CHAPTER 1
Although Luna was trapped as Nightmare Moon for 1,000 years, she was still very aware of her actions. In fact, it still haunts her dreams to this day; which is more bothersome than it sounds, since she is, after all, the Princess of the Night.
During her encounter with the Mane Six, Rainbow Dash exhibited both incredible loyalty to her friends, and complete admiration towards her favorite team, The Wonderbolts. This made her create her own incarnations of an anti-team she ironically called The Shadowbolts. But we all saw how that ended... Rainbow Dash easily shot them down.
After the curse was lifted, and Luna was herself once again, she attended a Wonderbolts derby, and saw everypony cheering for their personal favorite. Afterwards, she grew intrigued, and attended a practice, where one young mare on the sidelines watched them, and cheered them on quietly.
This mare was the splitting image of one of her Shadowbolts! Dark blue mane, light blue coat.. it reminded Luna of the trick she played on Rainbow Dash just a few months ago, as Nightmare Moon.
“Young filly.” The princess approached her, “What art thoust name?”
“Princess Luna!” The young mare bowed. “I’m so sorry! Am I in some sort of trouble--?”
“No no, I am simply asking your name, young mare.”
“Um, Cloud Crash. But my friends just call me CC.”
“Why dost though stay here whilst they practice?”
“Oh, is that not allowed? I’ve been coming here for years! I’m so sorry, I didn’t know! Princess Celestia never said anythi--”
“It is perfectly fine, young Cloud Crash. I did not mean to startle you.”
“Oh, good. I don’t want to go to jail...”
“Jail? Young CC, please, I mean no intimidation. I merely am curious about your audience here.”
“Why I’m here? I’m the Wonderbolts’ biggest fan! I’m gonna be a member one day!”
“Hmm, but... why? What makes this flying team so appealing?”
“They’re the fastest flyers in Equestria! And they get to race every day for a living! What part of that doesn’t sound awesome!?”
CC quickly flinched. She didn’t mean to holler at the princess like that; she was just so excited. Princess Luna didn’t react to it, she was too deep in thought.
“Young CC, do you practice flying often?”
“Why, every day your highness...!”
“And you are quite fast?”
“The fastest! Top of my class in flight school!”
The princess paused for a moment. Cloud Crash was so confident in herself, even in the presence of royalty.
“Show me.”
Cloud Crash gasped in excitement. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing! She had been coming to these practices every day after flight school, and even more often once she had graduated from flight school a few months ago. Princess Celestia had not once come down to greet her. Everyone who had ever met Celestia said she was the nicest pony in all of Equestria, but CC had always thought princesses were just too busy to pay any attention to a normal pony like her. However, Princess Luna seemed to be interested in everything about her!
“I-- of course! But um...” CC glanced at the track, “...on this track? They’re kinda using it--”
Princess Luna had forgotten the Wonderbolts were still zipping around the track, not paying any attention to anypony but themselves.
“You speak truths, young Cloud Crash...” Luna thought for another moment. “...but I know of a place where we will not be disturbed.”
CHAPTER 2
There’s a place in Equestria with a lot of mystery behind it. Things happen, and creatures exist that are not found anywhere else.
1,000 years ago, this was a very different place.
1,000 years ago, this place was ruled by the Princess of the Night.
Unfortunately, once the era of Nightmare Moon occurred, this area became neglected, and ponies started slowly moving out. Trees began to grow wild, and only a few zebra huts remained. Even the local stadium was in ruins. The giant sign once bright and welcoming, now moldy and broken now only reads “EV RF E ST DIUM”
Everypony knows to avoid this place at all costs; The Everfree Forest.
So you can only imagine the terror young CC felt, being led into the cold, dark, damp area even with the tall elegant night-sky blue allicorn escorting her.
Something was wrong, however. Princess Luna, although confident as always in her every step, looked a bit confused about her surroundings.
They reached the stadium, and it was, of course, unusable. Bushes were grown out of control, trees had rooted into the track; parasprites were buzzing around everywhere. Luna was distraught.
“Where...” The Allicorn began, “Where... is everypony?” There was a sense of confused sorrow in her voice.
“Not here, that much is for sure...” CC replied, wondering just what the princess was expecting to find here.
Luna was too distracted to acknowledge the sarcastic response. “But... I do not understand...” Her voice was quavering “Has my sister not ruled over all of Equestria in my absence?”
CC raised an eyebrow, “Princess Celestia? Well, yeah but Everfree Forest is just--”
“Everfree forest...?” Luna interrupted incredulously.
CC flinched at the princess’ now glowing eyes; she was already terrified, and now her only source of protection from her ominous surroundings was the scariest thing in the area.
“Art thou implying this whole area is now a... A FOREST!?”
Cloud Crash was cowering in fear now. The whole area seemed to shake.
“NOPONY calls this their home!? No pony visits the town square? Or partakes in the wonderful fruits of Everfree Acres...??”
CC had no idea what she was talking about. She wanted to fly away, as quickly as possible, but her wings were stuck. Her entire body was stuck. What in Equestria was Luna talking about? Why was she so mad?
Suddenly, a drop of rain hit CC’s down-turned ear.
*sniffle*
CC looked up. It wasn’t rain, it was Luna.
She’d never seen a princess cry before... Her terror turned to pure confusion. What the hay was going on? Had this whole area really been a bustling town?
“Celestia...” Luna coughed out, “...1,000 years...” The princess fell to her knees “. . . is a very... long time...”
The air in the Everfree Forest was still, and stagnant. Cloud Crash sat and joined Luna in her moment of silence.
That moment did not last very long, however.
“What is all the racket out here!?” A stallion’s voice came from the entrance of the locker room that read Home Team.
CHAPTER 3
A teal pegasus, with a green mane, and tired-looking, violet eyes emerged from the thickets covering the locker room’s entrance.
“Who goes there!?” Luna shouted. Using her magic, she yanked the stallion towards them. “Who are you!? Why are you trespassing on Everfree Stadium property!?”
“Wha-- I- wow, um. I live... here?” The muted voice of the pegasus from within the magic sounded more impressed than threatened.
The Princess dropped him.
“Oof! ...ow... No- yeah, that’s polite. Make yourselves at home.. throw me around a little more if you get bored... geeze...” The stallion said sarcastically, still clearly not shaken.
“SILENCE!” Luna spoke, in the traditional royal Canterlot voice.
“...or yell at me if you want, that’s totally cool too. . .” The stallion replied arrogantly.
Luna was beyond puzzled. “YOU DARE SPEAK TO ROYALTY IN SUCH A WAY!?”
The pegasus smirked, raising an eyebrow. “Royalty?” He turned to face the princess. “Celestia?? Ha, love the new mane color! Equally as flowy, defying physics and such... but blue? I pegged you for more of a pink lovin’ kind of mare. . .” He laughed, and turned around and began to walk away. “Nice try, lady...”
Princess Luna could not believe her ears. Such arrogance! “I am NOT Celestia!” she spat. “I am--”
“--I figured.” He interrupted, rudely. “Look, PonyCon isn’t for another few months and it’s nowhere near Everfree Forest... I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re in the middle of bucking NOWHERE. So please, why don’t you and your--” he glanced at Cloud Crash “--daughter there, run along, and come back a few weeks from never.”
Luna’s eyes glowed. Her face scowled. The air around her began to rotate, and her horn began to spark. Cloud Crash had only known Luna personally for about an hour, but she knew that look, and she didn’t like it.
“Why you... I SHOULD--”
“Wait!” CC interrupted.
Luna stopped. She looked at CC’s pleading, yet confident eyes. “Please,” CC continued, “give me a moment with him.” Luna paused a moment, and nodded at her.
Cloud Crash flew across the stadium, catching up to the arrogant stallion.
“She really is a princess, you know...”
“Who, your mom over there? Ppffch, yeah, me too, kid.”
Cloud Crash didn’t understand. How had he not heard about Luna’s return?
“That’s Celestia’s sister!” CC pleaded.
He stopped for a moment. “Celestia’s sister? Nightmare Moon? That’s an old ponytale, filly! How old are you? You look like you’ve at least graduated. You believe in Santa Hooves too?”
“I graduated last year! And no, it wasn’t! She returned last year!” CC said. “How long have you been living in the Everfree Forest?”
“About four years... why? What does it matter? What are you both still doing here??” He began to sound annoyed.
“All alone?” CC sounded sympathetic.
“Ha!” he laughed, heartily. “Sometimes, I wish! Nah, I’ve got a roomie across the stadium; lives in the Visitor locker room... but,” He lowered his head, and whispered, “She’s not exactly... alright in the head.”
CC glanced back toward Luna, who was staring at them impatiently. The visitor’s locker room was just to the right of her.
“Um, what’s your name, Sir?”
“Sir? Really? I’m maybe four years older than you! Don’t call me ‘sir’. The name’s Night Arrow, but please, ‘Arrow’ is fine.”
“Okay, great! Well, nice to meet you, Arrow! My name is Cloud Crash! CC for short... and you have missed quite a lot of current events--”
“IIIIINNNNTTRRRRUUUUUUDDDDEEEERRRSSS!!!” A loud, girly voice echoed through the stadium, startling both CC and Luna. Suddenly, a neon green mare was flying, back-hoof first, right towards Princess Luna.
CHAPTER 4
As if somepony had pressed the “pause” button, the neon green mare stopped right in mid air, magic surrounding her, the same blue tone as Princess Luna’s horn. Nonchalantly, Luna walked over to the now floating pony.
Still using the Royal Canterlot voice, her eyes glowing white, Luna spoke. “I INTRUDE ON NOTHING, BRIGHTLY HUED ONE. YOU DARE ATTACK ROYALTY?”
Only able to mover her face, the mare looked around, confused, then suddenly started to laugh. “Heheh... you know, this kinda tickles!”
Luna was taken aback. Had the entire world gone mad? Did nothing scare these ponies? She dropped the intimidation act, and let the green pony fall to the ground.
“Oof! --ow, well that didn’t tickle at all. . . !”
“Skylight, this is Nightmare Moon and her daughter Cloud Crash.” Night Arrow said, walking up, still very calm. “They’re apparently Royalty and think they own the place and can toss ponies left and right as they please.” His voice became more matter-of-fact.
Luna’s temper was at it’s limit, so Cloud Crash rushed over before Luna could respond, “Uuuh, look, Mr. Night Arrow?”
“Just ‘Arrow’, please. Not ‘mister’ not ‘sir’, just ‘Arrow’...”
“Okay, sorry... um, Arrow. This is Princess Luna, and she really is Princess Celestia’s sister. She was Nightmare Moon when she returned to Equestria last year, but these six ponies living in Ponyville turned her back to normal using this magic called the Elements of Harmony. I’m not her daughter, just a pegasus from Canterlot. We were just in Everfree Forest because she wanted me to show her how fast I can fly. But then you came out and stopped us, and your friend here came out with a surprise attack from the bushes, so we haven’t gotten around to it.”
Night Arrow and Skylight watched CC monologue for a moment, then glanced at each other, and bursted into laughter.
“The Elements of Harmony?” Night Arrow asked through his laughter. “That’s the most ridiculous... hahaha, Harmony means like.. peaceful! How do you defeat someone, with elements of a peaceful... haha!”
Skylight rolled onto her back, “HeehahaHEhehee! Royalty? In our old abandoned stadium? Haha yeah, like a Princess would be walking around a creepy old forest...!”
CC already knew Luna was not taking the laughter very well. She didn’t even have to turn around to see the Princess’s face to know Luna was getting more upset by the second.
Skylight mockingly tip-hoofed across the grass, her snout facing upward, and eyes closed as snooty looking as possible. “Oh, dear Mister Night Arrow, sir...” She said in a phony Canterlot accent.
“Mmmmnnyyeesss, Princess Skylight?” Arrow returned the jest.
“Could you please sweep up the ballroom, my fancy glass horseshoes and dress are getting all full of *gasp* debrriiiiis . . .” Skylight’s mocking voice became more and more nasally as her dialogue continued.
“HahahhahAHahah!” They both fell to the ground, laughing hysterically.
Clenching her teeth, Luna shouted. “That’s IT!”
She positioned herself in a ready stance, closed her eyes, and spread her wings.
CC yelled, “Luna, no! Wait!!”
The laughter stopped.
Luna’s eyes opened and a bright white light illuminated the area.
In a flash, the abandoned stadium was empty.
CHAPTER 5
“--stop!!” CC completed her thought. Her voice sounded much louder than it had a moment ago. She looked around, and everyone was in the same place, but the setting was completely different.
Instead of a scary old forest, broken concrete buildings, and dark, foggy swamp land, they were in a nice shiny room.
The decor was night themed, with a large glass moon over a dark blue throne, behind a large, black desk. Constellations were painted on the ceiling, which was very high up. The fire in the fireplace was somehow a purple tint, and the chair near the small bookshelf was a dark blue velvet, laced with gold.
The room was clearly decorated for a princess.
“What the. . .?” Arrow gaped at the new surroundings. “What just happened?”
“Where are we, Princess?” CC asked.
“I have teleported us to my chambers, in Canterlot.”
“CANTERLOT!?” Arrow gasped. Skylight jumped up and ran under a table.
“Yes, Canterlot...” as the Princess walked to her throne behind the desk, she used her magic to place each of the three ponies in a seated position on the adjacent side. “...that isn’t a problem is it?”
“This is kidnapping!” Arrow shouted, angrily. Skylight was shaking, shifting her eyes around the room. Meanwhile, CC was looking at the other two, now more confused than ever.
Just a moment ago, these two pegasus ponies were laughing in the face of one of the most powerful alicorns in Equestria, now they look as anxious as prisoners on death row. Why were they so reluctant to be in Canterlot?
“What’s the matter, Night Arrow? No more witty remarks, and sarcastic, arrogant comments?” Luna leaned back on her throne. “Now that you can finally see that I actually am Canterlot royalty, I think it’s best you fix your tone, lest you be thrown to the dungeon.”
“Canterlot has a dungeon?” CC asked, clearly the most calm of the three.
Luna glanced at her coyly, “Perhaps...”
“Look, Princess, we get it. You just wanted to use the stadium, that’s fine by us,” said Arrow, “Use it till you’re even blue-er in the face. Just get us out of Canterlot, please!” Skylight was nodding her head through the entirety of Arrow’s plea.
This sudden change in character intrigued Luna. They clearly still weren’t intimidated by her royal stature, but by being in the city of Canterlot. But why?
“I will, in due time.” Luna responded. “But tell me, Night Arrow, --and Skylight is it?--” Skylight nodded. “Explain to me what two pegasus ponies are doing living in an old abandoned stadium in the middle of a forest? Where are you from originally?”
Skylight turned to Arrow.
“We’re from nowhere.” Arrow responded, his eyes narrowed. “And if you don’t mind, we’d like to return there.”
Luna could tell she wasn’t getting anywhere. These two wanted out of this city, immediately.
“I’ll tell you what, Night Arrow,” Luna began, and leaned forward onto her desk. “do you consider yourself a fast flyer?”
Arrow was visibly confused by the random question.
“OOH! I am!” Skylight jumped up and raised her hoof, smiling. “I’m super fast! I can outfly a pack of hungry timberwolves! I can fly circles around baggy eyes here!”
Arrow had always hated when Skylight called him that.
The sudden outburst and mood change from anxious and scared to excited and shouting made CC think of Arrow’s response back at the stadium. Skylight really wasn’t all right in the head.
“Is that right?” Luna asked, “And would you consider Night Arrow faster than normal pegasus ponies?”
“Well duuuh,” Skylight stuck her tongue out, “all the free time we have is just spent racing around the track and around Everfree forest! Four years is a super long time to be away from home! We even used to race back when we lived in--” Arrow covered her mouth.
“That’s enough from you, Sky’.” He said. “What does this have to do with anything ...Princess?”
Luna smiled. “I have a proposition for you; I will return you both to the stadium, but in return, the three of you show me how fast you can fly.”
“Why?” CC asked, realizing the Princess’s focus was no longer on just her anymore.
“Just trust me, it will be worth your time.” Luna stood up, and stuck her hoof out. “Do we have a deal?”
The three ponies looked at one another, not really seeing a down side to this.
“Fine.” Night Arrow touched the Princess’s hoof.
“Of course, Princess.” CC’s hoof joined in.
“Let’s GO!” Skylight shouted happily, joining her hoof to the rest.
“Very well.” Luna’s horn began to glow, and in a flash, her royal chamber was unoccupied once again.