Raising the Moon Princess

Prologue: Discovery & Hospitality

My life could have never felt more dull and depressing. The bustling streets of Toronto, the cars and transit buses, including the many people walking on the sidewalks from both directions seemed far and distant to me. The cold and misty air didn't affect me either, mostly because I was already cold, my arms and legs slowly going numb from sitting on this stone park bench for so long. I let out a long sigh, a cloud of steam bellowing out like I had just taken in a good drag from a cigarette, leaning my head back and looking toward's the dark grey sky that loomed the city. After a bad dispute with my family, which for the first time turned physical when I had struck my own father across the face when he made a remark about me being....well...I won't go into details. After it happened I travelled here to start a new life as an adult, buying a good house in a quiet neighborhood outside the city, but finding a job was the tough part. Sure, I had at least a few thousand bucks that would help with the electricity, the internet, groceries and tv, but I knew it would eventually run out in a few months if I didn't find a good paying job. Finally willing myself to move, I got up from the bench and began to make my way down the sidewalk. The feeling in my legs came back with each step, now fully aware at how much I was actually freezing, letting out a shaky breath as I descended down the steps into the subway. It was a tad warmer than outside in the light rain, but still, the cold air was vacant inside as I waited for the train to arrive.

The ride home was uneventful as always. Each time I walked these streets, there was never anything interesting that would spice this particular night up, even if it was just a cat jumping out from behind a dumpster then running off. My eyes caught sight of a 24 hour convenience store. Hmph. Well...maybe a few drinks and snacks wouldn't be too bad. I thought to myself as I entered the store. The clerk behind the counter looked up briefly as I walked in before she went back to whatever she was doing. I walked in each aisle slowly, scanning the many names and brands of candy bars, potato chips, 2 liter bottles of soda....you name it. After a few minutes, I had picked out two bottles of soda, some small bags of chips and a couple of candy bars. The clerk scanned the items, named the price it came up to, me paying her the amount and leaving the store. The air still felt cold and wet, a slight drizzle was now pouring down from the sky. I thought that the rest of the walk home would be boring and miserable....if it wasn't for the quiet but still audible shuffling right beside me. I turned in the direction of the sound but only found myself looking at half a cardboard box sitting on the sidewalk. It was then that curiousity got the best of me. Kneeling down, I could get a closer look at what might have moved underneat it, and heard a soft whimpering. The noise suprised me. This certain scene seemed all too familiar from a fanfic I read on the internet once. I slowly reached a hand forward, slipping my fingers underneath the edge of the cardboard, and lifted it up slowly. What was there, shiverring in a small ball, whimpering and sniffling softly, nearly made my heart stop. The creature had a dark, navy blue colored coat, despite a few darker patches near it's hind legs. Adoring it's head was a much lighter colored mane, a sky blue, I think it was. But I couldn't believe it.

It was a foal....a foal....Princess Luna!

I'll be honest. A few months back, I recently began to watch a children's show called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, but from the way it was scripted and portrayed, it made the show look like it was made for other audience's besides little girls. I practically watched every episode of season 1, as well as season 2, loving and enjoying each moment. My mind snapped back to my current situation, looking down at the small filly before me. The little alicorn stopped whimpering, but sniffled every few seconds, before slowly turning her head up at me. The reaction I expected from her was spot on. The minute she saw me, the filly gave a frightened squeak and started to visibly shake, her small blue eyes looking at me like I was the most terrifying thing in the entire world. "Shhshhshh. Shhhhhhh, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." I said to her in my best comforting tone, still holding up the cardboard slab so I could see her better. The little Luna still looked at me with fright, although her expression softened a little, her shaking stopped and she seated herself onto her haunches. Those large beautiful blue eyes never left me. I smiled at her, hoping to get her more comfortable with me. The alicorn finally took her eyes off of me and looked at her surroundings, perking up at the sound of a siren in the distance. The drizzle had stopped, so I took it as a chance to remove the soggy roof off of her. Her eyes snapped back onto me as I moved the cardboard onto the ground beside her, "Well....", I started, not wanting to leave the filly scared and uncomfortable, "Where did you come from? Do you know where you are?" I ask her, of course, knowing she may not be able to answer me. She looked like she was at the age where they couldn't even talk yet. I saw her small ears flatten against her head, her wet mane ran down her back and hung in front of her face slightly, and she got this heartbreaking expression on her face. It was obvious she had no clue where and how she got there. "Are you lost?" I blurted out softly, but now wishing I hadn't said that. A second after the words left my mouth, the little alicorn looked up at me with the most saddest eyes I have ever seen. Her eyes dilated, a pout came onto her face, and I could of sworn her bottom lip was quivering. She whimpered softly, then they grew into soft and tiny hiccups, before turning into tiny cries. The sight and sound made my heart ache. I couldn't just leave her here like this. "Hey. Heeeyyy, come on. Shhhhhhhh." I whispered soothingly to her, then gently running my hand over the top of her head, rubbing over her ears and down her mane. Little Luna's crying died down slowly, the petting must have gave her some comfort, before she turned her tear stained face toward me, sniffling softly. "Do you....want to come home with me? It's warm and safe where I live. Would you like that?" I asked the young filly. The baby alicorn rubbed a forehoof against her cheek, wiping away her tiny tears before getting up and, much to my suprise and joy, crawled over to my feet and propped her front hooves against me. I looked at her and saw a face that said: Please. I don't like it out here. I'm cold and alone. Like the meme goes: my heart exploded. I smiled and gently brought a hand down to pick up the small filly, her tiny wings gave a few quick flaps as she was hoisted up, opening my jacket to settle her in there. "Come on, Luna. There." I said to her, making sure she didn't fall out before I started walking again.

After a few minutes, we finally made it back to my house. The walk didn't feel so bad. My mind was set on making sure the now sleeping alicorn in my arms didn't fall out, or that I didn't jostle her around too much, until we reached the patio. I padded softly up the small set of stairs toward's the door, setting down my bag of drinks to search for my keys, which took me a few seconds because of the filly I was cradling in my jacket. I felt cool metal against my finger tips, telling me that I had found them. I pulled them out, sliding the main key into the master lock, then unlocking the door knob. I glanced down and saw Luna looking up at me with a curious expression. She must have heard the noise the key's made. I gave her a gentle smile before opening the door, figuring that she would want to be somewhere warm at the moment. I wiped my feet off my floor mat before sliding my shoes off, setting the filly onto the floor, then sliding my jacket off (which, to me, now smelled a little like wet dog....or was it wet pony?). I heard sniffling again. Uh oh, I thought, Either she's still a little scared or she may have already caught a cold from the weather. I turned around and expected to see a sad, runny nosed, face sitting on the floor. But instead, much to my relief and amusement, she was already exploring about the living room, her nose dipped close to the ground. The sniffling was her smelling the carpet, as well as any other object that was giving a new or strange smell. The little dark-blue alicorn lifted her head and inspected the large flat screen tv I had set on a entertainment stand. Well....maybe when she's older I'll show her how it works....but I'll need to avoid that one channel and show....for her sake..., I thought to myself, a certain chapter in My Little Dashie had brought it into my head. I felt a soft tug on my leg, and I looked down, Luna was sitting down by my feet, her big blue eyes staring up at me. "Oh, sorry, Luna. Are you hungry?" I asked, kneeling down to rub the filles mane. The minute I asked, her tiny ears perked up, her tail giving a small flick. I couldn't suppress a chuckle, "Heh. I figured. Hold on, let me see if I can make you something." I said to her, getting up and walking toward's the kitchen. Yet another adorable moment, I could hear small hoofsteps right beside me along the way. I opened the fridge to see what would be appropriate for a small filly to eat. Actually....what WOULD a filly at her age eat? Let alone if they even ate anything solid at this age. I didn't want to risk her choking if she couldn't handle anything hard, so the logical choice was to get out the carton of 2% milk I had, and hope that she would eat from a baby bottle. At least for now until she was older. After rummaging through the drawers and cabinets, I finally found a suitable baby bottle and nipple. I made sure to rinse it off under hot water before pouring the milk in, that way any bacteria would be washed off, and make it safe for little Luna to eat from. After filling the bottle, I padded over to the little alicorn, and gently scooped her up into my arm. I carefully set myself down onto the couch, putting the bottle down beside me, and carefully moving the little filly so that she was lying on her back while being cradled. Picking the bottle back up, I held it in front of her, and receieved the most cutest reaction ever. The minute she saw the bottle, her front hooves waved in front of her excitedly, small happy squeaks emanating from her tiny throat. The sight made my heart explode for the second time. I moved the bottle forward until she seemed to try and grasp the sides of it with her tiny hoofs, her little mouth open for the nipple of the bottle. I couldn't help but go, "Awwwww.", as I watched Luna eat. Seeing as how she reacted so happily from seeing the bottle, I figured she would start guzzling down the milk, but instead, she was drinking at her own comfortable pace. The alicorn filly suckled softly, her blue eyes occassionally glancing up toward's me, clearly enjoying her meal. I let out another big smile as her suckles began to slow down, and her eyelids started to flutter softly, starting to get full and sleepy. Luna licked her lips as I moved the bottle away, and carefully lifted her up until her front hooves and head were resting on my shoulder. I remember reading on the internet that horses, maybe even ponies, were physical incapable of vomiting. Would Luna do that if I attempted to burp her? Although....she was only a baby. A little bit of milk on my shirt wouldn't bother me. I started to gently pat the filly on the back, in between the bottom of her mane and her small wings, hoping she would burp so she wouldn't be uncomfortable as she slept. A few seconds passed, then I heard it.

Urp!

I smiled and lifted Luna off my shoulder and cradled her, rocking back and forth. She had already fallen asleep. I managed to get up from the couch as best as I could, turning off the living room and kitchen lights, before walking into my bedroom. It was a fairly nice size, plenty of walking room, my computer and Playstation 3 were hooked up to two seperate screens. I carefully set Luna down onto the bed, making sure I didn't wake her up in the process, before lying down right next to her. Just from looking at her sleep, I knew that I found something that would make me feel happy for the untold future to come. But once again, the thought of that fanfic came back to me. I knew, like in the fic, Celestia would eventually arrive sometime after the next few years, once Luna reached the age she was in the show. Now that I found her, she was already part of my life. She stirred for a moment before she lay still again. Then, she had said it. I barely understood it.....but it was clear.

"Dad...dy...." I heard her tiny voice mutter.

I thought I had stopped breathing for a second. She had called me Daddy. My vision blurred, a tear having tickled it's way out the corner of my eye. I felt myself smile, a real one, for the first time since the day I left my parents behind. I leaned in and kissed the filly between her ears, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Good night, Luna. Sweet dreams." I whispered, before I too drifted into a deep slumber. Tomorrow, and the many years to come, were going to be the best moments of my life.

Meanwhile, in Canterlot, Equestria.....

Hammers. That was the best way for her to describe it. Celestia brought her front hooves to her head and groaned loudly, the pains and aches boring themselves deep into her skull, the alicorn crouching low to the floor in agony. I knew there was something fishy about that spell, Celestia thought to herself as she summoned the energy to stand up, I hope Luna didn't get caught in the-, the ivory alicorn froze. Luna! What happened to her? Despite the minor headaches, Celestia frantically searched around for her younger sister, hoping to find ANY sign that she wasn't hurt. "Luna? Luna! Where are you?" Celestia called out, trying to see through the smoky haze that had engulfed the room, "Luna! If you can hear me, say something!" The alicorn coughed, flaring her wings to try and fan out the smoke. She took a few steps forward before one of her hooves kicked something. Judging by the sound....it was metal. The sun princess glanced down at the object, confused at what could have been broken or left behind, and drew in a sharp gasp.

It was one of Luna's royal hoof shoes.

The alicorn took in the sight before moving her gaze further up. The other three hoof shoes lay either in one piece or broken from the explosion, now laying next to a navy-blue metal chest piece and a small metal crown of the same color....lying on a smoldering spot of the floor where Luna had been just moments before. "L-Luna...." Celestia choked out weakly, dropping to the floor, tenderly picking up the crown that onced belonged to her sister. The alicorn princess couldn't stop the cascade of tears that now flowed down her face, clenching her eyes shut as she wept quietly. Celestia's horn suddenly shone brightly, the alicorn using every ounce of her power to try and locate the moon princess. Anything....anything! A lock of her hair, a chip of her hoof, a fragment of her magical aura! Anything to find where she was! But....there was nothing! No. No no nonononono. Celestia whispered in her mind. Falling to her haunches, the alicorn hung her head low, and began to cry in sorrow and guilt.

Her only sister....was gone.