Luna

Always first in line, and always asking a million questions, that would be Luna. Born in a true Arcane Clan, she's had a deep fascination with the universe, all the stars and especially the moon. Luna was determined to one day go there and devoted every minute of her life to that dream. The Pearlcatcher dabbled in magic and learned about science, using the knowledge she gained to build herself a rocket that would fly her all the way to the moon. Her parents were concerned about Luna's ambitions, but, knowing they'd never talk her out of it, they supported her as best they could.

Eventually, the big day arrived. Luna had finally finished building her rocket. The young lady couldn't sleep all night and was positively glowing from joy, pride and happiness the next day. Luna said goodbye to her parents and got in the rocket. The whole Clan gathered to watch her take off. Solaris and Polaris prayed forthe Arcanist to protect her, as they watched the rocket lift off. Pink smoke filled the air as the rocket took off into the sky, first slowly, but then faster and faster. Everything seemed to go according to plan, until something happened. The engine caught fire, and the Clan looked in terror as the trail of pink smoke turned black and the rocket started to fall. A search party went out to to find Luna and the wreckage. But they were too late...

Luna doesn't remember much about the tragic accident, all she remembers is waking up in the forest, about half a mile away from the forest. She was feeling foggy and numb, but wasn't hurting. It didn't occur to her that this was strange, the only thing on her mind was her failure, her inability to reach the moon. Luna looked up to the sky. Night had fallen and the full moon was shining bright above her, taunting her, calling her. The Pearlcatcher stood there for hours, gazing at the moon through the branches. But then, bits and pieces of the crash started coming back, flashing before her eyes. Luna jumped up. "I have to get home," she said, "my parents must be worried sick."

The journey home was strange and surreal. It felt as though Luna's body was moving on its own, as she rushed through the woods, flying past all the bushes and branches that should have slower her down. "Mom, dad!" She yelled as she flew through the Clan's gate. "I'm okay, I'm here!" The Pearlcatcher cried as she ran past the corner towards her parents' den. "I'm back, I'm okay! I'm o-" In the entrance, Luna came to a sudden halt and her voice choked. Inside were her parents, crying, as they kneeled around a body that seemed all too familiar. It was as though the ground disappeared beneath her feet, as though she got the wind knocked out of her. "I... I'm... No, please, I'm..."

Being a ghost was hard. Luna stayed home for a couple of weeks, watching her parents mourn, mourning with them. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around her parents and tell them that everything was fine, that she was right here and she was alright. But she couldn't. She couldn't touch them, she couldn't talk to them, they couldn't even see her. After a while, it became unbearable, and Luna decided to leave. She wandered around Sornieth, alone and desperate. If there were any others like her out there, other ghosts, Luna didn't have the fortune to meet them. The once happy and lively Pearlcatcher often wondered if this was eternity, if she could ever just stop being a ghost. Though she sometimes visited other lairs, watching the living enjoy living, Luna wandered in solitude.

Then, one day, the most unexpected thing happened. She was visiting another lair, when suddenly an Imperial popped up in front of her. "Why, hello there stranger! What's your name?" She wanted to know. Luna was baffled. She thought she was hallucinating for a moment, until a Nocturne behind her asked: "Where's your pearl? She doesn't have a pearl, Fan, I think we failed." It took a while before the Pearlcatcher could answer, not having spoken for nearly a year. "Y-you can see? See me?" She asked softly, filled with disbelieve. "You're real?" The Imperial asked in return, full of surprise.

Turned out, Luna had come across Fantasia and Vision, the Dream Sorcerers of Denutena's Candyclan. They'd been experimenting with their dream magic, trying to connect and see into the spirit world. And they succeeded! It took some time to convince either party that the other was real, but then Fantasia and Vision sat down with the Pearlcatcher. Luna told them all about her story. Her dream to go to the moon, the rocket and the crash, her parents, her time alone. And the two sorcerers listened intently. "Don't worry, Luna, we're going to talk to the Counsel. Once Nana hears about your story, she'll do whatever she can to help. We will too." Vision assured her. "In fact," Fantasia added, "I think I already have an idea..."

And indeed, when Nana heard about Luna's tale, she immediately decided they had to do whatever they could to help the lonely lady. The Fae sent out a search party to go look for Luna's lost pearl, while Vision and Fantasia started working on a new spell. Another few weeks went by as the sorcerers studied and experimented with Luna and their magic, and the search party was out looking for the pearl. Much to everyone's surprise, it were the Coatl Sisters who actually managed to find it. Following the trail of the wreckage and the place where Luna woke up, they had tracked the Pearl down to a group of smugglers who had sold the Pearl on a black market to a Ridgeback who bought it as a present for his unrequited love on the other side of Sornieth who wanted to become a Pearlcatcher. Something like that, it's hard to keep up with Guava and Lychee's stories.

After the pearl was retrieved, Fantasia and Vision worked their magic on the pearl. It was their biggest spell yet, and it took a lot of focus, something they weren't used to, as they were usually just running about hallucinating their tails off and not really doing anything useful. But, with some trial and error, the couple managed to succeed. "There you go, pick it up." Fantasia said, and the two sorcerers watched intently to see if they succeeded. Luna looked at her pearl with mixed feelings. She hadn't been able to touch anything or anyone since her death, not even her pearl. Hesitantly, she drifted towards the shiny ball, slowly reached out her claw. And touched it. Luna's face lit up when she felt the cool smooth surface, for the first time in a long time, she smiled, as she picked the pearl up. The dragons who had come to watch started cheering and clapping as Luna slowly started to materialise. Fantasia and Vision were beaming with pride. "It is nice to finally meet you." Nana said, and Luna started crying, overwhelmed with happiness. "It... It's nice to meet you too!"

Fantasia and Vision's spell gave Luna a foothold into the world of the living. Holding her pearl, she could appear. She could be seen again, talk to other dragons. And sometimes, if she tried hard enough, Luna could even materialise, touch and interact with the world. However, she spell isn't lasting, and the Dream Sorcerers often have to renew the spell, which is partly why Luna decided to stay in Denutena's Candyclan, where she was welcomed with open arms. She grabbed the first opportunity she had to write her parents a long, long letter, telling them everything she'd been through ever since the crash. She wrote about her new friends, how happy she is, but that she misses her parents and wishes she could visit them. She's not going to try to go to the moon anymore, the letter said. Instead, Luna's content living high up in the sky on a floating island, probably as close to the moon as she will ever get.