Seven Years Later
The moon hung above Equestria at the height of its rise, basking the land in its cool glow. At ths late hour ponies across the great country lay tucked away in their beds in sound sleep, hidden from the moons lovely glow. In forests and mountains the Star Beasts played their role as to their mistresses desires and kept the land safe from the creatures and monsters that would take advantage of the slumbering ponies and tear their lives asunder.
But atop the moon tower one pony was not asleep.
Princess Luna stood atop the moon tower with stars slowly swirling around her. Her eyes were closed as if she were asleep, in her magic she held a piece of parchment on which she slowly wrote the words of the stars. Her magic and her powers had grown stronger with each night she raised the moon and she no longer needed to sleep to enter the dream realm. Not only that, each night as ponies went to sleep they would often wish upon the stars. The stars would then tell these wish to Luna, she would record them upon a scroll and have them delivered to the Sun Princess. This was the night court.
“A lovely night as always, Princess Luna. I do believe you have outdone yourself.” Came the deep voice of a stallion.
Luna turned slowly to the stallion and smiled “I told you not to call me that” she said as leaned closer to the stallion and mockingly continued “SIR Falling Star” She giggled and leaped back to avoid the playful sweep of her friend hoof.
He adjusted his helmet and looked away with slight embarrassment “I’m barely a Knight, Luna” he lifted a hoof to look at the extendable sword cuff that had been grafted to his leg “I only granted my sword last week”
“And it looks great on you my friend” she said as she turned and walked to the edge of the tower.
Falling Star followed and stood next to her “What troubles you my friend?”
She gestured to the city with her hoof “Took below star and tell me what you see”
He peered down into the streets and shook his head “Nothing but the guard patrols and the street lamps”
“Exactly. Not a single one of MY subjects are awake. Not one of them are out to enjoy my stars, my sky, our moon! NOT ONE!” she snapped “They hide themselves away in their homes while the light of Our moon graces the land! While Our Ursas keep them safe they gather round fires with warm cider” she ground her teeth “and only when the sun chases away Our night do they emerge ad praise the light!”
“Our?” Star questioned, snapping her out of her rant “Only you control the night, and there is only one of you, so why did you say Our?” he pulled his friend into a hug “Tell me what is wrong?”
Luna clung to her friend “oh Star. Help me I-“she paused as her inner voice spoke up.
‘What will we tell him? That there is the voice of another mare in our head? That she tells us the truths of the matter? That we are getting closer to being one? What will he say? Will he leave us alone in our cold night? We need him, YOU need him’
Luna closed her eyes “I’m just so tired Star. This was forced on me with no preparations.” She stepped away from him and began to pace about the tower “I mean, I’m only a couple of ears older then Tia was when she began raising the Sun. Maybe the stress of it all is finally falling down on me.” She looked back to her friend “I feel like I’m losing myself, Star”
The knighted stallion tapped his chin in thought “what you need is to get away from it all.” He grinned “And I know just the place!” He hopped from hoof to hoof like an excited foal “hurry and send that list off to Celestia!”
Luna blinked as her magic surrounded the roll of parchment, sending it to her sister “where are we going Star?”
“Beyond the forest” he said as he dashed off the tower and flew into the sky “Hurry up Luna!”
Luna grinned and flew after he dear friend.
As the duo soared out above the city Luna couldn’t help but admire how the moon glimmered off of Falling Stars armour, it made him look noble and valiant. She blushed and looked away as they left the city limits, all on their own now.
Below them the forest stretched out for what seemed like forever. Falling Star smiled and flew closer to Luna “I found something beyond the forest that I think you’ll like. But it has to be a surprise, close your eyes”
“Close my eyes!?” the moon princess exclaimed “But Star, how am I supposed to fly, let alone land if I can’t see?” the dark blue alicorn looked to her friend with nervous eyes.
Falling Star extended a hoof to his dear friend “Put your trust in my, my friend.” He smiled “I’ll guide you down safely”
Luna glanced away and took hold oh her friends hoof and closed her eyes tightly “I trust you”
The blind flight was one of the most terrifying things the princess had ever done. All was dark and the wind blew wildly through her mane. Though her mind’s eye she saw the swirling mist that haunted her dreams. She wished for the flight to end, for sight, and for sweet land.
Soon enough they were slowing down and Falling Star was giving landing prep instructions to his friend “Back flap now and slow down, extend your legs” they stumbled a few feet as their hooves met land “And thank you for flying air falling star” he laughed lightly.
“You can open your eyes now” Falling Star whispered into his friend’s ear.
Luna smiled and began to open her eyes “Finally, it was getting hard to keep them shut” the sight that met her eyes caused the young princess to gasp.
They were in the middle of a field of nightshade that stretched out for as far as their eyes could see. The flowers of the plants bloomed wide and reached up towards the moon. Wind whistled through the field, causing the flowers to sway gently. Moon beams dazzled off the blossoms and the beauty of it all was reflected in the eyes of the Princess.
“Nightshade” she breathed slowly “But I thought my father had them banished after those cult ponies took to forcing new members to eat the berries?” she looked to her friend “how?”
“Banished from all of the towns and cities, yes, but these are wild land Luna, no pony can control these wild plants. They grow wild and free here”
Luna frowned “Wild, free, and deadly.” She said coldly.
“Only to those fool hardy enough to eat them. But to any others privileged enough to see them, they are beautiful, like the night.” The stallion said as he cast his gaze about “They are a most special flower that blooms not with your sisters’ sun, but with your moon. They follow its light like sunflowers do to the sun. They are the flower of the night” he plucked one and placed it gently behind Luna’s ear “And they look lovely on you” he smiled softly as his oldest friend blushed.
She trotted a little ways away from her friend and ran a hoof over the flow and smiled. “This is nice. I’ve never seen nightshade before, its lovely.” She turned back to her friend and smiled “thank you Falling Star, thank you so much for this” slowly a cruel grin slipped onto her face “course now that we are out here, past the forest, all alone, I don’t have to act my role of a princess, nor you a knight, we can be foals.” She crouched down like a sprinter “and foals, play, tag! Get running Star, I’m coming at you!”
The pair dashed bout the field of deadly flowers, laughing and cheering more than they had in years. Luna’s foal hood had been taken from her so she could be the princess of the moon, but Falling Star had willingly given his up so that his friend would not be alone. He had entered the guards academy and passed with the highest honours and had been granted his knighthood.
Now the two of them frolicked and played like foals. The pair of them, teen ponies forced into adult lives before their times acting like foals in teen bodies.
“HA!” Luna cheered as she pinned her friend to the ground “That’s three of three, Star. You sure youre a knight?” she asked mockingly. Looking down at her friend she saw how the stars dazzled in her closest friends eyes. She blushed softly
“You look rather handsome in your armour” she stammered and looked away.
Her friend smiled up at her “and you look lovely in your regal wears”
Luna flopped onto her back beside her friend trying to rub the blush from her cheeks.
The pair lay there staring out at the sky for what seemed like ages before Falling Star sat up looking around “Something’s wrong. Luna we have to go” he said helping his friend to her hooves. The pair turned slowly. A strange mist had filled the field and the nightshade flowers were closing and turning away from the moon. “Very wrong”
Luna nodded in agreement.
The gentle sound of hoofsteps echoed through the mist as the mystery pony grew nearer.
As the pony became a silhouette in the mist Luna stood tall and stepped forward and called out in her royal voice “WHO DARES APPROACH THE PRINCESS OF THE MOON!?” she called to the pony.
When no answer came she called out again “IF YOU WILL NOT ANSWER ME THEN WE DEMAND THAT THOU SHOW THY SELF!” she instantly regretted her words as the pony approached.
It was the one eyed Pegasus who had returned the crowns of her parents. His once colourful pelt and mane were a dull grey and his golden eye was wide and crazed. He wore his shattered armour and limped as he dragged his sword at his side, carving a line in the soil. He walked as if he was moved by strings.
Luna took a step back and shook her head as the pony began to move faster. “You can’t be here, you can’t! Tia had you locked in the institution to get better, you can’t be out”
The pony tilted his head to an almost impossible angle and a grin slowly spread across his face “Praise the sun for it brings life, praise the sun for it brings warmth, praise the sun for it brings joy” he paused and turned his gaze to the princess and laughed “and bring death to the moon as it bring not but death to us!” he cried.
The pair were frozen in shock with Luna a few feet ahead of her friend “Wh-what did you say?” she stammered, she was willing her wings or legs to carry her away but she was frozen in place, as if icy vines held her down.
The stallion began to chant again “praise the sun for it brings life, praise the sun for it brings warmth, praise the sun for it brings joy, and bring death to the moon as it brings not but death to us.” Over and over the pony chanted the words like a spell as he moved closer and closer to the princess. He managed to get right up to the princess, allowing her to stare into the gaping hole where once was an eye that was given up in his attempts to save the king and queen. Slowly he raised the sword above him, the moonlight glinted cruelly off of the blade that he planned to bring down upon the princess “Bring death to the moon as it brings not but death to us.” With those words the sword fell.
Falling Star snapped out of his daze a moment to late as by the time he regained himself the damage had been done.
The blade fell down and slashed deep into the princesses’ shoulder. Luna let out a cry of pain as the sword imbedded itself halfway through a bone.
The crazed pony scowled and whipped his hoof wildly to the side, sending the wounded princess crashing to the ground and she slid a few feet, leaving a trail of blood. She gazed up as the pony approached her with half closed eyes filled with terror. She tried to speak but no words come. Was this it? She thought as the sword was gently drawn across her throat, leaving a thin line of blood, the tip was left poking at her throat. “Death to the Moon”
Just as Luna was about to except her fate, Falling Star tackled the crazed one the ground. The pony slashed out at her protector carving gashes through his chest and sides. Blood began to coat the ground from the pair.
As Luna began to lose consciousness she saw that Falling Star had the murderous pony pinned to the ground as he pounded he hoof into the ponies face as it slashed wildly at him. The last thing she saw was the crazed pony stabbed her friend. All three ponies were still as darkness filled her vision and all was black.