Changing moons

by Jeweled Pen

Chapter 2

Pain. Soooo much pain. As Big Mac's eyes slowly opened he couldn't help but feel like a tree had fallen on him. As he tried to move he began to think that tree had been made of glue. His body was covered in bruises, welts, and a strange green slime that was holding him trapped to the ground.

A loud chittering noise to his right drew his attention and made him struggle against the green goop as he turned his head. Two of the changelings stood away from him and made loud chittering sounds, their wings buzzing behind them. The red stallion began to crawl, letting out a low groan as he put weight on his front right hoof. He couldn't tell if it was broken or just sprained, but placing any weight on it shot liquid fire through his veins. The handicap delayed his escape, though even with one less leg he was able to slowly pull himself out of the goop enough to walk. Sadly enough of the goop remained that it still covered most his body and made the dirt and grass he walked on stick to his hooves. His eyes scanned the area searching for his sister, and what he saw made him feel his heart almost stop.

A large brown hat was laying on the ground, close to where he stood. He reached down with his mouth to pick it up, staring at it closely. Though he didn't want to admit it, he knew there was nothing else it could be. It was his sister's. He flipped hat on his head as he glanced at the two changelings in front of him, his anger bubbling up inside of him. Whatever these things were they picked the wrong stallion's sister to mess with. He drove his good front hoof forward, slamming it into the back of the closer one and sending the creature forward into a tree, knocked out cold. The sudden shift forced him to steady himself with his hurt hoof however, making him temporarily freeze from the pain before he could follow up on the other one.

That was the only opening the creature needed. It took to the air out of range of Big Mac's strikes and let out a high pitched shrieking sound, soon a buzzing sound filled the forest. The red stallion cursed his hurt hoof as he had no choice but to run. Doing his best to favor his good legs he darted through the thick treeline. He could hear the creatures behind him, but he knew better than to look back and risk tripping or hurting himself because of an unseen root.

Soon the sound of rushing water could be heard ahead as he ran, but he could also hear the buzzing as it got closer. With one leg gone he knew he couldn't outrun them, he'd have to out think them or find a place to hide. A water source would be the perfect place. With a final burst of speed he leapt free from the treeline, expecting to arrive at a river of sorts. However with a gulp of realization he remembered a important saying old granny Smith used to tell him. 'Always look before you leap'.

The trees and bushes of the forest had grown right up to the edge of a very steep incline, which went down a good fifty feet before dropping another ten feet into white water rapids. The red stallion seemed to hover in the air a few seconds before plummeting down. As he rolled and tumbled down the incline he tried to dig his good hoof into the ground or grab passing weeds with his mouth... But he was going to fast to stop and as he flew off the last few feet of the incline and hovered above the water he only had time to reach up and hold tightly onto his sisters hat with his good hoof.

Icy water enveloped him, going up his nose and cutting out his air supply. The powerful rapids tossed him around like a leaf on the wind and as he struggled to right himself and get to the surface he kept being thrown off as he slammed into invisible but solid objects in the water, cutting and bruising his already hurt body. His vision clouded as he struggled to hold on, his lungs burning as they screamed for air. After what felt like hours but he figured was only thirty seconds at most, he broke the surface and tried to cough up the water while simultaniously breath in for mixed results. His freedom was short lived however, as he was pulled back under by the powerful currents and then slammed into something hard. His eyes opened as he gazed into a void of purple. Powerful hands wrapped around Big Mac, plucking him from the water.

Staring up at the thing before him, he couldn't help but gulp. Wonderful. The Red stallion thought to himself. I survive those creatures, fallin' down a cliff, near drownin'. And now I'm gonna get eaten by a sea dragon.

"Oh my just look at you! Your poor beautiful mane, don't worry darling, I'll have that fixed in a jiffy."

... I think I woulda preferred bein' eaten.

******

Far away from the river, a young pegasi ran for her life through the everfree forest, terrified of what she envisioned pursueing her. Fluttershy occasionally shrieked as she ran, every shadow was a changeling, every rock a hydra, every tree a fire breathing grown up dragon! She ran and ran until she could run no further, her legs finally giving out as she gasped for breath and she crumbled to the ground. Of all of ponyvilles citizens, she probably was the most familiar with the everfree forest. She knew most of the rocks, plants, and the smaller animals that lived here. Sometimes she even helped the creatures in the forest, like the time she flew a bunch of the frogs to froggy bottom bog. The memory of the hydra they found there set a involuntary quiver through the yellow pegasi's back. The forest was ok, even if it was odd. But when a pony was being chased through it, and couldn't take their time, or know where to hide, the place was full of monsters! Manticores, serpents, hydras, oh my!

She needed to find someplace to hide, to cower, someplace... An incessant tapping on her back brought her to attention as she looked behind her at an annoyed white bunny. "I'm sorry Angel but I don't know what to do... We can't go back home. If only Twilight were here, she'd know what to do..." Fluttershy sighed sadly, before putting a hoof down firmly. "No. You're right. Our friends need us, we can't just hide here... Right?" She asked, giving her bunny a hopeful look. He just glared back, and pointed the way they came. "Fine... We have to get out and warn the others. But how will... Zecora!" Fluttershy squeaked happily as her entire body perked up, "Zecora will know what to do!"

With a plan in mind Fluttershy took off, darting through familiar paths and past trees she knew by heart. It didn't take her to long to arrive at the house of her zebra friend. The house was a large hollowed out tree with a number of scented flowers and talismans hanging from the branchs, supposedly to drive away spirits and evil creatures of the forest. Though the little yellow pegasi suspected that half of them were designed to make the zebra look more mysterious. Stopping at the door she... Gently reached out and softly tapped a hoof across the door. She heard a little bunny face palm as Angel jumped off her back and moved to the door, giving it a swift kick.

The door slammed open, revealing the mess of the tree house. Potions were littered all over the floor and Zecora was bent over cleaning them up. Atleast she had been until the interruption. Jumping to her feet she stared at the door and Fluttershy for a few moments, before speaking. "Who is it who tries to give me such a scare? Why, if it isn't the little yellow mare."

"Zecora... Something absolutely horrible has happened." Fluttershy said softly, still standing outside the door.

"Come in, come in, make yourself at home. I don't see why you'd come alone... Err, to my home." Zecora said, motioning for them to come inside.

"Ok... Would you like me to help?" Fluttershy asked as she slowly tip toed inside.

"No need my little friend. There was a... Ummm... Potion, that exploded in the end." Zecora smiled as she glanced at the pair. "What brings you two here? And with such looks of fear?"

"Oh Zecora it's horrible..." Fluttershy said gently as she tried to stay out of the way of the zebra's way. Explaining the details of what brought her here, the mare was soon huddled up on one of Zecora's chairs.

"There there my dear, you need not fear." Zecora gently patted the pegasi's hoof. "Go up to my room and have a rest, while I will prepare to help with my best."

Fluttershy smiled at her friend, already the stress beginning to leave her. She nodded as she began to walk up the steps towards the back of the tree, towards Zecora's room. Closing the door behind her she moved towards a small hammock in the center of the room. She'd only tried it once, when Zecora had first shown them the exotic bed. Rainbow ofcourse loved it but Fluttershy kept falling out of it or getting tangled up in it. She quickly decided to not repeat that experience, instead laying on the ground besides it.

Closing her eyes she began to relax, now that Zecora was in the situation everything would be fine. Zecora was smart and intelligent and definately more useful than her, almost as smart as Twilight. She almost began to drift off until she was jarred awake by a sudden realization. Zecora's rhymes were so unnatural, and she'd never heard her rhyme a sentence by repeating the words. "Angel..." She squeaked as she slowly got up and headed towards the door of the room. Opening it a crack she couldn't help but let out a frightened shriek as she saw the three changelings Zecora let in her home. "No no no, not Zecora too. First Twilight and- EEK!" She whimpered as she slammed the door shut and tried to keep it closed as the changelings tried to enter the room, her shriek having drawn their attention.

"Oh no oh no no. Angel what do we do?" Fluttershy shrieked as she glanced down at her bunny. Angel quickly looked around the room before grabbing the pegasi's hoof. He motioned towards a window in the back, pointing at her and then the window, and then himself followed by the floor. "No! I can't leave you Angel!" The bunny gave her a swift kick in the hoof and repeated the gestures. "I won't!" She yelped as a changelings hoof broke a hole in the door, reaching to try and grab her. Angel jumped into her lap and gripped her cheeks, forcing her to look him in the eye. After a few seconds she nodded. "Ok... I understand. Please, be careful." Fluttershy then darted, the door bursting open as she ran to the window, pushing it open and flying out.

Angel stood blocking the way of the changelings as the fake Zecora walked towards them. "Why do you stop, do you find this funny? What can it do, it's only a bunny." She muttered, missing the smile on Angel's face as she walked towards it.

******

Back in ponyville, in another tree shaped building a young purple unicorn flipped through a large number of books. "Fascinating..." The fake Twilight Sparkle, also known as general Fang, mumbled as he flipped through one of Twilights personal books. The unicorn must have been insane, that was the only explanation. The library was filled with books on almost every subject, and yet she wrote down everything that happened to her. Everything. There were piles of notes about her friends, what their favorite foods were, what they enjoyed doing, the lessons they learned. And not just her close friends either, everypony in ponyville! The information this pony had bordered on obsession. There was information detailing everything the unicorn knew about each pony, followed by a small summarization of how she felt about them.

He couldn't help but wonder if the unicorn was afraid one day she may lose her memory, or perhaps be tested on the strangest details of her friends, such as what date were someponies called the cutey mark crusaders banned from the library. It was a shame, he thought as he tossed the magically written book to the side, with so much information at his hoofs... Almost none of it was actually useful for anything. For every fourteen lines of 'I think Ditzy Doo would love a instant bake muffin kit' there was maybe one line of something useful that would help him play the part.

But it didn't really matter. The moon was already in the sky, soon the young princess would be at the mercy of his queen. And in six days it would be his time to strike at the one who banished them. A wicked grin formed on his face as he gazed up at the moon, hanging there. Six days. And then the final threat to them would be removed. He was shaken from his thoughts as somepony knocked on the door to the library. Putting on a fake grin, he quickly got back into character, opening the door. "Oh hi Rarity. What brings you here?"

******

A few hours gallop from ponyville in the castle overlooking the small village, Luna sat staring at a large tomb in front of her. The tomb was covered in dust, having been collecting it for atleast a few centuries. Flipping the pages was the most difficult part as her own magic seemed to be a bit to powerful for the book, tearing it every time she used it to flip it, so she was forced to do it by hoof. It didn't help that the book almost begged to be torn with each flip even when done by hoof.

The book itself was filled with spells. Out dated spells that hadn't been touched in centuries. An old water finding spell that required special enchanted sticks, spells that would minorly alter ones appearance but with an extreme magic cost, and even a few that had long since been out lawed due to their requirements of sacrifices. It took her almost an hour to find the moon raising spell, slowly turning the pages one by one so to minimize damage to the book.

"Is that the spell, your highness?" A voice said from behind Luna, making her jump. Quickly turning to see a small green pegasi, the one who had been tending to her room earlier in the day, she couldn't help but feel a wave of shame at how easily she had been startled.

"Yes. Yes it is. Or rather it's the original spell. The original spell that Mine and Celestia's spells are formed from." Luna
muttered as she read through the faded lines of the book. "It won't work any more, but I'm hopeful it will help me find out what I'm doing wrong."

"Doing wrong? But the moon is yours, isn't it your highness? How could you mess it up?" The pegasi asked softly, moving to look over the princess's shoulder.

"Only my magic can affect the moon now, just as only my sister's can affect the sun." The dark alicorn tapped the paper. "Long ago unicorns could raise and lower them, but they got greedy. Unicorns would fight and argue over who was allowed to raise it, the sun and moon raising and lowering like a out of control yo-yo. When my sister and I took over, we locked them to us. Nopony's magic should be able to move it an inch. The only thing strong enough to steal control from us, should be Discord. But thanks to the elements of harmony he is trapped. Permanently."

"But if that's true princess how did your sister raise the moon?" The pegasi asked as she slowly rubbed the princess's shoulders.

"What? What are you doing?" Luna snapped, "Whats your name?"

"M-my name? Gemini your highness. I did not mean to upset you, I just was trying to help you relax. You seemed so stressed... As one of your servants its my duty to help you however I can."

"... Very well. Continue." Luna said a bit uneasily as she motioned to the book. "As I said, they are locked to us. The spells enabling us to do so are our special talent. As long as we exist none can move the sun or moon except us. When I was... Trapped in the moon any pony could have raised the moon. Assuming enough of them gathered who knew the spell to raise it. But even a thousand years ago the spell had been long forgotten by all but the most studied unicorns." Luna flipped another page.

"Do you believe the old magic will work?" Gemini asked as she put her hoofs close to the princess's neck.

"Perhaps if something has altered my ties with the moon... Something I'd rather not have to think about. But if that has happened, this may hold the secrets to fixing it. I just need to break the spell apart to its base components."

"But isn't it your own spell, your highness?"

"I don't... Ah hah!" Luna's wings spread out as she jumped to her hooves. "The stars shine on me! Come, Gemini! With the court unicorns, this will be solved within the hour!" Luna said as she ran out the door, eager to tell her sister of her new plan.

"Ofcourse your highness." Gemini said as her eyes temporarily turned to narrow green slits before returning to their normal blue. "May your magic flow like the salmon scale river." She said as she moved to follow the princess at a gallop.