I silently flew through the desolate town around me, staring down at the empty streets. The town was akin to Manehattan, but lacked skyscrapers and the like. Few buildings exceeded three stories.
There were strange vehicles lining the streets. They looked like carts, but had rubber tires and were entirely enclosed. They were parked next to sidewalks and within giant concrete lots.
This world was rather strange, I must admit.
I looked up at the night sky, glancing at my moon. Er, a moon. It was slightly smaller than mine and moved without magical aid.
I tilted my head, wondering if it was possible for my moon to move on its own.
SCREEEECH!
The thought was lost as I heard the sound of rubber on concrete. I quickly looked down toward city hall, spotting a large green vehicle racing along the ground. It was low, sleek, and had a long tail not dissimilar to that of a gecko.
A red owl-like creature flew through the sky, tearing after a black and tan creature on a hovering board of some kind. Both were the size of fillies.
“Get back here!” the red creature yelled. Judging by the voice, she was a child.
“No way, bird-brain!” the black creature on the board barked back. She was also a child. “With my new and improved Luna Magnet, you will NEVER stop me!”
“Luna Magnet?” I asked out loud as the two creatures and the green vehicle flew through the streets.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed how the black “girl” was very night-themed. She had a sharp crescent moon on her black outfit, sharp shoulder pads, and white hair.
I smiled. “So she is a night-lover, I see.”
“You won’t get away with this, Luna Girl!” the red child yelled.
Wait.
“Oh yes I will!” the black child yelled back. “Once I harness the power of the moon, I’ll take over the world and nobody will be able to stop me!”
WHAT.
I watched the girl take a hard turn into a tight alleyway, halting the gecko-like vehicle, then another hard turn into another alley before quickly flying upward and onto the roof of a small apartment building. The red creature continued through the allies, missing the girl entirely.
The girl jumped off her hoverboard and ran to the edge of the roof, looking down at her confused pursuers as they raced away in an attempt to find her.
“Hahahahaaaa!” the girl called out, looking at a magnet in her hands. “With those P-J Pests gone, I can use my Luna Magnet to harness the power of the moon! The night will last FOREVER! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAA-!”
“NO IT MOST CERTAINLY WILL NOT!”
The girl screamed as I landed behind her, my regalia clattering and throwing sparks on the concrete. Her small size allowed me to tower over her.
“AH! What the- Who are you?!” the girl yelped, taking a step away from me.
“I am Princess Luna,” I snapped, seething anger plaguing my voice as I flared my wings. “Ruler of the Night. Who are you and what makes you think you can make the night last forever?”
“N-None of your business!” the girl yelped as she turned around. “LUNA BOARD!”
I watched her hoverboard fly off the roof and towards her. I quickly seized it with my magic, locking it in place.
“Hey! What the-”
Before she could finish her sentence, I ripped her Luna Magnet from her hands with my magic.
“What are you doing?!!” she squeaked, whirling around to face me as I brought both gadgets to my side.
“You will not be escaping me easily, young one,” I snapped. Keeping her board and magnet in place, I took a step toward her, the moon illuminating me from above. “Now. Who are you and what makes you think you will make the night last forever?”
“B-Because I want it to! That’s why!” the girl squeaked again.
“Name.”
“Uh- Luna Girl! My name is Luna Girl!”
“No, it is not.” I took another step forward. She took one backward. “Judging by that outfit, that is merely an alias. One I do not like, for it has my name in it.”
She seemed to quiver in my presence.
“What. Is. Thy. NAME,” I repeated.
“Brianna!” the girl squeaked, looking behind her in a panic as tears welled up in her eyes. “My name is Brianna!”
Before I took another step toward Brianna, I noticed how close she was to the edge of the building. One more step and she was done for.
My eyes widened as I remembered I was talking to a mere first grader.
Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath in, I furled my wings and relaxed my body.
“Brianna, step away from the edge,” I calmly said, opening my eyes.
Brianna looked back at me, more scared than she’d ever been.
“Brianna, please. I will not hurt you. I apologize for my behavior.”
Slowly, Brianna stepped away from the edge of the building. She kept her head low as she approached me.
“Are you alright, Brianna?” I asked, taking a step back to give her space.
Brianna said nothing, still nervous and scared.
I sat down, letting the board and magnet rest on the ground behind me.
“Brianna, I am sorry for my behavior just now,” I say, keeping a soft tone. “Your choice of words simply awoke a bit of… history.”
Brianna looked up at me, sheepishly rubbing her arm. “Are you… really the ruler of the night?”
I nodded. “Indeed I am. So as a lover of the night, you are to respect me as your superior.”
Brianna flinched. “So… you can control the moon? And the stars?”
“Yes.”
Her face lit up slightly. “Does that mean you could-”
“NO, Brianna. I will not be helping you with your villainous deeds.”
She winced at my harsh words.
“Your behavior is utterly juvenile. Wanting to rule the world for such petty reasons. To bring eternal night on your subjects so they are forced to bask in it and love it. Do you not know the consequences of such actions?”
Brianna looked down in shame, but seemed confused. “That… That’s not what I want?”
“I am speaking from personal experience, Brianna. The reason I am so harsh right now is that you are trying to commit acts I have already committed.”
Brianna looked up. “W-What?”
I sighed before standing up. “Come, Brianna.”
I started walking, glancing back to see Brianna slowly and shamefully following. I extended my wing behind her and led her to the other side of the roof, allowing us to view a portion of the city.
I furled my wing and sat down, motioning for her to do the same. She put her legs over the ledge and looked at the street below. I said nothing, waiting for her to speak first.
It would be a moment before she did.
“So… Princess,” she slowly began, “Did you really make the night last forever?”
“I tried to make the night last forever,” I replied, looking around at the surrounding buildings. “It only lasted a short while.”
Brianna looked at me in wonder. “What was it like?” she asked with a tinge of hope.
“Unfulfilling is the word I use to describe it in the moment. In the long run, it is planet-dooming.”
“Planet-dooming?”
“Yes.” I looked at her. “The sun and moon revolve around the planet. If you stop them, one side will be night, the other will be day. As time goes on, the sun would slowly heat its side up. The moon side, with no way of gaining heat, will slowly cool down. By the time a year passed, the sun side would be perpetually on fire, and the moon side would be forever frozen.”
Brianna’s eyes widened.
“There would only be a one hundred mile thick ring around the planet that would be habitable.”
Brianna looked down, pensive about my words. “I… never thought of it like that…”
I nodded before looking away, back out across the city. “Neither did I. I only realized how horrible it would have been a year after I tried to make it eternally night. Well, the second time I tried to, anyway.”
Brianna looked at the city around us, failing to bring herself to look at me. “The second time? What happened the first time?”
“I was banished to the moon by my sister.”
Brianna gasped, looking up at me. “You… Y-You were…”
I paid her a sideways glance and nodded. “Indeed.”
“S-So… You got to live on the moon?”
I was surprised to see her face light up with happiness. By the stars, she wanted to live on the moon.
I struggled to release my next words. “For a thousand years.”
Brianna’s jaw dropped. “You’re over a thousand years old!? How?!”
“I am an Alicorn, Brianna,” I replied. “Immortality is simply one of the things we possess.”
“So I’m talking… to a goddess?”
I paused, thinking about the word, before nodding. “I suppose that is a valid term.”
“Wow… So, what was it like to live on the moon? I’ve always wanted to live on the moon.”
I sighed, looking ahead. “Rage-inducing and very boring. There was nothing to do other than draw lines in the rocks and plot my revenge against my sister every few years. For a millennium. Few if any can imagine such a curse.”
Brianna shook her head. “Mm-mm. I can’t even begin to imagine that. But I think I’d do fine. I’d have a fortress there, all the toys I’d want, and everyone would do everything for me!”
I scowled a little bit, realizing the type of child this was. “I had a fortress on the moon as well.”
“Wha- Seriously?!”
“Indeed. Made entirely of moon rocks. I have yet to revisit it, but it was quite the establishment. Building, rebuilding, and renovating that fortress was one of the pastimes that kept me sane.”
VROOOOM! VrooooooooOOOOOOM!
We both looked down at the noise, spotting the same green gecko car from earlier. It was chasing an eight-wheeled gray box of some kind with a green cabin in front. The six wheels in front were small, while the two in the rear were large.
“Heh,” I chuckled, “That looks like the steam locomotive I built.”
“Romeo’s lab looks like a steam locomotive?” Brianna asked as the gecko car and ‘lab’ raced around a corner.
I looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “That was a lab?”
“Yeah?”
I scrunched up my muzzle. “That was a rather sorry excuse for a laboratory.” I looked forward. “Anyway, yes. It looked like a steam locomotive I built, at least with the way the wheels were designed. It was my own little project for something that could achieve high speeds. Six front wheels for utmost stability and two in the rear that drove the engine. The driving wheels were very large, but the lack of weight on them meant the engine could only pull three cars. Not only that, it slipped very easily.”
“Huh. I’ve never been into trains.”
“They are a wonderful pastime to get lost in. Anyway, back to our conversation. Do you have any questions for me?”
Brianna nodded, looking forward. “Uh… yeah. How did you lose the second time? To make the night last forever, I mean.”
“I was… reformed by a group of six very special ponies. They saved me.”
“Reformed? Save you- Saved you from what?”
I growled, narrowing my eyes. “Nightmare Moon. My dark side.”
A gasp escaped Brianna’s lips.
My ears twitched. Someone else had gasped behind us. It was soft but noticeable to my acute hearing. I looked behind me, much to the confusion of Brianna, and saw an empty roof. There was only a maintenance door and two air conditioning units.
“Who goes there?” I asked, knowing somepony was spying on us. “I know you are around. Show yourself.”
Out from behind an air conditioning unit came that same red owl-like creature from earlier. She was about the same height as Brianna and wore a red superheroine outfit that was made to resemble an owl. The outfit was quite beautiful, I must admit.
“Owlette?!” Brianna yelped as she saw the heroine.
“H-Hey… Luna Girl…” Owlette sheepishly responded, rubbing an arm.
“How long has thy been eavesdropping us?” I asked.
“Since a little before you told Luna Girl that you weren’t gonna help her… That’s why Cat Boy and Gekko aren’t here… Because I haven’t told them…”
“I see,” I replied, making a note of the figures she mentioned. “And please, call ‘Luna Girl’ by her real name. Brianna. I do not want any confusion amongst us.”
Owlette looked at Brianna. “Your real name is Brianna?”
Brianna sighed. “Yeah…”
“Huh. I never knew that.” She looked at me. “And your name was… Luna?”
“Indeed. Now please.” I gestured for her to come over. “Join us.”
Owlette hesitantly approached, sitting on the ledge next to Brianna.
“What made you gasp, pray tell?” I questioned Owlette.
“Pray tell?” she asked, her and Brianna looking at me.
I fight the urge to purse my lips. “I apologize. Just some old words that crop up now and again.”
I watched the two look at each other and shrug.
“Anyway,” Owlette began, “I gasped because of what you said about you having a dark side. It hits a little hard for me because I also had- er, HAVE a dark side. Dark Owl.”
My eyes widened in alarm. “Dark Owl? Really?”
“I saw that!” Brianna exclaimed suddenly.
Owlette seemed surprised as she looked at Brianna. “Really?”
“Yeah. I caught a glimpse of you when that happened. You were… terrifying.”
“So Gekko says.”
“No. Like, you were actually terrifying. I had nightmares about you for a week. I still do, actually. If you stayed as Dark Owl the next time we fought, I would have taken my moths and, like… ran.”
Owlette giggled. “Huh. Actually, where are your moths, anyway?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen them all night.”
I quickly looked away to hide my panicked face. I had just vanquished an annoying flock of moths earlier.
Returning to my neutral state, I cleared my throat. “Ahem.”
“Oh. Sorry,” Owlette apologized. “So, you have a dark side named Nightmare Moon?”
“Yes,” I replied. “All Alicorns have dark sides.”
“How many of you are there?” Brianna asked. “You said you had a sister. Are you two the only ones?”
“There are five of us. My sister, Princess Celestia, my niece, Princess Cadance, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and Princess Flurry Heart are the other four.”
“...So why are all of you princesses?” Owlette asked with a smirk.
“Me and my sister gained the status by saving our fledgling nation time and time again over a millenia ago. My sister adopted Cadance, and Cadance married Twilight’s older brother, making Twilight a princess by proxy. Flurry Heart is Cadance’s daughter.”
“Oh. I thought all Alicorns were royalty just because they were Alicorns.”
“You could technically say that.”
“Soooo…” Brianna timidly began. “Nightmare Moon?”
I glanced at her. “What about her?”
“What is she?”
I sighed, looking ahead. “She is simply my dark side. Alicorns are very powerful. So powerful that part of our darkest thoughts manifest into a completely different personality. It lives within us. Rots within us. Sometimes talks to us, in the case of me and my sister.”
“Of course,” I continued. “Twilight Sparkle, Cadance, and Flurry Heart are too young for their dark sides to have developed enough to speak. I dislike the thought of when they will grow powerful enough to speak. But through their dreams, I have secretly figured out their dark names.”
“What are those?”
“Heartbreaker and Midnight Sparkle. Flurry Heart I have yet to figure out.”
“... Wow…”
“A dark side must be contained at all costs. So, Owlette, I recommend you keep Dark Owl locked tight. I shudder to think of what such a young and destructive personality could do with whatever powers you may have.”
“Uh- Luna- Er, sorry,” Owlette stuttered. “Your Highness, Dark Owl was just something that came out when Romeo zapped me with one of his inventions. I didn’t even know she existed until that night!”
“How your dark side came up does not matter,” I stated. “What matters is that you make sure to keep Dark Owl out of your thoughts. Even I do not know what exactly lets the dark side within us come out, so it is better to be safe than sorry.”
Owlette paused for a few seconds before nodding. She was scared, that much was obvious. “Okayyyy…”
I glanced at the girls. “Now for a question of my own. Are you two adversaries?”
“Adversaries?” they asked.
“Enemies.”
The two looked at each other, awkward looks on their faces.
“Uhhh… Yeahhhhh…” they said in unison.
“And why is that?” I asked.
“Because the PJ Masks keep foiling my plans!” Brianna burst out. “They ruin everything I do! Like take all my toys, ruin my clouds-”
“They’re never YOUR toys!” Owlette retorted. “You steal them from stores!”
I scowled. “Stealing is a very bad thing to do, Brianna.”
“But I want the toys!” Brianna yelped.
“Then you should buy them with either your own money or get your parents to buy them.”
Say…
“Actually, come to think of it, where are your parents?” I asked, prompting the two to look at me.
“Sleeping at home,” was Owlette’s reply.
I looked at Brianna. “Brianna? What would your parents think if they found out about this?”
Brianna looked down in shame. “I dunno.”
“Are your parents also criminals?”
“Uh… Y-Yeah… They were…”
“What do you mean they were?”
“Yeah, what do you mean?” Owlette asked. “I never even thought about who your parents were. Or Romeo’s, or even Night Ninja’s.”
I noted the mention of yet another villain within this town.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Brianna let out.
“Brianna, what happened to them?” I asked.
Brianna took in a breath. “They were sent to prison. I was sent to some daycare or orphanage or something.”
I took a deep breath in. “What happened at the orphanage?”
“I invented my Luna Board, they tried to take it… so I left with it.”
“When did this happen?”
“... A year ago…”
“That’s when we started fighting,” Owlette let out, eyes widening.
“Yeah…” Brianna confirmed.
“A villain with a mere kindergartener’s education,” I thought. “Brianna, where have you been living?”
“The old observatory.”
“What!?” Owlette yelped. “That place was condemned decades ago!”
Brianna only nodded.
“I am sorry to hear that, Brianna,” I said.
“So am I,” Owlette added, putting her hand on her chest. “I never knew that Luna Gir- Er… Brianna. Man, It’s weird to say that…”
Brianna looked dejected as she stared down at the street below. She did not seem to stare at any particular object.
I extended one of my wings. “Would you like a hug?”
Brianna seemed disgusted as she leaned away from me. “Ew, no. I don’t like mushy stuff.”
I tilted my head, letting concern show through. “Are you sure?”
Brianna looked up at me, then at my wing. She could see every little feather of mine. How fuzzy they were.
I smiled softly, inching my wing toward her.
Brianna looked back down at the street, ashamed. I took this opportunity to move toward her. I rubbed my wing along her back, eliciting a shudder from her. I then wrapped my wing around her completely. I could feel her tense, but in seconds, she slowly relaxed.
As Brianna leaned into my wing, her eyelids heavy, I glanced at Owlette, who was looking between me and her outstretched arm. To my surprise, there was a wing beneath her arm.
It was at this time that I realized her ability to fly came from her outfit. It was a wingsuit. A novel concept back in Equestria.
I looked down at Brianna, who still looked dejected even within my embrace. “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t knowww,” she slowly let out.
“Lu- Er, Brianna… Why did you never tell us?” Owlette asked.
“Because I… I…”
“Because you did not want to seem vulnerable?” I asked.
Brianna winced.
I took a deep breath in, letting out it seconds later. “Neither of you has spent any time together, have you?”
“Not really,” Owlette let out. She scooted toward us. “Brianna, we would have never fought you like we have if we knew that stuff about you.”
I moved my wing down so Owlette could see Brianna’s head.
“Owlette, I-...”
I resorted to the role of spectator as I unwrapped my wing from around her.
Brianna shivered from my action. “I just don’t… have… anything to say.”
“Brianna.” Owlette scooted closer. Borrowing from my previous action, she wrapped her arms around the girl, giving her a pseudo-winghug. “We want to help you… I want to help you… I want you to come live in HQ.”
The girl’s eyes widened from the gesture. She made a small effort to get away, but slowly relaxed before finally returning the hug.
I bit my lip.
Much to the surprise of the girls, I moved just behind them and wrapped them both in my wings. The two winced at my soft and heavy embrace, clearly having never felt the equivalent of a warm quilt.
Of course, I was internally chastising myself for not having preened earlier.
For a moment, we sat there in our silent hug. But soon, we could hear a voice in the distance.
“Owlette!”
It was a male child.
Owlette gasped, perking up. “Catboy!” she quietly exclaimed.
“Owlette! Where are you?!” another voice called out.
“And that was Lizard Le- I mean Gekko,” Brianna added.
“I completely forgot about them,” Owlette said. “They must think I’ve been captured.”
“In a way, you have~” I slowly let out, making the girls giggle. “But I am afraid it is time for us to part ways.”
The girls winced as I unwrapped my wings and furled them to my sides. “Off the ledge, you two.”
They did as I asked, breaking their hug and getting off the ledge.
“Brianna?” I asked, perking the girl up.
“Y-Yeah?” she asked back.
“Will you take Owlette’s offer? Of living in their headquarters?”
Brianna looked at Owlette, then down at the floor, pensive.
“We have plenty of space,” Owlette noted. “We can give you your own room.”
“Uh… Yeah. Y-Yeah, I think I will.”
“Yay!” Owlette yelped, hugging Brianna.
“What’s gonna happen to you?” Brianna asked, prompting Owlette to break the hug and look at me.
“Oh yeah. Where are you gonna go?”
I sighed. “I am afraid I must retire to my world. I have my own duties to attend to.”
“What are we gonna tell Catboy and Gekko?” Owlette asked.
I shrugged. “Feel free to tell them about me if you like.”
Remembering them, I used my kinesis to float Brianna’s Luna Board and Luna Magnet to her.
“Oh… Thanks,” Brianna said, taking the gadgets in earnest.
I nodded.
“Owlette’s this way!” the voice belonging to Cat Boy called out from the distance.
“Your highness,” Owlette began, prompting me to look at her.
“Yes?” I asked.
Owlette looked at Brianna, then back at me, smiling.
Suddenly, she took a deep bow. “I’m glad we met, Princess Luna.”
I chuckled, nodding as Brianna followed the bow. “I am as well. I plan on once again meeting you both soon. Especially you, Owlette. I would like to explore this ‘Dark Owl’ more thoroughly.”
I turned away from the girls, unfurling my wings.
“Come on, Cat Boy! Let’s go!” the voice belonging to Gekko yelled, much closer now.
“Hey, uh, thanks,” Brianna thanked. “For… all of this.”
I looked back at her and nodded. “I hope this meeting of ours turned over a new leaf for you, Brianna.”
“Owlette! Are you there?!” Gekko called out.
The girls turned around just in time to see Gekko, a small boy in a bright green gecko outfit, jump onto the roof of the building. Cat Boy, a boy in a blue cat outfit, also jumped up.
“Owlette! What are you doing with…” Gekko trailed off, noticing Brianna. “Luna Girl?”
“What’s going on here?” Cat Boy asked, weary of Brianna.
“We were…” Owlette looked at her new friend. “Talking!” she yelped, looking back. “We’ve been talking.”
“Why?” Gekko asked. “We were worried!”
“Sorry! I guess I lost track of time.”
“So you two were just talking?” Cat Boy asked. “That’s it? No fighting, insulting, anything? Just talking?”
“Yeah,” Owlette said. “Just talking. And uh… we have a new resident at our HQ.”
“What? Who?” Gekko asked.
“Luna Girl!” Owlette exclaimed, making Brianna’s cheeks heat up a little.
“WHAT!?” the boys yelled.
“How?! Why would she want to stay at our HQ?!” Cat Boy asked, he and Gekko looking at Brianna for an answer.
Brianna looked back at where I had been. There was nothing more than air.
“Because…” She looked back, glancing at the moon. “The Princess of the Night convinced me to.”