We have trained for this, Luna.
Luna levitated the last arrow from her ground quiver, nocking it with her teeth.
This day, this tournament was the end of a months-long journey. Of countless hours spent at her home-made archery range, her coach watching as she re-learned the basics of a sport she hadn’t practiced in centuries. Months of missed shots, broken strings, and scraped forelegs. Now it all came down to this. The end was in sight. Dozens of arrows already littered the ground, some of which had actually hit the stone slab that served as their target. None of which came close to matching her own. With one exception...
Luna turned her head towards the stands. On the hoof-carved bleachers, rows upon rows of moon rock figurines watched her with blank, lifeless eyes. She gritted her teeth. For too long, her rival had bested her in the tournament. No matter how hard she tried, he always managed to shoot a little closer to the bullseye than her, sometimes by only a few fractions of an inch. Not this time, though.
Holding the bow with a foreleg, Luna gripped the glowing magic bowstring in her teeth and slowly pulled it back to full draw. The polished-stone weapon, charmed with a spell to make it flexible, shimmered in the harsh sunlight. Fire!
Luna opened her mouth and let the arrow free. Thanks to the moon’s weak gravity, the little missile flew in a gentle arc that was surprisingly easy on the eye, though not so much on the psyche. Chewing her bottom lip, Luna watched the arrow slowly arc towards the target, sweat boiling off of her body.
Finally, it made contact. The stone quarrel embedded itself in the bullseye, quivering slightly.
“Huzzah!” Luna cried, throwing her hooves in the air. Her rival’s winning streak had been soundly broken! The Fifth Annual Lunar Archery Tournament was hers! In her joy, she leaped into the air with her wings outstretched...only to remember at the last second that the moon had virtually no atmosphere as she fell she to the ground, sending up a cloud of powdery moondust. Spitting out a mouthful of alkaline grit, Luna shook the dust off of her body and bowed before the silent crowd, picking up a carved-stone trophy from a motionless judge.
“Thank you, thank you...thou art much too gracious. Much...too...much…”
The buzz of victory faded. Luna dropped the trophy on the ground and grunted, kicking up a bit of dust. It was difficult to stay excited about winning when you were your own rival. And coach. And audience.
Something lurched in Luna’s stomach and she fell on all four knees, clutching her barrel and coughing. She looked down to see a spray of black droplets on the dust, quivering like jelly before evaporating into thick black smoke.
It was that time of the year. Again.
With a snort, Luna charged her horn and teleported herself to the moon’s newest geological feature: a massive impact crater, glowing feebly with residual magic. She wrinkled her nose; while it was impossible to smell anything on the moon, she could sense an aftertaste amongst the ambient magic, a sour/bitter mixture of hate, regret, loneliness, and fear.
With a few carefully-timed prances, Luna jumped down the crater’s sloping walls and slid the rest of the way down. In the center was a humble obelisk made of jet-black basalt, its surface covered with rows of lines, starting at its top. Using her horn, Luna scratched a line through the lowest row of marks in the basalt.
Another year down. Only eight hundred and twenty-seven to go.
-
It was strange. Seen from a distance, the moon was a thing of indescribable beauty, like a silver coin on black velvet. Up close, it was duller than a lecture on the history of cauldrons. There were no trees, no grass, no life at all, just an endless wasteland of charcoal-colored dust and grit littered with boulders. Unless one was a serious rocktologist, there was nothing to recommend it.
Jumping out of the crater, Luna turned to see a sliver of blue-green light appear on the horizon, slowly growing until it was a cloud-swirled sphere the size of her head. Equis. Home.
“Tia.” Luna murmured as she lay down in the dust, staring at the cradle of ponykind. What had become of her beloved sister? It was obvious that the elder alicorn still controlled the planet’s rotation, as Luna once had, but aside from that, nothing. Did Celestia still rule over Equestria? For that matter, was there still an Equestria? Had her banishment fractured the newborn kingdom?
And what of Tia herself? Was she still the benevolent, gentle ruler Luna had known or had the sting of betrayal changed her, hardened her? When the Nightmare was purged from her body, as she knew it would, would she be accepted with open forelegs, or would she be permanently exiled from the kingdom, and forced to wander Equis for all eternity?
Queen knows she’d deserve it.
Shaking dust out of her mane, Luna held her head up, furrowing her brow. Enough with this pointless worrying and self-pity! Whining would not make the stars move any faster. Until those thousand years were up, She would just have to stay positive.
With that, Luna took a step forward, only for something to jab into the sensitive frog of her hoof and send her jumping into the air.Luna lifted her leg, half-expecting to see some hideous alien scorpion monster. All she saw was a pointy, charcoal-colored rock, dull and lifeless.
Something clicked in the alicorn's head. She picked the rock up, turning it over and over in her hooves. There was something inside there. A form, locked inside the rock since the beginning of time. Desperate for release. She needed to free it.
Without delay, Luna channeled raw magic into her horn, then released it as a needle-thin beam of blue energy, slicing through the rock like a knife through soft cheese, shaping the lumpy little stone into a nice, symmetrical block. With a thought, Luna willed her magic into an immaterial chisel and hammer. With a hard rap of the hammer, she chipped away a bit of stone. Then another. And another. Slowly, a figure emerged from the stone.
Sculpting required patience. Lots and lots of patience. Even the tiniest detail on the figure’s body could take days of chipping, rasping, filing, and polishing, all of which could be destroyed in an instant. For a princess who had literal centuries of free time on her hooves, it had been the perfect hobby.
“There!” Dematerializing her tools, Luna brushed a bit of chipped rock off of her hooves, admiring her newest creation. It was a bold departure from her usual style. Instead of the proud, slim build of her previous creations the figurines’ body was stumpier, curvier, more like a stuffed toy than a miniature statue. Instead of the proud, prominent muzzle of her earlier works, its’ head was an elongated oval, with a short, stubby muzzle and two spade-shaped ears. Two oversized eyes dominated its face, dotted with equally oversized pupils of polished olivine. A short, stubby tail of crystalline fiber hung from its backside.
Luna rubbed her cheek against her creation. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. As she held the figurine in her hooves Luna felt a gentle warmth spread through her barrel. She couldn’t wait to show this to…
The warmth faded as quickly as it had come. With a forlorn sigh, Luna lay on her side, cradling the doll-sized figurine in her forelegs.With a frustrated snort, Luna flipped herself onto her back, staring once again at the rising Equus. She remembered to back before her coronation, back when she and Tia were just two blank-flanked alicorns, wandering Equis, looking for a purpose.
Those days, had been...trying, to say the least. During their travels, they’d been drenched by torrential storms, attacked by hostile natives, hunted by nightmarish monsters. And if they were lucky, they’d only have to face one of these dangers at a time. Yet,no matter how difficult their journey became, as long as Celestia was there by her side, she knew everything would be alright. It was those days that taught her how important friendship could be.
Tears welled up in the alicorn’s eyes, bubbling and sizzling in the vacuum. It was ironic; she had the power to raise and lower the sun at will. Her magical potential was greater than that of a hundred unicorns. Thanks to her magic, the laws of the universe were hers to command.
But it still couldn’t find her a friend
Luna held the figure in front of her face, staring right into its lifeless eyes. A smile spread across her face. Magic couldn't' find her a friend, or bring one to her-- The Element’s seal prevented her from casting any spells beyond the moon-- but maybe it could help her make one.
Rolling onto her belly, Luna picked herself up, shaking the dust from her coat, then gently the carving on the ground, making sure to point it towards Equis. Placing her horn in the dust, she traced a perfect circle around her friend-to-be, along with a ring of casting runes. After that, came a second, smaller circle in the center, also surrounded by runes, then a third ring, even smaller than that, giving the whole thing the appearance of a giant bullseye
Once she was done, Luna trotted over the side directly opposite Equis. Taking a breath despite the lack of air, Luna closed her eyes. “One, two, three, one, two, three… she chanted softly, calling on an exercise she’d all but forgotten. The exercise cleansing her mind, washing away the psychic clutter in her head. Now, all of her mental faculties were devoted towards the figurine at its center
She’d need that focus. Casting this spell would not be easy. Before her banishment, nopony sane had ever cast it outside of a laboratory, and even then there had been a measurable chance of a catastrophic backfire. Had one of her old Royal Magicians been present, he would have probably declared her insane for attempting to use something this new, this undeveloped, for something so mundane.
Luna smiled. That was one of the few good things about being completely isolated. There was nopony around to judge you.
With her thoughts cleared, Luna turned her gaze towards the gentle warmth in her soul. With a thought, she dipped into the warm, siphoning a few sparkling droplets of liquid life force then mixing it with magic in her horn. Blue sparks jumped off of the curlicue spike like miniature lightning bolts. Pressure began to build in Luna’s head, like a champagne bottle ready to burst.
Ignoring the pain, Luna punched her horn into a rune in front of her and let the spell free, channeling it into the circles. The runes glowed a blinding white as the mixture flowed into the sculpture, infusing the dead stone with the stuff of life itself, along with a bit of Luna’s own free will.
With a final spark, the circle went dark, leaving only a faint afterglow.Luna’s legs turned to jelly and she fell to the ground, panting as clouds of vaporized sweat wafting off of her body. She lifted her head to look at the sculpture. Had it worked?
At first, there was nothing. The ersatz alicorn just stood there, its body as dull and lifeless as ever, just another rock in a world littered with them. Luna’s ears flattened against her skull. What had she been thinking?
Something caught the alicorn’s eye. She took a closer look at the figurine. It had twitched. One of its tiny ears had twitched. Luna looked a little more closely. There, another ear twitched. One of the eyes blinked.
Yes. Yes….!
Like a pony waking up from a long sleep, the figure slowly came to life, its movements stiff and awkward at first, like a foal learning how to walk. It shook its head then slowly looked around, gauging its surroundings.
“It worked!” Luna nearly leaped into the void once again. “It lives! My glorious creation lives!! Bwahahahaha!” She reared on her hind legs, cackling maniacally.
Something poked her in the leg. Luna looked down to see the newly animated figurine stared at her, tilting its tiny head and raising a carved eyebrow. Luna caught herself, and, after clearing her throat, lowered her head until her muzzle was level with the figure’s head. The little construct took a few steps backward, wings flared.
“Do not fear, little one. We only desire for you to be our friend. Our name is Princess Luna,” she held out a foreleg. ”Tis a pleasure to meet thee.”
The creature placed a hoof to its muzzle, then slowly returned the hoofshake. That was good. The spell had copied enough of her memories to give the creature basic knowledge of social etiquette. It wouldn't do to have a friend who did not understand how to act around others.
“Well met” Luna put a forehoof to her chin. “Now, thou requires a name…”
This could prove tricky. She couldn’t just give the construct a name-- what was a friend without free will?-- but she could give it some suggestions.
Luna smiled. “Will the name ‘Lithos’ suffice?”
The figure shook its head.
“Very well. Perhaps ‘Lunette’ would be more to your liking?”
Again, it shook its head. A shame. Luna had rather liked that one.
“Maximus?”
The answer was yet another headshake. Luna snorted. “Then what does thou wish to be addressed as?”This was one of the problems with using an experimental spell. While her new friend could easily hear and understand what she was saying, she hadn’t known how to make it work both ways. Perhaps some mage back on Equis had managed to refine the spell so that communication would work both ways. She would have to ask when she returned. Until then, she’d just have to make do.
For a moment, the figure sat down, propping its head up with a foreleg whilst tapping a hoof against the ground. It stood back up, holding up a hoof as if to say “wait”, hopped over to a nearby rock, and started tracing something in the ground with its horn. Once it was done, the construct trotted to the side and pointed to the ground. Luna walked over to see a letter “e” written in cursive in the dust
Luna tilted her head. “Thou wishes to be called, ‘E’?”
Shaking his head, the figure pointed a forehoof at the rock, then at the “e” it had written. Again it pointed at the rock, then at the “e”. Point at the rock, then at the "e".
Rock. E.
Roc. E.
Luna’s ears perked up, “Yes, we understand now!”
The figurine beamed.
“You wish to be named ‘Stony’”
The figure slumped, slapping a forehoof against its face and shaking its head.
“Oh, of course.” Luna chuckled, “ You wish to be named ‘Rocky’!” She blushed. “Forgive us. Tis been awhile since we were last given a visual pun. Rocky, it shall be."
The newly-named “Rocky” nodded.
“Very well then, Rocky. Would you care to learn the rules of Lunar Croquet?”
Rocky gave a nod.
Very well.” Luna levitated a cloud of dust and fused it into a glittering glass mallet. “Now, the rules of Croquet are simple…”
Three hundred years after banishment...
“Tis not that steep. “ Luna peered over the edge of the polished stone slab that was their sled. She gulped. “Why, tis barely a hill compared to the peaks of Canterlot.”
Yes, it was only a hill. A very, very tall hill, dotted with rocks and bumps and all sorts of hidden traps, any of which could send them and their sled tumbling uncontrollably down the slope before crashing into a boulder and breaking every bone in her body. Nothing to fear at all.
“Well then, we suppose it is time let us go through our little pre-sled checklist. Restraining spell: check. Lubrication spell, check. Self,” Luna examined her body. “check…” She thought for a second. “It would also be prudent to check the restraining spell once again. And we had best...inspect thy sled for cracks first.” She said, laughing nervously as she lowered her muzzle to the rock, scanning it centimeter by centimeter.
Rocky frowned and crossed his forelegs.
“No, we are not afraid.” Luna scowled. “We are the Princess of the Night. Back in our time, we have fought against beasts that would drive most ponies mad. We are simply warming up, that is all.”
Sweat boiled off of Luna’s face. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to jump off the sled and curl up into a ball, sucking her hoof. Still, she forced her flank to stay rooted in place. A princess did not show fear. Ever. Even when nopony else was around except her magically-animated friend. Besides,it had been her idea in the first place.
“Very well...the checklist is complete. Let us proceed.”
Rocky nodded, jumping off of Luna’s back and positioning himself behind her, forelegs braced against the sled.
“Commencing countdown… Sixty, Fifty Nine, Fifty Eight Fifty-”
Before Luna could finish, she felt Rocky give the sled a shove. The thing Luna knew, she was sliding down the slope, her stomach lodged in her throat. Rocky clung to Luna’s back, stone hooves digging into her pelt.
Mare and magically-animated rock raced down the dusty mountainside, a rooster tail of dust billowing behind her like the wake of a sailing ship. The super slip spell, coupled with the enhanced gravity spell, sent their improvised sled sliding down the dusty slope with ease.
A boulder loomed up ahead, looking for all the moon like a gray, pitted, potato. Regaining her senses, Luna shifted her weight to port, barely steering ou past the basaltic lump, followed by a violent shift to the right to starboard avoid the rock right next to it, and the one next to it… With a little practice, Luna was weaving her way down the slope with ease.
As the bottom of the slope grew closer, something occurred to Luna: she was smiling! The adrenalin rush was no longer a portent of danger, but an invigorating, almost drug-like high. Her heart still pounded wildly, but this time it was out of excitement, not sheer fright.
“Yes! Oh yes!” Leaning back, Luna sailed over an errant boulder, doing a little hoof stand as she did. Rocky hopped onto her shoulder and threw his little forelegs in the air in a silent whinny. When she returned, perhaps she would introduce this form of extreme sledding to the ponies. Perhaps she could start a team of extreme sledders, racing down Equestria’s snowy mountainsides on enchanted sleds. It’d certainly help to improve her image amongst the common ponies. Queen knows she’d need-
Before Luna could finish her thought, the sled rudely interrupted her by slamming into a rock and pitching forward. Sled, alicorn, and animated figurine were flung into the air and sent somersaulting down the mountainside with a slow, almost elegant tumble then slammed into a boulder.
With a groan, Luna picked herself up, wincing as the pain politely informed her that she had been injured. A slow, dull ache spread through the alicorn's body, as her internal magic and enhanced metabolism knitted bones back together. Spitting out a mouthful of dust, Luna turned to see Rocky digging himself out of the dust, holding out a snapped-off leg. She almost screamed, then stopped when she remembered that it was just rock.
“Here, allow us.” Lighting up her horn, Luna reattached the leg to the jagged stump, then sealed the crack with magic. Once she was done, the limb was as good as new.
“Well,” Luna winced as one of her ribs cemented itself back into place. “Do you wish to go again?”
Rocky nodded.
Four hundred and thirty-seven years after banishment
Sitting in the impact crater that was their stadium, Luna stared at the pile of moon dust in front of her, an artist in front of a blank canvas.
To Luna, building a sandcastle was more than a child’s pastime. It was an obsession, honed by the countless sand castle-building contests of her silly hood. She could still remember digging in the wet sand. She could remember listening to the waves broke on the shores of her long-lost homeland, could remember shaping the wet sand with her hooves. And, of course, she remembered the thrill of beating Tia time and time again.
Something clicked in Luna’s head. Her ears perked up.The castle was revealed. As if by reflex, her hooves dug into the dust and started piling the powdery regolith into a large mound of dust. As much as Luna hated the stuff, the lunar dust was superb for making sand castles, retaining its shape and sticking together even without water.
As she worked, Luna could feel the eyes of the audience on her. Some held up miniature signs showing their support for either Luna or Rocky. One of them stood on his hind legs, revealing a crude drawing of Luna on his barrel.
Luna paused for a second and gave a short bow. The audience went wilder. It had taken decades of practice--and more than a few failures--but she’d finally managed to master the magical animation spell. Thanks to her refinements, the two of them now shared the moon with a small town of living figurines, male, female, young and old. All willing to perform whatever role she and Rocky desired.
Once the crowd was appeased, Luna returned to her work. Like a goddess creating her world, Luna gave the amorphous lump shape and form, turning the accursed powder into a thick wall surrounding a central keep. At each corner rose a spiraling tower, topped with a fanciful minaret and decorated with polished moon rocks.
Luna stood back and examined her work. To anypony else, it would have been perfect. Not her. Something was missing. She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but her inner artist simply would not let her declare this castle “perfect”. But what was it?
“Oh, of course!” Scooping up some more dust, Luna formed a tiny king and queen, placing them atop the castle battlements. There, now it was perfect. She could already feel Rocky’s hooves massaging her withers. Sure he’d be angry, but he’d only have himself to blame; he was the one who made the bet.
Once she was done, a tiny judge jumped off the stands and trotted over to Luna’s creation, stroking a tiny stone mustache and adjusting a crystal monocle. It ran a hoof over one of the carefully-sculpted walls, then scribbled something on a tablet it carried in its forehoof.
"We assume that this castle meets thy expectations?"
The judge didn't answer. He gave the castle on final look, nodded, then trotted over to Rocky's side of the partition separating them. With a haughty smile, Luna followed him. While her companion would certainly try his best, there was no possible way that he could beat her, the undisputed master of sand...castles....
Luna’s jaw dropped. Her friend hadn’t made a sandcastle. He’d made a castle, with walls made up of tiny fused-dust bricks no bigger than a sugar cube, embellished here and there by mica windows and loopholes. The central keep was a towering, imposing structure, capped with a spiraling onion-shaped dome. Within its walls, carved stone workers stood frozen in place, from servants frozen in mid-stride, to a tiny blacksmith, standing by a tiny anvil. Atop its crenelated walls stood tiny archers, frozen in mid-draw.
And looking over it all was Rocky, wearing a tiny crown of polished olivine and a robe of spun crystal fiber. The look in his eyes dripped smugness.
The Judge turned towards Luna’s castle, then towards Rocky’s castle. He then picked up a fleck of rock and sliced off a bit of the alicorn’s mane then turned to Luna, motioning with his head. With a groan, the alicorn cut off a bit of her mane with a fleck of rock and fashioned it into a blue ribbon, which the judge neatly pinned to Rocky’s castle.
Rocky motioned towards Luna. Igniting her horn, Luna cast a simple spell on her fluffy coat Magic washed over the fur, scrubbing away the royal blue color, and replacing it with a hideous hot pink.
Rocky and the Judge studied the recolored Luna, turned towards each other, then started rolling around on the regolith, their bodies shaking with soundless laughter. In the stands, the audience pointed at the pretty pink pony princess and laughing.
For once, Luna was glad that Tia was hundreds of thousands of miles away. Very glad.
617 years after Banishment…
“Be damned, foul constructs!”
A dark blue hoof connected with a crystalline head, and the golem shattered into glittering fragments of amethyst, Another one of the crystalline monstrosities charged through the cloud that was once its comrade, stumpy legs pumping and swinging a fist the size of Luna’s head, only for Rocky to leap onto its face, his horn sparking with stored magic. There was a flash of light, and the abomination’s head turned to glassy powder.
“Well done!” Luna said, brushing bits of shattered golem out of her mane. Rocky responded with a nod as she plopped her flanks on a nearby rock.“ Hopefully, that battle has exhausted their ranks,” She said, her sweat boiling off her forehead. This battle was giving her quite the workout.
--
Two hours earlier...
“So, what was your opinion on last night’s Championship Math?”
Luna felt a pattern of light taps on her withers.
[ NUMBER 17. REASON FOR VICTORY]
“Really?” Luna said, carefully stepping over a rock.
Two short stomps.
[REALLY]
“Well, we must respectfully disagree. While Number Seventeen is certainly skilled in the ways of Lunar Soccer, we feel that the lion's share of the credit comes from the SandShark’s unbreakable defense. Their long months of training have certainly born fruit.”
Luna licked her lips. Fruit. What she wouldn’t give for some right now. After half a millennium of being sustained by magic alone, she’d almost forgotten what food was.
There was another pattern of stomps.
[ADMIT. SEVENTEEN’S LAST MINUTE GOAL HELPED]
“Yes, we will agree that Number Seventeen’s goal certainly improved their odds of victory-OW!” Luna yelped as something stabbed into her hoof. She lifted a foreleg to find a sharp pebble lodged in the frog of her hoof.
“Cursed pebbles.” With a frustrated grunt, Luna plucked the pebble from her hoof and flung it away, only to stumble on a hidden rock. “A pox upon all stones” she growled, kicking the loathsome things aside, then jumped as something jabbed into her withers. She turned her head to see Rocky glaring at her. “Um, present company excluded, of course,” she said, smiling nervously.
Rocky’s expression softened. Luna resumed their walk.
The newly-developed “stomp code” had been a boon for their friendship. Instead of the haphazard gestures and pantomimes they’d used before, now Rocky could “talk” simply by stomping the ground, or herself, in a certain pattern. With practice, the two of them could even have a conversation, albeit a very simple one. It made their yearly walks around the moon’s equator much more interesting.
“Moving along, we-”
The lunar surface rudely interrupted Luna by shaking violently. The alicorn wobbled on her forelegs, trying to keep herself upright as the dust around her rippled like liquid. In the distance, she could see a column of dust and pulverized rock, rising into the air like a maid’s worst nightmare come to life.
At first, Luna thought it might be a meteor of some kind. From time to time, the moon would welcome a small asteroid into its embrace, spreading dust and rock everywhere. They were annoying things. Once, during a monthly tea party, she and Rocky been having a wonderful, thought provoking conversation when one such meteor had slammed into the ground behind them, carving out a sizable impact crater and ruining a tea service that had taken months to carve.
Curious, Luna galloped over to the newborn crater, clearing away the dust with her magic. She peered over the rim of the crater, then immediately wished she hadn’t. Right in the center of the crater was a strange, purple crystal, glowing with a magic Luna had never felt before...
A needle-thin beam shot out from Luna’s horn, neatly bisecting a golem. Before the two halves had time to fall, she charged another beam and sliced off a golem’s arms and legs, leaving its torso flailing about in the dust until Luna crushed its head with a hoof.
Rocky used a more subtle approach, magically creating spikes of razor sharp glass from the dust, then luring a golem towards itself with a few blasts of magic. Once the beast drew near, two pinpoint blasts of magic took out its feet and gravity did the rest.
A phalanx of golems approached from the side, multiple eyes glowing with unholy magic. Furrowing her brows, Luna compressed her magic into a cloud of glowing spheres and shot them into the crowd, each one lodging itself in a golem's chest. She grinned.
“Goodbye."
There was a flash of light, and each golem disappeared from the waist up. The shattered torsos stumbled around mindlessly before collapsing onto the soil. Blowing magical smoke from her horn she turned to see Rocky manipulating a cloud of dust and gravel, using it to sandblast golems into gravel.
Most beings would have turned tail and fled at this point; but not the golems. Like iron filings to a lodestone, they charged towards Luna and Rocky, arms swinging and eyes burning. Luna didn’t care; together, she and Rocky kicked, blasted, sliced, diced, and pulverized any golem that came too close.
Finally, the Once the last of the golems fell, Luna stood tall amongst the field of shattered crystal, Rocky perched on her shoulders, holding his little muzzle high.
“‘Twas fun, was it not?” Luna said, brushing crystal splinters from her coat, then holding up a forehoof.
Rocky nodded and bumped his hoof with her own.
[VERY FUN]
717 years after Banishment…
"Incoming!"
A mouse-sized Luna clung to her mount’s sides as an orb of green energy shot past her and slammed into the side of the arena, sending spectators flying. Behind them, several other racers trailed close behind, each carrying a stone replica of herself on its back.
Teaching out a hoof, Luna snagged it a red orb from the raceway, pressed it against her horn, and launched it at the racer closest to them. There was a flash of red light, and both the racer and her mount were sent flying in a fountain of dust. The crowd cheered.
Luna was not one to brag, but her new racetrack was perhaps her greatest creation yet; it wasn’t so much a racetrack as it was an obstacle course, with ramps, deathtraps, and spell orbs to give a little variety. Surrounding them were stands filled with cheering spectators, some of them held up tiny placards with Luna and Rocky’s face on them. Above the track, a stone airship floated overhead, surrounded by the aura of a levitation spell.
Yellow orb, straight ahead!”
[SEE IT] Rocky stomped and leaped over the glowing trap, barely clearing it. The racer behind them, not nearly as attentive as Luna, turned too soon and slamming into the orb. The magical trap burst and the hapless racer was sent somersaulting across the track and into the side of the arena.
Up ahead, Luna spotted a ramp made of carved rock, right next to a pit of magically animated dust tentacles. Digging into Rocky’s side with a hoof, she aimed her friend towards the ramp, then dug into her billowing mane. “Where is it... where is it... ah!” Luna said, pulling out a checkered red and white orb and crushing it in her hooves There were a loud violent jolt and a jet of magical energy shot out of Luna’s horn, turning the appendage into a short-lived magical rocket.
The two hit the ramp and leaped into the void. Below them, tentacles stretched towards them, trying to pluck her from the air. The racer behind them wasn’t as fortunate; without a speed boost, the tendrils plucked him from the air and dragged him down into the dust.
After a brief eternity, Rocky and Luna touched down on the opposite end of the pit, sending up a plume of dust. Luna smiled; their slight lead had turned into an enormous one. Up ahead she could see the finish line, could see the referee waving his checkered flag. Just a few more meters to go…
There was a brilliant flash of light, followed by a violent jolt. The world spun around Luna and Rocky, as if the two of themhad become the new center of the universe, and the next thing she knew, She was laying in a heap on the track, partly buried in the dust.
Spitting dust out of her mouth, Luna picked herself up just in time to see a racer dash across the finish line, his rider pumping a foreleg in triumph. She helped Rocky up.
“We specifically said that the blue orb was unbalanced, did we not?!”
864 years after Banishment…
“More tea, sir Rocky?”
The now pony-sized Rocky held out a stone teacup in his featureless foreleg. [YES PLEASE] he stomped out onto the ground.
“Very well, then.” With a spark from Luna’s horn, a stone teapot levitated itself over to Rocky, positioning its spout over the cup, then tilting upwards. Slowly, a cup of steaming-hot tea poured into the cup, sloshing lazily in the low gravity.
Well, it wasn’t actually tea. Luna had almost forgotten what a tea bag looked like. The closest she’d been able to come up with was melted cometary ice, enchanted to stop it from boiling away in the near-vacuum. It was not the most exciting beverage, but it was the best she could do in a world with no liquid water.
Once his cup was full, Rocky raised it to his featureless muzzle, wetting the tip of his nose.
[GOOD]
“I agree, it is a rather fine brew,” Luna said, sipping from her cup and grimacing at the bitter taste. Cometary ice was hardly clean; she had detoxified and purified the ice four times over, but there were still traces of cyanide in it. While her metabolism could easily handle the weak poisons- it didn’t exactly help the taste.
Setting her cup back on its saucer, Luna tilted her head towards the rising Equus.
“Look, Sir Rocky,” Luna said, pointing at the homeworld of ponykind. “Beautiful, is it not?”
[YES. VERY BEAUTIFUL}
She held a hoof in front of her face, neatly covering up the continent of Equestria. “At this moment, we can cover up all of ponykind, all of the civilization, with naught but a single hoof. Tis a humbling experience, is it not? ”
Rocky nodded, dipping his muzzle in the cup.
Luna took another sip of water. “Yet, for all its beauty, it pales in comparison to the rest of existence.” She lit up her horn, and the world around her vanished, in its place, a miniature cosmos. Solar systems the size of dinner plates floated around the table, passing through it like ghosts. Galaxies drifted about like glowing pinwheels, embellished by colorful nebulae. Every so often, there would be a bright flash of light.
She picked up one of the tiny solar systems, cradling it in her hooves. “ What are we? Is our world, our species, truly special? Or are we merely, germs, clinging to a speck of dust, convinced that we are the most important thing in all creation? All of our accomplishments, all of our sins, what are they compared to the majesty of the heavens? Are we all the products of random chance, or is there truly a greater power behind it all?”
[PERHAPS] Rocky tapped. [PERHAPS NOT. CAN NOT KNOW]
“Indeed.” The miniature universe dissolved. Luna drained the last of her water, then poured herself another cup. “Let us move on to a less existential topic,” She thought for a second.
“Do you know what we will do, when we return to Equestria?” Luna took a sip. “After our beloved sister cleanses us of the Nightmare, we will make a beeline for the Royal baths and wash every bit of this accursed dust from our coat,” She sighed. “Then, we will locate the nearest day spa, as our poor hooves are in desperate need of a hooficure.
Luna stopped. She set her cup back on its saucer and hung her head, her ears flattened against her head.
“No, that is not it at all,” She took a deep breath. “We will prostrate ourselves before our sister and beg for her forgiveness. After all, we have done, the betrayal, summoning the nightmare, we do not deserve it.”
Luna continued. “Then again, our sister was always quick to forgive those who transgressed against her,” she chuckled. “Perhaps a little too forgiving. If the years have not hardened her heart, there is a chance that she will forgive our terrible mistake,”
The alicorn hung her head. Tears trickled down her cheeks before boiling away.” Though it she does not deem us worthy of her forgiveness, we shall bear no grudge. We deserve it, after all.”
Setting down his cup, Rocky trotted over to Luna, his eyes filled with compassion.
[ALL MAKE MISTAKES. SELF HATE NOT HELP.]
“Yes, yes we suppose “Thank you, our friend.”
999 years after Banishment...
“Look our, Sir Rockington!”
Luna’s warning came just in time. Jumping to the side, Rocky just barely managed to avoid the Dark Knight’s spell, the tiny blast of magic shooting past him and splashing onto the lunar surface, then slashed with his tiny sword, slicing off the traitors foreleg. As the Dark Knight held up the severed limb, another swing liberated his head from his body. The headless body stood there for a moment, twitched, then fell into the dust, dead.
Rocky held his sword in the air, beaming in triumph. [WICKED DARK KNIGHT DEAD. KINGDOM OF LITHIA SAFE!]
“Come now, Luna said, carrying the victorious knight to his castle. “Now it is time to deal with the King’s treacherous advisor. His silvered tongue will not spare him your blade this-”
Something lurched in Luna’s belly, like frigid tar. She fell to the ground, clutching her stomach.
[HURT! ASSISTANCE!]
“No.” Luna groaned, “No point…” Luna forced out, then broke into a hacking cough. Bits of black liquid sprayed onto the dust. She’d known this day was coming soon; the element’s seal was worn thin. Soon, it would be gone forever.
Something itched in Luna’s head. Small dark splotches erupted all over the alicorn’s coat like stains, slowly spreading until they’d covered her entire body. Two razor sharp fangs sprouted from her mouth. Her pupils stretched themselves into slits.
It’s been a while, Lulu. Something tilted Luna’s head down towards Rocky.Well well well, you’ve certainly been busy during my long sleep. I must commend your creativity.
[STOP! LEAVE HER!] Rocky drew his tiny sword, pointing its tip at the abomination that Luna had become. Against her will, she slapped the little figurine aside, sending it flying into a pile of dust.
"Well, enough small talk,” The Nightmare said in Luna’s voice, “It’s almost been a thousand years, and the Summer Sun Celebration is almost here. We’d best get ready. After all, we wouldn’t want to keep your precious sister waiting.”
There was a moment of silence.
"You know, I’m in a pretty good mood right now. Tell you what, I’ll give you a minute to say goodbye to your little friend.”
Luna’s body unlocked. Her thoughts were her own once again.“”Rocky.” She said, her voice distorted by the Nightmare. “I’m sorry.”
The little rock lowered his head, ears flattened against his skull.
“Do not cry, my friend. Luna gave a sad smile. “T’was thanks to you that our exile was made bearable.” She gave Rocky a tiny nuzzle. “We owe thou a debt which can never be repaid.”
Rocky wiped an invisible tear from his eye and hugged the alicorn’s muzzle.
Five seconds left, Lulu.
Luna gave the construct a gentle kiss. “Farewell, my friend."
Rocky gave her muzzle one last hug.
[GOODBYE. LUNA]
