Night.
Above me I saw nothing but pitch black sky. In front of me I saw nothing but trees cloaked in shadowy darkness. Around me I heard nothing but the silence of lifeless forest.
It was little else but the unknown. The frightening unknown that made my heartbeat grow faster and my breath grow heavier.
I looked behind at the Shoin-zukuri behind me. A small and square shaped hut, with an exterior of wooden boards, and a tiled roof that curved inwards up to the second floor, a smaller version of the ground floor that was topped with a similar roof. Through the windows I could see a warm orange light, one that spoke of home and comfort.
I didn't have to go. I could always just go back to the light...
'No.' I thought. 'I have to do this. I have to find myself. And I know I'll find it in that forest.'
But even if I wanted to, the darkness around me just...wouldn't let me go.
That was when I saw it. A white light shining on the ground in front of me, as if the soil had begun to glow. I lifted my head, and saw the shadowy clouds above part ways to reveal the white moon.
And from the moon fell rays of white light that bathed the forest below. The grass upon the earth, the lotuses upon the ponds, and the leaves upon the trees all glowed with the light of the moon.
And then, I wasn't afraid any more.
My hooves catching dirt as I walked, I left the orange light of my home behind me, and followed the white light of my destiny that was ahead of me.
As I went deeper into the forest, the silence that was once there slowly disappeared. What was once no sound at all became the whistling of Bay Owls and the calling of crickets. This comforted me further, as the sound of the unknown was just as bad, if not worse, than the sight of the unknown.
I was ready. More than I had ever been. I would find it. The meaning of being a part of the Uma No Yoru. The meaning of being a part of the ninja.
My father had found it here. My ancestors had found it here. I had to find it here.
And the light of the moon would show me the way.
Continuing on through the forest, through thick mud and dense foliage, I followed the path that the white glow seemed to show me. And by doing so, I found what I might have been looking for.
A lake. Still as a tree. It was one of the largest bodies of water I had ever seen. Three hundred metres in length at least. None of the trees surrounding it went within the length of a garden near the lake, as if to pay respect to it. Above the water were countless beautiful Lotuses that sat on green lily pads. And in the middle of the lake, almost right in the centre, was a rock. It wasn't the kind of rock with a rough surface and jagged edges, it was smooth and shiny, like it was created to be sat upon.
The lake glowed with the moon's white radiance, the light reflecting off the wet flowers and the rock as well. It was the perfect place.
My small wings stretched outward, the feathers extending like the claws of a cat. I had been flying for barely a year, and still had a lot to learn. But I had flown across large distances before. I could do it now.
Rising, then falling, my wings pushed against the wind below me. I repeated the process, faster and faster, until I was no longer touching the ground. So many of the other Ninja's in the Uma No Yoru made it look so easy, but for me, staying in the air was incredibly taxing. But it wasn't going to stop me.
I flew over the lake, trying to keep a good, high distance so that I wouldn't disturb the water. For the first few seconds of slow flying, I felt fine.
But as I approached the rock, my wings grew more tired, crying for rest. I really wasn't sure if I was going to make it. And if I didn't, I hadn't been taught to swim yet, and I had no idea how deep the lake was.
My heart racing with fear, and my wings starting to fail me, I thought of the Shoin-zukuri with the orange light. I thought of the home I shouldn't have left.
But then, out of nowhere, came a gust of wind. It wasn't a very strong wind, but it was strong enough to push me. My wings stopped flapping, and spread out, riding the air that may have saved my life.
Gliding in the night, I landed on the rock.
The frightening experience I had just been through had left my breath heavy and my heartbeat rapid once again. But it was all over now, I had reached my destination.
I sat comfortably upon the rock, and allowed my body to return to normal. My breathing slowed down, my heart eased, and my fear was gone. The silence that had scared me was now very calming, letting my mind clear itself and my body relax.
From the view of the rock, the lake was even more beautiful. Surrounded by water, lotuses, and moonlight, I felt like I was sitting in the centre of a piece of art.
Suddenly, everything began to dim. I quickly looked up to see that another cloud had come to block the moon and its light. Once it had covered it completely, the world around me returned to complete darkness, the lake and the forest seeming to disappear. Feelings of fear and began to build up inside me again, along with a wave of loneliness.
But as I looked around, I realised something. The trees, the flowers, the water, it hadn't all gone. It had just become one with the darkness. The night surrounded me, shielded me, and I then knew that it wasn't trying to hurt me, it was trying to help me.
I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath, my entire body becoming as still as the rock I sat upon. I let myself become one with the night. One with the darkness.
When I opened my eyes again, I found that everything was once more bathed in white light. I looked up at the moon, and it seemed to look back, and I knew that it would always be there for me.
I now understood everything. The night was the friend of the ninja. It was my friend.
For the rest of the night, I sat on that rock, letting my surroundings become as much a part of me as I became with them. When my father found me the following morning, he would also discover that the image of the crescent moon in between two blue feathers had appeared on my flank.
I had earned my cutie mark. I was ready.
***
Exceptionalism is a lie.
Free yourself from your cutie mark.
Choose equality as your special talent.
My eyes slowly opened up to the sight of a white ceiling. After further returning from sleep, I realised that my back was lying against something soft, and that the back of my head was placed against another soft object. As I regained the ability to control my body, I lifted my head to see that I was covered in a white blanket. I was lying in a bed.
Turning my head to the side, I saw that I was in a white room with a brown wooden door, a single window, and light hanging from the ceiling. There were two cabinets in the room, with closed drawers and open shelves displaying boxes and bottles. Next to the bed was a counter with a glass of water and what looked like some kind of radio.
The radio itself sat on the counter, saying a bunch of strange sentences in a feminine voice.
Different talents lead to different opinions.
Different opinions lead to bitterness and misery.
Differences lead to chaos and disharmony.
Whatever all that meant wasn't really important at the moment. What was important was remembering where I was and why I was here.
The mountains...
At the sound of creaking, I look at the door to see it open, and a unicorn mare walk through it. Her fur was light Mauve pink and her hair was royal purple with turquoise highlights, while her eyes were a darker shade of purple.
"Ah, you're awake I see." She said in a friendly voice. "How are you feeling?"
I personally didn't even know how I was feeling myself. I tried to sit up to get my mind and body fully active, but as I moved I felt every muscle in my body ache tremendously. I fell back onto the bed as a groan left my mouth.
"Oh dear." Said the pink unicorn. "Looks like you'll still need some more time."
She walked over to one of the shelves and started looking through all the boxes and bottles, while the little radio continued spouting phrases about the positives of equality and the negatives of individuality. As for me, I needed some questions answered.
"Where am I?"
"You're in our infirmary. We found you unconcious in the Crystal Mountains nearby. You clearly needed medical attention, so we brought you here."
That explained what this room was, and how I was no longer in the mountains, but I wanted to know the details.
"What city or town is this?"
The unicorn chuckled. "Neither, its just a small village. You can barely call it that even. This infirmary is in my home as a matter of fact."
"Are you a physician?"
"Oh, no. There are no physicians here, we all take our part in nursing people back to health. Oh, here it is."
Her horn glowed turquoise as a bottle was lifted out of one of the shelves, wrapped in a similar glow. She walked over to me as the liquid was poured into a teaspoon.
"Here." She said kindly, levitating the spoon over to me. "Take this."
I stared at the liquid in the spoon. It was a transparent, hot pink colour.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Just simple medicine dear, we wouldn't want you getting a cold now would we?"
This brought back memories of my training, and how I was taught not to just take in mysterious substances. Although, if they wanted to poison me, they probably wouldn't have rescued me from the mountains and nursed me back to health. But it could also be something that could somehow get information out of her, and revealing secrets was something a ninja doesn't do. Ever.
"No thanks. I'm fine."
"You really should." She insisted. "you don't just fall unconscious in a frozen mountain range and expect to be in perfect health."
The look on her face told me that she was really insisting. But...
'It doesn't matter.' I thought. 'I'm leaving it all behind anyway.'
My mouth opened wide as the spoon levitated half inside and spilled the medicine against my tongue, before I swallowed it down my throat.
"There." The unicorn said happily. "Now that thats all over, why don't we introduce ourselves. I'm Starlight Glimmer. What's your name?"
I hesitated for a moment, once again reminding myself of the rule against information. But then I also reminded myself that the past didn't matter anymore.
"Night Glider."
Starlight looked happy to be getting somewhere with me. "Thats an interesting name."
Individual talents create an imbalance.
Equality makes it all fair.
Similarity brings unity.
"Whats with the radio?" I asked.
"Oops." Starlight exclaimed. "I forgot to turn this off."
As she trotted over to the radio and turned it radio off, it crossed my mind how odd that was to have on a radio.
"Now I think its time you got some rest." Said Starlight. "Would you like something to help you get to sleep?"
"No thanks." Despite the fact that I wanted to forget my past, taking any more mysterious substances from this pony I hardly knew probably wasn't a good idea.
"If you insist." Starlight replied. "Now if you feel good enough to get out of bed, its a small settlement, so don't be shy to look around."
And with that, she shut the door behind her, leaving me in the silence of the infirmary.
She was certainly right about me needing some sleep. Despite the fact that I had just woken up from a sleep that I didn't even know the length of, I was incredibly tired.
I laid my head back down against the pillow and closed my eyes. Strangely enough, the words from the radio started to echo in my head.
Exceptionalism is a lie.
Different opinions lead to bitterness and misery.
Equality brings unity.
It was a bit annoying, but it wasn't really a problem. It would probably be gone once I woke up.