//------------------------------// // MLP: Lunar's Return pt 4 // Story: MLP: Lunar's Return // by Lunar_Star //------------------------------// “Well I have nothing set up for the rest of the day aside from a few friends showing up…oh I almost forgot, Rainbow Dash and Rarity are supposed to come over later.” I looked about the place before back to the young unicorn. “Well I can come back another time if you wish?” She shook her head. “No no, I have read so many stories about your bravery along with the princesses. To be honest I am a little intimidated. My brother Shining Armor wanted to be just like you.” Hearing that other wished to be like me was kind of flattering but still I smiled to her. “Well if you wish to know, all you need do is ask.” I reached into my saddle bag and pulled out the tome I had borrowed and placed it upon the table. “Firstly the drawing looks nothing like me.” Twilight looked at the drawing within the book then at me and giggled a little. “I think you’re right but I want to learn more about you, like where were you born? Who were your parents? When did you and the princess meet?” I placed a hoof to her mouth to silence her. “One question at a time.” I walked over and sat before her and smiled. “To be honest I do not know where I was born nor do I know whom my real parents are. I was raised by a couple, a unicorn and Pegasus, Red Storm and Night Hawk. They found me outside their doorstep. This was a very long time ago though.” I thought back to that time and smiled to myself. “I had met Celestia when we were young. Though I guess in our terms young means only a hundred years old. At this time Equestria was not Equestria. It was controlled by a spirit of chaos known as Discord.” “Discord?!” I had seen her reaction, she knew of just whom I was talking about. “Yes he once ruled this area with nothing but chaos. Celestia and Luna had seen the misery that the ponies of this land and decided to do something about it, though this was many years after we met. Back then Canterlot didn’t exist. Celestia and Luna lived within a castle in what you call the Everfree Forest. Over time I too resided within those walls.” I watched as the unicorn mare hung on to my every word. I suppose learning things first hoof from the one who was actually there would be a bit of a rush. “There is one thing I still don’t understand, why...” I knew what she was going to ask so I stopped her before she could speak further. “You want to know why I fell in love with Celestia?” The unicorn nodded. “It’s a fair question. I cannot say that you do not know what it means to be in love because I do not know you well enough but...” I had to gather my thoughts in order. It was a hard question to answer and I had to give it my best. “When I first met her, I did not think much of it at first. She was a princess and I at the time was nothing but a commoner. But the more time we spent together the more I realized…” I took a deep breath. “She was captivating. Everything about her made my heart soar. Her grace, her intellect, her deep kindness. She was more than just what was on the outside. I did not see her as royalty…I saw her as a deity.” I was about to continue answering Twilight’s question but could not when her friends arrived. “Oh Moon, we did not expect to find you here. We had heard both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were here not too long ago, what happened?” Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash walked up to Twilight and myself. “That would be my fault. They came here because of me.” I sighed softly. “What did you do darling? What could you have possibly done to have both of them show up?” I could see the two of them wanted answers. Only Rainbow Dash and Twilight knew of my true identity. Taking a deep breath I looked to the two of them before I spoke. “My name is Lunar Star, first knight of Equestria and Champion of the Princesses. I am sorry for not telling you truthfully but there were certain circumstances that I could not speak of at the time.” I looked about the three of them. The only one that seemed to be dumbfounded was Rarity. “Awesome, I mean I knew who you were but that you’re the first Knight it’s so totally cool.” Rarity and Twilight both looked at the cyan Pegasus. “What? AppleJack knows too.” “How did the two of you find out?” I could tell that both Rarity and Twilight were a bit surprised that two of their friends had known of me before them but I think Twilight was even more so since she out of them all knew more about me. “Well I was trying out one of my show stopping tricks when I didn’t pull up fast enough and collided with Lunar. AppleJack must have seen what happened and came over to find out how I was.” It was then I stopped her where she was. “They both had found me and like yourself, were a bit shocked to find these.” Slowly I lift my wings from up under my cloak. “Yup that’s about right.” It was at that moment I had felt something, like a pull. I could not describe it but it was so much that I had to follow it. “Sorry girls but I have something to take care of. I’ll see you all later.” Without waiting for their responses I left the library and walked through town, following whatever it was that seemed to be calling me. I made my to the outskirts of town and looked where it had been leading me. “The Everfree Forest. Why am I not surprised.” Taking a deep breath I went in. No pony knew where I was headed and to be blunt, neither did I. But on I went, well past Zecora’s home. As I ventured deeper into the forest it seemed to be getting darker yet I knew that it was only early that afternoon. It was then that I began to get this eerie feeling running up my spine and then I knew. I was close to Sunny Town. If they saw me I know that they would remember me so to not take any chances of running into any of them I took flight. Flying high above the trees was by far the easiest way of doing things. I could see a faint light in the distance and knew just by looking at how the glow was that that was Sunny Town. Luckily for me the force I felt that drew me was not coming from there. So I turned slightly right and headed further into the forest. It was another ten minutes before I had landed just outside of a large dilapidated structure. The more I looked over the crumbling walls and shattered glass windows the more I realized just where I was. Memories of a time long gone came flooding back to me and I pushed open the only set of doors still standing. As I walked into the room, a visage of an age gone by came back to me. I could see the staircase that Celestia, myself and a filly Luna used to play on. “Watch this Tia.” I watched as the younger me hoped up upon the railing and rode it all the way down to the bottom. I had done a back flip off it and landed on my hooves. “Lunar are you nuts? You could have been hurt or worse.What would mother and father say if they saw that?” Luna all the while giggled and clopped her hooves. “Luna liked it. Sheesh Tia your such a party pooper. Besides Solaris and Evening Star are not here, they went south to take care of some duties.” I was colt through and through. Not thinking about my own safety just wanting to have fun. “Still mother and father asked that I watch you till they get back.” I watched as the younger me scoffed at her words. “I’m not a baby Tia and you are only older then me by what, a century? I can take care of myself. Besides just you watch one day i am going to be a brave warrior. I will protect all the world.” I shook my head at that boast. To think how right I was then. A sound of falling rocks snapped me out of my flashback and I turned around fast to see what had caused it. Seeing nothing I looked back around me to see if I was alone. As I did, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. It was a bluish black mist that seemed to stay to one corner of the room. I couldn’t tell what it was until I saw it slowly move out into the open. The mist had moved from its hiding spot out to the middle of the room I was in. It stayed there for a time before I caught something seem to form within it, a single cerulean eye. It was slit much like that of a feline. I lowered my head and flared my wings, the tip of my horn started to glow. “What are you monster?” A voice softly echoed through the room. “Monster? I thought you most of all would know the princess of the night.” Slowly before my eyes a pony rose from the mist. Her form was nearly transparent but one could still make out her features. Her coat was a midnight black, her wings were well defined. She stood about Tia’s height. Upon her head she wore a blue helmet and neck guard. Her mane and tail were the mist itself and seemed to twinkle like she had stars in her mane. Upon her flank I saw a very familiar cutie mark. “Nightmare Moon.” The mare chuckled softly. “I was, once but the powers of the Elements of Harmony unfortunately defeated me and thus removing me from Luna. It is also that power that has kept me imprisoned here.” The mare then sat where she was. “If it were me I would have made sure you never return. I read about what you did. Trying to create eternal night. Did you ever think of the consequences? Plants need sunlight to live, without the warmth the sun brings the world would slowly freeze and ponies would die.” The mare seemed to take what I said to heart. She then lashed back at me. “Do you think I wanted it to be so? All i wanted was a little acknowledgment for my work. I spent hours making sure that the stars in each constellation were just right, made sure that the moon shone just so. I poured my heart into those nights and not one pony thanked me. What did they do? They slept thought it without giving it another thought.” I could see the frustration in her eyes, the pain and the feeling of rejection. She looked down and shook softly before a few tears dropped from her eyes. Seeing all this I did start to feel sorry for her. She was not a monster, not evil. She just felt that the ponies didn’t appreciate her. I made my way to her and stood before her for a moment before lightly draping my wing over her. I heard he gasp softly as she looked up to me. Smiling softly I nuzzled her cheek. I could tell that she didn’t know what to do but I did. “I am sorry Luna. I know how that must have felt but you are better then that.” Her eyes grew wide at the name I had called her. It’s true thought they were not one anymore, Nightmare Moon was indeed a part of Luna, the little Alicorn I had always seen as a sister. The cerulean cat eyed mare looked up to me before burying her head into my chest and sobbed. I then gently wrapped my wings around her in hopes to comfort her. “It was you who called to me. You who needed me.” The black mare looked up to me with her teary eyes. “I may not be apart of Luna anymore but I still have her memories, her feelings. I knew if I called Celestia she would do away with me. So I reached out to you, my brother. I would hope that you would see things differently.” I nodded to her and stayed close to her. “Lunar I want you to take me from this place.” “I am not sure how. I mean if the Elements are what keeps you here, How can I free you from their grip?” My question was soon answered as the black mare kissed me deeply. The initial shock took me by surprise but was even more odd was that she slowly began to fade away until nothing was left. Looking around I could not see her. It was then that her voice rung out in my head. “Do not fear Lunar for I am with you. I have given myself to you and thus what was left of my powers. This is the only way that I can leave this place once and for all. Please dear brother, help me.” Placing a hoof to my chest I look to the door in which I had come from and walked over to it. I took one more look at the decrepid castle that lay around me and the memories of this place now fresh in my mind. I turned and walked away.