//------------------------------// // 48 - Luna: Lunatic Lunar Life // Story: Synch // by sunnypack //------------------------------// Luna took a long last look at the griffon corpse before reluctantly flaring her wings and taking off. Her mind was a roiling cauldron of theories and unanswered questions. Her frustrating delayed talk with her sister had not helped either. She glanced up at the night sky, casting a baleful glare at the moonset altered to her sister’s course. Over a thousand years and the azimuth angle is still wrong, she grumbled to herself. Wings beating powerfully behind her, Luna easily caught up to the steady train, chugging along on its slow journey north. This far, the weather had started to take a chill and Luna shivered slightly before erecting a quick insulating spell to keep her from being frozen over. About thirty or so kilometres and the winds would be too strong for even Luna to fly through safely. She closed onto the train about a hundred metres before teleporting the rest of the way in. Twilight cast an admiring glance at the Princess. It was one thing to teleport out of a moving object or while stationary it was another to fix her coordinates inside a moving carriage. That took years of precision and skill. I glanced up from the small bed I was awkwardly reclining in. Luna had ordered me to stay in that bed with Twilight and Pinkie to watch over me and I hadn’t argued, thinking it was probably not the best time to be casual towards royalty. Luna flopped down on a triclinium set out opposite to where Pinkie and Twilight had lounged. She closed her eyes and took a brief moment to herself while we all waited patiently for her thoughts. Luna let out a dejected breath before addressing the group. “I haven’t found anything that could lead us to any clues”, Luna began, looking down at her hooves. “The griffon had nothing on or around him to suggest an affiliation, for all we know he could be working alone, but Celestia seems to doubt it since this trip was fairly secretive.” I left out an annoyed breath. Luna looked at me a little hurt and I waved away her anxiety. “No, it’s not you, Luna. You did your best”, I said with a tired look. I felt a deep weariness in my bones. “In fact you’re all doing well. I’m just tired, so very, very tired.” I slumped on the furniture, staring out into the landscape. “What’s wrong?” Pinkie asked, in a rare state of seriousness. I said nothing for a while and I could feel their concern occluding my thoughts. I wanted to reply that everything was okay and that I was just a little melancholy but the truth was, I was just sick of this. I wanted to go home. I wanted to be where things made sense and where I was truly within my element. Maybe this was an adventure? Maybe this would be something people would give up their life for? To me, I was disappointing people, leaving my responsibilities. I needed to head back but I trapped here with nary a way to help. I felt as hopeless as when I had been working on Synchrony. Everyone here was more qualified than me, what could I accomplish? “I-It’s nothing”, I finally replied, heaving out a deep breath. “I think we should get some rest.” I turned my back on them and shut my eyes, trying to remember faces from Earth. My parent’s were indistinct and fuzzy, Angel’s was better defined but even Dmitri and Paul’s faces were just a blur and I felt small tears gather in the corners of my eyes. I miss you, my dear friends. I miss you mother and father. I miss you Angel, Paul and Dmitri… I miss you all… Luna gazed at my prone figure, unable to say a word. What would one even say in a situation like this? What would one do? Twilight and Pinkie reluctantly withdrew to their own small lounges in a gathering silence. The three ponies glanced at each other then at the sleeping human. And all of them were at a loss. ----- The morning came with an awkward silence that passed between the three ponies. I had sensed their distress but I was unable to think of anything fitting to say. I sighed. Emilia would be disappointed in me. “Okay, enough moping from me!” I belted out loudly, startling everypony from a saddened mood. Pinkie grinned widely and bounced up towards me. “Good to see you happy!” she squealed, wrapping me in a hug. I chuckled and ruffled her mane. Pinkie was just unendingly enthusiastic like that. “Moping around and being depressed is not going to help anyone”, I affirmed resolutely. Twilight cocked her head and replied cautiously, “Aren't you still upset?” I blew out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. I considered her question with care. I tried listening to my heart like Emilia had asked of me but I found a solid beat and not much else. Perhaps I was fine? “Nah, well yes, I guess I am but there’s no reason to drag everyone else down with me”, I explained, feeling a little sheepish. “Sorry about that, forgive me?” I added, apologising meekly. Pinkie grinned wider, if that was possible, and said something to the effect of ‘Yeperoonies’ or something. Luna nodded serenely while Twilight gave me a small smile of encouragement. I felt myself ease up a little, tension draining away. Emilia was right, it was good to have a few friends. I paused at that thought. Were these creatures truly my friends? Up until now I had been very casual with that phrase, neither inspecting it nor confirming it. It was strange. “You’re my friends, right?” I spoke out loud, before I could take that ridiculous question back. Luna smiled good-naturedly. “I supposed we are”, she replied with a small laugh. “That we are”, Twilight repeated. Pinkie pushed something into my mouth. “Cupcake?” It felt sweet. And I wasn't talking about the cupcake.