//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: The heart of the moon // by keithsterling //------------------------------// After the two days Princess Luna had gone through, facing her own heart, a tide of joy washed over her. Ahead of her lies a mission she knows she will never truly finish. That mission: to keep her promise to Prince Justice Silverlight and make sure to guide away his son Prince Somnus Silverlight from the easy path that dark magic offers. My dear little Somnus, ahead of both us is a difficult path to travel….but as your angel of darkness, I will guide you down that path and be there at your side….That is my promise to you; Luna thought looking at a framed crayon drawing done of her, by a five year old Somnus, depicting her not as the monster Nightmare Moon that most colts and fillies thought of her, but as an angel coming down from the moon to help every pony. An invigorated Luna exits her bed chamber door, ready to begin a new day as her nephew’s magic teacher and guide. Suddenly the echo of running hooves in the hallway gets Luna’s attention. Running toward her, at full speed, her eyes widen in alarm was her sister, Celestia. “Luna!” Celestia calls stopping in front of her, “Something’s wrong with Somnus. One of his royal maids went to wake him up and he didn’t open his eyes….” Celestia says in a panic, shifting back and forth on her hooves, “…..M...M….mmy son…..no…No….no…not my son….anyone but my son” Celestia grows maniacal. “Luna what happened on the moon? Why is Somnus not opening his eyes? Please sister, tell me what happened on the moon? What happened to my son on the moon?” Celestia voice edge with tension as tears begin to form in her light purple eyes, “Sister, please, I can’t lose him…..You know as well as me Alicorns don’t give birth to colts…He was gift to us, a chance for the moon princess and sun princess family line to continue on well after we fade into history….Please sister, tells me what happened?” Celestia sounds worried as tears begin to fall to the ground splashing in front of Celestia’s hoofs. Luna looks at Celestia and told her exactly what happed on the moon in every detail. She now got prepared; she knew Celestia was right; most Alicorns give birth to fillies and never colts. Luna explains to Celestia that she was trying to drain the dark magic out of Somnus. After a week of sleep he should have all his magic energy back and he will be his old self. Dark shadows form around Celestia’s eyes as she started to cry even harder, confusing Luna. “No sister…a week of rest will not help Somnus…If Dream Eater is involved, Somnus is going to die like his father (Luna gasp), By quickly aging…..but unlike his father, who was a full gown unicorn stallion….Somnus is not full gown…he will suffer longer than his father…to the point that, me, his mother, or you, his aunt, will have to choose to end his suffering by kill him….How can any mother or aunt choose to end the life of a child like that?” Celestia was disheartened as tears soaked her collar around her neck. “No! I refuse to let Somnus suffer…..I saw his father and my friend slowly waste away and it hurt me more than you think, Tia…..If the same thing would happen to Somnus, it will be ten times worse for me…..I would be unable to move on……I would break my promise that I made when Justice died: To protect his son from the darkness.” Luna in such un-imaginary pain as tears formed in her moderate cyan colored eyes. “What are you going to do sister?” Celestia inquired as a spark of hope returned to Celestia’s light purple eyes, “I will do what I can dear sister…..that son of yours is not just importance to you…..he is important to me.” Luna determined running down the hallway heading to Somnus’s bed chamber down the hall from his mother’s and sister’s bed chambers followed closely by his mother Celestia, who’d face brightened with every step taken towards the stricken son’s bed chamber. Luna pushes the door open with her hoof and enters Somnus’s bed chamber and she looks around. This is the first time she has ever set a hoof in Somnus’s bed chamber. Most of the time he meets her outside her own bed chamber to begin his lessons. As Luna looked around the room, her eyes fell on a framed picture sitting on his nightstand next to his bed. It was a picture of her, his aunt Luna. A single tear ran down her cheek when she realized how much this colt of Celestia cares about her and how much she would miss him if he is gone. As all the family photos have been dutifully cleaned, her photo has been carefully cleaned as if the photo was going to thank him for doing it. As Luna approached Somnus’s bed side a sudden spurt of adrenaline coursed through her veins. Lying in the bed was not her nephew, but a quickly aging unicorn colt that looked like her nephew. Suddenly he called out “Auntie” as if he was in an awful nightmare that his Aunt Luna can save him from. Luna lifts her hoof and places it on top of his leg. “Shhh…your angel of darkness has come….be strong my little Somnus.” Luna says softly running her hoof up and down his leg. With that, she quickly charged up her horn as it reaches full power, Somnus own horn reacts to it. Luna is very pleased that all the lessons she taught him up to now have stuck with him, a testament to her as his aunt and teacher. Luna’s eyes glow white and suddenly a flash draws her into Somnus’s dream world. She finds herself standing in front of a slowly dying forest path. She has a quick look around before she moves down the path in search of the Dream Eater shadow. Not too far down the path, she is hit very hard and flings back to where she started. Luna staggers to her hooves, shaken from the violent collision as she regains her senses. She gasps. Standing on the path in front of her was copy of her the same stature as Somnus’s mother Celestia. This Alicorn gave Luna a warning look, before speaking in her own voice. “I am Guardian Luna protector of Master Somnus Dream World….I will protect him with my life…Leave at once invader or pay the price!” Guardian Luna warns as she scratches the ground with her hoof, “I’m Princess Luna….the princess of night and moon that calms my beautiful subject….the colt I love very dearly has called to me to save him from this nightmare he find himself in….I beg you to step aside and allow me to save my dear little Somnus before it’s too late.” Luna says calm and humble, Guardian Luna is unmoved with calmness and humbleness of the real Luna as the Guardian’s eyes narrow with contempt, “How do I know you are who you say?! Where is your proof?” Guardian Luna said irately as she snort. Slowly the real Luna’s anger begins to build inside her knowing that the longer she delays with this Guardian the farther Somnus would fall into the darkness, “Last time I took some pony’s word!…..I lost my previous master!…..I will not make that same mistake that cost me my master!......I will not fail to protect my master’s son!......My master gave me another chance to make-up for failing him!” Guardian Luna said fiercely refusing to move from her place. Upon hearing, that Luna realizes that this Guardian’s previous master was Prince Justice Silverlight, Somnus father. Soon it came to her the proof the guardian wanted was heart shaped locket that Justice gave to her and the rest of his family and his chosen friends when he was getting sicker and sicker to remember him how he was. Then she remembered nothing from the real world can be brought into the dream world. Her heart dropped until something strange happened. A gold chain began to form around her neck followed by the heart shaped locket. A tear ran down her cheek as she looks down at the new necklace that now hangs from her neck. She closes her eyes and silently thanks Justice for coming to her aid even in death. This noble unicorn knight comes to his princess’s aid. She opens her eyes and looks up at the guardian. “Guardian! Is this the proof you want….the necklace Justice gave me?” Luna calls as the guardian looks at the heart shaped locket around Luna neck. “Yes…that’s master’s heart…has he died?” Guardian Luna’s voice quivering as a single tear forms in her eye. “Yes, now his shadow is trying to kill his son, I need to get past her before it’s too late.” Luna is very serious as the guardian drops her head, “If you want my help…..please tell me how did master die?” Guardian Luna is heartbroken, “The shadow that’s trying to kill his son…killed him…..If you want revenge….then help me” Luna comments as the guardian starts to glow brighter and brighter. Guardian Luna slowly starts to transform back into its original form, the form it was when it was Justice’s guardian. To Luna’s surprise, the form the guardian takes is that of her other niece Princess of Love Princess Cadance. Celestia told Luna how close Justice was with Cadance and through the several wars in Equestria after the death of the Tree of Harmony. Those two ponies were the closest they could be. “My uncle Justice never once seek revenge for anything……not even after your shadow guard hurt me when I was looking into the day of terror that you and Celestia covered up to protect your rule. I don’t seek revenge.” Guardian Cadance said in Cadance’s own voice as she shrinks to the size of the real Cadance. “I failed Master Justice….I will not fail his son Master Somnus….If you are here to save master Somnus follow me through the forest….before it’s too late.” Guardian Cadance firm as she runs off ahead of Luna following closely behind by Luna. What Luna thought would take several hours to get though only took a few minutes following Guardian Cadance, during the travel though the forest Luna starts to notice familiar gestures that Guardian Cadance was using that were not used by the real Princess Cadance. As Luna continues watching she finely recognizes the gestures belonging to her nephew Somnus. Her heart drops when she realized if she didn’t keep her anger in check when she first met Guardian Luna she would have killed the pony that she was trying to save. Because Guardian Luna is dream spirit of her nephew Somnus trying to keep the real Somnus from falling into loneness of the darkness she once fell into long ago. “Guardian Cadance drop the show!....I know who you are.” Luna says knowing as Guardian Cadance stops and turns around, “Why the games, my little Somnus?” Luna inquires as Guardian Cadance slowly starts to change forms again. This time, Luna’s face brightens when the form it takes was that of her nephew Somnus, his coloring seems to be subdued. But his eyes still sparkled with the love he has always shown her. Somnus runs up to Luna and hugs her tightly; his body was cold to the touch. After hugging her, he steps back and his spirit begins to fade in front of her. “I wanted to spend as much time as I had left with you my dear Auntie.” Somnus said gloomy as tears start to form in his eyes, “What do you mean had left?” Luna voice trembling, “I came this far to save you, my little Somnus……” Luna voice cracking, “I am sorry my dear Auntie but you are to late. This Guardian spirit was last of my own life force..…Please auntie, don’t blame yourself the moment the dark magic was being drained from my body. My life force was forfeited…..There was nothing a goddess like you could have done to change what happened….I will love you always my dear auntie….For my last wish Auntie please don’t seek revenge for me…..I don’t want that dark mare back….please Auntie don’t let that dark mare out….It will hurt mother more than me dying.” Somnus speaks slowly and sadly “No!” Luna shouts as her body slumped as she watches the pony she wants to save begin to fade away; she grasp hopelessly at the fading bits of her nephew Somnus’s life force. Till he toss her from his dream world back to the awaking world. ~back in Somnus’s bed chamber~ Slowly Luna gets to her hooves. A bleak, wintry feeling washed over her. As she looks around Somnus’s bed chamber the number of ponies had increased from when she first arrives to find only his younger sister Blueberry using her healing skills to help her brother. Now in the room, Luna finds his older sister, Aurora, her beautiful features fallen, sitting next to her as sad as her was their cousin Princess Cadance. She had her husband’s Shining Armor with her trying his best to comfort his grief-stricken wife. Also sitting with Cadance and Aurora was Princess Twilight Sparkle and Miss Rarity, both ponies were close friends with the Silverlight unicorn family and Justice. Gathered around the very grief-stricken Celestia was Somnus’s grandmother Shimmering Diamond, his great grandmother Ophelia and his two aunts Serena and Seer. Like shining armor, they were trying their best to comfort Somnus’s mother Celestia. Beyond Celestia and Justice’s family standing on the balcony outside the room looking at the royal garden were two Pegasus mares Anita Stormchaser one of Justice’s oldest friend and her daughter Carina Stormchaser. “….sleep well….My little Somnus…” Luna sadden as she let tears roll down her cheek, kissing him on his fore head, “I…I need a moment alone…dear Blueberry.” Luna tells Blueberry who is heartbroken on the inside, “Don’t blame yourself Auntie….Somnus would not like you to do that….He loved you and he knew that you would try your best to help .” Blueberry is very calm and collective as Luna nuzzles her. Listening to what her niece Blueberry said didn’t help to ease Luna’s broken heart from the lost of her nephew Somnus. Outside Somnus’s bedchamber, a trail of tears leads from his door through the palace hallway to the royal cemetery. Sitting in front of Justice’s grave her eyes bloodshot from crying was Luna. The royal cemetery was unusually quiet no birds sung those songs and no breezes blew. “….I am sorry…I…failed to…..protect him…..” Luna snivels as her tears continue to keep rolling down her cheeks splashing on Justice’s grave marker.