//------------------------------// // Moonlight and Fright // Story: CMS: The Third Generation // by RomanceWriter1 //------------------------------// Moonlight and Fright “Attention, attention, here is a meeting of the Cutie Mark Searchers!” Bubble announced from the soapbox they used and Moonlight, Starshine, Hugh and Jacinto all sat down in front of her. “What is going on, Bubble?” Jacinto asked and he tilted his head to the side. She gave a grin then flew down a little and landed in front of them. “I got my cutie mark!” Bubble replied with excitement then showed her flank and her cutie mark was a bubble shaped like a heart, just like the ones she drew on the Heart and Hooves Day card she made for Jacinto. “What?!” the others all said in surprise. “How did you get it?” Starshine asked with surprise and her eyes widened. Bubble gave a sigh and she flew a little off the ground. “Well, my Aunt Eloise came over for a visit yesterday and we decided to play with bubbles that she brought over. At one point, I blew and a bubble got bigger and bigger and bigger! Then it flew away out of town and Aunt Eloise noticed my cutie mark as did my mum and dad.” Bubble replied with a smile. “That explains the bubble I saw when I was outside.” Hugh responded and he rolled his eyes. Bubble nodded and the two of them gave a high hoof. “But, since you have your cutie mark, does that mean you have to leave the CMS?” Starshine asked in a worried voice. “What?! Of course not, I'll stay here with you guys and I can help you get your cutie marks. I would never leave my friends.” Bubble responded with a reassuring smile and they joined in a group hug. “Imagine getting a cutie mark that you didn't want.” Starshine said in the same worried voice and Moonlight gave a look of fear. “Uh... no. At least I haven't.” Moonlight said with nervousness then she gave a slight giggle. “It's okay, Moon, you'll get a cutie mark that you'll want. You're from a family of unicorns including your grandfather, Connor and great aunt, Jocelyn. I'm sure you'll get a great cutie mark!” Hugh said with a smile and Moonlight did the same. “Thanks, Hugh, that's so nice of you to say.” Moonlight replied and they both shared a hug. That night, Autumn and Derek tucked Moonlight into bed and put on her nightlight that was a moon as it was one of her favourite things to look at night apart from the shining stars. “What if I get a cutie mark I don't want?” Moonlight said as she looked at her parents with panic. “Don't worry, hon, you'll get your cutie mark and you'll like it.” Derek said with a reassuring smile and he stroked her black mane. “On another note, why was I named Moonlight again?” Moonlight asked with a small smile and she gave a yawn. “When it was nighttime and you were born, the moonlight shone down on you and we got your name.” Autumn said with a smile and she kissed her daughter's forehead then she and Derek left the room and closed the door. Moonlight then fell fast asleep. The sun shone through the window and birds chirped. Moonlight opened her eyes and stretched her limbs and gave a yawn. “Nothing like a good sleep to cheer me up.” Moonlight said with a smile. “Breakfast!” Derek called from downstairs and she got up and walked to the kitchen where she saw some pancakes with icing sugar and a bowl of strawberries. “You were right, Dad, a good night's sleep really helped me.” Moonlight said with a grin and twinkle in her green eyes. He turned to her and gave her a grin and his eyes then widened. “Looks like somepony has gotten her cutie mark.” Derek said and Moonlight gasped then she looked at her flank. “I've got my cutie mark!” Moonlight squealed and she jumped up and down. “My cutie mark is a telescope?” Derek looked at it again then an elderly stallion with rounded glasses, came into the house unexpectedly and looked down at Moonlight then gestured for her to follow him. They then arrived at a tall house that had a big telescope on the roof. “Here, young one, this is what your talent is,” the elderly stallion said as he adjusted the telescope and Moonlight looked at it with surprise and curiosity. “Here is a smaller one if you want to look somewhere else like a hill. Now that you are the next one, I'll be off to a retirement home.” The elderly stallion then walked away and got into a carriage that suddenly drove away. Moonlight took the small telescope and walked out the house. She walked to the hill, set up the telescope and looked through it. “Wow, I can see the next town with this!” Moonlight squealed with delight. After a moment of silence, Moonlight heard Skater's voice and he said: “Moonlight? I was going to ask you out but I guess you've just become a nerd and I don't date nerds so forget it.” Moonlight quickly turned to him and he looked at her with sadness. “Skater, don't please!” she pleaded but he walked away without an answer and never once glanced back at her as she stared at him with heartbreak. “I hope the others will accept me being a nerd.” Moonlight took apart the telescope and put the parts into a box and used her magic to lift it and along with her to the treehouse. She used her magic lift herself and into the treehouse with the box that had the telescope. “Hey, guys, I found out that my talent is astronomy!” The others looked at her with surprise and disgust. “Eww, you're doing something that a nerd would do?” Bubble responded with a mocking voice. “We didn't want to tell you but no nerds are allowed now.” Starshine said with the same tone as Bubble's. “So, get out and never talk to us again!” Hugh yelled and Moonlight stepped back a little and she almost fell off the edge. Moonlight felt tears rising and she levitated to the ground along with the box that had the telescope in it. She looked at it then threw the box away but she didn't know where it went but she didn't seem to care. She started to cry and galloped away into the forest without realising and went into a cave. “Why did I get this cutie mark if it's going to have my friends turn on me?” Moonlight cried out and her cries echoed in the cave. “If you don't want your cutie mark, I can get rid of it for you.” a voice said in the shadows and they walked out. She looked a lot like Moonlight except her eyes were bright orange. She used her magic and when she stopped, Moonlight looked at her flank and saw that the cutie mark was gone. “Oh my gosh, thanks so much!” she squealed then she galloped away and when she got to town, everypony was screaming in panic as they pointed to the sky. Moonlight looked up and saw something in the sky and she galloped back to get the box with the telescope but she looked all around and couldn't find it. “Come on, Moon, we need to get out of here and to the next town!” Autumn called out and Moonlight trotted up to her. As everypony else galloped away, Moonlight tripped on something and felt a pain in her back left leg and chipped one of her teeth. She got up and each time she tried to gallop, the pain in her leg kicked in and she fell over again. The last thing she saw was the meteorite in the sky coming at her and when it hit her, everything turned to black. Moonlight opened her eyes and sat up in her bed. The sun shone through the window and the birds chirped. “Wow, what a nightmare! It felt so real.” Moonlight said as she rubbed her eyes and looked around her. “Breakfast!” Derek called from downstairs and she got out of bed and walked to the kitchen where she saw some fried eggs and grape juice being put on the table. “Dad, you won't believe what a dream I had. I guess I really did need a lot of sleep.” Moonlight said with a small smile. Derek looked at her then he widened his eyes when he looked at her flank. “Looks like you have gotten your cutie mark.” he said and she looked down with excitement. “I... again?” Moonlight said with surprise and noticed that it was a moon with dancing shoes. “Wow, I guess listening to all that music sure paid off and would make me into a good dancer.” She then got to the table and ate her fried eggs quickly and drank her grape juice. She then galloped out the door and to the treehouse where all her friends were sitting down and playing a game that looked like Ponyopoly. “Hey, what are you so excited about, Moonlight?” Starshine asked with a tilt of her head. “I got my cutie mark!” Moonlight replied in excitement and all their eyes widened except Bubble's. “That's wonderful!” Jacinto and Hugh said at the same time with proudness in their voices. “Did you all get yours?” Moonlight asked and they all shook their heads even Bubble but she had hers. “Uhh... Moon... we have some bad news. We thought of this rule minutes ago and well...” Bubble said with nervousness in her voice. “You have to be kicked out of this club because this is now for ponies that don't have any cutie marks.” “But, Bubble! You got your cutie mark!” Moonlight yelled in anger. “Like I said, we decided it a few minutes before you came around here. Now you need to leave, unless you don't have a cutie mark, you can come back but right now... get out!” Bubble said and Moonlight then levitated herself to the ground and yelled in anger. Moonlight galloped to the cave in the forest and she saw the figure that looked like her apart from the glowing orange eyes. “I'll get that cutie mark away from you now.” the figure said and she used the same method. Moonlight galloped back to the treehouse and when she looked to see where the others were, she didn't see them. She then turned around to see them. “Hey, guys, I now have no cutie mark, we can work together and get ours again.” Moonlight said with a smile but they didn't. “We... sort of... gotten our cutie marks.” Starshine said with nervousness. “What are they?” Moonlight asked with her eyes widened. “We don't have time for that now. Right now, we have to go and do more important stuff. Let's go, guys.” Hugh said with a sharper tone then he had ever spoken with. Moonlight called for them but they didn't once, turn back to her and when she screamed, she woke up and was back in her bedroom. “What in the hay is going on?” Moonlight asked herself and she went downstairs. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Autumn said and she pointed to Moonlight's flank and she saw that it was a lightning bolt. “You have a cutie mark that doesn't have a moon on it like your name.” “It means that you will have to leave this home.” Derek said as he walked around her with a stern look and Autumn did the same. “But, yours also doesn't match.” Moonlight said with a nervous voice. “It's different now in this family!” Derek yelled and she cowered in fear. Moonlight then screamed and she woke up again in her room and she looked around in confusion and curiousity. “This is getting so frustrating. I hope this isn't another dream.” Moonlight said to herself and she walked over to the mirror and she checked herself to find a cutie mark on her flank but when she did a few more times, the cutie marks all changed. Moonlight growled in anger and frustration then she galloped out the door and to the cave in the forest. “Back so soon?” the figure asked and Moonlight stared her down. “I don't know what you are doing to me but these nightmares are not as funny any more!” Moonlight yelled and she frowned and gritted her teeth. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared behind her and an alicorn had a white body, light yellow mane and tail and her eyes were the colour of cornflower blue. “Moonlight, you can't get away from your own self conscious side.” the alicorn said and she pointed to the figure who stood there. “My self conscious?” Moonlight said in confusion and the alicorn used magic on the figure and it flew away back into her chest and she gasped. “Remember, when you wake up and if you do get a cutie mark, your friends will accept you no matter what.” the alicorn said then she faded away and Moonlight woke up. She walked downstairs to see some pancakes and strawberries with icing sugar on the table. “Did you get a good night's sleep, Moonlight?” Derek asked with a smile and he sat on his seat. “I sure did, Dad!” Moonlight replied with a squeal and she went to sit down and eat her breakfast. “Look at your flank, dearie.” Autumn said and Moonlight looked at her flank to see a cutie mark that was a moon.