Luna’s Story 4: Traitor Among Us
Part 2: Test Theory

An oily-maned stallion stood over a messy desk of black tomes filled with red words. Pentagrams were drawn all over the walls, filled with incantations so dark one would shudder to wilt one’s head to read them all. Salt, zinc, magnesium, iron filings, and other things were set in little piles around the room. “It’ll work. It’ll work!” Test Theory babbled to himself, writing furiously with his hoof while his horn glowed. “I know it will! It’ll be the scientific breakthrough of the century!” The exploding beaker of acidic fluid printed on his flank glistened with anxious sweat.

A pregnant mare lay strapped to an examination table behind him, whimpering in distress as she wiggled against her bonds. Ohhh, the foal! It hurt! She was very close to term, and had been easily snatched off the street in the dead of night. A rag and a little chloroform could go a long way, when one knew one’s way around a chemistry set and a few dark alleys. She sweated, looking fearfully around and squealing softly against the bags in her mouth.

The mad stallion turned, wielding charcoal, chalk and a wide diagram. “Now then! We’re all set!” his pupils shrank in excitement, and the mare began to wiggle harder, sweating and whimpering and moaning for mercy. The foal in her womb shifted, seeming to sense its mother’s distress. “Did you know that this spell is actually over a thousand years old? And to think ponies stopped using it! Pfft!” He leaned over her swollen belly, drawing several broad and sinister-looking runes on her.

“Mhhh! MHHHH! Mhhh-hm-hm-hmmm!” she tried to squirm away, to save her baby from the madpony and his probing hooves. Tears streaked her cheeks, leaving trails of moisture. How could she have been so stupid, going home by herself in the dead of night?! She began to weep openly when the unicorn stallion began mumbling black words over her.

The runes on and around her belly began to glow. Her eyes widened and she went slack a moment, peering over the ropes in horror. He wasn’t using magic like a normal unicorn, he was using words and magic circles like a zebra. It was foreign magic. Then his horn ignited and her dread increased. He was mixing magic, that mad-pony! The magnesium to one side began to smoke and idle, then crackle with white light. The massive pentagrams around the room began to pulse and warp like spinning wheels. “Yes! Yes-sss! YEEEESSS!” the stallion reared up, throwing his hooves skyward in wicked jubilation.

Suddenly the far window violently exploded and a trio of Lunar Stallions sailed courageously into the room! One of them skidded across the pile of iron shavings, breaking the perfectly-made sigil. The spell began to sputter and go out of control. They’d misbalanced the perfect equation the spell required! “This is the Canterlot Lunar Stallion Corps! You’re under arrest!” The door behind the mad scientist blasted off its hinges and Panzer Hoof thundered into the room on hooves the size of dinner plates. The room visibly shook at his titanic fury. The villain had only moments to look terrified before he was violently tackled into his alchemy table and his bookshelf smashed him. Panzer stood atop it to keep him there. “Save the mare!” he roared.

The two pegasi dropped the third pony, a unicorn, who lit his horn with a teeth-gritting grunt. Bolts magic arced back and forth as the Lunar Stallion conjured a dome-shaped shield over them. The two pegasi covered the pregnant mare with their bodies, working quickly with the ropes. “It’s gonna blow! It’s too unstable!” roared the unicorn to his comrades. “Get her out of here!” The two winged ponies wrestled the very pregnant mare out of her bonds and onto their backs. Panzer Hoof gestured harshly, and they took the doorway he’d bashed open on the way in, out into the adjoining alleyway. She shrieked and held on for dear life as they fled.

“She’s out, let’s go!” Panzer Hoof shouted over the roar of wild magic, thrusting the bookshelf out of the way and grabbing the ragdoll that was their suspect. “Clear out!”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” The unicorn shouted, igniting his horn again and running for dear life. Panzer, the mad pony and the unicorn just crossed the threshold out of the building as the spell went completely haywire and imploded onto itself. The sudden reversal of space, time, and gravity SUCKED the building into itself until it was the size of a beach ball. It left a flat lot, not even a crater. The whole place was simply gone. All six ponies lay there panting, gasping, thankful to be alive. There was silence.

“You!” Glitter Star sat up, rubbing sweat and blood out of her eyes as she righted herself. “You’re under arrest! For kidnapping, for holding somepony hostage, for the gross misuse of Starswirl the Bearded’s Amnio-morphic spell,” She grabbed the mad stallion by the mane, slamming him face down into the dirt. She practically sat on him, pulling out her four-way hoof-cuffs and slamming an inhibitor ring over his horn. If he tried magic, it would electrocute him like a bolt of lightning. “And for being that bucking UGLY!” she finished with a flourish, kicking him for good measure. The stallion coughed heavily, laying in a pathetic heap of sweat and grime. Glitter Star stood there, panting viciously with all of her fangs out.

“And you’re dating her, huh?” the other pegasus Lunar Stallion grunted, snorting at Panzer Hoof.

“Yeah, isn’t she great?” Panzer snorted with deep, bell-like laughter. “Let’s get her to a hospital.” He said, righting himself and gently nosing the stunned, very round-bellied mare. “We’ll need to check on the foal as soon as possible.”
“Why stop me?!” the mad stallion suddenly yelled. “Why chance your foal being flawed?! I could’ve made it perfect!” Glitter Star roughly kicked the fallen stallion again. “Starlswirl the Bearded’s spell is perfect!” he just didn’t shut up, no matter how much she brutalized him. Her jowls rose to expose her jagged piranha teeth, and she dove to tear his throat out!

Panzer grabbed her in his great arms. “Stop! Stop!” he commanded.

“Neigh!” Glitter Star frothed at the mouth. The ancestors in the back of her head demanded blood! Demanded death! How dare somepony play God with a pregnant mare’s unborn foal?!” “Nei-i-i-igh!” she thrashed forward, her long teeth just aching to sink into his soft, inviting flesh. She scratched at the ground with her hooves while the mad stallion scrambled back in terror. She chomped at air, pure bloodlust in her eyes.

“Glitter Star! Control yourself! It’s the armor, it’s still sinking in!” Panzer roared, holding her tight from behind so she couldn’t turn on him and rip his head off instead. It took some doing, but soon the death in the Lunar Mare’s eyes frothed down into a hissing simmer. “Don’t let the ancestors control you.” He whispered heavily in her ear, growling it. “Just let them guide you. Easy… easy now…” he eased up on his crushing embrace, slowly letting her free again. Glitter Star stood there, panting loudly. She’d been so angry, wow… was this what it was like to be a Lunar Stallion—er, mare? On a knife’s edge when her emotion’s peaked? She turned to look at Panzer, thanking him with her eyes. Letting her go, he turned with a calmer voice. “You two. Take this mare to the hospital, straight away.”

“Right away, sir.” The pegasus and unicorn saluted, turning to help the mare along.

The pregnant pony rose, holding her belly. She was stained with grime, dirk, charcoal symbols and who knew what else. She was in a sorry state, but… she still found it in herself to smile at the gathered soldiers. “Oh, bless you, Lunar Stallions…” she whispered, her eyes soft as she leaned heavily on one of her two escorts. “Bless you! I’ll tell my foal every day about you!” she cried openly as she was led away down the deserted street to safety. Only Panzer and Glitter remained behind with the mad pony.

“As for you…” Panzer turned with a black growl, eyeing the oily-maned stallion laying on the ground. He gave a little yip of fear as Panzer and Glitter cast their shadows over him in intimidation. “Messing with a foal with that spell is enough to get you life in prison. Hope you like the color grey, it’s all you’re gonna be seeing for a long time.”

“Why be normal when you can be perfect?! Starswirl showed us how to mold our foals in the womb!” he belted, trying to stand before Glitter Star rudely shoved him down again.

“That spell is to prevent birth defects, and it was halted over a thousand years ago after the invention of prenatal care.” Panzer leaned and grabbed the leash of the chain that the cuffs were attached to. “Now walk, and don’t say a bucking word. Plenty can happen to you between here and the deepest dungeon in Canterlot.” He shorted hot steam from his muzzle as the madpony rose, limping forward as bidden. Glitter gnashed her teeth at him, then walked shoulder to shoulder with Panzer. Not bad for her first night out on the job!

=-----=-----=-----=-----=

“You know, as an organization you gotta admit the Lunar Stallions are pretty irresponsible with our medallions.” Falling Storm said idly while they loaded the unconscious newborn Lunar Stallion into what basically amounted as a mobile steel box. They chained the limp beast up in half a dozen manacles, put a muzzle on his face, and then locked the door with eight different mechanisms. He’d been frenzied when he’d been knocked out. If he woke up the same way, he might be more than a little pissed off when he woke up.

“Why do you say that?” asked the unicorn Lunar Stallion next to him.

“Well, a thousand years ago the Lunar Stallions dispersed. Why not just round up all the medallions and seal them away or something? Until Luna got back?” The sky blue Pegasus wondered. Falling Storm frowned in thought for a moment, tapping the steel box. “I mean, passing something down from father to son is nice and all, but these things are dangerous.” He jabbed a hoof at the grey-furred monster inside the box.

“War crimes, Falling Storm. War crimes. They were afraid, so they hid.” Luna had appeared behind him, wings unfurled. Both stallions jumped, turning about and saluting her. “At ease.” She said dismissively, turning and inspecting the steel trap they’d borrowed from the Ponyville jailhouse. “The Lunar Stallions followed me all the way up to my transformation into Nightmare Moon, and some even after I had. A hoof full of them followed me into darkness, never to return.” her voice took on a remorseful tone, but she soon buried it in her own inner thoughts. “You will take him back to Canterlot. The Lunar Stallion Academy is almost finished. Take him to the vault and keep him under heavy guard. He doesn’t leave it until he has his mind back.” Both stallions saluted. After they’d mare-handled the cage onto a cart, they were ready to go.

Twilight Sparkle stood nearby, frowning at Princess Luna. “What will you do with him, Princess?”

“Lunar Stallions do not remain feral for long after donning their necklaces..” She said thoughtfully. “He is descended from the original Lunar Stallions, so… he will be brought to live among the others.” The alicorn turned with a somber smile, looking at the destruction on the road, at the jailhouse… and she thought of the two dead ponies at the Britishhooves residence.

“I’d like to come and help.” The unicorn mage said, the bell on the end of her pointed hat jingling. Luna opened her mouth to forbid such a thing, but Twilight quickly added, “Ponyville deserves to know what happened to the Britishhooves household. If I were to come back with at least partial answers it would set their minds at ease.” There really wasn’t any arguing with that, to be honest. Such a terrible accident should not be forever shrouded in mystery. The citizens of Ponyville deserved to know.

Luna considered for a long few moments of silence. “I shall read your report before you deliver it to your fellow villagers.” She said with an air of authority. “Though they deserve to know why and how this travesty occurred, the Lunar Stallions are not without their secrets. The public does not need to know everything.” She folded her wings regally and turned her muzzle up a little. “You of all ponies know how knowledge can affect others when bestowed without restraint.”

Twilight Sparkle gingerly set her lamp on the ground and blew out the flame within. “Yes.” She said a little soberly. She didn’t like to be censored like that, but the purple mare knew she was going to be drifting into a place that was not only royal in nature, but specifically male. Twilight knew she would probably not be welcome amongst the powerful and mysterious Lunar Stallions. She would need to tread lightly. “I-I’ll just be there until Pip comes back to his senses and he’s on his hooves again.” Giving her hat bell a toss she sighed, nodding mostly to herself. “Go on ahead, I’ll join you in Canterlot before dusk.”

“Very well.” Luna nodded to Aegis Shield, who came close and raised a hoof to touch her shoulder. There was a pause. “Nightmare Night will not be the same without Pip, Twilight Sparkle.” She said a little sadly. “I do not think he will dare come back to Ponyville after… what happened.” She said delicately.

“No.” Twilight said glumly, turning away to return to the library. “I wouldn’t either, if it were me.” her head hung a little low and she started down the street. Aegis Shield and Princess Luna winked out of existence with a crack of parted air. Twilight briefly wondered why she didn’t just teleport herself, the guards, and the cage to Canterlot. Shrugging and deciding to worry about her own problems, she turned the corner to head for home.

“Twilight! Twilight!” Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared out of an alley, as though she’d totally been waiting for the mage the whole time. “Good morning!” Suddenly out of the alleyway piled a quintet of bubble-gum pink foals all shouting and squealing and laughing similarly to their mother. The purple mare briefly cursed the fertile stallion Pinkie Pie had married for unleashing another FIVE Pinkie Pies on the world. Berry, Chocolate, Lemon, Vegetable Pot, and Apple were their names, and they had just as much energy—if not more—than their mother. Only a mare like Pinkie Pie would have five children and sometimes talk about more. Ah well, when your husband was an ice cream store chain owner, one could have lots of foals and still live comfortably.

“Morning…” Twilight glanced at the horizon, seeing that it was barely past dawn. “Oh right. Good morning, Pies.” She smiled as the foals gathered affectionately around her and nuzzled at her legs and undercarriage. Such affectionate things. They definitely took after Pinkie Pie. Smiling lovingly, Twilight gave a flick of magic to send a cloud of ghostly butterflies up and down the sidewalk. They squealed and chased after them back and forth. Pinkie Pie chuckled, coming and hugging her friend.

“Why the face, miss frownie pants?” Pinkie Pie affectionately reached up and adjusted Twilight’s pointed mage hat so she could see her face better. Twilight smiled tiredly. “You look like you’ve been up spell-casting all night again!”

“There was an… incident.” The mage sighed a little. “Princess Luna was here in town for a little while, too.”

“Really?” Pinkie said. “Nightmare Night is tonight, I was sure she wouldn’t pop in until dark!” the pink mare looked excitedly about, as though Luna might be hiding in a bush nearby.

“I’m going to Canterlot to help out with what happened. I’m not sure if we’ll even be back for Nightmare Night.” Twilight paused when Pinkie Pie deflated in the mane like a tire. “B-but don’t worry, I’m sure the Princess will at least stop in Ponyville tonight. It’s tradition that she spend Nightmare Night in Ponyville after all. She won’t let you down.” Even as Twilight Sparkle said the words she wasn’t sure. After witnessing everything she had the previous night, she wasn’t sure Luna wouldn’t just forget about Nightmare Night entirely.

“Well, you be careful Twilight.” Pinkie Pie once again hugged her old friend with much affection. “If you don’t make it home for Nightmare Night, we’ll save you some sweets. Girls!” The pink mare called out to her gaggle of foals, mane re-inflating like a balloon. They turned and raced over, arranging themselves in a horseshoe shape around their mother. “Say goodbye to Twilight Sparkle!”

“Bye Twi-liiiight!” They chorused, then broke into the insane giggles that ran in the family.

Twilight smiled, trying to fight down the shudder working its way down her spine. In about fifteen years there would be five fully-grown mares with all the potent power of the Pinkie Sense—along with the boundless energy of their mother—running around Ponyville. As Twilight strode away, spirits lifted just a bit, she wondered if all the Pie clan mares bred like rabbits. She giggled to herself, a blush crossing her face.

Reaching the library at last, she found Spike leaning over a geography book. Ten years had made him take up slightly more mature hobbies, and lately he had been tracking dragon migration flight patterns. (The eventuality of moving out lay beyond Twilight Sparkle’s death, but they never spoke of it like that) He looked up when she came in. “Hey Twilight!” his adolescent voice croak-crackled, and she smiled at him warmly. “Check this out.” He pointed as she shouldered up next to him. Spike’s hand-drawn map looked just the same as the one in the book, and he’d colored his own based on the dragon breeds and families that lived there. He smiled at her toothily.

“Not bad!” Twilight said, taking off her hat now that she was home again. She hugged him briefly, still amazed that she no longer had to bend down. True though it was that dragons didn’t grow unless they hoarded items, if you have enough birthdays and Hearth’s Warming Eves-- it became an eventuality even in the pony society. Though a foot or two of height was a lot from Twilight’s perspective, he was still her ever faithful assistant. “Listen, Spike. I have to go to Canterlot for awhile.”

“Whut? But why?” he asked, looking up from his regional map. “Nightmare Night is tonight!”

“There was an accident in Ponyville and everypony is going to want answers soon.” Twilight said, levitating her saddlebags out and stuffing a few things inside. “I’m gonna leave you to run the library all on your own, okay?”

“I can already do that.” The dragon grumbled a little, watching her work a little frantically. “Wanna tell me what happened before you go?”

“A new Lunar Stallion popped up in the middle of town, and some ponies got… hurt.” She stopped, turning and looking at him meaningfully. The dragon’s expression fell. Going to him, she smiled and they hugged like brother and sister. “I don’t know everything about it just yet, but when I come back I will, okay?” She was gathering up parchment, inkwells, and other instruments. She didn’t have any books on Lunar Stallions or she would’ve grabbed those too. Truth be told there just weren’t any books on the mysterious nighttime guards.

“Promise?” Spike said, reaching and putting her mage’s hat on her head. He flicked the bell to hang off the back side of her. “And you’ll be back soon?”

Twilight nodded, and hugged him one more time before she headed to the door. The purple dragon followed, stopping in the doorway and waving. “Don’t worry Spike, all the bad stuff has already happened. This is just a fact-finding mission.” She smiled. Stepping out into a nice open space in front of the library, Twilight looked about. This looked like a good spot.

“Tell Princess Celestia I said hello!” Spike waved, then caught his head on the top of the doorframe. Grunting and holding the top of his head, he laughed embarrassedly.

Twilight smiled and nodded her head. “I will.” Her horn flickered, flickered, IGNITED like a beacon of light! Dust rushed away from her in a ring and a magic circle fifteen feet across appeared on the ground. Not drawn there, it simply materialized to magnify the significant power the mare wielded. It augmented her, aiming across the ethereal plain at her destination in the physical world. She cocked her head and looked towards Canterlot, reaching out with her mind’s eye. The magic circle’s symbols rushed back and forth to rearrange themselves, then locked in place. Purple glitters of light appeared from nowhere, all rushing to splash themselves against the purple unicorn’s body. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, her mouth going slightly agape. The air began to whir and a flush found the mare’s face as she began to look like something was really making her feel good. Without warning she suddenly burst into a bright purple mist and darted away beyond Spike’s view.

Spike snorted and grinned, shaking his head. “Wish I could do that.” He huffed a little bit of green flame and turned to go back inside.

=-----=-----=-----=

Princess Luna made sure that the moonsteel bars were strong, tapping them with her horn. She and the quartet of Lunar Stallions had put their still unconscious prisoner into the birthing vault in the heart of the lunar barracks. Everypony could see him in there, and would be able to let him out as soon as he came to his senses. If he woke up feral, he wouldn’t be able to get through the bars. Win-win. “Keep him under guard at all times, you three. I do not want him ruining Nightmare Night for anypony if he wakes up still frenzied.” She told the three lower ranking stallions. “Aegis Shield, come.” She bade, and he followed silently.

Aegis Shield waited until they were out of earshot to speak, looking up at her. “What do you think?” he asked her curiously.

“We’ll need to wait until he wakes.” The Princess said. “That may be hours or days. I hit him pretty hard.” She gave her starry mane a toss, pausing at an intersection and then headed up the spiral stairs and out of the hidden barracks.
They’d moved the Lunar Stallion barracks to the underside of the Lunar Academy, so it wouldn’t be right under the noses of the Solar Guard. The old barracks had been carefully turned into a tomb. Even those who died in the battle for Canterlot a decade ago had been very respectfully taken there, to be among their brothers in the afterlife. It was morbid, but traditional.

Luna saw Aegis looking around the hallowed, pristine halls as they emerged up into the academy. “Don’t look too closely, or you’ll have nothing left to be impressed by when the academy truly opens soon.” She smiled playfully. He blushed just a little, keeping his eyes forward.

“What will we do about Nightmare Night?” Aegis Shield asked her.

“It must continue as planned. Ponyville has been kind to me, and I have never missed a Nightmare Night there.” Luna said. They finally came to a side door and emerged into the daylight. Luna inhaled the fresh air deeply, tossing her ethereal mane once more. “It will not be as joyful without Pip there, but--!”

CRACK! The part of air and swirl of magic startled them both when they stepped outside. Twilight Sparkle stood there, brushing a few flecks of magic off of her cape. “I’m here! Sorry, I had to lock on to your magical signature mid-flight. It probably made a loud noise, haha!” she chirped at their startled looks. A teleportation spell? Over such a distance? Astounding! “Alright Princess, what can I do to help?”

“We were just deciding what to do about Nightmare Night, and the upcoming Lunar Academy ball.” Luna said, nodding when the mare bowed. Aegis Shield looked her up and down, but the casualness of her demeanor said ‘longtime friend’, so he relaxed too. “I will of course return to Ponyville this evening for the festivities, but then I must return to sort this mess out and make ready for the academy to open.”

“The Lunar Stallions are going to have an academy?” Twilight said, her eyes getting big and sparkly. “Who will you hire as teachers? What will they teach? Will it be like the Solar Guard Academy? Shining Armor told me all about that, growing up!” she was chattering away, then looked past Luna at the massive building. “Is that it? Is that it there? Wow!” she said, bouncing on all four hooves a bit. A school, in Twilight’s mind, was just like a giant library. Something to be awed and inspired by. Eeee!

“Mage!” Princess Luna snapped a little, using the purple mare’s title. “Control yourself.” Twilight blushed furiously and coughed. She gestured. “This is Aegis Shield, one of my two Captains.” She introduced the armored stallion, and they shook hooves formally.

“Being a Lunar Stallion must be a very big honor!” Twilight smiled grandly. Aegis Shield nodded politely. “There’s not even any literature about you guys out there. I’ve checked!” she tittered at him like a bird over a brightly colored bug that it had never seen before. She peered at him curiously. Automatically, Aegis made sure to hide his teeth from her. If she’d never seen a Lunar Stallion up close (in ten years? With three living in Ponyville?), he didn’t need to scare her silly.

“There are a few books, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna said, thoughtful. “But… come to think of it, there is nothing written in the modern tongue about them!” Her brow suddenly rose in shock. Aegis Shield looked up at her with questions in her eyes. “All the knowledge I’ve passed along about them is by mouth. We’ve no literature!”

Twilight was aghast, her eyes big and soft. “No books? At all?” she was suddenly a foal again, her tears rising. How could there be a subject in all Equestria about which there were NO books? It was unheard of.

“Twilight Sparkle.” Luna suddenly turned, her serious-princess face upon her. “There are no books, public or classified, about the Lunar Stallions written in the modern tongue. This is a problem that must be remedied before the Lunar Academy is to open properly.” How had such an enormous oversight happened? She was about to recruit a bunch of new soldiers, and had no owner’s manual to give them! Preposterous! Twilight Sparkle fretted, very upset about the lack of books on the subject.

Aegis Shield watched the serious Princess and the fretting mage, unsure any input he had to give would be worth anything. Then it came to him. “Erm, your Majesty?” he spoke aloud, making Luna turn her head. “If there are no books or manuals about the Lunar Stallions, why don’t you commission a scholar to write one for you? Maybe a professor?”

Luna’s face lit up, and Twilight Sparkle’s mouth made a perfect ‘o’ shape. “Aegis, that is an excellent plan!” she praised, smiling grandly. Then without warning she turned to the purple unicorn, “Twilight, art thou up to the task?” she said, playfully using her old dialect.

Twilight’s eyebrows shot into her mane, beyond the brim of her hat. “What?! Me?! Write a book?” she said worriedly. “About… about something nopony knows about?” the weight of responsibility rammed hard across her shoulders, frightening her. “But I--!”

“Who better than my sister’s protégé, one of Equestria’s best scholars and smartest unicorns?” Luna lavished her with praise, already very much liking the idea. Twilight smiled bashfully. Well, she was just a little bit impressive when she put it that way. “And the element of Harmony to boot! Why,” Luna paused for dramatic effect, a broader smile going across her face. “Is is not one of the requirements for the coveted title of Archmage—to write a manuscript on a branch of magic not yet explored? It is why there are so few Archmages anymore!”

Twilight Sparkle’s pupils tripled in size. Archmage. Archmage Twilight Sparkle. Her knees knocked together as though a handsome stallion had just wandered up and slapped her on the flank. Arch. Mage. Twilight Sparkle. She wanted it. The most coveted title any unicorn could ever endeavor for. The last pony to hold it was Starswirl himself. She wanted it bad. Luna had dangled the perfect prize at her. “I’ll do it.” She said a little robotically, a great smile plastered across her face. Luna chuckled, a hoof over her mouth. “I’ll… I’ll need help, though.” She looked up, snapping out of her reverie. “A test subject. Can you lend me one of your Lunar Stallions for study?” Twilight asked Princess Luna.

“How about Stalwart Hide?” Aegis Shield suggested, looking up at Luna. “He was the second Lunar Stallion of this era, and even fought in the battle for Canterlot. He’s exemplary.”

“True, he is!” Luna was glad the ball was rolling, whole-heartedly agreeing with Aegis.

“That sounds interesting!” Twilight said. With severe lack of non-public knowledge available to her, the young mage was getting bouncy and excited. The mere idea of studying a Lunar Stallion, something the public knew little of beyond the obvious, was like discovering a new species! Just think of the papers and essays she could write! And a book, ohhhh a book with her name on it. All About Lunar Stallions, by Twilight Sparkle. Eee! She fought down a yes-yes-yes dance, giggling loudly.

As though by some vast, comedic cue Stalwart Hide in full armor swooped down from on high. “Princess Luna!” he called down in his deep bronze voice. “Good morning! I didn’t expect to see you up so… early.” he landed with an even clop of four hooves, bowing and spreading his wings upon the ground. “Vivas Noctus.” He said reverently from the ground. Luna inclined her head. Twilight was instantly fascinated by this. She’d never seen a pony bow that way, didn’t that dirty his wings? And what was that phrase? It sounded like another language. She would need to look that up later…

“You are uncanny, Stalwart Hide, we were just speaking about you.” Princess Luna said cheerfully. “This is Twilight Sparkle, she’s going to be writing a book out you and your fellow Lunar Stallions.”

“Er,” Stalwart Hide said a little uncomfortably. “Princess, if you created the Lunar Stallions and everything that has to do with us, why can’t you just--” he saw the searing glare Aegis Shield was giving him. “Er… right. Always willing to help, your majesty!” he amended.

“We prefer a third party’s eyes.” Luna said acidly, frowning for a few moments until he looked sufficiently sorry at her. “While I created everything Lunar Stallion related, it is because of that that I may miss something. It is like looking for errors in one’s own writing.”

“Your eyes just slide across misspellings and things like that.” Twilight put in, nodding. “Don’t worry, Stalwart Hide, I’m Princess Celestia’s protégé! You’re in perfectly professional hooves!” she beamed. Stalwart Hide wiped his face of the rather miserable expression on his face. The idea of a strange mare ‘examining’ him didn’t really appeal, much less so up close and personal. Most of the qualities of a Lunar Stallion were strictly physical, so he knew there would be a lot of poking and prodding. In the back of Stalwart’s head, the ancestors murmured with disapproval, not sure what to make of the purple mare just yet. They conferred and quietly debated, but gave him no offered opinion.

“Right.” Luna said, huffing as though to wipe a slate clean. “I am going to bed. The sun is rising.” She stretched, yawned, and pulled Aegis Shield rather unceremoniously to her side. “Come to bed, Aegis Shield, lest I fall asleep on my hooves.” He smiled bashfully, bowing his head and following his Princess towards the palace. Twilight watched them go, an alarmed look on her face.

“They’re lovers. Have been since the Lunar Stallions got started back up.” Stalwart Hide put in. “It’s not a huge secret, but not many talk about it.”

“Are Lunar Stallions more potent in bed?” Twilight wondered aloud, stroking her chin. Stalwart Hide went scarlet, face-hoofing. Twilight legitimately wondered at the logistics of alicorn-Lunar Stallion relations. Did the breed provide them with the extra strength and endurance needed to bed a goddess? Well no, wait, Big Macintosh was with Princess Celestia… sort of… that was more of a secret though… her brow scrunched and she stood there, perfectly still, for over a minute. Stalwart Hide leaned with a frown, looking into her face. She didn’t respond, she was so deep in thought. He waved a hoof at her, but no, her eyes saw something elsewhere while she was thinking. A thought bubble appeared over her head, complete with a cartoon alicorn, a cartoon of each pony stallion breed, and then Solar and Lunar Stallions. Fancy mathematics began to add, then multiply… multiply?! Twilight gave a start, her cheeks flushing red, when Stalwart Hide poked her sharply. “What?!” she said loudly.

“I said what do we do first?” he grouched back at her.

The mage gulped a little, then cocked her head. She didn’t know where to begin. Where did one begin when documenting a brand new species or breed? Surely it would be no different for ponies than with animals? She rubbed her chin for a long for moments, the well-oiled gears in her mind turning. “Ah!” she said, thrusting a hoof up. “I must observe the subject in his natural environment!” The Lunar Stallion didn’t know whether to scowl or laugh at her. She talked like he wasn’t there listening. “Can I see where you eat a lot? Or maybe where you sleep? Isn’t there a barracks for the Lunar Stallions?” She was full of questions right out of the starting gate.

“Er, well sure.” He nodded. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure that civilians were allowed into the Lunar Barracks. But then again she was both an mage and Celestia’s prized student. Surely an exception could be made. Yawning a little, since he was used to sleeping in the day, he gestured for her to follow.

Once inside the Lunar Academy, they headed deep down into the mountain, past where the sun would ever touch. After entering a large atrium they stepped over some sort of invisible line that set off some of Twilight’s magical alarms, and suddenly they were in front of a set of double doors that hadn’t been there before. “Wow.” She said, looking them up and down. “So I guess you can’t get in unless you’re invited, huh? I never would’ve found these!”

“You’re with a Lunar Stallion, that’s part of what lets you see them.” Stalwart Hide pushed the doors open, revealing the spiraling staircase. He stepped aside so the mare could go first. Cocking her head, Twilight levitated quill and parchment to one side of herself. As soon as it was set in place in the air next to her, the pen started writing furiously. Every time Twilight seemed to notice something new or interesting even on the stairs on the way down, the quill would jerk about and write on its own. Stalwart Hide, being a Pegasus, had no idea how something like that would work, but it was fun to watch.

When they reached the bottom and emerged into the great room, Twilight stopped to look around. It reminded her of an old Neighway hall, where Vikings would share grog and tell stories around long tables. There was a roaring hearth with tons of spare wood, plenty of furniture to stretch out on, and lots of stylized wall art. The long table was, amazingly enough, long enough to seat every single Lunar Stallion. The room was big enough for a table so large. Twilight had no idea how they would’ve found a tree big enough to carve such a thing, or much less how it didn’t collapse on itself. She scanned it briefly, and found it covered with spells. Anti-shattering, Anti-scratching, Anti-staining, anti-heat, anti-cold, waterproofing, and so on and so on. If a Canterlot scholar sat down with an encyclopedia of spells to wrap around a table, of all things, all of them had to be there. The thing was meant to stand up to even a rowdy group of seventy stallions. Twilight’s quill dipped itself in ink again, and began writing about her predictions on the Lunar Stallion sense of community. “Wow.” Twilight said again, peering about and taking her pointed hat off in awe. “It’s much bigger than I thought.” She admitted.

“Princess Luna expects the best, but she also gives the best.” Stalwart Hide smiled with pride as she did a slow lap around the great room, admiring just about everything. “Living here is a privilege, even if it’s two or three stallions to a room.”

“Oh, can you show me the sleeping rooms, then?” The purple mare was already moving on and wanting to see more. In the short span her magic quill and paper had already written more than seven paragraphs of random tidbits of information. He led her along, perking his ears and listening. Nopony was home, it seemed.

“We’re all stationed in the towns around Canterlot, right now. The normal meet up is tonight for the Nightmare Night festival. All twenty-four Lunar Stallions are going to be there. Or they should be.” He smiled happily, looking forward to see his comrades like they were so many siblings.

“Twenty-four?” Twilight frowned as they passed bedroom door after bedroom door. “But the table out there has enough room for three times that.”

Stalwart Hide stopped a moment and looked at her seriously. “There were seventy of us, before the battle for Canterlot.” He whispered. “We lost a lot of good stallions that day.” Twilight wilted back a little, seeing the haunted look in his eyes. “But!” he heaved a quick breath, trying to keep the mood light. “With the Lunar Academy about to be unveiled, soon we’ll replenish our numbers.” He stopped and gestured to a door at the very end of the hall. “My room. Mine and Aegis Shield’s… though he doesn’t sleep here much anymore.” He snickered.

Twilight pushed the door open curiously, wrinkling her nose a little. It certainly smelled like a boy’s room. There was a bookshelf, which she approached with interest and scanned the titles. “Huhm…” she said, magic quill dancing as she did a slow lap around the room. There was almost nothing to it, it was strictly functional.

“Er.” Stalwart Hide felt a certain warmth in his cheeks while a mare walked around inspecting his room. Princess Luna never asked anything about the personal quarters of her stallions. If they wanted to live in filth or cleanliness, it was their own business—so long as they saw to their duties properly and observed good hygiene. “What do you—!”

“SHH!” Twilight, mage or no, was in investigation mode. She stuck her muzzle under his bed. She deflated, finding no secret journal or dirty magazines or anything of the sort. She opened his drawers, fiddled with his things. He watched her go back and forth, cocking his head curiously. What was she looking for? Whatever it was, she couldn’t seem to find it anywhere. “Jeez you’re boring!” she suddenly squawked at him, face-hoofing.

“Hey!” Stalwart Hide dropped his polite demeanor right then. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“There’s nothing personal here!” The purple mare declared, gesturing around. “No photos of family! No dirty magazines! No snack food rotting in the drawers! No stuffed animals from your foalhood! Nothing!”

The Lunar Stallion scowled at her and started to growl a little ferally. His jowls lifted, exposing jagged teeth. “You pompus, rude--!”

Suddenly she’d grabbed his head. “Wow, lookit your teeth!” she said in awe and adoration, peering at him. His teeth looked razor-sharp, triangularly shaped like a piranha’s mouth. “Say ahhh!” when he refused she kicked him a little.

“Ahh-!” he said, but as his mouth opened she turned his head to inspect his ears instead. Princess Luna, Stalwart Hide worried, you’ve left me in the hooves of a mad-mare.

Some Time Later…

Princess Luna and Aegis Shield came down into the Lunar barracks great room, chatting about the Nightmare Night festival that was only hours away. They only had to pick up Stalwart Hide and check on the black-furred prisoner, and they’d be on their way. After all, it took two Lunar Stallion Captains to pull the royal chariot. Luna did love to make an entrance. What the pair of them came across, though, stopped them dead in their tracks. “Twilight Sparkle!” Luna barked, completely taken aback.

Stalwart Hide was standing on four stacks of books, very much on display. Twilight Sparkle, her hat and cloak off to one side, was lying on her back underneath him, T-ways. She was armed with a tape measure, a magnifying glass, and had a strange instrument on her head. It had several colored lenses that could be adjusted for the light spectrum as well as magnification. “Oh thank the moon!” Stalwart Hide shuddered happily, seeing them approach.

Twilight sat up, scooting out from under him like she’d been working on a car (Er… cart, in Equestria). “Princess! I’ve just made a great discovery!” she said, cantering over and sticking her muzzle into her bag. She went to Stalwart Hide and broke a glass phial over his helm, then jabbed his underbelly with it. The stallion giggled, jittering on his hooves without meaning to. Aegis Shield cocked his head. “Lunar Stallion fur can withstand most crystallized substances! I tried glass, crystal, quartz shavings, everything! Nothing breaks the skin!”

“We should show her Panzer Hoof, she’d have a field day.” Grumbled Aegis Shield out of the side of his muzzle.

Luna snorted, stepping forward. “Stalwart Hide, you are done for now. It is time for the Nightmare Night Festival.” She pulled him off of the stacks of books before Twilight could stop her. “You may have him back later, Twilight.” She said loudly before the purple mare could protest. Stalwart Hide wanted to hug Luna so badly, it was only his dignity as a soldier that stopped him. “Come, I need you both to pull the royal chariot to Ponyville. Go and prepare, be ready in one hour to depart.”

“Yes Princess!” Stalwart Hide said way too loudly, rushing away and up the stairs like his tail was on fire. Aegis Shield tried very hard not to snicker at his comrade, and followed.

“What?” Twilight said, tilting her head. One of the lenses over her eyes made her eye look enormous, and the other made it look far away. “You’re looking at me like…” she flustered a little. “I’m just gathering information! Honest!”

There was a long silence and Luna smiled painfully. “Just… be gentler with my stallions, huhm?” she said. “They’ve been through more than you can imagine.”

“Sorry…” Twilight mumbled, remembering the stallion’s comment about the battle for Canterlot. She cleared her throat a little, looking to one side in embarrassment.

“You may stay here if it suits you, and compile your information. Draw some conclusions.” The Princess gestured. “With a total of six Lunar Stallions in Canterlot, I don’t think you’ll be disturbed down here.” Twilight nodded apologetically, and the Princess turned to go.

“Er, Princess?” Twilight called after her.

“Yes, mage?”

“Er… uhm…” Twilight wanted to think of something nicer to say, to let the Princess know she was taking it all very seriously. But nothing noble sprang to mind and she wilted. “Happy Nightmare Night.” She said a little glumly.

“Happy Nightmare Night, Twilight.” Luna smiled in a way that reminded her very much of Celestia. A soft, amused way that said she knew far more than she let on. Twilight could only guess at what it was.

Sitting at the long table after Princess Luna was gone, Twilight Sparkle put her cloak around her shoulders. Going to the massive hearth she put a few more logs on and stirred it with a poker. When the flames started to lick at the wood, she returned to her chair. She copied her notes down much more neatly, categorizing them and sorting them in order of importance. She kept the originals for safety, in her saddlebag. Sighing and feeling a little guilty for treating Stalwart Hide like a science project, she picked up her quill with her magic. Lunar Stallions are ponies too, not just Lunar Stallions, she wrote.

=-----=-----=-----=

“It would’ve worked faster if only I’d… maybe chosen a tighter matrix…” the mad pony stroked his chin, scribbling equations on the wall with a rock. There was a scraping of metal and rust, which made him jerk around. The little peeking door in his cell door had opened. He squinted at the light it allowed in. Golden, draconic eyes stared in at him.

“Test Theory.” Whispered the voice beyond.

“What do you want?” he said fearfully, backing up into the corner. He’d been beaten on by several Lunar Stallions on his way to that cell, he didn’t exactly have anywhere to run. Ponies were so sensitive with their foals…

“I have questions.” The stallion on the other side of the door said in a quiet hiss. There was a little crackle as a torch was thrust into a waiting water bucket out in the hallway. Darkness plunged over both of them, until only the two golden eyes remained. They pierced Test Theory’s very soul, and he shuddered visibly. “And,” there was a pause, some shuffling, and a pencil with notepad slid into the room. “A gift.” The eyes narrowed with amusement. Test Theory rushed forward like it was a morsel of food given to a starving pony. He scribbled furiously, then SLAPPED the wall with a slip of paper from the notebook. The runes and clumsily drawn sigils ignited. Light cast itself around the room, properly lighting the cell. The golden eyes stepped back a bit, slipping into shadow. “So it’s true. You’ve studied Zafrican runecarving.”

“I can escape with this, you fool!” Test Theory said, grinning broadly as he flipped the page. His pencil danced violently, scratching the sigils across the page. “Thanks for the ticket out!” even of the Lunar Stallion flung the door open right then, he wouldn’t be able to reach him before he teleported out. Not even the inhibitor ring on his horn could stop rune magic!

“Can Starswirl the Bearded’s amniomorphic spell be used on an adult pony instead of an unborn foal?” the stallion in the hall asked abruptly.

Test Theory’s pencil jerked to a halt. He slowly looked up at the shadowed face, frowning in a troubled way. There was mad science, and then there was MAD science. He slowly put the notebook down, casting the pencil aside. Rising on all four hooves, he slowly went to the door. “Maybe. Who wants to know?” he asked, squinting out into the dark and rubbing at his oily mane.

A fine bushel of chilled carrots invaded the room through the little peeking door, and then it slammed shut. “Your new best friend.” said the muffled voice from hallway. Test Theory dove on the food, noisily stuffing his face with hungry desperation. He heard whoever it was leave, but he knew that he’d be back. The unclean stallion decided to stay for the time being. This was interesting.

=-----=-----=-----=-----=

Pip’s eyes flicked open. He saw the moonsteel bars, and went to hold them. “Hullo?” he called out into the darkness with a quiet English accent. “Is anypony there? Where am I? Hullo!?” he called louder. He held his face with his hooves. “My voice!” he said. It was a full step lower than it normally was, deep and syrupy. He looked himself over with shock. “My fur!” He backed up and saw his face in a bucket of water that had been put in the cell with him. “My face!” he said, peering so closely his nose dipped into the cool liquid. Suddenly feeling his throat on fire he doused himself into it, drinking greedily. The stallion stopped suddenly, looking around in fear. “Who’s there?!” he said. “Who’s there?!” he shouted a little louder.

“Wow, I didn’t think he would sense us.” Three Lunar Stallions melted out of shadow, standing on the other side of the bars with somber expressions.

“Please!” Pip rushed to the bars and they stepped back quickly, like he might bite them. “Where am I?! What’s happened?! Why am I like this?!” he showed them his hoof like that would explain everything. “I’m not a grey stallion! I’m a white and brown pinto!” Saying it out loud made him sound all the crazier and he moaned pathetically, gripping the bars.

“Yeah, and I’m sky blue with a green mane.” Shrugged the pegasus. He didn’t sound sarcastic. Pip looked at him. Clearly he was ashen grey, but… but… “The armor changes you, kid. That’s just what it does. You’re not gonna remember anything from your first transformation.”

“My first what?” he said, leaning so hard against the bars his head almost slipped through.

All three Lunar Stallions winced. “We… might get in trouble for tellin’ you.” said the earth pony to Pip’s left. “But so long as you’re in there, you prolly deserve to know.” They looked at him with sympathy.

“What’s happened? How did I get here?” Pip asked, jiggling the bars a little with morbid anticipation. They told him everything. Within the hour, a great and mournful cry echoed up out of the lunar academy birthing vault.

End of Part 2

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