True Chaos

by Woolytop

Chapter 4: The Town

Moonstruck found a large rock on a patch of grass. This would be perfect for her to bunk down behind until morning. She pulled out her pillow and rested it on her suitcase, then tossed her blanket over herself. She giggled as she settled against the grass.

“I wonder how long it'll take Auntie to figure out I'm gone,” Moonstruck mused as she watched the moon and constellations. Aunt Luna's night sky was so beautiful, and now she could look at it under her own terms. She smiled as began to play connect the dots with the stars.

Moonstruck groaned as she woke up. Grass was not as soft as her bed back home. She painfully creaked and popped as she sat up and stretched. She shivered as a wind blew over her. She was soaked, as were her blanket and pillow. She stared curiously at her wet cover for a few moments.

“Oh, it must have soaked up the dew from the grass,” she concluded aloud. With a spell, she wrung all the water out of her pillow and blanket and tucked them back into her suitcase. She looked up at the sky; She had no idea how long she'd been asleep, but it was still night time. Maybe she should have packed her clock?

Next her stomach rumbled. Maybe she should have packed some food as well? Moonstruck shook her head. Her plan would have been obvious if she had taken too long to prepare. Besides, the village she had seen earlier couldn't have been far down the road. She'd get food there, and then continue on to find the home of the draconequines. She made a mental note to try and not sleep out in the open again, and started to walk.

The path was long, but not very difficult. The sun began to rise not too long after she set out. Her lessons usually began within the hour of sunrise, so it wouldn't be long until her escapade was discovered for certain. Birds began to sing and flick in and out of the bushes and trees that replaced the rocks and boulders. The village was dead ahead, nestled comfortably between a river, a large forest, and some hilly grasslands. Moonstruck tapped her fang as she tried to remember her geography lessons.

“This must be Ponyville,” she thought. “An agricultural earth pony settlement.” She put a little bounce in her step. Agriculture meant food.

The outskirts of the town were abandoned, although brightly painted cottages began to dot the landscape. Moonstruck's hind legs started to cramp, so she dropped on all fours. Ponyville proper was just up ahead. She smiled at the thought of all the ponies going about their daily business, free as birds, laughing, playing... Maybe she'd be able to make some friends. She could see a large group of them around a fountain now.

“Hi!” Moonstruck said to a pink earth pony with a yellow mane.

“Hello,” the pony began as she turned to face Moonstruck. She paused for a moment, then let out an earsplitting shriek. Almost immediately, every other pony in the plaza began to scream in terror as they all made a tremendous effort to escape from the her. They ran into walls, each other, and lamp posts.

“...Was it something I said?” Moonstruck asked the now empty plaza. Her stomach growled. She flopped onto the ground and sighed. Maybe it would have been a bad idea to make friends here anyway. After all, the village was right in Canterlot's shadow. She'd be caught and pulled home for sure if she lingered. Besides, she still needed to find that place for Discord. She glanced up at the clock face that adorned the town hall. Auntie must have figured out she was missing by now.

“Hi there!”

Moonstruck swiveled her head around to spy a little filly; A dark-cream colored unicorn with an orange mane. She smiled and bounced in place on her hooves.

“Hi,” Moonstruck said with a smile. She held out her hand to the little filly. “What's your name?”

Before she could respond, she disappeared in a flash of purple light.

“Spike, get her to safety. Peewee, go get the others.”

Moonstruck turned to face the mare who had spoken. She was a fully-grown purple unicorn, her horn lit violet. Her long, straight, dark indigo mane and tail flapped in a magical breeze. Behind and to her left was a young purple dragon, with green spines. He was probably just under a teenager, and boasted a thin pair of newly-grown wings. The unicorn filly was in his arms. Out of her peripheral vision, she caught a phoenix as it flew away.

“Hello,” Moonstruck said to the unicorn. “My name's Moonstruck. What's yours?”

She leaned back and lifted one of her hooves. “Moonstruck?” she asked. She squinted her eyes as she drew closer.

“I dunno, Twilight,” The dragon cautioned. “Discord took a lot of different forms. This could be a trick.”

“Is that what everypony's so nervous about? I'm not Discord,” Moonstruck said. “He has a beard.” She tugged under her chin to prove her point.

A flash of rainbow light landed with a heavy thud next to the unicorn. A cyan pegasus stood where the rainbow had landed, her mane and tail flicked in the wind, each color of the rainbow represented within it.

Moonstruck's eyes grew big. Really really big.

“I got here as soon as I could, Twi.”

Moonstruck let out a huge, high-pitched, fan-girl squeal.

“Oh my gosh, it's Rainbow Dash!” She dropped her suitcase, kicked it open, pulled out a piece of paper and her charcoal pencil, and was in the pegasus' personal bubble all within a second.

“Can I have your autograph? What was being in the Wonderbolts like? Why did you retire? How fast can you fly? Is the sonic rainboom painful to do?” Moonstruck let out another squeal.

The ponies blinked at each other.

“You're... a 'bolts fan?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Since I was this big,” Moonstruck said. She used her hand to indicate the sized she'd been five years ago, shorter than a fully grown pony but bigger than a foal.

“So, if you aren't Discord, then who are you, and where did you come from?” the unicorn asked.

“I told you. My name's Moonstruck. I came from Canterlot,” Moonstruck said as she finally gave Rainbow Dash some space. “What's your name?”

“I'm Twilight Sparkle,” the unicorn said. “This is my assistant, Spike.”

“...Oh, I know you. Aunt Celestia has me read your friendship reports,” Moonstruck said.

“AUNT Celestia?”

Three more ponies arrived on the scene. A yellow pegasus with a pink mane, a white unicorn with royal blue hair, and a blonde, orange earth pony with a brown hat.

“Hello!” Moonstruck said with a wave.

“What in tarnation?”

“Oh, my...”

“*eep*” The pegasus took cover behind the earth pony with a terrified squeak.

“My name's Moonstruck. What are your names?” she continued. She laid down completely and propped her head on her hand.

“Twi, what's goin' on here?” the earth pony asked.

“I'm trying to figure that out myself,” Twilight said. “Moonstruck, these are my friends, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy.” She indicated to the earth pony, unicorn, and pegasus in order. “Can you be a little bit more specific on where you came from?” Twilight asked.

“Nope. Aunt Celestia found me in the gardens, seven years and eight months ago,” Moonstruck replied. “I was brought up in the royal nursery."

“Wasn't that when you guys stomped Discord?” Spike asked.

Twilight nodded. “She just...found you?” she asked.

“Yup. No idea how I got there,” Moonstruck confirmed.

“So, what're ya doin' here in Ponyville?” Applejack asked.

“Actually, I was just passing through. I was hoping maybe I could get some food?” Moonstruck smiled. She turned her head as she caught movement out of her peripheral vision.

“Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie!” a pink earth pony with a crazy, poofy, cotton candy mane had come as if from nowhere. She had a smile that seemed to take up the majority of her face.

“Hi, Pinkie Pie! I'm Moonstruck!” Moonstruck replied, with a broad grin of her own.

“Hey, are you a Draconequus?” Pinkie asked. She bounced in place excitedly. Moonstruck nodded. “Do you think you could...” Pinkie leaned to Moonstruck's ear and whispered something to her.

“I dunno,” Moonstruck replied. “I've never tried something like that before.”

“Pleeeeeease?” Pinkie gave her a big pair of puppy dog eyes.

“Well... Alright. Stand back.” Moonstruck lifted her hand and snapped her finger. The sort of decompression sound a can of whipped cream makes rang out, and a cloud appeared in the air. The whipped cream cloud started snowing ice cream.

“That's...not quite right,” Moonstruck said.

“Are you kidding? That's even BETTER!” Pinkie Pie squealed in delight as she slid under the cloud, her mouth wide open.

The other, more serious ponies huddled together to discuss something. They spoke in hushed, serious tones for a few moments before they pulled away from each other.

“Well... She doesn't seem to be dangerous, at least,” Twilight concluded.

“Can I throw her a party?” Pinkie Pie asked excitedly as she sat up, her face coated in vanilla and chocolate ice cream.

“I don't know, dear. She did mention she was only passing through,” Rarity said.

“I've never really been to a party before,” Moonstruck said.

There was a shocked silence. Pinkie Pie gasped.

“You've NEVER been to a party?” she asked. Her hooves clasped over her chest. “Like, not even for your birthday?”

“I dunno. We'd have a special dinner for my birthday, but...” Moonstruck was cut off as the pink pony grabbed her, snatched the unicorn filly from Spike's grasp, and dragged both of them across town, towards a shop that looked like a bakery. She threw Moonstruck into a chair, then ran to the stairs.

“Pound! Get the stuff! It's an emergency!”

A pegasus colt, cream-colored, with a brown mane, descended the steps in a rush. He balanced three boxes on his head and back.

“What's wrong, Auntie Pinkie?” the pegasus asked as he set his boxes down with a heavy thud.

“What's wrong?! She's never been to a party before in her life!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she pointed at Moonstruck. Pinkie grabbed one of the boxes and pulled out a basket filled with envelopes and hooked it on the unicorn's horn.

“Pumpkin, go hand these out to everypony in town!” she said, shoving the unicorn out the door. “You go with her!” she stuffed Moonstruck out of the bakery after the unicorn.

“I like her,” Moonstruck said to the little unicorn as the bakery door slammed behind them.

“I've never seen a pony like you before,” the unicorn said as she levitated the basket off her horn.

“That's because I'm not a pony,” Moonstruck said. “I'm a draconequus.”

“That's a funny word. I'm Pumpkin Cake,” she said with a smile.

“I'm Moonstruck. It's nice to meet you,” she smiled. “Was that pegasus your brother?”

“Yep. Pound Cake. We're twins!” Pumpkin nodded.

The pair wandered through Ponyville. A lot of ponies still fled from them, but the basket of party invitations stayed a few. Nopony younger than nine or ten even batted an eye at them.

“So, have you never really been to a party before?” Pumpkin asked as she floated an envelope up to a gray pegasus.

“Not really,” Moonstruck said. “I...wasn't allowed to get out much.”

“Well, Auntie Pinkie'll take care of that for you,” Pumpkin nodded.

When they returned to the bakery, it had been decorated with streamers, balloons, banners and confetti. Cakes and pastries lined the tables. Pinkie and Pound had just finished putting up the decorations.

Pinkie quickly grabbed Moonstruck and stuffed her back into a chair. She snapped a party hat onto her head and stuck a party horn in her mouth.

Moonstruck blinked a couple of times, then blew the horn. “So... is it a party, now?” she asked.

“No, silly filly!” Pinkie scurried across the room and pushed the bakery doors open, which allowed a whole huge group of ponies to file into the bakery. Music began to play, and ponies began to dance, although only the few who had already acquainted themselves with Moonstruck dared draw close to her. “NOW it's a party!”

Moonstruck could do nothing but sit in awe at the spectacle before her. This was nothing like the Grand Galloping Gala, or any of the other myriad socials that were hosted around the palace. It was... wild, and lively, and looked like a lot of fun. She smiled broadly.

“What are you sitting around for? Come on, let's PARTY!” Pinkie exclaimed loudly as she dragged Moonstruck out from where she'd been planted. Moonstruck lost herself amongst the rush of sugar and music and colors, and ran herself ragged with dancing and gales of laughter. It was altogether just about the most fun she'd had, ever. Slowly the other ponies warmed up to her, but she was already just about out of energy. She flopped back into her chair to catch her breath.

“Hi.” Twilight Sparkle sat next to her. “I've got a few more questions I wanted to ask you.”

“Sure thing,” Moonstruck replied. She noted a few younger ponies in the party, in their own little mini-parties. “What time is it? Shouldn't they be in school?”

“It's Saturday,” Twilight pointed out.

Moonstruck blinked. She looked at the clock; It was about eight o'clock. She regularly slept until noon on Saturdays. Aunt Celestia might not even realize she was gone yet.

“You mentioned you were passing through Ponyville. Where're you heading?” Twilight asked.

“I'm looking for someplace,” Moonstruck said. “It's...a personal trip.”

“Is that suitcase all you brought?” Twilight asked.

“Yep,” Moonstruck confirmed.

“Have you got a tent?”

“No.”

“Extra food?”

“Nope.”

“Spare bits?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“What DO you have in there?” Twilight asked as her eyebrows arched.

“A blanket, a pillow, my violin, some paper and a charcoal pencil. Oh, that reminds me, I never got Rainbow Dash's autograph.”

Twilight opened her mouth, but a shriek from outside cut her off. “Now what?” she muttered.

The doors to the bakery burst open, a particularly panicked pony stood in the door. She took in a deep breath and shouted, “DRAGON!” before she passed out.

Comments

[Woolytop]

I was originally going to call this chapter "The Village", but then I remembered that movie put me to sleep. I'm not sure if I should add any of the mane six to the character tags because we pretty much never see them again after this point.

[banjo2E]

Huh, looks like Spike's back from...where was he again?

[Meeester]

oooo interesting

[Reader Wolf]

Older and wiser. Nice to hear that Dash made the Wonderbolts.
Who was the little filly?

[Woolytop]

380654 Well, I was originally planning on making her Twilight's daughter, but mentioning it never came up in a way that felt natural, so after she served her purpose of showing that younger ponies weren't afraid of Moonstruck because they never knew Discord, she kinda got demoted to 'extra' status.
In retrospect, I might have been able to get away with using one of the cake twins for this purpose rather than coming up with an entirely new pony, but Hindsight's 20/20 I guess.
*Edit* wow, what the hell is wrong with me tonight >_<