Luna's Escapeby sammyberryChaptersPrologue Luna's New HomeA Tour Gone WrongPrologue Prologue Luna looked around the dark stone corridor, making sure her sister was nowhere to be found. Her sister had changed. She was no longer the sweet, loving, caring, and protective sister she had been before she had banished Luna to the moon. Her sister seemed to like being in charge, and so she had made sure that Luna was to never be seen again. Luna felt a tear slide down her cheek. It was as if she had never left the moon. The sound of her hooves coming down on the hard stones echoed throughout the hall, and for a frightening second, Luna thought one of the guards had seen her and was coming for her. Under order of Celestia, Luna was to stay in the dungeons-or, in Celestia’s words, “The deepest part of the palace,” Luna bit her lip and tried not to cry. She couldn’t believe she was actually trying to escape, but the thoughts of being trapped here, while every other pony was at the Gala made her heart break. Luna had been allowed to come up to raise the moon, but because of her “trying to take over”, she was “grounded” and therefore could not attend the Gala. Which was kind of ironic, in a way, because then her sister had to raise both the sun and the moon when she banished her. Luna knew in her heart that her sister meant well - at least, she hoped she did - but this was getting out of hand. Luna should have at least been allowed to be at the Gala. But no, she might steal her sister’s spotlight. As she slowly walked up the stone steps, she made so much noise she just knew she’d be discovered. She flapped her wings as slowly and softly as she could, lifting her hooves slightly off the floor. She was doing great. Until her hoof banged against a step. “Ow!” she cried. A second later, she realized what she’d done. One more second later, and she could hear hooves thundering above her. Luna’s eyes widened in terror. In a desperate attempt, she jumped up and flew out of the window ten feet higher. Then she nose-dived down to the ground. She had to pull up to avoid crashing. She soared low to the ground and flew as fast as she could. Luna could hear the guards yelling from this distance. She was sure the Gala would be disrupted, but right then she couldn’t care less. Wasn’t like she’d be missing anything. Luna flapped her wings and they carried her far, far away from the palace of her sister and her orders. No more hiding. Luna wouldn’t be kept cooped up. She needed freedom. And even though she was now flying on her own free will, she still felt cooped up and set apart from the rest of the world. Luna couldn’t contain her tears anymore. They flowed effortlessly down her cheeks, her sorrow filling the air around her. Luna realized that because she had deliberately disobeyed her sister’s orders, and everypony followed and trusted Celestia, if anypony found her, they would turn her in, and Luna had a feeling the punishment would not be very pleasant. Yes, the only option she had was to fly away from Equestria. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t like she’d had any friends anyway. Maybe somepony would actually talk to her in another country. Hopefully Luna could find friends who actually cared about her. With her mind made up, Princess Luna flew across the night sky, leaving a trail of tears in her wake as she flew towards nowhere in particular, simply her new life. Luna's New HomeA few days later, Luna finally crossed the border into Trotter. When she landed, she was instantly greeted by alicorn guards. “And just what do you think you’re doing here, outsider? You are not allowed on royal grounds!” Luna looked up at the three guards with innocent eyes, “These are royal grounds? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. I’ll leave and-” The guards scoffed. “You really think you can get away with that petty excuse? You will be taken to the queen,” They put magical chains around Luna’s hooves, attaching her to them. “Oh great. Now what have I gotten myself into?” Luna thought to herself. As she was being taken to the great castle that she had been completely oblivious about, Luna looked up at the lighting sky. Her sister was raising the sun. Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wouldn’t go back. She couldn’t go back. She was unofficially banished from Equestria. The guards led her into the huge brick and stone castle. Torches lit the hallway, moving tapestries were hanging on the walls, and the sweet smell of roast duck was wafting from a slightly open door, which Luna guessed was the kitchen. They started up a flight of stone steps, which automatically made Luna start reminiscing the past. She didn’t realize it, but she was muttering the occurrences of her night aloud. A guard turned to her and said, “Stop your mumbling,” Luna obediently stopped. When they entered the throne room, Luna felt a pang of sadness. It reminded her of how life once was, her sitting on her throne beside her sister. It had been more than 1000 years since she had felt the soft cushion beneath her hooves. But the biggest shock came to Luna when she looked at the queen. She looked exactly like Celestia had when she was younger. The queen had a snowy white coat and a pink mane. She was an alicorn, and the resemblance was unmistakable. Even her cutie mark looked like Celestia’s; a shining sun, except her cutie mark also had soft wisps of white around the sun, like a cirrus cloud. “Queen Astral, there was an intruder on your grounds,” One of the guards said in a respectable tone. The Queen looked at Luna with kind eyes. She said, “Lightning Heart, unchain this poor pony. She must be new, and I’m sure she simply did not know. Now tell me, little one. What is your name?” Queen Astral looked at Luna. “Prin- Luna, Your Highness,” Luna caught herself. She was obviously not viewed as a princess, so what was the point of giving herself a false title? The queen smiled and said, “You seem like an innocent pony, but I’m sure you’re alone. May I inquire as to why a young pony such as you is all alone tonight?” Luna squeezed her eyes shut and hesitated. Queen Astral seemed to catch on to Luna’s silent request, and said in a clear tone, “Everypony please exit the room. Luna wishes to speak to me in private,” Luna gave a grateful smile and waited until the last hoof had crossed the threshold and the door had closed completely before she ran to the queen and sobbed. “There, there,” the queen said comfortingly. “Please, tell me what’s wrong, dear,” Luna only shook her head; she wasn’t finished crying, and if she tried to explain, her words would not be comprehensible. After a minute, Luna looked up at the queen and told her her story. The queen looked at Luna with pity. “I’m very sorry to hear that, Luna. If you need a place to stay, you are welcome to stay here,” Luna said she’d think about it. Queen Astral thought a moment, then said, “No, Luna. I insist. You may live here as my personal companion. My aid. The one I turn to for help. I would like to know that you are being treated properly,” Luna looked at Queen Astral with wide eyes. “No offense, Your Highness, but why are you so nice to me?” Queen Astral looked away. “Because I was in your hooves when I was just a little filly. I know what you’re going through, and I do not want any other pony to have to go through that alone,” Luna smiled through her tears and hugged the queen. Queen Astral returned a hug of her own. Luna said, “I will accept your offer, Your Highness,” The queen nodded and said, “I was hoping you would,” Behind a slightly open door behind the two beings in the throne room, two other ponies were listening. “The queen is never that nice to an intruder!” Exclaimed the black stallion. His green mane glowed, and his cutie mark, a glowing blue star, was glowing even more with his jealousy. “I think it’s because that pony’s special,” replied the black pony. Her coat lightened to pink down at her hooves, and her dark blue mane went along nicely, with sparkles dotted throughout. Her cutie mark was a yellow star. The stallion scoffed. “Yeah right. If you ask me, that pony’s just a suck-up. This is totally unfair,” His company rolled her lilac eyes. Once Celestia had finished raising the sun, she trotted swiftly back inside. She couldn’t believe Luna had run away. How dare she! She deliberately disobeyed Celestia’s specific orders. Celestia shook her head in disgust and entered the throne room. About a hundred guards sat in rows in front of the throne, waiting for Celestia. She cleared her throat and said, “Ok. You all know what you must do. You must search all of Equestria, perhaps even outside of Equestria. You must find Luna. And you must bring her back here,” Celestia stopped pacing and looked at her guards. “But um… please do not hurt her,” Celestia’s top guard, Black Hole, looked at Princess Celestia with a smile. “Of course, Princess Celestia. Anything for you,” Celestia nodded thankfully. “Now go, and do not return until you have found her! She cannot get away!” Celestia released her guards and they cantered away. Celestia gazed out a window. “Oh Luna… do you not realize what you have done?” she thought to herself. Celestia could have sworn she felt a tear slowly slide down her cheek, but she wiped it away before anypony could see. A few hours later Luna was sitting in her own special chair beside the queen. She had been given a bath, and was able to sleep in a big, soft bed. Luna was also given some delicious food. She was never given any special treatment at home, which was a bit ironic, considering she was a princess there and a simple pony here. Queen Astral sat on her throne and smiled. “Are you ready to see your new home?” Luna looked up at her new queen. “Yes, Queen Astral,” Queen Astral stood up and walked towards two big double doors. “Well, come on, then,” Luna leaped up and flew over to her. Queen Astral opened the doors and walked out onto the balcony. “Luna, welcome to Elysian,” When Luna looked out on the landscape of her new home, she gasped. They were in the sky. Clouds floated by lazily, but they weren’t white; they were a beautiful sunset orange and dark purple and blue and red. The sun was glowing a soft red and purple color. The fields below were a dark green, with blue streaks cracking through the hills and fields. Even though the sun was shining, Luna wasn’t hot. The sun felt wonderful against her mane and coat. It warmed her down to the core, but she felt peaceful. She was sure she’d never be able to fully take in her surroundings, there was too much. Luna looked directly above her. She could see faint sparks in the sky, and she realized with a rush that they were stars. Luna closed her eyes and took in the pure beauty of her new home. Queen Astral looked at her with a smile. “Will you like your new home?” Luna turned to Queen Astral and nodded, too much in awe even to mutter any words. “Queen Astral?” came a voice from behind. The two ponies turned around to see the pony that had spoken. It was a black alicorn, with pink hooves and a blue mane. “Yes, Awakened Star?” Queen Astral responded. Awakened Star shuffled her hooves. “Um, Luminance Eternal and I would like to show Luna around the castle,” Queen Astral brightened. “Oh that would be wonderful! Thank you, Star,” Luna looked from Queen Astral to Star. Star giggled. “It’s ok. I don’t bite,” Luna smiled and trotted towards her. “We’ll be back, Queen Astral!” Star called as she cantered off. Luna followed her, eager to try and make friends. Once they were out of earshot, Star flung herself around and gave Luna a wary glance. “I’m not sure who you are, or why the Queen has taken such a huge interest in you, but… you seem ok. But just know that Luminance might not feel the same,” Star started flying slowly. Luna leaped up and joined her. She said, “I’ve noticed that so far, the only ponies I’ve seen have been alicorns. Is everypony an alicorn?” Star answered, “Only ponies who are affiliated with the Royal League. Luminance and I are Queen Astral’s adopted children, so we are alicorns. At first we were only pegasi, but the day after Queen Astral adopted us, we awoke to horns on our foreheads,” she shrugged. Luna considered this. “I thought alicorns were rare,” Star shook her head. “No, if you look in the right places, you’ll find that alicorns are everywhere,” Star fluttered down outside a huge gate. “Luminance should be waiting for me in here,” she opened the gate with her horn and walked in. “Luminance! Luna’s here!” Luminance looked up from his spot on a bench. His eyes narrowed. “Hey, chill out! She’s cool. She’s kinda quiet. And she’s very nice,” Star said. Luminance walked over and held out his hoof. Luna shook his hoof awkwardly. “Ok, let’s show you around, Luna!” Star said excitedly. She smiled and walked back out the gate. Luna started to follow her, but Luminance glared at her and walked in front of her. Luna’s ears fell back in sadness. She sighed. Luna followed last glumly. “So,” Star said as they were showing Luna the dining hall. “Where did you come from? Before you showed up here I mean,” Luna bit her lip. “Um, I’d rather not talk about it, if you don’t mind,” Luminance glanced at her and looked away. Star shrugged. “Ok. Well do you have any brothers or sisters?” Luna’s eyes started to water. She blinked her tears away and said quietly, “I’d really rather not talk about that either,” Luminance looked at Luna with a look that resembled pity, but he quickly turned away and formed his expression back into a bored stare. Star looked at Luna but didn’t question her further. As the three slowly walked past a window, Luna looked out and saw that they were in the sky again. She asked, “How high up is this castle?” Luminance replied, “It goes from the ground up into the sky, pretty high. If you’ve ever been to Cloudsdale, I think it’s in Equestria, well, it’s about as high as that,” Luna felt a horrible pang in her chest at the mention of her home country. As they were walking past the main doors on the lowest level of the castle, Luna was casually glancing around when she noticed a sight that made her stop cold and made her blood freeze. Guards from her sister were outside. And they were walking straight for the doors. A Tour Gone WrongLuna squeaked and ran behind a large vase. Her knees knocked together and her teeth chattered, and she was terrified that the guards would hear her. Star and Luminance looked at her strangely but otherwise didn’t acknowledge her strange behavior. As the Solar Guards marched in, carrying with them an air of pride and power, Luna crouched down low and squeezed her eyes shut. One of the Solar Guards, whose name was Astro Inferno, waltzed in and completely disregarded Star and Luminance. He looked all around with a sense of distress. Star walked up to him cautiously. “Can I help you, sir?” she asked quietly. The guard simply said, “No,” and walked around the room, sniffing things and peering under things. Star raced over to him and stood in front of the vase he was about to look behind; the very vase where Luna hid. She almost fainted with fright. “If you have business here in the castle, then I will help you. I will not permit you and your friends to just wander around the castle looking for whatever you are looking for. And if I cannot help you, then I’m afraid you’ll have to leave,” Astro glared at Star. He didn’t seem to notice her wings, which were folded on either side of her, but he did see her horn. He rolled his eyes and said, “We’re not looking for something. We’re looking for somepony. Our runaway princess. She’s dark blue and is a rare alicorn. She has wings and a horn. Happy?” Star giggled quietly. Then she burst into laughter. The guard was growing agitated with the annoying filly. “What!?!” he asked sharply. Star looked at him with tears in her eyes from laughing so much. She said, “You think alicorns are rare? Everypony here in the Royal Court is an alicorn! See?” she thrust out her wings and started flying around. The Solar Guard gaped at her in awe. The other guards looked at each other, too shocked to speak. Luminance opened up his wings and flew up with Star, laughing at the surprised looks of the guards. Astro looked at them with hatred. “Will one of you take us to your princess? Now?” he said through gritted teeth. Star looked down and said, “I’m right here!” she flew in front of Astro and bowed. “I am the princess of Elysian. Pleased to meet you,” The guard looked at her. He let out an aggravated sigh and said slowly. “You mean to tell me that you rule this entire country? You’re only barely a mare,” Star giggled again. “Of course not! That’s my mother’s job! She’s the Queen,” Astro yelled in frustration. “Ok, fine! Take me to your queen then!” Luminance showed them the way to the throne room, looking annoyed. Probably because he had tried to use his peanut butter joke on one of the other guards and they hadn’t changed their expression. When the five ponies were all out of earshot, Star walked over to Luna and helped her up. “Luna, did you know those ponies?” Luna bit her lip and hesitated. She wasn’t sure if she trusted these new ponies enough to tell them her true identity. Even the queen didn’t know her true identity. After a few minutes of contemplating, Luna realized she didn’t have to explain anything. Star was staring at her crown. Crap! Luna thought to herself. She ad completely forgotten about her crown! Had the queen noticed? She probably had. But then, why had she not said anything? Luna blushed and said quietly, “You aren’t going to turn me in, are you?” Star shook her head and refocused her eyes on Luna. “Of course not, Luna! Or should I call you Princess Luna? No, that was a stupid question. Of course you want me to call you Luna. Can I at least call you Your Highness?” Star’s eyes were wide and she looked at Luna with kindness. “Um, I’d rather you just refer to me as a regular pony, please. Somepony else might overhear,” Luna said softly. Star nodded and smacked her forehead. “I’m so not with it at the moment. Of course you don’t want me to point any of that out! Don’t worry, Luna, your secret’s safe with me… and Luminance?” Star looked at Luna expectantly. Luna sighed and said, “Well, if he’s going to be with us a lot, then I guess it’s only fair for him to know, too. But only if swears on his life that he won’t tell anypony!” Star cheered and said, “Oh, Luminance is good with keeping secrets. He kept my surprise birthday party a secret from me for four months! That takes skill,” Star grinned. Luna couldn’t help but smile at Star’s excitement. “Well, ok,” she said softly. She gave Star an equine hug and said, “Thank you for being a good friend,” Star returned the hug and replied back, “Oh, it’s nothing. You definitely need some friends right now, especially since you’re here from a completely different country! Oh! You must tell us all about Equestria! I’ve always longed to go there, but since my mother is here, I’ve had to stay here. And my duties require me to stay here as well. Even if I’m not a pure royal pony, I’m still a princess,” Luna smiled as Star rambled on and on. She was glad to have found some friends. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* After a couple of hours spent aimlessly wandering around in the garden, Star and Luna heard footsteps approaching. “Don’t worry guys, it’s me!” The ponies heard Luminance call. Both ponies relaxed and turned toward the footsteps. They smiled when they saw Luminance. Star raced up to him and put her arm around him. “Ok, so Luna is actually the runaway princess! Can you believe it?” Star was about to go on in intricate detail, but Luminance shook his head and said, “I already know,” Both ponies stared at him and said, “You do?” He nodded and said, “I noticed your crown when I first saw you, which is why I thought you’d be trying to get close to the queen for power for your own country or something. So I thought you were kinda mean and selfish and dangerous, but when Star introduced you to me, I saw how scared and helpless you looked, so I decided you had to be harmless,” Luna glared at the ground. “I’m not helpless,” she said. Luminance could tell he hit a nerve and said, “Well, that’s what your appearance looked like to me. I know you’re not helpless,” he stopped trying to make up for his mistake, seeing how he only made her angrier. Luna sighed and said, “It’s fine. I’m sorry I’m so sensitive,” Star put her arm around Luna and said, “Aw, don’t be sorry for your personality. That’s just how you are. We’ll have to get used to you a little, but we’ll definitely try and make you feel comfortable. Now, let’s go talk about Equestria!” Star started walking off towards the castle while Luna and Luminance just stared at her. “You really think talking about Equestria-the place I ran away from-will make me feel better?” she asked incredulously. Luminance nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Star, seriously. We should take her around the city and show her everything. Then, if she’s feeling better, she can talk about Equestria if she wants,” Luna smiled gratefully at Luminance, who smiled back. Star groaned. “But that’s so boring!” she whined as she walked back to them. Luminance glared at her, and Star said, “Ok, ok, ok. Let’s go show you the city,” Luna took a step, then stopped. “I need to have some kind of disguise. Those guards might still be here, or more might come. Better to be safe then sorry, right?” Luna smiled apologetically. The other ponies looked at each other, then back at Luna. “Let’s go find you a disguise!” Star cheered. Luna smiled and followed them. An hour later, Luna, who was wearing an emerald green cape to cover her cutie mark and a matching hat to cover her crown, was walking around with Star and Luminance. They were showing her around, introducing her to some ponies and showing her shops. “Over there’s Midnight Madness, a magic shop! A pony name Trixie works there. She used to be a famous magician, but she grew tired of showing off so instead she opened up that shop. She’s pretty nice once you get to know her. And over there is Gumdrop’s Sweets. She’s really nice, too. Oh, and here’s my favorite place, Olive’s Eatery. Yum!” Star was saying. Luna tried her hardest to remember all the stores’ and everypony’s names, but it was getting hard. Star couldn’t understand how different they were. Luna would have liked to just walk along through the town, gazing at all the stores the way she wanted to, and Star was going extremely fast, but since she was her only friend so far (besides Luminance, who had stopped at Trinket’s Toy Store and said he’d catch up with them later), she didn’t want to make her upset, so she kept her mouth shut. Maybe Luminance could show her around later. He was more like Luna than Star was, that was a definite fact. Luna felt herself smile a little at the thought of Luminance. Even though he had been reluctant to befriend her, and had even called her helpless, she couldn’t help but feel happy whenever he was around. Unfortunately, Star caught Luna’s smile and she said, “You’re thinking about somepony, aren’t you?” she asked with a knowing smile. Luna looked up quickly. “What? Oh, no,” she said softly, blushing. Star looked at her. “Luminance?” she asked. Star didn’t even have to ask; she had seen Luna and Luminance together before. They were cute together. Luna looked down, covered her face with her mane, and nodded her head. Star giggled. “Oh, you two look so cute together! Really! Ok, now it’s my job to help put you two together!” Luna looked up sharply. “No,” she said immediately. Star stopped smiling and looked at Luna. “Why not?” Luna looked down at the ground. She couldn’t tell Star that that thought scared her. She would think she was a baby and helpless. “I… I want do it myself,” Star replied, “Well, you can do it now, then. Here he comes,” Luna’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “No, I want to do it when I’m ready,” “Do what when you’re ready?” Luminance asked, coming up to them. Luna quickly looked for an excuse. “Try one of Gumdrop’s Cherry Cookies. I don’t really like the taste of Cherry. But I will try a Lemon Drop. I love the taste of Lemons!” she recovered with a smile. Luminance nodded, but he had a distant look in his deep blue eyes. Luna looked at him sideways and said, “Luminance? Is everything alright?” Luminance was shaken from his gaze and looked at Luna. “We have to get out of here. Now,” Luna didn’t like the sudden seriousness of his voice. “Luminance, what’s wrong?” Star asked, realizing something was happening. He shook his head and just said, “We have to leave now,” Suddenly there was a gunshot. The ponies ducked down and Luna’s eyes widened. She suddenly felt somepony lift her up and put her on their back. It was Luminance. “Luminance?” she asked quietly. “Luna, whatever you do, do not look back,” Star was running beside them. Luna ignored Luminance and turned her head back around, curious as to what could have changed everypony’s actions so drastically. What she saw would haunt her for the rest of her life. A pony dressed in the same armor as the guards who had taken her to see Queen Astral was lowering his hovering gun. He had shot a pony. The light blue pony winced in pain. The guard aimed his gun again and said, “This is what you get for not paying your taxes,” and he shot the pony. The pony squirmed for a minute, and then was still.
Prologue Prologue Luna looked around the dark stone corridor, making sure her sister was nowhere to be found. Her sister had changed. She was no longer the sweet, loving, caring, and protective sister she had been before she had banished Luna to the moon. Her sister seemed to like being in charge, and so she had made sure that Luna was to never be seen again. Luna felt a tear slide down her cheek. It was as if she had never left the moon. The sound of her hooves coming down on the hard stones echoed throughout the hall, and for a frightening second, Luna thought one of the guards had seen her and was coming for her. Under order of Celestia, Luna was to stay in the dungeons-or, in Celestia’s words, “The deepest part of the palace,” Luna bit her lip and tried not to cry. She couldn’t believe she was actually trying to escape, but the thoughts of being trapped here, while every other pony was at the Gala made her heart break. Luna had been allowed to come up to raise the moon, but because of her “trying to take over”, she was “grounded” and therefore could not attend the Gala. Which was kind of ironic, in a way, because then her sister had to raise both the sun and the moon when she banished her. Luna knew in her heart that her sister meant well - at least, she hoped she did - but this was getting out of hand. Luna should have at least been allowed to be at the Gala. But no, she might steal her sister’s spotlight. As she slowly walked up the stone steps, she made so much noise she just knew she’d be discovered. She flapped her wings as slowly and softly as she could, lifting her hooves slightly off the floor. She was doing great. Until her hoof banged against a step. “Ow!” she cried. A second later, she realized what she’d done. One more second later, and she could hear hooves thundering above her. Luna’s eyes widened in terror. In a desperate attempt, she jumped up and flew out of the window ten feet higher. Then she nose-dived down to the ground. She had to pull up to avoid crashing. She soared low to the ground and flew as fast as she could. Luna could hear the guards yelling from this distance. She was sure the Gala would be disrupted, but right then she couldn’t care less. Wasn’t like she’d be missing anything. Luna flapped her wings and they carried her far, far away from the palace of her sister and her orders. No more hiding. Luna wouldn’t be kept cooped up. She needed freedom. And even though she was now flying on her own free will, she still felt cooped up and set apart from the rest of the world. Luna couldn’t contain her tears anymore. They flowed effortlessly down her cheeks, her sorrow filling the air around her. Luna realized that because she had deliberately disobeyed her sister’s orders, and everypony followed and trusted Celestia, if anypony found her, they would turn her in, and Luna had a feeling the punishment would not be very pleasant. Yes, the only option she had was to fly away from Equestria. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t like she’d had any friends anyway. Maybe somepony would actually talk to her in another country. Hopefully Luna could find friends who actually cared about her. With her mind made up, Princess Luna flew across the night sky, leaving a trail of tears in her wake as she flew towards nowhere in particular, simply her new life.
Luna's New HomeA few days later, Luna finally crossed the border into Trotter. When she landed, she was instantly greeted by alicorn guards. “And just what do you think you’re doing here, outsider? You are not allowed on royal grounds!” Luna looked up at the three guards with innocent eyes, “These are royal grounds? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. I’ll leave and-” The guards scoffed. “You really think you can get away with that petty excuse? You will be taken to the queen,” They put magical chains around Luna’s hooves, attaching her to them. “Oh great. Now what have I gotten myself into?” Luna thought to herself. As she was being taken to the great castle that she had been completely oblivious about, Luna looked up at the lighting sky. Her sister was raising the sun. Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wouldn’t go back. She couldn’t go back. She was unofficially banished from Equestria. The guards led her into the huge brick and stone castle. Torches lit the hallway, moving tapestries were hanging on the walls, and the sweet smell of roast duck was wafting from a slightly open door, which Luna guessed was the kitchen. They started up a flight of stone steps, which automatically made Luna start reminiscing the past. She didn’t realize it, but she was muttering the occurrences of her night aloud. A guard turned to her and said, “Stop your mumbling,” Luna obediently stopped. When they entered the throne room, Luna felt a pang of sadness. It reminded her of how life once was, her sitting on her throne beside her sister. It had been more than 1000 years since she had felt the soft cushion beneath her hooves. But the biggest shock came to Luna when she looked at the queen. She looked exactly like Celestia had when she was younger. The queen had a snowy white coat and a pink mane. She was an alicorn, and the resemblance was unmistakable. Even her cutie mark looked like Celestia’s; a shining sun, except her cutie mark also had soft wisps of white around the sun, like a cirrus cloud. “Queen Astral, there was an intruder on your grounds,” One of the guards said in a respectable tone. The Queen looked at Luna with kind eyes. She said, “Lightning Heart, unchain this poor pony. She must be new, and I’m sure she simply did not know. Now tell me, little one. What is your name?” Queen Astral looked at Luna. “Prin- Luna, Your Highness,” Luna caught herself. She was obviously not viewed as a princess, so what was the point of giving herself a false title? The queen smiled and said, “You seem like an innocent pony, but I’m sure you’re alone. May I inquire as to why a young pony such as you is all alone tonight?” Luna squeezed her eyes shut and hesitated. Queen Astral seemed to catch on to Luna’s silent request, and said in a clear tone, “Everypony please exit the room. Luna wishes to speak to me in private,” Luna gave a grateful smile and waited until the last hoof had crossed the threshold and the door had closed completely before she ran to the queen and sobbed. “There, there,” the queen said comfortingly. “Please, tell me what’s wrong, dear,” Luna only shook her head; she wasn’t finished crying, and if she tried to explain, her words would not be comprehensible. After a minute, Luna looked up at the queen and told her her story. The queen looked at Luna with pity. “I’m very sorry to hear that, Luna. If you need a place to stay, you are welcome to stay here,” Luna said she’d think about it. Queen Astral thought a moment, then said, “No, Luna. I insist. You may live here as my personal companion. My aid. The one I turn to for help. I would like to know that you are being treated properly,” Luna looked at Queen Astral with wide eyes. “No offense, Your Highness, but why are you so nice to me?” Queen Astral looked away. “Because I was in your hooves when I was just a little filly. I know what you’re going through, and I do not want any other pony to have to go through that alone,” Luna smiled through her tears and hugged the queen. Queen Astral returned a hug of her own. Luna said, “I will accept your offer, Your Highness,” The queen nodded and said, “I was hoping you would,” Behind a slightly open door behind the two beings in the throne room, two other ponies were listening. “The queen is never that nice to an intruder!” Exclaimed the black stallion. His green mane glowed, and his cutie mark, a glowing blue star, was glowing even more with his jealousy. “I think it’s because that pony’s special,” replied the black pony. Her coat lightened to pink down at her hooves, and her dark blue mane went along nicely, with sparkles dotted throughout. Her cutie mark was a yellow star. The stallion scoffed. “Yeah right. If you ask me, that pony’s just a suck-up. This is totally unfair,” His company rolled her lilac eyes. Once Celestia had finished raising the sun, she trotted swiftly back inside. She couldn’t believe Luna had run away. How dare she! She deliberately disobeyed Celestia’s specific orders. Celestia shook her head in disgust and entered the throne room. About a hundred guards sat in rows in front of the throne, waiting for Celestia. She cleared her throat and said, “Ok. You all know what you must do. You must search all of Equestria, perhaps even outside of Equestria. You must find Luna. And you must bring her back here,” Celestia stopped pacing and looked at her guards. “But um… please do not hurt her,” Celestia’s top guard, Black Hole, looked at Princess Celestia with a smile. “Of course, Princess Celestia. Anything for you,” Celestia nodded thankfully. “Now go, and do not return until you have found her! She cannot get away!” Celestia released her guards and they cantered away. Celestia gazed out a window. “Oh Luna… do you not realize what you have done?” she thought to herself. Celestia could have sworn she felt a tear slowly slide down her cheek, but she wiped it away before anypony could see. A few hours later Luna was sitting in her own special chair beside the queen. She had been given a bath, and was able to sleep in a big, soft bed. Luna was also given some delicious food. She was never given any special treatment at home, which was a bit ironic, considering she was a princess there and a simple pony here. Queen Astral sat on her throne and smiled. “Are you ready to see your new home?” Luna looked up at her new queen. “Yes, Queen Astral,” Queen Astral stood up and walked towards two big double doors. “Well, come on, then,” Luna leaped up and flew over to her. Queen Astral opened the doors and walked out onto the balcony. “Luna, welcome to Elysian,” When Luna looked out on the landscape of her new home, she gasped. They were in the sky. Clouds floated by lazily, but they weren’t white; they were a beautiful sunset orange and dark purple and blue and red. The sun was glowing a soft red and purple color. The fields below were a dark green, with blue streaks cracking through the hills and fields. Even though the sun was shining, Luna wasn’t hot. The sun felt wonderful against her mane and coat. It warmed her down to the core, but she felt peaceful. She was sure she’d never be able to fully take in her surroundings, there was too much. Luna looked directly above her. She could see faint sparks in the sky, and she realized with a rush that they were stars. Luna closed her eyes and took in the pure beauty of her new home. Queen Astral looked at her with a smile. “Will you like your new home?” Luna turned to Queen Astral and nodded, too much in awe even to mutter any words. “Queen Astral?” came a voice from behind. The two ponies turned around to see the pony that had spoken. It was a black alicorn, with pink hooves and a blue mane. “Yes, Awakened Star?” Queen Astral responded. Awakened Star shuffled her hooves. “Um, Luminance Eternal and I would like to show Luna around the castle,” Queen Astral brightened. “Oh that would be wonderful! Thank you, Star,” Luna looked from Queen Astral to Star. Star giggled. “It’s ok. I don’t bite,” Luna smiled and trotted towards her. “We’ll be back, Queen Astral!” Star called as she cantered off. Luna followed her, eager to try and make friends. Once they were out of earshot, Star flung herself around and gave Luna a wary glance. “I’m not sure who you are, or why the Queen has taken such a huge interest in you, but… you seem ok. But just know that Luminance might not feel the same,” Star started flying slowly. Luna leaped up and joined her. She said, “I’ve noticed that so far, the only ponies I’ve seen have been alicorns. Is everypony an alicorn?” Star answered, “Only ponies who are affiliated with the Royal League. Luminance and I are Queen Astral’s adopted children, so we are alicorns. At first we were only pegasi, but the day after Queen Astral adopted us, we awoke to horns on our foreheads,” she shrugged. Luna considered this. “I thought alicorns were rare,” Star shook her head. “No, if you look in the right places, you’ll find that alicorns are everywhere,” Star fluttered down outside a huge gate. “Luminance should be waiting for me in here,” she opened the gate with her horn and walked in. “Luminance! Luna’s here!” Luminance looked up from his spot on a bench. His eyes narrowed. “Hey, chill out! She’s cool. She’s kinda quiet. And she’s very nice,” Star said. Luminance walked over and held out his hoof. Luna shook his hoof awkwardly. “Ok, let’s show you around, Luna!” Star said excitedly. She smiled and walked back out the gate. Luna started to follow her, but Luminance glared at her and walked in front of her. Luna’s ears fell back in sadness. She sighed. Luna followed last glumly. “So,” Star said as they were showing Luna the dining hall. “Where did you come from? Before you showed up here I mean,” Luna bit her lip. “Um, I’d rather not talk about it, if you don’t mind,” Luminance glanced at her and looked away. Star shrugged. “Ok. Well do you have any brothers or sisters?” Luna’s eyes started to water. She blinked her tears away and said quietly, “I’d really rather not talk about that either,” Luminance looked at Luna with a look that resembled pity, but he quickly turned away and formed his expression back into a bored stare. Star looked at Luna but didn’t question her further. As the three slowly walked past a window, Luna looked out and saw that they were in the sky again. She asked, “How high up is this castle?” Luminance replied, “It goes from the ground up into the sky, pretty high. If you’ve ever been to Cloudsdale, I think it’s in Equestria, well, it’s about as high as that,” Luna felt a horrible pang in her chest at the mention of her home country. As they were walking past the main doors on the lowest level of the castle, Luna was casually glancing around when she noticed a sight that made her stop cold and made her blood freeze. Guards from her sister were outside. And they were walking straight for the doors.
A Tour Gone WrongLuna squeaked and ran behind a large vase. Her knees knocked together and her teeth chattered, and she was terrified that the guards would hear her. Star and Luminance looked at her strangely but otherwise didn’t acknowledge her strange behavior. As the Solar Guards marched in, carrying with them an air of pride and power, Luna crouched down low and squeezed her eyes shut. One of the Solar Guards, whose name was Astro Inferno, waltzed in and completely disregarded Star and Luminance. He looked all around with a sense of distress. Star walked up to him cautiously. “Can I help you, sir?” she asked quietly. The guard simply said, “No,” and walked around the room, sniffing things and peering under things. Star raced over to him and stood in front of the vase he was about to look behind; the very vase where Luna hid. She almost fainted with fright. “If you have business here in the castle, then I will help you. I will not permit you and your friends to just wander around the castle looking for whatever you are looking for. And if I cannot help you, then I’m afraid you’ll have to leave,” Astro glared at Star. He didn’t seem to notice her wings, which were folded on either side of her, but he did see her horn. He rolled his eyes and said, “We’re not looking for something. We’re looking for somepony. Our runaway princess. She’s dark blue and is a rare alicorn. She has wings and a horn. Happy?” Star giggled quietly. Then she burst into laughter. The guard was growing agitated with the annoying filly. “What!?!” he asked sharply. Star looked at him with tears in her eyes from laughing so much. She said, “You think alicorns are rare? Everypony here in the Royal Court is an alicorn! See?” she thrust out her wings and started flying around. The Solar Guard gaped at her in awe. The other guards looked at each other, too shocked to speak. Luminance opened up his wings and flew up with Star, laughing at the surprised looks of the guards. Astro looked at them with hatred. “Will one of you take us to your princess? Now?” he said through gritted teeth. Star looked down and said, “I’m right here!” she flew in front of Astro and bowed. “I am the princess of Elysian. Pleased to meet you,” The guard looked at her. He let out an aggravated sigh and said slowly. “You mean to tell me that you rule this entire country? You’re only barely a mare,” Star giggled again. “Of course not! That’s my mother’s job! She’s the Queen,” Astro yelled in frustration. “Ok, fine! Take me to your queen then!” Luminance showed them the way to the throne room, looking annoyed. Probably because he had tried to use his peanut butter joke on one of the other guards and they hadn’t changed their expression. When the five ponies were all out of earshot, Star walked over to Luna and helped her up. “Luna, did you know those ponies?” Luna bit her lip and hesitated. She wasn’t sure if she trusted these new ponies enough to tell them her true identity. Even the queen didn’t know her true identity. After a few minutes of contemplating, Luna realized she didn’t have to explain anything. Star was staring at her crown. Crap! Luna thought to herself. She ad completely forgotten about her crown! Had the queen noticed? She probably had. But then, why had she not said anything? Luna blushed and said quietly, “You aren’t going to turn me in, are you?” Star shook her head and refocused her eyes on Luna. “Of course not, Luna! Or should I call you Princess Luna? No, that was a stupid question. Of course you want me to call you Luna. Can I at least call you Your Highness?” Star’s eyes were wide and she looked at Luna with kindness. “Um, I’d rather you just refer to me as a regular pony, please. Somepony else might overhear,” Luna said softly. Star nodded and smacked her forehead. “I’m so not with it at the moment. Of course you don’t want me to point any of that out! Don’t worry, Luna, your secret’s safe with me… and Luminance?” Star looked at Luna expectantly. Luna sighed and said, “Well, if he’s going to be with us a lot, then I guess it’s only fair for him to know, too. But only if swears on his life that he won’t tell anypony!” Star cheered and said, “Oh, Luminance is good with keeping secrets. He kept my surprise birthday party a secret from me for four months! That takes skill,” Star grinned. Luna couldn’t help but smile at Star’s excitement. “Well, ok,” she said softly. She gave Star an equine hug and said, “Thank you for being a good friend,” Star returned the hug and replied back, “Oh, it’s nothing. You definitely need some friends right now, especially since you’re here from a completely different country! Oh! You must tell us all about Equestria! I’ve always longed to go there, but since my mother is here, I’ve had to stay here. And my duties require me to stay here as well. Even if I’m not a pure royal pony, I’m still a princess,” Luna smiled as Star rambled on and on. She was glad to have found some friends. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* After a couple of hours spent aimlessly wandering around in the garden, Star and Luna heard footsteps approaching. “Don’t worry guys, it’s me!” The ponies heard Luminance call. Both ponies relaxed and turned toward the footsteps. They smiled when they saw Luminance. Star raced up to him and put her arm around him. “Ok, so Luna is actually the runaway princess! Can you believe it?” Star was about to go on in intricate detail, but Luminance shook his head and said, “I already know,” Both ponies stared at him and said, “You do?” He nodded and said, “I noticed your crown when I first saw you, which is why I thought you’d be trying to get close to the queen for power for your own country or something. So I thought you were kinda mean and selfish and dangerous, but when Star introduced you to me, I saw how scared and helpless you looked, so I decided you had to be harmless,” Luna glared at the ground. “I’m not helpless,” she said. Luminance could tell he hit a nerve and said, “Well, that’s what your appearance looked like to me. I know you’re not helpless,” he stopped trying to make up for his mistake, seeing how he only made her angrier. Luna sighed and said, “It’s fine. I’m sorry I’m so sensitive,” Star put her arm around Luna and said, “Aw, don’t be sorry for your personality. That’s just how you are. We’ll have to get used to you a little, but we’ll definitely try and make you feel comfortable. Now, let’s go talk about Equestria!” Star started walking off towards the castle while Luna and Luminance just stared at her. “You really think talking about Equestria-the place I ran away from-will make me feel better?” she asked incredulously. Luminance nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Star, seriously. We should take her around the city and show her everything. Then, if she’s feeling better, she can talk about Equestria if she wants,” Luna smiled gratefully at Luminance, who smiled back. Star groaned. “But that’s so boring!” she whined as she walked back to them. Luminance glared at her, and Star said, “Ok, ok, ok. Let’s go show you the city,” Luna took a step, then stopped. “I need to have some kind of disguise. Those guards might still be here, or more might come. Better to be safe then sorry, right?” Luna smiled apologetically. The other ponies looked at each other, then back at Luna. “Let’s go find you a disguise!” Star cheered. Luna smiled and followed them. An hour later, Luna, who was wearing an emerald green cape to cover her cutie mark and a matching hat to cover her crown, was walking around with Star and Luminance. They were showing her around, introducing her to some ponies and showing her shops. “Over there’s Midnight Madness, a magic shop! A pony name Trixie works there. She used to be a famous magician, but she grew tired of showing off so instead she opened up that shop. She’s pretty nice once you get to know her. And over there is Gumdrop’s Sweets. She’s really nice, too. Oh, and here’s my favorite place, Olive’s Eatery. Yum!” Star was saying. Luna tried her hardest to remember all the stores’ and everypony’s names, but it was getting hard. Star couldn’t understand how different they were. Luna would have liked to just walk along through the town, gazing at all the stores the way she wanted to, and Star was going extremely fast, but since she was her only friend so far (besides Luminance, who had stopped at Trinket’s Toy Store and said he’d catch up with them later), she didn’t want to make her upset, so she kept her mouth shut. Maybe Luminance could show her around later. He was more like Luna than Star was, that was a definite fact. Luna felt herself smile a little at the thought of Luminance. Even though he had been reluctant to befriend her, and had even called her helpless, she couldn’t help but feel happy whenever he was around. Unfortunately, Star caught Luna’s smile and she said, “You’re thinking about somepony, aren’t you?” she asked with a knowing smile. Luna looked up quickly. “What? Oh, no,” she said softly, blushing. Star looked at her. “Luminance?” she asked. Star didn’t even have to ask; she had seen Luna and Luminance together before. They were cute together. Luna looked down, covered her face with her mane, and nodded her head. Star giggled. “Oh, you two look so cute together! Really! Ok, now it’s my job to help put you two together!” Luna looked up sharply. “No,” she said immediately. Star stopped smiling and looked at Luna. “Why not?” Luna looked down at the ground. She couldn’t tell Star that that thought scared her. She would think she was a baby and helpless. “I… I want do it myself,” Star replied, “Well, you can do it now, then. Here he comes,” Luna’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “No, I want to do it when I’m ready,” “Do what when you’re ready?” Luminance asked, coming up to them. Luna quickly looked for an excuse. “Try one of Gumdrop’s Cherry Cookies. I don’t really like the taste of Cherry. But I will try a Lemon Drop. I love the taste of Lemons!” she recovered with a smile. Luminance nodded, but he had a distant look in his deep blue eyes. Luna looked at him sideways and said, “Luminance? Is everything alright?” Luminance was shaken from his gaze and looked at Luna. “We have to get out of here. Now,” Luna didn’t like the sudden seriousness of his voice. “Luminance, what’s wrong?” Star asked, realizing something was happening. He shook his head and just said, “We have to leave now,” Suddenly there was a gunshot. The ponies ducked down and Luna’s eyes widened. She suddenly felt somepony lift her up and put her on their back. It was Luminance. “Luminance?” she asked quietly. “Luna, whatever you do, do not look back,” Star was running beside them. Luna ignored Luminance and turned her head back around, curious as to what could have changed everypony’s actions so drastically. What she saw would haunt her for the rest of her life. A pony dressed in the same armor as the guards who had taken her to see Queen Astral was lowering his hovering gun. He had shot a pony. The light blue pony winced in pain. The guard aimed his gun again and said, “This is what you get for not paying your taxes,” and he shot the pony. The pony squirmed for a minute, and then was still.
