The Filly of the Stars

by Ink Splasher

I Promise

Canterlot, the mountainside capital of Equestria ended it's August day with cool night with a warm gust. The main attraction of the city is its castle, home of the alicorn princesses, Celestia and Luna. Celestia has completed her day court and preparing for a long-awaited rest. As she trotted along the marble floors she finds her sister out on the balcony admiring her work.

When Luna was freed from her exile, the two sisters had their embrace and their cries, understandably the pair deeply missed each other. A few weeks after the Luna's return things became normal again, then awkward. The princess of the day will raise the sun and her sister vice-versa but they never truly seen eye-to-eye with each other in a while. Celestia has always wondered how this could have happened she even began speculating that... she... might return, but she hates thinking of the possibility. Maybe now is the time, maybe I can reconnect with her again.. The ivory princess thought. Confidently she walks to her sister.

"Umm... Lulu," Celestia called. She loved calling her that. When they were fillies she'd call her "Lulu" and Luna would call her "Celly". She loved being a filly and she knew Luna loved it even more.

Luna turned her head and smiled. "Oh hello sister," the sapphire alicorn replied "So how was the day court?" she asked adding the conversation.

"It was very tiresome," she laughed with Luna adding an awkward giggle. "Everyone is always so uptight they don't know how to have fun... I wish you were there," she added.

"It would be nice to spend time together," Luna implied there was a pause and she hung her head with a frown. "But we're always too busy," the younger sister sighed. This broke Celestia's heart she too wanted to be with her own flesh and blood but their 'destinies' their parents like to call it, was keeping them far more apart. Celestia approached closer to Luna she reaches her hoof to her chin and lifts her head up.

"Lulu I will do my most for us to spend time together I promise," she pleaded with a desperate smile. Luna simply nodded smiled at her elder sister and walked to the edge of the balcony. "Well... it's getting rather late, are you going to bed soon?".

"Yes soon, sweet dreams sister," the princess of the night replied still gazing at the orb she was trapped in for a millennium. Celestia took a final glance and walked away.

Luna tilted her head left to right with no sign of ponies. She bent her knees, flapped her wings and jumped as high as she could and flew high in the night sky. She was flying, flying gracefully in fact, the alicorn hopped from one dark cloud to another. She loved this time she had, with everypony asleep she could do anything she wants in the night. Luna sometimes wished her sister was there with her, however Celestia wasn't as agile she used to be, she probably couldn't keep up with the princess of the night. There was also the fact that Luna never told Celestia about her "night treks". She might give a negative reaction towards this Luna was simply too afraid of her sister and she never figured out why.

"Help!" a voiced cried Luna snapped out of her daydreaming (or nightdreaming) looked down. "Hello! Anypony here please! I need help!" the voice exclaimed once more. Where is that voice coming from? Luna thought looking around confused.

"Please I'm lost! I can't find my mommy and daddy!" the voice bellowed finally. The Everfree Forest... It's coming from The Everfree Forest surely Luna fathomed then flew as fast as she could to the mysterious forest. From a few minutes of searching she found a small silver figure crying surrounded by trees. Luna gently glided down to the figure. Up close was a petrified filly with hooves covering her face sobbing her eyes out.

"Ch-child... do you need assistance," Luna asked with a helpful smile. The filly removed her hooves looked up at the princess. Frightened of Luna's intimidating presence she shrieks and hides behind a tree. "Young filly you have no reason to fear me I'm a friend, please come forth from that tree," Luna pleaded. Slowly a small pearl coated unicorn with a dark mane and tail with one blank white stripe on her mane but not on her tail. It wasn't the white stripe that gave caught Luna's attention was her eyes they were the same color as the princess of the night the sort-of dark cyan very similar to Luna's.

"You...you're a friend?," the young filly asked with a sniffle wiping a bit of snot from her nose.

"Yes of course I am," Luna replied with a smile. "What is your name?" Luna implored kneeling down to the filly's level.

"My name is Selene,"

"Beautiful name, how old are you?" Luna trying to make Selene keep calm about her situation.

"I'm seven," Selene answered. "Wh...what's your name?" she asked.

"My name is Luna,"

"Wait you mean as in Princess Luna?" she asked with mouth agape in wonder.

"You have heard of me?" Luna said feeling a bit proud of herself. Not many fillies know about her.

"Two years ago my parents and I were in Ponyville that day you were there," she explained "You look cooler now your mane looks like the stars of the night," she added. Luna blushed but remembered the task at hand.

"Did you say that you can't find your mother and father?" Luna inquired. The poor filly just nodded with a sad look on her face she couldn't say a word or else she would burst to tears. "Well I have an idea, how about you and I go look for them are you okay with that," Luna added. The filly gave her smile and a nod. "Poor thing you must have been walking for hours, here stand still," Luna exclaimed and she uses her levitation magic to carry the filly and place her gingerly on her back. "So which direction shall we venture?" Luna inquired. Selene raised a hoof north of the Everfree Forest the alicorn gave a nod and headed for Selene's direction.

After a quarter an hour of chatting, searching and direction pointing Luna began wondering if the were trotting in circles.

"Selene, dear are you sure you know the right way,"

"Um... well everything was clearer when the sun was out," Selene takes a look around and her lip starts to quiver. "Oh I don't remember any of this at all, we'll never find my parents!" tears began to slowly stream down her cheeks. Luna turned her head to the crying filly and dried her tears with her hoof.

" Hush hush now now don't worry everything will be fine we will find your parents I promise but I need you to stay strong and help me okay," she pleaded.

"Okay Princess, I'll be strong."

"Wonderful and by the way just call me Luna, now I have another idea, now I need you two wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight," the princess explained. Selene followed the alicorn's instructions.

"Okay Luna but whaaaaaaAAA" Luna jumped in the air a flew as high as the tallest trees in the forest. She stops her ascent looks at Selene.

"Are you alright?"

"That was AWESOME! let's do that again!" Selene shouted. Luna gave out a giggle.

"Well first things first I'm just going to glide over the forest while you look over and tell me if you see anything got it?" she instructed.

"Got it!" she replied. It truly was a beautiful night Selene couldn't resist looking at the stars that were so close to her, at one stage she even attempted to reach for one almost stumbling.

"What's wrong, are you okay? Luna asked.

"Sorry Luna the night is so pretty, I...I tried to grab a star, I know it's stupid and I should be looking out, I'm sorry Princess," Selene explained. Luna should be mad at Selene not following the plan but no one has called her night 'pretty' and meant it. When she came back everyone saw their faults and complimented her on her night, so she won't resort to...her. Then seeing a filly trying to reach for a star, for her star, warmed her heart. The princess kept reminding herself that there is a task at hand.

"Firstly, no need to call me 'Princess', like I said before you may call me Luna understand?" the filly gave a small nod to Luna. "Secondly, Selene it's not stupid to reach for a star, they may look close but they are very, very far away, now I forgive you but you must keep your eyes on the forest you will have plenty of time looking at the stars alright?" Luna asked.

"Okay, and Luna," the princess rotated her head. "Thanks for not yelling at me."

"You're welcome Selene, I can never yell at you," Luna replied whisking through the skies. After minutes of searching Selene finally spotted a picnic blanket that her and her family were using.

"Luna there the blanket!" she exclaimed pointing to the site. Luna slowly descended to the location. All that was there was a ripped picnic blanket ,a fallen picnic basket ,three half-eaten sandwiches and a small teddy pony with an eye fallen off. As Selene saw the toy she hopped off Luna's back and galloped to her toy.

"Woony what happened to your eye?" Selene asked the toy trying to shove the eye back into the socket. It was something Luna never saw before light-blue mane, cyan eyes bright purple coat and the toy had wings and a horn.

That toy...that toy looks like me...and she calls it "Woony" this is a bit strange It was a bit strange Luna never knew there was a toy in her design, even Celestia never had toys made after her. Luna strolled next to her with her horn glowing. She picks up the toy and reattached the eye back to the socket and gave it back to Selene's hooves which brought a very wide smile on her face.

"You fixed Woony! thank you Luna!" she cheered.

"Selene may I ask where did you get...um Woony?" Luna curiously asked.

"Oh my mommy made her for me," she answered holding it up to Luna. "She is my favorite toy ever," she added squeezing the woolen toy. Luna beamed at the filly reunited with her toy but on the back on her mind she worried if Selene won't be reunited with her parents.

"Well your mother did a very good job of her, now do you remember how you lost your parents?" Luna asked in a soothing motherly tone. Selene had her eyes shut and tugged on "Woony" tightly.

"Daddy said that we were going on a picnic, I was really excited for it. We went on the train to Ponyville and we went to the forest and found a nice patch for a picnic. Mommy made her delicious sandwiches and we were laughing and hav... we were having fun," Selene brought "Woony" to her face as she bawled her eyes out. The princess hated seeing this, she completely understood why Selene was upset but she had to know where her parents are and soon.

"Selene I know this is difficult now try to remember what happened next?" the alicorn pleaded.

"I was playing with Woony and then they started... they started screaming. They told me to run so I dropped Woony and ran..ran... Ran!" Selene collapsed on the floor crying, obviously regretting her decision to run away from her parents in distress.

"Shh... shh you did the right thing you did what your parents told you to do, now please why were they screaming Selene?" she pleaded. Selene wiped her tears, took a deep breath and looked up at Luna.

"Something was grabbing them, all I saw was Daddy and Mommy being pulled from the back of... from the back of the hedge over there," she explained extending her hoof. "It was all too scary please I don't want to talk about it anymore please, please plea-," Luna silences the distraught filly covering Selene's lips with her hoof.

"Okay you don't have to say another word about this... incident. Now I need you to stay here with Woony, don't move and don't touch anything understand," Luna added presenting Selene with her "Woony". She nodded in agreement and embraced her teddy pony.

"all i saw was Daddy and Mommy being pulled from the back of the hedge over there," Luna trotted to the thorn covered hedge and glanced over,.all was darkness in the Everfree forest. The alicorn illuminated the area with her horn to find any clue on Selene's parents. She found a clue, a kind of clue she hoped she wouldn't find blood Luna's spine shivered it didn't stop there there was a trail, she had to investigate further.

"Selene I will be back in one second stay there, if you see anything just call me got it?"

"Mmm...hmm," answered Selene still hugging her toy.

Luna leaped over the hedge and followed the blood trail she found. The longer she trotted the wider bloodstain was on the ground. On a number of occasions Luna would turn her head to check if Selene was alright. She lifted her head and found another unpleasant clue. A hoof it was almost the same sliver color as Selene but darker and it was cut with the blood cold and dry stuck out of a bush.The alicorn glowed her horn and the bush glowed in the same color as her horn. Luna took a deep breath preparing what was under that bush. The bush levitated with a sheaf of leaves dropping on the grass and moves it away from... them.

The princess of the night let out a heavy sigh of defeat, laid there two grown unicorns one dark silver navy mane and tail colt, with a star in a compass for a cutie mark (definitely the one with the cut hoof she saw earlier). Alongside the dead colt a burgundy mare with a pitch black mane and tail, with a heart for a cutie mark. Both were cut, bloodied and dead and from the looks of it they were like that for a long time. Poor Selene, no filly deserves this. the alicorn thought bowing her head letting down a tear and in her mind apologizing to Selene and her parents.

I'm so sorry Selene,

I promise I will make you smile again,

I promise I will be your shoulder to cry on,

I promise I will make this right,

I promise.

End of Chapter One.