Moonlight Terror

Glass-filtered morning light drifted down upon the figure sleeping soundly upon its bed. Luna had the sensation of floating, resting comfortably there on her bed. All was well with the world and an overwhelming feeling of content filled her every fiber of her being. The whole of the universe was the haze of dawn in that room and she would be more than happy to stay there until the end of time. Her eyes opened slightly as Luna’s mind woke fully, demanding the same of her body before the stagnation of idleness claimed it.

Luna rose from her bed and stretched with a restfulness she hadn’t felt in millennia. She took in a deep breath and pondered for an instant about the metallic taste that filled her mouth. Her brow furrowed in thoughtfulness, she looked down at her legs, finding them specked with flakes of mud. Confusion flashed through her thoughts. Surely she had bathed the night before, she could swear she did.

Vivid memories of doing the same actions the night before flew through her mind as she washed the troublesome brown specks from her fur. Luna turned to look in the mirror on the wall to be certain she had rid her back of mud. What she saw took her by surprise though, the great gash along her back that had been a constant in her life for the last month had faded away. It was reduced to a white pencil-line scar only barely visible when she pulled the fur away from it.

Luna shook the astonishment from her mind as she returned to her bedroom to retrieve her accessories. After all, why look a gift horse in the mouth?

A faint silvery glow engulfed the onyx jewelry as it flew across the room to the princess. Luna gave a quick glance into the mirror to be sure everything was straight and bounded off to meet her day with vigor, all but prancing down the steps. Just like every morning since he was assigned as Celestia’s not so secret eyes and ears, Luna’s Impromptu secretary was waiting for her in the hall at the base of the tower.

“Your Highness,” he greeted her “Your sister has asked me to obtain your final verdict on how to deal with the rain situation,”

“The what?” Luna asked.

“The farm…” Ellipsis elaborated “The one you visited yesterday?”

Luna stood pondering her hazy memory of the day before. “Farm… yesterday, I was…”

Ellipsis stood awkward in the silence for several moments. “Your Highness?” he began.

“The farm!” Luna exclaimed as everything snapped back into focus. “Yesterday we visited that dreary farm near the quarries. ‘Twas an exceptionally dreary place with all the fog, and ‘twas exceptionally sad with the poor tale they gave. Ellipsis!”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“You are to go down and speak with the Pegasus in charge of the Canterlot weather team. Have them allocate the water necessary to provide for that farm. Take it from what is scheduled for the city if you have to. Our reservoir has been full for some time and the need of those farmers is paramount over the scenery for the city’s privileged,”

Ellipsis paused for an unnoticed instant. “Uh, yes; Your Highness,”

Luna started again down the castle hallway, the spring back in her step. Two guards standing at the doorway to the tower turned to each other with confused looks before turning their gazes to Ellipsis and the exiting princess, the former merely shrugging in his own perplexity.

Luna quickly left the three ponies behind, giving them no second thought, and walked into the dining hall Celestia had insisted they take their meals together in. Upon mystically opening the doors however, she was greeted with a sight she thought she would never see. Ever-punctual Celestia wasn’t there. Luna’s normally stoic face was now the resting place of a slight smirk at the thought of finally one-upping her sister.

Luna walked around the table to the far seat that Celestia would typically sit in so she would be pointed towards the entrance. Luna was relishing the mental image of Celestia, always planning things so thoroughly that she seemed almost all-knowing, slinking in late to breakfast to see Luna giving her a taste of her own medicine.

The image only sated her for a few minutes as her stare lowered from the door to the food in front of her. Surely this was the same hall? Yes, she had traveled across the castle enough in the time she had been back to learn of all the minor changes that had been done to the structure. Surely Celestia hadn’t decided to change the hall where they would eat? Perhaps as a joke to see Luna sit there for hours waiting for her breakfast? But the food had been set out, what would such a prank accomplish then?

Luna disregarded decades of etiquette lessons and began her breakfast without her sister. If it wasn’t a prank of some odd sort than Celestia would surely understand. She kept the thought in her head as she dug into the food, perhaps over doing it a bit without Celestia there to eat the other three-fourths. Luna waited several minutes more before finally giving up on her sister and leaving. She decided to take the long way around to Celestia’s room, cutting through the main hall.

A glance to her side saved her from half the trip as Luna spotted her sister in the throne room speaking to one of the guards.

“… Indeed Your Highness,” Luna caught the guard say “I would concur with the report’s description of ‘mauled’,”

“And you’re sure you have the area contained?” Celestia inquired.

The guard put on a reassuring tone “If it is still within ten miles of the area I have no doubt in my mind that the rangers will find it,”

Celestia sighed and looked unrelieved “Thank you Lieutenant” she said, causing the guard to quickly flourish a salute and exit the room.

Luna passed the guard half way through the room and was greeted with a grave bow, though the guard did not stop.

“What is the trouble sister? You missed our breakfast,” Luna stated.

Celestia looked into her sister’s eyes, “There’s been a death on the road outside the city,”

“’Tis very unfortunate, but what is so important about an accident on the road to warrant your attention?” Luna inquired, furrowing her brow.

Celestia shook her head, “This was no accident. It was an attack, by some sort of creature,”

“Still…”

“I believe this is the same creature from the forest,” Celestia clarified, “And I intend to catch it,” she added with a stamp of her hoof.