Seven Days

by Rocktavius Dashylight


A New Friend

'Banished.... Banished! What did I do to deserve this? I must spend eternity on this forsaken moon, all alone, as my friends below pass away before me? This hardly seems just!'

The fury at her sister rose in her throat. She attempted to swallow it just as she did the many years she has been alive, but the bulge was just too great to swallow completely.

'Am I really as evil as my solemn sister made me out to be? Am I, deep down inside, truly jealous of her? Who am I?! Why do I need my sister to define my identity?!'

Her jaw muscles tightened as she stared at the sun in her fury. It was indeed painful, but her anger was too great for her to care about her eyes.

'No! I refuse to believe such lies!'

Her eyes turned black as the hatred inside of her grew. Was this what she was harboring all along? A deep hatred of her sister's day? She could feel the coldness overcome her as she continued to stare enviously and angrily at the sun.

'My night truly is beautiful, yet ponies sleep in it! They don't marvel in it and thrive like they do in my sister's day! It isn't fair! Maybe I should live up to the name Celestia claimed I was, and destroy her 'precious' day!'

Darkness poured out of her eyes as blue armor began forming on her body. She could feel the immense power flowing through her veins, causing her to chuckle in madness. There was no turning back now. Who cares how long it will take, she will get her vengeance! Everything was going just as history states...

But something happened. Something bumped into her back, hitting her to the ground. She turned to try to see what it was.

'A pony! Another pony!' The black left her eyes, back to the beautiful blue they always were. The armor shrunk back down to nonexistence, just as fast as it came. The pony on top of her got off awkwardly in embarrassment and looked at her as she stood back up. She had forgotten how to speak. This wasn't supposed to happen...

The two stared at each other for a good ten minutes.

"Umm...hi" he finally greeted, however mediocre it was.

"Greetings........" She responded, not really sure why this conversation was even taking place. "You...were banished...as well?"

"Yep"

Silence. The colt looked like he was deep in thought. He was possibly thinking of the past days of his life and how much of an insignificance it is to him now. Or maybe he was asking the same questions about her. He surely didn't seem like he was expecting this strange meeting to take place. And if he was banished, was he of greater or equal power than she? He was a unicorn, but unicorns have different strengths in their magic based off of their special talent. She couldn't see his cutie mark from this angle, which would have settled nearly everything. His looks were of interest, though. She decided to take note of his physical appearance should she ever need it for the future... If she had a future that is. His coat was the same color as hers, but not as vibrant. Plain, scruffy, black hair rested on his head.

He opened his mouth as if to say something but instantly thought against it.

That's when the realization hit her. She won't suffer being alone as she felt she was doomed to be! She must have been wrong about her sister. She must truly love her if she sent company to dwell in the punishment with her. Overjoyed, she ran over and picked up the comparatively small unicorn and hugged him. At first, he wasn't expecting such an outburst, but soon accepted it and hugged her back. It was very awkward, as though he wasn't really familiar with intimate actions.

The tears of joy poured out uncontrollably from her eyes. This was not how a Princess should act, but she didn't really care. It was just her and him on the moon, surrounded by a sea of nothingness. Who was there to judge the aching couple? She didn't make a noise so he wouldn't know she was crying. It was for joy, but he may mistake it for sadness. "Don't you see?" She told him, "We're not to suffer this banishment alone!" They released the hug, the princess holding him up like a doll. "What be your name?"

"Tedapple Dedekker, but ponies just call me Teddy," the colt responded with a slight hesitation. Little did she know that Teddy was hiding his pain. The more she smiled, the more his heart hurt. It wasn't the fact she was happy that irked him. It was the fact that she was happy, and soon won't be in time. The higher they go, the harder they fall, as they say.

It was the perfect punishment.

"Our name is Princess Luna" she told him as she set him down on the ground.

"Nice to meet you, Princess" he bowed as an act of respect.

"Don't bow...please...it feels rather wrong to act in custom being that we were sent here for breaking such customs." He got up and nodded. "So. What were you sent here for?"

What would be the best way to put this? "Uh...Treason." Hopefully she won't ask too many questions about that... "You?"

"Supposedly trying to bring forth eternal darkness. We don't remember much though. We don't know if we trust our sister's judgment in justice."

'You and me both.' He mumbled before asking a question of his own. "Do you remember any details of your past?"

"Now that you mention it...not really..." And she never will. "How long is your banishment? You are not immortal as I, so surely they wouldn't condemn you to a life sentence."

And there it was. The million bit question. The one who's answer will tear her heart out. She thought she wouldn't have to suffer alone, but him being here is just to taunt her and make everything worse for her. She will have to suffer it alone. He was just a false hope. So, he resorted to a white lie. "They never said." Seven days. That's all he had. After that, he'll be sent away, and Luna would be left alone, ultimately changing into Nightmare Moon and becoming what her sister claimed her to be. For all he knows, he might be the reason she becomes Nightmare Moon! "What about you?" He already knew the answer, but wanted to make conversation.

"We don't really know either. 'Twas forced upon us rather suddenly." she stated, with hopeful eyes. "We are so glad my sister was loving enough to give us company! If not, we would undeniably have drowned in the dark loneliness."

'If you only knew what was brewing back in Canterlot...' He thought to himself. "Ya..." he responded simply.

Seven days with the original version of his crush. The crush that was so far above him he had no hope in going the next step. He was but a lowly villain while this magnificent Princess that stood before him? She was a thing of beauty. And her political stature just makes it all the more impossible. Now his chances have ran away with the same hope she will lose in seven days. Seven days. What can he do in seven days?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Three weeks before Teddy was banished, over one thousand years after Luna's banishment.)

"Welcome to Ponyville, my friend!" the grey unicorn with a yellow mane greeted me. "I was told by Princess Celestia you needed a home, so I am offering mine. You are welcome to follow me if you wish."

I followed the pony, of course. I mean, a free home! Who wouldn't pass that up? "Name's Frank Einstein." he said.

"Call me Teddy" I replied.

Ahh. Frank Einstein. The well-known mathematician that appeared apparently out of the blue. No record of parents, let alone his existence. Rumor has it he is a unicorn that doesn't fear darkness. I was told he once fought a dragon single hoofedly and returned without a single scratch on him. The dragon thing sounded unlikely, but here in Equestria, weird things tend to happen. He was present at the death of Royal Blue, poor girl, which was one of the most pivotal moments in political history. Never been much for politics. The Frank pony was also known for his heterochromia. One green eye. One blue. And despite the ostensible rumors, it is obvious he has been hit in the face with a bunch of surprises. I may be his last.

Frank trotted to a big tree that contained windows and balconies. I really hope this is not the definition of a mansion in Ponyville... It wasn't until I walked inside the front door that I noticed it was a library. Library. Mansion. Who cares? They're both big. Plenty of room to roam around and set up my...things.

The unicorn in front of me quickly and turned around. "The guest room is to the left. Feel free to make yourself at home. I will be preparing dinner shortly. Would you care for some hay fries and burgers?"

I nodded. Without saying a word, I took my stuff to the specified guest room. His eyes followed my trot until I closed the door behind me, secluding myself. The way I like it. Ponies would consider this rude, but my host did not seem to complain. I pulled the mechanical pencil out of my pocket. I didn't want to risk breaking it as I unpacked, so I set it on the table for now, and took my things out of my bag. My stuff only contained some tools and a few clothes, though. Not much.

I opened my journal to the last page i had written on. There lay a sketch that I drew the day before, one of the many sketches I made throughout the journal of the same pony. Nightmare Moon. The most beautiful creation in the entire universe, gone to waste by means that was unfamiliar to me. If only I could have worked with her, then we would never have failed.

A knock on the door broke me from my thoughts, so I quickly closed my journal and set it down. "Come in" I told the pony who was polite enough as to ask permission to go into a room in a house that they probably own.

The door opened, revealing a purple unicorn mare. I quickly slid the journal onto the floor like a schoolfilly hiding something from her parents. "Are you settling in well?" she asked in a very homey tone.

"Yes, thank you" I responded

"Would you like a tour?" I nodded. Who knows what's in store within a library inside of a tree. Secret rooms. Forbidden books. Anything! I followed her to the massive book shelves with multi-colored literature.

"This is the fiction section, filled with marvelous series such as Daring Do. I have the entire series minus one because a friend checked it out. Here are some books by Randy Alicorn and Franklin Pretty. This is the history section which includes books on the Elements of Harmony, the shadow realm, Fadrealm, and the Princess's lineage. This is the section wit......"

Her ranting about the book nonsense faded from my conscience. 'Those last two books sound interesting.' As I followed the host, whom I wasn't listening to, I kept thinking about those two books.

Perfect.

"....and this goes to our basement. It's more of a laboratory than a--"

I definitely heard that loud and clear. "You have a LAB?!"

She froze at the sudden question before nodding. "Would you mind if I work in there every now and again?" I asked. " I am an inventor and I have never actually been able to have access to a proper lab."

"Be my guest, Teddy."

I grinned. A sincere grin at first, one that would belong to a little foal on Hearths Warming Day. But when she turned away, it morphed to a smirk. Not a mischievous smirk either, but one of pure malice. My mind was twitching to get to work, to scratch the inventive itch. I thought back to my journal... This is going to be almost too easy!