Both Twilight and Spike's heads whipped around at the sheer number of ponies in the library with them.
"Sur-PRIIISE!" The pink mare they had seen earlier that day yelled, bouncing into view, "I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Wereyouwereyouwereyou?"
"Um, very." Twilight chuckled weakly, "But we were hoping for quiet."
"Well that's silly!" Pinkie Pie giggled, still bouncing on her hooves, "Whoever heard of a quiet welcome party? Bor-ing!"
Twilight fought back a groan and headed to one of the drink-laden tables with Spike in tow and Pinkie not far behind, "I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all 'hello!' and I was like 'GASP!', remember? You see, I never saw you two before, and if I never saw you two before, that means you're new and that I don't know either of you; and I know everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, in Ponyville! So if you're new, then you haven't met everyone yet, and if you haven't met everyone yet, that must mean you don't have any friends yet! And if you don't have any friends, that means you must be lonely, and that made me so sad!"
Twilight tried to ignore her as she poured a glass of the first bottle she could grab.
"Lonely? How can either of us be lonely if we have each other?" Spike asked, getting a drink as well, and once again, missing the blush Twilight had to fight down.
Pinkie was still going strong, though, "And I had an idea! And that's when I went 'gasp!' I'd just throw a Great Big Ginormous-Super-Awsome-Welcome-to-Ponyville Party, and invite everyone in town!!" As if on cue, the other four they had met that day popped up behind her, "See!? And now you have lots and lots of new friends!"
"Uh, heh." Spike scuffed his hoof against the floor nervously, "Well, we appreciate the gesture--Pinkie, was it? But I'm afraid me and Twilight won't be..." He stopped when she suddenly whirled around, face red and eyes welling up, "Twi?"
"You all right, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked.
With a muffled scream, Twilight jumped, her hair and mane almost igniting before she bolted off
"Aww, she's so happy she's crying!" Pinkie smiled.
Watching her run upstairs, Spike checked the bottle she had used, "Hot sauce?" A hand deftly reached over and tipped the bottle onto a nearby cupcake.
One that Pinkie immediately devoured, "What?" She chew-replied to the others who were watching in shock, and in Rarity and Rainbow Dash's case, slight nausea, "It'sh guud!"
-----------A Few Hours Later-----------
Twilight let out a pitiful whine from the muffled thumping beat of the party music downstairs. She buried her head under the pillow and was trying to put the noise out of her head when the door opened and a streamer-covered Spike stumbled in, quickly shutting it behind him, "Spike! Where've you been!?"
"Pinkie kept pulling me around to meet ponies." He panted, untangling a ribbon from his mane, "I just now managed to get away after Applejack's brother, Big Macintosh, challenged everyone around him to a drunk hula contest." He snickered at that.
"The ponies in this town are all CRAZY!" She snapped, "Do you know what time it is??"
"It's the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration." He went up the steps to the alcove her bed was in and sat on the edge, "Everyone's going to be up or they'll miss Mom raising the sun."
She simply groaned, "Here I thought I could learn about the Elements of Harmony, but silly me! All this 'friend-making' has kept me from it!" She rolled onto her side and looked out at the moon hanging in the sky. At the sight, she sat up and edged to the window.
"Twilight?" Spike asked, moving over beside her.
"The legend says that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape. And she will bring about everlasting night." The worry in her voice was palpable.
"Come on, Twi. I'm sure everything'll be fine." Spike put an arm around her, "The sun'll come up and we can spend the whole day having fun to relax."
She leaned against him a little "I hope so, Spike. I hope it really is just an old pony tale."
"Well...I guess we'll find out before long." He replied, pointing to the clock, "It's time for the sun rise."
---------------------------------
The Ponyville Pavilion was almost filled to capacity as the townsfolk filed inside, some of those that could took to hovering in the air. The excitement in the air was evident from the scattered chatter and murmuring, except for one pony, though.
Twilight was doing her best to keep a calm facade, but underneath she was almost in a panic about what might happen in the next few minutes.
A certain hyperactive mare nearby didn't really ease her nerves, either, "Isn't this EXCITING!?" Pinkie asked in a rapid-fire voice, "Are you excited? 'Cause I'm excited! I've never been so excited! Well except for when I saw you walking into town and I was all 'GASP!', but I mean, seriously, who can top THAT!?"
She stopped just in time for the introductory music to start up.
"Fillies and Gentlecolts!" The town mayor spoke up, grabbing their attention, "As Mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!" She waiting for the cheering to die down before continuing, "In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise and celebrate this, the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great..."
During the speech, Twilight looked out the window in time to see the mare image on the moon vanish. This only served to worry her more.
Spike noticed this and tensed slightly, he'd seen his friend have moments of panic over the years; though they were mostly over things like thinking she had lost a book or trouble casting a spell. Outside of storms when she was little, this was the first time he'd truly seen her borderline scared.
And he didn't like the cause one bit when he saw it.
"...The very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day: the good, the wise, the bringer of Harmony to all Equestria....Princes Celestia!"
On cue, Rarity pulled the curtain rope to reveal...
No one.
A wave of concern rippled through the crowd.
Spike and Twilight looked at each other.
"This is bad!" She whispered.
"VERY bad!" He added.
"N-now calm down, everyone." The mayor said nervously, "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation."
"Ooh! How many guesses do we get!?" Pinkie asked eagerly, "Is she hiding?"
"She's gone!" Rarity called out as she emerged from around the curtains, "There's no sign of her anywhere!"
The crowd's concern turned to fright.
"She's gooood." Pinkie said before screaming herself at the sight of an ominous purple cloud that began forming on the balcony
"Oh no!" Twilight whispered, watching the cloud part to reveal a black alicorn mare in blue armor, her mane and tail resembling the former cloud.
"Oh, my beloved subjects. How long it's been since I last saw your precious, sun-loving faces!" She bit out the last words with a measure of contempt.
"What'd you do with the Princess!?" Rainbow Dash demanded, charging at her.
"Whoa, Nelly!" Applejack grabbed her by the tail before she did something rash.
The alicorn laughed, "Oh? Am I not royal enough? Don't you fools know I am!?"
Pinkie instantly began rattling out names before Applejack stuffed an apple in her mouth.
"Does my crown mean NOTHING after a thousand years of imprisonment!? Does no one recall the legend? Didn't you see the signs!?"
"We did!" Twilight spoke up, "And we know who you are!"
"The Mare in the Moon, or should we say, Nightmare Moon!" Spike growled, his horn lighting up "And now you can answer Rainbow's question: Where's. My. Mother!?"