2
Organic Process approached the ornate doors leading to the Princess' royal audience chambers. A gold embossed emblem of a black and a white alicorn encircling a flaming moon adorned the center of it, making the method of opening the door as clear as mud from a bog. Gingerly, he pushed against the panel, inwardly cringing in preparation for disturbing the Princesses, and incurring their wrath.
No such thing happened.
_
“So, my little pony, what seems to be the problem?”
The Professor stood nervously in front of Luna, sitting attentively on her midnight blue throne. Soft moonlight poured in the stained-glass windows lining the throne room, illuminating her concerned face and casting the history of ponykind in shadows on the floor. Approaching slowly, he ruffled his many sheaves of scan results and notes, searching for his summary.
“Well your highness, we have, er, found a pair of particularly strange ponies, both with significantly different biology to that of any pony studied before. Not only that, they have almost no latent magic, even less than the background amount that permeates our air. Needless to say, I’m stumped as to where they could have come from.”
“This is related to the ice formation our captain of the guard told me and my sister about, is it not?”
“Yes, my Princess.”
Luna sat thoughtfully, pondering he had said.
“Take me to them.”
_
Though winding staircases and long corridors the guards escorted the Princess and the Professor, past unused audience chambers, servant's quarters, all the way down into the depths of the castle, to the ancient dungeons. As they descended, the very construction of the building changed, from clean white marble, to the solid stonework, down to the rough-hewn stone of the original fortress.
“Did you know this castle predates both me and my sister? Some historians even believe the likes of Star Swirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever, the original settlers of this land. It is said that when the castle was first built, all the builders found was a fine white powder covering the floors, no trace any civilization of ponies, no books, no items, no furniture, not even bones.”
“That I did not know, Princess,” said Organic, his limbs shivering at the dry cold of the deep passages.
They continued in silence, Until they reached the large iron door the cell flanked by guards. The gaoler approached, his greying features scowling as he pulled out the key.
“Be warned Princess, there's little telling what they may do. They act erratically, and the look in their eyes is wholly unnatural.”
The goddess of the night stood tall in front of the door as the key turned in the lock, slowly drawing it open. She stepped inside, gazing upon the pair of estranged ponies inside. Two pairs of cold eyes returned her stare, their owners clearly troubled by her presence. The mare, now almost mobile, crawled stiffly away from the Princess, her very gait alien. Luna carefully made her to her, sitting down in front of her, eyes radiating both loving serenity and power in the same way as her sister Celestia. Her gaze began to calm the young mare as her horn glowed softly, pressing its tip towards the mare's forehead. She felt nothingness at first, an emptiness of magic unnatural to any Equestrian creature. Then, in the recess of her shattered mind, images started to solidify.
She pictured a dark blue creature, larger than the rest, her (for inexplicably it must have been a female) expression was the epitome of grace, her eyes closing as an alien glow appeared on her horn and a strange, fuzzy feeling enveloped her. She remembered those white four legged creatures coming and going, bringing plates of plants, for some unknown purpose. She remembered the Other, his difference to the other creatures and similarity to herself reassuring, sat alone in his corner, staring at his white sheets, inscribed with symbols. She remembered most of all waking up to alien creatures, ba-ba-ing at her like animals, the big white one with hair of blue and his big flat carapace of gold, and the short tan creature, ba-ing on and on, fiddling with things in his white garment. She remembered an implosion of darkness-
New memories started to form from the blackness. Memories of long stone tunnels, memories of long nights, the familiar weight of the moon in her mind, memories if being reunited with a golden sun, burning bright with passion and forgiveness. Like a cloud obscuring the full moon, the world turned black. Memories of rage. Memories of hate. Memories of-
Both the Princess and the mare recoiled, springing apart explosively.
“Princess!”
The guards rushed forward, hurriedly checking if Luna was unharmed, as she sat recovering starring straight into the eyes of the harrowed mare. Her retinue paused, watching them stare at each other, as if into each other’s souls. Time passed. Slowly Luna turned forlornly towards her guards, standing, leaving the lilac mare sitting on the floor. She left in silence, without a backward glance.