Rise of the Element Gang, Book 2: Friendship Adventures

by Power of Six

Chapter 19: Meeting of the Moon

Chapter 19: Meeting of the Moon

“Dusk, what’s wrong?” Twilight asked in the library while we were working. I placed back the book I was levitating, but didn’t turn to face her.

So they had noticed. They’d noticed how I’d been acting a little distant with them since yesterday, while the princess was still here, after I’d had my…revelation. I’d been dwelling on it, not really listening when they’d been talking to me and had left earlier than normal. I hadn’t missed the looks on their faces as I’d acted similarly in the old days, before I’d saved them from the Paraserpent. Perhaps there was some kind of agreement between them for if I started acting like that again.

So Twilight, the one who knew me best and who I had deeper feelings for than any of them, had probably been asked to talk to me. The question was…how much should I tell her?

“Nothing, Twi.” I said, trying to sound casual. “I just…have a lot on my mind, that’s all.”

“Yes, I can tell, but that’s not the whole truth.” This was a statement, not a question. I felt a warm hoof on my shoulder. “Dusk, don’t think you can hide anything from me. You shouldn’t have to. Talk to me, please?”

I glanced at the hoof on my shoulder and then turned to look right into her violet-colored eyes, which were shining with concern for me. She was right. I couldn’t hide anything from her…except for perhaps how I truly felt for her.

“Twilight…am I a good pony?” I asked her.

She appeared confused by the question. “Well, of course you are. Is that what’s concerning you?”

“No, it’s just…” I paused, searching for the right words. “What if, one day, I wasn’t? What if I wasn’t a good pony anymore?”

“Dusk…what is this?” she asked, looking a little scared. “Why wouldn’t you be good anymore?”

“Just hypothetically, what if I was?” I could hear a shiver entering my voice, but I tried to ignore it. “What if, like Nightmare Moon, I needed to be stopped to prevent me from harming anypony? Would you stop me? Imprison me somewhere?”

“Dusk, what do you…?”

“Would you, Twilight Sparkle? Would you be able to do it, despite the fact that we’re friends? Would be able to do what was right, what was necessary, for the good of all? Would you? Do you…”

“Dusk, please stop!” I did, only to realize that she looked to be on the verge of tears…and that I was too. “How can you ask me something like that? Why would you? Please…stop…”

I immediately felt guilty and turned my gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry, Twi, I…I didn’t mean to upset you. I just… I just…”

“Dusk…” she softly said, raising my head up gently so I faced her. “Tell me what’s really wrong. Just…don’t ever ask me that again. I think you know the answer.”

It was as if those words had pressed some kind of switch inside me because suddenly I was able to tell her what I had originally kept secret.

“Remember when I went with Little Strongheart to visit her tribe? You know, when we went to Appleloosa during that whole situation?” I told her. “Well… while I was there, the chief told me that there was somepony else with my magic. That certain somepony… is Princess Luna.” I knew caught her by surprise for I heard Twilight gasp in shock. “I know, I was just as surprised as you. Though this left me with some troubles. At first, I was happy that there was somepony with magic like mine, that I might find some answers as to why I have it. But, after giving some thought about what happened to Princess Luna, I’m afraid of what they might do to me. What if, much like with Nightmare Moon, these powers of mine turning me into something like her? Turn me into some kind of monster. It wouldn’t be far from the truth. One of my ancestors went through that. And I fear for that happening to me.”

Twilight was silent for a few minutes before she asked “That’s what you’re afraid of? That you become an evil tyrant like Nightmare Moon?"

“Yes.” I wanted to look away from her, to hide the fear that was manifesting behind my eyes, but I couldn’t.

“Dusk, that’s not going to happen. That’s not you. I know it isn’t.”

“How do you know?” I asked, my tone bordering on cynical. If she noticed this, she didn't comment on it.

“I just do. Don’t you trust me?” I couldn’t even begin to say no to that.

“I do… I do trust you. Just… what if…”

“No."

“But what if…”

“Don’t talk about that, please. Because it’s not going to happen.” She sounded so determined, so sure of herself, that I found that I almost believed her. Almost. “It won’t happen.”

“Okay… if you say so.” The fear was still there, but it had been lessened slightly.

“Good. Now why don’t you try and take your mind off of this? It’s not good to dwell on something that won’t even happen.” With one last smile and a gentle hug of reassurance, she headed off to the East wing, leaving me alone in the West.

I turned to look at my reflection in the window. An image flashed briefly across my thoughts: myself with a sinister grin filled with sharp teeth, my dark blue fur now black and my brown eyes becoming purple with cat-like pupils, all while dressed in dark battle armor. Like Nightmare Moon. Then it vanished as quickly as it arrived. Maybe Twilight was right. I shouldn’t be dwelling on this.

Having an idea of how to shake my thoughts away from this, I went off to look for Spike, that darker image of himself flashing once more across the corners of my mind.

---

While I did like to ground myself in fact and realism, I always thought that imagination and stories could offer so much more than just cold hard fact, open up worlds unknown. Worlds where ponies rode dragons and had mental bonds with them, worlds where aliens and space travel were fact, with rooms bigger on the inside and mighty starships, worlds where the of society had fallen to ponies rising from the dead to eat the flesh of the living and tales of survival against grim odds.

I also enjoyed having hypothetical discussions, usually with Twilight, on a variety of subjects, but mainly ones that related to her studies, such as the possibility of using time travel magic, experiments that had been performed with magic to try and resurrect the dead, if we could travel beyond Equestria to the stars above. Whether realistic or fantastic, I enjoyed thinking and debating on the possibilities and ideas that we had.

That was what I was doing with Spike in the library on our break whilst Twilight was reading from a book on magic, discussing what we would do if zombies attacked and what our plans would be to defend ourselves and survive, a subject that Spike had been introducing me to. While I wasn’t a fan of violence, I always liked stories where the characters fought against unbeatable odds and come out on top. It was one of those subjects that I’d always wanted to talk about if I ever had friends and it was rather fun debating with the baby dragon on this.

“Well, they’d have a hard time eating me.” Spike was saying to me. “Thick scales would really give them something to chew on and then I’d get ‘em with my flame breath.”

“That wouldn’t be such a good idea.” I pointed out. “They don’t feel pain from what you told me. Fire would just turn them into walking torches, or shuffling rather.”

“Oh, good point… Even so, I’m fireproof, thanks to my scales.”

“But the rest of us aren’t and it would take a while for them to burn regardless. You might end up destroying more than they would.”

“Right. I see the problem there.” he admitted. “Oh, well, maybe I’d just run for it. I’m pretty fast and they’re slow, so they’d never catch me.”

“But they don’t get tired either” I mentioned. “You have your limits, they don’t. And they’d catch you if you’re tired enough.”

“Dusk, honestly.” Twilight commented exasperatedly, but she was smiling, apparently relieved that I was taking my mind off my dark brooding. “How can you talk about something so ludicrous?”

“It’s just a hypothetical discussion, Twi. Like the ones that you and I have.”

“I know, but zombies? Really?”

“Hey, it could happen!” Spike leaped in defensively. “Organize before they rise, Twilight, ʹcause you never know.”

“I do know because zombies don’t exist, so you have nothing to worry about.” She shook her head, giggling. “Honestly, you two…”

“Fine. But, if you end up being munched on, don’t come crying to…” He stopped to grab his chest and suddenly belched green fire, the smoke going right in my face.

“Whoa! Spike!” I coughed from the unpleasant stench. “What have you been eating?”

“Sorry, bro.” he said abashedly, catching the letter that had materialized and opening it.

“So what’s the princess writing about today?” Twilight asked as she walked over.

“Well…” He paused as his eyes traveled over the letter. “For one thing, it’s from Princess Luna, not Celestia. And it’s not for you, Twilight… It’s for Dusk.”

“I…beg your pardon?” I whispered in disbelief, Spike handing the letter to me.

He was right for the scroll came with the Seal of the Moon rather than the golden Seal of the Sun Celestia used. This one was a deep black with a crescent moon set in the center, stars decorating it in the middle. My eyes traveled over the elaborate writing as I read aloud:

To Dusk Noir.

Citizen of Ponyville, formerly of Canterlot,

Your presence is requested at the royal castle of Canterlot from six ‘o’clock forthwith. It is the wish of your princess to meet you and to know you better.

A carriage will meet you at the library where thou works. At the time it is appropriate, you shall be returned home and our intentions will be complete. We look forward to meeting you soon.

As written by your ruler,

Princess Luna, Bringer of the Night.

“Wow! A royal summons! From Princess Luna!” Twilight looked very excited. “Dusk, this is such an honor that she would want to see you personally!”

“Yeah…that’s what I was thinking.” I murmured, still trying to take it all in.

“Six ‘o’clock? That’s only half an hour from now!” she exclaimed. “Oh, my gosh! That’s not a lot of time. Let me see…” She looked me over with a critical eye, assessing my appearance. “Oh… um… oh, I’m sure you look fine. At least, I hope you do. I wouldn’t want…”

“Twilight, calm down.” Spike said.

“Calm down? How can I calm down? Don’t you want him to make a good impression on Princess Luna?”

“Well…”

“Exactly!” She pushed me urgently upstairs. “Come, Dusk, you need to make sure you look your best for this.”

Mainly for Twilight’s benefit than mine, I let her comb my mane so it looked neat and presentable, made sure my fur wasn’t too scruffy, told me to make my tail into a pony tail to match my mane, and talked me through some quick instructions on how to behave in front of royalty. It wasn’t stuff I didn’t already know, but I was feeling extremely nervous about this and I hoped that this session would calm me down. As well as Twilight, who was fussing over me like my mother while Spike sniggered in the corner.

“W-w-why do you think she wants t-t-t-to talk to me?” I asked her as she ran a comb through my mane.

“I think I can take a good guess.” she replied nervously. “She wants to know about your powers.”

“Y-y-you think so?”

“It’s the only reasonable explanation. Now come on! We need to get you ready!”

That got the wheels in my head turning, if nothing else.

So, Luna finally had taken an interest in me, enough that she had requested me personally to meet her. All sorts of questions tumbled over each other in my head: what would she think of me? Had she made the connection between her powers and mine? Would she issue a warning, a caution against them? All of it made it very hard to relax, so that by the time the carriage arrived, I was still shaking.

“Okay.” Twilight was saying, still fussing. “Always address her respectfully and politely.”

“Right.”

“Take your hat off when you meet her too. I don’t know how she might take it.”

“Okay.”

“Try to relax, breathe deeply and stay calm.”

“E-e-easy for you t-t-t-to say.” I stammered, trying very hard to control my breathing.

“Oh, Dusk.” she said pityingly, gazing softly at me. “Sorry I’m fussing so much, but I want this to go well for you.”

“So do I.” I said quietly, climbing up onto the carriage as she gave me a reassuring hug.

“Just be yourself and you’ll be fine.” she advised. “And…good luck.”

“Yeah, good luck, bro!” Spike called. “Let us know how it goes!”

“I will, see you later!” I cried, waving to them as the carriage took off into the sky, bearing me towards Canterlot once more.

I truly was thankful to Twilight for trying to make sure this went well. Her concern for me just served to show how deep our bond of friendship was; even it had made me feel a little more nervous as a result of it. Still, she had tried her best to prepare me and I was grateful for it. I just hoped that it would go smoothly, or at least not be a complete disaster.

Trying my best to calm myself from my nerve-wracking fear, I turned my attention to the Pegasi that were pulling the carriage. Their fur was the color of grey and their eyes were yellow, their wings leathery membranes like those of a bat rather than a bird. These were members of Princess Luna’s Shadow Guard, her own elite warriors and chauffeurs. They must have started recruiting again now that she was back on her throne for they hadn’t been seen for over a thousand years.

---

We arrived at Canterlot as the sun was beginning to set beyond the horizon, landing at the foot of one of the tall towers. The guards reared and whinnied, bringing the carriage to a stop and, still shaking, I climbed down from the seat and shuffled along. One of them strode forward to meet me.

“You will wait.” he ordered and entered the tower, the door slamming shut behind him.

I was now left alone, with only the remaining guard for company. Aside from when I first met Twilight, I’d never been more apprehensive in my life and even this occasion seemed to top that. Celestia was relaxed and kind, but Luna was autoreactive and formal and would probably have higher standards of expectations where manners were concerned. Would she deem me passable with how I normally was? How would this go?

I was quickly checking myself in the reflection of the carriage when the guard came back downstairs and looked at me hard. I stood straight and waited.

“Princess Luna is on the balcony at the top of this tower.” he told me in a grim voice. “Be sure not to keep her waiting.”

“I-I-I won’t and thank you, sirs.” I said quickly and hurried through the doors, trying my best not to run up the stairs.

Within minutes, I reached the top where the door stood shut. I took time to collect myself, catch my breath and do my best to stop myself shivering. Just remember your manners, Dusk. I told myself. Act normal and you'll be fine. I hope…

I raised my claw and knocked on the door. “Enter!” a booming voice commanded. Gulping, I pushed it open and stepped out onto the balcony.

There stood Princess Luna, her back straight and her head high. She was bigger than me, but not as much as her sister. Her fur, like mine, was a dark blue, her mane having that strange gaseous quality that Celestia’s did, though her sparkled with starlight instead. A crown and crest of black adorned her chest and head, her horn was long and menacing and her wings were folded back. It was hard to tell her expression as it was blank and stony.

I remembered my manners and bowed to her. For the longest moment, there was an eerie silence, no doubt as the princess was looking me over, silently judging me with her gaze. Neither of us said a word, me not daring to say anything until she addressed me. It was Luna who broke the silence with me refraining from jumping out of shock of her loud voice.

“Greetings, Dusk Noir!” she boomed in the Royal Voice. “It is good to finally meet you in person! We extend our warmest invitation to you and welcome you to our home!”

I promptly bowed lower, gripping my trilby and grimacing from the volume which she spoke. “M-m-my most humble a-a-and sincere greetings, your majesty.” I replied, my voice shaking. “I-I-I am honored t-t-to meet you.”

“We are glad to hear it.” she said, speaking more quietly. “You may rise.”

I did so, looking her in the face. The night sky behind her shone with the stars, the beams of the moon casting a beautiful glow around her. Her stony expression had gone, replaced by a friendlier smile. She crossed to a nearby table and sat one side, raising a hoof, upon which she wore silver shoes.

“Come, the night is beginning and we shall drink some tea, to warm us against the cold.”

“O-o-of course, highness.” I said, rising and crossing to the table that had been prepared.

Luna poured herself a cup of tea and looked across at me. “So, Dusk, are thou well?”

“Um…q-q-quite, your highness.” I replied, spilling a little of my tea as I poured some.

“But why does thou shake and quiver so?” she asked, sounding concerned. “Are thou cold?”

“I-I-I apologize a thousandfold, your highness.” I said quickly. “I am…not cold. I-I-I just er…have some nerves with…meeting new ponies…sorry.”

“Oh. Sorry, we did not realize.” she said, sounding rather abashed with herself. But she recovered herself and spoke once more. “You need not fear, for this is merely a friendly meeting between Princess and subject. We request that thou try to relax while thou are with us.”

“Y-y-yes, your highness. Of course.” Feeling a little better now, at least enough to stop stuttering, I took a few deep breaths and met her gaze. “I apologize, your majesty, for my lack of self-control.”

“She takes no offense, apologies are not necessary, my young friend.” a voice replied. I turned to see and became surprised to see Dragonis Maximus, the guardian of Equestria, right next to her.

“Dragonis? What are you doing here?” I asked, taking a sip from my tea to calm myself.

“Right now, we wish you to simply relax as we said and not act as if you are facing a manticore engulfed by rage for we intend no harm to you. There is no need to hide it. She knows about Fire Dragons.”

I did so, revealing my tail’s true form, and couldn’t help but say “It’s just that…this is an unexpected pleasure, meeting you like this.”

“We thought as much. We have heard much of you, from our sister and from the reports conveyed from her student, Twilight Sparkle. We were intrigued by this and many other things and desired to meet you in full, to learn more about you. Your tea is satisfactory?” Luna said in a clipped voice.

“Yes, thank you, princess.” I answered. “Well, um…what would you like to know?”

“Well, your reaction to us is not what we expected.” she said, sounding almost surprised.

“Reaction, your highness?”

“Yes. While thou were nervous, that was down more to the qualities of thy character, less so to do with ourselves and how we addressed thee.”

“You mean…speaking in the Royal Voice, princess?”

“Ah, so thou knows why we speak like this?” she noted with interest. “It is a mystery to most ponies apparently, for they do not seem to know.”

“Well, the Royal Voice was used by both you and your sister thousands of years ago.” I began to explain, my knowledge-filled head taking over. ”It was tradition for you to speak using the royal ‘we’ and to speak in a high volume when addressing subjects.”

“Correct, unless…” she prompted. I realized what she was getting at and continued.

“Unless you are hosting guests at Canterlot, then the royal ‘we’ is still used but the speaker lowers the volume at which they speak to more respectable levels, so as not to deafen or damage the hearing of esteemed guests.” I finished smartly.

“Correct once more.” she said, proudly. “You are to be congratulated on your intelligence, young Dusk. Not many ponies would have known such a thing.”

“Your, uh…words gladden me, your highness.” I mumbled, sipping my tea and diverting my gaze.

“They should.” She stirred her tea, placing another sugar cube in. “Our sister has also told us of your deed in the Everfree Forest, where thou did brave the dangers of the Forest and of the minion of our foe to save thy friends.”

“She, um…she did?” I muttered quietly.

“Of course, it was a brave act that you did. Risking yourself to rescue those closest to you, not to mention you defeated a deadly enemy to Equestria.” Dragonis said.

“Paraserpents.” Luna hissed with disdain. “Vile creatures, we remember.”

“Indeed…” I cleared my throat and spoke up. “Well, it wasn’t all down to me, I mean…I am the one who beat it. But, I was, uh…acting pretty stupidly anyway. I didn’t have any kind of plan. I just…ran on in there, dragging my team with me, and hoped for the, uh…the best. Quite unlike me, really.”

“Then you do not take pride in thy accomplishment?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Not entirely.” I admitted. “I know what I did, but I just, um…just know it was all down to, er…me, that’s all.”

“I see…” She took a sip of her own tea, regarding me with added interest. “You are quite humble in your words and actions, we notice.”

“So I’ve been told. Is that, uh…that a bad thing, Highness, if I may ask?”

“You may.” she permitted rather unnecessarily. “No, it is not. Modesty is an admirable trait, something that most ponies lack these days. With gaining Thermal Touch, you should still take some pride in what you do, should you not?”

“Of course, yes.” I agreed absently, wishing to move the discussion away from this. “Was there, um…anything else you both wanted to ask me?”

“Yes, and I think that you know what we will ask of you now.” Dragonis said pointedly. “We have noticed, from your performance at Magical Talent of Equestria and the Best Young Flyer Competition, the unique magic that you possess.”

“Oh, yes.” I said with some trepidation. Then I gave a look of confusion and said “Wait, I know you and Luna saw it at Magical Talent of Equestria. How did you know I did at the Best Young Flyer Competition?”

“Well, I saw it while watching the competition from above and managed to see you. Even in the shadows, your light can still be seen. I’m proud you’ve finally shown your magic.”

“Thank you, Dragonis.”

“Well, thou may have noticed that we were watching thee after thou performance was completed and this is why.” Luna set down her teacup and closed her eyes, her horn glowing.

Soon, her body took on the same qualities as her sparkling mane, the same appearance as my sparkling colors. She moved as a tendril of blue, creeping across the floor like a snake, then leaping off the balcony and soaring like a bird over my head. All the while I watched her fly and soar. She was magnificent, as at home in the air as an eagle and with all the grace of a swan.

She landed behind me and reformed as herself, still smiling with satisfaction at the expression on my face.

“Princess, that was beautiful, if you don’t mind my saying.”

“We do not and thank you.” she said, dipping her chin. “However, our powers were much more…extensive when we were… we were…” She paused, unable to continue.

“When you weren’t yourself.” I euphemized, not mentioning the name of the monster she was once known as. Then, my own fears surfaced once more. “Princess…may I ask you something?”

“You may.” she said simply.

“Well…you know the similarities of your powers and mine?”

“We do know of this, as do you. What is thy point?”

“Well…you became…Nightmare Moon.” I said, quickly and quietly. “And I was wondering…well, dreading more like if I… If I might…” Now it was my turn to stop, for fear of finishing, of the possible answer. Then Dragonis spoke.

“Dusk, I know your wishes is to know if, because of the similarities you and Luna have, that you fear you too may become corrupted, as she was.” I only nodded, unable to look up at them. “Your fears are ungrounded, for that shan’t be your fate.”

I felt my jaw drop and I whipped my head up to look at him. “E-e-excuse me?” Then Luna spoke.

“What Dragonis is saying is you shall not go down the same path that we did and close thy mouth, it is unbecoming.” I did so and let Luna continue. “We shall not go into details, but it was due to the influence of another force that turned us into the mare of darkness you know from the stories. That force was destroyed when the Elements of Harmony were used against us. Unless that force returns and targets thee specifically, which we doubt it will, you shall remain as you are.”

“So…I won’t be corrupted by my powers?”

“No, you will not. Does that comfort thee?”

“Yes… yes, it does… more than I can say.” Feeling immense relief well up inside me, I gazed up at Luna’s smiling face. “Thank you, your highness, for silencing my fears.”

“It was only natural, but we are glad that this knowledge has relieved you. Now,” she added, “since there is no fear of thee becoming a stallion of evil, we requests that you demonstrate your powers to us.”

“It would be my honor.” I bowed and tapped into my own magic, sharing it with my…well, kindred spirit.

Luna and Dragonis watched as I put on my display for them, offering no comment but obviously intrigued by what I could do with it. She now and again requested forms for me to create, usually creatures that roamed Equestria or famous historical figures from pony history, I adding little bits of information of what I knew about the animals or ponies I was asked to create, Luna always raising her eyebrows at how much I knew.

“Impressive, young Dusk.” she finally said, when I didn’t have the energy to continue. “Your magic is very unique, even if we do share similarities where it is concerned.”

“Thank…thank you, your highness.” I gasped, doing my best to remain standing.

“And you have only been able to manipulate color before you, not alter your own body like we can?”

“Yes, your highness… Ever since I was a foal… I wouldn’t really know how to anyway…”

“Interesting, I wonder…” she muttered to herself, looking thoughtfully at me. “Oh, never mind, it matters not. How is your strength faring?”

“I’m fine now.” I told her. “It just takes it out of me, depending on how long I do it and how big the shapes are.”

“So we noticed.” Dragonis commented. “Well, if you are feeling well enough, let us walk. As you are friends with the Wielders of the Elements and leader of the Element Gang, there is something you might like to see. By the way, you may wear your hat, if you so wish.”

“Of course.” Letting them lead the way, I began to follow them through Canterlot Castle, happy to be putting my trilby back on.

We walked back down the stairs into one of the adjoining corridors that took us into the rest of the Castle, all manner of doors lining walls leading to other rooms and places. Guards, who were on the night shift, a mix of Celestia’s Sun Guards and Luna’s Shadow Guards, patrolled through the corridors, alone or sometimes in pairs. They bowed whenever Luna passed close to them, nodded to me and resumed their march.

The layout of this building reminded me of something that I’d read in a book on the Castle. “Princess, Dragonis, isn’t this the Starswirl the Bearded Wing?”

“Indeed it is. We must pass through it to reach our destination.” she explained. “Besides, we thought you might appreciate it. Have thou ever been in the archive?”

“Unfortunately, no. It’s the most secure wing of the castle.” I recalled. “I wouldn’t have the authority or the clearance. I wouldn’t mind having a look though, if I could…”

“Oh, yes, of course.” she said sympathetically. “Most unfortunate, but we thought it might appeal to thee. Look, here it is.”

She gestured to a caged door to our right, through which I could see long aisles of ancient and priceless scrolls and books, with a large hourglass in the center of the chamber. Some of the most powerful and dangerous pieces of magic were contained in that room, which was why it was kept locked at all times and guarded around the clock.

“The works of the greatest unicorn that ever lived.” I whispered in awe of it.

“Quite a sight, is it not?” Dragonis gestured to the door opposite and led me through it. “Did you know, young Dusk, that the wing contains not only the works of Starswirl, but also the prophecies of Fore Sight the Uncanny?”

“The prophet of the unicorns?” I asked, interested by this information. “No, I didn’t.”

“We didn’t think so, though we are surprised that you know of him, due to his obscurity in unicorn history. Do you know much of him?”

“Some things, but not a lot because there’s so little on him, by both Element Gang history and Equestrian history.” I took some time to recall what I knew from the knowledge from both my father and books with record of him. "He was apprenticed to Starswirl, along with Clover the Clever, and was in possession of a power similar to Future Visions, the ability to have glimpses of the future solely belonging to the Fire Dragons. It was he who first predicted the sects of pony society would come together. After the union, he got married to a Pegasus mare and they had children before he left for some mysterious reason that he didn’t not share with anyone. Nopony ever had a chance to even learn why as he ended up quite insane once he was finished with his journey. Then he died a few days after he returned. Quite tragic really.”

“Yes, it was.” Luna agreed in a regretful tone, leading me across the starlit grounds. “We were taught by him—that is to say me and my sister, along with Clover—in magic before he left on his strange quest. He had a most unique and familiar way of telling the future, one that he taught to me when he discovered I had similar talents.”

This latest piece of news shocked I to an even further degree. "You mean…he had my, well, our…color power?”

“Exactly, his visions came to him in swirling images of color that only he could interpret. He could do it at will, but his visions came and went at random. It was a closely guarded secret, so it would not have been recorded, much like the time travel spells.” She gave me an admiring smile. “It is possible that thou are descended from him, as you have inherited his talents, though we are not sure as to what degree.”

I was shaking my head in disbelief, but grinning in spite of myself. How had I ever thought that my power was something ponies might find freakish and strange, when I held resemblances for it, not only in the co-ruler of Equestria, but also a figure in unicorn history? It was one of those rare occasions when I felt genuine pride for myself, that completely crushed my earlier fears.

Just wait until Twilight would hear about this. I thought excitedly.

Soon, Luna told me we’d arrived at our destination. It was Canterlot Tower, which housed the living quarters of the Royal Pony Sisters, but why did Luna and Dragonis bring me here? They led me up a set of stairs down a long corridor, where the colored glow of stained glass windows graced the hall with a beautiful glow. Looking around at them, I saw various records of pony history suspended in time: the reign of Discord, his defeat at the hooves of the sisters, their victory over the Shadow King’s evil spirit with the help of Dragonis, Nightmare Moon’s imprisonment, and the rediscovery of the Elements of Harmony.

My gaze lingered on the last one for I had been there at its unveiling. It was strange, seeing it again now after what had felt like so long. The night I had seen it for the first time was when my life had changed forever, when I’d begun to discover the Elements myself. Albeit in my own way, of course. Tearing my eyes away from the image, I continued to follow Luna up to the end of the hall, where a large door towered over me. At its center was the image of the sun, with a hole at the center of it.

“This,” Luna said, standing by it, “is where the Elements of Harmony are kept safely hidden. This door and the enchantment that protects it can only be broken by Celestia or me.”

I stared at the door with renewed awe, my spine tingling in the knowledge that I was in the presence of the most powerful magical artifacts in all of Equestria. “Incredible, but…why have you brought me here?”

“If you wish, Dusk, we would like to show them to you.” She smiled as my jaw dropped once more. “We trust you not to steal them, if you would like to see.”

I didn’t reply, just nodded silently, feeling so honored that Luna and Dragonis would trust me this much. I was no thief and was friends with Twilight and the others that I would like to see them. I had to admit the thought had crossed my mind more than once, just to see what they might look like…

Luna lowered her head and inserted her horn into the hole in the door. A magical blue light shone at the center, spreading along the grooves of the door and filling the whole room with a bright light. After six lights shone in unison, the door slowly opened to reveal a purple chest on a plinth, adorned with jewels and gems. Dragonis levitated this off and brought them down to my eye level. I hardly dared to blink as the chest opened, revealing its precious contents.

I gasped. They were more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Five were necklaces, gilded in gold with a different colored jewel at the center of them, each in the shape of the girl’s cutie marks, the facets glinting in the light. The odd one out was a diadem, again in gold, with a star-shaped purpled gem set at the top. This was no doubt Twilight’s Element, Magic. I moved to levitate it and then glanced up at them.

“May I?” They both nodded, her look saying that I’d better be careful.

With as much care as possible, I levitated the diadem up to my face, revolving it slowly and examining every little detail. I did the same with each of the Elements in turn, smiling as I could feel little essences of my friends in each one, shivering at the power that they radiated. I almost felt a sense of completeness in their presence, like they were the final pieces to a puzzle that I hadn’t even been trying to solve. I supposed that was a natural state to feel in as they were literally the vessels of friendship.

I didn’t know how long I stood there with them, but it was deep into the night when I put the last one back and Dragonis shut the chest with Luna sealing the room in which they were kept. I let all of my gratitude for such a privilege that she presented me come out in my smile, which she returned in perfect understanding.

“We knew you might like that. Now, we have kept you long enough and you are no doubt tired.” I opened my mouth to insist I was fine but a yawn came out instead and she nodded gently. “Our point exactly. We shall call a carriage to bring thee home.”

She led me back outside, where a carriage actually stood waiting for us. I felt rather disappointed at having to leave so soon. I’d enjoyed this evening with the princess and felt that we’d made a good connection with each other. There was a certain fondness in her voice that hadn’t been there at first. I could at least hope I’d made a good impression.

“Thank you for taking the time to meet me, Your Highness.” I said sincerely. “It was wonderful meeting you personally and being your guest. It was nice to see too, Dragonis.”

“It was good to meet thee as well, young Dusk.” she replied. “We hope to see you again in future. Sleep well and know that we are keeping vigil across this land.”

“I’ll sleep soundly with that knowledge.” I waved as the carriage took off into the night sky, already looking forward to telling Twilight and the others about this tomorrow.

Luna’s view

Dragonis and I watched until the carriage became a speck in the distance, still wearing a gentle smile.

“You and Tia had been right about him. He is a good-hearted stallion.” I said, had already taken a liking to him, taking pride at being able to put his fears to rest. I didn't know if it was possible for us to be friends, with I being royalty, but I certainly hoped so.

But establishing good terms with Dusk Noir had not been the only purpose of this meeting. Already, armed with this new knowledge, I was having the guard admit Dusk into the Starswirl the Bearded Wing of the palace while accompanied by Dragonis, making for the archives of Fore Sight. There, I pulled out one particular scroll, reading over the passage yet again.

Despite my sister’s insistence otherwise, I knew this only confirmed the details that were written down here and I most definitely related to the young stallion. And the way those stones around his neck had sparkled in the presence of the Elements… I felt some satisfaction in the knowledge that, so far, I was right about this, as had my former master.

“Guess you’re still wondering what will happen to him?”

“Yes.” I answered. “Now, only two questions remained: when would the rest of the details come to pass and what would it mean for us and the citizens of Equestria?”

For the first time in a long time, I, Princess Luna, was scared. For all of our sakes, I hoped that it didn’t mean what I thought it meant.

Author's Note:

Well, this is a surprise. After meeting with Princess Luna, Dusk has not only been relieved of his fears, but now have been revealed to be descended from the unicorn prophet Fore Sight. Though, as one mystery has been solved, another one has risen. What exactly that fills the Princess of Night with such fear and what will it mean for young Dusk? All to be revealed next time!

Hey, guys! What did you think of the chapter? Now you know where Dusk gets his color power from. And if you’re wondering about that ancestor Dusk was talking about, you’re gonna have to wait a while before you get anything about him. Anyway, just wait until the next chapter, for you’re about to learn how Dusk and the others each got their cutie marks! Well, that’s all I got for this chapter! Don't forget to comment and rate the story to tell me what you think!