AN: Here y'all go! After such a long time not updating this story, I finally sat down and had enough drive to write a chapter. All in one go I might add. As always, constructive criticism is encouraged as it helps me become a better author and to improve the quality of my chapters! It's always good to have fresh eyes take a look at your writing!
As Princess Luna started falling into a routine teaching young Crystal Frost, she came to regret her past decisions more, and she did her best to make up for them with the second chance given to her. She gave lessons to Crystal Frost that she taught to Snowdrop, and passed on knowledge that Snowdrop had bestowed upon her despite her young age.
One night however, when she was not teaching young Crystal Frost, she stumbled upon an old memory within her room. Many of the books and tomes in her room had gone untouched since she had returned, and she only slowly looked over them. Most nights they brought back small memories. In the one she had read the night before it reminded Luna of the time the Princesses had traveled to the ancient home of the dragons in order to meet with their High King. It had been such a fantastical journey in which they experienced many of the wonders this world had to offer.
As good as that memory was, this night brought back bittersweet memories that suddenly, and without warning, gave way to heartbreak. The set of books were a retelling of the many adventures upon which the Midnight Guard had embarked in Luna’s name. Reading about the ponies who so loyally guarded her brought many-a-face to mind, and with each story her longing for their company grew. Ponies long since dead came to life around her, once more performing their greatest feats, telling their finest moments, and sacrificing themselves again for her sake. Each page hoof-written by either the pony who performed the feat, or the head of the Midnight Guard for those whose sacrifices had been final.
As the Princess of the Night neared the end of the final volume, neared her inevitable loss of sanity, her change, she knew that it would be an abrupt end. This was due to the fact that she had not taken the tome with her when she claimed her own castle in the Everfree. Many of her guard followed her to the forest, hoping, if anything, that they could at least protect her, if not save her from her own destruction.
One such guard that had followed her was the always valiant Captain of the Midnight Guard, Bright Night. He was a large unicorn stallion with a black coat, charcoal mane, and a cutie mark depicting a shield overlayed with a sword and star. She had always kept him close no matter where she went. Though she shouldn’t have had one, he was always her favorite. His charming personality and great wit kept her entertained for hours on end, and his dashing looks meant she never tired looking upon him.
It was he who wrote the final entry into the book, an entry that had very clearly been written after her transformation. Luna read the entry in near disbelief. She had thought that he had been killed by Celestia’s forces in a chance skirmish. Now, seeing his hoof-writing, it was very clear he had not been killed.
My Beloved Princess Luna,
I pray that one day you may return, become what you once were; I wish you all the happiness of being amongst your family once more. However, I know that it is not to be within my time, and so I am writing you this final letter, here in the annals of my proud heritage, in the hopes that you will find it.You stated so often that the reason you left, the reason you rebelled, and the reason you wanted to claim what you felt was yours by right was that there was nopony who truly loved your night. You wanted ponies to adore you, bask in your beautiful night, and make them love you. When you felt that wasn’t possible, you decided to rule by fear. This change, though I should have seen it occurring, was startlingly rapid.
However, you never seemed to realize that there were so many who cared for you. So many of us who dedicated ourselves to you out of the love we bore you. So many ponies that were greatly saddened by losing you.
Every word he wrote made Princess Luna’s throat constrict more and more. He had every right to be angry with her, to tell her just how much she had hurt others. She did not deserve the dedication with which all those great ponies had served her. And she knew that she could never live up to all the sacrifices made for her. She didn’t want to keep reading, but she knew she must, if only to see his signature…
There are so many who mourn for you every night, pray to you every night, and hope that you may return to us in due time. But, as I stated before, I know it is not to be within my time. I carry with me many regrets of my time as the Captain of your guard. I regret not being able to save you, and not being there for you when you needed me most. I regret having to fake my death in order to escape to Celestia to aid her in trying to save you. Most of all, I regret never having been able to establish my true feelings for you.
Though you were my princess, the royal whom I was sworn to protect and to whom I owed a love that drove me to protect you, it was not all that I felt. As our time together grew, I realized that you were not a Goddess-Princess that was above everything. You were a pony like any other.
You had dreams of things to come, fears of the unknown, and a great many emotions that you did not display to the outside world. However, when I became the Captain of your guard, and even before that, I became your confidant. You bestowed upon me all of your secrets, all of your worries and your triumphs. Anything you felt worth telling, you told me. And so, when you began to grow quieter, I should have realized that something was wrong. I should have been able to save you, and I am utterly sorry for my inability to do so. If only I had been able, so much hurt could have been avoided.
And so I leave you with my parting words. Luna, Princess of the Night, you were my whole world, and the one thing I do not regret is having fallen for you.
With a heavy heart, and all the love it bears,
Bright Night
Ex-Captain of the Midnight Guard
Luna did not know when the tears had started, but they flowed freely now. A stream that threatened to ruin the ink and stain the pages of this book she held so dear. She gingerly placed the book down upon her desk and went to the comfort of her bed. If only she had not been so foolish, so blinded by her own jealousy, she could have seen the feelings he bore her.
The same feelings that she had for him, but she had kept secret for she thought he could never reciprocate them. Even if he had, she knew they could never have had a relationship...or maybe they could have. Thinking now to Shining Armor and her young cousin Cadenza..the Captain of the Royal Guard and a princess…the tears flowed with renewed strength at this realization.
As she lay there, she heard her door open and quickly shut.
“Oh Luna…” Celestia spoke softly after seeing what he younger sister had been reading. She knew that was written there, for she had read it countless times over the centuries, and she knew only heartbreak resided there. Wrapping Luna up in a comforting hug, she spoke again, “I’m sorry my sister. He was a great pony, completely and utterly dedicated to you.”
“Why does it never get easier sister? Why must we always suffer, always outlive those we love? Why must I hurt so?” Luna asked her sister in desperation.
Celestia, pitying her tear-filled sister’s state, answered, “It is always hard to lose those we love. It is who we are and the burden we must bear. But it does not always have to hurt. Because, as long as we remember, they don’t ever truly leave us.” With her sister’s explanation, Luna, finally starting to calm herself, looked up once more to her older sister.
“What became of my beloved Bright Night?” She asked the Princess of the Sun. Celestia smiled at her sister’s question, because it was an answer she had prepared to give for so long. She hoped that it would suffice to bring her some solace.
“At my request, he moved back to the castle, under the assumed name of Starshine, and became an instructor at both the School for Gifted Unicorns, and the Military Institute, but he refused to ever again pick up a weapon. Instead, he taught defensive magic and military tactics,” she stated fluidly. She had more, but she wanted Luna to ask the right questions.
“And did he move on? Did he find somepony? Please tell me that he lived his life sister…” Luna nearly begged.
Giving her sister a gentle, reassuring smile, Celestia answered, “Eventually he did move on, and he did find somepony. A rather gifted unicorn who started teaching at the same time he did. It took her quite some time, but she was able to help mend his heart.” Once again she did not finish everything she had to say, because she still wanted her sister to piece it together.
“And did they have children? What was her surname?” Luna’s questions came rapidly with great hope. This gave Celestia all the confirmation she needed to know that she had wisely placed her faith in her sister’s inquisitive nature. With a smile, she answered her sister…
THUMP THUMP THUMP
A loud banging at the door of the Library woke Twilight Sparkle from her slumber. Ever the Night Owl and never the Morning pony, she grumbled at having been woken up at 3 in the morning. Prepared to be short with whomever was at the door, she opened it with magic. The appearance of both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia made her jolt out of her half-sleep state and suddenly try to fix her rather disheveled mane.
She barely had time to react before Princess Luna tackled her to the ground with a hug. She did not even have to ask the Princess what it was for, as Luna spoke, “Oh Twilight. You make your ancestors so proud. The fact that you were the one to rescue me, save me from myself. I am absolutely positive that Bright Light is beaming from his place looking down upon us.”
Twilight could only wonder at who Bright Night was. She had extensively researched her family’s history and she had never come across a Bright Night, but the name did sound familiar. Upon seeing her inquisitive look, Luna remembered what Celestia had told her about the alias. He must have never told a soul his real name. Maybe it had been a way to distance himself from the pain. Either way, Luna knew she had to clarify and so she told Twilight, “Your ancestor, the man you know as Starshine Sparkle, was once upon a time known as Bright Night, famed captain of the Midnight Guard.” With the revelation that Starshine and Bright Night were one and the same, Twilight’s eyes widened.
“Bright Night was declared Killed in Action against Loyalist forces during the rebellion though...how could he be Starshine?” She asked the princesses, utterly confused.
Celestia, having been watching the excitement of her sister all this time, stepped forward, “I can answer that for you my star pupil.” And so she recounted how he had not died, but false information of his death had been widely spread in order to smuggle him into the castle in secret, his name change, and his eventual falling for a young mare with the surname of Sparkle.
With that revelation, and further explanation from Princess Luna about her relationship with Bright Night, she and Twilight had much to talk about. And as Celestia watched the two converse for the rest night, she could not help but think to herself…
Even on the darkest of nights, there will always be a light to guide you through, and none knew that better than Luna.