1000 Years

by Paraturtle

Chapter 4 (Days 13,236-13,237)

I’m afraid of what’s ahead. I’m so young, and afraid to grow up. I don’t want to screw myself over and end up in debt. I don’t want to push my Natalie away. I don’t know if I’m ready to take responsibility.

Maybe this Summer I could just escape for a little while. I still have a few more years of high school, so I don’t need to fret so much. I can afford a short break, right? Maybe I’ll walk through the neighborhood. I’d have to hide from the gangs, of course. I could check out some neat forests near me. But then again, there are prostitutes and pot heads there. Of course, I could also step up to the challenge, and face my problems head on.

Escaping is fun, though. It’s like a game of cat and mouse, except with ourselves.

Day 13,236

“Four thousand eight hundred and twenty-four.” Luna fell backwards onto her bed and looked up at the ceiling. “That’s how many books We’ve read.” She used her magic to pick up the piles of books around her bed. She was tired of reading, so she proceeded to throw each book out her window. It hadn’t been opened, and the glass shattered as she shoved the books out into the cold night air. Snow brushed its way in and settled itself onto her floor. Shivers danced along her body, and she got out of bed. Only three hundred books had gotten their way out the window before she switched gears. It was cold, so she reached out for the jacket Reggie had given her a while back. It was white with black lining and riddled with pockets; why Reggie thought it needed so many, she had no idea. It had a soft, thick inside with a hood. He knew she was going to be stubborn and keep the sun away, so he made it an extra warm jacket.

Luna zipped it up and pulled the hood over her head. She stuffed her mane into the back of the hood to keep it from blowing around. She stepped outside the window staring across the snow covered land. Ice reflected the stars from below. She clipped the lantern she usually left outside onto her jacket and hopped off the balcony. Her wings spread wide, bringing her to a soft landing. Her hooves still slipped on the ice and she fumbled for balance. She decided it might be best to hover above the ground rather than walk. Luna’s wings opened once again and she rose above the pathway.

There were times over the last thirty-six years when Reggie would step into her world unannounced. Most of those times, Luna was so invested in her story that she asked Reggie to come back later. He would leave, but then show up under the same circumstances. On the off-chance that she wasn’t invested in the story yet, Luna and Reggie would spend hours discussing specific elements to each story she had read. Reggie spent a lot of time reading with her, so it felt like an endless book club. Now she was tired of reading, and wasn’t sure what to do next. Back to square one.

She hovered through cold Canterlot, but wished for Reggie to accompany her. He had many other guests to attend too, Luna knew that. She wished he would at least stop by once a week. Luna decided she would ask that next time. She stopped, pulled a one-eighty, and decided to head back to her room and relax. It was too cold to enjoy the outdoors. The lack of sun and the amount of snow made it unbearable. Flying up to her window, she found that it had been fixed. ‘Thank you, Moon.’ The Moon seemed to do little things like that: fix windows, clean her room, and fold her clothes.

As quick as Luna opened the window, she shut it behind her and threw off the jacket. It landed on her bed as she shook her coat clean of snow. Books were neatly stacked in her room again, even the ones she had thrown out the window. ‘We are not planning on reading another book anytime soon, Moon, but thank you, again.’ She sat in the middle of her room, brushed her mane off to the side, and thought of something to do. Prison was boring.

Standing up, she headed over to the bathroom. Her tail had grown long, and it was getting caught underneath tables and chairs. Luna looked through all the cabinets and drawers for a pair of scissors. Like always, they had been in the last drawer she opened. She then laid herself across the ground to view her tail easier. Using magic, she lifted the scissors and placed them near her tail. She checked certain lengths, just in case one might look better than the other. Finally, she decided on a shorter cut, and ended with a short tail. She whipped it against the ground and brushed the severed hairs across the floor. Regret swiftly flew through her mind, and she rested her head on the bathroom floor. ‘It’ll grow back in no time,’ She thought.

Luna stood up, remembering that it wasn’t very lady-like to lie on the bathroom floor. Looking in the mirror, she saw her tiara was lopsided. Generally, she didn’t enjoy wearing it. After a month of her sentence, though, she had changed her mind. Even if she was sent to the Moon for one thousand years, she was still a Canterlot Princess. Luna snipped off a couple hairs in her mane that were quite long, and then exited the bathroom.

Luna looked over to her hall door: it was ajar. She didn’t remember ever opening it. She hoped the only time it would open was when Reggie would trot in. Maybe he was peeping in on her. She wouldn’t put it past him; he had tendencies to goof around in awfully weird and inappropriate ways, though it was all in good fun, of course. Luna stepped over to the door and was about to shut it when she saw Reggie’s grotto. Lanterns lay lit and doors wide open, just as she had seen it years ago. She felt overwhelmed by its massive size. This was only her second time seeing this place. Luna saw to the left of her an extension to her platform. She slowly stepped out of her room and went to look at where the extension led. It was a large staircase.

She looked at where it led, and saw the door she had entered her first time out of her cell. She could only see the walkway and some grass. Luna looked back at her door. Reggie told her not to enter any other cell without him. But there was nothing to do, or at least that she would like to do. Luna stepped to the stairs and looked down once more. She could see the grass sway in a breeze. It looked inviting.

Within a short few seconds, Luna felt the breeze sneak its way under her jacket. She was inside this new world. The sun shone through heavy set clouds floating in a purple sky. It was too hot and humid to wear her coat, so she took it off and hung it on the door handle. The words from before were still etched into the concrete path. She read them as she trotted down the path: forgotten, misshapen, forever, young, hidden, soft, gone, underneath, great, glutton, dissipate, venture, and others she couldn’t make out.

Luna looked up at the canopy of leaves. She was only a few meters from the forest now. Behind her was the mansion she had seen before, when Reggie shut the door on her. The door was still wide open. She could turn back if she wanted to, but this world was already so much more interesting than hers. Luna pressed forth towards the edge of the forest. She was at the end of the walkway, and only one word was written in the last square: Welcome.

‘Is that for Us?’ Luna looked closer at the word. It seemed the carving was newer than the others. She shook her head, and stepped over the word into the forest. ‘Well if it says welcome, somepony must be expecting Us.’

It was at least thirty degrees colder underneath the trees. The sun wasn’t beating down on her coat anymore; she felt comfortable. The trees took heavy breaths as she continued forward. With each breath, leaves fell from the trees, blanketing their own roots. Cracks and crunches escaped beneath her hooves as she stepped forward. Some leaves fell in her hair. At first she brushed them off, but then let each leaf just land in her mane. ‘It’s good We cut Our tail before coming here. Leaves would get caught in it so easily.’ As she thought that, a leaf landed right at the root of her tail. She turned her head to look at it, and tried blowing it off, but it stayed still. She shook her tail back and forth, but it only fell in between each hair. She rolled her eyes and continued forward.

The trees thickened as Luna pressed on. Streaks of sunlight shone through the breaks between branches. Every now and then, Luna paused to look through to the sun. She shut her eyes and let the sun overwhelm her. Being in the cold for so many years, it was nice to be warmed to the core. She opened her eyes as a cloud passed over the sun. She continued her journey.

Luna wondered if Reggie had any idea where she was. It was quite possible he was panicking and running all over for her. It was also possible that he was still attending to his other guests. Either which way, Luna wanted to explore further. ‘Who knows. Maybe We’ll find the missing prisoner.’

For a long while, all Luna found were more trees, more leaves, and more pockets of sun. It was nice though, exploring a new area for a change. Luna had grown up in Equestria, so being imprisoned in it wasn’t anything new. It already felt like a prison, what with her sister being so power hungry. ‘She wasn’t being power hungry, just trying to be logical,’ Luna thought to herself as she walked, eyes to the leaves below her. ‘But she needs to share more often! The skies aren’t just hers! There’s a Sun and a Moon for a reason, but the Sun always gets to stay up longer!’ She began trotting again, a bit tense from her solo conversation.

‘But We could have just talked to her?’

‘Yeah, We could have talked to her after We took control over the great skies!’

‘But she’s Our sister, and Equestria’s head leader.’

‘So are We! We may not hold the royal crown that she owns, but We are just as royal as she is! We need to be
stronger next time!’

Luna stopped walking and sat down, letting her head relax between her forelegs. ‘We just need to be more mature next time.’

‘Sure, but there will be other times when she overpowers Us. Then We will end up right back here on the Moon for another one thousand years.’ Luna laid in the grass and fell silent. She didn’t want to argue with herself anymore. She just wanted to relax. Thirty-six years, she had adventured through stories of ponies who ended up saving the day and getting the bad guy, or finding their prince charming and living happily ever after. Now she was adventuring in someone’s personal wonder of a world, and it wasn't nearly as exciting as the stories she had read. There weren't any heroes, or even any princes. I was just an empty world with another lonely pony.

Even after so many years, she still wanted to find a way to keep her mind off her banishment. It didn’t seem so hard to her to just ignore it, considering there were worlds all around her to explore. But when she had those moments where she was alone in her own head, she couldn’t help but remember the initial shock she had had when Reggie told her what had happened. She was on The Moon for another nine-hundred and sixty-four years. All of her friends will have passed away. New generations will never enjoy her presence. Culture will change, the Earth will move, and Luna will never get to see it happen.

Luna laid on the ground and rested her head on the leaves. They got mangled in her hair. ‘Things are going to be very different when We go back.’ She rubbed her hooves against her eyes. ‘But why are We here for so long? Celestia could have easily restricted our magic, right? Then I’d be powerless. She would just have to move The Moon as well as the Sun.’ She rested looking out into the forest. Having this extensive of a punishment didn’t make sense. ‘Sure I’m an Alicorn, I don’t die easily, but we both know to be just in our punishments, and this, well, this isn’t!’

Luna shut her eyes and decided to grab a quick rest before she would adventure on. She kept running through her head possibleand much more logical ways to punish herself other than being sent to The Moon for a millennium. Having a punishment of this magnitude would require something much more than a simple selfish want. Luna didn’t even know there was a prison on the Moon in the first place, so this had to be a last resort for Celestia when in danger. 'We didn’t think what We wanted was to much to ask. We just wanted for everypony to enjoy the night for a change.' She twisted onto her back and looked up to the leaf canopy. ‘We were a bit over the line, We suppose.’

Luna shut her eyes for a few moments once more. She hadn’t exercised for such a long time, what with all the reading and such. With so many years left, she knew she could fit exercise in there at some point. What felt like a warm river ran through her muscles, starting at her hooves. She closed her eyes tight and smiled; it felt good to lie on the ground after a long walk.

A soft breeze flew by, picking up bunches of leaves. Some pressed against her body and others seemed to fly around her from above. The rustling they made seemed to have a rhythm. Luna stretched as they continued to cover her. It was a natural blanket. She let her head fall to the side onto a pillow of leaves and continued to rest. Something magical was happening as she lay there. She felt it from beneath her. The very earth below her seemed to breathe as she did. It was calm, and as peaceful as a dove. Luna fell asleep instantly, seeming to enter a dream state within an instant.

She was back at home with Celestia, looking over her kingdom. Everypony from Fillydelphia to Manehatten were bunched together, waiting for her to speak. The wondrous voice Celestia had would send crowds into uproars within instants, but this wasn’t one of those times. They were all standing still, looking up, wide eyed. Celestia opened her mouth and looked outward, to nowhere. Her chin quivered, and shut as she ducked her head back. Her wing twitched, and she turned from the crowd and backed into the room behind them. Luna followed, wondering what was wrong with her sister.

"Celestia, What seems to be the matter?" Luna said quietly to her sister. Celestia just stood there with her head hanging and eyes shut. She was holding back tears. Luna was hit with a feeling of dread and disappointment. She hadn’t a clue why. Celestia lifted her head high, took a loud and deep breath, the kind one would have when you just finished crying, and turned around. She walked slowly back to the balcony and did a quick shake of the head to relax her muscles. She stepped forth, facing the crowd. She opened her mouth once again, though nothing came out. The crowd was silent and patient, waiting for the Princess to speak.

“Sometimes thou might disagree with what We have to say,” she began, speaking in the Royal Canterlot Voice. “And there is no doubt that thou might think Our life is full of cake and pleasure.” She paused to look over her kingdom and those who populate it. She took a heavy breath, and put her head down again. She smiled; though it was not a smile of happiness, it was instead out of confusion. “We’re in this position of power not to make thine life miserable or unfair, but to make decisions that otherwise would break any other pony. And mind thee, I love thee, each and every one of thee. We can name all of thou, and talk to thee of their ancestors.” She choked a little. Celestia looked as if she had been hit by a train.

“Tia, We...” Luna stepped forth, ready to be there for her sister, “We can do this if thou can’t.” Celestia didn’t even look over at Luna, she kept looking out over her ponies. Luna looked out as well, trying to keep strong like her sister. Minutes passed as Celestia seemed to ready herself.

“Somepony has wronged thee.” Celestia swallowed and continued her speech. “Somepony has wronged Us,” she whispered, only to say it to herself. Luna looked outward. “I’m so sorry, Luna.” Celestia looked up, eyes closed with tears streaming down her coat. She wasn’t using her Royal Canterlot Voice anymore. It was personal now, and everypony in the crowd knew it. “Luna I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for this. Nopony deserves what you’re going through now.”

Luna stood still, as did the crowd. Celestia put her head down, tears hitting the ground. And Luna watched as her sister walked back into her chamber. Celestia’s magic began to shut the balcony doors behind her.

“Celestia…”

Day 13,237

Luna opened her eyes and felt something besides leaves laying on top of her. She stretched her body before lifting the weight off of her. As she rolled out of her messy leaf bed, a breeze blew by and picked up her mane, cleaning the debris out that had gotten stuck. As the wind carried on, a blanket appeared to be hidden amongst the leaves. It seemed that somepony had laid it on top of her while she had been asleep ‘Was it the missing guest who gave that to Us, or was it The Moon?’

She brushed some leaves away, folded the blanket up, and used her magic to lay it across her back. Once it was situated, she looked outward. Picking a direction, she continued forward, not sure where she was headed.

After miles of trotting, Luna could see what looked like a stone wall past the many trees ahead of her. A little jolt of excitement shot through her. It wasn’t just trees and leaves anymore. She trotted forth once more before reaching what turned out to be the beginning of a mountain. It seemed to touch the purple sky; Clouds broke as they pressed against the side of the mountain. Luna took the blanket and tied it around her neck before spreading her wings.

As Luna reached the top, she found it near impossible to breath. She began making such heavy breaths that her lungs grew sore instantly. She dropped down the opposite side of the mountain and spotted a small plateau that she could take refuge on. She laid herself along it as heavy breaths of oxygen were sent through her body. She looked out over the new land she had to explore. It was a desert, one that seemed to extend past the horizon. She had no intentions of going there, so she decided to follow where the mountains were. They seemed to go on for miles when she was at the top.

After having caught all her breath, Luna stood up and flew across the skies. This new world was exciting, but it was essentially the same as hers. Nopony was around, and it had a lot of landscapes to explore. Luna thought about Reggie for a moment. If he was looking for her, than he must be having a fit. Luna didn’t want to think about it. She kept on flying.

Luna kept flying with the mountain, but flew outward over the desert. Looking at the mountain, she could see a long, white strip, as if somepony had carved into the mountain. The carving was extremely prominent; it must have taken ages to sketch so deeply into the mountain. Curious, she flew in closer to have a look. As she approached the mountain, clouds began to converge above her. They were a thick gray, and looked ready to pour down.

Closer to the white strip, she saw somepony was lying down inside the blank white spot. ‘That must be the missing guest!’ Luna swooped down quickly. Her hooves tapped against the strip's plateau as she landed. The missing guest was at the opposite end of the strip, lying upon his side.

“Hello there!?” she called out. The unknown pony shook as he heard her, but didn’t get up. As she approached the pony lying there, she noticed how old its yellow coat looked and mangy its orange tail was. His cutiemark was a hammer and chisel. His skin hugged each bone his body as they protruded out in odd ways. “Oh.” She slowly approached him now, afraid he might be on his last few breaths. She was closer now, finding that it was a unicorn stallion.

“Hello?” She stood next to him, looking at how malnourished his body was. His eyes began to open, shining like ten rainbows. Luna was amazed at how beautiful they were. Though his body was old, his eyes were so full of life and happiness. She was enthralled by his mystic jewels.

He stretched his bones, shutting his eyes for a moment. Luna wanted him to keep his eyes wide open for her, so amazing were they. He continued to lie there. Luna decided to lie next to him, head on her hooves.

“Thou hast been missing for sometime.”

“Not missing,” he said, looking away from her.

Luna couldn’t stop looking into his rainbow eyes. They were too much for her to look away from. “If thou dost not mind Us saying, thou has absolutely stunning eyes.” He seemed annoyed at her for bringing it up, but his current form didn't allow him to get up and walk away. He began to shut them. “Oh, please don’t!” she said quickly. He looked at her with a tired look. Though she couldn’t blame him, he couldn’t blame her, either. “We just,” She paused, almost childlike. “Enjoy looking at them, If thou understand what We mean?”

He sighed. “I’ve heard that before.”

“We’d imagine it was thine special somepony.” she teased.

“Why are you here?” He changed subjects quickly as a tone of disgust rang through his question.

“Hmm?”

“Why are you here in my world? Are you just another part of my world, something The Moon created before my sentence is over? Are you a test to see if I’d do it again?” His voice rose in volume, looking outward across the desert, clouds high above. “I won’t do it again Moon! Not to a princess!” He screamed at the top of his lungs. Luna stood and backed away. This pony must be mad.

“We aren’t just another thing The Moon has conjured, We promise.” Luna spoke with an ounce of fear in her throat. She knew he couldn’t do anything to hurt her, but anger had a way of playing on fear.

“Well how can I know, huh!?” he continued to yell. “Every time! Every time you’ve placed another Alicorn in front of me! You don’t just do that! I don’t want to do it again!” His eyes shut as tears began to press against his eyelids. “Just leave me be!”

Luna was unsure of what to do. The clouds were high above the mountain, higher than would seem possible. It covered the sky all across the desert in a way that seemed unreal. The sun was pressing enough light through the thick clouds that she could see, but only just enough. How clouds were forming above the desert, Luna had no idea.

“We art sorry if We have caused thee any trouble.”

“Just leave! Go away! Do you know how hard it is to resist!?” he said with so much anger and hatred bleeding from each word. He was looking directly at Luna, the rainbows still as beautiful as ever.

“Look, We…”

“Just go!” He pressed those two words out with nothing but hate. Luna felt it against her chest, and backed away. She rose into the air just as droplets rained down from the sky. She remembered the blanket on her back, and opened it up to use it as an umbrella. Holding the blanket above her with magic, she turned to look at the white strip. ‘He must have chiseled through the mountain to make that strip.’ She hovered there, looking at him. She could see his rainbow eyes, though they were not looking at her. ‘Maybe if I lend him my blanket, he won’t be so angry.’

Luna swooped down towards the strip once more. The blanket was now slightly in front of her, keeping the rain from reaching her. As she approached, he looked up towards her. Though he was yelling at her, she couldn’t make out anything he said. The rain was coming down so hard it canceled out almost all noise.

Once close enough, Luna sent the blanket above him. Droplets hit against her body sending individual shivers across her coat. The stallion was yelling louder than ever, his rainbow eyes still as peaceful and loving as they had been before. She was on the white strip now, galloping to get behind the stallion. With some magic to spare, she dried off the yellow pony and the ground beneath him. He was screaming at the top of his lungs as she slowly walked over and rested next to him. The blanket was so small, she had to curl up behind him.

“We just want to help! Once the rain passes, We’ll be out of your mane in an instant!” she said into his ear.

“You can’t stay here! You need to go!” He didn’t sound angry anymore. It was more of a plea now. “Luna I don’t want to hurt you! You need to go!”

Luna was set off by that. ‘Doesn’t want to hurt Us?’ He was fully handicapped. How could he hurt her?

“Luna please! Don’t tempt me! Please just leave me be!” The stallion's horn began to glow. Luna wasn’t sure what he was using his magic for. The rain was coming down harder than ever. Thunder rang throughout the night.

‘That’s peculiar,’ Luna thought. ‘There was no flash.’ The thunder rang again; it was right behind Luna. She twisted back to see a large bronze pickaxe ready to swing at her. As it came down, Luna used her magic to stop it. The stallion had just tried to kill her! She dropped the blanket on top of the two of them, struggling to direct her magic on the pickaxe.

“You need to go Luna, I can’t resist!” He was still pleading as his horn began to glow brighter. The pickaxe was being pressed down with so much force, she had to conjure up the amount of magic she used for The Moon.

‘How dost he have so much power?’ Luna turned to look at the colt. “Please, just stop this now, We’ll go!”

“It’s too late. I’m so sorry Luna.” The alicorn looked up towards the pickaxe. The tip was right between her eyes. She moved her head out of the way, but it only followed her.

“We’ll give thee whatever thee wants! Just stop this instant!” The stallion was beginning to let up. Luna was pressing the pickaxe higher away from her, but she felt in her bones that she didn’t have much longer. She then looked over at the yellow pony once more, and stared at his horn. And idea popped into her head. Knowing she would only have a split second, she took the gamble. Luna released her magic from the pickaxe and directed it at the colt’s source of magic. The axe shot down, nearly cracking straight through her skull. Luna had left just enough magic on the horn to stop at against her cheek, where a small cut seeped with blood. Luna moved the pickaxe away from her and looked at it. Whispering quietly, she placed a locking enchantment on it. She was the only one allowed to use it now. She removed her magic from the colt.

“I told you to go.” He wasn’t yelling anymore.

“Thou didst not need to try and kill Us.” she said, tempted to use her own magic to squeeze the last bits of life out of him.

“Not anymore,” he said as his horn glowed. Luna was prepared to stop him again, but watched as some of the blood from her cut began to float in mid-air.

‘Now why would he…' Luna quickly stopped his magic and grabbed at her blood. flinging it off into the distance. She stood up and swiftly sealed the cut on her cheek.

“Please, just one drop.”

“Look at thineself! Dost thou not see what thee looks like!” Luna stepped around the pony to face him. “I should have known the second I saw those eyes! Alicorn blood! Thou art a sick monster!” The colt kept his gaze away from Luna’s. “Tell Us, that’s why thou art here, isn’t it!” The colt kept his gaze away.

“How many of us hast thou killed!?” Luna was furious. “Don’t act like We wouldn’t know them! We’ve lived quite longer than thou hast!”

Luna moved in close, practically touching noses with the stallion. “Does the name Sonic Burst ring a bell?” She felt her blood pumping through her body. It practically shook her form back and forth. “Maybe Sky Diver, Neon Waves, Virus Charge?” Luna put her hoof overtop the stallions front legs. “Energy Shock?” She pressed down onto his legs. The yellow pony opened his mouth and began to scream as the pressure became too great. “Shut up! Thou art an Alicorn killer! Thou deserve as much pain as We dish out upon thee!” The yellow pony looked right into Luna's eyes. He resisted his urge to scream, and just stared at her. Her hoof pressed hard onto his legs. The top leg snapped and she felt her body rock as it dropped an inch. The colt shut his eyes and bared his teeth.

“Do not whine even once!” She screamed into his ear. The rain poured harder, and it weighed on her coat. “Thou wanted to live forever!? Thou wished to see the stars burn out as the days went by!? How is it! Is it as wonderful as thou has imagined!?”

Luna was pressing so hard it tore into the stallion's skin. “Tell Us it’s wonderful! Tell Us how great it is to see the beginning and end of so many wondrous ages! Tell me how great it is to live knowing your days aren’t numbered but your friends' days are!” The other leg snapped, and the stallion let out a scream that pierced Lunas eardrums.

“You want more of this blood!?” Luna bit down on her tongue. Part of it popped and she spat into the stallions mouth. “Swallow it! Live another hundred years! I’ll watch as your body decays!” She pressed hard against his legs before stepping off. The colt swallowed the blood. He looked up at Luna; the rainbows were still as perfect as they were when she first saw him. The yellow pony sat still. She watched his body decay into the white strip. His eyes were still wide open with life.

His jaw went limp. He lost complete control over his body. The only thing he could do was look around. “We bet We tasted wonderful.” She walked over to the pickaxe and pushed it towards him. “Why not just end thyself right here. Come on, thou still has magic.”

“Luna…” Luna turned to stone. Everything she had just done to this helpless pony ran through her head. She couldn’t turn. She can’t look at him now. Had he seen what she had done to the prisoner?

“Reggie, I…”

“Don’t.” Reggie walked from behind her. He bent down to look at the Alicorn. “You’ve been missing for quite some time.” The stallion looked up at Reggie. “Hiding. I’m sorry. That’s what I meant to say.”

Luna couldn’t even look at Reggie. She couldn’t even look at the colt for that matter. His legs were practically made of dust, bent out of shape and bloodied. ‘I did that.’

“Yeah, yeah you did.” Reggie stood up and looked at Luna. She turned away. “Look at him Luna.”

“No Reggie, I can’t.”

“You need to look at him.” Luna shook her head, tears pouring down her cheeks, looking out over the desert. Her head was lifted high into the sky, mouth wide open, taking heavy breaths.

“I’m sorry…” Luna choked on her words as she pressed into the air.

“Look.” Luna cried as she slowly turned her body. Reggie was in sight, and as she kept turning, so was the colt.

“I should be the one to say they are sorry.” The stallion said, his voice completely free of pain.

“What?” The yellow pony stood there, healthy and unscathed. “But We don’t understand.”

“I’ll explain later.” Reggie shook his head. He looked exhausted. “You sir,” he said, looking at the yellow
colt. “Are finished your sentence.” The colt just turned and looked at Reggie. The expression he had on his face was filled with relief. Luna could feel the emotion emanate from him.

“I’m free?”

“Free of it all, my friend.” Reggie patted the colts back. Luna watched the world around her collapse. The mountains dropped, the deserts flooded, and the forests burned. Within seconds, they were outside of the world. A slate of stone stood where the door once was. The yellow colt wasn’t with them anymore.

Luna bent down and lay on her side. She felt comfortable back in Reggie’s abyss. Her emotions were at such an increased high that she just didn't have the energy to do anything more then rest her head.

“What just happened?” Luna shut her eyes. She knew Reggie would stick around. There were a lot of things she knew he wanted to talk about.

“I think I should be asking you that question.” She listened as Reggie sat his flank down. Luna didn’t want to talk about it. “You need to talk about it.”

“No, We don’t.”

“Yes, you do.” Luna wished to be back in her room, reading a good story where she would be safe in her cozy bed. Nothing bad ever happened when she was minding her own business, stuck in her own head. “Everything bad happens when you’re stuck in your own head. Why else do you think you’re here?”

“Reggie! He is the reason we are so few in number!” Luna was staring deeply at Reggie now. Her blood pressed through her veins. The Alicorns were slowly dropping in number. Though they were incapable of dying from disease or old age, they could still be killed.

“And his punishment was just and righteous, I can promise you that.”

“He drank our own kinds blood, for Celestia’s sake! There is no punishment in all of Equestria that would leave him alive for such a thing!” Luna only just became aware of how close she was standing to Reggie. She was taking such heavy breaths and her eyes were maddeningly wide.

“Nopony deserves a punishment of death, you know that.”

“Then we should have let him live for the ages to come! Let him feel the wear and tear of decay!”

“But why? All of the Alicorns he slaughtered won’t come back, no matter how much pain you cause him. He already wishes he never did it. Did you see him? He begged you to leave him alone. He pleaded with you to stop tempting him. There was no way he could resist when you kept at him for so long.” Reggie was as calm as always. Every word he said seemed carefully picked. Even if his face showed how tired he was, he knew he had ponies to look after.

“We had no idea he tasted our blood! If We knew that We would have never entered his room!”

“You shouldn’t have entered it at all.” Reggie was right. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be in there either.

“Then don’t leave Our door open.” She emphasized each word with such irritation. For once, Reggie showed emotion. It wasn’t the one she expected. It was more of confusion.

“I didn’t leave your door open.” He whipped his tail and looked up towards Luna’s towering pedestal.

“Then who did?” Reggie thought for a moment, then looked down and smiled.

“You dastardly old woman you.” Reggie pressed his hoof against the ground.

“We sure hope thou wasn’t talking about Us.”

“No no, The Moon. Tell me, did you find anything peculiar whilst in the world?”

“As We were just about to enter the forest, a new word appeared on the pathway. ‘Welcome’ it read.”

“Anything else?” Reggie looked intently at her, leaning forward as he spoke.

“We fell asleep and were covered in leaves, but when We woke up, We were covered in a blanket.”

“Ahh, ok. The Moon led you there.”

“What?” Luna turned her head and looked down to the ground. ‘The Moon?’

“She must have wanted to show you something.”

“Show Us what?”

“Well, something about yourself, of course.”

“Oh…” Luna didn’t like the evidence that was all before her

“That’s good.”

“What?”

“That’s good that you didn’t like what you saw. I know the colt murdered some of our kind, even Alicorns you knew, but our blood dealt enough damage to him already.” Reggie swung his hoof, waving at her to follow him. They started up the staircase. “You saw his body. Sure he has lived a long time, but he was so crippled and old. The poor pony could barely move. He was addicted, my dear.”

“I thought you said he had gotten better?”

“He did. The Moon would create Alicorns to send to him. The first few times he caved and murdered them, but then he began to resist. He had a hard time though. You were just too much. He couldn’t help himself”

They continued up the steps. Luna didn’t want to think. She just kept up pace with Reggie as they climbed the steps. There was a sense of relief as she came to view with her door.

Reggie walked Luna to her bed. Before she got to it, she washed up in the bathroom. She refused to look in the mirror. Walking out, she stole a quick glance at Reggie. He must have been up for days now. His body looked so frail, and his eyes were bloodshot. She stepped into her bed and beneath the sheets. She looked up at Reggie, his mane a total mess. Luna turned from Reggie and faced towards the window. Equestria was frozen over. She let out a long breath.

The bed began to jostle. Luna’s blanket lifted up as she felt a leg extend over her side. She was pulled against him. Though Equestria was frozen, she felt warm. She could feel his soft breaths on the back of her neck. She shut her eyes, only to watch as she shot her blood down the yellow colt’s throat. Luna hopped out of bed quickly. She couldn’t believe what she had done. The other colt was on his way to being fixed and she forced him to swallow her blood. Her mane was all tousled and messy, as was her coat. She must have been asleep for hours. Reggie was awake, looking outwardly. He looked as if he hadn’t slept at all.

“I forced him to swallow my blood.” Luna said to him quietly.

“I know.”

Comments

[Poise]

Eesh, how gruesome, Lulu...

Forcing someone to drink your blood? Ick...