Main Series Synopsis In 25 years after the events of the “Magic of Friendship” adventure (24 years after the Equestrian event in OUR world), the Spirits of Harmony had made their own families. And now, their children, the Descendants of Harmony, started a new adventure to study about something new and it’s more powerful than the Magic of Friendship. This Magic is called the “Spread of True Love.”
Episode Synopsis Stardust Spectrum had a dream of a future coming in terror, but she and her sister, Dream Mist, were summoned by their mother princess, Twilight Sparkle, to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. After they have completed their job, their mother and her wife, Tempest Shadow, have disappeared into nowhere. And so did their friends' parents as well. The future is about to approach, but no-pony knew that THEIR future is about to make a big start of their journey.
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Prologue - The Beginning of Gaia, Planet from the "Asgard" Realm
Billions of years ago, there was darkness. Blankness. Nothing. Until an unknown burst of colorful dust and sparkle blasted out of nowhere. A big bang had struck a new isolated system. A universe. A vast sky of white clouds and shiny stars surrounding its darkness. As its "sphere" was full, a beam was cast from the white universe, and as it bursts, it created a new universe, but in purple. Seven more beams cast outside the center universe and explode into new, different realms. A multiverse was created. The center universe, surrounded by eight worlds, has a secret mystery of how the very first universe created multiple universes.
Art by Robbie Ierubino
Time passed, and many planets and stars were born. A field of rocks, grouped in a shape of a sphere, were suddenly orbited when a star was created right next to the rock field. And that is when every rock clashed together into a planet, which is now called, "Gaia." As time passed once again, a giant asteroid hits the surface of the rocky Gaia and bursts into pieces orbiting the plant. Time keeps ticking, and ticking, and ticking until every bit of the asteroid meshed together into a small moon of Gaia. And that is when life in Gaia was created. Years after years and years, Gaia's orbit around the sun and the moon's orbit around the planet were in a continuum pattern in one rotation to the next. But, not until an unknown object had struck Gaia, affecting its atmosphere, into a burst of a shock wave. The gravity was stabilized in Gaia, but except for the orbits of the moon and the planet itself. And that is when the sun, moon, and Gaia lost their gravitational orbits by an unknown scientific effect. But, as life evolved on Gaia, the satellite suddenly moved at a different position. The sun also swiftly moved to a different location as well. The effect from the unidentified fallen object had created a miracle to sustain life on Gaia. And it came from the living of Gaia and called it...
magic.
Gaia was and remains as the impossible planet of the universe. The living Gaian creatures had been wondering about the globe for years until intelligence came. Legends were told. Stories were written. Studies were discovered. Spells were made. Those creatures are called, Equestrians, and they come in different features. Many have horns to levitate objects and cast spells in many different techniques. Many have wings to fly and control the weather around the planet. And many others who do not have horns nor wings, but the strength to run, push, kick, and lift many objects as they can and create tools for better purposes. The horned Equestrians, who are called, unicorns, were in charge of raising the sun and moon for a healthy life. But, not until their magic became weaker and hurtful, as years passed.
A unicorn named, Star Swirl, was a member of the Astro-keepers, whose job is to raise the sun and moon for productive purposes, and he was afraid that this was going to become a genesis era for Gaia. But then, a miracle came. He invited two young unicorn sisters to raise the sun and moon by themselves. And they did. The unicorn who raised the sun was Celestia, and her young sister who raised the moon was Luna. The Equestrians thought, by their religion, that they would be their rulers in the future. So, a stranger asked Star Swirl, "If they would always raise the sun and moon, how are they going to rule our country, Equestria?" Star Swirl knew the sisters too well, so he created his first spell, in secret, and gave Celestia and Luna wings. The sisters became the first alicorns of Gaia and royal rulers of Equestria, but the period cost a piece of their mortality. The sisters grew immortal for 1,114 years until death.
As time moved on, Star Swirl became a sorcerer as he created many more spells for defense, entertainment, and more until his disappearance. What was left of him were Celestia and Luna, defending and ruling their land for years. But, not until Celestia was the only ruler left, since the banishment of Nightmare Moon, or Luna, from over a thousand years ago. There were peace and happiness as Celestia raised both sun and moon, as harmony had been maintained in Equestria for generations since. But, now until her sister, Luna, returned to Gaia for revenge by being imprisoned at Gaia's moon for a thousand years. But, a student of Celestia named, Twilight Sparkle, defeated Luna from lasting the night forever on Equestria and Celestia confronted her to stay and rule together as sisters once again. Luna was reunited with her sister and thought of forgiveness based on her crimes. After the sister reunion, Celestia gave a task to her student about what she had thought to control an Equestrian's behavior and corruption of magic through "friendship." Twilight Sparkle excepted her task to study the "Magic of Friendship" with her noble friends, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash.
Left to right: Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack
Through her studies and the journey to discover the meanings of friendship, she became a new member of the alicorn species and Princess of Friendship. But, her travels and studies continued as she created her own castle and a "cutie map" which signals any Equestrian to find and solve a friendship problem in a location where the map shows. Twilight Sparkle had an idea for learning more about friendship, and that idea was to open her Magical School of Friendship, the first school that accepts every creature to learn in Equestria. And she did. (More text to be added after season 8 and 9 of the official series)
As decades past, there was once again peace, happiness, harmony, and even friendship being maintained in Equestria and the entire world around Gaia ever since the Great Curse. The incident of when Celestia and Luna passed away, and the unknown visitors who came and saved Equestria and their home with a little help from Twilight and her friends. But, there was war, raging throughout the world and Equestria was the only country to defend the world since they know the enemy. And since the death of the royal sisters, Celestia's former student, Sunset Shimmer, and Twilight's former aide, Starlight Glimmer, became replacements for raising the sun and moon as alicorns. Twilight and her friends were married and had a family as "aunties." As they told their children their stories and taught them their lessons from the "Magic of Friendship," another magic was discovered when the children grew and became heroes calling themselves as, the Descendants of Harmony.
Left to right: Dream Mist, Constellar Starburst, Cirrus Thunderclap, Stardust Spectrum, Moonbeam Thread, and Sweet "Apple" Sapling
And THIS is their legend and their epic journey of exploring a new "magic" called, the "Spread of True Love!"
It was nighttime. The moon sat high in the sky, watching over the empty darkness as it blanketed the land. Underneath the moonlight sat a palace, crystal walls shining and it’s tree-like structure lending it an air of elegance as it stood proudly over the sleepy town of Ponyville.
Upon one of the many balconies stood a little purple pegasus, a small smile on her face as she looked out across the land, paintbrush in hoof as she brought the scene in front of her to life on the canvas that was set up next to her. She made a few more strokes with the brush before stepping back and looking at her work. It was some of her best yet.
As she went back to her task, a light purple unicorn entered the balcony and watched her sister as she painted. It was a peaceful scene, but, alas, it could not last.
“Stardust, what are you still doing up?” the unicorn asked. “It’s almost midnight.”
She got no response; Stardust was too busy concentrating.
“Stardust?”
Silence once more. The unicorn smiled and sighed, rolling her eyes as she did so, and then took a deep breath.
“STARDUST SPECTRUM!” she yelled, causing the pegasus to leap into the air with a yelp of surprise.
Stardust flew down to her sister, red in the face.
“DREAM MIST!” she shouted back. “HOW DARE YOU USE YOUR ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE WITH ME! I’M TRYING TO FINISH MY PAINTING! WHY WOULD YOU INTERRUPT ME LIKE THAT?”
“Because,” Dream began, rubbing her ears as she did so, hoping no permanent damage had been done from being quite so close to the royal Canterlot voice, “it’s almost midnight; you’ve been out here for hours. Maybe it’s time to take a break?”
Stardust glanced at the clock as her sister was speaking.
“Oh, horse apples!” she exclaimed. “I lost track of time! Thanks for letting me know, Dream.”
“No problem,” replied the unicorn, igniting her horn and using her magic to levitate the canvas and paints into the castle.
Dream wrapped her sister in a hug.
“Sweet dreams, my Big Sister Best Friend Forever.”
Stardust hugged her back, and then trotted inside to her bedroom, Dream on her heels.
Her sister let herself out, and then Stardust set about putting her paints away and washing her brushes save them drying into a crumbly mess overnight. She took one last look at her unfinished painting and smiled at it before tucking herself into bed and switching off her light.
She was asleep almost instantly.
When Stardust opened her eyes, she was no longer in her room. Six ponies stood in front of her, facing off against a dark alicorn with a swirling, nebula-like mane.
Stardust smiled at the sight of the lavender unicorn, who stood with a brilliant orb forming above her, and five ponies - two pegasi, a unicorn and two earth ponies - standing behind her. Her mother and her friends.
She smiled as her mother, as she had been in the past, spoke to the first foe she’d ever faced.
“You see, Nightmare Moon,” said Dream-Twilight, “when these Elements are ignited by the… the spark, that resides in the heart of all of us, it creates the sixth element; the element of... magic!”
The orb above the unicorn then grew in size, engulfing the room in white light. It cleared to show necklaces forming out of the pieces of floating crystal that had surrounded Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, and a crown that housed the element of magic that came to rest upon Twilight’s head as she and her friends were magically lifted into the air. A bright light surrounded them, then a double-helix rainbow beam of magic shot out from them, arching into the air and barrelling straight towards Nightmare Moon.
The dream then changed, flashing from one scene to another, each being of a long past memory. Stardust saw every villain that her mother had ever faced, although she didn’t recognize all of them. She strained her mind, trying to remember all of their names, but put her thoughts on hold as she watched the six mares all trotting happily together. She smiled as her mother grew wings and flew up, up, up, into the air, twisting and turning and diving.
The five mares still left on the ground fell out of sight as Twilight soared through the dreamscape.
“Oh, mother,” Stardust sighed, “I wish I could be a hero like you, but… I don’t know if I’m ready. Maybe you can tell me if I am? Maybe you can tell me how I can be?”
Suddenly, a darkness descended upon the dream, suffocating and all-encompassing. A pair of blood red eyes manifested in front of Stardust and seemed to study her, beady pupils sweeping over her form and taking in everything they saw.
Stardust gasped at the sight, stopping short in front of the entity, but Twilight continued flying, oblivious to the dark presence that had decided to pay them a visit.
“What is that?” Stardust breathed to herself.
For a moment, the two remained stationary, glaring at each other in a silent stand-off. Neither moved, neither blinked.
Suddenly, the eyes moved, swiveling their attention to the dream Twilight, still flying without a care in the world, and, as they did so, a streak of panic shot through Stardust.
“Mom!” she tried to call out, but her fear held tight to her vocal chords, and only a small, strangled croak came out. She felt like a filly again, lying in bed after a nightmare, too scared to even call out for her mothers, as she watched the entity slowly circle Twilight, dark energy swirling around it.
Her attempt to warn her mother seemed to have worked, though, because Twilight stopped, staring down the monster herself. Stardust breathed a sigh of relief; her mother would know what to do. She’d save the day as she had so many times before; she’d vanquish her foe with friendship, and all would be right with the world.
So why was Twilight still stationary? Why was she just hovering, staring at the eyes?
Dread pooled in Stardust’s stomach once more as she became aware of a deep growling, emanating from all around, from the very darkness they were all enveloped within.
“Mom!” Stardust yelled. “What are you doing? You need to get away!”
The growling became louder, and yet Twilight still didn’t move.
“Mom!” There were tears in Stardust’s eyes. “Mom, please! You need to run! You need to -”
Art by Seabluewolf
She was cut off as the growling stopped, replaced with a dark, insidious laughter that chilled her to the bone.
The eyes swiveled back to stare at Stardust, and she felt them pierce deep into her soul.
A voice from nowhere and everywhere all at once sent ice through her veins and a shiver down her spine as it spoke.
“Silly child,” it spat, British accent making it seem all the more cold. “There’s nowhere to run to, missy.”
Then the eyes flashed white, enveloping all in a blinding light and burning up all in its path.
Stardust gasped and sat straight up in bed, suddenly very awake. She rubbed at her eyes and glanced at the clock on her bedside table.
“How is it only half past midnight?” Stardust asked into the darkness, more for her own comfort than anything else, the silence having been empty and terrifying. “That dream felt like forever!”
Her eyes swept the room, the feeling of dread that had formed while she was asleep having followed her into the waking world.
“I can probably still get some sleep, though,” she whispered to herself, flicking on the bedside lamp as she did so. “Hopefully, that horrible nightmare won’t happen again.”
Stardust, once more, tucked herself in, ensuring every part of her was hidden under the blankets, except her eyes and muzzle, and her hooves, which poked over the top of the duvet. She closed her eyes and snuggled back into her pillows and waited for sleep to take her, hoping that, this time, it would be pleasant and peaceful.
The night was silent but for the rustle of the leaves in the breeze, shimmering moonbeams dancing over the crystal castle and creeping through the crimson curtains of the windows. It looked, for all the world, like a shining example of Luna’s best work, but all was not as it seemed.
Princess Stardust Spectrum had been lain in her luxurious bed, trembling with fear, unable to sleep, the nightmare she had refusing to leave her mind. She tried many times to fall back into unconsciousness, but, every time she closed her eyes, she saw another pair of eyes staring right back at her, brilliantly red, and unmistakably evil.
Try as she might, she could not escape this vision, this nightmare.
Exhausted and scared, Stardust began to tear up. Her eyes slipped closed, lids heavy with lack of sleep, but, moments later, they snapped open again, the pegasus screaming as she shot bolt upright.
She sat, breathing heavily and glancing around the room; she could still see the image of those horrible eyes imprinted on the back of her mind and, now, they seemed to be staring at her from everywhere she looked.
Eventually, Stardust began to calm down, taking deep breaths to calm her frantically beating heart.
Just as she began to feel normal, someone started knocking on her door, causing her to jump once more and undoing all of her progress in returning to a state of calm.
“Star?” The voice of her sister was muffled, but the sound of it served to relax the pegasus. “It’s me, Dream. Can I come in?”
“Yeah!” she called back shakily. “Yeah, just… yeah, come in.”
Dream opened the door and walked in, letting the door fall shut behind her as she took in the state of her sister; Stardust’s eyes were rimmed red and bloodshot, tear streaks running down her face dampening her fur.
“Star?!” Dream shouted, rushing over to her sister’s side. “What happened?!”
The unicorn had never seen her sister looking like this, Star always being the more collected of the two. It was strange, and a little frightening, to see the pony she’d looked up to for years in such a vulnerable state.
Stardust closed her eyes and took a breath. “I had a nightmare,” she explained. “It started off nicely; I was in space, and I could see all of the stars in the universe.” She smiled. “You should have seen it, Dream, it was beautiful. I also saw memories of Mom, but they weren’t my memories, more like… memories of time, of when she was fighting all the enemies she used to tell us stories about, you know?”
“Yeah,” the unicorn said. “It sounds like a really nice dream.”
“It was,” Stardust agreed. “It was really nice. I looked at our lovely mother, and our aunties, her friends, and I saw them defeat Nightmare Moon with their elements of harmony. I saw Discord get turned to stone, until they freed him for reformation, and I saw when Mom was crowned the Princess of Frie-”
“Okay!” Dream interrupted quickly before her sister went on a tangent. “I understand what you’re trying to say; you saw all the important moments, and it must have been amazing! But where did it all go wrong? When did the nightmare start? What was it about?”
Stardust shuddered at the memory of the nightmare and she teared up slightly.
Art by AmberClarity
“Okay,” she continued. “Space suddenly transformed into darkness, and I was just flying through nothingness. There was a silence in that dream, and it was… everywhere. Everything was blanketed in it,” she shuddered, “and there was a… a presence. Something was there with me, and it was angry. I could feel it glaring at me.”
“Glaring at you?” Dream questioned.
“Yes, and there was something, I think the same entity, growling at me. I didn’t see its face, I’m not sure if it even had one, but I saw its eyes; they were huge and glowing and red. Oh, Dream, it was awful!”
“Red, glowing eyes?” A realisation suddenly struck Dream and she clapped a hoof to her mouth. “Oh, my!” she whispered around it. “It can’t be true.”
“What?” Stardust was confused. “Dream, what are you talking about? What can’t be true?”
“Star, what you’ve just described to me, the darkness, the eyes, everypony else has dreamed of that as well!”
“What!?”
“I know! The ‘red-eyed-creature’ vision is everywhere! Everypony seems to be having the same nightmare; even I’ve had it!”
Stardust could barely believe her ears. Everypony having the same nightmare? How could that even happen?
“What does this mean?” she asked her sister. “Is it a prophecy? A warning?”
“Possibly,” Dream admitted. “There might even be an entity that’s gotten into the dream-realm, infecting everyone’s dreams and turning them into nightmares.”
“I think we should ask Mom about this,” Stardust said. “Although, if what you’re saying about everyone having it, she should already know, and be looking for answers herself.”
“I agree, but, which mom?” Dream asked.
“Both! But mostly our alicorn mother, she’ll know what to do.”
Dream Mist nodded in agreement, and they both rushed out of the room, heading swiftly to their mother’s study.
Little were they to know that a new adventure was just around the corner.
It was around 9 o’clock in the morning when Twilight Sparkle was sat, taking her morning coffee, and waiting for her two children to emerge from their rooms. She’d prepared their favorite breakfast of pancakes, syrup, and fruit, and was now casually eating her own food whilst reading over the day’s work. And, goodness, there were a lot of work.
In fact, that was the reason Twilight was eagerly awaiting her daughters; the Summer Sun Celebration was that day, and the two sisters were to be given a very important job.
Finally, hoofsteps could be heard outside, and Twilight perked up, grinning when Stardust and Dream entered the room, but expression sagging a little when she saw the look on their faces; something was wrong.
“Good morning, girls!” she said, trying to lighten their clearly less-than-stellar mood. “I’ve made your favorite!”
“Ooh!” Dream Mist’s eyes lit up. “Thank you so much, Mom; I bet it’s as delicious as always!”
Stardust nodded along to her sister’s response as they both took a seat at the table. Twilight smiled at her children as they dug into their food, although Stardust did so with less enthusiasm than normal.
Twilight cleared her throat, then lit up her horn to summon a scroll of parchment, which she then presented to the sisters.
“This is all you need to do for the celebration,” she told them. “It’s a step-by-step list-” Dream smiled and rolled her eyes. “-reflecting the way I did this job when I first came to Ponyville!” Twilight beamed at them both. “Isn’t that great?! Oh, I’m so happy you’re finally old enough to do this! I’ve been waiting 18 years for this moment; my little girls, all grown up. Now, I know I haven’t officially asked you to do this so… will you take the job?”
“Mom,” Dream said seriously, “we will be the best supervisors in all of Equestria, and beyond.” She turned to her sister. “Right, Stardust?”
Stardust nodded again, but she didn’t look up from her food.
“Star, is everything okay?” Twilight asked, sensing there was something wrong with her eldest daughter.
The two mares nodded, but the alicorn wasn’t convinced; Stardust hadn’t spoken all morning and had barely touched her food, and Dream, though she’d been more upbeat than her sister, was still a little subdued.
“Are you sure?” she asked again. “Is there nothing the matter?”
There was silence for a few seconds as the sisters glanced at each other. It was as Dream looked at Stardust that she remembered that they were yet to tell Twilight of the nightmare that the pegasus had had.
“Stardust,” Dream prompted. “Didn’t you have something to tell Mom?”
The elder sister nodded, eyes still fixed on the table in front of her. She took a deep breath, and let it out, then looked up at her mother and began recounting her tale.
“Mom,” she began, “I had a dream last night; I was floating in space, and I saw all of your adventures, all the villains you faced. I saw you and my Aunties helping each other with friendship from the day you met, right up until the last villain you reformed, every event flashing before me almost too quick to register! And then space turned into darkness, and a huge pair of glowing, red eyes appeared and stared at us, at you and me. I was trying to tell you to run, but you wouldn’t! It was terrifying!”
“Oh, Stardust, sweetheart,” Twilight reached out a hoof calmingly, “it was just a dream. There’s nothing to worry-”
“No, Mom,” Dream interrupted. “It’s not just a dream; Star isn’t the only to have had it. Almost everypony else has had the same nightmare as well!”
“What?!” Twilight was in shock.
“I think this is a sign that something big is going to happen,” Dream continued. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that everypony’s had the same nightmare, and I don’t think it’s a good thing.”
Twilight paused for a moment to think. If what Dream was saying was true… but, was it?
Art by RainelaThePegasus00
“Are you sure, Misty?” she asked. “I… haven’t had this nightmare.”
“WHAT?!”
“You haven't?”
The sisters were perplexed. Why was Twilight the only one to have slept soundly? Maybe some other ponies had missed out on the dream, too?
There was silence in the room again as they all processed this revelation.
After a few moments, Twilight came to a decision.
“This is serious,” she told her daughters, fixing her eyes on both of them. “I’ll do some research with your Momma Tempest, hopefully, we can find something that will help us figure out what’s going on, but, in the meantime, the Summer Sun Celebration needs to carry on as normal. You two need to stick to your tasks and make sure everything runs smoothly. DO you think you can do that for me?”
“Yes, ma’am!” the sisters responded in unison.
“Good,” Twilight nodded. “Now, I need to find your mother; we’ve got a lot of studying ahead of us.” She turned and left the room, but paused in the doorway before she did so. “Have a beautiful day, girls. I love you.”
“Thanks, Mom!” Dream shouted. “And good luck with the books!”
“And we love you, too!” Stardust chimed in.
“I really hope that my dream really was just a dream,” Stardust thought to herself as she watched her mother leave the room. “For all our sakes.”
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Castle of Friendship, in a room full of wooden tables, shelves, and books of every shape, size, and language, a deep-red pony, with a horn made of sparkling blue crystal, was reclined in an armchair. She had her nose buried in a large, thick book, so she didn’t notice Twilight enter the library.
“Reading another ‘Magistic Game of Time’ book, Tempest?” the alicorn asked.
At the sound of her wife’s voice, Tempest looked up and craned her neck around the chair so she could see the doorway. She smiled when her eyes met Twilight’s.
“Yeah, this one’s called ‘Paradox Theories’. You should give it a read, I think you’d enjoy it.”
“Thanks, Tempest,” Twilight said. “It’s so sweet of you to think of me, but I’ll have to read it later; there’s something I need your help with.”
“Oh?” Tempest set the book aside. “And what would that be?”
“Stardust had a dream,” Twilight began. “She … saw something in it, something bad, I think. Dream said that everypony else in Equestria had that same dream too, but I haven’t.” She took a seat next to her wife. “Stardust says she saw someone else in the dream with her, that whoever or whatever it was had red, glowing eyes that stared right into her! It sounded terrifying. Did… you have that dream, too?” Twilight looked curiously at Tempest, who sighed and sat up properly.
Tempest sighed, eyes downcast. “Actually, Twily,” she said, “I have.”
Twilight gasped with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
“Were you surrounded by darkness, too?” she pressed. “Did you see the eyes? Were they as red as our girls say? Did they look right into you? Are you okay? Did-”
“Okay!” Tempest cut her wife off. “Twilight, calm down.” She smiled. “One thing at a time.”
“Oh,” Twilight mumbled sheepishly. She took a moment to breathe and to organize her thought before turning back the unicorn beside her. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just - I don’t know. I wanted to make sure you were alright; it can’t have been a pleasant dream to have, and, between this and the Summer Sun Celebration, I guess I’m more on edge than usual.”
“It’s alright, sweetie,” Tempest reassured her. “We’ll figure this out. I would have told you earlier about the eyes, but I thought it was nothing more than a dream, and I didn’t want to bother you with it, especially with all the preparations for the celebration that you need to oversee.” She placed a comforting hoof over her wife’s. “Now, let’s go find what our daughters have described.”
Twilight examined their linked hooves for a moment, before looking into Tempest’s eyes, a fierce look of determination on her face.
“Right,” she agreed.
Tempest nodded back, and the pair of them split up to begin the search, Twilight flying up to the higher shelves to begin there, using her magic to pull books off the shelf almost at random, as usual, and Tempest taking those more at ground level, removing few from the shelves but examining the spines of all for titles that looked promising.
In a surprisingly short amount of time, Tempest cracked open a book and found what she was looking for.
“Hey, Twilight!” she called. “I think you should come look at this.”
“Huh?” Twilight spoke without taking her eyes off the books that she had floating around her. “What is it?”
“I’ve found something that exactly matches what I saw last night,” came the reply.
Twilight gasped and flew down to her wife, books still swirling through the air around her, but they all dropped to the floor as Twilight took the book Tempest offered her. The image on the left side of the page the book was opened to was a mass of darkness. Two piercing red eyes sat in the middle of the page, and, though you couldn’t see the rest of the face of the creature, you could feel it’s glare, even in the small image. Twilight shuddered to think of what it must have been like to encounter this nightmare in real life.
Below the eyes, also enshrouded in darkness, was the figure of a bell. This piqued Twilight’s interest; neither Stardust nor Tempest had mentioned anything like that, so she refocused her attention on the text that accompanied the images.
“Fromir?” she asked, reading the title out loud.
“Twilight,” Tempest said, “this is it. This is the monster Stardust and I have witnessed, I’m sure of it.” She took the book back in her magical aura and skimmed through the next few pages. “It’s all here,” she said. “Everything. ‘Dreams and Visions: Interactive Things of Imagination’,” she read off the cover. “We need to study this.”
“Great work, Tempest!” Twilight said, proudly. “Let’s take it over to the table.”
As the pair quickly trotted over to one of the many library tables, Twilight used her magic to close the doors so they wouldn’t be disturbed. Tempest gently laid out the book and hopped up onto a chair. It was after the glow of the magical aura had faded that Tempest realized her horn was slightly burning.
“Oh, bother,” said Tempest irritably, glancing up at the red glowing tip of the blue crystal. “It’s overheated again. Guess I’ll have to take it off and let it rest.”
Carefully, the unicorn reached up with her hooves and took off the prosthetic, revealing the broken stump of horn underneath. She placed the specialized piece of crystal on the tabletop, right next to the open book.
Twilight settled next to her wife and peered over at the book.
“If you have experienced darkness appearing suddenly surrounding you in your dreamscape, that is your subconscious informing you that a necromancer has interfered with your dreams. A monster with eyes the color of blood may appear before you and stare into your subconscious self, sometimes seeming to paralyze you. Fromir is a beast with the power of sorcery dark enough to create fear and hatred in the heart of his victim, both inside of dreams, and in reality. There is no known way to defeat him, as the Pillars of Equestria were the only ones to best him, but they vanished before they could share the specifics of their victory. But, rumor has it that Fromir is the long lost brother of...”
"GROGAR?" the couple said in unison.
Twilight broke off reading and, moments later, Tempest came to the conclusion that had caused the alicorn to pause.
Art by RachelClaraArt
“Twilight?” asked the unicorn, “could this… could this mean that Fromir had returned for revenge?”
“Possibly,” Twilight said slowly. “Maybe it’s revenge, maybe it’s something else, but I believe that the history from this book could be a warning of what’s to come. If Grogar really is the monster behind all this, we need to warn eveypony, and fast.”
“I think it’s time to summon your friends, Twilight,” Tempest suggested.
“I think not.”
Both Twilight and Tempest jumped at the mysterious voice that came from behind them. As one, they slowly turned, coming to face a shadowy figure with blood red eyes, and a large bell around its neck. It stood in front of the library doors, blocking their only way out.
Twilight gasped.
“It that-” she bean.
“Yes, Twilight,” Tempest whispered. “That’s him.”
“I prefer the term ‘it,’ if you please, Tempest,” the monster said, casually. “And I know all about you, and your wife,” he smiled, “and her little friends.”
“Then why are you here, Fromir?” Tempest demanded.
“I’m here for my return,” Fromir answered. “Or should I perhaps say my ‘reveal’? Time flies when you’re defeated by the Pillars, it’s hard to tell how long one’s been gone for. Either way, that’s only part of why I’ve come here; you see, what I’m really after...” he paused and smiled, white teeth coming into stark contrast with the shadows that surrounded him, “is you.”
“Well, if you’re coming after Tempest, you're going to have to go through me!” Twilight declared, lighting her horn and placing herself between her wife and Fromir, wings flared and ready to fight.
“Oh, Princess,” Grogar smiled. “I’m not going to fight you to steal you wife.” he chuckled. “I’m here for both of you, and your little friends, too.” He chuckle grew louder and more sinister as the air around him became thick with power.
Suddenly, the shadows around him burst, spreading darkness throughout the room, enveloping Twilight and Tempest. They screamed as everything around them turned to darkness, everything they tried to do to escape failing as the inky shadows wrapped around them like tentacles. After a moment, the screaming stopped, and the shadows cleared to reveal the library, now empty but for Fromir.
Everything was untouched; not a page was out of place as the monster stood precisely as he has been moments before.
“Good night, little ponies,” Fromir snarled, and then he, too, was gone, melting into the shadows.
It was a blissfully sunny day; the breeze was pleasant, the birds chirping, and the sun was reflecting beautifully off the walls of the crystal castle, causing sparkling lights to dance across the lawns, and nearby houses. The two sisters exited their home and began to make their way down the winding path that leads to the village.
“Okay,” Dream said, pulling the scroll Twilight had given to them both out of her saddlebag and suspending it in front of herself with magic, “let’s go over the list.”
“Yeah,” Stardust agreed, peering at the scroll herself. “It shouldn’t be too complicated.”
“Alright then, let’s see.” Dream came to a halt so she could better focus on the writing. “Uh, check on the food preparation, make sure the weather’s coming along, look at the decorations in the town hall, aaaaand make sure the music’s up to scratch,” she read aloud. “Seems easy enough.”
“Wait.” Stardust examined the list closer, re-reading the tasks set before them. “This order,” she realized, “it’s… familiar.”
The unicorn looked at her sister in puzzlement.
“What do you mean, Star?” she asked.
“Look at the list,” the pegasus pointed. “Don’t you recognize the order?”
Dream shook her head.
“It’s the same order that Mom did these things in when she first came to Ponyville,” Star explained.
“Are you sure?” Dream’s eyes flicked over the parchment, then a loving smile crept its way onto her face. “That means this is the order she first met her friends in.” She looked over to her sister. “Do you think this has something to do with your dream, Star?”
“I'm 100% Positive,” answered Stardust.
But then, as Dream asked her sister, “And do you think that this is related to the dream you had?”
Art by SapphireFeatherdust
“What?” Stardust was confused. “No, I don’t think so. Why? Do you?”
“I don’t know,” Dream shrugged. “Sorry.” She sighed and put the scroll away. “Look, I’m just… this dream you’ve had has me a little on edge, and I guess I’m just trying to look for anything that would explain it. I guess this list is in this order because Mom’s getting all nostalgic.”
“Yeah,” Stardust agreed. “I think we just need to do these tasks just like mom did, and take our minds off this dream; our mothers are looking into it, so we have nothing to worry about!”
“Well, that’s one way to look on the bright side!” Dream smiled. “Alright! First stop; Sweet Apple Acres!”
“Here we come!” Stardust shouted in excitement, rearing up onto her hind legs and kicking her forelegs. “I can’t wait to see what Sweet ‘Apple’ Sapling and her family have prepared for the celebration!”
“Yeah! That gymnast may have only three hooves, but she sure can bake!” Dream agreed. “I’m sure she’s laid on an apple feast.”
As they laughed with joy, something in the distance caught Stardust’s attention; it was a low, familiar growl, one she had heard only the past night in her dream.
“What was that?!” she whispered, startled.
“Star?” Dream stopped laughing and took in the sight of her frightened sister. A worried frown crossed her face. “What’s wrong?”
The pegasus looked around them.
“I thought I heard something,” she replied slowly. “But…” She paused as she pondered over what she’d heard. After a moment, she decided she must be hearing things.
“Never mind,” she said, flashing a smile at her younger sister. “Let’s head to the farm.”
“Alright then,” Dream smiled back.
They began their walk to Sweet Apple Acres, Stardust still feeling a little on edge, but determined not to show it.
As they neared the center of Ponyville, Dream thought of something.
“Hey,” she said to Stardust, “do you remember when Mom told us about the time when she first met Auntie Pinkie?”
“Heh,” the pegasus laughed. “Yeah; she said she was all like ‘HUUUUAAAAAHHH’ and then ran away!”
Dream giggled.
“Yeah! And then mom said ‘Well, that was interesting alright.’”
They laughed, and carried on their journey to the farm, unaware of the horned, shadowy figure that was watching their every move.
The sun was still high in the sky, warming the air and lending the day a feeling of pleasant clam. Birds were chirping and butterflies fluttering as Stardust Spectrum, and Dream Mist passed through a trellis arch and into a farmyard. A huge, red barn stood tall in front of them, and the edge of an impressive orchard could be seen behind it.
“This is it,” said Stardust. “Sweet Apple Acres!”
“Sure is,” Dream agreed. “But where’s Sapling? She’s supposed to meet us for the banquet preparations.”
“Hmm.” Stardust quickly scanned the area. “I’m not-”
“YEEEEEEHAAAAAWWW!”
The sisters jumped at the voice that sounded from close by them, and they turned just in time to see a light-tan earth pony cantering towards an apple tree, cotton-candy colored mane and tail flying out behind her.
As they watched, the mare stopped on a bit, pivoted, and bucked her hind legs into the tree as hard as she could, sending shockwaves up the trunk and causing the apples high above to break loose from their stems and fall to the buckets below. The pony then sprung off from her position, arching into the air, where she executed a perfect summersault.
She landed flawlessly on all three hooves, the front-left limb being missing.
“Well, I guess we’ve found Sapling,” Dream remarked.
As the farmer saw the sisters walking towards her, she called out to them cheerily.
“Stardust! Dream! Hi!!”
“Hi, Sapling!” Stardust greeted. “How’s the harvesting coming along?”
“Oh, it’s going great!” Sweet ‘Apple’ Sapling answered. “We’ve planted lots of trees, and the seedlings are growing well; we’ve got loads of apples this year as well, so we’ve got heaps to use for the Summer Sun Celebration Banquet! Actually, we’re just waiting for somepony to come around to check on the meals we’ve cooked.”
“Well, as a matter of fact,” Dream started, “we’re the ones who’ve been tasked with that. We’ve got to check on all the preparations for the celebration, and your place is first on the list!”
“You’re in charge of the food, right, Sapling?” Stardust asked.
“Yup!” Sapling chirruped. “Ma thought I was ready to handle everything this year, so I’ve been working really hard! Would you like to come to sample some of what we have ready?”
“Yes, that would be lovely,” Dream was swift to agree. “So long as we can do it quickly.”
“Hungry, are you?” the pegasus asked, nudging her sister playfully in the ribs.
“Excuse me, I’ll have you know that I never get hungry around noon,” Dream huffed, haughtily.
“Uh, excuse me, you’re always hungry now,” Star retorted. “No matter how much you eat in the mornings, you’re looking for more food at midday.”
“I do not!”
“Do, too!”
"Do not!"
"Do, too!"
"Do not!"
"Do, too!"
“Well, there’s no need to judge me about it!” Dream complained. “And, anyway, I’m not hungry today, so there!”
“I’m not judging!” Stardust shouted. “And we need to try the food anyway so what does it matter? Come on, let’s head over; Spaling can you lead the way?”
When Sapling did not respond, the sisters looked over only to find her stood stock-still, eyes wide, and the nub where her leg should have been twitching and flexing.
“Uh, Sapling?” Stardust prompted. “The food?”
“Oh!” Sapling jumped at the sound of the pegasus’ slightly raised voice. “Oh, yes, the food! I have to call my family!”
Quickly, Sapling rushed over to a wooden post that had been hammered into the ground. From it, swung a triangle, which the earth pony swiftly snatched up the stick for, and began to ring.
“SOUP’S ON, EVERYPONY!” she yelled, still banging the triangle.
A moment, later, the ground began to shake. Stardust and Dream glanced behind themselves, only to see a vast group of ponies galloping full tilt towards them.
The sisters joined in the run when the group approached them, being lead to a clearing in the orchard in which a cloth-covered table had been set up. When they reached the site, the group stopped, as did Stardust and Dream.
“Woah!” said Stardust. “What a stampede!”
“Yeah!” agreed her sister. “That was one wild run!"
They were about to say more, but then an orange earth pony with a blonde mane approached them, Sapling at her side.
“It’s a good thing y’all arrived in time for brunch,” Sapling told them. “The food’s all fresh, and there’s plenty of it! Also, my mom can’t wait for this celebration to happen so we may have made too much!”
“Howdy, Applejack,” Dream greeted the older mare.
“Well, howdy-doo, Dream,” Applejack nodded at the unicorn, “Star. It’s good to see you both. Pinkie would be here, but she’s down at the town hall, helping Rarity with the decorations.”
“Gosh,” said Stardust. “That must be a lot of work. But, I suppose she’s used to setting up for parties.”
“Yeah,” Dream giggled. “So! What do you have for us to try?” Her eyes scanned over all the Apples, mouth practically watering over the thought of all the food she would soon get to try.
Art by Thr3eGuess3s
“You heard her, Apples!” Aj shouted. “Show ‘em what we’ve got!”
Quick as a flash, the family presented their treats to the sisters, tossing the plates onto the table after they’d done so. Star and Dream watched in awe as the food piled up and up, almost until it reached the leaves of the nearest tree! Dream was practically salivating.
“Wow,” they breathed in unison.
“I know,” Sapling said. “We’re a huge family, and we’ve made an enormous collection of goodies for a happy, Apple Family meal! Sounds insane, but amazing, right ma?”
“Yeah,” Applejack agreed, ruffling her daughter’s mane. “It does sound insane, but we have fun, and that’s all that matters.”
“Mmm-hmm, I can’t wait to try some of this,” Stardust said, eyeing up the pile and wondering what she’s like to eat first.
“Well, Stardust and I are just here to taste what you’ve made, so we can’t have that much, and we can’t stay for long,” Dream reminded them. “And, besides, we’re not hungry.”
Her statement was punctuated by a loud growl from her stomach.
“Ah, yes,” Stardust smirked. “We’re definitely not hungry.”
“UGH!” Dream yelled. “Fine! You win! Let’s have brunch!” she finished with a smile.
The Apple Family laughed and cheered, all crowding around the table.
As the Ponyville clocktower struck noon, Stardust Spectrum and Dream Mist found themselves back in the middle of town, accompanied by Sweet Sapling, who was draped over the back of the pegasus. The two sisters had their noses buried in their preparation list as they walked, stomachs so full of delicious, apple family cooking that they wanted nothing more than to lay down and sleep, but they pressed on. After all, they had a job to do.
“Brunch,” Sapling declared from her reclined position, speech slurring and eyes out of focus, “was… amazing! I really think the cider this year is particularly good, did you try any?”
“You certainly did,” Dream smirked.
“I know!” Sapling grinned. “It was… so nice.” She sighed blissfully then tried to bolt upright and failed. “Do you know how many bottles I drank?” Not waiting for an answer, the earth pony carried on, “I think it was five, but I can’t remember. How many did you drink?”
“One,” Star replied. “Between us.”
“Pfffttt, you’re no fun. Thanks for carrying me though, Star.” Sapling snuggled into the purple pony’s mane. “You’re a great friend.”
“You’re welcome,” Star sighed. “And thank you.”
“Right!” Dream tried to get everyone back on track. “Now that the food’s taken care of, we need to check on the weather.”
“Yay, weather,” Sapling yawned. “We… we should go say hi to Cirr… to Cirrus…”
As the farm pony’s speech turned to soft snores, she slowly slid off Stardust’s back. Before either of the two sisters could catch her, she hit the ground, where she proceeded to shoot upright like a meerkat.
“Everypony stop!” she shouted.
Stardust and Dream jumped and froze as one, turning their heads towards their drunken friend once they’d gotten over the shock of her shout.
“I fell.” She blinked a couple of times. “Who wants more cidy?”
Stardust groaned in anger, biting her tongue and ruffling at her hair rapidly.
“Okay!” she shouted, “Sapling, we are not here to have more apple cider; that’s the fifth time you’ve asked us that, and we don’t even have any with us! Plus, you agreed to help us check on the rest of the preparations! How are you supposed to do that if you’re too far gone to even walk by yourself? So, no, we’re not having more cider, and you need to pull yourself together, understand?!”
Stardust stopped shouting to find her friend stood stock-still, eyes wide, and the nub where her leg should have been twitching and flexing again.
“Uh, Sapling?” she asked gently. “I’m sorry, I shouldn't have yelled.”
“Huh?” Sapling jumped at the sound of the pegasus’ voice. “Sorry for what?”
“Oh, come on!!” Stardust shouted.
“Well,” said Dream, quickly taking over the conversation, “I don’t think we have any cider now, Sapling, but we are here to find Cirrus Thunderclap, remember?”
“WATCH OUT!”
A voice from the sky caused them all to look up in search of its owner.
Dream turned her head only to find a familiar pegasus on a collision course with her; she barely had time to recognize his tri-colored hair and his eyepatch before he crashed into her, splashing them both into a puddle of mud. Dream ended up on the bottom, baring the brunt of the mud, with the pegasus on top of her. The list the unicorn had been carrying thankfully remained in the air.
“I got it!” Stardust called, leaping at the piece of parchment and snatching it from where it floated.
Once the list was safe, the blue pegasus disentangled himself from Dream Mist and looked down sheepishly at her.
“Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho! Oh, hey, Dreamy,” giggled the stallion. “How, uh… how’s it going?”
Art (in progress) by SparkleDashYT
“Hey, Cirrus,” grumbled the unicorn, hauling herself to her feet out of the muck.
“Oh, I’m sorry about that. I’ll just, uh… get a raincloud for you.” the pegasus flapped into the air. “Be right back.”
And, with that, Cirrus Thunderclap zoomed away.
“Uh, who was that?” Sapling questioned, squinting at where Cirrus had vanished into the distance.
“That was Cirrus, Sapling,” Stardust explained. “You know, our friend?”
“Ugh, my sight is completely blurry,” Sapling complained. “Starry, can you slap the back of my head for me please?”
“Um.. okay?” Stardust responded.
As Stardust batted the back of her friend’s head, the apple pony blinked three times, checking her now-clearing vision.
“Thank you, Stardust,” Sapling sighed. “Phew! I think I’m feeling much better now!”
Whilst this was going on, Cirrus came back with a small raincloud, which he positioned over Dream Mist. He quickly flew to the top of the cloud, perched upon it, and bounced up and down a few times, prompting a small downpour to fall upon the muddy unicorn. When the cloud turned white, having run out of rain, Cirrus stopped his jumping and took a peek underneath it. Here, he saw Dream Mist with her mane all wet. Very wet, in fact.
“Wha-ho-ho-ho-hoops, I guess I overdid it,” the pegasus giggled. He flew down off the could and came to rest on the ground next to his friends. “So, what brings you here dreamy?”
“Oh, we’re here to check the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration,” Dream answered.
“We?” Cirrus blinked, and then looked at Stardust and Sapling as if only just noticing their presence.
“Hi, Cirrus,” Stardust greeted.
“Hello!” said Sapling.
“Oh! Top o’ the mornin' to ya, ladies!” the blue pegasus responded, before turning his attention back to the unicorn. “Don’t worry about your mane, Dreamy; I got this.”
Taking to the air once more, Cirrus swiftly flew circles around Dream Mist, creating a small twister that dried her off and caused the puddle surrounding her to be swept up as well.
“There!” he said proudly, coming to land next to Stardust. “That’s how to do-”
And then he stopped, for he took one look at Dream and burst out laughing at the side effect of his help; the unicorn’s mane and tail were a tangled mess of fluffy hair, curls flying every which-way and errant strands sticking out everywhere. A moment later, he was joined in his laughter by Stardust and Sapling, the three of them descending to the floor in fits of giggles.
“Seriously, Cirrus?” asked the irritated unicorn. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Oh, I am so sorry, Dream; I was trying to help you,” the blue pegasus insisted once his laughter had abated. He got to his feet. “So, you looking for me to help with the Summer Sun Celebration?”
“Yep,” Stardust answered. “We need you to go find your mom so she can clear the sky.”
“WHAT!?” shouted the eye-patched pony. “No! I’m the one in charge of that, not my Mom! She’s not the only one who can clear the sky in ten seconds flat, you know!”
“How fast can you actually fly, Thunderclap?” Sapling chipped in.
“And how are you going to prove it to us?” the purple pegasus smirked.
Cirrus puffed up his chest and jumped into the air.
“Prepare to have your minds blown, ladies!”
And, with that, he was off, streaking about the Ponyville sky, kicking clouds to pieces. He arched over buildings and swept away every whisp insight in the blink of an eye.
“WOOOOHOOO!!!!”” He shouted as he did so.
As Cirrus busted the final cloud, the weather was finally completely sunny, not a single shadow being cast and not a trace of cloud around.
“Ta-da!” he announced, gently coming to rest back on the ground. “Now, that’s how you do it!”
“Now that’s what I call 10 seconds flat!” a familiar voice called out from behind Cirrus.
The eye-patched pegasus turned around and saw to mares walking towards him, one with a distinctive rainbow-colored mane, and the other with flowing pink locks and a yellow coat.
“Oh! Hi, Mom! Hi, Mother!” Cirrus called back. “How’s business?”
“Well, Fluttershy’s been working with her bird choir doing voice warm-ups,” answered Rainbow Dash. “And, as captain of the Wonderbolts, I think I might need your help at the academy.”
“Oh, not again!” shouted Cirrus. “Why?! Why again?! I was just there!!” He paused. “Oh, and I just proved my speed to Dreamy, Star, and Sapling.”
“Huh?” Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy said in unison, neither of their attention on their son. Instead, they were more concerned over Sapling, who was, once more, stood stock still with her eyes wide and nub twitching and flexing.
She was being examined by both Stardust and Dream Mist, the former of which was waving her hoof in front of the apple-pony’s eyes.
“Is… uh… is she okay?” Rainbow Dash asked Stardust.
“Hmm… probably.”
Tentatively, Stardust reached out a hoof and lightly tapped Sapling on the left side of her body.
Suddenly, the three-legged pony tipped to the right and hit the ground with a slam.
“OW!” she shouted. “Stop messing with my ‘nerve freeze’!!!”
“Sorry!” the royal sisters chimed in unison.
It was then that Stardust truly registered the presence of Cirrus’ parents.
“Oh!” she said. “Hi, Rainbow, hi, Fluttershy.”
“Hey, gals!” the Wonderbolt responded, waving at them all.
“Hello,” Fluttershy smiled. “Did you all see our son clearing the sky at top speed?”
“Of course we did,” Dream answered, helping Sapling to her hooves and them trotting over to the little family. “Only after he messed up my mane, that is.”
“You have to admit, though; Cirrus is the best Wonderbolt on the team,” Sapling pointed out.
“Yeah, I guess we won’t need Rainbow Dash to clear the Ponyville sky anymore,” Stardust mused.
“Excuse me?”
The purple pegasus looked over to the elder Wonderbolt, only find her looking right back, a look of anger on her face and forelegs crossed.
“Uh… or maybe we will?”
Rainbow Dash smiled, then laughed.
“Heh, I’m just kidding, Starry,” she said, reaching out and ruffling the pegasus’ mane. “Now, C'mon, Cirrus; we got some work to do.”
“Aww, really?” Cirrus pouted.
“I know you don’t want to miss the celebration,” Fluttershy said, putting a hoof under her son’s chin and lifting it up, “but this is important, okay?”
“Alright,” the boy sighed. “I’ll see you around, girls.”
“Bye!” the three mares chorused ad Cirrus, and his parents flew away, waving until they were out of sight.
“Ugh, I hate it when Rainbow Dash tricks me like that,” Stardust shuddered. “Every time she does it, I think she’s serious.”
“Enough about that!” Dream all but shouted. “What am I going to do about my mane?!”
“Your mane can wait,” her sister told her. “We’ve got a job to finish first. Let’s head to the town hall to check out how the decorations are coming along.”
“Okay,” Dream sighed, dutifully trotting after the pegasus, Sapling hot on her heels.
Dream Mist huffed as she opened the door to the town hall, smiling at her sister and her friend when they followed her in. A moment later, the three mares stopped and stared in awe at the busy scene around them; the interior of the hall was filled with colorful ribbons, ornaments, and glitter, al artfully arranged so as they look spectacular, but not feel crowded. A sky-blue unicorn stood upon the stage, carefully arranging the curtains and making sure they weren’t torn or otherwise less than perfect, and a white unicorn was positioned nearby, browsing through a selection of ribbons.
Art by TillysImagination
“Wow!” Stardust and Sapling said in unison.
"Wow!” They all breathed in unison.
“The decorations,” Stardust continued, scanning the hall, “they look beautiful.”
Dream Mist opened her mouth to respond, but her attention was commandeered by the appearance of a rather frazzled pink pony.
“Hi, Mrs. Pie!” Dream beamed as Pinkie whipped her curly hair out of her face.
The party pony caught sight of the girls and waved at them all frantically.
“Ohmigosh! Dreamy, Starry, Apple! I’ve been in such a fritz today!” As she said this, she began lifting up various bows and examining them in a brisk fashion. “So! What brings you to the town hall?”
“Oh, we’re just checking on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration,” Sapling answered.
“It looks like you’re off to a great start!” Stardust complemented. “You’ve got the ornaments, ribbons, and other decorations, but where are the banners?”
“I don’t know!” Pinkie panicked. “Rarity was supposed to bring them, but I think she’s left them behind somewhere!”
“What?!” A voice called from the other side of the hall, the white unicorn dropping the ribbons she was considering and trotting over. “Pinkie Pie, those banners were your responsibility!”
“But I thought you were supposed to be in charge of them!” the earth pony responded defensively.
Art (in progress) by TillysImagination
“I know I’m not part of this,” the blue unicorn interrupted from the stage, “but, if you keep arguing about the banners, the town hall will never be finished, and it’ll be your fault.” She made a minor tweak to the curtains. “And, besides, I’ve already sent Moonbeam Thread to go look for them.”
Rarity sighed once she heard this.
“Oh, thank you, Trixie,” she breathed. “You really saved us there. Now,” she turned back to the girls, “what do you think of- Oh my stars!” the unicorn gasped and took a few backward steps. “Dream Mist, darling, what on earth happened to your coiffure?!”
“Goodness, it looks atrocious,” the mare continued, completely ignoring what the younger unicorn had just said. “Completely improper for a princess. What would Twilight say? Here, let me fix you right up!”
Ribbons and a comb suddenly appeared, levitated to Rarity’s side.
“Ugh, now is not the time to sit around and brush Dream’s mane,” Stardust complained. “We have things to do!”
“Sometimes I can’t believe it; I’m moving past the feeling.”
A tranquil voice echoed from outside the town hall, effectively stopping the budding argument between Rarity and the royal sisters in its tracks. The twin doors swung open, and a white pegasus with purple and blue locks flew in, a cardboard box clutched in her hooves.
“Sometimes I can’t believe it; I’m moving past the feeling again,” she sang, placing the box on the floor and coming to land next to Rarity.
“Hi, Mother,” she greeted. “What’s with all the ruckus?”
“Moonbeam, sweetheart, I simply must attend to Dream Mist’s mane here; I cannot work with it distracting me with its ugliness.”
“Thanks,” Dream huffed, glaring at Rarity.
“Now, hold still, Dream!” Rarity announced. “I’m going to fix your mane.” She brandished the comb and advanced.
“Hold it” Moonbeam shouted, stopping her mother by lowering her hoof in slow motion. “Mother, allow me,” she continued gently, taking the comb from Rarity’s hoof. “You should carry on helping Mama and Pinkie set up the hall.”
Rarity sighed and relented. “Thank you, darling. And the banners?”
“They’re in the box,” the pegasus pointed.
As Rarity walked back toward where she’d discarded her decorating ribbons, Moonbeam Thread began to tidy up Dream’s mane.
“So, what brings you to town today?” she asked, running a brush through the unruly frizz. “We’ve been so busy today, but I still managed to scoop up some juicy gossip while we shopped for decorations if you’d like to hear it.”
“Sorry, Moonbeam, but Dream and I are pretty busy as well,” Stardust pointed out. “We’ve got the list out mother gave to us to finish completing.”
Moonbeam glanced behind her at the hall and then turned back to the three mares.
“Summer Sun Celebration?” she asked.
“Yup,” Sapling smiled. “And I’m helping out, too! The town hall looks so pretty with colorful decorations, Moonbeam! The colors are so… fancy!”
“Thanks, Sap.” Moonbeam’s voice was soft. “Hey, since we’re nearly all done here, how would you feel about me tagging along with you? Maybe I can help?”
Dream and Stardust looked at each other and nodded.
“Sure,” Dream said. “We’d love to have you!”
“Oh, thank you, my friends!” Moonbeam grinned, then she turned around and shouted across the hall. “Hey, Ma? Is it okay if I go help my friends with something?”
Trixie nodded approvingly, and then went back to decorating.
“Have fun, girls!” Pinkie called.
“Remember to be back in time for dinner, okay?” Rarity reminded her daughter. “We’re having your favourite!”
Moonbeam beamed and nodded, and then the group of fillies were off, grinning at each other as they left the building.
After leaving the town hall, the little group made their way over to the edge of the Everfree Forest. It was getting late, the sun slowly dipping down to the horizon, the last rays of spring dancing across the ground and shimmering off flower petals. As they approached the forest, Dream Mist pulled out the checklist an gave it a final once-over.
“Wee, what do you know?” she said. “Music’s the last thing we have to check up on.”
“Oh, wow,” Moonbeam remarked. “How about that? Let’s see how Fluttershy’s birds are doing.”
Everyone nodded and carried on, Stardust yawning as she did so.
“It’s now sunset,” she pointed out to herself. “Why am I so tired?”
“Probably because of the nightmare you had last night,” Dream reminded her. “Don’t worry, though; you’ll have plenty of time to sleep once we get home.”
“Yeah,” the pegasus conceded. “Thanks, sis.” She looked around “By the way, where’s Fluttershy?”
Dream opened her mouth to say she wasn’t sure, but then her attention, along with that of everyone else, was caught by the distant sound of birdsong. They all stopped, listening carefully for the source of the music, and it was Sapling, who’d been turning her head every which way, that eventually spotted the yellow mare.
"Hey, girls," she whispered, “I think I found her!”
One by one, the others also noticed Fluttershy and her choir of songbirds. Carefully and quietly so as not to disturb anyone, they all slowly made their way over.
As they did so, Fluttershy happened to notice that one of her birds was singing off-key.
“Oh, my,” she muttered to herself. “Um, can we stop, please, everyone?”
As the birds trailed off, the pegasus flew up to the little blue jay whose singing wasn’t quite up to scratch.
“Hey, Andrea,” she said softly. “Do you think you might need some water for your throat? Because you’re just a teeny-tiny bit off.”
The jay nodded and then flew off in search of a drink.
“Great! Come back when you’re ready!” Fluttershy called after her.
When she landed, Fluttershy caught sight of the girls out of the corner of her eye.
“Oh, hi, girls. What brings you here today?”
“Hi, Auntie Fluttershy,” Stardust stepped forwards. “We’re just here to check up on the music preparation.”
“Yeah, and from what we’ve just heard, it’s coming along spectacularly,” Moonbeam pitched in.
“Aww, thank you,” Fluttershy smiled. “I’m glad you think so.”
As the blue jay returned, she tweeted to the pegasus that she was all set to start again.
“Excellent, Andrea,” Fluttershy smiled. “Now, girls,” she turned to ask the little party, “would you like to hear what my birds are going to sing for the celebration?”
“Yeah! We’d love to hear your music, Fluttershy!” Sapling answered, the rest of the group nodding in agreement with her.
The yellow mare smiled back, and then faced her choir once more.
“Alright,” she told them, “follow my lead; a-one, a-two, a-one, two-”
"Hey!"
Ponies and birds alike were startled by a voice that that came from somewhere behind them. It was Cirrus, and he appeared a moment after his shout was heard.
“Oops, sorry,” the stallion apologized. “I didn’t realize you were practicing with your birds, Mom.”
“Oh, Cirrus, not again,” Dream facepalmed.
“You startled me,” Fluttershy said, hoof over her heart. “And my poor birds.”
“Mom, I said I was sorry,” Cirrus argued. “And I’ve just got back from the Wonderbolt Academy, okay?”
“Wait, aren’t you supposed to be with Rainbow Dash?” Stardust asked. “Where is she?”
“Well, that’s why I’m here.” Cirrus slowly lowered himself to the ground. “After I’d finished helping, Mom said I should go back home, and that she’d catch up after she and the rest of the team had finished dealing with an issue at the Academy. Now, you know Mom; normally, she would have had me helping with that issue, too, but she didn’t, and there was just something… off about the way she said it. She wasn’t smiling, and her eyes looked a bit empty. I went to grab something, then I went back to her office to say goodbye, but she wasn’t there, she was gone! I asked everyone around the academy, but no one had seen her, and she wasn’t anywhere to be found! So I thought, maybe, she came home already? Have any of you guys seen her?”
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Fluttershy shook her head. “Have you checked the house? Or the town hall?”
“Yeah, I looked everywhere here,” Cirrus said. “She’s not in the house, which is why I thought she might be with you. I’m not sure, but I’m starting to think there’s something suspicious going on…”
“Huh? What’s so suspicious about that?” Sapling asked.
“I don’t know,” the pegasus admitted. “I think I need to think for a moment.”
“Um, okay then. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, Cirrus.” Fluttershy smiled at her son, who smiled weakly back. “Now, shall I continue, girls?”
“Of course, go ahead!” Stardust insisted, her friends nodding in agreement behind her.
“Alright then.” Fluttershy turned back to the choir. “Here we go!”
“Wait! I remember now!” Cirrus shouted, startling everyone again.
“What now, Cirrus?” Dream asked angrily.
“I think I might have noticed something after I left Mom’s office!”
Everyone rolled their eyes but turned their attention to the stallion nonetheless.
“It was the sound of laughter; a creepy laugh. It came from somewhere behind me, but, when I turned around to see who it was, no one was there!”
At Cirrus’ words, Stardust realized she had heard a similar thing; that morning, when she and her sister had left the castle, she had noticed a low growl.
“No,” she muttered to herself. “Could it be?”
“Stardust?” Dream asked her sister, a look of concern gracing her features.
“What’s wrong?” Sapling finished.
“Could it be what?” Moonbeam chipped in.
“Could it be… when we left this morning…?” Stardust continued murmuring. “Maybe…”
Art by GlorysiaMelodyYT
Suddenly, she gasped, having come to a realization.
“Dream, I think our parents disappeared this morning when we left!”
“WHAT?” the rest of the gang shouted in unison.
“Don’t tell me you heard the laugh, too!” Cirrus asked.
Oh, don't tell me that you heard the laugh, too," said Cirrus.
“Well, not exactly, but I did hear something, and, if Rainbow Dash disappeared after the laughter, it could mean that, well…” She trailed off and glanced towards her sister. “Dream, I think we need to go back to the castle.”
Dream nodded in solemn agreement.
“What about the rest of the preparations, though?” she asked. “We’re almost finished with them.”
“Let somepony else take care of them,” Stardust instructed. “Here,” she swiped the list off her sister and thrust it at Cirrus, “take this, make sure the birdsong is ready, and double check the town hall.”
“What?!” Cirrus protested. “Why me?!”
“All of you can work together,” Stardust pointed out. “But we need to make sure our parents are okay. Sapling, Moonbeam, thanks for helping us out today, we’ll see you all later.”
As she was speaking, the pegasus flapped into the air, grabbed Dream round her midriff, and flew them off on the direction of their home as quickly as she could.
The remaining ponies all looked at each other with a mix of confusion and concern as the royal sisters flew away, worried for both the girls and their parents.
“Okay,” Moonbeam broke the silence. “Uh, how about that music then?”
Night had long descended upon Ponyville as Stardust, Dream Mist, Sapling, Moonbeam, and Cirrus entered the town hall, all preparations complete and in place, and the only thing left to do is to have fun. None of them are with their parents, save for the presence of Fluttershy and Trixie.
“Hey, Stardust, have you seen your moms anywhere?” Moonbeam asked. “Only I can’t see my mother either, so she’s probably with yours. Any ideas where they are??”
Stardust shook her head.
“I don’t know; I haven’t seen them about all day. Do you think they’ll miss the Celebration?”
“Oh, I highly doubt that, dear,” Moonbeam smiled reassuringly. “At least, not Auntie Twilight; she’d never miss a Summer Sun Celebration, at least, not of her own will.”
“Yeah,” Cirrus chipped in. “And my mom, too. I mean, Mommy’s here with her birds for the music.” He pointed at Fluttershy, who was stood by the music stand giving a last minute pep talk to her birds.
“I agree with you, Cirrus,” Sapling said. “It’s strange that my parents aren’t here either. Think they could all be together somewhere planning something special?”
Stardust looked unsure.
“Possibly? I don’t know though; this is the first time I can ever remember them being late to anything. Have you seen them, Dream?”
“Me? Well, we looked for our mothers around the castle, but they weren’t there,” the unicorn reminded her sister. “I can’t think of anywhere else they’d be.”
“Hey, look!” Sapling shouted, pointing over the heads of all the others. “Constellar Starburst is coming to the balcony! Oh, I can’t wait!”
The group moved closer to the balcony just as a handsome pink unicorn stepped into the view of the crowd, accompanied by a fanfare sung by Fluttershy’s bird choir.
“Citizens of Ponyville!” Constellar started. “It is my honor to stand before you all tonight in celebration of a great tradition; the first day of summer. But, first, I, Prince Constellar Starburst, would like to tell you a story.”
“Really?” Cirrus asked. “I thought Sunset is always the one to tell the story before the sunrise.”
“Not always, Cirrus,” Constellar responded. “Not always. Anyways, a long time ago, two sisters ruled Equestria, one raising the sun, the other the moon. But, when the older sister banished the younger to the moon for 1000 years, she had no choice but to take over the duties of the night.
Many years later, the princesses were reunited, thanks to the Elements of Harmony and those that wielded them. For a time, all was peaceful and right, but then a tragedy struck, a tragedy that took the lives of our nation’s two beloved princesses, and all hope was lost.”
“Here comes the miracle part,” Dream whispered.
“But then, a miracle happened,” Constellar continued. “Equestria was saved; my mothers, Queen Sunset Shimmer and Princess Starlight Glimmer, took the sisters’ places as the rulers of Equestria. Happiness was restored to the kingdom, but we will never forget those we have lost.
I hope that the two sisters are looking down on us even now, smiling. I hope that Celestia and Luna are proud of their students, and all they have done for Equestria, and I hope they are proud of us for being so strong in their absence.
The crowd awed with a mixture of heartbreak and happiness, some wiping away tears as they remembered the moment that Sunset and Starlight proved their loyalty to their country in the moments before the sisters’ death, and how they went on to show themselves to be worthy successors.
“Now,” said Constellar, “before the main event, the rising of the sun, Queen Sunset Shimmer, and Princess Starlight Glimmer have an important announcement to make. So, fillies and gentlecolts, I would like you to welcome the rulers of our land, the very ponies who give to you the sun and the moon each day and night, the good, the wise, the bringers of harmony to all of Equestria, and my beloved parents-”
“Ready?” Fluttershy prompted her birds.
“-Queen Sunset Shimmer and Princess Starlight Glimmer!” Constellar announced.
As Trixie swiftly pulled back the curtains with a flourish and Fluttershy’s birds sang out once again, the ponies in the crowd all craned their necks to catch the first glimpse of….
…no one.
The stage was empty, not a ruler in sight.
The audience gasped, and the little group of ponies we now all know so well shouted various versions of ‘WHAT!?’
“Oh no, not them, too!!” The feelings of worry that had started to grow in Stardust’s stomach suddenly burst into bloom.
Confusion dusted the face of the young Prince as he stood alone on the balcony.
“Now, would Queen Sunset and Princess Starlight please rise to the stage?”
But nopony did; it remained empty.
“Uh, remain calm, everypony,” Constellar tried to appease the quickly panicking audience. “I’ll be right back.”
After his plea, the unicorn lit his horn and teleported away from the scene, leaving the crowd to murmur amongst themselves.
A moment later, Constellar reappeared.
“Hey, Bursty,” Cirrus called, flying towards the prince. “Are your moms here yet?”
“Well, they were,” Constellar answered. “But now they’re gone!!”
His remark drew a gasp from the audience.
“I knew it!” Stardust shouted. “Something’s up; my parents have disappeared, Sapling’s parents have disappeared, Rarity’s disappeared, Rainbow Dash has disappeared, and now the rulers of Equestria!? Can this get any worse?!”
More muttering flared up at Stardust’s outburst, but it was quelled almost immediately by a sinister laughter that echoed throughout the town hall.
“I don’t like this,” Cirrus whispered to Sapling, who nodded frantically in agreement.
“Hello, dear citizens of Ponyville,” a voice called out, a dark shadow leaping from the ground as it did so and gliding towards the balcony.
Shocked gasps and whispers erupted from the gathered ponies as the shadow manifested into a giant, red-eyed wolf, teeth bared in a wicked grin and a silver bell around its neck.
Wait, thought Stardust. Is that-? No, it can’t be!
“Have you missed me?” asked the wolf.
He stood and waited for a response from the terrified ponies, grinning as he did so and drinking in their fear, but there was only silence.
When no reply came, his grin grew wider.
“I suppose not, then,” he said. “Maybe it’s been a couple of thousand years, but do not fret,” if possible, the smile turned even nastier, “you’ll have plenty of time to get to know me as soon as I take over Equestria.”
“Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute!” Stardust interrupted. “Aren’t you the nightmare creature I saw in my dream?”
At Star’s question, the crowd of ponies began chattering confusedly amongst themselves.
“Ah yes, I’d quite forgotten that,” the wolf muttered to himself. He cleared his throat. “I am Fromir, the Necromancer of Nightmares, Master of Fear, Wolf of Darkness, and brother of Grogar.”
Some members of the audience gasped as they recognized the name.
“You,” growled Dream. “You’re the one who’s kidnapped all our parents, aren’t you”?
“Wait, you’re their children?” This fact seemed to catch Fromir off-guard. “One moment; Twilight, Tempest, Rainbow, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Shimmer, Glimmer… yes, that would, indeed, be my doing, deary. But I’m not quite done yet; Fluttershy is the last one I need for my collection.”
As Fromir turned his head towards the yellow pegasus, Cirrus flew right up to his face.
“Hey!” he shouted. “If you want to go after my mother, then you’re going to have to go through me!”
“Oh?” Fromir smiled. “Will I?”
Suddenly, the shadows on the wall behind Fluttershy sprang to life, a shadowy figure, connected to the wolf by darkness, lunging out to grab her.
Cirrus whipped around at the sound of her scream, but he was too late; his mother had vanished into the shadows, melting away as if she’d never been there.
“NO!” the eye-patched pegasus screamed. “What have you done, you monster?!”
“I have just completed my collection, of course,” Fromir smiled. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some nightmares to create!”
“No!” Sweet ‘Apple’ Sapling shouted.
“We can’t allow you to do that,” Moonbeam Thread uttered menacingly.
“You’ll be stopped, you know,” Constellar Starburst promised.
“The only nightmare you’ll create will be your own!” Dream Mist called.
“Yeah! So give it up, you scum!” commanded Cirrus Thunderclap.
“Release our parents and never return to Ponyville again!” Stardust Spectrum threatened.
Fromir paused at their words, turning slightly and smiling.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” he said. “It has already begun…”
A sudden burst of shadow plunged the town hall into darkness, and the audience screamed as they all ran towards the door. They hammered on it repeatedly and put all their might into pushing it open, but it was locked.
The shadow grew more intense, wrapping around Stardust, Dream, Sapling, Moonbeam, Cirrus, and Constellar, leaving the room silent and black.
All was deathly quiet, but then, quite faintly, came a sound.
