Lunatics
Dear Miss Houraisan,
I am terribly sorry to hear about your problems regarding the incident of the “Endless Full Moon”, and I can honestly say that I regret my decisions and extend my deepest apologies for causing you so much trouble. I was blinded by the rage towards my caring sister, whom was too busy swamped with her duties to notice that I was growing envious and blighted. We – Nightmare Moon and I - had requested the eternal night under the presumption that it would happen quickly, but did not anticipate the, ermm, “difficulties” surrounding the sending of said request, and as such were sealed on the moon for a millennia.
Thankfully, during my stay on the moon, I managed to part ways with that envious beast before discovering the fair Moon Capitol. I was subsequently captured and questioned for my recent appearance. I was released and allowed access to the city whenever I pleased, thankfully, and the millennia passed by in a mere blink of an eye. Though, to be released from my prison, I inevitably had to rejoin Nightmare Moon and, with the help of some of the locals, gathered the stars’ aid to release me and it upon Equestria.
Sadly, this is when you most likely obtained my last request and performed this “favor”, as the Eternal Night was called upon both our world and yours. While our defeat was well hoped for, as it was needed and vital for mine and Nightmare Moon’s separation, I had heard your defeat was quite… painful, as it were, and involved the protests of… what was it again? A “shrine maiden”, a “gap hag”, an “ordinary witch” and her girlfriend, a vampire and her maid, and two ghosts? My, I feel even more terrible now. Should this letter arrive duly (which it should; magic has advanced since I have been gone), I once again apologize for such a grave misunderstanding on my part. I hope to hear of a reply; I’d like to hear more about this “Gensokyo” and how it relates to the outside world.
Dearest consolations,
Princess Luna, Princess of Equestria
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“Hmm? Eirin, what do you have there?”
“Oh, Kaguya-san. It was a letter – er, scroll. It was addressed to you, but the seal on it wasn’t something I recognized, so I was just making sure it was safe.”
“……You know, you could just ASK the next time you want to peek through my mail.”
“Right, of course. Here you are, Kaguya-san.”
The parchment was handed over to the – quite literal – alien to Gensokyo, and as she skimmed it, her eyes knitted together, trying to concentrate and remember such an event. Coincidentally, the candle next to her was lit just as she remembered. Not only did she remember the incident itself, but she remembered this pony. After returning to the moon for the first time, she was still quite young, and while being mature for her age, she was fascinated by many-a thing. She could remember her own reaction when she had seen the winged unicorn for herself. It was her and Eirin that were her main entertainment and fun throughout her time on the moon before she had to escape. She rolled the eggshell-coloured scroll up in her pale hands and set off to her room. She slid open the thin, weak door, took one look at the room, and sighed. When she stayed at Mokou’s, she didn’t expect the nurse to clean up the place. She liked it messy; felt much more comfortable and free than the way she had been on the moon. She shrugged it off, as it was an easy fix later on, and sat cross-legged at her writing desk. She had her small, writing brush dipped in the ink pot at the ready, for her reply.
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Dear Luna,
It is so nice to hear from you again, Lulu. Do you remember? Kaguya, the little girl you used to play with all the time back on the moon?
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The beauty-clad brunette looked up and blinked, seemingly in confusion and thought. She shook her head and struck through her writing, muttering to herself, “Nah, that‘s too informal. She probably doesn’t remember me anyhow. Maybe if I jar her memory a bit?”
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Dear Princess,
First, I would like to address that I bear no ill will towards you nor any person – or pony – that was involved in the mentioned “incident”. It has been resolved, and I am glad of this as well (in fact, I’ve gained some admirable acquaintances in the process of my inevitable defeat).I myself have had troubles with the interceding years, getting used to society here. And I would also like to formally apologize for the capitol’s action of kidnapping you; it was uncalled for and unprofessional.
Secondly, I will have to excuse myself on being informal with this question. Do you perhaps… remember me at all from your stay on the moon? We used to have fun together, back before I left to escape. I was that little girl that constantly asked to ride you and play. Please, if you remember me, make sure to send a reply as quick as possible so that we may meet up and catch up on old times.
Thirdly, if you wish to know about Gensokyo, we’ll have to meet up. And maybe I can learn something about this “Equestria” as well. I cordially wait for your reply.
Dearest Regards,
Houraisan Kaguya
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“Well… I guess that’s the best I can do for now, huh?”
“So who are you writing to, Kaguya?”
“Well, do you remember…”
***************
Flashback
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The moon. From a distance, it looks like a cratered rock. Up close, it still is, but there are inhabitants and cities there, and one in particular, the Lunar Capitol, is the most beautiful city, filled with the most beautiful citizens and rabbits. Here, in the palace located in the center, a small girl, who looked naught but eight years of age, with brown hair and a cute purple dress, was having the time of her life. Across from her in the courtyard stood a tall, dark blue alicorn, wearing regalia that would entail a princess, in a mock fighting stance. They had just ended their play-fight and were trying to look as if they fought a war. Of course, since neither of them would be the best definition of “mature”, it didn’t take long for either of them to be rolling in the grass planted in the lunar regolith, laughing gaily as if nothing else mattered.
After their laughing fit was over, they stood up, eyes still watering from the fit. It took them a while to realize that Eirin was looking them over with a smile.
“So who’s your new friend, ojou-sama?”
The lunar princess smiled with glee as she moved closer to the pony and hugged onto her legs tightly (yes, she was quite short back then; she wasn’t very old!), introducing with glee, “This is Princess Luna! She raises and lowers the moon every night, did you know that?”
Luna’s head lowered slightly, feeling slight guilt as she added, “W-well… I did, but I ended up getting jealous and was banished here instead…”
The head nurse’s head tilted slightly, like a dog who couldn’t understand something, before shrugging, muttering, “Well, humans are trying and almost succeeding to land here on the moon, so this doesn’t seem too much of a stretch,” then holding out her hand, which had been shaken. She then sat and watched as the two of them played some more.
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Flash-forward
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“Ah yes, that pony from the moon. Do you think she was saying the truth? About being able to control the moon, I mean.”
Kaguya shrugged in response. “Well, it wasn’t any more ridiculous than when the humans DID successfully land on the moon, now was it? I’m sure she can’t control everything about the moon, but she probably does make it rise and set, helping it orbit along the Earth. Come to think of it, we never had much knowledge about the moon ourselves, now did we?”
“No, I don’t believe so. Oh, would you like for me to send that, ojou-sama?”
“I told you to stop calling me that. Anyways, I could sense that the magic came from… that direction.” She emphasized herself by pointing a finger towards the west. “The magic was faint, so it’s probably far in that direction.”
“Very well.” Eirin took her bow from the strap on her back and held an arrow with the same hand, tossing the scroll up into the air. She quickly notched her arrow, aimed it and fired it. The lunar escapees watched as it impaled said scroll and continued on its journey unhindered. It entered orbit, and collided with a large, metallic object, redirecting it towards its target.
Kaguya muttered something before going back inside. Eirin couldn’t catch it, but it went along the lines of, “I hope to hear a reply, Lulu. I’d love to catch up.”
~~~
Meanwhile…
“Houston… we, uh… have a problem?”
“What’s the issue, commander?”
“It seems that the space station has been knocked out of regular orbit.”
“WHAT!?”
~~~
Luna’s quill scribbled away at her paperwork for her latest trouble. While it didn’t take long for her to learn the entire set of new Equestrian laws that had arisen, and forgotten some of the ones that were abolished, she didn’t like all of them.
The lunar princess sat in the dim candlelight in her study room, sighing as she saw the new case that the court would have to check.
“Ugh, another case of ‘illegal’ incest. We do not understand why this is such a problem. It doesn’t seem like either of the accused are unhappy. Love is love, right?” She set the paper aside, not wanting to deal with another headache until later. Standing up and rubbing the bridge of her muzzle with a hoof, muttering expletives under her breath, she walks out into the balcony and its warm sunlight. She was sure the other side of the planet was sleeping and dreaming well under her moonlight, while some other… more adventurous ones were out partying and doing not-very-safe-for-work things. As the alicorn was considering looking up at her sister’s celestial – yes, she always used that joke – object to blind herself in hopes of exemption from paperwork, a silver glint grazed her ear and pierced into the ground behind her.
Luna jumped and restrained herself from calling for the guards, thanking her mother Faust that she didn’t get hit with that. She noticed that the projectile in question was an arrow, made from steel, and it had a scroll pierced into it. After calming down and un-sticking the shaft from the floor, she unrolled the letter and read it. Her eyes went wide as she realized.
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Flashback… Again
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She couldn’t bear it. The sight of just what she was reading was something unimaginable. Kaguya, her only true friend on the barren rock she controlled, had just been captured and locked away to rot in prison. Tears stained the note that she had previously dropped on the floor. She read it again, straining due to the water blocking her pupils, though the words were already burnt into her mind.
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‘I’m sorry, Lulu. I’ve been arrested, and it looks as if the only way I can get out is by breaking out and escaping the moon. I don’t want to hurt you, but Eirin has looked into it, and there’s no way that we can break the magic seal keeping you here, so we have to go. Don’t worry, though, by the time you escape, we’ll still be around. You’ll see what I mean next time we meet.
~Kaguya
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No, she thought. Th-this can’t be happening. I-it’s all Celestia’s fault. If only she didn’t banish me here to this Faust-forsaken rock, I wouldn’t have gotten attached…
More tears. She couldn’t even see now, but she didn’t care. Somehow, it was all Celestia’s fault; she just knew it, and felt it. She fell to her flank and felt a chill up her spine. No… it couldn’t be…
“So I see you’ve found me, Nightmare Moon.”
“Why, dearest sister… did you not think that with all the time we have spent on here, that I would find you, somehow? And do you still insist on calling me by that pretentious nickname? Aren’t we enough of buddies since we’ve been banished here together?”
“Fine… NYX. What do you want? You of all ponies should damn well know that I don’t want to speak with you.”
“Well, aren’t we in a bad mood. Perfect for the upcoming situation. You do know what time it is, don’t you?”
A pair of dark blue eyes look up towards a black set of regal armour, though the bearer of said armour was not particularly solid. Nyx, or as she was more known, Nightmare Moon was technically an alicorn, yet she gave in to her power quite early on and turned into what you’d expect a master of dreams to turn into – a pony-shaped wisp of intangible matter. She brought her muzzle down to Luna’s ear and whispered in a sweetly evil voice, “It’s only a few days before the stars aid in our escape. How about we use that friend of yours’ eternity manipulation to bring the endless night like we’ve always wanted, to show our beloved sister whose time of day is better?”
Luna’s eyes flashed. This was an opportunity to not only escape this hellhole, but to trick and possibly be rid of this evil pony. She smiled slyly, chuckling. “Fine, I guess you’re right again, sis. I’ll begin writing.”
“I shall see you the day your creation finally saves you.”
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Flash-Forward… Again
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Luna shook her head to rid it of the flashback. She found herself sat down on the wooden floorboards, which seemed to be wet. A quick touch of her own face with a hoof confirmed that she had, indeed, been crying. While Kaguya may not have been as precious as family was to her, but she was her only friend up on that grey mass. She had done a terrible thing, requesting that Kaguya try and stall the moon to assist in her own selfish plans, but she had to do it to rid Equestria of Nightmare Moon (though she did still kinda blame Celestia for the whole mess; she wouldn’t admit it). And not to mention she probably would’ve been stuck up there for a thousand more lifetimes if she hadn’t. She looked through her own bleared vision and managed to poke around and levitate a quill and ink with parchment.
Wiping away her tears, Luna set to work, writing not a letter, but rather one simple line:
‘Trust me.’
Below she quickly sketched something, rolled the parchment up, and her horn lit up in its cerulean glory. Faster than she had written it had it been sent, back to where the previous message was. After the light of her horn dimmed, she sat in the sunlit room, silent and eager.
~~~
Kaguya stared at the reply she so wished for. Her eyebrows were knitted in concentration, and she was deep in thought, fishing for the right piece of information. ‘Oh, if I only had that librarian’s assistance right now,’ she thought to herself.
“…I don’t get it. It’s just two words and a weird magical sigil underneath. But… it’s stamped with that seal, so it’s gotta be from her.” She flicked her loose, pink sleeve up her arm slightly to scratch at her head.
She had been trying to figure out what that rune on the letter was. She knew so many back from her lessons on the moon that they cluttered into one corner of her head and couldn’t make themselves distinguishable from one another. It didn’t take long before she got frustrated and called for Eirin again.
“Yes, ojou-sama? Please try to make it quick; I can only leave Udonge in that room with the gas-woven orb for so long, even if she has the “antidote.”
A wide, surprised stare, as sharp as the knives the maid threw, was given in response. “Oh, uhh, how much do you remember about magical sigils and such?”
“Pretty much all of it; I was the one who taught you, after all. So, what are you dealing with here?” A quick look at the letter and she smiled and chuckled. “That, Kaguya, is the fast-teleportation scroll. It sends its creator and its activator towards a preset place, depending on the symbols used. That was one of the beginners’ runes; how did you not –“
“Shut it, Eirin. You know that I don’t remember things very clearly. I’m just too lax for that. Just tell me how to activate it.”
“Just run a weak magical energy around it.”
“Like this?” Her hand waved over the scroll, slightly manipulating the flow of time. The symbols upon the sigil began to radiate a dull blue light, then, the whole thing flashed in a brilliant white that blinded both Lunarians. About a second later, the nurse’s vision had returned to her, and she was greeted with a room void of any other life; even the letter wasn’t in the room anymore. She glanced to the left and right in confusion before shrugging and walking out. ‘Even if she gets in trouble, she’s immortal’.
~~~
The current space couldn’t even be described as ”empty”. It was more… grey.
That’s right… just full of grey. There was no definitively perceptible floor, but one could stand, jump, trot, or even take a hammer to it. It was like looking at an indestructible glass pane that had no imperfections whatsoever. The air was thick, but not hard to breathe or see in. Little wafts of smoke floated by and formed themselves into intricate helixes, but they were not harmful to the body; it was more like being in a steam room.
The robed brunette woke with a start in this strange room, and she almost freaked out before recalling that she willingly opened the letter and activated the seal. She stood upon her bare feet, staring in all directions into the endless volume of space before she felt a pressure upon her shoulder – an all too familiar, flat pressure. She didn’t even have to look before turning and hugging the source, which gladly responded by hugging back – as best as she could while trying to keep her balance on three hooves.
“Lulu… it’s been an eternity.”
“Funny, since you are the one that can control that.”
The two lunarians stood there for a while, in each other’s embrace until the equine one finally pulled away and sat down in front of her friend. Princess Luna smiled and talked once again. “It is nice to see you again, Kaguya. It’s been years.”
“Indeed it has, Lulu. I’m glad you thought of this. But I must ask… why here and not Gensokyo or Equestria?”
Luna’s happy expression remained despite a small snort. “Because I’m not quite sure where ‘Gensokyo’ is, not to mention how to get past its magical barrier, and the same goes for getting you to Equestria. It was a mystery how I managed to get the letters through.”
“Well, I’m just glad I got to see you again. It was getting boring there; Eirin never lets visitors come over.”
Chuckles started to arise from the two, which quickly turned into giggles, then laughing, then a full-blown uproar. This went on for a minute or two, before they both eventually had to take a breath – well, being immortals, they didn’t necessarily NEED to, considering one would just re-spawn after dying and the other would just not stay down, but it still hurt if they didn’t – and the wheezing died down into a dull silence. They stared at each other again, before they began the small talk. They discussed about how they had been coping after leaving the moon, about their friends and family, and even about how their last meal had been. They were both ecstatic; they had been friends since Kaguya had been a child, and they played every day, and then they were torn apart suddenly.
But, like all things, their conversation had to end sometime soon. Kaguya tried to raise an objection, but Luna explained to her, “I’m sorry, Kaguya, but as a princess of the night, I have to raise the moon. Don’t worry, I won’t forget about this. In fact, we should set up a meeting every once in a while.”
Just then, the area around them started to warp. Their positions on the ground were not shifted, but it was as if they were being released from the inside of a seal. After the room started contorting in extreme ways, the magic in the spell had finally broken and shattered into little specs of blue light in the air, leaving the two back where they started.
~~~
Kaguya sighed and kneeled onto the floor, in front of the table in her back porch. She looked up into the sky and noticed the sun finally pass over the horizon, then the moon slowly rise. She noticed that the true moon had a faint cerulean aura around it as it was being raised. Either way, it was beautiful to her; the elegance at which the moon was being raised like nothing she had noticed before. She now knew why this was.
“Strange… there’s a mare in the moon rather than a rabbit…”
She took the feeling of basking in the moonbeams for a few seconds before using her power to speed up the time. In almost an instant, the moon was doing what the sun was only a few moments before. Kaguya’s face curled up into a grin as she reached into the pocket of her robe and pulled out a card – a card she hadn’t used since the incident. She knew just how to equal the majesty of the rising moon.
“End of Imperishable Night ~ Rising World!”
~~~
Luna had waited on that balcony the entire night. It felt like an eternity, but she had a feeling that it only lasted an instant for her. Slowly and reluctantly, she began to lower the moon to make way for the sun’s glorious light. She almost turned her head away from the horizon as her celestial object had done its job, but suddenly, a glow had been caught in the corner of her eye. Her head turned back, and as she stared, her eyes became bedazzled.
Across upon the horizon, where the moon and sun were met in the middle, she saw a multitude of objects in the distance. First, a scattering of light blue-green butterflies were spread out across the sky, which were quickly replaced with a spread of green knives, spiraling outwards and to the right. Then, sky-blue spheres spiraled out afterwards, in the opposing direction. These were beaten out by yellow stars, then red elliptical shapes, all of them with a luminance that could have rivaled the moon’s reflected light by itself. It was like watching fireworks – slow, dense, bullet-filled fireworks. The last pattern, albeit straightforward, was the most beautiful, because all of the types of objects that had just filled the sky beforehand were back, but in all colours, creating a rainbow of sorts, filling the horizon with light and brilliance, until finally, all of the bullets disappeared in the same instant, dropping purple spheres that shattered into dust when they hit the ground.
All of this happened just as the sun was rising, and when all the purple dust settled, Celestia’s object was at its peak in the sky. It was all perfectly timed, like the best ballet routine, only with objects rather than ponies. Luna couldn’t help but smile and shake away some tears at the majesty of the situation. She could only guess that this meant that Kaguya had seen her raise the moon, and this was her response, but it was a pretty solid guess. A smile crept up on her face as she felt a hoof upon her right shoulder. She looked up – yes, even after regaining her full power, she still was smaller than her sister was – at Celestia, who was smiling down at her, draping a white wing over her dark blue form.
“My, my, little sis. What’s gotten you all emotional all of the sudden?”
“Oh, I just had a conversation with an old, lunatic friend…”
END
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AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Holy crap. This idea has been about a month or two in the making if you count all the time it spent open in Word while I DIDN'T work on it.
First, I'd like to apologize to any of my other stories' readers for not putting out any chapters. Between high school and a few emotional problems, it's been a bit tougher to pump out stuff (love sucks, btw).
Second, I'd like to say that this is an awesome piece of art; but being that I'm my worst critic, I'm not proud of it.
Third, now that this is done, I can pump out some chapters of TfTTT or TSoBiD again.