Chapter 7: The Birds and the Balloons
"Wasn't She wonderful?" Spike exclaimed as we left Carousel Boutique and walked down Main Street.
"Focus Spike. What next on the list?" Twilight asked, dryly. as she magics Spike onto her back.
"Oh, right! Uh... Music. It's the last thing on the list." Spike responded, once again, unfurling his parchment scroll he seemingly pulled out of nowhere. I gotta keep an eye out for where they hide those things.
"Last Thing? Great. Then we could get the Library we will be staying in, and see if we can find out anything else about Nightmare Moon. Who do we need to talk to and where can we find them? I would like to finish this sooner than later." Twilight asks.
"Let's see... The music is being prepared by a pegasus. She is an animal caretaker who lives in a cabin by the edge of the Everfree Forest. She will be conducting a Birdsong Orchestra, apparently." Spike once again reads off his list.
"Great. Lets get going." Twilight says as she starts to trot off towards the road leading out of town towards the woods. I speed up my pace to match hers, which is considerably hard, considering I only have two legs, even if they are longer.
As we round a corner, and pass some bushes, we hear the sounds of birds, singing in harmony, well. mostly. One of the birds is clearly off key. The three of us peek around the bushes, and see a collection of birds of many types all sitting in a tree. At it's base is a pegasus with a soft yellow coat, and long pink mane. she hums along with the birds, in a spellbinding voice, soft and demure.
Twilight takes a breath and starts to take a step forward, but I quickly put my hand on her shoulder and pull her back.
"Ssshh. You can't just go running in there shouting at her. you'll frighten the birds!" I say, attempting to avoid repeating the colossal failure to communicate that Twilight and Fluttershy had in the canon.
"They're trained. They'll be fine. I just need to talk to her, and we can be done here." Twilight responded, rolling her eyes, and clearly just done with this whole mission.
"Well, do it quietly, and it should go faster. Bring Spike for good measure. She is an animal caretaker. You can use Spike as an ice breaker. I doubt many people have seen dragons."
"No. I'll just go to her myself. You two stay here." Twilight says, with an air of finality. She trots off around the bushes, and up to where Fluttershy is hovering around the tree, apparently talking to one of the birds. Must have been the Jay that was off key.
"Um...hi there?" Twilight asks, as she reaches just under where the pegasus was hovering."
"EEEEP!" A shrill voice cries out, and all the birds fly off. Well so much for that plan. The shy pegasus had dropped to the ground where she crouched, wth her wings folder over her like a shell, and covering her eyes.
"Um, you okay?" Twilight inquired, lightly taking a hoof and lifting the feathers covering Fluttershy's eyes. "Uh, Hello? My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm here to check on the music?"
She takes a step back, and observes, as the yellow pegasus uncovers, her head slightly, and looks up seeing Twilight. With a sigh of relief, she stands up, using her wings to daintily sweep the dust off of herself. "I'm sorry, I thought you might have been a horrible monster, come to gobble me up...or..or... something else that's really, really scary."
"Uh, nope, just a pony. I came to check on the music. It sounds wonderful by the way. Like I said before, I'm Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"
With bright eyes, and an encouraging smile, Twilight looks at Fluttershy, who seemed to be actively avoiding her gaze. After a few seconds, she mumbles "i'm...Fluttershy."
"Sorry, I didn't catch that. Can you repeat that please?" Twilight asks, again looking encouragingly at Fluttershy.
"My name is...Fluttershy." She meekly responds again.
Tired of watching this unfold, I shove Spike through the bush, out to where the two mares were standing, awkwardly staring around.
"Uh, Hi?" Spike says, after figuring out what had happened.
There was a huge gasp. "A BABY DRAGON! AND IT TALKS. Wow. What's you name? My name is Fluttershy. Oh my, you are so cute."
"Thank you. My name is Spike. I'm Twilight's Number one assistant!" Spike exclaims, sticking out his chest, and thumping it proudly. Suddenly, as magical aura appears around his foot, and Twilight magics him back onto her back.
"Well, we're done here. Music's great. Let's go Fawkes. we got work to do."
"Oh, you got a fox too? can I meet him?" Fluttershy asks, as I step out from behind the bush. "Oh. My. You are the strangest fox I've ever seen."
"Hi there, Fluttershy. Sorry. but my Name is Fawkes. F-A-W-K-E-S. I'm not actually a fox. I'm a human. Nice to meet you." I say, holding out a hand to greet her, as she recoils slightly at my size. After a second, she realizes I am less of a threat than I seemed and she nervously extends a wing toward my hand. I take the tip of it gently in my hand, and shake it up and down slightly.
"uh. It's nice to meet you too, I guess, Mr. Fawkes. Sorry for thinking you were a fox." She turns back to Spike, who is riding away on Twilight's back, and trots to keep up with them. "I've never met a baby dragon before, let alone one that talks. This is so wonderfully exciting. Tell me all about yourself."
"Well, what do you want to know?" Spike asks, as he turns around, so he can face Fluttershy.
"Absolutely everything! Start at the beginning!" Fluttershy responds, much to Twilight's chagrin, whom groans loudly, as she continues to walk away.
Several minutes pass as we walked back into town, as Spike seems to be telling Fluttershy his whole life story.
"And that's my whole life up until now..." Spike finishes.
"And what a coincidence. We just arrived at the library. This is where we will be staying in Ponyville until after the ceremony tonight and tomorrow morning. We got lots of work to do, and Spike needs his nap, so See you later I guess." Twilight hurriedly says, as she pushes Spike and I through the library door, and slams it closed behind us.
"Well, that was rude." Spike points out, "You can't expect to make friends if you are going to treat everypony like that."
"Well, sorry Spike, but need to get more information on Nightmare Moon so can warn Princess Celestia about the danger. I just need some time to study with a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends. Where is the light? Twilight said, just before the light flickers on, and the sound of noisemakers fills the air.
"SUUUUPRIIIIISE!" A crowd of ponies was standing in the library. Streamers and tables of food and drink lay about the main floor.
"SURPRISE" A pink pony pops up in front of us."Hi Twilight Sparkle, Hi Spike. Hi Fawkes. I threw this party just for you guys, just like I said you would. Were you surprised? huh, huh, huh? were you?"
"Uh, Yeah. I was, considering we specifically asked you NOT to throw a party, and where did you even find out where we were staying? I don't remember mentioning the library when we met earlier." Twilight asks pointedly.
" You didn't." Pinkie responds flatly. "And of course I threw you the party. I figured if you said not to, and I didn't you'd expect that. Duh. not very exciting. So I figured that if I threw the party anyways, it was be unexpected, and that would be fun, and fun things make you happy, so I figured you'd be happy. Was I right?"
"Come on Twilight. Don't worry about this nightmare moon stuff, and have a bit of fun. it's a celebration right? so let's celebrate." I said, putting my arm around her shoulders, and shaking her jovially.
I stare into her eyes, and nod, and Pinkie pops up beside me and does the same thing.
"UGH, Fine. I'll hang around for a bit." Twilight walks off towards the drink table, as Pinkie exclaims in delight from Twilight's decision to stay.
Pinkie continues to talk her ears off as she walks over to the table, and absentmindedly pours herself a drink from the first bottle she grabs. She takes a big swig, as Pinkie finishes her monologue about how she wanted to help Twilight make friends. Suddenly Twilight gasps, her face turning beet red. Steam blows out her nostrils, and her dashes up the stairs, with tears in her eyes.
"Awww she's so happy, she's crying!" Pinkie exclaimed, as she turn back toward the table.
"I don't think that's it." I say, as I pick up the bottle. "She just chugged a cup of hot sauce. Pretty weak though. 5 bits says I can chug this whole bottle!" I say, holding the bottle up.
"I'll get in on that!" Rainbow Dash says, as she lands beside me, and starts chanting. "CHUG CHUG CHUG..." The whole room starts to chant with her, as I upend the bottle and start chugging the whole thing. It burns the throat, and the spiciness unsettles my stomach sightly, but it's nothing I haven't experience before, this being a bit of a parlour trick of mine.
" YEAH! THIS AIN'T HOTSAUCE! IT'S WEEEEAAAK SAAAAAAUUUUCE!" I shout, as a slam the empty bottle back down on the table.
"Yeah! That was sooo awesome." RD says, as the party starts back up again. She pulls out a few gold coins, and hold them out." I guess I owe you five bits."
"Nah. I wasn't serious about that. I gotta go check on Twi. She hasn't come down yet." I say, pushing the bits back to her. I then head up the stairs Twilight had ascended a few moments before.
It's dark up here, so I call out lightly. "Twilight? You up here?" I noticed a door slightly ajar down the hall, light from the setting sun streaming through.
"Twilight? You okay?" I ask, sticking my head though the doorway.
"Yeah. I'm fine. I was trying to study here, but the noise is so distracting."
A bundle of sheets on the bed in the room stir, and then move, as Twilight throws the blankets off herself. A small stack of books lay on the bed before her."
"Hey Twi. Can we talk? I gotta settle some stuff with you."
"Ugh. Sure. I guess." She sits up, and taps the bed beside her." What do you want to talk about? Make it quick I want to get back to studying the Elements of Harmony."
"Look Twilight. I know we just met, and I'm some weird thing you never seen before, but I need you to listen to me. Just leave this alone. The whole Nightmare Moon thing. I can't say much about it, but I got a feeling it's all going to work out. There is a bunch of ponies down there who want to be your friends and have fun. This one grey mare, ate like 5 plates of muffins. Literally fought off anyone else trying to eat them. It was pretty funny. But seriously. I know it's hard to do, but you need to trust me on this."
"Fawkes stop. There is NO reason to believe you. I'm the one who saw the signs. I tried to warn the princess, and she didn't believe me. I need to convince her that Nightmare Moon will return tonight."
"I...I know what's going to happen, Twilight. I know everything. I've been hiding something super big, since I got here."
"What? What do you mean, Fawkes? This makes no sense."
" I don't really know where to begin, and I can't tell you everything right now, but here is some things I can tell you. Have you noticed that throughout the day, I seemed to know the best way to talk to everyone? Even though I told you before, I'm a bit antisocial myself? I told you I came from another world right? Well, my worlds a bit different...well, a lot different actually from this one. Let's just say that a certain aspect of my world, gave me knowledge on whats going to happen tonight. You are completely right. Nightmare moon WILL appear tonight. But don't sweat it. The situation will resolve itself. just sit back, and get to know the peopl...ponies downstairs. It's might actually mean more than you think."
Twilight just sits there, staring at me, trying to ingest the giant deluge of information I just dropped on her.
"Wait wait wait... What?" She manages to get out." What do you mean you know what's going to happen?"
I look out the window, at the darkness outside. The sun has already set.
"Look. I'm sorry. I can't give specifics, but something in my world allows me to have knowledge of this one. I know it's hard to underst..." I start, before Twilight cuts me off.
"No Fawkes. It's not hard to understand. It's impossible. You are from a whole different world. If you somehow had knowledge of our world, we would have to have knowledge of yours. That's just how the universe works. It's not scientifically possible for something from your world to give you the power to see the future." Twilight said.
"No, it's not that I can see the future, it's that I already have knowledge of whats goin-"
"Fawkes stop. That's enough. I want you to leave. I need time to process this and study."
"Leave? Leave leave? or just leave the room?" I asked, wondering if I had just been kicked out.
"Just leave the room. Go enjoy the party. I promised the Princess I'd take care of you, and I will. Just go away for now. I'll figure out a way to send you home after tomorrow."
"But, Twili..."
"Go! I need to study. Please LEAVE."
Twilight had said the final words with such finality, that I was struck speechless. I've never seen her this closed minded, even in the canon. Suddenly, Spike bursts into the room, causing both Twilight and I to turn our heads in surprise.
"Hey guys! Pinkie is about to start 'pin the tail on the pony'. You should come play... Woah. Whats with the atmosphere in here?" Spike lifts the lampshade off his head slightly, and stares at us, before slowly backing out of the room, and closing the door.
"Well... that...happened." Twilight says, "and you are still here."
Leaving Twilight to her studies, I leave the room. My heart sank, as someone I felt I identified with, and admired, more or less hated me now. Pausing at the bottom of the stairs, just before I came into view, I quickly took a breath and put on a smile before joining the rest of the ponies downstairs.
" Hey sugarcube. Everything alright? sounds like the two of ya had a little row there." Applejack says as she walks up to me holding a bottle of juice.
"Oh yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted Twi to come enjoy the party, and she refused. Adamantly." I said, putting a little more venom in that last word then i really intended.
"Yeah, she seemed weird like that, but it's her loss. This is an AWESOME party. Pinkie never fails to delivery on the party front." Rainbow appears next to me and says. "Here. Have a muffin. That grey mare over there is basically forcing everyone to have one. It's a little unnerving actually considering she was like hoarding them all to herself like 10 minutes ago."
Rainbow looks shiftily over at the mare in question, a certain wall-eyed mare that I knew all too well. She shrugs and takes a bite of her muffin anyways.
"Mffmm itsh really goofd" She manages to get out, mouth still full of muffin.
"Chew yer food there RD. It's rude to talk with your mouth full o' food. Were you raised in a barn or something?" Applejack reprimands Rainbow, who just stared at her for a moment, before the two of them break into a giggle. I walk away, and head over to where Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were all chatting in a corner.
"Hey, Rarity? I wanted to thank you for today. Those clothe are going to be very useful. Are you sure there is nothing I can do to make it up to you?" I say, again, shaking Rarity's hoof as a sign of thanks.
"Oh, pshaw, darling, The princess made it an official order on behalf of the kingdom. I'll be payed my full working price. What else could I ask for. Besides, 'a friend in need' and all that. I couldn't just leave someone without a few choice ensembles to choose from. It be absolutely DREADFUL if you had to walk around in...that...for a time. Just swing by my Boutique some time in the next day or two, and we'll get you all fitted, and outfitted." Rarity says with a wink and a giggle.
I turn my attention to Fluttershy, talking animatedly with Pinkie. Geez, you'd never think this talkative little thing was the same shy pony from the canon. When you're with friends, i guess.
"Excuse me, Fluttershy?" I ask, tapping her lightly on the shoulder. She jumps and emits a small 'EEP' before turning around to see me.
"Oh, Mr. Fawkes. It's nice to, uh, see you again. Did you want something?" She asks timidly, suddenly losing all of the animated spirit she had with Pinkie, mere moments ago.
"Oh,well, I just wondered..." I said, scratching my head a bit, trying to figure out how to word this. "Do you know anything about humans? I was told you were an animal care taker, so I figured you would know about all sorts of species."
"Um...sorry no. I thought humans were just made up things. like fairy tales made to scare little fillies and colts. I'd never seen one before until today. Sorry for not knowing anything."
"Don't apologize. I just thought it would be worth a shot. So, what does an animal caretaker do, aside from...you know... take care of animals?" I ask, trying to redirect the conversation to a topic she would be more comfortable with...I hoped...
"Oh, well, mostly I take care of the wild animals in the area. I live with my pet, Angel Bunny. he's a...well...bunny. He can be such a hand full, but I couldn't ever imagine living without him. I also keep chickens, and tend to any animals who go hungry or get sick or hurt. I always have squirrels or birdies, or even a cute little bear around my house. You should come meet them some time. It might be interesting to them to meet a human."
"I'd like that, sometime. I like animals. My mother always had a lot of animals around the house, so I'm used to being around all sorts of interesting critters."
A huge bell suddenly rang out through the town, causing Fluttershy to drop to her knees and protect her self with her wings, before looking around and getting up again.
"What was that?" Twilight says, trotting down the stairs. "Is something wrong?"
"That's the bell from Town Hall." Rarity explained "it's nearly about time for the ceremony. We'd best be moving to the ceremony location."
" YOU HEARD THE PONY. EVERYONE MOVE OUT!" Applejack shouted, as ponies started to file out through the library door. I looked at Twilight, but she quickly avoided my gaze, and headed outside, as a crushing feeling hit my chest like a ton of bricks.
As we filed into the town hall, a pegasi took to the air, to give the other wingless ponies more room. Rarity and Fluttershy took their positions on the upper balcony and by the choir of birds. Fluttershy nodded, and her birds sang a trumpeting march, signalling the start of the ceremony, as a couple of pegasus shined some spotlights down on the lower stage, where Mayor Mare came out from behind the curtains and addressed the crowd.
"Good even, Mares and Gentlecolts. As Mayor of Ponyville, It is my most greatest honour to introduce to you, the pony who gives us the sun and moon every day..."
I noticed Twilight looking out the upper windows, and I followed her gaze, seeing what seemed to be several stars disappear into the moon, after which the imprint of a shadowy mare, that normally emblazoned the moon, vanished, leaving its surface bare and pale.
"The ruler of our fair kingdom, Princess Celestia!" The mayor finished her speech and with a flourish, motion to the balcony above her, as ponies cheered, and the bird sang a wondrous monumental tune. Rarity pulled the rope allowing the curtains to open.
Silence for a moment, as everyone took in the site behind, of simply empty stage. Gasps broke the silence, as Rarity went into the curtains, and popped back out momentarily.
"She's gone!" she calls out to the crowd. "I can't find any trace of her back here."
"No, no, no, no, no!" Twilight murmurs to herself as she paces back and forth on a small area "I knew this would happen this is not good!"
Screams erupted from the room, as a black sparkly mist begins to creep out from the top balcony, Rainbow Dash quickly flies in and grabs Rarity, and drops her down beside her friends. The mist coalesced into a single mass, and took the shape of a large pony. With a midnight black coat, piercing teal eyes, and shining silver helmet and collar. Her mane the same shimmery blackish blue that the mist was before, and her tail to match. Nightmare moon had returned.
"Oh, my beloved subjects. How long has it been since I' d seen your wretched, sun loving faces? Oh right. A thousand years." She laughs, her words full of malice and venom. I don't remember her language being so...colourful in the canon.
"Hey, Black Spooky! Whadja do with our Princess!" Rainbow shouted, about to dash off, if it weren't for Applejack holding her back.
"Oh? Am I not royal enough for you? Were a mere thousand years enough to strip me of my title of princess of the night? Do you foals not even know who I am?"
"I do!" Twilight calls out, standing bravely ahead of the crowd, though she recoils slightly from Nightmare Moon's intimidating aura. "You...You're Nightmare Moon! The mare in the moon that has been locked away for centuries..."
"Ahahahahaha. Very good. someone did their homework. And do you know what I intend to do, now that I am free once again?"
"You...you..." Twilight starts, I notice her knees starting to buckle from the imperious pressure that the shadowy alicorn is exuding.
" You intend to bring about night everasting!" I call out, stepping forward, in front of Twilight and holding my arm out, as if protecting her. Holy crap. I'm just about crapping myself right now. I hope she sticks to canon, and just monologues and leaves, because, i really would prefer to NOT die right now.
"Yes. I intend to make an eternal darkness, over which I shall rule, as Queen of the NIGHT! Ahahahahahaha!" An evil and thunderous laugh rings out throughout the hall. I recoil slightly from the overbearing presence, before taking my stance back and staring at Nightmare Moon again.
"You are an interesting one. What are you?" Nightmare Moon demands of me.
"I..I'm a human. I arrived in this world through unknown means, but these ponies have been nothing but nice to me, and so has the Princess. I'm going to help them, even if it kills me." Oh god, i didn't mean that. please don't kill me! I thought to myself.
"Oh hoho. Even if it kills you? Why not put that to the test?" She teases, as her horn begins to glow an ominous blue. I close my eyes, but stand firm.
"A better idea. Come to the castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest. We will see how much weight your words have there. This should make things interesting for a bit... Ahahahahahaha!"
Nightmare Moon turned back into a dark mist, and leaves through the open windows, her laugh still echoing in the hall, and in my mind for a minute or so after her departure. I fall to my knees, and start breathing again. Hmm. Didn't realize I had stopped. I feel a bit light headed as I look back at Twilight.
"Why? Why did you protect me?" Twilight asks incredulously, looking at me, sitting on the floor. "And how did you know about her plan for eternal night?
"I told you. I know things. Now, we know she is going to the castle of the Two Sisters. We are going to need to com..." I start, before a blue and rainbow blur shows up right in my face.
"All right bub. Spill the beans. Who are you? Are you some sort of spy she sent? what did you do with our princess!?" Rainbow Dash starts shaking me, and interrogating me, she stared at my face, huffing wildly.
"Rainbow, stop!" Twilight pulls Rainbow Dash off of me. "Didn't you see him trying to protect me? He's on our side...I think."
"You think?" Applejack asks, joining the group "Whaddya mean, you think?"
"Well, I can't trust him completely yet, but he seems like he wants to help, and frankly, I don't think we have much of a choice either way. Come one girls...and Fawkes. Let's head back to the Library, so we can formulate a plan. We've got to stop Nightmare Moon!
Author's Note: And with that, the first episode is over. There are some interesting changes coming up, so, hopefully that will be interesting to you guys. as always, please let me know if you have any suggestions to improve the general quality of the writing,