Are you reading this in your cozy home? Or are you roaming the internet looking for things to keep your mind off home? Where are you? Does it really matter whether you’re away from home or not? I mean, you’re going to end up sleeping in your warm bed at home soon, right?
There is something nice about home. It’s just so secure and safe. Everything you need is in your home. No one is there to make you angry or to push you to your limits. It’s just a relaxing, loving place.
Somepony might consider the world her home. She might find that it provides all she needs, even the things she wants. Everything she can think of is in her home. Sometimes she can feel like royalty.
And then sometimes, she won’t.
Day 1/365,250
“…Thou think We can’t? We’ll show thee—!” Luna was cut short. Everypony seemed to disappear, as if out of thin air. 'Where did everypony go?' she thought. “Alright then! Thou can run! It’ll still be nighttime!” She stomped her hoof against the ground in emphasis, but all she heard was the echo in the ballroom.
Tall pillars stood besides her, leading to a gorgeous artwork above her: Ponies dancing in the sunlight, trees standing tall and fruitful. She scoffed at it. Her horn glowed and black ink spread across the painting, starting from the sun.
“We win, Celestia! We’re better than thou ever was! Nighttime will exist over all of Equestria forever!” Laughing as she celebrated her victory, she bolted through the air with her powerful wings! With her magic, she threw open the doors to the hallway and blazed through them!
“Thou hadst better get out of our way, subjects! We’re not stopping for anypony!” Flying faster than ever, Luna shot through the hallways. The wind kicking off of her was so powerful that it knocked over tables and flung doors flew open. The first few rooms were barren, and as she progressed, the other rooms seem to be the same. Nopony was around?
Luna slowed down to a hover. “Where has everypony gone? Why is nopony here!?” Luna was yelling, but was once again met only by her echo. Her hooves touched the ground and she walked over to a room on her right. The door was locked. “Aha! Thou hast hidden thyself from Us!” There was no reply. She stepped up to the door and her horn began to glow. Her magic unlocked the door and swung it open. She jumped in. “Dost thou have anything to say before We send thee out into…!” Nopony was there to fear her.
The dark mare searched around the room: under the tables, the chairs, and inside the closets. ‘Where has everypony gone?’ She repeated the question, but this time it echoed in the confines of her own mind. She went to the doorway and poked her head out. Looking left and right down the hallway, she saw nopony. ‘Did they all disappear? What has thou done, Celestia?’
Princess Luna began walking down the hall checking rooms, her pace quickening slightly to a slow gallop. Not a single pony showed up. She kept galloping until she ran to the front door of the palace. ‘There must be somepony outside.’ She jumped into the air, ready to fly around and show off her awesome power and flying skills once the doors flew open. Luna was ready to bring fear to everypony of Canterlot. Her horn glowed a dark blue; armor appeared across her body.
Putting forth magic, the doors opened, hitting the sides of the palace and shaking the walls! Flying through into the dead of night, she announced, “Hear me, Canterlot! Thine Princess Celestia has vanished!” Luna twirled in the air as lightning cracked through the sky!
“She hast left thee to be lost in darkness for all of eternity! We art thine new leader, and thou art Our subjects!” Princess Luna looked down after showing off, and was amazed to see nopony was there. She was baffled. “Where is everypony!”
Thunder cracked and it began pouring rain. As her mane became heavy and her wings tired, Luna landed on the ground and looked around. The raindrops were hitting her armor. Pang pang pang.
The princess flung her head to the side, setting her soaking wet mane upon the ground to keep it from dragging in the ground. Hoisting her tail up for the same reason, she trotted around the courtyard.
She walked by Old Jimmy’s Rustlin’ Bakery. The usual smell of apple pies wasn’t spewing from the windows. She walked over to peer through the windows but only saw an empty bakery. There wasn't a single pastry. She then turned around to look in Teresa’s Mane Studio, but only saw empty chairs and old appliances.
The rain was coming down like a heavy blanket. Where were the pegasi to get rid of the rain clouds? Luna knew she could stop the rain, but she liked the sounds it made: Pang pang pang on her armor, splish splash sploosh in the fountain, tink tenk tink on the rooftops.
Everypony being gone put Luna on edge. She looked around with wide eyes. ‘Is this one of thine tricks Celestia? Art thou going to ambush me?’ Luna was on the vigilant side now. She was scanning everything she saw in case there was something out of the ordinary.
Rain was hitting a billboard atop the many buildings. The board had fresh paint on it, and as the rain poured itself upon it, the paint began to pour down as well. It was advertising peace amongst the three races of pony. It had been put up when Canterlot had been founded many a year ago, and refurbished recently to keep its spirit alive. It was a memento of their coming together after years of quarreling. But now it was washing away. She found that offsetting.
Luna began to grow cold. The rain was coming down harder than it ever had before, and it was starting to get under her armor. Luna galloped to the nearest home. She stood at the door and tapped her horn against it.
“Hello there! Wouldst thou kindly open the door for Us? We promise to invite thou to the next royal feast! Our coat is wet, and We’re cold!” She knew nopony would let her in unless she used common courtesy. But she also knew she wasn’t the kind of person to let somepony in the lower class sit at her table.
“Fine, We’ll open it Ourselves!” She then kicked the door down with her hoof and charged in. There was nopony inside, and even though this kept happening, it still caught her off guard.
Horn turning a dark blue, her armor disappeared from her body, and She was back to her original size. Luna, using her magic, lifted the water off from her coat. She then walked forward and turned around to look at her liquidy self where the water floated in place as a perfect replica of her. She stared at it for a couple seconds, and then hit it with her hoof. The water poured across the floor and she hovered above it to keep her hooves from getting wet.
Luna looked out the window. The rain was coming down hard, and there was no way she was going back out. She tried using her magic to rid the sky of the clouds, but she had already used too much. The strain on her body and mind was to much to keep using magic. She decided that she would go up and sleep on one of the beds till the rain passed by.
The room she stepped into was a small cramped room with a dresser, mirror, and bed. ‘No personal closet or bathroom? How do these ponies live like this?’ She bent down to look under the bed for anything out of the ordinary. Her childhood fear of monsters under the bed never went away, even if she was scarier than what might be under the bed. She pushed the sheets off the bed, climbed in, and rested her head on the pillow. It smelled of caramel. Luna pulled the sheets back up with what little magic she had, and rested.
‘Where is everypony…?’
Day 2/365,250
Princess Luna could still hear the pitter patter of rain outside. The sun wasn’t up, just the way she liked it. She had no idea what time it was though. She stepped out of the bed and shook her head. ‘We’re not sure how anypony could sleep in that.’ Her mane was flowing every which way. Her horn began to glow and her blue hair went back to its rightful position.
Luna walked downstairs; the floor still soaking wet. She looked out the window. The rain hadn’t let up, but she had enough magic to blow the storm clouds away. She walked out the door she had previously kicked in, and stepped into the rain. She looked up, and her horn began to glow. The wind began to pick up, blowing ravenously. The rain began to lessen as the clouds flew overtop Canterlot. Luna was always amazed by magic, but she never would show it. Small breaks in the clouds revealed something disheartening though: sunlight.
“What in all of Equestria…!” Princess Luna was astonished! Wasn’t it always nighttime? Hadn’t Luna won? Where was the moon?
The clouds were far off in the distance now, nowhere near Canterlot. The sun beat down upon Luna’s back, and she hated that.
“Celestia! What hast thou done to Us!” She stared up into the sky, yelling back at the sun. “Where is everypony, Celestia!? What dost thou have planned!?” Luna fell on her chest and held her head between her legs. “What has thou done…” she said quietly, holding back tears. She was scared, a feeling she only felt before checking her bed. She was choked up, and laid there for quite some time. She didn’t know what to do, but most of all, she felt lonely.
The hopeless alicorn wallowed there for some time, unsure of what to do. When Luna stood up, she realized something: Nopony is around to stop her from doing anything she wanted. What seemed like all of Canterlot was hers. She could do anything she wanted without having her sister ruin things for her.
Luna’s stomach grumbled. This set her first objective: to find food! She flew into the air, and from a birds eye view, scoped out where to eat. Pete’s Pizza? Sam’s Spaghetti? Bonny’s Buffet? Old Jimmy’s Rustlin’ Bakery? 'But there was no food there last time We checked.' Luna thought. She decided to check anyway. Maybe there was some cake in the back room.
To her avail, there had been some pastries in the backroom. They hadn’t been covered, so they were a bit stiff, not more than a day though. She munched on a delicious strawberry crumpet. Luna never found crumpets all that appealing, but she loved strawberries, and there weren’t any other pastries other then crumpets. ‘Why so many crumpets?’ She looked around for some sugar. The crumpet wasn’t in any way sweetened enough. She went towards the front of the shop hoping there might be sugar in a pantry. No luck.
The lonely mare sat on her rump and looked outside. ‘Why is the sun out…’ She stuffed what was left of the crumpet in her mouth. It sat on her tongue while she looked outside. What next? She thought of things she could do. ‘Make it forever night; learn how to juggle, travel. Hmm… how about juggling?’
Luna rose up and walked out the bakery. ‘Now what should We practice juggling with?’ Eggs popped into her mind, but that didn’t seem practical. She stood there looking around and thinking of what would be good to juggle. In truth, she didn’t really want to juggle that badly. Luna just didn’t want to think of how lonely she was.
She gave up on juggling. It just seemed to much of a hassle to find something to juggle. That's when it struck her: Why not get rid of the sun now? Nopony could stop her. Nopony is around.
Luna stood as prostrate as she could, channeling all her magic to move the sun and allow for the moon to take over the skies. Her hair flew all directions as her horn began to glow a misty faded gray. The sun began to move ever so slowly. Baring her teeth, eyes shut, hooves pressed to the ground, she pushed all the magic she had into this celestial movement. The sun began to accelerate across the sky, slowly still, but more noticeable now. The shadows began to expand as it dropped down towards the horizon like a filly jumping into water. No moon had appeared yet.
Luna was grunting and gasping for breath. It took a lot of magic to move both the sun and the moon. Normally she wouldn’t be moving them both. If it were nighttime, she would only hold them in place for a time till they couldn’t move anymore. Celestia would always set them back into motion, but Celestia wasn’t here.
The Moon Princess, squeezing every last bit of magic she had, plunged the Sun below the horizon. She fell on her side, eyes closed and breathing heavily. She laid there resting for a while. Nopony would tell her to get off the road. Between breaths, she said quietly:
“Good… Job…”
Day 3/365,250
Not a moonlit sky, but a starry night is what Luna awoke to, after only just three hours of sleep. Her body shivered so much it had woke her. She got up wuth wings wrapped around her underbelly to keep herself warm, and she walked into the nearest home. There was a nice thick gray wool jacket she took off a hook.
Stepping out of the home, she looked around. It was hard to see anywhere in this kind of darkness. Without the moonlight, she had no way of seeing any further then five or six meters.
Walking back inside the home, Luna searched for some sort of portable light source. There was a lantern beneath on of the tables. A blanket and some toys were also under the table. ‘A little filly must have used it for a fort.’ The toys were miniature ponies. Celestia and Luna were there, as well as Star Swirl the Bearded. She grabbed the lantern with her teeth and holstered it to her jacket. Looking at the toys, she reached under the table again with her hoof and brought out the two princesses. She lifted them up with her magic, which she found quite difficult after using so much magic last night, and put them in her jacket pocket.
Stepping out once more, Luna lit the lantern using the last of her magic. She could now see out past twelve to fourteen meters. ‘It is enough.’ She thought.
The now-warm mare turned left and strolled out into the night. She could travel now, wherever her heart pleased. No more works or meetings to discuss the lack in chocolate for an upcoming event with Celestia. No more getting dressed up for a ball that wasn’t in any way interesting for Luna. No more anything. She could do what she wanted to do. Explore the world outside Canterlot on her own time. But once again, the question begged: What first?
Princess Luna thought as she walked, and realized she really didn’t know anywhere outside Canterlot. Sure, Celestia and she have visited other towns, but she had not known any of their names. That was Celestia’s job, everything was.
Luna came to the conclusion that aimlessly exploring seemed the most exciting. She began flapping her wings, but those too were quite tired from last night. She hadn’t really thought about it, but her body was pretty sore. Her magic must not have been enough to move the sun alone. It must have used some physical strength as well. Whether that was true or not didn’t change the fact she had minimal magic and barely enough strength to go adventuring.
that did not stop her, though.
She continued down the road, occasionally looking up at the stars. ‘We wonder if We could someday reach those.’ She added “Walk Amongst the Stars” to her mental list of things to do.
Luna was at the front gate to Canterlot, which was slightly opened. Chills skipped across her spine. Something about leaving felt scary. It seemed almost inevitable that she would leave Canterlot, one way or another, populated or not. But looking out, it seemed hostile. Almost as if everything out there was something she shouldn’t bargain with. What was there to be afraid of?
Her whole body was now outside Canterlot. But where had the time gone between exiting the gate? It seemed her initial fear took over her senses, but she made it out, and that’s what mattered. Now she was her own pony.
There was enough starlight to see out to horizon. The road wound its way around the mountain in weird patterns. It was actually quite irritating to Luna, having to turn left, then right, then u-turn left, then right again. It was quite the sight, though. She saw a rock perching itself out from the mountain. The view at the end of it was exquisite, and she couldn’t help but lie down at the end.
‘Where else is there to travel when We can see it all here?’ She folded her hooves and rested her head on them, looking out over all of Equestria.
The grassy plains below the mountain soaked in new life as the mountains above breathed wind across the Equestrian canvas. The trees swayed as if a sonnet was being played aloud by the Canterlot falls. Those falls could be heard dropping down to Earth with a deep bellowing laugh the whole way down as if it were a carnival ride. The water stomped upon the stones below and dispersed all over, but once settled at the lake below, it reflected the stars high above.
Something crawled into Luna that night, that night when she was alone and stuck inside her own head. It may have been from the choreography of the trees, or the breaths of the Earth, or the power of the mountain, or even the humbleness of the Falls, but Luna was at peace.
‘This is Our home.’
Day 4/365,250
Wind circled Luna as she opened her eyes halfway. It was still dark; just the way it should be. The moon had not shown its face yet. She lifted her head and looked around. ‘Nothing to see.’ She rested her head back on her hooves and shut her eyes. It was nice resting and listening.
Equestria was alive; it never rested. But it's sources of life will eventually stop. Without the sun, the plants will die and the water will freeze. Luna knew this, but didn’t want to think about it.
‘There will be enough food.’ She reassured herself quickly. ‘Even with no sun, I can get by.’ she also knew this wasn’t true, and quite honestly had no idea how to fix it. ‘Oh joy, a new problem…’ She began running ideas on how to fix her problem.
The falls were still laughing deeply, but a higher tone flew down. Intrigued, Luna opened an eye slightly and looked over. There was a darker spot flowing down, and she could have sworn she heard somepony yelling. Did somepony just ride the Canterlot falls? She turned and lifted her head and followed the dark spot until it hit the water below with a smack that rang all the way to her. The first pony she had seen in four days jumps into a waterfall. That is, if it was even real.
She had more energy than before, but was still very tired. Luna stood up and stretched her legs. The lantern was long burned out. She attempted to light it again, but it wouldn’t. She stretched her wings out wide and stepped off the stone. Gliding down, the wind whistled against her ears. She stopped above the lake and waited.
‘Maybe I was just seeing things…’ She was scared to go down, but it wouldn’t hurt, would it? She listened as the falls pushed downward beside her. It was a very powerful thing to experience, and it being her first time, she was quite impressed. She moved closer to the falls and reached her hoof in. It was kicked down and out. She had not been expecting so much force!
She looked down again. Something had rippled the water moving outward from the falls. The star's reflection off the water was being distorted, but the falls didn’t reach so far out. Luna's decision was made: she was to go down. She dived down towards the water. The falls next to her seemed to not move as she caught up with them. Right before hitting the water she swooped forward and chased the unknown swimmer.
“Hey! Stop!” Whatever was starting those ripples seemed to slow down. In fact, they seemed to stop outright. She came to a halt above where the swimmer should have been, but nothing was there. ‘Maybe it dove below.’
She went as close to the water as she could, but nothing seemed to be underneath the surface. She brought her head back up, and swinging her mane back, and came back to a familiar question. ‘What now?’
“Well maybe you could go adventure out further, but I’m not sure you will find it any fun alone.” Somepony was behind her. Luna turned quickly to see who had just spoken to her, but nothing was there. “Oh I’m over here sweetie.” She turned to her right. “No not there, down here.” She turned to look down and saw her own wide eyed reflection. “Oh silly me, I’ll stop playing with you, I’m up here.” She aimed her head up and touched noses with another pony. He had a dark brownish red coat and a dirty tan mane with matching tail. It was messy, and his horn pushed through it. His eyes were a soft but piercing blue. “Hello there.” He smiled and gave Luna a quick peck on the nose and disappeared.
Luna quickly rubbed her nose clean from his mouth. Disgusted and full of questions, she called to him. “Hey! Where hast thou gone!? I demand thee to come back!”
“But why would I do that?” The mysterious stallion was now standing on dry land, brushing his mane back, but then disappeared quickly.
“Because We have said so! And We are very confused!” Luna was distressed, and not sure what in all of Equestria was going on. She could have sworn that there were wings on him, but there weren't very many alicorns left in existence, either.
“So you’re confused, and you want my help? How do you know I’ll be of any help to you?” He was now right in front of her, touching noses again. He did not disappear this time.
“Because We haven’t seen anypony for three days, and the moon is not in the sky where We placed it.”
“I’m offended! ‘Nopony around’ she says, but what about me! I’m right here!” He turned his body and pantomime walked in the air away from Luna as his wings flapped.
“But where hast everypony else gone!” She was talking with a slight panic in her voice, and was almost submissive. She was very eager to find out what was going on.
“They haven’t gone anywhere my love.” She scrunched her face.
“Why dost thou keep calling Us such informal names?” The alicorn turned his head to look at her.
“Just being polite, 'Oh High Exalted One.'”
“Thou must have Us confused with Our sister.”
“Oh no I mean you, Luna.” She kept looking at him intently, though she was still somewhat frightened.
“Where is everypony?”
“Enjoying a shiny day in Canterlot.”
“There is nopony in Canterlot and there is most certainly no sunlight shining upon it.”
“And that is where you are mistaken.” He disappeared, and then reappeared beside the lake. Luna flew over to him, but soon found her wings were still tired, and alighted back on the ground.
“Alright fine, If thou wants to be difficult, We shall move onto a different question. Where is the moon?”
“Closer than you think.” He walked up to her and knocked a hoof on her head. “You do that right? You know, think?”
“We thought thou was going to be polite”
“I have my limits, honey.”
She was blown away by this peculiar Alicorn Nothing he said made much sense. She continued to look at him with amazement, and he was aware of it - and enjoying it.
“At least tell Us what’s going on,” she finally said.
“Do you have eyes? Can’t you see?” He tilted his head and moved in closer while extending the ‘eeeeee’ till Luna gave him a glare that could stop a Minotaur. Stepping back, his face became alarmingly serious. "Tell me what is going on,” he said with a much more stern voice. His eyes showed that he had stopped kidding around.
The Princess was taken back. He had become serious like the flip of a switch. “What?” she asked with a puzzled and somewhat wary face.
“Tell me what is going on.” He stepped forward slightly, and did not let up on his gaze. Luna felt intimidated.
“Well We were arguing with Celestia, and We were about to put Our plan into effect to make it always nighttime. Just before We could, everypony disappeared. We’re not sure what happened, but We know Celestia did something."
"Since then, We’ve gotten rid of the sun. The moon should be in it’s place, but it isn’t. We aren’t sure how, or why, but it just isn’t. We even used all our magic two days ago. We know for a fact We moved the moon but it just isn’t in the sky.”
"So yesterday We decided that We would go adventuring; see the world. We only made it so far on hoof until We fell asleep up on the mountain.” She turned and pointed to the rock. He did not look away from her. “Then when We awoke, We listened to Equestria. The sounds it makes are amazing! Hast thou ever just listened to it?" The alicorn smirked at Luna as she went on.
“Anyway, We noticed an unknown sound coming from the falls. It sounded of screaming.” The last word crawled its way out her mouth as he began to chuckle.
“Haha! I wasn’t screaming out of fear, if that was what you were wondering! I’m a thrill seeker! I love finding new ways to get the adrenaline pumping!” He stood on two hoofs and tensed his fore-arms, trying to showing off his non-existent muscles.
“We would be impressed, If thou had any muscles.” He stepped back down on all four hooves and his face became that serious look again as he came dangerously close to her. She felt uneasy.
“Would ‘thou’ like for me to have muscles?” She wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to that question. "Because I can do anything. I can give you anything you want.” That really sent a strike through her bones. Even the air seemed to feel awkward.
“What… dost thou mean ‘I can give you anything you want.'” she said slowly, picking her words carefully. Backing up, she lowered herself a little out of fear, if only to show him that she was submitting.
“It means exactly how it sounds. Do you want me to have more muscle and be the most handsome colt in all of Equestria? I can do that in an instant. Do you want sugar on those bland strawberry crumpets you ate earlier?” Crumpets appeared with sugar being poured onto it by the spoonful. They were rotating around her head. “I can give you that, too.”
Luna was left aloof. She wasn’t sure how to act around this colt. He had a certain aura that was terrifying, and yet, it was very inviting. She knew she was giving into him, but she didn’t want to fight it. She just wanted to be with somepony. Being alone for three days was too much. She didn’t want to scare this pony away.
“But of course why would you want those things, right?” He jumped back, and with a wide grin, made the crumpets and sugar disappear “Why don’t we go adventuring first?” He turned around and jumped right into the air, speeding away at an unbelievable rate!
Luna was still a bit lowered, and she looked around. It was still dark, and she was afraid. ‘Why are We so scared…’ She slowly raised her neck. This new alicorn was the first to appear in three days, and that was after everypony else had disappeared. Luna tried to stay courageous, but being so shaken up by somepony she had never met before really unsettled her. She fell to the ground once more. Shoving her face between her folded hooves, she cried.
Luna wasn’t sure of anything, and she knew it. Even when she tried to make sense of it, or ignore it, she was only lying to herself. She knew that too. When she finally had left Canterlot and rested on that projected stone, she felt so much of that confusion leave her body. She had been peace, but now the confusion crawled back in like it had before, and she was scared it wasn’t going to leave.
“I’m sorry, I am truly, truly sorry,” a voice said in a calm, warming tone. The mysterious colt had returned, and he settled down next to her, resting his head on his own hooves. “I don’t like this, I really don’t. Please believe me.” Luna continued sobbing while he just rested there looking at her with his soft eyes, watching.
“How about I tell you about myself. better now than never right?” He grinned a small grin, but Luna didn’t let up, so he put his grin away for another time. “I’m not a doctor, I wouldn’t say that. I don’t make the pain go away, or keep you from ever getting hurt. I’m more of a surgeon. Ponies might come to me asking ‘Oh please sir! My leg has been broken for so long! Every time I walk it hurts! Please help me!’ And I tell them ‘That bone has been healed over incorrectly. I’m going to need to need to break it again to put it back in place’.”
"Someponies turn away and say they don’t want to relive the pain, and that they will deal with it. Others agree, and allow me to make their legs perfect again. The pain these ponies face after having their legs broken a second time is unbearable, but afterwords they are new ponies.”
“Why are you telling me this…” Luna’s voice was muffled underneath her hooves, but he knew what she had said.
“I know you think I ruined what you had going. You felt perfect, and you were going to adventure around Equestria, but you still knew something was wrong. Even if exploring would hide it, you still had it sitting in your head.”
"I’m here to make things better, Luna. But things only become better after they are worse.”
She looked up; her folded legs were wet, and her eyes filled with tears still. Her mouth was open, with teeth bared, but eyes silently pleading for help. Even now, she had a defense against him: She wanted to scare him away. That’s what she did with anypony she didn’t like.
But he only looked at her, as pathetic as she looked; trying to look intimidating with eyes screaming for redemption. His face did not move. He just sat there looking back at her. “But only if you say ‘please.'”
Luna reached with her arms around his neck and squeezed with all the pleases she could show. This lonely Canterlot wasn't so lonely anymore. He rested his head on her shoulder and returned the hug. Luna pressed her mouth against his ear. Quietly, as to let not a single soul hear, she whispered:
Luna awoke in her royal bed. Looking about the room, she saw out the window that it was still dark outside. A glance across showed that her jacket was folded up on the table next to her. That mysterious Alicorn must have carried her here after last night. She remembered crying in his arms for a long time. Lifting the covers, she stepped out of bed and stretched, wings first.
‘Another Alicorn. Hmm.’ She didn’t very much know what to think. He just seemed to come out of nowhere. What kind of cutie mark did he have? Better yet, what was his name? Luna had many questions, and only one colt to ask. That didn't bother her, though, since he seemed like the kind of alicorn who knew more than he let on. ‘How did he know We wanted sugar on Our crumpets…’ Many questions.
“Don’t worry, I’ll answer them as soon as I want to!” That didn't bother her, though, since he seemed like the kind of alicorn who knew more than he let on. Luna's mouth dropped; he amazed her!
“And how dost thou know We had so many questions?” She had only known him for a little while, and he was already proving to be more than meets the eye. She stepped over to him and took one of the plates with a quiet thank you.
“Well you’re in my house, so I know everything that goes on inside it. Even your thoughts.” He gave her a quick wink and a crooked smile.
“Here, We’ll get a table for us.” Her horned glowed as a table from the other room came floating in and planted itself next to them, “And We believe this is Our house, not yours.” She placed her plate on the table.
“Before we start, may I ask you a question?” Luna nodded. “If you are going to be asking me questions, you must believe I have knowledge you do not hold. In other words, you believe I’m smarter than you.” He smiled, placing the plate down and took a few bites before continuing. Luna waited awkwardly to see what he was getting at.
“Sorry. So as I was saying, you think I’m smarter than you, and yet, you tell me this...” He rose his hooves up high above his head and did a spin, “...is not my house?" She did not quite understand what he meant, but it felt degrading, so she turned her head. “Well this will be easy.” he said sarcastically. “Alrighty then, my love! What is your first question! I’m all ears!”
“Thou makest no sense. Is this Our House or yours?” She said turning back to him, lifting her fork with magic, and ate a small piece of her hot cake.
The Alicorn took a quick bite as well. With his mouth full, he said, “It may look like your home, but hotels do the same to make you feel comfortable. They make them look a lot like home so you feel comfortable. I just happen to make my home just like your home.” He swallowed. “Ahh, or maybe your home just looks like mine.” He rose an eyebrow and leaned over the table a bit.
“Your home, okay then. If We are thine guest, what is Our host's name?” He had to have some sort of magical name. He had so many talents – flying, teleportation, cooking – that it had be something awesome. That also reminded her to check for his cutie mark.
“Well I guess names are important, but compared to a name like Princess Luna, mine is nothing but the dust underneath your bed.” She leaned to the side to look at his flank, but he moved his head in the way. “I guess you could know it, but it seems a bit early for that. We have a long time to get to know each other, did you know that?” She tried to see his cutie mark, but every time she glanced over at it, he seemed to move his head in her way. “Maybe you would like to ask your next question?”
She gave up and asked. “Yes! What is thine cutie mark! Thou seemst to have so many talents! We just...” She ran around him, but he spun quick enough to keep her from seeing. “...want to see it!”
“Alright, you may see it.” He turned to his side and flashed off his cutie mark. It was an eye with the Moon as its pupil. It seemed to glow off his coat. “It’s the hardest talent I could ever think of, and it ended up on me.”
“But what is the talent?” She looked at him, then back at the leering eye. His nose wrinkled a bit, almost as if he wasn’t sure how to answer. After a short time of him looking around, he answered.
“I watch the Moon. Everything that happens on it, I must see. There is nothing on it I do not notice, but it is much more than a skill of watching. I can’t afford to just wait for something to change on the Moon. It requires that I fix it when something is wrong. The only problem is the Moon needs to realize it has a problem before I’m allowed to change it.”
“But if your job is to fix it, why must thou wait?” Luna was puzzled. This colt seemed to be too mysterious to understand. He seemed to talk with an otherworldly sense.
“If I fixed it upon my own accord, I’d be meddling, honey. The Moon would only push me away if I tried that.” With one last bite, he finished his hot cakes.
“Well what an odd skill. So, your name?”
“You, my one and only...” He moved the table out of the way with magic and stepped closer. He moved in uncomfortably close to her, and she felt her bones shake. His presence so close held an awesome power. Luna wasn’t sure she liked or disliked it; it was just different. He nudged some of her mane out from over her ear with his snout and whispered, “...may not know that yet.”
He couldn’t resist smiling from ear to ear. He backed away from Luna, revealing a fearful-looking expression on her face. He still smiled back at her, but she was furious. All she wanted to know was his name, and he hadn’t the decency to share it.
Stomping her hoof, she said, “If thou wilt not tell Us your name, We shall have to make one up for thee.” She thought deeply for a name but settled for a basic one. “Moon Watcher.”
He cracked up laughing. “That is the lamest name I have ever heard! And it’s in no way original! You’re a hoot, you know that Luna!?” She still stood there angry. He was a tease, and it bothered her to no end. “That’s more of a job description then a name. Why not call me… Reginald, or Timothy?”
She just stood there, digging her hooves into the tile beneath her. “Or you could remain nameless.”
“If it was my choice, I wouldn’t have a name. I don’t need it anyway. The mystery of a no-named Alicorn seems so much more intriguing. But I guess you could call me something…” She watched him lower his head. He was probably thinking of a name. “Reginald sounded cool, so Reginald it is!” He smiled and turned around.
“Reginald?” She didn’t like the name. “We’ll call thee Reggie, then.” She followed him out of her room. Her mane was a mess, and she just noticed it. Her horn glowed and her mane was set right. “So, what now?”
“Well, the Moon beckons me, so I’ll be back soon.” She ran up beside him, keeping pace with his stride.
“So thou knowest where it is? The moon, We mean.” He stopped and turned to look at her. He gave her a closed half smile and winked, vanishing into thin air. “What! Thou must be kidding Us! Thou canst just vanish! Where is the Moon! Tell Us!” Luna stomped her hoof against the floor repeatedly. Why was this stallion, or Reggie as he said, so difficult?
‘What in all Equestria…’ She enjoyed his company, but now she was bored. Luna stood around, not entirely sure where to go or what to do. She thought of flying, but she would have to come back down to the messed-up world, so no point. Luna walked back into her room and decided to look out her window.
It had a small balcony extending from it. The dark blue mare opened up the gates and stepped out onto the balcony. It was chilly out. Her horn glowed, and the jacket from the night before came floating out. She let it rest across her back, but didn’t slide her legs into it. The sleeves blew in the cold wind. She stared up at the stars, yearning for the moon to just show up.
‘That’s odd’ Luna thought as she looked up. Some stars were not where they should be. ‘What happened to their formation?’ She stood there, gazing up at the stars. Then something hit her: maybe the stars didn’t move. Maybe she did. ‘Did We move somewhere? Or is it another season?’
Luna used her magic to tie the two sleeves of her jacket together and flew into the air at high speeds. She wanted to know just what was going on once and for all, so she planned to fly around Equestria - just to see if there was any clue to what may have happened. ‘No time for sightseeing.’ Equestria was dark all over. In fact, the princess wasn’t sure what was behind the mountains ahead of her. She knew of the Everfree Forest, but that was it.
She wasn’t sure there was going to be anything incriminating behind those mountains, but what else was there to do? Reggie wasn’t around, so she had nopony to talk to. There was nothing to do here, and it was killing her.
Luna was close to the mountains now. Light poured over the ridges and edges of the mountains, but why? There was no light anywhere with the sun gone, right? Her face went glum and she didn’t want to continue further, but she kept going anyways. So close to the mountain, she felt warm.
Her heart sank as she landed on the peak of the mountain. The sun was still shining, all across Equestria, but something was in its way. A giant sphere blocked out half of the sun. Luna was both sad and confused. What was that giant sphere?
“Oh! Well that’s where you used to live!” Reggie flew in from behind Luna and hovered in front of her. The sun shined behind him, giving him a silhouette look.
“Ist thou going to always read Our mind, or are We never to have privacy again?” Luna put a smug face on. She liked her thoughts to stay private.
“I’m not allowed to give you any privacy.”
“What dost thou mean? And why did thou say that ‘that’…” She pointed a hoof out towards whatever blocked the Sun, “...was where We ‘used’ to live?”
“I mean it's part of my job” He flew near Luna and nuzzled her snout with his. She stepped back a bit in surprise as he chuckled. “Awwe, don’t act like you didn’t miss me? I missed you. It felt like forever for me.”
“Thou art avoiding Our second question.” She didn’t show it, but she really didn’t mind him being so forthright, even if it was to avoid questions.
“And that’s why I keep doing it.” She rolled her eyes. “Ahh, yes! Your second question! Well, I say it’s where you lived because it’s true. You used to live there, and now you’re here.”
“How can that be where We ‘used’ to live, Reggie? We’re still in Equestria. We’re still home.” Luna said it, but didn’t know for sure if she was right or wrong. Earlier Reggie had said Luna’s home wasn't really hers, but was, in fact, his.
“You are home, but not in Equestria.”
“Couldst thou stop being ever so cryptic!?” Luna was fed up with Reggie not answering her questions with the answers she wanted to hear.
“What do you want me to say, my love?”
“Where are We!?” Luna sounded more hopeless than demanding now. This Alicorn pushed her every button.“Plain and simple! Where are We!?”
“What do you love the most, Luna?” That did it.
“Of ALL the ponies in all the universe, We get stuck with this one! We cannot believe this!” She started stomping her hooves and shaking her head violently. “Why canst thou just answer a simple question!? Reggie, just tell me!”
“What do you love the most out of everything?”
“Why dost that matter!”
“It matters because it answers more then one question.”
“What ist more important then wondering where thine home is!? Reggie, We’re already distraught, canst thou just tell me…?” He shook his head. Luna shut her eyes. Gnashing her teeth, she pressed her hooves hard into the ground. “Alright” She shook her whole body, starting with her tail to release tension. “We’ll answer thine question first.” Reggie liked that idea, and showed it with a smile.
“We love the moon. It hast never done Us wrong, and always covers Our land in silence and calmness. It's perfect for games, feasting, loving, but guess what? Everypony falls asleep! We give them the prime time to do anything and they all just sleep! Why even have night! Confound these ponies they push Us to madness! They hate the one thing We love!” She took a breath, and realized how close she had moved to Reginald’s face. Her eyes were perfectly leveled with his and her teeth were bared. With a stern look on her face, she said, “Now, where are we?”
Reggie, with a straight face, leaned to the side and pointed his hoof at her cutie mark. She did not turn, but merely glowered at him. He looked up at her and then back to the cutie mark. “Stop staring at Our flank, and answer the question.”
“Well what do you love, my dear!? You already answered it, so it shouldn’t be that hard.” Reggie stood upright again and stared at her. The face Luna made was priceless. Reginald had answered Luna with a question. Why? Because it was like Reggie said: both questions had the same answer!
“Oh my… Thou must be kidding… Thou art joking, right…?” She stepped back, and looked around. ‘There is no way!’ She thought.
“She’s beautiful isn’t she, The Moon I mean. She amazes me over and over. I love her, did you know that?” Luna’s mind was still in processing mode. “Luna, let’s go back to your room so you can get some rest.”
“We’re on the Moon? What! Why!?” Luna stepped back, just a half a step from falling over the edge of the peak. One more step back down she'd go. Reggie was aware of this and didn’t want her to do anything she might regret.
“Luna, I’m serious now, no more jokes.” He kept calm and stepped toward Luna as she backed up. “Nopony likes to be shocked like that, and nopony can just shrug it off, and I’m not expecting you too. I just need you to come with me so you can sleep on it.” He stepped a hoof closer with his head down and eyes wide.
“Sleep? Are We sleeping? Of course We are. The second We wake up, We’ll take over Canterlot and show them the greatness of night! We just need to wake up first, that’s all.” Luna turned, staring down the edge of the mountain. They had been on a plateau. It was a long drop, with nothing in the way to stop her...
“Luna, don’t. This isn’t a dream.” He stepped next to her and looked at her. She kept her gaze down. “Love, I’m not going to stop you, but I’m not going to let you do that, either.”
It didn’t matter what Reggie wanted. She just wanted to wake up. Nopony liked her when she was awake in Canterlot, but that was better then nopony existing.
With her mane hanging over her head on both sides, all she could see was the ground. Her spine tingled, and the blood seemed to pound through her body, like a hammer to the nail. It would only be a second, and she would be awake. Luna could go back to being normal, hated, ignored, and disregarded as princess. But it would be better then being lonely, right? There isn’t a chance to be loved, regarded, or noticed if nopony was around.
But then again, she had that here, in her dream. Somepony loved her, even if it was playful. Luna enjoyed Reggie, but she wanted to show Celestia that she was better than everypony. She wanted to be looked up to whether it was out of fear or respect. She wanted more.
Princess Luna didn’t remember stepping off, just like she didn’t remember leaving Canterlot the first time. She was falling backwards and staring up at Reggie, who stood there, watching her. He didn’t look away, and didn’t jump down to save her. The sunlight shone above his body, seeming to engulf him.
Luna was falling to the cold surface of the Moon. And as she fell, she remembered his question.
I’ve wondered why we ponies think they must know everything about everything. Why do we want to know everything about government, friends, God, just to name a few. Sometimes they sit down wondering to themselves, ‘Why does God do that?’ or, ‘Why did he veto that?’ and even sometimes ‘Does she like me?’
I’m going to bring up a scenario that I’d like you to sit on. Imagine you knew everything in the world, no, the universe! You had knowledge beyond the stars, and had experienced everything there is to offer! So if you already know you're going to grow up to be a famous cook, then why do anything else? If you knew who you were to marry, why date? If you knew who was to win an election, why vote? If you knew you were to die on November the fourteenth of the year 2016, would you tell anyone?
Now I’m talking of knowledge that nopony will ever have, so why do you think I brought it up? Some things are best misunderstood, whether for the better, or for the worse. From one pony to another, I enjoy not knowing whether my sweet Natalie will be my wife. It makes me want to be more then I am. And the wonders of God are far too spacious to even begin having answers for, and yet people want them. Since I don’t know who will win this years election, I better know all the facts of both sides, right? If I don’t, I might make a mistake.
If we keep wanting answers, we might miss the big picture. Maybe we should stop looking for answers, and start looking for questions. Questions that don’t have answers with words, but answers with actions, actions that cause us ponies to change who we are.
Questions that changed who she was.
Day 6/365,250 …
Day 7/365,250 ..
Day 8/365,250 .
Day 9/365,250
Luna’s eyelids slowly opened, her vision fuzzy. Her body was so tired it had not registered as awake for a couple minutes. She was in her room. No light was shining in through the windows, but it was open. It was still nighttime, and Luna liked it that way. ‘Are We back home?’
“Nope, still here.” Reggie’s voice came in from the hallway. Luna shut her eyes again and let out a long, depressed sigh. She wasn’t home, and she was still on The Moon.
Luna started to move her legs to get out of bed, but they wouldn’t move properly. She opened her eyes to find her right front leg in a sling and her two back legs with splints attached. There was a wrap around her wings, which had sores all over them. Her left front leg was free to move, but that could only do so much. She panicked as she thought of her current condition.
Luna wobbled and whined as if she was still in a dream, even though she knew that was not true. She moaned as a molten hot nail went through her right flank. Her eyes peered over to where the pain was. Lifting the blanket, she found a bandage covering up an unknown wound on her cutie mark.
“I’d stay put if I were you, Princess. You’re in no condition to be doing anything.” Reggie had walked into the room. He wasn’t carrying hot cakes this time, but bandages lay across his back as he strode in. “On second thought, you may need to lay on your left. That bandage needs to be replaced.”
“We’ll try.” Luna was part of the one percent of ponies who enjoyed sleeping on her back, front hooves holding the covers, and back legs open. The covers always had to be tucked in as well, but at the moment, they were all over the place. She put her left front hoof out to give herself leverage. It helped as she carefully allowed her body to land on her left side. After what seemed like a long and endless discomfort, Luna closed her eyes and rested on her side. The blankets had been pulled up and cold air was brushing icy bristles against her back. Chills went through her.
“Oh, let me get that.” Reggie stepped over to close the window. “You do know with no sun it’s going to be blistering cold out there. That coat over there isn’t going to do you any good when the whole country is frozen over." He walked over to the right side of the bed. With his mouth, he grabbed the bandages on his back and laid them across the bed. His magic lifted the blanket off her coat. Luna hoisted her head up to see how bad it was.
The wound was covering the whole right side of her flank. At the center was a large black spot with a grimy green ring around it. “That’s not good” He lightly touched his hoof against it.
“Ahh!” Luna kicked her back leg, only sending more pain through her body as the broken bones chafed against each other. “It doesn’t feel good either!”
“Sorry. It seems I’ll need to rewrap the wound, putting a pad on it might have made it worse.”
“Thou thinkest?” Reggie took the bandages he had prepared by the mouth and quickly stepped out into the hallway. He walked back in with a roll of gauze. It dropped, and they both watched as it rolled beneath her bed. Luna looked up at Reggie, who looked back at her and smiled.
“Oops.” He galloped to the other side to find the roll already there. He used his magic to pick it up and roll it back together. She rested her head against the pillow and rolled her eyes.
“This is going to hurt.” She said it as a statement, already expecting the worst.
“Darling,” He unraveled the gauze. “This is going to be the most painful physical experience in your life.” She shut her eyes as Reggie leaned close to the bandage on her side. His magic was holding the opened roll above her. His teeth were ready to pull the bandage off, but he stood back and said real quick, “By the way, I’ll need to replace this fast, so it’s best you don’t move.”
“Please, just get it over with.” Luna ducked her head into the pillow and bit down. She could feel Reggie’s chin against her flank. Sandpaper vibrated quickly off her cutie mark. “Oh our stars!” she cried, her voice muffled by the pillow. Warm crimson began to pour from the wound.
“Alright, give me one second.” Reggie hopped over the bed as Luna turned her head to look at him, furious.
“What!? One second!? Thou must be kidding!” She quickly glanced at her wound before ducking her head back into the pillow. There was a tear in her skin, and the coat around it had been shaved off. The muscle could be viewed pulsing as the pain coursed through it, but blood made it difficult to see as it dripped out each strand. She shook her head in the pillow as whines and moans pushed their way out of her throat. Her wings pressed outward against their wrapping.
Reggie came back in with antibiotics at the ready. Diving over Luna, he turned around and opened a patch up. Cold liquid poured through her, causing her to jolt and scream. Soft powder covered the wound up before Reggie quickly stretched out the bandage across her. He used his magic to lift her and wrap the bandage tight. A heavy breath was squeezed out of her before the intense pain was relieved. Luna kept her head pressed into the pillow. It was soaked by now, and tasted of salt.
“I’m sorry, my love. I knew the wound was bad but I thought it would have healed more in three days. I should have had those medicines with me.”
Reggie walked over to where Luna could see him and sat down. He laid his head on the bed and looked at her. Luna pulled her head off the pillow, but her mane still covered her wet face. Reggie’s chin had spots of red along it. She wanted to tell him off, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. ‘He probably knows all the words We would have used anyways. He can read Our mind.’
“I know what you want to say to me, and I can assure you I know every word you yelled at me in your head while I fixed you up.” Luna shut her eyes out of embarrassment. “But I won’t hold it against you. Anypony would use words like that if they shared the pain you just felt. At least I would.” Reggie smiled, and she couldn’t help but smile back. “Just because you're royalty...” He bopped her snout with his hoof. “Doesn’t mean you have to act it all the time.”
Reggie stood up and left the room. She wanted him to stay by his side as she rested, but was too tired to call for him. He stepped back in, now with a bag of pills hanging from his mouth. Luna shut her eyes and smiled, glad that he hadn’t just left her.
“Here,” he said through his teeth, swinging the bag. “Take one of these.” He set the bag down on the bedside table. “By the time you're awake, you should be able to at least walk.” His horned glowed as a pill floated out from the bag to Luna. She opened her mouth and swallowed it.
Reggie left the room again. ‘Guess he chose not to stay with me after all.’ Luna shut her eyes and let the pill take effect. Once in her system, her muscles slowly began to relax, starting with her legs, then her wings. Like a slow wave, her muscles from her flank began to relax up to her chest. She opened her eyes slowly, and felt disoriented. Her vision was blurred and pulsating. Her eyes shut and all she could do was listen.
Something crashed in the hallway far off, and Luna heard a loud yipe. Reggie must have bumped into something. She wanted to smile, but couldn’t. Those muscles had been shut down. She kept hearing clanging and clattering until whatever was making the noise approached the door. There were hoofsteps, and then a bang as something landed beside her bed. A quiet ‘sorry’ could be heard.
She knew it was Reggie, but had no idea what he was doing. She heard cloth, and springs being pushed in. Springs were jostling, as if someone were sliding across them. Luna felt a blanket being laid across her body. The blanket was then tucked, and it became completely silent. Luna was just about to fall asleep before she heard faint breathing.
‘He stayed.’
Day 10/365,250 ..
Day 11/365,250 .
Day 12/365,250
Long, heavy breaths could be heard in front of Luna. She didn’t feel like opening her eyes.
How long had she been out? Long enough to heal her body, maybe? She slowly began moving each of her limbs. Her front legs were fine; she could move them freely without any pain. She pulled her right leg out of the sash, and reached back to touch her wound. It was scabbing over, but she could still feel as it moved across the muscle. She felt chills spread from the wound across her body, it was tender. She tried moving her back legs. The splints made it hard to stretch her legs very far. They were stiff, and she heard the joints as they popped.
Luna rested her legs. She didn’t want to wake Reggie. She reached for her blanket, which had fallen off the bed, and laid it across herself. She preferred many blankets covering her. The feeling of being pressed down into her mattress was comforting.
Her left side hurt, so she attempted to lie on her back. At first it pained Luna to resituate her body. Her front legs were fine as they held the blanket up to her chin, but she couldn’t let her right leg rest open without it pressing the wound into the mattress. It pained her as she felt the gauze move across what may hadn’t entirely scabbed over. She did get comfortable, though, and tried her hardest not to move her right leg, even when it did itch.
Reggie was still fast asleep. She enjoyed the sound of him breathing: soft and spacious. She looked over at him. Her blood was still underneath his chin. He must have slept next to her since he had renewed the bandage, however long ago that was. Luna raised the blanket quick to see if she had dried blood on her, and there was a lot in her tail. She planned to shower as soon as she got out of bed. She didn’t wish to wake Reggie, though, so she rested her head against the pillow.
Luna didn’t know how to feel about Reggie; Thankful for fixing her up, or angry for letting her fall. ‘Why didn’t Reggie stop Us?’ Alone in her head, she realized there was a much bigger question to tackle. ‘What are We doing on the Moon!?’
“Golly gee, Luna.” Reggie spoke up slowly in a deep, raspy voice. He coughed a bit, and ended it with a snort. His voice was back to normal. “Do you have to think so loudly?” He stretched his legs as far as he could, and opened his eyes to look at Luna. “Well, I see you are all cozy.”
“Except for these splints.” She wiggled her back legs, sending a wave through the blanket.
“Give me a second, I’ll take those off.” Reggie pushed off the blanket and rolled out of bed onto Luna’s. He may have been above the covers, but she still felt rather awkward about it. “I’ll only be in your bed for a little bit, love.”
Reginald pulled the sheet off Luna, and revealed her open, splint-held legs. The meter went way past awkward as his hooves played around her legs. She knew he was just unhinging the splints, but each little touch of his hooves to her legs sent excitement through her veins. Luna knew she couldn’t hide her thoughts, but she couldn’t help but find it great.
“I tend to give mares that sensation; you’re not the only one.” Reggie grinned a grin beyond grins. Luna shut her eyes and let out a heavy breath. No privacy, ever. Her left back leg splint popped right off, and she stretched it out. It felt good to use it, and now all she needed was her right back leg free. Reggie stepped right over her and faced her right side. “How does your flank feel, by the way?”
“Well, mushy and gross.” Luna turned her head to look at the wound and tapped it. It didn’t hurt so much, though it felt rather weird.
“Well that’s better than ‘ouch’.” Reggie began to dismantle the last splint, and the chills began to run through Luna again. She couldn’t help but love them. It was subtle and on accident, but came across as a tease.“Maybe I should stop touching you. You know, in case you do something I will regret.” Reggie quickly finished the job and set the splint down.
There was a period of silence where the two of them organized their thoughts. Luna didn’t mean to enjoy his touches so much, Reggie was just magical. She felt bad for thinking what she did. She knew to regulate her mouth, but not her thoughts.
“You won’t be able to do that either, trust me.” Reggie hopped over Luna’s bed into his. He flipped his pillow over to the cold side, pulled the covers up, and turned to look at Luna. “I was thinking of doing some work today, and then I remembered something. I love resting.” He rubbed his head against the pillow. Some of the dried blood stains brushed off his coat.
“Thou should shower before resting” Luna lifted the blanket and laid it over herself.
“I suppose you’re right. You should too, just not while I am, ok?”
Luna closed her eyes and let out a breath as she said, “Yeah.” She began to like the strap around her wings while in bed. It kept them from opening up and bending uncomfortably.
“So how long have We been bedridden?”
“Since your fall. It’s been seven days. You managed to hit all the bad stuff in the bad places. You’re lucky I could fix you up.”
“Thou let Us fall.” There was no gap between Reggie’s words and hers. Silence fell upon them like an extra blanket once more. It was bound to be brought up, and Luna wasn't going to wait for Reggie.
“I didn’t let you fall. I let you make your own decision.”
“Which was to fall, therefore, thou let Us fall.”
“Luna, honey…”
“No, don’t give Us that, Reggie!” Luna turned to look at him, wide eyed. “Thou let Us fall and that’s that! Even after We fell, thou couldst have swooped down and stopped Us!” Reggie stared back at her. His face showed how sorry he was.
“If I stopped you, Luna, you would still be in disbelief and try to ‘wake up’ from a dream you aren’t having. You might have done something worse than falling as far as you did.”
“Worse!? Hast thou seen Our flank!? It’s half gone!”
“This is my home, love, remember? I know everything about it. I knew that fall wasn’t going to kill you. Granted, I didn’t expect you to hit all the worst things possible.” Another long silence swooped by as they thought.
“I had to allow you to realize that what you are experiencing is real.” She laid her head sideways against the pillow, closing her eyes. “You’re on The Moon, Luna.”
“We’re on the Moon.” Luna said it slowly as she let it sink in.
“My Moon.” They both laid there, looking at each other. It was news Luna wasn’t sure was good or bad. She turned her head upright and stared at the ceiling.
“How are We to bathe? Won’t Our bandage soak up or something?” She wanted to change the subject, and that’s exactly what she did.
“I’m not sure ‘we’ is safe, Luna. But you could go first. I have some work to catch up on. Couldn’t you use magic to keep your wrapping from getting wet?”
“We suppose. What work dost thou have?”
“Take your shower first. We still have a lot of time to talk, you and me.” Reggie pushed the blanket up and trotted out to the hallway. “See you soon, love.”
“Likewise.”
…
…
…
Luna stepped out of the bathroom, refreshed and ready for what the day had in store for her.
Or so she believed. She thought of all the questions she was ready to ask Reggie once he showed up. He probably already knew them, since he could read minds.
The Princess dried her coat and stretched out her wings. She shook her mane; droplets of water were sprayed around. The bathroom was connected to her room. She walked over to her mess of a bed and began to clean it up. Finding some extra pillows in the cupboard, she arranged them at the head of the bed. Reggie had just stepped in the room, still with dried crimson beneath his chin.
“Ist thou going to bathe?” Luna stepped onto the bed and rested against the pillows. There wasn’t much to do but talk and rest.
“Of course I am. Right now, actually.” Reggie picked up a towel on his walk into Luna’s bathroom.“You don’t by chance have any conditioner, do you?”
“Go ahead.” She laid on her back with her legs relaxed. He was in the other room, so she didn’t feel bad being so immodest.
“So I hear you’re going to barrage me with more questions. Am I right?” The faucet could be heard spitting up water.
“Dost thou already know them?”
“Of course I do, but I’d still rather you asked them.” Luna grabbed a pillow from behind her and hugged it with all four legs. She plopped onto her side, trying to remember the first question she had. It was the most important one, and she couldn’t remember. The faucet stopped running.
She chose to ask about the work he did while he took her bath. “I’ll show you my work soon enough. Hit me with another question, I’m all ears.”
Luna was disappointed; she didn’t like waiting. She went ahead onto her next question. “We’re perplexed as to how this is thine house if it looks exactly like Ours.”
“It may seem weird to you.” A squirting sound from a bottle left the bathroom. “But it is. After my bath, you will know why.” Luna pressed her head against the pillow and pressed her hooves into it as well. Was he going to put all his questions off till later?
“We know it’s quite possible to be thine house, excluding the fact that this is the Moon and all, but it looks exactly as Ours. Why is that?” She stared at the tiled floor, blue and white. “If this is the Moon, how come it looks just like Equestria?”
“Like I said before, it’s like a hotel, just different.”
“All of the land outside is included in thine house then?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Do We own anything?”
“Not for another one thousand years, you don’t.”
“And what does that mean?”
“It means you won’t own anything for one thousand years, exactly as I said.”
“No, what do you mean 'one thousand years?'” Luna squeezed the pillow tightly and remembered her first and more pressing question. “And now that We remember, why in the world are We on the Moon?”
“I thought that would be your first question, dear”
“Just answer, please.” Luna sat squeezing her nice, soft pillow. Reggie wasn’t answering. He probably was finishing up and going to answer once he was out. She laid there waiting.
Water droplets were hitting the floor as Reggie stepped out of the tub. Luna watched him walk into her room, towel brushing against him. His coat shined. That conditioner worked wonders.
“If I tell you, Luna, will you go jumping off a cliff again?” Reggie shot her a serious look. He laid the towel down on a rack and walked to Luna’s bedside. She shook her head. “Alright love. I trust you.”
He motioned for Luna to scoot over on the bed. She moved as far back as she could, her tail off the edge as she rested on her right side. Reggie laid next to her. He grabbed a pillow as well and hugged it tightly. She gave hers a quick squeeze again.
“Luna, my sweet, you’ve been banished here.” Luna felt something in her chest press outward. A boulder lodged itself in her stomach and seemed to roll every which way. Shutting her eyes, she crushed the pillow between her legs and whipped her tail against the bedside.
The stone lodged itself in Luna’s throat and she found she misplaced her voice. She resorted to thoughts. ‘Banished? Like punishment?’ She filled much anger and disgust into her thoughts.
“I’m afraid so.” Reggie had a warm voice exit his mouth and brush against her ears. Some of the anger left.
‘Because We wanted to make it nighttime forever.’
“Correct.” She didn’t feel as disgusted now.
‘Celestia had no other choice, did she?’
“She wasn’t the one out of you two who had choices to make.” Luna’s anger kept escaping as she listened to Reggie’s voice. The stone staid still inside her.
‘Well how long are We here for, then.’
“Remember how I said one thousand years?” Luna felt the stone crush inside her, bringing her body with it. She couldn’t move, or think, or anything. The Moon would be her home for one thousand years. She shut her eyes as cold, wet stones pressed out her eyes. The pillow had marks where her hooves began digging in. Her body shivered as she began to grab at her thoughts.
“At least you love The Moon. It gives you warmth when it brings a cold blanket for others. It shines in your life where the sun cannot. So why are you crying, my love? why do you feel broken when the one thing you love has been brought closer to you?”
Luna had not an answer. Her heart said she loved the Moon, but her mind said she was far away from what she loved.
“The heart and mind don’t make much sense, do they sweetie? It’s weird how we set our heart on something, almost like we take a specific part of our heart and set it aside for it. Then once we get that thing, it doesn’t even fill that piece to the brim. The mind sees the heart empty, so it fills it with wonders about how great that thing we wanted is, almost giving it a godlike position.
“But isn’t that only a lie we tell ourselves? We make ourselves want something more then it's worth. We find ourselves filling our hearts with lies to keep us from realizing the truth, the truth that the things we love are different from the things that keep us living.”
The stone pressed out Luna’s voice. “And what are We living for now that We have nothing?” Sobs pressed out with the stone between words.
“Nothing.”
Luna felt stones press into her bones as she heard that word. She wasn’t living for anything. She lived for the Moon, and now she had it. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be it seems.
“At the moment, of course. At some point, Luna, you will find something else to live for, and maybe it will be the thing that fills your heart to the brim. But who knows.” Luna looked up at Reggie, who was resting in front of her. He was itching his snout.
“Thou art so casual.” Just looking at him lightened the mood. Whatever needed to be said had been said. She heard it loud and clear.
“I’m so smart, that I have the right be casual.” He smiled one of those wide smiles. He hopped to his hooves stretched his legs. “Now I told you that I would tell you why my house is virtually like yours, and show you my work too. Out of bed, sleepy head, we have an adventure to begin.”
“We have a thousand years to do things with thee. Can’t We rest a little longer?” She dug her head into the pillow. It was wet. She was tired of crying, and tired of finding out all these crazy things so quickly.
“You have rested for seven days. I think you need to do something active. Get up.” His horn began glowing dark brown as Luna’s pillow was placed back in its position.
“Alright.” She lifted herself up off the bed. Lying on her right side for so long caused her wound to feel sore. “Maybe We shouldn’t adventure too much. Our side still hurts something fierce.”
“Don’t worry, we don’t have far to go.” Luna was still getting out of the bed as Reggie left the room. For being wise, he sure had some rude tendencies. After a long bath, her muscles felt rejuvenated, but they still hadn’t been used for week, so they were still quite wobbly. She slowly walked towards the door, trying to stay upright. Her sore flank didn’t help. It kept sending shocks through her body as she moved her leg. “Hurry up, slowpoke! I have a lot to show you!”
“It’s hard to move when We haven’t walked in so long.” Luna headed on towards the door, but what she found outside it wasn’t the hallway from before. It seemed to be an elevated platform, and as she stepped out on it, she was amazed.
“This, my dear, is the rest of my home!” Outside Luna’s room was a room of massive proportions and awesome geometry. There were no stars in the sky, so there had to be a ceiling, but the light from the torches around her doorframe didn’t even shine so high. She was standing on a balcony looking outward. There were doors everywhere of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Some were opened, revealing rooms of comfort and warmth. Some had forests, others with lavish gardens with incomparable beauty. It made no sense, considering behind the doors was nothing but more walkways and more doors.
Walls were placed at random amongst the doors. Each wall was as unique as the doors. They had designs and pictures beyond that of even the greatest artists. The colors and the shapes seemed to move off the painting and fly around the room. They showed pictures of joy and satisfaction, but the backgrounds always showed a tone of sorrow. There were lanterns set along the ground shining up towards the doors and walls. The ground seemed to be of a grey substance, reflecting the light from the lanterns in all directions.
“Oh Our stars.” Luna was speechless. The room seemed to extend infinitely in every direction. Even behind her door. “Reggie, this place is...”
“Huge! Yes, I know!” Reggie flew up from below. He looked out behind him real quick then back at her. “Now, it may seem like there is a lot to see, and there is, but there really isn’t.”
“If thou only made sense.” Luna smiled at him and stepped over to the edge of the balcony and looked down. “Why so high?”
“Because you’re my most precious guest.” Reggie dove down to the floor.
“Wait, thou meanest to say there are others?” Luna stepped off the ledge and fell. Just before she hit the floor, she spread out her wings to catch herself. Her wound shot through her whole body, and as she landed on the ground, she kneeled. Reggie ran over to her and helped her back up.
“Maybe next time we should use the stairs?”
“We’re not sure that would help either.” Luna shook her head. The pain was sharp at first and then seemed to linger. “So, Reggie, are there others besides Us that have been banished here?”
“Yes, and each sentence is fitting to that person.” Reggie started forward.
“So the Moon is a prison then?” Luna followed after him.
“To some it is, to others its not.”
“How dost thou mean?”
“Some of the guests here have been found for petty theft and even murder. Now like I said, each sentence is fitting to the guest. Some are here for only two to three years, while others are from forty to fifty years.”
“Or one thousand.”
“Well you’re an Alicorn. You are immune to dying of old age and disease, so one thousand years in your lifetime makes sense.” Reggie twisted and turned throughout each doorway and wall. Luna tried to keep up.
“So anyways, each guest experiences it differently here. This is where the Moon has the most control and I just watch. The Moon is not just a rock floating up in space. It’s a living, intelligent being. It knows everything that happens on it.
“Like I said before, my cutie mark requires I watch over the Moon and make sure everything’s running smoothly, which is why I can understand your thoughts and all you do. The Moon lends me some of her power.
“It’s not that the Moon cannot handle it on her own. Really, it can. My cutie mark just allows me this power. The Moon has a connection to you as well, Luna. Maybe she will show you something.” She wasn’t sure what to say to that. “It will make more sense once it happens, sweetie.”
Reggie led her to a door which was wide open. Inside was the garden she had partially seen from before. The trees reached high above the clouds. The sky was purple with the sun shining far behind it. Though Luna didn’t like the sun, she did find it beautiful.
Bushes were cut into shapes of all kinds, some even as ponies. Between them was a long pathway made of cement, headed deep into the trees. As far as she could see, there were pictures and words etched into the cement. The drawings closest to her seemed to be older, and the further out they were, the older they became. Grass beside the pathway blew in the wind.
“How in the world does the Moon do this!?” Luna had no idea how any of this could be possible. It looked, felt, and smelled real, but impossible.
“It’s what the Moon does, she creates. She takes what each person has inside them and creates a room that suits them in every way possible. Whether they are pure or tainted, the Moon creates a room specifically for them. For the next few years they occupy that room and the Moon gives them what they need to change for the better. If they become worse, it’s only the occupant's fault.”
“So who occupies this room?” Luna stepped into the grass. They grabbed at her legs; it was soft to the touch. The sunlight didn’t bother her so much with a purple sky.
“I’m not sure, it’s been so long. It’s not that his sentence is over and he left already. I know that because his world is still here. He must be lost out there. I do hope he comes back and says hi.”
“Maybe his name will be written in the stone.” Luna lowered her head to look down at the cement. The etchings seemed to make no sense. Some of the words were written in a language she had never seen before. The words she could read seemed to be random, like forgotten, misshapen, and forever.
“I’ve checked the words many times over. I just can’t remember. Funny though, the day I forgot who the guest was, the word ‘Forgotten’ appeared on the pavement. Peculiar, isn’t it?” Reggie slid his hoof underneath the word, and tapped it once. “What’s also very weird is the Moon knows where he is, but has chosen not to tell me. I’m not sure why, but I know she has the right intentions. I keep the door open in case our guest shows up.”
“Can a guest leave their room upon their own accord?”
“Only if my side of the door is open. If the door is shut on my side, then the door on the other side is just like any old door.” Reggie stepped out the garden world and shut the door. It seemed as normal as any door being closed. When she opened it, she was shown a foyer with a chandelier hanging from above. The main house colors were red and brown, giving it the warmest feel a home could have. There were couches against the walls beneath balconies that had staircases branch outward to the center of the room.
The front doors shut on their own, keeping her outside, and then quickly reopened to reveal Reggie. “See what I mean?”
“Now We do.”
Luna exited the world and they continued on past the many doors. “We were just wondering, if this world is a representation of the guest's own being, then why has he been sentenced here so long? Wouldn’t he have had to do something horrid to have such a long sentence as to have thee forget his name?”
“The guest changes, so the world does too. He was one of the lucky few who changed for the better.”
“And those who change for the worse, what do their worlds look like?” Reggie stopped and turned to look at Luna.
“Luna, I’m not going to tell you, and I’m asking with all of my heart that you never enter one of those rooms.” Luna took that to mind. “In fact, do not enter any rooms unless I’m with you. Please, do I make myself clear?”
“Yes Reggie, don’t worry.” Reggie gave her a smile and turned around.
They walked past some of the painted walls. The colors reached out towards Luna’s coat. Stories could be read off the wall as if a page from a book had been taped to it. There was an earth pony adventuring across a world that seemed so much more advanced than Equestria was currently. Tall buildings made of steel stood high into the sky with lights and signs shining off the wet ground. It was pouring in the picture, with what seemed to be umbrellas hovering over each pony. There weren’t even handles to them, or head placements, they just seemed to float there. Carts could be seen flying through the sky, reflecting images off their exteriors.
The pony's back was to the viewer, but her cream coat shined in the rain, as well as her orange mane and matching tail. She didn’t have an umbrella-type thing floating above her. Light shined off her coat and reflected off the many surfaces. She stood looking up towards the sky. There was nothing up there, except for the clouds pressing rain upon the city.
“A gorgeous mural, if We do say so Ourselves. Didst thou make it?”
“That’s correct. When someone finishes their sentence, I ask The Moon to resurrect a stone tablet for me to paint on. It’s just for memories sake.”
“It’s gorgeous.” Luna reached forward and pressed her hoof against the wall. Water dripped along her hoof and down her leg. “Who was she?”
“Ginger Snap. Nice name for a ginger pony, eh? She was very materialistic, and loved the rain, which is why the world seems so advanced, and the rain never stopped. I miss her, she’s back on Equestria now. She finished her sentence and has been doing well. She turned out to be one of the lucky ones too. She had an open mind and soft heart.”
“I’d love to explore that world, it looks so interesting. And meeting her would be quite interesting.”
“By the time you’re back on Equestria, my love, she will have died.” That threw Luna into a very uncomfortable mood. “And her world is gone forever. Each world is as unique as the guest, so no repeats.”
“We guess that makes sense. Ist thou going to do one for Us when we leave?”
“After a thousand years. Until then, you and I have to create some memories for me to paint about. How’s your flank doing?”
“Stings. Do you think we could go back?”
“Of course, my dear. Allow me.” Reggie’s horn began glowing as a brown and dark red aura appeared around Luna and him. In an instant, they were in Luna’s room. Teleporting always made Luna slightly woozy. She walked over to her bedside table and rested against it.
“We might just read a book for the rest of the day.” Luna walked over to the bookshelf and scanned what there was to read. It was all the same books she had back at home in Equestria. There was a question she had forgotten to ask that had just popped into her head.
“Yes Luna, this entire world you are in, this Equestria, is only a projection of who you really are. That sun with Earth in front of it is also part of it. That technically isn’t your old home.” Reggie had answered her question before she asked it.
Luna paused her search for a novel. “So it’s fake?”
“Is this room fake?” She looked around the room.
“Well, no, We guess its not.”
“It’s all as real as you want it to be, love. Now I’ll leave you and your books alone. I have other guests to attend to, my sweet.” Reggie disappeared without a trace. Luna turned back to the bookcase and wondered what book she should read again.
None of them were new, so she decided to travel around to a library and collect all the books. She was going to be here for one thousand years, and one way to pass that time quickly was to escape into books.
She walked over to her now-closed door, and when she opened it, only a hallway was there. It was slightly disappointing. There could have been an entire world dedicated to books, but now she had to wait for Reggie to come back, which could take ages.
Luna’s mouth felt dry, so she walked into her bathroom to grab a cup of water. She looked into her mirror with cup in hoof. After it was filled, she looked into her own eyes and stood there for a while. Holding the cup up to herself, she said a little something and took her sip.
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.
