"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"....... Are we there yet?"
"No."
"................. Arewethereyet?"
"Saying it faster doesn't get us any closer."
"Aaaaare weeeee theeeeere yeeeeet?"
"Sweet shacharit, put a lid on it, Fang!"
"But I'm sooooooo bored!"
Spirit elected to ignore his dragon friend's complaints. They'd only been flying for a short while and were nearing their destination, but Fang hated wasting time. He'd freak out the moment he found he wasn't doing anything, useful or otherwise. Silver was having troubles of a different sort: staying calm while Fang whines. Not an easy thing to do.
"Fang, if you're really so bored and want to find out when we arrive, just ask."
The green dragon was at Spirit's side instantly. "Great idea!" He leaned over the front of the chariot. "Hey, Storm! How much longer 'til we get to Canterlot?"
Storm Runner was the leader of the pegasi pulling the chariot. His coat was white and he wore a bright set of armor, just like the three other pegasi he was tethered alongside. "We're almost there, young dragon," he called over his shoulder.
"Well, that's informative," Fang muttered, crossing his arms and sitting down.
"If you really want though, we can always pick up the pace," offered the pegasus flying to Storm's left.
"I could use a little workout," declared the pegasus directly behind Storm. "I ate too much for breakfast."
"C'mon, Storm," urged the last pegasus. "Let's go faster."
"Okay, fine." Storm turned his head. "Spirit Guide, would you like us to go faster?"
Spirit tapped his chin thoughtfully. "What say you guys?" he asked his two friends.
"Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes, pleeeeease!" Fang chanted.
"Mm, yeah," Silver replied plainly.
"Alrighty, Storm. Full speed ahead."
"You got it." Storm tipped himself upwards and the pegasi started to climb. "Put your backs into it, boys! You want to fly so badly? Let's do this thing, chop-chop!"
The four pegasus ponies flapped their wings harder and harder, taking the chariot higher into the sky. As they ascended, they went slower and slower. Fang looked disappointed but Spirit knew better. It was just like the roller coaster they'd ridden on once. The climb slows the whole ride down, but when it reaches the top—
VOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! The pegasi arced over a cloud and angled themselves downward, letting gravity do its thing. Fang had gone from backseat-moaning to seat-grip-thrill-screaming in seconds. Silver was having less fun, deciding to vaporize himself and spend the fall inside Spirit's saddlebag. Spirit just hung on, listening to the joyful screams of his companion and the pegasi flying their chariot.
Finally, they busted through a cloud and saw the city below them. Canterlot was even more elegant, more intricate, and more shiny than what he'd understood from everything Twilight had told him about it. The graceful white towers, the spotless streets, the way the waterfall from the mountain ran through it, everything about the city boasted class and abundance. The castle sat at the edge of the city and the cliff, higher than any of the buildings nearby.
Storm Runner and his team pulled up and slowed their plunge, sharply turning towards the castle and the long expanse of grass that made up the courtyard. They descended further so that their hooves touched the ground and the chariot wheels bumped lightly. The four pegasi trotted for several feet until the friction of the grass brought the chariot to a stop.
Storm Runner whinnied and the other pegasi cheered. "There... you go," Storm panted. "We're.... here."
Spirit strapped on his saddlebags, leapt off the chariot and looked about. All around them was the castle: walls, gates, doors, windows, turrets, ponies. Much like very other castle he'd seen, aside from the unique architecture.
Silver spewed himself out of Spirit's saddlebags, solidifying in a black heap on the grass. "Earth!" he moaned, jamming his muzzle into the ground. "Sweet, sweet Equestrian earth."
Fang patted him on the flank. "There there. The ride is over." He turned towards Storm Runner. "So what do we do now?"
"Princess Celestia may not return from Fillydelphia for a few hours," the pegasus informed, "so you've got some time to relax. Maybe get a bite to eat, settle down, train a bit—"
"Whoa whoa whoa, hold your horses right there!" Fang ordered, raising his hands in a 'time-out'. "Isn't there another princess? Maybe we could meet her already."
"Yeah," Silver replied, remembering her name. "Princess Luna."
Storm sighed. "I'm afraid Princess Luna is preoccupied at the moment. She hasn't spoken to anypony other than Princess Celestia and her personal guards for two weeks."
"What's wrong?" Spirit asked.
"I don't know. Whatever's going on is being kept secret between the royal sisters. And if the night guards know anything, they've been ordered not to tell."
"Which is kind of irritating since we've been protecting Canterlot long before Princess Luna came back," one of the pegasi grumbled.
"They were protecting Equestria too, you know!" another guard retorted. "Just because they left when Nightmare Moon—"
"That's enough, all of you!" Storm shouted. The other three stallion stood at attention, locking their legs together. After several breaths, Storm continued more calmly. "You're dismissed. Go rest up."
The three pegasi exchanged grins and galloped off towards one of the towers. "I'm sorry about that," Storm apologized to Spirit, Fang and Silver. "Ever since Princess Luna returned, the night guard was reinstated and our relationship with our old companions became rocky."
"Why's that?" Spirit inquired.
Storm looked around, then started off towards the castle's main structure. "Come on," he requested, waving towards the newcomers. "I'll tell you on the way."
*
"It's like this. A thousand years ago, Luna was overcome by jealousy and transformed into Nightmare Moon, with the intent of plunging Equestria into an eternal night. Celestia sealed her away in the moon using the Elements of Harmony and took over all the royal duties, but what many ponies have forgotten in the past millennium was that there was another branch of royal guards, more commonly known as the night guard."
Storm Runner led Spirit and his friends through the castle. The hallways and rooms were large and grand, tapestries and paintings hanging on the walls and all manner of fascinating objects stood about. Yet although there was much joy and wonder felt throughout the castle, Spirit also sensed a great sadness much like the feeling that hung around Celestia when he first met her. This bothered him.
"Yeah," Fang muttered absently. His head swung back and forth as he tried to take in everything they passed. "If we're already talking about royal guards, how about you tell us where they are?"
"All over the place," Storm replied, waving a hoof all around. "We have many duties. Some of us are stationed to watch, protect and keep the peace, others work in the castle, some train young recruits, and then there are the ones with the great privilege of ferrying important ponies around, like myself."
"Flying the Princess's chariot is a high honor, I take it?" Silver said.
Storm smiled. "Indeed, it is. When the Princess comes over to you, asking you to fly her chariot... That is what the royal guard is for: serving the rulers of Equestria as best as we can."
"That's really noble," Silver complimented. Then he lowered his head and sighed. "And that's saying something, considering I don't know the meaning of noble."
"Hey, chin up," Storm said to the manifestation pony. "From what I've heard about you Silver, you've had a hard life up until now. You just need to get your head on straight and you'll be fine."
Silver looked up. "Really?"
"Really. In fact, if you want, I'll show you how the guards get through their various duties. That is, of course," Storm added, "after you meet the Princesses."
"I thought we couldn't meet Princess Luna," Spirit remembered. "You said she was preoccupied."
"I did say that, and I'm sure you won't. Until Princess Celestia comes back to talk to her first, there's little to no way that Princess Luna will—"
Clang! A smashing sound echoed from a corridor to their left. Without a word and with barely a sound, Spirit, Fang, Silver and Storm glided down the corridor looking for the source of the noise. When they turned the corner, they saw a shattered vase lying at the other end, while a dark figure hastily picked it up in a light-blue magical aura.
"Halt!" Storm called, running towards the figure. "Identify yourself!"
The shadowy figure gave a soft 'Eep!" and bolted down the left hallway and up a flight of stairs. Storm and the others followed after her, but when they'd reached the top the figure was nowhere in sight.
"Fan out," Storm instructed. "We'll corner whoever that is."
Fang raised one arm. "Uh, Storm?" he said tentatively.
"Yes?"
"We, um, don't exactly know the.... layout of Canterlot Castle, sooooo..."
"Oh yes. Right." Storm tapped his head as he thought. "Okay, here's what we do. Silver, you go towards the armory. It won't be too hard to find, just listen out for the sound of hammer on steel. Fang, you go out the nearest window and fly around the castle looking for anything suspicious. I'll take the left hallway and Spirit, you'll take the right. If anypony asks you what you're doing, say you're under my orders. Remember, we need to find out who that was and catch them before they do who-knows-what."
Silver nodded. "Understood." He vaporized himself and drifted away.
"Right. I'm on it." Fang flared his wings and zipped back down the stairs.
Storm Runner gave Spirit a hopeful look. "Good luck, Spirit Guide." And he dashed off down the left hall.
Spirit walked to the end of the corridor and looked down the right hallway. Whoever that was used magic, so either they're a unicorn or some other creature I'm as of yet unfamiliar with. But if it is a unicorn... Oh man, I wish Fang was here, then we could probably use his power cards to track the—
Something cut off Spirit's train of thought. It was a light tingling sound, the kind he'd become used to hearing, as it was the sound that came from one thing: magic. It must be the being who broke the vase, Spirit reasoned, instinctively activating his own magic, but where are they?
The answer came quite quickly. The wall next to Spirit shuddered, momentarily glowing blue. With a spluttering sound, the invisibility spell fizzled out and the perpetrator tumbled out onto the floor. But when Spirit saw who it was, he gasped.
It was a pony, a unicorn mare, wrapped in a black cloak much like his own. Her coat was a grayish blue and her mane was a light azure. Her flank displayed a silvery moon on an inky cloud-like background. And when she looked up at Spirit, her eyes showed fear.
The unicorn backed up against the wall, trying to keep her distance from Spirit. She eyed his glowing horn fearfully. "Please don't hurt me," she whimpered. "I didn't mean to break the vase. I was just walking around the castle when I saw you and—"
"Stop."
The blue mare was silent immediately, still looking worried but now a little confused as well. Spirit stepped closer to her, leaving only a foot between them. Something shuddered beneath the mare's cloak.
"What's that?" Spirit inquired, gesturing towards the bulge in her mantle.
The mare shuffled uncertainly. "They're.... my wings." She undid the clasp on her neck and her cloak fell away. Two wings lay flat across her back, the same color as her coat.
Spirit was even more shocked now. Twilight had taught him about the different kinds of ponies including the alicorns, the unicorn-horned pegasus-winged race of which Celestia was a member, but he was not expecting this pony to be one. She was barely his height, yet she was an alicorn just like Celestia.
"Who are you?" Spirit asked.
"I'm—"
"Under arrest!" With a thundering clack of armored hooves, Storm appeared at the end of the hallway. He rushed forward, yelling out charges. "For breaking into Canterlot Castle and damaging castle property, I hereby—" Then he stopped. Storm's eyes went wide as he contemplated the alicorn. "Oh stars."
"Storm, what's the matter?" Spirit asked the guard.
Storm Runner suddenly knelt, bowing his head before the alicorn. "My deepest apologies, your Highness," he said regretfully. "I didn't know it was you."
"That's quite all right, Storm Runner," the mare said shyly. "It was a misunderstanding."
Spirit looked from Storm to the alicorn, trying to make sense of things. "Storm, what's going on?" he asked the pegasus again. He pointed a hoof at the alicorn. "And who is this pony?"
Storm glanced nervously at the alicorn, who nodded slowly. Then he took a deep breath and said, "Spirit Guide, this is Princess Luna, one of the rulers of Equestria and the younger sister of Princess Celestia."
Trumpets and rams' horns blew inside Spirit's head. He took another look at the alicorn mare. She didn't seem like royalty. Small, cautious, wary, hidden. These were not the traits of a ruler. She looks more like a child, Spirit thought. Then again, this pony isn't the strangest monarch I've ever encountered. But still... "Are you really Princess Luna?"
"Mm hmm," the alicorn replied with a nod, her worried frown gradually turning upwards. "That's me."
"Then..." Spirit took a moment to add everything up. "If that's the case...."
"Yoohoo!"
Fang's voice bounced off the walls as the green dragon zipped down the corridor and landed directly beside Spirit. "Flew a few laps around the castle. They've got some nutso architecture here. I saw the banquet hall, the gardens, the guest rooms. This place is great! Staying here is gonna be so much fun, and I haven't even seen the training arena and the armory yet."
"That's enough, Fang," Spirit hushed. "Now if you're done rambling, prepare yourself to meet somepony."
Fang gave his unicorn friend a baffled look. "You might want to expand on that a little. Telling me to prepare for a meeting is pretty vague, although you did say 'sompony' so I can only assume whoever it'll be is equine, but that's still leaving so much detail out so I won't be able to prepare properly."
Luna leaned over and tapped Fang on the shoulder. "Excuse me," she said, "but are you Fang the dragon?"
"Ye-e-e-es," Fang dragged out his answer, flopping his head to look at the alicorn. "Can I help you?"
"If by 'help' you mean 'meet', then yes, you can help me."
Fang looked Luna in the eye, which wasn't so difficult as he was just about the same height. He paced around the blue alicorn, looking her up and down as Luna followed him with her gaze. Fang came to a stop before her, lightly bowed his head and flourished his hand. "Greetings, your Highness. It's a pleasure to meet you at last."
Spirit smiled at his companion. Fang may be a riot on his own, but he knew when to act respectfully. "And you," Luna said, a genuine smile on her face. "I've been waiting for you for quite some time now."
"Really?" Spirit inquired. "I thought you were busy with something that prevented you from meeting with anypony but Celestia and the night guards. Isn't that still the case?"
Luna closed her eyes and smiled gently. "Storm Runner, would you be so kind as to give us some time alone?" she asked the pegasus.
"Of course, your Highness," Storm said, crossing a hoof over his chest. "I'll leave at once." He turned around and trotted down the hallway out of sight.
"He's a good soldier," Spirit concluded. Then he asked, "What's his rank?"
"Storm Runner is a lieutenant. He answers only to me, Celestia and the Captain of the guard," Luna replied. She walked towards the staircase, a childish skip in her step, stood at the bottom and faced Spirit and Fang. "Well, come along. You're probably curious about a whole load of things."
"Knowledge starving," Fang admitted, he and Spirit following after the alicorn.
Luna led Fang and Spirit up the staircase and into a grand hall that reminded them of the Entrance Hall in Hogwarts. As they walked, Luna spoke. "The branch of the royal guard that Storm Runner mentioned was, and is, my personal guard. They served me a thousand years ago and still do today."
"Obviously, it's just the ponies in the position of the royal guard, not the same guards over the last millennium, right?" Fang said.
"That's right," Luna confirmed. The princess took them up the stairs in the hall and through the step-inlaid corridor at the top. "In my absence, the night guards left the castle and took up positions all over Equestria, some in the woods, others in the mountains, some even among other ponies. But they did so in a hidden manner, unwilling to reveal their true identities to the ponies of Equestria."
"Why?" Spirit asked. "Why would they hide themselves?"
"Because," Luna said, turning the corner "they're not like other ponies."
The three of them found themselves in another corridor, this one near the top of the castle. Near the center of the corridor was a single door, emblazoned with a crescent moon like the one on Luna's flank. The end of the corridor dropped down another fight of stairs, leading to another part of the castle.
But the most interesting aspect of the hallway were the guards. Two ponies stood opposite each other at each end of the corridor and two more stood on either side of the door. All six were different from any pony Spirit and Fang had seen before. For the most they resembled pegasi, but their wings were leathery, their pupils were vertical reptilian slits and their ears had furry tufts. The armor they wore was a grayish indigo and displayed a bright blue eye-like piece on the breastplate. Unlike the other guards plumes, the helmets of these guards were topped with scaly-looking fins.
When the ponies at their end of the corridor saw Luna, they both knelt respectfully. "Welcome back, your Highness," the pony on the right greeted.
"Thank you, Overcast," Luna said. Then she continued. "My guards, the night guard, are all bat ponies. They came to us early in our reign, offering themselves as protectors. Celestia decided they should be my personal guards as they worked better at night, under the cover of darkness, although the bat ponies have trained so that they would be prepared to operate during the day too."
"Now I understand what you meant," Spirit said. "They must be strong to have survived while you were gone. Protecting without something to protect sounds difficult."
"They are strong, both in strength and will. They protected the citizens of Equestria without them even knowing. That's how they liked it."
"That's..... actually surprising," Fang murmured. "Usually, people want to be recognized for the things they do."
"Not so the bat ponies," Luna replied. "They fought against dragons, manticores and all kinds of creatures who wanted to cause trouble."
"Yet nopony knew nor wondered why their lives were so peaceful," Spirit said quietly.
Luna nodded sadly. "We've talked about it before, but they keep insisting it was how they preferred it."
They had arrived at the door. Luna lit her horn, enveloping the doorknob in a cobalt-blue aura. The moon on the door glowed, a lock clicked and the door swung open. "This is my room," Luna explained, walking inside. "Come on in."
Fang took one more peek down the hallway before following Luna. Spirit held back a bit longer, looking at the bat pony sentries by the door. When they noticed him looking at them, they turned their eyes on the blue unicorn stallion, the rest of their bodies unmoving. Like any well-trained guards, they didn't budge. Spirit admired them for that. Not many could hold their gaze against his own century-seeing eyes. He ended the staring and turned to enter Luna's room, noticing the two bat ponies relaxing as he stepped past them.
Luna's room was not quite what he'd expected. There were no huge windows with silk curtains, wall-to-wall wardrobes or enormous self-portraits, Instead, the walls were painted blue with white clouds patterns, decorated with banners and scenic paintings. Several bookshelves stood against the walls, stocked with various reading material. The bed was a decent-sized four poster and in the center of the room was a huge round mattress (possibly another bed) with a long pillow on one end. A particularly large telescope was set up on a balcony outside.
Spirit walked into the middle of the room and looked around. He was impressed by Luna's modest sleeping chamber, wondering if Celestia's was the same way. If so, the rulers of Equestria had just gained another point in his respect book.
Luna had curled up on the round mattress. Fang was seated on a pillow beside her. She levitated a second cushion to her side. "Come and sit, Spirit. We have a lot to talk about."
Spirit took off his saddlebags and sat down on the offered pillow. He watched Luna carefully. The alicorn was smiling like an excited child, much like Pinkie sometimes acted.
"Well, what do you think?" Luna asked.
"Very modest," Spirit admitted. "Not quite what I'm used to seeing in castles."
"Because most of the castles we've been in hosted rich, uptight, aristocratic jerks," Fang said brusquely.
"Ooh," Luna exclaimed. "Then you might want to be careful. Most of the Canterlot ponies are uptight dolts, only looking out for the very best to further themselves and increase what they already have so much of."
Fang looked disgusted. "How do you tolerate that? Can't you change them?"
"Me and Tia have tried, doing so carefully without upsetting them, but they're as stubborn in changing as they are in their ways."
"That's really unfortunate," Spirit sighed. "We were given this wonderful world, yet there are those among us who are never content with what they've been given. Maybe I should see if there's anything I can do about it."
"I'm sure you'll get your chance, Spirit," Luna said, "but why don't we discuss something else, maybe more relevant."
"Relevant to what?" Fang asked.
"How about dreams?"
Dreams. The word seemed to charge the air with mysticism as it left Spirit's mouth. When Luna heard it, her expression became shocked and amazed at the same time. "You would want to know more about dreams," she said shyly. "Especially after everything that happened to you."
"I recognize it now," Spirit realized, tapping the ground. "The aura surrounding you. It's the same as the one I felt in the dreamscape!"
"Come again?" Fang requested.
"When I was in the dreamscape on our first night in Equestria, I was chasing Silver, back when he was still misguided and confused. Something blasted him with a shaft of light and a voice called out to me. A shimmering orb appeared, like the moon only smaller, and inside it was an alicorn." Spirit stopped. "Now that I think about it, that alicorn I saw didn't look like Celestia. Heck, it didn't sound like Celestia. And Luna," he said to the Night Princess, "the aura you have is the same as the one I felt in the dreamscape, a powerful lunar energy. Buuuut you're too small, no offense. The alicorn I saw in the dreamscape was larger than you, but smaller than Celestia. Do you know anypony like that with a lunar-like aura?"
Luna stared into Spirit's eyes, her own eyes glowing like the moon she used to raise a thousand years ago. She turned her head away, hiding herself behind her mane, almost as though she were trying to avoid his gaze and for a moment. Spirit was worried he may have hurt her somehow but then Luna faced him again, her mouth split into a warm smile.
"Yes. I know the pony you're talking about."
Fang grinned. "Great! Who is it?"
"Me."
The green dragon made a choking sound and gaped. Spirit's reaction was much less emphatic but he was actually surprised at this, which wasn't something that happened to him a lot. He looked again at Princess Luna, comparing her to the pony from the dreamscape. They were nothing alike, aside from being alicorns and giving off lunar energy. The prophet just couldn't see how it was possible. "How?" he asked the Princess. "If what you're saying is true, then you entered the dreamscape, fired a beam of energy and grew a size. How did you do it?"
"I'm the Princess of the Night," Luna reminded. "As well as my task of raising and lowering the moon, I had the duty of helping the ponies of Equestria through their dreams. My magic gave me access to the dreamscape, and through it I could enter anypony's dream."
Fang nodded. "Mm hmm, that's how it works for us too."
"The dreamscape, or lunar plane as we sometimes called it, was my territory. I could draw on vast amounts of energy inside it, which is how I grew and blasted the manifestation."
"That's really impressive," Spirit commended.
"When I was banished to the moon, my sister Celestia took over my duties in the dreamscape, but since she had to do everything with me gone, the sun, the moon and the kingdom, she only had time for a peek into the lunar plane every night. Fortunately, nothing bad happened in the dreamscape all through my being gone. Until you guys showed up."
"Wuh oh," Fang uttered.
"The manifestation got into the dreamscape, not even suffering from the attempt," Luna went on. "This makes me worried. If these nasty monsters can get into the dreamscape, they'll be able to terrorize ponies in their sleep!"
"I understand why this makes you uneasy," Spirit said calmly, in hopes of relieving the Princess of her fears. "I've faced manifestations in the dreamscape before; I'm just not used to fighting them with unicorn magic. Entering the dreamscape requires a lot of strength so most manifestations can't do it. Silver is one of these exceptions, but now I'm beginning to wonder if there was something else to it other than his power."
"Speaking of Silver, where is he?" Fang asked.
Luna tilted her head. "Silver?"
"Oh right," Spirit muttered, remembering that Luna had never properly seen nor met their manifestation friend. "While we were in Ponyville, we found the manifestation that was in the dreamscape, along with another one who was harassing a passerby. They got into a fight, the first manifestation deciding he was through with causing others strife. That's when I stepped in and captured the second manifestation. I brought the first manifestation back to Ponyville, helped him with an identity crisis and offered him my friendship."
The alicorn princess was fascinated. "Is he all right?" she wondered. "I mean, is he all good or still a bit bad."
Fang looked at Spirit. "If you ask me, I'd say he's afraid of being bad, that he might revert back to his original state of evil," the dragon replied
Luna stood up. "Then we'd best do everything we can to make him feel safe. Where is he?"
"We all split up when we tried to look for you after the vase smashed," Spirit said. "Storm Runner told Silver to head for the armory."
"Got it." Luna walked to the door, poked her head out and tapped one of the bat pony guards. "Echo, take Overcast and go down to the armory. If you see a black pegasus with a red eye cutie mark, bring him up here."
"Yes, your Highness," the guard responded. "At once."
"Oh, and try not to sound like you're arresting him," Luna added, giggling at the thought.
"Of course, you Highness." Echo trotted down the hall, whispered a few words to Overcast and the two bat ponies disappeared down the stairs.
Luna reentered her room and sat back down on her cushion. "That should do the trick," she said to Spirit and Fang. "All we have to do now is wait."
"I do hope Silver didn't get into trouble with the guard," Fang mumbled. "Even if Storm did tell him what to say if he was seen by other ponies."
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Spirit said confidently.
"Don't worry, guys," Luna assured them. "Echo Barrage is a great Captain. He's been the leader of the bat ponies since before my return and they trust him with their lives."
Fang scrunched up his face in confusion. "Echo Barrage is Captain of the guard? How do the other ponies feel about that?"
"No no, he's only the Captain of the night guard," Luna explained with a laugh. "The Captain of the Canterlot guard is Shining Armor."
"Haven't seen him yet."
"You'll get your chance."
Spirit got up from his cushion and walked to the entrance of the balcony. He looked up at at the sun, then at Luna's bedroom door. "How long do you think Echo and Overcast are going to be? Also, when will Celestia return?"
"The armory is below the ground floor, so they may take some time. As for my sister—"
FWOOOOOOSH!
A ray of sunlight, brighter than normal, poked out of the clouds and touched down in the castle grounds. From between the clouds, Spirit could see a tiny chariot emerge and begin rumbling down the unnatural shaft of light towards Canterlot Castle.
Luna rolled her eyes and grinned. "Yep, she's on her way now."
"How do you know?" Fang asked. "Ooh ooh, do you have some kind of psychic connection? PLEASE say yes, I want it to be something I can comprehend."
"Fang, you comprehend more things than any other Republican," Spirit teased.
"I can sense Celestia's presence," Luna said. "Can't you?"
The dragon tilted his head. "Ee-chu what?"
"Come, I'll show you." Luna got up and led Fang to the balcony, where Spirit was already standing. "There, see her coming?"
Fang squinted. "What am I looking at? Other than a whole new world that I have yet to explore."
Luna pointed at the ray of sunlight. "Look, over there. Can't you see it?"
"See what?"
Sighing, Luna turned to Spirit. "Is he messing with me? I'm finding it hard to tell."
Spirit took a minute. "It's possible that Fang can't see the ray of light because it's hidden. Celestia probably doesn't want ponies seeing her mode of transportation and freaking out, so she shields it with her magic."
"Either that or you're both on the Over-Powered level," Fang muttered humorously. "Only excuse for seeing other stuff."
"Now that was sarcasm," Luna declared happily.
"Yep."
The three of them watched as Celestia's chariot came into focus, to the point where even Fang could see it. When the chariot's wheels touched down in the castle grounds, Luna turned away. "Come along, then."
"Where are we going?" Fang wondered, following the alicorn inside.
"To my sister's chambers." Luna opened her bedroom door and waited until Fang and Spirit were outside. "That's where she'll be heading after she comes back from whatever she encountered in Fillydelphia. We'll meet her there."
Spirit frowned. "What if Echo and Overcast come back with Silver and we're not here?" he asked as they hurried down the hallway, past the bat ponies guarding Luna's chambers.
"The other guards will tell them where we've gone," Luna assured. "Now come, let's hurry!"
She shot down the stairs, leaving Spirit and Fang to catch up as best as they could. They ran back into the entrance hall, but instead of going down the stairs they went up the corridor leading to the left, which was much like the one leading to Luna's chambers. They dashed through a number of corridors and hurried up several flights of stairs before coming upon a hallway dotted with guards. In the middle of the hallway was a door bearing a large sun.
Luna walked up to one of the guards standing by the door. "Is my sister here?"
"Yes, your Highness," the pegasus replied, gesturing with his head. "Will you go see her?"
"Yes. And these two are coming with me." She pointed at Spirit and Fang. "Also, if any of my guards come by with a black pegasus, please tell us."
"Of course, your Highness."
Luna stood in front of the door, Fang and Spirit on either side of her. She took a deep breath, then knocked on the door. "Celestia?" she called out.
A silence followed, interrupted only by series of light clacks coming from behind the door. Then the knob jiggled and the door opened, revealing the white alicorn princess, tall and impressive just as she was earlier.
"Good afternoon, Spirit Guide, Fang," she greeted when she saw the two friends. "It seems you both got here just..." Then her eyes came to rest on the middle figure and her mouth closed. Celestia focused on Luna and Luna on Celestia. The Princesses locked their eyes on each other and blinked very little. Spirit twitched his horn through the air and felt a very solid connection existing between the two alicorns, the kind of which he only saw between the very best of friends.
Finally, Celestia spoke. "Welcome back, Luna."
What followed was something beyond Spirit's expectations, but within Fang's. Luna threw herself at Celestia, wrapping her hooves around the larger alicorn's neck at they both tumbled into Celestia's bedchambers. "I'm so happy you're back!" Luna squealed, rolling around on the floor with Celestia. "It was so hard to get myself to leave my room, but when you left the whole place just felt so empty, even with the guards all over the place."
Spirit raised an eyebrow at Fang, but the dragon just smiled and walked inside. Still taken aback, Spirit followed and shut the door. Inside, Celestia and Luna had untangled themselves and were now seated beside each other on a mattress exactly like the one in Luna's room. In design and decor, Celestia's room was much like that of her sister's, featuring a bed, sky-like walls, various weaving and artwork, books and astronomy equipment on a balcony. Very much like Luna's room indeed.
"Right, it's official," Spirit announced as he took the cushion Celestia had levitated to him. "You and Luna are two of the most modest rulers of flesh and blood I have ever encountered."
"Thank you, Spirit," Luna replied, leaning her head against Celestia's neck. "We try to make sure the ponies of Equestria have all they need, and we happily sacrifice our own desires for their needs."
"Yes yes, very admirable," Fang said nonchalantly. "Should we start talking now? We did come all the way from Ponyville, after all."
Spirit felt no need to chastise Fang over his informality, and right he was. Celestia reacted with the utmost calmness, another thing he admired. "Of course. We shall speak of many thing concerning preset situations."
Fang waved his arms in front of him. "Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge your being together. I myself can't get enough time with my own companions, but the fate of Equestria and many lives are at stake as long as you are ignorant of the threat."
"He's right, Tia," Luna said. "We need to exchange what knowledge we have so that we can fight whatever it is we're facing and so that they—" She waved to Spirit and Fang. "—will better understand the workings of Equestria."
"You're right, Luna." Celestia gave their two guests a long look. "I'm sure you both have much to tell us."
"More than might be possible to remember," Fang commented. "Shall we begin?"
Before anypony could reply, there was a knocking at the door. "Your Highness?" the guard called. "Two night guards are here with the black pegasus you mentioned."
"Oh, that'll be Silver." Spirit stood up. "Shall I let him in?"
The two alicorn sisters nodded. "Yes."
Spirit walked to Celestia's bedroom door and opened it. Standing in the hallway were the two bat ponies Echo Barrage and Overcast, and standing between them, beaming his sharp teeth, was Silver. He gave the bat ponies grateful smiles. "Thanks guys. I would never have been able to find this place on my own."
Echo grinned and gave the manifestation a hard pat on the flank. "You behave now, Silver. Hope to see you again."
"Mmm," Overcast hummed, his expression stoic as any royal guard. Then the two night guards turned and trotted down the hall to resume their posts.
Silver followed Spirit into Celestia's room. "Whoa. You've got a nice setup here, your Highness," Silver complimented.
Celestia smiled. "Thank you, Silver Shade. Come, we were just about to begin."
"Oh right. Disasters and evil." Silver came to a stop between Spirit and Fang, facing the two sisters, picked his hooves off the floor and started to hover. "I'll have much to contribute to the conversation ahead."
"We all do," Luna said.
Fang linked his fingers together. "With all due respect, your Highnesses, we should probably tell you about ourselves before we discuss anything else."
Celestia and Luna exchanged glances, then nodded together. "As you wish, Fang," Celestia said.
And so for several hours, Spirit and Fang recounted their tale, their travels through the dimensions, their many encounters with every living being imaginable, the countless battles they had partaken in. Whenever manifestations were mentioned, Silver joined in the conversation, offering every detail of his kind that was related. The Princesses were good listeners. Celestia nodded from time to time, but Luna kept asking questions, particularly ones concerning the dreamscape and what the two Republicans and the manifestation knew of it.
It wasn't until Celestia rose that Spirit and Fang stemmed their flow of information. "You have shared much with us," she told them, "but evening falls and Luna and I must fulfill our most important duties: lowering the sun and raising the moon."
Luna looked crestfallen. "I don't think... I'm still not comfortable with raising the moon, Tia," she confessed to her sister.
"I thought you always raised the moon," Fang said, spreading his arms aimlessly.
Celestia shook her head. "Ever since her return, Luna has felt incapable of resuming her old responsibility. Although she still enters the dreamscape, she still refuses to take charge of the moon."
"I just don't have the strength anymore, sis!" Luna cried, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Nightmare Moon was defeated, but she left me with nothing. Less than nothing! I've been reduced to a wailing child. My magic's about as strong as the average unicorn on the street. I only just managed to help Spirit in the dreamscape and that was with the lunar plane lending me its power. I just can't do it!" Luna lowered her head and the tears flowed freely, dampening the plush mattress beneath her.
Spirit watched the previously sprightly alicorn princess descend into sobs. The sight was so disheartening he had to look away, which allowed him to see how the others were handling the situation. Celestia looked saddened by her sister's condition, but at the same time prevented herself from comforting Luna. Fang was twitching uncomfortably, the whole scene making him feel skittish. Silver had abandoned it completely, curling up into a cloud of smoke with only his eyes and front hooves peeking out.
Luna will never overcome her fears and doubt if nobody assists her, Spirit reasoned, but Celestia fears too, of upsetting her further.
A strong feeling suddenly overcame Spirit. A need to protect, to help, to guide the troubled alicorn princess. He rose up from his cushion, shifted forwards and pulled Luna into a hug. The sudden action shocked everyone, including the blue pony who's head now rested on Spirit's shoulder. "Wh-wha?" Luna stammered. "What is?..."
"You've been through so much, faced unimaginable hardships, and were left in the darkness, ironic as it was, with no way out," Spirit murmured in his most calming voice. "Yet even now, you have succumbed to your most dominant feeling, this time being your fear. Fear of failure. You don't want to upset anypony and you fear that with Nightmare Moon's draining you of your former strength, you're only chance is to fail. But that's not the case."
Luna sniffed. "Ever since I came back, ever since I was in Ponyville, I never showed myself to the public. I hid myself away, barely seeing my own sister. In those lonely hours I would think to myself how good life used to be for us all, before I gave in to my jealousy." She lowered her head against Spirit's back. "But would they accept me now, even after all I've done?"
Spirit held Luna in front of him, his blue eyes full of passion and understanding. "Everyone around you wants you to be the best that you can be. Your subjects, your guards, even your own sister. They care for you, Luna. For a thousand years, you were only a legend to them, a memory long gone. Your absence has given some ponies a false image. Celestia may have raised the moon in your place, but she never truly wanted it."
"It's true." Celestia drew close to the two ponies, barely holding back her own tears. "Each night as I raised the moon, all I could think about was you, Luna, and how we would stand side by side as we each did our own task." She raised one wing and Spirit stepped back, allowing the white alicorn to embrace her sister. "Whenever I would enter the dreamscape, an image of you would assail me, reminding me of the good times we had, before allowing me to do my duty. Even the bat ponies remembered you, visiting our old home and sending me letters annually."
"So weak," Luna whispered, leaning against Celestia's chest. "I don't have the strength to continue."
"You do have the strength," Silver insisted, pulling himself together into a solid form. "It's just not how you would think you do."
"True strength comes from the heart," Fang said sincerely. "It doesn't matter how much power one has; without heart and something to fight for, they will always be weak."
Luna raised her head, just in time to meet Spirit's gaze. The two ponies locked eyes. "You have been hiding yourself from nothing but your fears, Princess Luna. Overcoming them is the only way you'll get your strength back." As Spirit spoke, stars shimmered around his eyes, giving a new and more-accurate definition to the idiom 'starry-eyed'. "And I'll be here to help you face your fears."
"I will, as well," Celestia promised.
"Me too," Fang agreed.
"Friends help each other," Silver declared.
For a moment Luna just sat there, eyeing the four beings offering their support in her personal inner battle. She couldn't fully remember how she had felt the day she'd given in to the darkness that made her Nightmare Moon, but she was quite sure that it was the opposite of what she was feeling now. Feelings of belonging, confidence and safety filled her. The relationship she shared with the bat ponies, she realized, was more than just one of allegiance. It was a bond of trust and companionship, the bright side of the dark.
"You're right," Luna said at last. "I can't keep hiding away and shirking my responsibilities. Equestria has been going for a long time without me, but now it's time to change that." She stood up on her hind legs and yelled out in a voice that shook the room. "WITH OUR FRIENDS BY OUR SIDE, WE SHALL REMAIN FAITHFUL AND DO OUR BEST TO BECOME THE PONY WE ONCE WERE, WITHOUT THE DARKNESS!"
Spirit, Fang and Silver were all blown over by the strength of Luna's voice. Celestia smiled at her sister. "Your Royal Canterlot Voice is already reimproving," she noted. "That's a good start."
"Was it absolutely necessary to end your sentence with ear-perforating volume?" Fang inquired, rubbing his head unsurely.
"And that medieval-ish speech," Silver added, peeling himself off the floor
Celestia chuckled. "The Royal Canterlot Voice was an old tradition of ours, which we used whenever speaking to our subjects. Luna here was unnaturally good at it. But as time wore on the Voice got old and, like some traditions, was shelved."
"Definitely some traditions," Spirit emphasized.
"You mean you don't use the Canterlot Voice anymore, Tia?" Luna asked. She did sound a bit sad.
"Well..." Celestia said, suppressing a guilty smile. "Only when meeting very stubborn ponies who needed some sense shouted into them."
Luna laughed at this. The sound was so contagious that everyone else started laughing too. Once everypony had calmed down, Celestia stood up. "We have yet to lower the sun and raise the moon. Afterwards we'll have dinner together. How does that sound?"
"Did somepony say 'dinner'?" Fang asked energetically. "Cause I haven't eaten most of the day. I barely had a snack on the run."
Spirit heard his stomach growl, as well as two others grumbling in agreement. "Food sounds like a good idea, but I would like to see how the sun and moon are moved."
"It'll certainly be different than what we're used to," Silver said.
Celestia nodded. "Then it's settled. We shall tend to the sun and the moon, then we will all have dinner together."
"All of us together," Luna said.
Celestia walked to the door and spoke to the guards, who rushed down the hallway. Then she returned and said, "Come out onto the balcony, everyone. Will you try to raise the moon tonight, Luna."
The younger alicorn smiled sadly and shook her head. "Not tonight, Tia. I may be reassured that I'll get stronger, but I'm not ready to take the moon again yet."
"Whatever you wish, dear sister." Celestia hugged Luna, then made her way to the balcony.
Fang leapt up and followed the white alicorn to the balcony. "C'mon, guys," he called to the three ponies in the room. "It's time to watch the moonrise!"