There was a rule in Canterlot: Winter days were never sunny. Never. Few knew where the rule came from, but it was enforced religiously. Once autumn passed, each day would become dull and dreary, and each night would become brighter than ever. The reason was a mystery, but it was a rule placed by Princess Celestia herself. That was reason enough for most. The rule dated all the way back to the defeat of Nightmare Moon. It was simply how things were.
There were some exceptions. Days were often bright around the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant to please tourists, for instance, and clouds sometimes just weren't available. The day after Luna's return had been quite sunny to make up for the night that had nearly not ended.
The rule was otherwise adhered to quite strictly, though. The fact that the sun went clear of clouds today was a nice surprise, and one that the Canterlot ponies all sought to take advantage of. Almost everypony was spending this day outside, enjoying the crisp, clear air.
However, at the top of Canterlot's second-tallest tower, one room maintained two occupants. Its shades were firmly drawn, and the only light came from several small firefly jars scattered about the place. As far as those within were concerned, the sun had not even yet risen.
Inside, Luna's eye was developing a mighty twitch. She whispered an old poem under her breath as a somewhat uncertain Fluttershy looked on.
“The sun rose for the fifth o'er a field pale,
“And the beasts of the gloom felt their resolve start to fail
“The witch of all ages and the traitors from light
“Brought their rages to bear 'gainst the all-equines' might
“Though the kind Heart would plead and the great Sun would shout
“The hordes of the gloom didn't see t'was for naught
“And they—”
“Um...” Fluttershy raised a hoof. “...excuse me.”
Luna stopped. She turned, rolling her eyes. “What is it, Ms. Fluttershy?”
“Oh, um...” Fluttershy bit her lip. “Sorry to bother you. It's just, um.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “'Naught' doesn't really rhyme with—”
“It is an ancient poem.” Luna scowled. “It need not rhyme!”
“Well, it's been rhyming up until now, so, um...” Fluttershy trailed off. Was she really going to lecture a princess on rhyming protocols?
Luna shook her head. “In an ancient poem, consistency matters not. Flow, however, does. You should not interrupt!”
“Well, it's also that, um...” Fluttershy looked around, seeking to avoid Luna's gaze. The bedroom of the Princess of the Night was a dim place, and the only decorations were the dark blue carpet and pale blue walls. There were two suitcases by the door. The door itself had a map of Equestria pinned to it. “...I've already heard it. Do you really have to recite it again? It has five more stanzas, and I'm not sure we have time.”
Luna's scowl deepened. “We have all the time in the world.” She trotted over to the other side of the room, levitating up a pair of dresses from her bed. “I can do with a delay.”
“That doesn't seem like a good idea.”
“And what will they care?” Luna rolled her eyes, turning back to Fluttershy. “I have been absent for a thousand years! They will stand an hour's addition.”
Fluttershy frowned. “But...isn't the second stanza all about how they didn't like waiting around?”
“Hmph!” Luna levitated the two dresses over to Fluttershy. “Which of these would suit better the Princess of the Night?”
Fluttershy poked one of them. She knew a great deal about their designs, of course, but hated to show off that knowledge, so she tried to keep her critique concise. “They aren't very good for traveling, are they?”
Luna smirked, turning away again. Unseen to her, the two dresses fell, covering a startled Fluttershy. “They are not. They shall delay me further. Celestia will never know!” She ran over to her small dresser. “Now, how to synchronize that delay with the rations shortage?”
Fluttershy delicately took the two dresses off and placed them back on the bed. She flew over to Luna's side. “Um, I don't think you should try to sabotage the journey.”
“Ha!” Luna grabbed a clipboard off the dresser, checking something off. “Yes, this will do well. We will 'accidentally' wander off course!”
“Um...”
“Yes, and we shall lose our map in the lake here!” Luna levitated a safety pin into a spot in the map on the door. “Excellent!”
“Princess, I don't really think...”
“And look!” Luna grinned, running to the door and jabbing at the map with a hoof. “A swamp! This should cut our arrival time by—”
Fluttershy took a deep breath, trying not to lose her temper. She was being ignored. She tried not to remember the words of Iron Will and promptly failed.
“Treat me like a pushover," she whispered, "I give you the once-over!” Scowling, she walked over to Luna and poked the Princess in the side. “Excuse me.”
Luna went stiff. She turned, eyes wide.
Fluttershy's irritation instantly evaporated. She shrank away. “Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to! It was an accident! It was the minotaur!”
Luna cocked her head. “Ms. Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy barely heard her. She put her hooves over her eyes, sinking to the floor. “My friends keep telling me I need to be more assertive, and you didn't hear me! I thought I'd just give you the, um, once-over. Oh my goodness, I just hit an alicorn. I'm sorry! Please don't banish me, or—”
“Ms. Fluttershy.”
“—or offer me—no, um, bananas...wait, what did Pinkie say?” Fluttershy closed her eyes, frowning. The advice she'd been given had been confusing even by Pinkie's standards. “Um, just please don't yell, Princess! I hope I didn't hurt you. It wasn't—” Fluttershy felt somepony poke her in the shoulder.
She lowered her hooves from her eyes. Luna looked annoyed. “Ms. Fluttershy, your earth pony friend is endearing. This cannot be denied. She is also insane.” She raised an eyebrow. "I have not the vaguest notion as to what you are referring to.”
“Oh. Um...well, yes.” Fluttershy blushed. Pinkie's a very dear friend, she thought, but I need to stop letting her get to me. That banishment thing didn't even make any sense. “Sorry.”
“Anyway...” Luna sat down before Fluttershy, sighing. “What is it?”
“Well...” Fluttershy sat up. She felt a bit better now that Luna was no longer looming over her—she'd never admit it to Twilight, but alicorns could be a little intimidating at times. “I don't think you should try to delay this. I-if it's alright for me to say so. From what you've told me about them...I mean, you're the only pony they let inspect the prisons.” She tapped her front hooves together nervously, trying to ignore Luna's sad look. “I think you should arrive as quickly as possible.”
Luna scratched her head. “I truly do not want to go,” she muttered.
“Why not?” Fluttershy stood up and trotted over to Luna's dresser, where she began putting an outfit together. “Didn't you say you have friends there?”
“Heh.” Luna's tone was rueful. “Nopony truly possesses friends in Tartarus. I am the one who managed to bring order and give them legitimacy in the world above. They respect me. They do not love me.”
“What about, um, Arabus?” Fluttershy opened the bottom drawer and quickly slammed it back shut. “And that, um, praying mantis? And Tirek? Twilight told me a lot about what you've done there. Aren't they your friends?”
“Hm. I doubt they even remember me. It has been a long time.”
“Well, never give up hope.” Fluttershy gave a small smile, thinking of Ponyville. “You never really lose friends.”
“Unless they die.”
“They just forget sometimes.” Fluttershy ignored Luna. She grabbed a blue fedora from the hat rack and set it on a neatly-folded ensemble. “You have to go remind them. You mustn't hide.”
“If hiding is unwise, why are you helping me rather than adventuring with your friends?”
Fluttershy turned to Luna, her smile getting nervous. “Well, um, it's...well, Tartarus doesn't have dragons. And, um, big missions to dragon lands do." She shuddered. "They have lots of dragons.”
Luna chuckled. “Indeed. Tartarus only has a vicious three-headed hound that devours souls.”
Fluttershy skipped back to the door. “But he's so cute!”
“I am pleased you think so.” Luna looked to one of the shaded windows. “He, at least, will not recognize me.” Her voice was heavy. “It is your responsibility to ensure his docility while I enter and take my leave of Tartarus. If he frightens you, believe me, it will not go well for me.”
“So you'll go?” Fluttershy looked up at Luna, giving a hesitant smile. “You promise not to try to delay us?”
“Hm.” Luna shrugged. “I suppose.”
“Yay!” Fluttershy pointed to the dresser. “There's your outfit. I packed extra food when I saw you weren't packing enough, so we're ready to go. Also, I brought an extra map, since I noticed the one on the door is over one thousand years out of date. And I fixed the straps on your saddlebags.”
Luna looked crestfallen.
“Oh, don't look at me like that.” Fluttershy beamed. “It's a beautiful day to start an adventure. A nice, dragon-free adventure.”
“It's too early.”
“It's noon.”
“Can't we wait another year or so?”
Fluttershy opened her mouth to reply and instead let out a yelp as there came a loud pounding on the door. The map fell off, pins scattering over the carpet.
The door opened, and a silver-coated mare poked her head through. Her brown mane was done up in a bun, and she wore large black-rimmed glasses. “Excuse me.” Her tone was disinterested. “Princess.”
Luna nodded. “Money Penny. What is it?”
Money Penny raised an eyebrow. “Somepony approaches the gate. It seemed wise to inform you.”
Luna frowned, levitating the map and pins up onto the dresser. “Why not my sister? I am about to undertake a journey, you see, and—”
“That is exactly why I told you.” Money Penny adjusted her cravat. “Rather than your sister.”
Luna blinked. Fluttershy took a step forward. “Um, what do you mean?”
Money Penny looked at Fluttershy. Fluttershy was startled by the coldness in the secretary's expression. “I mean that a very strange blue ram was seen approaching the city gates, and if he's who I think he is, Princess Luna would find it beneficial if Princess Celestia were never to lay eyes upon him.”
“A ram,” Luna repeated.
“Accompanied by a robed figure, but the latter's role appears to be that of a familiar.” Money Penny leaned back out of the room. “Good day, Your Highness.”
The door slammed shut.
A moment later, the door swung open, and the Princess of the Night bolted out. Fluttershy stood still for a moment, then hurried after.
“What's going on?” she asked, but Luna didn't appear to hear her. “Who's the ram?” she asked, louder. “Maybe I can talk to it!”
“Money Penny is abrasive,” Luna called back, not slowing, “but correct in referring to the ram as a 'him'! You cannot calm this creature as you would a three-headed soul-eating mastiff of Tartarus!”
“Who—who is he?” Fluttershy gasped, trying to keep up. Luna was swerving around corners and flying down flights of stairs with ease. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was beginning to fall behind.
“He is Grogar!” Luna shouted, levitating the front door open and tearing out. “Warden of Tartarus's Third Level! Architect of Misery! Lord of—”
Fluttershy didn't hear the rest as she barreled straight into Luna—who had come to a sudden, dead stop. The alicorn didn't react. Muttering an apology and trying to hide behind her mane, Fluttershy stepped back and looked around. “Luna? Why did you—oh!”
They were outside the castle. The streets of Canterlot were bustling, but a pale pink bubble had formed, sealing off the area by the castle entrance.
Within the bubble were four creatures. Fluttershy and Luna, of course, and a strangely-shaped figure in deep crimson robes.
And a great blue ram twice Luna's size. From his neck hug a large bronze bell. His eyes glowed bright red as he stomped a hoof, cracking the cobblestone beneath. “Grogar,” he snarled. “Architect of Misery. Lord of Tambelon.”
There was silence. Fluttershy looked at the ram, then at Luna, who looked stunned. For a moment, nopony—and nothing—spoke.
Fluttershy looked back at Grogar. “Um...hello, sir.” She tried to raise her voice, realizing a whisper was unlikely to impress this beast. “What are you doing here?”
Grogar's gaze came to rest on Fluttershy. She cringed inwardly, but forced herself not to look away.
After another moment, Grogar smiled. It was a cruel smile. The smile a cat would show to a canary. There was no warmth in it, only the heat of the hottest flames of Tartarus. “I am here to welcome Princess Luna back, of course.” He raised one bushy white eyebrow. “Why else?”