//------------------------------//
// Fear and Blaming in Ponyville 
// Story: Friendship is Aura 
// by KangTheGuardian 
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	”And then, Ninja Mister came crashing down on the big, scary dragon like a spear of justice! He was like 'Ninja art: Secret Hoof-bump technique'! Oh wait, he doesn’t have hooves, does he? Anyway, the dragon was like 'NOO! I just got the worst tummy ache ever'! And then the ground shook, making my voice sooound aallll siiilly! I was so shocked that I-“

Young fillies were gathered around Pinkie Pie, listening intensely to her story. Most of them couldn’t catch everything the pink pony was saying due to her own excitement. But they were awe inspired at hearing how someone had actually managed to defeat a full-grown dragon in battle.

It hadn’t taken long after the battle before balloons, confetti, and decorations covered every inch of the Town Square. Cakes, drinks, and snacks seemingly appeared out of nowhere as Pinkie announced her "Ninja Mister Saved the Day!" party. Everypony was now eating, drinking, dancing, and singing to their hearts' content.

Lucario himself sat at one of the largest tables. His friends and other ponies sat around him as they discussed his heroic act. He didn’t pay much attention to them. He was too occupied trying out all the different desserts that were spread around the table. He wasn’t really gluttonous, but their great taste almost seemed to make him stop noticing anything around him. He was so busy eating that he didn’t even mind or notice Fluttershy sobbingly hugging his torso.

“Oh Lucario, I-I was so worried. When I heard that you flew off to face that scary dragon, I just didn’t know what to… Oh, thank Celestia that you’re all right.” She again broke down in tears and hid her face in his fur. Lucario just nodded in response, seemingly by reflex. Applejack, who was sitting next to them, rolled her eyes and patted the pegasus’ back.

“Aw come on, sugarcube, are you still on about that? Lucario is just fine. There isn’t even a scratch on him! Now come back up here and finish your plate before Rainbow hogs it.”

“I would hog it?!” Rainbow replied a couple of chairs away. “I think you should worry more about Lucario! He’s the one who has been eating non-stop.”

“I do think that he deserves it, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity spoke from the other side of the table. “He did just face down a dragon all on his own. Even I would feel the need to stuff my stomach after something like that, and trust me: I’m VERY careful of my eating habits.”

“Yeah, we kinda noticed.” Rainbow gestured towards Rarity’s plate. Her piece of the cake was almost untouched. “Anyway, I still think I could’ve mopped the floor with that dragon myself.”

“Weren’t you the one who ran and hid behind me in line when we saw the dragon’s fire?” A purple colored pegasus with a wild, light blue mane asked her.

“Cloudchaser!” Rainbow burst out. Cloudchaser and her sister Flitter just giggled at her reaction.

“It’s all right, Rainbow.” Twilight tried to reassure her friend over the table. “Believe me, we were all scared.”

Rainbow scoffed and looked over at Lucario. “I’m sure he wasn’t,” she said quietly to herself.

“No frownie-downies at this party, Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie suddenly appeared behind Rainbow and dragged the corners of her mouth up into a smile. “Now cheer up! I even turned your favorite song on karaoke for you!”

Sure enough, the strings of an electric guitar soon started playing from the speakers. Rainbow recognized the song immediately. It was one of the greatest hits from her favorite band, Pegacrush 40. She definitely needed to raise her spirits a little. She grabbed hold of the microphone Pinkie was holding and dashed up to the stage in front of the Town Hall. She turned around towards the audience just in time to start singing.

I don’t care what you’re thinking as you turn to me!
‘Cause what I have in my four hooves is enough to set me free!
I can fight the feeling to resist it all the time!
But when it’s just too much to take you sneak up from behind!

She cast a glance over at Lucario during this line before continuing.

Is it me, you say, you’re looking for?
Let me show you who I am and what I’m here for!
Here for…!

She then let out a loud “HEY!” which most of the audience joined in on before she reached the refrain of the song.

Try to reach inside of me!
Try to drain my energy!
Let me show you just
What I’m made of!
Simple curiosity
Try to take a bite of me!
Let me show you just
What I’m made of nooow!

As she continued singing she felt her confidence returning. That’s right. She was still Rainbow Dash, the fastest flier in Equestria. She knew that she could show Lucario a thing or two if she was given an opportunity. And an opportunity she had in mind.

Lucario had finally finished eating and watched the scene in awe. He turned towards Twilight.

“I never expected her to be such a good singer,” he admitted.

“Good singer? What are you talking about? Everypony in Equestria is a good singer,” Twilight answered somewhat puzzled. Her confusion was nothing compared to Lucario’s.

“You mean everyone can sing as well as she can? The rest of you girls too?”

“Of course! We make up our own songs almost every day. Why, is it not the same in your world?” 

Lucario blinked a few times at Twilight’s statement. It sounded like singing was the most natural thing in the world to her. Finding the thought somewhat amusing, he chuckled to himself. His new home wasn’t going to cease surprising him anytime soon. As Rainbow’s song ended, he didn’t see her pointing her hoof towards him during the final line.

Let me show you just
What I’m made of!





The rest of the day passed quickly. The sun soon disappeared over the horizon while the moon rose to take its place. One by one, the villagers left the party to hit the hay for the night. Pinkie’s parties certainly had a tendency to exhaust them. Not to mention that the day had been rather eventful and tiring overall.

Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy had offered Lucario a place to stay in their homes, but he had declined. As the village’s new guardian, he insisted on acting as a night guard. He had also told them about his preference to sleep outside. While they respected his wishes, they wanted to help him with eventually building his own house.

“I’ve read about houses that have one-way transparent ceilings. It would look like a normal roof from the outside, but you would be able to see the sky from the inside. That way you could feel like sleeping outside while also being protected from poor weather,” Twilight had suggested during their talk.

“Not to stomp on such a great idea or anything Twilight, but that sounds mighty expensive,” Applejack replied.

“Oh, it’s just a magical spell that unicorn construction workers offer to rich ponies willing to pay. I’m sure that if I studied enough, I could learn and use the same spell for free,” Twilight answered confidently. She knew it would take many nights of practice, but it was worth it for a new friend. It would also make good progress on her magic training.

Lucario would be lying if he said that he wasn’t touched by their willingness to help. He had only known them for two days, and they were already planning ahead as if he was to stay here forever. Not that I have any objections to that, he thought to himself as he listened to their ideas.

The girls eventually bid him goodnight and returned to their houses. Instead of sleeping under the tree in the Town Square, Lucario chose to move his sleeping spot. He found another tree on top of a hill just outside of Ponyville. It overlooked the village almost like a watchtower, which served his new duties perfectly. As he sat down, he activated his Aura Sense and scanned the village. He could sense everyone sleeping peacefully in their homes. Apart from a few wild animals, he could sense no one suspicious walking around the streets.

He turned his gaze towards the forest next. The borders were clear, and he couldn’t sense anything dangerous within the shadows. Razorfang had left a long time ago, again disappearing into whatever hiding place he came from. Lucario was certain that the dragon wouldn’t threaten Ponyville again. However, he would surely return to challenge him to another duel. Hopefully that duel would be a more honorable one.

Lucario was about to finish up his search when he noticed a familiar energy approaching him from above. He deactivated his Aura Sense and watched the skies. Soon enough, a dark blue figure came into view and landed next to him.

“Good evening, Princess Luna.” Lucario stood up and bowed his head to the mistress of the night.

“Good evening, Lucario,” Luna replied. For a moment, the two stayed silent. Their greeting had been normal enough, but something about it made both of them feel rather awkward.

“Have you rested up? You seemed rather tired when we spoke yesterday,” Lucario broke the silence.

“I-I’ve already told you that I’m never tired during the night!” Luna replied a lot fiercer than she intended. Lucario’s somewhat amused grin made her sigh in defeat. “If you must know, I’ve slept through the entire night and almost the entire day. I guess spying- I mean, observing you for so long without a rest took its toll on me.”

Lucario laughed. He had definitely heard the "spying" part of her sentence. He quieted down before Luna could reprimand him.

“I’m sorry for causing enough stress for you to do that. Although, I still think reverting to stalking was unnecessary. But enough of that. Why are you visiting me today, Princess?”

“Well…” Luna’s eyes gazed off in another direction. “You did say that I could come to talk with you whenever I wished, and I wanted to discuss today’s rather… active events.”

“You mean the dragon attack?”

Luna’s head dropped somewhat. “As I said, I was asleep almost the entire day. I only heard of it from my sister less than two hours ago. The thought of such a monster hurting my subjects just-”

“The village is safe, Princess. No one was hurt during the incident. There’s no need for you to worry about it anymore,” Lucario reassured her.

Luna looked down at the ground for a moment before turning back to Lucario. “Thank you.”

Lucario tilted his head curiously at her. “For what, Princess?”

“It was you who fought and defeated the dragon singlehandedly. You saved the entire village and everypony living there. If you hadn’t been there…” She shook off the troubling images and bowed her head down in gratitude. “Thank you, Lucario.”

Lucario stared at her for a few seconds before answering. “It was no trouble, Princess.”

Luna raised her head back up. For the first time since he met her, he could see a small smile on her face. She then walked to the edge of the hill and sat down, watching the night sky. She found it strange that she was suddenly so relaxed around the Pokémon. But he had risked his life to save her little ponies, even though he just arrived in Equestria a few days ago. She couldn’t help but to respect and admire him for his selflessness. Lucario stayed under the tree for a few moments before walking up to her.

“I don’t know if I should find it weird or normal that the mistress of the night likes watching her own sky so much,” he said upon sitting down next to her. “Does your sister like watching the sky during her day as well?”

“You know, now that you mention it, I don’t think so.” She released a small giggle. “That would look rather weird now that I think about it.” She quieted down and looked up once again. “I created the stars and the moon over a thousand years ago. It’s like a painting to me. Almost every night, I make small changes to it as I see fit. Maybe make one star shine somewhat more or less. Perhaps remove a star all together and make another one somewhere else. I somehow never grow tired of it.”

A sudden thought crossed her mind and she turned to her companion. “What about your world? Did someone create the night there as well?”

Lucario thought for a moment before answering. “I actually don’t know. In my world, there are certain Pokémon of greater power that we call Legendary Pokémon. We know that some of them created the universe and the planet. Some of them even control supernatural forces like space, time, and dimensions. But I actually don’t know how the night and day came to be. I only know that there are two Pokémon called Cresselia and Darkrai that represents the moon, dreams, and nightmares.”

“I see…” Luna replied. The word "nightmare" lingered in her mind, causing her smile to turn into a frown. She forced her smile back before Lucario noticed. “To return to why I like watching my own night, I think it’s also because it’s like an old friend of mine. Apart from my sister, it is the only thing that has stayed with me during all these years. Ponies may come and go, and the very world around us may change. But every time I feel like I’ve lost something, I just need to look up. The night sky will always be there to greet me, so that I’ll never feel alone.”

Lucario studied her in silence after her explanation. He remembered the story Razorfang had told him after their battle. “I wish the dragon could have seen things like that as well.”

Luna was taken off-guard. “T-The dragon? What do you mean?”

“The reason he challenged me and attacked the village in the first place was because he felt forgotten. He thought that after living for so many years, nobody would eventually remember him. He wanted to prove himself to the animals in the forest so that they would fear and tell stories about him forever.”

Luna was silent next to him. At first he thought that she either was thinking of something or watching the sky again. It was only when he turned to her that he noticed her wide open eyes staring at him.

“What… did you say?” She asked him. Her voice was suddenly dark and filled with barely controlled anger. Lucario’s own eyes widened in reaction to her sudden change of mood.

“He CHALLENGED you?! That was the reason for why he attacked Ponyville?! He was after you?!” Luna suddenly stood up and backed a few steps away from him. Lucario also stood up, trying to explain.

“He heard of me from the other animals in the forest. But I-”

“SILENCE!” Luna’s voice suddenly exploded in a thunderous volume. Lucario found himself stepping backwards from the force. “DOST THOU MEAN TO TELL US THAT IF THOU HADST NEVER COME TO EQUESTRIA, THE BEAST WOULDN’T HAVE ATTACKED?! ART THOU MEANING THAT THOU ART THE ONE TO BLAME FOR PUTTING PONYVILLE IN DANGER IN THE FIRST PLACE?!”

Lucario was speechless. He lifted his arm in an attempt to calm Luna down, but she ignored him.

“WE KNEW FROM THE MOMENT THOU CAME HERE THAT THOU WOULD BRING NOTHING BUT DISASTER AND DESTRUCTION UPON THE LAND! WE WARNED OUR SISTER SO MANY TIMES, YET SHE CONTINUED TO DOUBT US! BUT TODAY, WE HAVE PROOF THAT THYNE PRESENCE ONLY SERVES TO PUT OUR LOYAL SUBJECTS IN PERIL!”

“Luna, I-” Lucario started, but Luna flew up into the air and continued yelling.

“WE SHALT ONLY TELL THEE THIS ONCE, MONSTER! LEAVE PONYVILLE! LEAVE EQUESTRIA AND HIDE IN A FAR-OFF PLACE WHERE THOU MAY NEVER ENDANGER US AGAIN! THOU DON’T BELONG HERE, AND THOU NEVER WILL!”

Magic erupted from her horn as Luna teleported away, her yells still echoing over the village. Several ponies opened their doors and windows to see what had just happened. On the top of the hill, they could see their new guardian standing frozen in-place. Lucario hardly noticed when Twilight suddenly teleported next to him.

“Lucario, are you okay?! What happened? I recognized that voice shouting. Was that-”

“Nothing,” Lucario cut her off. He was still staring at the spot where Luna had disappeared. “It was nothing.”

The hateful whisper of a dark figure from the past passed through his mind.

“You know what they call someone like you? A monster.”





Luna materialized outside her bedroom in Canterlot. Her guards didn’t jump at her sudden appearance. She always teleported here so that they would know when she returned. They were still surprised to see her back so early.

“Your highness, you’ve already returned? Is everything all right?” one of them asked.

“I’m fine,” Luna replied. She was slightly out of breath and she sounded rather upset. “I’ll retire for the night, Darkwing. Make sure no one bothers me.”

“Of course, your highness” The guard replied. “Although, you arrived at a very convenient time. Princess Celestia is waiting inside and wishes to have a word with you.”

Perfect! Now I can finally convince her! Luna thought to herself. She didn’t find her plan nearly as exciting as she was expecting though. “Very well. I’ll go and see her now.”

Darkwing bowed and let her pass through the door. None of the candles were lit inside, leaving the room in darkness. Being the Princess of the Night, she could still see her sister standing by her bed.

“Oh, there you are, my sister. I’ve been waiting for you,” Celestia said upon noticing her.

“Sister, I must speak with you! I just returned from Ponyville and-” Luna was interrupted by Celestia hushing her with a hoof.

“We can talk all you want later, sister. But you look awfully tired. Please, have some rest, I insist.” She gestured over to the bed with her wing.

“I just woke up a few hours ago, sister,” Luna reminded her. “And I really don’t think I can sleep before we…”

Luna suddenly yawned, and a great exhaustion fell upon her. She blinked her eyes sleepily and began walking towards the bed.

“That’s right, sister. Just take some rest. You deserve it.” Celestia levitated the blanket over Luna once she fell head-first into the bed. The darkness obscured the grin that crossed the sun princess’ face. “I’ll take care of everything from here…”

To be continued…