Luna guards the night. She protects everyponies dreams and dispells any wandering nightmares. But she is startled when she spots a sleepless pony playing amongst the fireflies at night.
Luna guards the night. She protects everyponies dreams and dispells any wandering nightmares. But she is startled when she spots a sleepless pony playing amongst the fireflies at night. A young mare trying to deal with her parents' tragic death finds herself in Ponyville. She intends to spend the rest of her days, and nights among the friendly fireflies, trying to forget the tragedy, but the princess of night has a brighter future in mind for the young mare.
The sun was setting when Princess Luna prepared for her nightly duties. Her sister, Princess Celestia, was getting ready to retire for the night; she passed the dark mare on her way through the castle halls.
They bowed to each other, signifying the exchange of guardianship. Celestia was off to bed and Luna proceeded to her watch tower. Through the telescope, she browsed across the parameter of Equestria. Everything looked fine and well; everything was still at peace.
As the sky grew darker, Luna spared a glance over at the setting sun, just enough to see the last beam of light disappear over the horizon to the west. Then she turned to the east. Her moon started to rise. The moonlight gave Equestria a whole new life. It’s silver light bathed the land in a certain majestic glow.
She smiled; she preferred Equestria in this light. It was easier on the eyes and much more peaceful. With the parameter check done, Luna flew down to the land below. Tonight she wanted to check on Ponyville. This was her favorite town; the six ponies she was closest to lived here.
She flew up to Rainbow Dash’s house in the clouds. Peering through the window, she could see Rainbow Dash snoring loudly in a deep sleep. Luna’s horn glowed as she closed her eyes. Her mind left Ponyville and was transported onto a runway in the sky. With a quick examination, Luna could tell that she was in the Wonderbolt’s Academy grounds.
Rainbow Dash was in a full Wonderbolt suit, sliding her goggles on to complete the outfit. The other three Wonderbolts joined her.
“Are you ready, newbie?” Spitfire teased.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Rainbow Dash replied.
Together, they flew off. Jets of rainbow, fire and smoke combined into one jetstream behind the storming pegasi. They all took turns doing complex maneuvers, but the topper was Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Rainboom. The other Wonderbolts played off of the rainboom, adding their own flavor to the wave of color.
Luna saw that all was well in Rainbow Dash’s dream. In a flash, she was back in Ponyville. Leaving Rainbow Dash’s house, she searched for more dreams to watch. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were having a sleepover at Rarities house. They took turns with sleep overs; some were held at Apple Acres.
Scootaloo’s wings flapped lazily but happily in her sleep. Luna wondered what her dream was. Her horn glowed, and she was soaring through the sky. Scootaloo was flying like an ace flier. She kicked unwanted clouds out of the way and made the sky clear for the earth ponies underneath.
“Nice moves kid,” said Rainbow Dash with an approving arm around her shoulder.
“Come on, Dash. Last one to Cloudsdale is a withered feather.” Scootaloo took Rainbow Dash by surprise and got a head start. Rainbow Dash was quick to catch up though. She could easily take Scootaloo on but she stayed behind, just enough to let Scootaloo win.
“Wow, kid. Your even faster than me.”
Back in Ponyville, Scootaloo smiled wide in her sleep. Luna saw that all was well; she proceeded onward. She passed by the library and notice some unrest. A quick glance inside revealed Spike squirming in his bed. This did not look well.
Spike was at the train station in canterlot. Twilight had her things in a bag as if to leave; but there was nothing for spike.
“I don’t understand. Aren’t I coming with you?” Spike tried hard to fight back the tears. He wanted to show that he was a tough dragon, but this situation made his heart sink.
“No, Spike. I don’t need you anymore.” Twilight’s words were cold and heartless.
Spike couldn’t hold it back any longer. Hot beads streaked down his scaly cheeks. “Twilight, please don’t leave me. I don’t want you to go.”
Luna couldn’t watch anymore. She decided to intervene. In a puff of smoke, the train and Twilight vanished. Spike wiped the tears, confused on what just happened. Luna emerged through the smoke.
“I am most sorry for this unfortunate dream.”
Spike jumped, shocked to see Princess Luna; but quickly remembered his manners and bowed to her.
“Rise, Spike. I want to talk with you. Why are you having this dream?”
Spike stood erect. “Ever since King Sombra tried to take back the Crystal Empire, I have been having this dream every now and then. It’s what I saw in his evil door.” Spike shuttered at the memory.
“But, you do understand that it was just a trick. You know that Twilight loves you and needs you in her life. She will never leave you.”
“I know. The vision still haunts me. It’s unforgettable.”
Luna touched her horn to Spike’s forehead. “From now on,” she announced, “This nightmare shall not plague your sleep again.”
Spike felt a warmth spread through him, but as soon as the warmth came, Luna had gone. Spike looked around for her; instead he found a train pulling into the station. Emerging through the doors came a distressed Twilight Sparkle.
“Oh, Spike. I missed you so much.” She unexpectedly hugged the small dragon. With a smile and a few happy tears, Spike returned it.
Seeing that this dream was well now, Luna left. Spike was tucked into his blanket with a smile. Continuing her dream patrol, she proceeded all throughout Ponyville; encouraging the good dreams she found and dispelling any nightmares. Every mare and stallion was able to find peaceful sleep under her watch.
Her round about Ponyville was complete. She was just about to head back to Canterlot when she spotted a pony out in the fields of Apple Acres. A cluster of fireflies floated around her. This was very odd to find a pony awake during Luna’s night. Curious, she approached the pony.
“What are you doing out so late?” Luna asked softly.
The pony was unphased, almost as if expecting Luna to show up. “I couldn’t sleep.” The young dark blue mare chased down a firefly with an outstretched hoof. She caught it, cupped it in her hooves long enough to examine it, and then let it fly. Her mane almost matched the color of the bug’s light. It was a soft golden yellow color.
Luna wasn’t sure if she ever met this pony before. She thought she knew every pony in Ponyville but this one somehow escaped her knowledge. “I’m sorry,” she started, “what is your name?”
The mare turned around with a soft smiled. “Name’s Firefly.”
Princess Luna was still confused by this little pony's presence. Not only was she not asleep, preventing Luna from seeing her dream, but this mare was a pony Luna had never seen before. Her actions were curious. She had a gracefully step about her, bouncing around like a bunny as she chased the lightning bugs around.
She smiled and giggles when a bug landed right on her nose. It tickled but share dare not disturb the peaceful bug. After a moment, the bug left; Firefly watching it float away until she could not see it anymore.
"Your night is beautiful, Princess Luna," Firefly commented.
This took Luna by surprise. Nopony has ever commented on her night before. This remark was shocking and yet very pleasing all at the same time. "Thank you." But still one question lingered on her mind. "Why aren't you asleep like everypony else?"
Firefly simply answered, "I can't sleep." She continued to play with the glowing bugs. "Besides, the night is so peaceful. I like it here much better than during the day. It's too busy in the day."
"So, you sleep during the day?" Luna asked.
"No."
"Oh." What a curious pony. She slept little if at all, yet she seemed okay. Luna has seen sleep deprived ponies before, but this one was unlike anypony she's ever seen before. "Why don't you try to get some sleep now?"
"I tried to sleep once. It was too painful. Ever since the accident…" she stopped, fearing that she had revealed too much about herself already.
Luna gingerly pressed on. "Since the accident?"
Firefly looked at Luna's eyes, they were sincere and trusting. "Ever since the accident, I have been having this terrible recurring nightmare. It won't leave me. So, rather than sleep and face the nightmare, I've learned to stay awake during the night."
Luna wanted to know more. "What was the nightmare?" she asked tenderly, but the dark blue mare turned her head, her eyes clenched in pain.
"It's too painful to remember."
"I understand." Luna didn't know what to do. She wanted to help this little mare, but she wouldn't tell her what the nightmare was. The only other way to find out was if she saw it for herself.
A little gold light started to peak out over the horizon. Luna's time was running out and would soon have to return back to Canterlot. "Firefly, can you try to sleep tonight. I will protect your dreams. I promise."
Firefly looked uncertain. "I don't know…"
Luna placed a consoling hoof on her shoulder. "I promise, I will keep you safe."
With a long look of understanding, Firefly agreed with a nod.
"Good," Luna said; her wings unfolding, preparing for flight. "I will see you tonight."
The mare watched the majestic alicorn soar gracefully back to her castle in Canterlot. It was dawn by the time she reached the guard tower. Celestia waited for her sister.
"You're late," she said. It wasn't so much reprimanding but curiosity. Luna was usually very punctual with her guard change. "What kept you?"
"Sister, have you heard of a little mare named Firefly."
"Firefly?" she repeated the name, hoping it would spark something in her memory. "No, I can't say I have."
"Odd," Luna said. "I met her tonight out in the fields playing with the fireflies. She says she hasn't been sleeping. A terrible nightmare plagues her mind."
"This seems like your area of expertise." The white alicorn said.
Luna nodded. "Indeed. I'm going to assess the situation tomorrow night."
"Very well; but for now, rest. I will see the day." Luna nodded and retreated into the castle.
The sun had set and Luna did her daily parameter check. But once the necessities were out of the way, she wasted no time in flying down to Ponyville to find Firefly. Only when she got there, she realized that Firefly didn't tell her where she was sleeping.
Luna closed her eyes to sense Fireflies presence. It was drawing her towards Apple Acres. She moved towards Applejack's house, thinking she was staying in there, but the signal got weaker. Looking around to see where else she could be sleeping, Luna noticed the barn. The door was slightly ajar.
Peering inside, Luna found a sleeping Firefly, lying on a pile of hay; she looked frightened but did her best to try to fall asleep. Luna used her magic to help the process; Firefly's body relaxed, finally in a state of deep sleep. It was time to see Firefly's dream.
Luna found herself deep into the Everfree Forest. It was muggy and damp. Besides the endless noise of bugs buzzing around; the only thing breaking the silence were a couple of voices.
"Are you sure it's around here?" a stallion voice asked.
"Yes, I've been through here a billion times. It's always here," replied an older mare.
"I think I found it mom!" exclaimed an excited filly. Luna knew that voice to be Firefly's. A quick look at the older ponies, she assumed to be her parents. The stallion had a light brown coat with a brown mane poking out from under his fedora. The mare looked a lot like Firefly. She had a light blue coat with a blond-yellow mane that flowed gracefully around her neck.
The filly crouched down looking at an odd polka dotted mushroom. She sniffed it, and then sneezed. "That stuff tickles."
The mare laughed. "You better not eat it," she warned, just as Firefly was about to take a big bite out of it. "I use that for medicine. Just by itself it could be dangerous, but mixed with the right ingredients, it makes a very powerful and helpful medicine."
The stallion lent his machete to the mare. She used it to cut the roots of the mushrooms, freeing it from its tight grasp on the soil underneath. 3 big mushrooms accompanied by a bunch of smaller ones filled up her saddlebag quickly.
Firefly wandered off, but not too far away. She knew not to stray too far from her parents on an expedition through Everfree Forest. She sniffed some more interesting spices and herb growing from the ground, but then her nose picked up something rotten. She recoiled, upon further inspection; the scent reminded her of bad eggs.
"Mom, there must be some rotten eggs around her somewhere. They are stinking up the place."
The mare and stallion jerked upright, staring at their daughter with distressed eyes. The mom spoke softly and calmly. "Sweety, come here. Slowly. Don't make a sound."
"What's the problem?" Just as Firefly said that, she heard a snort from behind her. Her legs shivered as she turned her head around to look at the source of the noise. Staring down at her was a pair of menacing dark green eyes. Those eyes belonged to a timberwolf. Droll dripped from its hungry lips, waiting for the perfect moment to hunt down its prey.
Firefly knew not to make loud noises in the forest, it might attract fierce predators. But seeing as the predator was 3 inches away from her muzzle, she shrieked.
"RUN!" The mare shouted. Firefly did as she was told, moving just in time, narrowly missing the jaw crashing down. This timberwolf was not alone. Two more appeared, each going after one of her parents. The stallion had taken back the machete, attempting to fight back the wooded wolves.
The timberwolf had chased Firefly to a fallen tree. The log was old and hallow; a perfect place to hide. Firefly took the opportunity to dive into the log. Hidden from the danger, she allowed herself a moment to breath.
Poking her head out, she looked back at the spot they had been attacked. Her parents laid dead on the ground.
"No…" she whispered. Tears streamed down her face. Things were silent, all of the timberwolves had fled. Until…
RAWRR!!!!! A claw had reached in, wrapping around her, digging into her chest, stopping her heart.
"Ah!" Firefly jolted up right. This is how her nights usually went. But this time, Luna was with her. Firefly felt so cold, and longed from something warm. Like a child going to her mother, Firefly had fallen into Luna's arms, crying. Luna enveloped her, insistent on protecting her from the intangible but very real nightmare.
Firefly stayed in Luna's arms for a while. When she finally calmed down, she sat back on the bed. "I'm… I'm sorry you had to see that."
"No, no, it's fine," Luna said. "It answers a lot of questions. But at the same time, it raises a lot of questions. Maybe you should explain the whole story."
Firefly nodded, and began her tale.
"We were in the Everfree Forest to get a mushroom that Mom needed for her job. She specializes in medicine for a hospital in Baltimare. Once every summer, my parents would take a train to a town outside the Everfree Forest, leaving me with a foulsitter. Normally, I wouldn't be allowed to come, but they promised me that when I turned ten, they'd let me go with them. They told me about all of the things to keep me safe in the Everfree forest. Stay with the group, don't run too fast, don't make any loud noises, don't eat anything. I remembered all the rules. But nothing could have prepared me for a timberwolf attack.
"When my mom told me to run, that was the last I ever saw of them. I assumed they died, that's what my nightmare keeps showing me. I was able to hide away in the log. After the timberwolf left, I ran in the same direction. I didn't care where, I just kept running. Eventually I found myself in Ponyville. For a couple of days, I got by sleeping in the Apple's barn. When Applejack caught me, I thought I'd be dead meat, but she was very nice to me and allowed me to stay in her barn, as long I don't cause any trouble.
"But, I have been staying here ever since. I gave up on sleeping and just enjoyed the night for what it was. Seeing the fireflies dancing out at night gave me a sense of security. I felt safe."
Luna could easily fix her sleeping problems; her magic could expel the nightmare and replace it with a sweeter dream. But now Luna sees a much bigger problem. Her parents could be alive and well. They could be out there somewhere, mourning for the loss of their daughter just like Firefly is about her parents. Luna would not let this go by.
"I will make sure you will never have this nightmare again," she told the mare. "But understand this. I believe your parents are alive, and I will find them for you."
The filly's face lit up. To hear that her parents could be alive was more than good news to her ears. Before Luna left for the big task ahead of her, she laid Firefly back onto the hay bed. A horn touch to her head assured that the nightmare was gone for sure, replaced by a dream of dancing fireflies.
Seeing that almost all was well, Luna left the young filly. Now she had a mission, one that she was not intent on failing.
The sunrise marked the beginning of a new day, and the start of Luna's mission. Instead of passing each other in the hall, when they met, Luna walked back with Celestia to the balcony.
"Where are you going, sis?" Celestia asked.
"I have some business to take care of in Baltimare. Hopefully I will be back by nightfall." As far as Luna knew, all she had to do was track down Firefly's parents, assuming they are alive, and bring them back to Ponyville to reunite them with their long lost daughter. But Luna could foresee many problems which would delay the ideal circumstance.
"Take as much time as you need. I have guarded the night before."
For a thousand years, she should have added. The guilt buried deep down inside Luna dug back up again. She gave Celestia a longing look for forgiveness.
Celestia must have seen what was on her sister's mind. "All I'm saying," she said, "is, I can handle it. Don't worry."
Luna bowed to show her understanding. When they reached the balcony, Celestia began her parameter check as Luna swooped down over the railing. For a brief moment, she stayed still, letting the wind rush past her, tousling her mane and feathers. Then at the last second, she spread her wings out, soaring the rest of the way to Baltimare.
Most of the trip, her eyes were on the shimmering city on the horizon, but as she passed over the Everfree Forest, she spared a glance down at it. For a moment, she could see it. The helpless filly being attack by giant wooden monsters; but she couldn't see what happened to her parents. Celestia, she hoped they were there.
It wasn't until Luna reached the city that she started to doubt her mission approach. Her first idea was to fly over the city hoping she would see a light blue pony with bright blond hair. Scanning almost half the city, she soon realized this was futile attempt.
Her next plan was to land and ask the resident ponies if they know of the mare. But seeing that all Luna had to identify the pony with was a superficial description and occupation, her next attempt was just as fruitless as the first attempt.
There were so many ponies in this big city; it was enough to overwhelm Luna. Even if Firefly's mother was alive, how would she ever find her? She had almost given up when she passed a large building with a red cross on it.
A hospital; Firefly's mother worked with medicine. Spirit rejuvenated, Luna rushed into the building. At the main desk, Luna inquired the mare on the medicine department.
"We do have somepony working with medicine." She pushed a button on her phone. "Would Dr. Hooves please come to the front desk?" The voice echoed throughout the halls. The last name puzzled Luna. Could that be Firefly's full name: Firefly Hooves?
To Luna's surprise, a dark brown stallion appeared in the doorway instead of the light blue mare she was expecting.
The mare introduced him. "This is Dr. Hooves. He is our medicinal specialist at the moment." The brown doctor held out a hoof. Although this stallion was not who she intended to find, Luna shook his hoof.
"Pleasure to meet you," she stated, but her mind quickly went back to the matter at hand. "But, I was looking for a blond maned blue mare. Thank you for your time though."
She had just turned to leave, head down in defeat, when the brown stallion spoke up. "Wait. Blue Mare? That sounds like the doctor I replaced."
The fire inside Luna ignited once again. The doctor had her full attention.
"You know of the mare I speak?"
The doctor nodded. "Yes. I don't know much but I met her in the office on her last day - my first day. She said something about wanting to get away from it all; she seemed to be pretty distraught. That's all I know."
She's alive! This was now a fact and a key piece to the puzzle of finding her. But there are still plenty of questions. "What's her name? Do you know where she moved to? Is her husband there too?"
"Woah, slow down." Luna didn't realize how fast she was going, and she stopped to take a breath. "I don't know her name or the whereabouts of her husband. But she did say something about a van coover, stand moover?"
"Yanhoover!" Luna answered excitedly.
"Yes, that's it." The doctor replied. "If she wanted to get away, she picked a pretty good place. Yanhoover is about as far away from Baltimare as anypony can get."
Luna knew the Equestria map well. Baltimare was far on the east side while Yanhoover was all the way over on the west. Getting there would take quite some time. "Thank you for the information. You have been very helpful." The stallion bowed to the alicorn, who courteously returned it.
With this new information Luna departed Baltimare. The sun had reached its peak in the sky when Luna finally arrived in Yanhoover. Her heart started to race upon landing. She knew that Firefly's mother was in this city somewhere, and she was anxious to meet her.
