Author's Note: This story came from a doodle, as most of them do. I had just figured out how to draw a pony and as I sketched out her Cutie Mark, I realized I had no idea what it meant. As you will see, I named her Moonlight Rose because in the end, the mark looked a bit like a rose and I had originally planned for her to have something to do with moonlight anyways.
So, enjoy. Reviews are almost requested.

Silver Roses

It was a beautiful afternoon in Ponyville, and the young unicorn Twilight Sparkle was trotting through the town square, having just finished a late lunch and returning to the library hoping for a head start on the homework that was due next week.

"Ah . . . " The element of magic sighed. "It's such a nice day outside. Wonder if anypony has anything outdoorsy planned?"

Suddenly, Twilight's very capable horn lit up unexpectedly. "Huh?" It started pulling her, tugging gently to her left. Still rather confused, she turned her head and saw another unicorn with her own horn lit up in the same way also looking confused. Purple eyes met uncertain cerulean ones as time came to a short standstill. The unicorn had saddlebags packed rather lightly draped over her flank bearing a shining silver rose, so Twilight thought it was safe to assume that this pony was hoping to find a home here.

"Hello," Twilight called gently. "Are you new? I've never seen you around here."

"I-I'm Moonlight Rose," the pony called back. "I've come to find a place to stay. What's your name?"

"My name is Twilight Sparkle," she said as she approached the new pony. "I can show you around if you'd like."

"I would like that very much, Twilight Sparkle."

"Please, just call me Twilight. And it's my pleasure," added Twilight as they began to walk side by side. "All you need to do is ask.

"First stop, Sugarcube Corner," the purple unicorn began straight to the point as they approached the large sweet shop. "This, as the name and appearance applies, is where the ponies of Ponyville come for all their baked goods and sweets. It is run by Mr. and Mrs. Cake, who are good friends of my good friend Pinkie Pie, whom you'll no doubt meet later."

Moonlight Rose took one look at the building and immediately magicked out a quill pen and parchment from her saddlebags on which to apparently take notes.

"Next up is the Carousel Boutique, which is run by my other good friend somepony wants to get a beautiful outfit that will look absolutely fabulous on them, this is where they go to get it."

The quill scratched furiously.

"Over there, up that hill, is where my friend Fluttershy lives. She's the one to go to if you have animal problems or if you'd actually like to get a pet of any kind at all."

The pale unicorn looked up from her parchment and stole a glance at Twilight. "Um, Twilight, are we going to be able to go inside any of these places?"

Twilight smiled. "Well, if you want to, but then we won't be able to see all of Ponyville today."

"That's all right, I can make do with a map or something. Can I see the inside of Sugarcube Corner?"

"Sure thing, Moonlight," Twilight agreed with a pair turned around and cantered back to Sugarcube Corner.

The second Twilight opened the door to the sweet-shop, she was immediately tackled down by a bright pink flash which turned out to be the ultra-hyperactive never-stop-moving Pinkie Pie giving her best friend a suffocating hug.

"C-can't . . . breathe," Twilight choked out. "Get . . . off . . . of . . . me!"

Luckily at that moment, Pinkie Pie noticed Moonlight Rose standing behind her, and she completely forgot all about Twilight and hopped right up to her, squealing, "Ooh! A new pony! What's your name? Oh, wait! Lemme guess! Can i guess? I love guessing games! Um, is it Sterling Silver? No! It's Aunt Blair! Or, I know! Queen Meanie! Queen Meanie! No? How about - "

"PINKIE!" screamed Twilight in exasperation.

"Yes, Twilight?" Pinkie turned and looked her unicorn friend in the eyes. "Did you need something?"

Twilight sighed. "This is Moonlight Rose, and as you have undoubtedly already figured out, she is a new pony here. She wanted to see inside here so - "

"No way! You're staying in Ponyville? Like, forever and ever kind of staying?"

"Well, I should hope so," Moonlight said, her eyes beginning to sparkle as bright as Pinkie's.

"YES!" The pink earth pony sprang four feet into the air and zipped inside, calling, "I have to throw you a party! Come back in like an hour, 'kay?"

"Sure thing, Pinkie!" Twilight called after her. "We'll just be going now . . . " Both unicorns turned around and began a steady trot towards the library. "She won't be done till tomorrow, I can guarantee that. . ."

Moonlight was giggling and her hoofsteps had quite a bit more bounce in them.

"That was fun!" she squealed, sounding a bit like Pinkie Pie. Her parchment and quill were still floating in circles above her head, apparently forgotten. But how could that be? If Twilight forgot about an item she was applying magic to, it would fall to the ground and she'd have to pick it up again.

Twilight shook her head, thinking, This pony just gets more and more interesting by the minute.

Suddenly Moonlight stopped. "Hey, Twilight?"

"Mmm?"

"What's with that big cloudy place up there with rainbows and smaller clouds poofing out of it?"

"Oh, that's Cloudsdale," she said, stopping to look up at the mass of clouds as well. "That's where all the pegasi live and also where the weather is made."

"Cool!" Moonlight magicked away the quill and parchment. "Can I see?"

"Sure," Twilight said. "You just need to find a way to get up there."

The pale unicorn continued looking up at the cloud city. Then she lowered her gaze and closed her eyes, her horn ashimmer as she accessed her magic. Two plots of magic appeared on her flank on either side, and then with a bright flash of blue, a pair of wings materialized on the spots.

Twilight's jaw dropped to the ground. "H-how - I mean - bu-but ha - wha -Huh?"

"What?" Moonlight looked at Twilight's dumbstruck expression and began flying around her in circles. "It's not that impressive. I still have to use magic to make them move so they aren't real."

The other unicorn shut her mouth with a snap and gasped, "Teach me how."

"Oh . . . " Moonlight looked a little confused but she agreed. "Sure thing, Twilight." She landed as smoothly as any pegasus would. "But, shouldn't you know how to do it already? I heard that you're Princess Celestia's personal protege, and that you're very adept at magic."

"Where did you hear that?" Twilight frowned and shook her head. "I don't remember you asking anypony about anything like that."

"Uh . . . " The unicorn's eyes went cloudy and images began swirling across them, too quickly for the unicorn to follow.. "I ─ I don't remember. . ." She appeared to zone out. Twilight had to poke her horn to bring her back down to earth. "Hello?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, Twilight." Moonlight rubbed her eyes sleepily and sighed. "I get like that sometimes. It's so strange ─ I always feel so tired after that happens."

"Are you still going to be able to teach me?" Twilight questioned carefully. "I do know how to give a pony wings, it's just that I can't give myself wings, and certainly not pegasus wings." She hoofed the ground sheepishly. "I sure would like to learn."

"Sure, Twilight," the pony agreed, flashing away her wings with a yawn. "I can still teach you."

And so lessons began, right there in front of Fluttershy's cottage.

"Unicorns are born with magic in their blood, and their horns are used as an outlet for that magic. The horn can be used to transfer magic to other things, so long as the wielder commands it to. In order to make wings, concentrate on the two spots on your flank where you want the wings to appear." Moonlight paused. "There isn't a specific spell for it, like for levitation, but after a little while this should become like second nature, also like levitation."

Twilight concentrated carefully, willing her magic to gather on her flank. She imagined a pair of feathered wings like a pegasus's extending from it. She imagined flapping them, and strengthened her output more and more in a gradual incline until the energy building up burst out abruptly and then faded.

She twisted to examine her flank excitedly. "Did it work?"

"Yeah, it did!" squealed Moonlight, equally excited. "On your first try, too!" Both unicorns danced around like little fillies who had just gotten their Cutie Mark.

"Now all you need to do is learn how to fly with them."

Twilight squeaked and bounced like Pinkie Pie. "How do I start?"

Moonlight giggled and began instruction. "This part is much easier. All you need to do is imagine the wings as a part of your body, which shouldn't be too hard because they look like a part of your body anyways."

Again, Twilight concentrated and began to follow Moonlight's directions to a tee.

"Flap them, Twilight. Use your magic, but pretend you're really flapping them with your own muscles."

The wings on Twilight's back shimmered, then twitched. Then, a weak trill and one sturdy flap. Moonlight went wild, laughing and leaping around shouting,

"Twilight! You did it! You did it! Now just keep doing what you're doing and pretty soon you'll be flying up to Cloudsdale!"

Pleasure and adrenaline streamed through the unicorn as she tried again, aiming for flight this time. She streamlined the magic and imagined the magic in her blood gathering in her artificial wings. They fluttered, then flapped, once, twice, then faster and faster until Twilight could feel her hooves beginning to lift off. Her eyes opened and she gasped. In all her excitement she nearly stopped working her magic, but at Moonlight's beckoning she kept on.

"Go on until it becomes easy," she called.

"Uh, sure. That should be easy enough." Another layer of magic. Soon Twilight was flying around as surely as Fluttershy ever would. She was startled by the sound of someone calling her name.

"Twi - light," gasped a certain little dragon as he rounded the bend in the path to Fluttershy's cottage. "Where - were - you -" He froze, his breath stuck somewhere between his chest and his throat. "A-are you - " The dragon squinted. " - flying?"

"I am indeed, Spike!" Twilight squealed. "No more hot-air balloon rides for me!"

"Buh - but then who's that?" Spike pointed at the other pony who was blinking her large blue eyes at him curiously.

"Oh!" Twilight, unsure on how to land, decided to circle around above her head instead. "This is the new pony, Moonlight Rose. She will be staying here in Ponyville for a while."

"Ah, that's right!" The little dragon scratched his scales awkwardly. "I was supposed to give you this letter when you got back from your lunchtime outing." He held out a scroll sealed with a wax stamp.

"Ooh!" The unicorn circled above Spike uncertainly, wanting to land but still unsure on how. Her excited squeak turned into a sound of indecision. "Uh . . . "

The second Moonight figured out what was wrong, she burst out laughing and fell over on the dirt path. "Ha ha hee hee hee ha ha!" She rolled over, effectively coating herself in dust. "Ha ha, oh Twilight! You are such a hoot!" Back onto her stomach and up onto her hooves again, still laughing. "It's easy! all you have to do is - ha ha ha! Just flap your wings slower!"

Twilight blushed and did as she suggested. "Thanks. The letter, Spike?"

The pale unicorn gave one last snort of laughter and shook herself, calming herself as Spike began to read.

"My dear Twilight Sparkle, it has come to my attention that a new pony is moving in to Ponyville. I know that many ponies have moved into Ponyville before her in the time that you've been here, but this one is very special. However, I have no information on her whatsoever. I would like for you to send me a report regarding all the characteristics of this pony. I believe she is known as Moonlight Rose. Keep a lookout for her - she does not have her Cutie Mark yet, despite her being as old as you and your friends. I would be very interested to know how she reacts to everything. Yours Truly, Princess Celestia."

There was silence around the three after that last word.

"Guess we should've read that in the library, huh," mumbled Spike regretfully.

"It's all right, I don't think she heard any of that anyways," sighed Twilight as she nodded pointedly at her new friend, who had zoned out again. "Hey, Moonlight? You there?" Another poke to the horn did the trick. The pale blue unicorn blinked and yawned, her head dipping with another apology as she explained to Spike what she had to Twilight.

"I think it's getting kind of late," murmured Twilight as she glanced up at the reddening sky. "You can stay at the library tonight; we have an extra bed."

"Thank you kindly, Twilight. And nice to meet you, Spike." She sparked out her wings and set out flying in front of them, then faltered when she remembered that she didn't know where the library was. "I'll let you guys lead," she said, chuckling at Spike's dumbstruck expression. Moonlight fell to circling and looping, swooshing in circles around their heads. "Wheeeeee!"

Soon they arrived at the ancient tree that served as the town's library. Twilight, being the politely correct pony she was, opened the door and invited both of her friends inside before going in herself.

"Wow!" gasped the unicorn once she was able to see the entire room. "There are so many books here! This is amazing, Twilight!" She bounced around, flying from shelf to shelf scanning all the titles while squealing like a wild fan girl or some pony. It was only when she had seen the name of every book in the library that she landed and flashed away her wings with another yawn.

"Well, I guess - " pause for yet another yawn " - it's about time we went to sleep, huh?"

"Yeah," agreed the other unicorn with a sigh. "I guess it is."

A few minutes later, laying in between the spare bed's sheets, Moonlight Rose dreamt.

---

A classroom full of young foals in the sky made of clouds. An older pony with glasses and a bun stood at the front of the room in front of a chalkboard, on which there was a diagram drawn. She was explaining something, but Moonlight didn't care. She couldn't see the diagram anyways. She couldn't see anything. Distractedly, she toyed with the clouds that made up her desk. Suddenly, somepony called her name.

"Snowdrop?"

What? Snowdrop wasn't Moonlight's name. Why was she answering to it?

"How is your project coming?"

"My. . . uh. . . my project?" Moonight had a project?

"Yes," the pony said. "Are you and your partner ready to present?"

"My. . . partner?" She needed a partner too? "Um. . . "

The pony in front of her gasped softly in realization. "Do you not have a partner still?"

Moonlight flattened her ears in embarrassment. She didn't know what was going on, but she felt negativity all around her. Apparently nopony was her partner.

"Snowdrop, this isn't just some little school project! This is the hundredth year of the spring sunrise under the princesses' rule! They've honored us with the oppurtunity to show what Cloudsdale's future can create to invigorate the seasons! Have you even begun your work?"

"Uh. . . " Moonlight pricked up her ears. She could hear the fillies and colts whispering to each other:

"Miss Windith is going to make somepony work with her again, isn't she."

"Well, it's not like she can make anything when she can't even see in front of her own face."

"We worked with her last time, you do it!"

"O-of course I've started! I've actually been working on something for a while now, by myself, because it's a. . . " Moonlight paused, struggling for the words to describe her nonexistent project. "A surprise!"

A fellow classmate, Nimbus, scoffed. "A surprise?" she repeated dubiously.

"Uh-huh," Moonlight said firmly. "A surprise. That's why I wanted to work alone, I - " She was cut off by the school bell tolling, signaling the end of school. The gonging sound echoed over and over and eventually faded to silence, ending with one last word:

"Snowdrop . . ."

---

Moonlight woke with a start. The first thing she noticed was that she could see.

"Was it all a dream?" Moonlight's lips moved, but no sound came out. Who was Snowdrop? Was she blind? Is that why Moonlight hadn't been able to see anything? The unicorn turned to look out the window where her namesake filtered through, making a rectangular pattern over the purple sheets as she whispered the name over and over. "Snowdrop. . . Snowdrop. . . Snowdrop. . . "

She narrowed her eyes as she gazed up at the full moon. "Who are you?"

Author's Note: So, how did you feel about it? Good? Bad? Maybe? Leave a review before you go.

The dream sequence is from watch?v=do6RDSwaWek And I highly recommenkey you all watch this vid.