Luna knelt on the grass of the castle gardens, tightly clutching a trowel as a flood of tears streamed down her face. She thrust the steel head of the trowel into the soft dirt as her sobs echoed throughout the twisted labyrinth of shrubs and roses. Her arm shook as she lifted out a small earthen pile and tossed it aside. As she once more plunged the trowel into the ground, she stopped briefly, trying to wipe away the waterfall of tears from her eyes. Once the last of her tears were swept away, Luna turned her gaze to the night sky.

The stars glittered like thousands of diamonds woven into an elegant tapestry. However its brightest jewel, the moon, was nowhere to be seen. Tears filled her eyes once more and she returned to digging. Once she got the hole to a satisfactory depth, she laid down her trowel and reached for a small wooden box. Her sobs grew in intensity as she held it close to her chest. As she clung to the box, two stallions looked on.

“Such a shame,” Mikoda spoke first. He was one of her personal thestral Lunar Guards. He had a gruff demeanor which reflected in his dull golden eyes. “Third one she’s lost. What a tragedy.”

“Indeed, sir.” Aysel responded, a hint of sorrow in his voice.  “Her light seems to grow dimmer with each passing day.” A few small tears dripped from his face. As he wiped them away, he felt Mikoda’s hand rest firmly on his shoulder.

“There was a time when she shined brighter than even the sun itself.” Mikoda muttered, reminiscing. “The first time I ever met her, there was an aura of joy around her. And her smile...oh I’ll always remember that smile. It glistened like polished armor.”    

Aysel put a hand on his friend’s shoulder in turn. “Go to her, sir. She needs you right now.”

Mikoda replied with a solemn nod, and walked over to his beloved’s side as she patted down the final layer of earth. He knelt at her side, placing a gentle hand upon her soft shoulder. Luna, in turn, placed her hand on his.

“He would have been a fine and strong boy,” Mikoda spoke, his voice unusually soft.

Luna turned and looked at her lover with tears streaming down her cheeks. Finally breaking down completely, she threw her arms around him and loudly sobbed into his shoulder. “Is… Is this to be our fate, my love? To never be able to have a child together?”

Mikoda wrapped his strong arms around her, caressing her crying form. “We’ll find a way, my dear.” Tears flowed down his normally stoic face, despite his efforts to hold them back. The cries and anguish of seeing his beloved racked with pain finally broke his emotional dam.

Aysel watched from afar, saddened at the very sight of his princess and superior officer breaking down into sobbing masses as they mourned their child. Looking skyward, Aysel saw a light streak across the blackness of Luna’s night sky, seeming to grow larger as the seconds ticked by. “Sir! Princess! Something is falling toward us!”

Both looked up and saw a large, half circular object falling, a trail of fire streaming behind it. Without thinking, Mikoda quickly grabbed Luna in his arms and ran. As he ran, he caught a glimpse of the unusual thing and saw something seem to pop out of it. Though a blur at first, he soon caught sight of what looked like a large yellow beach ball, falling in his direction. With nearly cat-like reflexes, he managed to turn and avoid it. He quickly spun around, and watched as it bounced, heading towards the garden center. It bounced a couple more times, then rolled to a stop. “Are you alright, my lady?” He asked panting heavily, beads of sweat falling off his face.

“I...I’m alright,” Luna replied as she set herself down, her voice rattled with shock. “What in the name of Faust was that thing?”

“I’m not sure,” Mikoda responded as he turned to see the strange object resting still in the garden square. He motioned for Aysel to follow him, drawing his sword rapidly from its sheath. Both of them slowly approached it, tightening their grips on their blades. “Stay sharp, Aysel.” As they crept closer and closer, it was easier for them to make it out. The object was round in shape and brightly yellow with what looked like red letters in some foreign or alien language.  

Luna followed close behind them, flinching back a step as a door on it popped open, a figure stumbling out, one hand clutching a bleeding stomach wound and the other clutching a bundle of fabric.

Aysel, unsure what to think of this creature, charged at it with a battle cry, sword raised to take off its head. To the surprise of all three, the creature raised its hand from its wound and thrust it out toward Aysel. As it did, he was suddenly thrown back and landed several feet behind Luna and Mikoda, the wind knocked out of him.

“What in Empress’s name?” Mikoda cried out, the look of shock and horror frozen on his face as he looked at his downed comrade. “Could that have been magic? It can’t be!” He raised his sword up, ready to strike at this mysterious creature. Before he could even take a step towards it, the creature dropped to it’s knees, placing its hand back onto its wound, before it collapsed onto its back. Seeing the creature as no immediate threat, Mikoda rushed to tend to his companion.

“Aysel! Aysel, buddy get up!” The words pierced Aysel’s ears as he  managed to stir, a bit weary from the encounter.  

While Mikoda tended to his friend, Luna slowly approached the creature and knelt down beside it. She saw that it was female with skin nearly devoid of hair, and clutched in her arms was an infant. “Aysel! Fetch a doctor! Quickly!” As she gave the order she did what she could to help stifle the creature’s bleeding.

Aysel, though a bit shaken from the experience, nodded in reply and raced towards the castle.

Mikoda joined Luna, sword at the ready. “My lady, should you really be near this creature? It may be wounded, but it’s obviously dangerous.”

“Dangerous or not, I’m not just going to ignore a life in danger,” Luna replied, her voice hardened with resolve. “It’s my duty to help as many lives as I can, whether they be Equestrian or not, and if you’re not going to help, then stay out of my way.”

Mikoda looked at the bundle, seeing the face of the infant wrapped within, then turned his attention back to the creature, who seemed to be going pale. He sighed and sheathed his blade. “What can I do, your highness?”

“If we can’t seal this wound, she’s going to bleed to death,” Luna said, still applying pressure to the wound. “We need something better than hands to plug it with.”

Mikoda quickly unwrapped his cloth belt and handed it to her. “This might help.”

Luna took the belt and folded it a couple of times before pressing it to the wound. Leaning down without releasing pressure, she looked at the alien creature. “Can you understand me?” she softly asked.

[A Blessing- Max Richter]

The creature was breathing heavily and groaning in pain. Her eyes darted about, trying to get her bearings. Through blurred vision, she could barely make out the outlines of the creatures leaning over her. “Wher...wha…” she tried to speak, though her voice was weak and the pain she felt was intense. Her eyes locked with Luna’s and, gathering what remained of her strength, she lifted the arm that held the infant, which started to cry.  

Using one hand to hold the cloth to the creature’s wound, Luna took the child in the crook of her free arm, looking down at it. It was male, and at most only a month old. Instinctively she gently rocked it, trying to calm it down. “It’s alright, little one,” she whispered.

As the baby’s cries faded, the creature muttered something. “Take...care...brother.” Her strength depleted, and assured of the child’s safety, the creature went still as she breathed her last, eyes staring lifelessly at the night sky.

Releasing the pressure she held on the wound, Luna reached up and, after wiping her fingers clean of blood as best she could, gently closed the enigmatic creature’s eyes before bowing her head in a silent prayer for her to rest in peace.

“What in the name of Faust was that thing?” Mikoda asked, completely dumbfounded by what transpired.

“I do not know,” Luna whispered as she slowly rose to her feet, cradling the now sleeping baby in her arms as she turned to him. “She asked that he be taken care of.” She gave Mikoda a sad smile. “What shall we name our son?”

“Our son? That thing is not going to be a child of mine!” Mikoda protested. “We don’t even know what it is or where it came from. For all we know, that creature could be dangerous!”

“Don’t you see, Mikoda?” Luna asked as she looked at the boy with a smile. “Twice we have conceived a child, and twice I have miscarried. And now one has fallen from the heavens as we mourn our misfortune. I don’t care that he isn’t a pony, my love. I will raise him as though he were my own.” She then fixed her love with a stern look. “With or without your help, Mikoda. Please, my love. Let us raise this boy together. Let him be our son.”

Mikoda sighed heavily, crossing his arms. “I..I..very well. I swore an oath to protect and aid you, no matter what. So, for you my love, I will assist you with the child.” Mikoda walked over to the alien body and picked up the strange cylindrical object. “But we need answers first and to keep this incident as low key as possible. The more ponies know about this, the more panic it’ll likely cause.”

“Answers will come, Mikoda,” Luna said. “In time. For now, let us be a family.” She looked at her newfound son with a warm smile. “Low key… Loki…” She smiled and kissed the child’s forehead. “Welcome to your new home, Loki.”

The Everfree forest. Most ponies dare not set foot here, especially not when the shadow of night fell over the canopy. There were whispers of devils and magic, spirits, and things of unfathomable, incomprehensible horror that lurked behind the trees. Zecora however, was no stranger to these woods. Having made them her home for years, she was quite used to its dark atmosphere, thriving where others would think it mad to try and even navigate the dark forest.

A light wind snaked through the trees. Zecora pulled her cloak closer to herself for some warmth as she trekked down a natural pathway. As she made her way deeper into the forest she called home, various small critters and even the dreaded timber wolves came bounding past her. She scanned her surroundings, looking for who or whatever had spooked them. A loud, roaring sound pierced echoed throughout the forest. She looked around hastily, but could find nothing around her, at least on the ground. Her gaze turned skywards. A large object and a trail of smoke flew by overhead. Piqued by curiosity, Zecora chased after the object.

The object, a metal object resembling a semicircle in its mangled state, lay in a trench its landing had gouged into the ground, trees knocked away by its sheer speed. Smoke and flame covered parts of the metal beast. She cautiously approached it, not knowing what surprises it might hold.

A gaping hole was exposed on the side, where some other object might one have fit into it, its wing severed and scattered in pieces around the trench. If there had been anything living aboard the wreck, there most certainly wouldn’t be now. Taking a deep breath, Zecora carefully made her way inside the wreck, the smell of smoke engulfed the room and loose wires sparked and crackled. As she explored further, she could see a silhouette of some kind of creature in the frontmost seat. It didn’t appear to be moving. She gave it a light shove of her staff. No response, it seemed to have died on impact. Going further into the wreck, she felt something at the back of her mind. A tingle that seemed to call out to her. Curious, she followed it to a well secured container that had its lid damaged in the crash.

Using her staff, Zecora pried the container open and beheld what it contained. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked upon the dodecahedral crystal that pulsated with a light that almost seemed alive. Whatever it was, she felt a strange connection to it. She slid the crystal into her herb satchel and hastily exited the alien craft, slipping away silently into the darkness.