Moon Rising

by kibamudkip2

Chapter Thirteen: Painting of a Bear

One Week Later

Luna stood alone atop the Moon Tower and watched as the sun slowly set. She took a deep breath and fired up her horn and pulled the moon up into its rightful place in the night sky, shrouding the land in its pale light as the ponies of the land shuttered the candlelit windows and bolted their doors to keep out the night. The night Princess did her best to ignore the hurt this caused her. Did they not care for her gleaming moon, or how lovely it made the world? She couldn't help but wonder if her father had felt this, this feeling of rejection of those she ruled?

She swiftly banished these thoughts from her mind as she rose her wings and allowed her magic to seep out into the inky sky, calling out to the stars that answered her summons and blinked into the sky, adding their own shimmering light, twinkling out a joyous greeting that only the moon princess could hear. She smiled up at the sky.

"Hello little ones" she called out the star as had become routine to her now. Greeting the stars at the start of each night.
Yes the stars were glad to have Luna to call them into the sky, but they were not her own. they kept their random scattering, appearing where ever they wanted to in the sky. The stars were wild, and there was no order in them to be seen.

She tapped her chin with a hoof as the wheels of thought started turning. She had been the moon regent for a week, raising and lowering the moon without fail and still she was treated like a foal, but maybe she could earn their respect, she looked to the stars as her plan formed, if she could tame the stars!

She ruffled her feathers and raised her hoof, she would need the help of a star to bring them to order, and she remembered her first night a top the tower when one came to her side. she didn’t have to wait long before a star spiraled down onto her hoof.

The little star that had come to her was small and its light dull, but Luna could sense emotion within the little star. She sensed a desire to be needed and it caused a small smile to cross her face.

"I know not what you are little one, or where you come from, but I know that you and your kin need me, just like I need you" she allowed her magic to seep into the little star, causing it to grow ever brighter. When it was almost as bright as her sisters sun she let it soar back to the sky with a joyous laugh "You shall be a beacon little star, you will be a nightly compass guiding ponies home safely" she called as the star took its place in the north.

The stars flashed briefly brighter and Luna smiled "Thank you" she said happily as she swirled a hoof through the sky.

The sky became her canvas and the stars her paint as she shaped and formed them into creatures of shimmering light, and tributes to stories and myths her mother would lull her to sleep with. She placed their images in subtle nests of their brethren.

She stepped back and drew a hoof across her forehead as she marveled at her own work. If you were not looking for them her images were almost hidden, but she planned to have her mentor, Starswirl, draw up charts and maps of the stars, not her stars, so that all could find them.

She was about to leave to watch over the dreams of the ponies and a small noise caught her attention. It sounded like a young animal, or more rather a bear, but that couldn’t be right, she was a top of one of the tallest structures in all of Equestria, no bear could get here.

As she turned, the sight she saw caused her jaw to drop. Sitting in the center of the tower were two tiny bear cubs the looked to be made of stars. Luna looked about wildly to see that they were not alone. Tiny wolves, lions, scorpions, and all sorts of other little animals covered the tower, and all made of stars.

She turned in she circles looking closely at each of the tiny animals and then up to her stars, then back to the animals. Slowly it clicked that each pair of starry critters matched one of her star paintings.

Her jaw dropped as it finally hit her "I didn’t notice that I had let so much magic flow out, I didn't even notice. I" she paused to gather her thoughts and confirm what she knew to be true "I must have pulled stars from the sky and, and made all of you" she whispered. "I made life from stars." she said slowly "I MADE LIFE FROM STARS!"

~ ~ ~

"STARSWIRL!" Luna called as she raced up the stairs of the bearded mages tower with her starry zoo in hoof "Starswirl!" she bucked open the door and let her zoo into his lab.

"Luna what is the meaning of-" the mages stern words evaporated as he saw the Moon Princess surrounded by the little star creatures. "What have you done?"

"I made them... but I'm not quite sure how. What are they Starswirl, do you know?"

"Aye Lune, I know what you have brought into this world, but I did not think that I would ever see them agai-" he stopped himself and changed his wording "In my lifetime"

Luna tilted her head "Ooookay, but what are they?"

"Star Beasts"

"Star Beasts?"

The mage nodded "Yes, in ancient times they were the guardians of the night, revered and praised by all."
"So I summoned, guardians?" she asked.

Again the mage nodded "Yes, it is written that they kept the beasts of the night at bay"

Luna's face lit up "You means ponies wouldn’t have to be afraid of my night?" her excitement lit up the room.

"Perhaps, but we must act quickly, if the sunlight touches their pelts they will vanish. I shall gather the guards deliver them to their ancient home of old" Starswirl said as he tossed on his cloak and hat "bring them to the gates"

~ ~ ~

Luna watched the pairs of Star Beasts were placed into carriages and rushed off to all corners of the land to deliver their starry cargo. The last to leave were the two starry bears. Before the door closed the two little bears waved at Luna and she waved back, and just like that it was over and they were being whisked away to the forest.

Luna looked up to the bearded pony next to her "Will they be alright Starswirl?" she asked.
He nodded "Of course they will, soon they will grow and take fully to their homes. And they will always be connected to your stars, to you. Try not to worry yourself to much. Go tend to your dreams, the night is still young and you still have duties."

Luna turned and walked away from her mentor to do as she was told. 'After what we were able to do this night, they still treat us as a foal. But we shall soon show they them the moon! Wont we?' Luna shook her head to silence the voice and galloped off to her room. Starswirl had been proud of her and for now, that was all she needed to push on.