//------------------------------// // Once Upon A Time In the Magical Land of Equestria... // Story: Little Star // by Admiral Q Ponyform //------------------------------// Celestia looked after Twilight, while Spike prepared snacks. All of Twilight's new friends and fellow Element Bearers had arrived. They all gave her bows and greeted her. She nodded and smiled at them until she heard a groan. Everypony looked over to Twilight and saw her get up. Twilight looked up to Celestia with her lavender eyes, eyes that gave Celestia some relief for the time being. Twilight would be more rational, right now. Well, more rational than the mare usually is when things go awry. “Princess, your mane! What happened?” Twilight asked hysterically. “I'm just tired, Twilight. I had to use a lot of magic.” “Oh, okay. But why are you here? I thought you'd be in Canterlot?” Celestia couldn't help the sadness in her voice. “Twilight, something has happened to you.” Twilight eyes went wide, and she unknowingly flared her wings. “What!? What happened? Am I sick? Am I dying?” “Uh, Twi, look behind you.” The mare named Applejack said. Twilight did so, her mouth open as if to ask the mare why, when she noticed her wings. She just stared at them, and Celestia noticed an ear flick a couple of times. She knew what that meant. Twilight was on the verge of a breakdown. Celestia saw one of Twilight's hooves slowly go up and tap her horn. Twilight seemed to relax a fraction at that. She did, however, turn back around. “Princess! I'm an alicorn! Why am I an ALICORN!?” “It will be explained as soon as Luna arrives. Until then, please, be calm, my student.” She saw Twilight try to relax until, thankfully, the sound of a winged pony was heard and the door opened. “Sister, why is there a hole in the...wall?” Luna started until she noticed Twilight. Or rather, until she noticed Twilight's wings. A sense of realization appeared on her face, and she looked at Celestia with fear. “Sister, please tell me that thou didn't? PLEASE!?” Celestia didn't respond, but that was all the answer Luna needed. A cold look overtook Luna's face. “Thou and I will have words later, DEAR sister.” “Forgive my rudeness, but can somepony PLEASE tell us why Twilight is an alicorn and why she attacked Princess Celestia?” Rainbow Dash asked impatiently. Luna looked a tad shocked, hearing that. “Of course, but first allow me to fix this hole and put a privacy dome over us,” she said. They saw her go over to the hole, and, with her horn glowing, they all saw the hole close up, and soon it was like it was never there. “Thank you, sister," Celestia said, "I believe you should begin. It does start with you, after all.” Luna took a deep breath before saying, “Very well. The tale of Nightmare Moon started one thousand and eight years ago...” * * * * * * Luna looked on with relief at the sight of her citadel. The Citadel of the Stars was her haven for her precious bat-ponies. She discovered them a century after the defeat of Discord. She became their savior when she protected them from the tribalism of the three primary pony tribes. They became her guard, her sword and shield. They loved her night when others shunned it. She could have arrived at the citadel faster on her own, but she had to take the chariot back. Granted, she wished she didn't have to leave the Citadel in the first place, but her sister requested her presence, so she had to go. Thank the night their meeting wasn't at Canterlot, though. That place drove her nuts. Honestly, she didn't know what her sister saw in the place. It was so out of touch with the rest of Equestria, which was saying something considering her current standing with her subjects. No, they met at the castle they built together in simpler days. She still had fondness for the place, but the Citadel was her home now. The Citadel was a fortress city carved on the top of a mountain. It housed all of the bat-ponies in Equestria and any ponies willing to live with them. Sadly, the number of ponies in residence was still too few, even after centuries of coexistence. The chariot landed on the balcony of what the locals have dubbed the "Midnight Castle". She liked the name and let it stick. Thanking her guards, she went into her quarters. “Welcome back, Mistress of the Night.” Luna couldn't help the smile on her lips as she saw her Captain of the Guard Darkwing. He was unlike most of her beloved subjects, as he wasn't a bat-pony. He was a regular pegasus. He had dark purple fur, red eyes, and a lavender mane and tail. “Always the flatterer, eh, dear Darkwing?” He just smiled. Luna continued, “Give me a minute to dismiss my spell." She dismissed her illusion, and her appearance became that of her preferred form. Her dark-blue fur was replaced with midnight black. Her mane went from a majestic blue calmly waving in the night to a wild purple starfield. It was a good thing that the Solar Guards stopped check for disguise spells. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem for her; she and her sister could assume different physical forms without magic. However, she had a very good reason the past few months not to do so. Darkwing looked lustfully at her regal form. “There's the mare I love.” Happiness filled Luna as she laid her larger form down on a couch to rest her legs. She had full proof of his love. She carried it in her enlarged belly. Darkwing had not only proven himself among her bat-ponies, who now consider him a brother, but he also proved himself worthy to be her husband. He even gave her a child, something that is hard for an alicorn to have. With all their powers, their near immortality, and even their being a union of the three primary tribes, is was hard for female alicorns to bear any offspring. However, Darkwing managed to impregnate her. They both looked lovingly at her belly containing one of her greatest treasures. “So," Darkwing began, "What did your sister want?” Luna sighed. “Oh, she asked me to check out some legal things, since my eyes can catch some things hers cannot, and she wanted to get my signature on a couple of things that need both of our approval. Oh! She also invited me to the Summer Sun Celebration.” “I'm guessing that you declined?” “Of course I declined. ONCE AGAIN, she has another holiday that is celebrated during HER day! That makes, what, ten different days they celebrate HER and HER DAY?” “Well, you do have three at night: Hearth's Warming, Nightmare Night, and the Grand Galloping Gala.” “Oh, yes! Hearth's Warming, the celebration of unity, yet my bat-ponies are still isolated from the other tribes. Nightmare Night? A night where the children scream in terror at the so called Nightmare of the Moon, and guess who is portrayed as that!? And the Gala, the most boring night of the entire year. Seriously, I do not know what my sister sees in that night. Not to mention that there is no love lost between me and the so-called nobility. They hardly deserve that title, anymore.” Darkwing looked into her now-draconic eyes with sadness. “Love, bring these concerns to your sister. I want her to know about us. I want her to know that she will be an aunt soon.” “Do you not think I've tried? She said that the ponies' behavior was just a phase that they would grow out of. Well, DEAR sister," Luna said, speaking to no one in particular, at this point, "it has been fifty years, and nothing has changed. If anything, things have gotten worse." She turned once more to Darkwing. "And telling her about us? My sister is naught but a gossip. If I tell her, then soon all of Equestria will know about us, and how do you think the nobility will respond? They will condemn you because you are not of proper breeding and will do everything in their power to drive you away. Not to mention how they'll treat our child. No, I will not endanger our family like that.” “Give her a chance, Luna. She's your sister. I think you can make her keep it a secret.” “Ever the optimist, I see.” Darkwing gave her a grin. “I got you, didn't I?” That did cause Luna to chuckle. “Touche. Now come here, my handsome stallion.” Her husband didn't need a second invitation. He climbed onto the bed and kissed his Mistress of the Night. They began to kiss passionately, until Luna interrupted it, the twinges of pain she felt becoming searing. “Love, as much as I would love to continue this, I think my water just broke.” Shocked, Darkwing flew to her rear. “Yes, honey, it did. Stay calm. I'll get the doctor.” He sped over to the door and wrenched it open. “GET THE DOCTOR! MY WIFE IS IN LABOR!” Luna managed a chuckle through the contractions. Her husband could be so precious at times. She winced as another contraction hit. * * * * * * During the next few hours, Luna felt she was in a battle for her life. She was practically a goddess. Giving birth should NOT be this painful. She roared, threw lighting, and tossed furniture around with her magic, the pain was so great. “Push!” “I AM PUSHING, YOU FOAL! I'VE BEEN PUSHING FOR THE PAST FEW HOURS! AHHHH!” She felt the pain and pressure finally ease, and she panted for a bit hearing the sounds of a foal crying. “Congratulations, Your Highness. It's a filly alicorn.” That shocked Luna. The chances of getting pregnant were low for her kind, and even when they did, many foals ended up being of one or, more rarely, two tribes. Having an alicorn child was possible, but extremely rare. She really beat the odds with this one. “Let me see her.” Her husband brought the foal over. She had fur of a color between her father's fur and his mane. Her own mane was a dark blue, matching the mane of Luna's old form, with purple and pink stripes going through it. She yawned, showing the sharp teeth that Luna's current form had, and when the foal opened her eyes, the parents saw that her eyes were a lavender color with slitted pupils, exactly like Luna's present eyes. “She's beautiful, Lulu," Darkwing said. “Yes. She has the best parts of both of us.” “What should we name her?” Her husband asked. 'That was the question,' Luna thought as she watched her daughter. Her fur did remind Luna of Darkwing, but it also reminded her of the Andromeda nebula she saw in her night sky. Or perhaps it reminded her more of when the sun was setting for a new night. Yes, that would do for part of the name. But what of the other part? While her daughter's hair would be like any other pony's for a mortal pony's lifetime, it will eventually end up like Luna's and her sister's, all starry and made of magic. That was it! “Her name will be Twilight Star. She is the bringer of new night, and among the greatest stars of my night." She looked at her foal lovingly. "Yes, you will my little Star.”