//------------------------------// // Crusader's Quest (Revised) // Story: The Legendary Nightsong // by Darth Cookie //------------------------------// “Hurry up Hugh,” said Nightsong as he and one of his new helpers walked down the streets of Ponyville. As he walked, his silvery white mane flowed like a mist or fog as he walked. His green eyes pointed in the direction of their target as the two of them walked with saddle bags bursting with large books. Also, on both of their backs were several more books. “Doing my best boss,” said Hugh Blue, a dark blue Pegasus stallion with a white mane that had two grey stripes running through it. His cutie mark, if it wasn’t being covered by his saddle bags, was three white bolts of lightning. “Sir, remind me again why we are taking these to the Ponyville library?” “Because they are a gift for Twilight,” answered Nightsong in a sing song voice. “Right,” said Hugh as he rolled his blue eyes. He should have known they were for her. Every pony in the dream realm knew that Nightsong was head over hooves for Twilight Sparkle. It was the little hints that gave him away. Like whenever some pony mentioned her he would get really excited or whenever she came to visit he would get a little nervous. There was even a rumor that he had hung a picture of her in the romance section of his library. “But wouldn’t it be better to give her a box of chocolates or some nice flowers?” Nightsong stopped walking and turned to face Hugh. “What are you saying? Books are the ultimate expression of a ponies feeling Flowers wilt. Chocolate either gets eaten or goes moldy. Trust me, if you want to win a mares heart all you really need is a good book or two.” “Or twenty,” grumbled Hugh as he shifted his weight around uncomfortably. “Can we please keep going?” It took them twenty minutes to reach the Ponyville library. Once there, Nightsong knocked on the door and the two waited until Twilight answered it. Naturally she invited them in, but was a little curious as to why they had so many books with them. To her knowledge neither one of them had checked out any books. Once inside, Hugh dropped the books on his back as well as his saddle bags. “What’s all this?” asked Twilight. “Well you see I’m having my library remodeled and I found these books that you might like,” said Nightsong as he set the books he had been handling on the floor with a bit more grace than Hugh. “Some of these were books that Star Swirl wrote himself along with his notes.” Twilight’s eyes widened when she heard that. Quickly she used her magic to levitate some of the books closer so she could read the titles. “‘Elementary Element Manipulation’, ‘Temporal Paradox’, ‘Star Swirl’s Guide to Magical Improvement’, ‘Pre-Equestria History’, ‘Clover the Clever’s Autobiography’! Nightsong, do you have any idea how rare these books are? Not even the Canterlot library has them!” “I have a good idea,” said the alicorn. Twilight gave him a look, one that seemed to be a mix of excitement, glee, and something that Nightsong couldn’t put his hoof on. But before he could think about it more Twilight walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. “I don’t believe it,” muttered Hugh as he watched hearts appear in Nightsong’s eyes. Twilight, however, didn’t seem to notice for she had already turned around to begin sorting through the books. “I have to try this out.” With that, Hugh shot like lightning as he searched through the libraries books until he found the one he wanted. Holding it in his mouth he raced out of the library and flew towards the home of his secret crush. Once he landed in front of the door he knocked and waited for her to answer. A few moments later Lyra Heartstrings opened the door. “Hello?” she said in a surprised tone. Hugh took the book out of his mouth, held it in front of him with his hooves, and shut his eyes tightly. “I always really liked you and want you to be my special some pony! Please go out with me.” “Ahh…” began Lyra in confusion. This was a first for her and she didn’t know how to respond. Then she noticed the title of the book he had was ‘Anatomy of the Hand’. Her eyes widened in excitement as she accepted the book. “What’s your name?” “Hugh Blue,” replied the blue Pegasus. Wow, Hugh sounds a lot like human, she thought. “Well… I guess we can give this a try,” said Lyra causing Hugh’s heart to skip a beat. “How about you pick me up at six, alright?” “S-Sure,” stammered Hugh who was blushing like mad. As Lyra, who was also blushing, closed the door Hugh exploded in happiness. “He was right! Books are the way to a mare’s heart!” Meanwhile, back at the library, Nightsong was coming back down to Equestria. Taking a deep breath, he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. He had spoken before rulers, addressed political figures, and could fly through the Dream Realm without any fear. But this scared the wits out of him. “Twilight, I was wondering if you would like to join me for breakfast,” asked Nightsong. “We can go to this nice restaurant I saw down the street.” Twilight turned around and gave him an apologetic look. “Oh, I don’t think that I should,” said Twilight which caused Nightsong to become visibly saddened. “You see, me and Spike just finished breakfast before you arrived. I mean, a pony shouldn’t eat too much too soon. If I had known you were coming then I could have put it off.” “I see,” said Nightsong as he visibly brightened after hearing her explanation. Mentally he scolded himself for not thinking that this might happen. “Well then, perhaps you might like to join me for lunch.” “Nightsong,” yelled three familiar voices which interrupted Twilight as she was about to answer. Nightsong turned around towards the door to see all three of the Crusaders. Each one of them looked very excited. So excited that they were bouncing up and down with big grins on their faces. “Will you tell us how we can get our cutie marks now?” asked Scootaloo. “We’re ready for anything!” declared Apple Bloom. “Actually,” said Nightsong as he looked at the Crusaders, then at Twilight for a moment, and then back to the three fillies. “I was planning on seeing you three later. As in later tonight.” “But we’re here now,” said Sweetie Belle. “Please?” said all three Crusaders as halo’s appeared above their heads. Nightsong looked at them for a moment before he sighed in defeat. There was no pony alive who could say no when all three of them were doing their innocent routine. Well, maybe Rarity could. “Ok,” he said as the three cheered. He turned towards Twilight with a defeated look on his face. “I’ll see if I can stop by later and, if you’re not busy, we could get a bite to eat. If you don’t mind.” “That’s fine with me,” said Twilight with a warm smile. She was about to say that she enjoyed having lunch with her friends but stopped as she saw the young alicorn being pushed out of her home by the three fillies. Shaking her head Twilight turned her attention back towards the books that Nightsong had brought her. Using her magic she picked up a book on potions and began to read. Back over with Nightsong, the alicorn had taken control of the situation and was now leading the Crusaders towards the edge of town. Ponies stopped what they were doing on the streets as they saw the prince leading three skipping fillies. A sight that many believed they would never see again. Once they had arrived at the edge of town, Nightsong scanned the area to make sure no other pony was within ease dropping range. He even used his magic to make doubly sure that no magic was active in the area. Once this was done and he was satisfied, Nightsong magically produced an old scroll which he gave to the three. “What’s this?’ asked Apple Bloom as she and the other two Crusaders stared that the scroll. “It’s a map,” said Nightsong as a small grin appeared on his face. “Have you three ever heard the legend of Star Fall Mountain?” The three Crusaders shook their heads no. “Well, shortly after Equestria was founded a young mare climbed that mountain. Why she did so, no pony knows. But, when she got to the top she realized that the sky was much closer to her. So close in fact she was able to grab a wishing star with her hooves. With its magic she was given a single wish. Anything her heart desired.” “I don’t know,” said Scootaloo. “This sounds a little fishy to me. After all, it’s just a legend.” “Just like Nightmare Moon was a legend,” said Nightsong in a matter of fact tone. “Or Discord and myself. All legends are based on some kind of truth.” “So you’re saying that if we climb this mountain and get our hooves on a wishing star we’ll be able to get our cutie marks?” asked Apple Bloom with stars in her eyes. “I know that you’ll all get your cutie marks if you climb that mountain,” said Nightsong. “I can also guarantee that there is a powerful magical force waiting at the top. However, you must reach the top before the sun sets otherwise you will have to try again tomorrow. That was why I wanted to meet with you three later tonight. That way you could spend the rest of today packing and leave fist thing in the morning.” “Well we’re ready now,” said Sweetie Belle. The other three nodded in agreement. They had waited too long in their opinion. Today they would get their cutie marks no matter what happened. “We’ll what are we waiting for girls?” declared Scootaloo as the three of them cheered and ran off. Nightsong sighed. “Star Fall Mountain is that way,” he said as he pointed in the opposite direction. A little while later the prince watched the three head off in the right direction this time. Now that he had sent them on their way he could now try to spend some time with Twilight without any interruptions. After all, he knew everything about those books he lent Twilight. If he was close he could answer any questions Twilight might have. Or he could do some studying himself and try to catch up on what he had missed over the last thousand years. And if he had a question then he could always ask her. What a wonderful way to spend his day off. As he walked back towards Twilight’s library, he found himself humming happily. He could just see it now. They would both be reading until one of they would ask a question. They would then stand next to each other, looking over the book. Their bodies would be close enough to touch each other. And then- “Ah Prince Nightsong,” came a voice that interrupted Nightsong’s little fantasy. “Oh Mayor Mare,” said Nightsong as he greeted the mayor of Ponyville. “Is there something that I can do for you?” “Yes there is,” said the mayor with a grin. “I need to talk to you on some royal matters as well as give you the official ‘welcome to Ponyville speech’. Don’t worry; I won’t take up too much of your time. Only a couple of hours.” “Ah, well, how…considerate,” Nightsong managed to say as his face consorted into one of dread. He began to look around for a way out of this but it was too late. The mayor was already pushing him towards town hall with surprising strength for a mare her age. -x- It was a few hours later and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were still on their way to the first marker on the map. In order to maximize speed, Scootaloo was on her scooter while the others were being pulled in a wagon. While Scootaloo wasn’t much of a flyer, her tiny wings allowed them to move at an amazing pace. Also, being a Pegasus pony she had amazing stamina which allowed her to go on like this for awhile. Soon the Crusaders came across the first marker: a raging river. The water was moving so fast that it would be impossible for them to swim across. Also, the sharp jagged rocks sticking out of the water might have added to the decision not to swim. Even they knew that if they tried they would either be swept downstream or get cut to ribbons. “So what are we going to do now?” asked Sweetie Belle as Apple Bloom consulted the map. “Well, according to this here map we have to cross the river,” said Apple Bloom with a sigh. “You’ll have a hard time at that,” said an old voice from behind them. The girls turned around to see an old maroon colored stallion with a grey beard and mane. On his flank was a fishing pole cutie mark. “That river is mighty dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.” “Excuse me, but do you know if there is a safe way to cross it?” asked Sweetie Belle politely. “Let me think for a moment,” said the elder pony. “Well, my nephew is out using the boat right now. It’s strong enough to get across and his special talent is boating. I’m sure when he gets back this evening he’ll carry you three across.” “But that’s too long,” whined Scootaloo. The old fishing pony scratched his head while hmming. “Well then I guess you’ll have to take your chances with the bridge.” The three fillies stared at him for a moment like he was an idiot. Why hadn’t he told them about a bridge in the first place?! It would have saved them some time. “Which way is it?” asked Sweetie Belle. The old pony pointed south of the river and the three girls set off like lightning. A few minutes later the Crusaders came across a very, very old bridge, Parts of it looked like they were rotting away while others were simply missing. The only thing that looked like it would still be good for a while was the main support beams. Scootaloo was the first to approach it. She walked up to it and placed a single hoof on the first plank. At first nothing happened. But as she shifted her weight to take another step the plank suddenly snapped. Using her wings Scootaloo was able to keep herself from falling through all the way, but barely. And as much as she wanted her cutie mark, she did not want to try that again. “I guess you have already figured out the problem with the bridge,” said the elder fishing pony as he walked over to them. “Sure, the support beams are still nice and sturdy but the walkway is another story. The planks are simply too rotten and weather to walk across safely. My nephew keeps telling me that he’ll have it fixed as soon as he gets the time.” He then looked over to the side and the girls followed his gaze. There they saw wooden planks, nails, and a hammer. The old pony returned his gaze onto the three. “If you all need to get across quickly then your best bet will be to fix the bridge. Should only take a couple of hours. Otherwise you’ll have to wait till the evening or tomorrow.” With that he turned and began to walk away. “Is there enough wood?” asked Apple Bloom. The old pony turned his head to look at her before nodding. “Sure is. Just enough to replace each plank once. Now I have some stuff to do but I’ll be back to check on you later.” And with that he simply walked away. Once he was gone the three fillies looked at the pile, then the bridge, and then each other. They knew that there was only one hammer which meant that only one of them could replace the walkway while the other two brought her supplies. The only question was who would get to use the hammer. “So do you want to do it Sweetie Belle,” asked Scootaloo as she tossed the hammer to the white unicorn which landed in front of her hooves. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” said Sweetie Belle as she shook her head. “You all remember what happened at the talent show.” Just then a light clicked in her head. She grabbed the hammer with her teeth and then set it down in front of Apple Bloom. “I got it! Apple Bloom should do it!” “Me?” asked a confused earth pony. “Yeah,” said Sweetie Belle eagerly. “You gave me a lot of advice when I was trying to make the backgrounds for our act. Also, you’re the pony who fixed up our clubhouse.” “That’s right!” exclaimed Scootaloo. “Are you two sure?” asked Apple Bloom. Her two best friends nodded their heads vigorously, knowing that there was no better pony for the job. “Well alright then. Let’s get to it!” An hour and a half later the old fishing pony returned to the bridge. He hadn’t expected them to be done, but they were. As the Crusaders were getting ready to leave he inspected their work. They had done a surprising well job for ones so young. The planks had been nailed in evenly and straight. Not only that, some pony had taken the extra time to carve in little hearts in the middle of each board. “A very good job,” he said. “Whoever did this seems to have-” “Come on Crusader’s,” yelled Scootaloo interrupting the elder pony. “Let’s get to the top of the mountain so we can get our cutie marks!” As the other two cheered, Scootaloo began to flap her tiny wings. A moment later the three of them were across the bridge and soon out of sight. “I was going to say which every pony did that seems to have a gift or a special talent,” said the fishing pony with a sigh as he looked in the direction the three had gone. “Well, maybe they’ll figure it out at the next challenge.” -x- Back in Ponyville, Nightsong had just magically appeared in front of Twilight’s home. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves he then spit on his hoof and then slicked back his magical mane. This, sadly, had no effect as it continued to flow on an invisible wind. I can do this, he thought to himself. I’m just asking her out to lunch. Nothing unusual about that. Just a stallion and a mare going to a nice restaurant to get lunch. I just hope she’s hungry this time. “There you are sir,” said a familiar, uptight voice from behind him. With a groan Nightsong turned around to find himself looking at Snooty Wooty. “Yes Snooty, what is it?” asked Nightsong quickly. Whatever it was he wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible so he could have lunch with a certain unicorn. “Sir, please call me Ms. Wooty,” said Snooty. “Now then, do you remember filling out form 17-B the other day.” “How can I forget,” said Nightsong with a shutter. “I had to fill out four hundred pages just to take this day off. Why do we even have that form in the first place?!” “To discourage other ponies from asking for a day off,” replied Snooty. “Now, your majesty, while I was looking over the form you filled out I noticed that you missed a spot which means you’ll have to fill it out all over again.” With that, Snooty grabbed him by his front leg and dragged the poor alicorn away from the library. -x- As the Cutie Mark Crusaders continued their journey they soon came across a dark forest. Deciding to check the map, they saw that they were entering what was known as the Sleeping Forest. As a footnote, Nightsong (or whoever had written the map) mentioned that the forest was inhabited by many legendary sleeping creatures. As long as they stayed that way then no pony should get hurt. “Looks like this’ll be easy,” said Scootaloo. “I know,” agreed Apple Bloom with a grin. The only pony who didn’t seem very confident about this was Sweetie Belle. From past experiences she had found out that things become far more difficult whenever some pony said something was easy or just seemed too easy in general. However, she didn’t want to hurt her friend’s good modes right now so she just smiled lightly. As the fillies entered the forest they found it to be a little too quiet. Everything seemed to be asleep, even the bugs! There was no sound at all to be heard. Not the wind blowing through the trees, not the water running down the stream, or anything of that nature. The only sound that could be heard was the flapping of Scootaloo’s wings. After they had been in the forest for a while they came across a group of sleeping felines on the side of the path they were on. Each one was a bright red color and seemed to be making a sizzling sound as they slept. They were also small, about the size of Opal. “They’re so cute,” whispered Sweetie Belle. “Yeah, they are,” said Apple Bloom as she raised an eyebrow. “But don’t they look a little familiar. Didn’t Ms. Cheerilee mention them in class?” Scootaloo turned her head to look at the creatures while continuing to drive. She had to admit that they did look familiar. However, because she was looking at them, and not the path, she failed to notice that there was a tail of one of these cat creatures in the middle of the path. And when she did it was too late. There was a loud wailing sound that filled the entire silent forest. Then, all at once, the cat creatures opened their yellow eyes. They all began to make hissing sounds as they began to move about in all directions. Well, all but one. The one whose tail Scootaloo had run over began to grow larger and larger. As it did it looked like its fur was being replaced with pure flames. The fillies watched in horror as the creature was soon the size of the Apple family’s barn. Once it stopped growing it turned its head to look at the three with a look of hatred. It growled at the three, showing them its razor sharp fangs. Seeing this, Scootaloo did the smartest thing she could have done in this situation: get the hay out of there. She began to beat her wings faster than she had ever done before taking off as if a demon was chasing them. “What the hay is going on?” asked Scootaloo once she had reached her maximum speed. Behind them the giant cat had taken chase. “What is that thing?” “It’s an ember cat!” said Apple Bloom. “I just remembered. Ms. Cheerilee talked about the in our magical animals lesson. They are basically made of fire and spend most of their lives asleep, waking up only to eat. But they are very emotional. The madder they get the bigger they get.” Just then the ember cat made a sweeping motion with his claw, barely missing the girls in the wagon. “If we calm it down then it’ll get smaller.” “Then do something!” yelled Scootaloo as she began to sweat. Her wing were beginning to hurt and she could feel them slowing down. “I can’t keep this up forever.” “Ok then,” said Apple Bloom as she turned to face the ember cat. “So why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side!” Sweetie Belle groaned as the ember cat seemed to get madder. Time after time, Apple Bloom tried everything she could think of. She tried plate spinning, but that didn’t last very long. Next she tried juggling, but a bump in the path caused her to lose her balls. She tried to feed it a cupcake that they had brought along for a snack, but accidently hit it in the eye causing the cat to become even more enraged. As all these things were going on, poor Scootaloo was slowing down more and more until she eventually stopped. When she did, the tiny Pegasus landed on the ground panting heavily. Sweetie Belle looked around her. Apple Blooms attempts to calm the ember cat down with gags had failed and now she was all out. Scootaloo was on the ground, covered in sweat. The ember cat was now standing above them with a razor sharp claw ready to strike at them. So Sweetie Belle did the only thing she could think of: singing. At first the ember cat looked startled for a moment. Then, as Sweetie Belle continued to sing the creature closed its eyes in order to enjoy the melody better. Soon, it began to let out a purring sound. Slowly, the giant feline began to lay down before it fell asleep as well as return to its normal size. “Thanks,” gasped Scootaloo. “It was nothing,” said a blushing white filly. “Well let’s hurry up before it wakes up again,” said Apple Bloom. The Crusaders looked at the creature for a moment before nodding. Deciding that their winged friend needed a break, the two put Scootaloo in the wagon along with her scooter and began to push her out of the forest. -x- “Finally!” cheered Nightsong as he magically appeared in front of the Ponyville Library. It was now late in the day, well past lunch. But that didn’t detour the alicorn prince. Instead, he would simply ask her out to dinner. Nightsong knocked on the door and began to wait. As he did he began to go over what he was going to say. Nightsong knew he should start out with an apology, not knowing if Twilight waited for him or not. But, after that, what should he say. “Let me make it up to you” or “I know this is last minute but I would like to take you out to dinner”. While debating between the two the door opened to reveal Spike. “Oh, hey Nightsong. What’s up?” “Nothing much. I was wondering if I could speak to Twilight.” “Oh,” replied the baby dragon. “Sorry but she’s not here right now. She went out to collect potion ingredients that she read about in one of the books you gave her. She said if you stopped by for lunch and she still wasn’t here I was to apologize for her and ask for a rain check.” Nightsong’s wings slumped as he heard this. His plan to impress Twilight with books had backfired. Yet now that he thought about it, considering Twilight’s personality, this was something she would do. “Well, thanks anyways Spike,” said Nightsong. Spike opened his mouth to say no problem when a flash of light between him and Nightsong stopped him. “There you are sir,” said Snooty. Nightsong began to take a few steps back as he noticed that papers were spilling out of her saddle bags. “It looks like you forgot to dot an I on a page which means you’ll have to fill out the form all over again.” “No!” shouted Nightsong. “Not again!” With that he vanished into thin air. “You can’t escape your duties your majesty,” said Snooty as she teleported after him. -x- After Scootaloo had rested the crusaders were once again on their way to Star Fall Mountain. They were making good time, despite all the setbacks. Yet now, as they reached the base of the mountain, they saw that the sun was beginning to get lower in the sky and soon night would begin. This meant that their time was running out. While continuing on the path out lined on the map, the Crusaders came across another obstacle. All along the path leading up to the top of the mountain were vines as well as giant Venus Eating Fly Traps. As Scootaloo stopped at the edge, Sweetie Belle jumped out of the wagon to get a closer look. The white unicorn then placed a single hoof near the vines to find them shooting towards her. Luckily for her she was able to jump back in time for the vines to miss her. “I don’t think we should go this way,” said Sweetie Belle as Apple Bloom pulled out the map. “Says here that there is another path on the other side of the mountain,” said Apple Bloom. “But if we go around then there’ll be no way we can make it in time.” This news caused the two fillies to lower their heads in disappointment. Scootaloo was a different story. She saw this as a challenge. She knew how fast those vines were and how fast she was on her scooter. Out of all of them she had the best reaction time. Deep down, she knew she could do this. “So should we go back home and try again tomorrow?” asked Sweetie Belle. “No way!” shouted Scootaloo. We have come too far and are too close to just give up! Did we give up at the river? No! Did we give up after we were chased by that ember cat? No! So why should we give up now when we are right about to get our cutie marks?! I know I can do this. Are you girls with me?” With that, Scootaloo stuck out her hoof and waited. She didn’t have to wait long for her speech had an immediate effect on her two friends. Both of them knew she was right, they had gone through too much just to go back home. Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle touched hooves with Scootaloo before letting out a cheer. Excited, the two jumped into the wagon while Scootaloo got back onto her scooter. While the tiny Pegasus pony was putting on her helmet she heard a familiar voice behind them. “Please wait!” All three turned around to see Nightsong racing towards them like his life depended on it. “Nightsong?” cried out a surprised Apple Bloom. “What are you doing here?” “No time,” said the prince as he jumped into the wagon. “Please gogogogogo!” “Wait your majesty,” cried out another voice that made Nightsong sweat in fear. That was when the girls noticed another figure running towards them. It was Snooty who had magically followed her employer. “Sir, you must finish filling out the proper forms.” “Go!” begged Nightsong. Nodding, Scootaloo began to flap her wings as the group began to move. Like before, vines shot out at them. However Scootaloo was one step ahead of them. She zigged and zagged with amazing skill that belonged to a professional racer. Sadly, Snooty didn’t fare as well for she didn’t have a single athletic bone in her bony. The vines that had failed to grab the group instead turned their attention onto her. In a very short amount of time she was wrapped in vines. None of the others saw this of course. They were all too busy watching the vines in front of them. And while Scootaloo was able to dodge a majority of them, the vines near the top were the real problem. They had crawled along the path in front of them almost all the way to the summit. Scootaloo was the first to see this and began to worry. She knew that if she continued like this then the vines up ahead would get them for sure. But if they turned around then they would be easy pickings for the vines behind them. Scootaloo searched for another option until she saw something. It was a rock formation that looked like a ramp. Using all of her might she increased her speed to its fullest once more. If this was going to work, if she was going to try and jump those vines with her friends in tow, then she would need a lot of speed. She aimed for the ramp while hoping for the best. The group shot up the ramp and soon they were all in the sky above the vines. The other two fillies were screaming their heads off in fear, but Scootaloo didn’t care. She was too busy cheering. Soon the group landed on the other side of the vines. Once they were on the ground, every pony got out and began to look around. The top of the mountain was mostly flat with a few rocks sticking out here and there as well as an odd mist that seemed to stay on the left to the Crusaders. Finally, directly across from them, stood Princess Luna who was looking in the opposite direction towards the valley below. As the girls walked towards her the alicorns horn began to glow. The three watched as the sun began to set and the moon began to rise. While this happened the sky was filled with reds, yellows, and some purple. With those colors set against a background of mountains, forests, and valleys that the girls could see made it all the more breath taking. As the sky began to darken, the stars began to appear one by one until they filled the sky. Luna then dipped her body close to the group before jumping into the air. As she did this the moon rose higher into the sky so that the princess’s silhouette could be seen against it. “Wow”, cried all three Crusaders who were no longer able to keep quiet at what they had just seen. It was almost as amazing as the Summer Sun Festival, perhaps more due to their location. Luna heard them and turned her heard to look at them as she landed. “Some pony came to see me raise the moon?” she asked in delight. “Oh, what a wonderful night this is.” “Wait a moment,” said Apple Bloom who was slightly confused. “You raise the moon up here every night? We heard that there were wishing stars up here.” “Oh, that’s just an old mare’s tale,” said Luna who looked slightly disappointed that they didn’t come up to see her. They came here to get a wish. “I don’t know who started it, but I know for a fact that it’s false. And yes, I raise the moon here each night because I love the view. In fact, I created a magical path a thousand years ago so that ponies could get here safely. Sadly, no pony has yet to use it.” “Well, you are right Princess Luna,” said Sweetie Belle with a smile. “It is very beautiful up here.” Hearing that brought a smile back to Luna’s face. “But you might want to work on that path,” grumbled Scootaloo. “It’s anything but safe.” Raising an eyebrow, Luna walked over to the edge where the Crusaders had come up from and looked downwards. She stared at it for a moment before motioning them to join her. “Looks safe to me,” she said calmly. The three looked down and gasped in surprise. The vines had vanished completely. They could even see Snooty was alright. She was on the ground and unconscious, but alright. “But there were vines that were trying to grab us!” exclaimed Apple Bloom. “Tell her Nightsong!” It was then that the Crusaders noticed that Nightsong was no longer there. As the three began to call for him, Luna noticed the mist in the corner and smiled knowingly. “I think I know what’s going on here,” said the princess. “Did Nightsong tell you about this mountain?” “Yeah and he said that we could get our cuties marks here,” complained Scootaloo. “We went through all that trouble for nothing.” “What kind of trouble?” asked Luna. For a while, the three fillies told Luna their entire adventure. Luna listened silently only nodding her head from time to time. It was only when they had finished speaking that she herself spoke. “It seems you three had quite the adventure. I especially liked the part where you skillfully avoided the vines on your scooter.” Scootaloo blushed at the comment. “In fact, I dare say that you have a gift for that device.” Scootaloo’s eyes widened when she heard that. Never before had she ever thought of that. To her, riding her scooter just seemed natural and right. It was something she loved to do and, thinking back on it, she indeed was very good at it. Suddenly there was a flash of light that appeared on Scootaloo’s flank. The girls watched in amazement as a purple scooter with tiny wings appeared on her flank. Scootaloo had gotten her cutie mark. She was so happy that she began to jump up and down in delight. “How did she get her cutie mark and not us?” asked Apple Bloom who was both confused and disappointed. “Yeah, we all did the same things but our flanks are still blank,” said Sweetie Belle. Luna smiled at both of them. “Well tell me this then,” she said. “How did you feel when you sang to the ember cat? Or when you were fixing up the bridge?” Both fillies began to think about it for a moment. Sweetie Belle had known that there were ponies out there that said she was a good, if not great, singer. However, the filly had always assumed that they were saying this to be nice. However, when she thought back to the ember cat, she realized that maybe they were right. As she thought more about it a similar flash of light appeared on her flank and when it was gone she had three pink heart shaped musical notes on her side. At the same time, Apple Bloom was thinking about what she had done at the bridge. It was no big deal really. It was removing and then replacing planks. Any pony could do that…right? Then she thought back to when she repaired her sister’s old club house and what Sweetie Belle had told her about the talent contest. The more she thought about it, the more she began to believe that maybe she was skilled with construction and repairing. It was then that she noticed a flash of light and when she turned her head she saw there was a red apple with a silver nail in it on her flank. “We got our cutie marks,” cheered the two girls happily. But then Apple Bloom, despite her happiness, began to look confused. “But why didn’t we get these sooner?” she asked. “I mean, you use your scooter everyday Scootaloo. And I help fix stuff at the farm every day. Sweetie Belle has sung plenty of times so why now?” “Because you three never realized that those were your special talents,” said Luna gently. “A pony could try every activity in the world and never get their cutie mark unless they realized that it was that one thing that made them special. Now then, let’s get you three home.” With that, she brought her right hoof to her mouth and let out a loud whistle. A moment later her chariot came down from high in the sky pulled by her bat winged Pegasus ponies. “Good,” said Scootaloo as it landed in front of them. “I can’t wait to get home and give Nightsong a piece of my mind for lying to us.” “I don’t think he technically lied to us,” said Sweetie Belle as the three of them got in. “I mean, all he promised us was that if we came up here we would get our cutie marks and we did!” “Yeah, that’s the important part,” agreed Apple Bloom. Luna smiled as she turned to the two Pegasus ponies in the front of the chariot. “Please go on ahead for a bit,” she said. “There is something that I must do by myself before I can leave.” While this sounded odd to the two they nodded. Their job was to follow orders, not to question them. A moment later they took off with the fillies leaving Luna alone. Yet she knew she wasn’t. “Alright Nightsong, you can come out now.” “I knew I couldn’t fool you mother,” said the mist as it moved towards Luna. Once it was in front of her it began to grow and take shape until Nightsong stood before her with a proud look on his face. “So you were the one behind all of this,” she said as Nightsong nodded. “They could have gotten hurt.” “I was there almost every step of the way,” he said as his mane began to cover his body. A moment later it began to recede and in place of Nightsong stood the old fishing pony. Smiling Nightsong then turned into the ember cat before returning to his original form. “I had planned on a few more obstacles with the vines but Snooty showed up.” “And sending them up here to see me?” asked Luna. “They needed a destination,” replied Nightsong. “And I thought this was the best place.” “And can I assume wanting ponies to see me raising the moon played no part in this decision?” asked Luna in an amused tone. “Well…maybe a little,” he admitted. “I see. Now then, I think it’s time we were off.” “You go on ahead mother,” said Nightsong as he looked up at the starry sky. “I think I’ll admire the stars for awhile.” Despite the time the two had spent apart, Luna knew her son all too well. It was true that he loved to look at the stars but he only did it alone when he had something on his mind. Usually something that was upsetting him or causing him some kind of worry. Luna could only assume that staring at the stars offered him some kind of clarity. So, with a nod she took to the sky to grant his request. He may wish to be alone right now, thought Luna as she flew through the air, but he has been alone for far too long. It was then that Luna noticed something on the ground. She blinked as she realized what it was before smiling. Her horn began to glow brightly before a beam of magical light shot into the air. She looked at her work for a moment and then headed off to catch up with her chariot. Back on top of Star Fall Mountain, Nightsong let out a sigh as he stared at the starry sky. While he was happy that he was able to help the Crusaders, he was saddened that he wasn’t able to do many of the other things he had wanted to do today. Sure he knew things like that happened a lot. But he had really wanted to spend a little time with Twilight getting to know her better. “Nightsong, is that you?” came Twilight’s voice from behind him. Nightsong turned around quickly to see the purple unicorn standing there with her saddle bags full of roots and flowers. “T-Twilight, what are you doing here?” stammered Nightsong. “Well I was out collecting ingredients for some of the potions I found in that book you gave me,” explained Twilight as she set down her bags. “I would have bought them back in Ponyville, but there was a lot the shop didn’t have so I decided to go out and get them myself. Like the Lantern Bloom that only grows in this area. I was about to turn home when I noticed the Twilight signal in the sky so I came here to check it out.” “The what?” asked a dumbfounded Nightsong. Twilight pointed directly above her with her hoof. Sure enough, in the sky was her cutie mark shining brightly. “Ok, how did I miss that?” Twilight shrugged as she walked over to where Nightsong had been staring. “Wow, it’s beautiful,” exclaimed the unicorn mare. “Mind if I stay here for a while?” “Yes!” Nightsong practically yelled. “Err, I mean, yes you can stay.” For a while the two sat there gazing at the starry landscape. Personally, Nightsong wished that this would never end. But sooner or later he knew he would have to start delivering dreams and Twilight would have to return home to Spike. Knowing that, Nightsong decided that this would be the best time to get to know Twilight a little better as well as for her to get to know him. But before he could say a word Twilight suddenly began to lean against him. The touch of her body caused Nightsong’s wings to shoot up straight causing Twilight to pull away from him with a startled expression on her face. “Sorry,” said Nightsong with a nervous laugh. Why did this have to happen now of all times? For a while, Nightsong said nothing as Twilight stared at him and his wings. As he began to sweat, he decided to come up with an excuse. “My wings were ah a little stiff. I just needed to stretch them out a bit. Sorry if I scared you.” “Oh, I see. I guess that makes sense,” replied Twilight as she smiled at him. She had thought it was because of something else, but it seemed she was wrong. Forget about it Twilight. There’s no way he thinks about you that way. He’s just a friend. The two continued to look out at the starry scenery for a bit longer. In silence. -x- Later that night, Nightsong arrived at his new home in Ponyville. It was a small two room cabin that sat next to a lake. Several yards to the right of his property was a sea of apple tree’s marking the Apple family’s property. For Nightsong, it was an ideal location for his second home. It was in a nice, quiet location yet close enough to Sweet Apple Acres for food if he needed it. And since Twilight was a friend to the family and helped out from time to time there was a good chance that he could bump into her. Opening the door, the prince walked into his modest little home. The inside didn’t scream royalty or anything like that which was what Nightsong wanted. There was a bed in a corner as well as a nightstand for his books. There was a small kitchen and an equally small bathroom. On the bed was a dome of pure magic. Inside the dome was his teddy bear. As the alicorn walked over to it he dispelled the magic to release it. Now, as he stood over it, he stretched out his wing over the bear. Moments later several red dreams sprites shot out of the bear and into his waiting wing. With all the security now disabled, Nightsong jumped into bed and fell asleep. Sadly, a few minutes later he was awoken by the sounds of construction. Growling he jumped out of bed and then headed outside. Once outside he found the source of the noise. Several yards to the left of his house was an army of construction ponies who were operating large machines, pulling wagons, and planting trees. At first Nightsong thought they were apple trees but when he got a better look he realized they were peach trees. “Excuse me,” he called out to the nearest construction pony. The stallion was wearing an orange vest with a yellow hard hat. The stallion looked at Nightsong and then calmly walked over to him. “What is going on here? I’m trying to sleep.” “Sorry about that,” said the construction pony in a gruff but polite voice. “We’re sort of on a deadline. We have to have all these trees planted by morning. Since its only one night and we were so far away from town we figured no pony would mind.” Nightsong sighed. Well it looks like I’m not going to get any sleep tonight, thought Nightsong as he thanked the stallion. While he was still upset about the noise, he knew they were just doing their job. Perhaps tomorrow he would speak to his new neighbors about this. However, there was no way he could get any sleep with all this noise. Nearly every pony I know is asleep right now, thought Nightsong as he quickly packed up a blanket, a pillow, and his teddy bear. Plus it’s late and I don’t want to wake them up. Looks like I’ll have to head to the castle and get as much sleep as I can over there. I mean, the only pony that might still be up is- Nightsong’s eyes widened as he realized who it was. With a dash of speed he took off towards Ponyville. Several minutes later he arrived at the library, relieved to see there was still a light on. Meaning that Twilight was still up studying. Taking a deep breath and gathering his courage, Nightsong knocked on the door. He waited as the seconds seemed to move by at a snails pace. He wondered if she would ignore it or if she was asleep and just left a light on. But his fears proved to be unfounded as Twilight soon opened the door looking a little sleepy. “Nightsong?” yawned Twilight. “It’s a little late for a visit. I was just about to get some sleep.” “Sorry about this but I was wondering if I could crash on your couch for the night.” Twilight’s eyes were half shut at first, but when she heard this she became awake and alert. She felt her jaw drop slightly due to the shock of his request. “Y-You need what?” she asked unsure if she heard him correctly. “Just a place to sleep for the night,” said Nightsong as he looked a little embarrassed. “See, there’s construction going on near my home and its keeping me up.” “Oh,” said Twilight now understanding the situation. “Come on in.”