//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The heart of the moon // by keithsterling //------------------------------// "Hello! Can any pony hear me?” Luna calls When no pony answered, Luna proceeds ahead and found herself back in the Canterlot Royal Palace. Her hooves clicked on the tiled floor of the hallway leading to the royal family’s private living area. As she looked around, the hallway was empty. There were royal maids walking about their hallway doing they set responsibly to keep the royal palace going. But the most disturbing to her was the elite princess’s guard unit known as the Solar Guard who were not at their posts…If there was an emergency of course, the Solar Guard unit….wouldn’t being at their posts. Their posts would be filled with the royal guard unit members, but even they are not at their posts. With that in mind, Luna runs down the hallway at full speed to get to her sisters Celestia’s bed chamber and asked her what happened in the palace. Without stopping, Luna busted through her sister’s door and gasped. Lying on top of a blood stained rug was the body of her sister Celestia. She looked like she got into a battle with some pony using dark magic and was beating badly. Her body was covered from head to hoofs with scorch marks from a primary attack of the dark magic the black flame. The scene became even more heartbreaking to Luna when she saw a second pony with her front hoofs lying cross Celestia’s back trying to protect her. The body belonged to her niece Aurora; whose cutie mark was visible on her flank. “No no no no” Luna repeated over and over walking backwards out of her sister’s bed chambers back into the hallway, “Huh?” Luna exclaimed tripping over something behind her. Lying in front of her was a singed figures of her another niece Blueberry. Gathered round her were bodies of other ponies ranging from soldiers to servitors. She was using her healing skills to help those that need her. Before she was attacked herself to protect those patients under her care. Luna quickly got to her hoofs, her nostrils flaring as she stormed down the hallway knowing the only place left to go to escape from the palace would be the royal garden. The farther down the hallway she went, the more bodies of soldiers littered her path forcing her to leap or glide over the build-up of bodies of her and Celestia’s loyal troops. At the far end of the hallway, casually walking toward the royal garden exit, being guarded by the injured Princess Cadance and Princess Twilight, was a unicorn wearing the purple armor of Luna’s night guard. Tears streaked the cheeks of two princesses as they charged the magic in their horns in the hope to stop this unicorn before it gets away. Before Luna could warn Cadance and Twilight, the unicorn charged his horn, firing two jets of black flame at the same time towards the two princesses. They are quickly engulfed by the black flame. When the flame dies down, the princesses’ just drop, losing the crowns on their heads. The unicorn continues out the door passing the two princesses kicking the two crowns down the staircase into the royal garden. With a stony expression, Luna leaps high into the sky and glides over the head of the unicorn. She lands, whipping her body around her horn charge with her magic ready to put an end to this stranger that dares to hurt her family and friends. Luna’s breath catches in her throat, looking back at her was not a stranger, but her own blood Prince Somnus Silverlight, her nephew. Living purple flames flick from the corners of his light blue eyes. The power that she’s been helping to keep under control has finally taken over his body. It has changed this son of a once noble unicorn knight that she called friend…..into a creature of darkness and hate. Unable to bring herself to destroy her beloved nephew Luna, she fires her beam towards the staircase. It takes a huge chunk out of it she begins to weep. As dark Somnus walks past his weeping Aunt, he looks over his shoulder at Luna. “You have failed Princess you promised Somnus’s father that you would protect him from me but you can’t bring yourself to destroy your dear little Somnus. A pony like you that must live in shadows and never feel the warmth of his mother sun Very soon I’ll have full control of this pony and his power. This world will be mine and you can’t do a thing about it, dear Princess” Dark Somnus speaks in an evil voice as a menacing laugher echoes in Luna’s mind, “Auntie please…where are you? I can’t find you? I need you, it hurts” Somnus voice begging her to save him from his darkness. Unable to listen any more to the cries of her beloved nephew, Luna rolls up into a ball. Back in her office at the Canterlot royal palace, Luna wakes up in a cold sweat, her breath deep and heavy. The dream she just had shook her to her core, as her gold heart shaped locket floats up from under her collar. She opens it with her magic revealing a small picture of her with Aurora, Blueberry and Somnus. She never wanted to take this very picture with her two nieces and nephew, but the three of them tag teamed her until she gave in. Now this gold heart shaped piece of Jewelry is Luna’s most cherish possessing that anyone gave her. Luna floats the locket up to her lips and places a kiss on it, before floating it back under her collar. “….will I Fail?..will the dream come true will my little Somnus become the next Nightmare Moon following in his own aunt hoof prints? He cannot!. He would never survive the banishment as I did without losing all his senses. A pony, lost forever in the loneliness of his aunt own Moon.” Luna asked herself, looking through the window of her office at her moon hanging in the night sky before her. Unable to take it anymore, Luna wrote a note and left it in Celestia’s bed chamber and teleported herself to her moon to calm her worried mind down. The following morning Princess Luna didn’t show up for breakfast with her family. Worried, Somnus started to search the Canterlot royal Palace for her. For hours he looked high and low for his missing aunt when he couldn’t find her, he spoke to his mother Celestia, who showed him the note Luna left for her in her room. After reading the note, Somnus’s chin sunk dejectedly into his chest. The note mentioned a promise his aunt made to his father, before he died. Not knowing what the promise entailed, a deep sense of sadness griped his heart. For some time now, Somnus felt as if his aunt was just going through the motions of caring for him. Now learning about the promise his aunt made has reinforced the unwanted feeling that now fills his heart. After telling his mother where he was going, Somnus charged the magic in his horn and teleported to Luna’s moon to get to the bottom of this promise and to learn, for himself, if she cares about him. A moment later, Somnus arrived on Luna’s moon a bit woozy because the spell used up a lot of his magic energy to perform it correctly. Somnus shook his head side to side, before heading off in search of his Aunt. “Auntie! Auntie! Where are you?” Somnus called He ran from one end of the moon to the other searching for his Aunt Luna on her moon. When he didn’t find her, he climbed up on top of a moon rock to let his own magic energy recharge so he could return to Equestria, not knowing that his aunt was on the backside of the rock he was sitting on. Slowly Princess Luna got to her hoofs. She stretched her wings a few times and cracked her neck. After meditating for a night Luna felt more able to fulfill her promise to Somnus’s father to protect his son from the darkness inside him. As Luna climbed up the rock, she froze in her tracks. In front of her, with his back toward her, was Somnus. She figured that his mother showed him the note and he came in search of her. As Luna approached Somnus, she stopped as he began talking to himself. “So my aunt Luna cares nothing about me, she only took me on as her student because father made her promise that she would protect me from this darkness I have inside me. (Form a dark energy ball in his hoofs) I should have known. Why would a princess like her, want a stallion like me as her student? Equestria has more mares than stallions. Why did I think any different. Maybe I should let this darkness have me, then my aunt will never have to keep that promise.” spoke Somnus down casted as tears filled his Aunt Luna’s eyes behind him. “How can you say that Somnus? I am your auntie. I am your Angel of darkness, I would never abandon you!” screams Luna causing Somnus to jump to his hoofs and turn around, “You should never let that darkness take control of you or become like her a bitter hateful monster that cares for herself and no other pony. That is not your fate, Somnus, and it will never be your fate.” Luna says disheartened running up to Somnus throwing her front hoofs around him in a hug, “Please don’t let the darkness take over, keep fighting. if not for me then for your own mother. If Celestia loses you. she may never recover from it,” Luna speaks with a glimmer of hope in her voice, “Auntie I am sorry” Somnus’s voice strained as he breaks away from Luna and walks away from her, “I must know Auntie, the promise you made to father did you do it because you love me and want to protect me or did you do it because father asked you to? I need to know.” Somnus has a worried look towards his Aunt. Slowly, a second memory starts to form in Luna’s mind. The night before Celestia’s husband death, Luna was up on her balcony about to start painting the night sky with her magic. A quickly, ageing, Prince Justice Silverlight, arrived, out of breath from the climb up the stair to her balcony. Luna was quite saddened to see this once, strong, unicorn stallion knight, who, a month earlier, could climb the stairs to her balcony quicker than her, is reduced to an elderly unicorn stallion. Justice smiles at her and sits down to enjoy the nighttime show. With that, Luna went to work painting the night sky to the enjoyment of this very noble unicorn stallion knight. With her work done for the night, Luna helped Justice back down the stairs leading him back into the Canterlot royal palace. Half way down the stairs, he stops and turns toward her. He tells Luna that, his son and her nephew, Somnus, has the same dark magic inside him that he does and could end up the same way. If there is no one to help him stay in control of that dark magic. The thought of watching another pony especially her little Somnus suffer like his father, hurt her greatly. Because Alicorn mares are not known to give birth to a stallion, but when it happened it was a gift to the Alicorn mother. “Please Luna; I need some pony to help Somnus stay in control of his dark magic Celestia is a magnificent mother to our foals. but she doesn’t know how powerful the nightmare force is and how easy it can take control of the pony who has the power deep inside them you do, and you beat it. Somnus needs a pony that understands what this magic is and know how to stay in control of it, But before you decide, Luna, let me say this, I don’t want you to say yes just because of our friendship. I want you to say “yes” because you dearly love him and want to protect him from the fate that cost you your freedom a thousand year ago.” Justice’s voice, in the memory sounds hopeful. A week later Prince Justice Silverlight dies in the hooves of his beloved wife Celestia, it has always been a very painful memory for Luna to relive. Because she was unable to tell Justice what her decision was and the dream brought it all back. ~back on the moon~ “Why Auntie!? Why?!” Somnus sounds more worried “….Because I love you my little Somnus just as much as I loved Justice.” Luna exclaims as her eyes start to glow solid, white along with charging her horn so she can begin to drain the dark magic out of Somnus, “I’m sorry my little Somnus this will not hurt I promise.” Luna spoke with a soothing voice that caused Somnus’s to relax as his own eyes started to glow solid white like his aunt. It was a sure sign that he was using the night magic she taught him. A kiss on his cheek establish link between Somnus and Luna when she accidently forced the magic to drain. Somnus snapped out of the trance his aunt placed on him so he wouldn’t fight back as she drained away his black magic. The magic duel she was hoping to avoid happened as Somnus fought as fiercely as she did to keep her from draining his black magic away. “Somnus please stops fighting me let me take the black magic.” Luna said, “I am doing this to protect you from my fate.” Luna says caringly, “How is draining away my black magic protecting me, Auntie?” Somnus inquiries, “You taught me black magic comes at a cost….” Somnus exclaims, “What will it cost you to take it from me?” Somnus inquiries, “……………” Luna is speechless, “You can answer me, Auntie but I know what it will cost me, my Angel of Darkness. My Aunt Princess Luna when she transforms back into Nightmare Moon Forget that she has a nephew she promises to protect and guide.” Somnus’s voice quavering as Luna let the link between her and Somnus slacken. Suddenly, from the dark side of the moon a second beam attaches to the beam between Somnus and Luna. It followed by a magic pulse that comes scream down the second beam. It turns and heads down Luna’s beam striking her, Knock her off the moon rock to the moon floor, severing the link between her and her nephew. Slowly, signs of life return to Luna as she staggers to her hooves. She shakes her head a few times to regain her senses. Then she spreads her wings to get back on top of the rocks where her nephew was. The moment she lands on top of it, her nephew collapses, drained of all his magic. Luna’s pulse roars in her ears covering the distance between her and her nephew in a matter of moments. She places her ear against his chest, desperately trying to detect a sign of life. As the minutes tick away, tears begin to form in her moderate cyan colored eyes until she hears a faint heartbeat. She rubs her snout through his mane. Before placing a kiss on his cheek, she whispers in his ear that she will get him home. “How predictable the very protective Aunt trying to save her beloved nephew from the fate that cost her, her freedom thousand year ago.” A mysterious King Sombra like voice speaks pleased, “It was so easy to manipulate Princess Luna. All I had to do was remind her of the promise she failed to give the answer because my good side died before she told him HAHAHAHA” The King Sombra like voice speaks more pleased. Luna’s eyes widen with alarm when, from the dark side of her moon a very dark blue Alicorn stallion appears (his mane and tail was dark brown in color, a gray band ran through his mane). He stares at Luna with blue reptilian eyes and smiled with fang-like teeth. A full moon cutie mark was visible on his flank. “Dream Eater!. what do you mean you manipulated me? No one manipulates Princess Luna! The Princess of Night!” Luna said boldly positioning herself between her nephew Somnus and Dream Eater knowing if he did manipulate her, his target was Justice’s son Somnus. “Aunt-tie-don’t try to-fight-him-you-can’t-beat-him-Take us home, Auntie.” Somnus says in a weak voice concerned for his Aunt Luna as she nuzzles him with her snout pleased that he is still alive. “I am sorry my little Somnus but I promised your father that I would protect you from Dream Eater I don’t want you to get hurt because of it good bye, my dear little Somnus.” Luna said, sadly, kissing him on his cheek as she teleports him back to Equestria in front of the hoofs of his mother Celestia who quickly takes him to his bed chamber and calls his younger sister Blueberry to help her brother. On the moon, magic bolts streak through the star filled sky as Princess Luna and Dream Eater continue their impressive battle of two powerful Alicorns. Unknown to Princess Luna, Dream Eater is just playing with her. The battle between them is just a show for Dream Eater. For he has already claimed his prize from Luna’s nephew Somnus. The black magic he drained out of the stallion’s body was his prize and his target. “You are starting to become an annoyance Princess!” Dream Eater screams irritated as she kept him pinned down behind a huge rock he was hiding behind. “Pain in the tail, Princess.” Dream eater comments wanting the Princess to stop firing her magic bolts at him so he can use his magic to escape with his prize, “Huh? Well that could be helpful.” Dream eater said noticing everytime Luna would land she wouldn’t put weight on her right front ankle. Quickly Dream eater shot his bolt right in front of Luna, causing her to leap backward to get away from the blast; leaving her bad ankle exposed to an attack. Luna unleashed a glass shattering scream as Dream Eater’s second bolt stuck squarely on her bad ankle. As Luna lies on the ground, her ankle throbbing, waiting for Dream Eater to finish her off a profound sadness washes over her. She fishes around, under her collar, searching for her gold heart shape locket. She finds it and opens it. “I am sorry Somnus your angel of darkness is not coming home this time. Please don’t give up the battle with your dark side you are just as strong as your father was maybe stronger.” Luna said softly, laying her head on the ground next to the locket as a strange magic energy surrounds her. At first she becomes uneasy; the magic energy was so foreign to her. She then feels a warm embrace wrapping around her lifting her up and teleporting her back to the Canterlot Royal palace. Blueberry gasps in stunned silence as her Aunt Luna suddenly appears in Somnus’s bed chamber. She quickly snaps out of it when she realizes that her aunt needs medical attention. After Blueberry treats Luna, she slowly gets to her hooves and limps her way over to Somnus’s bed side and rubs her snout on Somnus cheek. Knowing, it was his power that brought her back to the Equestria and Canterlot.