Luna stood there surprised.
The mare in front of her had not cowered in fear like expected. Instead she had bowed and called her 'moon goddess' and was happy to see her. She was now looking up at her with great excitement akin to that of a filly getting what she wants. Luna looked in her eyes and found them to be strange. They felt fake and dead unlike the pony. Then Luna noticed more things. The first was the strange metal piece that seemed to be attached to the side of the unicorn's forehead. All of her legs were brown and metallic, a sign of a past injury. It amazed Luna to see a pony who had lost her legs and still walked as if she were healthy. In her time, an injury similar to this would certainly end in a painful death.
A loud periodic sound caught their attention. It was harsh and Luna could tell that it was most likely something urgent. The mare's expression told her that it signified something bad.
"Your highness, I know that you may not trust me yet but we must leave immediately!" the mare said as she looked at Luna pleadingly. Within Luna's head Nightmare Moon was already raising objections to that.
'It's too suspicious and is probably a trap.' Nightmare Moon pointed out. Luna was inclined to agree.
However, as soon as Luna was about to say 'no', her fur stood on its ends as a sudden chill ran up her spine. Every sense in her body told her that she was in danger. The mare in front of her seemed to go through the same thing.
"Your majesty, we need to leave this place immediately. I promise I'll explain but we have to leave." the mare said, "The Sun Goddess knows you are here and is ready to strike you down."
Luna made her choice.
"You will take us to safety and then explain what has happened in my absence. If you try anything, I will not hesitate to end you." she warned. The mare was happy to hear that answer regardless of the warning that came with it too. She turned and jumped up to the hatch with Luna following behind.
Once inside, they were in a room filled with parchment, scrolls, books and maps. Many were piled on a table haphazardly while many more were occupying a shelf or a chest. The mare closed the hatch behind them with her magic before quickly making her way to the end of the room where a door was. She pushed open the door and continued onwards. Luna followed close behind, ducking underneath the low doorways while they passed through what seemed to be a kitchen before reaching a flight of stairs that led upwards.
At the top of the stairs, they emerged into a dark room that was completely alien to Luna. There were many metal levers and valves along with what seemed to be glowing buttons and lights, which were either red or green. The mare pushed a button and a light in the room turned on, allowing them to see better. There were no windows to see the outside from as far as she could tell. She flipped some switches and Luna felt the vessel rumble.
All through this, a feeling of dread continued growing inside Luna.
"Hold on, this might a bit rough." the mare said as she took hold of the vessel's steering wheel. She pulled a lever to the side of the wheel downwards and Luna felt the the vessel lurch into motion as she stumbled a bit. The walls in front of the mare flickered to life showing what was presumably the outside world. Luna thought it was a magic mirror at first but the lack of magic and a pristine image made her think otherwise.
She could ask about that later. Right now, she watched as the vessel slowly pull away from the wall it had gotten stuck into. Not a moment after they were dislodged, a pillar of red light descended from the heavens, on to the throne room where Luna was minutes ago. It was followed by an explosion that sent them rocking. The mare held onto the wheel while Luna used her wings to steady herself.
"Hold on tight! She'll try once again and we have to dodge it!" the mare said. She pushed the lever next to the wheel up and the vessel started moving forwards. Turning the wheel, rapidly, she looked at a map and a compass before turning back to pilot the ship.
Another pillar of light descended somewhere to their side and the explosion rocked them once again. Despite the sandstorm outside, it was completely visible. Luna was sure that its light would have blinded her if she was not seeing it from the strange device.
Luna felt the ship speeding up as it stopped turning.
"Where are we going?" Luna asked the mare.
"Somewhere safe!" she answered. The view in front of them cleared up as they made it through the sandstorm and Luna was surprised what she saw. They were travelling very fast over what seemed to be an endless desert that stretched from horizon to horizon, far different from the lush green hills and forests that Luna remembered being here. She could see the mount Canterhorn in the distance and a city built to its side.
'What happened here?' Nightmare Moon questioned. Luna had the same question as well but it had to wait.
Another pillar of light, larger than the ones before came down in front of them. Their ship took a sharp turn as the mare steered to avoid it, sending Luna to the floor. She got back up and saw that they were heading towards a mountainous area that should have been a large forest according to her memory.
The feeling of dread within her faded as they got closer to the mountains.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Towards the city of Hyderabad, your highness," she answered, "We'll find refuge in one of the mining towns nearby."
The name of the city sounded like it was Saddle Arabian in origin. Had they made their own city in Equestria?
"I haven't yet got your name." Luna said.
"My name is Star Chaser, your highness. I apologise for not telling you earlier." she replied, turning to her. Once again, Luna found herself looking into the grey mare's eyes and she still felt that they were not real.
She had many questions to ask and now that they were not in immediate danger, she could ask them.
"Now, can you tell me..."