It had only been an hour and the party was still picking up momentum. Ponies everywhere were happily playing games, eating food, socializing with each other, dancing to the music or just having a generally good time. But after Princess Celestia decreed that Twilight Sparkle was to remain in Ponyville for a long term study assignment, the party seemed to become even more exciting, with everyone in attendance in high spirits.

Well, everyone except one certain pony.

"Hey, Princess Luna? Are you okay? I've been looking all over the place for you. Everyone's worried about you," I asked the light blue Princess, who was sitting alone at a table located a fair distance from the centre of the party. She was staring wistfully at the ponies celebrating and enjoying themselves, a wreath of red and white roses hanging from her neck, occasionally sipping from a plastic cup of water. She seemed to jump slightly at the sound of my voice, but made no other reaction. Realizing I wasn't going to get a response right now, I walked round and took a seat opposite her, placing my tray of assorted food items and my lemonade on the table top. "I don't blame you for sitting out of the party, I'm not too keen on huge social gatherings myself," I say, hoping that my attempt at light conversation would help to make her open up to me.

Luna merely nodded in response, never taking her eyes off of the crowd. I sighed, before switching to phase 2.

"I brought you some food, in case you were hungry. I know I am," I say, nudging the tray of food closer to Luna, who threw a quick glance at the tray before turning back to the crowd.

"We're naught in need of food," she replied quietly, making me sigh once more.

"Princess, please tell me what's wrong. I just want to help," I plead, giving the Princess a concerned and sincere look.

"If thou wants to help, then leave us forthwith," Luna responded curtly, continuing to stare out and not even bothering to glance in my direction.

"Fine, I'll go. I just wanted to see if you were okay and if I could help, but I see that I'm wrong," I huffed annoyed by the Princess's attitude. Picking up my tray of food, I get up and leave, walking away.

"No, wait!" I had barely walked two meters when Princess Luna's voice called out to me. I turn round to look back at the Princess, who's facial expression had gone from worry and deep thought to a pleading look. "We shalt explain, just don't leave..." I sigh yet once more, and head head back to my seat, placing the tray back on the table.

"Well...?" I say, motioning for her to explain.

"It is hard to admit. We are ashamed about it..." Luna said timidly, focusing her gaze on the ground now to avoid all eye contact.

"I'm sure it can't be that bad. For instance, it can't be worse than dying, and I know how that feels," I reply, shaking the hollow thoughts of the afterlife out of my head.

"Ye does not understand, it is pudh!" Luna snapped, her eyes swelling up with tears.

"Pudh...?"

"We trow it means 'horrible."

"Oh. Hey wait a sec, I'm sure it can't be horrible," I say reassuringly, but Luna shrugs it off.

"It is!" Luna said whilst on the verge of crying, trying her best to keep her composure, but failing. "... We have lost our magic..." she admitted quietly and sadly, letting a few tears escape and fall to the ground.

"Oh... well I'm sure it'll be fine-" I begin to say, but I get cut off.

"It is not fine! Losing one's magic is a fate worse than death itself..." she cried, letting more tears drop down. Out of sympathy, I get up and move over to her, kneeling down next to her and wrapping her into a hug, which she accepted. Leaning across her seat (which was essentially a stool), she rested her head against my shoulder, the remainder of her composure crumbling and dissolving into quiet sobs.

"Shh, it'll be alright," I say consolingly, while she silently cried. The sight of the Princess broken made me feel so helpless, I just don't know what to do...

"Luna, there you are. We have be-" both me and Luna looked up in surprise to see Princess Celestia, who had approached us, but stopped, shocked at the sight of seeing her sister crying. "Luna? What's wrong? What happened?" She asked her sister, kneeling down in front of her.

And so Luna told Princess Celestia that she had lost her magic, with some encouragement from me, which prompted Celestia to give her sister a consoling nuzzle, before standing up and motioning me to walk with her a few meters away from the table.

Once I had joined the Princess, who was looking sadly at Luna, she turned to me. "Declan, you may not be aware, but all ponies have an essence of magic in them, one that grants them their special abilities and what keeps them alive. Without that magical essence, a pony would slowly turn into a husk of their former self; still conscious and aware of everything, but unable to move or speak. It is essentially a fate worse than death," she said somberly, and although she continued to maintain her steel hard composure, I noticed that her eyes were starting to water.

"There must be something we can do, right...?" I ask hopefully, but a shake of the head from Celestia made any hope I had sink faster than the Titanic.

"There is nothing we can do. In times before, we were able to restore a pony's magical essence by transferring it from a pony who was near death, but it would only work with the same race of pony. Since Luna is an Alicorn, only I have enough magical power to save her, but in doing so, the same fate would befall me..." Princess Celestia explained resignedly, lowering her head to look at the ground in defeat. "... I just got my sister back, and now... I'm losing her again..."

A single tear fell from Celestia's eye and splashed on the ground below. "If only we had a source of energy powerful enough to restore her..."

Then it hit me like a sack of potatoes.

"Hang on, I have an idea..." I say thoughtfully, making Celestia to look up in surprise.

"If you are going to suggest the Elements of Harmony, then it wouldn't work. The magic used by the Elements is too different."

"No, not those things. I meant the DeLorean's power source," I say, to which Celestia raised an eyebrow in slight confusion. "You see, I came here in a car, called a DeLorean, and to get here, it used a massive amount of power to do so. If I can find that power source, we may be able to transfer it's power into the Princess!" I explain, hope rising again in my chest.

"It is thoughtful of you, but it would not work. It needs to be from a living thing with the same magical properties," Celestia said, shooting my idea down. I sigh, rubbing my forehead with a hand in despair.

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"That I need to decide. In the mean time, I would appreciate it if you would not mention this to anypony or anyone. It would only cause more stress for Luna," Celestia said, before walking back to her sister, draping a wing around her, and with a dazzling white flash, they vanished.

I sigh, looking at the seat where Luna was at mere seconds ago, before stuffing my hands into my ruined trouser pockets and walking away grimly.

Author's Notes:

Apologies for the short chapter. This was supposed to be a funny chapter, then it turned sad and it wasn't funny anymore. Now it's too sad to continue writing this one so I'm gonna throw this out like I promised and hope for the best continue this next chapter.

Plus, five internet cookies to the first person who guesses where Luna's magic is correctly.