Thunder and Magic: Season 1

by Rapane443

Episode 9: From the Other Side of the Moon

Canterlot Castle, an area brimming with royal history and prominence. Onlookers could only dream of the extravagance that laid inside its fine stone walls, imagining pristine hallways adorned with paintings of the Princess' liking, bountiful catering from the world's most talented chefs and most importantly, the Royal throne room where all the power lies.

But what these onlookers tend to overlook is actually in plain sight, as although Celestia is renowned as a glorified world figure, the same cannot be said for Princess Luna. And the worst part was that she knew it.

The idea is really easy to recognise when the only act of social interaction in a castle full of ponies, is with her sister. It isn't like she actively avoided the ponies working there. In fact, she had tried making small talk with as many of her guards-ponies as she could. Unfortunately, the best string of words she got from them was "Please, I like to work alone."

But the fearful aversion of their gaze and the sweat that pored under their armour betrayed their words. Luna had already caught on to the fact that the acts of her alter ego had put her into a tight spot with her subjects and in all honesty, it was eating away at her.

Thine subjects must know the difference so why doth they understand?

At the moment, she sat in the dining hall with a plate of pancakes presented to her by the chef. The poor thing was shaking head to hoof before she successfully put the plate down and zipped back into the kitchen with shocking haste.

Luna sighed longingly, looking towards Celestia who sat on the other side. Her tray had five more pancakes than her own, though that can be faulted with her sisters unusual apatite. "Your breakfast, just how you like it your highness" the chef catering to her sister was much more jovial than the last one, adoration and respect oozed from his tongue without any hesitation. It frustrated her, if only a bit.

Once the sisters were the only ponies in the room, they got to eat their meals. Celestia could see through her sister's vacant facade, which prompted her to pour some wine for her. "So sister, how has the dreamscape been holding up. Find anything that interested you?"

"Neigh, it was just another night of ponies having more nightmares when I come to grace thine presence." Luna answered in a monotone voice, focusing entirely on eating her pancakes to avoid Celestia's concerned gaze.

"Luna, I can tell that Nightmare Moon has done a lot to you. Done a lot to the both of us. But we will get through this. My little ponies just need a little more time to accept your ascendancy to the throne."

"But how shall that occur whence everypony avoids thyself. We don't understand how thou do it sister."

"All it takes is just one pony to talk to. And if I recall, you do have a fair share of options. Have you considered asking the element bearers for help?"

"We have visited their dreams before, though it seems that our darkness effects them, still. We aren't sure that they will-"

Fortunately for Celestia, Luna's grievances were swept under the rug as a spiral of emerald flame burst into existence and transformed into a scroll that sat on Celestia's lap.

She took it with her magic and took a peek into its contents, smiling with opportunity as she saw the writing of the sender. "I still believe you have a shot with the elements, but if you don't want to, there is also another that sees things much more differently than the rest. Surely he will appreciate your company."

Celestia then floated the scroll towards the Moon Princess, to which she caught it in her own magic and opened the scroll to read it.

Dear Princess Luna,

I know I've never solely written to you, but I feel as if I should change that today. I've noticed that outside of friendship lessons, Twilight only writes to Celestia, so I thought I'd do the same for you. I do have you to thank for this exciting new life in Ponyville after all. So how are you doing? I'd imagine getting back into the rope of things would be rather difficult given your thousand year absence, but if you're anything like the mare I read about in those history books, then I know you will rise to the challenge!

In fact, it was those books that let me discover your ability to infiltrate dreams. It's quite amazing really. Making such deep connections with everypony you visit must be so uplifting, you should visit me sometimes. It would be a nice excuse to get to know each other, though please inform me if you wish to do so. (My dreams can be rather hectic).

So yeah, hope your holding up alright, and could you please tell Celestia that Twilight and I will be unavailable for the day, we have a community race in the Running of the Leaves (Dumb name, I know) to run. (Though really, I'm there to shut up Rainbow and Applejack, those two will not stop competing over stuff and it's getting annoying)

Your sincerely,
Darklo

After she finished reading the scroll, confusion was the only hint of emotion she could muster. While yes, she had grown accustomed to hearing of the colt through the many late night readings of their friendship lessons, it was still quite the surprise to hear that Darklo wanted to reach some kind of understanding with her. Her. The mare that literally kidnapped him and attempted to hurt him.

Any other colt in that situation would be traumatised, vowing to never see their perpetrator again. Though, Luna supposed that Darklo wasn't a normal colt by any means, managing to have a casual conversation with Nightmare Moon of all ponies while keeping his cool was a prime example.

"Darklo... thy little subject is more unpredictable than we thought."

"I do admit, he is somepony that I never thought I'd see in our current society. Both his magic and mannerisms are strikingly similar to our ponies a thousand years ago, though that could be due to his unusual lifestyle in the Everfree Forest. If he were alive, I'd imagine dear Starswirl would've taken a liking to him..."

"That reminds me, hast thou figured out why Darklo has the arts of old? We hast not seen runes like that since we were a filly. Surely, those teachings have become lost to time since our absence."

"They had. Once magic became a more relevant system in the eyes of the newly founded Equestrian monarchy, the runic practices were cast aside. So wherever Darklo learned of such power, it must be ancient. Possibly before we were even alive!"

"And with such potency too, we must admit that it's rather odd. Hast thou asked the little subject?"

"Unfortunately, we have rarely had the chance to speak, though Twilight keeps me updated on his progress. Apparently, he said that he found them on muriels inside an ancient ruin with his father and wrote it down. But that's all he's told us, no specific location or anything."

Luna closed her eyes in concentration. The more they talk about him, the more of a mystery the colt becomes. "What about his parents?"

"Well, Darklo has already informed us of his father, Heatwave. He was a salespony in Ponyville and a talented explorer as well. Unfortunately, he had perished in a hydra attack with the little Darklo as witness. As of now, he speaks not of his mother. Though by his implications, I assume that she's also deceased."

"And Twilight, hast she found anything else?"

Celestia shook her head. "No, my student has taken to her role as a sister very seriously. I don't think she is aware of the gaps in little Darklo's past."

"Then it would seem that the work lies with us." Luna said, her muzzle scrunching up and turning her royal visage into one of a concerned mother, a face was more indicative to her sister. "We wish to trust the colt, however there is too much mystery with him that we cannot ignore. We shall be back in our chambers now. Good day, sister."

And so, the Princess exited her seat and walked out of the cafeteria, which was the unanimous signal for the catering staff to peek their heads out of the kitchen door.

---

Luna made her way back to her quarters, walking towards her balcony with a silent pep in her step. Luna didn't know why she wished to take a look at the scenery outside the castle walls, her sunken eyes would mostly beg for her bed and let sleep fade away the stress for the next night. But there she was, solemnly gazing down at the faded area that was Ponyville.

The place that the child currently resides.

The moon princess squinted her gaze towards the humble town, as if contemplating something. That colt... she thought, the more we learn about him, the less sense it makes. If what he tales about the ancient ruins were true, then surely the parents would capitalise on it, saving themselves from financial ruin. Yet, they still resided in the Everfree. So why keep a forgotten secret under lock and key if evidence of it's existence was prevalent?

As she continued to rattle her tired brain, Luna could think of only two explanations to the matter:

1. Darklo withheld the information from his parents, which was very unlikely. From what she recalled, he primarily used runic magic that coincided with the elements, so hiding such flashy powers would be almost impossible for the colt.

2. The colt never knew he could use runic magic and therefore, his parents would believe the muriels were about a myth. There could be room for such a possibility, but that wouldn't explain why he is so adept with the power. Ponies of old took years of their lives to master just one rune, which did not add up when comparing to Darklo, who Twilight had recorded to use six different runes: Fire, air, earth, teleportation, mental protection and lightning. The last one being a mix of multiple runes. Rather he is a prodigy never seen before in Equestria or...

3. Darklo was hiding something from everypony. Luna had no doubt in her mind that this was the most likely case. Everything about the colt's past has been purely from his own recollection, so it would be very simple to leave out details.

But she had to be sure. If she were to confess her worries to Twilight, there could be a chance that they would take it seriously due to their new found connection to the colt. Celestia might, but knowing her sister, she would only act if it's something threatening-

A threat? She couldn't believe herself. Was she really trying to prove that Darklo, who indirectly rescued her from Nightmare Moon, was a threat to Equestria?

But she couldn't help but feel unsure when thinking about him. At this moment, she just had to put her feelings to rest. For both her consciousness and her subjects.

Her horn glowed a magnificent galactic hue, tapping into her magic while thinking of her target. The air around her pushed outwards as the lunar princess hovered from her position and finally opened her eyes to reveal pure white. To anypony watching, she was motionless, but that was only because her consciousness was not there.

From her perspective, she was flying through a vacuum of space, eclipsed by numerous stars scattered around the dimension. Eventually, Luna stopped herself, looking at a vacant grey door, which there rows after rows of, however unlike the majority, it didn't have a cutie mark plastered on its center. The one thing that made its owner known was the occasional shock of electricity that rode along the wooden frame, despite the fact that wood isn't a conductive substance.

Luna exhaled deeply as she extended a hoof to open the doorknob. Okay, we may only have a few seconds to scan the little ones mind, but hopefully, it shall be enough and I can sleep with a clear mind.

And so, the door opened and the light beyond it embraced the whole dimension, leaving the moon princess to drift off, but not for long.

Please may all my fears be pure paranoia...

---

At first, Darklo only had silent anger filling his veins when Twilight and himself decided to join the Running of the Leaves along with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Those two had been at each other's throats for so long that their competitive attitudes were beginning to turn to other ponies. Twilight was one of them, and he was not about to let them disrespect his sister without consequences.

However, that venomous spite soon converted into childish joy once he got his legs running through the forest track. He almost forgot how much he enjoyed running, from the feeling of the wind coursing through his mane, to the rush of excitement he felt when he watched as the environment blurred together from the speed of his gallop, his peripheral vision unable to keep up with the ever-changing scenery.

And with the group of racers a few meters behind him and the fact that he hadn't seen either Applejack nor Rainbow Dash race past him after they tried confusing each other, the colt could do nothing but smile as he thought to himself. Man, I should put running back into my training routine. Heh, guess NOT getting chased by monsters can make it really relaxing.

Blissfully, Darklo zoomed through the forest while manoeuvring around trees that held buckets of sap, which were there as an obstacle. Though, the colt felt that his lead was far enough to which ruining another pony's fun wouldn't be worth it. So he continued onward until he saw something other than trees, it was the finish line. Other ponies were there to watch the racers finish and a red ribbon was laced along the finishing pole . Definitely for the winner to make a grand entrance, and he was gonna be the one to do it.

Unfortunately as he ran, he noticed that his hooves were straining under the pressure; his constant running pace being the major culprit. Still, he wasn't about to let that stop him from victory, leading the colt to jog to the end and save his muscles the backlash.

Jeez, once again I go all out, only to remember I'm still human. If only I still had the Philosopher's Stone, I probably would have enough energy to run for triple this distance! Oh well, I've got alchemy for that. Though, I still have fourteen more to practice with and at this point, I wont have enough muscle memory to make headway with them all. Hopefully, with the information I've piled up, I'll be able to master them all in peace...

By now, Darklo was only a couple meters away from the finish line, many ponies were cheering for him on the side lines, not limited to the newly formed Cutie Mark Crusaders, Rarity, Flutershy and Miss Cheerilee. That was when he picked up the pace, and made a break for the ribbon.

And in a second, Darklo's body broke through the ribbon with a strong jump, inciting the crowd to cheer for their first place racer...

But something was wrong.

Darklo hadn't risen from the dirt yet, and for good reason. Custodio (The Protection Sign) had detected an outside force in his mind. There was a tingling pain that tickled his head, which was evidence that the sign was attempting to ward something off.

Darklo kept his head low, not wanting the crowd to see the visible stress he was under. He wondered who would try to invade his mind, and he could only think of one pony who had such a skill. Luna? It was just a mental thought, but apparently that was all it took for the tingling feeling to disperse.

"Uhm Darklo, are you okay?" Sweetiebelle asked, concerned with his friend's condition along with Applebloom and Scootaloo as they approached him.

There was no answer for a few seconds, that was until Darklo slowly stood up and showed his face to them. Faining an awkward smile. "Sorry about the scare, I didn't realise how tired I was." The colt gave a chuckle while he scratched the back of his mane, granting him a light smack on the side from the apple filly.

"Gosh darnit, ya got me worried for a minute! What happened to pacin' yourself?"

"Well, you know me Bloom. It's rather go big or go home. Right Scoots?"

"True, but that only works if you make a cool finish. Shoving your face full of dirt doesn't fit that bill."

The joke led to an infectious boom of laughter staring with the Crusaders and ending with the whole crowd watching. Darklo laughed along with them, but it didn't stop the foreboding ache in his chest. If his assumptions were right and Luna took a peek into his head, then things could get complicated.

And he didn't like that at all.

---

Luna's consciousness finally re-entered her physical form as it slumped to the stone. Her mind was still hazy due to the use of the spell, and the fatigue from her lack of sleep wasn't doing it any favours. The princess shook herself, like a dog leaving the rain, to escape the fatigue and crawled back into her quarters and into her bed.

Sleep wanted to take her into its embrace, but she refused to do so until she could comprehend what she saw. Luna had definitely looked through Darklo's eyes and heard everything loud and clear, but the view of the race wasn't anything notable. It was the little colt's thoughts that caught her attention.

There were some parts of his vocabulary that she had never heard of before like 'man' and 'The Philosopher's Stone'. She could infer that, whatever the stone was, it was something like an energy source that the colt must have used prior to visiting Ponyville. Could it have been the reason for his use of the runic magic? She didn't know and neither did she know what 'man' meant.

The most troubling piece she could uncover however, was his thoughts during his race to the finish line. Apparently, he called the ancient magic, alchemy. But that wasn't how the word was used. She may have been centuries out of the social norm, but even Luna knew that alchemy was still a common practice in Equestria. It was the study of potions and concoctions, a profession not in relation to magic at all. So why would he call it that?

Finally, she remembered a phrase that chilled her body to the bone, I am still human... like those creatures from beyond the mirror portal? As plausible as it sounded, that dimension has been kept as a mystery with the exception of the Royal Princesses and if a human had made their way through, Celestia would've known and harboured them in the castle, she wouldve have let them wonder Equestria alone and be victim to some body swapping scenario. So it still begged the question: why does Darklo identify as one and how does he even have knowledge of their existance?

Eventually, her eyelids grew too heavy to keep open, forcing them shut and she slowly felt her body relax, preparing itself for sleep.

She couldn't fight it anymore, and worst of all, Luna didn't feel any less concerned about the colt of the Everfree. How she will share this information is beyond her, but at least she got what she wanted.

More answers, but more questions.

Author's Note:

At last, I can put that Luna tag to use. It's finally time to get Darklo to confront his human side with somepony else. But we shall see how it will effect things.

Ps: Thanks Tempest for the insight, that little plot hole is fixed now.

Comments

[Tempest_Flare]

Luna would know about humans the mirror portal was around when she was so Luna knows what a human is if not the name

[Rapane443]

11850495
Damn. Apologies I only watched the show and thought EQG wasn't Canon. Thanks for bring it to my attention, Il get that fixed. Maybe it'll give me an excuse to go through my older chapters and fix their spelling mistakes and other issues. It's constructive criticism that makes a story better after all!