Luna was banished to the moon, we all know this story. But there was something else, something that changes it all.
We all know how Luna was banished to the moon and why. We all know she rotted on the moon for a thousand years, but what we had no idea about, just what exactly Celestia accidentally sent to the moon along with her, or to better clarify... Who?
Aquila. Daughter of the moon, the stars and all that lies above Equestria, or more specifically, daughter of the one who controls them all.
(I DONT OWN PICTURE. I can't draw like that in my wildest dreams, but I really liked it)
Animals scrambled wildly and rushed through the thick underbrush in attempts to escape the rampaging, wild looking mare who was doing a swell job of destroying the Everfree forest in her desperate search.
Blue aura violently shredded the underbrush and demolished the roots and bark of the surrounding trees and the wielder of the blue aura looked just as wild and haggard as her magic. Her coat was matted with sweat and lingering moondust that refused to budge as it was the remnant of her banishment that had just ended yesterday, the feathers on her wings were clumped together and desperately needed a good preening, her horn was dull and fuzzy from centuries of neglect, her normally serene turquoise eyes were red and bloodshot from pure exhaustion and stress, her mane and tail was short and a light blue that looked very similar to her younger self.
Princess Luna of Equestria was a wreck, mentally and physically, and really? who wouldn't? Centuries of solitary confinement, being agonizingly, but thankfully separated with a life-sucking parasite called Nightmare Moon that had latched onto her, and then immediately searching for the one thing she cared about most that was currently lost in the most dangerous forest in the world? Oh no, you'd be a hot mess too.
But where in Tartarus could that pod be? Yea, it's small, about as large as her wing, but for Faust's sake, it GLOWS. So, in the middle of the night, it should not be this hard to spot! Luna ignored the tears of frustration slipping from her eyes as her wild searching grew slower and slower until it eventually stopped altogether. Was this it? was the pod destroyed on impact from the rainbow blast? It was never designed to withstand such brute force, only to keep and preserve the most precious cargo it held safely in its hold.
Luna lethargically sank down to her rump, tears streaming down her face in a constant flow now. It can't be gone? but...it was the only thing that had kept her somewhat sane during her imprisonment... no... not this... anything but this... not her.. anything but her... take anything from Luna but her... surely the elements would not destroy the purest thing that held dear to her heart? Luna's head sank towards the ground as she fought to retain control of her emotions
Luna breathed in raggedly before raising her head once more to look around, nothing.....nothing..... nothing... no- wait, is that? It is! out of the corner of her eye, Luna spotted a pale blue glow in the distance that would have easily been outshone by her blue aura, so that's why she didn't spot it earlier! Her magic must have had a brighter glow then the pod, so only when she stopped was she able to see the telltale glow of old, old magic!
She raced over to the glow, her eyes locking onto the center of glow. After a few near misses with a couple trees that had stupidly been planted in her way, she made it over to the pod. She skidded to a stop a couple inches in front of it. her breath caught in her throat as she stared t it, remembering every detail. How it glowed a pale blue, how white dots and lines scattered across it like constellations on a map, how thick it was except for a large slot in the middle. But she cared little for the pod, for she was incredibly more interested in its cargo.
Using what little of depleted magic remained, she carefully peeled away layer after layer of the pod until the last layer disappeared to reveal what it held. A filly. A newborn filly with a mane as white as moonlight with black speckles as if a reverse night sky, and a coat as pitch black as shadow. Luna hesitated briefly before picking up the tiny filly in her hooves.
Luna memorized every part of her daughter, the way her mane fell around her tiny ears, how her tiny wings were still clamped to her sides, how a tiny nub of a horn just poked out her white mane, the way tiny tufts of fur stuck out around her miniscule hooves. Every part of her was perfect, from the way she yawned sleepily, to the way her dark purple eyes that seemed to be speckled with golden fleck cracked open for the first time.
Luna immediately fell in love. She remembered how after a short time on the moon she had given birth but had no time to rest seeing as the filly could not breathe, so with her magic, she had created a time capsule of sorts. It would freeze the little one in time until Luna, and Luna alone lifted the spell. But none of that mattered now, seeing as the little filly would soon grow cold in the soft breeze of the night.
While Luna never took her eyes off of her daughter, she spread her wings and with a few flaps, rose into the air. Soaring high above the Everfree, Luna the little alicorn close to her chest while beelining for Canterlot Castle. She didn't wonder how Celestia would react, or even if she should tell Celestia, nor did she ponder just how exactly she was going to take care of the young one. Luna only thought about how no matter, through thick and thin, she would love and protect her baby. Her Aquila.
Of course, her late father would have been the most doting creature on the planet... But that was another thing time had stolen from Luna. She tried hard to push down any resentment pointed at Celestia, but it was so hard. Yes, Luna had gotten out of control, but it stemmed from Celestia neglect! It was all her fau- no. NO. These thoughts would not be allowed, not now, not tonight, not when she had just recovered Aquila. Later Luna would seeth but take no actions against Celestia, but not tonight. Not tonight.
Well, Luna did NOT think this whole 'secrecy' thing through. It had been dumb luck as well as skill that had allowed Lun to sneak back into her room without detection...... Not that it mattered for moments later Celestia damn near broke the door down along with two guards at her side. Luna had set down Aquila on the plush bed, so hiding her as no big problem, but with Celestia's loud scolding, well, Luna was just glad that by some miracle Aquila didn't wake. Celestia had gone on and on about 'sister! Where did you go that you couldn't possibly alert your guard? That was very irresponsible making me worry like that! Do you know how much you scared me by disappearing like that?' and ' Luna, do you not trust me enough to at least inform me that you are leaving somewhere?! Are you still angry at me? I'm so sorry sister, but I'm just glad you are ok now...' and so forth, which caused for one thoroughly scolded younger sister and two very uncomfortable guards.
It took 20 minutes of apologies and thinly veiled hints of exhaustion that finally caused Celestia to leave Luna alone. Once Celestia left, Luna turned back around to see Aquila sleeping peacefully, which was a miracle in itself. After setting a barrier of pillow around the edges of the spacious, dark blue bed, Luna crawled into bed and with her forehooves gently pulled in Aquila closer to her to get some rest. . . . What's that sound? its damn near ear piercing. Luna blearily opened her eyes to the sight of a loudly crying filly. Luna's eyes snapped open and she immediately sat up. Quicky casting a soundproof spell around her bedroom -She hoped no one heard that...oops- Luna picked up Aquila and holding her close began to soothe her "What is it, little one? Did you have a bad dream? no? What is it then?," Luna held the still crying Aquila slightly away from her to check her over "Are you hungry?" A louder cry told her that her assumption was correct. Luna quickly summoned up a bottle of mild and offered to Aquila, who greedily began to suck from it, wrapping her tiny hooves around it.
Luna sighed, soooo no more nights/days of full sleep? expected. Wanted? Definitely not. This is going to be more difficult than she thought, for starters, it meant that she would have to spend more time in her room, which would cause alarm with Celestia for certain, and not to mention the long run when Aquila grew older. What would happen when Aquila needed to interact with others her age? or when she wanted to explore outside Luna's room? But that could be put off for now at least, but it was something to consider... Maybe keeping her secret wasn't such a good idea? nope, it was a good idea. All those greedy nobles or individuals that might want to influence Aquila for their own gains? NOT a good thing. Maybe keep Aquila here until she is a bit less easily influenced? but then how would she ever learn? I need to stop thinking down this path before I go insane.
Luna shook her head before looking back to Aquila, she hadn't noticed it before, but Aquila took after her father in other aspects, such as the tufts on top of her more batlike ears, and her wings were certainly unique! Soft feathers lined the upper half of her wings, but the bottom half was membrane like a Thestral. Luna nuzzled her daughter on impulse, she just couldn't seem to stop wanting to cuddle this cutie!
As Aquila ate more slowly now, Luna couldn't help but think about all those wasted years on the moon, how Aquila was forced to be placed into a time capsule.
A quiet, raspy voice in the back of Luna's mind whispered--It wouldn't have been so if Celestia had not banished us to the moon. Our precious one would have not been a secret from the world then... She would have had friends her own age- or well, close enough to her age--
Luna recoiled slightly and hissed quietly "Nightmare. You were defeated. Begone this instant"
-- Defeated, my dear Luna. Not destroyed. I shall forever live on in either your mind or another. You know I'm right, this IS Celestia's fault. SHE was the one who banished us, SHE was the one who tore us away from Noctis, SHE was the one wh-
Luna growled "Be silent Nightmare! I will never again yield to your tricks!"
-- As you wish, dear Luna--
With that, the voice became silent and seemingly disappeared. Luna winced but did not allow fear to grow, Nightmare Moon was not entirely gone, the Elements of Harmony had done quite the number on the parasite, but if anything it said was to be trusted, it could never truly be killed.
Luna had to forcefully dismiss these thoughts as Aquila pushed away from the now empty bottle and cooed sleepily. Luna smiled softly before carefully setting the tiny Alicorn on her shoulder and gently patting her back. After a couple burps, Aquila yawned, showing her tiny teeth, and slowly closed her eyelids. Luna set her down back onto the bed and laid down beside her, she was certainly tired, a thousand years of banishment supposedly needed a full nights rest, but that wasn't going to happen very often, so she quickly fell into the realm of dreams as she knew she needed as much as she could get.
Waking up was lovely, unlike most mornings. See most mornings included much procrastination and grumbling and copious amounts of coffee. But this morning was strangely peaceful as Luna awoke to the gentle tapping of tiny hooves on her face. Aquila was wide awake and using her tiny hooves to tap her momma's face for some odd reason that escaped Luna's morning reasoning.
Luna brought up her own hoof and gently booped Aquila on her nose, which caused high pitched giggles from the foal. Luna crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out which caused even more highly adorable giggles. Luna smiled and cuddled her tiny one for a few moments before a crisp knock at her door caused her to jump slightly.
Luna quickly got out of bed, made sure that Aquila was safe from rolling off the edge, and went over to the door and cracked it open just enough to allow her face to poke through. A young maid stood at the door and said, nervously but clearly "Y-your Highness, Princess Celestia has invited you to b-breakfast"
Luna nodded and spoke in a normal tone of voice, which of course she would, while a maid was a subject, they fell into a slightly different category "We thank you, maid, thou may inform Celestia that we have received her message and will the be their promptly"
The maid nodded quickly and quickly turned and damn near scurried away, clearly intimidated by the lunar princess. Luna snorted, it wasn't as if she was still possessed by Nightmare Moon. Luna closed the large double doors and turned to the stand which held her regalia. She quickly slipped into the more regalia and turned to Aquila who was still wide awake. This was a bit of a predicament... Luna couldn't leave Aquila all alone, not while she was conscious at least, but she couldn't just not attend breakfast either lest she risk Celestia's suspicion.
After thinking for a minute, Luna used her magic to create a mobile that had little bits and bobs from around the room and hung it above the bed for Aquila to look at. She then created a practical fortress out of pillows so Aquila couldn't roll off the edge of the bed before heading out the door to head to a most likely rushed breakfast
-------------- well, this is where I'm going to leave off for this chapter. I really can't be bothered to check this over though before I post it, so sorry for any possible grammar mistakes!
Luna returned to her chambers with a soft sigh, the meeting with Celestia was about what you might expect, a poorly hid interrogation on her health, how she was adjusting, when she planned to take back her throne, how she liked the food, almost any questions Celestia could conjure in her still guilty mind.
Luna appreciated her sister's concern, it was a nice change compared to a thousand years ago when Celestia couldn't care half a wit about Luna. It was unwise to linger on these thoughts, she could still feel the parasite linger in the very depths of her mind, waiting patiently to once more steal a foothold.
She distracted herself by looking over the large, baby-proofed bed where Aquila gurgled happily at the mobile above her head. She smiled, her precious star had been fine in the half-hour Luna had been gone, and oh, was it ever difficult to be away from Aquila for so long, her instincts had been screaming in her ear the entire time she was away to return to her daughter's side.
Luna walked over to the plush bed, kicking off her hoof guards. With care not to disturb the high walls made of pillows, she clambered over to her daughter and curled around her, receiving delighted giggles. Aquila seemed ecstatic to be in the presence of her mother, wiggling around trying to press closer to her.
As Luna watched her daughter fondly, her mind raced to the future, for now was as good of a time as any to harbour these thoughts. She couldn't keep Aquila a secret for long, not without gaining the attention of the nobles which would only further sully her reputation, or even worse, gain the attention of Celestia, who would look at her with that 'I-am-so-disappointed-that-you-don't-trust-me' look. You know, the one the Luna is weak against. And if Aquila should ever take ill, she would not be able to assist her. No, Aquila's safety and wellbeing are not worth the risks of keeping her secret from the world. And like any large deception, it would not last, she would be discovered at some point, so it would be best if her reveal was on her terms.
Aquila nuzzled Luna's wings, curious about the stiff and slightly gritty feathers. Perhaps it would be wise to choose a trustworthy Night Guard to introduce to Aquila, so then at least Aquila would not be alone if Luna had to leave for some reason or another. It would take time and energy, but now that Luna could think a bit clearer from rest and fresh food, she had the effort to spare.
Aquila started to gnaw on one of her softer feathers, no doubt liking the velvety texture in her mouth. To be able to properly expose Aquila, Luna would have to establish her reputation amongst the nobles and the ponies of Equestria so when her daughter was unveiled to the world, she would have something to fall back on. Not many ponies realize the significance of a reliable reputation in the ranks of any types of power. A princess could only rule effectively if her people trusted her to make the right decisions, and the nobles would only allow a wise and profitable princess to command them, so yes, her reputation would have to be rebuilt.
Luna's head started to ache, such planning was taking its toll on her still delicate mind. Taking a deep breath before she fell too far into her in own mind, she solidified her first move. Locate a Night Guard that she can trust with her secret and introduce them to Aquila, and preferably a Bat Pony, they usually have an ingrained loyalty to her and Aquila having some of their traits would endear her.
Making sure Aquila was ok on her own for a few moments, Luna gingerly got up and moved away from the bed. The best way to start building her reputation was to present a clean image. Approaching the yet unused washroom, she raised an eyebrow at the luxury and elegant interior. The floors were white marble, with a very large, cream-white bathtub which could be better described as a small swimming pool with a shallow end that reached her hooves and deep end that would reach up to her neck. The steps leading to the bathtub are lined with a slightly rough material to keep her hooves from slipping, there were even taps for hot and cold water, which was completely new to Luna as before, water had to be heated manually. The washrooms in her time were much less exuberant and more about getting clean in the shortest amount of time.
After fiddling with the odd taps for a little, Luna set the water temperature to a pleasant lukewarm. As she waited for it to fill, she looked through the soaps and shampoo's set out alongside the edges. Once the bath was nearly full, she turned off the water, she turned around and stepped back into the bedroom, where Aquila was nibbling on the edge of a pillow.
Using her magic to pick up her daughter, Luna levitated Aquila onto her back before eagerly approaching the awaiting bath. Relieving herself of her remaining regalia, she stepped into the bathtub. The water was warm and soothing on her matted fur, and she took no time washing the dust and grime from her mane. She let Aquila splash around in the shallowest end, watching her like a hawk in case she should fall.
After washing out a pine-scented shampoo from her mane and tail, she brought Aquila into her hooves and started washing her down as well. No need for just Luna to smell fresh and clean, and Aquila seems to enjoy it thoroughly if her energetic splashing was anything to go by. It was making a complete mess of the bathroom as the water went flying, but Luna could do nothing but smile as she was finally able to watch Aquila play as a young filly should.
We could have had this time with Aquila much earlier if it wasn't for Celestia
Luna started slightly at the sharp tones of the parasite, but quietly spat out as she watched her precious star play "Silence parasite. You have no right to converse with me or to even utter my star's name. And if you should ever even think of harming Aquila, I swear to the moon I will do everything in my power to end you. Permanently"
A faint chuckle Of course. Not that I ever would, we will require an heiress after all. We would never injure the precious one, not like Celestia tried to
Luna shook her head, her wet mane flopping around "Celestia didn't know, you cannot blame her! Cease your attempts to poison my mind immediately!"
Luna could almost feel the smug smirk of the parasite Didn't she? the oh so grand Celestia had no hesitations banishing her baby sister to a desolate wasteland for a thousand years
It took her far too much effort to chain the Nightmare back into the recesses of her mind and gag her. She gazed back down to Aquila, who had been looking up at her mother curiously. Luna cuddled her soaked filly as she murmured "Don't fret my precious star, I will keep you safe" Aquila babbled and hugged her mother's snout.
Luna would keep her daughter protected, that was for certain, and she would sooner raze Canterlot to ash before she let danger visit her foal.
No one ever told Luna how stressful babies are. The only things said were how children were just little darling or such, never about the long sleepless days and how mentally demanding it was to constantly be keeping watch over the accident-prone creatures. Let alone the god awful smells when the diaper was full of unspeakable horrors.
Despite the care Luna was trying to put into her appearance, she could feel the bags underneath her eyes from wandering the dreamscape AND having to stay awake during her sleeping hours when Aquila would wake and decide that her mothers time of rest was a wonderful time to start crying for one reason or another. Luna was still suffering from the aftereffects of her banishment in the forms of night terrors that she had to forcibly silence herself from screaming herself awake and how her muscles were still thin and hardly used, making it exhausting to walk even moderate distances.
As Luna exited the dreamscape for the night, she noticed how dim her stars were, how glazed and dull the moon was. The bright, colourful galaxies that should be present are nearly gone. She was so tired. But she couldn't stand to see her birthright in such a wretched state. She started to gather her power when she heard Aquila start to fuss, the small cries calling for attention and cuddles.
Luna sighed and walked back into her room from the balcony she stood on. Aquila's pitch black wings wiggling and flapping weakly as tears gathered in her bright blue eyes. Luna picked her up in her hooves and held her close to her chest "Hush little one. Would you like to see me clean the stars?" Aquila tilted her head inquisitively. Luna smiled and walked back out into the cold air on the balcony.
A gentle breeze greeted Aquila as she was moved to her mothers back. Luna looked around cautiously, making sure no spying eyes were on her before completely stepping out and exposing her daughter to the night air. Aquila murmured happily as her eyes immediately snapped up to the sky. Luna grinned slyly "Already taking after me are you? Your father would have been jealous" A wave of regret washed over her as she mentioned her long past lover, but she pushed it away, the time for grief has not yet come to pass.
Luna once again gathered her magic and lit her horn to start the process. Her first act was to reignite the forever dying stars, sudden bursts of light lit up the sky as hundreds of stars made their reappearance. She was the caretaker and power behind the stars, they could not die nor be reborn without her interference, so for a thousand years, millions of her creations had been stuck in a state of limbo. Aquila squealed happily as her mother scrubbed the moon clean so it would shine once again as if it was new, Luna felt her magic flow easily as she smoothed out the craters and unsightly blemishes on the silver celestial object, it was always so much easier for her to tamper with the moon than with the stars.
Luna panted slightly with the effort it took her, she knew it wasn't wise to spend so much energy, but seeing her sky in such a way is like an obsessive-compulsive cleaner seeing their house covered in filth and trash, she simply had to clean and restore or she would go mad. She still had one more thing to do.
With a final mental heave, she added more pigmentation to the faded dust clouds that were subtle in their reappearance, but all the more beautiful for it. Large swaths of red, orange, and greens exploded in the clear night sky. Finally, she was done. She looked up to see bright stars, colourful yet quiet galaxies and a shining moon look back at her. Her night was back to its former glory as it was all those years ago.
She was now extremely tired, but it was worth it to see Aquila stare up at the sky in wonder, to see her still immature mind trying to wrap around what she had seen. Luna slowly stumbled back into the room and collapsed on the bed, Aquila giggling at the jerky movements. Luna hardly had to presence of mind to recreate the fortress of pillows before falling into a deep sleep with Aquila cuddled in underneath her wing.
Luna would have liked to sleep for days longer, but with a hungry foal begging for food every few hours, it was impossible. She tried to attend breakfast with Celestia every morning to keep up the appearance of nothing being wrong or out of the ordinary, but she could tell Celestia's concern was rapidly increasing. And as much as the prideful princess would have liked to disagree, she needed help.
A knock resounded at her door. Luna instantly shot up from the bed to cast a silencing and concealing spell over the bed before she went over to the door, fixed her appearance and answered. A Night Guard stood in front of the large double doors calmly and bowed reverently "Your highness, the royal couriers wished for me to inform you that you are receiving hundreds of letters concerning your changes to the night sky, and ask when would be an acceptable time for you to receive them"
Luna paused in a moment of confusion, ponies noticed her changes? But everyone slept during the night and had little appreciation for her efforts of artwork. She responded primly "We thank you, loyal Night Guard. We would request that all letters be sent to thy chambers effective immediately"
He bowed once more with an "Of course, your highness" and went about doing as she commanded. She closed the door and turned to face her bedroom. When she made those changes, she never expected anypony to truly notice, perhaps a few astronomers whose duties it was to study such activities, but never such an amass of ponies.
Aquila was still sleeping soundly when the letters arrived. And Luna wasted no time reading all of them, some were concerned and confused as to what had happened, but surprisingly, others were thankful and appreciated her works. She read notes from sailors who had been joyous as to have such bright navigation, from astronomers who were sent into a frenzy by all the 'new' stars put in place, and even a couple from children who had thanked her for making such pretty nightlights so they could sleep easy.
Luna nearly wept. Finally! finally, she was getting recognition and love from her subjects. Since she had returned, she had not necessarily craved it as she once had, but she had looked up to her sky and felt uninspired because why waste such energy if nopony is going to appreciate it. She smiled softly, this is just one more step towards letting her precious star have the life she deserved, unintentional as it may be.
But there was still the issue of finding a Night Guard to help her. She wanted to continue and read more of the letters, but this had to come first. She tore herself away from the parchment and went outside her chambers after briefly checking on Aquila
The halls were quiet and empty as she walked, the only sounds coming from the tapping of hooves against the cold stone. She managed to quietly make her way unseen towards a patrolling Bat pony Night Guard who was wandering the halls of the castle.
He stopped in her presence and bowed, she spoke quickly and quietly to the still bowing Night Guard "Fetch us the most trustworthy and loyal of your kind, for we have need of them urgently. Speak of our request to no one, this is a matter of utmost secrecy" that should do it.
The Night Guard swiftly stood with a startled expression, but quickly nodded and trotted off into the castle depths. Luna sighed as moonlight filtered through the windows and cast a solemn air. Either she would receive a trustworthy guard to protect and assist her daughter, or her secret would be cast around the castle for everyone to learn of it. And though perhaps it would not be the worst thing if it were to happen, she could not foresee the effects it would bring to Aquila and her future.
Luna went back to her room and waited in trepidation, Aquila sucking on her hoof and playing with some toys Luna had conjured for her. Was she ready for this? to be so closely connected to another Bat pony? She felt robbed of her time with Noctis, the gentle yet protective soul he was, and she wasn't ready to let go of her love for him. She couldn't tell how she would react to a hapless guard. She could only hope for the best and pray that she would receive just a little more time with her daughter before she had to share her with the world.
......Well done my dear Luna. You are thinking like a true Queen now. Planning to keep secrets from Celestia? good. She deserves some payback for her ignorant deeds
