sopchoppy's A Friend in Need: Princess Luna PRT Executive Summary · 5:04am May 14th, 2015
Again, I am the beta-reader for the Worm crossover A Friend in Need by soppchoppy, and I have written some supplementary material to go with it that has been declared canon by the author.
If you are not familiar with the PRT classification and ranking system used in Worm, see this wiki entry and the classifications section of this document for context.
This was written to reflect something that was hastily updated by PRT Thinkers and analysts during the period covered by Chapter 9 and Interlude 10 of the main story. There are spoilers for the story up to that point if you haven't read it yet. Various gaps and inaccuracies have been included in the document below deliberately to reflect the limitations of incomplete information and cultural misunderstandings that are likely to exist at this point in the story.
Princess Luna: PRT Executive Summary
Description: Princess Luna has demonstrated significant shapeshifting abilities, but her “normal” appearance seems to be that of a five-foot tall, dark blue quadruped resembling a small horse with large eyes, feathered wings, and a single spiral horn. Her “mane” and “tail” have the appearance of a flowing and shifting field of stars and may not be comprised of hair. Each flank shows a darker patch with a white crescent. She habitually wears a set of silver shoes on all four hooves, a black tiara, and a black chest piece displaying the aforementioned white crescent symbol. During her fight with the Simurgh, however, she wore black and silver armor with a medieval-gothic styling, equipped with blades on the wings and legs. For reasons unknown, her translated speech is rendered with archaic words and phrases appropriate to the 16th or 17th Century.
History: Princess Luna is, according to her own statements and the best evidence available, a native of another world. She first appeared during the Battle of Brockton Bay on May 15, 2011 and directly engaged the Simurgh in solo combat. Over the course of the battle she displayed numerous separate abilities including: shapeshifting, flight, teleportation, physical strength, becoming immaterial, weather control, various Blaster effects, and a Striker effect that bypassed Endbringer durability. The most powerful ability she demonstrated was altering of the planet's rotation and the orbit of the Moon. She has stated that she, "summoned the night to her aid." (Document Luna-0434) What this means and what advantages this might have conveyed to her appear to be untranslatable concepts at this time. (For details on the Battle of Brockton Bay, participants, powers utilized by Princess Luna, and interactions with the princess see documents Luna-0001-1623, and the Executive Summary of the May 15th Endbringer attack report BB051511-0001).
Immediately following the defeat of the Simurgh, Princess Luna was approached by Legend and Alexandria. Having activated a form of the translation effect previously demonstrated by Twilight Sparkle, the Princess indicated a willingness to open discussions, but also a desire to conduct those discussions during a general victory celebration to be held immediately. The protectorate leaders agreed to this request and made arrangements for Protectorate and PRT personnel to attend. (For transcript of this encounter see document Luna-0428)
Once the celebration was under way, Luna described her actions during the battle, though the form of her account was one of storytelling rather than a formal report. A transcript can be found in document Luna-0534. Most of her interactions over the course of the night were in form of telling tales of other battles and adventures and prompting Protectorate members to do the same. Transcripts of her exchanges in this period may be found in documents Luna-0553, 0571, 0592, 0616, 0655, 0633, 0640, 0680, 0702, 0708, 0731, 0747, and 0758.
Shortly after sunrise at Brockton Bay, Princess Luna readjusted the rotation of the planet, indicating that it would settle back to a rate close to its original 24-hour period over a period of a few days. She also stated she would make further adjustments as necessary to return things to their previous state. This feat is further elaborated in the power ratings below.
When informed of preparations in New York for lodging and meetings with representatives of various governments and agencies, she accepted the invitation and indicated a willingness to begin more formal diplomatic relations, but insisted on an “honor guard” of individuals she had encountered at the end of the conflict with the Simurgh. (See PRT files on the following individuals: Clockblocker, Dragon, Flame Dancer, Kid Win, Leet, Shadow Stalker, Skitter, Tattletale, Uber, and Vista.)
Profile: Princess Luna, according to herself and Twilight Sparkle, is one of the rulers of her society. “Princess” is the translation provided for her official title. Her full title is, “Her Royal Highness Princess Luna, Princess of the Night, Shepard of the Moon, Guardian of the Dreamlands and one of the ruling Diarchs of Equestria.” According to statements made by her and Twilight Sparkle, she shares the position of head of state with her sister Celestia. It can be surmised that this position carries significant authority, however the extent of that authority and the exact makeup of their political system remains unclear at this time. She uses what appears to be the majestic plural in referring to herself, but this may be an artifact of the translation effect or may not have the same connotations in her culture.
During the celebration, Princess Luna took charge of the informal assembly of leaders and government representatives, displaying an expertise in navigating and managing social situations of that nature. However, she may not be familiar with human social rules governing other situations or in circumstances in which she is not effectively in command. Princess Luna is accustomed to having her desires fulfilled, to being obeyed, and to having others look to her for leadership and inspiration. Her “requests” are sometimes phrased more as “proclamations”. She seems to view relationships, organizations, and power structures in terms of feudal allegiances. (Liege, vassal, servant, etc.) This may be an artifact of the translation effect she is using, which also renders her speech in a somewhat Shakespearian form.
Descriptions of Princess Luna by Twilight Sparkle in the period before May 15, 2011 indicated that the Princess tends towards reserved formality in her interaction with others. However, her observed behavior after the Battle of Brockton Bay was far more boisterous. Twilight Sparkle has explained this discrepancy by stating that Princess Luna tends put a whole-hearted effort into whatever she does and is not inclined towards half-measures. It remains to be seen what approach she will take towards meetings in a more formal setting.
Princess Luna’s travel to Earth Bet seems to have been primarily motivated by concern for Twilight Sparkle, who Luna considers to be a close friend. It should be assumed that any interaction with Twilight Sparkle will have a direct impact on future interactions with Princess Luna.
Power Classifications and Ratings: As of yet, Princess Luna has only been observed in action once, but she demonstrated several powerful abilities during that incident. From her titles, the translation of her name as “Luna”, her ability to change the motion of the Moon, and her statement about “summoning the night to her aid,” it is likely that Princess Luna is closely associated with night and the Moon and her abilities may follow some sort of theme relevant to this. On the other hand, Twilight Sparkle has indicated that members of her species equipped with horns can acquire new powers through study and practice. In-depth analysis of various abilities displayed during the battle may be found in PRT documents Luna-0121, 0130, 0142, 0157, and 0179 as well as the Executive Summary of the May 15th Endbringer attack report BB051511-0001.
The ratings below are initial estimates based on observed effects and extrapolations from the abilities demonstrated by Twilight Sparkle. Judging from experiences with Twilight Sparkle, it is highly likely that Princess Luna has a wider array of abilities than those shown so far and it is almost certain that ratings in some of the categories below will require adjustment as more information accumulates.
Shaker 12 – Princess Luna modified the rotation of the Earth and the orbit of the Moon, and these changes remained in effect until she took action to undo them. This is an effect on a physical scale greater than any previously observed Shaker ability. On a lesser scale she also took control of the weather over Brockton Bay during her fight with the Simurgh, generated force fields, and performed some form of gravity manipulation similar to that demonstrated by Twilight Sparkle.
Brute 7 – Princess Luna directly engaged the Simurgh in physical combat. She took significant wounds during the battle, but her combat effectiveness seemed unimpeded after several minutes of heavy fighting. It is currently unclear how much of her durability in this battle was inherent to herself and how much may be attributed to the armor she wore. She also inflicted several significant injuries onto the Simurgh, including the removal of a leg in melee combat, but some of those acts may be due to her weaponry. (See Striker entry)
Blaster 8 – Over the course of the battle, Princess Luna utilized directed lighting strikes, some form of weaponized moonbeam (originating from the Moon, which had been pulled closer to the Earth), telekinesis similar to that used by Twilight Sparkle, and a few blaster powers in imitation of what Eidolon has done in the past. This category may deserve a higher rating as her attacks did significant damage to the Simurgh, but the nature and limitations of many of these attacks are still unknown. A rating of 8 has been assigned as a conservative minimum.
Striker 11 – This may be an inherent property of the weapons Princess Luna was using rather than an inherent power of hers, but she was able to inflict more damage on the Simurgh in melee than she did at range.
Mover 8 – Princess Luna displayed great agility in midair combat, teleportation abilities similar to Twilight Sparkle’s, and is capable of some form of dimensional travel that she used to reach Earth Bet from her native world.
Changer 6 – Princess Luna became an insubstantial mist several times, appeared to become a swarm of smaller flying creatures at one point, and took on Eidolon’s form later in the battle.
Stranger 5 – Princess Luna took on Eidolon’s form and voice, despite having never encountered him. The impersonation appeared to be perfect in all physical details, though it was hampered by her inability to speak English at the time.
Trump 5 – Some level of Trump is supposedly inherent for any member of this species that possesses a horn and has the associated “spellcasting” abilities. In the course of the battle, Princess Luna not only imitated Eidolon’s appearance, but some of the powers he has manifested in the past. This category is strongly suspected to have a higher rating, but only one brief demonstration of this capability has been observed so far.
Thinker 4 – Initial accounts by Twilight Sparkle, Princess Luna, and Thinker analysis indicate that Princess Luna was able to determine many of the Simurgh’s abilities and motivations upon seeing the Endbringer.
Master 5 – There is, as of yet, no actual evidence that Princess Luna has Master abilities. However, some suspicions have arisen regarding Twilight Sparkle, and equivalent precautions should be applied towards the Princess. This is especially true as she is purported to be a ruler of a society with wide-spread parahuman abilities and this may be grounds for suspecting some form of Master power in and of itself.
Strategies: Due to diplomatic concerns and the potential for planetary-scale collateral damage, Princess Luna is not to be engaged except under the direst conditions of necessity. If interactions become heated, withdraw and leave matters to designated diplomatic channels.
In social settings, Princess Luna is to be treated with the respect and consideration appropriate to a foreign head of state of a powerful nation. Any reasonable requests should be fulfilled quickly and efficiently. Any refusals or counter-proposals should be framed as politely as possible.
If a worst-case scenario does emerge, PRT personnel are advised to focus on evacuation measures and call for parahuman assistance.
Parahumans are advised to avoid direct melee combat at all costs. Containment is likely to be effectively impossible due to Mover abilities. Engagement at range from an identifiable location is inadvisable due to Mover abilities and the scope of observed Blaster and Shaker abilities. Engagement under concealment or Stranger effect is judged to be risky due to possible countering Thinker abilities and scope of observed Shaker abilities. Effectiveness of Master abilities intended to control humans is questionable considering her non-human nature and the demonstrated defenses against the Simurgh’s influence. Effects of chemical or biological attacks are uncertain due to the non-human and non-terrestrial nature of this subject. As she has some form of dimensional travel ability, and is strongly suspected to have additional abilities not yet revealed, it is questionable whether a surprise attack of any scale would be able to neutralize her in the initial strike.
Use of Breaker-class altered states and esoteric indirect attacks might prove effective if the situation is sufficiently desperate. It may be possible to overwhelm her with multiple parahuman opponents. Implementation of full or modified Endbringer protocols may be requested if conflict escalates to a city-wide scale. If conflict escalates to regional scale, cooperation with the US military and a coordinated nuclear strike may be considered due to her projected ability to cause planetary scale devastation.
Again, hostilities with Princess Luna are to be avoided if at all possible. Based on psychological evaluation of the Princess to date, if personnel believe combat with Princess Luna is imminent and other tactics have proven unable to defuse the situation, prostrating oneself and crying for pardon is deemed the most likely action to prevent the initiation of hostilities.
I'll just quote this priceless response from SB:
Still gives me the giggles everytime I read that part.
Hahaha the ending was priceless! All hail the Princess of the night!