(REWRITTEN): Chapter 1: "Unconventional Meeting"
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(REWRITTEN): Chapter 1: "Unconventional Meeting"
Author's Note
GOOD GOD! I know it's been a VERY long time since I added anything to this story and for that I do apologize. Lot's of life happened, and overall I had a lot of struggles since starting this story as you can imagine. I won't get into it all...
Still, I am back and I am not only going to continue the story but completely REWRITE it! The story will be more or less the same, but with major dark parts added in. Not only that, but I want you all to see where my writing has progressed over the years.
Please let me know what you think of this new version of the chapter in the comments, Love you all! Take Care!
(REWRITTEN): Chapter 1: "Unconventional Meeting"
The sound of roaring hooves and battle cries filled the air, the battle hardened princess stood at the rear. Surrounded by the best her kingdom had to offer, those in the princess’s service were happy to live and die for her but none more so than these fine guards ponies.
“Princess Luna, the enemy is retreating. Permission to continue the advance and take over their stronghold.” requested the scout, a young stallion with dark blue armor and a pair of saddlebags. His cutie-mark covered and otherwise enchanting the young colt's fur with the same enchantment as any other guardspony making them either dark gray or dark blue.
“Slipstream if I remember correctly.” thought the regal blue alicorn, stepping forward only to be stopped by a white coated mare.
“Don’t step any closer guards pony, now your orders are to request we move forward yes?” Asked the intimidating unicorn guard, her red dragon-like eyes boring into the now frightened stallion. She had on a similar set of armor, but with the accompanying elegant patterns made it clear that she was above the young scouts station.
An audible gulp could be heard, but other than that the scout remained at attention. “Y-Yes Ma’am,” he responded with just a slight stutter to his voice.
“Can you guarantee that the princess will be safe to move forward soldier?” asked the mare, doing her best to grill the young stallion for simply existing.
“This mare…” thought the princess as she moved forward. “That’s enough, General Vinyl Scratch. He is only the messenger, and doesn’t deserve such a harsh tone.” she stated calmly, doing her best to hide her annoyance at the overly serious General.
“Princess, I am simply doing my duties as your guard and retainer. I was also ordered by your sister Princess Celestia to make sure you stay safe and in sight.” General Scratch stated bluntly, causing a slight ping of anger to flare in the Princess heart.
“That…may be, however I see no reason to not allow this simply due to how things are now. From here, it looks as though the enemy is in the process of fleeing and that our victory is assured.” Luna stated, not giving hint to her anger as she stepped forward passed the unicorn.”Now young Slipstream, let Commander Dark Armor know that he may advance but to show caution when searching through the stronghold. We may have won this battle, but it isn’t impossible for them to set traps.”
“Y-Yes your highness, I will relay this to my Commander immediately.” the stallion saluted, flapping his wings in a flurry as he rushed towards the direction of the battle.
“General, while I understand your orders are absolute when coming from either me or Celestia I don’t appreciate hearing about these orders only now that we have been at this battlefield for the past two weeks.” Luna expressed, her wings quickly adjusting to emphasize her mildly upset nature.
“Apologies Princess Luna, however it did not seem prevalent to bring up at any point till now.” Vinyl shot back, a hint of a smirk on her face as she turned her head towards her princess.
“She knows what she’s doing, that caddy mare…honestly you could at least try to act less smug.” thought Luna as she took a slow breath to calm herself. “I understand, however I request that any similar orders be made aware as soon as possible in the future.” Luna stated, making herself taller in front of the mare who did not even turn much less look intimidated by this.
“Yes your majesty, I shall do my best to adhere to this order.” Vinyl stated, still not looking back at Luna causing the Alicorn to grow more upset.
“At least turn and face me damn you!” Luna exclaimed internally, only for an idea to spark in her mind. An idea that is sure to make the General just as mirth-filled as her. “I’m glad we have an understanding General, now I will follow behind the army and help with the sweeping of the enemy base. Please try and keep up.” With that final statement the princess used her magic to teleport ahead.
Teleportation was a rather new spell, developed by the current head of the magic brigade and while the princesses could use this spell with ease. Unicorns like that of the General had to use the spell multiple times to reach as far as the Alicorn could. This fact caused a very easy to spot grin to form as she moved towards the now large looking building.
“That should change her tune…but damn my sister for making such an order to one of MY guards ponies. Not just any though, she chose my retainer.” This thought angered Luna enough to allow her to regain her regal mask, though if someone would’ve paid closer attention. They would see a small vein popping from the alabaster mare's head. “Regardless…”
“Commander Dark Armor, your presence is required!” bellowed the princess, using the all too recognizable royal voice that she and her sister were masters of to call to her subordinate.
The call was almost immediately answered when a rather large stallion rushed to her, stopping just a few hooves in front of her to offer a salute. “Princess Luna, Commander Dark Armor reporting. How may I assist you?” He quickly stated, not missing a beat as those nearby are in awe of the princess.
“At ease Commander, I am here to assist in sweeping the enemy base. I noticed they had a number of monsters in their ranks and even a few Manticores if I remember correctly. It would stand to reason they may have more sophisticated traps than normal, and I am here to offer my hoof in assisting you and those under your command.” Luna stated, doing her best to be brief while still maintaining decorum.
“Of course princess, we will be thrilled to have your expertise on the matter.” Commander Dark Armor stated, not questioning anything as he led her towards the building.
This fact both bothered and made the princess content, as a princess she should not be anywhere near the battlefield much less in the enemy stronghold before it has been sweeped. Not only that, but Luna was well aware that she had assigned the best scouts possible with the abilities to find and disable any traps found.
“While I appreciate his loyalty, it is concerning that he didn't even ask me about my guards.” Luna thought, as she followed the Commander into the building using her horn quickly to start scanning ahead for any traps. “Strange, it seems there are no immediate traps for this whole section of the building. Perhaps there are underground floors?” Luna surmised, keeping her guard up and looking towards the Commander he was doing the same.
“Scouts!” Dark armor bellowed into the small crowd of guards, not as loud as Luna of course but it did impress her that it was as loud as it was despite it not reaching the royal voice.
Three guards including the young Slipstream came into view, nearly taking Luna off guard but it brought her a sense of pride as well as they seem to be training well. “I’m pleased to see that they all have been able to learn how to hide their presence so well, I remember when I had to personally step in and teach the guard how to do this without magic.” Luna remembered fondly, bringing herself forward to follow.
“Follow me into the building first, and-” Dark Armor began, when a light pop of magic came from behind all of them. This caused Luna to grimace, nearly dropping her regal mask entirely.
“Damn…nearly made it.” Luna thought, as General Vinyl Scratch quickly trotted towards the princess with a clearly annoyed look on her muzzle as she looked at the princess with fire in her eyes.
“Princess…while I understand you wish to assist in every way you can. I cannot condon you leaving your assigned detail, as it will impede our ability to guard you.” Vinyl stated, a very clear hint of venom in her voice.
“Heh, she is definitely going to give me an earful when we are alone.” Luna thought smugly, continuing to trot past all the guards ahead of her towards Dark Armor. “Noted General Scratch, now Dark Armor let us continue. We best not waste anymore time on my account.” Luna stated, making it clear she did not care what Vinyl just said.
“Of course your majesty, General, if it pleases you both you and the rest of the princess’s detail may accompany us?” the Commander stated, doing his best to please both of his superiors as he did a quick salute.
“Ugh…may as well, carry on Commander Armor. We will stay close to the princess while you and your team scout ahead.” Vinyl sighed, clearly annoyed but accepting the situation as it was. This caused the lunar princess to smile smugly at this, nodding in agreement to Vinyl’s suggested formation.
“Understood, scouts form a perimeter around the princess! Keep your spells at the ready, and make sure not even a dust ball comes into contact with our princess!” Dark Armor bellowed, receiving quick salutes along with a collective ‘Yes Sir!”. In an almost startling pace the formation was formed and everypony entered the complex.
The silence was eerie to say the least, the lights were flickering and there seemed to be a number of files and paperwork strewn about the building. This was a clear sign that those here were definitely in a rush to leave, however it was also noticed by one of the scouts that was also very interesting.
“They were bipedal, your majesty.” the guard stated clearly for all to hear. Causing them all to look towards her.
“Minotaurs?” Luna asked, her face scrunched into confusion. “Could the Minotaurs be betraying us…?” Thought Luna, this was a concerning thought as there were a number of the creatures living within their kingdoms walls “...If this is true, then we may need to-”
“No your majesty, while they are bipedal they seem to be different as they don’t have hooves…it’s strange.” Stated the mare, a concerned tone in her voice as other scouts joined in to view the curious sighting.
“Allow me to see guards-pony.” Luna stated, causing the group to disperse immediately as she passed through to the sight.
The imprint was something that Luna could safely say she had never witnessed in all her 100’s of years of life. It was a flat imprint with multiple points of contact, it almost looked like…
“A horseshoe…?” Luna questioned, causing the others to look at her and each other in confusion at the statement.
“Your majesty?” questioned Vinyl, walking towards the sight as well.
“I-” The princess began, however the sound of something falling caught all of their attention.
The figure before them was unknown, it was furless aside from some hair on their head. It was clear that the clothing they wore was a method of protection from the elements, they were still and looked upon the group in fear as their eyes were shrunken to the size of pinpricks. However what was clear to all of them were two things…one was that they were not a minotaur by any means, and two they were in fact bipedal.
“Seize them!” Yelled Vinyl, being the first to gain back her senses as she bellowed causing the scouts to do the same as they raced to catch the strange creature.
“Wait-!” The princess started, but before she could stop the guards a loud BANG could be heard causing all the ponies ears to ring and fall to their knees in pain.
The sound was deafening, the flash accompanying it was quick…but what was even more terrifying was the thud of 2 guards-ponies. It was a few moments, just a few moments and 2 of her ponies had been taken down. She could barely hear anything besides a dull ringing in her ears, and more than likely the others had the same issue. So without missing a beat, she let her rage fuel her as she targeted the fleeing figure. She was angry, she was furious, no…she was desperate…desperate to protect her ponies and to make sure they could not perform what they did EVER again.
Luna launched her spell, and just as quickly the figure dropped to the ground. She rushed forward, past her guards to see if she needed to continue a barrage of spells. However, as she approached she soon saw that her spell tore through the creature's clothing and left a brute wound that no doubt was fatal. Luna sighed in relief, but despite this she still heard the creature’s shallow breathing indicating they were still alive despite the wound.
“P–please…s…hm…” the creature huffed, which surprised the lunar princess. It could speak?
“Then why run, why attack? What could cause a creature to-”
“Sav…him…” the creature tried to beg again, this time crawling to a nearby doorway. This caused the princess to lower her head to hear him more clearly.
“What are trying to say…?” Luna questioned, as her curiosity about this creature grew.
“S-Save…him…p-please…” the creature wheezed, but that was all he could say before he stopped…his last breath, his last ounce of strength used to save someone.
Luna looked towards the doorway the creature had been desperate to reach, it was a double door with two handles to open either side. She hesitated for only a moment, before quickly turning the knob and opening the door quickly.
“Princess, wait!” Vinyl stated, which caught Luna completely off guard. She heard the General clearly, which meant that her hearing had returned. However, the moment was lost as she looked ahead…
The creature inside was alike to the one currently dead behind them, however there was one clear and horrifying difference…
It was clearly a child…and that child’s chest was cut wide open for the world to see…
The sight was revolting, causing both mares to become nauseous for a moment. However, the princess recovered quickly. She may not have known what this was about, nor did she know if the child before her was a danger…but she knew one thing…
“No child deserves this…much less to be treated as an enemy in a battle he clearly didn’t have a part in…” Luna thought, as she turned towards Dark Armor.
“General! Get a medic now!”
She was met with silence, the sight before Vinyl being just as much of a shock to her as it was for the princess. However there was no time to falter…
“General Scratch!” Luna bellowed, causing Vinyl to snap out of the trance she had been put in.
“H-Huh?” the general responded, still lost in her thoughts.
“Get. A. Medic. NOW!” Luna ordered, and as soon as she did Vinyl acted on autopilot. The scene quickly turned to frantic movements as the remaining scouts rushed off to get the medics and the others checked and confirmed that every other room was empty. Meanwhile, the princess moved toward the child slowly.
It was clear to her that the child was alive as she clearly as his lungs and heart moving as she stepped closer, the sight caused pain and concern to fill her as she quickened her pace to stand by the child’s side.
“Child…? Art thou awake…?” Luna questioned, hoping to all the makers that whatever the creature was would be asleep or in no pain.
She was wrong…so terribly wrong…as the child’s eyes opened and all she could see was terror and pain.
(REWRITTEN) Chapter 2: "The Starry Night"
“HOLD HIM DOWN! Nurse, give him 30mg of Valium stat!” the doctor stated, as several different ponies rushed around the room where the small child was thrashing about in pain and fear.
45 minutes…45 minutes of screaming, thrashing and unintelligible begging from the small and frail creature. There were no words the lunar princess knew to describe how she felt in this moment, and that was saying something as this was not the first time she witnessed other ponies being injured or even dying in her presence. This however…this was different, and for Luna if she had to pick one word…
“Despicable…” Luna uttered under breath, it being lost to the rapid and stressed voices of the doctor and his aides. Some of which weren’t even trained in what the doctor needed, but there was no time nor enough pony power to handle a situation as serious as this.
“Doctor, we have given him all we can at his size…!” one of the nurses tried to interject, but the doctor had already begun the injection.
“I know the risks Peace Blossom, but the princess has requested we do everything we can! Celestia dammit, hold him still you foul!” he uttered, the child in question still thrashing about.
“Ugh…you wouldn’t be saying that if you were the one…holding him! Despite his tiny stature, this…kids got strength for days!” grunted one of the guards asked to help, he was doing his best to hold the child down but it was clear that it was failing.
Luna could only watch as this all occurred, it was clear that if the child would not stop that he would simply die on that table…he would die, she was sure of it.
“Princess…I think it’s best we leave them to do their job…” Vinyl stated sadly, no doubt knowing the same thing as she tried to pull Luna away from the sight before them.
It took a moment, but the slight pull started to do it’s intended purpose as the princess began to move hesitantly towards the exit. It was clear there was nothing she could do…there was nothing despite all her power…
“So much power, yet still so useless when it comes to this…” Luna scolded herself, knowing that while she could attempt to use magic to heal the boy she didn’t know anything about physiology. If anything went wrong, she could leave him in an even worse condition. No matter how powerful the magic, if she didn’t have a clear image of what she was healing and how it’s body worked-
“...N…NO…MORE…!”
Luna’s eyes widened as she turned towards the child once again, not believing what she heard but looking to see if she was right. The thrashing boy was still thrashing with all he could, but soon he began to beg.
“N-NO…MORE…P-PAIN…PLEASE!” The boy shouted, causing some of the ponies to look at each other with pain and concern on their faces.
“Sweetie, we aren’t here to hurt you, we're here to help you!” Peace Blossom attempted to comfort the boy, but it didn’t seem to work as the boy continued his tirade of begging and screaming.
“NO MORE…NO MORE…NO MORE!” the boy chanted, as if these were the only word he knew. This more than tugged at the lunar princess’s heartstrings.
“To Tartarus with it…”
“Sweetie we-!” Peace Blossom began, only for her to see that just behind the young boy’s head was Luna standing above them all her horn aglow.
“Princess don’t, we have no idea what he is and if you-”
“I know the risks, Doctor, however I must try something to soothe him for you to do your job…that should be enough, no?” Luna countered, causing the doctor to pause and think for a moment before he sighed.
“Very well your majesty…but please do be careful.” the doctor warned, and Luna acknowledged him with a nod.
“I hope to all the makers that his mind is like ours…” Luna wished, placing her horn against his head as gently as she could startling the young boy.
As she reached out with her magic the first feeling she got…was terror, pure unadulterated terror that almost caused the princess to pull away and run out of the room. It was unbelievable how much this boy could affect her, it was like she was a foal again being scared of anything and everything bigger than her. However, she grit her teeth mentally shaking off the feeling as a face of determination showed on her face.
“I will NOT give up!” Luna confidently stated, her horn glowing stronger as the boy began to settle his eyes beginning to glow white along with Luna’s
The young boy opened his eyes again, he found himself in a fully white room. He stood up, and looked around in fear and anxiety not knowing where he was as he began to run in a random direction. This only ended with him running for nothing, he saw no sign of an exit anywhere. He felt tired…so tired as he sprawled himself on the nonexistent floor.
“No…escape. No safety…want…death.” he thought, his eyes closing hoping like many other times that his pain would end and that he would never wake up again…
“I’m sorry little one, but you are not done in this realm yet.” A voice came from the emptiness, causing the boy to open his eyes quickly and look around in terror.
A ‘Poof’ sound caused the boy to turn behind him where a large dark blue pony stood, he stood again ready to run as fast as he could…there had to be somewhere safe right…?
“I’m sorry little one, but I used my magic to calm you…I did my best to find a comfortable place for you to feel safe, but…it seems you don’t have one.” Luna stated sadly, an equally sad smile spread on her face causing the boy to calm himself slightly.
“W-Who…ar…are…y-you…?” The boy struggled, making it clear to the lunar princess that he didn’t know much about speaking properly.
“My name is Luna, I am…here to help you little one…” the princess stated, she knew that he wouldn’t understand that she was a princess so she chose to avoid the topic as she slowly stepped in his direction.
“N…No c-closer…” He stepped back, afraid of Luna getting any closer to him. “W-Where…nice…d-doctor…?” he questioned, clearly looking for them.
“Doctor…?” She questioned, only for her eyes to widen. Her horn glowed gently, causing the area around them to resemble the hallway just outside the current operating room.
The boy reacted as Luna expected, he ran towards any and all the doors he could, trying all the doors he could to leave. However, none of them opened…nor would they open.
“This isn’t real, right now you’re asleep. This place…”
Luna gestures to the emptiness, causing the boy to look around as she did. The emptiness hadn’t changed, but it seems as though the boy’s shoulders began to relax as if knowing this wasn’t real was enough.
“He seems to have stabilized doctor.” Nurse Peace Blossom stated, the now sleeping boy relaxing as Luna’s horn and eyes continued to glow at a reasonable brightness.
The boy was still, a complete contrast to his earlier screaming and thrashing about. It was then that most of the guards and nurses tasked with holding the boy down released him, now moving to other tasks to help the doctor do his job. Peace Blossom did the most however, now scanning the state of both the doctor and herself.
“How is he still alive after this much…blood loss…” Peace Blossom wondered aloud, causing the doctor to stern his look as he composed himself. Gesturing to Blossom with a hoof.
“Scalpel.” the doctor ordered bluntly, causing Blossom to react quickly on muscle memory. Passing him the tool as they started the process of closing the young boy's chest…
“May the makers help us…” Blossom begged within her heart.
“W…What is…place..?” questioned the boy, his face showing clear signs of worry.
“It seems like he’s adjusting to speaking…maybe I could…?” Luna thought, closing her eyes and trying her best to connect their minds more feverishly allowing her to send certain knowledge into his mind slowly.
“This is your mindscape, I adjusted it to look like the corridor outside the room…is this…” Luna gestured towards the body on the floor. “...the doctor you spoke of…?” she asked hesitantly, hoping to all the makers that she was wrong.
The princess’s hopes were dashed as the boy nodded, not understanding as he knelt down to the level where the body lay and began to shake him gently.
“D…Doctor…? The boy tried to rouse the man from his eternal slumber, the boys face contorted to desperation as he shook the man more. “Doctor…?” the boy continued, his shaking becoming more rough as he began to tear up. This caused the Lunar princess’s heart to ache, as she stepped towards the scared child.
“I’m sorry little one, but this isn’t…he isn’t…” Luna strained, finding it more than a little difficult to get through her explanation to the boy looking at her with pain in his eyes.
She sighed, kneeling down to his eye level, and placing a hoof on his shoulder gently. The child was hesitant to allow this, but felt her gentleness as he began to relax. Luna took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself to speak.
“This…doctor you speak of hurt someone very close to me…and I…I had to kill him.” the princess admitted, looking down slightly. She was not ashamed, but the look of horror that crossed his face as he again began to shake the man below them.
“Doctor..? Doctor…!” his scream was grating on the princess’s ears, as he began to cry. “DOCTOR!” the boy begged, crying onto his back as a sudden torrent began to overtake Luna’s mind and her magic.
“Are these…his memories…?”
A sudden barrage of scenes rushed before the princess, almost causing her to jolt from her spell.
“This is incredible…”
“He could bring about destruction…”
“He’s a monster that should be destroyed…”
“We must find what makes him so different…”
“Prepare the operating room…”
The tirade of voices assaulted Luna's ears whilst her eyes were blinded by white light beating down her face. To say that it overwhelmed her would be an understatement as it took all her strength to make the images before her tamer and more understandable.
She wishes she hadn’t…
She stood just to the side of the new surroundings; it was the same room they were currently in, but it was clear it was earlier due to the fact that those now surrounding the young boy were the exact same creatures as him…
“Test number 247, today we will test the subject's endurance as we remove each of their organs from top to bottom.” one of the male sounding creatures stated, they along with all those in attendance wore some sort of drapes over themselves.
However, it was just a blip upon Luna’s mind as she paled in horror at the site of the boy. Before her was the same boy she knows is currently being healed by her best medics currently available, and he was currently screaming in pain and groaning as one of the doctors began to cut off what Luna could only assume are his lower intestines…
“We need to hurry, you there guard!” Peace Blossom called out, catching the attention of Slipstream. “Go get blood bags, as many as you can carry!” she ordered, causing the stallion to salute and fly off at a feverish pace.
“Blossom, we have no idea how his body will react to-”
“Doctor…no, Icy Midnight weren’t you the one who said we must do all we can because the princess requested it?” she glowered, staring down the doctor as he sighed in acceptance. “His chance to pull back was before the princess began her spell to assist us…now we have to save this boy.” Blossom thought, beginning to light up her own horn to undo the wires that were holding his chest open and preparing to sow it closed.
“You’re right Blossom, let’s get this done…” Icy Midnight stated a new determination in his eyes that brought confidence to everypony in the room.
“I have…the blood!” Slipstream panted, bringing the bags to the medics and Peace Blossom quickly took them in her magic as she continued her careful work.
“Starting the blood transfusions now, Blossom do you have a vein?” Midnight asked, causing the mare to smirk at his sudden change in demeanor.
“Of course doctor, let’s save this little one.” Blossom beamed, as the rest of the medics gave a resounding ‘Yes ma’am!’ to her statement.
Luna struggled to continue to watch the scene, the boy doing his best to scream but was being muffled by the muzzle on his face. This paled in comparison to the fact that now most if not all the boy's organs had been cut away, save for his heart and lungs…it was truly a sight made from nightmares. However, she knew that all she was seeing was true and had occurred.
“Honestly…why can’t we use sedatives on him again…?” stated a female voice in annoyance, causing Luna’s brow to scrunch in anger.
“Because Doctor Heart, his metabolic rate is hundreds of times more than any human on the planet. It makes sense due to his healing abil-”
“Shit, you two let that side go, everyone get back!” Screamed a new male voice, one of the figures the voice came from had his arms push back two of his peers.
This movement caused Luna to fly up towards the ceiling, as most of the figures seemed to block her view.
“By the maker…” Luna uttered under breath…
“What in all the worlds…?” Peace Blossom gaped, horrified by the scene that was transpiring.
There on the table was the boy they were trying to save, but unlike before most if not all the medics were standing a few hooves away all with the same flabbergasted look as Blossom did. The boy in the center of all this, still being soothed by Princess Luna, still untreated aside from a blood pack being transfused…was healing all on his own.
The sight was both gruesome and fascinating all at once, as his chest that was once spread wide open by his skin and muscle tissue was now closing. Peace Blossom was so captivated by the scene she didn’t notice a white unicorn trot into the room.
“What’s going on here! Why are you just standing there, and what’s the princess doing?” General Vinyl Scratch’s voice bellowed, catching everyone off guard as she became the center of attention.
Luna witnessed the boy’s body repair itself, even to the point where the organs that were removed were replaced with brand new ones. Their functions activating as they came into place one by one, the sight was beyond anything Luna could describe. It sickened her, it fascinated her, but most of all it infuriated her to no end.
“These monsters, why would they do this to one of their own?” Luna questioned internally, gritting her teeth and while only a dream she could swear she felt the pain of her jaw clenching.
“Not all of them were bad…” Stated the voice of the young boy, it was coming from everywhere but showed no source at all as Luna looked around.
“How are you doing this?” the princess questioned, however instead of a response a quick flash to a different room she hadn’t seen till now filled the void.
And in that void, was a crying child with his back towards Luna. He was shorter than most fillies and colts she’s seen, so small yet…
“Yet, in so much pain and misery.” Luna thought, looking around at the minimalist room with only a small mattress and a rag that was barely big enough to be considered a blanket. To the farthest corner, Luna saw a small bucket and due to the strength of the memory she could clearly smell the scent of feces in the air.
Luna was about to question the boy when a door was swung open, catching Luna’s attention. The figure entering soon registered to Luna’s mind as the individual she had struck down, he looked...cleaner and less disheveled. Though Luna assumed it was due to how long it may have been.
“Daniel…Daniel it’s me.” Called the man, which caused the lunar princess to look surprised as he continued to walk towards the boy.
The boy turned toward the man, who pulled out a small apple and a bottle filled with some blue liquid. The man gently placed them both near the boy.
“Please Daniel, you need to up your electrolytes…just try a bit…for me?” the man begged, which caused the boy to turn away from the corner to the man.
“D…Does…taste…bad?” the boy questioned, causing the man to smile gently.
“No little one, this one tastes really good.” the man assured, as the boy crawled towards the items hesitantly first taking and downing the drink feverishly. “Hey easy, you don’t wanna choke now.” the man stated worriedly, but it went on deaf ears as the boy finished the drink.
The boy began to apply, but before he could take a bite the void shifted again. This time it was in the same room, but there was a rushed and desperate looking man who looked more like the man she had killed than before barging into the room.
“Daniel…we have to go…I can get us out, but from there we have to keep moving…” the man stated in a panic, grabbing the boy gently and carrying him carefully.
However, before anything else could be done the door swung open again. The sight was made clear that there were two guards and another of those doctors standing at the doorway, causing the man to place Daniel back on the ground and standing in front of him protectively.
“Now Doctor Morgan, you have been a busy bee haven’t you? Causing a commotion outside, and sabotaging certain systems that would take a while to fix.” the mysterious man stated, almost in a sinister manner. “Yet, you seem to have forgotten that we keep track of all logins into our systems and each one of yours matches up with failed systems.” the man smiled, it was a smile filled with cruel intent as he snapped his fingers.
“Take them both, the subject needs to report for the next phase in testing. We shall decide Dr. Morgan’s punishment in time, keep him locked down in the meantime.” order the man, and the two larger creatures moved to follow his orders.
The boy said nothing, but did his best to resist and reach out to Dr. Morgan in desperation. Morgan did the same before one of the larger men took him by the arms and twisted them in an uncomfortable way.
“AGH, Director S. Please this is too much…he’s only a child and he’s already been through so much and his mind could…” Morgan tried to warn only for the brute to bend his arm more.
“I don’t care Morgan, this subject will provide the human race the key to immortality I know it.” The man said sinisterly, as the boy was taken out the door kicking and screaming all the while. “I will do everything I must to ensure our species survival, regardless of how young, old, or innocent looking they may be…”
Dr. Morgan struggled more, but before Luna could see more the scene shifted once again. This time it simply turned back into the empty white void, with the boy…Daniel standing a few hooves in front of her. Less afraid, and a more grieving face.
“How…How did you-?”
“I…felt the connection you made, it…seems it runs both ways.” Daniel stated, looking down in sadness. “I saw some of your memories, and even learned more about talking.” the boy was now looking around at the whiteness of the room.
“You…Your name is Daniel, correct?” Luna questioned, she wanted to get upset with him for invading her mind even if it was for just understanding more information. However, she just accepted it. “If he can talk, then maybe he knows more about this place.” Luna thought, hoping to find out more about this place and its purpose.
“I don’t know anything, I was only taken from one room to…the other…” Daniel stated, more than a little frightened at the thought of what she could only assume was the operating room their physical bodies were in.
“I see, there goes that tho-”
Luna looked at the boy with shock “Did you just…”
“Yes, the connection is still strong but I am sorry…I can tell from the feeling you are sharing with me that it isn’t a good thing.” the boy shrunk, literally. It was like the boy began to shrink based on how shy or small he felt, from the connection they shared Luna could tell he genuinely felt bad about what he had done.
“I’m sorry…it's just surprising, you are quite the fast learner.” Luna stated, now showing a more impressed look which caused the boy to grow a bit and smile gently.
“I…I saw…what you did.” the boy stated, not acknowledging her praise.
“W-What..?” Luna asked worriedly, and despite the temperature unable to change she felt as though her body heated up in nervousness.
“I saw…you killed Dr. Morgan…” the boy confirmed, his…hands? Clenched as he looked down. “I know…I know he hurt your ponies, but…he was good to me…”
Luna felt guilty, not letting the man go or detaining him to explain himself she had killed one of the last humans that seemed decent and could provide answers.
“I…I don’t think apologizing would be enough…but I am feeling regretful of my rash actions.” Luna admitted lowering her head, ashamed that her anger seemed to have ruined the young boy's chance at a family of sorts.
“Family…?” the boy questioned, taking a moment to no doubt look into what the word meant via the connection. “Was…he my family…” he questioned.
“I…am not sure little one, but I promise to you that I will take you with us. You will be safe, and you will be able to bask in the sun and look in wonder at my night sky.” Luna stated, adding a bit of pride towards the end at the thought of showing the young boy her starry sky.
“Starry? What’s that…?” the boy asked hesitantly, looking at the princess in curiosity.
Luna positively beamed, her excitement clear as her tail wagged if only a bit. She closed her eyes and reached out with her magic to the void around them.
“Let me show you.”
The void changed, the floor changed to a grassy hilltop with a nearby tree. Daniel looked around, admiring the grassland. Then he looked up…
“Woah…” Daniel awed, his eyes looking just a little brighter as above him was the full view of the night sky…at its absolute best.
The stars were in full display, but it wasn’t just the stars that caught his eye. It was the comets that passed through the night, the vibrant cosmic colors that filled in the darkness between the stars that from the connection with Luna could recognize it as a nebula.
“This is just a sample.” Luna teased as she raised a hoof, causing the stars to move in amazing ways that caused Daniel‘s eyes to widen more at the awe-inspiring majesty.
Luna smiled at the sight, she never noticed it but how often did she see that look on ponies faces? From what she could recall only she loved the night as much as this young boy seemed to, and a small flicker of sadness hit the lunar princess’s heart.
“...rin…cess”
Daniel and Luna looked up, the new voice coming from the endless starry sky. Daniel looked at the mare in confusion.
“P…rincess…”
“Is that…Vinyl?” Luna thought, as suddenly the spell was suddenly interrupted by a blinding light filling the space as they were showered in a blinding light.
A pair of gasps filled the room, as both Luna and the boy were startled awake. The former going as far as nearly falling off the operating table. Luna flashed a look of annoyance at Vinyl, upset at the sudden stop to her spell.
“General Scratch, what could possibly be so important you would interrupt such a delicate mind sp-”
The words never left her muzzle, as she saw all her ponies backing away in fear. Vinyl, who was normally calm, had a hostile expression as she attempted to push Luna farther from Daniel.
“What is wrong General…?” Luna asked hesitantly, causing Vinyl to look at her incredulously.
“Do you not see what happened?” Vinyl asked sternly, not keeping her eyes off the boy.
Luna looked confused, but looked back at the now healed boy who now was adjusting himself and looking towards the other ponies around him then settling on Luna’s with a hint of fear in his…crimson eyes?
“Crimson eyes? How? Is he like General Scratch or-”
“I…I’ve always…had my eyes…” Daniel stated, his voice raspy no doubt from dehydration. Causing Luna to look up at her horn, seeing that it was no longer glowing.
“How can you still hear my thoughts?” the princess asked concerned, gently pushing Vinyl aside as she stepped closer.
The boy shook his head, “Every…one,...asks about…eyes.” he continued, stopping to try and wet his bone dry mouth.
Luna sighed in slight relief, and looked at the boy. This time really taking his features in, noticing not only his crimson eyes and silver mane. It was captivating to say the least, but more importantly…
“Doctor Heart, please provide this boy with food and water. As much as he needs, I predict he is majorly dehydrated and starving.” Luna commanded, causing the doctor to snap out of his stupor.
“P-Princess…?” he questioned, not moving as she continued to star.
“Princess Luna, this creature is unknown to us and he has abilities that make him-”
“Dangerous General? I think not, now do as I ordered and see to it that Daniel here…” Luna gestures to the boy who looked at the General cautiously. “Gets a set of clothes for warmth as well.”
Vinyl looked at Luna in shock, it made Luna smirk a bit at the unicorn's stupefied look as she tried to understand her orders. However, she needed to help the boy and didn’t have time to lose.
“Attention to all who can hear my voice…” Luna bellowed, using her royal voice as she waved a commanding hoof. “This boy is under my protection, and as such should be treated as if he is my honored guest. Those who fail this order shall face my judgment.”
This caught all the medics and scouts to bow, snapping all of them out of their trances as all of them began to move feverishly except for one.
“Luna, who is this boy…?” Vinyl asked, still unsure and very suspicious about the boy.
“This boy…?” Luna again gestured to the boy, and only hesitated for a second before confidently stating “This boy is my son…Daniel Moon.”
