Prologue

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The sun had just set on the small and peaceful Crystal Empire. The suns' rays cast down on the Crystal Castle and made rainbows shine over the quiet homes down below. On the castle balcony, a lone figure looked out as her horn glowed with light blue magic as she raised the moon. From behind her, a dark grey stallion unicorn trotted up behind her, his black mane blowing softly in the warm breeze and his green/violet eyes looked at the dark blue mare Alicorn with love and a certain gentleness that was not normally in his gaze. The Stallions red cape bellowed out behind him as he trotted up to the Alicorns side and smiled at her.
"Luna, are you not tired, my Love? You have had a long day…" His voice was calm and soft, unusual for him yet he couldn't help having such a tone with the beautiful moon princess. Princess Luna turned and smiled at her dearest companion, "I am fine, Sombra. Thou should not worry about me so much when thou hast thy own Kingdom to worry about."
King Sombra chuckled as he looked up at the Moon with warm interest. Princess Lunas' attention, however, was directed towards the small houses. Her expression darkened as she saw all the crystal ponies hurry home in the darkness. "I do not understand..." She said barely loud enough for Sombra to hear, "What is so wrong about my night that makes the ponies run to their homes and shut out my moon?" Sombra leaned against her in an attempt to comfort her and mumbled softly, "I do not know, My Love. Perhaps they are frightened by what they do not yet understand."
Luna closed her eyes and felt exhaustion hit her hard as she remembered how long the day had seemed. How all her life seemed to be destined to stand forever in her sisters' shadow and watch as their subjects rejoiced in her precious light while they shunned her beautiful night. Sombra could sense his Loves' tension and nuzzle she gently, "You need rest. Come, you may stay here if you do not wish to return home." Luna smiled loving up at him and nodded, "I would love to."
Sombra stood to walk back inside the castle when Luna placed her hoof around his neck and pulled him down to her for a kiss. They remained like that for a few minutes before pulling apart to breathe and they stood there and smiled at each other in the silver moonlight.
"I love you." Sombra said softly. The statement brought a light blush to the Moon Princesses cheeks but she smiled warmly as she replied, "I love you too." The pair then walked inside and settled down comfortably together as the moon kept watch over head. Luna's last thoughts were of her and Sombra, living together happily in peace; and when would be a good time to tell him of the little foal growing inside her.
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"Push, Princess! Push!"
Sweat rolled down Princess Luna's neck as she used all her strength to pu sh through another contraction. Her teeth clenched together to keep from screaming from the pain that coursed through her body. Come on, little one, She thought to the baby in her womb, everypony is waiting to meet you./
Finally, with one last push, Luna felt all the pressure in her body release and a laid there in fatigue as the nurse smiled, "Congratulations, Your Highness. It's a little Filly." Luna smiled as she strained her head to look up and watched as the royal doctor cleaned up the newborn foal and wrapped her in a pretty light blue blanket with silver stars sewn along the hem. The foal was laid beside Luna as the two were left alone to bond. Luna's wing draped over her new daughter and smiled with love at the small body beside her.
The filly's coat was dark blue like her mothers' but her muzzle, hooves, and wing tips were black. Her delicate mane and tail were curled and held silver and light blue colors, and her mane curled softly around the babies little horn and weak wings. Luna nuzzled the precious bundle beside her as she heard the door to her room open and soft hoof steps walked in.
"May I see her?" said the soft and regal voice of Princess Celestia. Princess Luna smiled and moved her wing so she could see the small baby and the Sun Princesses eyes softened with warmth for her new niece. "She is beautiful…Sombra will be very proud." Luna looked up at her sister in surprise, and her look was greeted with a soft chuckle, "Oh yes, I have known about you for a long time, little sister, it pains me that you hid it from me for so long."
Luna looked away and covered her baby once again with her wing, "I was going to tell you when you had time. But I knew that that was going to be hard since you are always busy being loved by our subjects." Celestia frowned and her white wings fluttered.
"You know I always have time for you, Luna." Celestia said softly, but her reply fell on uncaring ears. Luna refused to listen anymore to her sisters excuses and promptly laid her head down around her foal, a sign that she no longer wished to talk. Celestia sighed and turned to leave when she noticed her sisters' shadow seem to twitch and its color seemed darker then a normal shadows'. Princess Celestia turned her head to look back once more at her younger sister, but simple pushed the foreboding thought away, it's just my imagination…, she rationalized and then left her sister to sleep.
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"Luna! You must lower the moon! It is your duty!"
Princess Celestia tried to reason with her sister, to pull her out from the depths of darkness her mind and soul had been dragged into. But the sun princess knew, as soon as she watched the orb of darkness surround her sister and transform her into Nightmare Moon, that it was too late. Her sister was gone, and a monster had been born from her jealousy and hate. Celestia knew what she had to do, and the thought broke her heart. She called to the guards and shouted orders, "GRAB ASTRIAL NIGHT! GET HER OUT OF HERE!"
The baby dark blue Alicorn, who had been playing innocently on the floor when the monster took hold of her mothers' mind, was crying out for her mother to hold her. The guards quickly scooped her up and galloped out as Nightmare Moon took off into the sky, Celestia hot in pursuit. They battled in the sky above the castle until Celestia called upon the Elements of Harmony and used them to banish her beloved sister to the moon. Tears streamed down Celestias' cheeks as she heard her sisters' voice cry out, "ASTRIAL NIGHT!" before the moon Princess was banished.
"NO! LUNA!" A stallions' voice screamed form the ground and King Sombra sank to his stomach on the ground as he watched his love and life taken from him. He yelled and threatened Celestia, demanding she hand over his daughter, the last piece of his beloved Luna he had left. Celestia, however could not do it. She saw how his heart had broken and the dark magic that began to flow from his horn and eyes. Sombra let out a roar of rage but disappeared, Vowing to one day to reclaim his daughter and to avenge his beloved.
Celestia knew then that Canterlot was no longer safe for her precious Niece and ordered the baby to be hidden from the rest of the world for her own protection. The filly was placed under a sleeping spell and hidden away in the safety of the lower parts of Canterlot castle.
One Thousand years later, the baby would awaken on the last day of her mothers banishment and that is where her story begins…..

Chapter 1

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Astrial Nights’ POV

Water….That was the first thing I remember hearing when I woke up. The delicate sound of water droplets hitting a solid concrete floor, over and over again. Drip. Drip. Drip. Just a constant soothing sound that almost lulled me back to sleep. Almost. I will admit, it was a struggle just to open my eyes after such a long nap. How long had I been sleeping anyway? It was unlike Mother to allow me to sleep this long. When I finally decided to open my eyes, I was not in my cozy bed with the pretty light blue blanket my mother had given me the day I was born. I tried to raise my head to look around, but that small movement alone made my small neck sore, as if I had been asleep more than the few hours I surely had been sleeping. After the soreness faded away a bit I was able to look around the small concrete room it would appear I had dozed off in.
I stretched myself out, letting my tiny wings open to their full size as they also seemed to be stiff. Once I was able to get to my hooves, I noticed that I was in one of the basement rooms on the lower levels of Mothers and Aunt Celestias’ Castle. I frowned slightly at the fact that I had fallen asleep down here, Mother had told me to never come down here alone and I had obeyed….So why was I here? And why hadn’t one of the guards found me and taken me to my room?
These questions chased themselves through my mind as stepped down from the small bed I had been sleeping on and trotted to the door, worried that mother would be angry that I had been gone for so long. When I reached the doors, I realized that they were far too heavy and big for me to open by myself, which only made the fact that I was in the room even more confusing. I decided to worry about that later, right now I had to worry about how to get out of this room and find mother so I could explain my absence the whole morning. But how exactly was I going to get out?
I ended up just shouting, in the hopes that one of the patrolling guards would hear me. I hadn’t even shouted twice when the doors suddenly swung open and two royal Guards that I had never seen before stood in the open door way gawking at me. The fact that I did not recognize them sent a feeling of uncertainty through my small body. I had made it my mission to learn all of the guards names, a small game I had made to keep myself busy while Mother and Aunt Celestia were in royal meetings.
I took a tentative step back as they continued to do nothing but stare at me with these weird expressions on their faces. Finally I mustered up the courage and stood up straight like Mother had showed me to do when I was serious and spoke, “Who are you? Where is my Mother, Princess Luna?”
My Voice seemed to snap the older guard, a light grey Unicorn stallion, out of his daze as He turned to his younger companion, a white Pegasus. “Go and get Princess Celestia! Quickly!” The White Pegasus nodded and turned and galloped off up a long flight of stairs. I frowned and glared at the Unicorn guard in suspicion, “Who are you?” I asked again. This time the Unicorn looked at me and smiled softly, his soft green eyes glowed warmly as he dipped his head respectfully, “How was your nap, Astrial Night? My name is Sword Light, and my companion and I were sent to watch over you.” He suddenly stepped back and motioned with his head towards the stairs the other guard and taken, “If you will please follow me, I am sure you must be hungry after such a long nap.” I hesitated for a second, but the mention of the possibility of food seemed to trigger something in me because my stomach growled loudly. I fidgeted my hooves shyly and my wings fluttered as I nodded in consent. Sword Light turned and lead the way up the stairs and I followed. Who were these ponies? And why were they getting Aunt Celestia instead of Mother? I pondered this as we stepped through a doorway at the top of the stairs and I was blinded by sunlight….

Crystal Night (Prologue)

by Lily Song

Prologue

Chapter 1