Balanced Light

by CoffeeBean

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Luna, Bat Pony, Princess Celestia
Length: 5804

Princess Luna is called off to Hollow Shades, a small community of bat-ponies, to deal with a magical issue.

Princess Luna is called off to Hollow Shades, a small community of bat-ponies, to deal with a magical issue.

Published 2016-11-05 23:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-11-05 23:10:01 UTC

☼ ☀

It was late into the evening, Celestia's sun had just crossed the horizon to leave the landscape beyond the many tall multi-pane windows of the Castle's dining hall bathed in a gentle glow. The Sun Princess sat laxly in her large, golden, throne-like seat at the head of the table, her younger sister, Luna, sitting in her own seat of equal size and unequal design, for her seat was a wonderful, blued-metallic hue adorned with starry and lunar designs. While Celestia quietly enjoyed her supper, Luna had barely taken a bite of her breakfast or a sip of her tea as she pondered the letter that called her forth to the Hollow Shades.

"I find it odd that this decree is so vague..." Commented Luna as she raised her cup of tea to her lips.

Silence from her sister prompted Luna to divert her gaze from the letter floating in her magic to Celestia, who sat oddly still.

"Celestia."

The absent-minded Alicorn tilted her head up, looking to Luna, "Yes, Lulu?"

Luna gave her sister a squinted-eye stare of confusion for a moment before clearing her throat, "This decree is strangely vague... and why should they call upon me? I should think Twilight Sparkle would be a more fitting candidate for this, as she is the more well-known magic specialist... though I am not discounting my abilities."

Celestia's vibrantly yellow magic floated a fork loaded with a grouping of dressing-coated leaves and a single crouton to her waiting mouth, "They are bat-ponies after all," she explained, the crouton emanating a loud crunch as her teeth bore down on it, "They've always liked you more than myself or any other pony."

"True thou art, Sister; I simply wish they had been more specific."

"Well, the bat-ponies aren't too good with magic... I'd assume they simply don't know how to put their issue into words."

Luna's spell finally placed the scrolled letter to the table, her eyes turning down to her tea as it was brought from the table, "Maybe. Maybe I am simply over-thinking this," she explained with a sip of her brew.

An empty fork aimed at Luna, "While you may be over thinking this, don't be afraid to do so. If you sense something being amiss, then trust your gut. We both know you have quite the keen foresight."

Luna couldn't help but smile, "Aye, the future seems to present itself to me in strange ways. Once court has concluded for the night, I shall depart for the Hollow Shades, and I shall keep my guard high."

High cumulonimbus clouds dotted the midnight sky, Luna casually gliding through the inky canvas without a single wing beat as she focused on finding thermals and, if none were present, using her magic to manipulate the air around her to provide lift. As she pierced a smaller cloud, vortices of vapor spiraled from her wingtips, the wonderfully chilling air and moisture of the cloud sending a little shiver across her fur as she glided, the air passing over her figure giving lift to both her astral mane and her silky, black hooded cape, the article sounding off like a flag in a gentle breeze. If not for her excellent eye-sight, the snow-capped mountain range and thick forest below would have been nothing more than a black void, for her moon presented itself as a mere sliver rather than its fully birthed glory.

One would assume that the Night's Princess would prefer nights of a full moon, but it was the opposite. Her magic's strength was dictated by the moon's light being high or low, as was her mood. Full moons were like a shot of caffeine; her magic was at its highest point (even at its lowest, she would still have no problem besting even the toughest of foes) and her step had a little more bounce to it. On nights like tonight; however, her heart and mind were calm, and her magic seemed to be a little more lofty and smooth than usual. She suspected those around the castle interpreted her soothed nature as stoicness or sadness, but it was quite the opposite. On nights like tonight, she would spend her spare hours in meditation or in her tower pouring over novels. As she began her descent towards the barely lit town of Hollow Shades, she almost wished she were back home curled up with a book.

The thick forest canopy above the town parted, Luna's figure piercing the breach in the leaves in a downward, yet still horizontal flight, her wings flapping hard as she pranced to a halt, her gently glowing slit-pupil eyes meeting those of the five who had incidentally been on that street, their smiles bright and strangely similar and their wings spreading excitedly from their backs as they trotted to her.

"Greetings, citizens of the night!" Luna's cape lifted from her figure as its conjured existence began crumbling, the silky fabric turning into a flurry of peeping bats as they departed in every direction, "I wish to be shown to somepony of higher authority so that I may have your issue better explained to me."

Already, Luna could feel things were off; the town felt oddly warm, and it was not a warm caused by the heat of a fire or the rays of the sun. It was a warmth she felt within her core, one that felt truly unnatural for this town. As she browsed over the genial expressions of the rigid bat-ponies, her brow raised.

"Uh, hello?"

Her words finally brought a response from the group, "Hello, your Highness! We're very glad you can help us!" spoke a taller stallion with deep green eyes off to the left, the fangs hanging from the roof of his mouth seeming to catch the dim light of the town.

"Indeed; now, as I stated, I know not of what qualms your community is experiencing; might you see it fit to direct me to somepony that may provide me with a better understanding?"

"They're not here right now. You're probably tired from your trip, your Highness; maybe you should rest for a while at the inn." Suggested a blue-eyed mare beside the original stallion.

"I... am not tired, but I shall wait at your inn for when those who know more can arrive."

Her response took a moment to register with the mare, "Okay!"

After chiming her returning word, the mare resumed her almost blank, gently smiling stare at Luna, as did those around her.

"Maybe you could show me to the inn?"

The mare blinked, "Okay!"

Finally, she turned around and began down the dirt path, those other four around her waiting as she walked by to trail behind, Luna looking over her shoulder for only a moment at the four, as they seemed almost entranced with her presence. Something was horribly wrong with these creatures; their absent-mindedness and their trance-like state, it all pointed to a problem, but she had no idea what this problem was. The second thing of concern was the warmth she felt; these creatures are not ones of warm being, and their town was not a place of great magical power. The only thing she could compare the warmth she felt to would be the feeling her sister gave off when in close proximity to her.

As Luna walked, that unpleasantly warm feeling became more powerful, the feeling of eyes drilling into the back of her head bringing her gaze over her shoulder. Her breath caught in her chest as she saw that the once four followers had increased to a fair twenty with more and more congregating from their homes. Luna quickly turned back around, gulping as she tried to ignore the strange following. The bat-ponies seemed to be attracted to her in some fashion, which began to bring up even more questions about what was going on. As the mare leading her rounded a street corner, Luna was able to see the wooden sign of the Inn hung above the door of what looked to be nothing more than a two story, stone and wood home.

"Ah! Wonderful! The inn! I thank thee greatly, dear citizen, for showing me to the inn, now If you shall all excuse me I do think I will get some rest! Long flight, and all..." Luna blurted as she trotted past the mare leading her, quickly reaching the door and spinning of her hooves, looking somewhat nervously at the group following her so closely.

"We think that's a great idea." The leading mare spoke blandly, her smile still unchanging.

Luna quickly slid inside, shutting the door behind her with a spell and holding it firmly for a moment as she took a deep breath. After ensuring no attempts to follow her in were made, her spell released the door handle as she turned to face the interior of the inn; much to her surprise, nopony was inside. The Inn-keep's counter sat without staff, and the two doors leading to the small first story rooms were open to show their vacancy.

Almost relieved to see the lack of life, Luna stepped to the first empty room, peering inside to ensure nopony was inside. The door shut behind her with a thud, a second sigh of relief leaving her as she walked further inside, that odd, internal warmth still having not faded. As stood at the foot of the bed, it began to seem more and more inviting. Something about that warmth was soothing, while being unnatural and, through that unnaturalness; uncomfortable. Luna stepped from the bed, shaking her head a little as she sat with her front hooves between her haunches upon a short chair beside the room's open window, a gentle breeze causing the light blue curtains to wave rhythmically.

It was purely silent. Even the gently breezing curtains barely gave off any sound. Dark, quiet, and cold; just how Hollow Shaded should be... so what was the cause of this strange warm feeling? Luna shut her eyes, focusing on the silence as she let her mind calm itself. It was increasingly clear that those she had first spoken to were going to be of no help in terms of finding out the problems with the town, she would most likely have to take matters into her own hooves. Luna's thoughts focused only on the matters before her as she meditated, her chest barely rising and falling with each smooth breath. She was beginning to suspect the issue plaguing the ponies of Hollow Shades to be some sort of magical unbalance; long ago, she and her sister had seen what effects such a situation had on the inhabitants of a town bordered with the very fringe of the Everfree Forest. There had been an accidental rift in the barriers created by her sister to hold the corrupted, darkened force of magic within the wooden place, and it seeped invisibly into the world, and town, beyond. The ponies living there were, for quite some time, noticeably different. Their beings felt cold, and those who were unicorns had quite some issue with casting proper spells. When Luna and Celestia had visited the place after repairing the rift, they had found the ponies there to show symptoms much the opposite of what was occurring to Luna. They had all congregated around Celestia as opposed to her, their minds seeming to be clouded and their expressions always turning to a blank, almost confused frown when they looked upon Celestia. Another oddity had been their seemly sharpened speech; they would respond to questions before the question had been even half-way spoken.

It seemed logical, though she had no way of confirming, that the bat-ponies of Hollow Shades were under the effect of an imbalance of light and dark magic within their being, and in this case, it seemed to be something Luna had never seen; too much light. All of the known symptoms lined up with each other in perfect juxtaposition, and the bat-ponies trance-like attraction to Luna would perfectly explain too much light; they craved darkness. Her being was one of nearly total darkness; inversely, her sister's was one of nearly total light, which is why, over the years, no matter what had happened, they were together.

A problem still plagued Luna's assessment; what was the cause? The dark imbalance many years ago had a clear cause, but this light imbalance did not. She could not see any light magic seeping from the earth, or dark magic being pulled to the earth, and while on approach, she had not seen anything out-of-the-ordinary. Through her meditative state, Luna found herself yawning loudly, her back arching and her wings gently unfurling as she stretched tiredly. As her eyes opened, they instantly met the bed in her room, its sheets and pillows looking more inviting than her own bed ever had. She yawned once more, her drowsy eyes moving from the bed as she slowly stood from the chair, now realizing just how warm her chest felt. Whatever was causing this horrible imbalance of magic, it was starting to grip her. She shook her head, flapping her wings a few times to get her blood moving a little quicker; she couldn't fall asleep now, she had work to do. But, on second thought, that bed looked so soft and cushiony. Luna's mind tracked back to her wish of curling up with a nice book in her tower; though she had no book, maybe she could still curl up for a while.

Before she knew it, her head rested upon one of the three large, extremely soft pillows of the bed, her front legs curling to her chest as she draped a wing across her Royal attire-adorned figure. She cared not to remove her peytral and bright blue metallic shoes; the wonderful feeling of the top comforter cradling her side was too great to disrupt. As the world faded away, a bat-like peep broke the quiet air, causing Luna's eyes to flutter open for only a moment. There was that peep again, this time, much louder. She groaned, drowsily raising her head to look around the room; eventually, her eyes met with the worried expression of a mare bat-pony at her window, her deeply green eyes absent of the unnatural radiance held by her similars.

"Princess, don't go to sleep!" She whispered.

"I am tired now, citizen of the night... and another of thy kind suggested for me to rest, so I shall." Luna returned tiredly as she allowed her head to fall back to the pillow.

"No, you can't! They want you to fall asleep, that's how they get you!"

The mare's words finally brought some life into Luna, her figure rolling over to address the bat-pony, her normal demeanor just now striking Luna.

"By what do you mean, 'that's how they get you.'?" Inquired the drowsy Alicorn as she slid herself from the bed, her body already missing the sheet's embrace.

"I... I don't know, but whatever's been going on, it happens when they make you fall asleep! That warm feeling is what causes it, and it always happens when they all get too close!"

Luna's eyes finally opened fully, her figure standing a little straighter, "You aren't affected by what ails those within the town..."

"Yeah, I know... and, why are you here? I mean... I'm glad to see you because maybe you can fix this, but how'd you know to come?"

"I was summoned by a letter from the townsponies. You... know not of the letter?"

"They must have written it to get you to come here! They wanted you to go to sleep so they can... do whatever they've been doing!"

"Meet me outside, dear citizen, for I believe I know what sickens your fellow townsponies."

Feeling a little more awake, Luna turned from the window and made her way for the door, and upon opening it with a spell, her eyes were met with the many seemingly glowing eyes of a great number of bat-ponies, their figures totally filling the little lobby of the Inn. The door had no time to be slammed closed as the ponies stepped inside Luna's room, her hooves quickly carrying her backward.

"Your Majesty, you said you were tired." Cooed one of the group, their ranks continuing to file in.

"I do not feel tired any longer... uh, citizen. I believe I shall make my departure now!" Luna stammered in a panicked tone, climbing backward through the window of the room.

"You haven't helped us yet, your Majesty; remember? You came to help." Returned the closest mare, she and the group stopping at the window.

Luna's magic surrounded the only normal mare, who stood just a few feet to her right, and shut her eyes, focusing her magic as she cast a teleportation spell; once her eyes re-opened she found herself and the dazed bat-pony in her magic standing in the black forest a short distance from the town.

"Apologies, dear citizen. Being unwillingly teleported can be quite dizzying." Luna spoke calmly as she placed the mare back to the forest ground, her hooves stumbling as she recovered from her dizziness.

"Thanks... your Highness. So, you think you know what the problem with everypony is?"

Luna turned back to the town, "A magical imbalance. There is too much light within the beings of your friends. I am sure of it; that is why they are so attracted to me. In their eyes, I most likely appear as nothing more than a purely dark figure."

"Too much light, huh? I was right, then..."

Luna turned back around, "By what do you mean? Did you suspect this event?"

"No, but I think I know what caused it; your sister, Princess Celestia."

"My sister?! How are you so sure?" Luna inquired intently, her brow raised.

"She was here a month or so ago with her guards going on about how she was 'making the rounds' and making sure all of her subjects were fine..."

"My goodness, you are right, her yearly trip to all places in Equestria was recent... but... my sister's lighter magic does not spread; I know, for I live with her."

"Well, about a day after she left, some of the others began acting strangely, and they would gather up around other ponies and make them feel, as you've experienced, warm and sleepy. It kept spreading, and eventually, almost everypony was acting totally out of their mind; and any pony who hadn't been affected would nearly be swarmed."

"I am curious... how did you know of my arrival? Surely you have not been within the town for quite some time."

"I've been living in the woods since it started getting bad, and I saw you fly in. When I saw how everypony was completely focused on you, I knew I could sneak around them without getting swarmed."

Luna held her silence for a moment, sighing as she looked from the mare to the town, "For how many moons has this problem been of such caliber? Nopony has been injured, correct?"

"2 weeks now. I'm pretty sure everypony's fine; when they swarm you, they don't hurt you at all... you just go to sleep, and when you wake up, you're all loopy like them."

"Something is still very off-putting about this..."

Luna tapped her hoof to her chin for a moment. The pieces were falling into place. Whatever was affecting these poor creatures was more than a magical imbalance, it was something consuming the dark magic within each of their beings. In the past, when she and her sister had encountered the ponies affected by a lack of light and influx of dark, they were all affected evenly by an event; whatever was causing this calamity spread as if it were a virus. Luna shuttered.

"I thank thee for not allowing me to fall a-slumber, for if I had, I fear it might have nearly been the end of me."

"But, they don't actually hurt others..."

"Aye; for the normal bat-pony, they do no harm. My being is pure dark; if that many beings had succeeded in taking it from me, the consequences would have been dire."

The mare looked a lot more worried than she had, "Well, I'm glad I found you when I did... and you're very welcome, your Highness. So, how do we fix this thing?"

Luna smiled at this mare's tenacity, "If I gather everypony within the town's center, I could perform a spell to pacify them as a group, and I may conjure forth darker magic from my being to give unto them... but, I still do not know what is consuming the dark from their beings."

"So, we should try to capture one of them to see what's wrong?"

"Doing so without bringing the attention of every single bat-pony within the town would be impossible; they are drawn to my darker magic as if they were moths buzzing against a lantern," Luna nodded to herself, "Bringing the entire town into a deep sleep is the best plan of action."

"And how do you suppose doing that without them all smothering you with their warmth?"

Luna's wings unfurled, "One does not have to be standing to perform magic."

"Is there any way I can help?" The mare chimed in return, a hopeful smile taking her expression.

"Stand right where you are. At this distance, I believe you shall be unaffected by the magic needed to force all those within the town into a deep slumber."

That hopeful smile faded, much to Luna's displeasure, "Well, I wish you luck, your Highness."

With her wings ready for flight, Luna turned towards the town, pausing for a moment as she looked over her shoulder, "I still do not know your name, citizen of the night."

"Wisp, your Highness."

"I thank thee most graciously, dear Wisp. Your help has been instrumental."

With that, the Princess gave a series of hard strokes to propel herself into the air, her figure banking as she navigated through the trees towards the town.

Luna's hooves clapped to the cobblestone of the little town's center, the paved area before the short Hall building being just big enough for the trees growing around it to not be able to cover the sky above entirely with their canopy. Already, she could see many bright-eyed bat-ponies approaching from all directions, their uniform smiles being horribly eerie. Like a cup of sugar water for hummingbirds, Luna's horn worked to manipulate the ambient dark within the surrounding lands, more and more inhabitants flying and walking to her position, and as they approached, her wings spread to bring her back skywards. Many of the bat-ponies who had been close-by too took flight with the Alicorn, her azure, glowing eyes gazing over the excited expressions of those surrounding her at a hover.

"If thy wish for me to bestow you with the darkness you so seeketh, I suggest lowering to thy hooves," Luna informed, her body filling with that unnatural warmth as the sea of gray, bright-eyed creatures below her increased.

"Yes, your Highness."
"Okay!"
"Yes, your Highness."
"Understood, your Majesty."

The ten or so bat-ponies hovering near her began back to the cobblestone, their total compliance being a little odd to Luna. In hind-sight, such a response made quite a bit of sense; whatever compelled these poor creatures to be so drawn to darkness was certainly hungry for the power held in her being, and if it didn't comply, then it wouldn't be getting what it wanted. Looking down, she saw that no more ponies were pouring into the crowd, and thus, her wings carried her higher as the light from her horn increased, her hooves rising high as the very ground began seeping with dark energy, the bat-ponies below relishing in the cold darkness for mere moment before an echoing crack broke the air, a shockwave of energy flowing from Luna's figure to the crowd below.

Their once steady legs went totally limp, the air filling with the sounds of their bodies colliding with the cobblestone. Luna's wings brought her into a slow descent, her hooves gently touching down to the circle small circle of stone pavers below that were not occupied by the unconscious bodies of the many bat-ponies. She stepped to the nearest one, a young stallion with a pale blue mane and tail, and knelt before him, flicking his limp wing from his side to place her hoof on his side.

"Tell me, my little pony, what ails you?" She spoke softly as her eyes shut, her horn's glow now a pure black aurora surrounded by a halo of blue.

"It worked?" Chimed Wisp's voice as she flew to Luna's side, her wings giving a little flutter before furling back to her sides.

"Indeed, and now; we see what creature is causing this issue."

Wisp stayed quiet as she watched the Princess work in silence, the pulsing black and blue aura of her horn being something she could barely take her eyes from. The stallion her hoof rested upon twitched slightly, his back leg giving a few kicks as an incredibly bright point of contrast was pulled from his chest, Luna's eyes coming open as both she and Wisp strained to look at the light. The dark spell holding the light began to quell its glow, and finally, the two laid eyes upon the creature; a small, fuzzy, almost electric worm of pure light magic, its two orange eyes barely standing out from its tiny glowing body.

Wisp recoiled in disgust, "By the moon, what is that thing?"

"I... have no idea, never in my years have I seen such a creature."

The two stared in awe at the little worm as it looked to both of them, no sound coming from it as it gently wiggled in the spell holding it.

"So... that's the thing causing all of this? Where in the name of Equestria did it come from?"

"I have not the faintest idea, but I feel my sister somehow plays into this. As you stated, this entire event occurred after her arrival."

"She did this on purpose?"

Luna chuckled, her magic surging as the little creature simply vanished from existence, its departure giving off a tiny squeak, "Nay, I highly doubt that. What I do suspect, however, is that these creatures were carried by her, like a parasite. I have noticed some odd behavior with dear Celestia in the past few days; she may too be afflicted with one of these creatures."

Wisp looked concerned, "That's bad, isn't it?"

"For her, nay. My sister's being is one of nearly pure light, whatever darkness these creatures may have taken from her is nowhere near what it would take from you or I. As a bat-pony, Wisp, you hold more darkness within you than the normal pony by two-fold. As for I; the light within my being would barely be enough to hold a candle flame," Luna stood, turning to the next sleeping bat-pony and performing the same casting of magic, another little light creature being pulled from the mare, "For us creatures of the night, these little worms shall prove quite dangerous."

With that, the creature within her magic gave off a similar peep as it vanished.

"You've got your work cut out for you, huh?" Stated Wisp as she browsed over the nearly 200 unconscious bat-ponies.

Luna's eyes fell shut once more, her horn's mystic black and blue aura returning. Wisp looked around as every little creature was pulled from the unconscious figures strewn throughout the town's center, and one by one in rapid succession they vanished into the aether. The darkness around Luna's horn became more overbearing, a comforting chill filling their bodies as she pulled at the earth to gather its dark magic, clouds swirling overhead as visible wisps of pure blackness flowed from the ground and into the chests of every unconscious bat-pony. Lightening began to crackle from Luna's horn as she reared to her hind legs, her wings unfurling to their full spread as the mist of darkness swirled around her figure, her wings giving a hard flap to send the mist across every being. The darkness dissipated, Luna's horn ceasing its black aurora as she came back to all four hooves, her wings flapping a few times as they stayed flat with the horizon.

Gradually, the bat-ponies of Hollow Shades came from their induced sleep, the properly chilly air filling with the groans of the crowd as they slowly got to their hooves.

"P-Princess?" Grumbled a mare's voice as she stood, wobbling for a moment as she looked to Luna, "What... what happened? What did you do?"

Luna returned her tired look with a smile, as she recognized this mare as the one who had been right at her window before she had taken Wisp and teleported to safety, "I helped, much to the displeasure of your former self."

Dawn has just barely begun; Luna's moon already having departed over the horizon as her sister's sun peeked over the far off mountain ranges, Luna squinting her left eye from the sun's rays as she glided towards her home. It had taken quite some time for those of Hollow Shades to fully come awake and for Luna to ensure they were all in good health. Much to her joy, little explaining had been needed, as the minds of those affected by what Luna had come to refer to as 'bright worms' were not dormant during their time of entrancement. And thus, with many happy embraces and smiles, Luna departed from the town to leave the bat-ponies to return to their normal, now balanced lives.

It was a feeling Luna didn't feel very often, but it was one she loved more than any; accomplishment. As she passed through clouds, lazily scraping her hooves at their surfaces and watching the misty vortices form from her wingtips, she couldn't take the smile from her lips. Though, there was still one matter of business to render complete before she could retire for the day; quelling her sister of the bright worm Luna suspected she hosted. Her slight absent-mindedness and occasional blank stare towards Luna helped confirmed her suspicions, but there was only one way to be sure.

"Good morning, dear Celestia." Luna spoke in a tired tone as she walked into the quiet dining hall, Celestia's drowsy eyes coming up from her coffee to address her sister.

"Good morning! Did you fix... whatever magical problem the bat-ponies had?" Returned Celestia, her chipper tone still holding a croak to it and her flowing mane still a little disheveled.

"Indeed; quite an interesting problem, it was. A magical imbalance, much like the one you and I encountered many moons ago near the Everfree."

Celestia's back straightened, her drowsy eyes looking a little more alive, "A magic imbalance? What caused it?"

"Allow my to demonstrate; come, dear sister." Coaxed Luna with a hoof.

"But... I haven't finished my coffee..."
"I simply wish for you to stand."

With a shrug, Celestia lowered her brew to a coaster beside her plate of scrambled eggs, toasted croissants, fruit bowl, and pancakes. Luna met her elder sister halfway, the black aurora from her horn catching Celestia's eye. Celestia's breath caught in her chest for a moment, a cold sensation washing over her entire body as Luna's magic worked within her, moments later a terribly bright point of light being brought from her chest. In pure awe, Celestia watched the point dim within Luna's dark spell, a small, worm-like creature presenting itself, the two orange dots it called eyes seeming to look right at her.

Celestia recoiled back, her hoof rising from the smooth marble floor as she yelped, "What is that?!"

"A bright worm."

"What in the name of me is a bright worm!?"

"That is a bright worm."

Celestia's hoof came back down, scowling at Luna, "Sister, I understand that... but what is it?"

"Thy guess is as good as any. I suspect you being the origin of these creatures, as your recent visit to Hollow Shades was a preamble to their situation. All but one bat-pony was affected with one; they consume dark magic."

"Did it hurt me?"

"Nay, the darkness within your being is minuscule. For me; however, this tiny being would bring me to my knees."

"But, if it's been in me for so long... why hasn't it tried to...well, eat your darkness?"

"Strength in numbers, I assume. After speaking with one of Hollow Shade's natives, I learned that it took only one or two other bat-ponies to affect another; but it took every single one of them to have any sort of real bearing."

"It's kind of cute... can I keep it?"

Luna simply stared at her sister, "This is cute?" the little, fuzzy creature of light was held close to Celestia's face.

"Yes."

"It has caused an imbalance within you, Celestia; you cannot 'keep' it. While its damage may be small, it is damage nonetheless, and we know not what long-term effects this thing may have."

Celestia sighed, looking a little disheartened, "You're right," Instantly, she perked back up, "Maybe we could put it in a box!"

"Sister, this creature is one of pure magic; it has no physical body. Pass thy hoof through it."

Indeed, Luna was right; her hoof, shoe and all, passed right through the little creature with a tickle.

"Well... what do we do with it?"

"I would cast it to yonder as I have done with its previous comrades, but I feel this being to be quite the intriguing specimen. Twilight must certainly be shown... but I cannot hold this creature from its place of magic forever; even now, I feel it gnawing away at the dark castings I forge to hold it..." Luna's gaze moved from the creature to her sister's bright smile, her eyes rolling as she knew exactly what her sister's next words would be, "Fine! Thou shalt keep it! Only for a short time, mind you, dear sister; for it is still a danger."

Celestia bounced on her front hooves, "Oh, wonderful! I'll make sure to keep our bedtime cuddles short so you won't contract the little thing from me!"

As the bright worm was moved back into Celestia's chest, Luna blushed, looking around to the few Royal guards stationed within the room, "Sister, restrain thy tongue better..."

A light giggle was Celestia's response as she turned, trotting back towards her seat at the head of the table, "Lighten up, Luna. Everypony likes a good snuggle before bed."

"I may very well 'lighten up' in due time if your new companion gains the courage to attack my being."