The Thousandth Moon [NaPoWriMo 2019]

by sonofaskywalker

Chapter 1 - The Celebration and the Tousandth Moon

Author's Note:

This story was written for National Pony Writing Month 2019 [NaPoWriMo 2019]

This is only the second work of fiction I've ever written (outside of school years ago) with the first being an Iron Author writing event at Everfree Northwest this year. I'm a math and science guy, writing has never been my strength. I don't expect my story to be very good, but I enjoyed writing it. I hope you get some enjoyment from reading it and don't think it's a total train wreck :P

Enjoy!

Twilight stared out at the crowd that had gathered and were waiting to hear her speak. Sweet Celestia that is a lot of ponies. She’d gotten used to speaking in front of crowds over the years; between giving lectures back the School of Friendship, speaking at various royal gatherings, festivals, and many other events, Twilight thought she was getting quite good at it. But there was always just a hint of nervousness that she still felt when she was about to address a large crowd of ponies. Not just ponies, Twilight thought, there are creatures from all over Equestria and beyond. She knew there would be a large crowd, but she seemed to have underestimated just how large it would be. They had almost done this in Canterlot but felt that Ponyville would be more fitting. Twilight wasn’t sure she had seen so many creatures in Ponyville before. She was truly loved. Twilight took a deep breath and mentally steeled herself for what she would have to do next.

A hush fell over the crowd as Twilight stepped forward on the stage. Using her magic to project her voice, she spoke. “Welcome and thank you all for joining me. We have gathered here today to celebrate–” Her voice caught in her throat and she could already feel the tears coming on. All that preparation and rehearsing in the mirror… she thought for sure this time she’d at least make it through the opening without her voice breaking. But there was no helping it, so she didn’t bother to fight it this time and began again, her voice unsteady and tears welling in her eyes. “We’ve gathered here today to celebrate the life and legacy of Pinkamena Diane Pie. Pinkie was the bearer of the Element of Laughter; she was a flowing spring of mirth and happiness wherever she went. And she was one of my best friends in all Equestria.” And with those words, there was no stopping the tears from bursting forth.

When she spoke again, her voice was trembling, “Pinkie was one of the greatest ponies I’ve ever known. I would not be standing here in front of you today if not for her.” She could, and would, say the same about all her best friends but that didn’t make it any less true. “Pinkie showed me how important laughter is and how much power it can have. Sometimes a little laughter is all you need to lift yourself up. And Pinkie was always more than willing to be the source of that laughter. She shared that gift with so many over the years and made friends wherever she went. From Ponyville to Yakyakistan, Griffonstone and beyond, Pinkie always returned from new places having made new friends. Seeing you all here is a testament to that.” She smiled through the tears as she looked out at the crowd and saw a large group of yaks all smiling back at her. Seeing the large groups of creatures from so many different lands really drove home just how much Pinkie had done. Twilight knew how much Pinkie had impacted those in Equestria and beyond, but this was like seeing it again for the first time with a whole new perspective. She wondered if Pinkie herself had realized just how many lives she’d touched.

“Although she travelled far and wide, spreading laughter to all she met, she never forgot her family and friends back home.” Twilight saw Marble, Maud, and Limestone in the front row and made a mental note to make sure she spoke to all of them personally before the day was over. Remember Twilight, this is supposed to be a celebration of Pinkie, let’s bring some levity back into the atmosphere. It is supposed to be a party after all she told herself.

She steadied her voice with some effort, but the tears could not be helped. “We will miss her dearly, but today is not meant to be a day of sadness. Today we celebrate her life and honor her memory by throwing a party. Of course, it could never live up to one of her own parties, but we’ve given it our best shot. I invite you all to come forward and share with us a memory of her that you hold dear. Whether it was your first meeting, a party you attended, or even story you’ve heard about her. As long as we hold on to and cherish these memories, she will never truly be gone.” Her change to a more positive tone had allowed her to stop up the tears. For now, at least. The crowd also seemed to be eager to listen to stories and tell some of their own, which seemed to lift the mood.

Collecting herself once again, Twilight put the tremble in her voice away for good and spoke with a smile, “I will go first. I had a very… peculiar first interaction with Pinkie, as I’m sure some of you may have as well.” She heard a few laughs which she took to mean that, yes, Pinkie first impressions can be quite strange when you don’t know what to expect. “I had just arrived in Ponyville and the first pony I said ‘hello’ to just gasped and took off before I could even blink.” Twilight thought back to that day that seemed so very long ago. “I had work to do so I didn’t think much of it and continued on with my day. It wasn’t until I returned to the library to a surprise party that was properly introduced to Pinkie. I was not happy about it.” There were a few gasps from the audience. Sometimes Twilight forgot that not everyone knew what kind of pony she was before she went off to Ponyville. It was always fun for her to see and hear reactions to the fact that the Princess of Friendship once wanted nothing to do with friendship. “Between preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration and worrying about the prophecy of the return of Nightmare Moon, the last thing I wanted to do was make friends. I would never have believed that that day would have gone the way it did. But I am forever grateful that it did.” The tears were back, this time bittersweet. She had always relished retelling those old stories from back in her early days of friendship. Back when she was still figuring things out with the help of her new friends. Such good memories. It’s a shame they’ve been tainted with sorrow.

Twilight used to think that memories were set in stone; that once you made a memory, it stayed in a form of stasis, never to be altered, not unlike a photograph. And in a way that was true; the memories themselves did not change. Fade, maybe, but not actually change. What Twilight did not expect was how time and context could change the feelings that those memories brought forth inside her. Only a decade ago, reminiscing about the day that they took up the Elements and defeated Nightmare Moon would have brought forth nothing but feelings of love, happiness, and a bit of nostalgia. Those feelings would always be there when revisiting those memories, but now they would forever be joined by feelings of pain and sorrow, knowing that those friends were gone. And it was only a matter of time before nearly every creature here would pass on while she remained.

Twilight suddenly realized that she’d lost herself in her thoughts and had been standing silently for several moments. Not sure just how long of a silence she’d left, she decided it was probably time to let someone else speak. Voice breaking one last time, she said, “I love you, Pinkie Pie” and stepped down off the stage. There was the steady clapping of hooves and claws as she walked down to her seat in the front row. She sat down next to Starlight as a lectern and microphone were brought out for anyone who wished to speak next.

“Are you okay?” Starlight asked quietly.

“Of course I’m not okay” Twilight responded, immediately regretting how the words came out. “I’m sorry, that was– look can we talk later when this is all over?”

Starlight mentally berated herself, why would you ask that, what answer were you expecting from that Starlight?! Outwardly she seemed unfazed by Twilight’s response, “Absolutely. Let’s talk later.” Starlight gave Twilight a light hug and then let her have her space. Starlight could only imagine how hard this must be for Twilight, it was hard for her as well. She and Pinkie had been great friends but Twilight’s bond with the others was something special on a level beyond what Starlight had ever had with them. This wasn’t the first time Twilight had spoken at a celebration of life for a dear friend, but this one seemed to hit her the hardest.

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Dozens of ponies, yaks, griffons, hippogriffs, and more must have spoken but Twilight quickly lost count. The speakers varied from telling of hilarious Pinkie hijinks to serious heartfelt words to the stories that their friend of a friend had told them about the legendary party they attended that Pinkie had thrown. Each was unique and each was a reminder of just how much this pink pony had impacted the lives of so, so many. Celestia and Luna each went up to speak about Pinkie as well. But while her words and stories were beautiful and it was clear that she too was deeply impacted by Pinkie’s life, Twilight couldn’t shake the feeling that Celestia was possessed a bit of an underlying numbness. How many of these celebrations has she spoken at over the millennia? How many losses does it take to begin to feel numb toward them? I hope I never reach that point.

Where Celestia had spoken calmly and serenely about Pinkie, Luna was much more emotional. Luna spoke of how Pinkie Pie had played such a large role in her life; specifically in her return from the darkness as Nightmare Moon as well as the part she played in her first Nightmare Night after her return. While the first was true for most of Twilight’s friends that had become the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, Luna felt a special fondness of the pony that had embodied the Element of Laughter. After such a dark time in her life, laughter was a sorely needed light. The two were practically opposites at the time; Luna so serious and rigid, while Pinkie was lighthearted and goofy. Pinkie had really helped Luna come out her shell.

The speakers began to be spaced out more and the attendees had largely moved on to enjoying refreshments. Many still swapped stories on the side while they munched on snacks provided by Sugarcube Corner. It finally started to feel more like a party with laughter filling the air again. Just like she would have wanted, Twilight thought. How many parties had Pinkie herself thrown here? Far too many for anypony to count. With a soft smile Twilight thought, knowing her, Pinkie would have been more than happy to plan this whole thing herself.

Twilight still sat mostly alone in her seat at the front. Starlight had moved over to sit next to Maud and the Pie sisters, none of which had left their seats since arriving, not even to get up and speak. As more time passed and no one else went up to speak, creatures started leaving the party. Some came up to the front to say goodbye and offer their condolences and Twilight thanked each of them for coming. Before heading back to Silver Shoals, Celestia and Luna spoke with the Pie sisters. Twilight couldn’t hear what was said, but the three Pies all hugged the princesses tightly afterward.

Turning away from Maud, Limestone, and Marble, the two princesses came over to Twilight. “Whenever you’d like to talk” Celestia said, “you know where to find us.”

“Thank you. I’m sure you’ll see me soon” Twilight replied as the eldest alicorn embraced her. Twilight didn’t want the moment to end. Celestia had been a constant in her life from nearly the beginning; since the day Twilight was accepted into Celestia’s school, Celestia had been there. And while the nature of their relationship had gone from being teacher and student to being peers, Twilight still looked up to Celestia so much. After all, Twilight was still practically a child in comparison with Celestia’s age and experience even after decades of being an alicorn and ruler of Equestria. At a time in her life when things around her were changing while she felt that she alone were staying the same, Twilight wanted a few more moments to hold on to one of the few things in her life that seemed like it would never change.

When Celestia finally broke off, Twilight saw Luna patiently waiting her turn. As soon as Celestia was clear, Luna practically leapt onto Twilight with a hug. “I’m so sorry Twilight. Pinkie holds a special place in my heart and I’ll never forget her. If you ever need to talk, please don’t hesitate to come visit. I’ll always make time for you, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Thank you, Luna.” Twilight wanted to say more, but she wasn’t sure what else to say at this point; she was just so exhausted. But that didn’t mean she didn’t want to end the embrace, so she held on as long as she could. After that moment too had passed, the two sisters departed.

Soon the party was all but over with just a few stragglers still hanging out by the refreshments and Starlight and the Pie sisters still in their seats. Twilight was not about to tell them it was over or that they had to leave; they could stay as long as they wanted, and Twilight had nowhere to be. Her place was right here.

Maud got up from her seat and slowly made her way to the stage, holding a folded piece of paper in her mouth. As Maud approached the lectern, Twilight turned to see Starlight on the verge of tears. She must have seen what Maud had written, maybe even encouraged her to go up and read it aloud. It didn’t matter that they were the only ones left, this was important to her. Maud set her paper on the lectern and unfolded it. To Twilight, she looked as stoic as usual. It was always so hard to read Maud, even after getting to know her better Twilight still had issues most of the time. The Pie sisters and Starlight seemed to be able to see through into the deep inner feelings of Maud even when nopony else could.

Maud began to read, voice as steady as always,

“Rocks,

I love rocks.

Pinkie Pie,

You are my rock.

What will I do,

Without my rock?”

Maud paused for a moment. “Thank you”, she said and began to make her way back down off the stage. As she did so, Twilight saw a single tear running down her face. The poem was so… perfectly Maud. In six short lines, Maud had expressed her love and grief in a way that was so uniquely her. It was beautiful.

When Maud reached her seat, she was immediately wrapped up in a tearful hug by her sisters and Starlight. The four ponies stayed that way for a while and Twilight desperately wanted to join them but didn’t want to impose on the moment. But Maud caught her eye and nodded an invitation and Twilight immediately made her way to them. She much larger than the rest of them and easily encircled them all in her wings as she joined in the hug. “That was beautiful, Maud.”

“Thank you, Princess”

The five of them stayed in their tearful embrace for a long time. They felt as if Pinkie was there in spirit among them and did not want to let go for fear of losing that feeling. None of them were sure just how long they held on to each other or who broke off first, but eventually the moment had passed, and they separated.

“If you girls need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask.” The Pie sisters all nodded an acknowledgement, clearly they were emotionally exhausted and were ready to leave. Twilight gave them all one last hug and watched them as they left.

Finally, when it was just Twilight and Starlight left, Starlight slowly walked over and asked, “Hey, are you ready to talk?”

Twilight didn’t look up to meet her eyes. “Can we do it tomorrow? I have something I want to take care of first.”

“If that’s what you want. I’ll come by your room to talk in the morning.” Starlight gave Twilight a hug and the princess halfheartedly wrapped one wing around Starlight. “Have a good night, Twilight.” And with that, Starlight headed off to Twilight’s old castle in Ponyville.

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Twilight left the party in the courtyard and headed for the Everfree Forest. She made her way to the Treehouse of Harmony that had grown above the place that the Tree of Harmony once stood. She raised the moon and darkness fell over the land. She and Starlight had long since created a spell that, when cast, allowed the Sun and Moon to move on their own for a short time so Twilight wouldn’t have to do it manually every day. She only used the spell from time to time; she preferred to do it the old fashioned way.

For several minutes, Twilight stared up at the stars in the West, picking out the perfect spot. Statues and stained-glass windows were wonderful and all, but Pinkie deserved better. They all did. With tears beginning to stream down her face, she reached out and gently moved a hoof-ful of stars into the shape of Pinkie’s cutie mark and placed them next to the constellation of diamonds she had made just last year. This was the fifth time she’d done this. It never got any easier. There. All together again.

Twilight felt the loss of each of them like a hole in her heart that would never heal, but she felt that Pinkie would leave the biggest gap in her life. Not only did she symbolize the end of an era for Twilight simply by being the last of the five to go, but she saw Pinkie far more often than the monthly Counsel of Friendship meetings. Sometimes Twilight was convinced Pinkie possessed power over time and space based on the sheer number of parties Pinkie planned and threw. No one pony could possibly do all of that party planning while still making time for her family and travelling the lands of Equestria and beyond, and yet Pinkie did it. Maybe she got Discord to help her from time to time, that’s the only explanation, she had thought on multiple occasions. Twilight was always happily surprised when Pinkie would show up to celebrate a random holiday or occasion. After it became clear that Twilight almost never knew what the occasion was when Pinkie threw a party for the more obscure ones, they made a game out of it. The first thing Pinkie would do when she’d surprised Twilight with a party is look at her expectantly and Twilight needed to guess the occasion with the first thing that came to her mind. Once Twilight started to catch on, Pinkie would drop those celebrations and come up with more obscure ones in an attempt to stump Twilight.

Twilight would never forget the year that she thought Pinkie had actually somehow forgotten her birthday only to be surprised the next morning with breakfast in bed and a “I Bet You Thought I Forgot Your Birthday, Bet You Didn’t See This Coming” Party. The following year, Pinkie got her again by throwing a party two days before her birthday. Twilight soon learned that any day within a week of her birthday was fair game and she was always on the lookout for signs when the day drew near. Her royal guards also loved this time of year, especially Gallus. Seeing the princess hyperalert looking for clues for a surprise party never ceased to amuse them. Plus, they always got to eat cake, so it was a win-win situation for them.

Some of Twilight’s favorite party themes and names revolved around obscure anniversaries of events or milestones. Her hundredth time raising the sun had been the “Suntennial Celebration”, Pinkie had thrown a party following her tenth royal decree, the party on the 25^th anniversary of the defeat of Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow had been called the “Quarter Centaur-y of No Meanies”. Twilight could think of a dozen more parties with unique names and occasions that Pinkie had thrown. She looked back up to the stars in the sky. I miss you all so much. I know you’ll watch over me.

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This is a bad idea, the voice in the back of Twilight’s mind kept telling her. It’s far too soon. Don’t do this to yourself. But Twilight had made up her mind and she was heading for Sugarcube Corner. She knew that she needed to do something to take her mind of the grief she was feeling. She also knew that voice at the back of her mind was right, this was not the right way to go about it. But she didn’t care.

Not bothering to knock at the door, Twilight used her magic to teleport herself down into Pinkie’s party planning cave in the basement. The girls had all agreed that several of their belongings could be taken and placed into a new museum that Twilight had been working on with Sunburst. Both magical items and personal effects of various famous and important ponies in Equestrian history would be stored there alongside stories and legends about the ponies themselves. The plan was to eventually include areas for all known races living in Equestria and beyond, but they had to start somewhere, and they had the most access to knowledge and artifacts from pony history, so it was the logical place to start. The museum was being built near the School of Friendship and the two would operate together to share the knowledge, stories, and items held within.

Twilight had decided to come here and pick up a few things to add to the collection being made for her and her friends at the museum. She’d already cleared things with the Pie sisters and Lil Cheese who said that anything she wanted for the museum could be taken and they would figure out the rest. Twilight started to move some items into a pile to take with her. A party cannon, Boneless 27, and a few of Pinkie’s party files would probably be a good place to start.

Twilight used her magic to grab a few random files and quickly looked through the contents of each. She’d pulled the files for Pound and Pumpkin Cake, Trixie, Celestia, and Ocellus. A good sample, these will do nicely, she thought. She added them to the small pile of items she was taking and teleported them back to her old castle. They would stay there in storage until the museum was ready to add them to the displays.

She was done. She should leave. But she couldn’t. You know that’s not what you really came here for. She knew what she wanted to see but Twilight wasn’t sure she could bring herself to actually look at it. But her curiosity won out and she began to look. She spotted the filing cabinet that was covered in the cutie marks of her and her friends and opened a few drawers. She saw the extensive files Pinkie had kept for likes, dislikes, and party plans and ideas for Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. But nothing for me? That’s odd. Twilight looked around the room again. Last time she had been down here she was sure that her file was with those of her friends. That had been a long time ago, but she couldn’t think of a reason why Pinkie would move her file someplace else.

Twilight used her magic to tidy up the room a bit in hopes of making it bit easier to find her file. The room tended to get a bit messy when Pinkie was in full party planning mode and, more often than not, Pinkie was immediately on to the next party so the mess from the previous one wasn’t cleaned up, it was merely covered with new mess. Twilight almost felt it was a shame to touch it, it was such a beautiful mess to her; “organized chaos” Pinkie used to call it. It may have looked like a whirlwind had swept through the place, but Pinkie could find anything she needed whenever she wanted.

Once the room was a bit closer to Twilight’s definition of ‘organized’ she looked around the room again. It had to be around here somewhere. Ah, it must be in there! Wait, is this all mine? Twilight stood before a filing cabinet that was taller than her. It had been mostly obscured by other boxes, papers, and a ladder leaning against it. But now that it had been cleared, there was no doubt that this cabinet was hers. Her cutie mark adorned each drawer alongside little drawings Pinkie had done of them together.

Twilight opened a drawer and saw that it was filled to the brim with files. She opened each drawer to see if they were also full. They were. Twilight’s mouth hung open for a moment. How many parties had Pinkie planned for her? There must have been hundreds of files in this cabinet. Twilight opened a drawer near the top and randomly selected a file. It was labeled “Twilight’s 250^th Birthday”. Twilight flipped through the notes. Pinkie had planned to bake a 250 layer cake with 250 candles on top, alongside 250 cupcakes, and a synchronized firing of 250 party cannons. She had a chart to determine the amount of time it would take for the layers of the 250 layer cake to bake properly and the window of time she’d need to put it all together to achieve maximum flavor. She’d included factors that could decrease the total preparation time based on who would be helping her with the cake and who the best helpers would be for the job based around the specific challenges of making this cake. Pinkie was nothing if not thorough in her plans. She also hadn’t settled on how she would surprise Twilight with this party and had multiple options listed. Some had already been crossed out and others had stars next to them. Surely Pinkie must have known that she never would have been able to throw this party, right? That birthday is well over a century away.

Twilight imagined Pinkie making the plans for this party, so proud of herself for continuing to have new ideas with which to surprise her friend. It made Twilight smile, but it also made her sad. Pinkie loved throwing parties, there must have been an element of sadness that went with planning a party that she’d never be able throw and enjoy for herself. Clearly the joy Pinkie felt from doing this far exceeded any sorrow she may have felt. She’d poured her heart into these plans.

Twilight pulled file after file. Each time she did, her sadness grew a little bit more. These were all so beautiful and a part of Pinkie Pie that now could never exist without her. Pinkie had plans for parties in this cabinet for at least the next 400 years for various birthdays, anniversaries, and milestones. Twilight pulled another: “The Thousandth Moon”. This one, like all the others, listed the occasion, detailed party plans, and date that the party was to be held. But Twilight noticed something special about this one; something that immediately struck her the moment she saw it. This party had a significance above all the others she’d read. This one was supposed to be today. She hadn’t even known that the new moon she’d raised just a few hours ago had been her thousandth since taking over the responsibility. Of course Pinkie would have known that and planned a party for it. This was the first party in a very long list that would never be thrown.

This is all coming with me. Twilight gathered all the filing cabinets in the room. She didn’t bother to check whose files were in each of them; she wanted them all. She wasn’t yet sure what she would do with all of them, but she knew she wasn’t leaving them here. Once she had gathered them all together, she teleport herself with them to her room in her old castle.