Chapters As Twilight screeched to a stop before the white immaculate hospital, she could have swore she felt Nova clinging to her back. But when she looked around, there was no one there. High above her, a certain foal giggled silently. As she shrugged and pushed the swinging door open, Nova swooped in behind her.
“Miss Redheart?” The hospital seemed deserted, there was no doctors walking in the halls. “Hello?” she called again nervously. Suddenly, a pink maned white mare bustled up, looking flustered.
“Oh, hello Twilight.” She acknowledged the pony “What is it you need?”
Shifting from one hoof to the other, she grinned sheepishly. “If you are busy I can come back later...”
“No, no, Twilight!” Redheart said, snapping to full attention. “Go ahead, what’s the matter…” Her eyes grew as big as dinner plates as she spotted something above Twilight.
Noticing that Redheart was distracted, she looked up to see a curled up ball of midnight black, shaking with laughter. A loud smack resonated in the room and Twilight rubbed her reddened face. “I am so sorry. NOVA, COME DOWN RIGHT THIS INSTANT. “She called the last part out louder.
At last Redheart found her voice. "WHAT THE FAUST ARE YOU DOING WITH A BATPONY?" She screeched, then blushed heavily as she realized that she had used one of her goddesses names in vain. Looking about Redheart became Redface as she caught several doctors in the act of staring at her from particular doorways.
Rubbing the back of her head with a hoof, she gestured madly for Twilight to go ahead while she shot several angry glares at the doctors, who closed their doors quickly but somehow silently. Only one remained, a newbie unicorn doctor. Staring at him, she snorted in fury. Obviously what Redheart hated most was being stared at because she had done something wrong.
Turning back to Twilight, she opened her mouth trying to be civil but was greeted with a much different sight then she had last seen. The last picture she had of Twilight was pointing a hoof at Nova and her face bulging slightly. Now the lavender princess was cuddling a small foal gently and rocking him in her hooves.
"Umm... Princess?"
She looked up, surprised. "Oh. May I have some blood for him?" If anything Redheart couldn’t look more shocked.
"But. But... He isn't a bloodsucker." This got Twilight shocked.
"He's a batpony, isn't he?"
Redheart nodded vigorously. "Yes, princess. but as far as our records go bat ponies aren't vampiric. They like fruit."
With that sentence Twilight’s mind returned to a long ago incident of Fluttershy sucking every last apple of Sweet Apple Acres dry and cringed. "Thank you, I had almost forgotten that. Can you get me something for him?"
The nurse smiled. "Yes Ma'am."
Grimacing, Twilight shook her head. "You don't have to address me like that, you know. I prefer Twilight or if you feel uncomfortable calling me that just go ahead and use Miss Sparkle."
Nodding eagerly, she gently took the foal from the Twilight’s arms. About two steps away from Twilight, Nova started squalling and blubbering, waving his little hooves about emphatically. After some contemplation, Redheart returned the little one to Twilight with no regrets. "I do believe he has imprinted on you." She murmured, then she was gone.
"Wait, imprinted means- what?" She looked down at the thestral, who was suckling on his hoof as he murmured. Her rough voice coming to life, Twilight tried to sing a song. As it progressed, though, her voice got smoother and flowing.
"Little one, of the night you fly,
through peril and danger, never stopping,
never losing, So, don't you worry, now, you’re
safe in my embrace, through pain you may walk,
yet you can never stop
I know that your hurting, though deep locked away,
just stay with me now, cry another day"
She looked up to see that Redheart returned and was holding her hoof to her mouth as her eyes welled with tears. In her other hoof was a bowl of applesauce, fretting mashed and, if the water vapor was anything to go by, recently warmed. "That... that was beautiful Twilight." Redheart finally said, breaking the silence between them.
Smiling, she handed over the food. Nodding in acknowledgement, Twilight gently tapped Nova with her right hoof, as he was resting in the crook of her left. Burbling gently, heavy lids cracked upon to see a gentle smile upon his 'mums' face. Weakly throwing his hooves around her neck, he failed utterly and she chuckled. Taking the bowl from the alabaster mare she bit down on the rim and offered it to a certain black thestral. He grinned and reached for it, eventually getting his hooves around the rim and tilting it back to drink, not minding the glop that ran down the corners of his mouth and splashed onto the otherwise clean floor. If he had looked up he would have seen a mare as white as the area around him and with hair a shade lighter than her cutie mark give his 'mum' a look. Twilight shrugged, the movement rippling through her body and sending little signals to Nova, who looked up inquisitively. "What is it?" she asked, rubbing his tummy with her nose. He burped and held up the now empty bowl.
"More?" A high pitched voice came from his mouth, and Redheart nearly fell over in shock. As luck would have it, she only stumbled and managed to stay upright while staring incredulously at him.
She slowly nodded. "Uh... Sure." As the nurse trotted away to get more fruit sauce, she crooned to the foal. Instead of using the lullaby she had sung whilst he had been asleep, she sung 'Hush now quiet now' one of Fluttershy's favorite songs. A rap-rap came at the door then Pinkie burst in, playing a trumpet.
"Err… Pinkie…" But before she could go any further, Nurse Redheart was there, shushing her like mad and looking angry like you wouldn't believe.
"Foals are supposed to have peace and QUIET!" She hissed. "Something that you’re apparently unable to give." Turning to Twilight, she offered a full bowl of steaming applesauce with a small smile. After two more bowls of the stuff, Nova appeared contented and stretch his hooves in sync with a yawn before falling asleep.
"Aww!" Twilight whispered, knowing that she couldn’t wake the bat/pony hybrid. As she levitated him with her magic, he gave a small mutter before drifting off again. She smiled and with Pinkie by her side walked home carefully. Opening the door, she stepped inside, her hooves making unnecessary clatter on the crystallized floor. She rolled her eyes and summoned Nova's cradle, noticing only now that it bore the emblem of Princess Luna's cutie mark, a crescent moon midst midnight darkness.
"What is going on?"
Luna sighed, after telling the mailpony to send the package with yet another batfoal to Ponyville she wasn't feeling good. Looking at her recently miniaturized belly she bit her lip, then decided to tell Tia what she had been up to since her return as Nightmare Moon. Hooves clacking gently against the floor, she made her way throughout the castle, once again marveling at how the palace had changed since she was last here amongst these halls. "Tia?" Her voice carried to the farthest, dark corners of the corridor and faded away.
Looking about nervously, Luna flared her wings out for slight protection. Though she was not a small filly anymore and did not need her big sister to tell her not to be afraid of ghost stories, remnants of her childhood sometimes reached out to her and she accepted, feeling the brunt of her rash decisions or hearing the joyful sound of her sisters laugh once more, carrying across the garden. Celestia had not laughed much in public since Luna had returned from being Nightmare Moon, making Luna feel more lonely then ever with no one to speak to while wandering the desolate halls and coming across old memories.
She could not talk to her sister, as she was at court most of the day and never had time for her except at night, in that brief period of twilight when Celestia had finished up her Sun court and Luna was readying herself for her Moon court. With a start, Luna realized she had drifted and was crying slightly, wet tears running down her muzzle and dripping with faint splashes to the carpeted floor. "Celestia?" She tried again. "Hello?"
Then, blue light wrapping around her body, she telported outside the room where the Sun court was usually held. Sharply knowing, she called through the thick wood, hoping for an answer. "Hellooooo?" She pushed it open to see nothing. Dust and broken furniture littered the once great room. Wait. A pony taller then Luna, then Celestia, stood in the center of it all, eyeing an unbroken piece of decor. "No!" She shouted, and the pony turned towards her. She cowered. It was her .
The very creature she despised, the one that had taken her over and planned a vengeful eternal night upon Equestria all those centuries ago. A millennium. It was Nightmare Moon. Turqouise draconic pupils watched her lazily, as if daring her to make the first move. And strike she did. Charging, magic at the ready, a bright blue aura enveloped her horn and she watched herself-in a way- warily. Luna could not afford to miss and bring the doom of Equestria looming over them. She would protect her country.
As eyelids slowly came over those eyes she hated, she reared, her horn flashing backwards in the silver light of the moon- wait. She landed back on the floor. There were no windows in this room. "IF there is moonlight in here, you monster, are a dream!" She sent a light ball hurtling towards Nightmare, and waited for it to make contact. The black alicorn merely smiled.
"Oh, I am no dream. I'm your worst nightmare." And then white light flash and the world went still.
Sitting up in her fancy bed, Luna panted, heavy sweat running down her midnight blue face. "No...." She breathed, looking about warily as she drew the covers nearer to her. "Just a dream.. just a dream.."
Her sister burst into the room, looking worried. "Luna!" Galloping over to the exquisite bed, a golden glow encased her horn as Luna was picked up via levitation.
"I am fine, thy sist-urk!" Celestia stopped spinning Luna about in her hooves and hunched her shoulders up sheepishly.
"Sorry Luna I- I-" The white demigoddess looked away, silver tears trickling down her alabaster fur. Luna needed no further explanation, as Celestia was thinking of the monster that had just occupied her dreams.
" Tia.." She reached out and took her sisters hoof within her two own. "It's ok. I'm right here, you don't need to worry, I'm never going anywhere, ever. I promise." She tensed slightly in surprise as Celestia between racking sobs grabbed her and squeezed her close, her body shaking against Luna's in a pitiful way.
"Luna if I ever lost you again I- I-" Her voice caught in her throat as she realized a silencing spell had been placed over the two of them and her words trailed off. Luna was smiling, an expression she had not seen in over a thousand years. As the glow from her horn and the shield around them disappeared, two royal guards- one a pegasus, one a bat pony- burst in side by side, holding spears in their hooves as if expecting danger to be hiding around every corner.
Calmed by her younger sibling, Celestia gestured to the ponies. "It's alright, at ease, guards. Just a bad dream." They relaxed their holds on the weapons visibly, and the two alicorns rose to their hooves, Luna's torc glowing in the exposed moonlight, which was shining through a black framed window.
"Luna, what was it about?" She could hear her older sibling say. She looked over to Celestia and just missed the please leave gesture she gave the two guards. Her face once she had sawn the lunar pegasus was nothing short of purple with embarrassment. He was the father of her latest foal.
"Lulu?" The shock of 'Tia using her childhood nickname brought her back to reality, where Celestia was looking at her worriedly. Flushing, she pulled herself into a sitting position.
She rolled her eyes upwards. "God help me, Celestia. Thats all I can say. God Help Me." With that, she fainted.
Feeling her sister limp on her arms, she panicked. "GUAAARDDDS!" Quickly a squadron did everything short of kicking down the door.
"Princess Celestia!" They answered her respectfully, spears in the air.
"Get a doctor here, pronto." She stared at the face of her unconscious sister with worry."Luna.. Oh Luna... what did you mean by that?" the doctor quickly appeared, fully armed with medical equipment. He took one look at Luna's light blue form and sent for a hot pack, several of them. She cradled her sisters head in her arms while the medic listened to her heart beat, checked her pulse, and all other important things.
"Princess Celestia?" She pivoted her head so she could see the attendant to her sister, a light mixture of mist color and sky blue. "Does Princess Luna have a psychological disease because we think there is something wrong with her mind and body. She rarely eats anything, never drinks, her hydration levels are extremely low and I am getting worried about her physical condition." She gestured vaguely to where three doctors were huddled together murmuring medical 'stuff' to each other.
"Of course, my little pony. I will look into it once she has recovered." Celestia frowned and added in her mind 'And we have more to talk of then you think. '
***Back In Ponyville***
A flustered Twilight was doing her best to catch Nova as he zoomed about, giggling uncontrollably. "Nova!" Her rage was that big, but it wasn't huge. "Come! Back! Here!" she punctuated every word sharply, angry at having all of her books knocked off the shelves. And the books really were knock off, they were scattered about willy nilly, littering the floor with bright colors and titles.
"SPIKEE!" She raged. The dragon in question poked his head through the door, evidently returned from his bachelor party in Canterlot. He was draped in streamers and somehow had managed to get covered in lipstick of all shades. "Spike?" She blinked, utterly confused.
"Yeah.. What is it Twilight?" He stumbled, lids dropping like a rock and pulling back up.
"Can you please help me catch Nova?" Although rather tired, Spike but on his brave face and nodded. Soon hearing a burp, she looked up to see some white being eaten. Something feathery. something like the only quill she had left. "NOVA!" Looking guilty, he dropped the remains and scurried away, frightened.
"I know I shouldn't get mad at him,"Twilight sighed, picking up a remnant of the feather."But its hard when his shenanigans are hard to keep up with, especially when I'm buying something new every other week!"News had started to get out of a very strange new resident of Ponyville at Princess Twilight's castle, and twice she had to escort out angry villagers once they found that she was going to adopt him.
Big Mac and Apple Bloom were especially mad seeing how this could effect their harvest, but Twiight had assured them as a baby he wouldn't go near the apple orchards.Powering up her horn she found him within the confines of an attic she hadn't known existed.Focusing, she teleported. Almost upon arrival Twi ran through a mental checklist of what she could feel. Legs and forelegs, check. Head, well.. check, obviously.
Tail? Check. Mane, check, .... Cutie mark??!?!! She turned her head and sighed in relief as she noticed the six stars, one amethyst purple the others glaring white. Turning her head the other way, she made certain that it was on both flanks before checking that off.
Teleporting to a place you had never seen before was very dangerous, even for alicorns. Sure the fact that alicorn magic always had very close limits, set by the unicorn- or in this case, alicorn- herself, but just because it acted like a cushion to be used when you cast too dangerous a spell didn't mean Twilight treated it as a game.
Finally spotting the glowing familiar stare, she picked Nova up gently with a quick levitation spell and teleported him and herself back to the throne room, where Spike was airing anxiously. Her last comment to Nova before she followed Spike was "Oh, if only your mother knew how much trouble you got into."
*Panning back to Canterlot*
Groggy, Luna gently reached up and rubbed her head, rather unsure about the events of the last two hours or so that were missing from her life. "Your Majesty, she's awake!" said the first voice she heard. There was the sound of sudden shoving, many apologies and protests from various ponies but the apology kept coming from the same pony, she heard. Soon hooves wrapped around her in a tight hug and the timeline came rushing back. The drew, her fainting, and black. Struggling to open her eyes, she panicked when she broke them free of the crust and could see nothing but darkness.
"Tia?" Her hoof found its way to the arms embracing her and held onto them as one might hold onto a lifeline. "Celestia.. where are you, its so dark!"
She heard her sister suck in her breath uncertainly.
"But the lights are on!"
She didnt like the sound of that and clung tight to her big sisters strong hug. "Tia?"
There was nothing that Celestia hated more then seeing her sister crying and asking where she was, looking broken and sobbing. A doctor approached her, looking completely dejected. "Your majesty.." He whispered, looking about. Leaning in close he spoke some words that Luna should have Celestia break to her. "She's blind. Something during her coma has caused her such pain and fear that the nerves between her brain and eyes have overloaded, shutting them down."
"No..." the Sun diarch breathed, eyes locked hopefully onto Luna's face. As Luna looked up at her, searching for her elder sibling, Tia saw that their were silver pupil-less orbs in the place of her younger sisters blue ones.
"NO!" She cried out with great force, and shielded Lulu's limb carcass with her own body, a golden ray of sun wrapping them in a protective ball. The doctors, unheard, shouted at her to stop but the sound was lost over the whistling wind. "Luna.. No.. Lulu..." Tears flew freely from the corners of Celestia's eyes as Luna was held in a tight grip.
"*cough*..Tia..." Came the weak voice."Tia, your hurting me."
She immediately loosed her embrace, checking the lunar ruler over for injuries. Weakly, the cobalt princess smiled up at the older, pearl white one, eyes brimming with tears."Whats wrong with me,," She asked, mouth gaping as she formed the words.
This made Celestia's shield even fiercer, and time stopped. The only thing that remained within the bubble was a soft weeping.
Uncertainly, Luna moved her hoof up to brush of her sisters tears and nuzzled her. "Luna..." Celestia managed through gasping breaths and sobs. "You... You are blind." It was as if her world was torn to bits, seeing her little sisters mouth open and close in realization as wetness soaked the blue muzzle. The two rulers lost each other yin their sisters company, crying all the while as they let out their frustration at this turn of events. Once both siblings were calm, Celestia patted Luna's shoulder uncertainly.
"What did you mean when you said God help me, Luna?" She dried her tears with a single radiant spark from her horn.
Downcast, Luna looked at the floor before looking at Celestia. "I.. have something to confess." Celestia's magenta eyes grew large and worried as Luna kept talking. "Ever since my return from being Nightmare Moon... I've been getting 'familiar' with a batpony stallion." Celestia's hoof came to her mouth , shocked at what she was hearing. "I know its wrong but... I've already borne one child, definitely a bat pony, from one of my guards."
Luna hung her head, now that the secret was out she felt ashamed of herself. "Sister.." Celestia stopped herself before raging. "Why didnt you tell me of anything like this?" She eventually said instead, tears trickling out slowly.
"I figured you'd be mad." Luna sniffled, and they slowly began their descent to earth as Celestia pulled her sister close in an ivory white wing hug.
"I... am mad." The sun princess admitted eventually Then, smiling cruelly, she began tickling Luna slightly by brushing her wings over Luna's back. "That you didn't tell me." She added, a sisterly naughty grin stretching across her features. Moving into all out tickling, they had no time to pay attention to anything else and time started again, the doctors blinking confusedly as they saw the solar and lunar sisters tickling and laughing uncontrollably.
Celestia paced through the shelves, levitating the entire content of one shelf in her golden aura. Luna stood by, trying fruitlessly to calm her down. "Sister, please! You are overreacting!" Celestia whirled on the younger sibling, her magenta eyes filled with rage.
"Luna!" She yelled, and the books within her magic dropped. "Sister, I care for you but do you realize what would happen if someone knew that there was a batfoal of the royal line! We'd be the laughingstock of Equestria!"
Luna recoiled, white eyes suddenly filled with hate despite being blind. Her tone cold, she replied with raw fury. "I am sorry, sister, that you feel as if a single innocent foal that was conceived from my 'romps' in the hay, ruins our monarchy." Celestia's eyes softened and she reached for her sister, but Luna was already walking away. "Goodbye, sister of mine." She said over her shoulder. "If thou wishes to find us, we can be found living in thy students castle, where thou's influence does not reach far."
She only had to go a few steps and stumbles before noting a golden aura about her. "Sister, I have no need of your.." Shock registered on her face as she realized she could see again. Giving a short curt nod, she strode the rest of the way out.
***
The night was a dark one, the kind of dark that reached out and swallowed you up without a second thought. Smiling gently, the lunar Diarch lifted her blue wings, settling comfortably into the blanket-like embrace of her beautiful night. As she looked down on the soft and fading light of the sunset, she heard her sister's words echo in her head. Her expression contorted into one of hatred. "How dare she." She spoke aloud, to no one in particular. Looking down at the homes of various ponies, she felt guilt and some self pity.
How could she have thought eternal night was a good thing, when farmers needed sun for their crops, a brightly burning ball of light to help them. Her night was beautiful in its own way, the dark and mysterious call of it. She was truly the avatar of the night, with the appropriate coloring and a darker side to herself now. Her jealousy of Celestia was not her own. Looking up at her beloved Selene, she sent her mind out again to where she had been imprisoned for a 1000 years.
'Selene? '
'Yes? '
Came her moons answer. Thinking carefully before she spoke, she quickly reflected on the past. Her mother and father, Galaxia and Cosmos, had always warned her that one day they would not be there so she must help rule. Celestia, as the oldest, was the heir to the throne. Luna would not have ascended at birth unless the very universe approved of her. The essence of the universe. It was a funny thing. It had made great cities into towns. Earth ponies into alicorns. She should know, she was one herself. Well, by origin at least. Turning her mind to the conversation at hoof, she once again sent tendrils of her consciousness into the air.
'Selene.... was it necessary, threatening eternal night upon Equestria? '
The answer came immediately and had this conversation not transpired between the two before Luna would have been shocked at the amount of pure hatred in Selene's voice.
'Yes. Helios was truly hogging all the attention, you should have been the one to receive the sun and Celestia the moon. '
'But then Celestia would have been corrupted of your envy. ' She objected.
She heard a sigh from the force of nature, then nothing. Taking that as a forced ending to the small conversation they had she rolled her eyes- Selene could be so foalish and childlike at time. She was a little filly, demanding to be honored in every way. What was funny, thought the lunar princess as she flew, was that for being the dark and mysterious person of the two forces of nature, she certainly wasn't calm. It was as if they took some of the attributes they had and traded the rest. Helios- The sun- was a calm, yet revealing and mature character. Selene was extremely hotheaded and would go off on a tangent about how 'something wasn't fair'.
Luna often imagined Selene as a white filly with a blue mane like hers, sticking out her tongue and folding her arms. But enough of that. It was a long way from Canterlot to Ponyville, yet she could see the crystal spire up ahead, glimmering in her and Selene's moonlight like a star. 'A fallen star. ' She thought with some amusement, finding as she touched down her wings were tired. Now that she had the chance to reflect on her actions, she realized with a sinking feeling that in the heat of the moment she had forgotten how Twilight was taking care of Nova.
Her blue face going purple with guilt and seething shame, she backed away from the door she was about to knock on. 'just a few more steps... ' She thought, hooves carefully maneuvering backwards. Then she froze as she heard the door. It was a small sound, considering that all of the outside was made of pure blue crystal, but it was loud and amplified in Luna's ears. Her heart went beyond the charts in its wild beat, and it was all she could do not to scream. The door opened and instead she held in a giggle as she beheld an exhausted Twilight.
Twilights usually calm mane had turned into a giant frazzled disaster . Her fur was extremely unkempt, splattered here and there with various colors of-was that blood? Luna squinted and inwardly sighed with relief as the scent reaching her nostrils proved it to be pomegranate juice. So... if she had it right, it was currently her darling's feeding time. No matter the situation, Twilights face lit up in a smile. "Princess Luna! I haven't seen you since.... Tirek."
Luna's expression twisted into a momentary scowl before settling into her trademark gentle smile. With a lavender hoof, the unicorn mare pulled Luna inside with a enthusiasm that matched a certain party pony. Luna smiled dryly at this thought. "You'll have to excuse me." A familiar voice brought her out of her reverie. "I got the weirdest package the other day and now I have to take care of a bat pony." 'You don't say.... ' was Luna's only thought as she continued, realizing a second later that Twilight wasn't beside her. Turning, she beheld a larger grin then before. "But of course you know all about them!" Luna rolled her eyes mentally. 'I should have seen this coming... ' "Can you tell me the dietary habits of thestrals? Ooh! How do they groom their wings if they can't preen because of their fangs!"
Sighing as the babble continued, Luna sat down heavily on a comfy satin couch that was most likely foreign. Struggling to keep her eyes open for Twilights sake, she couldnt and gave in to the deep pull of sleep. Twilight stopped, noticing that the Princess had fallen asleep and cringed sheepishly. A purple glow levitating the blanket over her friend, she smiled. "Night, princess."
***
Blearily, Luna's vision returned after a long nights sleep to see a curious set of eyes staring back at her. "Hello, Rainbow dash. Its not the first time you've seen me, go away." She rolled over on her bed spot and with a huff, went back to sleep. An amused giggle echoed through the room. Luna snapped her eyes open as she realized the maroon orbs she had seen didnt quite match Rainbow's eye color. Gulping nervously, she turned over again, staring with mixed shock and confusion. The pony was still there, but as she looked closely she made out the shimmering of an illusion spell over the colts eyes.
It was obviously her child. Twilight, who had now entered the room and was pushing a food laden cart like a serving mare, looked up to see Luna stare at him in fascination and an unseen flash of guilt. Nova, who did not yet understand emotions the way others did, simply shrugged. And proceeded to nibble on Luna's blue mane. Twilight dropped everything in horror and simply stared.
A foal was chewing on the Lunar Princess's mane.
Bemused, Luna stared at the young foal, who stared back with a questioning gaze. He dropped her now wet lock long enough to really and truly lock eyes with her and ask. "Mum? Mum?" Luna's eyes went wide. 'Good Faust, he can speak. No wonder bat ponies are a highly developed race. ' Despite claiming monarchy over them, Luna knew little in the ways of the thestrals.
Twilight stood behind him, looking half sheepish and half angered. "Yeah, he can talk." Her expression twisted to one of sternness when she looked over at Nova, who was currently trying to get out of the room inconspicuously. "Come back here, buster." He crawled back, eyes wide with genuine shame, and Luna couldn't help but admire his eyes and the way Twilight handled him. His eyes must of opened during the trip to Ponyville because she had not seem them before.
"You are in trouble." She bluntly informed him. Realizing she hadn't had the chance to earlier, she took a look at Twilight. She was looking much.. different. Her hairstyle was changed. Somehow, as she deduced after a quick magical scan, her sisters student had used a 'shine' and 'hair growth' spell to accomplish a well cared for, flowing mane . Also, as she noticed, her crown had a glow to it.
All in all, she looked.. nice. Luna blushed. She wasn't supposed to have these thoughts about another mare! She berated her self harshly. "Thats a pretty hairstyle." Luna commented. Now it was Twilights turn to blush, her hoof going up in an attempt to hide the gorgeous locks. "Actually.. I'm considering changing mine too." Twilights eyebrows rose and if they had not been attached to her face, would have gone through the roof.
"Really?" She asked, eyes betraying the glee she was hiding. A princess-one of the higher ones, no less- Was copying her! Her!
"Yes, really." Luna smiled gently, seeing the excitement in the young alicorns eyes. "What do you think of this?
Twilight clapped her hooves with glee and brought out a book... full of hairstyles. "I got my idea from here!" While Luna was looking at the pages, a random pink pony came up. And started batting at the tip of Luna's different tail.
"What the!" Luna looked back to see a giant ball of fuzz slowly stroking her tail with blue eyes full of wonder as she gazed adoringly at the rulers tail. Twilight face hoofed.
"Chrysalis!" She called, and Luna recoiled in horror. What was Twilight doing with one of the most feared villains in Equestria? Then, out of another room... came... her sister. She could only stare. How in the world had Celestia managed to come here so quickly, with other duties and whatnot? Then with a sinking feeling, her expression twisted into a scowl and she flew with impossible speed towards the impostor.
Round pupils wide, Chrysalis shifted to her normal form in a flash of illusionary fire and ducked. Luna braked just in time not to crash into the reflective surface of a crystal wall. She turned around, eyes narrowed with anger. "Twilight." She punctuated the word with a clack of her hoof against the cold floor. "Excuse us for asking, but WHAT IN FAUST is thou doing with Queen Chrysalis?" She refused to call her former 'friend' by her real name.
Chryssi smiled deviously, fangs gleaming. "Oh, come on, Luna. Dont be shy, I don't mind my real name." She purred, her dual toned voice making it sound odd. The pink pony was now slowly dragging her tongue across the changeling Queens chitin back with awe. Luna stared. And stared. And stared. And stared some more.
The scene in front of her was odd. She was observing a sheepish Twilight, next to a blushing Chrysalis while a pink rose colored pony was slowly alternating between chewing and licking the shell on her 'friends' back. "Fine. One question. Mariposa, what in the world have you got on your back." Chrysalis, or rather, Mariposa, blinked lazily.
"Meet Fluffle puff." She levitated off the offending earth pony with a simple spell, a shade of bright lime green surrounding her and setting the fuzzball on the floor. As Luna watched, this so called 'Fluffle puff' stuck out her orange tongue and her eyes sparkled as she watched the utterly baffled alicorn. Then, as if knowing he had been forgotten for the time being, Nova swopped in, grabbing her tail and taking the full tip of it into his maw. Luna blinked.
"Can someone tell me what in Equestria is going on here?"
"...and that," Chrysalis ended with a monotone voice,"Is how me, Fluffle puff, and Twilight all ended up in the same tree. Castle. Whatever." She flapped her hoof about for emphasis, and Fluffle gasped. Soon she was hard at her favorite pastime, which seemed to adding more saliva drenched holes to Chrysalis' tail.
"So....Let me get this straight."Luna said, her royal posterior against the shiny crystal floor. "You, met Twilight while hunting for love and got introduced to Fluffle puff, who was at that time a foal. Then she grew up and because her parents 'basically'," she made QUOTE marks with her hooves," Were an aliicorn and a changeling Queen, she became a bit.. ah.... cuckoo, to put it harshly?" she made the appropriate motions next to her ear.
Mariposa/Chrysalis nodded, then added fiercely,"But don't you dare make fun of her for that!" Luna suppressed a laugh, making eye contact with Twilight instead. At that moment Twilight was snorting and doing her best to cover up her sounds. She did her best to form a heart with her hooves and legs, and Luna nodded. Chryssi blinked suspiciously at the alicorns actions and turned towards her hostess to see a perfectly blank face. No one better then Celestia's student to look utterly bored, even when stuff fascinated her.
"Well." Was Luna's only comment. "That was INTERESTING to hear." She got up, twisting her hooves at odd angles and her neck to get rid of the cramps without hurting herself. Twilight nodded.
"At least that was the short version." The lavender alicorn commented. All three other ponies nodded, though Fluffle puff was, incidentally, more absorbed in seeing how high she could jump.
Chrysalis was actually the first to notice. "Where's that little bat demon foal you got in the mail?" After processing this, Twilight and Luna looked about frantically from their spot before realizing what the changeling had said. Twilight was the first to act on it.
She glared at the queen and her breath came in short huffs, indicating she was either close to using magic or was about to charge. Mariposa held up her hooves in defense, the pocked holes in her hooves making it easy to see the fear on her face. Luna was thoroughly amused at that, a changeling queen afraid of a alicorn. She hid it well, though.
"Ok, Ok!" Mari/Chryssi nearly shouted. "He isn't a demon foal!" The sound of a gulp was audible and it was clear who it was from. All the drama was observed by a no longer bouncy Fluffle puff, and like a pony who looked much like her, her usual fuzzball mane cut had gone all floppy.
The purple mare looked around, accompanied by Luna, who was staring intently into the shadows. Remembering a spell she had put on NOVA earlier, Twilight hoped it was still active. Her horn powered up quickly, and she located the bat pony nearby. The royal blue princess noted this particular spell and sat down, waiting patiently. Soon she had determined which direction to head and left the room. Luna followed after one last glance at Fluffle puff and Chrysalis.
"Pbbt."
"Agreed."
***
After a while of Luna hanging around after Nova was found on the ceiling of the little colts room she told Twilight of her argument with Celestia. Obviously, she left out the reason they were fighting. Twilight, despite being Celestia's student and knowing the Lunar diarch's sister better, she sympathized. Also, Luna left out that she had been blind.
Nova, who was currently sitting behind Luna, jumped onto her head after she finished her tale and began.... rubbing the Night princess' horn. Twilight blinked at this odd behavior. "Mum?" He spoke, his accent clear.
Twilight shuffled uncertainly, while Luna stared up at the foal with a look of utter guilt and sadness. The young mare didn't seem to notice though, and she reached over to pull the colt closer. "Sorry." She apologized, cuddling her adoptive son. "He usually doesn't call other mares mom. I wonder what he considers different about you?"
Luna forced a smile onto her face, even if it was a bit cheesy. "Perhaps because I'm a deep blue purple color?"
"Hoo?"
Luna jumped, and nearly shrieked. What came out instead was a strangled pant, and she looked about frantically for the culprit of frightening her so. She stopped when she spotted Twilight curled up into a ball, laughing her head off. The amethyst shaded alicorn only had to take a look at Luna's nonplussed expression to be set off in a fit of laughter again. A bemused Luna watched this scene, unsure as if to be amused or thoroughly terrified. "So.... Who said that?" She asked, still unsure.
The lavender mare took a deep breath, struggling to keep her chuckles under control. "That...heh... would be Owlowiscious. " Only now did the princess spot the dark shadow shaped like an owl. It was partially visible in the noonday sun, but other then that draped in darkness.
"Hoo?"
"You, you silly owl." Twilight giggled, then face hoofed. "Forget it."
"Hoo?" Luna laughed as well, her anxiety gone in the light of finding out Twilight had a third companion. Spike appeared in the doorway, rubbing his emerald green eyes.
"Twilight... I'm going to go feed Peewee now, ok?" he asked sleepily. Twilight nodded in consent.
"Princess Luna is here though!" She called after him.
"Mmhm... thats nice..." Spike replied sleepily as he made several grasping attempts for the doorknob. After some pathetic tries, the unicorn rolled her eyes and charged up her horn, the door swinging open silently.
After taking several stumbling steps and a yawn or two the two mares heard a loud crash from the room next door and did their best to suppress their giggles. Spike appeared again in the doorframe, glaring at them. "Princess Luna?" he inquired frostily. "Seriously? Why didnt you wake me up better?"
"And the award for late reaction goes to..." Luna said loudly, doing her best to imitate the voice of a show mare.
He groaned in response and went to feed his pet PHOENIX, grumbling with every other second step. The two princess glanced at each other, then burst out laughing. They couldnt help it. "OH SURE, LAUGH AT THE DRAGON!" Spike yelled from the other room, with some sarcasm but mostly mock anger.
That just made them chuckle harder, the tension between them gone. "That was... amusing." Luna said between gasps of breath, desperate for air but still in the hold of mirth. Twilight nodded, still holding her sides with an expression somewhere between laughter and pain. Soon they were done with their laughter fit.
Awkwardly sitting, the two mares avoided eye contact, unsure of what to say to the other. As inspiration struck, Twi faced Luna. "P-Princess Luna?" she asked hesitantly, unsure of whether or not the Princess was enveloped in her own thoughts.
"What is it, Twilight sparkle?" The younger sibling of the rulers had adapted a formal, stiff tone and Twilight bit her lip nervously before rushing on.
"I realize you just had the fight andI'mreallysorryformaybepossiblyoffendingyoubutmaybeyoucouldmakeupwithher?"
The cobalt pony slowly blinked and as Twilight gritted her teeth nervously, smiled. "I am on board with that idea." her voice was soft, despite looking excited.
"Great! So we-" Twilight nearly shouted inly to be interrupted as Fluffle Puff and..... Fluffle puff came inside. "Uh......"
The slightly less fuzzy one rolled her eyes, then through an illusionary flash of fire, became Chrysalis. "Me and Fluffle Puff are going outside." She said, the submissive tone and the dual sides of her voice combining in odd ways. The princesses exchanged an alarmed glance.
"I don't think thats the best idea..." Chryssi growled in response to this and Fluffle patted her leg reassuringly.
"Pbt. pbbbbt. PBBBBBBBT!" The queen looked at the fuzzball with some surprise, whatever she had said was shocking.
"Are you sure?" Fluffle nodded.
"How are you able to understand her?" Luna said, interrupting some sort of conversation.
Twilight slowly shook her head. "Don't question it, Princess Luna. The explanation will make your head spin." Somehow, without her moving a muscles, her neck twisted around and around until she looked creepy.
"wah.... DISCORD!!!"
Randomly, Pinkie appeared. "I'm howling at the moon and sleeping in the middle of a summer afternoon!" She sang softly.
"PINKIE!"
"Yes Twilight?" The dimension defying mare said happily.
Twilight facehoofed. Discord appeared, clutching his sides and laughing hard. "That was... amazing! Oh, the look on your face!"
Luna just stared. She couldn't help it. Only at The Summer Sun Celebration and the Grand Galloping Gala had she seen more different species.
A draconequus, laughing his head off-quite literally, Luna noted, as his head slowly twisted around with each laugh like a screw- an earth pony singing who-knows-what, a batfoal suckling on his hoof and looking at them with, if he had been older, could only be described as a deadpan expression, an alicorn who was doing her best not to blow up, a changeling queen who was snickering softy, and a giant ball of fur. With eyes.
The Moon Princess was composed in the presence of others besides alicorns, but she couldn't help it. She broke down.
"AHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" She howled with glee, rolling on her back.
Everyone stopped to look in surprise. Discord was the first to recover. "Well, we finally got a laugh out of her!" Then he became serious. He glared at Pinkie and held out his paw. "You owe me thirty bits."
"aw... shucks." Pinkie complained, taking the money from some dimensional pocket that would have been impossible if it weren't Pinkie Diane Pie. She hoofed it to the Chaos lord, who gulped it down like butter.
"BURRP!" He belched, then blushed as he held his talons to his mouth. "Excuse me.... Wait..." With his claws he fished down his throat, using a fishing rod. He reeled it up, despite the fact that if that had happened to anyone else the hook would of caught in their throat and optionally killed them. he brought up the coins, squinting at them carefully. "These are fakes, you silly pony." he dismissed with a 'humph' that would have made Rarity proud in the elegance of which it was executed.
He then proceeded to face paw. "Good Faust, you ponies are really starting to get to me." He walked over to a wall after an unhappy Pinkie Pie gave him some non counterfeit coins and introduced the blue crystal surface to his head. Repeatedly.
"O...kay then!" Twilight said, unnerved by all that had happened. She raised and eyebrow and pulled the only foal in the room closer to her, making it harder for him to become the subject of any of Discords more saddening pranks. "I just thought of something!" She lit up her horn, the purple glow looking odd and out of place in the clean blue room. "With this spell I should be able to divulge who his parents are!" She warbled happily, the technical terms setting her off in a frenzy of speech known only to 'geeks' as the world called them.
'No!' Luna panicked, having easily recovered. 'Not that.... She can't learn who his parents are!' In a desperate attempt to stall the studious filly she lit up her horn, the beautiful aura twisting and turning as she wove an intricate spell.
Twilight frowned, reaching up to tap at her horn with a hoof. The spell fizzled for a second, then the aura stretched to accommodate the tip of her hoof. "Thats odd." She commented really to nopony in particular. "My magic isn't working too well."
~2 weeks later~
Luna sighed, her blue eyes cast to the floor as if seeking out answers in her crystalline reflection. "Come on, you knew this was coming." Twilight admonished slightly, holding out a hoof. Lifting weary eyes to her friends face, she offered a weak smile, taking the mares offered limb and using it to pull herself up.
"I guess I did." She said wearily, her normally ethereal blue mane gone limp and was the same shade it was when she returned from banishment. Even her coat had taken on signs of her minor depression, the fur lax against her sides and gone a deeper shade, mirroring her mood.
Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled gently. "Hey. Come on, it's alright." Luna looked up from her mirrored self on the floor with the most pain any pony had ever seen in her eyes.
"Is this what I have become?"
Twilight opened her mouth to make a response but the night diarch cut her off. "A mare who's afraid of her own sister? A Princess who's afraid of the kind and benevolent sun representative? I am an Avatar, but I am a weakling." The lavender pony did not hear her mutter "and a cowardly mother who was too afraid to take care of her own foal." Twi was already concentrating on something else the younger of the original alicorns had said.
"First of all, you aren't a weakling. Or a scaredy cat. And second, what's an Avatar?" Luna looked up in disbelief at the confused expression Celestia's student had. It was written clear on her muzzle.
"Celestia's never mentioned what an Avatar is to you? Not in all your years of learning?" Twilight gaped for a moment, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
Luna sighed and mentally prepared herself for this speech, which had ironically enough, been given to her by their mother and father, Galaxia and Cosmos. And Celestia had received as well. She suspected that Cadence was enlightened too, so it seemed fitting that she give this speech to Twilight.
"Oh, would you look at that, it's way past time to go!" The lighter of the two said. "We better get going!" She zipped out the door, leaving the other bewildered as they stared after the pony they were about to give a speech to.
"But!" She gaped, then shrugged. "Darn student of my 'beloved'-" She clamped her hooves over her mouth in horror. "Wait. Wait." She told herself, hyperventilating. "No. There is no way you can turn into that ni-." Her mouth was once again blocked by a hoof. But this time, it wasn't her own. "Mmph!" She looked down to see a curious Nova removed his hoof from her mouth, then put it back, thinking it was a game to plug the speaking hole with your hoof. She stared, nonplussed.
"Tphhlippht?" She called, loud as she dared. He had increased speed and was moving forward and back automatically, smiling up at her brightly. Popping inside, the Element of magic's jaw dropped and her pupils shrank to pinpricks against the massive white expanse of her eyes.
"Omigoshomigoshomigosh!" She expelled in one rush, sounding remarkably like an excited Rainbow Dash. Except, she wasn't excited, she was purely and completely mortified. Her adoptive son- well technically she hadn't signed the papers yet but still- was shoving the whole of hoof in Luna's mouth and she just stood there. Blinking.
Twilight grabbed his hoof with unnatural speed and stared wide-eyed at Luna. "Uh..." was all she could manage to say. Said princess herself had an expression that was similar in appearance if not colors. Twilight slowly, put Nova down, and lowered her head to his level. "Hey, buddy, I realize its fun to play with holes-" She winced at her own usage of course language while Luna, recovering from the sudden violation of her royal space, snickered, and she snorted before continuing. "Nova, go ahead and find Spike, maybe he'd like to play with you."
The foal nodded before trotting off, the bright and gay gait he adapted bringing a smile to her face. She turned to the cobalt co-ruler, and her expression turned friendly. "Come on, lets go before any other distractions come along."
Luna nodded and finally emerged into the bright afternoon sun's warm inviting glow. She squinted and quickly cast a spell to help her eyes adjust. After flying to Twilight's under the beautiful cover of darkness and staying in the dim castle for 14 days or so, she wasn't used to her sister's sun beating down on her blue coat. Ponies quickly took notice of the larger than life mare that had emerged from the crystalline tree, and as a result, many came up, bowing only slightly before standing up and asking how her day was going. She smiled uneasily, despite having spent the holiday named after her more vengeful self trying to clear her name she still felt uncomfortable with the citizens of Ponyville, who eventually treated her like one of them.
How long ago that eventful Nightmare Night had been she did not know, countless lunar cycles had passed since then. She was distracted again when a slightly accented voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Princess Luna. How nice to see you again." She looked up to be met with warm brown eyes. Standing in front of her was a smiling colt, old enough to attract a ladies eye and clearly from Trottingham, with his brown patches and white coat. He had a devilish look about him, she noted, and a gold ear loop attracted her attention. She raised an eyebrow.
"I'm sorry, we have met? I do not believe I would associate myself with such a-" She resumed her regal demeanor and looked him up and down, evidentially displeased. "-ruffian." She said, for lack of a better word. His face fell and he turned away, eyes closed as he pushed through the crowd. The crowd in question dissipated, some shaking their heads sadly as they glanced in the stallions direction, and more then a few sent glares at her.
"What have I done wrong?" She questioned softly. Her brow furrowed as she thought back, but could not remember him. She glanced up to see Twilight staring the opposite direction of the spurned colt and she turned to see four ponies standing there, evidentially a family. There was a pinkish mare with a purple mane and a trio of diamonds as her cutie mark.
She was standing defensively next to a light purple unicorn mare with a golden mane and gold eyes. She was staring after the colt with a hopelessly forlorn expression. The other two were a little more mature, but the brown earth ponies jaw was clenched rigidly and the pegasus mare with the eye disorder was making threatening motions with her hooves at the Princess. Evidentially the colt was special to their family.
She bit her lip. 'What have I done? ' Slowly, head hanging, she took off to Canterlot sadly with heavy thoughts on her mind. She could hear from the extra beats of wings that Twilight had joined her, but she did not trigger the conversation. Even Twilight was angry. She sighed, and looked ahead, wearily climbing upwards through the air to avoid several clouds and a pegasi weather team. It was getting late in the day, the last time she had seen anywhere was around 3:00.
The city and high spires of Canterlot were up ahead, and with winter drawing near, the night drew closer with each wingbeat. Panting, Luna made it to the second tower away from her private stargazing tower, the one she used to shape the stars on. Twilight, without a word, relaxed for a minute to regain her strength, then jump flew to the next tower, and so and so on. Sighing, Luna walked inside.
She located her sister rather easily, as her instincts told her, /Go for the kitchen, she'll be there/. Once there, her mouth began watering as she walked through all the delectable treats. No wonder Tia spent most of her time in here. Avoiding the staff for she did not want to be unnecessarily bothered, she made her way to the farthest pantry, the one nopony really went to for sweets and turned the doorknob with her magic. It was really a unicorn only pantry as most earth pony hooves couldnt get a grip on the metal without some effort and the brass was smooth and well polished so pegasi wings did not have an effect.
The door creaked open to expose a nearly bare cupboard. Luna's pupils shrank in surprise and she tentatively took a few steps down the stone stairwell. She had removed her horseshoes at the door and now walked softly among the crumbs of many past sweets. Taking a deep breath, she gulped then nervously called out. "T-tia?" Something shifted in the dark gloom, closer to the back. She lit up her horn almost immediately.
Then recoiled in horror. A tearstreaked, crumb covered face stared at her, through her, blankly as if she was not there. "Celestia..." Her sisters usually pastel billowing mane had shortened and reverted to its original pink and hung in clumped strands as if she had been crying on them. Slowly, Celestia showed signs of registering Luna's appearance. Her eyes brightened visibly in the darkness and she perked up, if slightly.
"Lulu?" Then the less distraught of the alicorns turned serious. The door closed behind her and she telekinetically brought her horseshoes to her. Stepping into them she quickly lit the lone lantern hanging above with a vengeance. Blue light coated the room as crumbs were pushed into a pile, broken glass shards reunited themselves to form several cake covers, and all the remaining sweets were organized neatly. All that was left was her sister.
She turned and in her eyes Celestia saw something that looked much like her student when she went on a organization rampage. Frightened, the alabaster mare gulped. And her own body began to swirl with a cobalt aura. Her tears and crumbs were breezed off her face easily, her mane was neatened into the cut it had been in when she was much much younger, around 1000 years ago.
Her tail tidied up as well and her mane began warming up to a nice temperature. That took care of the clumped strands and Lulu smiled, satisfied with her work. The pantry- and her sister!- looked neat again. Then she owed her head, ready to say the same words she had on return from banishment. "I'm sorry. I didnt mean to rage at you. Its just.... my son."
The now more regal Celestia bent down to look into Luna's eyes. "Hey, don't worry. I overreacted when I heard there was an heir. I'm just worried someone like Blueblood or his father would assume control of the throne if they found out that the real Royal family had a-" Celestia searched for a better word, but could find none. "had a... bastard.. child... then we'd be kicked off the throne and egotistical maniacs like Blueblood and High step will take over. They are both unicorns, after all."
Luna glared at Celestia. "And It did not occur to thou that we are might alicorns, we have the strength of earth in our hooves, speed of flight in our wings, and the core of magic within us all in our horns, but you did not think we could have defeated two of a race lesser then our own?" Celestia hung her head and reminded Luna of the mystery colt from earlier, the one who had walked away from her dejected. Who was he anyway? She wondered.
"You're right, Luna.. I didn't think. I panicked. Would you like to know why?" Sapphire eyes met magenta. She nodded in curiosity. "Because... Blueblood is not of High steps family." Her eyes widened in shock.
"But he... looks so much like them..." Was her only comment.
Celestia shook her head in disgust. "Thats why they chose him. When I saw High Step and Orchid prancing around with Blueblood, I wanted to throttle them for... adopting him. The reason? He... He's mine."
*Thwack * Celestia glanced up to see a comically stretched jaw reaching the floor. She followed it up to her sisters visage and watched fearfully as tiny pinpricks of black slowly swelled up into the cutest thing you have ever seen. Big baby blue irises dominated most of Lulu's eye area and she tackled Celestia in a hug.
Somewhere back in Ponyville
Suddenly Pinkie felt the urge to hug everyone white in the town. She zipped over to Fluttershys place and near squeezed Angel to death. Then with a feat of extraordinary bouncing hugged Surprise.
And then she smiled.
"Thats it for now every pony!"
*WINK WINK*
*rap-crash* Sighing, Twilight got up from her bed, levitating the book in her magic. Teleporting, she collected herself in the throne room, where her friends thrones were wrapped in a circle. Trotting into the adjourning room, which was just a hall with a platform at the end, besides the door to the throne room."What is it, Derpy?" The grey mail mare stumbled inside, opening the door with a loud crash. Looking to the heavens, she sighed. Celestia, help me now. "Derpy, are you all right?"
The grey pony nodded, slightly stepping forward and backwards awkwardly. "Got a package for you.. Princess." The alicorn rubbed her temples in an effort to calm herself. It had been a long morning in the castle with Blueblood coming for a visit while Rarity.. was.. ah.. in the little fillies room. Twilight had done everything she could to keep the atomic pair away but sometimes you can't stop things and about ten minutes later she had to escort an enraged Blueblood out of her crystal castle. He had been fuming and nearly rejected her offer, but she had reminded him that he was of a lesser status then her, despite living in Canterlot full time, instead of her having come from the high and mighty noble city and visiting it every so often.
But anyway, back to the present she realized Derpy was staring as well as she could with those mismatched eyes of hers. Remembering how long she had known the pegasus she vowed to herself to find what that disorder was and how to fix it. The way her eyes looked in two directions, like a lizards, was rather creepy, even if Derpy was fine with the way she looked. "Thank you Derpy, but you know if you feel like calling me a title you can just call me Miss Sparkle." And, she admitted to herself, it was unnerving having someone call her that.
Her mouth wide in her trademark grin Derpy nodded, removed the package from her saddle bags with her mouth, then let out a small yelp when the package she held was balanced finely on her hooves. In an instant Twilight was by her side, checking the mare for injuries or any signs of something bad. "Are you ok?" she asked frantically."Whats wrong? Where does it hurt?"
The strange eyed pony was staring at the package with fear. "Th-th-theres something in there!" She stuttered. "It b-bit me!" She waved a hoof in the air pitifully. Now that Twilight was calmer about her subject's situation, she took a quick glance at the package and saw it was vibrating. Well, not so much vibrating as shuffling an inch or two every second. Confused, the lavender mare took a look at Derpy's hoof and her jaw dropped at what she saw. A very confused and crying Derpy was holding a hoof with two marks in it. Not just any marks, though. They were made with precision and the shape was two small holes, one right next to the other. In other words, the bite was made by.. did she dare look? Gulping nervously, her nerves high-strung, she approached the package.
Carefully enveloping it in her magic, she telekinetically lifted the wrappings off, one by one. Plain cardboard stared back, mocking her, pushing her to open it. Taking a deep breath, Twilight opened the package. Two pairs of maroon eyes closely resembling Rainbows stared back at her fearfully, and she yelped. The.. the thing flew up into the air, leathery wings beating in a desperate attempt to stay airborne. But this ploy didn't work and the foal crashed to the ground with a heart shattering cry of sadness. Crawling over to where the colt? Filly? had landed, she looked fearfully, afraid that the worst had occurred.
Her violet eyes found a quivering black heap, slightly streaked with grey. "Oh my.." she murmured, taking in this sight. The little guy raised his head, and despite his draconic pupils, Twilight felt her heart break. "D'awwww!" Was her only comment. She wondered why he had been inside a package, then from the package her thoughts let to a certain pony. Turning she looked for Derpy, but the lizard eyed mare was gone. Secretly smiling to herself, she turned back to the coal dust black foal. "Hmm! What to call you.." It was then she noticed a little ice blue tag attached to his tail. He looked at her curiously and started nomming on her ear. After yelping, she got used to it fairly quickly and leaned in for a closer look.
Please, take care of my baby.
It read. She scratched her head in confusion, unsure why anyone would give up a precious little filly or colt like him/her, despite the fact that the little one was a batfoal. Checking the package for other items, an extended search of the beautiful wrapping of the foals cradle- as she had discovered- turned up only with two items. A well chewed pacifier and a crisp blue letter, emblazoned with some sort of seal. She squinted and made it out. It was a pile of obsidian complete with bat pony wings. She shuddered at the gruesome image and carefully, carefully, set the seal aside. She would have to run tests on it later to find the mother of this partial orphan. Ripping the night colored paper open she drew out the letter, which was, not surprisingly, blue. The letters were in white and she scanned them.
Shaking her head, her next response was "But it doesn't make any sense!" Turning the letter over provided no answer and there was no magical residue to suggest that this was merely a surface letter, only a pony of extreme magical power could do that kind of magic to unseal some hidden message.
As she pondered this, a timid knocking came at her door and Princess Twilight collected her feelings. "Fluttershy?" she called. "Come on in."
Being on the platform reserved for VIP's did that, you could hear certain sounds that the ponies on the lower levels could not. But with the silence here, any sound rang out like a bell in.. well, the silence. With this thought, she shot back to reality where a butter colored pegasus mare was waiting before the platform. "Um.. Twilight? If your busy I can.." She trailed off as she spotted the foal, practically teleporting as she threw herself across the room. "Omygoshthatissocutewheredidyoufind-" She stopped dead. "Er... Twilight?" Twilight was sitting, trying to process what Flutters had just said, when a tap on her shoulder drew her attention to the mare. "Not to interrupt.. or anything." She shrunk back. "But were you aware that this foal is a..."
"..batpony?" The princess finished when her friend looked away. "Yes. I was. I can't figure out why the heck his mother would abandon him!"
Surprised at this outburst, Fluttershy sat down, waiting for Twilights's momentary and rather abrupt rant to end.
Sheepishly grinning and blushing a pale light pink, a nice color on her violet coat, the yellow pony was motivated to go on with a nudge. " Well.. I know this is embarrassing, but do you.. mind if I figure out the gender?" A certain alicorn blushed as she realized what her longtime friend had asked, and insinuated.
"Uh.. sure?" she squeaked weakly, and Fluttershy nodded. Bending down to take a peek, her creamy face flushed cherry red.
"I-its a boy.' She stammered.
"Oh."
Straightening up, the Element of Kindness brushed herself off quickly and flew out the door. Twilight Sparkle was left staring after her friend with a slack jaw. It was rare that Fluttershy flew so fast but perhaps she had been embarrassed from discovering that. Twilight would have never let herself out of her library again if she had thought a boy was really a mare, then discovered like that he was not.
Calming down from the surprise, she checked the letter once more and realized it was written on an envelope ! Of course, how could she be so stupid! Shaking the container open she chuckled softly as she realized there was an envelope inside an envelope. Drawing the paper out with her magic, she unfolded it.
To my little darling. May you always be the shiniest star, little Nova bright.
She bit her lip in concetration. "So. Your name is Nova. I can roll with that." The colt giggled.
Only then did she realize she had left her bed in the process of a delicate spell.
"Horsefeathers."
Sighing with relief as the spell was neutralized, she waved a thanks to Braeburn, AJ, and Big Mac as they tugged hard on the rope wrapped around the rogue griffon. After returning to her book, on top of her strangely color coded bed she had realized how exactly the spell had gone haywire and had needed help for reversing it. Braeburn had happened to be visiting the Apples which was lucky because she needed three earth ponies to subdue the creature. Spinning around to go and take care of Nova, she was stopped by a friendly hoof on her shoulder."Howdy, Twi."
Turning around, grinning falsely, she instantly replied to the cowpony. "Hey, AJ. How are you doing?"Groaning inwardly as AJ continued the pleasant but unneeded banter, she listened and made appropriate gestures when necessary. After two minutes of this she broke in on Applejacks sentence saying in a hurry "Sorry, AJ, I have to go."
AppleJack tilted her head to one side as Twilight waved goodbye and turned to gallop off to the castle. "What is it you aren't telling me, Twi?" she murmured. She could spot a liar or someone who was hiding the truth a mile away.
Back at the castle, Twilight shut the door and breathed heavily, relieved. Giggles sounded out from a room nearby. "Nova?" She called, suddenly wary. "Is that you?"
A dark shadow passed overhead and laughed again. Continuing to keep her guard up, she looked up, illuminating the dark room with her horn. Two glowing spheres appeared in the shadows in front of her and tiny white fangs appeared. To say that Twilight was scared was an understatement. She was terrified. "AHHHHHHHH!" Her mouth continued gaping as the maroon eyes were covered with.. what appeared to be shadows. And then a furry, warm ball rolled out of the black and collided with her leg. Drawing in her breath with a quick gasp, she looked down only to see Nova looking up at her. Taking in her expression, the young thestral's lip quivered, then his face followed.
A minute later, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, was comforting a small batfoal who was bawling his eyes out. His reddish eyes rimmed with flesh red, she patted him awkwardly on the head and stroked him gently, making small sentences like "Shh." or "Its ok, I'm right here, i fine, I'm okay, you're okay." Slowly his crying was reduced to small sniffles and hiccuped sobs. She smiled gently as the black foal buried himself in her arms.
A fast rapping on the door distracted her, and she could literally feel her anger build up. "Seriously?" She broke the silence that had followed Nova's first known tantrum with a small question. Getting up and stretching each limb, she summoned a blanket for the little one, then stormed towards the door, ready to confront anyone who wanted to interrupt her time with Nova, whether aware of it or not. Her fury evaporated when the visitors turned out to be Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack.
"Twi?" That was AJ talking. "Twi?" She started again, knowing from Twilights uninterested expression that somehow her conversation starter had some how helped her get off on the wrong hoof with her best friend today. "Whats bothering you, sugar cube? Ya acted kind of odd an hour or so back." This got her attention.
"Its been an hour?!!" She exclaimed, her jaw dropping dangerously low to the ground and her wings flaring with panic. "Ohnonononononono! I was supposed to meet the mayor for coffee at lunch time and arrange the progress of Ponyville's construction around my castle!" In reaction to her outburst, Rainbow dash rolled her eyes, Rarity bit her lip nervously, and AJ reached out to comfort Ponyville's first home resident Princess.
"Big deal!" RD spoke up, obviously uncomfortable with politics and all.
Blowing at her bangs irritatedly she opened her mouth to speak, but Rarity beat her to it. "Listen. I realize you might have a couple of troubles, what with becoming Princess and all, but really, darling, this is unlike you!" To emphasize her point Rarity gave her mane a playful toss and batted her eyelids.
Sighing, she let her friends in. "There's something I need to speak to you girls about.." Somehow Pinkie appeared out of nowhere, the pink pony bouncing on the floor repeatedly and showed no signs of tiring. "Ooh! A guessing game, right? umm... Rumpelstiltskin! Ooh! ooh! Black Snooty, Black Snooty!" The mares enthusiasm showed no signs of dimming when Twilight shook her head, a fond smile upon her lips. She had learned long ago not to splutter or try and figure out the party loving enigma called Pinkie pie.
"its..." She fell silent, looking down as she scuffed the floor.
Silence followed. Then a small gasp. "Twilight Andromeda Sparkle, is that what Ah think it is?" The accusing tone had a familiar western accent to it, making the alicorn fold her ears back.
A weak smile greeted the three as Twi lifted her head. ".. Maybe?" She looked in the direction that AJ was pointing and bit her lip in worry as she saw Nova watching the four mares, eyes wide with wonder.
"Mum?" Her jaw dropped. Not only could Nova Bright speak, he had a british accent. "Mum? Where's my mum?" His gaze wandered everywhere as if expecting his mother to say Boo! and jump out of the shadows. Then she realized his gaze had shifted. Straight to her. All of her present friends followed his gaze to Twilight, who then began blushing furiously and pawing at the ground.
Each pony had a different reaction, from taking off their respective hats, to staring at her in shock before collapsing in a dead faint, which Rainbow softened with a roll of her eyes. Pinkie, however, continued jumping and smiling. "YAY! Now we get to throw a 'Twilightisanadoptivemother!' party!"
Dash, who looked disgusted by this turn of events, loudly called. "No way, Pinkie!"
Pinkie visibly deflated as her wide grin turned into a sad frown, lower lip quivering. Her hair had fallen down her neck in a straight lifeless style.
"Girls?" A bemused Twilight asked, her face having recovered since. As everyone turned to her, she gestured to the small thestral, who was sitting on his haunches. "Meet Nova Bright." As an afterthought, se added a little something. "Once you are ready, meet me in the throne room. And," She said, turning to Nova,"You better behave, buster."
The foal blinked at her innocently. "Mum?" He asked sweetly, and her stomach filled with nervous butterflies.
"Yeah." The lump in her throat when she said those words was almost too big for her to speak around. "I'm your mum." She could hear snickers behind her, which could only belong to one pony. She walked away into the throne room, resolving to kill Rainbow Dash later. As soon as the 4 other present mares entered, Pinkie looked about.
"Where is Spike?" She said, obviously hiding her confusion with added happiness.
"Oh, he's up at Canterlot... Apparently Prince..." She sealed her lips as she sneaked a glance at Rarity. "Never the less, Spike decided to throw a bachelors party, again ."
Rarity paid her no attention, instead summoning a clean washcloth and going to work on an offending stain on the arm of her chair. "So, Twi, what is it?" She sighed. No one could read her as well as her friend the Element Of Honesty could.
Levitating the letter from behind the closed doors of the throne room, she set it in the center of the table, and Rainbow Dash flew over to have a better look at it. Even Rarity stopped her polishing and came to the middle. Trotting over there alongside AJ, Twi unfolded the paper and enlarged everything by a small amount. Now the paper was twice its side, and the text much more readable. The letter read,
Princess Twilight Sparkle~
I am truly sorry to place this burden upon you not long after your coronation, but I have a matter that needs my full attention. That is to say, a most dangerous matter. I had my reasons for sending my star away and though I love him so, the battles we have every day as a species are too great of a pressure to put him under. I realize that you are probably most unwilling, and would prefer he stay with me, but this... The greatest battle the bat ponies have seen is coming, and coming soon. Please, take care of my baby and don't hide his heritage. When he knows that he is adopted... tell him his true mother loves(Or sadly, I must admit, loved) him and wished he could of stayed. But as I have said before, alas, for the life of my child I will sacrifice my own.
On this day of September ninth, Most respectively signed,
House Obsidian of the Bat ponies.
"Wow." Rainbow said, breaking the silence that had followed. Even Pinkie, who had brightened up almost immediately after her hair turning straight, was back in a sad state, her lower lip trembling like Nova's a few minutes before.
"Yeah. But whats this 'biggest battle' the mom is talking about? Doesn't she know that all thestrals are under the protection of Princess Luna?" Twilight said, confused utterly."If someone is killing them or something, shouldn't the Princess know of it?"
RD, Rarity, and AJ all nodded as if this made sense, while Pinkie cartwheeled around them. "Wheee!"
Nova entered the room, looking about. "Mum? Mum?" Rainbow pressed her lips together in an effort not to laugh while her eyes sparkled with tears. "Mum?" He turned his attention to her. "Mum? I'm hungry."
As a result, Twilight looked stricken. She hadn't figured on having to feed a baby vampire, basically. "oh no..." She muttered under her breath. Applejack must of realized that her friend was at a loss because she came up and slung her arm around Twilights shoulders.
"Don't you worry, sugar." AJ glanced at the thestral. "The hospital has plenty of blood." Ears perking, as she hadn't thought of that, she nodded eagerly.
"Thanks AppleJack!" With that, she broke into a headlong gallop towards the area of Ponyville where the hospital was located.
