The first thing Dark Star noticed was the smell- the sharp, salty tang of sea air that filled his lungs and seemed to make him feel alive for the first time in forever. He breathed deeply, allowing it to cleanse him, washing away his worries and fears… and it had been a very, very long time since he’d been without those. The second thing he noticed was that, glancing down at his own hooves, that they weren’t black; they were a light gray, like high clouds in the winter, and he suddenly knew beyond two things for certain: if he could see himself, he would see that he also had green eyes, not gold, and that his cutie mark would be a pair of crossed swords behind a blue diamond. He also knew immediately that this was a dream- a proper dream, one that was him and only him- because this was a scene he’d played out before, a very long time ago.
He stood on a cliff, high above the gentle rolling waves of the sea that lay to the west of Equestria. His eyes searched the sky, smattered with countless diamonds dancing on the black silk of the night, all surrounding the huge, luminescent pearl that was the moon as it slowly descended towards the western horizon, spreading a huge swath of moonlight across the water and causing his silver armor to shine brightly. It was a breathtaking sight; the sea was calm, reflecting the stars and moon as if it were a mirror, making it feel as though he were standing amidst the stars instead of below them.
But as beautiful as the scene before him was, the young mare standing next to him on that cliff overlooking the sea put it all to shame. He turned his eyes to her, and knew that if he went blind at that very moment he could do so happily, knowing that he had seen his heart’s desire and knew her face. She was wearing one of her gowns from the court, a light blue dress that gathered near her tail and fell in gentle waves to her hooves. The gown was touched with white lace and dark blue details, all tailor-made specifically for the one pony in the universe he loved with all his heart- Princess Luna.
She stared out at the sea, her teal eyes at peace as he watched her. Her mane, the same light blue as her dress, curled slightly around her face and fell in a single, gentle wave down her graceful neck, and even knowing that this was a dream, Dark Star felt his heart race; this was Luna as he remembered her- her height was the same, but her mane was that of a much younger, much different Princess of the Moon. She shifted her weight on her hooves and sighed before turning her luminous eyes to him.
“Prithee, tell us thy thoughts, Captain Brightsteel,” she said, her voice soft and melodious. “Art thou enjoying the night we hath made for thee?” She smiled demurely. “We assure thee, ‘twas made for thee and for thee alone, forsooth.”
“The night is beautiful as always, my Princess,” he said, meeting her eyes. “But thy words ring false, dearest Princess; for this soldier knows thee makes the night for all, and not just for him.”
“Art thou accusing thy Princess of falsehood?” Luna raised an eyebrow at him. “We shall have thee know, Captain, that such nonsense and blatant ignorance shall end thee in yon dungeon in Everfree Castle.” She took a step towards him, her smile telling him that she would do no such thing. “Verily, is that how thee wouldst like to live thy last days?” She stepped closer to him, so close that he could feel her breath on his neck as she spoke. “Chained to the walls… thy free will stripped, thy spirit broken… bereft of hope and compassion…” Her body pressed closer to his, the ruffles of her gown brushing gently against his armor and exposed coat; he shivered as he felt the heat of her body next to his, despite the warm breeze around them. “And, perhaps most grievous… cast out of thy Princess’s sight..?”
He smiled slyly and turned to face Luna, his eyes bright. “Methinks my Princess doth protest too much,” he said boldly. “I think it is thee who wouldst feel keenly the loss of thy precious Captain, if such a degradation of thy affections were to be effected.”
Now Luna laughed, and to his ears it was the most amazing, sweetest sound in the world. “Oh Captain, my Captain…” She leaned against him suddenly, laying her head against his neck and pressing her face against him. “You have no idea how keenly I would feel it,” she said, dropping the proper vernacular of the Court. In the dream, Dark Star remembered feeling relieved; he hadn’t been sure how much longer he could keep talking like the nobles. His dream-self smiled broadly and pressed against Luna. “And you know very well that I made this night especially for you,” she said softly against his neck.
“I know, Luna,” he whispered. “And it’s gorgeous… almost as beautiful as you are.” The alicorn Princess pulled away from him just far enough to look him in the eyes, and Dark Star felt his heart melt. THIS was Luna how he remembered her- the love in her eyes made it clear that no matter what happened, she wanted them to be together forever.
“Brightsteel…” She whispered the name almost reverently, as if she were speaking the name of a deity. There was so much unsaid in that statement, the simple uttering of his name, that Dark Star felt himself become overwhelmed by the coursing, roaring sea of emotions inside of him. As daring of a soldier as he was, the young Captain Brightsteel had never had the courage to tell the Princess how he’d felt- never really, truly told her, face-to-face, that he loved her. In the dream, he felt himself smile, and his lucid mind knew exactly why. That ends tonight.
Dark Star was merely a passenger at this point inside his dream-self; he felt himself pull away from Luna and face her directly, his heart pounding against his ribs. “Luna, I… I have something I want to say to you.” The Princess tilted her head in curiosity, but he held up a hoof to forestall questions. “Please, my Princess; grant me this moment, before my courage fails me and all of my words drown in your eyes.” He took a shaky breath, held it for a moment, then let it out slowly before attempting to speak again. “My Princess… I must confess that I am a soldier first and foremost, and not as gifted with words as some ponies are. I do not have the grace of tongue that the nobility do, nor do I have the vast knowledge of words that the scholars do… but there is one thing that I have, something that they do not, that encourages me to lay aside my blunt soldier’s ways and speak to you thusly. Something that I feel deep in my heart deserves more than just the three words it requires.” He sighed, and suddenly felt a huge surge of doubt. What was he doing?! This was without a doubt the STUPIDEST thing he could think of ever having done, EVER! He was going to sound like an idiot, and then the Princess would hate him and never speak to him again…!
Then he looked up into Luna’s eyes, and he felt all of his worry and doubt disappear like fog before the morning sun. In those sea-green depths lay the very reason he was telling her this in the first place, and she was waiting.
“Princess Luna… I… find myself unable to concentrate on my duties of late. I feel as though I am lost, unable to find my way, stumbling about my tasks as a pony possessed. My path is hidden in the light of the sun, scoured clean by its unyielding rays... But I am sworn to serve the sunlight, and serve I do, despite my handicap. The days are endless… but the nights bring relief.” His stepped towards her, his heart pounding in his ears as the words poured from his lips. “For it is during the night that I am able to find guidance. The stars are my map, and the moon my legend, and ever do they unfailingly show me my path, the path hidden from me by the sun but revealed to me by the blessed light of the moon, the path that leads me from the wilds of the world home to my hearth and heart.” He leaned down to Luna and nuzzled her cheek gently. “You are my night, Luna,” he whispered. “The moon and stars that lead me home. You are my hearth and home, the place I most want to be… and you are my heart, beating alone in the darkness no more.” He met her eyes, and he knew his face was flushed. Luna’s beautiful eyes were sparkling in the moonlight, unshed tears threatening to spill over as she smiled at him. “Princess Luna… I love you,” he heard himself say. Dark Star felt his heart compress. Such a confession… especially during that day and age; but what Luna said next made it worth every peril that he faced.
She stepped towards him and raised her head high, touching her unicorn horn against his, her wings fluttering as if to mimic his heart. When their horns touched, a soft green light exploded from them, the soft light of spring, of hope, and of love. “I love you too,” she whispered to him. “And I promise… we’ll always be together, Brightsteel… always.”
The two of us, together forever, my love.
Dark Star savored the moment, letting the feelings of love wash over him. It had been so long, SO long ago since he’d felt this way… since he had truly felt what love was, or what it meant to be in love with his Princess. He knew at the time he never wanted that moment to end… but if he had known then what the future held, he would have wished it all the more.
As if on cue, the scene faded, and Dark Star found himself standing with three other ponies, and even without looking at them he knew who they were: Morninglight, Wild Wings and Shooting Star, all his fellow generals before their time. He felt himself glance over at Morninglight, who nodded solemnly. “I will follow you, Princess Luna,” she said. Her voice was cold and certain, and for good reason; what Princess Luna was suggesting was treason, punishable even here in peaceful Everfree by death.
Wild Wings was next, his red eyes burning with passionate fire. “I will follow, Princess of the night!” he said emphatically. Dark Star knew that where Morninglight’s decision would be based on logic and calculation, Wild Wings would follow on anger and impulse. An impulsive ally, but a dangerous foe.
Next was Shooting Star, the dark-blue Pegasus staring at the stones at his feet for a long moment before raising his head. “I will follow, Princess; you have shown me the world I fear, and I shall bring that fear to them.” As one, the other three ponies bowed low, and Dark Star felt his dream-self turn around. Princess Luna stood before them, her wings outstretched and her eyes wild.
“And so shall it be,” she said, her voice heavy with power. “The four of you shall be our vanguard, the tip of our spear, the head of our serpent.” Her unicorn horn began to glow, the brightness increasing so rapidly that Dark Star had to shield his eyes. He felt her magic touch him, but it wasn’t the same as the times he’d felt it previously; this wasn’t the soft, cool touch of the Moon Princess- instead it was harshly cold, bitter, like the bite of a winter wind on an unprotected coat. “We rename thee,” her voice continued, “In honor of thy service to us. Morninglight, you shall be one who stands against the dawn; and thee shall be called Morningstar.” Behind him, he heard Morninglight yelp slightly, but he could not turn to see what had happened. For the first time since the creation of the clandestine Lunar Republic, he felt a cold shock of fear in his heart. “Wild Wings, you shall be the one who rides with reckless abandon against our foes. We rename thee Wild Star.” He heard Wild Wings chuckle darkly; somehow, that didn’t surprise anyone. “Shooting Star…” Here Luna’s voice became soft and dangerous. “Thy fear makes thee a dangerous ally, Shooting Star. Doth thou understand that if thee betrays us, thy fears shall be born to flesh to torment thee?” Even though there was no response, Dark Star knew he agreed. “Then we rename thee Falling Star; may you drag others into your realm of fear.”
Then her eyes fell on him… and he stared into hers. Her teal eyes, once so kind and demure, now held nothing but bitterness and power. The pupils had begun to elongate, becoming vague slits instead of round as they should be. And yet even through those evil eyes, he could not help but feel something else coming from her… that same gentle love that he’d felt so long ago on the cliffs by the sea. “And thee, Brightsteel,” she said, and her voice dropped back to what it should have been; gentle and kind, but full of determination. “For all thee hath done for us… we name thee our second in command, and not only a new name, but a new form, as well… We name thee Dark Star, for with thy help we shall bring forth an endless night upon Equestria, an endless, beautiful night for us to share.”
The two of us, together forever, my love.
Her horn had blazed with light, and Dark Star remembered the pain; the searing, unbelievable pain that had coursed through him as his Princess had changed his very body in accordance to her wishes…and in his heart, Dark Star knew that if given the choice, he would do this all again.
The dream changed again, and he found himself in a field outside of the city of Everfree. He was running, though it was difficult to do with a wounded right front leg; he half-galloped, half-skipped along, trying his best to keep pace with Morningstar. “Come ON,” she urged. “Princess Luna needs us, Dark Star!”
“I KNOW that,” he snarled. “If you hadn’t bumbled into that ambush, we wouldn’t be limping along back here! What happened to your vaunted healing powers, magician?” he mocked. “Shouldn’t you be able to patch me up and be on our way?”
She turned her head to glare at him. “To heal you properly you would have to lie down for ten minutes. Do you have that time?”
He growled but nodded. They did NOT have that time. Wild Star and Falling Star had soared ahead to support Luna; apparently Celestia had gotten word that she was building an army and had decided to deal with her sister personally, sending her golden-armored Royal Guards after Dark Star and the others. Unfortunately for the guards, she hadn’t sent enough.
They two generals topped a rise and gazed down into the valley before them, where a whole legion of Royal Guards stood at attention. At their head stood the blazing white alicorn; their sworn enemy, and the leader of Equestria- Princess Celestia. She stood facing Luna, who stood next to Wild Star and Falling Star, her wings bristling, her magic held but inactive. Celestia was talking to her, wings held low, defensively.
“Luna, you’re not listening to reason!” she screamed. Her soft pink mane rippled in the breeze, and even from this distance he could hear the anger in her voice. “Just give this up, and come back with me!”
Luna laughed, the power she was gathering to herself sending the sound echoing from every possible direction. Above their heads, clouds began to gather, and Dark Star could feel the energy building in them. Lightning began to flash, and even the seasoned Pegasus guards shifted uncomfortably as the wind rose around them. “Sister… it’s far too late for that.” Her voice changed as she spoke, deepening sinisterly as she continued. “You have pressed me too far, kept me locked away in the castle… keeping the citizens of Equestria afraid of my beautiful nights… but NO MORE!” The storm above them flared to life and lightning lanced down into the ranks of guards; the concussions blasted pegasi back and outwards, their bodies limp and lifeless. Celestia turned and screamed in rage, but when she turned back to Luna she found that she couldn’t retaliate… and Dark Star felt his heart twist in something he was not familiar with: despair.
Luna had begun to change. Her mane began to sparkle with a demonic light, and her eyes began to glow bright white as her body twisted and morphed. Her legs lengthened and she grew taller, more adult-like; armor began to appear around her legs and head, an aura of nightmarish power washing off of her. Everything in the world seemed to slow down, and then with a burst of darkness Luna re-emerged… but it wasn’t Luna. It was someone different.
Nightmare Moon.
The dream changed again, and became disoriented. Dark Star saw flashes of the aftermath; himself fighting guards, himself facing off against Celestia herself as her face twisted in tyrannical anger- he watched as Celestia, with the help of the Elements of Harmony he hated so much, banished Nightmare Moon from Equestria for a thousand years. He saw himself speak with Morningstar over dusty tomes and scrolls as they searched for spells to free their leader… he felt his hatred for Celestia build and build until he knew he could harness its power… He saw the construction of the Elements of Destruction, and then his voluntary exile and stasis.
Then the dream changed again. He saw Luna as she was now, when she stepped into the dreams and met him in Whinnyapolis…
“Dark Star, you need to understand one thing and one thing only. If you were doing this for me, you would have stopped before you began.” He saw her tears trickling down her cheeks as she stared at him, so like the Luna he knew, and yet so different. “Your hate is blinding you. You need to let go, let go of your hate and see what is right in front of your nose!”
The scenes shifted back. He saw Luna as she changed them all- he saw the lust for power, the bitter hatred that had begun to consume her even then. A flash- he was watching Celestia plead with her, hearing for the first time the heart-wrenching sadness in the white alicorn’s voice as she begged Luna to give up… and the blind evil power that spoke through his beloved’s mouth, the living manifestation of Luna’s bitterness. Another flash- he was fighting Celestia, and he saw the tyranny that he remembered on her face fade into the heartbreak and self-disgust that had been there in truth.
“No,” he said as the scene shifted one last time; back to that night in Whinnyapolis, and what he had seen as Celestia’s manipulation suddenly became honesty from Luna, and the truth of her love in her eyes. “NO, I won’t let you show me LIES!” he shouted into the dream.
“Who’s lying to you, Dark Star?” a voice said. Suddenly, the images froze and started to fade away to nothingness. The black unicorn looked around; the voice was very familiar… too familiar.
It was his own.
He turned around as everything around him faded, and suddenly he was standing in nothing and amidst nothing, staring at another unicorn. The other pony was light gray with a steel-gray mane, green eyes and a cutie mark consisting of two crossed swords behind a blue diamond. Dark Star stared at him for a long moment before saying the most intelligent thing he could ever remember saying.
“Hmmmm.”
Brightsteel smirked at him, taking a step forward. “What’s the matter? Why stop the dream now? Can’t deal with the truth when you see it?”
Dark Star glared at him for a long moment before turning his back on the other unicorn. “Not at all; I simply refuse to see lies for more than they are.”
“You wouldn’t know the truth if it bit you on your rump,” the gray unicorn said. “Those images of sorrow from Celestia and evil from Luna weren’t lies, Dark. They were truth, and you know it!”
Now the black unicorn rounded on himself, his golden eyes blazing. “How DARE you say Luna is evil. How could you say such a thing?!”
“Because she was, Dark Star!!” Brightsteel shouted at him. “Or did you happen to miss the look on her face when she changed us?! Or how easy it was for her to kill those guards? THAT was not the Luna I fell in love with, Dark, and it wasn’t the Luna YOU fell in love with, either.” Dark Star was silent for a long moment, and Brightsteel continued. “Your hate has made you strong- stronger than either of us could have ever even imagined…” His eyes narrowed, and his face twisted into a sneer. “But it has also made you blind, and STUPID. Luna was right- you need to wake up and see.”
“See WHAT?!” Dark Star screamed at him, the hair at the base of his mane standing on end. “That the mare we fell in love with betrayed us?! That she used us and manipulated us and then abandoned us?!”
There was silence between the two unicorns for a very long moment, and then a single word answer: “Yes.”
Dark Star felt his anger rising as he stared in hatred at Brightsteel. “Would you have us hate Luna?” he asked quietly.
“Of course not, don’t be stupid.”
“That’s what you’re asking!” Dark Star shouted. “The things you’re trying to get us to see, the things you say Luna did; they are worthy of our hatred! These things are why we hate Celestia!!”
Brightsteel stared at him in disbelief. “You really can’t see past it, can you? You’ve cocooned yourself in lies so that you won’t see the truth, because it’s too hard to accept. It’s not all so black and white, Dark.”
“You’re the one talking about truth and lies, Brightsteel. Is there anything more black-and-white than that?”
“Lies force you to see the world in black and white, Dark Star. You allow yourself to be ruled by absolutes, of what IS and ISN’T, and refuse to see that ponies can change, situations can change, and the WORLD can change. The truth, though; the truth is everything from black to white and every color and shade of gray in between. The truth is what IS, and doesn’t bother with what isn’t.” Brightsteel sighed. “Lies cover the world in blacks and whites, keeping you from seeing the colors of the truth.”
“Then what is the truth, O Great and Mighty Brightsteel?” Dark Star said mockingly. “Please, enlighten us with your boundless wisdom.”
“That Luna was evil.” Dark Star felt the dam break, and without a second thought the horn atop his head spouted fire, sending a wave of crimson flame to engulf Brightsteel… but the gray unicorn simply smiled. “That the mare we loved with every ounce of our being turned her back on us, on everypony, on the world, for her own bitterness and selfish desires.”
Finally, the flames stopped, and Dark Star’s chest heaved as he stared with absolute disgust at Brightsteel. “And what would you have us DO with this so-called truth?”
Suddenly, Brightsteel was standing nose-to-nose with Dark Star, his green eyes boring into Dark Star’s gold. “Accept that time has changed her, for the better, and that time can heal us, too. She is our Luna again, and we can be with her. All you have to do is stop this madness.”
Dark Star stared into Brightsteel’s eyes, his own eyes, and snarled, “And do you really think that just saying, “We give up!” is going to make Luna come running back to us? Do you really think Celestia is going to let us live, after what we’ve done? NO. She’ll either kill us or turn us to stone, like she did Discord. Do you want to spend eternity as a statue? Because I do NOT.”
“I can’t tell you for sure what will happen, Dark, but anything has got to be better than living this LIE!”
“Go to hell.”
“You first.”
Dark Star stared at Brightsteel in disgust, and Brightsteel returned the gaze equally. Finally, Brightsteel broke the silence. “You know, I’m starting to not care if Celestia kills us. At least I won’t have to put up with your stupidity anymore.”
The black unicorn snarled at him as he turned away and started walking into the darkness. “If we weren’t the same pony, I’d kill you,” he muttered.
Brightsteel turned around and locked eyes with him as he faded away. “You did kill me, Dark. All those years ago, when you didn’t try to stop Luna… when you decided to let her believe she was worthless… you killed me.”
~*~*~*~
Dark Star awoke with a start in his tent, cold sweat drenching his mane. With a growl he threw his blankets off and rose to his hooves, shaking himself from mane to tail vigorously before walking to the door of his small tent. From the corner, his sword rose and floated to him. With quick magical manipulation of the belt he strapped it around his waist and walked out into the bright moonlight.
The night wind touched his face, teasing the hairs of his mane as he walked out into the camp, trying to find his center. He’d had that dream before, but it had never ended quite that way. He sighed and shook his head, trying to clear the last vestiges of sleep and the anger of the dream from his mind. Around his neck the amulet of Hate bounced against his chest, and he drew comfort from it. Slowly, he fed his uncertainty into the amulet, and the amulet rewarded him with a cold, suffocating hatred that calmed his nerves and steeled his heart. The dream was just a dream, he told himself… but even as he thought it, a twinge of doubt rang in his heart, as if to say, “You’re lying to yourself again”. Angrily he pushed the thought away, and looked up at the moon… the moon that had, many years ago, represented all things good in his life. Now… it remained to be seen what it would represent.
“Luna,” he whispered into the fragrant night air. “I’m coming. In two day’s time, my army will come to Canterlot… and I will set you free.”