Penumbral Prodigy

by JakTheYak

...A New Beginning

“Spook—uh, I mean Lumina! Wait for me!”

Twilight called after the pain in the flank that had been leaving the royal library a forsaken mess for the past, well Twilight couldn’t rightly remember exactly when Lumina had first rocketed herself into heart of the Canterlot rumor mill. Was this mysterious mare a new love interest? Had the princess of the night grown tired of relieving herself with her Night Guard and moved on to blunt prostitution? The tabloids had had an absolute field day hounding a poorly equipped and still recovering Spookums, for Celestia’s sake she was never going to remember the name change. As much as she had initially hated the mare, Twilight now found herself chasing Lumina down the halls of Canterlot Castle while her quarry was at full gallop going mach 5 towards her quarters, a floor below those of Luna.

“Damn it Lumina! What’s your problem!” Twilight scowled to herself.

With a pop and a flash Twilight warped in front of Lumina, causing the latter to come to a sudden halt.

“What the hell, Sparkles?! I’ve got work to do!”

Her voice was so forceful, it was like something in the base of the alicorn’s spine was compelling her to want to shrink down and stay out of the way. Someone’s picked up the royal Canterlot voice.

Shaking her head, Twilight collected herself and willed any doubts away, “Lumina Whisp, why in Equestria are you avoiding me?! I know we didn’t get off on the best of hooves but still I thought we were beyond this!” Twilight had had it up to here with this mare, always going off to do as she pleased, never saying a word save the ubiquitous ‘I will return’. It was as that last flash of anger died that she noticed the telltale shimmer at the base of her frenemy’s eyes, she was trying her hardest to hold back tears.

“Damn it Twilight, I just wanted to get my stuff and leave.” She didn’t look up to meet Twilight’s eyes “I was going to make this painless for both of us just let things go back to the way they were. Maybe even give Canterlot a return to normalcy.” All pretense of regality and composure was lost. “Look Twilight,” -she finally met the princess of friendship’s gaze, stiffening her upper lip- “I have to move on with my life. My time here in Canterlot will always be a part of me, and something that I cherish. That said, you’ve gotta understand I’m not some vagabond just drifting from handout to handout without any purpose anymore. Luna isn’t perfect, and neither am I, but we both do our very best to make Equestria a better place. Luna raises the moon and takes care of the dream realm, I’d never even attempt to lie and say I can measure up. But then, I’m not Luna, I’m me. And all I can do, all anypony can do really, is do everything in their power to be the best they can be. Canterlot has given me a lot, but there’s nothing more left to give ’Sparks. I gotta go, I gotta do this. Not just for Luna, but for myself too.”

Twilight was stunned. “But I don’t understand, where are you going, what could possibly be so important you leave without even saying goodbye?”

All her years as princess, all her experience had endowed the princess with a certain knack for reading ponies and anticipating what they will do, but this had just thoroughly run her for a loop. She hadn’t ever expected Lumina to leave Canterlot, she’d just become a staple of Twilight’s visits to the castle. They shared countless hours running experiments and building off each other’s strengths, Twilight really did feel like she knew this pony. Not as much as any of her friends in Ponyville obviously, but Lumina had always stayed in a comfortable second alongside Sunset Shimmer. Her absence had yet to even begin and Twilight already felt like she was going to lose her memories of Lumina. This entire thing just felt off to her.

“Can you at least tell me where you’re going or what you’re going to do?” there was a noticeable pleading undertone to the princess’ voice.

“I’m headed to the thestrals colonies of the northern mountains. I’ve got to show them the error of their ways and convince them to reintegrate into Equestria. Luna pulled me up from the muck, now it’s time for me to pass it on.” A content smile manifested as Lumina closed the distance between the two and brought Twilight into a hug. “Look Twilight if it’ll make you feel better I’ll send letters to let you know how things are going” she was practically talking into the other mare’s mane.

“Yes I’d like that very much” Twilight broke the hug and straightened herself out and cleared her throat, “Ahem, for science of course.”

“Of course.”

The two parted ways with contented smiles and satisfied hearts. This was a turning of a page in both mare’s lives, something that both had known was coming deep down in the back of their minds but had been suppressed.

---

The five-minute exchange she had with Twilight had made Lumina almost miss her flight. Her saddle bags and pack were filled to the brim with rations, toiletries, and a few keepsakes. Luna had opened the royal requisitions up to her star pupil in anticipation for the journey, the plethora of military gear made the tomcoltish mare look like a recruit into the Night Guard. Fully endowed in her new midnight blue camouflaged get-up, she finally made it up to the observatory, the one in public view anyway, and saluted both stallions. They were Solar Guard, not night, as their armors glinted even in the pale moonlight.

One of the two saw the confusion on the mare’s face. “Is there anything wrong?”

“I had expected Night Guard is all” her head cocked itself to the side, much like a filly.

“Things were kept need to know I’m afraid, can’t help you there.” He sounded sincere enough. Sincere enough wasn’t good enough for Lumina Whisp.

“Oh okay, sounds good to me. Just don’t fall asleep mid-flight, right?” She cringed internally after her joke.

“Ha, we’ll try, but no promises.” All three shared a courteous chuckle and then set off.

After a half hour or so of flying, Lumina decided she wanted answers. And this time things weren’t going to be kept ‘need to know’. Her horn lit its mauve aura and she began to intrude into the minds of her escorts.

“You are to set down as far passed sunrise as possible, I want her to be getting in while things are quiet. Normally my Night Guard would be chosen for this task, but they may be tempted to visit family and ruin the whole operation. Lastly, I know my pupil will be intruding upon your minds--” the first-person view she had from the eyes of the guard shook as if he were fidgeting uncomfortably “—that said I will be warding anything that is utterly critical against my pupils ‘prying’” With the last words she gave an look as if to say “I am aware of your tactics, you can’t pull a fast one on me”.

Lumina relinquished her hold on the minds of her escorts, after cleansing any potential evidence of her tampering. The two were pegasi and if they even noticed the spell, they didn’t show it.

---

After several hours of boring travel, the trio finally descended to a rest just outside a massive cave entrance. The damn thing had to be at least as tall as a hydra, the ponies were the merest specks at the base of the massive opening. Prior to touchdown the pegasi had circled the area looking for a place to land. They were at the base of a mountain, part of the massive northern mountain chain that separated the Crystal Empire and frozen north from the rest of Equestria. Arriving in late summer as they were, the temperature was cool with winds only just strong enough to send Lumina’s mane whipping about. The entire area was heavily forested with the green expanse of pine looking as if it were a wave that washed up a levee and was frozen in time. The area was lightly dusted with powdery white snow. During her packing, Lumina had decided to raid the Royal Library for books and tomes that may be useful to her and read them, at least in part, on the way over. One of the books she had decided on was on the climates and biomes of Equestria. Given the look of the area the Great Northern Winds would blow cloud cover up to this area, where the mountains would capture it. That would explain the snow during the summer months.

When the guards finally found a flat place to land, they did so quickly. Both appeared desperate to get out of the cold.

“Well looks like we’re here. See ya” both pegusi hastily took flight as soon as Lumina had stepped off the chariot.

Watching the two hustle off in to the sunset, she couldn’t help but mutter, “thanks dicks”.

She then turned her attention to the giant hole in front of her. The ground around her and leading into the mountainous maw was strangely flat, tapering up to meet the normal fifty degree sloping of the mountainside. The thin layer of snow beneath her was disguising a heavily beaten path of gravel and opaque white crystals that were strangely devoid of snow in a small radius around them. Curious, a crystal was enveloped in mauve magic and brought to the mare’s mouth.

“Ew, disgusting!” upon licking the crystal, and idea now thoroughly regretted, the budding geologist discovered the crystals were salt, in some base and unrefined form.Ok that’s enough time wasted. With a deep breath and a short mental pep talk, Lumina was on her way to the next big adventure of her young life.

It was then she heard something. Straining the overly sensitive ears that were one of her mother’s only gifts, Lumina could make out what sounded like a cross between a terrified shriek and laughter. Never in her life had such an asinine combination ever seemed even possible, yet here it was shredding eardrums. The shrieks were closing in on the stunned mare, who now had to pin her ears back to lessen the pain.

A mare, stark white of color, blitzed out from the entrance and bowled Lumina over.

“Holy Tartarus!” was all she managed to yelp before being laid out prone.

The dazed unicorn looked upon her assailant with blurred vision, only able to make out what appeared to be pink eyes. Slowly the world came back into focus and Lumina realized that the Thestral had her pinned to the rocky path, mere inches between each’s muzzle. Her heartbeat began to quicken as the white mare stared at her, almost as if she were searching for something in her pinned prey’s eyes.

“As cliché as this ‘romantic’ meeting may be, I’m gonna have to ask you to kindly get the hell off me… Please.” Lumina was practiced, both from her studies and experiences prior, but the mare’s gaze was still almost enough to throw her off. Almost.

“Oh yeah sure, sorry.” She replied sweetly and, seemingly, sincerely. The mare spread her wings and flapped once, lifting her off and a pace or two away in one swift motion.

Lumina couldn’t help but notice the impressive wingspan of the mare. Prior to her leaving, the industrious scamp had the foresight to include every tome on the thestrals and their culture in addition to geographic information. One of the first thestral volumes she had read was on physiology. During her brief study while in transit, she had uncovered the average wingspan of the thestral was about four to five feet, not dissimilar to pegasi. This specimen -specimen good Celestia I sound like Sparkles- had a wingspan of at least six feet, most likely more. The unfortunate thing looked like she was an adolescent with the wings of monstrously large stallion.

“So… Why were you running and screaming?” Lumina had managed to rise from a prone and sit on her hindquarters. “Are you in some kind of danger?” She didn’t really know this pony, but if she could get a local to befriend her she would have a much easier time getting acquainted with her new ‘home’.

“Oh that…” her ears drooped. “I didn’t think anypony that ain’t from good ol’ Nox would be able to hear that”

Lumina studied her companion carefully, like a lion taking stock of its prey. “So, spit it out. What had you running like you had a manticore after you?” The other mare looked unmoved. “Please...? Look I’m sorry. I literally just got here and I’m still trying to make heads or tails and I’d really appreciate it if you’d help me out.”

The mare, who had postured herself closed after Lumina’s pointed order, slowly began to loosen up. She was like a winter lily blooming, and Luna as her witness Lumina wouldn’t screw up twice in the same hour.

“You’re new here?! Wait, does that mean you’re gonna be staying here!?” her face lit up like Celestia’s sun on fresh snow. “YAY! I’LL HAVE A NEW FRIEND!” She grabbed the unicorn and began dragging her into the mouth of the cave. “We’re gonna go meet my other friend, Hellfire Hearth. He likes making things. You’re gonna love him, but don’t think about dating him sister--” she whipped herself in front of Lumina “--he loves me, even if he doesn’t know it yet.”

“Yeahh, um sure thing. Actually, I don’t think I got your name I’m uhhh--” the earthbound mare slowed down and pondered for a moment, eliciting a confused look from her guide to the unknown “--Spookums, you can call me Spookums.”

“That name sounds fake and stupid!” Her voice cheery like schoolfilly.

Lumina winced.

“Oh no it’s not like that! It just seems like the name is the opposite of you, at least what I’ve seen so far. Don’t worry Spoopy-”

“Spookums”

“-That’s what I said, trust me I know this town like the back of my flank-” she bumped flanks with Lumina “-You can call me Hollow Moon.”

The two stepped into the pitch blackness together; “the first steps unto the unknown are often the hardest”, don’t worry Luna I haven’t forgotten. ��O�

Author's Note:

Hello again! Sorry this chapter took a while, school's an ass. But I've got soem time on my hands now so expect chapter 5 soon. All comments and critiques welcome.