Friendship is Magic - Part 1
“Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the youngest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the elder brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and rested in the night her elder sister brought forth, but ignored and worked through her beautiful day. One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the sun to make way for the dusk. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one’s heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of fire: Nightmare Star. She vowed that she would scorch the land in eternal day. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the elements of harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon, and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.”
“Princess Luna..?” Asked a slim purple drake, a quill held hesitantly over an empty scroll of parchment. He had waited for her to finish her story before writing anything down. In his younger years he would scribble down every word, only pausing to sound out a word in order to spell it, but never interrupting for fear of upsetting the princess. A behavior applied to many things he did out of fear of scaring the ponies around him, even down to how he walked; with both his arms and legs under him, mimicking the trot of the ponies around him, despite his natural preference to stand tall among the crowds.
“Yes, Spike?” Responded the tall, winged mare, Luna. The drake’s confusion always amused her. Watching him attempt to interpret meaning from her tales and theatrics was often a wonder. Rarely would she give him a straight answer to his queries. Keeping her responses brief and cryptic was the best, if not only way to get him to ask questions and interact with others outside of herself and those that adopted him. A very few precious unicorns would seek him out, and so Luna often made it her goal to get him to ask others for help, if only to get him talking. One pony in particular, Morning Roast, had managed to actually grow close to the young dragon over the years. Comfortable, anyway. Enough to the point that he was willing to walk upright around her, his prefered stance.
“What exactly does any of that have to do with the Summer Sun Celebration?” Spike asked, tilting his head heavily to the side, drawing his quill away from the drooping parchment and rolling a wave of energy through his stiffening tail.
“More than many know, Spike.” Said Luna, eyes drifting closed as though the weight of her thoughts were forcing her to break her gaze, to tear her eyes away from the nearly full moon. Her moon.
Turning to match the dragon’s gaze, even copying the tilt of his head, Luna replaced her typically neutral, polite smirk with an expectant smile. A smile that somewhat irritated Spike, though he knew it well from his time as the princess’s personal assistant.
With a sigh Spike lowered his hands to the ground, gently releasing the grip of his claws from the scroll and quill as to prevent accidental damage to them but pinning them to the stony tiles in order to keep the nighttime winds from blowing them out of his reach. Without wings of his own he’d be unable to follow them from the castle’s high balcony overlooking the valleys from the mountain peak. Of course the princess herself could simply catch them in her magical grasp, but what kind of assistant would he be if he needed the aid of the one he was supposed to be aiding? A thought that Spike drove from his mind as he raised his nose to the sky, forcing his eyes to survey the constellations that the princess had been preparing and maintaining for the night.
“Once upon a time, there were two regal sisters…” Spike muttered, sight drifting to a pair of stars that seemed to take on the bright blues and pinks of cotton candy. “Your predecessors I’m guessing. Someone must’ve raised the sun and moon before you had, though it’s hard to imagine just a unicorn doing so.”
A chuckle escaped from Luna as Spike spoke, raising a hoof to her chest as though to manually silence the outburst. “I suppose I can understand. It’s still difficult for me to understand that I do this alone even though I’ve been doing so for centuries.” Luna explained, following Spike’s gaze to the pair of pink and blue stars. A mistake in her plan for the night sky, though not an unwelcome one. Perhaps she would make room for the pair in the night after the coming celebration. "Before I ascended and took the sky into my care, it was impossible for any single being to move the sun, moon, and the stars. It took a team of six unicorns just to wield the sun alone, and five of them would lose their magic forever once done."
“One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the sun, and she had transformed into a wicked mare of fire.” Spike paused, recognition appearing in his eyes as he lowered his head to stare at the tiles below his claws. “And the elder sister reluctantly banished her within the moon.”
Her gaze fixing on the rose colored star, sadness crept its way into her eyes, though the pride in her assistant’s abilities kept it at bay. It took only a moment to recompose herself before she tore her own gaze away from her work, fixing them once again on the young violet colored dragon in front of her, letting the shape of his emerald spines burn itself into her memory. His jade ear-fins and underbelly, his forest eyes, and his amethyst claws, tail, and body. He was still small for a dragon, only the size of a pony. For one reason or another, his wings were yet to come. A fact that would change eventually. Perhaps not soon, but it was inevitable.
“So… the Summer Sun Celebration is a holiday for Nightmare Star, or whoever she was before...” Spike paused to process, raising the tip of his arrow-shaped tail to his chin. “Probably created by the elder sister, as a way to give the younger sister the attention she never got before?” He asked, raising his head and meeting Luna’s stare. His claws tightened slightly, ready to write. He peeled his utensils off of the ground and held them from it by a few inches, though the loose parchment still partially rested on the stone.
Once again the princess’s smile shifted. From expectant to satisfied, she straightened her posture, letting her wings open slightly, and raising her neck but lowering her head to keep eye contact with her young assistant. “Indeed.” She said. “I’m impressed at how quickly you figured that out.”
“Just how old is that story? Why do we still celebrate a holiday for a pony that’s not around anymore?” Spike questioned, tail returning to the ground beside him as he sat up once more, ready to write his notes regardless of his confusion, finally removing his parchment from the ground.
“About a thousand years. It’s been told since around when my rule began. Give or take a century.” The princess admitted, her horn igniting in a pale blue aura, the magic enveloping the glimmering, jet black crown upon her head. Slowly it lifted off, turning and lowering to her chest to float beside its matching carcanet, her gaze following it down. “It has a prophecy to it as well. The Mare in the Moon, I believe. Have you heard of it?” She asked, staring into the crescent shapes embossed into her own royal ornaments.
“The old ponies’ tale? Yeah. Wasn’t it something about the silhouette on the moon escaping or something?” Spike answered absently, the quiet scratch of his quill on parchment filling the air over the sound of the pegasi’s gentle breeze.
“The Mare in the Moon.” Placing the crown on her head once more, she began to recount her second story of the night. “An olden pony mage, once defeated by the elements of harmony for her rage against Equestria, was cursed to gaze down upon the land each night. The same land she sought to destroy. The wielder of the elements had warned that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars would aid in her escape and she would bring about daytime eternal.” As soon as she finished, so did the scratching of Spike’s quill. He stared at his scroll, staring at the words with wide, worried eyes like they would jump out at him if he made any sudden movements.
“Do you mean to say that you believe that Nightmare Star could return soon, Princess Luna?” He asked, pupils contracting into diamond-like slits. A focused gaze, that of a reptile.
“I simply believe that this year’s Celebration is an important one.” She reassured her assistant, cupping his chin with her wing and raising his head to meet her eyes. “That’s why…”
“We’re going to Ponyville?!” Yelled a small, lavender, blank flanked filly in oblivious excitement. The young mare, ever so curious, would always tag along on trips out of Canterlot, whether she was allowed to or not. After finding her in a suitcase instead of the originally packed clothes during a trip to Manehatten, her parents gave up on attempting to keep her from joining. Of course, she’d grown enough that a stunt like that wouldn’t work anymore, but it was still far easier to plan for than against the little mischief master.
“Only to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration for Princess Luna. I have to go there personally in Ms. Harshwhinny’s place to ensure perfection, so don’t go galloping off. It’s gotta be flawless this time, Twilight.”
“Why?” Twilight asked innocently as Spike picked her up and placed her onto the silver chariot. “What’s special about this time when compared to the last time?”
“This time it’s in Ponyville, last time it was in Baltimare.” Spike said, dodging the truth. Ponies’ tale or not, he’d prefer to keep the ‘Mare in the Moon’ from giving his adoptive sister nightmares.
“What’s so special about Ponyville, then?” She asked, unsatisfied with Spike’s non-answer.
Spike took a moment to think of an excuse while their flying escort, a pair of batpony royal guards, hooked themselves into the chariot, dark leather straps looping tightly around their platinum armor. He turned around and sat next to Twilight, his legs resting just over the edge of the platform, feet hovering inches away from the cobblestone street as they waited for the escort to take off into the sky.
“It’s the youngest town, I guess. Apparently, Luna herself directed the family that founded it, the Apples, to settle there just a handful of decades ago. Seventy, maybe eighty years or so I think.”
“The Apples… Are any of them still there today? Do you think we could visit them and ask about their family history?” The filly pleaded, climbing Spike’s arm and using his shoulder as a balance in order to maximize the visibility of her patented puppy dog eyes.
Chuckling, Spike rolled his own eyes, gently pushing his sister off of him. “We’ll see when we get there.” He said, taking a breath and exhaling a small jet of green flame which quickly curled into itself and transformed into an open scroll with a flash.
“What’s that?” Twilight asked as her brother grabbed the floating scroll from the air, wriggling beneath his arm and reading it herself before he had the chance to respond. “Summer Sun Celebration official overseer’s checklist.”
“I wanna memorize what we need to do before we get there. The less time I spend rechecking the list, the more time you’ll have to explore the town. Not that you’ll want to.”
“Why would I not want to explore?”
“I arranged for us to stay in a library. You’ll have all the books you can read in the two days we’ll be there.” A quick glance towards his sister’s elated face was all the confirmation he needed that he made the right call with that decision.
“Music, Carousel Calliope, decor, Town Hall, weather, Scoot’s Repair, banquet prep, Sweet Apple Acres.” Spike quietly repeated to himself as the chariot flew, unfurling the checklist for what had to be the fiftieth time. “Music, Carousel Calliope.” He read aloud, confirming the task and its order to himself. “Decor, Town-” He continued, only to be interrupted by the unexpected halt of the vehicle as their escort landed, digging their hooves deep into the dirt road in order to halt their movement.
Like a bolt of lavender lighting, Twilight rocketed out of the chariot and started running around the road, staring up at all the buildings and signs, taking in all that she could of the unfamiliar town.
Tucking the checklist away behind one of the fins on the side of his head, Spike too left the chariot, thanking the pair of royal guards still hooked into it for their work as he passed by. Stopping a moment to look for Twilight, his anxiety spiked as he spotted her speaking a million miles an hour at a stone gray earth pony. Quickly walking toward the pair, Spike scooped up the young filly with a hand and plopped her onto his back, quickly bowing and apologizing to the mare.
“I’m sorry for my younger sister. She just gets really energetic when she visits somewhere new.” He explained, nervousness plaguing his features. Looking up to meet the mare’s eyes, Spike could see no reaction or sense any change in her emotions. After a few moments of awkward silence, she gave a small shrug and began to trot past.
As the mare left his sight Spike let out an exasperated breath. He turned his head to stare at Twilight as he rose from the bow, his annoyance clear to see. “What did I say about running off?”
“Eheheh...” The filly chuckled nervously while shrugging. “Sorry Spike. I just wanted to ask where Golden Oak Library is.”
“It looked like you wanted to ask a lot more than that when you were talking the ears off that poor pony.” The dragon chided. “I already memorized a map of the town. You’ll get your books after we finish up, okay?”
“Okay...” Twilight accepted sadly. And with that, the pair made their way to their first stop, Carousel Calliope, to see how the music was coming along and to assist the assigned pony if need be.
“Ah ah ah, aah-aahh...” Sung a white unicorn, tapping matching keys on a piano near the back of the room, her pastel pink and purple mane blocking her face from view as Spike and Twilight entered the building. A small bell rang as the door opened and closed, announcing their entrance to the building’s occupants. “You’ll have to return later.” She called, having heard the bell. “I’m practicing at the moment and won’t be available until the day after tomorrow. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
Spike looked around the room. There were instruments of all kinds displayed around the deceivingly large, circular room. From guitars to drums to tubas to triangles to xylophones, to even cups stashed near the furthest wall. It seemed as though every instrument conceivable was sold within the shop. Certainly not a sight one would see in Canterlot, a wooden piano next to a guitar painted with flames.
“Actually that’s why I’m here.” Spike began. “I’ve been sent from Canterlot to-” Before he could even finish his sentence, the mare was in front of him, bright green eyes staring into his own.
“You’re from Canterlot? Why didn’t you say so! Oh, I didn’t think anyone from somewhere like Canterlot even knew my name, let alone where to come to meet me!”
“Meet you-?” Spike tried to ask, only for him and Twilight to be pushed along by a green magical aura towards a display near the center of the room.
“Which song was it? Where did you hear my work?” The mare asked, lifting a poster of her own face from the display. ‘SWEETIE BELLE’ the top of the poster read, the line ‘Ponyville’s Premier Pop Star’ placed near the bottom. All along the sides were printed lines of random words that Spike couldn’t quite decipher the meaning of, ultimately assuming that they were probably song or album titles.
“Uhm, my checklist.” Spike said, still processing the sudden energy from Ponyville’s Premier Pop Star.
“’My Checklist’..?” She asked, trying to confirm, flipping the poster around and seeming to scan the word soup on the sides. “I don’t think I’ve written a ‘My Checklist’.”
“I- no, I mean...” Spike shook his head free of the confusion. Pushing the poster away with his tail, he locked eyes with ‘Sweetie Belle’. “Let’s start over. My Name is Spike. I’ve been sent to check up on your progress for the Summer Sun Celebration.”
“Oh.” She blushed, embarrassed at her outburst. “Right. It makes sense that the princess would sent someone to make sure things are running smoothly. I’m Sweetie Belle. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Spike.”
“A pleasure to meet you too, Miss Belle. Now, about your performance. Do you think that you’ll be awake enough to play tonight?”
“Yes. I was planning on doing a last couple practice runs through the song first before going to sleep.” Sweetie explained. “Everything’s already completed, I just want-” This time it was her turn to be interrupted as a spool of thread flew its way through the air and straight into Spike’s forehead.
“Get back you ruffian!” called a pure white, velvet maned unicorn filly as she charged down a set of stairs and straight for Spike, a roll of hot pink cloth held tightly in her sky blue magic, her thick, patchwork cloth ‘armor’ waving wildly in the breeze as she dashed forward. The moment she was within range she swung the roll of fabric as hard as she could at the drake, who caught it with ease and tore the ‘weapon’ from the child’s magical grasp.
“Rarity!” Sweetie called, the filly’s head and ears instantly drooping. “How many times do I have to tell you not to harass visitors?”
“But Sweetie Belle, he’s a dragon! And he’s kidnapped a young, innocent maiden!” The filly countered, igniting her horn in its blue aura once again to try, and fail, at yanking the roll back out of Spike’s grip.
“What are you-?”
“I’m very clearly older than you but whatever.” Twilight scoffed.
“Do you think you’re the one to defeat me and rescue this maiden, little knight?” Spike asked, glancing at Twilight. A great, evil dragon capturing a maiden for foggy, almost nonexistent reasons. A classic ponies’ tale.
“That’s Lady Rarity to you, you beastly beasty beast!” Rarity asserted, digging a hoof into the ground as though she were about to charge him unarmed.
“Oh.” Sweetie said as realization dawned on her, relaxing slightly.
“Oh nooo.” Twilight called tiredly. “Save me, Lady Rarity.” She mocked, lightly slapping at Spike’s green spines.
“Aaahg!” The drake ‘screamed’, releasing his grip on the roll of cloth, which sat in the air for a moment before zipping back over towards the filly warrior.
“Have at you!” Cried Lady Rarity, once again swatting at Spike the Terrible, the pony-eating dragon.
Spike rubbed at the back of his neck as he walked through the roads, heading towards the middle of the surprisingly large town. Despite Rarity’s lack of strength, the softness of the fabric roll, and Spike’s own durable scales, he definitely had a few sore bruises where the filly hit him. “Kids are rough, man.”
“Was that whole game really necessary? We wasted a whole hour there!” Twilight complained.
“I doubt many dragons appear in Ponyville. Playing out a fantasy like that is a rare opportunity for most fillies, Twi. Not everypony has a dragon for an older brother.” He responded, approaching the short wooden steps of the Town Hall.
“I guess not...”
Opening the large doors, Spike stared in shock. The place was basically empty, except for a single, lanky cyan pegasus stallion lying curled on the floor. Twilight let out an impatient groan as Spike moved deeper in, jumping off his back and walking away, likely to sulk like how the stallion was doing.
“Are you Zephyr Breeze?” Spike asked, earning a surprised scream from the pony. “What’s going on? Isn’t this the Town Hall? Where’s all the decorations?”
The stallion stared at spike with wide, panicked eyes, visibly growing more and more worried as the silence continued between them before... “Bwaaahahahh!” He cried, tears bursting from his eyes and wetting the fur beneath them.
“Woah! No, hey, I’m not here to hurt you!” Spike said, caught completely off guard by the sudden wailing. “It’s okay, really, I’m here to help!” Slowly, the stallion seemed to compose himself, even pushing up from the ground and sitting up straight.
“Really?” He asked, legs shaking beneath him as he tried to work up the courage to look at Spike. “You’re here to help me?”
“Really.” Spike said. “You’re Zephyr Breeze, right? The pony they put in charge of decorations?” The stallion, Zephyr, nodded.
“I just can’t bring myself to do anything! I keep thinking about all those ponies, the princess herself, judging my work for the Summer Sun Celebration, the contempt and rage clear on their faces for ruining the holiday with my subpar decorative skills!”
“It’s okay.” Spike soothed, wandering closer to Zephyr and sitting across from him, placing a gentle hand on the worried pony’s shoulder. “The mayor must’ve put you on this job for a reason. Nopony’s gonna hate your decorations. Honestly, they’ll all be too busy trying to judge the princess’s choices before they judge yours, trust me.”
“I...” Zephyr gave a shaky sigh, closing his eyes and taking a moment to process. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re probably right. I’m sorry you saw me like that, stranger. I’ve just been thinking about this all day.”
“Spike, and it’s fine. I’m just here to check up on things and see if I can’t help with anything.”
“Yes!” Zephyr jumped. “I could absolutely use the help, as you can...” He trailed off as he gestured to the room. “See...” He quieted when he saw the ribbons, banners, and reflective gems of the suddenly decorated room. “Huh...”
Looking around, Spike spotted Twilight tying a sparkling red ribbon to a pillar, a gem appearing in a violet flash over the tightened knot as she backed up to view her handiwork.
“Twi, did you do all this by yourself?” Spike asked, impressed by the filly’s speed. “Where did you even find all this stuff?”
“There’s a bunch of boxes filled with decorations in the hallway. Can we go now?” She asked smugly.
“That’s up to Zephyr here.” Spike said, turning to the stunned stallion. “Do you think this’ll work on it’s own, or would you like help altering things?” He asked.
Slowly, still trying to figure out and process what happened, Zephyr nodded. “This is good.” He said. “I can... I can take it from here. I work better without ponies- er, creatures, looking at me. Performance anxiety.”
“Alright.” Spike said, standing up and nodding to Twilight, who smiled and trotted over to stand next to her brother. “I’ll come back to recheck things in a few hours. If you’re not here I’ll assume you’re finished, so don’t you have to wait up if you have other things to do.”
Nodding, Zephyr thanked Spike and Twilight then flew away to adjust the sudden decor.
“Well, that was incredibly awkward.” Spike admitted as he walked with Twilight to their next destination. “And a little rude of you.”
“What?!” Twilight exclaimed. “I helped him! And you! We would’ve been there all day if I left things alone.”
“You still should’ve asked if you could do that first. That job was his responsibility.”
“It didn’t look like he was having much fun doing it.” Twilight grumbled as they trotted along. Slowly, a shadow appeared over her, shading her from the warm rays of Luna’s day. Stopping to look up at the object providing said shade, she spotted an orange pegasus rocketing through the sky on some kind of scooter, slamming into a dark cloud, bursting it into a shower of mist and rain. Rain that soaked the pair of siblings below.
As the pegasus fell to the ground her unusually short wings flapped at unreal speeds to slow her descent, but she still slammed into the earth hard enough to splash up a considerable amount of the now muddied dirt. A splash large enough to, again, soak the siblings.
“Sorry about that!” She said, unhooking a thick plastic helmet from her head and rushing over with the somehow undamaged scooter. “I can go up pretty easy with a ramp, but I can’t really control myself when I go back down without something to slow me.”
“It’s fine.” Spike said, annoyed. “I’ll just... clean it off later, I guess.” He continued, carefully removing his now ruined checklist from behind his ear-fin. “Good thing I memorized this.”
“Let me help you with that.” Quickly mounting the scooter again, the mares wings started working again at mach speeds. In an instant she circled around the dragon and filly fast enough to generate a small, controlled twister, blasting away any mud and dust from the area nearby. “There we go, my very own, patented, Scoot-A-Loop.” She said as she slowed, the rushing pegasus’s blur fading to reveal a pair of clean, if dizzy, siblings.
Twilight growled and glared at the mare, her mane, tail, and coat having been twirled, tangled, and twisted about wildly by the wind. The mare simply smirked and cracked up laughing, falling to the ground and clutching her ribs at the sight of the young filly.
“You must be Scootaloo.” Spike stated. “You’re doing a decent job clearing the skies, I haven’t noted anything wrong with the weather until now.”
Quickly composing herself, she picked herself up off the ground and puffed her chest out proudly. “I didn’t think word about my skills made it to the Dragon Lands. Man, if a dragon’s come all the way to Ponyville just to meet me, I’ll be a shoo-in for the Wonderbolts!”
“I didn’t come here to meet you, Miss Scootaloo, and I’m not from the Dragon Lands. I’ve been sent by the princess to check on your progress.” Spike corrected. She deflated a bit at that, but smiled happily nonetheless.
“The princess, huh? That’s still pretty good. That’s one step closer to the ‘bolts either way.”
“I’ve never heard of a Wonderbolt who needs a ramp to get in the air.” Twilight said. Before Spike had the chance to scold her, Scootaloo responded.
“Actually the Wonderbolts always prepare cloud-slides for their longer shows. They use ‘em to build up speed quickly and out of sight as a way to conserve energy. Even the pros need a little boost from time to time. And even if I don’t get into the ‘bolts proper, and that’s a big if, they still have engineers like me designing the equipment they use to protect them from the literal explosives that they hide in their suits.”
“Explosives?” Twilight asked, shocked.
“What, did you think pegasus magic just let us generate fireworks out of thin air? The closest we can get to that is lightning, and that’s a rare skill to have. Pretty much everyone who does ends up in the storm-making industry.”
At the mention of magic, Twilight lit up, running over to Scootaloo and rattling off as many questions as she could think of about pegasus magic, questions that Spike could neither understand nor keep up with. Though, despite Spike’s inability to match his sister, Scootaloo certainly could, responding to each question just as fast with an answer or explanation relating to her tribe’s abilities. It was, if Spike was being honest, an adorable interaction, seeing Twilight meet with someone just as passionate as her about the technical workings of reality. Still gave him a headache to think about though.
After returning to Town Hall to find Zephyr missing, Spike decided to move onto his final task. Banquet preparations at Sweet Apple Acres. It took a good minute to get to the place, almost being on the entirely opposite side of Ponyville from where he and Twilight had bumped into Scootaloo, but eventually they managed to make it to the long white fence that was separating the farm from the rest of the town, despite the delay caused by a large crowd of ponies taking up the entire road as they moved the opposite way. Looking to his left, Spike could see it stretching off into the horizon. The map he’d studied made the property look as though it took up a third of the town, which he initially thought was an absurd embellishment. Seeing the endless fence for himself made him rethink that assumption.
Returning his attention to the path, he noticed an archway in the fence that seemed to serve as an entrance of sorts. As Spike and Twilight walked through it, they both stopped and took a moment to look around for anyone in the afternoon light, scanning the fields, barn, pens, and coops for any sign that anypony existed. Eventually they spotted someone. Four earth ponies off in the trees, moving around some kind of massive table.
Heading towards the group, Spike called out. “Excuse me!” He called, lifting an arm and waving to draw their attention. After a moment, a yellow, red haired pony with and a bright pink bow in her mane left the group to greet him.
“Howdy!” She said in a country accent. “What brings you to the farm?”
“I’m here to oversee preparations for the celebration. You’re in charge of the food, right?”
“We sure as sugar are!” The mare said excitedly. “Would y’care to sample some?”
“Sure.” Spike accepted, earning a grumble from Twilight. “As long as it doesn’t take too long. I promised my sister here that we’d meet the Apples and then head over to the local library.”
“Well you came to the right place then. Though, if you came for the Apple family reunion, I’m afraid you missed it.” Twilight perked up as the mare spoke, finally putting two and two together.
“Wait, is the ‘Apple’ in ‘Sweet Apple Acres’ not there just because you farm them?” Twilight asked.
Chuckling and shaking her head, the mare motioned for the pair to follow her as she began to walk back towards the table. “My name’s Apple Bloom.” She said. As the trio approached the table, the other three ponies lined up to meet them. “This is my little sister Applejack.” Apple Bloom said, gesturing towards a small orange filly wearing a hat that was far too big to comfortably wear. “My cousin Babs Seed.” She said, pointing at the older orange mare next to her. “She moved from Manehatten to help out at the farm.” She explained. “And finally, this is our grandpappy, Grand Pa. He owns the farm and keeps everything runnin’.”
Twilight ran up and threw out a barrage of questions as soon as Apple Bloom finished. “How long have the Apples been in Ponyville? Spike told me that Princess Luna told you to settle the town here, is that true? How did you meet her? Why did she tell you to settle here? How long ago was that? How old is your family tree?” She spoke quickly, not giving the family a chance to answer.
With a knowing, sympathetic smile, Apple Bloom handed Spike an apple fritter for him to try. Instead of eating it himself however, he shoved the treat in Twilight’s open mouth, silencing her. The filly’s eyes lit up the moment she tasted it, instantaneously satisfied by the heavenly food.
“What do you think, Twi? Good enough for the celebration?”
Still chewing, Twilight simply nodded in response.
“Glad you think so.” Apple Bloom smiled. “Hey, wait a minute. Ain’t you the new pair that Maud told us about?”
Confused, Spike turned to the mare. “Who?”
“Y’know, Maud. Earth pony like me, blank stare, gray coat, purple hair, difficult to read? She’s pretty unique by Ponyville standards.”
“Yeah, we bumped into a pony like that when we arrived. She didn’t really say anything when we talked to her, so I didn’t catch her name.”
“That’d be her. She can be a bit shy sometimes. Ain’t surprised that she didn’t say nothin’ to you, on account of you bein’ a dragon.” Apple Bloom explained. She blushed slightly when she realized what she’d said, quickly speaking to try and recover. “Er, sorry. Don’t mean nothin’ by that.”
“No offense taken. Dragon’s can be pretty imposing from what I’ve heard.”
“What you’ve heard?” She asked, confused.
“I grew up in Canterlot. Only thing I’ve ever seen of dragons is in a few burnt notes, a couple fantasy novels, and that one myth about the pegasus that beat some by leading them into a storm.” Spike said, thinking back to the stories he would read to Twilight when she had trouble sleeping, something she wouldn’t let anyone else but her foalsitter do.
“Oh. Well, either way, I look forward to workin’ with you.” Apple Bloom smiled, raising a hoof to him. A gesture that Spike happily accepted, taking her hoof in his hand and giving a single firm shake.
The sun was completely down by the time that they left Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight was practically dragging herself all the way to Golden Oak Library, their home for the next two days. Well, the next day anyway. She’d asked just about every question there was to ask about the Apple family and their history. The only reason they left was because Applejack started yawning and Grand Pa decided that it would be best if everypony got a nap before the big event. A sentiment that Twilight’s own yawning seemed to agree with.
She gave a weak, tired smile as the building, a hollowed tree, came into view. As they opened the door, they were surprised to see a familiar face standing in the middle of the room, a red book with what appeared to be gold on the cover and spine open on the center table, reading. The gray mare from earlier, Maud, turned when she heard the quiet squeak of the wooden door frame. Silently, she closed the book and picked it up, walking over to one of the shelves to return it to its, presumably, original spot.
She turned around and made her way over to Spike and Twilight, stopping in front of them and giving them both a slow, bored glance. “Hello.” She greeted in a dull, uninterested monotone. “My name is Maud Pie. Welcome to Ponyville.”
“Uh... Hi?” Spike said, feeling a bit awkward with how close the mare was standing. “I’m Spike The Dragon, and this is Twilight Sparkle.”
“I-” Twilight started, interrupted by a yawn. “-already told her my name. I think...”
“No. You didn’t.” Corrected Maud, staring at the lavender filly. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Twilight said, wobbling slightly while trying to smile.
“Can I ask what you’re doing here?” Spike probed.
Slowly moving her gaze over to him, Maud tilted her head slightly, her face unchanging. “It’s a public library.”
“Yes, but it’s closed until after tomorrow.”
“Oh.” She said, straightening. “I wanted to ask your names earlier. I got confused by Twilight’s mumbling, so I didn’t remember to do that when we met.”
“Wait, have you been waiting here all day just to ask us our names?” Twilight asked, shocked.
“Yes.” Maud responded simply. Stunned and impressed by her patience, Twilight and Spike found themselves unable to speak, leaving the room in total silence. After a moment though, Maud piped up. “You’re blocking the exit.” Shaking themselves free of their confusion, the siblings stepped aside, letting the mare trot quietly out of the building and onto the road, stopping to look back at the pair as they stared awkwardly at her from the doorway. “Aren’t you coming?”
“What?” Spike asked. The realization hit him like a brick as he glanced at a clock on the wall. Five AM. It was time for the celebration. “Shoot! We’re late!” He panicked, scooping up and tossing Twilight onto his back before rushing out of the door, slamming it closed as he left. As he galloped past Maud, eyes to the sky to gauge if Princess Luna was raising the sun already, as though it would make a difference, Spike noticed something odd. Movement in the stars.
The phenomena made him slow, allowing his eyes to follow their movement. Four orbs of light drifted towards the moon. “Is the princess doing a display of some kind for the event?” He wondered aloud. As the unicorn silhouette on the moon faded in a dull flash, he remembered. “On the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape...” He whispered. He hoped to all hope that it was just a display.
“... The pony that gives us the sun and the moon each and every day.” Quietly, Spike snuck into the building, having missed most of the start of the event. He was lucky that Maud reminded him that... He paused, noticing Maud already in the crowd. He wondered how she got ahead of him for a moment, then remembered that she was a local. She likely knew shortcuts that he was unaware of. “The good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria, Princess Luna!” The mayor announced, pointing up towards a large balcony above the stage that she stood on that was covered with large, velvet curtains. The sound of a piano could be heard from the second floor, ringing out into the crowded building like the call of an angel. Sweetie Belle had definitely not been lying when she said she practiced.
Looking up, Spike watched Zephyr Breeze pull a thick rope, opening the curtains to reveal... an empty balcony. The crowd began to murmur, worry starting to wash over everyone. “Calm down Everypony. There must be a reasonable explanation.” The mayor said as Zephyr landed on the balcony and walked through the doorway to search.
“She’s gone!” Zephyr yelled, reemerging only moments later. He suddenly gasped and backed up once again through the door as an orange and crimson fire began to rise in front of him. A fire that created no smoke as it burned and grew. Gasps came from all around as ponies began to notice the flames.
“Oh no...” Spike said as the blaze contracted into itself before unfurling into the mane and tail of a tall white alicorn with a pair of draconic looking horns. The mare seemed to have flecks of gold sparkling through her coat and was decorated with a golden crown and shoes, as well as a thick golden collar, all with several deep, shining amethysts embedded into them and what appeared to be gilded chains encircling her wings and neck, attached to the heavy looking collar. Her violet, focused, reptilian eyes scanned the crowd and a sinister smile, filled with nothing but sharp fangs, grew on her face and she began to laugh. “Nightmare Star...”
“Oh, my beloved subjects!” The demonic alicorn called. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen your precious, little, night-loving faces.” She scorned.
“What did you do with our princess?!” A mare yelled. Scootaloo. Spike could hear the motor-like revving of her wings as she prepared to charge. How she planned to get up to the balcony, Spike had no idea, but he silently advised against the act. Something Apple Bloom seemed to pick up on, as he could see the mare’s iconic bow unfurling into what appeared to be a makeshift rope, lassoing somepony off in the crowd. As Apple Bloom pulled, he could see that she’d managed to tie down Scootaloo’s wings. He couldn’t help but admire the strength of the ribbon as it dragged the mare backwards, pulling her from the mob. Nor could he help but notice the similarity of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo’s cutie marks, similarly colored shields, Apple Bloom’s containing a heart within an apple and Scootaloo’s containing a lightning bolt within a wing.
Nightmare Star began to laugh, staring down at the pair of ponies from her perch. “Why? Am I not royal enough for you?” She straightened, eyes suddenly glaring with intense fury. “Don’t you know who I am? Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?” Her silent blaze of a mane suddenly roared into an inferno, showering the crowd below with embers and sparks. “Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?”
“I did!” Spike called. The ancient princess blinked, searching the crowd for him. “And I know who you are. You’re the mare in the moon, Nightmare Star!” The crowd gasped, and ponies began to back away from the stage, pegasi in the air hovering faster and faster away from the balcony.
Her eyes fell on Spike and the sleeping filly on his back, her gaze softening but containing no less malice . “Well, well, well, somepony, or I suppose somedragon, who remembers me. Fitting, knowing your kind’s tendency towards destruction. Then you must also know why I’m here.”
“You’re here to...” The situation slowly dawned on Spike, fear setting into him. This mare had done something to Princess Luna. This mare could, and would, raze the village if he said something to provoke her enough. “To...” He gulped.
“Hnhmhmhm-hahaha! Remember this night little ponies, for it will be your last. from this moment forth, the day will last forever!” Nightmare cackled, her mane roaring to life once more as the sun rose behind the moon, completely enveloping its dark shadow, and painting the sky red with a malevolent heat.
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A pretty interesting AU so far, I'm curious to see where this goes. Although there's one detail I think you should know: Cyan is a shade of blue and Zephyr Breeze's coat is clearly a shade of green.
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He is pretty minty, yeah. I just called him cyan since it's one of those colors I keep seeing as an in-between for blue and green, and he kind of tiptoes that same lightly colored line of kind of ambiguous hue to me.
I have to say, this DOES look like a pretty intriguing start to this series. I love how well you take the differences in character into account, not just with Spike and Twilight (though Spike DOES come of looking like a more mature version of his old self rather than a male dragon version of Twilight, which is an extremely welcome detail), but with ALL the characters. I'm guessing either Luna herself or one of the more powerful unicorns (such as Sunset Shimmer) hatched Spike's egg and Luna then found a responsible family to raise Spike (which would be Night Light and Twilight Velvet, after Shining Armor was born, but before Twilight was). The little references to the series were also well done. Including the foreshadowing nod to Cadance and the bits included in Twilight's bedtime stories. Anyway, I'm guessing Pinkie and Fluttershy weren't there because they are both already adults here (Pinkie because, as Maud was the older sibling in canon [albeit only by a year or two], Pinkie would actually be the older one here and Fluttershy because there was less than a year's age difference between Fluttershy and Zephyr, so even if Fluttershy is the younger one here, she would still be an adult).
On another note, I have a hunch that Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow (who hasn't appeared yet, but almost certainly will) are going to be this universe's Cutie Mark Crusaders (though perhaps with the added detail of them also helping out other bullying victims by giving them a wide range of activities to build them up both physically and mentally).
Plus, the reasons for Spike being so scared to mention Nightmare Star's goals being because he didn't want to anger her enough to put all those innocent ponies in immediately danger was another great detail.
Anyway, on to part two.
Boy am I gonna get real confused reading this. Interesting idea, though, for sure.
I wonder. what qualifies spike to be luna's student if twilight is still the smarter, more curious of the pair