The Music of the Night

Chapters

Fear of the Dark
Darkness Surrounding
Frail Limb Nursery
An Epic of Time Wasted

Fear of the Dark

Princess Luna shifted on her throne, as if seeking a comfortable position to sit. Returning her gaze to the youthful stallion waiting at the foot of her seat, she cocked her head in his direction.

"Pray, good stallion, tell us. Why dost thou wish to join our Lunar Guard?" she asked, her tone gentle, but firm. "We wish to know...if thy reasons are as we would wish they be, for thee to seek our service so eagerly." So saying, the lunar goddess settled into her seat, awaiting the young pony's explanation. The grey coated stallion cleared his throat, his slender frame shaking almost visibly.

"W-well. Princess...my name is Night Song," he began. Seeing no light of understanding on the alicorn's face, he sighed. "Guess it was too much to hope that you'd remember me after all this time. Anyway," he said, shaking his head as if to clear it, "my name is Night Song, as I said, and I come from a little town on the northern edge of the Everfree Forest called Moonrise." As he said this, the Princess started, looking upon him with something like wonder.

"Yes, Mother. We're still there, waiting for you," Night said, so softly that only the Moon Princess could hear him, while smiling up at her shyly. "I myself am descended from the ponys named Fly-By-Night and Gari, who if you recall was amongst the founders of our little town. But that's not the reason I came here tonight," he said.

"I came here tonight to join your service for two reasons, Princess," he said, reverting to the diarch's title respectfully. "I came because I love the night time, and, if I'm being honest, prefer being awake at night to being awake during the day. At night...the sky is like art. But the second reason is far less simple. I came to repay a debt I owe to you, Princess, for all the times you helped me when I was young. Though you don't seem to remember me, I remember you, and all you've done for us, the Children, and for me in particular. The story your Majesty has requested is thus:

I was born around twenty six years ago, give or take a month or two, in the town of Moonrise. My parents were the doctors of our little community, so my birth was uneventful. My father was a good pony, though strict, and a little insensitive. Especially for a unicorn like myself. His name was Dusk Falls. My mother, a pegasus like my sister, was named Storm Cloud, and believe me, the name fit. We lived together in relative peace until I was about ten, when they realized something that is...was, a serious stigma in that town. I was afraid of the dark.

In a town so devoted to the Moon in all her aspects, I'm sure Your Highness can imagine how bad this looked to my family. So, they decided to act, little caring how much they scared me, or how much they had to hurt me, to achieve their goal. Not physical harm! I promise, I was never beaten, you can relax, Princess. This tale has a happy ending, I promise."

As he spoke, reassuring the lunar goddess, she relaxed back into her seat, having risen as though to go seek out the stallion's parents and let them know what she thought of their actions right then. Waving a hoof, she gestured for him to continue, which prompted another clearing of the throat on the part of the young unicorn.

"Anyway, I was young, and more than a little bit easy to frighten. I've since outgrown most of that, for the record. But my family tried everything to get rid of my fear of the night.

One week, they blindfolded me, locking the thing in place with magic, to effectively render me blind for a week, to get accustomed to the dark, as they put it. I suppose that's as good a place to start as any. It was the first of their increasingly more forceful attempts to desensitize me, after all." The young unicorn was interrupted, however, by the diarch raising a hoof in his direction and speaking.

"Please, good Night Song, hold a moment. 'Twould perhaps be better for thee to return on the morrow, and begin thy tale then. The hour grows late, and my dear sister shall be arriving presently to begin the daytime functions of the Court. See, the sun hath already risen?" she asked, gesturing with a hoof toward the window.

As if on cue, the enormous double doors at the far end of the throne room swung open on near-silent hinges, and in strode the Solar Princess, Celestia herself. She smiled serenely as she walked up the long carpet extending from the doors to the throne itself, and glanced down at Night with an almost maternal pride.

"Good morning, my little pony. The Night Court is over for the evening, but I'd be glad to hear your petition, if you'd like," she said gently, her smile never faltering as the suddenly embarrassed unicorn bowed low and backed away slowly, stammering his polite declination of her offer. Her radiant smile turned to a look of utter confusion, however, when the slim stallion turned and fled the room, after providing a swift, and very proper, bow to Luna.

Celestia turned to her sister, raising an eyebrow. "Care to explain?" was all she said, exchanging places with the indigo blue alicorn on the throne. She gave her sister a light wing hug as they passed one another, and Luna yawned, immediately using her magic to lift a glass of water from a hidden niche beside the throne and taking a sip.

"I am not sure what thou art referring to, dear Tia," she said. "Clearly, the young colt - forgive me, stallion- was simply unnerved by thy presence, having not been aware of the hour, I suppose. He shall return tomorrow night, I believe. Nocturnal nature, he said. As my last few evening Courts have been...uneventful, to say the least, I welcome the distraction of somepony who revels in my night the way that stallion seemed to." Luna shrugged, turning toward the door and walking away slowly.

"Breakfast awaits you, Lulu. Sleep well, dear sister," Celestia bade her sister good day, electing not to pursue the subject at the moment. It probably isn't important, anyway, she thought, shrugging and turning toward the door, where she noticed a small lavender shape waiting for her. Smiling, she beckoned her student into the throne room, to converse on the day's topics before beginning the Day Court in earnest.

Author's Note

OK, so...this is my first fic of any kind, so please, be gentle! >.<

Night Song is my own OC, in case you didn't guess. And rest assured! Twilight will appear, and soon. I just...haven't worked out exactly how, yet.

:rainbowwild: Enjoy!

Darkness Surrounding

As the sun was laid to rest by the Princess of the day, the young unicorn made good on his promise to return and continue his tale for Princess Luna. He stood, shuffling his hooves, as he awaited the beginning of the Night Court.

He ended up waiting a long time, as there was a line of petitioners waiting to see the Night Princess this evening. He watched, enraptured, as she raised the moon with an elegance he wished he could emulate even the tiniest sliver of. Standing at the rear of the throne room and audience chamber, he had, on several occasions, to stifle his giggles at the lunar goddess' acerbic wit and caustic sense of humor as she dealt justice with a far more firm hoof than her sister. Eventually, though, the Court cleared out, all the petitioners gone for the evening...save one. Night Song stepped forward, clearing his throat and gazing up at the lunar Princess with a light smile on his face.

"Good evening, Princess," he said, bowing low. "I've come to tell you more of my story and my reasons for wanting to join your Lunar Guard, as promised." At her nod of approval, he smiled, nodding, and began his tale anew.

"As I said last night, my family tried many things to get me to move past my fear of the dark. The first was a blindfold that they put on me for a full week. As the black fabric closed around my eyes, and the world went dark around me, I felt my heart rate increase as fear washed over me like a wave. A wave that just kept coming back, it seemed. I spent the next several days stumbling around the house, tripping over tables, knocking things off of shelves, and just generally being a menace to the delicate decorations my mother prized so dearly.

On the first day, I could barely leave my bed. My knees had been rendered weak, and my legs felt as though they were made of water. I simply could not support my own weight. By mid-morning, I was famished, but still too afraid to leave my bed. So, I did what any foal would do: I called for my mother, wailing through the darkness. Fortunately for me, she came immediately, fearing I had hurt myself, fallen down or something of the sort. When she learned I was simply hungry, and too afraid to leave my bed, however, all her maternal concern left her. It was...distressing, to say the least.

'What a weak, worthless foal I had!' she said, practically spitting the words at me. 'Anypony who lives among us must not fear the night! The night is what gives us our home, our light, and our lives. And you spurn that gift with your fear. You're an embarrassment to us all.' So saying, I heard her turn and trot from my room, slamming the door behind her with enough force to shake the walls of our home. I fell back onto the bed, crying like a foal, and eventually, I cried myself to sleep. It was only when I woke up that I realized that, of all the ponies in my home, my mother was the only one who really had any sympathy for me and my fears. I woke to a plate of food sitting beside me on the bed, and, after devouring it hungrily, I decided to try my hoof at moving now. I kept my eyes closed beneath the blindfold, reasoning that it was the sensation of blindness that was scaring me so badly.

I was right in my guess, too. I managed to walk myself to the bathroom, take care of things there after a bit of fumbling, and then make my way downstairs and into the spacious kitchen my mother had gotten my father to build for her. Wandering in, I called out to my mother again, asking if she was in the room. When I heard her voice from upstairs, I shook my head, meandering toward where I imagined the refrigerator was, and after crashing into the island in the middle of the kitchen, I found the fridge, opened it, and fumbled around inside for the water we kept cold within.

I eventually found something that felt right in my hooves, and wrapped my telekinesis around it, lifting the jug to my lips and sniffing cautiously. Taking a swig, I was relieved to find I'd guessed right, and, after slaking my thirst, I replaced the jug. Turning around, I decided that stumbling about in the darkness of my blindfolded state wasn't really going to do much but get me hurt, so I set about trying to make a mental map of the house. It seemed to have worked, at least in part, as I got to the sofa without too many mishaps. For the sake of brevity, though, Princess, I feel I'd best skip over the next few days. Suffice to say, they were spent in a daze of both fear at my unnatural blindness, and pain, from the spills and bumps I took, navigating the house.

Some days later, though in my blinded state I couldn't exactly consult a clock to know how many hours passed in between each time I slept, I woke to find my sight restored. Apparently, my parents had decided that enough was enough. Orienting myself a bit, I slowly clip-clopped down the stairs, peeking into the living room of our house almost fearfully.

'Mom? D-dad?' I called, looking around curiously. There didn't seem to be anypony home but me. Unusual, but not necessarily inexplicable. Shrugging to myself, I trotted into the kitchen and commenced making myself something to eat. As I was washing my plate, I heard the front door open, and I listened carefully to see who it was. The sound of hooves on the tile in the entry confirmed that only one pony had come home, so I figured it was probably my sister.

'Night! Where are you, squirt?' Yep, definitely her. My sister, a pegasus like our mother, was -or rather, is- a couple of years older than I am, a filly named Star Sprinkle. She was always the more...dominant of the two of us, leading all our games and choosing which movies we watched, things like that.

'In the kitchen, Sis!' I called back to her, rolling my eyes. She came into the kitchen as I finished drying the plate and putting it away, snickering as I almost fell off of my step-stool as I was wiping my hooves clean of soapy water. 'Geez, add insult to injury, why don't you?' I asked her irritably, shaking my head slowly.

'Aw, you know you love it when I give you a little of that tough love!' she said, nudging me with her hoof lightly. We shared a light laugh, and she left the kitchen with me at her heels. I grinned at her, flopping onto the sofa and groaning. She settled beside me, and clicked the television on. A music video came up, probably something from her last binge on heavy metal. Some band named Dethklop, I don't really know what they were about.

'What's on your mind, Nighty?' she asked, leaning against me lightly. I groaned, letting my head fall backward onto the arm of the sofa with my eyes closed.

'Nothing important, Star. Just something that's bothering me about Mom and Dad's little blindfold idea,' I said. At her questioning look, I sighed and sat more upright. 'It didn't work. I'm still afraid of the dark, Star. What will they do next? I was locked into that thing for...what, a week?' I asked.

'Give or take a day, yeah. But hey,' she said, leaning over to nuzzle against my cheek affectionately, 'it's for your own good, you know that, right? They don't want to be causing you pain, or fear, but it's not right that a pony in our community, over any other, is afraid of the dark, afraid of the night,' she said. And I believed her, because I'd been told my entire life that this was so. And that, I believe, concludes this evening's section of my story, Princess."

So saying, Night bowed low to the Princess of the Moon, and backed away slowly for a few paces. The lunar diarch's voice halted his retreat, however.

"Hold, good Night Song. Thy tale strikes a chord within our breast. Wilt thou return on the morrow, to relate more of thy story?" Luna asked him, tilting her head quizzically and smiling encouragement to the young stallion. She shuffled her hooves on the throne platform, clearly enthralled by his tale. Though, upon reflection, Night reckoned it might be more that she was interested in hearing of his hometown and her adopted Children, rather than his own personal tale. Nonetheless, he bowed.

"As my Princess wishes," he said, his voice taking on a smooth, almost melodious tone. Turning, he bowed to the approaching Princess of the Sun, smiling up at her with far less fear than the day before, and trotted from the room. A slim, purple unicorn in the hallway caught his eye, and he gave her a sunny grin that seemed to light up his face. "Good morning! I'd bet that you're Twilight Sparkle, am I right?" he asked.

"Why...yes, yes I am," she responded, blushing a bit. "Have you come to talk to Princess Celestia for the Day Court?" she asked, leaning toward him and smiling brightly, her face alive with curiosity.

"Nah, I came to speak to Princess Luna. It's been a long night, too," he said, waving a hoof and yawning. "But, I'd actually be interested to know if the famous student of Princess Celestia would mind having breakfast with me before she begins her day?" he asked, blushing lightly and scuffing a forehoof against the floor, eyes anywhere but on her face.

"Oh! W-well, that's nice of you to offer, but I already ate breakfast with the Princess," she said, her tone a mixture of apology and relief. The grey coated unicorn before her smiled wryly and shrugged, turning towards to exit door.

"Just my luck," he said, shaking his head and chuckling lightly. "Perhaps tomorrow?" he asked, looking back over his shoulder at her hopefully. At her nod, he grinned wide and nodded once, firmly. "All right! Tomorrow, I'll see you then!" he said, trotting out the door with a wave of his hoof.

Author's Note

Testing something with the formatting, so bear with me. x3
EDIT: OK, cool, that worked out exactly as I hoped it would. Good!

Oh, and in case anybody was getting worried about this turning into an "OC woos a Mane 6 member" fic...relax. I put Night's attempts to woo Twilight in for a reason, the true purpose of which will become more and more apparent as time goes on. x3

Frail Limb Nursery

As the Night Court opened for the evening, Princess Luna scanned the assembled ponies, looking for the young unicorn whose story had captured her interest. Failing to spot him, she sighed slightly, the tiny gesture barely noticeable, even by her most devoted thestral guards.

"The Night Court is now open! Let the petitioners come forth!" she boomed, the sound carrying easily to the huge double doors at the opposite end of the throne room, which stood open to admit the line of ponies seeking audience with the lunar goddess.

*****

A couple of hours later, as the last petitioners filed out the door, alternately unhappy or relieved at Luna's unique form of justice, a slim, grey unicorn slipped into the room, smiling brightly up at the moon goddess. He stepped forward, giving a small bow, his green eyes never leaving the lunar diarch's.

"Good evening, Princess. I apologize for my late arrival, but I thought it might be prudent to let your Highness deal with the business of the realm before I continued my story. But now, with your permission, I'd like to continue," he said, stepping back and sitting on the floor comfortably. At the Princess' nod, he smiled briefly, and opened his mouth to resume the tale.

"My sister left me alone on the sofa after a time, heading upstairs to her bedroom. I flipped through a book, but I really wasn't paying attention to the words on the page. I was just waiting for my parents to come home, and I confess there was a certain dread in trying to anticipate their reaction to the lack of success their little ploy had experienced. Of course, like most foals, I thought that I had certainly imagined a worse reaction that was likely to occur, but of course, this proved to be...shall we say, a less than correct supposition. My parents arrived home at the same time, which told me they'd been out to eat, not gone to work or something similar.

'Good evening, Night, sweetie. How are you feeling tonight?' my mother asked, almost as soon as she got in the door. Her tone was...cloyingly sweet, almost as though she was being observant of my feelings to spite my father. This much I gathered by his expression when she spoke, and I wondered whose idea the blindfold had been. Swallowing a grimace, I smiled up at her.

'Hi, Mom,' I said, and I was proud of myself in that my voice didn't quaver...at least, to my ears. The looks of confusion and concern, mixed with something I couldn't really identify on my parents' faces, though, told me a different sound had reached their ears. My own ears wilted involuntarily as they looked down at me with confusion on their faces. Before either of them could speak, though, I turned and galloped from the room, dashing up the stairs and into my room. I buried my face in my pillow, suddenly afraid again.

Several hours passed, with nopony disturbing me. On the one hoof, I was grateful for the respite from my family's presence, most especially their insistently over the top concern and worry about my fears. They were more concerned with their own standing within the community, I was certain. Regardless, on the hoof, I was depressed that nopony had even bothered to come check up on me. To my foals' mind, this seemed to be confirmation of the admittedly rather self centered and dark thoughts I'd been having since the blindfold was removed. When the inevitable call to supper came, I was actually surprised they cared enough to notify their failure of a foal that food was being served.

With a great sigh, I heaved myself from the bed, trotting downstairs as quietly as I could. I poked my head into the kitchen, seeing my mother, father, and sister already at the table and watching the door for my own appearance. When they spotted me, they all raised an eyebrow, almost completely in sync with one another. It was an interesting sight to see, but I took their meaning: I was late for dinner, and etiquette required that nopony eat til all members of the family were seated. I promptly sidled to the table and slid into my seat, mumbling apologies.

'Now that everypony has decided to grace us with their presence,' my father said, his gaze boring into my skull, 'let's eat, shall we?' His eyes were locked on my for the entire time spent serving everypony, and it started to get extremely uncomfortable after a few moments. I could swear that my head was smoking from the intensity of his glaring. Eventually, though, I heard a slight 'thud', and he grunted, looking elsewhere. My mother was suddenly very interested in her broccoli, making a great show of arranging the florets in the cheese sauce very, very precisely.

Conversation was at a minimum this evening. Or rather, early, early morning. The sound of ponies eating in silence filled the room, and I felt trapped inside my own mind. The sound was deafening. A couple of times, I made as though to speak, to break the silence, but each time my mouth opened without a bite of food hovering, waiting to be popped in and eaten, my father resumed his glare. Suffice to say, after two or three attempts at dispelling the awful silence, I surrendered, wilting in my seat a bit. Finishing the meal, we all seemed to just dissolve, the events of the day, to say nothing of the past week, leaving me with the sense that all unity was gone from the house. I slunk back upstairs, avoiding the eyes of my sister and parents studiously.

Coming to my own room, I sighed gustily, and flopped onto the blankets. I lay there, the dawn's light coming through the window, for some time, simply brooding. Eventually, however, I heard my door open, and the soft thudding sound of hoof steps on the carpet of my room. Turning my head slightly, I looked over my shoulder to see my father standing at the door. He cleared his throat, looking at me with a slightly sad look on his face.

'Son,' he said, looking at my slight frame draped across my bed. 'Your mother and I were wondering...did...did the blindfold help your fear at all?' He asked me that, sounding almost regretful. I wasn't certain if he regretted it more for feeling that he had to do it, or that he regretted it because he was certain it hadn't accomplished its stated intent. Either way, I slowly nodded. Taking this to be the most I was willing to communicate, he rose, turning towards the door.

'For what it's worth, son...I'm sorry we had to do that,' he said, looking back over his shoulder at me. I made no reply, though, simply laying with my chin on my crossed forelegs. And that, of all the possible responses I could have made, seemed to be the one he found unacceptable. The next thing I knew, I was out of my bed, lying in the hallway, shaking off my dazedness at the sudden motion.

'You lied to me, didn't you, Night?' my father asked, advancing on me slowly. 'You're still afraid of the dark, and you lied because now you're afraid that we'll do something worse to you than a simple blindfold, isn't that right?' As he finished his question, I felt his magic lift me, and, carrying me down the stairs, he proceeded to fill my mother in on what had happened, and what he suspected. She reacted precisely as one might expect, given how my tale has gone thus far. She was saddened all over again at my attempted duplicity.

'Oh, Nighty, is that true? Did you lie to your father to try and get out of the next attempt to cure you?" she asked, tears in her eyes. I nodded, knowing that my father had brought me downstairs specifically because I was completely unable to lie to my mother. I still am, to this very night, as a matter of fact. It's just a skill I never picked up, which is usually a point of honor to me. My father's reaction that night, however, made me think for a moment that perhaps I should have. It might have spared me the trouble I had next.

He threw me down onto the sofa, practically growling something to the tune of 'Stay put, colt' as he trotted into the kitchen, gesturing angrily with his head for my mother to follow him, which she did, casting a glance back at me as she did so. I, of course, complied with what my father had said, not wanting to risk further punishment.

"And that, I believe, is all we have time for this evening, my Princess," Night Song said, bowing once more and sipping at a glass of water one of the lunar pegasi had brought him during the recitation. He returned the glass to a waiting servant, and smiled at the lunar goddess. "I look forward to getting to the real point of the story with you, Your Highness. All of this is, after all, the introduction. There's quite a lot to tell. But for today, I bid you a good morning," he said, bowing again and turning for the door.

"Pray, wait a moment, good Night Song!" Luna's voice boomed from behind him. He jumped, squeaking in surprise at her accidental use of the Royal Canterlot Voice, and she blushed lightly, letting out a slight, embarrassed giggle. "I mean...wait a moment, please," she said, much more quietly. "I would like it if thou wouldst agree to return on the morrow, certainly," she added. "But perhaps tomorrow it might not be necessary for thy tale to be cut short by the dawn," she said, her voice pitched somewhat higher than normal.

Night bowed and smiled. "I'd be glad to continue the tale in any place you desire, Your Highness," he said, attempting suavity, though his words came out sounding more choked and corny. Turning, he smiled up at the Princess of the Day as she walked sedately up the long carpet toward the throne. He bowed to her, offering a wink to her protegé, who lingered in the doorway far behind. "Good morning, Princess Celestia," he said, his voice bright and chipper.

"Good morning, my little pony," she said, smiling down at him regally. It seemed to Night that Celestia simply couldn't find it in her to be anything but regal and maternal. He smiled, bowed, and moved aside for the solar goddess, trotting out of the room as she and her sister switched places.

Trotting up to Twilight Sparkle, Night gave another bow and a smile. "Good morning, miss Twilight! Did you sleep well?" he asked, grinning at her lightly. At her nod, he sat down on a conveniently located bench set out for the petitioners, and yawned hugely. Rubbing a hoof across his eyes, he smiled. "Good! So, what do you think about getting something to eat?" he asked her, cocking his head quizzically.

She gave him something between a smile and a grimace, and shook her head. "I'm afraid I'm not feeling up to anything today, mister...I'm sorry, I don't believe I got your name," she said, frowning slightly in puzzlement.

"Night Song," he replied, waving a hoof. "I forgot to give it to you yesterday. A terrible breach of etiquette on my part, for which I apologize," he said, frowning at himself. "And I'm sorry you're not feeling up to anything today, miss Sparkle. Perhaps another time?" he asked. At her silent nod, he shrugged. Better a rejection that's still a maybe, right? he thought, grinning to himself as he trotted his way out of the huge castle and back to the place he was staying for some much needed sleep. He'd need all his energy if Princess Luna was going to ask him to continue his tale after the dawn.

Author's Note

OK, so. Longest chapter to date, and I'm proud of this one. I'm gonna probably be removing the Twilight scenes, as they were intended for comic relief, and...in my efforts to keep her properly IC, I can't seem to make them funny. I'll give it another shot, next time, so let me know how that turns out!

Also, using Twi when she's not my fave of the Mane 6? That's called aiming for authenticity~! She's pretty close to my favorite, though.

An Epic of Time Wasted

Princess Luna sat on her throne, waiting through the empty hours of the Night Court for the lone, grey unicorn who came to entertain her with his story each night. She looked forward to his presence this evening especially, as the evening had been mind-numbingly unproductive. A very small number of petitioners, combined with nothing much else to do aside from play with the night sky, had left the lunar goddess extremely bored. She glanced at the doors to the throne room-turned-audience chamber repeatedly, clearly growing impatient.

"Where is Night Song?" she asked nopony in particular. "He should have arrived by now." Her musing was cut short, however, by a clattering of hooves as one of her lunar pegasi galloped into the chamber, breathing heavily. He ran all the way to the foot of the throne, throwing himself into an obeisance at the feet of the moon Princess. Rising, he looked up at the moon diarch with an expression of concern.

"Princess Luna! A unicorn has been assaulted on the very steps of the castle! I've been sent to ask your instructions on the situation. We already have patrols out looking for the attacker, but they seem to be a pegasus of some sort, as no hoof-prints were found at the scene. Shall we take the unicorn to Canterlot General, Your Highness?" the stallion asked, sweating and breathing heavily, but clearly prepared to sprint away as soon as she gave orders. The Princess surprised him a bit, though, with her response.

"Describe this unicorn for us, good Night Guard," she demanded, her teal eyes wide with apparent concern of a more...intense manner than usually seen from the Moon Princess. "A stallion, grey coat, with darker patches on his muzzle and ear tips, a light colored belly, dark blue eyes, carries about a pair of tinted glasses similar to that...DJ we have heard so much about?" she asked, continuing her line of thought before the surprised Guard could respond.

"Erm...y-yes, Your Highness, that is him precisely. And his cutie mark is a heart, which appears to be made of musical notation. May I ask why Your Highness is interested in him?" the lunar pegasus finally found his voice, responding to his order's Commander in a crisp, professional manner. The Princess of the Night Court smiled lightly, shaking her head and rising from her throne, stepping down beside the Night Guard.

"Thou mayest, and the answer is simply this: his name is Night Song, and he is dear to us. Among his other talents, this young stallion hath been entertaining us the past few evenings with a story, the like of which we have rarely heard. A seemingly tragic tale in which we play a part that is yet to be unveiled. But, we may have said more than we intended. Come, let us go to him, and see him properly cared for, by the castle's own physician," she said, striding at a steady pace down the long, carpeted approach from the doors to the throne.

Luna arrived at the front gate to the castle she shared with her sister a few moments later, waving away the Guards who seemed more intent on performing the proper obeisance than in helping the unicorn who, at that precise moment, lay bleeding on the ground a few yards away from the actual steps leading up into the castle. Fortunately, as Luna could see from her vantage point of both height and elevation, Night Song did not appear to be badly injured. This left the Moon Princess with more questions than she had answers for, however.

Who had attacked Night Song?

Why?

Would he awaken in time to tell her more of his story this evening?

Luna acknowledged that her last question was a selfish one, and yet, she had been so looking forward to his tale. Rather grim it might have been, but, being the Night Princess, Luna had always had more of a taste for the darker things than her sister. It had, after all, been Princess Luna who had created many of the folk monsters ponies told tales of, even to the present day. She was especially proud of the Legend of the Olden Pony. Still scaring the foals silly, four hundred years later, she thought, smiling inwardly as she lifted Night's limp body in her indigo telekinetic aura and depositing him gently on the stretcher that the pair of medic ponies the Guards had summoned carried.

"Bear him gently, and with haste, to the Royal Physician," she said, her voice imperious. "Tell her that this unicorn is to receive the finest care she can provide, and that we...I shall personally cover the costs." Best not to rope Tia into this, methinks. She might take it amiss, Luna thought to herself. The Moon Princess had noticed something in the area that seemed to have escaped her Guards, who, for all their remarkable loyalty, could be somewhat less than observant at times.

The Lunar Princess followed the medic ponies inside the castle, leaving her guards behind, confused. Their captain, thinking fast, sent one of the lingering guardsponies with the Princess, a telepathic bonding ring looped around his hoof. The device, a recent invention by the magical scientists at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, enabled the ponies who held the two linked rings to communicate with their minds, over a tolerably long distance. The longest range they'd been proven to work properly at enabled the bearers to 'speak' from positions in the center of Canterlot and Ponyville, respectively.

Striding swiftly along the castle corridors, Princess Luna arrived at the infirmary just behind the medic ponies, watching in impatient concern as they levitated Night Song's sleeping form from the stretcher to the bed. The doctor came in a few moments later, yawning slightly but making no protest. Upon seeing the young stallion on the bed, the older unicorn, a mare named Healthy Habits, blinked in surprise.

"Um...Princess? This colt isn't a guard, is he?" she asked, cocking her head at the Lunar Diarch curiously. Upon the Princess' shake of the head, the doctor shrugged. "Well, he's hurt, and I'm a doctor, so...let's get a look here," she said, all business once again. She extended her telekinetic field towards the supine unicorn, lifting and moving his limbs about as she checked him over with her magically enhanced senses for internal damage. A few moments passed, and she retracted her magic, quickly scribbling a few notes in a pad she lifted from her saddlebag. The Princess of the Night stood there, trying to contain her impatience, as Healthy Habits made her notes, scribbled out a prescription, hoofed it to a nurse, and replaced her note pad.

"Well?!" the dark blue alicorn demanded, finally giving in to her impatience. "Speak! Will young Night Song recover?" Her attempted barrage of question was forestalled, however, by the doctor's hoof in her face. Shaking her head slightly, the doctor smiled, even as Luna scowled and made as though to protest being shushed like a filly. Doctor Habits stepped to the doorway of the small room the medics had brought Night Song to, and motioned with her head for the Night Princess to follow her outside. Closing the door softly behind them, she turned to the alicorn and nodded.

"Yes, Princess, he'll be fine. Somepony just got the jump on him, metaphorically speaking, and was able to knock him around pretty well. He seems to have fought back, however. His magical reserves are almost nonexistent at the moment, which is the true cause of his unconsciousness. He's not that badly wounded, and will make a full recovery with no problems, as long as he gets some rest. Does that answer your questions adequately, Your Highness?" she asked, smiling up at the Princess lightly before giving a slight bow.

"Aye. We thank thee, Doctor Habits. 'Tis most gratifying to know that our little pony shall be fine. Pray, forgive our outburst earlier. We were simply concerned about his welfare, as we are sure you understand," Luna said softly, looking back into the room through the window in the door. She let out a long, slow sigh, and smiled. She knew who she needed to speak with about this...issue. She bid the doctor a pleasant evening, and strode away steadily, her steps stiff with equal measures of curiosity, annoyance, and determination.

It was fortunate for Luna that Twilight Sparkle was in Canterlot, visiting Celestia about some nuance of the magic of friendship or other. She passed the Guard garrison, nodding politely to the Night Watch in response to the sentry's crisp salute. Turning the corner, the Moon Princess smiled lightly as she ascended the stairs leading up to Twilight's library room. Coming to a stop before the heavy oaken door, she sighed amiably at the glow of candlelight flickering from beneath the wood. She lifted a hoof and knocked thrice, echoing thuds resounding through the cavernous chamber beyond.

"Coming!" she heard, the voice of Twilight Sparkle immediately recognizable. The mild irritation in Twilight's voice was clear as well; she felt she was being interrupted wantonly. Opening the door almost roughly, Twilight glared out into the hallway. "May I help yo- Oh! G-good evening, Princess Luna!" she said, eyes opening wide as she bowed before the Lunar Diarch, who simply waved a hoof and smiled.

"Nay, Twilight Sparkle. Thou needest not bow before us," she said, almost immediately clearing her throat and blushing lightly. "I mean, uh...You do not need to bow, Twilight," she corrected. "Apologies. It is hard, sometimes, to stop using the Old Imperious mode of speech." Luna shook her head. "It has been some time since last we got to speak. How have you been, Twilight?" she asked, smiling again as the young unicorn mare invited her into the room with a gesture. As she stepped over the threshold, Luna noticed Twilight's eyes very carefully avoiding her own. "Is there something the matter?" she asked, concerned.

Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic, Personal Student of Princess Celestia, defeater of Nightmare Moon, Discord, and a Changeling swarm, paled. "N-no, Your Highness! Why would anything be wrong? I'm just sitting in my room, reading a book. You know, typical silly old me!" she said, babbling the words rapidly as her eyes shifted back and forth.

"Twilight, you are almost as bad a liar as dear Applejack," the Moon Princess said, smiling gently. "What is the matter?" When the young heroine showed no sign of having heard her, the Moon Princess sighed inwardly and stepped across the threshold, seating herself at a couch near Twilight's fire. Gazing at the younger mare expectantly, Luna frowned slightly when Twilight still didn't speak up about what troubled her. "Twilight," Luna said softly. The younger mare started, looking up at her with a slightly guilty expression. "If you cannot tell me as Princess Luna," the Moon Princess continued, slowly levitating all her royal accoutrements into a small pile beside the couch, "then tell me as a friend, which I hope you think of me as I do you."

Twilight seemed on the verge of sheer panic as Luna began speaking, though when a few moments went by and she didn't suddenly find herself on the moon, or turned to a pile of ash, she relaxed visibly. Nodding once, she slowly strode to the chair facing the couch and sat, sighing gustily. "All right, Prin-...I mean, Luna," she said, blushing lightly as she forwent the Lunar Diarch's title for the first time. I really must get her to relax more around me, Luna thought to herself as she watched the Element Bearer get comfortable. The bowing, scraping, and constant underestimation of her own value is really unsettling.

Luna sat stoically, watching Twilight gather her thoughts. After a few moments, the stillness of which was only marred by the crackling of the fire in the grate, the young unicorn opened her mouth, took a deep breath, and began. "You...you know of the unicorn who's been coming to see you every night for the past few nights, I presume?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow at the Moon Princess curiously. At Luna's nod, she continued, "Right. Well, he's been...the easiest way to put it is, he's been flirting with me. Badly. So, for another sort-of question...you know how brash Rainbow Dash can be, of course," she said leadingly.

"But of course. 'Fastest flier in Equestria', is it not?" Luna asked, stifling the urge to giggle. The rather cocky Pegasus had been a subject of much amusement at the breakfast table between the Royal Sisters. All the more so because she actually lived up to her boasting...most of the time. The fact that Rainbow Dash had actually managed to perform a Sonic Rainboom had made headlines in Canterlot for weeks after the Best Young Fliers Competition, though Celestia had, probably rather wisely, advised against letting Rainbow know that she was famous to that degree, quite yet.

"Yeah, that's her," Twilight said softly. "Anyway, Rainbow might have...overreacted to the fact that Night Song has been flirting with me. I think she went to yell at him this evening," she said in a rush. Twilight visibly flinched, and Luna took a brief moment to ponder whether or not her friend might have been a male spider in a past life. Shrugging her thoughts aside, however, the Moon Princess smiled tightly.

"Well, perhaps she went to talk to him...perhaps not. All I know is this: this proposed 'discussion' ended with poor Night Song in the Royal Infirmary, unconscious. Doctor Habits is looking him over as we speak, and I do not think there has been any lasting harm. But I found several strands of Rainbow Dash's mane upon the steps to the castle, where Night Song was found, and one of his admittedly small injuries bear the imprint of a Wonderbolts branded hoof shoe. Dear Night Song may indeed have the logo of those illustrious fliers stamped into his flank for several days, courtesy of your friend. So, I came to talk to you about this, lest the incorrect conclusion be reached. I assure you, I shall be speaking with Night, as well. I simply want to know why violence was done to one of my ponies, as I am certain you understand, yes?" At Twilight's nod, she smiled. "Thus, it has become something of a conundrum, really, in that I do not wish to have to punish your friend, and yet...attacks on other ponies may not be tolerated, you see?"

"Of course, Princess, I understand," Twilight said softly, looking slightly stricken. She sighed, looking into the fire thoughtfully. "Oh, Rainbow...what have you gotten yourself into this time?" she asked rhetorically as Luna replaced her Royal regalia and left the room, giving Twilight an affectionate wing hug by way of farewell.

Luna paced slowly down the hallways, making toward the castle infirmary once more, as she mulled over the issue she had been confronted with. "I do not wish to punish Rainbow Dash, but she seems to have attacked an innocent pony...what to do, what to do..." she muttered to herself as she walked, a light frown on her face causing the maids to dive into broom closets or almost fall down stairs in their misguided haste to remove themselves from her sight. Luna sighed, her slight frown growing deeper. They still feared her. Despite all she'd done to soften her image, it seemed that all her ponies still feared her. I suppose I should simply 'get used to it', as the modern phrase goes, she thought to herself. Shaking out of her mild melancholy, she raised her gaze to find that she'd already arrived at the infirmary. Steeling herself for the conversation to come, and for Doctor Habits' inevitable displeasure, she shouldered the door open and strode within.

"Doctor Habits," she called, stepping more fully into the magical lights that kept the infirmary perpetually brightly lit. "We need to speak with the patient, hast thou finished thy inspection of his wounds?" she asked, taking care not to slip into her old Royal Canterlot Voice. The doctor simply nodded, smiling as she gestured for the Princess to follow her into her office. Settling herself amongst the good doctor's many notes, books, and assorted other items, the midnight alicorn looked to the other mare curiously.

"Yes, Your Highness, I have completed my inspection. He seems fine, all things considered. He'll be sore when he wakes up, but the worst he suffered at the hooves of his attacker was a bump on his head and a rather impressive hoofprint in his flank. I don't think he'll be too eager to irritate whoever did this to him again," she said, smiling a bit wider and shaking her head as if to say 'Colts will be colts'. The Moon Goddess snorted, but her rather severe countenance cleared considerably at the doctor's news.

"That is good news, indeed, Doctor Habits. We thank thee," she said, inclining her head toward the physician in gratitude. The doctor acknowledged the Princess' gratitude with a wave of her hoof and another smile. "It's my job."

Luna shut the door to the doctor's office quietly, as the somewhat overworked mare had promptly fallen asleep on her desk upon the conclusion of their meeting. She strode with deliberate quietness to the bed where young Night Song lay, still unconscious. As she pulled back the curtain surrounding the bed with her magic, she looked down at the young stallion who had so brightened her dull evenings. She tried to convince herself that it was only because he'd brought her daily entertainment that she cared about his well-being, but she knew that to be a falsehood told to herself. He was, after all, supposedly one of her estranged, yet beloved, Children.

"Night Song," she said softly, nudging the young stallion's mind with her magic. "Wake up, please. Thy Princess desires to speak with thee." Luna sat back on her haunches, waiting for her spell to finish its work on the unicorn's subconscious mind. As he began to stir into waking, she started to hum, softly, a tune she hadn't sung in over one thousand years. Her voice rose, gaining in volume slowly, but steadily, as she had no need to restrain her volume in the infirmary. It was both soundproofed to the outer castle, and empty, aside from herself, Night Song, and the sleeping doctor, who was quite dead to the world.

Night Song slowly awoke, his voice coming with him, to join her song. He sat up, wonder on his face, and joined his voice to hers when she reached the lyrics, his smooth, low tenor melding perfectly with her clear alto.

[Come, little children, I'll take thee away

Into a land of enchantment

Come, little children, the time's come to play

Here in my garden of shadows

Follow, sweet children, I'll show thee the way

Through all the pain and the sorrows

Weep not, poor children, for life is this way

Murdering beauty and passions

Hush now, dear children, it must be this way

Too weary of life and deceptions

Rest now, my children, for soon we'll away

Into the calm and the quiet

Come, little children, I'll take thee away

Into a land of enchantment

Come, little children, the time's come to play

Here in my garden of shadows...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW5n3k2VgZE)

As the song came to a conclusion, the lunar goddess opened her eyes and saw, to her surprise, that the young unicorn sitting on the bed across from her had tears in his eyes. Letting her voice die away at the last note, Luna cocked her head at him curiously. "Pray tell, good Night Song...why dost thou weep?" she asked, her tone gentle, but alive with curiosity.

Night cleared his throat, shaking his head as though to clear it. "I'm sorry, Princess...it's just, that's the, sort of anthem of my home. Hearing it sung by the very same voice who sang it to my ancestors is...it's a bit overwhelming, is all," he said, swallowing whatever other emotions rose in his throat. "That was...something of an intense experience for me, is all. I hope I don't upset you?" he asked cautiously. He let loose a sigh of relief when the lunar diarch waved his question away casually.

"You have not upset me, Night," she said, dropping for the moment her Old Imperious mode of speech. He brightened at her words, smiling hopefully up at her. She smiled indulgently, stretching a hoof out to ruffle his mane lightly. "You came to me seeking to enter my service, and I shall accept," she said. As he opened his mouth to respond, his giddy joy evident on his face, she held up a hoof, forestalling him. "However! I require that you finish your story, tomorrow evening, before you assume training and duties. Is that acceptable to you, young Night Song?" she asked, a mischievous gleam in her eye as she grinned at him.

She broke into outright laughter as he forgot himself, leaping from the bed and bouncing around her like a foal, all the while with a constant stream of "Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!" coming from him. Luna smiled, shaking her head as he bounced around. Seems as though this is something he shares with Twilight, as well, she thought to herself, letting loose a slight giggle. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of her voice, dropping mid-bounce to the floor and bowing low.

"Apologies, Princess, I simply got excited," he said, trying to keep a straight face and maintain a respectful attitude. This was dashed, though, with his next look at her face, which showed him that she was still laughing and smiling at his excited antics. He grinned wide, levitating his sunglasses back onto his face and giving her a jaunty salute. "Yes, Your Highness! I'll finish my story tomorrow evening!" he said, smiling as he turned toward the door. Luna's voice stopped him again, however, a much more serious tone this time.

"Wait a moment, Night Song. I have to ask you some questions, before you go," she said. "Do you know who it was that attacked you?" she asked in response to his raised eyebrow and nod. He blushed, biting his lower lip, and nodded. "Well, then? Who was it?" she pressed. When her query met with a mumbled response, she frowned lightly. "Night Song...who was it that attacked you, and on the very steps of the castle?" she demanded, assuming once more the full authority of her office. The young stallion had the grace to look abashed, sitting down in front of her like a penitent foal.

"It was...it was a pegasus named Rainbow something, I think it was...Rainbow Dash? Yeah, I think that's it. Though, in her defense, it wasn't an attack," he said. At the Princess' raised eyebrow, he coughed lightly, still blushing. "I, uh...she came to give me a talking to about the conversations I've been having with Twilight Sparkle, since it turns out, I was accidentally coming across as creepy. But she came upon me so quickly and aggressively, I got scared that she was, in fact going to attack me, so I opted to strike first. My magic attack missed, though, and, well...she took exception to that. And so, here I am, and here you are. I'm sorry, Princess, I didn't mean to start any trouble, I truly thought I was reacting to trouble coming to me." He took a deep breath as he finished his brief speech, looking at the floor in an attitude of shame and self loathing.

"Night Song...," his head snapped up, looking at her with mingled awe and fear, "thou hast done well in telling us the truth of the matter. As Princess of the Night, I hereby decree that this matter shall go no further, as I daresay you've learned you lesson, is that correct?" she asked. He nodded vigorously, his eyes wide. She smiled, finishing her speech in a less formal tone. "So. You should apologize to Twilight Sparkle, I think. Yes. And then, you may return to your place of rest for the day, and we shall see you on the morrow." So saying, the Lunar Diarch touched her horn briefly to his, and his eyes flashed bright blue as she transferred a mental map of the castle to him instantaneously, via her magic. "She is in her room. Knock softly, and be honest with your apology," Luna said, nodding a farewell to him as she rose to leave. A soft, almost tentative voice behind her stopped her, and she smiled at the tone.

"P-princess? I...I was wondering...if I might beg a small favor?" he asked, tapping his forehooves together nervously. She seemed to read his mind, however, rendering his verbal request pointless. A big indigo wing wrapped around him tightly, hugging his slender form tightly to the alicorn's side. She leaned down, nuzzling against him and smiling affectionately. "Have a good remainder of the day, my little pony...my son," she said softly. Night's only response was to nuzzle back before dashing from the room to carry out his assignment.

He arrived at Twilight's door slightly winded, but in good time. Lifting a hoof, he gave three tentative knocks. The semi-annoyed call of "Coming!" from the other side did little to ease his nerves, and he found his knees knocking together with his nerves. As Twilight pulled the door open, only the thought of his 'Mother's' disappointment kept him standing there. She narrowed her eyes at him distrustfully, though she didn't shut the door in his face.

"Can I help you, Night Song?" she asked, her tone carefully neutral. He cleared his throat a couple of times, taking a deep breath between each. Placing a hoof to his chest, he pushed it away as he'd seen the Princesses do on so many occasions, with the release of his breath.

"Yes...I came to apologize, miss Sparkle. I wasn't aware how decidedly unsettling I was coming across as, though I see it now, in hindsight. So, please, forgive my awkward attempts to make friends with you and also, please tell your pegasus friend that I realize now how I seemed, and hope she won't leave any more hoofprints on my backside?" he asked, grinning ruefully as he finished his speech. She simply stood there, staring at him for a moment, the lack of motion actually serving to make Night even more nervous.

"You...were only trying to make friends?" she asked, sounding confused. "But...you know, if that's the case, then you need to learn some more about friendship, mister! And I think I know just how to teach you," she said, ignoring his poleaxed look as she turned to the room and levitated a book over to him. "This is the comprehensive collection of my reports on the study of the Magic of Friendship. This one's an advance copy, so take care of it!" she said, laying the book down across his back. "As for your behavior, consider it forgiven. I'm sorry I didn't come and talk to you about how you were making me feel, before confiding in a friend as...hasty...as Rainbow. So, two apologies, no foul, right?" At hi nod, she beamed. "Great! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm actually up way too late...I have a lesson with Princess Celestia in the morning, and I need to get some sleep." So saying, she gently, but firmly, shut the door on him and the light beneath it went out.

Night turned away, grinning widely as he trotted out of her tower, and left the castle. Seems like that ended better than it had any right to, he thought to himself as he passed the guards, determinedly ignoring their snickers at the Wonderbolts horseshoe print on his flank. Sighing lightly, he shook his head. Had to wear Wonderbolts - Air Soarins, didn't she?

Author's Note

Holy freakin' crap, this took a long time! Sorry, guys! :twilightoops: I hope the length of this chapter helps make up for the length of the wait! :twilightsmile: