Luna fell on the ground, her legs shaking, trying to cope with the strain her body had to bear. Beside her stood her sister Celestia, equally proved by the harsh battle they had just endured. The alabaster alicorn kneeled to nuzzle her younger sibling.
Discord, the Spirit of Chaos, was finally defeated. The two alicorns looked at each other. Creating the Elements of Harmony had taken its heavy toll on them, they were barely alive.
“We won, my beloved sister. The land of ponies can finally rest”
Celestia glanced at her younger sister, trying to smile despite her own pain. She got up on her hooves, her sacred duty still not over. One more task divided her from a righteous sleep.
Charging her horn with the last of her magic, Celestia levitated the Elements of Harmony. Luna watched her sister’s eyes glow while she was performing her final spell. A flash from Celestia’s horn made five of the six Elements fly away, zooming past the horizon. The sixth Element, Magic, was before the Princess’ eyes, fluctuating in the air. Celestia gathered the last bits of power in her body and chanted the words needed to complete the ritual.
Oh great Magic, born from hope
Hear my plead and hide yourself
Until a new spark will reveal you again
As Celestia pronounced the last word, the Element of Magic dissolved into thin air, leaving only small sparkles of light after itself. Her last deed finally over, Celestia looked at her sister, who gave her a small nod in reply. The two alicorns stood in front of each other, closing their eyes and slowly turning into stone. A small, lone tear ran over Luna’s muzzle and fell on the ground. A single, thin strand of grass grew from the tiny puddle it made on the dirt.
The days passed and became weeks, the weeks became months and the months years. A lush forest grew around the petrified alicorns, circling them in an arboreal hug. As the years became centuries, the tale of the Battle for Harmony got lost from the memories of ponies, turning into a legend.
A legend that Starswirl the Bearded, the great unicorn wizard, firmly believed to be true. And he was firmly determined to prove it.
***
A chariot pulled by four of the fastest pegasi of all Equestria was sent from the capital city of Equua to carry the Princesses and the two unicorns back home. Luna and Celestia were looking at the land under them, trying to figure how much it had changed in the last centuries. The landscape, once battered and dry due the war against Discord, was now green and luxuriant. There were mountains and hills and boundless prairies. A warm Sun was radiating its rays all over the land.
Celestia couldn’t help but smile. Our ponies have been through so much during our absence, and yet were able to cope with it. It’s time to ease their lives.
Thanks to the pegasus-pulled transportation, it took only three days to reach the city. As the chariot landed in front of the Government Palace, a strange silence filled the air. Every eye was fixed on the two alicorns. Starswirl the Bearded stepped in front of them, clearing his throat. His horn glowed, and his magically enhanced voice ringed out in the city.
“Fair citizens of Equestria, hear me!” he announced to the crowd in front of him “I’m Starswirl the Bearded, Sorcerer of the West! I’ve traveled all around this land in a quest for the greatest of goals: to bring back the Royal Sisters to their rightful place!”
A chorus of whispers rose among the crowd. Starswirl lifted a hoof to get the attention back on him.
“These, my fellow ponies, are the Alicorn Princesses, the true rulers of this land!” he stepped aside, letting Celestia and Luna move forward to be in full view.
The crowd stared at the Princesses for an endless minute, until an old mare pointed her hoof at them, her eyes swelling with tears.
“It’s them!” she cried, unable to stop her tears “The Royal Sisters my mother always told me about when I was a filly! The Goddesses of Harmony!”
Like a single pony, the crowd burst in a roaring cheer. One by one, all the bystanders came in front of the Princesses to bow and swear allegiance to them. The cries of joy echoed in the city and reached the upper floor of the Palace, where Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead were discussing the daily assignments with Prince Palladium, Princess Platinum’s eldest son and heir to his mother's place in Equestria's government.
“What’s with all the commotion down there?” the younger of the three asked.
“I have no idea” Commander Hurricane said.
They got up from their chairs and trotted to the nearest window, looking down to find out what was happening. They saw the crowd of ponies circling the chariot in the square below, then their eyes locked on the Princesses. Prince Palladium recognized instantly his old friend Clover the Clever. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. An attendant came in and bowed to the governors of Equestria before speaking.
“Sorry to interrupt the daily meeting, but I bring news from the city” he said “Clover the Clever has returned from his journey to the East, bringing back his old mentor Starswirl the Bearded”
“Yes, we saw him” Prince Palladium said “but what are all those ponies doing in the square?”
“I think you better come down with me” he answered.
***
Another night had begun, and Luna was staring at her own work. She raised the Moon just like every night, painting the sky with thousands of stars and creating a beautiful canvas of white and blue.
Sadly, she was the only one to admire it.
One hundred years had passed since the return of the Royal Sisters to the throne of Equestria. One hundred years in which Luna had always been almost alone. While all ponies cheered her sister’s days, they shut themselves in their houses as she brought her nights, simply ignoring her effort to brighten the dark sky with the stars. Her sister Celestia had tried to soothe her sorrow, telling her how much their subjects worked hard during daytime, but with no avail. Luna just wanted the same love her sister received from all ponies, she wanted to hear their cheers at least once. Many times she wandered through their dreams, witnessing the love of her subjects for the daylight and their fear for the darkness. Many times she had tried to convince them that her night were as beautiful as her sister’s days. Every night, her work passed unseen.
Lowering her head on the banister, Luna sighed glumly, getting ready for another night of loneliness. She was completely unaware that that night was the night that would have changed her life.
Sighing once more, Luna turned back inside the castle to attend her royal duties (mostly signing papers that were already approved by Celestia), when something out of the ordinary caught her attention. A faint, sweet sound reached her, gently spreading in the air. She spotted two guards doing their usual patrol, they seemed completely unaware of the sound. But she could hear it clearly, as if there was someone playing right behind her. She decided to investigate, her boring duties could wait, this was by far more interesting!
She came back to the balcony, where the sound was stronger.
Perking her ears, Luna scanned the night in search of the source of the music. It was distant, yet as clear as if it was played right beside her. Curious, she jumped off her balcony, landing graciously on the grass. Carefully, she trotted in the castle gardens, paying attention to not be seen by any of the guards. She could still hear the music, yet it seemed that it was coming from no place. Luna closed her eyes, focusing on her hearing.
A long minute had passed, and the Princess of the Night was still standing in the garden, pouring all herself in the search for the source of the music. She knew for sure that there were no events planned for that night, and yet that gentle melody was flowing in the air, almost calling her. Suddenly, her eyes went wide open, as realization struck her mind.
The music she was hearing was coming from the Moon!
How was that even possible? How could the Moon, nothing but a giant rock floating in space, be producing a melody that only her could hear?
Flapping her wings, she took off, gaining height in a quick ascent. For years she had rised the Moon every night, but this was the first time something like this had happened. As the ground became more distant, the music grew louder. She stopped in midair, staring at the white Moon that loomed in the sky in front of her. She was still contemplating the Moon and the music coming from it when a mysterious force dragged her towards its white surface.
Struggling to set herself free from the force that was gnawing at her, she saw the celestial body she had raised so many times grow bigger and bigger as it came closer. Unable to spread her wings because of the increasing speed, she closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact.
A silent shriek escaped Luna’s mouth. She lost consciousness moments before touching the Moon’s surface, but the impact never came.
Luna woke up in a grassy field, small drops of dew on her muzzle. Her eyes burst open and her mind raced in panic.
What happened? Where am I? This is not Equestria.
She got up on her hooves, still numb. Shaking her head, she drove away the feeling of dizziness. Suddenly, the same music from before reached her, this time from a clear direction. She examined her surroundings to spot the place from where it came and found it in a small grove of pines near a pond. Luna trotted to that place, firmly willing to finally solve the mystery.
As she came nearer to the grove, she spotted someone laying against a tree by the shore and playing a lute. She hid behind a tree to get a better view of the strange figure. It was something she had never seen: a bypedal creature, with hands on his upper limbs. It looked like a minotaur, only smaller and without horns. Its head was different, too, the ears were round and small and it had no muzzle, like a monkey. As far as the Princess of the Night could see, the creature had no fur on its skin, its only visible hair was on top of its head. It was casually playing the lute while looking at its own reflection in the water.
Luna kept watching the strange creature for a while, wondering what it could be doing alone in that place. Her heart skipped a beat when the creature opened its mouth to sing. Its voice was masculine, low and warm.
as the starry starry night was falling
she, tapered, enchanted was dreaming in the darkness
At least one thing was now clear: the creature in front of her was some sort of musician, and he was male. Luna thought that he probably was there to compose his song in peace, far from the others. The song he was singing sounded like a ballad in honor of a lady. Once again, he started over.
as the starry starry night was falling
she, tapered, enchanted was dreaming in the darkness
The creature sighed, flustered that he couldn’t find the right words to continue his song. Luna smiled, noticing how after all the being in front of her was like her ponies when love was the matter. She decided to give him a helping hoof, after all his music had reached her through another world.
as the starry starry night was falling
she, tapered, enchanted was dreaming in the darkness
The creature winced when a female voice added another strophe to the song.
and who's gonna take my hand tonight, my God?
maybe a boy, my man or perchance myself
Startled, the creature got up and looked around, trying to spot the intruder.
“Who’s there?” he asked “Show yourself!”
Luna realised how bold she had been in revealing her presence. She crouched behind the tree to avoid being seen.
“Don’t be afraid, I have no intention to harm you” Luna said from her hiding place “I just wanted to help you finish your song”
“But why are you hiding? Let me see your face”
“I can’t”
“Why?”
“I would scare you. You’d run away from me.”
“I won’t. Someone with such a beautiful voice can’t be scary”
“Please, don’t insist. Your melody drew me here. Will you play again for me?”
“I will.”
Relieved, the creature laid back against the tree. His hands started moving again on the lute. As the music started flowing again, inspiration struck him like an arrow. Luna followed his words and added hers.
as the starry starry night was falling
she, tapered, enchanted was dreaming in the darkness
and who's gonna take my hand tonight, my God?
maybe a boy, my man or perchance myself
the distant calmness and white-snowy mountains
and the wind blowing, whistling louder and heavier
and who lightly touches my lips, who comforts me?
maybe an already grown-up child or myself
the night was passing, the hours passed by so fast
the cold room was already heated up with love
he who find my breasts will have my heart in reward
he who will meet my seeds will have all my love
the discreet light was spying and creating shadows
while a painted moon was dancing over the sea
who's gonna pick up my hoarfrost-covered flower
a prince charming, or me as an adult, or me as a child
as the starry starry night was falling
she, tapered, enchanted was sleeping in the dark
who's gonna wish me good-night tonight, my God
the night, the stars, the moon or maybe me
His song finally done, the creature got up, turning towards Luna. The Princess of the Night quickly cringed again behind the tree to hide from his view. She could hear his steps approaching.
Stupid, stupid, stupid Luna! You gave away your position too carelessly!
The soft grass was rustling lightly at every step he made.
“Please, let me thank you for helping me”
The creature was standing right behind Luna, the tree trunk her only shield against him. The sheer terror of being seen had clamped her wings against her sides. Luna’s heart was pounding hard in her chest while she was looking for a way to escape.
The pond! It’s my only way out!
Perking her ears to spot which way he would have circled the tree, Luna readied herself to leap in the opposite direction. The sound of his steps came from her right.
In a moment, she sprinted to the pond and dived in, hiding from his view. What she didn’t consider was the loud splash she made as she breached the water. Flailing her hooves to reach the deepest part of the pond, she used her magic to conjure an air bubble around her head. Once she was sure she was in a safe place, she flattened behind a rock, hoping that the creature wouldn’t come for her.
What if he can swim, too? What if he thinks I’m drowning?
Peeking from her hideout, she spotted his legs in the low water near the shore, sign that he probably wasn’t able to swim. Muffled words were coming from the surface. The creature was shouting at the water, worried about her. The moonlight reflecting on the surface allowed her to see him without being seen. He looked really worried.
After a couple of minutes, he stopped shouting. Luna saw his face droop in discouragement as he convinced himself that she had drowned in the pond. She saw his tears falling in the water and making ripples around him.
Please.
A simple pray, the simplest of all. That pray reached the Princess of the Night in the depth of the water like the sunlight reaches the hills at dawn. She couldn’t let him down like that. Sighing, she started swimming back to the shore. As her hooves touched the bottom of the pond and she was about to emerge, she slowed down, trying to delay being seen as much as possible. The tip of her horn was the first part of her to breach the water.
Still crying, the creature catched a glimpse under the water, a dark shadow that was slowly approaching the shore. He backed, quickly coming out of the water. As his feet touched the ground, Luna’s horn had started emerging.
Time started flowing in slow motion as the Princess of the Night came out of the water in all her magnificence. The droplets of water running down from her body were turned into steam by her warmth, enveloping the blue alicorn in an ethereal mist. The moonlight illuminating her mane created a dance of lights around her. She smiled at her beholder, who was watching with his mouth agape. She advanced a little more, the water now almost at her knees. Conjuring her magic, she lifted a hoof and then lowered it on the water surface, creating more ripples when it remained still on it instead of sinking. Once all her four hooves were out, she flared her wings open and threw back her head, shaking herself from the moist and creating a flurry of lights around her body. She closed her wings and stared at her speechless spectator.
In all of his life, he had never seen something more beautiful than what was in front of him.
“May I know your name?” Luna asked.
“Vergil” he managed to say, his eyes locked on the Princess of the Night.
She carefully trotted to him, getting ready to flee at the first sign of danger. As she was right in front of Vergil, he slowly moved his arm, placing his hand on her cheek. The feedback from her warm skin and fur proved him that she wasn’t a vision.
“Are you afraid of me?” she asked.
“I could never be afraid of a being so beautiful”
***
Luna was gliding back in the sky of Equestria, her mind lighter than a feather. Her unexpected travel to the human world (as Vergil had called it) gave her the greatest joy she ever had: she had finally found someone that wasn’t afraid of her. Wondering how long she had been away, she giggled at herself while thinking back to her lucky encounter.
Oh my, what a night!
Three nights later, Luna managed to breach again into the human world, this time voluntarily.
***
The crack of a thunder announced the return of the Princess of the Night to Equestria. The body she was carrying in her hooves was hindering her flight, compromising her stability. She opted for a quick landing, wobbly hovering to a nearby pond. Luna carefully placed Vergil on the ground, worried about his conditions: he was wounded and unconscious. The Princess ripped open his clothes and examined the deep cut on his chest, panicking at the view of the wound. Her heart froze when she realized that the spear had penetrated through his lung, cutting many blood vessels. Focusing all her power on her horn, Luna tried to cast a healing spell on Vergil, but for some reason her magic was useless. She tried again and again, every time without results. Vergil coughed, coming back to consciousness. Luna lifted his head a bit.
“Luna” he managed to say in a feeble voice.
“Don’t push yourself, my love! I’ll find a way to heal you!”
Vergil coughed again, spitting some blood on her chest. He was panting painfully and the loss of blood had made him as pale as a ghost. Luna was holding him, tears in her eyes. With the last of his life force, Vergil caressed her cheek.
“I love you, Luna” his voice no more than a whisper.
Before she could do anything, Vergil expired in her embrace. Luna helplessly watched his body vanish before her eyes. Surrounded by sparks of light, the Princess of the Night was now alone, even the stains of blood on her fur were gone. She stood still for what seemed to be an eternity, until she looked at her empty hooves and realized he was gone forever. She burst into tears, cursing herself for not being able to save him.
After what seemed to be another eternity, Luna got up and trotted to the pond to take a sip of water. As she leaned forward, she was greeted by her own reflection. Her eyes were bloodshot, her mane was ruffled. Tears started running again all over her muzzle. She crashed on the ground, repeatedly stomping her hoof and uselessly trying to shake that feeling from her. It was more than sadness. It was something darker, scarier. It was anger.
“Why did this happen to me?” she asked the night sky. No answer came.
It all happened because those ungrateful ponies fear you instead of loving you.
“Who goes there?” she yelled, looking around. Once again, no one answered.
Still shaking, Luna took off, quickly gaining speed. A few minutes later, she landed in front of the palace gate. Ignoring the guards, she sprinted to her quarters. Finally safe in the darkness of her chambers, she was lying on her bed, trembling and biting her pillow to suffocate her wailing. She was startled by hoof gently touching her shoulder.
“Luna” Celestia said softly.
“Go away!”
“The guards are all worried for you. I am worried for you. Please, Luna, tell me what happened”
Finally turning her head, Luna saw her sister standing beside her. All of her regalia were gone, Celestia was now looking at her like a pony instead of a princess. Luna sniffled, tears now running copiously from her eyes. She darted to hug her sister.
“He’s gone!” she said between her sighs.
Celestia hugged tightly her sister, caressing her mane. She let her sobbing cease, then finally spoke. Luna‘s face was still buried in her chest.
“What happened, Luna? Who is gone?”
Celestia’s eyes widened as her younger sister Told her the reason for her despair. The pristine white alicorn felt her own blood freeze while those terrible words were coming from her younger sibling. At last, Luna finished her tale of pain and hatred. She looked into Celestia’s eyes, but all she could see was fright. Taking the worst decision of her whole life, Celestia released her sister and backed away. Luna stood up, now looking at her with anger.
“You... You went to the human world?” Celestia disbelievingly asked.
“You knew about the human world? You knew there was a connection between our universes?”
“Luna, I...” words failed her.
“Go away! I don’t want to see you again!”
“Luna...”
“GO AWAY!” the palace walls trembled at the sheer power of Luna’s voice.
Celestia went out of the room and locked the door behind her, her heart pounding. For the first time in her long life, the Sun Princess felt fear. Her mind raced to find a way to calm down her sister.
In the darkness of her chambers, Luna noticed a faint light coming from the mirror. She approached it with caution, her heart still racing after how her sister had reacted. She winced as she realised that her reflection was looking at her with dark eyes.
Everyone fears you.
“But I...”
No buts. You went to him because nopony in Equestria dares to come near you. You went to him and ruined his life because they hate you. They fear you. They fear the night you bring to them. It’s all their fault if he’s dead.
“Yes, they fear me!” Luna cried “They fear me and hide from me in their homes! All they want is my sister’s Sun!”
Yes, all they want is her Sun. But what if there was no more Sun? What if the night should last forever?
Luna’s eyes darkened. She looked again in the mirror and saw someone else in it. A black, fearsome alicorn wearing a dark armor was smiling at her.
“Who are you?”
The dark alicorn in the mirror didn't answer.
"Who are you?" she asked again, cautiously coming closer.
I’m you. I’m what you should be. I’m the powerful ruler Equestria wants and needs.
I’m Nightmare Moon.
“Nightmare Moon”
A violent earthquake shook the capital of Equestria from its own foundings. The palace, the houses, and everything else crumbled in pieces, helpless against the power of Luna’s anger. Celestia, still shocked by her recent talk with her sister, barely managed to fly away and cast a spell to teleport all the citizens to a safer place. A dark blue miasma was rising from the rubble that was where once stood the palace. Celestia, now hovering over them, was desperately looking for her sister. As the blue fog was spreading all over, thorns and trees grew from the ground, creating a thick, dark forest. Celestia reached the palace ruins, being cautious to not let the dark fog touch her. Suddenly, an explosion of blue light blasted away all the debris from the palace. As the light faded, Celestia saw a huge crater where once there was the royal palace. A fearsome figure was standing in the middle of it.
The Sun Princess had just witnessed the birth of Nightmare Moon.
***
The power of the Elements was emanating from the Sun goddess, lighting up the whole place. Every time her hoof touched the ground, flowers blossomed as she lifted it again, proving the might of the ultimate power she and Luna had created. Nightmare Moon looked at her with malicious eyes.
“I see you are resorting to our little creation, sister. Are you planning to kill me?”
Celestia’s eyes glowed brighter as she readied herself for the final attack.
“You made me do this, Luna. May the stars forgive you during your banishment”
Nightmare Moon’s cries of vengeance were dispersed by the noisy burst of energy that sealed her inside the Moon.
***
The time of dawn was approaching, and the royal sisters were still lying on the ground, their wings spread over Drew to keep him warm. His new body had sustained an enormous strain right after being created by the power of the Everfree Forest. Celestia looked at him with motherly eyes.
“Luna” she said
“Yes, my sister?”
“We can’t take him at the castle”
“What?” she said, her eyes as wide as saucers “We can’t leave him here! He’s weak and in need of care! After all he’s been through do you want to leave him here to die?”
“No, little sister, I’m not planning to leave him here, nor I wish for his death. But tonight you did something that no one has ever thought. Tonight you created a life from scratch.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Celestia glanced under her wing. Drew was sound asleep. Her horn glowed and Drew was enveloped in a golden aura.
“See?” Celestia said “Magic does effect him. His physical body is bound to our world”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to do! He will live in Equestria like anypony else!”
“Your feelings are deceiving you, Luna. Can’t you feel the power of Nightmare Moon beneath him? Can’t you feel the sheer force that lies dormant within his bones and flesh? His body was created by the same dark power that corrupted you one thousand years ago”
“Then we should bring him to the palace! This way we could keep him under control if anything happens!”
“No, we can’t. Remember our role, Luna. He has to find his new destiny by himself. You already decided for him once when you saved his life.”
“I brought him here, Tia! He put his life in my hooves, I’m responsible for it! How can you ask me to abandon him?”
“Because he’s not Vergil. Because I’m afraid of what he could do with that power.”
Luna winced in hearing her past lover’s name. She looked at Drew, uncertain of what to do with him. She felt a lump in her throat.
“I think I know why you brought him here”
Celestia looked around, trying to find a solution. her eyes lighted up as she saw where they were.
“The Apples live nearby. How about leaving him in their care? My student Twilight Sparkle will be our eyes and ears, and if anything should happen...”
“Again with your precious student, Tia. You accuse me of meddling with this man’s destiny, but as far as I can see you are quite the puppeteer here.”
“That’s different. My student’s destiny was written long ago, when we created the Elements of Harmony. I’m just guiding her on her journey. This could be her last trial before the final test.”
“Another quest to fulfill her destiny.” Luna said, sighing “So be it, Tia. But I will keep my eyes on him anyway”
The first rays of sunlight appeared behind the horizon. As to respond to her call, Celestia spotted Big Macintosh coming their way pulling his cart full of tools. The princesses disappeared right before the red stallion could see them.
“What the hay?” he managed to say as he saw Drew lying on the ground before him. Without the princesses to warm him, he had started shiver again.
“The Moon...” Drew murmured.
Without thinking twice, the red stallion placed him on his back and galloped back home as fast as he could.