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Chapter one: losing a friend2,041 words
Chapter Two: The Silver In The Darkness3,484 words
Chapter Three: Costumes and Nightmares3,608 words
chapter four: adjusting to a new life3,867 words
Chapter five: a not so ordinary meeting3,155 words
Chapter Six: Memories4,710 words
Chapter seven: The captain's return4,917 words

Chapter Three: Costumes and Nightmares

After an hour or so the pair finally left the room, now however it seemed Broadsword was ready to answer the questions that caused him so much pain.

“I… I’m sorry for my outburst earlier but I’m feeling better. Miss Twilight I’m sorry but I sincerely don’t remember anything but my name, and that I had to get away from where I was although I don’t know why I had to.”
One of the mares in the room decided to bounce in with a question of her own.
“oh oh oh what happened to your cutie mark? Did you just lose it? Oh what if it washed off can that happen?” Pinkie pie once again tangled her train of thought up in knots and sat talking to herself as she tried to work it out again.

“So you don’t remember anything? Nothing at all?” Twilight asked seeming genuinely disappointed by the stallion’s lack of answers.

Broadsword turned to face Fluttershy as she brought his bark blue cloak into the room and smiled sheepishly before hovering next to the other mares. Now not feeling as naked the Pegasus stallion decided to stretch his legs, something he hadn’t had chance to do since that night in the forest; he also tried to flex his wings forgetting that they were in such a bad state.

“Gahh ahh!!” He grunted as his wings twitched as he tried to move them, but to no avail as the pain was far too great to even attempt to move them.

“Are you ok Broadsword?” Trixie once again dropped her overconfident façade to run to the Pegasus’s side.

“Yes, I’m sorry for worrying you so much Miss Trixie.” He said regaining his composure before preparing to answer the question that Twilight had raised.

“I do remember a few things from before I fell and some after, but only a few things.” The stallion took a deep breath and tried to gather his thoughts before continuing. “All I remember from before my fall is a mare named Crescent Moon who gave me this cloak and being told by her that I needed to run far away.”
“I see but that’s a rather unusual name what did the mare look like? If it’s not too painful to remember.” Twilight asked again while taking notes.

“She… was … blue, I remember she had a horn but... AAAH!” his head throbbed as he tried to remember what went on before he left for the forest, and once again Trixie tried to help him using her magic to soothe the pain.

“Miss Trixie, thank you. I’m sorry to be such a burden.” He said as he once again he recovered; it seemed that only some memories triggered the pain, because he remembered to forest he fell from vividly.

“I also remember the forest where I was attacked by a giant beast that was part lion with goat horns and a snake as a tail.”

“A CHIMERA!?” All the mares in the room gasped as they heard that he not only was attacked, but also that he survived a fight with the beast.

“But chimera’s only live in the Everfree forest, what were you doing there? I guess that explains why you’re so badly wounded. ” Fluttershy stepped in before quietly retreating to where she was hovering.

“In truth I’m not sure where I was, but it’s certainly not a place I want to ever go to again.” Broadsword continued, and then recounted another memory; this memory however was a lot more favourable to the brown stallion.

“And the last thing I remember is a beautiful shine of silver reflecting off of a mare’s mane as she pulled me through the streets in the darkness.” Then he turned back to face all the mare’s in the room at once. “I have to admit that is my favourite of the few memories I have.” Broadsword smiled and closed his eyes as he thought of the beautiful shine of silver again, but unbeknownst to him the azure pony’s cheeks were now turning a deep red as she blushed furiously.

“hmmm… is that all you remember?” Twilight quickly changed the subject as she and the other ponies were becoming a little flustered by the almost romantic statement, but no matter how much she tried to shake it off Trixie just couldn’t lose the crimson that now covered her face.

Rainbow Dash notice Trixie’s red face and decided to have some fun with her. “sooo what you’re saying is that the mare you saw that night stole your heart?” the rainbow maned mare flew over and nudged Trixie several times to provoke a reaction from her.

“To be honest it was so hazy it might have just been a beautiful dream…” he said seeming rather oblivious to the hints being thrown at him.

“oh oh oh you said you have no memory right? So you don’t know what night it is? Girls, can we take him to the festival? Please please please?” the party pony begged the other mares to let her take the brown stallion the celebration that was happening later that night.

The Pegasus stallion looked at the pink pony slightly puzzled by her ramblings, then turning to face the others he grew more puzzled. As he tried hard to think if he could remember anything Fluttershy stepped forward. “um... tonight’s… nightmare night.” She squeaked and looked away remembering how terrified she was of the whole thing. Then, as if taking it in turns to explain Twilight started speaking. “Nightmare night is where everypony dresses up in costume and has fun telling spooky stories about Nightmare Moon; it’s all in my copy of celebrations and cultures of Equestria.”

The stallion was still confused, but not by the celebration but more by the fact that he recognised this name. Who is Nightmare Moon? This question would plague him for a long time and he sensed that the answer he’d get from asking wouldn’t be the one he needed, still he found himself asking that very question. “Who is this Nightmare Moon?”

“She’s this wicked scary mare who was banished to the moon but every year she comes down to look for ponies to eat!!” Rainbow answered then began cackling like a mad mare causing Fluttershy to run and lock herself in her bedroom.

“RAINBOW!!” Twilight scalded the rainbow maned mare and continued to reprimand her for a few moments before turning to face Broadsword again. “Anyway if you’d want to come see it we’ll be happy to take you.”

“The great and powerful Trixie will escort him to the festival; you all will not be needed!” the azure mare boasted as she trotted next to the stallion.

“I guess that settles it, we’ll see you later tonight; hope you have fun.” Twilight ended the conversation and ushered the others out of Fluttershy’s cottage.

***
The palace seemed so lonely as the princess wondered through its halls, the new guard that had been posted were not talkative nor did they appreciate what the princess had to say; They were just guards being payed to protect her. Luna was just about to head to the library for another boring and lonesome night by herself when her older sister came galloping in to her room with a devilish grin plastered on her face.

“Sister, take a look at this! My dear student Twilight has sent me a letter which reminded me that there was a celebration being held in your honour. Why don’t you go to visit your subjects and take the night off?” the larger white alicorn handed Luna the letter to read for herself. As Luna read through the letter her eyes lit up and she could no longer contain her excitement.

“HUZZAH!!! TIS TRULY A WONDEREOUS NIGHT INDEED!” The royal mare’s Canterlot voice once again echoing through the palace halls and almost threw her sister and guards off balance. Luna hugged her older sister in her elation before readying her new guards to depart.

While watching her sister happily bounding through the halls Celestia had to wonder was Luna really happy? Or was the disappearance of her closest friend taking a greater toll than she was letting on? Either way Luna was smiling for the moment and for now that was enough.

***

Trixie had taken Broadsword to her caravan to find him a suitable costume for Nightmare Night, but after what felt like hours the azure mare decided that she neither had a costume in his size nor a costume for a stallion for that matter. Still his usual attire of a battered cloak and bandages still looked like a costume, perhaps she could just scavenge parts from an old outfit to add to his; as Trixie thought on Broadsword looked out of her window to see all the foals getting ready for Nightmare Night and he wondered was he like that once? Did he ever make memories like that?

That thought sadden him slightly as he also wondered if such memories would remain lost forever, but these thoughts were soon dispelled when he saw Trixie wondering around with some items from her closet. He was just about to ask what she was planning, but before he had even drawn breath for such a question she’d already started equipping the items to him. First she fitted him with a shoulder guard, then a helmet and finally a prop sword she had used for the stabbing a pony in a box trick when she had first started to be a performer.

Truth be told it didn’t look half bad considering it was such a mismatch of items, but what the hay it was only for fun and Trixie thought it looked good therefore that’s all that mattered to her. Broadsword could see Trixie smiling at the costume she’d put together and smiled back, this smile however caused the unicorn to blush slightly; being a performer she was used to attention from crowds and admirers, but not from a stallion. Trixie’s face had grown a rather pretty red by the time she noticed it and she swiftly found herself a mask of a sorts to hide her blush, but that forced her to make a costume for herself otherwise the handkerchief she was using as a mask would look odd; and so back to the closet she went.
The pile of spare costumes grew larger with each minute until finally Trixie had settled on one she liked, but she felt shy dressing up in front of somepony else and even more so with Broadsword. So she took the only option available to her and with a swift push Broadsword was now stood outside looking puzzled.

“Um… Miss Trixie why did you push me outside?”

“The great and powerful Trixie is getting dressed; it’s rude to watch a lady change.”

“But Miss Trixie we don’t wear clothes normally there’s no reason to be embarrassed.”

“Quiet! Trixie’s reasons are her own!!”
This back and forth continued for some time, until Trixie finally exited the trailer. As the mare took her first step out of her caravan the outfit she had chosen was finally revealed; her mane was styled in a bun and she wore a black cape with bat wings attached, she’d even gone to the trouble of putting in fangs for the occasion, but what the brown stallion notice the most was the socks she wore. They were black and red and they stretched to the top of her legs, on any other night this would have been incredibly riskey but there were lots of other mares that wore similar attire so Trixie fitted in nicely. Still, Broadsword had to admit she looked absolutely stunning; Trixie noticed that the stallion was staring and decided to offer her hoof ready to be escorted to the festivities.

***
The celebrations of the night were in full swing, there were foals trick or treating in the streets, ponies were dancing in the town square and at the edge of Ponyville in Sweet Apple Acres the Apple family were hosting their annual Nightmare Night fair. The atmosphere was truly jovial and Broadsword was so enchanted by the lights, candies and music that he found himself acting like a foal; but when he looked back at Trixie all she did was giggle at his behaviour.
“I’m sorry for my foalishness, it’s just all so new to me.”

“It’s alright, Trixie is treating you to this so you must enjoy yourself or you will have to make it up to her.”

Trixie once again slipped into her usual self, but she noticed that around this stallion she really didn’t need to be that way; in fact she felt bad even speaking like this but it was a hard habit to break. Her thoughts turned inwards and she began remembering when she was a filly, she had so few friends and was the last of her whole school to get her cutie mark; she remembered how they’d make her feel so low that she had to speak as if she was the only pony that mattered. She knew that this cocky attitude was her defence, it was the only way that she felt safe and comfy with herself and now she wanted to let that part of her go…

After a few moments of thinking Trixie looked up, but the brown Pegasus was nowhere to be seen; somehow in her moment of contemplation he’d gotten distracted and wandered away in the crowd. This night had turned from a date into a game of hide and seek, which Trixie was losing.

***
Luna had left Canterlot and was nearing Ponyville, she wondered how her subjects would react to her presence after a thousand years; but if she was honest she didn’t care as long as she got to see the ponies that would normally be asleep by the time she was awake. The princess also wondered if she would make many friends tonight, maybe she’d get to see Twilight Sparkle and her friends or maybe perhaps the citizens of Ponyville would love her as much as they loved her sister; whatever the case she couldn’t wait till her chariot landed.

Luna made her grand entrance to the terrified ponies of the town, but she found no happiness they were all too scared to approach her and so Twilight took it upon herself to make the royal mare feel welcome. As the dark blue princess approached the Apple family’s home on Sweet Apple Acres she saw a rather familiar blue cloak among the crowds, it almost looked like Broadsword but that was impossible he’d run far away or had he? It was a possibility that in his memoryless state he decided to make his new life here. Luna grew excited at the thought of seeing her old friend again, but she quickly disheartened upon realising that he wouldn’t remember her.

***
Broadsword stood in the crowd that was gathered in the Apple’s east field when the dark blue princess strode towards Applejack, the princess was very familiar to the brown Pegasus but he still wasn’t sure so he ducked through the crowd to get closer. The royal mare that stood with Twilight and Applejack was the alicorn he’d come to know as Crescent Moon. As Broadsword got closer he was pushed back by a stampede of ponies that were now running from the spiders that the princess had brought to life, but this didn’t weaken the pegasus’s resolve and he forced his way through the panicked townsponies until he was swarmed by the spiders that dragged him away by his cloak.

The spiders dragged the stallion to the outskirts of the farm where they had formed a giant web within minutes of their coming to life. Broadsword struggled free, but it was too late he was in the den of a giant spider that the smaller ones were now serving; his eyes grew large at the sight of the colossal queen spider. Taking a step back Broadsword took a battle stance, he was shocked at this action as it seemed almost instinctive and not only that it felt as natural as breathing to the Pegasus; but the question of why would have to be answered later, right now he had to escape the spider queen in front of him.

***
Trixie searched high and low, no matter how hard she looked she could see no sign of Broadsword; the azure pony was about to give up and wait for him to return when she was swept up in a stampeding crowd of scared ponies fleeing from the farm up ahead. She quickly resolved to go check it out, who knows maybe he was the cause of the panic although it was unlikely.

As Trixie approached the farm she spotted the area where something was dragged and on further inspection she spotted torn parts of the cloak that the brown stallion was wearing, this was it: This was where he’d gone. The azure mare galloped along the trail of dislodged earth and grass until she saw the stallion stood in the middle of the spider swarm, she didn’t know how to react to the sight of the giant spider or even the sight of the stallion fending off the creature. The mare was shocked to see how well he fought the monster, but even with his apparent skill he was losing ground; his fight was made harder by the smaller spiders who were throwing themselves under his hooves to trip him.

Eventually one of the spiders proved successful and the Pegasus stallion fell, his wings were crushed beneath his collapsed form causing him to cry out in agony as the spider forced its leg down and further crushed the stallion and his wings.
Trixie knew she had to act but she had no idea what to do, and worse she was so scared that she couldn’t move. With mere moments left in Broadsword, she forced her foreleg to take a step forward and again until she found herself running toward the fray.

Broadsword coughed as his lungs were crushed under the spider’s weight, he tried pushing it off but to no avail he wasn’t strong enough. If only he had a weapon he thought, suddenly he saw a branch that was lying nearby and used all his strength to pick it up and swing it at the knee joint of the spider causing it to release him briefly, creating a window of opportunity which he took happily.

“Broadsword!!” Trixie yelled as she approached the scene of the battle.

“Miss Trixie?! What are you doing here?” he dodged out from under the spider, once again striking it with the branch but it wasn’t causing any damage; in fact it wasn’t even strong enough to stun the spider any longer.
The spider turned and hit the brown stallion with the force of a train smashing him into the trees around him. Trixie knew she had to help but she didn’t know what to do, just then she noticed the branch that the stallion was holding in his hooves; she could enchant it she thought, but her magic wasn’t very strong and the enchantment flickered and failed before he could even swing the weapon.

Trixie was growing desperate and so was Broadsword, but how could she help him? The panicking mare summoned all her power to try enchanting the weapon again, but this time the spell stuck and even took on a tangible form turning the weak branch that he clutched into a shining mythril sword. The enchanted blade of the weapon shone a pale blue shifting into a brilliant white that blinded the spider and forced it to retreat a few paces as Broadsword stood up once again. Now, it seemed the tables had turned and the Pegasus was ready to make sure they were still in his favour; he readied for another strike at the arachnid and lunged into its abdomen with the shining blade held aloft.

The piercing white glow from the blade shone through the spiders core before bursting forth, felling it in one devastating blow.

***
After the queen spider had fallen the smaller ones dispersed leaving the stallion somewhat out of breath and badly fatigued. He looked around and noticed that Trixie was now lying unconscious on the ground; it seemed that the spell she used was too much for her and had drained her of her strength causing her to pass out. Broadsword was happy to see that she wasn’t hurt, but he still had to get her somewhere safe and so hefting the mare over his back he began trotting towards her caravan.

Just as he was leaving the farm he was stopped by a tall dark blue mare with wings and a horn, she stood silhouetted against the moonlit sky.
“It is good to see you again Broadsword, I have missed our chats.” The alicorn stated, her voice was softer than the first time they had met but the mare stood before the stallion was easily recognisable; she was the mare he knew as Crescent Moon.

“Miss Crescent Moon, what are you doing here?”

(chapter three end)

Author's Note:

sorry it's late but here's chapter tree whoop!!
ok it was a bit rushed so i really need and opinion or two just cause i wanna knowhow well this turned out also i kinda want to know what you all think.
also i will be uploading chapter four at some point, but i also will be adding a oneshot at some point between now and chapter five, but we'll get to that when i post it.

thanks so far

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