//------------------------------// // Meeting At Night // Story: Chaos Origin // by AAV-sama //------------------------------// A constant cold breeze flowed through the sleeping land of what would be known later as ‘Equestria’, a kingdom of prosperity and, for the most part, harmony. At the moment it was barely beginning; forests spread out as far as the eye could see, into the mountains, and before them, there were mostly empty plains or just little villages surrounding a modest palace. The villagers’ fields, though scattered outside of their village, were not vast, and promised only what was necessary to sustain them; the population and the place that they inhabited had yet to grow into a kingdom. Even so, the land and its pony inhabitants were already doing a wonderful job in its growth, guided always by their loving, faithful princesses. The Everfree Forest, old as ever, was soon visited by the sudden appearance of a creature that was neither a pony, nor any other that had been seen yet. Before the creature landed inside the forest, it descended from a faraway place up above, perhaps from within the sky, followed by a flash of lightning. It stretched after it landed on the ground of the forest, looking around at its new surroundings. “What’s this, now? Hm… Oh, interesting!” Soon, the creature understood the basics of the forest where he was, and entertained himself with the objects that were within his immediate reach. However, after a while, the trees and bushes that surrounded him bored him. “I came here to have some fun… Guess I’d better find it, huh?” He laughed and floated forward, getting further away from the depths of the forest. He craved to find the fun and amusement that his previous home had failed to give him… Though he actually did not remember what his old home had been like in the first place. He had no memory of who he was, or any idea or clue of where he was or what was out there; he did not even think about what awaited him. But he did know that he wanted to find fun and to escape from the boredom that he did remember. That simple fact was enough motivation for the young, mismatched creature to continue on his clueless journey in search of delight and entertainment. ~~~ A dark blue preadolescent mare stood over the window of the palace that overlooked the villages of her subjects. She carefully studied and watched over the bare, yet beautiful land that she and her older sister ruled over and guided each day and night to prosperity and well-being. Just like their parents had done with their kingdom… They had faith in their daughters; they knew that this land would be turned into a glorious kingdom of love and unity to all… For years, it had progressed greatly; the sisters had done a wonderful job so far. No intruders that they had to vanquish; yet the young mare still took it upon herself to guard the beautiful night at all times, for she knew it could be the most vulnerable time of their land. The soft and calm sounds of the night were very soothing and alluring, relaxing her while she performed her guarding duty. She had grown used to the silence and had learned to welcome it long ago, after she figured that not much would be expected of the Night. She’d learned to find beauty and tranquility in silence and loneliness. It was still somewhat bothersome; she couldn’t help feeling… sad, that there was no one around to share the tranquility with. But it was not as though the young one could help it; she had a duty to fulfill. “Back to the task at hoof. No distractions shalt be permitted.” She shook her head to push strands of her short, light blue mane out of her eyes, and trained her eyes back on the outskirts of their kingdom. Rather than focus on silly nonsense, she turned her attention on something that felt… off, about their land. There was a strange vibe, but the young princess could not place it. At first she thought it could be an intruder, but she had sharpened her security and watch over the borders of the villages, and everywhere that any trespasser could have hidden, up to the forests. Nothing had appeared. She had a strange feeling that made her uneasy, but she could not put a word to it, so she stayed silent and watchful instead, contemplating any possibility of invasion, or an attack. Regardless, it was her night to protect; no one would endanger their beloved home on her watch. Soon as any intruder attempted anything dangerous towards them, the princess would make her determination clear upon action. ~~~ The mischievous stranger made his way out of the forest while he eagerly and curiously explored his surroundings. They were all such potential for great fun! All kinds of ideas were in his mind, and soon he blessed the fact that he could make them all surface around him. He laughed while levitating objects danced around him, but then got back to his traveling, and noticed how quiet it all was once he left the forest. “Hmm… Wow, such a beautiful night… All creatures are asleep… Not a single disturbance of their peace. Oh, so peaceful, such harmony… Such boredom!” He gagged a bit and waved his lion paw dismissively, while his long, red tail swayed a bit to make him turn in the air. After he turned in another direction, the stranger landed on the dirt ground that was filled with small bugs and critters. His attention was caught on a group of ladybugs on their way beneath some logs. Before they could escape, he tapped the insects with his hind hoof and claws, careful not to step over them. “Hey, there… Not going anywhere, are you? The fun just got started!” He stretched out his eagle claw arm and snapped his fingers, watching the ladybugs as they grew and grew several times their size, until they towered high over the trees. After the insects grew in size, the mismatched creature extended his feather-tipped dragon tail and snapped the rear of the insects. Once they moved forward, he led them off in a wild stampede through the outside of the forest, and laughed behind them while they marched wildly at a frantic pace. ~~~ There it is again! The young Princess Luna gasped and steadied herself after the ground began to rumble. First, the rumbling was rather sharp and strong, but it lessened after a few minutes. However, it was still troubling. The uncomfortable feeling of unease had gotten even stronger; the Princess could no longer ignore it. She searched for anything unusual, but nothing occurred yet that she could see. “What hast happened?!” There were loud noises coming from the edges of the forests; most likely the Everfree. However, those creatures knew better than to make upsetting noises during the night, Princess Luna always made sure they knew where their place was. There was no way they would violate her commands… But, how did this happen, all of the sudden? It has been peaceful all night… There was nothing before the day. An attack like this… She flew over the palace until the ground stopped trembling, and made her way to the watch tower. She was about to call over the Royal Guard, but then noticed that whatever had caused the tremor was far from the palace and the villages that immediately surrounded it. Whatever the intruder was, it was of massive size, and steadily made its way to the farther crop fields at an insanely rapid pace, almost like a stampede. But she could not discern what the creature was yet, not from that distance. “They had better not harm the fields!” She gritted her teeth and flew through the air as fast as her wings could carry her. While she headed in the direction of the massive beast, she prepared herself for what could be an intense, dangerous battle, for she knew not what monster awaited her ahead. Princess Luna of the Night was perfectly capable of protecting her own domain; the power of the Night was with her. She had tamed and subdued the creatures of the Everfree Forest on her own at a young age so that they would pose no threat to her family and her subjects; she had set her rule over each and every one. “Certainly a new and reckless invader shan’t be subject to trouble for us! We shalt vanquish this dangerous foe ourselves!” With this determination in mind, she flew closer to get a look at the beast. What she saw next rather disappointed her. It was a large creature indeed, and it wreaked havoc across the clearings and roads that would eventually lead it to the field, however… She could not make out the form; even so, it seemed rather… ridiculous. She found it familiar somehow, but strangely not threatening as of yet. If it detected her presence, it made no effort to turn around and attack her. “What in the world…” She stopped in her tracks when other beasts ran right past her to join the first large monster. They would have knocked her out of the air had she not flown higher. Even so, they still did not seem to mean any harm to her; they simply ran in the direction ahead. “However, they still will get to the fields shall they run that way… Our largest produce doth be there!” She narrowed her eyes while she dove forward and flapped her wings as hard as she could. She would gain on the beasts and beat them to the fields so that she would stop them. The world of the night would not be threatened if she had anything to say about it! The nagging voice of her teachers and sister told her to turn back and get help; it was probably too much for her to handle on her own. “Remember, sometimes it is better to get help, you do not always have to do things on your own… Thou art still in training; overdoing it will not guarantee better experience or faster results. We are here to help thee, Princess…” Bah! While the sentiment is much appreciated… This ist something that We should be able to handle. The Princess of the Night can protect her domain by herself! She dodged the large wing of one of the creatures after it flapped it while it ran. It seemed like the creature had wanted to fly, but its weight did not permit it. Luna took the opportunity to fly ahead of that one while it tripped down for a few seconds. It ist the least We can do; our sister dutifully watches over the day and vanquishes any possible threat. We shall do the same! We shall not let us down, sister. These beasts will not defeat us, for our training has served us well. It ist about time that We prove it while fulfilling our royal duty. We shall make thee all proud! She smiled and made her way down to try to match the speed of the stampeding creatures. It was difficult to focus on her magic while she flew, so she instead decided to get ahead of the beasts and concentrate on spells later. ~~~ The mismatched creature took great delight in the antics of his overgrown ladybugs. They unwittingly charged through the clearings, the forests, everywhere that he could think of, leaving behind chaos that would take days to settle down! It was the best fun that he could have thought of yet. He always did believe that insects had great potential; all one had to do was adjust their size into something more interesting. He blinked once he turned around and noticed that critters scurried away, startled by the rumbling ground. “Hey… You little fellas, why’re you so small anyway, huh? You’re so much fun, but as long as you’re this small, nobody will see that!” He raised an eyebrow and stared at them in bewilderment while the insects tried to scurry away from his claw and paw, once he picked them up. “Ah, don’t be scared… If you were bigger, you’d think more about having fun, like your friends over there. Let’s make that happen!” With another quick snap of his lion paw’s fingers, the creature became surrounded in overgrown critters that looked around and went about their business, unconcerned of the things they charged through. The mismatched youth laughed and flicked his paw to direct the new group of insects and the stampeding ladybugs in the same direction. “Hey! Let’s keep it together, c’mon! I’m sure we can party afterwards!” He summoned a leash to tie around the nearest ladybug's mouth. After the leash was secured, he kept a hold of it and jumped behind the insect. “Wa-hoo! Let’s keep the fun going!” He looked down at his rear legs, and grinned when a long, oval-shaped board appeared beneath them to let him slide behind the bugs. He gasped and laughed when he saw that his movements startled all of the insects even more and kept them moving forward, pulling the board along to let him tag behind as though he was riding over water, though he was merely floating in the air, or riding on the ground alternatively. ~~~ Luna dodged the insects again, since by the time she gained on the ladybugs, the other insects had already charged through. “Ladybugs?! And… Those other things, but… What ist the matter with—wait!” She cried out a bit when a large ant crawled over the ground, almost beside her. Luna had to move away from it and the rest of the rampaging insects. Every time she encountered them, more were added to the stampede. The horde of insects kept charging through the clearings that remained between the stampede and the crop fields. Once they were halfway to the fields, they reached a small hill with a dirt road in the middle for wagons, carts that usually carried the harvest back to the villages. “Oh, great!! Let’s try something else out!” The Princess gasped and growled a bit after she heard the voice, which most likely belonged to the leader and the one responsible for all the chaos. “When We get our hooves on thee…!” She stopped in her tracks once again when the dirt road was turned to ice in an instant. “How in the world did this… Magic!” Whoever it was used magic to aid his assault on their kingdom. It would be more difficult than she thought… ~~~ The young creature laughed while he slid along the ice road joyfully. He jumped in the air and twirled, skating along to lead the bugs forward. “Over here! Careful with the ice!” He laughed once the bugs fell down and tripped others, which slowed them down on their way uphill. “Hmm. Well, that was fun! Now, what to do next…?” He looked around in thought while the insects spread out around him. The line which had them together was broken, and now they scattered all around, since he no longer controlled them. He didn’t see the young alicorn princess that used a great deal of her effort and power to cast her magic on his now scattered horde of insects. ~~~ Luna grunted and gritted her teeth with concentration while her horn was lit up by her cobalt blue magic. She cast spell after spell to contain the plaguing critters and push them back. She would not let them touch the crop fields that so many villages depended on. “Get back… We shall not allow this… BEGONE, VERMIN!" Her eyes glowed while she tightened her lips into a line from the concentration. Magic surrounded her body and burst out towards the insects. She landed on the ground and panted from fatigue, but soon smiled with satisfaction when she saw that the force of her continuous spells scared the insects away. “Good…” She frowned and turned around, for there was another force to deal with. ~~~ The mismatched creature was snapped out of his thoughts by the flash of bright, blue magic behind him. “Huh?” He turned around to find the alicorn princess that scared his critters away. “Wait, what the…” He floated closer to the mare while she warded off the last couple of ladybugs and ants, though he noticed that she was left tired from using magic several times. What’s this…? He teleported next to her and watched her for a few seconds before he spoke. “...Say, little one…” Luna jumped and quickly got on her guard after she spotted the creature. “Thou art responsible for this catastrophe. Art thou not?! Dare not deny it; We hath seen proof of thy schemes!” What…? The mismatched creature frowned and tapped her head, though she quickly stepped back and protested. He tilted his head when he saw the alarm and defensiveness in her light cyan eyes. “Um… Say; why’d you do that to my new creations? They were nice toys, and I happened to be having a blast with them. You should’ve stayed a bit longer to see them. Didn’t you like ‘em?” “What… ‘Did We like them?’! Why would We ‘like’ them?! That… That…” Luna shook her head to try to clear it. She had to make use of all her skills and caution with that creature. It repulsed her; his appearance was nothing that she had ever seen or even read about… He seemed quite ridiculous, but she had a feeling that his power was nothing to underestimate. “...Who art thou?!” She cursed the high, shrill, foal sound of her filly voice, she could not help it. However, to make up for that, she stayed defensive, and fiercely demanded answers from the trespasser. She would not allow him to think that the Princess of the Night was a helpless filly, after all. “Answereth us! Why doth thou disrupteth our home with such… such… atrocities?! We demand that thou stop this act immediately, or thou shalt receive no mercy from our judgment!” After Luna finished talking, the creature stared at her, then burst out laughing uncontrollably. D-did she just try to… scare me?! That’s… That’s hilarious! Funniest thing I’ve heard yet! He tried to speak between his laughter, holding his sides to try to stop. “That… Hahahah! That’s a really funny way to speak, you know! Where’d you learn that? It’s great!” Luna narrowed her eyes. “What dost thou meanest?! Hold thyself together for thy Princess!” “Huh? What? Hold on, hold on—lemme try it! I’ll give it a try, okay? My turn!” He laughed one more time, but then cleared his throat and tried to get serious, though snickers still escaped him every few seconds. “We hath no time for these insulting motions of thine!” “Chill! Okay, listen!” He gestured his claw to the side and made a long, twirly white wig appear above his head. “Okay, good. Now…” He looked down at himself and snapped his fingers, watching as a long, red coat appeared over him. After he was ready, he put on a solemn gesture and made a curtsy. “Be it not a most suited size, that which I hath bestowed upon those forsaken, minute critters? Hath thou concurred upon the notion that there is cuteness to their form of intimidation?” He spoke with a falsetto, but then snickered again when she glared at him through his act. Luna gave him a silent but angry glare for a few seconds. “...Thou mocketh us. We speak with the most serious tone; thou shalt stop whatever thou hast done against our land at once!” She gritted her teeth and growled when she saw that some of the ladybugs were inching out of the forest. “Why, they…?!” “Oh, stop!” The mismatched creature floated in front of her to block her view of the ladybugs. He sighed and shook his head once he realized that the Princess’ mind would not change. She did not appreciate the fun that he had created, so be it. “You’re no fun…” He looked aside as his claw lifted, and watched his oversized insects as they immediately returned to their normal form and were out of his reach. “There!” Luna sighed and turned around. “Now We must return and explain that—” She stopped when the other creature appeared in front of her. “S-stand aside!” “Hold on! I wanna know… Didn’t that make you laugh inside?” He floated around Luna to try to see her reaction. “C’mon, now… Not even a little giggle?” Luna looked at him, then turned her face away. She still watched him from the corner of her eye while she tried to ward him off. “...Why would We be amused by something that mockest us? It ist an insult to us!” “Geez, so serious… This’ll help!” He picked Luna up in his claw and paw, and snickered when she cried out in surprise. “Alright! ...Wait… What—no laughter? Hmm… Can’t have that, now, can we?” There were more snickers as a white feather floated around him, closing in on Luna. “Ugh! Get thy claws off us, thou… beast! Whatever thou art, release us at once!” She glared at him again while she tried to struggle out of his grip, but he just held her secure again. “Whoa! Hey, there, c’mon… Easy, little one! Stop that, okay? I’m not gonna hurt ya! I just wanna play.” “Ngh… What?! ‘Play’?!” “That’s right. What’s so bad about that?” Luna gave him a deadpan look while he held her up. “...Fool. We art not to be played with! Now, release us! This shalt not be tolerated! It ist by far the most—” The other creature sighed irritably before he covered Luna’s mouth with his paw. “Stop! Hey, how about we just… talk, okay? I said I’m not going to hurt you. Seriously, you’re far too little to make this kind of fuss.” “Ngh, no! We wilt not stop until thou leaveth us alone!” Luna kept trying to struggle, but was careful to observe him. He was not hurting her, so instead of distracting herself with useless struggle, she focused on questioning him. “...Thou still hath not answered our question, creature. What ist thy name? For that matter… Why art thou here?” “Hm? What?” “Thou hath heard us. Answer our questions.” Luna raised an eyebrow and fixed her gaze on him. ...This might as well be the strangest creature that We have ever seen... He returned the deadpan look for a few seconds, but then grinned and began to tickle her with the feather. Her questions were all but ignored while she started to laugh and struggle. “You talk too much, kid, dear… Um, dear you.” He watched her and kept holding her with his lion paw to make sure she would not fall while moving around, giggling under the assault of the feather. Luna continued to laugh despite her best attempts to keep her regal composure. Pushing away from him was useless; he did not let her go. “S-stop it! Th-thou cannot do this, it ist… L-let us go!” She tried to stop laughing to keep her dignity intact, but she failed badly at it. As if that was not enough, the Princess found that the more she was tickled, the more she began to enjoy it, just like a little filly would. She could not have that; she was a princess, and princesses were serious and respectable. “Aww, c’mon, lighten up already! Isn’t it better to laugh with the moment? Just go with it! What’s that? ‘Let you go’? Oh, you know, I’d do that, really, but… You seem to be enjoying this. Who am I to interfere?” He lifted his claw and made the feather move to the tip of her hooves. “Heh, heh… Am I right?” “N-no! Hahahah—s-stop! St-stop it this—this instant, just—” She broke down into laughter again before she could even finish her sentence. Luna had never experienced anything more embarrassing than the stranger’s assault that night. She could not even use her magic or think clearly, due to the distraction of that blasted feather of his. She had a feeling it would only get worse… Just who was that strange creature, and what did he want? Why did he torment her like that? Much to her chagrin, she had to admit that she was to his mercy; he would not stop toying with her until he got what he wanted. But what did he want? Luna could not figure it out... He made the feather vanish after he had enough fun with the tickling game. “Okay, okay. You’re done.” He laughed a bit more before he released her on the ground. “Boy, you sure are stubbornly curious, aren’t you?” Luna shook a bit while she tried to compose herself and get her breath back. She glared at the mismatched creature all the while, thinking of ways to make him pay for the indignant crime. “It’s alright; I’m curious about you too!” He clapped his claw and paw together and smirked. “Okay, how about this; I’ll tell you, but I’ll tell you my way.” Luna sighed and shook his head. “We refuse to take further part in these… Huh? Where…” She looked around after the creature vanished from sight. “Whence hast he gone? Did he… leave at last...?” The creature’s voice could be heard all around the Night Princess. “Far from it, little one! I’m all around you. Isn’t it neat, what I can do? Listen up, ‘cause this is who I am!” There was a whirlwind around Luna, followed by a whispered riddle. “I’m incomplete, but part of a whole. I craft and make all, yet have no tools. Where I’m from, I don’t know… Where I go, I sure don’t care. What do I want…?” Luna was startled by a loud popping sound, followed by balloons and streamers. “Wh-what?!” She gasped and stepped back when the mismatched creature floated out from the balloons. “To bring everyone a bit of fun!” He blew on a party horn and laughed while Luna inched away from him. She gave him a cautious look while she kept her distance, but shifted in her hooves with irritation. “Oooohhh… Stop! That hardly gives us any answer! Thy 'creations' nearly destroyed a field that ist necessary for our survival, not to mention any other destruction that would have occurred. We do not think that ist 'fun’; on the whole contrary! These actions… They art something that must be punished—" “Hm…? ‘A crop field?’ Is that where they were headed? Well… I guess there can’t be a joke without a good punchline. Right? You agree with that, don’t you?” He made a chair of marshmallows appear behind him and sat down on it. “Okay… But, you know… Now that we started this little game, I think it’s time for you to answer my questions.” “Hmph. Nonsense. We have absolutely no need to follow along with thy requests.” Luna turned around and tried to walk away, but the floating marshmallow chair followed her wherever she went. “Stop!” “Then answer my questions! I answered yours!” “Hardly!” “Ah, well.” The creature shrugged, then grinned while he thought up of the questions to throw at the princess. “Alright, let’s get started with the simple things. Who are you? What are you? I guess that’s a better question. What do you do? Why do you do it? How old are you? How long have you been—” “Stop!” Luna opened her wings and stomped her hoof to silence the other creature. “Thou need not ask so many questions! They art hardly any of thy business; We shalt answer only those that We see fit!” He raised an eyebrow and tapped his fingers together while Luna indignantly turned away from him. “That so? It’s a bit unfair… Heh, heh… Whatever! I don’t mind as long as you answer some.” The young princess cleared her throat. She held her head high and spoke in a proud, solemn tone while she introduced herself. “Our name ist Princess Luna. We protect this land and the Night; We guide and rule over our developing kingdom, as We do over the endless power of the stars and the moon. Night magic is our power; the Moon is our symbol and connection. We were born a pony of the alicorn race, as was our sister, and, as were the rest of our family. As alicorns, our power allows us to oversee this land and care for it. We watch over other ponies and protect them with the power of the Night.” "...And what, pray-tell, is a ‘pony?’" He picked one of the marshmallows from his chair and ate it, crunching it in his mouth as if it were roasted solid. "Do they do anything fun?" "We suppose the subjects do amuse themselves with various activities. However, royalty like us… We hath different tasks, as the peace and safety of our pony folk doth fall upon our shoulders. Our responsibility ist always to be ready to guard and protect them.” Her eyes turned sharper while she fixed the creature with them. “...That ist why We came here; to make sure thou didst not pose any danger. It appears thou dost not, regardless of how ridiculous thy powers doth be. With that confirmed and clarified… We shalt be on our way." She stepped aside to turn around and walk away. "Hm? Oh, no. So soon?" He teleported behind her and smiled when she stopped. "I’ve got an idea that you’ll like, Princess Luna. Why don't we play a little game? It’ll be another game; something more interesting. I’m sure you can’t say no to that.” He tilted his head aside and held it with his paw while he watched her. “C’mon… It’ll be fun! I’ve already mentioned that…” He stretched out his body in the air and lied down on it as though it was a solid surface. Luna let out another annoyed sigh. “A game…? Oh, We hath no time for that. We already hath told thee that We art quite busy! It ist important that our duties continue through the night, and We cannot be distracted by thy ridiculous games!” “Oh, hush! You really can get under someone’s nerves, you know… It’s just a game! It’s not like it’ll kill ya.” With a snap of his fingers, Luna’s tiara disappeared from her head, and instead spun in the air while he twirled it. He chuckled when the accessory grew a pair of bat wings and flew out of Luna’s reach. “Besides, how can you go back without your tiara, huh? Oops! It happens to be your princess crown… You can’t go back without it; too bad!” “Return that, you heath—” “Hold on; hear me out, will you? If you want it back, I guess we have no option but to play the game? Frustrated, are you? Ooh… There’s no other way to it.” Luna tried to chase after her tiara, but stopped after a few failed attempts. Why, that mismatched thing…! “Rgh, why must thou make us waste our time like this?! We have important responsibilities, unlike thee!” He teleported upside down to float above some of the clouds. The tiara flew playfully around him. “Heh, heh… You know, I really have no idea. You just look like you need some fun. I love to do these things; if you loosened up a little, you might actually enjoy them, too. But, anyway… Are you gonna play the game with me or aren’t you? You know what’s at stake~” She grumbled while he laughed. “Argh… We have no choice! We shalt play thy game! However… We cannot waste much time, as We have plenty to take care of. Thou hadst best make it quick, or thou shalt face punishment for delaying a princess from her duties!” She was nearly infuriated when the creature simply laughed at her demands. “We hath given thee an order!!” He shook his head and blew a strong breeze past Luna. “Chill out! Let off some steam, will you? Relax, and I guarantee that you’re really going to enjoy this! It’s not good for a little filly to be so uptight all the time!” Luna blushed and looked aside. “Hmph… We art not so little at all! What wouldst thou know…?” She looked up as three clouds appeared in front of them and circled one another. “What ist this now…?” She followed as many clouds as she could while they rearranged themselves. “Okay, little Luna… Listen; all you have to do now is pick the right cloud, and you’ll get your tiara back! You have three guesses before the game is over. You ready? Go!” She raised an eyebrow and looked at one of the clouds, on the left. "We choose... that one." She pointed at the twitching cloud with her hoof. He twirled his fingers and the cloud revealed itself to be a sheep. It hopped over the clouds and went away. "Sorry. Guess again." Luna blinked, then frowned a bit. She pointed to the one at the right, this time without saying a word. He snapped his fingers, and the cloud revealed itself to be only an empty piece of cardboard. "Better luck on the next guess. But, the winner is...!" She groaned with exasperation, then tried to push the remaining cloud away as it nudged her. "This ist ridiculous, what ist the point?" Her horn started to glow with her magic. "We order thee to stop playing games. Thou hast won, anyway. The crown is there, and We didst not choose correctly. Thou hast won the crown now." She gave the last cloud a resentful glare, then pushed it away with her magic. "Oh, really?" He laughed while the cloud turned into a pile of white sand, from which he pulled out the black tiara. “So I guess I really did win, huh?” He smiled widely while he placed the tiara in his head to taunt her. “Oh, stop! Give that back to us now! We art sick of fooling around with thee and thy games… It ist time for us to get back to the palace! Stop now!!” Her horn glowed with magic aura again as she threatened to throw him back with the force of her power, like she did with the insects. “We hath run out of patience. It ist over now, foul creature! Return our crown or we shalt take it from thee!” The creature glowed white for a few seconds before he transformed himself into a replica of Luna. The doppelganger walked right in front of the original Night Princess, giving her the same stern look. “...Why doth thou threateneth in such a crude manner? Hath thou not enjoyed thy night? It hath been delightful.” Luna stepped away from her copy and stared at her with surprise and a bit of shock. “H-how didst thou… Th-this magic… Thou shouldst not…” She shook her head and glared at the copy. “Why would We enjoy a night like this?! Thou hast ruined it! It has been the most irritating to say the least, and We say it ist now over! ...Just like thy game of copies.” She spoke with an authoritative and irritated tone, despite being so much smaller than the other creature and hardly larger than a younger filly. “Hey, just calm down!” “No! Shame is what thou shouldst feel, not delight! Mocking a princess in such a manner, it ist horrible! ...Not that thou wouldst understand the wrong of thine actions. Thou seemest utterly careless.” “Careless? C’mon… You sound like you’ve never played a game in your life!” The creature sounded rather annoyed as it returned to his original form. Luna stopped walking and looked down at the ground with a calm, stoic face. She had taken deep breaths to try to compose herself. “...We do not waste our valuable time with games that offer no profit; no experience and chance for us to get stronger and wiser to lead our kingdom. Our kingdom needs to grow, as do We… Games will not help us grow. Our training will, and there is a lot to complete of it. It covers so much for us to understand and master… It ist what will help us become better princesses, not these games…” She shook her head and turned away from him again. “Thou doth not understandeth our case.” “It’s pretty boring, so, no, I don’t care to understand it, really.” He nodded curtly at her, then turned away. “...Since We art the youngest… We must train even harder to catch up and be by the side of Princess Celestia… our older sister.” Luna smiled for the first time in the night, looking up at the starred sky. “...We wish to be an exemplary ruler and protector, like our sister ist. We love this land unlike anything else.” Huh? This land… is what they love? Little Luna likes a place like this? He grimaced a bit while he looked at the very small part that was populated and cared for by pony folk, while the rest was still a very large, forested patch of empty land. Does she see something in this place? Luna turned away from him and looked at the bare land that stretched out before them. She still had a small, proud smile on her face. "...Sister ist certain that this land thou seeth here... shalt indeed become a great kingdom one day, like our parents assured us that we would accomplish. She and our parents hath said that together, sister Celestia, and us, must love and protect it… So that it may be in peace and unity, and become what we dream of. Our sister’s pure power and wisdom keeps this land together and in peace… We help with all that We can, for We also rule the kingdom. We keep the peace as much as We can. It ist not difficult a task to love our home; a task, it even ist not. We already cherish this land, even if it ist not a kingdom yet. It ist beautiful, and so We hath vowed to do anything, to try our hardest, in order to keep it safe, and help our sister maintain the harmony and peace within it. As long as our sister ist here to spread her love and light over the land, and as long as We art here to help her, our home shalt not suffer.” ...Boy, that was some inspiring speech… Geez, what is up with this kid? He scratched his head in confusion before he looked at the land again. None of it was impressive; they had not spread their population out too much. The palace was small, still surrounded only by a bunch of villages grouped together. It was not that big of a deal at all. So… They like this enormous patch of dirt and would give their lives to keep the peace in it? Ewgh… What’s so great about it, anyway? Luna blushed a bit after she realized how much she said, and for how long she spoke. "But… That… Thou dost not require so much explanation for so simple a matter. At least now thou wilt know best than to cause any more trouble to us, as this land and the subjects that look up to our protection art very important to us." He watched while Luna stretched out her wings and prepared to fly off. “Huh? But… Okay, wait! With that speech and all…” He stood up from the ground and walked over to her. “No need to get so touchy about it, it’s not like we did much bad! I was just playing! You had fun, I know it.” She looked back at him and raised an eyebrow, showing that her patience was running thin. He chuckled and patted her head again, though she refused to be touched once more. “Boy, what a temper. You sure are easy to get in a bad mood, you know? Your nerves are paper thin.” “What…?” She frowned and gave him a cute glare that she did her best to turn frightening and fierce against him. “Oh, silence, thou disrespectful fiend.” “Oh-ho… A ‘fiend?’” “Hmph. We shalt show thee benevolence for this instance only. Rather than imprison thee as thou deserveth…” She closed her eyes and turned away from him again. “Thou wilt be given a warning, and sent on thy way soon as thou moveth. However, be warned, beast of unsettling havoc…” The creature floated around and only laughed the insults off while she tried to pin him down with her tone and glare. “What the heck are you talking about? You’re a little filly. Can’t you talk normal?” Luna blinked, then blushed a bit before she approached him. She was about to fly after him, but decided to keep her composure and finish her warning, but not before putting him in his place. “WE ART PRINCESSES OF THIS ROYAL LAND; RULERS OF THOSE LIVING HERE. THIS BE THE REGAL, PROPER WAY FOR THY PRINCESSES TO SPEAK TO THEE. REJOICE AND SHOW THY GRATITUDE, FOR THY PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT RECOGNIZES THINE IRKSOME EXISTENCE WITH THE ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE, AND THE ROYAL MANNER.” After she finished speaking with such a loud volume, the Night Princess simply and calmly took a brief bow and gave the other creature a deadpan look. He grimaced, rubbed his ears, and shook his head quickly to recover from the loud voice. “Geez… How can you say all those fancy, weird things so loudly? You act like it’s normal to talk like that, too… Boy, ponies are stranger than I thought! Who knew you packed such a voice, huh?” He folded his arms, then floated away from Luna before she pointed her hoof down. “Do not leave yet, as We art not finished speaking to thee.” She gave him a stern look while he lowered down closer to her. “As We hath warned thee… If thou shalt disturb the peace of the Night in any other way… Then maketh sure that thou repentest for thine actions We shalt!” He yawned and stretched again. “Ugh… Anyway, what? Wait… You talk like we’re not gonna meet again!” “We certainly hope that we do not!” “That’s no fun…” He rolled his eyes, then rubbed his claw and paw together while he grinned at her. “Oh, Princess of the Night, you have no idea… Heh, heh… I’m sure you and I are gonna have a lot more fun together! This was just the beginning!” Luna frowned, then looked around in alarm. “...It cannot get any worse, otherwise there would be chaos in our home… And thou wouldst be the culprit!” “Would that be so bad? This place can change for the better! Change isn’t a bad thing. Fun would make it better so much faster, I’m sure! I’ve only been here for a short while, but… You know what? This is the most fun I’ve had so far! Nothing better like this! I could keep it up all night and day!” Luna sighed and held her hoof over her face. “Oh, no…” “Oh! I just remembered something! Speaking of the day…” He gave Luna a curious smile before he floated closer to her. “Shouldn’t the night be over? Should’ve been sunrise a few minutes ago, right?” She glared at him as if he had said something annoyingly obvious and cynical. "Yes. It should indeed be sunrise by now. Dost thou know what else? We should hath done so much work that was assigned to us yesterday, yet... We hardly got anything productive finished, leave alone in time… All due to thy fooling around and distracting us, with no disregard and concern of our duties! Such a ridiculous waste of time… That ist all thou made us do. Now We art behind… Oh… Trust us; We shalt never speak to thee again!" “Huh? But, wait, I actually wanted to—” He grimaced and turned away as Luna vanished in a blast. He next found her flying rapidly through the air, surrounded by the aura of her magic. “...Ugh… Boy, was she a mouthful! I had no idea ponies could be this stiff and uptight! ‘Blah, blah, rules’ here, ‘blah magic’ there, ‘so and so protecting the land’ some more, ‘respect us’ over and over… She’s no fun at all!” He stayed quiet for a few seconds, listening to the sounds of the night creatures that crawled around in the forest behind him. After he calmed down, he found that he was rather curious about the ponies again. He decided to relax and rest deep into the forest, just as the sky turned a light shade of blue. "Oh, she’s adorably cute when she is furious, I’m not gonna deny that!" He snickered as he headed back to the Everfree Forest. On his way, he changed the colors of every dirt road that he found, and made them slick so that he could slide along them, laughing all the while before he reached his destination.