~Sometime later~
Princess Luna Silverlight follows her nephew Prince Somnus Silverlight up a narrow winding staircase of a white stone round tower attached by a short arched passage to his personal workshop. Her dark blue large feathered bird wings folded on her back had a fine hair clearance on either side of the passage. But still, she could walk up the staircase with relative ease, but at a slower pace.
The plop-pops of Somnus's bare feet on the stairs treads echoed down the passage allowing his Auntie to judge how far he was ahead of her relative to her position. Soon the plop-pops of his bare feet on the stair treads all of the sudden stops, Luna figure they have reached the top of the tower. As she climbed the last few stairs treads, she enters a 12x12 octagon-shaped room nicely carpeted with plenty of room to extend her wings out fully if she wanted to.
What brings tears to her moderate cyan eyes was her banner's prominent display with her half-moon symbol hanging in the center of the room. As she continued around the room, she comes upon a small table with every picture she took with Somnus. The one picture that brought back the most memories was the very first picture she took with him.
'As part of taking on my nephew as my student, I had to take my student with me during one of my diplomatic mission to a foreign land I chose Manebourne summit talks in Manebourne. Because it was a relatively safe summit to take Somnus's too.' Luna thought, look at the photo on the table.
~In Princess Luna Silverlight memory~
It quiet day in Manebourne a few days before the end of Manebourne summit talks in the Princess's hotel room sits on the floor in her bare feet was Luna she was playing hungry! Hungry! Orthros! With her nephew Somnus, if she loses this round, Somnus is allowed to tickle her feet. She must tell him where to concentrate his assault on her large sensitive Alicorn feet.
"Last ball, Auntie! If my Orthros eats it, I win." Somnus said as Luna move quickly from lever to lever trying to eat the last ball on the board with the three plastic Orthros, she was controlling on the board.
Somnus and Luna try to snag the last white marble on the board as it ping-pongs back and forth off the plastic snouts of these colorful representations of a two headed dog. Their tongues stick out in deep concentration, keeping track of the quick movements of the small white orb in front of them; try to hit the right lever at the right time to snag the ball to win.
But Luna thinks it wouldn't be all that bad to let Somnus tickle her large Alicorn feet as punishment for losing the game. It just helps strengthen the deep bond she has formed with her small nephew and possible successor to her Throne of the Moon. In that brief moment of reflection Luna's jaw drops as the purple-headed Orthros snag the last ball on the board.
"No! All right, you win Somnus. Before we get started, will you show your Auntie how much you love her?" Luna asked, cushioning her defeat by having Somnus show her how much he loves her.
"All right, Auntie," Somnus said, caring as he ran up to Luna and wrapped his small arms around her neck and hugged her.
At the same time, Luna wraps her arms and wings around Somnus as she attentively rubs her snout against his cheek, very loving and plants a kiss on his cheek. Soon a moderate cobalt blue magic aura form on her horn, and a moment later, the same cobalt blue magic aura forms around the game on the floor. She floats the game back into the box on the coffee table in the room and covers it.
Holding tightly to Somnus in her arms and wings makes it more difficult to maneuver her long Alicorn legs out from behind her. In front of her as the long dress, she is wearing is not designed for that kind of movement. After a couple of tries, Luna manages to get her long Alicorn legs in front of her and stretch them out.
"All right, Somnus, my feet are ready to claim your prize on them," Luna said consenting, but before letting him go, she once again rubs the side of her snout against his and kisses him on his cheek.
Somnus moves down to Luna's large dark blue Alicorn sized feet with cream-colored toenail polish and lay on his belly in front of them. All he could see was her soft and perfectly smooth dark blue soles in front of him.
Slowly Luna moves her feet outward, forming a V shape allowing him to see a playful smile on her snout. Somnus always wondered why all the other colts and fillies would call his Auntie Luna bad and not nice. Hearing that would cause him to start crying, prompting Luna to appear in front of him and ask the teacher if she may take Somnus home now. The teacher would allow it, and Somnus's mother would return to the school later to pick-up his homework so he wouldn't fall behind in school.
'Huh? Explosions!?' Luna thought as the whole hotel shook from the blast outside she scoops up the frightened Somnus in her arms.
"Now Somnus don't be scared. Your Auntie is here with you. I'll keep you safe." Luna said, comforting holding the scared colt in one arm, before kissing him on his horn. She used her magic to open the curtains a little bit. Recoil in horror moving toward her hotel was that accursed Anti-royalty radical movement banner.
"They're here too!" Luna said her voice shrill with horror as Somnus felt his aunt's body shudder with fear this caused the frightened colt to wrap his arms tighter around his aunt's chest.
"Auntie, are they going to take you away from me? Don’t let them take you away from me! I don't want you to go away!" Somnus said, afraid as Luna felt tears running down her chest.
'Luna, what are you doing? Your job is to protect Somnus! Why are you standing here frozen with fear! This colt is your responsibility!' Luna thought her own voice yelling at her as she set Somnus on the ground.
She created a pair of magical moderate, cobalt blue scissors. She directed them to cut the skirt off below her knees, freeing up her long Alicorn legs from the confinement of the long dress.
She tore at the embellishment on her gown's bodice gives her as much freedom of movement she can get. She finishes by ripping off the sleeves from her arms; she looks toward her silver heeled sandals lying removed in front of the sofa in the room. It would be with bare feet that much of a hazard with shards of broken glass in the streets of the downtown area.
But she has no choice but to barefoot it as her sandals would slow her down. Her only concern is getting her and Somnus out of the downtown area dodging and evading the anti-royalty goon squads that most like have taking over the downtown looking for her.
"Somnus, you know your Auntie never keeps anything from you. So be a brave colt for me those bad ponies who hate your mommy and me just because we are princesses are here. Looking for us, if they catch us, they will hurt me and take you away from your mommy. That will make your mommy sad. So I can use my magic or fly away. So we must play hide and seek with those bad ponies till we get out of the area. Can you be that brave colt for me, Somnus?" Luna asked reassuring
"Yes, Auntie, I don't want you hurt or mommy sad. I'll be that brave colt for you." Somnus said a little bit scared but trusting of his Auntie Luna.
'He will truly be my successor to my Throne of the Moon. Went it come time for his mother and me to retire from ruling. An outstanding stallion to carry on my legacy that the night is not a bad place, but the place to dream of the Future.' Luna thought she and Somnus slipped out of the hotel room to make their way through the overrun downtown area.
~A hour later still in Princess Luna Silverlight memory~
It has been some time since slipping out of her hotel room into chaotic streets of downtown Manebourne as an exhausted and anxious Princess Luna Silverlight has made steady progress through the rubble choked streets of the downtown area. Dodging and evading the looters and rioters who have taken advantage of the chaos that those anti-royalty goon squads created why looking for her. She quickly slips into the first boarded up business on the street to hid and rest for a little while and by her sister light find food and drink for them.
Through her shadow sight ability, she looks around the business. It has several small tables and chairs spread about the room, and Luna figure it was some kind of street café. As they move deep into the business, Luna is temporarily blinded by a flashlight beam that overloads her shadow sight ability. Quickly Luna crouches down and wraps her wings around Somnus, who was holding her hand walking beside her went they enter the business.
"Please! I'll go willing; just take this colt to the proper authorities." Luna said, surrendering as she tries to push away Somnus, but he refused to abandon her.
"No, Auntie! No Auntie! You say they willn't take you away from me." Somnus said his voice quavering as he held tight to her wing and refused to let her go.
"You are not much of an aunt, your highness. If you abandon this colt, who is clearly looking toward you as his protector." A mare voice said bluntly as a Royal yellow magic aura glowed on top a head.
Slowly all the light goes on in the café standing in front of Luna and Somnus was yellow body unicorn mare with pink mane and tail she was wearing a polo shirt and jeans with black leather flats on her feet.
"Tell me your highness; do you ever curse being this colt's aunt?" the unicorn mare asked boldly, forcing Luna to look at herself and the bond she has with Somnus.
"I never do; this colt of my sister is my one light in the darkness surrounding me," Luna said very loving as she's pick-up Somnus and hugs him.
"Then, your highness, protect him." The unicorn mare said as she walked into the kitchen of the café and return sometime later carrying a tray with a bottle of water for Luna and a carton of milk for Somnus along with small PB&J sandwiches and daffodil sandwiches.
"I am pretty limited in food and drink here at my café, but this should help some, your highness." the unicorn mare explains, setting the tray on the table in front of Somnus and Luna.
"Thank you, Miss Unicorn," Luna said politely, watching Somnus devour his sandwiches and milk with hideous table manners.
"I must apologize for my nephew hideous table manners; he gets that from his dear mother. But he fast learner like his father if I work with him his manner will be better." Luna apologetic, but as embarrassed as Somnus came around the table and climb into her lap. She created a magical washcloth and cleaned his face with it.
"Are you sure he not your colt, your highness. I mean, you treat him more like a mother. Then his aunt." The unicorn mare comments as Somnus yawns and fell asleep on Luna's chest, soon Luna follows suit.
"It about time that sleeps power worked." The unicorn mare relieved as her eyes narrow with disdain.
"Pretending she cared for that little colt, what a laugh all royalty cares about is themselves. But this is quite a prize Princess Luna and Princess Celestia colt. Once we break that Princess and ransom off Princess Celestia colt, the whole world will see how weak the Princesses are." The unicorn mare said arrogantly as she opens the door and let in Anti-Royalty goon squads in.
"Come on boys, we got quite a prize Princess Luna and Princess Celestia colt." The unicorn mare explains as the last of Anti-Royalty goon squads walk in.
The door slams shut and become barred with a moderate cobalt blue magic aura, soon the café is thrown into pitch blackness. The hearts of the Anti-Royalty goon squads begin pounding in their chest; the dark is the realm of Princess Luna. Not them, she quickly picks off the goon squad ponies one by one before they can warn the other one. Till only the unicorn mare is left.
"I don't know what royalty did to you or your family. And I don't really care. This Anti-royalty radical movement is no better than all the villain that has tried to take over." Luna said coldly as unicorn mare took a shot into the darkness and missed.
"You justify by any means necessary by hurt anyone that gets in the way. Not matter if it civilian or soldier. That so-called leader of the movement is a would-be dictator; once he gets rid of all royalty, he will rule with an iron fist. He will hunt down anyone that would oppose him. That wonderful world he will bring about." Luna said, sarcastically ripping the gun out of her hand and slamming her against the far wall of café with her magic.
A moment later, the front door of the café is broke down by government troops brought to help went Luna found the real owner of the café tied up in back went she was trying to quickly hide the sleeping Somnus. She walks into the back room and retrieves the sleeping Somnus, before kissing him on his horn.
~Back to the Present~
"What are you thinking about, auntie?" Somnus inquiry as he found his Auntie Luna standing in front of the table with all the pictures on it and kissed her on her cheek.
"Went I first took that picture?" Luna said, floating the picture into her hand. It was her wearing a torn and tattered gown in her bare feet with a five-year-old Somnus holding her hand.
"I don't remember too much about that day, Auntie. The only thing I remember is that my Auntie Luna was a heroine; she kept me safe." Somnus said proudly as Luna doubtfully shook her head.
"I was no heroine, my little Somnus. I was doing what it took to keep us safe from those Anti-royalty radicals." Luna said unconvinced as Somnus hugs her and kisses her on her cheek again.
"Whatever you think, Auntie, you are still my heroine," Somnus said, idolizing as Luna floated the picture back onto the table.
"We didn't come up here to reminisce; you had a different plan for my feet. I am pretty sure I know what it was, But Somnus may I make a request for my own feet." Luna asked as Somnus walk her over to the chair and asked her to sits down.
"What kind of request, Auntie?" Somnus asked as he lifts his Auntie sandal-clad feet onto his lap and proceeds to unbuckled them. Before remove them reveal her soft and perfectly smooth dark blue soles sitting on his lap.
"In our hotel room back then, you beat me in a kid game. Your prize was to tickle my dark blue size Alicorn feet for as long as you wanted. We got interrupted by those radicals, so you never collected. So my request Somnus, please claim your prize, tickle my Alicorn feet as long as you want." Luna said generously in that next instance, Luna bursts into bouts of uncontrollable laughter. Somnus's skitters his more experienced fingers across the Luna's soft and perfectly smooth dark blue soles, till tears come to her moderate cyan eyes.