Chapter 2: Morning
“And what are you doing up this late?”
The grey young stallion before Celestia winced and turned around slowly. “Surprised that you are honestly” he mumbled to himself.
Celestia brought out the most powerful weapon she had learned over the past few years of raising a young colt. She raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. “What was that Lucky Hope?” And her second most powerful weapon. Calling him by his full name.
The combination was super effective, leaving him wide eyed with his ears splayed back in embarrassment. “Nothing!” Lucky said quickly, like a dear caught in headlights, with his hoof in the cookie jar. He shuffled nervously and cleared his throat. “I mean… Hi Auntia, what are you doing up so late?” he asked unconvincingly, using his childhood nickname for her.
Celestia sighed. It had been almost impossible to nail down a solid sleep pattern for her charge, and this had only got harder as he grew older and developed a greater sense of independence. “Honestly Lucky, why must you creep about the halls so late? You have studies in the morning.”
The groan that followed was every bit the growing teenager. “I couldn’t sleep. Seriously, why is it so important I get up with the sunrise all the time?”
“Early to bed, early to rise builds character. But more importantly having a consistent sleep pattern is healthy for you. Look at me, I get up with the morning every day.”
“But… you are the morning” Lucky replied.
Celestia blinked. “That’s… not entirely accurate.”
“Not entirely inaccurate either” Lucky mumbled. “And anyway, if I fall asleep in class, I can make up the time. I always do.”
Despite her irritation, Celestia knew that he was right. Lucky had always been gifted in his studies. Although he seemed to have a blind spot for history, which was a little concerning. Ponies who didn’t learn from history were doomed to repeat it after all. Although, gifted as he was, Celestia was worried he would never learn to apply himself if things were never challenging.
“That’s not the point” she continued on however. “There is a schedule in place and disturbing that will require calling the teachers back to make up the time later, which would interrupt their own schedules. And Arpeggio would be so disappointed if you missed his lesson for the second time in a week.”
Lucky scoffed. “He probably just wants me to get my cutiemark during his lesson so he doesn’t have to eat his helmet. I don’t know, it’s fun, but I just don’t feel that attached to music. Arpeggio probably shouldn’t have made that bet in the first place.”
Arpeggio Parade’s ‘bet’ was something of a talking point in the castle. Nopony realized when he first made the prediction that he would take his word so seriously. Celestia was legitimately concerned that when Lucky finally did get his cutiemark and it wasn’t anything to do with music that Arpeggio would in fact eat his helmet as he had promised all those years ago. Not concerned enough to dictate the entire direction of a young pony’s life, but concerned enough that in passing she had looked into potential transfiguration spells to turn the offending object into something a tad more palatable.
And that brought up another concern of hers. Despite being a young teenager, and well older than when most fillies and colts received their cutiemarks, Lucky had still not found his own, and seemed utterly unconcerned with its absence. Despite his talents, Celestia was worried he had yet to find something he could truly apply himself to. That wasn’t to say he didn’t have his interests of course. The boy greatly enjoyed trying new things and had a love for life with a cheery attitude that was infectious to all those around him. He just didn’t focus on much.
Of course, she couldn’t really criticise. Both she and Luna didn’t receive their own cutiemarks until they began raising the sun and moon, and they already had begun ruling the three tribes well before that happened. Celestia just hoped that Lucky wouldn’t have to wait for such a crucial point in his life to find his true calling.
“Well, I don’t think it would be particularly flattering if you managed to get a cutiemark for a talent in skipping sleep. Besides, this late at night is no time for a growing stallion like you to be out of bed.”
“Don’t let Auntie Luna hear you say that.”
“I’m sure she would agree. And if she doesn’t then she really should.”
“Would she? Do you honestly think that?”
Celestia blinked. Something had changed in Lucky’s demeanour. He was no longer embarrassed, but instead was honestly concerned. It was like a switch had been flipped and he was suddenly very serious. “What do you mean?”
“Just that. Do you really think that’s what she’d say? When was the last time you actually talked to her?”
“What are you talking about Lucky? I saw her this morning at breakfast.”
“I don’t mean when you see her around the castle. When was the last time you asked her how she was going and meant it? When was the last time you sat with her and witnessed one of her nights she puts so much effort into? When was the last time you interacted as sisters instead of princesses and rulers of Equestria?”
Celestia tilted her head in puzzlement. “Where is this coming from? Has she said something to you?”
“Well, not to me, but I heard her a while back. I just…” He stumbled for a moment, but then finding himself, looked up into Celestia’s eyes. “She’s lonely. I don’t think that’s changed for a long time. And I’m worried that if nothing changes, then something bad is going to happen. I just know it.”
The princess narrowed her eyes curiously. Lucky sounded serious, but there was something off about the way he said it. It sounded almost rehearsed. Like an actor on stage using the silence and tension for a dramatic reveal. “How could she be lonely if you’re sneaking out to visit her almost every night?” she ventured.
Lucky flinched again. Obviously he thought his secret visits to her sister were still that, a secret. But she had long wondered why he was so often so tired in the mornings she had looked into it on her own. Many of the evening staff had seen him slinking around after his bed time and Lucky clearly thought he was stealthier than he was. She had talked to Luna about it and asked her to do something, but if he was still unaware she knew, then her sister must not have raised the issue with him.
“I… I don’t...” he stammered. “I go to see her because she’s lonely.” That response felt a little more natural after being caught off guard. “Please, just talk to her. I get that you’re busy but that just makes it so much easier to fall into a routine of neglect. If things don’t change it can’t end well.”
Princess Celestia wasn’t sure what to make of this sudden shift in topic. Part of her wondered if he was simply trying to change the subject to get out of trouble, but he certainly sounded sincere. Had she been neglecting her sister? She tried to remember when the last time they had actually spent time together and found she didn’t quite recall.
“All right Lucky” she conceded.
He perked up instantly. “Really?”
“I can see this is important to you, so I’ll make sure to talk to her in the morning.”
“Why not tonight?”
“It will be convenient if I see her around the same time we raise and lower the sun and moon” She pondered. “Also, it will give me some time to think on what to say. I suppose it has been a while.”
Lucky practically beamed. “Awesome. Well then” he turned to leave. “I guess I’ll…”
“Be going to bed” Celestia interrupted, turning him with her magic towards his own room.
“Augh! Don’t do that!” Lucky cringed. “You know I hate having magic used to move me.”
Celestia gave him a wry smile. “Well, maybe if you followed the rules you wouldn’t have to be corrected so often.”
Lucky began to mumble, almost quiet enough for Celestia to not hear. “maybe if your rules weren’t so stupid.”
Her horn glowed a moment “Oh?”
“I’m going, I’m going!” Lucky scampered away to his room.
Celestia released the magic around her horn and breathed a sigh of relief. That took longer than she anticipated, and left her head full of thoughts of her sister. Why was Lucky so sure that something bad was going to happen. It was only Luna they were talking about. She had a habit of getting moody from time to time and locking herself away until she calmed down, but surely nothing quite as serious as he seemed to believe. It was a mystery.
She passed the Captain Bold Feather as she pondered in thought and he bowed to her. “Princess.”
“Ah, good evening Captain” She nodded. With a thought however, she turned back to him as he passed by. “Captain, may I trouble you a moment?”
He stopped and bowed again to her. “Never a trouble in your service your majesty. How may I be of service?”
Celestia scanned the hallway for a moment and leaned over conspiratorially. “I don’t want to make a big deal about it, but do you suppose you could have one of your soldiers keep an eye on Lucky Hope’s door tonight? I caught him sneaking out earlier and I’m worried he might try again.”
Bold Feather chuckled to himself. “I will see it done Princess and ensure the guard to be as subtle as possible. But I wouldn’t worry, I believe he is simply at that age where he is testing his boundaries. I recall sneaking out at night from time to time when I was his age, much to my parent’s dismay.”
“Oh?” she raised an eyebrow curiously.
“N-nothing untoward Princess” he added quickly. “Just... liked to stretch the wings every now and again when I couldn’t sleep.”
It was Celestia’s turn to chuckle. “I am not judging you Captain, I merely find it surprising from such a strait-laced pony as yourself.”
He smiled at her words and relaxed. “I wasn’t always the upstanding stallion you see before you. I had my own rebellious streak once upon a time. Every young pony has one.”
“I suppose we do. Thank you captain, that will be all. Have a pleasant evening.”
“And the best of evenings to you also your highness” he replied with another bow, then turned and returned to his duties, leaving the princess with her thoughts once again.
“Rebellious teenager” she mused to herself. “Let us hope that is all this is.”
Princess Luna paused the book she was reading. That was curious. She could hear movement from the secret door beside her book cabinet. “Now, what is that colt up to this time?” she wondered silently to herself, carefully shifting to get a better look from her mirror while appearing to be engaged in her book.
Sure enough, as the secret panel opened up, the grey unicorn poked his head out into the room cautiously. Upon noticing Luna with her back turned to him he got a mischievous smile. She watched in her mirror as he began to creep slowly towards her.
“Surely not” Luna thought as she stifled a laugh. He looked quite silly taking such care, and sidestepping anything that would make a noise. Admittedly he was doing quite well and was actually mostly silent. He was simply unaware he had failed so early, even as he prepared to pounce.
“Gotcha… Woah!” At the same moment Lucky leapt, Luna teleported behind him and caught him in her magic.
“I believe there is a phrase that would be appropriate in this moment. Do not count your eggs before they hatch.” She blinked and thought. “Eggs? Or was it chickens? Which comes first?”
“Auntie! Put me down!” Lucky flailed about, caught in her magic and suspended upside down. “I’m not a bat”
“I suppose I should” she said with a smile, releasing him at once and letting him plop down on the cushions.
The breath was knocked out of him as he hit the admittedly soft cushions. He lay there with a groan, and an air of frustration. “Augh, again! How come I can never catch you unaware?” he mumbled picking himself up. “I thought I was really quiet that time.”
“Ah my mischievous protégé, but you must remember, that while I have taught you all you know about the pranking arts, I have not taught you all I know.”
“So, you’re just a bad teacher then?” Lucky asked jokingly.
“On the contrary, your approach after you entered my room was near perfect silence. But you have yet to learn to keep an eye on your surroundings. Perhaps you left your target with an alternate method of detection.”
Lucky frowned quizzically, clearly unsure what she was talking about. She pointed to the mirror, and with their positions reversed, he was able to see his fatal flaw. Lucky gave another groan and sunk deeper into the cushions Luna had been reading on, magicking another pillow onto his head, burying his embarrassment.
Luna finally allowed the laugh she had been holding back from her student and ruffled his golden mane as she passed on her way to her bedroom balcony. Lucky batted her hoof away playfully before standing up and following. “So, why did you decide to enter from the secret passage tonight?” she asked. “Other than trying to catch me unawares?”
“Oh yeah” he said with a hint of embarrassment. “Well, I kind of bumped into Auntia on my way over here earlier and she sent me back to my room. I even heard her ask Bold Feather to post a guard to my room to make sure I didn’t sneak out again. Like she doesn’t trust me at all.”
“Oh… I see.”
“Although, I did sneak out anyway, so I guess it’s kind of warranted?” He shrugged and shook his head dismissively. “I don’t know. It still feels rude.”
Now on the balcony, Luna lay down on the carpet in her usual spot for their nightly viewings. A carpet outside was harder to maintain, but she realized that as they spent almost every night outside on her balcony as she painted the night sky, it was certainly more comfortable than the stone floor. “Well” she said trying to ignore what her sister’s confrontation with Lucky would mean. “Do you have any preference for tonight?”
Lucky didn’t answer immediately. “Auntie Luna?” he finally asked. “Did Celestia talk about me sneaking out to see you?” Luna sighed and turned away embarrassed, which seemed to be all the answer Lucky needed. “Why didn’t you say anything to me?”
“I was worried that you would not want to come see me if you knew my sister disapproved.”
Lucky scoffed. “I’m here now aren’t I? She’s not going to dissuade me with a disapproving stare. I just have to be a little more… subtle.”
“But my sister does have a point” Luna insisted. “You are still growing and you need your sleep.”
“But… you didn’t say anything.”
Luna sighed once more. “Yes. I was being selfish. I wanted you to keep seeing me. It is the highlight of my day, or night rather.” She chuckled at a memory. “I almost went insane from boredom a month back when you were sick for a week and couldn’t leave your chambers.”
“Hah! You were bored” he laughed as he draped himself over her back like a child climbing over her. Luna knew she would miss this contact when he grew old enough that such things would be inappropriate, but for now she enjoyed the closeness. Lucky continued unperturbed. “You weren’t the one spending all day and night in bed with a flu that sent my magic into overdrive. I ended up ruining six books to sneeze powered magic blasts. Six! I never read that much. And I still don’t know where ‘The Mystery of Whinnywood Downs’ got to after that teleportation mishap.”
Luna laughed “The mystery of the missing mystery.”
“Misplaced by the mysterious miniature mystery” Lucky continued with his own laugh.
Luna frowned. “What miniature mystery are you speaking of?
“Uh… me?”
It took a moment for her to realize what he was talking about. “Oh, of course. I suppose we never did find out where you came from did we?”
Lucky turned his body around, lying his head against her back and settling in as he stared up to the night sky, content with his new pillow. “Well, I’m not complaining. I got two cool aunts out of the deal, so I’m fine with whatever happened. But more importantly, I know what we have to do for you next” he said with confidence.
“For me? What do you mean?”
“Well, if I get sick again, we need to make sure you’ve got something else to do or somepony else to see while I’m out of commission.”
“I… I am not sure that is necessary Lucky.”
“Who began a competition on how bored we were separated?” he asked with a smug grin. “You weren’t even sick and quarantined so you shouldn’t have an excuse.”
She sighed, conceding the point. “If you insist. But what would you have me do? I cannot simply ask the night staff to spend time with me because you are unable. They would simply agree as I am their princess, and then what would we actually do?”
“Auntia always holds court during the day to hear what ponies need from her” Lucky suggested. “What if you started doing something like that for a night court?”
Luna shook her head “I’m not sure why ponies would bother staying up late to see me when they could simply see my sister, especial seeing as she has far more experience.”
“Well…” Lucky pondered a moment. “What if we started by making a festival of some kind celebrating the night? That could get other ponies involved. Everypony enjoys a celebration.”
Luna hesitated. She knew what her sister would likely say. “One cannot just make a festival at the drop of a hat. There must be a reason for it” she looked aside. “And what reason would they have to celebrate the night when they are already awake for the day?”
“Hmm” he thought again and a smile quickly burst on his face in excitement. “What about the winter solstice? The longest night of the year. That would get everypony excited and it’s not too long away. You could have light displays and music and maybe a competition or two. Oh!” he said enthusiastically. “And fireworks! You can’t have fireworks during the day. Or even better! We could get the weather team to make sure it’s a cloudless sky and you can paint the sky and really make it your all with a meteor shower or comets or auroras! Everypony will love it! I know that’s always the highlight of my night.”
Lucky was getting animated in his excitement. Luna painfully wanted to be excited too. It sounded like a marvellous idea, but did she dare hope. “I… I don’t know. Would Sister even approve of it?”
“Why wouldn’t she? And don’t forget that you’re a princess too. You could probably do it on your own without her approval.”
“I… suppose you are right. It’s easy to forget that sometimes with her being so much more important than me.”
“Don’t say that Auntie Luna” Lucky insisted. “You’re just as important as she is. You just don’t need to constantly let everypony know.”
“Some recognition wouldn’t be unwelcome though.”
“Hence the Solstice Celebration.”
It seemed so simple when Lucky talked about it that Luna began to see it in her mind. Ponies walking about under the moonlight. Ponies dancing and singing, celebrating her night as they did Celestia’s sun. Witnessing the artistry of her night sky. It was like a dream.
“Have you been planning this?” She asked.
“Nope, just came up with it now” he beamed. He leaned over and wrapped his hooves around her neck in a hug. “Your nights deserve to be celebrated Auntie. I’ve known it since forever, and after this festival, everypony else will know it too.”
She smiled as a feeling of warm contentment flowed through her. Lucky Hope truly was a blessing on her life. “I think you’re right Lucky. A celebration does sound wonderful.”
Lucky jumped up with excitement beaming in his eyes. “So you’ll look into putting it together? Everything?”
Luna nodded. “We shall have to see what we can put together on such short notice, but I shall certainly keep in mind everything you have suggested. I must say though Lucky, I was surprised to hear you suggest fireworks” Luna said curiously. As far as Luna could tell, Lucky was rarely, if ever, scared of anything. But for some reason fire or smoke had always been something that made him uneasy. They noticed it first when he was still an infant when sitting by the fire on a cold winter night. Lucky had hidden behind Luna whenever he could, or dug his face into her coat away from the flames. They initially thought it was cute, until they realized that his discomfort never went away with age. And he would even panic a little if he smelt smoke without knowing where it came from. Lucky tried his best to hide his fears, but the signs were still there. Luna had essentially written off ever going camping by firelight. “Does this mean you are finally getting over your phobia?” Luna asked, a little bit hopeful.
“W-well” he floundered. “T-that’s different, they’re really far away and not going to burn anything.”
Luna smiled. At least he was trying. “I shall still have to try finding a time that Celestia will have to speak with me on this” she thought aloud. “Though I cannot promise it will be soon.”
Lucky smiled knowingly. “Why not strike the iron while it’s hot and talk to her in the morning?”
She raised an eyebrow curiously. “I don’t believe she will be able to speak on such short notice.”
“Oh, I think that’ll be fine. Trust me, she’ll be receptive in the morning.”
“If you are certain my little Hope” she replied.
Lucky groaned. “Augh, stop that. I’m getting bigger.”
The princess chuckled to herself. It seems her sister was right when she disapproved of Luna’s first choice of name. “Of course. But as much as I hate to say it, growing happens most when you sleep, so I believe we should cut things short for tonight.”
“Already?”
“If I am to be convincing my sister of our Solstice Celebration in the morning, I shall need time to prepare what I wish to say, and how best to say it.”
“Okay” Lucky conceded turning to leave. “But I’m sure you’re overthinking it. Auntia will listen to you. It’ll be fine.”
“Thank you for your confidence Lucky. Goodnight”
“Night Luna. Love you.”
“And I you Lucky” she replied. “But one last thing Lucky.”
“Hmm?” he stopped at her door.
She smiled cheekily. “Didn’t you say you had a guard at your door? I believe you should use the secret passage if you do not wish to irritate my sister any further.”
Lucky blinked, and saw the still open passage by her cabinet. He smiled meekly. “Oh yeah.”
“And do remember to close the doors on your way. I revealed to you the secret of my passageways, but I would prefer them to remain secret.”
“Can do. Sorry Auntie. And good night.” He waved his hoof before slipping through the passage and closing the door with his magic.
Luna was left alone once more with her thoughts. Once more going to the balcony, she looked over her night sky. The best place she had for thinking.
Her silent night was beautiful. As usual. She imagined it again, but with ponies awake and all celebrating together. A celebration of the night. She had dreamed of such a thing for so long, but it always felt unattainable. How the enthusiasm of youth saw the world with such innocence and simplicity. “They will all see my vision” she said softly to herself. “The night does deserve to be celebrated.”
But the simplicity of youth was not without it flaws. She wasn’t sure why Lucky thought that Celestia would be so willing to listen first thing in the morning. Her sister would likely not listen for such a small reason. No, she would have to do something to get her sister’s attention first.
“Hmm. The longest night.”
Something was very wrong. Celestia burst into Lucky’s room and called to him. “Lucky! Wake up.”
A flurry of blankets and a moan of surprise followed. “Buh? I’m awake! I didn’t oversleep.” Lucky sat up in his bed looking around groggily in the dim moonlight that peeked through his window. “wait, I really didn’t. What’s going on?”
Celestia was already by his side. “Lucky, its past 9:30 already, do you have any idea where Luna is?”
“What?!” Lucky leapt out of bed, now fully awake, and ran to his balcony window. He stared in shock at the sight of the moon still high in the sky. “No” he whispered. “No, why is this happening now?”
“I don’t know” Celestia admitted. She stepped up beside him and placed a hoof on his shoulder. He startled and looked up at her. “Lucky, we can’t find Luna. Do you have any idea where she might be?”
“What? No!” he insisted. “T-this can’t be her fault. Something must have happened to her.”
“I’m not saying she is, just that we cannot find her” She said, trying to reassure the young stallion. “But I have tried to move the moon myself and it is being blocked, so either Luna is holding the moon in the sky, or some other force is preventing it from moving.”
“Princess” came the voice of her captain from the doorway.
“Anything Bold Feather?”
He shook his head solemnly. Celestia wracked her brains for an answer. How had this started and moved so quickly. The moon immovable, her sister missing. Just what was happening? All she could do was prepare for the worst. “Take Lucky Hope with the other servants and make your way out of the castle. Make sure they’re safe.”
“You’re evacuating?” Lucky exclaimed.
“Just for now while I figure out what’s happening. Go with him Lucky.”
“No way, I’m helping you find Auntie Luna!” he said defiantly. “And nothing you say will change my mind.”
“Lucky…”
“She’s family.”
Celestia stopped at that. Family. Of course she was, to both of them. She knew she would do anything to ensure her family’s safety, and she saw the same determination in the eyes of this young colt. He was just as much family as Luna was. And Celestia knew that Lucky would be willing to follow her to the ends of the world and back if it was for family. And she felt the same.
“I’m sorry Lucky” She said, channelling a spell into her horn. She was willing to do anything to ensure his safety as well. Even if it meant him hating her. “Go back to sleep now.”
“What? No!” Lucky cried out and tried to channel his own magic, but the sleeping spell took hold quickly, and he dropped drowsily to the floor.
“Princess!” Captain Bold Feather exclaimed as Lucky fell to the ground.
Picking him up in her magic, she placed the sleeping colt onto the Captain’s back. “Please make sure he is safe Captain. I cannot risk more family tonight.”
The Pegasus looked uncomfortably at his unconscious passenger, then sternly bowed. “Of course, Princess. With my life.”
Normally she would dissuade the eagerness of her soldiers to throw their lives away, but she found herself being selfish for once, content that if something did happen, at least Lucky was with somepony who would risk everything for his safety. “Thank you” she said and went to leave. “Please be safe.”
Celestia dashed through the halls, checking the castle room by room and calling her sister’s name, growing more worried by the minute. Lucky was sure something bad was going to happen, but there was no way he could have predicted this. Something must have happened to Luna, there was no possible way she would be responsible for this herself, could she? Maybe something had caught her unaware? But what could be powerful enough to take on an alicorn within their own castle? Had Discord escaped? Was this some kind of revenge from Sombra? Or even Tirek? What if Luna was captured? Or hurt? What if she was…
“Evening Sister.”
Celestia skidded to a halt and looked up. She had found her way to the throne room. She scanned the room and saw up on the upper floor balcony, there was Luna, silhouetted in the moonlight. She was fine, and she was… smiling?
Worry quickly turned to anger upon seeing her sister was in no danger. “Luna! What is the meaning of this?”
“Well Sister, I knew you would never have the time to speak with me for long with your busy schedule. Not unless there was an emergency of some kind. And it’s so difficult to get your attention these days, so I just did something that you would notice.”
Celestia gaped at her, flabbergasted. “Is this a joke to you?” She finally said. “Everypony was worried. I was worried for you.”
“Were you Sister? Really?” Luna stretched her wings and leapt down from the second story, drifting down to the dais between their thrones. “Or were you worried about your precious day?”
“What are you talking about Luna? I always have time for you?”
Luna laughed a single violent thing Celestia had never heard from her sister. “Truly? Anytime? Do you even recall how many broken promises you have to your name? How many missed meetings or postponed visits I have had to prove that I am not worth your time?”
“I…”
“I know!” Luna yelled, voice full of rage. “I have counted the disappointments! Over two hundred in the last ten years alone! Always too busy, or too tired. The last time we even spent time together was the night we found Lucky! And that was only because we thought there was an emergency! Had I known then how little time you would have for me in the coming years I would have insisted you to stay, just to be with me. Just so that I could feel like I had a sister again.”
Celestia was speechless. Had it truly been so long? Where had the time gone. Surely she had spent time with her sister since that night. It seemed ridiculous that she could be so absent. There were tears in Luna’s eyes as she cried out, and Celestia’s eyes were beginning to match. “Sister, I…”
“No Sister!” Luna snapped, interrupting Celestia. “I am also a princess of Equestria and it is my turn to speak! Lest you have forgotten that also.”
Celestia closed her mouth, and found herself involuntarily swallowing.
Luna took a deep breath to steady her shuddering voice and stood straighter. “You know, I did not intend this from the beginning, but I had time to think earlier tonight, and I found myself reflecting on years past. I just wanted something to call my own. Something of mine that the ponies of Equestria could find it in their hearts to love as they do your glory. And I realized how hard I have to fight, just to have a chance at happiness. I am invisible Sister. Invisible beside your blinding light. And I have to remove it just to be noticed. Even for a moment. Nopony could love my night with things as they stand.”
Celestia spoke softly and carefully. “Luna, that’s not true and you know it. I know one pony that simply adores your night, and has for his whole life.”
Luna’s eyes snapped open and she cried out in rage. “Only one pony loving my night is just as bad as nopony loving it!” There was a gust of wind that shook through the hall as Luna’s wings violently shot open.
The princess of night glared at her sister in fury, as if daring Celestia to contradict her. But it wasn’t Celestia that spoke next.
“You don’t mean that, do you?” came a familiar voice, shaking from heartbreak.
Both princesses gasped and looked towards the main entrance to the throne room.
“Lucky!?” Celestia exclaimed. “How? What?”
“I can cast a quick counterspell, and I’m a good actor” he said. He didn’t even look at Celestia, eyes focused on his other aunt as he approached closer.
“But, Bold Feather?”
“I’m also a quick study” he responded blankly. Had he cast the same sleep spell on the Captain of the Guard that Celestia had attempted on him? Celestia knew he was talented, but he had never displayed such proficiency as this.
“Lucky?” Luna gasped and stammered. “I… I…”
“Auntie Luna? Why are you doing this?” Lucky asked with a shaky voice.
Despite being raised higher than the young stallion, Luna was faltering beneath his pained expression, taking an involuntary step back. “I... You wouldn’t understand” she cried, shaking her head, refusing to look him in the eye.
Celestia reached a hoof as he continued walking slowly past her. She wanted to stop him, but hesitated. Was he getting through to her? She didn’t know what to do.
“That’s why I’m asking. What happened? The celebration was a beautiful idea. But now everypony’s afraid. They don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what’s going on.”
“But they have to see my night” she insisted, tears in her eyes as she teared her gaze back to the unflinching colt beneath her. “You wanted them to love my night just as much as I do.”
He stopped, just a few meters away from her, looking up. He shook his head. “Not like this. I wanted you to show them beauty, but this? Nopony could love this.” The princess of the night gasped at his words. She began to sob and her wings flopped uselessly to either side, defeated. Luna wept.
Celestia was awestruck, and let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.
Lucky smiled. “It’ll all be okay Auntie. Can you please let Celestia raise the sun now?”
“Even you” Luna wept with a tone that felt like a shard of ice through Celestia’s heart. Luna raised her head to glare at Lucky, eyes full of tears and rage. “Even you reject my night!”
Lucky sank back from her gaze and breathed in sharply.
Luna reared back and slammed her hooves on the dais, shattering the railing and sending a large crack up the wall behind her. “NO!!!!” like a fire of pure darkness, her mane erupted around her, enveloping Luna in a maelstrom of magic and power. The wind picked up like a tornado within the throne room, almost knocking Celestia and Lucky off their hooves.
Celestia threw herself over the colt to protect him, despite his frantic protests. “Luna no!” he cried uselessly over the maelstrom.
She continued to rage and scream, as her form began to change. Twisting, growing, and changing into something almost unrecognisable. Her horn lengthened, fangs jutted out where her teeth used to be, her eyes turned green and slit into those of a snake, and her coat became pitch black, as dark as a moonless night.
The room began to crumble around them. Masonry cracked and fell from the ceiling, and in the maelstrom it was all Celestia could do to shield the two of them with her magic.
When the rumbling finally stopped, Celestia lowered her shield and looked about. While the castle still stood, the throne room was in shambles. Large pieces of the ceiling had caved in, and more than a few of the stained-glass windows that lined the hall had shattered. But the most devastating sight, was what Luna had transformed into.
Celestia simply stared aghast. Her rage had consumed and transformed her into a completely different pony. But Lucky pushed past her. “Luna, please stop this” he begged.
The alicorn before them stared curiously at them a moment. “No.”
A blast of magic erupted from her horn towards the unicorn, and Celestia barely had time to pull him out of the way with her own magic.
This was no longer Luna. She had just attacked Lucky in cold blood. This was no longer her sister.
Celestia leaped into action, tackling her former sister to keep her away from the defenceless Lucky. They tumbled into a wall, but Celestia was kicked off her opponent into the air and managed to catch herself in the air with a flourish of her wings. The black alicorn fired a blast of magic towards Celestia that she barely avoided, instead carving through the ceiling, sending chunks of masonry falling down.
Celestia gasped as they fell towards Lucky on the ground, but he managed to scramble out of the way before she had to intervene. She needed to get this fight away from him. Celestia glared towards her opponent, seizing the other alicorn in her magic and hurling her through the air and through the wall of the throne room to the outside air. She heard Lucky screaming for her to stop beneath her, but she payed him no mind. She had to protect what was left of her family.
Celestia shot through the hole after her opponent. The alicorn seemed to have taken no damage from the assault and began firing one blast of magic after another. Celestia made distance from the throne room to keep any danger away from Lucky. The rest of the staff would have evacuated the castle with plenty of time by now, so now she could pay little heed to where the blasts of magic went, as long as they did not strike her.
She danced through the air, weaving and ducking past the bridge and rising towers of the castle, looking for the opportunity to strike back against the hailstorm of magic. She ducked around a corner, then stopped and charged magic into her horn. As soon as the black streak came speeding past, she fired her own beam of magic into the other alicorn, eliciting a cry of pain.
The alicorn however turned to face her and fired her own magic into the oncoming attack, deflecting it away and striking Celestia in the shoulder. The attack burned like fire and Celestia failed to contain her scream of pain. The other alicorn cackled in glee at her success, so Celestia took the opportunity and ran.
They were both alicorns, why was her opponent so much stronger? Was it simply the rage that empowered her? Was Celestia’s power just not a match for her?
These thoughts distracted her as she crested the rooftop of part of the castle to find herself face to face with her opponent who had snuck up on her. Celestia’s wounded shoulder failed her and she could not evade the incoming attack in time. She was blasted clean through the rooftop and collapsed on the floor below.
Coughing weakly, she heard that laugh again. A shrill, cruel noise as if from a nightmare. “By the power of Nightmare Moon, the night shall last FOREVER!”
The Laughter echoed in Celestia’s mind as she fought for consciousness. “I can’t do this on my own. I need something… stronger.”
The princess of the night had never felt this before. It was as if shackles had been removed from all over her body and she enjoyed the taste of freedom it gave her. It made her feel strong, imposing, and impossible to ignore. She returned to the throne room through the shattered ceiling and landed back on the dais. Looking around, she discovered the awakening of her power had done more damage than she realized she was capable of. She would have to find somepony to repair all that after she had asserted herself as the new, sole ruler of Equestria.
“Luna?” came a quiet voice. She turned and felt her anger begin to simmer once more. The traitorous child.
“Do not call me that child” she spat. “That was the name of a weakling. I…” she paused for a moment, confirming her decision from earlier. “I am Nightmare Moon.”
The child shuddered for a moment and looked away with a pained expression. And something strange happened in her chest. Like a twinge of pain she couldn’t quite describe.
“This isn’t you Auntie. Please” he pleaded, looking up at her.
“Silence!” Nightmare Moon screamed, far angrier than she realized. It almost scared her. She tried to compose herself. “This is for the best. You shall see. All shall learn to love my night. They shall see its beauty and despair they did not learn to appreciate it long ago. And me as the rightful Queen of the Night!”
The unicorn shook his head solemnly. “No they won’t. Not like this.”
“Insolence!” she cried. Her mane sharpened into knives and lunged to cut out the boy’s treacherous tongue. But inches before they cut into him, the blades stopped and held their position. She stopped when she looked at his face, and her heart felt like it was wrenched aside.
There were tears running down his face.
For some reason, this troubled her greatly. Like some natural order of the world had been broken. Her breath came ragged and shallow.
“Please Luna” he said, sniffling through his own ragged breath. “You’re not a nightmare, you’re kind and warm. You care about other ponies and want them to be happy. You can’t force love. It has to be given freely. Like I do. Like I love you.”
Nightmare Moon tried to say something, but her voice got caught in her throat. She didn’t even know what she wanted to say. But on some fundamental level, she knew. She knew this was wrong. “Lucky?” she struggled.
“Auntie?” he sobbed, with a teary smile.
“GET AWAY FROM HIM!”
A blast of magic knocked her aside, and whatever crack Lucky had formed in her armour had vanished in an instant. Once again, she had locked away her feelings in the black heart of an iron vault. Nightmare Moon turned and snarled at the alicorn princess that had stepped through the door.
It looked as though Celestia had made it back just in time. She had to run the whole way as she was sure her right wing was dislocated, or even broken as it hung uselessly by her side. But now there was no doubt in her mind that this “Nightmare Moon” had to be stopped.
“Celestia no!” Lucky cried as he scrambled up to her. “I was getting through to her.” He was so innocent. It pained her to do this even as her magic reached out to him. “No! Stop!” She reached out with her magic and pulled him through the door before he had a chance to stop it, and slammed the door behind her.
Lucky immediately began banging on the door, but she ensured it was sealed tight by her magic. “This shall not stand, Nightmare Moon!”
Nightmare Moon cackled as she glared back at Celestia. “Are you certain of that? It appears that you are the one who cannot stand.”
Celestia ignored the jab. “This is your one and only warning. Release the moon and make way for the sun.”
“Or what?” she spat. “You cannot stand before my power.”
“Perhaps not alone. But I have other means at my disposal.” Celestia opened the saddlebag on her side she had picked up in her rush to get here, and out came the six jewels that shone in the moonlight.
Nightmare Moon drew back with a snarl. “You would even dare to turn the elements on me? Your conceit knows no bounds!” she cried as she began charging magic into her horn.
“So be it.”
The elements began to spin around Celestia as she channelled her magic through them, glowing bright as the rainbow and she rose into the air without the aid of her wings. She was still conscious of the banging and cries of Lucky behind the door, which brought a tear to her eye.
Nightmare Moon also rose to the air and fired her own magic that erupted as a beam of moonlight, far larger and violent than it had through the night. The elements fired back, easily matching the black alicorn’s most vicious attack. She started groaning and fuming, beginning to panic as she realized she was no match.
Forcing herself to see through tearful eyes, Celestia still struggled to commit to this battle. This wasn’t Discord, or some other monster of darkness she faced. On some level, this was still her sister. Luna had to be in there somewhere. But Celestia had no other choice. She didn’t know what else she could do. So, she prayed. She prayed to the elements. She prayed to the Sun and the Moon and the Stars. And she prayed to whatever gods might be out there. She begged the elements not to harm her wayward sister. Just to stop her from harming her beloved ponies.
“LUNA!!!!” she cried and the magic of the elements erupted forth tenfold, enveloping the screaming alicorn, flooding the room and castle with light, shooting up towards the sky.
In the silence that followed, Celestia fell to the ground with an unceremonious thud, utterly exhausted. The elements clattered to the ground in a similar fashion.
The door slammed open and Lucky barrelled through panting hard. “Luna? Celestia?”
Celestia groaned as she stood, her wing still giving her grief. Though it compared nothing to the grief she currently felt at what she had done. “Lucky. Are you all right?”
“Where’s Auntie Luna?” He asked, running further into the room. “Luna?! Please be all right. Please. Don’t tell me I failed to stop…” he paused at the sound of tinkling glass from the window at the end of the throne room.
Celestia watched sadly as his eyes went up, past the window, to what rested in the sky behind. The moon shone through the broken glass and a new pattern had appeared on its face. A pattern that resembled the head of an alicorn princess.
“No” he shook his head sobbing, not willing to believe the reality before him. “No no no. Noooooooooo!” He wailed and crumpled to the floor.
It was heartbreaking to watch, and Celestia could not retain her own tears. “I’m so sorry Lucky. I tried. I truly did.”
He slammed his hooves on the floor in anger. “NO! I messed everything up! I should have said something sooner. I should have done more! I could have stopped this!”
She rushed over to comfort him “No Lucky, don’t think that. It wasn’t your fault.”
“What about you!?” he suddenly accused, turning and pointing a hoof at her face, stopping her in her tracks. “She’s your sister! How could you let it get this bad? How could you have not noticed?!”
Celestia froze at the anger in his voice. She prayed against prayer that she would not have to stop another family member consumed by rage. She would never survive the heartbreak. At the same time, her mind began forming reasons how she could have missed it, why it had taken so long to visit, why the matters of state were impossible to ignore. But every thought in her mind felt hollow and shallow. Her sister was gone. None of those excuses mattered. “I don’t know” she relinquished. “Am I a bad sister for failing her so spectacularly?”
Lucky withdrew his hoof and sniffed loudly. “That’s not fair.”
“We can make this right. Together we can figure this out.”
“Make it right?” he asked in disbelief. He pointed at the moon. “How do we make THIS right?!”
“I… I don’t know. But we will. We’re family.”
Lucky Hope scoffed. “Well you sure picked the perfect time to remember that.”
He didn’t even give Celestia a chance to say anything before running off away from the throne room, and away from her. The princess breathed sharply, holding back another sob. She thought she was prepared for him to hate her, but she never expected such anger from Lucky of all ponies. She wasn’t sure what hurt more, his sadness, his fury, or his blame. And he blamed himself as well? Such a well of confusing emotion for such a young pony must be terrible for him. She already knew how terrible it was for her, looking up at the moon.
“Princess Celestia!” she heard a voice call for her. Her ever loyal Captain of the Guard.
She winced in pain from her wing as she turned. “In here” she called back.
A moment later the pegasus made his way past the rubble and to her side. “Princess I am so sorry, I… My goodness your wing! You’re injured!”
“Merely dislocated I’m sure. I will survive” she said, trying to dismiss his concerns. “You were saying? What is the situation outside?
He looked ready to prostrate himself in front of her. “I am so sorry your highness. I don’t know how the young colt got away from me. I just suddenly felt…”
She held up a hoof to stop him. “It is quite all right. Our young Hope is very resourceful, as I have come to realize. He is…” she stopped. How should she explain his emotional state? “He is deeply upset, but physically safe. What of the staff? Are they safe?”
He nodded. “Yes, they all took cover outside among the palace grounds. And you?” He asked with a great deal of concern. “And Princess Luna? Did you find her?”
“My sister…” she faltered, her voice getting caught in her throat. She swallowed and tried again. “She is…” again she felt her voice waver and fail. The events and emotions of the night finally catching up with her that she could no longer hold back. Her hoof went to her mouth as it was her time to weep openly. “Oh Luna!” she sobbed, a wet, throaty sob that overtook her completely.
Luna was gone.
The next couple of days were a living nightmare. While the staff witnessed the battle above the castle from the grounds, none of them quite understood what happened. And Equestria at large wanted answers why the moon had stayed in the sky until around midday. Answers that Celestia didn’t have. What could she say? That Luna went mad with grief and isolation and tried to make night eternal? That was essentially the truth, but there was so much more to it than that.
Ponies certainly noticed the absence of Princess Luna in the aftermath, and more questions were raised. Some of the staff had heard the decree above the castle by Nightmare Moon, and night lasting forever. And as usual, it didn’t take long for the rumour mills to start churning out stories. Stories of attempted coups, a new threat to Equestrian life, Secret alicorns bent on domination, Insanity of the princesses, to even the heroic sacrifice of Princess Luna to defeat this new threat.
Celestia barely listened to them, as while some of them got close to the truth of the events, none could truly understand the weight of what had happened. And she still had her hooves full with cleaning up the castle, the usual affairs of the country that were urgent enough they could not be postponed, not to mention she was now responsible for both the sun and moon which left her drained, along with her mending wing.
Worst of all, Lucky had shut himself away and refused to see anypony. He barely ate and had not come out at all since that night. Celestia knew he would need time to mend a broken heart, as she did. She even envied the child’s option to shut himself away to grieve in his own time. A luxury she as the, now solo, head of state could not afford.
But she could not help but worry about him. And she had already lost one family member to negligence, she swore she would not lose another the same way. She tried to approach his door every time she had the opportunity, but each time she was rebuffed and he said he was not ready to talk. And every time, she told him through the door that she would be there when he was ready, and that she loved him dearly. It had been an all too hard a lesson to learn that she had not said that enough to those she loved.
On the eve of the third day after she received a curiosity. One of the guards posted to Lucky’s door approached Celestia with a letter from Lucky. She opened the letter and immediately had to hold back her own tears when she noticed the smudges on the paper. He had already been crying when he wrote it, so surely this would open fresh wounds for herself. But he was finally reaching out to her in his own way, so she began to read.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I feel like I’ve been trying to start this for days now. Anytime you come to my door, I want to talk, but my voice fails to work properly and my words come out all a jumbled mess, so I guess writing this down is the only way I can get anything out in the open.
I am a mess of emotion right now and I don’t know how to feel. I blame myself, and yes part of me also blames you, and even Luna for not talking to you herself. I know I shouldn’t but I can’t get over how things never should have reached this point. It always seemed silly to me that something like this could happen. But I guess I know better now.
All the ‘could-haves’ and ‘should-haves’ keep rolling around in my mind trying to make sense of what I could have done better to make things right. I could have told you sooner what was going to happen. I could have insisted you talk to her that night instead of waiting for the morning. I could have told Luna what we spoke of instead of being playfully vague. I could have told you more of what I knew. Told you the times I walked in on her crying to herself, thinking she could hide her sorrow from me.
And I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I didn’t do… any of those things. Sorry that I thought I could handle this on my own. I’m even sorry I knocked out Captain Bold Feather to get back to you.
What am I saying? I should apologize for that. He didn’t deserve that, he was just doing his job. You have a great friend and subject in him. You’re kind of surrounded by great ponies to support you really. Bold Feather, Arpeggio, Inkpot, all of them. I guess I’m getting side tracked. I’ve just finally been able to write this down and I don’t want to stop, so I may end up rambling a bit.
I wanted to let you know what Luna and I had been talking about. The Celebration she wanted to talk to you about before she got… side tracked. We wanted to hold a winter solstice celebration for the longest night of the year. The plan was for it to go on all night. I even suggested fireworks if you can believe that from me. I wanted to show Auntie Luna that she was recognized for all she does for Equestria. I just needed to convince her that she deserved it and I thought a celebration would be best to bring out everypony. She was going to work on a night sky to show everypony how beautiful they were. So they could see what I see. I never got to mention it to her, but I thought “The Winter Moon Festival” would be an appropriate title. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. I just didn’t want you to think that what happened came out of nowhere. I should’ve stayed with her to plan things together. Maybe then she wouldn’t have gotten lost in her own thoughts.
There’s another should’ve.
I just wanted to make things better than they would have been. But now I’m worried I made things even worse. She never should have been that angry. And I might have given her something else to be upset about when she comes back. I really don’t know what’s going to happen now, and that scares me.
I never should have been here. Whatever magic that happened that brought me here made a mistake. I know you don’t want to read that, but I need to get what I’m feeling out in some way, and now that I’m saying it, I can’t not say it.
I’ve made changes so much that I can’t predict what effect any of this will have in the future. Which admittedly brings me to another reason why I’m writing this as a letter instead of to your face. You see, I’m good at working out how long something will take. I know how long it will take for one of the guards to walk this letter to the throne room to give it to you. I know how you read letters. So, I’m sorry, but I’m letting you know that I have to leave. And by the time you reach this point in my letter, I’ll already have gone.
Celestia leapt from her throne, startling those around her. “How long ago did he give you this letter?” She blurted out.
The guard, easily caught off guard stammered his answer. “I-I uh… Just now?”
She startled more ponies as she charged out of the throne room and down the hall. She couldn’t have been reading for more than four or five minutes, if that. And if the guard had been walking all the way from Lucky’s room, that could be another ten to twelve minutes, depending on his walking pace. Around fifteen minutes then? Surely he couldn’t have snuck out of the castle in that time.
She wheeled around another corner at full speed, almost bumping into one of the cleaning ponies, eliciting a shriek from them as she passed. There was still one guard by his room. “Has Lucky left his chambers!?” She cried out as she galloped to the door.
“Your Majesty?” the guard pony exclaimed in surprise at the princess barrelling towards her.
“Answer me!” she yelled.
“No Your Majesty!”
She panted as she stopped by the door. “Open it, Now!”
“O-of course” he replied, almost panicking at her insistence. He fumbled for a moment but the door would not open. “It’s stuck? I think there’s something on the other side.”
“Move!” she commanded, charging her horn with magic. She was not going to let herself lose another family member.
The guard ran out of the way as fast as his legs would carry him, a look of terror on his face. She blasted the door away and the bookshelf that was on the other side and strode into Lucky’s bedchambers. “Lucky! Where are you?” Her eyes darted around the room.
Nothing.
She went to the balcony and cast the windows open, searching for any sign of his passage. “Lucky!” she cried out, even though she knew it would be pointless. There was nothing that would have let him climb down, and it was far too high to jump. He didn’t know how to teleport and it would be too dangerous for him to attempt levitating himself down.
“Your Highness” the guard behind her called to her, recovered from the initial shock. She faced back into the room to see him pointing at a panel in the wall. The wall itself was slightly ajar.
She gasped. “One of Luna’s old passages.” She looked around in shock. This had been the same room Lucky had stayed in ever since it had been his nursery. If she understood what those passages were, he must have had access to almost the entire castle ever since he was a child.
She pulled open the panel and tried to squeeze in, but gasped in pain as her damaged wing bumped the wall. She was too large to easily fit inside.
She breathed in through her teeth at the pain as she looked pleadingly towards the guard still by her side. “Go! find him please”
“Of course” he said, squeezing himself into the passage. But even as he did so she knew how pointless it would be. Even the guard had to squeeze and moved slowly through the passage, whereas a young spry colt would have an easy time. And Lucky would have known the passages like his own home if Luna had taught him where to go.
Celestia felt numb. She sat down on her hindquarters, attempting to work out what she felt now. She moved a hoof to wipe a tear and bumped something. She realized that somehow, she was still holding the letter in her magic. It was a little worse for wear after being dragged through the castle with her, but it was still in one piece. There was still more left to read.
I should have done this long ago, and don’t worry I know I will be fine. I know this will only cause you more pain, especially parting in such a way, silently and anonymously, and yes, I will feel it too. But it is for the best. You’ve shown me nothing but love and I threw that in your face last we spoke. I will always be sorry for what I said. Please, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I fear it will be best if you just forget about me. I know how useless it is to say it, because I know I never will, but there it is.
I’m sorry for everything and I wish you well.
Goodbye.
Your student, nephew, and friend,
Lucky Hope.
“Princess! Is everything all right?” Captain Bold Feather said as he finally caught up to her and looked in the room and the destruction of the door. “By the Sun, what happened in here?”
“He’s run away” she said defeated.
“Your Majesty” the Captain said, at a loss of what else to say.
“I’ve lost them both.”