Prologue
She tore through the endless void of the night sky, her wings beating ever harder to hasten her nocturnal flight. The massive appendages scooped the air around her, and with the strength of a dozen pegasi, the feathered limbs propelled her to further heights. For a time, her flight was a gentle one, with only her breakneck speed taking away from the otherwise calm experience. However, for the sole sake of the thrill of the move, she slightly adjusted her wings, and sent herself into a dizzying spiral. The harsh forces of the spins joined wind against her face, sending a bubbling laugh through her throat. With the full moon above, the stars bearing witness, and her heart filled with joy, she fell to the earth.
Just as she was about to hit the point of no return, the mare reversed the slight adjustments she had made in her wings moments before, and leveled off into a speedy glide. She had timed it perfectly—the water of the lake below just inches from her outstretched legs—so that when she lowered a single forehoof, she was able to skim the surface of the glassy pool. The shadowy forms of fish below her darted in all directions, avoiding what they perceived to be a monster from above as it created a slight wake in the otherwise perfectly still lake surface.
Joy and excitement filling her entire being even further, the mare let out the most genuine laugh that the lake had heard in its entire existence. Ever careful to make sure that her trajectory never deviated, she allowed the very tips of her longest primaries to dip down slightly. Finally, the edges of her wings skimmed the water under her, sending a small spray of fresh water against her legs and flank. The mare didn't mind at all that her blue coat was slowly getting soaked with the chilled water, and instead, squealed in elation.
Looking up towards the horizon, she spotted a lonely gazebo situated on an island in the middle of the lake—the large white structure standing out against the deep blue expanse of the night sky. Slightly tilting the trailing edges of her large wings, she pulled up slightly, bleeding away speed as she prepared for a landing. For how elegant she could make it look, it was a simple process really. All she had to do was make sure that she hit null velocity right when she was over her landing target, and with a flap or two of her wings to stabilize, she would bring her four hooves onto the crisp grass. In fact—if she pulled it off just right—she could literally stall just an inch or two above the ground, meaning she wouldn't even need to flap her wings to land gently.
Sadly, tonight was not one of those perfect nights, for the blue mare required those few extra flaps to make sure that she didn't tumble during her landing. With all four hooves firmly on the ground, she beat her wings one last time to whisk away any lingering water, tucked them against her body, and began to explore the small island.
By far, the most interesting landmark was the curious pavilion in the center of the island. Fashioned in a circular shape, it was built out of local wood from the region. Looking around though, getting enough wood from such a small patch of land—even if the island had once been nothing but a forest—would have been impossible, so the material must have come from the mainland. Peering across the water, she saw that the distant shoreline was barely visible over the horizon, making the importing of wood from the mainland a monumental feat. Just who went through all of the trouble to build this thing?
Her thoughts were broken by a single orange butterfly that danced across her nose, the small creature the only other living thing for as far as the eye could see. Furrowing her brow, she cocked her head to the side. “A butterfly? At night? Curious...”
The urge for answers took over any other desire the mare had, and with the most timid of movements—the mare doing her best not scare the creature away—she followed it. Its flight was erratic at best, several loops, twists, and sharp banks mapping out a flightpath that would've put even the hardiest pegasus into nauseated fits. The mare couldn't help giggling lightly at the thought of the Wonderbolts trying to replicate the maneuvers and, more amusingly, the consequences of their attempts.
Finally, the butterfly settled on a single yellow flower that sat in the middle of the otherwise featureless patch of grass. The beautiful insect slowly moved its wings as the delicate appendages kept the creature's balance upon its perch. As quiet as a mouse, she crept up to the flower, and after slowly settling down onto her belly, stretched her neck close enough that her nose was nearly touching the butterfly. She was so close that, if she had the desire, she was sure she could push the thing off with a simple large breath.
Slowly, the creature turned around, and as if it was aware of who she was, looked straight at her. She was lost in a trance as the two of them—their sizes differing by so many magnitudes—looked into each other, each judging the others' intentions, and trying to discover whether the other would try anything. The mare leaned in slightly to get closer—
Suddenly the insect screamed, “PRINCESS LUNA!!! WAKE UP!!!”
“WAAAAHHH!!!”
“Princess Luna!”
Luna awoke with a start, the princess scrambling on top of her bed in fright as a result. Her legs were tangled in the sheets, and in her half awoken state, she pictured herself completely ensnared by some sort of hideous monster. Of course, this led to even more struggling, which led to becoming more tangled up, which again led to more struggling in a cruel and vicious cycle. This culminated in a violent flailing of her legs, a roll to the right, and her sudden introduction to the area rug below.
Groaning in mild pain, the night princess looked up from the mess she was mostly under—her vision mostly obscured by a sheet wrapped around her head. Wishing so much that she could glare at the pegasus in the doorway, she sighed. “What do you require, Captain Vigilant?”
The guard, even after her ridiculous display, showed no outward signs of amusement. “It is time for you to raise the moon, and begin the Night Court.”
Luna groaned in exasperation. She had occasional trouble keeping track of time, considering her room didn't have windows, nor clocks to speak of. Her magic flaring for a scant second, the mare teleported herself a few hooves to the right, releasing herself from the snare of the grappling sheets. With that situation rectified, the mare nodded as she spoke, “Very well. Lead on then.”
The midnight blue pegasus scrunched his brow a little. “My apologies, Princess, but may I advise you clothe yourself in your... public attire?”
“Hmm?” Luna looked down at herself, and lightly blushed at what she saw. Instead of her normal garb consisting of her cutie mark regalia and crystal slippers, she was naked save for a set of socks that went nearly to her shoulders and hips. Sure, ponies typically went without clothing both while sleeping and in everyday life, for the feeling of fabric on their short hair almost always leading to the most irritating itchiness. However, there was something about wearing warm socks to keep her legs nice and toasty during her daytime sleep that hooked her the moment she tried them.
Of course, she had to have been caught in the frilly-trimmed pink polka-dotted ones.
“My apologies!” Luna took a step back in embarrassment.
The guard shifted his gaze to the left, but was otherwise expressionless. “It is alright, Princess. Would you like me to leave to give you a few minutes to get dressed?”
She was thankful for the insanely stoic nature of her captain. “That shall not be required.”
As quickly as she could, she whisked off the sleepwear with her magic, and quickly deposited the laundry in the hamper for the servants to take care of. With another flash of magic, she brought the necklace that lay on her bedside table to her neck, quickly followed by her crown to her head. It only took a few moments to complete all of the tasks, and after taking a few steps forward, she stepped into her slippers.
A smile now on her face once again, she spoke, “I am ready, Captain.”
The pegasus looked back at her, and nodded. “Very well, Your Highness.”
With a leisurely pace, two walked into the empty hallway. The pair of ponies, as similar as they looked, were so vastly different. Just by going by their coat and eye colors, one could suppose that the two were possibly related. Even his cutie mark—an eye with a downward facing crescent-moon pupil—was curiously similar to the her own. Of course, that was where their similarities ended, and the vast list of differences began.
The average-sized pegasus was as loyal of a guard as Luna could ever dream of having. She had originally taken his calm and unemotional nature as a sort of weakness, the alicorn suspecting at first that her sister had given her the reject of the day officers to be her night captain. That suspicion was quickly extinguished after the first instance an “attempt” on her life was carried out. A few days before the attempt, there was a report that a red colored stallion that wanted Equestria returned to a monarchy would be visiting her court. Granted it had been a false alarm—the stallion in suspect merely wanted to study the transition from monarchy to diarchy—but the speed and intensity that the pegasus took down the stallion with was astonishing. From that day forward, she trusted Captain Vigilant Watch with anything, including most of her personal thoughts.
Sure, Celestia's personal guard, Captain Shining Armor, was nopony to trifle with, but Luna wouldn't trade captains for anything.
“Captain Vigilant Watch?” Princess Luna looked to her left.
Her captain looked slightly to his right, yet never ceased to inspect the halls and doorways all around them. “Yes, Princess Luna?”
“I would like to thank you, for everything.”
“Of course, my princess.”
A smile on her face, her steps had a little more pep in them now. As always, his outward demeanor was as calm as an early dawn's lake surface, but through the six seasons that they had been together, she had learned a few of his tells. He didn't have many, and they were almost impossible to guess. In fact, it was only her observant nature and her constant contact with him that allowed her to notice any of them at all. For instance, right now Captain Vigilant's ears—even if they were constantly shifting to focus on sounds all around them—were much more fluid in their movements than before. It was this sudden shift of their movements that betrayed the stallion of the newfound comfort in his thoughts. She wouldn't dare say that he was happy—Luna wasn't sure if the pegasus was ever really happy—but he was at least satisfied with the mood surrounding the pair.
Of course, that mood soured as soon as they reached their destination—the Eventide Balcony.
“Captain.” She frowned.
Captain Vigilant nodded as he spoke, “Keep watch out here until you return?”
Luna nodded as well, and began walking forward. “Just like any other night.”
As slowly as she could, as if to try and delay the inevitable ordeal, she walked through the sun and moon emblazoned curtains covering the opening, and instantly felt the blazing sun shining on the right side of her face. Now outdoors, the alicorn walked up to the railing of the south facing balcony, and with a level face, took a deep breath of fresh air. It wasn't often that she came outside while the sun was up, the last time she was actually outside for any significant amount of time was when she was purified of... her other self. Otherwise, the only times the night princess was outside while her sister's sun was up was for these transitions. This was mostly because of logistical reasons. Since she was forced to be awake when her moon was up, she had to sleep during the day.
“I see that you are early for once,” a regal voice from behind her spoke.
“Blame my captain.” Luna never looked back. She didn't need to to look back at the pony behind her to know who it was.
The two remained silent for a time, the exchange of words not needed for their next action. Finally, the sun began to slip below the horizon, painting a picture in the sky that the greatest of Canterlot's artists could only dream of achieving. Hues of orange, blue, along with light dabs of purple spread through the clouds—the sun showing off its power for one final moment before it would be commanded to surrender the sky to its lunar counterpart.
Luna took a few steps back, and stood to the left of her sister, Princess Celestia, as the pair both faced south. Simultaneously, Luna and her sister tapped into their souls, and brought out their most powerful of magics. Her sister's entire body glowed a blinding yellow, and with a flash, the sun responded to her will. Slowly, it slipped below the horizon, signaling both an end to the day, as well as the moment for the next phase of the sisters' private ceremony.
Luna's turn now upon her, she charged her magic, and while encased in a chilling light blue aura, lifted her body off the ground. While her link with her moon was just as invisible as Celestia's was with her sun, she could just feel her magic pull at the massive body below the opposite horizon. With a delicate nudge, she willed the moon to start its movements across the sky, initiating the start of another night.
Slowly, she lowered to the ground, turned to her left, and as the stars in her mane glowed that much brighter in response to the moonlight, she smiled at her work. The night would be a bright one—a waxing gibbous moon relieving the sun of its duties. Instinctively, her magic had forced the appearance of the thousands of stars in the night sky, the bright orbs of light slowly appearing as the magic left over from raising the moon ignited the small fires above. Sure, her sister was much more powerful than her—the sun required that much more magic to constantly shift—but her night sky was a masterpiece that Celestia could never dream of achieving, no matter how powerful she was.
Luna frowned, and with a small spark of magic, ignited a few stars that weren't turning on on their own.
“I apologize, dearest sister,” that regal voice rang in her ears yet again. “I didn't have a chance to properly say good evening. I hope you slept well.”
Again not bothering to look behind her, Luna instead watched the stars above. “As well as I possibly could.”
The painfully cheerful voice continued. “As always, your night looks magnificent. Every night, I assume you'll never be able to surpass the sheer wonder of the previous, and like every night, I am proven wrong.”
“I am sure you do not believe such things each and every night, but your sentiment is appreciated nonetheless,” Luna said as she gazed up into the stars. Scrunching her forehead slightly, there was something missing. With a small smirk, she realized the mistake, and shot a miniscule bit of magic into the sky, lighting the final star for the evening. Sitting down lightly, she couldn't help but to admire her masterpiece.
Of course, that was all ruined when she saw her sister circle around to her left, a worried look on the alicorn's face. Softly, Celestia spoke, “Did I say something to upset you, Luna?”
Luna resisted the urge to mockingly chuckle—instead deciding to shake her head. “'Tis more complicated than a simple misspeak, dear sister.”
“What is it then?” Her sister sat down next to her, and with a smile on her face, moved to wrap a wing around her navy blue body.
As soon as the feathers tickled her back, Luna shrugged off the appendage. A slight tinge of annoyance making its way into her voice, she spoke, “Do you really desire to know?”
“Of course, Luna. Why else would I ask?”
She sighed, preparing herself for a conversation long coming. All the days of dreaming and the nights of thinking about this event finally coming to fruition. Celestia had given her the opening, her sister was open to the onslaught of accusations and potential insults, and Celestia would be completely caught off guard. It was a perfect setting to how Luna wanted this to go.
Of course, as always, instead of saying those few words, she went with another, yet still an important reason for her despair. “For as much as everypony has tried to tell me otherwise, nothing has changed. Not really. The majority of our ponies still ignore the beauty of my night, and take for granted the work I put into it. Sure, some ponies stay up until the late hours, but those that do are drunken loons that are pitiful excuses of their species as a whole. Would be best if they didn't even bother 'honoring' my night with their drunken debauchery at all.”
“Luna!” Celestia's eyes grew wide. “You aren't trying to insinuate—”
“No, sister. I do not intend to turn into that... monster again. You do not need to worry. I am merely... bored with the current state of affairs.”
“You shouldn't feel that way, Luna.” Celestia frowned as she lowered her voice. Again, Luna's sister attempted to wrap a protective wing around her—the older princess succeeding this time. “Think of all of the sailors that use your stars for navigation, the astronomers that study all of your stars and the moon you command, all the colts and fillies that use your moon to get home at night, and don't forget all ponies everywhere that wish on a falling star. It may not seem so at first, but everypony enjoys the night you give us. I myself find myself gazing into your masterpiece most nights, always admiring the work you put into it.”
Luna wanted so desperately to shrug the wing off of her back again, but unlike the first time Celestia had attempted to put the wing around her, she just let the white wing lay against her. The younger sister sighed as she grudgingly accepted the pity. “All are... possible, I guess, but I am nothing compared to you. The Lunar Court is a sham, and nopony wants to see the meager Princess Luna. They all seek the Great Princess Celestia during your day. I am merely a princess because I am your sister, and no other reason.”
Celestia looked on with a smile. “You exaggerate Luna. I am certain that the Lunar Court has had many major contri—”
“Five.”
“Five?”
Luna rolled her eyes. “That is how many ponies have sought my council during Lunar Court.”
“Five each night is nothing to be ashamed of!” Celestia smiled wider as she spoke, “Why, I wish I only had five a day. Would make everything so much easier for me.”
Luna groaned. “No sister, I mean five total.”
Her older sister's smile froze at those last six words. “Total? As in—”
“As in for the seven hundred ninety-six of my nights since I retook the throne under you, I have received five visitors total. Trust me, I've counted.”
Celestia's smile was no longer present on her face, a saddened frown now painted in its spot. Tightening her wing's hold on her sister, she attempted to salvage the situation in any way possible. “Well... considering what kind of history most ponies have been taught, I’m sure that most are merely... ignorant of the real Princess Luna. Maybe many ponies don't know the Lunar Court even exists as well. Besides, those five must have been important visits.”
“Important? Important!?” Luna's eyes flew wide as she glared at her sister, her voice cracking in anger as she yelled. “Would thou like to hear about my visitors? My first was some underage whelp that was dared by his classmates to pluck a hair out of the 'evil Nightmare Moon's' mane. The second was one of thy 'upper crust' mares that had no actual intention to talk to me, but merely intended to use me to get to thee. The third was a stallion out of Manehattan that had no motivations except for the urge to have intercourse with a princess—trust me when I say that I be glad Captain Vigilant Watch beat the idea out of him. The fourth was that stallion that my captain also subdued, the one that we so foolishly thought wanted to kill me. Finally, the last pony to visit my Lunar Court decided, in his drunken wisdom, to use one of my best tapestries as a lavatory!
“So do not thou darest try and tell me that thee would wish thou hath less ponies visit in the day. I could not tell thee how excited I would be to have half as many visitors as thee hath. I cannot tell thee how much I...” Luna stopped herself, and slowly lowered her head, “... I just wish I mattered.”
“Oh Luna.” Celestia leaned her head too close, and rested her chin on Luna's head. “You do matter. Think of all the wonderful and amazing things you have done for Equestria since your return. You completely overhauled the tax code, changing the impossibly long and unreadable law into the most simple of documents. Think of how you saved Canterlot University and the rest of the Equestrian education system with the change of a single word in the original law. That's not even mentioning how much of a help you were with dealing with the deer of the Cervidiana Kingdom. I have no idea how I ever got things done here without you there by my side, my dearest sister.”
“Yes. Yet you were hailed as a heroine for each event, while I received no such praise.” Luna snorted in frustration.
Celestia pulled her head away, and looked at her sister with pleading violet eyes. “I had no idea you felt this way. Is there anything I could possibly do to help?”
After a second of looking into her sister's eyes, she looked away at the near insult. “No. There is nothing that you can do to help me.”
Her sister leaned in to try and meet eyes again. “Are you sure there's nothing that I ca—”
“I think 'tis time that I start the Lunar Court,” Luna interrupted, finally shrugging the wing off of her. Never once did she look into her sister's eyes. “You should be getting rest anyway—'tis well past your typical bedtime.”
Celestia frowned, but after several seconds, pulled her head back. “...Alright then, Luna. Just remember that I love you.”
Luna refused to look at her sister as she whispered, “I am aware.”
Slowly, her sister lifted herself onto her hooves, and without another word spoken between them, turned, and exited the balcony. As usual, Luna did not bother to watch her sister leave—Celestia always being the first to depart the wretched balcony. She didn't need to watch to know that her sister took one final look back before retiring for the night, her older sister doing so every time that the two did not see eye to eye—the occurrence happening more and more recently.
Sighing, the navy blue alicorn looked across their shared kingdom, and watched the lights of all the towns and villages around the castle blink into existence. A single tear burned across the mare's cheek as she thought about her and her sister's strained relationship. When she first came back and was purified, it was the happiest she had been in the longest time. Ponies in Ponyville and the surrounding lands had come out for the impromptu party at her return, and she was hailed as an equal to her sister. That day, she truly felt loved for the first time in... in longer than she could remember. Sure, in the ensuing year, there were the few things that irked her, like the uselessness of the Lunar Court, the wrongly placed praises directed at her sister, and even the fact that she had to wait several weeks to have the windows removed from her bedroom to prevent the sunlight from keeping her awake, but they never tempered her positive spirit.
And then Nightmare Night came.
It was the strangest thing. Ponies that once relished her return now were truly fearful of her once again, as if she was still Nightmare Moon. Maybe it was because she no longer looked the part of a small child, and more like her true self under her moon, but whatever it was, it was a nightmare for herself more than anypony else. At one point, she had even temporarily banned the ancient holiday, leaving everypony in Ponyville thoroughly depressed as a result. Thankfully, due to the actions of her sister's student Twilight Sparkle, she had come up with a reasonable middle ground, and learned to love being the bad pony of the holiday.
But after that night, her eyes were truly opened, and she started to realize how the ponies in her kingdom really felt about her. Whereas before, she had merely thought that the ponies didn't know her very well, and that was the source of the discomfort, she now knew that wasn't the case. Now, she realized that it wasn't just a discomfort, it was a mixture of both hatred and fear. The hatred came from the aristocracy, while the fear came from the lower classes of society, and both emotions were shot against her and nearly everything she represented. Sure, nopony in Canterlot had the gall to outright voice their reservations about her to her face—the sole exception being the juvenile delinquent wanting one of her hairs—but the sentiment was obvious enough. It just made her want to... to...
Luna sighed, and willed herself to relax her nerves. Slowly, she stood, and with a final glance towards the night sky she had just crafted, she made her way inside. As soon as she passed the doorway to the inside hallways, she found herself walking alongside her captain.
Fidgeting her wings slightly from the lingering emotions, she heard Captain Vigilant speak, “Princess, is anything the matter?”
How easy it would be to voice her opinions to the only pony, outside her sister, that she felt close to. However, even if she trusted him with nearly any secret she had, she couldn't put this sort of mental stress on her protector. “'Tis nothing, Captain. Nothing you should concern yourself with at least.”
“Very well, Princess. Is there anything I can do to aid you?”
Luna tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't help but to frown slightly. “Nothing. Let us just worry about making sure the Lunar Court is ready to receive visitors.”
“And I win yet again!”
“Of course you win again! This is a filly's game, and that's all you are! A filly!”
“Please, you're just upset that you've lost thirty-two times in a row.”
“Shut up!”
“You shut up!”
“No you!”
“You!”
“WILL THOU SILENCE THYSELVES!?” Luna shouted, her voice reverting back to the archaic Royal Canterlot voice for but a moment.
The two guards next to the hopscotch course instantly stood straighter, a little bit of fear in their eyes. “We're sorry, Princess!”
Luna groaned, and shifting her weight from atop the throne she sat on, waved a forehoof in the air as she muttered a reply. “I apologize as well. I am likely as bored as you, and my nerves grow... short as a result. As you were.”
Nodding, the two began to start another game hopscotch. All around her, her stallion guards were doing various activities in the throne room that, if Celestia or one of the day guards were to observe, would have been quite embarrassing to her entire battalion. Besides the two guards to her left that were playing that “filly's game,” there were the four guards playing poker, the two that were getting their manes styled by each other, the three that were reading by the door, the seven that were playing charades, and the final two were sleeping on top of one another in the corner. Only Captain Vigilant was standing at the ready, and while Luna knew he so desperately wanted to yell at the guards to shape up, she had informed him that she would rather they relaxed, much to his displeasure.
Luna rolled onto her back, bringing her forelegs to her chest. Kicking instinctively with a hind leg, the alicorn looked at her captain. “Captain Vigilant.”
He turned his head to look at her out of the corner of his eye. “Yes, Princess?”
“Can you do me a favor, and scratch my belly?” she spoke, begging in her mind that he would say yes.
“Sorry, but I must refuse, ma'am.”
“But whyyyyyyy?”
“Because, Princess, not including the obvious breach of professionalism, I swore to protect the crown to the best of my abilities, no matter the situation.” The pegasus captain turned his look at the rest of the soldiers as he grumbled, “Like several of my soldiers are currently failing to do.”
“Do not be so melodramatic.” Luna waved a dismissive hoof in his direction as she explained, “'Tis a slow night, and I do not desire to have you stand at attention for nothing.”
Her pegasus captain turned his head back towards her. “Very well, Princess, but I must decline your initial request regardless.”
Princess Luna groaned internally, and closed her eyes. Oh how she wished that she could have the night for herself every once in a while. Celestia, while she normally was busy with her Solar Court, always made a point to leave the castle every so often to visit the cities and towns of her kingdom. In fact, every few months, she made sure that she visited some of their neighbor nations. However, there was no point in Luna ever doing these sort of things, her nocturnal schedule not very accommodating to anypony that she would desire to visit. Still, the urge to just fly off and... and...
An idea hit her.
“In that case,” Luna rolled back upright, and lifted herself back onto her hooves, “I am going to take my leave.”
That statement caused her Captain to turn and look at her directly. “Take your leave? In the middle of Lunar Court?”
“Indeed, Captain Vigilant Watch,” the alicorn said as she grinned. “Are you planning on stopping your princess?”
She nearly died at his reaction—the pegasus working his jaw, trying to find some sort of rebuttal that would keep her in court. However, she knew there was nothing he could say, and the simple fact that he was trying so hard was adorable. By the way his face finally returned to its normal stoicism, she knew the exact moment he gave up his fight. “Not at all, Princess Luna. I shall assemble an escort.”
“Oh, that will not be necessary. I believe I can handle myself.” The princess smiled as she started to make her way to one of the rear doorways.
Just before she left the room, she heard a final call for her, “And what should I tell any visitors that arrive?”
She turned, and smiled one final time. “Inform them not to urinate on the tapestries.”
For the second time that night, Princess Luna found herself leaning up against the Eventide Balcony's railing, the cool marble chilling her forelegs. Closing her eyes, she took in all of the smells and sounds of the night around her. The wind against her mane had nary an effect on it as the ethereal hairs waved on their own accord. Still, the influence of the wind would not be denied, the sweet fall wind finding solace in blowing against her folded wings, bristling each individual feather in response, tickling her sides lightly.
Suddenly, she leaped over the rail, and with the brightest of smiles, careened down the seemingly endless expanse. Flashes of her dream from the day before entered her mind, and the mare—determined to reenact the most exciting moment—spread her wings. Her face contorting with concentration, she tilted the trailing edges of her wings slightly to send herself into a spinning dive. The feeling of dizziness washed over her, and for a brief moment she lost orientation of what was up and down in the world. Just as she was nearing the most critical of moments, she saw the lights of a village ahead, and using it as her point of reference, straightened out, and took to the skies.
Her flight didn't take her nearly as close to the ground as she was in her dream. Instead, her flight path took her about a hundred meters above the rolling hills of the Canterlot outskirts. Of course, trying to cut it any closer from that much of a dive would most likely end with her resembling less a pony and more a glass of grape juice. Granted she probably wouldn't die as a result—being an eternal alicorn had the perk of immortality by conventional means—but the idea of not only holding a nightly Lunar Court, but trying to do it from a jar didn't quite suit her fancy.
The speed that she tore through the air at was breakneck to say the least, the wind painfully burning against her face as she flew. Even with her mane and tail as ethereal as it was, the sheer force that the winds were putting on each were enough to send both whipping behind her. Luna's eyes began to water as she blew past mile after mile, the mare eventually forced to squint her eyes against the blinding pain. Her wings were angled backwards slightly from the air tearing at her feathers, but this only served to make sure drag they would have on her forward movement was not of any significance.
“Woohoo!” Luna yelled out. Sure it was nighttime, and sure she was a princess that should abide to a certain decorum, but tonight, she left all of that behind to become a normal pony. Well, normalish, for as much as she wanted to think otherwise, she was still as close to the Avatar of the Moon as you could get.
She suddenly found herself zipping over a village just below her, and only then realized she had no idea what direction she was going. As much as she desired to do otherwise, she had to find out where she was even going, so the mare pulled up, bleeding off speed as she traded it for altitude. A few seconds later, she found herself several hundred meters higher in the air as she was before, and right when she achieved the stall, the alicorn began to flap her wings. Her large wings keeping her aloft, she took view of the landscape around her.
It didn't take long to realize that the settlement below her was the notable village of Ponyville, the tell-tale building in the center shaped like a carousal and the fields of apple trees on the outskirts being the two most identifying landmarks to the place. For as small and quaint that the village felt, it was quickly becoming a large town, with the urban sprawl just starting to kick in. The buildings and roads were becoming much more sophisticated as the population grew, trading wood and dirt for brick and cobblestone respectively. Of course, the vast majority of the settlement was still an unorganized collection of houses radiating from the central square with simple dirt roads connecting them all together, but give it a few decades, and the place would look vastly different.
Off to the southeast, the wild and constantly changing Everfree Forest grew rampant, the wooded area very unique compared to the rest of the kingdom. Unlike the rest of Equestria, as well as the vast majority of the rest of the world, the forest was not only capable of growing on its own, but thrived on its untamed nature. Many times, ponies had tried to bring order to the forest, but every time, they found that any form of nature in that area was impossible to handle, the clouds moving against the pegasi's will and the plants growing wild despite the earth ponies' best efforts.
Slowly leaning forward, the night princess began to fly over the forest. It had not always been this chaotic of a place. In fact, a grand city used to exist where the very center of the forest now lay. The city, at one point, was the grandest in the world, and no other urban area could hope to contend with its power. In that time, it had become so large that it had encompassed large swaths of land around the princesses' former palace, where the two sisters ruled in harmony.
That changed abruptly one thousand two winters ago, when Luna decided to rebel against both her sister and all of Equestria, and as a result, destroyed the fabric of magic and order in that region forever.
The mare shook her head, forcing the terrible memories out of her mind. Even if she regretted what she had done, and wished that she could take the last thousand winters back, the thought that Princess Celestia, her own loving sister, would decide to send her to the moon for a millennium instead of any other logical or just manner of punishment was unforgivable. Her sister had told her only once that she was sorry, and it was a weak apology at best. How could that mare live with herself thinking that she was so high and mighty compared to—
Luna took a breath to calm herself down; it wasn't time to think about those kinds of thoughts. For now, she wanted nothing more than to enjoy her night, and take joy in the wind in her face. Of course, when she finally snapped out of the thoughts, she realized how far she had flown into the forest It was as if she was instinctively flying back to her former home, the top of ruins of the old palace just in sight. Looking behind her, Ponyville was barely visible over the treetops, and behind that, the mountain that Canterlot Castle lay on. It was strange, after living in the center of one of the larger cities of Equestria, to be so far from anypony. It was as if—
Wait... what was that?
Luna dove into the forest, making sure that she avoided every tree and branch that attempted to impede her progress. For a flier of her size, such dexterous movements weren't easy to pull off, but millennia of flight had taught her a thing or two about how to twist and turn through tight areas. Sure, she was lightly scratched by a few small branches—surely they must have jumped towards her out of nowhere—but by the time she landed on the ground, she was no worse for wear.
Where she landed, though, was a curious question. She had apparently landed in a decently sized clearing, though the various trees surrounding the clearing choked out most of the moonlight above. In fact, if it wasn't for her being Princess Luna, she was sure she would've been forced to throw up a light spell to see at all. In front of her was tree that reminded her very slightly of Twilight Sparkle's home in Ponyville, except much more... exotic. The trunk of the tree twisted and turned everywhere, and with the addition of gnarled branches twisting in every direction, it gave the yellow-brown tree a look resembling a creation from a nightmare. In the trunk, a trio of holes were carved, the largest creating a simple door, while the other pair became crude windows, the glassless openings as simple as they came. Atop the doorway, a strange mask peered out, as if some sort of inanimate sentinel watching for whoever might invade the private territory.
The question that remained though was who would live in a terrifying place like this?
Taking a quick look around, she illuminated her horn, and with a small flash of power, the alicorn became nothing more than a dark mist in the night. She knew that what she was about to do was wrong, and on any other night, she would have left whoever was living in the tree alone. However, this was her one night of freedom, and on this night, she would not be stopped. So instead of the sensible decision of turning around and leaving this place in peace, she zipped through one of the open windows.
Materializing back into her natural form, the alicorn glanced around the darkened room. All around her, objects that were obviously originating from the Zebronia Nation surrounded her. Wooden masks hung on the walls, various potions and oils hung from the ceiling, and at least half a dozen pots and bowls of different sizes adorned the shelves along walls. In the very center of the room, a massive fire pit was made up, with probably the largest cauldron Luna had ever seen placed on top of it. The home was simple with no real sectioning off between rooms—the entire place being one massive chamber.
A quiet voice pierced the silence, “You will never ever beat me... for my skill you have never seen...”
Luna's hair on her back shot up in fright, the mare nearly tripping over a few stools from her jump. Whipping her head around, her eyes fell on the source of the voice: a female zebra. In fact, if she recognized her correctly, it was the same story teller from the Nightmare Night so many months ago. Fear somewhat dazing her thoughts, Luna was ready to start babbling excuses and apologies for breaking into the innocent mare's house.
That was, of course, until the zebra rolled over, and mumbled again, “To that award, you will have no right... for I will best you this very night...”
“A dream,” Luna whispered to herself as she approached the sleeping zebra, the slow rise and fall of the sheets a constant reminder of that fact. It had been a long time since the alicorn actually observed somepony sleep—she was always too busy with the Lunar Court to ever go out and break into anypony's house and watch. From the sounds of it, the mare was having a very curious dream, though the details were impossible to discern.
Unless.
“So just what are you dreaming about?” The navy blue alicorn smiled. Completely disregarding the mare's privacy, the voyeur smiled to herself, and ignited her horn. With her smile growing wider, she whispered one last time, “It would not hurt anypony to have a peek...”
Finally, Luna's horn made contact with the mare's forehead, and with a rush of images, Luna dove into the zebra's dream, and for a short period of time, lost all connection to the outside world.
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Luna is far too adorable for her own good.
but a millennia of flight had taught her a thing or two about how to twist and turn through tight areas.
millenium is the proper word here.
Hmmm. Interesting.
I absolutely love the way you portrayed Luna in this
can't wait for more.
Here is an idea, Luna: Go clubbing. Equestria has Raves now, if DJ Pon3 is anything to go by...
While I do love lots of comments, the good thing about only a few is that it makes responding to them all very quick and easy!
1758054 I don't think adorable is the proper word... (Please ignore the belly rubbing instance
)
1758557 Actually, while you are correct, I should remove the "a".
1759061 I hope it is! Uninteresting things are not very fun to read.
1759627 I've seen enough "I'm mopey and sad", "I'm bubbly and silly", as well as too many "I don't understand the modern world". Here's to me breaking barriers!
1759886 Ah, but she hates those drunken loons. Remember?
1767021
That was a blind post. I haven't read the story yet.
1767021
25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8460aqwuI1rtiq0xo1_500.jpg
This is still pretty good, like I said before.
Oh, the belly rub bit still gets me! 
1768824 *flips table*
1769032 No lie, I totally bookmarked that.
1769760 Probably my favorite part about the chapter!
1770738 Mine, too! Hee!
Bellies!
Very cute stuff! Hope to see more. And here' hoping you make it more permanently onto EQD. I swore I saw it the other night but when fimfic went down for maintenance the post vanished >.<
1777669
Really? Are you 100% sure? If so, I'll email them about it (it did get accepted), but I don't want to complain, and have a response back saying "Dude, you're a dumbass"
Well look at it this way. I'd never heard of you before this
.
I found this story by following the (Then dead) link on EQD. And if by chance they do call you a dumbass (Which I really can't see them doing. They're nice folks!) You can come and throw eggs at me or something
If you like I can toss them an email and that way if I was wrong it only makes me look silly. Trust me I may not beon the level of pinkie pie but I'm not bad at it XD
1777754
Nah, I have no shame. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't bothering them or anything. Though if you ARE wrong, I'm egging your house.
1777784 Aww, okay! Just make sure to use eggs you can't bake with otherwise you should come over and help me make christmas cookies!
1777692 Good news, your story made it onto EQD and a bunch of people noticed it.
i46.tinypic.com/eq9e2g.png
Bad news, that particular post went the way of the Sombra at some point between then and now.
i48.tinypic.com/w2m8li.png
1780055
Somebody didn't read some of the comments that are directly above your post that talks about that whole thing
1780263 Oh, I read them. I just got the impression you didn't know if it had been on EQD or not.
1780278 Emailed them, and this was the response:
My guess was it was because of the maintenance last night. It'll probably be up again tomorrow.
Hmm... interesting...
Looking forward to more.
Really enjoyed this, fave'd and thumbup'ed! (is that a word??) One very, very minor point - not sure if intentional or not, but in the Lunar Court scene there's a line 'Like several of my men are currently failing to do' - doesn't seem like a word that would be used? Otherwise, brilliant story and eagerly awaiting the next chapter!
1782193 Glad you approve! Have a Pinkie
1783527 Hmm... good point. I wasn't talking about people, and more soldiers, but I definitely see what you mean. Changed to "soldiers"
I'm favoriting this, since it looks very promising. You do offer an interesting take on Luna's reacclimation and you do feel genuinely sorry for her. I like the dynamic between Luna and Vigilant and the conversation scene with Celestia felt very well written.
Keep up the good work.
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw8396-rarity_clap_by_mihaaaa-d4b7kr9.gif
Keep up the good work.
Is a carousal a merry-go-round that gets you horny?
And did you get the tax thing from "Luna vs. The Microwave" et al?
1783749 Thank you! Though let's face it, when you say "dynamic between Luna and Vigilant Watch", you really mean "I wanna rub Luna's belly"
1784616 Dat file size
Oh, and thanks!
1784738 Oh trust me, I plan on it...
1785855 ...Maybe. Oh, and I never read the story. If I "took" something from it, or any other fic, it is purely coincidental.
1786478
That goes without saying of course :)
A delightful read. This has minimal fanon intrusions, the most obvious being also one of the most acceptable, Everfree City. The dialogue is excellent, the action show-style (though longer in form), and the plot is thickening.
One typo I noticed:
"- trust me when I say that I art glad Captain Vigilant Watch beat the idea out of him."
This archaism should be:
"- trust me when I say that I be glad Captain Vigilant Watch beat the idea out of him."
1786496 Your face goes without saying!!! Oooooohhh!!!! I'm dumb.
1786656 Never heard of it referred as "Everfree City" I just assumed that, as with any Medieval/Renaissance era society, the capital would be one of the most powerful and wealthy cities. As for the Old English... I'll have to trust you on that. All I know is that Old English is similar to German when it comes to grammar and such, but that's it. Regardless thanks for the response!
I'm sorry but i lost it when Luna asked the captain to sctrach her belly.
That was INCREDIBLY funny
Brilliant story, keep up the good work.
http://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/12/story-lunas-dreamscape-journey_11.html
I don't think it did disappear
The link was just changed
1788593 That awkward moment when that's the high point of my story
1788915 The story was that it was posted, but it was posted when fimfiction was going through the maintenance Sunday night, so it was a "dead link", so it was taken down. After emailing them what was going on, It was put back up yesterday.
1789058 You mean
"That awesome moment when that's the high point of my story.
>>>As quickly as she could, she whisked off the sleepwear with her magic, and quickly deposited the laundry in the hamper for the servants to take care of. With another flash of magic, she brought the necklace that lay on her bedside table to her neck, quickly followed by her crown to her head. It only took a few moments to complete all of the tasks, and after taking a few steps forward, she stepped into her slippers.>>>
Vigilant Watch strained to keep himself under control, "The Princess is dressing right in front of me! Must not wingboner... think about horrible things... Diamond Dog pole dancers... *he vomited in his mouth a little* Ah there we go.
>>>Even if she regretted what she had done, and wished that she could take the last thousand winters back, the thought that Princess Celestia, her own loving sister, would decide to send her to the moon for a millennium instead of any other logical or just manner of punishment was unforgivable.>>>
Somepony needs to sit Luna down and explain that with Celestia having to use all the Elements on her own, with Luna's heart darkened with evil and her own heart near to breaking, sealing her in the moon was likely the only thing Celestia could manage.
Somepony also needs to point out to Luna that Celestia HAD tried to reason with her, but it's very hard to reason with an insane demi-goddess who wants to plunge the land into eternal darkness, regardless of the fact that everything would freeze solid within a few days and plants can't grow without sunlight even if magic made it stay warm... thus condemning everypony to a slow death by starvation instead of freezing.
In other words, "STOP BEING EMO LUNA!! Or are you looking to spend some more time with your dear friend Skippy the Moonrock?"
>>>“So just what are you dreaming about?” The navy blue alicorn smiled.>>>
Turns out, sex.
1789108 Sure. Just remember it's all downhill from here. All I've got left is yo mama jokes, memes, puns, and fart jokes.
1789533 Spoilers: Vigilant Watch was castrated before he took the job.
1789740 Hard for me to comment on this, and not accidentally spoil something (wrote and deleted three things so far). All I can say is just put yourself in Luna's shoes, and what she has (maybe somewhat justifiably) gone through (plus what I added in the story somewhat), and try and argue that there's not a chance she'd be pissed as all hell.
1789752 Duh.
1790404 Dreamin' about sex... with a Diamond Dog. *Luna vomits into her mouth a little*
I've just found my running gag for this story!
Very nice chapter. Can't wait for more!
1791626 Sadly, I will not be partaking in this gag with you (at least when it comes to text)
1792868 Me either!! ...Wait...
1798382 HEY. HEEEYYY. HEY! LISTEN! THIS. THE STORY. IT'S GOOD. THE STORY IS GOOD. I LIKE IT. I READ IT AND IT CAUSED ME ENJOYMENT. IT'S GOOD. WRITE MORE. SO I CAN READ IT. PLEASE.
Belly rubs?
"And" here should be "an".
1847528 Hamsters on a stick!!
Fixed. Thanks for the heads!
“Inform them not to urinate on the tapestries.”
i heard that line in the fake accent from Indiana Jones and the last crusade when they go to rescue Henry SR.
Aw, you did such a good job making Luna so sympathetic.
1767021
Surely there are respectable establishments her majesty could patronize that aren't loaded with louts hitting on her and ear-splitting racket. A place to go for a fiddle and flute session and a pint or three.