A cry for help from an alternate Equestria sends a blind unicorn colt on a difficult mission...
In an alternate Equestria, the events of Discord's return play out very differently and lead to a desperate letter from Twilight Sparkle to Princess Celestia; however, Twilight's spell to ensure the delivery of her message unintentionally transcends time and space, and travels to our Equestria during our Twilight's mission to the Crystal Empire. With Celestia's protegé already occupied with matters of great importance, it is up to Luna's far younger student to venture into an alternate Equestria and attempt to guide seemingly familiar ponies to a brighter future.
The doors to the Hall of Chronicles were pulled open as a soldier ran through. The soldier was dressed in the standard issue Equestrian Royal Ground Force uniform, and fitted with a harness that held a scroll. Their conversation interrupted, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna turned to give the soldier their attention as he approached them, multicolored light passing over his white coat as he passed the many stained-glass windows and his hoof-steps echoing off the stone walls as he hurried into speaking distance.
“Your Majesties,” the soldier gasped as he came to a stop, out of breath, “I bring an urgent report from the northern border!” Sweat dropped from his coat as he turned his head to free the scroll from its harness.
The soldier had hardly gotten the message loose before Princess Celestia grasped it with her magic and relieved him of it. In seconds, Celestia had the scroll unfurled and quickly scanned the message written upon it, her eyes widening as she read. When she finished, Celestia passed the scroll to her sister before nodding to the soldier.
“Thank you, you may rest in Canterlot before returning to your station.”
The soldier bowed his head, “Thank you, Your Majesty,” and wearily made his way out of the hall.
Luna's eyes also widened as she finished reading the report. “My sister, it appears we have run out of time. We can no longer wait and bide our power, we must stop Sombra.”
The white alicorn princess nodded to her sibling, “Yes, little sister. With the shadow from Sombra's influence on the Crystal Empire drawing closer to our borders, we will have to succeed as we are. Together with the Elements of Harmony, I believe we have a strong chance of defeating him.”
The two royal sisters then turned towards the door behind which lay the Elements of Harmony.
-----
A little unicorn colt, only a foal, sat in his crib, babbling and giggling at the sounds he was making. His coat was pitch black in color, his mane and tail were a stark white, and his eyes were a soft indigo, all of which reflected light like dazzling crystal. At the sound of a soft voice, he looked up into a pair of matching indigo eyes belonging to a golden amber unicorn mare with a brown mane and tail. She was smiling down at him, but her eyes looked sad and tears fell from them. Soon another face appeared over the little colt; a unicorn stallion who's coat, mane, and tail matched the colt's, but with brilliant green eyes. His voice wasn't as soft, but came in hushed tones as he spoke to the mare.
The two faces looking down on him did not reflect the light in the same dazzling way, but they both smiled down at him. He smiled back with an incoherent babble up at them, and for a brief moment, they both sparkled and reflected the light just as he did, before fading back to subdued colors. The two spoke to each other again in a different babble; he was too young to understand them yet, but he could see them occasionally looking away from him, tears streaming from their eyes.
Suddenly, a loud booming voice reverberated through the walls of the house. The faces flinched away from the sound for a moment before the colt felt himself being lifted out of his crib by a golden sparkling wave of magic. It always felt really comfortable when the amber one carried him like this, and he let out a happy string of babbling nonsense in response. The golden one smiled at him as he was carried into another room, this one with no windows, the dark one following behind her while continuously casting wary glances behind them.
The loud booming voice reverberated once again, this time causing the house to shake, causing the golden one to cry out in panic. The dark one soothed her with hushed tones as they settled the little colt onto the floor. The golden one was now no longer smiling, but openly crying as she pressed her face into the dark one's chest. He rested a hoof across her shoulders as he continued to speak to her in hushed tones for a moment. They then both looked directly at him and began to speak to him, but he didn't understand a word of it. He babbled back up at them, thinking it was a game.
Once more the house shook with the sound of a deep voice. The two went quiet, tears streaming down their eyes, as they leaned their heads forward so that the points of their horns touched and began to glow. The wave of golden magic that enveloped the colt was soon joined by a shining silver magic, the two colors twisting and winding together. The magic suddenly brightened until the colt had to close his eyes against the blinding light. When the light had settled, the magic waves had solidified. He could still see the two looking down at him through the transparent solidified magic. He tried to babble at them again, only to have his voice echo back at him.
From behind them, the colt could hear a low rumble begin, steadily getting louder. Dark crystals began to burst through the walls from all sides. The golden one shrieked, the dark one pushing her to the floor and trying to put himself between her and the crystals. The little colt watched as more and more crystals broke through the walls, destroying the room. Suddenly, a bright blinding light flashed so quickly the colt did not have time to shield his eyes. The last thing the colt felt before he passed into unconsciousness was the solidified magic shaking violently around him.
-----
The clouds rushed by in white blurs as Celestia and Luna flew to the North. The situation was far too dire for the royal carriages, which were only used for formal visits. Flying under their own power was much faster, and the two sisters had no time for pomp and circumstance. They'd only left Canterlot Castle several minutes ago and the temperature was already beginning to dip, the landscape below changing from blurs of greens and yellows of the fields into the all encompassing white of snow and ice. A lone spire began to rise far off on the horizon; the two sisters nodded to each other their acknowledgment that they were almost there.
Their destination, the Crystal Empire, was usually an oasis in the frozen North; the inhospitable weather kept at bay by an unknown power of the empire; however, ever since King Sombra usurped the throne, that power had been secreted away. Instead of the empire's beautiful influence shining across the land, there was only darkness and obsidian crystals. This influence affected the neighboring territories as well, including Equestria. If Sombra was allowed to continue his reign, his influence could possibly engulf the entire world. Celestia and Luna were determined to ensure that didn't happen. Sombra's abilities were amplified by the unknown power, formidable even to the two princesses, so they agreed to bide their time and their power for as long as they could until they were a match for him.
Now the entirety of the Empire was in view in the distance; they were nearly there. Luna marveled at the sight. She'd never been to the Crystal Empire before, and though it was now covered in darkness, Sombra's influence had not completely eclipsed the empire's former beauty. She squinted when she noticed several dark spots in the air directly before them, they were getting larger by the second.
“Elder sister...”
“I see them, little sister. It would seem we've been spotted; Sombra has sent us a welcoming party.”
Luna laughed softly, “They must be fools to try and stand against us.”
Celestia smiled in agreement as the dark shadows rushed ever closer. Within seconds, the shadows were upon them.
Up close, the sisters could see that they were shadows in the vague shape of ponies. The shadow ponies bore no facial features to distinguish one from another, save for their toothy grins as they closed in. The alicorn mares had no trouble in keeping the shadows at bay by simply bucking them away. The shadows' grunts could be heard as they were sent flying, only to be replaced by another wave, and another. It seemed there was no end to the sisters' assailants; by the time they'd repelled one wave, another was upon them, and shortly after the first would return.
Finally, a spark flared in Celestia's lavender eyes. “ENOUGH!” A furious yellow wave emanated from her horn, obliterating all the shadows simultaneously.
Luna watched, intrigued, as the remnants slowly dissolved into thin air. “Fascinating, they weren't sentient beings at all. It appears Sombra manipulated dark crystals and fashioned them into underlings to do his bidding...”
Both sisters came to a sudden halt at the sound of a lone pair of hooves clopping together slowly. During the battle, they had unintentionally moved towards the spire of the empire's central castle. The sound was coming from the balcony, on which sat King Sombra.
The dark king brought his fore hooves to the ground as he stood up, grinning mockingly up at the royal sisters. His dark red eyes were startling; the whites of his eyes were not white, but an acid green, with waves of purple mist flowing from their outer edges. He wore steel guards on his neck, lower legs, and hooves. Upon his back and flank he wore a stereotypical king's red velvet cape lined with white faux fur. Upon his head rested a steel helmet crown, through which protruded an irregularly sharp red horn. With a steel gray coat, black mane and tail, and pointed fangs, he was a formidable sight.
A deep, booming chuckle reverberated from the dark figure on the balcony, “and to what do I owe the pleasure of this... royal visit?” as Celestia and Luna allowed themselves to drop until they were hovering side by side at the same elevation--though at a cautious distance--as the dark king. Far off on the horizon, dark, boiling storm clouds began to surround the empire.
Celestia pointed a hoof at Sombra, “You know why we're here, Sombra. Your crimes against the Crystal Empire are self evident, and it is far past time you answered for them. You are to relinquish the throne and submit yourself to our custody.”
The demand elicited a booming laugh from the dark figure on the balcony, “Tell me, Princess, did you honestly think you and your sister could just waltz into my empire, state your demands, and expect me to simply lie down and give in?”
Celestia cocked her brow, “Frankly? No, I did not. But then, I wasn't expecting you to be intelligent either. The way I see it, that's two for two.”
Luna smirked at her sister's quip, clearly amused; Sombra, however, was not amused at all. His confident grin turned to a dark scowl, his eyes flashing. “Come now, Celestia. Base insults? They don't become you. Though, I dare say that if I am unintelligent, what does that make Luna?”
Celestia and Luna looked at each other, confused. Celestia's eyes widened as she looked further and spotted a black crystal floating right behind her sister. “Luna! Behind y-” The crystal exploded with a blinding flash; Luna cried out as she was struck and plummeted to the surface.
Celestia immediately attempted to dive for her sister, only to be cut short by a blast of dark energy cutting right across her path. “Nah-ah-ah, Princess! I'm afraid we haven't finished our exchange just yet.” Celestia glared at Sombra, at the obstacle between her and her sister.
“You cannot possibly imagine the repercussions of what you've just done, Sombra...” she continued to glare as her horn began to glow yellow with her magic, her eyes narrowed to slits. The two were in a face-off, lightning flashes reflecting in their eyes as they stared each other down.
-----
"Ugh," Luna groaned as she came to and forced herself to her hooves, shoving off small pieces of debris in the process.
She took a quick scan of her surroundings; she had landed--or crashed, as it were--in a section of the empire which appeared to have been destroyed. Specifically, she had fallen onto the remains of a demolished home. The shard remains of Sombra's dark crystals were scattered all over, and there wasn't a single living creature to be seen.
For a moment, Luna's gaze saddened as she thought of the lives Sombra had destroyed, of those he was still tormenting for his own dark designs. But there was no time for grief right now, she had to get back to the battle, to her sister. The blue princess gingerly tested her legs and carefully unfolded her wings to ensure she hadn't taken any serious damage. Satisfied that she'd only received a few bruises, she crouched in preparation for flight when a sound gave her pause.
A little foal's cry could be heard from somewhere in the wreckage on which she stood. Eyes widened in shock, Luna's gaze darted around as she tried to pinpoint the source. Perhaps a family had managed to survive the destruction, and they were caring for a little one.
“Hello?" Luna called out, "Is anypony there? Do not be afraid, I am not your enemy.” No voice answered her call, save for the continued wailing of the little foal lost somewhere in the debris.
The wind began to pick up, and distant thunder could be heard rolling in from the horizon. She had to get back to her sister, but if there was even a chance that somepony had survived, she had to do what she could. The blue alicorn began to carefully follow the sound of the cry, occasionally slipping on a loose board or piece of debris.
“It's alright, little one. I am here to help!” she called, though the foal sounded as if it were too young to understand her just yet. Sure enough, the tiny voice only continued to cry out, but it was getting louder; she had to be getting close.
Soon, it sounded as though the foal was right in front of her. Carefully, Luna lifted a piece of debris out of the way, and there sat a squalling little colt. His coat was black as pitch, his mane and tail a stark white, and his eyes were shut tight as he cried out. Wrapped around his hind left leg was a shard of black crystal. Luna puzzled for a moment over the ground around the little colt; ash and dust covered the floor boards immediately around the foal, except for a perfect circle upon which he sat, which was relatively clean and untouched. He must have been shielded by magic when his home was destroyed. But magic of that strength is not possible from just one unicorn, not to mention to protect a space even as little as that would have required an exceptional amount of magic... Tears came to Luna's eyes as she realized what it must have cost for this little colt to survive.
Gathering her composure, Luna gently scooped up the foal with her magic. Almost immediately, the foal stopped crying and opened his eyes. Luna gasped, for his eyes were a soft indigo in color, but his pupils were covered by a milky haze. The foal tried to rub his eyes with his hooves and blinked several times, and appeared as though he was about to cry again, but the gentle rock of the magic holding him put a smile on his face and he simply closed his eyes. A playful babble escaped his lips before he quickly drifted into a nap, apparently exhausted from crying. Several different thoughts and emotions surged through Luna at once, but she was brought back to reality when she heard an explosion far overhead.
Sister! I am coming!, she thought.
Drops of water slowly began to patter to the ground around the princess and the foal. Lightning flashed and the wind was building up to a roar; Luna couldn't leave him here. Debris from the battle or the storm could cause him harm, and there was nopony near by she could take him to. Spreading her wings, Luna quickly took off from the ground, toting the little colt in front of her as she quickly made her way to the outskirts of the empire. She hit the ground running before slowing to a stop, and with her magic she created a small shelter of reinforced stone.
“I am sorry little one," Luna said in a gentle tone, "but I must leave you here for now. I will return for you soon and find a family to take care of you.” The little colt hardly twitched a hoof in his sleep as she settled him gently into his shelter. She separated the spell from herself and gave it a life of its own so it could continue to comfort him in his sleep.
Luna bowed her head for a moment before spreading her wings and taking off, flying as fast as she could back towards the central spire, back to her sister.
-----
The storm had arrived, having shifted into high gear; rain pelted heavily to the ground in sheets, the lightning flashed continuously as it struck the taller structures of the empire, and the roar of the wind competed with the thunder. Celestia grunted as she dodged another of Sombra's dark bolts of energy. It was as they had originally feared; Sombra's power, combined with the mysterious power of the empire, was too much for just one of the royal sisters alone. It was all she could do to avoid his attacks. Luna's continued absence also fed Celestia's concern; the blast had been close, but like Celestia, Luna was an alicorn. Alicorns had a naturally higher resistance to physical harm; surely it couldn't have hurt Luna so bad that she couldn't return?
Luna, where are you? I need you!
As if summoned by her thoughts, Luna finally returned.
“I am here, sister!”
Celestia's relief was almost palpable, but Sombra refused to let up on his attack, giving her no time to respond. Luna took up a position some distance from her sister and began firing silver bolts of energy of her own at the dark king, forcing him to let up on his barrage on Celestia in order to avoid Luna's attacks.
Celestia smiled at her sister's strategy; if the two of them stayed spaced apart while attacking Sombra, he would be forced to divide his attention and his attacks between the two of them. Celestia quickly began firing golden bolts of energy as well. The tables had turned, but only slightly; the royal sisters' attacks only occasionally struck the dark king, and while he was no longer able to keep either one of them pinned, he was still able to keep them at bay.
Suddenly, when one of their attacks managed to strike Sombra, he cried out and crouched where he sat, ceasing his attack. Incensed by this sudden opening and chance to end their struggle, the two sisters immediately began to rush at the dark king to finish him off; however, before they could reach him, he sent out a shock wave of energy, knocking them back to roughly where they had been. Refreshed, the dark king began his attacks anew and the battle resumed.
Luna cursed under her breath; they'd nearly had him, but they didn't have time to close in on him. Defeating Sombra seemed an impossible task, but then Luna thought of the little one she had rescued below. Her fury flowed through her anew; Sombra could not be allowed to continue his reign.
The battle over the empire continued as the storm raged on. Several times, the lightning would strike one of the combatants, but with their magic it was redirected harmlessly away. The sisters would occasionally manage to strike the dark king as he continued to send barrages of dark energy to keep them at bay.
Once again, Sombra took one hit too many and crouched where he was.
“Little sister," Celestia urgently called out, "we must use our last option!”
Luna nodded. If this didn't work, then all was lost. Wasting no time, Luna flew over to her sister and the two began to rise higher up into the air. For a short moment, Celestia and Luna gazed into each other's eyes before closing them and pointing their horns toward each other.
Celestia's horn began to glow with golden magic, Luna's with silver. A hole was pierced through the roiling storm clouds, casting a brilliant beam of sunlight down onto the balcony where Sombra crouched, still temporarily immobile. He glared up at the sisters with unfettered hate in his eyes as the light cast them into silhouettes. Six shimmering orbs of different colors appeared in a circle above the royal sisters as their eyes suddenly opened, both casting glowing white glares upon their enemy.
As Celestia and Luna crossed their horns together, the six shimmering lights spiraled down and exploded through their magic into a spectral beam and struck King Sombra. The dark king roared as the light sapped his power and struck away his armor. The battle appeared to be won, but Sombra wasn't finished.
“None shall have what is mine!" Sombra screamed, "I curse the Crystal Empire with my last breath! May it vanish for over a thousand years, when I will return to reclaim my throne!”
As the words left his mouth, his form was changed into mere shadow. The power of the Elements of Harmony opened a gaping maw in an icy glacier beyond the borders of the Crystal Empire, banished the shadow into it, after which the ice slammed shut with a deafening rumble that echoed out across the Crystal Empire and the frozen wastes.
The two sisters sighed in relief as the storm slowly broke into peaceful white clouds, but their relief was short lived. A shimmering ring of light shot up around the borders of the Crystal Empire, and slowly shrank inward; everything in the light's path vanished as the ring moved closer towards the central castle, until at last it too vanished.
With the power of the empire gone, the inhospitable icy weather of the north wasted no time in reclaiming the land. True to Sombra's curse, the Crystal Empire had vanished, not to be seen again for over a thousand years.
-----
Celestia and Luna bowed their heads, their magic shielding them from the harsh weather.
“A bitter sweet victory, my little sister.”
Luna nodded, and then gasped as her mind had calmed down enough to remember.
“Elder sister, when I was on the ground, I found a little foal who had survived Sombra's wrath-”
Celestia gave Luna a sympathetic smile and interrupted, “Little sister, he will have vanished with the rest of the Crystal Empire. Safe, but frozen in time.”
Luna shook her head vigorously, “No, sister; to keep him safe from the storm and possible debris from our battle, I pulled him to the outskirts of the border and created a small shelter for him there; doing so may have also kept him safe from Sombra's curse!”
Luna's excitement was rooted in concern, for the shelter she placed him in would not last long against the harsh weather that would have relentlessly closed in on it. Luna folded her wings part-way back and immediately dove towards where she had left the little colt, her starry mane and tail streaming behind her.
Luna hit the ground running as she landed near the shelter. As soon as she was within range she used her magic to hold the cold weather at bay, much as the Crystal Empire's mysterious power once had, but to a smaller degree. Celestia soon followed, landing a short distance away.
“Luna...” Celestia began, mistaking Luna's concern for misguided expectation of the colt still being there.
“He is still here, elder sister!”
Celestia stopped short, “...What?” she quickly ran over to stand beside her sister.
Sure enough, the little colt whose coat shimmered like a black diamond was still asleep, albeit his face and fidgeting suggested the noise of the howling blizzard just beyond Luna's magic was disturbing his otherwise peaceful nap.
Celestia turned her gaze on her younger sister, “Luna...”
The blue alicorn returned her sister's gaze, “I know what you're going to say, sister; that while my intentions were honorable, my actions inadvertently separated this foal from his parents, that he will have grown up and died of old age centuries before his family will return. But I haven't told you everything I discovered when I found him.”
Luna then explained how the colt had to have been protected from a large number of Sombra's exploding black crystals, that it would have required at least two unicorns to have provided a strong enough shield, and that the unicorns who had cast the spell would have to have sacrificed their lives to do it.
Celestia closed her eyes for a moment, “The foal may have extended family that survived.”
Luna shrugged, “Perhaps, perhaps not. Many ponies lost their lives under Sombra's cruelty. In any case, it doesn't matter now. What's done is done. All that can be done now is to ensure that this little one has a future.”
Celestia nodded as she opened her eyes and gazed off in the direction of Equestria, “That will be an easy task, considering he has just found himself in the care of the leading monarchs of an entire nation.”
Luna smiled, “I will assume responsibility for him, my sister. But it may be best if his regular lessons were from a school outside Canterlot. I wouldn't want him to grow up like one of the 'upper crust'” she said the last two words with a hoof to her chest and her best imitation of a snooty mare.
Celestia laughed, “do not be too harsh on them, little sister. They do not have the centuries of experience we do, but they will learn, eventually." Luna allowed a slight shrug of concession, but still with a good-natured smile on her face, before Celestia continued. "That being said, I agree that humility should be one of the priorities in this one's upbringing; between his unique origins and his sparkling coat, he'll have far too many things that could go to his head.”
Celestia looked down at the little foal again, and narrowed her eyes as she spotted the black crystal wrapped around one of the foal's hind legs. “Sister, have you noticed the crystal on his leg?”
Luna narrowed her eyes in scrutiny until she spotted it, “No, the rest of his coat shimmers so, and is of the same color, I had not noticed it.”
Celestia lowered her head as her horn began to glow with a golden hue. Her magic reached out to the crystal in an attempt to remove it; however, despite her efforts, her magic appeared to have no effect on the crystal. With a grunt of frustration, the white alicorn released her focus, “I can't even get it to budge. If it's anything like the crystals Sombra used on you and this foal's home, we can't just ignore it.”
Luna shook her head, “No... I know your power is greater than mine, sister, but I would still like to try.” Luna then lowered her head as Celestia had done, her silver magic beginning to glow and it reached out to the crystal.
This whole time, the foal had slept peacefully, but he was beginning to awaken. When he opened his eyes, the pupils of his eyes were still covered by a milky hue.
Luna nodded before Celestia could say anything, “It appears that the flash from the explosion has blinded him, it may be permanent.”
This time, the colt did not seem as disturbed by his inability to see. Either he was still comforted by Luna's magic which was still cradling him, or perhaps he just thought it was still dark. Perhaps as an attempt to create light so he could see, the foal instinctively began emitting sparks from his horn as he tried to reach out with his magic. His eyes shut tight in concentration, the little foal gave it his best, and managed to emit a small wave of indigo magic, which immediately began to move toward's Luna's silver magic.
Just as Luna's magic had reached the crystal, the foal's magic reached hers. Luna gasped as her body went rigid and her eyes stared straight ahead.
“Sister? Luna? Are you okay? Luna! Can you hear me?” If Luna could hear Celestia, she showed no sign of it.
Luna looked around in alarm at the sudden change of surroundings. She appeared to be in an impossibly large room; the ceiling was completely out of view, the walls simply faded into nothing past a certain point, and she was standing on a raised path that held her up so high that the floor below--if one indeed existed at all--was as equally out of sight. The walls and the path she stood upon were void of detail or design, but the color was the same as her silver magic. Ahead was what appeared to be a labyrinth. Aside from the blue alicorn, there wasn't another pony or living thing in sight.
“Hello? Is anypony there?” Her voice simply echoed several times. Luna's eyes drooped somewhat in simple frustration.
“Where is this place anyway?” she muttered to herself.
With a shrug, she decided the only sensible way to proceed was to walk towards the labyrinth; however, after only a few steps, a bright shining indigo light turned the corner and flew out from the entrance to the labyrinth. The light emitted only the sound indicative of unicorn magic. Once near Luna, the shimmering light flew around her in circles before it began to slowly head back towards the Labyrinth. When Luna didn't move to follow, but instead simply watched it carefully, the light stopped.
Luna cocked her head to one side, tentatively took several steps towards the light and then stopped. The light began to move forward again, only to stop when she stopped. Apparently, the light wanted her to follow. Seeing as there weren't many other choices aside from standing there for the rest of eternity or finding out what would happen if she were to allow herself to fall into the depths below, she shrugged and started to follow the light, which swayed in a small circle before resuming its path back into the labyrinth.
The light appeared to be a guide, turning this way and that and always making sure Luna could follow. Eventually it began to pick up speed, so that Luna had to run in order to keep up, but never so fast that she lost sight of it. After what felt like an hour, the light turned a corner and when Luna caught up, she realized she was at the end of the maze. Another long path, like the one Luna had arrived on, extended from the exit. At the end of the path floated a considerably larger version of the crystal that was wrapped around the foal's leg. The shimmering silver light flew up and around the large crystal as Luna walked up to it. She reached out a hoof to touch it and, with a bright flash, she suddenly found herself standing once more before the little colt and next to her sister.
-----
Luna blinked her eyes a few times before she turned to look at her sister.
“Luna, are you alright? You seemed to just lock up there for a few seconds.”
Luna's eyes widened, “Seconds? It felt like an hour or two, following that strange light.”
Celestia opened her mouth to ask the next logical question when Luna held up a hoof, “I will explain later, sister. First, I have to try something.” With that, Luna bowed her head once more, and allowed her magic to reach out for the crystal. This time, the crystal quickly shattered and evaporated into nothing. Celestia merely stared, the little colt seemed to have exhausted himself and was already well in progress on another nap.
Luna looked to Celestia, “Sister, I believe the little one somehow... Somehow he showed me precisely how to destroy the crystal around his leg.”
Celestia shook her head, “But, how? How is that possible? He's only a foal...”
Luna shrugged as she gazed back down at the sleeping foal, “It may have only been seconds, but it felt like hours. There was this large maze in front of me, the color of my magic. Then a light appeared, it was the color of his magic, and it guided me through the maze. At the other end was an enlarged version of the crystal. When I touched it, a light flashed and I was back here. Suddenly I knew exactly how to manipulate my magic to remove the crystal, as though I had known all along.” Celestia shook her head, only this time in amazement.
“Truly amazing. He's already demonstrated his special talent before he's even old enough to speak.”
Luna nodded, but her gaze turned sympathetic, “On top of losing his family, it would also appear he's lost his sight for life. Perhaps, with luck, his special talent will allow him to use his magic to guide his hooves as well as it was able to guide my magic.”
Celestia gazed up at the circle of sky that was kept clear by Luna's magic. The light had begun to fade over the past hour, and the first stars of the night were beginning to appear.
“We had better return to Equestria," Celestia said, "soon, you will need to rise the moon.” Luna looked up at the stars as well and nodded.
Luna cradled the foal in magic once more and lifted him from the stone shelter she had created for him, which then crumbled away. Soon the two royal sisters were airborne again, with the little one safely shielded and floating in front of Luna. Celestia looked over at him for a moment and smiled.
“He will need a name, little sister. We have no means with which to discover the one given to him by his parents.”
Luna smiled in return as she thought for a moment. When she had decided, she looked down at the little one floating before her, “That indigo light of his, it guided me much as the stars might guide a traveler in the night. His coat is black as the night sky when the moon is new, and his mane and tail are as white the brightest star. I believe Evening Star would be fitting for him, elder sister.”
Celestia smiled in approval, “I agree, little sister.” The rest of their journey back to Canterlot Castle was uneventful and silent.
-----
Like most other ponies, Evening Star was awake during the day, and fell asleep soon after Luna brought the moon into the sky. As a result, Luna was able to watch over him during the day, which was when Celestia was the busiest. However, it was not long before the daily routine in Canterlot Castle was turned completely upside down.
It was not often that the castle was home to a young one, but the ponies in the castle's employ did their best to adapt. As soon as Evening Star was old enough, Luna taught him how to use his magic to allow him to see, albeit this form of vision was a far cry from what he was born with. His visual world was still one of pitch black, but overlaid with soft indigo lines outlining everything around him. Lighting had no meaning to him, nor did designs or finer details such as paintings. As for other ponies, he still had to rely on tone of voice to know what mood they were in, or the manner in which they were speaking. Their outlines would only match the color of their coat, mane, and tail. As a result, he was perfectly at ease in total darkness, but he could never see Celestia's sunrises nor the beautiful stars of Luna's peaceful nights. Instead, he had a finer appreciation for the change in the sounds, the temperature, the way the wind blew, and just the general mood between day and night.
Evening Star's new sight also meant that he no longer needed to be guided around the castle, and therefore meant that anything fragile from the door handles down was no longer safe. This was where the ponies who made their living in the castle had to adapt the most. Fancy spindled pedestals and velvet ropes were no longer sufficient to keep priceless decorations safe. When he did inevitably break something, he was properly scolded and punished accordingly, but he was otherwise tolerated. The sibling monarchs had centuries of patience, more than enough to accommodate the young colt. If anything, his antics provided amusement they hadn't enjoyed in quite some time.
Celestia and Luna never allowed Evening Star to slip into the habit of calling either one of them “mother” or a derivative there of, he simply addressed them by name, without the formalities. They both knew a day would come when he would be old enough to be told exactly who he was and what had happened to his family, and eventually that day arrived. Evening Star's questions about his parents had been circumvented several times already, and he would soon be old enough to attend a school—Celestia and Luna agreed that a school outside of Canterlot would be best—where the question would surely be put to him more than once by his peers. The sisters knew it would be hard, but agreed that it would be best if he were given time to accept his past before also being thrown into the world of school and peers.
-----
The door to Evening Star's room opened silently as Luna stuck her head in through the gap. The little colt was still asleep, despite Celestia already having raised the sun and the sunlight draped through the window and across his bed, reflecting off his crystalline coat and projecting multicolored sparkles onto the walls.
Luna heaved a sigh before she softly spoke, “Wake up, little one. Celestia has risen the sun, and today is the day we promised to answer your questions.”
Evening Star woke up with a start, his eyes half open as his mind scrambled to put together what Luna had just said. It was only a moment before his eyes snapped completely open the the crystal colt leaped out of bed. Skidding momentarily on the polished floor, Evening rushed over to the door, where Luna smiled down at him and backed away from the door and walked down the grand hallway with Evening close behind.
The azure alicorn lead the way out into one of the castle gardens, the two ponies squinting as their eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. Celestia was already waiting for them, sitting in a spot Evening Star favored shortly after he was brought to Canterlot, her legs tucked beneath her. Evening Star ran ahead of Luna as Celestia stood up to greet them both.
“Good morning sister, good morning little one,” Celestia smiled.
“Good morning, Celestia!” the little one squeaked backed. Luna nodded to her sister silently, who nodded back knowingly. All the trials and hardships of their lives would not make what they were about to do any easier, but delaying any further would only cause harm to the little colt.
Evening Star eagerly sat near where Celestia stood as Luna followed behind with a gentle trot. Together, the two sisters sat so that the three ponies formed a triangle, each facing the center.
Celestia looked up at the sky, “It would seem the Pegasi have done a splendid job of the weather today.”
Luna looked up as well and nodded. Evening Star simply fidgeted where he sat, watching them both anxiously.
Luna allowed herself a shade of a smile. “It would seem Evening Star is more interested in why we are here, elder sister.”
Celestia nodded, “I suppose that is to be expected,” she then looked to Luna, who bowed her head for a moment before looking into Evening Star's sparkling eyes.
“Evening Star, little one, before we begin, Celestia and I want you to know that, no matter what, you will always be loved; loved by us, and everypony in Canterlot castle. We will always be here for you, Evening Star. Do you understand?” The sparkling black colt nodded, his eyes still eager, though his fidgeting had ceased altogether.
“Yes, Luna, I understand.”
With a deep breath, Luna began to tell Evening Star about the Crystal Empire, and the events leading up to the battle there. Celestia remained quiet, having consented to Luna's request to be the one to tell Evening Star of his past. Evening Star sat perfectly quiet as he listened, his eyes still wide and the sunlight sparkling brilliantly off his coat; however, when Luna reached the point when she'd first found the colt among the wreckage, his eyes started to reflect dread. Luna's years allowed her to hold back her tears as she explained how Evening Star had managed to survive the attack on his home, and what it had cost. She concluded with how Celestia and Luna had won the battle, but that Sombra had managed to keep a hoof on the Empire by cursing it away for one thousand years.
The colt's eyes took on a pleading gaze as she looked from Luna to Celestia and then back to Luna. “But, did you see any other ponies near by? Alive or... or... d-dead?” Luna shook her head, and Evening Star seemed to be desperately grasping at straws, his breath starting to quicken “So then how can you know that they're gone?”
Luna bowed her head, “It is true that I never actually saw your parents, little one; however, the strength that would have been required to create the shield that had protected you would have been difficult even for two unicorns to manage, unless driven by a strong emotional surge. At your young age, it is unlikely you were in the care of anyone else. I'm so sorry, my little one...” As the words sank in, Evening Star's breathing began to slow. Staring off through the gap between Luna and Celestia, tears began to well up in the young colt's eyes.
As the first tear fell, the sparkle of his coat began to drain from him. Slowly standing up, he walked over to the space between Luna's front legs, which were resting out in front of her, and curled up against her. By the time he had settled down, his coat no longer reflected the sunlight. Despite having only just woken up, Evening Star sank back to sleep as Luna curled her leg around him. Luna looked over to her sister, who nodded and stood up, “He will be alright, little sister. He has a strong heart. I must go, my usual duties. Will you be alright?” Luna closed her eyes and nodded.
After that day, Evening Star's coat never regained its sparkle. After a time, however, his spirits improved again, and he was back to causing trouble as colts his age do, at least for a few months.
-----
Evening Star grunted as he pulled the mop back out of the bucket and started pushing it at a puddle of cider on the floor. “I was just kidding around,” he muttered to himself, “how was I supposed to know she'd freak out and drop what she was holding?”
Several months had passed, and although he was still a young one, he was old enough to be tasked with cleaning up after his own mishandled adventures in the castle. He had just put the mop back in the bucket when the doors to the throne chamber slammed open. Celestia appeared vehement as she stormed into the chamber.
Evening Star cringed, “I'm sorry, Celestia, I already apologized to Lemon Drop, and I'm cleaning the mess right no-” but Celestia walked right by him without acknowledging him at all. Somehow, Evening Star had the feeling Celestia was upset about something else. She paced back and forth for several minutes, occasionally glancing at the colt and acknowledging that he was there. Finally, Celestia approached him.
“Star, I'm afraid Luna has... changed.”
Evening Star cocked his head, “Changed? Changed how?”
“Luna has declared that she has no intention of lowering the moon when the time for morning has come. She has become jealous that most ponies sleep through her nights. A bitterness has poisoned her heart, and she will not listen to reason,” she lowered her head, “even from her own sister.”
Evening looked out at the stars through one of the windows, “What... What will happen, Celestia?”
The princess shook her head, “I do not know, but I cannot allow her to go through with this eternal night. Evening Star, Luna's behavior has become dangerous. I need you to go to your room and stay there, for your own safety.”
Evening took a step forward, “But-”
Celestia firmly stomped a hoof down, “Go.”
Evening Star nodded and reluctantly made his way out of the chamber. The colt was only half way to his room when a loud crash could be heard from the castle's main entrance. Immediately there was a commotion; guards rushed by him as they converged from all areas of the castle towards the front gate. Evening Star couldn't stand it; he loved Luna and Celestia both dearly, and could not simply sit in his room. He turned around and quietly followed behind the last group of guards to run past. As he reached the front gate, the entire hall was blocked by guards facing towards the gate, or what was left of it. It had been completely smashed through. Celestia was standing in a clearing in the middle of the guards, facing the gate. When Evening Star followed Celestia's gaze, he nearly lost his balance.
The source of everypony's attention was the pitch black mare standing in front of the gate she had just smashed in with her magic. Her coat was pitch black, her hooves covered in formidable looking sky-blue iron guards, and on her head a matching helmet which framed her eyes. She appeared to be an enemy; however, her cutie mark, blue sparkling mane and tail, and the aquamarine color of her eyes, were all identical to Luna's. Evening Star shook his head, unable to believe it was Luna, but Celestia confirmed the colt's fears as she took a step forward and spoke, her face holding a mixture of anger and sorrow.
“Little sister, you must not do this. You know full well the importance of the balance between night and day. The sun must soon rise!”
The dark mare snorted and stomped her hooves against the tiled floor, “Never! The moon shall not yield; this night will last for an eternity! I am no longer your sister, Celestia. From this moment forth, I am Nightmare Moon!”
The white alicorn lowered her head and sighed, “If that is how it is to be, then I will do everything in my power to stop you, 'Nightmare Moon'.”
The mare once named Luna let out a dark laugh as she lowered her head and aimed her horn at Celestia. Celestia quickly matched the gesture as Nightmare Moon shot a violent blue beam of magic from her horn, a brilliant golden beam firing from Celestia's. The beams met roughly in the middle of the distance between the two alicorns and collided as the two slowly circled the wide space the guards had given them. The two appeared to be evenly matched, as the point where the two beams met clashed unwaveringly in the center. Suddenly, Celestia grunted as her beam began to be overtaken by Nightmare Moon's; however, before her magic failed entirely, Celestia changed the angle of her beam to deflect Nightmare's magic towards the vaulted ceiling above, blasting a hole through it, and quickly withdrew through the opening. The black mare cackled briefly in triumph before spreading her wings and giving chase.
Nightmare Moon had hardly disappeared out into the night before Evening Star began to scramble back the way he had come to avoid the guards noticing he was there, but he was still not planning on going to his room. Instead he wound through the castle and up a side stairwell to reach one of the tower balconies. Reaching up onto the railing to get a better view, he looked on as Celestia and Nightmare Moon flew in circles around each other, lighting up the night sky with beams of magic, which ignited as they clashed, leaving trails of drifting sparks in their wake. Down below, Evening could just make out a large group of guards filing out through the damaged front gate. Considering the power of the two alicorns fighting each other, this battle was clearly out of their league, yet it was their duty to help however they could, and so they loyally stood watch. When Evening Star looked back up, he gasped and ducked as a silver beam of magic missed him by inches and blasted a chunk of marble off a column behind him. The two princesses, in their fight, had begun to wander close to the balcony. Evening Star nearly tripped as he quickly backed away from the balcony and back inside the tower.
Just after the colt ducked inside, the two princesses crashed onto the balcony, locked in a physical struggle. The young colt looked on as the two got to their hooves and continued to push into each other; they had both proven to be equally matched in magic, so the fight had boiled down to a struggle for one to force the other to the ground.
Celestia grunted as she managed to shove Nightmare Moon a fair distance away and spoke in an unnervingly calm voice, “Stop this, Luna. This isn't you. You've always understood the balance.”
The dark alicorn simply snorted, “I've told you; my name is no longer Luna, I am Nightmare Moon! Gone are the days of ponies sleeping through and belittling my beautiful night! With their precious sun gone forever, Equestria will behold my night for the rest of eternity!”
Celestia closed her eyes for a moment with a deep sigh, “Then I am sorry, my little sister, but you leave me with no other choice.”
Celestia quickly fired a golden beam of magic towards Nightmare Moon, who leaped out of the way and retreated backwards onto the balcony and into the sky. Celestia charged out and leaped into the air after her. Nightmare Moon's cocky grin faded as Celestia's eyes began to glow white. Six orbs, all of different colors, appeared around Celestia as she closed in.
“Wait, you can't do this! I won't allow it!” was all Nightmare Moon could manage to yell out before the light of the orbs converged into a single multicolored beam and engulfed her.
The dark mare's body changed into a shapeless form of white light, which the beam sent straight into the full moon hanging low in the sky. The celestial body orbiting the world began to glow unnaturally. When the glow faded, the silhouette of an alicorn mare's head could be seen on the moon's surface.
A heart-broken Celestia slowly landed onto the balcony. Her face betrayed nothing as she slowly looked to the door that led from the tower stairwell into the room that opened out onto the balcony. With her magic, she made sure the door was sealed.
“Evening Star,” the colt gasped slightly as he peeked out from behind a damaged column, “please come here.” Hesitantly, the black colt carefully hopped over bits of broken marble as he made his way to her side.
Celestia folded her legs beneath her so that she could speak to the little colt face-to-face. “Little one, are you alright? Are you hurt?” Evening Star just shook his head as he stared up at the night sky, and the moon which now held Luna. Celestia understood and nodded as she too looked up at the moon. “I wish there had been another way, but the safety of all who live in Equestria must come first.”
The little colt simply continued to stare at the moon silently for a short while before he spoke, “Is she to stay there forever?”
Celestia cocked her head to one side for a moment, “Well, the spell I cast with the Elements of Harmony will hold until my link with the Elements breaks; however...” Evening Star quickly changed his gaze from the moon back to Celestia. “However, it is possible for me to cast a spell to modify it. I could place a spell that will free her after a certain amount of time, but the jealousy that poisoned her heart runs deep. It will certainly take many centuries before her imprisonment might bring her back to her senses, far longer than the average life time of a pony.”
Evening Star looked down at his hooves, “Oh...”
Celestia looked down at the little colt for a moment before looking back up to the moon, a look of careful planning on her face. After a moment, she looked back down at Evening Star, “There may be a solution to this problem that will allow Luna's return to be within your life time. But there will be a price.”
The little colt looked excited once more as he eagerly got to his hooves, “What is it?”
Celestia smiled at his candor, “I could weave a spell that will place you as a sort of guardian over the moon. In a sense, you would be watching over Luna during her imprisonment. When the time comes for her to be freed, you would be the catalyst that will return her as well as yourself to Equestria. But it will mean being locked away for a thousand years.”
The princess lowered her head to Evening Star's, “I do not think you've ever really gotten acquainted with anyone in the castle; you've only just become old enough to really grasp friendship. You would effectively be thrown forward through several lifetimes without having aged, but you would be reunited with Luna upon your return.”
Evening Star's eagerness drained and his ears dropped, “Will it... hurt?”
Celestia smiled and shook her head, “No, little one. Neither will you be conscious. You will enter a dreamless sleep, so that while one thousand years will have passed, it will seem to you as if it has only been a few short moments.”
The colt's ears perked back up and the eager look returned to his eyes. “I wanna go through with it, then!”
Celestia smiled and nodded, “Luna is fortunate to have such a loyal friend. Let us step out onto the balcony, and I will begin the spell.”
The two walked out into the moonlit night. The moon would soon sink below the horizon and make way for the new day. As they reached the center of the balcony and stopped, Celestia' horn began to glow gold with her magic.
Three orbs of white light appeared and began to fly in circles around Evening Star, who gasped in surprise. “What are these, Celestia?”
The white alicorn began to unfold her wings, “Like the night and the day, this spell requires a balance little one. You will be placed in the night sky as a star, these three lights will aid you as you watch over Luna. Think of yourself as a commander, and these three as your lieutenants. In a thousand years, when it is time, these three lights will aid you in releasing Luna from her prison, as well as returning both her and yourself to Equestria. It is uncertain just where in Equestria you will return, but I will find you no matter where that is.” Celestia lowered her head, “Are you ready, Evening Star?”
The black colt stood up straight, determination bright in his eyes, “Yes, Celestia.”
The glow of Celestia's horn began to brighten, “Then sleep well, little one. I look forward to yours and Luna's return.”
With that, Celestia's golden magic engulfed Evening Star, changing his form into a soft indigo orb of light, and sending all four orbs up towards the moon. The four orbs took their place around the moon, creating a square-shaped constellation. With a bright flash, the lights became stars in the night sky. Soon after, the moon sank into the horizon.
With Celestia's power, the sun rose on a new day. The first of many the princess would have to endure without Luna or Evening Star. Celestia wanted to commemorate the day, since it also happened to be the longest day of the year. Every year since, the day was celebrated across Equestria with a Summer Sun Celebration.
A thousand years later, Twilight Sparkle discovered the legend of the Mare in the Moon. As Princess Celestia's protegé, the purple unicorn pony was sent to that year's location for the Summer Sun Festival, a town less than a century old called Ponyville. Her official mission was to see to the town's preparations for the festival, her unofficial mission was to make some friends. After the preparations were checked and several subsequent friendships took root, the time for the Summer Sun Celebration had arrived; the time when Celestia would raise the sun on the longest day of the year. Anxiously watching the moon through the window of the town hall, Twilight noticed four stars disappear behind the moon as it sank towards the horizon; the Mare in the Moon's silhouette vanished...
-----
Evening Star suddenly became aware that he was floating. As he slowly woke up, he could vaguely make out four other ponies near by. After a minute, he could discern that the one directly in front of him was Luna. The other three were the plain white ponies that represented the three stars Celestia placed under Evening Star's command as they watched over Luna. Just as Evening Star was beginning to realize that he'd awakened, a beam of light burst from him and the three star ponies, the four beams converging on the blue alicorn princess.
It was evident that Luna herself was starting to wake up; a sense of panic was beginning to rise in Evening Star as his memories began to return. She was still wearing the armor she'd worn when she declared herself as Nightmare Moon. Was she still corrupted by her jealousy? Evening Star scrambled to gather his thoughts and concentrate his magic in order to touch Luna's mind; however, he'd only just began to reach out to her when the beams of light vanished. Nightmare Moon's eyes shot open, and suddenly she was gone.
Evening Star opened his mouth to cry out Luna's name, but no sound came out. He realized what he was seeing was simply his visual spell's representation of what was happening. He was still floating in the night sky near the moon. Looking down, with the help of his magic, the colt could see the expanse of Equestria far below him; a vast expanse of teal contours and darkness. When he looked back up, he was slightly startled to see Celestia there looking at him.
“I'm afraid you cannot yet speak, Evening Star, but listen well: the day has come, and Luna has been freed from her prison.” The white alicorn lowered her head, her eyes subdued, “I'm afraid Luna is still twisted by her jealousy, but there is a group of ponies that I believe will be able to help her.” She lifted her gaze to meet his, “It is almost time for you to awaken; when Luna is freed from Nightmare Moon's jealousy, you will return to Equestria. Knowing my protegé, it will not be long.”
With those last words, Celestia vanished, and Evening Star fell back into his dreamless slumber.
-----
“You see, Nightmare Moon; when those elements are ignited by the... the spark, that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element: The Element of Magic!”
With those words, the six ponies were lifted into the air as stone shards combined to form the shimmering Elements of Harmony around the necks of five of them, and a tiara on the head of the sixth. With a beam of brilliant colors, Nightmare Moon cried out as she was engulfed in the light.
When the light faded, the six ponies were on the floor in a daze, and Princess Luna lay in the place where Nightmare Moon had stood. After the six mares picked themselves up off the floor, the orange one spoke up. “Gee, Twilight, I thought you were just spoutin' a lot of hooey; but I reckon we really do represent the elements of friendship!”
“Indeed you do!”
The six ponies gasped; as they looked through a window facing the East, the dark night sky quickly melted away to hues of red and pink as the sun began to rise, pouring a blinding white light into the room, revealing Princess Celestia as it faded away. Each of the ponies knelt down in respect except for the purple unicorn mare. Twilight dashed forward to embrace the princess, who returned the gesture in kind.
“Princess Celestia!”
“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, I knew you could do it!”
Twilig ht backed up a bit with a puzzled look upon her face, “But, you told me it was all an old pony tale!”
The white alicorn smiled, “I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return, and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her! But you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart. Now if only another will as well.”
The princess began to walk towards the raised platform and lowered her head towards the dark blue pony who crouched there. “Princess Luna, it has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this; time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister. Will you accept my friendship?”
The blue alicorn, a little smaller than her elder sister, simply gazed up at Celestia in silence. Soon, tears welled up in her eyes as she rushed forward to embrace her sister. “I'm so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister!”
The white alicorn smiled and returned the embrace, “I've missed you too.”
Suddenly, excessive bawling could be heard, tears gushing out of the pink mare's eyes. But as soon as she'd started, she suddenly stopped, a joyous look on her face, “Hey! You know what this calls for!? A party!” With that, a pink cloud was all that remained as Pinkie Pie zipped off to begin the preparations.
The remaining five little ponies simply looked at each other and laughed nervously as they stood up to leave. Twilight turned to look back at Celestia and Luna, “Princesses, are you coming?”
Both princesses gazed at Twilight, but it was Celestia who spoke up. “Yes, Twilight. You six go on ahead, we'll be along shortly.” Apparently satisfied, Twilight Sparkle trotted off after her new friends.
Celestia turned to face her sister, “Little sister, there is one more matter we should clear up before we attend that celebration.”
Luna looked up at the white alicorn, “Sister?”
Celestia calmly walked over to a window facing the west, where the moon was just beginning to surrender beneath the horizon. “I'm speaking of Evening Star.”
The blue alicorn's eyes opened wide, “But sister, not even Crystal Ponies have an alicorn's longevity!”
Celestia smiled back at her sister, who walked over to join her at the window, “As you might imagine, Evening Star was rather distraught when I used the Elements of Harmony to seal you away in the moon.”
Luna looked down, tears welling up in her eyes afresh, “Little one... He didn't deserve to be put through that...”
Celestia lowered her head, comforting her sister with an embrace, “Remember, little sister, we must put this behind us. After you were sealed away, I realized that Evening Star only ever really connected with you. With whatever might be left of his real family locked away, no friends outside of the castle, and you sealed away for a thousand years, his world was about to be torn apart all over again. So I cast another spell; one which placed three new stars under his charge, the four of them placed in turn around the moon to watch over you.”
Luna gazed at her sister in disbelief, “He was sealed away for as long as I was?”
Celestia nodded, “Only in his case, it was by choice. He wanted to do this, and he's still there,” she nodded up at the moon, now half hidden behind the horizon. “I believe it is time for the sleepy little colt to wake up.”
Luna nodded, “Allow me, big sister. It is only right that I relieve him of the post he chose because of a mistake I made a thousand years ago.”
Silver light began to entwine around the blue alicorn's horn before converging into an orb floating at its point. Eyes shut tight in concentration, Luna gave a slight gasp as the light shot as an erratic bolt of energy towards the moon, shrinking until it vanished in the distance of the great expanse between Equestria and the moon. Shortly after, a spark of light flashed on the moon, followed soon after by a shape gradually coming into view in the distance as the moon sank out of sight.
“... L-Luna...”
“I know, I know, I've got him...”
“Luna, he's coming in too fast...”
“Big sister, I know what I'm doing!”
-----
Evening Star felt himself awaken again; only this time instead of floating, it was the sensation of falling he felt. Yes, he was definitely falling, and fast. Wind whipped past him as he opened his eyes, only to squint against the sensation of the rushing air. Below him was the huge expanse of teal lines which he realized was Equestria. It was rushing up to greet him. His mind suddenly snapped awake as he began to appreciate that he was free falling through the sky, with no apparent means to slow his descent. With no wings, and his magic unable to assist him in the matter, he did the only thing he could think of: flail his legs around helplessly and yell at the top of his lungs.
-----
Sweat began to bead on Luna's forehead as she concentrated her magic. Despite her efforts, however, the silver glow of her magic began to falter; the colt would reach them in only a few seconds judging from the sound of his yells. Without hesitation, Celestia's horn glowed with golden magic, shooting out and forming a wide circle on the ground.
The yelling became louder, reaching a high point as the colt fell through an opening in the broken ceiling of the castle and landed head first in the center of the circle with an “Oof!” The magic acted as a gel at first, softening Evening Star's landing, his hind legs hanging above his head momentarily before solidifying under him as his hind quarters tilted and fell over. The little colt quickly righted himself, but when he tried to stand, his legs buckled and he quickly sat back down with his legs folded beneath him.
Luna walked tentatively over to Evening Star's side, laughing nervously, “I suppose one thousand years in isolation can make one rusty with magic...” Evening Star allowed himself a nervous grin, a tiny little squeak accompanying it, his breathing still slowing down from his re-entry. The grin faded however as the little colt again directed his wide, unsure, nearly-blind stare at the blue alicorn.
“L-Luna? Are... Are you still angry?” came the little colt's voice.
Luna sighed and sat down in front of Evening Star, pulling him into a gentle embrace. The colt tensed at first, but quickly eased as she rested her head on top of his, “No, Evening Star. Thanks to Twilight Sparkle and her friends, my eyes are open again. I'm so sorry, little one.”
Celestia smiled as the two sat together, eyes widening a moment as she recalled the imminent celebration. “I think we had better get going if we don't want to be late for Pinkie Pie's party.”
Luna stood up and nodded, “Yes, big sister. We shall fly,” she looked down as Evening Star got up on wobbling legs, “I can carry Evening Star.” The blue alicorn began to spread her wings, only to let out a sharp gasp as she quickly re-folded her left wing.
Celestia smiled, “I've been sealed away until the sun rose not long ago, and you two have been sealed away for much longer. I thought it'd be best if we simply walked, so I sent a message to Canterlot. Our escort should arrive right about...”
Celestia's voice trailed off on that last word as she turned her gaze towards the ruin's entrance. A moment later, six royal guards filed in, lead by a yellow unicorn mare, “...now.”
The royal guards bowed as the unicorn mare spoke, “Your Majesties, the captain sent us as soon as we received your message. We secured a path through the forest and the six mares who left here have already made it safely back to Ponyville.”
Celestia nodded her head, “Very good, Lemon Hearts.”
Evening Star cocked his head, looking first at the guards, then at Celestia, “Why do we need a guard if Ponyville is close enough that the others just walked?”
Lemon Hearts took a step forward, “Because, little colt, these ruins are in the Everfree Forest. The trees grow and the clouds move all by themselves. There are also strange and dangerous creatures around here. Speaking of strange, that sea serpent in the river had the oddest mustache...”
Celestia laughed, “What's important is that our trip back will be a safe one. Let's get going, shall we? Lemon Hearts, I'd like to talk to you about a special job as we go.”
-----
Evening Star remained silent as he walked alongside Luna. Celestia and Lemon Hearts were walking a short distance ahead of them, speaking in hushed tones. Lemon Hearts would occasionally look back at him with what he thought was a rather annoyed expression on her face. By now he understood how the Everfree Forest got its name; the trees grew in wild, gnarled shapes, there were some animals that may not have necessarily been hostile, but did not look at the ponies kindly as they passed, and the clouds in the sky seemed to have a spirit of their own. Occasionally, he would look up at Luna, who would look back down at him and smile. Evening Star would smile back.
As they neared the edge of the forest, the sunlight playing through the leaves at the edge of the canopy, Celestia stopped and turned back towards Evening Star and Luna. “I believe it would be best if Evening Star were to arrive in Ponyville with Lemon Hearts” Celestia said.
“What? What for?” Evening asked, hating the idea already.
“Because, little one,” Celestia replied, “the Crystal Empire is still largely unknown to most ponies in Equestria, and it has not yet returned. The fact that you yourself are a Crystal Pony is only known to Lemon Hearts, Luna, and myself.”
The white alicorn princess lowered her head on level with Evening Star's, “There will be uncomfortable questions ponies will ask if you appear with us; questions that other ponies do not necessarily need to know the answers to until you yourself are ready to talk about them. However, Luna and I agreed long ago that we wished for you to attend school outside of Canterlot, and I believe Cheerilee's school in Ponyville would be perfect. Lemon Hearts here,” she nodded her head towards the yellow mare, “serves Canterlot as a liaison officer between Canterlot and Ponyville. She is often seen in both places, so her presence will not garner attention, and so she will be charged with commuting you to and from Cheerilee's school in Ponyville.”
The yellow unicorn mare's annoyed expression returned for a short moment. Unsure, the little black colt looked up at Luna, who smiled warmly down at him.
“It will be alright, little one,” the dark blue alicorn said, “you will finally be able to spend time with colts and fillies your own age, and your education will be far more diverse with two separate teachers instead of just myself.”
Evening's stomach started to tie itself into knots. In all his waking memory, he'd never been too far from either Luna or Celestia. Luna leaned her neck down to gently nudge him towards Lemon Hearts.
“Go on, little one. Celestia and I will be right behind you.”
Evening tripped slightly as he nervously moved to walk next to Lemon Hearts, who only closed her eyes and sighed as as she began to walk as well.
“Look, foal,” the yellow unicorn muttered in a low voice, “just do as I say. I don't like this any more than you appear to.”
Evening Star huffed a sigh of his own as he followed, 'Just great', he thought. 'I can already tell this is gonna be a pain...'
In the distance, Evening Star could see Ponyville. Several balloons were escaping into the sky, and confetti was being shot into the air by what sounded like a cannon.