Luna's Little Adventure

 

Little Luna holds aloft her oar, the only means of propulsion for her mighty vessel, a barrel she managed to drag into the stream not far from the castle.

>Forsooth! I shall embark upon this quest to save Equestria from the evil shadow king and avenge the honor of Equestria! Nought shall deter me, nor prevent mine sword of justice from dispatching evil!

She uses the oar to push her "vessel" into the stream.

>Behold! I sail forth upon the Sea of Calamity! No doubt many perils await, but I shall duly meet and surpass each!

Luna's vessel goes a ways down the stream, with her paddling a bit to help it along. In short order, it gets stuck on a berm of sand just beneath the surface.

>Ah! So, I have been ship-wrecked upon a deserted and forsaken land. Curses upon the shadow king for sending the storm that smashed this good and worthy vessel!

Luna looks around suspiciously.

>Methinks this land is covered with the stench of evil. Perhaps the shadow king is hereabouts.

Luna jumps out of the barrel, wooden toy sword clenched in her teeth, and wades to shore.

>Now having bestrode this land I see yon castle of some wicked minion of the shadow king. I must dispatch the guards, storm the castle, and slay him! Surely, stealth shall be at my side to approach the gates!

Luna dives behind a row of bushes and creeps up on the guard ponies at the castle entrance. They watch her in amusement but pretend not to see her. When she is close enough, she jumps out at them.

>Avast foul demons! I, Luna, knight of the moon and stars will slay you and dispatch the insidious evil what infests this castle! En garde!

The guard ponies smile at each other, and draw the toy wooden swords Luna gave them earlier with explantation that they were to be the bad guys. Then one replied.

>Vile knight! Here you meet your end! We demons will triumph and the shadow king will rule forever! Ha Ha Ha Ha!

Epic "battle" ensues. Eventually, the guards let Luna get the upper hoof. She pokes one in the belly.

>Ah! You've pierced my wicked heart! A mortal blow! I am done for!

He falls to the ground. Luna wheels around and with a fierce gaze of justice, kabonks her sword on the flank of the other guard.

>Oh, the pain! My hind legs are off! But, you haven't won! I shall call the other guards with my trumpet.

The guard begins to lift the trumpet to his lips, slow enough to let Luna take the decisive blow.

>Oh no you don't! Back to the nether realms where you belong, fiend!

She pokes him in the belly.

>Ah! I'm done for! Ack! I'm dead.

Luna momentarily surveys her work.

>Huzzah! Demons have no chance against the mighty force of justice! And now to storm the castle!

Luna charges into the castle.

>Victory for Equestria!

 

Chapter 2:

 

Luna charged into the courtyard swinging her little wooden sword wildly, much to the surprise of the townsfolk who had come to the castle market to do business. Luna saw their confused expressions and realized she had been successful in taking by surprise the demons and monsters that had taken up residence in here.

>"Back! Back! You vile fiends of darkness! How dare you enslave the good ponies of Equestria! I shall dispatch you and send you to Tartarus!"

Confused at first, the townsponies soon realized it was the feisty little moon filly up to her usual shenanigans. They began to play along.

>"Oh, yeah? What about this!" cried out an old stallion as he pointed his walking stick, which had a decorative tuft of feathers at the top, at Luna. "Pew, pew, pew!"

Luna jumped back with a shocked face, but soon her intense knight training took over and she regained her composure. She swung her sword confidently.

>"Counter! Block! Parry!....ping! ping! ping!" went her sound effects as she knocked away the fireballs from the wizard staff. "Ha! Your black magic is no match for my magical moon blade, Dark Mage! Have at you!

Luna swung her sword at the dark mage while he retreated in fear. Meanwhile, a hat salespony tied a scarf around his face and put on a very wide-brimmed hat.

>"Well, I'm gonna get you!" said the newly formed monster as he trotted toward her.

But, the cunning knight of the moon and stars caught him out of the corner of her eye and executed an evasive roll to get out of the way.

>"Evade! Counter slash!" she said as her mighty wooden sword slashed at the monster, whiffing through the air near him.

The monster made an agonizing cry and flopped down on the ground.

>Ah! you got me! To Tartarus I go! Ack!"

More townsponies jumped into the game, becoming monsters, demons, witches, undead, and other fiends. Luna's eyes widened and she took her fighting stance.

>"Aha! I am out numbered! The cup of hope for the great knight of the moon and stars beginneth to run empty! Will our hero be able to triumph? Yes!" She said the last with a confident look on her face.

The gaggle of townspony fiends closed in, but Luna held aloft her magical wooden sword.

>"I, the great knight of moon and stars call upon the power of the moon for help!" As her sword charged up she made the signature sound, "Bzzzzzzzzouwwouwwwouww!"

The townsponies looked at each other, not quite knowing what this all meant. Yet, they all felt that this must be the end for them since Luna now wore a cunning grin.

>"Huzzah! Feel the power of the moon and perish!....bzzzyou! bzzzyou! bzzyou!..." Luna blasted magical beams of purifying moonlight from her sword into the fiends."

The townsponies played their roles and fell one by one, lamenting their terrible fate with cries of pain as they did so. When the last fiend fell, the bystander ponies clapped their hooves and thanked Luna for saving them. Luna smiled and curtsied. She addressed them presently, upon this important victory.

>"Good townsfolk, you are free of the evil that enshrouded you! Forsooth! Spreadeth the good news that revolution against the shadow king is upon us! Huzzah!"

The townsponies responded with "Huzzahs!" of their own and showered acclaim upon the mighty, but small, knight. Luna sheathed her sword triumphantly. Then she approached the hat and cloth merchants, who were getting up after having been cut down by magical moon beams.

>"Honorable gentlecolts, I beseech thee. I have need of a disguise to infiltrate the inner keep to reach the evil minion of this castle and deliver ultimate destiny upon him. Will you kindly spare such a disguise?"

The hat merchant looked at the cloth merchant and the cloth merchant looked at the hat merchant. In a moment they smiled and shrugged.

>"Sure, c'mon. We'll fix you up." said the cloth merchant.

In a flash, the merchants had whipped up a cleaver disguise for her. The cloth merchant provided a purple "cloak" with swirly patterns and tassels in golden and silver thread. The hat merchant contributed a fancy hat to match, the sort of hat that the courtiers that Luna often saw milling about the castle might wear.

>"Speak truth. How is it and in what image is my likeness?"

The merchants clapped their hooves and the hat merchant responded, mimicking Luna's high ponish

>"Truly, you are in the very likeness of a dignified courtier m'lady."

Luna smiled, quite satisfied with the arrangement. Now she sat back on her haunches and flipped the cloak in front of her face, swinging her eyes from side to side the way Count Dracula would.

>"Huzzah! Then I am ready to infiltrate the black corridors of this accursed keep! With this disguise I shall blend in perfectly with the hellish demon nobles inside!"

She came back to all fours and bowed to the merchants.

>"Good day, kindly gentlecolts. I and the future of Equestria thank you for your humble assistance. With this, I shall not fail in this quest!"

They bowed in return and in reverence to this little savior of Equestria.

>"The gods and goddesses protect you on your noble quest, most noble knight!" they said together.

With that Luna adopted a dignified posture and walked, most nobly, up the steps and through the entrance to the castle keep. Commensurate with her new role as a demon courtier she adopted a sort of smug, twisted grin so that the other demon nobles would suspect nothing

 

Chapter 3:

 

At the top of the stairs, our little demon princess passed the entryway guards. Here, thought Luna, is the first test of her disguise. She took a breath and readied herself for a great performance.

>"Greetings fellow demon ponies! I the great demon of the moon have returned from spreading evil in the land whithersoever I will! Mwah! Ha! Ha!" Luna made her laugh as sinister as she could. "I have performed my labor of turning orchards into swamps, making candy bitter, and turning hats inside out with my abominable magic!"

Even though, the two guardsmares had been participants in Luna's games before, they nearly burst into laughter. Nevertheless, they were able to keep it together and the one answered with a dignified bow.

>"We commend your wicked deeds, your eminence!"

The other added.

>Oh yes! A sterling example for all of us!"

Luna bowed in return. Then she raised her cloak to cover her face as she had practiced shortly before.

>"And what despicable acts have thee accomplished as late?"

The second guardsman nodded to the other indicating she knew how to respond.

>"Eh, we have been on watch, your eminence. But if you please, when we are relieved we plan to turn all the apples, carrots, and cabbages round about into saw dust and ash!"

Luna gasped in horror at the depravity of it.

>"A deed most foul! Well, I wish thee luck!...And now I must be away on my dark and mysterious business! Adieu!" said Luna as she continued into the castle.

The guards watched her go, barely able to contain their giggles. But, the first could not fully contain it and her laugh caught the ear of Luna, who stopped and turned.

>"What? What?...What? What""

The guardsmares were quick to stand straight and look serious.

>"Nothing ma'am. Sorry ma'am!"

Luna looked satisfied with the deference these demons gave her, so she decided to forgive them and not send them back to Tartarus.

>"Very well. Carry on! Carry on!" said Luna as she continued into the keep

The guards waited until Luna was out of earshot and burst out laughing.

 

Chapter 4:

 

Carefully mimicking what her royal instructors had taught her about walking with poise, Luna strode down the main corridor, each step full of panache. Guards proudly standing their post along the corridor, eyed her with amusement as this little mischief-maker went past.

>Luna nodded at each pair of guards and randomly offered a "good day, fellow villains!", a snarl, or a little roar. "So far, so good! My disguise is effective!" she said to herself. Then realizing she spoke more loudly than intended, she added with a low whisper "huzzah!"

Near the end of the corridor, where a cross-wise passageway let left and right. Luna observed as Lucky Petals, the kingdom's chancellor and second only to the sovereign, rounded the corner and came toward her.

>"Greetings! I wish thee a most grey and dismal morning!" said Luna with a false demon voice and a deep bow.

The chancellor, at this and looking Luna up and down in her unusual hat and cloak, was taken aback.

>"Luna? Indeed, what are you up to now?" asked the quizzical chancellor.

Luna's looked around nervously, surprised that her disguise had been seen through. No other demon noticed. So, if she quickly and quietly dispatched this demon her mission could be preserved.

>About to draw her mighty sword, Luna stopped, having noticed that the demon facing her too was in disguise. "Oh, it's you Madam Chancellor. I scarcely recognized you in your splendid disguise!" Luna adopted a cunning grin and shrouded her face with part of her cloak. "Ah but I, the knight of the moon and stars, am also in disguise!"

The good Chancellor now understood the game.

>"Indeed? And what, pray tell, is thy sacred mission?"

Luna lowered her voice to a whisper and drew a hoof to the side of her mouth.

>"To free this castle from its evil master and thence on to dispatch the wicked shadow king himself to return freedom to all ponykind!"

The Chancellor nodded in reverence to this noble declaration, and observed what was clearly a new and wild thought forming in the mind of the little filly. In short order, Luna let loose with her new modification to the game.

>"....And, by the sacred authority of all knights-errant, I hereby deputize thee a spy in my service! Your mission is ind and report all suspicious activity to me and sabotage the efforts of the master of this castle and his wicked minions!"

The Chancellor chuckled to herself as she bowed in gratitude at this honor.

>"Behold! I go forth in this honorable endeavor, you have graciously bestowed upon me!"

Luna, rather pleased with herself and the fortuitous turn of events - for even she could not have foretold that she would gain such a powerful and useful ally within the bowels of this occupied castle - bowed in turn, but not so low for it is well known that spies occupy a rung below knights in the order of chivalry.

>"Then let us part. Guard thy identity well, my ally!" With that, Luna flipped her cloak dramatically and took off at a gallop down the passageway to the right. The chancellor was left to ponder these auspicious events with a few giggles.

Luna did not gallop far, but as she saw it she had passed through an enchanted corridor that gave the illusion of having no end whatsoever. In the course of the gallop, Luna called upon the power of the moon, which promptly dispelled the enchantment and allowed her to enter the later half of the corridor.

>"Your, pathetic enchantments are no match for the power of the moon and stars, shadow king!"

But Luna's boast was short lived, for the quiet passageway now revealed to her well-trained eye that it was perilous indeed. Far from merely being a corridor full of decorative furniture, paintings, tapestries, statures, and stained glass windows, it was clear to Luna that it was filled with traps.

>"Booby-trapped! I must go forth with caution. And I am without my magical armor!" Luna looked around and saw a decorative metal plate that was propped up on a stand on a nearby table. "I shall need to improvise. Come and be my shield!" said Luna as she levitated the plate to her side.

Now Luna stepped carefully across the tiled floor, watching everything for signs that she might have set of a trap by stepping on a switch, or something. Luckily, there were no other ponies in the corridor, or Luna might have waited for those demons to depart before attempted to cross the perilous passage. Luna did notice the eyes of the statues and ponies in the paintings were following her.

>"Haunted too?!"

Several steps into the passageway, Luna felt her front hoof give a little more that it should have when she placed it down on a tile.

>"Ka-chunk!" Luna made the sound effect for the tile switch that she had inadvertently stepped on.

Immediately Luna noticed the statues turn toward her. They let loose volleys of arrows at her. She drew her sword and improvised shield. With deft skill, Luna began dodging arrows, blocking them with her shield, or swatting them away with her sword.

>"Ping! Pa-ping! Ping, ping, whoosh! Whap, whoosh, ping!" went the arrows as she defeated them while pirouette'ing away from others.

Such was her skill that she continued to move down the passageway, defending herself as she went. Soon she found herself backing away from the statues, when she felt her back hoof activate another tile switch. Luna felt a puff of air beneath her and jumped back just before a line of spears rapidly emerged from the floor.

> "Shing! Shing! Shing!..." Came Luna's sound effects as she was forced to continue to jump back. Of, course she continued to dodge the remainder of arrows as well.

Now spears came out of the walls and ceiling as well, but they sought their target in vain. For Luna, knight of the moon and stars, displayed fantastic skill in dodging them all. Luna dodged the last set of spears by doing a dive roll over them on to a carpet in the center of the passageway.

>"Whew!" said Luna, glancing back over her shoulder at the passageway of death.

But in the next moment, Luna heard the distant sounds of some foreboding wooden clockwork.

>"Huh?"

She looked about, trying to trace from whence it came, ready for anything. Then, she felt a rumbling beneath her hooves.

>"Trap door!" she cried as she jumped to the tiled floor just to the side of the carpet. "Whuummp!" went the sound of the trap door as it opened.

The tiled floor on the side now constituted a ledge above the now revealed gapping shaft of air above a pit of spikes. Luna gazed down, observing a few pebbles as fell from the ledge into the pit of spikes.

>"Too close! By the stars, too close!" said Luna as she caught her breath.

Luna inched her way along the edge and clear of the pit. Again she stepped carefully along the floor, supposing the the next trap would be the worst.

>"Ka-chunk!" Another switch.

Luna now heard more mechanical clockwork sounds emanating from all around her. She glanced about and saw that the ceiling was now descending upon her. Razor sharp pikes began to emerged from holes in the floor and ceiling. On top of that, scythes now swung like pendulums all about. And afar off, at the other end of the corridor a slab of stone was descending, gradually closing off the only exit. Luna rolled her eyes, pursed her lips, and blew a strand of mane out of her eyes.

>"My timing must be perfect! One error and I could lose my head or be impaled!" said Luna as she crouched and readied her self to make a run for it.

At the right moment she took off at full tilt, dodging spikes, rolling or jumping over scythes, and trying to make the exit before the slab closed it off, entombing her in this chamber of horrors.

>"Ahhhhhhh!" she yelled as she galloped with all her might.

She took a diving leap over the last scything and slid across the floor, through the door just before the gap became too small for her to fit through. In actuality, her dive landed her on an ornamental rug that then slid for about 3 meters down the hall.

>"Huzzah!" she said in triumph. Then worry took her "Wait! My hat!"

Luna turned just in time to levitate her hat through the gap and back to her head just before the slab slammed shut and sealed the chamber...forevermore.

 

Chapter 5:

 

The hat floated gently on to her head, and Luna turned to give herself a wink in the mirror on the wall before continuing on. But just then, she heard a clapping of hooves just down the corridor.

>"Bravo! Bravo! Thou hast performed well, Luna!" came the gruff voice of Grey Flint, the old majordomo of the castle. "Wew! Forsooth, I feared thee would not escape that peril! But alas, I should not have!"

Luna smiled and bowed, like a well seasoned performer. Old Grey Flint was a frequent participant in her imaginary adventures. He spoke in the old way, and Luna liked and often tried to copy him. "Verily, had that last scythe not passed but a hair's breadth from mine head, t'would be curtains for me!"

>"Oh, indeed." came his grave reply

"But, happy day! For, I see my allies in yon sinister castle have been doubled" The dark master himself, the shadow king, stands no chance against the knight of the moon and stars and her loyal allies!"

>"Not but a snowflakes chances in Tartarus, sure!" said Flint with a grin. "But pray tell, where goest thou next, what?"

Luna floated her wooden sword aloft. "Onward to yonder spire, where surely the shadow king sits and plots!" Her sword pointed approximately toward the castle's topmost spire.

>He nodded. "Most wise! Thus being so, may I suggest to thee the roundabout corridor which passes near the witches lair" He leaned in and spoke in a whisper. "For by mine own espionage, I hold that this witch has victuals necessary for thy quest."

Luna scrunched up her face in confusion. "Victuals?"

>Grey Flint spoke in an even softer whisper. "Ehem. Apple cinnamon crepes sprinkled thus with powdered sugar and dashed perfectly with syrup, just now freshly made!"

Luna's eyes opened wide and her mouth watered. She therefore resolved to part with this, her good friend, and make her way to the witch's lair. Straightening up to give a proper goodbye, she spoke. "In that case, sir, I shall take thy advice and let it carry me to those victuals directly! Fair thee well, friend!"

>"Fair thee well, gentle knight!"

They bowed and Luna took off at a gallop down the corridor that led to the kitchen. In a flash she was halfway there only to stop dead in her tracks at a small spider crossing the floor.

>"Aha! So, the shadow king has charged a giant spider to patrol these corridors! No doubt to terrify those of noble heart!" Luna raised her wooden sword in resolve. "All in vain! For no beast, no mater how foul, can diminish my courage!"

With that she charged the spider, swinging her sword wildly. She dodged its poisonous fangs and weaved too and fro to avoid its sticky webbing.

>"Haha! Thou art too slow for the likes of me!"

The spider, itself quite terrified, scampered with all its might to hide in a hole in the wall on the other side. Yet Luna, in hot pursuit, made sure not to squish it. For, she felt a kinship for creatures of the dark and night. Nevertheless, in her mind she ultimately defeated the terrible corridor sentinel.

>"Another vanquished foe! I must be getting close, for the danger is growing!"

Luna burst into a gallop again and made the door to the kitchen, which she took for the witches lair, in no time. Finding the door ajar, she peaked as surreptitiously as she could. Inside, the witch, which was really Fluffy Souffle the master chef, was busy cooking and humming a fancy chef's tune.

>"Diabolical witch! Doubtless she is conjuring up spells to enslave the minds of the poor ponies of this land. "Destroying the shadow king will put a stop to her scheme! For now, I must find the magical foodstuffs, spoken of by my loyal ally and continue my quest."

Luna took another careful look from her concealed position and presently located the object of her obsession, the yummy freshly made crepes, at the far corner of the central table closest to Souffle. Luna licked her lips in anticipation, and also in anxiety. Pinching them from under the nose of a vengeful witch would not be an easy task.

>Turning away from the doorway, Luna removed her hat, put the point of her wooden sword to the floor, and bowed her head to make a mighty invocation. "Glorious stars, hide thy beaming smiles. Oh faithful moon, turn thy face away. Cover me in darkness, that I may move as a shadow, invisible to the eye of mine adversaries!"

Gathering again her effects, Luna turned with a resolute face and dashed stealthily into the room to a point behind the center table.

>"Hmmm?" Souffle, who was on the other side of the table, turned toward the door, having heard a faint noise. "Anypony ttere?". But none answered, especially not Luna, who by virture of the mighty oath to the moon and stars was now practically invisible.

Luna waited for Souffle to conclude that she had actually heard nothing. Looking under the table, which was covered with a cloth that nearly reached the floor, she could see Souffle's hooves. Thereby, Luna moved about the table to remain on the opposite side of Souffle as she carried out her chef's business. This continued for a while and Luna, now exasperated, was about to surrender her design when Souffle made for the pantry for some ingredient or other.

>"Oh! I am fortune-full!" she whispered to herself before springing into action.

Quickly moving a chair into place next to the table, Luna clambered up and was face to face with the delicious crepes. She was also next to a steaming pot of something or other that Souffle had placed on the table before going to the pantry. Out of curiosity, Luna lifted the lid and smelled the contents.

>"Bleh! Cabbage and brussel sprout stew again?! We had that just two days ago!" She took another smell and made a face. "Double and triple BLEH!"

Wasting no further time, and hearing Souffle's hoofsteps growing closer, Luna levitated the two most delicious looking crepes from the plate, dove from the chair, did a well-timed roll when she landed and zipped through the door, the two levitated crepes following closely behind her.

>Upon re-entering the kitchen, Souffle could tell something was off, but could not put her hoof on it. "I swear, some mischief had been done here!"

Meanwhile, our slippery hero was enjoying the crepes while walking down the last corridor before the door to the spire. She took her time, stopping to admire the many stained glass windows on the way. Each depicting ponies of great courage fighting and triumphing for the freedom of the land, or scenes from the foundation of the world. She admired these ponies and fashioned herself, in her imagination, as following in their hoofsteps.

 

Chapter 6:

 

A shudder worked its way down Luna's spine as she came face to face with the terrible door to the staircase up the castle spire. Through her eyes, great volumes of dark miasmas and evil auras flowed out from the gaps in the door frame and cracks in the wall. Foreboding arcane sigils on the door glowed in sickly green and spoke of the evil beyond, and twisted wrought iron shapes sneered menacingly at her. Luna took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and again invoked the moon and stars.

>"Oh happy moon, or joyous stars, give me, I beseech thee, unyielding courage and resolve to face the great evil beyond this door and free the kingdom forever!"

Placing her hat back upon her head, having taken it off to show reverence to the moon and stars during the invocation, Luna pulled the door open and began her careful ascent to the top. She kept close to the inner wall of the spiral staircase so as to be less visible to any monster descending from above.

>Passing lit candelabras every so many steps, Luna commented to herself, "These candles emit a soulless, cold light! Even the air itself is is saturated with evil; its burden is heavy indeed!"

Upward she climbed; slowly so she could peek around the inner wall to ensure no undead guardians took her by surprise. She encountered a few, but she banished them with holy light from the moon.

>"Huzzah! Be purified thou undead monster!", or similar was her exclamation upon those encounters.

Soon she came to the middle of the spire. Peeking around the corner she spotted a series of paintings hanging on the outer wall, spiraling upward with the staircase. Missing no detail, Luna immediately identified the evil spirits that haunted those paintings.

>In a whisper, Luna reasoned with herself. "Verily! the shadow king has enchanted yonder paintings with the most pernicious of spirits to spy upon passersby and convey knowledge of their approach to the shadow king himself!"

Luna scrunched up her face thinking of a way to pass by undetected. Suddenly, it dawned on her like thunder.

>"Ah! Clever of the shadow king, but not, I think, more clever than I! For, I shall pass through the void that separates realms. Yes! through the dream realm!"

While Luna knew this magic would allow her to pass beneath the glaring eyes of the paintings, she was also aware that it would come at a terrible cost. To make it effective so that no creature, neither living nor dead, could hear or see her pass, she would need to hold her breath the entire way.

>"So be it." she resolved to herself.

Luna spoke some nonsense magical incantations in what bits of old ponish she could remember, throwing in nursery rhymes here and there to fill out the spell. The important thing was not the words themselves but the intent. And Luna's intent, and heart, was pure.

>"Bzzzzzooooommmm!"

Now in the dream realm - that ethereal void between worlds - Luna took a huge breath and dashed up the staircase. She glanced nervously as she passed painting after painting. As she passed them, it felt as if they were reaching out for her and her skin crawled at the thought.

>"Mmmm!" she hummed to herself as she began to feel the sting of holding her breath and galloping at the same time. But, she was almost there.

She gritted her teeth and made a final desparate push at double the pace. At last the final painting came into view and passed just as quickly. Luna turned her head to look at it just as she passed out of its line of sight.

>Luna stopped and collapsed at a platform before the next set of stairs. "...aah....HAA...aah...HAA...aah...HAA...", she breathed heavily, sprawled out next to an end table draped in a deep purple cloth.

But, as befitting any adventure, her rest was short lived as she heard two guards in armor clanking their way down the stairs.

>"Uh oh." she whispered as she dove underneath the end table and concealed herself behind the table cloth.

They stopped just in front of the end table. Luna could tell because she could see their hooves from beneath the table cloth. Out of curiosity she peeked through a gap in the table cloth, only to be faced with a view which demanded that she turn away out of modesty and proper decorum.

>Turn away she did, for she believed in proper decorum, but not before her eyes lingered long enough to satisfy her curiosity. "Whoops! Stallions." she whispered, inaudibly to herself.

Luna perked up an ear to listen in on their conversation.

>"You certain you heard something?" said one.

>"Yes, absolutely. Like the sound of hooves coming up quickly; muffled a bit, maybe by the carpet". The second pointed his spear down at the carpet runner that wound its way up the spiral staircase.

The other glanced down the stairs and then up from whence they came.

>"Very well. Let's take a look and then get back to post." Both then moved to descend the stairs.

Hearing thus, Luna allowed herself to peak again through the gap in the table cloth - to ensure they were gone before she continued, she assured herself. But really, she further satisfied her curiosity at the differences between stallions and mares.

>"Whew! Destiny brought me too close to capture that time!" said Luna, breathing a sigh of relief. Then, "Onward to glory!"

Emerging from her place of concealment, Luna began to ascend the stairs once more; quickly this time, lest the guards come up and happen upon her. She made a game of it by avoiding the cracks in the stairs.

>"Step, and step, and step! Step here, and not there. Step clear and not upon a crack, lest you be cursed and forced to go back!" she attempted to rhyme her way up to her final destiny, a showdown with the shadow king.

Three more turns about the stair case brought her to a door that led to the room at the top, the room that served as the classroom for her and Celestia as well as Star Swirl's professional library. The door was ajar, so Luna stealthily glanced in, immediately recognizing Star Swirl at the chalkboard clicking away with some chalk and explaining something.

>"And so, when you talk the limit as delta x goes to zero, you will see that..." came Star Swirl's voice mid-way through explanation.

Luna cast her eyes about the room and located Celestia seated at a desk, fighting desperately to stay awake. Star Swirl did not notice as he was facing the chalkboard. Righteous fury engulfed Luna's face.

>"Vile shadow king! He is casting a terrible boredom spell on the knight of the sun and sky, my great comrade-in-arms, using the dark arcane power of calc-a-lus!"

Looking further into the room, Luna spotted the desk next to Celestia's. There, quietly seated, was the dummy of herself she had set up earlier in the day so that she could slip out of the room and carry out her absolutely necessary adventure.

>"Hmmm. I shall put a stop to this madness and vanquish the shadow king forever!" Luna swore to herself before slipping through the door.

 

Chapter 7

 

Resolutely, but stealthily, Luna slipped into the room through the slightly ajar door; she just barely fit through. Once in, our intrepid and heroic knight dove behind a window curtain to conceal herself. Luckily, the shadow king was so involved in his calc-a-lus hex that he hadn't noticed.

>"...Now let's apply this derivative to a polynomial..." droned on the shadow king. Luna focused on singing a song in her head about her favorite constellations so that the spell would have no effect on her.

Just then, the knight of the sun and sky nodded off. No doubt, the shadow king's spell was taken its effect on her stamina, gradually wearing her down. Consequently, her quill dropped and clattered to the floor. Luna held her breath.

>The shadow king stopped and turned his head. "Celestia, are you paying attention?" No answer, for she was asleep at her desk. "Ehem! Celestia!"

Celestia jolted awake, smiled sheepishly, gathered up her quill from the floor. "Sorry, Starswirl. I'm trying. Honest!"

>Starswirl sighed. "Well do try a bit harder, Celestia. I know it may not be interesting, but if nothing else it will teach you logic. Something that you and Luna shall need in great abundance one day."

"Why?" asked Celestia in genuine curiosity.

>Starswirl smiled. "In time you shall know" came his cryptic answer.

While this distraction was underway, Luna had expertly moved, like a shadow, from behind the curtain to under the table next to where Starswirl was lecturing at the chalkboard.

>"Now...um...where were we then?" asked Starswirl tapping the chalk against his old noggin.

"At the polynomials!" beamed Celestia. She simply blurted out the last thing she remembered.

>"Ah, yes! So, when we apply the derivative to the polynomial we find that..." began the old wizard.

Now, the great knight of the moon and stars saw her opportunity. The shadow king with distracted with his infernal incantations. She crept forward, low to the ground, from beneath the table toward the shadow king. She was determined to strike a fatal blow.

>Luna's movement caught the attention of Celestia. She glanced at Luna quizzically before guessing her intent. Celestia shook her head, attempting to dissuade Luna.

>Luna, sensing Celestia's observation, smiled back at her and nodded vigorously.

The next moments occurred in rapid succession. Once close enough, Luna sprang up with a mighty "Huzzah!", grabbing Starswirl's beard, and landing blows with her wooden sword on his belly.

>"What the blazes! Ow! Ow!..." Astonished, Starswirl lost his footing and crashed into the chalkboard and nearby table, toppling them both to the ground as he tried to escape the sudden assault.

Luna continued her mighty attack.

>Ha! Take that! Aaaaand that! Your reign of terror is over, shadow king!" With that she gave Starswirl a final poke in the belly with her sword.

>"Oooof!!!" came his reply.

Meanwhile, Celestia could not help burst into laughter at the ridiculous scene. In a few short moments she was rolling on the floor trying to contain herself.

Luna raised her sword to the heavens in triumph and declared her glorious victory.

>"Verily and forsooth! Thus felled the terrible shadow king, scourge of all the land! Forever more fair Equestria shall have her liberty and a just peace! The knight of the moon and stars and the knight of the sun and sky shall evermore be her ardent retainers!"

By now, Starswirl was regaining his footing and a fierce scowl developed across his face.

>"Luna! What are you doing? What manner of mischief is this?!" He glanced up to her desk only to see the dummy she set up in order to sneak out. "And how long have you been gone?!"

Luna sensed that the fun had abruptly come to an end

>"Heh, heh. Uh...oops?" Was all she could manage

But Starswirl was in no mood for that. He grabbed both Luna and Celestia by the ears.

>"Ow! Ow! Ow!.." came their collective reply.

Starswirl paused just long enough for them to see his angry face in all its glory.

>"Now, you two will just have to make up for this impertinence! Off to the kitchen with you! Dish washing duty for the next three days!" came his judgement.

Starswirl released them and pointed a hoof toward the door.

>Celestia and Luna grumbled, but obediently made their way to the door and down toward the kitchen.

 

Chapter 8:

 

The two sisters, or rather the two victorious knights, were now busy at work in the royal kitchen doing the dishes. Luna washed and Celestia dried. Since they both agreed that Luna had been most at fault, she had volunteered to do the dirtier of the two jobs. They carried on in icy silence until Luna spoke up.

>"My dear sister, I am regret my exploits landed you in hence...in trouble. My imagination ran away with me, it would seem." said Luna, her voice trembling a bit.

>Celestia answered while drying a dish. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time."

The terse dryness of Celestia's response hurt Luna a bit. She frowned and went back to washing.

>But Celestia was moved to comfort her little sister. She put down the dish she was drying and wrapped a wing around Luna. "Well, don't feel too bad, Luna. After all, I could not contain my laughter either! It was funny how you got the drop on him!"

The intolerable silence now broken, Luna smiled in return, glad to see that her sister was not too angry and did not bear a grudge. Luna excitedly engaged her sister's line of thought.

>"A-and did you see Starswirl's face?! I took him completely by surprise! His intuition and foresight failed him! For he overlooked that I had bivouacked just beneath the table, laying in wait to spring my trap!"

>Celestia chuckled. Luna was often at a battle of wits with their mutual mentor. though Starswirl was oblivious of the existence of this battle. More often than not Starswirl got the upper hand over Luna, but when Luna triumphed it was a cause of much celebration by her sister. "I did see! Your trap was perfectly timed, dear sister. I admit, I had my reservations when I saw you set up the facsimile of yourself and leave the room, but you were out the door before I could stop you."

Luna beamed at the complement.

>"Yes! The facsimile of myself took the most work!

>"Well, it certainly fooled Ol' Greybeard!" Celestia chimed in.

They both had a laugh at that. Luna hugged her big sister. They went back to washing and drying dishes, this time in a happy silence, with Luna quietly humming a tune. At length, she stopped and addressed her sister once more.

>"Sister, a thought has illuminated my mint. Shall I enchant the dishes to wash themselves? Forsooth, our dishwashing efficiency shall be doubled!"

>Celestia gave Luna a knowing smile. "True, perhaps. But do you remember the last time, when you enchanted all the brooms in the castle to do your chores?"

Luna's eyes opened a bit wider.

>"...and it ended up with the throne room getting flooded?"

Luna considered it.

>"On second thought, it would perhaps be wiser to finish the dishes ourselves!"

They smiled at each other, had another laugh and carried on with the dishes.