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// CHAPTER ONE: A Joined Destiny 
// Story: Night Mares Book 2: Children of the Night 
// by Stormbringer 
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The dinner/reception was marvelous.  The food as to die for, the music first rate.  Twilight and Luna were in Elysium.  It was all Celestia could do to drag them away long enough to raise the moon and stars.  
Twilight’s mother was in a constant state of joyful tears.  She was comfortable around Cadence, but she was still a little awed because Luna showed her so much attention and was calling her mom.
Eventually the party ended and Luna and Twilight finally got the chance to be alone.  They were in such a hurry that after they said goodnight to their friends and fellow princesses they teleported to their suite.

The two collapsed onto the bed cushion and just laughed.
“I’m yours Moon!”
“And I’m yours Star!”
The two kissed deeply and then just held each other. 
“I want to take a shower and then I want to make love to the most special pony in the world,” said Twilight, “my wife.”
“I’ll join you in that, my wife.” Said Luna, “let me help you with that dress first.”
“I’ll help with yours,” said Twilight with a smile.
They used their magic to remove the other’s dress.  When Twilight’s was over her head, it stopped and Luna gasped.
“What’s wrong Moon?” asked Twilight, struggling to get the dress the rest of the way off.
“Your cutie mark!” said Luna pointing at Twilight’s flank.
“What wrong with my cutie mark?” asked Twilight.
“Nothing wrong,” said Luna who with her magic produced a mirror so Twilight could see her flank.
There was the six pointed pink star over the white six pointed star and the five smaller stars at the points of the larger white star.  But now at the blank point was a crescent moon.  Twilight looked at Luna and said;
“Look at yours!”
Twilight turned the mirror with her magic and Luna saw that between the ‘horns’ of her crescent moon cutie mark was now a six pointed star.
The two lovers looked at each other.
“It’s like when I completed your old coltfriend’s spell,” said Twilight in awe, “With the marks of our destinies made one, there is magic without end!”
“My old coltfriend?” asked Luna.
“Star Swirl the Bearded,” said Twilight with a grin, “when I studied history so I could make my Nightmare Night outfit, I found that you and he were an item.  I just didn’t say anything because I thought if it were important, you’d have told me.
I think it’s so special I’m now the wife of a pony that knew such an important Unicorn.”
Luna looked at Twilight with love.
“Star, I’m the one that has the special wife and pony to love,” said Luna kissing Twilight, “let’s take that shower.”


The sun shone through the grand glassless windows.  Neither princess were sleeping.  Twilight was getting used to being able to skip sleeping.  She and Luna had made love all night.  Because of the ‘special occasion’, Celestia had offered to handle the moon stars and sun for this morning.
“The first day of our union starts, my Star,” said Luna.
Twilight pulled her partner close.  Luna could feel tears on her coat.
“Why do you weep My Love?” asked Luna.
“I can’t believe the happiness in my heart.” Said Twilight, “I never expected I’d ever have a pony to love.  Now I’m the wife of the greatest pony ever.”
“And I’ve never expected to marry and have my fondest dream to come true either,” said Luna with a smile. “But you’ve made it possible.”
The two kissed long.
“As hungry as I am for you My Love,” said Luna. “ I think we could use a break to our fast.”
“I agree Moon,” said Twilight, “we need to keep up out strength, especially since I plan on making you scream later.”
“You can try,” said Luna with a wink.
“And try I will!” said Twilight kissing Luna passionately.
After breaking the kiss, the two giggled and went shower then walked to the castle’s dining room.

“I wondered if I’d see you two today,” said Celestia smiling as she entered the dining room and seeing her sister and sister-in-law already eating.
“Just having to refuel,” said Luna.
“I just bet,” said Celestia with a smirk.
The three princesses laughed at this.  They ate and talked, Celestia would kid the newlywed  couple.  Twilight felt as if all her deepest dreams had come true and she was in the Fields of Elysium. 
After about an hour of this, the couple decided to walk in the castle gardens.  Applejack was tending some rare silver apple trees.  On seeing the two she bowed.
“Please fair Applejack,” said Luna, “you are closer than a sister to my beloved.  Therefore to me as well, because of this, you and your friends are not required to bow to me or address me formally unless it’s a formal occasion.”
Applejack stood and hugged Twilight as well as Luna.
“Thank you,” said Applejack.  “I didn’t expect to see either of you today.”
“Everypony needs to take a break to catch their breath sometimes,” said Twilight with a wink.
The three mares giggled.
As the three were talking, one of Princess Celestia’s guards came up to the group and bowed.
“A moment, Your Highnesses,” said the guard.
“Yes,” replied Luna.
“Princess Celestia asks your pardon and if you’ll meet with her in the throne room.”
“Let her know that we come.”
The guard departed at a quick trot.
“Sorry AJ,” said Twilight, “duty calls, it appears.”
“That’s ‘kay,” said Applejack, “life of a princess.  We’ll see you soon.”
Twilight and AJ hugged and Luna hugged AJ as well.

As the two approached the throne room doors, the guard bowed and opened the doors for the princesses.
“Good, you’re here.  Please join me,” said Celestia as she motioned to the empty thrones.  “I’m sorry to interrupt your celebration.”
“What’s going on, my sister,” asked Luna.
“We’ll wait,” said Celestia, then addressing the guard, “send the pony in and seal the doors.”
Twilight worried that such precautions were being taken.
A pony entered the room, they were wearing a dark cloak and hood keeping the pony’s face in darkness.  The doors closed behind them and the sounds of the bolts falling into place was heard.
The pony approached the dais and bowed.
Celestia nodded to Luna, implying she wanted the junior princess handle this. 
“How may we help you,” asked Luna.
The pony stood and pulled back their hood.  It was a mare with a dark coat, almost black.  The eyes were a brilliant blue, but the pupils surprised Twilight, they were very narrow slits instead of the regular round ones.  She looked at the princesses and her eyes rested on Luna.
Luna’s horn glowed and the drapes closed on the magnificent windows as well as the lighting in the room dimmed to a late twilight level.
“Thank you…  Mother.”

Twilight was shocked.  Luna looked at her wife who knew that Twilight would be confused.  She only nodded her head and then she looked back at the strange pony.
“Speak… My daughter.”
“Great mother,” said the pony, “I am Andromeda, descended from Night Flyer.”
“Yes,” said Luna, “you have the same noble bearing.”
Luna descended the dais and embraced the pony with a very warm hug.  The pony was crying.
“It must be very important for you to make such an arduous journey.”
“Yes mother,” responded Andromeda, “I know that there’s an agreement to limit the contact with the ponies of light.  And that you would allow our people to develop on our own.  But there is a matter that we can’t handle on our own.  A demon of light has invaded and is trying to take over our quiet and peaceful existence.  So I was sent to ask for guidance from our beloved mother.
Forgive my weeping, but it is a great blessing to be in the embrace of the mother of us all.”
“Make her comfortable,” said Celestia, sounding very serious, “and then we must talk.”
Luna nodded and led the pony to the doors.  Twilight started to follow but Celestia spoke up.
“No Twilight,” said Celestia, “not yet.  Luna has something to talk to you about.  But you must wait here first.  She needs to do this alone.”
“I’ll be back soon, My Love,” said Luna over her shoulder to Twilight.
The strange pony looked back at whom Luna was speaking and smiled.

Luna led the pony to Twilight’s suite, she was met by Spike.  Luna told Spike that the pony was not to be disturbed by anypony save one of the princesses.
When alone in Twilight’s bedroom and with the curtains pulled and lights dimmed, Luna and Andromeda sat and talked.  Andromeda removed her cloak and stretched her wings.
“Thank you for seeing me,” said Andromeda, “I know I’m not worthy to come before you.”
“Nonsense,” said Luna, “I told your forefathers and mothers that I’d always be a mother to them.  My children do not need to treat me as anything else other than a loving mother.  The only difference now is that I’ve taken a wife and your people now have two mothers.”
“That is joyous news mother,” said Andromeda embracing Luna.  “Because we are going to need all the help we can get.”
“So tell me about this demon of light,” said Luna.
“It came to us about a year ago,” said the dark pony, “it shown as bright as the sun.  Nopony could look on it.  It told us that it had come to be our king and to ‘liberate us from the oppression of the darkness’.
Our leaders politely let it know that we are Children of the Night, we rule ourselves and it is the darkness which liberates us.  But it wouldn’t hear of it.  It has come back several times and has been more insistent each time.  The last time, it told us that it would give us three months to change our minds.  If not, it would come with an army and ‘liberate’ us whether we wanted it to or not.
That was a month ago, I‘ve been traveling all that time.  I fear I may not return in time to aid my people.” 
“Worry not my daughter,” said Luna sounding very concerned.  “I will come and fulfill my pledge to my children.  Myself, my wife and our best troops.”
“Thank you mother,” said the pony yawning.  
“It is day,” said Luna, “rest here and we will talk tonight.”
The pony hugged Luna who kissed the pony on the cheek.


The throne room doors opened and Luna entered.  Celestia had lightened the room again.  She flew up to the platform, not to her throne but to Twilight and then embraced her and giving a deep kiss.
“Beloved, I need to talk to you about something, something from the past that once divided sister from sister and was the start of something that lead to me being imprisoned in the moon for a thousand years.”
“Let’s all go to my quarters,” said Celestia, “so we can talk.”