[Moth] Gypsy's Song - 1

>Under the warm light of the sun, the excited ponies, gryphons, diamond dogs, and other residents of Treble Town hustled and bustled about.
>There was nothing in particular happening that day that didn't happen every day.
>The sea-ponies that visited the town splashed around in the town square's fountain, singing their song.
>Foals sat before them, listening attentively.
>Birds chirped their little songs and melodies to all who would listen.
>There was not a single resident that was unhappy.
>Save for one, sitting all alone on a bench on the outskirts of the town.
>She waited for something to take her away from the happy little town.
>Happy for others, a bit sad for her.
>She had a friend, once.
>One that had taken her in after a long life of living day-to-day taking odd jobs around the town and living under bushes and on park benches.
>She was never the only pony that lived a life like that.
>There were several others.
>No one ever minded them in a negative way, since plenty of ponies that had homes in Treble Town would often sleep outside.
>For moth-ponies, like the one sitting all alone, it was just a little bit inconvenient.
>The lights of the night were always a bit of a distraction, so sleep rarely came easy to them.
>Of course, the moth-ponies of Treble Town often came and went with the caravans.
>Actias, however, was born and raised in the town along side her brother, Acteus.
>Their parents had been part of a caravan shortly before their birth, but chose to be something of vagrants once the two blessings came along.
>Their family lived in the local park for a very long time, until Acteus, at the age of sixteen, left the town with a caravan.
>Their parents followed suit two years later, not long after Actias turned eighteen.
>She lived in the town for five more years, until a very peculiar creature took her in.
>She was less enamored with him than she was the magnificent lights he had.

>The two bonded over the course of a few months, during which the creature taught Actias all she currently knew about music and singing.
>With a natural talent for singing, she quickly rose up in popularity and fame, her name being known as far south as Dust Valley, where her kind had originated.
>And now she waited for a caravan to take her there for a celebration she had been requested to perform at.
>It was exciting, though she felt a deep sense of longing.
>Despite this being everything she could have ever dreamt of, there was something missing from her life.
>The creature that had taught her all of this had left her.
>They had never been romantic together, always teasing and toying with one another in a friendly way.
>He was her best friend, however.
>And she had never been on an assignment by herself.
>There was a first time for everything.
>And it seemed that the Reaper deemed it her time.
>The caravan she awaited arrived while she was lost in her thoughts, reminiscing of a happier time.
>The uncovered wagon, filled with jars of spices and trinkets from all around Equestria, stopped just in front of her.
>"Actias!"
>The excited, cheery voice of a familiar pony snapped her back to reality, and before she knew it, a set of hooves held her in a tight embrace.
"Acteus."
>Actias was the elder sibling by only a short amount of time, so she had always felt her younger brother to be... a little unbearable.
>Yet, she still loved him.
>"How've you been?"
>She hugged him back just before he let go of her.
"I have been... quite well."
>"Yeah? Well, if you're ready, we don't really have much to do here, so we can leave right now and catch up on the way."
>Actias took one last, long look at the town.
>All of the cheery ponies warmed her heart a little bit, but one set of green eyes, far off in the distance caught her.
>They tugged at her heart strings.
>A familiar little filly, Actias's own student, sat outside one of the cafes with her parents.

>She gave a little wave and a smile.
>Actias returned the favor as she choked back tears.
>She and the filly, just three weeks prior, had been to Canterlot to play at a club.
>The filly and her parents had lived under... very poor circumstance, before that assignment.
>Actias gave the filly all of her share of the payment.
>And the house that her friend had left her.
>She wouldn't need the house, and if she needed a place to stay, they had kept the piano room and the light room in tact.
>The filly looked back up at her parents with a smile, and Actias took that as her cue to depart.
"Very well."
>She nodded at her brother with a smile as she trotted past him, her bags tossed into the wagon.
>Taking a seat amidst the jars, she looked up at the other pony that had pulled the wagon.
>His orange eyes met hers for a brief moment before Acteus pulled his attention away.
>"You ready, Bell?"
>"Course I am. You take me for some kind'a lay about?"
>He pauses for a moment, thinking to himself.
>"Don't answer that."
>They turn the wagon to start pulling it back south.
>"So, Acteus. Gonna introduce me to your sister, or just stay silent for what seems to be the longest you've ever managed?"
>"Oh! Actias, this is Bell. Bell, this is Actias."
"A pleasure."
>"Likewise, ma'am. So, you're the infamous Moonlight Butterfly what's been blazing a bit of talk through the caravans, huh?"
"If that is what I am being called, then I suppose I am."
>"Real modest, and real proper. Your sis's a bit of a catch."
"Excuse me?"
>Actias blushed and buzzed her wings a little bit, absolutely appalled by Bell's forwardness.
>"Nothin'."
>"So, Actias. What've you been up to?"
>She looked down at her brother, who looked up at her.
>A bit of worry could be seen behind his curious smile.
"I have been..."
>She couldn't tell him about how she had been wallowing in her own sadness for the past few weeks.
"Singing and preparing for Dust Valley."

>Acteus's smile faded for a split second, as if he were disappointed in his sister for lying to him.
>All three moth-ponies fell silent for a short while, until they reached the farmlands just south of Treble Town.
>"Pop!"
>A loud popping noise caught their attention.
>Actias looked up to find an earth-pony with a brown scarf around her neck running up to them.
>She was colored like a cob of corn, and she carried a basket of beautiful yellow cobs with her.
>"Oh! Almost forgot. We did get an order from someone around here."
>The mare nodded as she approached them and set the basket down.
>"Pop?"
>Actias had heard about this mare at the market.
>One of the best farmers in Treble Town, she specialized in corn, and could cook corn in almost any way imaginable.
>Strangely enough, her name was Corn.
>She glanced up at Actias and tilted her head, furrowing her brow.
>As Bell walked around the cart to start picking jars out for the mare, Corn hummed to herself as she looked Actias up and down.
>"Pop!"
>The mare turned heel and ran back to her house, leaving the basket of corn behind.
>Bell set a few jars down beside the basket and looked after the mare.
>"What was that about?"
"I haven't the faintest idea."
>They waited for a moment before Corn reappeared from the house with a brown paper bag.
>"Oh, she's got more."
>Corn stopped beside the wagon and dropped the bag at Actias's side with a smile.
>Actias smiled back and looked inside the bag.
>A bunch of white, fluffy balls with a little bit of a yellow coating.
>"It's popcorn, made from superheated dried corn kernels, and covered in a butter glaze."
>"She can talk!"
>"Pop!"
>Rumour had it that this mare could only speak in a series of pops, or facts about corn.
>No one knew why.
>Corn just smiled and started gathering the jars up with a final "pop."

>As the strange little farmer turned back to her house, Bell and Acteus started pulling the cart once more.
>"Actias?"
"Hm?"
>"Why'd she give you popcorn?"
"I am not quite sure."
>Bell stared at Acteus.
>"You can't tell? Really?"
>"Can't tell what?"
>"Your sister's sad. She lost someone important to her."
>Acteus looked up at Actias.
>She looked back, raising an eyebrow.
>She could tell his smile was fake.
>"How can you tell?"
>"Life experience."
>"But I'm older than you."
>"Yeah, well. You can be old and have never been through anything."
>Bell grumbled before falling silent.
>Acteus turned back to his sister.
>"He's grumpy because he doesn't like talking about his life."
"I did not ask."
>"I just wanted to tell you."
>He looked back at the road.
>They fell silent once more, until they arrived at a split in the road.
>The path to their left would lead them through the White Tail Woods to Ponyville.
>The path straight ahead would lead them straight to Los Pegasus.
>"Which way do we go?"
"Which way is fastest?"
>Acteus held up his hoof and rubbed it against his forehead.
>"Well, we have... thirteen days to reach Dust Valley if we're going to get there in time for the celebration."
>"Right, so if all goes well, we can actually hit up a few towns and get some rest in along the way."
"So, if we do not have much worry on our time constraint, either path will work, will it not?"
>"Yeah."
"So, which way do we go?"