> There Will Always Be Light
>  by Semaj
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Prologue 


There are some things you never forget. I can’t remember many things in my life, but even after more than one thousand years, I can remember every moment of this story like it's still fresh in my brain. When you live as long as I have, sometimes things get lonely. Nopony else around you lives as long as you do, so befriending them always leads to disappointment. However, sometimes the urge for companionship is just too strong to resist, and you let somepony slip through the cracks. Everypony’s actions have consequences, especially those of a princess. Unfortunately, I had to learn that lesson the hard way. I have made many mistakes in my years, but by far the worst was being selfish. I was a good pony, but I was only ever out for myself. I never truly appreciated what I had because I was too busy complaining about what I didn’t. My descent into madness was long and painful, and the exact dates are hard to nail down. But I do know one thing; it all started after a fight with my sister.
> Part I "One Shining Star In An Ocean Of Blackness"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Part I


"One shining star in a ocean of blackness."


I was angry… I was SO ANGRY, but didn't know what to do. So I flew away, flew far away, all because I was scared. I never wanted to hurt her, not the way she hurt me. She didn't mean to. I was the one who got angry. I was the one who lashed out.


*** 


 Tears rolled down my cheeks as I thought about all the vicious things I had screamed in my jealous haze. My heart felt abandoned and let emotion take me over. The words that were said, I did not mean them.  All that I wanted was for her to understand. 

“Oh sister, please forgive me…” It was a silent plea, one that I was sure would never be answered. Exhaustion took me over, and my knees gave out from under my body. The dirt below me was cold and wet. 

I rolled myself over onto my back so I could look at the night sky. At least I have something beautiful to look at, I thought to myself, my body crumpled in a pathetic heap. Dragging myself from the mud would not be fun, but there was nothing else I could do.

My hooves shaked as I extended one leg after the other. The difficulty came more from my unwillingness to stand, not my inability. There was no reason for me to go back. She could handle everything without me, and after the way we fought, I was sure she didn't want to see me either. 

It was a slow ascent, but I did eventually get to my hooves. Everything on me was dirty, so I spent a moment knocking the dirt from my mane in a feeble attempt to get clean. I looked around at the putrid black forest, not quite sure where to go. In my manic attempt to run away from my problems, I forgot to take note of where I was going.

There was nothing I recognized; the Everfree Forest was certainly vast, but I was sure that I had flown this course before. I strained my eyes to see what was around me, but the more I flew, the more it felt like I was going in circles. Eventually, I gave up and found my way to a large rock face that I could sit on.

Watching the moon crawl across the sky was always something that I enjoyed. It was an easy time-waster when you were not quite sure what to do. However, it could not last forever, and after a few hours, I decided it was time to start flying again, but just as I was getting ready to continue searching for a way home, the darkness exploded into blinding light. 

Moments later, I was hit by an earth-shattering soundwave. My body locked up; the sudden shock made it felt like my heart had stopped. My confusion only intensified when I turned around to see a small house being engulfed in flames. What was in the house I had no idea, but I knew I had to do something. Taking a deep breath, I opened my wings and dove off the cliff. The eye-searing blaze of burning wood was easy to see from so high up; unfortunately, that did not change the fact that it was a good thousand yards away. I pushed myself as hard as I could, but my muscles burned. The only option I had was to force my way through. 

When I neared the ground, I pulled back my wings to slow down; instead, my body spiraled out of control, sending me crashing head-first into the ground. I peeled myself off the cracked earth and looked around to see the flaming house close by. Next order of business: I needed to make sure that nopony inside was hurt. 

Before I could even think about what to do next, I heard a scream that sounded like a foal’s. The heat engulfed me as I took a deep breath and threw my body through the door, and I could feel my fur being singed. But I had to save whomever made that cry.

The screams appeared be coming from a small room at the top of a rickety set of stairs. Fire was covering everything and thick smoke coated my lungs, but nothing could stop me. I was going to save that foal if it was the last thing I did. 

There was a cradle in the corner of the room, and I knew that would be the target from my final charge. Running through flames was extremely painful, but once adrenaline kicked in, it eased the pain slightly. I forced my body to the cradle and looked inside of it to see a lone foal covered in soot, screaming. In a flash, I scooped it up and smashed myself through the window. As soon as I had flown a safe distance away from the burning wreck, I fainted and plummeted from the sky.

 The last thing I remember from that night was watching the house come crashing to the ground, framed by the light of the full moon.



Some time later, my eyes shot open at the sound of jubilant giggling. Soon I found myself muzzle to muzzle with a dark blue foal. “Oh! Why hello there, young one!” I croaked. The foal ignored me and instead started playing with my hair. “Halt! Thou shalt not touch the royal mane!” I said, dawning my best Royal Canterlot Voice. The foal ignored my command and proceeded to bite my horn. “NO! Stop that!” I cried out, flailing my forelegs back and forth. I jumped to my hooves, but the tiny pony still clung to my horn. I sighed. This is going to be a long day. “Little one, remove thine teeth from Our horn at once, or We may have to implement force!” The foal began to flutter its tiny wings and giggle. I frowned, wrapped my hooves around the child, and inched its body away from my head. Getting the little thing off of my horn was not as simple as expected. Eventually the child did cooperate and get on the ground, but it was not very happy about it.

“WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” it wailed, distraught at no longer being able to gnaw on me.

“Oh no! Little one, please stop! We did not mean to make you cry!” I lifted the foal up and cradled him in a desperate attempt to calm him down. “Oh no oh no oh no!” I muttered to myself. What should I do? I do not know anything about children! “OH NO OH NO OH N—” My body froze, and I looked down at the foal in front of me. Wait! What am I doing!? Pull yourself together! You are LUNA, Princess Of The Night! What are you doing losing your head over one disobedient foal? “Child!” I shouted puffing out my chest. “We command thee to stop your incessant whining forthwith!” The foal stopped crying for a moment and stared at me. Hoping that my stern words had gotten across, I stared back. A few silent seconds passed, and then out of nowhere the foal started to giggle again. I was shocked. What did I do? 

“You talk funny!” said the foal, smiling wide.
 
“What!?” I shouted. “‘TIS A LIE!”

 At that, the foal started laughing even harder. 

“Goodness,” I stammered, rubbing my temples. “We think it time for us to go.”


It was much easier to find my way back to the castle once it was daytime. I was not quite sure how to explain the foal to Celestia. She probably would not even notice; she is so absorbed in that project of hers, I thought. Either way, I should not take any chances. I should go through the window and hide it in my room.


***


It was night once again as I approached the castle. I flew high above the Everfree Forest and to the window of my tower bedroom. Thank goodness I left the window open when I flew out last night. After we had that fight… The battle still rung in my brain, and no matter how hard I tried, our poisonous words stuck to my brain like tar.

There was a quiet swoosh as I landed on the floor of my room and took the foal off my back. I frowned and looked him in the face again. Babies were never something I was particularly interested in, but I had to admit he was cute, especially when sleeping. Though his jet black mane was messy, and his face was covered in ash, he still looked healthy. I should give him a bath in the morning… wait, how do I do that? I guess I shall have to figure that out as I go along, I thought as I began to levitate the little pegasus.

 I trotted over to my cabinet and grabbed a blanket with my mouth. I hope this will make for a decent bed, at least until I can find his family, If they're alive. Laying the blanket down on my floor, I Nestled the sleeping pegasus into it. “There!” I said, flopping down onto my own bed. A loud yawn slipped from my mouth as I wrapped my favorite blanket around me. I turned and again looked at the child that lay at the foot of my bed. It was memorizing the way his small body gently rose and fell, safe in his fluffy fortress. My eyes began to grow heavy, and for the first time in days, genuinely smiled.


***


The next morning, I woke up with a start to a loud pounding on my door. “Hello, Luna? Are you in there?” It was Celestia’s voice. 

“What?!” I screamed as I rolled out of my bed and crashed to the floor. 

Knock knock knock.  

There it came again.

A sudden burst of pain swelled in my head as I looked over to where I had left the foal. Please tell me that he has not woken up yet. To my dismay, all that I saw was an empty blanket. Oh no! Where could he be!?

“Uh… Coming,” I said, trying keep my composure. I suppose I could just tell her the truth, I considered as I shuffled my way to the door. It is not like she’s going to get mad, right? 

Just to prolong the process even further, when cracking the door open, I made sure to take as long as possible. Unfortunately, that did not stop my heart from racing as I peered out and locked eyes with my sister. “Oh, uh, hello there sister!” I said, forcing a smile.

“Hello, Luna,” she replied. “I came to check on you. You know, to see if you were alright.” 

Just then, a loud crash came from inside my room, followed by a joyous giggle.

“What was that!?" asked Celestia twisting her neck to see what was going on.

“Nothing! Nothing at all!” I blurted out. “Everything is absolutely wonderful! Thank you for coming to visit, but I reeaally should catch up on my sleep, and—”

Celestia interrupted me, “Wait, Luna. I have something important I must tell you.” 

Perfect! I thought. Everything is running very smoothly this morning! 

“Oh, well if it is important, then of course!” I droned through gritted teeth.

“I am sorry I hurt you, okay. I love you, Luna, and I want to let you know that you mean everything to me.” Celestia looked at me, her eyes heavy with regret. "And I know I don't always show it in the way I should, but don’t feel like just because I am not around that it means I don’t love you more than anypony in all Equestria. Alright?” She looked at me, her legs frozen in place. I looked back, but just as I was about to respond, I felt a slight tugging at my leg. Oh no! Not now! I thought as I felt a tiny body cling to my back leg like a bear trap.

“Yes of course! Thank you, sister!” I stammered, slamming the door in her face.

“Oh. Goodbye. I'll be seeing you, I suppose…” 

 Why did I do that?! I thought, frustrated. Why can I not do anything right!? I groaned as I glanced back at the furry ball of flesh that was clinging to my leg. His eyes were wide, and a great big smile lay across his little face. I was angry, but the moment I met eyes with that tiny pony, my heart softened. There was no way I could have been mad at a face like that.


*** 


I made my way through the castle, tiphoofing through every hidden passage and secret entrance I could. I really should get a bathtub in my room, I thought as I levitated my new friend to my chest, hiding him from view. There was a loud clacking as I galloped down the stairs that lead to the royal bathing chambers, but I payed no mind, for I was getting close. Finally, I was able to heave a sigh of relief as I trotted up to the room's massive bejeweled doors.

 There was a loud squeaking sound as I turned on one of golden faucets of the extravagant tubs. Warm water then hissed its way through the pipes and waterfalled into the porcelain. Next, I grabbed my mischievous pegasus and lowered him into the shallow end of the warm water. He was surprisingly calm: no fuss, no crying, just a dopey smile.

A pungent stink filled the air. It was me. Realizing it was probably a good idea for me to take a bath as well, I took off my crown and climbed the little stairway that lead up to the bath. Feeling the warmth flow across my body as I lowered myself into the water was quite relaxing. After decompressing for a few moments, I then sat down in front of the patient foal and used my magic to grab a scrub brush and soap. With almost no effort, I was able to clean the pegasus and even have a little fun.

“WHEE!” cried the foal full of glee as I spun him around me. See, Luna! Taking care of foals is not THAT hard; you were worried for nothing! I thought as I held the sopping wet pegasus above my head.

After I had gotten us both clean, I made my way back to my room and set the tiny colt onto my bed—He was a colt, I checked—. I looked at him now that he was clean and smiled at the sight of his cute little freckles. It was a shame that they had been covered by soot for so long. 

I thought about the fire and about the child's family. Maybe they are still alive, I hoped, knowing full well that it was a fantasy.

“So,” I broke the silence. “Do you have a name young one?”

“Uh..." he paused for a few moments. "Starry Night! But daddy always calls me Starry for short." 

Daddy, I thought, a burst of depression shivering through my body. So he does remember something of his upbringing.


“Oh my! That is a great name! Is it okay if I call you Starry too?” He smiled and nodded. I will find them! I tried to convince myself. I will! And they will be alive! 



***


The months ahead were troublesome. Searching for his parents was proving to be quite the difficult task. I started by looking for the house that I had found him in, or what was left of it. I thought there might be some sort of clue to be found: an address, a note, something. Maybe there was an answer to be found in the ash and cinders of that building, but it didn’t matter because the house was gone. It was odd; it was almost as if it simply disappeared from existence.

Next, I decided that the best thing to do was to get in contact with the missing ponies department and see if any foals who matched Starry Night’s appearance had gone missing recently. I was surprised to find out how many foals went missing each year, but I was even more surprised to find out that not a single one matching Starry’s age and description had been reported anywhere in Equestria.

 My entire life was beginning to fall apart. Between my duties as Princess and trying to take care of and hide a baby, I had enough stress to make a normal pony snap.


***


I trotted into my room at the end of an exhaustingly long day. Much of my time had been spent dodging my sister and looking through the newest missing pony reports. I yawned and thought about all the things I had to do. The crushing weight of stress on my mind felt heavier than normal that night. 

Every fiber of my being wanted to help Starry, but no matter what I tried, I felt useless. I thought about giving him up to the adoption agencies, but I saw how some of those places treated orphans, and I just could not risk it. Maybe I was being paranoid. Trusting was not really a word that applied to me during those days. Loneliness drowned my mind, and it felt like I had to do everything by myself.

However just as I was beginning to have a mental breakdown, I saw a pair of hooves come up from under my bed.

“Hello?” slurred Starry who was poking his head above the side of the bed.

“Hello little one,” I replied, struggling to put on a smile. 

Starry looked at me, his head cocked to the side. “What’s wrong, Woona?” asked the living furball.

“Nothing,” I lied.


***


The next morning, I decided that I needed some rest and that the things I had planned for the day could wait. I tried my best to fall back asleep for a few more hours, but somehow slumber evaded me.

Eventually, I gave up, pulled myself out of bed, and made my way to the bathroom. I looked in the mirror and realized how messy my mane really was, then levitated a brush to my head and began to battle with my sparkling blue locks. Soon after, I began to hear a rustling from my room. 

“Starry? Are you awake already?” I peered out the bathroom door, and my jaw dropped when I did not see him. Instead, I found myself staring down the Captain of the Royal Guard. He looked at me with one eyebrow raised. 

“Oh, salutations!” I said, sticking my face mere inches out of the open door.

“Hello, Princess,” said the guard, looking over me with his cold blue eyes. “I’m sorry that I came in unannounced, but Princess Celestia sent me to get you. She said you’ve been distant… She’s worried about you, Luna. We’re all worried about you.”

“Tell Celestia I am fine," I snapped, avoiding the guard's penetrating gaze.

“Alright, I will tell her nothing's wrong, but I have to ask. Is it true?”

I turned towards him, only locking eyes for a brief moment. “No, it is not.”

 He nodded, his eyebrows still floating high on his forehead. “Alright. Well, if there is anything I can do for you—" 

"No," I cut him off.

"Okay then," he said as he turned to leave. "One more thing, if it's not too much to ask...” He turned back and and glared at me. "Who is Starry?”

“Nopony, I simply misspoke. I am sorry.” I looked at him with begging eyes. 

He looked back at me, and his strong face melted into an understanding frown. “Alright,” he said and trotted away.

 My jaw hung open as I stood motionless in the bathroom doorway. A small rustling noise from inside the bedroom brought me back to reality. I looked around to see where the sound was coming from and leaped back when I saw a little head peek out from under the bed.

“Who was that, Woona?” asked the foal, his shaking body still covered by the end of my blanket.

“Calm down little one,” I said, lifting Starry off the ground. “He was just one of the Royal Guards, that’s all.” I smiled and wiped the tears out of his eyes.

“What’s a Royal Guard?" He asked.

“Oh um... how should I explain this?” I mumbled. “Well, you see, I am an important pony around here, and the Royal Guard's job is to make sure that important ponies like me stay safe.”

“Are they good guys?” he asked. 

I smiled and said, “Yes, Starry, they are very good guys! They are strong, compassionate, and the only thing between me and the ponies who might want to harm me.” 

Starry Looked at me, his eyes glowing. “One day I’m going to grow up to be a big strong stallion, and I’m gonna be able to protect you!” He smiled an enchanting smile. “Just like you protected me!”

“Oh Starry,” I said, my eyes welling up with tears. “I am sure you will.” I clutched him to my chest and felt the warmth of his tiny body. Then, for the first time since I found him, I thought, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if we never find his parents.


***


A few weeks passed, and I was sitting on my bed preparing to go to a royal meeting when Starry trotted up and looked at at me. "What?" I asked upon seeing Starry's pouting face.

"Do you have to go, Woona?"

"I am sorry, Starry, but I do. I am only going to be gone for a short while."

"But it's sooooo boring when you're at those dumb meeting thingies," he whined.

"Those ‘thingies’ are extremely important, Starry. I wish I could be here for you too, but it's my job."

"But there's nothing to doooo!"

I sighed and rubbed my chin, trying to think of something for Starry to play with. Just then, I was struck with an idea. "I think I might have just the thing for you," I said as I strolled over to my closet and pulled open its grand doors. I stuck my head in and lugged out a huge dusty chest with a rusty lock. "You see, this box was given to me a long, long, loooooong time ago back when I was your age." I blew the dust off the beat-up trunk and unhinged the latch. "And when I was a little filly, I put all my toys and things in here." I opened it with care, as not to break its old hinges, and peered inside. I smiled. "They are all still here." I reached in with my mouth, making sure to grip them only hard enough to move them and pulled out five hoof-made toy soldiers. "These are for you," I said as I lay the worn dolls down in front of Starry. 

He pulled his head back and stared at the dolls. "What are they?"

"They are soldiers. They fight for what is right and protect us, just like the Guards. They were mine, but I have not even touched them in a long time. So I thought maybe it was time to pass them on to somepony who will love them as much as I did… In other words, they are yours now." Starry's face exploded with joy and he threw himself on me. 

"Thank you so much, Woona!" 

I didn’t hug back at first. I was too busy being shocked, but I eventually found my hooves wrapped around his body.

"Anything for you, little one." 


***


Years came, and years went. I searched and I searched, but no matter how hard I looked, it seemed as if Starry Night's family didn't even exist. I invested so much time into finding Starry's parents that everything became a blur for a while. Starry played with his toys, and I did my job. Due to my constant avoidance of my sister, our relationship was becoming more and more strained as time marched on. I spoke to her very little back then; the only times that we seemed to have conversations longer than a few sentences was when we were shouting at each other. It was getting so bad that even the ponies of Equestria started to notice. Bit by bit, I could feel the uncertainty crawl across the kingdom, and I hated it. I had few ponies to talk to, and as the days creeped by, I became more and more depressed. All the little things that used to make me happy did not do it for me anymore. But it wasn't all bad. There was always at least one reason to wake up in the morning, one shining star in a ocean of blackness.

> Part II "A Swirling Torrent Of Emotions"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Part II


"A swirling torrent of emotions"


"Starry!" I called as I trotted into my room at a very late hour. As I looked around, I checked to make sure he was still where I had left him. He was not. In fact, the colt was nowhere to be found. 

"Starry, I do not have time for this!" I sighed and hung my head low.

 I made my way to my mighty glass windows and pulled back their great blue curtains. I peered up at the night sky, longing for the stars to send me a sign. The sky was empty that night, save for the moon hanging all alone on the horizon. 

Returning once again to my routine, I shook my head and moved back inside my room. I did all the things that any normal pony would do, but for some reason, I was still unhappy. Nothing seemed to have caused it, but I was tired of life. I no longer wanted to go through the trouble of waking up just to make other ponies happy. 

My body collapsed to the floor and did nothing. The ancient wooden grandfather clock kept ticking, and time kept slipping away. It felt like everything I ever wanted ran away from me.

Soon after my mind started to wander into darker places, I heard a loud crashing noise, and the doors to my closet flew open. Then, a big blue ball of flying fur and flailing limbs came tumbling out of the doors and rolling towards me.

 "Starry! Slow down; you might injure yourself!" The tumbling pony then made his way over to me, sliding across the wood floor. As he got close, however, he tripped and fell on his face right in front of me. The young pony sprang to his hooves and straightened the wooden guard helmet that sat atop his head, smiling through the toy sword he gripped in his mouth. I could not help but giggle at the spectacle. He seemed quite proud of his accomplishment. 

"Did I do good? Did you like it?" mumbled Starry through the sword. 

"Yes, It was wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" Starry then leaped into the air and squealed with joy. 

"I did it! I made Mommy happy! Now she doesn't have to cry anymore!"

What? It hit me like a freight train, a swirling torrent of emotions more powerful than anything I had ever experienced before. At first, I was shocked, but at the same time I was overcome with intense joy and a strange feeling of guilt. Did I really cry that much?

"Oh, Starry, that is very sweet of you, and I am sure you put a lot of thought into it. But you know I am not your mother, correct?" 

"No! You are my mommy! I know you are my mommy, and I love you!" 

"I... I love you too Starry, but you know I must return you home eventually... right?"

"But you can't give me away! If you give me away, who is gonna cheer you up when you get sad?"

"I suppose I cannot argue with that." I smiled and ruffled Starry's mane. "Now, you must get to bed; it is getting very late!"

"’Kay Mommy, goodnight!" said Starry as he waddled over to his makeshift bed. 

A smile was  plastered across my face as I lay myself down. The three years since I had found Starry had been full of many things. He had brought me both joy and stress beyond my wildest dreams. I was still content because I knew all that stress was worth it. We all need somepony to live for. However, as I reminisced, I could not help but think that I had made a huge mistake. Starry Night's appearance in my life was helping me get through some tough times, but was it right for me to keep him? Yes, I did look for his parents, but not as hard as I could be, and what if his parents were alive? Who was I to keep a mother from her child? To be honest, I knew nothing about children in the first place. Luck, that is the only thing that was keeping Starry alive. What did I expect was going to happen when life got hard?


***


"Checkmate!" exclaimed Starry.

"Great job!" I said, a stupid grin across my face. Starry was a voracious learner. I may have been going easy on him, but still he picked up chess faster than anypony I had ever seen. I started to reset the board. The pride I felt seeing how skilled he had become was indescribable. 

"I love it when you don't have go to and do stupid princess stuff!"

 I laughed. "As do I." 

We started to play again, but just as I began to move my first pawn, there was a hurried knocking at the door. 

"Princess! Princess Luna!" came a worried voice, followed by more knocking. I jumped to my hooves and looked for a place to hide Starry Night. "Princess, I know you're in there! Get over here and open the door right now, or I'll have to come in!"

"I will be right there; please give me some time." All I could think to do was to put Starry in the closet, so I grabbed him and threw him in. I then slammed the door shut, praying I did not hurt the poor colt.

"What are you doing? I'm serious; stop messing around and let me in!" I galloped as fast as I could to get to the door, only stopping for a moment in front of the mirror to make sure that I did not look too ridiculous. The door swung open, and I found myself muzzle to muzzle with the captain of the Royal Guard.

"Salutations!" I squeezed out, forgetting my Royal Canterlot Voice. "Oh, it is you. I am so pleased that you decided to interrupt my personal time once again!”

"Yes, Uh... Hello, Princess. I'm sorry for being so short with you; it's just we have a bit of a problem on our hooves." 

Oh good! I thought. How could things get any worse!

"No, it is fine!" I moaned. "What is it this time?"

"Well, your sister was to meet with King Orion from the pegasi city of Timbucktu today, but when we went to go look for her, neither her nor Star Swirl were anywhere to be found." 

"What!?" I screamed. "You are telling me Celestia has gone missing?"

"Yes, but—" 

I interrupted him. "No buts! Tell Orion the meeting is canceled! We have a national emergency on our hooves! Sound the alarms, send out a search party! We must find her!" What happened? I thought. Did somebody foalnap her?

"Princess!" he stopped me. "Celestia is fine; she's just busy."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you see…" The captain then proceeded to take a small piece of paper out of his armor. "She left a note." I snached the note away from him and begin to look it over. 

"Dear Princess Luna," I read aloud. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but I will not be able to attend the meeting with King Orion. I am quite sorry for pushing this onto you so last minute, but Star Swirl and I are so close to making breakthrough on the mirror project, I can almost taste it. I just can't risk losing all of our progress this late into our work. I love you, and I hope you understand. Your sister, Princess Celestia." I dropped the note onto the ground and took a deep breath. "CELESTIA!" I screamed and slammed my hoof against the door. "What were you thinking!?" The thought of her blatant abandonment made me grind my teeth together. "I have never even heard of such a meeting!" I looked over at the captain as he shifted from leg to leg. 

"Uh, Princess..."

"WHAT?!"

"What should I tell the king? He has made it quite clear that this meeting is an important one, and I fear that canceling it could be very bad for foreign relations."

"You know what? I am so furious that I do not even care at the moment! Tell him whatever you wish." I tore the letter to shreds. I could not stand it  taunting me anymore.

"Princess! Think about this rationally; you have a responsibility to—" 

"I do not have a responsibility to anypony!" I cut him off. "Why should I be responsible for cleaning up after her?" 

"Don't be foalish, Princess!” The captain stomped his hoof against the tile floor. “Making sure we are on good terms with other nations is of utmost importance."

"You know, maybe YOU should not be making demands of ME!" I snapped.

"No, I shouldn't, but it looks like I have to! You should know how to take responsibility without me telling you, Princess!"

My head drooped to look down at my hooves, a sight that was becoming very familiar to me. "You are right," I whimpered. " I should not have let my anger cloud my judgment. Tell him I am... getting ready."

"Yes, Princess." He then smiled and slicked back his light purple mane "Good luck." 

I trotted back into my room at a snail's pace. It took all of me just to stay together. I pushed my muzzle against my window and watched as a few drops of rain splattered on the glass.

"Why were you yelling, Mommy?" called a familiar voice.

"Nothing, young one.” I peeled my face from the glass. “I have much going on right now; that is all."

"It's okay; we can play more of the games, and then you will be all better!"

"No. I cannot. I am sorry, but mama is busy. She must do her work."

"But you said you didn't have to do any of that work stuff today!" Starry sniffled.

"I know I did, but I—"

"You promised!" Starry wailed.

"Things change!" I shouted. 

Starry recoiled in fear and backed away. 

What had come over me? "I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Starry then started to howl; tears rolled down his little face. I tried to go and comfort him, but he hid under the bed and went silent.


***


"Princess Luna!" fumed King Orion. "Are you even listening to me!?" I pulled my head off the table and wiped the drool from my chin. What I saw were the outstretched tables of the royal dining hall. Only now did I remember the meeting.

"Oh yes! I have totally been listening to you!" I forced.

"Princess Luna! I find your tone to be highly unprofessional!" moaned the king. "What I am telling you is of dire importance! Strange creatures have been sighted in Timbucktu's air space and are stealing from our ponies!"
 
"I am sorry. What have they been stealing, King?" I inquired.

"They have been stealing our love," he stated.

“Have they?" I furrowed my brow. "And what do these 'love stealers' look like?"

"That's the thing!" he jabbered. "They can look like anypony!" I took a sip of my tea and raised an eyebrow.

"Sure they can," I said, closing my eyes so they wouldn't roll out of my head. "And what exactly do you want me to do about this problem?"

"Probably nothing. To be honest, I was hoping I would get to talk to your sister," he cooed, a smirk stretched across his face.

"My sister?" I replied, trying my best to stay still.

"Of course! At least she wouldn't have mocked me like a schoolpony." 

My mouth opened and prepared to say something I would regret, but as I began to speak, the captain of the Royal Guard came bursting through the door.

"Princess Luna!" he cried in-between catching his breath. "There is an intruder in the castle!" 

"What?!" screamed Orion. "An intruder!?"

"Calm yourself. I am sure it is nothing to worry about. You!" I said, turning to the captain. "What sort of monstrosity had the gall to breach the sanctity of our castle?" I shouted as royal as possible.

"Well..." he mumbled. "I think you should see for yourself."


The great halls of the castle rushed by as I followed the stoic guardspony to where he had found the intruder. Who could have gotten past the castle's heavy security, and why did the captain not want to tell me who the intruder was in the first place? 

"I apologize again for interrupting your meeting, ma'am; I hope King Orion doesn't take it too personally."

"Are you kidding?!" I scoffed. "That meeting was abysmal! I would have done ANYTHING to get out of that place!"

"Uh... Well, I guess you're welcome then.” He turned back and gave me a cold stare. “We're almost to where I saw the intruder; it should be just around this bend." We then both came to a skidding stop in front of a wall of more guards.

"What are they for?" I asked.

"I stationed ponies on either side of this hallway to make sure IT didn't escape."

"Oh, yes. Can I see 'it' now?" 

He nodded and took a deep breath. "Ponies!" he shouted. "Stand aside!" The guards then moved apart, making an opening large enough for us to move through. I looked through the hole, but when I saw the dark blue figure standing before me, I almost had a heart attack. 

"Princess, what's wrong!?" shouted the captain, grabbing me as I fell to the floor.

"N-nothing," I stammered; pulling myself from the ground. "I was just surprised to see that the intruder was a child! Are you sure it does not belong to one of the castle residents? Maybe one of the servants?" 

"We checked; nopony in the entire castle was able to claim it. The weirdest part is, nopony has any idea where it came from! Do you have any ideas?"

"Oh, he must be from the, uh… school field trip that visited a week or so ago.”

"Well, wherever it came from, it's becoming a big problem." The captain sighed as he watched his fellow guards try to subdue Starry. 

"Got it!" shouted one guard triumphantly holding Starry above his head. Starry then kicked the guard in the muzzle and blew a raspberry as he galloped away. "Never mind!"

"For Celestia's sake, really!? Sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by idiots. Anyway, could you help us out here? Maybe you could use the ‘Royal Canterlot Voice’ to scare it or something?” he pleaded.

"Oh, of course I can," I said stepping forward. My voice sputtered as I cleared my throat. "Child!" I shouted. Starry Night then whirled around to face me, his eyes growing wide. "Thou must stop your shenanigans at once!" 

Starry stared at me for a minute and burst out into a great gaffaw. "Mommy!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

All the guards gasped and started to murmur.

"We think you are mistaken little one," I said, on the brink of hyperventilating.

"No, I know my mommy!" he squealed as he galloped toward me.

"Halt!" I shouted, but before I could stop him, Starry Night jumped onto me.

"I knew I would find you!" he peeped as he stretched his front legs not quite all the way around my body.

"Princess, are you sure you don't know this thing?"

"For clarifications sake it is not a 'thing’; it is a colt." I turned to the other guards. "All of you!" I barked. "You will forget everything you saw here on this day! Do you understand?" The guards nodded, their bodies still in strict formation. "I do not want you telling anypony about this, not even Princess Celestia herself! If anypony asks, the only thing you know of this event is a colt on a field trip went missing in the castle. He was then found and returned to his parents." I furrowed my brow. "If I find out that a single one of you has talked, then you will ALL be punished, harshly. Now, do you understand?" 

"YES, PRINCESS!" they shouted in unison.

"Good," I purred. "You may go." I then waved my hoof, and the guards scrambled back to their posts. However as soon as they were all gone, I collapsed to the ground and heaved a sigh of relief.

"What, may I ask, was that!?" snapped the captain of Royal Guard. 

I jumped at the stallion's presence. "What are you still doing here? I told everypony to leave."

"No! I want answers!" demanded the guard. "You're not going to put on a show like that and expect me to keep quiet. My job is to ensure the safety of all, and if I feel like anypony is in danger, unidentified colts included, I need to know!"

"Fine," I grumbled. "Meet me in my chambers in one hour, and I will tell you everything." 

"Alright, I'll see you there," he said and stormed away. 

Suddenly, I remembered that Starry Night was still clinging to my neck. I pulled him off and sat him down in front of me.

"Starry Night!" I yelled. "What were you thinking!?"

 Starry frowned and looked at the floor. "I just wanted to see you Mommy... I... I'm sorry," he said, his eyes welling up with tears.

"Oh, Starry, do not cry; you just can not be galloping out of our room like that."

"But it's so boring alone! I wish I had somepony else to talk to," he whimpered.

"I know, little one," I said picking Starry up and holding him to my chest again. As I held him, I was struck with an idea.


***


"So, that is the whole story." I said, sipping tea from an ornate cup.

"I see," muttered the captain, running his hoof through his mane. "So, this thing—" I gave him a piercing glare. "Sorry, this child is an orphan?"

"That is just it; I do not know. No matter how hard I look, I cannot find a single thing on his parents." 

"That is strange," he said, rubbing his pure white chin. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I do not know." I frowned. "I suppose I will have to keep living with him like I have been."

"Why not tell Princess Celestia? I'm sure she could find—"

"No!" I yelled, slamming my hooves on the coffee table. The captain jumped back. "I... I am sorry, I... You have seen how she has been acting! She is so obsessed over her 'projects' that she is ignoring everything else. Even If I told Celestia, she would probably abandon the poor child in an orphanage!"

"Princess, maybe an orphanage is where it... He, belongs."

"No! I cannot take that risk."

"What risk?" scoffed the captain.

"I do not know. They might treat him poorly. Or... or they might give him to a family who will not love him!"

"I think—" he lay his hoof on mine and stared at me with his piercing dark blue eyes. "—you may have become a bit too attached to the kid." I flinched; his words cut deep into my heart.

"You are right," I said, beginning to sob. "I know I should give him up, but he told me he loved me, and I love him too!" Tears rolled down my muzzle and showered the floor like rain. "You saw! He even calls me mommy. I want to keep him, but what I really want is for him to be happy, and right now, I am not sure what that means."

 The captain nodded and stroked his chin. "I get it, and I'm sorry. But what do you want me to do about it?"

"Help me!" I cried. "I am scared and confused, and I do not know what to do. I have been doing this alone for more than three years; all I want is support."

"Okay," he agreed.

"What!?" I stammered.

"I'll help you take care of him."

"But you said it yourself, maybe It would be best if I gave him away!"

"Well I changed my mind. If it's true that you couldn't find anything about his parents in three years, then it's obvious that they're either dead or do not want him back. Besides, why give him up for adoption if he's perfectly happy with you?" 

I wiped my muzzle and smiled. "Thank you. I am in your debt."

"Not a problem.” The Guard waved his hoof at me. “Now, what do you need?"


***


"So, all I have to do is keep him busy while you're at work?"

"That is it," I said, preparing to leave.

"That can't be too hard. Can it?"

"I do not know; you saw him the other day." 

He whipped his head up and looked at me, eyes wide. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

 I laughed and opened the door. "Oh, wait one more thing?"

"Yes, Princess?" replied the captain.

"I never caught your name."

"Oh, my name? It's Midnight Legacy."

"Midnight Legacy, that is a nice name.” I said, nodding. “ And by the way, you may call me Luna. No more of that 'Yes, Princess' nonsense; do you understand?"

The Captain blinked a few times. "Oh. Of course, Luna.”

"There you go! that is so much better!" I said, bursting out into giggles as I eased the door shut and began trotting down the stairs. However, before long, I heard a cacophonous crashing sound and the familiar laughter of a tiny blue pegasus.

***


After that, we were able to find a semblance of normalcy. Midnight Legacy took care of Starry during the day, and I came home to him at night. Nopony suspected anything. After rumors of an intruder, it simply seemed like Midnight was staying in my room to protect me. Also, to my relief, Starry warmed up to his new protector far quicker than expected, even having fun and playing with him. A little bit of help was going a long way; just having somepony else to cover for me had relieved a massive amount of stress from my shoulders. However, by far the best part of the new arrangement was that Starry seemed happier than ever, and that meant everything to me. 

Two whole years passed with little trouble. We had found our rhythm, and nothing could throw us off, at least for a while.


***


I was in the library that day, filling out some sort of pointless paperwork when the door blew open. 

"Luna!" came a frantic shouting.

"What?" I whirled around, causing my ink well to fall over and stain my work.

"You have to see this!" exclaimed Midnight Legacy.

"Alright, alright, I am coming! And for goodness sake, do not scare me like that!" I replied, jumping from my desk and galloping up the stairs. "You know, some of us have important work to do! Not all of us have the luxury of being able to drop everything and fool about."

"Oh, and taking care of your little monster isn't important?" asked Midnight, smirking back at me.

"Just show me what ever it is you wanted to show me, okay?"

"Alright, but be prepared, because you're going to flip!" Midnight led me through the castle and back to the my room. We stopped in front of my door.

"Okay, get on with it; I've things to do!" I nagged.

"Wait," he said peeking inside. "I have to make sure he's still doing it."

"Doing what!?"

"Okay, you can look now," he said as he eased the door open. I pushed past Midnight and looked into the open room, but when I saw what was inside, I was speechless.

"Mommy, look! I'm flying!" squealed Starry Night as he stumbled through the sky.

"That is amazing!" I cried, a wave of emotion washing over the beaches of my mind.

"Yeah, it's crazy; isn't it?" Midnight grinned and shook his head. "I can see why you like this stuff."

"What stuff?" I said, mocking his speech.

"You know! Raising a child. It's, I don't know... exciting."

"Do not tell me you are getting attached to him too," I said, trying to keep in the giggles.

"What!? No, he's just... Cute," 

"I must agree with you on that one.” 

As if on cue, Starry crashed into the wall.


	***


Things soon became more complicated. Midnight Legacy was an earth pony, so the duty of teaching Starry how to fly fell square on me. Once again, I had to find time to escape work so I could give Starry his lessons. That was made worse by the fact that I could not take him outside, leaving me with the uncomfortable space of my room for practice. 

After a few more crashes and a lot of broken things, I made up my mind that it was time to take Starry outside. It would have to be at night because there would be less chance of being seen, so I picked the night of the full moon. That way, we would get in some practice, and while we were out, I could show him what my job was all about.


***


"Alright. Tonight is the night," I said, plucking Starry from the bed and hoisting him onto my back.

"Are we going outside tonight?" asked Starry as he bounced up and down.

"Most certainly!" I chimed. "As long as nopony sees us... Now," I said turning to Midnight. "if anypony asks, where am I?"

"You are visiting a zebra tribe at the edge of The Everfree Forest," recited Midnight.

"Good," I purred. "And what am I doing?"

"You are discussing a dispute over the forest border," replied Midnight, pacing back and forth.

"Perfect! Now, I'd better be on my way before the sun goes down."

"Why? I thought you wanted to do it at night?"

"Yes of course; I thought while we were out, perhaps I could show him what I do."

 He frowned.

 "You know, the moon and the stars!"

"Oooh!” He threw his head back and sighed. “Why didn't you say so?"

"Regardless, I must go," I said as I opened my gigantic window.

"Be careful!" yelled Midnight as I flew out into The Everfree.


I flew for a while, looking for a good, unforested, spot for us to fly. After a careful search, I settled on a small grassy field with no trees and a good view of the sky.

"Are we going to fly now, Mommy?" beamed Starry as I landed on a soft patch of grass. 

"Not yet. We will get to it,” I reassured him. "First I have to show you something." I pointed to the sky just as the sun started to dip below the horizon. "Do you see that?"

 Starry looked out, his eyes squinting. He didn’t react much at first, but his face began to glow as and the sky exploded into a dazzling ballet of reds, oranges, and blues.

 "That," I said, smiling, "Is a sunset." The sky then went pitch black; the moon and stars were nowhere to be seen. Starry squealed and grabbed hold of my leg. "What is wrong?"

"I'm scared of the dark," he moaned.

"It is okay my precious; I am right here. Besides, it is only going to be dark for a few moments." I took a deep breath and began to warm up my magic. “Since I first took you home, you have been asking me about my job and what I do. Tonight, I am going to show you."

"What do you mean, Mommy?" asked Starry, cocking his head.

"Well, you know that every morning the sun rises, and every night it sets?"

"Yeah."

"Well, my older sister does that; she makes the sun rise and set."

"Really?" asked Starry, his body bouncing up and down.

"She certainly does! But there cannot be sun all the time; things would get too hot and dry out. That is where I come in. You see, I control the moon and the stars, so that way even in the dark there will always be light!"

"Woah! Really?!" 

"Yes, really!" I said, chuckling. "Do you want to see me do it?"

"Well duh! Of course I wanna to see!" Starry demanded.

"Alright, alright! Patience!" I exclaimed, beginning to cast the spell. My horn then started to glow bright blue as I gathered all the magic power I could muster. "Alright, make sure you are watching, because I can only do this once!" I said with a loud grunt. Then, a strange purple aura began to flow around me in elegant shimmering strands, and a small sliver of white light began to appear above the horizon. Starry watched, mouth agape, as the silver moon flew up into the darkness, shimmering in the clear sky.

"Awesome!" shouted Starry, clacking his hooves together.

"If you liked that, get ready for the next part!" I beamed as I got ready to form the stars. Starry then looked right at the sky, leaning so far forward I was sure he would fall. My horn then made a loud cracking noise, and the stars began to burst into existence like popcorn on a hot stove. Starry jumped from my lap and pranced through the clearing. Above him, the stars danced across the sky to form complex shapes and designs, finally settling in their appropriate constellations. 

"How did you like that?" I asked.

"Are you kidding me? It was awesome!" Starry blurted out.

"I am so glad to hear that," I cooed, satisfied with my own performance. "Now, let's get to those flight lessons."

> Part III "The Thin Layer Of Silence"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Part III


"The thin layer of silence"

Thankfully, just like with everything else, Starry was a natural at flying. He was able to mimic my movements and master the basics extremely quickly. It got to the point where in a few months, he was able to go on flights with me and experience the outside world for the first time since the day that I found him. It made me feel great to know that I was able to give Starry at least a little bit of freedom. He also seemed a lot happier knowing that he did not have to be cooped up in my room every second of every day.

The three of us struggled through the awkward years, but before I knew it, Starry was eight years old. Since I had found him, I had not done anything special for the anniversary. However, this year I felt like I should at least do something to celebrate the day he came into my life. 

So I decided to go all out: I decorated my room, bought Starry presents, and even went as far as to try to bake a cake— as you can imagine, that did not go very well on the first try— but even then, with a bit of help from Midnight and many cookbooks, I was able to make something presentable. I then made sure my schedule was clear for that day, and with everything ready, I was finally able to get my plan underway.

"Come on, Mom!" pleaded Starry. "Just tell me what's going on already!"

"Be patient, love. I will let you look soon," I assured him. "Just let me do one last thing," 

"But I wanna see now!" whined Starry as he tried to pry Midnight's hooves from in front of his eyes.

"Whoa! Hold on there buddy!" cried Midnight as he attempted to restrain the squirming colt. "Calm down. She's almost finished."

"Okay..." grumbled Starry, stopping his struggling.

"Alright," I said as I put up the last streamer. "He can look now." 

Midnight removed his hooves from in front of Starry's face. Starry trembled as he took in the bright colors of the room around him. His eyes darted all around, never falling on one thing for more than a few seconds. I had forgotten that he had never had a real party in his entire life. His confusion at the vibrant decorations was natural for something so unfamiliar.

 "We wanted to celebrate the anniversary of the day that I found you, so we threw you a surprise party! You do know what that means do you not?"

"We get to play games?"

"That is right! We get to play games all day!" I beamed.

"This is awesome!" he said, tackling me in a bear hug. "I love you!"

"I love you too, Starry my sweet."

After that, Starry, Midnight, and I started to unbox and play all the new board games that I had bought. We played for hours, and Starry had a great time. But eventually, the time came for cake and presents.

 "Alright, Starry," I said as we finished up our last game of Monopony. "Are you ready for your presents?"

"You bet I am!" he squealed, his body a gelatinous mess of wiggles.

"Alright, because I have your first right here!" I exclaimed as I pulled a fluffy white mattress out of the closet. “I know you have been waiting to get a real bed for a long time, so I finally went out and got you one!"

"Woah! Thanks Mom!" cried Starry as he threw himself onto the downy cloud. "This is so cool!"

"Don't get too excited, kid; there's more where that came from," said Midnight, grinning.

"Do you have a present for me, Mr. Midnight?" asked Starry.

"I sure do, buddy! I have it right here," he said as he grabbed an adorned gift box with his teeth and dropped it in front of Starry. Starry stared at the colorful package then stood up. He paced around the box, an adorable predator stalking its festive prey. "Go on, open it!" encouraged Midnight. Starry took a deep breath, proceeded to become a wolverine and shred open the wrapping paper. When he managed to open the box, his face glowed as he saw what lay inside. Starry put his hooves in and drew out a large gold helmet with a thin blue crest of hair on top.

 "That was mine back when I was a young stallion in the royal guard, but now that I'm the captain, I don't need it anymore. So I thought I'd be better if I gave it to you. I know it's super big on you now, but I'm sure I will fit someday..." admitted Midnight. Starry then tried to put on the bulky headgear, causing it to hang in front of his eyes. "So... Do you like it?"

"Are you kidding?" beamed Starry. "It's the best! Thanks, Mister!" 

Midnight Legacy softly smiled. "That's great, kid, that makes me happy. That's not the whole gift, though." 

"There's more!?"

"Yup, my gift comes with a promise. Luna and I talked it over, and we decided that the day you can fit into that helmet, I will start training you in the ways of being a soldier, so when you grow up you can be a guard, too."

"Really?!"

"On my honor, I promise."

We opened up all of the other colorful presents I had wrapped for Starry, including a notebook for him to write and draw in, a poster with some soldiers on it, and a small stack of novels. When we had finally finished, it was past Starry's bedtime, so we decided that we should bring out the cake.

"Happy birthday, Starry," I said as I took a large wedge of of the cake and put it onto a plate.

"Yeah happy birthday, you little monster," mumbled Midnight, a tentative flicker of a smile creeping into his face. 

Starry grinned, took a deep breath, and began to dive into his cake face first.

"Hey! Take it down a notch!" Midnight raised a leg in front of his face to shield himself from being splattered with cake bits. However, Starry ignored him and continued to dig into the dessert. "Luna, control your child!" he said, but I just giggled and watched the scene play out.


***


Deep in the night, I heard a shriek, but it was not a normal shriek. It was a piercing shriek, one that smashed through the calmness of the night, shattering the thin layer of silence like a sledgehammer to porcelain. 

I awoke with a start and looked around. It was all darkness, save for a thin ray of moonlight slipping through the gossamer curtains. "Who is it? Who's there?" I heard a soft whimper followed by a loud shuffling. "Starry honey, is that you?" A grave thought stabbed into my mind, and my heart sank. "Oh no, are you okay? Are you hurt?" I cried out into the black.

"I'm not hurt," whispered Starry, his voice quivering.

"Oh, my dearest, what happened? You sound in pain."

"I had a nightmare... Again." 

Nightmares, Starry had been having them for a long time. I am not sure why, but they were getting worse by the day. Sometimes I knew when he's having them because I would visit his dream world. Other times I could feel the negative energy that oozed from his psyche and hear his mumbling, like a quiet plea, slipping from his shivering jaw.

I sighed and asked, "What was the dream about?" I already knew the answer, but letting him get it off his chest would help calm him down.

"It's the fire one again," he squeezed out. 

"Oh, Starry, come here," I said, hoisting the sniffling colt onto my bed. "You can sleep up here tonight, okay?" I pulled Starry close to me and wrapped the covers around us into a safe cocoon. 

"It was the same as all the other times except one thing..." 

"What?"

"This time, instead of being swallowed by the fire, I wasn't. Just as it started to get close to me it all went out, and I was alone. After that, a huge black thing came over to me," Starry moaned,his voice like that of a wounded animal. "It had sharp teeth and a gross blue mane, but worst of all it looked like cheese, all full of holes." Starry closed his wide eyes and grabbed onto me, burying his muzzle in my shoulder. 

"It is okay, Starry," I comforted him. "It is all going to be okay. Trust me, nothing like that will EVER happen to you, not when I am around."

"Okay." He smiled a bit. "Love you, Mom."

"I love you too, precious one."

Love is a strange thing. Sometimes it drags you up from the pit of despair, and makes you feel as if nothing else matters. Other times its seemingly unbreakable bonds can crumble in an instant. Fighting with anypony hurts, but by far the deepest cuts come from those you trust. I believe we all have shields, not the kind of shields you take into battle, but rather the invisible kind. The kind that we use to keep out the inevitable criticism of the world. And I think that we all have ponies that make us feel safe, safe enough to lower our shields. Unfortunately, that makes it hurt all the more when they stab you through the heart.


*** 


My fork clinked as it knocked against the fine porcelain of my plate. I sighed as I looked at the huge banquet table that lay in front of me. Alone again, I thought as I gazed at all the empty chairs scattered around the room. She's been gone for a long time now. I just hope she is okay. 

I dropped my fork and stood up no longer hungry. I dragged myself over to one of the many windows that looked out of the dining hall and sat down. It was raining again, but this time it was not light. This time, the rain were knives falling in heavy sheets, and the sky was a dark, angry mass of gray. I put my muzzle on the glass. It was cold, but I did not mind; it was soothing. I closed my eyes, but just as I started to drift off, the door to the banquet hall creaked open.

"Luna, are you okay?" chimed a familiar voice.

"Celestia!" I shouted surprised.

"Yes, it's me. I am finally done with the project! You wouldn't believe what we—"

"You fool!" I cried, fury in my voice.

"What? What did I do?"

"What did you do!? You disappeared for ages without a word and then showed up one day saying 'tis me again! I am back sister!’ How did you expect me to react?"

"Not like this..."

"Where even were you?" I demanded.

"I was doing work. Why does it even matter? I am here now."

"Work?" I laughed. "What about meeting with Orion? What about filling out mountains of papers? What about that work? Or was all that not important enough to you?"

"No, it's important, I just thought that you could—"

"Oh, I get it!" I yelled. "You want to shove off all the unfun stuff on your little sister because you have got better things to do than stupid paperwork and boring meetings, right?" 

"Let me speak for a second!" she snapped. "I am sorry that I left you! I really am, but you have to understand that I have more important things in my life than you!" 

My jaw dropped open. More important than me, I thought, my heart on the edge of exploding.

"Excuse me!?" I screamed.

"Luna, you know what I mean."

"Yes, I think I know exactly what you mean," I retorted.

"I am not saying I do not love you; I am just saying you must think about the greater good."

"What greater good?" I scoffed. "I am your only family. You know, the ones you're supposed to love no matter what?" 

Celestia shook her head. "You don't get it. That's not how being a princess works. Oh, and I heard about what happened at that meeting, and frankly, I am disappointed with you. What you did was rude, disrespectful, and most of all embarrassing to all of Equestria."

"Oh, so what you did was not rude? You left me unprepared for a meeting I did not even know was happening!"

"That's different!" she shouted incredulously.

"How?!"

"I did it for good reason!"

"No, you did it for what you thought was a good reason and did not even think for a second what other ponies would want. Besides, nopony wants to see me! They think I am just your delinquent sister. It is always you they want."

"I want to see you."

"Then why did you leave?" 

Celestia went silent and lowered her head.


After that, Celestia and I did not talk, and as time went on, she started disappearing more and more. It was almost like she was a ghost: gone, only to reappear at the worst possible times. I would love to say that Celestia was my only problem, but that would be a lie.

 Back then, I was having fights with everypony, regardless of whether I was mad at them or not. However, by far what I regret the most were the fights with Starry. Starry was always a bit difficult, but never was that more evident than when he began to hit his teen years. He was still the cute pony that I had found fourteen years earlier, just more stubborn.


***


"Starry I am home," I called out to an empty room. Strange, I thought as I trotted inside. Where did he gallop off to? After calling out his name a few more times, I began to grow worried. I decided to look for him In all the usual places: the closet, in the bathroom, and even under the bed. Of course he's not under the bed! I thought, frustrated. He's fourteen, not four!

 I sat down on my bed pondering my next move when I felt a draft of cold air. I stood up and followed the breeze. It led me across the room and to my balcony door, which had been left cracked open. Oh no, he did not! I thought as I began to piece together what happened.

Hours passed, and I grew more and more worried for Starry. I talked to Midnight about it, but he said he that he was training new recruits all day. He did not have a clue. He told me everything was going to be alright, but I was still worried. Midnight decided to go looking for Starry to calm me down, but he still was not able to find him no matter how hard he tried.

"The Everfree Forest is a big place,” said Midnight as he paced around my room. “There's no way we would be able to search it all alone.” 

"He might not be in the Everfree; he could just be hiding," I suggested.

"Come on Luna, who are you kidding? Where else could he have gone?" 

"I do not know, he could be in the castle somewhere..."

"We already checked the entire castle twice!" Midnight sighed and put his hoof on my shoulder. "Look, I don't want to admit it either, but he flew away. I don't know why, but he did. And the only thing we can do now is wait for him. I'm sure if he's okay, then he'll find his way back. It's not like the castle is exactly hard to find."

"I know; you're right—”

"Now," he cut me off. "Get some rest. You look awful." I glanced in the mirror. He was right; I was a wreck.

"Alright, thank you," I said as he trotted out of the room. 


***


I sat down at my coffee table holding a cup of tea when the clock struck midnight. I tried to suppress my feelings of guilt and go to sleep, but it was proving to be a physical impossibility. I wish I could say that it was all because I was worried about Starry, but it was not. A piece of me, no matter how small it may have been, was deathly afraid of being alone again.

 I tried to take deep breaths and relieve the stress, but all that came out was a loud and uncontrollable moan. I dropped my muzzle to the wooden table and closed my eyes. Why?! Why does everything I love fly away from me?! I raised my head, ready to smack it against the table again when I heard a faint creaking sound.

"Mom?" called out a familiar voice. I whipped my head around to see my son standing in front of the open window. "Are you alright? You look sick." He began to trot toward me, concern in his soft blue eyes. I shook my head, tears running down down my face.

"No, I am not sick... But I am glad to see you!" I said, gripping Starry Night in an intense hug.

"Woah!" he stammered. “Calm down, Mom; you're killing me!"

"Sorry... I was just worried about you," I admitted, ruffling his wild bird’s nest mane. "Now, what is wrong with you?!"

"Huh?" sputtered Starry.

"Where were you?!"

"Nowhere," he insisted. "I went out, okay? What's it to you?"

"You went out?! You mean you went out without asking ME, your mother, first?" 

"So what?" 

"What if you had gotten yourself killed!? I wouldn't have even known!"

"It's cool that you want to protect me and stuff, but I'm not a baby anymore. You don't have to hold my hoof every step of the way!" groaned Starry.

"I am not holding your hoof! Just because I expect you to follow the rules of common courtesy like everypony else doesn't mean I am holding your hoof!" I lectured. 

"Oh yeah? And how do you expect me to tell you? I can't exactly go looking for you in the castle, can I?"

"You could tell me before I go to work. But of course you're not going to do that because that would require you to actually wake up at a reasonable hour."

"I've got a better plan! How about you stop being paranoid and let me go out whenever I want?"

"No, how about instead I forbid you from ever leaving!"

"You know what?! Maybe I'm tired of you trying to dictate every step of my life!" 

"Oh really?" I scoffed. "Is that what this is about?"

"Yes! That's ALWAYS been what It's about! Sometimes I feel like I'm the princess, locked up in a tower, having everything given to me on a silver platter," said Starry deep resentment in his voice.

 I sighed. "I know..."

"You what?"

"I know! I am just afraid somepony will find you." I looked up at Starry, tears returning to my eyes. "I do not want anypony to take you away from me… You are all I have."

Starry looked at me again, his face growing softer and more understanding. "I know," he whispered, pulling me in for another hug. 

"Someday I will be able to set you free, I promise.”


After that, Starry Night always woke up early to ask if he could fly, and I never once said no.

> Part IV "Give Voice To Those That Have None."
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Part IV


"Give voice to those that have none."


"Do I have to?" I groaned.

"Apparently," replied Midnight, tapping his hoof on the ground. "Celestia has made it very clear that you both have to be there."

"What does the King of Cloudsdale want with us?"

"I'm not sure, but apparently he's pretty angry." 

"What am I supposed to do with Starry?!" I frowned and sat down on one of the wooden library benches.

"I could watch him while you're gone," suggested Midnight, grinning. “I think he likes me enough."

"No, I can't do that to you. You have work to do."

"It's fine; somepony could take my place for a few days."

"Actually, I think I might have an idea," I said with a smug smile.

"Please don't tell me you're thinking of doing something crazy and reckless," moaned Midnight.

"Starry has wanted to go on a trip for a long time..." I muttered still smiling.

"Oh no. Please no!"

"And a young pegasus like him would blend in perfectly in a place like Cloudsdale."

"You're going to do this no matter what I say, aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" I said with a giggle.


***


"Do you have everything you need?" I asked as I levitated our things into a large suitcase. 

"I think so," replied Starry. "It's not like I have much to pack. Where exactly are we going anyway?"

"I didn't tell you, honey? We're going to Cloudsdale!" I chimed.

"And that's supposed to mean something to me?" 

"Wow, I did not give you a proper education. Cloudsdale is the city of the pegasi and it's where all the weather in Equestria comes from." 

Starry dropped the blanket he was holding and whirled around to look at me. "You mean it's where my family came from?"

"I suppose it could be possible… But it is certainly unlikely.” Starry began to slip away into his own world, so I tried to change the subject. "There are going to be a lot of ponies there, so try to stay as close to me as you can."

"Wow, really? Now that I think about, it I've only seen a few ponies in my entire life. It'll be weird seeing huge crowds of them." 

"Yes, I'm sorry about that. I never meant to keep you so isolated."

"It's okay; I understand," Starry muttered, kicking at the ground. "Besides, I like it here." Starry tried to force a halfhearted smile, but I knew something was still bothering him.

"Is there something wrong?" I said drawing myself a bit closer to my son.

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean that you are acting distant, and I don't know why." 

"It's nothing; I was just being stupid," muttered Starry, avoiding my gaze. "Sometimes I just wonder about my family, you know? And about how things might have been if I was, I don't know, normal." 

"Normal?" I said taken aback. "Honey, what makes you think you are not normal?" Starry shifted on the bed and coughed.

"I don't really know any other stallions my age, but unless I'm missing something, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who lives with a princess."

"You are… at least as far as I know..." I bit my lip and closed the uncomfortable gap between us. Starry tried to move off the bed, but I stopped him and levitated him back in place. "Starry Night, look at me," I commanded. 

Starry gave a quick toss of his jet black mane and turned toward me. 

"You are not normal, but that's what I LOVE about you." 

Starry tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Being normal is boring! There are millions of ponies who are normal. You are unique." 

Starry smiled trying to hold back the tears welling in his eyes. "Like mother like son, I guess," he said, putting his forehead up against mine.

After we finished packing, Starry and I loaded everything into my chariot and settled in for the long trip to Cloudsdale. Celestia offered to take me in hers, but this way I could put off explaining Starry Night's presence for at least a little while longer. 

 The flight was long and monotonous, but Starry enjoyed it nonetheless. He always found ways to find intricacies in the ordinary, and light in the dark. He had enjoyed the beauty of the outdoors, and tonight was no different. 

"Mom, look!" beamed Starry as he pointed skyward. "A shooting star!" 

I whipped my head up and yawned. 

"Seriously mom, Look!"

"Alright I am looking, I am looking," I said rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I looked to the sky to see what Starry was fussing about, and what I saw was magnificent. A stunning streak of white starlight flashed across the dusky sky, leaving small shimmering flecks of itself behind to dance across the darkness. It was only visible for a few brief moments before it dipped out of sight, vanishing just as quickly as it had appeared. Starry looked over at me, his face overflowing with childlike wonder. 

"I can't believe it! I had seen pictures of them in books but, I never thought..." He trailed off.

"Pretty amazing isn't it?" I asked as I nuzzled Starry's neck. He nodded his head and leaned his warm body up against mine. 

"Wow, I am so tired," he said with a great yawn. 

"I know how you feel."

"The world never ceases to amaze me," whispered Starry as his eyelids fell and lightly shut. 


***


"Princess! We're almost there. Wake up!" It was the pilot's voice.

 I opened my eyes again just to be assaulted by the blinding light of day. As my sight struggled to an ocean of sensory information, I winced. As things began to clear up, I saw a bulky grey stallion looking back at me from the front of the chariot. 

"Rise and shine, Princess," he droned. "We're almost there."

"Oh yes, thanks," I said, stretching my wings and giving them a quick flap. 

"Good thing, too," said the stallion wiping the sweat from his brow.

 I looked over at Starry who was curled up next to me, his delicate sleeping body rising and falling like the gentle ocean tides. He was so cute I thought about leaving him alone, but I knew he would want to see Cloudsdale as we flew in. So I gave him a light nudge with my hoof and said,

"Honey, we are here. It is time to wake up." 

He snorted a bit and then began to slowly peel his eyes open. He then recoiled at the scorching light of the sun and once again sealed his eyes shut. "Uhhhhhh, do I have to?"

"You don't have to, but trust me. You are going to want to see this view!" I teased. 

Starry lifted his head and his ears perked up high. "I'm waking up. Give me a second." He then forced himself to open his eyes once again, and when he did his mouth dropped open. "Oh my gosh!" cried Starry as he took in the sight of the city that was now before us. "I didn't know it was flying!"

"Oh yeah, I may have forgot about that," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head. Starry however, didn't even hear me because he was too busy taking in the sight of Cloudsdale. It was strange how those huge stone-like buildings and coliseums perched so daintily on each downy cloud.

As we began to fly closer, we were able make out every detail of the massive city. The once blurry strands of color that poured from the bottoms of the sprawling cumulus mass had now become sharp and defined rainbows. Soon we were flying over Cloudsdale, and Starry was sticking his head over the edge of the chariot. 

"Be careful honey," I nagged.

"I am!" Starry said, brushing me off. "And if I fall, I could just fly.”

"Oh yeah," I said, relaxing in my seat.

"Wow! Look at all those pegasi!" shouted Starry. I became curious as to what the fuss was all about, so I decided to scoot up next to him so that I too could look down upon the city below. 

There they were; hundreds, maybe even thousands, of pegasi trotting along the streets and bolting across the sky. They all wandered around at their own paces and in their own random directions, zipping, zapping, twisting and turning. It was a massive kaleidoscope of living creatures, full of pastel colors that ran together into one big ocean of abstract shapes and forms. 

"That's insane," mused Starry, enthralled. "I never knew there were so many other ponies in the world… I wonder what they're all thinking."

"it is strange, is it not?" I let out a heavy sigh and looked up. "It reminds you that you are not the only pony with things on your mind. That is something I learned from my trips into other ponies' dreams: everypony in Equestria has their own life and their own problems. it is so easy to forget about all that when we are busy taking care of ourselves." 

Starry frowned a bit, but for the most part his expression remained blank. "I wonder what what my parents dreamed about," said Starry, still staring down at the cityscape. "Because all of my dreams are nightmares."

After a few short minutes, the chariot made its descent and landed with a skidding stop in front of the king's palace. However, to my dismay, we were not alone. The chariot was soon surrounded by a crowd of clambering ponies holding magic cameras and notepads. 

Oh no! I thought I told Celestia to keep this trip quiet. 

"LUNA!" they all shouted as they rushed toward me, raising their quills. 

Great! The press...

"Princess! Is it true what they're saying about you!?" shouted one of the reporters.

"Wait what!?" cried Starry, swinging around to see what was happening. "Who is saying what about you?!"

I looked out at the ponies around me, trying to keep up with all of their confusing questions, but for some reason I couldn't pick out a single voice. It all clashed together into a tidal wave of sound and camera flashes.

"I... I don't know..." I squeezed out. I wanted to ask what the reporters were talking about, but I could not because they refused to give me any time to speak..

"Are you really in a romantic relationship with the captain of the Royal Guard?"

"What? No!" I shouted, my head spinning. I stumbled forward and attempted to pull myself out of the chariot, but the reporters blocked me. I then tried to fly away, but they were above me as well, hovering over me, vultures hungry for a juicy piece of meat. 

I dove down to the floor of the chariot and tried my best to hide. I hoped that if I waited them out, they would go away, but I was wrong. They did not just stay, some of them even climbed into the chariot with me. Even that was tolerable to a point, but then one of them crossed the line.

"Is it true that you're a lazy slob who can't do anything right?!" he said shoving his fat face into mine.

“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT US!?" I screamed, fury scorching my every word.

"Uh... Well..." he gargled, a twinge of fear creeping into his nasal whine.

"WE ASKED YOU A QUESTION, WHELP!" I boomed in the best Royal Canterlot Voice I could muster. The small reporter then jumped back in shock, leaving himself slumped in a ball-like position.

"I, uh... asked if you were lazy."

"HOW DARE YOU!?" I fumed. "We should smite thee for even IMPLYING such horrid and insulting things!"

 The entire crowd shifted on their hooves, and the fat reporter started to make a loud wheezing noise. "No! Please don't smite me! I... I have family! I'm just doing this to keep hay on the table. I meant no disrespect!"

 Sensing that I now had the upper hoof, I made myself look as big and imposing as possible. "Very well!" I said, a satisfied grin crawling across my face. "We shall not smite you!"

 The reporter looked up and let out a sigh of relief. "Th, thank you. I—"

"ON ONE CONDITION!" I blasted, cutting off the reporter who once again curled himself into a quivering ball of flesh. "Thou shalt leave us be for the remainder of our stay here!" The reporters all nodded. "And, you shall never write ill of us again! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" The reporters nodded again and scattered away like a swarm of rats. The fat one was the last to go. I watched as he hobbled away, his pudgy body making him incapable of flight.

 For a second, I didn't know what to. I stood there like an idiot trying to take in everything that had happened. Suddenly, I snapped out of my shock and realized that Starry was nowhere to be found.

"Starry, honey? Where are you?" I called, darting my head back and forth.

"I think he's under there," said the disgruntled pilot as he gestured to the underside of the chariot.

"Oh... Uh, thank you sir," I said, stumbling out of the chariot, still too dazed to fly straight. I then dropped a substantial bag of bits at the stallion's hooves. "Consider that payment for all your troubles."

"Thank you ma'am, but I was just honoring an old favor to Captain Midnight."

"No, I insist!" I said pushing the bag closer to him. "Besides..." I started to hush my voice to a whisper. "You did promise to keep quiet about the whole child thing. Right?"

"I suppose," he replied in a low rumble.

"Great! Now if you will excuse me, I have a son to take care of!" I exclaimed as I ducked my head under the chariot. Sure enough, there was Starry Night huddled in a defensive pose, his peeled wide.

"Are they gone now?" stammered Starry, his voice a small peep.

"Yup, they're gone," I reassured him. "You can come out now." I extended a hoof out to Starry making sure not move too quickly.

"Okay," muttered Starry, still breathing a bit hard.

"I am so sorry! I had no idea the paparazzi would be here."

"It's okay, I just didn't expect my first interaction with a large amount of ponies to be like that," joked Starry as he crawled from beneath the vehicle.

"I know. it is awful that I let you go this long without see anypony else," I said, lowering my head in shame.

"No, what's awful are those ponies who were saying terrible things about you!" grunted Starry. "Look Mom, I don't blame you for keeping me locked up. Sometimes I get mad and say things I don't mean." He looked up at me with a soft smile, his eyes watering.

"Starry, I—."

"Just forget about it, okay?" He put a hoof on my shoulder. "The past is in the past."


***


The pegasus castle was an intimidating mountain of columns and archways towering over us. Its marble walls were so tall that an entire half of the cloud island was drowned in an ocean of shadows. It was a harrowing sight, but in its own way, it was also very elegant. Its terrifying fences and gates were all topped with long deadly spikes, but they were also embellished with artistic brass swirls and floral patterns.

When Starry and I had made our way to the main gate, a group of three heavily armored pegasi awaited us. 

"Princess Luna?" asked one of the guards in a deep monotone.

"Yes, We are Luna," I said regally, my muzzle turned upwards.

"And this is?" he asked, staring at me with a face as solid as his armor. I frowned and tried to hide Starry under my wing. 

"This is, uh... Our royal student!" I blurted out without thinking.

 The guard looked at me.He was a statue.

 "Do you not know about the royal student program?"

"No, I can't say that I do."

"We are shocked! It is traditional for us princesses to take a student every generation or so! We would assume somepony like yourself would have heard of such an ancient and important ritual! It is highly important to—"

 He cut me off. "Oh, of course! The student ritual! Yes, I know exactly what you are talking about. Now if you just follow my squad and I, we can show you to where you will be staying tonight." The guard then turned around with a noisy clanging and unlocked the oversized gold padlock that adorned the castle gate. They then marched into the downy white courtyard and toward the doors to the foyer.

The two of us were then led through the cavernous halls of the castle and to our chambers.

"Wow! This room is huge!" trumpeted Starry as he galloped into the tall rectangular living space.

"What are you talking about? it is not even as big as my room back home."

"Yeah, but it's bigger than I expected!" quipped Starry as if his words should be common knowledge.

"Alright big guy, calm down," I said as Starry plunked down onto one of the two princess-sized beds. "We have a big day tomorrow, so we should get some rest."

"What about your sister?" asked Starry, sounding concerned.

"She's probably just running late or something," I snapped. "I wouldn't be too worried about it. I'm sure she'll be here by morning."


*** 


"What, in all Equestria is the meaning of this?" spat Celestia, throwing a magazine onto the table in front of me. I glanced down at it, puzzled by my sister's sudden outburst of rage, but when my eyeballs reached the title, I was appalled by what I saw.

"’ROYAL MELTDOWN!’?" I screamed, reading the cover. "’Psycho princess blows her top and threatens to kill reporters!’?"

"Luna," moaned Celestia, sounding her age, "Why did you have to go and make things even worse?"

"Hey, they attacked me! What did you expect me to do, just stand there?"

"I don't know, maybe not threaten to murder them!" bellowed Celestia, rubbing her face in her hoof. 

I rolled my eyes. "First of all, I said smite, not murder."

"Look, those rats have been giving us bad press for weeks now; don't give them a reason to write more awful things."

"More? Up until today, I had no idea anypony was writing about us," I admitted.

"Well then, maybe I should enlighten you," she spat, throwing another magazine to the table.
 
"'Royal slob!’ ‘Princess Luna slacker!' How dare they?!"

"And it's not just you," said Celestia, pulling a third magazine out of a bag and hanging it in front of my face. 

"Wh-what!?" I sputtered, bursting out into a fit of intense laughter. 

Celestia jumped back, dropping the magazine. "And what exactly is so funny?!" cried Celestia, redness seeping from her cheeks.

"I-I'm sorry..." I said, gasping for air. "it is just that title!" I said, making a vague gesture to the glossy front page of the magazine. 

"Hey, don't make fun of me! It's not true!" whined Celestia, a bit like a foal with a dirty diaper.

"Oh, I know! it is just SO stupid!" I glanced down, once again, at the silly tabloid that lay on the ground. Shocker!!! Star Swirl and Celestia disappearing together for days! More information on their scandalous relationship on page 14!

"It's not stupid! It's insulting!" fumed Celestia.

"it is both!" I shouted, trying to fight off another bout of giggles. "Isn't he like, one hundred years old?"

"One hundred twelve..." replied Celestia meekly. I laughed again. "Stop it! Besides, we're older than he is!"

             "Yeah, but we don't look super old," I pointed out.

"Come on, Luna. That's a bit shallow, don't you think?"

"you are right; I am sorry. I just found it sort of strange, that's all." I sighed and sat down on the bed next to Starry, who was still sound asleep. 

"I haven't laughed like that in a while." I said, a twinge of nostalgia in my voice. "Do you remember when we were fillies and we used to pretend we were princesses?" I shook my head, a wistful smile on my face.

"Did you ever imagine it would be like this?" asked Celestia in a weak voice.

"What?"

"Being a princess."

"I don't know," I said shrugging."Did you?"

"No," she scoffed, shaking her head. "Call me naive, but I thought it was going to be just like in the story books." Celestia then strolled over to the bed and sat down on the other side of Starry Night. "He's cute," she said staring at the messy maned teen. I smiled, and brushed away the hair invading Starry's face. "So you said he was your student?"

 I winced, unprepared to defend my lie. "Yeah, so what?" I asked, crossing my forelegs. "If you can have one, why can't I?" 

"Calm down. It's okay; you're right." 

"I am?"

"Yes, go ahead. I think it's good that you to want to pass on your knowledge to somepony else." replied Celestia, an unusual air of casualness about her.

"Really?”

"Of course! Don't sound so surprised about it. However, I am a bit surprised by your choice..." Celestia looked back down at Starry's snoring body. "No offense, but male pegasi aren't typically princess material." As if on cue, Starry then rolled onto his back and began making a strange gurgling sound.

"I guess not," I said, giggling.


***


"Not to sound rude or anything, but dost thou mind telling us exactly why we are here?" I said, cutting through the awkward silence that hung over the banquet hall. 

"Well, excuse me for trying to be a good host!" snapped the King of Cloudsdale as he tapped his hoof against the table.

"Please excuse my sister," said Celestia, a nervous catch in her voice. 

A bit hurt, I threw her a venomous glare. 

"What she's trying to say, is we were both just a bit caught off guard by your sudden urgency to see us." She then gave a plastic smile that her eyes clearly did not agree with. 

"Oh, I understand," he grumbled. "Everything is business with you two." The king then sat up straight, causing his oversized chair to make an annoying squeaking sound. "If you're so keen on getting down to it—" 

"No!" In an out of character turn of events, Celestia frantically interrupted the king. "It's not that; we're just worried about you, that's all!"

"Unfortunately, Princess, I don't think it's me that you need to be worrying about, " said the king forebodingly.

"Is that so? Then would thou mind telling us whom we should be worried about?"

"Well, due to the recent negative press surrounding your highnesses, many important ponies, such as myself, have been growing more than a bit concerned as to the state of Equestria," said the king, his voice flowing with smooth dulcet tones. "That is to say, we fear that the ponies of Equestria are not getting proper guidance from a strong role model."

"What are you saying!?" stammered Celestia.

"Is it not obvious!?" I snapped. "He is implying that We do not deserve to be Princesses!"

"To put it bluntly, yes. We believe that you've been acting quite unprofessional as of late—" he turned toward me with a blank expression. "—especially you, Miss Luna."

"HOW DARE THOU INSULT OUR LEADERSHIP CAPACITY?!" I screamed, unleashing my bottled rage.

"You see, this is exactly what I'm talking about," said the king, fake sweetness coating his every word. "You just don't know how to control yourself."

"We could convict thou of treason for even suggesting such things!" I barked.

"Not in my city you won't," said the king, all sweetness vanishing from his voice. "You two may be the Princesses of Equestria, but the ponies around here are loyal to me."

"How dare you!" shouted Celestia, slamming her hooves against the thick table. 

The king let out a deafening cackle. "Oh well," said the king shrugging. "I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me with no choice." The king then waved his hoof gingerly and a stout figure appeared from the door behind him.

"You!" I scratched as I looked at the fat reporter that stood behind the table. I jumped to my hooves losing all control of myself. "We should obliterate thou right here and now, thy yellow-bellied snake!" 

"So I see you two have met," said the king, a smug grin growing across his face.

"That cretin wrote lies about us!" I growled. The reporter took a few steps back and ran a hoof through his greasy mane.

"That's because I told him to," said the king, his voice dagger-sharp. "And he will keep writing lies about you until I tell him to stop or you two get overthrown, whichever comes first. Do you understand me?"

"Dost thou think you can get away with this?!" I shouted, spreading my wings, ready to attack.

"No, it's alright Luna. I can handle this," muttered Celestia, her body quaking. She turned back to the pegasus king. "What do you want?"


*** 


"I can't believe you!" I fumed as we made our way back to our chambers.

"There was nothing else we could have done!" admitted Celestia.

"We could have had his head cut off!" I snarled.

 Celestia laughed a humorless laugh. "No matter how appealing that sounds, I'm afraid it would be impossible."

"What are you talking about! We can do anything we want!"

"Yes, technically that is true," said Celestia weakly. "But you heard what that moron said; the ponies of Cloudsdale adore him. If we were to have him executed, there would be revolutionaries at our doorstep within the day! Not to mention he has plenty of competent guards who are much more loyal to him than they are to us"

"I suppose you are right," I said, letting out a long sigh.

             "Besides, you don't want to stoop down to his level, do you?"

              "I just wish there was more that I could have done."

"Sometimes you just have give ponies what they want in life," replied Celestia, welcome optimism in her voice.

"Yes, but, he wanted a lot." 

"It wasn't all that much, he just asked for the area between the San Palomino Desert and White Tail Wood," 

"Oh, and do not forget he also asked for unrestricted air travel all across Equestria!" I reminded her.

"They fly wherever they want to anyway; it's not like we can stop them. No, what I'm worried about is what he's going to ask for next time."

"What do you mean next time?" I asked, stopping in front of the door.

"You think this is the end of it? He's going to keep coming after us as long as he has something to hold over our heads." 

“I did not think about that,” I said as I trotted into our room. 

"Well, you should rest up. The king is going to force us to make an official statement before we can leave, so make sure you're not too tired." 

"Thanks," I said, curling up under the bed's cream colored blanket. "I think out of all the rights we gave the ponies of Equestria, the only one I regret is freedom of the press." 

Celestia let out a hearty laugh.


***


The next morning, Celestia and I woke up early so we could make an official statement about the deal with the king. However, when the guards came to get us, they told me that they only needed Celestia. 

"Typical," I scoffed as Celestia trotted out the door.

"Look, I know it's annoying, but it's going to be over soon. Go blow off some steam or something," suggested Celestia as she dashed around our chambers.

"How?" 

"I don't know! Go out with your student or something." cried Celestia as she prepared to leave.

"His name is Starry," I mumbled as Celestia slid out the door.


***


 "Great!” I shouted, kicking over one of our chairs.

"What's wrong, Mom?" asked Starry, lifting his head from a gentle sleep.

"Nothing," I grumbled. "Just life." 

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You know what," I said, getting an idea. "I think you can." I jumped from the bed and looked down at Starry. "How does a tour around Cloudsdale sound?"

"Are you kidding me?" shouted Starry, beaming. "I'd love to!"

"Great!" I said, whisking Starry off his hooves and and out the door.

I flew Starry all over Cloudsdale to show him the sights of the massive city while also doing my best to avoid being seen. I did not want to draw any attention to myself, especially after what just happened with the king. Despite my nerves, I was ecstatic to see how happy it made Starry to get out of that prison cell and trot the streets. I could see Starry's eyes fill up with wonder as I showed him the laboratories and factories that create the weather of Equestria, and to me that was the greatest thing in the world. Unfortunately, even when things seem to be getting better, sometimes the unkindness of others drags you right back down to the bottom.


***


“This is insane!" bellowed Starry as he galloped down the fluffy streets, gawking at a tall factory building.

"Slow down, honey!" I cried, my voice wavering.

"Oh I'll be fine; stop worrying!" groaned Starry.

"No, it is not that," I said flying up to Starry, holding my cloak tightly to my body. "I just don't want anypony to recognize me."

"Oh, sorry," said Starry, leaning up against my body.

"it is alright, Starry; I just get the sense that I'm not really wanted around here." I sighed and shook my head. "Anyway, that right there," I pointed at the building, its towering smokestacks belching out huge blobs of gray clouds. "That is where they make thunder clouds. it is where all the rain in Equestria comes from." 

"I still can’t believe that it all comes from this one place."

"Well, the pegasi here work day and night to make sure that every single raindrop is ready to be shipped off to water the crops that provide all of us with food."

"Cool! Can we go inside?" pleaded Starry.

"We could, but it is almost time to go back. If we did, there would be no time to show you where they make all of the snowflakes," I teased. 

Starry whipped around and looked me dead in the eyes. "Why didn't you say so earlier? Let's go!"

"Of course, my darling," I said, giggling at Starry's enthusiasm.

 I then turned and began to fly in the direction of the snowflake lab, but before I had gotten too far, I heard the call of an unfamiliar voice.

"What do we have here?" It said in a low rumble.

 I looked back only to see a small pack of teenage stallions surrounding Starry. 

"It looks to me like somepony's lost their foal," said the muscular red pony that was leading the pack. 

"Who, me?" asked Starry, his eyes darting between the three stallions.

"Oooh, it can talk!" jeered one of the other stallions. 

"Of course I can talk. Why wouldn't I be able to?" 

"Hey little guy! Where's your mommy?" asked the third pony, prompting cries of uproarious laughter from the other two.

"Hey guys, I don't want any trouble," said Starry, a helpless sheep in the presence of wolves. "So if you'll excuse me..." Starry tried to back away, but the big red one stopped him with a single hoof.

"Aw, come on! We just met. What's the rush?"

"Well you see, my mother is waiting for me, and it's getting late so—"

"Oh come on, mama's colt. Live a little!" The big stallion then ruffled Starry's mane and gave him a rough slap on the back. Starry backed up again, but this time he knocked into the hulking wall of bodies that the other two had formed.

 I could not stand seeing Starry abused like that. I landed to see if I could chase the stallions off, but for some reason I could not move. It was like my hooves had turned to glue. Every time I tried to will myself into moving, my body rebelled.

"Hey, look at this! He doesn't even have a cutie mark!" mocked one of the ponies, inciting more disgusting snickering. 

"You're kidding me, that's PATHETIC!" jeered the fiery red pony. I winced at the poison in his voice, my heart pounding within my chest.

"Come on guys, this isn't cool," said Starry, frightened. "Please, just leave me alone, and I'll get out of your manes." 

"So, blank flank, what's you're name?" asked the molten pelted pegasus. 

"My name is Starry Night, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me a... whatever it is you just called me!"

 My jaw dropped. Only now did I realize I never told Starry about finding his destiny. I'm so stupid! I thought, burying my face in my hooves. How could I have forgotten?! Why can't I do ANYTHING right? 

"So, Starry Night, let me ask you: do you even know what a cutie mark is?" questioned the bully, continuing the interrogation.

"Kinda..." mumbled Starry almost silently.

"’Kinda’? How can you only ‘kinda’ know what a cutie mark is!?" blurted out one of the other pegasi, chuckling. Starry once again tried to escape, but was thrown back into the middle of the three bullies. 

"Well, what is it? Do you know what a cutie mark is or not?"

"Okay, I have no idea! Happy now?" The trio broke into laughter again, this time even harder than before. Starry didn't even try to escape anymore, he just crumpled to the ground and covered his head with his hooves.

 I tried to close my eyes, but I could still hear the incessant laughter of the pegasi ringing in my ears. Eventually, it became too much for me to to handle. All of my frozen appendages shot back to life, and before I even knew what was happening, I felt myself launch into the air. 

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" I boomed ripping my cloak from my body. "AWAY, VILE CREATURES! LEAVE US ALONE BEFORE WE ARE FORCED TO DO SOMETHING WE REGRET!" I then let out a spectacular show of light from my horn, causing the horrified pack of bullies to scramble away in random directions. I continued the frightening display until I could no longer hear their screams, then fell out of the air and crashed to the ground at Starry's side.

 Starry sat there next to me for a minute staring up at the sky, catatonic. After a few moments that felt like forever, a small whimper broke the silence and a single tear rolled down Starry's cheek.

 "I am so sorry," I said, trying to fight back my own emotions.

 Starry turned his head and looked at me, a deep sorrow filling his big eyes. 

"I should have come earlier... I do not know what came over me.” I moaned, losing all control over myself. Guilt and shame filled my mind and I had to let it all out. So I cried. I cried harder than I ever had before. "I am such a fool!" I screamed, snot running down my muzzle. 

"Shut up," mumbled Starry, edging closer to me.

"What?"

"I said shut up!" shouted Starry as he ensnared me in a tight, warm hug. I was surprised, but I hugged back. We held each other like that until the last sliver of the sun passed below the horizon. We had gotten so wrapped up in the moment, I almost forgot about raising the moon. 

That night, I met back up with Celestia. She told me that the order they made her sign was excruciating. According to her, the king added more and more conditions to it until she would sign it. I was angry. If I had been there, maybe things would have been different.

 After that, we decided to go home, so we got back into our separate chariots and left.


***


"So you get your cutie mark when you find out what you're supposed to do in life?" asked Starry as we flew back to the castle.

"Basically, it is sort of like your special talent. You know, the thing that makes you different."

"Why were those stallions making fun of me for not having one?"

 I sighed. It was a difficult question mainly because I still wasn't sure myself. "Well, for one thing, most ponies have their cutie marks by the time they are your age."

"But why is that a reason to make fun of me? I don't get it." 

"I do not get it either, honey. There are ponies in this world who enjoy picking on anypony they think is different. Sometimes ponies are miserable or insecure about themselves and try to take it out on others. Do not worry about it. You should not let what other ponies say get to you." I sighed and shook my head. "Besides, the term 'blank flank' has been around since the beginning of time."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." I said nuzzling Starry's neck.

"Stop it!" cried Starry, giggling at my touch.

"I remember when I was your age. Most of the other little ponies had already gotten their cutie marks years ago. Everypony else already knew exactly what they wanted to do in life, but I was just that strange filly who liked to stay out late and talk to animals."

"Were you ever made fun of?" asked Starry Night, his voice a tiny squeak.

 I smiled and couldn't help but laugh a little as I reminisced on those long past days. "All the time! They would call me weird and creepy, they would laugh at me when I fell asleep in school, they would make fun of me for being a shut-in, and most of all, they would call me a 'blank flank'."

"But you're a princess," Starry interjected. "They can't do that!" 

"Not back then I was not." I started to chuckle a bit. "That does not  mean Celestia did not act like I was a princess. She was always my knight in shining armor, coming to save me from the mean bullies. Even if they were older and stronger than her, she never backed down. That is Celestia for you. Always trying to give a voice to those that have none."

 I stood up in my seat and looked out of the chariot. There was not much left of the moon that night, just a thin crescent surrounded by thousands of tiny white pinpricks. 

"What happened to you two?" asked Starry, his voice a knife cutting through the heavy silence.

"She says it is the job." I sniffled a bit from the cold and a slight shiver went up my spine.

"And what do you think?"

"I do not know, Starry. All I know is that yesterday was the first day I had an actual conversation with her in more than a century."

"You two are sisters; I am sure it will get better," chimed Starry optimistically.

"I hope so too, my darling."


***


From there, the rest of the year was business as usual. Starry, Midnight, and I had gotten back into our normal rhythm and, for the most part, nothing interesting happened, except of course the protests. 

After our controversial meeting with The King of Cloudsdale, the public would not leave us alone, annoying tabloid newspapers or not. Ponies all over Equestria were protesting Celestia's rule, but for the most part she was able to quell their hatred with her words. 

I, on the other hoof, was hit hard. Because of a combination of my bad speaking skills and my more intimidating appearance, the ponies did not trust me the way they did Celestia. To protest my reign, ponies started started to sleep through my night instead of taking naps like I did. Many of them even tried to get night outlawed altogether. 

Things kept on going like that until Starry's seventeenth birthday.


***


"Well, Starry, how does it feel to be seventeen?" chimed Midnight, pride filling his voice.

"Exactly the same as being sixteen and eleven moons," replied Starry playfully, a wide grin on his chiseled face. Midnight laughed a deep hearty laugh and ruffled Starry's mane. Starry tried to pull away, but Midnight grabbed him and drew him in for a full noogie. "Come on Midnight, give me a break!" 

"Alright, I'm sorry. I'm just proud of you." 

"Settle down, boys." I said picking up a large plate. "it is time for cake!"

"I don't know about you two, but this is my favorite part!" bellowed Midnight, cracking another booming laugh.

 As we ate cake, I could not take my eyes off of Starry. He had grown so much so fast. Although his messy black mane remained the same, it was almost like he was a completely different pegasus than the one I had found seventeen years before. His once soft and rounded face had evolved into one of a strong stallion. His legs used to be awkwardly short and disproportionate, and his body was pudgy and small. His legs were now muscular and defined and his body was like a large barrel. I marveled every time I saw his big blue chest rise and fall, a tidal wave of fur.

 However, more than anything, I was impressed by his wings. What used to only be tiny and unusable appendages had become grand umbrellas, their giant shiny flight feathers stretching several feet each. 

I was a bit sad knowing that I would have to watch the one I love grow up, but that could not overcome the intense feeling of pride I had for not only Starry but myself as well. You did it, Luna, I thought. You raised a foal all the way to a stallion. All those nights of sadness and worry did not mean anything to me anymore because I made it. 

I looked up, and before I knew it, we were done with cake and moved on to the most important part of the anniversary. 

"Alright buddy, it's time to see if the helmet fits,” said Midnight rubbing his fore hoofs together.

"Could you just start training me already? I'm never going to have your fat head!" moaned Starry as he gave Midnight a light shove with his body.

"If you keep talking like that, you're going to have a fat lip," joked Midnight, elbowing Starry in the ribs. 

"I'm sure I will," replied Starry as he grabbed the golden guard's helmet from the closet and blew the dust from it. "Been a while since I've tried this."

"Well, go on! don't keep us waiting!"

"Calm down, I'm doing it," assured Starry as he began to lower it onto himself. "Here's hoping." And with one quick downward movement, Starry squeezed the helmet snugly upon his head.

"You did it!" I cried, grabbing Starry for a big hug.

"Mom, I didn't DO anything! I just put the thing on."

"Well I'll be," mused Midnight, running a hoof through his graying mane. "You beat me."

"What do you mean I beat you?" wheezed Starry, his lungs being crushed by my hug.

"When I was a colt, my father gave me that helmet and made me the same promise. I was a late bloomer like you, so I didn't fit into it until I was nineteen. That means you beat me by two years."

 Starry lightly pushed me away and trotted over to Midnight. "Thank you," he said, giving Midnight a light hug. "It's an honor that you would give this to me and even more of an honor that you want to train me."

"It's no problem, son," he replied, hugging back. "How does next week sound? To start training, I mean."

"That sounds wonderful!" said Starry, light gleaming off of his new helmet. I smiled. He looked like he was born to wear it.


> Part V "How Far We Have Come"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Part V 


"How Far We Have Come."


"Hey, Mom," called Starry as he trotted through the door, adorned in golden armor.

"Greetings, sweet heart. How was your first day of training?" I inquired. From the moment Starry had put that helmet on, he could not stop talking about training.

"It was hard," replied Starry with a loud groan.

“Yes but, not bad, right?" I galloped over to Starry, who was now shaking the armor off his body.

"Are you kidding me? It was great!" shouted Starry as he flopped his hefty body onto the bed. He then yawned a deep yawn and curled himself into a familiar ball shape.

"Yeah, he did well," said Midnight, who was now standing in the doorway.

"Really? Starry, I am so proud of you!" I chimed while clapping my hooves together. 

"Truth is, he gave the other stallions a real run for their money," admitted Midnight. "That pegasus can imitate any maneuver you show him and throw it right back at you."

"Thanks. For some reason, I feel like I'm doing what I was born to do," muttered Starry as he began to drift off into sleep.

"I'm telling you, he's going to take my job," whispered Midnight.

"Are you sure you are not rushing this a bit? I mean to say, he just started." 

"He's got the right attitude, and that will take you miles farther than brains or brawn alone. It's going to be a tough road, no doubt, but I have faith in him."

"And I have faith in both of you," I said, giving Midnight a firm slap on the back. 

"Uh… can we take this outside?" asked Midnight glancing over at Starry. "I want to talk with you, in private."

"Sure, I guess," I said, pulling myself from in front of the coffee table.



***



"So what do you want to talk about?" I asked, kicking at the wet dirt of the Everfree Forest.

"Honestly, I don't know," said Midnight, stopping in the middle of the path. He let out a soft grunting sound and stared off into the starry sky. "I'm just afraid." 

"What?" I cried, whipping my head back.

"I know; I don't really look like the kind a pony who gets scared. But all this insane political turmoil, I just don't understand it." Midnight shook his head and turned toward me. "Look, when my father gave me that helmet and I became a royal guard, I vowed to devotedly protect the ponies of Equestria with my life. And I have been doing that for forty years now.

“I've worked almost my entire life trying to protect and better the nation that I love, but now it feels like everything I've tried to work for, everything I have achieved, is crumbling away in front of my eyes. 

“I'm fifty-eight years old now, and I'm not getting any younger. The ponies of Equestria don't like me, and my own soldiers think I'm an old fart.

“I think what I'm getting at is, despite my important position and so called power, I feel useless." Midnight slammed his hoof against the ground and made a quiet snort. "I feel like something big is going to happen soon, but I know all I can do is stand by and watch..." Midnight trailed off, and then dropped to sitting position on the ground.

I sat down a few feet beside him, for some reason my eyes could not meet his. It was like they were two same side magnets, always pushing each other away just as they got close. "Why are you telling me this?" 

"Because I remember when you trusted me with your deepest secret all those years ago, about Starry and all, so I thought it was about time I returned the favor." 

"I am sorry, but I do not know what I can do to help," I said putting a hoof on Midnight’s back.

"You can listen, and that's more than most ponies would ever care to do."

Neither of us said anything for a while. Time stopped moving forward and instead drifted away like smoke from a camp fire. I looked around at the gnarled trees of the dark forest, and watched as a small squirrel-like creature skittered across the ground. I closed my eyes for a moment and listened to the birds chirp and the wind blow through the forest. It was a calm night, serene even. I had no idea how anypony could hate a night as beautiful as that.

 As I sat, I began to doze off for a minute, but I was then promptly woken up by a small drop of water falling from the overgrowth and splattering on my muzzle.

 "Luna, will you promise me something?" asked Midnight, his voice a deep monotone.

"Of course, what is it?"

"Will you promise to remember me?"

"Why would I not remember you?" I asked, a small frog crawling into my throat.

"Time passes, and someday I'm going to die. But you'll still be around. You're going to keep living thousands of years, even after nopony else remembers me, you will." Midnight stopped for a moment and laughed a humorless laugh. "When I think about it, that's all anypony really wants, to be remembered. That way you live on even after your body has rotted away."

 I looked at Midnight, unable to say a word. 

Many nights I have sat alone thinking about the ponies I've met, knowing that someday I would have to let go of every single one of them. It was heart rending becoming attached to somepony, and then in a blink of an eye, losing them.

 There are so many faces that swirl through my head and so many long since forgotten names. The only thing that had ever been consistent in my life was Celestia. She was the one who made the years pass by, the only one who could ease the pain. But it had gotten to a point where even she, my own sister, was not there for me.

"You do not have to worry about that," I said, giving Midnight a warm smile. "I am sure Starry and I will remember you for the rest of our lives."

"Yeah, that kid is a special one,” replied Midnight as he shook his head. “By the way, it's beautiful out here. On nights like these I pity the idiots who lock themselves in their houses."

"Thanks," I said trying not to blush. "And do not worry about the situation with Equestria. I am sure it will all be fine."


***


After that, we had to start forming a new routine because of Starry's odd training schedule, but it was not that bad. Starry would go to training in the morning with Midnight most days, but sometimes he would also leave in the afternoon for extra lessons. 

His first week of training went almost entirely smoothly, and I got no bad reports from Midnight. However, that quickly changed. Soon I began getting more and more frequent reports of Starry having trouble behaving with the other stallions. This worried me because he had always been such a gentlecolt. I could not imagine him getting in fights with anypony, even if he was provoked. One day, Starry came home after having a particularly intense fight with one of the other recruits. 


***


"Starry, are you alright?" I asked as I watched him sulk in the corner of our room. 

"I'm fine!" snapped Starry, turning away and flipping his mane back in front of his eyes.

"Starry, look at me!" I commanded. "You are not 'fine'. Now tell me what happened or I will go and ask Midnight." I began to stand up.

"No!" he squeaked, jumping from his seat and onto the floor. 

I stopped and looked at Starry, fake impatience on my face.

He coughed and looked around the room. "I mean... I think we should talk about it first."

"Okay," I said, using my magic to pull up an extra chair. "Now. What happened?" 

Starry bit his lip and looked at the floor. 

"It is okay; I will not be mad."

Starry sighed. "I got into another fight today. It was a bad one."

"Starry, again?" I scolded as I pulled his mane from in front of his face. He had a black eye.

"He started it,” Starry mumbled.

"That is no excuse to start beating on ponies!” 

"He called you an awful princess, and then when I tried to reason with him, he said my opinion didn’t matter because I was just a blank flank nopony."

"I do not care what he said; what you did was not right!" I lectured, pulling Starry’s face up to look at mine.

"I know. I just get SO angry sometimes, and I try to talk about it, but everything comes out wrong."

"it is okay, honey. I know." I said, giving Starry a gentle rub.

"I feel like it's impossible to control myself sometimes. Like I'm some sort of monster pretending to be a pony."

"I know exactly what that is like, but whenever you feel you are getting out of control, remember that you are your own pony. Remember that nopony else has power over what you do. it is your choice whether you blow up or not."

"That's the thing. When I get like that, I don't feel like it IS me." 

"If you ever feel like that, just take a deep breath, and think about something you love."

"Okay," said Starry, a faint smile on his face. "Besides I'd better clean up my act. Midnight even told me the only reason I haven't been kicked out yet is because he's been giving me special treatment."


***


From that moment on, Starry tried his best to control his anger, and aside for the occasional verbal fencing match, he did well. 

One night he told me that he had to use my technique to control himself; he said that when he took a deep breath, the only thing he could think about was me.

The next month or so was strange. I was not able to see Starry for the long hours that I was used to, but I did not mind because he loved what he was doing. It was probably for the best anyway; I had a lot of work to do. And for the first time in years, I did not feel like the work I was doing was tedious. 

Every time Starry came home with a smile on his face, I knew that what I was doing was right. One night, he came back even more excited than usual. Little did I know, what he had in store would be some of the best and the worst news I would ever hear.


***


"Mom! Mom! Mom!" shouted Starry as he came bursting through the door.

"What is it honey?" I cried, dropping the fork I was levitating. 

"I did It!"

"Did what?"

"Midnight said I passed basic training!"

"What?! You did!? Starry that is wonderful!" I said running over to him for a hug.

"That means I get to go on to go on to advanced flight school in Timbucktu!"

"What?" I screamed, stopping dead in my tracks.

"What's wrong?" asked Starry, the smile disappearing from his face.

"I am sorry… I just did not think you would have to go that far away."

"I'm afraid it can't be helped," grumbled Midnight as he trotted into the room. 

"Midnight! Where were you?" shouted Starry giving him a firm jab in the side.

"Sorry, I was finishing up with the older stallions."

"So what's all this about going to Timbucktu?" I asked, throwing Midnight an intense glare.

"That's where the premier flight school in Equestria is. If you want Starry to get the proper training, that's where you're going to have to send him."

"Can't he go to Cloudsdale Academy? At least that's not too far away." 

Midnight chuckled. "Only Wonderbolts and weather ponies go to Cloudsdale Academy. If you want a soldier, you have to go to Timbucktu."

"I do not want a soldier; I want a son. Besides, is he not already a soldier? He finished basic." 

Midnight's face grew sullen and he glanced over at Starry. “Yes, that's true," he whispered. "But I don't think you understand. Not everypony gets to be a real guard. The guards around here, they're all just a show of power. The only thing they're good for is telling other countries how strong we are. That's what happens to ponies who only finish basic. Is that what you want for Starry?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but no words came out. I could not imagine how heartbroken Starry would be if he found out that his dream of being a powerful royal weapon turned out to be a job as a glorified servant. 

"I do not know,"

"Alright, fair enough," said Midnight with a great sigh. "But before you make a decision, I need to show you something." Midnight walked over to Starry and whispered something into his ear.

"Is it time to show her yet?" questioned Starry, bouncing on the bed. Midnight nodded and gave a small smile. "Alright, are you ready, Mom?" 

"Ready for what?"

"Just watch," assured Starry as he began to take off his armor. 

I was confused for a moment as to what he was doing, but as soon as he took of his chest plate and reviled his flank underneath, I almost fell over.

"Starry, th-that's amazing... I do not know what to say!"

 Starry had a cutie mark, and not just any cutie mark. He had one of the most beautiful cutie marks I have seen in the thousands of years I have lived. Emblazoned on his flank were twenty-eight bright and shining stars. They were unlike anything I had ever seen; they shimmered and sparkled as if emanating their own light. The tiny dots all aligned, connected by faint shimmery lines, in the shape of a shield with an image of a moon overlaying the sun in its center.

"I am so proud of you," I muttered, tears flowing from my eyes. 

"Oh Mom, don't cry!" said Starry trotting over to comfort me.

"No, it is okay; I am happy," I said, giving a shaky smile. I looked back at Starry’s cutie mark and noticed something I had never seen before. It shimmered as he moved almost like small shards of diamonds were embedded beneath the skin. “it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

"Aw, that can't be true," said Starry, his face turning a few shades darker. "I mean, you own a mirror, don't you?”

 I thought about what he said or a second then burst out into a fit of giggles. "Oh stop it!" I said, a huge grin on my face. "I am telling you, you are going to be a real mare killer some day."

"Alright, alright, heartwarming family moments aside, you know what this means, right?" groaned Midnight.

"That my son is even more amazing than I thought?"

"No," replied Midnight, putting his hoof in his face. "It means this is what he's meant to do!" Midnight then showed off his own cutie mark: a white and gold copy of the sun and moon cutie image from Starry’s mark. "Do you really want to take that away from him?" 

 I sighed and wiped the tears from my face. "I suppose not... But I am going to miss you very much." I grabbed Starry for a big hug and began to cry again.

"I'll miss you too, Mom," he hugged back, almost crushing me with his powerful adult body. "It's all going to be alright."

"I love you Starry!"

"I know, Mom; I love you too. I Always have, and I'm not stopping now."                                                                                                                                                                                             


***


The following day was filled entirely with packing and getting ready. Starry, Midnight and I galloped around trying to find our things. We made sure to double check that Starry would have everything he needed, but for some reason I still had a bad feeling, like we were forgetting something. 

That night I could not help but think about how far we have come. I was nervous to say goodbye but I knew I had to let go someday. So when the time came, I gave Starry a kiss and made sure to remind him to write.

 After that, everything was extremely quiet. With Starry gone, Midnight did not really have a reason to spend time with me, so I was mostly alone. It was not quite as bad as I thought it would be, at least not at first. I would take moonlit strolls and talk to the animals as a way to pass the time. I also did a lot of reading; I tried to learn as much as I could about some of the current politics that I had been missing out on while taking care of Starry. However, eventually being alone did start to bother me again, starting one dark and rainy evening four weeks after Starry's departure.


***



I took a deep breath as I felt the light rainfall on my wings. I always loved the feeling of flying in the rain. It was refreshing. Celestia would tell me it was dangerous, but I never listened. 

I was not sure where I was flying to, but at least all of the silence gave me time to think.

Looking back on my life, becoming a mother was never something I was really interested in. I guess I shoved the idea out of my mind because I was too afraid of forming attachments to other ponies. I did not want to watch the ones I love fade away. 

Thunder boomed in the distance as I dove closer to the ground. I flapped my wings harder and felt the small droplets of water shatter on my face as I picked up speed. I did not typically enjoy flying fast, but I did like to feel the rush every once in awhile.

In my younger days, I did try my hoof at romance, but it never worked out the way I wanted. Maybe my expectations were too high; maybe everypony else was just too afraid of my position to get close to me.

As I continued to fly, I ended up over a large grassy field. It was hard to see in the dark, but I could have sworn that I caught a glimpse of a small village.

I turned my head and stopped abruptly. I didn’t know there was civilization all the way out here, I thought as I stared into the blackness behind me. For some reason, my curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to fly back to where I had seen the houses. 

There wasn’t much in it, but it was there, a small farming town in the middle of nowhere. It was strange; usually whenever a new town is created, Celestia and I are informed about it. What was even more strange was that no one was outside. Back then, most farmers worked around the clock and took short naps to make the most of the whole day, but on that night everything was quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the rain pounding against the dirt.

I flew down to examine the place, but everything was dark. Not a single light was on in the entire village. I trotted my way through the empty streets and looked for some sort of activity. There was no one in the town and no one in the fields. 

After a long stretch of dirt road, there were a few more houses. As I expected, they were mostly dark. However, there was one light on in the very last house on the street.

I trotted up to the tiny house, and to my surprise, on the porch was a little filly sitting in a chair.

“Hello there little one,” I said, stepping into the light.

“Howdy!” squeaked the child, rocking back and forth in the chair.

“What are you doing out here all alone?” I asked, climbing up the porch's creaky steps.

“The others are all asleep.”

“Why is that?”

“They’re waitin’ fur the day. That’s when they start tendin’ to the crops,” said the filly, pulling her cream colored mane from in front of her eyes.

“Why not now? There’s plenty of time to do it during the night.”

“They say the night is no good. Too dark, ya know?” 
        
        My heart sank. Is that really what ponies thought of my night? “Really? Then why are you out here?”

“I like it.” The filly smiled a wide toothy smile.

“Really?”

“Yeah, ah course I do. Don’t tell my papa I said that.” The filly then rolled over in the chair, leaving her in an uncomfortable upside down position. 

I giggled. “My lips are sealed.” I did not really know what to say, so instead, I tapped my hoof on the rotting wood of the deck. “So… what is your name?”

“My name? It’s Golden Straw. I never really liked it too much though.”

“I think it fits you, very happy.” I said as I sat down next to the filly.

“Thanks.”

 “My name is Luna.”

“What!? As in Princess Luna?” cried Golden Straw, standing up in her chair.

“The one and only.”

“Wow! I’ve always wanted to meet a princess! My papa doesn't like you, but I think he’s just fulla hay,” beamed the filly, wide-eyed and grinning.

“Why doesn't your father like me?” I asked, fearing the answer.

“I don know. He spouts a lot of hooey about you not caring ‘bout us.”

“That’s not true!” I shouted, my blood beginning to boil inside me.

“That’s what I keep tellin’ ‘em. But he goes to those dumb old protests anyway!”

“What protests?!” I said, taken aback.

“I don—” Just then the door to the house swung open.

“What’s goin’ on out here!” screamed a voice.

“Oh no! It’s my papa!” said Golden Straw as a large figure appeared from the door.

“Who the hay are you?!” said the figure, bursting out into the pouring rain.

“Sir I—”

“AND WHAT UR YOU DOIN’ WITH MY DAUGHTER?”

“Nothi—”

“Wait a minute! You’re that Princess Luna, ain't cha?” he yelled, stepping a bit closer to me.

“Calm down, sir; I mean no harm!” I insisted in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

“It’s true, Papa; she ain’t hurtin’ nothin’,” cried Golden Straw as she hopped up from her chair and between the two of us.

“Shut up! I ain’t talkin’ to you!” shouted the Stallion, grabbing Golden Straw by the mane.

“Papa please!” squealed Golden Straw, kicking around in a desperate attempt at escape.

“Get yer flank back in the house right now, little missy!” commanded the burly earth pony.

“But, Papa!” 

“Get inside before I clobber you!” Golden Straw’s father then shoved her inside, and before she could even complain, he slammed the wooden door shut so hard I could feel the whole house shake. “How dare you come here and disrupt my family’s life!” he shouted, turning toward me again.

“I promise that was not my intention! I was just curious as to why nopony was outside on a night as fine as this.”

“And that’s another thing.” The stallion took a few steps closer and hacked a huge wad of spit on the ground in front of me. “How dare ya take away the daytime we love just to replace it with your own selfish image!"

"Selfish!? How dare thee!" I retorted, taking up my Royal Canterlot Voice. "We slave over creating a night sky that thy would love every single night, but this is how thy thanks Us? We hardly think that We could be called the selfish one!”

"Yeah? Well we don’t need ya tellin’ us what we want!" shouted the stallion as he picked up a small stone from the ground. “If you wanna do what we want, just leave! None uh us want you here in the first place.”

“I’m sorry I—” Just then, as I was trying to defend myself, the stallion hurled the rock at me. “OW!” I shrieked, feeling the sting of the rock smashing against my chest.

“Why don’t ya’ll just do us a favor and never show your face, or your useless night, in Equestria ever again!” he screamed, picking up another rock.

 I wasn’t really sure what to do, so I tried to reason with him, but no matter what I said, he just kept pelting me with whatever small objects he could find. At first, it was only little stings which were tolerable, but the more I tried to say to the stallion, the worse it got. Eventually, even I had to reach my breaking point, and that came in the form of a glass bottle.

I screamed as the thick glass of the bottle shattered and dug itself into my left side. I was in shock for a few moments, but as soon as I came to my senses, I was angry.

"How DARE thee!" I boomed, slamming my hooves against the ground. "We shall NOT stand for this!" I then lost control for a moment and let out a powerful concussive wave from my horn, causing the large stallion to be thrown back into the door at great speed. Thankfully, the blast wasn’t strong enough to knock the house down, but it certainly threw the stallion for a loop.

“You’re a monster!” he groaned as he gasped for breath

"WE ARE NOT A MONSTER!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, lightning cracking the sky.

Suddenly, I felt weak, but I knew I had to leave, so I hobbled out into the street. I looked at the sky and felt the rain drench my face. It was coming down even harder than before. 

I took a deep breath and jumped into the air, flapping hard to escape that town. The rain and darkness made for a long journey home, but I was able to make it back to the castle by the time the first rays of my sister’s sun appeared over the horizon.

As soon as I made it into my room, I flopped down on my bed and took a nice long rest. Just before I fell asleep, however, I felt something strange. It was like some sort of dark force was trying to worm its way inside of me.


***


After that night, I did not really know what to do anymore, so I just sat around in my room. I canceled all my meetings and ignored all of my visitors. The only thing I would do was look out the window and listen to the silence of the night.

 The one thing that would give me comfort were the occasional letters from Starry Night. Apparently flight school was rough, and they almost never let him mail anything. That did not stop Starry, though; he always found a way to get something to me every once in awhile. Most of the letters were just updates on how he was doing and how much he missed me, but every so often he would send me an interesting story. 

My personal favorite was the story of when a cadet tried to prank the drill instructor by dumping purple paint on his head. I could not help but laugh at the thought of a muscular drill sergeant soaked in a big purple blob.

Believe it or not, those were the things that kept me going. Those short messages were the candles in the dark that guided my way.

I powered through the next few months, and for the most part, things weren’t too bad. Until the day everything fell apart.


*** 


"LUNA!" screamed Midnight's voice, shocking me awake.

"What!" I moaned, clutching my pillow to my face.

"It's an emergency! I need to talk to you right now!"

"Can it not wait another hour?" I groaned.

"Listen to me, Luna; this is a matter of life and death. Please let me in right now!" demanded Midnight.

 I sighed. "Alright.” I dragged myself from the bed and creaked open the door. "What is it?" 

Midnight slapped a hoof over my mouth. "What I want you to do right now is listen. Do you understand?" whispered Midnight. I nodded. "Timbucktu is under attack, and Starry Night might be in danger." 

"Wha—" I tried to shout, but Midnight silenced me once again. 

"I need you to stay calm, alright?" I nodded again this time much more vigorously. "From the reports that are coming in, all we can tell is that Timbucktu is in danger, and King Orion has been taken hostage." Midnight relaxed and removed his hoof from my mouth. “Now what I'm going to do is bring a small party of my finest stallions and we’re going to see how many ponies we can save."

"But you are an earth pony! How are you going to walk?"

"It will be fine; I'll get one of the unicorns to cast a cloudwalking spell on me." Midnight looked me right in the eyes again, his muzzle only a hoof's length away. "I have to do this myself. If anything were to happen to Starry, I'd be to blame."

"Can I at least go with you?" I pleaded.

"We don't know who or what is doing the attacking; I don't think we should risk you getting hurt. Besides, Celestia said that—”

"I DO NOT CARE what Celestia has to say!" I shouted, interrupting Midnight.

"Okay, then listen to what I have to say: Starry is already in danger. I don’t think I’d be able to handle it if you both got hurt.”

"Then what am I supposed to do, sit around here like a fool?" I cried, frustrated by my constant uselessness.

"No, just wish me luck,” said Midnight laying a hoof on my shoulder.

 I sighed and hung my head low. "Okay, I'll try."

That was the one decision I regret the very most. Because maybe if I had been there, I could have been able to make things different.


> Part VI "A Nice Night To Die"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Part VI


"A nice night to die"


That night I paced the floor of my room until I could feel myself making a rut in the flooring. I tried not to think about Starry. I told myself everything would be alright, but no matter how hard I tried I could not believe it.

Finally after hours of waiting, there was another knock at the door.

 "GO AWAY!" I shouted, smothering myself with a pillow.

"Luna, it is okay; open the door," called the smooth voice of my sister. 

Every muscle froze. She had not even tried talking to me since Cloudsdale. "What do you want?" I mumbled, moving over to the door at a snail’s trot. 

"I know what Is going on, and I am sorry," she replied, her voice quivering.

"I do not care. I do not want to speak to you.”

"Then you do not have to speak to me. Listen to me." 

There was a long pause as I pondered what to do. I was one step away from the edge, and at the time Celestia was only pushing me closer.

 "Okay," I muttered as I pressed my face against the door.

"I know what you're going through right now. I have gotten attached to many of my own students, and whenever they got in trouble, I felt like it was my fault." 

My ears perked up and my eyes opened wide. Is she trying to comfort me?

 "But you listen to me right now; this is by no means your fault! Do not blame yourself... Please." Celestia's voice had swung from boisterous and commanding to small and raspy. "I do not want you to have to go through what I did." 

For a split second, I heard what sounded like crying.

"Thank you," I said, unable to think of any other words. 

"And I know you do not want to let me in," continued Celestia, still whimpering. "But I want to let you know that I plan on staying here with you until Starry comes home safely."

"No, you do not have to do that for me! I cannot let you sit there for such a long time!"

"Then do not let me sit here... Talk to me." 

"Okay... What is it you want to speak about?" I asked.

"Anything, as long as it takes your mind off things," replied Celestia. 

I did not know what was an appropriate topic, so I decided to start talking about the past. As the conversation went on, I could feel my anxiety melt away. Hours passed, and the focus of the conversation changed many times. 

We talked about places we have been, ponies we have met. After a while, I even felt comfortable talking about Starry.

 The two of us continued like that until morning came, playfully exchanging stories through the door. It was almost like we were fillies again, whispering to each other late into the night, far past our bedtimes. 

After we had run out of things to talk about and I became more comfortable, I decided to open the door. It was only a crack, but it was plenty enough for me to lock eyes with a worn-out Celestia.

"Hey," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head.

"Hey," replied Celestia, a warm yet tired smile on her face.

 I looked down at my hooves, trying to avoid direct eye contact. "Would you like to come inside?" 

"I would love to,” said Celestia, her smile growing wider. 

I creaked the door open more and stepped aside, letting Celestia into my room and back into my life. 

"Wow, I am quite tired,” said Celestia with a great yawn. "I hope you do not mind if I rest a bit..." Celestia flopped down onto my bed and closed her eyes.

"No, I do not mind at all," I said, laying down next to her. I looked at my sister's porcelain face, and an odd mixture of emotions filled my brain. What am I doing? How could I have let things go so wrong?


***


What’s going on? I thought as I was jolted awake by the sound of nearby shouting. "Celestia, is that you?" I called out. I lifted my head from my pillow, and I looked around. My sister was nowhere to be seen. Typical. 

I do not know exactly how long I had been sleeping, but as I got up I noticed that the sun was just hovering over the horizon. I whipped my head around; there were the noises again. This time, they were right outside my door. I trotted over to see what it was, but before I had even turned the handle, the door swung open.

 It was Starry. 

His eyes were wide, and he was breathing hard. But he looked no more worse for wear than last time I saw him. "STARRY!" I cried, embracing my son. However, he did not move. "Son... Are you feeling alright?" I asked, waving a hoof in front of his disbondant face.

"He's fine, just a bit shaken up," called an unfamiliar voice.

I turned expecting to see Midnight, but instead I met eyes with a brown furred guard I had never met. "Wait… Where is Midnight?"

"Don't worry; he's alive!" assured the unicorn.

"Yes but where IS he?!" I asked, my voice quivering. 

"He's being taken care of..."

"Taken care of? What do you mean? What happened!?"

"It's nothing major! I'm sure he'll be okay!"

 I gave the guard a piercing glare and invaded his face. "What happened?" I growled.

"He was trying to do the right thing, but then it happened. He got stabbed by one of those monsters... The soldier he was trying to save morphed into some kind of beast and rammed him with its horn. It was pretty deep, but we were able to patch him up.”

"Where is he now?"

"In the infirmary on the first floor."

"Alright, thank you. Come, Starry," I said as I tried to pull my son away. Starry did not budge. "Come on, precious, it is time to go!”

"All those ponies..." whispered Starry, a blank expression frozen on his face.

"Excuse me?" 

"I could have saved them," mumbled Starry, a bit louder than before. 

The brown guard sighed a heavy sigh. "The poor boy's been like this since we left. In shock, I reckon. It took me all my strength just to get him here, even with magic."

"It is okay, honey; whatever happened, it was not your fault," I cooed, stroking Starry's mane. 

"You're wrong!" snapped Starry, swatting my hoof away. "You weren't there!"

My mouth hung open before I found my composure. "You are right. I was not there, and I apologize for that. But I do know one thing; you are the kindest pony I have EVER had the pleasure of meeting. I know if that if anypony needed help, you would do everything in your power to do so."

"That's nice of you to say, but it doesn't change what happened." Starry looked at me, his face broken. "I had to watch those...things suck the life out of my comrades. They locked us all up in King Orion's palace and started taking us out one by one. I was so scared, I didn't even try to fight back!"

"Starry, you cannot blame yourself for being scared—”

"But that wasn't even the worst part," moaned Starry, cutting me off. "The only reason I got out alive was because I ran away! I abandoned everypony and slipped out when none of them were looking."

"Do not let it bring you down; even good ponies can fail under pressure," I lay a hoof on his shoulder. " You are safe, and that is all that matters."

"I guess..." Starry mumbled, still staring at the floor.

"Come, let us visit Midnight; I am certain he would love some company right about now."

"Alright," Starry grumbled.


***


"Midnight?" said the nurse, pulling back the curtain that covered the captain's hospital bed. "The Princess and her student are here to see you." 

"Really?" called Midnight in a thin, raspy voice. "Don't keep them waiting; let them in!" 

"Yes, of course." The nurse closed the curtain and turned toward Starry and I. "He's still in a lot of pain right now, so try not to strain him, okay?" she whispered.

"I will try,” I replied. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

"No problem," she said, smiling wide. "He's a very nice stallion. He cares about you very much."

"Really?” I asked.

"Oh yes. You two are all he ever talks about. 'Where's the Princess?' or 'I want to see Starry.' It's really very sweet." She chirped closing her clear-sky-eyes in delight. "I wish I had a stallion like that!"

"What?” I said, taken aback. "No, no, no!Our relationship is strictly platonic!"

"I know, Princess; I'm just messing with you."

"Come on, guys! Get in here!" shouted Midnight from inside his room.

"Oh! That's my cue to leave!" cried the nurse, bolting out the door.

 Starry and I then stepped inside Midnight's little cubicle and pulled back the curtain.

"Hey, it's you two!" chimed Midnight. "I've been waiting forever to see you!" He tried to sit up but instead groaned and lay back down.

"Don't hurt yourself!" cried Starry.

"It's okay, kiddo; it ain't that bad," assured Midnight, trying to look like a boulder. Unfortunately he ended up more of a mud puddle.

"It is not okay; look at you!" I cried, moving over to Midnight. "And is that... Blood!?" I looked down at Midnight's chest and tapped a large red section of bandage wrapped around his stomach.

"Yeah, that monster got me good didn't it? I should be fine." Midnightlooked over at Starry and smiled. "So how are you doing, buddy?" 

"I've been better," he admitted. 

After an awkward pause that felt like forever, Midnight spoke again, this time in a voice cold as a winter night. "Son, let me tell you something.” 

"What is it?"

"I'm getting old, and with this injury I'm not sure how well I'm going to be able to do my job anymore. So I've been thinking; I might be needing a replacement some time soon."

"What are you talking about? I'm sure you'll be able to do your job just fine!" insisted Starry.

             "Maybe.The truth is, I'm a bit tired of it. I've been doing it for a long time now, and this has finally given me an excuse to retire. The question is though, who will take my place? It's not a new question. No, I've been thinking about this one for a long time now, and although there are other ponies who could fill in for me in the meantime. They're all old like me. I think it's about time we had somepony new to handle the job. 

"You see, what I'm getting at here is that…” Midnight sighed and shook his head. He looked over at the window and peered out at the dusky sky. “I want that pony to be you, Starry Night."

 I staggered and almost fell over. I could not believe what Midnight was saying.

"What!" Starry cried, his jaw falling open. "But I know nothing about being a leader! I didn't even finish my training!" 

Midnight rubbed the back of his head and donned a pained expression. "You may not know how, but I can certainly teach you." Midnight's voice somehow became small and mousey. "And about you not finishing training, that won't be a problem because... I didn't either." 

"You didn't?" asked Starry, his face shipwrecked. "But you said you had to if you wanted to be a great warrior!"

"You do. That's why I never was a great warrior. This was all I ever amounted to," admitted Midnight, his words heavier than a million lead weights. "But don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad job; I enjoyed it. It just wasn't what I wanted in life. But this is your dream; it always has been. You want to be here to protect Luna. I should have seen that sooner."

"Midnight, think about this! Are you certain he is ready for that responsibility?" I asked.

"He's not ready, but he will be soon. The day Starry turns eighteen I'm putting him in charge of the royal guards and giving him the position of your official bodyguard, only with your consent of course."

"I do not know," I said, kicking at the floor.

"I'll do it," Starry blurted out.

"But, Starry I—" 

"Don't try to dissuade me. I've made my decision." 

I sighed and looked at my son. His face was hard and overflowing with determination. His once long and wild mane was now short and formal. He looked like a grownup. Oh well, I thought, a wave of nostalgia crashing over the beaches of my mind. I am going to miss those crazy hair flips. “Alright, you're almost an adult now, and I think it's about time I let you make your own decisions."

"So, Starry Night, are you ready?" asked Midnight, a wide grin across his face.

"Are you kidding me?" chimed Starry, happy to utter his familiar catch phrase. "I've been ready my whole life!”


I was still a bit uncomfortable with the concept of Starry taking up such an important role so young, but I knew that I had to let Starry carve his own path in life, for better or worse. 

After that day, Starry visited Midnight in the infirmary every day he could. Midnight would give him pointers and quiz him on what to do in different situations, but Starry was always ready. Whenever Starry committed to doing something, he would keep doing it until it was done, and this was no different. 

Despite my nerves, I was doing well too. Celestia and I were on far better terms after I opened up to her, so It was a relatively good time for the both of us. 

Things continued like that all the way until Starry turned eighteen.


***


I tapped my hoof as we waited for the ceremony to start. It was hard to believe the day had come already. My son was going to become the Captain of the Royal Guard.

 "Today is the day Starry. I'm proud of you," whispered Midnight, bursting out into a fit of coughs.

"Are you okay, Midnight?" cried Starry, putting a hoof on his back.

"It's nothing, just a mild infection. I'll be out of here in no time," assured Midnight. "When the time comes, they're going to wheel me out of here and the three of us are going to make a statement in the castle ballroom. Do you remember what to say?" 

"I think so," replied Starry as he paced back and forth at high speed. 

"Well you'd better! We're supposed to be up there in less than an hour.”.

"It is fine, honey; I am sure you will do well," I said, grabbing my son and caressing  him like a foal. "You need to calm down."

"I guess you're right. For some reason it feels like I'm forgetting something." 

Just then, Midnight's blue-eyed nurse trotted into the room. "It's time for us to move you now, Mr. Legacy," she said, sweetness bathing her voice. 

"Oh alright, thank you ma'am," wheezed Midnight. "You two should get going. 
They're going to be waiting for you backstage."

"Okay, we will see you there," I said, dragging Starry out of the room.



The stage was huge, and the audience was bigger. There were hundreds of guards sitting in white chairs, separated into two sections by a dark red carpet. They all spoke to each other in hushed tones, excited to see who was going to be the new Captain of the Royal Guard.

 I looked down at the front row to see if Celestia kept her promise and came. Sure enough, there she was, waving at me with a big smile on her face.

I looked behind me to see Starry had continued his vigorous pacing, this time reciting his speech.

"Oh! Where is Midnight?" cried Starry, rubbing the back of his head.

"I am sure he is on his way, darling. Relax." I gave Starry a kiss on the forehead. Starry looked at me for a moment and kissed back before returning to his pacing. 

After a few moments, the doors to the back of the stage burst open and Midnight came in on a wheelchair, being pushed by the nurse from earlier. 

"Midnight!" called Starry, relived. "I was worried you weren't going to make it!"

"Well I'm here," replied Midnight, clutching the bandaged side of his body.

"Are we all ready?" I asked, my heart pounding a war anthem inside my chest. 

Starry gave a shaky nod.

"Let's get this show on the road," groaned Midnight.

 I took a deep breath and walked to the edge of stage. I used my magic to turn out the lights, and trotted to center stage. The room went silent. I turned the lights back on and stood behind my podium, looking out at the ocean in front of me. There was a long pause, and the stallions in the audience began to look back and forth.

 Celestia smiled and gave a small gesture that said, "Go on." 

I cleared my throat. "Stallions of the Royal Guard," I said, my voice quivering—You would think public speaking would get easier after thousands of years—"We have brought you, and Our lovely sister Celestia here on this day to bestow a great honor. So if We may have thine ears for a moment we would like to invite Midnight Legacy onto the stage to say a few words about the young stallion who will be assuming the coveted position of your new Captain." I then stepped back, and the crowd burst into a wild fit of claps. 
The kind nurse wheeled Midnight, who was trying to look as strong and dignified as a pony in a wheelchair could, onto stage. 

"Thank you, Princess," said Midnight in a low rasp. "As you know, I have not been in very good health as of late. And if you didn't know, I'm sure it's quite obvious now," Midnight gestured to his wheelchair and the crowd laughed. "Joking aside, I think it's about time for us to make a change, and I think I may have found just the stallion for the job. 

“I've known this one since he was just a little foal, and I have gotten the great pleasure to watch him grow into the magnificent pony he is today. He is strong, determined, decisive, and most of all, compassionate. His empathy for others ponies is stronger than any stallion I have ever trained.

“Every single one of those things is a necessity in a Captain, and I have met no better candidate than Starry Night." Just then the crowd began to clap, but as soon as Starry waddled onto stage, they stopped. Instead, they looked at each other and began to mumble again.

"Thank you, Midnight," I said moving next to Starry. "We now invite Princess Celestia onstage to give Starry Night her blessings." 

Celestia nodded her head and trotted onstage, inhabiting the space on the other side of Starry. "Starry Night," she said, a great solar warmth in her voice. "I have heard many stories about you, and from what I understand, you have been a wonderful student to my sister. You have stayed with her through thick and thin, just like a good Captain stays with his troops. That is why Luna and I are proud to present you with these," Celestia and I pulled out two medals. Hers had a sun on it, and mine had a moon. Both of them had the letters RG engraved on the front. Starry then bowed his head, and we hung the discs around his neck. "Starry Night, we are proud to call you Captain of the Royal Guard."

"You deserve this," I whispered, trying to dam up the rivers flowing from my eyes. 

"Thank you,” Starry replied, nodding his acknowledgement.

 “It means so much to me that I get to be here." He turned to face the audience. "Ever since I was very young, my dream has been to be a part of this amazing group of ponies.

“I remember when I was little, I got a poster of the Royal Guard for my birthday. I loved that poster, and every time I looked at it I knew that was what I wanted to do when I grew up." Starry's voice started out tiny, and the audience was full of scratching heads. But the longer Starry went on, the more confident he became. "I still have that poster, and every time I look at it, it still inspires me to do great things. That's what keeps me going every day, the idea that if I keep trying, or if I keep pushing, that someday I would be able to accomplish my dream. 

“Now here I stand, in the middle of the exact moment that I've dreamed of for years." Starry paused for a moment, and the audience leaned forward. "I may not look like what you expected, and I may seem too young. Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. I don't know yet, but I do know one thing; I have dreams, a lot of them in the fact. Some of them are big, and some of them are small, but all of them are ideas for making this world a better place. I just hope that all of you will join in with me and help me make some of these dreams a reality." Starry then took a bow. There was a bit of a pause, but before long, everypony began to start a slow building clap. There were whistles and cheers all around, and Starry took another bow. "Thank you," he cried, waving to the audience. The four of us then moved off stage, and I breathed a sigh of relief. 

"That went better than expected," admitted Midnight, beginning to cough again.

"They really liked me!" mused Starry, tears welling in his eyes.

"That's because you did good, son," said Midnight 

"I did; didn't I?"



It turned out that Midnight's infection was not as mild as he said it was. Throughout the following weeks, he got worse and worse until he went into something called Septic Shock. 

Out of obligation, Starry and I would try to go and visit him, but we hated seeing him like that, and it was very hard to find time out of Starry's job. 

The doctor said that the survival rate was only about fifty percent, so I knew that there was a real possibility of losing him. For the most part I was able to deny it, but as his health declined, it was hard to ignore. 

One day the doctors came for me and told me that he probably did not have long.


***


"Midnight," I said as I crept my way to his hospital bed.

"He may be asleep; if so, please try not to startle him," whispered the nurse as she trotted from the room. Starry and I stood in front of the bed. Midnight was asleep. I thought about waking him up, but I decided it would be better to let him rest. I looked at Midnight and sighed. Every time I saw his emaciated face and his long unkempt mane, my heart ripped apart. His once muscular body had somehow deflated, leaving him thin and fragile.
 
This time was much easier than others; at least he looked peaceful when he was asleep.

 I could not help but notice all of the strange medical implements scattered around the room. Some of them glowed with a magical aura, and others were hooked up to Midnight, pumping him full of unknown fluids. I dared not touch anything out of fear that I could cause a catastrophe, so the two of us just waited. Starry Night sat on a stool and laid his head down on the bed next to Midnight. He tried to stay strong, but I know I saw a few tears escape from his eyes from time to time. After a few hours, I could not help falling asleep myself. I do not know how long I was out, but after a while, Starry woke me up.

"Get up, mom," said Starry, poking me into consciousness. "He's awake now."

 I opened my eyes to see Starry hanging over me, a distant look on his face. When he stepped back however, I was able to see Midnight. He was looking at me. his entire body was shaking, but his smile was unwavering.

"Hey," he whispered. "Come here; I want to talk to you two." I nodded and jumped to my hooves. "Good," muttered the white earth pony as I sat down next to him. "I'm sorry; I just can't speak very loud."

"Don't apologize!" cried Starry. "We're not the ones who are sick!"

"That's true," said Midnight nodding his weak head. "Speaking of, the doctor gave me the news. He said it would probably be better if I told you myself."

"What do you mean? What news?" I asked, my heart doing a drag race through my torso. 

"Well, apparently the infection has spread, and my organs don't work too well anymore. Pretty soon, they're going to stop working altogether and my body will shut down," Midnight said more factual than emotional.

"Are you saying you're going to die?" wailed Starry, his eyes wide and wet.

"Almost certainly," replied Midnight. "But that's not the question. The question is, how long do I have. Basically the long and the short of it is, we don't know. It could be days, or it could be hours." 

Starry exploded into tear, but Midnight laid a hoof on him and smiled. "It's okay; don't cry. I'm not sad. Dying was never something I was scared of. Actually, there were many times in my life where I wanted to die. I didn't have anypony who loved me, and I had nothing to look forward to. I just moved through each day, wanting nothing more than for it to end." Midnight laughed a bit, causing him to cough some more. "Then you two came into my life. Helping you keep your secret gave me a purpose again, one where I felt like I was actually making a difference. My days became brighter, and I had something more to look forward to than the sundown. 

“I wish I had more time with you two, but sometimes that's just not how the universe works. It's unfortunate, but dying isn't going to be the hard part. No, the hard part is going to be saying goodbye to you guys." Midnight looked out the large window that was visible from his bed and let out a long sigh. 

"I asked the doctor if she could take me outside tonight, so I could see the moon. But she said it'd be impossible. It would put too much stress on my body, or something like that." He turned his head and looked back at us, smiling again. "At least I have you two." 

Starry sniffled a bit and then threw himself onto Midnight, constricting him in a great hug.

"Do not injure him, Starry!" I cried, lunging toward my son.

"It's okay, Luna; I can take a little pain. It's not like I have many more hugs left to look forward to. I'd better enjoy it while it lasts." 

Starry then began to cry once more. 

He cried harder than I had ever seen anypony cry.

 I tried to remain strong, but the sight of a grown stallion bawling his eyes out was to much for me to handle. I too began to wail. I could feel as the hot tears flowed out of my eyes and down my face, soaking my fur.

The three of us then did the only thing we could do; we waited. We shared stories, advice, and of course lots of hugs. Hours past and for the most part Midnight held up. It wasn't until about 2:00 in the morning that things became dire. 

One of the strange magical contraptions stopped glowing and doctors started rushing in. After about twenty minutes of stabbing Midnight with needles and beating on his chest, they were able to stabilize him. However, the doctor said it would not last very long.

 

She said it was time to say goodbye.


 
I asked her if we could take Midnight outside. She nodded and said, "It's not like it's going to do much damage now." 

I opened the large window and was able to use my magic to move Midnight and most of the medical equipment outside. 

"There you go, Midnight," I said, standing next to him.

        "Wow," whispered the scrawny earth pony. "It's a full moon too."

"I recall Celestia mentioning a lunar eclipse tonight. I do not know when it was supposed to be," I admitted trying to hold back more tears.

"That's okay; the sky is beautiful the way it is." Midnight took a long and shaky breath. "I've always loved the outdoors, especially at night. Thank you Luna."

"Why are you thanking me?" I asked.

"I’m thanking you for all these years of breathtaking night skies. They got me through many lonely nights. But also I want to thank you for being here for me. When I first got to know you, I thought I'd help you. I never knew how much you'd help me. And for that, thank you." 

"You are welcome," I said pouring out all my heart and soul.

 Midnight suddenly began shaking. "Starry, come here," he said, pain in his voice.

"What is it?" asked Starry, rushing to Midnight's side.

"I need you to promise me something," Midnight groaned. "Never stop being yourself. I need you to tell me you'll continue to care about other ponies. And most of all, I need you to tell me you will never give up on your dreams."

"Of course!" Starry cried. "Why would I ever give up?"

"Sometimes life beats you down, son," whispered Midnight, breathing harder than a hurricane.

"I'll never let that happen! I'm going to keep going until I'm dead!" Starry said, fire in his voice.

"I'm glad. That's all I needed to hear." Midnight cried out in pain. "It won't be long now... I suppose it is a nice night to die."

 Starry and I both placed a hoof on Midnight's chest. Midnight smiled at us for a brief moment and then his body started convulsing.

 After a few minutes, he was gone.

I removed my hoof from Midnight’s lifeless body and looked up at the sky. At that moment, the moon had only just started slipping behind the sun.


***


That night when Starry went to bed, he asked me to sleep next to him like I did when he was a foal. However, as I lay on the bed next to him, I felt that same strange feeling I felt a few months ago, like something dark was trying to get into my head. 

This time I could have sworn I heard the words, "Let me in." 

> Part VII "An Earth-Shattering Final Blowout"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Part VII


"An earth-shattering final blowout."


The aftermath of Midnight's death was devastating. Starry would leave for longer and longer stretches of time. I assume he was trying to avoid the reality of what happened. I never really asked what he was doing; I did not really care that much. He was an adult, and I was too depressed to bother.

 Life probably would have kept going on like that if it weren't for an old mistake of mine coming back to haunt me.

“Luna!” shouted Celestia, smacking my door with her hoof.

“I’m coming sister!” I chimed.

“Hello!” I said as I swung open the door revealing a grimacing Celestia. “Oh no, what’s wrong, Tia?”

“Hopefully nothing,” replied Celestia as she trotted into the room without even a glance. “King Orion came out of his coma today.”

“That’s good, right?”.

“You would think so,” she said, briskly trotting over to my coffee table.

“Then what’s the problem here?” I snapped.

“The problem is what he said when he woke up,” Celestia sat down and made a brief gesture indicating that I should sit next to her.

 “Now, what I am about to say is just what Orion is claiming. I’m not accusing you of anything.”

“Okay?” I said, easing myself into the chair.

“Apparently, those creatures that attacked Timbucktu are called changelings.” Celestia looked into my eyes and donned a more serious tone. “They posses a dark and mysterious kind of magic, one that we don’t quite understand yet. They have the power to take the appearance of any pony they encounter, and sometimes ponies that they have never met. From what I understand they were able to take down the city from the inside by imitating important ponies.”

“I do not understand. Why would they want to destroy Timbucktu? Are they just evil, or do they have motivation?” I asked, compulsively tapping my hooves against the table.

“They have to sustain themselves. They can’t eat food like we do. To power their bodies, they need to consume raw love. Any kind of love will do; romantic love, parental love, even patriotic love will work. And trust me; the pegasi of Timbucktu had patriotism to spare. Anyway, my point is, when Orion woke up, he made some startling accusations.”

“What did he say?”

“Remember that meeting you had with him long ago?” 

“Vaguely,” I admitted, rubbing my chin.

“Well according to him, he came here to talk about intruders they had been noticing hanging around the city. He said that when he told you the story, you didn’t listen to him at all.”

“Oh yes that. I remember what happened very clearly now. It was the one you neglected to attend, so you could finish your project with Star Swirl!” I retorted with a snort.

“That's not the point,” growled Celestia. “The point is that you ignored him, Luna. You thought he was just being paranoid. Clearly, you were wrong.”

“I would not have been so short with him if you had been there!” 

“I know, and for that I am deeply sorry. But that doesn't change the fact that he is blaming you for his city being destroyed and thousands of ponies dying.”

“That’s not fair; he cannot blame me for that! It’s not my fault!” I stammered.

“I don’t mean to take his side or anything,” muttered Celestia, “but it kind of is.”

“WHAT?” I screamed. “I thought you of all ponies would understand! You even said that no matter what happens, it is not my fault!’”

“That was before I found out that you did this! Besides, in all honesty, I was just trying to make you feel better.” 

My heart sank; I could not believe what I was hearing. “But you were the one who ran out! You were the one who was not there for me!” I screamed, on the brink of hyperventilating. 

“That’s not how the public is going to see it. It’s going to be all over the newspapers within the week. And do you know who is going to have to bail you out of this mess? Me.

“I’m going to have to make deals. I’m going to have to give speeches. I’m going to have to go out on a limb for you, all because you couldn’t chin up and be polite for one meeting!” fumed Celestia, standing up from her chair.

“Well I am sorry that I did not do a good enough job! You are lucky I even went to the meeting to begin with! And by the way, you do not have to do anything to help me out of this one. I can do this on my own!”

“Alright, it’s your funeral! But do not ask me to help you with anything ever again!”

“You know what?” I yelled. “GET OUT! I do not need this!” 

Celestia looked at me for a moment and then stormed off. “You know Luna, I love you, but sometimes you’re a burden on my life,” she spat as she slipped out the door.

"I'm sorry... I did not mean to hurt anypony. "

 I gazed out the door to watch Celestia leave, and as soon as I was sure she was gone I screamed at the top of my lungs. I do not know why I screamed. It was almost like I was not in control of my own body.

And with that, Celestia and I were right back to where we started. I was angry at her, and I let my pride cloud my judgment, but the truth is, she was right. I did need her help. And refusing that help was probably one of the worst decisions I ever made in my life.

 The word did get out about me ignoring King Orion, and as Celestia predicted, it was a nightmare.


***


I sighed and sipped a cup of tea I had made for myself. It was getting harder and harder for me to get up from my naps, and sometimes I needed a bit of assistance in the form of caffeine. 

I had just gotten done with a long shift of dream visiting. For the most part it went well, but for some reason the ponies of Equestria were having an large amount of nightmares that particular night. Most of them were the standard sort of monster-under-the-bed dreams, but some of them were much darker, and I had a harder time thinking of ways to solve their problems.

I try to stay out of ponies’ dreams, but when I feel like what they are dreaming about could be harmful to them, I tend to step in. It is probably nothing, I thought taking another sip of my piping hot tea. After I finished, I yawned and decided I should take a walk to wake me up further. However, right as I was about to push open the door, as if by magic, it swung open all by itself. 

“Mom!” stammered Starry Night, pushing the door aside. 

“What is wrong, my dear?” I said, taking a few steps toward my son. 

“They’re coming for you!” cried Starry, his eyes darting around to find an escape. “We have to get you out of here!”

 I sighed and put a hoof on his shoulder. “Who is coming for me, Starry Night?”

“Ponies from Cloudsdale! They heard about what King Orion said and went on a riot!”

“That is fine; I am sure they will calm. They always do.”

“No you don’t get it; they want you dead!” Starry stammered. “The King of Cloudsdale is blaming you for the attack on Timbucktu. He’s saying you let them die on purpose.”

“Why would I do that?”

“He’s saying that you have a secret anti-pegasi agenda,” Starry admitted.

"That is ridiculous!" I fumed.

“I know, but that doesn't stop them from believing it. Now come on; if we hide in the Everfree Forest, they shouldn’t be able to find us.” Starry grabbed my front leg and tried to pull me toward the window.

“What about everypony else? We cannot  just leave without telling them.” I said, anchoring my free hooves to the tile floor.


“It will be fine. I stationed all the guards we have outside the front gate. Chances are that everypony will turn around once they see how many ponies we have. Besides, my main job is to protect you and auntie Celestia.”

I looked around and yanked my hoof from Starry. “Where is Celestia? Is she coming with us?” 

“No, she’s hiding in the basement,” dismissed Starry. 

“We have a basement?” I mused, rubbing my chin with my hoof. Just then, I began to hear the low rumble of many voices chanting in unison.

“That’s not important right now! Right now, we need to get out of here!” said Starry, creaking open the window.

“Okay, okay, I am coming,” I replied as I cantered over to the window.


***


I watched as the cool mist of my breath left my mouth and rose up through the Everfree forest. Starry and I had moved to a thick undergrowth deep in one of the darkest corners of the forest. There was a large cave behind us that we had decided to hide in if we heard the protesters coming.

 It was a very cold night, and lighting a fire was not an option. We did not  want anypony seeing our smoke. So I sat on an old log and watched as a few drips fell from the tree tops and onto the muddy ground.

 Starry was trying to keep himself warm by doing wingups. Every once in awhile a sound would startle him, and he would get up to make sure everything was alright. However, as time marched on, Starry settled down, and the two of us began to talk.

 “So tough guy, how does it feel to be in charge?” I asked as I have him a playful hit.

“Stressful, to say the least. Organising security for the castle functions is definitely the worst part,” said Starry with a hearty laugh. He always reminded me of Midnight when he laughed like that. “There are fun parts of it, too. Teaching the new recruits what I know is great. All of the young stallions are so nice and respectful even though I’m only a few years older than they are.” 

Starry leaned up against one of the gnarled black trees that were scattered around us and looked up at the tree tops. “The other day they were even thoughtful enough to throw me a surprise party for my nineteenth birthday.”

“I completely forgot about your birthday,” I cried. “I am so sorry! Why did you not come and remind me?”

“To be honest, I forgot too. The only reason the recruits knew about it is one of them went rooting around in the archives and found my file. I guess they were looking for a way to embarrass me, a middle name or something.” Starry sighed and flopped to the ground. “I mean I thought about telling you after the party, but I figured it just wouldn’t be the same without Midnight. Nothing really is, you know?”

“I know.”

"He was there for me almost my entire life, so it's kind of hard to imagine going on without him." 

Starry took off his helmet and scratched his head. His hair was once again growing long and shaggy. "Now that I think about it, it's almost like the opposite for you. You only knew him for a tiny fraction of your life. Is that how it always is in your life?" 

"Yes, but it is not like I remember it all," I admitted. "There is only so much room in one's head for memories."

"That must be hard," 

I shrugged. "You get used to it.” There was another long silence, and the two of us did not speak. "When do you think it will be safe to go back to the castle?"

"I don't know. It should be safe by morning," replied Starry. However, as soon as he had finished his sentence, a loud shouting sound came from the distance. "What was that?" Starry scrambled to his hooves and jammed his helmet back onto his head.

"I hope it is not what I think it is," I moaned. 

The sounds continued for about an hour, slowly changing from muffled shouts to loud crashes and clangs. The whole time Starry prowled the perimeter of our clearing as if he was looking for an unseen foe. The noise did begin to die down and eventually it disappeared.

 I asked Starry if we should go back, but he said it would be best to to wait a while longer. Only after the first light of day, did we decide to go back to the castle.


***


"What happened!?" I screamed as I looked at the mess spread around the castle's front courtyard.

"Exactly what I said would happen," Celestia said. She then gestured around us at the decimated enclosure. "Do you see all this? This is your fault!"

"Hey! You can't blame Luna for this! She didn't know anypony was going to get hurt."

"It is okay Starry. You do not have to protect me," I said, bending down to examine a large red stain on the ground.

"But—" I glared at Starry. "Okay."

"How many did we lose?" I implored.

"Not many," admitted Celesta, picking up one of the discarded protest signs that lay about the makeshift battlefield. "Unfortunately, they weren't as lucky." 

"We killed them?" I wailed.

"Not everypony. Some of them got out of control, and one of the guards tried to subdue them..." Celestia took a deep breath, trying to fight back tears. "Then it all went downhill from there."

"Where are you going?" I asked, feeling the sharp pain of guilt washing over my mind.

"Inside. There's nothing else for me out here," replied Celestia, still trying to hide the sadness in her voice. 

I sighed and lowered my head.

"It's alright Mom; just ignore her," reassured Starry.

"It is not alright!" I shouted. "Ponies DIED because of my incompetence. Look around, this carnage is MY fault." Out of pure frustration, I kicked a piece of leftover armor as hard as I could.

"But this isn't your fault! This is all because of that horrible King of Cloudsdale!"

"No Starry, I have to take responsibility for this one." I insisted. 

"Then what are you going to do with the king? You can't just let him get away scot-free," insisted Starry. 

"Oh, do not worry about him." I said, an unfamiliar deviousness in my voice. "I have a plan for him." 

After that day, my thoughts began to grow darker and more evil. I experienced feelings that I never had before. Sometimes it was like something else was taking over my mind.

 In my madness I decided that it was time I got rid of The King of Cloudsdale. I considered public execution, but I knew that would be too conspicuous. It would have made him a martyr. So instead I made him disappear. 

Two of my finest guards snuck in his room during the night and took him away. They then locked him up in Tartarus and threw away the key. Celestia was furious when she found out, but she let it go quickly. She knew as well as I did that it was beneficial to Equestria that he was gone. I did not care anymore. The world was hurting me, and I wanted to hurt it back. In my opinion, I was doing everypony a favor. 

All of Cloudsdale went into a panic when they found out about the king's disappearance, and many ponies blamed me. But because there was no real evidence, all ponies could do was speculate. The good news was the new king was surprisingly kind and helpful. He was the son of the old king, but he was nothing like him. He actually did try to keep a good relationship with Celestia and me. 

For the most part I was able to hide what I had done from Starry, and everything was working out. But things did catch up to me eventually, about two years later, soon after Starry had turned twenty-one.


***


"To being an adult!" I cried, knocking my glass of wine against Starry's. 

"Yeah!" replied Starry staring at his full glass. "I honestly never thought I'd be doing this." Starry fidgeted and clacked his hooves against the bar.

"I guess I did not talk to you about alcohol all that often." I took a small sip of my drink and inhaled it's fruity taste. "I am not really much of a drinker. I prefer tea, personally."

"Well I guess I'm going to have to try it to see," said Starry as he slowly raised his glass to his lips. "Wow!" he said recoiling a bit at the alcoholic taste. 

"Do you not like it?"

"Well, it's weird..." admitted Starry. "But I wouldn't say I don't like it." Starry lifted the glass back to his lips and took a slightly bigger sip. 

I smiled. I knew that Celestia's private bar would come in handy some day. She was always much more into alcohol than I was. I guess it made her less uptight. 

"So, should I mark this down as a success?" 

"I guess; I think I'll like it if I get used to it," said Starry, shrugging his shoulders. There was a long pause as the two of us just sat and sipped for a moment.

"So..." I said, trying to break the awkwardness. "How have you been? It has been a long time since we talked like this."

"I've been okay, I guess. Just the daily grind." Starry sighed and looked down at the bar. "I've been thinking a lot about the old days lately. Sometimes I wish I could just go back to when I was little. It was a simpler time. No responsibility, you know?"

"Yes, I know exactly what you mean." I said morosely. "What is wrong? What changed?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm tired of all these stupid political games."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, honestly confused. 

Starry sighed and shifted in his seat. “All of the riots and the rude newspapers. Dealing with all of that starts to wear you down after awhile."

"Yeah I know. What matters is that we are together now! And there's nothing I would rather be doing then something with you," I said, trying to change the subject.

"Thanks Mom," said Starry with a weak smile. "Do you remember when I was a colt and we would play board games together?" asked Starry, drinking another mouthful of wine.

"Of course, how could I forget? You would kick my flank every time we would play."

 Starry laughed and set his now empty glass onto the bar. "Can we do that again someday?"

"Sure."

"Really?" chimed Starry, pirking up in his seat.

"Why not? I promise I will try to find the time."

"Awesome! I look forward to it." Starry sighed again and went back to slouching. "Mom, there’s something else I need to talk to you about."

"Okay, shoot."

"The other day a few of the older guards were retiring, and when guards retire it's customary to share some of the things you did during your career. Funny stories, things you thing you did well, and even the things you are most ashamed that of. Stuff like that." Starry began to fidget again, so I put a hoof on his shoulder tenderly. "I'm sorry. I think what I'm trying to say is, one of them admitted to doing something he wished he had never done, and what he said has been messing with my head."

"What did he say?" I asked, my heart beating a bit faster than before. 

"Well, first of all, I don't know if this is true. It could just be more slander for all I know..."

"Yes, go ahead," I snapped, my mind racing.

"Remember when The King of Cloudsdale disappeared and everypony blamed you?"

 Oh no! Here we go! I thought, my heart sinking out of my chest. 

"The guard said that you ordered him to do it... He said that he and one of the other guards foalnapped him and locked him up on Tartarus." Starry looked right at me, tears in his eyes. "Is that true?"

"I... I—" I stammered avoiding Starry's gaze.

"Tell me the truth!" 

"I did it for a good reason!" I blurted out.

"So it was you?" mused Starry, his ears drooping.

 “Starry, you must believe me! I was just trying to do what's best for Equestria!"

"Was that it? You ruin someone's life forever and you claim it’s for the best?"

"Hey, he ruined MY life first!" I shouted, feeling the anger boiling inside me.

"You know that's not a good excuse!" lectured Starry. "Remember when I got into fights back in training? You said that there was no excuse for what I did."

"That is not the same thing at all! You were just mad! I am trying to protect ponies!"

"You were trying to get revenge, and you know it!" spat Starry.

"So what? He deserved it!"

"Since when has it been your job to tell other ponies what they deserve?!"

"Since I became a princess!" I screamed. Just then I began to feel light headed and my vision started to blur. "I am Princess of The Night! I can say and do WHATEVER I want! And I do not need anypony telling me what is right and wrong, ESPECIALLY not you, my own son!"

"I'm not your son," mumbled Starry.

"WHAT?" I cried, my voice filled with fury.

"I am not your son! You just found me in the forest and locked me in your prison tower."

"I did it because I loved you!"

"You loved me because I made you feel better. You were depressed, and I made you feel like your life meant something!"

"HOW DARE YOU!" I boomed, a sharp pain going through my mind.

"But it’s okay. I understand why."

"What?" I said, my mind clearing. 

"You were given a bad lot in life. It wasn't your fault you became a princess. But it's okay, you did your best with me," said Starry, standing up suddenly. "And after today you won't ever have to worry about me again." Starry Night, my son, then trotted out.

Later that night, after I had come to my senses, I made my way back to my room and crashed onto the bed. My head hurt like it never had before in my life. I did not know what was wrong with me, but it felt like my mind was being torn apart at the seams.

 I could not sleep because every time I closed my eyes I heard the disturbing whispers of unfamiliar voices calling in my head. I did not know whose they were or what they were saying, but it was just loud enough and just persistent enough to drive me crazy. 

I got up knowing that there was no chance of actual sleep that night, and I trotted to my window. I do not know why, but whenever I felt bad I would instinctively go to the window. I guess the sight of the night sky was always calming to me. However, there was not much solace to take from the stars that night, for there were none out; they were all made invisible by the big black clouds that hung over the land.

 I did not know what to do, so just like a lost foal in danger of being consumed by fire, I cried. I do not know if I was crying for Starry, myself, or just because I had nothing else to do, but that is what I did. I cried, I banged my head against the glass of the window in front of me, and even broke a few of my possessions.

 I suppose it was all sort of an effort to release the pent-up tension that I felt in my heart. I felt guilty for the ponies I had hurt. I felt shame for embarrassing my country. I felt jealousy over the love that everypony else had for my sister and not me. I felt sadness for those who died for me. I felt betrayed by my sister for not defending me. I felt lost, with no place to go. And worst of all, I felt unloved. 

Everypony who was ever supposed to care about me in my entire life had left me somehow. My subjects, Midnight, my sister, and now even my son. They were all gone. I was alone, left to march on in an undying existence of loneliness. What is the point of eternal life if nopony wants you? 

I could no longer sleep. I was never happy. I did not want to talk to anypony. It felt like time was crawling on and on and on and on and on. Minutes felt like hours. Days felt like years. And years felt like centuries. 

I did not get to see Starry anymore, but from what I heard, he was not faring too well either. After about a year, I heard rumors that he was turning into an alcoholic. I would have blamed myself for that too, but I already had enough on my shoulders at the time, so I just pretended that it never happened. Even when I found out that he got fired for being drunk on the job, I did not go looking for him. I was so morbidly depressed that the only thing I could think about was how much longer the torment would last. I probably would have stayed like that forever. However, one day, my sister thought it would be a good idea to pay me a visit.

 In every story there comes a time when the main character reaches a breaking point, and for better or worse that character changes forever. This is known as the climax of the story; it can be a small confrontation or an earth shattering final blowout that changes the world forever. This was my breaking point. And it was not a small confrontation.


***


My heart was pounding like a drum, and my mind was on fire. Dark thoughts flashed through my head at lightning speed. All the things that I wanted to do but I knew were wrong, I couldn't hold them back. They did not even feel like my thoughts. Every second it felt more and more like I was becoming somepony else. Or someTHING else. 

However just as I considered ending at all, I heard a heavy pounding at the door. At that point, my headache was so bad that even a noise as small as that was enough to make me scream in pain. 

"WHAT?!" I screeched at the top of my lungs. 

"Are you okay?" cried Celestia, throwing open the door.

"Go away!" I slammed my hoof against the floor of my bedroom, cracking it.

"No, Luna, I must talk with you. This is important."

"What is so important that you needed to bother me now?!" I moaned, clutching my head.

"Your student, Starry," stammered Celestia, a worried look plastered across her face. "He has disappeared."

"And?" I growled. "He's an adult, he can do as he pleases. I am not responsible for where he disappears to anymore!"

"Nopony has been able to find him in weeks! None of his friends have seen him around. He hasn't shown up to the bar in a long time. Are you saying you don't care about that at all?!"

 I sighed and covered my head with my pillow. "I do care, but I cannot do it," I moaned.

"Cannot do what?" 

"ANYTHING!" I screamed. "I cannot do anything right! Everything in my entire life has been one big mistake, and Starry Night has been no exception! I cannot bring myself to look at him again because it will only remind me of my own failure!"

"Oh, come on! What are you even talking about!?" snapped Celestia, rolling her eyes. "You're just being melodramatic!"

"There you go again! You never listen to me! You never trust me! All you ever do is stab me in the back and then try to make it better later. Well, a few nice words and the occasional 'I love you' is not going to be enough to fix things this time!"

"Do you know why I came up here!? I came up here because I care about you, and I thought that you might want to know about what happened to your precious student! I had no ulterior motives, no intention of getting mad at you, and I certainly did not come here to stab you in the back! 

“You’re so irrationally paranoid I can't even talk to you sometimes! The two of us were supposed to rule Equestria together, but how are we supposed to do that if you can't even come out of your own room? You're a disgrace to this country and a disappointment to everypony who believed in you!" screamed Celestia, venom in her voice.

"SHUT UP! SHUT! UP! I do not ever want to hear your voice again! GO! Leave my life! I do not want to talk to you! I do not want to rule this country! And I do not want to be your sister!"

"Great! Because honestly, I don't think anypony would want to be related to you!" retorted Celestia.

"YOU THINK I DO NOT KNOW THAT? I KNOW that nopony wants me!" I began to sniffle, and as I hung my head toward the ground, I saw a few tears slip from my eyes. "I do not belong in this world. If it were up to me I would never lower the moon."

"Well good thing it isn't up to you then." Celestia then turned to walk out the door. "I wish I knew how to fix you Luna, but I think it's time I admit you're hopeless."

"GET OUT!" I boomed, using my magic to fling Celestia through the door. 

"How dare you!" I could hear her say as she flew out the room. I then slammed the door as hard as I could, causing it to nearly split in half.

 As soon as I was alone, I was overcome by another a flurry of voices passing through my head. this time I could hear them all around me laughing, and saying words like ‘nopony loves you’ and ‘just give up’. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I screamed. I screamed so loud that it hurt my voice.

 I had to get away, so I threw myself through my window, smashing the glass. I fell for a few seconds looking up at the empty night sky. I wanted to dive face first into the ground and kill myself, but I knew that I could not. I was not strong enough. I knew that somehow I would fail that. So, just like that very first night I met Starry, I flew away. I flew away because I was scared. I did not ever want to hurt anypony anymore, not the way they hurt me. 

I was SO sorry for everything.


***


I did not know where to go, so I went to the only place that seemed natural to me. Right back to where this mess started. It was just like that fateful night I saw the burning the house, but this time it was even colder out. It had just rained only a few hours ago, so the ground was still muddy when I touched down.

 Even then, after more than twenty years, I still remembered every minute detail that led up to me finding what would become my greatest joy in life, and my greatest regret

After all that flying, I was quite tired, so I decided to curl up on the wet ground, right where the small wooden house used to stand. It was a silent night. The only thing that I could hear was was the sound of my own breathing. In a way, it was soothing hearing that I was still alive, but it was also intimidating knowing that I still had many thousands of years to live. 

What would I do? Who would I talk to? How would I keep myself sane? So many questions ran through my head, and I did not have an answer to any of them. It frustrated me. I used to feel like I was the pony with answers; I felt like I was reliable. But I was only a nervous wreck, collapsed upon the forest floor.

 Once again I began to cry. Whenever I was backed into a corner and did not know what to do, I would cry. I would never stand up for myself; I would just lay down and cry.

 I rolled over and looked at the sky. It was a big black sheet of nothingness. The only thing in my view that told me I was still alive were the large treetops that surrounded my little clearing. Slowly I could feel the loneliness eat away at me, and the voices came back, this time in full force. 

They said everything I did not want to hear. They kept pushing me and pushing me until I could feel them start to take me over. Just when I thought they had taken my mind from me, I heard another voice. This one however, was real.

"So, we've finally cracked, have we?" it called out, its voice frighteningly similar to my own.

"Who is it!?" I said, jolting to my hooves. I whirled around, trying to find who was speaking, but the only thing I saw were the gnarled trees that surrounded me on all sides. 

 "Who I am is of no concern to you. It's what I am that you should be worried about," came the voice, this time sounding like my sister.

"All right, I am warning you! I am not in a good mood, and if you do not stop messing with me this instant, I might do something we will both regret!" I threatened.

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do to me?" came back the voice, changing to the deep manly growl of Midnight Legacy. "Look at yourself. You're a mess, a disgusting excuse for a princess!"

"How dare you!? Who do you think you are, telling me what kind of princess I am!?" I interrogated. "I don't even know you!"

 There was a moment of silence and then a loud cackle resembling that of The King of Cloudsdale. "Oh, but I know you."

"Just leave me alone!" I screamed, covering my ears with my hooves.

"But if I did that, you might never get the chance to see your precious son again," cooed the voice, now sounding like Starry himself.

"What are you talking about!?" I growled.

"I'm talking about my plan, of course," teased the voice. 

"What pla—" I started to speak, but I was Interrupted by a rustling in the trees.

"Go ahead; don't be afraid, my dear," said the voice in a quieter tone, as if it was talking to somepony else.

"What's going on?" I asked as the rustling grew louder. However, just as I began to look for where it was coming from, out of the corner of my eye, I a saw a figure emerge from the bushes.

"Mom?" I heard it call in a raspy whisper. I whirled around, and to my utter shock, standing in front of me, I saw my son Starry Night. His body looked thin, and his mane was dirty and disheveled.

"Starry!" I cried out. "What have you done to him!?"

"It's not what I did to him, princess. It's what you did to him."

"Mom! You have to get out of here! That thing, it's going to kill you!" stammered Starry.

"My son, what do you mean? What thing?" 

"Just RUN!" he screamed, trying to push me away.

"Oh, running will do you no good." The clearing where we stood suddenly became surrounded by a large green dome.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked as I prepared a spell to break the force field. I did my best to muster all of my strength, but for some reason, instead of glowing bright blue like it was supposed to, it just blinked for a second and then fizzled out.

 "What's going on? Why can't I use my magic?" I questioned. 

The voice did not reply; it only burst out into another fit of twisted laughter. 

"It's too late," whispered Starry.

"What's too late?" I screamed. "WOULD SOMEPONY TELL US WHAT IS GOING ON?"

"Oh Luna, no need to get so worked up. You don't have to use he Royal Canterlot Voice on me," mocked the mystery creature.

"What is the point of this? Do you just want to torment me?" I moaned.

"No. What I want is your life." There were a couple seconds of silence, and then I heard another rustling in the bushes. Soon, a small hole in the force field opened, and through it I could see a pair of sickly green eyes glowing in the darkness. I expected some sort of disgusting beast to walk through, but to my surprise that is not what I saw. What I saw was an exact copy of myself.

"What trickery is this?" I shouted, staggering back in surprise.

"It's a changeling!" said Starry, jumping in front of me. "She's using her magic to make herself look like you!"

"Pretty good, isn't it?" asked the changeling, creeping closer to us in a very un-pony-like way. "I think I look absolutely fabulous." She then flipped her—or in this case my—mane.

"What is the point of all this?" I demanded, still standing in an offensive pose. 

"She's trying to steal your crown! She wants to be Princess!" accused Starry.

"it certainly would make taking over Equestria significantly easier," said the changeling, strutting around us proudly.

"But why me? Why not my sister? She's the one with all the real power!"

"Because you were an easy target. You were only one step away from a mental breakdown to begin with. All I had to do was introduce a little incentive."

"Incentive? What do you mean?" I asked, even though I did not want to know the answer.

"Sometimes it only takes one small action to set off a massive chain of events," said the changeling, pushing her face into mine.

 It truly is a strange feeling looking into one's own eyes. You see things that you never would have otherwise. 

"For example, send a few changeling reporters to write up a few bad papers about you, and, bingo, instant public hatred." 

"That was your doing?" I screamed, inches away from the imposter's face. 

The changeling laughed again and made a wicked grin I never thought I would see on my own face. "Clever, wasn't it?"

"You are disgusting!" shouted Starry, pushing between us. "You're a monster! It makes me sick just seeing you take that form!" In a fit of anger, Starry Night pushed his forehead against the changeling copy. "You don't deserve to look like that!"

"What a horrible thing to say! Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to insult ponies like that?" cried the changeling, teasingly sarcastic. 

“You are no pony!”

The changeling rolled its eyes and smacked Starry with my tail. "Princess, have you been noticing your magic hasn't as powerful lately as it used to be?" asked the creature, changing the subject just as smoothly as could change its appearance.
 
I hadn't really thought about my magic lately, but now that she mentioned it, I was having some trouble. I thought it was just the stress getting to me, but for years it had been getting harder and harder to do normal magic tasks. It had gotten to the point where it was a struggle just to raise the moon every night.

"And what if I have?" I inquired.

"How do you think that happened?" cooed the changeling, creeping back and forth between the two of us like a cat on the prowl.

"I do not know. I've been under a great deal of stress as of late." 

"It could be. Or maybe it's something more," whispered the changeling as she slipped by my ear. 

I lept back, alarmed by the feeling of her breath.

 "Tell me, Princess Luna, do you know what we changelings do?"

"You're monsters!" I spat. "You pick a target and disguise yourselves as somepony they love. Then you use your magic to feed off of their love for you."

"Exactly. Once we take a hold of somepony, we don't stop until we suck them of every positive emotion they have," boasted the beast. "When we're done we slip away, leaving them a depressed, emotionless husk. Most ponies only have enough love to keep us alive, but every once in awhile a very special, very magical pony comes around with power enough for a feast. The honor of taking the magic of that pony typically goes to the queen changeling. This special pony could be a wizard like Starswirl the Bearded, a king like the lovely Orion, or even just an extraordinarily loving pony. Sometimes, when the pony is especially hard to access, we have to take an unorthodox approach. Sometimes we can't imitate somepony our target loves, so we have to make up our own."

"Where is this going?" I asked, trying to sound confident. The truth is, I was shaking in fear. 

"If you haven't figured it out yet, I myself am the queen of the changelings, and one day I was sitting in our hive, laying eggs, when I got the idea to take over Equestria,” the changeling queen said, taking a quite casual tone. "’It can't be that hard,’ I said to myself. 'All I have to do is find a way inside that castle.' Sadly, I came to find it was much more complicated than I had originally thought. 

“So, after plenty of observation, I decided that my best bet was to take out one of the princesses. Like I said before, you were the obvious choice: more emotional, less stable, and most of all, much more gullible."

"Hey!" began Starry, crouching down, ready to attack. “Don't you dare insu—" 

"Shut your mouth, foal, the adults are talking," interrupted the queen, using her magic to close Starry's mouth. 

"Back to what I was saying. I tried my best to get into that castle; I really did, but even I was unable to work my way inside. After wallowing in my own defeat for a while, I was struck with an idea. What if I found a way to get you to bring one of us inside by your own choice?" 

The queen smiled another wicked smile and laughed another evil laugh. "I've always found it sort of ironic what we changelings do. We can become the one thing in a pony's life that makes them feel happy, while simultaneously being the one thing that sucks that happiness away. We seem like we love you, but really we're incapable of love ourselves."

"Where are you saying? I get that you want to take my life, but what is all this about getting me to take the changeling into the palace?" I asked, shaking like a leaf. 

There was a very long pause, and the queen just stared at me, her wide grin growing even wider with every passing moment. 

"That, my dear, is where this one comes in," said the queen, gesturing towards Starry Night, who was still struggling to open his mouth.

"W-what? You cannot mean—" I stammered, hyperventilating. I understood what she meant; I just did not want to believe it.

"Did you ever wonder why you could never find any information on Starry's parents, any at all? And why the house you found him in seemed to magically disappear when you came back for it?” The changeling smiled a contorted grin. 

“That's because he's not a real pony! I left him there for you! I started the fire! I made sure that when everything was said and done, there would be no trace of this house or anything that happened here!"

"No! It cannot be!" I denied. "He cannot be one of you! He is my son!"

"OPEN YOUR EYES!" screamed the queen, her voice echoing off the walls of the force field. "You're a deluded fool, and you just can't accept the fact that your precious little pegasus is a monster like me!"

 A green ring of fire began to form around the changeling queen, and soon it exploded into a giant pillar of green light. She was soon engulfed in the tube of fiery magic for several seconds, and loud zapping sounds could be heard.

 When she finally emerged from her magical cocoon, she looked completely different. What used to be an exact clone of me was now a horrifying creature. Her body was black and bug-like, and her legs were filled with large holes. Her wings were no longer wide and feathered but instead were blue, translucent insect wings that sported the same strange holes as her legs. Her dull teal mane hung flat in her face, covering her bright green eyes. On top of her head was a strange organic looking crown that seemed more like it sprouted directly from her skull than it did a head covering. In front of her crown was a twisted and gnarled horn that looked almost as if it was rotten.

 "How do you like my real form?" she said, speaking in a distorted, reverberating voice. "This is what we look like! This is who we are!" 

"She looks just like my nightmare!" said Starry, his mouth finally released from the queens grip.

"What nightmares?" I asked. 

"Remember when I was a colt, and I used to have nightmares all the time? Well there was this one night where I had a really bad one, and she was in it! I know it!"

"Interesting," said the queen rubbing her chin. "We made you so you would have no memory of your birth. I guess the process needs a little more work."

"Starry… I do not know what to say. Is what she is saying true? Are you—"

"No! I'm not one of them! They're disgusting! they're awful! They do horrible things! I'm not like that!"

"Oh, trust me. You are one of us," said the queen as she crept close to Starry. " I know so because I gave birth to you myself! The only reason you're so sweet and nice is because we made you that way. We made you the perfect son."

"YOU'RE LYING!" screamed Starry, his voice scorched with fury.

"Why would I lie to my own son?" teased the queen. "Here, If you really don't believe me, I can prove it to you." The changeling queen then lifted one of her hooves and touched it against Starry's forehead. Her horn then began to glow the same sickly green as her eyes. 

"Wait what are you doing?!" protested Starry as a familiar ring of fire began to form around his body.
 
In only a few seconds, right before my eyes I saw Starry Night go from the son I knew and loved to an unfamiliar monster. Just like the queen, he too had an insect-like form, the only difference being he was smaller and had no mane or crown. 

"Look at yourself!" shouted the queen. "Now do you believe me? Now that you can see what you really are? 

“All you ever were was a tool! Your only point in life was to drain the Princess' magic so it would be easy to take her out!"

"But I love her! She was my mother!" stammered Starry in disbelief, his voice now strange and distorted just like the queen's. Starry looked down at his hooves frozen in place. 

"She is not your mother! I AM! You outlived your usefulness long ago! The only reason I foalnapped you was so I could drain the last of Luna's magic from you! And with her power coursing through me, I don't need either of you anymore!" 

The queen stepped back and gritted her sharp teeth wickedly. She then flew up into the air and began charging her magic. Sparks flew from her horn, and thunderus cracking sounds rang out into the darkness. "I HAVE BEEN WAITING TWENTY YEARS FOR THIS MOMENT, AND NOW IT IS FINALLY HERE! PRINCESS LUNA, PREPARE TO DIE!" 

I sighed and took a deep breath. "I am ready," I said, lowering my head.

"What?" cried the queen, stopping for a moment.

"I'm ready. We all have our time. I suppose this is mine," I admitted. It's not like I have much to live for to begin with.

 It was silent for a while, and the queen looked at me wide-eyed and confused. 

Eventually she regained her composure and once again spoke. "Very well then. As you wish." The queen once again charged up her magic, and this time, I held my breath and closed my eyes, awaiting the end.

"WAIT!" Starry interrupted.

"What do you want?" growled the changeling queen, stopping her magic once again.

"You... You can't kill her... I still love her."

 I opened my eyes and turned towards Starry. Tears were pouring from his eyes.

"We've already been over this! You're not even capable of real love! You only know what we programmed you to know!" barked the queen.

"You may be my 'real' mother, but you know nothing about me!" yelled Starry defiantly. "I may be a changeling, but I am not a monster! Don't you dare tell me what I can and can't do because I know that I love Luna! She is my mom! She has loved me, taken care of me, supported me, and done every single thing that a real mother should do. The only thing you've ever done to me is mooch off me! You're a filthy parasite, not my mother! If you expect me to just stand here and watch you murder her, you're even more disgusting than I thought! if you truly don't think that I'm capable of real love, then let me prove you wrong!" 

Starry then moved in front of me, using his body to block the queen. "If you want to kill her, you're going to have to kill me first!"

"Starry, stop!" I cried, putting a hoof on his back.

"It's okay Mom, I need to do this. I have to know that I'm good inside." Starry smiled and then turned back toward the queen. "I told myself that I was going to dedicate my life to protecting Luna, my mother, and I am not going to break that promise now! Do. Your. Worst."

"Very well," grunted the queen "I was going to kill you anyway; all you're doing is reversing the order." The queen then clenched her teeth and charged up her magic one final time. After a few moments, a large green ball of light began to form at the end of the Queen’s horn. The Queen then made an ear-splitting shriek and shot a laser directly at Starry Night. In a moment that felt like an eternity, it struck him right in the chest. Starry screamed and then hit the ground.

 "Well, I'm glad that annoyance is out of the way. I guess that makes it your turn, then.”

 I did not respond, for I could not hear her. The only thing I could hear were the voices in my head swarming through my thoughts. Out of all the things that had happened to me lately, this was the last straw. No matter how much I wanted to, I could not hold them back any longer. I could feel them flowing in and taking over every part of my body.

 "Wait what's going on!?" cried the changeling queen as the demons took me over. The voices took over my body causing my fur to darken, and my mane began to turn into a thin purple mist. Before long, I had completely turned into what would soon be called Nightmare Moon. 

After that, everything turned hazy. I remember the queen tried to blast Nightmare Moon with her magic, but Nightmare Moon turned into mist and escaped the blast. Unlike me, Nightmare Moon had immense power. She was so powerful, in fact, that with only one spell she shattered the queen's force field. Magical green sparks showered from the sky, and Nightmare Moon went on the attack. She laughed and used her power to cast spell after devastating spell at the queen. The queen tried to fight back, but she was powerless against the sheer force of Nightmare Moon's magic. 

"No!" screeched the queen. "This is impossible!" 

But it was possible. In only a few minutes, Nightmare Moon handily defeated the queen of the changelings. Wounded, the queen decided her best course of action was to escape. So she used the last of her magic power to shoot off a blinding array of light distracting Nightmare Moon. The queen then slipped away under the cover of darkness.

 I was afraid of what I saw. I sensed a deep evil in Nightmare Moon, and I knew that if I did not do something soon, she would be in control forever. I mustered up all of the willpower I possibly could, and I used it to force my way back inside. Nightmare Moon's hold on my brain stayed strong, but I just kept pushing. I pushed and pushed until I finally cut back through and regained control of myself. 

However, Nightmare Moon did not go down that easily. After a few fleeting moments of being in charge, the voices that were Nightmare Moon’s attacked, back in full force. The inside of my body was in turmoil. Multiple consciences wrestled with each other, desperately trying to come out on top. Never in my life have I felt such a strange feeling. For a few moments it was almost like we were both in charge at once, two souls controlling one body.

 I knew I couldn't give up. I had to try. I was not going to let that kind of evil run loose in Equestria, so I made one final push with all my might and took back my body. I collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. I was drained. My normally dark blue flowing mane had turned lighter blue and lay flat on my body. I stood up shakily and looked around. Starry was still lying where he had gotten hit. Except now, a pool of fluorescent green blood surrounded his body. 

"Starry!" I cried out, running over to his body. 

"Mom?" replied Starry in an almost inaudible whisper.

"You're still alive!" I chimed, leaning over him.

"Yeah, I'm still around. For now."

"I–I am sorry... I AM SO SORRY!" I wailed, a river of tears flowing from my eyes. "This is all MY fault!" 

"I don't think it's your fault."

"What? You do not?" I said, wiping snot from my muzzle.

"Of course I don't. It was her that did all of this, not you. All you did was fall for her trap.”

"Even now you're still making me feel better. Thank you. Thank you for all the years that you made my life bearable," I said, bawling up a storm.

"You're welcome. I did it because I love you. I AM your son, no matter what I say when I'm angry and stupid. I want you to forget I ever said dumb stuff like that." 

I nodded. "I knew in my heart you did not mean it."

Starry smiled, revealing his jagged teeth. "Honestly, I should be the one thanking you. You gave me a good life, one worth living. You gave me a whole twenty-four years where I got to pretend to be normal. I don't know about you, but I have no regrets."

"Really?"

"Well maybe not being able to play that board game you promised," joked Starry.

"Sorry about that," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head with a hoof.

"No problem." Starry turned his head a bit and looked up at the sky. "It's a shame that the moon isn't out tonight. I remember the night you first showed me how you raise the moon. That was one of the best times of my life."

"Do you want me to raise it now?" I asked, cracking a melancholy smile.

"But you don't have any magic left.”

"I'm sure that you have enough of my magic in you to do the job, if you're willing to share it."

"Of course I am!" beamed Starry. 

"All right here goes nothing," I said as I touched my horn to his. Slowly, I could feel his magic flowing between us. Once my mane had regained its normal color and shape and my muscles no longer felt shaky, I was ready to do the deed. I backed away from Starry to give myself a little bit of room, and then I began. "Alright make sure you're watching, because I can only do this once!" I grunted.

 Just then, a strange purple aura began to flow around me in elegant shimmering strands, and a small sliver of white light began to appear above the horizon. Starry watched in wonder as the silver moon flew up into the darkness glowing bright in the clear sky.

"I never get tired of that!" wheezed Starry gleefully. 

"Here comes your favorite part!" I called as I got ready to form the stars. 

Starry looked right at the sky waiting for more. After that, my horn made a loud cracking noise, and the stars began to burst into existence like popcorn on a hot stove. The stars then danced across the sky, forming complex shapes and designs, finally settling in their appropriate constellations.

              "Just as beautiful as the first time you showed me," said Starry, a single tear coming from his eye. 

              “Was I a good pony?"

 I trotted over to Starry and lightly lay myself next to him.

 “Of course you were. You were the best pony I have ever known." 

"Good,” replied Stary a blissful look on his face.

"Was I a good mother?" 

"Are you kidding me? You were perfect," said Starry, his voice nothing more than a tiny whisper. I looked into his eyes one last time, and he looked into mine. We stayed like that for the last few moments we had together, and then finally, Starry Night, my son, was gone.



The End.



> Epilogue 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Epilogue 


After that, I could not hold back Nightmare Moon any longer. All of the anger and sadness I had been harboring for so long exploded out of me and into the world. I was sick and tired of being hated, and even more so, I was sick and tired of living in the shadow of my sister’s sun. I needed somepony to blame, so I blamed her, even though I knew very well it was all my fault. 

The next time I would see Celestia would be when Nightmare Moon refused to end the night. I can’t remember much from that day, it was all a bit blurry. I do remember one thing; Celestia tried her hardest to save me. She was always trying to protect her sister, even in the end. 

Only after she finally realized I was a lost cause did she use The Elements of Harmony.

 As the power of the elements coursed through me, I felt greater pain than I have ever experienced before. I did not feel pain because I was hurt; I felt pain because I realized I had made the greatest mistake I have ever made in my life. 

I was then sent off to the moon for one thousand years until the day Nightmare Moon’s spell could be broken.

The stars are strange. They are the one thing in the night sky that I do not have full control over. Every once in a very long while, when something extraordinarily beautiful, or extraordinarily tragic, happens, a new constellation is formed.

 That night the stars decided that it was time for a new addition to the sky, a beautiful constellation in the shape of a prancing foal, dancing across the starry night.
	
> Bonus: Deleted Scenes!!!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


There Will Always Be Light:
deleted scenes



Number one: STONED BY THE STONED


Now this first scene was originally in the place of the Golden Straw scene from Part V. The day I wrote it I had gone a long time without writing anything and honestly didn't want to do it. That is NEVER a good environment for creativity. So the result was a poorly paced nonsensical scene with one dimensional (mildly offensive) stoner stereotypes. I hope you get a kick out of it because honestly I hate it.

I took a deep breath as I felt the light rainfall on my wings. I always loved the feeling of flying in the rain. It was refreshing somehow. That night I was bored, so I decided that I might as well go for a flight. I wasn't quite sure where to go, so I just sort of flew randomly. As if by a weird instinct I ended up in the same forest that I found Starry Night 17 years before. After a short time I was able to find the rock face I had rested on when I heard that explosion. I sat down on the edge and looked at the trees below. It was beautiful but also somehow surreal to be back in that place. I closed my eyes and thought about the moment that changed my life. I never really stopped to think about how lucky I truly was coming across Starry that night. It was almost like it was meant to be. I smiled and rested my head on the ground, but before I knew it I had drifted off into a light sleep.

"Hey you!" Came a voice shocking me awake.

"Huh?! What?! Who is it?!" I cried out with fear.

"Calm down sister." Came another more feminine voice. I turned around to see three figures, two mares and a stallion. All three of them were various shades of green and had vacant expressions on their face.
"Yeah," said the other mare, "you need to slow your roll a little."

"Uh... Okay? Who are you guys?" I asked breaking the awkward silence.

"I don't know man, who are you?" Said the first mare pulling her dreadlocks from her eyes.

"Yeah, and what are you doing on our hangout cliff?" Asked the stallion calmly.

"Your hang out cliff? What are you talking about? What are you even doing out here!?" I said frustrated.

"We just got back from a protest man; it was awesome!" Said the first mare, a weird grin on her face.
"A protest? And what would that protest be for?" I asked cautiously.

"Look around you man!" Said the Stallion making a slow gesture to the dark sky around us. "We've been trying to end night!" My heart sank. I had just come muzzle to muzzle with some of the very ponies I had been trying to avoid for years. I backed up a bit, scooting right to the very edge of the cliff, so that it would be harder for them to figure out who I was.

"Oh really?" I said, desperately trying to keep my cool. "And why is it you would want to do that?"

"All this darkness clogs my chakras man.  All I want is to play in the light like I was meant to!" Said the second mare passionately.

"Plus that moon princess really disrupts my flow, if you know what I'm saying," complained the stallion shaking his long blonde mane.

"No,"  I said, offended. "What exactly are you saying?" The stallion rubbed his fully bearded chin and after a long pause said,

"I just get some weird vibes from her. You know she's just so..."

"Audacious!" Blurted out the first mare.

"Exactly!" Said the stallion clearly pleased.

"Excuse me!" I droned through gritted teeth, trying very hard to keep my cool.

"Woah man, is there something wrong," Said the second mare getting right in my face. "You seem a bit agitated."

"No! No it's nothing!" I said frantically, flying up in the air to avoid the mare's gaze. But it was too late; she knew. There was a long pause and the mare just stood at the edge of the cliff a confused look on her face. Just then the rain began to pour down harder, and thunder could be heard in the distance.

"Wait a minute. That's her!" She shouted angrily. "I couldn't see her in the dark, but that's her! The moon princess!"

"What!" Shouted the the other two ponies, straining their eyes to see me.

"We don't need you here day killer!" Shouted the stallion as he chucked a speeding which struck me right on the left wing. It stung but it wasn't much.

"Hey calm down! I don't mean any harm!" I screamed trying to calm them down.

"You take away the sun every night!" Said one of the mares.

"What's wrong with the moon?" I asked desperately.

" it ruins hours where we could be doing things! At night we barely even have enough light to see!" Said the other mare indignantly.

"Yeah! You take away what we love, just to replace it with your own selfish image!" Cried the stallion picking up another rock.

"Selfish! How dare thee!" I spat taking up my "Royal Canterlot Voice" "We slave over creating a night sky that thy would love every single night, but this is how thy thank us! We hardly think that we could be called the selfish one!"

"We don't need you deciding what we want!" Shouted the stallion hurling the rock at me, this time hitting me in the chest.

"Yeah! Get out of our lives man!" Cried one of the mares beginning to throw the small stones as well. I felt as the three ponies smacked me repeatedly with the small objects, unsure of what to do. At first it was only little stings which was tolerable, so I stayed and tried to reason with them. Unfortunately the more I said, the worse their attacks got. I tried my best to keep my cool, but when one of them used their magic to throw a much larger rock right at my head, it was just too much.
"How DARE thee!" I screamed dodging  the rock and promptly shattering it with my magic. "I SHALL NOT STAND FOR THIS!" I then completely lost control for a moment and let if a powerful concussive wave from my horn causing the three ponies to be thrown back at great speed. Thankfully I didn't blast them hard enough to cause real damage but they certainly flew back quite far.

"You're a monster!" Screamed the stallion as he galloped away at full speed.

"I AM NOT A MONSTER!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, lightning cracking the sky around me. I looked up at the sky and let the rain pour on my face. I wanted to scream again but I felt too weak. Instead I became light headed and fell to the ground, landing in a large puddle of mud. For the few brief moments I was left conscious I felt a strange feeling. It was almost as if something was trying to make its way inside of me.




Number 2: WILL YOU MARE-Y ME?


 Excuse the aweful title puns.

 anyway this scene was cut out because of a major lack of purpose in the narrative. I wanted to open myself up to the possibility of a romantic subplot, but I was never too keen on it and ended up cutting it. These kinds of things are why I wanted to completely finish  the story before posting it. Had I posted it chapter by chapter, this crud would still be in it. 

It was late in the night when Starry's letter arrived. I was sitting at my window again when there was a light knock on the door. I didn't answer because I didn't want to deal with whomever was acting as mailpony that day. I just continued to stare out into the blackness. There was absolutely no moon out that night; the only visible thing in the sky were a few lone stars.

There was another brief knock and then A quiet shuffle of hooves. I trotted over to the door and cracked it open just to make sure the pony was really gone. Nopony was there, only the darkness that clogged the hallway from end to end. I looked at the ground and saw a large envelope with a thin red string tied around it. I picked it up and smiled as I read the golden letters that adorned the front of the envelope.

From: Starry Night
P.O. Box A113
Timbucktu, 22015

I slowly ripped open the letter and pulled out a piece of nicely folded paper. I carefully unfolded it and took a deep breath, preparing myself for the contents.

Dear Princess Luna (Mom), it said in Starry's typical fancy cursive.

It's been a really interesting week, and I felt it's past time I send you another one of these updates. Training was as rough as ever; somepony tried to prank the drill sergeant by dumping paint on his head. He was so mad that he shouted at us for an hour and then made us fly 100 laps around the course. He did look pretty funny with a purple head though.

I smiled trying to imagine a muscular drill sergeant covered in a purple blob.

Anyway, grueling exercise aside I had a lot of fun this week. I've been getting along with the other stallions much better than I did back home; I even managed to make friends with some of them.

Probably coolest of all though, I met a really nice mare at the coffee shop on my day off. She asked me if I'd like to meet up again next week. Obviously I said yes because she was really funny and kind of pretty too! I think that's all I have to say this time. I really miss you Mom, and I can't wait to finish here!

Love, your son Starry Night.

A mare! I thought dumbfounded. I dropped the letter on the floor and just stood at my window for a moment, trying to process what I had read. I knew it was going to happen someday, so why was I so surprised?

At first I didn't know whether to be happy or not. Look maybe I'm just misinterpreting, I told myself. No, what are you thinking? What else could it have been? It's not that I didn't want him to find a mare for himself. I had just never thought about the possibility. To me, Starry Night was still the little foal that I had found in the woods.

My head began to hurt, so I laid down on my bed. My son is really growing up. I guess it doesn't matter. As long as he's happy, I'm happy.

That was the peaceful night I would have for a long time.


 Anyway, that is all I have for now. Thank you for being there for me and reading all the way through!