//------------------------------//
// An Unlikely Encounter 
// Story: Musings By Moonlight 
// by Capulus 
//------------------------------//

//Alright, this is the first time I’ve written anything substantial in a long time, so, excuse me if I’m a bit rusty.

It was a cool, crisp night in Ponyville. Barely a sound was to be heard, and from the outskirts of the Everfree forest, the chirps of the birds, and the distant, thumping music of one of Pinkie Pie’s latest parties were all you could hear, aside from the sounds of the trees being disturbed by the cool night air.

But you were too busy with your thoughts to really take any of this in. Things had taken a turn for the worse lately; You had lost a chance at promotion because your boss had decided that their brother in law was more qualified for a job you had been waiting years for, your partner had decided that your brother was more attractive, and your friends had slowly been distancing themselves from you.

Or were you distancing yourself from them? It was too hard to remember, and you didn’t really care, anyway. They probably just wanted to mock you, or worse, offer false hope. How could you hope in such a time? No, you had something else in mind...

Various plans of revenge had come to your troubled mind ever since everything had begun going bad, and tonight... Well, tonight you were considering putting one of those plans into action.

You stopped as you passed the statue of Nightmare Moon, one that had scared fillies and colts alike every Nightmare Night since you can remember; You being one of them.

Looking up at the imposing figure, it was hard not to feel a chill run down your spine. The slightly cracked stone figure, rearing up and glaring down at all below, just waiting to pounce on any unsuspecting ponies who were frozen in sheer terro-

You shook your head, laughing weakly to yourself as you remembered that Nightmare Moon was gone, defeated by the Elements of Harmony long ago.

“Nightmare... Madame Moon...” You laugh, glad of something to make you smile even a little bit.
“You had such amazing plans for revenge...” With a sigh, you sit down in front of the statue, and fiddle with the grass at your hooves.
“Don’t tell anypony I said this...” You look around conspiratorially.
“But I wish I was as smart as you, to come up with such a huge plan for revenge.” You said, looking up at the stone sneer.

“It was not huge, my child.” Came a quiet, female voice from behind you. With a yelp, you jumped to your hooves, and spun around.
“Wh-who’s...” You gulped, and went pale as you saw a tall mare standing behind you, silhouetted by the light of Ponyville, not far behind her.

Still, it was not hard to place the flowing mane, like the night sky, with shimmering lights, like stars. The small, soft wings, the long, slender horn. And the black tiara perched atop her head.

“P-p-p-princess L-L-L-Luna?” You stuttered.
“Wh-what are y-you doing h-here?” You asked, taking a few slightly shocked steps back, failing to hold back a small yelp as you bumped into the plinth the statue is perched atop.

“I am here to turn a hurt pony away from a path that will surely end in their demise.” She said, in a slightly scolding tone. You gulped, and looked around.
“Wh-who? Su-surely not me! I-I’ll make s-sure to let th-the pony know y-you’re looking for them!” You said, letting out a small ‘eep’ as you turned to run. 

With a small sigh, Luna’s horn glowed, and you felt yourself picked up by her magic. Despite your struggling, she still managed to levitate you over to her, and plop you down on your flank right in front of her.

Looking up at her, you let out a small whimper. The only thing worse than a princess looking at you with anger would be a princess looking at you with disappointment, as you were quickly discovering.

She frowned, and shook her head.
“Child, I would have thought ponies would learn from my tale, not get ideas from it.” She said, in a disapproving tone.

You glanced back at the statue, and went pale.
“Oh... I... I... P-princess, I’m... Er...” She silenced you with a hoof.
“Two things. First, call me Luna. Second, I know how you feel.”

Without waiting for you to reply, she trotted up to the statue, and frowned at the grimacing stone mask of Nightmare Moon.
“I felt betrayed. Barely a single pony appreciated my night. My sister knew this, yet by the time she did, she was unable to do anything to halt my decline. I had distanced myself. Taken to long walks, away from other ponies.” She frowned at you, making you flinch slightly.
“Celestia tried to speak with me, yet I believed she intended to mock me. Such was the depth of my rage. I doubted my own sister. I ignored the friends I had at the time, and didn’t listen to their reassuring words, believing them to be false.”

She sighed, and stared at the sky.
“Child... Stop this. Stop yourself before it is too late.” She looked down at you.
“I have watched you for a time, now, and I had hoped you may avoid my mistakes. I have seen your dreams, and I know the pain you feel. But know this. You have the power to stop this, child.” She said, narrowing her eyes slightly.

You gulped, and nodded.
“I... P-prin... I-I mean... Luna, I... I’m sorry, I...” Once again, she silenced you with a hoof.
“Do not apologise with words. Apologise with actions. Accept help from your friends. Do not ruin your life on such petty things as revenge, as I did.” She said. You opened your mouth to respond, but with a small whump, the princess of the Night spread her wings, and took off into the sky.

Know this... I will be watching, child. Promise me you will do this. Came a soft voice in your ear. With a gulp, you nodded.
“O-of course, Luna... I-I promise...” You mumbled, looking around.

With a small slap to ensure the encounter had not been a dream, you glanced at the statue of Nightmare Moon one more time before nodding, and walking back to town, resolving to hunt down your friends first thing tomorrow night, Luna’s words still in your mind.

For the first time in a long time, you smiled, letting yourself believe everything would be alright.