Camaraderie is Sorcery

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 2:4 - The Night Festival

Author's Note:

Translations for this chapter can be found here.

Chapter 2:4 – The Night Festival

Celestia’s hooves rang against the smooth stone floor of Cant’r Laht Cathedral. At this time of day, there were few townsponies here for her to disturb with the clatter, but the priestesses and nuns about their duties looked her way when she passed. No doubt they were surprised to see her here. When was the last time I was actually within this building? It must have been 200—nay, 300 years ago, when the contention over who would be the next High Priestess needed my intervention. Other than once every four years, when the summer solstice ceremony was hosted outside, Celestia tried to avoid the cathedral as much as possible. Chants in the Language of the Horns went on forever, statues of saints stared down judgmentally (or so she felt, anyway), and the incense that permeated the air burned her eyes and nose. Even now, she could feel the threat of her nose to begin bleeding, and it wouldn’t do for the priestesses of the Church of One to see the Matron of Sorceress begin bleeding as soon as she entered their holy place. Some ponies could get the wrong ideas.

“Welcome, Your Grace. What brings you to us this day?” High Priestess Rubius asked as she met Celestia, locking eyes with the alicorn, “Have you heeded my missives and come to speak?”

Rubius was young for a High Priestess, but she was not the youngest by far to have served as head of the Church of One. Celestia could only imagine how the leaders of Equestria had managed to deal with a 9-year old Pontiff after the Long Winter. As was her custom, Rubius wore simple priestly robes, though the fabric was finer than that of any other priestess’s garments. The only official vestment of the High Priestess’s position that adorned her was a stole hanging about her neck into which was woven a verse from the Word of Faust in ancient runes. Another priestess, who stood behind and to the side, carried the High Priestess’s mitre with its seven-pointed star and her staff topped with a horn and six wings.

“I have come for Luna,” Celestia replied brusquely.

“Of course, right this way,” Rubius said, her pleasant exterior not dropping for a moment, and began to lead Celestia on.

Some whispered that Rubius was much like another head of the Church of One, perhaps the most famous: Archbishop Cassius. Both had been young when chosen for their office, were utterly devout in their faith, and were unwilling to be the puppets that corrupt cardinals wished they would be. As of yet, Rubius had not dethroned the corrupt, strengthened the power of her office, or called for a crusade, but she’d only been High Priestess for four years.

“We have told her many times that she need not stay here, but still she remains,” High Priestess Rubius told Celestia, “Despite our assurances that she has been forgiven, she still bears the guilt of her actions as Nightmare Moon. Perhaps you can be successful where we were not.”

The High Priestess stopped outside of one of the many alcoves set into the cathedral’s walls. A screen cut off visibility of most of the room, but Celestia could still see Luna within. Her sister was seated on the stone floor, her head bowed before images of Faust and the saints of the Church of One.

“Thank you, Your Holiness,” Celestia told Rubius, observing protocol.

“Of course,” Rubius said, inclining her head, “And remember, my child, it is never too late for forgiveness.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Celestia said hollowly. I’m more than a thousand years older than you, child.

After Rubius and her attendant left, Celestia pushed aside the screen and entered the alcove with Luna. The other alicorn seemed not to have noticed and kept her head bowed and eyes closed. Celestia snorted to get the hovering incense out of her nose, but Luna still did not respond.

“Luna, what are you doing here?” Celestia asked plainly and Luna waited a few seconds, taking a deep breath before responding.

“I am praying, dear sister, for the forgiveness of mine sins,” Luna replied calmly, her eyes still closed.

“I can see that, but why?” Celestia asked, “I have not seen you in months. Ever since your return, you’ve been spending more and more time here. Neither of us had any use for religion before, so what has changed?”

“If thou didst see what I have seen, then thou wouldst not be so quick to doubt,” Luna replied, then turned to look at Celestia with fearful eyes, “Didst thou thinkest I acquire-ed Nightmare Moon’s powers through naught but careful study? Nay! Before we wert parted, Boreal—Sombra—didst give me the Black Book of K’Rhûr. He was unable to destroy it, but knew that he couldst not have it in his sight any longer. As I prepared mine rebellion, I used it, and performed foul ritual to acquire the power to defeat thee. I thought that that power would be granted to mine being by ritual alone, but nay, I had to make a deal.”

“The dealmaker who didst come to me was a Sundered, a daemon, and he did naught to conceal it from me. An alicorn with four featherless wings, his flesh burned and unable to heal, canst thou imagine it? Mine hatred of thee was so great at that time that I agreed to take what he offered without question, and became Nightmare Moon,” Luna continued, tears now coming from the corners of her eyes, though not for the first time recently, judging by the state of her coat, “I didst make a deal with a daemon! How can I ever be forgiven of such a sin? The priestesses all say I am pardoned already, but how can that be? How could I ever atone for something so terrible?”

“Are you sure that’s what you saw?” Celestia asked thoughtfully, “It may have been but a guise. What you saw could be explained by any number of things.”

“All of which thou wouldst believe instead of the truth!” Luna snapped, then wilted, “I am sorry, sister. I doth not wish to be at odds with thee, never again, but I know what I didst see. I pray that one day thou wouldst believe as I now do, but I also pray that thou wouldst never have to see what I have seen for that to come to pass.”

“If what you saw is what you think it was, and the priestesses say that you are forgiven, then what’s the problem?” Celestia asked, trying to tread carefully, for she too did not wish to be at odds with her sister again, “Are you seeking atonement? If so, you will not find it sitting shut up in here day after day. I need you to help me, to take a part in ruling the Dominions of Cant’r Laht.”

“I … I cannot,” Luna said with a shake of her head that caused the constellations hovering in her mane to whirl, “I cannot trust mine self with power, lest I go down that dark path again.”

“You won’t,” Celestia comforted her, “Besides, you have already taken some part in the affairs of the world outside this chamber. If you had not sent Twilight Sparkle the letters she wrote me, then Discord might still be reigning, instead of imprisoned in stone again.”

“Thou hast something in mind for me to do, is that not true?” Luna asked as she stared at her sister, “It is the night festival, is it not?”

“Something I should have done long ago,” Celestia admitted, “You were right, that the summer solstice ceremony, a festival celebrating the day, should be offset by a festival celebrating the night. The winter solstice is too near to Hearth’s Warming—I do not want a celebration in your honor to be overshadowed—so I’ve chosen another suitable date.”

“Nightmare Night,” Luna said and shivered, “An evil day and one—I have now found out—associated with Nightmare Moon, though ponies knew not that for sure until my return. I ask thee for another day than this.”

“Luna, the preparations were already made while you were cloistered here. The night festival is only three days away,” Celestia explained while her sister looked mortified, “I will not force you, but I think that you should be a part of this first night festival. Clear away the memory of Nightmare Moon and her tyranny and replace this date with celebrations of you and your night.”

“I will … consider it,” Luna acceded.

“Just don’t tarry too long,” Celestia said, and left her sister to her consideration and her prayers.

***

“Isn’t the whole point of this night to not go outside?” Spike asked Twilight through the door to her bedchamber as she changed.

“That has been the tradition, especially in rural areas, ever since the Conjunction,” Twilight Sparkle replied, and launched into a lecture she’d no doubt prepared for the evening if anypony asked her a similar question, “Nightmare Night, also known as the Frightening Night, Darkest Evening, or Darkene’en until after Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion, is believed to be the date on which evil is strongest. According to popular belief supported by the Church of One, it is the only night on which the demon Zamion is able to roam free, and he travels the land searching for wandering souls to harvest.”

“Right, so why are we going outside then?” Spike asked, even though it sounded like Twilight hadn’t finished her speech.

“After Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion, a new character became part of the story, now known as the Mistress of Darkness. Because most records from the beginning of the Fourth Age are lost, it is impossible to know exactly when or how she was incorporated, but she now serves in much the same role as Zamion. There is an exceptionally high probability that this Mistress of Darkness is in fact another way of referring to Nightmare Moon and would also explain the shift in naming of the event to Nightmare Night,” Twilight continued to lecture, “To redeem perceptions of Luna, Celestia has decreed that throughout the Dominions of Cant’r Laht on this night of the Second Day of the Fifth Month, a festival shall be held celebrating Luna and the night, similar to the summer solstice ceremony for the day. Whether all her subjects will participate in this celebration given the stigma of this night is as of yet unknown.”

“Okay, but what’s with the masks and costumes?” Spike asked.

Everypony, it seemed, would be attending the night festival wearing some manner of disguise. Spike had gone for a simple mask to hide his face, but Twilight had opted for something more involved, which is why he was ready to leave and she was still preparing herself.

“According to tradition, Zamion is unable to take your soul if he cannot recognize you, so whenever somepony absolutely needed to venture out on Nightmare Night, they would disguise themselves. I imagine that ponies will feel more comfortable attending the night festival if they can still disguise themselves,” Twilight said, before exiting her bedchamber in her chosen disguise, “Well, what do you think?”

She was wearing a variant of mages’ robes in blue with stars and constellations adorning them. A wide-brimmed, floppy hat in the same style was perched upon her head. Attached to both the hat and robes were bells that jingled whenever Twilight moved. With a little magical manipulation, she’d managed to sprout a beard from her chin, which Spike tried not to stare at.

“That depends,” the dragon answered, “Zamion definitely won’t recognize you, but what exactly are you trying to disguise yourself as?”

“Why, Star-Swirl the Bearded, of course,” Twilight said, as if it were abundantly obvious.

“Who?” Spike asked, scratching his head with a claw.

“Only the greatest sorcerer of the Age of the Earth Pony,” Twilight said, looking offended, “He may never have risen to alicornhood, but he was the longest-living non-alicorn sorcerer on record. He was nearly seven hundred years old when he disappeared mysteriously some time before the Long Winter. Star-Swirl the Bearded created over a thousand spells, and his work laid the foundation for thousands more. So great was his impact on sorcery that an entire wing of the Cant’r Laht Archives is dedicated to him.”

“Oh yeah, that must be where I’ve heard his name before,” Spike said, remembering all the times in Cant’r Laht that he’d had to venture to the archives to retrieve books for Twilight’s studies.

“Really, Spike?” Twilight asked, “I am certain I have told you about Star-Swirl the Bearded before tonight.”

“Listen, Twilight, you tell me a lot of things,” Spike said defensively, putting his claws up, “You can’t expect me to remember them all.”

“I suppose not,” the sorceress disguised as a sorcerer said with a sigh, “Well, shall we go now?”

“Sounds good to me,” Spike replied.

The duo left Golden Oak’s laboratory to join the night festival. They didn’t have to go far to see the festivities underway. The square outside of the laboratory had been decorated for the festival, as had several streets leading away from it, the street that led to the Mayoral Keep most of all. Ponieville’s mayor’s residence would be another major location of celebration for the festival, and Twilight hoped that more ponies were congregating there. The town square was still mainly deserted, apart from a few ponies still setting up for the celebration and nervous-looking ponies waiting to see if anypony else would come or if they should high-tail it back to their homes for the night.

“Hi Twilight!” Pinkamena called as she bounded up, her clothes backwards and a pumpkin serving as a false head attached to her rump, “You haven’t seen the Mistress of Darkness around, have you?”

“Pinkamena, I am glad to see you here. Hopefully your presence will attract others to the festival,” Twilight greeted her friend, “I would keep quiet about the Mistress of Darkness if I were you, though. The Mistress of Darkness is Nightmare Moon, and I do not think Luna will want to be reminded of that when she is here.”

“Luna’s coming?” Pinkamena asked, cocking her head to the side and making her false head do the same thing, “Why?”

“She is going to begin the night with a ceremony in Cant’r Laht where she raises the moon, then some time later she will be joining us in Ponieville,” Twilight explained, “She wants to speak to us, the Brave Companions. Speaking of which …”

The sorceress had spotted Rainbow Dash entering from a side street. The Hunter approached one of the tables laden with food and grabbed something to eat, earning her a chewing out from the pony behind it about how the festival hadn’t started yet. Rainbow Dash completely ignored her. She looked weary and her armor was worn and stained with blood, most of it not her own.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called out as she approached the Hunter, “I have been trying to find you all week to tell you about the night festival. It seems you found out on your own, though.”

“I’m not staying,” Rainbow said in between ravenously wolfing down bites of food.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, “We are supposed to meet with Luna tonight, all of the Brave Companions.”

“Yeah, Fluttershy told me. I’m really sorry, but I can’t,” Rainbow said sincerely, “I only came to grab something to eat, then I need to get back out there. Tonight is the night monsters are most active, you know, and there’s a lot of work to do.”

“I thought that was just a superstition,” Twilight said.

“I wish somepony would tell them that,” Rainbow Dash griped, “Again, I’m really sorry, but if I don’t help the other Hunters, this whole festival could be ruined. The Mistress of Darkness isn’t the only reason ponies are afraid to go out on Nightmare Night.”

After grabbing some apples to take with her and share with the other Hunters, Rainbow Dash took off. If there were apples here, it was likely that some member of the Apple family was as well, and Twilight looked around for them. Eventually she spotted Applejack standing next to Rarity, and the sorceress trotted up to them. Rarity was wearing a mask shaped like a bird’s face that she’d likely made herself. The farmer was wearing a similar mask, though she looked far less comfortable in it and kept glancing over her back nervously.

“Oh, Twilight, darling, I didn’t recognize you at first,” Rarity said as they met.

“Well, that is the idea, is it not?” Twilight asked as she stroked her beard.

“Twi’, are y’ sure ‘tis safe t’ be out like this tonight?” Applejack asked anxiously.

“I guarantee it,” Twilight told her, “Where are Big McIntosh and Apple Bloom? Did they come as well?”

“They’re stayin’ back at th’ farm t’ look after Granny Smith,” Applejack said, relaxing minutely as her thoughts turned to her family, “I wouldn’t’ve come m’self if y’ hadn’t asked us all t’.”

“Well, I am glad that you did,” Twilight said sincerely, “With Rainbow Dash unable to join us, the number of Brave Companions that will be here to meet with Luna is down to five.”

“More likely four,” Rarity corrected, “I don’t think that Fluttershy will be able to extricate herself from her home tonight, even for something like this.”

“I was worried about this,” Twilight said, and took a calming breath, “Well, I guess that four of the Brave Companions will have to be enough for Luna.”

“No need to worry, Twilight,” Pinkamena assured her, “Besides, Luna won’t be here for a while, right? We have plenty of time to party before she gets here!”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile. Pinkamena was right, and there was no reason not to enjoy themselves. Hopefully their example would also encourage others to join the night festival. The sorceress would be sure to go easy on the drink and keep her wits about her, though. Luna may not have held the myriad titles that Celestia did, but she was every bit as ancient and powerful.

***

Celestia’s letter to Twilight Sparkle hadn’t specified exactly when Luna was to make her appearance. Knowing the Cant’r Laht nobility, though, they would try to keep her in Cant’r Laht as long as possible. She was a mystery, an unknown, something that threatened to upset the balance of power in the city of sorceresses (though she hadn’t done anything yet). This was her first public appearance since the celebration following her return, and they would be waylaying her with questions and trying to draw her into their intrigues. Thus, Twilight didn’t expect Luna to appear in Ponieville for several hours at least.

It was as much a surprise to her as everypony else when it happened not long after the festival had begun. The Brave Companions had made their way through the village to the grounds of the Mayoral Keep and were enjoying the festivities there when a portal opened in the air. The ponies beneath it scattered, the bards stopped their playing and singing, and whispers about ill omens passed among the crowd. From the portal fell three pegasi and one alicorn between them, and the voices in the crowd picked up.

The pegasi were enough to raise a panic, since a second glance revealed they were no normal pegasi. Their wings were not feathered, but leathery like a bat’s and their eyes were like those of a snake. Nevertheless, they were not bat-ponies like any that had been seen with the White Procession, but something else entirely. In the midst of them stood Luna, a shining silver wreath upon her head. The Brave Companions had not seen her since the defeat of Nightmare Moon, and this was the first time they witnessed her with her power restored. Like Celestia, her mane and tail flowed as if in an otherworldly wind. Within them were the stars of the night sky, glittering as the magical hair bobbed back and forth. The dress Luna wore was black as the darkest night and adorned with shining gems that mirrored the stars in her mane and tail.

“It’s the Mistress of Darkness!” somepony screamed in a panic, and chaos broke out.

Luna looked shocked and wounded as ponies tried to flee the Mayoral Keep to escape from her or fell down and began to pray for deliverance. Twilight tried to get closer but the crowd kept her back, and she didn’t dare teleport in all the confusion lest she appear inside somepony. Swallowing hard, Luna spoke up.

“Féor nae, danisen voorn Ponívilæ, vór tës Iö, Luna, Käpræ voorn Níĝt und Gürdræ voorn dae Mönd!” she announced, magically augmenting her voice, which did nothing to help the panic since few ponies understood what she said.

“Fear not, denizens of Ponieville, for ‘tis I, Luna, Keeper of Night and Guardian of the Moon!” the bat-winged pony standing in front of her translated from High Equestrian to Low Equestrian.

Though a few stopped to listen, most of the ponies were in too much of a panic to cease their flights home. Twilight continued trying to reach Luna, but the fleeing crowd, as thinned out as it had become, still threatened to pull her along if she forced it, so she retreated back and tried to catch Luna’s attention with waving. Both Rarity and Applejack were cowering nearby and Pinkamena was nowhere to be seen. So much for the Brave Companions greeting Luna on her arrival.

***

A day earlier, Luna made her way hesitantly through the dungeons of Cant’r Laht Castle. She had been putting off this meeting for a long time, but with the night festival nearly upon her, she decided that the time had finally come. Shortly after she’d first arrived in Cant’r Laht, she’d been made aware of the presence of the three ponies who’d been held here for centuries, without aging. Once they’d served Luna, then Nightmare Moon, and it was time to see if they’d serve her now that she was Luna again.

“They are in there?” Luna asked of the guards posted outside a door barred with a heavy beam.

“They were all moved into a single cell last night, on your orders,” the warden said as he trotted up and gave Luna a key, “This will open the door to the cell. Wait until this door is closed behind you before you unlock it. Are you sure I cannot send some guards in to accompany you? These three are dangerous.”

“I am sure, and thou hast mine thanks for seeing to this task,” Luna said, “I needs speak to them alone.”

The warden bowed to her wishes and motioned for the other guards to unbar the door. The heavy beam was removed with a great amount of huffing and puffing, and once it was gone, Luna opened and trotted through the door. It led to a small room with another door. She waited until the first door was closed and the bar back in place before unlocking and opening the second door.

It was pitch black in the cell beyond, but the torchlight from the room she was standing in allowed her to see the three figures crouched inside, ready to attack. The word that they hadn’t aged in the last thousand years had not been an exaggeration; they looked just as they had on the day she’d last seen them, the day she had begun her rebellion against Celestia. Uniformly gray coats, leathery bat wings with hooked talons at the joint, snake-like eyes that could see even in the murkiest darkness, filled with the fire of a longing for revenge; yes, they were completely unchanged.

“Bei^[1],” Luna said softly, and the torches within the cell suddenly all burst into flame.

The three ponies within jerked back in reaction, taken aback by the sudden light. Their eyes quickly adjusted, and they dropped their confrontational stances as they saw who it was that was entering their cell. Their eyes widened as Luna stood before them.

“Your Majesty,” one said as he swiftly prostrated himself on the ground, and the other two followed suit.

“Get up,” Luna commanded and they swiftly scrambled upright.

“Yes, my queen, my lady of the night,” the same pony that had spoken before said as he averted his eyes from Luna’s gaze reverently, yet still tried to gaze upon her.

“I am no queen any longer,” Luna said quickly, lest they get any ideas, “Thou mayest address me as Luna.”

“Forgive me, m’lady, but I could not do that. None of us could,” the same pony said, and the others nodded.

“I see that nothing has changed, Curvin,” Luna addressed him by name, “Thou art still as stiff-necked as ever. I did not think to see thee again. How is it that thou art still living?”

“Thou didst not realize it, but when the four of us were change-ed, we were blessed to live so long as thou dost,” a second pony spoke up, “Hast thou comest to free us? Shall we continue our work and overthrow at last the tyranny of sun and day?”

“Nay!” Luna rebuked him so sharply that he nearly recoiled as from a blow, “I am Nightmare Moon no more, but Luna once again! I have been freed from the shackles of hatred that didst bind me! Marvo, thinkest not that this undying you have been granted be a blessing, but a curse. I rejoice to see thee again, but ‘twould have been better if thee had gone to rest long ago! And thine appearance; thou has lost thine varied coats, Curvin thine horn, Beriar thine feathered wings, and Marvo, thou wert never meant to fly.”

“Thou art right in one thing, however,” Luna continued, and Marvo looked up, “I am here to free thee, if thou wouldst follow me again, as Luna.”

“Of course, we live to serve thee,” all three said in near unison.

“We will need to speak much,” Luna said, worried that they still thought of her as Nightmare Moon, “One other matter before we begin: what has become of Truno? Where is the fourth captain?”

“We know not,” Curvin answered for the group, “The three of us all were captured the first century after the defeat. He may be dead, or he may be anywhere.”

“I pray our paths may pass again and we all may be unified,” Luna said, “Now, time is short, for there is a matter with which I could use thine help.”

***

“Wae art dou flíÿŋe? Iö hef märƴn käm tae partiçæ en dae festí!” Luna yelled, and her ears twitched as she heard ‘Mistress of Darkness’ and ‘Nightmare Moon,’ “Iö bân Níĝtmeræ Mönd nae stäl!”

“Why art thou fleeing? I have merely come to partake in the feast!” Curvin translated for her, “I am Nightmare Moon no longer!”

The last of those who intended to flee made it out of sight, leaving only Luna, her guards, the Brave Companions, and those too afraid to run in the courtyard of the Mayoral Keep. Twilight Sparkle trotted toward the new arrivals, able at last to make it without being swept away or in danger of teleporting inside somepony. As she went, Applejack and Rarity slowly rose and Pinkamena appeared from behind a barrel, first her fake head before she turned herself around.

“Welcome, I am-” Twilight began, but was cut off by Luna, who didn’t lower her voice a bit from her initial announcement to the town.

“Wae déd dí flí? Wart dí nae prepärßeg vór mÿn änkäm?^[2]” Luna asked.

“Most ponies around here do not speak High Equestrian,” Twilight pointed out, “I doubt they waited long enough for the translation before deciding you were attempting to bewitch them.”

“Tës tradiçœn vór én voorn mÿn stät tae spräk dae Híĝt Speeçæ tíwél onoßræ spraëk dae Leugæ vór dós won kön nae öndrestund,” Luna said, “Dí déd nae kompæ en Cant’r Laht.^[3]”

“Maybe not, but most everypony in Cant’r Laht speaks High Equestrian and they look down upon those who do not,” Twilight replied, thinking over her own previous opinions, “The tradition you speak of is also no longer used, even by kings and queens.”

“Iö zí,^[4]” Luna said, before switching over to Low Equestrian, “I see. Nopony has thought to tell me this. Thou hast mine thanks, Twilight Sparkle of the House Haltrotsun, favored student of mine beloved sister Celestia, and leader of the Brave Companions.”

“You recognize me,” Twilight said, pleased since it had been so long since they’d met.

“But of course, how could I forget the ponies that didst free me from Nightmare Moon?” Luna said and looked over Twilight at the other Brave Companions, who were beginning to approach, “Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkamena. Charity, Trustworthiness, and Mirth, and thee Twilight, art the bearer of Sorcery, but where art the other two?”

“Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were unable to make it to the festival,” Twilight and looked around at what was left of the party.

“It appears that I have frightened off those that didst come to celebrate mine night,” Luna said morosely as she joined Twilight in her observations, “Perhaps ‘twould be best to return posthaste to Cant’r Laht.”

“There’s no reason to go just yet,” Rarity said, “I’m sure we can still save this night.”

“I see not how when all have fled, believing me to be Nightmare Moon,” Luna said pessimistically.

“Well, to start, we can find who we can and set things straight,” Rarity said.

“The benefit to Ponieville being so small is that it should not take long,” Twilight added.

***

Twilight was not mistaken in her assessment; it did not take long to traverse the village and find everypony willing to venture out again for the night festival. It was a smaller crowd than before, but still a respectable turnout. Ponies were still clearly intimidated by Luna, though it was more of a nervous awe, like that shown to Celestia, than fear. Her guards, on the other hoof, clearly unnerved ponies, both with their appearance and mannerisms. It didn’t help that they remained mostly silent except to speak to Luna. There was something just … unsettling about them.

Gradually, as the night wore on (and inhibitions lowered), ponies became more comfortable around Luna. Music and food brightened ponies’ spirits, as did the close company of others on this accursed night. Ponies looked fearfully toward the sky less and less and the talk about Nightmare Night, Zamion, and the Mistress of Darkness decreased. Twilight was delighted to see that Celestia’s plan to transform this night of fear into one of celebration was working, and she hoped that Luna took joy in it as well.

It was hard to tell with Luna. She seemed pleased to see ponies reveling in her night, something that had been largely denied her even during her reign as a queen with Celestia. She remained incredibly stiff and formal, though. Some of that could be attributed to the fact that she’d been out of Equestrian society for over a thousand years and customs had changed, but she also seemed to be on edge for other reasons. Twilight noticed that she spent a great deal of time speaking with Mother Melodia when they were near Ponieville’s chapel, and neither of them looked encouraged when they parted ways.

Despite the initial scare, the festival was going well, and almost everypony who’d fled had returned. Some other ponies who hadn’t been brave enough to venture out earlier even joined after hearing the festivities outside their homes and deciding there was nothing to fear. It seemed that everything would work out fine, until the dreadful news came that threatened to undo the purpose of the festival. At the time, Luna was speaking with Mayor Mare, who was bombarding the alicorn with questions of how her presence would affect Cant’r Laht politics, so she was one of the first to hear the news.

“Mayor Mare! Mayor Mare! You’ve got t’ send out th’ guard!” a frightened pony called as she approached the mayor and was eyed suspiciously by both the mayoral guard and Luna’s own soldiers, “It’s Lily Valley! I went out t’ invite her in an’ her door was broken down! She’s been taken!”

“T’ be taken on this night, ‘tis th’ work o’ the Children o’ th’ Night for sure,” Applejack commented, and Luna overheard her.

“The Children of the Night; I have heard of them. They worship … Nightmare Moon, do they not?” Luna asked, stopping herself from saying ‘me’, “How wouldst thou know them to be responsible for this?”

“Th’ Children o’ th’ Night always try t’ snatch ponies for sacrifice on Nightmare Night,” Applejack sighed, “For them, t’night is like a holy day. Th’ Mother o’ th’ Lost, th’ Mistress o’ Darkness, not much diff’rence when y’ see what they stand for, is there?”

And Nightmare Moon is both of them. I was both of them. They say tonight is the one night that Zamion walks through the world freely. It was this date over a thousand years ago that I performed the ritual that made me Nightmare Moon. Could it be? Was he Zamion? Regardless, I cannot allow this to go on, not if I hope to redeem myself. How can I be forgiven when there are worshippers who see me as a goddess? This must end!

“This must end,” Luna said aloud, interrupting Mayor Mare’s empty vow that she would not rest until Lily Valley (or her mutilated corpse) was found, “I cannot allow such things to take place during mine night. The Children of the Night shall no longer sacrifice thee in dark ritual nor worship Nightmare Moon, the evil that didst once possess me. I vow to you that I shall find these Children of the Night and put an end to them tonight!”

Everypony was looking at Luna in surprise. She hadn’t realized how loud her proclamation had been, but it was well that it had been heard by so many. When the news that the Children of the Night had struck became known, ponies had begun to doubt that they were safe tonight after all. Luna’s proclamation that she would defend them and put an end to the Children had shown them all that Nightmare Night was meant to die away, replaced by a night festival celebrating a sorceress who would defend the night every bit as much as Celestia did the day and would sweep away the evil left by Nightmare Moon once and for all.

“In this quest, I would be grateful for any assistance that thee might offer,” Luna told the Brave Companions, “My resolve is unshakable, but it has been long since my companions and I have known this world, and we know not where to begin the search for the Children of the Night.”

“Of course,” Twilight said, “I know just how we can find them.”

***

Year 587 of the 3^rd Age

A blizzard raged ferociously, the wind whipping snow across the land in a storm that even the White Procession’s wizards would envy. The Plains of Amon had once been a fertile, albeit chilly land, most recently under the crown of the Crystal Empire, but now it was a blisteringly cold wasteland where the blizzard never stopped and nothing could survive for long. For thirty years now, the storm had raged and shown no sign of stopping, and the land had begun to be called by a new, more fitting name: The Frozen North. With his last breath, the mad Shadow King had cursed the land he’d once ruled and made it unsuitable for habitation.

From this curse, only Queen Celestia and Queen Luna of Equestria had escaped, leaving their army behind to disappear along with the Crystal City and all the Shadow King’s armies and subjects. The sorceress-queens had thought all to be lost, but they were not completely gone. For over a thousand years, the subjects of the Crystal Empire would be apart from the world, but Equestria’s armies were not held so tightly by the curse. Exactly thirty years to the day since they’d vanished, they reappeared in the Frozen North, and there was nopony there to mark their coming.

Captain Curvin of Helt Pasture wrapped himself into a ball as the snow and wind buffeted him suddenly, chilling him to the bones. The sudden light and whiteness blinded him, but he thought nothing of it. Pain and agony were nothing new to him or any of the others who suddenly appeared in the Frozen North alongside him. For three decades they had been in a realm unlike anything they’d experienced before. There was only darkness and pain there, the infliction of it all the more severe since nothing could be seen. Sometimes it would be cutting cold, other times searing hot. They had endured crushing weight, things hunting them in the dark, sudden cliffs they could not perceive before dropping off, always something new and horrific. Curvin missed his armor now for the small amount of protection it would give from the cold, but he had been right to throw it off when they’d all nearly drowned in that void. He wished now he’d let himself drown then in that oily liquid rather than endure the tortures that had come.

Twenty thousand soldiers had marched forth to fight beneath the banners of Queen Celestia and Queen Luna, to put an end to the madness of King Sombra, and now only a few hundred lived. Curvin envied those thousands who’d fallen in battle, for they did not have to endure the following years in the void. Thousands had been trapped at first in the darkness, and in the confusion, many had slain each other. They had wandered in the dark and died off little by little until these few were left. The void hadn’t just taken the lives of their comrades, however; it had taken much more. Many who were left had gone mad and could now understand only that black abyss. Nopony aged in the darkness, but the physical and mental trials there had worn them down and wearied them until they felt brittle and hollow.

Something within Curvin awoke as he stared unseeingly at the snow, blinking the flakes away from his eyes. This had never happened before; it had always been darkness. Could they truly be free at last? The cold was still stinging, but it was a sting he remembered, not the artificial torment of the void. He dared to look around, and through the blowing snow could spot the shapes of other ponies, fellow soldiers he hadn’t seen in decades. They all looked just as bad as he must’ve appeared as well, battered and haggard.

“Curvin!” a voice bellowed through the snow, and an unkempt pegasus came into view, using his wings to shield his face, “Curvin! I thought it was you!”

“Tr-Truno?” Curvin asked, his mind moving like molasses, “Th-thou art alive?”

“So art thou!” Truno exclaimed as he collapsed next to the unicorn, “We art back.”

Curvin’s eyes widened at the revelation he hadn’t dared hope for. Truno had some magical ability, he knew. It was not enough for him to have become a sorcerer, but it had been enough for him to be named captain of a detachment that protected them. If Truno said that they had returned to the real world, then it wasn’t just hopeful speculation. He had the knack for knowing exactly where he was at any moment.

“Where art we?” Curvin asked, hardly daring to believe the truth.

“So far as I can tell, near to the Crystal City, though I’ve the sense ‘tis there no longer,” Truno replied, “This storm, ‘tis unnatural and stretches across nearly all the Crystal Empire.”

“We cannot stay here for long,” Curvin said, feeling numbness creeping into his extremities already, “We must leave this place.”

“How can we?” Truno asked, “We will all die of the frost afore we make it to safety.”

“At least then we shall die in our own world of our own accord,” Curvin said as he forced his body to rise, “Come, we must gather those that have survived.”

***

Year 1001 of the 4^th Age

Twilight Sparkle led the small delegation outside of Ponieville toward the Everfree Forest. Mayor Mare had offered to send some guards along, but Luna had declined, wanting to keep the party small. Besides her three guards, the Brave Companions that had been at the festival were the only ponies with her. Twilight was leading them to the home of another member of the Brave Companions: Fluttershy. Approaching the hill the druidess lived in, Twilight rapped on the door.

“Begone! You can’t harm me if I don’t invite you in, and I won’t invite you in! Stay away!” a terrified Fluttershy yelled at the sound of the knock.

“Fluttershy, it is me, Twilight Sparkle,” the sorceress assured her friend.

“It could be, or it could be something claiming to be you!” Fluttershy replied fearfully.

“If you want, I could teleport in there and prove it,” Twilight said, acutely aware of Luna waiting impatiently to find the Children of the Night.

“No! No teleporting!” Fluttershy called out.

There was the sound of something being moved from behind the door and the bolt being drawn before it slowly opened and Fluttershy peeked out.

“Oh, it is you, Twilight,” Fluttershy said as she let the door swing open a little wider and caught sight of Luna, “And the Mistress of Darkness!”

Terrified, Fluttershy slammed the door shut again and began to shove whatever had been holding it shut back into place.

“Fluttershy, darling, it’s not the Mistress of Darkness,” Rarity said as she stepped forward and called through one of the windows, “It’s Luna. You remember Luna, don’t you? Celestia’s sister? The one we freed from Nightmare Moon.”

“She needs your held to find and stop the Children of the Night,” Twilight added, hoping it would convince her that Luna had nothing to do with the Mistress of Darkness.

“M-me?” Fluttershy asked as she cracked the door open again, “How can I help?”

“In your druidic duties, you tend to the creatures of the Everfree Forest, yes?” Twilight asked, receiving a nod, “And you can communicate with them like no other pony can. The Children of the Night hide in the Everfree Forest, so I was hoping that you had heard about them from the animals of Everfree.”

“I haven’t,” Fluttershy replied quickly and started to close the door again.

“Could y’ ask them?” Applejack asked, “Luna means t’ set things straight with th’ Children o’ th’ Night once an’ for all, but we need t’ find them first.”

“I-I suppose,” Fluttershy said reluctantly, “Are you sure it’s safe to go into the Everfree Forest on Nightmare Night?”

“Fluttershy, I assure thee that thou shalt not be harmed, not while thee art under mine protection,” Luna said, seeing an opportunity to show her dedication to her role as Keeper of Night, “We must needs make haste, though, lest the Children of the Night do succeed in their sacrifice.”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said, the blood draining from her face, “I guess … we ought to go right away.”

***

Twilight watched with rapt attention as Fluttershy spoke to the circle of animals in front of her. Since she’d learned of the druidess’s special abilities and how they’d come from the Second Conjunction, exactly like her talent for magic and Pinkamena’s premonitions, she’d never had a chance to witness them up close. She spoke to the animals with words in Low Equestrian and the animals replied with their natural growls, grunts, and chirps, but they carried on a conversation without difficulty. There was a curious ring to Fluttershy’s voice when she spoke to animal,s and Twilight could feel the peculiar magic in the air now that she knew how to detect it.

“They haven’t seen anything,” Fluttershy reported with a sad shake of her head, “Other than that a few were mauled by a basilisk, they haven’t seen the Children of the Night for weeks. The monsters have been forcing them to the fringes of the forest, striking out more and more boldly.”

It was like Rainbow Dash had said; monsters were most active on Nightmare Night, and she had been busy the entire prior week fighting the buildup to tonight. Luna had watched Fluttershy just as closely as Twilight had, with wonder, but now she looked worried. Twilight was also worried that she’d disappointed the alicorn. She had been so sure that Fluttershy would be able to locate the Children of the Night. Now the only way to find them would be to search the entire Everfree Forest, not a task that could be completed in a night, unless the Children were close.

“Who there goes?” a voice cried out from the darkness, and a spear flew out of the forest to land near Luna when there was no reply, “Who be you to venture here on this night?”

Two of Luna’s guards stood protectively between her and the direction the projectile had come from. The third launched himself into the air to search for the attacker from above.

“Wait,” Twilight said, raising a hoof, “Zecor?”

“It is you, Twilight-Sparkle ah-Twilight-Velvet mol’Haltrotsun?” Zecor asked uncertainly.

“Yes, it is really me,” Twilight assured her, ignoring the zebrification of her name.

Zecor stepped hesitantly out of the trees, looking unsettled at the sight of Luna and her guards. A bundle of spears was at the zebra’s side, carried with her when she left her home for defense against the creatures of the Everfree. As she’d demonstrated on their first meeting, she had some magical ability but refused to use it except when it was necessary. It was probably for the best, given how uncertain sorcery was in the Everfree Forest.

“Zecor, this is Luna, sister of Celestia, Keeper of Night, and Guardian of the Moon,” Twilight introduced the alicorn, “Luna, this is Li’Panid Zecor’ah-Hizzarah rei’Zasr.”

“I thought you be the Children of Night,” Zecor said, and she pointed at Luna, “You be alike to the one they worship.”

“I was, once,” Luna admitted shamefully, “I have to come to make an end of this, now.”

“You seek the Children of Night?” Zecor asked, not fully understanding what Luna had admitted, “I have them seen, moving tonight more so than usual.”

“You have seen the Children of the Night?” Twilight said excitedly, “Where?”

“Come, I will you show,” Zecor beckoned, and retrieved the spear she’d thrown earlier before leading the way.

***

Zecor led them down the twisting paths of the Everfree Forest, ever sure of her direction. In time, they passed the place where the Brave Companions had once been cursed. Twilight had found and disabled many of the hexes here, but it was a slow process and many more still remained. Zecor had consented to have enough removed that Twilight and Fluttershy could come and go to her home without danger, but she was still distrustful of ponies in general and wasn’t willing to give up the deterrent completely, so the process was made even slower.

“Here they be,” Zecor whispered as they came upon the Children of the Night.

They could be heard easily enough, but if Zecor hadn’t called it out, they probably would have stumbled right into them. The trees here were close and twisted and they could barely see the ponies in their midnight blue robes through them. None of them carried torches, which one cursed the others for as they stumbled over tangled roots. Tonight, they celebrated darkness and there would be no light but that of the moon, they told him, and Luna looked angry. I longed so much for appreciation of my night that it turned to a desire for worship. Now I see the fruit of those seeds, and I cannot stand those who worship my night as I once wished. This stain must be washed away forever, and I must be the one to do it.

“M’lady, what dost thou intend to do?” Beriar asked as Luna began to move toward the Children of the Night, and she stopped.

“They will tell me where I might find the rest and then I shall end them,” Luna said, her eyes fixed on the blue-robed ponies as they navigated the woods.

“Pardon me, m’lady, but if their conviction, such as it is, is strong, would they not rather die than betray their companions?” Beriar caused Luna to pause again.

“They must take me to the others,” Luna said, though doubt was beginning to creep into her mind.

“If I might be so bold, Thy Grace,” Curvin spoke up, “They would surely lead thee to the others if thou wert to take on the guise of Nightmare Moon.”

“Never,” Luna hissed, “I can never take up the mantle of that evil again.”

“Forgive me, m’lady,” Curvin said, bowing low, “I meant not to suggest that thou ought to become Nightmare Moon again, but merely to alter thy appearance as a means of deceiving these heretics in order to bring them to the truth.”

Luna didn’t like the idea, not one bit, but it was a sensible one. I am no longer Nightmare Moon. That has been expunged. She wished she could believe it. In taking on the appearance of Nightmare Moon, would I be risking giving in truly to that sin? I want nothing to do with her or the Sundered who made me her. At the same time, she wanted badly to eliminate the cult that had grown up around Nightmare Moon and this would be the best way to do it.

Luna was troubled by the conflict within, but she began to cast the spell. Her coat turned black, the night sky in her mane more terrible. Her teeth became pointed and her pupils slitted. Silvery-blue armor replaced her regal dress and a dark crown perched itself on her head. Or so it seemed to everypony watching. In reality, Luna was unchanged except for the spell projected around her and the gnawing doubt in her heart.

“Where goest thee?” Luna demanded of the Children of the Night as she stepped out of the trees, her voice booming.

Struck by fear, the blue-cloaked ponies stared at Luna with eyes as wide as saucers. Luna’s guards emerged from the forest as well to stand around her, looking imposing, but not nearly as terrifying as the dark alicorn they surrounded. The rest of the party stayed back in the trees, keeping out of sight of the Children of the Night.

“Mother of the Lost!” one of the Children exclaimed as she threw herself down on the ground, and her companions quickly and clumsily followed suit, “It is truly you!”

“I asked of thee a question!” Luna said stiffly, “Where goest thee?”

“T-to the great sacrifice of Nightmare Night,” the same pony answered, the others too frightened and awed to speak, “For a thousand years we have kept this night in your memory, awaiting your return.”

“Take me to it!” Luna demanded, unwilling to let the pony speak any longer.

“Of course, Mother!” the Child of the Night said as she rose, “This way. Everypony will be overjoyed to see you!”

Luna and her guards passed among the still-bowing Children of the Night, who slowly rose to follow her. The Brave Companions and Zecor waited for the rest of them to rise before following them, keeping out of sight.

***

Year 588 of the 3^rd Age

Curvin hobbled angrily from the throne room of the Royal Court. Three others followed him, each as upset as he was. Truno was nearest, walking gingerly on his chipped hooves that refused to grow back properly and tottering back and forth as he tried to balance without the wings he was used to. Beriar also followed, another pegasus captain from the army lost in the north that had kept his wings, but they were now put to double use as he had lost his forelegs. Marvo had also been a captain in that doomed army and he pulled himself along with his forelegs in a cart, his hindlegs refusing to move. Curvin was in just as bad a shape, having lost a hindleg and a foreleg that were now replaced with pegs that caused him great pain. All of them were covered in rags and old bandages, just like the surviving troops that had followed them here. Of the few hundred that had survived the thirty years of the void, only thirty-seven had made it alive to the Three Palaces of the Two Queens in the Everfree Forest. Frostbite had taken its toll on them, and it had taken them a long time to make the trip from the Frozen North, stopping whenever they had no more energy to move on to beg for scraps. Curvin had no idea what he would tell those few who’d faithfully followed him here.

He hadn’t expected a heroes’ welcome, but he had expected some compassion from Equestria for what he and his fellow soldiers had gone through. Instead, he’d received only derision. The curse that created the Frozen North had turned Equestria’s victory in the War of the Shadow King in the North into a defeat. Sure, Equestria had gained Vanhuv’r and a few stretches of land outside the blizzard, but the North’s resources were lost. It seemed that Queen Celestia wanted nothing more than to forget that the war had ever happened. She had denied them in her throne room in front of all the nobles of the realm. She’d accused his ragtag band of being no more than opportunistic tramps and told them to beg for scraps somewhere other than the Royal Court. It was a crushing blow to Curvin, who’d always served his realm and his queens faithfully, to be discarded now that he was broken. It’s not fair.

As Curvin paused to catch his breath, he realized that in his angry meditations he’d wandered through the Royal Court. This wasn’t the way to the great gilded doors that led out to the city sprawled outside, where the remnants of the army awaited him. It had been so long since he’d been here that he wasn’t sure exactly where he was in the palace. There was nopony else in sight except the other three captains with him, so he couldn’t ask. He gave a start as Queen Luna appeared trotting their direction around the corridor. It’s not fair.

“Captains,” the queen addressed them directly as she stopped in front of them, taking him off guard.

“Thy Majesty,” Curvin said as he struggled to bow, and the other captains followed his lead.

“I take it thine audience did not go well with mine royal sister,” Luna said compassionately, looking at the dissatisfied faces.

“No … it did not,” Curvin admitted, looking down at the elaborate floor tiles.

“Celestia can be cruel, tyrannical even,” Luna said, “It has come to mine mind of late that she is not fit to rule. Wouldst thee agree?”

“Majesty …” Curvin said softly, unsure of what to say. Should I curse one queen or disagree with another. Which is the greater crime?

“You can speak thy mind,” Luna said, “I know mine royal sister cannot be allowed to continue. I intend to do something about this, but I cannot do it alone. I could use soldiers like yourselves. Thee and thy fellow ponies would be well taken care of and under mine protection. What say thee?”

Curvin looked at his fellow captains, who were looking at Queen Luna with awe. Curvin shivered to think of the treachery he would be committing, but was it treachery if the pony you betrayed had already betrayed you? Luna was willing to accept them where Celestia had rejected them, so why not follow her? He knew he could find no reason in his heart.

“Our lives are thine, Your Majesty,” Curvin said as he struggled to bow again, and the other captains did the same.

***

Year 1001 of the 4^th Age

At first, given their route, Twilight thought that maybe the Children of the Night had returned to the western watchtower where the Brave Companions had found them over a year ago, but soon they headed in another direction. Deeper into the Everfree Forest they went, the Children of the Night picking up the pace as Luna urged them on. It was a bit unsettling for the ponies following behind to see Nightmare Moon again, but the cultists were overjoyed. They couldn’t stop telling her how glad they were that she had returned again so soon after her latest defeat, nor could they cease reminding her that they’d stayed true when others had become disheartened and left following her downfall. she had returned again so soon after her latest defeat, nor could they cease reminding her that they’d stayed true when others had become disheartened and left following the defeat.

Luna did a remarkable job of maintaining the mask of Nightmare Moon, though every word that was spoken praising her caused her stomach to twist. Nightmare Moon was not to be worshipped; Nightmare Moon was a terrible evil that had come into being because of the envy of a jaded queen. As soon as the right opportunity presented itself, she was going to make that clear.

At last, they came to the meeting place of the Children of the Night. Hundreds had gathered here for the Nightmare Night sacrifice, ponies in midnight blue robes who’d committed horrific deeds in the name of Nightmare Moon. All stood in awe as their deity strode among them and conversation quickly died down. The gathering was in a clearing which the trees of the Everfree Forest seemed to cower from, their trunks leaning away from it. The Brave Companions halted outside the clearing and watched, waiting for any sign that Luna might need their assistance.

I know this place … Luna had been here before, many, many years earlier. Looking through the crowd, she could pick out the moss-covered stones poking out of the ground, arrayed in a perfect circle. This is the Circle of Thumon, the place I gathered my armies for my rebellion, the place where I became Nightmare Moon. There had been a tower here once, where she’d done that dark ritual and made her deal with that Sundered, but now all that was left was the lowest floor, and it was mostly rubble.

Outside that building was a raised stone that served as a makeshift altar. Tied to it was Lily Valley, the pony who’d been taken from outside Ponieville while the night festival had been going on. She is alive; good. I cannot have her blood on my hooves, though a thousand have probably been in her place already, sacrificed to my name … A pony emerged from the ruined tower nearby and raised a horn to his lips. Seeing Luna, he paused momentarily in surprise, then proceeded to blow the horn.

“Behold, the Great Confessor cometh!” the herald called out after blowing his horn, though his proclamation seemed unimportant when compared with the news that Nightmare Moon now walked among them.

Out of the ruined building stepped a pony dressed in midnight blue robes covered in swirling patterns and dangling with tassels and beads. The Great Confessor pulled back the hood over his head and Luna recognized him immediately. Truno! The other three captains were also surprised and didn’t hide it as well as Luna was. Her fourth captain was here, leading the Children of the Light. How long had he been doing this? From the very beginning?

“My queen!” Truno exclaimed upon spotting her towering over the crowd, “Mother of the Lost! You have returned! As I said, it was right to keep faith, for the day cannot overcome the night forever! It may strive to do so, but the night will always return!”

“Silence!” Luna demanded, her anger kindled and voice booming so loud it caused the trees to shudder, “Who told thee to do these things? Who commanded thee to make sacrifices in mine name, to menace the ponies of Equestria, to hold me as thine goddess?”

“The book you left,” Truno said, shaken, as he beckoned a cultist to bring him the heavy tome, “I followed it as best I could understand. I did not wish to displease you, believe me!”

He held up the book after the cultist removed its coverings and Luna inhaled sharply through her teeth. The Black Book of K’Rhûr! Truno gasped as the book sailed from his grasp, snatched by Luna and brought to her so rapidly that she nearly knocked some of the cultists in between unconscious. Because of what this book contained, she’d become imprisoned, first in the being of Nightmare Moon, and then in the moon for a thousand years. In an instant, she resolved unwaveringly that she would do tonight what she hadn’t before and what Sombra had been unable to do.

With a telekinetic shove, she pushed the cultists around her away and threw the book on the ground. Clouds formed in the sky, rumbling disquietingly, as she built her spell. Lightning lanced down in great bolts that momentarily blinded all who looked at them apart from Luna. Again and again and again they struck the book, but it seemed unaffected. The bolts became continuous, a stream of energy that withered all the grass around the book and left the air smelling sharp. The clouds dwindled away, and the night sky seemed to bow, the stars all staring down on the book with destructive intent. As the light grew brighter and purer, the book’s cover began to shrivel and its pages crinkled up. Luna didn’t let up on the spell even after the black book was reduced to ash. When she finally ceased, there was nothing left but a scorched hole in the ground that stretched down a league or more into the earth.

Luna felt incredibly weary, drained of all her magical energy. Her spell of disguise didn’t last long and the Children of the Night gasped as it faded away, returning her to her true appearance. The guards around her hovered protectively, ready to fight if it came to it. Truno looked on in surprise the most, recognizing her without her darkened guise.

“Thou rememberest me, doth thee not, Truno?” Luna asked, staring at the cursed pony, “I am the pony that didst take in thee and thy companions when thou wert rejected. It may be the one good thing that hast come from mine selfishness and bitter heart. Thou hast served Nightmare Moon, a false goddess born of hate, and misled all these ponies. If there is hope for me, who led thee into darkness, then there must be hope for thee as well, if thou wert to turn from thine evil ways. Once thou served at mine side, and I would have thee do so again, but as the pony thee first served: Luna, not Nightmare Moon.”

The Children of the Night watched her and Truno with rapt attention. She would not destroy these ponies, she could not. They called her the Mother of the Lost, and though it was a name born from evil and misunderstanding, she now knew the truth to it. These ponies were lost, and they needed somepony to guide them back to what was right. If it was her fate to be mother to these children, in order to lead them to the true Mother, then she would gladly accept it. This was her redemption.

“My life is thine … Luna,” Truno said as he bowed, not in worship but in submission, and the Children of the Night hesitantly followed his lead.

Comments

[Xanderfox]

Well I'd say that was too easy, but the whole destroying their holy scripture thing. When you god comes down says your holy book is wrong then calls down that much lighting to utterly destroy it, only idiots don't submit! Down the road some cultists will rebel, but they will be the minority.

[K-O-D-E-X]

And to this day Lesson Zero is the worst story line ever conceived. that's about my only complaint.