//------------------------------//
// Chapter Six: Echoes of the Past Part Two 
// Story: Princess of Shadows, Darkness, and Light 
// by jwizard 
//------------------------------//

Equus, Kingdom of the Moon, 06-06-05, 9:34 A.M. A.N.M (After Nightmare Moon)


The light of Sol shined down upon the dark side of Lune, bathing it in a radiant light. The lengthening shadows demonstrated that the moon was now on the far side of Equus, lifting and moving the tides in the Western Oceans.

As the light passed by the towers of a magnificent palace, one could see the shine of crystal as the sunlight glinted off the towers. The palace in question was a jewel of pony construction, and had stood the test of time for centuries. Made up of both fused moon rock and moon crystal, the Crystal Moon Palace rivaled that of Canterlot in sheer scope, and matched it in majesty. One could even say that it surpassed it in many regards, as it was more than just a palace.

On a balcony overlooking her kingdom, Princess Nightingale watched her subjects rising to meet a new day. Off in the distance, she could see the great wall that demarcated the Rift, that which separated Lune’s ‘Dark Side’ from its ‘Light Side’. Pegasi- and the occasional pegacorn -moved from tower to tower, bringing the mail that helped run the massive metropolis beyond the gates of her palace.

Nightingale sighed; despite its beauty, her city and palace were the heart of a kingdom under siege. It had been that way for centuries, long before her own birth some seven hundred and forty-five years prior. Nightingale placed her forehooves on the banister of the balcony as she looked over the kingdom she spent so long trying to protect.

Memories of an earlier time flowed through the alicorn’s mind as she looked at the view. Though there were many very happy memories, there were far more sad ones. Ponies that she had loved- some her own children -had died protecting this Lost Kingdom from the Dark One’s forces.

Many blamed the Moon Princess for the troubles they had. If Princess Luna hadn’t fell to her darkness, none of them would have had to face these creatures. Nightingale, however, couldn’t blame her; she was just as much equine as everypony else. Instead, she laid the blame on the one truly responsible; the self-styled Emperor of Darkness.

Nightingale’s normally gentle and serene expression twisted into a mask of pure rage as she recalled the first and only time she had met that creature. Her mind began to slip from the iron grip she kept on it. Unbidden, the memories of the battle that made her what she was today came forth. She lost her mind once more into the past, reliving something that she could never forget…





Nightingale watched in utter disbelief as her now former commander channeled the raw darkness before him. The massive army of mis-born creatures began to overwhelm the three garrisons she led.

Flying upwards, Nightingale tapped into the vast reserves of power that she possessed as a pegacorn. Calling to her troops, she fired bolt after scintillating bolt into the horde. The unicorns in her garrisons responded by firing their own bolts of shadow-wreathed light mana. With some difficulty, they managed to beat back the first wave.

“It matters not, mis-born freak,” the traitorous stallion shouted at her. Using the raw energies surrounding him, he blasted her with a bolt of mana designed to work against her pegacorn nature.

He miscalculated however. Years of torture at the hands of those that had called her friend had given Nightingale a singular skill; a resistance to magic used to kill or torture. Not only that, she also possessed a counter to nearly every single anti-pegacorn based spell her former commander knew. She absorbed the spell using a shield composed of harmonic light, restructured its mana, then blasted the unicorn with a pegacorn-powered version of his own spell

The resulting force was strong enough to propel him backwards several meters, resulting in him crashing against the weakening barrier. A runic array on his fur flashed briefly, then cracked a hole in the barrier. The unicorn stallion smirked as it did so.

Nightingale realized that she had played right into the traitor’s hand. Pegacorn mana has almost the same unique characteristic as alicorn mana, she thought with dismay. I’ve just freed his Master!

The stallion bowed as a form composed of shadow and darkness oozed its way past the crack in the barrier. “Master, I have succeeded,” the stallion said reverently, his muzzle wearing an expression of fawning supplication.

The twisted dark creature looked at the stallion before him, then nodded as if something had been confirmed. Dark tentacles wrapped themselves around the bowing unicorn; one wrapped itself around his horn, sapping every bit of his mana.

”Receive your just reward, Greedy One,” the Dark One said, his tone undulating. He threw the now shrieking stallion into the midst of the Shadow-spawn waiting behind him. The creatures ripped the pony to shreds.

Nightingale watched this in disbelief. Even though he had tried to kill her, her former commander was still one of those she had sworn to protect. He had only Fell as far as he had trying to protect these lands.

Her anger caused a change within her. Nightingale could feel unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony mana rise within her in equal amounts. Acting not on instinct, but with pure intent, she seized on these powers. Using them, she linked with forces greater than herself for the first time.

“By Dusk’s Honor, Selene’s Purity, Solaris’ Light, and the Heart of Harmony, YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”

A radiant orb of mana appeared on Nightingale’s horn. The orb contained all of the colors of the rainbow, plus scintillating bands of light, shadow, and darkness. With a terrible shout, Nightingale launched the orb at the Dark One. It hit him midships, pushing him back several meters.

Even so, it wasn’t enough to force him back to the other side. The Dark One laughed darkly at what he considered to be the negligible efforts of an effete creature.

That action was a mistake.

The mocking laughter that her foe let forth drove Nightingale past all reason. Her eyes took on an eldritch glow. The orb of mana grew in strength as its core was fully connected to source of the powers that the newborn alicorn Called on.

The Dark One screeched in horrendous pain as he was blasted back through the Rift. The orb detonated, obliterating not only the remainder of his forces, but all of those waiting on the other side. Snarling, he swiped at the pony who followed him, intending to end her miserable efforts.

Nightingale whipped her head around, her horn casting beams of shadow-wreathed light. The Dark One screeched again, and made to shadow-morph past her.

“NO! I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO TORMENT THESE LANDS AGAIN!” the furious alicorn shouted. Nightingale fired bolt after scintillating bolt. Many missed, though a few connected. Her horn glowing brightly, Nightingale created a temporary barrier right at the breach. She then Called crystals from beneath those points where she ‘missed’, using them in a power-sapping array.

The Dark One had had enough; he was no longer able to retain this form. He fled to one of his nearby strongholds, only to have the entire complex obliterated by the alicorn that followed him. He screeched, then headed for yet another one; only to find that the accursed creature had somehow destroyed all of those nearest the Rift.

Snarling impotently, the Dark One made his way to his dark fortress. He prepared his army inside, only to have sealing crystals appear around it. Once more screeching in pain, he realized that there was nothing more he could do, as the accursed pony was channeling the magic of the accursed mage that Sealed him here; and the Power of the thrice cursed Essences that cared so much for those that were rightfully his servants.

The Dark One stopped his attacks, calling in all of his power, preparing for the time when the Seal would be fully undone…





A flapping of wings pulled Nightingale out of her unplanned trip down memory lane. She turned to see her son approaching her. Stern Gaze looked at his mother with a concerned expression on his muzzle. “The past again, Mother?” he asked her. She nodded ruefully.

“It’s not something I seem to be able to control,” the princess said softly. “Whenever I grow weary, or become real angry, memories come forward.” Nightingale sighed softly, turning back to the view before her. She started to smile, a look of happiness that had seldom been on her muzzle as of late.

“Look at all of them, Gaze. Look at how they work to live as happy as they can, despite everything we exiles have had to deal with.” Nightingale turned back to her son, an impish glint sparkling in her eyes. “How was your date last evening?” She asked him.

Gaze’s muzzle wore a long-suffering look. “Silent Grace is my assistant and pupil,” he said. “We only had a dinner date to go over business, and that was two weeks ago.” He groaned at the look in his mother’s eye.

“Oh, I wasn’t speaking about Grace; I know you two are far too close. I was speaking of the pegasus mare you’ve been seeing in one of the smaller villages near your fortress,” Nightingale said, a knowing look in her eye. “I know that you had evacuated them when the attacks first started, and I know for a fact that you’ve been waiting for a chance to ‘take her about the town.’” She giggled at the look on her son’s muzzle.”Oh come now Gaze; I know how young ponies are. I was one once you know.” Her smile turned sly. “If I had been unwilling to mate myself, none of my children would have been born.”

Gaze facehoofed in aggravation. “Mother, I would ask how you know something even Grace is unaware of, but that’s neither here nor there.” His expression turned neutral. “The remainder of the Moon Council has gathered into the Throne Room, and is calling for your blood.”

Nightingale snorted in frustration. “They can say what they want; I’m standing by my decision. Decentralizing our forces has removed them from the Council’s control, and all of the major traitors have been Sealed.” Her expression became severe. “I will not lift that Seal this time until the Moon Princess returns. Those ponies I give authority to will learn their place, else I will raise up others to take it.”

The pair were walking towards the throne room as they continued their conversation. Along the wall, there were full color oil paintings of every alicorn of note. The one that depicted Princess Luna in her battle dress of old brought a sense of longing to Nightingale. She shook it off.

The one that depicted Princess Celestia reminded Nightingale of her recent efforts to reform the Moon Kingdom’s political system. “Has there been any efforts in establishing the meritocracy system Equestria employs for its royal houses?” she asked her son.

Gaze shrugged his wings. “Most of the Greater Houses have accepted it, those who are allied with our House. A few of them have declined.” He frowned. “Only a small handful of the Lesser Houses have accepted the proposal; the vast majority have declined, as have the remainder of the High Council seats.”

Nightingale looked at her son with a severe expression. “WHAT High Council? There aren’t any of them left!” She snorted discontentedly. “I suppose those that weren’t directly involved with the plan are the ones that are calling for my head?”

Gaze nodded. “I’ve called in the Moon Guard,” he replied. “The entire throne room has been sequestered, and I have troops stationed around the manors of each High Noble.” A sad expression flashed on his muzzle briefly; anypony else would have missed it, but Nightingale was his mother. “It seems that the personal retinue of seven of the houses were fully loyal to their masters. Their barracks are all full of crystal statues.”

Nightingale looked sad as she nodded. “I know that; we’ve lost sixty-four percent of our reserves.” Her expression brightened. “However, we still retain all of those that were stationed at the outlying fortresses.” Her tone turned sly. “It seems as though the Council’s plans bit them in their own flanks.”

Gaze nodded. He was still concerned however. “Mother, what happens when the Dark One makes another attack? We barely managed to repulse this one, and the barrier is only getting weaker now that he is UnSealed.”

Nightingale looked at Gaze with a soft smile on her muzzle. “I wouldn’t worry too much Captain,” she said. “Now that I’ve Sealed the Council, and will shortly deal with the remnants, I will be free to disable the Council’s array.” She pointed in the direction of the palace’s Light Chapel. “Once the power is restored to its proper flow, we should be able to reinforce the barrier.” She frowned. “That won’t stop him from being able to use those paths I have no control over though.”

Gaze shook his head at that admission. “In any case, we’re needed elsewhere at the moment.” He looked at his mother. “Your Highness, can you at least avoid a full Sealing? I know Sealing away only their power is not enough for your sense of justice, but it’s far better politically.”

Nightingale sighed. Gaze only uses that when not in mixed company when he’s appealing to his princess. “I will, Captain, as there are none left that were directly involved.”

The pair continued on to the throne room, in order to deal with the remnants of yet another traitorous Moon Council.





A few minutes later, Nightingale and Stern Gaze approached the throne. While it was true that she was accepted as a princess, she had never laid claim to the throne itself. She preferred to think of herself as a steward; it was only at the insistence of both the common ponies she protected, and the Essences that she accepted the role of princess.

The throne room was filled with the remainder of those that contested her reign. Made up of descendants of those that managed to find their way to her kingdom, these ponies were every bit as power mad as those of ancient Utopia.

Long had these twisted ponies tried to undermine the efforts of those few pegacorns that didn’t seek Sanctuary. And for centuries before Nightingale’s birth, they had been mostly successful. Nightingale’s appearance, and later Ascension changed that.

While she was by no means skilled in magic in those days, Nightingale had an overabundance of another trait; that of faith. She was willing to be a direct conduit of the Essences, and it was their power that she had used to protect her kingdom. That is, until the Moon Council formed the first legions of Damned Ones.

Forced to flee, Nightingale spent several years in the Borderlands. It was in the remains of one of the Dark One’s strongholds that she found evidence of his involvement in the Council’s actions. This led her to seek knowledge at the hooves of the Essence of the Shadowlands.

Dusk sent her to Sanctuary, where the fabled Eternal Library could be found. Promising only to use the knowledge to protect, Nightingale studied what she could. She then spent several more years practicing. Once she was assured that she had the skills, she returned to her kingdom, and performed the first Sealing. Others would follow, once every century or so.

All of this flashed through her mind as Nightingale approached the dais. The most vocal of her detractors approached her. Sighing internally, she listened to the stallion’s complaints. 

It became very clear that they weren’t going to settle for anything less than her abdication, and the declaration of martial law. Nightingale didn’t care about the former, as the common ponies would always follow her. However, the latter wasn’t necessary, and smacked of a contingency plan by the traitorous Council.

Before the mare in front of her could bluster, Nightingale silenced all of the foals with a silence spell. Flares of runic mana on each and every one of them spoke of preparations against such things. The alicorn rolled her eyes; she had seen this same tactic many times before.

“You all obviously think that I’m willing to go to such lengths, when I know for a fact that it’s simply a ploy to get the people to desire my abdication,” Nightingale said to the assembled ponies before her. “Have you all forgotten how old I am? The Moon Council tried this same tactic three hundred years after my birth!”

The princess snorted in frustration. “I really don’t know why I even bother to try and teach any of you,” she said, a rare expression of supreme aggravation appearing on her muzzle. “I have tried, again and again, to be more democratic in running this kingdom.” Marshalling her mana, Nightingale prepared to send the message home.

“By Luna’s Law, I hereby decree that this land will follow the custom established by Equestria,” she intoned. Her words were heard by every pony in the kingdom as she continued. “I declare that ALL of the Noble Houses be opened for all that can prove their worth. All present here have been judged, and found wanting.” She grinned; it was not a nice grin. “My Law stands.”

A flash of scintillating mana burst from Nightingale’s horn. Radiating outwards, the aura Sealed the magic of every remaining Council-pony. All except for one; the mare that now stood before the princess.

The unicorn turned to address her former peers, smirking a little as she was proven to be a strong agent for the Dark One. This fact was rendered moot by what happened next. A flash of brilliant rainbow light heralded the appearance of the Alicorn of Harmony herself.

Hope leveled her horn at the hapless pony, saying the one phrase that hurt Nightingale the most.

“By my Heart, be no more, in this or any other world!”

A bolt of radiant light flew from the Alicorn’s horn, striking the pony before her. The mare screamed in agony as her very being was torn asunder. When it was over, not even her immortal pony spirit remained.

Nightingale collapsed at this evidence of her chief Council-pony’s duplicity. Tears rolling down her muzzle, she bowed her head in sadness at the loss. Hope bowed her own head in response, sharing in her fellow alicorn’s pain.

“I am sorry, Princess. There was no other way to protect the children she Bound to herself.” Hope turned away. “I have called Sanctuary for them, as they will not be able to find healing here.” She summoned a scroll, levitating it towards Gaze. “The ponies listed there sold their foals to the Dark One; they are now stone. See to it that they are sent to their Master.” So saying this, the third eldest of all the alicorns vanished in a flash of rainbow light.

Gaze nodded to his mother, then called the guards. “Take these ponies to the stockades,” he told them. “I’m needed elsewhere.” He then teleported to the barracks, in order to marshal the troops.

Nightingale raised herself to her hooves, then looked at Silent Grace, who had just arrived. “Please let any who have petitions know that Court has been cancelled. I haven’t the heart to deal with anything more right now.” So saying, she teleported back to her chambers.

Grace watched her princess leave with a heavy heart. Oh Luna, please come soon, she thought sadly. My princess hurts so much; she needs you.

Her wishes were born on the winds of faith, and would soon be heard by the one who needed to hear them.

 



The sky overhead was darkly foreboding as Nightingale traced the path that the ponies had been using. She had been following groups of them ever since the new sorcerers that the Moon Council had formed came after her. She watched the group huddle around a boulder that looked suspicious. The unicorns present began to chant, horns glowing. The bolder they were surrounding warped and shifted; within moments it had vanished, leaving an opening behind. Before she could follow, the boulder reappeared, looking as normal as anything did on this side.

Nightingale landed, stomping her hooves in aggravation. There must be some evidence around here somewhere, the young alicorn thought to herself.  Those ponies looked like some of those strangely cursed ponies that the Council has recently employed.

Nightingale saw the trail of hooves that the ponies had left behind. She decided to follow them, in the hopes of finding out where they had come from.  I may be able to find something of worth there, though it’s a slim chance.

Within a very short time, Nightingale came to one of the Dark One’s ruined strongholds. She realized that this was one of the many she had destroyed in her battle with him a few years back.

Though she was still leery of finding any evidence here, Nightingale decided to investigate. It’s not like I have anything else to do; I can’t go home. I have no power against these strange ponies. She sighed in sadness; even as an alicorn, her skill in magic was still severely limited.

Nightingale was forced to hide as another group of ponies left the ruins. Using one of the few non-combat spells she knew, she scanned the ruins for any more. There were none. She made her way into the ruins, looking for proof.

An hour of searching led to nothing. Nightingale was about to mark this up as a dead end when something pinged her alicorn magic. Following it, she found her way to one of the few walls that remained undamaged.

Nightingale realized that there was something about this wall. She looked closer, and saw that there was a series of markers that looked familiar. Gasping, she realized that they were identical to markers that she had used to guard her now-deceased former commander’s treasure vault.

Nightingale found the unlocking runes, and used the unlocking phrase that she had written into them. A latticework of runes appeared on the wall; within moments, it had become a door. she placed her hoof in its center; with a creak, the door unbolted itself, then swung inward on silent hinges.

Looking inside, Nightingale found what she was looking for; a hidden laboratory. She passed tables containing alchemical compounds, and bookshelves containing reference scrolls. Most of what was here was badly degraded, likely a result of her teacher’s death. There was one thing that was still whole though.

Moonstar’s private journal.

Nightingale used one of her new powers to scan the tome for twisted magics. Finding nothing untoward, she opened it, and began to read.

Much of what was written here was only a confirmation of what she already knew; that her teacher had been a hidden hoof, allied with the Dark One. Later passages hinted at darker leanings however.

It seems as if my former mentor desired power equal to his Master, the young alicorn thought cynically. Too bad that monster doesn’t share.

One passage in particular caught her eye. It was his report on a discussion he had had with the Council concerning their efforts to destroy the Rift barrier. Gasping in both shock and anger, she read the passage more closely.

10-27-227 A.L.F.

Our Master’s efforts to divert the energies Sealing the Rift have borne fruit. Leveraging our influence within the useless Moon Council, we have created a cadre of Damned Ones that will be instrumental in securing the new borders.

What the ‘Master’ doesn’t realize is that these sorcerers are loyal to me, and to their leaders. He’s far too trusting of me, the foal. He doesn’t realized what I’m after; nopony does really.

Except for one, however. That mis-born freak Nightingale is becoming suspicious of myself and the Council. I’ve been forced to flee as a result of her raising her own army.

No matter; I will soon have what I need to ensure my plans bear fruit, whether I live or not. After all, the darkness will preserve me, even if ‘Master’ discovers my duplicity. In any case, I will soon have the Power my Family has long sought since those thrice-cursed alicorns stole it.

If it takes a thousand years, we will have it.


Moonstar


Nightingale looked on in disbelief. Here was proof, in his own hoof, that her teacher had zero regard for her as a pony. Her eyes took on an eldritch glow, and she shouted in anger. A blast of shadow mana nearly tore the room apart; however, she prevented it from doing any more damage to the evidence she had found. Her alicorn magic had another benefit though; it snapped the effects of a mind-controlling array that her erstwhile teacher hid within the tome.

Shaking her head, Nightingale gathered what she had found in a pile with her kinesis. Once everything of worth was gathered, she teleported the mess back to her camp. She followed it soon after.

After several hours, Nightingale was sure of what she had found. There was little she could do however; she lacked the power to fight these new sorcerers, or to even proved the Moon Council’s duplicity.

“By the Dusk, what am I to do?! How am I supposed to fight something like this?!” Nightingale fell to her belly, tears rolling down her muzzle. “I have no skill to fight something like this. By the Dusk, I need the wisdom of the past.”

A radiant essence began to make itself known; rising in shock, the young alicorn watched as a being appeared before her. It possessed the appearance of a unicorn filly, though there was no mistaking who this was.

Dusk herself had answered her.

My child, I feel your pain, the Essence of the Shadowlands said, her words more felt than heard. Sanctuary can provide the knowledge you seek, as long as you are willing to serve Harmony.

The true embodiment of Shadow laid her horn alongside the near-prostrate alicorn. With this, Dusk imparted a small measure of Her power to rejuvenate. She pulled the pony to her hooves, dusting her off.  There is no need for such supplication; you have already proven how strong your faith is. My Blessing will always be upon you, as will the Blessings of my Sisters. Once She was assured that Nightingale was presentable, Dusk departed in the same manner She came. Don’t keep them waiting, child, She said, her voice filled with mirth.

Nightingale sighed, half in thanks and half in aggravation. Concentrating on the form in her mind, she Called Sanctuary. A brilliant rainbow flashed, and the Alicorn of Harmony stood before her.

“Why have you called Sanctuary, Sister?” the multicolored-maned alicorn asked. “You already have a place that you can serve.”

Nightingale looked at the embodiment of Harmony itself closely, looking for any signs of duplicity. There wasn’t more than a good-natured twinkle of humor in her eyes. “No, Sister, I Called for Knowledge,” she said.

Hope smiled at this. “Then it is the Eternal Library you wish to enter.” Her expression turned stern. “I must get a promise before I open the Way. Will you Swear to never use the knowledge you acquire for vengeance; that you will use it only to protect?”

Nightingale placed her right forehoof over her chest. “I do so Swear, by the Purity of Selene, the Light of Serenity, and the Honor of Dusk; I will only use what the Library holds to defend the ones I love, no matter how much I yearn for vengeance.”

Hope smiled. Nightingale’s admission that she would do what was right despite wanting vengeance showed that she was mature enough for her new role. Turning, she used her Power to open the Portal to Sanctuary.

Nightingale walked through this portal. She knew that she was walking to an uncertain future, yet she still carried hope in her heart…





A shake of her head brought Nightingale out of the unplanned afternoon nap she had taken. Rising from her bed of pegasus-and-nimbus-cloud stuffed pillows, she walked over to the basin in the corner of her quarters.

Like everything else here, the basin was minimalistic. No matter how hard they tried, the princess refused to use the more lavish gifts her ponies gifted her. She kept them, of course; it would be heartless to turn them away. She simply placed them in one of the many guest rooms in her palace, which were free for the public to use at any time. Even thieves could; not that stealing anything ever got them anywhere other than a session of hard labor. Nightingale was a past master of unconventional spells; she had thousands protecting the gifts she had received over the years. The only gift she never kept was the donations some of the more wealthy ponies made; those went to orphans, much to the displeasure of those stuffy ponies.

No, the alicorn was content with the simple quarters she had. It didn’t mean that what was here wasn’t expensive; it was just that of the gifts she had gotten that fit her style. She shook the water out of her mane as she looked over her quarters.

The one object that didn’t match the decor was recent. A full color painting of Princess Luna hung over the door leading to her private garden. Gazing upon this pony always brought tears to Nightingale’s eyes, yet she couldn’t help but to do so. She had had centuries to come to terms with her emotions, yet they still got the better of her at the worst of times.

Even the affection she had for the mates of her past weren’t enough to fill the void that Luna’s absence left in her. Since the day she’d Felt her fellow alicorn’s consciousness calling out to her, she had pined for the midnight alicorn. It took her a long time to figure out the reason why; the soulbond.

Soulbonding was a curious phenomenon. Often disputed by so-called ‘love experts’, the soulbond was where a soul would harmonize with another soul. Almost completely random, and never taking the same form twice, it was the greatest expression of unconditional love.

Though often limited to ponies, there had even been rare cases where a soulbond occurred between a pony and a dragon. Far more common were bonds that were between members of the pony tribes. There were soulbonds of two ponies sharing a link with the same pony. Or one pony having a link between three different creatures, though that one wasn’t common.

Whenever the bond was between those that were heterosexual yet of the same gender it often took the form of a deep friendship; the purest form of that was with those that had bonded with the Seeds of Harmony over millennia. If homosexual or bisexual, or of opposite genders, it became a union in the truest sense. That one was rare among soulbound stallions, yet common around soulbound mares; the soulbond was extremely rare amongst male ponies.

The rarest form of the soulbond was called a lovebond. This bond often came between those that either had a prior link- such as the Seeds of Harmony -or had a bond of strong love with their partner. The latter was the rarest of them all; there had only been a few reported cases over the centuries, the most recent believed to be Prince Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

Nightingale sighed as she went over the details of her problem. Knowing what it is that is bothering me isn’t going to make suffering through it any easier, she grumbled to herself. After drying off her face, Nightingale walked through the door to her private garden,

As she walked through her garden, Nightingale gazed at the various plants and flowers contained in it. Many of these didn’t grow elsewhere in the Moon Kingdom, as they needed a steady supply of sunlight to grow. The varieties that subsisted on moonlight were all too common; many of them formed the basis for her ponies’ diet.

A very special flower grew here, however; the moon-rose. Cultivated by the Moon Princess herself, there was only a few places where this flower grew in the Moon Kingdom. The bushes here were from seeds that Nightingale had taken- with permission -from the gardens at Sanctuary. She wasn’t required to give an explanation as to why she wanted them, nor did she. Of course, she was fully aware that Hope likely knew how Nightingale felt about Luna.

Near silent hooffalls heralded the arrival of another pony. Nightingale turned and saw one of the palace gardeners entering from the only other entrance. She nodded at the pegacorn mare. “Ah, Quiet Beauty, it’s time for their watering is it?” she asked her adopted daughter.

“Yes, mother, it is,” Beauty responded, with a quick bow. She rustled her wings in aggravation; her pegacorn magic was still new enough to give her problems. “How was your nap mother?” she asked.

“Well enough, though my seneschal is likely to give me flak for it,” the princess responded ruefully. “After all, there was other business I needed to handle today outside the horseapple pile the Council left behind.” She noticed that her daughter had several bags of feed behind her in addition to the watering pots. “Do you need some help, or do you want me out of your way?” she asked Beauty.

“This is your garden mother; if anypony is ‘in the way’, that pony would be me,” the young pegacorn said in slight irritation. Even when it belongs to hers, she’s still willing to step aside for us. Truly, her love for us is as strong as it has ever been. “If you do wish to help, I most certainly wouldn’t mind.”

Nightingale nodded, and began by lifting the feed bags in her kinesis. The two mares set about watering, feeding, and weeding the plants in this private place. Special care was taken by the moon-roses; Nightingale watered these herself, as she cared for them whenever she could.

Before they could finish, a throat cleared nearby. Nightingale looked up to see her seneschal. She scowled at his expression; she didn’t need reminding that she had other duties like a foal. Stern Task’s next words soothed her aggravation. “My Princess, your son took the liberty to handle what of the kingdom’s business he could. I postponed the rest of it until tomorrow; however, you will have to have Court for the next three days to break up the backlog.” The stallion made his way towards the other entrance. “I called for a meal Princess. Please be sure to eat, and enjoy your unplanned day-of-rest.”

“Well, that was a change,” Nightingale commented. “He’s usually far less forgiving when I disrupt his schedule like this.”

“Oh, Grace and some of the others read him and the other staff the riot act,” Beauty said. “You have been working non-stop since the Seal began to fail; you need time to yourself.” Her expression turned cynical. “We’re not like the Equestrian ponies here; most of us Exiles are far more capable of handling things without our Princess looking over our shoulders all the time.” She snorted. “At least the commoners anyway; can’t say the same about the nobles.”

Both mares laughed at that, then finished their gardening tasks.

Once everything was to her satisfaction, Nightingale bid her adopted daughter good evening, then went to eat her meal in peace. She looked at the painting of Luna once more as she passed it; sighing, she buried her feelings as best she could, intent on enjoying what little time she had to herself.

Little did Nightingale know, things were about to change for her, and for all of the other Exiles of the Lost Kingdom. Events long unsettled were about to come to a head, heralding Luna’s return to the kingdom she had long protected…