Guided by the light of the moon

by Blackraptor

Chapter 2

…

Louise puffed her chest forward, put her hands on her hips, and held her head up high. This was it! The very proof that she was not a Zero and that she did have the talent for magic! She summoned a winged unicorn…or a horned pegasus…whatever, she was too happy about her success to care. She summoned a unique, intelligent, and beautiful magical creature!

"Familiar? I'm afraid I don't understand, little one. We have just met, so I don't think that we are very familiar with one another." Luna replied with honest confusion. There was a beat before Louise's classmates started laughing. The pink haired girl seethed as she turned to glare at her peers who had gotten their second wind when it came to teasing her.

"So much for the Zero's moment of glory!"

"She can't even control her own familiar!"

"Did you hear what it said? It thinks that it's a princess and a goddess!"

"The familiar is just as delusional as the master! Hahahaha!"

Even after a thousand years of isolation, Luna can still clearly tell when a pony is being ganged up on by her peers…even if she wasn't a pony per say. Luna shook the trivial thought away and looked back to the girl, Louise Francoise she recalled the name when the girl introduced herself. Louise had her head down and was trembling so the princess of the moon was starting to worry. She saw that the elder one, the one in charged she supposed, try to calm the others down but was valiantly failing at it. Luna narrowed her eyes at the awful way they were treating one of their own. She was about to give them a stern talking to when she heard Louise say something.

"I'm not a failure…I'm not a Zero…so just…stop…why won't they stop big sis Cattleya? Why won't they stop?" That was the last straw for Luna. She did not know what this place was, she did not know what these creatures are supposed to be and what they were capable of, but she would sooner lock herself back on the moon rather than ignore this injustice. No matter where she was, Luna knew that what was happening here was wrong. She turned to face the still laughing students and took in a breath.

"SILENCE!" The effect was immediate as Luna's voice reverberated throughout the field, so much so that each person there could physically feel the alicorn's order. Once satisfied that she had the students' attention, she walked toward them a few paces while spreading her wings as wide as she could. She was no longer Nightmare Moon, but she still knew how to scare somepony.

"I DO NOT ASSUME THAT I KNOW YOUR WAYS OR TRADITIONS! HOWEVER, EVEN ONE SUCH AS I KNOW WHEN A MOB IS PREYING ON ONE WEAKER THAN THEY! I COME FROM A LAND WHERE EVERY ONE DOES THEIR BEST TO HELP EACH OTHER TO BETTER THEM SELVES AND THE COMMUNITY! I COME FROM A LAND WHERE FRIENDSHIP ITSELF IS CONSIDERED A MAGIC ALL ITS OWN!" Luna berated the stunned students as she felt her magic start to flow. Her horn glowed deep purple and a gust of wind swirled around her, adding to the effect. If this did not get her message across, then these creatures were not as intelligent as she had first assumed.

"AS SUCH, I CANNOT TOLERATE SUCH TREATMENT OF ONE OF YOUR OWN! YOU WILL APOLOGIZE TO LOUISE FRANCOISE FOR YOUR GRIEVANCES AT ONCE! YOU WILL DO SO OR I SWEAR BY MY HONOR THAT I WILL NOT LET THIS PASS! I AM PRINCESS LUNA, AND I WILL PUNISH YOU IN THE NAME OF THE MOON!" Luna ended her declaration my standing on her hind legs to make herself look taller. She kept her balance using magic while she dramatically flapped her wings and made her eyes glow white. To top it off she angled herself slightly by placing her left hoof in front of her right hoof, pointed her right hoof dramatically at the stunned students and placed her left hoof underneath her right and pointed it to the side. It was the Traditional Royal Canterlot Declaration of Punishment in the name of the Moon.

Louise was absolutely speechless at the display, she demonstrated this by pointing at the mare she summoned with a shaky right index finger while opening and closing her mouth over and over again. It had been a long time since someone stood op for her, longer since someone who wasn't a family member stood up for her. And right here, right now, a magical creature that had known here for all of ten minutes was standing between her and her classmates and defending her honor. Louise didn't even notice the tears flowing from her eyes.

"WELL? WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE BIPEDS? WILL YOU APOLOGIZE OR WILL I HAVE TO MAKE YOU APOLOGIZE THE HARD WAY?" Luna bellowed when she heard no response from the students. They all looked at each other then back to Luna, unsure of what they should all do. Another moment of awkward and tense silence dominated the field until Professor Colbert finally stepped forward to face the moon princess.

"I deeply apologize on behalf of my students, Princess Luna. They are still young and have a lot to learn. Please forgive them." Luna narrowed her eyes at him but relaxed her stance and stood back on all fours before folding her wings and dismissing the wind magic she was using for effect.

"WHO ARE—Who are you exactly? You come to their aid and seem more stable than they are, yet to allow them to taunt Louise Francoise. This puzzles me." Luna asked, mindful to adjust her tone of voice. Colbert winced at her observation but decided that it was better to introduce himself first and diffuse the situation.

"I am their teacher, Jean Colbert. I am a professor of magic in the Tristain Magic Academy, the very castle we are standing in right now. Again, I apologize for the actions of my students and my inaction in Miss Valliere's dilemma." Colbert introduced himself, apologized, and provided as information on where Luna was. The princess nodded in acknowledgement and regarded the students, who were looking at her with varying degrees of annoyance and apprehension, before turning back to the professor.

"I will accept your apology. However, I will not stand for such acts of bullying so long as I am here. To prevent further actions against Louise Francoise, I will remain with her for the time being." Luna declared before turning back to said pink-head without waiting for another reply from the professor. She faintly heard him dismiss the class but Luna didn't really catch much as she trotted up to Louise, who was still staring at her in disbelief. Luna could not help but notice her eyes. They were amber colored and radiated a strange warmth of determination yet also had the cold loneliness that she herself had been intimately accustomed to long ago.

"Are you alright young one?" Luna asked worriedly before poking Louise's hair with her snout. She heard the girl give out a sigh before reaching up and stroking the right side of Luna's face.

"I don't understand…" Louise finally said after a few moments of silence.

"What is wrong Louise Francoise? Can you not understand me?" Luna asked, not bothering to think through the logic of her question. Louise shook her head in response and stood up before straightening her skirt. She paused for a moment before Luna noticed that Louise had a warm but distant expression. The pony tilted her head to the side in confusion when Louise suddenly let out a dainty giggle. When the young mage noticed Luna's apparent confusion, she shook her head and gave a small smile.

"It's nothing…Luna. I was just remembering someone else who also calls me that way. So, you're not mad at me?" Louise explained before timidly asking the alicorn a question she did not even bother to consider.

"Mad? At you? Whatever for?" Luna inquired with a few blinks of her eyes.

"For summoning you here. You're from a different land right? And you said that you are a princess and a goddess. I'm not sure about that last part but are you sure that it's okay for you to be here?" Louise clarified. The young mage was still not willing to believe that the winged unicorn in front of her was a princess or a goddess, but it still stands that she was sentient and seemed like she was important in some way. She was too happy when she first summoned Luna that she didn't have time to worry about the consequences about calling out something like her and placing her in a familiar contract. When she really thought about it, Louise was starting to wish she hadn't tried that summoning spell at all.

"Yes, I am from a land known as Equestria. The fact that you don't seem to know of it, and the lack of other ponies here, shows that I am quite far away from my home. As for your second question, I am the princess of my land and the one responsible for raising and setting the moon on its course for the night. However, my sister has proven that she can do that as efficiently as I, so I suppose that my disappearance will likely not have any immediate effects." Luna explained and stayed silent at Louise's expression of pure confusion.

"Perhaps we should speak of this in length in a much more comfortable place…" Luna offered and Louise snapped out of her trance before nodding.

"That's a good idea. We'll talk in my room, since it looks like we have a lot to discuss." The pink-haired girl offered before walking off. Luna followed before thinking about what she had told Louise earlier.

Surely…Celestia can handle Equestria while I am gone. My disappearance is likely no more than an inconvenience for her and the rest of Canterlot. But I'm already starting to miss her…even with all her pranks and teasing.I simply hope she does not worry too much… Luna silently thought as she followed Louise to her room.

…

"Luna, are you oversleeping again? That is a very bad habit to have you know." Celestia jokingly said as she stood in front of her sister's room. She had known Luna to oversleep at times, especially during the first few days of her return after being freed by the Elements of Harmony, so she wasn't really bothered by it.

"Luna? You'll be late in rising up the moon if you keep sleeping like this, you know? That would be very unbecoming of you…Luna?" The alicorn called out one more time before slowly opening the door to her sister's room.

"Lu…na?" Was all Celestia could say after she saw that her sister was nowhere in sight.

Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, a certain purple unicorn named Twilight Sparkle suddenly blinked awake and looked around her room. For some reason, she thought she heard Princess Celestia scream. The favored student of the princess of the sun shoo her head and went back to sleep.

Seriously, Celestia screaming so loud that we could hear it all the way out in Ponyville? Absurd… Twilight thought before drifting back to sleep.

…

"Please mind the door." Louise said as she led Luna into her room. The alicorn headed her advice and narrowly prevented her horn from getting caught in the door frame. She supposed that the entryway was not designed with alicorn access in mind. Luna did have the sense to close the door with a quick telekinesis spell after she entered, surprising Louise in the process.

"How did you do that?" The girl asked her.

"Simple telekinesis using my magic. It is very useful for one without hands." Luna explained and she noticed Louise adopt a surprised, then contemplative, expression.

"Magic…you can really use magic?" She asked Luna in continued awe. Louise had read about magical creatures that can use magic, but those were simply animals that had one or two spells built into them on instinct. To actually meet a non-human that can wield magic with such finesse was quite the surprise in an already long list of surprises.

"Yes. All unicorns and alicorns can use magic…though Pegasi can also control magic to a degree." Luna answered good-naturedly as she lay down on the wooden floor. It had been quite a while since Luna had such a candid conversation with someone who wasn't her sister or one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. It was a novel experience and Luna found that she was enjoying it. On the other hand, Louise's gaze shifted between her summoned familiar and the stack of hay she set in a corner of her room. She had intended to use it as a bed for whatever creature she summoned that day…unfortunately, she wasn't really expecting to summon something quite like Luna.

I'm such a fool! I wished for a special familiar but I never really prepared to take care of it. Mother would have my head if she found out about this… Louise thought bitterly before giving out a frustrated sigh. She will need to do something about the living arrangements for Luna. Speaking of Luna…

"Is something wrong Louise Francoise? You seem to be deep in thought." Luna asked while leaning forward slightly toward Louise.

"Oh no…I was just thinking about where you will sleep for the night. I did not expect to summon someone as amazing as you and well…" Louise said in defeat while pointing to the stack of hay. Luna looked between the girl and the stack of hay she was pointing at and connected the dots. Louise blinked in confusion when the alicorn started giggling like a noblewoman would…she was even covering her mouth her left hoof!

"It is fine for me to sleep there, Louise Francoise. I have lived for a long time, I have had to sleep in worse places before. However, I have a few important things I wish to discuss with you." Luna dismissed Louise's worry in but a moment. The young mage was curious as to what the mare meant when she said that she had slept in worse places, but it seemed that Luna wanted to talk about something else.

"Alright, let me just change first." Louise said as she walked over to her wardrobe and opened it. Luna could hear Louise grumble about something but she couldn't quite hear what it was. The young mage proceeded to strip off her clothing and change into a simple pink negligee. Luna was fascinated at the action. She did not understand why Louise's species needed so much clothing when she first arrived, but now she understood. If Louise's delicate looking skin was any indication of the rest of her kind, the lack of nearly any natural protection from the elements would be very difficult to cope with without adequate clothing. How her species managed to become as seemingly prominent as it has despite such a glaring limitation, Luna couldn't comprehend yet.

"Alright, what did you want to talk about?" Louise asked me as she sat down onto her bed with a small bounce, one that Luna thought to be quite cute. Luna cleared her mind of the thoughts and considered her choices on what to ask first:

1.) What is your species called?

2.) Where is this place exactly?

3.) Have you never seen a pony like me before?

4.) What do you do for…fun?

Luna went over her choices one more time as she looking straight at Louise. From the angle she was on, she could see most of Louise's upper body but the rest was framed off because of her field of vision. The girl looked at her expectantly, only blinking every now and then, but otherwise remaining quiet…as if she could not speak until Luna made a choice.

As if such an absurd concept could actually happen. It would be even worse than those poorly written choose your own adventure books that Celestia clamored over when we were still fillies. Luna thought absentmindedly before taking the first choice as her first question.

"I must admit that I have never seen a race quite like yours, Louise Francoise. Can you enlighten me as to what you are all collectively called?" Luna asked while gesturing with her right hoof for her companion to respond.

Thinking back on it, Louise should have thought that Luna would have asked that question at some point. Certainly fitting for it to be an opening question since she was planning to ask the same thing to the mare.

"I am what is called a Human. Collectively, we are all called Human Beings. What about you? I have never seen a horse with both a horn and wings as well." Louise answered before returning the question back to Luna.

"Pony." Luna immediately corrected.

"Excuse me?" Louise asked in confusion.

"I am a pony, not a horse." Luna clarified for the sake of her companion, though Louise immediately wondered what the difference between the two was but chose to keep quiet about it for now. At the lack of any response, Luna decided to continue her explanation.

"To expound on that, we are all known as Ponies in Equestria. However, between them, we are mostly divided into distinct kinds of ponies. Unicorns, Pegasi, Earth Ponies, and Alicorns." Louise nodded at Luna's words and imagined what a society with nothing but horses…ponies...would be like.

"If there are different kinds, does that mean that there are dominant types and followers? Like master-servant relationships?" Louise asked after wondering how such a society would work.

"Only if it is the pony's chosen vocation to be one. Between most types of ponies, there are no such distinctions as one type being better than the others." Aside from alicorns, but Luna decided to get to that after going through the others first.

"Okay, I don't quite understand it yet but I want to know about the different types of ponies first." Louise said in rapt attention, her desire to learn more about these…ponies. Luna smiled warmly at the young mage. Somehow the human reminded her of Twilight Sparkle in a way.

"Very well. Pegasi are ponies with wings. As such, they can fly and are usually the ones responsible for regulating the weather in Equestria and serve as the most efficient way to send and receive messages and parcels. The Canterlot Royal Guard is also comprised of Pegasi as well." The alicorn explained and she could swear that she could see Louise's eyes sparkle at the concept.

"Control weather? Do they use magic to do that?" Louise eagerly asked. She was lying on her stomach now and had her head propped up with her hands.

"Not quite. You see, Pegasi are tuned to be able to use the sky itself as a second home. As such, they have the ability to move around clouds, create rainbows, produce snow, and many more." Luna answered and gave a giggle at Louise's enchanted expression.

"That's amazing! What about Unicorns?" The young girl quickly changed the subject. For her, this was like one of the fairytales that her big sister Cattleya told her about magical lands filled with the very creatures that Luna was talking about when she was still small…but this time, it's all real! She could just imagine it! Being able to go to that world and living her dream to become 'The Great and Powerful Louise!'

"Fufufufu~! Very well…" Luna then told Louise about Unicorns and Earth Ponies, the magical prowess of the horned ponies and the hard working nature of the Earth Ponies. Louise took it all with a nod and a smile, more than happy to know as much as she could about those little ponies.

…

"Well?" Celestia waited for the report of her guards as she anxiously stood in the Canterlot Royal Audience Chamber. She had spent the next few hours searching high and low for her sister. When she realized that Luna was gone, she immediately formed search parties to comb through Canterlot to find the missing princes. Celestia would do it herself but, with her sister once again gone, she had to pull double duty and raise the moon herself to make sure that the day flowed as it should.

"Your Highness, we have search every inch of Canterlot and could not find hide nor hair of Princess Luna. We have also sent out special investigators to scan the princess' chamber but they could not find any signs of forced entry nor a struggle. It was like she either disappeared or simply left." The Captain of the Guard reported and it was very obvious that this was not the report that Celestia wanted.

"Keep looking. It does not matter how, but find my sister." Celestia ordered with a sense of finality and her guards immediately saluted her and left. The alicorn finally let out a tired and worried sigh after she heard the doors close.

"Luna…wherever you are…please be safe."

…

"So Earth Ponies can't use magic and can't fly? Does that mean that they are the commoners?" Louise suddenly asked after Luna finished describing Unicorns and Earth Ponies.

"Commoners? In what context?" Luna answered the question with one of her own.

"Well, you see…in our land, we are divided between Nobles and Commoners. Nobles are those who can wield magic while Commoners are everyone else. Commoners serve Nobles while Nobles rule over Commoners. Is that not the way in Equestria as well?" Louise explained the way the system of Magocracy in Tristain and the rest of Halkeginia worked. Luna nodded to this information but could not help but feel uncomfortable about the concept. An entire part of their population segregated from the other simply because they cannot perform magic?

"Yes, we did have something like that a long time ago. However, it has been replaced for some time now. While my sister and I rule Equestria, we understand that each pony has the potential for great things, regardless if they are Unicorn, Pegasus, or Earth Pony. I have personally seen what each can do when called to do extraordinary things and I can say with confidence that each of our ponies can do amazing things with what talents they have." Luna proudly stated. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony were a prime example of that. Two Unicorns, Two Pegasi, and Two Earth Ponies…six individuals who became the best of friends despite their personal differences and ended up saving Luna from her thousand year nightmare.

"Is something wrong Louise Francoise?" Luna asked when Louise did not respond to her explanation. The young mage looked at her as if thinking deeply about something before finally responding.

"So, everyone in your land is equal? But how does that work? How could they all know what they should be doing if there is no system in place to tell them?" Louise asked almost desperately. For her, this was earth shattering news. She had lived her entire life with the clear understanding that Nobles will forever be better than Commoners. As such, Nobles must lead and protect Commoners while Commoners serve the Nobility in return. This was what her parents have taught her, this was what her teachers have taught her, this is what her peers have taught her. And now, Luna was saying that there was another way?

"Ah yes, I was getting to that. You are correct in asking just how we are all supposed to know what we are supposed to be doing with out lives if all ponies had equal opportunity to do everything. And that answer comes from our Cutie Marks." Luna said before standing up and giving Louise a good view of the cutie mark on her flank.

"Cutie Marks? Like that symbol on your side?" Louise ventured a guess based on Luna's action and was rewarded with a smile and nod.

"That is correct. Cutie Marks appear on a pony's flank once they find whatever it is they are most suited for. It is not a brand that restricts one pony to a single job, instead, it shows the thing they are best at. With that knowledge, they can go about their lives in a way that would satisfy their Cutie Mark. Mine is the moon and the night, so no guesses on what I'm supposed to be…doing." Luna suddenly trailed off and quieted down when she ended her statement. Louise noticed her looking down on the floor and had a sad expression.

"Luna…is something wrong?" Louise asked as she got out of the bed to check on her new friend.

"I…just left them…didn't I?" Luna muttered in realization on what her appearance in Louise's land meant for Equestria.

"I'm supposed to be raising the moon and making sure that the night sky is just right. By the stars, my sister must be worried sick about me!" Luna said in panic before standing up and bolting out the door, making sure to open it with her magic before running out.

"Luna!" Louise called out to her but Luna was already gone at that point. Louise grumbled in frustration before closing her door and changing back into her school uniform, which was still spread out on her bed.

Luna galloped through the halls of the dormitory tower, eliciting confused reactions from the students there since they didn't really expect that sound inside a dorm. Luna didn't even notice them as she continued to look for a way outside. She silently cursed her inability to remember the way she and Louise came in. Luna glanced out through one of the windows and saw that it was already night, she concluded that it must have been Celestia's work. It seemed that her conversations with Louise went for longer than she had thought. She would apologize to Louise about her sudden outburst as soon as she manages to regain contact with her sister and assure her that she was okay.

"What is that noise, Guiche? It sounds like hooves." Luna heard the voice of a young girl a distance away.

"Think nothing of it my dead…err…dear Katie. I'm sure it is noth-" The blonde boy, Guiche, did not even get to finish as he and the girl were suddenly confronted with an alicorn.

"You there! Where is the exit!" Luna demanded the way she does whenever she needed something five minutes ago and was not in the mood to talk. Faced with a deep purple colored talking unicorn with wings and had a sparkling translucent purple mane, the two students could not speak and simply pointed to the passage behind Luna. The alicorn turned to where they were pointing at and then back to them.

"My thanks!" She said before galloping off through the hall. Guiche and Katie simply stood there in utter shock at what just happened. The chances of something like that occurring was simply silly. Their trance was interrupted when they heard the sound of running and panting from the hall where Luna came from. Much to their continuing surprise, it was a tired-looking Louise.

"Guiche…did you see…a…" Louise let out between breaths and the couple simply pointed in the direction Luna went to. Louise looked down the hall where they were pointing at then back to them.

"My thanks…" Louise grunted out before running off to catch up to her familiar.

"So…about those muffins." Guiche finally spoke after a few more moments to the still stunned younger woman.

…

Luna finally made it out of the dormitory tower and immediately started looking around to get her bearings. She could still see some students outside near the fountains, particularly the dark skinned, red haired girl that was one of those who were teasing Louise earlier. Luna shook off the unpleasant feeling as she had more important things to take care of right now. She started thinking of how to contact her sister when she idly glanced up to the sky on reflex.

She felt her jaw drop as the shock forced her down to her backside. Luna could not speak, she could not think, she could not believe what she was seeing right in front of her. There in the night sky that she was supposed to be taking care off…were two moons. Two. More than one. One more than one to be exact. Luna could only express her shock and surprise in one way possible.

"THE MOON HAS BEEN DOUBLED!" The yelled out, not bothering the panicked noises coming from within the dormitory tower after hearing her loud voice.

...

Comments

[Professor Donger]

Tracking this!

[Gohot]

Two Moons mean Luna’s power will double.