Princess Luna is visited by her most faithful servant, bringing her old life and new life together. It seems her transition into the new world will be less seamless than she thought.
Princess Luna flew to the Canterlot watchtower. She had just raised the moon, and was ready to assume her duties. She landed on the balcony where her sister Celestia was standing.
“Hello dear sister.” Luna said.
“Hello there Luna. You have a nice evening?” Celestia responded.
“Yes I did thank you,” Luna paused, not sure what else to say.
“That’s good. I will let you assume your duties now. Goodnight.” Celestia said before turning to the door behind her.
“…And to you as well” Luna managed to say before Celestia walked inside. Luna wanted more time to be with her sister. They had only briefly caught up when she returned after one thousand years. She only had a week of re-acquainting in Canterlot before she re-assumed her usual duties. It was still awkward, only seeing her sister at the beginning and end of her night duties. The worst part about it was that Celestia had opted to act like the thousand years of separation had never happened. She just went about her business as usual, regarding Luna as if she were there the whole time. Luna had so many questions left. More than that, she wanted to be as good or better friends with her only sister than she was before her banishment.
Luna took a look through the telescope on the balcony. She saw the same curious sight she saw every time she started her duties. The telescope was always trained on the same window of the same house every time. Luna never saw anypony in the window, so she didn’t think much of it. She moved the telescope to look out on the horizon. She saw the outlands beyond Equestria, where many mysterious creatures lived. She was always wary of that place. She frequently watched the border in case any of those creatures decided to come into Equestria.
Luna reminisced about her first successful nightmare night the week earlier. She was pleased to see that her subjects liked her again. She had also made friends with most of the elements of harmony while she was in Ponyville. Celestia’s faithful student Twilight Sparkle occasionally wrote her letters now and again.
Just then, she felt the presence of dark magic. She had not felt that kind of magic since she had become the fearsome Nightmare Moon. She turned around in time to see a pale blue wolf with a white crescent moon on its forehead materialize from the shadows. Luna had not seen a wolf such as this in a thousand years. If Celestia kept them around the castle still, she had failed to inform her sister. Luna was taken aback by this wolf’s appearance. It was huge, nearly as tall as her at the shoulders, and had piercing blue eyes. Its muscles were drawn tight across its thin frame. She composed herself and stood boldly in front of this stranger.
“What is it you want wolf?” Luna asked.
“Only to serve your highness,” the wolf responded calmly. Luna’s eyes widened. She recognized that smooth tone and that deep growling voice.
“Canis?” She asked.
“Yes your majesty. It is I,” the wolf said and bowed. He then yelped as he was picked up by magic. Luna brought him in for a bone crushing bear hug.
“CANIS it is you! How have you been you old wolf?” Luna exclaimed. When she didn’t get a response she looked over her shoulder. His eyes were bulging out of his head and he was gasping for air. Luna blushed and set him down. Canis caught his breath and composed himself again.
“It is a great pleasure to see you again as well your highness,” He began, “All these years and you have finally returned. Welcome back.”
“Thank you. And you need not be so formal with me. You are one of my best, and definitely my oldest, servants.” Luna smiled at him and noticed how differently he looked from the last time she saw him. His muzzle was white and his eyes were heavy. His coat was not elegantly groomed like she remembered. “You HAVE become an old wolf haven’t you?”
“That tends to happen when one is subjected to enough time on this plane.” Canis remarked. “I see that you have taken quickly to the new customs. I dare say I will not be missing the royal Canterlot voice, if I may be so bold your highness.”
“No no it’s fine,” Luna said, “I will not be missing it either.” Canis’s formalities were already starting to bug her. In the past she had enjoyed it. Now it just seemed like an annoying redundancy for a friend like him to act in such a way. “I would prefer it if you referred to me by my name Canis. Every time you say ‘your highness’ I look behind me and expect to see my sister.”
“Of course… Luna. I am just so excited to be here in the presence of the princess of the night once more.” Canis began to bow again but thought better of it. Luna smiled to herself. Canis’s version of excited looked exactly like everyone else’s nonchalance.
“Are any of the other shadow stalkers around?” Luna asked. Canis wore a brief look of dismay before answering.
“No they are not,” Canis said flatly, “the Night Watch has been absorbed into Celestia’s Canterlot guard, and the Shadow Stalkers have been… disbanded.” Something about the way Canis said ‘disbanded’ unsettled Luna.
“Well I’m assuming you didn’t take the time to explore the castle,” she added.
“You would be correct.”
“Well I have a little time before royal duty calls, would you like a tour? Much of the castle has changed since you were last here.”
“If you would think it advisable your- erm- Luna. It would be an excellent diversion.”
“I’ll show you the new gardens first. They are even better than I remember them being a thousand years ago.” Luna led her old friend down the spiral stairs and into the rest of the castle.
Luna and Canis walked down the spiraling staircase together. Luna talked briefly about her time in Equestria since her return.
“How did you manage to stay hidden all of these years?” Luna asked.
“The Everfree Forest hosts many shadows that easily hide a servant of the night such as myself,” Canis said. “I apologize for not coming sooner, but news does not travel fast in the forest.”
“It’s ok. I still can’t believe you are here now.”
“Neither can I,” Canis admitted.
When they entered a long hallway, they found a servant pony bearing a tray of tea.
“Ah Princess Luna I was just about to bring you your evening AHH” The pony noticed Canis and jumped back in surprise. The tray of tea crashed on the ground. The Pony looked wide-eyed at the wolf. Canis simply looked at the pony with placid detachment. He waited for his princess to speak first.
“Oh hello there Vintage. I’m assuming you have not met my friend Canis,” Luna said.
“Your friend?” Vintage asked nervously.
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Canis said and offered a paw.
The pony hesitated, looking from the outstretched paw, to Luna, and back again. He took a small step forward and stretched out a hoof. Canis seized the hoof and shook it curtly.
“Same here,” Vintage managed to say.
“I’ll be giving Canis the grand tour. He’s new here. Would you be so kind as to bring some tea up in an hour? While your at it, have somepony clean this up,” instructed Luna.
“Yes your highness right away,” Vintage said.
The pony turned and ran down a connecting hallway.
“Thousands of years of civilization and ponies still have not overcome their baser prey animal instincts,” Canis observed.
“I’d turn tail and run too if I’d never seen your scary face before,” Luna said and smiled.
Canis turned to her with utter confusion. “L…Luna, was that a joke?”
“Why yes it was, why do you ask?”
“it’s just…”
“I know, it’s a new thing. My sister is rubbing off on me.”
“I see,” Canis said a little darkly at the mention of Celestia, “Shall we continue?”
“We shall,” Luna said lightly and proceeded down the hall.
Canis kept pace beside her and laughed softly to himself.
“It was a pretty good one,” he remarked.
“Thank you,” Luna replied, smiling as they made their way into the royal dining hall. There were two unicorn guards standing at either side of the door. When they saw Canis walking next to Luna they hesitated to open the doors. They weren’t sure rather the wolf was a friend or foe. On one hoof he was a wolf, and on the other he was walking with Princess Luna. They looked at each other hoping the other would know what to do. One of them decided to take action as Luna reached the doors.
“Welcome Princess,” the guard on the left said and magically opened the doors.
“Thank you sirs,” Luna said and entered the dining hall.
Canis watched both guards until the door shut behind them. Luna noticed that he wasn’t about to trust anypony besides her.
To their surprise, Princess Celestia was there eating cake at the head of the large table. She looked at Luna, and then at Canis.
“Ah dear sister, I see you have found a friend,” Celestia said.
“Sister,” Luna said, “I didn’t know you were still up.”
“Yes well, I decided to have a little cake before I retire to my chambers,” Celestia said and took a small bite from the cake. Luna couldn’t help but notice there wasn’t a fork with the cake.
Canis gave a low suppressed growl that only Luna could hear. She silenced him with a look, and turned her attention to Celestia.
“Yes, he is quite an old friend. This is Canis, my old servant,” Luna said.
At this Celestia looked up sharply from her cake. She looked at Canis again with surprise.
“Why… yes it is. How are you Canis,” Celestia asked politely and stood up.
“I am quite well,” Canis said as smoothly as ever, “and yourself?”
“I am well thank you,” Celestia replied and walked over to them.
Luna heard Canis’s claws scrape the floor as he clenched a paw. She looked at him with an expression that said, “you are going to behave yourself aren’t you?” Canis simply retained his usual demeanor. Celestia stopped a pony length away from them and looked at Canis.
“So, are you going to be here long?” Celestia asked.
“I wasn’t going to say anything this early, but I was hoping he would resume his old position as my right hoof.” Luna said nervously. The tension between Canis and Celestia was palpable, despite the fact that both of them seemed polite and calm.
“Is that so? What do you say to this Canis?” Celestia asked, never once taking her eyes off of him. The guards must have noticed the nature of the exchange of words and they moved in closer from the corners of the room.
“I would be honored to serve you once again,” Canis said to Luna.
“Wonderful, I know of a nice place you can stay,” Celestia said and smiled.
Something Celestia said set Canis off, because he let out a deep blood-curdling growl that reverberated off of the walls. His eyes began to glow white as the dark magic inside him came out. His stance widened. Luna knew he was ready to lunge. If he was as good as he was back when she was Nightmare Moon, when she used him for assassinations, he could easily kill her sister. The pegasus guards moved in and pointed spears at the wolf. Luna was about to say something when Celestia spoke up.
“Peace Canis,” Celestia said and waved off the guards with a hoof, “That’s not what I… I’m not like that anymore.”
“I have yet to see any evidence affirming that assertion,” Canis said angrily in his augmented dark magic voice.
“Please, allow me the chance,” Celestia said. Everyone in the room was taken aback. Even Canis forgot his anger briefly. None of them had ever heard, or expected to hear, Celestia use a pleading tone like that. Luna was thoroughly perplexed. Whatever her sister had done to Canis in the past, she obviously regretted it immensely.
Canis remained where he was, silently assessing his options. Luna decided to make the choice for him.
“Canis! Out!” She said authoritatively.
Canis’s eyes lost their glow and he looked at her. She returned his gaze with a stern face.
“As you wish Luna,” Canis said and backed away bowing. He soon turned around and walked out of the room.
Luna turned to Celestia. “What was that?” she asked a little irritably.
“An old ghost has come back to haunt me,” Celestia replied cryptically.
Luna realized she was not going to get anything out of her sister and turned to leave the room. She had to find Canis and get to the bottom of this.
Turmoil and conflict plagued Canis’s mind. He was caught in an internal struggle between his loyalties to Luna and his anger towards Celestia.
The volatile dark magic inside him did not help to alleviate his troubled mind. He could feel it feeding on his anger and amplifying his power. With a grunt, Canis suppressed this rising anger, thinking of as many soothing thoughts as he could muster. Granted, he did not begrudge the gift Nightmare Moon had bestowed on him all of those years ago. It gave him unrivaled stealth abilities, boosted his already formidable strength, and extended his longevity. It was entirely possible he could still be alive today without this magic, but he would not be nearly youthful enough to risk fighting four spear wielding pegasi as had just done.
Canis thought back to the events that had just transpired. In hindsight, Celestia might not have had malicious intent in her words, but there was no way to be sure. He still had the scars from the last time he had faith in the diarch’s capacity for mercy. He wondered the dimly lit halls of the castle until he found himself in the Cantrlot gardens. He waited for Luna, whom he knew would be here soon enough. He inspected some of the new bushels of exotic flowers. Some of them he recognized from his time in the Everfree Forest.
His thoughts were interrupted by the feeling that he was being watched. He looked around but saw no one. Still, the feeling lingered. He decided to move to another part of the gardens. He made his way past the different plants, weaving his way between trees and bushes. He stopped by some rose bushes and faded into his cloud like ethereal shadow form. In this form he could float up to the top of the nearest tree and wait for his follower. It was not long before he saw a phoenix silently land on a tree branch and look around in every direction. Canis watched as the bird looked around for him. It flew to another tree closer to him and looked around again.
He was contemplating what to do about this bird when it cawed and opened its wings. A blinding light came from the phoenix and shone in every direction. The light was intense enough to melt Canis’s shadow shroud and force him back into his physical form. As he did so, the branch he had been resting on snapped under his physical form’s weight. He plummeted to the larger branches below him. He felt pain shoot through his torso as he landed hard on his chest. He looked up to see the phoenix landing next to him. He stood upright on the branch and grunted with irritation.
“Ok bird you have my attention,” he grumbled.
“Araw,” the Phoenix simply called out.
“Ah I see. You must be Philomena, and you are trying to vouch for your master, is that it?” Canis asked raising an eyebrow.
“Araw,” was the only reply he got.
“Well save your breath. You have not seen what I have seen.”
“Arawaraa.”
“A fair point, so what now? Do I just forgive her for all of her past transgressions because she may or may not have changed?”
“Raaw.”
“Well it is not that simple.”
Their conversation was interrupted by hoofsteps in the garden. Canis’s ears twitched and pointed forward so he could locate the source of the noise. He quickly located it. Princess Luna was walking through the gardens. Presumably looking for him.
“I would love to stay and converse further, but I have matters to attend to,” Canis said to Philomena. The phoenix remained silent as he leapt from the low tree branch. He looked back to see the Philomena fly off. Luna caught sight of him as he landed. He walked to her slowly, anticipating a harsh response to his behavior earlier.
* * *
“Canis,” Luna said as Canis approached, “we need to talk.”
“Indeed we do princess,” he responded.
“Well then,” she began, “you can start by telling me what happened between you and Celestia after I was banished. Whatever it was she looks real distraught because of it. You saw what happened.”
“Indeed I did, and with all due respect princess, my prior experiences with Celestia are not something that I wish to discuss currently. The subject is… difficult to bear. I can say this however, Celestia and I had a disagreement over the terms of the Night Stalkers’ surrender.”
Luna was a little more that frustrated with the vague answer.
“Surrender? Did they not give themselves up upon my banishment?” she inquired.
“They did not,” Canis replied proudly, “we were prepared to fight until the end for your prompt return. Our plan was to force Celestia to release you from your imprisonment in exchange for a cease in hostilities.”
“Oh Canis, you should not have done that.”
“What would you have of us? As wolves, we were your eternally faithful servants. We sang the midnight howl every night to renew our sacred oaths to the pale light.”
“That was very noble of all of you, and I am grateful. Do you know where the rest of the Night Stalkers are?" For whatever reason Canis’s eye twitched a bit when she said this. He responded in a low flat tone.
“I have not seen or heard from any of them in a long time. I fear the worst for them. As I have stated before, we were all loyal to the cause until the end.”
“Oh. I’m sorry Canis. Was it really that bad?”
“Yes Luna. Your conflict with your sister did much to upset the balance of light and darkness.”
Luna looked down at the ground for a few moments. A thousand years ago, in her blind jealous rage, she had never considered the widespread damage her fight with Celestia would cause. She would give anything to go back and correct her mistake.
“I’m sorry that my shortsightedness caused you pain,” She said finally.
“It is of no consequence Luna. What is done is done,” Canis replied. Luna scoffed at his double standard.
“Then why do you still hold a grudge against my sister?”
Before Canis could answer, a pony interrupted them.
“Princess Luna,” she said, “I’m sorry to bother you, but there are urgent matters that need attending.”
“Yes, I shall be right there,” Luna said to the small red unicorn. She turned back to Canis. “We will continue this later.”
“Yes Luna,” Canis replied in a low voice as she led him back into the castle.
As it turns out, the “urgent matters” the pony spoke of were not so urgent. Canterlot ponies could be so melodramatic at times. Canis sat quietly in the corner of the royal briefing room and listened to Luna sort out the issue of the cider shortage in Canterlot. He could read Luna’s expressions quite well from his spot. She looked like a child forced to behave at an opera her parents brought her to. The noble-ponies in the room talked at her for endless hours about “the dire shortage of cider”.
“Finegild,” Luna said abruptly to the pony currently addressing her, “Do you not think it wise to simply switch your supplier of cider?”
The beige pony named Fineguild gasped.
“But your highness”, he protested, “Canterlot has only imported the highest grade cider from the Summit Cider Company for decades. Are you suggesting we use common low-grade cider? We would be the laughing stock of Equestria!” Luna’s eyes narrowed at this. Canis smiled as he imagined her throwing this pompous equine out of the nearest stained glass window. He felt the darkness inside him stir, seemingly with glee, at the thought of violence. His smile disappeared and he re-focused on being tranquil.
“Mr. Fineguild, I sincerely doubt, with all of Canterlot’s prestige, that a little thing such as a change in you cider reserves is going to effect anypony’s opinion of us,” Luna said reassuringly.
“But…” Finegild began to protest again but Luna silenced him by raising a hoof.
“Either pick another source, or live with the shortage of cider. You have asked for my council, and I have given it. If you have any objections, you can take it up with Canis here,” Luna finished by gesturing towards the corner where Canis was. He stepped out of the shadows so that the ponies could easily see him. Fineguild and his cohorts gasped as they saw him come into full view. Canis simply stood there as they gawked at him. He smiled at them, revealing the ivory white points of his large canine teeth.
“Umm… yes, very well, thank you…your highness,” Finegold said before taking a quick bow and fast trotting out of the room. Luna let out a quick laugh before turning to her servant.
“Many thanks Canis,” she said.
“Of course Luna,” Canis replied.
“Well,” Luna sighed, “I guess it’s time we headed back to the watchtower.” She hesitated and put a hoof up to her chin in thought. “Actually I know of one detour we can make before heading up.”
She turned and headed out of the double doors behind them. Canis followed her through a few winding hallways that seemed oddly familiar. As they walked, he wondered where they were going. His curiosity was soon satiated as they came to an iron-reinforced door with a faded black paw print painted onto the center.
“This… is the old den,” Canis said with a hint of surprise in his voice.
“Indeed it is. I have found the caves to be a good place for my secret projects,” Luna said as she opened the door.
“More secret projects?” Canis asked skeptically.
“Nothing like that. I’m not that kind of mare anymore,” Luna calmly replied.
Canis smiled to himself. That’s exactly what Princess Celestia had said to him earlier. Maybe he was the only one who hadn’t changed in a thousand years. They walked into a dimly lit main cavern. From it branched dozens of small tunnels. It was built this way to confuse enemies, and give the wolves easy access to Canterlot’s many wards. Luna led Canis down one of the close by tunnels. On the other side, it emptied into another large cavern with it’s own set of tunnels. In the center of the dark expansive room was a chariot. It was black with gothic accents. It had leathery bat wings and a single green eye in front. The chariot looked more like some sort of monster from the depths of the everfree forest.
“This is a little project I put together for nightmare night. You just missed it. It’s a shame really, you would have liked it.” Canis did a quick circle around the chariot, inspecting every feature.
“Why Luna, it’s simply… wicked,” Canis said finally.
“I know right?!” Luna exclaimed with girlish glee. It took a few seconds for her to realize she had lost her usual royal façade. Canis was inwardly honored that she could be herself around him. “Anyway, we really need to be heading back to the tower now.”
They exited the caves and left the chariot to rest in the quiet caverns. Once in the tower, they didn’t talk much. All through the night, Luna alternated between looking through the telescope, and signing royal requisitions. Luna occasionally asked Canis for his insight into the royal matters that came to her, but other than that, he didn’t talk much. It reminded him of the time before she was banished, as if the thousand-year interim was simply a bad dream. Their time in the tower was ended by the sound of hoofsteps coming from the stairs.
“That’s probably Celestia coming to raise the sun. Disappear,” Luna whispered to Canis. He looked hesitantly at Luna for a second before stepping into the shadows and fading into the darkness. He watched in his ethereal state as Celestia walked into the room and greeted Luna.
“Hello sister. How was your night?”
“It has gone well. Thanks for asking.”
Celestia looked around before asking, “Where’s Canis?’
“He doesn’t quite have the stamina he used to. I sent him to bed early,” Luna responded nonchalantly. If Canis were in his physical form at that moment, he would have scoffed at Luna’s statement.
“So he’s in your chambers?”
Luna nodded in reply.
“Maybe… maybe you can bring him by this evening at sunset. If he’s going to stay here, we’re going to have to make amends.”
“It still bothers me that you will not tell me what happened.”
“It seems that I may have to tell you this evening won’t I?”
Luna sighed and walked out onto the balcony.
“Very well sister. I am off to bed. Have a pleasant day.”
“Good day,” Celestia replied before Luna took off.
Canis sped out onto the balcony and followed Luna. Celestia did not seem to notice the shadow crawling across the ground. His ethereal form wisped its way down the outside of the tower and onto the castle’s elaborate array of rooftops. He followed Luna to the opposite side of the castle and watched her fly into a window. When he entered the window himself, he found her waiting for him.
“I knew you would take the hint,” Luna said to him.
“I may be ‘old’ but I am still as sharp as ever,” Canis retorted jokingly.
“Right,” Luna replied and turned to a stretch of empty floor next to her bed, “I have something for you.”
She charged her horn with magic and shot a lightning bolt at the floor. An oversized black and red striped pillow appeared there with a puff of blue smoke.
“You are most kind,” Canis said.
Just then, the first few beams of sunlight began to shine through the window.
“We’d better get to bed,” Luna mused while levitating her royal slippers into a closet, “we’ll need to get up nice and early at sunset.”
Canis walked over and poked his bed to test it. It was perfect. He settled into it just as Luna climbed into her bed.
“Good day Luna,” Canis said and yawned.
“Good day Canis,” Luna replied and laid down with her back to him. Canis did not particularly want to go to sleep, but his body had other plans. He drifted into unconsciousness almost immediately after closing his eyes. Maybe he WAS getting too old for this.
* * *
Luna waited a few minutes to make sure Canis was asleep before casting her mind into the dream world. One way or another she was going to find out what Canis and Celestia were hiding from her. She quickly found Canis’s dream. She entered it and was immediately taken aback. She was in ancient Canterlot. From the looks of it, she was in one of the inner wards. The first thing that she noticed was that most of the buildings were on fire. Flames poured out of their windows, and smoke rose into the night sky. The second thing she noticed was that despite this chaotic scene, there were no ponies in sight. There were no unicorns running in panic, no pegasi desperately trying to put out the flames with clouds, nothing. She watched as a young Canis dashed around a corner, sprinting down the streets at full pace. Behind him were numerous large, menacing, and over exaggerated royal guards. Their armor gleamed with an unnatural luster, and their eyes all glowed yellow. Canis, despite his rapid pace, was losing ground. The guards seemed to get closer and closer with every passing second. He was about to make it to the end of the street, when four more Pegasus guards dropped down in front of him. Canis looked around and made a break for the shadows on the side of the street. Before he could fully turn into his shadow form and disappear, the unicorn guards cast unusually bright illumination spells. He was forced back into his physical form as they closed in around him. Canis growled fiercely in defiance as the spear wielding guards formed a circle around him.
“I know of a great place you can stay AHAHAHAHA,” came a loud booming voice.
Luna looked back at the castle to see a giant version of Celestia’s face hovering above it. The giant face was cackling maniacally. Luna decided to take action. She used her magic and began modifying the dream. Immediately the giant face disappeared, the guards turned into wolf pups, and the burning streets of Canterlot gave way to a well-lit cave. The Pups all started to gather around Canis, bouncing with youthful enthusiasm.
“Master Canis, Master Canis, tell us another story!” the wolf pups cried in unison.
Canis looked around in confusion at first, but then turned his attention back to the pups. His mind seemed to accept the new dream rather easily. He looked at the eager pups with the greatest adoration Luna had ever seen him express. He laid down so he could be closer to them.
“Of course children. Would you like to hear the adventures of Marrus the wolf on the moon, or maybe one about Vaelis the mighty huntress?” Canis said softly.
The pups formed a tight semi circle around him, wagging their tails eagerly. Luna smiled at the scene before leaving Canis’s dream. She had what she came for.
Luna opened her eyes as her mind came back to her body, and she stood up. She walked out of her chambers as quietly as possible so she would not wake Canis. It took her a few minutes to reach her destination, which she used contemplating what she was going to say. Soon she was in the royal reception hall, where Celestia sat on her throne writing on a scroll.
“Luna. Staying up late are we?” Celestia asked while continuing to write on the scroll.
“Not quite dear sister. I have something to discuss with you, and it can not wait,” Luna replied. Celestia set down her scroll and quill and stood up from her throne.
“Very well then, “she said, “what is it?”
“It’s about Canis, I think I have realized why he is so angry with you,”
“Oh…” Was Celestia’s only response.
“Something happened between you two, something that plagues his mind even now, and I will not leave until I know what it is,” asserted Luna.
“Well, you see Luna… when you were banished…”
“The Night Stalkers remained loyal to me, yes I know,” Luna interjected.
“Yes, and they waged an all out terror campaign to force me to bring you back. They did so much damage to Canterlot that everypony was afraid to come out of their houses. Then one day Canis came to the castle to negotiate a truce.” Luna waited quietly for Celestia to continue.
“…And while we were in talks,” Celestia said slowly, “Canis refused to budge on the stipulation that you be brought back to Canterlot. I tried to explain to him that bringing you back would be just as bad as continuing to fight the wolves… no offense,”
“None taken,” Luna said calmly. She was inwardly fighting the urge to tell Celestia to get to the point.
“When Canis threatened to leave without a deal, I panicked. I deduced that he would know where the Night Stalkers’ hide out was… so I… imprisoned him.”
“That can’t possibly be all,” Luna persisted.
Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath before finishing her story. “Well… while he was imprisoned, he refused to tell me where they were and… you must understand sister, I was frightened for my people.” Luna’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t like where this was going.
“And I… I…” Celstia looked for a second as if she was going to burst with anxiety. “I TORTURED HIM FOR INFORMATION!” She blurted out finally.
Luna’s mouth opened in shock. She took a few steps back from her sister as if she were some dangerous animal. She couldn’t imagine that her sister was capable of something so monstrous.
“I am deeply sorry for what happened,” Celestia said, her serene demeanor marred by sadness and regret.
“As well you should be,” Luna said, her face turning angry. “You banished me to the moon for A THOUSAND YEARS FOR THE EVIL I COMMITTED. What was your recourse for YOUR crimes?”
“Luna, I know what I did was wrong, and I’m trying to make amends.”
“Oh I’m sure Canis feels real comforted by that. What did you do to the other Night Stalkers, torture them as well?”
“No I didn’t,” Celestia retorted angrily, “I’m sorry for what happened, and-“
“-and I forgive you,” said a voice behind Luna.
Luna turned around to see Canis standing just a few paces away. He stepped forward to take his place beside her.
“Canis, I thought you were asleep,” Luna said.
“Other obligations supersede my need for a respite,” Canis replied before addressing Celestia. “I understand now your highness. I understand that events that have transpired a thousand years a go can not continue to effect our relationship today.”
Both Celestia and Luna were silent. “Therefor,” Canis continued, “in the spirit of friendship and harmony, I forgive you for your past transgressions against me.”
“I… thank you Canis. It means a lot to hear you say that,” Celestia slowly said. Luna remained silent, she looked unsure of how to react.
“It is ok Luna,” Canis reassured her.
A short silence ensued as all three of them thought of what to say.
“Canis,” Celestia began, “this may seem a bit sudden, but I was hoping you could help me with something.”
“As long as it does not involve hot brands you highness,” Canis replied. Luna looked at him and raised a questioning eyebrow. Celestia was at a loss for words until Canis smiled, silently reassuring her that it was just a morbid joke.
“Ah yes, well… it’s just a little something I have planned for my nephew,” Celestia explained. Canis listened quietly as Celestia explained her plans to him.
“Auntie, you sent for me?” Prince Blueblood asked as he entered the royal dining hall. He quickly located Celestia at the end of the long dining table on the far side of the room.
“Ah yes come in,” Celestia instructed.
Prince Blueblood walked in slowly and approached the end of the table opposite of Celestia. It was odd of her to invite him to, what he assumed was, breakfast so early in the morning. He was thinking of what to say to her when he heard the doors slam shut behind him. He quickly whipped around to see a black and purple wolf standing between him and the door. Its eyes glowed bright white as it took two slow and deliberate steps towards him. “You are quite right princess,” it said to Celestia in a voice that sounded like a demon speaking into a giant glass bowl, “he is quite tender looking.”
“AUNTIE!” Blueblood exclaimed, “what is the meaning of this?”
“I’m sorry dear nephew, but you have become too much of a burden on me, and the staff here at the castle” Celestia responded calmly.
“Wha- what?!” Blueblood yelled as the wolf started to approach him. It lowered its head and let out a growl that sent a chill up his spine. Blueblood quickly realized what was happening. He was being fed to some demon his aunt had conjured. He reacted to this realization with a terrified whiny as he made a brake for the opposite side of the hall. When he was about half way, he looked over his shoulder to see the wolf rapidly gaining on him. He made a panicked attempt at an evasive serpentine pattern and collided with a pedestal displaying an antique vase, causing him to fall. Blueblood pushed himself onto his haunches just in time to see the wolf baring its teeth inches from his face.
“Please auntie no I’m sorry, just make it go away, AHHHHH,” Blueblood screamed in an unnaturally high voice before feinting.
* * *
A soon as Blueblood was unconscious, Canis stood upright. His entire body was briefly shrouded in a black cloud. Seconds later, the cloud dissipated revealing his normal pale blue form. He turned to Celestia to see her giggling softly into her hoof.
“I trust that performance met with your approval,” Canis enquired calmly.
“Indeed it did, well done,” Celestia said before softly laughing to herself again.
“If you two are quite finished,” Luna said irritably as she stepped out of the shadows in the corner of the room, “Canis and I are long overdue for some rest.”
“Yes, well, thank you again Canis. Don’t worry about Blueblood I’ll have him brought back to his chambers. I wish both of you a pleasant day,” Celestia said.
“And to you as well your highness,” Canis responded.
Luna nodded in recognition of her sister’s statement and left the hall, Canis in tow. When they reached Luna’s chambers again, they both went immediately to bed. Canis plopped down on his pillow, and Luna used her magic to pull the covers to her bed back. The sun was already well above the horizon.
“Just one more thing for future reference Luna,” Canis said, closing his eyes.
“Yes Canis?” Luna asked as she climbed into bed.
“Wolves are not dogs. We do not wag our tails so feverishly as they do.”
“… Oh, I’ll keep that in mind.” Luna responded with a blush. She hadn't realized Canis knew she had manipulated his dream.
“In any case, I thank you for that.”
“You’re most welcome,” Luna finished. She turned onto her side and got comfortable. Minutes later, she was fast asleep.
This time it was Canis’s turn to sneak out of Luna’s chambers. He lay on his bed with his eyes closed, intently listening to Luna’s breathing. When it had noticeably slowed, Canis opened his eyes and slowly crept towards the door. He didn’t dare change forms, because he knew Luna would sense him if he used his dark powers. He opened the door to Luna’s chambers. Thankfully the door’s hinges were well oiled. As he closed the door behind him, he turned and quickly padded through the various hallways to his destination.
Canis wasn’t entirely honest when he told Luna that he had not explored the castle before finding her. He had in fact made one stop before their reunion. He walked down to one of the lower halls and stopped in a small empty corridor. Canis checked both ends of the corridor to make sure no guards or servants were watching. He stuck a claw into a small recess in the corner where the floor met the wall. With a click, a small slit in the wall opened at eye level. Canis changed into his ethereal form and slipped through the inconspicuous crack. He re-materialized on the other side. In this new room, glowing lichens growing on the ceiling were the only source of light. The dim blue glow revealed a secret repository of weapons and armor designed for ponies and wolves alike. Canis walked past the various works of warfare until he came upon what he was looking for at the end of the room. There, sitting on a small pedestal, was the helm of nightmare moon. Canis walked up to it and bowed. He had originally planned to lead Luna down here and present her with the helm as a symbolic gesture of rebellion. He would have done anything for Luna in her quest for revenge against Celestia. However, when he found that Luna and Celestia had begun their friendship anew instead of fighting, he decided against inciting any conflict between them.
“It appears that we may not be graced with your presence any time soon your magnificence,” Canis said to the helm.
It remained silent and still on its pedestal. He drew upon his dark power and focused it on the helm. A slow stream of dark essence branched out from his body and slowly meandered its way to the helm. It glowed faintly as absorbed the tendril of dark power. Canis remained still for several minutes as he channeled his energy into this one piece of armor. He could feel the lively presence of the dark magic leaving him with every passing second. Before long, he sensed that he could not safely contribute any more. When his job was done he cut off the stream and sighed with sudden exhaustion. It would take him about a day or two to recover to full strength, but he felt this had to be done.
Canis was genuinely optimistic about his future with Luna and Celestia. However, he was not about to be caught without a backup plan again. The helm now had enough energy to boost Luna’s own dark magic significantly and bring back the fearsome Nightmare Moon. Canis hoped it would be enough to help Luna gain an edge against Celestia in case another fight should break out between them. He was not going to risk losing his princess twice in his unnaturally long lifetime.
“Until we meet again your magnificence,” Canis said bowing again.
He then turned and left the way he came. The helm sat silently on its pedestal, and the feint glow faded. It seemed as if it was watching him as he walked away. He slipped back through the slit in the wall and it closed behind him. Canis was quick to return to Luna’s chambers. She was still sound asleep when he arived. He silently laid down on his bed and closed his eyes, ready for whatever the future would hold for him.
