//------------------------------// // Chapter 18: Night Mare Luna // Story: Blank // by GameMakingOtaku //------------------------------// Chapter 18 Night Mare Luna Inn slowly opened her eyes. Aw, deja vu. An empty room. She didn't think that she'd be left alone in the palace, but here she was, alone in a white room with many beds. She felt lucky that last time there was something to recall. This time, she just has fuzzy fragments of memory on why she's here. She laid there for a few minutes. Then a door slowly opened. There was some low voices coming into the room. “I'm sorry, I just don't know. It may only be that she fainted.” said one voice. “You can't tell what caused her to faint?” asked what sounded like Princess Celestia.” “No your highness. Going off what you gave me, a guess is all I can give you now.” The princess sighs. “Thanks. You have done well.” “M-morning.” Inn tried to raise her head again but found it hard. The two jumped. “Oh, let me see if you're okay!” asked the nurse, voice now at normal volume. “Inn, do you know what happened back there?” the princess asked. Slowly some of what had happened did come back. Things like she saw the floor go down, she spoke fast, she cried, and a few other minor bits of key things. “Kind of? Did I t-transform?” The princess nods. “Yes. You turned into me!” she said with a little shock. Inn was unfazed and that made the princess more shocked. “But... how? I-I'm too tired.” She pauses. “Wait! H-how long h-have I-I been asleep?” asked Inn in shock. The princess and the nurse look at each other. “About ten hours,” the nurse slowly answered. Inn gave a sigh of relief. “Oh, t-that isn't so b-bad. Last time I-I was out f-for two w-weeks.” They talked about Inn's health, and then Princess Celestia left. ============= Inn seemed to be doing better this time. She could walk, even if it was wobbly, in only a few hours of waking up. She was slowly making her way to the kitchen. A magical force grabbed her, and lifted her over it's owners head. “You don't look so good,” said a dark blue alicorn. “So where are you going in a hurry?” she asked with a big smile. “I-I need some f-food.” “Wobbling like that, you must need something big. Well, I'll bring you to the kitchen and get the chefs.” “T-thanks.” Jokingly, the alicorn says, “There's no need to be afraid of me!” “I've s-slain manticores, c-cockatrees, hydras, ursa m-majors, dragons, and m-m-more signal hoofedly. Hardly ever getting h-hurt. I'm n-not scared o-of a single little a-alicorn,” said Inn with her own smile. The alicorn almost dropped the pail white pony. “A-are you kidding? Only me and my sister can do those things.” She had a dreadfully shocked expression. “N-no. So, ah, who's your s-sister?” “Tia.” “Wh-what's your name? You t-two sound s-strong.” “Luna.” Inn's heart sank. What her dad said was true. “Oh, ah, how long... have you... been back?” Luna could hear the disconcert in Inn's voice. “About half a year. Maybe longer.” “Thanks. Th-that helps me alot.” Inn sounded a little depressed. Luna stopped. She looked up at Inn, “What are-” she got hit by two salty water drops in her face. “What's wrong?” “I h-have lost time. L-lots of l-l-lost time.” ============= They talked about what it's like to not know what happens over a long period of time. The feeling of being totally removed from the world. A long talk, as they waited for their food. When their food arrived, so did Princess Celestia. “Inn, I see you're doing better? And you met my Luna too. Good,” said the Princess Celestia. “N-no, actually... she-” “I found her stumbling in the corridors to come and get some food. So I gave her a lift,” answered Luna, interrupting Inn to speed up the process. “Yes.” “So you still can't stand to well. Perhaps, I think now is as good a time as any, I called the guards so that I could tell them to get those you spoke of,” said Princess Celestia. “That reaction though...” she said, as she loosened her posture, and raised a bent leg. “Tia! What did you do?” asked Luna defensively. “N-nothing really. I just, t-turned into a tall wh-white princess alicorn, with a magical m-mane and tail,” Inn said, sounding as if she had done something normal. Her playful nature seems to have a bit of bad timing. Luna went from looking mad, to looking shocked. “What?” “Unless Inn here can pull of another 'life story in ten seconds', let's just say it's transformation. A bizarre form of transformation. She's very skilled, but she is worn out, and can't use it. That's why she's wobbly.” This was Princess Celestia's best attempt at Inn's 'life story in ten seconds'. “Ah, about t-that... I-I let something out. M-maybe thirty y-years.” Inn looked down and away. “I... I don't know how or when. M-my first clue, was w-when I v-visited my f-family recently. My dad t-told me, I didn't b-believe it. B-b-but me and my dad, after r-reading the fairy tail of t-the Mare In T-the Moon when I-I was a little filly, we would c-counted the years u-until the thousandth y-years of the banishment. I should... should... should be fifty-two now.” “Oh, my...” Luna's face had written on it. “I... I don't know which is worst: what happened to me, or what happened to you,” she said. Princess Celestia was speechless. ============= After they finished eating, there was a meeting to get to. Seeing as how Luna was now part of those that knew Inn in some way, she had to join too. They all walked in silence, as ordered by Princess Celestia. When they got to the conference chamber, there were many friendly faces waiting for them. When all the ponies were in formation, Princess Celestia started with, “You all have to tell me what you know about Inn.” She demanded obedience, not only in her voice, but in her posture. She had such a harsh tone, and in a firm towering form. “I will ask you all one by one. Do you have any- Twilight Sparkle!” While the princess spoke: “Inn, are you okay? Princess Luna carried you in, and you can hardly stand. Do you-” whispered Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle!” :Caught up? Good. Even if you said no. “Don't talk while I'm talking!” demanded the tall princess. “Sorry.” “Well, you will all be separated. I do not want any of you talking to the others about Inn. This will help to make that happen. Now, guards!” Six guards came out from the room behind the princess. “With the exception of Luna, all of you have guards that will escort you to a random room. I will talk to you first Princess Luna.” Princess Celestia looked at Inn. “First would you help Inn and her guard. He will be a good gentile colt and carry her, for as we can all see, she can hardly stand.” Inn rested on the guard's back, as every pony but the princess left. Inn was taken to a closet. He had laid down so that she could get of and lay somewhere else in the small room. Her and the guard stayed there for a while. Inn started to feel her eyes get heavy, and then she was asleep. ============= A shake. Another shake. Inn slowly raised her head. Her eyes still needed to focus, but she could tell that Princess Celestia was standing in front of her. Looking around, she was still in the closet, and the guard was standing next to her at attention. “Sorry to wake you, but now I need to see you.” Princess Celestia sounded nicer than she had the rest of the time. “Guard, can you carry her to the room?” This was more a demand, as the princess walked away without an answer. A short walk, but one that seemed long, to the conference chamber. They got into position, Princess Celestia standing in front of a throne, the guard staying out of immediate sight but still in the room, and Inn laying down at the bottom of the steps. “I've spoke with the other ponies. Inn, Luna says you are sad, kind, and joketive. The Cutie Mark Crusaders say that you are a protector. Apple Bloom is a little mad that she is in trouble for what you did, but she understands it fell on her to do what she asked you to do. Fluttershy is worried about you, she does not know if you will go back into a another bout of depression. Besides that, she thinks you are a kind pony, even if you make the wrong choices.” She took a few steps to Inn, and continued. “Then my faithful student Twilight Sparkle is worried that you may go crazy or take your life if you stay alone. She thinks that there is a lot of good in you, so she wants to work on trying to help you be better.” She took a few more steps, and continued. “Inn!” her voice got even more harsh with a single word. “I will trust my faithful student,” now she sounded so soft and gentle, which confused Inn. Inn, had been cowering the best she could, but when the tone of the princess changed so much, she looked up. “W-what?” “You don't have to worry my little pony. The questions are done. You are free to leave, and you are free to come back. My castle is open to you,” said the princess with a smile. She had bent down so that she could be eye to eye with Inn. “Oh, ah, thanks Prin-” “Call me Celestia.”