> Shining Gemstone and the Winter Moon Celebration > by Polaris Solarmoon > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've always kept hearing stories about my mentor's Night Guard and yet not many ponies understand their purpose but yet my mentor,Queen Dreamweaver apparently does. Rumour has it that they now have a new recruit who is making quite a name for herself, I have yet to see her myself but I've heard great things about her during my travels. Here's hoping I get to meet her one day, That is if Opal and I ever get a moment to see her. Right now I should focus on the mission my mentor sent me on, it was to check on the winter moon celebration's preparations and to make sure everything was in order for my mentors visit. The first thing to do was check on the decorations, then to set up my new library home with my belongings. Here's hoping all goes well. "Ok Opal, today is the day before the winter moon celebration and we must make sure everything is in order first the decorations, then the music, then the food and then the entertainment." I explained to Opal who was writing everything down. "What about your mentor? What'll you do once she does get here?" Opal asks me. "That's a rather good question Opal," I said " I'm not entirely sure to be honest." "Ok then, let's just focus on the things we have to do now and then we can worry about your mentor." Opal said. I nodded in agreement with Opal's statement and decided to give the note Opal wrote a look to see who we must meet, the first pony on the list was a mare named Orchid Blossom. She was in charge of the food so myself and Opal went to see her. As soon as we did Orchid ran over to Opal and hugged her saying that she was so cute. I thanked Orchid and told her about our mission from my mentor. "Oh my, I hope everything goes well." Orchid said to us before we left to find the next pony on our list. The next pony on our list was one in charge of the music, her name was Windibow Flash. As we went up to where she lived the two of us came upon a rather shocking and rare sight, a bat pony guard in the middle of the day! I wanted to ask her why she was there but Opal told me that we should focus on the task at hoof,So we continued on our way to see Windibow. "I wonder how this Windibow mare is going to be like?" I had wondered aloud as Opal and I head over to said mare's home. "Shining do you hear that?" Opal says as she stops for a little bit. "Hmm? What is it Opal, do you hear something?" I said. "Yeah listen." Opal says as we eventually hear somepony singing. The two of us head over to where the singing was coming from and we soon find out as we come across a cyan colored mare singing to herself outside of a boutique, said mare would then spot us and then walk over towards us. "Hello dears, my name is Windibow Flash or Windi for short how may I help you today or are you merely hear to speak with me?" Windi said. "Well we are here to cheak on the music for the Winter Moon Celebration actually." I had told her. "Oh you are? Oh goodness I forgot somebody from Canterlot would be here to check up things! Um give me a moment dears, I'll be right back." Windi would say before rushing inside the boutique behind her, my guess is that she either works there or owns it, i believe that it is the latter but I may find out more if I ask her. It wouldn't be long until she came out of the boutique wearing a rather nice dress and had brought with her a little fancy music box. "Well here we are, I'm not finished with it as yet but this little music box I made will surely be the star of the Celebration aside from the Princess herself that is." Windi said. "Wow that's impressive Windibow." Opal said in awe. "Oh aren't you just the cutest little Dragon." Windi says as she pets my assistant. "Oh yeah, her name is Opal. She is my assistant." l said. "Oh dear look at the time, I very sorry I've kept you for so long dears." Windi said. "Oh no your fine." I had said. "Oh goodness, thank you so much dears, I hope we meet again!" Windi says cheerfully before we head off to go find the mare in charge of the entertainment for the Winter Moon Celebration, the name of her was Joyful Jubliee. While we were headed to where Joyful live my assistant Opal would shudder. " What's wrong Opal?" I said in a worried tone. "I don't know, but I have the feeling we're being followed." she would say. "What do you mean by that, my magic would normally be able track anypony who'd try to follow us." I would say till we heard something land right behind us. "Pony..." a raspy mares voice said, "Don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hoof..." When myself and Opal turned around we were met with the exact same guard that we saw earlier this morning, she must have been following us the whole time. "Very well then." I said right before shaking the bat pony's hoof or trying to at least as she immediately pulled it back as soon as I did and she'd laugh for a bit. "Oh jeeze you really are new 'round these parts, name's Flutterbat. So what brings ya here?" the odd mare would say. "Well i-" she sushed me before I could go on. "I'm jus' kidding mare, I know your here to check up on the Celebration and stuff like that, I was actually ordered to go and escort ya but I couldn't find ya! Lucky me you'd be talking to my bestie huh?" Flutterbat said her accent reminding me of a Manehattanite although from the looks of her she definitely is from Cloudsdale. "You mean Windibow?" I asked her. "Yep that's the one! Though you mind calling her Windi? She likes that better jus' saying is all." Flutter said as she place her hoof on me, I was a bit unnerved at her fangs they were a bit longer than what I thought they'd be for her species another thing was her red eyes that looked to be staring right into my soul. "Um I'll do that." I said. "Am I scarin' ya? Sorry if I am can't help it sometimes, was born like this ya know." Flutterbat would jokingly say. "Wow your really a bat-pony? Tell me what do you eat?" My assistant would say in an excitable manner. "Huh? Oh cool a Dragon, don't see them much even when I'm on duty. Anyways we bat ponys will eat mostly fruit for the most part but sometimes we will eat meat or even blood from bloodpacks given to them from hospitals that don't need em." Flutterbat would say before giving my assistant a rub on the head. "Oh my that sounds interesting, oh wait I just now realized something, your one of the ponies on our list!" Opal says before showing Flutterbat our list before I could stop her. "What's this?" Flutterbat says right before she reads the list,"Heh I figured the Princess sent you, she is your mentor after all. So you were originally here just to find me, yet your also here to check up on things as well? Sounds like a rough day." "Yeah it is but I must do it to make her proud of me." I said. "Same here when comes ta being in the guard and all. Some days can get boring just sitting around doing nothing all day." Flutterbat said. "So um why'd you stop me?" I asked her. "Oh yeah so I can give you this, the Princess trusted me to give you it" Flutterbat says before giving me what appears to a key. "What's this key for?" I asked her. "You'll need a key for that library of yours right?" Flutterbat said," I think you'll need it." "Oh no I had forgotten about that!" I said cursing my own memory. "It's fine , c'mon ya got a list to finish!" Flutterbat says to get my mind back on track. "Oh right, thank you Flutterbat." I said. "No problem, ok so the next one on your list here is that Changling mare, Joyful Jubilee right?" Flutterbat said. "She's a Changeling!? I've never seen one before!" I said in shock. "Yeah, she's odd to say the least but if your looking for a party you call the "Party Queen"." Flutterbat said. "Where do we find her?" I asked her. "Right here silly!" my assistant would suddenly say before becoming a Changeling right before my eyes. "O-opal!?" I said. "I'm right here Shiny what's wrong!?" the Changeling would say. "What have you done with her!?" I said. "Whoa take it easy mare!" Flutterbat said, "she's in this bush hiding from when I spooked you earlier" When she said that the Changeling would then bring my assistant out of the bush and give her to me. "Oh right I never introduced myself for real, I'm the Party Queen, Joyful Jubilee! I saw you earlier as a guard and I thought I'd go with you in secret by disguising as a little bird , I never thought that the Captain of the Nightguard would be here too!" Joy would say in rapid succession. "Hey who authorized you to tell ponies my rank!?" Flutterbat says in a joking manner. "Sorry "Battyshy". " Joyful said. "Not funny "Buggirl"." Flutterbat said. "So um where to next?" I asked them in an attempt to change the subject. "Hmm, first Joy never call me that again and Shiny you need to go find Sunbeam Sparkle, she's the one who's in charge of the food for the Winter Moon Celebration and is one heck of a cook let me tell ya." Flutterbat said. "Oh okay, let's go!" I said. "Cool follow me girls, I gotta shortcut." Flutterbat would say before she would fly off, the rest of us would follow her to where Sunbeam Sparkle lived. As we headed over to where Sunbeam lived I would wonder to myself if the reason my mentor sent me here was to actually get out and make some real friends for once instead of being cooped up in my room all day reading books or studying, for now I should focus on the task at hoof before I end up getting sidetracked. It didn't take us long to reach a crystal farm that was at least a few minutes away from where we were. "Here we are girls, Sunbeam should be at home right now." Flutterbat said to us once we reached our destination. "Oh that's good." I said "Should we go in?" "Make sure to knock first, Sunbeam doesn't like it when ponies barge in." Flutterbat warned. I took that in mind and knocked on the door, the mare that answered it was a sight to see, she had a marvellous violet coat and a purple mane done in a ponytail. She also had a bandanna around her neck and what I thought were glasses but on closer inspection they were googles. "Hey there. How can I help ya fine folks today?" Sunbeam said. "Well I am Shining Gemstone and this is my assistant Opal, we are here to check up on the food for the Winter Moon Celebration." I say as Opal waves. "I got the food all good an' ready, just say the word an' I'm there!" Sunbeam said. "Ok then we will" I said. It was that a rather serene and kind voice would say, "Good work my dear student, you have done well in making sure everything is in order for the Winter Moon Celebration on the morrow." "Princess Dreamweaver..." I had said in awe as an ethereal image of said pony would appear before us. "Apologies for not appering in person, my sister had request my presence and I was a tad busy." Dreamweaver would say. "It's okay princess." I said. "What must I do now?" "T'would be best to stay here in this rather lovely town for the time being, oh and my Night Guard Captain if you haven't found her by now shall lead you there. Farewell my dear friend." Dreamweaver would say before disappearing. I looked over to Flutterbat and she would just shrug and then say," Welp no use hiding my rank now, C'mon I know a shortcut to your new home oh and Sunbeam take care ok?" "I will Captain." Sunbeam would say before we left for the library. Getting to the library was very easy thanks to Flutterbat's short cut and after bidding her farewell I could finally rest and put this day behind me but I know tomorrow will be a rather interesting day if things go according to plan, that what I hope at least.