Chapter 1:
Three sets of hooves clopped along at a steady pace on the immaculate floors of the palace in Canterlot. Even though their steady pace was not hurried, the steps held a deliberate purpose. The ponies going through the palace were grimly set in what they were to request from Princess Celestia. The darkness of the night filled the castle. The beautiful stained glass windows held an eerie light that seemed to tint the darkness in many hues. The torches didn’t lend much light, and only seemed to make the eerie colors flicker and dance. Finally, they arrived in an empty throne room.
“Where is she?” Silver Fern asked, her voice trembling with nerves.
“She’s raising the moon in Luna’s place, we have to wait,” Lunar Veil explained. There was no shake in her voice, and her lavender eyes had a determined shine in them.
“Do you think she’ll understand what we want?” Swift Gale asked.
“I think so. Luna is her sister after all, even though she’s been…” Lunar Veil’s strong voice faltered and drifted. They all knew what had happened.
“Lance is with her…” Silver Fern spoke up. “She’ll know what to say if we don’t…”
Swift Gale nuzzled Lunar Veil affectionately. “Whatever the outcome, I’ll always be with you.”
The lavender-eyed unicorn smiled with tears welling up in her eyes. She had thought her mate would abandon her when she revealed her plan to him. But the black-coated Pegasus stayed true and never left her side. She rested her head on his shoulder, but picked it back up when Princess Celestia entered the throne room with her guard in tow.
Triumphal Lance, a unicorn mare from Luna’s Guard trotted confidently to her friends, standing with them.
“Lunar Veil, Swift Gale, Silver Fern, and Triumphal Lance,” the princess said, naming them off one by one. She paused, her face unreadable for the most part. “It’s been years since I’ve seen you all together.” Her unreadable expression changed to a sorrowful smile as she spoke. It had been years since she had seen her sister as well. “Lance tells me you wish to speak with me.”
“Yes, Princess,” Lunar Veil said, stepping forward. “If we may.”
Celestia nodded, her sad smile now a congenial one fit for receiving audiences.
“We four would like to be with Princess Luna on the moon,” she began. The princess’s eyes widened as her smile faltered. “You see, Your Highness, I’ve noticed changes in the moon. I’m not sure your seal will hold for very long if Princess Luna is left by herself. I’ve known her for as long as I can remember. And she’s cared for my friends as well when nopony else would. We know her and we can make her stronger against Nightmare Moon.” She paused. And when she spoke again, her voice shook with tears. “Besides, I can’t bare to see her suffer any longer.”
“You intentions are beautiful, and they reflect your true friendship with Luna. But, what I sealed away was not Luna. That is not her in the moon.”
“But Luna is still present. What I see is a struggle in the moon. If we can go to the moon and make sure Luna is the stronger of the two, the seal could last…” Lunar Veil faltered. She didn’t want to finish the sentence. She knew what the price was, and she was willing to pay it, but saying it was a different matter.
“The seal could last the rest of our lives,” Silver Fern said, a bravery in her voice that was unusual.
“Lives that we willingly give for Equestria,” Triumphal Lance added. Hers was a life that she had willingly given since joining the Lunar Guard. “But especially for Princess Luna.”
Celestia turned her gaze on the one pony who hadn’t spoken about his reasons for going to the moon. “And you, Swift Gale?”
Swift nodded and met the princess’s gaze. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t mostly doing this for Lunar Veil. But Princess Luna gave us all homes and she’s a dear friend to me too. I want to help, and support my friends and my mate.”
“You have all considered the danger of living in the same place as Nightmare Moon.” The group nodded. She didn’t say anything to the effect of telling families or tying off loose ends. Triumphal Lance had already told the Celestial Guard and any of her friends from the Lunar Guard. And the others were orphans that were taken in by Luna. They were all they had. And no amount of convincing or reason would work to make them stand down. “Very well, then. I thank you so much for staying loyal to my sister. If you will come with me, I will explain what will happen.”
The four ponies followed faithfully as their princess led them to an outcropping where the trees on the mountain spread to reveal a perfect viewing of the moon. “Before I explain…” Celestia said, garnering the four’s attention. “Lunar Veil, when you said you’ve seen struggles on the moon. What did you mean?”
The unicorn in question turned to show the princess her flank. It had taken her an unprecedented amount of time to find her cutie mark. But she finally showed the emblem to the princess. What looked like an eclipsed moon with only a sliver of a crescent visible stood out on her gray coat. What was interesting about this moon was that the eclipsed portion was not black, but a soft purple, like her mane. This apparently symbolized that she could see the moon better than most. Surrounding the eclipse were a few stars. “It was from a spell I made. It enhances my vision so I can see the moon in detail. I can study the stars now, too. I…had to. Luna always showed me what I missed. Now I can watch her too, I suppose.”
Celestia nodded. “Can you modify the spell to send messages to me?”
Lunar Veil paused, her eyes flicking back and forth as she thought. “It may take some time. But I think I can.”
“When you have the spell, contact me as soon as you can. I miss Luna, too,” she said, her eyes shining with tears. She blinked once and her expression changed to serious once again. “Now I will explain. The seal I placed on Nightmare Moon took the Elements of Harmony because she is a magical being that was forced into the moon against her will. Bringing you to the moon will take less power because you will not be held there. Every New Moon, you will have the opportunity to return to Equestria, when Nightmare Moon’s power is not directed at Equestria. Do not contact me if Nightmare Moon is present, or even struggling for control over Luna. This is assuming Luna can be brought away from Nightmare Moon. Since my powers will not be wasted in sending you to the moon, I can keep you in the same physical state you are in now while you are there.” There was a silence at the thought of immortality. She saw the doubt in their faces pass between one another. But the doubt faded and they finally nodded in acceptance. “Things may change, please keep that in mind.
The four ponies stood silent, waiting for Celestia to continue. “My Lunar Council…are you ready?” she asked stamping a fore hoof into the ground for emphasis.
A resounding “Yes, Princess!” answered her.
“Good.” Celestia’s bright white horn began to glow and resonate with more power than any of them had seen before. “Tell Luna that I love her and that I am so sorry.”
Chapter 2:
The trip to the moon was like nothing the four had ever experienced. They were wrapped in Celestia’s warm, golden magic and hurtled through space. Although the distance between the moon and Equestria was enormous, with the help of their Princess, they watched the stars glide gracefully by. They felt no force of the speed hold them back. And in those few moments that it took to reach their destination, they thought. Celestia had called them her Lunar Council. They would see Luna again, and they would hold a great amount of power to be able to return to Equestria on occasion. Perhaps the most overwhelming thought was on the well-being of Luna herself. She had been taken by this…being for five years. She had almost cast Equestria into an eternal night because of jealousy.
Somewhere in the bottom of her heart, Lunar Veil knew that Luna’s jealousy could not have been her own. The Luna she knew was kind and understanding. She knew that there were ponies that loved her, and her night. Lunar Veil wouldn’t have found out who she was without Luna’s night. Well…it was Celestia’s night now, but Luna had taught her to love it.
Finally, they landed. Their hooves kicked gently at the foreign white sand. All around, craters and planes of the sand was what painted it. Silver Fern backed up and looked all around. “This seems wrong without plants…” she said. “I want to help Luna, but this…” Finally, she sighed. “No, I will ignore it. I can see nature again, but Luna is more important.”
“There may be some tactical advantages in the craters if we must fight Nightmare Moon,” Triumphal Lance said. “But she has wings and magic that we don’t…”
The two waited for Lunar Veil or Swift Gale to say something, but they stood together in silence. Silver Fern trotted up to them and nuzzled Luanr Veil slightly for her attention. “Lunar…? Are you and Swift okay?”
“I’m sorry, Silver…it’s…just so…” Lunar Veil trailed off, still staring at the landscape.
“Beautiful…” Swift Gale finished.
“My. And here I thought nopony appreciated me,” said a new voice. All four of the Lunar Council froze and turned completely around. There stood the thing that had taken Luna. She stood as a parody of their friend. Luna’s soft blue mane was now a garish peek at the stars. Her indigo coat was stark black. She wore armor now as well. And perhaps the most frightening thing of all was her smile that held none of the warmth that Luna gave to her friends. “I’m so glad to find out I was wrong.”
The shock of her sudden appearance wore off quickly for Lunar Veil. She readied herself and steeled her resolve. “Be ready, everypony. The first encounter might be difficult.”
“Difficult? Why would I be difficult with my subjects?”
“I am a subject of Equestria, and my life pledged to Princess Luna,” Triumphal Lance said without missing a beat. “We are Luna’s subjects, not yours.”
Nightmare Moon approached them. Lunar Veil crouched down. Swift Gale reminded them to stand their ground. The sealed mare made her way to the earth pony Silver Fern. She smiled warmly. At least, it was an affected warmth. “You don’t want to be here, do you, little one?” she asked in a smooth voice, full of sympathy.
“N-no…” she said, her curling white mane covering her eyes. “I don’t w-w-want to b-be here…I need to be here.” Her last statement held no trembling.
“Luna is our friend!” Lunar Veil reiterated. “Luna is—“
“Stop!” Nightmare Moon demanded, shoving her face mere inches from the unicorn’s. “Don’t say that name…” she growled slowly.
“Whether or not I say it…” Lunar Veil growled back. “I know she’s still there.”
“We know you’re still there, Luna!” Swift Gale called out.
“We’re here for you, Luna!” Silver Fern added.
Nightmare Moon backed away. Her desperate expression changed to a smile again. The desperate light still in her eyes. Lance opened her mouth to call out again, but it closed with the force of the villain’s magic.
“I may be sealed. And your princess may be more willful with you around… But my powers still apply here.” Her magic sealed the others’ mouths as well. “And while you are here on the moon…you are my subjects. If the little princess was your friend, you must have appreciated the moon more than most ponies. But I’m the moon now.”
Lunar Veil bowed her head. She had an idea. It was a crazy one considering Luna wasn’t the dominant soul right then, but she had to do something. She wasn’t just going to give up and bend to the black-coated mare. But, she picked her head up and her horn began to glow. She closed her eyes and concentrated. The spell ready, she nudged her head forward so her horn touched Nightmare Moon’s head with the memory spell activated, and she sent the story of her friendship with Luna to her…
Small gray hooves kicked through the grass as the filly took her time returning to the orphanage. Swift Gale had spent the majority of the day flying with the other pegasus ponies, but he had taken the time to play with Lunar Veil, too. That is, he did until her complex games involving the constellations confused him and ran him off. Now it was nighttime and Princess Luna had just risen the moon, even though she couldn’t see it. Looking up from the ground, she looked around. “Where am I…?” she asked, looking around. “I know this forest, how did I get lost?” The orphanage was just outside of Canterlot, so she tried to listen for the sounds of the city. She couldn’t hear anything, so she closed her eyes. Still nothing. Either everypony had gone to sleep, or she had wandered too far off. Many of the other fillies and colts were afraid of the forest that the adults said was full of dangers at night. But Lunar Veil hadn’t encountered any problems yet.
“Wait…” she said, stopping to strain her ears for sound again. She could hear the rustle of grass as she passed through, and every now and then a bug skittered through the forest, but other than that or the sounds she made…there was nothing. Maybe she hadn’t encountered any problems because there was something stalking her…something that scared everything else away.
“Pssssst…”
Looking around, a wild glint in her eye, Lunar Veil looked for who wanted her attention.
“Pssssst…”
Finally, looking to the left, she saw the head of a pony peeking around the tree. She could see a unicorn horn, too. She sighed in relief and headed toward the other pony. The pony turned around and began to lead her. She couldn’t quite tell because it was so dark, and the pony’s mane was dark, too, but...was that a Pegasus wing tucked at her side? Knowing she would probably be yelled at later for follwing in a stranger, she followed suit.
The bigger pony led Lunar Veil to a dark clearing. She squinted and looked around. She had lost the pony, almost, but she found the figure sitting in the grass. Their legs were tucked under and her head was tilted toward the sky up toward the sky. Lunar Veil joined the pony and tucked her legs under her as well, looking at the sky. She could see the stars that the princess had risen, but not the moon. She pouted. It would be a lot easier to find home when the moon was out.
“What’s the matter?” the pony asked, in a surprisingly young voice. But it was also a feminine voice.
Lunar groaned a little and turned to her new companion. “I can’t see the moon tonight! Did Princess Luna forget?”
The pony next to her chuckled. “No, I didn’t forget.”
The unicorn filly pushed herself up with her forehooves, leaving her hind legs tucked under her. “You’re Princess Luna?!”
The princess chuckles again as a light lit at the tip of her horn. “Yes, that’s me.”
Lunar Veil gaped for a moment. No wonder she couldn’t see her. Her mane was as dark as the night sky, and the jewels in her tiara and collar were the color of the stars. “Wow…I…I’m sorry for being so rude!”
Luna shook her head, a pleasant smile on her face. “It’s okay, you just didn’t understand. The moon is out there…but it’s covered up. Our world is casting a shadow on it,” she explained. “It’s over there,” she added, pointing with a hoof. “But it’s hard to see.”
As Lunar Veil gazed toward the sky, the light from Luna’s magic dwindled and disappeared so she could see the sky better. She tried to follow where Luna’s hoof had pointed. She blinked and squinted again until she could see a cirlcle in the sky. It was darker than the rest of the sky, but just barely. “Oh, I see it!”
“It’s called a New Moon. It will grow again after tonight.”
Her gaze still fixed on the sky, Lunar said, “Wow…that’s amazing…that’s a shadow…from…I never thought of it that way! So, when the moon grows again, it means it’s coming out of the shadow!”
“Yes! You’re very smart. A lot of fillies don’t understand so quickly.”
The filly felt a blush on her cheeks. “No…I just…really love the moon…”
Luna’s light flickered back on and she smiled. “What’s your name?”
“Lunar Veil.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lunar Veil!”
Nightmare Moon blinked in surprise when she realized what was happening…
“She’s this way, come on!” Lunar Veil exclaimed, turning her head behind her to her best friend Swift Gale. It had been a week since she first met Princess Luna, and a week to convince the stubborn colt to come with her. He believed here, he said, but he didn’t want to admit it in front of the other guys.
Swift had to fly to keep up with her, but he was good at sharp turns. “Why are you going so fast?!” he demanded.
Lunar giggled. “I’m just so excited, come on!” This time the moon wasn’t a black circle in the sky, but a good waxing crescent.
The two barreled into the clearing. Lunar Veil had been coming to this spot every night since she met the princess, so she knew exactly where she was. Just like every night since, the princess sat and waited for her. She picked up her head in slight surprise. “Princess!” the filly shouted.
“Lunar Veil, it’s good to see you. I’m so glad somepony will watch the stars with me.” She turned her head and smiled even brighter. “You brought your friend. I almost didn’t see him; his coat is darker than mine! I thought I was seeing a floating green mane for a second.”
Swift Gale had stopped at the mouth of the clearing. He couldn’t believe one of the princesses really was there. He hadn’t believed it for a week, but here she was. He walked slowly out to the soft moonlight…and promptly bowed. “I…uh…I’m sorry my friend was so rude, Your Highness!” he sputtered out, turning his downcast head to Lunar and jerked his head in a downward motion.
“Don’t worry, Swift Gale. We’re here as friends, this isn’t an audience.”
Hesitating for a minute, Swift finally righted himself. “You know my name…”
“Of course I do! When we’re not talking about the moon, Lunar Veil tells me about her best friend Swift Gale. It’s nice to meet you.”
Lunar Veil couldn’t help but giggle seeing Swift Gale’s shocked expression. His mouth opened and closed as his thoughts crashed together.
“You seem tense. Would you like to stretch your wings and see the moon with me?”
Swift Gale’s brown eyes went from the princess to the moon and back a couple times before he finally nodded. Luna then stood and spread her wings. “Come on, let’s go!”
As Swift took off with the princess, Lunar couldn’t help but feel left out if just a bit. She wanted to see the moon like that. But all thoughts of jealousy vanished when she saw the silhouettes of her friends flick back and forth in the sky and on the moon.
Furrowing her brow and gritting her teeth in frustration, Nightmare Moon readied herself to pull back.
“I think I want to live on the moon one day,” Swift Gale pondered. Lunar Veil didn’t even say anything. She couldn’t even fly to a cloud, how could she live on the moon?
“Why would you want to do that?” Luna asked.
Swift blinked. What a strange question from the lunar princess. “Because, it’s so pretty, it looks like a pearl!” he said, shoving a hoof skyward.
“Don’t let Ruffen hear you say that,” Lunar Veil said without hesitating.
Swift groaned and rolled his eyes, realizing what he had just said. Ruffen Tumble was his friend from the orphanage. He always led the other young colts, no matter if Pegasus, unicorn or earth pony. “Don’t tell, pleeease…”
Lunar snorted. “I haven’t even told him about Luna, why…” The gray filly turned to the princess who had her eyes fixed on the mouth of the clearing. Turning her head too, Swift Gale in succession, they trio saw an earth pony poking her head out from behind a tree. Her white mane stood out from the darkness and her mint green coat did nothing to hide her either. She started to pull back when she noticed they had seen her.
“Don’t leave, you’re not interrupting anything,” Luna said gently. “Would you like to look at the moon with us? It’s completely in half tonight, it’s so pretty.”
“A…actually…” the earth pony said, coming out of the trees and into the clearing. Swift and Lunar recognized her as another filly from the orphanage, an earth pony named Silver Fern. “My…er…I’m not sure what it’s called, but I call it a night lily…it’s over here.” She pointing with her hoof to the very middle of the clearing where a patch of grass was taller than the other blades, and a beautiful lily poked out through the foliage. Its white petals were tipped with blue. “It only blooms in the moonlight. And I water it during the day…so it won’t dry up…”
Luna beamed. “That’s called a lunar lily. It’s my favorite.”
Silver Fern nodded, a fond smile on her face. “Mine, too. And lunar lily suits it better than night lily.”
Nightmare Moon finally pulled back, but it was too late. One last story filled her mind.
Lunar Veil, Swift Gale, and Silver Fern made their way to the clearing together. Swift Gale was trotting instead of flying this time. They had been friends with the earth pony since she joined them in the clearing almost two weeks before. And now there were four ponies to moon gaze. Summer had ended, yielding a silver seedpod for Silver Fern to plant again in the Spring, and by now, Autumn had set in.
“If you have enough, can I have a…” Swift Gale stopped in mid-sentence, realizing what he was about to say. “Uh…never mind.”
Lunar Veil giggled and Silver Fern even joined in with a soft chuckle on her own. “When the Spring comes, there will be enough lilies for all of us…maybe more.”
They trotted a bit until Swift Gale spoke up again. “Hey…have you ever noticed that we come to the Everfree Forest every night, and nothing’s ever popped up and tried to eat us?”
The two fillies paused for a moment. “I had always thought that Luna protected us. She’s really, really powerful, like Princess Celestia.”
“It’s not just Luna,” a new voice announced as they made it to the clearing. Looking up, they found not just Luna, but a new unicorn mare, fully grown, a cutie mark on her flank depicting a silver lance against a pearl-white circle of white against her golden coat. The mare smiled at the fillies and the colt. “It’s good to meet you all. My name is Triumphal Lance. I’ve been in the forest, too. I watch out for you three and Princess Luna, of course.”
“Triumphal Lance is the Captain of the Lunar Guard,” the princess explained. “She’s a good friend of mine, too. I arranged it so she could watch the moon with us, too.”
Next to the newcomer was a lance, stuck in the ground by its blade. This was the first thing that Lunar Veil and Swift Gale came to study. The shaft seemed to have blue stones embedded in the metal, and the blade had a pearl towards the base. “You use battle magic?” Lunar Veil asked with excitement in her voice. “I’ve never seen battle magic!”
“Yes, I do, Lunar Veil. But only when necessary.”
“But I bet it would only be to protect Lu…” Swift stopped in mid-word. He wished for a moment he could finish a sentence without seeming too girly or rude. “…Princess Luna.”
“To protect her, certainly, but I would protect you, too. In fact, I have been.”
“R…r-really?” Silver Fern asked, having finally approached. “There have been things out there that wanted to hurt us?”
“Oh, yes. This is Everfree after all. Why, just this month alone, I’ve—“
“Please!” Silver Fern interjected. “Don’t tell me…”
Lance chuckled and nodded. “Very well.”
Nightmare Moon stumbled as she stepped back. She lowered her head and shut her eyes hard, trying to regain control. This spell was so simple, but it had too much of an effect, she couldn’t hold on.
The four watched in fascination, but also in hope, as her appearance changed. Her mane seemed to peel off and warp. It almost seemed like a tar coating that covered Luna. As the coat tore off, so did the armor and the ethereal mane. Everything that resembled Nightmare Moon began to center at her horn, and finally disappear, leaving Luna standing with an awestruck expression on her face.
“Luna!” Lunar Veil exclaimed as she ran forward to nuzzle her friend. “Luna, I knew you were there, I knew…” She stopped, sensing something still wrong. “Luna?” she asked, peering up at the princess.
“I…I…” she started. She turned to Lunar Veil and began to cry. “I really did all that, didn’t I? I’m sorry…”
“No, Luna, it wasn’t you…”
“It was…It was me…” Luna dropped to the ground and laid her head on Lunar’s shoulders, weeping and repeating her apologies.