Chapters Guided by the light of the moon
…
Though I walk alone in the depths of uncertainty and fear,
I look up to the sky and feel at ease, for I know that she is there watching over me.
She looks upon me with knowing kindness and silent strength.
So I continue on, one step at a time.
Guided by the light of the moon.
...
Nights in Equestria have changed over the past thousand years.
This was what Princess Luna thought as she gently guided the moon across the sky for it to rest from the Canterlot Royal Garden. Gone were the times when the setting of her sister's sun meant the end of the day. Gone were the days when the rising of the moon meant that ponies everywhere were to sleep and dream until the next day. Gone were the days when the dark skies only belonged to creatures of the night, both great and small. True, some still adhere to the rules of old, but the goddess of the night was well aware that there was more activity everywhere even on the passing of midnight.
Luna could not resist the urge to giggle when she recalled what happened during Nightmare Night, the glitters of tiny stars in her mane and tail sparkled from the action. That was the first time she had gone out in public without Princess Celestia at her side since she was freed from the curse of the Nightmare, to say that it had not gone as she expected was an understatement.
There she was, descending from the heavens on her personal chariot with the light of her moon behind her! An open display to all in Ponyville that, yes, Princess Luna is back and is here to stay! She had looked on in silent approval and excitement when she saw her subjects kneel before her as she walked among them. She took time to look at each and every one of the ponies there before she greeted them and made her intentions known using the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice. Her voice was carried throughout Ponyville and was heard by one and all...and that was when one and all proceeded to panic beyond all reason. It was only when she knew the reasons behind the celebrations did she realize why they reacted the way they did...all except Star Swirl the Bearded, better known as Twilight Sparkle...her sister's student.
What followed was a determined effort by Luna to be known and accepted by the citizens of Ponyville beyond her previous tenure as Nightmare Moon. In the end, in no small part thanks to Twilight Sparkle, Luna was finally accepted by her little ponies. That was not the first time she had come to Ponyville since her return, but it marked the moment when she was accepted for who she really was.
"And it marked the night when young Pipsqueak declared me as his favorite princess." Luna muttered to herself with a smile. Indeed, it had been over a thousand years since a pony openly declared that they favored Luna over Celestia of their own volition.
Although, being the goddess of the night did have its disadvantages. Luna suppressed a grumble when she recalled the fact that she had actually SLEPT THROUGH the return and subsequent re-sealing of Discord. It was a close battle between the Master of Chaos and the Elements of Harmony, but Twilight and her friends eventually managed to pull through thanks to their friendship. Luna sighed when she recalled the headache that Discord once caused her and Celestia. The princess of the moon then grimaced when she remembered that Discord even had the gall to try to flirt with the two goddesses. The act was only eclipsed by the annoyance that Celestia actually looked like she was flattered by the oaf's advances.
"Pony for your thoughts?" Speak of the pony, and she shall come. Luna cleared her throat and turned to see her sister approach her with a warm smile.
"It is nothing, Tia. We…I was simply reflecting on recent days gone past." The pony of the night replied with a shake of her head.
"Indeed, it has been quite lively in the palace since you have decided to start moving around more openly." Celestia remarked with a mirthful giggle.
"I have yet to forgive you for not telling me that we no longer use the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice." Luna flatly stated as she gave her sister a stare of equal flatness.
"You were the one who wanted to meet our subjects with your own efforts, were you not? There was no way I could say no to you when you had such an adorable expression then." Celestia countered with another warm smile. Luna simply sighed and let the matter drop, she knew better than fight a losing verbal battle against her sister. The pony of the sun noticed her silence and trotted to Luna's side before nuzzling her.
"I'm sorry for that, Luna. It has simply been too long since we were able to interact like that. I had dreamt of the day when we can finally come together as sisters once more for the past thousand years." Celestia apologized and felt her heart go warmer when she felt her sister nuzzle back. The elder alicorn blinked a few times when her sister abruptly broke contact and gave her a levelled glare and a pout…Celestia had to physically repress the urge to embrace her sister right there.
"And you thought it a good idea to start with the pranks?" Luna accused and Celestia could not help but give a friendly shrug of her wings.
"It's not my fault. I thought that my little sister can't be this cute. I can't be held liable for the effects of your cuteness." Celestia answered, to which her sister flushed and turned away. Celestia approached her again before nudging her toward the castle.
"Now rest. You've had a long night and deserve a good morning's sleep." Celestia stated, going back to her 'Big Sister' mode.
"I know, I simply wished that I didn't have the sleeping habits of a Vampire." Luna commented offhandedly, causing her sister to tilt her head to the side in confusion.
"Vampire?" Celestia voiced her confusion.
"It is a creature of the night that sucks the blood of other ponies. I read about it once in a book in the library…written by someone called Stoker, I think. Good morning, Tia." Luna provided before walking toward the castle.
"Good morning to you, Luna." She heard her sister call out to her. Luna walked through the still silent halls of the castle, enjoying the subtle cool of the pre-morning. Most ponies were still asleep and so it was relatively quiet aside from the occasional Royal Guard patrols.
"Hm?" Luna turned around when she thought she heard something.
May be my imagination? I guess I needed sleep more than I expected. Luna thought with a shake of her head before heading to her private chambers. She closed the door and felt a strange tug in her mind. Was there really something there? Calling out to her?
"I will need to investigate this…" Luna resolutely stated before her resolve was interrupted by a yawn.
"…After I wake up later…" The princess of the moon nodded to herself with her plan of action before walking to her bed. She didn't even bother to take off her tiara and simply plopped onto her bed in a mass of several shades of purple.
Odd…I seem more tired than I thought...Was the last thing the alicorn thought before dozing off to sleep.
…
"I beg of you…"
Huh?
"My slave who lives somewhere in the universe!"
Who is it that calls out? Who is this slave you call out to?
"Oh sacred, beautiful and strong familiar spirit!"
This…this is magic. But whose and for what purpose?
"I desire and here I plead from my heart! Answer to my guidance!"
…
Louise had to shield her eyes from the resulting explosion from her attempt at a summoning spell. The magnitude of the blast was like nothing she had ever done before. She automatically wondered if this was yet another one of her failed spells…or worse, it succeeded and her familiar-to-be was caught in said explosion.
"Ha! As expected of Louise the Zero!" Louise grimaced when she heard the first of what she expected to be many jeers and taunts from her classmates. Professor Colbert was trying to calm the other students down on top of trying his best to comfort her. The balding man's words fell on deaf ears though as Louise and her classmates ignored him for different reasons. The other second year students of Tristain's Magic Academy continued to make fun of Louise but the short girl did not pay them any mind. Instead, she merely kept her gaze on the cloud of smoke and dust that was her summoning spell. It had failed…she knew, believed, that it had failed….
So why was it that she felt like there was something there?
As if to answer her question, the cloud of smoke and dust blasted outward because of a strong gust of wind that came from within. Louise didn't even register her professor's attempt to shield her because she was too busy trying to comprehend what she was looking at. There, in the very spot where she cast her spell, was the most beautiful mare she had ever seen.
Its coat was deep purple and it had large teal eyes that reminded her of the moon. Not only that, she was wearing some sort of black necklace that had the symbol of a white crescent moon in the middle of it. Its flank had a black coat, black as the night sky, and also had the white crescent moon symbol on it. Its hooves were greyish purple but somehow sparkled as if they were encrusted with diamonds. Its flowing wavy mane and tail was translucent purple which complemented well with its coat, it even had a black tiara, for Brimir's sake! But beyond all those things, Louise could only shake her head when she noticed that it had a horn of a unicorn and wings like a Pegasus. Her shock was the only thing keeping her from bouncing off the walls with glee.
Luna was also in a state of shock, though for a completely different reason. She did not know where she was but it was clearly already in the afternoon. The sudden time lapse was not her real concern though, it was those…creatures that were all around her. She was clearly in a castle and in a place where magic was abundant but she had never seen these things before in Equestria. They were no ponies. Instead, they reminded her of those monkeys that inhabit the forest for some reason. The one in front of her was rather small, even while walking on its hind legs. The creature's wavy pink hair reminded her of one of Twilight Sparkles friends, Fluttershy. It was wearing a white shirt with a black mantle on top of it, which was secured by a brooch that had a pentagram engraved on it. It also had a short skirt black stockings and brown boots. She scanned around and found the other creatures wearing similar attire and were each accompanied with an assortment of other creatures. Wherever she ended up in, the ones inhabiting it were clearly intelligent and seemed to have ties to magic as well. Luna nodded to herself that if this was first contact with a brand new civilization beyond Equestria's borders, then it is her duty as princess to give the best first impression that will make her sister and all of Equestria proud. Luna steeled herself and approached the pink haired one with her head held up high before opening her mouth to greet them.
"GREETINGS STRANGE CREATURES! WE ARE PRINCESS LUNA, GODDESS OF THE MOON AND CO-RULER OF THE LAND OF EQUESTRIA! TAKE US TO YOUR LEADER! " Luna proudly stated in the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice. It may have gone out of style after a thousand years on Equestria, but she could still use it when meeting intelligent creatures from a completely different place. She looked back at the pink haired one and saw that it had been sent back a few feet and was lying on her back with a look of nausea and confusion. Luna finally realized that she may have done that too close to the poor thing.
"WE APOLOGIZE LITTLE ONE! WE DID NOT REALIZE THAT YOUR DIMINUTIVE STATURE COULD NOT PREPARE YOU FOR OUR GREETING USING THE TRADITIONAL ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE! " Luna explained with a royal looked around and saw that the other creatures were staring at her with what seemed like shocked expressions. Luna was starting to lose her confidence at the lack of any other reactions from the creatures. Did she do too much? Did she try to impose on them as she did on Ponyville back during Nightmare Night? She was starting to wish that Celestia was there when she noticed the pink one finally stand up. Luna looked at her and saw that she had something of a scowl on her face. The pink one suddenly stomped toward her in some sort of aggressive display before stopping right in front of her.
Louise couldn't comprehend why the mare she summoned could talk…but there was one thing she wanted to know first.
"Why did you yell at me?" The third daughter of Duke Valliere yelled at the princess of the moon.
"WE DID NOT YELL AT YOU, DIMINUTIVE ONE! WE ARE MERELY EXPRESSING OUR GREETING TO YOUR STRANGE SPECIES USING THE TRADITIONAL ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE! IT WAS TRADITION TO SPEAK LIKE THIS TO OUR SUBJECTS IN THE PAST SO WE THOUGHT IT PRUDENT TO USE IT HERE TO SHOW YOU THE GREATNESS OF OUR CULTURE'S TRADITIONS! " Luna explained in length, but Louise didn't seem to learn the first time as she was once again blasted back by the force of Luna's traditional use of logic.
"Umm…excuse me, if I may…miss…" Professor Colbert approached the purple mare with as little hostility as he could manage. He had dealt with magical creatures before, but nothing quite like what his student had just summoned. If this mare was a princess and a goddess as it claims, then the matter needed to be dealt with careful—
"LUNA! PRINCESS LUNA OF CANTERLOT! CO-RULER OF EQUESTRIA AND THE GODDESS OF THE MOON! SPEAKUP! YOU NEED NOT FEAR US! " Luna spoke out, the force of her voice making Professor Colbert lean backwards but the man managed to keep his balance.
"Yes…umm…Princess Luna…wouldn't you please lower your voice a bit? We can understand you just fine with this much volume." Colbert requested and pointed out while speaking to her. Luna looked around her and saw that everyone else was covering their ears save for a blue haired one that was wearing glasses. That one seemed to simply be deep in concentration as she read her book.
"HOW ABOUT NOW?" Luna asked, drawing from the lessons she had with Twilight Sparkle.
"Just a bit more, your Highness." Colbert requested and the princess nodded in response. She closed her eyes and took a breath before speaking once more.
"And now?" She asked. Luna had to admit, once she starts speaking in the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice, it was very difficult to get her volume down to normal speaking levels on her own without someone to tell her that it was soft enough.
"Much better, thank you princess." Colbert said approvingly with a smile and a bow. Luna nodded in return but noticed that the pink one who yelled at her was back.
"Is there something you need of us, little one?" Luna was able to ask before the girl pointed a small stick in front of her and muttered a few words. After which, she suddenly brought her face up to Luna and gave her a small kiss.
"While we appreciate the gesture of friendship. We…I…cannot say that I am familiar with this type of greeting." Luna stated in irony that she had yet to realize. A few moments after she was kissed by the pink one, she felt heat coming from her left hoof. She looked down upon it and saw that there were magic runes being engraved on it. It did not hurt, but Luna was curious as to what it is and why she felt like there was magic passing through her. It was strange, she should be feeling angry at what this girl had done to her but…she wasn't.
"What did you do to me little one?" Luna could not help but ask. The girl took a deep breath and gave her a smile that radiated confidence, relief, joy, and excitement.
"I am Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere. From now on, you will be my familiar."
…
Guided by the light of the moon
…
Louise puffed her chest forward, put her hands on her hips, and held her head up high. This was it! The very proof that she was not a Zero and that she did have the talent for magic! She summoned a winged unicorn…or a horned pegasus…whatever, she was too happy about her success to care. She summoned a unique, intelligent, and beautiful magical creature!
"Familiar? I'm afraid I don't understand, little one. We have just met, so I don't think that we are very familiar with one another." Luna replied with honest confusion. There was a beat before Louise's classmates started laughing. The pink haired girl seethed as she turned to glare at her peers who had gotten their second wind when it came to teasing her.
"So much for the Zero's moment of glory!"
"She can't even control her own familiar!"
"Did you hear what it said? It thinks that it's a princess and a goddess!"
"The familiar is just as delusional as the master! Hahahaha!"
Even after a thousand years of isolation, Luna can still clearly tell when a pony is being ganged up on by her peers…even if she wasn't a pony per say. Luna shook the trivial thought away and looked back to the girl, Louise Francoise she recalled the name when the girl introduced herself. Louise had her head down and was trembling so the princess of the moon was starting to worry. She saw that the elder one, the one in charged she supposed, try to calm the others down but was valiantly failing at it. Luna narrowed her eyes at the awful way they were treating one of their own. She was about to give them a stern talking to when she heard Louise say something.
"I'm not a failure…I'm not a Zero…so just…stop…why won't they stop big sis Cattleya? Why won't they stop?" That was the last straw for Luna. She did not know what this place was, she did not know what these creatures are supposed to be and what they were capable of, but she would sooner lock herself back on the moon rather than ignore this injustice. No matter where she was, Luna knew that what was happening here was wrong. She turned to face the still laughing students and took in a breath.
"SILENCE! " The effect was immediate as Luna's voice reverberated throughout the field, so much so that each person there could physically feel the alicorn's order. Once satisfied that she had the students' attention, she walked toward them a few paces while spreading her wings as wide as she could. She was no longer Nightmare Moon, but she still knew how to scare somepony.
"I DO NOT ASSUME THAT I KNOW YOUR WAYS OR TRADITIONS! HOWEVER, EVEN ONE SUCH AS I KNOW WHEN A MOB IS PREYING ON ONE WEAKER THAN THEY! I COME FROM A LAND WHERE EVERY ONE DOES THEIR BEST TO HELP EACH OTHER TO BETTER THEM SELVES AND THE COMMUNITY! I COME FROM A LAND WHERE FRIENDSHIP ITSELF IS CONSIDERED A MAGIC ALL ITS OWN! " Luna berated the stunned students as she felt her magic start to flow. Her horn glowed deep purple and a gust of wind swirled around her, adding to the effect. If this did not get her message across, then these creatures were not as intelligent as she had first assumed.
"AS SUCH, I CANNOT TOLERATE SUCH TREATMENT OF ONE OF YOUR OWN! YOU WILL APOLOGIZE TO LOUISE FRANCOISE FOR YOUR GRIEVANCES AT ONCE! YOU WILL DO SO OR I SWEAR BY MY HONOR THAT I WILL NOT LET THIS PASS! I AM PRINCESS LUNA, AND I WILL PUNISH YOU IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! " Luna ended her declaration my standing on her hind legs to make herself look taller. She kept her balance using magic while she dramatically flapped her wings and made her eyes glow white. To top it off she angled herself slightly by placing her left hoof in front of her right hoof, pointed her right hoof dramatically at the stunned students and placed her left hoof underneath her right and pointed it to the side. It was the Traditional Royal Canterlot Declaration of Punishment in the name of the Moon.
Louise was absolutely speechless at the display, she demonstrated this by pointing at the mare she summoned with a shaky right index finger while opening and closing her mouth over and over again. It had been a long time since someone stood op for her, longer since someone who wasn't a family member stood up for her. And right here, right now, a magical creature that had known here for all of ten minutes was standing between her and her classmates and defending her honor. Louise didn't even notice the tears flowing from her eyes.
"WELL? WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE BIPEDS? WILL YOU APOLOGIZE OR WILL I HAVE TO MAKE YOU APOLOGIZE THE HARD WAY? " Luna bellowed when she heard no response from the students. They all looked at each other then back to Luna, unsure of what they should all do. Another moment of awkward and tense silence dominated the field until Professor Colbert finally stepped forward to face the moon princess.
"I deeply apologize on behalf of my students, Princess Luna. They are still young and have a lot to learn. Please forgive them." Luna narrowed her eyes at him but relaxed her stance and stood back on all fours before folding her wings and dismissing the wind magic she was using for effect.
"WHO ARE—Who are you exactly? You come to their aid and seem more stable than they are, yet to allow them to taunt Louise Francoise. This puzzles me." Luna asked, mindful to adjust her tone of voice. Colbert winced at her observation but decided that it was better to introduce himself first and diffuse the situation.
"I am their teacher, Jean Colbert. I am a professor of magic in the Tristain Magic Academy, the very castle we are standing in right now. Again, I apologize for the actions of my students and my inaction in Miss Valliere's dilemma." Colbert introduced himself, apologized, and provided as information on where Luna was. The princess nodded in acknowledgement and regarded the students, who were looking at her with varying degrees of annoyance and apprehension, before turning back to the professor.
"I will accept your apology. However, I will not stand for such acts of bullying so long as I am here. To prevent further actions against Louise Francoise, I will remain with her for the time being." Luna declared before turning back to said pink-head without waiting for another reply from the professor. She faintly heard him dismiss the class but Luna didn't really catch much as she trotted up to Louise, who was still staring at her in disbelief. Luna could not help but notice her eyes. They were amber colored and radiated a strange warmth of determination yet also had the cold loneliness that she herself had been intimately accustomed to long ago.
"Are you alright young one?" Luna asked worriedly before poking Louise's hair with her snout. She heard the girl give out a sigh before reaching up and stroking the right side of Luna's face.
"I don't understand…" Louise finally said after a few moments of silence.
"What is wrong Louise Francoise? Can you not understand me?" Luna asked, not bothering to think through the logic of her question. Louise shook her head in response and stood up before straightening her skirt. She paused for a moment before Luna noticed that Louise had a warm but distant expression. The pony tilted her head to the side in confusion when Louise suddenly let out a dainty giggle. When the young mage noticed Luna's apparent confusion, she shook her head and gave a small smile.
"It's nothing…Luna. I was just remembering someone else who also calls me that way. So, you're not mad at me?" Louise explained before timidly asking the alicorn a question she did not even bother to consider.
"Mad? At you? Whatever for?" Luna inquired with a few blinks of her eyes.
"For summoning you here. You're from a different land right? And you said that you are a princess and a goddess. I'm not sure about that last part but are you sure that it's okay for you to be here?" Louise clarified. The young mage was still not willing to believe that the winged unicorn in front of her was a princess or a goddess, but it still stands that she was sentient and seemed like she was important in some way. She was too happy when she first summoned Luna that she didn't have time to worry about the consequences about calling out something like her and placing her in a familiar contract. When she really thought about it, Louise was starting to wish she hadn't tried that summoning spell at all.
"Yes, I am from a land known as Equestria. The fact that you don't seem to know of it, and the lack of other ponies here, shows that I am quite far away from my home. As for your second question, I am the princess of my land and the one responsible for raising and setting the moon on its course for the night. However, my sister has proven that she can do that as efficiently as I, so I suppose that my disappearance will likely not have any immediate effects." Luna explained and stayed silent at Louise's expression of pure confusion.
"Perhaps we should speak of this in length in a much more comfortable place…" Luna offered and Louise snapped out of her trance before nodding.
"That's a good idea. We'll talk in my room, since it looks like we have a lot to discuss." The pink-haired girl offered before walking off. Luna followed before thinking about what she had told Louise earlier.
Surely…Celestia can handle Equestria while I am gone. My disappearance is likely no more than an inconvenience for her and the rest of Canterlot. But I'm already starting to miss her…even with all her pranks and teasing.I simply hope she does not worry too much… Luna silently thought as she followed Louise to her room.
…
"Luna, are you oversleeping again? That is a very bad habit to have you know." Celestia jokingly said as she stood in front of her sister's room. She had known Luna to oversleep at times, especially during the first few days of her return after being freed by the Elements of Harmony, so she wasn't really bothered by it.
"Luna? You'll be late in rising up the moon if you keep sleeping like this, you know? That would be very unbecoming of you…Luna?" The alicorn called out one more time before slowly opening the door to her sister's room.
"Lu…na?" Was all Celestia could say after she saw that her sister was nowhere in sight.
Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, a certain purple unicorn named Twilight Sparkle suddenly blinked awake and looked around her room. For some reason, she thought she heard Princess Celestia scream. The favored student of the princess of the sun shoo her head and went back to sleep.
Seriously, Celestia screaming so loud that we could hear it all the way out in Ponyville? Absurd… Twilight thought before drifting back to sleep.
…
"Please mind the door." Louise said as she led Luna into her room. The alicorn headed her advice and narrowly prevented her horn from getting caught in the door frame. She supposed that the entryway was not designed with alicorn access in mind. Luna did have the sense to close the door with a quick telekinesis spell after she entered, surprising Louise in the process.
"How did you do that?" The girl asked her.
"Simple telekinesis using my magic. It is very useful for one without hands." Luna explained and she noticed Louise adopt a surprised, then contemplative, expression.
"Magic…you can really use magic?" She asked Luna in continued awe. Louise had read about magical creatures that can use magic, but those were simply animals that had one or two spells built into them on instinct. To actually meet a non-human that can wield magic with such finesse was quite the surprise in an already long list of surprises.
"Yes. All unicorns and alicorns can use magic…though Pegasi can also control magic to a degree." Luna answered good-naturedly as she lay down on the wooden floor. It had been quite a while since Luna had such a candid conversation with someone who wasn't her sister or one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. It was a novel experience and Luna found that she was enjoying it. On the other hand, Louise's gaze shifted between her summoned familiar and the stack of hay she set in a corner of her room. She had intended to use it as a bed for whatever creature she summoned that day…unfortunately, she wasn't really expecting to summon something quite like Luna.
I'm such a fool! I wished for a special familiar but I never really prepared to take care of it. Mother would have my head if she found out about this… Louise thought bitterly before giving out a frustrated sigh. She will need to do something about the living arrangements for Luna. Speaking of Luna…
"Is something wrong Louise Francoise? You seem to be deep in thought." Luna asked while leaning forward slightly toward Louise.
"Oh no…I was just thinking about where you will sleep for the night. I did not expect to summon someone as amazing as you and well…" Louise said in defeat while pointing to the stack of hay. Luna looked between the girl and the stack of hay she was pointing at and connected the dots. Louise blinked in confusion when the alicorn started giggling like a noblewoman would…she was even covering her mouth her left hoof!
"It is fine for me to sleep there, Louise Francoise. I have lived for a long time, I have had to sleep in worse places before. However, I have a few important things I wish to discuss with you." Luna dismissed Louise's worry in but a moment. The young mage was curious as to what the mare meant when she said that she had slept in worse places, but it seemed that Luna wanted to talk about something else.
"Alright, let me just change first." Louise said as she walked over to her wardrobe and opened it. Luna could hear Louise grumble about something but she couldn't quite hear what it was. The young mage proceeded to strip off her clothing and change into a simple pink negligee. Luna was fascinated at the action. She did not understand why Louise's species needed so much clothing when she first arrived, but now she understood. If Louise's delicate looking skin was any indication of the rest of her kind, the lack of nearly any natural protection from the elements would be very difficult to cope with without adequate clothing. How her species managed to become as seemingly prominent as it has despite such a glaring limitation, Luna couldn't comprehend yet.
"Alright, what did you want to talk about?" Louise asked me as she sat down onto her bed with a small bounce, one that Luna thought to be quite cute. Luna cleared her mind of the thoughts and considered her choices on what to ask first:
1.) What is your species called?
2.) Where is this place exactly?
3.) Have you never seen a pony like me before?
4.) What do you do for…fun?
Luna went over her choices one more time as she looking straight at Louise. From the angle she was on, she could see most of Louise's upper body but the rest was framed off because of her field of vision. The girl looked at her expectantly, only blinking every now and then, but otherwise remaining quiet…as if she could not speak until Luna made a choice.
As if such an absurd concept could actually happen. It would be even worse than those poorly written choose your own adventure books that Celestia clamored over when we were still fillies. Luna thought absentmindedly before taking the first choice as her first question.
"I must admit that I have never seen a race quite like yours, Louise Francoise. Can you enlighten me as to what you are all collectively called?" Luna asked while gesturing with her right hoof for her companion to respond.
Thinking back on it, Louise should have thought that Luna would have asked that question at some point. Certainly fitting for it to be an opening question since she was planning to ask the same thing to the mare.
"I am what is called a Human. Collectively, we are all called Human Beings. What about you? I have never seen a horse with both a horn and wings as well." Louise answered before returning the question back to Luna.
"Pony." Luna immediately corrected.
"Excuse me?" Louise asked in confusion.
"I am a pony, not a horse." Luna clarified for the sake of her companion, though Louise immediately wondered what the difference between the two was but chose to keep quiet about it for now. At the lack of any response, Luna decided to continue her explanation.
"To expound on that, we are all known as Ponies in Equestria. However, between them, we are mostly divided into distinct kinds of ponies. Unicorns, Pegasi, Earth Ponies, and Alicorns." Louise nodded at Luna's words and imagined what a society with nothing but horses…ponies...would be like.
"If there are different kinds, does that mean that there are dominant types and followers? Like master-servant relationships?" Louise asked after wondering how such a society would work.
"Only if it is the pony's chosen vocation to be one. Between most types of ponies, there are no such distinctions as one type being better than the others." Aside from alicorns, but Luna decided to get to that after going through the others first.
"Okay, I don't quite understand it yet but I want to know about the different types of ponies first." Louise said in rapt attention, her desire to learn more about these…ponies. Luna smiled warmly at the young mage. Somehow the human reminded her of Twilight Sparkle in a way.
"Very well. Pegasi are ponies with wings. As such, they can fly and are usually the ones responsible for regulating the weather in Equestria and serve as the most efficient way to send and receive messages and parcels. The Canterlot Royal Guard is also comprised of Pegasi as well." The alicorn explained and she could swear that she could see Louise's eyes sparkle at the concept.
"Control weather? Do they use magic to do that?" Louise eagerly asked. She was lying on her stomach now and had her head propped up with her hands.
"Not quite. You see, Pegasi are tuned to be able to use the sky itself as a second home. As such, they have the ability to move around clouds, create rainbows, produce snow, and many more." Luna answered and gave a giggle at Louise's enchanted expression.
"That's amazing! What about Unicorns?" The young girl quickly changed the subject. For her, this was like one of the fairytales that her big sister Cattleya told her about magical lands filled with the very creatures that Luna was talking about when she was still small…but this time, it's all real! She could just imagine it! Being able to go to that world and living her dream to become 'The Great and Powerful Louise!'
"Fufufufu~! Very well…" Luna then told Louise about Unicorns and Earth Ponies, the magical prowess of the horned ponies and the hard working nature of the Earth Ponies. Louise took it all with a nod and a smile, more than happy to know as much as she could about those little ponies.
…
"Well?" Celestia waited for the report of her guards as she anxiously stood in the Canterlot Royal Audience Chamber. She had spent the next few hours searching high and low for her sister. When she realized that Luna was gone, she immediately formed search parties to comb through Canterlot to find the missing princes. Celestia would do it herself but, with her sister once again gone, she had to pull double duty and raise the moon herself to make sure that the day flowed as it should.
"Your Highness, we have search every inch of Canterlot and could not find hide nor hair of Princess Luna. We have also sent out special investigators to scan the princess' chamber but they could not find any signs of forced entry nor a struggle. It was like she either disappeared or simply left." The Captain of the Guard reported and it was very obvious that this was not the report that Celestia wanted.
"Keep looking. It does not matter how, but find my sister." Celestia ordered with a sense of finality and her guards immediately saluted her and left. The alicorn finally let out a tired and worried sigh after she heard the doors close.
"Luna…wherever you are…please be safe."
…
"So Earth Ponies can't use magic and can't fly? Does that mean that they are the commoners?" Louise suddenly asked after Luna finished describing Unicorns and Earth Ponies.
"Commoners? In what context?" Luna answered the question with one of her own.
"Well, you see…in our land, we are divided between Nobles and Commoners. Nobles are those who can wield magic while Commoners are everyone else. Commoners serve Nobles while Nobles rule over Commoners. Is that not the way in Equestria as well?" Louise explained the way the system of Magocracy in Tristain and the rest of Halkeginia worked. Luna nodded to this information but could not help but feel uncomfortable about the concept. An entire part of their population segregated from the other simply because they cannot perform magic?
"Yes, we did have something like that a long time ago. However, it has been replaced for some time now. While my sister and I rule Equestria, we understand that each pony has the potential for great things, regardless if they are Unicorn, Pegasus, or Earth Pony. I have personally seen what each can do when called to do extraordinary things and I can say with confidence that each of our ponies can do amazing things with what talents they have." Luna proudly stated. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony were a prime example of that. Two Unicorns, Two Pegasi, and Two Earth Ponies…six individuals who became the best of friends despite their personal differences and ended up saving Luna from her thousand year nightmare.
"Is something wrong Louise Francoise?" Luna asked when Louise did not respond to her explanation. The young mage looked at her as if thinking deeply about something before finally responding.
"So, everyone in your land is equal? But how does that work? How could they all know what they should be doing if there is no system in place to tell them?" Louise asked almost desperately. For her, this was earth shattering news. She had lived her entire life with the clear understanding that Nobles will forever be better than Commoners. As such, Nobles must lead and protect Commoners while Commoners serve the Nobility in return. This was what her parents have taught her, this was what her teachers have taught her, this is what her peers have taught her. And now, Luna was saying that there was another way?
"Ah yes, I was getting to that. You are correct in asking just how we are all supposed to know what we are supposed to be doing with out lives if all ponies had equal opportunity to do everything. And that answer comes from our Cutie Marks." Luna said before standing up and giving Louise a good view of the cutie mark on her flank.
"Cutie Marks? Like that symbol on your side?" Louise ventured a guess based on Luna's action and was rewarded with a smile and nod.
"That is correct. Cutie Marks appear on a pony's flank once they find whatever it is they are most suited for. It is not a brand that restricts one pony to a single job, instead, it shows the thing they are best at. With that knowledge, they can go about their lives in a way that would satisfy their Cutie Mark. Mine is the moon and the night, so no guesses on what I'm supposed to be…doing." Luna suddenly trailed off and quieted down when she ended her statement. Louise noticed her looking down on the floor and had a sad expression.
"Luna…is something wrong?" Louise asked as she got out of the bed to check on her new friend.
"I…just left them…didn't I?" Luna muttered in realization on what her appearance in Louise's land meant for Equestria.
"I'm supposed to be raising the moon and making sure that the night sky is just right. By the stars, my sister must be worried sick about me!" Luna said in panic before standing up and bolting out the door, making sure to open it with her magic before running out.
"Luna!" Louise called out to her but Luna was already gone at that point. Louise grumbled in frustration before closing her door and changing back into her school uniform, which was still spread out on her bed.
Luna galloped through the halls of the dormitory tower, eliciting confused reactions from the students there since they didn't really expect that sound inside a dorm. Luna didn't even notice them as she continued to look for a way outside. She silently cursed her inability to remember the way she and Louise came in. Luna glanced out through one of the windows and saw that it was already night, she concluded that it must have been Celestia's work. It seemed that her conversations with Louise went for longer than she had thought. She would apologize to Louise about her sudden outburst as soon as she manages to regain contact with her sister and assure her that she was okay.
"What is that noise, Guiche? It sounds like hooves." Luna heard the voice of a young girl a distance away.
"Think nothing of it my dead…err…dear Katie. I'm sure it is noth-" The blonde boy, Guiche, did not even get to finish as he and the girl were suddenly confronted with an alicorn.
"You there! Where is the exit!" Luna demanded the way she does whenever she needed something five minutes ago and was not in the mood to talk. Faced with a deep purple colored talking unicorn with wings and had a sparkling translucent purple mane, the two students could not speak and simply pointed to the passage behind Luna. The alicorn turned to where they were pointing at and then back to them.
"My thanks!" She said before galloping off through the hall. Guiche and Katie simply stood there in utter shock at what just happened. The chances of something like that occurring was simply silly. Their trance was interrupted when they heard the sound of running and panting from the hall where Luna came from. Much to their continuing surprise, it was a tired-looking Louise.
"Guiche…did you see…a…" Louise let out between breaths and the couple simply pointed in the direction Luna went to. Louise looked down the hall where they were pointing at then back to them.
"My thanks…" Louise grunted out before running off to catch up to her familiar.
"So…about those muffins." Guiche finally spoke after a few more moments to the still stunned younger woman.
…
Luna finally made it out of the dormitory tower and immediately started looking around to get her bearings. She could still see some students outside near the fountains, particularly the dark skinned, red haired girl that was one of those who were teasing Louise earlier. Luna shook off the unpleasant feeling as she had more important things to take care of right now. She started thinking of how to contact her sister when she idly glanced up to the sky on reflex.
She felt her jaw drop as the shock forced her down to her backside. Luna could not speak, she could not think, she could not believe what she was seeing right in front of her. There in the night sky that she was supposed to be taking care off…were two moons. Two. More than one. One more than one to be exact. Luna could only express her shock and surprise in one way possible.
"THE MOON HAS BEEN DOUBLED! " The yelled out, not bothering the panicked noises coming from within the dormitory tower after hearing her loud voice.
...
Guided by the light of the moon
...
"THE MOON HAS BEEN DOUBLED! " Louise cringed and covered her ears when she heard Luna's voice. She had just managed to get outside after following the alicorn's trail when the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice stopped her in her tracks. Louise was stunned for a few moments after getting an earful of that voice and she thought that she faintly heard Kirche scream out before hearing a splash from the nearby fountain.
"I have to find her..." Louise muttered to herself as the ringing in her ears finally stopped. The young mage turned back to the entrance of the dormitory tower when she started hearing panicked voices of students and some servants. She shook her head and started to walk across the field to find her familiar.
It did not take long as a dark purple winged unicorn that had a free flowing translucent mane and tale was very hard to miss. Louise approached said winged unicorn and saw that Luna had her wings fully spread out and her horn was glowing with the same purple aura it had when she closed the door in Louise's room.
"Guh! Why?! Why is this not working! The power of Luna compels you! THE POWER OF LUNA COMPELS YOU! THE POWER OF LUNA COMPELS YOU! " Luna frustratingly yelled out as she stomped her front hooves on thr ground while she continued to attempt and fail at trying to manipulate the twin moons of this land. She had pumped as much magic as she could to try to move the moons or get any sort of response from them, but everything she had tried so far simply gleaned off the two heavenly bodies. She could not understand it. She was the goddess of the moon and the night! She has been doing this for centuries! Guiding the moon across the sky was second nature to her! Letting the stars shine as magnificently as possible was her art! So why?!
"WHY?!" Luna asked out as she glared at the two moons, which were just...there...as if taunting her.
"Luna!" The moon princess' frustration, anger, and sorrow was interrupted by a desperate call from behind her, a voice she now associates with a certain...human.
"Luna! Stop yelling! You're scaring everyone!" Louise once again called out to her familiar. She heard the frantic footfalls of several other people coming from several directions but she chose to remain focused on Luna instead. The alicorn slowly folded her wings before turning her head to look at the young mage and Louise gasped before running toward Luna when she saw the tears in her eyes.
"I...can't...move them...I..." Luna weakly said with a shake of her head as the glow of her horn died down. Louise's heart went out to the mare as she knew that look she had right now. It was a look that she herself had many times over the course of her life and it broke her heart to see that expression on a creature as magnificent as Luna.
"It's okay. Whatever it is, we'll figure something out." Louise finally said soothingly as she embraced Luna by the neck before slowly stroking her mane. Stroking the alicorn's mane was admittedly and odd experience for the young mage. It did not feel nor flow like hair normally would. Instead, it felt like she was stroking the air itself but it gave a certain amount of resistance to ensure that something was indeed there. Louise also noted that she could literally 'feel' magic in her fingers as she stroked the alicorn's mane. It was very strange but very soothing.
"Miss Valliere? Is everything alright? We heard your familiar yelling out and we thought the worst." Professor Jean Colbert called out to Louise and Luna. Both of them turned to the worried looking professor and saw that several students and teachers, even servants, were there. It seemed that Luna's outburst called on more attention than Louise originally thought.
"We're...fine Professor. Luna is just working through a few things. I deeply apologize for my familiar's outburst and assure that it will not happen again." Louise said as she let go of Luna and stepped in front of her, as if to shield the alicorn from any more attention. Louise didn't really care if Luna was a bit taller than she was when standing up, she couldn't call herself a proper mage if she couldn't even take care of her own familiar.
A familiar is the extension of the mage that summoned it. It is meant to serve the mage and the mage must care for it in return. The familiar's actions is the mage's actions. Care for it as you would care for yourself.
Those were the words that she had engraved into her heart before trying to summon a familiar for herself and Louise will abide by those words no matter what. Luna was hers and she was Luna's, this was the truth ever since she completed the ritual and the contract runes engraved themselves on the alicorn's left hoof. Louise was wondered momentarily why the runes appeared there of all places, but decided to think about that at a later time. She's been doing that a lot for the past few hours, setting things in the back burner and making Luna's well being her primary concern, her Big Sis Cattleya would be proud of her...she hoped.
Professor Colbert looked at both mage and familiar intently as he wondered what he should do. On one hand, the sudden outburst of Louise's familiar had singlehandedly woke nearly everyone up and put the entire academy on high alert. On the other hand, it did not seem to be anything serious or life threatening to anyone and Louise herself assured him that everything was okay. The Professor looked at them one more time and noted how similar their expressions were. Frightened but standing their ground, drawing strength from themselves and one another. He gave a helpless sigh before nodding to the determined, if a bit desperate, expression of his student.
"Alright, I trust you Miss Valliere." Colbert said with a warm smile before turning to the crowd of curious onlookers. He then started to assure everyone that everything is under control and to go back to their rooms for a good night's rest. Louise gave a sigh of relief, she will need to thank Professor Colbert for everything he has done for her once things settle down. She then noticed something fly overhead.
"What is that? A dragon?" Luna asked and Louise had to squint to see what it was exactly. She finally made an 'ah' of recognition when she saw who it was. It was a blue wind dragon that was summoned by one of her classmates, one Tabitha of Gallia. Tabitha was well known as being a quiet introvert who only liked reading books, but no one could deny the sheer skill and power she had as a mage. She was also a friend of Kirche's and even now, Louise could not understand why the small and quiet blue-haired girl became friends with that haughty dark skinned red-head.
Tabitha dismounted from her dragon and adjusted her glasses before walking up to them, in her right hand was a crooked wooden staff...her casting focus of choice.
"Yes? Can I help you?" Louise asked the guirl after she stood in front of her and her familiar, Tabitha's dragon was staring at them from a distance.
"Sylphid was worried. Is she injured?" Tabitha inquired while pointing her staff toward Luna.
"Sylphid? Your dragon?" Luna ventured the question and was rewarded with a nod.
"We saw you from the sky. We heard you. Sylphid was worried that you might be hurt. I'm here to make sure." The blue haired girl responded. Both Louise and Luna wasn't sure what to make of that answer. Tabitha's DRAGON was worried about Luna? And it apparently told its master about it somehow and asked her to check up on the alicorn?
"Tabitha? What are you doing over there?" A sultry but curious female voice came from the direction of the now dwindling crowds. Luna looked in the direction of the voice then back to Louise when she heard the girl give an 'urk'.
"Checking." Tabitha stated simply. Luna looked at the new arrival and found that it was the same girl she had passed earlier, the one sitting on the fountain. She noted that she was a bit wet though, Luna blushed when she thought that the girl must have fallen into the fountain or something when she started yelling out in the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice. Upon closer inspection, the girl was taller than both Louise and the blue-haired girl, named Tabitha apparently. She had hair of blazing red and dark skin but Luna noted that there seemed to be two rather large sets of fat on her upper torso that seemed to jiggle whenever she moved. Curious, Luna glanced at Louise and Tabitha and wondered why they did not have such things. Was it some sort of illness or an adaptive trait? Perhaps those bags of meat served as emergency energy supplied should that human ever find herself unable to eat for an extended period of time.
"Checking on what? Zero and her horse?" Kirche asked with a sneer as she looked at both Louise and Luna.
"Pony. Luna is a pony. At least get that right, Kirche." Louise corrected with a bit of venom in her voice. The girl known as Kirche narrowed her eyes at Louise for a moment and Luna was worried that they might start fighting.
"No fighting." As if reading the alicorn's mind, or at least thinking the same thing, Tabitha stepped between the two girls to prevent things from escalating.
"Sylphid asked me to check on the pony. No other reason. Pony is fine." Tabitha quickly diffused the situation by explaining to her friend why she was talking to Louise and Luna. The blue-haired girl stared at her friend for a few more moments before turning back to Louise and Luna. They all stood there in silence until Tabitha turned back to Sylphid and nodded.
"We go." Tabitha said before walking away. Kirche gave one last sparing glance at Louise and her familiar before following Tabitha without another word.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Louise asked her familiar after making sure that no one else would be dropping in on them.
"I am alright now. Thank you for your concern Louise Francoise and I apologize for my earlier display...that was very unbecoming of a princess of Equestria." Luna replied before berating herself, her ears drooping slightly in shame. Luna sighed in comfort when she felt Louise stroke her back, no doubt trying to make her feel better.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Louise asked after a few moments as she continued to stroke the alicorn. Luna considered the question from the young mage. There was a lot of things she wanted to know actually. She wanted to understand why she held no power over the moons of this land. She wanted to know where she was exactly since Equestria certainly did not have two moons at any point in her life. She had yet to be able to established a means of communication with her sister. She had so may questions but above all else...she was just very tired. When she thought back on it, she never really managed to get a whole lot of sleep. She was just dozing off when she was pulled into this world and the adrenaline kept her up since. Her sleepiness was now catching up on her and she let out a tired yawn, making sure to cover her mouth with a dainty hoof for the sake of manners.
"Not tonight. A lot has happened and I am quite tired now. Some sleep with do a lot of good in clearing my mind and relieving some stress." Luna admitted as she gave a tired smile to Louise. The young mage nodded in agreement before remembering what sleeping arrangements she had prepared for her familiar in her room.
"Is something wrong Louise Francoise?" Luna asked with a tilt of her head.
"Nothing. You can sleep on my bed but I'm not sure it can support both of us." Louise sheepishly admitted. They could probably fit on her bed with some clever adjustments but she was not sure that her bed could take the combined weight without collapsing.
"I think I may be able to do something about that." Luna responded with a smile. Louise wondered what she meant but decided to trust the alicorn for now. They both made their way back to Louise's room without much incident. Everyone was either already back in their own rooms or were doing something else. There were still those who were walking the halls and gave them curious glances but nothing more.
"Please stand back." Luna asked after both of them managed to get back inside Louise's room. The young mage closed the door and stood behind and to the left side of Luna. Satisfied that the young girl was at a safe angle, Luna turned to the four post bed and concentrated. Luna looked on in silent awe and expectation as she saw Luna's horn give off another purple glow. Louise tilted her head to the side curiously when her bed started glowing with the same purple glow as well. She turned back to Luna and saw that she had her eyes closed and had a look of concentration.
"Analyzing Structure..." Luna murmured and her horn glowed a bit as Louise felt her magic work. She was once again in awe at how the alicorn was manipulating magical energy so easily.
"Identifying Components..." Luna continued and the glow around Louise's bed became stronger in turn.
"Begin Reinforcement." The alicorn said with a bit more force than before. The young human mage blinked as her bed started glittering with what looked like tiny stars. As mesmerizing as the display was, Louise was silently worrying as to what exactly Luna was doing. She would ask her what she was doing but Louise was afraid of interrupting the alicorn considering how focused she looked at the moment.
"Creation Complete." Luna finally said with a satisfied smile as the glow on her horn and on the bed finally died down. She then turned to Louise with a nod and a smile before tilting her head toward the bed.
"Shall we?" Luna offered as she slowly walked toward the bed. Louise looked between Luna and said bed before adopting a contemplative look. After all that glowing and sparkling...nothing really changed.
"Umm...what did you do exactly?" Louise finally voiced while rubbing her chin with her right hand.
"Oh that? That was a reinforcement spell. It allows one to manipulate the structure of solid matter and make it stronger than it originally was using magic." Luna explained as she gave a swift kick on one of the bed posts with her right foreleg. The reulting thud that the wood gave off did not sound quite like what wood should sound like when hit. It still sounded like wood getting hit but it seemed more...solid.
"Reinforcement...how did you do it? All I saw was just a lot of glowing and sparkling but nothing really changed." Louise asked and elaborated on her question as Luna tested out her spell further by going up onto the mattress and laying down on it. The bed creaked a bit by the weight of the pony but otherwise remained solid. Louise noted this as she went to her wardrobe to change back into her pink negligee.
"That is because I did not actually change the structure of the bed, I changed what it was made of. That is why there are no visible changes on the bed itself." Luna answered but only earned a confused raised eyebrow from the pink-haired girl.
"Think of it this way. I did not change the actual structure of the bed. Instead I manipulated the wood and other components that make up the bed and made them stronger, hence reinforcement. It is not a very flashy spell, it is actually considered rather basic in our land and considered as a stepping stone to so called 'real spells' because it trains one to be able to analyze and concentrate on something. However, I am of the opinion that reinforcement has a much greater potential than that. Granting a few more centuries of practice and experimentation, I predict that it could end up as a completely different kind of magic." Luna explained at length with and enthused smile on her face. Application of Magical Theory was always a subject she found great interest in. It was one of the things that she and Twilight Sparkle ended up discussing for days on end because they sometimes had different ideas on how a spell should be developed.
Her smile faltered somewhat when she saw Louise simply look at her with a surprised expression.
"Ahem...is something the matter?" Luna asked after pretending to clear her throat.
"Did you just say centuries?" Louise finally asked, making Luna blink. She wasn't really expecting the reason for her shock to be the pony's sense of time.
"Well yes...it would seem that we do have much more to discuss. However, they can wait until tomorrow. We both need some rest and the night just continues to march on without me..err..us..." Luna said, faltering at the end when she realized what she was getting at. Louise looked like she still had something to say but relented and got on the bed. It creaked again but remained strong.
"Wow...this is really supporting both of us?" Louise asked as she and Luna shifted into a better position. The bed rather large for a single occupant but a human and a pony quickly took up whatever room was available.
"Yes. With the degree of reinforcement I put on it, it should be able to support approximately twenty ponies of my size and weight." Luna commented before yawning one more time. Louise smiled at the rather cute action, idly thinking that her Big Sis Cattleya would be thrilled to meet Luna.
"Good night Luna." Louise said as she settled onto her pillow.
"Good night Louise Francoise." Luna replied and both of them drifted off to sleep in short order.
...
"I came here as soon as I could...oh my, what happened to you Princess Celestia?" The purple unicorn pony known as Twilight Sparkle walked up to her teacher but did not like what she saw. There, the normally radiant pony of the sun, Princess Celestia of Equestria simply looked...weary. Her beautiful flowing blue, green, purple, and pink mane and tail looked duller than usual and actually seemed a bit unkempt. Her crown and necklace did not seem to be on quite right. Even her normally shining white coat looked like it was a bit duller today. Put sumply, Princess Celestia of Equestria looked terrible.
Rarity would go into a panic if she saw the princess in this state. Twilight thought as she approached the princess, who gave her a tired smile. The prized student of the sun's morning was quickly interrupted by a sudden letter from the princess while she and her baby dragon assistant Spike were having breakfast. The letter was simple and to the point and that was what worried Twilight the most.
Twilight,
I need you here at once. A chariot has already been arranged for you and should arrive by the time you finish reading this sentence.
Princess Celestia
p.s. Due to the nature of my request for your presence, this letter will self-destruct as soon as you finish reading this sentence.
True to the words, she and Spike heard the landing of one of Canterlot's chariots outside the library before the letter ignited in a flash of white magical fire. Needless to say, Twilight was quickly whisked away to her teacher soon afterward.
"Twilight Sparkle, by dear prized student. It does me well to see you, though I wish our meeting was under better circumstances." Celestia greeted her student before gesturing her to come closer. Twilight's bad feeling was getting worse and worse every second.
Princess Celestia talking like an old woman on her death bed? Something is very wrong here! The purple unicorn stated the obvious as she cautiously stepped forward toward her teacher.
"What happened princess? What's wrong?" Twilight ventured the question once she was a few steps away from the pony of the sun. There were a few very silent, very tense moments as Celestia reacted to Twilight's question by gazing intently at the floor. The element of magic was about to speak up once more when Celestia finally answered her question.
"Luna is gone..." The ancient goddess of the sun finally said in a quiet voice that would normally be more suited for Twilight's friend, Fluttershy.
"...gone?" Twilight could only repeat what her teacher said because of her shock. It was apparently enough to set off whatever it was Celestia was trying hold back. For the first time, Twilight Sparkle saw her perfect teacher snap.
"GONE! LUNA IS GONE! I WAS JUST SPEAKING WITH HER THE NIGHT BEFORE! I TEASED HER A BIT AND TOLD HER HOW CUTE SHE WAS! BUT NOW SHE'S GONE TWILIGHT! MY PRECIOUS LITTLE SISTER THAT I JUST GOT BACK IS NOW GONE! SHE'S GONE AND I CAN'T FIND HER! SHE'S GONE AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! SHE'S...she's...she...oh Luna..." Celestia finally ended her sudden tirade and struggled to catch her breath. In the meantime, Twilight was struggling to make the room stop spinning. The unicorn had known how...effective...the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice was thanks to the events of Nightmare Night. However, she had not expected for Celestia's version to be quite so...concussive.
"What...how...?" Twilight managed to let out as she struggled to get back on her feet and think about what Princess Celestia just said.
"I went to her room yesterday afternoon to wake her up. The day was ending and Luna always wanted to make sure she was awake at least an hour before night falls so she could at least catch a quick meal before starting her work. However, when I went to wake her up she...she..." Celestia trailed off and Twilight didn't need any further explanation as to what happened.
"So you weren't able to find her anywhere in the palace?" The unicorn quickly asked to clarify, the gears in her mind finally turning after she had her head cleared up. She heard her teacher give out a sigh at her question. Twilight knew she wasn't going to like what Celestia was about to tell her.
"Twilight, I've had my guard search every inch of the whole of Canterlot and the surrounding forests and airspace. They found no trace of her. What's worse is that, when I had specialists check her room for any clues, they said that they found no signs of forced entry or a struggle...they said that she just disappeared." Celestia explained making her student's eyebrows shoot up.
"Maybe she teleported out? Or was teleported out somehow?" Twilight ventured a guess.
"There were no residual traces of magic that would indicate a teleportation spell. They said that there were trace amounts of magic but it was of a kind they've never encountered before and the amount was so miniscule that they think that it wouldn't have been a factor and was just some mistake by the scans." The princess of the sun explained before shutting her eyes tightly and gritting her teeth.
"That's impossible. That means that there's no way for Princess Luna to have disappeared. It's juts physically and magically impossible then..." Twilight trailed off as she tried to find a way around the conundrum. She adopted a look of frustration when she kept hitting walls regardless of what line of logic she tried simply because of one simple fact. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were two of the current most powerful spell casters in all of Equestria save for Discord. With the master of chaos sealed up for another thousand years or so, there shouldn't be anyone who would be able to abduct Princess Luna without anypony noticing it.
"Silly pony! Anything is possible if it happens!" The familiar high pitched voice of one Pinkamena Diane Pie, better known as pinkie pie, suddenly said from right behind Twlight Sparkle. Due to the sudden appearance of the pink pony prompted Twilight to react in the most logical way possible.
"Ghaaaawaaaahhh!" The unicorn's scream echoed throughout the audience chamber.
"Pinkie! How did you get here?!" Twilight demanded from the curly maned pink party pony.
"I went through a plot hole silly!" Pinkie immediately answered.
"What? Plot hole?" The element of magic asked her bouncing pink friend.
"Look, we don't have time for this. Princess Luna is missing and--" Twilight's explanation was cut off by her pink friend.
"And you can't find her because there is no physical nor magical evidence that shows that she was taken away or simply went away....right?" Pinkie finished the question with one of her trademark borderline maddened smiles.
"Well...yeah..." The unicorn hesitantly acknowledged.
"That's because the cause obviously wasn't physical nor magical!" The pink Earth Pony continued as she bounced around her friend.
"Explain yourself Miss Pinkamena Diane Pie. Tell me what you know." Celestia's cold voice stopped both Twilight and Pinkie in their tracks. Both little ponies turned to the princess and saw that she was staring at them intently and was clearly waiting for an answer.
"I'm waiting for an answer, Miss Pinkamena Diane Pie." Celestia voiced her desire for an immediate answer. Twilight glanced at her friend for a moment, worried that Pinkie may have bit off more than she could chew when it came to her usual random nonsense.
"Umm...well you see, around the time that Princess Luna disappeared and a little before you let out that scream heard round Canterlot, I suddenly had the weirdest Pinkie Sense moment ever! It wasn't just like the other Pinkie Sense moments, which were all pretty weird on their own, but something completely and utterly different like it didn't even seem to come from Equestria at all!" Pinke explained, regaining her previously lost steam. Sadly, Twilight saw that Celestia would not have any of it right now.
"Your point Miss Pinkamena Diane Pie?" The princess of the sun said cooly, her left front hoof tapping the floor to indicate her desire for a direct answer.
"Well! That's the amazing thing! When I tried to find out the source of the Pinkie Sense moment, it led me all the way here! And I have a few theories on what could have caused this!" Pinkie answered, apparently developing some resistance to Celestia's dour demeanor. When no one responded, Pinkie decided to continue with her explanation.
"Princess Luna was either gated out to a completely different dimension by a magician, warped away by Captain Picard, called out through the totality of existence to participate in a battle royale of epic proportions, or someone called Yukari is fooling around again, or was picked off and put somewhere else by a higher existance that has the power to turn whatever he or she writes into reality! In fact, he or she could be affecting us right now! I'm on to your wiles, mysterious interdimensional super author!" Pinkie suddenly let out before pointing to a certain part of the castle as if talking to someone.
"But...what if that interdimensional super author was making me say these things right now! AS! I! SPEAK?!" Pinkie said out in horror. Twilight just shook her head and concluded that this was just Pinkie being Pinkie again, she looked at her teacher and saw that Celestia seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"I'm sorry about that Princess Celestia." Twilight said in apology for getting the princess riled up because of Pinkie Pie.
"It's alright Twilight...I'm just...so worried about her...and I can't even go out there and look for her because I need to take care of both the night and the day as well as running Equestria as a whole. That is why I called you here my student." Celestia said before looking straight at her student with eyes that were nearly pleading.
"Please save my sister once again."
...
