• Published 20th Feb 2014
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The Starlancer - Monki



Feeling unwelcome after her banishment, Princess Luna needs a friend. A servant of hers steps in to fill that gap, but is he the right pony for that? A dark secret chaines his blood line's fate to the immortal Moon-Princess.

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Chapter 2: The old wound

Chapter 2: The old wound




"Today I tried to raise the sun, but I failed," Luna told the armored colt as he entered her room. "You were right about my sister. She had problems doing my job. She admitted, that she is glad to have me back and she told me that she loves me. I am so happy now."

"That's good to hear, Princess," he said. He was really delighted for her and he loved to see her smile. He leaned his lance against the wall near the bulky bedroom door and followed the princess's motion to sit next to her on her king-size canopy bed.

"By the way... I wonder what it was like to be banished to the moon?" he asked himself loudly his legs dangling in the air. Suddenly her joyful smile faded. Her face turned ash-gray like his coat.

"I - I do not wish to talk about it," she mumbled. "Please don't ask me again."

"OK, OK, I am sorry. I promise I won't ask again," he quickly added. He knew that he had hit a nerve and made a mental memo to not talk about that subject again.

"So you said your ancestors served the Royal Guard for ages?" she asked him after some time of silence.

"Yes, it's all true," he answered in a raspy voice to cheer her up. It seemed to work since she tilted her head and smiled.

"Even back in the days before I got banished?"

"Well I don't know... but I would assume.. yes," he mumbled unsure while scratching the back of his head.

"I wonder if I knew your ancestor, back then."

"Possibly." He went silent as he looked up at the canopy of her bed. It was a bluish purple fabric embroidered with stars and planets of different sizes and colors.
"So what are you doing during daytime when you are not sleeping?" he asked her after a moment.

"Hmm... not much. I brush my mane, listen to music."

"All day long?" he asked lifting a brow.

"My mane doesn't look as shiny and sparkling all by itself, you know," she winked at him.

"Now that you mention it, it does look very shiny and beautiful," he remarked, giving her mane a scrutinizing look. She blushed, turning her face away.
"Are you meeting other Ponies too?" he quickly asked, to make her feel comfortable again.

"No I am not. Most of the palace staff is still afraid of me and avoid my presence. You are in fact the first pony I can idly chat with beside my sister," she replied with a frown.

"So you never left the palace during the past few months?" he asked her frowning.

"No, I've never tried to leave this place. I am scared that the ponies won't like me. Also I am scared to go alone. What if they want retribution for the things I have done in the past?" Luna pursed her lips and stared at the polished marble tiles of her bedroom.

“No wonder that your subjects don’t know you,” he chuckled lightly.
"I don't think that anypony wants to harm you, Princess. I even dare to say that they would like you for who you are, if they just get to know you. See, this is even more evidence that you and Nightmare Moon have nothing in common. She intimidated whole cities as far as I know..."

"Yes she did," the Princess mumbled, ashamed.

" - Without caring for anypony or being scared of anything," he continued.

The Princess remained silent. Then she bit her lip before saying:
"Still, I was gone too long. What if I make a fool of me. Much has changed and I am afraid I forgot how to get to know ponies..."

"Well if you ask me, I think your shyness is kinda sweet. It reminds me of a pony, a friend of mine mentioned. She is very shy too, but it is said that she is the most caring pony in Equestria. However I never met that mare, personally."

Her cheeks reddened again. They kept on talking about random stuff and after some time, Luna said Goodbye and the gray colt left as quietly as usual.When she met her sister on that tower like every evening, Celestia only smiled at her.

"Did you sleep well, beloved, sister?" the older Alicorn asked.

"Why yes, yes I did!" Luna answered, delivering a broad smile to her sister. The sun Princess returned the smile delighted.

"That's good to hear. It will help with your royal chores tomorrow."

"Chores?! What chores?" Luna asked, alarmed.

"Well tomorrow is Court Day. Our subjects are allowed to request or suggest things and we mediate disputes and so on. It is your duty as Princess of Equestria to be present. Also, this is a good chance for our citizens to get to know you better." She nodded and flew away.



Luna was shocked. How could she forget audience day? She won't be able to meet up with Diamond Sky, because she would be in the throne room all day long. She raised the moon, like every evening since her return, but she was very disappointed.

The next day was as boring as expected. There were two ponies who couldn't agree on a name about something with cherries. "Cherrychanga" or "Chimmycherry". So they decided to let the Princess chose a name. Lucky for Luna it was her sister who had to choose a name, since Luna thought that both names sucked.

There were countless nobles she had to greet. Then Shining Armor, the commander of the Royal Guards, stated his weekly report. Boring stuff about numbers of ponies who got sick lately and the general morale of the troops and so on. Luna always peered over at the guards and hoped to see Diamond Sky somewhere among them, but she knew that he was probably guarding her room right now. Hours of hours she spent in the throne room, doing her duty. To pass the time, she inspected the Guards standing next to the doors and what weapons they carried, but that couldn't distract her very long. It felt like ages, before the last visitor left the palace and it was almost nighttime and time for her to do her nightly job. She was so pissed.

She did her job, without much pleasure and returned to her room. She then heard the sound a guard makes when he takes his place in front of her door.

"Hey Diamond Sky," she called in anticipation. Nothing happened.

"Diamond Sky come in, please," she called a bit louder.
A knock and the door got opened. An unfamiliar guard in the familiar dark metal armor entered

"Do you request something, your highness?" he asked starchy.

"What about that other guard, who was here yesterday?" she asked the stranger.

"It is Monday, your highness... he was displaced to the outer walls as far as I know."

"When will he be back here?" she asked disappointed, but tried her best to hide her true feelings from that other guard.

"Next week, I think, your highness. Do you need anything, your highness?"

"Bring me a glass of water, please," she waved a hoof, quickly losing any interest in that guard.

"At once, your highness!" he replied starchy saluting her before he turned to leave the room. She only ordered it to not draw any unnecessary attention. He came back with a glass of water and put it on her bedroom table.

"Anything else you need, your highness?" the guard asked, trying to be gallant.

"No, that would be everything. Please let us rest now," she told him with a beckon with one hoof.

"Of course, your highness!" he said, then turned around and marched to the door.

He slipped out the door and shut it loudly. Luna didn't like that guard, she decided. He acted so starchy and he shut the door like a castle gate - not half as gently as Diamond did. She didn't like him because he wasn't Diamond Sky. She was very tired because of the long day in the throne room and her night shift, so she just slept through most of the rest of the day and did her job in the evening.

The next day, she took only a short nap and got up much earlier than usual. The indigo-coated mare prepared herself and then left her room, flying to the Canterlot Plaza. Diamond Sky said that they train there every morning. The place was crowded with guards who all looked the same.

Some hit wooden training-dummies, some practiced one on one combat and some marched in formation across the plaza. She saw Shining Armor in a corner, instructing his officers. He was the only guard she knew by name except Diamond Sky. He wore a violet armor and a big helmet with blue feathers. She flew some circles but couldn't spot her friend. Frustrated, she returned to her room, and the starchy guard saluted her as she walked by.

She wasted some time doing nothing. She was bored but couldn’t think of anything to do. She then had an idea. Diamond Sky told her that all his ancestors were members of the Royal Force by some degree, so she went to the royal library for some research. Another unfamiliar guard equipped with a pole-axe was standing before it.

"Take me to the wing with ancestral charts and pedigree files," she ordered.

"Of course, your highness. Please, follow me," the guard replied politely. He wore a golden armor with the crest of her sister on his chest.

"Are you a private guard of my sister?" she asked the golden armored guard, while walking.

"Yes I am, M'lady, I am a proud member of the 'Solar Flares'. I was promoted for outstanding discipline. See that sun crest? It's the crest of the Solar Flares, Princess Celestia's elite guards.

"Can I have a special elite guard too?" she asked the golden one.

"Err... I don't know. Maybe you should talk to Commander Shining Armor about it," he suggested.

"But why does a Solar Flare like you guard the Royal Library?" she asked him irritated.

"Princess Celestia said, that wisdom is the most precious good in Equestria and this library contains thousands of unique books and scrolls. Her highness ordered that this library should always be protected, no matter the cost".

She thanked the golden one for his guidance and dismissed him after entering the library wing. The room was huge. Long lines of high wooden bookshelves covered the place. Those shelves contained ancient looking tomes, stacks of scrolls and countless files of different thicknesses. She noticed that everything was very tidy, since she couldn’t find any dust on any shelves. The caretaker must be a very pedantic keeper. Some ponies are just obsessed about books, she thought to herself.

She spent some time, looking for a book that shows the list of guards over the centuries. She looked in different books, but couldn't find a hint of a relation to Diamond Sky. After some hours of searching, she had to take a break and follow her daily duty. She told the library caretaker, an old and wise pony with a long, gray beard wearing a red robe, that she will return the next day. She returned to her room, still with that other guard in front of the door. Again he saluted as she entered her room.

She hadn't had any bad dream ever since she met Diamond Sky but that day she had one. It was different from the one where she got banished to the moon though. She was in a huge room crowded with ponies and she sat in the middle on a golden throne in a spotlight. She tried to talk to the other ponies, but they ignored her. She even saw Diamond Sky among the other random ponies. One after another the other ponies vanished and she was left alone on her throne. Even Diamond vanished... She was alone.

Luna awoke with tears in her eyes. She didn't know if she had made a sound but the other guard didn't seem to make any move. She was glad, because she didn't want that other starched pony to see her tears. Later that day she did her job as usual, finally finishing the rearranging of her constellations. Satisfied she glared at her nightsky and smiled.
That satisfaction, however, didn’t last that long as she realized that she hadn't anything else to do anymore. Standing on the tower balcony she looked down at Canterlot. It was the middle of the night and there wasn’t anypony on the streets anymore. The last light had been switched off hours ago since almost everypony was sleeping at this hour. Staring down at the desolated city Luna felt the old wound again. The pain of being redundant and not wanted. In the end nothing had changed, she thought.

She spread her wings and jumped off the balcony. She flew some circles over the empty streets, but nopony was in sight. She spotted some Royal Guards standing at their posts along the walls but they either didn’t see her or pretended to not see her. She flew a curve and crossed the city’s border now flying towards Ponyville, but the general picture remained the same. Nopony was in sight, all lights were switched off and she could hear the snoring of the ponies inside the houses when she swooped past their windows. There was a lonely lamppost standing on the Ponyville plaza, trying its best to fight off the darkness. Its attempts had attracted a couple of moths that swarmed around the artificial light source. Luna landed quietly next to that lamppost and watched the insects for a moment.

Luna felt strangely connected to those insects. Like herself they were trying their best, reaching out for something they can see, but never reach. Kicking off and flapping her wings she then moved on towards the Apple Family’s orchard. Even the animals were sleeping, she noticed. She then spotted a fox lurking in the high grass. Interested she flew closer and landed on a nearby cloud. Keeping her distance to not startle him she watched him from above how he prowled the orchard, looking for a late night snack. It wasn’t hard for her to keep track of him since her moon illuminated the area with a pale white light. She spent a while watching the fox, but soon he decided that he wouldn’t catch anything at this late hour and called it a day. Luna’s eyes followed him to his den where he vanished in a hole under a tree.

She looked around, but couldn’t spot anything else of interest. With a mixture of loneliness and boredom she returned to the balcony in Canterlot. Even the wind seemed to avoid her presence it seemed. Luna felt lonely again. A couple of eventless hours later she saw her sister approaching her. Celestia’s smile was replaced by a concerned expression as she saw the sadness on Luna’s face.

“Luna, my dear, what is the matter?” she asked caringly. Luna slowly turned towards her and replied in a saddened tone:

“I am happy to be back, sister. I truly am. But tonight I noticed that even after one thousand years, nothing has changed.” Luna turned her head away casting her glance over the desolate streets. Celestia followed her glare and frowned.

“I rule over the night, yet there isn’t anything to rule. What sense is there being the protector of the night if nothing needs protection?” Luna swiftly pulled her head around and stared into her sister’s eyes. The worry in Celestia’s heart deepend seeing her sister’s unhappiness in liquid form.

“You asked me to tell you whenever I feel unhappy.. right now I feel so redundant, Tia.” Celestia took two quick steps towards her and pulled her into a tender embrace.

“Oh, Luna you are not redundant. You are the co-ruler of this beautiful country and you are my sister. You are loved by many, especially by me...”

Luna pulled away from her and yelled:

“That is not enough! What is a pony without a purpose? What is a pony without a goal in life?”

Celestia tried to hug her again, but Luna turned her head away defiantly. Celestia sighed before she whispered:

“I know how it must feel to you. It is only natural for ponies to sleep during the night..”

“I know, but still!” Luna interrupted her.

“... but there is a way you can still influence them, shape them, protect them even when they are sleeping,” Celestia continued. Surprised, Luna turned her head towards her sister again and whispered:

“How?”

“Starswirl the Bearded developed a spell a couple of years after your - ” Celestia hesitated before she spoke the actual word, “...banishment. It was intended as a way to talk to you during your time on the moon but it turned out that neither his nor my magic could reach you. The moon was just too far away, however, the spell worked just as intended on other ponies in Equestria. He was able to shift his spiritual presence into the realm between realities… in other words he was able to enter other ponies’ dreams while they were sleeping.”

Luna’s eyes widened.
“The ability to see and even manipulate other ponies dreams.. their deepest desires, their suppressed emotions… It is a power beyond anything else,” Celestia continued. “It can change a pony entirely and that is why it is a forbidden magic. Neither Starswirl nor I had the necessary sensitivity to use that power properly, thus that spell was never used again. But Luna, I think that you do have the necessary sensitivity that I lack.”

“Ponies are vulnerable in their dreams. They need peace during their sleep or something bad might happen to them. They might need protection and guidance in the realm of dreams. I could teach you that spell. You could watch over them, making sure that they rest in peace. You could encourage shy ponies to use their talents, or you could convey comfort to sad ponies, or even lecture them or inspire them… all in their sleep. Moreover, you could enter the dreams of criminals before they actually commit their crimes and show them better ways of handling their lives. You’ll have more insight of our subjects and become more powerful than any other pony in Equestria, including me. It is a great responsibility and you may view it as my proof of how much I trust you, little sister.
Do you want this responsibility? Do you think you can handle it?” Luna’s throat was dry. Celestia looked at her with a stern expression. Hoarsely she replied:

“I need to think about this…” Celestia’s stern expression softened and turned into a smile. “That is a very mature answer, Luna. It shows me that you are aware of the responsibility.”

Luna remained silent pondering about Celestia’s offer. Should she really accept and learn how to spirit walk other ponies’ dreams, she wondered. She wasn’t sure if she could handle such responsibility. Celestia thought that Luna was the right pony, having the right traits for that job, but she wasn’t that sure about it. On the other hoof she would be given a purpose. Luna always wanted to be someone that influenced and inspired her subjects, more than anything. If the chips were down she could simply not do it again if she couldn’t handle that pressure.

“Do you really think that I got what it takes?” she asked Celestia, unsure. Her sister only nodded as a respond. “OK, then teach me that ability, please...” Celestia smiled at her. Since not everypony had gotten up at that early hour, the both of them spent some hours practicing that spell. Realizing what great impact such an ability bears, Luna decided to only spectate other ponies and to only interfere if necessary. Her night shift and the complex spell training took their toll though, so Luna had to give in to her tiredness eventually.

The next day she got up later than normal and spent her free time in the library again. Around afternoon, she found an ancient document about a guard named Stronghold, who apparently lived about one thousand years ago. According to the text, he had been a commander or one of the higher officers. The document was very old and dusty and at some points she couldn't even read the writing. A drawing was attached to it though: the pony was a proud male unicorn wearing an old-fashioned armor, but his eyes looked like Diamond Sky’s...

***

The following day, there was a party in the Canterlot Gardens for a noble count who was somehow related to her, but Luna didn't know in what fashion nor did she care. Apparently he’d gotten married to another noble pony she didn't know either. She, as a Princess and his relative, had to be present and just as expected, it was such a bore. Some noble colts tried to dance with her, but she refused politely, being not in the mood. During the party, she saw Shining Armor in his celebration suit, a red vest with many medals attached to his chest. Luna thought that she liked his purple armor better, because purple and blue had always been her favorite colors. She trotted towards him and greeted him.

"Oh, your highness, Princess Luna, what a delight meeting you," He was such an apple polisher, but she liked him somehow. He was indeed like Diamond Sky described him: tall, brave, clever, charming. He looked good too.

"You are the Lord Commander of all Canterlot troops, is this correct?" she wanted to know.

"Yes indeed, your highness," he replied being in a good mood.

"I recently learned that my sister has a special guard team, the 'Solar Flares'. Am I allowed to have one too?" she asked him, while examining his medals.

"Oh yes, I guess, If your sister has no objection of course. But I doubt she would." He laughed winsomely. "By the way, the Wonderbolts are another special team of your highness's sister." he added, trying to do some conversation.

"Ah yes, I met Soarin and Spitfire at the Galloping Gala," she explained, still distracted by his badges.

"May I suggest ponies for your new team?" he offered.

"Did you suggest ponies to my sister too?" she asked him warily.

"No, Princess Celestia picked her team personally. However, I would have agreed with her choice, if she had asked me. She picked very fine ponies."

"Then I will pick my champions personally too," she decided.

"As you wish. However, you will need a crest to award your champions with."

"Thank you, commander. I will think about it. If you will excuse me, I need to talk to my sister now."

"Always a pleasure M'lady." He smiled at her and stepped out of her way.

She trotted away, finding her sister surrounded by noble unicorns, having a conversation. She could see that it must be a very boring one because her sister used her faked smiling face. She saw it dozens of times... the last time at the "Grand Galloping Gala", where she had to greet countless ponies. The Gala itself must have been a blast because when she returned from her daily duty the whole ballroom had become just smoke and haze. She heard that a pegasus accidentally kicked the pillars of the ballroom, which then crashed down leaving a terrible mess. An earth pony disturbed the band and another pony chased animals in the Canterlot Garden... it sounded like a lot of fun. Too bad she had missed the best parts.
She greeted the noble ponies around her sister as she approached.

" - and that’s why I love Manehatten so much, it has the best fashion show in all of Equestria..." a female unicorn with an orange coat, wearing an expensive-looking dress had just said when Luna stepped near.

"Excuse me, fillies and gentlecolts, may I have a quick word with my sister?" she politely interrupted the conversation.

"Princess Luna, a pleasure meeting you again," another male noble Unicorn said.
Luna knew that pony from the Court Day when she greeted him but she couldn't recall his name. "Of course you may, Princess," a third noble pony said. The group of noble ponies moved over to another group and quickly started a chit chat with the newlywed bride. Luna and Celestia, however, walked some steps in the other direction.

"Luna, my dear, are you enjoying the party?" Celestia kindly asked.

"Well yes, it's a blast," her younger sister replied with a remarkable tone of sarcasm in her voice.
"I met with the Lord Commander of the Royal Guards and he told me I need your allowance if I want to form my own special group like your Solar Flares. Am I allowed to recruit ponies for my own private team?”

"Oh Luna, you don't need my allowance to form a team or any other things you deem wise since we are both equal. You are a ruler of Equestria just as I am. For your request... well, I don't know, leading a team brings some major responsibilities you know? You have to chose wisely and you need to promote and lead them all by yourself." Luna nodded. “Why do you need your own team anyway?" Celestia asked curiously.

"I think it is bad that the guards around me change all the time and how should I trust a pony I never spoke to before? Even if so, they are replaced or absent on a regular basis. I would feel much safer with guards that stay at my side. Also they could protect me when I travel to different cities or meet with the local citizens."

"So you are planning to travel around, meeting our subjects?" the elder pony asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well... maybe not right now, but someday I certainly will..." she answered raggedly.

"That is great news, little sister. I was kind of worried that you spent all your time in your room alone. It is not good for a pony to be all alone you know? And I support your decision, meeting our subjects, so of course you are allowed to form a team if it helps you feeling safe," her sister said, hugging her.

"Oh thank you big sister," Luna happily yelled, returning the hug.

"Well I guess I have to get back to the party now - " Celestia said craning her neck and taking a deep breath.

"Aren't you enjoying the party, my dear?" Luna asked, imitating Celestia's voice.

"Well yes it is a blast..." the Sun Princess replied, with the same sarcastic tone Luna had used before and they both laughed.

"It is good to see you laughing again, my dear. Lately you seem much more relaxed than a few weeks before. Whatever you are doing, keep on doing it, please," the white mare cheerfully said while going back to the group of nobles she was talking to before "I will try..." Luna whispered to herself.

The blue Princess returned to her seat. Another stallion asked for a dance, but again she politely refused with a charming smile on her face. The party lasted into the night so Luna rose the moon and left the party to take her place. When she returned to her room she felt so tired. She lay on her bed but couldn't sleep at the moment. She was very excited thinking what Diamond Sky would say when he returned to her.

"But what if he refuses?" she suddenly thought. "Maybe he doesn't like me at all and only talked to me to kill time or to gain certain advantages..."
Her happiness faded and was replaced by doubts. She eventually fell asleep shortly after, but the doubts didn’t disappear. She had the same dream she’d had before, with the ponies who ignore her, but this time she begged Diamond Sky to stay at her side. He refused her pleads and told her that he didn't like her and he only used her so his job wouldn't be that boring anymore. Then he vanished as well, just like the other ponies did.

She spent the next day in her room, singing the blues. If somepony had asked her what she did all day long she couldn't answer that because she didn't know herself. Time rushed by in a flash and she got herself ready to do her job once more. When meeting her sister on the tower she asked her:

"Did you know a Guard named Stronghold? He lived about one thousand years ago, back when I became Nightmare Moon." The smile of her sister’s face faded for a moment, but returned shortly after.

"No, I don't know anypony with that name," she replied, while her gaze wandered into the far distance as if she was inspecting something behind Luna’s shoulder.

Luna could tell that she lied to her because she used her faked smiling face. Other ponies couldn't tell the difference, but she knew her sister better than anypony else. "Never mind..." she quickly added, "I wish you a good night, big sister."

"Good night, my dear," Celestia said still with her poker face up, when she flew away.

"There must be a secret she doesn't want me to know..." Luna thought to herself. The next day Luna visited the library once more. She wrote a letter and asked the caretaker to deliver it for her:

Dear Ms. Sparkle,
I have heard that you are very familiar with the ancient history of Equestria. I need you to give me every piece of information you can find about a member of the royal guard named Stronghold who lived about 1,000 years ago. This is a very important task and I hope you do your best to serve your Princess. I command you to not speak about it with anypony, not even my sister.
Luna, Princess of the Night.

She sat on a chair in the library and waited. After half an hour of waiting for an answer, the old caretaker walked over to her and silently handed a book to her. Surprised she blinked at him, but he only smiled. It was a Daring Do novel: ‘Daring Do and the Starlight Lance’. Luna had heard about Daring Do before, but never read her novels.

Luna read the story’s summary printed on the back of the cover. Obviously some villain named Ahuizotl had managed to obtain an ancient artifact that enabled him to summon evil nightmare spirits into the realm of ponykind. Daring Do’s mission was to find a holy weapon that can dispel the nightmares to save the world. Luna decided to start reading while waiting. A few hours later, Luna being riveted by the book, was gently touched on her shoulder by the caretaker again and he delivered a letter from Twilight Sparkle.

Dear Princess Luna,
I did as you asked me and looked up several books of ancient history. Information about him isn't easy to find, but a guard with the name of Stronghold did actually exist. He was the right-hoof of the commander and second in command of the Royal Guards back then. As a guard you must swear an oath, to protect the Princess of Equestria in any situation of danger.
But it is not said which Princess you have to defend if there would ever be a rift between the two Princesses. When Nightmare Moon rebelled against Princess Celestia almost everypony sided with Celestia. Stronghold, however, was the only pony that sided with Nightmare Moon. He faced his comrades and even defended Nightmare Moon against Celestia’s magic. He then was accidentally hit by a ricochet and suffered a mortal wound when Celestia used the Elements of Harmony to banish Nightmare Moon to the moon. He was marked a traitor and most records about the incident were destroyed. I'm afraid this is everything I could find out about him.
Yours faithfully,
Twilight Sparkle

She read the letter again... and again.
"Diamond’s ancestor got killed because he was trying to defend me," she thought, feeling a deep sorrow. She remembered that there had been that one pony who had jumped in front of her to shield her from her sister's magic. Back then she didn't care about him since to Nightmare Moon he had been just another peasant that needed to be sacrificed. Thinking about that incident, it felt like a half forgotten dream to her. She felt bad because he lost his life because of her but she was touched that he had chosen her over her sister.

"So Diamond Sky and I already had a connection before we even met." She burned the letter in a chimney fire and left the library. She also rented the book she was reading before, so she could read the rest of it another time. Back in her room, she drew several sketches of a crest her guard should receive using her horn. She didn't like most designs she drew but in the end she came up with one she was very pleased with. It was a winged crescent moon, upside down with elongated white star above it. She was going to call her new team ‘Starlancers’, inspired by the holy weapon Daring Do was sent to obtain.

Author's Note:

Sooo chapter 2...

While the first chapter might be a bit boring, this one moves up a gear. Many references here are important for later events, too.

"Starlancer" is a Hero-class in Seiken Densetsu3 (also known as Secret of Mana 2) and my favorite evolution of Riesz. I always like the sound of that word, just like Luna explained. If you haven't played that game yet, I strongly advise you to do so. It is my favorite game of all time.

The Daring Do book Luna reads actually acts as an allegory of her current life. The world (Luna) must be saved from nightmare spirits (her nightmares and fears) and it takes the Starlight lance ( Diamond Sky) to dispel those nightmares.

Special thanks to ArtWarrior1985: (http://artwarrior1985.deviantart.com/) for proofreading and correcting this fic.