>“Never do that again.”
“Why? I thought it was fun. Aside from the deafening screaming.”
>Twilight is finally catching hr breath after your short full throttle journey through the countryside.
>“You could have at least warned me you were going to do that!”
>You laugh.
“Then it wouldn’t have been near as much fun.”
>She clearly doesn’t find it funny at all.
“Sorry, I’ll drive civilly from now on. Any idea what we should be looking for, or where?”
>“No. You’re the one that wanted to ignore Celestia’s orders, you figure it out.”
>You slow down and downshift, making a right turn.
>Twilight is still fidgeting nervously in the seat next to you.
“Come on, I’m not even going that fast now. Just relax.”
>“Sorry, I just have a really bad feeling about this.”
>No sooner does she finish her sentence, both of you hear a loud bang, as if you’ve hit something.
>You jam on the brakes reflexively, the Superbird sliding to a halt.
>“What did you hit?!”
“Nothing, I had my eyes on the road the whole time! I didn’t feel anything, did you?”
>“I don’t think so. I don’t see anything in the mirror.”
>You cut the ignition as the two of you climb out of the car and walk back to where you were when you heard the sound.
>It may be dark out, but Twilight fortunately has a spell to cast some light on the path.
>Still, the two of you find nothing on the roadway, as you scratch your head in confusion.
>Twilight again fidgets nervously.
“Hey, calm down. Everything is fine, Twilight.”
>Suddenly, you hear the familiar sound of a Chrysler starter, then the snarling exhaust note of a big block engine.
>Twilight stares at you with eyes as big as saucers.
>“I thought you turned the car off when we got out?”
“Um….”
>You spin your car keys around your index finger.
>The roar of an engine and sudden illumination of where the two of you are standing snaps you both out of your frightened daze as you turn around.
“What the fuck….”
>A loud roar answers you as the Superbird lunges towards you.
>You stand there as Twilight tries to headbutt you to move.
“Just wait..”
>“Wait?! Are you nuts Anon?! RUN!”
“Trust me on this…”
>Twilight continues to try to push you as the metallic beast closes in.
>You’ve watched enough movies to know what to do here.
>Grabbing Twilight, you heave her to your left, as you leap to the right, the car flying between the two of you.
>Instantly,  your Superbird’s nose droops down as the tail comes up, the brakes skidding the car to a halt.
>Then, nothing.
>It’s just sitting there, idling.
>You look over at Twilight, who is slowly rising to her feet.
>“You could have told me you were going to do that.”
“No time. And you were criticizing my driving, so that played a factor.”
>You slowly creep towards the idling car, when the ignition cuts and it falls silent once again.
>Silent, aside from a quiet knocking sound coming from inside.
“What the hell is going on?”
>Twilight joins you by your side as you near the rear of the purple machine.
>Abruptly, the trunk pops open with a loud squeak.
>“Good evening.”
>A familiar face greets you with a bad impression of a Transylvanian accent.
>Luna.
“Luna, you’re safe!”
>Your feeling of relief turns to one of anger.
“What the hell was all of that?! And where have you been?!”
>The blue alicorn climbs out of the trunk, a wicked grin on her face.
>“It occurred to us with the events of the previous week, Nightmare Night had come and gone without us. Thus, happy late Nightmare Night!”
>What.
>Twilight breaks you from your dumbfounded state.
>“Luna, you didn’t say anything about trying to run us over!”
>Luna turns her attention to the purple one.
>"Pardon us, but we were in full control at all times, you both were safe. In addition, you nearly ruined our plan with your nervous fidgeting!”
“Wait. You knew about this Twilight?”
>Her expression gives you the answer before she even says a word.
“What about Celestia, don’t you think she has been worried sick about you?!”
>Luna shakes her head.
>“Quite the opposite Anon. Our sister happened to be in on the whole ruse as well.”
>You stand there, unsure of what to say.
>“We were actually able to startle you enough as to be completely silent for once. We thought it impossible!”
“The fact I’m still trying to get control of my heart rate clearly has nothing to do with me not having a comment. Thanks.”
>Curiosity and concern dot the faces of both alicorns in front of you.
“What? Yes, Luna got me really good, so?”
>“Anon, what are you even talking about?”
“What Luna just said, about me being shocked into silence for once.”
>The two look at each other, then back at you.
>Luna in particular seems be trying to burn holes into you with her stare.
>“Anon. Can. You. Hear. This?”
“You. Can. Speak. Normally.”
>Wait, why is she speaking without moving her mouth?
>Luna takes a step back, her face frozen in a look of shock.
>“Luna, what is it? What’s wrong?”
>Twilight looks back and forth between you two, waiting for someone to speak.
>“It seems Anon and I seem to have a mental connection.”
>“….what does that mean?”
“We can communicate telepathically.”
>“Indeed. We are inclined to believe this is a side effect resulting from the events of the previous week.”
>As if a dam let loose in her mind, Twilight begins with a barrage of questions.
>“But how, Luna? And why now, rather than when the two of you were still swapped, or even as soon as you switched back? And Anon, can you speak with Celestia, too?”
“Twilight, I think we’re both as confused as you are.”
>You turn back to Luna, who seems to have regained her composure.
“So now what?”
>“We are unsure of what to do. Such a development causes us concern for the development of further side effects.”
>Twilight suddenly turns and gallops back towards town.
“Twily, where are you going?”
>She doesn’t look back as she shouts back an answer.
>“This calls for more research!”
>Should have guessed that one.
>[We suppose it would be a good idea to follow her to the library.]
“You know, you could have just said that aloud rather than pass it via mental telephone.”
>“Sorry.”
>You run your hand through Luna’s mane and head toward your car.
[Bet I’ll beat you back to town though.]
>You gun the engine as you send a mental challenge to the night princess.
>[Good luck, you shall need the head start!]
>Rowing through the gears as you gain speed, you look in the mirror to see Luna is right behind you.
>Damn she’s fast in a straight line with her big wingspan.
>And town is a straight shot ahead.
>Maybe this wasn’t a good challenge.
>You hit 4th gear, and creep towards the redline.
>“We suppose a bigger head start was needed for you to have a chance.”
>You look to your left to see Luna giving you a wide, cocky grin as she keeps pace.
>Judging by the fact she doesn’t seem to be straining, she has more fuel in the tank.
>You back off, no sense in risking the engine.
>Can’t win ‘em all, but how did she get the extra speed?
>It slipped your mind earlier, but how did she pull off the prank earlier, too?
>[Relax Anon, we shall explain when you finally make it to the library.]
[GET OUT OF MY HEAD LUNA.]
>You hear her laugh as she zips ahead of you into the night.

>“Wow Luna, you actually beat Anon by more than a nose?”
>“You give us the impression you thought it an impossible feat, Twilight.”
>Twilight fidgets.
>“No, I just meant…..um…”
“Twilight, chill out. She’s messin with you.”
>“I knew that, Anon!”
>Luna laughs as the three of you enter Twilight’s library.
“So Luna, explain to me where that extra bit of speed came from tonight. You’ve kept pace with me and edged me before, but never whipped my ass like that.”
>Luna beams, taking pride in her convincing win in the impromptu race.
>“Well Anon, the main reason we have not paid a visit in the last few days is because we have been training with Rainbow Dash. She has showed us a number of ways for us to improve in our flight and regain much of the form we once had so long ago.
>Dammit, was everyone in on this fake disappearance thing?
>“Rainbow Dash was not in on our playful ruse. She wished to keep our training a secret to surprise you in a race.”
“Okay, seriously Luna, personal space.”
>Luna blushes at your scolding.
>“Our apologies, but you are keeping your thoughts open to the mental link.”
>You rub your forehead in frustration.
“It’s not like I’m used to being able to talk to others just by thinking. I had a few days of it when I was stuck in your body, that’s it.”
>“Yes, our sister said you had a habit of keeping her awake at night.”
>You glance over at Twilight, who seems to have buried herself amongst several books as the two of you were jabbing at each other.
>With one question answered, you move on to the next.
“How the hell did you mange to get in the Superbird with us? Not to mention try to mow Twilight and me down with the old beast.”
>“Getting into the car with you was quite simple. I merely took an ethereal form.”
“Er….come again?”
>The purple alicorn doesn’t even turn away from her books to clarify.
>“Think of it as a mist of energy, Anon.”
>“And at last, we finally have deciphered and corrected the possession spell we attempted the previous week.”
“Just couldn’t leave it alone, huh?”
>Luna smiles and shakes her head.
>“Nay, magic is a constant process of learning and perfecting. Even after a millenia, we still have much to learn.”
“Well, with those questions answered, I suppose it’s time to focus on our current situation.”
>You grab a book out of the pile Twilight has amassed, as does Luna.

“I haven’t found even a footnote regarding telepathy in any of these damn books.”
>You chuck another book over your shoulder in annoyance, landing in the small heap behind you.
>The three of you have been in the library for over half the night looking through countless books.
>Luna sighs and rubs her temple with a hoof.
>“We are afraid we face the same frustration, Anon. Though our hopes were not at a high level to begin.”
>Your mind flashes back to something Celestia had said earlier in the evening.
“Celestia mentioned something about the two of you being immortal, and you were the one that discovered that trait. Care to elaborate how you managed that?”
>The blue alicorn huffs as she rises from her sitting position.
>“Our sister seems to find much entertainment in sharing that story, we find it surprising she did not delve into detail.”
“I think she was more concerned in keeping your prank on track.”
“Hm. She at least did that for us. But as for what happened, we merely went into a steep dive to pick up speed and waited a moment to long too pull up. Our sister did not find it funny when that happened, I assure you.”
“What did it feel like?”
>Luna raises an eyebrow.
>“A rather morbid question to ask. But to answer it, quite painful.”
“Well, yeah, I’m sure the hit to the ground hurt, I just meant the whole ‘rise from the ashes,’ metaphorically speaking.”
>“We were referring to both.”
>You scratch the back of your head, feeling a bit awkward.
>Twilight has been oddly quiet this whole time.
>You glace over to see her passed out, her head laying on the pages of the book she was reading.
“So now what? I’m tried of reading about magical gibberish, is this suddenly ability to tune into princess radio something that needs to be addressed urgently?”
>“It is indeed rather concerning, but I suppose we need not fret over this tonight. Perhaps our sister may be able to help with research tomorrow.”
>You get up and stretch, getting a couple good pops from your back.
“Well, I’m gonna head back home so the purple one can sleep in peace, if you want you can tag along.”
>Luna giggles as she walks out behind you, quietly closing the door behind the two of you.
>“While we would love to join you, it is time we return to the castle for the night.”
>Climbing into the Superbird, you fire up the engine.
“Alrighty then. See you tomorrow, I hope?”
>The night princess takes off into the night, without a response.
>[Good night Anon, we shall return tomorrow night.]
>Dammit, this is still weird as hell.
>But at least everything else is back to normal.
>As much as it can be.




[Originally posted 24 November 2013]