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Tooth and Nail

by totallynotabrony

Chapter 1

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Tooth and Nail

Equestria had been in turmoil for several weeks. Discord had laid a swath of chaos across the land. This time his absurdities had been terminated quickly with the help of six mares wielding the Elements of Harmony, although the Element of Laughter had complained bitterly about cutting short the availability of chocolate rain.

One thing had not returned to normal, however. Princess Celestia had not been seen since disorder had broken out. In her absence, her sister Luna had been coping as best she could with the daunting task of bringing things back to normal and managing Equestria.

Princess Luna watched out her window as the sun tracked its way across the sky. The blue mare's expression was grim as she turned away from the bright glare and closed the blinds. The sunlight was a reminder of her missing sister.

She turned to her paperwork for the day, doubled since Celestia had disappeared, when a sudden explosion shook her office. Luna was knocked back from her desk and temporarily blinded by a flash of light as bright as the sun.

The Princess peeped out from behind some of her furniture, magic charging and preparing for attack. Instead, there was an oppressive silence accompanied by a faint cloud of acrid smoke that hung in the air.

Luna edged out further into the room, mind whirling. The soldiers and magical wards should have stopped any kind of attack before it reached her office. That didn't mean she could let her guard down, however. The mare spotted something on the floor in front her desk that hadn’t been there before. As she watched, it moved.

The thing was covered in fabric of a mottled blue color. Its limbs moved and it slowly rolled over. “Josh, are you all right?”

Luna blinked and her ears swivelled forward in sheer amazement. It was one thing to find a never-before-seen creature that spoke a known language, but quite another to recognize its voice. She stepped forward. “Celestia?”

The creature raised its head from the floor, its eyes opening to reveal irises a familiar shade of violet. “Luna…Thank Harmony, I’m back!”

Princess Luna stared. Her sister—if that’s really who it was—had changed into a completely different life form. She had two long legs clad in trousers and some sort of boots. Her forward appendages were shorter and more delicate, with pale skin revealed under rolled-up sleeves. All her clothing showed the same strange blue pattern. The body’s form seemed vaguely apelike, with fingered hands and a flat face with no protruding muzzle.

“What happened?” asked Luna.

Celestia groaned in pain and fatigue as she grasped the edge of the desk and hauled herself up. It seemed that she was about as tall as before, putting her eyes a familar distance from the floor.

“It’s a very long story.” Celestia brushed soiled yellow hair out of her face. She looked at her hands. “I had hoped it might have a better ending.”

“We will find a way to turn you back,” Luna quickly exclaimed. She had no idea what magic she might be dealing with and hoped with all her heart she was telling the truth.

A pained look came to Celestia’s face. “That’s going to be very difficult, I’m afraid. I’ve already looked into it.”

“How? How do you do magic without a horn?” Luna examined the strange bipedal form again.

“It’s a limited kind of magic.” Celestia shrugged, a movement that wobbled her entire body more than it probably should have. “I’m so tired, Luna. I’m glad to be home.”

“I’ll call the maid service and get your bed prepared,” said Luna. “You’ve been away for weeks.”

“Honestly, the office sofa would do. Right now, I’m not picky.” Celestia looked around, spotting the window blinds that kept the sun from lighting the room. She gestured to it. “I see you’ve gotten over your fear of the dark.”

Her younger sister giggled. “That old joke? Oh, I don’t care. I’m so happy you’re back, no matter what you look like.”

Luna rushed forward. Her sister knelt, wrapping her strange arms around Luna’s neck. Celestia’s clothing had odors of smoke, chemicals, and—was that blood? Luna put aside her disgust for a moment. Reassuringly, underneath the other things Celestia smelled like herself.

From close up, Luna could see green, blue, and pink pastel colors in the roots of Celestia’s hair. It must have been dyed. Upon further examination, the tresses didn’t extend downwards like a pony, leaving the nape of her neck bare. The total length was cut short, about even with her chin. Combined with her strange attire, it made Luna wonder if perhaps her sister had been disguising some of her features.

“I missed you so much,” murmured Celestia, fingers running through her younger sister’s mane. Luna felt perplexed by the touch, completely unused to such digits.

“You really must tell me what happened,” Luna said quietly. “Also, who is Josh?”

“A friend.” Celestia pulled back from her sister and looked away, sadness and regret on her face. “The story, as you know, starts with Discord. He said that he would show me what real chaos looked like.”

Luna noticed her hurried change of subject, but didn’t comment. Celestia went on. “Discord exiled me to a different planet. I saw a lot of the place, and learned about even more. It was hard to take it all in. I’m getting ahead of myself, though. I first arrived in a city by an ocean. It was a place called Honolulu.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 2 Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 37 Minutes
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