She fell into her bed at the end of her night, drawing her curtains tightly closed and propping a chair in front of her door. It wouldn’t keep her sister out if she really wanted to get inside, but she hoped it would provide a deterrent to any other servants who might try to bother her. And, as illogical as it was, it made her feel safer.
Marriage. Running away. They both sounded like outlandish solutions to a simple problem, and yet here she was, contemplating one to avoid the other.
Sleep only came briefly, and in intermittent patches; dreams of fanged suitors and clawed children kept her awake, violently jerking her from sleep. She finally gave up around five, bleary-eyed but determined.
She would need to pack appropriately; one couldn’t run away without some pre-planning. Food would be most important, but she couldn’t very well stride out of the castle wearing a big saddlebag filled with pastries. No, it would need to be something she could easily conceal, something uninteresting to any guards or even her sister herself. She packed as much as she could fit into a small side-satchel, and took a long look at herself in front of her mirror.
Oh. The crown and jewelry. It would make her immediately identifiable, even in the most backwater of towns. After a moment of contemplation, of trying to convince herself that it would be okay to bring them along, she slowly began removing her bangles and beautiful crown, sadly placing them on her dresser. How she had fought to regain them, fought against the Nightmare that consumed her from within; it hurt to leave them here.
She was almost to the door before she turned back, taking up a quill and parchment. Celestia might not listen to her when she was speaking, but perhaps she could get through to her with a note.
Dear Sister,
I have run away. I cannot marry a stallion who I despise. I will destroy me, and it may very well destroy our land as well. I cannot risk bringing back the Nightmare.
~Luna
She folded up the note and tucked it under her crown, and on second thought, tucked the crown and bangles into her bed, propping up a couple of pillows on top of them in a pony-ish shape. If they thought she was sleeping, it may give her a few extra hours before they realized she had gone.
That done, she picked up her satchel, tossed a towel over it as a disguise, and opened her door - and found herself face-to-face with a pair of guards. She might have been able to sneak back into her room, if she hadn’t made the mistake of giving a very sharp, audible gasp, and froze in place.
“Your Majesty.” the unicorn said gruffly, his eyes traveling over her briefly, before he gave a deferential little nod. “Anything we can help you with?”
“Why - why are you guarding my door? Is there some danger in the castle?” she asked, flustered, but struggling to be polite. A good Princess, after all, was kind to all of her subjects.
The knowing glance the guards shared, and the way they hesitated to answer, was all the answer she needed. “I see. There is no danger, other than myself.” she said, sadly.
“Princess, that isn’t -”
“I understand perfectly, sirs. I hope that I am permitted to take a bath?” she asked, and when they hesitated again, she added, “It is very calming, and I find that as of late, I am in great need of … calm.”
That got the pair nodding, quick and eager, as they followed her down the hall. They paused in front of the door to the bathroom, and when one took a step forward, Luna cut them off with a sharp glare. “A lady does not tolerate men in her bath. You may remain guarding here if you wish, but I will not be exiting through this door. I will take a brief flight when I am finished, so if you wish to return to guarding my bedroom, I will return there in an hour’s time.”
The pair looked at one another, then slowly nodded, turning around to guard either side of the door. “Have a pleasant bath, Princess.” the first stallion spoke, and his companion nodded quietly. Loyal, and obedient - but not to her, not anymore.
She stepped into the magnificent bathroom, and looked over its high, vaulted ceilings, its pale marble and elegant pillars. How many happy childhood memories were held here, with its carved images of ponies and mer-ponies prancing in every nook and cranny, spiraling up and down the pillars?
But the sculpted images held a secret, one that she didn’t think even Celestia knew of, and after she turned on the faucet, she wasted no time in scurrying over to the furthest corner of the room to push aside a decorative towel holder. Yes, the fourth mer-pony on the left; it was just as she remembered it, just as elegantly polished and smiling as the others. She reached out with her hoof and twisted the figure to the right, and gave a mighty push. With a soft groan, the square of marble swung inward, revealing a darkened inner passage, barely high enough for an adult pony to walk through. It would be especially cramped for her taller frame, but she shoved her satchel down there all the same, and turned back to the tub.
After the tub had filled, she waited for a few moments, then unstopped the plug, ever so slightly. The water would drain slowly, making it appear as if she was taking a long, luxurious bath, while she would be scurrying down the secret passage. She propped open the window an inch or two, to mask her true source of escape, and took one final look around the bathroom. If everything went as planned, this would be the last time she ever saw this bathroom; a chilling, yet exciting proposition.
With that thought, she slid herself into the passage, carefully pushing the slab of marble back into place, and began her slow, hunched descent down the tunnel. It was dark, but by the light of her horn, she could see a few feet ahead of her at a time, and what she saw gave her great relief - and disgust. The path was dirty from disuse, and several times she had to bat away massive clumps of spiderwebs with her wings. “This isn’t so bad,” she thought to herself from time to time, and then was inevitably forced to scramble away in a panic when a rat appeared. She may be abandoning the lifestyle of a princess, but it would seem that abandoning her sense of gross-itude would be slower to come.
Finally, after what felt like hours of cramped, dark, dirty hunched-over steps, she made it to the end of a passage, to a light-limed door. Behind this door was the secret exit of the passage, which would lead her out into the public view. And before she went there, she knew she would need to be properly disguised.
She twisted in the passage to reach into her saddlebags, a difficult feat; after a moment, she managed to untwist herself, and drape her disguise over herself. A short cloak to hide her wings and symbol, and a horn-eraser. A horn-eraser, of course, was a small magical ring, which one slipped over one’s horn to render it invisible. It was a family heirloom; such a deceitful kind of magic had been outlawed after the Unicorn Wars, but there were still some places where they could be found, she knew. A quick swish of her now-invisible horn, and her mane and tail were braided and tucked back. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do; coming up with a more intricate disguise would waste precious time, and only make it more likely that she would be caught or shipped off before she could escape. Shipped off to the Mare knew where, or with whom -
Deep breaths, Luna, you’re okay now, everything is going to be okay. Deep, deep breaths.
Her nostrils filled with the dust and mildew of the small, enclosed passage, and by the time she had calmed herself, she knew she wouldn’t ever be able to forget the smell. But she was ready, and time was running out; when nightfall hit, her sister would know she had gone, and she had to make her move, and fast. So, with a tight, cramped turn, she faced away from the door, and kicked her back legs into it as hard as she could.
Nothing happened.
Not a dent, not even a noticeable difference; the same door, with the same light from behind, and no change. She gave a little huff, and repeated the motion, with greater vigorousness. Something sounded like it was beginning to give, but still it held fast. Her horn glowed, and with a final, powerful kick, a surge of magic, and an angry shout (not very ladylike at all, she thought with a wince), the door finally crashed open, sending her sprawling onto her belly.
The princess - now simply Luna - got onto her hooves hurriedly, twisting in the small passageway to look through the door she had opened. Strange; she didn’t remember the passageway opening into much of anything, a thousand years ago. A grassy field, she remembered picking flowers there with her mother. But now there was a strangely bright light, a warm, glass-fronted room, and the delicious smell of baked goods. Something sweet tantalized her nostrils, and set her stomach to growling; suddenly, she wished she had partaken in supper before fleeing the palace.
“Toots, are ya gonna explain why you just came bustin’ in through my display case?”