Autumn Leaves Chapter 4 -Bad Moon Rising-

Autumn Leaves

Chapter Four

-Bad Moon Rising-

 

Three Years Later

 

Ages:

Anon-21

Applejack-21

Big Mac-23

Applebloom-10

 

>The days had begun to get longer and longer as Summer took hold of Equestria. The sun's rays warmed the air, and flowers in the valley had bloomed, sending the hills into a sea of color.

>The years had been more than kind to you and Applejack. You were even closer to her now than ever before, and you wouldn't have it any other way. Business for Sweet Apple Acres was booming, and things were looking up for your family. Then again, the business was always doing well enough, but this year you had been given a mighty fine sum of bits for a special event.

>If Dad could only see you now. He'd be proud of you, you just know it.

>The Summer Sun Celebration was only a day away, and the Apple family was given the honor of being in charge of the banquet.

>To be honest, you were excited. You had never met royalty before, and now Princess Celestia herself was going to come to Ponyville. The whole community was abuzz with excitement and anticipation. The entire Apple family had shown up at Sweet Apple Acres to help with the preparations as well, and by the looks of it you were going to have the food situation covered just in time.

>You stood in the kitchen of the farm house, chopping apples in order to make some apple crumbles.

"Hey, Fritter, can you go grab me some pie crust? I need to crush it up for the crumble, and I got my hands full at the moment."

>FRIT: "Can do!"

"Thanks, 'preciate it."

>The whole family was rushing about the farm, gathering fruit and delivering food to the town square. It was hectic, but it was home.

>As you finish cutting the apples you feel a small tug on your pants leg. You look over your shoulder and see Applebloom, a chef's hat on her head and her fur caked in flour.

"Applebloom what... what happened? You're covered in flour."

>BLOOM: "Well, Ah was tryin' t'bake a pie all bah mahself, but... uhm..."

"Do you need me to help?"

>She beams at you and nods, trotting towards the other part of the kitchen and jumping on top of a stool she had set up.

"Okay, let's take a look at this... pie of... yours.."

>Whatever Applebloom was making, it did NOT resemble a pie in any capacity. If anything, it looked like a scarred corpse of a pie, having been mauled by a Manticore.

>BLOOM: "Am Ah using too much sauce?"

"Uh... no. No I don't think sauce is the issue here."

>Applebloom wears a disappointed frown and sighs into her monstrosity, her ears turned down.

>BLOOM: "Aww shucks. If Ah can't make a little 'ole pie, how'm Ah ever gonna get mah cutie mark?"

"Still fretting about that, huh?"

>Applebloom nods dejectedly, but you give her a smile and a hug.

"No worries. You can't force these things, Applebloom. You just have to let it happen; it has to be the right moment. C'mon, I'll help you make another pie."

>She perks up and grins back at you, as the two of you begin making an apple cinnamon pie.

>BLOOM: "Say Anon, are ya' excited 'bout the princess comin' t'Ponyville t'night?"

"Mmhmm, you bet! What about you, are you excited?"

>BLOOM: "Am Ah?! You bet yer britches Ah am! Ah've never ever met a real princess b'fore!"

>You chuckle happily at Applebloom's giddiness. It's adorable to see her all fired up about meeting royalty. Perhaps all those fairy tales you read to her brought this on, you don't know for sure.

>The pie gets finished an hour later and Applebloom marvels at how it turned out. She bounces in joy, and flies at you for a hug.

>BLOOM: "Thanks Anon! Yer the best!"

>She plops the pie on top of her head and scuttles away and out of the farm to the rest of the family as they prepare even more dishes.

>You wash up, brush flour from your clothes, and go out to join the family, making your way through the crowd of earth ponies as they cook fresh meals.

>As you mingle with the crowd, you spot a hint of purple coming down the lane. Craning your neck, you're able to tell that the purple "thing" is actually a pony, a unicorn in fact. There's also a tiny... lizard? A tiny lizard walking alongside her.

>You'd never seen her before, and she definitely didn't look like anyone from town, so it seems like she must have been new.

>She trots down the dirt road and makes her way over to Applejack, and the two share a few words. Suddenly, you hear Applejack call to the rest of the family.

>AJ: "Soup's on, everyp0ny!"

>Everyone rushes over to the two of them, carrying a single dish with them as well in order to greet the new comer. You pick up a single apple and walk over to AJ and her new friend.

>AJ: "...Big Macintosh, Applebloom, aaaaand Granny Smith! Why, it's almost like you're part of the family!"

>AJ spots you and waves.

>AJ: "Oh, and this here's Anonymous, but you can call him Anon. All his friends do, after all! Anon, this is Twilight Sparkle. She's here t'make sure the food for the celebration is ready."

>You look to Twilight and nod, taking a bite of your apple.

>She gives you a quizzical look, then smiles sheepishly at Applejack.

>TWI: "Actually, I can see that you've got the food situation handled, so I should probably get going."

>BLOOM: "Yah mean ya won't stay fer supper?"

>Applebloom gives Twilight her puppy dog eyes, and you know that she won't be able to resist their power.

>Twilight stares at Applebloom, trying her best to resist her cute charm, but eventually gives in with a groan.

>TWI: "Fine."

>The whole Apple family cheers as they set more food down on the table Twilight sits down at, readying up for a quick, early supper.

>You've been up since the break of dawn, and you could honestly get away from the family for a little while and enjoy some time alone. You walk to Applejack, and kiss her on the forehead.

"Hey. I think I'm gonna head for the woods for a little while. Might go hunting."

>Applejack gives you harsh look.

>AJ: "Anooooon?"

>You sigh.

"I won't bring the carcass BACK to the farm again. Promise."

>Applejack still felt squeamish about you hunting, but she had gotten used to it long enough for her to not be utterly horrified at your actions. You mostly took down small game anyway, rabbits and the sort. If Fluttershy knew what you did in your off time, she'd have a heart attack.

>Incidentally, you once shared some bunny jerky with Rainbow Dash. She seemed to like it.

>AJ: "Good. Be safe, sweetheart. Oh, and TRY to make it back to Town Hall fer the celebration! Ah don't want ya t'miss seein' the princess after all."

"I'll be back before you know it, you have my word."

>She nuzzles your cheek and you head back to the farm, but are stopped when Twilight calls out to you.

>TWI: "Um, excuse me... sir?"

"Yes ma'am?"

>TWI: "If you don't mind me asking, uh, what are you, exactly?"

>You begin to answer, but Applebloom pops up in front of you.

>BLOOM: "He's a human! Mah sister found 'im in the orchard when he was only a little thing!

Ain't that right Big Mac?"

>MAC: "Eeyup."

>TWI: "Human?"

"Yes ma'am."

>TWI: "Strange, I've never heard of a "human" before."

"Well, before coming here I'd never heard of magical, talking ponies. So I guess we're more alike than people think."

>TWI: "People?"

"Ponies."

>TWI: "Oh."

"Well it was nice meeting you, Ms. Sparkle. Make sure this bunch doesn't feed you ALL the food, we have to save some for the celebration after all."

>Twilight gives a weak smile as she sees the cornucopia of food laid out for her. You grin, and head to the farm, grabbing your hunting gear and heading out.

>Bow? Check.

>Quiver? Check.

>Arrows IN the Quiver? Double Check.

>Knife? Yup.

>Heading towards the Everfree forest, you plan for a couple of hours among the ancient trees.

>All in all, this seemed like a great day so far.

>You enter the forest, the afternoon sun shining through the forest's tree tops, illuminating the twisting roots of the forest floor.

>You walked for a mile or two into the dense backwoods, and eventually come to a small clearing. You stop here to string up your bow and ready yourself one last time.

>You take a knee to the ground, inspecting the area around you.

>Signs of slight trampling along the grass, as well as a few rabbit droppings suggest a den of rabbits nearby, but the faint sign of hoof prints give you a better idea. They appear to be much smaller than a pony's. A deer then? That could work.

>You make your way further into the brush.

 

Hours Later

 

>You sat in the branches of a tree, eying a young buck as he ate amongst some tall grass.

>You'd been tracking this deer for hours now, putting yourself deeper and deeper into the forest. It was getting close to sunset, so you had to make this quick.

>Drawing an arrow from your quiver, you slowly take aim at the deer, drawing back the bow and readying a shot.

>Breathe in.

>Aim.

>Breathe out.

>And... Fi-

>You stop your hand as the deer darts his head upwards and stares at you.

>Right into your eyes.

>It wasn't even a possibility, he was definitely looking right at you.

>You stared at the buck, his eyes unblinking as you held the arrow taught.

>Why did you hesitate? You've killed deer before, this should be simple. Just release the arrow. Shoot it.

>Still the deer stared into your eyes.

>Shoot it!

>...

>You lower your bow and return the arrow to your quiver. The deer would live today, and as soon as you ceased aiming at it, it calmly bounds off into the wood.

"...dammit."

>You suppose that deep down, you couldn't really kill it. Not when it was staring at you in the eye like that. Almost as if it dared you to take the shot. It didn't flinch, not for a second. It just stood there, resolute in its fate... and you spared it.

>You grumble at yourself, and jump from the tree to the forest floor below and began to make your way back to town. This had been an unproductive outing to say the least, and you'd yet again go on longer without meat.

>Oh well, it was the least of your worries.

>You pick up the pace when you note how close to dusk it was getting, and quickly make your way through the forest back to Ponyville.

>After all, you had promised Applejack you'd be at the celebration on time, and you intend to keep that promise.

>You debate whether or not to take your gear back to the farm, but the sight of the moon rising into the sky sways you to just go to town hall before you're late.

>Stepping through the hall's doors, you are assaulted by a sea of ponies as they eagerly chat and mingle with one another. You look around for any sign of orange, and you eventually spot Applejack standing amongst her friends. She spots you too, and waves you over as you wade through the crowd of multicolored equines.

>AJ: "Hey there sugarcube, ya made it!"

"Made a promise, didn't I?"

>You give her a wink and she smiles up at you, popping to her hind legs to give you a quick kiss. Rainbow Dash grunts.

>DASH: "Oh get a room you two."

>FLUTTER: "I think it's rather cute, actually."

>DASH: "Of course you do, Fluttershy. You think everything is cute."

>FLUTTER: "Well, I think there's always cute in everything. Is, uhm, is that bad?"

>RARITY: "Not at all dear, beauty can be found in many things. Even in Anon's... questionable fashion sense."

"All I'm wearing is jeans and a shirt, Rarity."

>RARITY: "Exactly, darling."

>PINK: "Oooh ooh ooh! Anon, did'ja meet our new bestest friend today?"

>She motions over to Twilight, who is currently looking out the window nervously and fidgeting. She seemed REALLY paranoid, even at the supper earlier at the farm.

"Oh yeah, Twilight right? Good to see you."

>She doesn't respond, and just keeps staring at the moon with worry on her face.

>You nudge Applejack and whisper to her.

"What's up with that one?"

>AJ: "Oh she's just a plum nervous is all. Can't blame her mahself, really, what with her bein' sent here by Celestia herself t'make sure everything goes smooth like."

"Huh. I guess that makes sense."

>AJ: "Anon, ya still have all yer huntin' gear on ya?"

"What? Oh, right, sorry about that. I got caught up with a deer in the forest and-"

>Applejack looks worried, but you reassure her.

"-no, I didn't kill it. I couldn't. Long story. Anyway, I didn't want to be late so I just kept it on me."

>AJ: "That's fine, sweetheart, really. Ah'm just glad ya made it is all."

>You give her nose a quick nuzzle and turn back to the balcony above.

>The crowd dies down as Rarity and Mayor Mayor take positions above, and the Mayor clears her throat.

>MAYOR: "Mares and Gentlecolts, may I have your attention please? Tonight, we celebrate the longest day of the year, and await the sunrise to usher in a new day for this, our Summer Sun Celebration!"

>The ponies around you all clap and burst out in cheer. You clap your hands with a smile on your face.

>MAYOR: "And so it is with great honor that we welcome our ruler, who has lead Equestria into times of peace and harmony... Princess, Celestia!"

>Rarity pulls on the rope of the grand drape and flourishes the curtains open while the crowd bursts into an uproar of applause, applause that is quickly reduced to shocked gasps and silence.

>Where Celestia would have stood remained empty, devoid of their leader.

>Ponies begin to mutter and murmur in concern.

"I take it this isn't normal then."

>MAYOR: "Uhm, please remain calm everyp0ny. I'm sure that everything is fine!"

>TWI: "Oh no..."

>You turn to the purple unicorn, as her head darts from the balcony back to the window, a look of panic on her face.

>Did she know what was going on? She seemed extremely concerned... and what did she keep looking at?

>Your attention is brought back to the balcony as it is suddenly engulfed in dark shadows, gusts of stars and darkness swirling around it violently.

>You put an arm in front of Applejack instinctively and shield your eyes from the torrent of shadow. When it dies down, a jet black alicorn stands atop the balcony, cold eyes looking down upon the crowd.

>You whisper to Applejack in a hushed voice.

"Something tells me this is NOT the princess."

>AJ: "You're tellin' me."

>The alicorn gives a speech, something about her being royalty, how no one in the crowd, her "subjects" she calls them, recognizes her. That's when Twilight speaks up.

>TWI: "I know exactly what you are. You're the legendary Mare in the Moon: NIGHTMARE MOON."

>The crowd gasps, but you begin to slowly back into the crowd, trying to get some cover in among the ponies as you draw an arrow from your quiver.

>NIGHT: "So, someone remembers me hmm?"

>You slowly notch the arrow onto your bow, and draw it back steadily.

>NIGHT: "Well you're right, and now that your princess is gone, I will rule Equestria once more! And the night, will last, FOREVER!"

>You let the arrow fly at Nightmare Moon, but she disappears in a swirl of stars and shadows before it can connect.

"Dammit."

>The crowd panics, and ponies run and sprint around the room as you try to get back to Applejack, who is also making her way to you.

>AJ: "Anon! What's happenin'?

"You're asking me? I have no clue! Where's Applebloom?"

>You whirl around and scan the room frantically for the little yellow filly, and see Big Mac near the exit of the town hall, Applebloom on his back.

>You feel the fear in your heart disappear as Mac Waves, and leaves the hall with Applebloom safely.

>Applejack lets out a sigh of relief.

>AJ: "She's safe. Good. Alright girls, let's stay calm now. We-... where's SHE goin'?"

>Twilight is galloping out of the hall with spike on her back, her demeanor much more determined than the scare crowd.

>DASH: "I bet she knows what's going on! C'mon, let's follow her!"

>You and the other five follow dash as you all go after Twilight Sparkle. Dash was right, she had to know what was going on. She had known who that alicorn was, and she looked more than suspicious during her arrival.

>Eventually you make it to the library and find Twilight rummaging through a pile of books.

>DASH: "Hey! What's going on? Why did you know who Nightmare Moon was? Are you a SPY?!"

>Applejack grabs a hold of Dash's tail and pulls her away from Twilight.

>AJ: "Woah now Rainbow, calm down girl. Twilight, she's right. Ya do know what's going on, dont'cha?"

>Twilight nervously looks to all of you before giving in, and telling you the whole story.

 

One Hour Later

 

>You and six ponies trudged through the Everfree forest, embarking on a quest to find what Twilight referred to as "The Elements of Harmony." Apparently Nightmare Moon had once been defeated by Celestia with them, and seeing as Celestia was nowhere to be found, the six and you decided it was up to you to find them and stop Nightmare Moon once and for all.

>And you thought today would be a good day. Shows what you know.

>Rainbow is currently in the process of spooking Fluttershy and the gang.

>DASH: "You know what they say about the Everfree forest?"

>FLUTTER: "Uhm, well I-"

>A hint of dark, starry blue catches your eye, and you stop in your tracks, staring at where it was.

>DASH: "Anyp0ny that's gone in, has never come... OUT!"

>Suddenly the sound of rumbling snaps you back to attention, and you see that the cliff side has crumbled underneath the ponies' hooves, sending them spiraling down the cliff.

"APPLEJACK!"

>You break out into a sprint and look over the edge and see that Applejack is holding onto Twilight, saving her from a perilous fall.

>Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy snatch up Pinkie and Rarity, then catch Twilight as she lets go of Applejack.

>Applejack looks up at you and waves.

>AJ: "Ah'm alright! We all are! What about you?"

"I'm fine. I wasn't on the edge of the cliff when it crumbled... I don't really see a safe way down this thing from here, do you?"

>AJ: "Not really, no. Ah'd assume Dash or Fluttershy could pick ya up, but yer gonna be too heavy for them t'carry ya."

"So I find my own way down the mountain then? Alright, I can do that. I'll meet you guys at the ruins of the old Canterlot castle."

>AJ: "You promise?"

>You give her a smile.

"Always do! Stay safe!"

>Applejack bounds down the cliff and you raise yourself back up and continue down the mountain. The trail you're on would lead you into the a gorge, but you knew that you'd eventually catch back up with the mane six. For now, you were on your own.

>Making your way down the mountainside was a bit harder than you thought it'd be. You stumble more than once trying to scale the rocky terrain, almost losing your balance and tumbling down.

>Planting your feet on the forest floor below, you spot the tip of the spire of the ancient Canterlot Castle in the distance and make your way towards it.

>A river eventually blocks your path, but you dive in and swim across, fighting the current as best you can. Drenched to the bone, you carry on towards the castle.

>As you carry on, you spot something glinting on the ground. You pick it up, and realize that it's a key. Not thinking anything of it, you place it in your pocket.

>Unbeknownst to you, a dark trail of shadow and stars followed you close.

>Eventually you came to a rickety rope bridge that carried over to the other side of the canyon, a shroud of mist covering the ground around you.

>As you approach it though, a voice creeps into your skull.

>"No no, not that way. Look behind you."

>You spin around, expecting to see whoever is talking. Instead you simply see a door.

>A lone door, standing in the forest.

>It looks so... familiar.

>You cautiously approach the door, and realize that there's a peephole on it.

>Glancing back to the bridge, you decide that it couldn't hurt to at least take a quick look. How often to doors just appear in the middle of the Everfree?

>You squint into the peephole and peer past the door.

>You breath catches at what you see.

>It's a living room.

>And sitting in a chair in the center is a man.

>A older, disheveled looking man, his eyes sad.

>You can't believe what you're seeing right now. It can't be... but it was.

"...dad?"

>You try to open the door, but it's locked tight. You slam your fist a couple of times on the door, trying to get your father's attention, but he doesn't budge. He just sits forlorn in his chair, his face in his hands.

>"You miss him, don't you?"

>The voice sounded low and feminine, a regal are laced within it.

>"He misses you. Just look at him, alone and downtrodden."

>You can see that your father's shoulders are slowly shuddering as he quietly cries into his hands.

"But... but I.."

>You pull out the key you found from your pocket and look to the door.

>"You could go to him, you know. You could have your old life back, with the simple turn of a key. All you have to do, is go inside."

>You slowly place the key into the lock.

"...what about my life here? Can I come back?"

>"NO."

>...

>"I'm afraid not. You must choose. Stay here with these small creatures, or go back home, to your family."

>You hold the key within the lock, your hand frozen in place as your mind races.

>"Well? Whata re you waiting for, dear? Go. Go on back to your family."

"I... yes. My family."

>You've made your decision, and the voice gently laughs.

>The laugh turns into an angered gasp as you let go of the key, still in the lock, and start walking towards the bridge.

>"Wha- What are you doing?"

"What you said. I'm going back to my family."

>"But your family is through the-"

"No... no it isn't. I miss my father, I do... but I'm not the son he wants back. He misses the small boy he lost nine years ago. I'm not that boy... and besides, I know where my family is."

>Your mind brings up images of Applejack's eyes, to your night in Manehatten.

"Thank you for the offer, but this place, Equestria, is my home now."

>The voice is silent, and the door dissolves into dark shadowy mist, and it disappears.

>Resolute, you carry on over the bridge and onward to the ruins of the castle.

>Did you make the right choice? You could have been back on Earth, with Dad. Your old friends... but as you make it to the entrance of the castle and make eye contact with Applejack, you know that you chose wisely. You wouldn't give up on that mare, not for anything.

>This was your home.

>AJ: "There ya are, Ah was startin' t'get worried."

"Hey, I made a promise didn't I?"

>AJ: "And you keep yer promises. Yeah, Ah know."

>She smiles up at you and you lean down to her for a hug.

>AJ: "Uhm, Anon?"

"Mmhmm?"

>AJ: "Why are ya covered in water?"

"River."

>AJ: "Oh. Well alright then."

>The rest of the group is there as well, all except Twilight.

"Where's the purple one?"

>AJ: "Twi? She's in the castle. She needed some space in order t'cast a spell fer the Elements. We're just waitin' out here fer her to finish-"

>A loud crack from within the ruins snaps all of you to attention, and you all race into the castle.

>MANE 6: "TWILIGHT!"

>In the time that you were separated from them, they've become friends with Twilight Sparkle.

>You draw your bow and ready it as you all enter the main chamber where Twilight begins a MASSIVE speech about the Elements of Harmony to Nightmare Moon.

>As she recounts how her friends have helped her, each one of them is lifted into the air and gives a magic necklace.

>Something about them embodying each Element of Harmony, you were too focused on aiming at Nightmare, your arrow ready to fire.

>Suudenly a bright rainbow blasts from the ponies and engulfs Nightmare Moon, reducing her to a scared, blue mare.

>You return the arrow to your quiver, and try to wrap your head around all this.

>Princess Celestia suddenly appears as well, and gives a speech about the importance of friendship to all of you.

>You're still trying to figure out how rainbows beat the big bad guy, but you forget about it. Pinkie Pie shouts about a party, and in an instant you're back in Ponyville among an excited crowd of ponies as they welcome their leader.

>You stand next to Applejack, drinking some punch as she munches on an Apple.

"Never a dull moment."

>AJ: "Nnnope."

"Hey."

>AJ: "Yeah?"

"Love you."

>AJ: "Never doubted ya."

>Hopefully this would be the only time Equestria would be thrust into peril when you were around.

>Unaware to you, Celestia eyes you from across the party, a steady look in her eyes.

>You'd be wrong.

>Dead wrong.

 

~End of Chapter 4~