She found Ponyville in as much chaos as Canterlot. Some tried to call out to her as she flew overhead, but she merely gave them a nod of her head; she had to find Twilight Sparkle, but the library was abandoned. When she had no luck at Rarity’s shop or the bakery, she went out toward Sweet Apple Acres – and was rewarded with the familiar voices of Twilight Sparkle’s friends calling to her. She landed by the barn, stumbling as she tried to stop, and was immediately set upon by those who had been uninjured, all of their voices assailing her to explain what had gone on.
Applejack and Fluttershy lay mutely by Twilight Sparkle, and Big Macintosh stood nearby. Luna pushed through the ponies crowding her to kneel next to Celestia’s apprentice. She gazed down at her, then closed her eyes and bowed her head. She touched her horn to Twilight Sparkle’s, and soon both alicorn and unicorn were shining with Luna’s blue magic.
She has lost her life. Theia’s voice was barely a whisper in her mind. It has been stolen by the one called the Bringer of Light.
Eos. Hyperion’s voice was oddly much clearer than Theia’s. Your sister.
Luna almost came out of her trance right there, but she fought to hold onto the connection with her parents. Where Celestia was unwilling to accept the dangers, Hyperion and Theia seemed resolved to telling her what they knew – even if it meant revealing this secret.
She had no magic of which to speak; the job of controlling the sky could only fall on two shoulders. Giving anything to Eos would have made the balance uneven, for two would have control of the day and only one of night. She was sent to live among the others of Equestria.
The rest of the story Luna knew; her parents had no need to tell her.
“Help her,” she murmured out loud. “How do I help her?”
Neither of her parents spoke. Luna felt herself growing desperate; she cried out in her thoughts, like a lost filly searching for her mother, until finally she heard Hyperion – though he sounded distant.
She is gone.
No.
Eos took her life. She is gone, Luna.
Luna refused to believe it. She squeezed her eyes tighter to stem the flow of tears. Give her back breath, she pleaded. Don’t take her into darkness.
Luna. Theia’s voice was soothing and gentle, enveloping her like a protective blanket. You must save Eos. Do not let this young unicorn’s death be in vain. Equestria needs you.
“I need her,” Luna whispered. Twilight Sparkle was the one who had been given the books and the knowledge to help her combat this trouble. She was the one who had brought the six together, found the Elements of Harmony, and freed her from her prison. She was always there, always helping, always supportive. If anyone had the power to battle this new foe and bring Scootaloo home, it was Twilight Sparkle.
Luna feared going into this battle without the steadfast, clear headed young unicorn; but she had no power over life and death, and even her parents had little say. When the black one reached for you, you had no choice but to obey his call. How could the Elements of Harmony save Equestria if she was gone?
She felt a wave of warmth wash over her and felt another power, stronger than hers, nearby. Her dark world became tinged with a warm gold as this power swirled around and through her. She tried to start back and open her eyes but found herself unable to move, so overwhelming was this sensation. She bore it as long as she could, and it was just when she was about to scream out when everything flashed white.
She jumped to her hooves, her eyes flying open. She looked down to Twilight Sparkle, only to see Celestia stretched out next to her. The young unicorn was covered in one of her sister’s wings as the Princess whispered brokenly to her lost pupil.
Luna turned her head away, unable to bear the sight; when she saw Twilight Sparkle’s friends, her tears returned. How could I be so helpless? she cried to her parents, but knew that no answer would be forthcoming. She moved hesitantly to them, laying down between Fluttershy and Applejack. Both ponies collapsed into her, crying loudly; Luna covered them with her wings to comfort them.
“I am sorry,” she finally said. “I could not bring her back.”
Pinkie Pie and Rarity sat close together, shaking with sobs; Sweetie Belle was pressed into her sister’s front hooves. Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom were close to Applejack. The stallion had his head bowed, one hoof wrapped gently around Apple Bloom. He was obviously distraught but seemed to be forcing himself to hold together, more for the rest than anything else.
“Rainbow Dash?” he finally asked lowly. All at once, every head turned toward Luna; when Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom both piped up with Scootaloo’s name, the Princess turned her eyes toward Canterlot.
“Rainbow Dash lives. She is resting in my room in Canterlot, recovering from the flight. Scootaloo was taken prisoner by a strange colt from the east. She will be rescued.”
Not exactly a comforting thing to say, but at least she lived. The rest stared numbly at her, trying to fathom what she had said. Luna opened her mouth to continue, but she heard Celestia’s voice suddenly bellow from behind her.
“You dare show yourself again?”
Luna looked up quickly, expecting to see the huge stallion from before, but instead saw the three pegasi who had been watching her at night. Celestia’s horn was glowing bright yellow as she stood over Twilight Sparkle. The blue stallion hovered uneasily before the other two, looking from Celestia to Luna. The older sister’s horn sparkled with her rage, and she fired a stream of her magic toward the three. They had no hope of escaping and would have been brought to their knees had Luna not suddenly appeared before them.
She took the brunt of Celestia’s attack, her wings going rigid. Celestia jerked her head up with alarm; as soon as the attack stopped Luna’s wings gave a powerful beat and kept her airborne. She turned to face the three pegasi, ignoring her sister.
“P-please, help.”
She started to collapse, but the white and yellow pegasi bolted forward and caught her. They guided her gently to the ground as the blue stallion stated evenly at Celestia.
“Your sister has come to trust us, Celestia. She tried to warn you, and you have – thus far – ignored her. Will you heed us now?”
Celestia remained above Twilight Sparkle, looking from the blue stallion to Luna. The younger sister was already getting to her hooves, flanked by the two pegasi; Twilight Sparkle’s friends had gathered together fearfully, with Big Macintosh standing in front of them. Celestia took in the sight of the injured stallion ready to defend his friends, her weakened sister, and finally the defiant blue pegasus. He landed before Luna, gazing up fearlessly at the Princess before him.
“Who are you?” Celestia finally asked. The pegasus smiled thinly.
“We come from lands to the east, Princess. We are the lawless ones, I believe you call us. Banished back in the time of your parents, now living outside of their mercy; we scratch a living as we can in the mountains. My name is Orion; this is Vela and Posy.” He motioned to the white pegasus and then the yellow one, but they did not acknowledge the introduction. “We live in a small village hidden in the mountains. The Colt of the Moon is strong near us, but our small village does not bow before his power. We long for the rightful heirs of Hyperion and Theia.”
“Why did you not return to us?” Celestia demanded. Orion only smiled, as though he were dealing with a stubborn filly.
“My reception today should give you your answer. We lack what so binds your world together – cutie marks. With our banishment came the loss of the gifts of order, and without these marks we have been shunned and turned away. We kept to ourselves, fighting the Colt as we could, until we heard of Luna’s return. We came here to see her, and only through that travel did we learn of the Colt’s whisperings – his Eos had returned.”
“Scootaloo is not his Eos,” Celestia retorted. “She has no powers. She is but a young filly…”
“…just as Eos was when she was spurned by our parents,” Luna finally said quietly. She stared evenly at Celestia, who simply gazed back.
“Our sister died a long time ago,” the elder finally said flatly. But Orion shook his head.
“Perhaps so. But she has returned in a new body to take control with the Colt of the Moon. She has reincarnated in the one who was taken today; awoken by the strong magic of one who tried to save her.”
All eyes turned to Twilight Sparkle as Orion continued quietly. “I didn’t have to be here to feel her come back to the world; I know that only a powerful magic could reawaken her so quickly.”
“Can you save her?”
Orion turned to face Luna and bowed before her. “I do not know, Princess of Night.”
“But she’s our only hope,” a small voice said from among Twilight’s friends. All eyes turned to Fluttershy as she continued. “Without Twilight, we don’t have the Elements of Harmony; and then how can we protect Equestria?”
A grim silence fell on the group. Celestia finally knelt down and draped a wing over her pupil. Luna turned away and looked to the rest of her friends. “Come to Canterlot Castle and be with Rainbow Dash. You all need each other, and we must find out what is going to happen now.”
As if on cue, her chariot arrived with word that Rainbow Dash had woken. The group climbed in numbly, assisting Applejack and Big Macintosh. She nodded her thanks to her guards and gave Celestia a long, sad look before taking to the sky to fly next to the rising chariot, leaving her sister alone to grieve.