//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: The Adventures of Selina Lunar // by Mike728 //------------------------------// Shock fills my entire being as I take in on what Princess Celestia had just said. Me; immune? That… that doesn’t sound possible. How can I be immune to something like this? Is she saying that I am immune to magic or powers that have something to do with affecting the mind or something? Big possibility, but it still sounds impossible. “IMMUNE!?” Luna scoffs loudly. Her scoff snaps me out of my thoughts and I get back to listen. “DO YOU REALIZE HOW ABSURD YOU SOUND RIGHT NOW?! THERE IS NO WAY THAT NIGHTMARE MOON CAN BE IMMUNE!! HOW CAN THAT EVEN BE POSSIBLE, SISTER?! BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, HOW DOES THAT EXPLAIN DISCORD NOT BEING ABLE TO GET INTO HER HEAD?!” Just from how loud Luna said that, I can tell that she is beyond livid now. I can picture Luna glaring at her sister with an enraged expression on her face, her face beet red with anger. I don’t know why, but I find the image to be somewhat funny. “It’s very simple, Luna, ” Celestia replies. “Since Selina has the body of Nightmare Moon, she possesses the same powers as you. With that being said, Selina is a dream walker, which is a pony that has the ability to enter the dreams of other ponies. For being a dream walker, she has the capability to keep other ponies and other creatures with the same abilities from entering her dreams. Since you are a dream walker yourself, you can’t enter Selina’s dreams without her letting you in, and the same applies to her.” My jaw drops, the shock coming back but much more powerful than ever. I… can enter the dreams of other ponies? The thought of entering dreams sounds… very intriguing. The ability to see what ponies are dreaming and enter them fills me with excitement. At the same time, the thought of entering an unsuspecting pony’s dreams is a little… unnerving. The idea of having your dreams being watched or entered is like having some random pony come into your bedroom without your consent. The excitement washes away like dried dirt. The bit of information knowing that I can keep Luna out of my head and my dreams brings a smile to my face. I love my privacy and I will never allow anypony access to my head. Even if the very pony that I love most asks if they can see into my head, I still won’t allow them access to my head or my thoughts or even my dreams. No amount of pleading or begging will get me to change my mind. “That make sense,” Twilight agrees. “Selina might be subconsciously using her magic to keep you and Discord from entering her dreams.” Okay, that wouldn’t make sense. I never knew that I can do something like that, so how could I have used my magic to keep both Luna and Discord out? What can it be? “Twilight, it isn’t magic that’s keeping me from entering her dreams!!” I hear Luna growl angrily. This catches my attention and I am very sure that it caught Celestia and Twilight’s attention too. “What do you mean?” Twilight asks, sounding confused. “I mean that it isn’t magic that was preventing me from entering her dreams, Twilight Sparkle!!” Luna repeats. “When one of Discord’s attempts to get in failed, I scanned her mind to see why even he couldn’t get in!! That is when I discovered something strange; something VERY strange!! I don’t know what it is, but it looked to be some kind of… shield or immunity; the likes I’ve never seen before!! Me and Discord have tried everything to see if we can find a way to penetrate or even bypass it in some way, but everything we tried didn’t work!!” My head feels like it’s going to pop. The things I am learning is starting to become too much. Not only did I learn that I can enter pony’s dreams, but to know that I possess some kind of shield or immunity that is preventing not only Luna, but Discord himself, from getting into my head and even the likes of my dreams is making my head feel like it's going to explode. The possibilities are endless. There is a moment of silence before it is broken. “That confirms my suspicions,” Celestia says suddenly. I feel the urge to shout out ‘what’, but I push it away and continue to listen. “Suspicions?!” Luna shouts angrily. “What do you mean by your ‘suspicions’, sister?!” Another pause. “It confirms why I wasn’t able to hear or read Selina’s thoughts while I was talking to her before sending Twilight in to go talk to her,” Celestia replies calmly. “And it also explains why I was unable to hear or read her thoughts while she and Twilight were out in the balcony.” I feel my eyes go wider than ever before. Why didn’t I see it before?! Why didn’t I question the fact Celestia knew it was me in that disguise when she entered the balcony?! And more importantly, why didn’t it raise any red flags?! I feel everything click into place and a strong realization strikes me so hard it feels like getting hit square in the face with a sack full of bricks; Celestia had been standing there the entire time trying to read and hear my thoughts while me and Twilight were looking out into the horizon. She must have entered the bedroom without me realizing or noticing and used that to her advantage. I guess the reason why I didn’t even suspect her is because she did a good job at hiding it. I feel sick to my stomach as another realization hits me. This means that even after everything I said to her before she left the bedroom, Celestia didn’t believe me. Maybe she said that she did believe me because she wasn’t able to read my mind. That would explain why Twilight came in shortly after I went into the balcony. I feel my heart ache, along with a rush of anger flow throughout my body. Why… just why? “Oh, and you know EXACTLY why nothing works on her?!” Luna scoffs in a very rude and sarcastic tone. I snap out of my thoughts and continue to listen, despite the part of my brain telling me that I’ve heard enough. “I do, and it’s something we call a ‘supernatural gift’,” Celestia replies. “For years, ponies from all races have been documented to possess some form of gift. They can range to be able to read minds and hear thoughts, possess super strength or speed, harbor a hidden power or potential, or by some rare occurrence; be resistant or immune to certain powers or magic.” There is yet another pause. I take in what Celestia had said. According to her, ponies can be born with some kind of strange power or gift that makes them stand out from the rest of the other ponies. The possibilities of what kind of power they might possess must have been something very extraordinary to where they were documented. If I do possess some kind of strange power, what will that even be? “And this concerns Nightmare Moon, how?” Luna asks in that same rude and sarcastic tone. There’s once again another pause. I can just imagine Celestia giving Luna an annoyed glare, though something tells me that is only in my dreams. Celestia breaks the silence. “In Selina’s case, she possesses an immunity in the form of a mental shield. There are two different kinds; Psychic Immunity and Meta Psychic Immunity. Psychic Immunity is when a pony possesses a mental shield that can both be penetrated with spells that can either penetrate or bypass the shield. Meta Psychic Immunity is the ultimate form of a mental shield and it’s one that can’t neither be penetrated or bypassed in any way, rendering the pony truly immune. The only way any pony can read, mentally affect, or even manipulate that particular pony is if they cast away the shield. The mental shield that Selina possesses is Meta Psychic Immunity. If I remember this very correctly, Starswirl the Bearded is the first ever pony to possess this power, which makes Selina Lunar the second pony to now possess this.” I am so overwhelmed with shocked that even with the instinct telling me to run away, I can’t find the inner strength to do it. The knowledge of knowing that I possess some kind of mental shield that once this so called ‘Starswirl the Bearded’ possessed before me is making me feel dizzy. I want to run away and give myself time to digest everything I’ve learned, but I can’t. Why is it impossible to find the strength to get my legs working?! “Are… you… KIDDING ME?!?!” Luna shouts out angrily. “THERE IS NO WAY THAT MONSTER CAN WIELD SUCH IMMUNITY!! WITH A POWER LIKE THAT, THAT FREAK CAN SHIELD OUR ENEMIES AND USE THEM TO TAKE OVER EQUESTRIA!! A NIGHTMARE LIKE HER NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH!!” My heart shatters into a million pieces upon hearing the things Luna said about me. Is that all I am to her; a monster, a freak, and a nightmare that needs to be destroyed?? I feel something snap deep within me. I can’t take it anymore!! This is all too much for me to deal with!! Tears begin to trail down my face as I begin to sob, probably loud enough for Twilight, Celestia, and Luna to hear me, soaking my cheeks. I don’t care if they can hear me or not!! Because who will care about a pony such as me?! No pony, that’s for sure!! It perfectly explains all of those ponies giving all those weird looks whenever they see me!! ‘Because I’m nothing but a freak and a monster!!’ I think to myself angrily. I place my right hoof onto the right door and push it. The door creak opens and I slowly step into the library. I look to the center of the room to see Celestia, Luna, and Twilight sitting on the three couches that surround the square-shaped table. The 3 ponies turn their heads in my direction and their eyes are wide with shock. The expression on Twilight’s face is one of both shock and horror, Celestia’s is one of pity, and Luna’s is one of slight anger. I aim my focus on all 3 of them, the Princesses staring at me like statues. “So… is that what I am to you? A monster?” I ask with hurt. “That all I am is some nightmarish freak that has to be destroyed? One that doesn’t possess a soul like you and all of the other ponies?” My face dampens a bit more as the tears begin trailing down my face a bit more harshly, soaking my cheeks more. I solely turn my attention to Celestia, who is looking at me with pity. “Celestia, when you said that you believed me and said those things to me, I believed you,” I begin to say in that same pained tone. “I really believed that you saw that I was speaking from my heart but hearing that you tried to hear and read my thoughts to see if I was lying, I never felt so sick to my stomach before. I guess nothing I say will convince you or anypony else otherwise.” Then, I focus my attention to Luna, who is glaring at me, though not as harshly as before. “And Luna, am I such a bad monster that you had to try and get into my head just to prove a point?” I ask her. “I guess I am if it had to result with you trying to invade my head. Well, if you have been waiting for me to admit it, you got your wish. I hope it was worth it.” Mucus begins leaking out of my nose and I instinctively sniff. I stare at them as I become overwhelmed with my emotions. I sniffle again as the tears continue to trail down my face. I feel the instinct to run away, but I try to resist. “And since I possess this so-called ‘supernatural gift’, that considers me as dangerous,” I say, choking on my words as well as my sobs. “I guess being different from the rest of you is wrong of me… because everything about me is all wrong… That’s all I am to all of ponykind; everything that is wrong with this world…” I finally had enough. I turn and run down the hallway as fast as I can, my vision blurry from the tears. As I run down the hallway, I thought I hear Twilight call out my name, but if she did, I don’t care. I just want to get to my room and cry my eyes out in private. I am lying down on my stomach, cry loudly into the pillow with my tears soaking the pillow even more. I have no idea how I have been crying, but I don’t care anymore. Everything that Luna said about me continues to echo in my head, making me cry out fresh tears. Is it really wrong for me to be so different? To possess some mental shield that makes me immune to everything that targets or affects my mind? In the eyes of Luna, it seems to be that way. Why do I have to be so much different from the rest of pony society? I shudder as a twinge of pain surges through my heart, sending a fresh wave of tears down my face. This has to be the second time that I ever felt such pain before. Something tells me that this won't be the last. How much pain do I have to go through before it finally comes to an end? *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* I stop crying as I pick up the unmistakable sound of knocking on the door. I lift my head from the pillow and turn my attention to my bedroom door. I stare at it, debating on whether I should let whoever it could be come into the room. The possibility of Luna knocking on the door is really slim to none. After everything that has happened between me and her, there is no way that Luna will ever come to apologize for everything. Words aren’t something that can be taken back. Once you say something, there is no way of taking it all back because it will be too late. Honestly, it will be too late to apologize for I will never forgive her for what she said. The possibility of Celestia knocking on the door isn’t impossible, but it’s something that I won’t count on. After all that I learned about what happened back at the castle, I don’t think I will open up to Celestia any time soon, especially after learning that she tried to read and hear my thoughts for not once but twice. The possibility of Twilight knocking on the door is most likely to happen. Out of all the three ponies, Twilight is the only one that hasn’t tried to get into my head. I truly value that, even if the purple alicorn didn’t have any plans on doing so. If anything, I prefer Twilight to be the one knocking on my bedroom door. I take a deep breath and let out a hiccup. “H-hello?” I call out weakly. “Who’s *hic* there?” The doorknob slowly turns and the door is pushed open. Twilight peeks her head out, an expression of guilt clearly plastered on her face. She stares at me for a moment before stepping into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. “Selina, I’m so sorry you heard all of that,” Twilight says apologetically, guilt present in her tone. “It doesn’t matter now,” I say lowly. “Nothing can be done to take it all back.” Twilight flinches, looks at me for a moment before her face hardens a tiny bit. “It does matter since you are clearly hurt,” Twilight replies. “You can thank Luna for all that she said about me,” I say before letting out a violent hiccup. “Because she’s right; a monster like me must be dealt with. Especially since I possess this mental shield. And her point is proven even more since Celestia tried to read and hear my thoughts while you and I were in the balcony. I’m a monster, Twilight and that’s all I’ll ever be to pony society.” “Selina!!” Twilight gasps loudly before glaring at me. “Don’t you ever say such a thing!! You’re not a monster!!” “Clearly, I am!!” I shout angrily, the tears flowing down my face violently. “You heard what Luna said; a nightmare such as me must be dealt with!! She thinks it’s all my fault that I possess this stupid mental shield, which I had no control over!!” I glare at Twilight angrily, the Alicorn struggling to find the words to say. “Is it very wrong for me to possess this immunity in the shape of a mental shield, Twilight?! Is it really all my fault I have it?! I guess it is since Luna thinks that way and I’m sure that you’re thinking the same way!! Why do I have to be so different from the rest of you?!?! WHY?!” I look away and slam my face into the pillow, crying loudly into it. This is just too much!! Why did fate decide that I have to be different from the rest of pony society?! Am I the only one with this kind of gift and if so, what am I going to do then?! I guess I am in the wrong for harboring such a gift!! I feel something rest against my left shoulder, instantly snapping me out of my thoughts. I lift my head up from the pillow and turn to see Twilight giving me a warm and comforting smile. Although I like that smile and feel that familiar warmth in my heart and chest, it does little to bring me any comfort. “Selina, it’s not wrong of you to possess a mental shield,” Twilight begins to say in a soft tone while giving me that smile. “It’s not your fault that you have it either and I wasn’t thinking the same way that Luna was thinking. And you’re right about one thing; no pony has control on what kind of power or gift they receive. These things just happen and that’s normal. There’s really nothing wrong with being different.” I stare at Twilight, but not in a good way. I feel my right eye twitch and a rush of anger flow all throughout my body. There is nothing normal nor is there anything good about me. I represent something that they all just want to forget about!! How dare she!! How… DARE SHE!! “Normal? Nothing wrong?” I say, anger present in my tone before I explode. “THERE IS NOTHING NORMAL ABOUT ME, TWILIGHT!!” Twilight flinches and leans away in fear, but I don’t care! “IN FACT, EVERY THING ABOUT ME IS WRONG AND ABNORMAL!! IF I WAS NORMAL, I WOULDN’T HAVE PONIES STARING AT ME AND GIVING ME WEIRD LOOKS, LOOKING AT ME LIKE I WAS SOMETHING THEY CAN’T UNDERSTAND!! IF THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH ME, I WOULDN’T EVEN BE LOOKING LIKE NIGHTMARE MOON AND HAVE LUNA ACCUSE AND CALL ME THINGS OUT OF SPITE!!” I can feel the tears flowing down my face like fast-flowing rivers. “HOW CAN YOU SAY THINGS LIKE THAT?! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT AND ACT LIKE EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY?! TELL ME, TWILIGHT!! HOW CAN YOU EVEN SAY OR THINK THAT?!” I begin breathing rapidly and loudly, my throat becoming sore from all of the yelling. My vision so blurry from all of the tears and crying that it has now become difficult to see. I probably look terrible, but that doesn’t matter. Through my blurred vision, Twilight straightens her frightened posture and I’m assuming that she is giving me that same warm smile. “Because everything will be okay,” Twilight replies in that same soft tone. “You’re not alone.” I narrow my eyes while baring my teeth at her. “No, it won’t,” I growl through my teeth. “Nothing will be okay. What makes you think that I’m not alone?” “Because she’s right, sugarcube,” came the familiar voice of Applejack. I look to the bedroom door to see Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy step into the room. Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy are by Twilight’s right and Rainbow Dash and Rarity are by Twilight’s left. They walk beside Twilight and give me a soft smile. I stare at them with disbelief. How is this supposed to help me realize that I’m not alone as I believe myself to be? And what do her friends have anything to do with this? And did they eavesdrop on what me and Twilight were saying just now?! Seeing them there while giving me those soft smiles, along with the fact that they eavesdropped on our conversation makes my blood boil!! “What are you girls doing here?” I growl aggressively. “And where you just eavesdropping on me and Twilight just now?” Before they can answer, I turn my full focus on Twilight. “And what do they have to do with this?” Twilight continues to give me that soft smile. “Because they are just like you,” she replies softly. I stare at her like she had just grown a second head. “Is this your attempt to try on helping me feel better by lying to me?” I accuse. “I don’t want you to waste your breath on such a worthless attempt.” “No, Selina,” Twilight replies. “I’m not trying to help you feel better by lying. They are just like you, and so am I.” I proceed to give her an incredulous expression. “How so?” I ask. “Simple, how do you think Fluttershy is able to talk to her animal friends?” Twilight asks. I find the question to be dumb and irrelevant to this little discussion. “It’s her special talent, like you said back on the train,” I reply. “Yes, but do you see any other pony doing what she’s doing?” she asks. “No?” I reply, now becoming a little confused. “Exactly, because what she has is also a supernatural gift,” Twilight says. “She has the ability to talk and empathize with animals.” “And I have been doing it since I was a little filly,” Fluttershy adds. I think that through. While I haven’t seen it in action, it was very clear by all of the birdhouses and with how her backyard looked while me and her left to go see Twilight yesterday. So in a sense, it does prove what Twilight is saying, but it’s still not enough to convince me otherwise. “Okay, but that still doesn’t prove anything,” I say a bit harshly. “Well, how do you think Rainbow Dash can fly so fast?” Twilight asks. Okay, she got me there as I can’t think of how, with only one exception. “Super speed?” I ask. Twilight nods her head. Rainbow Dash proceeds to give me a confident smile. “That’s right,” Twilight replies before pointing to the pink pony that is standing by her right. “And Pinkie Pie has her own supernatural gift in the form on her Pinkie Sense.” “Which is her own ability to sense danger or other occurrences right before they happen or any other time,” I add, becoming slightly less confused and more understanding. “Yuperoo!!” Pinkie exclaims excitedly. “Then there’s Applejack with her strength,” Twilight says as she points to the orange pony. “You should’ve seen how she once sent a huge boulder flying with a simple kick of her hindlegs.” “Oh gosh, Twi,” Applejack says sheepishly. ‘I can already picture it in my head, Twilight,’ I think to myself. Twilight finally points to Rarity. “Finally, there’s Rarity with her… looks,” Twilight says sheepishly. I know what she is saying. From all of the stories that Twilight has told me, Rarity has the capability of charming stallions, which has helped on several occasions. I can’t blame them because to be honest, Rarity is indeed beautiful in her own right, even when she isn’t trying to charm other ponies. Any who fall for her will be one lucky pony. “And then, there’s me,” Twilight says as she points to herself. “I possess magic that rivals the Princesses, even before I became Princess.” She smiles. “Don’t you see, Selina? We are just like you. We possess our own gift, which means that you’re not alone. We’re different, just like you.” I stare at them, still as a statue as everything she said sinks in. Twilight is right; I’m truly not alone in this. If anything, being different is kind of… unique. This means… there’s nothing wrong with being different and that it’s really and truly okay. My eyes begin to water, but in a good way. A smile begins to creep up on my face as it all fully sinks in. With one quick movement, I lunge and wrap my forelegs around them and proceed to give them the biggest hug I can ever manage. “Thank you,” I say as I allow the tears to flow. “This makes me feel a lot better. I guess I really needed that.” “You’re welcome,” Twilight says as I let go. “We didn’t want you to be all mopey-dopey all day and what kind of friends would we be if we did?” Pinkie asks quickly before she let out the biggest and most exaggerated gasp I’ve ever seen. “We would be like the worst friends in all of Equestria!!” We laugh, but it’s mainly aimed at her behavior. Pinkie Pie stays true to her element; the ability to make ponies laugh no matter what. As ridiculous she can be, the world is a better place thanks to her. “Pinkie is right, darling,” Rarity says. “Help out our friends? That’s what friends are for and you’re our friend after all.” They all nod their heads in agreement. I stare at them with wide eyes as I take in what Rarity had just said. Friend. They… they really consider me as a friend? Even though they just met me like yesterday, they already see me as a friend. They’re trusting me already. Something clicks in my head as I realize something; I… I trust them too. Even though they didn’t really have to, which I’m pretty sure Twilight is responsible for, they all came over here and took the time to try and help me. Twilight was right; they can be trusted. I… I guess I consider them my friends now… “You’re right, Rarity,” I say with a smile. “That’s what friends are for.” “No offense, darling but I think a trip to the spa will be the best thing for you to do,” Rarity says. I tilt my head to my right, arching my eye as I proceed to give her a curious look. “What makes you say that?” I ask curiously. Rarity proceeds to levitate a mirror close to my face and I see the condition of my face and hair. I didn’t look too good; my eyes are slightly bloodshot from the crying and my hair is messier than ever. The way my face looks, it makes me look very stressed out. “Just look at yourself,” Rarity points out. “You look terrible. I think a trip to the spa will help relax you and clear your head.” I giggle. Of course, Rarity will choose to point that out and bring up the spa at this time. Not that I’m complaining. I’ve never been to a spa before and to be honest, it really does sound like something I need right now. “You’re right; a trip to the spa will be nice,” I say before realizing that I don’t have my necklace on. My necklace is resting on the nightstand after I ran into the room and took it off before collapsing onto the bed. “As soon as I get my necklace on.”