Chapter 1
Ch 1: Trapped
Look at it this way, it's not as bad as Horseshoe Antics makes it seem.
Sole surviving ruler to the throne of Equestria, the Princess of the Night huffed in annoyance. Her ghostly company's attempt to placate her did nothing but outline how much it did irritate her.
In a lot of ways, she regretted asking the staff to bring her the daily morning paper today.
Script brand of the company, bold and blocky words of Horshoe Antics were large and made to be noticed, flashy and gaudy, yet it all worked to draw attention almost instantly. Worst of all was the photo. With a glow of her horn and a flip of the page, the Princess turned her head away from the offending newspaper.
Her ghostly companion sighed.
The Princess merely turned her thoughts elsewhere.
Filmtography was the most exquisite detail that had been added to the news in the last millenia. Her old life recalled a time where messengers were the only way to relay information. Now, today, there were images that moved when the eye looked at them! Even if this wasn't entirely new to her, as the past had shown her many similarities before with Celestia, the fact it was a modern development in the lands she had once ruled which hadn't even discovered electricity yet back in those days, was something to be amazed by. Who would have thought such a complex illusion could have been put on paper by any mage of this realm in this time frame? Star Swirl and his apprentice, Clover the Clever, had been leaps ahead of their peers but not even they had made or developed the concept of this.
If it hadn't been an image about her perhaps she might have enjoyed it better. If it had been an image favoring her in a brighter light, she wouldn’t even still be dwelling on this. But it was an image that depicted her shrieking at a journalist in fury, a journalist who had asked her more than one question when she’d only permitted him the opportunity of asking solely one, and one alone! And the questions itself he had asked had been VERY inappropriate given where she was.
Worst of all there is nothing I may do to reflect myself in a better light the Alicorn lamented. All she could do at this point was let her contemporaries and peers do all the talking for her. Even now, she had no clue what was happening outside. There was no point in asking either because if she did, Sunset or Trixie or Starlight or Blueblood would simply tell her to ‘not worry, they have things under control.’
“Feh!” She huffed.
How could she not worry? More than a single Moon had passed since her coronation, since the big announcement to the world, on air, across every news platform in this nation and the others. Princess Luna was back!
Yet, here you and I sit. Back and unable to interact with anyone save the ones our peers will allow us.
She couldn’t help but scowl. Memories of a time long lost bubbled to the surface. Back then she’d been younger, her body had been roughly about this young if not slightly older, but she had been inexperienced. Unfamiliar with the rules and laws of the land after they had all just defeated Discord and had to return to a nation at complete disarray with its former ruler either dead, lost to the chaos forever, or betrayed somewhere during it. She recalled how she and Celestia had had to study quickly and pick up things without books, and only one teacher who taught them how to prepare themselves when they returned to Equestria as its heroes and would be requested to meet many of the royalty. It reminded her of how he blatantly inserted himself and them by extension into things, by directly shoving them into the situation than explain anything.
Remembering how Star Swirl went about their crash course into early Equestrian nobility in the upfront style of his brought a mournful scowl to her lips that made her hate how all of this was being handled even more. She appreciated the decency of getting an explanation, it was the lack of inclusion that infuriated her more.
A pressure in her head and a sensation down her spine made the Alicorn twitch and sigh.
"You are right, I shall try to relax." Her tense wings finally relaxed. But that didn't mean she couldn't be angry about it.
It was a clear image of her back, the photo going from black and white to gaining color as the picture came to life and began to move the longer she stared at it. There She was. Princess Luna, even if she wasn't the same Luna they knew from legend. A wide berth had been kept between her and the rest of the patrons, all of whom she noticed in the picture snuck glances with their eyes as she spoke. She sat at a table, an umbrella up to provide her shade, where unlike the rest they sat under curtained awnings. Done with her treat and chiding the members of her personal guard to do the same. The thestral, unicorn, and earth pony mares all holding small smiles in response to whatever niceties she had been giving them on their second meeting after her aloof welcome to their assignment as her guards. She turned to the sound of a voice calling out to her, and it was a shame these moving pictures did not record sound for her scowl would have made more sense even as her horn glowed and she rose to point at the journalist, visible anger in her sapphire eyes. A young mare holding back her fury from the clear way her feathers ruffled and puffed out along with her barred teeth and vengeful scowl.
But if the image wasn't enough, then it was the headline that sealed the point.
Hidden Princess Returns Again! Rage Unleashed Towards Harmless Journalist!
A whisper in her ear told Ayla not to think about the barb behind that headline. To ignore it and instead focus on the upcoming lesson ahead. It would be poor form and even more pathetic to display such a behavior to our most favored instructor as of yet.
So she took a deep breath, doing the same thing her niece, Cadence had suggested. She took a deep breath in and let out a breath slowly.
By the time he'd entered, she was feeling a bit better.
"Good day to you Princess" the stallion trotted in, offering a small smile hidden almost entirely by his moustache.
The sleeveless button up was adjusted as the light brown stallion produced a comb from his side pocket, held in a pale green aura. Quickly he combed his hair back as he moved towards the wall collapsed white board, producing a marker from the saddlebags that floated behind him, and with a wordless smile behind his cream colored moustache, the teacher tugged on the board, pulled it out and then turned to give the noble his full attention. Warm pale green eyes wrinkling just a tad.
In a lot of ways seeing a stallion in his young fifties was a heartwarming sight to Her eyes. Back at the height of their reign, most only made it to the young age of thirty or maybe forty if they were lucky and took care of themselves properly. The oldest she could recall was a messenger, 41, a messenger pony whom Luna recalled knowing and was friendly with, Destined Distance having been one of the best Earth Pony royal messengers to have ever served.
She offered him a small smile back. It was fake and didn't quite reach her eyes and doing that alone She almost felt bad doing that to him. He didn't deserve that, Rate Change was one of the few lecterns whose company she actually enjoyed. Out of many He was the few of a collection in her tutelage staff that she truly enjoyed talking to and learning from. He never asked her about her old life during breaks where she'd be allowed time from study to stretch or leave the studying hall to move around within the golden confines of the castle for half an hour before being needed to come back. Never tried too hard to be her friend when she had never asked for it in the first place. Never seemed to sneak in the suggestion of being remembered and offered something better once she was on the throne again, this specific suggestion being the one to infuriate her the most out of them all. And out of Baron Starlight's personal suggestions, he was the one of the few that had passed her trials with flying colors. Most that had failed her tests had been kicked out of returning when all was done for the day, with a few exceptions where her peers would circumvent her authority, undermining not just her image to the commoners involved, but undermining her authority as a Princess entirely by doing so instead of approaching her and TALKING.
Then they had the gall to pull her into a private meeting and lecture her about needing to stop treating individuals like they were beneath her. Funny how that worked out when they were doing the exact thing they lectured her not to do.
Representative Sunset and Princess Twilight could complain about her firing teachers hired to help Her all she wanted, but Ayla knew herself. Her memories of a life under a younger Star Swirl were clear as if she had lived them herself. Was it unfair to compare teachers to one of the greatest teachers she, and the departed Celestia, had ever had? No. It was not. If Princess Twilight and her friends wanted to prove to her that she would be provided the best education to fully settle into her role as a true Princess of Equestria, then it was not a problem if she herself kicked out the ones who would slow down her progress earlier, instead of later. Cooped up here for hours studying, learning everything-- EVERYTHING-- all over again, she deserved only the best. Her sacrifice required nothing but the best and Rate Change deserved her best by extension. Even if she was in a mood after reading today's paper.
Knowing Rate Change however she expected he would try to fix that. Aside from being a skilled mathematician and historian, patient, and most importantly, adaptable, he had something that most her other tutors didn't have. A casual air about his teaching style that made the notion of being friendly with her tutors, more palatable than she would admit. Something most that had been selected for his position in had failed.
The thing that really sold him however, was that he didn’t treat her like how she looked. He treated her with respect an immortal deserved, and not like one of his foals even if her current body made her out to look like a young mare still grasping at the straws of adulthood.
She nodded at him to proceed.
A third figure appeared, but as Rate began writing on the board with a marker, underlining the topic he would begin covering, only one of them could clearly see their third visitor. Which was perfectly fine for her. The specter watched closely, but remained silent by Ayla's side.
"Well Princess Luna, good afternoon to you. I see you have grown a bit taller since last week, or am I to be mistaken?" his light voice echoed in the space of their stage room. Empty of all occupants save her, him, and their ghostly friend attached to her.
The ingenuine smile was replaced with a snicker of amusement. "We have, thank you for noticing."
"Alicorn aging is such a fascinating thing," he chuckled. "You've done quite well you know, learning a decade's worth material in these last five months. I hope all has been well since your morning lessons?"
"It has been, and I am, Rate Change," her smile thinning, "as well as one such as I may be given, grant the morning I hath received."
His eyes glanced at the paper on the large oak desk, then her. His smile became soft, losing a fraction of its energy, almost empathetic. "Well, let's dig into this then. I'm sure I can help you get your mind off things.
"We have a long lesson about globalization and the history of trade relations" he chuckled, "indulge me if you would please, something of a favorite topic of mine. I hope you've been revising those notes of yours you asked for?"
The Princess nodded. The teenage mare took a sip of water from the bottle using magic, then set it back on its place. Nearby at the far right of her desk. Putting it down, she eyed the plastic container that held her drink. An anomaly over a thousand years ago if her memories were anything to go by. Still so much she had to get used to, and of all the things it was this simple everyday trinket that she could not help but stare at wonder in the design. Glass would have been the only thing to serve it in or tin back in her old life’s time, here they used manufactured plastic like some of the other realms had learned to develop.
The strange similarities across realms was truly something fascinating to behold.
"Ahem."
She had the sense to smile sheepishly. Sapphire eyes looking at his pale green. A small patient smile sat under the pale white strawberry pink moustache that Rate donned. His brow rose in question as if to say: 'Do I have your attention Miss?'
"Sincerest apologies Professor Rate Change, surely, thou may continue" she shifted under the large cushion of her seat. "Our attention shain't waver again."
He hmphed, with none of the pompousness she had seen some uppers of Canterlot display towards their lessers in the open streets. Tone teasing, Rate said: "If you insist Princess, I'll try my best not to bore you." It got another amused smile.
"Now then, where did we leave off last? Do you remember?" He asked absentmindedly opening a textbook displaying the Equestrian bit and it's sign; a horseshoe print with the insignia of a sun underneath it.
"I believe our last meeting was about to go further into the topic of globalization. How Equestria formed a connection with other nations after the fall of Emperor Gladiolus?" Saying the name brought back fractured memories of him, but those memories were pushed down. Not important her ghostly half stated, a faint low breathy hiss in her mind, as they were no longer relevant to her of now.
"Ah yes", Rate Change continued oblivious to the conversation behind him. The marker moved swiftly etching a design. Within a few minutes a map of central Equestria was drawn on the board before Rate Change trotted over to the side and with his magic extended the board out into two. Drawing on the second one as he went, making dotted lines and arrows, picking up new markers he had laid out and using them to further his design to circle spots or locations, minimizing the detail to vague circles and spots and lines and arrows, but with her lessons in Geography paying off in the last couple Moons, and her memories of the past, the Princess had enough information to understand quite well what she was seeing.
“Naval routes between Equestria and the Far East?” She asked.
The circles must be trading centers the third member of their party stated.
“Correct! These are the naval routes Equestria used to travel across the Celestial Ocean. This was before airships, and just a few decades after the Lost Princess and the Battle at Everfree Castle.” Rate Change explained in a matter-of-fact voice. One familiar to someone else she knew. “Port Pewter is right here” he trotted over to a circle and wrote down Baltimare as a label on an island not far from a gulf that stretched out into the Celestial Ocean. “It was and still is used as a major transportation port in trading with nations over on the East, like Minos, Llamanka, Ramat, and Regalia.”
“Back in those days Regalia had been conquering steadily upwards until it met resistance from Minos and Rahgdaal, followed by the civil war sparked by Princess Celestia's pupil, Capella Star.” An arrow went from where Regalia, now Fancy, was labeled and circled, pointing in different directions. The arrows went up to Minos, the eastern dragon nation Rahgdaal, the warthog nation island, Schwe, and went through Romania, towards Lupis. “It had progressed by gathering territory in its own lands, fully uniting the nation into its empire, then smuggling resources from its neighbors. When the Emperor was defeated, Princess Celestia seized the opportunity quickly by offering the nation’s new leader support provided a new trade deal was made. It opened paths for Equestria again over the ocean, but these were fleeting deals. Especially without you”, the marker pointed and wagged in her direction with a teasing smile, one that actually did more to quell her minor annoyance at the title, more so than her ghostly companion was. “Things escalated after you vanished,” his tone was factual. “After your disappearance was confirmed the whole nation collapsed within days. There was chaos. A full on civil war for power. Equestria’s economy took quite a hit after it had lost one of its rulers. It became isolated for several decades. Things became strained between it and many nations, and only really began to repair after Regalia collapsed once the Emperor and his most trusted allies were defeated. But there were still roadblocks ahead that even Celestia did not see.”
It was almost amusing to hear from the mouth of a historian, that for all her past life’s old feelings of doubt and anger about feeling unvalued, the moment she stopped being a factor in governing, everything quickly fell apart. It made sense of course in hindsight. It was only fair that when she wasn’t there to temper Celestia’s ideas with their own, things would be difficult for her to manage. Unlike her former sister, she'd never planned on what to if there was a chance Equestria stopped becoming a Diarchy. Yet at the same time, the satisfaction that hearing about her sister’s struggles might have brought her once, did not bring her any now. It merely brought her a sense of pity, and it must have shown in her reaction as Rate Change paused in what he was about to say and frowned.
“Do you need a moment?” He asked carefully.
She sighed, knowing that these feelings were to be expected but not liking that it had to be so in the first place. History was by far her favorite subject aside from magic. That was one thing that hadn’t changed. It has always been a fascinating topic of hers. Understanding different cultures, just like understanding different realms was their way once, before the Great Fall of Elysium and the rest of the High Realms. That was something she knew she would never forget. Yet hearing about Celestia’s past specifically, her struggles mostly, it always made her feel sympathy for the mare she would have once called a sister but now was more just some lost friend- an old acquaintance she remembered with fond and bitter memories alike that had once held a strong bond, now frail.
A weight landed over her withers and the gentle hum of a light voice made her ears twitch as wings covered her side. Ayla breathed in deeply and sighed. Glad for the embrace of her ghostly bound counterpart.
“Nay”, her reply was firm. “Let us continue.” She smiled down at him, and this time it was genuine. “I do appreciate your concern though Sir Change. The ones before you only feared my reaction and what I might do, rather than show genuine concern for my well being.”
Rate Change merely offered a humble smile in response. “Your welcome Majesty. When you are ready, please let me know. And don’t hesitate to tell me off if I’m broaching anything you’d rather not discuss- I can skip over certain history lessons and get right to the more important stuff if needed. Just let me know.” He reassured her.
She smiled just a bit more. “Thank you, please,” she nodded. “Continue.”
An hour and a half went by and after a call for break and the following order of a snack of fruit salad for both her and her instructor, in spite of his protests, the lesson would continue.
Rate Change dabbed at his mouth with a tissue and finished off his water before trotting over to the board, setting up to begin clearing it. “Don’t fall asleep on me now Princess” his smile mischievous.
She snorted in amusement, the snort itself tired, and the yawn following it was forced away. With a hoof gesturing onwards, she said in between fighting away her own second yawn, “Fret not Sir Change. Ye have yet to bore us into slumber, please, continue.”
“As you wish, Princess.” Was the theatrical reply. “Rahgdaal as we were saying earlier, is very different from Dragonia located in the southeast across Equestria's desert fields, that connect to the Badlands. These two dragon territories function have a fundamental difference in that unlike Dragonia which has one powerful leading figure and several lowers, Rahgdaal is divided into states. Each...ruled…”
She blinked sluggishly, once, and then the world went dark for several seconds before a cold feeling touched her forehead. With a start, the princess sat up straighter, snapping from her daze.
Luckily Rate Change hadn’t noticed.
“...Now the interesting thing to note is that Equestria had to work really hard to connect to the other nations after it formed its tenuous deal with Princess Pristine. But often times a lot of these routes that we had here” He explained, highlighting with red circles on each nation on the impromptu map he had created. Then drawing green ‘X’s on routes from Equestria to certain road bound trading paths. “A lot of these paths were shut down to us specifically. Can you guess why Princess?”
Ayla hesitated for a moment, thinking. “I am afraid I do not--”
“Well that’s just a shame” Rate Change’s stated, sounding almost disappointed. “Think about it, I’ll wait.” His small smile looked hopeful.
A minute went by, and that hopeful smile became almost nervous. Almost agitated.
And she tried, but… “I am afraid I--”
With clear surprise the professor responded unkindly. “Really now? Well” he huffed, “I’m afraid you have a long way to go then princess. This is simple common sense really if you just think about it.” He said with almost an irritated laugh. Mocking her. “Really think about it. I’ll give you a few more minutes.”
Why was he acting like this? Rate Change did have an edge of bluntness to him, but he had never been so rude before.
Jaw tightening, she replied with some evenness, “I do not know.”
And he laughed. Right to her face, chuckling really at her in a manner that could have shamed the proudest of professionals in an instant. Hot embarrassment in the form of a faint pinkish red blush formed on her cheeks and suddenly she was reminded of just how low she had fallen from her old life to this. A Princess being laughed at by a scholar, all because she couldn’t answer a simple question. In the old days the very act was unthinkable, she would have had him expelled from her premises and then given a firm warning and reduction of pay, possibly even punished him with some time in confinement.
These days, all of that is illegal.
“Princess Luna, surely you have some idea of what I’m talking about? It’s common sense, any creature your age taught Advanced history in their Categorical years should know this. Especially you, you’ve lived it! Think!"
She rose.
"Simple common sense? Truly?" She laughed, loud, melodious and joyful but hiding the venom building up inside. "Enlighten us,” she stated with a tinge of heat. “Enlighten us, noble laeran, to what haze blinds us to thine clarity?"
"Why I'm glad you asked." The teacher grinned, and she could sense the satisfaction as he moved. "Equestria struggled to maintain its relationship with nations like Minos because of the competitive nature between the various Equestrian Houses. That and the highly toxic views of those times that some of the merchants and nobles held towards non-equine. Princess Celestia struggled quite a bit to rein in her peers after your fall Majesty. The Throne's power in the early years of Nightmare Moon's banishment followed by your disappearance was a lot for the nation to digest in one day. A lot of historians forget that you, were despite not being the most social of Early Equestria’s nobility, you were the most observed; one of the most acknowledged by your peers specifically. The war efforts you led really gave you credit among them, so the domino effect of your absence, especially in wrestling opinions of the bickering Houses like Meissa, Rose, and Light, made any chance of good long standing relationships an impossibility. Had you been present, perhaps it would have been easier to rein things in."
An ear flicked. Something nagged at her mind, like a feeling something wasn't right about what she was hearing. Anger made her dismiss it. She had to address this.
"Rate Change”, she said his name quietly after several seconds of silence. Eyes widening slightly. “You clearly jest. Surely, you mean not to imply that the failure of those early trade agreements are somehow, my fault?"
There was a pause. A pause that lasted a few seconds too long. Rate Change didn't look surprised, didn't flinch back, or didn't even seem to hold an ounce of realization at how what he had just said had sounded to her. How insulting it was. You didn’t talk that way to royalty, period. In fact he played it off, looking thoughtful when she somehow could tell that he knew the answer to her question.
"Indirectly? Yes."
The audacity of this era's generation was baffling.
After hearing that, all Ayla could do was make her approach. Taking her last step forward as he stood his ground, her next words were like a hiss. “How dare you.”She whispered. Stalking closer. “How DARE YOU!" and the shadows in the room suddenly grew darker at her bellow. "You DARE blame ME for that which I could not even begin to intervene in!”
For his response, Rate Change snorted in amusement. With clear disdain he replied, "You could have, if you’d never disappeared in the first place.”
Anger was smothered out with surprise then rekindled into a bonfire. Her lips struggled to form words, finally she managed.
“What?”
Where was all this coming from? Why was he acting like this? He’d never spoken to her like this before.
"I do not fear you Luna. I have learned the tales and legends like everyone else, some in more detail, and in every legend it is always the same about what happens to you. Every mind thinks the same. You just vanish, disappear. Celestia wrote your name in history as a tragic hero. Especially in the moment where your Sister most needed you when the attack from the Nightmare struck the castle."
A familiar sense of pressure in the back of her mind pushed, like something she was forgetting was trying to make itself known in that moment but it passed.
"To the victors of war go all the spoils." Rate Change said with a pleased kind of smile.
“There’s theories, you know? Lots of them." He went on. "And all of them have been revived since you returned. New ones forming every day.” Rate Change took a step forward, then circled around her as he continued. A grim glare watching him as he moved. “Some say you were the first to face the Nightmare, but like your sister, you barely managed the battle. That you were trapped in some magical prison, without the Elements to support you, you were easily defeated and put into a deep sleep that weakened you.”
“Others”, he went on. “Say you sensed what was coming and ran away. Fled into the night and were captured and locked away by the She-Demon alicorn that attacked the Everfree Castle with an army of only a thousand. She overpowered you and used you as a bargaining chip that failed against your 'sister'" he said, spitting that word out in disgust.
“And the most popular of them all.” Rate Change grinned. “I’m sure you’ve heard it murmured under the breaths of the nobles. You saw it in the papers that stirred up a commotion right before you began this whole charade. That You struck a deal with the She-Demon, and she betrayed you in the end. Take out your sister and let you take the throne and you’d have everything you wanted. The throne, the power, the recognition!”
Grimacing, Ayla flapped with her wings and moved three body lengths away from the peculiar professor. Something was wrong here, and at this thought she felt an odd itch at her horn that vanished just as swiftly.
Not even bothering to hide the venom she asked “What point are you trying to make?”
“That nothing’s changed Luna.” Rate Change’s left eye twitched, and with a sudden alertness he froze and his ears rose to look around. Pausing only for a moment as if to listen. Then before Luna could speak, just as light filling the room flickered with a static buzz. “That you waste your time slaving in this study hall they made in your honor, only given the freedom to explore a city that you’ve already explored ten times in a single month.
How much longer will you be forced to roam Canterlot? Made a prisoner in this castle. Not allowed to make visits to the newer states, to show the world you have a will of your own?"
Turning away as he pressed forward Luna was caught off guard by the presence of Rate Change in that direction. In her face he shoved the headline of today's paper of a different article. "Princess Luna fails to make a trip around Equestria yet again. Has yet to meet the civil leaders or the remaining nobility in other cities. What is our estrange Princess doing?"
She shoved past him, but he followed her shouting the cursed lines after her: "why hasn't the rest of Equestria's public been graced with the presence of their Lost Princess? What do the nobles of Canterlot think? What is Princess Twilight doing with our Lost Princess? Is Canterlot really that great?"
And when she rounded on him to yell at him to shut up, he wasn't there. Ayla paused. Then when the itch on her horn returned she followed it to find Rate Change standing at the door.
"They won’t let you leave the castle grounds without supervision despite you already knowing everything about Canterlot, Luna." He said with cautious steps forward. "They assigned you guards without even informing you till the last minute." He reminded her. "They don’t trust you. And how could they, after what you were before? They are being careful- but how long does their anxiety hurt your image? How long before the damage done becomes irreparable?”
"Even now, the rest of the world is watching and waiting. Overcast brought with him technological innovation that has vastly improved the world's radio technology and communication in the last several Cycles. They are listening to the waves, waiting for you, while you rot in here like some pet to be admired, never freed."
Jaw set, the false Princess’ eyes narrowed. Rate Change was one of the few she actually considered close enough to even reward the title of ‘friend’ loosely. Her studies aside, she felt they had grown close. But even if she considered him a friend, the thing before her now was clearly not him.
“Leave.”
And the Rate Change she thought she knew so well, laughed. A maniacal cackle that reminded her so much of her. “You know it's true! You know it is!
“They keep you LOCKED IN HERE Luna! THINK! IS IT WORTH IT!?!" He appeared before her with a angry scream, his coat darkening, teeth sharpening.
She shoved him away with her magic and then his voice calmed on an almost desperate edge as he looked around. The lights flickered and then the room seemed to vibrate before stillness. "They don’t tell you anything about what is going on." He continued, looking like himself again. "Don't deny it." He said softly. "I can see into your mind, I know that is how you feel! All they ask of you is to sit here and learn, and learn but you will never STOP learning! They want your trust but give you none of theirs! You know this! You know they are deceiving you! Let me help you! ”
She did. She did know that Princess Twilight, Princess Sunset and Trixie were intentionally blocking her from getting into the affairs of things. If she had truly been put back, they would be carrying out her will, not keeping her out of the loop. She knew that Spike assigned the guards to give her company, when he was aware of why she would need it aside from security. She knew this and that the others were intentionally keeping her out of the loop. That the excuse was the culture shock would be too much for her. A thousand years was a lot to catch up to.
And deep down she knew she couldn't blame them entirely. As she'd been learning, Celestia had really been true to Loyalty. She had covered up everything about the relation between her and the Nightmare, built an entirely fabricated persona to save her image for her return. Had spread lies, suffocated truths, and even kept the remnants of the Void Guard alive by including Thestrals into Equestria society. Her former sister may have betrayed her faith, but Aelia had redeemed herself in her eyes by allowing Princess Luna to keep her dignity in tact.
Yet still, whatever information she had left her students and most trusted allies to work with on her return, was clearly sorely lacking. It seemed even after a thousand years apart, not even Celestia had changed completely about keeping details to herself, even with those she valued.
She couldn't blame Twilight and the others for thinking that all of this, this new modern world with all this new technology and innovation would be too much for some medieval Alicorn princess; one who had lived in a time period where the only males with equal rights at the height of their rule, had either been outside of Equestria or had been of noble or prestigious origin.
She couldn't blame them for thinking she would be sensitive to all these new things. That she would be stubborn in the old ways. Water bottles certainly didn't exist a thousand years ago, and glass cups were a growing commodity back in her day. While getting used to common males carrying positions was rubbing off on her, it was an easy adjustment compared to everything else.
She could blame them however for treating her like she was fragile. They could teach her while also familiarizing herself more with the modern government in the process.
Rate Change seemed to pick up on this since she had lapsed into silence and her fire of denial had simmered. Thinking he might have a chance, the thing spoke. "As of now you haven't interacted with the local branches of government in Moons. They know the same about you as they did before your Return. Legends."
Ayla grimaced. This was true. Yet just a few months ago, they made her a Princess. And for What? To show that she was back but not doing anything? What was a Princess, who had no duty? How did that make her look? What was royalty without a cause but just a gem encrusted crown claiming to be something more than what it really was.
Ayla knew. Luna’s life carried centuries of experience, experience that would aid her in this one to make better decisions. But she didn’t like being told that her time, precious moments, were being wasted. Didn’t appreciate the heavy handed reminder.
Most of all she hated how it had taken her this long to figure out that she was talking to an Oneimeri Demon. It was an eye opener really. In the past she would have known at a glance, but she'd hardly noticed at all till just now.
“Leave.” Her command was a warning.
“Luna” and now his tone was gentle, cautious. His eyes jerked left to right, searching for something in the air. As if expecting something else might attack him at any moment. The sight made Ayla's blood boil, watching this vile fraud masquarade as one of her ponies to deceive her. The thing that masqueraded as Rate Change had a pleading look in its eyes. “Luna, I can help you.”
Her horn glowed. In that moment Ayla became Luna again. Her tinted indigo feathers shifted to black, her coat returned to dark blue and the black splotches she no longer had returned, her horn twisted, losing the slight curve it held and became straight again. Long and just as slender. The lights buzzed and flickered.
And when the light flooded the room again, Luna towered over the demon where it had stood just a few horseshoes taller before.
“Your brothers and sisters helped me once.” the false-Princess stated coldly. Her eyes displaying her fury. The blue glow of her magic growing brighter as Luna returned to the alicorn she was now.
"And you almost won!" Rate Change challenged.
"Almost." Ayla emphasized the word with disgust. "Almost is not good enough. The Elements did not destroy me when they could have or cast me back to the plane of the Lunars when they could have for a reason. I will not play with their decision."
"Luna", the demon pleaded, taking steps back and away. In that moment Rate Change's mask fell away. His fur losing its bright orange hue, his hair falling out, his eyes becoming bloodshot green. "We can win this time! Celestia is no more and she left behind the inexperienced to guide you! The greedy, the prideful! We can capitalize--"
"No." Her word echoed in the study hall and the shadows twisted, shook and moved away from her where they had once been slowly creeping closer.
"You're being a fool!" It spoke in a gargling hoarse snarl. "My brothers and I are wiser than the others! We can--"
"You could have left. But you chose to stay. You invaded my home, violated the sanctity of my mind, and now I am afraid I cannot allow you to leave."
Mucus green tears wept from the creature's eyes. It's fanged maw moved but no words came out.
"I believe" Ayla stated with finality, "I have no longer any need of your service."
The demon once disguised as her favored tutored, screamed bloody murder. Its body combusting into living green fire, it grew threw times her size, eyes burning a glowing sickly mucus green white as he rushed towards her at a maddening gallop with a howl.
Ayla didn't even hesitate.
The world fractured like glass when her spear pierced the creature's body. Pieces of the ceiling dropping out and flecks of the building crumbling away into the air. Then it fractured a second time as the moon made itself known over the hole above. The fourth time it shattered, the shadows surrounding the edges of the room twisted into screaming green creatures of fire, and they lunged for her.
Ayla let out a snarl as her mark, a glowing full moon glowed at her flanks, and as it did she called on spears of moonlight that pierced each demon that dare get near her.
With a final shout, her slightly curved horn glowed brighter, and the creature's impaled on her moonlight Spears, were torn asunder as the world fractured again into a thousand tiny pieces around her. Then with one final grunt, just as shadowy tendrils rose from every dark corner of the room away from the light towards her, she called on a ray of moonlight. It bathed the whole room in its brilliance. Destroying everything.
Everything except her.