//------------------------------// // Summer Sun Part 1 // Story: A Different Mane 6? // by TenaciousLuke //------------------------------// To say it was a big day would be the understatement of the century. This day marked 1000 years since Nightmare Moon had been exiled to the Moon. Since the very first Summer Sun Celebration. It also marked the day the famous prophecy would be fulfilled, seeing Nightmare Moon's return. But it was also the day that six ponies were destined to meet each other and become lifelong friends, as well as the heroes of Equestria. No, not those six ponies. About 11 AM, Summer Sun Celebration Day Ponyville was full of activity; its inhabitants were excitedly beginning the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration, knowing nothing of what was to come. Even the ponies who usually keep to themselves and stay out of the way were lending a hoof! The town was so busy that nopony noticed a new arrival trotting in. Which was ideal for him, as he didn't want to be seen just yet. All he wanted to do was to reacquaint himself with the town itself because it had been years since he'd last visited, and this time he was looking at staying permanently. Well... that and he was insecure about his lack of a Cutie Mark. Whilst he had been reassured many times that 'you're still special to us, Cutie Mark or not', he felt embarrassed to be an almost fully grown stallion and still not have earned his Mark. His siblings of around the same age had all gotten theirs years ago, leaving him the only pony of his generation of the family to still sport a blank flank. Yet during all their travels, nopony ever seemed to care. They just gave him the generic 'it'll happen when it happens, you just need to be patient'. So he was casting glances all around him to make sure nopony noticed him, while also being deep in thought about the whole thing. It'd been at least a decade since he'd last been here and he couldn't remember for the life of him what the inhabitants were like back then. All he could recall was some kind of farm and a Pegasus around his age who seemed way too excited that new guests had arrived. The name eluded him, but the voice played in his head. "Ooh, visitors! Ponyville doesn't usually get visitors! And a whole family at that!" The voice seemed loud and clear, despite being a memory from at least 10 years ago. He remembered being dragged into a conversation with her just before his family left. "I hope you and your family visit again sometime, Blue! You're all amazing! And remember: If you're in Ponyville and ever need help, call for-' A harsh voice cut through his flashback and snapped him back to reality. "Watch where you're going! You could've had us both in the mud!" "Sorry, I was... a bit preoccupied. It's been a long time since I was last in this town, you see. I was just having some memories flood back and must've zoned out." Blue apologized, not looking at the pony who addressed him. "Zoned out? You should be more careful! There's a thief in this town!" "A... thief? I wouldn't be surprised if this was a big city like Manehattan, but a small town like this seems risky for a thief. I assume it's one of those communities where everypony knows each other. Besides, I've nothing of value on me anyway." "That's how we think the thief gets away with it. Since everypony knows each other, nopony ever appears suspicious. Worse yet, they never leave anything behind. Each hit is clean and looks like nopony was ever there. They've earned a nickname for their troubles: The Ghostly Bandit." "Sounds like a story ponies tell on Nightmare Night...," Blue chuckled, finally bringing his eyes to look at his new acquaintance. Stood before him was a beautiful purple unicorn. She looked to be about his age, if not slightly younger. He nervously smiled and offered a hoofshake, which she accepted. "I'm Blue Dodger, by the way. Pleased to meet you." "Amethyst Dawn. Likewise. It's always nice to meet a new pony!" She replied with a grin. "So, what brings you to Ponyville on such a day as this?" "I'm looking to settle down. You see, I'm part of a large traveling family and... I kinda grew bored of the constant motion and never getting to stay in one place for more than a week at most. One of my sisters recommended I come back here. As fate would have it, I arrived on the day of the Summer Sun Celebration. I've seen a few before, y'know? There was one a few years back in Manehattan that was just amazing..." Blue paused. "Sorry, almost started rambling there." "Don't worry about it. I'm sure there are many ponies who would love to hear your stories, sweetheart! In any case, welcome to Ponyville! If you're looking to move in, you should speak to Mayor Mare who can usually be found in the town hall. Although today she could be anywhere as she's trying to keep the preparations organised. I say preparations, it's more the ponies doing the preparation who are the problem. We're already hours behind schedule with nearly all hooves on deck..." "I'd offer a hoof, but I'm a stranger here. That and I haven't got the slightest idea of what the preparations entail. Although I think there's one pony who could help if she isn't already. If I could just remember her name..." Blue frowned and shook his head in frustration. "Can you describe what you remember of her?" "She's a Pegasus who said she was gonna help everypony when she grew up. She even had a cute slogan. If you're in Ponyville and ever need help, just call for... for..." He thought as hard as he could but still came up with nothing. "Are you talking about Feather Song? She's certainly trying to help, but nopony can be everywhere at once. Even the most advanced teleportation spell can only transport you to a destination. It's not the first time she's bitten off more than she can chew..." "Feather Song! Thank you, that was starting to drive me mad!" Blue exclaimed, probably louder than he realised. "You're welco-" Amethyst was cut off by an excited voice from above and the flapping of wings desperately trying to keep their owner in the air. "Did somepony call for me?" Feather asked ecstatically, despite displaying visible exhaustion. "Wait a minute, is that... Blue Dodger?! You came back!" "I did indeed. How's helping everypony going?" The light teal Pegasus landed and galloped over to Blue and his new friend. "Difficult, but it's very rewarding!" She replied with an ear-to-ear grin. "Especially today where everything seems to be taking ten times as long as it should... But I'm doing my best!" "Good to hear," Blue simply nodded and restrained a chuckle, "I'm sure it'll be alright in the end. The celebration doesn't start until just before midnight if I remember correctly, so there's still more than enough time to get everything done." "Remember what I was telling you just now? Hours behind with all hooves on deck?" Amethyst frowned, "We're not going to get everything done in time! We'd need at least another whole day to be anywhere near ready!" "There's still just over twelve hours. More than enough time!" He smiled reassuringly, "Even Manehattan struggle with the preparations, you know? Or at least that's what I heard when I was there. We actually arrived just after they'd finished. I know it's a big city, but everypony struggles. And everypony can overcome whatever struggle they're facing, no matter how impossible it seems. So the task of finishing the preparations in time, or at least catching up to schedule might seem daunting, but it can be done. With a bit of confidence and determination, you can do anything!" "Well, pep talks certainly aren't going to help. Not with this town. Organisation and getting things done in a timely fashion are not Ponyville's forte. You should see how bad Winter Wrap Ups are..." "This isn't a Winter Wrap Up though, Amethyst." Feather interrupted. "This is an honour! Ponyville was chosen by Princess Celestia herself for the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration, and we're all working our butts off to get it ready! Maybe if you actually helped instead of staying out of everypony's way, we'd get things done a bit faster!" "And what exactly do you want me to do? Use my magic to finish everything at once?!" Blue decided to stay out of the imminent argument and used the opportunity to sneak away without the pair noticing. He noted that they seemed to not get on with each other. Chuckling to himself, he started heading toward the town hall. Maybe he'd find the mayor there. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elsewhere in town, the legendary Ghostly Bandit was scouting out his latest hit: an uninhabited house that hadn't been entirely emptied. Any other thief would've ignored it, but that was the key thing. He wasn't any other thief. He didn't want money or anything like that, his motivations were more... personal, shall we say? He simply wanted- "Ah, this is the one. The previous owner only moved out two weeks ago after complaining about some kind of 'presence'. Their words. I don't put much stock in it." The Bandit froze upon hearing the voice. For the first time in his life, he was about to be caught! He made a split second decision and snuck into the house, but stayed close enough to hear the conversation. "I wouldn't worry about it. You get complaints like that wherever you go. Usually turns out to be nothing. Maybe a bird's nest hidden in the roof. It's never serious, anyway. So, how much is it?" "Well, there's no official price. The house is actually under specific instructions not to be sold until it's been investigated for the alleged presence, but I'll do you a special deal. Help out with the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration and you can have it free of charge." There was a short pause, then the second voice spoke again. "I appreciate the offer, but I respectfully decline. Seems a bit... iffy. However, I could get the whole presence thing looked at for you, and then we could discuss the price. Failing that, I'm happy to look at any other available houses." "There's the rub, I'm afraid. The only other vacant house has been reserved for somepony else, who's coincidentally also arriving today." "Okay. Well then, if we do end up in a stalemate... I'm happy to sleep under the stars for the time being. Like I've been doing most of my life so far." "I can't possibly let you sleep out on the street! But on the other hoof, the instructions are quite clear... I can let you look around, but the investigation can't be up to you." The voice paused, then let out a quiet gasp of realisation. "I might have a way to make this work. Since it's the Summer Sun Celebration, I can let you stay in the house overnight without anypony knowing. Then when everything's over and done with, I can get somepony in to investigate the presence, and we can discuss further." "Sounds good." The other voice agreed. "One less thing to worry about. I'd still like to help with the Summer Sun Celebration if I can, by the way. It's just that your offer felt a bit sketchy." "Very well. Let me see... Is there anything you're particularly good at?" "Not really. I'm smart, but physical things have never been my strong suit. I know that seems odd for an Earth pony..." "It's alright, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Not every Earth pony has to be big and strong. Anyway, most things are covered. It's just a race against time now." "So, is there anything I can do?" "If you don't mind meeting ponies, I need somepony to talk to Wild Arrow and tell him that the rumours of Nightmare Moon's return are not to be believed. He thinks he's going to be some kind of hero..." "Nightmare Moon? I know the prophecy, every library in Equestria has a copy of Prophecies And Predictions. Interesting read, but a lot of it is just old mare's tales. I'll see what I can do." "Brilliant. The clouds are almost cleared, so you hopefully won't have to wait long for him to finish his duty with the weather squad. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to come and find me." "Got it. See you around, Mayor!" "Likewise, Mr. Dodger." One set of hooves trotted away and the other seemed to stay put. The Ghostly Bandit decided to peek out to see who this new pony was and let out an audible gasp, covering his mouth with a hoof once he realised they were looking toward him. He composed himself, lowered his hood, and walked outside to greet the pony. "I've never been great at introductions, but I'm... well, I'm Dapper Shadow." Blue jumped slightly before introducing himself. "Oh, hello! I'm Blue Dodger, pleasure to meet you!" He smiled. "And you." Dapper replied nervously. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping, by the way. I was going to have a look round but you and the mayor turned up. Almost got caught, but I suppose that wouldn't have been a bad thing..." "What do you mean?" Blue inquired with a raised eyebrow. "Well, I-" The thief turned a deep shade of red. "I was checking the locks, that's all. I'm a locksmith. That and... as weird as it sounds to be saying this to a total stranger, you're kinda..." "Kinda what?" Dapper looked away and whispered the last word. "Handsome..." Blue was taken aback. "Thank you... You're rather, uh, good looking yourself." He managed to reply, now going a bit red himself. "Anyway, I can't hang around. I've got somepony to talk to about prophecies..." "Good luck with that. Wild Arrow is as stubborn as a mule." "I've met mules, they're pretty hard to match. But I'll keep that in mind." With that, Blue turned and left to find Wild. Dapper put his hood back up but was motionless for a while, trying and failing to rationalise what had just happened in a way that didn't equate to 'love at first sight'. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About 10 minutes later The clouds had finally been cleared, leaving Ponyville one step closer to being ready. Blue scanned the skies for the Pegasus he was searching for. After realising he wasn't smart enough to ask for a description, he facehoofed and decided to ask around in hope that the earthbound citizens could help him find his stallion. As fate would have it, however, he heard a voice from above. "LOOK OUT BELOW!" But by the time he looked up, the pony the voice belonged to had already crashed and brought him to the ground with a thud. "Sorry about that... I sometimes lose control of my wings mid-flight. Some genetic thing as far as I know. Hope I didn't hurt you too much..." The pony apologised whilst getting up. "I'm fine, don't worry. Might be some aching tomorrow, but I'll live. I've had worse." Blue replied as he also got up. "Nice to meet you, by the way. I'm Blue Dodger." "Wild Arrow. Archer, weather squad member and future hero, at your service!" "Future hero?" Blue felt a bit stupid for asking, especially as 'archer' was probably the more questionable descriptor. "All throughout history, Equestria has had heroes. It won't be long until the next one emerges. A matter of hours in fact. And it's gonna be me!" "So you believe the prophecy about Nightmare Moon returning?" "Of course! It's been a thousand years since she was banished, and tonight is when she is destined to return!" "Then how exactly do you plan to defeat her? Do you even realise how powerful she'll be?" "Don't worry, I'm not planning to go against her alone. I have a plan. Well, the beginning of one at the moment. There's a bit of prep I need to do, but it's mostly just playing the waiting game for now." "Well..." Blue rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to respond. "I'll leave you to it, then." "Sure. See you around!" The two stallions went their separate ways. Time skip to the festival. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As unorganised as Amethyst thought Ponyville was, the preparation had been finished with ages to spare. Ponies were pouring into the town hall for the celebration, unaware of what was to come. Friends and family gathered in groups, with tangible anticipation in the air. Blue took some time to admire the decorations before finding somewhere to stand. As he did, he noticed a unicorn in the crowd who seemed to be on her own, not really talking to anybody. She stood at a distance from the other ponies, looking slightly uncomfortable. She was looking at a scroll she was levitating in front of her, seemingly focused only on the paper and not noticing what was going on around her. "Are you alright?" Blue asked quietly, not wanting to frighten her. "You seem awfully lonely." "I'm fine." The unicorn muttered, still fixated on her scroll. "Okay then. I'll leave you to... whatever your scroll is. Hope you find some way to enjoy the occasion, though." She didn't respond this time, but couldn't hide a slightly anxious expression. Dealing with new ponies was not her forte and she was just lucky that Blue hadn't pressed the issue. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Mares and Gentlecolts, we are privileged to have been chosen for such a monumental occasion!" Mayor Mare began. "As you all know, the Summer Sun Celebration is an honour on it's own. Even more so, then, to be chosen to play host for the thousandth anniversary of it! And what a fine job you've all done to make sure everything was prepared in time. But, as nice as it would be to thank each and every one of you, the moment we've all been waiting for is upon is! Please welcome... Princess Celestia herself!" Rather anticlimactically, the Princess did not appear. A sense of confusion fell upon everypony as most of them had no idea what was happening. Then, a flash of purple smoke and lightning heralded a much more sinister arrival. Nightmare Moon had made her entrance. Wild Arrow ran to the front of the audience area without hesitation and got in position to use his bow. This was standing on his back hooves and using his wings for balance. "Everypony behind me!" He ordered. "NOW!" This didn't work as most ponies had already started panicking. Wild continued his stand regardless. "Let me make one thing VERY clear: If you have any plans, you can forget them. Ponyville and Equestria are defended!" This earned maniacal laughter. "That may be so, but nopony is powerful enough to stop me! For I am Nightmare Moon!" "And I. Am. Wild! Arrow!" Wild shouted back whilst nocking an arrow. He took a second to aim, but released the string just as Nightmare Moon swatted him aside with her magic... TO BE CONTINUED!