> A War of Realms > by raingermike > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1: My Constantine > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1: My Constantine He sat in a cold dark alley way in the run down section of Canterlot. His wings clung to the sides of his body trying to hold in the little bit of warmth that the greedy wind keep stealing away. A particularly strong gust ran threw his messy black mane sending shivers down his spine. Still the young colt pressed on in his search for food. He shouldn't have been living on the streets like this, he was only eight. Nopony wanted him, not even the orphanages would take him. They all did the same thing. Every last one of them just called him a monster... a nightmare. One after another they tossed him back on the street where they all claimed he belonged. A broken mirror left leaning on the side of a dumpster caught his attention. Using his magic the lonely colt picked up a piece of the shattered glass and took a moment to study the reflection that stared back at him. Both of his eyes were a different color the right being blue while the left was sliver. His coat was a light shade of brown except for the ring around his right eye and the fur on his left ear which where both sliver as well. Although there was no horn atop his head he could still manage small bits of magic. “Just another reason nopony wants me. Who wants a freak that uses magic without a horn, or has wings but can't fly?" He let his magic fade as the section of broken mirror fell to the ground shattering into even smaller bits, falling apart, just like the poor boys life. Not finding what he sought the young colt made his way back the main street. After another hour of searching he gave up hope of finding anything to eat. It looked like he would spend another night hungry. he began to wounder the streets, not paying attention to where he went. As the day stretched on the shadows grew longer and the sun began it's decent. Night would soon be here and it looked as if it would snow again tonight. Wondering into the more lived in section of town the streets became more crowded. Ponies rushed in and out of the local shops trying to get their last minute shopping done before daylights end. It had been a very long time since he had seen this many happy ponies. Small groups of them even stood upon the street corners singing merry carols. Not paying attention he had walked much farther than he thought. “Where am I? This part of the city is so... clean, and everypony seems happy." Street lights began to flicker to life just as the young colt came to realize he was standing at the main gates of Canterlot Castle. "Somepony in gold armor, he must be a guard!" His mind raced a mile a minute, "He is a guard! That means he can help me!" Mustering the little energy he had left the little colt pushed his way through the lively crowds and over to the guard. "Can you please help me?" The guard looked down at the trembling form before him. "What can I do for ya? Shouldn't you be home with your family? It is Hearth's Warming Eve after all. He took a step closer to the guard, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Please help me I’m just so cold and hungry. Can’t you feed m..." "No! Get back you... you... MONSTER!!!" The market place burst into utter chaos as the crowds parted and ponies ran left and right trying to put as much distance between themselves and the child as they possibly could. Shouts of fear echoed across the market place. The young colts eyes shout up to the sky, "Oh no it’s a full moon. NO NO NO NO!!! This can’t happen, not now!" "I said get back!" The guard watched in pure terror as the boy standing before him began to change. Little bits of his brown coat burnt away leaving behind a shimmering sliver coat. His once black main and tail erupted into black translucent flames, and the same black fire trailed off from the now glowing sliver circle that surrounds his right eye. The guards training began to kick in as he defensively lowered the tip of his spear in an attempt to ward off the monster before him. The longer he looked at the flaming beast the more a single thought began to occupy the guards mind. "Your Nightmare Moon." The little boy looked down the shaft of the guards spear. He was just as afraid as the guard was. Why did this always happen to him? It seemed like every time his life started to look up he had to turn into this thing. Still it's not as bad as it was. It used to be that he would transform every night. Over time he gained some control over his condition, but he had also learned the more full the moon the harder it was to control. On nights like this one when the moon was at its peak there was no hope for the boy to keep himself from turning. "Please stop this! I just want help!" "Don't play stupid with me beast!!! You thought you could disguise yourself as some sweet and innocent child to get close to the princesses, didn't you?! I'll teach you to mess with the beloved rulers of this land!" The little boy burst into tears, "Why are you doing this to me? Why does everypony hate me? The guard turned to the castle tower and began shouting, "To arms brothers! The Nightmare is upon us! To arms!' The young colt spun on a dime and booked it. He didn't bother looking over his back, he didn't have time to. He had to find cover and he had to find it now. Darting down random alley ways the child hoped to lose his pursuers. Despite his best efforts he could still hear the clinking of armor not far behind him. This is why he never went to this part of town. Something bad always happened, and then when he needed to run he didn't know where to go. Using a rusty fire escape the young colt managed to make it to the roof of an old boarded up apartment complex before the guards came into view. Not but a few seconds after making it to the roof he heard the guards run right past his hiding place. He was safe. The colt collapsed to the ground exhausted. He would have to wait till morning when he turned back to normal, and then he could make his way back to Old Canterlot. In the sparkling night sky hung a beautiful full moon. Tonight its vast surface had a slight orange tint to it. It was a truly stunning sight. The young colt turned his face to the moon and smiled. There was no happiness, joy, or love in his life. None the less he still smiled. It didn't matter what all those mean ponies called him. No matter what happened the moon had always been there for him. The moon was something he had always been able to talk to. It never judged him, called him mean names, and it never turned its back to him. The Moon was all he had, and nopony was strong enough to take it away from him. Even if those guards had taken him off to prison the moon would still be hanging in the sky just how it was at that moment of time. A soft angelic voice startled the young colt from his thoughts. "Art thou enjoy our moon?" His head snapped around to the source of the new sound. "We are Princess Luna, what is thy name? He stared in awe at the graceful blue alicorn before him. He had never seen anypony so stunning. She truly was the living embodiment moon. Everything about her from her deep loving eyes to the very night sky that seemed to live in her mane was perfect. "L...Lu....Luna" Luna approached him without the slightest hint of fear. He was shocked everypony was afraid of him. They all ran away. Yet here she was coming closer to him. She took his head in her hooves and slowly began to run her hooves threw his mane. She looked deep into his young eyes never wavering for a minute. Then she spoke and his very world began to crumble "That is right we are Luna. What might we call thou?" He looked down in shame, refusing to meet the princesses’ eyes. "Monsters don't have names." Luna slowly shook her head and tisked' "Eyes so young yet filled with so much pain and sorrow." She gently let go of his head and walked to the edge of the roof, but instead of flying away she sat down and began to hum. After a few minutes she removed her crystal slippers and patted the spot next to her. Slowly the colt drug his exhausted form next to her and sat down. Luna gently laid her wing over him and pulled his small trembling form into her side. He didn't know what to do, so he cried into her soft coat. "shhhhh, be still little one." He felt something different as warmth slowly seeped into his body. He felt safe. The safer he felt the tighter she held him, until eventually she pulled him into her lap and wrapped her fore hoofs and both her wings around him. As the night ticked on Luna continued to hum and sleep began to take him. In the last few moments before he lost consciousness Luna kissed his forehead and whispered into his ear. "You are not a monster. You are our star gazer. You are My Constantine > Chapter 2: Lunas Visit > --------------------------------------------------------------------------     Chapter 2: Luna's Visit                  [10 years later]           *clip clop clip clop.Constantine made his way through the dim castle corridor, the sound of his hoofsteps echoed off of the stone walls. Blue-flamed torches placed every fifty feet cast their soft light over his form. Constantine understood why many ponies feared these small hallways, but something about the blue light seemed to put him at ease. He often escaped here when he was stressed, or sometimes he would walk these halls on nights when he simply couldn't sleep.         "Just two more hours until she's here." Today was the one day a year he got to see Luna. He had been preparing the moon colony for the past month, making sure that all the upkeep was done and that nothing needed any last minute repairs. Everything had to be perfect. Luna had enough to worry about without adding the colonies to her list. Constantine had given up sleeping for the past five days so he could put the final touches in place. He had also been pushing the castle staff rigorously for the past week to get everything ready. He'd pay for that later, but in the end it would be well worth taking the heat. He had this one day out of the year to prove to Princess Luna that he was capable of taking care of the moon so she wouldn't have to. A simple oak door brought the hall to an abrupt end. Sighing, Constantine put his hoof on the old wooden structure and pushed. "So it begins."         Bright light flooded into the dark hallway as the door swung open on its well-oiled hinges. The door was placed directly behind Luna's throne as a way for her to quickly escape the stresses of nobility if she needed. Looking over the throne room, Constantine was pleased with what he saw. Ponies were happily rushing back and forth to hang the last of the decorations, but other than that, everything was ready. Tapestries of blue and silver hung from the walls, and tables where piled high with food and gifts for the Princess. Everything from the massive silver chandelier hanging down from the ceiling, to Luna's black onyx throne had been buffed to a mirror finish. For the first time in far too long Constantine smiled. “Luna will be pleased.”         "MY Lord!!!" Constantine turned just in time to catch the panting mare before she hit the ground. "I… Ah, I have a message, My Lord… T-the  Princess has just arrived...  And she has brought guests… We have b-but seven minutes before she arrives!"           Constantine thanked the messenger and levitated her a glass of punch off of the refreshments table. With a voice that demanded attention, Constantine began issuing orders. "Places! the Princess has arrived!" Controlled chaos, (if their is such a thing) broke out as everypony fixed last minute details and rushed to their hiding places. A pony in black armor passed Constantine his scythe, and took his place to the side of the throne. Constantine leaned his oversized sickle against his shoulder. It had been a gift from Luna the day he arrived at the colonies. At the time Luna told him that it acted as his badge of office, but of course when you give a nine year old colt a pointy piece of steel on a stick it becomes his new favorite toy. Constantine saluted the guards as they began to file in and take their places around the room. Everypony hid, leaving only the guards and Constantine in sight.  Somewhere a pony excitedly whispered, "Everypony quite, she's coming!"  Constantine quickly checked his reflection in the polished marble floor one last time. Everything seemed to be in order. His dark blue tunic with silver accents was freshly pressed and his black leather boots where brightly polished. Sure, his jet black mane was a little bit messy, but when was it not?   The sound of guards outside the doors pounding their halberds into the ground alerted everypony that the doors were about to open, and sure enough they did. As soon as the doors began to move, Constantine and all the guards dropped to their knees in a low bow. Constantine could do nothing but nervously stare at the floor in front of him, praying that he hadn't missed some small, little detail. Two sets of sharp hoofsteps entered the throne room, followed by six sets of duller ones. "I hope we have enough food," thought Constantine.         The voice that rang throughout the room could just be described as angelic. However, that was far too simple a term for the breathtaking melody that was Luna’s voice. If one were to listen closely enough,The twinkling of every star, and every child's joyful laughter could be heard within her speech."Alright my children of the night, where art thou hiding?"         Normally one would expect ponies to greet their Princess using her title, but apparently that bit of etiquette went out the window. Crowds of ponies rushed out from their hiding spots under the tables and around the room. They shouted things like, "Mother your home!," and "I missed you!" One of the guards broke formation and sprinted full speed towards Luna screaming, "MOMMY!!!!!!!"         Constantine silently slammed his head into the floor before of him, "I'm running a bucking foal sitting business."                 "Let the festivities begin!!!" Cheers of delight erupted all around him. A few more guards abandoned post to join the quickly forming dance floor that swayed to the DJ’s beats. Constantine however, didn't move a muscle. A pair of the most brightly polished silver slippers that that he had ever seen entered his field of view. Slowly, ,one of the silver-clad hoofs found its way under his chin and lifted his gaze into the eyes of his Princess. She smiled down upon him. "My dear Stargazer, thou hath done a wonderful job." Constantine smiled back up at his princess. “Come, my Stargazer. Join us in the festivities that thou hath labored so arduously in creating.”         At this, Constantine beamed. “I’d be honored.” Constantine passed his scythe back to the guard who had originally brought it to him, and fell in next to Luna. He was so happy that he was finally getting to spend some time with his princess, that he almost forgot how tired he was… almost. Despite the steady thump of the base and the lively energy that buzzed throughout the room Constantine’s eyelids unknowingly dropped ever so slightly. Luna stood tight to his side, leading him through the crowds. She took the longest route so she could have contact with as many of her children as possible. The entire time they walked she was either greeting, or carrying out small conversations with her subjects. she even stopped to hug a few particularly lucky ones. Most of this passed by Constantine in a haze of movement, sound, and color. All of those sleepless nights were beginning to catch up to him, and they were demanding their due. Still, Constantine was determined to hold back their insistence, just a little bit longer.         Sometime during their walk, Luna's wing had found its way around his shoulders. When this might have happened, Constantine had absolutely no idea. What he did know was that the firm squeeze that her wing gave him was the only thing that keep him from running nose first into the small table that they had finally arrived at. Like a true gentlecolt, Constantine helped his Princess into her chair before he sat atop his own. The entire setup looked like something found in a romance novel. The round table had a white cloth draped over it, pristine and pressed with not a wrinkle to be found. In the center of the table was a vase of dark blue roses, and a candle lit silver chamberstick that sat proudly with its three candles happily burning. As stereotypical as the whole setup was, it still looked nice. No one bothered asking for drink orders, the staff just brought out the most expensive alcohol they had in stock. Luna and Constantine both looked down at the drinks and then back into each other's eyes. They must have had the same thought because Luna shook her head, and with a flash of her horn turned the tall glasses of champagne into small steaming mugs of hot chocolate. “Just because it is expensive and bubbly does not mean we wish to drink it.” Constantine nodded at the mug in agreement. “It was a nice thought, but they should have asked first.” He drank deeply from his mug, sighing in content as memories from his past rushed back to him. Whenever he was sick or just couldn't rest, she would stay up with him and drink cocoa until he fell into sleep's embrace.            Constantine’s ears folded back as the little voice in his mind brought something to light. Luna loved dropping small hints when she knew he had done something he wasn't supposed to. She had done it his entire life, even after he had moved to the colonies on the moon. Luna would even go as far as toying with his dreams until he had rectified whatever transgression he had committed. The coco was her not-so-subtle, subtle hint of letting him know she knew about him skipping sleep for so long. Luna’s voice snapped him out of his exhausted train of thought, “Hast thou had any pleasant dreams recently? We adore watching them. They are always... interesting.” Constantine gave his best pleading smile “Well…” “Constantine...” “Yes Luna?” "...Sweet dreams."                                                               Constantine sighed happily. It felt nice to be able to just relax and let it all go. His skin felt so warm and... bubbly? He couldn't explain how or why, but he felt bubbly and...wet? Constantine pushed the thought out of his mind, deciding to not label it and just enjoy the bliss. Either way he felt amazing.            Something began to softly tug at his mane. Not wanting to be bothered, he batted it away with his hoof and snuggled deeper into the soft wall in front of him. Feeling content once again, he inhaled deeply and sighed into the comfortable barrier. He could have sworn he heard giggling, and then that pesky whatever-it-was started pulling at his mane again. Why was the world so Tartarus-bent on disrupting his rest? He felt a cool wind blow across his ear, causing it to flick. This was followed by more laughter. Reluctantly Constantine opened his groggy eyes only to be greeted by a wall of dark blue fur. His tired mind couldn't make sense of anything, so he just closed his eyes again and pushed his head deeper into the blue wall. Slowly, the voices around him came into focus.         "Why don't you just let the poor thing sleep Luna?"         "I have to agree with Princess Celestia, the darling looks positively exhausted."         "Awww wet him sweep woona! Besides! He looked so cutesy wootsy when his back leg started kicking!"         Constantine began to doze off again when something poked him in the side. He stirred a little bit, but just dozed back off. That was until he was jabbed in a particularly ticklish spot, this caused him to jump. His head whipped around, taking in the scene around him, ”Why am I in a tub?”  "How did thou sleep my Stargazer?” Constantine immediately got out of Luna's lap and composed himself as best he could, considering he was in a hot tub with the two diarchs of Equestria and six mares he had never met.           ”Apologies Princess, I must have dozed off during the party” Luna gave him the slightest hint of a smirk. “Though did indeed succumb to sleep during our celebration. Thou must have been truly exhausted. Art thou getting enough rest with such demanding responsibilities upon thine back?"           Constantine had learned his lesson long ago, ”No princess Luna, I haven't... I will not allow it to happen again.”                  One of the mares with a rainbow colored mane and tail burst out into a fit of laughter.         “Smooth move big guy, passing out at the party before it even gets started. How in the world did somepony like you get left with the entire moon?”         "Rainbow! I'm sure he is more than capable of handling whatever Luna decides to task him with."         "Aaaah, lighten up Twilight. he knows i'm just joking. Besides How awesome would it be to live on the moon?" The pegasus who was apparently named Rainbow playfully splashed some water at the purple unicorn.            Seemingly out of nowhere, a pink ball of fur and pure energy jumped in between Twilight and Rainbow Dash. “IT WOULD BE SUPER DUPER EXTRA SPECTACULARLY AWESOMELY FANTASMICALLY EPIC!!!!!” silence engulfed the room as everypony stared at the pink mare with blank expressions, and then as if nothing had even happened, conversation started back up as normal          "Twilight, you look stressed. Do you want me to brush your mane?"         Twilight  slowly began to rub the sides of her head. Rainbow had been badgering her the whole trip here, and now it appeared that Princess Celestia had joined the game. "No thank you, Princess Celestia. I'm more concerned with how there has been a entire colony of ponies living on the moon for the past eighteen years and nopony seemed to notice."         "Twilight fidgeted anxiously, but this soon subsided as her mind drifted back to the secrets that the moon had concealed for so long. The inquisitive unicorn turned to Luna and asked, “By chance Princess Luna, is their a library here in the castle...or maybe a record room?” Constantine pointed to the door. ”Out that way, and three doors down on your left.” Twilight beamed at the prospects of all the untold knowledge she might find “Thank you, kind sir. My name is Twilight Sparkle." Constantine nodded politely. ”I am Constantine, nice to meet you” Twilight pointed to the blue pegasus, “And this is-” Then Rainbow dashed (see what I did there?) from the tub and right into Constantine's face. “-RAINBOW DASH!  fastest flyer in all of Equestria. I know you live on the moon and all, but I'm sure you've heard of me."         "...Well it's great to meet you, all but there's tons of work i've got to get done and-"          Rainbow cut him off and was back in his face. "-Not so fast big guy"         "That's right we're here to get you ready for your super duper extra special surprise!!!" The pink pony began to hop up and down... on the water. Not in the water..... but on top of it. The clear liquid didn't even move under her weight. Constantine felt one of his eyes begin to twitch.         He turned to Luna and asked, ”...How is she doing that?”         The mare that approached him next was, for lack of better terms a bomb shell. her long purple mane clung tightly to her perfect alabaster fur as she waded through the steaming water towards him. “Rule number one darling, don't question anything about Pinkie Pie. The only thing even close to an answer you'll get is a migraine.” The unicorn batted her eyelashes at Constantine, who was quite obviously staring. “Oh, where are my manners? You may call me Rarity.”         A small blush spread across Constantine's face as he attempted to stay composed and not stumble over his words. ”I-It's a pleasure to meet you miss Rarity. I'm Constantine.” Rarity batted her eyes one more time before turning around and taking her sweet time getting back to her seat. “Oh my, what a perfect gentlecolt. I'm charmed.”         Constantine couldn't see Luna cock an eyebrow behind him         “Now what's this about me not working?” Constantine asked luna. Twilight summoned a scroll and cleared her throat. "By royal decree of Princess Luna of Equestria, Constantine the Stargazer is hereby prohibited from performing any and all of his work related duties for the period of one month. Signed, The Lady of the Night, Princess Luna." Constantine was about to question the authenticity of the scroll when Twilight turned it over for him to read. It was legitimate, for it had Luna's seal to the bottom of the page. Before he could ask the obvious question of why, Luna stepped out of the tub. Without uttering a word, she dried off and walked out of the room. Constantine was worried. He was very, very worried.