I took the midnight train. This wasn’t uncommon for my family. We’d always been night owls; more at home during the night than the day. Dad said it was because we came from a long line of stallions and mares who would guard the herd at night while they slept. It was just something in evolution that some ponies could do.
Mom told me a different story.
As I gave the slightly tired-looking gray stallion my ticket and moved to my cabin, I ran my hoof over my saddlebag. Inside was the story Mom told me.
The story was heavy. It was old. It had been carefully, painstakingly recopied over the years to ensure that it was always legible, always in good shape, and always available for the next generation. Or in my case, the last generation.
Mom said it went down the family line to the pony who was most willing to the task. That was key- you had to want to or the story wouldn’t go.
My sister couldn’t carry it. Even as a young mare, she focused elsewhere. The business she started, her family. I wasn’t so encumbered. My life had room to care for a singularly individual book.
The train whistled and I looked out the window. Most ponies looked dead on their hooves as they wobbled off the platform. One mare was sleeping where she stood. I hoped she didn’t miss her train.
Another whistle and I watched the asleep-on-her-hooves mare doze all the way through our departure. A slight smile was on her face. It stayed there till I couldn’t make it out any more, and she and the train station were just dark shadows on the horizon behind me.
As usual with night travel, the landscape was nothing but shadows. I could see the blue-purple sky, decorated in stars. I could make out the shapes of trees and grass and plains. I occasionally saw the outline of some animal moving about in the low hours. All indistinct, all mysterious.
Most ponies found that unnerving, but I found it comforting. The world was so full of possibility in shadows. Maybe that was a monster by the closet, maybe just a pair of saddlebags on a chair. Maybe that was a coyote in the distance, maybe a timber wolf. Shadows made things possible.
One thing shadows made possible was sleep. I could hear the light snores from the compartments around me.
I was wide awake. I was also a little bored since in deference to their habits, I turned out the light in my cabin. Near darkness was always more comfortable for me. It was like being wrapped in a blanket.
Trying to pass the time, I pulled out the story. Thick and heavy, I admired its cover, which shone best in moonlight. I ran my hoof over the tome again and worried I was being a little too “my Preciousss...” about it. While I didn’t want to go all Lady of the Ring on the thing, I did want to ensure it made this trip as intact as possible. Since I’d left my apartment, it hadn’t strayed even an inch from my side.
Maybe that’s why Mom had said I should carry it. I was always more of the obsessed book-lover in the family. I certainly proved my interest the night she first showed me the story.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Our history,” Mom said, in a reverent tone.
“Like... From school?” I said, getting up on the chair to better see. I’d just gotten my cutie mark, but I was still small for a filly. Doctors said I’d hit a growth spurt. Boy, they weren’t kidding.
I looked at my mom. She smiled at me. Most of the smile was in her eyes. Everypony said we had the same bright green eyes, but I couldn’t see it. To me, Mom’s eyes were always brighter and greener. And prettier.
“I already have a history textbook, Mom,” I said. “This doesn’t look like that at all.”
“That’s because that is Equestria’s history. This... Is the story of our family.”
“Oh. Cool.” I looked back at the book.
It was big. Crisp pages wrapped in a thick, black, hard-backed leather binding which was unmarked save for a small, silver crescent moon in the center.
I touched the book. As my hoof glanced that crescent moon, I felt a chill zip up my arm.
“Hey,” I said. “It tingles.”
“It likes you,” Mom said, leaning close.
“Huh?”
She smiled. “Open it.”
I shrugged and did so.
The script was a bit loopy and some of the words were unfamiliar, but I could read it. Automatically, my eyes fell to the script and started going along. As I read, my eyes got wider.
“This... This isn’t in my textbook,” I said, my voice soft.
“No, it won’t be,” Mom said, turning a page to show a lovely picture of a pair of pony princesses. “This tells the history that is just for our family and other families like us.”
“Like us?”
“You know how you like to stay up late and get kind of dozy during the day?”
“Yeah. My friends say I’m weird,” I said, my snout wrinkling.
Autumn Day mostly just talked about it to prove she noticed it, but Light Flower always made jokes. They weren’t mean, but I could tell the fact I was the last to pass out at a sleepover made them wonder about me.
“You’re not weird- you’re unique,” Mom said. “You’re part of a long line of ponies, who were chosen by Princess Luna herself, to be her Children of the Night.”
“L- Luna?” I gulped. “You mean... Nightmare Moon?”
Mom shook her head with a comforting smile. “No, darling. I mean Princess Luna. The pony who came before and loved all her subjects, but her Children of the Night, she cared for most.”
“Children of the Night?”
Mom nodded. “Yes. Those ponies who, like you, like me, can stay up all night and prefer to sleep through the day.”
“You mean I’m gonna be allowed to stay up all night one day?” I said, awed at this prospect. Young as I was, I craved that all too elusive reward for all fillies and colts everywhere: the late bedtime.
Mom smiled. “One day, you will. But first...” She hoofed through a few pages. “You must learn of your heritage. Now that you’ve earned your cutie mark. It believe it’s time.”
So, starting that night, Mom taught me the story of our family: the line of nocturnal ponies, Luna’s Children of the Night.
The train rolled into Canterlot a little after eight in the morning. I felt wiped.
Without sufficient light to read and confined to my cabin, I tried to sleep or nap a bit of the trip away. I’d managed to force a catnap or two, and my mane showed the results. Sighing, I stepped blinking into the morning sunlight and looked around.
Canterlot was every inch the bustling metropolis I’d heard about. Even this early, ponies of all kinds were going about their day. It was nice to see more earth ponies. We’re a little fewer back home. Pegasi and Unicorns staying up late is one thing- a pony whose magic is supposedly tied to the earth and things that grow in the daylight being nocturnal? Turned out that was a little weird.
“Scuse me,” I said, getting the attention of the platform attendant. “Is there a nearby inn or hotel?”
He turned to look at me. Then, he kept looking up at me. I smiled when he met my eyes. Most ponies usually gave me a double take. Mares the size of full plow stallions weren’t uncommon. We were just uncommon enough to get a slightly longer than polite stare.
Once he got over his shock, he recovered pretty well.
“Yes ma’am,” he said, as if he hadn’t had to crane his neck to see me. “Just down the row you’ll find travellers’ inns for reasonable prices.”
I nodded to him. “Thanks.”
An hour, and three hotels later, I got a room at Wayward Hoof Inn. The room faced away from the sun and had very heavy curtains. The catnap I forced on the train somehow managed to make me even more tired, so I didn’t need sunlight poking me through the curtains and keeping me awake.
I showered, toweled, flipped through the local paper till I yawned fiercely, and climbed into bed. The book joined me, clutched in my forehooves. It was the last thing I saw before I fell asleep.
I dreamed of the past.
“She’s returned!” I yelled, nearly tripping over my own hooves as I barged into my foalhood home.
Mom started at my sudden, unexpected entrance, and dropped the muffins she’d been baking with a little yelp.
“Oh, horseapples,” she grumbled. She bent to start picking them up, and I went over to help.
“Sorry,” I said.
“Hello to you too, dear,” she said with a smirk. Once the muffins were back on a plate and moved to the counter, she turned to me.
I didn’t give her a chance to ask.
“Mom. She’s back. Luna’s back,” I said, excitement bursting from my voice.
She blinked at me, craning her neck. She was my mom, but she wasn’t so old that she was hard of hearing or had eyesight issues. She was as healthy as when I was a foal. So, I could tell she didn’t have any trouble understanding me.
“It’s happened?” Mom said. “And it’s her, it’s not-”
“The sun rose didn’t it?” I said, grinning ear to ear.
I’d taken a fast train from my place in Coltlanta back home. This wasn’t letter news. Mom and I needed to talk about this face to face.
“Oh my...” Mom said, tears filling her eyes and a hoof going to her mouth. “I never... I never thought I’d live...”
I nodded enthusiastically. I wasn’t getting teary, but my eyes were definitely glassy.
“I know,” I said.
We looked at one another. We grinned widely. We shrieked, hugged and laughed.
“Hey-o. What’s all the commotion?”
Looking over my shoulder, I saw my father. A unicorn like my mom, he was where I got most of my height, even though his dusky coat was lighter than mine.
He broke into a wide smile at the sight of me.
“Darlin’!” he said. “Great to see you!”
I released Mom to go and hug him tight. We kissed each other’s cheek.
“Hey Dad. Surprise visit,” I said, grinning.
“Certainly is a surprise. So was that noise. What’s got you two all excited?” He came in and went to hang his saddlebags on the wall.
I glanced at Mom. She smiled and nodded.
“Dad. Luna’s back.”
He blinked, stopped in the middle of floating his bags to the hook and turned to focus on me.
“No kidding?” he said, his voice wary.
I shook my head. My source came from Canterlot. I was absolutely certain of the news.
He finished hanging his saddlebags. A small smile grew on his face. He chuckled. He snorted. He laughed and whooped and laughed some more, cantering like a stallion ten years younger to sweep Mom up and do a jig around the kitchen.
“That is amazing news!” he said. “Do you know what this means?”
Laughing, I said, “Everything’s going to change.”
“No kidding! We now have a whole princess to us. Us! All midnight oil burnin’ ponies! It’s gonna change the world!”
He laughed again, and, being the big goober he was, took Mom in a couple over-the-top swoops and dips
Mom blushed and laughed in return. During one dip, she looked back to me, and we shared a secret smile.
Mom’s smile still fresh in my mind, I woke an hour before sunset. A stubborn ray of light had sneaked between the curtains, but it was on the other side of the bed, which was clear.
I’d kicked the covers off in my sleep again. I wasn’t cold though. Clutched close to me was the story, providing all the warmth I could ever need in a day’s slumber.
Mom explained to me that the unicorns in our family had enchanted each copy of the book made so that it was guarded against the little damages books encountered- tearing, spilled water, etc. They’d also put a spell on it so nopony was ever cold in the dark when they went to read.
Glad for the little spell, I unfurled from the book, dropped it back in my saddlebags and went about bringing my mane and tail into something resembling order. I needed to look my best. Tonight was a very important night.
Getting to the castle took longer than I liked. By the time I was at the official gates, the moon had risen fully and the day crowds were long gone.
The only sign of daylight life was the guard I came upon in gold-washed armor. He stood at attention just outside the gates. He looked like all Canterlot guards: white coat, stern build, sterner face. He also kept a perfectly stone expression that didn’t even acknowledge me until I said, “Excuse me?”
His eyes moved. They didn’t have to go far. He was a big stallion, but also a famous stone-faced Canterlot guard. If he was surprised by my height, he didn’t show it.
“Yes ma’am?” he said, his tone perfectly professional.
“Is this the entrance for the Night Court?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “Your business?”
“I’m seeking an audience with Princess Luna?” I said.
He gave me an even stare. “I understand that, ma’am. What is the nature of your business with the princess?”
“Good. Good nature. Just... Uh. Kind of private. You know?”
Give the soldier credit, he didn’t even blink awkwardly.
“Go down the hallway and you will see a sign. The Night Guard will inspect your bags and give you a once over before being allowed through.”
“Of course,” I said.
“Free to pass!” he called over his shoulder. To me, he said, “Welcome to the Canterlot Night Court.”
“Thanks,” I replied, and trotted past him.
I found the Night Guard easy enough. They stuck out.
The thestrals working at the table were cheerful and happy to receive a guest. Night Court was apparently still getting its legs under it, and only a smattering of ponies visited Princess Luna when she held it. Not out of fear. At least, that’s what most ponies said.
I could see how the welcoming guards might unnerve some ponies though. Dark furred, bat-winged with fangs and mostly nocturnal- they came across as intimidating almost as default. Unless you were a fellow nocturnal mare. Then they weren’t as scary.
The mare guard who frisked me and checked my bags for explosive scrolls and other insidious items joked and made light of my visit. At least, she was all jokes till she saw the book. Her eyes got so wide that her usually slitted, gold pupils looked almost round.
“Is this...” she whispered.
“You know about it?” I asked.
She nodded, running a blue armor-clad hoof over the cover. “I read... Some stuff when I was younger. I never thought...” She looked up at me.
I smiled.
“It is good to see you, cousin,” she said with a deferential nod.
“And you,” I replied with the same nod.
The other two Night Guard, who stood back a ways, cocked their heads at our exchange.
“I’m Star Cloud,” the guard said, offering her hoof and a fang-filled smile.
“Pleased to meet you,” I responded, taking the hoof and meeting the smile.
“Would you mind if I escorted you? Announced you to the Princess?”
“It would be my honor,” I replied.
We walked in comfortable silence the twenty feet to the Night Court’s door, and Star Cloud nodded at the pair of burly-looking stallion thestrals. They opened the doors wide.
The room was vast.
Done in equal parts silver and blue with white and gold, it was clearly the Royal Sisters’ Courtroom. The massive windows, which were gilded on one half, done in silver for the other, overlooked all of Canterlot. From its noble houses all the way down to the more common dwellings, you could see the whole city through them. The pillars were white with sunmarks at the top and moonmarks at the bottom. A plush, heavy red carpet ran the length of the room right up to the main event: the throne.
Stationed atop four stairs, the seat of royalty was a splendid piece of work. Silver rimmed and high backed, it was topped by a crescent moon trailing nighttime clouds. I couldn’t tell if the sun decorations were just hidden away or if this was the seat they brought for Princess Luna. Either way, this was clearly the seat of the Princess of the Night.
Here, she and her sister, Princess Celestia opened their doors to all subjects to show that even they had time for the smallest pony.
Following Star Cloud’s lead, I trotted down and the grandeur was magnified as I could see the details and filigree on the architecture. Guards seemed sparse in the massive space, but I knew thestrals had very good camouflage magic. There were enough visible to be discouraging to any ponies crazy enough to try something, but I suspected more were just out of sight.
I gawked all the way to where I was halted and could clearly see Princess Luna. She sat at her throne, her gaze even, a slight smile on her face. A clerk pony was off to the side and looked like he’d just woken up.
Guess they hadn’t found a night clerk yet.
“Princess Luna!” bellowed Star Cloud. “It is my distinct honor to introduce Bright Shade to you and the Court this evening.”
A snicker from an unseen voice.
I know, I know. My parents had both wanted different names for me when I was born and ultimately compromised. Some ponies just have weird names. At least I wasn’t Tight Wad. He had been counting down the days till he could legally change his name.
Ignoring the snicker, I tried to compose myself if not for royalty, then like I was at a really important job interview. Star Cloud and I stood within a stone’s throw of the throne. I could make out the details of Princess Luna’s ethereal, royal mane at this distance. As well as her eyes and the way her brows rose at my introduction.
“We thank thee, Star Cloud. However, this is the first pony I have seen you escort since your station with us. Does she come to us with grave news?”
“Neigh, your Highness,” Star Cloud said, smiling slightly. “Quite the opposite.”
“Then we will have audience with her and learn her wishes. You are dismissed.”
Star Cloud nodded, bowed, and, as she turned, gave me an encouraging wink.
I smiled back, trying to get my breathing under control. I’d run this meeting over in my head countless times. Now that it was happening though... Princess Luna was a little intimidating to look at directly.
Star Cloud shot me a last reassuring, fanged smile as she left, then sealed the doors behind her.
I turned my gaze back to Princess Luna, who waited, patiently.
Okay Bright. Time to do this.
“Your neighness I am your time and give an honor to-”
My trap snapped shut audibly, and an embarrassed blush plastered over my face. I pressed my hoof against my head.
I heard another snicker, which I suspected was from the same source as before.
“Can I start over?” I asked, face still in hoof.
“If it would help,” Princess Luna replied. She didn’t sound the least bit put out. In fact, she sounded a little amused.
I took a deep breath and mentally chucked the speech I’d prepared. Just talk to her, Bright.
“Your Highness,” I said, reaching into my saddlebags. “My mom gave me a book when I was a foal. This book came from her mother, who received it from her father and, well, you get the picture.”
Princess Luna nodded.
“This book has been in our family for generations and... Well. I was wondering if its contents were familiar to you.”
I pulled the tome out, holding it on one hoof.
Princess Luna’s slight smile faded as her eyes widened. She stared at the book, with its nondescript binding and little, crescent moon.
“May I?” she asked.
I raised it. “Sure.”
She wrapped the book in her midnight blue magic and it rose from my extended hoof to float over to her. Once near her Highness, the book opened and the little crescent moon seemed to flash.
She turned the first page. Then another. Then another. Before she could turn one more, the eager, shocked look in her eye froze and she closed the book to regard me.
“Bright Shade?” she said.
“Yes, your Highness,” I replied.
“Are you a guest of Canterlot this evening?”
“Er, I’m staying at the Wayward Hoof Inn, near the train station. If that's what you mean.”
“With your permission, we would like to house you in royal quarters so that we may discuss this... Item in private. Would this be agreeable?”
“Um...” I blinked quickly. That... Definitely wasn’t what I expected.
Unable to trust my mouth, I nodded.
The Princess regarded me a bit longer. I guess I hadn’t nodded hard enough, because she said, “You agree?”
“Yeah,” I said, finally. “I mean, yes. Yes, your Highness. I would be honored to room here.”
“Excellent,” she said.
Turning her head, and in a much louder voice, she bellowed, “STAR CLOUD!!”
Thankfully, the doors opened and Star Cloud flew in quickly, snapping a sharp salute as she landed next to me.
“Bright Shade is to be our guest for the evening,” Princess Luna said, her volume back to normal. “Please see that she is made comfortable until we are free to attend her.”
“Yes, your Highness,” Star Cloud said, firing off another crisp salute.
The book floated back to me.
“Take this with you, Bright Shade. And keep it close. We would greatly like to discuss its contents later. Will you be up late?”
“Yeah, ah... I’m nocturnal,” I said, taking the book back in numb hooves.
“Excellent,” Princess Luna said, straightening. “We will see thee shortly.”
I nodded.
We all stood there.
I felt a bat-like wing poke me in the side.
“Right!” I yipped. “Thank you, your Highness. Uh, see you, uh later?”
She nodded, and I turned with Star Cloud to exit the Night Court. Once safely outside the doors of the hall, I exhaled and put a hoof to my chest. Starry night, that was nerve wracking!
“First time with royalty, cousin?” Star Cloud asked with a smirk.
“Yeah...” I said, weakly.
“Want a tip?” she said, moving down a hallway.
“Sure...?” I said, following her.
“Don’t rehearse anything. They like when a pony talks plainly.”
“Yeah, I... I think I can manage that.”
I’m pretty sure the royal suite I was assigned was easily bigger than my whole apartment. It certainly took me longer to cross than my place. A fireplace was in one corner, a large window with seriously heavy-duty blue curtains in the other. A writing desk, a bathroom fit for a dignitary, and a four-poster bed made of wood that was probably older than some buildings in Trottingham... This was luxury-cubed as far as I was concerned. Certainly a step up from the cozy room at Wayward Hoof Inn.
Now. How would I pass the time?
While I was curious to wander, the way Luna had spoken gave me the impression she’d be right along after wrapping up a few things. Of course, that could have been royal talk and I was to do whatever until I was summoned. I could feel I was missing all kinds of nuance, so erring on the better side of caution, I stayed put.
This, inevitably, led to a bit of boredom as while the room had plenty of space, it was lacking in entertainment. No books were laying around, and re-reading the book I’d just shown the Princess didn’t seem right. So, I had to make do.
I bounced on the fluffy bed a little. I looked through the writing desk, taking a few sheets of royally stamped parchment as a gift for Mom and Dad. I fiddled with the bathtub, eventually filling it with foamy bubbles and blowing the bubbles about. I slid around the room on a towel.
Seriously, as immense as this room was, just a small shelf of books would have gone a long way to keep a mare out of trouble.
A knock came at the door around midnight, which found me trying to climb on the sizable mantel above the fireplace. I had been in the middle of trying to get a better look at the brushstrokes of a soothing painting of a night landscape.
“One second!” I said, easing down. Fortunately, I didn’t crash.
I opened the door and there was Her Royal Highness, Princess of the Night, Luna.
I bowed. And fast.
She chuckled. “Thank you, Bright Shade, but that is not necessary. Please. Rise, and be at ease.”
As I did, I noticed Star Cloud was standing next to the door with an impressively smug grin on. Only then did I realize she’d been peeking at the lock while I’d kept myself busy. My surprised expression just set the smug smile deeper.
Fortunately, the Princess didn’t notice our little exchange and passed into the room without comment. I stuck my tongue out at Star Cloud, then closed the door quickly. I heard a low, thestralian chuckle.
“Ah, they gave you one of the Night suites,” Princess Luna said, examining our surroundings. “I am glad.”
“Yeah,” I said, turning to the Princess. I realized, absently, that I was a little taller than her. Blinking, I tried not to think about it. “It’s... It’s really nice. Could use a book or two.”
She gave me an odd look. “Did Star Cloud not ask if you required anything?”
Before I said no, I remembered that in my stunned appraisal of the room, Star Cloud had asked just that. And, because I wasn’t paying attention, I had absently said I was fine. I’d even forgotten she said she’d be outside!
I facehoofed.
“I’m having a night,” I said.
Princess Luna chuckled. “It is fine. You do not seem the worse for wear.” She walked over to the fireplace, which lit with a soft flash of her horn and a hoofful of pillows floated from a nearby closet to arrange around the fire.
Princess Luna went to one pile and settled herself, her horn glowing to douse the other two globes of light leaving us only in the glow of the fireplace.
“Come, Bright Shade. Join me? And bring your book, please?”
I acquiesced, getting my saddlebag off the bed and settling down next to her. I left my bag closed. Giving the book to her in the throne room had felt official, but here? Now? Suddenly, I felt like I was doing something very, very dumb and very, very pointless.
I felt her wing brush my back in a reassuring gesture. I smiled at her.
“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t expect... Well, I figured I’d give you the book and that would be it. Why do you want to sit with me?”
“Because...” Princess Luna said, her horn’s magic encasing my saddlebag. She gave me an inquiring look, and I agreed with a nod. The flap opened and the book floated out to rest between us. “I would like to know what you know.”
I ran my hoof over the cover lovingly. In the low light cast by the fireplace the black binding looked positively depthless. It was as if it was carved from darkest night.
“I know a lot,” I said. “I’ve been reading it since I got my cutie mark.” I raised my rump a little and Luna acknowledged my mark: a stack of books alongside a magnifying glass. “And re-reading it, and re-re-reading it. I have a few passages memorized. Did you know about it?”
She shook her head. “No. This was after my time. But I recognize my mark and... The first few pages.”
“You mean... You knew her?”
She nodded, her expression somber. “I did. She was one of a hoofful of ponies who appreciated the night and its wonders. Such interest earned my attention in those days.”
I nodded. “How she wrote... It’s clear she cared about you.”
“She enjoyed my night. She enjoyed it well and when she asked that she have the gift of the night, who was I to deny her?”
“Gift of the night?” I asked.
“Nocturnalism. It is a simple enough spell. Usually, this is done because the pony seeking the change is already sympathetic to the cycle. The spell eases them fully into it.”
She turned to look me over. “You are... Her descendant, correct?”
“Yeah, I think,” I said with a nod. “I mean, I couldn’t tell you if I’m a grandniece or granddaughter- the book got kinda dicey after the first five hundred years.”
Princess Luna laughed, a soft noise.
“Yes. Time has that effect. I am surprised to see that my gift ties to a pony’s very being if her ancestors still carry the ability.”
I shrugged. “You’d have to ask a unicorn about that one. I can tell you that most of the nocturnal ponies going around these days probably started with this group of fillies and colts you took to your Garden.”
She smiled at me. Then, she turned to the fire and I became aware of how old she was. I don’t mean she looked worn or tired. She was like... Like a tree, or a mountain that you could just tell had been around for centuries and was going to keep going for just as long.
“It is a legacy and a gift to myself,” she said softly into the flames. “How fittingly selfish.”
My nerves jangled at me to stay quiet, but I couldn’t. She was Princess Luna. She deserved better than that.
“Um, I don’t think so. Your Highness. Ma’am,” I said, looking at my hooves.
“Oh?” she said, raising an eyebrow. “My actions could certainly be seen that way. I take it you have had difficulty fitting in with other ponies? Having to spend bits on thick curtains so that you may sleep? Pursue work that was fitting to your schedule?”
I raised my hoofs in peace. “Yeah, okay, that all sounds bad. But, it’s not to me, and I don’t think what you did was bad. You weren’t building up some dark army or night legions or whatever. You were just giving some kids more options. They liked the night, and you made it more welcoming for them.”
She turned this over, but whether she accepted it or not, she didn’t say.
Emboldened by her silent acceptance, I went for broke.
“Uh... Princess?”
“Luna,” Princess Luna said.
“Pardon?”
“Just Luna, kindly Bright Shade. Your family has been steward to the kindest act I have ever come across. The least I can do in return is drop formality.”
“Right. Uh... Luna?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you do it? All the readings I’ve done, even with your return, are a bit biased. They described you as taking these foals to be hoarded or eaten for Nightmare Moon’s power, but this clearly isn’t the truth.” I tapped the book between us. “My ancestor’s words are evidence enough, but you confirming this? Well... I’m just curious.”
She was quiet. She was quiet for almost a long enough time for me to wonder if I’d made her angry.
When she spoke, it was distant. She looked into the fire like she could see the faraway past in its flickering light.
“Do you know I walk in dreams?” Luna asked.
“I’ve... Heard things like that, yes.”
“Well, it is true,” she said, her voice rising slightly, asserting her authority. “And do you know what I find in those dreams?”
“What?”
“Scared children. Grown ponies can be touched by nightmares and slumbering terrors, but I have never met such raw, unbridled fear as in a foal’s mind.
“Children are precious to me, Bright Shade. Even just one calling out in their sleep is enough to send me clear across Equestria to ease their pain. If I am to find my own dreams, then I always do what I can to comfort them.”
We watched the fire dance.
“Thus it came that one night a year, I picked the foals of the worst dreams, of the harshest lives and I offered them a choice: come to my garden, if you wish. Be safe. Be happy. Be free. This night happened on what most ponies now know as Nightmare Night. In my time, they called it Dreaming’s Night.”
I stared at her.
“And... Ponies... Just went along with this? Their parents?”
Luna nodded. “Twas a different time. Celestia and I were more steward then than now and given implicit trust. Make no mistake, I returned all to their beds come morning. They woke as though they had a lovely dream. There were exceptions, of course. Sometimes a child would ask to stay and... I had a difficult time saying no.”
She smiled at me and more of that age showed. That impossible age you never saw in another pony. I wondered if Princess Celestia looked like that.
“I read about the Miracle of Nightmare,” I said, breaking the gaze to look at the fire.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luna lean toward me.
“How no child was harmed when Nightmare Moon attacked. Most ponies called it a miracle and a sign of Celestia’s right to rule alone. But, she never took credit.” I tapped my hoof on a cushion. “You moved the children, didn’t you?”
Luna was still. Still as the moon itself. Then, after a long time, she nodded.
“I was... Losing myself as my despair grew,” she said. “Days. Nights. My duties were executed but...” She sighed. “I was falling. It would not be until Nightmare Moon took me over completely that I could see even a modicum of how I had been changed. And by then?” She shrugged. “Too late.”
She wrapped a poker in her magic and dug at the fire, moving the logs.
“The night before I went to confront Celestia though, I was clear. Maybe the Nightmare was marshaling its forces and let me be, maybe I knew what was to come and that gave me strength. Whatever the reason, I put the entirety of Canterlot to sleep and sang to the children. I sang to them to follow me to safety. I was never sure of what happened to them.”
She looked at the book.
“I am glad to see they lived. And thrived.”
“They certainly thought well of you,” I said, kindly. “This thing had to be recopied a couple of times to make it this far.”
Luna nodded. Inclining her head, she smiled to me.
“And I thank thee for bringing it to my attention. Now. If I may ask a question?”
“Sure,” I responded. “You’ve been more than patient with me, so go right ahead.”
“What took you so long to bring this to my attention?” she said, smirk on her lips.
I stared at her, at her mock serious expression, the light and chiding tone ringing in my ears, and I couldn’t help it- I bust out laughing. I fell over, rolling on the pillows with my hooves flailing in the air. Through the tears, I could see she was as amused as I felt, though she merely smiled.
“Hoo- Ha. Okay. Fair,” I said, wiping at a tear. I coughed, rolled back to my rump and composed myself.
“Ever um. Ever have something really important to do?”
Luna’s eyes went to the moonlight coming in through the curtains. “Of a fashion.”
I snorted again.
“Okay, I mean something important that’s just for you. Like, getting a painting done or buying a new bed- Life won’t end if you don’t do it, but it’d be a whole hay of a lot better if you just got it done.”
Luna looked distant, then nodded as the idea sunk in. She inclined her head for me to continue.
“Only- you don’t. The painting’s too complicated. The bed’s too expensive. Whatever. So, you just put it off. You put it off, and put it off, and put it off till you hear that the Princess has left the castle and is wandering to nearby towns to interact with her citizens. And you think, ‘Oh ponyfeathers- what if she comes across a copy of this book on her own?’”
I shrugged.
“I eventually realized I was just nervous about meeting you. So, I screwed up my courage, took some personal days, and came here before I could think too much about it. Get it over with, you know?”
Luna snorted, smile still in place. “I am familiar with this tactic, yes.”
“So... Here I am. I don’t know how other ponies have acted, but... We’re still here. Your Children of the Night. Your ponies from the Garden of Shadows. And we’re here for you if you want us.”
I blushed at my presumptiveness, unable to look her in the eye.
She reached a hoof under my chin and raised me up. Her eyes weren’t quite green, but they weren’t quite blue either. Some middle color that reminded me of the curve of darkness in the distance.
“I will always want my children,” she said, smiling beatifically. “All of them.”
Then, I got my next surprise of the night when Princess Luna hugged me.
Conversation went in a less serious direction after that point. She asked about me, my life, what I did. She asked about my mom, how she taught me of the book and our nighttime ancestors. She summoned Star Cloud to have the book copied so that I could keep my version while Luna would have one she could read at her leisure.
Sooner than I’d have thought, the moon was setting low on the horizon. Luna rose.
“My duties call,” she said. “Would you keep me company?”
I laughed. “You kidding? I’d love to see this up close!”
She smiled in response and I followed her down the hall to a balcony. A few non-thestral guards stood nearby, bowing as we passed. I focused on the balcony. If I thought too much about the guards and the bowing... I wasn’t going to make it.
Unfortunately, this tactic blinded me to the fact I should have been deferential myself. Waiting on the balcony was Princess Celestia. Whose rump I nearly ran right into.
“I’m so sorry!” I said, burying my face in the balcony floor. “I was distracted and-”
“It is fine, my little pony,” Princess Celestia said in a tone that spun warmth right into me. “You may rise.” Looking to Luna, she said, “A friend... or a nightly consort, my sister?”
My eyes bugged out a little at the implications of that. Luna simply rolled her eyes.
“Celestia...” Luna said, as I got back to my hooves. Her voice had a tired whine to it. It reminded me of my own sister. “She is a friend. Can we at least pretend to have some dignity in front of our subjects?”
“Oh, you’re right, my sister,” Princess Celestia said. She flared her wings and looked at me with an overly serious expression. “My little pony, what is your name?”
“Bright Shade, Highness,” I replied.
“We would ask then that you call us Tia, and our sister Lulu, for your stay on the balcony. This should keep things dignified. May we call you Brightie to match?”
Not entirely sure if I should laugh, despite the little chuckles coming through me, I said, “Yeah. Sure. Brightie’s fine.”
Luna groaned. “And she’s supposed to be the elder.”
Celestia folded her wings and her expression smoothed into a smile.
“Welcome to the exchanging of duties, Brightie. I hope you enjoy the show.”
Luna stepped forward, to stand equal with her sister. Her horn enveloped in its midnight blue aura, but now flecks of silver wound through the light, spilling around her. In kind, Celestia’s horn showed a bright gold with subtle shots of orange and white in its glow.
Even an earth pony like me, who couldn’t sense magic with a divining rod and an enchanted amulet, could feel the power these two commanded. It was awe-inspiring. It was intense. It made me feel like I was going to faint.
I took deep breaths to prevent even further embarrassment.
Slowly, the moon faded into the horizon, leaving streaks of deep blue and purple as the sun rose, brightening the sky with rays of bright orange and gold.
The Royal Sisters’ magic dimmed and that dwarfing feeling of power faded away. We were now just a few ponies on a balcony, enjoying a sunrise. It wasn’t my first, but it was one I was going to remember even when I turned into a fussy old pony.
“Wow,” I said.
“Thank you,” Celestia responded with a wink.
Turning to Luna, she said, “Is there any business I should be aware of, Lulu?”
Smirking, Luna replied, “Only that ‘Brightie’ has brought me quite the gift. I will share it with you tonight over breakfast.”
“Wonderful!” Celestia said, straightening. “I look forward to it. Until then, my sister.”
“Until then,” Luna said, inclining her head.
I bowed and Celestia nodded at me, then walked back into the castle.
Luna looked to me as I watched her solar sister leave.
“Have you any thoughts?” she said.
“Yeah,” I said.
“And?”
“I never thought I’d meet a mare taller than me.”
Luna chortled. “You are a delight, Bright Shade. Tell me, have you energy for a snack?”
I nodded. “Sure. But, just so you know, I’ll have to go tomorrow. Well, tonight, I guess.”
Luna waved a dismissive hoof. “I understand. Your book shall be returned to you by then. Come. Let us continue our discussion on... What did you call the books?”
“Daring Do. They’re a lot of fun.” Feeling saucy as all hay, I added, “Lulu.”
Luna sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. “And just like that, the splendor of the night is gone as I am reduced by my own subjects to ‘Lulu.’”
“It’s cute,” I said, following her off the balcony back into the castle. “It’s... Weirdly normal.”
“Oh?”
“It’s just... You and Princess Celestia. You’re really sisters. I guess I just thought you’d be...”
“Always regal?” Luna said with a knowing smile.
“Something like that,” I muttered through a blush.
Nodding, Luna turned a corner and I could smell pastries and cakes and sugar calling to me. I usually had dinner-dinner despite the breakfast hour, but I wasn’t about to turn down cake. Even if it was doughnut shaped.
“When I first returned, I actually held to that standard. Thanks to my friend, Twilight Sparkle, and Celestia’s guidance, I have learned to... What’s the phrase? ‘Let my mane down’ on a more regular basis.”
“Well, it works. I’m kind of freaking out, but knowing who you are and what you do... It’s an honor to speak with you and a joy to know you, Luna.”
Luna smiled. “Before you leave, Bright Shade, please be sure to give me your address. I would much like to maintain correspondence and this blossoming friendship.”
She left me in the middle of the hall as I rooted on the spot. She’d nearly turned another corner before realizing I was stock still, quite a few steps back, jaw slightly open, eyes wide. I was handling a lot, but when one of the Princesses says she wants to be pen pals... That’s a little too much.
I slept hard. And without dreams.
When I woke, the sun had set and the moon was already rising. My breathing quickened as I realized I was going to be late for my train home. Then, just as quickly as I panicked, I calmed. Moonlight was spilling between my curtains to touch my face, filling me with ease.
I rose, pushing back the lush sheets and opening the curtains. The moon was absolutely full. Round and silver-white and glowing, it dominated my view. I’d never seen another moon like it.
I reached a hoof up and pressed against the glass.
The window opened without resistance and music floated in. Haunting, beautiful, slow and playful.
I smiled.
Listening to some unheard instinct, I raised my hoof. Then the other. Then the other. And I stepped into the night sky.
“I must be dreaming...” I murmured as I walked up on the air.
My path wasn’t aimless. Soon, walking on air like a pegasus, I found the source of the nightly music: Princess Luna. I had thought that she’d shared most of her faces the previous evening. Here, in this place, with this song, I believe I saw her true face. She was kind, soft, and comforting while looking absolutely in control.
Her gaze drifted to me as she sang and I swear she winked at me. Just at me. Her song continued, and I realized I wasn’t alone.
Fillies and colts were filling the sky around me. They were of all sizes and kinds and galloped to join. As were a hoofful of grown mares and stallions.
In the gathering herd, I noticed something. Everyone had the same look of innocent fun. It fit on the children, but it was transformative for the adults. They looked years younger, as if they’d found a toy from foalhood and could play purely for just a few minutes again.
I was willing to bet that I shared the same expression.
Luna seemed to have gathered all she intended and turned to fly. Pegasi set their wings to a glide while the rest of us ran as if on ground. It was easy. My hooves hit some invisible floor. I pushed forward, quicker than I’d ever been. I leaped and somersaulted smoothly through the air, laughing.
As I drifted back onto the invisible ground, I swear I felt smaller and lighter than I had in years. I was like a kid running around the yard at night, catching fireflies and staring at the stars.
Emboldened by my light spirit, I made it to the front of the flying herd. Luna’s song wafted over, around and through me, letting all of us do the impossible.
She turned in her music to smile at me, just at me again, and I galloped forward to nuzzle her.
“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for every night, but thank you for this night.”
Her smile grew even wider and her song filled me all the way up.
I floated back, still at the front, but still with this nightly herd. We traded smiles, we laughed. I picked up a pair of fillies and jumped over an enormous cloud with them on my back.
Throughout it all, Luna sang. She sang as we played. We played all night by the light of her moon. Her Children of the Night.
