“Be careful Goldie!” Mum shouted after me as my hooves clattered along the landing. “Don’t run on the stairs!” As if I could wait - it was Ascension Day! If there’s a day for running on the stairs, it’s Ascension Day! As I galloped down the stairs, nimbly bouncing off the midway landing, my hindhoof slipped on the ball that somepony left out after playing with it.

I shrieked, stumbled and tripped forwards as my back legs shot out from under me. My forehooves caught the stairs below firmly, and with a giggle I turned the fall into a cartwheel. Even a little trip can be fun. Daddy always says to seize the opportunities life brings you, so I did!

Then my face smacked into the wall. I stumbled to the ground, my eyes rolling, and I got a really good look at Daddy’s forge from the floor. Well, a really spinny look at least.

There was an anvil near the centre of the room, a whole bunch of tools, like hammers and tongs, were on one wall, and there was a bench right beneath them. There was a bunch of other blacksmithing stuff that I couldn’t remember the names of, but what was really cool were the three barrels that were near the anvil. One had fresh water in it, one had seawater, and the other had oil. Daddy used them for forging, when he dipped hot metals in them to make all the steam come out, but I liked it because the barrel full of normal water tasted funny, just like metal. So when someone asked me to bring them a drink I’d get them a glass full of that and they’d spit it out. It was funny. Mummy said I’d poison someone with that one day, but Daddy just thought it was really funny. Except when I did it to him. Then it wasn’t as funny.

Upstairs is where me, Mummy, and Daddy lived, but down here’s where Daddy works. Mummy complains about it being a fire hazard, but Daddy says that having the forge downstairs helps us stay warm in winter, also that he was careful and wouldn’t set the house on fire. Our house isn’t very big, with a kitchen and just two rooms. Mummy and Daddy share one, and they said I’d have to share mine when I had some more brothers and sisters. They never explained where I’d get brothers and sisters from, just that they were ‘coming’.

Our backyard was tiny, so the outhouse we had was really close, and when it got hot it smelled really bad. Daddy said we were lucky to have a backyard at all, and if we didn’t have one we’d either have to go on the street or have it indoors. Mummy still complained a lot though.

“Goldie!” Mum shouted after me, as my head spins. “Are you alright!?” she said, clattering down the stairs even faster than I did. Why does she get to run and I don’t? “You could’ve broken your neck!” she said, her hooves wrapping tightly around me. My eyes slid to the ball now lying beside me. I hoped Mum didn’t see it. “Darling...” she sighed, “If I’ve told you once I’ve told you a thousand times. Stop running on the stairs!” After a moment she frowned and picked up the ball with her teeth. Setting it on a table next to some of Daddy’s hammers, she turned to me. “And pick up after yourself, you could get hurt.”

I folded my ears back, pouting, and mumbled, “Sorry mum.”

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” she said, her hooves rubbing soothingly over my back. “It’s okay. Mummy just doesn’t want anything bad to happen to you.” After a moment of hugging me, she glared at me sternly. “And stop apologizing and just listen to me. You won’t have to apologize if you just do as I ask the first time.”

Staring down at the bare dirt of Daddy’s forge floor, I couldn’t think of anything to say to that. “Sorry,” I repeated.

I heard her sigh in frustration. “Goldie...”

“Oh, just let it go, Silver.” My daddy stepped down and ruffled my mane. I smiled up at him, and he chuckled. “Look, she’s fine.” He looked over to Mummy, and she sighed again as Daddy picked me up and I stood on his back. “It’s Ascension Day. Just let her have fun.” He smiled at her.

Mother glared at him for as long as she could, but it wasn’t long until she smiled, and I smiled because she smiled. “Just as long as she stays in sight.”

“Why?” he asked. “It’s Ascension Day. Nothing will go wrong. I promise.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Something could very easily go wrong among the bustling crowd of ponies that could crush her underhoof and no one would ever notice. It’s Ascension Day, Black. You know what that means...”

My dad didn’t pause for a moment as he crossed over and kissed her. I stuck out my tongue. Kissing was icky.

“It means we get to have a little big-pony fun this evening,” he murmured. “I might’ve bought you something nice to wear tonight.”

“Oh,” Mummy breathed, and it came fast and heavy, like she’d been running. “Yes.” Dad leaned over her - it wasn’t fair that colts were bigger than fillies, and always would be, even when we were all growed up - and nipped the back of her neck.

My mummy’s face went red, and she gasped. If I’d done that to another foal, she’d have sent me to bed without dessert, and as her eyes slid to its door, I wondered if she was about to send Daddy to his - uh, their - bedroom before dessert.

“Blaaaack!” Mom snipped, squirming out from under Dad’s neck, “not in front of Goldie!”

“Why?” I asked her, confused. Why do adults always need to keep things from kids? I thought it wasn’t fair that we have to wait till we’re older. I’m four now!

“Hey, Goldie!” My Daddy looked back at me and lowered his head so I wouldn’t have to look up at him. His eyes were brown like bread crust, and Mum said she could get lost in them. I thought that was silly because I couldn’t even fit inside them, and I was way smaller than she was. “How about I buy you some nice honey comb at the parade?”

I did a little dance on his back. “Yes-yes-yes!” I lowered my face, and waved my haunches in the air in pure delight. “Thank you daddy!”

He smiled and nuzzled me.

Riding on Daddy’s back as he walked through town was always lots of fun. He’s so strong. One day, I want to be as big and strong as him, and as pretty as Mummy! He’s a blacksmith, so his cutie mark’s an anvil. Mummy’s a carver, and we lived in the Harbourside Quarter. That’s where all the craftsponies live. It isn’t as pretty as the High Bred Quarter, but I liked it better there, anyway. All the houses were really close together, so when I climbed the house I could jump from building to building real easy. Mummy didn’t like it when I did that, she worried a lot. That’s just what mums do, isn’t it? She shouted at me to come down from there, but Daddy just laughed and watched.

It was how I got my cutie mark! I was the first foal I knew to get my cutie mark. I was really young, and I was so happy that I showed it to all my friends. They didn’t like it much. I kept showing it to them so they’d like it, but they were dummies and just stopped playing with me. It’s not my fault none of them had their cutie marks...

Oh! You probably don’t know it, but my special talent’s dancing. My cutie mark is a horseshoe with a swirl around it and looks really cool if you ask me.

I got my special talent by dancing on the roof! Mum was so worried, but she did make a really special dinner when I got down. Daddy was really proud, and everyone we knew said it was really special to get a cutie mark so young. Mum was worried it was going to my head, but why shouldn’t I be happy about it? If I got my cutie mark early, didn’t that mean I was special? Shouldn’t I get to act like I was special? It wasn’t fair that she got to-

Ooh! Wow. Look at all these ponies! From Daddy’s back, I could see over most of the crowd. The entire city was there! Unicorns and earth ponies and even some pegasi were coming out of their cloud houses to float around and join in the fun.

There were so many of them! All the colours and shapes and sizes. As I climbed onto Daddy’s head, he spat out a bit of dirt when my hoof went in his mouth, and flicked an ear when I stepped on it. Once I was up there, I looked around excitedly. There were so many ponies! I’d never seen so many in one place before!

The festival wasn’t happening in the High Bred Quarter, but it was close enough that we could even see Luna’s palace. The big white walls overlooked the herd of ponies that were gathered on the large flat space between the city’s inner walls and the rest of the not-as-rich ponies. I’d been inside the inner wall once, but not very far, just to the big temple that I could see through the open gate. There were some ponies coming out from the higher parts of the city, but they looked snooty with their noses in the air, and there were lots of bodyguards.

My dad steadily pushed through the crowd, he was really big so most ponies made way for him. A few unicorns glared at him, but everyone was happy and having too much fun to fight on a day like today.

Daddy said that Hoofens was the capital of Western Equestria, which meant it was really important for some reason. I couldn’t see the ocean from here, but there were a few seagulls flying above us and I knew the water wasn’t far. Hoofens was the biggest port in all of Equestria, because it was where Luna lived. Daddy said that stars were important to sailors for navigation, but I wasn’t really sure why.

“Ascension Day!” A unicorn wearing black robes shouted, and a bunch of ponies stopped to hear what he said. “Today is the day twenty years ago that our graceful Lady Luna, cast off the shackles of the whore Celestia! The day she donned her full divinity and lay claim to the throne of equinity as its one true divine!” He waved his hooves left and right. He looked silly, standing on a little crate and shouting himself hoarse. I giggled as he screamed, “If those heathen Celestians love their solar flame so much, then we will grant their desires and they will burn! The decadence of the Solar Empire will crumble, and all will know the grace of our Lady Luna! We will be her blessed! She will choose her most faithful to ascend with her into-”

I didn’t hear the rest of what he said, and I lost sight of him as Daddy walked away.

“Damn nut jobs.” Daddy muttered. “I believe in Lady Luna, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give up everything and just scream her name all day every day.”

Mummy nodded. “Yes. Those fools frighten me. With their nonsense talk of burning heathens and other foamy-lipped lies. My sister used to live in Canterlot.”

My dad replied seriously. “I know. We’ll pray that she’s not there anymore from now on. Maybe she’s already left that Tartarus-cursed place.”

“I do. Every night, I pray for her.”

He nodded and we continued through the crowd, and I forgot the silly stallion with his dirty robes.

“Come on dad! It’s time for the ceremony!” I shoved his back hoof as hard as I could, but he just wasn’t moving. Why are all adults so big? Why do I have to wait to be that big?

“Alright Goldie, alright.” He smiled at me gently and put me on his back. “It’s just the moon raising ceremony. You’ll get to see it next year.”

“Come on!” I hopped up and down on his back impatiently, my hooves sticky from honeycomb. “I wanna see the Princess!”

Dad was always patient with me, and he just gave a little roll of his eyes as he turned and we walked towards the street where everypony was gathering.

“Black, maybe we should take her home.” Mummy trotted up alongside us.

“Why?” He asked as he looked back at her with a smile on his face.

“What if she gets-”

“Relax, Silver,” he interrupted her. “There are thousands of foals here. She’d have to get spotted from that group, and then she’d have to be chosen among the hundreds of foals that get lined up.”

I had no idea what they were talking about, so I decided to chip in my two bits. “I wanna go to the ceremony!” I hopped up and down.

Mummy’s face stayed set in a worried frown. “I’m getting worried, can we please take her home?”

He sighed. “Silver, you know we can’t do that. The guards-”

“I know, I know.” She was shifting really nervously. “I’m really worried.” Mum looked at dad. “Please, I really think we need to take her home.”

I frowned. “But I wanna see the Princess!”

Mum continued without listening to me. “I just have this feeling that something really bad’s going to happen, and she’s of age and-”

“Silver!” My Dad interrupted her. “We don’t have a choice.” He nuzzled her. “We have to take her.” He stared into my mother’s eyes. “Don’t worry about it. Everything will be fine.” He promised her.

“Black, please we-”

A loud cough behind us made both Mum and Dad turn around.

There was a soldier standing behind us, his dark blue uniform looked nice on his red coat. Hes was glaring, and for some reason he didn’t wave back when I waved at him. “I hope that filly will be attending the ceremony.”

“Of course I will.” I jumped up and down on my dad’s back. “Come on, lets go, lets go!”

My dad gave the soldier a polite smile. “Of course. We’re loyal servants to our Lady’s grace.”

The soldier nodded. “Good.” He tilted his head towards where the ceremony was taking place. “After you sir.” There was no humour in his voice.

My Mummy and Daddy exchanged worried looks, but turned and started walking. Why were they so worried? We were going to see the Princess! What was there to worry about? We walked in silence, and soon we were near the front of the crowd with the soldier standing beside us.

The parade went by, and the soldiers all looked funny to me in their armour. A stallion walked at the head of the group, yelling about how great Luna was and how wonderful the war was.

Wow! With the way everyone was talking about her, I couldn’t wait to see her. I couldn’t sit still I was so excited.

“Black,” Mummy whispered to Daddy. “Take her down, she won’t be spotted as easily.”

My dad nodded.

“But Mum!” I protested. “I want to see! I won’t be able to from down there.”

“Goldie please, now’s not-”

“The foal will have a better view from where she is.” The soldier spoke, glaring at my Mum and Dad. “Leave her.”

I smiled at him. He was really nice.

Mum and Dad exchanged that worried look again, but I didn’t care as I smiled at the passing parade.

I stayed up there the entire parade! And my dad is really tall so I got to see everything! The caged manticores from the Everfree, the captured gryphons who had bread thrown at them, and everything else. They were supposed to be scary or something, but they were just funny looking bird cat things. I wanted to tug on one’s tail and see what happened.

Oh! And the nightkin! Bat ponies! They looked so cool with their dark coats and red and yellow cat eyes and leathery bat wings! Their blue armour was so cool! I wanted to run up and touch them, but I know Mum and Dad wouldn’t like that. Maybe if I asked the nice soldier he could-

“Quiet your voices for the grace of our Lady!” The nightkin at the front shouted over the crowd. “The time of ascension is at hoof, and all will still for Her proclamation!”

The crowd got really quiet, really fast.

He wasn’t dressed like the other nightkin. His armor had more blue on it, and he was a little bit shorter than most of the other bat ponies.

“Begin the choosing,” he ordered his soldiers.

Ponies around us started murmuring worriedly as nightkin began walking amongst it, selecting foals for no reason I could figure out. I just wanted them to hurry up! I wanted to see the Princess. My eyes met a pretty bat pony mare’s, so I smiled and waved at her. She watched me for a second, before her face broke into a cheerful grin and she started pushing her way through the crowd towards us.

Mum saw this and began breathing really fast and hard. “Black, she’s coming this way. She’s coming this way!”

“I know!” He said and looked to me. “Goldie, be a good foal and listen to me!” I cringed at how harsh he sounded. “Look down! Do not stare at the Princess or meet her gaze.” My ears wilted and he spoke again. “Do you hear me! Don’t-”

“Your foal please.” The bat pony mare appeared. She smiled at me, and I stared into her cat eyes. After a moment she glanced between my parents, her gaze hardening into a frown. “Is something wrong?”

“No, of course not.” My Daddy gave her a smile. “Hop down, Goldie. Go with the nice lady.”

I did what he said, but I was confused. Why were they so scared? We were about to see the Princess! What could go wrong?

I followed the nightkin, and stared up at her. I couldn’t see her mane or tail because she was wearing armour and a helmet, but her eyes were golden like my mane, and she had a pretty face. She wasn’t really paying attention to me, but there was a tiny smile at the corners of her mouth, and it reminded me of Daddy’s mouth. The way it always looked like he was just a second away from breaking into a smile.

After a moment she glanced across at me and caught me staring. “What?” she asked.

“You’re really pretty.” I smiled at her.

She chuckled and grinned. “Thanks.” The mare led me to the street the parade path was in. She told me, “Line up with the other foals.” I nodded and began to happily trot to where the other foals were. “Hey, good luck out there kid!” she called.

I turned to smile back at her, but she was gone, and I found myself standing between two colts my age.

I opened my mouth to speak to them, but then the crowd was hushed by the loud nightkin in the fancy armour.

“Make way for our Grace, Lady Luna!” he shouted. “The true Goddess of ponykind, and rightful ruler of equinity! She who shields us from the sun’s harsh light, and stops the spread of Discord!” He spread his leathery wings wide and rose on his hind hooves. “Our true divinity, and to whom we all owe our eternal servitude!” His eyes were half closed, and his voice carried across the whole crowd. “Service to each other, in service to our Grace! She who freed us from our selfishness and blasphemy, and found us each and all a place in the greater good under Her!”

As he finished the speech, the sun slowly began to set, and the entire world was cast into the dark of a moonless light. All there was to see by was the light of the stars. Then, a blue glow appeared down the street, and the crowd held its breath as the steady clip clop of hooves made its way towards us.

Beside me both colts stared at the ground, and I looked around confused as all the other colts and fillies did the same. I frowned. Why would they do that? They were going to miss the Princess!

When she finally came into view, I could only stare at her. I know Daddy told me not to, but he was always way nicer than Mum when it came to punishment, and sometimes I could get out of it with a pout and some watery eyes... So I decided I could stare at her.

She was so pretty. No, not pretty. She was beautiful. She was the greatest thing I had ever seen. Even greater than my cutie mark...

Her black coat was glowing. A soft blue light surrounded her, and ponies she passed stood out as she went by. Her pale blue armour shone and her elegant wings hung by her side. She was so tall and graceful, every one of her steps was perfect and longer than a thousand of mine. I felt like I could watch her walk forever. Her mane blew out, even though there was no wind. It shined and rippled and moved all on its own, and stars sparkled in it. I could only stare in complete awe as she came closer. Her eyes were a beautiful blue cat slit.

I watched, eyes wide and mouth open as she passed. She didn’t notice me, or any of the other foals before she walked away. Slowly but surely, she made her way to the stage, and I got a great look at her cutie mark. A purple splash and a moon. It was so much cooler than mine...

As she got closer to the end of the street, she walked up onto a stage and turned to face all of us. Her horn glowed, and behind her a full moon rose into the sky, lighting up the ceremony and celebration. My face spread into a smile, and I beamed at the Princess in flight, as she silhouetted herself against the big beautiful moon.

As it rose into the sky, Luna began to lower herself down, and eventually she came to a rest on the stage. Other ponies were watching the moon, but I was watching greatest pony I’d ever seen.

Slowly, she began to trot back towards me, her eyes darting from foal to foal. Every now and then she would nod at one, and then a nightkin would stand behind them as the ceremony continued. More colts were being chosen than fillies, and all the foals continued to stare at the ground. The colt next to me started to whimper as she got closer, and I frowned at him before I smiled again up at Luna. She was coming closer, her eyes roving over all of us. Then her eyes passed over me, and they stayed there looking at me. I only smiled at her more widely, and the corners of her mouth turned up.

In my head a voice whispered, A foal who would match the gaze of a goddess? There was a musical chuckle.

The beautiful Princess regarded me for a second longer, amusement all over her face, before she nodded and moved on.

I heard hoof steps, and the pretty bat-pony mare stood behind me. “Congratulations, kid,” she whispered.

I looked back to the princess, and watched as she walked away. I looked around, and counted twelve foals with nightkin standing behind them. Thirteen including me.

As the princess faded into the distance, the crowd broke into cheers, and all the parents came to reclaim their foals.

“Come with me,” the bat-pony lady said, and began to lead me to where all the other nightkin were gathering with their foals. “Welcome to the blessed dark.”

“What’s your name?” I asked as I happily trotted alongside her.

She smiled at me. “Chased Redemption. Though everyone calls me Chase.”

I nodded at her. “That’s a pretty name. But I mean your full one.”

She snorted and shook her head.

I looked back over my shoulder and spotted my parents, standing at the edge of the crowd staring at me.

I waved at them, but I don’t think they noticed because they didn’t wave back. Which was weird because I could swear they were looking right at me. Mum broke down and began to sob into my dad’s shoulders. He only stared with tears in his eyes, and I frowned at them confused.

What was wrong? Why were they so sad?

Chase called back to me. “Come on, kid.”

I hesitated for a second before I trotted after her happily. “My name’s Goldie,” I told her with a smile.

“Not anymore it’s not,” she replied.

“Why? Has it changed?” I asked feeling confused.

She nodded. “Yep.”

I frowned. “Well... what is it now?”

She shrugged, before the nightkin leader stepped forward next to her. “Song of Night,” he told me, and ruffled my mane. “Little one, your name shall be Song of Night.”