Ponies freeze as you walk through the streets, Luna's arm linked in yours. Of course, no one outside of the castle, other than Zecora, knew that Luna had been brought back to life. So for them, it was quite a shock to see the Princess of the Night walking through the streets.
'Ahhhhh!' One of the small fillies screams, and goes running towards her mom, dropping her small bag of candy she had collected. She throws her arms around her mother's leg, and buries her face in the mothers jeans. 'It's a Nightmare Night horror!' She starts weeping, and her mother pats her head.
Luna collects the candy, and sweeps it back into the bag. She stands up and walks towards the young filly, but the filly hides behind her mother. Luna holds out the bag gently. 'Do not be afraid young one. There is nothing to be concerned of.' The filly gingerly takes the bag.
'Then how are you alive?' Her mother shoots her a look, then lowers her head, shuffling her feet.
'Tis a long story. But, if you want the simple answer, it was a special spell.' The filly steps out from behind her mother, and Luna ruffles her head. 'Perhaps one day I could tell you the story.' The filly nods, and then smiles. She embraces Luna, and hands her a piece of candy.
Luna smiles, and takes the small treat. The filly looks up at her mother, who nudges her. 'And, sorry for screaming.' The filly nods, and her mother smiles. Luna turns back towards you and you loop your arms together once more.
'What was all that about?'
'I'm known to keep my reputation up with the citizens. Unlike Celestia, I would like for the citizens to think highly of me. And being dead, I cannot maintain that reputation.' Luna tugs you along. 'Hurry up. I want to show you something.'
You stumble along after Luna, and reach the outskirts of town. 'Where are we going?'
'Somewhere.' Luna disappears through the bushes, and her voice rings from inside. 'Come on! We're gonna miss it!' You step through the bushes, and to your surprise, Luna stands on the other side, skipping around the clearing.
'If this is the surprise, I would have wanted to miss it.'
Luna rolls her eyes at you. 'Oh for Celestia's sake. Hurry up!' You break into a jog, and follow Luna through the clearing. You burst through the bushes at the other side, and Luna tackles you down. 'Don’t look up yet!'
You lay down on the floor, while Luna brushes herself off. 'Wait. One....... Second........' Luna takes a deep breath, and her horn starts humming. She starts humming along with the noise, and the low hum emanating from Luna's horn grows, until it becomes a loud ringing that echoes in the empty space.
Without warning, there is a loud crack, like a gunshot, and a bolt of grey shoots out of Luna's horn and strikes you in the forehead. A stinging sensation overcomes all other senses, but it soon fizzles out into nothing. You blink a few times, and find that everything has turned a strange shade of purple.
'What was that?' You are uncontrollably squinting, so you open your eyes all the way, stretching the skin to allow you normal vision. You rub your eyes once more, but to no avail.
'It's a sight spell. It will dim all colours and prevent you from damaging your eyes.'
'From what?' You can hardly see anything, and it bothers you. 'I can't see anything.'
'Trust me, this surprise, is so bright.' She laughs. 'You'll see.'
You roll your eyes at the small joke. But you take Luna's word for it, and sit down on the soft grass. Luna rests her head against your shoulder, and you both just sit there, waiting for the surprise.
It is a while before anything happens. But eventually, Luna squeals and shakes you. 'Quickly! Look up!' Your eyes shoot open, and you look up to the night sky. There are multiple stars in the sky, but the most striking one, well, isn't really a star.
It is the moon, but it is glowing a deep shade of purple. Flakes of bright yellow surround the glowing moon, but whether they are stars or not, you cannot tell. They seem to dance around in the sky, while the moon rises and falls in the sky. 'Isn't it beautiful?' Luna breathes out heavily.
'Very. Just like you.' You kiss Luna, and she sighs again. You both rest on each other, your arm wrapped around Luna's waist, and enjoy the moment. The moon continues to flare brighter, and the stars flash bright yellow. The noise from the town is starting to die down, the Nightmare Night celebration nearly over.
'Did you make it?' You ask Luna, your eyes still focused on the swirling mass of colours.
'Not this one.' Luna sighs. 'If only I could, I would make it every other day. No, this is natural. Although I am the Princess of the Night, and I have control over the moon, this is an eclipse. It requires both the moon and the sun, and I doubt Celestia will move the sun just so we can have a romantic dinner.
‘So in short. No. I didn't make it.' Luna stands up, and offers her hand. 'Come on. We should probably head back now.'
You clasp your hand in hers, and pull yourself up, yanking Luna down as you do. You catch her as she falls, and spin her on the spot. Her dress twirls, and the soft silk brushes against your jeans. You grab her legs, and pull them out from under her. She falls into your arms once more, and you pick her up.
She looped her arms around your neck, and kisses you on the lips. Her legs dangle lazily over your arms, and she sways them back and forth. You shift her on your arms again, and make your way back into town, Luna giggling and swaying in your arms, much like a drunk woman would.
You push your way through the bushes, making sure that none of the branches hit Luna, and exit on the other side of the clearing. Streamers and all sorts of sparkly objects lie on the floor, along with candy wrappers, ice-cream sticks, and an assortment of caramel apples. You place Luna back on the ground.
The town is now devoid of life, save for a few lanterns glowing in houses, and a pony sweeping up the mess of the night. It almost feels unnatural, to have the town so quiet on a day like this. ‘Most citizens do not stay up after 10 on Nightmare Night.’ Luna answers your unasked question, as if she could read minds. Maybe she can.
‘What, afraid of the ghosties?’ You jump at Luna, and she yelps, nearly falling over. She straightens up, and punches you playfully in the arm.
‘How would you know? Maybe we do have ghosts here in Equestria.’ Suddenly, out of nowhere a pony, dressed in the attire of the royal servants, comes gasping and panting towards you. He straightens his back, and takes a deep breath.
‘A message from Princess Celestia. Urgent.’ He extends his arm, and Luna takes the letter. The courier nods, bows, and runs back the way he came.
Luna huffs, and carefully opens the package. It is a scroll, with a dark crimson seal on the top corner of the page. Celestia’s royal mail.
Luna’s eyes dart around the page, scanning quickly through the cursive writing. She stops halfway, looking at a certain section, then her eyes continue to follow the words. She reaches the bottom of the parchment, and she huffs again. Her lip starts to quiver, and her eyes are already shimmering with tears. You reach out to her, and pull her in close.
‘I, I just don’t know if I can do it.’ She shakes, but has not yet started crying.
‘Do what?’
‘Talk to her. Celestia wants to meet, now, and have a peaceful discussion about, well, everything. I just.’ Luna sobs once, but regains her composure. ‘I just don’t know if i can do it.’ You nod in understanding, and squeeze her a little tighter.
‘It’s alright Luna. If Celestia wants to talk to you, then I imagine you would be obliged to. You dont have to act happy, for all I care you can reject every apology Celestia has to offer, but we’ve got to talk sooner or later.’ You pull away, and wipe a tear from Luna’s eye.
‘I just hope it’s not going to ruin the peace.’ You add, more quietly this time, so Luna cannot hear. Up until now, you and Luna had lived in the castle relatively unbothered, and had enjoyed every moment of it.
But now, you cannot help but worry about the agenda, and what the meeting will bring. Celestia does not seem like a very merciful princess, and judging by the mood-swings she has had previously, you imagine that this “peaceful” discussion will take a turn for the worst.
Luna nods, and kisses you. ‘Where would I be without you?’ She quietly loops her arms back around yours, and she clings to you tightly. Her soft fur brushes against your arms, and it gives you a sense of comfort. You place your hand on her back, gently stroking her. It seems to make her feel better, as her shoulders relax and her breathing becomes slightly more stable.
You make your way through the town, unhappy thoughts creeping from the corners of your mind, and you push them away. You focus on the path ahead of you, which proves rather difficult, as the effects of the light spell have not yet worn off. It gives you something to think about other than the meeting.
Time seems to stretch on and on, giving you plenty of time to think about how horrible things could turn out. Luna yawns next to you, and for some reason, it seems to wake you up slightly. You shake your head to clear it of any thoughts, and partially to wake you up. Even though it has only been a few minutes, it seems as though you have been walking for hours.
Finally, the tip of the bright gold castle comes into view. The gold gates are opened as you and Luna make your way into the castle, and guards quickly bow to Luna. Some seem genuine, while others scowl and frown at Luna. She pays no attention to them.
You continue up the path, the gravel underfoot crunching and grating against each other, and your shoes are soon coated with dusty, slimy moss. You drag your shoes along the grass, hoping to rid yourself of the slimy mess before entering Celestia’s grand castle.
One of Celestia’s many servants comes rushing to the door, and swings it open. She gets out of the way, and bends her knees in a shaky attempt at a curtsey. You walk through the halls, and as you get closer and closer to the throne-room, you start to remember Luna’s discomfort.
Luna’s face shows no signs of happiness, nor sadness, nor anger. Her face is blank. Expressionless. It could almost be recognised as tiredness. But her posture suggests otherwise.
Her back is ever so slightly slouched, with both stress and exhaustion, and her shoulders are tense, and they are raised in a look of defence. Her fists are clenched by her sides, her arms flexing, then relaxing. Her legs are stiff and her knees do not bend. She does not look tired.
You grab her shoulders and pull her against your chest. She relaxes slightly, but it will not last, and you can tell. ‘Luna. Luna listen to me. It’s gonna be okay. Just remember, that whatever happens, we’ll get through it together. You’ve got to trust me.’ You push her away, but keep your hands on her shoulders.
You look her dead in the eyes, and she looks away. You gently push her face back to yours with your thumb, and her cheeks turn a deep crimson. You look her in the eyes once more, and nod slightly. ‘I’m with you. No matter what.’ Luna smiles, and the colour in her cheeks fades to that of normal proportions. She embraces you once more, and you plant a kiss on her head.
‘Now come on. It’s bad manners to keep a princess waiting.’ You take her hand again, and make your way to Celestia’s throne room. Luna walks with slightly more fluidity, and she does not look as tense as she did before. You do not expect her to be happy, or relaxed, but neither does she. All you expect is for her to be calm.
You reach the doors to Celestia's throne room, and they swing open. Inside are a row of guards on either side, all armed with spears or halberds. They stamp the butts of their weapons on the ground, and as one, raise them in the air. The shining weapons form a roof above your head, and you lead Luna through.
The guards quiver slightly as Luna approaches them, and most are reluctant to make eye contact. They bite their lips and look away, or they remain still and keep their eyes on their weapons. Luna shrugs and walks away from most of them, but others she continues to pester.
Eventually, after making more than a few guards uncomfortable, Luna reaches the end of the lines. She looks around for a short while, and then turns to you. You follow her along to an oakwood door, with a gold plated doorknob. Luna knocks twice, and after a short delay, the door opens.
A strong scent of ginger hits your nostrils, and smoke wafts out of the room. Inside there are candles lit, which seem to be the source of the sweet smelling smoke. A table stands in the centre of the room, with four cups and a teapot on the glass surface. Four chairs surround the table, and on one, Celestia is resting.
She looks aged, more than just a year. Her eyes are wrinkled, her hair is turning a less vivid mass of colours. She sits stiffly, her back straight as can be, her legs rooted to the ground. Her cheeks are a grey colour, and the colour is visible under her fur. Her fur is sharp and bristly. She does not look like the Celestia you first met.
Next to her sits Aurora, one of the guards who you met first, and who helped ferry you to Celestia's castle. His blue fur has turned a dark shade of purple in the dim light, but his neon green hair stands out. He is tentatively taking a sip of tea, but his face scrunches up into a look of disgust.
When Celestia sees Luna, she slowly stands up. Her eyes are wide, and shimmering with tears. Her mouth hangs open, but not in shock. It is spread into a smile, showing her bright white teeth. She holds out her arms, and starts towards Luna. 'Dear sister.'
Celestia moves to Luna, and her arms start to close. But before they can, Luna's hand shoots up, stopping Celestia from hugging her, and providing a simple, yet significant, sign of how Luna feels. Celestia's arms fall to her sides, and her face saddens momentarily, but she quickly hides it with a smile.
Celestia turns to you, and you make the first move, making sure she does not think you feel any different than Luna does. You extend your hand, and Celestia smartly shakes it. You draw your hand back, and Celestia motions you to the table. 'Please. Take a seat.'
You pull a chair out for Luna, and then sit down yourself. Luna pours herself a cup of tea, and hands you one. It has a sweet smell, but not overpoweringly so. You take a sip of the warm liquid, and it trickles down your throat, leaving a hot yet cold sensation tingling your tongue.
Celestia looks up at you, and smiles. 'Peppermint.' You nod, and take another sip of the refreshing drink. Celestia places the cup on the table, and folds her hands on her lap. 'Now, why I brought you here.' She opens her hands, in some form of a gesture. You cannot tell what type.
'You brought us here to go on a lecture about the use of illegal black magic to undo the Princesses final decision of executing me, therefore going against the law twice which is a crime punishable by either war or 200 years in a dungeon.' Luna shrugs nonchalantly, and swirls her tea.
Celestia regards Luna, and nods slowly. 'Indeed. There were other things I was going to say, but now that you have grasped my intentions, I shall face the problem directly.' She takes a sip of her tea, and looks at you. 'Whether you were aware or not, you did indeed break two laws. And unluckily for you, the punishment is life in prison.'
'Or we start a war.' Luna scowls at Celestia, and takes another sip. 'I'm quite tempted to go with the latter.'
Celestia smiles smugly, and raises her eyebrows. 'Would you now? Well I for one, would not like to go down that road. And whether you choose to believe me or not dear sister, I missed you horribly, when you were on the Moon, and when I was forced to take the path I did.'
Luna snorts. 'Forced to? Who forced you to? Father? Mother? They both were.' Luna sobs momentarily, and continue. 'They both were killed.'
Celestia narrows her eyes. 'A story I know all too well. And you as well.'
Luna's shoulders tense up. 'Do not dig up the past sister. What's done is done, and I had no part in it.'
Celestia shrugs. 'I am simply stating a fact.'
'You are simply sidetracking so as to avoid the previous conversation. Who. Forced. You?' Luna grits her teeth.
'Well, I know who didn't force me to. At least, not this time.'
'Enough!' Luna slams her fist down on the table. Your mind has latched onto the side-tracked conversation, and you cannot help but wonder what they are talking about. (Perhaps I will ask about it in a later hour.) Beside you Luna is visibly sweating. 'Maybe we should discuss this in privacy.'
Celestia nods, and shrugs. 'Very well. Aurora, you are dismissed.'
Luna touches your hand gently. 'You might want to leave. I'll be fine.' You nod, kiss her once, and leave. You close the door behind you, and say a silent prayer for Luna. You turn away from the door, and Aurora waves his hand for you to follow him. You shrug. (I'm not sticking around to hear this argument.)
Aurora makes his way to a set of glass doors, and swings them open. Outside is a terrace with two chairs and multiple flowers lying in pots along the ground. Aurora looks at you, and notes the confused expression you wear. 'It's a romantic dinner.' His words are laced with more than a little sarcasm.
You roll your eyes, and take a seat. Aurora shuffles his feet, and places an arm on your shoulder. 'Hey. I'm sorry.'
You shake your head. 'It's, it's fine. You had your orders.' You look up towards the stars, and then out to the horizon. Luna's castle is too far away to see, but you know the location off by heart now. You turn your attention back to Aurora, but he looks away.
'I just want to wish you good luck. Celestia has had a bumpy past with Luna and her loved ones, so I imagine it won't be great for you.' Aurora takes in a deep breath, then lets it out. 'I don’t know what to do. I work for Celestia, and I swore loyalty to her the day she signed me up.
‘On the other hand, I know how her judgement can be clouded by the past. She does not think to think things through, and often makes rash decisions. When I was bringing Luna here, she put up no fight. That doesn't seem like something Nightmare Moon would do.
‘I'm not saying that she's evil, or anything close. But, she makes rash decisions, and it affects everyone tremendously. And in this case, the decision may have started a war. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I want to help you and Luna, but I need to know, will it help me?
‘I'm afraid it will not. Celestia is not a merciful Princess. I just wanted to warn you, before any of this starts. And also, if you need any help, I'll see what I can do.' Aurora finishes with a sigh, and his shoulders loosen, as if he had been burdened with this information.
You nod slowly. 'Thank you. If I do encounter a problem, I'll let you know.' You sit in silence with Aurora for a few more moments. All the things he had said sink in, and you wonder if some of the stuff he said had to do with both of you leaving Luna and Celestia. (Celestia has had a bumpy past with Luna and her loved ones.)
As Aurora stands up, the doors open and Luna bursts onto the balcony. Very suddenly, her hand extends and takes Aurora's. His eyes open in surprise, but he shakes her hand nonetheless. Luna turns to you, and nods her head in the direction of the castle.
You take a deep breath. (Okay......... I'm officially worried now.) You turn to Aurora, and shake his hand. 'Thank you. I'll be seeing you soon.'
'No you won't.' Luna grabs hold of you, and takes you out of the castle. Aurora frowns, and turns away from you. Luna huffs again, and pulls you along. She walks extremely fast, and her grip on you is unrelenting.
'So I take it the meeting didn't go too well.'
'No. No it didn't. I suggest we get back quickly, so Celestia does not strike us while we are still here.' Luna's horn starts glowing, but you stop her.
'Tell me what happened. Then we will leave.'
Luna sighs, and her horn fades to a dimmer light. 'Celestia and I did not have a pleasant meeting, as you may have guessed. She dug up a painful piece of the past, which should have stayed forgotten.' Luna lets out a shaky breath. 'She has no respect left for me. No matter what she seems to say, she does not care. We.' Luna sobs again. 'We're going to war.'
You nod, and bite your lip. While you did anticipate a rough meeting, war was not on your list of outcomes. Luna's horn lights up, faster than normal, and a large ring of light flashes from the tip. It expands to form a circle of flame around you and Luna, and then it collapses.
You close your eyes, and when you open them, you stand in the yard of Luna's castle. Beside you, Luna is holding her forehead, and swaying from side to side. You go to her, and as you reach her, she falls. Your arms shoot out and grab her before she hits the ground.
'How did we get here?' You still cannot believe that the usual two day journey has been decreased to a five second teleport.
'Global teleport spell. It.' Luna takes a deep breath. 'It takes a lot of energy to use it, and leaves the user tired and weakened for a few days.'
You nod, and pick Luna up in your arms. You make your way into the castle, and the gates open. Luna is surprisingly heavy, as she squirms in your arms and is unable to support her own weight. You readjust her so she rests on your knee, and continue up the path.
'I, I need a general. For the war.' Luna reaches her hand up to your face, but it flops back down.
'You don’t have one?' You would have expected a General to be leading Luna's large army, but apparently not.
'Never trusted anyone. Since........' Luna sighs. 'Since a while back. Will you be the General I need?'
'Of course. Yes I will. First, we need to get you into a bed.' A nurse comes running down the yard, and you transfer Luna to her arms. You kiss Luna. 'I'll see you soon. Get some rest.' The nurse nods, and takes Luna into the castle through a side door.
You make your way to the front door, and inside, waiting for you is Night Stalker. He stands in his usual position, his heavy blue armour resting on his shoulders, his dagger sheathed in his belt. He steps away from the wall when he sees you, and you greet him.
'Where have you been?' Night Stalker shakes your hand in a firm grip. None of the guards knew about the meeting, it was suppose to just be a walk into town.
'Celestia wanted to talk. We're going to war. Spread the word, I will now lead the troops. We're gonna have a tough time, Stalker. We start training tomorrow, but for now, I need some rest. I'm sorry, but I don't have the energy to do anything. Now get going.'
‘One second boss. War? With Celestia?’ Stalker stutters, and his hands start to shake slightly. ‘Last time we had one the whole city nearly burnt down. I don’t know if we can manage another war.’
‘Another?’ You raise an eyebrow, but decide to leave the questions to later. ‘I don’t know what we’re gonna do. But whatever happens, we’re both bound with Luna. If you do your duty, I’ll do mine.’
‘As best as I can, at least.’ You mutter the last words so Stalker does not hear them. ‘Go on. Get the message spread.’ Night Stalker nods, and runs off. His armour clatters against his chest, and the sound echoes in the hallways.
You make your way to bed, and flop down onto the soft velvet bedding. The king sized bed seems awfully large without Luna in it, but you are too tired to care. 'She's gonna be fine.' You mutter to yourself. It is not a long time before your eyes start to close, and you find yourself sleeping.
That night, you dream many things. You dream of Luna, lying alone in the hospital. You dream of Celestia, sitting in her castle, doing stupid Princess things. You dream of the castle, flaming and burning, ashes swirling in the air. You dream of the town, ablaze, smoking, and smelling of corpses.
