//------------------------------// // Chapter 03: Teddy's Nightly Adventure // Story: The Alicorn Of Death // by WhalenJP //------------------------------// Chapter 03: Teddy’s Nightly Adventure *Elsewhere* A voice echoed, a small flash of light emanating from the middle of a large garden. Then the light dimmed to nothing and a colt of about 10 years old fell to the ground from a few feet in the air. “Yahoohoohoo!!!” yelled the colt, laying on his back with a grin on his face. The colt was Teddy Lupin, Harry Potter’s Godson. He was wearing a black t-shirt and red shorts the size for someone of his size, also wearing a pair of white socks and red tennis shoes. Teddy sat up, looking at his surroundings, before the grin faded from his lips. His Godfather wasn’t here. And wherever Harry was… Trouble follows like a magnet… He looked down at himself, childish awe on his face as he saw that his skin was replaced with a brownish red fur, and he had a pair of ears, a blackish tail, and a muzzle. He was curious as to what he was, before a voice called out. “ Hello? Who goes there?” Teddy froze, a small tingle of something running down his spine at the voice. It wasn’t fear, but something else. He went with his gut instinct that he should hide, and there was a conveniently shaped lamp a few feet to his right. After hiding behind the lamp and forced himself not to move, he looked through a tiny hole that was in the lampshade. The sound of metal clanking against the stone path that was adjacent to where he was started to come from the other side of the hedges across the way. Teddy held his breath, tensing his body in case he had to run from whatever was coming... Then he saw HER… It was a woman with a blue coat, a beautiful 20-something-year-old woman wearing some type of office attire with a crescent moon on her left breast pocket. It was of two colors, black and silver respectively for the tucked in blouse and pencil skirt that went below her knees and was loose enough to walk, maybe even run in. She was also wearing silver boots that looked to be from medieval times. She also had a horn on her head with wings on her back, which caught Teddy’s attention... What in the name of Merlin? He thought as he bit his tongue to keep himself quiet, and his breathing slow and shallow so the woman can’t hear him. Her eyes that spoke of age like his Godfather roamed around the area Teddy woke up in. Then it landed on the lamp and a perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose. After a few seconds of staring, the woman walked to where the lamp was located and spoke, a small hint of gently tenderness lacing the demand. “ If you think that trick would work like it did in Undertale, you are sorely mistaken. Please, come on out. I won’t hurt you.” After a moment of silence, Teddy peeked his head out from behind the lampshade, a hint of sheepishness in his expression. The woman smiled, her pink lips turned upwards, causing Teddy to relax for some reason. Pretty… He thought to himself as he stared at the goddess before him. “Hello… I’m Luna.” She said gently as she got to her knees, “ What’s your name, little colt? Why are thou out here?” Despite the slip of old medieval, Teddy answered. “ Teddy… Teddy Lupin… A-are you an angel?” Stupid stupid STUPID. He scolded himself internally, embarrassed at the question that came out of his mouth, preparing to run in case the woman took it the wrong way. Luna looked slightly shocked, cerulean eyes wide, and the garden was deathly quiet... Then the silence was broken by her giggling. “ You could say that I am, Teddy.” She said, shoulders shaking and cheeks slightly pink. The colt let out a quiet sigh of relief, glad that he dodged the metaphorical AK, a saying that his Godfather uses. He was interrupted from his musings by his stomach growling for all the world to hear that it was hungry, making his cheeks red in embarrassment. Luna smirked, her eyes twinkling in amusement and fondness that Harry showed for him, “ Looks like somepony is hungry.” She teased, “ Why don’t we go to the kitchens and grab a midnight snack?” Teddy answer was in the form of a nod, coming out all the way from behind the lamp and holding his sides in nervousness at the angel not two feet from him. Luna stood up to her 6 foot height and held out a hand for him to grab. Even though his inner Lupin telling him not to trust strangers, and his other voice that sounded a lot like Harry wanting him to question everything around him with Constant Vigilance, like Alastor Moody taught him before his death, he went with his other gut instinct that told him that this angel didn’t want to cause harm to him. So he held Luna’s hand as they went through the gardens, Teddy looked at the giant marble white castle in awe, it was reminiscent of Hogwarts before the battle demolished it. It was still undergoing renovations… ----------------------------------- Luna and Teddy walked down the staircase with the colt on her shoulders, a warm smile on her face as she heard the little guy giggling from his spot. Ever since her exile to the moon for a thousand years, Luna barely smiled at anything except for her sister, Celestia. It was heartbreaking… As she walked, Luna’s thoughts turned to the colt on her shoulders. Where are his parents? Surely they wouldn’t leave such a sweet child in the Canterlot Gardens alone. Unless they are like THOSE types of parents. Her thoughts turned dark at the image of this child being abused by his family, waking up her darker self residing in her head. What’s going on, Luna? Why am I waking up? Said a woman’s voice that spoke of power, and slight hint of fatigue in it. Despite how everyone thinks, Nightmare Moon was always a part of Luna, never truly going away… Nothing, Nightmare. Just having bad thoughts… Luna replied to her other, not straying her attention to where she was going and keeping a gentle hold on Teddy’s legs, so as to not make him fall off. She felt a slight hint of amusement from Nightmare, indicating that she didn’t believe what Luna said. My dear Lulu, you know that I can hear everything that you’re thinking, and view what you thought. Now, let’s see---- She trailed off as she viewed what Luna imagined happened to Teddy Lupin, then she snarled in anger, I hope to Equestria’s stars that is not what happened! How can anypony leave such an innocent child in the middle of the night? OUR night?! Luna briefly stopped, blinking in surprise at the feral anger in her dark side’s voice, not hearing Teddy’s words of concern. This never happened before, whenever Nightmare wakes up, she immediately fights for control over their body. It always happens ever since returning from the moon… It was very surprising that Nightmare cares about someone, even a child. I can still HEAR you! Nightmare said, a deadpan in her voice, but the rage from what she imagined was still bubbling under the surface. If it wasn’t so surprising, and if Teddy was trying to grab her attention by booping her on the nose, Luna would’ve laughed herself silly at how comedic this was… She snapped out of her inner conversation and turned her attention on Teddy, who was inches from her face, upside down, with a look of worry on his face. Luna blinked in surprise, then she said, “ Yes, young Teddy?” The colt frowned in concern, causing Luna to feel a slight warmth in her chest at being cared for. Nopony else cared for her like Celestia and the six ponies that released her from Nightmare’s clutches like they did, so it was rare... The colt spoke, his eyes searching for whatever caused his new friend to stop. “ Are you ok, Luna? You look… worried…” Princess Luna smiled, keeping her voice gentle, “ I am fine, Little Lupin. I assure you that I got lost in my thoughts for a moment.” She said. Teddy’s eyes narrowed, and spoke with sternness that if anypony else would do so to her, they would’ve been sent to the dungeons for disrespect. But he was a child that didn’t know of her heritage, not yet anyway… “ My godfather uses the same line, it usually means that not everything is alright, and to hear you say that, even though we just met, makes me WORRY.” He stressed at the final word, a plea in his eyes to tell him what she was thinking. Luna sighed, a pang in her heart and Nightmare sniggering in the back of her mind at the young colt’s words. Yet, that warmth grew. She took a breath, gathered the courage and spoke, “ This might be a bad time to ask thee, young Lupin. But… where are your parents? Do they live in Canterlot, or did they leave you here?” Teddy’s normally bright eyes dimmed, causing Luna to flinch slightly and Nightmare to scold her. “ I am sorry if---” She was interrupted by him smiling sadly, eyes gleaming with tears. “ It’s ok, Luna…” Teddy climbed down off her shoulders and onto the ground in front of the Lunar Diarch, scuffing his shoe against the ground in nervousness. “ They died… A decade ago there was a battle going on, and my mum and dad went to fight for the good. They died doing what was right, and my godfather raised me ever since then.” He said, looking down at his feet, not knowing that there was a third presence looming over him. “ Where is this Godfather of yours, young one?” Said a voice to his left, one that was different that radiated that they demand respect. Teddy lifted his head at the voice, speaking, “ I’m not sure if he even came here with me, he might be---” He stopped as his brain tried to process what was in front of him. It was another woman besides Luna, this time with a darker coat, and wearing silver armor that looked to be slightly scuffed and dented, as if it has seen many a battle. The mark that was on Luna’s vest was the same on the breastplate, just slightly darker. Her turquoise dragon slitted eyes stared at his own normal blue, as if they were looking into his soul… He had to admit, she too, was beautiful… After staring at the amused woman for a few moments, he continued on, “ I don’t know if he’s here. Dad seems to attract trouble wherever he goes, even more so than his time at school.” Luna and the new arrival turned to look at each other for a minute, seemingly communicating with telepathy. Then the two turned back, Luna smiling, while the other woman seemed to frown, as if they were polar opposites of each other. “ What is your godfather’s name, Teddy?” Luna asked, kneeling down to be eye level with him, “ We might be able to find him.” Teddy blinked, raised an eyebrow, then replied hesitantly, not wanting to get his Godfather into trouble. “ Harry… Harry Potter…” At Luna’s raised eyebrow, he continued, explaining that his Godfather was famous from where they were, and hated the attention for something he doesn’t remember. When he didn’t elaborate for what Harry was famous for, Luna and Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow, slightly suspicious about that. Since Harry Potter must’ve done something extraordinary for an entire country to basically worship him like a God. It was strangely reminiscent of the Princesses… Luna nodded her head, putting a finger to her ching, eyes looking towards the ceiling with a look of concentration. After a minute, she spoke, “ I found him.” Teddy reeled in surprise as his inner musings of what his Godfather seemed to be doing to find him, and waited for the answer. He got it… “ He’s in Ponyville, using a stick to fight off a couple of ponies.” She said it with narrowed eyes, a protectiveness in her that never seemed to show before, “ Why is he doing that, young Lupin?” Teddy blinked once again at what he was told, then facepalmed. “ Damn it Dad.” He murmured. It was quiet, but not quiet enough for the second woman. She spoke, her voice giving him goosebumps. “ What is wrong? Hast he done this before?” Luna got up and looked to Teddy as well, arms crossed against her chest and eyebrow raised. From past experience with Molly Weasley who uses the same pose, began speaking, “ He was always protective of me, ever since the battle of Hogwarts, where my parents died. My biological father, Remus Lupin, named Harry as my Godfather/Foster Father, in case something happened to them. Harry is a good parent, and despite being slightly reckless, he will kill anyone that might harm his family, including me.” The darker coated woman kneeled, putting a sharp nailed finger under his chin so that he may meet her eyes, looking to see if he was lying. After finding that he was speaking nothing but the truth, she smiled softly, which made Luna’s eyes widened slightly. Nightmare never truly smiled except if she wants something... “ We forgot to introduce myself. I am Nightmare Moon, little one. We shall see that your Godfather is safely reunited to you, and shall be accommodated to the castle. I have seen many a brave soldier, but this Harry Potter, he is more than worthy of courting.” She winked at Teddy for the last part, making the ten year old blush, and Luna facepalm with pink on her cheeks. “ Nightmare…” She warned, not wanting to scar the child. Her darker side smirked, showing a couple of fangs, dragon slitted eyes twinkling with amusement and mischief. “ What, little Lulu? Don’t tell me thou are jealous? He might be willing to share…” Teddy watched as Nightmare Moon and Luna bicker at each other, noticing that there was also another in the room staring at the group with light purple eyes gleaming with motherly gentleness. She was wearing the same attire as Luna, except that it was alabaster white with a yellow sun on her left breast pocket. Her hair looked like a multitude of colors; pink, green, white and light-blue. She also looked to be a relative of Luna, except that she was taller than Luna by a head… Teddy smiled as her eyes caught his, and her posture seemed to relax from some unknown tenseness that was there, but unnoticed. He walked over to the woman, the other two didn’t notice that he was not in front of them anymore, and leaned against the wall beside her. The woman and young colt seemed to enjoy the entertainment of two women bickering, which seemed to get increasingly humorous as the argument turned into how to share somepony in bed, which made Teddy blush at some of the more lustrous suggestions from Nightmare. That is when the new woman turned to him, smiling. “ I’m Princess Celestia. It is nice to meet you. I see that you met my sister, and her… companion…” She seemed to hesitate at the last part when mentioning Nightmare Moon, but continued all the same. That smile made Teddy’s heart stop at how bright it seemed, filling his body with warmth and his cheeks grew red for some reason. “ I’m Teddy Lupin, Ma’am--- Wait, you said Luna is a Princess as well?” He said, slightly reeling from the shock that Luna is a Princess. Celestia giggled behind her hand making Luna--- Princess Luna, and Nightmare Moon turn to whoever giggled. “ Greetings, sister! We did not see you there!” Luna said with a smile on her face. Nightmare on the other hand, was frozen with eyes wide and body tense, looking as if she might… She disappeared in a cloud of purple sparkly mist and flew down to the end of the corridor opposite of Celestia. The three watched as the mist turned a corner and disappear. Celestia blinked, lips pursed, them murmured. “ I haven’t even said anything.” It was too much, Teddy began snickering, causing the two Princesses to look at him. Then Luna began giggling… Then Celestia snerked… Then she began laughing, holding her sides as the silence broke into a cacophony of laughter at what just happened. Only Nightmare wasn’t the one laughing, glaring at the two traitorous fiends that dared to laugh at her fear of the Solar Diarch. ---------------------------- *Meanwhile* “ Leave me alone! I just want to find my Godson!” Harry Potter shouted, firing spell after spell at the group of girls that were chasing after him, narrowly missing to tree branches and dirt. “ Oh Yeah?! Well you should’ve said so before you decided to try and take Twi hostage!” Said a sky blue young woman with wings, rainbow colored hair, and wearing an athletic outfit of a white tank top and jeans with tears on the knees. Then Harry got wrapped in a pinkish aura, freezing in the middle of taking another sprinting step. The group of girls caught up and surrounded him, one of them wearing an orange and work jeans with a stetson, tied his hands and feet with rope, making sure they were tight and secure. Harry knew he could’ve apparated away and force the ropes off him with good old fashioned Gandhi, but frankly he wasn’t thinking, except fearing what happened to his Godson… ------------------------------- After the three calmed down, and Nightmare returning hesitantly to Luna’s side, the group made their way back to Luna’s and Teddy’s original destination: The Royal Kitchens. As they came up to a large wooden door made of oak, Teddy yawned, snuggling in the warmth of Luna, who was holding him in her arms, easily carrying him with a strength that would’ve made Hagrid blush and admire. The group went inside and Luna set Teddy down in a comfortable plush chair that made him want to fall asleep in, except the smell of pastries wafted under his nose, causing it to twitch and his mouth to water. Cake… He thought before he dug in with gusto, not caring if he was making a mess and acknowledging the fact that there was Royalty in the room with him. Celestia, Luna, and Nightmare Moon chuckled, snickered, and smirked respectively as they daintily ate their own slice of velvet cake, moon cake, and dark chocolate cake. It was a good night, maybe not for Harry Potter, who was knocked out with a sleeping spell and tied up in the library, but it was a good night for the Princesses and Teddy…