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// The Moon 
// Story: A punishment long awaited 
// by kalakala 
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All Twilight saw was a blinding white flash as she started to weep, a blinding flash that took her away from all she ever loved and cared about for ten years. As the light faded she looked around and started to take in her surroundings, being the mare of science she was, she noticed three things off the bat. The first problem is that it was not dark which lead Twilight to assume that meant she at least had some heat from the sun. Another thing she noted was that she was in a large field, punctuated by rolling dunes of moon dust. The final thing she noted was that there was a cave to her right with pale white stalagmites that threatened to drop on any passing underneath. "Hold yourself together Twilight, at least we have shelter," Twilight thought to herself. She often found it easier to think in third person as it allowed closer inspections and helped to rule out some biased thoughts.

She shakily got to her feet and started to move hastily towards the cave, making sure to attempt break off a stalagmite in order to test whether her magic was working. To her great delight it was and she almost considered trying to teleport home. "No, bad twilight if I went home now the others would be punished and besides they wouldn't even remember me," However as she started top explore the cave she had to shake off the depressing thought as she saw a wide expanse of darkness lay beneath. Lighting it up with a candlelight spell she began a hasty descent making sure to smooth it out as she did so in order to have a way back up. "Think of it as a research opportunity, I mean who else gets to explore the moon and get back home guaranteed," This helped to bolster her spirits until she made her way down to the bottom of the cave. "Huh nothing here, well what did I expect actually some great fear wielding alien, HA that kind of thing only happens in comic books," and so she made her way back up to the surface of the moon. 

Twilight had to admit it was kind of a surreal feeling to be the only thing in sight for miles and miles on end. "Well I guess I'm going to have to get used to it" she said aloud, lying down in the lunar dust and looking up at the expanse of Equestria as it turned thousands of miles away.

But if she could see sweet apple acres, she would see 5 mares busy preparing for a picnic, completely unknowing of who the mare in the moon was and what she had done for them. And as they leave laughing as they go, we can only hope that one night' they'll look up to that mysterious glowing orb and wonder, just who is the "Mare in the Moon".