to view everything. The wind blew upon my mane and ears, forcing me to fold them. Once that was taken care of, I spotted my many compadres getting snatched by the equally many beastly mares. Twisting ever so slightly, I had the chance to look upon my foalnapper without obstruction. The initial reaction was correct; this equine is indeed a mare, however, had the tufts of a bat, the fangs of a bat, the wings of a bat, and not to mention the glowing eyes of a bat. I wasn't the only one blessed with such a mare, for it seems the entire foalnapping squadron were bat mares. The sense of calmness wore off then and there, leaving me in a speechless terror. That small part of my brain asking viable questions similar to how and why these mares weren't killing our motley crew. Such thoughts bore no fruit, and as I peered around, no fruit was commonplace. The destination? None other than the enormous castle that earlier graced our eyes. Given their dreadful hospitality, they dropped us upon the ground rather nicely. The crew stood up, many stumbling about, tripping upon their four hooves. I regained my stability through logical means. I waited patiently or impatiently as the other got ready, the head five the most important of us. Upon the throne we were greeted by a pony like no other. Black as the darkest shadows, mane as beautiful as the night sky, and a frightening scowl that could make a marshmallow scream for death. The Queen, as presented, told us that we were hostages, and now her property. The folktale of the mare in the moon is no tale at all, mere a passive retelling. Queen Nightmare Moon, the sovereign ruler of the Moon, is locked in an eternal struggle with the tyrant of the sun, Queen Daybreaker. Such a war was sparked of warring ideas, emotional spats, and the take-over of Mars, the planet of ultimate wealth. Our crew was forced into submission, otherwise we'd get stoned. The Queen said the word with such villainy passion that nopony dared to make a move against the monarch. We were sent to the weapon gallery where we were to be outfitted. Many a bat mare helped us with our gear, lest accidents were to occur. My particular gear was beholden to a great warrior of old, armor made of metal and sword sharpened to kill. ===5=== On the day after, we were to march upon the final battle of the Queens. Our little troop, within the huge militia of the moon. Bat mares took aerial and Ghostie Trees took ground. Many other creatures from other spatial beings, ranging from the meteorite that passed mere hours ago to the solar system that was located mere millennia away. With a thundering cry of pure hatred, the Queen of untold fury, and the never-ending night charged upon the battlefield made with the slime of the Smooze. The slime spanned the great empires, one end connecting with the frosty moon, whilst the other connected with the fiery sun. Such disgustingness held no appeal towards the ponies, but rest was not allowed. Ghostie Trees, terrifying behemoths wrapped in the twisted woods the moon can only produce, stomped their way through the front lines. A war screech answered the Queen's cry, this one just as terrifying as the last. An alicorn, wreathed in eternal fires of damnation, led the procession behind her forwards. Other beasts stormed the slime crest, terrified, awe bathing our faces as we watched the battle increase tenfold. The Queen no longer focused upon the troops of her command; nay, the gaze rested solely on the great Monarch of the Flames. With a shriek so deafening, Nightmare Moon launched herself at the other Queen. My fight with a pony, with the strangest set of limbs, stopped. Slowly, those who were fighting, forgot their focus, and gazed upon the Goddesses who fought with the passion of absolute fury. The initial awe and reverence faded, leaving the army of two, back to the fight, upon the slime of the Smooze. Weapons clashed, hooves bucked, and cries echoed, all fading away in the immensity of lonely space. I had found myself alongside many friends as we turned the tide on the foes. A singular hour had passed, and the aftermath was shown; the pristine vacuum was no longer untouched, tears and ripples shown through the ravages of war. The cry of victory was as sweet as a sour candy; for it came forth from a mouth so vile. Queen Nightmare Moon stood upon the back of the lesser Queen Daybreaker; the flames that writhed, writhe no more. Much groveling was to be done by the Sun Incarnate, before her and her troops were given the chance to leave. We, the crew of the ship that hails from Equus, were given the menial task of cleaning the oozing battlefield in order to gain favor from the Moon Incarnate. ===6=== Hours breezed by, bones straying from their proper places, and groans of those in aches. Exhaustion taking its toll, keeping our attention to the littered ooze of the Smooze. Before we could take our leave, a foalnapping took place. An army arrived in a golden flash that blinded all, led by a creature so hideously beautiful, the stars wilted. No sound was heard besides the cackle of a madmare; then blackness that no eyes could see through covered all eyes. Our sight returned only moments later, but nopony wanted to see. Hooves and wings tied and horns restricted, we were bore down by none other than Queen Daybreaker. Her bright majesty was grinning widely and had such a gleeful look, genuine fear may have racked my body in some shape or form. However, despite such knee-quacking fear, Daybreaker had nothing in store for the crew of Equus, merely shoving us into cells. The hours spent were not well spent ones, for they were filled with weeping, wails, and tortured silence. The five that led this expedition in the first place could only help wherever they could. Through this havoc, I counted the marks that define everything and nothing, and found that we had lost another five members. Not long after most of the crew wrapped themselves up in their solitude, an interview was permitted. Only leaders were allowed to the meeting; only those who were worthy enough. With apologetic looks or terrified ones, depending on the pony, the five that brought the adventure were taken. We could only wait in silence, so deafening, one could hear a crumb. Minutes beyond the hour mark had ticked by when a sudden light engulfed the entire castle, causing distressed cries from friend and foe alike. Many stressful moments followed the initial blinding, when finally, a pony came trotting in. An understatement could be said about jaws hitting the floor, but the creature that stood before us was the Sun Incarnate. Not to be confused with Daybreaker, whom the incarnation tended to be emotional and raging hot, the worst qualities of being the sun. This pony, nay, this Goddess was Celestia; the kindness and warmth that a sunny day brings to many. Apologies and groveling were done by both sides of the bars, until we were released. Not much was explained as to what happened earlier; the best I could come up with was that our leaders released some magical force that brought or released Celestia. We were treated to a banquet large to satiate a dragon of massive proportions. It was at this dining table that a messenger fell from the sky. The paper, made out of the dust particles that float around the moon, demanded that the Sun Queen should return the Equus ponies else icy wrath shall follow. The leader of our merry broken band said that we shall go to the tyrant of the moon, saying that everything will be alright. I might have been impressed if I wasn't so focused on a particular Solar Berry that made my taste buds explode in pleasure. ===7=== Our journey across the expanse was a quiet one. The distance between the sun and the moon was not as long as one suspects. Following this trend as well, the sun is not hot at all, merely giving a warmth similar to being under a blanket. Before we left, the monarch of the solar kingdom gave us each an option on whether or not we would want to stay there. Despite it being a decent place to reside, nopony relished the idea of being on the sun for the remainder of their life. Our solar entourage was quickly changed to the lunar one once we crossed the border. The barge we were being carried upon was set atop a landing pad and was greeted by the nightmare that ruled this domain. Before any greeting could be given, the bright lights acted up again. Holding a hoof high, blocking some of the light; I could barely make out the source of this light show. Our five leaders were huddled around three crystals of various shapes, and just as quickly, the light turned off. I blinked away the spots, trying to regain some composure, then looked at where Nightmare Moon was. Standing in her stead was a smaller mare, but still considerably larger than us regular folk. It took many hours for the very confused mare to get her bearings, but once that was done, we were invited to a banquet that rivaled Celestia's. Moon-grown food was just as interesting and delicious as Sun-grown food. Questions and answers were given and asked from both our leader and Luna, the mare once known as Nightmare Moon. After things were brought up to speed for both of our parties, Luna started to take notice the fact that we, ponies, were upon the moon. Confusion reigned our faces till she explained that herself and her sister were the only ones who were Equus ponies up in space. After this revelation, an offer was given to us, the exact same the sun Princess gave us, and just as the other one, no one found it fanciful to live on a celestial body, besides Equus. The only difference was that Luna was determined and was willing to give up her secrets to keep us here. One of such secrets was a well on the dark side of the moon. This particular water holder was special in the right, that with the right words, one could spy on anything and anybody. Some of the crew tried it out and were delighted to find that it worked just as the moon Princess said. However, this was not enough for other ponies to stay, myself included. To our absolute delight, Luna took it with good grace and accepted our decision. She brought us to our ship, one we hadn't seen in quite a while, and gave us her blessing. Our leaders took it with great respect, much to some confusion with the crew. The moon monarch went even as far as giving us armor and weapons for our return trip. Atop of that gift, we were given an entourage just to make sure we made it past her borders alive. Our humble thanks were increased tenfold after those. Raising the sails, catching a particular gusty spacial breeze, and casted off. Homeward bound, says I.