//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: A Fire Guides // Story: Luna and the Temple of Stars // by IceCreamNom //------------------------------// From a distance, a figure watched. He watched from the shadows, keeping out of sight. "I bet those two will faint any second now." The figure chuckled. "I wonder how those two got here. It is most entertaining though to watch them stumble and fall like they are. Haha! Just look at the faces they've been making!" He tried not to burst out laughing. "Hmm, well, I'll give them just a bit more time for them to find me. Once they do, I shall MAYBE tell them what I know. Only then will they know where they are, and why they are here." And with that mysterious sentence, the figure disappeared within a snap of his own finger. --- "S-Sorry! We never meant to invade your home!" A unicorn pegasus with a shy face shouted into the darkness. The hooves of the unknown pony came closer and closer. "Luna, we haven't no choice! We better get out before we are punished!" A unicorn standing next to her explained worriedly. The other pony nodded scaredly, and then there was a mad dash for an exit. "I can't see one, Trixie! It's too dark!" Luna said to the unicorn sadly as she quietly zoomed around. Suddenly, she bumped into a soft, solid object. On the cold hard ground, she gazed up at shining blue eyes that stared right into her pupils, burning through her eyes. With a shout of freight, the scared alicorn took a quick trot away from the luminous eyes, trying to get as far away as possible. Then she bumped into Trixie. Both getting up, they stared scaredly at the vivid eyes coming closer and closer. "Now, Luna! We must get out!" Trixie flashed her horn, shining a faint light in the area. "There!" The scared unicorn shot her hoof up at a small wooden door barely in sight a distance behind the eyes. They trotted like their life depended on it, until they both reached the door. Trixie took her hooves and pulle don the handle. Luna gulped and stared behind her at the eyes just realizing their trick. This time, the eyes zoomed closer. Suddenly, there was a loud click. "It's open!" Trixie exclaimed loudly. The two rushed through the doorway, the impact of the run shutting the door behind them, leaving the eyes to stop dead in it's tracks. Luna and Trixie kept on trotting. The softly lit torches guiding them up staircases and down halls, and they had no idea where they were going. Finally, they both stopped for a gulp of air. While breathing heavily, the two glanced behind them, seeing if the eyes had followed them. "I think... We might... Be okay..." Trixie said between thick breaths. "Come on, Trixie... We gotta find a way out." Luna said, getting up slowly and tiredly. "Luna, we probably advanced up at least two floors! Unless you wanna face those creepy eye things again, we might wanna stay up here until we find out where we are." Trixie answered. Luna took a few more breaths, and decided to go on ahead, Trixie slowly following her. They soon came to a statue of a bird, with long wings and a healthy body. It seemed almost lifelike, they could both almost feel it. "Trixie, doesn't that statue look real to you?" Luna said looking at it from different angles. "Don't be silly, dear, it's just a statue." Trixie said, rolling her eyes and moving on. Luna nodded with a sigh, and followed after her. But behind her, the statued turned around and it's eyes blinked, and the stone began to crack and fall of one piece at a time. They both wouldn't have cared how many doors and staircases they saw, they just kept going down the hall. There were so many, Luna lost count at the number "30". Trixie stopped to drink some water dripping from the corner of a nearby wall. "It's a bit rusty, but anything will do for me right now... My mouth is sooooo dry..." Trixie groaned, waiting for the next drop to fall on her tongue. Luna's stomach growled, and she blushed. "Sorry... I'm just a bit hungry." She explained slowly. Trixie turned around and walked towards her. "Well, I am too, I guess. We should find a snack." She said, looking around. "But Trixie, there are too many doors. A dining room or kitchen of any sort could be behind any one." Luna said worriedly. "Then we use an old strategy; We just check every one." The unicorn answered, checking behind a door, which just contained some rollar skates and a few mice. Luna sighed,, and just walked ahead. She figured there's not much they could both do. "Come on, Trixie- Wait... Trixie?" Luna glanced behind her. She ran back down the hall to the door Trixie has opened. She glanced at the things, and blinked. She wasn't inside, and she wasn't close either. Luna shouted and shouted her name, walking down the what seemed an endless hall, blinking and rubbing her eyes. Suddenly, a flame blocked her path. Taking a step back in surprise, Luna gazed at the sight. --- The fire wasn't burning the walls around it, nor created heat in the area. It didn't even as much shed sparks. Then, the flame morphed into a scarlet red bird, with genuine wings the color of a setting sun. It looked up at Luna, who was now curiously wondering what this bird was. The bird flew down the hall ahead of Luna. "I... I wonder if it wants me to follow." Luna said to herself, trotting after it. The bird kept on flying and it never looked back at Luna. It took her through doors and trapdoors, up and down staircases, but it's not like Luna wasn't used to it by now. Soon, the two approached a gigantic room, about twice the side of the royal hall in her castle. With a breath of surprise, the shy Luna was walking slowly down the path. Fountains were surrounding the room, creating a waterfall that flowed into the ground, creating a river all around the room. Luna met up with the bird who was perched on a rather large fountain, in the center of it all. Never before had she seen such a sight. Luna looked up at the bird. "H-Hello... I don't think we've properly met, h-have we? I'm Princess Luna, and I'm... Well, h-how about you?" She asked slowly and in a calm voice. The bird only glanced down at her, with a simple stare and a frequent ruffle of her feathers. Obviously the bird couldn't talk, but Luna somwhow felt this bird could. "Um... Why did you bring me here, may I ask?" Luna asked, looking around curiously. The bird looked up at the ceiling, not even gazing at Luna. Once the unicorn pegasus saw what the bird was doing, she too gazed up at the ceiling. And what a beautiful sight it was. It was a moon. No, not a moon, the moon. A cut hole lay at the top of the ceiling, revealing the moon that shone light down through the circle on Luna. She smiled at the moon. The moon was probably the most beautiful thing life has ever given her. The bird flew softly upon Luna's back, being careful to not have it's talons clip her back. Luna glanced back at the bird and smiled shyly. "Is this why you brought me here? To see the light of the moon?" She asked. The bird nodded, staring right at Luna. Luna giggled, and looked back up at the moon that shone through the roof. Somehow it shot unbeleviable sprit through her. She felt taller than than she was at the moment, and bravery rushed through her veins. Luna felt like she had more power, more faith, more personality. Suddenly, the room around her became empty. The cement walls, fountains, and the flowing water all disappeared in a single flash of light. Stars and comets covered where the walls should have been, and the ground Luna stood on became a lonely stone platform. "Whoa..." Luna looked around in surprise. It was like she was floating in space. She looked up at the moon, in which had fully been revealed. It's light shone harder, and it covered the whole platform with a vivid light that sparkled the stone. Suddenly, a familiar pair of shocking blue eyes appeared a few feet away from Luna, shining in the light of the moon. With a small gasp of terror, Luna took a step back. "I-It's you again..." She said with a gulp. The eyes approached closer. There was nowhere for Luna to run or hide. The eyes stood in fornt of Luna, and surprisingly took a figure of a dark mare, the color of the night sky. The mare's mane and tail were long and magnificent, they were a dark violet color with what seemed many tiny stars floting inside them. As it's mane sparkled, Luna noticed a unicorn's horn that spiraled, and it's color was the same of the body. A violet helmet and amulet were worn on the mare, as well as plates on her feet, supposedly used as armor. The mare's cutie mark was like no other, it was a relaxing and vivid shade of purple, and a moon rested in the middle of it. The mare was taller than Luna, and so it looked down on her. "H-H-Hello..." Luna said quietly and shyly. "There is no need to be afraid. I am you, and you are me." The mare answered in a deep, confident voice. Luna stood up a bit more so she could look into their eyes. "You are me, and I am you...?" She asked. The mare nodded, and bent down so she was the same height as Luna. "You recognize me as your side of jealousy, of hatred." The mare closed it's eyes. Luna blinked a bit confused, and looked around the room some more, at the shining stars. "Luna..." The mare continues, standing back up. "I am here to show you the purpose of your life." The mare raised it's dark, plate covered hoof, and a big flash appeared in front of them, making Luna's eyes sparkle like the stars. Suddenly, everything was dark. She couldn't see anything. She closed her eyes, and something surprising snapped.