Moon Rising

by kibamudkip2

Chapter Twelve: A New Moon

"THE KING AND QUEEN ARE DEAD!" Celestica’s voice echoed out loudly over the kingdom as messenger ponies soared out to the corners of Equestria to deliver the terrible news. "THEIR LIVES ENDED IN THE PROTECTION OF ALL THE PONIES OF EQUESTRIA." She stood taller "BUT THOUGH THIS IS TRULY A DAY OF SORROW, IT IS ALSO A DAY OF CELEBRATION! FOR FROM THIS DAY TILL THE DAY THAT MY DEAR SISTER COMES OF AGE TO JOIN ME ON THE THRONE I SHALL RULE ON MY OWN. I DO HOPE THAT I DO RIGHT BY ALL OF YOU." She spread her wings and basked in the cheering of the ponies gathered below the castle.

Luna stood behind her sister feeling very small. 'How quickly she had earned their love. They never cheered as such for the news that father ever brought then. Will they adore me? Why shouldn't they? I'm as much a noble princess as Tia, of course they will.' She was pulled from her thoughts by Celesta’s voice calling her to her side.

"AND ONE FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF CELEBRATION! TONIGHT WILL BE THE FINAL NIGHT OF MOONLESS DARKNESS, AS PRINCESS LUNA TAKES ON HER ROLE AS REGENT OF THE MOON!" She called but unlike the news of her taking the throne, the gathered ponies did not cheer with unbridled joy, but merely looked about and clapped their hooves with apprehension in their eyes.

Luna made ready to address the gathered ponies but before she could so much as open her mouth to speak Celestia draped a wing over her and ushered her back into the castle. "Rest while you can, dear sister. You'll will need all if your strength for tonight." She ruffled Luna's mane with a hoof before heading towards the throne room, where she planned to hold the day court, leaving Luna standing alone, her mouth a gap.

"Why didn't you allow me to speak to them?" She called her question out long after her sister was out of ear shot. She scuffed a hoof on the ground and wandered towards her room. She stopped at a large painting of her late parents and frowned. "Why? Why did you have to go and die on us?" She asked the painting. "Why did you have to take me away from everypony I cared about and then just drop me into the night?!" Tears began to roll down her face "why?" She sat and sniffles to herself.

"Princess Luna?" A maid said as he came across the crying princess "princess are you alright? You're crying" she said with a kind voice "here let me help you" she extended a hoof which Luna swatted away and she got to her feet and reeled on the maid.

"LEAVE US BE! WE DO NOT NEED THE ASSISTANCE OF A MAID!" She snapped at the poor maid. Magic swirled around the young princess in a dark haze that slowly faded as she look in the maid’s frightened look. She clasped a hoof to her mouth in shock and backed up slowly stammering out apologizes but by the time she managed to form words the maid was gone, taken off down the hall leaving Luna alone in her shock. Luna quickly checked the hall to see if there was anypony else who had bared witness to her sudden outburst. Seeing nopony she quickly bolted off to her room, locking the door behind herself.

Her hooves were shaking as walked across her room towards her vanity. Nervously she gazed at her reflection and let out a sigh of relief. The strange dark magic was gone. She paced to the middle of her room and sat down to collect her thoughts. "What was that feeling?" She asked herself and shuddered "rage. Pure, hate fuelled rage" she curled up tightly suddenly feeling exhausted and fell asleep.

Luna's mind swam like a raging sea. She was drowning in her thoughts, calling out to her sister to save her bit no help came. Just as she felt she was about to be swallowed, the sea vanished. She gently floated down and landed on her hooves. Turning in nervous circles, she examined where she was. Dark shadows swirled all around her, limiting her vision to all but two hooves in front of her face. She walked forward slowly, double testing each and every step she took. “Hello?” Luna called out as she peered into the darkness. She ruffled her feathers and tried to stand a bit taller.

“Hello!?” she called again only to have her voice echo back at her, but it didn’t sound like her own voice. It sounded warped and distorted. It scared her more than the blackest of nights or the biggest of monsters.

“Hello~” her warped voice called back to her with a giggle of glee. The shadows began to swirl ever faster and clung at her pelt. “I am so glad that you can finally hear my voice, your voice, OUR voice” the words echoed through the shadows “With the auroras interference finally gone, we can stop being You and I, and start being US!” the shadows wrapped around the moon princess tightly and a laugh echoed through the darkness.

Luna woke with a start as a hoof knocked on her door “Princess Luna? The archmage as asked me to prepare you for your coronation before night falls” came a gentle voice from the hall followed by another knock.

Luna slowly rose to her feet and shook the tiredness from her limbs “The doors open” Luna said as she used her magic to unlock it and light the torches to bring light to her room. She trotted to her vanity and sat down waiting.

The door opened and a small older mare walked in pushing a cart “Tis your big day Little Princess” she said, obviously trying her best to sound cheery. She stopped the cart behind Luna and began to organize its contents. Luna took this time to examine the mare. She was a plain mare with light brown fur and a greying chestnut mane. Her face was lined with soft wrinkles that only added to her gentile appearance, as did her soft orange eyes. Luna tried to see what her cutie mark was, but it was covered by the dress and apron she wore. She closed her eyes and smiled as the mare began to brush the tangles from her mane.

“Tis going to be a wonderful night, Little Princess. What with you raising the moon and all.” She put the brush down and draped a chest piece and notched it in place. She hummed and set a pair of glittering shoes out for her and smiled as she applied a light amount of eye shadow before heading out the door “The archmage is waiting at the gates” she turned and looked back “Good luck, Little Princess” she said before hurrying off.

Luna put the shoes on before looking herself over in the mirror. She smiled slowly and turned about. She looked ravishing, everypony that had gathered to see her would surely love and adore her just from the sight of her. Her bad dream almost forgotten, she clapped her hooves together and trotted out of her room and down the hall and out the castle doors and to the gates.

She shivered as she walked outside, it was so cold. She had been so consumed with her worry and her grief that she hadn’t noticed the onset of winter, or the chill that it brought. She cast a simple warming spell and hurried on her way.

Starswirl stood before the gates, which lay open behind him, flanked by two knights “We must wait a little longer. Celestia will be joining us soon.” He said as the sun began to set. Seeming to fly out of the sun, Celestia landed next to her sister and draped a wing over her and darkness fell. With a tap of his staff, Starswirl made a ball of magical light to lead them on their way through town. “We shall be off now” he said as he turned and lead them into town.

Luna watched silently as they walked. Ponies in their homes were closing their windows to the dark and candles flickered into life. ‘Even with the news of my moon raising tonight, they still hide away and shut themselves away from the dark?’ she gritted her teeth as she walked. ‘Relax Luna. Mayhaps they just preparing to join us at the square’ she smiled again and walked a little taller. Tonight would be a night to remember.

The bells of the archmages robes and hat jiggled softly with each step he took, announcing their steady procession towards the square. As they arrived in the square Starswirl waved his staff, lighting the lanterns the surrounded the square, revealing only a hoofful of ponies who had gathered. Luna suspected that most of them, if not all of them, were castle staff. Suddenly feeling very small and alone she hid herself beneath her sister’s wing. “Tia, I can’t do this. I can’t Tia”

“TONIGHT WE GATHER TO CELEBRATE THE CORRENATION OF PRINCESS LUNA, REGENT OF THE MOON!” Starswirl began the ceremony.

“Believe in yourself my dear sister. Believe in yourself like I believe in you.” Celestia said as she moved her wing and used it to nudge her sister forward “no matter what this is your night Lulu, own it” she smiled and stepped back “good luck”

Luna barely registered that Starswirl was speaking again “Do you, Princess Luna swear to diligently and dutifully raise and lower the sun and summon the stars without fail, and to be the guardian of the night?” he asked the moon princess.

Luna gulped and looked get to Celestia nervously. Her sister smiled and gave her a nod and mouthed “you can do it”. Luna nodded back and looked back to her mentor “I do so solemnly swear” she answered him.

He nodded to her and as he did for Celestia he pointed his staff to the sky, showing her the way. “The night has been dark for too long, give your ponies light”

Luna fired up his horn and spread her wings. This night, no all-night would be hers. She pawed the stones and charged off into the sky. As she closed her eyes tightly from the strain of the spell and worked her hooves in the air to try and give herself more lift. Slowly, very slowly, the pale orb began to inch into the sky, but just before it reached its full height, Luna felt as if something had grabbed her flank and flying became much harder.

The inky night clung to her pelt, fighting against the light she was brings to Equestria. Just as she was about to be pulled from the sky, she felt a gentle hoof pushing her up and away from the dark. She looked down as the hoof stopped assisting her and her eyes widened, as did her smile. “Star!?”

The colt grinned as he flew lower “You have a job to finish Luna! Make me proud!” he called as he flew back to the ground.

Her strength and determination renewed, Luna found the strength to break free of the inky night and fly on, leaving an inky smear on her flank. The little princess herself slowly began to stand out from the night as the moon rose to its full height and she became silhouetted against it. The moon lit the night, chasing the shadows away and drawing smile cheers from the gathered ponies. As she flew back to the square, the smear on her flank bubbled and boiled off leaving behind her cutie mark.

Luna landed with a stumble and looked to Starswirl. The bearded pony nodded and addressed the small crowd of ponies as he levitated Luna’s crown onto her “PONIES OF EQUESTRIA, I GIVE YOU PRINCESS LUNA, RULER OF THE MOON, AND I DECREETHIS NIGHT TO BE THE WINTER MOON CELEBRATION, IN RECOGNITION OF THE END OF DARKNESS!” as he finished there was but a small cheer from the gathered ponies, now too cold to just stand there cheering in the fresh light.

Luna’s jumped as Celestia draped a wing over her sister and Falling Star playfully ruffled her mane. “You did awesome Luna!” Star cheered.

“But where are the stars?” Celestia asked as she scanned the skies.

“I have to call on them” Luna answered as she spread her wings “Come on, we must make for the Moon Tower” she said before stumbling over.

Celestia caught her and smiled sweetly “Let’s just walk to the tower”
Being held up by her sister on her left side of her, her best friend on her right the three ponies, with Starswirl following behind them, walked towards the tower.

A top the tower Luna gazed across the sky. Summoning stars couldn’t be half as exhausting as raising the moon, she figured. She breathed deeply and ran through what she had seen her father do through her mind. Slowly raising her wings she looked to the sky and began releasing magic into the air. “Please, I know I’m not my father but, please, accept me as your new master. Please” she whispered as she closed her eyes.

Her eyes shot open as she heard a small voice “We’ve always accepted you Little One, we have been waiting a long time for you” smiled as stars began to speckle themselves across the sky. She had done it! She had passed all the tests the night had to throw at her. She was now the nights master, she would now be adored by all ponies. They would love her, they had to.

Comments

[Jacob562]

Just a brilliant story, you write beautifully.

[kibamudkip2]

Why thank you ^^