A Temporary Calm
”So… um… here are the photos we took, boss,” Lively nervously stated as he put his and Light’s collection down on the desk in front of them. His shaking hoof caused one of the photos to fall off the pile and land on the floor. It didn’t matter much though, because the pile was still much larger than it usually was at the end of their normal work shifts. Considering the rather spectacular events of the day, Lively was surprised that it wasn’t even larger.
On the other side of the desk sat a white-coated stallion named Mayday. His mane was brown, but was starting to turn grey in several places, showing his age. A large cigar was placed in his mouth, which he almost seemed to bite in half every time Lively saw him. As the boss of one of the biggest newspaper companies in Equestria, his reputation was well known all over Canterlot. Many young journalist ponies dreamed of one day working under him. Lively himself had been one of those ponies, so had Light. If they had only known the true merciless personality that laid hidden under the legend.
Mayday stared at the pile of photos for a few seconds, letting a few more puffs of smoke leave his mouth before picking it up. Despite the unbelievable scenes featured on every photo, he looked at them without any hint of interest on his face whatsoever. However, Lively noticed how his boss stared at the first photo for a pretty long time. From his experience with the old stallion, this usually meant that the photo in question was good. Mayday wouldn’t praise them for it, never in a thousand years, but maybe this one time he would at least…
“Trash, trash, junk, trash, worse than trash…”
Lively should’ve known better than to get his hopes up. With every phrase he said, Mayday threw a photo over his shoulder. Each of them landed in the trash can behind him with amazing accuracy. After over 30 years in his line of work, he was nothing short of a master when it came to this kind of thing. As the last photo was thrown away, the boss took another sip of his cigar before leaning towards Lively and Light.
“So let me get this straight: You two bore witness to the single greatest battle Equestria has ever seen since the Discord war? You were literally on the sidelines of the battlefield when this whole thing took place? You had fully loaded cameras, great angles, and could photograph to your hearts’ content without worrying about the guards?”
Lively and Light only nodded in response. They knew all too well what was coming.
“And you two only bring me PHOTOGRAPHS?!” A loud smash of hooves hitting his desk signaled the start of Mayday’s outburst. “What were you thinking with, your tails?! I can barely even make out what I’m seeing here! The changeling queen looks like a glowing neon light in your everyday Canterlot club! And what the hay is this supposed to be, a diamond dog?!”
“I-I think one of the other ponies around us called him a “Pokémon” after the battle…” Light tried to explain.
“Oh, so you DID listen to some gossip about the whole thing? Okay, then where are all the interview tapes?! It didn’t hit you dimwits that getting a word out of the royal guard would’ve maybe been highly informative?!”
“But… But captain Shining Armor ordered us and the other journalists to leave the scene immediately after the battle, boss,” Light stammered. Lively remained silent. He knew better than to talk back to the most famous business boss in his line of work.
“And that’s another thing, the other journalists! How do you expect our paper to sell when it says the same thing as every other paper in the city?! Hay, make that in all of Equestria! Have you looked at these photos?! They’re probably the exact same thing that all the other 20 or so ponies took over there! Every single one of them just shows the changeling queen fighting this, what did you numbskulls call it, Poké-Man? What does that even mean?! You didn’t ask it anything?!”
“W-We didn’t think it was a good idea to try and talk with someone who just blew up a quarter of a mountain, boss,” Light stammered again. Mayday promptly facehoofed in response.
“In the name of Celestia- You two are completely worthless!” The aged stallion stood up from his chair and walked around his desk towards the two journalists. “This is going to be talk of the entire country by tomorrow morning, and all you can give them is basically the same photo 500 times over?! Of all the times I need you to be at your best, you come back with nothing special whatsoev…”
Mayday suddenly stared at something on the floor in front of his desk. Before Lively and Light turned their gaze to see what it was, their boss had already picked it up. He stared at it for a long time, and Lively noticed how he seemed to bite down on his cigar a bit harder than before. Lively would’ve found this strange if he and Light weren’t busy with their cold sweating. They were probably just a few angry words away from being fired.
“Which one of you dirt bags took this one?” he asked as he turned the photo around for the other two to see. Surprised by the suddenly interested tone in their boss’ voice, Lively looked at the mysterious photo. His mouth dropped open in surprise at what it portrayed.
“Um, I think that one is mine, boss,” Light responded nervously. Lively snapped his head around to look at his co-worker. Had he really been able to get a shot of THAT scene? Mayday simply nodded before walking back to his chair.
“Congratulations you two, you get to keep your jobs for a few more days. If any of those other companies managed to get a photo like this, I bet they’re too scared to publish it.” He pressed his hoof down on a button and spoke into the nearby microphone. “Marker, get over here and take this photo to the guys downstairs and we’ll have it printed for tomorrow afternoon. It will take too long for the presses to get working for us to have it out in the morning. And to the rest of you workers who somehow didn’t notice the near cataclysmic battle outside the city, YOU’RE ALL FIRED! As for you two, you better make sure you don’t slack off, it’s going to be a busy week. I want photos! Photos of Poké-Man!”
With that, Mayday turned around and began to look through some papers about new willing employees. This was his usual way of signaling the end of a conversation. Lively let himself breathe out in relief. For whatever its worth, the two of them had managed to get by another day. He turned towards Light, who was now grinning rather arrogantly after saving their hides.
“I can’t believe you managed to get a shot of that. I was far too busy with being in shock about the whole thing. I mean, seriously?”
“Professionals can keep themselves focused in any kind of situation, my friend,” Light cockily responded while swinging his camera around his hoof. “And that’s why boss Mayday pays me the big bucks.”
As if his boast was answered by fate itself, both Light and Lively suddenly found themselves flying out the door by a pair of hind legs kicking them.
“I’ll pay you big bucks for not getting your flanks OUT OF MY OFFICE!”
“There she is! Hunt her down!”
“She took my child away! I’ll never forgive that witch!”
Luna didn’t know if she was flying or running away from the screams of hatred behind her. All she knew was that they were getting closer. Darkness surrounded her, obscuring her view of whoever chased her and where she was going. Normally she would’ve been able to control that darkness however she desired. But even the princess of the night couldn’t control the kind of darkness that was hidden within her own heart.
The yells and screams were almost deafening now, and Luna found herself unable to move any longer. Falling down to whatever served as a floor in this place, she turned her head to face the source of it all.
Her sister Celestia stood behind her, towering over Luna’s kneeling body. The screams and shouts had ceased, but the lingering silence was far worse than anything else. There was no sun light around Celestia, nor where her face wearing its usual smile. She simply stared at Luna without any emotion at all.
“Tia… please…” Luna tried to speak, but her voice was barely above a whisper. She lied paralyzed on the ground as Celestia drew closer to her without even walking. Their faces were mere inches away from each other when Celestia finally opened her mouth.
“AAAAH! BAT! HEEEELP!”
A terrified scream echoed through Canterlot Castle, waking up the blue-coated princess sleeping in her chambers. Luna shot out of bed, gasping for air in a near panicked state. Drops of sweat rolled down her forehead as the memories of the nightmare were still fresh in her mind. She was wiping the sweat off with a shaking hoof when she suddenly wondered how she could hear any noise from outside. Her chambers were soundproof in order to let her sleep peacefully during the day.
Turning towards the doors, she noticed the reason for this change. The doors were gone. Judging by the cracked frame, it seemed like they had been ripped off by force. She seemed to recall knowing what had caused this, but her head was still a bit foggy after the bad dream. Trying to remember everything, she heard the continuation of the loud scream outside.
“Candle Warmth, what’s wrong?!”
“There… There’s a bat in the kit- AAAH! IT’S ON MY FACE! NANNY, GET IT OFF!”
“Oh for crying out loud, girl, is there a spine in that back of yours at all? Just stand still, all right? I’ll get it! HIYA!”
“OW! Nanny, that was the back of my head!”
“If you young ones would just learn to stand still for a few seconds, it wouldn’t have been! Now come back here, it doesn’t help to run around like a timberwolf on fire!”
Luna heard the two ponies run around the corridors in a chaotic mess. A loud metallic crash gave her the impression that one of the royal knight armors outside had been broken. Annoyed by her servants’ clumsiness and the unbearable noise, Luna got out of bed and headed towards the door-less exit.
She walked up to it at the worst possible time. She was immediately greeted by a young mare with a dark red coat and yellow mane. She was flailing her forelegs around in a desperate attempt to shake off the small patch of fur on her face. The fur in question flew away just before the mare stumbled into Luna, sending both of them crashing to the floor.
Well, say what you want. She’s a very effective wake up clock, Luna thought to herself as she scratched the pained spot on the back of her head. Looking down at her chest, she saw her servant Candle Warmth rubbing off a few strays of hair in her eyes before suddenly realizing who she had fallen on top of.
“P… Princess?” Candle asked out loud, her tone of voice somewhere between surprised and shocked. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Luna gave away a small chuckle at the scene.
“You’re every bit as spirited as always, Candle Warmth,” she said as an answer to the young servant. Both of them were quiet for a moment before tears started to fall from Candle’s eyes. Next thing Luna knew, the mare hugged her mistress’ torso in relief.
“PRINCESS! Oh thank Celestia, you’re… you’re…” Candle’s voice gave away as she erupted in joyful tears. Luna was a little dumbfounded by the mare’s reaction, but placed a comforting hoof on Candle’s back. The whole scene seemed familiar to her somehow, like something that had happened just recently. No matter how hard she tried though, she couldn’t remember what.
“Some things never change, do they, my girl?” A voice asked in front of them. Looking up, Luna saw an elderly mare with a blue coat and white mane looking at them. Known only as Nanny by the other ponies in the castle, she had served under Celestia for almost her entire life. Luna was still confused by how a pony could stay so devoted to her job for so many years, but had chosen not to question the old mare’s reasons.
“Hehe, indeed they don’t, Nanny. Um, if you would be so kind?” Luna gave an embarrassed smile as she tried to make herself and Candle stand up. Nanny laughed heartily as she walked up and lend them both a hoof. Candle was still crying, and couldn’t make out any eligible words when she tried to speak.
“She has been worried about you, you know?” Nanny said as she held a foreleg over the young mare’s shoulders. “We all have, ever since this whole thing about you being sick started. But I suppose that wet mark on your chest from all her tears already gave you that impression.”
“Hehe, what makes you say that?” Luna answered with a laugh. Nanny and Candle were two of the few ponies in all of Equestria who treated her with any friendship and love. Even immediately after her return from her banishment, Luna had found the two of them by her side to support her. Nanny had heard many stories about her from Celestia, and chances were that she had conveyed them all to Candle during their spare time. Apart from her sister and her friends in Ponyville, the two mares where the only ones Luna felt happy enough to laugh together with.
A certain memory sparked inside Luna’s head as she laughed. What had Nanny said about her being sick? Images flashed in her mind as she remembered her strange meeting with Celestia in her chambers. A blue, dog-like creature standing to shield her from her sister came next as Luna’s eyes widened.
“My sister! The changeling queen! Lucario! What hap-” she screamed out in worry, but found Nanny’s hoof hushing her down.
“There there, my girl, calm down a notch. How much do you remember?”
Luna closed her eyes as she went through her memories. She remembered knocking the disguised Chrysalis through the corridor, shortly followed by darkness. After that, she had found herself on the plains outside Canterlot, watching Lucario fight the queen.
“There… There was a battle outside the city gates between Queen Chrysalis and-”
“Lucario. Yes, that’s right.” Nanny finished Luna’s sentence, causing the princess to look at her in surprise. “And yes, I know him. After the deed he pulled off yesterday, I would be surprised if every single pony in Equestria didn’t know him by now. You can thank the newspapers for the spread of that knowledge.” Making sure Candle had recovered from her crying state, Nanny walked a bit closer to Luna to continue her explanation.
“After the queen was discovered yesterday, she put that mind control spell on you like she did with Shining Armor. He had memory loss of that time as well, so I guess you suffer from similar symptoms. As for the queen, that Lucario fellow immediately started to fight her. I wasn’t awake when it all started, nor could I see everything that was going on from the balcony. But whatever happened out there, it has left enough scars in the ground to remain for decades. The grass is all but burned to a crisp, the very earth has cracked open, and you’ll find one of the mountains in the distant to be drastically smaller than before. If it were you or Celestia who had been fighting there, I would’ve believed it. But to think that someone like Lucario could be that strong…”
Luna listened to Nanny’s explanation. Her memories came back bit by bit as she heard the details. She doubted that she would’ve believed anything of that impossible story without them.
“And the queen?” she eventually asked, still unable to remember Chrysalis’ fate.
“Dead, my girl,” Nanny answered quickly, making Luna blink in surprise. “One moment, the queen is firing a stream of flames at Lucario. Next thing I know, the entire world turns yellow and Lucario throws a sphere of light, hitting the queen right in the chest. That blown up mountain I mentioned is the result of all that, as well as her gravesite.”
“I see…” Luna could indeed remember the blinding light. But an explosion of that magnitude was impossible to imagine even for her. She couldn’t say that she pitied Chrysalis though. Had she survived, Luna would’ve made sure that she received the harshest banishment imaginable. She knew far too well how much worse such a punishment was than death. “What happened next?”
“After the battle, Lucario took you to your chambers to rest, and then went to do the same. He was greatly fatigued, but I don’t remember seeing any big wounds on him. I swear, that boy is in a class of his own. As for the other changelings, the queen had absorbed them all in an attempt to finish Lucario off. Shining and his men just made sure to clear out those pesky journalists all over the place afterwards.”
Luna brought a hoof to her chin as she thought for a moment.
“How did I end up on the battlefield to begin with? Did Chrysalis bring me there?”
“Yes, but only a while after the battle had started. From what Shining told me, it seems that Chrysalis was feeding off your love for Celestia in order to increase her power. As for the reason why she brought you over there, I’d rather not tell you, my girl. The less you remember about what the queen did to you, the better. Let’s just say that I could hear your screams all the way from the castle…”
Luna gulped and nodded, noticing the pained expression on Nanny’s face. Nevertheless, she was finally caught up to speed about the events. “I’m sorry for worrying you, Nanny. Thank you.”
“I’m afraid that there is one more thing I must tell you...” Nanny said, lowering her head with a frown on her face. She walked past Luna stepped up to the window. Dragging away the curtains, she revealed the darkness of the night outside.
“It isn’t nighttime, my girl. It’s three in the afternoon. Nopony has been able to raise the sun today because… Celestia is still kidnapped.”
Luna’s expression froze as she suddenly remembered the greatest worry on her mind. Her sister… Celestia was missing. Without her, the sun remained hidden beyond the horizon, and Equestria was put under an eternal night. As the words “Eternal night” passed through her thoughts, Luna began to panic. She rushed towards the window, nearly knocking Nanny over in the process. She opened it up and prepared to fly out when a pair of hooves held her back. Looking over her shoulder, Luna was surprised to find Candle Warmth clutching her tail.
“Princess, no! Please, you must rest! It’s too risky for you use too much magic right now!”
“I must, Candle!” Luna almost shouted, trying to break herself free from the young mare’s grip. “All of Equestria must be in panic right now. They probably believe that-”
“Nopony believes that Nightmare Moon has returned,” Nanny reassured her. “Celestia’s kidnapping may have worried everyone, but no newspaper has spread any rumors about anything like that. And you sure as hay don’t help things along by over exhausting yourself. You don’t even know how to raise the sun to begin with.”
Luna hesitated for a moment, her hooves still on the window sill. She let out a heavy sigh as she realized that she could do nothing about the situation at the moment. Nanny and Candle gave her reassuring smiles as she stepped away. Just as she did so, something flew out from behind the curtains. It landed on her back, much to the horror of the nearby Candle.
“THE BAT! THERE IT IS! WATCH OUT, PRINCESS, IT COULD BE A VAMPIRE!”
The bat gave the screaming mare an annoyed look before turning to Luna. It stared at her for a few moments, its expression a mix of awe, excitement, and a touch of uncertainty. For a moment, Luna could swear that its eyes sparkled a bit, as if it was looking at a role model. The sight made her giggle a bit.
“Hehe, so small and yet so efficient at scaring others. You would make a fine assistant during Nightmare Night in Ponyville.”
The bat seemed to beam at this. It promptly flew up to Luna’s flowing mane, hiding itself within. While it hadn’t been Luna’s intention, it seemed to enjoy its new home, its face just barely visible behind the sparkling strays of hair. It seemed to have already fallen asleep.
“I-Is it really all right for it to be there, Princess?” Candle asked. She herself would be the last pony in the world to let such a thing near her mane, let alone inside it.
“It’s quite all right, Candle,” Luna answered with a smile. “I find him to be rather cute, actually. If anything, he helped me put my mind at ease for a moment.”
“Glad to hear that, my girl. I’m sure Shining Armor and the guard will find Celestia soon enough,” Nanny said. “For now, you just need to rest. More importantly, you need to eat. Come along, and we’ll see what the kitchen can make for you.”
Nanny walked towards the exit, but paused when she found a large piece of cloth mysteriously hanging over it. It obscured the ponies’ view of the corridor, and none of them knew when or how it had been placed there without their notice. Throwing a curious look and a shrug in Luna’s direction, Nanny grabbed the cloth with her teeth and pulled it down.
“SURPRIIIIISE!!!”
The poor old mare nearly had a heart attack when she was greeted by Pinkie Pie’s shout. The corridor behind her was filled with confetti falling from the ceiling, and several tables filled with cakes and other snacks were placed everywhere. The rest of Pinkie Pie’s friends were standing there as well, beaming at seeing Luna awake and well. Even Shining Armor and Cadence were standing at the side, smiling at her. Luna stepped out of the room and watched the scene around her.
“I-I don’t get it. How did you get all things here so quickly?” Luna asked everyone. She could’ve sworn that the corridor had been completely empty during her conversation with Nanny.
“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight and the rest of her friends answered in a heartbeat. Shining just shrugged while Cadence giggled at Luna’s confused expression. Before she could ask more, the princess of the night found herself hugged from all sides by her friends from Ponyville.
“I’m so glad you’re all right, Princess!” Twilight expressed herself.
“Indeed. All this stuff about you being sick and the changeling attack had us worried out of our minds!” Rarity continued.
“Heh, as if some silly bugs could ever hope to harm a single hair on her mane,” Applejack reassured them, but the tightened hug from her revealed that she was relieved as well.
“Especially not with Lucario on the job! Oh man, Princess, I hope you remember that fight! It was SO AWESOME!” Rainbow Dash nearly squealed next to her.
“I… I still think it was terrifying, but… I’m so happy that you’re safe, Princess.” Fluttershy whispered with her usual sweet voice, but hugged Luna just as tightly as the others.
“I told you guys she would wake up now! My Pinkie Sense never lies! I had spent all night preparing all the cakes and snacks, so she must’ve woken up now, or I would need to eat them all myself. And that would just give me the worst tummy ache, like the time I-” Pinkie Pie went on one of her usual ramblings. She continued as the group broke the hug and stepped a bit back to give Luna some space.
“Yes, I’m fine now, everypony. I’m sorry for worrying you all so mu-”
“Aw, don’t come and give us that nonsense now, Princess,” Applejack interrupted her. “That nasty queen and her lackeys are to blame for all this. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Hehe, I know. Thank you, all of you.” Luna smiled at her friends, receiving their own smiles in return. As she looked around the corridor though, she noticed that someone was missing. “Where’s Lucario? Is he all right?”
“He’s fine, your highness.” Shining answered her. “No small feat, considering the things he went through yesterday. In fact, he was up earlier than everypony else from what I know. Last time I saw him, he was outside the castle.”
“Thank you, Shining,” Luna said to the captain. “And please, you’re married to Cadence now. There’s no need to keep up with formalities around me. Just Luna is fine.”
“Ah, haha, sorry. Old habits die hard, I guess.” Shining scratched the back of his head while Cadence just shook her head in a friendly manner. She then stepped up and gave Luna a hug of her own.
“If you only knew how much everyone has missed you,” she said next to Luna’s ear. Luna’s eyes widened a bit at this. Glancing back at Nanny and Candle behind her, she realized how everypony had been relieved to see her again. A small tear fell from her eye as she felt her friends’ and servants’ love for her. She removed it with some magic before turning back to Shining.
“Shining, while we’re here, I must ask you: What’s the situation with the people of the city?” she asked the stallion. Shining’s happy expression changed to a more serious one, knowing that he would need to relay a report eventually.
“While you were sick, the majority of the city’s nobles left for other towns until everything had settled. Chrysalis had ordered the castle to be put under quarantine, making some ponies believe that your “sickness” was contagious. I was worried at first about how the public would react over this lingering night, but it seemed we received some unexpected help. Several journalists witnessed the battle, and newspapers have already released articles about everything. From what I’ve read of them, they’ve all made Celestia’s kidnapping known to the public, so the ponies in Canterlot are showing no signs of panic at the moment. I’m afraid I can’t speak for other towns and villages though.”
Luna nodded as she listened to Shining’s report. She was glad to hear that the public didn’t seem to believe that Nightmare Moon had returned. The last thing they needed was an angry mob charging the castle in order to hunt her down.
“And my sister?”
Shining frowned a bit at the question. Luna also noticed Twilight and her friends look down at the floor. The exception was Pinkie Pie, who was still bouncing around to give each pony a plate and glass.
“Nothing yet, Luna. Chrysalis definitely knew something, but her final stand forced Lucario to put an end to her. She made sure to absorb all of her soldiers on the battlefield too, so we couldn’t take any of them in for questioning.” Luna’s ears fell as she heard this. Celestia was gone, and there was nopony to tell them where she was kept.
“Except for one.” Luna’s ears immediately perked up at Shining’s sudden statement, and she turned to him to hear the rest. “When Lucario fought the changeling army on the plains, he smashed their captain away with great enough force to send him flying all the way into the city. Before me and my men ran to assist Lucario, I had some of them take the changeling to the prison.”
“Has he said anything?” Luna asked, eager to hear any news of her sister’s whereabouts. Sadly, Shining frowned yet again.
“I’ve had no luck with him. Not even Lucario could force anything out of him. I think he sensed when his queen died, and he’s been in a near mute state ever since. He just hissed at me when I tried to get something out of him.”
“I see…” Luna thought for a moment before continuing. “Do you think Lucario knows some more details?”
“I’m not sure. He probably does, if I would make a guess. I can’t tell what’s going on in his mind at all half the time.”
“Very well,” Luna answered, at least temporarily pleased with the current information. “Then I’ll go and speak to him immediately. Thank you for your help, Shining.” Before anypony could object, Luna channeled magic to her horn and teleported herself away. Candle ran up to the spot where Luna had been a second ago and held a hoof in front of her mouth in worry.
“Oh no, we asked her not to use magic right now. I can’t stand seeing her overworking herself.”
“I can’t say I blame her though,” Twilight said. “Princess Celestia is missing, and nopony knows where to look for her. I would be freaking out myself if I hadn’t already read every book about possible hideouts in the castle’s library all night.”
“Well, did you find anything?” Cadence asked. Twilight just shook her head.
“No, at least nothing definite to work on. For all we know, she could be all the way in the changeling kingdom right now.”
The ponies were quiet as they lamented the situation. A sudden splat sound woke them up from this state though, as Pinkie Pie had thrown a pie at Rainbow’s face.
“Oh, it is ON now!” Rainbow yelled, half angry with the sudden prank and half happy with the distraction. As the two of them engaged in a hectic pie throwing battle by one of the tables, the rest of the ponies couldn’t help but laugh a bit.
“I guess we better eat now before they use it all up. I would hate to see my apple pies go to waste,” Applejack stated. “Besides, we’ll need to have full stomachs if we’re ever going to find Celestia.”
It was a rather peaceful night in Equestria, despite of how it was supposed to be daytime. The stars were glimmering in the sky like always, and the moon’s shine kept the land at least adequately lit up. It was a rather strange sensation for the ponies of Canterlot to walk around in the darkness. Despite having been scared of the dark ever since they were foals, they found it to be surprisingly peaceful. Some of them even found it somewhat pleasant. While they were all worried about Princess Celestia’s safety, they couldn’t say that they didn’t enjoy this temporary change of scenery.
Standing on top of one of the castle’s towers, Lucario was gazing over the city with closed eyes. While Canterlot was a big city, his Aura Sense could make out most of it from his vantage point. Only a few ponies could barely make out his silhouette from the streets. While Lucario had become well known all over the country for saving the city from Chrysalis, they couldn’t help but feel a bit disturbed by his constant watch. Not that they knew of his Aura Sense or anything, but his mere presence on the tower was enough to creep them out. They still didn’t know or trust him as much as the ponies in Ponyville.
Sighing a bit to himself, Lucario deactivated his Aura Sense to take a break. He had been keeping watch over the city the entire day, but he had yet to detect any suspicious activity. There hadn’t even been any burglars trying to take advantage of the dark in order to rob stores. For being Equestria’s capital city, it sure was devoid of crime.
I guess that’s what happens when you live under the noses of supernatural alicorns, he thought to himself, looking over the city with his normal eyesight. Even during the night, it was still as beautiful as it was during the day. A testament to its two rulers, no doubt. As he watched it, Lucario felt something he hadn’t felt for a long time. Something he hadn’t even felt back in Rota. He felt relaxed.
You would’ve liked it here, Sir Aaron.
Rota had been far from a peaceful kingdom in its later age. Conflict threatened them from all sides as the lands around them descended into war. Lady Rin had refused to take part in it officially, but she still found herself without choice when other kingdoms made attacks against them despite their neutrality. Lucario and Sir Aaron had been her greatest assets in defending the kingdom from such threats, but there never seemed to be an end to it all. Lucario could barely count the number of restful nights he had had on one paw. Without his Aura Sense activated every night, tragedy would’ve fallen over both himself and Rota several times over as the years passed.
Lucario looked up at the moon, a small frown on his face. Equestria was different from Rota. The ponies here sought no conflict, they detested it. Kinship and love seemed to be a fundamental part of everypony’s life. Yet even they couldn’t escape the darkness that hid within the hearts of some. Chrysalis had been a perfect example of that.
Lucario’s thoughts were interrupted by a spark of light behind him. Looking back, he found Luna landing on the ground behind him before walking up to him. She opened her mouth to say something, but a small screech from her mane stopped her. A bat emerged from within, a smile worn on its face as it saw Lucario. It immediately flew out of Luna’s mane and landed on Lucario’s shoulder.
“I thought I told you to leave the kitchen before the servants woke up. I could sense them throwing a ruckus upon seeing you from all the way here.” Despite the scolding words, Lucario wasn’t angry about seeing the bat again. It made some gestures with its wings as it snarled something to the Pokémon.
“You didn’t know it was daytime because of the night sky? That would be an understandable reason, I admit. I’m just glad the servants didn’t catch you.” Lucario nodded. Looking back at Luna, he found the princess to be rather puzzled about the whole thing.
“You two know each other? More importantly, you can understand him?”
“He helped me distract some of the guards when I was sneaking into the castle yesterday. I let him into the kitchen to eat some fruit in exchange. He apparently didn’t have much to eat down in the crystal caverns. As for your second question, the majority of Pokémon back in my world can’t speak with words. Only a few numbers of us can communicate in actual languages, like my telepathy. We instead learn to communicate in other ways, like with body language or tone of voice. It seems that ability has translated rather well to this world.”
After having Lucario pet it a bit on the head, the bat flew back to Luna, once again making a place for itself in her mane. Luna giggled a bit at this.
“And here I thought he enjoyed your company more than mine. It almost seems like he can’t decide.”
“I’m sure he’ll be just fine with you,” Lucario answered. “You two make a strangely friendly image together.” Luna smiled a bit in response, before her eyes widened a bit in realization.
“Oh, that’s right. I haven’t named him yet. He… doesn’t have a name, does he?”
“I wouldn’t think so. Animals usually only receive names from their owners. Right now, his only real name would be Bat, like his species.”
“Well, we can’t have that, can we? But what to name a trusty companion like you?” Luna asked out loud as she studied the bat. Lucario chuckled a bit and turned back to look over the city while Luna made up her mind.
Names… Hard to imagine myself being called anything other than Lucario by now, he thought to himself.
“The letter G is a good place to start, I believe,” Luna mumbled behind him.
I don’t think I’ve told everyone yet that Lucario is also the name of my species. I probably shouldn’t though, it would only confuse them.
“I like the sound of Go, but what next?”
Now that I think about it, Sir Aaron never explained why humans always have… wait… is she…?
“Gol...”
Is she really…?
“Golb…”
She can’t possibly…!
“GOLBEZ! Yes, that sounds perfect!” Luna finally exclaimed, happy with her choice. The bat also gave an approving smile from within her mane. Both of them noticed though how Lucario gave out an almost relieved sigh.
“Something wrong?” Luna asked puzzled.
“No, nothing,” Lucario quickly answered. “Just felt like we almost broke the wall between dimensions there…”
Luna looked at him in confusion for a bit before shrugging and scratching Golbez a bit on his chin. As Lucario watched them, he couldn’t help but notice how happy Luna was about her new friend.
“How are you feeling?” he eventually asked her. Luna blinked in response as she realized that the two of them had yet to actually greet each other. She let Golbez fall asleep in her mane as she straightened herself and coughed. A small blush was barely visible on her cheeks.
“I-I’m all right, despite the circumstances. And you?”
“I’m fine,” Lucario simply replied. Luna stared at him for a moment, studying his condition.
“I can hardly believe you were in such a harsh battle just over 12 hours ago,” she admitted.
I’ve been in worse, Lucario almost answered, but decided that such a statement would only lead to unnecessary questions. “Chrysalis was far more dangerous than I initially thought upon seeing her. Compared to the dragon I faced near Ponyville, she was on an entirely different plane.”
A moment of silence lingered between the two of them. Luna was halfway looking down at the ground while Lucario shifted his gaze to the side.
“I’m sorry,” both of them suddenly said at the same time. Luna, having bowed her head in apology, quickly lifted it back up upon hearing Lucario’s own.
“W-What for?” she stammered in surprise.
“Despite my efforts, you ended up getting hurt during the battle. Worse, I had no choice but to finish off Chrysalis before she could tell us where your sister is. I’m sorry.”
“N-No, don’t say that. You’ve got nothing to apologize for! It’s me who should apologize!” Luna exclaimed a bit louder than intended. Realizing this, her blush grew a bit as she continued with her eyes on the ground.
“What I said to you that night we last spoke… I couldn’t have been farther from the truth. I blamed you for putting my friends and subjects in danger, thinking that your presence were the cause of all the incidents. But if you hadn’t been here yesterday, if Chrysalis’ scheme had gone unnoticed… I don’t even dare to think about it. You saved Equestria, you saved my friends and subjects, you…” Her voice trailed off, and she took another breath to finish the sentence.
“You saved me… Thank you.”
Luna’s eyes locked with Lucario’s. Her blush was clearly visible for the Pokémon to see, but she didn’t seem to care anymore. Lucario could read many things in her gaze. Gratitude, respect, embarrassment. Had Lucario not broken their gaze when he did, perhaps he would’ve also noticed the hint of affection lying within them.
“Has Shining told you about the changeling we have in custody?” he asked her. Luna reacted to the question, but was caught off-guard in her gazing state. Lucario deemed it unnecessary to wait for her to gather herself, as her reaction already suggested that she had.
“I’ve tried to talk to him twice already, but he refuses to speak with me. It’s not that he’s resisting me, but more like he’s scared of me. He knows that I killed his queen, and he freezes every time he sees me because of it. It’s not the kind of fear that I can use to force answers out of him.”
“And according to Shining, he just hissed at him and his men,” Luna continued with a hoof on her chin. “So what do we have to do?”
“I think you must talk to him personally,” Lucario answered. “He fears me, and sees no point in talking with Shining or the other guards. But from what I’ve seen of him before and during the battle, he’s very arrogant. If you, Celestia’s sister, would go to him, I’m sure he would savor the opportunity to mock you about it. With the right choice of words, I’m sure you can trick him into at least giving us a hint about Celestia’s whereabouts.”
“I would’ve gone down to him regardless…” Luna stated. “But I see how this plan could work. I will visit him immediately.”
“Very well.” Lucario nodded. “I suggest you go alone, without any guards. He’s no threat to you as he is now.”
“All right. But what about you? Are you going to keep watch over the city?”
"The city has been safe the entire day. I have little reason to believe that anyone would try to do something now. I plan to go back to Ponyville a bit. I’m worried about how the ponies there are doing. I am their guardian, after all.”
“As you wish,” Luna acknowledged. “If possible, try to return before the day’s end so you can hear what I’ve lea-”
“I BROUGHT YOU A LETTER!”
Lucario and Luna jumped as someone shouted above them. To Lucario’s surprise, he found the grey pegasus from Ponyville flying above them. Just like before, she smiled and pulled out two newspapers from her bag before giving Lucario and Luna one each.
“Um, correct me if I’m wrong…” Luna began. “But this isn’t what we call a le-”
“Have a good muffin!” The mare cheerfully interrupted her before flying away. Luna stared after her for a moment.
“Well, that was interesting, I guess. I wonder why this paper was delivered so late though. Then again, judging by that mailmare’s nature, her company surely goes through some mishaps from time to-”
She turned her head to Lucario, or at least Lucario’s last known position. The Pokémon was mysteriously gone, his paper left on the ground as if discarded in great haste. Finding this odd to say the least, Luna looked down at her own newspaper for the first time. There, on the front page, was a huge picture taken during the battle from yesterday. It featured her, with eyes shaped like hearts, dancing around Lucario in a most embarrassing manner. Whatever little that she had yet to remember about yesterday returned to Luna. Her cheeks nearly exploded in a blush as she realized that this paper was now delivered throughout all of Equestria.
“WHY THOU DIRTY, LITTLE-”
A good distance away, Lucario heard the echoes of an enraged princess of the night. Suddenly, he didn’t feel too keen on returning back to the city today.
“Wake up, Chrysalis.”
It was a short, but strong command that awakened the queen of the changelings. Everything around her was black, her eyes ever so slowly adjusting to the darkness. With shaking hooves, she lifted herself from the ground, looking around to find the source of the voice. As if heeding her request, fires began to magically light themselves around the room. Shielding her eyes from the sudden light, Chrysalis followed the fires, each new one revealing more and more of a long and wide staircase. As the last ones were lit, she could barely make out the form of a throne on the top of the stairs. Her eyes went wide, and cold sweat immediately poured out of her as she remembered where she was.
“Lord… Tartarus…”
The being sitting on the throne was covered in darkness. Not a single part of his body was visible in the fires’ light. In fact, Chrysalis would’ve believed the throne to be empty under normal circumstances. But there was a pressure in the air. A thickness in the room that pressed itself at both Chrysalis’ body and mind. It fatigued her already shaking body into kneeling before the being’s presence. As she looked up at it, there was only one thing she could ever hope to detect within the darkness. A pair of eyes, blacker than the darkest night, staring at her.
Chrysalis barely dared to breathe. Her soul screamed at her to speak, to explain her failure to her master. With shaking breaths, she desperately tried to regain her voice.
“There’s no need, Chrysalis,” the voice spoke yet again. Chrysalis was taken off guard by this reassurance, and she stared deeper into the darkness in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the form within.
“The first time we met, we called you here in your time of need. The world had rejected you, and you were left with nothing but hopelessness and hate. We offered you the power and moment to retake what was rightfully yours. If you succeeded or if you failed, it doesn’t matter. You’ve come back here, to your rightful place in life. And now we will offer you the reward that was always intended for you.”
Hidden behind the veil of darkness, the being extended a limb towards the changeling queen. The limb’s form constantly shaped itself between a hoof, a paw, and a claw like an ever-changing shadow.
“Join us, Chrysalis.”
Chrysalis blinked as she suddenly lost the feeling in her hooves. Looking down, she saw them melting into the ground, fusing with the stone beneath her. Panicking, she tried to fly away, but the ground was pulling her down at a constant pace.
“NO! PLEASE, NO, DON’T DO THIS!” she screamed as she struggled with whatever might she had left. “I DIDN’T WANT THIS, PLEASE GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE! MY LO…”
Then the queen of the changelings was no more. Silence reigned again over the large room as the being’s empty eyes closed in thought. Within its mind, it saw Chrysalis’ life fusing with its own. Her childhood, her attempted conquests over Equestria, and her fated battle with a blue creature.
“We see…” the being said to itself. The fires in the room began to die out, once again covering the room in darkness.
“How interesting…”
To be continued…
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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Look at my username, then tell me if this is relevant to my interests.
(Hint: It is.)
Golbez the bat. I approve wholeheartedly. Keep up the good work :)
HA! I loved the Spiderman and Final Fantasy 4 references! Poor Lucario sure has invoked more of Luna's wrath in this chapter
This just destroyed the entire crossover with killing
Golbez
At first I wuz like
Then I wuz like
Then I was like
And then I was like
I'm really enjoying this
Keep it up
How haven't I seen this yet? It's fucking genius... I shall read it immediately!
4 hours WELL SPENT.
Ja jävlar! Den här håller vi ögonen på med spänd väntan!
Awesome work, man!
Keep it up!
please tell me you are ignoring the Massive temp drops that incur from extended or eternal night. it would be a mood killer for the story
1330047 i know, it suddenly popped out of no-where for me to
1329930
preview.images.memegenerator.net/Instance/Preview?imageID=42284&generatorTypeID=&panels=&text0=Kang&text1=i%20am%20disappoint&text2=&text3=
1330112 Have no fear on that part. In worst case scenarios, we can just blame it on moon magic or something.
you finally update
update of yeshinal yeshnesses.
1330464 Friendship is Aura will probably be my only MLP x Pokémon crossover. I've tried to think about other possible stories centered around other Pokémon and/or trainers, but none of them sounds as interesting to me as Lucario's story does. Even if I did write something, the overall story would feel too similar to the plot in FiA anyway. There probably won't be a sequel either. The ending I have planned for this story is rather fitting, and I wouldn't want to risk ruining it with an unnecessary continuation.
NOTE: FiA is FAR from over. We've just started on Arc 3, and there will be a total of 5 arcs before we reach the end.
I bet it's Missingno. Am I right?
1330548 Answer
1330562
Yes! Thank you Linkara and your awesome videos!
1330578 I would actually be VERY surprised if someone managed to figure out Lord Tartarus' backstory ahead of time.
Readers: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
Oh wow. I never thougt I'd see this update. Good for you.
1330624 I find your lack of faith in my updating speed disturbing...
And yeah, you're kind of justified in that.
1330632Well, seeing as how I found this about a month ago... yeah. I had actually forgotten about it, that is until I checked my favorites this morning and I saw it there.
This will be an awesome read! INSTA FAV!
Also, my fav Pokémons are Snivy and Chikorita. They take the number #1 spot.
this just keeps getting better
well Kang my friend, you certainly seem to have a following
and I for one can't wait to see some more! 
And reading the Golbez bit;
G
Go
Gol
Golb
GOLBEZ!
Awesome.
I'm intrigued...go on.dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Octavia2.png
I heard Golbez came to Canterlot only recently...
Duz Wittle Woona like the picture in the paper? I think she does; we all just need to prepare for a possible Meteor Strike... just in case...
1337001
Then that means there's something seriously wrong with mine...
Anyways I also noticed he hasn't used dragon pulse. Just my personal opinion, but dragon pulse FTW. And hyperbeam. That one too.
i'm slightly suprised that this isn't posted yet.
cdn.derpiboo.ru/media/BAhbBlsHOgZmSSIdNGYwMjA4NmY5NDViNzA3Nzk2MDAwMDAxBjoGRVQ/0__safe_derpy-hooves_ponified_spiderman_artist-hotdiggedydemon_j-period--jonah-jameson_first-image.jpg
Golbez. Ooh, we almost got a "Golbat".
1343574 *Applaud* Best pic response I've seen yet.
MOAR
That was a great chapter. Well Lucario have made it out there just in time, before Luna looked at the paper and remember that embrassing moment. I find that funny.
But now I have to wait for the other chapter to come. Aaw man.
But still great chapter, I can't wait for the next chapter.
1408899 Its a reference to sonic the hedgehog.
1409286 wow thats what i thought but wanted to be sure thanks for the reply i had a
moment lol
All I must sy is this UPDATE SOON ths is freakin hilarious and the part that i found the most funny was when Luna got the newspaper
A name with Zub ... what about the greatest street fighter ever?
ZUBAZ!!
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7tqt527Zx1rtfh2mo1_500.png
1563100 Sadly kind of ruined when Zubaz is also the name of a brand of shorts.
Next in Lucario's fight card... SATAN HIMSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1330503 Oh, btw. KELDEO!
Yeah, google that and you will basically understand more than I could ever fit into this comment....
I've been looking for a keldeo fic and haven't found one...
You do know that the realm of Tartarus is named after the Primordial Deity Tartarus, who was sealed inside of the Earth?
the second i read the first spiderman refrance i zoomed down here and looked at the comments...i am dissapoint
1766510
obviouly.
Newspaper? Oh no, is Mayday going to call Lucario a nuisance? Then it'll be just like Spiderman!
Whew That was a close one!
2640409
I want photos, if not a gif, of Luna dancing around Lucario lovestruck.
Too many LOLs
good...good that bitch is in hell and at least one changeling is alive but there better be more!
anyway great story and have a good muffin
they shouldn't have picked that picture