--I do NOT own the song in this chapter! If you want to hear it --> The Best Is Yet To Come - MGS--
"I'm sorry!" Snow Flake chokes out between gasps for breathe, "But your face was just so funny!"
Though he finds the outburst of laughter a little strange, Moonless Night can't help but smile and chuckle. Half because he can kind of imagine what his face must have looked like, and the other half was that the mare's laugh brought a little happiness to his heart.
After the silvery-blue earth pony calmed down, she sat down and smiled, "Yes the Everfree Forest is filled to the brim with dangerous monster...in most areas. But there are places like this that they do not traverse, and so beauty grows and can be enjoyed. Oh, once in a while something will come by, but it's easy to hide in someplace you've always lived."
"You were raised here?"
She nodded, "Yeah...When i was old enough, i moved to Ponyville, but i missed the forest oh so much...I could never stay away from all of this," Snow Flake swept her hand across the clearing. The sun had risen to the highest point of the sky, signaling noon. The mare stood, went over to a tree and removed two apples. She dropped one at Night's hooves as she bit into hers and sat down again. She stared into the stream and Night could tell she was lost in the past, so he let her be. He took another gulp of water and raised his fore-hooves to his head. His headache was gone so he thought he might as well ditch the bandage. He slowly unwrapped his head and placed the bandage in a pocket under his cloak. He reached up again and felt a large bump on his head which was very tender to his touch. He winced and quickly drew his hoof away quickly.
He tried not to think of the mist; it had happened before, but this time it was much clearer. Maybe because he was getting so close to Ponyville...again. He quickly shook his head, not wanting to ruin this fine day with his problems. His ears perked up at the sound of Snow humming again. The slow song echoed in his ears and made him sleepy. He scratched at the dirt and asked, "That's beautiful...what song is it?"
"The Best is yet to Come. My mother would always sing it to me before I fell asleep..."
She swayed with the beat of the song, Night sat and watched her. He silently ate his apple whole and smiled as it filled his hunger. Finally he decided to ask her, "Hey Snow? Could you sing it?"
She stopped humming, blush and smiled, "I...could try...but i don't near the voice my mother had..."
Night chuckled, "Don't worry, my voice it a lot worse. Some guards, when i was visiting Stalliongrad, tried to cut my tongue out when i started to sing with them at a bar."
Snow Flake seemed to be encouraged by his embarrassing story, "Alright, i guess i can give it a shot..but it's in a different language so bear with me..." She quickly took a drink of water, breathed a little and shut her eyes. Night laid his head on his hooves and closed his eyes. Waiting. After a silent moment, she began:
"An cuimhin leat an grá
Crá croí an ghrá
Níl anois ach ceol na h-oíche
Táim sioraí i ngrá
Leannáin le smál
Leannáin le smál
Lig leis agus beidh leat
Lig leis agus beidh grá
Cuimhne leat an t-am
Nuair a bhí tú sásta
An cuimhne leat an t-am
Nuair a bhí tú ag gáire"
His eyes snapped open, her voice was like that of an angelic choir! He raised his head and gawked at the beauty of her voice...golden vibrations echoed through out the clearing. Her voice seemed to meld with the bubbling sound of the stream and a breeze through the leaves, creating a majestic symphony. The stallion knew the language, it was a dialect of the northern regions of Equestria. He mentally translated it as best as he could.
"Tá an saol iontach
Má chreideann tú ann
Tug aghaidi ar an saol is
sonas sioraí inár measc
Céard a tharla do na laethanta sin
Céard a tharla do na h-oícheanta sin
An cuimhin leat an t-am
Nuair a bhí tú faol bhrón
An cuimhin leat an t-am
Go sioraí sileadh na ndeor
an ormsa nó orainne a bhí an locht
Ag mothú caiite s'ar fán
Cén fáth an t-achrann is sileadh na ndeor
Tá áilleacht sa saol Má chuardaíonn tú e
Tá gliondar sa saol
Creideann sé"
She took another deep breathe to repeat the song, but this time when she started, Snow Flake noticed a deep, melodic voice with hers. Singing perfectly in tune and in English while she sang in the foreign tongue.
"Do you remember love
Love from a tormented heart
Not fleeting, as with music at night
But an eternal love
Now tainted
Now tainted
Go now and reclaim it
Go now and love
Recall the times
when you were happy.
Recall the times
when you laughed.
Life is wonderful
Do you have faith in it?
Turn your face to life,
To eternal joy.
What happened to those days?
What happened to those nights?
Do you remember
How you turned to grief? Do you remember
How you turned to sorrow?
Is the blame mine or ours?
Our feelings grew faint
What caused our grief and fighting?
Can there be beauty in life?
Search for it.
Can there be happiness in life?
Believe it."
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Snow Flake and Moonless Night spent the rest of the day talking beside the stream. Laughing and enjoying the stories each told. Night thoroughly enjoyed the conversations, as did Snow who was glad she could talk with a pony around her age for once. Night found out that she very rarely traveled out of the woods, and when she did it was to just to grab something that wasn't in season in Everfree, otherwise, she lived off the forest and everything in it. He also found out that Snow had a sister, Blizzard, who lived with her but had gone off to Ponyville because of some big party she had somehow caught wind of.
They probably would have stayed out there all night, but their hunger got the best of them. They headed back to her house where she promised to make Vine and Honey pasta, Night thought that sounded terrible so she wanted him to try it.
When they started up the trail, Snow quietly asked him, "So you know all about me now. What about you? Where are you from?"
The stallion knew she would ask, so he planned to use one of his usual fake home's like a small village south of Stalliongrad or on a lake near Manehatten. But he decided to be more open with her, remembering to keep a few details hidden, "I'm from Ponyville originally. But i left when i was a very young colt and haven't really returned since."
The mare kicked a rock off the path, "Why'd you leave? Whenever I stop there it seems like a wonderful place to live."
Night smiled, "It was great...but I just was a lone wolf from the start, i gue-" They had reached the porch and the sun had completely set, but something was strange...Night's head was facing east and his eyes were narrowed.
"What is it?" Snow Flake looked try to see what was so enticing. Then she saw it, a strange red-ish glow over the tops of the trees and a dark cloud above it. "It's just the sunset, Night."
The stallion took a step forward, "The Sun doesn't set in the east."
Snow Flake understood perfectly, fire. She gasped, "Ponyville!"
Immediately, Moonless Night shot into a full gallop towards the flames. Snow Flake did her best to keep up but with the dense trees it was hard to stay right behind him. Though she did her best to remain calm, she couldn't help but worry for her sister at the party. If anything were to happen to her, Snow Flake would have nothing to live for...Their parents had died when she had moved to Ponyville. She returned to find out they went out to pick some fruit and they never returned. Her sister had been her strength during that hard time, they stuck together from then on...until this morning, when she left for town.
Nothing was in Night's mind besides 'run'! He forced his legs to go into overdrive as his adrenaline started to kick in. He leaped over fallen logs and rocks, doing his best to stay straight with his destination. Snow Flake had said they were a couple miles from Ponyville; he sped up.
They continued galloping for what felt like hours, until finally they spear headed out of the forest and stood looking at the town from a hill...
All of Ponyville was ablaze.
Night took off down the hill, now with Snow Flake beside him. They reached the main road and Snow noticed something, Where are all the ponies? When they got closer to town she got her answer, but she wish she hadn't...dead ponies were all over the town. It had been a massacre...the bodies were mutilated by cuts and burns, some with crossbow bolts sticking out of their flesh. The two ponies ran through pools of blood over the road, splashing it on their coats and Night's cloak. Moonless could here Snow screaming, "BLIAZZARD!! BLIZZARD!!!" But no answer came.
They quickly went through the town, all the buildings were as he remembered from his childhood...but now blood covered the walls and flames licked at all things it could reach. It had all happened recently. What happened here? He turned and headed towards the center of town. The stage was the one thing that wasn't burning. He saw things on it but he was too far away. He started to get closer, silently dreading what he was about to see. He crept closer, as if somepony was alive and able to hear his steps over the sound of the roaring flames.
The stage was covered with blood and in the center were six poled stabbed into the boards of the building and on top of the poles were- "NO!" Moonless Night fell to the ground, "NO! NO NO! MOTHER!!!" he beat the ground with his hooves so hard they started to bleed. "YOU SICK BASTARDS!!!" He puked and started to hit the ground harder, he could hear Snow Flake also puking beside him.
On top of the stakes were six severed heads. The heads of the Legendary Six.
Their tongues hung loosely out of their mouths and their eyes had been gouged out...their manes had been shaved and their ears cut off. They hardly even looked like ponies.
Night continued to beat the ground and puking. Snow Flake eventually came up to him, her voice quivering, "Can you help me find Blizzard? Please?"
Night looked into her eyes and choked back the tears. He had to help her, maybe Blizzard was still alive...
He slowly stood, mentally fighting the image of the dead ponies with all his might. They turned down a road and began searching for the mare's sister constantly calling her name, "BLIZZARD!! BLIZZARD WHERE ARE YOU?!?!".
They searched every part of the burning town. When Snow Flake suddenly called out, "Night!" He turned around and raced to her, praying she was not in danger. He came around what was left of the school house and there, swinging from some quickly made gallows, were the New Bearers gently swaying in a gust of wind.
This was too much...first his mother and now his best friends! But he couldn't cry now...Blizzard could still be out there. He was about to turn and leave to continue searching, but one of the legs of the New Bearers twitched. He ran up to the gallows and used magic to release the rope, the use of the magic gave him another terrible headache.
The body fell and Night caught it in his fore-legs. He looked at the pony and finally recognized her, it was Apple crisp! The bearer of the Element of Honesty! She was barely alive and both Night and Snow knew they couldn't save her. All of a sudden, Apple's hoof, shot up, grabbed the stallion's mane and pulled him close enough to hear her almost inaudible whisper, "Find...Zecora..."
With that, the Element of Honesty died in Moonless Night's arms. He set down his friends body and stood, staring at the wreckage he once called home. He would make the ponies who did this pay. He would make them suffer.
Night's thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of wings and voices, he turned around and looked up, drawing his batons, expecting to see the ponies coming back for more. But he was wrong.
Hundred's of royal guards descended out of the smoke, closely followed by the two Royal Sisters.