To the End of the Moon

by dashie76

The Farmpony

After a day filled with sweat, grit, and aching muscles, a lone pony stumbled his way down a dirt path. His saddlebags clutched to his slender frame like beggars to rich ponies, and as he shuffled towards a distant light, his eyelids sagged with fatigue. Bleary eyed, he made his way across the path, and in the darkness of nighttime, there was no light to guide him in his solitary march.

He looked back across the landscape as he went. The fields, though shrouded by darkness, were clearly barren. There were only a few patches of land here and there that had borne fruit. Some had been harvested. Some of them lay in wait for a harvest to come.

His steps halted. He had reached a small cottage lying on the outskirts of the fields. Its thatched roof sagged over its melancholy cobblestone foundation, and its only two windows faced him as he approached it. It was one story tall and old.

He pushed open the door, walking into the home. The cozy interior was lit by a single lantern that flickered slightly in the cold air. A tail of ethereal, bluish light hung his saddlebags on a hook by the door. The frayed strap sagged as it tried to support the weight of the bags. He passed a cracked, rotting table on his way to a wooden door behind which shone the only other light in the house. Upon hearing a murmuring voice from within the bedroom, a faint smile touched his lips.

"...as if from nowhere. She called upon the Magic of Evil's Bane, and used it to stop the child and restore Harmony to the land. She became known as the Hero of Time and sacrificed herself for peace across the whole world."

Another voice sounded - that of a child.

"That's so cool! She must have been really brave to give herself up like that, right?"

"Oh, I'm sure she was..."

The stallion at the door smiled as he heard the older pony put the child to bed. As he heard her approaching, he stood up a little bit taller. A bit of life returned to his face as his wife came into view. Upon seeing him, she practically fell into his arms, her gray hooves gripping him tightly. After a few moments, she pulled back, revealing a deep frown. However, her sparkling green eyes betrayed her true happiness.

"You're back late again, Wind..."

Flowing Wind chuckled lightly at her criticism. He scratched the back of his brown mane sheepishly, a knowing grin stretching across his face. "Crystal, I can't afford to take time off now, especially after such a hard winter - you know that."

She sighed, dipping her head. "I know, but I still don't like it. I feel like I never see you anymore...and neither does she," she said, motioning towards the bedroom.

He frowned and reached out a yellow colored hoof. "Hey," he said, tilting her face back up to his eye level. "It's just this season, okay? Next year will be better, I'm sure of it. I'm almost done, too. We'll have to find a way to make ends meet once I finish, but...for then, at least..."

He pulled her into a tender embrace.

"We can stay together."

She sighed, leaning into his yellow coat. "Yeah, you're right...as usual..." They shared the moment for a while before she broke the hug and gave him a stern look.

"Alright, off to bed with you. Big day tomorrow!"

"Heh...please don't remind me," he replied.

They parted ways as he trotted down to a door adjacent to his daughter's. He breathed deeply, lowering himself onto his bed. He quickly began to lose consciousness, descending into a deep sleep. He let his mind wander as he sunk deeper into his bedsheets, thinking of his family once more before finally falling asleep.

~~~~~^~~~~~

He was awoken by a cry. Groggily, he shifted his body, feeling Crystal's hooves tense around his midsection.

"Wind..."

"Whu?" he slurred.

He heard the cry again.

It was his daughter. Instantly awake, he swung his hooves frantically about, trying to untangle himself from the bedcovers. After escaping - and falling ungracefully to the hardwood floor in the process - he shot out of his door and into his child's room, Crystal at his hooves.

"Sugar?! Sugar, honey, where are you?!"

After a moment's frantic glancing, both parents saw a quivering lump on top of their daughter's bed. Dashing to the far side of the room, they threw the covers up to reveal their daughter, Sugar, her milky white fur stained gray with tears.

"Sugar, what's the matter? Are you hurt?" asked Wind.

She shook her head. "N-no..."

Crystal cooed, rubbing Sugar's mane. "Sweetie, what happened? Can you tell us?"

Sugar sniffed. "Dark C-hild..."

Crystal noticeably relaxed. "Oh...so you had a nightmare? I shouldn't have told you that story, I'm so sorry..."

Sugar slowly lifted a shaking hoof, pointing to her bedside window. "Not a n-nightmare..."

Wind glanced out the window at the night sky.

His heart stopped. There was a moon in the sky. A huge moon. It easily dwarfed Equestria's in size. Its surface was dirty white and covered with craters and valleys.

But the worst part was its face.

It had two enormous red eyes with yellow pupils, each as big as a continent. They bulged outwards from its face, hanging over its crooked nose. Its mouth was pulled back into something halfway between a grin and a snarl, with two rows of yellow, flat teeth. The face was so horrid that it made Wind flinch despite his shock.

Crystal audibly gulped. "Flowing...?"

"I'm sorry..." he replied. "I can't...is that the moon...?"

Sugar sniffed. "Mommy, I'm scared..."

Snapping out of her shock, Crystal leaned down to comfort her child in a gentle embrace. Wind, still stunned, joined his wife whilst staring blankly out the the window. He was still having trouble grasping the situation.

A knock sounded at the cottage's door, startling Wind out of his stupor. He glanced over his shoulder into the hallway and then back to Crystal.

"Stay with Sugar. I'll go and see who it is."

Crystal nodded in reply, tightening her grip on their daughter. He walked slowly out of the room and shuffled towards the cottage's door. He paused for a moment by a small cupboard before opening it. A faint magical glow shined in the darkness for a moment before a shotgun floated before him. Another knock sounded as he reached the door. The shotgun floated parallel to the door, so as to conceal it from Wind's guest, as he rested his left hoof upon the door handle. Taking a deep breath, he pulled open the door by a few inches and looked out into the night. He was greeted with the sight of two Equestrian soldiers, their uniforms and golden armor engraved with markings indicative of their status as high military officials.

"Is this the house of the unicorn Flowing Wind?" droned the soldier on the left.

He frowned. "Speaking. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"A summons," replied the right soldier. "Her royal highness the Oracle has requested an audience with you."