Chapter 1
The pegasi far above were working overtime, as expressed by the blinding white bolt of lightning that split the sky above, soon followed by terrible thunder.
A tiny bat pony with a short red mane and bloodred eyes dashed through the heavy fall of rain, not caring one iota. The few ponies he passed assumed he was simply in a hurry to get back inside the mountain(where Canterlot's thestral population resided), but they could not see the ear-to-ear grin on his mouth.
Of course, not all the thestrals lived inside this mountain - like all the other ponies in Canterlot, it was the wealthy older families who had the privilege. As soon as he was inside the cathedral hive, little Crimson took to flight and found his way to his own family's underground mansion, particularly high up. An emotionless servant thestral automatically opened the large wooden gate for him, allowing the little one to dash through without even slowing down.
"Mother!!" He shouted from the top of his lungs, hopping around on the living room carpet. "Mother!!"
An older thestral mare with a shoulder-length greying red mane, venomous green eyes and a cutie mark consisting of two canine teeth poking out of red lips trotted downstairs at the noise, and made a snapping noise with her mouth. "Crimson! You're dripping all over the carpet!"
The bat colt was far too ecstatic to take note, however: "I got my cutie mark! Look!!" He tapped on his plot, where indeed a bright, glowing red dot had appeared.
Crystal Star walked closer, and stared at it with a bemused expression. "A red light? What were you doing when you got it, dear?" She asked.
Still beaming widely, Crimson began to proudly ramble: "My class, we went to the castle, mom! I told you it was today!! Princess Celestia herself gave us a tour!! We saw everything, the library, the throne room, the kitchens..."
Crystal interrupted him. "Yes, but what were you doing when you got the mark?"
"It was in the astronomy tower! Princess Celestia let us all take turns looking through a big old telescope!" His voice began to mimic that of a lecturer's. "It lets us see things that are reaaally, really far and makes it look really close. It was so cool! I wanted to go to all those places, but I guess only the alicorns can go there. But Princess Celestia said that the alicorns can't go anywhere if they don't know where the other places are, and I thought I'd love to find every place there is! And then I had my cutie mark! Can I be an astro... astrono..."
Crystal Star's gaze hardened. "Astronomer... dear. And absolutely not. My son will not waste his talents on stargazing when he can be out there making a difference." She said in a calm, inarguable voice, cutting through her son's enthusiasm like a knife. Little Crimson stood with his mouth drooping open, unable to even comprehend what his mother just told him. He had not realised such unfairness even existed. "B-but it's my cutie mark, mom!" Of course, she was just being silly, like the time she got into a huff about his teddy bear. He'd been really sad about losing Bumble, but he was a big colt and took it on the chin. But this was much more serious than that! You can't be silly about cutie marks!
"It is a red dot, Crimson. It could mean just about anything. And besides, I've already spoken to the right ponies. I want you practicing with a spear and shield by the end of the week. A thestral does not waste time. He hunts while the prey wanders."
Crimson scowled. He was generally a nice colt, and liked just about everyone, but right now he really didn't like Mom. "No! No, I won't!" he screamed and slammed his hooves on the floor, struggling to hold back tears.
Crystal Star rolled her eyes at her son's temper tantrum. "Don't argue! And pull yourself together, for Moon's sake!"
"I don't want to fight! I hate fighting!"
"Then don't!" The mare snapped. "If you want to whimper and let others take your blood, that's your business. See how you'll survive. Come here!" She pulled the colt towards her roughly, and rubbed her hooves over his face, wiping the tears away. "I really don't know how you'll manage with an attitude like that... now, off to your room and don't bother me until dinner time!"
With his big day ruined, Crimson went to bed early, refusing dinner as he was too upset to see Mom right now, and didn't even open the door for his sisters, not wanting them to see his dumb stargazing cutie mark.
Probably all laughing about what a stupid colt I am. He thought with unusual bitterness as his pillows gradually became wetted by more silent crying. Why couldn't I get a cool cutie mark, like fireballs or something. Everyone's got a cool cutie mark, and I get a dot! He slammed his head against the pillow.
Having exhausted himself with anger, little Crimson fell into an unsteady sleep and dreamt of what burdened his mind. He found himself in the schoolyard, being mocked by ponies he didn't like for his rubbish, tiny little cutie mark. "You sure that's a cutie mark?" One asked. "Looks more like a pimple to me."
The group were, bizarrely enough, led by his own Mom. "That's just no cutie mark for a thestral!" she announced haughtily and threw a basket ball at him. Crimson yelped in pain as the ball bounced off his nose.
"You really have to work on your reflexes, dear. Pick it up!"
With his head hanging low, the colt responded to his mother's instruction and went to take the ball, only to find he couldn't get it off the floor. The group burst into laughter. "He's got no muscle!"
"I wouldn't even want his blood for breakfast!"
"What a joke!"
"How will you ever manage, Crimson?!"
Crimson Star had no answer, and sat down sadly next to the basketball, hoping they'd go away. Fortunately, the voices did stop soon enough. The bat colt looked around in confusion and noticed that everyone had disappeared. "Is it class already?" he pondered. "I can't be late! Mother's gonna kill me..."
"You are not late, my little bat pony." A silky voice said behind him. The bat pony turned our and his jaw dropped in shock. In front of him, right on top of the hopscotch game, stood a mare that every thestral knew by sight. She was exactly as every picture and book described - a deep black velvety fur that covered an elegant alicorn form, slitted aquamarine eyes, a blue set of fearsome-looking armor and mischievous grin on her face. Nightmare Moon. Mom had spoken of her as far back as Crimson could remember, though her stories were always nicer than the books he read at school. Mom said that Nightmare Moon had tried to restore the natural order of things by blocking out the annoying sun that hurt Crimson's eyes and made him dizzy, and because of that, Princess Celestia had made her go to the moon and stay there. That didn't seem very nice to Crimson, but who was he to argue with alicorns?
"Hello." She said, and sat down in front of him. Her incredibly long dark horn began to glow a light blue, levitating the basket ball into Crimson's hooves. "Did you want this?"
He didn't, but took the ball anyway to be polite. "You're Nightmare Moon."
"I am. And you're having a nightmare, are you not?"
Crimson nodded weakly.
"Tell me of it." She ordered. Suddenly Crimson's tongue loosened, and he immediately began telling her all about his day, though far less enthusiastically. "... I just don't understand. I thought we were supposed to do what our cutie marks tell us. But my mom wants me to be some big hero. I don't like all that stuff, I'm no good at telling people what to do... I don't even know what I'm supposed to do half the time. But when Princess Celestia..." he paused briefly, remembering about the supposed conflict between the sisters, but Moon didn't react at all to hearing the name, so he carried on. "... when she showed us the telescope, and I looked through it, I felt... amazing! I could see all those pretty worlds and suns from so far away, places like Equestria everywhere. I want to find out all I can about them, and the ponies who live there, like you!"
Nightmare Moon examined the inquisitive colt, her ears twitching. As she did, Crimson noticed the fanciful streets of Canterlot vanishing from his sight, replaced by a dusty white field stretching for miles in every direction. A plethora of stars sparkled above him, catching his interest. "Whoa."
"This is the world I live in, Crimson." Moon said with some sadness in her voice. "For you it's just a dream, but I spend every day here, walking across these endless hills. Hoping that one day, I'll be on the other hand of my telescope again." As Crimson turned to look at her again, he was shocked to see a change in her appearance - the armor was gone, and her dark fur was matted and covered in white chalk. Some of it had even fallen out.
"Are you okay, miss- I mean, princess??" He said, his concern for Nightmare Moon overriding everything else. The little colt ran up to the sitting alicorn and poked her leg worriedly with his snout.
She turned around to face him. "Do not fear. I can never die. I'm just trapped here and that can be a sickness in of itself. But I feel a little better with you here." She lowered her head down to his levels and kissed the colt on the cheek. The knowledge that he got a kiss from the Nightmare Moon made Crimson a little dizzy, and he looked up at her with awe. "I wish Mom would let me be an astro... as..."
"Astronomer?"
"Yeah! I'd love to come and see you for real!" He grinned. "I mean, weren't you sent here like a million years ago? I'm sure Princess Celestia wouldn't mind too much."
Nightmare Moon snorted, but indulged the colt. "I'm sure." As if arriving at a sudden thought, she held a hoof up to her chin. "You know... maybe one day, you can?"
Crimson cocked his head to the side. "Huh??"
"Think of it as a game, Crimson. If you are a good little bat and do as your mother tells you, you'll become a Lunar Guard one day, my Guard. And then nopony can stop you from being exactly what you want to be. You could use the telescope any time you wanted. And you could help me find my way back home. If that's what you want..."
"Yeah..." Crimson mumbled, the Princess's words sinking in.
Nightmare ran her hoof over the little colt's messy mane. "You are a strong and smart pony at heart if you believe it, Crimson Star. And I would be very happy to see you again one day." Though she didn't move anywhere, Crimson felt as if he was being pulled away and began seeing in tunnel vision. "Princess...?"
"The sun's already setting, Crimson, get up for Moon's sake!"
His eyes snapped open and he stared at his annoyed mother. "Crimson, don't you even dare-"
"I SAW NIGHTMARE MOON!" He exclaimed and sprung out of his bed and into flight, dashing about the room. "I SAW NIGHTMARE MOON, SHE'S REAL, AND SHE SAID I CAN BE A GREAT LUNAR GUARD!!"
Crystal Star caught the colt mid-air and looked straight into his eyes. "You saw... Nightmare Moon... in a dream?" she gasped.
"Uh-huh! She said I'm gonna grow up to be a big Guard and then you can't make me do anything anymore!" He rattled victoriously.
For once, the smile on the mare's face wasn't forced or condescending, but rather one of camaraderie as she held her beloved son. "Is that so?"
"It so is!"
Crystal rubbed her nose against the bat colt's. "Well then... if Nightmare Moon herself thinks you've got what it takes, why don't you show your trainer? He's waiting downstairs."
"Okay!" Crimson Star said, and with newfound confidence, flew straight downstairs.
Crystal Star glanced out of the window and at the blinking stars slowly emerging from the sickening light, and bowed deeply. "We thank you, your Highness."