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Moonrise8,234 words
New Moon8,341 words
Waxing Crescent7,621 words
First Quarter8,775 words
Waxing Gibbous8,179 words
Full Moon6,428 words
Waning Gibbous10,186 words
Third Quarter8,171 words
Waning Crescent8,764 words
Moonfall1,886 words

Moonfall

Moonrise: Moonfall
~BlackRoseRaven

Nightmare Night came for another year, and across Equestria, it was somber: ponies of all shape and size dressed in costume, and many still celebrated… but it was muted, and there was a sense of looming terror as they looked towards the full moon in the sky, fearing the old mares’ tales, terrified that all the old legends would come true.

In Canterlot, Princess Celestia sat silently in an empty, dusty bedroom in the dark corner of the castle, staring out a cracked window wall, the curtains drawn back. On one side of her body, just below her foreleg, was a thick, circular scar… and she closed her eyes, bowing her head forwards with a tremble, tears leaking down her ivory features as she whispered: “I miss you, sister… I hope tonight of all nights… you’re okay.”

Canterlot itself was a flurry of solemn activity: candles burned quietly, lit for the lost Princess Luna, and priests prayed and guards nervously strode back and forth in pairs, ever-watchful. All throughout the capital, doors were tightly locked and windows were shut: here, there would be little celebration, little partying, the terror of Nightmare Moon all too real, all too close to home.

Yet in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle was quietly putting the last finishing touches on her costume, Spike looking at her apprehensively as she finished dabbing the last of the paint over her body before the dragon said finally: “Look, Twilight, I know how you feel. Heck, we all know how you feel… but I don’t know if it’s something you should exactly go out advertising. Not all of Ponyville knows the truth…”

But Twilight only smiled faintly, glancing at Spike, Luna’s peytral plate on her chest and tiara on her head, her mane sparkling with glitter and her body dyed sapphire as she said quietly: “Then I’ll just tell anyone who gets mad I’m not Nightmare Moon… I’m Princess Luna. I’m doing it to honor the Princess, that’s all.”

“Speaking of which, Celestia sent you another letter… aren’t… aren’t you going to answer it? She really wants you back in Canterlot…” Spike said quietly… but Twilight only shook her head slowly as her eyes dropped, and the dragon rose his claws, nodding after a moment and saying finally: “Sorry.”

“No, Spike, no. It’s okay. I’m just… I’m not ready yet. I looked up to her so much, and I never expected to ever see… what I did. I thought she was perfect, and incorruptible, and I loved her… I still do love her. But… I can’t go back to Canterlot yet. Living with this lie is hard enough.” Twilight replied quietly, shaking her head slowly. “Ponyville is doing good for me. Being with my friends is good for me. And being able to visit Scrivy and Luna every now and then… I like that too. Besides, I think that everyone knows I’m not just visiting Zecora in the Everfree Forest anymore.”

She smiled a little, then shook her head slowly, saying quietly: “Come on, Spike. We shouldn’t keep the others waiting.”

Twilight lowered her head, her thoughts clustered, difficult: this last year had been hard for her, trying to explain to her friends again and again what had gone on, figuring out how to piece the Elements of Harmony back together, dealing with constant letters from Celestia and even surprise visits that impressed everyone except for her. She had only really spent time with Celestia once… and that was when she took Celestia out to one of the few places in the world she felt she was able to really relax.

Deep in the Everfree Forest, there was now a large cottage in the comfortable shade of a cliff, sitting near a small brook in a field. A path led around the side of the cliff face and up a gentle incline to the rear of the hill, and at the very top, a pony could see for miles over the treetops… look straight down at the roof of the cabin below… or straight up at the beautiful, brilliant sky, where the weather was wild but most nights were clear and kind.

The cottage was pretty, mostly built by hoof and hard work and the help of good friends… and inside it now, Luna and Scrivener lay comfortably on a simple, circular mattress in front of a crackling fireplace, smiling softly, resting overtop each other, their bodies pressed together. Scrivener’s features were scarred, but his build was stronger than it had been, his coat shimmering a little… and Luna, meanwhile, had the same starry mane, the same beautiful coat, the same gorgeous eyes… and yet she too seemed different somehow.

More than accepting the darkness inside of her, more than becoming comfortable with herself… she had found purpose in it, and meaning in sacrifice. She had given up an entire world, but found someone she wanted to spend her entire life with… and who had been willing to give up everything himself to share the same with her. Now, Luna was no longer Princess of the Night: now, she knew that most ponies feared her, and she would go down in history as a terror, a traitor, a demon… and yet she had saved her sister from madness, she had stopped the country from being plunged into war, she had found friends and love… and it made it all worthwhile.

It was tragic in a way… and yet she was at peace despite it. She rose the moon at dusk and set it at dawn – in fact, while Celestia had recovered from her injuries, she had taken on the duties of moving the sun as well – and she meddled every now and then in the affairs of Equestria and played the role of the trickster, often with Scrivener’s assistance and encouragement. She was stronger now, perhaps even more so than she had been in the past… and she had everything she needed. Not everything she wanted perhaps… but she smiled softly as Scrivener glanced at her, their eyes meeting, well on her way to getting a little more of what she desired already.

The two studied each other, Scrivy’s chestnut eyes gazing into her own dark irises, and then they both glanced amusedly to the side as a small, skeletal pseudodragon chirped, Sammy scurrying over to them before Luna said mildly: “’Thou shan’t steal this moment this time, little brazen beast.”

Then she and Scrivener gazed at each other, and they leaned forwards, mouths meeting in a soft, passionate kiss for several long moments that seemed to stretch into eternity… and then they parted, gazing lovingly at one another as their bodies pressed together, and Scrivener reached up and gently touched the single adornment Luna wore: a necklace of simple ivy, with a beautiful black pearl engraved with a black rose on it. “I love you, Luna.”

“As I love thou, Scrivener Blooms. Although still I sometimes think thou would prefer Twilight Sparkle over me.” Luna said musingly, but Scrivy only rolled his eyes and laughed, nudging her firmly.

“Yeah, well, sometimes I think the same thing, the way you look at her, Luna.” Scrivener retorted, and Luna headbutted him lightly, making him grunt and wince back as her horn brushed against the top of his skull. “Always comes back to the physical with you.”

“Just the way thou enjoys.” Luna replied comfortably, and the two smiled a little at each other before she asked softly: “Pray tell… did thou find the time today to finish penning the tale of yesteryear?”

“I did, as a matter of fact, and I transcribed most of it already. It’ll be ready to send to Celestia tomorrow… or I can do the rest of it tonight, if you prefer.” Scrivy glanced at her curiously, but Luna only laughed and shook her head, snuggling herself against him and closing her eyes.

“Nay, nay. Tomorrow is sooner than I expected, and I am in no rush at all.” Luna replied with a smile, nodding to him as she half-curled around the smaller male, murmuring: “I do not wish to forego this comfort for even a moment. Not until later tonight, when we go to Ponyville, to visit Twilight Sparkle before she can wander into the Everfree Forest ere yet again to try and visit us.”

“Hopefully we won’t bump into each other on the way, then. It’ll be a nice surprise for her… although I think you mostly just want to run around scaring people.” Scrivener replied mildly, and Luna smiled slightly even as she shrugged agreeably.

“Perhaps, but thou should be pleased that Nightmare Moon and I are… at peace.” She paused, reaching out and quietly stroking along the back of the skeletal pseudodragon that was curled up in front of their bedding, her expression softening as she murmured: “Thou hast aided me in ways thou may never fully comprehend in that endeavor, my handsome Scrivy.”

Scrivener only shrugged a little however, laughing quietly… and then he smiled and closed his eyes when she kissed his forehead, murmuring: “We shall be together forever. Perhaps ‘tis selfish of me… but I shall not live without thee, and will not permit thee to live without myself.”

The male only smiled again, however, kissing Luna’s neck quietly as he said softly: “And I wouldn’t have it any other way, Luna… and can’t thank you enough for it. My blood runs in your veins, your blood runs in mine… you’ve gifted me with your vitality. More than that… you’ve gifted me with countless years that I’ll now be able to spend with you, Luna… assuming we don’t kill each other, that is.”

She laughed at this thought, then smiled softly, gazing down at him quietly and saying softly: “Nay, we shan’t. Hurt, yes. Maim, perhaps. But never kill… my poor sister, I think she suffered loneliness herself, seeing herself as protector and matriarch first, friend to ponies of Equestria second, revered by them so greatly that in their worship, they set her apart and alone. A thousand years of being their protector, of being revered… and then simple nightmares, nudged perhaps by feelings of displacement by the return of myself and perhaps also the growth of Twilight Sparkle… but who knows? Madness comes, madness goes… ‘tis not logical or sane. For almost a year we have tried to pick apart her reasons… and ‘tis not something Celestia speaks of easily. Poor Celestia… I think she is more tortured now than I ever was…”

Scrivener nodded after a moment… and then the two gazed into one-another’s eyes, smiling softly as Luna said quietly: “But all that now ‘tis unimportant, but dust in the wind, shadows in the past. I have thee, and thou hast me. ‘Tis all that matters.”

“’Tis.” Scrivener said softly, and the two smiled tenderly to one another, in the cottage beneath the moon, deep in the Everfree Forest, exiles from the sun… and yet content to live forever in the embrace of the darkness, together.Forget what you want; get what you need.

October 25th – November 4th, 2011

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