Chapter 1
In the distant past of Equestria’s history the two royal sisters ruled over the land with a gentle hoof and a caring heart. Together they united the different pony tribes and built a kingdom that still exists to this day. Celestia brought about the day and ruled as such, her sister Luna having powers over the night in contrast. The cycle continued for many years and together the two sisters fought numerous foes, defended their citizens and brought peace and harmony to the land.
However, whilst they looked outward a danger lurked within that went unnoticed until one fateful day. Luna knew she was younger and had long since accepted that her sister would be more powerful than her as such; this she did not dispute. But as time went on Luna found herself feeling resentment of the ponies she protected. None of them appreciated her night, none of them understood the love she put into protecting them all as they slept; all they saw was her sister, ruler of the kingdom and bringer of light.
Resentment festered into loathing and loathing to hatred. By the time Celestia saw the seeds they had already bloomed. In a fit of anger and sadness Luna gave herself to the dark feelings that dwelled in her heart. The battle was fierce and for a time it seemed as if Luna had defeated her older sister but it was not to be. With a heavy heart and tears of sadness Celestia banished Luna to the moon, sealing her and the dark feelings that controlled her away.
After the battle there was much confusion in the citizens of Equestria. Where had Luna gone? Why was Celestia stood before them alone? Celestia could not tell them the truth; she couldn’t admit what she had done to her own sister. Rumours began to spread but soon greater problems gripped the nation.
Whilst Celestia could raise the moon to begin the night she did not have the abilities of her sister for dealing with the night itself. Without their nightly protector ponies began to fear their deals, plagued by nightmares and creeping spectres. Some ponies refused to sleep, afraid of what would happen when they slept, and new rumours began to circulate.
Celestia didn’t know what to do. She could do nothing to protect her fellow ponies from the nightmares that plagued them or from the dark presences that seemed to roam the land after the sun had set. For weeks she tried to work out what she could do, the feelings of sadness and loss returning to her as she wished her sister was still there.
Then one night, as she sat staring at the night’s sky, a thought came to her. If she could not protect her citizens from the night she had to find somepony who could…or make somepony who could. For days she studied old tomes and parchment, seeking out specific spells that would aid her in her quest, until she finally felt that she was ready.
Standing on the tower balcony she looked out over the sleeping city of Canterlot and cast her spell. Into it she poured her heart’s desire, her wish for somepony to help and the love of her sister. The pulse of magic travelled far, reaching every corner of Equestria. For most ponies it simply swept right past them causing nothing more than a slight stir in their sleep, for others it left an impression that would last forever.
For months after her spell the princess watched and waited, hoping that something would occur, but as time marched on she grew disillusioned. Had the spell worked? Had it done anything at all? Then, suddenly, a report reached the royal court carried by a Pegasus guard from the city of Cloudsdale. When Celestia read it she didn’t even wait for the royal carriage, taking to the sky and soaring out over the land of Equestria towards the cloud city.
Her arrival wasn’t met with fanfares and cheering crowds but rather with fear and uncertainty. The pegasi of the city were nervous, almost spooked by what had happened and Celestia soon understood why. As she entered the house she found a pair of pegasi in the bedroom, the mare in bed and cradling a small foal. They both looked caught between joy and fear as they looked to the princess for guidance.
The foal wasn’t a Pegasus; it wasn’t even an earth pony or a unicorn…it was something different. Its ears were long with tufts on the end, its eyes long and thin like a snake and its wings thin and leathery like a bat. Even its small mouth was different, two small fangs protruding over the edge of its bottom lip. They looked more like bats than ponies and for a moment Celestia was unsure, was this the answer she had been searching for? Was this what her spell had created?
As the infant opened its eyes Celestia found herself drowned in starlight as she looked into them. It felt as if she could feel the entire night’s sky in the foal’s eyes and in that moment of clarity all doubt was erased. With the parent’s permission she took the foal back to Canterlot, proclaiming to her subjects that they no longer had a reason to fear the night.
Over the next few months more foals of the same kind were found, popping up in distant corners of Equestria, and each time Celestia would travel to them and bring them back to Canterlot. As she watched over the foals she couldn’t help but feel as if her sister Luna was watching over her smiling but the foals did not remain foals forever. They grew quickly, reaching maturity quicker than any pony before or since. Within a few years they were adult size and their minds craved information that Celestia couldn’t give them.
Despite their rapid aging though it seemed that their appearance had done little to settle the fears of their fellow ponies. The regular citizens of Equestria still feared the night and nightmares still haunted their sleep. Celestia was beginning to lose hope, what could she do? Then one night the answer came to her.
She found them gone, vanished as if into thin air from their beds. Celestia began to panic, where had they gone? What were they doing? Were they in danger? She tried to search for them but found nothing; it was with a heavy heart that she finally fell asleep that night.
She awoke to find herself surrounded by starlight, wrapped up in a blanket of constellations and galaxies. Before her stood the bat ponies she had been searching for earlier. They explained they had found what they had been searching for, the dreamscape. A place of eternal slumber where pony’s dreams drifted back and forth. It was here that Luna had once protected her subjects from the horrors of the night; slaying the nightmares and soothing the restless and it was here that the bat ponies had found their calling.
They understood everything now. Celestia’s spell had poured her knowledge of the past and her memories into them. They too felt her sadness for what she had been forced to do and understood her plight of being unable to protect her subjects. They all told her that she no longer had to worry for they would stand vigil and protect her subjects from the evils of the night.
As Celestia woke the next morning she found herself relaxed and calm as if all her worries and fears had been pulled out of her. As the next few days rolled around reports began to reach her of ponies that feared the night finally sleeping soundly in their bed. Of nightmares that no longer plagued their minds. They had been true to their word.
Over the coming centuries more bat ponies were born to Pegasus parents. Never a lot, barely a hoof-ful every century, but each time Celestia would travel to the home and take the child under her wing. A few years later the child would simply vanish into thin air, joining its brethren in the dreamscape but Celestia always found the parting hard.
However, with the night no longer ruled by nightmares the citizens of Equestria began to flourish once more. Great cities were built and great deeds were done but perhaps the biggest event occurred after Luna returned from her banishment. As the evil inside her was defeated there was an unexpected gathering in Canterlot.
Luna herself could not believe her eyes as she cast them across the hundreds of bat ponies that had appeared in the centre of Canterlot. They bowed to her, saying that they had been waiting for the day she would return to them. Soon after the Night Guard was established, most of the bat ponies joining it and bringing their nightly protection to the real world. A few remained behind in the dreamscape, vowing to aid their princess in her task. Celestia herself was beyond joy; not only had her sister finally returned to her but she now had ponies that cared for and respected her, her own citizens who would walk the night with her.