Chaos Origin

Chapters

Meeting At Night
Nightmare Introductions
Strange Games That Bewilder
Meeting At Day

Meeting At Night

A constant cold breeze flowed through the sleeping land of what would be known later as ‘Equestria’, a kingdom of prosperity and, for the most part, harmony. At the moment it was barely beginning; forests spread out as far as the eye could see, into the mountains, and before them, there were mostly empty plains or just little villages surrounding a modest palace. The villagers’ fields, though scattered outside of their village, were not vast, and promised only what was necessary to sustain them; the population and the place that they inhabited had yet to grow into a kingdom. Even so, the land and its pony inhabitants were already doing a wonderful job in its growth, guided always by their loving, faithful princesses.

The Everfree Forest, old as ever, was soon visited by the sudden appearance of a creature that was neither a pony, nor any other that had been seen yet. Before the creature landed inside the forest, it descended from a faraway place up above, perhaps from within the sky, followed by a flash of lightning.

It stretched after it landed on the ground of the forest, looking around at its new surroundings. “What’s this, now? Hm… Oh, interesting!” Soon, the creature understood the basics of the forest where he was, and entertained himself with the objects that were within his immediate reach.

However, after a while, the trees and bushes that surrounded him bored him. “I came here to have some fun… Guess I’d better find it, huh?” He laughed and floated forward, getting further away from the depths of the forest. He craved to find the fun and amusement that his previous home had failed to give him… Though he actually did not remember what his old home had been like in the first place.

He had no memory of who he was, or any idea or clue of where he was or what was out there; he did not even think about what awaited him. But he did know that he wanted to find fun and to escape from the boredom that he did remember. That simple fact was enough motivation for the young, mismatched creature to continue on his clueless journey in search of delight and entertainment.

~~~

A dark blue preadolescent mare stood over the window of the palace that overlooked the villages of her subjects. She carefully studied and watched over the bare, yet beautiful land that she and her older sister ruled over and guided each day and night to prosperity and well-being.

Just like their parents had done with their kingdom… They had faith in their daughters; they knew that this land would be turned into a glorious kingdom of love and unity to all… For years, it had progressed greatly; the sisters had done a wonderful job so far. No intruders that they had to vanquish; yet the young mare still took it upon herself to guard the beautiful night at all times, for she knew it could be the most vulnerable time of their land.

The soft and calm sounds of the night were very soothing and alluring, relaxing her while she performed her guarding duty. She had grown used to the silence and had learned to welcome it long ago, after she figured that not much would be expected of the Night. She’d learned to find beauty and tranquility in silence and loneliness. It was still somewhat bothersome; she couldn’t help feeling… sad, that there was no one around to share the tranquility with. But it was not as though the young one could help it; she had a duty to fulfill.

“Back to the task at hoof. No distractions shalt be permitted.” She shook her head to push strands of her short, light blue mane out of her eyes, and trained her eyes back on the outskirts of their kingdom.

Rather than focus on silly nonsense, she turned her attention on something that felt… off, about their land. There was a strange vibe, but the young princess could not place it. At first she thought it could be an intruder, but she had sharpened her security and watch over the borders of the villages, and everywhere that any trespasser could have hidden, up to the forests. Nothing had appeared.

She had a strange feeling that made her uneasy, but she could not put a word to it, so she stayed silent and watchful instead, contemplating any possibility of invasion, or an attack. Regardless, it was her night to protect; no one would endanger their beloved home on her watch. Soon as any intruder attempted anything dangerous towards them, the princess would make her determination clear upon action.

~~~

The mischievous stranger made his way out of the forest while he eagerly and curiously explored his surroundings. They were all such potential for great fun! All kinds of ideas were in his mind, and soon he blessed the fact that he could make them all surface around him.

He laughed while levitating objects danced around him, but then got back to his traveling, and noticed how quiet it all was once he left the forest. “Hmm… Wow, such a beautiful night… All creatures are asleep… Not a single disturbance of their peace. Oh, so peaceful, such harmony… Such boredom!” He gagged a bit and waved his lion paw dismissively, while his long, red tail swayed a bit to make him turn in the air.

After he turned in another direction, the stranger landed on the dirt ground that was filled with small bugs and critters. His attention was caught on a group of ladybugs on their way beneath some logs. Before they could escape, he tapped the insects with his hind hoof and claws, careful not to step over them. “Hey, there… Not going anywhere, are you? The fun just got started!”

He stretched out his eagle claw arm and snapped his fingers, watching the ladybugs as they grew and grew several times their size, until they towered high over the trees. After the insects grew in size, the mismatched creature extended his feather-tipped dragon tail and snapped the rear of the insects. Once they moved forward, he led them off in a wild stampede through the outside of the forest, and laughed behind them while they marched wildly at a frantic pace.

~~~

There it is again! The young Princess Luna gasped and steadied herself after the ground began to rumble. First, the rumbling was rather sharp and strong, but it lessened after a few minutes. However, it was still troubling. The uncomfortable feeling of unease had gotten even stronger; the Princess could no longer ignore it. She searched for anything unusual, but nothing occurred yet that she could see. “What hast happened?!”

There were loud noises coming from the edges of the forests; most likely the Everfree. However, those creatures knew better than to make upsetting noises during the night, Princess Luna always made sure they knew where their place was. There was no way they would violate her commands…

But, how did this happen, all of the sudden? It has been peaceful all night… There was nothing before the day. An attack like this… She flew over the palace until the ground stopped trembling, and made her way to the watch tower. She was about to call over the Royal Guard, but then noticed that whatever had caused the tremor was far from the palace and the villages that immediately surrounded it.

Whatever the intruder was, it was of massive size, and steadily made its way to the farther crop fields at an insanely rapid pace, almost like a stampede. But she could not discern what the creature was yet, not from that distance. “They had better not harm the fields!” She gritted her teeth and flew through the air as fast as her wings could carry her. While she headed in the direction of the massive beast, she prepared herself for what could be an intense, dangerous battle, for she knew not what monster awaited her ahead.

Princess Luna of the Night was perfectly capable of protecting her own domain; the power of the Night was with her. She had tamed and subdued the creatures of the Everfree Forest on her own at a young age so that they would pose no threat to her family and her subjects; she had set her rule over each and every one.

“Certainly a new and reckless invader shan’t be subject to trouble for us! We shalt vanquish this dangerous foe ourselves!” With this determination in mind, she flew closer to get a look at the beast.

What she saw next rather disappointed her. It was a large creature indeed, and it wreaked havoc across the clearings and roads that would eventually lead it to the field, however… She could not make out the form; even so, it seemed rather… ridiculous. She found it familiar somehow, but strangely not threatening as of yet. If it detected her presence, it made no effort to turn around and attack her. “What in the world…”

She stopped in her tracks when other beasts ran right past her to join the first large monster. They would have knocked her out of the air had she not flown higher. Even so, they still did not seem to mean any harm to her; they simply ran in the direction ahead.

“However, they still will get to the fields shall they run that way… Our largest produce doth be there!” She narrowed her eyes while she dove forward and flapped her wings as hard as she could. She would gain on the beasts and beat them to the fields so that she would stop them. The world of the night would not be threatened if she had anything to say about it!

The nagging voice of her teachers and sister told her to turn back and get help; it was probably too much for her to handle on her own. “Remember, sometimes it is better to get help, you do not always have to do things on your own… Thou art still in training; overdoing it will not guarantee better experience or faster results. We are here to help thee, Princess…”

Bah! While the sentiment is much appreciated… This ist something that We should be able to handle. The Princess of the Night can protect her domain by herself! She dodged the large wing of one of the creatures after it flapped it while it ran. It seemed like the creature had wanted to fly, but its weight did not permit it. Luna took the opportunity to fly ahead of that one while it tripped down for a few seconds. It ist the least We can do; our sister dutifully watches over the day and vanquishes any possible threat. We shall do the same! We shall not let us down, sister. These beasts will not defeat us, for our training has served us well. It ist about time that We prove it while fulfilling our royal duty. We shall make thee all proud! She smiled and made her way down to try to match the speed of the stampeding creatures. It was difficult to focus on her magic while she flew, so she instead decided to get ahead of the beasts and concentrate on spells later.

~~~

The mismatched creature took great delight in the antics of his overgrown ladybugs. They unwittingly charged through the clearings, the forests, everywhere that he could think of, leaving behind chaos that would take days to settle down! It was the best fun that he could have thought of yet. He always did believe that insects had great potential; all one had to do was adjust their size into something more interesting.

He blinked once he turned around and noticed that critters scurried away, startled by the rumbling ground. “Hey… You little fellas, why’re you so small anyway, huh? You’re so much fun, but as long as you’re this small, nobody will see that!” He raised an eyebrow and stared at them in bewilderment while the insects tried to scurry away from his claw and paw, once he picked them up. “Ah, don’t be scared… If you were bigger, you’d think more about having fun, like your friends over there. Let’s make that happen!”

With another quick snap of his lion paw’s fingers, the creature became surrounded in overgrown critters that looked around and went about their business, unconcerned of the things they charged through. The mismatched youth laughed and flicked his paw to direct the new group of insects and the stampeding ladybugs in the same direction. “Hey! Let’s keep it together, c’mon! I’m sure we can party afterwards!”

He summoned a leash to tie around the nearest ladybug's mouth. After the leash was secured, he kept a hold of it and jumped behind the insect. “Wa-hoo! Let’s keep the fun going!” He looked down at his rear legs, and grinned when a long, oval-shaped board appeared beneath them to let him slide behind the bugs.

He gasped and laughed when he saw that his movements startled all of the insects even more and kept them moving forward, pulling the board along to let him tag behind as though he was riding over water, though he was merely floating in the air, or riding on the ground alternatively.

~~~

Luna dodged the insects again, since by the time she gained on the ladybugs, the other insects had already charged through. “Ladybugs?! And… Those other things, but… What ist the matter with—wait!” She cried out a bit when a large ant crawled over the ground, almost beside her. Luna had to move away from it and the rest of the rampaging insects. Every time she encountered them, more were added to the stampede.

The horde of insects kept charging through the clearings that remained between the stampede and the crop fields. Once they were halfway to the fields, they reached a small hill with a dirt road in the middle for wagons, carts that usually carried the harvest back to the villages.

“Oh, great!! Let’s try something else out!”

The Princess gasped and growled a bit after she heard the voice, which most likely belonged to the leader and the one responsible for all the chaos. “When We get our hooves on thee…!” She stopped in her tracks once again when the dirt road was turned to ice in an instant. “How in the world did this… Magic!” Whoever it was used magic to aid his assault on their kingdom. It would be more difficult than she thought…

~~~

The young creature laughed while he slid along the ice road joyfully. He jumped in the air and twirled, skating along to lead the bugs forward. “Over here! Careful with the ice!” He laughed once the bugs fell down and tripped others, which slowed them down on their way uphill. “Hmm. Well, that was fun! Now, what to do next…?” He looked around in thought while the insects spread out around him. The line which had them together was broken, and now they scattered all around, since he no longer controlled them.

He didn’t see the young alicorn princess that used a great deal of her effort and power to cast her magic on his now scattered horde of insects.

~~~

Luna grunted and gritted her teeth with concentration while her horn was lit up by her cobalt blue magic. She cast spell after spell to contain the plaguing critters and push them back. She would not let them touch the crop fields that so many villages depended on. “Get back… We shall not allow this… BEGONE, VERMIN!" Her eyes glowed while she tightened her lips into a line from the concentration. Magic surrounded her body and burst out towards the insects.

She landed on the ground and panted from fatigue, but soon smiled with satisfaction when she saw that the force of her continuous spells scared the insects away. “Good…” She frowned and turned around, for there was another force to deal with.

~~~

The mismatched creature was snapped out of his thoughts by the flash of bright, blue magic behind him. “Huh?” He turned around to find the alicorn princess that scared his critters away. “Wait, what the…”

He floated closer to the mare while she warded off the last couple of ladybugs and ants, though he noticed that she was left tired from using magic several times. What’s this…? He teleported next to her and watched her for a few seconds before he spoke. “...Say, little one…”

Luna jumped and quickly got on her guard after she spotted the creature. “Thou art responsible for this catastrophe. Art thou not?! Dare not deny it; We hath seen proof of thy schemes!”

What…? The mismatched creature frowned and tapped her head, though she quickly stepped back and protested. He tilted his head when he saw the alarm and defensiveness in her light cyan eyes. “Um… Say; why’d you do that to my new creations? They were nice toys, and I happened to be having a blast with them. You should’ve stayed a bit longer to see them. Didn’t you like ‘em?”

“What… ‘Did We like them?’! Why would We ‘like’ them?! That… That…” Luna shook her head to try to clear it. She had to make use of all her skills and caution with that creature. It repulsed her; his appearance was nothing that she had ever seen or even read about… He seemed quite ridiculous, but she had a feeling that his power was nothing to underestimate. “...Who art thou?!” She cursed the high, shrill, foal sound of her filly voice, she could not help it. However, to make up for that, she stayed defensive, and fiercely demanded answers from the trespasser. She would not allow him to think that the Princess of the Night was a helpless filly, after all. “Answereth us! Why doth thou disrupteth our home with such… such… atrocities?! We demand that thou stop this act immediately, or thou shalt receive no mercy from our judgment!”

After Luna finished talking, the creature stared at her, then burst out laughing uncontrollably. D-did she just try to… scare me?! That’s… That’s hilarious! Funniest thing I’ve heard yet! He tried to speak between his laughter, holding his sides to try to stop. “That… Hahahah! That’s a really funny way to speak, you know! Where’d you learn that? It’s great!”

Luna narrowed her eyes. “What dost thou meanest?! Hold thyself together for thy Princess!”

“Huh? What? Hold on, hold on—lemme try it! I’ll give it a try, okay? My turn!” He laughed one more time, but then cleared his throat and tried to get serious, though snickers still escaped him every few seconds.

“We hath no time for these insulting motions of thine!”

“Chill! Okay, listen!” He gestured his claw to the side and made a long, twirly white wig appear above his head. “Okay, good. Now…” He looked down at himself and snapped his fingers, watching as a long, red coat appeared over him. After he was ready, he put on a solemn gesture and made a curtsy. “Be it not a most suited size, that which I hath bestowed upon those forsaken, minute critters? Hath thou concurred upon the notion that there is cuteness to their form of intimidation?” He spoke with a falsetto, but then snickered again when she glared at him through his act.

Luna gave him a silent but angry glare for a few seconds. “...Thou mocketh us. We speak with the most serious tone; thou shalt stop whatever thou hast done against our land at once!” She gritted her teeth and growled when she saw that some of the ladybugs were inching out of the forest. “Why, they…?!”

“Oh, stop!” The mismatched creature floated in front of her to block her view of the ladybugs. He sighed and shook his head once he realized that the Princess’ mind would not change. She did not appreciate the fun that he had created, so be it. “You’re no fun…” He looked aside as his claw lifted, and watched his oversized insects as they immediately returned to their normal form and were out of his reach. “There!”

Luna sighed and turned around. “Now We must return and explain that—” She stopped when the other creature appeared in front of her. “S-stand aside!”

“Hold on! I wanna know… Didn’t that make you laugh inside?” He floated around Luna to try to see her reaction. “C’mon, now… Not even a little giggle?”

Luna looked at him, then turned her face away. She still watched him from the corner of her eye while she tried to ward him off. “...Why would We be amused by something that mockest us? It ist an insult to us!”

“Geez, so serious… This’ll help!” He picked Luna up in his claw and paw, and snickered when she cried out in surprise. “Alright! ...Wait… What—no laughter? Hmm… Can’t have that, now, can we?” There were more snickers as a white feather floated around him, closing in on Luna.

“Ugh! Get thy claws off us, thou… beast! Whatever thou art, release us at once!” She glared at him again while she tried to struggle out of his grip, but he just held her secure again.

“Whoa! Hey, there, c’mon… Easy, little one! Stop that, okay? I’m not gonna hurt ya! I just wanna play.”

“Ngh… What?! ‘Play’?!”

“That’s right. What’s so bad about that?”

Luna gave him a deadpan look while he held her up. “...Fool. We art not to be played with! Now, release us! This shalt not be tolerated! It ist by far the most—”

The other creature sighed irritably before he covered Luna’s mouth with his paw. “Stop! Hey, how about we just… talk, okay? I said I’m not going to hurt you. Seriously, you’re far too little to make this kind of fuss.”

“Ngh, no! We wilt not stop until thou leaveth us alone!” Luna kept trying to struggle, but was careful to observe him. He was not hurting her, so instead of distracting herself with useless struggle, she focused on questioning him. “...Thou still hath not answered our question, creature. What ist thy name? For that matter… Why art thou here?”

“Hm? What?”

“Thou hath heard us. Answer our questions.” Luna raised an eyebrow and fixed her gaze on him. ...This might as well be the strangest creature that We have ever seen...

He returned the deadpan look for a few seconds, but then grinned and began to tickle her with the feather. Her questions were all but ignored while she started to laugh and struggle. “You talk too much, kid, dear… Um, dear you.” He watched her and kept holding her with his lion paw to make sure she would not fall while moving around, giggling under the assault of the feather.

Luna continued to laugh despite her best attempts to keep her regal composure. Pushing away from him was useless; he did not let her go. “S-stop it! Th-thou cannot do this, it ist… L-let us go!”

She tried to stop laughing to keep her dignity intact, but she failed badly at it. As if that was not enough, the Princess found that the more she was tickled, the more she began to enjoy it, just like a little filly would. She could not have that; she was a princess, and princesses were serious and respectable.

“Aww, c’mon, lighten up already! Isn’t it better to laugh with the moment? Just go with it! What’s that? ‘Let you go’? Oh, you know, I’d do that, really, but… You seem to be enjoying this. Who am I to interfere?” He lifted his claw and made the feather move to the tip of her hooves. “Heh, heh… Am I right?”

“N-no! Hahahah—s-stop! St-stop it this—this instant, just—” She broke down into laughter again before she could even finish her sentence. Luna had never experienced anything more embarrassing than the stranger’s assault that night. She could not even use her magic or think clearly, due to the distraction of that blasted feather of his. She had a feeling it would only get worse…

Just who was that strange creature, and what did he want? Why did he torment her like that? Much to her chagrin, she had to admit that she was to his mercy; he would not stop toying with her until he got what he wanted. But what did he want? Luna could not figure it out...

He made the feather vanish after he had enough fun with the tickling game. “Okay, okay. You’re done.” He laughed a bit more before he released her on the ground. “Boy, you sure are stubbornly curious, aren’t you?”

Luna shook a bit while she tried to compose herself and get her breath back. She glared at the mismatched creature all the while, thinking of ways to make him pay for the indignant crime.

“It’s alright; I’m curious about you too!” He clapped his claw and paw together and smirked. “Okay, how about this; I’ll tell you, but I’ll tell you my way.”

Luna sighed and shook his head. “We refuse to take further part in these… Huh? Where…” She looked around after the creature vanished from sight. “Whence hast he gone? Did he… leave at last...?”

The creature’s voice could be heard all around the Night Princess. “Far from it, little one! I’m all around you. Isn’t it neat, what I can do? Listen up, ‘cause this is who I am!” There was a whirlwind around Luna, followed by a whispered riddle. “I’m incomplete, but part of a whole. I craft and make all, yet have no tools. Where I’m from, I don’t know… Where I go, I sure don’t care. What do I want…?”

Luna was startled by a loud popping sound, followed by balloons and streamers. “Wh-what?!” She gasped and stepped back when the mismatched creature floated out from the balloons.

“To bring everyone a bit of fun!” He blew on a party horn and laughed while Luna inched away from him.

She gave him a cautious look while she kept her distance, but shifted in her hooves with irritation. “Oooohhh… Stop! That hardly gives us any answer! Thy 'creations' nearly destroyed a field that ist necessary for our survival, not to mention any other destruction that would have occurred. We do not think that ist 'fun’; on the whole contrary! These actions… They art something that must be punished—"

“Hm…? ‘A crop field?’ Is that where they were headed? Well… I guess there can’t be a joke without a good punchline. Right? You agree with that, don’t you?” He made a chair of marshmallows appear behind him and sat down on it. “Okay… But, you know… Now that we started this little game, I think it’s time for you to answer my questions.”

“Hmph. Nonsense. We have absolutely no need to follow along with thy requests.” Luna turned around and tried to walk away, but the floating marshmallow chair followed her wherever she went. “Stop!”

“Then answer my questions! I answered yours!”

“Hardly!”

“Ah, well.” The creature shrugged, then grinned while he thought up of the questions to throw at the princess. “Alright, let’s get started with the simple things. Who are you? What are you? I guess that’s a better question. What do you do? Why do you do it? How old are you? How long have you been—”

“Stop!” Luna opened her wings and stomped her hoof to silence the other creature. “Thou need not ask so many questions! They art hardly any of thy business; We shalt answer only those that We see fit!”

He raised an eyebrow and tapped his fingers together while Luna indignantly turned away from him. “That so? It’s a bit unfair… Heh, heh… Whatever! I don’t mind as long as you answer some.”

The young princess cleared her throat. She held her head high and spoke in a proud, solemn tone while she introduced herself. “Our name ist Princess Luna. We protect this land and the Night; We guide and rule over our developing kingdom, as We do over the endless power of the stars and the moon. Night magic is our power; the Moon is our symbol and connection. We were born a pony of the alicorn race, as was our sister, and, as were the rest of our family. As alicorns, our power allows us to oversee this land and care for it. We watch over other ponies and protect them with the power of the Night.”

"...And what, pray-tell, is a ‘pony?’" He picked one of the marshmallows from his chair and ate it, crunching it in his mouth as if it were roasted solid. "Do they do anything fun?"

"We suppose the subjects do amuse themselves with various activities. However, royalty like us… We hath different tasks, as the peace and safety of our pony folk doth fall upon our shoulders. Our responsibility ist always to be ready to guard and protect them.” Her eyes turned sharper while she fixed the creature with them. “...That ist why We came here; to make sure thou didst not pose any danger. It appears thou dost not, regardless of how ridiculous thy powers doth be. With that confirmed and clarified… We shalt be on our way." She stepped aside to turn around and walk away.

"Hm? Oh, no. So soon?" He teleported behind her and smiled when she stopped. "I’ve got an idea that you’ll like, Princess Luna. Why don't we play a little game? It’ll be another game; something more interesting. I’m sure you can’t say no to that.” He tilted his head aside and held it with his paw while he watched her. “C’mon… It’ll be fun! I’ve already mentioned that…” He stretched out his body in the air and lied down on it as though it was a solid surface.

Luna let out another annoyed sigh. “A game…? Oh, We hath no time for that. We already hath told thee that We art quite busy! It ist important that our duties continue through the night, and We cannot be distracted by thy ridiculous games!”

“Oh, hush! You really can get under someone’s nerves, you know… It’s just a game! It’s not like it’ll kill ya.” With a snap of his fingers, Luna’s tiara disappeared from her head, and instead spun in the air while he twirled it. He chuckled when the accessory grew a pair of bat wings and flew out of Luna’s reach. “Besides, how can you go back without your tiara, huh? Oops! It happens to be your princess crown… You can’t go back without it; too bad!”

“Return that, you heath—”

“Hold on; hear me out, will you? If you want it back, I guess we have no option but to play the game? Frustrated, are you? Ooh… There’s no other way to it.”

Luna tried to chase after her tiara, but stopped after a few failed attempts. Why, that mismatched thing…! “Rgh, why must thou make us waste our time like this?! We have important responsibilities, unlike thee!”

He teleported upside down to float above some of the clouds. The tiara flew playfully around him. “Heh, heh… You know, I really have no idea. You just look like you need some fun. I love to do these things; if you loosened up a little, you might actually enjoy them, too. But, anyway… Are you gonna play the game with me or aren’t you? You know what’s at stake~”

She grumbled while he laughed. “Argh… We have no choice! We shalt play thy game! However… We cannot waste much time, as We have plenty to take care of. Thou hadst best make it quick, or thou shalt face punishment for delaying a princess from her duties!”

She was nearly infuriated when the creature simply laughed at her demands. “We hath given thee an order!!”

He shook his head and blew a strong breeze past Luna. “Chill out! Let off some steam, will you? Relax, and I guarantee that you’re really going to enjoy this! It’s not good for a little filly to be so uptight all the time!”

Luna blushed and looked aside. “Hmph… We art not so little at all! What wouldst thou know…?” She looked up as three clouds appeared in front of them and circled one another. “What ist this now…?” She followed as many clouds as she could while they rearranged themselves.

“Okay, little Luna… Listen; all you have to do now is pick the right cloud, and you’ll get your tiara back! You have three guesses before the game is over. You ready? Go!”

She raised an eyebrow and looked at one of the clouds, on the left. "We choose... that one." She pointed at the twitching cloud with her hoof.

He twirled his fingers and the cloud revealed itself to be a sheep. It hopped over the clouds and went away. "Sorry. Guess again."

Luna blinked, then frowned a bit. She pointed to the one at the right, this time without saying a word.

He snapped his fingers, and the cloud revealed itself to be only an empty piece of cardboard. "Better luck on the next guess. But, the winner is...!"

She groaned with exasperation, then tried to push the remaining cloud away as it nudged her. "This ist ridiculous, what ist the point?" Her horn started to glow with her magic. "We order thee to stop playing games. Thou hast won, anyway. The crown is there, and We didst not choose correctly. Thou hast won the crown now." She gave the last cloud a resentful glare, then pushed it away with her magic.

"Oh, really?" He laughed while the cloud turned into a pile of white sand, from which he pulled out the black tiara. “So I guess I really did win, huh?” He smiled widely while he placed the tiara in his head to taunt her.

“Oh, stop! Give that back to us now! We art sick of fooling around with thee and thy games… It ist time for us to get back to the palace! Stop now!!” Her horn glowed with magic aura again as she threatened to throw him back with the force of her power, like she did with the insects. “We hath run out of patience. It ist over now, foul creature! Return our crown or we shalt take it from thee!”

The creature glowed white for a few seconds before he transformed himself into a replica of Luna. The doppelganger walked right in front of the original Night Princess, giving her the same stern look. “...Why doth thou threateneth in such a crude manner? Hath thou not enjoyed thy night? It hath been delightful.”

Luna stepped away from her copy and stared at her with surprise and a bit of shock. “H-how didst thou… Th-this magic… Thou shouldst not…” She shook her head and glared at the copy. “Why would We enjoy a night like this?! Thou hast ruined it! It has been the most irritating to say the least, and We say it ist now over! ...Just like thy game of copies.” She spoke with an authoritative and irritated tone, despite being so much smaller than the other creature and hardly larger than a younger filly.

“Hey, just calm down!”

“No! Shame is what thou shouldst feel, not delight! Mocking a princess in such a manner, it ist horrible! ...Not that thou wouldst understand the wrong of thine actions. Thou seemest utterly careless.”

“Careless? C’mon… You sound like you’ve never played a game in your life!” The creature sounded rather annoyed as it returned to his original form.

Luna stopped walking and looked down at the ground with a calm, stoic face. She had taken deep breaths to try to compose herself. “...We do not waste our valuable time with games that offer no profit; no experience and chance for us to get stronger and wiser to lead our kingdom. Our kingdom needs to grow, as do We… Games will not help us grow. Our training will, and there is a lot to complete of it. It covers so much for us to understand and master… It ist what will help us become better princesses, not these games…” She shook her head and turned away from him again. “Thou doth not understandeth our case.”

“It’s pretty boring, so, no, I don’t care to understand it, really.” He nodded curtly at her, then turned away.

“...Since We art the youngest… We must train even harder to catch up and be by the side of Princess Celestia… our older sister.” Luna smiled for the first time in the night, looking up at the starred sky. “...We wish to be an exemplary ruler and protector, like our sister ist. We love this land unlike anything else.”

Huh? This land… is what they love? Little Luna likes a place like this? He grimaced a bit while he looked at the very small part that was populated and cared for by pony folk, while the rest was still a very large, forested patch of empty land. Does she see something in this place?

Luna turned away from him and looked at the bare land that stretched out before them. She still had a small, proud smile on her face. "...Sister ist certain that this land thou seeth here... shalt indeed become a great kingdom one day, like our parents assured us that we would accomplish. She and our parents hath said that together, sister Celestia, and us, must love and protect it… So that it may be in peace and unity, and become what we dream of. Our sister’s pure power and wisdom keeps this land together and in peace… We help with all that We can, for We also rule the kingdom. We keep the peace as much as We can. It ist not difficult a task to love our home; a task, it even ist not. We already cherish this land, even if it ist not a kingdom yet. It ist beautiful, and so We hath vowed to do anything, to try our hardest, in order to keep it safe, and help our sister maintain the harmony and peace within it. As long as our sister ist here to spread her love and light over the land, and as long as We art here to help her, our home shalt not suffer.”

...Boy, that was some inspiring speech… Geez, what is up with this kid? He scratched his head in confusion before he looked at the land again. None of it was impressive; they had not spread their population out too much. The palace was small, still surrounded only by a bunch of villages grouped together. It was not that big of a deal at all. So… They like this enormous patch of dirt and would give their lives to keep the peace in it? Ewgh… What’s so great about it, anyway?

Luna blushed a bit after she realized how much she said, and for how long she spoke. "But… That… Thou dost not require so much explanation for so simple a matter. At least now thou wilt know best than to cause any more trouble to us, as this land and the subjects that look up to our protection art very important to us."

He watched while Luna stretched out her wings and prepared to fly off. “Huh? But… Okay, wait! With that speech and all…” He stood up from the ground and walked over to her. “No need to get so touchy about it, it’s not like we did much bad! I was just playing! You had fun, I know it.”

She looked back at him and raised an eyebrow, showing that her patience was running thin.

He chuckled and patted her head again, though she refused to be touched once more. “Boy, what a temper. You sure are easy to get in a bad mood, you know? Your nerves are paper thin.”

“What…?” She frowned and gave him a cute glare that she did her best to turn frightening and fierce against him. “Oh, silence, thou disrespectful fiend.”

“Oh-ho… A ‘fiend?’”

“Hmph. We shalt show thee benevolence for this instance only. Rather than imprison thee as thou deserveth…” She closed her eyes and turned away from him again. “Thou wilt be given a warning, and sent on thy way soon as thou moveth. However, be warned, beast of unsettling havoc…”

The creature floated around and only laughed the insults off while she tried to pin him down with her tone and glare. “What the heck are you talking about? You’re a little filly. Can’t you talk normal?”

Luna blinked, then blushed a bit before she approached him. She was about to fly after him, but decided to keep her composure and finish her warning, but not before putting him in his place. “WE ART PRINCESSES OF THIS ROYAL LAND; RULERS OF THOSE LIVING HERE. THIS BE THE REGAL, PROPER WAY FOR THY PRINCESSES TO SPEAK TO THEE. REJOICE AND SHOW THY GRATITUDE, FOR THY PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT RECOGNIZES THINE IRKSOME EXISTENCE WITH THE ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE, AND THE ROYAL MANNER.” After she finished speaking with such a loud volume, the Night Princess simply and calmly took a brief bow and gave the other creature a deadpan look.

He grimaced, rubbed his ears, and shook his head quickly to recover from the loud voice. “Geez… How can you say all those fancy, weird things so loudly? You act like it’s normal to talk like that, too… Boy, ponies are stranger than I thought! Who knew you packed such a voice, huh?” He folded his arms, then floated away from Luna before she pointed her hoof down.

“Do not leave yet, as We art not finished speaking to thee.” She gave him a stern look while he lowered down closer to her. “As We hath warned thee… If thou shalt disturb the peace of the Night in any other way… Then maketh sure that thou repentest for thine actions We shalt!”

He yawned and stretched again. “Ugh… Anyway, what? Wait… You talk like we’re not gonna meet again!”

“We certainly hope that we do not!”

“That’s no fun…” He rolled his eyes, then rubbed his claw and paw together while he grinned at her. “Oh, Princess of the Night, you have no idea… Heh, heh… I’m sure you and I are gonna have a lot more fun together! This was just the beginning!”

Luna frowned, then looked around in alarm. “...It cannot get any worse, otherwise there would be chaos in our home… And thou wouldst be the culprit!”

“Would that be so bad? This place can change for the better! Change isn’t a bad thing. Fun would make it better so much faster, I’m sure! I’ve only been here for a short while, but… You know what? This is the most fun I’ve had so far! Nothing better like this! I could keep it up all night and day!”

Luna sighed and held her hoof over her face. “Oh, no…”

“Oh! I just remembered something! Speaking of the day…” He gave Luna a curious smile before he floated closer to her. “Shouldn’t the night be over? Should’ve been sunrise a few minutes ago, right?”

She glared at him as if he had said something annoyingly obvious and cynical. "Yes. It should indeed be sunrise by now. Dost thou know what else? We should hath done so much work that was assigned to us yesterday, yet... We hardly got anything productive finished, leave alone in time… All due to thy fooling around and distracting us, with no disregard and concern of our duties! Such a ridiculous waste of time… That ist all thou made us do. Now We art behind… Oh… Trust us; We shalt never speak to thee again!"

“Huh? But, wait, I actually wanted to—” He grimaced and turned away as Luna vanished in a blast. He next found her flying rapidly through the air, surrounded by the aura of her magic. “...Ugh… Boy, was she a mouthful! I had no idea ponies could be this stiff and uptight! ‘Blah, blah, rules’ here, ‘blah magic’ there, ‘so and so protecting the land’ some more, ‘respect us’ over and over… She’s no fun at all!”

He stayed quiet for a few seconds, listening to the sounds of the night creatures that crawled around in the forest behind him. After he calmed down, he found that he was rather curious about the ponies again. He decided to relax and rest deep into the forest, just as the sky turned a light shade of blue.

"Oh, she’s adorably cute when she is furious, I’m not gonna deny that!" He snickered as he headed back to the Everfree Forest. On his way, he changed the colors of every dirt road that he found, and made them slick so that he could slide along them, laughing all the while before he reached his destination.

Author's Note

...Yep! I'm writing MLP Fanfiction. 'Cause, I like MLP: FiM. I am also totally hooked and loving this story that we're doing, based off the show's elements, with some spins of our own, as you may have noticed. This is actually a role-play that my friend and I started a while ago. He's a secret brony, so I'm not sure if he feels comfortable with me saying his name yet; I won't, just to be on the safe side. But boy, he plays a great Discord! I'm... basically every other character except Discord, including many of the villains that will be distributed later on. So, no villain characters for me... yet.

In this chapter, Discord has appeared in the world of ponies for the first time ever, but... I won't spoil from where he has come yet. It will be explained later. The land that he reached is old, barely starting its progress into a kingdom civilization. It is yet to be named; yet to be even fully inhabited. It's just a cluster of villages grouped around the princesses' palace, though the number of villages increase with the population. It is still far from being named Equestria.

...I do realize that there might be some historical issues regarding our headcanon of Equestria's foundation. Namely, the... bickering, between the three races. However, as I said, Equestria hasn't been founded and formed yet. It technically doesn't exist yet; it's just a... baby kingdom.

Our cute mismatched creature, who isn't named yet, but we all know who it is, has met a young Princess Luna for the first time. They're so young and cute—OHMYGOD! :squee: I understand that Luna's a bit of a pompous jerk, but she has reasons for being this way, as you may imagine. ...Her speech later in the chapter... It... Hmm... I've been reading Inuyasha, so... Those of you know know about it might find a few elements of it down the road of the story. Couldn't help it; Inuyasha rubbed off a bit, but it's okay.

I think that what my friend and I made is wonderful. I love the relationship between these two; the mismatched creature and Luna hardly know each other yet, but they're already bickering like a brother and sister!

Anyway... :cough: Um... Enjoy! Let's see how many people like this... My original stories have been so unsuccessful for the most part, that... I've set them aside on indefinite hiatus.

Nightmare Introductions

The Night Princess spent the morning resting while Celestia devotedly took over the daytime obligations. She was nocturnal and as such, more often than not left the day entirely under the responsibility of her older sister while she peacefully slept to be ready for nighttime.

That late morning, though, the common peace was disrupted by the unusually busy schedule of the maintenance ponies that worked at the palace gardens.

Luna sighed and nestled into her big pillow. She jumped a bit when other loud noises woke her up again. Very, very loud noises. It was, once again, the constructors that hurried over some of the garden spots, complaining about how they had been turned into soap or something like that.

She could also hear her sister’s faint voice as she tried to explain and calm them down, then turned to somepony else. It sounded as though she was scolding that somepony, but Luna could not hear much of it, and honestly, did not really care.

That was supposed to be her resting time. She understood that daytime was much busier than night time (not once did she think of the noisy ponies as inconsiderate), but still...

She muttered wearily to herself. "Oh, how could We have forgotten...?" Her horn glowed blue with her magic as she looked at the window.

The heavy curtains of the window glowed blue as well and closed themselves. Perhaps if she closed the draping curtains the noise would stay out.

"Hmph. We should not have spent so much time with that... strange, creature, thing...” She yawned as her eyes started to close, and she rubbed them. A groan came out of her when she noticed that she could still hear some of what went on outside. “Unbelievable, how wilt We get enough rest with all that noise...?”

She shifted a bit and wondered just what was happening out there. “Perhaps some light reading wilt help...” She pulled out a book from the shelf and opened it before her. However, her ear twitched again as she heard the faint sound of dirt being dug up.

Just when she was about to get up, though, the stars that were scattered all around her room started to glow from the darkness, just the way she liked it. The music box that Celestia had given her as a present long ago also began to play, soothing her with the lullaby melody. “Hm... We did not... turn that on...”

A dark shadow crept out of the music box. It watched the young princess as she slowly succumbed to tiresome sleep again.

Luna nodded off as she stared at the blurring contents of her spell book. “...Cancelling spells work... Nul-Nullification... energy... through...” She lifted her head for a few seconds as she tried to focus, but that moment of awareness lasted even less than the last one.

The shadow flew just a bit closer as she continued her attempts to read.

“...Thoughts...” Her eyes opened a bit more when she got the strange sensation that something was in her room. “Oh... W-Wake up, Luna, there ist nothing here... Just us, drifting off to sleep. Do not... This chapter ist impor--”

The music from the box got a bit louder to penetrate through her half-formed thoughts.

“Impor... portant... To...”

“Go on, sweet princess... See how tired thou art? Get some well-deserved rest, now...”

Luna yawned as her eyes finally closed. She mumbled incomprehensibly as her body finally slumped forward as her weariness beat her.

The shadow laid her carefully on the bed as she completely drifted off. “There, good girl... Sleep well, Princess...” It grinned and entered her dreams as she moved a bit and nuzzled the open book as a pillow.

~~~

In her dream, Luna blinked and looked around with confusion. She did not realize yet that she had fallen asleep so quickly, and that the place where she was consisted entirely of a dream. What didn't help was that everything around her room looked just like it did in waking reality.

"Hm. Strange. Were We not on our... pillow?" She looked back at the pillow behind her. Even the book she had tried to read laid there, open, on the page where she left off.

She walked out of her room to find that every single corner of the palace was deserted. “Whence hast everypony gone...?”

Even the gardens were unattended. “How strange...” She was startled when loud trumpets and the sound of marching ponies was heard over in the distance.

A parade of soldiers and servants walked through the city's streets. They praised the Sun Princess, who sat in a mobile throne as the main attractor for the parade. The soldiers also carried a different flag, not of the two sisters, but of a white mare that raised her hooves with the sun on her left and the moon on the right, on her own.

The crowd of subjects was ecstatic as the mobile throne made its way through the road.

"Hm?" Luna looked around at the ponies that lined up at the dirt roads and cheered. “Such a celebration...” She walked over to them and noticed their joy as they cheered for the princess that sat on the throne before them. She watched as she gave them a warm greeting.

“It ist for her...” She looked up at the unknown flags. “Who ist that? Why dost everypony worship her this way? Have We heard of her? She dost not--”

"All hail Celestia! All hail Celestia!" The roar of the crowd continued ferociously, startling her from her thoughts. The figure from before, named Sombra, looked at the scene below from the top of the palace.

Luna was speechless with surprise once the crowd revealed the princess’ name. She frowned as she looked at all of the ponies that screamed so excitedly.

She heard the subjects perfectly as they screamed her older sister’s name so loudly, but she could not recognize Celestia as the mare in the flags. "Celestia? Why do We have the feeling this ist something like... the future...?"

She looked up at the image on the flags, noting again that only ‘Celestia’ was printed on them. With both the sun and the moon at her sides, at that. "Wait. Just... Just Celestia...?"

She walked through the crowd, observing every pony that she laid eyes on. "They art all saying our sister's name. But... What about ours...?"

Sombra's eyes glowed white as he cast a spell to manipulate a pony near Luna. "Hey, kid, move out of the way. Taking my spot here."

The shadowy unicorn expanded the spell to ensure that nopony could hear or mind Luna.

"What? Wait. Who dost thou thinkest We art?! How darest thou speak to us in this manner, it ist not appropriate!" She glared at the ponies. "We demand an explanation. What ist this, all of a sudden...?!"

Her wings fluttered and lifted her ever so slightly as she grew frustrated while trying to get their attention.

"Answereth us!" She looked up at the crowd of ponies, who were all much older than she was. But their age did not give them the right to ignore their princess. She would make it very clear to them. She took a deep breath as she stepped forward.

"THY PRINCESS DEMANDEST THINE ATTENTION!" She called out to all of them in what would be known as the booming Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice.

Sombra reinforced his spell as he manipulated the ponies again. That time, the crowd boomed an exuberantly loud cheer. "All hail Celestia, our one and only ruler!"

Luna opened her eyes a bit wider with surprise and shock. "What... What ist this...?!" She looked at them desperate and sadly. "Why...? Why would..." Her eyes started to fill with tears. She shut them close and tried to composed herself, to no avail. "Stop this! Stop all of this! It ist wrong! We rule together! Our sister and us! Stop this!"

She whimpered a bit, then frowned as her horn started to glow. "Show... Show thyself..." she practically hissed. Her irises glowed a bit as her magic powered up from her anger, fear and sadness, instead of weakening with those emotions.

She still could not believe what she saw. It had to be somepony else's work. She would draw that somepony else out and make them stop whatever it was they were doing.

"SHOW THYSELF!" Her magic was unleashed upon the scene before her.

The shadow silhouette pony appeared in front of the whole parade. The rest of the ponies stood paralyzed as he stopped some of the illusion to focus on Luna.

Luna frowned as her tormentor finally showed himself before her. “Thou art--”

Sombra bowed his head, then looked at her again, with a smile on his face. "Princess Luna, Thy Highness... Why deny the truth? Only by embracing it couldst thou truly see through the mirage that thou livest in."

"Who art thou?!" She lowered her head to keep her horn ready in case he attempted anything. She did not like at all that he did not comply to any of her demands.

Sombra motioned to himself after he bowed in a respectful reverence. "A ruler from a distant land. We have come to thine aid, in this dark moment...”

Luna looked down at him with surprise as he suddenly bowed before her. “What--”

He smiled up at her as his brilliant scarlet eyes glowed just slightly. “...Our dear queen."

"Queen? What art thou talking about? We... Celestia and I rule together. We wilt rule together over this land. That ist the way it wast decided. And We art still training.” She shook her head and glared at the scene before her. “This ist not real. We order thee to stop at once!" She turned her glare back at him.

Sombra chuckled as he walked around Luna. "Oh, it ist not real? Then We suppose every subject of thine must love the beautiful night thou givest to them. They probably play and work during the night, being ever grateful to their night ruler... Oh, but that ist right, they do not. They art not grateful at all. Instead, they spend their time sleeping and resting, as they see very little use for the night.”

Luna looked as though she would protest, but Sombra continued to speak without looking at her.

“That ist why thine image ist not there, in those flags, and why thy name ist not called by all those ungrateful subjects. Thist ist not an illusion, princess, this ist real. As real as those ponies that neglect thy beautiful night, all of them. Art We wrong?"

Luna felt hurt for a second, but she composed herself. "What dost thou want?! We wilt not allow thee to speak ill of us, or our subjects for that matter! Thou knowest nothing of us!"

Sombra moved around her as he spoke. "We want what thou wantest, dear Queen. The rightful title as ruler of the land ist thine, why not take it? While thou workest hard to remain vigilant of the night, thy sister merely enjoys each of her precious days to play around in all her gathered company.”

“But Celestia--” She jumped a bit as he leaned closer to her and stared right into her eyes.

He spoke softly as she scowled at him and tried to get away. “From where We see it, thou shouldst be the true ruler. Wouldst thou not like that?"

She took a deep breath to try and remain calm as she had been taught. Observe thy surroundings carefully... Do not be fooled by the enemy’s tricks. No matter what they might say to make their act believable, We must not fall.

She glared back at the shadow pony. "This ist an illusion. Nothing but a dream."

Sombra chuckled and shook his head. "Once again... No. This ist neither a dream nor an illusion. This ist a vision of what could be. A fair warning, if thou wilt. This injustice towards thee We cannot tolerate, and have come to ammend it rightfully. Thy rule was meant to be, our queen."

They now stood in the balcony of the throne room.

He watched as Luna sat over geese-feathered pillows, with servants surrounding her, tending to her every need and call.

Below her stood a crowd of ponies that had gathered from all across the land. An enormous garrison of soldiers guarded the palace. They wore shining silver and violet armors that held a new crest. The guards and subjects all saluted different flags; ones with the Moon Princess’ image printed on it.

The image on the flags was of her standing in between the sun and the moon, all on her own, instead of Celestia.

The chant of the crowd was loud and clear. "All hail Luna! All hail Luna!"

She looked down at the crowd, frowning. "But... But this..."

"Feels right, dost it not?" Sombra stood behind her with a wicked grin on his face. He looked down at the crowd of adoring ponies. “They now worship their rightful ruler, our queen. Thou hast finally gained thy rightful place, both in the throne and in their minds. Thou shalt be what all these ponies think of and love. Thine older sister never worked half as hard as thee to earn all the appreciation that thine subjects showed her. She dost not deserve it, it ist wrong. Now all shall be fixed. Rewards wilt come to those who deserve them.”

Luna turned away from the vision. She confronted Sombra again. "But it ist wrong. Celestia and I rule together, dost thou not understand? That ist the way it ist meant to be, that ist why we both trained!"

"And yet only she wilt be remembered. After all... Who would remember a princess that decided to live in her sister's shadow?”

Luna gasped and backed away as Sombra walked towards her and continued his hurtful speech. “N-No...”

“Perhaps when ponyfolk begin to address thy presence as 'Celestia's little sister' thou wilt realize her superior position." He moved to her left ear and whispered to her. "Tell us, who wouldst she choose? If the moment came, and the choice between thee or the throne had to be made, who would it be? Dost thou truly believest that she cares for thee so much, enough to abandon her seat?”

He patted her head as she shivered just the slightest bit. “Maybe it ist easy for her to treat thee kindly, because she sees no challenge, no threat in thee. Thus, there ist no need to be harsh and impolite towards the little sister.”

She did not respond as she stared at the floor. His words sank in and she could not help it, they were filled with so much cruelty... It all seemed so real and possible...

No, it ist not. We must remember that, this ist not the truth. Do not be fooled, keep thy mind clear.

“Thou knowest it could be possible, our queen. Perhaps she already sees a future where thou remainest below her...” He hissed with anger. “Controlled, as she wants thee to be..."

She took another deep breath to level herself. "This... ist not real. It ist wrong. Thou wilt not deceive us, whoever thou art.”

Sombra raised an eyebrow as she smiled a bit.

“We wilt find a way out of this. It ist only a spell of thine that We can definitely break!" She smiled a little and closed her eyes to concentrate.

She tried to find logic, to remember things that would help. She had been reviewing a book on her bed, in her room. She had fallen asleep, it all was most certainly a dream. It would not be difficult at all, to cancel out his spell... She just had to think like that, to have confidence in her--

Sombra roared and let out a loud, dark laugh.

~~~

The palace and everything else around them vanished. It all became nothing but a black room with a pale light at the center.

Luna stood at the room's edge, accompanied only by an oval mirror placed in the center, below the light. She sighed as she tried to look around her. "Now what...?"

A dark voice whispered to her. "Come close to the mirror, and face your fate."

Though Luna could not see the voice, she snapped at it nonetheless. "We do not care about that. We wilt end this, there ist no need for us to be tormented by--” She was cut off as the mirror in front of her glowed.

"Hm. Was I this pathetic before? No wonder our banishment came to us with such ease," a female cocky voice echoed through the room.

Luna tried to locate the voice, for she heard it everywhere in the dark, small place. "Who ist that?"

"I'm over here, idiot," the voice spoke again. As the echo died, Luna noticed that it came from the mirror itself. The mirror flashed with light every time that the cold sound emerged from it.

Luna stepped closer to the mirror. She seemed annoyed, but also frightened, though she tried to hide it. "When ist this going to end...?"

As she stepped right in front of the mirror, she saw her own reflection staring back at her. She raised an eyebrow. “But... This ist...”

Her reflection smirked. “Not surprising? Just you wait.” She laughed a little as a swirl of blue magic surrounded her and startled Luna as it took a new form.

A tall alicorn mare stood before her, in place of her reflection. Her coat was a very dark cerulean that looked nearly black. Her blue mane flowed around her body, surrounded by a glowing light violet aura.

She wore light blue armor, hoof plates, and a helmet that sparkled as she moved.

Her cyan, slit-pupiled eyes were fixed upon Luna with a glare full of contempt and pity. "Hm. To think I came from you. So sad."

"Thou art..." Luna’s eyes widened slightly as she stepped back just a bit.

"Nightmare Moon! Ruler of the Night, rightful owner of the throne!" She gazed into Luna’s eyes and laughed. "What is it, little one? Scared?” She smirked, leaning closer to Luna. “You should be."

Luna got serious. She lowered her body as she crouched slightly in a cautious pose. "Why?"

"Why? Because I am all you feared to be! I am your hatred, jealousy, and power combined. THE TRUE FORM!" Her yell echoed loudly within the room.

Luna braced herself from the volume of the reflection’s voice. She shivered a bit. "Just... What dost thou want?! We... We refuse to believe thee, We do not want anything to do with thee or anything else!” She looked away from the mirror to speak to Sombra, whom she still could not see. “Let us go!”

Nightmare Moon’s mane burst out of the mirror and grasped Luna by her neck, suffocating her. Her expression was full of anger and loath. "Have you any idea what I suffered because of your weakness?! You are the reason she took the throne and BANISHED ME!"

Sombra watched from above. He smiled a bit as as Nightmare Moon yelled at Luna and frightened her further. "Incredible what a drop of evil can do to her heart. This seed wilt awaken in time, We art sure..."

Luna grunted and screamed a bit. As she cried, her eyes glowed white. She unleashed her magic energy soon after that.

~~~

Meanwhile, Celestia tried to contain Luna, who had been acting strange, as described by the servants at the palace that had been working close to her room. She screamed and walked around in her sleep, and at that moment was about to unleash an amount of magic that could be dangerous.

"Luna! Luna! Luna, wake up! What's wrong?! Stop this!" Celestia called out to her sister loudly. She bracing herself against the magic energy and tried to cancel the spell with her own magic

Sombra’s voice echoed in Luna’s mind. "Darkness wilt come again, Queen Luna. Embrace it." With that, he vanished out of Luna's dreams and was on his way back to the Crystal Empire.

Luna collapsed to the side as Celestia rushed over to her. Her sister’s magic aura had disappeared from around her body immediately. “Ngh...”

"Luna! What happened? Are you alright?" She knelt beside her and tried to help her up. “Luna, answer me.”

"W-What...? What happened?"

Celestia sighed and shook her head as she patted Luna’s. She spoke in the formal way to make Luna feel better and comforted. "Thou wert acting very strange, Luna. Had us worried. Dost thou feel better now?"

Luna shivered a bit as she panted slightly. "Y-Yes... We believe so..." She stood up and looked at Celestia.

She couldn’t help it. She immediately back of the nightmare had. Everything in her dream had put Celestia in doubt before her... Everything had seemed so cruel... “Oh, sister...!”

Celestia blinked and looked down at Luna with surprise as the pre-adolescent filly immediately jumped and hugged her. “Luna...”

“E-Everything... It wast... Sister, it wast frightening, We... We art so sorry!” She continued to cry on Celestia’s chest as she hugged her tighter.

Celestia smiled and patted her head again. “There, there, little one. It was just a nightmare. Do not worry, I’ll always be here to drive them away.”

We... We art afraid thou wilt not be enough... We art sorry, but thy presence just wilt not be enough... What art We to do, sister...?! She shut her eyes closed and nuzzled against Celestia.

“Let’s go put you back to bed, okay? You need to rest...”

Luna clung to her. “N-No, sister! We do not--”

“It will be fine, little sister. I will be with you until you fall asleep.”

“B-But what... What if the nightmares come back?” Luna looked up at her as her eyes teared up again. She shook her head. “We do not want to go to sleep again!”

Luna had always been rather sensitive to nightmares, Celestia knew it. They always seemed to be more realistic than anypony else’s, for some reason. She would not dismiss her little sister’s worries, even over her duties. She still had plenty of time to tend to Luna’s needs.

“I will be right beside you to drive them away. I might not be in your room all the time, Luna, but I will be here at the palace. All you need is call for me and I will be right over, ready to make you feel better. Okay? Does that work for you?”

Luna looked down and nodded. She still felt quite scared and doubtful.

She wished with all her heart that her sister’s kind words and presence were enough. Those despicable, ungrateful feelings in her subconscious were more than the little princess could bear, and she felt only shame and loath towards herself.

Those wretched emotions shunned and hated her sister to no end, frightening even Luna herself. Yet there she was, shamelessly clinging to Celestia’s warmth and comfort. As she took refuge in the Sun Princess that her nightmares spoke so ill of, the Night Princess felt even smaller and more pathetic.

In the end, nothing would change. Celestia would not be able to save her from her nightmares, and neither would she, even though those bad dreams were her own. No one would take her away from the hopeless darkness that she felt when she looked at her beloved sister.

The darkness haunted Luna and would never let her rest. She was plagued by the horrible fear of losing the only light in her life, to her own negative emotions.

That fear grew closer again and again. It gripped her as much as the nightmares against which she struggled. There was no hope for anypony to save her, she knew that.

Instead, Princess Luna would carry her burden day and night. She would be subject to its torture nearly every time she slept.

Celestia tucked Luna in her bed and made sure she was comfortable. “There. Remember, I will come back as soon as you need me, little sister.” She smiled warmly at her before stepping away from the room. She left the door just slightly open.

“Sister...” Luna’s eyes filled with tears as she turned over in her bed. She tried to fill her head with the duties that would await her during night, hoping that all those busy thoughts would distract her and help her sleep peacefully.

She sighed, wiping her tears away. It ist so hopeless and... unlike us... But... There ist nothing else to do... No one else can help us, sister. Not even... Not even thou can. We love thee, but... These darkness ist after thee, it shalt only endanger thee... We cannot allow thee to interfere and get hurt... It ist our problem alone...

Author's Note

Third chapter, yay! Luna kind of meets Sombra here, who in turn introduces her to Nightmare Moon for the first time. That shady Sombra... And... I'm not very content with him here. I feel like he made an appearance way too suddenly, out of nowhere. Maybe I should have introduced him earlier... But I have no idea how to go about that.

Eh, little Luna came a bit too emo at the end, probably... But she's desperate and frightened! Who wouldn't be, after going through those nightmares so often, right? Poor young Luna... She's still a child, she doesn't deserve to go through those things! I want to show Sombra a thing or two right now.

ARCHAIC SPEECH! It's fascinating, but UGH!!! I hope I got it right this time. Better than before this was updated, at the very least. Please give me your opinion at least in that, I want to make sure I'm on the right track. I mean, I want to make young Luna accurate in her way of speech, but I don't want her sounding like an idiot with grammatical errors (and me, while we're at it, since I'm the one responsible for her speech, as well as the other 99% of the events and stuff that occur here).

Strange Games That Bewilder

The mismatched creature sighed as he flew around the palace grounds. “I wonder what’s taking her so long...” He looked around for the princesses that he had become more familiar with. He raised an eyebrow when he did not find either of them.

He had followed Celestia when she rushed back to the palace, though she had given him no satisfying explanation as to why she was in such a hurry. All she had done was talk to a messenger when he approached her, then rush off.

“Well, this is boring... Maybe I should go look for her inside.”

He was about to teleport inside the palace, but decided against it. He had already caused plenty of amusing trouble through the gardens, so much that the ponies that had to walk by gave him glares and annoyed looks.

He laughed a bit as the gardeners mumbled and avoided him. “C’mon, you gotta admit it was funny! Until Celestia made me change everything back to normal...”

So he stayed in the grounds, thinking of what to do that did not include turning his surroundings into different, odd creations. That would get him in trouble that he did not feel like dealing with it. He just wanted Celestia to get back out so they could do something fun again.

“Hm... What to do, what to--got it!”

He floated over to some guards and frowned as he watched them. “Well, they look so serious... We should fix that!” He snickered a bit and decided to try a new trick that he had come up with. “This will be good...” As he lowered down to the wary guards, his eyes started to glow. “Well, hello there...”

~~~

Celestia looked at Luna as they walked down the path to the gardens together. "It was very strange, Luna. I had never seen you do that before."

The young mare looked down nervously. "We... We just had a nightmare, that ist all, sister.”

“But you were so frightened... Oh, I suppose that was nothing, either?”

“Th-Thou knowest how we get with a nightmare, Celestia... R-Really, thou dost not need to worry so much. Instead, we should get to work, since we art both awake and ready for our duties. We cannot believe so many hours hath already passed...”

Celestia smiled and chuckled. “Well, you did take a long nap, so that helps. I am glad you are okay now.” She patted Luna’s head. Then she blinked and gasped a little, as if she had forgotten something.

“What ist the matter?”

“I forgot... He’s still waiting... Oh, dear, I hope he did not get impatient and started again...”

Luna frowned and raised an eyebrow at Celestia. “Celestia, what art thou talking about? What dost thou meaneth with--”

“I don’t have time to explain, Luna. I have to find a... guest, that I was entertaining and keeping in line until, well, until this incident occurred. Who knows what he might do if I don’t find him soon...” She chuckled a bit. “Oh, he is quite a hooffull.”

“But, sister, who art--” Luna saw her sister leave before she could finish her question. She sighed. “Dear... As if that creature from last night wast not enough...”

She walked down the garden as she thought about what Celestia had said before she left. She suddenly got an idea. “N-No... She... She could not have meant...”

Faint noises came from the side garden. She turned around and sure enough, she found the creature that had so unnerved her the night before.

He laughed to himself as he played chess... with himself, it appeared.

His body was divided in half, and the lower half floated along with the top and the chessboard. It appeared to be a good opponent for the top half. The pieces for the game, Luna discovered, were a group of royal guards that moved slowly and remained still, with an absent expression, which was not a normal reaction if one was in such a strange situation.

"What?!" How didst thou come across him, Celestia?!

His upper half stood in a thinking position. His lower half motioned its feet from across the board. The guards clumsily moved to its command. They hardly uttered a sound as they stood quite still once they reached the destined tile.

Luna huffed a bit and made her way to him. She scowled up at him and cleared her throat.

He put a paw over his mouth as he thought. “Hm... Nice one. Maybe I should move there instead...”

Luna glared at him. “Creature! Mind thy manners! As long as thou remainest in this land, thou shalt address thy princess at once!”

He moved an ear as he heard Luna’s annoyed lecture. Then he smiled smiling when he saw her. Once again, he completely ignored Luna’s scolding. "Why hello, Luna! Care to join us?" He snapped his fingers and the board became a triangle, with six royal guards on each side.

She narrowed her eyes. “It ist ‘Princess Luna’, for thine information. Thou knowest this very well!”

“Ah, well. It’s kind of a mouthful. And I guess I just love seeing you get all worked up like that.” He snickered and moved one of his pieces.

“Hrrm...” She took a deep breath and chose to ignore his taunting. Calm thyself. Do not let thy composure slip away before... She trailed off in her thoughts as she looked at the board and the guards.

She was suddenly upset by the guards’ irresponsibility, once she noticed it again. "What... What art thou doing? Back to thy duties! It ist not thy place to play around like this! Return to thy guard!"

The guards could not obey due to the spell. They remained standing on the board, with green swirls in their eyes. Only a few moved, and only when they were commanded to. They stared off into the distance with a vacant look. She saw that some of the guards even nodded off, while the eyes of other guards drooped.

She growled a bit and clopped her hooves on the ground, then made several noises to try to startle them into alertness. “Guards!” She glared at them when all they did was move to the tiles they were directed to.

The playful creature looked at Luna as she tried to get the guards to return to their duties. Then he glanced back at what he saw now simply as his game pieces.

"Oh, were these your toys? I didn't know... Oops! Don’t worry, Luna, just borrowed them for a minute to play with them. Hope you don’t mind." He floated in the air with a grin on his face as he watched the filly fall for his taunting game once again.

"How darest--they art not toys. These stallions art our guards! We wilt not tolerate this mockery of--”

He put a paw on her head to stop her. “Hey, hey, you need to cool off. C’mon! Play with us and let out a little steam.” He grinned again and leaned closer to her. “Or perhaps we should just play together again~”

Luna stepped away from him. “Never! We shan’t be humiliated once again by thine...” She looked at the board in general, noticing its strangeness.

She was unnerved by it. It was so out of place, so disorderly, so inappropriate... “Just...” She sighed. “How dost thou managest to do these things...?"

He smirked and laughed. "Oh, Luna, you're too curious. I don't even have a name, now you want to know how I possess these awesome talents?”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Yes, We do.”

“Oh.” He sighed and started to think. “Well... I don't know.” He pointed at the board as his lower half tapped her shoulder. “So, will you move first or should I?"

"How dost this... work?" She had played chess before, but never in that format. She would apparently play against... two opponents...

He blinked and scratched his head. "Ehm... I HAVE NO IDEA!" He laughed loudly at his own remark.

She looked up at him, a bit startled with his laugh. She could not outdo her curiosity, which he did manage to manipulate so masterfully... She hated it. "...Maketh sure that it ist a fast round.”

He still thought about the rules of his absurd game, and seemed quite amused at it, too. "No, really, I’ve been out here for an hour trying to figure out what I’m playing. Your soldiers don’t help much, with them hypnotized and all."

He filed the soldiers into one line and made them stand on each other's shoulders to form a pyramid. "How do you play with them, Luna?"

She looked at him in a surprised manner. She had never met anypony that could use mind-controlling magic so easily. "Hyp-Hypnotized... That magic ist...” She cleared her throat. “We do not play with them! They art members of the honorable and mighty royal guard! They guard us! They--”

A small blush came to her cheeks when a few of the guards snored loudly. “Wh-What--”

He laughed at the guards that had fallen deeply asleep. “Aww, how cute! Taking a nap already?”

“Thou exhausted their minds!”

“I can make them do things while they’re sleeping!”

Luna raised a hoof to her face. "This ist ridiculous..."

"Guard... As in... ‘protect’ you?” He snickered and snapped his fingers. “They’re not very good at it, are they?" He made the soldiers that were still awake, under his trance, clap hooves with each other like little fillies. He even made them smile and giggle.

"How... dost thou maketh them do that? We mean... They would not do it otherwise..." She felt rather embarrassed at the guards' behavior. "Alright. Snap out of it, now! Wake up!"

The filly’s solemn attitude was thoroughly enjoyable. It was quite different from Celestia’s, hilarious in a much different way. Celestia was very fun as far as he’d experienced. She seemed to embrace his magic and creations much better than Luna did. But it was Luna’s seriousness, frustration, and temper when he pushed her buttons that made it all worthwhile.

He loved tough nuts to crack, and Luna was by far the toughest he had ever encountered. Or most serious, rather. Ah, how he loved challenges.

"Say, how ‘bout another game?" He disappeared the board, but the guards continued to play and sleep on the grassy ground. "If you free them from their spell, you can have your toys back. What do you say?"

"A spell... Of course." She sighed and rubbed her head. "Dost thou always think of games?"

"It makes my questionable existence more tolerable, so yeah.” He rejoined his body, stretching a bit. “Tell me, are you always this boring and serious?" He nudged her slightly, as if the things that he had called out on her were visible objects on her person.

"Well, We...” She blushed again and looked aside shyly. “We art not seen this way by others. We art considered attentive to..." She suddenly remembered her nightmare. "To our... To our kingdom. As in, our sister Celestia's and our, kingdom." That was more of an affirmation to herself than to him.

"Hm, that's a funny way to put it. She seems to enjoy a good laugh now and then." He floated around the soldiers. "I guess that’s why she’s the popular one amongst the ponyfolk. Don’t you guys think so?"

The guard ponies did not look away from what they did as they slowly nodded their heads. They kept their faces blank, but nodded as he commanded them to.

“Just a thought, y’know. Even sleepy guard toys seem to think so.” He shrugged.

"...Please do not say that. We art as dedicated to the wellbeing of the ponies as she ist. We love them and care for them just as she does. She watches over them during the day, We do during the night. It ist balanced.”

She gave him an indignant look. “Some creature that recently arrived to this land would not understand." Before he could say anything to her, Luna walked away with her sad gaze fixed upon the ground.

He scratched his head again as he watched her leave. "Hm. What's gotten into her? Oh well..."

He flew back to the Everfree Forest, to think of new ideas to create. He chuckled and wondered if the princesses would enjoy what he created, were they to see it.

He left the royal guards behind in their trance, though put them all under a deep sleep with a flick of his tail. “You guys deserve some rest, but be around when I wanna play with you again!”

Celestia cleared her throat once she approached him before he went very far. "While I do not mind you doing... whatever it is that you do... Don’t you think you could clean up your mess before you leave? It is not good to leave messy things about." She looked up at him expectantly.

"Ah, Celestia! A sight for sore eyes. Luna seemed to be in a rather depressive mood. I just saw her, she was simply boring, more than she was last night, if that’s possible. You’d know better than me about that. But ugh! Awfully boring and dull, I tell you. No way to talk to her."

“What do you mean? Oh... Don’t tell me she still is upset because of those nightmares...” She looked at him worriedly as he stretched in the air. “Did she say anything that sounded concerning? I would not want her to doubt her abilities, if she ever--”

“Hey, look at this, Celestia!” Her new, odd friend cut her off with feats of his magic that were completely irrelevant to her concerns. He twirled an ice-cream cone as he inverted it, making the cone out of ice-cream and the contents of wafers. If that was not strange enough, the wafer balls glowed and changed colors. “Mmm... Pretty neat, huh?

Celestia rolled her eyes at his interruption. You have a one-track mind, don’t you...?

“Ohhh, and this, too!”

Or perhaps the attention span of a goldfish...

He snapped his tail again. He made the guards wake up and sit on their flanks without stretching or even yawning. Though they still seemed completely unaware of their surroundings, they suddenly acted like dogs, wagging their tails, sticking out their tongues.

"I think I've done an excellent job training them. They can even use the potty now." He let out a slight snicker.

She raised an eyebrow as she watched the performance. "Please just leave them alone. It is something to alter inanimate objects, but taking somepony's free will to use them as puppets is another...” She scooted back as one of the guard stallions barked and crouched playfully. “...much more serious thing. Which I do not approve of, by the way.”

He looked back at her as he patted the head of another guard. “What?”

“We have limits here, remember? Mind-control is covered by them." She stepped closer to him once he set the guards aside. "Now, about my sister... She did act strange before she woke up. She sleepwalked and even used her magic. She says it was a nightmare, but she remained jumpy for a few hours after that, and just seemed so worried... I hope she feels better soon..."

"Oh, come now, Celestia. You worry too much over nothing." He snapped his fingers and appeared a chew toy. He threw it over inside the palace and watched the guards bark and chase after it.

"See? Why not laugh with the moment? I advised Luna to do so, but she simply wouldn’t budge. That filly has too much in her head for such a young age and her own good."

That’s what I am talking about... "Well, we do rule over a potential kingdom, Wilder. We have to be responsible and think of the citizens that will be part of it."

She chuckled a bit and gave him an amused expression. "Wilder. From 'bewilder', or 'bewilderment'. Some of the things you do are pretty confusing to say the least. Maybe it is not the best thought I have had, but I think for now it can do as a name. Better than nothing to go by."

"Hm. ‘Wilder’, eh?" He separated his head and floated it next to Celestia's. "I love it! It's got a catch to it."

She laughed a bit as she looked at his head. "I'm glad you like it, my friend."

He joined his head with his body again. "Come. Let's go look for Luna and convince her to play around with us for a bit longer. She can’t sulk on her own all the time!"

She nodded and opened her wings. “Very well." She flew after him, laughing occasionally when he came up with other antics on their way through the forest.

Author's Note

Archaic speech is great, but a bit confusing to apply correctly, if you're not used to it... Anyway! Fourth chapter! I don't have much to do and am bored, so I'm keeping myself busy with this.

Another bit of slight interaction between the princesses and Discord, who had no name until this chapter. Celestia named him 'Wilder'! I think that's a great name. I couldn't come up with anything else that described his whole weird, fun character. So I thought of the word 'bewilderment'. Eh, it fits. This name will become a significant part of the story, I consider (minor spoiler).

In my opinion, it was a bit short. Maybe I'm not doing such a good job in dividing the RP into chapters. Ugh, so tired...

Meeting At Day

Meeting at Day

A few hours had passed since the puzzling encounter between Princess Luna and the unknown creature. Even after the late setting of the moon, the sun steadily made its way up to the sky. The light from dawn was faint, but it steadily grew stronger. The color of the sky turned lighter while the birds began to chirp and sing little by little. The nocturnal creatures had gone to sleep quickly, giving place to the animals of the day to wake up and search for food of the early day.

The window of the high tower of the palace opened after magic unlocked them and pushed them aside. An alicorn princess stepped out to the balcony to watch the beginning of dawn. She was different from Princess Luna in that she was considerably taller, slightly more slender, and with different colors. She seemed to have grown out of fillyhood recently, budding into a beautiful young mare. Her wings were longer, her body more developed. However, she still held grace and elegance in every stance of hers.

Her coat was impeccably white, decorated by a cutie mark of a bright, orange sun on her flank. She wore a golden necklace, matched by golden hoof plates and a golden tiara that sat upon a cascade of soft pink that flowed past her shoulders. Though her mane was a very soft pink for the most part, it began to show traces of many different pastel colors, especially on the top of her head.

The Sun Princess yawned briefly and rubbed her eyes for a few seconds. However, her horn still glowed with the delicate golden aura of magic that rose the sun. She looked up at her progress so far, and felt delighted by the results. She greeted the servants that, like her, got up early. After the greetings and light chattering, she gave some of them instructions and orders to give to the other servants.

Once that was done, she made her way out of the palace and stepped through the dew-covered grounds to appreciate the day better. During her pondering, a guard approached her and reported that no unusual trouble had emerged during the night before. She found it strange that her younger sister did not issue the report herself; Luna always took it upon herself to report before she went to bed.

The guard bowed and apologized on behalf of Luna. “Princess Celestia, please excuse my boldness. I did not mean to disrupt thee. However, Princess Luna went to bed early, soon after she set the moon, Thy Highness. She apologized profusely and asked that I humbly delivered the message instead.”

Princess Celestia smiled warmly at the guard. “I do not mind that you did this favor for us, Lance Charge. Luna probably felt tired. If nothing unusual happened, then there is no problem.” She nodded at Lance Charge again once he bowed to her and made his leave. “Hm… But I do wonder what she was up to all night…” She laughed a bit and waved her hoof to dismiss any concerns. She probably just worked herself out; it will be fine. With some rest, she will feel better. I had best see how everypony else is doing today.

She stopped to watch a young phoenix bird that flew around her. “Oh, good morning, Philomena. I am on my way through the gardens. We have to check how the fields and the forests are doing. You are free to come along whenever you like.” She chuckled once the bird perched and screeched playfully at her. “Be sure to have some breakfast first. Meanwhile, I will go visit one of the villages; I have to make sure their harvest is proper for this season.” She nodded at the bird and continued her walk through the palace gardens.

Philomena, tilted her head while she watched her owner leave. She had no interest in visiting the pony villages at the moment, unlike her owner. Instead, she set out to fly across the palace again and soar high above before she found her breakfast.

~~~

The young mismatched creature from last night had finally settled down a few hours before the sun rose. He had chosen a forest that was near one of the villages, so that he could watch the pony folk once they woke up and observe them whenever he pleased. Some ideas came to his mind, all about what he could do to entertain himself with the ponies, but at the moment he found that he was rather tired. The hours of entertainment and fun that he had spent earlier had been worth it, but he felt he needed to relax for a little while before starting over.

That did not mean that he had to sit back and be lonesome, however. With a snap of his claw, he turned some leaves and twigs into perfect material for animal shapes. He also appeared small clouds and turned them into animals that danced around with those made out of tree leaves and branches.

He hummed while they came to life and floated around him. “Heh, heh. Nice… These make the perfect puppets!” he sat up and clapped his claw and paw together after more animals appeared around him. Many floated away from the ground and the trees and danced high above, landing on some of the clouds.

After a few minutes, the mismatched creature couldn’t help himself, and soon began to transform a great part of the forest, like he had with many other parts of the land that he had encountered before.

~~~

Celestia reached the path that led to the nearby village. However, she soon found that the forests around the village made her quite curious, for she had yet to explore them. “...Perhaps I could find new things to see and do this morning. Luna will be so pleased when she hears about them…” She looked over her shoulder to make sure that the villagers had not seen her yet. After confirming that she was clear, the Princess quickly walked away from the road, closer to the forest.

However, a few minutes after looking through the edges of the forest, Celestia found that it was not too different from the land that she and her sister had already investigated and traveled through. Even the Everfree Forest held more promise. However, they had both already explored all there was to see that was safe in that area. “...Everything seems normal around here… No problems…” She let out a disappointed sigh and walked away from the woods.

Her attention was caught by some budding plants that struggled to grow. “This will be the most eventful thing in the early morning…” She smiled and pointed at the struggling plant with her hoof. “Go on, little one…” Her horn glowed with magic that rejuvenated the plant and helped it bud into a flower. “Ah, how beautiful… That is so much better…” She looked down at the grass that became greener and more abundant wherever she stepped. “So much better.” With that, she continued her trot towards the village.

Fields and farms with plenty of growing crops stood at a distance. The ponies that tended to them were already out and about. They bowed to Celestia and greeted her before they returned to their work.

She bowed her head to them before she continued with her pace. “Thank you very much for your work. You have started out wonderfully. I hope it will not be too hard for you during the day.”

The villagers stared at her with grateful smiles while they acknowledged her kind words. “Ah, thank thee, Thy Highness! Hopefully thy work is good as well!”

“Thank thee, Princess!”

Celestia chuckled at her subjects’ dedicated praise, then followed the path that led down the village. She greeted and checked up on the villagers until she was finally out, heading closer to the forest that bordered the outside of the village. Suddenly, she sensed a current of strange energy that concentrated somewhere within that forest. As she looked up at the sky, she noticed something even stranger above the area.

All the clouds in the sky moved freely and realistically, as though they were actual animals. In a line, they circled around the forest and dove down to dance around the trees. They danced around each other and made the slightest noises once in a while, just like real animals. It was quite a thing to see.

Celestia frowned while she watched the scene before her. The strange occurrence took place over and over again, expanding through the forest. Fortunately, the villagers had not found out yet, but it was only a matter of time. “What is that…? I had best find out before the villagers are frightened.” With that, the princess moved forward onto the forest and searched the source of such a strange thing.

~~~

The mismatched creature now amused himself as he manipulated the cloud and leaf beasts to jump around each other. He transformed them all into rams and made them clash their heads together when he snapped his fingers. “Alright, go on! All together now, give us a show!”

A new storm formed above the forest after the magical animals charged against each other and hit. Chocolate milk rained from the sky just as the animals disappeared. The creature floated around in the air to savor the rain. “Heh, heh. Wow, this tastes great! It’s better than I expected… C’mon, gimme more!”

Trees and bushes changed their shape to turn into large animals of wood and leaves that ran around the ground, chasing after each other. After a few minutes, some turned into streams of chocolate milk, while the others stood on their hind legs and started to dance.

Rocks also changed their shape and turned into figurines that posed when the creature floated past them.

“Ahh… Let’s appreciate a bit of art!” He snickered when different scrolls and paper appeared around him and unfolded while quills and drawing utensils floated above them. Before long, sketches and paintings came to life around the creature, then filled their surroundings with color.

The creature laughed more at his creations. He watched while different parts of the forest were drawn and replicated, making the forest bigger. “This is the life! How funny! Oh, that’s good! Okay, what’s another good one? Oh, yeah! Trees! Don’t forget to move every so often. If you don’t, you’ll get all stiff!”

Upon his command, a few trees uprooted from the ground and easily moved around, tripping with the other animals and rocks every so often. Some of them acted like servants around the creature while others simply ran wild or danced with the other trees that had not been disturbed by the creature’s magic.

~~~

The Sun Princess raised an eyebrow at the strangeness that surrounded her. She made her way through the forest despite the disorder that got more difficult to comprehend each time. No matter where she looked, she could not find the reason for the strange clouds and the plants in the shape of animals.

“It must be some kind of magic for sure. However… This is strange… I have never heard of any spell that could do something like this… Such… spontaneous and unexplainable disaster in such a large scale… No… I have never heard or read of something similar.”

She stopped at a stream that flowed with glowing water. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that the water was tinted different colors, like a rainbow. “How strange…” The animals that approached to drink from the stream seemed fine, though they did seem to get a bit hyperactive after drinking the water. Their fur and coats also turned into the colors of the rainbow, though no harm came to them.

Celestia tried to approach them to see what kind of magic had been cast onto them. However, she soon felt that the magic energy around the forest grew stronger. “Am I… getting closer…?” She decided to answer her own question by resuming her search, intent on finding the culprit soon.

~~~

The creature raised a small hill in the middle of a clearing. He snapped his fingers and appeared a throne over the top. “Okay, this is comfy! It’ll do. Alright, everyone! We’re gonna move over here… Do something nice for me! Dance!” He clapped his claw and paw together and watched as objects came to life again.

Celestia finally reached the place where the events took place. She stared at the magic that emerged from all over the clearing and extended across the forest. Even if she tried to make it all disappear, she wouldn’t be able to until after a few hours. The aura that surrounded the spells and the altered objects also felt strong. “Okay… This is all… It is way too… st-strange…”

She did not recognize the creature that sat on the throne made of deer antlers on top of a high-back chair. Everything about that creature, even his furniture, was strange, and the way he behaved was quite suspicious. That would explain at least a few things… Such as who the culprit of this disorderly chaos is… She shook her head and took a few cautious steps to approach the hill.

The creature blinked with quiet surprise when he noticed yet another ‘pony’ from the corner of his eye. An alicorn, just like Luna had said she was. "Huh. Oh, that must be the sister! The big sister that little Luna talked about! She actually came all the way over here! Oooh… I wonder if she has a better sense of humor…? Alright, let’s find out!" He laughed excitedly while he hopped down from the throne. Oopsy-daisy… He made his way down the hill while animals and objects moved around him.

Apple trees stopped dancing and bowed in front of the creature so that he could step over them. When he cleared his throat, they lowered down more, then turned into a floor of wood that covered the grass.

Celestia blinked with curiosity and stepped back while the creature approached her. “Um…”

He smiled and waved at her before leaning closer. Let’s have a better look at the princess! “Oh, nice. Okay, okay… I think I know who you might be, but… Let’s hear it! Who do we have here?”

Celestia turned to look at the creature, though it took her a while to respond. From up close, she realized that the mismatched animal was much stranger than she had thought. The head of a gray pony or a horse rested upon a long neck of the same color. A pair of antlers stuck out from the top of said haid; one of a deer, the other of a goat. His mane was black, though he had a white tuft on top of his head and his forehead; it was rather long and hung in bangs over his eyes, though he blew it away every so often.

The sclerae that ponies usually had as white was yellow in the creature, and his irises were red. One long fang protruded from his mouth, and he had a snake tongue. From an elongated brown body emerged four legs; a lion’s paw and an eagle’s claw made the front set, and the foot of a lizard and the hoof of a goat made the rear legs. His tail, as noticed earlier, was that of a red dragon, with a white tuft of fur on the end.

Definitely a creature of most novelty, unlike any that the Princess had ever seen. His appearance surprised her to say the least. However, it was his sudden and friendly attitude towards her that intrigued Celestia more. He spoke to her with such familiarity that Celestia wondered if he really did not know her position.

How unlikely… Everybody knows of our position. We are the princesses. However… She smiled at his welcoming grin. At the moment, she did not mind whether or not he seemed to know who he was talking to; the curiosity and friendliness in his voice was very charming.

She looked at the trees and everything else in the clearing that the creature had altered and created with his magic. The wind blew in a soft breeze that made it rather difficult to keep her mane in place. She chuckled sheepishly, but kept her eyes on the creature while she answered his question with her own. “...Thou hath done this… Thou hath… created this scene before us… Hath thou not?”

“Hmm? Oh, you talk weird, too… Oh, well…” He shrugged before he floated in the air around Celestia. “Heh, heh. Ah, maybe I am… but maybe I’m not! Whatever; who’s to ask, huh?” He chuckled a bit more while he leaned closer to get a better look at the princess.

Celestia stared at him with a frown while she followed his every move through the air. Though the magical creations were bizarre at least (as was the creature’s appearance), he actually seemed harmless enough. She let her guard down briefly, just so that she would not seem too serious. “Well, I…” She stopped herself and cleared her throat. The creature was still unknown, a stranger; she could not show too much familiarity with him yet. Not to mention that whether she liked it or not, she had to hold some dignified position with this stranger, at least until she knew a little more about him.

He looked at her questioningly, and he saw that it made her blush slightly. “What’s up?”

“We art sorry for the inconvenience. It ist just…” Celestia chuckled slightly and shifted in her hooves. “Anyway… We can see clearly that thou art indeed the cause of this strange influence… The forest hath changed indeed, and thou art responsible. No doubt about it.”

He scratched his head, then laughed. “Duh! Of course I’m the one! I did all of it! All by myself.” He snickered when trees danced before them, shedding their glittering trees everywhere. He snapped his fingers and made wooden doves drop a circlet of silk flowers on Celestia’s head. “Hey! That sure looks good. Yellow could be your color.”

Celestia laughed and gave the doves a curious look. “Oh…” Soon she was enthralled by everything that the creature’s magic created. There were so many marvelous changes to the otherwise ordinary objects in an ordinary forest… She had never imagined that so much fun could come out of it. In fact, she and Luna had always been bored by the monotonous predictability that the forests now irradiated, until that moment.

“Heh, heh. Beautiful, isn’t it?” The creature appeared sitting on the branch of a tree. The tree turned into caramel, which he proceeded to bite and lick. “Mmm… This is the first forest I changed, to get me started. This is just a bit of what I have planned for it. I’m sure it could do so much better, but I might need a second opinion. Maybe not. Just maybe. What do you think? It’s awesome, right?”

Celestia looked at a few butterflies that gathered around her. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that they were actually flowers in the shape of those beautiful butterflies, and they glowed and changed colors whenever they approached the princess. She giggled and turned away from a few that tried to settle down on her face and mane. “Well… I might say… I do wonder how it ist that you come up with all of this…”

The creature frowned and tilted his head while he gave her a curious look. “...Hm. That’s odd… You don’t talk funny. Not as much, really. And here I thought I’d figured something out for good.”

“I do not understand… What do you mean?” Celestia blinked, then looked down after she noticed what the creature might be talking about. She blushed when she noticed that she had forgotten to speak properly; the beauty and fun of the magic before her had caught her attention too much, thus distracting her of the proper speech for a princess.

“Oh, yeah… Well, I thought that all the creatures around here spoke in that tedious, mouthful formal way. You know, the one with lots of… ‘eth’, ‘est’, the ‘We’ instead of ‘I’... Eh, a bunch of stuff like that, everywhere. Just… Phew! It was kinda funny, but then it actually did become a pet peeve after hearing it so much. Still…” He snickered, then covered his mouth with his claw. “It’s still pretty funny.”

“Ah. Well… We… We should speak in the traditional manner…” Celestia glanced aside, but then looked at the creature again. She smiled when she noticed her disappointment, for she felt almost the same way. “...However… I have never really been one to burden myself or others with too much formality, which I deem unnecessary. It is not needed when everypony is so close here. I find that it is better to address them all with kindness rather than formality. Kindness pays and does better for all. Others like the formality; it makes them comfortable, I suppose, and I respect that. However, I find closeness and casualty just as nice. I hope you do not mind.” She blushed again and covered her face with her hoof after she finished. “I have rambled on perhaps too much… Do forgive me.”

“Heh, heh. Not at all! I like the way you talk; it’s better! I guess you’re right about the kindness and the friendliness. Don’t know much about all of that, but it feels nice.” He stretched his arms out to show Celestia all that surrounded them. “Look at this! It’s great! So great that maybe… Hmm… Yeah! Maybe they fit you very well. At the very least, they like you. That’s something.”

“So they like me, hm?” She chuckled lightly, but kept a slight distance from the magic objects. “That is very nice, thank you.” She looked up at him and gave him a kind smile. He might be rather strange… But he seems very kind indeed. It does not seem like I was wrong. He only seems to be playing. “I suppose I will take that as a compliment, thank you.”

The creature waved his lion paw to dismiss her compliment and thanks. “Hah. No problem. No need to thank me. This is just what I do.” He smirked smugly and chuckled after he leaned closer to Celestia. “Between you and me, I have to admit that I surprise even myself sometimes! That’s how great these things are.”

“Oh…” Celestia took a step back to once again put some distance between them. However, she was careful to not hurt his feelings, and he did not even seem to notice. “Really? So you surprise yourself?”

“Right! I just never know what I might come up with the next minute. If you stick around, you’ll see that. Like I said, this is nothing. But, never mind that. Speaking of sticking around…” The creature turned back to Celestia and bowed to her for a brief moment. “Tell me… To whom do I speak?” He raised an eyebrow after he spoke with mischievous and ironic politeness. After all, he had noticed the crown on top of her head, just like Luna’s. Well… This crown was golden, not black, but still; it meant the same thing.

“Oh. Goodness, I forgot to introduce myself. How inconsiderate of me…”

“Ah, it’s alright. Just say who you are. Bet you call yourself something nice and mighty too, huh? Just, don’t make it too… y’know, too regal. You’re a pony, that much I know.” He glanced at Celestia again to observe her wings and horn. An… ‘alicorn,’ that’s what Luna called herself… A princess, too.

“That is right; I am a pony. Now, allow me to introduce myself; I apologize for not doing it earlier.” She took a few steps closer to the creature. Her mane seemed to flow with every step that she gave, though it still rested a few inches past her shoulders. She shook her head to keep the mane out of her eyes, then took a bow. “You speak to Princess Celestia, bringer of the Sun to the Land of Ponies. I am the ruler of the Day and the kingdom around you. As such, it is an honor for me to welcome you officially and grant you a stay in our kingdom. Heh, I figured that would be the best to do, seeing as you already have visited our land.”

“So I was right! It’s another princess after all. Interesting; good to meet you! I was looking forward to see someone else; good it was another princess!” He laughed excitedly while he floated around Celestia. He stopped after a while and held out his eagle claw in the air. A covered plate appeared in his extended claw almost immediately. “It would be rude of me not to present a gift to a princess such as yourself. So allow me to show you the best I’ve got to offer!” He pulled the top off the plate to reveal a petite slice of cake.

The cake, though small, looked quite delicious and artful. It was so exquisitely decorated that it almost made it shameful to eat it. It immediately piqued Celestia’s curiosity and appetite.

“Would you like a taste, Princess of the Sun? It’s got quite a sunny disposition, too!” The creature looked down at the cake and winked when it was covered with a radiant light that faded after a few seconds.

“Oh, how delightful…” Celestia accepted the offer and had a discrete bite of the cake. It tasted delicious; wonderfully sweet, but also delicately balanced with the mildly sour taste of strawberries and the tangy touch of orange zest. Then she also tasted chocolate, banana, blueberries, and many other flavors that she could not find words to describe. The appearance of the cake was still radiant and beautiful, even after she had tasted it. It seemed rather inviting, and immediately Celestia thought of how wonderful it would be with some very nice tea back at the palace gardens.

She smiled gratefully and gently nudged the plate away with her hoof. “Thank you very much; that was quite splendid. I think I have had enough for now.”

“Seriously? You barely even tried it!”

“Oh, I tasted so much more than I imagined. I am sure it will be a great pleasure for us to try this again sometime later.” She smiled at the creature and invited him to walk down the clearing with her. “You mentioned that I did not talk quite as formally as ‘another princess.’ I take it you met my little sister?”

The creature made the plate disappear, though the cake remained floating in the air. He watched as the little dessert grew legs and hopped away. “Ah… You mean Luna, right? She called herself that… Indeed, I met her. I do believe we became very good friends, too! Oh, we played a few games to kill some time, it was a lot of fun. Bet it was the most fun she’s had in a while, if I do say so myself.”

“You played games? Really? How unusual… Luna is not really the playful type. She has not been so for a while. She did not play much when she was a little filly, either; not even then.”

“Sheesh! How boring!”

Celestia sighed and shook her head. “No wonder she was so tired. But… I suppose it is good that she spent some time having fun. I am glad… Surprised, but also very glad. It will be good for her. By the way…” She looked at her humorous host again. “I am sorry, but you have not told me your name.”

How relieved he was to see that Celestia was so much easier to talk to than her sister! Luna might have been kind and all, just like Celestia was, however… He noticed right away that the older sister’s disposition was warmer and much more open to different ways and the thought of strangers. She had an open mind and clearly seemed to be ready to be entertained by something she did not know. She seemed to handle fun activities better, not just boring ‘royal duties,’ and was more patient and tolerant with ‘strange antics,’ like Luna had described his magic and creations.

‘Strange antics’ fit him quite well, and he was proud of it. So far, ‘strange’ seemed to be very entertaining. Princess Celestia seemed to think so; how glad he was that she agreed!

Soon he realized that Celestia had actually mentioned something for him to answer. He stopped in midair and took a few seconds to think about that. What was it again? Oh, right… A… She asked me about my ‘name,’ right? What the heck? A ‘name’... What exactly… Um, am I supposed to have something to rule over so that I can talk about it, like they do? But… I don’t rule over anything! Heh, heh… Okay, I think I got it. This is kind of a tricky question… He scratched his head, but grinned at the princess once he came up with a simple response that was actually quite spontaneous; it was the first thing that came to his head.

“Well, that’s actually… Actually… Oh… I… Hm. I don’t know.” He shrugged and looked up in thought. “I don’t think I’ve ever had one… That’s odd, isn’t it? I mean, I usually have everything, since I can just make it appear… I can make anything appear… I know! I’ll make a name appear!”

Celestia gave him a confused look while he thought out loud to himself. ‘Make a name appear?’ How on earth would he do that? I think he is confused… “Forgive me, but I am afraid you have misunderstood. I…”

“No, no—I’ve got it! If it’s something that I can have, then I can make it happen with my magic! It’s what I do, remember? Whenever I want something, I just create it on the spot. So, I just gotta figure out how to make this ‘name’ thing!” He snickered and rubbed his claw and paw together. After a brief moment of concentration, he gave Celestia a questioning look. “First things first, though; where and how do you usually get names? I have to know where they actually come from so that I can have a better picture…”

Goodness, just what does he have in mind? I do not understand… Celestia tilted her head in confusion. “No, no, my friend… A name… It is something that one obtains at birth, you see. That is the time when you usually get it. Your parents bless you with it once they have met you for the first time. It is a beautiful occurrence that usually is the first step to mark your fate and passion in the world.”

The creature gave her a blank look; clearly, he didn’t understand what she was talking about. “Ehh… Well, whatever you said… It sure sounded pretty! Hah, you and your sister have a knack for poetry!”

How is this possible? How can he not understand the most basic of concepts…? The elemental, yet everlasting experience and meaning that is a name? Celestia shook her head, but carefully disguised her disbelief. The last thing she wanted was to hurt the stranger’s feelings. He was probably confused and distraught as it was.

“Um, hey… These… ‘parents’... What are those?”

Goodness gracious.

“I sure don’t remember any of that… Okay, you need to start from… everything. What the heck are ‘parents’?” He raised an eyebrow and folded his mismatched arms while Celestia stared at him, stunned into silence. “Hey! Don’t look at me like that, you’ve got explaining to do!”

“...You never knew your parents? That really is a shame… Maybe you do not remember them?” When she only received silence, Celestia thought it better to continue with her explanation. “Forgive me. You see, parents… They are… They are the ones that give birth to you; your mother brings you into this world, while your father protects you both. Both of them become determined to raise you and guide you in the best way that they can. It is a loving agreement made from the moment you are… made.”

He still didn’t understand. However, he noticed that Celestia seemed rather nostalgic. “...So you had ‘parents,’ right? They made you and Luna and promised to protect you and all that.”

“Oh, uh… Well, yes; I suppose. They… Um, they gave birth to us and raised us. They taught us well, and entrusted others to help us stay onto our path when they no longer could.”

“Where are they now? I wanna know what parents look like!”

“Oh, dear. Well… They… Unfortunately, they passed away long ago. It… It does not seem like too long to us, but… It was centuries ago. It hurt us quite so, but… I believe we have come to accept that, though we still miss them greatly. We need to live on to their legacy and expectations. But… Ah, not all parents look like the King and Queen. They… They are different for everyone.” She searched for ways to make her explanation clear, but gentle. He seemed to understand just a bit…

“I don’t need anyone to protect me. Maybe that’s why I don’t remember any of them parents!”

“But… But that cannot be right… They are the loving couple that brought you to this world. You do not even remember… your mother?” Celestia took a deep breath, then proceeded to explain what a mother was. She often remembered her own while she described a mother’s role, and was relieved to see that the creature patiently tolerated her reminiscing while she explained.

“...Hm. Maybe that’s wrong. I don’t remember who brought me to this world. Well… I… It wasn’t this place, where I came from. Everything was different. I just don’t remember it.”

“Different? I see… Um… Maybe you were too young…”

“It doesn’t feel like so long ago either, though. It feels… I don’t know. I came here on my own; nobody brought me here. I wanted fun because the place where I was before was too boring.”

“What was it like?”

He thought for a few seconds, but then simply shrugged. “I just know it was boring, and that I really, really wanted to get out of it. I didn’t just want to, actually… I had to leave. I… I don’t think I could stand it.” He floated forward in the air, his mind racing while he tried to gather his thoughts. “Okay, I think… I think I remember now. It’s not much, though. Whatever parents are, I don’t remember any of them. Nor do I remember getting one of those names. I… I only remember a voice.”

Celestia tilted her head again. “A voice?” Maybe that was an improvement…

“I can’t make it out too well, though; it fades away. But it spoke to me in the dark. It made me want to leave even more. I don’t remember much about it, though. It only spoke…”

“Yes, that’s… That’s what voices do, usually. ‘The dark’... What dark place would that be?”

“Eh, I have no idea. Doesn’t matter! It was boring anyway. The next thing I know, I’m lost in this place, with an odd sensation and urge to… to just laugh, as much as I can.” He shook his head to clear the confusion and worry away. C’mon, don’t get so down… It’s just talk; it’s not like it’s gonna hurt me. I don’t need any of it! I’m perfectly fine without ‘parents,’ and ‘names,’ too.

“Are you alright?”

“Better than never! It’s really no big deal.” He stretched and leaned back in the air. “Ahh… So long as I can have fun in here… Trust me, I can be whatever I end up being, and whatever I want to be.”

“I see…” Celestia’s brow knitted in confusion, but she calmly tried to make sense of it. How odd… I have never heard of anything like this. I have never seen anything like this creature to begin with… She glanced up at the stranger again; he was too busy playing with some of his transformed objects.

...Is it just me or does he seem rather… lonely? ...It cannot be all that fun, just having those objects for company… Her smile brightened while she approached him. She had become determined to keep an open mind, not hurt his feelings, and help him feel welcome in her kingdom, however long he stayed. I suppose I can find out more about this matter later… But I will have to learn as much as I can.

“You won’t bug me until I answer your questions, right?”

Celestia chuckled and shook her head. “No, no, not at all. If it cannot be helped, then it cannot. I am quite intrigued by what you can do with your magic. It is quite creative to say the least.” She walked over to the ground that had been turned into checkered tiles. “...We do not have things like these here; I do not believe that any of my subjects, or any creature that we have seen, are capable of this. Our world and home is normal, but tranquil and very pleasant.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes at her. “Yeah… Your sister already summed that up. ‘You keeping the peace and balance of the world,’ and all that.”

“She helps me greatly. Keeping the peace within this new land is no easy matter, even if it seems like it is.” Celestia’s horn glowed with her magic, and she watched as a twisted tree was repaired to its original form. “I have to keep the creatures here at ease by balancing their world with my sister’s help. My magic assists them and creates order that they can abide to. It is difficult to ease their concerns and worries, you see. But we work hard to create a world that is safe for everyone. We keep it clean and as pure as we can. That is our duty; I love helping out with that. That is why…”

The creature blinked and turned his complete attention to Celestia when she stood in front of him. “Huh…?”

“That is why, my friend, I must ask you to please keep your interesting games and magic in check. I would not want things to get out of control and become dangerous. There is a risk that it could happen. If unexpected, dangerous things occurred all of a sudden, then our subjects would be frightened and anxious. They would demand explanations and actions against what frightens them.”

“That’s silly, though! There’s nothing to fear about this!”

“But it is quite different. It is magic that has yet to be understood.”

“And it’s harmless! I just wanna have fun; why would I hurt anybody?”

“Heh. I am not saying you will. I know you do not understand yet; a Princess’ duty is complicated, and so are her reasons to do things sometimes. But it is okay; I am willing to explain it all to you if you are willing to listen. It will be simple once I have taught it to you. I believe I have learned well from my teachers.”

“You’re gonna lecture me? Ugh… I’d rather play something with you.”

“Hmm. We might do that; it would be my pleasure.” Celestia winked and giggled while she turned around. “However, we will do so after I have said this to you.”

“Argh… That’s no fun.” He groaned and gave the princess an annoyed look.

“Oh, but perhaps it will be. How about you keep some of your magic to yourself for a little while? I know it sounds unfair, but trust me… It would take just a short period of time to introduce you to our subjects. If you plan to stay here for some time, I do not see why it would be a bad thing to hold back. It will help you appreciate our home even more. In all honesty, I would be delighted to have you stay and explore. Maybe my sister mentioned this earlier, but sometimes things that are ‘different’ can scare those that do know know them. It is not bad; it is a normal part of life. It revolves around adjusting and getting used to changes.”

The creature snickered. “Oh, she may have mentioned something like that, but… I don’t remember too well; she was laughing way too much to think of anything else! Laughter; it’s what I live for. Fun, all of it. How could I resist doing whatever it takes that makes things more fun?” He raised his arms and laughed while his creations levitated again, as if to strengthen his point.

“Remarkable… They just keep increasing in number…” Celestia stared at the levitating objects again. She tried to study them more closely. How does he do it? It does not even look like he is using any magic…

“Say, Tia! Isn’t this great?”

“Hm? Oh, my name is Celestia.”

“Aw, c’mon, let me call you Tia! It sounds better and it’s easier! Princess Tia’s fine! It’s a good nickname!”

“Tia…” She shook her head and let out a sigh. “Heh. Very well. If you must…”

“It really suits you, too! Isn’t it more fun when things make no sense for any reason? I don’t really have a purpose to be here, you know. I don’t have a clue about it. However, there’s something inside me that just tells me how to create all of this. I get all of these great ideas… It’s the best feeling in the world! Everything that comes from them is great, because they sure make good material for laughs. With these, I sure know how to have a good time! You can’t say I’m wrong. I’m sure you like them, too!”

“I really do enjoy your magic. It has been a great experience so far. But… You know… All things are created for a reason; that is always true. Everything that we do and is done, every action, has a purpose and a consequence. That is… Many things happen and are done for a reason, and after they happen, they always have some consequences. Whether they are good or bad depends on the actions themselves. Everything that occurs here affects something. I agree that it is refreshing and entertaining to be spontaneous at times… But we cannot allow ourselves to get carried away and overdo it.”

“Ugh…” He let out a bored sigh after she finished speaking. “Are things really that connected?”

“Of course they are. Come look at this.” She stretched her leg out to show him everything that was to be seen within the kingdom. The sunlight now bathed almost every part of the land, even most of the forests and the mountains that stood in the distance. “Everything is connected. It must all flow peacefully and in balance to keep things safe and sound; a good place to live. We must rule with this delicate balance in mind so that we can sustain and protect the lives that depend on this careful system. We try to be close with nature and its order; it is balanced between rules, structure, discipline, guidance, care, and…” She giggled before she looked up at him again. “Of course, spontaneous fun. It is all connected to form the bigger picture here. These are all ingredients, if you will, for our lives.”

He held his head and shook it quickly. “Ugh… Oh, boy… That’s a lot… I don’t know how you two keep up with all of it! Doesn’t it make your head hurt, Tia?”

“We have been taught well. Our parents and ancestors set a wonderful, admirable example for my sister and me to follow.” Celestia looked over the land with a warm smile. “With Luna by my side, I rule over this land and care for it. I have done so ever since the King and Queen entrusted us with it. What I told you is only the most basic of knowledge that we must possess to guide us through our journey as princesses and rulers. We must know about the balance if we are to keep it and provide with it the safety of our friends. I have studied this since I was a little filly, and learned it very quickly, because I really am fascinated by it.”

These girls sure are dedicated to this place… Ah, but I still think it’s pretty boring… He huffed slightly and scratched his head. They sure are somethin’ else, alright. He looked around, but couldn’t find Celestia anywhere. “Huh? Hey, Tia? Tia, where are you?”

He stopped in his tracks when he heard Celestia’s laughter. “What…?” He followed the sound and found Celestia swinging from the high branches of the dancing trees. “Hey! You sure flew up there fast!”

Celestia winked at him. “I know plenty of teleporting spells. You never said I had to wait for you to finish to try some of this!” She laughed with delight again, then flew up to the sky when the trees twirled and spun.

“Oh… You like that?” He smirked and looked around, eager to get better ideas flowing.

She covered her mouth with her hoof to stifle some giggles. “It is rather amusing, yes.”

“Hold on. I don’t get it! I thought you said that everything had to be in order, and that I was—”

“I was not wrong about that. However, I never said your magic was out of place, only different. And different is not necessarily bad all the time. I like different.”

“You do?”

“I want to explore and learn as much as I can about my kingdom. To do so, I must have an open mind. I also love to have fun whenever I can, as long as it does not put anyone or anything in danger. Oh, these trees...” She giggled when one of the trees stretched out its branches and invited her to dance. “Why, they are simply delightful! You have made them so lively…”

“Huh…”

Her eyes gleamed with delight while she looked at him. Her smile seemed as warm as the sun that she had raised. If anything encouraged him to create the best that he was capable, it was that princess’ smile and laughter. Well, seems like I found myself a fan, huh? A good one, too…

“Please show me some more!”

“Oh, you got it!”

~~~

The mismatched creature had thought that, since she was the eldest, Princess Celestia would be even more uptight and serious than her little sister. He expected her to be busier and harder to talk to, since she ruled a time as busy as daytime. He expected her to be in a rush, wanting to cut to the chase, uninterested in his creations or anything else that was not related to her other duties. However, much to his surprise, he found out he couldn’t have been more mistaken.

She did keep him in line and reminded him to mind her cautious requests. She also gave him some boring lectures every so often, and went on and on about why he couldn’t do such things, such as turn the stream and river that ran from the mountain into a new creation that he called ‘pink lemonade’.

“C’mon, Tia, let’s do it! It’s just for an experiment, okay? I’ll turn it back if you don’t like it, but I know you will! Oh, you’ll love the looks in those ponies’ faces when they—”

“I am sorry, but I said no. You cannot turn our sources of water into this… ‘pink lemonade’ of yours.”

“Why not?!”

“The fields you see there depend on the constant flow of natural, clear water. This new drink of yours would make them sick, my friend. Animals and other plants would be greatly affected as well—even if it is just ‘for a little while.’ Please understand.”

“Hmph…”

“I will not object at all if you make it rain ‘pink lemonade’ in here, where we are. This is a place of the forest that will not be harmed or affected. Go ahead and make your best rain, will you? I would very much like to taste the beverage that you create.”

It had not been the best deal, but it had been reasonable and easy to handle. She had said she wanted the lemonade, after all. She had no complaints when he flooded the place with rain of pink lemonade. She even loved it! He was very proud when he asked him for a recipe that her chefs could follow; she had liked the delightful beverage that much, and could not wait to drink it again.

Even though they have their rules, and are strict about following them… These princesses are actually pretty fun! This isn’t as boring as I thought… There might be more to this place and the ponies after all! He stared at Celestia while he thought to himself. The way that she enjoyed his magic; so sincerely and thoroughly… It was definitely worth sticking to a few of the princesses’ strict requests.

So what are a few rules, right? I can handle that… He smiled, then walked closer to the princess. “Alright. I just thought of something else. It’ll be even better than this rain, just you wait.”

Celestia made her horn glow and cast a spell that summoned a rolled up scroll. “...This must be an important meeting if they teleported it directly to me…” She scowled slightly while she read over the scroll, which she kept levitated before her.

“What do you mean? What meeting? Does that mean you’re not gonna stick around for a bit longer?”

Celestia lowered the scroll after she finished reading. “Well, the meeting with the Royal Council is not until the evening. They just sent this message to remind me. How kind of them. I will be sure to prepare my schedule for that time.” She sighed, then gave him a kind smile that set her face aglow.

He really had started to like the radiance that her smiles brought to her face. Everything about her seemed as soft and pleasant as the morning sun that he had discovered recently. “That’s great! We still have a lot to do, you know. You can’t leave yet! I’ll get to that thing…”

Celestia levitated the scroll in which she had written some hypothesized ingredients. She had spent a few minutes trying to figure out how to make the creature’s beverage novelty, but had not gotten very far yet. “Right… Hm… I think it needs more… What did you say the raining drink was called?”

“Oh, that? Uhh…” He gave her a carefree smile and a shrug. “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about that. Hmm… I guess that if you gotta call it something… You can call it… ‘lemonade’. That’s what I’ll call it from now on! But, that might be a bit weird. I don’t know if it’ll actually…”

“That is it? ‘Lemonade?’ Hmm… Do not worry, it is perfect.” She looked down at the scroll and scratched the name on the top with the quill. “Very well. To make this Lemonade one shall need lemons, definitely. Sugar will be required as well, since the flavor is also sweet… I wonder what else… Tell me, how can we put the color in it? Do we require another ingredient to tint it? Can we do it with magic? I wonder what kind of spell could be used for that…”

“That’s a special secret! I can’t give you everything I know at once!” He laughed a bit when Celestia pouted. “Maybe I’ll teach it to you later.” A tall glass with sparkling pink lemonade appeared in his claw with a snap of his fingers. “Here you go. The ice cubes won’t melt for a while!”

“Oh, thank you. This might be my favorite beverage yet.”

He used his magic to create some refreshments for them. Afterwards, they had a picnic, in which they marveled at the things that his magic was capable. While they had their fun, they also talked about the kingdom and the subjects that the princesses ruled over and led. She told him how they had started their duties as princesses since they were very young, barely after Luna had gotten her cutie mark.

“That must be a really young age. What’s a cutie mark?”

“Oh, right. That is an easy one. This right here… It is a mark of your destiny.” Celestia pointed at her cutie mark proudly while he looked at it curiously.

“...A mark on your flank is important?” He tilted his head with confusion when he saw that Celestia blushed a bright pink and actually jumped a bit, as though she’d been startled. “Tia? What’s up?”

“Oh, p-please be more serious about it!” Celestia blushed and scolded him lightly, then proceeded to explain what cutie marks were, and the role that they played in a pony’s life. They thought about how he didn’t have a cutie mark, later moved on to what he was altogether.

For the most part, they had fun with his magic tricks, and got to know each other better through the games and short conversations that they had in between. The morning had proved to be quite eventful after all; Princess Celestia was ever so glad that she had veered a bit off her schedule, for it really had been worth it.

As soon as she had time during the evening, she would write down her amazing experience in the journal that she and her sister shared. It would be wonderful to have those memories in a special place where they could later look and reminisce. Friendship, after all, was something that deserved to last forever, and was always welcome, no matter where or whom it came from.

She laughed some more and joined her new friend in a race through the forest. He made it even more entertaining by creating magic obstacles and games of candy and gems. She had no idea where all his creativity came from, but she sure enjoyed it. How she came to admire it, really; especially the fun that it brought them. Before long, she began to plan ways to introduce his friend to the rest of the world. There was no doubt in her mind that everyone would enjoy his assistance and ability to stir up fun wherever he was.

“You gotta come find me, Tia!”

“You do not make it any easier, you know. If you fly away as soon as I get somewhere, I will never find you!”

“C’mon, that can’t be all a princess has got in her! Make an effort!”

Celestia laughed when she was ambushed by feathers, but countered them easily. A glowing path formed in the ground and branched off through the forest. However, what gave the original away was the traces of rainbows and inanimate objects that came to life. By then, she was a bit familiar with the magic; at least enough to know where to go.

The creature was waiting for her near a stream. A round table levitated above him, while a tea set splashed around in the clear stream. He waved at her, then leaped onto the table.

“The tea set might break if it keeps leaping around like that.”

“Don’t be silly, Tia. Those guys sure are sturdy! I believe it’s tea time. You do like that, right?”

“Rather than tea time, it might be ‘breakfast time’. I am afraid I have not had anything to eat. The picnic was rather brief.” She gave him a sheepish smile while he lowered the table.

“Say no more! We’ll have another one!”

He continued to delight her with the best of her creativity, his pride and excitement growing more with each request that she made of him. After a while, he even gave her ideas! They were wonderful, too. He had to hand it to the Sun Princess; she might not be able to use his kind of magic, but she sure was a natural at it nonetheless! Maybe that was what made things so perfect. She sure had potential.

I think I may have found something worth sneaking around, both of them thought while they shared a delicious lunch of scones, cakes, cookies, sandwiches, tea, lemonade, chocolate milk, and other delicious pastries and snacks that filled the table with delectable taste, aroma, and entertainment.

Author's Note

Okay! Done with the second update of the second chapter! Fourteen pages... Boy, they're getting longer. ^^; I hope they're getting fun, too.

Discord and Princess Celestia met on this one. ...I feel like I made Celestia perhaps a bit too... sunny... -_- But I like her disposition very much; she's adorable! And so is... uh 'the mismatched creature'! I feel like people would consider this chapter 'fluff'. It does feel like that... I really enjoyed it, especially after the edits.

Some of you might be confused with Celestia's speech; I am aware that she mixed speech styles during the chapter. You see, I imagine that Celestia would be very easy-going about her position. With that, I mean that she wouldn't enjoy putting up these walls of formality and regal poise all the time. She doesn't like to be considered 'unreachable' by the subjects that she loves and cares for. They need each other, after all; a ruler needs their people just as the people need their ruler. She is warm and kind. Not that Luna isn't kind, or she doesn't love her subjects; she cherishes them, as explained in the previous chapter. However, she is more insecure and timid than her sister, hence the walls.

When Celestia addresses someone that she does not know, she speaks archaically. When she is upset and dead serious, she speaks archaically, too (at least when young). Once she gets to know strangers better, and when she wants to be friendly, she speaks normal, albeit with no abbreviations or contractions (don't know if you noticed). She is forced to speak formally in some occasions, though, especially when instructed to by some of her teachers or the Royal Council (those guys sure are uppity and strict).

I'm happy! Discord and Celestia started off as friends right away! Yay... My RP partner was happy when I told him that I was making our RP project come to life as a story... This has been a lot of fun; including the edits (which are always rather tedious). Over time (and with this story) I have started to... hm, more or less enjoy the concept of Discord and Celestia together. However, uh... I'm a weird fan; I don't like, get over excited about things, especially if they're not quite canon. This ship/pairing might not happen in the show, or it might. When we started this story, I didn't see it happening. I don't quite see it happening yet, to be honest. Nor do I see any other romance coming in the show (that isn't the romance already stated). But, as I said before: in this RP, the pairing really doesn't sound or seem half-bad at all. We've made it work. But enough about that.

I am proud of the way that I illustrated the characters; much better in this edit. I believe there are also better details, better flow, more descriptions, wrapped up corners, etc. But I still encourage kind people to read and give any feedback that they wish; I am ready to get all the help there is available. I liked the wise explanation of the cherished balance that keeps the precious land going. And I quite enjoyed having Celestia enjoy Discord's antics so much more. To me, this was precious.

Plus, the fact that Discord invented pink lemonade (basically; at least in this world/universe) is pure win. Not the only little thing he creates in the land that is bound to be Equestria. He will be the inventor of a few other interesting stuff. Initially, the drink was going to be... either the lemonade, or, chocolate milk, or... cherry soda. For some reason, what first came to my mind was cherry soda. I have no clue where the idea came from or why. However, either of these three drinks was going to end up being Celestia's favorite beverage. Chocolate milk is already Discord's favorite. Sure, there's nothing wrong with Celestia loving it too, but... I wanted something else. The cherry soda... I don't know, it seems quite far'fetched and way too much into the future, even for someone as weird as Discord. So, lemonade! I like lemonade. Maybe not pink, but I sure do like it; limeade, too. So, lemonade it was. ^^; Enough with that talk.

I can't wait to hear from new readers, or those that come back to see the update. Thank you so much to you all!