//------------------------------//
// The Nebula Forest. 
// Story: The Stars Will Aid in Her Escape. 
// by Grinning Cheshire 
//------------------------------//

“Oh… My…”

Really, those were the only words Luna could muster to express her wonder at the area she now found herself in. After being in darkness for so long, the sight before her was… Astounding, to say the least.
Whereas before the shadows were all she stood on, below her now was what could best be described as solid light. An endless field of blue waves of illumination stretched out in all directions, shifting ever so slightly as a still pond would, yet firm under her hooves as the earth back on Equastria. Though where she stood now was relatively flat, the alicorn could see that the waves off in the distance were rising higher, forming small hills, before collapsing back down again.
Above her, in a black sky, were billions of bright, glowing stars, far more than she had ever seen before, with some so close she could see their colors as they twinkled in the void; a dizzying blanket of lights flashing above her.
Even though she was Princess of the Night, Luna had no idea that there were so many stars. Gazing up into the cosmos, she knew that, even if she spent all of her immortal life trying, she would never be able to count all of them.

“Beautiful, is it not?”

“We were certain you would be impressed…”

“It seems we were correct!”

The familiar voices startled Princess Luna out of her amazed state, as the Gemini reappeared in a sudden flash of light, sitting side by side as if they had been there the whole time.

“Indeed, it is most… wonderful…” Luna barely managed to speak above a whisper as her gaze returned to the new world around her.

“Of course it is…” The deeper toned one started, smirking.

“We of the stars have always been proud…” His double continued, only with a friendly smile instead.

“That our world is the most beautiful around.”

“Of course, with you here, that is even more true…” The happier one suddenly said, motioning with his hoof towards the mare.

“Yes, she does look even lovelier now than before.”

“It seems the light of the stars was made simply to reveal her beauty…”

Again, the younger of the sisters felt her cheeks turn red, and she had to look away from her two admirers.
“Please sirs, you embarrass me. I appreciate your praise, but…”

“Oh my, I did not realize we were making you uncomfortable…” The faster Gemini spoke first this time, actual shame in his voice.

“Please, forgive our carelessness.” In direct contrast to his brother’s sincerity, the other ‘Star-Pony’ simply smirked, almost as if he enjoyed the mare’s embarrassment.

Luna was honestly surprised by the difference, having grown accustomed to the two acting almost identically. However, it would most likely be unwise to mention this to them.

“It is quiet alright, great Gemini. It has simply been so long since anypony has spoken of me with such… flattery.” The princess reassured, smiling at the two. “Now, back to more important matters…”

“Of course, it is a long journey ahead of you…”

“We’ll want to get started right away!”

The Gemini again took to the air, using their wings to fly this time. Luna followed quickly, if a bit shakily due to the light she stood on shifting slightly.
Just when she felt that she getting used to the strange landscape, the light under her right hoof suddenly swayed to the right. 
It was a very small movement, but it was enough to cause the Night Mistress to let out a squeak of surprise. 
Apparently, the smaller pegasus noticed this.

“Do not worry, dear princess. Though the Light Fields move like an ocean, the path we follow is steady, with only the very slightest of movements.” He assured, smiling at Luna. 

“And good thing it does not,” The other half of the strange pair added in, motioning off towards one of the collapsing ‘hills’ in the distance. “Just as the waves of Equestria, the waves of our world can easily drown out the unlucky.”

With a flap of her wings, Luna took to the air as well, glancing down to the see the ground sink as the gust of wind she produced hit it.
“Brother, I think it would have been better to have left that unsaid…” The smallest of the trio sighed, circling around to fly next to Luna, who looked both nervous, and embarrassed.

“We understand that this is overwhelming for you…”

“You are handling it surprisingly well.” The older brother commented, having simply stopped flying to wait a few feet ahead.

“But there is nothing for you to fear. The Gemini shall not lead you stray.” The higher-pitched, glowing eyed pony continued.
“We desire your return to the realm of ponies, and shall not allow anything to happen to you.” 

For a several seconds, Luna’s gaze shifted back and forth between the two celestial beings; one bearing a smile, the other a smirk. However, she could tell they were both very sincere, and she could feel her confidence returning.
“I… Thank you, good Gemini. I apologize for my uneasiness, but I’m still unsure if I believe my own eyes right now.” She finally decided to say, electing a good natured laugh from both of the transparent pegasus.

“Quite understandable, I am pleased to say…”

“That our world only gets stranger from this point on.”

“And while we would love to give you the tour…”

“There is much to do, so let us make haste!”

“Believe us when we say there is not much time to waste!”
Grinning at each other, the twins took off, causing Luna to have to break into a run to keep up with them. As she galloped after her guides, the princess felt that same feeling from earlier rise up within her, and a glee-filled laugh filled the alicorn’s throat.
And soon, the three were racing across the shifting fields of light, Luna easily learning to keep her balance on the unsteady floor. Though she tried her best, the Equestrian was unable to pass the Gemini, who stayed at speed that kept them just out of Luna’s reach. Even when the princess used her wings to put on a burst of speed, the pegasi simply darted ahead.
And yet, even though she knew it was impossible to beat these ancient beings through speed, Luna did not care. The simple joy of playing with and enjoying the company of the two Star-Ponies, after all those years of solitude, was a feeling that she hoped would never fade.
Eventually though, the Night Mistress got tired, and had to stop for breath. As expected, the Gemini froze when she stopped, and flew back over to her side. The younger one had yet to stop laughing, as he seemed to have enjoyed the race as much as Luna did. 

Surprisingly, the older of the look-a-likes was also smiling, not smirking as he had been.

Neither of the twins was out of breaths, or showed any signs of being tired at all for that matter. This did raise a question in the back of Luna’s mind, since her own endurance far surpassed that of a regular pony.

‘How powerful are these beings?’ 

However, this thought did not stay in the panting mare’s mind for long, as she suddenly noticed the change in the area around her.
The formally blue waves of light had settled down, no longer even shifting under her feet. Their color had taken on a purplish tint, with periodical swirls of red showing up now and then. Most noticeably, however, was the strange mist that rose up from the ground.
The closest thing Luna could compare it to was smoke, for it was thick and swirled slowly, shifting between colors of green, brown, blue, and purple as it did so.  Unlike most of this world, it was not transparent, and Luna could barely make out the light on which she stood thanks to the strange gas.
What surprised her most about the mysterious fog was that, when she ran a hoof through it to try to dispel it, a tingling sensation ran through her front leg.

‘Magical energy…’

It seemed the Gemini were surprised as well, though for a different reason than the Night Princess.
“Oh my, we made much more progress than I was expecting, brother!”

“Indeed, in the company of Madam Luna, the time has passed quiet quickly.”

The two pegasi were disinterestedly hovering above the strange mist, the younger one playing with the raw magic with one of his hooves.

“Um… Good sirs, would you kindly tell me what this strange magic is?” Luna questioned, finding herself duplicating the friendlier Gemini’s actions, as she also swirled her hoof in the fog. She found herself unable to contain the smile that was brought to her face by the very tiny shocks that said action provided.
As if suddenly remembering that Luna was there, the twins turned to face her, usual smiles on their faces.

“Ah, of course Princess! Please excuse our negligence. These are Nebula clouds!” The brighter one answered, still playing with the mist.

“Well, not really clouds… the magic here is in lower quantity than other areas of our world…” The deeper-toned one added, giving a shrug.

“Right, this mist is formed by the excess magic of our kind. The closer you get to the Lake in the Sky, the denser it gets.”

“Several of our kind dwell within the Nebula Forest, feeding off the magical energy. Tis… unbefitting, to say the least.”

“Come now brother, though they lack our intellect, the beasts have their own purpose…” The smaller Gemini gave a mischievous grin, which was answered by his sibling.

“Anyway, while the Nebula clouds can be quiet entertaining, it is best to be cautious when you find yourself within them…”
“Indeed, the magic that composes them is very unstable. One wrong spell and…”

“I understand, great Gemini.” Luna interrupted, now standing perfectly still. “I shall watch myself around this… ‘Nebula’.”
Soon, Luna realized that this was a wise plan, for the further the group walked, the denser the Nebula became. With surprising speed, it had gone from a mist on the ground, to a fog that completely enveloped them. The color had become a constant green, though flashes of blue became apparent whenever the cloud was disrupted. The Gemini now flew close to Luna, not wanting their ‘Mistress’ to accidently become separated from them.

“Welcome to the Nebula Forest, Princess Luna…” The one on her right said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“I do see where it got its name…” The mare answered back, glancing around at walls of green around her. Now that the clouds were all around her, the magical energy that formed them was almost overpowering to Luna’s senses.

“Do not fear, dear princess.” The younger Gemini, who was also growing to be her favorite of the two, smiled at her. 
“Though the ‘forest’ is dense, there is nothing in here that could harm you… mostly…”

The last word of the Gemini’s speech had been whispered, but Luna still heard it.

“What meanest thou ‘mostly’?” She asked, for once ignoring the respectful manner with which she had addressed them so far.

The older Gemini shrugged.
“As we said, there are some of our kind who lack the intelligence me and my brother possess. As such, they are a bit… disagreeable.”

“They are not content with the cycle you and your sister have established…” The younger one started, catching his brother’s eye.

“They would that your night would not fade and their images would blaze forever.”

Luna blinked, the realization striking her.
“Then… they…”

“Indeed, they seek the return of your… darker half, to the realm of Equestria.”
Luna’s eyes had grown wide, and despite her best efforts she was unable to hold back the whimper that passed through her lips.
A sudden weight on her back, however, was distracting enough to drive the thought from her mind.

“Again, do not fear, dear Luna! Just as we surpass them in intellect, so surpass we them in power. There is no need to fear them so long as we defend you.” The faster Gemini had settled onto her back, though after he had spoken, he was quick to lift off again.

“Forgive me for hoping that I do not need your statements to be proven true.” Luna said, smiling at the pony that had landed on her back only a second ago. He was lighter than she had expected; and though Luna had always been protective of her personal space, she hadn’t been bothered by the Gemini’s sudden intrusion.

‘As strange as they are, these two Star-Beings are quiet endearing… Maybe, if I am able to return home, I can take them with me!’

Giggling at the thought, the Alicorn princess found herself blushing again when the Gemini glanced back at her.
Thankfully, they just smiled at her.
Then, the twins suddenly vanished, as the fog completely obscured her vision.
Luna gasped as the magical energy stung her eyes, causing her to stumble back as in an attempt to escape the now suffocating Nebula. The mare opened her mouth, in attempt to call for her companions, but the magical gas filled her throat, choking her.
Panicking, Luna took flight, flapping her wings as hard as she could. The wind she generated was, thankfully, enough to blast back the clouds that had engulfed her. Gasping for breath, the blue alicorn began yelling in her Royal Canterlot Voice.
“GREAT GEMINI! WHERE ARE THOU!?”
There was no answer, so Luna repeated herself several times. Though she could not see it with her closed eyes, the princess’ shout had assisted her wings in blowing back some of the Nebula clouds.
Finally, Luna’s hooves touched the solid light, and her eyes drifted open. In her heart, she hoped that she would see the Gemini smiling at her.
However, her vision would not grant such a sight. A small clearing had been formed by Luna’s wings, with only a small amount of Nebula covering the ground. The princess herself stood in the middle of said clearing, alone.
“No…” Luna whispered. She didn’t want to be without the only beings she had been in contact with since her banishment.
‘They would not abandon me… They said they needed me…’
Again, Luna’s thoughts were interrupted. This time, however, it was by a loud bellow, one that seemed to reverberate through the Nebula.
Her ears ringing, the mare felt the vibrations of something big running towards her. Steeling herself, Luna quickly started glancing around, summoning her magic to her horn.
“WHO IS THERE!? CEASE THOU’S APRROACH!” She shouted, somewhat surprised when the loud hoofsteps actually stopped.
“NOW, SHOW THYSELF!” Luna called out again, once her spell had finished preparing.

“As you wish…”

The voice was deep, but female, and did nothing to disguise the venom within.

“…Nightmare Moon.”