//------------------------------// // Diana // Story: Moonlight Foal // by Riossumari //------------------------------// Every creature knows the story, almost ten years ago Nightmare Moon returned to Equestria. She appeared in Ponyville and announced her rule, her eternal night, one pony tried to stop her, a lone unicorn who refused the aid of the ponies she’d met in Ponyville. She read the prophecy, she saw the signs but if she’d only asked for help things would have been so much different...Instead Nightmare Moon marched to Equestria and battled Princess Celestia, and after an epic battle that would be etched in history forever. Princess Celestia was beaten, banished and sealed within the moon she had once sealed Nightmare Moon in. No pony dared oppose her rule afterwards and she brought her eternal night as promised, but only for a time. Once the creatures of Equestria accepted her rule she rewarded them with the daylight like any normal day. Nightmare Moon’s rule quickly changed the way the ponies of Equestria lived, unlike Celestia she would not wait for her enemies to come to her lands. Instead she would attack and snuff out threats quickly and without worry, in doing such she shattered the lord of Chaos to dust while he was still petrified and then quickly conquered the Storm King and his lands. But Nightmare knew her rule was not perfect, she needed an heir, a child to teach her ways and rule in the unlikelihood she should ever fall. So she sought out the strongest and greatest stallions of Equestria and eventually found one who could give her what she desired most...a daughter, Diana. Heir to the moon, a gifted unicorn child raised under the watchful and loving eyes of the mare of the moon herself. The city of Canterlot was bustling as always, ponies were going about their days as the sun shined high in the sky. Among this three small foals ran through the street playing happily with a buckball as they did. Among them a small snow white unicorn foal, her hooves were a bright silver, her mane and tail a snow white shade like her body with faded purple highlights at the ends of both. She wore a crystal blue tiara across her forehead and a diamond necklace to further show off her royal status. She was Diana, the Queen's daughter, and she was free to run through the streets as freely as she wanted because no creature dare to try to harm her knowing who her mother was. Her friends chased after her bouncing the ball around with smiles on their faces. “Diana! Slow down! We can’t run as fast as you can!” One shouted, Diana simply laughed and kicked the ball ahead of her with her hooves a smile on her face. The three foals continued to run through the streets when suddenly they heard trumpets sounding, a crowd forming in the streets. “What’s going on?” her friend asked, Diana’s face lit up with a smile though. “Its the soldiers! They’re back from Griffonstone!!!” Diana shouted the three rushed over and pushed through the crowd and saw the soldiers marching through the street. Trumpets blared, flowers and confetti fell from above, it was a glorious celebration of a hard earned victory. A small group of griffons were chained up and being paraded in the middle of the soldiers, Diana looked and there she saw standing atop the stage at the end of the street was her. The ponies queen Nightmare Moon in all her glory, Diana smiled and clapped her hooves excitedly at the sight of her mother. Her coat a glorious shade of black like the darkest night sky, her mane a beautiful flowing shade of purple with white sparkles throughout it resembling the stars, her crown and regalia a beautiful silver to compliment her glorious beautiful green eyes. The soldiers came to a stop just in front of the stage and bowed presenting the captured griffons to their queen who smiled back at them. “Soldiers...you have done well, on this day you have defeated the griffon threat to Canterlot and expanded our great kingdom. Rest well tonight my little ponies, for you have earned this victory and this celebration for your deeds. Know that this is but one great step towards our grand future of ponies ruling all of Equestria and showing all creatures that this world belongs to us!” Nightmare announced to the crowd, every pony cheered and celebrated their queens words. Music soon erupted and the celebrations became even more vibrant and loud then they already were. Diana excitedly rushed through the crowd to the stage, she was met with a few guards when she approached but they quickly let her pass realizing who she was. She rushed up the stage and over to her mother, who saw her and knelt down to hug her daughter. “Momma! You look so pretty today!” Diana announced, Nightmare Moon held her daughter with a loving embrace happy to see her child as always. “Hello Diana, have you been playing with your friends? I haven’t seen you since breakfast.” she asked. Diana took a step back and smiled at her, “Uh huh, we’ve been practicing buckball!” she exclaimed. Nightmare smiled and pet Diana across the back of her head lovingly, “That’s very good, its important to exercise you know. Don’t forget to practice your magic as well Diana, you have to be ready for when your older you know.” Nightmare added. Diana happily nodded agreeing to her mother’s words, “Will you be home to read me a bed time story tonight Momma?” she asked. Nightmare Moon laid down on her stomach to look her daughter in the eye with a smile, “Of course I will little stardust, I promise. But right now Momma has work to do so you go back to playing with your friends alright?” she said. Diana nodded and hugged her mother one last time and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before running off to play with friends some more. Diana caught up to her friends Opal and Melody and the two continued to play with their ball bouncing it back and forth around the street. Diana continued to have a small lead on them but they managed to keep up with her. Diana bumped the ball with her head and Opal flew in and gave it a big kick the ball flying through an open window of a nearby house. The three foals stood in front of the house Diana and Melody looking disappointed, “Opal! You kicked the ball to hard! Hurry up and go get it, your the pegasus fly up there already!” Melody scolded. Opal shook her head though, “No way! That’s the haunted house! That one unicorn who tried to attack the queen used to live there! I’m not going inside, no way!” Opal shouted back. Diana sat down a little upset, “But we need to get the ball back if we want to keep playing.” she added. The three sat in front of the old boarded up house for a moment before Opal spoke up, “Let’s just go back to my house, we can play board games or something. Okay?” Melody agreed and the two started to walk away but noticed Diana still looking at the house. “Diana? Aren’t you coming?” Melody asked, Diana looked at the two and shook her head. . “No...I think, I think I wanna go home. I wanna see my mom.” she replied, her friends didn’t argue of course instead they waved goodbye and left. Diana looked back towards the house nervously, “It’s not really haunted right? Ghosts aren’t real...” she thought as she walked up to the house. She paused for a moment and looked at the damaged nameplate by the boarded up front door that read “T ili h Spa k e” in faded letters. Diana swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed the old door open with a loud and eerie creaking sound. She squeezed under the boards across the doorway and once inside she cast a spell giving her a small light on the end of her horn to help her see. Inside the furniture was old, tattered, and covered in dust, piles of books were scattered everywhere and it was clear no pony had been here in some time. Diana slowly walked through the house looking around as she walked, “Find the ball, get out. Find the ball, get out.” She whispered to herself over and over again as she walked towards the staircase, she put her front hoof on the stairs and it let out a loud creak. She paused for a moment but then she slowly began to climb up the stairs to the second floor. When she reached the top the second floor was much better lit but still dark, she looked around the room and saw it was a small library books everywhere, as well as a destroyed box covered in wrapping paper on the floor. When she saw her ball she smiled and scurried across the room to grab it, but then she tripped on something falling over. She stood up rubbing her stomach and looked back to see a red book on the floor covered in dust, she picked it up and read it curious as to what it was about. The book told the story of two princesses, one of the sun, and one of the moon. She smiled and thought to herself, “That’s Momma! She was the princess of the moon!” She read further but as she did she read how the moon princess grew jealous of the other princess and how after a battle she was then banished to the moon by the sun princess using the elements of harmony. This confused the little foal, “Why would some pony want to banish Momma? All she wanted was for every pony to look at the stars like she did. Was that so wrong?” she wondered. Diana wanted to know more about this story now, and she knew the best pony to ask was her mother. She grabbed her ball and the book and rushed out of the house and back to the castle eager to get her answers.