Under the Moonlight

Chapters

A Bond That Grows
An Alicorn With A Misson
Enter the Dragon

A Bond That Grows

Dear Reader,

I assume that you are aware of the term 'Under His/Her Wing'. In my case, I was 'Under Her Moonlight'. It has taken me over a thousand years to recall these memories that I had banished from my mind and another hundred years to write them on paper. The chapters in this book hold quite a lot of events that I had gone through with and without my older sister, Celestia, all caused by the same tragedy. I hope you enjoy my story.

Yours Truly,
Princess Luna

PS. If you must know, I will be writing in third person a majority of the time for two reasons, I am very fond of writing in third person and I honestly do not think that I am prepared to write my tragic tale in first person for my own personal reasons.

You could say that it all started the day I was born so I will begin there.

It was a night unlike any other. Inside the Canterlot Castle, Queen Moonglow was sitting on her throne with a newborn filly in her grasp. A team of nurses surrounded her.

"She looks just like you," said Soft Heart, the head nurse. Moonglow gave a shy smile.

At that moment, a royal guard entered the room with King Sunbeam and a young filly with a pure white coat and a pink mane and tail.

"King Sunbeam and Princess Celestia," the guard's voice echoed through the throne room. The nurses quickly bowed before their majesties. King Sunbeam and Princess Celestia walked towards Queen Moonglow and the new princess.

"This little one will be the princess of the night, Sun, my love," said the queen of Equestria. Princess Celestia was only five years old and honestly had no idea what was going on. Kneeling beside the princess of the day, Queen Moonglow whispered into her ear, "Meet your younger sister."

The young filly soon came to be known as Princess Luna.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

My mother had sworn that she would raise me to be the very best that I could be. I was only four years old when my training began.

Sunlight streamed into the largest room in the tallest tower. Princess Luna opened her eyes and saw Queen Moonglow gently nudging her with her muzzle.

"Rise and shine, Luna. Today is your first day of training," Queen Moonglow said.

Still sleepy, Princess Luna yawned and replied, "But I thought that Tia was doing training to be the sun princess or whatever you call it."

Chuckling, Queen Moonglow used her magic to lift the princess up and into the dining room, much to Luna's dismay.

King Sunbeam and Princess Celestia were already seated at the grand golden table when the queen came in with Princess Luna in tow.

"Father, what is Mother doing?" asked Princess Celestia. King Sunbeam could not help but laugh out loud at the unimaginable and ridiculous sight.

"It's for the best," said Queen Moonglow as she gently placed Princess Luna next to the table.

Upon seeing the wide array of food, Luna forgot that she was mad at her mother and started piling things onto her plate before wolfing them down. King Sunbeam and Queen Moonglow smiled. They were happy that their young filly had a seemingly healthy appetite.

After breakfast, Queen Moonglow led Princess Luna to a small room at the side of the castle.

"Here you will practise your stance," said the queen as she shut the door behind them.

"What stance?" asked Princess Luna.

"The stance you will need to raise and lower the moon. Here, I'll show you," replied Queen Moonglow, showing Luna how it was done.

The next few years were tortue to Princess Luna. Every morning she would practise her stance and every night she would put it to practical use by helping her mother to raise the moon. It was worth it, though. Princess Luna felt her growing closer and closer to Queen Moonglow, the feeling was mutual.

Soon it was time to put all of Princess Luna's training to the test. It was late evening on one of the coldest and bitterest days of winter. Queen Moonglow brought Princess Luna to the balcony as expected by the princess of the night.

"There's going to be a change of plans," said Queen Moonglow, "Luna, you will be raising the moon by yourself tonight. I have guided you up till this point and I believe that you are ready. I will beside you at all times and will help you when you need it most." Upon hearing this, Princess Luna could feel her stomach make a backflip. She was going to raise the moon on her own!

Fortunately, Princess Luna kept her composure and took the stance that had become second nature to her over the last couple of weeks. Slowly but surely, she began to raise the moon. It appeared over the horizon and it gradually made its way to its respective place in the night sky. The clouds turned from a beautiful orange-pink to a mysterious dark blue. Everypony who had good eyesight could see the stars appear in their multitudes. It was a magnificent night.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

My mother made me work very hard but she was also very loving. I remember when she used to tell me stories every night once my duties were done.

Snuggled safely in her bed, Princess Luna turned towards Queen Moonglow.

"Mother, please read me a story," she murmured. Queen Moonglow smiled and took a seat next to Luna's bed.

"What would you like to hear?" the queen asked.

"Tell me how Equestria was founded," Princess Luna replied. Queen Moonglow nodded. This was one of those things that she knew by heart, a story that she did not need to read from a book. The tale she was about to tell the princess of the night had involved King Sunbeam and herself.

Clearing her throat, Queen Moonglow started, "Long ago, the place we now call Equestria didn't exist. There were only barren wastelands. Food was scarce and the ponies were split into two groups. Each was led by an alicorn whom possessed great powers. Both of the groups were at war with each other. One group was called the Sun Nomads while the other group was called the Moon Guardians. The Guardians and Nomads argued all day and all night. To tell you the truth, there was no day and night at all, instead the sky was split into two. In fact, the reason for the fighting was due to this. The Sun Nomads wanted unending day while the Moon Guardians wanted unending night. Even the alicorns were at each other's necks.

"Your father and I were the children of the Nomads' alicorn and the Guardians' alicorn respectively. Throughout our childhood, the Nomads and Guardians trained us in every way they could. They wanted us to fight to the death with each other in the hopes that their enemies should fall while they reigned supreme.

"In fact, that was how I met your father. I was sent on the front lines once I had turned sixteen years old. Just as I was about to lead my troops into battle, I saw him. He saw me, too. It was love at first sight. We both knew that we wanted to be together but were not able to because of the bad blood between our two groups so we did the only thing we could do, we ran away.

"A few years later, we had heard that the fighting had ceased. Your father and I were delighted. When we returned home, we were appalled at what we saw, there were injured ponies everywhere. We knew that they needed time to recuperate. Your father then had a brilliant idea. He told me that he would lower the sun so I would have space to fully raise the moon. Of course, I thought it was a brilliant idea. The heat given off by the sun would be nowhere in sight as that slowed down the healing process and so it was done. Once everypony was better, your father raised the sun so they could see the light that had been stashed away in their minds, the light that had been long forgotten.

"Soon all the ponies realised their errors and declared to sign a peace treaty. The current alicorn leaders had perished so your father and I took up the rolls of being the rulers of the now peaceful land which we decided to call Equestria and we vowed to spread life throughout the land."

"Wow, that's a really good story," Princess Luna said trying to stay awake.

"I'm glad you liked it," replied Queen Moonglow. She planted a kiss on Princess Luna's cheek. "Goodnight my little filly."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As you now know, my mother and I made quite a few wonderful memories together. Unfortunately, that was about to change.

Merely days after her sixteenth birthday, Princess Luna woke up to a strange silence that spread throughout the castle. There was nopony in sight.

Suddenly something caught her eye. A flash of white and blue passed her quickly. It was Lapis Lazuli!

"Hey! Lapis! Where are you going to in such a rush?" hollered Princess Luna. The unicorn continued galloping down the hallway. Princess Luna could feel beads of perspiration form on her forehead. Lapis Lazuli was usually a very good listener. If she didn't hear Luna that meant that something was wrong. Silently, she followed Lapis Lazuli. Soon, she saw Lapis Lazuli enter her parents rooms. Opening the door, she gasped at what she saw.

Author's Note

This is my first fimfiction so I hope you enjoy it. I know its not very long but you have to understand that I don't like to write lengthy books. Plus, be prepared for at least one or two moments of suspense in every chapter!

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON!!! -SG

An Alicorn With A Misson

Dear Reader,

You probably know what I saw in my parents bedroom if you have read the description of this book. Even so, I still think that you should read the whole thing because I have worked very hard on writing this book. Do you know how much ink I used? No pun intended.

Yours Truly,
Princess Luna

If I had known that this would happen I would have stopped it but its too late now.

Lying in the royal diamond bed was Queen Moonglow. She had dark circles around her eyes and instead of her usual shiny silver coat, there was a grey one with a slight tinge of green. On her side table there was a bucket that smelled like the worlds dirtiest ogre had not bathed for several decades.

Princess Luna saw Lapis Lazuli place a wet towel on Queen Moonglow's forehead. She wasn't the only pony in the room either. Sitting in the antique armchair at the other end of the room was Princess Celestia. Even the usually busy King Sunbeam was there.

"Tia, what is going on?" asked Princess Luna as her eyes welled with tears.

"Mother is sick," replied her older sister whose eyes were red and puffy. Princess Celestia had been crying, something Luna never thought that she was capable of since her older sister always had a happy face on, especially since her pink mane and tail became multi-coloured which meant that she could officially rule Equestria if their parents died. Luna was still stuck with a 'solid' mane and tail but she honestly could not wait until she got the 'galaxy' version just like her mother's mane and tail.

"Did you call the nurses?" asked Princess Luna.

"They were here this morning while you were still asleep. They told us that there was no cure that could help your mother," Lapis Lazuli said. She knelt down to dip the towel in an old rusty bucket that sat on the floor. Princess Luna could feel her sadness quickly turn to anger.

Without warning, Princess Luna yelled, "My mother doesn't deserve a rusty old bucket! She doesn't deserve this disease! She doesn't deserve any of this!" At that moment, Luna broke down in tears, sobbing on the newly furnished carpet.

The outburst had left Princess Celestia and Lapis Lazuli in a state of shock. King Sunbeam, on the other hand, remained calm.

"Luna, I am sorry to say this but I think that you should wait outside," said King Sunbeam.

"Father! I must stay with Mother!" grumbled Princess Luna.

"Then you leave me no choice. Princess Luna, I order you to leave this room immediately or I shall have you locked in the dungeons for a week!" roared King Sunbeam. Luna nodded. She knew that it was best not to continue arguing with her father once he started to roar like one of the fiercest lions in the Everfree Forest.

Exiting the room, Princess Luna then remembered something. There was an old Moon Guardian book in the castle library which contained cures for even the worst of illnesses. Princess Luna then started galloping towards the castle's left wing.

Opening the grand doors, Princess Luna took in a deep breath. Luna loved visiting the library, indeed. The ancient books from a time before Equestria astounded her. The antique bookshelves had a welcoming feel to them.

Trotting towards the end of the library, Luna scoured the shelves for the book she was looking for. Pulling out one of them, she gently blew the dust away. The title that was written there in fine print read: The Moon Guardians' Guide to Herbal Medicine.

This was it!

She then started galloping her way to the largest room in the tallest tower.

Jumping into her bed she started carefully flipping the torn and tattered pages. Soon, Princess Luna found her answer. The page was written in Star-ish, the Guardians' second language. Fortunately, Queen Moonglow had made sure that Princess Luna was well versed in it.

Her mother apparently had Collin Syndrome, an illness that, if not cured, could lead to death even in alicorns. How was she so sure? The Moon Guardians had written the symptoms as detailed as possible so it was easy for Princess Luna to match them to her mother's.

The cure for Collin Syndrome was simple, you just needed to feed the affected pony a single East Wisteria blossom. Unfortunately, unlike the North, South and West Wisterias, the East Wisteria was the rarest, even now, when Equestria was filled with life. According to the book, East Wisteria could only be found in one place, the place which was known as the Everfree forest.

Princess Luna was not going to give up easily. She quickly packed a small backpack and planned on leaving that very nights since she was sure that her father would not let his sixteen-year-old daughter go on such a dangerous quest.

At around midnight, Princess Luna crawled out of bed and grabbed her backpack. She quietly peeked out of her window. Her father had now taken the night shift as he did not think that it was a great idea to have his daughters guard the night at their age, even if Princess Celestia was twenty-one.

Princess Luna knew that she could not sneak past her father so there was only one way to get to the Everfree Forest, teleportation. Luna was not exactly good at the spell since she only started last month but she was confident that she could do it.

Mustering all the magic she could, Princess Luna closed her eyes and let the spell envelop her just like her mother had told her to do.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here is a tip, do not teleport yourself to a certain location without doing research on it. I learnt that the hard way.

Opening her eyes, Princess Luna found herself surrounded by thick vegetation. She was shocked at how many plants there were, she did not recognise any of them!

In front of her, there was a narrow dirt road.

"Why is that there? I don't think anyone would live here," said the young princess. Indeed, it was quite strange to find a road of any kind in a place as remote as the Everfree forest. "I'll just follow it, anyway. It might lead me to the East Wisteria." At that moment, Princess Luna realised that she had no idea what the East Wisteria looked like! She was so excited when she found out that there was a cure for her mother's ailment that she did not bother to pay much attention to the picture of the East Wisteria.

"I guess I'll just have to try my luck," Princess Luna thought, putting on a brave face.

Trotting down the path, Luna came across a cluster of strange plants. They had large flowers which had a neon blue glow to them. Were they the East Wisteria? Creeping closer, Princess Luna extended a hoof. Just as she about to touch a flower, somepony tapped her on the shoulder. At least she thought it was a pony.

Princess Luna spun around to see a hooded figure. It gestured for her to follow it. Princess Luna figured that he or she would know the forest better than her so she did. Princess Luna was led to an tiny hut in the heart of the forest. It had a thatched roof and wooden walls that had splinters no matter where you looked. The door was simply an old fabric draped over a hole and there was no floor at all! This was not what Princess Luna was used to.

The hooded figure took off the cloak to reveal a mare. Her coat was black. Her mane and tail were white and braided. She had a wrinkled face which meant that she was much, much older than the princess of the night.

"Who are you?" Princess Luna asked.

"I should ask you the same. My name is Zerica. I'm just a humble old zebra while you on the other hand are a majestic alicorn, am I right?" said the mare.

"Yes, I am. My name is Princess Luna. Um, not to sound rude but aren't zebras supposed to have black and white stripes?" Princess Luna mumbled.

"That is true. Do you know why I don't live in a herd like other zebras?" asked Zerica. Luna shook her head. "I was an outcast starting from the day I was born. No one wanted me, not even my own parent. They agreed that when I was old enough to take care of myself, they would just abandon me. Sure enough, they kept to their word. When I was eighteen, I woke up one morning to find that my herd had left without me and I have been living here alone ever since. The reason was simple, I was born different."

"That's horrible! How could anypony do such a thing!" protested Princess Luna.

"My herd could," said Zerica. Placing two cups of tea on a tree stump, she sat down. Luna did likewise. "Now, enough about me. What brings a regal alicorn like yourself to the Everfree Forest?"

"I'm on a quest to find an East Wisteria. I read that they grew here" replied Princess Luna.

Taking a sip out of one of the clay cups, Zerica said, "An East Wisteria. Interesting. Indeed, they do grow here but you do realise how rare they are, right?"

"Of course I do. Unfortunately, I don't know what they look like. I was wondering if you could tell me whether those blue plants I saw earlier were the ones?" asked Princess Luna.

Chuckling, Zerica placed her cup on the table. She muttered, "I'm sorry to say but those weren't the East Wisteria. You almost touched a Poison Joke flower."

"Poison Joke?" said a puzzled Luna.

"Hm, you don't know much about the plants that grow in the Everfree Forest, now do you?" asked Zerica. Princess Luna shook her head again. "Poison Joke are a type of flower that hold mysterious powers. If you were to touch one, I would assure you that by daybreak something strange yet hilarious would've happened to you. To tell you the truth, Poison Joke are just one of these plants that have magical properties." Princess Luna was amazed at how much Zerica knew. "Now, the East Wisteria is white in colour, unlike the other Wisterias which are different shades of blue. Its buds face the ground and it climbs all sorts of trees. Now why are you trying to find an East Wisteria?" asked Zerica.

"My mother is gravely ill," Princess Luna said with a bit of hesitance.

"Hm, this will pose as a problem," muttered Zerica.

"What are you talking about?" the alicorn questioned the zebra.

"I will explain to you when the time is right," said Zerica. "We leave at dawn."

"We?" murmured Princess Luna.

"Why would you think that I will let you explore the Everfree Forest alone?" Zerica casually explained.

Princess Luna smiled at the thought of having a guide.

Author's Note

Hey guys. Finally finished chapter 2. Hope you like it.
I don't really have a lot to say so...

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON!!! -SG

Enter the Dragon

Dear Reader,

Few ponies have befriended a dragon. I am one of those few ponies. If you want to do so, please don't do what I did.

Yours Truly,
Princess Luna

When Zerica told me that she was going to join me on my adventure, I was elated. I assumed that my journey was going to be made easier. I was wrong.

Princess Luna woke up at the crack of dawn. She had slept on Zerica's bed while the zebra slept on the floor.

"I insist that you sleep on my bed. Don't worry about me, I can sleep anywhere!" Zerica had told the alicorn the night before.

Unfortunately, Zerica's bed was a rock slab with an extremely large leaf as a blanket.

"Maybe, I should have put up a better fight last night. I would choose sleeping on the floor rather than sleeping on her bed any day," grumbled Princess Luna.

"So you are finally awake," said Zerica. She had already prepared breakfast. An array of fruit was set on the table. "Don't worry princess, they're not poisonous," Zerica added. This relieved Princess Luna as she did not recognise most of them.

Although, Zerica had told her that none of the fruit could kill her, Princess Luna stayed away from the bright blue one as it reminded her of the Poison Joke flower.

After breakfast, the pair set off.

"So, remember what you said last night about there being complications," muttered Princess Luna as they made their way down the dirt path.

"It's best that I only tell you when the time is right," said Zerica.

"I know but I'm dying to know!" Princess Luna pleaded.

"My lips ware seal-" Zerica stopped before she could finish her. Princess Luna looked ahead but saw nothing. Yet, Zerica's eyes had a tinge of fear in them.

"What's going on?" Princess Luna asked.

"Shhh, keep your voice down. There's a dragon up ahead," whispered Zerica.

"Dragon?" thought a confused Princess Luna. She looked ahead once more, seeing nothing but thick vegetation. "Zerica must've not gotten enough sleep," Princess Luna said in her mind.

Suddenly, a large orange slit appeared. Princess Luna could feel her heart pounding. She was staring straight into a dragon's eye! Her mind turned back to King Sunbeam's lectures on safety around the creatures of Equestria. The number one rule was imprinted in Princess Luna's brain: Never stare straight into the eyes of a dragon of any sort.

Out of the blue, a large green hand, if it could even be called a hand, grabbed the young princess.

Shocked at what had just happened, Luna looked at Zerica. Her zebra companion was waving her hoofs wildly and was trying to tell the alicorn something but Princess Luna could not hear as the dragon had started flying off. The princess of the night watched as Zerica grew smaller and smaller. What would happen to her now?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I must admit that the dragon was carrying me in such a manner that it actually felt comfortable. Of course, I was shocked and simply didn't understand why it would take me somewhere against my will. As my mother used to say, every living being in Equestria has their own mind, thoughts, way of thinking, emotions, actions and reasons.

The green dragon took her to a cave at the edge of a red mountain. The cave was not exactly big but it was still big enough to fit the beast.

Gently placing the princess down, it took a small doll and placed it in front of the princess. The looked like an earth pony. It had an orange mane and tail. It's coat was white and it had the largest button eyes Princess Luna had ever seen. Somehow, the princess of the night felt like she had heard of such a doll but she just could not place where.

Princess Luna was so deep in thought that she had not realised that the dragon had produced one very large cup and one small cup, both of which were filled with tea.

"Now, how in Equestria did it make tea?" Princess Luna was stunned. What also surprised her was the fact that the dragon did not hurt her. It seemed like it was playing with her instead.

The creature then used it's hand to stroke Princess Luna. The alicorn's body tensed up.

"What in the world is going on?" thought Princess Luna. So as to be polite, Princess Luna took the small cup and drank the tea. For some reason, it tasted exactly like the tea her mother used to make. It was very strange indeed.

At that moment, a lightbulb went off in Princess Luna's head. Queen Moonglow had told her a story once.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I was only two years old when I heard this but every single detail was etched into my mind.

"Ready for another story?" asked Queen Moonglow as she placed Princess Luna in her bed.

"Yes, please!" yelled the young princess.

"Alright then, have I ever told you the story of my dragon friend?" asked the queen. Princess Luna shook her head.

"Well, that'll be the story I'll tell you tonight," said Queen Moonglow. "I was just a little filly when this event took place, the war between the Sun Nomads and the Moon Guardians was still raging on. At that age, I hated anything to do with war but that was what everypony was talking about. So when nopony was looking, I snuck out. Unfortunately, I had no idea where I was going. One thing was for sure, though, I was going to stay as far away from the war as I could. I came across a mountain which, up on the highest ledge was a cave. That was where I stayed.

"When I was there, I found it unusually hot. I decided to go deeper into the mountain. That's where I found a dragon egg. It was strange to see such an egg left unprotected. Then I remembered that the Guardians and the Nomads were gathering as many dragons as they could, planning to use them as weapons. I figured that they had captured the egg's mother as well. I knew that it was hopeless for me to beg my father to release the mother for I didn't even know which one was the mother. Did we even have the mother or was she with the Sun Nomads.

"So I concluded that the best option was to raise it myself. Back when I was still in the Moon Guardians' castle, I always had my muzzle in a book, particularly, a book about dragons so I knew quite a bit about raising dragons. You see, it was my dream to raise a dragon and there was my chance!

"I spent weeks in that cave, caring for the dragon egg, finding water sources, collecting as much water as I could and adjusting to the neon green moss that grew on the walls. It was worth it though. One morning, I was plucking moss when I heard a cracking sound. Turning around, I realised that my dragon egg was hatching. I was just in time to see a foot popped out, followed by the dragon itself.

"It had the shiniest green scales I had ever seen with matching orange eyes. To say that the wings were merely magnificent would be an understatement, why, the young one could fly after just a minute in the outside world!" Queen Moonglow said.

"That's so cool!" Princess Luna trilled. "But why don't you still have it?" she asked.

Queen Moonglow hesitated for a moment before replying, "Well, let's just say that she outgrew her shed and was banished from the castle for bad behaviour... Before my dragon friend left, I gave it something that I kept dear to me, an earth pony doll my grandmother had given before she died..." Queen Moonglow then gave a vivid description of the doll before looking at her daughter with her sad round eyes.

I could see the look of sorrow in my mother's eyes, something I had hardly ever seen before. I had forced her to remember a memory that brought her great sadness and I could never forgive myself for it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Princess Luna looked at the dragon, the doll and the cup of tea.

"Your the dragon my mother raised!" Princess Luna said.

"And who is your mother?" asked the dragon which shocked the Princess.

"Queen Moonglow," she replied, keeping her composure.

"Ah, Moonglow," the dragon murmured. "She was by far the nicest pony I had ever met," The dragon added, "I'm Emerald."

"Nice to meet you...Umm... Mr Emerald," Princess Luna said in the politest tone she could muster.

"I'm a female dragon, by the way," Emerald glared at Princess Luna. "I'm assuming your a princess if Moonglow was your mother but what is your name?"

"Luna. Princess Luna," the alicorn casually said although making sure that she sat a little taller as she said the last bit.

"Nice to meet you, Princess Luna. May I ask what an alicorn like you is doing in the Everfree forest?" the dragon questioned.

Princess Luna started to tell the dragon what had happened to Queen Moonglow and every now and then, Emerald would nod her head.

"Well alright then, if you are looking for the cure to your mother's illness, then I could honestly be of service to you," Emerald told Princess Luna.

The young princess nodded.

With a dragon on her side, what could possibly go wrong?

Author's Note

Sorry I haven't posted any stories for a really long time. It's just that I've been busy with my life outside of fimfiction.
To tell you the truth, this isn't my best chapter but I still hope you like it.

-KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON!!!-
~SG~