> Xenocorn
>  by 3phantoms
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Journey to the Land of Oil
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nightmare Moon couldn’t believe it. How had it come to this? Her plan had been flawless, she’d done everything right; Celestia was trapped in her own sun, the Elements of Harmony laid shattered at her hooves and the kingdom was hers for the taking.

Now six ponies stood before her, having braved her traps. Rockslides, manticores, it all should have been enough to quash the resolve of any civilian, yet Honesty and Kindness were named. Laughter was next and Nightmare blanched; she knew from experience her trees had been enchanted to induce panic in even hardened knights, how could anypony just… laugh them away? Generosity was next, the most worthless Element of all in her opinion, with Loyalty finding its home moments later.

“You still don’t have the sixth Element, the spark didn’t work!” She snapped, tamping down on her mounting horror; the radiance of the awakening Elements, and the words being spoken, she didn’t care what drivel the purple unicorn at the front was spouting, but they’d caused something in her to shift. An unearthly chill suffused her as she felt something in the back of her mind wake up.

“Thou hast lost Nightmare.” Luna said at the edge of her thoughts. The former alicorn performed the mental equivalent of an exhausted and grim smile.

Nightmare Moon felt her breath catch. Luna hadn’t said anything for almost seven hundred years; after the anger of losing her body, the fear, pleading and despair over their coup and subsequent imprisonment she’d  fallen silent, choosing to divert her every weakening action to slowing the two of them down or regaining control. For the past year she’d been so tired she couldn’t maintain awareness for more than a few seconds at a time. 

If she was wasting what pitiful dregs she had on speaking then they truly had lost.

“Silence!”  Nightmare Moon muttered under her breath, shunting the dim chuckling out of her head. She’d come too far, she couldn’t lose to six foals. As the multicolored light twisted and curved through the air the feeling of dread blossomed into outright terror- the magic felt different from a thousand years ago; Celestia had not been able to use the magic properly alone and had brute forced a result, but the malformed rope that had been twisted to bind her before had come undone and was now being unconsciously woven by these unlikely heroes.

Woven into a noose… The harmonious magic burst through the air and impacted at the base of her hooves, spiraling around her as she reared back with a fearful cry.

Something Nightmare had never understood was why ponies were so afraid of death. The loss of a mortal coil was merely a function to her- she’d claimed thousands of vessels over the eons and all of them had at some point feared dying, not realizing that as far as she was concerned they were dead as soon as she took over. She never bothered caring for the suit she was wearing and discarded it once it had served its purpose. Luna was unique for her immortal body, and as such was a plum prize. As an alicorn Nightmare was more powerful than she’d ever been. She was all but invincible. 

But there were still vulnerabilities, still gaps that could be exploited, and now as her impending doom wrapped her in rainbow light, a mind that had never even considered the possibility that it could cease raced with one thought:

I don’t want to die!

Her horn ignited with magic, both blindly trying to teleport and flee from her host simultaneously. The resulting arcane clash popped and fizzled, harmony, darkness, and a pony each trying to occupy the same space or move in two directions at once. The contradictory panic fed back into Nightmare Moon’s horn, and the magic increased, only to cycle back into emotion.

The fear, power, and forces all built like snow on a tree, crystallized into something volatile and self-sustaining for a few seconds, until the little unicorn wielding Magic opened her eyes, white light blazing from them, and the tree fell with great boom.





Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes. Giving her head a quick shake, she stood and confirmed that the others, her friends, she thought giddily, were okay.

They’d done it- the Elements were restored, Nightmare Moon was defeated, and with nothing worse than a headache or two. A small price to pay for the jeweled crown sitting on her head. The six pointed star in the center gleaming softly in the moonlight.

Rarity’s exclamation pulled her attention away from the Element. Turning to face her friends she cast one final look to each of them to ensure that they were indeed okay.

“Gosh Twilight,” Applejack said, “I thought you were just spoutin’ a lot a hooey, but I reckon… we really do represent the elements of friendship.”

“Indeed you do.” Said a warm voice. Twilight beamed as light filled the room from the newly rising sun. The castle’s cold stone beginning to warm almost immediately as dawn broke, and a pony as tall as Nightmare Moon manifested as though from the sun itself directly into the hall.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed, rushing up to meet her mentor.

The alicorn of the day leaned down to give her a nuzzle. “Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. I knew you could do it.” The princess said proudly.

“But you told me it was an old pony’s tale.”

Celestia lifted one hoof into the air, a slight twitch indicating the ponies behind them. “I told you to make some friends, nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon’s return, and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her, but you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart.”

The Princess smiled warmly for a few seconds before her expression turned solemn. “Now if only another will as well…” She said, raising her eyes and scanning the room. The neutral line of her lips pulled down as her head turned, making one pass, then two. “Where’s Luna?”

“Luna?” Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “Who’s Luna?”

“Princess Luna was- is- the Princess of the Night.” Celestia’s head was now twitching left and right, eyes darting to the few remaining shadows. “I had assumed that the Elements would have held her in place while they purified her of her possession, but evidently not.”

Possession? Twilight saw similar confusion and surprise on each of her friend’s faces as they all watched as her teacher moved slowly around the pedestal, before coming back to the group. During her short circuit her ears drew flat and Twilight felt her own lower in response. Her unease became all the worse as she beheld the Princess’ expression up close: taut and openly frowning, her magical mane and tail no longer flowing but shivering, and her visible eye fitfully passing back and forth before settling on their little posse.

“My little ponies,” she said, and Twilight was just barely able to pick up on the slight tremble in the normally steady voice, “Do any of you know where Luna has gone?”

For a moment nopony said anything. Then Rarity gently cleared her throat. “Well Your Highness, that’s just it; I believe I’m safe assuming that we all felt the Elements hit Luna, or rather Nightmare Moon…” A round of nods prompted her to continue, “It felt as though I was digging for a gem when the wall I was digging into… poofed.”

“’Poofed?’”

“Like I was bucking a stonebark tree and suddenly the tree just vanished.” Applejack added.

Twilight saw Celestia’s eye grow steadily wider at the nods of agreement and began to replay the events of the last few minutes in her mind, her own horror growing in tandem with the Princess’; had they done what she thought- what Celestia was obviously fearing, they’d done? The beam had connected. To her it had felt like Nightmare Moon was trying to physically push back against their unified herd of friends and run. And then, the invisible wall they were pushing against just… disappeared.

She was trying to run. She must have been terrified! She shut her stinging eyes, her jaw tight. I only wanted to stop her, I didn’t want to… didn’t want… Twilight blinked as her mind reached back into the depths of her memory and brought forth a tiny barely remembered fact.
“Wait a minute everypony.” She said, drawing all eyes to her. “Meadowbrook’s Sixth Law of Artifacts states: ‘An artifact and its magic are shaped by the user’s intent.’” She could see her own gaze wasn’t the only one misting; Celestia was looking at her now, hope slowly overriding fear. “Did anypony here want to kill Nightmare Moon?”

“Oh goodness no!” Fluttershy brought a hoof to her muzzle as though to shield herself from the very thought. “I could never do… that to somepony.”

Rainbow nodded next. “Yeah, no. I’d have been more than happy to smack her around but I wouldn’t have killed her.” The pegasus rubbed the back of her head thoughtfully. “It didn’t feel like we pulverized her or nothing… she just kinda evaporated.”

“And I don’t think we killed her either,” Twilight nodded back, “we were only trying to stop her. It felt to me like she was trying to run. I can only guess, but maybe she escaped before the spell took effect.” Twilight looked around to each of her friends, but felt her confidence in her theory begin to wither when she settled on an unblinking Celestia. “Maybe…”

Celestia continued to hold her in place with her gaze, her unsteady breathing slowly evening out. After what Twilight felt was far too long the Princess breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, releasing Twilight from her inadvertent pinning. Reaching up to rub away her nearly shed tears, Celestia smiled. 

“My faithful student, you would be correct: so long as your desires were not lethal the magic of the Elements would not have harmed her.”

“Exactly!” She said, confidence returning with her teacher’s approval. “Of course that still leaves several questions: for one, was she purified, or was she banished?” 

“I cannot sense her magic in the moon anymore, so banishment seems unlikely.” Celestia cast her eyes upward, as if searching for answers in the morning sky, and Twilight heard the solar monarch’s tone turn wistful. “Little sister where are you?”





The balloon was suddenly a rock. It would be a very novel experience for an entity of its type; to go from a floating weightlessness to the unyielding consistency of stone, subject to long ignored laws of gravity.

The rock had a mouth and ears, and could hear as it cried out in fear at the new appendages. 
Everything was heavy. It was a sensation so far removed from anything she had that it stunned her back into weightless unconscious. There in her dreams she floated, drifting like a balloon across the endless clouds. Comfortable and at peace in a way she couldn’t remember feeling in so long, she just existed, noticing but not caring as she felt her empty serenity become reacquainted with physics. Gradually lowering, her misty existence solidified into something corporeal; flesh supplied by blood and supported by bone. Tingling muscles that were as asleep as she was were filled as she breathed out, her balloon losing air that kept it aloft and tying it to the paralyzed body below it.

Luna’s eyelids fluttered open. Tired awareness slowly returning to her. She could discern her breathing, the unconscious movement of air through her lungs pushing against her ribs rhythmically expanding and contracting her belly, moving into her wings. One felt off so she twitched it.

The prior heaviness in her eyes vanished as what she’d done hit like a runaway chariot: she’d moved her wings.  She was exerting her will over her own body, and it was responding. She couldn’t remember a time in the last millennium when she wasn’t watching from inside her own head as her body moved and acted without her input. It was shocking, confusing, cathartic. 
She began to laugh. She forced her mostly numb limbs to move. Curling, twisting her neck. Her hooves launched out in a tingly stretch. Wings moved, one stretched out to its full length while the other, caught between herself and the ground, forced her to roll onto her back before it too relaxed and spread to its full span.

Staring up at the overcast sky she kicked her legs and giggled up to the heavens like a foal to its mother. Wriggling from tip to tail, rolling and thrashing on the cold stone as though it was the softest cloud.

She didn’t  know how much time passed, but eventually her laughter slowed, and she used a hoof to wipe at her eyes, triggering a renewed bout of giggling at the moisture that had collected there. She could cry and feel the tears again, feel her own fur as more than a distant muffled sensation. For a time she simply lay there, not knowing or caring about what to do next, simply listening to her own breath and feeling for her heartbeat.

She didn’t know how long she just was. But when a low pain and rumble came from her middle she snorted in amusement.

How long has it been? She thought, righting herself, and resisting the urge to prance. Her hooves under her she finally began to take stock of her surroundings 

The darkness of night was clearer to her than most others, allowing her to see everything nearby. The ground was barren; no grass or flowers, no animals, not even water or lava, just blackened desolate crags and craters- as if something had peeled open the surface of the land. The only hint of vegetation was the trees that intermittently dotted the landscape, leafless branches clawing up to the black moonless sky.

Moonless… where’s my moon! Even possessed Luna had felt her magical connection to her heavenly body. But now, there was nothing. It took a moment of mental stretching and searching with her mind’s eye, but after a minute she found her inner reservoir of magic and pulled. Her horn blinked on and off, she barely had enough to cast a simple light spell but it was enough; a trickle of magic should have been all she needed to tell her the moon’s relative location, but there was no corresponding tug, no caress of energy from her satellite.

Her pitiful amount of magic rippled angrily in response. Her stomach clenched and a wave of nausea overcame her momentarily before she clamped down on it. Alright, so my moon is gone… How does a moon disappear, it’s a blasted moon?! A deep breath calmed her newly rattled nerves. No, even were my moon destroyed I would sense its residual magic. That would not dissipate for eons, and these trees would’ve long since turned to dust. Her moon had to still exist, something was merely preventing her from connecting to it, she resolved to fix that as soon as possible.

Her stomach growled again, reminding her that she’d not eaten in a thousand years. First things first. Her first steps were unsteady, stiff and relying mostly on her keeping her limbs evenly spaced, but after a few minutes her legs began to bend and feel more natural, renewing her good mood.

A quick scan of the skyline revealed an unusually straight series of structures on the horizon, likely a town or some such, but too far away to tell. Still it was the only notable formation, so her destination set she head off.

Her steps were spirited, but as the  minutes dragged on her pace slowed, her thoughts picking up the slack.

The Elements had obviously done their job. She’d been dimly away that they were to be brought against her again, and looking inside herself she could find no evidence of the Nightmare’s influence. Her magic was weak, weaker than a foal’s in fact and far too weak to maintain her usual ethereal mane and tail, but it was there, and she was sure a hot meal and a few days of rest would begin to restore her. The fact that she couldn’t feel her moon was worrying, but considering her reduced state- and stature, if her shorter legs and wings were any indication- it no longer filled her with panic. It was likely that her sister was still maintaining its orbit and she would have more than enough power to unknowingly block her.

She and Celestia would both have to thank the six that had stood up to the Nightmare. That fell beast had every intention of holding her prisoner for eternity. The fact that it had been bested while holding the form of an alicorn was nothing short of a miracle and enough to ensure those mares eternal fame in history. She would have to acquire their names post haste, and ensure proper rewards were given.

Of course that’s assuming you still have the means to do anything for them. A small voice in the back of her head said, sinking that line of thought. As Nightmare Moon she’d assaulted Celestia, attempted to take over their kingdom, and after her banishment, had continued to terrorize her subjects with nightmares. The Nightmare was positively thrilled when she learned how Nightmare Night demonized them in the eyes of foals, promising to prove the legend true once they’d escaped, and she knew of at least one mare who’s psyche was irreparably damaged by her night terrors. It would be little surprise if I were stripped of my station.

The Nightmare had twisted her desire for love into the goal of mutual suffering. It may not have been her in control but she’d let it in, it was her horrid face her ponies would see, and it was her powers that had nearly brought about eternal night. Princesses don’t try to destroy the world, no there was another term for ponies like that.

Her hooves caught on an unseen crack that had treacherously positioned itself in the best spot to trip her, startling her from her morose thoughts with a near face plant. Staggering somewhat she snorted. Princess or no, she could at least offer boons to her saviors, right after she begged her sister for forgiveness.

The desolate landscape dragged on, nothing but dead wood and cracked dry earth. An hour passed, and her lips grew parched. The clouds above tantalizing her with the promise of water, but with her wings so small and heavy it was a chore to fly for more than a few seconds, let alone the time it would take to reach one. Worse than thirst though, was the empty void in her middle; every step, every beat, or turn expended just a little more energy.

Perhaps these were the badlands Nightmare had seen in the dream realm? It certainly seemed desolate enough, but geography had never been something the Nightmare had cared about. If this was the badlands, it would be best to remain on guard, the usurper had teased her once by showing her dreams of insectoid creatures that kidnapped and cocooned ponies, a common terror some time ago, too common to be a mere myth.

Something soft squelched under her right hind hoof. Turning she found that she’d stepped in some kind of inky black substance. As she lifted her hoof she saw the little puddle quiver for a few seconds before it drew itself together into a small perfect sphere no bigger than a large marble. Two lines of white appeared on the surface of the orb and widened into symmetrical circles which moved to gaze up at her.

“Greetings little one,” she said, her voice sounding strange, even to her, “We apologize for treading upon thee. We were lost within our own counsel, and had not thought to keep an eye open for one so small.” The little ball blinked twice before bouncing its way under her legs and to her front. The sight was enough to bring a smile to her face and she leaned down to poke it with her muzzle. She considered eating it, but one sniff made her stomach turn. So instead she put on her best gentle face. “Wouldst thou like to accompany Us to yon town? One so small yet courageous would make for a fine herald.”

Her inner chuckling at her little joke was cut short as the tiny blob splattered itself on her nose, pinching her repeatedly. Pulling the thing loose she examined it more closely and could just make out the row of minute, needle-like teeth it sported

Tossing it aside she scoffed. Typical. The first sign of life I find is a parasite. “Thou wouldst not even meet the standards to become Our royal pet.”

She began to walk off but a low growl drew her attention back to the tiny ball. It writhed in place where she’d tossed it, whirling and growing. She took a step back as it reached her size, then another as it got bigger. Limbs began to take shape. Wings like those of a bat sprouted from the top of the mass, a long, spike tipped tail out the back.

Luna turned and ran. She knew what the strange thing was shifting into, and she was in no state to fend off such a beast as a grown manticore; a lion with the wings of a bat and the tail of a scorpion.
The low whines and snarling grew louder behind her before there was a pause, followed by the sound of claws scraping on stone as it gave chase.

Her hooves beat out a frantic rhythm to match her pounding heart as she wove around the deep pits that pockmarked the ground. She had not fought her way through chaos spirits, mad archmages, and a nightmare monster just to fall now. Not now, not when she’d just regained her freedom.

A claw swiped at her tail pulling a few of her hairs free, and she began to beat her wings, desperate to edge out every ounce of speed. The manticore roared as it stumbled at its missed catch but she knew that had only bought her a few moments; the torn, uneven ground was ill-suited for a full gallop, but a feline would find it much easier to traverse.

She galloped as hard as she was able, even though she knew in her heart of hearts that this was a race she wouldn’t win. She was tired, hungry, and thirsty, her magic was nearly empty, and judging by the impacts she could hear getting steadily closer behind her, the strange shape-shifter outweighed her by a large margin. Still she pushed, ignoring her burning muscles,  knowing that stopping would mean being mauled.

She’d lived too long for that; she had seen a kingdom rise and place her at its head, she’d studied under the greatest magical minds of her time and pioneered her own field of magic. She couldn’t die to some false overgrown cat. Not until she apologized to Celestia, told he she loved her, it couldn’t end until after they found each other. It was that thought that made her eyes sting: the last thing she’d said to her sister was a wish for her to die.

But the beast disagreed. Pulling up alongside her it offered her a good view of its shiny black body, a shaggy mane filled with barbs resembling the teeth it had sported before, and the same lifeless white disks that locked onto her as it drew closer to make its kill.

Luna lit her horn, certain that the flickering light would be the last spell she would ever cast, when both her and her predator’s attention was pulled forward by an unfamiliar shout. 

Hauling itself up from one of the pits ahead of them was a bipedal figure wrapped in some kind of heavy fur coat. It possessed hands like a minotaur but that was all Luna could discern before the creature vanished in a flash of azure fire, only to slam into the manticore next to her with its leg. It yelled something  at her and raised both hands. Small balls of red light gathered in its palms before it hurled them at the stunned monster.

Luna knew she was being told to run and didn’t need to be told twice. She didn’t have enough magic to fly but she could still glide, leaping over the crevice her new ally had emerged from, she poured on the speed, making every effort to leave the sounds of explosions as far behind her as possible.  She ran until her coat became slick with foam and her lungs began to scream for air.
She ran until the sounds behind her stopped, and only then did she slow. Her heart pounding away at her barrel, she kept her ears on a swivel, listening for any sign of danger.

After just enough time for her heart to quiet she began to hear something. Footsteps, rapidly approaching from the way she’d come. Steeling herself she turned to see the biped dashing towards her at an impressive speed, but slowing down as it drew near.

Not necessarily a chase then. She thought, watching come to a stop and double over panting several feet from her.  She waited until it had regained its breath, taking the time to see what little she could glean up close. It wasn’t much, the thing’s coat reached its ankles and its hands, feet- a rarity to see outside of dragons- and face were all covered. All she could really tell was that it was some kind of miner, judging from the pick in its back.

It approached slowly, its palms open and raised. It said something in a low, possibly feminine, voice.

Luna folded her ears back. “We thank thee for thine aid stranger, but thy tongue is not known to Us, dost thou know ponish?” She asked formally, blinking in confusion as the creature pulled back in apparent surprise. “What’s wrong?”

It said something else, then something else. It took Luna a moment to realize the creature had switched languages, the second sounded a bit like old breezy, but it was just as incomprehensible as the first and she shrugged with one wing. Sighing loudly at the lack of progress it shook its head and walked past her, motioning for her to follow.

Luna did, but the chase had put her on edge, she kept one eye on her new companion, and the other on their surroundings. 

They were still headed towards the town on the horizon, and as they drew closer Luna was able to make out more details. It was not merely a town as the somewhat hazy outline had led her to assume, but a castle A great walled fort that was easily a match for her ancient capital carved entirely from a slightly luminous onyx stone, wicked looking towers poked up over the defenses, while a raised drawbridge large enough to pull a dozen carts at once over was the only obvious entrance.

Her companion spoke, holding up a hand for her to stop. After taking a moment to stretch its back it bounced on its heels twice before vanishing with an odd ringing sound. It reappeared perched on a protruding stone five feet up the wall next to the door, there was another sound, and it moved halfway up the wall. It repeated this twice more before disappearing over the wall.

Luna had to admit it was quite the agile one, as far as she could tell it wasn’t teleporting, her movement was a combination of natural ability and something else that Luna could only sense because it caused the creature’s inner magic to move ever so minutely.

After a moment the door let out a low groan and lowered, picking up  speed as it went until the way open slammed down in front of her. Not needing a more obvious invitation she walked across, pausing only to note the large, yet somehow invisible welt in the earth that the bridge spanned.

Her companion labored a moment with a rusted lever, only turning to her once she was sure the gate was again sealed. Raising a palm she conjured a red orb and began walking apparently trusting that she would be followed.

The world behind the wall the city was a stark contrast to the desolate plains outside them. A dense network of dark brick houses and shops separated only by streets just big enough for two ponies lay before her, while the illuminating wall only seemed to cast its light so far before pitch darkness swallowed up any attempt to see. The city itself felt no safer than outside. As the two moved deeper its emptiness became clear; there was no sound save for the clopping of her hooves and the footsteps of her guide, echoing off the hollow buildings around them. It felt cold, like she was walking through a crypt, ghosts of the long dead city staring, watching as she violated their rest with blasphemous noise.

After a couple of turns her escort doused their light as a building that was clearly not part of the original construction came into view. It was a series of round domes nestled in the ruins of some ancient park dominated by one larger central dome that spilled over the dead grass and into the street. Odd lettering covered the side of the main building and a welcome light shone from within its elongated rectangular windows.

The inside was cheery, a simple table sat low to the left, while a comfy looking couch wrapped around the outer edge of one wall. An odd black box with a glass front was pressed against the far wall on the right. With wooden doors leading for parts unknown. While she was taking in the more welcome sights her companion walked to a nearby rack and began to disrobe.

It- she- was definitely female, the glands on the front proved that. She was much slimmer than she looked too, and very pink, cracked, dry skin with no fur or mane, just a series of withered antennae framing a mostly flat, wrinkled face in a style reminiscent of a bob cut. When she turned to speak to her Luna found herself pinned by her fellow mare’s features. She had no nose, only a hint of a muzzle beneath eyes far more angled than those of a pony, the small fangs in her mouth and the red irises set against eyes that were not white but black caused her to lift a leg instinctually, and the fear of the chase that she had so recently been a part of threatened to rise anew.

She’s a meat-eater, she’s different, she’s dangerous! Then Luna clamped down on her body before it could run away with her thoughts and her hoof came down. Even ponies were known to occasionally dine on fish, and this mare had done nothing to earn her fear. She was unusual, Luna decided, but thus far not dangerous.

The strange mare gestured to the table and Luna took her indicated place. Satisfied she smiled and left through one of the doors, after a few minutes an odd, but mildly pleasant smell began to fill the air. Her temporarily ignored stomach made its displeasure known and she desperately hoped what her nose was telling her about was food. Her hopes were confirmed shortly when her host returned with a cup balanced on her head, a steaming pot, three bowls, and a pitcher of water in her arms.

Luna did a double take: her host’s arms had extended far beyond what should be anatomically possible to wrap around said implements. The casual violation of physics not bothering the bipedal mare in the least as she began setting the table humming a merry tune all the while.

Luna had resist the urge to  give in to her body’s demand for sustenance until everything was ready. Her host took a seat opposite of her, filled two of the bowls with some kind of noodles, and set one before her. Once she saw the old mare finish with a short prayer and begin eating, she immediately took her cue.

In short order both the water and noodle bowls were empty, refilled, and emptied again. The two ate in silence, the only sounds being soft slurps from them both. Throughout the meal Luna observed how the other mare ate wielding a pair of sticks held between her slender fingers, using a level of dexterity only matched by griffons. With no such tools at her own disposal Luna dipped her head to graze, undignified for one of her station, but she wasn’t about to complain. Besides, they were good noodles, with just enough salt to take the edge of after a chase.

She did notice her new friend staring when she used a hoof to pour a second bowl of water. After tilting her head in curiosity at her host’s confusion over the simple act the two mutually agreed to  simply save their questions until after proper communication could be established.

With full stomachs they each leaned back. Luna felt her eyes grow heavy, her earlier adrenaline rush and even earlier fast combining with the warmth of the room to lull her into a stupor.

Her pink friend was one step ahead of her, standing she motioned for her to follow and led her with bouncing steps down one of the house’s halls to a well furnished, yet clearly long unused bedroom.

Luna didn’t care about the dust. She didn’t care about the creaking floorboards, she didn’t even care that the chuckling behind her was probably at her expense as she dragged her hooves. The bed looked too soft and inviting for such things to concern her. Her host gave a few hand gestures to signify that she would be just down the hall before departing, still with a happy tune on her lips.

It was the last thing the princess of the night heard before sleep took her.
> A Modern Solution to an Old Problem
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna remembered this dream. Drifting back to wakefulness feeling remarkably relaxed. Sometimes she’d hear the servants moving back and forth outside and sometimes it was birdsong just outside her tower window. She knew that when she rolled over she’d see her lady-in-waiting ready with her a tray of assorted choice fruits and usually a hot beverage. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept on a mattress so soft, it felt so much better than the simple hay beds she was used to. Stretching out to her full length she pressed as much of her body as she could into the welcoming cushion, only stopping when she felt her wing hit a wall.

The contrast of soft sheets and cold rock snapped her out of her sleepy daze. The dream of a time before her possession shattering like glass. She wasn’t in the royal castle or the mountainside city she’d caught a glimpse of when she confronted Celestia. She was at the far edge of Equis in a foreigner’s home in some ruined city.

Loss and sorrow were not new feelings to the lunar princess. She knew she needed to find out where she was, where her sister was, tartarus- she needed to find a map to locate Equestria, but she just couldn’t bring herself to move. The euphoria of freedom had worn off and the events from yesterday came down around her like a weighted net. In one night she’d gone from watching as her world burned around her, helpless to do anything to stop it, to deliriously drunk upon the joy of being in her own body, to running for her life.

Anypony would be ragged after such a day, and alicorns were no exception. Despite having slept a full night she felt so heavy, as though the sheets had reached up and melded with her skin, the thought of moving more than an inch at a time seemed a daunting task.

How did she know Equestria even wanted her back? As far as she knew nopony was aware that she had been possessed, to the common pony she was Nightmare Moon, if so then perhaps this was what the Elements had decreed: disempowering and banishing the rogue princess. The six mares she’d seen were supposed to be the embodiments of pony virtue, and Nightmare had all but decried those virtues before the peasantry. It may have been a monster but part of its actions were shaped by her, and she was left wondering just how much she’d influenced it.

You couldn’t have Nightmare Moon without Luna.

Exile. The word circled Luna’s mind like a dog after its tail. It made sense: the Elements had purged the Nightmare but the sickness ran too deep; she was what had let it in, it was her power and desire for ponies to relish in her night that had let it nearly destroy the world. She was diseased, and the best way to deal with a sick pony was to quarantine them.

You don’t know that. She said to herself, but that small voice was drowned out beneath a dozen other voices all calling out her crimes. The endless night, the terrors she’d inflicted upon the very subjects she wanted love from, the attempts at sororicide, it was all her fault.

A knock on the door and an unfamiliar word pulled her attention. The door opened and Rain stuck her head in. Waving a hoof to let her know she was awake, Luna sat up, though even that felt like more effort than it was worth. The pink mare crossed the room in a few quick strides, sat down next to her on the bed and chirped something, the concern clear in her voice. Luna only grunted in response. Unsatisfied Rain began to fuss, lifting her hooves and checking for broken bones, prodding at her ribs and running hands through her mane.

Luna endured the ministrations only until her jaw was forced open and Rain began looking down her throat with the aid of a small orb of light on one finger. Pulling away from the unwanted attention Luna shot the old mare a scathing look.

A look that quickly faded when she saw what looked to be genuine fear in the old mare’s unusual eyes. It was hard to tell because Rain’s ears were immobile and she lacked a tail but the way she began to stroke her head tentacles was very similar to how some ponies would pet their own tails in times of duress.

The thought of another being concerned for her well-being brought her up short, it’d been so long. “You’re worried about my health? “She asked quietly, “You needn’t worry about me, alicorns are quite resilient.” 

It took a few more moments to calm her but in spite of the language barrier, Luna eventually got the pink mare to stop tugging on her tentacle-mane-thing. Once Rain was no longer fretting she actually seemed a bit embarrassed, if the redness in her cheeks meant the same thing for her that it did for ponies.

Rain left her alone soon after, apparently content that she was up. With nothing better to do Luna rose sluggishly from her bed and began to familiarize herself with her surroundings.

She’d been too tired yesterday to really  look at the room, but now that she could it was… unfamiliar. An odd sliding door led to a closet while another led to a bathroom, and to her surprise she found that she could heat the water in both the white wash basin and the wall spigot. Pulling the lever on the side of the large bowl caused her to jump back in surprise, and she pulled it again once the bowl had refilled.

The spigot is clearly meant for washing one’s hooves, and I can see the oils for bathing, I wonder what this is for? She pulled the lever again and watched as the water quickly drained away and refilled, it was slightly hypnotic. 

The cabinet next to the basin was well stocked with towels, and a few odd devices who’s purpose escaped her, but the sponges and brushes were easy enough to use, so she set about removing the layer of grime that had accumulated in her coat.

Half an hour later and she emerged more than a little rejuvenated, towels wrapped around her mane and tail. She was tired but her eyes were bright, and a quick check had confirmed that although it was still weak, her magic had returned. Retracing her hoofsteps from last night she found Rain at the same table as before, a bowl of what smelled like hot oatmeal just across from her. Upon hearing her enter Rain looked up with a warm smile and motioned for her to sit.

“Thy hospitality is most generous.” She said, despite knowing the old mare couldn’t understand her, “We shall endeavor to be an accommodating guest.”

Rain chuckled and returned to her work: A small box lay before her, one side open and showing an intricate network of wires and nodes, while an open toolbox sat to one side of her. Luna was left to her meal while the mare grumbled under her breath and occasionally jabbed at her box with one alien looking tool or another.

Her own instrument before her she dug in, shooting Rain a confused look when she momentarily paused to stare at her glowing horn. As she ate Luna watched her new acquaintance work, tracking the various tentacles that would extend into the box and fetch a new tool, allowing Rain to work without pause, even when she pulled a pair of glasses with what looked like half-a-dozen lenses on them.

Her glasses, the devices in the washroom, tartarus the strange wall sconces that have light but no flame or magic… Luna cast an eye to one such lamp, it’s bright white glow stubbornly flying in the face of everything she knew about magic and thermodynamics. It’s all so different from everything I know, where in Equis am I? For that matter where are Rain’s people? She’d seen no buildings like this one last night, and this spherical design stuck out like a loose feather. Is she the only one here? Or is this the only house they could build?

Luna was drawn from her musings by a series of beeps. Across from her Rain stowed away her tools, closed the small box she was working on and affixed a small blue lens to one side of it. Humming thoughtfully at her work she nodded and slid the small box over the table to her.

Luna arched an eyebrow at the small device. It appeared to be some kind of strange monocle. A series of square buttons on its outer side, and a small cushion on the inner. 

Rain cleared her throat to get her attention and produced a similar, pink, monocle from below the table. Slotting it between her hair in one of her hole-like ears, she pulled a small circular node out of its top, motioned to the top of her head, and pointed at herself then Luna. 

Luna shrugged. The intent was clear enough so she placed the device to the side of her face, slightly cringing at the feeling of the unusual pad suctioning itself to her skull. The small node came free easily in her magic and she slotted it gently her ear. The blue lens completely covered her right eye but it didn’t interfere with her vision.

“What now -sweet Polaris!” She swore as the small lens lit up, bright yellow blocky runes playing out over one eye. It was incomprehensible, and slightly nauseating, to read as it kept changing. Luna closed her free eye and found that helped.

Rain tapped on her own device, eliciting similar beeps. Then said something and motioned to her.

“What is it?” She asked. Rain stared at her lens for a moment before smirking.

“What is it?” she asked in heavily accented Ponish.

Luna blinked, ears lowering slightly. “Verily Rain, I do not understand what you hope to gain with this…”

Rain focused on her lens and smiled. “Hope to gain… understand -understand-ly, understand-ing?”

The last part was a question, and Luna’s ears stood straight and forward, “A translation artifact!” She could have sung, “Brilliant mare! To have such an artifact in your possession. Translators are extremely rare.”

“Translation is understand… artifact understand-ing…?” Rain read back to her slowly 

Luna understood: the artifact on her face was learning, she didn’t know how since she still couldn’t sense magic from it, but she wasn’t about to question it at this moment. Eager for her first proper conversation in a millennium, she began to speak, explaining the usage of the royal “We,” the common “you,” and more formal “thou, thee,” and “thy.” She told old nursery rhymes, and said whatever words occasionally popped into her head, spelling out some that she had had trouble with. 

As she was recounting an old foalhood fable the device over her eye beeped, and two words in ponish flashed across her vision: Lexicon Complete.

The artifact went dark. Luna prodded at it a couple times but was unable to reactivate it. Rain’s in contrast lit up.

Transmitting file…a tiny feminine voice said from both devices. Transfer complete. Stimulating inner ear… Accessing language center… writing new language. Complete. Thank you for choosing Capsule Corp, we hope you have a great day!

“Well now…” Rain removed her device, her accent sounding closer to Neiponese, though still much clearer than before. “I trust you’ll find me a little easier to talk to?

“Now that we can finally understand each other, hello Princess Luna of Equestria. I am Rayne, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Luna’s felt her face practically light up with joy. “The pleasure is Ours Lady Rayne. Thou dost have Our thanks for thy timely rescue. As Princess of the Night We swear to repay thee. ”

Rayne let out a low laugh, “Dearie, your manners are excellent, but you’re being far too formal; I’m not a noble, and the only one around to hear you is me.”

“Ah…” Luna worked her jaw, working over what to say in the less used common tongue. “Just the same, thank you for your help yesterday. We -I have never had a call quite so close. T’was a fearsome demon.”

Rayne drummed her fingers upon the table, and closed her eyes. “You are welcome, but… I don’t want to alarm you but that was one of the weaker monsters roaming beyond the walls.” At her look Rayne waved a hand placatingly. “Don’t worry, we’re safe here so long as you don’t go past the castle wall; not even the flying ones come in.”

Well that’s a relief. The slime thing was bad enough, if there were worse things out there then Luna wouldn’t be heading  outside. “Thank you for the warning.” She said gratefully, “until my magic returns I think I shall remain here just the same. If you’ll let me stay.”

“No worries there, stay as long as you want. You’re the first thing I’ve met that hasn’t tried to kill me since I came to this place. Oh, that reminds me, the scouter translated your species as an ‘alicorn pony’ is that right?”

“Indeed. Alicorn is the correct name, but I can’t say I know what you are.”

Rayne smiled. “Majin. My full name is Majin Rayne. Species first, personal name second.”

“Majin.” She tried the word out, it sounded vaguely similar to the Neiponese word for “demon” though Luna hoped that was just a coincidence. “So, Rayne,” she paused awkwardly, unsure of what to ask first. “Where exactly are we? I’ve not seen a castle this big before nor read of one in history.”

“Belo.” Rayne said, “I managed to translate an old inscription I found over the door to the inner castle. Most of it was gone but a word I found repeatedly there and at a few statues was ‘Belo.’ Beyond that I couldn’t say.”

“If you found me a map I would be happy to point out Equestria to you, from there it could be possible to discern our location.” As she spoke, Rayne’s brow furrowed and her lips drew tight in a worried grimace. “What is it?”

“Can I assume that Equestria is full of ponies -others like you?” At her nod Rayne bit her lip. “Dearie, I hate to be the one to tell you this but I’ve flown around this entire planet many times when I was younger, and you are the first pony I’ve ever seen.”

Luna felt her mind stall at the implication. She knew she was staring wide-eyed at the majin but she couldn’t help it. “You -you cannot be… surely you jest! Equestria has known of other worlds but I held no mirror when I came here…”

“I’m not joking.” Rayne insisted gently, “If you want proof, look outside.”

Luna looked to the window and froze. She knew what she saw beyond the window was impossible, but there it was taunting her. Without thinking she galloped to the door and flung it open, staring out at the sky in horror. On the moon there had been nothing to do besides listen to the Nightmare and sleep, as such Luna had gotten very good at judging her time spent asleep. She knew that she had slept for roughly ten hours.

So where was the sun? It should’ve been late morning, early afternoon if her best estimate was correct, but there was no light, no fiery satellite in sky, just the cool dark shades of a moonless night. Desperately she lit her horn and cast for her moon, now actively searching for her orb. Nothing, and though still weak she’d grasped her moon in weaker clutches than this. Which meant, horribly…

“You’re eyes don’t deceive you. The scouter told me you ‘raised the moon.’” Rayne said sadly her crimson-black orbs staring remorsefully up at the ceiling. “On this planet, there is no moon or sun; that night will last forever.”
> Any Advanced Science...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is there truly no day on this world?” Luna asked quietly, the horrible irony not lost on her.

“None. The only time I’ve seen the sun here is in movies.”

A different planet? Luna was once again seated, now with a cup of tea before her. The steaming beverage was untouched but she found it provided a focus for her unblinking gaze while her mind ran wild.

It seemed ludicrous, insane even, nopony could travel through the vacuum of space to distant worlds. The sheer vastness would have stymied any teleport spell, to say nothing of trying to traverse an environment defined by a lack of environment.

Ok, think logically. Luna narrowed her eyes at the beverage. Rayne could be lying, but Luna couldn’t think of any reason for her to do so. The majin’s voice was void of emotion, a kind of emptiness she’d seen in ponies who had been broken; they had surrendered themselves to their fate and simply disconnected from the object of their woe. She doubted the claim of circumnavigating the world, but had no way of disproving it, as Rayne had made it clear that such a feat was now beyond her.

That still left the fact that she could sense neither sun nor moon in the sky. Even if she were on the other side of the world she should have felt them, but there was nothing, no moon or stars, merely the empty black void of the sky that made her feel small and uncomfortable when she gazed into it.

“Staring a hole into your mug won’t help.” Rayne said softly. “Come on now, talk to this old maid. Judging by your reaction my guess is that your species hasn’t mastered interplanetary travel?”

“No, we haven’t. Ponies use magical mirrors to transport ourselves across great distances, but the only one that could go to other worlds was still experimental.” A pair of wings shrugged. “I was not entirely sure how such devices worked, my teacher Starswirl knew more about them than me.”

“My kind and others from my home world Earth have used ships to travel from planet to planet. I’ll admit to having seen plenty in my time, but you’re the first mirror-hopping pony I’ve met.”

“I’ve never seen a ‘majin’ before either. Nor a home so… different.”

Rayne chuckled at her hesitation. “You mean strange. Don’t worry I’m not offended. If this is your first time dealing with another species it’s natural that you’d have questions.” Already thin eyes closed and her aged face stretched in a broad smile. “Ask whatever you like.”

It was hardly her first time with another species but this was her first time dealing with a true alien, so Luna was grateful for the invitation. After a quick look around she started with the simplest question she could think of, “I assume that you came here by one of your ships, but where is it? It must have been truly massive to hold the materials to construct this home.”

The majin shook her head. “My ship was destroyed but even if it wasn't it wouldn't be so large; we use capsules to shrink items for storage. Food, water, clothing, even a house could be stored inside a capsule.

“And this isn’t technically a home. I was a soldier on a mission that… went wrong and landed me here. This is actually an outpost base that I  had stored.”

“Amazing magic,” Luna breathed  “and your base, what manner of magic powers it?” She gestured to one of the lights with one upraised wing. “I can sense no enchantments on either the thin tube, nor the glass flame that is somehow as thin as a paper sheet. Yet the small bulbs produce more light than a torch. How?”

“Electricity.” Rayne leaned forward on her cushion and tapped the device she’d used to translate. “Like the scouter, everything here runs off of electronic power. I have several generators in the basement that supply that power to the facility.”

“Wonderous…” Luna’s bulging eyes flicked from the scouter to the lights, if she could learn how such technology worked she could revolutionize Equestria. Then again Nightmare Moon saw windows that thin in the hall where she made our entrance to the common folk. Perhaps this is not so advanced and I am merely out of date. If that were so it would behoove her to learn as much about these artifacts as possible.

“Could you show me more?” She asked eagerly.

Rayne stood and gathered up the dishes with her unusual ability to stretch her limbs and tossed her head to indicate she should be followed. The pink mare led her first to a very large kitchen and after depositing the dishes in one of many sinks, showed her an unusual combination of larder, pantry, and icebox that she called a “refrigerator.”

“Does the light stay on when you close the door?” Luna asked, to which Rayne shook her head and began to explain how coils and liquid kept food cold for longer storage time.

“This place is standard issue meant for agents on extended missions. So it came fully stocked with all the comforts of home for a three-man squad.”
After showing her the various locations of bowls, plates, and cutlery, the mare also explained the stove and its knobs.

What an inspired idea, having a grill atop the oven for heating. 

“I unfortunately don’t really have a sense of taste anymore so feel free to help yourself to any food you need, I’ve been transfiguring more food as I need it since you won’t find much out there anymore.”

Luna nodded impressed, transfiguration was highly advanced magic, usable by only a hoofful of ponies, but obscenely useful if one knew how to make food.

She was then shown the various side domes, one contained extra rooms like the one she’d stayed in where she was shown the various grooming products, a question informed her that the bowl in each washroom was an advanced privy, and she quickly made use of its functions.

Another dome was a large shed for storage, containing various rusted tools and worn tarps. The next dome, sitting near the shed had a series of glass panels Rayne called “computers.”

“All de-powered.” The majin said, leaning  against a wall to catch her breath, “I eventually realized that no one was hearing my distress signal, and at the time I could only create candy and didn’t know how the generators worked, so I shut them down to conserve power.”

“But you know how to repair them now, do you not? And you can create the needed parts?” At the affirmative response, Luna  dragged a feather over one of the dusty glass panes. “Why leave them off then?”

Rayne shrugged unhelpfully. “I already said no one can hear my signal, if help was coming it would’ve been here by now.”

“What makes you so certain?”

“I kept them running for one year after I came here, and my employer had a very effective way of finding lost employees: wishing orbs or dragon balls. There’s no doubt that a wish would have been made to retrieve me; I wasn’t exactly a low ranking agent, and since I’m still here, that means I’m likely beyond the multiverse in which they’re effective.”

“I found you.”

“On purpose?” When Luna averted her eyes, Rayne snorted, though her expression didn’t change from resignation as she headed back out. “As I figured. It’s wonderful to meet you princess, but it’s terrible that you’re here.”

The last two places were the basement, the only other room that didn’t look somewhat dilapidated, and the dome at the back of the complex. The inside was a large tiled room dominated by some kind of cylindrical machine in its center, various weights, and equipment lined the walls.

“This room is used for training. Feel free to use it whenever you like, but I would avoid the big machine in the middle. It can  be dangerous if you don’t know how to use it, and I don’t know if it still works properly.”

“What does it do?”

“It can increase the gravity in the room up to five-hundred times Earth’s gravity.” At her raised eyebrows Rayne giggled. “This planet has about ten times Earth’s gravity, yet you don’t seem to be struggling. I’m guessing that it’s not too different from your planet.”

Luna shook her head. “I have not noticed a difference.” Looking at the cracked and broken tiles she indicated the gravity machine with a tilt of her head. “Did you ever use it?”

“When I was younger I used a special training gi, and had it all the way up to five-hundred.”

“I do not believe you.”

“I’m not lying, but I don’t see how I can prove it.”
Leading her back to the main building. Rayne went to an old closet and handed her several bottles of what she claimed to  be cleaners, a machine she called a vacuum, and a corroded feather duster. Frowning at the ruined instrument she held it at arm’s length, the tentacles that made up her hair shivered before rising up, the ends pointing straight ahead.

“Turn into a  new one.” At the somewhat loud command red bolts shot from each of her appendages and enveloped the tool in an electric glow. The light dissipated with a pop one second later and Rayne held a brand new duster in her hand.

Luna gave her fellow mage two taps of polite applause as she took the now pristine duster in her magic. “That’s very good. And it’s stable, the spell will not undo?”

“The food you ate last night was originally stones mined from the earth over a week ago. I’d say it’s pretty stable.”

“Skillfully done.” Rayne shrugged but smiled and led her back to the room Luna had stayed in, and the two got to work.

There was a lot to do, mostly dusting and washing the walls and ceiling, something unicorn magic came in handy for. The vacuum made Luna nearly jump out of her fur with how loud it was, prompting Rayne to snicker and explain how it worked. A new freshly restored set of sheets were brought in and within two-and-a-half hours of manual labor, the room was looking quite habitable again. 

The late afternoon found them once again in the main room, this time on the large couch as Rayne rested from the day.

“Well, all in all this has the most productive day I’ve had in quite a while.” The majin said happily. “I haven’t done work like this in years -never a need to keep anything more than the basics running you know.”

Luna nodded. “I’m amazed at the advances your kind have made, both in the arcane and mundane sciences.” Truly if she hadn’t seen some of those devices, she wouldn’t have believed that they could exist.

“It’s funny,” Rayne said, closing her eyes, “Watching you, I mean; seeing your face light up at each new discovery, and I can tell you still want to learn more.”

“Yes well, tis not every day one finds themselves surrounded by feats of engineering that baffles the mind, overseen by a skilled Archmage.” Luna said with a light blush. “I remember how you moved in that fight with the manticore, the flashes of light and the rapport of your attacks. You’re no mere mage.”

Rayne waved a hand dismissively. “I’m just an old crone now. I may know a few more tricks, but they pale in comparison to me in my prime. That shadow took most of my strength, before I doubt I would have even noticed it.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t really matter though. If you think so highly of my waning skills what of your people? It’s clear by how you’ve talked that magic is more common on your planet than mine. I’m certain you have at least a few tricks I haven’t heard of.”

Luna hummed and brought a hoof to her muzzle thoughtfully. “Well what do you know of enchantments?” At the old mare’s confused look, she elaborated. “The art of imbuing an object with a continuous spell, independent of the caster.”

“Almost nothing, beyond works of fiction.”

That... was not the answer Luna had been expecting, enchanting wasn’t particularly difficult, it was how pony society was built after all. “The simplest enchanted items, like icicle arrows, only do one thing and then disperse, similar to a spell. Stronger enchantments can be used multiple times, before a caster restores their internal magic.”

The majin nodded, her red eyes alight with curiosity, “Makes sense, don’t leave me in suspense, do tell.”

Luna smiled, happy to find familiar ground after feeling lost for most of the day. “There’s the Key of Unfettered Entrance, which can open any door one time, useful if a pony locks themselves out of their home. Gateway Amulets and magic mirrors for long distance travel. Self-motivated mops and buckets for easy cleaning and the like…” For a moment the lunar princess trailed off; Rayne was listening with the intensity of a foal being told about her Hearthswarming gifts, her face showing more surprise than one would expect. But these were simple enchantments, barring the mirror. It boggled Luna’s mind that a race so advanced could be so… backwards. 

“There are also books enchanted to let you enter them, invisibility cloaks, even trees can be enchanted to maintain their lives even after they are hollowed out into homes."

“How could you do that? The books I can see, but just ordering a tree to go on living after it should be dead? What about making instruments that move without some kind of apparatus? I don’t suppose you have wish orbs?” Each question was fired off like a bolt from a crossbow, Rayne drawing closer with each one.

Luna tittered at the surprise in the pink mare’s voice. “Is it so surprising to the one who can put buildings into her bags? And sadly no, I have never heard of such artifacts. If we had them…” She trailed off as her good mood dissipated. What one could do with a wish? She could’ve gone home, wished for her subject’s forgiveness, or her evils vanished, old friends restored... the possibilities seemed limitless.

She could’ve wished that she had never thought of the name Nightmare Moon.

“Hey now.” A finger flicked her on the horn, drawing her from her thoughts. “I know that look dearie, you may as well put wishing from your mind, and I’m sorry I brought it up. The sad fact is that unless you can magic us out of here we’re stuck. But at least we’re not stuck alone are we?”

That is true, and between the company of a majin or a nightmare, the choice is obvious.Luna made an effort to smile, though it was hampered by her underlying thoughts. At least she’s not a genocidal maniac.

Rayne must have sensed something was still amiss, for she shook her head sadly “I  know it hurts. Just remember that you have a friend here, no matter how dark or lonely it gets.”
> Reverse Mirror
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’ve confirmed it.

Three little words that Twilight knew would put her mentor’s mind at ease. Her heart a little lighter she had Spike send off the letter, watching as the emerald flame twisted out her library window and towards Canterlot.

For the past week she had been making regular trips to the Everfree Castle to study the room where she and her friends had fought Nightmare Moon. Magical scans were performed, retellings from each of her friend’s perspectives were gathered, and every object she could see was cataloged. No stone was left unturned.

And now she had finally found the answers she’d been looking for: buried underneath the avalanche that was the Element’s magic was a teleport spell unlike anything she’d ever seen.

Imagine a sphere, stretched and flattened until it resembled a disk, its third dimension imperceptible unless one was looking for a sphere. Then take parts of the sphere out, muddy some of the rest, and ask it to be identified. That was what had taken her so long: the spell was collapsed like a layer of dust, clinging to everything, including living ponies that moved and distorted the leftover and fading magic. It was a conundrum over a jigsaw puzzle that had six pieces missing doused in a blanket named “Harmony.”

And it had taken a week’s worth of on and off sleepless nights, and a pigeon landing at the right moment and getting magic on its beak as she was conducting a scan for her to understand: 

Nightmare Moon had tried to flee when the Elements had activated. The overwhelming amount of magic in the air had responded to Nightmare Moon’s desire to escape and Twilight and her friend’s nebulous but shared desire to stop her. The resulting conflict in forces had resulted in parts of the teleport collapsing in on itself and forming a magical sinkhole that drew every last bit of power into itself. 

Usually a teleport had a set destination, a beginning and endpoint connected via a caster. The sinkhole had no destination besides away from here, and instead had spiraled in on itself, the magic trying to spiral into infinity, until it eventually just…

Broke. Twilight finished the thought with equal parts glee and worry. The situation had created a kind of magical singularity and pulled Nightmare Moon through- and a good bit of the Elements’ magic with her.

An arcane hole in space was up until now only theorized of in advanced academies. Now here Twilight Sparkle sat, having participated in the creation of one such anomaly; with this she knew she could publish her own paper and disprove at least a dozen different theories on how magic and physics interacted, she could open up an entirely new branch of study, the possibilities seemed limitless.

Until Princess Celestia had asked for her silence.
Twilight was sitting on one of the hottest discoveries of her generation, and she couldn’t truly enjoy it. Oh she was practically vibrating at the prospect of new knowledge, but the cost had come at the expense of another pony, and it was a price that was too high.

When she and Celestia had returned to the library that morning. The princess had done something Twilight had never seen her do: she calmly sat at one of the reading tables dotted throughout the main room and slumped. Wings fell, white feathers brushing against the floor as a ruler laid her head and dignity down on the hard wood and sighed.

She looked so old. It was easy for Twilight to forget sometimes that her teacher was over a thousand years old, as the little filly had grown older she had caught glimpses of the pony behind the crown.

A dig at the ground here, an uneasy ruffling of great wings there. Celestia was always personable but professionally distant unless one had spent more than a little time with her. But such moments where she put professionalism aside were both sparse and fleeting, and unless the two were in private, rarely lasted more than a second. 

The library was private, removed; nopony to judge or gossip about how the perfect princess fixed the opposite wall with a look of such anguish that it drew Twilight up short.

“I was so close.”

It was just four words but they weighed heavy on Twilight’s heart; a little thought of truth about being so smart was that she was very good with numbers. Other ponies might struggle with the concept of waiting a thousand years for anything, but she became painfully aware of just how long that was. How many seconds counted and sleepless nights had her mentor endured? How many plans put into motion, revised, revised again, and ultimately scrapped?

Twilight didn’t know, she doubted even the princess could remember, and it was probably better that way. Celestia looked so beaten under that weight that any more might just break her.

For a time the two remained in silence, one worn by the centuries, the other becoming acutely aware of what that meant, then slowly, Twilight approached, gave her a nuzzle, pressed their sides together, and tried to smile.

“It’ll be okay.”

As comforts go it wasn’t much, an empty platitude from a mare that wasn’t the most experienced at offering. As pink eyes closed tight in repressed pain Twilight’s own grew more firm. Here was the pony who’d taught her, who’d entrusted her with protecting the kingdom -even if she hadn’t told her everything. Twilight was sent to stop Nightmare Moon, and she could still be out there somewhere, maybe even hurting a princess of the realm. Her and her friend’s mission wasn’t over yet.

“It will be okay. My friends and I will find out what happened to Princess Luna, I promise.”

And now after days of research Twilight had confirmed it. After triple checking her findings she was sure she was right. Luna had not perished but simply moved, using a  theoretically improbable situation, and a positively obscene amount of power.

Of course that still left the question of“where?”dangling in front of Twilight’s nose, with the question of returning still waiting at the end of its own stick. But for the moment she felt more accomplished than she had in over a week. Drawing up a sheet of parchment she produced a quill and ink from her drawer and made her mark. 

Step 1: Find out what happened to Princess Luna. -Check

Step 2: Confirm the theory that Princess Luna teleported and is most likely lost. -Check.

Step 3: Bring the princess home.

Twilight brought a hoof to her chin. “Working on it.”
> Oasis
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna stared at the plate of sugary breakfast breads. Six in all, smothered in honey, resembling crepes, sat before her with sticky golden ambrosia pooling within the crevasses of the lattice work disks.

“Amazing.” She said after dabbing her mouth with a napkin, it was a word she was becoming well acquainted with. “Such a wonderful flavor, and the honey just sinks into the pastry.”

Rayne, having already eaten earlier that morning, took a sip from her mug of what she called coffee with a smile. “I’m glad you like it.”

Such had been the routine of the past few days. Luna would wake and after a quick shower, she’d trot to the main room and sit down for breakfast, and without fail, Rayne would already be up and drinking. Luna would eat then join the majin in her morning meditation, after that at her request, Rayne brought her an empty capsule to tinker with. Luna spent her days alternating between trying to unlock the secrets of the device, practicing her magic, and taking breaks by going off on her own to gallop the perimeter of the base until dinner.

Said magic was returning, but not having much still left her a bit uneasy, especially since she had to find her way home as quickly as possible. Rayne may have failed, but for all her talents, she was no alicorn. Luna had centuries to try in the worst case scenario, and who’s to say that pony magic wouldn’t succeed where majin magic had failed? When she’d brought it up to Rayne the response had been her flatter face twisting into a smile that was equal parts sad and pained:

“I won’t stop you, but I don’t see it ending happily.”

And that wasn’t the worst of it. She’d sometimes catch the old mare watching her from her peripherals, Rayne didn’t seem to realize pony vision was wider than her own and thus the princess was privy to more than she let on.

Rayne watched her eating with a subtle look of hunger behind her black eyes, gazed at her as she puzzled over one of the house’s gizmos as though she were watching the discovery of the century, and listened with rapt attention when she recalled one fillyhood tale or another.

It all left a creeping feeling the lunar princess resonated with. The emptiness and loneliness of this world had hollowed her. She was a shell of a mare now, wanting to escape her situation but not knowing how, and so she spun in circles, her sorrow devouring itself.

Luna finished her breakfast and clopped her hooves together, a gratitude ritual she’d picked up from her host, before bringing her dishes to the kitchen.

Rayne was already in position when she got back; legs folded under her, hands resting on her thighs, back straight.

It was something that Luna had noticed early on: Rayne was an extremely avid practitioner of meditation. A sentiment the two shared as it made for a relaxing way to start the day.

Settling on her haunches Luna drew in two deep breaths and closed her eyes. In the darkness she focused her mind’s eye on the rhythm of her lungs and heart, counting seconds until her body fully released its tension. When she was fully relaxed she turned her attention to her horn. Her magic felt like a trickle of water, as opposed to the flood she was used to, but that trickle was steady now, and still more than she’d had before. 

A small part of her was reminded of the time when she was a little filly first struggling to lift forest stones.

Breathe in, 1, 2, 3… out…

Letting her mana pool at the crown of her head she gently pushed into her horn.

No need to rush. In… and out.

There was barely enough to form a proper solid corona but with a little effort it flickered into existence, and remained. Ignoring the initial strain, she concentrated on maintaining an even rhythm. "Steady heart steady magic" was an old foal’s saying used to teach young ponies proper control, and one that the princess was quick to become reacquainted with.

For a few minutes she just held it there. Then she began blinking her horn: rapidly suppressing and igniting the corona repeatedly.

9, and 10. A full set this time. Her progress may have seemed miniscule compared to what she was used to but it was still progress. Next she pushed hard. Her heartbeat spiked and her horn burst to life for an instant before going dead.After letting herself calm down she repeated the attempt twice more, then relaxed completely.

It truly was pitiful, but it was all she had. Her exercise finished she cracked open one eye.

“My magic is beginning to return.”

Rayne nodded, her flat features placid as a statue.

“The good food and bed are doubtless helping.” A smile and another nod. “I can probably defend myself now, at least for a time.” The pink face smoothed out as best as it could. “I intended to do a bit of exploring, you said that the city is safe?”

A frown, but followed by a nod. “Mostly. The shadows don’t come inside the wall as long as the door remains closed.”

Luna closed her eyes, breathed deep and stood with a languid stretch. “Would you like me to get you anything?”

“No thank you.” She never did and Luna was beginning to grow concerned; Rayne would spend hours in silent meditation while Luna familiarized herself with the home, toyed with some machine, or practiced magic. She barely ate, taking only small portions at breakfast and dinner, and even when she was active she seemed to keep her movements brief.

Putting it aside for now the lunar princess took a set of saddlebags, helpfully transfigured from an old gray backpack, a notepad and pen she had placed beside the door -a pen with all the ink stored inside, how clever -said her farewell, and headed out, almost eager to see what mysteries lay in store for her. After testing her kick on a tree at the edge of the park, she observed the splintered trunk with a satisfied smirk and picked a street to start at random.

The city outside felt no warmer than it had the first time. The buildings still seemed to close together around her, still seemed to try to smother and oppress, and Luna found herself wishing that her wings were stronger so that she could leave the claustrophobic alleys far below. The uneven flagstone kept her light on her hooves, while broken and cracked roofs meant keeping a wary eye upward for falling debris.

Luna was no fool, and quickly began sketching her route. Rayne had a map but it was somehow “saved” on one of her odd computer terminals, and upon opening said device Luna had frozen in confusion, trying to figure out the mess of wires, nubs, and boxes within the dead machine, before deciding that alien magic was far beyond her, and going off in search of a quill and parchment.

A few hours of careful trotting and her map was taking full shape. The city was indeed as deserted as it appeared, but less maze-like than she had initially thought; there was an order to this place. Each set of four structures arranged in a square together, separated only by cramped alleys, each rectangular shape larger and more oppressive the farther she grew from the middle. It reminded Luna of a giant web, with the castle nestled at the center like a bulbous widow, even its towers brought to mind images of jagged spider legs.

It made her endeavor in cartography much easier, and soon the bulk of her attention was on studying the ruined city, Rayne curiously was little help in explaining much of the city’s secrets, claiming forgetfulness in her old age. So that left Luna the task of exploration.

One thing she was quick to notice was that parts of the town seemed to give off a faint turquoise glow; whole buildings would light up as she passed by. A quick inspection showed them to be empty of any furniture, though her eyes did pick out thousands of tiny runes carved into the inside of each wall. She jotted down what she could and took a stone for future research.

“Tis strange…” She said to herself as she examined one ancient, but almost perfectly intact, building. “Some of these almost resemble pony-made homes, albeit stone and slate rather than wood and thatch.” The construction had evidently not saved the old place, and not for the first time she wondered what had caused the city to fall into ruin. Rayne was mum to that as well, as usual, in fact Luna was beginning to wonder if the majin was deliberately withholding information after all.

Continuing to mull over the oddities she turned one corner and stopped as she realized she had come to the end of the web: the wall stretched out to either side of her, eclipsing all but the tallest of towers, it was a great dark barrier of chipped and overgrown onyx.

Gargoyles and demon ram waterspouts were built inside the wall, as if to keep spirits in rather than out. Her wings twitched in unease as she gazed up at the decorative statues that stared ghoulishly down at her. She hadn’t feared for her life since she was a defenseless little filly. The instincts, the roiling in her gut mixed with the urge to bolt or fly away and caused her to canter in place.

Almost died. She had almost died. Her flesh began to crawl as she thought about what that could have meant. She would have died as Nightmare Moon, not Luna. All anypony would remember of her would have been the crazed mare set on deposing their princess and doing away with their day. She would have never been loved or missed. She would have died a monster.

Feeling sick, she gave into a base instinct, turned and galloped away from the wall. Searching for something, anything, to distract her from her dark thoughts. The gnarled shadow cast by one of the castle towers caught her attention so she changed direction.

Making only small adjustments to her horn drawn map as she moved at a not-quite gallop to the center of town, Luna stood before the entrance to the castle itself. A black iron gate barred her way, nearly invisible against the wall she almost walked by it. Peering between the bars she tried to find the mechanism to open the door, but even her low-light vision failed against the pitch-black of the interior.

When even horn light failed to show more she withdrew with a snort of frustration. She knew the castle wasn’t going anywhere but she had been hoping for an easy way in. With nothing for it, she began her patrol of the massive fortress, searching for a hole or other means of entry.

Two circuits, one going each direction, revealed no such breach. Oh there were collapsed sections, sealed beneath tons of rock, and holes, high in the towers and along the roof of the main building, but nothing within her still limited flight range.

And she did not want to set hoof in a treacherously worn, and possibly booby trapped castle with her mana drained from forcing a point of ingress. Her own castle was a testament to how effective a simple tripwire could be. 

So that left her with two options: wait for her magic to recover, or see if Rayne knew a way in. Neither was very appealing to her curiosity but self-preservation trumped her desire to explore.

“Later then.” As she turned away she caught sight of a tarnished placard riveted to the threshold above the gate. The carved engraving was badly faded but Luna could still read what was unmistakably the ponish of her era. “Castle Of Belo.”

The castle a loss she continued to make out her map, marking pages so she could string them together properly when she got back.

The only other area of interest was what appeared to be a crumbled cathedral.  While most of the buildings had some damage or showed signs of being slowly worn away, the place of worship had been broken open. As if a dragon had torn one wall free, taking part of the roof with it, and tried its hardest to reduce the interior to ash. Whatever books it may have housed were long gone, and it’s second floor was easily accessible by wing.

The only bell tower was semi-destroyed; like  a cup swept across a  table by a foal’s angry hoof, most of its peak and presumably any bells lay far below in a pile of rubble. Luna climbed as high as she could. From this vantage point most of the city rolled out before her. The wall was impossible to miss, stone sentries impossible to see at this distance, it still stood tall and unbroken. To the north Castle Belo loomed over the tiled roofs its spiked towers reaching out to the moonless sky like the claws of some fell beast. And to the west was the rounded domes of Rayne’s facility.

The city seemed so lonely, like a ghost bemoaning its unfortunate fate. Even the light created by her temporary “home” did little to lift the pall cast over Belo.

Still that light beckoned with promises of warmth and safety. She was too weak to fly for long, but a glide was well within her power. Smiling softly in the darkness she spread her wings and leapt, moving lazily toward the soft light of the park.