Lunastice

[no_vampires_plz]

As Twilight leads the little foal down the path, the character of the woods around them changes. The trees are bigger, the brambles thicker, and the few plants that are still growing look considerably more... exotic than what one generally sees around Milliways. The most noticeable change, though, is in the weather. The thin layer of snow and frost on the ground is replaced by thick snowdrifts that crunch under their hooves, and the leaden sky of a Scottish winter gives way to a clear dark blue. The setting sun makes the snow gleam gold and pink as the trees thin out and give way to rolling hills.

"Alright. If anyone asks, your name is Sharp Tack and you're a friend of the family visiting from Canterlot."

Comments

[basic_powers]

"Night Spike." Tyler calls quietly as the little dragon begins toddling through the snow back towards home.

[nponyc]

* * *

When they reach the stargazing hill north of Ponyville, there are already a handful of ponies* sitting there, wrapped up in quilts and nursing mugs of hot chocolate as they look at the stars.

"Who! Who!" calls a small figure, waving a... wing?... from near the crest of the hill.

* If 'handful' is a meaningful concept to a species without hands, anyway.

[basic_powers]

"...uh.." Tyler's actually looking from the ..owl who seems to be waving at them, to Twilight as they make their way quietly around the other star gazers present.

[no_vampires_plz]

"Hey, Owlowiscious!" Twilight trots over to meet the owl as it glides down the hill. The owl lands on her outstretched foreleg and gives her head a friendly nuzzle.

"Owlowiscious, this is Sharp Tack," says Twilight. "He's a friend of mine from out of town. Sharp Tack, this is Owlowiscious, my evening assistant."

"Who," says the owl.

[basic_powers]

"..uh..Hello, how do you do?" He really shouldn't be that surprised by a very intelligent owl. Though he is extending a foreleg in polite formal greeting. "It's nice to meet you Owlowiscious..."

[nponyc]

Owlowliscious doesn't return the gesture. "Who."

[basic_powers]

..???

He's just going to hang there with his hoof out for a little while more, and one mildly confused expression on his long face.

"...uh...I don't speak avian that well..."

[no_vampires_plz]

Twilight chuckles a little. "He says he's pleased to meet you too."

"Who!" Owlowiscious takes off again and flies toward the top of the hill, turning back in midair to make sure they're following. "Who! Who!"

[basic_powers]

Okay, now that he understands just fine. Tyler grins and briskly bursts into a quick trot to follow after Owlowiscious, lantern bouncing with each step.

[no_vampires_plz]

There's a picnic blanket spread across the snow up above, and a large basket set atop it. Owlowiscious flutters down to land on the basket's handle and hoots again.

"Great job, Owlowiscious." Twilight gives the owl a friendly pat on the head before opening the basket and taking out a heavy quilt and a brass telescope, which she carefully begins to set up.

[basic_powers]

Once he catches up, Tyler's going to take his careful time getting onto the quilt. First tapping off one forehoof of snow against the other, then the other forehoof against a hindhoof...then standing on his forelegs to tap both his hindfeet together to get the snow off of them before settling all four clean hooves onto the picnic quilt.

[no_vampires_plz]

"Alright, here we are..." Twilight pulls out the object at the bottom of the basket--a heavy hardbound book entitled The Astronomical Astronomer's Almalac to All Things Astronomy. "I'm glad I thought to bring this along."

[basic_powers]

"...what's that for, finding all te stars?"

[no_vampires_plz]

"Of course, what else would it be for?"

[basic_powers]

...he's just not going to comment about how the stars are right there. Or how he can find the constellations he likes just by navigating from the big dipper.

"Didn't know, thought I'd ask..."

[no_vampires_plz]

Except that the Big Dipper isn't in the sky, but on the backside of a bear the size of Ponyville. He'll have to look for some other landmarks.

"Now, over there in the east-southeast, you'll see..."

[basic_powers]

So for the next hour or so Tyler gets a very wordy lesson in the astronomy of Equestria and it's historical significance.

At least there's still a celestial giraffe in the sky here too!

Eventually though, he notices something ...odd in the sky.

"...Hey Twilight?"

[no_vampires_plz]

"Hm?" Twilight looks away from the telescope, which she was using to track a comet's progress through the southern sky. "What is it?"

[basic_powers]

"...what's that shimmery stuff in the sky, coming from the north?" Tyler asks, just a little warily.

He's seen lights LIKE that but that was a wholly different reason for the lights being in the north.

[no_vampires_plz]

"What?" Twilight frowns at the northern horizon. "An... aurora borealis? This far south??"

There's something strange about its shape, too. Almost like...

"Hang on a second--" Twilight turns the telescope and aims it directly at the aurora before squinting into the lens. Then she gasps. "Oh, wow."

[basic_powers]

"...what..what is it?" Tyler's ears have flattened to his head in the prelude to worry in the tune of 'oh crap cultists'...which. Is a jump but not an unexpected one.

[no_vampires_plz]

Twilight doesn't say a word. She just steps back from the telescope and nods toward it.

[basic_powers]

Tyler just inches to peer into the viewing piece of the telescope and squint.

[always_the_moon]

There, at the very edge of the aurora, is a chariot, being pulled by two pegasi with leathery, batlike wings. Seated in the chariot is a slender equine with indigo fur and a mane and tail that sparkle with starlight. Her horn glows the with the same shifting colors as the aurora, which is streaming from her flared wings and spreading out behind the chariot like the wake of a ship.

"It's Princess Luna," Twilight whispers excitedly in Tyler's ear. "And she's coming this way!"

[basic_powers]

"...uh.." He's really unprepared for heavily magical royalty, so should he keep panicing or calm down.. "...Twilight? Who is Princess Luna?"