The Steadfast Sky

by Greytercakes

XXV : Luna

The Steadfast Sky : Chapter 25
The Grey Potter
http://cosmicponyfanfiction.tumblr.com/
(And here's google docs for, um, readability)

~Luna~

They never came.

And I don’t know what I should think about that.

Should I have pushed myself harder? Stayed up later? Made the Element all beamy, spun around like a lighthouse? Were they stuck or trapped somewhere? Should I be looking to go find them? Was I being too hopeful, thinking they’d come to me when they saw my light?

All these questions just keep coming back, tapping at my brain, over and over. I couldn’t sleep. Maybe because my bed was so uncomfortable, or maybe because it bugged me. It bugged me a lot. Where was my sister? Where was my father?
Where was my father?

He could come and pick me up, take me home, back home to all my stuffed animals, to sleeping in the drawing room while he worked upstairs, tapping, tapping away at his paperwork. He smelled like old shoe varnish, I told myself. That’s what he smelled like as I played at his feet, nuzzling the hard nail of his hoof, rising almost all the way up his leg. That was my dad, tapping, tapping hard at work. My legs didn’t move right, but of course they wouldn’t, because I was so small. My legs were so short, all they could do was knock against the floor.

I dug my face into my dad’s leg, tap tapping away. My horn hit something stiff, something really hard. That’s my dad. A pillar. That’s what he is. One pillar blending into a dozen.

I blinked, world blurrying, and becoming clearer. Dad’s fur sure looks veiny... Or maybe that was just wood. When did my dad get a wooden leg?

Maybe that was just the wall.

Oh.

My knee knocked into the wooden planks, painfully stiff, prickling and hurting to move. I whined a little and forced it. It’s bad to just let it be like that...

But I still heard my dad, tap, tapping away.

I frowned. No, it was not my father. It must be some kind of bird or something, rapping at the window. I looked up to the ceiling, morning well on its way, light easily able to push through the white cloud city. But why would a bird be...? I wobbled to my feet, stiff, only just barely glancing at the window...

“Discord!”

The Draconequus vanished, and, wait, where’d he go? I shoved my face against the glass, trying to look down. There were more scraping and scratching sounds as Discord tried to claw his way back up the wall, wings flapping to try and keep him up. But it was him! He made it. He made it! He found me! Am I dreaming? It would be terrible if this was a dream too...

“You saw my signal?!” I shouted

There was a muffled reply, and a laugh, just... really light-like. I pushed my face against the glass and wondered if I could make myself hear better through it. It got warm, Discord’s snout meeting my ear.

“How do I get in?” he asked.

“Well I don’t know that!” I shout back, looking back at him. “If I knew how to get in, don’t you think I’d know how to get out?”

He frowned off to the sound, mouth moving, but words stopped short. I turned to listen, and--

“EEK! WHAT IS THAT?!” I was shoved away from the window, Discord vanished again, and Ms. Buttercup stood beside me, mane tangled, eyes wide, gong clanging in her mouth. She looked this way, that way, then down at me just as I finished wrapping shadows around my Element. “Luna, dear! Whatever are you doing here, what was that creature?!”

“Um... A... uh....” I stared up at the teacher, brains turned off. “I was um... asleep... and um...” Gosh, just say something! “Something!” I smiled, snout shivering.

“Well, it certainly was something!” Ms. Buttercup said, amused, shoving me down the hall, “You know you can get a cutie mark for illusions, if you try really hard...”

I trotted away slowly, staring back as Ms. Buttercup vanished into a doorway, staring past her, watching the windows.
Discord poked his head up, waved, then vanished again.

And I smiled.

A small smile.

~Θ~

So the day went on, all dull and dreary in even the simplest easy classes, with teachers who wouldn’t stop fawning as I tried very, very hard to maintain the shadows with subtlety. It was kind’ve giving me a headache, focusing on it for so long. I’d think, okay, this is it. But then I’d hear some ponies shouting, or look out the window and see a glimpse of a little red tail, or a poof of blue feathers, and it made everything just okay. Everybody was running around in a panic, guards were summoned, teachers were distracted... but they never caught him. And I couldn’t be more happy for that. I could take the dumb classes and the dumber teachers if it meant Discord was working to rescue me!

Right. I can take this.

It was around lunch, and I had a bit of time where no teachers would be watching me. I started to wander up and down some of the halls, trying doors and windows, noticing that barely any of them would budge. None of the windows looked like they opened at all, and most of the doors were locked... Really, despite having no one watching, there was only a few places I could go. The cafeteria, the dorm bedroom things, one of the classrooms...

And then there was a “Hey! Luna!”

I snapped to attention, peering around corners. There! I saw a little wavy paw, poking out from behind an open door frame.

“Over here!”

I charged into the classroom, the door slammed behind me, and a very familiar Draconequus ran right into me, hug all tight and prickly.

“I was wondering when you’d get in here!” I squealed, worming under his tight grasp.

“Yeah, it was no easy feat, I’ll tell you that!” Discord laughed, grinning like crazy. “But hang on a second...” He dropped me and moved to the door, looking in the cracks in the frame. “Make sure we’re not disturbed.” He grinned back at me, then scraped a claw over the frame, leaving behind a trail of what looked like cement. “So, holy crap, what is this place? None of the windows open, none of the locks I tried actually unlock when I zap them, there are guards everywhere...”

“Zap them? With what?” I think for a second, then start again, slowly. “Did you get electricity magic...?”

“No, no! I can zap em with my illusions! Reality’s Illusion!”

“So um...”

“You know how I didn’t get more shadow magic with my Element?” Discord interrupted, giddy, practically bouncing on his toes. “Well, I got this instead! Reality’s Illusion, it’s like... the illusion of touch!”

I looked around my friend still... frowning.

“How the crap is that going to hold the door shut?”

He deflated a little, looking at me out of one eye.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, an illusion’s like, a mind trick right? You can’t mind trick a door.”

“Not it’s...” his eyes flicked back to the door. “It’s actual, solid stuff.”

“Then that’s not an illusion it’s um... material...” I frowned. “You know what? You can call it whatever the hay you want, it’s just cool to have you here! Though...” I look him over, “You don’t have your necklace on you.”

“Pff, yeah.” He frowned down on himself. “This unicorn called Applebark has it, far as I know...”

“Applebark?” I asked. “I saw Applebark, she was trying to get my necklace...”

We were both silent for a moment. Why were we?

“You think they know?” I blurted out.

“Yeah...” Discord said slowly. “Yeah, they’ve gotta know what these are... Though if they did, why’d they let you keep yours?”

“Probably ‘cuz I stole it back.”

Discord grinned. “Good. Um, anyway,” he waved the subject away, “I finally got in here by sneaking in the kitchens. A chef propped open a door to bring some crates through... Almost got caught like a half a dozen times, but with your shadow magic, I’m sure we can sneak right back out of here! So let’s go!”

“Yeah!” I trotted forward a few steps, then stopped. “Wait no. No, I can’t.”

“Uh, No?”

“I’ve gotta stay here, Discord, just for a few more days. Then we can go.”

“Why?” Discord whined, leaning in close to me. “Why the crap do you want to stay here?”

“It’s... my father.” I stared at my hooves. Same color as his hooves... “Pockets told me that my father’s in the city, and he’s trying to get ahold of him.”

Discord looked confused. That didn’t... I didn’t like the look of that. I don’t know why, but I didn’t.

“How did he wind up here...?”

“I dunno. I thought you’d know.” I glanced up, “When... ponies get taken to the castle... Do they sell them?”

Discord almost laughed. A nervous, quick exhale before he stopped looking at me, smirking sideways.

“Well uh...”

“So, they don’t?” I didn’t think they did... but...

“Well, uh... I’ve never heard of it, but maybe!” He shrugged, jerking his arms upward, stiff. “Hey, if you want to wait for your dad, we can just--”

“Does ‘never heard of’ it mean it never happens?”

Discord was silent, sideways grin faltering away. He nodded, looking right at me.

“Yeah, it never happens. This Pockets, he’s either mistaken, or he’s lying to you. So!” With a wave of his paw, the cement around the door vanished. “Let’s get going while--”

“So then,” I squeaked. “What did happen to my father?”

There was a moment of silence, too long of a moment. Why did it feel too long? I frowned at the feeling. Stop being... silly! Discord’s back remaining turned to me. I watched him breathe, fur along his back prickling a little, standing on end. He looked at me over his shoulder, still trying to smile.

“We’re kind’ve in a rush here Luna! And, well, Celestia’s not here, either. I don’t want to tell this story twice. Why don’t we wait until we find her?”

I stood firm. “No. No, you’re just going to keep avoiding the topic and hoping we forget.”

“Luna.” Discord nervously scratched his foreleg, took a deep breath, then placed both of his forefeet on my shoulders, gripping them tightly as he stared at me, right in the eye. “Luna, I really, really don’t want to hurt you.”

“It hurts me more when you try and find an excuse to lie,” I stated. Simple. It’s very simple.

“Ouch, Luna.” Discord laughed nervously.

“I’m serious!”

“He...”

“He what?”

“Don’t...” Discord shook his head. “He died, Luna. All the ponies taken to the castle die. They’re held for maybe a week tops before they get killed.”

Okay. Okay, that made a whole lot of sense. I guess I kind’ve assumed that already. So now there’s no reason to...

“So...” I squeaked. “So my dad is dead?”

“Well...”

“TELL ME!”

“Yes, Luna, geez! He’s dead, alright?! Good enough?”

“Well that’s...” I fell quiet, looking inside, thinking, feeling a bit dizzy, like the room was leaning forward, all of a sudden. Why? Why why why?

“Luna?”

“I guess I already kind’ve assumed that? I mean,” I shook my head, feeling my brains flop back and forth. “My dad’s always been... dead anyway. This doesn’t change much, in the end. Just gives me another reason to leave, right?”

“Right! So! Let’s get going!”

“But...”

Discord spun on me, face contorted into a face that just screamed ‘why?!’ right back at me.

“You know, this was a really, really great day! I got a new magic, I’ve been all clever in avoiding the guards, I found you. Man, things were great today! Then you just bring up death and despair and...” His face snapped down into a frown, staring downward. “I didn’t like that place, Luna! I hated it! It may hurt to hear about it, but darnit, I don’t want to think about it either!”

My face felt really, really tight. I felt... I felt, I don’t know what to think about this. Celestia? She would have an answer... Or...

“That’s...?”

He snapped his teeth a little, making a disgusted sound. “Bah! Total buzzkill. I mean... bah!” He spun on me. “Can we leave now or what?!”

“I need to go get my stuff...” I said quietly.

“Sure, fine, but let’s just get going.”

I stepped into the hallway, snapping shadows around us.

What do I think of this?

Of any of it?

~Θ~

“Well,” Discord peeked around the alleyway’s corner, and popped back, “Looks like it’s going to be hard sneaking around in the middle of the day.” He frowned. “Guess we’re stuck waiting her until nightfall. you alright with that, Luna?”

“Why’d you break me out of there if we weren’t going to go anywhere?”

Discord stared at me. “I dunno, I thought you hated it.” He grinned, “No way I was going to leave you there for even another hour!”

“Yeah, I did hate it. It was terrible.”

“Um... okay?” He settled down beside me, sneaking into the shadows. It didn’t feel right having him near me. I didn’t want him close. I wanted my sister to save me. Not... not... Why was I feeling like this? So angry and bottled up, staring at the school until it went all blurry...

“Geez, Luna.” Discord looked over me, confused. “What’s wrong?”

And then, my entire face seized up.

“Being... I’m being stupid, that’s what’s wrong!” I snort and look over at the school. “I keep thinking that maybe I’ll see my dad just walking up to the doors, looking for me. I kind’ve want that to happen too. I don’t know why. I’ve never seen him before, or have any kind of connection or anything...”

Discord chuckled lightly. “He’s not going to, he’s...”

“DON’T LAUGH ABOUT THIS!” Discord stared down at me, eyes wide. “My... my dad is dead, Discord...”

“I... you said it didn’t upset you that much.”

“I didn’t think it would! It shouldn’t, it’s stupid! I don’t know why I’m crying... but... all I had was a color. All I had was, was my color. Now I don’t have anything...!”

“Luna! Don’t yell” Discord said, looking around nervously.

Discord was silent for a long time after that, blurry. Why was I crying? I don’t cry. Why did this matter? Celestia was my family, she’s all I’ve ever needed. I’m a happy filly and this never mattered. Who cares about some stranger, some stranger I never met, who never... never loved...

I sobbed.

“Luna, Luna please... calm...”

“NO!” I said, gritting my teeth together to make the tears stop. I’m not crying, and I’m not sad and THIS IS STUPID I AM CALM.

Discord reached a paw over to stroke my mane, to comfort me, but as soon as he did my stomach churned, and I drew back before I even knew what I was doing. “DON’T TOUCH ME.” I screamed at my friend, voice strained. He was only trying to help, why couldn’t I just let him? These were things I needed to here!

His hand froze, frown snapping tight, snapping angry.

“Why are you acting like this?!” he shouted back. Hypocrite! “He’s dead. You said nothing’s changed!”
“Everything is changed.” I squealed, “He didn’t leave us, we wern’t abandoned. He wanted to see me again.” Before I even thought it through, the words hit me, just as I said them, along with everything that they meant. The alleyway was spinning, maybe because my legs were made of jelly, unable to hold me up.

“Well that’s a good thing, isn’t it?!” the frustrated Discord blur asked. He was sounding angrier, like he did at the school. He didn’t care then either! “‘Yay, you had a happy family and they loved you.’ Why can’t you be happy with what you have?!”

“BECAUSE YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME” I screamed at him. I guess I was trying to walk because I stumbled into a wall. Stupid stupid stupid. Where did I think I was going?!

“No!” Discord yelled back at me. “That’s not fair Luna, that’s not fair. I didn’t take anything from you, so don’t lay this on me. You said you’d hurt more if I didn’t say, but that wasn’t true, was it?! You’re treating me like I killed him or something!”

“WELL MAYBE YOU DID!”

“I did NOT!”

I couldn’t think, not any more. I didn’t want to hear it, I didn’t want to talk. I think Discord was making sounds, but they weren't words. The Element on my neck burned so badly, and my jelly legs felt like four back hooves, tripping all over the place. I just wanted to be somewhere else, anywhere else. Not here, not now, not this.

Everything turned to shadows, cool and dark, and then I was alone. No Discord... just ponies wandering the streets, ignoring me.

I threw up my lunch and cried.

~Θ~

I don’t know how long I just layed there. A few hours I guess? I just knew I was all cried out, and I just couldn’t anymore. My eyes could not be blurry again but my head was still empty. I stood up and started walking through wherever I was. Still Stringhalt at least, but not on the hill, nowhere nice. The alleys were dirty, full of yuck and garbage, and the ponies that walked by were really, really quiet. I didn’t know where I was going, I just walked, turned, walked, turned. Trying to get somewhere.

There were voices, colts’ and fillies’ voices one way, so it was the way I decided to go. Even if it was the school again, anything would be better than going nowhere at all. Then I turned the corner, and I saw her. That while coat, dirty and grungy, and the cutie mark of a blazing sun, standing among a ton of little colts like a determined general.

“Celestia!” I cried.

She turned, looked at me and froze.

I started trotting towards her, one foot in front of the other. But she charged for me, and reached me way faster, talking on and on, even though I couldn’t make out what she was saying. I just rested my head against her neck and listened to the silly sounds in her throat, hearing her voice without words.

I still had family. And we had found each other.

I thought I was all cried out... but I guess I was wrong.

Comments

[TheManWithTwoNames]

Oohhh... Poor Wunaa...

[skyscraper123]

393560So sad. Loony Luna is sad

[Kriss7352]

... but Discord did not kill him!

[Neon Borealis]

So... Luna teleported out of the school... leaving Discord inside with all those guards and the like.

I'm sure he can handle that.

[General Spritz]

Well, that was a short chapter.

[Linkfan197]

dont cry woona...

[Rainy Meadows]

Poor Luna

[TimeWarp]

So....Like did they just keep ponies at the castle for a week and kill them, or do they eat them or what? Half of me doesn't want to know... But anyway, great chapter! Can we see the return of Sheen the dragon in a later chapter?

[Zweiterversuch]

400057

They eat them. Remember when Discord went get some lunch, back at the very beginning of the fic?
That piece of meat...that was pony meat. I'm 100% sure of that.

But! I think their parents didn't die like that. Something else happened to them.

[Brancake]

"I started trotting towards her, one foot in front of the other. But she charged for me, and reached me way faster, talking on and on, even though I couldn’t make out what she was saying."
Again, "hoof", not foot

[corona320]

Emotional plot fillies. Always thinking they know what they want. Poor Luna ignorance is bliss .