Moondancer (1st person)

My head vibrates lightly from the rattling window it rests upon; the aged-felt seat I sat against provides little comfort to my tired body, and the click-clack of the train riding along the tracks proves little use in blocking out the intruding thoughts racing in my mind. The entirety of my form is aflame by the fuel of concern, and these damn eyes of mine won't tear themselves away from mister Pucci, who silently sat next to me.

He seemed so…sad, in a way.

To an outsider, his usual stonewall expression would typically block any form of inner emotion from leaking out, having the side effect of putting off some ponies. Yet, I can see past his visage of cold-heartedness to see the tender and soft stallion he was. A barely noticeable eye twitch, his lip corners elevating slightly, and even when his nostrils flare, it's all like a book of what he thought that only I could decipher. Sure, he has become uptight and emotional recently, but I've seen where he's coming from in his stress. However, it was a strange sight for me to see, one in which my eyes couldn't believe, even when they were looking right at it.

His eyes were downcast toward the train car's floorboards; his brow furrowed more than usual, his mouth on the verge of turning into a frown. But in my boss's eyes…they held the obnoxious outlier to his inner story. Those eyes filled themselves with profound sadness and apprehension that I found myself turning blue just by looking into them- which was a first, considering how many times I found myself lost in them with a completely different feeling. It made me wonder why he felt such a way, especially since it was Heart's Warming Eve, one of the most joyful holidays of the year.

Maybe I'm overthinking things again; all that paperwork for entering E.S.S.U exhausted me, and most likely, it's the same for Mister Pucci, considering he just got out of surgery. Still, my instincts haven't failed me yet, so I could at least watch out for now.

"Next stop: Ponyville Station!" Announced a voice from the train car's worn speakers, electing an ear-piercing screech momentarily as they turned off.

After minutes of waiting, the train slowed to a crawl before finally halting at a crowded platform, creatures of all races waiting eagerly to get aboard the candy-themed locomotive. Wordlessly, Pucci sat up and left the seat with me close behind, shuffling and weaving through the crowd of exiting passengers until we eventually made contact with the outside. Walking further, we soon left the station and arrived on Ponyville streets.

In front of us, we were equally perplexed at the scene of multiple ponies putting up festive decorations and lights, covering about every surface in sight that wasn't the ground and a few fortunate objects.

Obviously, we knew they were setting up for a festival, with all the holiday-themed stands stocking up on treats for the inevitable town-wide party tonight. What confused us- mostly me -was how they accomplished a large task like that in little time. It had been a couple of hours since my second departure for Canterlot, and I knew there wasn't a soul in sight when I walked to the train station this morning. Either I got up REALLY early, or they were serious about their festivities.

"Moondancer," Said Pucci; I looked over to see him gazing at me with his usual expression, sans the previous emotional signs. "I have to ask: why did you follow me instead of staying in Canterlot?" He asked innocently, his eyebrow raising slightly.

Awkwardly, I rubbed the back of my head with a sheepish expression as my eyes lowered, trying to keep the embarrassed blush from forming. "W-Well, um, you see, sir." I half-muttered, "I…don't exactly have anypony to visit this holiday. My other friends have their families to spend the holiday with, and my parents are still on their 'Around Equus Trip'- there in the dragon kingdom the last I checked. " Diverting my gaze further, I lowered my head while kicking up snow. What am I doing? I should leave him alone; Pucc's been through enough. I'll only bother him and his family.

"So, I take it you're alone this holiday?" Pucci's voice asked. When I nodded in confirmation, he hummed with contempt. "Is that why you followed me back to Ponyville?"

"Yeah," I meekly replied, "I-If it isn't a-an issue, s-sir," I began to say, feeling my body heat nullify the cold around me as a darkened blush escaped my concentration. "C-c-can I stay with y-you tonight?" Managing to barely get my words out in a near whisper, every muscle within me tensed in anticipation of my boss's answer. Visions from days prior flood my mind again, the two of us alone, cuddled up by a warm fire, weakening my knees at the thought of being so close to him.

"Alright, I don't see why not?"

OH, MY FUCKING CELESTIA, YES!

Nearly fainting from the sudden wave of shock knocking into me like a speeding wagon full of bombs, I looked up at Pucci with immense bewilderment. "R-Really?!" I asked loudly, gaining the attention of a few passing ponies before they continued with their day.

Nodding, Pucci motioned his head forward and started to approach and eventually enter the marketplace, with me quickly following behind like an excited pup. "Yes. Seeing how you're lacking ponies that, of which, are closest to you to visit, It's only reasonable to go to your friends next." He explained, turning left at a crossroad, leading us to an exceptionally decorated residential street.

"But, sir," Finding the right way to put my words, I looked over to a colt and a filly running circles around their parents as they all walked down the opposite side of the street, the young ones in an apparent game of tag. They laughed joyfully as their parents watched with smiles on their faces, stuffed shopping bags at their sides. "Don't you…have anypony to spend the holiday with besides me?"

"What about your family?"

To my surprise and confusion, Pucci stopped instantly the second the words left my mouth, almost causing me to crash into his flank. Due to my position behind my boss, I couldn't see his face, denying me the ability to read his expression. Even so, I could see something I said managed to upset him, as I could practically feel the essence of…something radiating with his posture alone. His shoulders sagged, his head bowed, and the muscles in his jaw tightened to a terrifying degree to the point I thought his jaw was on the verge of shattering. What had I said to anger him? Was it…the last thing I said that ticked him off? Nothing else seemed off or offensive, especially toward Pucci. If that was the case, what is it with his family that caused him to act like…this?

Taking a tentative step back, I was ready for the oncoming berating I'd dreaded for so long, thinking this was the tipping point. Surprisingly, mister Pucci's posture, instead, visibly straightened out to its usual position as he took a deep breath through his muzzle, then turned to me with a neutral expression.

"It is…a long story, Moondancer." He slowly said, "Just know: we are not in contact anymore." Turning away, Pucci resumed walking without another word. Snapping out of my recovery from the sudden shift in attitude, I quickly caught up to him, now residing to his right side.

From then on, we made the rest of the way toward Pucci's home, not speaking to each other in awkward tension.

Just what was going on in that head of his?

—-

?(3rd person)

"W-Where?" He mumbled groggily, a dull pain throbbing at the back of his head. His mind swam as much as his vision had, or lack thereof, considering it was pitch black all around him. For some strange reason, his body felt like it was floating in mid-air. Not like he was dead or held in somepony's levitation spell, but more like his body dangled from someplace high up by unknown means.

Blinking the blurriness from his vision, he took note of what little he could see around him. The most notable traits of his location were the lack of light…and the smell.

Usually, there would be at least an indicator of light leaking from a covered window somewhere, most commonly covered with a curtain or blocked off by an object. Even then, not one ray of precious light made itself present, and guessing by the chilly temperature and lack of air drafts, it was safe to say he was somewhere underground or in a building lacking air conditioning and with boarded-up windows. Neither scenario would be new to him.

Still, he had to force his strangely aching body from emptying his empty stomach onto the floor; the smell that suffocated his lungs burned his eyes. To him, he knew this smell all too well in his profession. But to an ordinary creature, they might compare it to rotted fruits and garbage mixed with a relative's week-old laundry. But that example didn't come close, far from it. This smell told everything he knew about what type of situation he was in and potentially why.

The putrid scent of rotten flesh and copper infested with writhing maggots.

Death.

Keeping his cool, he attempted to move his forelegs and get out of whatever held him above the ground. As he does so, however, a searing pain shoots through both his forelegs like lighting bolts, making him hiss in discomfort. Trying his hind legs, it resulted in the same thing. Was there something…poking through his flesh?

"I wouldn't try doing that, Smooth Move." Came a voice from the dark, sounding both feminine and masculine.

Flinching at the sudden voice, Smooth Move quickly tried to spot the voice's owner but to no avail; the darkness was too thick, and not even a subtle outline could be seen. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait as a faint glow grew brighter and brighter until it was next to his face at eye level, making the stallion shut his eyes tightly from the burning sensation in his retinas. Following that, strange shuffling sounds bounced off the wall around him, like the stranger was moving something across a concrete ground while moving other things out of the way, eventually stopping just before him.

A soft giggle came from above, "You may open your eyes again." The voice said, amusement thick in their tone.

Reluctantly, Smooth Move slowly pried his eyelids apart to see the light that had blinded him was dimmer now. An old oil lap sat on a wooden stool inches from his face, but that's not what caught his attention; it was the pony sitting behind it. Either Smooth Move was closer to the ground than he realized, or the other pony was abnormally tall, as only Smooth Move could make out his torso and forelegs with the provided lantern light. They wore a clean red vest, black dress shirt, and a long, red necktie with a wavy design resting against their chest. The most Smooth could see of the pony's face was the bottom outline of their chin.

"W-Who the hell are you?" Smooth Move questioned, his voice dry and hoarse, "Are you with the Strong Arm family?" He growled, ready to attack the potential low-life gangster despite his limbs' earlier pain.

Another amused giggle, "I'm sorry, I don't know who you're talking about." They said, no sign of deceit or trickery in their voice.

"Then tell me where I am!" Smooth Move demanded, gaging and coughing a bit after raising his voice. "Do you belong to another family then? Is this some form of ransom? I'll have you know that I have connections, man, and they won't take kindly to those who hurt their employers. So here's a deal, release me, and I'll pretend none of this happened, kay?" He lied smugly, planning on intimidating the stranger and sicking some of his "friends" after the coward released him. "I'll have you know I'm with the fuckin' Stable house family. You have any idea who they are, right? If so, then you'll know who back's them up!" He shouted, holding back the offending coughing sensation to retain his act of bravo.

Moments of nothing went by, and neither Smooth nor the stranger said a word; Smooth Move grinning cockly, and the latter remained motionless. Had he scared the bastard stiff with a threat like that? Of course, he did, everypony knows not to mess with the Stable House family and its members! After what felt like hours, Smooth Move's grin faltered as the stranger stood up and began calmly moving to the right. He waited with bated breath, wondering what the shadowed pony planned.

Unfortunately, his answer was quickly answered when a gloved hoof applied pressure to his back, bringing back the pain his arms and legs felt in full force, causing him to release a cry of agony as his limbs were set aflame from the inside.

"You. Are. Not. In the position of making demands tainted one." The stranger whispered, their voice centimeters away from Smooth Move's ears, sending uncomfortable shivers down his spine. The stranger backed away, walking towards the wooden stool. "You are here to be reborn in her image, now on such a joyous day. The sins you've committed in your life shall be lifted from your soul's shoulders." The stranger explained, retrieving the lantern before circling behind Smooth Move. "I'm the savior to bring your salvation, tainted one." There was a momentary clank of metal before a glow from the lantern shined down onto Smooth Move.

What he saw as the light erased the darkness made him lose the fighting battle for his stomach's control, letting the stallion mostly dry heave at the scene due to his empty stomach. After so, tears built up in the corners of Smooth Move's diner-plate-sized eyes; his irises were practically pinpricks. "W-What the hell?!" He shouted fearfully, tears of pain and terror rolling down his cheeks.

"Sadly," The voice began, electing a pitiful whimper from Smooth Move as the clopping of hooves approached his field of vision. "They weren't so lucky. A lack of experience on my part that I deeply regret." The stranger sadly sighed as they stopped where they started- behind the wooden stool. "But that issue has been refined. Now, If you aren't strong enough to bare her granted gift of a new life, then your soul will rest with the others in a more… peaceful place." They said caringly, running a gentle hoof across Smooth Moves cheek, which he was too terrified to deny. "Now that the first stage is completed-" Their horn ignited with a bright green glow, and a scalpel enveloped in a similarly colored aura floated to their side. "-let's see if you're worthy of her grace." They said, madly smiling from ear to ear as they moved the scalpel closer to Smooth Move's face.

All he could do was scream.

—-

Moondancer (3rd person)

Ponyville was better than Canterlot, hooves down.

Around this time, in the pearly white mountain-side city of Canterlot, the festivities of a holiday such as Heart's Warming Eve would be generally looked down upon by the high-class nobles. To them, it was no more than a "peasant comradery" for country trash to enjoy instead of doing something useful with their lowly lives. There were those daring few who disagreed with the noble's sentiments, those who climbed the social ladder, or the rare nobles with an ounce of humility and joy.

Still, nothing back home held a candle to what Moondancer was experiencing. Even her family's usual quaint schtick of setting up a couple of lawn ornaments, hanging lights, and decorating a withering tree paled in comparison.

Gone were the troubles that plagued her for the past week, the tiredness from the hours of lost sleep, and the thoughts about working for a secret organization.

Right now, she was alive.

"Sweet Celestia, this taste so goood!" Moondancer thought, her pleasured moan muffled by the hoof-sized ball of strawberry-flavored cotton candy in her maw.

All around her, the near-blinding multi-colored lights and decorations complimented the joyful atmosphere of the town. Nearly every street she walked down was packed with creatures enjoying the many games, food stands, and holiday-themed attractions as much as she did. Carols sung by a large choir of local schoolchildren in the town center were carried by the wind, mixing perfectly with the sounds of laughter and ringing bells. Couples sat enjoying cups of hot cocoa, children waged snowball fights in the nearby park, and Moondancer swore she saw Discord giving out sentient candy canes to ponies. That last one must be a trick of the eye.

So, in short, Moondancer was having the time of her life.

"Hey, boss! You've got to-" Moondancer began to say as she turned around mid-stride until she noticed an absent somepony. "Where'd he go?" She muttered with a furrowed brow, finishing the rest of her cotton candy. Moondancer knew Pucci was following her; she practically dragged him here in her hast to experience the festival. He did say he wanted to go somewhere first but had agreed to stay with her for a few minutes before leaving.

Sighing, Moondancer levitated the paper cone that held her cotton candy into a nearby trash can. They were going to be on a tight schedule from now on, so pleasantries like this won't be lasting as long anymore, unfortunately. Looking up to the sky, her eyes widened at seeing the moon's position in the black abyss above. "I guess I did lose track of time." She muttered, looking down with a reluctant expression, "As much as I hate to leave, it's getting pretty late." Celestia did say she expected her and mister Pucci to be up early tomorrow to begin their training anyway.

With a heavy heart, Moondancer began her search for the stallion. But as time passed, her feeling shifted from sadness at her departure from the festival to annoyance at her failure to find mister Pucci. High and low, behind stands, and in thick crowds of ponies, Moondancer couldn't locate the taller-than-average stallion no matter how hard she squinted her eyes. Not that it was hard to find him in a crowd, but this was ridiculous. Now that she thought about it, he never said where he was bucking going!

"Moondancer?" A familiar voice called out. Turning to whoever said her name, Moondancer was surprised to see the stallion from the cafe last night, Rough Diamond, standing in front of a candy display in the same attire. "Is something bothering you again?" He asked, concern written on his face.

With a subdued look of exasperation, Moondancer approached the tall stallion. "Yeah, I'm looking for my boss. He had to run off somewhere; I don't know where he went." Moondancer sighed.

Chuckling heartily, Rough Diamond placed a hoof on Moondancers Shoulder, dismissing the uneasy look on her face. "I do hope my advice worked, yes?" He asked, a friendly grin on his face. Despite the affable feeling he projected, Moondancer couldn't help but feel unnerved by the guy, even if it wasn't as bad as last time.

"Y-Yeah, I guess," Moondancer answered quickly, shifting her standing towards the candy stand, causing Rough diamond's grip on her shoulder to release. "I decided to forgive him for the most part. Just sucks that he tends to run off." She said, mumbling the last part irksomely. Turning her head to the still-smiling Rough Diamond, Moondancer ignored her uneasiness and put on a mask of confusion, cocking her eyebrow up. "Oh, have you seen him, Diamond? He's a little shorter than you, black coat, weird white mane-"

"Deary, I am well aware of who your friend is." Rough Diamond interrupted.

Moondancer's brow furrowed, "Huh, I don't remember you meeting him. How do you-?"

"Hiya Moony!"

"AH!" Jumping back in fright, Moondancer lit her horn, thinking somepony was about to jump her. In reality, Moondancer's annoyance only increased upon seeing a beaming Pinkie Pie standing behind the candy stand, a comically large styrofoam cup balancing on her back. "Pinkie Pie? What the hell?!" She angrily shrieked as she stared daggers at the party pony, her horn's magic dissipating.

Placing the large foam cup on the candy stands counter, Pinkie waved to the irritated unicorn with her ever-present smile. "Nice to see you too, Moony!" She giggled happily, "What brings you here on this fantastical night?" She asked, resting her right elbow on the table's edge.

Moondancer, not wanting to make a scene, held back the urge to scream at the hyperactive mare any further and resorted to giving her an annoyed look. "Hello to you too, Pinkie." She sighed, remembering how eccentric the mare was at a Galloping Galla years ago. "I was just looking for my friend, Pucci Star Ray, and I don't know where he went; have you seen him?" She asked the pink mare. It was not like she had many leads to go off of, mister Pucci was four days newer to Ponyville than she was, and he wasn't exactly the social type, so not many ponies would know him, right?

"Oh, Percy?" Percy? "Yeah, I saw the big-ol' grumpy pants, alright." Pinkie said with an eye roll.

Dismissing the surprised look she sported, Moondancer placed her front hooves on the candy stand and leaned closer to Pinkie Pie. "Really, you've seen him?" Cocking an eyebrow, Moondancer focused on the last few words Pinkie said. "And what do you mean by 'grumpy pants'?" She asked, nearly gagging at the foalish title rolling off her tongue.

Giggling, she took a small bag of bits from Rough Diamond. "Well, it is kinda hard to forget somepony when they have a HUGE screaming match with Rarity of all ponies during their welcome to Ponyville part." She said, storing the small bag in her wild mane.

"Why did I expect anything else?" Moondancer deadpanned mentally, "But what does Rarity have to do with Pucci, and why did they yell at each other?" As far as Moondancer knew, mister Pucci hadn't mentioned anything relating to the element of generosity. Maybe the two were having a disagreement that went out of hoof. Somepony she knew yelling at such a kind pony as Rarity left a bad taste in her mouth since Rarity had led multiple charities for all sorts of things shortly after her clothing brand skyrocketed in sales. She was practically a saint in the eyes of all ponies, to Moondancer's knowledge at least.

"Okay, that's nice," Moondancer hurried up, "Can you tell me where he went?" She asked the party pony.

"Sure," Pinkie beamed, "He went down that way, took a right, then a left, and headed straight towards the spooky part of town~," She said sinisterly, moving her forelegs in an unnaturally wavy motion.

Ignoring her antics, Moondancer nodded and set her hooves on the snowy ground. "Thanks for the directions, Pinkie. I own you one." She smiled thankfully, not minding how Pinkie had such specific directions. Looking at where the party pony pointed, she wasn't lying about it looking…spooky. Besides the decreasing density of creatures populating said path, it also seemed to suck in the surrounding light until a dark hole was barely visible beyond the horizon.

"Hehe, no prob, Moony." Pinkie said, waving a dismissive hoof with a flattered expression. "Welp, Back to making more sweets!" She proclaimed before disappearing behind the candy stand with the sound of a metal door slamming shut.

Turning to leave the stand, and the weird pink mare, behind, she was stopped by the cough of a stifled cough from Rough Diamond. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask something of you, my dear." He said, hefting the foreleg-tall cup onto his back. "When you find yourself in any trouble, or you need somepony to talk to, my door is always open." He smiled kindly.

"Um…sure, I'll think about it," Moondancer said, returning Rough's smile with one of her own, "see ya!"

Waving goodbye to the tall stallion, Moondancer set forth, continuing her search for her boss. She moved and snaked her way through the crowded streets, nearly avoiding running foals, expertly avoiding flying snowballs, all the while keeping a close eye out. It took nearly all her willpower not to get distracted by the attractions around her, enticing the mare with their sounds and smells like a festive siren song.

Eventually, Moondancer broke through the sea of ponies and creatures, finding herself at the front end of the ever-darkening streets before her. A gust of air blew past her with a haunting howl, sending a shiver through her body.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, she proceeded forward.

Every step felt colder than the last, as well as the air, with the soft crunch of the crystalized moister becoming deeper and deeper as she went on. Snow started to rise at her knees, making it harder for her to move, yet she persisted. Why would mister Pucci come all the way out here if it was getting this cold? Despite covering almost his entire body, Pucci's coat isn't meant for this cold weather since it was made from silk. The thought of her boss sitting in the snow, shivering and dying from a cold, formed a pit in her stomach, causing the mare to hurry her pace.

Along the way, she spotted hood prints in the built-up snow the same size as mister Pucci. Now knowing she was on the right path, the flame of determination burned hotter inside her as Moondancer walked on further, the warmth of her jacket slowly draining away.

By the time she reached the end of where Pinkie's directions had said to go, Moondancer looked puzzled at a structure that stood dozens of meters away from her. Around 4 meters tall, an ominous iron gate remained, a gate of the same material stretching on from booths sides around an unknown location. Its surface was covered in snow with a hint of rust underneath, one of the gate's halves getting barely pushed forward and back by the wind, electing a sharp squeaking noise with every movement.

Moondancer approached the gate with a lump in her throat, stopping under and looking up at a snow-covered sign bolted to the gate. Quickly gazing at the ground, Moondancer found and levitated a decently sized rock in her magic before chucking it at the sign, knocking most of the snow loose.

Ponyville local cemetery

Established in 987 B.B.