Astral Exodus

by Penmore

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Sad, Princess Luna, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Mystery, Spike, Other, Adventure
Length: 5288

Luna seems to be using less stars in her night sky is it by choice or is it something else?

Twilight notices that Princess Luna has taken a rather interesting approach to arranging the stars lately. However, when the princess of the night herself comes asking for help in recovering her stars Twilight fears the worst. Twilight, Luna, and Spike set off on a search that will take them to places Twilight has only read in books. Will they be able to locate the source of the problem? What exactly is making them disappear? Can they do anything to stop it from happening?

Published 2016-03-16 23:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-04-11 16:32:44 UTC

Minimalistic

"Twilight Sparkle, we have come to ask for your assistance in a situation most dire. I fear that the stars are being stolen from me." Princess Luna said when she stepped onto the balcony that connected to Twilight's room.

Luna had come in the morning after sending Twilight a letter last night informing of her visit. It stated nothing other than how important of an issue it was that they would discuss. Twilight was surprised, to say the least that Luna of all ponies had sent such a letter and visited her in the morning no less. Still, with the way the princess looked with her mane disheveled and her coat somewhat dull. It didn't take a genius to know that something had her anxious.

"What do you mean they are being taken from you, Luna? I don't think I quite understand what you're saying." Twilight motioned for her to take a seat and offered her some water from the pitcher Spike had left before Luna showing up.

Luna took hold of the glass with her magic and sat down across from Twilight. Taking the time to calm down and fix her mane while doing so. She had to admit that it was most unbecoming of royalty to be panicking in such a way as to ignore her appearance. She finished the glass and regained her composure.

"I meant exactly what I said Twilight. The stars are slowly disappearing from my night sky. I have no idea as to when it started but, I cannot ignore it any longer as there are fewer stars for me to form all the constellations."

"Wait a minute Luna, so you mean to tell me that you haven't just been trying something new these days? I have noticed a few stars missing but, I thought you were just attempting to experiment with minimalism in your work."

Twilight had indeed noticed that a few stars were lacking in the usual amount that she plotted in her maps of the night sky. Not one to question the literal embodiment of the night, she shrugged it off as Luna just trying something new as she usually did whenever she grew interested in concepts that did not exist 1000 years ago. Though, it usually didn't last for long as her attention span for such things never exceeded more than a week. This time, however, it seemed to have lasted longer, and Twilight had become intrigued at the prospect of Luna becoming interested in such a subject. With this visit, though, it seemed to be more of a problem than a topic for them to become closer friends.

"While I appreciate you noticing my attempts to implement new artistic styles to my night sky, I am afraid that this "minimalism" as you called it has nothing to do with any of it. No, I fear that this is the work of something sinister. I have never before encountered anything that could do such a thing as move the stars other than myself, save my sister of course."

"Wait, so nothing like this has ever happened before? So where do we even start looking for clues? I'm exactly sure if there is anything here that could help us figure this out."

"Do not fear Twilight Sparkle; I have brought books from my personal collection given to me by Starswirl himself. I must admit, even though they were received as a gift, I never did bother to read them as my pride was overwhelming back then. I felt as if reading anything dealing with my area of expertise would be an insult to my intelligence."

Twilight gasped as Luna made a stack of books appear on the table. She was surprised not only at the concept of Luna having a private collection but, also at the chance of reading books that Starswirl had picked specifically for the princess of the night. The amount of possible knowledge they contained regarding moving the heavens themselves made Twilight have several thoughts of holding herself up in the castle for one of her studying sabbaticals. These thoughts were quickly pushed aside as she remembered why they were in here in the first place.

"Right, I'll help you look through them, Luna. Together we're sure to find some clue as to why this would be happening. Though I do have one question before we begin our search."

"What is your question Twilight?" Luna looked at her with curiosity as she had not expected to be asked anything when she knew nothing about the situation.

"You mentioned that they were being taken from you. Why did you say that if you have no idea as to what is happening?"

Luna had a look of confusion as she tried to recall what she had said. It dawned on her that she had in fact mentioned that the stars were being taken. This realization made her think as to why she would say such a thing and a revelation came to her.

"Twilight, I knew coming to you for assistance would be the best course of action. It is as you say and the reason as to my earlier statement is exactly because it felt like it was being done. Each time I try to call upon the stars that are missing, I feel as if something or somepony is blocking my magic. I feel a strong presence surrounding hem that I had never felt before, one that is even stronger than my alicorn magic. The only way such a thing could be possible is through either an even more powerful pony than myself and Celestia or deep ancient magic."

Twilight hung on every word and thought about what was said. The possibility of somepony stronger than both Celestia and Luna was a terrifying. If this was the case and this pony or creature was taking the stars away then what exactly would be able to stop it if not the two most powerful alicorns in Equestria go against such magic? Ancient magic alone could be a viable option as to why such an event was taking place but, why now after all this time? What had caused this situation?

Too many questions were racing through Twilight's mind and with each possible answer, more questions were presenting themselves. Luna nudged Twilight having noticed her lost deep in thought. This action made Twilight jumped slightly and wondered when Luna had gotten up and next to her.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought about the situation."

"It is ok Twilight; I understand that this predicament is not one that presents itself every day. Is there anything in your musings that might help us?"

Twilight took one of the books on the table and materialized pen and paper for both the mares. "You mentioned it might be somepony or ancient magic. That helps to narrow down our search and is indeed a clue we can work with considering we knew nothing about it."

"Ah, yes. Well then let us commence the search with the tomes that Starswirl gave me so long ago. If there is anything regarding such deep magic, we should take note of it regardless of how small it might be. Even the most insignificant of information can be lead to our solution."

Luna sat down across Twilight once more and took a book from the pile. Each princess was focusing on the task at hand. Oblivious to the movements of Spike as he came to check on them every other hour to refill the pitcher of water and leaving food. He was used to taking care of Twilight when she had something that made her go into full blown study mode, and the fact that Luna was participating in such a thing didn't bother him one bit. If anything, it helped him focus on the chores he had around the castle and taking care of the two mares.

As he set down a fresh plate of daisy, tomato, and lettuce sandwiches he couldn't help but, laugh on the inside as both alicorns had the same expressions when lost in thought. It was going to be a long day taking care of these two. Though it was not something the number one assistant of Twilight Sparkle Princess of Friendship couldn't handle.

Author's Note

Another day, another story. I think I might be way too ambitious about the amount of free time I have to write. While I should be focusing more on my classes I just feel like writing all day every day. I want to write and entertain but, I know my limitations as a writer. That, along with my crippling low self-esteem prevent me from doing anything with that passion. Anyways, this story is inspired by something a friend showed me recently. I don't exactly have a link to it so I apologize for not being able to show it as my search results ended in vain. This story is something I have no idea when I'll be getting to as I still have Paradox Scholar and Dear Twilight Sparkle to work on. I also have some short stories in the works.

Concerning updates for this story, I'll be doing them randomly so I hope that won't be a turn off. This is literally something I wrote today March 16, 2016. So nothing is really planned out at all, which adds to the whole random updates as I am one of those people that needs to plan something before doing anything so please bear with me.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story, please leave a comment to validate my existence and hope you have a great day.

Journey

The train ride was long, really long. Luna looked out the window as there was nothing else to do in their private compartment. Twilight was asleep, and Spike had stepped out for the moment. The view was nothing but vast fields that lay shining in the moonlight due to the rain that morning. It was the same as it was four hours ago and it would be the same for another two until they reached the border between Equestria and the Griffon Empire. From there they would take an airship to Saddle Arabia, and another train to Pandai. There was no telling how long they might take to find what they needed, but with everything they read, all signs pointed to Pandai as a starting point.

The books that Starswirl had provided were only manuals and diary entries from before Celestia and Luna took control of the sun and moon. The notes only contained suggestions on how to conserve magic when moving the sun or how to set the moon to rise automatically. She always did wonder how Celestia was able to move it in her absence, and the books helped to answer that question. However, nothing in the books had a clue as to what could be intruding on her territory. That was until they found that three books seemed to have broken entries that finished each other.

They contained passages about three beings of the night, beings that seemed ancient though Luna had a hard time recalling whether or not she ever heard of them. The three beings were the Lunar Rabbit, Celestial Serpent, and the Night Child. Luna had heard of them before somewhere, but it had been so long that she didn't quite remember where or how she did. The one they found any leads on was the Lunar Rabbit in the lands of Pandai. It was where a legend originated that told of a rabbit on the moon. In all her time controlling and being banished to the moon, Luna had never encountered such a being. Though, in her banishment, she only had revenge in mind.

She was startled out of her thoughts by the door opening and Spike stepping in with two mugs full of hot cider. He offered on to her and sat down on the opposite side.

"Not resting Princess?" he asked while taking a sip from the mug.

"No Spike, and please just Luna is fine as we are friends."

"Oh, sorry about that Luna. What's got you troubled? I mean, I get you're the princess of the night, but we still have a long trip ahead, and I would think you would want as much rest as possible."

"I was just trying to remember where I had previously heard about this Lunar Rabbit. My time spent in banishment clouded a lot of my senses to focus on my eventual return." She became downcast at the thought of her past. It had been a long time since her return, but the thought of truly giving in to the darkness of her heart haunted her every moment.

Spike put his mug down and walked across to place a claw on Luna's foreleg. "Luna, it is perfectly ok not to forget about past sins, but you can't let them continue to drag you down after working so hard to let others see who you are now. I've turned into a full grown dragon because of my greed and nearly destroyed Ponyville. If it wasn't for Rarity and realizing who I was, I'm sure everything would have turned out differently. I can't let the past shape who I am and neither can you Luna." Spike squeezed a bit and received a smile while Luna tried to wipe away the tears she didn't realize were falling.

Spike sat down next to her, and they both sat in silence while Luna tried to regain her composure. Luna offered another smile at the young drake and regarded him for the first time as more than just Twilight's assistant and family. Throughout the years she had known him, Spike had grown into a fine drake. He was no longer the baby dragon she once knew and was the size of an adult male pony on all fours. He didn't have wings like he would have liked, but his form could rival even Applejack's brother. His scales smooth and polished and his mannerisms finally fit his age as gentledrake. It had truly been a wonder to everypony as to how mature he had gotten over years once he put aside his childish actions. Actions he still kept in private, but would otherwise know when the time to indulge in them was appropriate.

"Spike, I must thank you again. I know that it is not healthy to keep such things in my heart, but it'll always be there regardless of how much time passes. I will, however, take your advice and use it to shape my actions to show what kind of pony I am to everypony." She took a sip of her slightly warm cider and admired her work on tonight's sky.

"Its' what friends do Luna, if my experience with such a stigma can in any way help you to improve then by all means let me help."

"I will certainly ask for help when I need it, Spike. On this journey, I have no doubt that even the smallest amount of help can prove invaluable."

They sat in silence to admire the flickering of lights caused by the moonlight dancing on the fields of dew laden grass. It was a while before either of them said anything as they were lost in the majesty that Luna's night sky created before them. A sudden sound snapped them out of it, and they noticed Twilight had shifted while sleeping on the bedroom side of the compartment to be half falling out of her bed. They turned to each other and laughed at the gesture lightly enough so as not to wake her.

Spike took the time to place her gently back in bed while Luna put away the empty mugs. It was during that time, however that Luna sensed something amiss within her sky. She returned to the window in a rush and surveyed as much as she could due to the moving train. Spike came up beside her and regarded her curiously until he looked outside and caught something both of them had trouble believing. The moon was growing dim, and the form of a rabbit was taking shape.

Luna at once tried to take control of the celestial body only to shriek in pain as her magic backfired and forced her to ground. Spike grabbed her before she collapsed and took another look at the moon to see the shadow holding what looked like a small orb and disappeared. Luna regained her senses and with Spike's help sat back down.

"Luna, what happened? What was that thing on the moon?"

"That, I fear, was the Lunar Rabbit we are investigating. I did not think that such a thing could exist. It overpowered me tremendously with little effort and rejected my control of the moon."

"Luna, it was holding something like a small orb before disappearing. I'm not sure what it was, but it seemed to pluck it out of nothing. What do you think it was?"

"Pluck it from nothing… Oh no…" Luna suddenly got up and almost fell if not for Spike catching her again. She motioned towards the window, and they walked over, Luna scanned the sky once again, and her fear was confirmed.

"Another star is gone… It took a star from my night sky like it was a mere pebble from the ground. Spike… I'm not sure what we're up against, but it seems like this task will surely be more than I ever anticipated."

Spike looked at Luna's slightly concerned face before regarding the night sky. The North Star was gone and in place of it was nothing but a patch of darkness that seemed to consume light around it. Their journey had barely begun, and it already felt as if an insurmountable wall had appeared before them. One that, if climbed, would reveal more than they would ever expect.

Author's Note

Ch.2 is out and I'm certainly happy as to where the story is headed. I still maintain the slightly random schedule for releases, but I suppose if I don't do short stories I can focus on this a bit more. I really do hope that the random scheduling doesn't deter anyone from reading the story.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story and leave a comment or critique. Have a great day.

Why?

Spike gazed at the clouds that passed feeling the winds blowing harshly on against his scales and imagining himself flying through it with ease. At the altitude they were traveling it would put even Rainbow Dash to shame. While he had no doubt, she would find some way to get to this height it wouldn't be without difficulty. The train ride to the Griffon Empire finished without another incident, the morning after witnessing the Lunar Rabbit both Luna and Spike told Twilight of what they saw while she slept. She was upset at not only missing such an event but also at the fact that she had shown such a sight to Luna. It was embarrassing, to say the least, to know that the princess of the night had seen her poor sleeping habits.

"It is perfectly okay Twilight; I have seen worse… believe me. As for the incident, it would have been enlightening to know your immediate thoughts on the event, but not even I as princess of the night could do anything to prevent such theft of my beautiful sky."

Spike put a claw on Twilight's shoulder to reassure her that it was ok and that she was thinking too hard about it. "She's right Twilight; I doubt even having two alicorns would have made a difference against that thing. Even Luna couldn't do anything in her field of expertise and just watched with me as it took another star."

"Thank you, both of you. I know that I'm making a bigger deal of such a small thing, but I wanted to see what happened myself. Maybe then I would have a better idea as to what exactly we are going up against." Twilight started to pace in the cabin they had set aside for royalty on the airship. It was relatively the same size of her library and a wonder of technology, given the scale of the ship itself.

They had reached the Empire intending just to board a regular airship and continue their journey. Unfortunately, the rumor of royalty coming had made the nobles, and Griffon royalty held a banquet in their honor. It took a day away from their plans, but it was in their best interest to uphold friendly relations with the king and nobles of the Empire. The morning after they set off in the royal airship on the insistence of the king and now they were headed Pandia.

"Maybe, the books I requested from the Royal Griffon library have some more information about this Lunar Rabbit. Hopefully, they'll shine some light where our books left off if you need me I'll be in the study." Twilight walked off and disappeared through the sounds of sliding doors and servants rushing to her side.

"I think, I'll get some air for now." Spike took his leave of Luna without waiting for a response and took the path to the balcony on the backside of the ship. The magic protected it's passengers from any strong gusts and thin air, but did still let them feel the rush of the wind. The propellers on either side of the giant mechanical bird hummed silently as magical bubbles dissipated the sounds coming from them.

"Twilight? May a word?" Luna walked across the study from the entrance thanking the staff along the way for showing her where it was.

"Oh, Luna. Yes, of course. Please have a seat, I was just finishing up with reading "Legends, Myths, Rumors, and Fairytales" still nothing new other than what we already know. Though it did say something that could connect to the Night Child that we read about." She marked the passage and closed the book as she walked away from the book stand. Sitting down at one of the many tables opposite of Luna, she asked one of the servants for some tea.

"Thank you Twilight, it's just something that's been on my mind since we left Ponyville." Taking a sip of the tea poured for her, Luna stared at the contents as she set it down.

"Oh? What is it?" taking a sip of her own and biting into one of the biscuits brought with the tea, Twilight grew concerned as Luna seemed a bit nervous about the question and yet serious at the same time.

"It's about Spike, why did you decide to bring him along? Its' not as if I don't want him to come along, but this journey isn't necessarily safe. I'm not sure as to subjecting to the possible danger that lies ahead."

Twilight took a moment to think about the question and set down her food. There was truth in what Luna had said about the danger being unknown. It was further enforced with the encounter both Luna and Spike had while she slept. If they were right, which they had no reason to be otherwise, what they faced could very easily be the stronger than Tirek in his restored form. This time, they wouldn't have the elements as they all had their lives and taking them away from it for an amount of time that was even unknown to her was not something that would be fair to them. So then why? Why had she brought Spike along with them? Why would she make him face this possibly fatal foe with them?

She sat in silence as Luna took another sip and pulled a sandwich to her with magic. She kept thinking of the reason she had brought him. That was when she heard pouring and looked up to see one of the griffon servants refilling her tea. As he walked away, she noticed his wings, and then realized something.

Spike had been different ever since his growth spurt had made him what he was now. He was looking forward to getting wings, only to be denied in the end. It was the only thing he had to look forward to up until now, ever since Rarity had made their relationship clear as friends he had been depressed for some time. It wasn't just Rarity rejecting him; it was also the fact that whenever he left the castle to go into town, he would come back without his usual smile. It was as if he was hiding something from her, but decided it was best just never to bring it up. She worried about him constantly staying inside and declining even helping the girls as per usual.

It was about two weeks after his growth spurt happened that he finally seemed to return to normal, but he stopped smiling even after that. It seemed like he was just going through the same motions every day. Getting up, preparing breakfast/lunch/dinner, helping the girls, doing his chores, helping Twilight with her studies, and then just sleeping and repeating it day after day. Twilight had noticed it and only truly took action when she found several books on dragons in his room. When she asked why he was reading them, he only got angrier and angrier each time she pushed the subject.

He calmed down eventually and finally gave her an answer. "I want to know what and who I am Twilight." He put a claw up to stop her from interrupting. "I know, I know I'm your assistant, I know that I'm family, I know that I'm a best friend to you and the girls. What I don't know is who I am, I don't know why I was left behind, why I'm different from other dragons. These books…" he picked one of them up and stared at it for a moment before setting it down. "They were supposed to help me, but all they had was information on how dragons are dangerous, ruthless, greedy, and evil monsters. Nothing on what types of dragons, whether there are any like me, not even information on where I might find more of them other than the migration period."

Spike, at this point, had closed the distance and stared down at Twilight. He had grown, and it showed through his draconic features. Twilight had only just noticed it now; he was no longer a baby dragon. He was a dragon; he was old enough to wonder about these things and have them affect him more than when he was a child. It was something that couldn't be avoided any longer, and Twilight knew that as she looked into his eyes.

"Who am I Twilight? Why am I even here? Why did they leave me behind?" he broke down and hugged her, all the while crying and letting tears mat her fur.

Twilight could only comfort him as she didn't even have the answers to his questions. She didn't know anything other than him being a dragon. Celestia herself didn't even have them when she first inquired about how she had attained his egg. Only stating that it was supposedly found dormant when they first expanded Canterlot and dug into the mountain. His origins were a mystery, and no books could help, only other dragons and they were nowhere close to being reliable. Twilight held him close and closed her wings around his shaking body; she cried with him knowing that she couldn't help her best friend and younger brother in his time of need.

"He's been going through some tough times lately; I didn't want to leave him behind and have him isolate. This could do him some good and maybe even help him find the answers he's seeking. I know it'll be dangerous, but so were the other times he came along with the girls and I. He can handle it, Luna; I'm not sure what will be in store for us, but I know that Spike can handle anything as long as we're together." She finished her previous sandwich and drank the new cup of tea. She then turned to continue her research, leaving Luna to contemplate what she said.

"I see…" Luna said, setting down her empty cup and walking away to find Spike. While she trusted Twilight and her judgment, she wanted to know what the dragon's thoughts were on this journey and his reason for coming. Though, why she wanted to know was a question that kept creeping up in her mind. Spike was perfectly capable of taking care of himself; he proved it when saving the Crystal Empire. Despite that, something kept nagging at the back of her mind about bringing him along.

She stopped short of the door and peeked outside to see Spike. He seemed to be enjoying the wind against his scales and looked rather regal. He certainly wasn't a baby anymore, that much she noticed on the train, but this was something more. It was as if he was carrying a heavy burden, one more than just being treated like a monster by some of the ponies back in Ponyville. Despite the weight, he stood confidently to take on whatever the heavens threw his way. She kept staring at him until she noticed that he had turned and was waving at her through the glass.

"Hey Luna, come to enjoy the view?" Spike asked as Luna came through the door to stand next to him.

"No, I was just looking for you, to be honest." She replied as she looked out into the sky

"Oh?"

There was silence after that as neither of them said a word and watched the Sunset from above the clouds. It was a wondrous sight to behold and certainly one not seen every day. Spike stood staring out into the sky as if looking for something. Luna's eyes moved towards him subtly and felt as if the questions she was going to ask were nothing short of unnecessary at this point. He was older, not as old as herself, but older and wiser. He knew that this journey was not a pleasure cruise and whatever he was searching for would have to take a backseat to complete the task at hand. She felt foolish for having doubts about him, especially thinking back to when he helped her get over a slight pit of depression from her past.

"So, what did you want to ask Luna?"

"Hmmm?" she said slightly startled. "Nothing Spike, it seems as if I have forgotten. Sorry to bother you." She started to walk back inside to help Twilight in her research.

"Luna?"

"Yes, Spike?"

"Thank you, for letting me come along regardless of the danger. I won't let either of you down."

Surprised she nodded her head and went inside. Apparently, Spike had put together her reason for wanting to see him in such a short time and with little to no context. It was truly a wonder how much he had grown.

Author's Note

Chapter 3 and I'm still unsure of the scheduling for this story. Though, with all the uncertainty I can actually say that I have a lot down concerning the plot and future chapters. The more I write for the future chapters the more I'm liking the way it's fleshing out.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please leave a comment or critique as any critique is a good critique.