2 months later...

Luna ran and flew and ran until she collapsed. Luna’s eyes once bright and clear, were now weary and frightened. She had no idea what to do or where to go.

Sister how could you? Why did you let me run away? Why didn’t you stop me? She looked up to the sky as the cursed red ball of fire burned her in the hot Arabian desert. As she swore at Celestia’s sun, she tried to cast a cool spell onto herself but her magic was weak. She needed to gain her strength back to recast the spell. She needed shelter and fast. Luna had never been out on her own. She had never, ever gone without out a guard or Celestia herself. Reality hit her like a strike across the face. She was alone. No sister, no parents no guards and nopony to help her.

Memories flooded back her to her as she remembered what happened. She had brought the moon in front of the sun. She had made herself-and her elder sister look bad. It not your fault beloved… a voice called inside her head.

“Who’s there?” Luna wondered aloud. It is your shadow Luna. It was their fault. They made you feel bad. They treat you poorly-your sister treats you poorly. THEY ARE THE REASON! The voice was scaring the distraught Luna. She shook her head vigorously and laid back onto the moistened sand. The grains burned her like a flickering sunset. The scorching touch was like a million beetles gnawing and biting at her flesh and cruor.  

Luna looked at her surroundings. Nothing but herself, the desiccant sand and the scorching flare to accompany her. She knew she was in Saddle Arabia, for no desert was as hot as the horses of the Middle East. She dragged herself along the desert for a few more steps, then collapsed once more. A nearby mare dressed in violet garments wandered about.

She looked about, as the pegasus pony folded her spectacular wings to her sides. Her sight immediately drifted to the small cornflower pony lying on her side. The mare leaped off of her camel almost instantly, and rushed to Luna.

“Miss! MISS! Are you alright?” The pegasus shook Luna. Luna stirred and quickly tried to get up, almost knocking down the mare in the process.

“Miss please, I need you to calm down,”

“Where-where am I?” Luna stammered. Luna was frighted when she saw the strange mare standing over the fractured princess. “Please! Do not harm me!” She covered her trembling body with her broad wings, cowering from the pegasus.

“It’s okay Miss. Please calm down, as well as where you are, you’re with me miss. Say, can you get up with me slowly so I can fully see you.” With the help of the mare, Luna leisurely stood up. Luna stretched out her wings.

“Mother of Celestia! Why you’re an alicorn!” The mare cried.

“Yes, indeed, why do you say so?” Luna said weakly.

“Well the only two alicorns I’ve heard of were Celestia and Luna,”

“Well subject, I am Princess Luna of Canterlot.” Luna said with defiance, but she was not sure she even liked the title anymore.

“Why is Equestria are you doing in Saddle Arabia, princess?” The mare cried.

“I am... I am...Uh,” Luna did not know how to explain this to the mare. She couldn’t just tell her that she had run away. “I am on an errand for my sister.” She lied.

“Alone?”

“Well, uh, the ponies I was traveling with got sucked away by a sandstorm. and I managed to escape but I was cast out and lost conscious!” Luna tried to sound dramatic, but she was a terrible liar. Luna’s story sounded filthy in her mouth. She knew what really happened. Her sister let her run away.

“Okay...Princess come with me. I’m going to Ridyahoof. That’s where the Emperor and Empress are.” Luna went with the strange mare. “And by the way, the name’s Alicia.” Luna was astounded to hear this. She and Celestia were the only two ponies in Canterlot with first names much less a regular pony. Something inside of Luna realized that Alicia was helping her. She cared about Luna. Luna was feeling a warm feeling inside. Something telling her that maybe someponies were not a cruel and heartless like her sister. Alicia took off her headscarf as she wrapped it around her mouth, revealing herself as a fuschia white mare a golden mane in a braid. With one swift motion, she handed her red neckscarf to Luna.

“Here you go. These streets are crawling with unpleasant folk.” Luna put the red scarf around her mouth like Alicia.

The city of Ridyahoof was crawling with all sorts of species like horses, griffons, dragons and even some of her own kind. Of course, there were no alicorns like Luna.

Luna and Alicia turned heads as the creatures looked at her. They had never seen an alicorn before. Alicia snorted at them, and they all turned back to trading. Luna did not remember much of her old life, but she remember her mother Galaxia, how she used to raise not a burning sun like Celestia, but a warm loving sun. Her father Darkness used to bring out a beautiful night with a sky so tinted black. Luna smiled. That was the time she was happy. That was the time ponies cared about Luna. How she would love to feel those precious moments again. But those were just memories before the Great Alicorn War which wiped out all of the natural alicorns. She remembered very little about the war when she was just a young filly. A happy filly that is. Those memories would be forever in her heart where nopony could hurt her. Or so she thought.

“How much farther?” Luna muffled voice came out of the scarf.

“Not too much.” Alicia replied back. Luna picked her head up. They trotted up to palace. The palace was much like the one in Canterlot, but it was much bigger with golden circular domes and large pale pink walls and columns in the front. A wide and and tall brown door was slightly ajar. Guards on either side came forth and asked the alicorn and mare why they needed to enter. Luna took off her scarf.

“I am Princess Luna and wish to see the Emperor and Empress.” The guards eye’s widened in recognition and trotted out of the way so Princess Luna could move inside. She turned to Alicia.

“Well, Alicia, I guess this is a goodbye,” Luna said sadly.

“Goodbye fair Luna. I hope you travel safely.” Alicia replied respectfully before bowing. Luna leaped down, and hugged the mare with her forelegs.

“Thank you Alicia, You’re the only pony who had helped me in a very, very long time.” Luna whispered. She wrapped her sapphire wings around the cloaked mare. Luna felt warm white wings wrap around her our frail body.

“No thanks needed princess. She let go of Luna, turned and walked away. Luna entered the palace, the guards closing the door behind her.

Alicia stopped walked and sneaked behind the back of the palace. The guards were called inside, while Alicia flew up onto a nearby window and observed the conversation that was happening between the emperor, empress and Luna.

“Presenting her royal highness, Princess Luna of Equestria!” One of the guards announced.

“You majesties, thank you so much for seeing me on such short notice.” Luna stated.

“Of course Princess! Saddle Arabia had long valued the relationship with her sister country across the sea. Tell me Princess, how is your sister? I have not seen her since I was a filly!” The emperor cried out in a thick Saddle Arabian accent.

“I…. don’t know.” Luna’s voice now getting weaker loomed through the ancient palace.

“Princess, is there something wrong?” The emperor said, taking a worried tone in his voice.

“I-I need shelter. I no longer live in Equestria.” Luna spit out the truth as she hung her sore head. Alicia gasped at this. She knew Luna was lying to her.

“By the beard of Starswirl! How is that possible?” The emperor spoke, flabbergasted by what Luna was telling him.

“Oh you poor dear! What happened?”” His wife said with sympathy.

“I’ve been on my own for months! Celestia gotten...mean!” Luna shouted. “She doesn't care about anypony anymore.The only thing she cares about is ruling Equestria.”

“Oh your highness! I can’t imagine that Princess Celestia do such a thing! Ever since I saw her as a filly, I knew that she was supposed to represent wisdom and compassion!” The Empress spoke aghast.

“She’s changed!”

“Go on,”

“When we battled King Sombra in the North, He cornered Celestia, and did something to her. I saw her eyes, she wasn’t the same after that.”

“Oh heavens no!”

“When we finally defeated King Sombra, I didn’t think his power left Celestia. It’s like… he’s still influencing her!” Luna exclaimed.

“That is of great concern!” The emperor spoke.

“We should send a delegation to Princess Celestia!” The empress squealed.

“NO! No… would you your majesties...help me?” Luna shrieked.

“Of course gentle princess. You are welcome to stay here at the palace. Any further action however, must be thought out.”

Alicia let herself fall from the wall and flew down to the town. She needed to get to Celestia fast and tell her where her sister was or the princess of the night could be lost for all eternity.

Next Chapter: Confronting Chamberlin Estimated time remaining: 13 Minutes