The passage through which Luna and her Father walked was long and filled with shadows. Luna did her very best to put on a brave face, but she couldn’t stop herself from jumping at every out of place sound. Her fear drew nothing from her Father save for subtle ear twitches, movements that Luna was sure were more out of irritation then out of concern for his daughter. This caused Luna more distress and to distract herself she took to studying the walls and the floor. Even in the dark she could make out small yet very intricate designs that she guessed had been carved by either Starswirl, or her Father himself. The designs did not seem at all random, and they seemed to progress in certain patterns, like the writings upon a scroll. One design in particular caught her eye. Her stopped and moved closer to examine it. Squinting against the darkness she was able to make out what looked to be fire surrounding another carving that was so covered with dirt and dust that she couldn’t make it out. She was about to brush the dust away with a hoof when her father’s booming voice called back to her. “Luna, a Princess does not dawdle! Hurry up now!” he called. Luna bit her lip as she turned away. She didn’t want to leave the strange carving unsolved, but she did not want to face her father’s wrath even more.
“Coming Father!” she called back as she hurried to catch up.
As they walked her father took a deep breath. “Certain events have come to pass that have forced my hoof to allow you knowledge of things that I know you not to be ready to understand, Luna” he began “You are Princess of the Night and moon, this is true, but that is not all that falls under your domain. Many of the things that you will need to know you can learn from your tutor, for I have not the time to do so myself. But some parts of your rule, he has rebels against. He believes them no longer necessary in our world. Right as he may be, some pony needs to know these secrets, and that pony may as well be the one destined to live in the shadows of the night.”
He stopped suddenly and Luna noted how their final hoofsteps echoed louder off the wall. The pair had entered a vast circular chamber that seemed, to Luna’s ears, to be empty. With a stomp of his hoof the chamber began to light up, as if by the stars. He walked a few paces away. “You are the one who will take over my duties. Of them all, you know only a few. You embody the moon, and you will rule the stars, these things you must do in the eyes of those you will rule.” He turned to face her once more and in his eyes, Luna saw the blazing light of a comet. It scared her. She watched as her father seemed to melt away and his starry pelt clung to the walls. She heard his voice from all around “You are Luna, Princess of the Moon in the light of your ponies, but in their shadows you are the watcher, the observer. You are a princess of the dark, of the cold. You will be the guardian of magic’s most foul. The tome that keeps their secrets safe in your heart. You will know more of the world, and at the same time less of it, just as I” The stars began to swirl rapidly around her, they frightened her. She curled up and covered her head wishing for it to be over.
And as soon as it had begun, it was over. The swirling mass of night was gone and before her stood her father once more, stars twinkling across her pelt. “But you are weak.” He said the words slow and each one pierced the young princess’s heart like a knife. Her father thought that she was weak. She looked up at him slowly, willing herself not to cry. She wanted to slink away from him but he was not yet finished.
“You cannot rule over the night if you fear it. The night is wild, but you must tame it. I fear for Equstrias night in your hooves” he spat as he stepped over her. As her walked he dropped what looked to be an ancient tome “Within those pages are the secrets of the night, as well as this world’s dark magic’s. Learn it, master it, lest it master you. Now get up, and get out of my sight.” He said as he turned his back to his daughter. “You are not to speak of what I have said nor of the tome to anyone.”
Luna slowly picked herself up off of the floor. She was shaking terrible but soon was able to stand solidly. Weak and a coward. Was that really what her Father thought of her? She thought the world of him, looked up to him, adored him, how could he scorn her so? She closed her eyes tightly. Because no other pony could hear his words here, that was why. A King couldn’t be known for being cruel to one of his daughters; he would lose the love of his people and Queen. She gritted her teeth, picked up the tome and began to leave. But something stopped her, a thought, one that in any other situation she would keep to herself. But no other pony could hear, there would be no backlash.
“Father” she started as she looked over her shoulder.
He let out an aggravated sigh “I told you to leave Luna, what is it?” he asked.
“You love Tia, don’t you?” Luna asked as calmly as she could.
“I love Celestia almost as much as I love your mother, what of it?” he nearly snapped back.
Luna nodded to herself “And me, Father? Do you love me as well?” her question echoed around the room and it seemed ages before he replied.
“You were born simply to be Celestia’s other half, she has not the magic in her to control both of the heavenly orbs, so you were needed to rule over the Moon and its night.” He answered slowly, but this answer angered Luna
“That doesn’t answer my question! You merely danced around it like a tribes pony around a fire! I demand that you answer me!” the moon princess shouted.
A ripple of anger passed through her father starry pelt. “You demand me? You demand your King and Father!? NO! No I do not love you Luna, Princess of MY night.”
No, the answer she had feared but expected. She had been sure of it for a long time but to hear it was an entirely different thing. What hurt her most was how after learning the truth, she couldn’t bring herself to hate him. She choked back the beginnings of a sob. “I see, does Mother know? That you hate me so?” she asked.
“No, nor will she.” his voice was cold.
Luna nodded “And does she feel the same?” Silence followed once more before he replied
“That is not my place to say, Luna. Leave me.” Not once did he even turn to look at her. With her questioned answered she returned to the dark passage that lead back to the castle, leaving her father’s starry light behind her. She expected her heart and mind to feel lighter, but heaviness filled her whole body, weighing her down. She picked up her pace to a steady trot to hurry her out of the passage and back to the light of the castle.
She closed her eyes and took off at a gallop. Tears leaked from her eyes as she ran and she barely registered that she was back in the castle proper. She kept running and didn’t stop until she ran into something, or somepony. She collided with a very sleepy Celestia who had been returning to her chambers and the two went tumbling across the floor. Celestia stood up first and gazed about sleepily, when her eyes fell on Luna, they shot open and she rushed to her sisters side
“Lulu, whatever is wrong dear sister? What set you charging through the castle at this hour?” she helped her sister to her hooves and took note of her tears. She furrowed her brow, suddenly very awake “Lulu, what happened?” Luna just shook her head. Celestia frowned “You can tell me anything, I’m your sister. I’m here for you always” she said as she smiled sweetly.
That smile, the smile of the sun that warmed the heart of all who saw it shattered what little was left of Luna’s self-control and she flung her hooves around the older ponies neck and cried like a little foal. Tia was here for her, Tia was always here for here and that thought, that little ball of hope became a beacon to Luna. No matter what happened, Celestia would be there for her. As Luna cried, Celestia wrapped her wings around her
“There, there little sister. Everything is going to be fine.” She stepped back and gently wiped a tear from Lunas eye with a feather. “I’m here, Lulu. Hey, I know, something has given you a terrible fright and I can’t keep you safe in your room. Why don’t you sleep with me tonight? Would you like that?” she asked softly. Luna sniffled and nodded. With a wing draped over her sister, Celestia lead the way to her room.
Once safe in the protective embrace of her sister, with a warm blanket as their shield, Luna’s eyes grew heavy. Yes, Celestia would protect you from the darkness. She was the Sun and that is what she did, she scared away the shadows with her light. She nuzzled closer “Thank you Tia, thank you for everything” Luna muttered as the Sandpony pulled the Princesses off to sleep.