Before the time of Nightmare Moon and her banishment to the celestial body she was charged to raise and lower every night, there lived a clan of nomadic ponies who worshiped Luna as a goddess that ruled over the night sky and protected all who dreamed beneath the moon's soft glow. They erected shrines to her during their long treks across Equestria, praying as followers of any religion would, both for protection and for the blessing of peaceful nights whenever they would set up camp for the night. One day the elders of the clan decided that, to prove their loyalty and devotion to the moon goddess, they should pledge their bloodlines to her service.
Using an ancient, mystical ritual they had acquired the knowledge of from the zebras of the savanna, the clan swore by their very blood to serve the moon goddess, granting them a sense of purpose and, to their amazement, a measure of power to control their own dreams. For several years they lived happily, until one day the moon blocked out the sun and a truly horrible thing happened. At the very moment Princess Luna succumbed to her own darkness, these devout ponies were struck with intense agony as their bodies were warped into nightmarish mockeries of their former selves, with manes of flame and coats black as the night itself.
After the moon princess was banished by her elder sister, the nomads regained a measure of their former selves, save every night of the full moon, when the change would take hold once again. These “nightmares” found that they had no control of themselves during this time and, for the safety of their fellow ponies, they vowed to allow their bloodline to eventually die out, scattering to the four winds. Just over a thousand years have passed since then and the clan is all but extinct, only a dozen of them still existing across the length and breadth of the continent. With the return of Nightmare Moon and her subsequent redemption, a lone wanderer of these forgotten family is returning to Equestria, the barest notion of a hope for his people, flickering like a lone candle in the dark, starting to burn inside his chest.
0o0o0o0o0o0
The slightly muffled clip-clop of hooves on hard packed dirt echoed softly in the serene stillness of the warm, early spring day, this section of road rather empty this time of year, as the merchant traffic wouldn't pick up for another week at least. The lone figure of an earth pony was making his way along the path steadily, his coat a deep, dark blue, the only break in color a white, diamond shaped patch on his brow and triple paw print mark of his cutie mark on his flanks. His mane and tail were striped with two lighter shades of blue and his eyes were an often considered unsettling shade of red, much to his continued chagrin as other ponies tended to not want to look him in the eyes for long as a result. Of course that could just be his abrasive nature at work, but that was just nonsense, really. He just didn't like to sugarcoat things, that's all. Blunt honesty and directness often served him best, not honeyed words and flattery. Besides he wasn't good at it, so what was the point?
The Earth pony shifted his flanks to settle his travel worn saddlebags more comfortably across his back as he came to a stop, turning his head to reach back and pull an equally battered map from within the left one and spread it open on the ground with his hooves. It was an older map, the stallion having picked it up from a vendor when he'd last stopped for supplies for two bits, but if his calculations were right he should be less than a day from Ponyville, if he picked up the pace at least.
It had taken two weeks to skirt the Everfree Forest, no direct paths leading through the dense, dangerous place having been used in ages and if it weren't for the fact that Appleloosa and Dodge City were to the southeast he doubted anypony would ever come this way at all. Still, he couldn't help feeling more and more apprehensive as he drew closer to Equestria's heartland, the stallion rather nervous to say the least. If his judgment of his time table was off even by a day, this whole trip was a disaster waiting to happen. But, honestly, what choice did he have?
Sighing softly, the Earth pony rolled the map back up and stuffed it back into his bags, checking his sword where it rested in its sheath against his right flank. With as much traveling as he did, and given how close he was to the borders of the Everfree, a pony could never be too careful these days. He started walking once more, though not at the more relaxed pace he'd been using before, the stallion worrying his lower lip between his teeth as he went over his schedule once more.
If the moon princess was on his side he'd make it into Ponyville just before the the elder set the sun for the day, so he'd be able to grab some supplies and make his way out of town before the moon was even raised into the sky. Then he could stop and make camp for the night well away from anypony and not have to worry about anything for the next three days. Hopefully, at least, but right now wasn't the time to be fretting about it. He had some time to make up for, after all, if he wanted to make it before sunset anyway.
How long was it now since he'd last been in Ponyville anyway? Four years? Five? He couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto his face, the quiet little town a nice place to relax and take a load off. It was just a shame he couldn't risk spending any time there, otherwise he'd have wanted to stay a day or two at least so could recharge the old batteries, so to speak. Maybe if he made good time he could stop into the Hay Burger for a bite to eat. It had been ages since he'd last had a proper meal, after all, the stallion having been living off of hard tack and oat barley for months now. Even if everything else in Equestria changed, the one thing that was sure to be always constant was Ponyville and the down to earth, friendly ponies that were its residents.
0o0o0o0o0o0
It was hours more before he arrived at the outskirts of the quiet town and what he found there couldn't have shocked him more. Smoke was rising in a great twisting column from further in and the stallion found himself galloping at full tilt towards the source. A stream of questions blazed their way through his suddenly quite troubled mind. Who would ever dream of attacking Ponyville and why? What had happened while he was wandering all these years? He grit his teeth and grabbed hold of his resolve, bound and determined to find out. He finally found where the smoke was coming from, the smoldering remains of a once proud tree, surrounded by a scattering of wood and other debris. Looking around, he swiftly determined that this was once where the library had stood, now almost completely demolished.
“What the buck is going on around here?” He demanded, eyes sweeping over the eerily quiet town, confusion and anger mingling freely inside of him. “Where is everypony?” A slew of nightmarish scenarios sprung up from his imagination in response, the Earth pony swiftly shaking his head in an effort to banish them from his mind. Thinking like that wasn't helping right now. He needed answers and he needed them fast. While he thought to perhaps check the smoking remains for any survivors, the stallion heard something in the distance, his eyes suddenly drawn to a sphere of shimmering rainbow colored lights rising into the sky.
Then the light began to expand, the Earth pony shuddering as a trickle of fear wormed its way into his heart. Well, he might have his answer as to who, or rather what, had attacked Ponyville, but when the light swept over the town, all he felt was warmth flooding through him. What was this? It felt so...right. Like being wrapped up in pure sunlight and held close by someone you loved. Then, quite suddenly, something inside his chest lurched and the stallion dropped to his knees in pain. “W-what's happening?”
Something about the light was burning him inside while the comforting warmth still wrapped him in its embrace. But, as swiftly as the pain had come, it passed, taking with it the wonderful sensation of the light as it continued to spread outwards in a wave. If he'd been confused before he was dumbfounded at this point. As he got back to his hooves, however, his mounting confusion swiftly turned to shock as a rainbow arch formed and some object rode it to the edge of town. The ground started to shake and just when he thought he'd seen it all, a grand tree-like castle grew where the rainbow borne “seed” had touched down.
He could only stare in mute, slack jawed amazement, even as light shone from the castle's peak and yet another rainbow spiraled outwards as a result. What in the name of the princesses was going on? Why could he suddenly hear a group of mares singing about rainbows? What in all of Equestria was even happening?! He knew one thing, though, even if he was still immensely confused. He wouldn't find anything out just by standing around. His answers were in that castle and so, face set with determination, the earth pony started on his way towards it. He didn't know what he'd find, exactly, but it was better than just standing around like some slack jawed foal that had just seen his first Summer Sun Celebration.