ACT 1
One day, in the country of Equiland, in a little mountain village called Ponyville, an odd, young couple trot through the streets. A very stout and bubbly, seafoam green mule, with bubblegum pink mane and tail, by the name of Minty, and a much taller, hot-pink unicorn mare with somewhat more muted pink mane and tail, named Pinky Pie. They romped about through the markets, chatting with their friends, Minty trading her hoof-made beads and carvings for various other nicknacks: wood stain from Toola-Roola, the painter-- tanned hideleaf leather from Applejack, one of many farmers-- and other such odd and ends, while her marefriend discussed her music, lute slung across her back, with Rainbow Dash the seamstress.
“That’s a truly excellent idea, darling!,” Dash said, genuinely impressed by Pinky’s progress in learning her instrument, “I can remember just a month ago when you were barely able to strike a chord. You’ve come so far!”
“Aw, shucks,” Pinky replied, a bit more red than pink, “Thank you, but it’s really not that impressive.”
“Don’t be modest, darling! Oh-” Rainbow Dash cut herself off, “You positively must go and play for Skywishes! The poor dear is just languishing in that dreadful little room.”
“We’d planned on it!” Minty interjected, as she leaned against her marefriend’s side, “Actually, we’re on our way there right now.”
“Oh, then I shan’t keep you any longer!”
“Oh, no, Dash! We always enjoy talking to you.” Pinky replies, and good-naturedly patted the earth pony on the shoulder with a hoof.
“Yeah, Rainbow! Oh, and I just gotta tell you, your mane is absolutely dashing!” Minty offered, chuckling to herself.
“Ha ha ha…” Rainbow Dash added sarcastically, and playfully rolled her eyes, “Run along now, little lovebirds! Your friend will be happy to see you.”
The mule and unicorn made their way deliberately to a small house on the crowded street, just past the market district, over the door of which is a circular sign bearing a painting of a candle with lit flame. The two mares strode into a small reception room, with tack-covered cork-board in one corner, rustic wood furnishings, and little floral patterns painted on the walls-- with Toola-Roola's trademark swirling flourishes, of course. Pinky was the first to notice Lamplight: a tall, lavender coated and violet maned unicorn mare with a stern face and tense-- albeit benevolent-- presence, and the office's proprietor.
"Hello, miss Pie."
"H-hello, doctor Lamplight." Pinky swallowed nervously, and Minty offered her a comforting hoof, which she accepted.
"Here to see Skywishes?"
"Eeyup!" Minty chirped with feigned cheer, "Pinks here has a new song she's been practicing, just for her."
"So she has," Lamplight said, looking the smaller unicorn up-and-down, as if sizing her up. "I still think you'd have made a better apprentice than a musician, but the heart wants what it wants."
"Um, is she available, Doctor?" Pinky queried, refusing to address the comment, but thankful that Lamplight wasn't trying to press her into service, as she so often had done, having been the only other unicorn in town not to practice medicine professionally. Aside from little Rarity-- Toola Roola’s sister-- of course, as she was only a filly.
This garnered a sigh from the eldest mare, "Come in, she'll be happy for your visit."
Pinky and Minty were led through a heavy oak door, held together by blackened-iron nails, and hinged with the same. A magenta earth pony mare with curly pink-and-purple mane lay in bed on her back, a lukewarm mug of either tea or mushroom broth on an old-looking bedside table to her left. A very tall and lithe pegasus mare, with snow-white coat and luxuriant blue-and-pink mane, tail, and feathers, and the same shade of pink in a tattooed pattern on her face-- tendrils and spots cascading down her brow and cheeks from a heart at the center of her forehead, traditional for a married pegasus-- loomed protectively over her.
"Oh, Minty! Pinky!" The bedridden pony sat up excitedly, but immediately wilted back down to the bed, saved from thumping by the pegasus beside her, who eased her down slowly.
"There, there, love, it's awrite..." Starcatcher reassured her ailing partner, in her distinctive Butterfly Island accent, "I know you're excited that ya mates are here, but you gotta take it easy."
"Hi, Sky," Minty said, leading Pinky the way over to the bed, and then taking one of Skywishes' hooves into her own. "How're you feeling today?"
"Like a million bits," she said deadpan, before rolling her eyes and sharing a chuckle with Minty.
"Has Lamplight given you any idea what's going on?" Pinky inquired. Starcatcher and Skywishes gave one another a resigned sort of look, which Pinky took as a sign she shouldn't have asked.
"I'm sorry, I know it's none of my business, it's just-"
"No, no, it's alright!" Skywishes assured her, seeming genuine, "why don't you tell them, Starry? I don't completely understand it." Starcatcher took in a deep breath, and replied.
"Consider it done, love. Well," she rubbed the back of her head with a hoof, and adjusted her wings nervously, "Doc says it's not like anything she's ever seen before. 'Least not in real life..."
"What do you mean by that?" Minty tilted her head to the side, her big ears swayed as she did.
"Erm," Skywishes began again, in her partner's stead, "Lamplight says she hasn't seen what's got me in anything other than legends and folklore. Foal's tales, like Breezies and Dragons and... oh, you know what I mean." She appeared somewhat dejected, and her wife leaned over to embrace her gently.
"Skywishes has contracted Fadeaway, I'm certain of it." A resolute and familiar voice rang out, and the four turned to face Lamplight in the doorway.
"Wait, really?" Minty cocked her head even further to the side.
"What's that?" Pinky unintentionally mimicked her marefriend's gesture.
Minty turned to her, now more certain. "She's begun to fade out of existence," she explained whilst flicking her tail anxiously, "She'll slowly get weaker and sleepier, until she starts to turn transparent, and..." She stopped to look back at Skywishes, whom Starcatcher was clinging to desperately. Both looked as though they might cry. "Omigosh, I'm sorry!"
"Where'd you learn all of that?" Skywishes asked, shaken.
"It's, uh... part of a story my stepmom used to tell me, before I left the wagon train." Minty said, looking towards the ground, and rubbing one of her forelegs with the other. She then looked back up with her usual bright eyes and goofy grin. "But, there is a cure! We've just gotta find The Queen of Chaos!"