//------------------------------// // 2: Looking for a hope // Story: The stolen Moon // by DeadEquestrians //------------------------------// Chapter 2 Tired from her days work ruling Equestria Celestia sleepily walked down the corridor to her sister's chambers. Knocking on the door three times with her horn three times, to alert Luna of her presence, Celesta waited for a reply from her sister, but only silence replied. Inquisitive celesta opened the door and stepped in to the room, her eyes scanned it, looking for her sister. She noticed nothing at first, but then her eyes fell upon the empty bed, it's sheets bundled and torn by her sister’s hooves. Looking for an explanation to what she saw in front of her, her eyes turned towards the empty bookshelf, the pile of ash and half incinerated books that lay at it's base. Celestia gasped at the sight, whatever had happened here had not turned-out well for Luna. But then it accrued to her, if Luna was not she had to have gone somewhere? "But where?" Celestia asked her self. But what if Luna had been foulnapped so to speak? Celestia looked desperately round the room for anything that might lead her to Luna. She couldn't bear any more time with out her sister, the thousand years she had imprisoned nightmare moon, had been the longest and loneliest part of her life. she had to find Luna. That's when she noticed the dark red liquid that formed a trail from the bookshelf leading out the door. Reluctantly Celesta followed her sister’s blood through the maze of corridor's that made-up Cantalot castle. She reached a hall lined with guards but something was wrong the guards hadn't reacted to her entrance, how puzzling celesta thought. Then she slowly realized they were all asleep, no sign of a struggle, nothing. It was like the guards had simply decided to take a nap at the exact same time. Celesta realized what they had been guarding. The only place with that many guards and magical protection was the mirror room. Luna must have been taken through the mirror; celesta realized the trail of blood confirmed her theory. Celesta reached the end of the grand hall and found herself standing in front of a large Oak door, carved with various pictures of the other world and the strange two legged creature's that inhabited it. Celesta flung open the doors, only to be propelled backwards by a blast of magic from inside the room. Celesta regained her bearings and looked at the sight before her. the mirror was gone, along with Luna,in it's place was a new portal, through it Celestia could clearly see the center of the changeling hive. Equestria was doomed if she didn't do something about it. But what could she do the laws of magic condemned her from helping her sister. But she knew just the ponies that could. She was going to have to go take a visit to ponyvill. * * * "Come on twilight." pinkie moaned as twilight looked through another book. Skimming the text supposedly looking for a certain spell or potion recipe "Twilight were going to be late for the party!" pinkie insisted. "Why are we having this party again?" asked twilight as she flexed her wings. "I've told you this already, silly...' pinkie replied. "Applejack had her birthday last week and I thought we should throw her an its been one week since your birthday party, party!" pinkie explained barley giving twilight any time to understand what was being said. "Well if it’s a pinkie party I'll be there." Twilight said as she put down the book. "Well there is now!" blurted pinkie "come on!" "OK just let me get spike." Twilight made her way up stairs and called out "spike pinkie is throwing a ,it's been one week since your birthday party, party for applejack. Are you coming?" the dragon raced towards twilight "Will rarity be there?" he asked. Twilight chuckled to herself " of course she'll be there it's a pinkie pie party. Now hurry up or we'll be tardy" twilight answered. "WE'RE ALREADY TARDY!" yelled pinkie pie from down stairs. A hoof knocked against the front door rapidly. Twilight raced down stairs answer the door, revealing princess Celesta. Pinkie jumped up excitedly at the sight of the princess. " Celesta you got my invitation!" she sang, her grin widening. But the look on the rulers face told her a different story "Celesta?" pinkie asked, her grin had now turned in to worry for her friend. "What’s wrong your majesty? " asked twilight. The princess's head dropped " Twilight... " The princess passed to compose herself "Twilight its Luna. " explained the princess. "She’s... Gone.” A single tear rolled down her cheek, she made no effort to dry it, the tear rolled of her cheek on to her jaw until it fell and splashed on the floor. Before the princess could brake down it to tears, Twilight invited her in and told spike to make some tea "You better get the others." she told pinkie, who's jumpy personality had been some what suppressed by the princess arrival. Pinkie nodded and left silently to fetch her other friends. Princess celesta her self was sitting on the large rocking chair twilight usually studied in, while twilight sat in a large rocking chair opposite her. Twilight tried to comfort the distressed princess, reminding her of all the good times she they had shared together, only resulting a meek smile. Tears had begun to flow freely down Celesta's face as mixture of emotions raced through her mind. Fluttershy was the first pony to arrive. Immediately she rushed to comfort the distressed princess. "Don’t worry." she repeated over and over again "we'll get her back don't you worry." Fluttershy was shortly followed by rarity who had made her best effort to make her self presentable for the princess wearing her best hat. She joined Fluttershy in comforting the princess "don’t worry darling it'll be OK we'll find her and put who ever did this to shame!" she told Celestia before sitting down on the sofa and asking twilight what happened. Rainbow dash was next to turn up, she sat down next to rarity not quite sure what to do. Pinkie pie arrived telling twilight that applejack Would be arriving in a minute, then proceeded to do everything short of giving the princess ecstasy to try make her smile. Applejack was the last to arrive; she asked twilight what had happened. Once it had been explained she announced that she was going to help spike with the tea. Once the tea had been made they all sat down on the sofa together except for fluttershy who said she would stay with the princess. "So what actually happened?" asked Applejack. Celesta straitened her self up and explained what she had found in the castle. "so the mirror is gone?” asked twilight. "The mirror has been destroyed" explained Celestia "the reason I didn't accompany you through the mirror to stop sunset shimmer is because, if a pure blood alicorn goes through the portal it will overload with magical energy causing it to be destroyed." she paused "This is what I believe happened when Luna traveled through it." "You said there was something in its place now. What exactly is that?" asked applejack. "I believe what that the inter-dimensional magic some how backfired drawing magic from both words causing the mirror to exploded releasing vast quantity's of magical energy. but because of the spell's guarding the room it caused the magic to imploded creating a rip in magic it's self thus creating a new portal to what I believe is the center of the changeling hive ." Celesta replied. "You what now." "Basically applejack" Twilight explained, " the thing in place of the mirror is a hole, a hole in magic that leads to the changeling hive.” twilight turned to the princess "isn't it impossible to rip magic?" "Evidently not." Celesta replied. "So what does this have to do with us?" asked rainbow dash. "You need to retrieve Luna before the balance between night and day collapses and Equestria is plunged in to eternal chaos." "That’s all easy in theory darlings but our only way into the human world has been destroyed. How will we possibly get there?" butted in rarity. Celesta considered for a moment and then proceeded to say, " when I was a filly I was told of a legend, of a way the first alicorns traveled between words. If we could find a book on it we could find out a way to send you to the human world." Celesta spoke hopefully. "Spike!!" Twilight shouted. "Yes Twilight" the little dragon replied as he came racing in to the room. "Yet me every book we have on myth and legend pronto." ordered Twilight. "Yes mama." the little dragon ran of on a hunt for books, and soon came running back with a large pile of books, of which twilight immediately began to search through, and then ran of to fetch some more. Soon every book in the library had been looked through. "Is that all spike?" asked twilight, a large mound of books sitting in front of her. "There’s one more twilight" the dragon raced towards her caring a book that was twice his size " I think it's new, I haven't seen it around before." Twilight lifted the wait of spike's back using her magic to bring it in front of her the title read 'Legends of old' "It must have just arrived, but its certainly not new." the young alicorn opened the book, It's spin groaned as if it had been awoken from a long sleep. Twilight scanned the pages carefully making sure not to miss one word, after a few pages Twilight jumped with delight. " Celestia " she yelled, “I think you need to see this." The princess drew up beside her "Yes this is it." Celestia grinned. Twilight began to read out loud " the oldest legend in all Equestria is that of the seeing stones. These stones are usually arranged around a large magical crystal. It was believed that these stones where used by the first alicorn's to travel across worlds so they could rule their vast empire.” She paused “spike where did you find this book?" "On your desk Twilight." "That's weird I don't remember this book at all, and I always read a new book as soon as it arrives.” "Where the book came from is not a matter of importance,” stated Celestia "it only matters that it was there to help us; twilight does it say where any of them are?" The young alicorn scanned the text once more and then spoke in an inquisitive voice “it says something about the everfree forest." Fluttershy who had keep quiet until now started shaking and backed away in to the sofa as if she was hoping it would swallow her up in to in to it. "The everfree forest?" she gulped. "I’m afraid so it doesn't mention any more that we can possibly even think of using." replied twilight. "Don’t you have a spare mirror?" asked Fluttershy looking at the princess hopefully a pleading look spreading across her face her ears picking up and her eyes widening transforming her in to the image of cuteness. "I am afraid not young one." Celestia managed. The look on Fluttershy's face dropped to that of utter despair and then in to fear "But the everfree forest is full of dangerous animals and poisonous plants what if something happens what if somepony gets hurt?" "I promise nopony will come to any harm, alicorns honer" Celestia reashored her. "Really?" "Really" "But what will my poor little animals do without me to look after them?" gasped Fluttershy. Celestia laughed, "I will arrange for them to be looked after by the best ponies in all of Equestria" Fluttershy seamed to calm down after this statement but it was obvious that she was still distressed about the matter. "Pinkie pie," asked the princess "would it be reasonable to ask for you to sort out the food for the journey?" "okey dokey lokey, I'll get right on it." grinned the mare as she shot out the door towards sugar cube corner. "Can you help her with that applejack?" Celestia asked. "Sure thing sugar cu…" the mare corrected herself "your majesty" then she got up trotted out the door, and broke into a gallop to catch up with pinkie. "Rarity and twilight I need you two, to work out a spell that will open the portal and then you may go pack your thing's." the princess turned her head towards rarity "go easy on the clothes rarity you will probably be human during your time in the other world." Rarity was about to protest then she realized that she probably would go over the top. "Yes your majesty." she replied. Celestia smiled "its Celestia, I see no need to be formal on this occasion.” "As you wish Celestia." "Rainbow dash can you fly over the everfree forest and try spot these stones so we know where to go?" "Consider it done!" she boasted before flying of the do her task. "And fluttershy the I wont you to try get the other supplies like tents and other necessity's." "Yes your highness I would love to help." she replied and then slowly fluttered out the library." Celestia lay down on the sofa and closed her eyes with the absence of her sister, her magic was depleting. she would need her rest if she was to open the portal. She closed her eyes and dreamed of her sister, how they used to be as filly's all those years ago with out a care in the world, how they used to play she dreamed of them growing in to the alicorns they where to day. she dreamed of time once past. She dreamed of saving her sister and them being reunited as a single tear rolled down her face.