*Chapter 2*
New Moon
Summer Blaze was asleep. He had not meant to fall asleep, of course, this was the day of the Summer Sun Celebration, how could he sleep?As it just so happens, a big lunch and a quick lie can be a dangerous combination.
He was having quite the strange dream. He was watching the sun rising in the sky, when suddenly, it changed it's trajectory and started to come right in his direction! It was funny, wasn't the sun supposed to be...hot? This particular star seemed to radiate no heat whatsoever. And in mere moments it was poking him in the face, while calling his name in a gratingly familiar voice.
"...Blaze, get up! C'mon, we'll be late for the sunrise! We're supposed to be in Canterlot, remember?"
Summer Blaze lifted his head from its resting place between his front hooves. "Alright, Dusk, I'm up!" he cried, dodging yet another furious prod from his baby sister's mighty hoof. Summer Blaze and Summer Dusk lived together in a spacious one-story house on the edge of Ponyville. Though Blaze and his sister had not been living here for more than a year, they had quickly taking a liking to the place.
They were both originally born in Mare-izona, but as soon as Summer Blaze was old enough to start work (he assisted in heavy construction using his magic) he received a cordial letter from Princess Celestia herself inviting them both to live in Ponyville. And one nine hour train ride later, they had settled in their new home, with Blaze looking after his sister ever since.
Both Summer Blaze and Summer Dusk had the same bright orange-green coat, and deep orange hair with a distinctive intense yellow highlight running the length of their manes. Also, there was another highly distinguishing feature between the two of them (aside from their gender of course. With their mother being an earth pony, and their father being a unicorn, it was highly probable that the magic power in the family would skip a generation, and while Summer Blaze inherited his father's unicorn genes, Summer Dusk, was born hornless. Even then, their cutie marks were similar; Blaze's was a full orange sun, swirled by three white cirrus clouds. And Dusk's resembled that of the sun dipping below the horizon.
"Up now!" Dusk gave Blaze's hind quarters a had shove and he fell from the bed.
"Alright, sheesh!" Blaze regained his footing as he shook his mane back into place. "Obviously you're rarin' to go."
"I can't wait to meet Princess Celestia face to face!" Dusk hopped about the room in a series of excitable circles, narrowly missing colliding with her brother.
Blaze focused his magic as he playfully lifted Dusk into the air. "And what makes you think the Princess will take time out just for you?" he chided her.
"I have all her story books!" Dusk retorted, her stubby filly legs pumping fruitlessly in the air. "I know everything about her; I'm her biggest fan!"
"I'll be sure to tell her that," Blaze said. he tossed his head and Dusk was deposited gently on the bed. "So when will the others be showing up?"
It was here that Dusk took to evoking a habit that she had adopted in her earliest years of life. She scrunched her face up and crossed her eyes, converging them on a spot on her forehead where (had she one to begin with) her horn would be. She called this, "Doing magic". "They should be here right...about..."
There was a knock on the front door.
"...Now! Aha! I really am magic after all!" And she galloped towards the door, flush with her victorious magical prediction.
Summer Blaze followed her, and in the foyer, he met his four best friends in Ponyville.
First was a Pegasus stallion named Nova Burst; his coat was a gleaming charcoal black and his hair was stark white against it, with his mane being cut like a Mohawk. His eyes were light green and his cutie mark was that of a comet in flight. Then there was the Pegasus mare, Fairweather; Her coat was a very moderate marigold and her hair was sky-blue. Her eyes were dark aqua and her cutie mark was a puffy white cloud with a mix of snow and raindrops falling across her flank.
Then there was the earth stallion, Ivy Leagues. His coat was rich chestnut and his slightly unkempt hair was dirty-blonde. His eyes were dark brown and his cutie mark was a picket fence with tendrils of ivy winding through it.
And lastly, there was the unicorn mare, Mirrorrim. (Mirror-rim) her coat was a lovely eggshell white and her hair was deep silver. Her eyes were a lighter silver than her coat, and her cutie mark was a round hand mirror with an elaborate gold frame.
Everypony exchanged highly excited and just slightly sleep deprived greetings, except for Mirrorrim, who sat politely on her haunches and gazed about Summer Blaze's candle-lit home.
"Hope you guys are ready for this!" Nova Burst chattered wildly.
"You kiddin'? I've been ready since yesterday!" Ivy Leagues retorted.
"I've been ready since forever!" Summer Dusk piped up.
"Oh, that's right, this is your first celebration, isn't it, Dusk?" Fairweather said gently.
"Yep! I'm gonna meet the princess!"
"So is everypony else; keep your horseshoes on, Dusk," Summer Blaze said patiently.
"I'm gonna meet the princess! I'm gonna meet the princess!" Dusk sang.
Mirrorrim cast a look at Blaze's clock and said calmly to the group, "If we intend to be in Canterlot in time, I suggest we leave now."
"Glad somepony around here can tell time," Blaze said. "Let's get a move on!" And the ponies trotted out the door and into the wonderfully cool night.
It was rather amazing, although the ponies alive today would never really know or seemingly appreciate, just how little effect the flow of time seemed to have on the small town of Ponyville. Here now, in the night hours, everything was lit by candles or faerie lights. The many dwelling, houses shops, and other buildings were still hewn from materials that were brought in on the strong backs of the earth ponies. The only real change of course, were the generations and generations of ponies that have lived in Ponyville over the time span during, and after the time of princess Twilight. And even then, and most certainly now, Ponyville has always been the small, out of the way, and charmingly rustic (as a certain pony had once put it) town where everypony knew everypony.
The group trotted along the town square, chatting happily about what they would see at the Summer Sun Celebration. They joined a queue of ponies along their way, all heading towards the gondola that would take them strait to Canterlot.
The gondola was one of the great innovations the pony mechanics had invented in the last few years. The gondola itself was a large, sturdy steel car that could easily accommodate fifty full-grown stallions. A series of nearly unbreakable cables spanned the distance between Ponyville and Canterlot, and the gondola would travel back and forth between the two locations. Of course, admission was not free; you needed to purchase a ticket to ride, or be on important official business for Canterlot. But on the night of the Summer Sun Celebration, a ticket was not required; everypony rode for free.
The group came to a stop as they joined a rather lengthy line formed at the gondola. "Oh my, I hope we make it on time..." Fairweather said.
Mirrorrim gazed up at the stars. After determining their position for a moment, she said to the group, "We will not make it. Celestia will be raising the sun in forty-five minutes."
"Ah, pony feathers!" Ivy snapped. "I reckon we shoulda left sooner..."
"But..but..."Summer Dusk was on the verge of tears, knowing she was going to miss her first Summer Sun Celebration.
"Well, there's always next year, Dusk," Summer Blaze said as he muzzled his sister's neck. "I knew that nap was a bad idea..."
"We can make it," Mirrorrim said.
Ivy looked to her, the skepticism plain in his wide eyes. " Now how do ya figure that, Mirror?" he said. "You said yerself we only got the forty-five minutes, and with this here line-a ponies in front of us, we're pretty much outta luck. Now, 'less you got a trick up yer mane..."
"Exactly," said Mirror. "Everypony gather up on me."
The five ponies gathered tightly around Mirror and waited. She then focused her magic through her horn as it glowed with a soft pearl-colored aura. And then, the six ponies simply vanished from the spot with a flash. And just as suddenly, they re-appeared inside the crowded gondola, just as the doors were sliding shut.
"Awesome!" Nova cried, rearing up and pumping his fore hooves through the air, nearly walloping a unicorn couple to his left. "That's our girl, Mirror!"
"It was clever, wasn't it?" Mirror said, preening in her triumph.
"Oh, I do feel sorry for those ponies we cut off," Fairweather said.
"Ah, they'll get in next time," Nova said back, high-hoofing Summer Dusk, whose hopes of seeing her first Summer Sun Celebration were now soaring higher than ever.
"Yeah, well the gondola ride still takes half an hour," Blaze said rationally. "We're still cutting it awfully close."
"Nutin' a good run won't fix," Ivy said as he began to stretch his legs to limber up.
"You don't think you could do that again, could you?" Blaze asked Mirror. "You could get us strait into Canterlot gardens!"
"I cannot," mirror said. "I can only teleport to places I've been to before, like this gondola for instance. I, however, have never even set hoof inside Canterlot gardens." She eyed Blaze thoughtfully, and somewhat critically. "How about yourself? Can you do it?"
"My magic isn't really good for teleportation," Blaze said back. "I'm more of a heavy lifter."
"Honestly. A unicorn that can't teleport? You should really brush up your repertoire, Blaze. In all the time I've known you-"
"All seven months you mean?"
The group laughed. Mirror, however, pointed her nose in the air. "Which is adequate time for you to learn new spell or two."
Summer Blaze laughed silently to himself. He had learned to take Mirror's haughty arrogance in stride and good humor, he knew it was just a sign of her prodigious intelligence, which she never bothered to hide.
All of the ponies squashed inside the gondola were starting to become rather uncomfortable now. Mirrorrim having crammed all six of their group inside the car along with all the other ponies making the trip was a rather foolish move. And on top of things, with so many bodies stuffed into a relatively small space, it was becoming quite hot inside. Fairweather beat her wings in an attempt to circulate the stagnant air. "Whew! I hope we're there soon."
Nova copied Fairweather's example as he flapped his wings. "It really could be a lot cooler in here, by at least twenty percent..."
"Hey, there it is!" Summer Dusk cried out. With some little difficulty she managed to hop onto her brother's shoulders and press her face to the window.
All of the ponies in the car now shuffled to the window for a view of Canterlot in all it's moon-lit splendor.
"It's amazing!" Fairweather said.
"It's just like I imagined!" Ivy said.
"It is a sight, alright," Blaze said.
Though the group had been living in Ponyville for time now, none of them had ever attended the Summer Sun Celebration before. But on this night, something that none of them could explain compelled them towards it. It was never spoken amongst them, nor was it something they even stopped to think about. It was just something that they could feel that drove them towards the castle. And Summer Blaze knew, that in more ways than one, something spectacular was awaiting him; all of them; in that garden tonight.
The gondola finally pulled into the station and the doors slid open, letting in a rush of refreshingly floral-scented air. The ponies piled out and immediately headed towards the Canterlot gardens. Fairweather wanted to stop and admire the wonderfully decorated grand station they have arrived in.
"And risk missing the sunrise? I don't think so! C'mon" Nova gave Fairweather a nudge that dislodged her nose from the flower she happened to be smelling.
Guided by signposts and Canterlot sentries that pointed the way, the party ran at a full gallop as they finally plowed into the grand Canterlot garden.
"Finally...made...it..." Though Blaze considered himself quite fit, the flat out run had left him thoroughly winded. Poor Mirror had sank her head between her forelegs as she gasped for breath.
"Aw c'mon, y'all!" cried Ivy Leagues, whom the run had not affected at all."Y'all really wanna be stuck in the back of this big 'ol crowd?"
There was, quite obviously, an enormous crowd of ponies here in the garden, all clamoring for a chance to see Princess Celestia up close, and witness the sunrise.
"We'll save you guys a seat up front!" Nova said, as he and Fairweather took flight over the crowd. The rest of the ponies pushed themselves determinedly, but politely to the front as fast as they could. Finally breaking the crowd, they caught up with the two Pegasi and caught their first glimpse of the grand garden stage.
At first, Blaze was absolutely sure he had walked into a dream. This couldn't be real; it wasn't possible. But he knew better; nothing about this was fictional, his suddenly skyrocketing heartbeat was telling him so. Right there on the stage before him, staring back into his very on eyes, was the most beautiful mare he had ever seen. Her glorious coat was the exact color of the darkest time of night just before dawn; her eyes, so wide, dark, and lovely, reflected the shimmer of the stars caught her magnificent, ever-flowing mane.
He was aware, but just oh so vaguely, of Summer Dusk prodding him in the chest, trying to call his attention somewhere else. But there was nothing in this world or the infinity of all others that could pull his eyes away from her.
Princess Luna.
Blaze suddenly remembered the stories in Dusk's picture books; how the sisters were depicted in them. No painting on earth could possibly begin to capture Luna's beauty, he thought. Though he also remembered that at one time Luna had become a creature of wicked darkness, Nightmare Moon. But that was in the past, Twilight Sparkle and the bearers of the elements saw to Nightmare Moon's defeat. It was all legend now, the stuff of story books.
Suddenly, everypony's attention was taken by the entrance of Princess Celestia herself. The ponies stomped their hooves as they relished in her presence. Celestia was quite beautiful too, Blaze thought. The story books hadn't done her justice either. But she in no way compared to Luna, who Blaze found his eyes on again.
But something about her had changed. Her eyes were not watching Celestia, who had just taken wing as she rose into the air above the sun altar, bringing the morning light with her. Luna's eyes were closed tight, as though she were harnessing all of her determination not to watch. Blaze thought for a moment that Luna had looked directly into the sun and had become temporarily blinded. But when she appeared to be talking to herself, is when Blaze became worried.
"She doesn't look so good..." he said to Nova Burst, was on his immediate left.
Nova had not heard him however, he was hovering in the air along with many other of the pegasus ponies in their rush of joyous elation. Blaze tugged hard on his tail to bring him back to earth. "Hey, ow!" Nova snapped. "What's the deal, Blaze?"
"Something's wrong with Luna," Blaze said, pointing a hoof at the distressed princess.
"Ah, she probably looked into the sun too hard or something," Nova said dismissively.
"No, I mean something is really wrong with her!" Blaze felt it a matter of life and death to covey this firmly to Nova, who's skull was often thicker than a brick wall in the best of times. "She might be sick or-"
"NOOO!"
A sudden rush of midnight darkness had overtaken Luna's body completely. Everypony's attention was immediately drawn to the bizarre phenomena. There were screams and stares as they witnessed the transformation of one of their princesses. And finally, standing fully revealed against the now blazing sun, was the entity that which the ponies of Equestria today have only read about in fairy tales.
Nightmare Moon.
*End of Chapter 2*
...
A/N:
Hurray for updates! Please excuse my rather staccato update pattern; little things like life; bills; and work kinda get in the way of fanfictin writing.
I'm sorry if this chapter didn't advance the story at all, I just wanted it to serve as an introduction to the new (my) mane six.
Among other things, I think I'm slowly improving my Yukiko in P4A (I can do a double maragi loop now!) And I plan on hittin' pokemon league hard in preparation for the upcoming regionals (10/26 mark it down pokemon players!)
I'd like to thank anyone who took the time to give my story a read, and hang tight for chapter three! I'll see you all again soon.