Luca - 4

>Dusk of the Final Day.
>The door to the library remained locked, even as Luca went about her early-evening chores.
>Sorting books, shelving novels, constantly worried something was going to happen.
>Her saddle-bags were still packed, and she was ready to run at a moment's notice.
>The anxiety tore at her.
>The candles that usually lit the library remained unlit, and very little light poured through the windows; the moon still had not taken its throne.
>Shadows moved past the windows, but never tried the door.
>Every time she heard hoofsteps outside, her heart skipped.
>After a while, she deemed there would be no threat to visit her, so she unlocked the door.
>Yet, the gryphon's voice still rang in her ears.
>That day was an off-day, so no ponies would typically come around.
>Luca was still determined, and welcomed what would come.
>Several voices could be heard outside of the door as the windows darkened.
>Silhouettes moved amidst one another.
>They hushed.
>All was silent.

>The door crashed open with the sound of a fight.
>Three familiar figures, and three unfamiliar ones, tumbled and crashed through the library.
>Luca, in her startled and frightened state, froze.
>She made no move to run, despite the gryphon, bat pony stallion, and earth pony mare shouting and screaming at her.
>Her eyes were locked on the bell, and as if time had slowed down, she watch it fly through the air.
>It had been broken off of its perch above the door.
>A flurry of hoods, cloaks, feathers, and pony surrounded her and rolled violently around her desks.
>The bell, finally descending from its flight, crashed on the wooden surface in front of her.
>Ding-a-ling, went the bell for the final time.
>Luca was gone from the library, almost instantaneously.
>The house above was undisturbed from that morning, save for a missing saddle-bag and an open window.

>Keeping low to the forest floor, she ran south.
>She ran as far and as fast as her little pony legs could take her, which was, incidentally, rather far.
>Every time she felt like stopping to catch her breath, she looked over her shoulder and ran faster.
>The fear that anyone who may wish her harm could be right behind her caused her to keep moving.
>She made it to the southern edge of Hollow Shades' forest just as dawn broken over the mountains.
>The light, irritating her sensitive eyes, caused her to rush toward the rocky terrain of the mountains.
>A hole in the earth swallowed her up as she tripped on a small boulder.
>Her screams echoed through the hole, but she found herself sliding over smooth stone.
>Finally, after a moment of being trapped with nothing but the darkness of the tunnel and her screams, she was dumped out on a pile of soft sand.
>Panting, afraid, and tired, she looked around, only to find pure black all around her.
>A screech was all she needed, and she could 'see' everything around her.
>Long wooden tables formed a large circle in the middle of the cavernous room, flanked by wooden stools.
>Large metal bowls filled with wood were spaced throughout the room.
>She took a few steps before collapsing from exhaustion.

>Luca awoke some indeterminable time later.
>Though, instead of waking on the cold, hard floor of the large cavernous room she had passed out in, she awoke in a small, lighted room.
>The bed in which she lay was comparable to a cloud.
>She sat up, and immediately started screaming.
>Across the room from her, two diamond dogs sat.
>They perked up at her screams, and immediately moved over to her.
>She scrambled and kicked as she tried to dodge them.
>Screaming and weaving, she managed to dart past the two.
>The door to the room slammed open as she threw her body against it, and as she turned to run down the hall, the two diamond dogs gave chase.
>By pure chance and luck, or perhaps some form of psychic magnetism, Luca found herself back in the cavernous room.
>The only difference was, the large bowls were lit aflame, and the tables were lined with batponies, gryphons, diamond dogs, earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi.
>Laughting, shouting, fighting, and feasting, the hall's orchestra of voices never ceased.
>Luca found herself tumbling forward, into a large open area that rested in the middle of the tables.
>The two diamond dogs caught her.
>"Biggs! Wedge! What in the name of the stars do you think you-"
>The dark gryphon from Luca's library cut himself off as he approached the pile of pony and dog in the middle of the room.
>"Well, what a coincidence. You made it!"
>The gryphon slapped Luca on the shoulder and laughed, relieved and excited to see her safe and sound.
>The two diamond dogs, both twins, clambered off of Luca and stood at attention.
"How long have I been out?"
>"An hour, maybe two. You two bug off, and quit pestering everyone."
>"But we-"
>"Go! Make sure her room is fit for her."
>The two sprinted off as the gryphon helped Luca to stand.
>"Sorry about them."
"Oh, no! I'm sorry! I was rather startled to see diamond dogs."
>"A bizarre alliance, isn't it? I suppose you aren't fully aware. Has the book revealed anything to you?"

>Luca shrugged as she followed the gryphon to one of the tables.
"It has. Things about Princess Luna and the moon and stars. Most of it could be found in other books though."
>The batpony stallion and earth pony mare from earlier were present at the table.
>A dozen other ponies, gryphons, and diamond dogs were also present.
>"I suppose that's a start."
"I'm a little confused though. Who were those ponies that tried to attack me?"
>"Well, that's a tough question. They aren't associated with the royalty, the same way we aren't exactly a rebellion, insurgency, or uprising. I guess, really, they're an opposing group that would prefer to stay in the 'elite' of Equestria."
"Rebellion?"
>"No. We're fighting for batponies and diamond dogs to be treated just as any earth pony, pegasus, or unicorn."
"I suppose that's fair. What do you need me for?"
>"You were recommended by someone. Being able to reveal even a sentence in that wooden book of yours allows entry into our 'secret club."
>Luca fell silent, contemplating what the gryphon said.
>A secret organization fighting for equality from the backdrop of Equestria.
>This was definitely a plot of intrigue, but how did she fit into it?
>Was she important, or just another recruit?
>She felt welcome amongst this group of strangers, and it only just occured to her to get their names.
"My name is Luca, by the way."
>"Luca. Well, I'm Foehn. You've already met Charon and Hex."
>He gestures to the bat-stallion and earth-mare from earlier.
>The stallion glances at you with a grin, while the earth-mare coldly stares at something no one else can see.
>"Biggs and Wedge were the twins looking over you. Hope they didn't frighten you too much. Everyone else, you'll meet soon enough."

>Foehn, as he was called chattered and told stories of all kinds of exploits he had with Charon and Hex, who were a part of his scouting squad.
>He told Luca everything she needed to know about their organization.
>"Moonfall," they called it.
>It was nothing against the royalty of Equestria.
>The name, as he said, merely represented their exploits in the shadows and the background, as if they operated in a constant, moon-less night.
>Foehn had also informed Luca that the moon's disappearance for the last few days was incredibly strange, and his squad was tasked with finding someone of great knowledge that could figure out what was going on.
>Luca, as it turned out, was the pony their intel had chosen and recommended.
>Their intel, of course, being the tip-top of Moonfall's command.
>"You will meet them soon," Foehn told Luca.
>She did not know whether to be excited, or afraid.
>"Lucky for you, they aren't as vicious as the previous command."
"What do you mean?"
>"Well, this organization originally started out as a 'secret society.' Way back when Nightmare Moon was relevant, this organization started, to try to control most of the damage caused by her supporters. It wasn't well received, and actually fell into the shadows of history."
>Charon spoke up with a flick of his hoof.
>"Please. No one wants your history lessons and conspiracy garbage. Previous command around here was a group of elite night-guards appointed by Princess Luna herself through some stupid set of trials. I'm sure you've heard of Midnight Blossom. One of the only ponies left from the previous command."
>He rolls his eyes.
>"Not that she has anything to do with us anymore. Went off and had a foal of her own and abandoned us. Sad to say, she really was the backbone of Moonfall."

>Luca fumbled with a wooden plate that was passed to her.
>A unicorn kindly stacked it with fruits.
>Muttering a quick 'thank you,' Luca gave a curious look to the Charon, Hex, and Foehn.
"What about the rest of the old command?"
>A somber look was passed between the gryphon and bat stallion.
>"Vanished without a trace, I'm afraid. I'd say we're lucky that the newest group of guards managed to pass the trials before Princess Luna stopped allowing them to be run."
>"Yeah. Real lucky with the ones we got, too. Pretty decent group. Sadly, only three of them decided to take over."
>Hex never speaks.
>She merely nods in affirmation of what her friends say.
>The hall died down as the nocturnal ponies and diurnal ponies split off to sleep or take care of the tunnels.
"Will I ever get to go back to my library?"
>Foehn sighed a very sad sigh.
>"Afraid not. At least, not for a very long time. Whatever this radical group wants, they'll get violent if it means weakening us. You're here now."
"Oh..."
>"On the bright side, we've got our own library down here. Probably triple the size of yours. You'll be right at home down there with Biggs and Wedge."
"Well, that sounds fantastic. I... guess I'll definitely look forward to being a part of all of this, even if it is way over my head."
>"Well. Welcome aboard."
>Foehn extended a claw to Luca.
>She held a hoof to him, and they shook.
>"Best to hit the hay while you still can, though. You're probably going to get briefed by the command and assigned to a squad."
>With that, the trio parted from the table, leaving Luca all alone in the hall, save a few unicorns.
>As she, too, left the hall, she retraced her steps the way she came, back to her new room.
>Settling in and sitting at the small desk in the corner, she sighed.
>She dared not ask her new friends what had happened in the library.
>All she could do was turn from the desk, leap into bed, and take in everything that had happened.