Luna's Daughter

by KayeStar

Hide and Seek

Using her nearly dry blanket as a makeshift hood, Selene headed into the busiest area of Ponyville. During the day, she spent most of her time there, blending in with all the other ponies who were minding their business and going about their day, which let her do the same. On the occasion she was noticed, she would simply be said hello to.

Hungry, Selene headed for her favorite stand, one that sold a variety of fruits, including strawberries, her favorite. She snuck beneath and waited, keeping her ears perked. Several minutes later, she finally heard another pony walk up to the seller to buy something. She watched raptly, and the second neither were peeking, she popped up, swiped a few strawberries from one basket, and scurried away with her take safely stored in her "hood". She ducked behind a shady tree, peeking over to ensure she hadn't been noticed. She breathed a sigh of relief, and removed her blanket from her head to place it on the ground.

"I'll pay it all back someday," she mumbled sadly. She gobbled down the strawberries in a matter of seconds. Their sweet taste made her feel that much worse about stealing, but what else could a filly do? She placed her blanket over her, tying it again as a hood, and headed back into the busy square, intentionally avoiding the sight of the fruit stand. Now that she had her daily take, she could find something to occupy herself for a little fun.

"I spy, Blankie?"

---

"Selene Skyla Rose. Yes, Princess Twilight, we did have a student by that name," Principal Cheerilee stated. "She transferred away several months ago."

"Transferred? Do you know to which school?" Twilight asked.

Cheerilee shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Her father was not specific with us about where she'd be attending, but we were told she was moving away."

Twilight's serious expression failed to hide her suspicions. "What kind of student was she?"

"She was a lovely young lady, though she had a little trouble with other students at times," Cheerilee answered. "She never gave her teachers any problems and she was quiet, but bright and cheerful."

"Did she seem any different before she transferred?" Twilight asked.

"One of her teachers expressed concern she was withdrawing from her peers some weeks before she left, but she said she was nervous about moving. We had a class party for her on her last day with us."

Twilight finished the notes she was jotting down. "Thank you so much, Cheerilee. I hope I didn't take too much of your time."

"Not at all, Princess!" Cheerilee quickly said. "I am happy I could help."

"Excuse me." One of the teachers knocked on the open door with a grouchy-looking filly at her side. "I apologize for interrupting, but I'm afraid we have a... problem again."

Cheerilee sighed. "Golden Crown, again?"

"Seems I'd better let you go," Twilight said, getting back onto her hooves. "Thanks again for talking with me." Twilight made her way out as the teacher stepped in with the student. Outside of the schoolhouse, she sent her notes in a scroll to Celestia and hurried to make her way to the cottage from the visual Celestia showed her earlier.

---

Twilight arrived to find Celestia waiting for her and reading over the letter. Strangely, there was no cottage in sight and Celestia looked a bit dismayed.

"Maybe I didn't make the right connection on the map," Twilight sighed sadly.

"No, Twilight, look over there." Looking where the elder pony was pointing, Twilight saw what was unmistakably the bulldozed remains of a building. "This cottage has been torn down," Celestia explained. "Much of this area is under construction. When I arrived, some ponies were working. I gathered from them this cottage had been requested to be torn down by its former owner."

"But... that means..."

Celestia nodded. "It seems this filly Luna is trying to help is in worse straits than Luna thought. We need to find her immediately."

"But how?" Twilight asked. "She doesn't attend school and her home is destroyed. Where could she be? Did Luna describe her?"

"No. I've already sent what we gathered to Luna," Celestia stated. "She will have to take things from here when she wakes up."

"But what if something happens to her? We can't just wait!" Twilight insisted.

"Twilight, I understand," Celestia said gently, stroking the younger princess's back to soothe her from panicking. "But at this point, we have nothing more to go on and Luna cannot help if she's exhausted."

Twilight did not like that answer, but she knew Celestia was right. The two alicorns retired to their regular duties, silently sharing the same thoughts.

---

Normally, Luna was well-rested when she woke up from her day's sleep, but she hardly slept a wink. She read the letter Celestia sent while she slept and, naturally, her worries were only heightened. She would have to visit Selene in her dreams again, but after last night, she knew getting any more answers would be difficult, if not impossible. More so, she was getting the idea Selene did not want to be found.

She had to come up with another plan. She read over the letter again, and after reading what Twilight provided about where Selene's home once stood, that plan formed.