FicWad

Eclipse

Chapter 5: Nocturnal Geeks and Reveries

The construction process began for a laboratory at the border of where the Crystal Empire used to be. Ponies busily moved about, transporting materials and setting things up. Luna personally supervised the process during the nights, the construction going on twenty-four seven, employing many ponies in consecutive shifts. Magical orbs of light floated all around, providing additional illumination to the workers during the night.

"Wow, things are certainly moving fast!" Magnus observed with great joy. "And the building is pretty big too, a strong structure of metal, just like I wanted. This is amazing!"

Luna swelled with pride. "I'm glad you like it. By the way, have you thought about inviting more ponies to join you?" She couldn't wait to have a whole group that she could call her ponies.

"Of course! I told a lot of my friends from the academy. They said they would consider it, but sounded unsure. I'm not worried though; this place will be far more advanced than the old academy. When they see the finished building and everything in it, they'll rush over here right away!"

Magnus' confidence was positively received by Luna. "I can't wait!" The pair strolled through the construction site wearing yellow hardhats that the supervisor insisted they should keep on at all times.

The noise of the construction was suddenly interrupted by a loud roar that was strong enough and vicious enough not to be entirely drowned out by the hammering all around. "Monster!" One of the ponies working on the construction shouted.

"Ursa major!" Luna exclaimed.

"After the Crystal Empire disappeared, the ursa might have gotten the idea that they could do as they pleased in this area," Magnus glared at the beasts. He stood still next to Luna while most of the other ponies present dropped what they were doing and fled.

"Every pony remain calm!" Luna loudly called out. "There is no need to worry!" no one really paid heed to her reassurance, as it looked like they had a lot to worry about.

"Hey! It took all day to put that up, don't you dare mess up the foundation!" Magnus recklessly rushed over to the ursa, who was bent on destroying the construction progress.

"Magnus, step back, I did some research on the ursa and I know how to stop it with ease, cover your ears!" Luna stepped forward, chanting a spell that sounded like a lullaby. Her horn emitted silvery hypnotic pulsations as she pushed out her massive alicorn magic in an effort to subdue the beast. The ursa focused on the night princess and prepared to attack, but its movements were slow and drowsy, allowing Luna to easily dodge the sharp claws and fangs. Finally the subdued beast fell into a deep slumber.

As the spell ended, Magnus removed his hoofs from holding his ears down flat. "A magical lullaby? You sure took down that beast easily!" He congratulated. "Luna?" He gazed at her with concern.

She had pushed out too much power at once, hoping to subdue the ursa's mind into a forced deep slumber. "I'm okay..." She stepped forward and stumbled a little. "I'm just not used to that spell yet, but I'll get the hang of it."

Magnus caught her and guided her to lean against him as they retreated into one of the trailers near by. Luna sat down and took small sips out of the glass of water he levitated in front of her. "Hypnotic waves that are projected through sound, but not just any sound, it is rather magic in the form of sound."

"Yes," Luna nodded. "You're pretty observant. It's not physical sound in the regular sense, so speaking louder won't do much. The sound is like a by product of the magic, the physical manifestation of the energy." She had read up on a lot of Starswirl's research while practicing the spell, as the ursa had been sighted getting closer and closer to the construction site and she knew it was only a matter of time before they got too close.

She didn't really tell Starswirl about it, surely he would mention it to Celestia, because he had a tendency to tell Celestia about anything he heard. Then Celestia would wonder about Luna's sudden interest in ways to defeat ursa and it wouldn't take her too long to put two and two together. The last thing Luna wanted was for Celestia to get the idea of calling off the project or relocating it because of any possible dangers. Luna would keep her ponies safe; she would prove how reliable she was.

"Magical vibrations... They are actually remarkably similar to small electric pulses, which can be used by advanced machines. If the pulses are redirected through a circuit board and amplified, then it won't take a lot of energy to create the same effect. The fuel behind the magic itself would still be emotional energy, so a good amount of focus would still be needed, but it won't be so physically tiring." Magnus went on and on about theories and possibilities.

"You mean you can make me a sort of amulet? No, not an amulet, a machine, something that is fueled by magic, but constructed without it," Luna voiced.

"Exactly!" Magnus smiled.

"Magic on magic causes friction, instability and makes it harder to refine, but using magic on a non-magical device makes the result more predictable since it's not about mixing two or more different magical effects, but channeling one. Plus machines are meant to be stable, where magic must be constantly guided by the mind of the caster, least it become chaotic. It would be more balanced and thus easier since only the magical part of it would require energy from the user, rather than the amulet itself," Luna recited.

Part of her explanation was from what she picked up from Magnus' constant geeky ramblings and part of it came from Starswirl's research, which Luna spoke in addition. "This is because magical amulets need energy from the user to activate, thus even if they are meant as a boost of power, they do consume some power. That connection is also what makes certain magical amulets dangerous to activate, as the connection might not be so easily broken and the magic in the amulet might fight against the mind trying to guide it, influencing it rather than only being influenced by it as it should."

"Exactly," Magnus nodded. "With non-magical devices being used to boost magic, there is no problem, since it's all an outside process. Magic is still used as fuel, but there is no two way connection, just a one way willing flow of energy that can be cut off at will any time. All magic is set to carry a will, an inclination, it makes sense, as magic is fueled by emotional energy, but machines have no inclination and will always react as the user commands."

"Except when they blow up," Luna joked.

"Yeah-what? Hey!" Magnus laughed. "I'm making progress though; prototypes hardly ever blow up during their final stages of development."

"That's good," Luna laughed.

"Luna... I want to share some more of my research with you, is that okay?" Magnus inquired.

Explosions? Who cares? No pony had gotten seriously hurt anyway. "Sure!" She might not be a geek like him, but she was very intelligent and caught things when they were explained without the veil of complex terminology. Most importantly from Magnus' perspective, she paid attention to him and showed real interest, perhaps even a fascination with his work. Though for Luna it was more so the joy of having some pony who wanted to share something with her, something that was very important to him. He always listened to what she had to say, even if her words were not those of a scientific researcher and it made her feel appreciated.

xoxox xox xoxox

The laboratory was finished in record time and just as Magnus and Luna had hoped, more ponies joined the research. Magnus had ideas that were radical at times, but he insisted that such things did exist in a far away land and it was perhaps because he has seen them long ago that he even dared to believe it was possible. As the progress continued, more and more followers arrived. Some of the farm south of the outskirts of Canterlot showed interest in several tools. Such tools were designed in hopes of being able to produce things that could be sold and thus fund the laboratory.

It was in a calm night when Luna arrived for her usual visits that she found Magnus busily at work. He was focused on a machine that had a shape like an upside down funnel, the larger part pointing upwards at an angle leaning forward. A sheet of glass was over the top of the metal funnel with a machine filled with glass orbs, tubes and wires at its base and inside it. "Magnus?"

"Luna?" Magnus pulled himself out from under the machine and adjusted his goggles, reaching for a handkerchief that stuck out of a corner of a tool box and wiping the machine oil off the protective barrier over his eyes. "Take some goggles; I don't want this to hurt your eyes if the lights suddenly flicker."

Luna took the offered safety device from Magnus' levitation in her own and put them on. "Is this another artificial light device?" Despite being fond of the darkness of night, Luna found that she really like those lightbulb things. The little ones looked like stars and they came in so many different colors, they were beautiful. Plus she was fond of the fact that Magnus' team did not rely on the sun for light or even on fire.

They took hold of bolts of lightning, learning to control them by a combination and unicorn magic and some assistance from the pegasi that joined he research team. They entrapped the electricity in glass and created a focused beam of light that was more effective for the observation of details than the sun itself. Luna's ponies didn't need Celestia, but they needed her, they were truly her ponies and hers alone.

"Actually, it's more like the opposite," Magnus explained. "It's black light, but not just any black light. It creates a visual illusion that redirects the light around it and creates a bubble of darkness, or at least it's supposed to. It's not finished yet though."

"Oh," Luna curiously tilted her head, not quite understanding the purpose of the invention. Magnus was always trying to achieve something, but she couldn't grasp what it was this time. "What is it for? I mean, I understand the need for lightbulbs and their variations, they create beams of focused light that can be used to observe details. But if you want something to be in darkness, wouldn't you just take it inside and turn off the light?"

"Well, this isn't really a tool, it's more like an artistic challenge, you'll see what I mean when I finish it. It'll be a surprise," he grinned in anticipation. "I did promise you a gift, it was going to be something else, but by the time I finished it and stabilized it so it wouldn't flicker, I realized it was too small. I'm making something better."

"A gift for me?" Luna smiled. "It makes me happy that you want to make it, but you know you don't have to."

"I owe you a lot and I may not be able to repay you yet, but when things really take off and the research reaches a point where we don't break even after every monthly budget, I'll pay you back in full," he promised.

Luna shook her head, "no, no, you shouldn't. As your princess I sponsored your laboratory and it's a gift, you can't pay me for it. Besides, I... I like being needed... Do you hang out with me because you think you owe me?" The dark thought had not entered her mind at all before that time and it bothered her. Of course all ponies liked gifts, all ponies liked being helped, but what was the difference between taking care of her ponies and buying them off?

"Luna... That's not it at all," Magnus tried to explain. "I'm sorry, I've always been independent, that's how I was taught to be as a child and though I couldn't survive on my own as a foal, I'm a stallion now. I have contributed with others with studies and research and we have benefited each other and continue to do so as a team, but I've never relied on any pony since I grew up beyond accepting friendly help. It's not that I don't appreciate what you're doing, I'm eternally grateful to you. It's just that I want to do something for you. I want to feel like I can do that, like I have a power of my own, like I'm good enough. I don't want to feel that I can't do what others can. I want to... I want to be your equal."

"I know what that feels like," Luna breathed. "Every pony always relied on my sister and I never got to do much. I wanted so desperately to do something for some pony, to feel appreciated rather than helpless. I guess I can't blame you for feeling how I felt."

"I'm glad you understand. This is going to be pretty cool, or at least it will be if it turns out how I imagined it. I'm fairly certain you'll like it."

"I can't wait to see it!" Luna laughed.

xoxox xox xoxox

A few more days passed before the strange device Magnus had been working on was finally finished. After one was successfully constructed, creating more wasn't too difficult. The machines were placed around the metal dome that was the laboratory. The machines were angled and ready to go, activating in the distance just as Celestia stepped into the highest castle tower in Canterlot.

The sun princess gasped at a sudden darkness that overtook the border of the Crystal Empire just as she looked in its direction. She spotted Victorious Strong training the guards in the courtyard below and jumped out the window, landing next to the stallion. "Captain Strong, please investigate the border of the Crystal Empire at once. I saw a darkness there that was alarming, and yet I sensed nothing at all. It is strange, but the phenomena is unusual."

"Yes, princess!" Victorious Strong was a unicorn stallion with a deep blue coat and a golden mane. His most striking feature were his ruby eyes. His cutie mark displayed a sword, a fitting symbol for the top ranking captain of Celestia's personal guard.

Celestia wondered if the situation would call for an evacuation of the laboratory. The building was certainly sturdy, an imposing metal dome that was not particularly to Celestia's architectural liking, but had its advantages, she reasoned. Yet still, if this was related to Sombra's curse, no structure was strong enough to keep every pony in the area safe. Yet there was no malice, no magic, nothing. For a moment Celestia wondered if she imagined the whole thing, but it was worth looking into none the less. Plus Luna was there; she sometimes stayed over in the personnel rooms in the lab and didn't come home for days. This was certainly worth looking into, in person.

Celestia took off as Victorious mobilized his troops. "Princess Celestia?"

"Luna is there, I must go!" Celestia hastily explained, leaving no room for argument as she teleported away. She reappeared some distance forwards and batted her wings creating wind to propel herself forward faster and faster. Then she teleported again as soon as she caught her breath, repeating the motion for an amazingly fast travel time.

Victorious could teleport, but not that far and fast. Plus his guard was a mix of the most talented Unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies, they would become separated if he tried to follow Celestia's teleportation based speed boost and he couldn't leave his troops behind, but he didn't want to fall too far behind from Celestia. "Onward troops, as fast as you can!" He rushed forward in a mad dash. Our princesses need us!" With various battle cries, both worried and excited as if they were charging into a war, the guards sprang forward after their captain.

To be Continued

xoxox xox xoxox

Eclipse

Chapter 6: The Complexity of Emotions

"You're looking tired..." Luna noted with concern, as she was on her way back to her room after waking in the afternoon with enough thirst to make her get out of bed and get something to drink. She levitated a handkerchief to Magnus, wiping the machine oil from his face. More often than not, he was covered in the stuff, making him look as if his yellow fur had a pattern of black spots. It was a miracle it wasn't permanently stained.

"I'm alright," he yawned involuntarily. "I was just out doing some testing. This is something that I needed to do on my own, I couldn't delegate anything or else it wouldn't feel entirely like my achievement. I don't mind working with a good team, in fact, I enjoy it, but this was a very special project. How come you're awake in the middle of the day?"

"I was thirsty, but I'm ready to go back to bed, you should get some sleep too," Luna replied. "I'm sure your super secret special project will still be there tonight, even if I'm really curious for it to be finished so I can see it."

"I'll sleep a little later, as for the project, I just finished testing it. Since you're awake, this is the perfect time to show you the results." Magnus ran over to the locker in the corner of his planning room, which was his office of sorts in the laboratory, a cluttered place full of blue prints and small scale mechanical models. "I couldn't wait to finish this, so I worked through the days and nights. First I'll show you the prototype, I stabilized it, but then decided to go for something bigger so I wanted to show you when everything was ready."

Luna smiled; she knew he was talking about that secret gift he wanted to give her. "What is it?" Her excitement and curiosity grew as she was filled with anticipation. While in the past she had worried the item in question would blow up, now she trusted that it wouldn't and she couldn't wait to take the trinket home and show Celestia, surely no one could have given her a gift as rare and cool as whatever Magnus was going to give her. Suddenly the moon princess wasn't sleepy at all, but full of energy despite having interrupted her slumber in the middle of a sunny afternoon.

"This is a hologram; it manipulates light to create shapes." Magnus made a small box float in front of Luna, who gently took it in her levitation. It was made of metal, painted with a starry sky round about. A single white button representing the moon in the picture was in front of it and a glass lens was on top. "It looks better in the dark, just press the button in front." Magnus flipped the light switch, drowning the room in darkness.

Luna pressed down on the button on the box with her magic. The box glowed and a projection came from the lens on top, like a miniature starry sky. "It's beautiful!" She watched as the tiny stars glinted and a shooting star even zoomed by in the tiny space, the phases of the little projected moon changing constantly. "It's the night in a box, I never thought any pony could do something like this, I love it!"

"That's good to hear," Magnus smiled with great pride in his work. "But this is only a sample. Come outside and you'll see the real gift." He picked up a controller and started on the way to the central elevator that led to the roof.

With growing excitement, Luna practically bounced after him. The sun was bright outside and Luna's eyes were not accustomed to it. She blinked and squinted, then settled for holding a hoof up, blocking the sunlight from her direct line of sight. She looked around, her eyes focusing on the machines that surrounded the main metal dome.

Though the climate was cold, the sunlight still reach the area across clear skies, reflecting off the white snow and making the whole place brighter. It didn't help that she was in the roof of a silvery metal building. The area atop the dome was comfortable though, it had a little balcony encompassing a small circle on the very top, with various pillows piled into it for Luna to be able to sit comfortably when she interacted with the moon from there on the times when she stayed over and didn't return to Canterlot.

If the gift was related to the miniature night, then perhaps those machines created a larger hologram. Though Luna was looking forward to seeing the illusion in larger proportions, she wondered if it would be possible to perceive it at all in such bright daylight. Yet Magnus looked like he didn't want to wait before finally showing her the gift. Oh well, if she couldn't see it clearly now, she could always ask him to activate it again tonight.

Magnus activated the machines placed round about the dome and they buzzed as if coming alive. The buzzing became louder than it settled into a soft hum after the warm up process was finished. Seconds passed and the full effects were visible at last. The area around the laboratory was covered in darkness, just like the darkness that Celestia saw from afar during the test not long ago. Then suddenly, a multitude of tiny stars began to glow in a sea of little silver lights. The lights became cyan, blue, purple, red, orange, yellow, green and cyan again, then the moon appeared, it's phase and texture changing, giving it a hypnotizing beauty. The lights were softly reflected on the surface of the dome, making it look like it was changing colors.

"It's so beautiful!" Luna gasped, finally finding her voice. "It's the day time, but night is here, it's really here!"

"You can control it with this," Magnus passed the controller into Luna's levitation.

Luna examined the buttons, recognizing the circle with the line in plain black and white as being the symbol for on and off. There were several small buttons in different colors, which she pressed to make the stars change. Another button forwarded the phases of the moon. Then she found a button like a color wheel. "What does this button do?" She pressed it curiously. A shooting star flew across the skies above the dome, creating a rainbow from the light of its tail.

The rainbow remained above the dome as the murmurs from below reached Luna's ears. The researches had gathered outside to see the spectacle and were in awe as they stood in the ground below. A rainbow, a beautiful work of art, that amazing phenomena that only Celestia had been able to display in her skies and not even on her own. It took the sun and the aftereffects of the rain to create such a work of art, it took Celestia and a team of pegasi to accomplish it and it could only be done during the day.

Yet there it was, a beautiful rainbow in the dark skies of the night, though this night only encompassed a relatively small portion of land, it was still a large enough space to be easily noticed from afar. This rainbow glowed with its own light, shimmering in seven stunning colors. Luna glanced at Magnus; he was falling asleep on his hooves, the pillow looking more and more tempting.

"Thank you!" Without another thought, she threw her forelegs around his neck in a grateful hug. Too tired to support their combined weight, Magnus fell into the pile of pillows. "I always wanted to see a rainbow during the night!" Luna exclaimed, too excited to get off the stallion she had basically tackled. "When I was a filly I wished for it so badly, but when I grew up and better understood how rainbows were formed, I thought it was impossible. I thought that I would never see a rainbow at night, but you granted that wish even if I haven't even told you. It was such a foal fantasy I thought no one could ever grant it for me."

Magnus smiled sleepily, "I've always wanted to see a nightly rainbow too. I'm really happy you like it... Luna... This is my gift to you... If I can, I'll grant all the wishes you have." Luna, beautiful Luna, smiling Luna, the image of her happy face hovering over his with a stunning light show in the background was the last thing engraved into Magnus' mind before he was overtaken by sleep.

A short while later, Celestia arrived. She sensed no evil or danger and the darkness looked far less intimidating with all those colorful lights. In fact, it was breath taking, even more impressive than the aurora itself. Celestia's gold clad hooves landed softly on the balcony where Luna was too focused on playing with the artificial night's controller to notice her sister right away. The sun princess took the opportunity to breathe deeply and calm herself. This wasn't a threat; this was beautiful, though she couldn't understand how it was even possible.

Celestia finally looked away from the lights for a moment and observed Luna. She was playing with a strange device, letting out a soft giggle every time something changed in that unusual but gorgeous illusionary night. She seemed so happy. Magnus Mecha was next to her, fast asleep, rather close to the moon princess. One of her wings rested on his back. The dome itself gave off heat, so he didn't need to be kept warm. The gesture was rather possessive in nature, Celestia silently noted. She swallowed the lump in her throat and called out to her sister softly. "Luna..."

Luna turned her head at the sudden familiar voice. "Tia? When did you get here? Oh never mind, I'm glad you're here, look at this!" She nodded at the sky. "It's so beautiful, Magnus made it for me as a present. Isn't it great? Remember how I always wanted a nightly rainbow as a filly? He made it for me, even if every pony thought it was impossible."

Celestia smiled at her sister's joy. "This is a very beautiful gift indeed." She felt embarrassed that she had worried, despite not actually sensing anything evil. The whole event with the Crystal Empire still had her on edge; it was still too recent in her mind.

"Princess Celestia!" A loud male voice called out as the speedy dash of many ponies was heard approaching in the distance. The owner of the voice teleported to Celestia's side, it was Captain Victorious Strong. "My princesses, are you well?"

"Ye-" Celestia had begun to reply, but she was interrupted by an angry Luna.

"Hush!" The moon princess hissed. "You'll wake-oh, he's already awake."

Magnus looked up at the new arrival, his face a tad red as he became very conscious of the soft dark wing that rested on his back. "It's okay..." He wasn't sure what to say to the deep blue unicorn that looked at him with disapproval. At least Celestia looked calm. He decided not to reveal that he was actually awakened by Luna when she had started talking to Celestia and was already awake by the time the ruby eyed stallion started calling out.

"My apologies, Captain Strong, please tell the soldiers that everything is alright," Celestia softly voiced.

"Oh... And this... phenomena?" Victorious looked at the skies with distrust.

"It's Magnus' night that he gave me as a gift," Luna proudly declared. "Isn't it the most beautiful gift any pony ever got?" She added smugly, hoping that Celestia would catch it. Celestia got plenty of pretty gifts, but Luna had never seen anything as beautiful and majestic as the gift she had just received.

"I see..." Victorious still sounded unsure, but decided not to further question the situation. Celestia was calm enough and that would be reassurance enough for him. He teleported down to the ground and informed his troops that all was well. They seemed to already know though, as they took in the beauty of the illusionary night with awe. He hated to admit it, even in the privacy of his own mind, but Victorious was disappointed. He had wanted to face Sombra and hoped that the dark unicorn was back. Captain Strong was known for his heroic deeds and dedication to Celestia, he longed to overtake more victories in the name of Canterlot and Equestria.

Up in the balcony, Celestia sighed. "This is certainly quite a surprise. A commend you on your talents, Magnus," she complimented.

"I am honored," Magnus replied formally. Despite the fact that her elder sister was right there, Luna had not let him go, her wing still possessively draped over him. He wondered if sweet innocent Luna even knew what this looked like.

"Despite your differences in the direction of your research, Starswirl did speak well of you. Perhaps following your own path was the right way to go for you after all," Celestia concluded.

"I'm glad you think so, your highness..." Suddenly, Magnus felt more scrutinized than ever before. He wondered if he had any traces of machine oil sticking to his mane and hoped that if he did, that they weren't too obvious. Beyond Celestia's kind look, there was a certain fierceness that seemed to say, 'upset my sister and I'll turn you to stone for a thousand years.'

"Luna," Celestia smiled casually. "I have been missing you, why don't you come have dinner, I mean breakfast with me this dusk?"

"Why don't we eat here? They have this awesome smoothie maker machine, I like the grape one with chocolate syrup," Luna invited.

"Oh..." It seemed that her sister wasn't catching the fact that Celestia was trying to communicate that she needed a private word. "That sounds lovely, though I think I would prefer strawberry, if it's available." She smiled casually.

"Of course it is!" Luna cheered. This was her land, these were her ponies and she intended to show off how smart and creative they were.

xoxox xox xoxox

A few days later, as Celestia made her way down the long elegant hallways of Canterlot Castle, she noticed the sound of another set of hooves beside her own. The sound was heavier than her own steps, in a confident stride that made her self-conscious of her light shy taps on the floor. The princess was full of mixed feelings and it showed. The other set of hooves stopped beside her as the owner vowed. "Princess Celestia, may I have a word with you?"

Celestia smiled and tried to look like she was fine. "Captain Strong, of course you may, what is the matter?"

"That is what I would like to ask you, highness. What troubles my lady?" Victorious asked with concern.

Celestia sighed, knowing she couldn't hide her emotions from the ever observant Victorious. "I should have known you'd noticed, you've always been good at reading me like a book. However, I'm afraid this is a matter that I cannot discuss with any pony, not even with my trusted captain. I do apologize for that, but it is a personal matter."

"Concerning princess Luna?" Victorious guessed, feeling rather certain that he was right.

Celestia saw no use in denying it, "yes."

"And also concerning Magnus Mecha?" Victorious continued.

"Yes..." Celestia sighed. "It is not that I feel adversely towards him at all, it's just that..." She couldn't explain it. The thought of it was too painful and she didn't often allow it into her mind.

Victorious frowned, Celestia was his goddess, he had an unwavering admiration for her that bordered obsession. He didn't like the way Magnus seem to be, in his eyes, threatening the absolute rule of the alicorns. Creating a false night in the middle of the day and maintaining it twenty four seven as if saying he was in charge of the days and night in that area; how dare he deny the land Celestia's sun? He didn't trust Magnus and he didn't like that he was so close to Luna. If any pony should be acknowledged by an alicorn princess it should be him.

He couldn't stand the fact that some no name stallion had gotten the attention of Luna when he had failed to make Celestia notice him. Sure, she showed her gratitude for his dutiful ways and willingness to do anything for her. She appreciated him, but only as a friend, and he had begun to see her as an unreachable creature at a whole different level as any pony else, a goddess. "It is only natural to be concerned," Victorious finally spoke. "Do not stress, princess, everything will work out."

Celestia sighed softly, "you're right, I should remain positive," she tried to smile. She needed to have a word with Luna though. If her sister was truly falling in love, then she should know that they were different from other ponies, different from other alicorns that could have existed. Their end was unknown, their life almost ever lasting due to their vast power. It felt cruel, but Celestia knew that it was best for Luna to know what she was getting into, to understand the facts sooner rather than later. But she wouldn't be pessimistic; a pony's lifetime was still plenty of time to create cherished memories.

To be Continued

xoxox xox xoxox

Eclipse

Chapter 7: Haunting Pains of the Past

Luna followed Celestia to her room, wondering what was so urgent that her sister had called her back to the castle at Canterlot so insistently. It was night time and while Luna had been up for only a few hours, Celestia should be tired by then. The princesses entered the sun ruler's room, which was adorned with soft pastel colors and predominant warm shades. "Sit down, let's talk." Celestia hopped on her bed like a filly in a slumber party, wrinkling the pristine white sheets.

Luna shrugged and did the same, folding her forelegs atop a fluffy round yellow cushion. The large bed had plenty of space for both of them. "So, care to lift the veil of mystery?"

Celestia sighed, what she had to say was in no way easy. "I wanted to talk about... about stallions."

Luna blinked, slight confusion overtaking her curious features. "What stallion?"

"Magnus and stallions in general," Celestia continued. She bit her lip fearing that she was about to break her sister's heart by pointing out what would eventually become apparent.

"What about him?" Luna raised a suspicious eyebrow, wondering why in the world her sister was hesitating so much. What could possibly be so difficult to say?

"Do you... like him?" Celestia gently inquired.

"Of course I do, no pony willingly spends time with ponies they don't like," Luna replied as a matter of fact. It was clear that she didn't quite catch Celestia's full meaning. "Why are you asking me that? You're acting really strange."

"This is hard," Celestia admitted. "Luna... you and I, our level of magic rejuvenates us constantly and keeps us at our prime. We are also quite strong and resilient, almost immortal."

"What's your point?" Luna inquired. "Don't tell me you actually think there's some pony out to get us? Well that pony would certainly have a hard time trying to... oh..." Seeing Celestia's expression and recalling that the topic of their conversation revolved around stallions, especially a certain yellow unicorn, Luna put the pieces together. "I'll live a long time and Magnus won't... Is that what you're saying?" Suddenly, a deep desperation overtook Luna's heart. She would watch him fade away... No, no she wouldn't, she wouldn't let him go. "I can prevent that. I've never needed to cast an age spell, but if my magic does that automatically for me, then I must have the power."

"Luna..." Celestia sighed. "Only the highest level unicorns can cast age spells and there are very few ponies who can positively receive them if the magic takes them too far from their real age, anything beyond a few decades would be too much. If his soul becomes exhausted, he will not live a happy life. To force that upon him would be cruel. Besides, if it gets to the point where your spell is too strong for him to withstand then..."

"Then what?" Luna demanded, yet Celestia offered no answer. "I'll kill him?" Luna frowned, her eyes becoming watery. She forced the tears back and filled her face with determination. "Then he'll just have to be ready. He's smart and skilled, he can do it, he can achieve it on his own. What if that happens? There should be no problem then. I'll admit that getting that far by magical power alone is too much, but he has amazing machines that boost magical power. They're not like amulets, they're stable and reliable, they won't backfire. He can do it!"

Celestia sighed, fearing that her sister put too much faith in Magnus' ability. He was skilled, but the task ahead was too great. "Just know that perhaps in the end all you will be able to do is treasure a life time of sweet loving memories."

Luna didn't know how to reply. Her mouth hung open, but her brain was filled with so many racing thoughts that she couldn't articulate a single word. Peculiarly, it wasn't her sister's doubt that hit the moon princess the hardest; it was the wording she used. Love? Was she in love? Was he in love? Is that what they had beyond a close friendship? Just what was love anyway? The complex powerful emotion, the source of so much... Luna closed her mouth and lowered her gaze, lost in thought. A few silent moments passed until she spoke again. "Tia... Have you been in love?"

Celestia smiled sweetly with a hint of sadness in her eyes. She had never told any pony about this before. "I have," she confessed.

Luna looked up, her eyes meeting Celestia's. "When? With who? Do I know him?"

Celestia closed her eyes, allowing the memories back into her mind. "It was long ago, yet not so long from my perspective. For him it was nearly a life time ago, though he never knew. Not once did he notice, and with the passing of time our relationship changed."

"You grew apart?" Luna frowned, wondering who was the clueless stallion that didn't take notice of her sister's feelings.

"Not exactly, we built a professional relationship you could say. We saw each other often, but I was always the princess and he was always the scholar." Celestia opened the drawer of her white polished nightstand. The golden handle glowed with her energy as she opened it and retrieved a white book with a golden lock reinforced with magic.

"I remember when I tried to open that and the magic bounced off and shocked me." Luna grimaced just thinking about the stinging sensation.

"You shouldn't have tried to read my diary, dear sister," Celestia smiled at the memories of Luna's antics in her filly days. Even if her sister was as eternally young as she, the times would still change and in the end, each era would exist only in memories. A new era would begin, but only when a dear past era ended, it was inevitably bittersweet. Celestia unlocked the diary with magic and retrieved a very detailed color drawing of a unicorn stallion standing next to a younger, pink maned Celestia. "The artist who drew this was quite young at the time. He was excited to meet a real princess and drew me and the stallion accompanying me in my visit to his neighborhood. When he finished it, he shyly came to show me, I didn't even realize he had been drawing the whole time. I commended his talent and noted his cutie mark, it turns out he didn't even realize he had it. This picture that he gave me as a gift was what unlocked his cutie mark."

"I'm pretty sure I've seen him before," Luna mused as she examined the stallion in the drawing. He was a unicorn with a smart look to him, an intellectual no doubt. His mane was somewhat long and the beginnings of a beard could be seen on his chin, though it was still small, he was barely an adolescent after all. Her eyes landed on his cutie mark and she immediately recognized the symbol. "No way! That's! But it doesn't look anything like him!"

Celestia found it in herself to laugh. "He wasn't always an old stallion with a beard long enough to almost trip over. He used to keep it shorter when he was younger."

"If I really think about it, I remember. But it's as if that Starswirl and the Starswirl I know are different ponies. How could he have changed so much so fast?" The realization worried Luna. Would the fun loving, energetic, creative inventor turn into some pony she didn't recognize all of a sudden? She swallowed, realizing just how little time from her perspective a pony's life time was. "So you never told him?"

"No, he probably would have been shocked, in disbelief, and maybe even try to rationalize why it couldn't be. I didn't want to hear his utter confusion, so I never told him. I knew I was dear to him in some way and that was enough, yet he never really held an interest in having a close relationship with some pony. Knowledge was his passion and he had room in his life for little else," Celestia explained.

"I see..." Luna sighed. She was suddenly feeling exhausted, though it was night time and Celestia was the one who should be feeling tired.

"I'm sorry to make you sad," Celestia apologized. "I had to tell you, I had to make sure you understood."

Luna nooded solemnly, "I... I understand... If that's all, I'm going back now..." If she really had so little time with Magnus, then she should make the best of it.

Celestia nooded, "and Luna..." she called to her sister as the younger princess began to leave the room.

"Yes?" Luna looked back at her.

Celestia's soft expression suddenly turned fierce, "not a word of this to any pony." So what if her crush had long since gone past its time, it would still be terribly embarrassing if he knew. Luna smiled mischievously and Celestia could almost see Starswirl laughing at the silliness the moon princess had conjured, before turning to Celestia and asking her to tell Luna how utterly ridiculous the notion was. Then Celestia could picture herself getting tongue-tied as the memories of younger days scrolled in fast forward through her mind, and her stuttering would surely make her look like an idiot.

Then Starswirl would take it to mean that she was shocked at the impossibility of it and emphasized once more just how impossible it was. And it would hurt, it would hurt to hear him reaffirm the fact that nothing happened and it wouldn't happened. Starswirl was too logical at times, and honestly, the younger Celestia, and perhaps the part of the current Celestia that was still much like a filly, would rather hear him say that he was willing to try to make the seemingly impossible work out, rather than, with only good intentions and an ignorant bliss devoid of malice, perceive it as silly and unthinkable. "Luna!" Celestia scolded, her royal Canterlot voice thundering through the chambers.

"I'm kidding!" Luna giggled, glad for the little distraction, and dashed out of Celestia's room.

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Meanwhile, at the laboratory... "What do you think of this?" A pretty light blue unicorn mare held up some drawings for Magnus to see.

"Yes, yes, Blue Print, these are great!" Magnus approved.

The mare smiled proudly, her pink mane framing her face beautifully, deep blue eyes sparkling. "I have a few ideas for the finer details of the design too. Honestly, I've never met any pony who can make my designs a reality like you can."

"And I've never met any pony who can put my own thoughts into paper a lot better than myself. Turning concepts into realities will be much easier with you on the team. This is even better than how I visualized it in my head," Magnus smiled.

"Magnus, mah stallion, gotta talk to ya dude!" An orange pegasus with a lavender mane and green eyes threw one of his wings around Magnus' shoulders and began to walk away, making the unicorn move along with him. His cutie mark was a wing silhouette with a comet-like tail.

"What is it, Velocity?" Magnus inquired, wondering where his friend was taking him.

Once they were out of earshot from Blue Print, Velocity stated his case. "Listen up, mah brony, I couldn't help it but to notice that pretty miss Print has her eye on you, mah stallion. But I thought you had your eye on the hottie of the night."

Mangus took a moment to process the statements. "What? Blue Print? No, no, we're just good colleagues, she doesn't like me. And Luna is... Luna is... Well okay, I do like her. I'm no sure how in the world I ended up getting a crush on a princess of all ponies when I didn't even used to like royalty, or alicorns for that matter, but it just sort of happened... Wait a minute, you like Blue Print, don't you?"

"Keep your voice down, stallion!" Velocity looked around to make sure no one had heard Magnus. "Seriously dude, keep it down, brony."

"I won't tell any pony, but really, if that's how you feel you should tell her." Magnus began to walk away to get back to his work.

"Dude, I hope you're like taking your own advice, brony." Velocity called after him before making his way to the turbine engine prototype test area. He had to get that thing going with the wind produced by his wing power and the wind was supposed to spin inside it in a way that it would keep going and even become stronger with just that initial boost.

Magnus paused, was he taking his own advice? Well maybe. Luna had to be smart enough to figure out that making a permanent night in the area for her meant something. But what if she thought he was only being grateful and nothing more? No, they were closer than that, she had to know. Where they really? Well there was only one way to find out... and the thought of it made him anxious. 'Okay, just tell her, it'll be like stating the obvious, nothing to worry about... I need to keep my mind busy until Luna's back or I'll totally stress out.' For once he felt compelled to get out of the lab. Maybe he should further investigate the ruins left deeper into the former Crystal Empire territories. It would be freezing cold out there, but maybe that would help him stop thinking about irrational fears of unrealistic reactions from Luna.

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Some time later, Magnus found himself exploring some underground ruins. They seemed incomplete, or perhaps magically sealed off and hidden, so he couldn't get too far. None the less, the traces of magic left in the surrounding area were so strong that it made his horn tingle in response as he tried to keep its glow steady, to see where he was going. His hoof steps seemed to echo much more than he thought was logical, as if he was all alone in a quiet vast space. There was something dark and dreary around the area, as if the land itself was accursed.

Suddenly, the shadow of a dragon was seen upon the wall. Magnus was startled and shone the light of his horn around, looking for the giant creature that would logically not fit through the tunnels. "It's just rocks... Just jagged creepy rocks..." He told himself, yet he couldn't keep his heart from pounding. 'What's wrong with me?' Magnus thought. 'I'm acting like such a foal, afraid of the shadows.' He took a few more steps and the echo of a ferocious roar shook him to the core. He turned and shone the light from his horn in all directions, but he couldn't find the source of the threatening voice. "It's my imagination; it's only my imagination..."

Abruptly, a vision entered his mind and he was unable to move. He saw a young colt running for his life as a dragon destroyed his home. "Mech! Mech, where are you?" His parents were calling.

He saw them a little further down the street, a unicorn stallion and an earth pony mare. The young Magnus dashed towards them in fright. "Mom, dad, why is the dragon in the city? Why didn't the force field keep him out?" Yet there were no answers for him as his father quickly lifted him in a levitation hold, placed him on his back and retreated.

"I have to go," his mother looked back.

"No!" His father protested.

"We both have things we need to do. I'm one of the princess' personal guards and you need to lead the heavy artillery in the city's defense. That monster is heading straight for the castle, I have to be there!" She argued.

"I know... I know..." The stallion agreed in frustration. "Be careful," the two went their separate ways.

"Why isn't mom coming with us? Why does she have to go to the princess?" Magnus had never actually met the princess, despite his mother working for her.

Magnus' father arrived at a security base where various large robotic ponies, about twenty feet tall were mobilizing. "Listen Mech, I don't have time to talk now. I need to defend the city. You have to stay in this base, don't go outside and don't get in anyone's way. Your mother and I will come get you as soon as possible."

"I want to go with you! I want to ride on the robot too, I want to help!" The young Magnus argued.

"This isn't a test run!" His father scolded seriously. "Stay here!"

Magnus nooded in fright. He didn't know what was happening or why his parents couldn't stay with him. He was always told the city was safe inside the force field the machines generated. How could a dragon have come inside? He stood in a corner of the base as the sound of heavy metal steps and a multitude of running hoof steps echoed around him.

"Hey, Mech!" A light gray pegasus colt, not yet old enough to venture into the front lines with the adults, but just old enough to have an understanding of the situation approached him.

"Cannon Shot!" Magnus rushed to the older colt. The pegasus was his neighbor and a big brother figure to him, as well as his best friend.

"Don't you worry, Mech, there's lots of ponies out there chasing that dragon out. It'll be sorry it came near our city!" Cannon reassured. His pale blue eyes glimmered with endless determination and a fighting spirit. He blew his white and cyan mane out of his face and grinned threateningly. "And if another dragon does come, by then I'll be old enough so that they let me chase it out!"

The ground shook violently before Magnus could reply. Cannon Shot hurried to one of the windows of the base, followed by Magnus. They looked up from a low angle to see the same dragon making its way out of the city. For a moment the colts were relieved to see that it was apparently on the retreat, but they saw it was holding something. "Is that a pink pony in it's claws?" Magnus asked, feeling worried for the unfortunate pony.

"That's not any pink pony!" Cannon exclaimed as he recognized the light pink unicorn mare from pictures he had seen. He remembered seeing her posing for the camera in a glittery dress, her long fuchsia and cyan mane adorned with gems and her blue eyes sparkling. "That's princess Pretty Posh!"

To be Continued

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Eclipse

Chapter 8: Rising Anger

Dark energy and endless echoes swirled around Magnus in the underground ruins. He felt as if he was back in the past, back in the beginning of the catastrophe. He remembered the terrified screams of princess Pretty Posh as she helplessly struggled and cried, held captive by the dragon. The towering green scaled creature, though ferocious indeed, had a lost look in its eyes that was unnerving.

"Hold your fire!" Some pony called out from one of the robots outside. "Don't shoot or you'll hit the princess!"

"He's getting away!" Another pony shouted in a panic.

"Princess!" More and more shouts of anger, terror, frustration and similar emotions flooded the streets increasing in volume.

Their princess had been stolen. Why her? Why did the apparently rampaging beast suddenly gain the focus to kidnap the princess? The monster held her firmly, but somehow managed not to crush her in its massive clawed fist. The dragon was only making a mess of the architecture at first and the guards thought it was only heading for the castle because it happened to be the tallest building. It made no sense, just as much as it made no sense that the machines shielding the city in a force field suddenly stopped working. Yet in their panic, the ponies didn't realize that it was all too suspicious, too convenient.

"Unhand the princess, you vile beast!" A powerful voice echoed through the streets.

The young Magnus Mecha and Cannon Shot angled their bodies to see through the window what was happening high above out in the street. "I've never seen that pegasus before," Cannon admitted in confusion as to who the mystery stallion who faced the dragon so fearlessly could be. Surely he must be insane if he thought he could overpower the beast alone. That dragon was exceptionally powerful, suspiciously so.

The stallion in question had black fur and a green mane, he was far above so it was hard to tell, but he somehow seemed bigger than most stallions, his wings also appearing larger than most. "Wait... is that a horn?" Magnus stared in disbelief. The so called pegasus was not a pegasus after all.

"A horn?" Cannon looked again. The black alicorn caused his horn to glow as he threatened the dragon. "It is a horn! It's an alicorn, a real alicorn!"

"I thought they were legends!" Magnus stared in awe as the black alicorn shot a beam of dark green light at the dragon.

The beast stumbled back and the alicorn took the opportunity to fly towards it and shoot more beams in rapid succession. The dragon seemed dazed by the sheer power of the magic and began to get dizzy from all the hits, its scales becoming charred. The alicorn shot one last massive beam of light at the dragon, ignoring the shouts from the ponies all around, confused as to who he was and concerned about the princess getting hurt by the battle. The dazed dragon let out a howl of pain along with a massive spray of flames from its mouth.

The alicorn covered himself in a red glowing shield and shot through the flames unharmed, emerging right in front of the dragon's face. He didn't pause, speeding towards the dragon, his hoofs colliding with the monster's face. The flames stopped as the unconscious massive beast fell backwards. The alicorn lifted the helpless princess in his magic hold and gently placed her on his back, the panicked pink mare immediately throwing her trembling forelegs around his neck.

The alicorn landed softly, the princess still clinging to him for dear life. Ponies surrounded him in euphoria, confirming that the princess was indeed safe, rescued by the mysterious stranger who defeated the dragon. Among the cheers and noise, someone asked his name and soon a chant filled the streets. "All hail Prowess, hero of Technotropolis!"

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"Prowess..." Magnus whispered as the vision filled his head. He and Cannon Shot had rushed out of the base in the commotion, too tempted to get a closer look at the hero and the princess to stay inside. It was the first time Magnus laid eyes on the beautiful princess Pretty Posh in person and a marvelous unicorn she was. It was also the first time that he saw a real live alicorn, a true hero, he thought. In his young mind, Prowess was everything a colt could aspire to be when he became a stallion. Instantly, Magnus developed a deep admiration for the hero that saved his home and his princess. He had no idea how dark his intentions truly were. "Prowess..." The anger in his voice increased as another vision began to play in his head.

Yet the vision was interrupted by a spell focused by a chant in a determined elderly voice. The energy entered Magnus' mind trying to free him from the painful trance. Magnus opened his eyes, having no memory of when he closed them. His vision finally focused on the source of the light near by, the light of his own horn having faded away when he became entrapped. Starswirl finished the spell and tiredly approached. "This research expedition brought more than I expected."

"Starswirl, what are you doing here?" Magnus asked in confusion. Had all that happened been an illusion? It had to be, that was the only explanation. All those things happened years ago after all.

"I wanted to further investigate the state of the land of the former Crystal Empire; I have been coming here periodically since it disappeared because of King Sombra's curse. Yet I have been so busy that the last time I was able to investigate was before the laboratory was built. I had not found much, but was almost certain there was something hidden here. Since I finally had some time, I decided to have a look. I'm not sure when, but at some point, part of the darkness that was absorbed by the land itself was released, probably responding to a burst of power near by," Starswirl explained. "You were nearly overtaken by a dark influence. We all have some darkness in us, but we must never let it take over. Fear, anger, and such emotions can be dangerous. What troubles you, Magnus?"

Magnus shook his head. "Nothing," he refused to reveal anything. His past was something that he was supposed to have left behind. It shouldn't be bothering him now of all times. Besides, he wasn't sure what Starswirl's reaction would be and that made him feel uneasy about it. He was an important unicorn after all, his opinion mattered. Seeing that Starswirl didn't look like he believed it at all, Magnus insisted. "Really, I'm fine, I'm not going to go crazy and try to take over Equestria or anything!" He scoffed.

'And why not?' A voice in Magnus' head spoke, it was very much like his own, like a different side of him. It was as if his own thoughts were trying to guide him, but not in a way he wanted to go. 'Find a new land and conquer it, that's what your father intended to do, wasn't it?' The voice taunted. 'No!' Magnus tried not to think about it. 'That wasn't dad, he was... He changed, I don't know why... He must have had a reason, but he wouldn't have gone through with that crazy plan if he was received peacefully. He just wanted a place for us to live...'

"Magnus Mecha!" Starswirl's voice finally went past the thick veil of contradicting thoughts that plagued Magnus. "Finally, you heard me; I've been calling you for a while. I don't like the way you spaced out just now." He frowned, though it was hardly visible behind his bushy beard.

"I'm fine, I'm just tired, exhausted, but not crazy..." Magnus hated being called crazy, or even have it vaguely implied. The buffalo, though kind at heart, called his ideas crazy far too often for his liking, and so did many ponies after he moved to Canterlot.

Starswirl sighed hopelessly. Magnus was being stubborn and he didn't have the means or the patience to deal with him in that state. "Let's just get out of here. I hope you understand that I will have to report this to princess Celestia. In all likelihood, you'll have to move your research laboratory elsewhere; this area is far too dangerous."

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Meanwhile, Luna arrived at the laboratory and went about finding Magnus. A part of her wanted to stall and another part wanted to find him right away. This entire love thing was something that even her older sister had succeeded on, but that wouldn't make her believe it was impossible. She was perfectly capable of achieving what Celestia couldn't. Besides, Magnus seemed to be more perceptive than Starswirl about things outside of the scope of his research. In fact, he might even smile as if thinking she was silly to have to hear their status verbalized to be certain of it, before letting the words reach her ears. She wouldn't feel bad if he did, she might even enjoy it if it made him chuckle, if it made it obvious he had no doubts.

"Hush, hush, here she comes!" A mint green unicorn urged under her breath. She looked away from Luna and pretended to be busy discussing something or other about some drawings with another unicorn mare. The conversation seemed to be improvised and out of place, with their generic comments about measurements and other details that should have been established already given the apparent complexity of the drawings at a glance.

Feeling suspicious, Luna walked past them, making it a point to leave the main work area towards another section of the laboratory from an angle where they could see her. She went in a circle through the hallways and came back through a different door to the large area. She floated through the air with a soft flap of her wings, her crystal shoes not touching the metal floors as she proceeded in silence.

"I don't think she heard us," the green unicorn sighed in relief.

The other mare, a light blue unicorn who answered to the name of Blue Print and had a cutie mark of a paper with drawings of geometrical figures on it, shook her head. "Does it matter? She doesn't need a warning to have the unfair advantage. She's a princess, for crying out loud. She spoils him rotten."

"Oh, I don't think Magnus is like that," the pale green unicorn disagreed. "He's grateful to her, but he's not a pony you can buy off. I'd be more worried about success than failure. You shouldn't make a princess angry trying to steal her coltfriend like that."

"But aren't princesses supposed to be diplomatic?" Blue Print mused. "Well either way, if I have a chance..."

Luna tuned out the rest of the conversation as she gritted her teeth and certain key parts of what was spoken replayed in her mind. That sneaky ungrateful mare was trying to steal her pony. Technically, all of the nocturnal ponies who worked there were supposed to be her ponies, but Magnus was hers in a different way. The mare said it herself, he was her coltfriend, though she would have much rather had heard the affirmation from him instead of from some mare trying to steal him. Luna was sick of ponies taking what was hers and now that she had a special some pony to call hers, truly hers, she wasn't going to let any pony touch him.

"Luna!" The loud voice alerted the surroundings of her presence.

The pale green unicorn gasped and muttered, "where's that prototype we need to check on? Let's go!" She dragged her blue friend away before she could react, whispering under her breath. "Velocity so saved you back there."

Luna turned her head towards the apparently overly friendly orange pegasus who had placed his wing over her shoulders more tightly than was needed for a simple gesture of companionship. It was as if he was trying to hold her in place, not that he would be able to if she decided she really wanted to move. Before the moon princess could get a word in, Velocity tried to diffuse the situation. "My brony Magnus was so looking for ya. I'm telling ya, he's like totally in love with you, oh but don't tell him I told you so, okay?"

Luna took deep even breaths. Bucking that annoying mare like a ripe apple tree wouldn't do her any good; it would just make her look abusive. Besides, Magnus loved her, that's what she wanted to hear, though not from a third party. It didn't matter; she wouldn't let that annoying unicorn get to her. "Velocity, right?"

"Yeah..." The orange pegasus released the alicorn from his hold, seeing that she had apparently calmed down.

"Tell those two they're fired," Luna decided.

"Ah... Um..." Caught off guard and not really wanting to deliver the bad news to Blue Print, Velocity was left at a loss for words. Luna didn't wait for an answer and walked away with the satisfaction of at least having gotten some form of revenge. Velocity watched her go and mentally cringed. 'Oh stallion, that's one possessive princess, this ain't looking good,' he mused. 'An independent pony like Magnus being spoiled and protected? Can't really imagine that...'

To be Continued

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Disclaimer, I don't own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, this disclaimer applies to all the chapters, I only own my original characters, minus the MLP concepts.