Blood Moon Rising

by Swift Ebony

Chapter 3 - A Calling

The cheery cacophony of notes spilled in through the window, breaking the still serenity of the room. It was morning. The unbroken melody of tweeting birds unmercifully dragged Luna out of her fantasies. Groaning, she buried her head deeper into the covers, trying to escape back into the her fantastic dreams, but it was no use. Luna blinked her crusted eyes open. She opened the day with a deep yawn and a scratch of her chest. Surprised she had the strength to even crawl out of bed, the princess of the night somehow dragged herself to the sink.

She turned on the faucet and splashed her face with a hoof-ful of water, shocking life back into her existence. Luna peered into the mirror. It was not all that dreadful, but what concerned her more was her injuries from last night. Luna gingerly ran her hoof along the stretch of skin where the wolf had bitten her, and her jaw dropped. I-It’s almost healed! I don’t recall ever completely healing it. I just ….what happened!? Her eyes widened as she poked at the now small scar. She moved closer to the mirror, hoping to get a better view.

“And I am quite certain I did not drink any alcoholic beverages the previous night,” Luna whispered under her breath, examining it further. The skin was no longer red nor raw, and the deep purple color of her fur was already returning. Stretching her neck, Luna eagerly squinted at it and continued her inspection, hoping for anything unusual to happen. Still, nothing. That is when Luna ears picked up to the sound of a rapping against her door. Without so much as a chance to answer the door, a panicked Kibitz burst through, causing Luna to jump in surprise.

“Princess Luna! You should have been awake 15 minutes ago! We have to meet with the Chief in 10 minutes! And we have to-,” he looked up at Luna’s scrunched face. “May I ask, what are you doing princess?”

“I was in the middle of inspecting my injuries... They look a bit-”

“Pish posh! It looks quite alright to me!” the elderly adviser replied. Luna rolled her eyes. She made sure to scowl at his meager response that contained not even a hint of concern for her.

“Now wait just a moment!” Luna said defensively. She wasn’t going to contend with Kibitz’s antics this early in the morning. “You don’t understand-”

“No, it is you who does not understand!” he interjected, adjusting his glasses back to their proper place after his outburst. He grabbed a handkerchief out of his breast pocket and quickly dabbed out the sweat running down his face “We have a schedule to keep, Princess Celestia expects us to be back in Canterlot before your supper time and we have yet to even meet with the Chief! Do you even know what time it is? I certainly do not want to be blamed for being tardy Princess Luna!”

Luna opened her mouth to respond, but she clenched her teeth instead. Calm yourself Luna. She knew knew full well that she cannot get through to him this time. Kibitz was giving her his I know what’s best for you tone, and both frustration and determination was painted all over his face.

“Now go on and clean yourself up!” Kibitz demanded, ushering her closer to the mirror. He quickly dashed water on the princess’s face and mane before sending a toothbrush flying into her mouth.

“B-but-”

“But nothing! I will be expecting you out this door to discuss the schedule for today in exactly three minutes, don’t keep me waiting.” In a flash, he dashed out and slammed the door shut behind him.

Luna groaned as loud as she could, hoping that the pony could hear him. “One of these days Kibitz! One of these days and you might just find yourself out of a job! I’ll...I’LL-” She shut her eyes and sighed deeply. Adding toothpaste to the brush, she looked into the mirror and began brushing her pearly whites squeaky clean. “I’ll end up doing nothing, that’s what… Kibitz can be quite helpful, I will admit that.” She opened the faucet and rinsed her mouth clean. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and picked up a brush with with her magic. “And perhaps I can receive some amount of joy by meeting with everypony again today.”

===

A set of lengthy discussions specifying trade, goals, regulations, and conduct between both political parties among other things soon followed and went on until the late afternoon. Needless to say, it was lengthy. To fit in every discussion as scheduled, the two leaders cut their lunch break severely short. Luna was just glad that the talks went as smoothly as they did and with minimal problems. However, the time to say goodbyes soon came to be. Many of the villagers bowed when they saw the alicorn striding across the village back to the train. The fillies from before waved enthusiastically when they caught sight of her and in return, she gave a curt smile. Matunaagd, Aloomse, Chief Askuwheteau, and a handful of elderly aides were the only ponies to personally see her off.

“It was a pleasure meeting you Princess Luna.” Aloomse stated in her elegantly gentle voice. Luna quietly recalled the events of last night in her mind. It was hard to believe that the sweet mare before her now could have ever incurred such misfortune. Aloomse closed her eyes softly and bowed deeply to the great alicorn. “And of course, I can never thank you enough for your help. I am eternally grateful. It was just unfortunate for you to sustain so many injuries… but surprisingly, you seemed well today your highness.”

“Ah, yes.” Luna responded, a little surprised to see how observant the mare was. “Yes, I am quite alright today. Your medicines seem to have done wonders for me, and a touch of magic always helps as well.”

The small mare nodded. “This is good to hear.” she answered, but then her eyes opened up in mild surprise as she continued. “Oh, but from what I have learned from your royal adviser Kibitz that your sister Princess Celestia seems a little...well, strict! Are you not worried she will say something?”

“Oh? Kibitz is just being Kibitz,” she giggled, covering her mouth with a hoof. “My dear Aloomse, he makes criticizing people an art. It’s from all the stress he puts on himself.”

Kibitz just snorted. “Time princess… we are quickly running out of it,” he impatiently hissed through his smile, but Luna ignored the pony.

“My sister can be quite the charmer. Perhaps you can visit us in Canterlot some time. It would be a delight to show you all our capital!” Luna exclaimed, a large grin plastered on her face.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea doesn’t it darling?”

“Of course it does,” Mat replied, holding his bride closer. “There is still much to be done to improve our life here. We will eventually have to follow up on today’s negotiations sometime in the future so why not have it in Canterlot? What do you think Chief Askuwheteau?.”

“I am fine with it, but what are your thoughts, Princess Luna?” the chief asked. “Our negotiations went well. I see no reason to not visit your kingdom. I would also like to see your lives, a large society beyond the endless trees that surround our humble village.”

“We can certainly hold our next meeting in Canterlot! This is wonderful, absolutely wonderful! I now have something to to look forward too! Oh, but I will have to consult my sister, but it should not be a problem.” Luna noted happily. For a moment they all just stood there smiling at each other, but Luna had to break the silence.
“Goodbye my friends. Until we meet again,” she whispered. The princess turned around and stepped onto the train, but spared a moment to look back at them. A hint of sadness gleamed in her eye. With a final wave, she, Kibitz, and the Captain boarded the train.

“So...how would you like to come along with me cutie?” Sergeant Aegis casually asked the young mare. He spotted the gorgeous, long maned beauty just as they were leaving for the train. He propped his hoof up against a post. “I am lonely stallion. I just wished I could have some companionship to warm me up on those cold nights, you know? So what do you say? Why don’t you come along? We just need to get on that train that’s leaving right now-ow ow ow ow!” The sergeant did a double take. He gaped at the train steaming out of the station. Inside the cab of the locomotive, Shimmering Might frantically urged the conductor to speed things up.

“H-Hey! W-Wait! Captain!” He yelled after the steaming locomotive. The sergeant barely took a few steps before he slipped and fell. As he struggled to get up, the mare he had been talking to covered her mouth and giggled, making the sergeant turn beet red with embarrassment. He opened his wings wide and dashed for the sky. “Hey Captain, wait up! I know you’re in there, darn it! CAPTAIN!!!”

===

Exactly one month has passed since my trip to Seneighca. It has not even been half a year and yet I still feel eagerness to reacquaint with my friends. And to my delight, sister accepted my proposal to hold our next set of negotiations concerning their sustainable development. In other words, more boring economic stuff. I shall let Kibitz handle these things. He has been getting on my nerves more than usual lately. Perhaps the new task will keep him from being more Kibitz-y.

*sigh* It is sunset now. As much as I love the night, I actually do enjoy Cely’s sunset. If she has time, she can make the most beautiful of colors with her sensitive touch. Still, I do not dare tell her that. That would only further add to her mild egotism that I have observed from her. *teehee*

It is getting to that time now isn’t it? The light is fading and I can barely see the words I’m scribbling down. I suppose today’s entry will just be a short one. It’s time to perform my favorite of all duties, the nightwatch on a full moon! It will certainly be a night to remember!

Luna lay down her quill on top the small desk and closed her diary shut, locking it with a special key. She took a moment to look at her workplace. It had become quite the mess, but nothing a little magic cannot fix. Pamphlets, scrolls, manuscripts and other miscellaneous flew in a fantastic flurry of white and black, swiftly soaring through the air and quickly returning to their proper places. Before leaving, Luna made sure to check her room just in case she was forgetting something. She scanned the elegantly, but simply decorated room.

There was nothing particularly valuable inside. A simple shelf kept her favorite novels and texts well organized and her small wooden desk was the only workspace she ever knew. In contrast, her bed was adorned in layers of the finest silk and cloth from the far reaches of Saddle Arabia. Truthfully however, she could care less what it was made of. Luna only cared that she had a bed. After a thousand years on the moon without a proper place to rest her head, any kind of bedding was a blessing.

The princess took a moment to cross the room to her nightstand and ignited her horn which immediately brightened the room substantially. She encased a small picture frame in a fine purple aura and gently lifted the picture up to look at. A small smile appeared on her face. The sun shone high above the horizon and cast a warm glow over the opulent flowers of the garden, bathing the two royal sisters in a sea of dazzling color. The day that picture was taken, Luna remained cooped up in her room and remained secluded from the world, refusing to meet anyone. Many tried to persuade the princess to come out, but they always ended up running away from her violent refusals to leave. She actually hated yelling. Everytime she did, she would hide under her sheets and cry. She no longer wanted to hurt ponies, but Celestia was was the only pony she would talk to without getting upset. She always wanted to say sorry to her, but many a time she couldn’t bring herself to even look directly into her deep lavender eyes.

It took some time, but Luna finally agreed to finally accompany her sister for sweets and tea that day. She was nervous and fearful at first, constantly twitching her head in different directions expecting to find somepony spying on them, but Celly assured her that they were alone in the garden. It was not until the end of the picnic when she finally calmed down. Luna forgot how wonderful it felt just spending time with her sister without a door separating them. It was also then Celly suggested they take the picture. Luna clutched her sister tight and then smiled awkwardly into the lens. “Thank you sister…”

Her sister never responded. But just before pressing the shutter with her magic, Celestia rubbed her cheek against against Luna’s, and that was all the answer she needed.

The princess placed the wooden frame back down by her bedside and grinned. I was such a nervous wreck back then wasn’t I? she thought to herself. She managed to let out a giggle as she shook her head while walking out toward the balcony. She stepped out onto the edge and then took off into the sky, flapping her large alicorn wings. If only my younger self could see me now.

As she soared over canterlot, the lights of the city began lighting up. Everywhere from the posh shopping districts to the different towers of the castle, ponies began illuminating the city. On one of the guard towers, a figure waved enthusiastically and Luna veered left to get a close look.

“Ohhh, Princess Luna!” the guard yelled as he jumped up. “You’re lookin’ gorgeous as always!”

The princess flew closer and then rolled her eyes Of course…, she sighed. No pony else would greet me in such a way besides the sergeant…

She forced a smile and waved back before quickly swooping down and between the taller buildings and towers, enjoying the thrill of passing nearby the hard and unforgiving objects. Luna would be lying if she told anyone she didn’t enjoy the thrill and rush of flying. If she hadn’t been born an alicorn, she would have been very disappointed to have been born just as a unicorn. Not that unicorn magic wasn’t useful, but having wings was real freedom. The wind in your face and euphoric sensation of just soaring through the air was utterly amazing.

Soon she cleared the last of the large walls that protected Canterlot. This is it, she grinned confidently. Time for a little fun!

The alicorn quickly dipped down and spiraled into a nose dive, narrowly escaping the jagged rocky side of the mountain and plunged down to the valley below at blinding speed. The wind rushed past her in a violent current and for a few moments she was deaf. The constant spinning was making her a little sick, but she wasn’t going to give up. No! Not yet… a few more seconds!

The ground drew nearer. Moments passed and she could no longer spot the horizon in her peripheral vision, only forest and hard unforgiving earth. Her eyes ran wet with tears and it hurt just keeping them open at the rate she was going, but it was too much for her.. She closed her eyes at the last second and pulled up hard 90 degrees. When open her eyes she was ecstatic beyond her belief.

“Ha….AHA! I did it!” she yelled gleefully as she skipped over the tops of the sea of evergreens. The small forest quickly turned into a large open field where a quiet homestead lay silent, chimney smoke rising to the heavens. A large grinned appeared on Luna’s face. “It has been far too long since I’ve done that, but it still looks like I’ve got it!” she laughed out loud as she flew gayly through the air.

Luna brought her speed down and gently lifted flight angle upwards up to the sky. She rose higher and higher, aiming for the stars above. It was a clear night, a lovely night with no pony else but her. The princess sighed. She was finally alone with it.

“Hello my friend…” she whispered, greeting the large object casually as if they knew each other all their life. Though, that statement was actually accurate. The moon had been her friend for as long as she can remember. Through both time of righteousness and evil, it had been there to listen to her. With it, she was never truly alone.

As the princess soared through the night, she gazed longingly at the large object as it threw a shimmering light over Equestria and all of the land, but something was wrong. She paused a moment to look at it. She cocked her head changed her course, flying toward it.

Luna, it called. Luna…

“A-are you speaking to me?” Luna whispered out loud, her breath drawing out puffs of smoke. She sailed high into the sky where the temperature started to decrease even further.

Stop, the voice commanded and Luna willingly obeyed.

To her, the Moon grew large, much larger than normal. The princess stared wide eyed at it, letting the image consume her, entrance her. Her heart longed for it, and felt her pulse rising. Sweat started to run down her brows and sides and her body started to ache. Luna wanted to move, but she couldn’t, she was stiff in her tracks. Her wings were the only thing keeping her afloat midair, but she was no longer in control of them.

The process was quickening and Luna began panicking. Her mind started to race and she didn’t know what to think. Her eyes darted left and right, but saw nothing save for the moon and its light. Her heart beat faster and deep inside she felt a sick feeling within as if a monster was wrestling with her stomach. And still, she could not move a muscle.

It happened suddenly. The monster within her burst and her body erupted in absolute agony as she started to fall to the ground. There are no words to describe the utter pain that Luna endured. Her body spasmed, twisting and breaking in impossible ways. The bones within her grew rapidly, much faster than any spell could have conjured up, swelling to ridiculous sizes. They grew rapidly and even tore through the skin, but flesh and muscle appeared out of nowhere and quickly surrounded it. Sinews wrapped and pulled tightly around her skeleton, rapidly multiplying in size. Her body grew threefold and her pain increased twice at least that. The wings on her back tore through away at her old skin and expanded into an incredible length, automatically generating new feathers and tough skin. Fangs and sharp teeth appeared out of her old teeth, razor sharp and shining in the moonlight. The next moment, her eyes burst open, but they were not hers. They shone an unnatural yellow and black. Her neck was the last to transform into monstrous size, enlarging to the size of a tree trunk. From it a long and deep howl erupted, echoing ominously over the land.

The creature crash landed with a loud thud on its atrociously large hooves. When the large dust cloud settled, it found itself surrounded by unfamiliar and misshapen trees. It glared at its surroundings. All eyes that had been on it disappeared quickly back into the safety of the darkness. Wereluna snarled, its blood hurtling through its veins, filled with bloodlust. She sniffed the air and gazed over the trees. Smoke rose up from a distance. THERE, GO THERE, it screamed to itself.

The creature broke into a swift run, and Celestia help any creature that crossed its path.

Author's Note:

DUN DUN DUN

I will be making a follow up journal later explaining what's been going on and the future of this story (nothing bad so no worries).

In any case, I hope you guys enjoyed this one :)

Comments

[Hairy Konquerer]

FFINALLY! Also.

Oh Crap Baskets

[Swift Ebony]

6571213 I know I know >.<

And yeah, it's a shorter chapter, but I was hoping to build a bit of tension aha

[Hairy Konquerer]

6571920 This is gonna be so fun...