I’ve been working on Applejack’s farm for almost a month now. I guess I showed up just as the harvest season was beginning, meaning there was plenty of work to be done. It was easy stuff, mainly hauling the loads of apples back to the barn for sorting and storage. It was nice really; I had a place to sleep, income, individuals who did not want me dead, and my efforts were generally appreciated.
So one day, a Tuesday I believe, AJ and I were working in the east field. She was strapping another load of apples to a carrying harness that we had fashioned out of rope. I could comfortably carry fifteen bags on each side and still fly with some degree of grace. Big Mac was just down the hill from us working on the trees further down. I was in the process of checking the weight distribution with AJ when we both heard a massive cracking sound and then a pained yelp. Applejack immediately ran down the hill toward her brother.
“Big Mac! Are ya okay!?” She made it down only to see a large tree lying across his back pinning him to the ground. He only grunted as he tried to escape from under the fallen tree. Applejack began pushing on it as well, but the tree just wouldn’t move.
“Zir, Ah need you!” Applejack shouted up at me. I kicked off the ground and glided down to the two ponies. I looked at the tree that was keeping Big Mac pinned. It was a very large apple tree that he had managed to break.
“Okay, AJ, I’m going to lift the tree, can you pull him out?” She nodded at me and moved to his front and grabbed his front hooves. “Alright, one… two… THREE!” I began lifting the tree and use my wings for additional upward lift. The tree was surprisingly heavy, easily a four ton tree. However, it was moving ever so slowly. As soon as I had gotten the tree a few inches off Big Mac’s back AJ pulled him out slowly. As soon as he was out from under I dropped the tree with a thud.
“Oh mah stars! C’mon Big Mac, please be okay…” His face was grimaced in pain as Applejack tried to comfort him. She looked over at me with tears in her eyes.
“Zircom! Ah need you to got to town and get Nurse Redheart!” She turned back to her fallen brother. I sighed loudly.
“Here, allow me…” I walked over to Big Mac and slowly ran a claw across his back, feeling for any breaks. Sure enough, his spine had been broken from the falling tree. Normally this would mean paralysis in his lower body. Applejack was watching me with interest, but remained silent.
“Hmm… Single spinal fracture on the Thoracic Vertebrae… Lumbar Vertebrae seems intact… ribs feel fine… paralysis in lower back and hind legs.” Applejack stared at me in astonishment.
“How…do you know…?”
I looked down at her. “I borrowed a few anatomy and medical books from Twilight.” I turned my attention back to the fallen stallion. I then placed my entire hand over his back. This action made Applejack back up slightly, Big Mac was still lying silently, unmoving. He was however, following my every move with his eyes. I made eye contact with him before proceeding. His face held a look of pain, fear, and uncertainty. I closed my eyes and began to focus on the task at hand.
I quickly began to gather the proper healing spell and channeled it into the stallion. My hand and arm was engulfed in a faint golden glow as the spell got to full power. It only took seconds for the massive amount of holy power to course into his body. As the glow around my arm faded I lifted it up slowly, allowing Big Mac to process what had just happened. To my delight he slowly got back on his hooves with the help of Applejack. She kept looking at her brother and back to me.
“H-how did you…?”
I sat down on my haunches. “I uh… I’m highly trained in the field of healing magic and medical practice.” To say I was a bit nervous was an understatement. Am I fairly strong? Yeah. Am I powerful enough to raise the dead? Yup. Do I wield the divine power of Bahamut? Indeed. So why was I so hesitant to use this power? Well… most of my life has been revolved around blending in and not raising suspicions. If I just appeared like another dragon then no one would really ask questions. If said dragon began slinging around powerful magic then someone might take notice. Anyway…
Applejack just stared at me. “So then… why didn’t ya just heal yerself after Rainbow Dash kicked ya?” I sighed.
“It’s because I didn’t want to scare anypony more than I already had. I know it sounds dumb, but that’s my rationalization.”
“Well, Ah aint about to question yer reasoning. Can ya lend a hoof and help me get Big Mac up the hill?” I nodded.
“Alright buddy, I’m gonna fly you back to the house, alright?” He nodded.
I leaned down and used a wing to help him climb onto my back along with Applejack. She sat behind him and grabbed one of the straps that ran across my back from the harness; Big Mac did the same.
“You two ready?”
“Eeyup.” That was all Big Mac said.
With a gentle kick off, I took to the air and gently flew back toward the farm house. It was a quick flight, maybe only five minutes. I landed as gently as possible near the front door. While I had healed his broken back, his muscles would still be stiff and very sore. I sat outside the house as Applejack took her brother into the house and helped him to his room. She came out a few minutes later and sat down beside me.
“Ah appreciate what ya did fer mah brother Zir.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m just glad he’s okay.”
“So… you were afraid to show yer powers in front of us?”
I nodded. “I didn’t want all of you to be afraid of me. I was afraid that if I made some display of power that you would all shrink away from me and I would be cast out from town.”
Applejack began to chuckle. “Ya sound like Twilight when that Trixie character showed up in town.”
“How so…?”
“Well, this mare shows up with a wagon and proclaims herself the Great and Powerful Trixie. Well she starts on puttin on this big show and makin herself seem all mighty. We asked Twilight to intervene but she wouldn’t do it. She said she didn’t want to seem like ah showoff like Trixie.” Applejack continued to chuckle.
“So what happened then?”
“Ah think that would be a story best left fer Twilight to tell ya.”
I nodded. “Alright then… So I take it we are done for the day?”
Applejack nodded. “Yup, ah want ta keep an eye on mah brother. Feel free to take the rest of the day off.”
“Well then, I feel a nap coming on.”
“Now yer startin ta sound like Rainbow.” I rolled my eyes and Applejack began laughing again.
I got up and curled up under my usual tree and drifted off to sleep. I quickly found myself back in the familiar tavern. The usual people were there, the smells were more prominent than last time and there was even a feeling of temperature. Sure enough, Luna was sitting at her normal table. Two mugs of dwarven ale sat on the table. I was back in my usual human form and took my seat across from the alicorn. She looked at me and was able to read me like an open book.
“So… what’s occupying your mind?”
I laughed. “That obvious huh?”
She chuckled as well. “Well?”
“Alright, alright. This is gonna be a good one.” I leaned back in my chair and began to recount the day’s events. She sat there, occasionally sipping her drink while keeping her attention on me. As much as I wanted to downplay my magic use, Luna had seen my mind and knew the truth.
“So it sounds like Applejack was quite grateful for your assistance with her brother. I can hardly imagine what it would have been like if her brother was left paralyzed at the bottom of a hill.”
I nodded. “She was indeed.”
We both sat in silence for a moment, taking a few drinks and just relaxing in the moment. I decided to break the silence with a question.
I asked her about some of Eqestria’s history. She seemed jubilant at first, happily talking at length how she and her sister defeated Discord nearly two thousand years ago. Then she talked about the adventures of a unicorn named Star Swirl the Bearded and his apprentice Clover; which was about eighteen hundred years ago. Then she went on about the griffin wars, about how their clan battles and border conflicts spilled over onto Eqestrian soil and how it threw the nation into its first major conflict; that war was nearly eleven hundred years ago. Then suddenly it seemed as though Equestria went into a period of peace that lasted over a millennium. No conflicts, no strife, nothing.
She then picked up the timeline with the story of how Discord got free and then was subsequently imprisoned again. Then was the very recent event of the Changling attack on the capitol during a high profile wedding. Something wasn’t right; no one just skips a whole millennium like it’s nothing.
We sat there again as I compared what I read in my borrowed books to what she had just told me. There was one thing missing from the timeline.
“What about Nightmare Moon? The book I have only mentions it briefly. It seems like a serious event in the timeline, but there wasn't a lot on the actual event. Do you remember it?”
Her face instantly sank and her head bowed slightly. There was a pain in her eyes that I hadn't seen before.
“Yeah… I remember it…” Her voice was barely audible.
“What happened?”
“A very powerful pony allowed the all the darkness and hatred in her heart to take ahold of her mind. She used her new power to try and overthrow her sister and claim the throne for herself.” Luna’s breathing was shallow, her eyes never leaving the mug in front of her.
“She had been ignored… neglected by those around her. The very ones she thought were her family and friends. She was cast aside while her sister basked in the spotlight that everypony saw her in. Her sister was perfect; infallible and beautiful…”
I could tell where this was going, I wanted to stop Luna from continuing, from bringing up more pain… but I couldn’t do it. I wanted to hear her side of the story.
“Eventually the young mare had had enough. She was tired of being ignored, tired of being the object of mockery, tired of living in her sister’s shadow… so one day she tried to prove she was better than her sister. She allowed her anger and hatred to guide her in a horrible and violent way against her sister. But… she failed… even with dark magic she was unable to best her sister… her punishment was a thousand year banishment to the moon…” Tears were now dripping from her eyes and rolling off her muzzle.
She cried softly; fighting to hold back a sea of emotions that she had spent years locked away. I got up and moved my chair next to her before pulling her into and embrace. Luna instantly turned in her seat and plunged her face into my chest, the dam holding her emotions had broken as a stream of tears flowed from her eyes; instead of the soft crying from moments before this was full on sobbing. We sat there for a few minutes, I just let her cry into my shoulder while still keeping my arms locked tight around her. Eventually she spoke up.
“T-thank you Zir…” Her voice was choppy and still hinted of sadness and what also sounded like… relief.
“You're welcome Luna. I just have one question though…” She looked up at me.
“Why me? Why are you confiding all this in me? I mean, I only met you two weeks ago and yet here we are.”
She chuckled a bit, sadness still hung on her voice. “Well… I guess it’s because you are new. You’re someone who doesn’t know the horror story of my past… someone who wouldn’t judge me based on my past sins. You were someone who I could see as a friend, a true friend. Not someone who was being nice to me out of pity.” She closed her eyes and rested her head against my shoulder. I placed a hand behind her head and held her tight as a faint smile crossed her face.
“Luna… if you ever need someone to confide in you know how to find me.” She giggled at this.
“Indeed. A mind like yours is quite obvious in the sea of ponies; a lighthouse almost.” She sighed before finally breaking away.
“Well… as much as I would like to stay I do need to get up. Night Court starts soon and I need to get ready.”
I tilted my head to the side. “Wait… so you were asleep during all this?”
She nodded. “Yes, I can reach out to ponies dreams even while I myself am asleep.”
“Huh… that’s handy. Well then, I hope court goes well.”
Luna sighed audibly. “Yes well… it is usually a time for me to catch up on some reading really. Nopony really shows up.”
“Well I might just have to change that one of these nights then.”
“I look forward to it.”
With that said she gave me one last hug before getting up and exiting the tavern. I woke up under the tree a few minutes later. The sun had just set and I could hear the Apple family having dinner. I glanced over toward the mountain city of Canterlot and thought about what had just happened. This was certainly not what I had expected when I set out for my adventure. However, I can’t say I’m disappointed.