Chapter 1: Midnight

“This way Sister! We’re getting closer.”

“Luna, please slow down. We don’t know what we’re going to find when we get there.”

“But the magic is fading swiftly, if we do not discover its origin, we may never know what it could mean.”

Under the dark of the midnight sky, the princess of the Sun and Moon galloped through the thick brush of the Everfree Forest. They had previously been flying, but as usual the weather acted strangely around the unkind woods and the winter night sky had turned into a snowstorm, shielding the light of the moon, and forcing them to land.

Celestia was concerned she would fall behind. Luna always did have better eyesight at night, and she had been trampling through with far less hesitation than the solar sister. Still, she did her best to keep up, sticking to the path that Luna had carved through the underbrush. Though few of the dangers in the Everfree could pose a legitimate threat to the alicorn sisters, she didn’t want either of them to be caught alone.

And then, there was the magical anomaly they had sensed maybe twenty minutes prior. They had both felt it. An unexplained explosion of magical energy emanating from deep within the Everfree Forest, too close to their palace for comfort. Neither wanted to leave it alone, after all, the previous entity that gave off such a powerful magical signature had been when they fought Discord almost a year ago. Even with the elements, a threat of that magnitude could be devastating.

“Sister, here” Luna called.

Celestia slowed, and pushed past a branch that led her into a small clearing. The space was perhaps a bit smaller than the courtyard at their palace, and a shallow layer of snow covered the grass. Thick branches were scattered about, old enough they were beginning to mulch from time and weather. Above them, the snowstorm was beginning to calm down and the moon was granting them a dim light through the clouds. Doubtless their pegasi guards would be able to catch up with them soon.

Celestia’s horn shone for a moment as she closed her eyes. “This is where the magic originated, I’m certain.”

Luna stepped beside her, casting her eyes about the empty field. “But, there is nothing here? What could it mean?”

“I don’t know Luna, but for now we should investigate what we can” Celestia said, her magic moving aside large branches as she walked the clearing. Luna joined her task, turning stones and thick branches for any sign of what produced the magical burst they were able to sense all the way from the castle.

It didn’t take long before Luna stopped suddenly and held a hoof up for silence. Seeing this, Celestia dropped the stone she had been examining and went silent. “Do you hear that?” Luna asked quietly.

At first Celestia heard nothing, but then her ear twitched as she heard it. A quiet breathing, soft enough that somepony, or something, was likely trying to conceal itself.

The two of them silently looked about, honing in on where the breathing was coming from, until their eyes fell upon a hollowed out half log. The opening was small and wasn’t clear from their position, explaining how they had overlooked it till now.

They looked to each other and shared a nod. Luna was closer so she approached silently.

Luna took a breath to steel herself, and then invoked the Royal Canterlot voice. “We know you spy upon us and do not take kindly upon such action! Reveal thyself villain!” She grasped the cover in her magic, ripping the wooden shelter away to reveal its occupant. Luna gasped. “By the stars.”

“Sister! what is it?” Celestia called, racing to her side.

Luna wrapped her magic around the sleeping figure and gently brought him over to her hooves. “It’s a foal!”

“What?”

Luna turned around to reveal a tiny unicorn colt with a grey coat and a deep golden mane, shivering in her forelegs. “He’s barely an infant.”

“This is impossible” Celestia mused. “How in Equestria is he all the way out here? We’re in the middle of the Everfree.”

“Sister we must do something, he’s freezing!”

Celestia hesitated.

“Tia?”

What could it mean? Was this what they had come out here to find? She stepped forward and her horn shone as she cast a spell of detection on the foal. Though quickly fading, Celestia could feel the remnants of a magical effect on the child. Perhaps a teleportation spell gone wrong? It couldn’t possibly have come from him though. Unicorn foals were known for magical surges as they came into their magic, but it was impossible for them to display such magical strength they had detected all the way from the castle.

Celestia chose her words carefully. “I don’t know Luna. There is clearly more going on here than we are aware.”

“I am not so foolish to believe that this foal is here by mere coincidence. But Sister. This. Is. A. Child. And a child that will freeze to death if we do not do something.”

Celestia blinked once, and then smiled warmly. “You are right Luna. The rest of this mystery will have to wait.”

“Princess!” The alicorn sisters turned their heads skyward to see a small band of armoured pegasi find their way to the clearing. They landed in formation and bowed as their captain approached.

“Captain Bold Feather” Celestia addressed him.

The pegasus removed his helmet as he approached and knelt to one knee with a bow. “Princess, my deepest apologies we could not keep up with you behind the storm.”

Her eyes were drawn to the red knitted scarf he was wearing about his neck. That would be warm. “That is quite all right Captain. However, if it’s not too much to ask, may I trouble you for your scarf? I have need of it.”

The captain looked up with a mild surprise at the request but quickly composed himself and began unwinding it from under his armour. “Of course your majesty, it is no trouble. My devotion will keep me warm in even the harshest of weather.”

Celestia took the scarf in her magic and passed it to Luna. “Excellent idea sister” Luna said, taking it within her own magic.

“I apologize for leading you all out here into the cold only to return the moment you reach us, but I’m not certain we should remain out in the snow for much longer.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. But have you found the anomaly you spoke of?”

Celestia looked to Luna, holding the foal, now swaddled in the captain’s scarf. The child’s breathing had returned to normal and did not appear to be shivering any longer. “I am not certain.”

Upon their return to the castle, Celestia had the child examined by the unicorn mages of the palace for any unusual magical remnants. It looked like Luna wanted to protest, but she was well aware of the need to take precautions, and they had the assurance that the foal would be in no danger. As it was, as far as the unicorns could tell, it was a normal healthy unicorn colt, if a bit under the weather from exposure to the elements. It seemed that whatever lingering magic she detected before on the child had dissipated completely before they arrived home. The child even slept soundly through the whole procedure.

After being given a clean bill of health and no magical anomalies of note, both princesses were at a bit of a loss what step to take next. One of the servants managed to produce a baby’s cot for the child, and others swiftly cleaned out one of the guest rooms of the palace into a makeshift nursery.

The princess thanked the servants for their hard work, and sent them to bed, as they had been working most of the night, and morning would be on its way soon. Thus, it was just Celestia and Luna in the new nursery watching the sleeping child.

“Well” Luna started softly as to not wake their new guest. “I cannot say I had many expectations of what we would find tonight, but this was most certainly not among them.”

“Indeed” Celestia remarked.

“So... What now?”

“In the morning we shall have to inquire about any missing foals matching our guest’s appearance. He must have come from somewhere. Perhaps the magical anomaly we sensed was an unusual teleportation accident of some such?”

“Very unusual” Luna pointed out. “Our castle far from most civilization, and the anomaly took place deeper still into the Everfree Forest. And to leave a ripple like we felt would have taken multiple unicorns casting in unison.”

“We’ll have to make many inquiries on different topics. Perhaps if we…” She stopped as they heard a noise from the cot. There was a stirring from within and the two looked over the cot wall to see the foal groggily opening its eyes.

“Sister, it’s waking up” Luna said with a hint of worry. “What do we do?”

Celestia almost balked. “Why are you asking me?”

The foal opened its eyes, blinked a couple of times and then stared up at them wide eyed in the dim lamplight.

“I don’t know how to care for a baby foal” Luna continued.

“W-well neither do I.”

“Should we call one of the servants?”

“It’s late, I’ve already sent them to bed.”

Slack jawed, the young colt continued to stare up from one to the other as they spoke, possibly too young to know how to close its mouth properly.

“Well he’s awake now. I’ve heard they cry a lot if they don’t get their way and that might wake up the servants anyway.”

Celestia looked around the room quickly and fidgeted on her hooves. “Why did he wake up? Is he hungry? I think there’s a bottle around here somewhere.”

“Ooohhhh please do not tell me it needs it’s diaper changed. I do not think I am prepared for this.”

“Wait, shouldn’t a baby’s milk be warm? I’m fairly certain I heard that somewhere.”

“Why couldn’t it have just been timber wolves. I can deal with timber wolves.”

“Something about warming a pot on the stove and letting the bottle sit in that for a bit? Is that real? Where did I hear that?”

They both stopped when they saw the foal fall over backwards with a plop onto its mattress. Its large head was obviously too heavy for it to hold up for too long. The foal scrambled to its belly and stopped when it looked at its own hooves, as if noticing them for the first time. Then it sneezed. A tiny, cute sneeze that surprised the young colt, and he shook his head as he sniffed.

“That… is so… adorable” Luna managed, barely squeaking her words. “How? How do they do that? How do babies make the most simple of things so… adorable?”

“You’re asking the wrong pony Sister” Celestia replied, somehow also enraptured by the foal attempting to stand on wobbly legs and falling onto his rump. “But I understand completely.”

Luna turned to Celestia, almost pleadingly. “Can I… can I hold him?”

“W-why ask me?”

“Well… there’s nopony else to ask?”

Celestia looked down at the baby colt, now exploring its surroundings, tumbling over its blanket and getting its hooves tangled. “Well... be gentle.”

“I will” Luna promised.

Luna’s magic carefully enveloped the child as gently as possible, as if handling the most fragile thing in existence, and the foal slowly rose from the bed. It made a little squeak as it left the mattress and the blanket fell from its hooves, then it curled up as it got closer to the sitting Luna, who reached out and took him into her forelegs.

“Hello little one” Luna said with the biggest, gentlest smile Celestia had ever seen on her sister’s face. “My name is Luna.” The colt looked up, enraptured by Luna’s face, or rather her mane. He reached out with a hoof towards the magical flowing mass, far too short and tiny to reach. Seeing his curiosity, she brushed her mane over her shoulder to let the tiny thing examine it closer with his hooves. Somehow, her smile grew. “It is made of magic” she whispered. He made another sound, and began to smile as he ran his hooves through the magical strands of her mane, watching the colours and sparkles shift and change. He wasn’t even pulling on it, he was handling it gently, like it was something precious.

Celestia, now no longer in a panic noticed the bottle she recalled from earlier. Bringing it over with magic she placed it against the back of her hoof and found it was still warm. One of the servants must have prepared it in advance just in case. “Here” she said, passing it to Luna.

“Thank you Sister.” She brought it closer to the foal, who turned curious at the new object that made its way to his face. He tried poking it with a hoof, and then squeezed the nozzle, dripping a bit of milk on his nose. He sneezed again and rubbed the offending substance off his muzzle as Luna giggled. “No dear, in your mouth. Ahhh” she opened her own mouth demonstrating. Picking up quickly, the foal opened his own mouth wide like she had, and she guided the end inside. As his mouth closed over the bottle, he almost seemed confused for a moment, trying to pull, or squeeze it, until eventually finding a rhythm in his suckling that seemed to satisfy the colt, and he closed his eyes, continuing to feed.

“Look Tia! He’s eating” she said excitedly. “So precious.” Luna added with another whisper.

“It truly is” Celestia replied, edging closer to the two of them and watching earnestly. They sat there for a moment with nothing but the soft sound of wind outside the window and the quiet rhythmic sucking of the baby bottle.

“Oh my goodness” Luna said suddenly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Tia, does this make us mothers?”

Celestia shook her head in surprise. “Luna, this isn’t our child” she responded, somewhat uncomfortable at what the implication would mean for them both to be mother to a single foal. “His real mother will likely be worried for him. We really must return him to his real parents.”

“I realize that, but until that happens, we are the ones to take care of him are we not?”

Celestia sighed conceding the point. “I suppose you are right. But I’m not sure I’m… comfortable with the idea of being a mother quite this early. And what would the court think if we suddenly show up tomorrow morning with a foal calling ourselves his mothers? Perhaps something a little less… direct. Like… aunts?” she suggested.

“Hmm. I believe you have a point. The rumour mills do not need any new material to disregard reality. They do so quite well on their own. I would wager they would be quite happy to make up new rules on how alicorns reproduce if given the chance.”

Luna had taken that topic a little further than Celestia had intended, and she found herself sighing at the thought, now finally realizing just how tired she was. Celestia got to her hooves and stretched. “Well as much as I am enjoying myself, we really should get to bed. We have a long day ahead of ourselves tomorrow, which in reality is only a few hours away, and we’ll have to find this young one’s home. The foal probably needs his sleep as well.”

“What about a name?”

“I beg your pardon?” Celestia stopped at the door when her sister called to her.

“A name for the foal. We can’t just keep calling it “the foal” or “It.” He needs a name” Luna insisted.

Celestia frowned. “He likely already has a name.”

“I know that, but we do not know any name he may already possess, and until his real parents come for him, which could take days, we must have something to call him.”

“Can this not wait until morning? I’m dead on my hooves Sister, and that doesn’t seem the best time to come up with a name.”

“Well I am still awake” she protested. “What about, Little Hope?”

Celestia gave her sister a frown. “Luna, that sounds a bit belittling don’t you think?”

“How so? He truly is little, and…” she looked down at the foal in her forelegs. “Somehow, he gives me hope.”

She wasn’t going to let this go, was she? “I don’t believe a stallion would appreciate the name Little” she sighed. Celestia wracked her sleep deprived brain for an idea that could satisfy her sister for the moment. “Perhaps he was lucky we found him when we did?”

Luna pondered for a moment. “Lucky Hope. Yes” she smiled. The foal seemed to be done with its bottle and had gone back to playing with Luna’s mane. She magicked the bottle back to the table and bounced the little colt higher. “Do you like that name? Lucky Hope?” The newly named Lucky Hope giggled a little at the movement and made a curious “gah” noise.

Even tired as she was, Celestia couldn’t help but smile at the joy this little colt gave her sister. She had been a bit moody of late. It would be a shame when they had to part ways when they found his true parents. “Goodnight Sister, and do let him get back to sleep soon. Young foals need as much rest as they can get.”

As she turned to leave, she was once again interrupted.

“Oh, before you go…”

Celestia sighed and struggled to keep the exhaustion from her voice “Yes Luna?”

Luna shuffled slightly. “I know we were interrupted by the magical explosion we sensed, but you had promised to watch the night sky I made tonight. I was working hard on it and I thought you would appreciate…”

Celestia stopped her with a hoof before she went too far. “Luna, I should have gone to bed hours ago, and I’m exhausted. Perhaps another time?”

Luna’s face fell. “Oh. I just thought that…”

“I’m sorry Luna, but I don’t think I would be able to enjoy it as tired as I am. And I am sorry but things rather got away from us tonight.”

Luna took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face. “No no, I understand. It has been very busy already and I shouldn’t keep you up any longer. I’m sorry for asking.”

“That’s quite alright Sister. Perhaps another time” Celestia said departing. Her eyes felt like they were weighed down by lead. Perhaps now she could see about getting at least a couple of hours rest before she needed to raise the sun. Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day as tired as she was.

Luna sat there in the nursery in silence. Why did she feel so miserable? Tia had a very good point, they had already been up for hours and they would be very busy tomorrow after the sun came up. It was logical. So why did it still hurt so much? Was it the broken promise? That had happened before as well. The affairs of court and running a country were numerous and often surprised them with additional tasks that exhausted her sister. She should be used to it.

Perhaps it was just one more broken promise on the pile, but it was getting heavy with rejection. It would help if anypony else would enjoy her nights. But even her sister kept rejecting the time to even look at the night sky.

Luna was broken out of her dreary thoughts as she felt a light tug on her mane, reminding her of the young colt in her hooves. “I guess you should be getting to bed also” she wondered. Of course, as she thought on it, he didn’t look that tired, and he had done nothing but sleep since they found him in the Everfree Forest.

Perhaps?

“Would you like to see something? Even better than a sparkly mane?” she asked.

Lucky looked on curiously at her and she stood up, carefully holding him in one hoof. Luna made her way to the window, and stepped out onto the balcony. Lucky shivered lightly as the brisk air reached them, and wriggled deeper into Luna’s coat.

Luna sat down and looked towards the sky. “Look up there Lucky” she said, pointing to the sky. The wind had blown away most of the clouds from the earlier snowstorm, and painted in the sky was a work Luna had put her heart into earlier at dusk. The stars twinkled in the moonlight, forming the many constellations Luna had spent months crafting.

Lucky was entranced. Looking up slack jawed again. He couldn’t take his eyes off the dancing lights in the sky, turning his head this way and that as if to take it all in at once. The cold forgotten, he reached out away from the warmth of Luna’s coat, and she assisted him by lifting him onto her shoulders. Though she couldn’t see him that easily from his new vantage point, but instead she could hear his excitement.

She smiled at his wonder and turned back to whisper. “Watch this.” Luna’s horn glowed for a moment, and comets streaked across the sky, leaving a trail of colour dancing in the canvas. Lucky squealed in delight. A sound of unadulterated joy. A precious thing that brought a tear to her eye. “At least you enjoy my night.” She leant over kissed Lucky on the forehead, eliciting another giggle from the tiny ball of adorable energy.

They sat there in mostly silence for what seemed like an age, punctuated only by laughs and squeals of joy from Lucky.

Time went on, and as days turned into weeks it was quickly apparent that nopony was missing a foal matching Lucky’s description. It truly felt like he had appeared out of nowhere.

Celestia tried exploring other alternatives of what could have caused the magical anomaly. But Discord was still trapped in stone, thankfully, and there didn’t appear to be anything unusual about the Elements of Harmony. There hadn’t been any gatherings of unicorn magic, nor any unusual monster sightings in the area. It simply seemed to be a mystery that would remain unsolved, as the only possible witness to the events was far too young to speak.

She even got her mages to examine the foal further, despite the insistence that he seemed completely normal, magically speaking. Although, there were a few oddities that she and the servants that took care of Lucky had noticed. Little things that alone didn’t seem like much, but together painted an unusual picture for a foal his age.

For one, Celestia was aware that unicorn foals often had magical surges as a newborn unicorn flexed their magic, performing strange and unexpected effects. While Lucky certainly had his bursts of magic, they were surprisingly controlled, and rarely, if ever, dangerous. One night he had found his way into the storage room where the marching band kept their instruments and every instrument began playing music, quite well even. Luna swore she had no idea how Lucky got out of her sight (quickly adding she neither knew why he was awake so late at night when she was questioned on that particular point). While it woke up the whole castle, the band leader Arpeggio Parade couldn’t help but laugh, and swore he’d eat his helmet if a colt that talented in music didn’t get a cutie mark to represent it.

Secondly, Lucky never cried. The servants were happy he was so well behaved but had certainly noticed the distinct lack of crying as is usual with newborn foals. Crying when they’re hungry, or uncomfortable, or scared. Lucky just made himself loud with a single shout and pointing. He was very good at letting ponies know what he wanted without words. Luna claimed that Lucky was simply too joyful and curious to ever be upset.

He was also cleaner than she expected babies to be. He rarely made a mess while eating, his toys often remained in a single pile when he wasn’t using them, and they went through far fewer diapers than anypony predicted.

One way or another, it looked like Lucky was to here to stay. There were initially thoughts of finding a family to adopt the child, but Luna had so quickly grown attached, and Celestia wanted to keep an eye on the little colt. If not now, then perhaps someday in the future the mystery of his appearance would be solved. And that would be far easier if they kept him nearby.

There were of course rumours, just as they had predicted. Ponies with more a mind for gossip than sense whispered about potential hidden lovers, explaining away the lack of pregnancy with the idea of “unique alicorn magic” to hide any signs. Most sensible ponies naturally saw such stories to be exactly what they were. Complete hogwash.

When it came to actually explaining where the child came from however, Celestia had difficulty thinking on what precisely to say if questioned. She couldn’t just admit they simply found the foal and decided to keep it. There were orphanages and foster systems in place of course, keeping Lucky in the palace meant he was getting special privilege.

She had never expected that having a foal staying at the castle would make the politics and public appearances so complicated. But as her advisors insisted, this would just be a trend in the media. Ponies would get their fill of the rumours and then largely forget about it in a month or two. For Celestia it couldn’t come quick enough.

She supposed it was easier for Luna who wasn’t as heavily involved with the courtly duties of running Equestria. She spent most of her waking hours at night and, much to Celestia’s complaints, seemed to keep Lucky up around those hours also. Celestia had asked some of the servants to keep Luna’s antics to a minimum, but Luna had designed so many secret doors and passageways around the castle during its construction that if she wanted to move about unseen, it was difficult to stop her.

The nursery was silent and still, save for the hanging mobile above the cot, turning gently in the wind from the open window. The nursery looked more lived in than it had the first night, now stocked with all the necessities, a colourful carpet, and a pile of toys near the crib.

The silence was broken however when a part of one wall slowly creaked open, and the muzzle of a certain alicorn princes poked into the room.

“oh Luuuucky” she whispered playfully. “Are you awake? Because here’s auntie… Luna!” she leapt out from the secret passageway with a broad grin. However, the grin fell to a frown when she laid eyes on Lucky. “Oh. You are not” she said quietly to the foal sleeping in the cot.

She wandered over to the side of the cot, sidestepping the pile of toys on the floor nearby. As quietly as she could, she lowered the side of the crib, sitting down and letting her head rest on the mattress. Lucky Hope was sleeping soundly, making the occasional suckling sound on the pacifier in his mouth. Luna casually wondered why they bothered with such an object for a child who didn’t even cry. Perhaps it was just a comfort thing.

“Why must babies sleep so much? I was hoping to show you my sky again. Tia couldn’t make the time to come see. As usual” she muttered.

For a moment, Lucky shifted in his sleep, and Luna perked up expectantly. But the foal simply rolled over and returned to silence.

Luna sighed. “Very well, I can be patient.” As much as she would have wanted him to wake, she didn’t want to be the reason a baby’s sleep was disturbed. A cranky baby wouldn’t be much fun either.

But being patient meant that she was alone again with her thoughts. Things seemed so much simpler when she was with Lucky. Sometimes they would watch the night sky, or wander the halls and secret passageways, pranking the evening staff. Spending time with a child brought out her own childish side, where everything was about entertainment and laughter.

Celestia however had chided her earlier today on her antics, saying that one child in the castle was enough, and she didn’t need another making things difficult. Especially one the size of a full grown alicorn princess.

Luna stood and shook her head. Thinking about her sister was making her antsy, and it wouldn’t do to be in a foul mood if Lucky woke up.

“When” she corrected her thoughts. “When he wakes up.”

Instead she walked out and sat on the balcony, looking up at her night sky once more. Perhaps there was more she could do in preparation. Tonight, the moon took centre stage on her canvas, she had used a gentle touch of colour and sprinkles of light to accentuate the moon’s shine, enhancing the appeal of that glimmering pearl in the sky. He would enjoy this she was sure. If only others did too.

Once more, thoughts of loneliness rebelliously creeped their way into her mind. Her nights were always so quiet as everypony was sleeping. Some may welcome the silence, as a reprieve from the bustle and noises of the day, but to Luna the silence was deafening. The isolation made her loneliness that more apparent. She had nopony with her to ease her pain. She supposed it was easier for Celestia to stave off loneliness. Her sister was surrounded by ponies day by day, and it was easier to have the day admired when everypony was awake for it.

She sniffed and noticed that unbeknownst to her, tears had started forming in her eyes. “What am I doing? This is no reason to… to…” but even as she contended with her eyes, her words were interrupted by a sob. Then the very attempt to halt the tears made her feel worse, until the whole dam holding her emotions back began to break. Luna wept the pain she had been holding on to for longer than she realized. “Why? Why do they all hide away from the dark and shun my nights? Am I simply the lesser princess? Just the spare, lest something happen to their beloved sun? Why can they not see my nights for the beauty they are?”

“Uwa”

Luna startled at the sound by her flank. Looking down, she saw Lucky staring up at her, leaning his hooves against her leg. “Lucky!” Looking back inside, she realized she had left the wall of the cot down, allowing him to reach her. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

He stared up at her with a look that till now looked alien on his face. It looked like he was about to cry.

“Oh no, did I wake you with my foolishness? I’m so s-sorry” She whimpered, wiping her own tears away.

Then, he did something Luna did not expect. He pulled his pacifier from his mouth and held it up to her in his hoof. “Uwa”

Luna was confused. She had no idea what he wanted, until the gesture of what he was trying to say reached her, and she gasped in amazement. Once more, tears came unbidden to the princess’s eyes, but this time for a different reason. “Oh!” She smiled and pulled the foal into the biggest hug she could give. “Oh you precious, precious little thing. You don’t want me to be sad. That’s it, isn’t it? I’m sorry my little piece of hope, as long as you’re with me, I shouldn’t have any reason to cry, should I?” she said, despite the tears of happiness rolling down her face. “Even if only one pony in all of Equestria can enjoy my night, that will make me happy beyond words.”

Lucky finally giggled and laughed into Luna’s coat, reaching his hooves around her as best he could with his tiny frame. Luna lay on her belly, allowing him to climb onto her back in his usual position to see the night sky, wrapped warmly within her flowing mane.

“You know” she said, a cheeky smile forming on her face. “I do believe, that tonight the sky would be appreciated a little closer.” She cast a small spell to ensure he was secure and wouldn’t fall off, then got to her hooves, spread her wings, and looked to the stars. “Hold on tight little one.” And together, they launched into the air.

Lucky immediately erupted into laughter and squeals of joy as Princess Luna beat her wings over and over pulling them higher above the castle. As they rose higher into the night sky, Lucky reached out with his hooves, as if wanting to catch a star.

Luna felt content. There was still sadness in her heart, that would likely never go away. But for now, in this moment, she truly felt that she would never have a reason to cry again. Not as long as she had Hope by her side. All of a sudden, her nights didn’t feel quite so lonely anymore.

Chapter 2: Morning

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Chapter 2: Morning

“And what are you doing up this late?”

The grey young stallion before Celestia winced and turned around slowly. “Surprised that you are honestly” he mumbled to himself.

Celestia brought out the most powerful weapon she had learned over the past few years of raising a young colt. She raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. “What was that Lucky Hope?” And her second most powerful weapon. Calling him by his full name.

The combination was super effective, leaving him wide eyed with his ears splayed back in embarrassment. “Nothing!” Lucky said quickly, like a dear caught in headlights, with his hoof in the cookie jar. He shuffled nervously and cleared his throat. “I mean… Hi Auntia, what are you doing up so late?” he asked unconvincingly, using his childhood nickname for her.

Celestia sighed. It had been almost impossible to nail down a solid sleep pattern for her charge, and this had only got harder as he grew older and developed a greater sense of independence. “Honestly Lucky, why must you creep about the halls so late? You have studies in the morning.”

The groan that followed was every bit the growing teenager. “I couldn’t sleep. Seriously, why is it so important I get up with the sunrise all the time?”

“Early to bed, early to rise builds character. But more importantly having a consistent sleep pattern is healthy for you. Look at me, I get up with the morning every day.”

“But… you are the morning” Lucky replied.

Celestia blinked. “That’s… not entirely accurate.”

“Not entirely inaccurate either” Lucky mumbled. “And anyway, if I fall asleep in class, I can make up the time. I always do.”

Despite her irritation, Celestia knew that he was right. Lucky had always been gifted in his studies. Although he seemed to have a blind spot for history, which was a little concerning. Ponies who didn’t learn from history were doomed to repeat it after all. Although, gifted as he was, Celestia was worried he would never learn to apply himself if things were never challenging.

“That’s not the point” she continued on however. “There is a schedule in place and disturbing that will require calling the teachers back to make up the time later, which would interrupt their own schedules. And Arpeggio would be so disappointed if you missed his lesson for the second time in a week.”

Lucky scoffed. “He probably just wants me to get my cutiemark during his lesson so he doesn’t have to eat his helmet. I don’t know, it’s fun, but I just don’t feel that attached to music. Arpeggio probably shouldn’t have made that bet in the first place.”

Arpeggio Parade’s ‘bet’ was something of a talking point in the castle. Nopony realized when he first made the prediction that he would take his word so seriously. Celestia was legitimately concerned that when Lucky finally did get his cutiemark and it wasn’t anything to do with music that Arpeggio would in fact eat his helmet as he had promised all those years ago. Not concerned enough to dictate the entire direction of a young pony’s life, but concerned enough that in passing she had looked into potential transfiguration spells to turn the offending object into something a tad more palatable.

And that brought up another concern of hers. Despite being a young teenager, and well older than when most fillies and colts received their cutiemarks, Lucky had still not found his own, and seemed utterly unconcerned with its absence. Despite his talents, Celestia was worried he had yet to find something he could truly apply himself to. That wasn’t to say he didn’t have his interests of course. The boy greatly enjoyed trying new things and had a love for life with a cheery attitude that was infectious to all those around him. He just didn’t focus on much.

Of course, she couldn’t really criticise. Both she and Luna didn’t receive their own cutiemarks until they began raising the sun and moon, and they already had begun ruling the three tribes well before that happened. Celestia just hoped that Lucky wouldn’t have to wait for such a crucial point in his life to find his true calling.

“Well, I don’t think it would be particularly flattering if you managed to get a cutiemark for a talent in skipping sleep. Besides, this late at night is no time for a growing stallion like you to be out of bed.”

“Don’t let Auntie Luna hear you say that.”

“I’m sure she would agree. And if she doesn’t then she really should.”

“Would she? Do you honestly think that?”

Celestia blinked. Something had changed in Lucky’s demeanour. He was no longer embarrassed, but instead was honestly concerned. It was like a switch had been flipped and he was suddenly very serious. “What do you mean?”

“Just that. Do you really think that’s what she’d say? When was the last time you actually talked to her?”

“What are you talking about Lucky? I saw her this morning at breakfast.”

“I don’t mean when you see her around the castle. When was the last time you asked her how she was going and meant it? When was the last time you sat with her and witnessed one of her nights she puts so much effort into? When was the last time you interacted as sisters instead of princesses and rulers of Equestria?”

Celestia tilted her head in puzzlement. “Where is this coming from? Has she said something to you?”

“Well, not to me, but I heard her a while back. I just…” He stumbled for a moment, but then finding himself, looked up into Celestia’s eyes. “She’s lonely. I don’t think that’s changed for a long time. And I’m worried that if nothing changes, then something bad is going to happen. I just know it.”

The princess narrowed her eyes curiously. Lucky sounded serious, but there was something off about the way he said it. It sounded almost rehearsed. Like an actor on stage using the silence and tension for a dramatic reveal. “How could she be lonely if you’re sneaking out to visit her almost every night?” she ventured.

Lucky flinched again. Obviously he thought his secret visits to her sister were still that, a secret. But she had long wondered why he was so often so tired in the mornings she had looked into it on her own. Many of the evening staff had seen him slinking around after his bed time and Lucky clearly thought he was stealthier than he was. She had talked to Luna about it and asked her to do something, but if he was still unaware she knew, then her sister must not have raised the issue with him.

“I… I don’t...” he stammered. “I go to see her because she’s lonely.” That response felt a little more natural after being caught off guard. “Please, just talk to her. I get that you’re busy but that just makes it so much easier to fall into a routine of neglect. If things don’t change it can’t end well.”

Princess Celestia wasn’t sure what to make of this sudden shift in topic. Part of her wondered if he was simply trying to change the subject to get out of trouble, but he certainly sounded sincere. Had she been neglecting her sister? She tried to remember when the last time they had actually spent time together and found she didn’t quite recall.

“All right Lucky” she conceded.

He perked up instantly. “Really?”

“I can see this is important to you, so I’ll make sure to talk to her in the morning.”

“Why not tonight?”

“It will be convenient if I see her around the same time we raise and lower the sun and moon” She pondered. “Also, it will give me some time to think on what to say. I suppose it has been a while.”

Lucky practically beamed. “Awesome. Well then” he turned to leave. “I guess I’ll…”

“Be going to bed” Celestia interrupted, turning him with her magic towards his own room.

“Augh! Don’t do that!” Lucky cringed. “You know I hate having magic used to move me.”

Celestia gave him a wry smile. “Well, maybe if you followed the rules you wouldn’t have to be corrected so often.”

Lucky began to mumble, almost quiet enough for Celestia to not hear. “maybe if your rules weren’t so stupid.”

Her horn glowed a moment “Oh?”

“I’m going, I’m going!” Lucky scampered away to his room.

Celestia released the magic around her horn and breathed a sigh of relief. That took longer than she anticipated, and left her head full of thoughts of her sister. Why was Lucky so sure that something bad was going to happen. It was only Luna they were talking about. She had a habit of getting moody from time to time and locking herself away until she calmed down, but surely nothing quite as serious as he seemed to believe. It was a mystery.

She passed the Captain Bold Feather as she pondered in thought and he bowed to her. “Princess.”

“Ah, good evening Captain” She nodded. With a thought however, she turned back to him as he passed by. “Captain, may I trouble you a moment?”

He stopped and bowed again to her. “Never a trouble in your service your majesty. How may I be of service?”

Celestia scanned the hallway for a moment and leaned over conspiratorially. “I don’t want to make a big deal about it, but do you suppose you could have one of your soldiers keep an eye on Lucky Hope’s door tonight? I caught him sneaking out earlier and I’m worried he might try again.”

Bold Feather chuckled to himself. “I will see it done Princess and ensure the guard to be as subtle as possible. But I wouldn’t worry, I believe he is simply at that age where he is testing his boundaries. I recall sneaking out at night from time to time when I was his age, much to my parent’s dismay.”

“Oh?” she raised an eyebrow curiously.

“N-nothing untoward Princess” he added quickly. “Just... liked to stretch the wings every now and again when I couldn’t sleep.”

It was Celestia’s turn to chuckle. “I am not judging you Captain, I merely find it surprising from such a strait-laced pony as yourself.”

He smiled at her words and relaxed. “I wasn’t always the upstanding stallion you see before you. I had my own rebellious streak once upon a time. Every young pony has one.”

“I suppose we do. Thank you captain, that will be all. Have a pleasant evening.”

“And the best of evenings to you also your highness” he replied with another bow, then turned and returned to his duties, leaving the princess with her thoughts once again.

“Rebellious teenager” she mused to herself. “Let us hope that is all this is.”

Princess Luna paused the book she was reading. That was curious. She could hear movement from the secret door beside her book cabinet. “Now, what is that colt up to this time?” she wondered silently to herself, carefully shifting to get a better look from her mirror while appearing to be engaged in her book.

Sure enough, as the secret panel opened up, the grey unicorn poked his head out into the room cautiously. Upon noticing Luna with her back turned to him he got a mischievous smile. She watched in her mirror as he began to creep slowly towards her.

“Surely not” Luna thought as she stifled a laugh. He looked quite silly taking such care, and sidestepping anything that would make a noise. Admittedly he was doing quite well and was actually mostly silent. He was simply unaware he had failed so early, even as he prepared to pounce.

“Gotcha… Woah!” At the same moment Lucky leapt, Luna teleported behind him and caught him in her magic.

“I believe there is a phrase that would be appropriate in this moment. Do not count your eggs before they hatch.” She blinked and thought. “Eggs? Or was it chickens? Which comes first?”

“Auntie! Put me down!” Lucky flailed about, caught in her magic and suspended upside down. “I’m not a bat”

“I suppose I should” she said with a smile, releasing him at once and letting him plop down on the cushions.

The breath was knocked out of him as he hit the admittedly soft cushions. He lay there with a groan, and an air of frustration. “Augh, again! How come I can never catch you unaware?” he mumbled picking himself up. “I thought I was really quiet that time.”

“Ah my mischievous protégé, but you must remember, that while I have taught you all you know about the pranking arts, I have not taught you all I know.”

“So, you’re just a bad teacher then?” Lucky asked jokingly.

“On the contrary, your approach after you entered my room was near perfect silence. But you have yet to learn to keep an eye on your surroundings. Perhaps you left your target with an alternate method of detection.”

Lucky frowned quizzically, clearly unsure what she was talking about. She pointed to the mirror, and with their positions reversed, he was able to see his fatal flaw. Lucky gave another groan and sunk deeper into the cushions Luna had been reading on, magicking another pillow onto his head, burying his embarrassment.

Luna finally allowed the laugh she had been holding back from her student and ruffled his golden mane as she passed on her way to her bedroom balcony. Lucky batted her hoof away playfully before standing up and following. “So, why did you decide to enter from the secret passage tonight?” she asked. “Other than trying to catch me unawares?”

“Oh yeah” he said with a hint of embarrassment. “Well, I kind of bumped into Auntia on my way over here earlier and she sent me back to my room. I even heard her ask Bold Feather to post a guard to my room to make sure I didn’t sneak out again. Like she doesn’t trust me at all.”

“Oh… I see.”

“Although, I did sneak out anyway, so I guess it’s kind of warranted?” He shrugged and shook his head dismissively. “I don’t know. It still feels rude.”

Now on the balcony, Luna lay down on the carpet in her usual spot for their nightly viewings. A carpet outside was harder to maintain, but she realized that as they spent almost every night outside on her balcony as she painted the night sky, it was certainly more comfortable than the stone floor. “Well” she said trying to ignore what her sister’s confrontation with Lucky would mean. “Do you have any preference for tonight?”

Lucky didn’t answer immediately. “Auntie Luna?” he finally asked. “Did Celestia talk about me sneaking out to see you?” Luna sighed and turned away embarrassed, which seemed to be all the answer Lucky needed. “Why didn’t you say anything to me?”

“I was worried that you would not want to come see me if you knew my sister disapproved.”

Lucky scoffed. “I’m here now aren’t I? She’s not going to dissuade me with a disapproving stare. I just have to be a little more… subtle.”

“But my sister does have a point” Luna insisted. “You are still growing and you need your sleep.”

“But… you didn’t say anything.”

Luna sighed once more. “Yes. I was being selfish. I wanted you to keep seeing me. It is the highlight of my day, or night rather.” She chuckled at a memory. “I almost went insane from boredom a month back when you were sick for a week and couldn’t leave your chambers.”

“Hah! You were bored” he laughed as he draped himself over her back like a child climbing over her. Luna knew she would miss this contact when he grew old enough that such things would be inappropriate, but for now she enjoyed the closeness. Lucky continued unperturbed. “You weren’t the one spending all day and night in bed with a flu that sent my magic into overdrive. I ended up ruining six books to sneeze powered magic blasts. Six! I never read that much. And I still don’t know where ‘The Mystery of Whinnywood Downs’ got to after that teleportation mishap.”

Luna laughed “The mystery of the missing mystery.”

“Misplaced by the mysterious miniature mystery” Lucky continued with his own laugh.

Luna frowned. “What miniature mystery are you speaking of?

“Uh… me?”

It took a moment for her to realize what he was talking about. “Oh, of course. I suppose we never did find out where you came from did we?”

Lucky turned his body around, lying his head against her back and settling in as he stared up to the night sky, content with his new pillow. “Well, I’m not complaining. I got two cool aunts out of the deal, so I’m fine with whatever happened. But more importantly, I know what we have to do for you next” he said with confidence.

“For me? What do you mean?”

“Well, if I get sick again, we need to make sure you’ve got something else to do or somepony else to see while I’m out of commission.”

“I… I am not sure that is necessary Lucky.”

“Who began a competition on how bored we were separated?” he asked with a smug grin. “You weren’t even sick and quarantined so you shouldn’t have an excuse.”

She sighed, conceding the point. “If you insist. But what would you have me do? I cannot simply ask the night staff to spend time with me because you are unable. They would simply agree as I am their princess, and then what would we actually do?”

“Auntia always holds court during the day to hear what ponies need from her” Lucky suggested. “What if you started doing something like that for a night court?”

Luna shook her head “I’m not sure why ponies would bother staying up late to see me when they could simply see my sister, especial seeing as she has far more experience.”

“Well…” Lucky pondered a moment. “What if we started by making a festival of some kind celebrating the night? That could get other ponies involved. Everypony enjoys a celebration.”

Luna hesitated. She knew what her sister would likely say. “One cannot just make a festival at the drop of a hat. There must be a reason for it” she looked aside. “And what reason would they have to celebrate the night when they are already awake for the day?”

“Hmm” he thought again and a smile quickly burst on his face in excitement. “What about the winter solstice? The longest night of the year. That would get everypony excited and it’s not too long away. You could have light displays and music and maybe a competition or two. Oh!” he said enthusiastically. “And fireworks! You can’t have fireworks during the day. Or even better! We could get the weather team to make sure it’s a cloudless sky and you can paint the sky and really make it your all with a meteor shower or comets or auroras! Everypony will love it! I know that’s always the highlight of my night.”

Lucky was getting animated in his excitement. Luna painfully wanted to be excited too. It sounded like a marvellous idea, but did she dare hope. “I… I don’t know. Would Sister even approve of it?”

“Why wouldn’t she? And don’t forget that you’re a princess too. You could probably do it on your own without her approval.”

“I… suppose you are right. It’s easy to forget that sometimes with her being so much more important than me.”

“Don’t say that Auntie Luna” Lucky insisted. “You’re just as important as she is. You just don’t need to constantly let everypony know.”

“Some recognition wouldn’t be unwelcome though.”

“Hence the Solstice Celebration.”

It seemed so simple when Lucky talked about it that Luna began to see it in her mind. Ponies walking about under the moonlight. Ponies dancing and singing, celebrating her night as they did Celestia’s sun. Witnessing the artistry of her night sky. It was like a dream.

“Have you been planning this?” She asked.

“Nope, just came up with it now” he beamed. He leaned over and wrapped his hooves around her neck in a hug. “Your nights deserve to be celebrated Auntie. I’ve known it since forever, and after this festival, everypony else will know it too.”

She smiled as a feeling of warm contentment flowed through her. Lucky Hope truly was a blessing on her life. “I think you’re right Lucky. A celebration does sound wonderful.”

Lucky jumped up with excitement beaming in his eyes. “So you’ll look into putting it together? Everything?”

Luna nodded. “We shall have to see what we can put together on such short notice, but I shall certainly keep in mind everything you have suggested. I must say though Lucky, I was surprised to hear you suggest fireworks” Luna said curiously. As far as Luna could tell, Lucky was rarely, if ever, scared of anything. But for some reason fire or smoke had always been something that made him uneasy. They noticed it first when he was still an infant when sitting by the fire on a cold winter night. Lucky had hidden behind Luna whenever he could, or dug his face into her coat away from the flames. They initially thought it was cute, until they realized that his discomfort never went away with age. And he would even panic a little if he smelt smoke without knowing where it came from. Lucky tried his best to hide his fears, but the signs were still there. Luna had essentially written off ever going camping by firelight. “Does this mean you are finally getting over your phobia?” Luna asked, a little bit hopeful.

“W-well” he floundered. “T-that’s different, they’re really far away and not going to burn anything.”

Luna smiled. At least he was trying. “I shall still have to try finding a time that Celestia will have to speak with me on this” she thought aloud. “Though I cannot promise it will be soon.”

Lucky smiled knowingly. “Why not strike the iron while it’s hot and talk to her in the morning?”

She raised an eyebrow curiously. “I don’t believe she will be able to speak on such short notice.”

“Oh, I think that’ll be fine. Trust me, she’ll be receptive in the morning.”

“If you are certain my little Hope” she replied.

Lucky groaned. “Augh, stop that. I’m getting bigger.”

The princess chuckled to herself. It seems her sister was right when she disapproved of Luna’s first choice of name. “Of course. But as much as I hate to say it, growing happens most when you sleep, so I believe we should cut things short for tonight.”

“Already?”

“If I am to be convincing my sister of our Solstice Celebration in the morning, I shall need time to prepare what I wish to say, and how best to say it.”

“Okay” Lucky conceded turning to leave. “But I’m sure you’re overthinking it. Auntia will listen to you. It’ll be fine.”

“Thank you for your confidence Lucky. Goodnight”

“Night Luna. Love you.”

“And I you Lucky” she replied. “But one last thing Lucky.”

“Hmm?” he stopped at her door.

She smiled cheekily. “Didn’t you say you had a guard at your door? I believe you should use the secret passage if you do not wish to irritate my sister any further.”

Lucky blinked, and saw the still open passage by her cabinet. He smiled meekly. “Oh yeah.”

“And do remember to close the doors on your way. I revealed to you the secret of my passageways, but I would prefer them to remain secret.”

“Can do. Sorry Auntie. And good night.” He waved his hoof before slipping through the passage and closing the door with his magic.

Luna was left alone once more with her thoughts. Once more going to the balcony, she looked over her night sky. The best place she had for thinking.

Her silent night was beautiful. As usual. She imagined it again, but with ponies awake and all celebrating together. A celebration of the night. She had dreamed of such a thing for so long, but it always felt unattainable. How the enthusiasm of youth saw the world with such innocence and simplicity. “They will all see my vision” she said softly to herself. “The night does deserve to be celebrated.”

But the simplicity of youth was not without it flaws. She wasn’t sure why Lucky thought that Celestia would be so willing to listen first thing in the morning. Her sister would likely not listen for such a small reason. No, she would have to do something to get her sister’s attention first.

“Hmm. The longest night.”

Something was very wrong. Celestia burst into Lucky’s room and called to him. “Lucky! Wake up.”

A flurry of blankets and a moan of surprise followed. “Buh? I’m awake! I didn’t oversleep.” Lucky sat up in his bed looking around groggily in the dim moonlight that peeked through his window. “wait, I really didn’t. What’s going on?”

Celestia was already by his side. “Lucky, its past 9:30 already, do you have any idea where Luna is?”

“What?!” Lucky leapt out of bed, now fully awake, and ran to his balcony window. He stared in shock at the sight of the moon still high in the sky. “No” he whispered. “No, why is this happening now?”

“I don’t know” Celestia admitted. She stepped up beside him and placed a hoof on his shoulder. He startled and looked up at her. “Lucky, we can’t find Luna. Do you have any idea where she might be?”

“What? No!” he insisted. “T-this can’t be her fault. Something must have happened to her.”

“I’m not saying she is, just that we cannot find her” She said, trying to reassure the young stallion. “But I have tried to move the moon myself and it is being blocked, so either Luna is holding the moon in the sky, or some other force is preventing it from moving.”

“Princess” came the voice of her captain from the doorway.

“Anything Bold Feather?”

He shook his head solemnly. Celestia wracked her brains for an answer. How had this started and moved so quickly. The moon immovable, her sister missing. Just what was happening? All she could do was prepare for the worst. “Take Lucky Hope with the other servants and make your way out of the castle. Make sure they’re safe.”

“You’re evacuating?” Lucky exclaimed.

“Just for now while I figure out what’s happening. Go with him Lucky.”

“No way, I’m helping you find Auntie Luna!” he said defiantly. “And nothing you say will change my mind.”

“Lucky…”

“She’s family.”

Celestia stopped at that. Family. Of course she was, to both of them. She knew she would do anything to ensure her family’s safety, and she saw the same determination in the eyes of this young colt. He was just as much family as Luna was. And Celestia knew that Lucky would be willing to follow her to the ends of the world and back if it was for family. And she felt the same.

“I’m sorry Lucky” She said, channelling a spell into her horn. She was willing to do anything to ensure his safety as well. Even if it meant him hating her. “Go back to sleep now.”

“What? No!” Lucky cried out and tried to channel his own magic, but the sleeping spell took hold quickly, and he dropped drowsily to the floor.

“Princess!” Captain Bold Feather exclaimed as Lucky fell to the ground.

Picking him up in her magic, she placed the sleeping colt onto the Captain’s back. “Please make sure he is safe Captain. I cannot risk more family tonight.”

The Pegasus looked uncomfortably at his unconscious passenger, then sternly bowed. “Of course, Princess. With my life.”

Normally she would dissuade the eagerness of her soldiers to throw their lives away, but she found herself being selfish for once, content that if something did happen, at least Lucky was with somepony who would risk everything for his safety. “Thank you” she said and went to leave. “Please be safe.”

Celestia dashed through the halls, checking the castle room by room and calling her sister’s name, growing more worried by the minute. Lucky was sure something bad was going to happen, but there was no way he could have predicted this. Something must have happened to Luna, there was no possible way she would be responsible for this herself, could she? Maybe something had caught her unaware? But what could be powerful enough to take on an alicorn within their own castle? Had Discord escaped? Was this some kind of revenge from Sombra? Or even Tirek? What if Luna was captured? Or hurt? What if she was…

“Evening Sister.”

Celestia skidded to a halt and looked up. She had found her way to the throne room. She scanned the room and saw up on the upper floor balcony, there was Luna, silhouetted in the moonlight. She was fine, and she was… smiling?

Worry quickly turned to anger upon seeing her sister was in no danger. “Luna! What is the meaning of this?”

“Well Sister, I knew you would never have the time to speak with me for long with your busy schedule. Not unless there was an emergency of some kind. And it’s so difficult to get your attention these days, so I just did something that you would notice.”

Celestia gaped at her, flabbergasted. “Is this a joke to you?” She finally said. “Everypony was worried. I was worried for you.”

“Were you Sister? Really?” Luna stretched her wings and leapt down from the second story, drifting down to the dais between their thrones. “Or were you worried about your precious day?”

“What are you talking about Luna? I always have time for you?”

Luna laughed a single violent thing Celestia had never heard from her sister. “Truly? Anytime? Do you even recall how many broken promises you have to your name? How many missed meetings or postponed visits I have had to prove that I am not worth your time?”

“I…”

“I know!” Luna yelled, voice full of rage. “I have counted the disappointments! Over two hundred in the last ten years alone! Always too busy, or too tired. The last time we even spent time together was the night we found Lucky! And that was only because we thought there was an emergency! Had I known then how little time you would have for me in the coming years I would have insisted you to stay, just to be with me. Just so that I could feel like I had a sister again.”

Celestia was speechless. Had it truly been so long? Where had the time gone. Surely she had spent time with her sister since that night. It seemed ridiculous that she could be so absent. There were tears in Luna’s eyes as she cried out, and Celestia’s eyes were beginning to match. “Sister, I…”

“No Sister!” Luna snapped, interrupting Celestia. “I am also a princess of Equestria and it is my turn to speak! Lest you have forgotten that also.”

Celestia closed her mouth, and found herself involuntarily swallowing.

Luna took a deep breath to steady her shuddering voice and stood straighter. “You know, I did not intend this from the beginning, but I had time to think earlier tonight, and I found myself reflecting on years past. I just wanted something to call my own. Something of mine that the ponies of Equestria could find it in their hearts to love as they do your glory. And I realized how hard I have to fight, just to have a chance at happiness. I am invisible Sister. Invisible beside your blinding light. And I have to remove it just to be noticed. Even for a moment. Nopony could love my night with things as they stand.”

Celestia spoke softly and carefully. “Luna, that’s not true and you know it. I know one pony that simply adores your night, and has for his whole life.”

Luna’s eyes snapped open and she cried out in rage. “Only one pony loving my night is just as bad as nopony loving it!” There was a gust of wind that shook through the hall as Luna’s wings violently shot open.

The princess of night glared at her sister in fury, as if daring Celestia to contradict her. But it wasn’t Celestia that spoke next.

“You don’t mean that, do you?” came a familiar voice, shaking from heartbreak.

Both princesses gasped and looked towards the main entrance to the throne room.

“Lucky!?” Celestia exclaimed. “How? What?”

“I can cast a quick counterspell, and I’m a good actor” he said. He didn’t even look at Celestia, eyes focused on his other aunt as he approached closer.

“But, Bold Feather?”

“I’m also a quick study” he responded blankly. Had he cast the same sleep spell on the Captain of the Guard that Celestia had attempted on him? Celestia knew he was talented, but he had never displayed such proficiency as this.

“Lucky?” Luna gasped and stammered. “I… I…”

“Auntie Luna? Why are you doing this?” Lucky asked with a shaky voice.

Despite being raised higher than the young stallion, Luna was faltering beneath his pained expression, taking an involuntary step back. “I... You wouldn’t understand” she cried, shaking her head, refusing to look him in the eye.

Celestia reached a hoof as he continued walking slowly past her. She wanted to stop him, but hesitated. Was he getting through to her? She didn’t know what to do.

“That’s why I’m asking. What happened? The celebration was a beautiful idea. But now everypony’s afraid. They don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what’s going on.”

“But they have to see my night” she insisted, tears in her eyes as she teared her gaze back to the unflinching colt beneath her. “You wanted them to love my night just as much as I do.”

He stopped, just a few meters away from her, looking up. He shook his head. “Not like this. I wanted you to show them beauty, but this? Nopony could love this.” The princess of the night gasped at his words. She began to sob and her wings flopped uselessly to either side, defeated. Luna wept.

Celestia was awestruck, and let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.

Lucky smiled. “It’ll all be okay Auntie. Can you please let Celestia raise the sun now?”

“Even you” Luna wept with a tone that felt like a shard of ice through Celestia’s heart. Luna raised her head to glare at Lucky, eyes full of tears and rage. “Even you reject my night!”

Lucky sank back from her gaze and breathed in sharply.

Luna reared back and slammed her hooves on the dais, shattering the railing and sending a large crack up the wall behind her. “NO!!!!” like a fire of pure darkness, her mane erupted around her, enveloping Luna in a maelstrom of magic and power. The wind picked up like a tornado within the throne room, almost knocking Celestia and Lucky off their hooves.

Celestia threw herself over the colt to protect him, despite his frantic protests. “Luna no!” he cried uselessly over the maelstrom.

She continued to rage and scream, as her form began to change. Twisting, growing, and changing into something almost unrecognisable. Her horn lengthened, fangs jutted out where her teeth used to be, her eyes turned green and slit into those of a snake, and her coat became pitch black, as dark as a moonless night.

The room began to crumble around them. Masonry cracked and fell from the ceiling, and in the maelstrom it was all Celestia could do to shield the two of them with her magic.

When the rumbling finally stopped, Celestia lowered her shield and looked about. While the castle still stood, the throne room was in shambles. Large pieces of the ceiling had caved in, and more than a few of the stained-glass windows that lined the hall had shattered. But the most devastating sight, was what Luna had transformed into.

Celestia simply stared aghast. Her rage had consumed and transformed her into a completely different pony. But Lucky pushed past her. “Luna, please stop this” he begged.

The alicorn before them stared curiously at them a moment. “No.”

A blast of magic erupted from her horn towards the unicorn, and Celestia barely had time to pull him out of the way with her own magic.

This was no longer Luna. She had just attacked Lucky in cold blood. This was no longer her sister.

Celestia leaped into action, tackling her former sister to keep her away from the defenceless Lucky. They tumbled into a wall, but Celestia was kicked off her opponent into the air and managed to catch herself in the air with a flourish of her wings. The black alicorn fired a blast of magic towards Celestia that she barely avoided, instead carving through the ceiling, sending chunks of masonry falling down.

Celestia gasped as they fell towards Lucky on the ground, but he managed to scramble out of the way before she had to intervene. She needed to get this fight away from him. Celestia glared towards her opponent, seizing the other alicorn in her magic and hurling her through the air and through the wall of the throne room to the outside air. She heard Lucky screaming for her to stop beneath her, but she payed him no mind. She had to protect what was left of her family.

Celestia shot through the hole after her opponent. The alicorn seemed to have taken no damage from the assault and began firing one blast of magic after another. Celestia made distance from the throne room to keep any danger away from Lucky. The rest of the staff would have evacuated the castle with plenty of time by now, so now she could pay little heed to where the blasts of magic went, as long as they did not strike her.

She danced through the air, weaving and ducking past the bridge and rising towers of the castle, looking for the opportunity to strike back against the hailstorm of magic. She ducked around a corner, then stopped and charged magic into her horn. As soon as the black streak came speeding past, she fired her own beam of magic into the other alicorn, eliciting a cry of pain.

The alicorn however turned to face her and fired her own magic into the oncoming attack, deflecting it away and striking Celestia in the shoulder. The attack burned like fire and Celestia failed to contain her scream of pain. The other alicorn cackled in glee at her success, so Celestia took the opportunity and ran.

They were both alicorns, why was her opponent so much stronger? Was it simply the rage that empowered her? Was Celestia’s power just not a match for her?

These thoughts distracted her as she crested the rooftop of part of the castle to find herself face to face with her opponent who had snuck up on her. Celestia’s wounded shoulder failed her and she could not evade the incoming attack in time. She was blasted clean through the rooftop and collapsed on the floor below.

Coughing weakly, she heard that laugh again. A shrill, cruel noise as if from a nightmare. “By the power of Nightmare Moon, the night shall last FOREVER!”

The Laughter echoed in Celestia’s mind as she fought for consciousness. “I can’t do this on my own. I need something… stronger.”

The princess of the night had never felt this before. It was as if shackles had been removed from all over her body and she enjoyed the taste of freedom it gave her. It made her feel strong, imposing, and impossible to ignore. She returned to the throne room through the shattered ceiling and landed back on the dais. Looking around, she discovered the awakening of her power had done more damage than she realized she was capable of. She would have to find somepony to repair all that after she had asserted herself as the new, sole ruler of Equestria.

“Luna?” came a quiet voice. She turned and felt her anger begin to simmer once more. The traitorous child.

“Do not call me that child” she spat. “That was the name of a weakling. I…” she paused for a moment, confirming her decision from earlier. “I am Nightmare Moon.”

The child shuddered for a moment and looked away with a pained expression. And something strange happened in her chest. Like a twinge of pain she couldn’t quite describe.

“This isn’t you Auntie. Please” he pleaded, looking up at her.

“Silence!” Nightmare Moon screamed, far angrier than she realized. It almost scared her. She tried to compose herself. “This is for the best. You shall see. All shall learn to love my night. They shall see its beauty and despair they did not learn to appreciate it long ago. And me as the rightful Queen of the Night!”

The unicorn shook his head solemnly. “No they won’t. Not like this.”

“Insolence!” she cried. Her mane sharpened into knives and lunged to cut out the boy’s treacherous tongue. But inches before they cut into him, the blades stopped and held their position. She stopped when she looked at his face, and her heart felt like it was wrenched aside.

There were tears running down his face.

For some reason, this troubled her greatly. Like some natural order of the world had been broken. Her breath came ragged and shallow.

“Please Luna” he said, sniffling through his own ragged breath. “You’re not a nightmare, you’re kind and warm. You care about other ponies and want them to be happy. You can’t force love. It has to be given freely. Like I do. Like I love you.”

Nightmare Moon tried to say something, but her voice got caught in her throat. She didn’t even know what she wanted to say. But on some fundamental level, she knew. She knew this was wrong. “Lucky?” she struggled.

“Auntie?” he sobbed, with a teary smile.

“GET AWAY FROM HIM!”

A blast of magic knocked her aside, and whatever crack Lucky had formed in her armour had vanished in an instant. Once again, she had locked away her feelings in the black heart of an iron vault. Nightmare Moon turned and snarled at the alicorn princess that had stepped through the door.

It looked as though Celestia had made it back just in time. She had to run the whole way as she was sure her right wing was dislocated, or even broken as it hung uselessly by her side. But now there was no doubt in her mind that this “Nightmare Moon” had to be stopped.

“Celestia no!” Lucky cried as he scrambled up to her. “I was getting through to her.” He was so innocent. It pained her to do this even as her magic reached out to him. “No! Stop!” She reached out with her magic and pulled him through the door before he had a chance to stop it, and slammed the door behind her.

Lucky immediately began banging on the door, but she ensured it was sealed tight by her magic. “This shall not stand, Nightmare Moon!”

Nightmare Moon cackled as she glared back at Celestia. “Are you certain of that? It appears that you are the one who cannot stand.”

Celestia ignored the jab. “This is your one and only warning. Release the moon and make way for the sun.”

“Or what?” she spat. “You cannot stand before my power.”

“Perhaps not alone. But I have other means at my disposal.” Celestia opened the saddlebag on her side she had picked up in her rush to get here, and out came the six jewels that shone in the moonlight.

Nightmare Moon drew back with a snarl. “You would even dare to turn the elements on me? Your conceit knows no bounds!” she cried as she began charging magic into her horn.

“So be it.”

The elements began to spin around Celestia as she channelled her magic through them, glowing bright as the rainbow and she rose into the air without the aid of her wings. She was still conscious of the banging and cries of Lucky behind the door, which brought a tear to her eye.

Nightmare Moon also rose to the air and fired her own magic that erupted as a beam of moonlight, far larger and violent than it had through the night. The elements fired back, easily matching the black alicorn’s most vicious attack. She started groaning and fuming, beginning to panic as she realized she was no match.

Forcing herself to see through tearful eyes, Celestia still struggled to commit to this battle. This wasn’t Discord, or some other monster of darkness she faced. On some level, this was still her sister. Luna had to be in there somewhere. But Celestia had no other choice. She didn’t know what else she could do. So, she prayed. She prayed to the elements. She prayed to the Sun and the Moon and the Stars. And she prayed to whatever gods might be out there. She begged the elements not to harm her wayward sister. Just to stop her from harming her beloved ponies.

“LUNA!!!!” she cried and the magic of the elements erupted forth tenfold, enveloping the screaming alicorn, flooding the room and castle with light, shooting up towards the sky.

In the silence that followed, Celestia fell to the ground with an unceremonious thud, utterly exhausted. The elements clattered to the ground in a similar fashion.

The door slammed open and Lucky barrelled through panting hard. “Luna? Celestia?”

Celestia groaned as she stood, her wing still giving her grief. Though it compared nothing to the grief she currently felt at what she had done. “Lucky. Are you all right?”

“Where’s Auntie Luna?” He asked, running further into the room. “Luna?! Please be all right. Please. Don’t tell me I failed to stop…” he paused at the sound of tinkling glass from the window at the end of the throne room.

Celestia watched sadly as his eyes went up, past the window, to what rested in the sky behind. The moon shone through the broken glass and a new pattern had appeared on its face. A pattern that resembled the head of an alicorn princess.

“No” he shook his head sobbing, not willing to believe the reality before him. “No no no. Noooooooooo!” He wailed and crumpled to the floor.

It was heartbreaking to watch, and Celestia could not retain her own tears. “I’m so sorry Lucky. I tried. I truly did.”

He slammed his hooves on the floor in anger. “NO! I messed everything up! I should have said something sooner. I should have done more! I could have stopped this!”

She rushed over to comfort him “No Lucky, don’t think that. It wasn’t your fault.”

“What about you!?” he suddenly accused, turning and pointing a hoof at her face, stopping her in her tracks. “She’s your sister! How could you let it get this bad? How could you have not noticed?!”

Celestia froze at the anger in his voice. She prayed against prayer that she would not have to stop another family member consumed by rage. She would never survive the heartbreak. At the same time, her mind began forming reasons how she could have missed it, why it had taken so long to visit, why the matters of state were impossible to ignore. But every thought in her mind felt hollow and shallow. Her sister was gone. None of those excuses mattered. “I don’t know” she relinquished. “Am I a bad sister for failing her so spectacularly?”

Lucky withdrew his hoof and sniffed loudly. “That’s not fair.”

“We can make this right. Together we can figure this out.”

“Make it right?” he asked in disbelief. He pointed at the moon. “How do we make THIS right?!”

“I… I don’t know. But we will. We’re family.”

Lucky Hope scoffed. “Well you sure picked the perfect time to remember that.”

He didn’t even give Celestia a chance to say anything before running off away from the throne room, and away from her. The princess breathed sharply, holding back another sob. She thought she was prepared for him to hate her, but she never expected such anger from Lucky of all ponies. She wasn’t sure what hurt more, his sadness, his fury, or his blame. And he blamed himself as well? Such a well of confusing emotion for such a young pony must be terrible for him. She already knew how terrible it was for her, looking up at the moon.

“Princess Celestia!” she heard a voice call for her. Her ever loyal Captain of the Guard.

She winced in pain from her wing as she turned. “In here” she called back.

A moment later the pegasus made his way past the rubble and to her side. “Princess I am so sorry, I… My goodness your wing! You’re injured!”

“Merely dislocated I’m sure. I will survive” she said, trying to dismiss his concerns. “You were saying? What is the situation outside?

He looked ready to prostrate himself in front of her. “I am so sorry your highness. I don’t know how the young colt got away from me. I just suddenly felt…”

She held up a hoof to stop him. “It is quite all right. Our young Hope is very resourceful, as I have come to realize. He is…” she stopped. How should she explain his emotional state? “He is deeply upset, but physically safe. What of the staff? Are they safe?”

He nodded. “Yes, they all took cover outside among the palace grounds. And you?” He asked with a great deal of concern. “And Princess Luna? Did you find her?”

“My sister…” she faltered, her voice getting caught in her throat. She swallowed and tried again. “She is…” again she felt her voice waver and fail. The events and emotions of the night finally catching up with her that she could no longer hold back. Her hoof went to her mouth as it was her time to weep openly. “Oh Luna!” she sobbed, a wet, throaty sob that overtook her completely.

Luna was gone.

The next couple of days were a living nightmare. While the staff witnessed the battle above the castle from the grounds, none of them quite understood what happened. And Equestria at large wanted answers why the moon had stayed in the sky until around midday. Answers that Celestia didn’t have. What could she say? That Luna went mad with grief and isolation and tried to make night eternal? That was essentially the truth, but there was so much more to it than that.

Ponies certainly noticed the absence of Princess Luna in the aftermath, and more questions were raised. Some of the staff had heard the decree above the castle by Nightmare Moon, and night lasting forever. And as usual, it didn’t take long for the rumour mills to start churning out stories. Stories of attempted coups, a new threat to Equestrian life, Secret alicorns bent on domination, Insanity of the princesses, to even the heroic sacrifice of Princess Luna to defeat this new threat.

Celestia barely listened to them, as while some of them got close to the truth of the events, none could truly understand the weight of what had happened. And she still had her hooves full with cleaning up the castle, the usual affairs of the country that were urgent enough they could not be postponed, not to mention she was now responsible for both the sun and moon which left her drained, along with her mending wing.

Worst of all, Lucky had shut himself away and refused to see anypony. He barely ate and had not come out at all since that night. Celestia knew he would need time to mend a broken heart, as she did. She even envied the child’s option to shut himself away to grieve in his own time. A luxury she as the, now solo, head of state could not afford.

But she could not help but worry about him. And she had already lost one family member to negligence, she swore she would not lose another the same way. She tried to approach his door every time she had the opportunity, but each time she was rebuffed and he said he was not ready to talk. And every time, she told him through the door that she would be there when he was ready, and that she loved him dearly. It had been an all too hard a lesson to learn that she had not said that enough to those she loved.

On the eve of the third day after she received a curiosity. One of the guards posted to Lucky’s door approached Celestia with a letter from Lucky. She opened the letter and immediately had to hold back her own tears when she noticed the smudges on the paper. He had already been crying when he wrote it, so surely this would open fresh wounds for herself. But he was finally reaching out to her in his own way, so she began to read.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I feel like I’ve been trying to start this for days now. Anytime you come to my door, I want to talk, but my voice fails to work properly and my words come out all a jumbled mess, so I guess writing this down is the only way I can get anything out in the open.

I am a mess of emotion right now and I don’t know how to feel. I blame myself, and yes part of me also blames you, and even Luna for not talking to you herself. I know I shouldn’t but I can’t get over how things never should have reached this point. It always seemed silly to me that something like this could happen. But I guess I know better now.

All the ‘could-haves’ and ‘should-haves’ keep rolling around in my mind trying to make sense of what I could have done better to make things right. I could have told you sooner what was going to happen. I could have insisted you talk to her that night instead of waiting for the morning. I could have told Luna what we spoke of instead of being playfully vague. I could have told you more of what I knew. Told you the times I walked in on her crying to herself, thinking she could hide her sorrow from me.

And I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I didn’t do… any of those things. Sorry that I thought I could handle this on my own. I’m even sorry I knocked out Captain Bold Feather to get back to you.

What am I saying? I should apologize for that. He didn’t deserve that, he was just doing his job. You have a great friend and subject in him. You’re kind of surrounded by great ponies to support you really. Bold Feather, Arpeggio, Inkpot, all of them. I guess I’m getting side tracked. I’ve just finally been able to write this down and I don’t want to stop, so I may end up rambling a bit.

I wanted to let you know what Luna and I had been talking about. The Celebration she wanted to talk to you about before she got… side tracked. We wanted to hold a winter solstice celebration for the longest night of the year. The plan was for it to go on all night. I even suggested fireworks if you can believe that from me. I wanted to show Auntie Luna that she was recognized for all she does for Equestria. I just needed to convince her that she deserved it and I thought a celebration would be best to bring out everypony. She was going to work on a night sky to show everypony how beautiful they were. So they could see what I see. I never got to mention it to her, but I thought “The Winter Moon Festival” would be an appropriate title. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. I just didn’t want you to think that what happened came out of nowhere. I should’ve stayed with her to plan things together. Maybe then she wouldn’t have gotten lost in her own thoughts.

There’s another should’ve.

I just wanted to make things better than they would have been. But now I’m worried I made things even worse. She never should have been that angry. And I might have given her something else to be upset about when she comes back. I really don’t know what’s going to happen now, and that scares me.

I never should have been here. Whatever magic that happened that brought me here made a mistake. I know you don’t want to read that, but I need to get what I’m feeling out in some way, and now that I’m saying it, I can’t not say it.

I’ve made changes so much that I can’t predict what effect any of this will have in the future. Which admittedly brings me to another reason why I’m writing this as a letter instead of to your face. You see, I’m good at working out how long something will take. I know how long it will take for one of the guards to walk this letter to the throne room to give it to you. I know how you read letters. So, I’m sorry, but I’m letting you know that I have to leave. And by the time you reach this point in my letter, I’ll already have gone.

Celestia leapt from her throne, startling those around her. “How long ago did he give you this letter?” She blurted out.

The guard, easily caught off guard stammered his answer. “I-I uh… Just now?”

She startled more ponies as she charged out of the throne room and down the hall. She couldn’t have been reading for more than four or five minutes, if that. And if the guard had been walking all the way from Lucky’s room, that could be another ten to twelve minutes, depending on his walking pace. Around fifteen minutes then? Surely he couldn’t have snuck out of the castle in that time.

She wheeled around another corner at full speed, almost bumping into one of the cleaning ponies, eliciting a shriek from them as she passed. There was still one guard by his room. “Has Lucky left his chambers!?” She cried out as she galloped to the door.

“Your Majesty?” the guard pony exclaimed in surprise at the princess barrelling towards her.

“Answer me!” she yelled.

“No Your Majesty!”

She panted as she stopped by the door. “Open it, Now!”

“O-of course” he replied, almost panicking at her insistence. He fumbled for a moment but the door would not open. “It’s stuck? I think there’s something on the other side.”

“Move!” she commanded, charging her horn with magic. She was not going to let herself lose another family member.

The guard ran out of the way as fast as his legs would carry him, a look of terror on his face. She blasted the door away and the bookshelf that was on the other side and strode into Lucky’s bedchambers. “Lucky! Where are you?” Her eyes darted around the room.

Nothing.

She went to the balcony and cast the windows open, searching for any sign of his passage. “Lucky!” she cried out, even though she knew it would be pointless. There was nothing that would have let him climb down, and it was far too high to jump. He didn’t know how to teleport and it would be too dangerous for him to attempt levitating himself down.

“Your Highness” the guard behind her called to her, recovered from the initial shock. She faced back into the room to see him pointing at a panel in the wall. The wall itself was slightly ajar.

She gasped. “One of Luna’s old passages.” She looked around in shock. This had been the same room Lucky had stayed in ever since it had been his nursery. If she understood what those passages were, he must have had access to almost the entire castle ever since he was a child.

She pulled open the panel and tried to squeeze in, but gasped in pain as her damaged wing bumped the wall. She was too large to easily fit inside.

She breathed in through her teeth at the pain as she looked pleadingly towards the guard still by her side. “Go! find him please”

“Of course” he said, squeezing himself into the passage. But even as he did so she knew how pointless it would be. Even the guard had to squeeze and moved slowly through the passage, whereas a young spry colt would have an easy time. And Lucky would have known the passages like his own home if Luna had taught him where to go.

Celestia felt numb. She sat down on her hindquarters, attempting to work out what she felt now. She moved a hoof to wipe a tear and bumped something. She realized that somehow, she was still holding the letter in her magic. It was a little worse for wear after being dragged through the castle with her, but it was still in one piece. There was still more left to read.

I should have done this long ago, and don’t worry I know I will be fine. I know this will only cause you more pain, especially parting in such a way, silently and anonymously, and yes, I will feel it too. But it is for the best. You’ve shown me nothing but love and I threw that in your face last we spoke. I will always be sorry for what I said. Please, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I fear it will be best if you just forget about me. I know how useless it is to say it, because I know I never will, but there it is.

I’m sorry for everything and I wish you well.

Goodbye.

Your student, nephew, and friend,

Lucky Hope.

“Princess! Is everything all right?” Captain Bold Feather said as he finally caught up to her and looked in the room and the destruction of the door. “By the Sun, what happened in here?”

“He’s run away” she said defeated.

“Your Majesty” the Captain said, at a loss of what else to say.

“I’ve lost them both.”

Chapter 3: Noon

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Chapter 3: Noon

The door to the tavern opened briefly and a rush of the evening winter wind and snow briefly had free access behind the white mare that entered. The unicorn quickly closed the door with her magic and pulled back the hood of her cloak, revealing a mane of yellow.

She stood in the entrance a moment, shaking off the snow. There were a number of patrons at the establishment which gave it the air of a well trafficked locale but it didn’t seem too busy at the moment with a quiet chatter among the patrons. As she looked about, not quite sure what to do from here, she heard the bartender call out to her.

“Come on in and get away from the cold” he said, waving her over.

He was a broad-shouldered earth pony who was getting on in years, but he still had a strong set jaw and a full but shortly trimmed beard. His mane was cut short like his beard, and both were a dark brown, while his coat a light blue, and currently he had the stereotypical washcloth over his shoulder.

“Welcome to the Thoroughfare” the stallion said as she took a round seat by the bar. “Don’t think I’ve seen you at my bar before” the stallion said, extending a hoof. “Tender Spirits” he said, introducing himself.

The mare hesitated slightly before returning the gesture. “Yellow Star.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“Not for the moment. I just came in to get away from the snowstorm I’m afraid.”

“I hear it might be a while according to the weather ponies. Tell you what, since you’re new, first cider is on the house. That’ll help warm you up.”

“That’s very kind of you, but I couldn’t possibly.”

“I assure you its for purely selfish reasons. Good hospitality is some of the best marketing for getting repeat customers” he joked.

She smiled. “Well, if it’s purely selfish then I suppose I must accept.”

“Excellent!” he said, filling a wooden mug and sliding it towards her. “So, new to Filly Delphia?”

“Not really. Just visiting for now” she replied, sipping at her drink.

“Well, this small blip on the map appreciates your coming. But mark my words, we may be a small town now, but one of these days with the traffic we’ve been getting recently it’ll be one of those big cities soon. I’m sure of it.”

“The train station certainly seemed busy enough when I arrived in town.”

“Plenty of folks are coming to build a new life around these parts. Lots of opportunities.”

“I believe I’ve heard as much.”

“So, who are you visiting?” he asked. Mr Spirits certainly seemed to be a chatty pony. Either that or a slow night. “Got family here?”

The unicorn looked at her drink for a moment in thought. “Yes. At least I hope so. I haven’t seen him in quite some time."

Tender Spirits made a face. “Hmm, your tone implies a bit of drama. I’m not a pony to pry, but I am a pony who will listen if you want to talk, so I will ask if everything’s okay.”

“We didn’t part on the best of terms, so… I don’t know.”

“Ah…” The bartender was starting to look sympathetic. “Well, like I said, I’m the kind of pony who’s willing to listen if you need an ear” he said.

She smiled. “That’s quite all right. I should be fine on my own.”

“Glad to hear it” he said, beaming once again.

“Hey Tender” another pony over the other side of the bar called. “Stop flirting and get us some service over here.”

Tender turned to the other pony and laughed. “Hah! Well Roller, maybe if you paid your tab I wouldn’t have to leave the presence of a paying customer.” He leaned over and whispered conspiratorially. “Don’t tell him the drink was free, I’d never hear the end of it” he joked.

She chuckled. They were obviously friends having playful banter. “The secret of your generosity is safe with me.”

He laughed. “Well, enjoy yourself. Savour the warmth and listen to some music” he said, moving to leave.

She frowned as she looked about. “But there’s nopony playing music.” There was a stage with some instruments set up. A drum kit, a piano and a cello in the background, but nopony seemed to up there.

Tender looked at the stage and shrugged. “Not for long I’d imagine. Trust me, you’re in for a treat tonight.”

The mare turned her seat away from the bar to look about the room. There were maybe a dozen ponies in here, most in groups or couples. One couple in the corner appeared to be a young teenager couple, with the stallion whispering sweet nothings into the ear of the young earthpony mare, causing her to blush and giggle.

While she wasn’t watching, a new pony had taken to the stage with an acoustic guitar on his back and was now setting up. A grey unicorn with black hair. She couldn’t quite make out his cutiemark from the distance between the stage and the bar, but it was a small white shape.

The stallion sat on a chair and began tuning his guitar quietly, strumming a few strings, which caught the attention of the audience and they began to quiet down. When he had finished, he looked upward to the window for a moment. It looked like the clouds were still thick over the night sky, but a small smile came to his face before he turned back to his audience. He took a deep breath and exhaled, channelling magic through his horn. A similar glow surrounded the other instruments onstage for a brief moment.

He began to play his guitar, a slow, sombre melody set a mood of loss. And surprisingly, the other instruments behind him began to join in. Softly at first, but rising in volume as if played by invisible musicians. Then his own voice joined in.

I wanted you to know I loved the way you smiled
I want to hold you high and steal your pain away
I still can see your face, and I know it will not fade
I want to hold you high and steal your pain

'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right now you've gone away
You've gone away
You don't feel me here anymore

The worst is over now and we can breathe again
I want to hold you high, and seal my pain away
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight
I want to hold you high and steal your pain

'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right now you've gone away

'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right now you've gooooone

You've gone away
You don't feel me here anymore

The music came to it’s crescendo near the end, and the other instruments faded one by one, until it was just the guitar and his voice remaining for the tail end of the song. It was a song of sadness and loss, and there was more that one teary eye by the time he stopped singing and the instruments all fell silent. There had been true emotion in the song, she could feel it from where she sat.

The stallion stood up at the applause that followed and gave a bow. “He’s certainly something huh?” Tender Spirits said behind her. “I’ll bet you’ve never seen magic or music like that, huh?”

“It certainly is unique” she replied. Although, she had seen something like that before. Years ago, when a little foal found his way into the musical storeroom.

“I tell you, that guy should be playing in the big city, not a small dive like this. He could be famous with that kind of talent.”

“I suppose fame is not for everypony” the unicorn mused. “Does he play here often?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself? He normally has a meal after his set. He’s got a couple more songs before he takes a break, but I think that one’s his favourite.”

“I think I can see why. It’s quite powerful.”

The mare ordered a light meal while the wind continued to blow outside and listened as the grey unicorn played more music in the background. While the next few songs weren’t as impactful as the first, they still elicited a heartfelt response from the audience. His music was sorrowful and mourning, without being upsetting, where the listener more felt the beauty in the song and the emotion behind it, rather than feeling sorry for the musician.

When he was finished, he bowed politely again at the applause he received and waited patiently for the applause to die down before he packed his guitar away into its case, slung it over his back, and stepped off the stage towards the bar.

“Hey Tender, how do you think it went tonight?”

Tender Spirits came out with a plate of food in one hoof and placed it on the counter for him. “Why don’t you ask your new fan?” he said, tilting his head to the mare who had finished her own meal by now.

She chuckled a little with a hint of embarrassment as the bartender came over and took her plate. He gave her a wink as he passed and went back to the kitchen with the dirty dishes. “I apologize for that, it was not my intention to disturb you.”

“Don’t worry about it” the grey unicorn said with a smile. “Tender has a way of making fast friends and passing them along to others. He’s a great guy.”

“You’ve known him long then?”

“Gave me a place to stay when I first came to town. I’ve been playing here ever since while I look for more work.” He raised a hoof to shake. “Sorry, Dusk Elegy” he offered.

Again, the mare hesitated a moment before returning the gesture. “Yellow Star.”

However, this time it was the stallion’s turn to pause a moment. While only brief, there was a moment of curiosity. A blink and twitch of the eyebrows that was quickly wiped away with another smile. A smile that for some reason felt a bit less genuine than before.

“It’s a very unique talent you have” She said, trying to continue the conversation. “Full control of multiple instruments at once with your magic.”

“Well that’s not really it” he admitted. “It’s more like a set record based off memory. Like… well, a record player. The music will play the right notes in the right order, and I just play my own and sing along.”

“Still a very unique talent” Her eyes travelled further down. “However, not apparently your special talent.” Now that he was closer, she could properly make out the symbol of his cutiemark. It was a white mask with a crying face. The mask of Tragedy. She had seen the type of imagery before on plays and posters advertising the theatre, but this mark lacked the comedy mask that typically went with it.

“Telling stories” He gave. “That’s my actual talent, and music is just one medium to tell them. That, and I’ve always had an affinity for telling stories of tragedy.”

The mare nodded along. “So not music itself then.”

The grey unicorn frowned. “No.”

A moment of awkward silence followed, broken only by his magic picking up his plate and stepping off the barstool. “Well, I usually eat at a table, so…” he made to leave.

A mild panic set in. She wasn’t going to lose him again without a fight. “Actually” she said, getting down and following. “Do you mind if I join you? I’m sorry if I made things awkward, but you’re the only other pony I’ve spoken to here, and I can’t possibly trouble Tender Spirits while he’s working.

“There are other ponies around to talk to” he replied bluntly. “They’re friendly enough.”

“Is my presence really that terrible?” she asked. She felt a little bad, it was a manipulative question to ask.

He closed his eyes and sighed. “I guess not.”

They found a quiet table in the corner with only two chairs and they sat either end. The awkward silence returned as the grey unicorn munched on his food, refusing to look her in the eye.

She felt anxious. This wasn’t how she saw things going in her mind at all. “So… your music is very inspired” she asked, attempting to strike up conversation once more. “And so different from what I normally hear. What uh… what’s the inspiration?”

He sighed once more. “Are we really doing this here?”

“What do you…?”

“Celestia please” he said, finally looking up at her. Her breath caught in her throat. “I’ll admit, I didn’t think you had magic to disguise yourself that well” he mused. “You’re a good deal shorter, and are your wings temporarily gone? Or just hidden under that cloak?”

“How did you know?” she asked, looking aside, ashamed at her own deception.

“Really?” he raised an eyebrow. “Yellow Star? The only star visible in the daytime because it is the sun? That alone raised my suspicion, but even then, you’re not a very good actor.”

“Lucky please, I…”

“I told you, it’s Dusk Elegy now” he interrupted. “Lucky was… it feels like a lifetime ago now” he sighed again.

It had been years. He was all grown up now. It had warmed her heart to see him smiling and happy with at least one friend, but now that he was with her, he was brooding and withdrawn.

“But why?” she asked. “Why change your name, and dye your mane black.”

“Same reason you came here in disguise. I wasn’t as well-known as you or Luna, but other ponies still knew me as Lucky Hope, the mysterious child raised by the alicorn princesses. I wanted a clean break. I also didn’t want to be found.” With that, he gave her a curious look. “How did you find me anyway?”

Celestia found herself smiling a little despite the pervading mood. “Arpeggio received a most interesting gift some time back” she replied. At that, Lucky, or Dusk as it were, rolled his eyes and groaned into his hooves. “It’s not every day one receives a cake in the shape of a helmet.” Her eyes gazed to a point past the table between them where his cutiemark would be. Arpeggio wasn’t the only one to understand the hidden meaning behind the gift. The pony before her had gained his cutiemark, and it wasn’t anything to do with music. With that lead, Celestia had followed the return address to Filly Delphia, and while it hadn’t brought her all the way, she had spent most of the day questioning ponies and following leads till she made her way to this tavern.

“And here I was trying to be clever” he said, shaking his head.

“For a pony who wanted a clean break, you still seem quite concerned with the ponies in the life you tried to leave.”

“Oh come on” he complained. “Everypony was worried he’d actually eat the metal one. And I wasn’t able to get it out of my head until I did something about it.” He quickly looked at her earnestly. “He didn’t actually eat the other one, did he?”

She laughed, thankful for the change in tone. “No, he accepted the substitute graciously. I do believe it was a weight off his mind also.”

The stallion looked visibly more relaxed. “Oh thank goodness.”

“He even decided to share it.”

His face fell again. “Ah. I guess that’s how you found out?”

Celestia felt the mood shift once more. “Yes. He came to me afterwards, wracked with confusion over what he should do. He figured that because it was gifted privately, you didn’t want to be found, yet his concern for your wellbeing also began to weigh heavy on his mind and conscience.”

“Well at least he thought about it before betraying my trust” he grumbled.

Celestia frowned inwardly. How quickly the mirth had disappeared. “He told me because he cares, and because I do too. We all do. Please come home.”

His expression was impenetrable while he thought. He chewed on a leaf of lettuce slowly and deliberately, the crunching easily audible over the quiet conversation of the other patrons in the establishment.

“I heard you moved the castle up to Canterlot” he finally said.

“Yes” she replied, a little surprised where the conversation had gone. “Canterlot is a more central location in Equestria, and not everypony was willing to make the trip through the Everfree forest.

Dusk tilted his head knowingly. “Is that the only reason?”

Celestia could not meet his eyes as painful memories came welling back in her mind. Wandering the long passages, alone. Glimpsing at shadows that out of the corner of her eye reminded her of her sister. The damage from her battle with Luna. The empty rooms. “No” she admitted, shaking her head. “It was never the same without you two. And the isolation of the Everfree only made things worse. Luna and I chose that place to build our castle together. It didn’t seem right anymore.”

“Didn’t feel like home, did it?” He asked, already knowing the answer. She shook her head dumbly. “And there you have my answer. How can I go home to a place that’s no longer home?”

“But home isn’t just the physical location” she insisted. “It’s the ponies you grew up with and the memories you made. All the staff at the castle were devastated when you left. Bold Feather always asks if there has been any news on your whereabouts, Arpeggio Parade talked to me because he wanted to find you, everypony misses you dreadfully. I miss you.”

“Right” he replied snidely. “So you’re asking me to go to a place I don’t know, surrounded by a bunch of ponies who pity me greatly, but won’t have the guts to actually talk about what happened, owned by the one pony that tore this family apart. Does that sound homely to you?” he asked with venom in his voice.

“Lucky, you can’t mean that” she asked, horrified at the vitriol he was spitting.

He banged his hoof on the table “That’s not my name!” he spat. The sudden noise wasn’t terribly loud, but a few other ponies had noticed and turned to see what was happening, but were now pretending to be looking elsewhere. Noticing the attention, Dusk Elegy visibly attempted to calm himself and whispered sharply. “I haven’t felt lucky or hopeful in a long time. And you’re to blame for that. They say home is where the heart is? Well my heart was broken where you call home. I can’t go back with you. Princess Celestia, please leave me be, and you go home.”

He got down from the table, leaving his half-eaten meal and went to the door, leaving Celestia in stunned silence. This meeting hadn’t gone at all as the alicorn had planned. She had no idea he was holding on to this type of anger. It didn’t make sense. His letter of goodbye had made it sound like he thought he had no other choice. As if he regretted leaving but felt that he had to. But listening to him now, it was as if he was rejecting his entire childhood, everything that made him who he is today.

It didn’t make sense.

She was broken out of her morbid thoughts at the sound of the door opening, and the snowstorm outside, as Dusk Elegy left the tavern.

No.

No, she wasn’t going to let it end like this. If she hadn’t been paying enough attention to know how Luna felt at her worst, then she was going to pry it out of her wayward child before it tore them apart for good, if it was the last thing she did.

She bolted to the door and followed him into the storm. The wind and snow whipped her mane, and the frozen air put her in mind the first night they found him. It seemed such a short time ago looking back. How much had changed in the pony now trudging away from her.

“Dusk Elegy!” She cried out. The name felt wrong to her. As if she was now rejecting who he once was as a child. The difference between Lucky Hope and Dusk Elegy was like day and night. But as the name carried through the howling wind, he stopped about a stone’s throw away. “Why are you doing this?”

“Haven’t I said enough?” he said, half turning back. “There is nothing for me there.” He began walking away again, pushing through the blistering wind.

Celestia followed, refusing to give up. “You’re lying” She said with a finality that helped to reassure herself. “There’s something else here, there has to be. Why else would you reject everything you once were? Your letter spoke of sorrow and apologies for what had to be done, not what you wanted to do. Your letter explained nothing of your motives, merely your intention to leave.”

“Well maybe I’ve wised up since then” he spat back. “Growing up will do that.”

“That doesn’t mean anything” she reasoned. She couldn’t tell where Dusk was leading them. He seemed to be wandering aimlessly through town. “Why write the letter?” she kept up. “With Luna’s passages you could have easily slipped away from the castle with none the wiser until hours after you left. But instead you leave behind a letter with your intent to leave and give it to the guard knowing full well I would read it immediately.”

“I didn’t want to be found, I said as much in my letter. If I had just disappeared you would have searched tirelessly for me thinking something had happened. I made the letter so you didn’t need to worry about me.”

“But you still care! The letter to me to ensure I knew you were safe. The cake to Arpeggio to ensure he didn’t do something dangerous for his pride. You still tried to make sure we were all right.”

“Just because I don’t want to live there anymore doesn’t make me heartless!”

“But why go so far to reject your home? Reject your history? Your family? All of us? Why reject Luna?”

At that, he spun around pointing a hoof at Celestia accusingly. “Don’t you DARE say that! I never rejected Auntie Luna! I told you to stop but as usual you didn’t listen and banished her to the moon!”

“I will bring her back!” she yelled back with the same ferocity. “I don’t care how long it takes, months, another year, a decade? I will find a way so that I can bring her home!”

The anger in his eyes subsided at her words, replaced by confusion. “What? Do… Do you seriously not know?”

Now it was Celestia’s turn to be confused. “No?” She said hesitantly. “The magic from the Elements of Harmony is like nothing else on Equestria. But I am spending every possible moment to...”

“No that’s not what I mean!” he snapped. He looked aside and his eyes unfocused as he mumbled to himself, barely audible over the howling winds, concentrating on his thoughts. “You must not have heard it yet. What does that mean?”

“Heard what?” she asked. “You know she can come back, you expected as much in your letter. You said you gave her one more thing to be upset about when she came back. But I was wrong to ignore you last time. If we bring her back together, we can welcome her home as a family and make everything right.”

“It doesn’t work like that!” he snapped, his voice breaking as tears began forming in his eyes. “how could you not know already?”

“Know what?” Celestia pleaded. “Dusk please, tell me what’s wrong.”

He was silent a moment as he dried his eyes with his hoof, and she waited patiently, wanting desperately to know what was going on. “I guess you’ll hear it from me then” he finally said, drawing himself up. “Nightmare Moon…” Celestia drew a breath. That accursed name of the mare that had taken over her sister. “Banished by the elements of harmony. On the longest day on the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about night eternal.”

Time slowed to a halt for Princess Celestia as she took in the full weight of those words. A thousand years? It had taken her months to finally come to grips with what had happened, especially after Lucky Hope, now Dusk Elegy, had run away. It took longer still to mend the faith her ponies had in the crown and rulership. As well as her own faith in herself. The study into the elements and what precisely they had done to Luna gave her some semblance of hope that they would see each other again. But to hear this? It was as if she was saying goodbye all over again and the haphazard structure of her world came tumbling down once more. Weakness took her legs and her body fell to the snow covered ground.

“Wha… how? How do you know this?” she struggled to say.

“I… I’ve done my own investigation” he hesitated. “I thought you would’ve known. Though now I guess I never considered how you would’ve come about the information.”

“A thousand years” she said in horror, still barely grasping the concept of waiting an entire millennium to see her sister again. Not only that, but she returns as Nightmare Moon? And still intends to bring about eternal night?

“That’s why I can’t be there Celestia” Dusk continued. “Your long life will easily make it possible for you to see her return. But mine?” he turned away once more. “I’ll be gone for centuries by that stage. It’d be impossible for me.”

“Not quite” She heard herself saying. She swallowed the despair she was feeling deep into herself. A thousand years, while a terrible wait, still meant that it was a problem she could deal with later. Right now, she had another family member she was trying to save. “There is a way you could be there. Even after a thousand years.”

“What are you…” his voice faded, and his eyes grew wide with realization.

Celestia had honestly considered it before. Long ago when it was still the three of them, and he was still just a child, the idea of him passing on through the natural cycle of old age before she showed even a hint of aging terrified her. Such a gift was not to be given lightly, but there were certain things that one does not do. “I could grant you a lifespan just like mine.” One does not abandon family. “An Alicorn’s lifetime.”

“You… are you…” he struggled to form words at her offer.

She stood up once more and held her hoof out for him to take. “Yes, we can welcome her home together.”

But she was not prepared for the anger that washed over his face. “Are you serious?!” he yelled with utter fury.

Celestia recoiled at the rage that erupted from him. “What?”

“You’re offering to turn me into an alicorn, not because I deserve it, not because I’ve earned the right, but because you PITY ME?!”

“What? No! I…”

“It has to be, I haven’t done anything worthy of such a thing. And I’m guessing it’s not normally something you could do at the drop of a hat is it?”

Celestia remained silent from a mix of shock and guilt. She shook her head, admitting what he had already figured out.

“You’ve never made anypony else an alicorn have you? Not for bravery, or greatness, or service to Equestria or it’s people, so why me? All I’ve done is show up mysteriously as an infant, and then what? I have done nothing to deserve such an offer. Did you really think you could offer something like that as an apology for tearing my family apart?”

“No Dusk, that was never my intention” she pleaded.

“Then what was your intention!? Because from where I stand it’s either pity, incompetence, or a bribe.”

Celestia gasped in disbelief. The fiery rage in his eyes had turned to something far worse. Hatred.

“You know, I guess I was wrong to leave that letter” he said with a cold finality. “I should have told you to your face that I wanted nothing more to do with you, and to leave me be. Better late than never I guess. Goodbye Princess Celestia. Go home and do not meddle with my life any further. My love will not be bought.”

With that final word, he turned away and trudged away, leaving Princess Celestia in the cold and snow.

Celestia was ready to give up right there. Just lay down in the snow and succumb to the cold. Her sister was banished to the moon for a thousand years, and her child hated her with all his heart. Right now, nothing seemed to hurt more than the sight if Dusk Elegy walking away and disappearing into the blizzard, now etched into her mind.

“Oh Luna.” She looked to the sky, searching for a glimpse of the moon and her sister, but the clouds refused to part. She continued anyway. She knew where the moon was, even through the harsh weather. “What am I supposed to do? Everything has gone so wrong. You always gave me strength when I was lost. How could I have not noticed when you relied on me for the same?”

Other than the wind, there was no reply.

“Our little hope hates me. I thought I was ready for it, but… not like this. I fear that trying to mend our broken connection, I’ve simply made it worse. And his prophecy… A thousand years. It is more than an age. Will it truly be that long? It’s so hard. What can I do?” Another wave of sorrow washed over her. “What can I do but give up?”

But somehow, even saying those words made her defy them. She shook her head defiantly and got to her hooves, renewing her resolve. “No” she said to herself, denying the sobs that so wanted to escape. “One does not abandon family. The stars will aid in her escape” she quoted from Dusk’s prophecy. “It’s not much, but it’s something.”

She looked the way that Dusk had left, his tracks already being covered by the snow. She bowed her head solemnly. “Goodbye Lucky Hope. Dusk Elegy. I will follow your wishes, but I will never abandon you. Till we meet again, whenever that may be.”

Tender Spirits hadn’t noticed when Dusk Elegy had left, nor his new friend, but he had noticed the unfinished meal he left behind. Tender Spirits knew his musician friend had a large appetite for his size, so he had put it aside to save it in case Dusk came back. So it was later a surprise when he saw the younger stallion come through the door to the tavern and stomp past the bar, and up the stairs to his room.

“Elegy?” He asked up the stairs after him, but he had gone so quickly he was already out of view. A moment later he heard a door slam a little louder than normal upstairs. “Oh dear.” It was obvious Dusk was upset, and it didn’t take too long for Tender Spirits to figure out what it must have been. That mare, Yellow Star. She said she had been looking for family, and Dusk had always been a bit tight lipped on his history or where he came from. He had always assumed that Dusk Elegy had been running away from something, but tonight had practically confirmed it.

“Oi, stop daydreaming Tender.” Tender Spirits rolled his eyes. High Roller was a nice enough pony, but sometimes he just utterly failed at reading the room.

Tender pulled the washcloth off his shoulder and dropped it on the bar counter. “Take a break Roller, I gotta deal with something first. Heady Shores, would keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid?”

“What? Don’t you trust me?” High roller laughed.

“Only as far as I can throw you, and I wouldn’t want to try and risk doing my back in.” He left the bar and the now laughing patrons behind him as he went up the stairs, following the path of his tenant.

Upstairs the laughter of the bar was largely gone thanks to decent construction and soundproofing. There was no point to having rooms upstairs if the sound of the bar below wouldn’t let anypony sleep, but he could still make it out if he needed to. There were only a few rooms left aside for tenants, and only one was in use for a prolonged stay at the moment. He went up to Dusk Elegy’s room and rapped lightly on the door. “Everything okay in there Elegy?”

There was no response. Not too surprising given the circumstances.

“I’ll be coming in if I don’t hear a complaint.” Again, nothing. “Okay.”

The door wasn’t locked when he tried it and found Dusk elegy lying face down on his bed. He was shuddering slightly as he sobbed quietly. He hadn’t even bothered to take his guitar off his back.

Tender Spirits breathed in through his teeth and let out a sigh. “That bad huh?”

Dusk nodded into his pillow.

The elderly stallion pulled up a chair nearby the bed and sat backwards on it and got comfortable for what he assumed could be a while. “Wanna talk about it?”

Dusk shook his head.

“That’s probably fair. Though I’ll reiterate. I’m always willing to listen, and you’ll get no judgement from me. I just want to know you’ll be okay.” Tender Spirits shifted uncomfortably. “But, full disclosure, I spoke with that mare Yellow Star before you got there. While she didn’t say much, it was enough to make a few guesses based on your current state” he said, indicating to Dusk sobbing on the bed. “She said she was looking for family. And I’d be willing to put bits on the table that she found it tonight.”

Dusk didn’t say anything, but he pulled his face from the mattress and looked at him. His eyes were red and stuffy from tears.

“Now, I’m not going to push or pry, that’s not my thing. But even Roller, if he saw you, would be able to tell this has shaken you up something fierce. So I’m just going to sit here and keep you company till you tell me to leave or you feel like opening up. Cause you’re hurting and there’s no need for you to hurt alone.”

“Thanks” Dusk croaked.

“No problem. You’re a good kid and I hate seeing you like this.”

“Am I though?” he asked quietly. Tender answered with a tilt of his head. “Am I a good pony?”

Tender Spirits sighed. “Well that’s a hard question to answer. You’ve been awful quiet about your past, which is fair. Not everypony that comes through here necessarily wants their past brought up like the sun every morning. But from what I’ve seen during your stay here, you certainly are a good pony. I’d even be bold enough to say you’re a good friend. Now why would you ask something like that?”

Dusk didn’t move his head, but looked away with his eyes. “I don’t feel like it right now. I said such horrible things and just… didn’t stop.”

“Did you mean them?”

“No” he said quickly. “No, but… I had to say it. Doesn’t mean I didn’t want to. I just...”

Tender listened silently. He wouldn’t respond unless he needed to, because although he certainly was curious, this talk was for Dusk’s sake, not his own curiosity. And if Dusk wanted to say it, then he would.

“She can’t keep focusing on me” Dusk finally said.

“Are you saying you told her these horrible things to stop her from focusing on you?”

Dusk picked himself up and sat on the bed as he stared into space. “Yeah. I made it sound like I hated her.”

“Do you?”

“No. But I thought it would be the best way to get her to… forget about me.” Tender Spirits frowned but kept silent. Dusk Elegy looked like he was struggling for words “She’s just… she’s so impossibly important, and I’m… not. She has the whole world on her shoulders and I’m just another confusing element that never should’ve been there to begin with.”

“Sounds to me like you’re building her up while knocking yourself down. And in my experience, nopony is that important.”

Dusk’s face screwed up into a pained smile. “She really is, you have no idea. And if she focuses all her efforts on me, she won’t be able to do what she needs to. And I’ve already seen how I’ve made things worse just by being there.”

Well, that sounded like that direction of conversation was bust. Dusk seemed fairly convinced of his own unimportance, and not knowing any of the details left Tender without anyway to convince him otherwise. So instead, he tried to move on. “Either way, that doesn’t sound like a good way to treat your… sister?” he guessed. “Sorry, I don’t think I ever found out. She looked too young to be your mother. At least I hope so” he mumbled, his mind now going over some of the things he had just heard.

Dusk chuckled a little. At least that got a smile out of him. “We’re not actually related to be honest.” Tender was immediately grateful to hear his fears were unfounded but did his best not to distract Dusk with a sigh of relief. “I just sort of… happened.”

“Ah” Tender nodded sagely, pretending he knew what Dusk meant.

Dusk sighed apologetically. “I’m sorry, I know I’m being really vague and confusing. There’s just so much I can’t talk about. And so much more that I don’t know How to talk about. I’ve just been holding back for years and there’s stuff I’ve never told anypony because I don’t know what effect any of it will have. The only thing I know… is not being there.”

“So, what do you think you’ll do?”

“I think… I think I need to move on. Now that she knows where I am. Find somewhere else to stay for a while. And try to sort myself out again.”

Well, it wasn’t the answer he was hoping to hear. “Well, I suppose I never expected you to stay for the rest of your life.” He had hoped Dusk would try to fix things with his family, but it seemed something truly terrible had happened between them. Or rather the way Dusk made it out, perhaps he expected something terrible would happen if he did return.

“No, it’s nothing about you” Dusk insisted. “I love it here, but I…”

“Now don’t you even think about apologizing” Tender cut him off. “This place is called the Thoroughfare for a reason. Ponies come and go. It was never designed to be a permanent home. You have to find that yourself, somewhere you can really set your roots down. And this dump certainly isn’t that.”

“It’s not a dump.”

“It’s my dump, and I love it” Tender Spirits joked. “Any idea where you’re headed?”

“I don’t know. Probably just wander for a while.”

“What about Canterlot? I’d imagine there’d be plenty of opportunities for a rising musician like yourself.”

“Uh… I don’t think so” Dusk elegy hesitated. “I… don’t think I’d like being around such large crowds. Maybe a smaller town or something.”

There was something about that reaction that gave Tender Spirits a pretty good idea where Dusk’s family resided, so he decided to drop the suggestion.

“Just remember to take your time, there’s no rush.”

“Yeah” Dusk Elegy said, looking thoughtful for a moment. “I guess it’s a better idea to actually have a plan than just disappearing spontaneously.”

Tender was starting to feel glad the conversation felt like it was leading to its conclusion. The more Dusk spoke and revealed vague details, the more concerned Tender became. “Well how about you sleep on any decisions for now and talk to me in the morning if you’ve had any thoughts where you want to go. I’ve got friends in a few other towns I could send a letter to who would be more than willing to help give you a leg up.”

“You don’t need to do that. But thanks.”

“Think nothing of it Dusk Elegy. I said it before and I’ll say it again. You’re a good kid. I just hope you can learn to see it too.”

“How do you do it?” Dusk asked.

“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific” Tender replied. “I do a lot of things.”

Dusk Elegy chuckled, finally pulling himself out of his depression. “How are you such a good guy?”

“Years of experience” he said with a smile. “And old age will either turn you into a decrepit old fogey, bitter at the world, or a kind elderly stallion that only wants to help pull up the younger generation and pass on the experience of years. I like to think I’m the latter.”

“Heh, so I just have to wait a few years and I’ll be set?”

“Not quite. You have to actually be old to appreciate it. You can hear about the passage of years and failing joints till your ears fall off, but it’s always quite different actually experiencing it. And that’ll give you a different look on life and what kind of world you want to leave behind.”

“I… think I get it.”

“Be thankful you don’t, not yet anyway” he chuckled. He went to the door to leave. “Now you get some rest and we’ll talk in the morning.”

He nodded and with his magic finally took his guitar case off his back and set it by the side of the bed. “Okay. Goodnight Tender Spirits.”

“Goodnight Dusk Elegy.”

Chapter 4: Evening

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Dear Princess Celestia,

I hope this letter finds you well. I don’t want to mince words, though knowing me I’ll probably waffle on anyway, but I wanted to tell you that I am truly sorry for the way we parted ways last we spoke. All you wanted, was to make things right, in whatever way you could. I was being the foolish child with a head full of frustration and believed I knew best. And I stubbornly told you to leave, with more than a few harsh words that you never deserved.

They say that the only time it’s too late to truly say sorry, is to never say it at all. Well I guess I’m cutting it close then. I’ve gotten old now, and from that, I think you can guess the reason for this letter. I don’t want to leave any regrets behind, and the way we left things has been one of my greatest regrets my whole life.

That said, I have not had a poor life. For a while I wandered, unsure what to do with myself. But thanks to a good friend, I always had a community of ponies I could talk to and guaranteed friendship almost wherever I went. I travelled all over Equestria. Sometimes by train, sometimes on hoof. I spent time with backpackers and caravans, telling stories and playing my music.

It was travelling among other ponies that I met another earth pony named Cheery Spark. She reminded me a lot of myself when I was younger. Who I used to be. She was energetic, curious, gifted, and almost always smiling. Everything I was pretending to be. At first, I thought she didn’t like me, because she would frown or scowl when she thought I wasn’t looking, yet she always tried to invite me among friends and gatherings when I tried to isolate myself. It wasn’t until later that I discovered what the real reason for the faces she made. She was frustrated that I wasn’t letting myself be happy. And she made me realize that this was exactly what I was doing to myself. She had seen right through my painted smile and the mask I wore to socialize, and bit by bit she was able to wear down the walls I never realized I had made.

At some point in my life previously, I unknowingly convinced myself I was never going to find somepony to love, but she proved me wrong in so many ways. And I shortly discovered why she spent so much effort including me and making sure I was with company. It was because she loved me too. Goodness knows why.

We had a quiet celebration, in the early hours of the evening under the light of the moon surrounded by close friends. I never told her the full reason why I wanted it that way, but I let her know it was important to me. I wanted to share the moment with Auntie Luna, and no matter how unlikely it seemed, it was the only way I could think to do so. There are still a few things to this day that I never told Cheery Spark the full story of. But she never seemed to mind the secrets I kept, unless it was hurting me.

We kept travelling, but this time it was together. And despite the fact I was tracking along paths I had trod before, with Cheery Spark by my side, everything seemed brighter. Goodness, listen to me wax poetically on like a romantic lovestruck colt.

Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen of course. There was something about travelling with your special somepony that just made life feel that much fuller and vibrant. She’d always wanted to see the world, and brought with her a wonder that I had somehow lacked the first time. We travelled by balloon to see the rainbow falls of Cloudsdale, travelled by boat over the great Celestial Sea. We even travelled far enough south to see the edge of the Badlands, though in the end we decided it would be best seen from a distance than experienced directly.

By the time we finished travelling, we came to settle in a small town, somewhat East of Canterlot. Cheery Spark wanted to open up a bakery. She told me she was inspired by her mother who always did the cooking for their family, and waking up early in the morning to the smell of freshly baked bread filled her day with joy. She always wanted to do the same for any family she made.

Unfortunately, it seemed that it was not in the stars for us to have children of our own. But that did not mean they were absent from our lives. Somehow, still not quite sure how it happened when I look back, I was wrangled into becoming a teacher for young fillies and colts at the nearby school. I believe the others thought that if I was so well travelled, surely I would have some choice wisdom to share with the little ones. And Cheery’s bakery was immensely popular, with little cakes and buns that drew in the young crowds in droves after school had ended for the day.

We lived our lives with a quiet contentment, and we still travelled every now and then. We even once travelled to Canterlot. I like what you did with the place. We even watched you raise the sun for the Summer Sun Celebration the year we were there.

It was… different, watching you from a distance, surrounded by crowds excited just to be in your presence. I always knew you were loved deeply by the ponies of Equestria, but that was the first time I had seen it from the outside. I couldn’t help but get caught up in all the excitement. You’ve truly made it something beautiful.

I’ve slowed down a fair bit since those days of travelling. But I don’t mind, and I’ve found myself doing a lot of reflecting. Except for a few things, of which I am certain you would be able to figure out yourself, I don’t think there is much I would change if I could do it over. I saw the world, fell in love, and I do hope my teaching has made a difference in those young lives that I’ve touched. And I will be seeing Cheery again soon, as she took that final trip before me.

Now is the time for goodbyes. Over my long life, I have said goodbye to many friends I have held over the years. And now I find myself saying goodbye once more, but this time it’s my turn to be leaving soon.

It is truly a shame I never had the chance to say goodbye to Auntie Luna face to face, so when she finally comes home, pass on my love, and my most heartfelt goodbye. I have always, and always will love both of you dearly, and it was wrong to abandon my family for so long. I pray that you can find it in your heart to forgive this old foolish pony for the mistakes of his youth.

Goodbye Auntia,

With love as always, your student, nephew, and friend,

Dusk Elegy, a.k.a. Lucky Hope.

Dusk Elegy gave the letter one final look over and set the quill back in the pot on his bedside table.

“What do you think Winona? Too much?” he asked the aging border collie by his bed. She looked up and wagged her tail upon hearing her name. He reached a hoof off the side of his bed and gave her a scratch behind the ears that the canine happily pushed into.

“Suppose she picks up some of the more fantastical elements?” he joked. “Well, I suppose it’ll do.” Dusk gently folded the letter with his magic and set it aside next to the ink pot. His magic faltered slightly as he set it down, almost dropping it to the ground. He grumbled at the near accident. His magic had been getting gradually harder to use in his old age, something he had hoped would last longer than his failing joints and bones. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the theme of getting older. Everything started failing all at once.

He groaned as he moved the muscles that had fallen asleep while he wrote his letter, easing them back into use so he didn’t get too stiff, and taking a break before trying to move the letter to a position less likely to fall down. Tender Spirits had been full of it. Growing old sucked.

He briefly wondered if he had turned into the old fogey his old friend had warned about, but he shook his head. He still greatly cared about Equestria and what he would leave behind. That was the whole point of the letter, riddled with pleasant falsehoods as it was. It tied everything leftover into a neat little bow so that Celestia would no longer feel sorry for him, and left no lingering connections to this world so he could leave it cleanly. A tidy close to the chapter of his life. Everything back in order. He hoped.

There was a light knock, and he turned to see one of the hospice staff at the door to his room. A unicorn nurse by the name of Harmony Glow.

“Yes?” he asked curiously. It was late, so she may have been here to suggest he get some rest.

“Sorry to interrupt Mr Elegy” she said. “But you have a guest.”

“What?” he said, looking to his window. The moon was clearly visible at this late hour. “But it’s far past visiting hours. Who could be…” his voice trailed off as he noticed something about her. The nurse had a barely contained excitement that he’d never seen in her before. It looked as though she would be positively vibrating if she had the chance. And it dawned on him just who would be visiting him that would leave the nurse quite so starstruck. “Oh.”

Failing to notice his apprehension she continued. “I know it’s very unorthodox at this hour but… oh my, I’m sure you could understand the exception when you see…”

“Well you may as well let her in” he sighed.

“Oh of course, I knew you would…” she stopped, almost doing a double take. “Her? Wait, do… do you know who… were you expecting…?”

“I can’t imagine he was expecting my visit” said an old familiar voice as the princess of the sun entered the room, walking past the nurse. “But he’s always been very clever.”

“Always?” a look of amazement as she looked between Dusk Elegy and Princess Celestia. “You mean you know Princess…” Harmony caught herself and bowed deeply to the princess. “I-I guess I’ll give you two some privacy your highness. I’ll just be down the hall if you need anything.”

“Thank you Miss Glow” Celestia said politely. “I’ll be sure to let you know if we need anything.”

“Yes! O-of course” she said, backing up and still bowing. She bumped into the door frame as she backed away, squeaking a little in surprise. Her face quickly went red and she scampered away to hide her embarrassment.

“She seems energetic” Celestia mused.

“Harmony is a lot more composed usually” Dusk commented. “I don’t think she expected to meet the ruler of Equestria tonight is all. We’re such a small nopony town, here on the western coast. Who could expect you’d come all this way?”

As if sensing her master’s tension, Winona started whining and pushed up against the bed while eyeing the tall mare before her. “Easy Winona, she’s all right. Just an unexpected visitor.”

Celestia leaned closer, making herself smaller to not frighten the small dog. “That’s all right” she presented a hoof for the dog to sniff. “Winona was it? That’s an interesting name.”

“It’s a reference. I’d actually be a little worried if you got it.”

Winona relaxed visibly after sniffing the hoof presented, and welcomed the pets that followed. Celestia smiled. “It’s good to see you have at least one friend by your side” she said with just a hint of sadness.

Dusk sighed, gathering more meaning behind her words than she probably wanted to let on. “Well, with a comment like that, it sounds like you’ve been paying attention to my life anyway.”

Celestia’s smile faltered, misunderstanding his uneasiness. “I understand you didn’t want anything to do with me Dusk. But I still considered you family and I could not simply forget about you.” She stood up straight again, and Winona looked about, curious why the pets had stopped. “But if you still don’t want me here, then I can leave. I can’t really blame you if you still hate me.”

“No!” Dusk replied, a little stronger than he intended. “No, I don’t hate you. I never did.”

“Then?” She ventured.

“Stay, please. Gods it’s been too long.” He snorted derisively. “Can’t really blame you for that though, this one is most certainly on me.”

Celestia approached the bed and sat by his side smiling warmly. “How are you, old friend?”

Dusk chuckled. “Old” he answered with a sly smile. “I’m not exactly a young colt anymore. A fact my body reminds me of constantly.”

“Time goes by so swiftly. It seems like just yesterday you were sneaking out of your room at the old palace, late at night.”

“When an entire life seems like a day” he snorted, shaking his head. “That’s the danger a pony has with an alicorn’s lifetime.”

“The curse of longevity” She agreed solemnly. “To see so many you hold dear part ways before you.”

“I suppose all the ponies I knew from the old days have passed on long ago, haven’t they?”

“You were so young back then” Celestia said. “I’m not sure any would be still around.”

“How did they live in the end?” he asked, honestly curious what happened to the staff at the old palace.

Celestia smiled, brought back to older memories. “They all moved on in their own time. Age caught up and one by one they began to retire. Bold Feather went back to Cloudsdale after his daughter had her own family and he wanted to foalsit whenever he had the energy.”

“I didn’t even know he had a daughter” he sighed, shaking his head. “Also difficult to imagine him without energy to spare. Of course, it would be if I weren’t in the same boat nowadays” he added with a dry sense of humour.

“I ended up meeting his grandchildren at one point before he passed. One of them was a spritely young colt who swore to become my new captain of the guard when he was of age. Obviously brought up on exaggerated stories of defending the realm” she said with a smile. “Arpeggio Parade actually got into cake decorating if you can believe it.”

“Oh goodness, that’s not my fault is it?” Dusk laughed.

“I wouldn’t say your fault per say, but I suppose your gift inspired him. Arpeggio took a vacation down to Filly Delphia some time back and tracked down the baker you commissioned the cake from. Apparently, they hit things off quite well and eventually settled down together, and he learned a love for the craft from his new love.”

“That seems quite a career change” Dusk replied, almost a little worried at how swift it sounded.

“It was more of a hobby from what I gather. He still led the marching band for a good many years.”

“Well I suppose that’s good to hear.”

They were distracted when the letter Dusk had been working on fell off the bedside table, crackling as it hit the floor. He had forgotten he hadn’t moved it with all the excitement. Winona dashed over, sniffing the letter intently, but she quickly grew bored upon realizing it wasn’t food.

“No, that’s not yours Winona” Dusk said, shooing her away. He picked it up in his magic, but it fizzled and the letter dropped again. “Damn. My magic hasn’t been the same for a while.”

“Don’t worry, let me” Celestia said.

“No, you don’t have to…” Dusk started, but he trailed of as she picked it up with her magic. Celestia stopped as she noticed the seal, and that it was addressed to her.

“Oh, is this… for me?”

“Uh…” Dusk slumped in his bed, suddenly feeling guilty as she opened and unfolded the letter. He should tell her not to, but he didn’t feel he had the energy to stop her, emotional or otherwise.

Celestia’s face crinkled in confusion as she read the letter. “I don’t understand. You never…”

“There was a purpose in it,” he said tiredly. “But that was before I realized you’ve still been paying attention to my life. I didn’t think you’d be able to see through it so easily. I just didn’t want you to worry about me.”

“So this pony, Cheery Sparks? Is that… a desire? Or did you believe it would put me at ease to think you found somepony to live your life with?” she asked, knowing full well that there was nopony named Cheery Sparks in his life. Dusk didn’t have to answer, she likely already knew the answer. And the fact he was unable to meet her gaze would have told her enough. “Dusk, I know we have had our differences” she started, pain clearly written on her face. “But I had hoped that… after so long, you could trust enough to be honest with me. I’m sorry. This was a mistake” she said, standing up and turning to leave.

“No, Auntia please!” Dusk cried, tears threatening to form in his eyes. She drew breath and stopped at the sound of her old nickname. “It’s not your fault. It’s all me. Gods, I still haven’t learned anything over all these years. Despite all my attempts I still fell for two of the curses.”

“Curses?” Celestia gasped, spinning to face him. “What do you mean? Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no!” Dusk replied quickly, trying to reassure her. “No not literal curses, it’s more of a…” he struggled to find an apt description. “More of a philosophical thing.”

She frowned curiously. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“I guess that makes sense” he chuckled uncomfortably, trying to brush it off. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just a… just a…” but Dusk faltered as he found himself doing it again. Deflecting the answer that would take too long to explain its origin. Hiding the truth. Keeping secrets from those he loved. “No” he told himself.

“Dusk?”

“No, I can’t do this any longer. I’m tired. I’ve kept so many secrets for so long. It’s amazing how easy deception becomes when you convince yourself that it’s all for the best. But all I’ve done is push away those who care for me. All because of fear in a phantom of the future. And what did any of it matter in the end?”

“What are you saying?”

He looked squarely into Celestia’s eyes. “You have questions. Probably thousands of them. I won’t hold back anymore.”

“Dusk, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“Believe me I want to tell you everything. The only reason I’m asking you is that there is so much, I don’t know where to start. For once in my life I want to be completely open and honest. Please, I don’t want to leave behind any unanswered questions.”

Celestia didn’t answer for a while. Dusk could see a storm of emotions in her eyes. She was obviously conflicted, but he remained patient.

Finally, Celestia sighed and closed her eyes, making a decision. “Why did you leave? The real reason you never told me?”

Dusk squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed, trying to prevent the tears. She had started with a hard one. It made sense, and he fully expected it. That didn’t stop it from hurting though. “I was afraid” he finally admitted. The start of his answer felt liberating, and the words continued to come forth. “Afraid of what could change. Knowing the future is a terrible burden. But what is even worse, is knowing a future that you were never meant to be a part of.” Celestia’s eyes had widened in disbelief at what Dusk was saying. He continued, now that the floodgates had opened, now only a pouring of the truth that had been held back for years could follow. “At first I thought I could make things better, with the knowledge of the future. I thought I could stop Luna’s fall to Nightmare Moon, but when it happened anyway, and she held such anger in her heart, that was when I began to worry. Yes, I knew she was supposed to be angry, that was one of the triggers, but it was never supposed to be such fury. When she thought I betrayed her, in my eyes that seemed to trigger something far deeper than her loneliness and jealousy. And if those emotions lingered, perhaps even combined with the understanding of my passing when she finally returns… how much would that change her emotional state when she did return? What if it was enough to change events of the future so that she could never return to her old self? Events in the present would cause a ripple effect with unpredictable results in a thousand years.” He opened his eyes, now wet with tears, and regarded Celestia. Her hoof was in front of her mouth, her face a mix of shock and confusion. “And so I ran” he continued. “I ran to try and avoid making more changes that I didn’t know the result of.”

“You… you knew? All along?” Celestia asked, her voice trembling. “You knew that Luna would… become Nightmare Moon?”

He nodded solemnly. “I wanted to prevent it, subtly. In my mind I could only imagine how much better things would be if both of you were there to rule side by side for a thousand years of peace. I couldn’t see any downside to it. But most of all, I didn’t want Princess Luna to be consumed by loneliness. I wanted to give her at least one pony that could appreciate her nights with her. But as we found out, one pony wasn’t enough to fill that hole in her heart.”

“But how could you possibly know? You were just a child.”

That question was a little more difficult to answer. He was at a bit of a loss of how to even begin explaining it. “Reincarnation” he found himself saying. “Even as a child, I could still remember my previous life as though it were… just another day. And in that life, I saw…” he struggled for an apt description that would not require him to explain how TV and cartoons worked. “… Stories, of this world. A thousand years in the future, beginning with the return of Nightmare Moon, and her redemption.”

Dusk gave her a moment to recover. He had just delivered news that possibly just shook her world to the core. She certainly looked perplexed as she tried to sort out the information she now had to make sense of.

“But…” Celestia began, still looking like she didn’t even know where the question she was about to ask would go. “You were a baby. You were… normal” she finally said. “How could a child hold so much without breaking or letting somepony know?”

Dusk sighed. This would take some convincing. “I told you before. I’m a good actor.”

“You mean you… pretended to be an infant? But why?”

“Even then I was wary of making too many changes to the future. I didn’t want to become some kind of prophet.”

“But I…” she continued to flounder in disbelief. “I changed your diaper.”

If Dusk Elegy could sink into his bed and disappear he would. Failing that, he covered his face with his hooves. “Augh, don’t remind me.” There was nothing more embarrassing during his infancy than imitating a total lack of bladder control.

“And… the night you got into the music storeroom? That magical surge that made the instruments come alive? Was that just you pretending again?”

“Oh that?” He said, eager to change the subject. “Well… magic was still very new to me then. I was never able to do anything like that in my previous life.” He shrugged. “In fact, in my previous life magic was generally believed to be impossible. We just didn’t have it, so waking up to find I was a unicorn took a lot of getting used to.”

“This is a lot to take in, and difficult to believe.”

“I understand, and I don’t have any real proof of my claims. The only thing I could really do would be to tell you of events in the far future, but by the time they come about, I will be long gone, and at that stage, what would be the point?” He stopped and thought for a moment. “Although, I guess there is one thing that might convince you. I still remember that first night we met. Opening my eyes, I looked up to see you and Princess Luna staring down at me.” He smirked at the memory. “And Luna said ‘I don’t know how to care for a baby foal’ more than a little worried.” Celestia’s hoof had raised to her mouth again, this time in awe.

Lost in memory, Dusk continued. “In that moment, although I didn’t know how it had happened, I knew what had happened. As the two of you panicked, trying to figure out what to do, I realized I was tipping over, my proportions were all changed and I had no idea how to hold myself up properly anymore. That seemed to break you both out of it, and you just seemed to watch me for a bit as I tried not to panic at the sudden change and figure myself out. Then Luna decided to pick me up. She was so gentle with her magic, like a gentle hug that encompassed my entire body. I thought I would be afraid, but there suddenly wasn’t any reason to be.”

“It was such a beautiful moment” Celestia continued, joining him in memory. “I’d never seen her quite so gentle or warm with anypony.”

“In that moment, she looked so happy being able to care for somepony, I just… didn’t want to disappoint her. So, I thought I’d play along and sort out what I’d do later. It just seemed best at the time, and eventually I felt it had gone on too long to change things. Like I just kept digging myself into a hole, and the longer it went the worse it felt to tell anypony the truth. And then I thought at the very least I could do some good. I always made the effort to stay up late so I could spend time with her, just to give her somepony to talk to and share her nights.” He sighed, shaking his head. “And that’s how I fell for the first curse. The curse of the Oracle is the idea of seeing a version of the future, and in their attempts to stop the tragedy in turn create the future they tried to prevent. I was so sure that it was enough, just being with her, that I never noticed that it only exacerbated it. I don’t even know if I postponed her decent into Nightmare Moon or brought it forward sooner.”

“Don’t say that” Celestia interrupted. “It was never your fault what happened to Luna. You were right when you yelled at me that night. I should have paid more attention to my sister. I didn’t even notice she was hurting until it was far too late.”

“Except that I already knew” Dusk said flatly. “Or at least I should have. Either way, I quickly fell to the Seer’s curse next. For the Seer, they see a version of the future they believe must come true, so they do all they can to ensure it comes to pass. Even at the expense of others. Seeing Luna transform made me realize that I had no idea what I was doing. I was worried I had made things worse, so the only way I knew how to fix things was to just disappear. Just let time sort itself out without my presence. I just wandered, playing music I stole from the other world, I was never good enough to write my own, but who would even know? I wanted to leave no mark or legacy on this world and fade into obscurity. But then you found me, and you wanted me to come home. I panicked and tried to push you away. I never meant any of those things I said I just…” His voice faltered, trying not to cry. “At some point I just focused on making you go away, I didn’t even think about how cruel I was being until I had left.”

“Oh my little pony” Celestia said. She moved forward and pulled his head into an embrace. Dusk surrendered to the embrace and silently wept. “You did what you thought was right. I knew you must have had some reason, but at the time I couldn’t possibly imagine what it could be.”

Dusk sniffed. “I was afraid you’d hate me.”

“Never. I couldn’t possibly hate you” she reassured him.

He chuckled painfully. “I know. It was just a stupid thought. I don’t think you have it in you to hate anypony. And I should know. I’ve seen your future.”

Celestia was silent a moment. “I suppose you have. It seems strange to think about it.”

“You believe me?”

“It is not so outlandish as you seem to believe. I know that while he only had limited success, Starswirl the Bearded experimented with time magic, and I know of at least one method of travelling to other worlds.”

“Of course” Dusk sighed. “The mirror.”

“You are aware of it? How?” Celestia asked, surprised at his comment.

“Uh…” he blinked, mentally slapping himself for the slip of the tongue. “Don’t think about that too hard.”

“Ah” she said. “Then I suppose it makes an appearance in those stories you heard.”

Dusk groaned. This was the kind of thing he had always been trying to avoid. He pulled back from the hug to address her properly. “I’m serious Celestia. If I start mentioning references of the future and you latch onto those comments. The very knowledge that they are important could change how you interact with them. You could focus too hard on a situation or a pony and change a reaction that should have been made in the moment or off your own intuition.”

“References…” she mused. Upon realizing something, her eyes turned to Winona.

Dusk groaned again in exasperation. “Stop already. Stop being so… perceptive!”

“I’m sorry!” she said, getting flustered. “This is all a bit new and surprising.”

“Well, let’s change the subject before we get too involved” Dusk suggested, eager to move away from dangerous territory.

“Um…” she looked around the room looking for inspiration. “Well, you mentioned those two… curses before. But it sounded like there were more?”

“Ah yes” Dusk said. “It’s just something I remember from long ago. There are three in total. I’ve mentioned the Oracle and the Seer, but the third is the curse of the Prophet. The Prophet’s curse is to become a target of worship because of the prophecies they foretell, rather than whatever god or power granted them their visions. More of diverting praise or losing sight of what the visions mean than the faults of the prophet themselves. Or the idea of fame corrupting the integrity of such things. I never felt in any danger of succumbing to this one, as I did my best not to let anypony know of the knowledge I had. I never wanted to be worshipped nor tell any prophecies.”

Celestia tilted her head. “But, what of your prophecy of Nightmare Moon’s return?”

Duck scoffed to himself. “That was no prophecy of mine. I only recited what I remembered from the first episode. The first story I mean” he amended.

“But then… Where did the words first come from?” Celestia asked.

Dusk frowned looking at her confused face. He had to ponder a moment to remember the exact details. “It was written in a book or something. An old pony tale by the time the story took place. It was never mentioned who authored it. Why?”

“Dusk. I have not heard that prophecy from any source other than you.”

“…What?” Dusk Elegy had to wrack his brain to figure out what it meant. Surely the prophecy couldn’t have come from him the whole time. No, that was impossible, the events surrounding Nightmare Moon were so different, and there was never any figure like himself in the original events or in their telling. “But surely you’ve managed to confirm it from… I don’t know, something else?” he asked.

Celestia shook her head. “I have been unable to find anymore information regarding my sister’s return. Do you suppose that, your coming here was to impart this prophecy?”

“No, that couldn’t be it” he easily told her. “As I said earlier, I was never meant to be a part of this story, and things have already changed enough. I was never a part of the history I knew of.” Just how much had changed by his very presence in this world’s history? And what did it mean for the future when Nightmare Moon returned?

“Celestia,” he found himself saying. “What do you plan to do when she returns?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, reserved.

“Whether she returns as Princess Luna or Nightmare Moon, what will you do when she does come back?”

The princess shut her eyes with a pained expression before answering. “Whatever I can.” She opened her eyes and walked to the window to gaze at the moon. “If she returns as Luna, I will welcome her back with all my heart, and beg for her forgiveness for what I was forced to do to her, and for failing her. If she returns as Nightmare Moon, then I shall do all I can to help her return to how she once was. If I use The Elements once more with a different goal in my heart, perhaps I will be able to return her to normal, and banish the hurt that transformed her in the first place.”

Dusk sighed where he sat in his bed. Her answer troubled him. She had too much focus on what she herself could do. So convinced that it was a family issue. Perhaps with everything changed as it was, at least he could set this one part back in order. “I’m sorry Celestia. But you can’t.”

Celestia turned sharply with a look of panic. But she waited for him to finish.

“Am I right in guessing The Elements don’t answer to you anymore?” The way she looked away to avoid his gaze told him everything he needed to know. “She will return as Nightmare Moon, and still with her goal of casting everlasting night. Her anger is mostly directed at you, I’m afraid you won’t be able to reason with her, and with The Elements unresponsive to your will, you will have to take a back seat in this task.”

“But she is my sister!” she pleaded. “How can I just stand aside and do nothing?”

“You won’t be doing nothing” he reassured. “But it will be others who bring her back, wielding the elements. New bearers who represent each Element of Harmony in turn. Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, and Magic. Together their friendship will empower the elements and bring Luna back.”

“But then… what will I do?”

“Prepare them” he answered. “I won’t tell you who they are, or what their names are. Their friendship must happen organically, and if I let you know, even unconsciously you might try to push things in anticipation. Just know that you will teach your student valuable lessons that will prepare them for whatever tasks they face to stop Nightmare Moon, and beyond.”

“I… But… how will I know?”

“You will. I have trust in you” Dusk smiled.

She smiled painfully and wiped a tear forming in her eye. “It feels you have more faith in me than I do. Are you sure I could not have your help even in the future? To make sure I am on the right path?”

“I think we’re far beyond that chance of happening.”

“I could still make you an alicorn” she told him. “If you were simply afraid of making too many changes, your knowledge could surely keep things in the right path that you saw from your stories.”

Dusk froze. He had to admit, the prospect of being an immortal alicorn had been tempting the first time she made the offer. But he shook his head. It still felt wrong. “Even if I were to be there to directly ensure things went the way I wanted them, what would be the purpose? I can’t solve everypony’s problems for them. The younger generations must have the chance to learn to cope on their own. If their elders solve everything for them, how they will have the knowledge or experience to stand on their own hooves?”

“Even if it means you’ll never get to see Luna again?”

That one hurt, but still he shook his head firmly. “Not even for that. It would be selfish of me, and I stand by what I said the first time you offered. I haven’t done anything to deserve it, and I’m not certain I would be a good candidate to be immortal. Or immortal-adjacent” he added, pondering. “Never did quite work out what the case was with alicorns and their longevity. Besides, immortality with this creaking old body?” the old stallion waved one of his forelegs, showing off how his skin sagged. “No thank you.”

“It would make you young again” Celestia admitted.

“My answer remains the same” he replied with only a moment’s hesitation. He had to tamp down that desire before he changed his mind. “I wouldn’t be deserving of such an honour.”

“I would beg to differ, but I can see your mind is made up so I won’t push any further.”

“See that you do” he said playfully.

“Very well, if you insist” she said with a smile as she approached the bed once more so he didn’t have to look so far over to speak with her. “What a world your first life must have been to produce ponies of such sage wisdom.”

“Hah, nothing like wisdom” he laughed. “Wisdom is just taking what others have said and repeating it in a way that sounds meaningful. Just another piece of performance art.”

She chuckled at his comment. “I’m still very curious. If you don’t mind, what was your world like?”

“Well, it had its moments” he shrugged. “My world was much the same as Equestria. And yet at the same time, so very different.”

“I’d love to hear about it.”

“Well then, ask away” Dusk assured her with an open smile.

“There is… one thing I am curious about” She said. “But I’m not sure if I should ask.”

“I’m sure it’s fine, and if I don’t want to answer then I’ll let you know” he said.

“Is reincarnation common where you come from?”

Dusk blinked. Of all the questions she could have asked, that was far from one he had expected. “Uh… no. As far as I’m aware it’s never happened to any reliable degree in my world. What happened to me is… a real anomaly.”

“I see” she replied. “So, I assume then that… what caused it was…” she hesitated and shook her head. “No, that’s insensitive. You can forget about that.”

“My death?” Dusk asked quietly, gathering where she was leading with her question.

Celestia breathed sharply. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up something so…”

“No no, it’s fine” he reassured her quickly, but his thoughts quickly distracted him again. “It might even be good for me to talk about it. It’s not exactly something I’ve been able to tell… well, anypony. For obvious reasons.”

“Dusk, you don’t have to if it’s hard.”

He shook his head. “No, after all this time, I want to finally get this off my shoulders.”

Celestia sat down. “Very well, if it is important to you, then I will listen.”

Dusk took a moment to think how to start. It was something that he had spared a lot of time on, but actually sitting down and talking about it was another matter entirely. “I guess, this will need a bit of backstory. But in our world, we can’t control the weather like the pegasi in Equestria. We’re at the mercy of nature. It’s like the weather surrounding the Everfree Forest, but all over the world. We do have a habit of making things worse though” he added with a grumble. “So where I lived, my country, it’s very hot and dry. The land is filled with bushland that is prone to bushfires during the summer months. And that year, we had one of the worst bushfire seasons we’d ever seen, caused by long months of drought. We had bushfires popping up all over the country. We needed so many fire fighters that some were flying over from overseas to help contain the many blazes and protect people’s lives and homes. And me? I was a young fool” he scoffed. “I was living in the city, but I’d lived out in the country previously. I thought I knew what I was doing because I had friends tell me about their time in the CFS. The Country Fire Service. I wanted to do something, be a hero. So, I lied about my qualifications and joined one of the volunteer fire fighting trucks. They needed everyone they could get, so they didn’t even check the training I never had and set me up in a team heading right into the thick of things. I could have helped anywhere, support or supplies, or even just donating money. But I wanted to be something important. I was an idiot. Our truck got stranded as the wind changed suddenly, completely cutting us off with the fire barrelling towards us. We didn’t have time to flee, so we had to protect ourselves in the truck while the first wave of flame erupted around us as everything started to burn. Those were the most terrifying two minutes of my life. And then we had to abandon the truck and head into that hell with nothing but a few thin layers of fire protective gear and gasmasks. I don’t even recall how it happened, but I got separated from the rest of my team. I think I just panicked and blanked out for a moment. But I was alone with a roiling inferno all around me.” Dusk could feel his heart racing just at the memory of that time. He felt his hoof got to his throat. “You’d think it’s the fire that would kill you, but it’s really the smoke that’s most dangerous. The burning and gasping for breath as your lungs struggle to get the oxygen that has just been burned away by the flames. And the whole time, you can smell it all around even through the gas mask.” He began to cough, as a sympathetic memory tricked his brain into reliving the moment.

“Dusk!” She moved to comfort him, but he held up a hoof to stop her.

Dusk swallowed and breathed deeply a few times to calm his speeding heart and control his coughing. “I died alone in the heat and smoke, thanks to my own stupidity. But the worst part…” he said, feeling a pain in his chest. “I never even told my family what I was doing. I never got to tell them goodbye.”

“Your… family?”

He shook his head. “My parents, and my two younger sisters. I was living alone by that stage, having already moved out. I don’t know why I never told them what I was doing. I probably knew my parents would talk me out of it, knowing full well I’d never set foot in a fire truck. I just wanted to do something with myself that I could prove to them later. But in the end, I’m sure they would have found out about my death and be heartbroken. Taken by a fire I had no right to be anywhere near.”

“Your fear of fire and smoke” Celestia whispered to herself.

“Yes” he confirmed. “Even if it didn’t kill me, that experience would have left a mark not easily ignored. I’ll never forget that overwhelming heat and the burning in my chest. Losing consciousness on the ground, trying to hide away in a ditch. Everything faded to black. And then strangely, everything went cold. Colder than anything I’d experienced. I was so out of it, fading in and out of consciousness by that point. I could hear voices, but couldn’t make them out as I lost consciousness completely. Then when I finally woke up, I was staring at the two of you.”

“My goodness.” Celestia said, at a loss of what else to say.

“For the life of me, I could never figure out what happened that night that brought me here to this world, or why this time. There was nothing particularly special about me in my previous life. I didn’t choose this. I couldn’t possibly be worthy. And ever since I’ve been here, I’ve been dishonest, cruel and selfish. I’ve run away when I should have stayed, and I can’t even remember the last time I honestly laughed and enjoyed life. I shunned friendship altogether for so much of this life. In a world where those things are so important.”

“That’s not true Dusk, you’ve been none of those things.”

“Can you honestly say that?”

“Yes I can” she said without a moment’s hesitation. “You may not have told the whole truth, and you have said some terrible things, but it was never out of cruelty or malice. You thought it was for the best, and you even placed more importance on the betterment of Equestria above your own happiness. You may think yourself unworthy of it but I think you are one of the most selfless ponies I have ever known. You always thought of others first, even if it meant leaving those you loved.”

“I… I’m not sure if I’ll be able to see it that way” he muttered to himself. “But… thank you.”

"I hope that someday, you'll see it as well as I do" She said.

Dusk heard a whine as Winona leapt onto the bed and the canine snuggled up to him, sharing her warmth. He sighed, noticing his fatigue. “Is it that time already?” he asked, giving Winona a one hooved hug.

“I suppose it is quite late” Celestia said, standing up. “Shall I leave you to rest for now and I’ll see you again in the morning?”

“Perhaps during visiting hours next time?” he joked.

“Of course” she smiled. “Goodnight.”

Dusk closed his eyes and was silent a moment before replying. “Goodbye… Auntia.”

“Goodbye?” she asked hesitantly. “I wouldn’t say it’s goodbye quite yet.”

He smiled weakly. “I suppose not, but it will be soon. And I don’t want to risk leaving without saying it.”

“Don’t worry Dusk. I promise I’ll be here so you have the chance.”

Dusk scoffed. “Death doesn’t really work on a predictable schedule. You’re the ruler of Equestria, you don’t have time to wait for me to kick the bucket.”

“Then I’ll make time” Celestia said without a hint of hesitation. Dusk cracked an eye open and stared at her. “I’ve learned the lesson of not making time for family. I won’t be making that mistake anymore.”

“You still… consider me family? After all this time? After everything I just told you? I lied to you my entire life.”

She reached a hoof and stroked his hair comfortingly. “Sometimes you lie to those you love to spare them heartbreak, or because it is in their best interests. I cannot blame you for the decisions you made, because they were done out of love. And one doesn’t stop being family just because they weren’t always a pony.”

Dusk felt tears forming in the corner of his eyes. The unconditional love Celestia put him in mind of his own mother. He never got to say goodbye to her, or the rest of his family and he missed them all terribly. The first time he died alone. But this time he had his family with him. Broken and small as it was, it was a true comfort. He reached for her hoof and held tightly, or at least as tightly as his worn-out body would allow. “Thank you” he sniffed. “I love you Auntia.”

“And I love you too Dusk Elegy” she replied with a teary smile.

“Auntia. You can call me Lucky Hope if you want” he told her softly, finally feeling the name suited him once more.

“Goodnight… Lucky Hope.”

Lucky Hope had been prepared to live the last of his days silently passing away in obscurity. But perhaps now he didn’t have to. He wasn’t alone anymore.

Epilogue

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“I… like the new palace” Luna said, still slightly nervous as the Celestia showed her newly returned sister through the halls of the palace in Canterlot.

The return of Princess Luna had gone better than Princess Celestia could have imagined. She had been welcomed wholeheartedly by the ponies of Equestria. It seemed that all that was necessary for the ponies of Equestria needed to forget about Nightmare Moon, was to see the two princesses side by side, and one of Celestia’s warm smiles that she had perfected over a thousand years of rule.

“I do not recall any stained-glass windows such as these back in the old palace” Luna continued. “Is this when we stopped Discord?” she asked, stopping to gaze at the full-length window.

“This hall has a number of our old exploits memorialized, as well as certain events or icons in Equestrian history” Celestia confirmed.

“I… see.” There was a new discomfort in Luna’s voice that made Celestia turn. Luna had stopped again, but this time in front of a different window. The tall glass depicted an image that was undoubtedly Celestia, solemnly standing before a throne on the clouds, with both the sun and moon resting in the sky beside her outstretched wings. The appearance of the Mare in the Moon was clearly visible in the imagery of the moon.

“Although” Celestia started, leaning down conspiratorially to her younger sister. “Some have been here a very long time. I do believe one or two should be replaced.”

“Oh please, do not make changes for my sake” Luna protested. She looked up at the window once more. “Perhaps there should be something to remind how easily one can make terrible mistakes.”

“Don’t think like that Sister. You already carry too much regret over what happened. You don’t need a constant reminder every time you walk through the main hall. Besides, I have already thought of replacing it before now.”

“If you are certain. Thank you” Luna said, but only half-heartedly.

Celestia frowned to herself. In a way, it made sense how hard Luna was being on herself. The pain and regret was still fresh and it would be time before she was able to forgive herself as easily as Celestia already had.

“What did you think of the festivities today?” Celestia said, trying to move the subject in a more pleasant direction as they moved on once more, passing out of the main hall.

“I was… surprised at how eagerly I was welcomed” Luna replied. “I had torn the sun away from them once more only hours before, and yet they seemed to forget all my crimes with the rising of the sun.”

“I’ve found the ponies of Ponville are some of the most welcoming and friendly in all of Equestria. I thought it would be the best place for such a momentous time. All things said, it was truly the best Summer Sun Celebration we have ever had. But there’s only one reason for me that made it so wonderful” she added, looking to Luna with a warm smile.

That finally got a sheepish smile on Luna’s face once more.

“But in truth,” Celestia continued. “I am more excited to see its sister celebration in six months.”

Luna frowned curiously. “Another one? But surely there can only be one longest day in a year.”

Celestia grinned knowingly. She had been looking forward to revealing this surprise to her sister. “I speak of the Winter Moon Celebration. The longest night of the year.”

Her sister gasped, and a smile slowly grew on her features. “You mean…?”

Celestia nodded. “It has been one of the largest celebrations of the year for centuries now. And now on the one thousandth celebration it finally has its princess back to celebrate in full. I hope it’s not too much to expect so soon after your return.”

Luna shook her head enthusiastically. “Nonsense. I could be ready tomorrow for such a thing. We had ideas for such a celebration even before… before…” Luna’s excitement suddenly dulled as her thoughts weighed upon her once more.

Celestia had seen her sister react in such a way many times over the day when reminded of her actions one thousand years ago. All day it had taken ages for her to break out of her shell and smile, only for her to catch herself having fun and feel guilty, withdrawing into herself once more in shame.

Celestia reached a wing and pulled her sister into a comforting embrace. “You need not apologize for what happened Luna. I have forgiven you, and will always forgive you whenever you feel the sorrow over past actions.”

“It… it is not that, this time” Luna said, leaning into the hug and resting her head against her sister’s for a moment. “Though my crimes as Nightmare Moon shall not be forgotten easily, it is another thought that plagues my mind at present.” She looked up at her sister earnestly. “I realize it has been so terribly long, but… what happened to Lucky Hope?”

There it was. Of all the questions Celestia had been dreading, what to tell Luna about Lucky Hope had been weighing on her mind for an age. He had survived only a couple more weeks after the night he first told her the truth, and in that time, he shared both the life he had lived in Equestria that she had missed out on, as well as telling her of his first lifetime and world. He had still been very cautious of telling her anything that she might inadvertently use for the future, but there always seemed to be more to talk about. Despite his insistence he had isolated himself, it sounded as though he made many more friends than he realized, always able to tell a story or event of somepony he had gotten to know.

“I did not hurt him, did I?” Luna asked, sounding quite worried all of a sudden.

Celestia blinked, and noticed a wet trail on her cheek. Realizing she had been silent for more than a moment, she smiled and wiped away the tear. “No” she reassured. “I’m sorry, your question just brought up old memories. Lucky lived… a full life.” Celestia said with confidence. Despite however long it had taken her to wrestle with the conundrum, she had centuries to come to a conclusion. “He and I may not have seen eye to eye after I sent you away that night, but he never stopped loving either of us. Lucky found his calling without my help, and lived happily in a life he made his own. However, you shouldn’t just take my word for it. I believe it would be best if you see it for yourself in his own words” Celestia said.

“But… It has been so long. Such a thing would be impossible, would it not?” Luna asked as Celestia opened the door to her chambers.

“Not so impossible as you may think, Sister” she said, gesturing for Luna to follow. Inside, Celestia opened the small chest on her dressing table and produced an unsealed envelope. She picked it up ever so delicately in her magic and extracted a positively ancient folded piece of paper. “Do be careful” she told Luna as she presented it to her. “I have tried to preserve it as best I can with magic, but paper has never been the best at lasting for centuries.”

“This is…” Luna gaped, realizing what she meant.

“The last letter he ever sent me.”

Princess Celestia sat down on the cushions next to Luna and remained silent, letting her sister read in her own time. She watched as the expression on Luna’s face went through a multitude of emotions reading the words that Lucky had left for them.

Celestia had not forgotten Lucky’s admittance that the letter had only been to allay her worry and to give a happy ending to his story, but she had come to understand the reasoning behind the action. Sometimes a pleasant lie was far more important than a harsh truth. And there was already too much pain in her sister’s heart to confuse her with the revelations he had shared with Celestia all those years ago. Perhaps one day Luna might hear the full truth, but for now there was no reason.

There were tears by the time Luna finished reading, but also a genuine smile. She wiped her eyes and said “I am sure there must be more that I am missing. I do not understand this other name he uses, and… what did he say to you that he was so concerned of?” She asked.

“Things were… tense between us for some time” Celestia admitted. “The reason of which I am sure you could guess. It was no secret he was always closer with you than myself. After you were no longer there, he did not feel that the palace was home anymore. He wished to find his own way in the world, and so he left in his own time. That also meant making a new name for himself, separate from whatever his connection to the royalty of Equestria would have followed his old name. I may not have had a direct touch in his life, but I always watched over him. But, in the beginning I… did not fully understand his need to stand on his own hooves. I wanted him to come home, failing to realize it was no longer a place he could call home. He rebuffed me, and because of my stubbornness, I had forced him to say things he would regret. We made up in the end, but it still took a long time.”

“How long did it take?”

“Long enough that he felt he needed to tell his life story on his deathbed. But I still watched, from a distance. So I knew that he was safe and happy.”

“And this mare he met? Cheery Sparks. Did she truly make him happy?”

Celestia had always known there was a reason that when they first found the Elements of Harmony, the Element of Honesty had gone to her sister, not herself. She smiled as she lied to her sister “Yes. The two of them together was one of the most beautiful and heart-warming things I’ve seen in all these years.”

Luna cried happily. Celestia passed her a tissue as she sniffed.

“I wish I could have seen their wedding” Luna said after she recovered. “It pains me to say that I didn’t even realize, knowing that he did everything to try and share it with me anyway. My time banished to the moon is mostly a haze. I can barely recall it, other than the time it took to return. I’m sure it must have been beautiful.”

“It was. You would have loved it. Lit by lanternlight, in the spring night air surrounded by the natural beauty within a clearing just outside of town.”

“It is a shame there was never any children” Luna said, accepting another tissue to dab her eyes. “It seems strange to think he left no legacy behind.”

“That’s simply not true. The lessons he taught as a teacher went on to inspire many a young mind among the generation, and continue to inspire now. Like a ripple in time, the effect he had on Equestria while he lived in this world shall always be there. And do not forget that he will always be remembered for as long as we hold him in our hearts.”

“I suppose that is something” Luna sighed. “It may be selfish of me, but I just wish there had been more.”

“Well” Celestia said grinning knowingly. “I suppose there is one legacy that is a bit more tangible.”

Her sister gave Celestia a curious look as she got up and opened the door to outside. She stepped out to the veranda and bade Luna to follow. Outside the moon had risen once more into the sky, now absent the presence of the Mare in the Moon that had once been so familiar. Celestia had often come to in the garden outside her room to gaze upon her sister’s prison and talk with her, but tonight there was no need, and she had come here for a different reason.

“It is somewhat surprising your chambers are on the ground floor these days” Luna observed, following Celestia onto the cool grass. “I had been under the impression you rather enjoyed the altitude to watch the horizon.”

“My enjoyment of such things has not changed, but I can go to one of the higher balconies at any time. No, there is a reason I felt it was better to keep my hooves near the ground.” She lifted a hoof to her mouth and whistled a quick chirp.

Barely a moment later a small form came bounding towards the two of them and lunged at Celestia.

“Sister!” Luna cried, but Celestia had caught the creature with a hoof and was giggling as it licked her face affectionately.

“There you are, you little rascal” Celestia said to the furry ball of energy. “I’m sorry I didn’t have much time for you today, things were impossibly busy.”

“You… you have a dog?” Luna voiced, sounding somewhat surprised.

“We have a dog” Celestia corrected. “A pet is as much family as anypony else. Speaking of which, I must introduce you to Philomena sometime.”

“Another dog?”

“No, Philomena is a phoenix.”

“I… see.”

“Would you like to say hello to Little?” she said, indicating the panting furry friend she was still holding in her foreleg. “He can be a little shy when meeting new ponies, but he makes very fast friends.”

“His name is Little?”

“Little Hope” Celestia confirmed. Luna’s breath caught in her throat. “While I was there with Lucky in the end, he had a dog himself, the sole companion he had not yet outlived. After his passing, I took her in to give her a home. And eventually she had her puppies, and they had theirs. And I have continued to look after one every generation. This little one is the latest in a long line, going back to the one Lucky took care of all those years past.”

“Then… Lucky’s legacy…”

“As you can imagine, I could not take care of them all, so they found good homes around Equestria, and the border collie is one of the most popular breeds of dogs nowadays. I do believe the Apple family in Ponyville, who you would have met one of earlier, own one of this little one’s relatives.”

Celestia gently put Little to the ground and gestured to Luna for the young pup. “Go on, say hello to your Auntie Luna."

Almost hesitantly, Luna knelt down to her belly and softly spoke to Little. “Hello little one” She raised a hoof slowly for him to sniff. “My name is Luna.” The puppy cautiously approached, sniffing the new arrival. He turned back to Celestia, as if looking for approval. Celestia’s reassuring smile was all he needed and he lapped at her presented hoof, and then quickly transitioned to Luna’s face. Luna laughed in surprise and darted up. Little Hope looked disappointed she had moved away, but quickly became distracted watching her flowing mane. He reached up and tried to paw at the moving hair, as if to try catching it.

“It… it is made of magic” Luna managed to croak out between happy sobs.

Celestia could barely hold back the happy tears that threatened to interrupt the moment. She had still been worried for her sister. Worried that she would have the hardest task in the world to readjust to life and this new time she had returned to. But watching her now, the pure joy that her sister bore plainly on her face.

Luna had hope, once more.

Author's Notes:

Well, here we are at the end. First real fanfic I’ve written and I feel I’ve learned a bit.

I had bits and pieces of this story floating around in my head for a while, but never really knew how to execute it in a way that didn’t feel clichéd with a human-transformed-pony story, until I thought about writing it without him as the main character. That’s when I finally felt like I had something.

Do you think it worked? Let me know what you thought in the comments, I’d love to get some creative feedback on my first story. I know I felt more comfortable writing from the princesses perspective rather than my own character’s POV.

As usual, here’s a couple of songs I listened to while writing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajA_RBJ0cYw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFZtxh8sU0M

A life in a day

by Mindscape

Chapter 1: Midnight

Chapter 2: Morning

Chapter 3: Noon

Chapter 4: Evening

Epilogue