In Tenebrae Invenit (In Darkness Found)

by Jet Howitzer

Principium et Finis: Original Version

(MADE A MISTAKE WITH MY FRIVOLOUS BUTTON PRESSING. NOTHING HAS BEEN CHANGED.)
(This is the original version of the story. The chapters are the new version, and I suggest you read those. I won't get rid of this version, so feel free to read it at your leisure. Just know that the chapters are better, and more finalized, than this version.)
(For my fans who wanted a Luna/Pegasus relationship. I present, In Tenebrae Invenit)
(This is the full, original, story. The chapter that you will see is the first chapter of the revised, lengthened story. I will leave this one up for now, but eventually this will be taken down. Enjoy it while it is up.)

You follow Luna patiently up to her private chambers. Having just finished the last hearing of the day she is eager to get to work on crafting yet another night sky. You look around you, and admire the beautiful architecture that makes the palace as beautiful as it is. The grand arches, and massive stained glass windows all make for an impressive vista. Luna’s tower is no exception.

As you begin the walk across the bridge that leads there you get a glimpse of it from the outside through the many windows. It’s the second tallest tower in the castle, and it catches the eye. Massive buttresses give it a gothic look, and it is truly a fitting tower for the Princess of the Moon. You pass by several other guards, all staring past you, looking for any signs of trouble.

Luna enters her chamber, and you follow her, as you have done hundreds of times before. The door closes behind you, and you glance over your shoulder to see the fading glow of Luna’s magic. No matter how many times you saw it happen, the magic she wielded scared you. You watch as she moves amongst the bookshelves of her private study, until eventually she pulls one down.

You were never really interested in books, so you, instead, head over to a window, and enjoy the setting sun. Even with all the time you spend in the night, helping Luna, or just being there for advice, you never grow tired of seeing the sun rise and set each day. You heard an exasperated groan come from Luna, but you had long since learned to ignore her unless she specifically asked a question. You looked out upon the lands surrounding Canterlot, and it was mostly wild still. Even with this bastion of power, the Princesses were still hesitant about spreading.

You feel a presence approach from behind, but you pay it no heed. If she wants something, she’ll ask, or tell you. You feel her mane brushing against your back, but you ignore that too. She’s just playing some new game, trying to get a reaction. She’s played these games before, trying to coax a reaction from you. Sometimes she really confused you. One minute she’d be dead serious, and the next she’d be joking with you casually.

You decide to risk it, and you look up to her face. She’s smiling at you, and you sigh internally. “Is there something you require, Princess?” You always remember your courtesies when you’re dealing with her. Unless she said otherwise you were to address her as Princess.

“Please, Knight, I’d rather we avoid the pomp, and formality, that we usually do. We’ve known each other for ten years now.” Her smile is bright, and disarming. You allow yourself to relax some, and she ushers you over to one of the large chairs that she has in the room. You take a seat, and she sits opposite you. “I’d like to ask you some questions. I want you to answer honestly. Don’t just tell me what you think I want to hear.”

This again? The last time we spoke like this she wound up decreeing that every seventh Friday would be workless Friday. Not a bad thing, but still. You nod slowly, and she levitates a small piece of parchment over, and then she grabs it.

“Alright. Would you say that the people, as a whole, like me?” A doozy right off the bat? Well, she wants honest answers.

“The people don’t truly know you, Princess. Most ponies are in bed, or going to bed when you are most active. They respect what you do, but they do not like you.” You think for a moment, and add, “I think that it would be wise for you to hold council with the people of Canterlot in a less formal manner. Were you to do that they could see you for who you really are.”

She scribbles on her parchment for a moment, then she looks back to you. “What do you mean by holding a less formal council? I hold council in the manner dictated by the old code. I usher them in, hear their case, and render judgment. How else should I do it?”

“Perhaps, Princess, you could be less formal about it. Show them that you are more than just their ruler, you are their friend. Compassion from the people will go a long way towards winning their hearts.” She writes more on the parchment. As she finishes she stands, and opens up the door to her balcony.

You watch as she strides over, and looks to the setting sun. With a flourish she opens her wings, and she takes a small leap over the railing and she’s aloft. Her flowing mane contrasts sharply with the sky, and you see it shift patterns as the light hits it. She stops, and hovers just a short distance from the tower. A magical aura surrounds her, and you see the sun finally settle and fade from view. The night sky grows across the sky in great splotches of change.

After a moment the entire sky is the deep blue of night, but the stars are not out yet. The magical aura around Luna changes shade, and soon the stars begin popping into existence. First just a few, directly above, but soon they spread across the sky faster than the eye can follow. Then, with a final touch Luna raises the moon. If you look at the moon close enough you can make out the thousands of craters that she made upon its surface. Having finished the night sky she turns, and comes back to her room. You step back to allow her to land.

You give her a smile. “Another beautiful night sky, Princess. Watching you create is a blessing.” You swear you see a blush on her cheeks for a moment, but it was so brief you may have just imagined it. She has you run a few quick errands, but then she dismisses you for the evening.

“I wish to give you the night off. You’ve been here every night for the past month, and so I give you leave to head home for the evening.” You bow to her, and graciously accept.

A short while later and you’ve removed your armor, and you enter the streets, heading home. You pass only a few other ponies, but they all seem busy heading home. You note with a frown that nopony seems to look up and bask in the beauty of the night sky. You find it difficult to tear your eyes away, but you do manage to get home eventually.

As you enter you see your younger sister finishing up her dinner. She gasps as you enter, and she rushes over to hug you. You return the embrace, gladly. It’s been a while since you last saw her, and so you take a moment to look her over. Her coat is a crimson color, complemented by her pink mane. Her eyes are a deep blue, and sometimes you wonder if they go with her coat, but you dismiss it. Her horn is growing more, and you sometimes wonder how your life would’ve gone if you had been like dad, instead of mom.

You liked your wings, but sometimes you envied the magic your sister could produce. She may only be ten, but her magic was surprisingly good.

“What are you doing home, bro? Weren’t you supposed to be helping Loony Luna with something? Oops…” You look at her quickly as she says that.

“Where did you hear that?” You speak sternly, but not unkindly. You had never heard that before, and it concerned you greatly. If Luna found out you weren’t sure how she would react. Probably not well.

“I heard some other kids at magic school say it. I didn’t mean it, though.” She looks upset by what she said, and so you console her. A few minutes later, and you’re tucking her into bed, and getting ready yourself. You take a last look at the night sky before you turn in.

After another long day at court you walk to Luna’s chambers once more. Again she asks you to sit, and so you do. She pulls out some more parchment, and she ruffles through them. You wait patiently, unsure of what today’s question, or questions, will be. Finally, though, she finds the page she’s looking for. She floats the others back to the table and she looks up, and meets your gaze.

“I’ve been thinking about what you suggested yesterday. I’ve decided that I’d like to give it a shot. Perhaps you are right, and I just need to show myself to the ponies a bit more.”

You give a quick nod. “If the ponies of Canterlot get to know you more they’ll be more willing to warm up to you, Princess. And maybe they’ll even think up better nicknames.” As soon as the words leave your lips you regret it. Stupid! So stupid! Maybe she won’t ask.

“I have a nickname amongst the ponies of Canterlot?” She seems genuinely curious, and you feel compelled to tell her the truth of the matter.

“Yes, Princess. You have one, but it is not a flattering one. It seems that some ponies have taken to referring to you as Loony Luna.” You look at her, trying to gauge her reaction, but despite all your experience with her, you’ve never seen that look before. Her normally sparkling eyes seem flat. She stands, and raises the moon once more, but it’s different this time. Rather than do it beautifully, as she always did, it’s done with ruthless efficiency. She simply turns the whole sky dark at once, and the stars seem to be scattered aimlessly. You have trouble picking out constellations, and that’s when you realize just how bad things are.

As she returns to the tower you see some water in the corner of her eye. “Princess, is everything alright?” She doesn’t respond. She doesn’t even acknowledge that you’re there. The evening passes quickly, with her only speaking the bare minimum to get her point across. When you finally finish in the morning she simply dismisses you with a wave. You hear her mumbling to herself, but you ignore it, not wanting to make things worse by prying in her business.

This continues for a few days, with her barely speaking to you, and the skies becoming more and more chaotic. One evening, though, you walk into her chambers and everything seems off. Her mane is different, and she’s wearing some sort of armor. You stand back as she paces the room, until she finally looks at you.

“You’re here, good. I’ll need your help in the coming months.” She continues pacing the room, until it is time for her to raise the moon once again. She does so with the same mechanical efficiency you’ve come to expect from her. When she lands in the room she sweeps over to a table that hadn’t been there yesterday. “Come here. I need you.” You hurry over and look to the table.

You see a large map, covering the whole table top. It has the entire known world drawn upon its surface. Every little settlement has a flag sticking out of it, and numbers written beside it. You read some of the figures, but none of them seem to make sense to you. “Princess, what exactly am I looking at?”

“This is my plan. I tire of being the butt of jokes, and so I will bring an end to their happiness.” Her voice is cruel, and dripping with malice. You take a step back, not used to this kind of behavior from Luna. She turns to look at you as you step backwards. “Why do you run from me? Do you fear me like the rest of those fools down there?”

“No, Princess. I don’t fear you. I have seen too much in your service to still know fear. I do know caution, though. M’lady, are you sure that you’re feeling alright?”

She starts walking towards you, an evil glow in her eyes. “I’m feeling quite well. In fact, I’m feeling better than I have in years! After we spoke I decided that I’d do some research. I eventually found a spell that claimed it could help me to better relate to my subjects. Instead it gave me this gift of power!” Her body begins emanating a darkness, and you watch cautiously. “The spell granted me even more power than Celestia has! No longer will I lower my moon each morning. I will reign eternally, and my night will know no end!”

“Princess, that won’t work.” She gives you a look that could stop a rampaging manticore in its tracks, but you continue. “The ponies need the day. Without it they won’t be able to work.”

“Let them adapt. You did it, so can they.”

“The plants will die! They need the sun in order to survive!”

“I will provide all they need. I have more power than Luna ever did!” That can’t be good

“What do you mean? You are Luna. Princess Luna, Goddess of the Night.”

She shakes her head, and speaks once more. Her voice is smoother this time, almost seductive. “Mortal. I am no longer Luna. I am Nightmare Moon. I offer you a spot by my side as my general. You will lead my armies against any foe. You will be the sword I wield against my foes. With my power, and your prowess in battle we will usher in a new era! It will be an eternal night! Join me, Knight. I promise you power and mares. I know the stallion mind well enough to know what it is that you want.”

“No.” You won’t allow this to happen. You can’t allow it. She’s gone mad, and you need to stop her. Perhaps you’ll be able to make it to Celestia before things get out of hand. It’s doubtful, but better than nothing.

“What did you say? I thought you said ‘no’. That would be most unwise, if it is what you said.” Her voice lost its seductive edge, and took on a threatening one.

“I did say no. I’m sorry, Princess, but I can’t let you do this. The world needs the sun, and so I must stop you.”

“You have served by my side for ten years, and now, when I promise you the world, you decline?” The darkness coming off of her grows thicker, and begins to fill the room. It has a sickly odor to it, and it clings to every surface. It fills the corners of the room quickly, and before long you are in a pitch black room, with nothing visible save for Luna’s glowing eyes, and flowing mane.

“I will not step down, Luna. For the sake of all Pony kind I will stop you.” As you finish you turn and leap backwards, through the blackness. It nearly chokes you, but you get to the balcony. With another leap you take flight. A quick glance over your shoulder confirms your fear. Luna is following you, and the darkness seems to surround her.

You pump your wings furiously, making for Celestia’s tower. You feel a freezing sensation on your wing, and you see that the darkness has encapsulated it. As you lose the feeling in your wing you struggle to maintain the course. You make it to Celestia’s tower, but unfortunately you are unable to come to a stop, so you smash through her balcony door. As you try to recover Luna arrives in the room, cackling.

“Oh, yes. Do run I’m sure you’ll manage to wake my sweet sister!” You struggle to move, but her gaze seems to freeze you in place. “What’s the matter? Can’t seem to move?”

“Celestia, help.” You try to shout, but your voice seems caught in your throat. With a mental squeeze you manage to rid yourself of the paralysis, but you still can’t speak. You leap up to Celestia’s bedroom door, helped along by your wings. You burst through the door, and find that the room is filled with the same darkness that encapsulated you earlier.

You push through it, and you feel your entire body start to go numb from the cold. You do manage to get to Celestia, though. Her sleeping form is curled up beneath her blankets, and you leap onto the bed, hoping to wake her. As you land on the bed she sits upright quite suddenly. Her eyes are narrowed, and her horn is glowing with a disturbing amount of power.

“Luna’s gone mad with power!” You get right to the point, and Celestia only now seems to notice the darkness around her.

You feel yourself being magically levitated, and then the levitation changes direction. You notice that there are two auras surrounding your body.

“Well, sister, how nice of you to wake for my rise to power.” Luna emerges from the darkness. “It’s a shame you won’t live to see me at the height of my power.”

“No, sister. I won’t allow you to take the realm. I will cast you down myself if I need to.” Her voice is low, and deathly serious. You really do regret the fact that you’re trapped in the middle of all of this. “Release this guard, and we’ll settle this.”

“I would, but you see, he’s my new general. He will lead my grand armies to do battle with any who would oppose me.”

“No. Luna, for the good of all of Equestria I refuse. I will take no part in this plan of yours.” You put on a brave face, and continue. “I swore to protect Equestria before I joined your guard. If that means that I must forsake my vow to you, so be it.”

Luna’s face took on a scowl that made you feel sick. She began to charge her horn for a spell, and before you, or Celestia, could react you saw a bright flash of light.

You find yourself in Luna’s private chambers once more. Your body collapses, though, unable to take the strain caused by the freezing temperatures of the darkness. After a few minutes you hear voices approaching the chamber, so you struggle to your hooves, and find a spot to hide. You manage to find one just as the door enters, and Luna enters. She looks different than she did just a moment ago, but you refuse to be caught off guard.

Luna takes a seat in one of the chairs in the room, and she starts to weep some. Why is she weeping? What happened to her attack on Celestia? Is this some sort of ploy to get me to come out? A hundred other questions fly through your head, but you cast them aside. You never won a fight by hiding, so you purposefully stride towards the weeping goddess.

“Dry your tears, Luna. I will not see you defeated with tears in your eyes. You brought this on yourself, so I am here to deliver your end, if I need to.” Her head snaps up as you speak, and you can immediately tell that something is wrong here. She looks like she did before you told her about the nickname.

“Knight? Is that you?”

“What do you mean? You only just sent me here from Celestia’s bedroom. You were going to kill her, and plunge the world into eternal night.” The wrongness of the situation steals your thunder, but you continue. “I swear I’ll stop you, and lay down my life if I need to.”

“It’s been a thousand years since I last saw you.”

“What?” No. No, something is wrong. I was just there, a second ago! “What do you mean, ‘It’s been a thousand years.’ We were just there, a second ago! I couldn’t have traveled through time! It doesn’t work that way!”

Luna begins crying again, and this time you can’t maintain your demeanor. “Don’t cry, Princess.” But despite your plea she continues to cry.

“I’m so sorry. I cost you everything.” It takes you a moment to realize what she means, but then it hits you. Everypony I ever knew is dead. My sister is dead. All of my friends are dead.

“You killed them all. You stole my present, and gave me a new one! You stole my home from me! Everything I ever knew is gone! You’re the only thing that is still here! You and this castle! What will you take from me next? All I have left is my life, and even that is decreasing in value!” She is still crying as you shout at her, but you’re too far gone to care. “What am I supposed to do now? Just move on, and make a new life? I know nothing about the land, and even less about the ponies that live here!”

A moment later and Celestia enters the room. She looks at you with a knowing smile on her face, and she lets you simmer down before she speaks. “I knew that you’d arrive sometime soon. I didn’t expect it today, but then again time-travel is quite an imprecise form of magic.”

Celestia explains that when Luna, then Nightmare Moon, was going to teleport you, she stepped in, and turned the spell into a time travel spell. Only with both of their magic pooled together could they have achieved the result they did.

“So you see, Knight, I am to blame, not Luna.” You looked at her, still too upset to think rationally. Her flowing mane, and her wings, tucked neatly at her sides. They were all the same. She looked just like she had before you left. You bolted to the window, and looked out.

“Sweet Celestia.” It wasn’t often that a pony uttered that phrase in earshot of the princess, but she said nothing. The city had more than doubled in size since you last looked at it. You could even make out other towns and cities in the distance. It had been less than an hour since you last gazed upon it, but for the denizens of the land a thousand years had passed.

You turn back to the princesses and see that Celestia is consoling Luna. You walk over to the seat that you took when Luna asked you her questions, and you just shut down mentally.

You come to and find yourself in a bed. You gaze at the ceiling, and see that it is patterned like a night sky. You sit up, and realize with a start that this is the one room you had only seen, but never been in: Luna’s bedroom.

You get out of the bed as quickly as you can, unwilling to be in the room, especially by yourself. You burst out of the room, and you spot Luna poring over some tomes at her small desk. She looks up at you, seeing you awake, and she gives a small smile.

“Glad to see that you’re awake. You gave Celestia and me quite a fright when you fainted like that.” Her kindness seems genuine, but you’re still wary of her. You notice that she’s watching you quite intently, so you slowly make your way down the stairs, and take a seat in the chair you were in when you passed out. Luna moves, and sits across from you, a smile on her face.

“How are you feeling, Knight?”

“I don’t know. On one hand I am distraught at the fact that everything I knew is gone, and on the other hand I feel somehow relieved. I have no further obligations to anypony. I’m free to do whatever I like, and that scares me.”

“Well, you can stay here if you like.” You look back to her as she says that.

“Why would I stay here? I spent ten years at your side, as you pointed out, and then you just cast me aside when I didn’t say what you like.” There is venom in your voice, but it’s how you feel. Luna lowers her gaze as you speak, but you don’t feel bad.

“I said I was sorry. I didn’t expect a demonic entity to attack me when I cast that spell, and the world paid the price for my actions.” Her sadness is so deep that you really do feel sorry for what she’s been through. She slowly gets up and heads to the balcony once more. You watch her as she opens the doors, and she gently leaps into the evening sky, ready to create yet another night.

You can’t look away, though, as she turns the day into night with a beauty that you had never seen before. It lasted mere minutes, but each minute felt like an hour as you watched her sprinkle the stars in the sky. And the moon rise was nearly as captivating as the first time you ever watched Luna create the night. But you were only watching the sky for half the performance. The other half you watched Luna. You always liked her, but she was inaccessible to you.

Her body was lithe and graceful and it drove you mad. No creature should be able to look as good as she did. And yet she seemed unaware of her beauty. She was beautiful in both mind and body. She gently landed on the balcony, and you gave a slow clap as she entered. A sudden blush found its way to her cheeks, and she couldn’t hold your gaze.

She does eventually make her way to the chair across from you, and you watch her. She seems uncomfortable beneath your gaze, and that puzzles you. After a moment of quiet contemplation she breaks your gaze, and she goes back over to her desk and resumes her studies. The night passes quickly, and she makes only a few requests from you, and all of them are polite, and even hesitant.

This trend continues for weeks on end, and finally it’s been a month since your time jump. Luna tries to reconcile with you, but every time she tries it goes wrong somehow, and you feel only anger towards her for what she did. She may impress you with her displays of magical prowess, but the emotional attachment is gone. What she did is enough to distance you mentally, but physically she is still attractive.

On the first week of your second month in the future you finally decided to speak up. For the past month she’d been avoiding your gaze every time you tried to look at her. “Princess, why do you avoid my gaze? Surely you, of all ponies, would be able to look me in the eye. I don’t think I can forgive what you did, but surely you can look past that.”

She doesn’t respond at first, and so you wait. Years in her company have taught you patience, and so you just wait for her response. “I don’t know how to face you after what I did. You tried to stop me. You were the voice of reason that night, and yet I ignored you.” She looks at you, a frown on her face. “When Celestia and I fought I lost. She banished me to the moon for a thousand years, and I’ve only just returned to the land, much like you. I had a thousand years to think about what I did. But, when I finally returned, I was just as angry with the world as when I was banished.”

You had heard this from the other guards, but Luna had never spoken of it before. “The elements of harmony manifested inside of six innocent mares from the small town of Ponyville. They vanquished the great evil inside me, and saved me. I was so shocked at what I had become that I didn’t know what to do. I still don’t know.”

“Princess, you must make amends with the ponies of Equestria. Even if it was a wrong committed a thousand years ago it is still an open wound.” You hesitate for a moment. “And for me it still lingers fresh and open to the world. You tore from me my whole life. I had plans for my future, and yet you tore it away from me.”

Luna lowers her head once more, unable to hold your gaze any longer. “I wish that I could be strong, like you, but I am afraid. I don’t know how to undo the damage I’ve done.”

“Start, Princess, by apologizing to those you hurt the most. Go to Celestia, and listen to the pain she bears for what she had to do. Go amongst the ponies of Equestria and hear their grief. Make yourself a part of the land, and then you will understand the true gravity of what you did.”

“Will you help me?”

“No. This is something that you must deal with on your own. For your own sake, Luna, you need to fix this issue on your own. I will listen to your woes, but until you act like the Princess you say you are, I will offer no aid.” You turn sharply, and begin walking from the room. You hear her call out for you as you leave, but you don’t stop. Your eyes tear, from the pain of what you’re doing, but it has to be done. You need to separate yourself from her, before you do something you’ll regret.

Luna departed the next day, heading out to visit all of the great cities around Equestria. It was a welcome respite from Luna’s presence, and it gave you time to explore the world, now that it has changed so much for you. Your exploration of the city took a full week, and the surrounding towns another week. You even paid a visit to Ponyville, and you got to meet the bearers of the elements. But it just didn’t make you happy.

The third week of Luna’s trip left you unsure of what to do anymore. Now that you had nothing to do you realize just how little you actually do when you’re not helping Luna.

On the last day of the third week Luna finally returned. She had a smile on her face, and it brought an undue amount of happiness to you. “How was your trip, m’lady?” She spoke to you through the whole night about what she did, and where she went. She had learned so much about the ponies of Equestria, and she felt that she was ready to change who she was, to reflect the changing world around her.

“My first act will be the most difficult, though.”

“And would that be, m’lady?” You are curious about what she’s going to do first.

“I am dismissing you as the captain of my guard.” It takes you a moment to realize just what she’s saying to you. “I do not wish to force you into this position. I wronged you, and I do not wish to force myself upon you any longer.” You open and close your mouth a few times, and find yourself unable to speak at all.

“However, I would like to ask you a final question, before I finalize your dismissal.”

You find that you are no longer functioning emotionally, due to what she said, so you answer in a near monotone. “Yes, Princess?”

“Would you like to stay here, with me, as a friend?”

Relief floods through you like water from a burst dam. You had feared that she had dashed away all of your unrealized hopes in a moment, and now they had been returned to you. The next word out of your mouth confused you so much.

“Why?”

As soon as you asked you realized the stupidity of it. You realized, as you asked the question, that you didn’t care why. You liked Luna a lot, and she was offering you a chance to spend time with her, without the constant air of formality.

“Because I like you Knight. It’s been a thousand years since I was last able to speak freely with somepony, and that last somepony was you. You were always reluctant to speak candidly with me, but when you did it always gave me insight into the minds of the ponies I rule over. You didn’t fear my wrath at speaking your mind, and that made you special to me. And for that reason I would like you as my friend.” A small twinkle appeared in her eyes, and she almost whispered her next words. “And, perhaps more than that.”

You listened carefully to each word, and you realize that this is the type of opportunity you were waiting for. But, despite your desire to accept you are brought crashing back to reality by the thought that it has been a thousand years.

“Princess, I would like nothing more than to accept your offer, but what you took from me was too large a price to pay.” You look at her, tears in your eyes. “You took my sister from me, and that is something I don’t think I can forgive.”

This time you manage to leave, and it hurts you so deeply that you feel a physical ache all over. True heartbreak is the most painful thing you can imagine.

A week later, and you stand before the doors to Luna’s quarters. She summoned you personally, and it was unwise to miss an appointment with one of the princesses. The doors look the same as they did a thousand years ago, and a moment of hesitance stops you from opening the door. You push it open, though, and enter her chambers.

She is sitting in that same chair. You slowly approach her, unsure of just what you’re expecting from this meeting. She looks at you, and there is a smile on her face. It’s a disarming smile, and it almost makes you forget what she did to you. Almost.

“Why did you summon me?” You waste no time with formalities. She shirks back at your brusqueness, but you don’t really care. She motions to the seat opposite her, but you shake your head. “I’m here because you asked for me. Now just say what you want, so I can be done with this.”

She looks hurt by your words, and it affects you. Despite the fact that she hurt you so badly, you still feel bad at hurting her. You reluctantly take a seat, and look over to Luna.

“I know that I hurt you, but I want to help you. You bottle up your emotions, and I want to help you to release that pain.” You look at her curiously, and she continues. “You see, even in my madness I had plenty of time for thought while I was on the moon. I realized many things, and some of them even proved to be true. You lack an outlet for your emotions. I should’ve seen it sooner, but in my arrogance I was unable to see it.

“I can see it clearly written on your face that you like me. Even with all I’ve done to you, you like me. When I first realized this, all those years ago, I figured it was the type of devotion that a guard has for his princess. I see now just how wrong I was. My actions have hurt you so deeply because of who I am to you. And that is why I want you as my friend.”

You look at her, and, just for a moment, you put aside your inner turmoil, and you see that she is right. Even with what she did you still like her. Hell, maybe you love her. But can you really do this? Can you go against your mind, to follow your heart?

“Luna, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do. For the first time in the years I’ve known you, I don’t have an answer for you. My mind says one thing, and my heart another.” A deep sigh escapes you, and you meet her eyes. “Tell me, Luna. Should I heed my heart, and hope my mind follows, or follow my mind, and hope my heart heals?”

“Knight, the mind is your one true bastion of logic, and reasoning. It will see you through even the most challenging situations. Any problem can be overcome with a solid mind. But is the solution always the right one? Can you sacrifice one pony for the good of the many? Your mind says yes, but your heart will say no. The heart is there to guide your logical mind. One without the other is destined to fail. For that reason I can not answer your question. Simply do what is right, and the rest will follow.”

Do what is right?

You lower your gaze, and you look at your hooves. She’s a goddess. She has more than a thousand years of experience in the world, and she wants to share it with me, but at the same time she’s responsible for the biggest pain you’ve ever experienced. But she’s also the mare of my dreams. Like it or not, I love her. By the moon above us, I love her too much.

“Yes, Luna. I think I will be your friend. My mind rebels against my decision, but I consent.” A massive smile spreads across her face at your declaration.

That happened almost a week ago, and now you stand in her chambers once more. Your relationship has grown noticeably stronger over the week, and she even flirted with you a few times. Now you wait for her to come down from her room. Your eyes float around the room, looking at everything, but not really seeing any of it. You only wait for a few minutes, and then Luna comes down the stairs. You watch her every step, and you can’t look away.

She trots to the balcony, and after yet another magical display it is night time once more. She levitates you, something you don’t much like, up to her bedroom. She follows a moment behind you, and you find yourself deposited on her bed. She approaches slowly, and then sits at the foot of the bed.

“We’ve known each other for quite a long time, and I have an important question to ask you. Well, two, actually. But the second is dependent upon the first.” You give a curt nod, and she continues. “I really like you. I know you feel the same, and so I wish to offer you a special position in my guard. It will be different from your old position in more ways than one. First off, I will be granting you a new body, one better suited for your new role. You will be made taller, faster, and stronger. It will also increase your lifespan drastically. Short of being killed you may live forever. I offer this to you, only because of your special relationship with me. And before I ask the second question I need your answer.”

You don’t even need to think about it. An eternity with the mare you love? ‘I accept. To spend an eternity by your side is a bliss I’d be a fool to turn down.” She gives a quick nod and her horn flashes brightly, and as your vision clears every part of your body feels different. Not so much to make things awkward, but enough for you to notice. You stand up and notice that you are actually just a tiny bit taller than Luna. Your body feels stronger, and faster than ever before, and it brings you a new level of happiness.

“My second question is more personal than the last, and I need you to answer truthfully, as this will greatly affect the rest of your life.” You stop your examination of your new body, and you sit down next to Luna, listening to her every word. “Would you be mine?”

“What do you mean? I just pledged myself to be your guardian for eternity. Of course I’m yours.” She gives a short giggle, and a small blush finds its way to her cheeks.

“Not in the way I mean. I want to be attached to you in more than just the basic way. I do love you, Knight. I see it now as clearly as I see the moon in the sky. I want to spend the rest of time with you.”

“For ten years, Luna, since I entered the royal army, and subsequently, your personal guard, I have admired you from afar. Now, you give me the chance to spend the rest of time with you?” She nods.

You don’t answer with words, but instead kiss her. She responds with the passion of a thousand years of love. You lose yourself in the moment, but you know that you’ve forgiven her for what she did. She may have stolen your past, but she gave you a future. Where once you had no forgiveness, you have only love.

The years rolled by, and not once did you ever regret your decision. Each day refreshed your love for Luna, and each night you would refresh your love. While there was not always lovemaking there was always love being made. You never had a child, something that always bothered you, but you knew it was for the best. On the ten year anniversary of your decision, though, Luna came to you with the best news you could ever hear. She was pregnant.

Did you regret missing time with your sister? Of course. But Luna always made up for it. Her love for you never wavered, and neither did your love for her.

(And that's all I wrote. Seven thousand words, and then some. I may edit this some more at a later date, but for now this is all. Be sure to rate, and comment. I will begin taking requests immediately, so if you like the way I write be sure to send me a message, or comment. I do read them all.)

Comments

[Relevant Heavy Metal]

Lady Evil - Black Sabbath

[Luna's Guard]

Aww, that was pretty cute/kinda sad. Poor guy. Oh well...at least he's still happy and might have a foal!

[The Writer of Fate]

*cocked head, confused look* I...for the first time in my life...I have no idea how to feel about what I just read.

I'm honestly completely neutral. I don't really like it, but I don't dislike it either.

To be honest, I think it's because this story is better suited as a multi-chapter instead of this somewhat lengthy one-shot. Excellent and original idea, and the writing is virtually impeccable. The problem is that you have too much here, and it all just can't be chopped down and stuffed into a one-shot like you did here.

At best, it comes off as a summary of a multi-chapter story that I would love to read because of the sheer level of emotion you could cram into even a short multi-chapter story.

At worst, this is a well-written, but incredibly rushed one-shot.

Can't fav, can't rate, I honestly don't know what to do with this story except demand an expanded version that goes into more detail about everything.

[LordGremlin]

[img]C:\Users\Matt\Pictures\BRUCE-LEE-APPROVES-GIF.gif[/img]

[Jet Howitzer]

388089 I can do an expanded version. I agree, to a certain extent it is a bit rushed at points. I still have ideas of how to expand the story, so I suppose that once I have some free time I can use this as a summary of sorts, to make a longer, chaptered story.

[Jet Howitzer]

388371 Your comment is strikingly relevant. I approve

388074 I was aiming for cute/sad. Glad to see that I managed to pull it off. Be sure to check out my other stories, as I find they are better than this one. If only barely.

388051 I approve this choice of music. I have other stories, if you want to try and find music to fit them.

[The Writer of Fate]

389005

I do hope to see you do such a thing at one point in the future. This story does have quite a bit of promise.

[Jet Howitzer]

388089 As for the impeccable writing, I don't have an editor, or anything. It's just me writing what comes to me. I barely have to edit anything I write.

[The Writer of Fate]

389708

And you seem to be an exceptional writer.

[Melancholy]

I really enjoyed this story, but I must confess to being biased to Luna-centric stories.
In the beginning, I had no idea that it was taking place before Luna's fall and Nightmare Moon. I actually liked it that way. It made for real sense of "Oh shi- son that's what's happening!?" when Nightmare moon came about, and that kinda fitted for me. I had to triple take as things slotted into place and it all made sense, in the best way it could have.
Looking back though, I would certainly agree that while a good story, did feel rather rushed and would do really well expanded and fleshed out.
What did Knight and Luna actually during the nights before her fall? Run government? Deal with national issues? Plan constellations? What did his role actually entail? What was his family like? His sister is obviously important to him, what is she like? Surely more was required than a silly filly's nickname to provoke the fall, what else had been going on to upset her, and for how long? How did Knight deal with her increasing instability as she began to fall? How did he survive in the new Equestria after his return? What sort of things did he encounter in his journey which helped to heal him? What did Luna encounter on her Journey to bring her closer to her people?
These are the burning questions I have after reading this story. I love how it was written, and I enjoyed how the characters were portrayed. I just wished there was...more to it. There are so many more stories in there, and I'd like to hear them told.

[Mcyav]

I felt clever when it turned out to be the nightmare moon thing at the start, and this is definetly my favourite story that is written in this style.

[Jet Howitzer]

389901 I do intend to make this into a chaptered, more elaborate, story in the near future. I have no idea how long it will end up being, but I know that I will do it. If all goes well the revised, chaptered, version will be just as popular, if not more popular, than this version.

390038 I'm glad you liked it. When I got requests for a Luna/Pegasus relationship I didn't know how to pull it off at first, but then I decided to use the Nightmare Moon fiasco to give the story some more weight.

[Lordbagon]

"The grand arches, and massive stained glass windows all make for an impressive vista. Luna’s tower is no exception." - Shouldn't it be "impressive sight"

[nothing to see here]

Wonderfully cute. Tiny problems in punctuation, but aside from that, good story.