Now I know what a lot of my followers must be thinking: "he's back? I thought he moved to Wattpad because he wasn't getting enough constructive criticism here?" And to answer your questions, yes. I'm back. I'm back because though I get no constructive criticism here, I get no reviews at all on Wattpad. And since I no longer pursue the profession of Author, I have no problem writing fanfics in my spare time. And so, alongside completing my previous fanfic of Zootopia, I am beginning this one. "My Little Pony?!" Yes, MLP. A few Brony friends got me watching the show, and I got hooked, so here I am. This first chapter is mainly a lot of filler, showing how this new character of mine fits in to the whole timeline. It becomes my own side story, however, in the next chapter. So as always, read, review, and enjoy!

Way of the Wordsmith

Chapter 1

Erit Guption: A Stallion of power. No, not political. He was strong. Erit worked day by day as a mechanic, earning his living in bits. Aria Stargazer: a sumptuous Mare of great countenance. She worked as a mapper of stars, earning her keep by gaining and sharing knowledge. Such divergent souls, and yet upon meeting, their love became transcendent. And as their love grew, from it a little foal was born. Nightline Wordsmith: the smallest little pony that either of the two had seen. Regardless, the two were jovial. Finally, their son had come into the lands of Equestria! Surely, he would accomplish great things.

Nightline, a Unicorn, born with white fur and a light blue mane, was quite the thin little foal. His eyes were a light grey, and his horn radiated a silver glow when he used any magic. Because of his size, Erit saved up money to have him made a little grey hoodie to keep him warm. The boy rarely took the thing off; he loved it very much. As he grew, he was always told that he would do amazing things for the world; that his talent would be grand, and his Cutie Mark even more so. His parents were quite prodigal with their expectations, never ending their incessant pushes for him to find his talent. He spent most of his childhood trying his utmost to find something he was exceptional at. He went unsuccessful, and as his age group began earning their Cutie Marks, he and his parents became less and less hopeful. He had no brute strength, so he was by far no physical worker. He had no textile skills, nor any skills with magic. He couldn't farm, nor could he create pieces of artwork. His lack of a talent seemed to be an impenetrable wall! He began to understand just how distorted his knowledge of what the future held had been.

As the years passed, Nightline grew, turning fifteen. He still resided in the home of his parents, unable to get off his feet without a talent. As the year progressed, the time was drawing near to partake in the next Summer Sun Celebration, a holiday where Ponies come together to celebrate the raising of the sun on the longest day of the year. On that day, at the beginning of the first hour, Princess Celestia would come down to one town and be the guest of honor at a party for a few hours while everypony waited for her to use her magic to raise the sun. That year was special; the year of the Thousandth Sun. As such, the party itself was quite immoderate. For this Summer Sun Celebration, Celestia had chosen the town of Ponyville; Nightline's home town. Everypony was excited for the celebration; everypony but one, anyways.

Nightline noticed her immediately. A young purple unicorn by the name of Twilight Sparkle. She had arrived the previous morning from Canterlot; Princess Celestia's star pupil. From what Nightline could tell, her job was to oversee preparations for the party. But upon arrival in town, he noticed that her mind was elsewhere. Something different was going on in her head. Something far more grotesque than a party. He didn't pay much mind to it, as he had his own preparations to make. When the time came to gather, Nightline arrived with everypony else in Town Hall, still clad in his grey hoodie, and awaited Princess Celestia's arrival. Twilight was there as well, but she seemed more solemn than the others.

When the hour finally came of the beginning of the celebration, everypony quieted down cordially. Within moments, the town animal lover, Fluttershy, struck up her chorus of birds in song to introduce the Mayor of Ponyville: a tan old mare with a grey mane. She began to speak very formally.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts," she began, "as Mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!"

All in the audience broke out in a rapture. They quieted down within the minute so the Mayor could continue.

"In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year!" She stated joyously, "And now, it is my great honor to introduce you to the ruler of our land. The very Pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day. The good, the wise, the bringer of harmony. The ruler of all of Equestria, Princess Celestia!"

The audience broke out in applause again. All eyes shifted to a balcony above the main stage, where a maroon curtain was pulled open, only to reveal nopony. None but the Pony in charge of opening the curtain, a white unicorn with a purple mane named Rarity, stood on that balcony. The audience fell into an eerie hush. Suddenly, the voice of Twilight Sparkle was heard above the quiet murmurs.

"This can't be good," she said.

"Remain calm, everypony. There must be a reasonable explanation," the Mayor said, her face showing no confidence in her words.

The entire audience all began trying their hand at figuring out where our Princess vanished to. This lasted only a few moments, with Nightline's head spinning with the mystery, before one high pitched voice let out a sudden yell, and everypony's eyes returned to the balcony, where a magical aura seemed to be forming. It was as if the aura was made of the night sky; it was the same deep color, peppered with sparkling stars. And from the aura, a dark mare appeared. Her fur color was black, and her mane was the same as the aura she appeared from. But most disturbing of all was that she was not an earth pony, nor a unicorn, nor a pegasus. She was another Alicorn, just like Princess Celestia. A Pony possessing both wings and a horn. Suddenly, her voice spoke in a malevolent tone.

"Oh, my beloved subjects," she said, "it's been so long since I've seen your faces."

Nightline was shaking; something about this mare made him fear even breathing. Her voice was large and audible, and her presence was more intimidating than any he'd ever felt. He prayed nopony would step out of line; insolence wouldn't be tolerated with this one. As if reading his mind, one blue Pegasus with a rainbow mane, Rainbow Dash, shouted out into the silence.

"What did you do with our princess?" She asked forcefully, before charging. She was held back by another pony.

The mare laughed maniacally, "Why? Am I not Royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am? Does my crown no longer count now that I've been imprisoned for a thousand years?" She asked, moving around from Pony to pony, getting frighteningly close to them, "Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs-"

"I did!" Twilight called out, silencing the mare and making Nightline clench up in fear, "And I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon, Nightmare Moon!"

The mare in the moon? Nightline thought. That's just an old mare's tale. A bedtime story, nothing more. Who is this Nightmare Moon?

"Well well well," the mare spoke in reply, "someone who remembers me. Then you will also know why I'm here," she said, laughing again, "remember this day little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!"

With that cry and a cackling laugh, her name once again began to swell up in an aura of malevolence, this time swirling into a twister of stars above her. Within moments, Nightmare Moon was engulfed in her own mane, and in an instant, vanished. His legs trembling, Nightline made his way immediately for the exit. If anypony was to save Celestia, they would first need to know what kind of force they were dealing with. To learn that, Nightline intended to do a bit of research. He made his way straight for the Ponyville Library.

He spent hours researching, trying to find some rendition of the tale of the Mare in the Moon, but found nothing. Not of the Mare in the Moon, nor of this Nightmare Moon character who until this day he had never heard of. As what should have been mourning the next day came around, Nightline finally found the book he was looking for. He began reading the old fable to himself.

"Once upon a time," he started, "in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn, and the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects: all different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger Unicorn refused to lower the Moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon."

So that's who she is. Nightmare Moon is Princess Celestia's sister.

"She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to Ponyville: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently in the Moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both the sun and moon, and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for the generations since."

Nightline sat, staring at the end of the book. He couldn't shake the thought that no matter her notorious reputation, the facts he had just read were erroneous. He couldn't get over a feeling that bitterness was not what led to the creation of Nightmare Moon. No, not bitterness at all, but loneliness. That poignant thought lingered in his head as he sat there. It wasn't until a few minutes later when he realized just how long he had been sitting in that library. He looked outside to see that the sun was up! It had returned, which could've only meant that Princess Celestia was free and Nightmare Moon defeated! He walked out of the library to find the town in rapture once again, all of them lining up to see a carriage go by, and inside, two Alicorns could be seen. Princess Celestia, and another, smaller Alicorn. Her fur was light purple, and her mane was similar to that of Nightmare Moon. But this Pony didn't have such a presence. Instead, she looked guilty and alone. Possibly a hint of fear in her as she cuddled up to Celestia for comfort.

Princess Luna, Nightline thought. Of course, that must be the younger sister. Freed from the hold of Nightmare Moon. Within the hour, they were gone; back to Canterlot they flew, and Nightline returned to his home with his head far from vacuous. Night had already begun to fall, so he went straight up to his room to sleep. And yet, he was restless. How could he sleep now, knowing that not a single pony was paying any thanks to Princess Luna for the beauty of the moon? The truth was, he couldn't. He had to do something. Something to show her that she wasn't alone. That she wasn't being shunned. Something to end the pain in her solemn heart. With a sigh, he stood from his bed and moved over to the open window, looking out at the full moon in the clear night sky.

With a deep breath, Nightline began to speak, "Good night, Princess Luna. I know today must have been a tough one for you. Things got a little rough. You went a little nuts," Nightline said, then cringed at his own words. Get it together, Wordsmith. Don't think, just speak from your heart. Don't hold back, be poignant. "But it's ok. You're a princess, but you aren't perfect. And you spent so much time alone. No love from your subjects, and no pity from your sister. I get it."

As Nightline continued to speak, he became more and more soulful. His words grew louder, more powerful by the second in a crescendo. As he continued to speak to and thank Princess Luna, and without his own knowledge, his horn began to glow it's silver aura, indicating that magic was taking effect. The Magic linked itself to his voice, making it smoother. The words came to him naturally, each one in perfect succession of the last. And as he continued to speak, a certain Princess began to listen.

"I know nobody says this to you, Princess. But the stories were wrong. You didn't transform because you were wanting more loyalty than your sister. It wasn't because you were bitter; it was because you were lonely. Ignored, cast aside. None ever gazed at the beauty of the moon and thought of you. And so, I come before you as a humble colt to say, thank you. Thank you for your gift of the moon and stars. Thank you for the gift of slumber, bringing everypony in Equestria to a unified peace beneath your watchful eyes. And thank you for not giving up on coming back to us," he concluded, and his horn ceased to glow.

Nightline closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, hoping that she had heard him. And when he opened them again and gazed up at the bright moon one last time, in its glow he saw the outline of a face; the face of Princess Luna, who looked down as him and smiled. He too smiled at her and bowed respectfully before returning to his bed, drifting into a peaceful sleep. The next morning, Nightline woke to find a jovial surprise. For in place of his once blank flank, a new Cutie Mark stood proud in the form of an open scroll and quill. That's it. That's my talent; my talent is a talent for words. I am Nightline Wordsmith.