heyfreemagic | The Moon Also Rises

[Ever just had one of those days where everything is really irritating?]

[It isn't that Luna is unaccustomed to this kind of treatment. The last time she was drawn into another world to fight a war that wasn't hers, the culprit hadn't even had the decency to show their face. On the other hoof, her indignance had faded much faster when she couldn't aim it at anyone specific. Couldn't that Lux have allowed her to retain her magic - or at least her Dream Eaters - if she's meant to be fighting monsters here? What, would he prefer she kick them to death?]

[And these humans! Rude!]

[This pony can be found walking with head held deliberately high and wings tense at her side, meeting the eyes of passerby with unspoken challenge. She doesn't expect them to fling themselves at her feet, but a little common courtesy to a newcomer is not that great a thing to ask. All she wanted was to find a place of residence, honestly.]

[No matter. There must be others like her here, if patterns hold true - she'll find them.]

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[Luna, meanwhile, laughs aloud and bounces a few times on her forehooves.]

Washington! 'Tis you! [She approaches, wings spread slightly because this sidewalk is hers now, to look him over.] It has been years!

[He has his helmet off by the time she gets near him, and he's visibly happy and relieved and overwhelmed and- well, he looks like he might cry. It's unusual, but so is literally everything else right now. At least this is unusual in a good way.]

For you, maybe.

[The words are half-laughed and have no sting - he's too damn happy to see her.]

Are you- how- how did-

[He cuts off abruptly, clamping a hand over his face and taking a deep breath. He thought he was more stable than this; he thought he had a better handle on himself. Add one more to the pile of things he'd been very, very wrong about lately.]

[He takes another breath, trying to calm down. The last thing he wants is a tearful reunion in the middle of the street.]

[Luna shrugs carelessly at the reminder - time, who can keep track of it when multiple worlds are involved? If anything, she's glad if it was less for him. A few years aren't so great for her, but humans are no more long-lived than most ponies.

But Washington seems...very affected. More than she'd have anticipated, especially if it was less time on his end.

Well, she'd wanted to do it anyway, so now that his helmet is off she leans her neck over his shoulder and half-folds the other wing around him in a horsey hug. Behind him, people are staring. She glares at them briefly, wishing she could still make her eyes glow.]

I have missed you.

[Luna hugs him, and something inside him crumples. He doesn't have to do this alone - Luna knows him inside and out and cares about him anyway. He doesn't have to handle everything in his head on his own anymore. She's here.]

[He hasn't felt this relieved in a very long time. The rush of emotion ebbs slowly, leaving him weak and exhausted, and he doesn't care. He has support. He'll...be fine. Eventually. Maybe. He'll be okay.]

[He leans into the hug just slightly, resting his cheek against her neck.]

I missed you too.

[This is nice. She's missed this; things are better in Equestria than they were, but it still isn't quite the same. Rank and all, she supposes.]

How long have you been here?

[He's missed having a friend, especially since he's pretty sure he's well on his way to wrecking his friendship with Greg.]

A few months. They pulled me right from the Realm of Dreams.

Indeed? I have spent time at home, since.

[She doesn't seem inclined to elaborate on that right now, though. Wash's home sounded terrible, but perhaps he'd still have liked to go back and see it again.]

Come, let us move off this street and speak! [Added in a low and sour tone:]I do not care for the locals.

...don't tell me how it ends.

[He's used to wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey at this point, but he's not sure he wants to be on the receiving end of it any more than he already has (with the exception of finding out whether he survived that battle on Chorus, but that's not an answer Luna can give him).]

[He straightens up and nods towards the tall buildings looming a few blocks away.]

We can head to the high rises. Most of us are staying there. [He raises an eyebrow.] And believe me, that feeling is mutual. [Nobody wants to be here and everybody's unhappy. Good times.]

[Luna opens her mouth to say that she doesn't know how it ends, but then she doesn't know exactly when Wash means. Instead, she just says:]

Very well. Perhaps they shall grow more friendly if we prove useful to them. [She snorts.] Their guardian ought to give them powers of their own, for their own defense.

It's easy to hate soldiers when your home turns into a war zone. [Yeah, this isn't the first time Wash has been on the receiving end of that particular sentiment.]

Nah, that'd be too easy. [It was supposed to be light and joking; it came out bitter. It's been that kind of month.]

[Well, Luna's just gotten here, but she can sympathize with that sentiment.]

I fear 'twill be some time before I can aid in the fight. This magic is unfamiliar, and Lux in his wisdom has removed my own.

[Well, shit. There goes any idea of asking for help anytime soon. He puts that question back on the back burner and starts walking, headed for the high rises.]

That's helpful. [That is not at all helpful.]

Did he tell you anything aside from "welcome to the magic war, go fight shadow monsters?"

No. I imagine I can determine what I'm capable of soon enough, but any magic takes time to hone.

[But you have to know what you're working with in order to hone it.]

[Hey, there's a thought.]

How would you even find out what you have?

[Asking for help without outright letting Luna know he's magically inept. He's trying to be subtle, for whatever that's worth.]

My plan is to attempt to channel magic until something happens. [It's a bit of a dangerous plan, but Washington is not a natural magic-user and thus wouldn't know that.] What kind do you have?

[Not specifically, no, but he's definitely familiar with the "try things until something works" method. It's usually a last-ditch effort.]

[Oh goddammit.]

[That pause should really say everything, but fuck it, if he lies at this point, Luna will know. The costs outweigh any potential benefits.]

I have no idea.

[Dammit, dammit, dammit.]

I see. We can attempt it together, then.

[A bit of an underreaction, maybe, but it makes sense to her; he wouldn't know how to make magic work. As far as Luna can tell, it shouldn't have been so hard to get by in this city without it - the monsters are hardly roaming the streets like Nightmares.]

[...that was anticlimactic. Wash is very, very okay with anticlimactic.]

Sounds like a plan.

[It's not much longer before they make it to the high rises. There's a way to do this that doesn't involve multiple flights of stairs, at least for her. He gestures towards one of the buildings.]

I'm pretty sure the penthouse in that one is empty. The stairs are pretty narrow - you might want to fly up. Meet you on the roof?

I'm used to buildings seeming small and narrow. [The risks of being so much taller than most of your country's population.] I shall have to try and get a room with a window...in a moment, then.

[And off she goes! At least she can still do that.]

The Moon Also Rises

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