Cold.
That was the first thing that the young alicorn's body registered after that first breath. First there was silence. Then there was the freezing bite of the air around her. Natural instinct took over the filly, commanding the blue furred pony to curl up against the closest living being she could find. Luna didn't really remember much about that day, but she did recall seeing her sister.
At first, it was strange to the young pony. Who was this filly, and why was she here? Of course, seeing her became a customary practice, and Luna learned the white pony's name soon enough. In fact, she had seen her sister every day for the past six hundred years, so by now it was kind of difficult to forget her name.
But alas, that was all in the past. Luna wanted to think about her primary objective for today instead of just recalling how she came to know her big sister. Speaking of said sibling, Luna was right outside of the palace with the white alicorn at that very moment. The two sisters were supposed to be frolicking about as usual, or "just being fillies," as Luna's father always said. However, today was different. Luna had been eying the forest that lay off in the distance as of late, and she wanted to explore the dark place. All she had to do was convince her big sister that it would be a great idea, and-
"No, Luna."
The blue filly's grinning face melted into a frown. "Why not, Tia?"
"The forest is not a place for young fillies to be wandering around," Celestia said. "We could get hurt!"
"But daddy goes into the woods all the time, Tia!"
The older filly sighed, rolling her eyes towards the clear summer skies above her head. "He's a fully grown stallion, Luna. Our father is strong enough to protect himself in the forest."
"I know that, Tia. It's kind of an obligatory thing."
Luna liked using the word 'obligatory.' It made her feel like a grown-up.
"Luna, why don't we go get some cookies from the kitchen? I'm sure Maple Swirl has a fresh batch of her special apple spice cookies whipped up just for you."
"Don't change the subject," Luna growled. "I know you want to explore the forest."
"Are you seriously going to assume that I'm going to go anywhere near that creepy place without adult supervision, Luna?"
Luna paused for a slight moment to think about her sister's response.
"Yes, I do think that you would want to explore with me," Luna said with a confident tone. "Think about all of the treasure we could find in there, Tia! Mommy would be so proud if we brought back some goodies from the big scary forest all by ourselves. She would be so happy, she would be willing to call us adult ponies rather than little fillies!"
No matter how hard the blue pony tried, she couldn't get Celestia to budge an inch in the forest's direction.
"No, Luna. The forest is too dangerous for little ponies to be wandering. If we went into the forest by ourselves, it is entirely possible for one of us to come out of that forest with irreversible injuries."
"Please, Tia?"
"I'm sorry Luna," the older alicorn turned away to face the palace. "We still can't play in the forest. We could get hurt, and if we did, then mother would never allow us outside without supervision again. It's one thing to play around the palace without an adult, but running around a monster filled forest is on a whole new level."
The white pony looked over her shoulder and gave her sister a soft smile.
"If you want, you can come with me to grab some cookies instead of staying out here."
At this point in time, Luna was beginning to run out of ideas. If Luna couldn't verbally convince Celestia to play in the forest, she would have to do this the hard way.
"Fine," the younger alicorn pouted. "I'm going to go play in the woods all by myself then!"
Celestia, who was just about to take her first step towards scrumptious cookie-filled bliss, came to a screeching halt. She made a quick 180 degree turn to face her defiant sister; an emotional mixture of worry and anger splayed across her face.
"Luna, you know we're not supposed to go into the woods by ourselves. You've seen the scars on Early Bird's chest!"
The fledgling pony took delight in the odds she was faced with. If she could maneuver this encounter in just the right way, then Luna could get exactly what she wanted. She stuck her tongue out at the older pony, seeing her sister's simmering expression as a signal to put her plan into action. The time was now!
"I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna run away into the woods to play forever!"
"No, you're not," Celestia growled. "I'm going to have mother drag you off to bed early if you take one step towards that forsaken place!"
"Well, you're going to have to catch me first!"
With that, the blue foal took this opportunity to make a mad dash for the murky forest. No sooner than her hooves had hit the ground, Luna heard her sister's frustrated call, which was followed by the sounds of galloping hooves trailing behind her. The chase was on!
The smaller pony's heart pumped hard within her tiny ribs as her hooves made solid thumps against the ground below. The wind whipped her blue mane across her face and neck as she gathered speed, her vision dimming as the forest's dense, leafy canopy blocked out the sky above upon Luna's entrance past the first trees. Luna laughed aloud as a sudden rush of adrenaline surged through her body; reveling in the exhilaration brought about by the intense chase. She never ran this fast when she raced against Celestia during their merry hours of play.
The little filly soon struggled to maintain velocity as a combination of uneven terrain and her own weary, shallow breathing weighed down on her short legs. It was at this time that Luna thanked her lucky stars for Celestia's difficulty in concentrating her magic during most acts of physical activity, including running. At this rate, Celestia wouldn't be able to cast any spells that would hamper Luna's progress in the exploration of the eerie foliage. Not that it even mattered now. The two ponies had lost track of their location as the leading filly took numerous twists and turns between the many trees that seemed to materialize before them. Celestia surely couldn't use any teleportation spells due to the lack of information regarding the two sisters' location...
Which meant that they were lost.
Upon realizing this, Luna immediately dug her now muddy front hooves into the grimy soil. Her hind legs didn't seem to register this abrupt action quickly enough, causing the wide-eyed filly to stumble over her own hooves and fall to the ground with a dull thud.
I haven't really thought this through well enough, have I?
Of course, Luna wanted to run far enough into the forest to make the trip back home a total drag, but she didn't mean to get lost. She had been so lost in the moment during her exciting trek through the darkened woods, that she had failed to keep track of where she was going. In dong so, she had gotten Celestia and herself completely and totally lost. Luna knew that this was going to be a major pain to explain to the head maid where she had been in the past hour, and why her hooves were so dirty.
As the sound of her sister's slowing hoof steps and weary panting grew closer, Luna took the time to examine the atmosphere around her. This part of the forest was nothing like the area they had entered through. The chilly air nipped at the filly's lungs as she caught her breath, and the only light in the area was filtered down from above the thick leaves above her. Strange sounds filled the air around the alicorn, sending a deep shiver down her spine. Luna curled up atop the dry, filth covered leaves below her as her little ears perked up to better receive the phonic ambiance around her.
Forest exploration wasn't very fun anymore.
"Luna, why would you run off like that?"
The blue filly's murky cloud of fear was lifted slightly upon hearing her older sister's voice behind her. It didn't matter that Celestia's voice was stern and loud. Luna just needed somepony to cuddle at this point. She crawled over to the older pony, wrapping a foreleg around her once clean white hooves.
"I'm sorry Tia," Luna whimpered. "I just wanted to play in the forest and show you that I'm a big mare now."
Celestia's moody gaze softened upon seeing how frail and fearful her sister had become. She laid down beside the younger filly, wrapping a wing around Luna's shivering body in an effective attempt to comfort her little sister.
"It's okay. I understand that you wanted to have fun while feeling grown up. I used to be a lot like that when I was your age, too."
Luna looked up at her sister with big teal eyes. "Really?"
"Indeed. In fact, I made quite a few hasty decisions way back when."
Celestia closed her eyes, chuckling as she remembered all of her rash actions from early fillyhood.
"I once broke my wing while while jumping off of the palace roof in an attempt to show mother that I was a big mare, since I thought that mother would consider me as a grown pony if I could prove that I could fly without help."
Luna was baffled at this revelation. Celestia made bad decisions? That was the first time Luna had ever heard of Celestia making terrible choices. She was usually so careful, and Luna had never actually seen her sister do something as crazy as jumping off of the roof of a tall building... or running into the dark, scary forest without an adult. Warm tears began to well up in the corner of Luna's eyes.
"Tia... what if we never make it home? What if we're stuck out here forever, and nopony ever finds us?"
The tiny princess sniffled as she thought of her mother and father forgetting all about her existence as their time without her dragged on. She trembled at the thought of her parents ceasing to care about their two daughters. The older filly nuzzled her little sister as the last shreds of daylight were slowly vanquished by the lonely, rising moon.
"That's not important right now, Luna," Celestia murmured as the azure filly shed weary tears. "What we need to focus on now is getting some rest. The night is approaching, and you are very tired, little sister. Spending these hours worrying and wandering isn't going to do you any good."
"For now, let's rest. We definitely won't be able to find our way in the dark, and you'll need the rest for the journey back, Luna."
Luna shifted around slightly, a look of discontent playing on her tear-stained face.
"Tia... how will we sleep without a bedtime story? Mommy usually tells me a story before I go to bed, but... mommy's not here to tell me a story, and I can't sleep without one."
"If that's the case, I'll tell you a bedtime story."
"You will?"
Celestia set a warm smile upon her face as her sister's round and hopeful eyes filled her heart with a warm, loving feeling.
"Of course. This one is called 'The Lonely Little Bunny.'"
"Once upon a time, there was a tiny little speckled bunny. He lived in a cozy little tree trunk with all of his bunny friends, and they all seemed to live happily together."
"One night, the little speckled bunny fell asleep while his friends played away. The little bunny had a bad dream where all of his friends left him alone in the cold, and this made the bunny very sad. He kept his dream a secret from the other bunnies for a long time."
"No matter how hard he tried, the little bunny could not stop thinking about his terrible dream. He kept worrying that it might come true one day, and that all of his friends may not want to play with him any more. His sadness kept building up and up, until one day, when he started to cry."
"The other bunnies felt sad for their friend, and they went over to help him feel better. They asked him what was wrong, so the little bunny told his friends all about his dream."
"The other bunnies hugged their friend after the story was closed. They smiled at the little speckled bunny, and they told the bunny something very important..."
"'No matter what happens or what you dream, we are all still friends in the end. We will always love you, little bunny. Don't you ever forget that.'"
~~~
The midday sun's glow illuminated the warm air as Luna examined the world around her. Her older sister followed close as the young filly poked at the ground in front of her, then ran ahead to look at something else that had caught her fancy. She raced around a small patch of milky-hued lilacs, taking the time to lean over to sniff the appealing purple plants. Before she had the chance to open her jaw and take a massive bite out of the semi-toxic vegetation, her celestial sister lit up her ivory horn to lift the filly away from the flowers. After all, it would be a shame if Luna had gotten sick so far away from home.
Being young was quite the advantage for an alicorn. Luna had little to no responsibilities, which meant she could do anything she wanted just as long as she had her parents' approval. No paperwork, no burdens, and very few hours of private schooling gave the blue pony time to herself for most of the day. This small detail made way for the fact that she could spend all of this extra time with her big sister, Celestia.
Celestia and Luna were exhausted by the time they exited the dark forestry. After several hours of wandering through the forest without any sense of direction, the two alicorn sisters emerged from the perilous woodlands. The elder sister was overjoyed to feel the sunlight hit her face after being bathed in the shadows of the forest for such a long period of time. However, that feeling was not destined to last, as Celestia soon gained awareness of what her new surroundings looked like. The land that stretched across the horizon was littered with bright spots of multiple colors. Above, the kaleidoscope sky flashed in many different hues, each only lasting for about a second before being washed away by another reflective shade. Needless to say, this new land and was like nothing Celestia had ever seen before.
The two sisters strolled along the seemingly endless chaotic landscape, their curiosity growing more prominent with each passing moment. The younger one's eyes wandered as she trotted alongside her big sister. She seemed overly intrigued by this strange place. The colorful sky reminded the blue pony of the swirly candy that her sister would make for her. Her mouth began to water as she recalled the succulent taste of those irresistible sweets. Upon grasping this memory, she began longing to return home, but the intriguing landscape around the filly kept her from turning back. It was a hypnotic sensation that fled over her, making her want to see what kooky things this place would throw at her next. Even though Luna knew that she and her sister were headed in the wrong direction, sheer curiosity kept her from turning away from the mesmerizing new landscape.
As the two alicorns walked, the elder pony noticed that the land became increasingly random as they moved deeper into this... city. No, city was the wrong word to describe this area. It was more like a valley... or was it? Celestia couldn't decide on what this place was. Instead, she shrugged it off and focused on what lay before her.
No sooner than Celestia had broken free from her wandering mind, the two sisters picked up the sound of manic laughter off in the distance. The alicorns' faces were lit up by wide, thrilled smiles. Laughter usually comes from ponies, and ponies mean that there's civilization! The alicorn sisters broke into a sprint to meet this new pony and call it a day. Maybe there was a place for them to rest on their journey after all of that walking. The two sisters were relieved to know that there was another pony in the area, and they would enjoy the company of another equine being after those long hours spent walking without end. Soon enough, they found the source of such joyful sounds. What lay before the two sisters caused their satisfied grins to melt into confused frowns.
There were ponies here, but none of them were laughing. Nor smiling. Not even a single look of contentment lay on the faces of these new ponies. The ponies were all so unhappy here, so why had there been laughter not too long before? It didn't take long for the sisters to find out. A creature with an elongated body soon drifted into view, with two colorful wings flapping lazily along as a new burst of gleeful laughter erupted from the being's equine head. It rolled over in midair with childlike exuberance, flailing its legs around in manic joy whilst clutching it's stomach. The youngest sister counted the creature's limbs: one eagle talon, one lion paw, a goat's hoof, and... a lizard leg? The blue filly was utterly confused. How could this be possible? Weren't ponies supposed to have all four hooves, and not various limbs from different animals? Even the creature's wings were mismatched!
Celestia, however, soon recognized this creature as some sort of chimera. She had read books about them before, but she had never seen a one like this before. But that wasn't important. What really mattered was why this creature was laughing while all of those ponies looked so miserable. The reality of the situation hit Celestia hard when the creature pulled a teal pony with a violet-streaked mane close to where it stood. The chimera grinned from ear to ear as the equine entity trembled in fear before it's manic captor. The feral creature tapped the pony on the head, which seemed to do nothing at first. The pony stopped, a confused look playing on her face as she seemed to think, 'that's it?' Before the pony could utter a word, fresh berries began to spill forth from her ears while her fur flashed in various different shades of green and blue. The pony's panicked screams ripped forth from her throat as the being responsible for the damage erupted with joyful giggles, seeming to relish in the pony's pain and confusion.
That was the only piece of evidence that Celestia needed to conclude that this creature wasn't going to be hospitable in any way. The fire of justice ignited within her, causing her to boldly march right up to the multicolored troublemaker. Luna noticed Celestia heading straight into immediate danger. She tried chasing her sister down, almost unable to keep up with her Celestia's long strides upon the younger filly's tiny legs, which the blue filly kept tripping over. The elder alicorn came to a halt before the scene, stamping a pristine hoof onto the ground to catch the attention of the chaotic creature. The chimera turned to face Celestia, and the white alicorn suddenly realized how much bigger the creature was up close. Fear encompassed the powerful equine, but she managed to stand her ground while remaining calm. The other ponies in the area took advantage of the chimera's new distraction, and scrambled to escape before he could return to torment them again.
The bearded abomination grinned widely upon seeing a tiny little pony staring defiantly into his eyes. This one was unlike any of his other playmates, for it not only had a magical little horn, but a well preened set of feathery wings as well. None of his other toys had both wings and a horn, so this was quite a delightful surprise. She even came boxed up with little pieces of golden regalia for him to contort into fun little shapes in his own twisted version of dress-up! It was always such a pleasure to find a new toy to play with, especially if it was already different from all of his other 'friends.' The miniature horse puffed up her chest in a feeble attempt to make herself look bigger. She was already using intimidation tactics, and the beast hadn't even had time to introduce himself. He could already tell that this was going to be a fun round.
"What do you think you're doing to these ponies?"
The deep, eerie chuckle that tore from the beast's throat sent a chill down Celestia's spine. This laughter was much different from the gleeful giggles that the he had produced not too long ago.
"Well who do we have here," the chimera said as his sly smile deepened. "A pretty little pony standing up to old Discord, huh? How fascinating!"
Celestia scowled. "You haven't answered my question yet!"
That little beat tore the seam. Discord burst into a wild fit of laughter, the land beneath Celestia's hooves rumbling as the sound of the mighty creature's voice tore through the land. Beneath the alicorn, tiny little flowers with sticks of butter in place of soft petals sprouted upwards from the checkerboard patterned earth. Celestia took a step back as the colorful patterns on the ground changed from sixteen different variations of spots and other shapes warped in and out of existence while the ground melded beneath the terrified pony. The earth's shifting soon came to a screeching halt as the beast's laughter came to an end. Discord waved his front limbs around in circles, twisting his face into a look of mock fear.
"Oooh, I'm so scared," he said in an amused, yet sarcastic tone. "How am I ever going to defend myself against a tiny, helpless pink-maned pony?"
Celestia's face reddened as her searing rage intensified, but she failed to deliver her reaction in time. She was lifted into the air by some telekinetic force and spun around in tight circles until her eyes rolled around like marbles in her skull. Discord slammed the pony into the ground, taking delight in the hollow sound made by Celestia having the breath knocked right out of her lungs upon impact with the ground. With a wave of his paw, Discord conjured a plush chaise lounge to lay back on as he plucked several tiny apples from their floral stems on the ground. Luna crossed the hills just in time to see the chimera tormenting his sister as he the ate apple flowers. Luna cocked her head to the side as she witnessed the strangeness of Discord's little apple flowers. Apples weren't supposed to grow from the ground, but that didn't matter. Her big sister was in trouble, and Luna needed to find a way to save her! Meanwhile, Discord was chewing thoughtfully on one of the bright red fruits as his new playmate struggled to her hooves.
Celestia raised her horn into the air as she focused her magic energy, releasing a bright yellow beam of white-hot magic in the direction of the tyrant. Discord let out a loud yawn as he deflected the blast with the puffy end of his tail, hitting the energy back towards the sender like a hockey puck being shot across a smooth, icy playing field. Celestia's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates upon seeing how easily her adversary could deflect the most powerful spell in her arsenal. She dodged the rogue magic beam just before it reached her, causing it to fly past her until it hit an innocent bystander in the distance. The white alicorn cringed as she heard a faint cry of pain, then turned to face the tyrant more defiantly than ever as he nearly choked himself with laughter. He seemed to be enjoying the pain of others, and Celestia wasn't about to let him play any more of his nasty little tricks.
Celestia lunged at the creature, only to be knocked back by Discord's own wave of magic energy. She landed on the ground with a hard thud, busting her chin on the flashing technicolor floor below her. Her ears began to ring as crimson colored liquid dripped from her mouth. Celestia whimpered as she felt around her metallic tasting mouth with her tongue, then spit out a massive chunk of her own blood covered tooth. Her body was screaming in pain as she struggled to her hooves, groaning underneath her own weight. The alicorn eventually rose to her hooves to face her adversary once more, before being knocked to the ground yet again by another blast of dark magic.
The behavior of Discord's new toy fascinated him. None of the other ponies defied him like this, so why should this one? He didn't understand why the pony wouldn't play nice. Not that it really mattered, anyways. Ponies don't have to be compliant for Discord to get enjoyment out of his playtime. However, it just wasn't the same when his toys stood up against him. Discord didn't particularly enjoy his new pony's attitude, or how she refused to obey him. Deep inside, he was a little miffed that his new slave objected to her king's orders. After all, kings were supposed to be almighty rulers with unlimited power. That's at least what Discord wanted. Thus, he couldn't achieve this specific level of power if his subjects refused to play along.
"You don't have to be so serious, you know," he said as he began to polish off the core of the particularly juicy apple. "If you'd just stop struggling and let me tear you apart, we could have some fun."
"Fun?" Celestia growled as she lifted her head to look Discord in the eye. "You call this fun? You torture these ponies mercilessly! You tear their lands apart and rule in tyranny, and you get enjoyment out of this? You're the only one here that's having fun!"
Celestia leaped to her hooves just as Discord was polishing off the first apple. Again, her efforts to speak out against the beast were halted. Discord tossed the withered core to the side, causing an explosion upon impact with the ground. He then turned to use the apple's seeds as projectiles against the fuming alicorn, spitting them out and hitting her like fibrous bullets that stung the pony's skin. Celestia folded her wings in front of her face as a shield to protect herself from the projectile seeds. Even so, her efforts proved to be futile as the fruity bullets pelted her delicate wings and set her nerves alight with pain and causing tears to well up in the corner of her clear eyes. Celestia had no idea that apple seeds could hurt this much.
As Luna witnessed this abuse, she grew infuriated with Discord. How dare he! Nopony could get away with harming Luna's big sister like that! He would pay for making Celestia cry, and Luna was there to make sure of it. The blue filly jumped to her hooves and dashed to her sister's side. She flared her nostrils and opened her tiny wings to take a defensive stance, releasing a hostile snort as a form of warning. Discord was taken aback. There were two pretty ponies with wings and horns for him to play with, and not just one? This may have just been the best day ever! The draconequus squealed with glee.
"Oooh! It looks like the fun has been doubled!"
Even though Discord seemed enthralled by the appearance of another special pony, it seemed that little Luna was not so amused. She pawed at the ground with a blue forehoof and snorted in defiance, glaring at the joyful chimera before her.
"Stop hurting my sister, you big meanie!"
The level of childish rage that filled Luna's body was amusing to see. Discord had seen defensive siblings before, but he had never witnessed one reacting quite as courageous as this frail filly. He chuckled as the young pony's rage began to boil over.
"Aw, wook at the pwetty wittwe pony," he cooed. "She thinks she's so powerful standing beside her big sissy, but in reality, she's just a weak little prick who doesn't know when to shut her mouth."
Celestia found Discord's words appalling. How could he talk like that to a filly? That kind of behavior was almost unspeakable! Luna was about to pipe up, but the chimera interrupted before she could utter a sound.
"You must really look up to that useless bag of filth if you are willing to stand up to the almighty king of chaos like this. Speaking of your pretty little pony sister, I don't see why you find value in her. Her attitude is terrible! I bet miss high and mighty pony priss over here beats your sorry flank with an expensive tea set every morning! She must care so little about you and the world around her if she's been so dreadful to me of all ponies!"
That was the last straw. "You're not a pony," Luna hissed. "You're a big fat monster! Tia is a good sister, unlike YOU, you, fat... doodie head! I'm gonna make sure you can't hurt Tia or anypony else ever again!"
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah!"
Discord roared with laughter, causing Luna to flinch for a second. Despite the loud and scary noises, Luna stood her ground. She needed to protect her big sister, no matter what happened! Celestia put a hoof on Luna's shoulder, but the filly shrugged her off.
"Luna, please," Celestia whispered. " You can't do this. You'll get hurt!"
Despite the clear and present danger, the blue filly ignored her sister's warnings and charged at the massive beast in front of her. Discord hissed in response, and lunged forth; baring his massive knife-like fangs as he drew closer to the blue filly. Celestia was frozen in place as terror gripped her very being. Any response from the elder alicorn would be useless at this point. All she could do was scream.
"Luna, no!"
It was as if time slowed at that very moment. All of Celestia's memories came rushing forward to meet her, causing a flood of love for her sister to fill the alicorn's body. Her attempts to scream were halted by the lump forming in her throat. She choked on her own breath as the events before her played out exactly as she predicted. The massive creature's gaping maw closes down on the blue filly's tiny head, halting her flight towards the beast. Luna was slammed into the ground, her left leg crunching beneath her own body weight combined with the force being thrown straight at the ground. Her face contorted in pain as her right wing bent in unnatural ways that should have been impossible to achieve by such a young filly. The bone protruded from her feathery appendage, causing blood to spurt out of the wound and paint the ground red. The once blue swirly designs melded into the earth were now stained with Luna's crimson regret.
Tears spilled down the older pony's cheeks as her sister was violently torn open by the malicious chimera. The blue filly's cries of pain and terror stabbed Celestia's heart as she remembered the first time she held Luna in her arms. That lonely cry from her babyhood still lingered in Celestia's mind: yearning for company, crying for the safety of a familiar face. A faint phantom of her younger self flashed through Celestia's torn mind. She picked up the baby pony and held her close, singing softly into her sister's tiny ear. Her fragile form was tucked safely in between Celestia's forelegs and torso. Free from worry, immune to danger.
The candy they shared on those warm summer days. The songs they sang while frolicking among the fresh flowers. All of these memories cultivated in Celestia's mind over the course of hundreds of years of life: that invisible, lingering presence that would soon be gone if Celestia stood there for another second. Celestia raised her horn as her sorrow boiled into rage, a golden aura enveloping the solid cranial protrusion. She fired a mighty blast of white-hot magic energy at Discord, who was filled with the lust for her sister's blood, the will to tear her open and take her from this cruel world.
Not today.
Discord roared in pain as the searing blast of magic caused his skin to sizzle and bake, setting his nerves ablaze with endless agony. He had never felt anything like this before. While the great chimera was distracted by this new sensation, Celestia dove in and lifted her unconscious sister onto her back. However, Celestia knew that Discord wasn't going to sit there trying to grasp this new concept of injury for much longer. Using Discord's ignorance to the concept of pain to her advantage, Celestia took off towards the darkened forest. Behind her, the behemoth screamed in rage, giving her the notion that she should hurry up if she wanted her little head-start to actually mean anything.
Terror flooded Celestia's mind as she made her great escape, the ominous forest growing closer with every thump of her hooves. Celestia's heartbeat soon matched her steps as it raced in her chest as her sister's blood soaked the elder pony's back. Her legs screamed in protest as she pushed herself harder, knowing that the beast's heavily beating wings were about to catch up with her underdeveloped legs. She felt like she was going to burst. She wanted to fall down and cry. She wanted to see her mother, and she wanted to just stop and think about how warm and welcoming her mother's massive wings are.
Now was not the time for that, though. The dark forestry was closer than ever, and for the first time ever, she welcomed the presence of that scary place. She yearned to lie amongst the gnarled branches of its trees and hold her sister for dear life. The forest was almost within reach! the alicorn spread her wings and leaped into the green depths, weaving in and out of brambles and thorny vines, swiftly dodging every obstacle within her path, flapping desperately to make up to her sore legs. Celestia flew through that forest like she has never flown before.
Branches slapped at her weary body, and brambles tore at her skin as the she raced through the darkened forest. The white alicorn weaved through masses of thick branches and dodged oncoming tree trunks with the utmost of urgency, her mind filled with fear as the forest whipped past her. Celestia heard a loud crack behind her, followed by a frustrated roar the echoed in the distance as she pushed forward. No matter what happened, she had to keep flying.
She flapped those wings of hers until she grew weary, collapsing in the middle of the forest. Her chin slammed into the muddy grime on the forest's floor, her once white fur now caked in mud and blood. Weeping for her sister, weeping for the pain in her wings and legs. She regretted allowing Luna to even think about entering this damn forest in the first place. She yearned for the safety of her mother's wings, to be wrapped in their feathery presence and take in the soothing sound of her voice. Celestia waited for the inevitable, but nothing happened. Her eyelids grew heavy, her tear stained cheeks glistened in the pale moonlight streaming through the treetops, and her wings fell limp to the floor. Celestia was oblivious to the time of day. She didn't notice the presence of night or day, and she didn't care. Exhaustion had flooded her body, and she welcomed sleep with open arms.
Celestia thought she heard voices in the distance, but she wasn't sure. That chase had taken it's toll on the groggy alicorn, and she was highly aware of this. She was probably just hearing things. Soon, it would all be over, and she would wake up. Surely she would be sitting in her bedroom, drenched in sweat as she woke up from this horrid nightmare. Luna would be there, too. She would be holding a stick of candy out to Celestia as an offering of condolence, and it would taste like sweet, sugar-coated peaches.
So she let herself go. She allowed her eyelids to fall over her now dull purple eyes. Celestia welcomed the cool of night as the forest's aura enveloped her, blanketing her in its misty air as she drifted away. With that, Celestia was lulled to seep by the sound of her name being called out by the sweet voices of her past, relishing in her momentary bliss as she lost consciousness.
Intense pain washed over Luna's body as she was torn apart by her adversary. As feathers flew from her mangled wing and blood poured from seemingly every orifice, Luna realized that attacking Discord was the worst mistake she's ever made. Strangled cries tore from her throat as she tried desperately to fight back, flailing her hooves around and wildly flapping her remaining wing. Luna knew that she wasn't going to make it out alive.
She wondered what her sister thought of her now, how stupid Celestia probably thought her little sister was for thinking she could take on such a strong opponent. Luna wondered if Celestia was just going to leave her there all by herself. Luna had ignored her sister's warning after all. She thought that maybe she deserved to be tossed around like this, since she ignored all of Celestia's prior warnings about going into the forest in the first place.
There goes Luna, making another stupid decision. Oh how pathetic she is.
Luna couldn't help the fact that hot tears began streaming down her bruised face. Not only did Luna's best big sister probably hate her right now, but she wouldn't be able to see her mother again after all of this. On top of all that, the pain of being mauled by a magical creature more than ten times her size was ripping through her veins; a raging inferno of screaming nerves and crying blood vessels. Not only was she about to die, she was going to do so in what was possibly the most painful way.
She wished that she had never even thought of running into the forest in the first place.
Before long, the bloodied alicorn's vision grew hazy. Luna saw blurred images of a white figure barreling towards the multi-colored draconequus responsible for her great injuries, then a flash of bright light filled her view. The ringing in Luna's ears intensified as she faded from consciousness, the white-hot pain filling her body seemingly disappearing as she drifted off into the world of sleep.
~~~
It was quite some time before Luna began to stir. She lifted her head off of the ground and slowly rose to her hooves, only to find that the pain was gone. She lifted her hoof towards her face to examine her wounds. Surprisingly enough, they had vanished. Luna turned her head to look over at her wings, her flank, and torso. Not a scratch lay upon the surface of her skin.
Luna as puzzled by this find. When Luna scraped her knee while playing, it usually took quite a while to heal up, so why was her viciously battered and broken wing fully healed after what seemed like such a short nap? Luna would have liked to have that question answered, but now, she had larger issues to face.
Where in the world was she?
As soon as she had taken a good look at her surroundings, she could tell she wasn't anywhere near her palace home. Instead, she sat in the clearing of a forest that was seemingly made of soft light, with trees that appeared to glow in light shades of teal and white. The floor below her was nothing like the muddy filth that covered the forest she had gotten lost in. A glowing path of twinkling white light lay beneath her hooves. The ground seemed to shine brighter in the places where her hooves stood, allowing Luna to leave a trail of bright white hoof prints that faded out as she walked on.
After Luna had acquainted herself with her surroundings, she turned her head to find a glowing pathway leading through the strange forest. Without having anywhere else to go, Luna followed the curious path. She took the time to soak in the scenery as she trotted along with her clean blue hooves. The glowing trees were dotted with numerous tiny orbs of white light, similar in hue to the floor that Luna tread upon. They reminded her of the fireflies that would float about at home on those warm summer nights. She smiled at the thought of stargazing with her father on those calm evenings.
Soon enough, the blue filly noticed a clearing up ahead. As she drew closer to this new area, she could see a pool of clear water with a softly lit surface. She stopped at the edge of the pond, examining the curious shining surface. Luna noticed her reflection mirrored perfectly upon the surface of the water, giving her prime evidence that all of the injuries she had attained during battle had completely vanished.
As Luna was studying the clean pool, the sound of rustling sifted through the bushes. The filly snapped out of her curious daze and whipped around to study her environment. All was silent as Luna's eyes shifted from left to right, scanning the area for any signs of danger.
"Hello," Luna called warily from where she stood, hoping for a response. "Is anypony there?"
Her ears perked up upon registering another bout of rustling coming from the left, eliciting a swift response from the alert filly. She spread her wings and puffed out her chest in an effort to intimidate any potential attackers, stamping the ground twice in succession. The dimly glowing foliage before her shook swiftly, as if there was something hiding in the bushes. Gathering every ounce of courage in her tiny body, Luna took a step forward.
Mere moments afterwards, a tiny grey equine snout poked out from the bushes, then the source of the noise scrambled out of the bushes to meet the blue alicorn. The creature leaped in front of Luna, leaning forward to sniff her horn. It pranced to the side, lifting up the alicorn's wings to examine her feathery down. The creature fluffed Luna's tail, poked and prodded at her chest and nose, then finally ran back in front of the blue pony to meet Luna's gaze with a wide smile spreading across it's face. It was now that Luna was able to get a good look at what she was dealing with.
It was a pony with light grey fur, and a short white tail that curled upwards when the pony smiled. It looked like a filly that was around the same age and height as Luna. Upon it's head was a dark iron helmet that covered it's eyes, with not a trace of the pony's mane to be seen. The helmet kind of looked like armor that the guards at the palace would wear, but it was vastly different in color and design. Clacking chains were bound to the pony's chest, and there were bandages wrapped around the creatures stomach. Around the pony's ankles were flowing ribbons of white cloth that swayed as if the wind was blowing through them, even though there was no breeze to be felt in this strange environment. On top of all of that, the pony didn't have a cutie mark. The pony took a step forward.
"I've never seen you around here before," it chimed with an upbeat voice. "What's your name?"
Luna smiled back at the creature, relieved that it didn't seem intent on harming her. "I'm Luna. What's yours?"
The creature stopped for a moment, tilting it's head upwards slightly and raising a hoof to it's chin, as if pondering the question posed before it. "I don't really have a name," it mused.
The grey pony took another step forward after it had given it's answer, smiling eerily at Luna and sending a shiver down the blue alicorn's spine.
"I really like your name, though. Can I have it?"
Luna stepped back a little bit, smiling awkwardly.
"I think it would get a little confusing if we shared the same exact name," she said. "How about I give you a different name?"
The pony stopped for a few seconds to think again, before giving Luna a content grin.
"That sounds nice," the filly said as it sat down on the glowing floor.
"Since you wanted my name, I think we should give you something a little similar," Luna said. "My name is Luna, and mommy says that it's the same thing as the word "moon." I want to give another name with the same meaning."
The filly gave Luna a troubled frown. "What other words do you know that have the same meaning as your own? I thought that there was only one word for 'moon.'"
The grey equine stopped for a moment. "What even is a moon?"
"The moon is basically a big, round rock that orbits our planet, and it only comes out at night," Luna explained. "My daddy taught me a lot of different words related to the moon and stars, like 'constellation' and 'lunar cycle.'"
"Which one do you think would work best for me?"
"I like the name Selene," Luna suggested. "That's another word related to the moon, and it sounds very pretty."
The other filly cocked her head to the side.
"Selene?"
"Yup! It's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"
The grey filly, now dubbed 'Selene,' gave Luna another smile, this time filled with the warm glow of satisfaction.
"It does sound nice," she said. "I think I'll keep it."
Luna beamed at her newly named friend. "I'm glad you like it."
Selene lifted herself off of the floor and walked around to Luna's side, looking at her small, feathery wings. She then turned to face Luna's short horn, giving it a light tap on it's bony tip.
"You have the power of magic and flight, don't you?"
"I think so," Luna said. "I need mommy to teach me how to fly, though. I'm also not very good at magic yet."
Selene turned away to pace the floor. "I envy you. You must be very strong to have been born with both abilities."
The grey foal looked over her shoulder, returning her attention to Luna. "You're an alicorn, right? You know the ones. The ponies with great power comparable to celestial field?"
Luna's face scrunched up to form a confused expression as she soaked in the question posed before her.
"I guess so. I mean, mommy says that I'm an alicorn, but I'm not sure about the other things that you said."
"Alicorns are supposed to contain some of the most powerful magic in the land," Selene explained. "To put it simply, alicorns are the most powerful species of pony there is."
Luna paused for a moment to process this bit of information. "Am I really that strong?"
Selene let out a soft chuckle. "But of course. It is without a doubt that you should be stronger than everyone else." She turned around to face her blue friend. "That is... you should be stronger than your fellow pony."
"What do you mean? Is there something wrong?"
Selene circled around her fellow alicorn, walking slowly and facing forward. "Oh, nothing. It's just that you didn't seem to do so well when you fought against that draconequus earlier. I honestly thought you were going to win, what with the amount of determination you showed during your little confrontation."
Selene stopped for a moment, lowering her head to let out a disappointed sigh. "In the end, your big sister had to come save the day. It's kind of funny how easily she took care of your problem for you. In all honesty, you should have been able to defeat your opponent. You
must be extremely powerful to have found this realm.
Luna looked around her, taking in the view of the glowing forest surrounding the area.
Selene stopped her circling pattern, looking directly at her doubtful friend and meeting the alicorn's gaze. "I guess that some ponies are just weaker than others."
Luna looked down at her hooves, several different emotions flashing across her face. She didn't know how to feel about this. On one hoof, she was angry at herself for being unable to defend herself against Discord, and on the other hoof, she didn't want to believe that she was really as weak as Selene was suggesting. Surely she was just as good, if not better than her sister in terms of power?
Selene didn't give Luna a chance to speak, getting close to the alicorn and resting a hoof on her blue friend's shoulder.
"But there's no need to feel bad about yourself," Selene said in a soft, soothing tone. "You're not necessarily the one I was referring to as 'weak.'
Luna looked puzzled. "I'm not?"
Selene's ringing laughter filled the air, echoing throughout each and every crevice of the glowing landscape.
"Of course not, silly," she continued, directing Luna's gaze to the clear pool off to the side. "The real weakling is her."
Luna stared deep into the pond, watching curiously as her reflection rippled and weaved, melding into the form of her sister, Celestia. Luna took a step back from the magical pool and turned to face her friend.
"That can't be right," Luna said with a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "Tia isn't that weak! If she's really not as strong as I am, then how come she saved me?"
Selene giggled at this sentiment, setting herself beside the blue alicorn.
"Oh, dearest little Luna," she mused. "This isn't all about magic strength and your ability to fight. Although magic is a factor in this matter, what is really important is your will."
"My... will?"
Selene nodded in response, smiling at her alicorn pal. "Indeed. When it was clear that your sister was too incompetent to defeat Discord by herself, you stepped in to save her. She was only able to hit the beast while he was distracted by you, and even then, your sister failed to even scratch the surface of his iron defenses."
Luna nodded as she allowed this to soak in. "So... Tia couldn't hit that big meanie without my help?"
"Exactly," Selene replied. "And the only reason that you couldn't defeat Discord was because you had no idea how to fight. On top of all of that, you don't know how to use your magic yet, which only made matters worse on your behalf. If you knew how to properly wield your magic, you would have been able to defeat your opponent all by yourself as your weak-willed sister stood on the sidelines."
Before Luna could utter another word, the forest's lights began to flicker. The light from the nearby pond fizzled out, and the floor began to dim. Luna spun around in panic, frantically looking for the cause of such change.
"Well, it looks like it's that time," Selene said in an unusually chipper tone.
"What's happening?" The Luna asked as her eyes darted back and forth. "Why are all of the lights going out?"
Selene smiled. "Don't worry, my friend. It's just time for you to go now."
"Wait, I'm leaving? Where will I go? Will I be able to come back here?"
The grey filly chuckled as her friend spilled questions in a panicked frenzy. "Don't worry, you'll be back here soon."
"But what abou-"
The world was shrouded in darkness before Luna had the chance to finish her sentence. The alicorn filly suddenly felt a wave of nausea spreading throughout her body. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't speak nor hear a thing. Luna felt a sharp pain in her back as she spiraled into a cripplingly sickened state, strongly attempting to resist the urge to retch. Waves of energy rippled through the air as Luna was thrown hard back into reality, snapping back into a conscious state and finally releasing the contents of her stomach.
~~~
Luna soon became painfully aware of her surroundings as bright lights stung her eyes like salt being rubbed on an open wound. The pain in her back was now focused on her mauled wing, which was now wrapped neatly in clean gauze. Her vision was soon restored as her eyes adjusted to the light, giving Luna a clear view of the world around her. She looked around for any signs of Selene, only to take notice of a disgruntled alicorn nurse holding a mop in the doorway, along with a well anticipated pair of familiar alicorns.
The leftmost pony was covered in pristine white fur and adorned with numerous pieces of shining silver regalia. She had a long, straight red mane that flowed over her shoulders like a cascading rouge waterfall. The mare's icy blue eyes were filling with joy as Luna stared back at her. The stallion on the right had a deep navy blue coat paired with two bright green eyes. His mane was indigo in color with several pink streaks sitting amongst his deep, purple locks. Luna, a little disoriented from her sudden travel, sat up in the infirmary's cot.
"Mommy," Luna winced as her mending wing throbbed. "Where am I?"
Her mother let out a long sigh, as if she had been holding her breath the entire time. She then leaned over and wrapped her hooves around her trembling child, being careful to avoid the pool of gastric fluids that her daughter had emmitted seconds earlier. Tears formed in the corners of her stunning blue eyes as she embraced the foal.
"You're at home, Luna," she whispered. "You're safe now."
Luna took a deep breath, relishing the comforting scent of her gentle mother. She allowed herself to drift off a little bit, relaxing in her mother's warm, heartfelt embrace. However, something didn't seem right. Wasn't there supposed to be another pony here, too? Luna could have sworn that this meeting was incomplete in some way. She knew that somepony had come along with her when Luna ran into the woods, but she wasn't quite sure... Wait... Luna's eyes shot wide open, her pupils shrinking down in size as she realized that a certain somepony was missing.
"Mommy, where's Tia?" Luna asked, her voice filled with panic. "Is she here? I want to see her now!"
She tried opening her wings, only to find that doing so would send a sharp pain down her back from her damaged wing. Luna yelped at the shock of pain that was delivered from the wound, plopping back down on the bed as tears welled up in her eyes from the pain. Her father took a step towards the cot.
"Now isn't a good time for you to try and get up," he said calmly. "You should try and get some rest."
Luna laid back down as the green maned nurse pulled the soiled sheet off of the bed, carefully lifting it so that the bile wouldn't spill. She placed the old sheet into a gray bin marked with symbols hat indicated the presence of bodily fluids. She then lifted Luna into the air with her magic and placed her onto a rolling cot.
"You're not getting any sleep without a bath," the nurse said in her trademark deadpan voice.
Luna's parents chuckled as their filly groaned in protest.
"But I don't wanna take a baaaaaath!"
The nurse rolled her eyes. "Well, you're going to have to have one unless you want to smell like vomit all day."
Luna's mother chimed in, eager to help make sure that her child was happy.
"I can provide Squeaky Bear for your bath," the red-maned mare said.
The second that the noise-making toy bear was mentioned, Luna's eyes lit up.
"Okay, I want my bath now," she said as she swiftly turned to look towards the nurse with a wide grin.
The nurse looked hard at the smiling parents. "You do understand that Squeaky Bear is a plush toy, right?"
Luna's mother smiled confidently, nodding quickly as she did so.
"We can cast a water proofing spell on him so that he won't get wet."
Luna stared at the nurse with round, pleading eyes. The nurse looked back at the filly, her eyes softening as she did so. Finally, the nurse pony sighed.
"That is fine," she said. "Just make sure the spell actually works first, please. Sad children aren't listed on my schedule for today.
An hour had passed since Luna's bath. With a slightly damp mane and the fresh smell of peonies drifting through the air, Luna was ready for bed. The blue princess lay snugly in her cot with her plush bear beside her. The pair was tucked neatly between the covers and the mattress, prepared to take on the world of rest... or at least that's what Luna wanted to do. The filly couldn't seem to find sleep, what with her bandaged wing being uncomfortable to lay on and the cot being a bit too firm for her liking. She tossed and turned for a while, before finally laying down on her remaining wing and curling up in fetal position.
Since there was nothing for Luna to do at this particular hour, so she decided to reflect on the recent events to pass the time. She lifted her Squeaky Bear up to examine his face. The bear's black button eyes were given a slightly polished look by their cleanliness. The lavender colored fabric contained little star patterns, some of which Luna could identify as constellations. Her father told her that Squeaky Bear was supposed to be an Ursa Major. Luna had no idea what that was, but she loved the sound of it. The blue filly sat on her cot for a while longer before letting out a long sigh.
"You know, Squeaky Bear," Luna whispered, speaking softly to her bear as she stroked the top of his soft, purple head. "I always wondered what was on the other side of the forest."
She looked down at the bear once more, as if expecting a reply from it's stitched mouth. When none came, she looked up at the ceiling and continued.
"It's kind of weird out there. Everything's all colorful and spotted. I honestly don't know what in the world was wrong with that place. Mommy should have already told you the story, so I'll spare you some of the details, but Tia got into trouble with this weird dragon looking dude called Dobkins, and I got hurt pretty badly while trying to help her out."
"Maybe he was the one that made the place beyond the forest look so weird? I don't know. Mommy said that Tia told her that Dirkus' magic was pretty strong, though."
Luna sat within the darkened room, bathing in the soft moonlight streaming in through the window that lay to her right. Before long, Luna remembered something else magic-related that she had heard about earlier in the day.
"Speaking of magic, I met a strange pony today, Squeaky Bear," Luna said. "Her name is Selene, and she's my newest friend. Maybe one day, I can take you to see her. Anyways, she told me that I have strong magic, too. She said I could have beat up Dickens- you know, the guy with the that dragon face I told you about, if I knew how to use magic."
"It's kind of weird, because I never told her about the fight, Squeaky Bear. But she still knew all about it. Do you think she might have been there too?"
Luna paused for a moment, staring up at the ceiling to ponder her own question for a moment. Eventually, the filly shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know. I mean, I didn't see her there, but maybe she was hiding. She was about as tall as me, and I like to hide in tree trunks sometimes while playing hide and seek, so maybe she was hiding somewhere small, like the trees that I like to hide in. Oh, and don't tell Tia that I like to hide in tree trunks, Squeaky Bear! She'll know where to look next time if you do."
Luna sat up quickly covered Squeaky Bear's snout with her hoof as if to keep him from spilling the beans.
"Sssshh... don't say anything, Squeaky Bear. The nurse might hear you and tell Tia about my secret hiding spots."
Luna uncovered the bear's snout and squeezed it's stomach, causing the toy to emit a loud squeak. She giggled a little bit at her own childish joke before flopping back down on the mattress, landing uncomfortably on top of her injured wing and sending a wave of searing pain through her injured limb. She wanted to cry in pain, but she didn't wish to wake anyone else up. Thus, Luna squeezed her lips shut and puffed out her cheeks, only allowing a small squeak of her own to escape from her throat. As soon as the pain died down, Luna scowled furiously and sat up to face her stuffed bear.
"Look at what you made me do, Squeaky Bear," she hissed. "That really hurt."
Luna picked up the bear and set him down all the way on the opposite side of the pillow, distancing herself from her plush friend.
"Next time that happens, you're sleeping on the couch, mister."
Luna crossed forelegs and curled her hind legs up towards her stomach, fuming after the mishap that Squeaky Bear supposedly caused. She remembered how badly it hurt when Discord tore up her wing in the first place, and how little he seemed to care about anyone else. She thought of how he hurt her sister, and how she couldn't defend herself against him. How Selene said that she could have been more helpful by knowing how to fight and use magic, and that Celestia had to jump in and save Luna while Discord was distracted.
Because Luna wasn't strong enough to help in the first place.
Each thought brought more fuel to the fire of Luna's anger. She was mad at Discord for being a brute. She was angry at Squeaky Bear for making her hurt her already injured wing. Most of all, she was furious with herself for being too incompetent to fight for herself, too weak to win a simple fight. It didn't matter how strong Celestia said that Discord was, Luna still lost the battle. That, above all else, angered her the most.
"Why can't I do anything right!?"
Luna's shout echoed throughout the building. Realizing what she had just done, she covered her mouth with her hooves.
"Horse radishes," she hissed.
Luna turned towards Squeaky Bear, fear encompassing her expression as her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
"Don't tell mommy and daddy that I said that, Squeaky Bear. They're going to get really mad if you do."
Luna waited for the sound of hoofsteps to echo down the hallway towards her infirmary room, but none came. Ten minutes passed before Luna breathed a sigh of relief. She loosened up her tense joints as she realized that she hadn't awoken any of her fellow alicorns, allowing herself to relax knowing she wouldn't be interrogated regarding the noise.
Luna sat back for a few more minutes, staring up at the clean cabinets on the wall in front of her. She glanced over at her plush bear, looking away as if it could actually see her with it's hollow button eyes, judging her every action. She took another quick glance at the bear before pulling him in for a big hug.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Squeaky Bear," she whispered. "I didn't mean to get mad at you. My wing just really hurt, that's all."
Luna smiled as she held the bear close to her bandaged chest, taking the notion that her toy had forgiven her.
"Have you ever noticed that everyone in our city has both wings and horns, Squeaky Bear? You probably haven't, since you stay inside all day, but that's what I'm here for. Just in case you don't know, our city is called "Estreltia." Daddy told me that his great, great, great, great grandma named the city after their first daughter, who became the princess. That princess is my great, great, great, great grandma, Squeaky Bear. Isn't that cool?"
Luna paused for a moment as crickets went off in the night, playing their lullabies infused in the darkness.
"I'm sorry for getting so off topic, Squeaky Bear. I just need somepony to talk to."
That, of course, was a lie. Luna didn't need someone to talk to, she needed to forget about her thoughts regarding weakness. Each second she spent without speaking, those recent memories would resurface, then she'd have to shove back the idea of her being weak all over again. Quite frankly, Luna was sick of it. Luna needed to face these thoughts, and she knew it.
"You know what, Squeaky Bear," Luna began, sitting up straight in her cot with an air of confidence, as if she were making a speech to her father's subjects. I've decided to be a better pony. Mommy already says I'm a good pony, but I want to be something greater than just an ordinary 'good pony.'"
"I want to be stronger. I want to use magic, and to be the best at it. I want to be able to help mommy and daddy if anyone tries to hurt them. I wanna be so powerful, I could move the moon! That's exactly what I'm gonna do, Squeaky Bear! I'm gonna train hard and be the best there ever was! I'll march right up to Dukum and buck his face so hard, it spins around the world a bajillion times!"
The blue filly was standing up on her hind legs now, shouting her speech at the top of her lungs and getting the adrenaline to rush through her veins as she became increasingly passionate about her feelings.
"I'm gonna be the strongest pony in the world! No, the universe! I'll be able to beat up my own parents if I really wanted to! I'D BE INVINCIB-"
Before Luna could finish her sentence, the door to her room burst open. A spark of violet magic ignited the candles in the room, flooding Luna's eyes with warm light. The nurse from earlier, was in her fluffy pajamas sporting quite a messy mane upon her head, pinpointed the source of the yelling and stared bullets into the little filly's soul.
"What in the name of Tartarus is going on in here?" The nurse growled as Luna sheepishly sunk down back under the covers. "I could hear you from all the way across the palace."
Luna knew that Tartarus was a maximum security prison whose gates were sealed with powerful magic, and only the worst of ponies were locked up there. When someone mentioned that name in this kind of context, Luna knew it meant they were really mad. There was only one thing Luna could think of that would get her out of trouble...
"...Hug?"
The green maned nurse snorted. "No, I don't want a hug," she growled. "I want little screaming fillies to go to bed so that the rest of us can preform our duties tomorrow. You're not bleeding, right?"
"No, miss nurse. But my heart really hurts, and I think I need a hug from somepony."
Luna blinked innocently as a sweet smile spread across her little blue cheeks. The nurse maintained her deadpan expression.
"I'm afraid I wasn't trained to give hugs to fillies who have been horsing around in the middle of the night."
"If you're scared of it, why don't you give somepony a hug?" Luna replied. "That always makes me feel better when I'm scared."
The nurse let out a frustrated sigh. "Just go to bed, please."
With that, she shut the door. Luna waited until she couldn't hear the nurse's hoofsteps anymore. She slowly turned to face her stuffed animal maintaining a solid poker face as she did so. Luna leaned in towards Squeaky Bear's ear and whispered softly to the plushie.
"Do you think she's gonna tell Tia about my hiding spot since I made her mad, Squeaky Bear?"
