Original Poster: Frostybox (http://pastebin.com/u/frostybox) Reason this is posted here is because it's not binned in Frosty's bin. >”We have to chase it this way Lulu." >The doodle in the moon dust points his wooden sword proudly up the grassy hill. >The small doodle of yourself looks up at him with mystified eyes. >”Come on, it’s starting to rain, that could ruin the trap I set." “Trap? I thought we were just gonna hunt it?" Lulu asks. >”Trapping it is still hunting it, and we can get more out of it if we just catch it. Trust me, my dad was a hunter" Anon explains. >Droplets fall onto the dust, just a few at first, but soon they begin falling with less time between the last one. >Anon and Lulu slide along the moon’s surface chasing the monster. >Lulu's magic and wings let her speed ahead to force the beast into the trap. >Anon's magic was much weaker, but his strength was enough to keep it netted. >The rain made the ground muddy, the grip Anon had on the net trap weakened and their pray escaped. >The mud made it hard to maneuver around, and they couldn't keep their weapons drawn. >The droplets soon coat everything, and your doodles fade into the white mud. >Why? >Why did you have to desire for more? >Even if your sister had ignored you, you still had him, why wasn't that enough? >...Perhaps their hunt will be successful another time. >"Sister, I know that everything must be a total shock. Many things have changed in a thousand yea-" "Where is he?" >"W-who do mean Luna?" >Your head shifts down to look at the floor. "Thou knows of whom we speak" you mumble. >Celestia hums as if deep in thought. >Could she have truly forgotten? Has time erased all trace of hi- >"Oh, him. Of course, you'll have to forgive me sister. Taking on the responsibilities of both the sun and moon leaves my mind a little more than scrambled. After all multi-tasking isn’t our strong suit right?" she says with a giggle. >For whatever reason you breathe a sigh of relief, maybe it's the confirmation that he truly existed and you hadn't gone mad. >"Follow me Luna.” >She guides you through one unfamiliar hallway after another. >Finally she takes you out to some kind of garden, gravestones mix with beautiful flora. >Your heart sinks, but it is something you had expected. >"This way, towards the back." >You follow your sister, each step feeling heavier than the last. >In part, you wish Celestia would continue walking forever, so you'd never have to face him. >What would you even say? >Sorry? >We miss you? >We recreated all of our hunts during our banishment? >You mull over the myriad things you could say as you walk. >And when the walking has ended, you find yourself unable to say anything. >Celestia turns and sits next to a gravestone, her eyes look apologetic. >You try walking closer but find the act impossible. >”Luna, I know you two were much closer than he and I were, if this is too much fo-" "No! W-we... we must see this through." >Lulu's greatest hunt yet... >Marenight brings a mighty hoof down but, the seasoned hunter he is, Anon halts his attack to roll just out of the way. >Lulu rushes out to meet him, but the beast keeps them separated when it swats the huntress back with it’s etherial tail. >The damage wasn’t too severe, but her breathing is labored, as though she were suddenly exhausted, barely able to move. >Anon times his attack well to successfully bash Marenight’s head with his shield, it rears up before he finishes his follow up attack and is flung back however. >Lulu’s knees quiver and shake as she charges up her attack. >Marenight roars, spewing a dark blue mist all around. >Choked sobs rack Lulu as she lines up her shot, the mist must have been poisonous, but she already charged her attack fully and can’t afford losing it now. >Lulu's vision blurs with tears as she lets loose her harmonic shot. >A mighty shriek confirms what her eyes cannot, the beast is felled in one hit, likely weakened severely through Anon’s sole effort. >Lulu escapes the mist to meet her dearest companion. >She pauses twice to restore herself to a more presentable status before continuing ahead. >After so long, they are finally untied once more, skilled hunter and mighty huntress. >She reaches out a hoof, but it passes through Anon as though it were some kind of mist. >Your hoof rests on the gravestone. >On it reads, "Sturdy Spear: Mother, Hero, Friend" >What sort of trickery is thi- >"HA HA! FOOLED YOU LULU!" >You jump back in surprise. >When your heart returns to your chest, you look up to see Anon standing next to Celestia. >She has a hoof over her mouth, a mix of stifled laughter and worry on her face. >He has a coy smirk plastered on his lips. >Celestia rushes forward to help you up. >"Oh dear. I told Anon this was a terrible idea. I don’t know why I let him talk me into agreeing, here take my hoof." >You never break sight of him through all of Celestia's fussing. >It can't be. >He hasn't aged at all since you were banished. >Both you and Celestia had suspected that his lifespan is much longer than yours, or that he might age like a dragon. >But here he stands, the same as when the nightmare took you. >The relief you feel knowing he lives is as uplifting as it was to see Celestia again. >Anon wipes a finger under his nose and makes a quiet sniffle, "Th-that's for going away for so long Lulu..." >Tears begin forming in his eyes and Celestia backs away from you as he comes charging in. >You kneel down to just the right height, your muscles having never forgotten all the times you've done this, and he leaps up and wraps his arms around your neck. >You hold him tightly to your chest with one hoof and let your tears flow freely once again. >Everything you could ever want to say is spoken without words. >You break away from him when he starts to complain about not being able to breathe. >He wipes away his tears and smiles up at you. >Celestia rejoins you at your side. >"Oh, Celly, did you tell her?" Anon asks excitedly. >Celestia gives a small chuckle, “You made me hoofy promise not to remember?” >Anon’s eyes shimmer with delight as he twirls around in the cloak draped around him, "Starswirl made me this special cloak! But he didn't get to finish it until after you left." >Left, that's how he chooses to understand your banishment. You simply left for a thousand years. >The tension in your chest eases knowing he is unaware of what really happened, you'll have to thank Celestia for that. >"-And if I touch on this jewel right here..." >A bright light flashes from the place he stood. >When it fades you see a tall figure standing in Anon's place. >It is adorned in a similar attire to what Anon wore, only sized up for it. >"Lul- Luna. It's me still. Anon, though I go by Anonymous when I’m like this." >His voice is deep, but the way he speaks, you know it is him. >"Starswirl suspected dark times were ahead, and feared that you both wouldn't be able to protect me forever. After the Nightmare Moon incident, his prediction only became that much stronger." >So he does know. What you'd done, what you became... >"He finished it not long after you had been banished. This cloak allows me to shift into this more "adult form" based on what I had told him of my world." >Anon chuckles and proceed to shadow fight as he continues, "I was finally able to be the hunter I'd always dreamed about, but... the cloak isn't perfect." >He holds up the ends of his cloak, rubbing them between his fingers like he did when he was frustrated, "I don't retain much memory of my time spent in this form, so when I change back I act the same as I always have.” >He drops the ends of his cloak and shoots you the same carefree smile as before, just with a full set of teeth now, "I know this is a lot to take in at once and I'm sorry for that. "I" can be a little too eager and not considerate enough sometimes." >Celestia chuckles, "You don't say?" she asks while rolling her eyes. >A scroll appears before Celestia, causing you to jump back slightly, but she merely catches in in her magic. >Her eyes widen slightly, "Oh dear..." she states as she levitates the scroll over to Anon. >"The report mentions some kind of commotion in Appleoosa" Celestia remarks while Anon scans the open scroll in his hands. >"Yes, that seems to be the case. It sounds quite urgent as well." >He pockets the scroll and frowns slightly, "Of all the nights..." he grumbles. >"Come Luna, why don't we set up some tea and get caught up… much has changed since your departure. Anonymous has an assignment the requires his skill set, he'll be back when it's finished." >You glance over Celestia's wing as she guides you back towards the castle, Anon is scanning through the scroll once more. >He eyes glance over the parchment and meet yours, an emerald glint shines in them and he runs over to you both. >"Hey! Wait! Celestia, I just had the best idea!" >Anon runs past you both and turns to face you, "How's about Luna comes with me?" >"Celestia's wing tightens around you, "Absolutely not. She has only just returned to me and you want to take her away?" >”I can use the horn this time, if I channel my magic through it there’s no chance this could go wrong, and besides… she was taken from me too Celly” Anon pouts. >You can feel the tension in your sister's body at Anon's response. >"No Anon, you are always doing this. Times may have changed but we both know you were raised before then. Using your wiles to get what you want, the devious little colt within you never rests does he?" >"Nurturing? You call making me clean all the toilets in the castle, while wearing a dumb suit mind you, nurturing?" he goads. "Sister." >"Wh- You- It's not my fault the creature YOU decided to keep wound up eating half of the hallways in the castle!” Celestia snaps back, having taken his bait >"But YOU decided to punish Anon for that. That was agonizing to him!" "Anon.” >They've both fallen for it, Anon's foalish nature, just like before. >Celestia huffs, "Any punishment I give to you is forgotten by him, if there were any other way I would take it, but as is you both could stand to learn how to be proper colts in this day and age, and not only when it’s to your advantage." >”Proper colt? I’m a proper colt, just look at all my properness. Tartarus Celly I’m practically the embodim-" Anon's flailing is cut short. "BE SILENT!" >They both look at you with shock all over their faces. >The awkward silence is shattered when all three of you begin laughing. >So much has changed, but here you are still breaking up fights between Celestia and Anon, just like you had back then. >"I'm sorry Luna" Celestia says. >"Yeah, me too" Anon adds. >Celestia wipes a tear from her eye, "It's been so long since the three of us were together, and it seems as though we haven't yet forgotten what it was like." >"So it's only right that we leave the decision to you then-" Anon states. >You look up at them both, and they smile back at you, "So Lulu. Wanna go on a hunt?”