From the book Predictions and Prophecies: The Mare in the Moon-
“…Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal.”
The Moon shone down brightly on the mountains and plains of Equestria as it sank lower into the western sky. The night was wearing on, and soon the stars would begin to fade; the eastern sky would brighten, and the Moon would be brought to her rest as the sun rose. The endless cycle of day and night would continue on, as it had for longer than even the most long-lived ponies could remember; but for right now, at this moment, during this night, the Moon continued to shine her soft, silvery light down upon the land, smiling beautifully at the sleeping world below.
And from the ramparts of the castle in Canterlot, her mistress smiled down at the world in the same way.
The night was warm with the slightest breeze that touched the fields below Canterlot and carried the scents of heather, jasmine, and night-blooming moonflowers up the mountain and into the city, swirling it around the towers of Canterlot Castle and teasing the senses of the Princess of the Night as she stood watch over the quiet landscape. She wrinkled her nose and giggled slightly as the breeze touched her and was gone, ruffling her wing feathers in passing like the gentle caress of a dear friend. Truly, this is my domain, Princess Luna thought with a contented smile. Truly, this is where I belong.
She turned her eyes back to the silvered landscape below her and not for the first time marveled at how such a simple thought that had, once upon a time, driven her to the brink of madness could now be something that she took incredible and fierce pride in. Princess Luna sighed, spread her wings slightly and let the cool moonlight wash over her as the silver orb in the sky continued on its slow, graceful path towards the horizon. I cannot think of anything else in this world that I would like to be… other than the Moon Princess… exactly who I am. The thought made Luna smile broadly as contentment swelled in her heart, a feeling that she had only just recently discovered; something that she knew would have made her return a non-issue, because she would never have left in the first place.
Unfortunately, simply thinking about the manner of her return brought a sigh to Luna’s lips, and her wings drooped ever so slightly. Everypony in Equestria knew the story of Nightmare Moon, even if most of them had only assumed it was a tale told my aggravated mares to get their foals in bed; the tale of a young alicorn Princess, the keeper of the night and the pony who raised the Moon each night who, twisted by anger and bitterness, turned on her older sister and tried to keep the night from ending. The tale told of how the older sister, after trying to reason with her sibling, had used the most powerful magic in all of Equestria to lock her away in the Moon for a thousand years.
But for Luna, it was more than a story. It was her life.
She closed her eyes and turned away from the beautiful landscape below her as a shadow passed over her heart. Nightmare Moon… the pony she had become when she’d succumbed to the bitterness in her soul; a mare that struck fear into the very hearts of everypony in the land… and a specter of past mistakes that Luna knew would haunt her for a very long time. She walked softly along the ramparts, her crystalline shoes making little sound on the smooth stone of the castle wall. The wind teased her sparkling, ethereal mane as she walked; even the tiny zephyr was enough to send it skyward, flowing into the air as if it weighed nothing at all. It shimmered with deep blue and sparkled with tiny points of light, blending almost seamlessly into the night sky above her… but Luna’s eyes were turned inward, now, and the beauty of the outside world was quickly lost to her.
She sighed, and with one hoof reached up to gently touch the sparkling black crown that adorned her head, nestled snugly behind her long, graceful horn. It wasn’t so long ago that I was restored to my crown, she thought. Her sister, Princess Celestia, the Sun Princess, the ruling Princess of Equestria, had been there the day she had been freed by the very same magic that had imprisoned her: the magical forces known as the Elements of Harmony, wielded by six ponies including her sister’s personal protégé. The blue alicorn glanced up at the tower above her where her sister slept, awaiting the time when she would have to raise the sun; Celestia had seen what had happened, and upon Luna’s reversion back to a slightly younger version of herself had seen fit to welcome her back with open hooves… and for that Luna was more grateful than she felt she could ever express.
That had been almost a year ago now… a year that Luna knew she could very easily spent NOT as a Princess. There were things more horrible than imprisonment on the Moon that Celestia could have placed on her, and when her sister had told her that she was, in fact, restoring her to the throne, Luna had wept openly and thanked her more times than she could count; Celestia had hugged her and told her simply that she was glad to have Luna back... and for the Moon Princess, that was more than enough. From that day forward, Luna had been slowly given her duties back, starting with the care of the Moon and branching out into others, including political visits to more night-friendly ponies around Equestria; Luna had attacked each task with an almost infectious zeal, pouring herself into every one, making sure she did the absolute best that she could possibly do.
Because it wouldn’t do to have Celestia change her mind.
She frowned slightly as the thought seemed to careen out of nowhere in her mind. No, she would never do that, she reminded herself with a gentle shake of her head. Celestia was more than happy to have me back, despite the trouble I caused. She nodded, as if that was the end of it… but suddenly the night felt just a little colder to her, and she shivered slightly. The shadow of past events still weighed heavily on the dark blue alicorn even as she tried her best to forget them.
But the past, like all dark, scary things, has a way of creeping up to bite you in the flank.
Suddenly, the shadow that she had thought lay only in her heart seemed to spring to life; the moon grew dull for a moment, and the darkness around the edges of the castle deepened. The stars lost their luster and ceased to twinkle, becoming only the barest pinpricks of light… and from the shadow, a voice drifted to her ears; a voice she had not heard in over a thousand years… and one that made the hair at the base of her mane stand on end.
“The night belongs to you, dearest Princess… why do you shiver in the face of it?”
Luna’s eyes widened, and the icy fingers of fear touched her neck. No… no, this isn’t possible… “Who… who is there?” she demanded, doing her best to keep her voice from shaking. “Who dares to intrude upon Canterlot and my night? Show yourself!”
The shadow that had dimmed the moon and stars suddenly swirled down out of the darkness of the night to loop around Luna once before settling onto the stone near her. Slowly, it coalesced into a vague pony-shape before gaining definition and finally becoming a black stallion, slightly larger than Luna herself. He had a pitch-black mane and tail streaked with the deepest blue, almost identical to Luna’s color; he had long, powerful legs and stout shoulders that spoke of strength, and a slender horn protruding from his forehead. Upon his shoulders and chest was a suit of black plate armor, cut to protect the shoulders and back while leaving the flank free to move; and upon the chest of the armor was a symbol that Luna knew well: a white crescent moon upon a black field- her own cutie mark. At his hip he wore a simple belt that held a rather unique weapon, a sword with a long, slender blade, very different from the swords that the Royal Guard wore. The hilt was black as night, with a simple crossbar at the base of the blade from which a single piece of metal arched, flowing back towards the pommel, shrinking from the width of the crossbar to almost nothing as it touched the end of the hilt. It was a single, solid piece of black metal, again adorned with the silver-white crescent moon that symbolized Luna and her throne.
But it was not the armor or the sword that caused Luna to take a step back or her heart to leap into her throat. The stallion tossed his mane once before turning his face to her… and when he opened his eyes they flared gold in the moonlight.
Like a tidal wave upon the ocean, memories crashed into Luna’s mind; memories of a time long past, the time before she had become Nightmare Moon… and out of the maelstrom of memories, images and feelings, this stallion’s face leaped out to her.
She tried to speak, but no words would come to her. The stallion gave her a smile before bending his foreleg and bowing deeply to her.
“Princess Luna,” he said, his voice deep and musical. “It has been a very, very long time.”
His words touched her heart and squeezed it; a voice that she had thought she would never hear again- a voice from a time long since passed. Finally, she found her own voice, and after swallowing audibly she managed to use it. “I… It has been a long time… Dark Star.” Just saying his name again, after a thousand years apart…
The black unicorn raised his head and smiled broadly. “Aaah, so you DO remember!” he said. “I was afraid that you’d forgotten about me.” His smile widened. “Forgotten us, I suppose I should say.” Behind him the air shimmered, and with a burst of light three more ponies appeared on the rampart, each wearing a long, hooded cloak. A long, slender horn protruding from beneath their hood identified the pony in the center as a unicorn, their cloaks doing an excellent job of hiding their identities… but Luna didn’t need to see their faces to know who they were.
Luna felt her mouth drop open as she felt all sorts of feelings all at once; terror, elation, hope, all blending together in a tempest that clouded her mind for a few moments, all culminating in one simple question. “…How..?”
Dark Star smiled at her again as he turned to look out over Equestria, allowing Luna to see his flank; indeed, it was the same mark that she remembered, a rough collection of jagged, distorted white lines, barely outlining the star they represented… a mark that she herself had brought out in him. The stallion didn’t notice her scrutiny, however, and merely gazed out over the moonlight world, his black and blue mane moving gently in the breeze. “A thousand years, Your Highness; through years of planning and work, and almost a thousand years of magic-induced sleep we waited for the time when we might affect your release.” He turned away from the landscape just long enough to arch an eyebrow at her. “After all, you didn’t think that Celestia let you out, did you?”
“What… do you mean?”
“My Princess, haven’t you ever read your own prophecy? The one that predicts your return?” Dark Star turned from the edge of the wall and walked slowly back towards her, a small smile on his face. “Well, allow me to enlighten you, dearest Luna. The prophecy states thus: that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape.” Dark Star sketched a small bow to Luna. “And we, Highness, are your faithful Stars.”
As one, the other three ponies behind Dark Star threw back their hoods. The central pony was indeed a unicorn; a bright white mare with eyes so blue they appeared almost black. Her mane was a gentle sky-blue, intermixed with streaks of soft pink, gentle orange and deep purple; the colors of a sunrise on a summer’s morning.
The ponies on either side of the unicorn were Pegasi; Luna could see their wings shifting beneath their cloaks. The gray Pegasus to her right shook out his black mane impatiently as he watched her with bright red eyes, and the blue Pegasus to her left tossed his dark blue mane and seemed content to keep his light blue eyes on everything but her.
From the distant past, Luna’s mind conjured up the names of these three other ponies, and with a deep sigh she spoke. “Morningstar,” she said, nodding to the unicorn. “Wild Star…” she nodded to the gray Pegasus, who nodded in return, a lopsided grin on his face, “…and Falling Star,” she finished, nodding to the blue Pegasus. He gave her the slightest nod in return, but still would not meet her gaze. “The four of you freed me, then?”
Morningstar nodded. “Indeed we did, Highness,” she said. Her voice was a cool soprano, graceful but firm, every word like a soft but sure hoofstep. “It took a great deal of work and research to discover what we needed in order to do so.”
“But we all agreed that it was the right thing to do,” said Wild Star, his voice as intense as his gaze. “We agreed that it had to be done, to bring you back, Your Highness.”
“To return you to your rightful place,” Falling Star said, his voice soft and rasping as if he rarely spoke. “To restore you to this world once more…”
Dark Star smiled broadly as he walked back to stand before the other three once more. “And to bring about that which you most deeply desired: a world, blanketed in the cool gaze of a never-setting Moon, a world of never-ending night.” As one, each of the ponies bent their knees and bowed to her, the unicorns touching their horns to the stone floor, the pegasi spreading their wings wide enough to touch both tips to it… and as one, they spoke.
“All hail Nightmare Moon.”
The words drove a stake of panic into Luna’s heart; the very mention of what she had been brought flashes of the past whirling through her mind, and forced one strangled word from her lips.
“NO!”
The four generals raised their heads, confusion on each of their faces, but it was Dark Star who straightened first. “My lady…?” he said, taking a half step forward. “What is wrong?”
Luna’s teal eyes met his, and despite the horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach she managed to keep her voice from shaking as she spoke. “No,” she repeated. “Never use that name in my presence.”
Now Dark Star frowned deeply, and his eyes narrowed. “But Princess… that is who you are. You are the Mistress of the Night, the Scourge of the Celestial Empire, Nightmare-,”
“DO NOT CALL ME THAT!!” Luna screamed, closing her eyes and shaking her head vehemently. “I am NOT Nightmare Moon!”
Silence fell on the small group for a very long moment; the only sound was the gentle sighing of the night breeze around the castle parapets as Luna did her best to regain some semblance of composure. The sky gently began to lighten behind to the east as she fought her emotions for control… but before she could rein them in completely, Dark Star spoke.
“Your Highness… what do you mean by that?” His voice was calm, but even in her distressed state Luna could hear the undercurrents of fear and anger in it. But that doesn’t matter.
The dark blue alicorn took a deep breath to steady her nerves before turning back to Dark Star, her teal eyes fierce. “I MEAN that I am no longer the mare you once called Nightmare Moon,” she said. “I was turned upon my return by the Elements of Harmony.”
Now Dark Star’s lip curled in derision. “Harmony… Harmony is your sister’s pet.” His eyes narrowed at her. “Is that what you have become now, Princess..? A mere pet to the Sun Princess?”
Luna felt her chest swell with indignation, both at the insinuation that she was somepony else’s pet, and that this somepony was her own sister. “Of course not,” she replied coolly.
“Then come with us,” Dark Star said. “Come with us, Highness, and complete what we started a thousand years ago.” He straightened his back and stood tall, his eyes bright. “With all of us working together, we shall bring eternal night to Equestria, once and for all!”
Luna stared at him for a moment, her mouth slightly open in disbelief… and finally she said the only word that would sum up all of her feelings in the matter quickly and precisely. “…No.”
The black unicorn blinked, as if she had suddenly spoken in a language he didn’t understand. “…what?”
“I said no, Dark Star,” Luna repeated, turning to face him fully. “I… I am Nightmare Moon no longer… and I never wish to be again.” She saw his eyes change from confusion to outrage… and then fade to shock and hurt. Looking into his eyes, she again saw flashes of the past- of all of the times that she had gazed into them of her own free will, of all the plans the two of them had made together… of the promises they had shared. “Please understand,” Luna continued, her voice pleading, “I have changed much since my return. I have been happy, Dark Star; I have been more active within the kingdom, I have been able to spend more time with Celestia…” She sighed and managed a smile. “We have been spending a great deal of time together, and I have even made some friends.” She shook her head sadly. “It’s been almost a year now since my return-,”
“-And we’re sorry that we could not be there when you first awoke, Princess,” Dark Star cut in, his voice sharp. “It took more effort than we had originally thought to free you from your prison, and we all required… some recuperation.” He smiled slightly. “The one thing I can say about your tyrannical sister, it is that she is a formidable spellcaster.”
Luna’s eyes narrowed as a wave of anger swept over her, trampling her other feelings momentarily. “Do NOT presume to speak of my sister in such a manner, Dark Star,” she whispered harshly. “She had been nothing but kind to me since my return-,”
“Prudent, considering she still has to control you; you catch more flies with honey than vinegar, after all,” he said, his voice tight.
Luna watched him closely for a moment before continuing. “-and during my time back I have come to realize the error of my ways, and have come to be a true part of the harmony of our kingdom.”
“There it is again, that word: harmony.” Dark Star fairly spat the word. “You speak of it as if it were your dear friend, my Princess, instead of the diabolical force that defeated you not once, but twice.”
“The Elements of Harmony are a force of good, Dark Star,” Luna countered. “If they were anything to the contrary, I would not be standing here today.”
Dark Star’s eyes flared with anger, but instead of continuing the argument, he smiled slyly. He paced a few steps to his right before turning back to her. “Well Princess… what would you say if I told you that we have found a way to beat the Elements of Harmony?” His smile broadened. “Would you still have the same wonderful things to say about them if I gave you a way out from beneath their hooves…?”
In another time, another life, the mere thought of defeating the Elements of Harmony would have made Luna’s mane twist in delight… but now, the thought brought only a sinking sense of doom to her heart… because she knew exactly what he was talking about. “You… you cannot defeat the Elements,” she said, raising her head in defiance that she hoped would hide her uncertainty. “They are the single most powerful magic in Equestria, Dark Star, and not something that one pony can simply destroy.”
“She’s right,” a powerful female voice said from above them. The five ponies looked up and saw Princess Celestia gliding down from her tower to the parapet where they all stood. She landed lightly beside her sister and extended one of her huge, graceful wings to partially cover Luna protectively. Her rainbow mane glistened in a shifting myriad of colors in the brightening air, and her violet eyes were fierce as she looked at the black unicorn. “The Elements of Harmony locked Nightmare Moon away a thousand years ago then defeated her completely. They have defeated Discord twice and brought peace to our lands. What makes you think that you can defeat them, Dark Star?” The black stallion arched an eyebrow, and Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Oh yes, don’t think for a moment that I’ve forgotten you. Or any of you,” she said, turning her eyes to the other three ponies behind Dark Star one by one before turning them back to the black unicorn. “Luna and I have reconciled, Dark Star, and we again rule as it was intended; the two of us, together.”
Dark Star barked a single, derisive laugh. “WELL, thank you for clearing that up, Princess… though you’ll excuse me if I do not take the word of a tyrant.”
Suddenly, Luna couldn’t stand it anymore. She took a step forward, and all of the shock at seeing these ponies again, ponies she had thought long dead- especially Dark Star…- all of the surprise, happiness, uncertainty, despair, all of it surged into her heart, and she felt her eyes begin to burn with tears. “Dark Star… then take my word for it,” she begged. “We rule together as one, by my own choice! I have given up the mantle of Nightmare Moon forever, as well as my insane desires for eternal night!”
The black unicorn’s eyes narrowed as he watched her; his gaze flickered to Celestia, then back to Luna… and she saw a horrible suspicion creep into his gaze. “No…” he said softly. “No, it can’t be…” He took a step forward, his teeth bared in a silent snarl at Celestia. “You MONSTER… Release Luna from your thrall this instant!”
Both alicorns blinked in surprise at him, but it was Celestia who answered, her voice full of confusion. “…What are you talking about?”
Dark Star took another step forward, his eyes blazing. “Insane desire for eternal night… isn’t that what you called Luna’s rebellion? Insane?” He spat off to one side before turning back to Celestia. “I see what’s happening… I should have seen it from the moment I appeared here. You’re manipulating her… controlling her, making her say whatever you please!” Behind him, the three other generals raised their heads high and each took a step forward as well. Dark Star’s teeth gritted together hard enough that Luna heard it, even from ten feet away. “RELEASE HER,” he demanded, “Or we will bring your kingdom crashing down around you… starting with your precious Elements of Harmony.”
“Dark Star,” Celestia began, her voice possessing a calm that Luna found herself wishing that she had, “Luna is under no spell, no thrall. She speaks of her own free will and-,”
“NO!!” He reared up, his hooves suddenly blazing with purple light as he slammed them back to the stones; the impact sent reverberations through the entire wall, causing Luna to skitter slightly to the side- but Celestia stood firm, her eyes never leaving the black stallion as he tossed his mane angrily. “NO… you’re lying. My… Luna would never say such a thing.” He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before turning back to the Princesses; a small, malicious smile slid onto his lips. “And Princess… I assure you that we can defeat your precious Elements of Harmony.” He turned and gave a nod to Morningstar. She returned it, and her horn lit up with the gentle pink aura of her magic. Around the necks of the four generals, the air shimmered for a moment, seeming to grow into a mist before disappearing entirely to reveal that each one of them was wearing a strange necklace.
Luna felt as though somepony had snuck up behind her and wrapped a rope around her neck; she choked as her stomach clenched in horror and her knees suddenly seemed very unsure as to whether or not they could keep her on her hooves. Celestia’s face became an impassive mask as she examined each of the pendants in turn; Dark Star wore a smooth, round jet-black stone; Wild Star, a blood-red faceted gem; Falling Star wore a stone very similar to Dark Star’s, except it was a cold gray; and Morningstar’s gem was the same as Wild Star’s, only hers was a bright, vibrant green. Each was suspended on a delicate silver chain that hung around each pony’s neck; nothing special in particular… but there was an aura of incredible darkness that hung around the pendants that Luna could feel even from where she stood. “What have you done, Dark Star…” Celestia muttered.
“I’ve done what my Princess Luna would have wanted,” he answered grimly. “The four of us have created the power to make a never ending night a reality… but we will not do this without our Queen.” He turned his eyes back to Luna, and when she met his gaze she couldn’t contain her sobs any longer.
“Please… PLEASE Dark Star, don’t do this…” she begged, her tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
“Princess Celestia,” he continued, his eyes remaining on Luna, “Unless you release Luna to us… I will march an army on Canterlot, and bring it crashing down around you.”
“Please Dark Star… just… give this up…” Luna’s voice cracked. “Just… end this... Surrender now, and be free, as I am…”
Dark Star’s eyes softened by the barest fraction of a degree… but then it was gone, and he turned his attention back to Celestia, who shook her head slightly.
“Dark Star… you know that I cannot agree to something that Luna does not want herself,” she said.
“Then you leave me no choice,” he said. He turned back to his comrades. “Morningstar, get us out of here. We have an army to raise.”
“Dark Star..!” Luna sobbed. “PLEASE don’t do this! I’m BEGGING you, please!!!” The black stallion hesitated for a moment. He slowly turned to face her again, and she took a step towards him. “Please… for everything that we have shared… please don’t do this…” she gasped between tears.
His eyes softened, and he shook his head slightly. “Everything that we have shared is exactly why I must do this,” he said softly. Then he turned to Celestia, and his eyes hardened once again. “FORWARD THE ETERNAL NIGHT!” he said loudly. Morningstar’s horn flared with bright white light, and the group of four ponies vanished.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Many miles away from Canterlot, in the small town called Ponyville, the sun was just beginning to rise. Inside a tree that served as the town library, a purple unicorn stretched in her bed and rolled over, blinking in the morning light as she brushed her dark purple and pink-streaked mane out of her face. Oh… morning already, she thought dreamily. She rubbed her eyes with her hoof and nestled happily in her blankets. Oh, five more minutes won’t hurt. There’s nothing going on today, so I think I’m entitled to a little extra-
“Twilight!! TWILIGHT!!!” The voice of a very small, very excitable dragon exploded in her ears, and Twilight Sparkle sat up with a sigh. On the other hoof…
“Yes, Spike?? What is it? What is soooo important that I couldn’t get five more minutes?” She shook her mane and slipped out of bed. Spike, a purple-and-green baby dragon, came running up the stairs to her, holding a letter high. Spike sent all of Twilight’s letters to Princess Celestia, and he also was responsible for receiving any royal messages sent back to her. The purple unicorn arched an eyebrow. “A letter from the Princess? This early?”
“Yeah, I know! It’s really weird! And things get even weirder!” He held the letter out for Twilight to see; the seal on the letter wasn’t Celestia’s normal royal seal, but one that Twilight had never seen before, one bearing the symbol of BOTH of the Princesses.
“This is from Celestia and Luna? But… Luna has never sent me a letter before.”
“I told you it was weird!”
Twilight’s horn glowed with a lavender light as she lifted the letter from Spike’s hand and brought it to hover before her; she broke the seal and unrolled the message, as she had done countless times before. However, instead of finding words inside, a swirl of light emerged from the paper and danced up above it, morphing into a holographic image of Princess Celestia. She looked… worried, an emotion that Twilight was not used to seeing on her teacher’s face.
“Twilight Sparkle, my most trusted student,” the Princess began, “I hope that this message finds you well. It is with great sadness that I send this to you, because I fear it bears unhappy tidings. You were the only pony in Canterlot who recognized the signs of Nightmare Moon’s return, and it is back to this very prophecy that I ask you to look.”
“The story of the Mare in the Moon,” Twilight remembered. “That was where I read the prophecy… but it all came true already.” The unicorn’s brow furrowed and she shifted her hooves thoughtfully. “Why would we need to go back through it?” she wondered aloud.
“If you remember correctly,” the Princess smiled fondly, “and I’m certain that you do, you will recall the following: Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape.”
“And she will bring about nighttime eternal,” Twilight finished. Her frown deepened.
“But now we must look at this verse for a different reason; not for clues about the Nightmare Moon’s return, but about the stars.”
“The stars?” What could be so important about the stars? Twilight Sparkle had watched the stars free Nightmare Moon from the moon, four sparkling points of light that had met at the moon and made what many ponies called The Mare in the Moon vanish.
The Princess’ eyes fell, and she looked weary. “The stars this prophecy refers to are not simply stars. They refer to Nightmare Moon’s generals, the four ponies who were in charge of her armies and responsible for releasing her. They have returned.”
“Returned..?” Twilight blinked. “You mean… what? They were trapped, the same as Luna?”
“These four generals resisted me for a brief time after Luna was trapped before they simply disappeared. As far as I could tell, they hid for a time in the Everfree Forest before imprisoning themselves willingly in a sort of hibernation to await the night when they could affect Nightmare Moon’s release. I knew they would yet have a part to play in completing the prophecy, so I did not pursue them… however, I did not realize what would happen when they returned to find Luna restored to her old self.” Celestia shook her head ruefully. “I had hoped that when they saw Luna and I together, they would see the error of their ways and return to us… but that is not what has happened.” Now the image shifted to that of Princess Luna, her eyes red with tears.
“Twilight Sparkle,” she said, her voice shaking. “These ponies, the four generals, once swore an oath to me, to serve me unquestioningly to bring down Celestia and raise a Lunar Republic. Their names are Wild Star, Falling Star, Morningstar… and their leader, my right-hoof pony, Dark Star.” Her voice cracked, and for a moment she was silent. “They… have decided that I am being influenced by Celestia,” she continued, “and that the only way to “free me” and return me to my right mind is to defeat her and bring down Equestria in the process. Nothing I have been able to say can dissuade them… especially Dark Star. He was always my strongest supporter.” Luna closed her eyes, and tears trickled down her cheek. “I am sorry for what I have brought upon Equestria, and ashamed… that the trouble they are going to cause is going to be done in my name.”
The image again shifted, back to Celestia, who looked grim. “Twilight Sparkle, I fear that these four ponies have knowledge of the Elements of Harmony, and have set out to destroy them. As the wielders of the Elements, you and your friends must be very careful; it is not a matter of if Dark Star comes to find you- it is a matter of when. Luna and I will be taking precautions here at Canterlot and we will be sending you messages as we learn more.” The Princess smiled fondly. “Please be careful, Twilight Sparkle. My biggest concern is keeping you and everypony else safe.” With that, the image of the Princess faded, leaving Twilight and Spike alone, their mouths hanging open. It took the small dragon a few moments to find his voice, but he was the first to do so.
“Wha… what do we do, Twilight?” Spike asked, his eyes wide.
The message rolled itself neatly up and settled onto a nearby bookshelf as Twilight galloped for the door. “We have to tell the others!” she shouted over her shoulder. Spike raised his hand and opened his mouth, but he cast a glance at the message and sat down on the floor.
“I think I’ll stay here…” he muttered. He wrapped his arms around his legs and shivered.