//------------------------------// // 6 - Act 2 - Into the Night // Story: On The Dark Side of the Moon // by Blue Wolf //------------------------------// Darkness gave way to pale moonlight. “Whoa, Nelly...tha' was some rodeo ride...” gasped Applejack. The five mares and one dragon looked about them in confusion as their surroundings faded back into focus. “Ponyville? Hold on...what in Equestria are we doing back here?” asked Rainbow Dash. The familiar buildings of Ponyville rose around them, their windows dark and it's streets cloaked in the shadows of night. “Did something go wrong?” Rarity asked. “Ah don't think so ya'll. Ah gotta feelin' this is ain't Ponyville...” Applejack said slowly. “Well it certainly looks like Ponyville...” replied Rarity. “Why'd you say Applejack?” asked Spike “Er....mainly 'cause of THAT...” Applejack was pointing with one hoof, looking up at the sky. Sprawled across the face of the moon was the sinister shadow of the Mare in the Moon - just as they all remembered it from not so long ago, before Luna's return one eventful midsummer's night. “Indeed, this is not Ponyville fair Applejack...” Fluttershy took off like a rocket in fright as Luna emerged from the shadow of a nearby wall, the stars in her ethereal mane sparking brightly like diamonds in moonlight. “Princess Luna!...so...we're in Twilight's dream right now?” Rainbow Dash looked about her “This is kinda freaky...it all looks so real...” “I assure you, this is indeed all in a dream.” Luna looked up at the moon. “...Twilight...” “...That'll...be her...up there...ain't it Princess...” Applejack was gazing up at the shadow too. “Indeed...I have seen my moon looking this way in pictures drawn before my return, but never have I seen it for myself...It feels...strange...to see it now...” Fluttershy nervously looked about her. “I...I don't like this place...it gives me the creeps.” “Fluttershy dear - it's just like our Ponyville, even if it's a little more...unfashionable.” Rarity strolled past the pegasus and inspected the nearby scenery. “Maybe if we add a little more colour...Oh! maybe some ribbons and - WahahahAHHHHHH!!!!!” As the unicorn spoke - Rarity had raised her hoof, and it was if she had bumped an invisible wall, space itself abruptly beginning to ripple around her. Both Rarity and Fluttershy immediately freaked out and hugged each other with a little scream as Applejack and Rainbow Dash watched with open mouths. “Whoa Nelly!...W-what in the hay...” began Applejack, but a sudden bout of hysterical giggling interrupted her. Pinkie Pie was sitting a little way off, completely at ease and happily amusing herself by poking at various things and making them ripple - and falling over herself laughing. “P-Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash stared at her earth pony friend in disbelief. “Heeheeheeheeheee! Isn't this great? Huh? Huh? Look, I can make the library go all silly...” She poked again at the air in front of her, making it shimmer and distorting the view of the library in front of them. Her friends all gave Pinkie Pie the same incredulous look as the bubblegum pink mare continued to amuse herself with her game, only pausing when she looked round at them innocently and noticed their expressions. “What? It's just like home...” “Huh??” Her friends could only gape in confusion at this. Even Luna looked puzzled. “Ohhh kaaaay...” Rainbow Dash tried to shift her mind back into first gear. Eventually, Applejack broke the silence, looking up at the moon again. “Now how in the world are we gonna get up there?” she murmured. “Leave that to me – c'mon Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash flexed her wings “Err...Rainbow? Might wanna hold on there a sec partner...” Applejack began. Rainbow took off at full speed, flying up towards the moon. The others watched her climb higher and higher, but the pegasus soon reached her limit of flight and hovered for a moment. When she returned to the ground she was a little red faced. “Err...sorry about that...guess it's a little further away than I thought...” “Eeeyup...” drawled Applejack. Rainbow suddenly looked glum. Luna's hoof lifted the rainbow mare's chin, her eyes meeting those of the Star Princess. The Ruler of the Night smiled kindly. “A noble effort Rainbow Dash, however - Twilight's prison both is and is not in the moon itself. It is not the same as what you would consider to be a real place, although I assure you that in itself it is very real. We will reach Twilight, but only my magic will allow us to travel there.” Rainbow gave a slight smile back. Luna turned and indicated the dark hills visible in the distance. “We must first journey to those hills yonder my little ponies. I shall then open the way from there. We must make haste however.” The dark Alicorn turned and set off down the dirt road that led through Ponyville. “C'mon ya'll.” Applejack gave one final glance at the moon high overhead, then followed Luna down the darkened streets, the others soon following behind her. ------------------------------------- As the rescuers filed through the town, Applejack caught up to Luna. “...Princess Luna...Twilight is gonna be alright, ain't she?” the farm pony timidly asked. Luna turned to look at her. “What is it you mean Applejack?” “Well...if you don't mind me sayin'...ya'll know wha' she's goin' through an' all...is she gonna...b-be able to forgiv' us? F-for what we said?”Applejack replied hesitantly. Luna looked uneasy and remained silent for a moment, as if in deep thought. “I cannot say what is true of Twilight, Applejack. However...good friends will always forgive each other... In time...” The princess's reply didn't seem to reassure Applejack. The orange Earth pony sighed, lowering her head as if she was in disgrace. “Twilight might forgiv' me... but ah sure am gonna find it harder to forgiv' mahself...” she whispered. Luna gave her a questioning look. “And why is that?” Applejack squeezed her eyes shut. “Princess...Ah'm supposed ta be tha' Element of Honesty...but...what ah did....” Applejack suddenly couldn't hold her guilt back any longer, her words rushing out. “It-It were as bad as a lie! Ah wasn't honest with mahself about Twilight's intention' when she tried to stop me an' Rainbow Dash fightin'...” Applejack's voice grew quiet. “How can anypony forgiv' me for that?...” Luna frowned as her own experiences haunted her thoughts. But then she drew closer to Applejack's side as they walked and touched the smaller mare's neck with her cheek. “With honesty comes trust my little pony, and that will heal the most broken of friendships.” Applejack sighed again. “Ah hope ya'll right Princess...” Ahead of the group lay Ponyville's town square. Wrapped up in her own thoughts, Luna couldn't help feeling that something felt...out of place as she entered. The Ruler of the Night racked her brains for a moment, she had not been to Ponyville very often and was generally unfamiliar with the town. But something in that square had rung a distant memory – and not a good one at that. Pausing for a moment and looking about her, the only thing that immediately caught Luna's eye was that while the rest of the streets had seemed deserted for the most part, in one corner of the square were three little fillies playing with a skipping rope. Luna watched them for a moment as she waited for the rest of the party to catch up, and listened as snatches of laughter and their skipping chant drifted over to her. “...One...Two...Nightmare's looking for you...” Luna shivered at the reference to her dark alter ego. Even the laughter of the fillies had seemed wrong, almost mocking at times. Luna shook her head, stepping out of the shadow of a column of ash-grey stone beside her and walked towards the other side of the square without even a backward glance. “C'mon! You guys are so slow!” Rainbow Dash was getting impatient. The pegasus pony alighted on the ground and stamped her hoof as Rarity, with Spike sitting on her back, gently urged on a reluctant Fluttershy - who was jumping at every shadow including her own. “Really Fluttershy darling...it isn't all THAT bad. I must admit...I thought it would be much worse than this.” Rarity was saying to her timid friend. “Oooh....H-how – EEEEK! - H-how much worse d-did you think it would get? I-I'm t-t-terrified!” “Well darling, I thought...well...never mind what I thought dear... Still – so far the only really scary thing I've seen was that truly awful outfit in that shop window...such crimes against fabulosity should never be so displayed!” “She's right Fluttershy, as nightmares go this one's not so bad – for us anyway...” Spike added hastily, looking up at the moon. “I-I don't like that moon...it's scary...” quailed Fluttershy. “Fluttershy...that's Twilight up there, or had you forgotten...” Rainbow glared at her fellow pegasus. “I-I'm sorry Rainbow Dash...I can't help it if I'm a scaredy pony sometimes...” “Never mind dear...we'll find Twilight and go back safe to Canterlot, Oooh! I'll be able to go and shop for all the latest fashions! You simply must come and help me choose!” Rarity's face lit up at the thought of a shopping spree in the pony capital. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and leaned impatiently on the stone column beside her as Pinkie Pie passed by, with Rarity and Fluttershy bringing up the rear. The Pegasus took to the air again and turned towards the other side of the square, which Luna and Applejack were just reaching. Along the ground just below Rainbow Dash, a long shadow stretched out from the column that both she and Luna had lately stopped by. Wrapped up in their thoughts, none of the ponies had really noticed it, the statue on top of the stone pedestal creating the strange silhouette of a tall, thin figure wearing a hat across the square – it's long, thin claw exaggerated in the bright moonlight. And none of the ponies saw the shadow begin to move as they passed. Except Fluttershy. “Fluttershy? What's wrong?” Rarity stopped and stared at her pegasus friend, who had suddenly frozen in terror without warning in the middle of the square. Fluttershy could only whimper unintelligibly, indicating frantically behind her without looking round herself. Rarity looked back. “Honestly darling...there's nothing there.” Fluttershy shook her head and bleated. “What th' hay is goin' on over here?” Applejack and the other ponies had noticed the two mares weren't following and turned back, even Luna was trotting across the square towards them. “I don't know...something's wrong with Fluttershy...” replied Rarity “Really darling...there's nothing scary here” “Yeah sugar-cube, look. It's jus' the houses in Ponyville, the town hall, the statue of Discord, the...” Applejack broke off suddenly, the farm pony's eyes going wide as she realised what she just said. “Uh-oh...” Slowly, the collective bit began to drop and everypony's gaze drifted up to look at the statue, the snake-like form of the Draconequus towering above them in the cold blue light of the moon. But it wasn't a statue any more. Standing on top of the pedestal and looking down at them was Discord - wearing a moth eaten red and green striped sweater and a dirty brown hat. His eagle claw cast long knife-like shadows on the ground as he brandished it, and the Master of Chaos laughed loud and long as the five Friends of Harmony screamed in fright.