//------------------------------//
// The foal in the woods 
// Story: Auntie Moony 
// by EbonyDanger 
//------------------------------//

Everfree was not the place, where a pony should go by itself. One should also not go in there, when it was dark. Sure, daylight granted you some safety, but there were parts of the Everfree that were really dark. Darker then a giant's backside. This darkness did not even brighted up, when it was day. And everypony, that only came near these parts of the forest, was caught by a state of fright and ran away, back into the light, back into the safety.
These dark parts were special. The plants grew more wildly and were more dangerous. There were plunderwhines, which could suck out the last bit of your magic, if you got entangled in them. There were trees, which seemed to have eyes and sharp theet in their bark. Their branches seemed to be hands. There were fields of Poison Joke, which could cause tragic changes on your appearence. There were Ursa Minors, one should not disturb in their sleep. There were Timber Wolves, who howled at the moon and longed for the apples, that gloomed in the night. But there was one certain creature, one should never ever meet. Unless you were tired of life.
Of course Luna knew nothing about this. She was just a small filly, which had had a few journeys with her big sister in the forest and only in sight of the castle. She had only seen nice flowers and cute bunnies and pretty butterflies. And therefore she believed that the whole Everfree Forest was like this.
Luna had already lost sight of the castle. The moth was slowly flapping its nice wings and made its way through the woods. It was looking ridicolous, how it danced in the air. So fragile and weary. Luna hopped over a few holes in the ground and climbed over broken branches. „Wait for us, mothy!“, she called and laughed. It was the chidlish laughter, someone has, when he is unaware of danger.
The moth flew over a field of flowers as reddish as blood. Their thick scent tasted like a strawberry mousse in Luna's maw and made her dizzy. She shook her head, her big ears flopped around. „A-a-achooo!“ She sneezed loudly as a flower got too close to her nose. The moth was still flying and about to disappear between a few dark, blackned tree trucks.
„Wait!“ Luna sprinted through the field, still slowed down from sneezing. She finally stumbled after the moth and landed into the dark, special part of the forest. Huh? Where are we? With huge eyes Luna looked around. It was as if the sun had disappeared behind a cloud. Grey light shone between leaves, that hang down the branches like wet hair.
The ground was dump and covered in moss. The roots seemed to lurk in the shadows like snakes. Scary faces with long sharp theet stared through the bark at her. It had become so quiet. Even the wind had stopped whispering. Luna thought, she could hear her own hearthbeat. 
The little filly trotted through this dark part of the forest. We've never saw anything like it. Why did Tia never tell us, that this part also exists? The cool air made her shiver. A crow flew past her and Luna ducked shortly. The animal landed on a branch and cawed a few times. Its dark eyes eyed the Moon Princess. Luna smiled friendly and welcomingly.
„Hello, pretty bird“, she said. Oddly Luna was not scared, not at all. She was standing in the Forbidden Part of the Everfree Forest, but the sense that told every healthy pony to go and make a run for it did not activated by her. Maybe it was because Luna's duty would be to raise the moon and rule the night.
The crow eyed Luna curiously. It tilted its head to one side. Suddenley it said: „Do you know, that you should not be here?“ The blue filly blinked. I can understand, what he is saying. I...I can talk with animals. This new finding made her hop from one hoof to the other and humming. The bird opened its wings. „Haven't you listened? You shouldn't be here!“
Luna stopped dancing. She asked: „But why? We are a Princess. We can be whereever we want. And everyone seems to be so friendly to us.“ 
The crow laughed. It flew around the Moon Princess and eyed her. „Ah, now I see your fancy boots and the tiny crown. Is it real?“ 
Luna pouted and lifted her tiny nose. „Of course!“ As if she wanted to prove it, she picked her crown and waved with it in front of the crow's face. „See?“
„Yeah, yeah, I believe you“, the crow replied, „As I said, you should not be here. It is dangerous here. Someone lives in the forest, who is really frightening. You do not want to get in its way. It might gobble you up.“
Luna laughed. „You are so funny, crow“, she chattered cheerfully, „Do not worry about me. The moth will show me the way back home.“
„Which moth?“ After this question, Luna turned around and made a long face.
Her little moth was no longer here. She looked around and around, but there were only the trees, surrounding her. The crow chuckled sadly. „Bad luck, eh?“, it said and flew away. 
Luna's eyes started to fill with tears. She bumped herself before the tree and pressed her hooves on her watery eyes. „I lost the moth!“, she cried and started whining. Tia, where are you?

***

The gras trembled. But not because the wind was caressing it. No, it was, because a purple-bluish mist floated over it. This mist was Nightmare Moon. The dark mare was slowly flying over the gras, sliding around the trees. She was searching for a host. Sure, she could demonstrate herself, but then she still had not a real body. Her fur then was strangely mistlike. As if the shadows under the trees had given it to her. No, a host would be so much better.
As Nightmare Moon passed a valley, she suddenley heard a whining sound. What was that? The fog changed partly and formed into a dark head with sharp theeth and cyan eyes. Slowly the rest of her body followed the shape-shift and a dark alicorn with a floating mane stood there between the trees and stared at the unusual sight at the valley.
In front of a tree sat a small, adorable filly with blue fur and a small horn. Two tiny feathered wings blossomed between her shoulders. She had pressed her hooves on her face and cried in the highpitched tones. Nightmare Moon snorted and blinked. A filly in the middle of my woods! What is it doing here?
Nightmare carefully lifted a hoof and stepped on a branch, which shattered with a loud crack. The filly stopped crying and looked up. „Who is there?“, she asked. Her voice was thine from sobbing, but she had a nice melodic tone, full like a peppermint bonbon. „Tia? Is that you?“ The blue eyes looked at the dragon-like ones.
„No“, the mare said and slowly stepped out of her hiding place. Clouds swirled above them and her fog-like mane and taile danced around her, making her look bigger then she was. Nightmare stopped in front of the filly. „I am not Tia“, she added and rested her cyan dragon-like eyes on the small foal.
The filly did not seemed to be really scared. „We are Princess Luna!“, she said and smiled. Luna stood up. She looked at this dark mare in front of her and her innocent eyes glittered. „What is your name?“ 
Nightmare lifted her head. Her mane swirled around and thunder cracked in the sky. A lightning played around her silhouette as she said as threatening she could muster: „I am....Nightmare Moon!“
Luna said something. It sounded as if she was stumbling over her name. „Nymphhhh Moon.....Moony!“ Her eyes were bright. „Hello Moony!“ What?! Poof! Nightmare Moon's wings shot open. This happened, when she was surprised or whirled by a strong emotion. In this case it was surprise and shock. Her maw went open.
Angrily Nightmare shook her head as if she was coming out of cold water. „What are you doing here anyway?“, she finally asked. 
Luna told her happily: „I followed a moth and now I am here. I lost the it. Tia will be angry, if she finds out, I got into the Everfree Forest without her premission.“
„Well, then you maybe should go home“, the dark mare growled, „After all this place is dangerous. And you happen to bump into the frightening thing that is me.“ She showed her fangs, salvia dropped from them. 
Luna made a weird face. „We do not understand“, the filly said, „You do not look frightening.“
„Aaaaahhhrrr! I could just scream!“, bellowed Nightmare Moon and her head jerked upwards. Her wings flapped in the air. „Forget what I said. Now go home like a good, little cub.“ She turned around and slowly walked away. The dark mare did not even found the mood to gobble this filly up.
Tiny hoofsteps could be heard behind her. „Where are you going?“, asked Luna eagerly. 
„This is not your business“, replied Nightmare Moon.
„Can I come with you, Moony?“ 
„No. Go home!“
„No“, replied Luna spiky and lifted her nose. This is a joke. Nightmare angrily increased her speed. Luna's hopping steps became faster as well. Suddenley the dark mare stopped. „Stop running after me!“, shouted Nightmare and turned around. Her head touched Luna's forehead and they stared stright into each other's eyes.
„No“, replied Luna and smiled with innocent eyes. 
Nightmare pulled her lips back and showed her sharp theet, that were shaped like the one of a wolf. „Who do you think, you are?!“, she growled with a threatening roar.
Luna took a step back. She folded her small wings, lifted her head and said proudly: „We art a Princess. We can do whatever we want.“ 
Nightmare Moon laughed coldly. „A Princess“, she mocked, „Well what you have got here?“ With her hoof she lifted Luna's legs. „Fancy, silver boots.“ She tipped in the foal's belly. „Fluffy fur. And a small crown on your head.“
Then something weird and shocking happened. Luna wrapped her tiny arms around Nightmare Moon's leg and squeezed her thightly. Again Nightmare Moon's wings shot open and her jaw dropped. For a short moment she was speechless. W...what did just happened?
„Hey, what do you think, you are doing here?“, asked Nightmare Moon. 
„Cuddle you, Moony“, replied the small filly. 
„Alright, cub“, growled the dark mare, „If you do not want to go, then I'll get rid of you.“ And with these words her mane wrapped itself around Luna and picked her like a ripe fruit.
The darkblue mane flew higher and higher and dropped the Moon Princess on a branch. Luna chuckled and rolled on her back. „You look so tiny from here, Moony“, she said. 
Nightmare Moon looked up. „Oh, you consider this as funny? Well, how about that?“ It was now her long tail, that picked Luna up and sat her on an even higher branch. „Up there, you will end as a snack for a dragon.“
Luna did not really seem to bother. She just laid on her branch and smiled down at Nightmare Moon. The dark mare looked away. „I've got to admit, you are actually a brave cub“, she said slowly. Nightmare sighted. „Fine, cub. I will look after you, until your mommy or sister or whoever Tia is, comes back.“
„Yay!“, yelled Luna, jumped down from the branch and hit Nightmare Moon in her back. The dark mare groaned and her head jerked upwards. The little filly wrapped her arms around the small, snakelike neck. Nightmare Moon dropped her head and asked herself: „What did I got myself into?“