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// Preview - Mystery Of Noblemat 
// Story: Expanding Horizons 
// by mechafone 
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"Oh, please please please? Can I? Please? I won't be in the way, please?"

Applebloom's constant pleading went largely ignored as her big sister lead her towards the school. Applejack was in the middle of getting ready for a big trip across the country with Big Mac, this being the last little chore to take care of before leaving - making sure Applebloom got to school. Some of the family was still around from the family reunion, and had agreed to take care of the farm until the two got back from their week-long trip. Applebloom of course was loathe to sit this one out.

"I'll be good!" the little filly promised. She pulled around in front of her sister and put on the biggest puppy-dog face she'd ever given. "C'mon, please? Ah don't have anypony to keep me company..."

Applejack let out a snort, then sat down, deciding to humor her sister, if only long enough to explain. Before she could begin, though, her little sister began her explanation. "The only family we got left at the farm is Apple Fritz, Danish Dumplin', Braeburn and Fritter Blitz. Ain't one of 'em gonna wanna play with me, Applejack. They're too old!"

The older farm mare huffed at Applebloom's excuse. "Too old?! Now listen here, Applebloom, yer just gonna have to hoof it, lil sis. Them's family, and they'll take care of you. I know we ain't got a lot of family yer age right now, but that's the way it is. Ya gotta stay here and mind your elders, 'cause this trip ain't for fillies like yerself."

Applebloom hung her head and sighed with a great deal of rejection. "Ah hate this. Ah can't even play with Orea. When's she gonna be back?" the little filly asked, raising her head to loop hopefully up into her sister's eyes.

"Ah can't rightly say, little'n," her sister told her a little more sympathetically. The elder sister brought Applebloom in for a warm hug. Spark Storm's little one, who was on occasion described as Spark's daughter, had gone missing the night that Nightmare Moon had returned, and had not been seen since. Her elder, Ampelus, had gone searching for her, with no results up to now, three days later.

Finally out of options, Applebloom turned with great hesitancy towards the school, then snapped back around with such enthusiasm and excitement that Applejack had to take a step back. "Cheerilee! She's Spark's sister, right? Ain't she goin' on this trip? No school?"

Applejack just set her eyes on her younger sister with such disappointment and incredulosity that her younger sister tucked her tail under her legs and bowed her head apologetically. "Applebloom! If yer gonna keep tryin' to get outta stayin' here and gettin' to school, at least try an' come up with a smarter excuse! That's just desperate."

Applebloom, finally defeated and out of options, turned right around and headed onwards to the school. Her elder sister watched her departure, only slightly pitying her younger sister's situation. Just a little. After seeing her sister enter the schoolhouse, Applejack let out an enthusiastic "Yip!" and turned around on her hooves and ran back towards the farm. This was going to be a trip to remember.



It was quiet in the small house, save for the sound of a shower running. Lightning Twist crawled slowly out of the vents, which were usually reserved for the nymphs. The mare was lithe enough to squeeze through them, though, and popped out into the foyer with little trouble. She spread her wings as she fell and dipped into the kitchen, having decided she could help herself to the stallion's last few plates of hay fries - he wouldn't be needing them.

As the red mare chewed on the cold, stale fries, she took the moment to step around the house and look at all the souvenirs and keepsakes that Spark Storm had acquired and collected over the years, reminders of battles and friendships. Hung carefully over the sink was a mask. It was a brilliant white, and kept immaculately clean, although the red marks around the eyes had faded a bit. Lightning wasn't completely sure of the story behind it, but apparently it came from a place called Breen.

On a long, high shelf that ran from the kitchen into the foyer (no separation here whatsoever) were some memorabilia. There were pieces of coral and stones found at the bottom of the sea. There was a plaque made from smooth, black stone with words etched into them, though they were written in a language that Lightning didn't understand.

Next to the plaque was a full-sized surf board. It was high quality, and made in Spark Storm's signature colors - black and blue, with gold lining.

The pegasus paused and let out a laugh at what she saw next. Sitting on a mantlepiece near the door was a griffon claw. Years ago it had been given to Spark Storm by it's owner, a griffon named Havet. It had been ripped from him in battle with other griffons, though thankfully his whole claw had not been ripped from it's roots.

The claw's base was orange, but the rest had been enchanted by a unicorn. The colors split down the middle, red and azure. After returning from Breen, Spark had overslept on the train home and had gone straight past Ponyville and into the mountains. Lightning Twist had gotten onto the train looking for him, and had decided to tag along until he woke up. Trixie had been on the train as well, and the three of them fell into an adventure involving a treaty between griffons and harpies.

Before Lightning Twist could continue recounting the story in her head, the sound of water dripping on the floor and a small cough caught her attention. A small grin of anticipation lit up her eyes as she turned to see a wet Spark Storm standing at the door to the bathroom from which he emerged.

"Oh. Hey there," Lightning said seductively as she let her eyes wander along the stallion's body. Spark took it in stride - even before they started dating, Lightning Twist had made every attempt to make her attraction known. She'd flirted at every chance she'd gotten. Of course, sometimes it was hard to tell what she wanted, as her flirting wasn't limited to just him. Trixie, for example, had gotten her share of suggestive flirting and personal-space-invading nuzzles.

"Lightning, hey. Did you change your mind?"

Lightning Twist shook her head and gobbled up the rest of the fries before turning away from him and returning her eyes to Havet's claw, her mind wandering. "Naw. I just came to see you before you left. You know I'd lose my mind out there in..."pasture land"." Although Spark had been hoping that Lightning would come with him for the week, he understood completely. Lightning was much too spontaneous and fidgety to sit still for a whole day on a train. She'd been several hooffulls trying to keep her entertained on that first train ride years ago.

"Heh, I guess you're right..." Spark sighed. He'd been hoping that he might get to spend a little more time with Lightning, but she was difficult to pin down and get a solid reading off of her at times. It wasn't always hard to get out and do things with her, but there seemed to be a limit, a wall that Lightning kept up at all times. He could only get so close, it seemed, though being with her was fun, and could make him forget about such things, for a time. "Well, you're welcome to hang out here whenever."

"Uh, not likely." Lightning began to step around Spark, her tail curving under his chin the way she did when she felt like flirting. "I don't mind Orea so much, but you remember what Ampelus did when we met - I really don't want to sit around and wait for her to come back and give me a surprise in this enclosed space."

"Heh, yeah..." Spark replied with more than a hint of a blush. He quickly turned his head to keep those thoughts to himself. Although the two of them had been intimate before, Lightning Twist was not very fond of her encounter with Ampelus, who had immediately pounced upon the mare upon meeting her. The act of presumed affection had reminded Lightning of horrible boyfriends past, and the things they attempted to do to her. The fact that Spark was obviously reminded of this was not lost on his marefriend, and was not appreciated.

"Uh huh..." Lightning Twist set a glare on her boyfriend. "Aren't you supposed to be going on a trip right now?"

Spark winced at the tone in her voice. It wasn't easy to get in trouble with Lightning Twist, but when he did, it felt that much worse for disappointing her or getting her angry. "Yeah...I better be going." The stallion sighed inwardly and turned to grab the saddlebags that had been prepared before his shower and slipped them on, the feeling of his girlfriend's eyes boring into his back.

A moment before getting to the door, however, Spark felt a nudge at his side. A glance at Lightning found her smiling, surprisingly. "Hey. Bring me back a souvenir or something, ok?" Lightning cemented her affection with a light kiss to Spark's mouth as she stepped out the door before him, leaving him no room for reaction or response. She looked over her shoulder and winked at him, giving him one more playful flick of her tail before taking off into the air and leaving Spark behind with a small smile on his face.

Before taking his leave, Spark turned back into his home and let out a series of three high whistles. A moment later amid the sound of scurrying, a small fox-like creature emerged from his brick-laden room that hung above the first floor. Slightly bigger than a newborn filly, Risa bore a soft pink color. Her tips of her wings were a solid purple, and her the tips of her ears were striped, with the very ends steeped in a soft yellow color, as were the tufts of her cheeks. She bore two antennae that stretched from between her ears, and curved along the back of her head and jutted out gently around her shoulders and curved along her chest.

The strikingly beautiful fox-like creature had been found in Breen - well, more along the lines of she'd found him. In Breen, the mulfoxi kits were sacred animals, and the only place they could be found. According to ancient lore, the mulfoxi brought joy and luck wherever they went, and very, very rarely attached themselves to anypony. But the moment Risa happened upon Spark, she had become so attached to him that no amount of shooing or pleading her to leave him alone would help (it didn't help, either, that mulfoxi don't speak).

Risa, as Spark so named her for the sound of laughter she made when she barked, was very intelligent. She came from a litter of nine, all of whom ignored the pegasus, save for Risa. Having heard curious squeaking noises in a hole in a hill, Spark had gone to investigate, and had come out with the young mulfoxi attached to his muzzle. Spark had spent a full hour trying to get her to go back into her home, and had even taken to shove her - gently, of course - back into her home, only to have her climb back out and reattach herself to him.

His guide, a kirin named Fox Fire, had told him that once a mulfoxi attached itself to somepony, it was no use trying to get rid of them. It was very rare, but once a mulfoxi chose somepony, they stuck with them for life. Risa had been a constant companion to Spark ever since. Not as a pet, though - Risa was too intelligent to be called a simple pet. Once home from Breen, and with very little prompting, Risa had helped Spark with many things. Breakfast, sending messages, somepony to talk to (even if she didn't talk back), training, and even breaking the ice with new friends (or help with repairing friendships with angry friends). She was always by his side, and although being in his space at all times was sometimes vexing, he was always grateful for her constant affection and attention. Spark's little companion, who had grown with the stallion over the years, was now the size of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and fully grown as an adult. Spark didn't know how old she would live, but Fox Fire had assured him that they would be together for a very long time.

The mulfoxi flew down, lit on Spark's back, then hopped over his head and turned to face him. Is it time to go? Are we leaving? her face seemed to say. The two had been together for so long now that Risa quite often made herself understood without the ability to speak. The pegasus smiled and nodded his head, bumping his friend playfully with his muzzle. "That's right, Risa. It's time to go catch that train."

The mulfoxi let out a peal of what could've been mistaken for laughter. She circled herself about Spark Storm twice before coming down to light inbetween his wings, tucking herself into a little ball as his wings tucked over her; her favorite spot. It was Orea's, too. The thought of his missing daughter made him frown. Ampelus will find her, he thought. Or maybe Forest will. His thoughts kept him rooted to the spot, hesitantly staring at his home. She'd be here when he got back, right? He just had to trust that she would.

He couldn't sit this one out, either. This was an official diplomatic mission delivered to him by Celestia herself. Now that her sister had come home (another mystery in itself - she'd never mentioned a Princess Luna to him), several neighboring nations had called out in anger and fear. What had happened with the moon three days ago, why hadn't the sun come out? With all the talk of Nightmare Moon, these nations had demanded answers, and Spark Storm, Applejack and Big Mac had been asked to handle the situation. As the newfound Element of Honesty, Applejack was a good candidate for this situation, that and the fact that her farm often delivered their wares out to country of Noblemat.

As Spark pulled the door closed and headed out on his way, he quietly turned his thoughts to a day earlier, when Celestia had called Spark Storm and Applejack to the castle to brief the two on their mission, and the dark possibilities that may wait for them...




 Spark Storm stood at the entrance to the palace as Applejack approached, flanked on all sides by Celestia's guard. The apple farmer looked more than a little annoyed at the prospect of being delivered, but she had enough tact to keep her complaints to herself. As she drew closer, it became more and more evident that the two old friends were growing increasingly excited of seeing each other and talking about the last few days.

Spark Storm and Applejack were close, thick as thieves, and had grown up through their school years and beyond, both facing their own ordeals and hardships, eventually coming to see each other as family. With Spark Storm's job as part of Celestia's secret monster hunter 'police' and Applejack revealed to be an Element of Harmony, the two suddenly had a whole lot more to talk about.

Spark could feel his everything jumping with excitement, and if it weren't for the guard standing about his old friend, he might as well have jumped about and shouted like a colt at how awesome this whole thing had become. As it was, he gave Applejack a polite nod as she came to stand before him. She, however, couldn't stand the stiff act that her old friend was putting on for diplomacy's sake, and pulled him into a tight hug and declared, "I do declare, Spark Storm, yer stiffer'n a flag pole stuck in a winter storm! Ease up, partner."

The pegasus was so caught off guard that he felt himself blushing from the looks he received from the guards, most staring at the outburst and some chuckling. When he caught one in the back staring at Applejack's flank as she brought herself back to all fours, he set an intense glare at the unicorn. When the other guards took note of the direction Spark was glaring, the captain of the group turned around and smacked the offending starer upside his head. "Star Barge! You know better than to ogle civilians. That's ten laps around the city, and don't let me catch you slowing down. Now move!"

Star Barge let out a groan as he obediently turned and began running in the opposite direction. The captain, a bluish white pegasus, nodded his apologies to Applejack, who had found the whole scene more amusing than insulting. "Spark Storm, miss Applejack, we'll leave the rest to you. The Princesses...Princess awaits you." The small flub made the captain flush for the briefest of moments before he turned and departed, taking his company with him. Spark sighed; he felt the captain's confusion. Having an extra princess in the castle made things a little difficult, a little confusing. Most of today's ponies hadn't even been aware that there was a second princess hidden in the moon until two days ago.

The two friends turned after a moment and headed into the castle. When a moment's silence had passed between them, Applejack could stand it no longer. With a light shove with her whole body, she knocked into Spark with a big grin on her face. "Well? Don't keep me waitin' in suspense, talk to me, Spark! Ah keep hearin' you were in town that night. Can't trust Ditzy to see ya and not say anythin'."

When Spark caught his balance, he frowned and set his eyes on the carpet as they walked. That night was so very confusing. He remembered watching that starry mist heading off into the Everfree, he remembered running after the girls as they chased after it, but so much of that night was a blur. Mostly he remembered emotions, emotions that seemed to have been separated from the visions that went with them. He'd felt, surprisingly, a lot of affection. Something had happened in those woods that made him feel warm and happy. He couldn't explain it to himself, let alone to Applejack. Then there was the fact that whatever had happened had freaked Orea out so badly that she'd fled and gone into hiding. It was too much.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Applejack. I really don't remember anything, at least not anything helpful," he told her with a bowed head. After being a monster hunter for so long, after serving Princess Celestia for years, it turned out that his closest friends had a lot more in common with him than he thought, and on that very night of enlightenment, he couldn't do anything or remember what had happened. It made him frustrated that he hadn't been able to help.

The farm mare frowned at Spark sympathetically before clapping his back comfortingly. "Aw, don't worry about it, sugarcube. You'll get those memories back if ya just give it some time, I'm sure of it." The two turned to face each other, a comforting hoof now placed on Spark's shoulder. They stood there and smiled at each other, taking strength in each other's presence before they turned to face the doors they'd arrived at. The hallways empty and devoid of guards, they slowly pushed open the huge double doors and entered into Celestia's audience chamber.

Spark Storm wasn't entirely sure what to expect. He'd seen Princess Luna once in the two days she'd been back, and that was the morning after the girls had defeated Nightmare Moon and brought Luna back to her senses. She was frightened and unsure of this new world, and she'd had no time yet to adjust, so Spark wasn't too surprised to see that Celestia was alone to greet the pair. She looked tired, something Spark hadn't seen the world summit meeting a good five years ago.

Celestia stood from her throne and waited patiently as Spark and Applejack approached, then bowed before her. "Applejack, Spark Storm...I'm so happy to see both of you. After the events of the last few days, it's certainly comforting to see your faces."

"Your majesty," Applejack said with the most careful of tones. "It's a pleasure bein'-er, be-being of service to you." Spark winced at his friend over-pronouncing her words. "What is it that we can do to help you?"

Celestia also took note of Applejack's honest attempts at being careful and polite, though her tact was greater than Spark's show of chagrine. "Please, Applejack, speak to me as you would your friends and neighbors, there's no need for formality when it's just us. Now, I've called you both here for a matter of great importance. Our country of Equestria was not the only place in the world affected by Nightmare Moon's return - our neighboring countries have been sending messages to me, non-stop, since the sun made it's way back to warm the planet.

I have received many different kinds of messages - some of them fearful, some of them angry, some of them demanding that something be done to make sure this doesn't happen again..." the princess trailed off, a sad, distant look pulling over her eyes. "My poor sister has shut herself up in her old room, refusing to come out. Some of these messages were quite hateful, and I'm afraid a great guilt has befallen the princess of the night. It may take some time to alleviate these feelings. In the meantime, my friends, I ask that you go to one of these neighboring countries, to Noblemat, the land of rams and sheep."

"Well, land sakes, why aren't we already on a train to tell 'em we got things under control?!" Applejack burst out. "Now hold on, Noblemat? I know them fellers. Our farm sometimes ships out products to them out in the country. Isn't their country called Rouffle, or somethin'?"

"It is indeed, Applejack," the princess told her, a dark look coming over her face as she stepped a little closer to the two. A small, serious frown was plastered on her face as she leaned in as if to bequeath a terrible secret upon both of them. "Rouffles is what the country was renamed, after an event that occurred many, many years ago, before my sister was even born. My parents, the rulers of Equestria before my sister and I, battled a creature so evil, and so powerful that he and his entire vast country had to be sealed away. This country is the vast empty plains of Noblemat of today, located within Rouffles.

The name was changed, switched around, after the sealing of the villain and his land. Not all his people were evil, though a great many of them who swore allegiance to him quickly denounced their loyalty when faced with punishment. The name of that land was cursed, enchanted by the foul wizard himself. Please, be careful," the princess warned them. "Even speaking the name is dangerous. Put it together in your minds, but do not speak it...saying it could weaken the barrier keeping him from returning to this world." Spark Storm and Applejack, both having gone deadly quiet at the mood Celestia was setting, turned to stare at each other. Both had the word turned around in their heads, neither dared to speak, should they accidentally speak the cursed word. Instead, it rang, loud and clear like a bell, in their heads...Tambelon.