//------------------------------//
// Prologue  
// Story: Maybe Love Bites Twice 
// by Fat1thatyoulove 
//------------------------------//

Maybe Love Bites

Prologue

The night chilled air has not completely dropped its hold over the world, but this fact has little eminence to the tall white mare that stands on the balcony. The colors of her swaying mane brightens the darker floor that stands from her large shadow as her eyes continue to focus out and over the world the sun now begins to take hold of.

However, her eyes do not lay to the sky and the gold shine of magic that run up the length of her horn is not directed to the sun. Instead, the light transparent gold glow is held to the metallic white gold, orange star stoned crown that floats in front of her.

It tumbles in her magical holds as the tall mare continues to study every inch of it. But just as it starts to rotate back to its original position the sound of hooves coming up the stairs to the room takes her attention.

"Ah sister, there you are."

The happy and slightly lipsy sounding voice stays to one spot as the dark blue mare holds a smile to the pony across the room, "We had hoped you would be joining us for breakfast."

Her words slowly turn Celestia around as she floats the crown next to her, "I'm sorry if I kept you waiting sister, but I will not be joining you for breakfast." Her eyes drift back to the crown as she continues, "I think I have finally been able to break Discord's spell over the Element of Harmony’s crown."

Luna blink to the comment as she shifts her eyes to the new orange gemmed crown, "Forgive us for asking, but the crown has not been needed for so long, why have you dedicated so much time to something so insignificant?"

The mare's words flick Celestia's ear as she cocks an eye to the younger pony, "Luna, this crown is very important for Equestria's safe guard."

"I understand this my sister, but its power has not been needed for so long?" Luna holds a slight smile to the mare as she continues, "I just do not see the reasoning for your captivation."

Celestia's magic tumbles the crown a little as her eyes stay locked to it, "You missed a lot in your absence Luna..." The mare's words get a little lower and drawn out as she continues, "...You have no idea of this item's importance, and power."

Luna's ear flicks to the words as her own eyes start to drift to the crown.

- - -
(Outside of the castle)

Despite the later morning time the sun has yet to peek over the taller inner buildings of Canterlot, and as a result the stone streets are a little cooler then they should be. The more unpleasant feel to the hoof, however, does little to one certain greyish crystal pony with emerald green and light silver colored mane.

Instead, Starlight's concentration is held to the important contents of the satchel she adjust around her body.

The glow of her light gold magic to the strap around her however does not stay long as her trot begins to bring her to the downed castle’s drawbridge, and more importantly to the two guard ponies that trot towards her.

But as the two stallions get near a smile crosses her face as her eyes lock to a the darker cream colored guard pony on the right. The earth pony's armor is mainly gold with one line of blue trim on the right shoulder of the armor, however it is not the stallion's rank that has brought the mare's smile up. Instead it is the dark magenta almost purple flower that pokes out from the stallion's helmet.

The mare's trot comes to an end as she speaks up, "Hello Aerolight...Or are you still going by Arrow?"

The two guard ponies stop for a moment as they take notice to the pony a little in front of them, but the pegasus on the left brings his trot back up as he leaves the cream stallion's side. 

Aerolight brings a slight smile to the crystal pony in front of him as he nods, "You could call me hey guy if you want..."

He shrugs a little as he continues, "...It really doesn't matter."

Starlight gives a little laugh to the stallion, but her normal well spoken voice comes back up as she looks over the stallion's tired eyes, "I must say Arrow, you look offley tired since the last time Celestia called me back into the city."

Arrow just shrugs to the comment as he holds his voice to an unusual low, "I'm fine, what's Celestia got you doing now?"

The mare taps her hoof to the bag for a moment as she speaks up, "Oh nothing too major..." Her words get a little lower as her tapping hoof slowly comes up to her chin, "In fact it was just a twenty page report on magic and its effects on the mind...Quite an unusually easy thing."

Aerolight shakes his head to the comment as he speaks up, "I never knew twenty pages was an easy assignment..." He shifts his eyes towards the waiting pegasus stallion as he speaks up, "...I might have to let you do my next guard report, it would be alot better then having my sister make fun of my spelling."

The crystal mare just shrugs as she rings out a response, "She just is a little bored right now."

Aerolight cocks a slight smile to the words as he nods, "Yep, well I should get going." The younger stallion moves his trot a little past Starlight as he continues, "If you're in town for a little we'll catch up."

"Bah." The mare waves her hoof to the comment as she speaks up, "I'm sure Violet has told you every interesting story from the Crystal Empire, I won't bore you with the same stories."

Aerolight's lower smile lightens a little as he nods, "You said it not me."

A low giggle comes up from the mare as she peeks her head up a little more, "Good bye Aerolight."

The stallion nods to the comment as he picks his pace up to meet with the waiting stallion. To the absent pony Starlight brings her trot back up as she starts into the castle's grounds.

Truthfully Canterlot should not be foreign to anypony, especially to a student of Celestia. But, the castle's older and more historical looking stones and layout has always interested the crystal mare. She does however give a few nods and smiles to the familiar guard ponies of the city as they start their early morning routines.

Starlight's pace quickly brings her to and up the short staircase to the castle's entrance. Within moments the mare finds herself pushing onto one of the two large and elegant castle doors as she trots into the foyer.

Her trot slows a little though as she swings her head around the room, but her eyes quickly lock to a maid dressed pony as she speaks up, "Excuse me can you tell me where Princess Celestia is?"

The unicorn maid turns her head as the magically held duster floats next to her, for a moment the mare looks over the crystal pony in front of her, but she nods towards the hallway on her right as she answers, "I believe she is still in her room."

Starlight nods to the comment as she trots down the hall a little more, "Thank you." This time however her pace is held to a slower trot, seeing as how she's not going to be rude and walk into the Princess's chambers.

The trot quickly comes to the empty throne room, despite the lower reaching sun the mostly white stone flooring has taken on a multitude of colors brought on from the stain glassed windows that line the throne room.

A relaxed sigh rolls from the crystal mare as her pace turns into almost nothing more than a crawl as the mare's attention is held to the pictures painstakingly put into the windows.

But, the lazy occupation of the throne room is quickly brought to an end as the sound of voices start to chime into the room from the spiral staircase that sits a little behind the throne.

Starlight's ear flicks to the muffled voices as she turns her attention towards the back wall. Just as her eyes meet to the spiral staircase entrance a flash of blue light lights the slightly darker hallway, quickly followed by the uncanny sound of a cracking spell.

The mare's eyes go wide as she kicks into a mindless gallop towards the staircase, "Princess!"

Every step she takes only brings the sound of cracking spells and muffled voices to her ears, and within moments her hooves have made contact with the first stone stair as she quickly begins to round up them.

Her heart pounds hard and her horn sparks up with its own gold glow as the top of the stairs run closer and closer to her with every hoof she plants to the ground.

"Princess!!"

The mare's abrupt entrance and shout into the room takes the two tall pony's attention as they both look towards the crystal pony.

However, this bit of distraction is quickly snatched up by the white mare as a fast bolt of gold magic strikes against the turned dark blue mare in front of her.

Luna's eyes go wide to the bolt that hits right between her sprawled out wings, but her gaze is quickly brought to an end as she falls to her stomach to the hard stone ground in a pant. The silver tiara atop her head falls and rolls a little towards Starlight's hooves, however that was not the only object that rolls to the floor as the element of harmony crown rings out a metallic sound until it settles onto the ground.

Starlight just blinks to the mind boggling scene in front of her, horn still glowing.

"Alert the guards, Princess Luna may have reverted back to Nightmare Moon!"

The mare's voice snaps Starlight back to reality as she stares to the serious expression the mare across the room is wielding, "Y-yes Princess."

Starlight quickly turns herself from the room as she starts down the stairs.

Celestia holds her gaze to the sound of her fading hooves for a moment before she sparks her horn up to bring the  gold crown from the ground.

End