• Published 21st Feb 2020
  • 4,253 Views, 103 Comments

Ring Around The Moon -- Part I - Lets Do This



A shadow descends upon Canterlot. Celestia announces the impending return of Nightmare Moon. And Twilight, Tempest, and their fellow students find there's more to being Equestria's chosen defenders than they bargained for...

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What You Need

After that, the mood in the tower room was, in a word... subdued.

Trixie sat at her worktable, checking over the focus gems. She polished and trimmed them, holding them up on a hoof to examine them with just a hint of her old lofty pride... which would vanish in an instant, as she glanced uneasily around at everypony else.

Starlight was at the main worktable, going over a complex spell scroll. Not the Field spell, but a different one that Starlight had been working on as a sideline... one that required a significant number of obscure texts and scrolls from the mustier corners of the Archives.

Tempest was over by the stairs leading down to the entry doors. She was calmly doing push-ups, in full armor, first with the left forehoof, then with the right.

Sunset roamed about the room, pensive and fidgety. She picked things up and then put them down again, clearly ill at ease but uncertain what to do about it.

And Twilight... she was seated at her usual spot at the main table, snout buried in a thick book. Ostensibly, she was brushing up on her knowledge of fundamental spellwork, as preparation for her presentation for the Research Division later. But judging by the solemn, distracted look on her face, it wasn't clear how much she was actually paying attention to the text in front of her.

Moondancer sat at her own side-table, quill poised over the summary scroll on Legends and Myths Concerning the Mare in the Moon, which she was thinking of submitting as her graduation thesis. Staring around the room at her friends, she set the quill down with an unhappy sigh.

Sunset, who happened to be passing by, smiled at her sympathetically. "What's the matter, writer's block?"

"No. I wish it was." Moondancer grimaced. "I thought that all this studying, all this research I was doing, everything I was learning about the Mare, would help us somehow. But look at them! I've only made things worse. Look at Twilight! Finding out about Luna and Celestia... and then about Trixie? It's just more problems that she really didn't need right now."

"Hey, don't worry." Sunset said, "If I know Twilight, she'll bounce right back once she's had time to think about it. And finding out the truth about Nightmare Moon... and about Trixie? Well... we needed to hear that. We can make plans now. Without you, Moondancer, we might not have found out in time." She put a comforting hoof around Moondancer's shoulders. "Don't ever beat yourself up for doing what others need you to do. You never know what might happen as a result, right?"

Moondancer smiled uneasily. "I suppose. I just wish I could do something to set things right, to help us feel like a team again." She tossed her hooves in the air. "Even getting everypony smiling again would be a start!"

Sunset nodded. "I hear you. Something will turn up. Look, why don't you go take a break for a bit? You've been working really hard on this. Take some me-time and recharge. The best way to help other ponies smile, they say, is to start with yourself, so they have a good example."

"That makes sense. Thanks, Sunset."

"Hey, no problem! We're in this together, right?"

------------------------------

A short time later, Moondancer trotted out through the front door of the tower room, then down the spiral stairs. Reaching the bottom, she found the two Royal Guard ponies standing watch. They came smartly to attention as she passed them.

"Afternoon, Miss!" said a third guard who was standing facing the stairs. She was a sturdy-looking mare with a dark pink mane under her plumed helmet.

"Oh, hi!" Moondancer replied. "Look, I need to go for a walk in the park, just to clear my head a bit. Uhh... would you mind...?"

"Not in the slightest, Miss," the guard replied readily. "It's what I'm here for."

The guard fell in alongside Moondancer, accompanying her as she trotted across the quad, then out through the side gate into the lane beyond. After a few turns along the streets, they came to the East Court Gardens. It was a broad triangle of green lawn, bordered by shade trees and flower beds. In its center was a small ornamental pond, and a marble bandstand.

Moondancer glanced nervously at the guard. "I'll just... wander around a bit. You don't have to stick with me."

"I understand, Miss," the guard replied. "I'll be right here. Just give a wave if you need me."

Nodding thanks, Moondancer strolled out across the grass, then down towards the pond. Reaching it, she trotted around its edge, then sat down in the shade of a handy oak tree.

And fretted.

The change in venue was pleasant enough. But her problems still remained, and they weren't any more clear here than back in the room. How do we do it? she thought. How do we convince Princess Luna to return peacefully? And how do I get us all feeling like a team again?

She sat staring at the rippling surface of the water for several minutes, alternately trying to clear her mind, and then attack the problem, with no results.

And gradually she became aware that she wasn't alone. There was a voice coming from the other side of the tree, talking to someone.

"Maybe it's my timing. What do you think?"

A pause.

"No... that can't be it. Maybe it's the material? Maybe the jokes are getting stale?"

Another pause.

"I'm glad you think so, Boneless. Because I'm not sure myself, anymore."

Leaning a bit to look around the tree, Moondancer saw a young tan earth pony with brown curly hair, wearing a yellow shirt. Seated next to him was a rubber chicken. Its derby-topped head sagged limply, its plastic eyes stared in glazed stupor.

"Excuse me," Moondancer said. "Why are you talking to that chicken?"

The pony started, then looked round at her, wide-eyed.

"Because... he asked me to?"

Then he grinned, broadly and disarmingly.

Despite herself, Moondancer smirked, and then laughed. The helplessly embarrassed look on his face was just too priceless.

In response, the pony's face lit up with glee. "There's my smile!" He grabbed at his mane with his hooves. "Oh my gosh! I thought I'd forgotten how! You know, I've been walking around the city all morning, trying to make ponies smile? And you never saw such a cranky, sour-faced bunch! Thank you!"

Jumping up, he pumped Moondancer's hoof vigorously.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Uhh, you're welcome! My name's Moondancer. Who are you?"

"Cheese Sandwich! At your service!"

He bowed dramatically. Then he suddenly pointed at her. "Don't move!"

Winding up, he dashed away, disappearing from sight. In seconds, he was back, with a cake in his hooves.

"For you! 'Cause it looked like you needed one!"

Moondancer stared. The cake was frosted with beige icing, the exact same shade as her coat. There were violet moons and purple stars on it. And there was an inscription as well:

For Moondancer,
who lifted my spirits
with just a smile.

"It's an express haiku!" Cheese explained. "Four, six, and four syllables... for when you don't have time for the real deal!"

Moondancer stared at the cake, and the inscription, completely floored.

"How did you..."

The colt suddenly face-hoofed. "Oh, Cheese! What were you thinking! Candles!"

He departed again, leaving the cake hanging in midair. And was back again, to catch it before it fell to the ground. He quickly peppered it with half a dozen candles, all shapes and sizes, ranging from birthday candles to votive candles, to a big cylindrical candle decorated with moons and stars, which sank into the cake, tilting unsteadily to the left. Striking a match on a hind hoof, Cheese lit the candles.

Then he hesitantly offered the cake again.

"Go on! I know it isn't your birthday, but just for science, make a wish anyway!"

Moondancer hesitantly obliged, huffing out the candles in one go.

"Hooray!" Cheese tossed the cake into the air with abandon, and then sat down next to Moondancer. She looked up -- and was showered with confetti and streamers.

"Happy non-birthday!" Cheese said, offering her a noisemaker, and then blowing on one himself.

"Are you always like this?" she asked.

"Absolutely!" Cheese leapt to his hooves. From nowhere, music started playing, and he sang:

In a word... when all is blue...
I always know just what to do...
Just one thing, and I do it right...
To bring a smile, both day and night,
To ponies in need like youuuuu!

(Hit it, Boneless!)

Put one on, it always fits,
And no one will return it!
Right away, they'll cherish the day
That made them laugh, and want to say:
Yes! How did you doooo it!

For I am but a party pony,
Cheese Sandwich is my name!
And all I want is to make you smile!
So I can... do... the... same!

"Ta daaaaa!" With a triumphant flourish, Cheese landed on the grass next to Moondancer, beaming happily.

She smiled in return. "Thanks, Cheese! That helps. I guess I really did need cheering up."

"No problem! It's what I do! And, hey, it looks like you're not the only one!"

He pointed past her. Moondancer looked, and saw the guard walking up to them. "Is everything all right here, miss?" She eyed the party pony with stern suspicion.

Cheese's eyes went wide. "Oooh! A challenge!" He winked at Moondancer. Then he determinedly tugged back the sleeves of his yellow shirt, first the left, then the right. Suddenly springing into the air, he came down right next to the guard, and leaned companionably on her armor.

"Hi! You come here often?"

From nowhere, he produced a dark-pink flower, and offered it.

"Your name is Rose, right?"

"Uh... yeah. How did you --"

"Cheesy-sense, ma'am. It never fails!"

"Um. Right." The guard suddenly looked embarrassed. "Thanks for reminding me." She rolled her eyes. "Kind of silly, isn't it? A palace guard, with a rose as her cutie-mark?"

"Not at all!" Cheese slapped a graduate's hat on his head and adopted a knowledgeable air. "The rose is a well-known heraldic symbol, representing several famous noble houses in Equestria's past. Back me up on this one, Moondancer!" he said, pointing to her.

Surprised, Moondancer nodded. "That's right. It was used in the field or compartment of several great houses. In particular, the houses of Lancaster and York, who fought each other for supremacy in the War of the Roses in the pre-millenial era. It was also a symbol used in the Great Reformation, following the consolidation of faiths after the Banishing."

"And you know," Cheese added, "for a while the rose was a device worn by Princess Celestia herself?"

"Really?" the guard asked, wide-eyed.

"Would this face lie?" Cheese gleefully mugged at her, his eyes crossed.

The guard smirked, then abruptly laughed, although she tried to disguise it as a cough. "That's... nice to hear. I never knew that. Thanks!"

"There's my smile! Yes!" Cheese punched the air. Then he pointed at the guard, a stern look on his face. "Don't you dare take your eyes off me for a second, ma'am! I'm a crazed, dangerous lunatic on a mission to spread happiness wherever I go! Wheee!"

He merrily turned a cartwheel, landing next to Moondancer again. "So..." he went on, "what were you looking so gloomy about, Moondancer, before I so rudely interrupted?"

Moondancer hesitated for a moment. Even with Celestia's announcement, she wasn't quite sure how much she was at liberty to say. "Well... I have these friends. And... we're working on this big project together. And that's going all right, it's just..."

"Uh huh! Uh huh! Go on!" Cheese said. He was utterly riveted, giving her his entire, wide-eyed attention.

"Well... we're trying to figure out a way to deal with this other pony, who's coming back. After being away a really long time. And... we're not sure how to do it."

"Ha! I knew it!" Cheese yelled. "This was the place, all right!" He pointed at Moondancer. "You know what you need? A party!"

He threw his hooves wide. From nowhere, confetti fluttered down.

Moondancer eyed him, amused. "That's your answer for everything, isn't it?"

"Yeah!" Cheese nodded. "Because it's usually the right one! Seriously! When ponies are all frowny and serious, you can't talk them into or out of anything. But when they're laughing and smiling, and having a grand time, they don't know which way is up! You can talk them around to just about anything. Especially if it's something they wanted themselves to begin with."

"Okay, but... I don't know the first thing about parties..."

"You don't need to! That's what I'm here for! I'm a party pony! And not just any party pony, a super-duper party pony! If there's a super-duper party to be thrown, I'm the pony for the job! Now, let's get serious --" He smacked his hooves together, a stern expression on his face. "We need to do this right! I'm thinking big party, big Welcome Home bash, right? Let your friend know that you've really missed her -- it is a her, isn't it? And you want to welcome her back home, to stay with you forever-and-ever! Am I right?"

"A welcome home party..." Moondancer said thoughtfully, considering it. "... for Nightmare Moon?"

She clapped a hoof to her mouth, and glanced worriedly at Cheese. "Forget I said that."

He nodded willingly. "Already forgotten!" Then he glanced around, and leaned closer.

"Quick... who's Nightmare Moon?"

And he winked conspiratorially.

Moondancer stared at him, amazed... and smiling. "How do you do that? Just... make me smile, every single time?"

For a moment, Cheese looked uncertain. "Well... I dunno, really. I just realized, one day, it comes natural to me. The smile is there, somewhere. You just have to find it. The funny just happens, and you gotta roll with it. It's what a party pony does! Apparently..."

"Wow," Moondancer said. "And a welcome home party... it's such a crazy idea... but it might be just what we need."

She looked at Cheese uncertainly.

"Would... you have some time?" she asked. "To come talk to my friends? And help us plan a party?"

"Well! Let's see, shall we?" he said, rapidly paging through a calendar that he'd pulled out of thin air. "No parties left to plan, no venues left to decorate. Nope, we're wide open!" He tossed it over his shoulder with a grin. "My time is your time! Hooray!"

------------------------------

Fortunately, when they got back to Twilight's tower room most of the group were still there.

"Twilight went to give her presentation," Sunset explained, "And Tempest went with her, obviously. Twilight asked that the rest of us not come, said it would make her even more nervous. And what with questions and answers and whatnot, she said she probably won't be back for a while. But who's your friend? And what's with the rubber chicken?"

Moondancer introduced Cheese Sandwich. And Cheese introduced Boneless. And then at Moondancer's suggestion they swore Cheese to secrecy, and told him of their plans for confronting Nightmare Moon, on the day of the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration.

And Cheese nearly hit the ceiling.

"This is perfect! I couldn't have planned it better myself! The Summer Sun Celebration! The biggest bash of the season! All we have to do is redecorate it and rededicate it, and you'll have a Welcome Home party like you wouldn't believe!"

"A welcome home party?" Starlight asked, surprised.

"For... Princess Luna?" Trixie said, uneasily -- but with a look of steadily increasing wonder, as well.

"Woah..." Sunset said. "That's certainly... different from anything we've come up with. But do you actually think it would work?"

"Oh, come on!" Cheese said. "Who doesn't love a party, when it's all for them, and exactly what they need?"

"Well..." Moondancer looked nervous. "It makes sense to me. But do you think Twilight would go for it?"

The group all looked at each other, equally uncertain.

Cheese looked around at them. And then beamed.

"Whaddaya say we find out, huh? Who's with me!"

------------------------------

Twilight groaned loudly, as she and Tempest walked back along the main corridor of the Library Annex building.

"Well, that was a wash," Twilight grumbled. "You know, I always imagined that giving a guest lecture for the Research Division would be, like, this marvelous exchange of ideas, of experience and wisdom. And now... I never want to look at an academic pony again! I mean, come on! These ponies are supposed to be brilliant! I kept having to explain things to them, over and over! It's like they were determined not to understand anything!"

Tempest shrugged. "You're on the cutting edge, Twilight," she said. "Which... generally means the rest of the blade is behind you."

"I suppose. But it's the way those ponies kept asking questions... like correcting me on terminology, or trying to fit stuff into their own personal pet theories... or asking if I'd read this or that pony's ancient manuscript on some completely unrelated thing..."

"Which... you had, of course," Tempest smoothly supplied.

"Yeah, but that's not the point! It was like they were determined to reject any idea that they didn't come up with themselves. They acted like we didn't belong there. No... like I didn't belong there..."

She came to a halt, a miserable look on her face.

"That's not how it's supposed to go, Tempest! I've been studying magic since I was a foal! And I've... I've never felt so unwelcome in my whole life!"

And then she suddenly turned and hugged Tempest, tightly. She gasped, miserably and haltingly.

Startled, Tempest glanced around, then gently put a hoof around her, hugging her back. "Hey," she said quietly. "What's up, huh? What brought this on?"

Twilight looked up at her sadly.

"Every now and then it hits me, Tempest. We're up against Nightmare Moon, here! The darkest, blackest, most sinister figure in pony history! And everypony is counting on us -- on us, Tempest!" She shook her head. "But they don't really understand us. Or the work we're doing. They don't know the first thing about what we're trying to do for them, to keep them safe!"

She sighed desperately.

"We're so alone!"

Tempest considered a comforting lie... briefly. But that wasn't really her style. Nor, she suspected, would Twilight have believed it if she tried.

"Yeah," she agreed. "We're alone. But we've got each other, the six of us. And Spike and Grubber, too -- can't forget them. That's not going to change, Twilight, no matter what happens." She nodded firmly, unquestionably. "We'll be there for each other."

"Thanks, Tempest."

"And don't forget Princess Celestia!" Tempest added, "she's on our side. She believes in us. It's why she chose us as her champions. Even if there wasn't anypony else, having the Princess of Equestria on our side, backing us up? How bad could things be, really?"

"You're right... I do keep forgetting." Twilight nodded. "Thanks for putting things in perspective, Tempest."

"Not a problem." Tempest shrugged. "It's all part of being a Commander, I suppose."

"Oh. I'm sorry!" Twilight winced and drew back. "This isn't very dignified for you."

Tempest snorted derisively. "Dignity is for those who can afford it." Seeing Twilight still looked uncomfortable, Tempest gently put a hoof on her shoulder.

"Don't feel sorry, Twilight. I'm here for you, as and when you need me. And that's not going to change, either."

Twilight just nodded. And, gradually, she finally managed to smile again.

The two of them continued on together, out through the side door and across the quad, heading for the tower.

"Well," Tempest finally said, conversationally, "if you can say nothing else good about that lecture, at least you can say it's over."

"That's for sure!" Twilight agreed. "You know, Tempest, right now, all I want to do is go back to my library and just drown myself in a good book? And nothing in the world is gonna stop me --"

"There you are, Twilight!"

Twilight looked up, startled. Ahead of her on the path were Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine.

The three ponies smiled at her. "Moondancer's having a little get-together," Twinkleshine said, mysteriously. "Over in the west castle courtyard. You wanna come?"

The three ponies leaned toward her eagerly.

Twilight blinked in surprise. She exchanged a tired glance with Tempest, and Tempest nodded understandingly. Just give the word, her look said, and I'll chase them away for you.

Then Twilight sighed, resignedly.

"Sure, girls... I guess..."

"Great!" Minuette chirped. "Right this way!"

The three fillies led the way across the quad, around the Library, and then through the grounds to the courtyard. And even before they got close, it became clear it was more than just a little get-together. There were banners and bunting, streamers and balloons, and tables loaded with cakes, pies, and other sweet treats. There was punch and cider. There was a record player and a stack of records. There was a piñata, and plenty of other games to play.

And there were ponies, dozens of them, all waiting excitedly: students from Celestia's School, the ponies from Starlight's hometown, plus a crowd of other ponies who looked like they'd been swept up in all the excitement and were gathered around, willing and eager to help.

As Twilight approached, the gathered ponies all smiled warmly, nodding in greeting to her.

"Welcome!... Welcome back!... Welcome home!"

Twilight looked around, a little unnerved by the sheer enthusiasm of the greetings from the ponies all around her. In return, they kept smiling, and nodding at her, not letting up for a moment.

"Welcome back!... Welcome home!... We missed you!... It's great having you back with us!... Welcome home!"

Staring around at them all, Twilight finally approached what looked like the main table. And she found Sunset, Trixie, Starlight, and Moondancer all standing there, waiting for her, eager smiles on their faces.

Standing with them was a tan, curly-haired pony in a yellow shirt, who was grinning like a maniac. The pony unexpectedly sprang forward, took Twilight by the hooves, and began to merrily dance around with her, singing all the while:

Welcome home! We're glad you're here,
We've all been lost without you.
And this is just our way to say,
That we've been thinking 'bout you!

We're sorry that we did not say,
While working through our busy day,
That we look forward with all our might
For the respite of your Night!

In the darkness of the Night,
We wish upon the Stars so bright,
For the one who'll come and give us peace,
Who knows the most about the least!

The Sun, it calls us to laugh and play,
These are the aspects of the Day.
But gentle sleep and dreams alight,
Are what we seek in your good Night!

We love our Day, and too our Night,
We cherish them both the same!
And this is just to let you know,
We all... recall... your...
naaaame...

Cheese waved a hoof. A banner unfurled behind the main table, with the words Welcome Home! on it. And all the ponies shouted in unison:

"Welcome home, Twilight Sparkle!"

From nowhere, Cheese produced a cake, a lavender cake with red and blue roses, and a forest of lit candles.

"We've all been waiting so long," he said with warm sincerity. "It's good to have you back with us again!"

Twilight stared at the cake, and then at him, utterly gobsmacked... and with just a hint of a smile on her face, too. "Uhhh... what's going on?" she asked.

"Duhhh!" Sunset said dryly. "It's a party, Twilight!"

"Yeah, I can see that! But what's the occasion?"

"Twilight, this is Cheese Sandwich," Starlight explained. "He's a party pony!"

"A super-duper party pony!" Cheese put in, swinging a hoof and mugging gleefully.

"And," Trixie said, "he has this really Great and Powerful idea for how we might convince Nightmare Moon to return peacefully."

Cheese bowed modestly at that. And then he glanced at Moondancer. "Buuuut..." he hinted, "we weren't quite certain it would work, so..."

"Right!" She nodded. "So, um, like the good researchers we are, we decided to give it a test run. On you, Twilight!" Moondancer hunched nervously. "What do you think?"

Twilight realized every single pony present was looking at her, holding their breath. "Um, why are you all staring at me?"

Starlight shrugged. "Well, it is kinda your call, you know!"

"Oh!" Twilight smiled, and then laughed. "Are you kidding me? I think it's a great idea! I love it!"

"She loves it, everypony!" Cheese shouted. And the ponies broke into cheers and applause, clapping and stamping their hooves. Cheese launched himself into the middle of the crowd, slapping party hats on ponies' heads and noisemakers in their mouths, cranking up the record player, serving out cake and punch, juggling cupcakes, and generally rocketing from pillar to post, keeping the party going at a fever pitch.

He raced past Tempest, who unexpectedly found herself holding a cupcake and wearing a party hat. She eyed Cheese with a sour look on her face.

"Quite the jumping bean, isn't he?"

"Tempest..." Twilight scolded.

"Sorry," Tempest rolled her eyes. "He just puts me in mind of a horsefly. I keep wanting to swat him."

Twilight grinned at that. And then she put a hoof around Moondancer, hugging her tightly. "Thanks for the party, Moondancer! It was exactly what I needed right now."

"You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that, Twilight!"

"Are you kidding? Honestly, what would we do without you?"

"Seriously?" Moondancer shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "I don't think I'd ever want to find out..."