Chapters In Tenebrae Invenit (In Darkness Found)
Principium et Finis: Original Version
Principium et Finis: Original Version
(MADE A MISTAKE WITH MY FRIVOLOUS BUTTON PRESSING. NOTHING HAS BEEN CHANGED.)In Tenebrae Invenit )
You follow Luna patiently up to her private chambers. Having just finished the last hearing of the day she is eager to get to work on crafting yet another night sky. You look around you, and admire the beautiful architecture that makes the palace as beautiful as it is. The grand arches, and massive stained glass windows all make for an impressive vista. Luna’s tower is no exception.
As you begin the walk across the bridge that leads there you get a glimpse of it from the outside through the many windows. It’s the second tallest tower in the castle, and it catches the eye. Massive buttresses give it a gothic look, and it is truly a fitting tower for the Princess of the Moon. You pass by several other guards, all staring past you, looking for any signs of trouble.
Luna enters her chamber, and you follow her, as you have done hundreds of times before. The door closes behind you, and you glance over your shoulder to see the fading glow of Luna’s magic. No matter how many times you saw it happen, the magic she wielded scared you. You watch as she moves amongst the bookshelves of her private study, until eventually she pulls one down.
You were never really interested in books, so you, instead, head over to a window, and enjoy the setting sun. Even with all the time you spend in the night, helping Luna, or just being there for advice, you never grow tired of seeing the sun rise and set each day. You heard an exasperated groan come from Luna, but you had long since learned to ignore her unless she specifically asked a question. You looked out upon the lands surrounding Canterlot, and it was mostly wild still. Even with this bastion of power, the Princesses were still hesitant about spreading.
You feel a presence approach from behind, but you pay it no heed. If she wants something, she’ll ask, or tell you. You feel her mane brushing against your back, but you ignore that too. She’s just playing some new game, trying to get a reaction. She’s played these games before, trying to coax a reaction from you. Sometimes she really confused you. One minute she’d be dead serious, and the next she’d be joking with you casually.
You decide to risk it, and you look up to her face. She’s smiling at you, and you sigh internally. “Is there something you require, Princess?” You always remember your courtesies when you’re dealing with her. Unless she said otherwise you were to address her as Princess.
“Please, Knight, I’d rather we avoid the pomp, and formality, that we usually do. We’ve known each other for ten years now.” Her smile is bright, and disarming. You allow yourself to relax some, and she ushers you over to one of the large chairs that she has in the room. You take a seat, and she sits opposite you. “I’d like to ask you some questions. I want you to answer honestly. Don’t just tell me what you think I want to hear.”
This again? The last time we spoke like this she wound up decreeing that every seventh Friday would be workless Friday. Not a bad thing, but still. You nod slowly, and she levitates a small piece of parchment over, and then she grabs it.
“Alright. Would you say that the people, as a whole, like me?” A doozy right off the bat? Well, she wants honest answers.
“The people don’t truly know you, Princess. Most ponies are in bed, or going to bed when you are most active. They respect what you do, but they do not like you.” You think for a moment, and add, “I think that it would be wise for you to hold council with the people of Canterlot in a less formal manner. Were you to do that they could see you for who you really are.”
She scribbles on her parchment for a moment, then she looks back to you. “What do you mean by holding a less formal council? I hold council in the manner dictated by the old code. I usher them in, hear their case, and render judgment. How else should I do it?”
“Perhaps, Princess, you could be less formal about it. Show them that you are more than just their ruler, you are their friend. Compassion from the people will go a long way towards winning their hearts.” She writes more on the parchment. As she finishes she stands, and opens up the door to her balcony.
You watch as she strides over, and looks to the setting sun. With a flourish she opens her wings, and she takes a small leap over the railing and she’s aloft. Her flowing mane contrasts sharply with the sky, and you see it shift patterns as the light hits it. She stops, and hovers just a short distance from the tower. A magical aura surrounds her, and you see the sun finally settle and fade from view. The night sky grows across the sky in great splotches of change.
After a moment the entire sky is the deep blue of night, but the stars are not out yet. The magical aura around Luna changes shade, and soon the stars begin popping into existence. First just a few, directly above, but soon they spread across the sky faster than the eye can follow. Then, with a final touch Luna raises the moon. If you look at the moon close enough you can make out the thousands of craters that she made upon its surface. Having finished the night sky she turns, and comes back to her room. You step back to allow her to land.
You give her a smile. “Another beautiful night sky, Princess. Watching you create is a blessing.” You swear you see a blush on her cheeks for a moment, but it was so brief you may have just imagined it. She has you run a few quick errands, but then she dismisses you for the evening.
“I wish to give you the night off. You’ve been here every night for the past month, and so I give you leave to head home for the evening.” You bow to her, and graciously accept.
A short while later and you’ve removed your armor, and you enter the streets, heading home. You pass only a few other ponies, but they all seem busy heading home. You note with a frown that nopony seems to look up and bask in the beauty of the night sky. You find it difficult to tear your eyes away, but you do manage to get home eventually.
As you enter you see your younger sister finishing up her dinner. She gasps as you enter, and she rushes over to hug you. You return the embrace, gladly. It’s been a while since you last saw her, and so you take a moment to look her over. Her coat is a crimson color, complemented by her pink mane. Her eyes are a deep blue, and sometimes you wonder if they go with her coat, but you dismiss it. Her horn is growing more, and you sometimes wonder how your life would’ve gone if you had been like dad, instead of mom.
You liked your wings, but sometimes you envied the magic your sister could produce. She may only be ten, but her magic was surprisingly good.
“What are you doing home, bro? Weren’t you supposed to be helping Loony Luna with something? Oops…” You look at her quickly as she says that.
“Where did you hear that?” You speak sternly, but not unkindly. You had never heard that before, and it concerned you greatly. If Luna found out you weren’t sure how she would react. Probably not well.
“I heard some other kids at magic school say it. I didn’t mean it, though.” She looks upset by what she said, and so you console her. A few minutes later, and you’re tucking her into bed, and getting ready yourself. You take a last look at the night sky before you turn in.
After another long day at court you walk to Luna’s chambers once more. Again she asks you to sit, and so you do. She pulls out some more parchment, and she ruffles through them. You wait patiently, unsure of what today’s question, or questions, will be. Finally, though, she finds the page she’s looking for. She floats the others back to the table and she looks up, and meets your gaze.
“I’ve been thinking about what you suggested yesterday. I’ve decided that I’d like to give it a shot. Perhaps you are right, and I just need to show myself to the ponies a bit more.”
You give a quick nod. “If the ponies of Canterlot get to know you more they’ll be more willing to warm up to you, Princess. And maybe they’ll even think up better nicknames.” As soon as the words leave your lips you regret it. Stupid! So stupid! Maybe she won’t ask.
“I have a nickname amongst the ponies of Canterlot?” She seems genuinely curious, and you feel compelled to tell her the truth of the matter.
“Yes, Princess. You have one, but it is not a flattering one. It seems that some ponies have taken to referring to you as Loony Luna.” You look at her, trying to gauge her reaction, but despite all your experience with her, you’ve never seen that look before. Her normally sparkling eyes seem flat. She stands, and raises the moon once more, but it’s different this time. Rather than do it beautifully, as she always did, it’s done with ruthless efficiency. She simply turns the whole sky dark at once, and the stars seem to be scattered aimlessly. You have trouble picking out constellations, and that’s when you realize just how bad things are.
As she returns to the tower you see some water in the corner of her eye. “Princess, is everything alright?” She doesn’t respond. She doesn’t even acknowledge that you’re there. The evening passes quickly, with her only speaking the bare minimum to get her point across. When you finally finish in the morning she simply dismisses you with a wave. You hear her mumbling to herself, but you ignore it, not wanting to make things worse by prying in her business.
This continues for a few days, with her barely speaking to you, and the skies becoming more and more chaotic. One evening, though, you walk into her chambers and everything seems off. Her mane is different, and she’s wearing some sort of armor. You stand back as she paces the room, until she finally looks at you.
“You’re here, good. I’ll need your help in the coming months.” She continues pacing the room, until it is time for her to raise the moon once again. She does so with the same mechanical efficiency you’ve come to expect from her. When she lands in the room she sweeps over to a table that hadn’t been there yesterday. “Come here. I need you.” You hurry over and look to the table.
You see a large map, covering the whole table top. It has the entire known world drawn upon its surface. Every little settlement has a flag sticking out of it, and numbers written beside it. You read some of the figures, but none of them seem to make sense to you. “Princess, what exactly am I looking at?”
“This is my plan. I tire of being the butt of jokes, and so I will bring an end to their happiness.” Her voice is cruel, and dripping with malice. You take a step back, not used to this kind of behavior from Luna. She turns to look at you as you step backwards. “Why do you run from me? Do you fear me like the rest of those fools down there?”
“No, Princess. I don’t fear you. I have seen too much in your service to still know fear. I do know caution, though. M’lady, are you sure that you’re feeling alright?”
She starts walking towards you, an evil glow in her eyes. “I’m feeling quite well. In fact, I’m feeling better than I have in years! After we spoke I decided that I’d do some research. I eventually found a spell that claimed it could help me to better relate to my subjects. Instead it gave me this gift of power!” Her body begins emanating a darkness, and you watch cautiously. “The spell granted me even more power than Celestia has! No longer will I lower my moon each morning. I will reign eternally, and my night will know no end!”
“Princess, that won’t work.” She gives you a look that could stop a rampaging manticore in its tracks, but you continue. “The ponies need the day. Without it they won’t be able to work.”
“Let them adapt. You did it, so can they.”
“The plants will die! They need the sun in order to survive!”
“I will provide all they need. I have more power than Luna ever did!” That can’t be good
“What do you mean? You are Luna. Princess Luna, Goddess of the Night.”
She shakes her head, and speaks once more. Her voice is smoother this time, almost seductive. “Mortal. I am no longer Luna. I am Nightmare Moon. I offer you a spot by my side as my general. You will lead my armies against any foe. You will be the sword I wield against my foes. With my power, and your prowess in battle we will usher in a new era! It will be an eternal night! Join me, Knight. I promise you power and mares. I know the stallion mind well enough to know what it is that you want.”
“No.” You won’t allow this to happen. You can’t allow it. She’s gone mad, and you need to stop her. Perhaps you’ll be able to make it to Celestia before things get out of hand. It’s doubtful, but better than nothing.
“What did you say? I thought you said ‘no’. That would be most unwise, if it is what you said.” Her voice lost its seductive edge, and took on a threatening one.
“I did say no. I’m sorry, Princess, but I can’t let you do this. The world needs the sun, and so I must stop you.”
“You have served by my side for ten years, and now, when I promise you the world, you decline?” The darkness coming off of her grows thicker, and begins to fill the room. It has a sickly odor to it, and it clings to every surface. It fills the corners of the room quickly, and before long you are in a pitch black room, with nothing visible save for Luna’s glowing eyes, and flowing mane.
“I will not step down, Luna. For the sake of all Pony kind I will stop you.” As you finish you turn and leap backwards, through the blackness. It nearly chokes you, but you get to the balcony. With another leap you take flight. A quick glance over your shoulder confirms your fear. Luna is following you, and the darkness seems to surround her.
You pump your wings furiously, making for Celestia’s tower. You feel a freezing sensation on your wing, and you see that the darkness has encapsulated it. As you lose the feeling in your wing you struggle to maintain the course. You make it to Celestia’s tower, but unfortunately you are unable to come to a stop, so you smash through her balcony door. As you try to recover Luna arrives in the room, cackling.
“Oh, yes. Do run I’m sure you’ll manage to wake my sweet sister!” You struggle to move, but her gaze seems to freeze you in place. “What’s the matter? Can’t seem to move?”
“Celestia, help.” You try to shout, but your voice seems caught in your throat. With a mental squeeze you manage to rid yourself of the paralysis, but you still can’t speak. You leap up to Celestia’s bedroom door, helped along by your wings. You burst through the door, and find that the room is filled with the same darkness that encapsulated you earlier.
You push through it, and you feel your entire body start to go numb from the cold. You do manage to get to Celestia, though. Her sleeping form is curled up beneath her blankets, and you leap onto the bed, hoping to wake her. As you land on the bed she sits upright quite suddenly. Her eyes are narrowed, and her horn is glowing with a disturbing amount of power.
“Luna’s gone mad with power!” You get right to the point, and Celestia only now seems to notice the darkness around her.
You feel yourself being magically levitated, and then the levitation changes direction. You notice that there are two auras surrounding your body.
“Well, sister, how nice of you to wake for my rise to power.” Luna emerges from the darkness. “It’s a shame you won’t live to see me at the height of my power.”
“No, sister. I won’t allow you to take the realm. I will cast you down myself if I need to.” Her voice is low, and deathly serious. You really do regret the fact that you’re trapped in the middle of all of this. “Release this guard, and we’ll settle this.”
“I would, but you see, he’s my new general. He will lead my grand armies to do battle with any who would oppose me.”
“No. Luna, for the good of all of Equestria I refuse. I will take no part in this plan of yours.” You put on a brave face, and continue. “I swore to protect Equestria before I joined your guard. If that means that I must forsake my vow to you, so be it.”
Luna’s face took on a scowl that made you feel sick. She began to charge her horn for a spell, and before you, or Celestia, could react you saw a bright flash of light.
You find yourself in Luna’s private chambers once more. Your body collapses, though, unable to take the strain caused by the freezing temperatures of the darkness. After a few minutes you hear voices approaching the chamber, so you struggle to your hooves, and find a spot to hide. You manage to find one just as the door enters, and Luna enters. She looks different than she did just a moment ago, but you refuse to be caught off guard.
Luna takes a seat in one of the chairs in the room, and she starts to weep some. Why is she weeping? What happened to her attack on Celestia? Is this some sort of ploy to get me to come out? A hundred other questions fly through your head, but you cast them aside. You never won a fight by hiding, so you purposefully stride towards the weeping goddess.
“Dry your tears, Luna. I will not see you defeated with tears in your eyes. You brought this on yourself, so I am here to deliver your end, if I need to.” Her head snaps up as you speak, and you can immediately tell that something is wrong here. She looks like she did before you told her about the nickname.
“Knight? Is that you?”
“What do you mean? You only just sent me here from Celestia’s bedroom. You were going to kill her, and plunge the world into eternal night.” The wrongness of the situation steals your thunder, but you continue. “I swear I’ll stop you, and lay down my life if I need to.”
“It’s been a thousand years since I last saw you.”
“What?” No. No, something is wrong. I was just there, a second ago! “What do you mean, ‘It’s been a thousand years.’ We were just there, a second ago! I couldn’t have traveled through time! It doesn’t work that way!”
Luna begins crying again, and this time you can’t maintain your demeanor. “Don’t cry, Princess.” But despite your plea she continues to cry.
“I’m so sorry. I cost you everything.” It takes you a moment to realize what she means, but then it hits you. Everypony I ever knew is dead. My sister is dead. All of my friends are dead.
“You killed them all. You stole my present, and gave me a new one! You stole my home from me! Everything I ever knew is gone! You’re the only thing that is still here! You and this castle! What will you take from me next? All I have left is my life, and even that is decreasing in value!” She is still crying as you shout at her, but you’re too far gone to care. “What am I supposed to do now? Just move on, and make a new life? I know nothing about the land, and even less about the ponies that live here!”
A moment later and Celestia enters the room. She looks at you with a knowing smile on her face, and she lets you simmer down before she speaks. “I knew that you’d arrive sometime soon. I didn’t expect it today, but then again time-travel is quite an imprecise form of magic.”
Celestia explains that when Luna, then Nightmare Moon, was going to teleport you, she stepped in, and turned the spell into a time travel spell. Only with both of their magic pooled together could they have achieved the result they did.
“So you see, Knight, I am to blame, not Luna.” You looked at her, still too upset to think rationally. Her flowing mane, and her wings, tucked neatly at her sides. They were all the same. She looked just like she had before you left. You bolted to the window, and looked out.
“Sweet Celestia.” It wasn’t often that a pony uttered that phrase in earshot of the princess, but she said nothing. The city had more than doubled in size since you last looked at it. You could even make out other towns and cities in the distance. It had been less than an hour since you last gazed upon it, but for the denizens of the land a thousand years had passed.
You turn back to the princesses and see that Celestia is consoling Luna. You walk over to the seat that you took when Luna asked you her questions, and you just shut down mentally.
You come to and find yourself in a bed. You gaze at the ceiling, and see that it is patterned like a night sky. You sit up, and realize with a start that this is the one room you had only seen, but never been in: Luna’s bedroom.
You get out of the bed as quickly as you can, unwilling to be in the room, especially by yourself. You burst out of the room, and you spot Luna poring over some tomes at her small desk. She looks up at you, seeing you awake, and she gives a small smile.
“Glad to see that you’re awake. You gave Celestia and me quite a fright when you fainted like that.” Her kindness seems genuine, but you’re still wary of her. You notice that she’s watching you quite intently, so you slowly make your way down the stairs, and take a seat in the chair you were in when you passed out. Luna moves, and sits across from you, a smile on her face.
“How are you feeling, Knight?”
“I don’t know. On one hand I am distraught at the fact that everything I knew is gone, and on the other hand I feel somehow relieved. I have no further obligations to anypony. I’m free to do whatever I like, and that scares me.”
“Well, you can stay here if you like.” You look back to her as she says that.
“Why would I stay here? I spent ten years at your side, as you pointed out, and then you just cast me aside when I didn’t say what you like.” There is venom in your voice, but it’s how you feel. Luna lowers her gaze as you speak, but you don’t feel bad.
“I said I was sorry. I didn’t expect a demonic entity to attack me when I cast that spell, and the world paid the price for my actions.” Her sadness is so deep that you really do feel sorry for what she’s been through. She slowly gets up and heads to the balcony once more. You watch her as she opens the doors, and she gently leaps into the evening sky, ready to create yet another night.
You can’t look away, though, as she turns the day into night with a beauty that you had never seen before. It lasted mere minutes, but each minute felt like an hour as you watched her sprinkle the stars in the sky. And the moon rise was nearly as captivating as the first time you ever watched Luna create the night. But you were only watching the sky for half the performance. The other half you watched Luna. You always liked her, but she was inaccessible to you.
Her body was lithe and graceful and it drove you mad. No creature should be able to look as good as she did. And yet she seemed unaware of her beauty. She was beautiful in both mind and body. She gently landed on the balcony, and you gave a slow clap as she entered. A sudden blush found its way to her cheeks, and she couldn’t hold your gaze.
She does eventually make her way to the chair across from you, and you watch her. She seems uncomfortable beneath your gaze, and that puzzles you. After a moment of quiet contemplation she breaks your gaze, and she goes back over to her desk and resumes her studies. The night passes quickly, and she makes only a few requests from you, and all of them are polite, and even hesitant.
This trend continues for weeks on end, and finally it’s been a month since your time jump. Luna tries to reconcile with you, but every time she tries it goes wrong somehow, and you feel only anger towards her for what she did. She may impress you with her displays of magical prowess, but the emotional attachment is gone. What she did is enough to distance you mentally, but physically she is still attractive.
On the first week of your second month in the future you finally decided to speak up. For the past month she’d been avoiding your gaze every time you tried to look at her. “Princess, why do you avoid my gaze? Surely you, of all ponies, would be able to look me in the eye. I don’t think I can forgive what you did, but surely you can look past that.”
She doesn’t respond at first, and so you wait. Years in her company have taught you patience, and so you just wait for her response. “I don’t know how to face you after what I did. You tried to stop me. You were the voice of reason that night, and yet I ignored you.” She looks at you, a frown on her face. “When Celestia and I fought I lost. She banished me to the moon for a thousand years, and I’ve only just returned to the land, much like you. I had a thousand years to think about what I did. But, when I finally returned, I was just as angry with the world as when I was banished.”
You had heard this from the other guards, but Luna had never spoken of it before. “The elements of harmony manifested inside of six innocent mares from the small town of Ponyville. They vanquished the great evil inside me, and saved me. I was so shocked at what I had become that I didn’t know what to do. I still don’t know.”
“Princess, you must make amends with the ponies of Equestria. Even if it was a wrong committed a thousand years ago it is still an open wound.” You hesitate for a moment. “And for me it still lingers fresh and open to the world. You tore from me my whole life. I had plans for my future, and yet you tore it away from me.”
Luna lowers her head once more, unable to hold your gaze any longer. “I wish that I could be strong, like you, but I am afraid. I don’t know how to undo the damage I’ve done.”
“Start, Princess, by apologizing to those you hurt the most. Go to Celestia, and listen to the pain she bears for what she had to do. Go amongst the ponies of Equestria and hear their grief. Make yourself a part of the land, and then you will understand the true gravity of what you did.”
“Will you help me?”
“No. This is something that you must deal with on your own. For your own sake, Luna, you need to fix this issue on your own. I will listen to your woes, but until you act like the Princess you say you are, I will offer no aid.” You turn sharply, and begin walking from the room. You hear her call out for you as you leave, but you don’t stop. Your eyes tear, from the pain of what you’re doing, but it has to be done. You need to separate yourself from her, before you do something you’ll regret.
Luna departed the next day, heading out to visit all of the great cities around Equestria. It was a welcome respite from Luna’s presence, and it gave you time to explore the world, now that it has changed so much for you. Your exploration of the city took a full week, and the surrounding towns another week. You even paid a visit to Ponyville, and you got to meet the bearers of the elements. But it just didn’t make you happy.
The third week of Luna’s trip left you unsure of what to do anymore. Now that you had nothing to do you realize just how little you actually do when you’re not helping Luna.
On the last day of the third week Luna finally returned. She had a smile on her face, and it brought an undue amount of happiness to you. “How was your trip, m’lady?” She spoke to you through the whole night about what she did, and where she went. She had learned so much about the ponies of Equestria, and she felt that she was ready to change who she was, to reflect the changing world around her.
“My first act will be the most difficult, though.”
“And would that be, m’lady?” You are curious about what she’s going to do first.
“I am dismissing you as the captain of my guard.” It takes you a moment to realize just what she’s saying to you. “I do not wish to force you into this position. I wronged you, and I do not wish to force myself upon you any longer.” You open and close your mouth a few times, and find yourself unable to speak at all.
“However, I would like to ask you a final question, before I finalize your dismissal.”
You find that you are no longer functioning emotionally, due to what she said, so you answer in a near monotone. “Yes, Princess?”
“Would you like to stay here, with me, as a friend?”
Relief floods through you like water from a burst dam. You had feared that she had dashed away all of your unrealized hopes in a moment, and now they had been returned to you. The next word out of your mouth confused you so much.
“Why?”
As soon as you asked you realized the stupidity of it. You realized, as you asked the question, that you didn’t care why. You liked Luna a lot, and she was offering you a chance to spend time with her, without the constant air of formality.
“Because I like you Knight. It’s been a thousand years since I was last able to speak freely with somepony, and that last somepony was you. You were always reluctant to speak candidly with me, but when you did it always gave me insight into the minds of the ponies I rule over. You didn’t fear my wrath at speaking your mind, and that made you special to me. And for that reason I would like you as my friend.” A small twinkle appeared in her eyes, and she almost whispered her next words. “And, perhaps more than that.”
You listened carefully to each word, and you realize that this is the type of opportunity you were waiting for. But, despite your desire to accept you are brought crashing back to reality by the thought that it has been a thousand years.
“Princess, I would like nothing more than to accept your offer, but what you took from me was too large a price to pay.” You look at her, tears in your eyes. “You took my sister from me, and that is something I don’t think I can forgive.”
This time you manage to leave, and it hurts you so deeply that you feel a physical ache all over. True heartbreak is the most painful thing you can imagine.
A week later, and you stand before the doors to Luna’s quarters. She summoned you personally, and it was unwise to miss an appointment with one of the princesses. The doors look the same as they did a thousand years ago, and a moment of hesitance stops you from opening the door. You push it open, though, and enter her chambers.
She is sitting in that same chair. You slowly approach her, unsure of just what you’re expecting from this meeting. She looks at you, and there is a smile on her face. It’s a disarming smile, and it almost makes you forget what she did to you. Almost.
“Why did you summon me?” You waste no time with formalities. She shirks back at your brusqueness, but you don’t really care. She motions to the seat opposite her, but you shake your head. “I’m here because you asked for me. Now just say what you want, so I can be done with this.”
She looks hurt by your words, and it affects you. Despite the fact that she hurt you so badly, you still feel bad at hurting her. You reluctantly take a seat, and look over to Luna.
“I know that I hurt you, but I want to help you. You bottle up your emotions, and I want to help you to release that pain.” You look at her curiously, and she continues. “You see, even in my madness I had plenty of time for thought while I was on the moon. I realized many things, and some of them even proved to be true. You lack an outlet for your emotions. I should’ve seen it sooner, but in my arrogance I was unable to see it.
“I can see it clearly written on your face that you like me. Even with all I’ve done to you, you like me. When I first realized this, all those years ago, I figured it was the type of devotion that a guard has for his princess. I see now just how wrong I was. My actions have hurt you so deeply because of who I am to you. And that is why I want you as my friend.”
You look at her, and, just for a moment, you put aside your inner turmoil, and you see that she is right. Even with what she did you still like her. Hell, maybe you love her. But can you really do this? Can you go against your mind, to follow your heart?
“Luna, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do. For the first time in the years I’ve known you, I don’t have an answer for you. My mind says one thing, and my heart another.” A deep sigh escapes you, and you meet her eyes. “Tell me, Luna. Should I heed my heart, and hope my mind follows, or follow my mind, and hope my heart heals?”
“Knight, the mind is your one true bastion of logic, and reasoning. It will see you through even the most challenging situations. Any problem can be overcome with a solid mind. But is the solution always the right one? Can you sacrifice one pony for the good of the many? Your mind says yes, but your heart will say no. The heart is there to guide your logical mind. One without the other is destined to fail. For that reason I can not answer your question. Simply do what is right, and the rest will follow.”
Do what is right?
You lower your gaze, and you look at your hooves. She’s a goddess. She has more than a thousand years of experience in the world, and she wants to share it with me, but at the same time she’s responsible for the biggest pain you’ve ever experienced. But she’s also the mare of my dreams. Like it or not, I love her. By the moon above us, I love her too much.
“Yes, Luna. I think I will be your friend. My mind rebels against my decision, but I consent.” A massive smile spreads across her face at your declaration.
That happened almost a week ago, and now you stand in her chambers once more. Your relationship has grown noticeably stronger over the week, and she even flirted with you a few times. Now you wait for her to come down from her room. Your eyes float around the room, looking at everything, but not really seeing any of it. You only wait for a few minutes, and then Luna comes down the stairs. You watch her every step, and you can’t look away.
She trots to the balcony, and after yet another magical display it is night time once more. She levitates you, something you don’t much like, up to her bedroom. She follows a moment behind you, and you find yourself deposited on her bed. She approaches slowly, and then sits at the foot of the bed.
“We’ve known each other for quite a long time, and I have an important question to ask you. Well, two, actually. But the second is dependent upon the first.” You give a curt nod, and she continues. “I really like you. I know you feel the same, and so I wish to offer you a special position in my guard. It will be different from your old position in more ways than one. First off, I will be granting you a new body, one better suited for your new role. You will be made taller, faster, and stronger. It will also increase your lifespan drastically. Short of being killed you may live forever. I offer this to you, only because of your special relationship with me. And before I ask the second question I need your answer.”
You don’t even need to think about it. An eternity with the mare you love? ‘I accept. To spend an eternity by your side is a bliss I’d be a fool to turn down.” She gives a quick nod and her horn flashes brightly, and as your vision clears every part of your body feels different. Not so much to make things awkward, but enough for you to notice. You stand up and notice that you are actually just a tiny bit taller than Luna. Your body feels stronger, and faster than ever before, and it brings you a new level of happiness.
“My second question is more personal than the last, and I need you to answer truthfully, as this will greatly affect the rest of your life.” You stop your examination of your new body, and you sit down next to Luna, listening to her every word. “Would you be mine?”
“What do you mean? I just pledged myself to be your guardian for eternity. Of course I’m yours.” She gives a short giggle, and a small blush finds its way to her cheeks.
“Not in the way I mean. I want to be attached to you in more than just the basic way. I do love you, Knight. I see it now as clearly as I see the moon in the sky. I want to spend the rest of time with you.”
“For ten years, Luna, since I entered the royal army, and subsequently, your personal guard, I have admired you from afar. Now, you give me the chance to spend the rest of time with you?” She nods.
You don’t answer with words, but instead kiss her. She responds with the passion of a thousand years of love. You lose yourself in the moment, but you know that you’ve forgiven her for what she did. She may have stolen your past, but she gave you a future. Where once you had no forgiveness, you have only love.
The years rolled by, and not once did you ever regret your decision. Each day refreshed your love for Luna, and each night you would refresh your love. While there was not always lovemaking there was always love being made. You never had a child, something that always bothered you, but you knew it was for the best. On the ten year anniversary of your decision, though, Luna came to you with the best news you could ever hear. She was pregnant.
Did you regret missing time with your sister? Of course. But Luna always made up for it. Her love for you never wavered, and neither did your love for her.
(And that's all I wrote. Seven thousand words, and then some. I may edit this some more at a later date, but for now this is all. Be sure to rate, and comment. I will begin taking requests immediately, so if you like the way I write be sure to send me a message, or comment. I do read them all.)
In Tenebrae Invenit (In Darkness Found)
(Here is the first chapter of the extended version of In Tenebrae Invenit. I hope you enjoy it.)
“I rule in favor of Starlight Helios. Let the royal record hold that on this date I, Princess Luna, do decree that Starlight Helios will not be held responsible for misinterpreted stellar formations.” Princess Luna sat upon her throne, presiding over the current assembly. You were standing a few feet back from the throne, but clearly next to it. This was the final hearing of the day, and you are eager to finally head back to Luna’s chambers to finish your duties for the day. As usual Luna takes her time with each case, sometimes ruling fairly, but more often than not, she rules arbitrarily. She applies the law, but only the letter of the law, rather than the spirit.
As the last of the ponies exit the chambers Luna stands up, getting out of the throne. She lets out a small sigh, glad to be finished for the day. With a small gesture she starts heading for her tower, and you follow. Despite your professional relationship with the Princess you do sometimes wish she’d lighten up occasionally. You walk behind her, careful to keep a good following distance. You take the time to appreciate the castle around you. It’s always impressed you, and this time is no different.
Through some of the windows you catch brief glimpses of the many arches and buttresses that make up the castle’s formidable defenses. Nopony has attacked Canterlot in years, but it is better to stay safe. As you head upstairs the view from the windows slowly shifts, to reveal the landscape surrounding Canterlot. Lush forests stretch in almost all directions, and you can even make out the small villages dotting the outskirts of Canterlot.
You have the route to Princess Luna’s quarters memorized, so you know exactly when you’ll finally be able to see Luna’s tower. Right on schedule you get your first glimpse of the tower. The entire castle is a resplendent thing, but to you, Luna’s tower is the most visually appealing of them all. While not as tall as Celestia’s tower, it has a unique charm to it. The large buttresses that support the tower lend it a more gothic appearance than the rest of the castle. While not sinister in appearance it is certainly different than the pristine marble of the rest of the castle.
You pass the first pair of guards that bar the way to Luna’s quarters. As you pass they silently stand vigil, ready for trouble. You give a brief nod to them as you pass, and they return it. Your standing amongst the guard has led to them respecting you, if only grudgingly. You know all of their names, and why they are all part of the guard. You’ve served faithfully for ten years, and that makes you the longest serving guard in the entire royal guard. Celestia has personally requested your transfer to her division many times, but you always turn her down.
The last time she did that Luna was the one who declined her request. It surprised you, but you managed to pull off a look of indifference. You refused to let your personal feelings get in the way of your duties. You had a sinking suspicion that Celestia could sense your feelings for her sister, but if she did she never acted on it. You were grateful for that, because if your feelings did get out it would strain, and more than likely, break your relationship with Luna.
As you reach the final set of doors to Luna’s quarters the guards bar your way. Luna stands before them, and she uses her magic to unlock the arcane locking mechanism. With a satisfying series of clicks the door unlocks, and slowly swings inward. The guards snap to attention as you pass by, and so you and Luna enter her quarters.
As you enter you hear the familiar groan of the door closing behind you, and you glance over your shoulder, as you do every single evening. The door has a glow about it that you recognize as Luna’s. You shake your head quickly, still in awe of the magical potential she wields. The first time you ever saw her use her magic it scared you senseless. Now, though, you were just wary of her.
You walk farther into the room, looking at all of the familiar accoutrements decorating Luna’s private study. You’ve already examined every piece in the room, but you still feign interest in some of the random baubles, since it is easier than talking to Luna. She’s a great conversationalist, no doubting that, but almost every time she’s spoken to you in private you’ve wound up making yourself look like a fool. You hear her mumbling to herself quietly, but that’s normal, so you continue your four hundredth investigation of this particular map of Canterlot. You could draw it in your sleep, you’ve looked at it so many times.
You hear a small cry of success, and you immediately turn to look and see what is happening. Given the Princess’ knack for collecting rare, and dangerous, spell books it was never unwise to assume that something could go wrong in a moment. You watch as she pulls down the tome she discovered, and then she heads over to her favorite chair, and takes a seat. You resume your inspection of the map, and time seems to pass without your noticing.
As you look at the map you pick out the approximate location of your home on it. Only a short walk from the castle would get you home. You sister was probably there, working on her homework. Sadly, the memory of your parents’ death was still fresh. Your sister could hardly remember it, but for you it was still fresh. The screams of the wounded and dying still haunt you.
You shake your head vigorously, not wanting to think about that right now. You can’t afford to think about that while your working, so instead you start going through your pre-flight checklist, to distract yourself from the darker thoughts running through your mind. You only get a few items down your list, though, before you feel a presence approaching. Given that only you and Luna are in the room it has to be her. She’s acted queerly before, and so you don’t react to it.
“Tell me, Knight, how many times have you looked at this map of Canterlot?” You hear the humor in her voice, but you don’t react to it. You don’t even turn around to respond to her, instead keeping your voice level, and under control.
“Tonight makes four hundred, Princess.” She lets out a small laugh, but you don’t react. Luna’s laughter was rare, and you treasured it every time you heard it. It was a soft, tantalizing, sound. It always left you wanting more, but to hear more would render it less special. Unlike usual, though, she stays behind you, waiting for you to do something.
While she has acted like this before tonight it felt different. With a mental sigh, you turn and look up to meet Luna’s gaze. “Is there something you require, Princess? I am here to help you with anything you may need.” Her eyes have a different sparkle in them and you feel put off by them.
“Please, Knight. I’d like it if tonight we avoided the usual pomp and ceremony. You’ve been a member of my guard for ten years now. And my own personal escort for almost six.” She gives you a small smile, and you feel yourself relaxing, despite your desire to keep things professional. “I just want to talk with you some. You’ve always answered my questions honestly, and I would like to hear your thoughts on several matters.”
“Very well, Princess.” Damn, habits are hard to break. She smiles at you, and leads you to one of the large plush chairs she has arranged around a small coffee table. You take a seat, and Luna sits across from you a few moments later. A small piece of parchment is levitating in front of her and a quill too. She writes on the parchment quickly, and then she looks up from her writing, and looks at you.
“My first question has to do with the proceedings at court. I have noticed that at times you seem uncomfortable with the judgments I make.” She’s not accusing you of anything, but you still feel a small tinge of guilt. “There is no problem with that, as I can’t please everypony. My question, though, is why you seem to be uncomfortable as often as you are?”
You take some time to reason out your answer in your head, before you finally settle on what you want to say. Before you speak, though, you make sure to take out the usual formalities that you’d lay into your speech. “Well, Luna, I see the reasoning behind your rulings, but I don’t always agree with the way you do it. You take the law at face value, even though there are times when you need to look at the spirit of the law, rather than the words.”
Luna writes down your every word, and then she looks up, and at you once more. “Please, continue.”
“If a pony acts within the literal confines of the law, they are doing nothing wrong. But if a pony were to interpret the law, then act as they thought was right, they may do something that is not actually allowed.” You pause, trying to collect your thoughts. “Suppose that you loaned me a book, and told me that the cover had to be back on your table in one day. Is that a reasonable situation?”
Luna finishes writing, and looks up. “Yes. I could see such an arrangement taking place. Continue, please, I find this interesting.”
“Well, a day passes, and you enter the room to find the cover, and only the cover, of the book sitting on the table. What would you do?”
“I’d be forced to punish you for not returning the book. I don’t see what you’re getting at.” Her look of confusion is quite sincere, so you take another moment to collect yourself.
“As I said, you asked for the cover of the book to be returned, not the book. I did what you asked, but not what you meant. That is the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law. In the proceedings of court you tend to follow only the word of the law, rather than the spirit. It does make it harder to pass judgment, but it is much more fair to all parties concerned.”
She finishes writing, and then she stands up, and heads to her balcony. “We’ll continue in a moment, I must raise my moon to grace the night once more.” She steps out onto the balcony, and then spreads her wings. You head over, just as she takes flight. She gracefully soars a few dozen feet from the balcony, and then she hovers in place. Her horn glows, and you watch as the whole sky darkens, going from the orange of sunset to the deep blue of night.
Luna’s horn glows brighter still, and then the first few stars appear. Then, with a flourish of magic the stars seem to burst into millions of other stars. It makes you think of fireworks. Soon, though, there are more stars illuminating the night than any one pony could ever hope to count. You look down to Luna once more, and see a look of true happiness on her face. You see this look on her every evening, but it never loses anything. It is just as beautiful as the first time you laid eyes on it, and it always made you happy to see.
As the night sky neared completion you watched as the moon finally began its long trip across the sky. Having finished her craft, Luna turns and begins her return to the balcony. You take several steps back, giving her room to land. She does so with all the grace of a goddess, and you barely manage to hold back your reaction to her beauty. Before you can stop yourself, you speak your mind.
“Your beauty is unmatched, Princess. To watch you create the night sky is truly the greatest reward of my duties.” You feel a heat rise to your cheeks as you finish, and you quickly turn away before Luna can see your blush. After a moment, she clears her throat, and you turn to see her back in her chair.
“Well, shall we continue, Knight?”
You take your seat, and take a deep breath to steady yourself. “Yes, lets.”
“My next question is one relating to the common people of Canterlot. I would like to know what the ponies of our kingdom think of me. Not just as their ruler, but as a pony.”
“Well, Luna,” it’s hard to refer to her as Luna, rather than Princess , “the ponies of Canterlot don’t really know you well enough to judge that. They respect you for the fact that you are their Princess, but they neither love you, nor hate you. When you work your most potent magic most of the ponies in the land are too busy with their evening routines to notice. And after that they go to bed, and don’t really take the time to appreciate the beauty you craft every evening.” Luna writes what you’ve said down, and then she gestures for you to continue. “There is also the manner in which you act amongst the common ponies. When you walk amongst them it is, and always will be, impossible for you to blend in. But you don’t always need to have me, and nine other guards to protect you.
“For you to have such a large escort makes it appear like you are afraid of the ponies. Why would you need a guard of such strength, if not to protect you? And what do you seek protection from? These are the types of questions that the commoners ask themselves when you walk amongst them with a full squad of guards. You need to get some exposure to the ponies, and then you will be able to ask me that question once more.” You finish, and give a great mental sigh.
Luna writes for a few moments more, and then she lowers the quill and parchment. “You have given me much to ponder, Knight. I will think on these questions, and answers, and perhaps I shall change the way I do things. Now then, I have a few things I’d like you to take care of, and then you are dismissed for the evening. Oh, and before you go, thank you. Most of my advisors would lie to me to make me feel better. I appreciate your honesty.”
The things she had you take care of were quick, and you finished them all in just under an hour. With all of your duties taken care of, you took your leave of the Princess. She was a bit more pleasant than she’s been over the past few weeks, and you are happier for it. Hopefully this will last for a while. I like this happier Luna.
You make your way through Canterlot, and soon you are home. You open the door, and the first thing you spot is your sister sitting in the dining room with a quill levitating in front of her. With a small pulse of magic you watch the quill change colors several times, before returning to its original shade of gray.
“I’m home.” The quill that was floating in front of her dropped abruptly as you announce yourself, and she leaps from the chair, and bounds over to you. She embraces you, and you return the embrace. “So, how was school today? Learn any new spells?”
She quickly starts running through the spells they learned today, and you let her go. She’s so eager to learn, and you don’t want to stifle her desire to learn. You look at her in silent awe, always appreciative of the way she looked so much like your mother, save for the horn. Dad was a unicorn, and mom a pegasus. You took mom’s wings, and dads body, and your sister the opposite.
“So, what didja do with Luna today? Anything fun?” She cocks her head for a moment, and a grin spreads across her face. “Did you make a move?” You playfully push her, and she grins wider.
“No, Moonbeam, I didn’t make a move.” She almost always asked, since she knew of the way you felt about Luna. Although you had never told her about the way you felt, she had figured it out on her own. Sometimes she’s almost too clever. “Now, I think it’s bedtime, don’t you?”
With a sharp squeak she takes off, and heads upstairs. You slowly follow, already knowing how things will end. She did this almost every night, and they always ended the same way. You check her room first, and, surprisingly, she’s there. She’s sitting on her bed, holding a small book. “Don’t you think you’re a bit too old for bedtime stories?” She shakes her head vigorously, and for just a moment, you wonder if it will fall off given how quickly she’s shaking her head.
“It’s not a bedtime story! It’s the album.” The album was all you had left of mom and dad. It was a collection of some paintings they made, and had made. You take a seat next to Moonbeam on the bed, and she quickly crawls under the covers. You open it up to the first picture.
“This is a picture of Mom and Dad just a few days after they met for the first time…”
*/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/*
Just under half an hour later, and she was fast asleep. You only got through half the album, but it was enough to stir up some less than pleasant memories. You make your way to your room, and soon you are lying in bed, waiting for sleep. When it doesn’t come, you sit up, and climb out of bed. You look out the window for a few moments, just watching the night sky.
“Vast, unimaginably vast, and yet I get to watch its creation every sunset.” You turn away from the window, get a drink of water, and then come back to bed. Sleep finally does take you, and you enjoy a restful, dreamless sleep.
(Now then, if anyone can think of a better name for this chapter, let me know. I want to name each chapter, in addition to numbering it. Thanks in advance.)
In Tenebrae Invenit (In Darkness Found)
(Be sure to check out my new group, and feel free to join. I turn nopony away.)
You stand at attention once more, as Luna finishes up with another batch of cases, brought before her for today’s assembly. Her rulings were much the same, in terms of fairness, but she thought on them for a bit longer. Perhaps she was trying your advice. Or maybe the cases were just harder to decide. You only rarely paid attention, since they were more often than not incredibly dull events. Today’s assembly was different, though.
“Knight, I require your assistance.” Luna’s voice was commanding, but not unkind. You took a few steps forward, and looked to Luna. “I wish your opinion on this matter.” You nod, and Luna looks back at the ponies before her. “Tell Knight of your situation, and hear what he has to say.”
You gesture to the pony on the right, and he begins.
“Well, your advisorship, I had ventured beyond the walls of Canterlot, hoping to found a farm. I had picked out a promising plot of land, and I had begun to stake my claim formally, when this pony came along, and demanded that I get off of his land.”
The other pony jumps in at this point. “You’ve got that right! That was my land!” You raise a hoof, and they both stop, and look at you.
“One at a time, please. Once he finishes his side, I’ll hear yours.”
They both lay out their sides of the story, and it turns out that the first one, Early Autumn, had the legal claim to the land, as he did do things as was written in the law. However, the other pony, Rainy Summer, did have a better claim to the land, as he had been developing it for a few days, prior to the arrival of the other pony. There was a clear cut answer to the problem in the eyes of the law, but you didn’t want to take that route. You opted to try for a compromise.
“Early Autumn, you have the legal backing to claim the land. However, Rainy Summer has been developing the land for a few days now. I want this to end well for both of you, so I am willing to broker a compromise.” They both look at you with hope in their eyes. “Early, would you be willing to share the land with Rainy, and form a partnership? It would ultimately benefit both of you, and you would even be able to keep all of the land. I won’t meddle in the legal aspects of your partnership, I just suggest it as a means of alleviating the issue.”
They both think for a moment, and then turn to each other. They immediately dive into a business discussion, and before long they turn back to face you. Early speaks up, and Rainy nods in time. “We’ve decided to take you up on that suggestion. It’d be beneficial for both of us, and we’d be getting much more land than if we were going at it separately. Thank you, your advisorship.”
You give a small bow, and take a step back. A couple stewards approach the two farmers, and in a matter of minutes they are escorted out, leaving you and Luna alone. You let out a large sigh, momentarily forgetting where you are. It is only when you hear a throat being cleared that you realize that you are still with Luna.
You turn to face her, and she has a smile on her face. “Is that what you were talking about yesterday?”
“Yes, Princess. Early was on the side of the law, and so I could’ve simply ruled in his favor. Instead, I looked at the situation from a different perspective. Rather than follow the letter of the law, demanding a legal claim be filed, I looked at it in the sense that physical development should be constructed, in order to file for a claim to the land.”
Luna nods, and the two of you begin the walk to her quarters. Much like yesterday you look through windows, taking in the beauty of the castle. Nothing has changed in the layout, so it takes the same amount of time as yesterday. You find yourself, once again, entering Luna’s quarters. She heads over to her bookshelves, and you decide to pick a new object to examine. Your search is rewarded with a marble bust of a dragon.
You lose yourself in the small swirls of the stone, and before long you hear the sound of an opening door. Habits die hard, and you immediately snap to attention, looking first to the main door, and then the balcony. You see Luna take flight from the balcony, and you move to a position from which you can watch.
Once again, Luna manages to leave you awestruck as she creates the night sky. Massive blooms of darkness spring up across the sky, and then spread like vines. Soon the whole sky is the deep blue of night. A single star illuminates the night sky, and you watch it closely. Without warning, it zips across the night sky, leaving stars in its wake. You lose track of the first star moments after its trip started, but you watched as the sky was bathed in the tiny pinpricks of light.
Just like the night before the Moon was the last part of the sky to be added. Ponderously, it began its long trip across the night sky, and once more you find the entire event to be riveting. You manage to regain your composure as Luna enters the room, and you move over to her.
“Magnificently done, Princess. Another beautiful night sky.” She gives a small smile at your praise, and you struggle to keep yourself from blushing.
“Thank you, Knight. Now then, I’d like to ask you some more questions, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, Princess.” You take a seat in the same chair as before, and Luna grabs a quill, and a new sheet of parchment.
“Now then. That compromise that you proposed back at the assembly. What made you think to do that, rather than apply the law?”
You think for a moment, and then you realize your reasoning. “Well, Princess, I knew that both of them thought that they were right. They both had good reasons, and they both seemed like reasonable ponies, so I knew that ruling in favor of one, over the other, would only make things worse in the end. A middle ground was the best bet for creating a lasting peace.
“I was inspired by my sister, mostly. When I deal with her I know that there are times when the rules need to be bent, in order to make life better. Blindly applying the rules is what leads to dissent amongst the people. They may be able to understand the rules on paper, but nothing is ever so simple in practice.”
Luna writes quickly on her parchment, and then she looks up, a curious look on her face. “Knight, we’ve known each other for how long?”
“Ten years. Give or take a couple of months.”
“And yet you never talk about yourself. I knew you had a sibling, but I didn’t know anything about them. Now I know that she is a mare. How old? Where does she go to school? Please, tell me what you’d like to share.”
Well, this is an interesting topic. “Well, Princess, she’s only eleven, and she goes to Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.” You pause for a moment, but Luna jumps in.
“She’s a unicorn? But you’re a pegasus.”
“Well, our parents were a unicorn, and a pegasus. Our father was a unicorn, and our mother was a pegasus. I’ve sometimes wondered what I’d be like if I’d taken after dad, instead of mom, but I’m happy with my life.”
“Was?” Luna looks confused, and a small frown finds its way to your face.
“Yes, was. They died just a few years after my sister was born. I’d rather not get into too much detail about that, though.” Luna nods, and motions for you to continue. “Anyway, my sister is a real pain at times. She’s always eager to show off what she’s learning, and at times I am really happy for her. Other times, though, I wish that she had somepony else to show. I suppose that she’s not really a pain, it’s just that I wish she had more friends. She never hangs out with anypony. She just comes home, and then studies.
“I’m always encouraging her to make new friends, but she just brushes it off with some excuse about being too busy with schoolwork.”
“Well, from what I can see, she’s learning it from you.” You look at Luna, and she gives you a smile. “Please, Knight, tell me when you last took a day off. Or the last time you did anything really enjoyable.”
You are eager to prove her wrong, but you come up with nothing. You can’t even remember the last time you took a day off. You try to think of some friends from outside of work, but there aren’t any. “Wow. I had no idea I spent this much time here. But it’s only right.” You jump right back into the role of the loyal guard. “I need to keep you safe, Princess. I’ve been guarding you for ten years, and I intend to continue till I die, or you dismiss me.”
Luna laughs at your change in attitude. It’s a musical sound, and you involuntarily smile at the sound. “Please, Knight. I have almost a hundred other guards who can protect me. Tomorrow I want you to take the day off. It’s Saturday too, so you will be able to spend the day with your sister. Then, on Sunday, you can come back, and resume your duties.” Her smile never wavers while she talks, and it puts you at ease.
“I suppose I can do that, Princess.”
“Excellent. Now, on to my next question.” She pulls out a new sheet of parchment, and she readies herself to write. “What is the best approach to encouraging more spreading out? Canterlot is a safe haven for the ponies under our rule, but we must spread out, lest we risk over-crowding.”
You answer her questions, as the night progresses, and most of them are fairly straightforward. There aren’t any other questions pertaining to you, but Luna does occasionally comment on your answers. Before long it is two in the morning, the official end time for your shift. You stifle a yawn, and stand up out of the seat. Luna stands as well, and walks with you to the door.
“Have a nice night, Knight.” She lets out a small chuckle. “And remember, tomorrow is your day off. Be sure to enjoy it, won’t you?”
You decide to have a small bit of fun, and you reply, “By your command, m’lady.” Your tone, and expression show your joking manner, and Luna chuckles once more.
The trip home is silent, as you expect. You arrive home, and find Moonbeam sitting at the dining room table, head lying on her book. You gently lift her up, and begin the walk to her room. You deposit her as gently as you can, but she still wakes up.
“Hey, bro. What took you so long?” She’s incredibly sleepy, so you just give her a quick kiss on the forehead, and then you tuck her in.
“Nothing much, Moonbeam. Luna gave me the day off tomorrow, so I’ll be spending the day with you. But you need to go to sleep, now, since we’ll be busy tomorrow.”
She sits up a bit, as you give her the news. “You’ve got tomorrow off? You’ve never had a day off before.”
“Well, Luna decided that I’d spent far too much time without a break, so now I’m having one. Now, go to sleep.” She snuggles under the covers, and gives a big yawn.
“G’night, Knight”
She drifts off to sleep, and you slowly stand, and leave the room. You gently shut the door, and head to the kitchen. Without the pressure of work in the morning, you find yourself at a loss. You clean up Moonbeam’s books, and then blow out the few candles she was using to study. With the room plunged into darkness you wait until your eyes adapt to the absence of illumination, before continuing.
You enter your own room, before you stop. You exit your room, and head down the hall to your parents room. You only come in here once a week, and every time you do come in it looks the same as it always has. Seven years they’ve been dead, and you still can’t believe it.
There were only a few things in the room that you ever touched, and one of them was a family portrait. It showed signs of its age, but you didn’t care. You were holding Moonbeam while your father stood behind you, and your mother was right next to you. Their smiles always brought a sad smile to your face.
“Don’t worry, dad. I’ll make sure that Moonbeam grows up to be a strong mare. I won’t let her down, and I won’t let you down either.” You can still remember your father’s chat with you. It amazed you that he had that talk with you, and then just a few days later he died. It was in this very room too. You slowly turn, and you feel like you can almost hear his voice.
“Knight, I want you to take care of your sister when we’re not home. Your mother and I have no intention of leaving, but if something does happen I want you to promise me that you’ll make sure she grows up right.”
“Yeah, dad. I promise I’ll make sure she grows up big and strong.”
He chuckled at your response. “I don’t mean physically strong, I mean emotionally strong. She’s different than you are, Knight. From the day you were born you had a fierce loyalty to whoever won your heart, and you treated everypony else like they were a threat. She’s different, though. You can see it in the way she acts. She’s too quick to trust, and make friends. I don’t want to stifle that, but at the same time I don’t want it to hurt her. Suppose that somepony takes advantage of that?”
Now, you see that you have failed your father in that last aspect. Moonbeam’s tendency to trust, and make friends with ease, had been squashed slightly. You were always so busy with work that she had no real role model to base her life off of. Instead, she emulated you, and did what you did.
I need to be a better role model for her. I’m turning her into a friendless pony. I’m a friendless pony. The revelation shook you, and you just stood still for a moment. With a sigh you put the picture down, and returned to your own room.
You got ready for bed, and then you finally laid down on the bed.
Tomorrow I will start anew with Moonbeam. I need to show her that there is more to life than just books, and school. She needs to make some friends, or else she’ll spend all her time studying.
You curl up under your blankets, and you slowly drift off to sleep. Before you make it, though, you hear your door being pushed open a bit. Years of training caused you to sit upright, and you looked to the door, ready for anything.
You watch as Moonbeam comes into the room, and she climbs up into your bed. You scoot over some, and she puts her pillow down next to yours, and she quickly falls asleep again. You can’t help but smile at the absurd levels of cuteness.
You lie down again, careful not to disturb her. This has happened before, but not for a few weeks. You mentally shrug, and write it off as being nothing out of the ordinary.
Soon enough you feel the grasp of sleep, and you drift off to sleep. Your rest is not dreamless this time, but is instead filled with half remembered events.
(Another chapter down. Enjoy, and be sure to rate and comment.)
In Tenebrae Invenit (In Darkness Found)
Remissio, Insidiae, et Deceptio
(Here is the third installment in In Tenebrae Invenit. Please, enjoy.)
With a groan you wake up, and feel the warmth of Moonbeam snuggled against your side. Just as you’re about to get up to begin your daily routine you remember that Luna gave you the day off. You let out a content sigh, and you drift back off to sleep.
You wake again a few hours later, and the first thing you notice is an absence in the bed. You realize that Moonbeam is no longer there, so you grudgingly push yourself up, and sit up in bed. You slowly crawl out of bed, and you make your way to the bathroom. You take a shower, and then you stare at yourself in the mirror. Your strikingly blue eyes steal your attention for a moment, and then you look over the rest of your face, and body. Your gray coat and red mane go well together, and you are just vain enough to pose in front of the mirror. However, your eyes do roam to the one mark on your body. A small patch of pink fur in your armpit. It’s hardly noticeable, but you will always remember it, and the situation that came with its appearance.
A sudden giggle shatters your fantasy, and you look to see Moonbeam standing in the doorway. “Really? You come here just to disturb me while I get ready in the morning?”
“No, I came here to bother you. And it looks like I did a real good job of that!” Before you can respond she runs off, laughing. You laugh as well, glad to have her around.
With your dream world shattered for the moment you are done in the bathroom, so you head to the kitchen, to whip up some breakfast. You grab some eggs, cheese, and some peppers, and you begin making some omelets. You hear Moonbeam enter the room, but you don’t pay any attention to her, as the omelets are taking up all of your focus. Just a few minutes later, and you place an omelet in front of Moonbeam, and your own chair.
“So, Knight, what do you want to do today?” You mull things over in your head while you eat, and you can’t really think of anything to do with her.
“I’m not going to lie, but I don’t have a clue.” She bursts into laughter at this, and you join in, albeit halfheartedly. As the laughter dies down she looks at you with a curious expression on her face.
“You really don’t know what today is?” You put down your fork, and begin wracking your mind for any clues as to what today is. When nothing is forthcoming, you give a shrug.
“I know its Saturday. Is that close enough?” She giggles at you once more, and then smiles.
“It’s the centennial of the founding of Canterlot. Today marks one hundred years since Canterlot was first founded. There’s a big celebration taking place all over the city, and in the evening there’s going to be a big party in the palace gardens! I was thinking that you and I could just wander through the city and enjoy ourselves.” You slap a hoof to your forehead.
How could I have forgotten the Centennial? And Luna gave me the day off too! If somepony was going to try to do something today would be the day! No. No, I told Luna that I’d take the day off. I’ll spend the day with Moonbeam, and the other guards can take care of the princess. It’s only one day, right?
“I totally forgot all about that. And your idea is a good one. We can just stroll through the city leisurely, and do what we like. Today is all about fun.” If you thought Moonbeam’s smile was big earlier, you were shocked when it widened even further.
The rest of breakfast passed in a joyful silence, as Moonbeam bounced in her chair, eager to have fun, and you calmly ate, subconsciously fretting over the potential dangers facing the Princess. You both finished your omelets, and so you opted to clean the dishes before the two of you went out. It only took a few minutes, but Moonbeam was asking you to hurry the whole time.
After the brief pause for cleanliness you and Moonbeam both exited the house. There were tons of ponies in the streets, and everypony seemed to be quite excited. You and Moonbeam walked the streets slowly, pausing every so often to look at the various wares on display. Most of the shopkeepers had drastically cut prices, to sell more of their wares, and earn more customers. After a short walk you made it to the nearby park.
The park had been decorated quite festively, and there were tons of ponies of all ages milling about, and having a good time.
“Why don’t you go and make some friends, Moonbeam? I’ll be around, so if you need me just come find me.” You lower your head to her level, and look her in the eye. “If you need to use your magic to find me, but only if you really need to. You remember what happened the last time you tried to find me with magic, right?”
Moonbeam blushes furiously, and she lets out a big grunt. “I apologized already. I didn’t mean to turn you pink.” You could remember it quite clearly, and the jokes made by the other guards at the palace were one of the reasons why the event was so clear in your memory.
“It’s fine, sis. Just go have some fun. And make some friends!” She scampers off, and you mingle with the crowd as well. You find some childhood friends, and so you take the time to catch up with them.
“Hey, Knight, you remember the time when Moonbeam turned you pink? Those were good times. How long were you pink?”
You groan, unwilling to cover this for the umpteenth time. “Well, Forest, since you want to know so bad, I was pink for three months.” Forest had been your best friend since you started school, and even though you often fought with him, it was always inconsequential stuff.
“So, Knight, all joking aside, how are you?” Forest gives you a small smile. “It’s been weeks since we last talked, and I’m worried about you. You’re spending all your time up in the palace with our local goddess of the night.”
“Well, it’s not an easy job, that’s for sure. I spend most of my time doing small odd jobs for Luna, but there are occasional instances where I get to actually do my job. Sometimes the assemblies get a bit out of hand.”
“Really? I’d heard they were just a bunch of stuffy old ponies talking about big problems that don’t concern all of us.”
“Yeah, there are daily meetings with the common ponies. You wouldn’t believe some of the problems these ponies bring before the Princess.” You quickly dive into some of the more interesting meetings you’ve been present for.
Moonbeam’s Perspective
Moonbeam ran amongst the crowd, using her small size to her advantage. She was heading for the small playground outside of the school. That’s where she usually played when Knight was at work. It always bothered her that he worked so much, but she knew that he had to work hard to keep her in school, and make sure they kept the house. Still, she felt lonely when she’d only see him briefly when he got home, and even that was unlikely.
Moonbeam quickly found herself outside of the schoolyard, and there were tons of ponies all playing there. She wasn’t sure what to do, since she only rarely associated with the others in her class, let alone the ones that didn’t go to the same school as her. She decided to toss caution to the wind, and she walked onto the playground.
Before long she was involved with a bunch of other fillies in a game of tag. Although none of their games lasted long, they were all fun. She started talking with some of the other fillies, and she quickly found a couple that she got along with better than the others. This trio broke off from the main group, and they gathered at the edge of the playground.
“My name’s Moonbeam, what are yours?”
“I’m Cloud Chaser,” said the turquoise pegasus.
“And my name’s Emerald Radiance.” This came from the other unicorn, the color of her namesake gem.
“Where do you two go to school? I’ve never seen either of you before?” Moonbeam was genuinely curious.
“We go to the elementary school on Trottingham Way. Why, don’t you go there too?” Cloud looked confused, and gave Moonbeam a strange look.
“Well, I go to Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. My brother had me enrolled there after I accidentally teleported myself into the palace when I was just a few years old.” Both of their mouths hang open, and Moonbeam laughs. “It really was an accident. He was at work, and I had just come home from school. I wanted to see him really bad, so I just thought about seeing him, and poof! There I was, in the middle of the assembly hall. You should’ve seen all of their faces when I appeared!”
All three of them laugh at the imagined scene. “Well, that’s pretty cool. We should go exploring, the city’s nice and active, so there’s bound to be fun stuff to do.” Emerald is quick to suggest that plan of action, and the other two quickly agree, and they set off to explore the city.
Just a short while later, and the trio is in the middle of the busiest town square. There are hundreds of ponies walking around, partying, and dancing in the streets. They make their way through the square, and they soon find themselves standing before a giant buffet table. With eyes as big as saucers the three quickly grab plates, and dig in. A short amount of time later, and the three have had their fills.
“I thought we were going to explore, not just hang around eating.” Moonbeam points this out, and the other two nod in agreement.
“Yeah, let’s go do something exciting, not eating.” Emerald stands, and the other two rise as well. “We could go explore the royal garden, it’s always nice there.” Moonbeam and Cloud both nod their heads, and the trio sets off once again. After a brief walk the group enters the gardens. Much like the town square it is filled with hundreds of ponies, all celebrating.
Moonbeam, and her new friends, decide to go through the maze. They pass by the statue of Discord, and they all pause to look at it. They only stop for a moment, and then they hurry into the maze. Before long they are completely lost, but they are having too much fun to care. Only ten minutes in, though, and they hear two ponies talking with each other.
“I’ve got the tome for Princess Luna.” Voice one said.
“Excellent. And the curse is in place?” This came from the second voice.
“Yes. It will magnify her negative emotions, while suppressing her more positive tendencies. It will also make her read the tome more often, until eventually she stumbles across the spell to resurrect our mistress.”
“And you’re sure it will work? Isn’t Luna’s power great enough to stop the curse before it reaches its apex of power?”
“Normally, yes. However, we worked around that by making it a gradual process. Of course, she may accelerate it by reading the tome, but short of Celestia herself taking the time to examine this tome, there is next to no chance of discovery.”
“Excellent. And once our mistress is in control of the Princess’ magic we will be able to end the day, and usher in a new era.”
“Aye, brother. But we should go now. There is much still to do, and we need to actually give the tome to Luna.”
The voices continued, but slowly faded to a silence. The three fillies looked at each other, each one more shocked than the others.
Your Perspective
It’s almost time for us to head to the gardens for the final ceremony of the day. Where have you gone now, Moonbeam. You are heading to the gardens, hoping to find her there, or somewhere along the way. Forest was following you, interested in seeing the final ceremonies as well.
It only takes you a few minutes to get to the gardens, and just a few minutes after you get to the gardens you spot Moonbeam, and two other fillies running over to you.
“Ah, there you are Moonbeam. I was wondering if I’d find you before the ceremonies began.” She looks to be out of breath, and worried about something. “Is something wrong, Moonbeam?”
“I need to talk to you, Knight. My friends and I think we overheard someponies planning something bad.” You look her in the eye, and you see the truth behind her words. Years of screening the Princess’ guests has led to your ability to discern lies from truths.
“What did you hear?”
Moonbeam quickly explains the conversation she had overheard, and you listen with bated breath. By the time she finishes explaining you are worried as well. The list of ponies that had access to the kind of power those two were talking about was a short one. It only consisted of a few names, and none of them were on good terms with the Princesses.
“This is serious, Moonbeam. I’m going to have to talk with Luna about this as soon as I can.” As fate would have it, you spotted Luna and Celestia making their way towards the large platform from which they would deliver their speech. “Moonbeam, you and your friends stay here. Don’t go anywhere, okay?” Your tone brokers no argument, and Moonbeam, and both her friends, quickly nod their assent.
You turn, and make your way forwards, towards the stage. The princesses begin their speech, but you are too focused to really hear anything they are saying. Celestia is the first to speak, and you take advantage of that to get to Luna. When you get to the small staircase there are two of Celestia’s guards barring your way.
“I need to speak with Princess Luna. Now.” Both of the guards ignore you, and neither moves from your path. “Really, I need to speak with Princess Luna.”
“You will have to wait until after the ceremony is complete, and the Princesses hold open court.” You groan in exasperation.
“Do either of you two know who I am?” When neither of them respond, you groan again. “My name is Knight Watch, captain of Luna’s personal guard.” As you speak your name, both guards look at you.
“Wait, you’re THE Knight Watch?” A small smile forms on their faces. You know what’s coming, but that doesn’t make it easier to bare. “The pink captain of the night guard?”
“Yes. That’s me. Now, please, I need to speak with Luna.” They allow you to pass, and so you quickly head up the stairs, and you move up next to Luna. The two guards next to her recognize you immediately, and allow you to pass unmolested.
“Princess, I have news that requires your attention. It is quite urgent.” Luna turns to look at you, and just as she is about to speak, she is called to the podium, to pontificate. She offers you a small apologetic smile, and she heads to the podium. Her speech is short and to the point, for which you are immensely grateful.
She returns to her seat, and she looks at you expectantly. “Princess, my sister overheard a conversation between two ponies in the hedge maze, and I believe that there are ponies who mean you harm.”
Luna’s eyes narrow as you speak, but just as she’s about to respond she is called to the podium once more by Celestia.
“And now, my little ponies, my sister and I will be accepting a few tributes from some of the neighboring kingdoms. Gifts brought to celebrate a long lasting relationship, and promote peace throughout the lands.” There is a wave of cheers from the crowd, and you shift your weight uncomfortably from one hoof to the other. “The first gift is from the Kingdom of Manehattan, and its surrounding villages.”
You eye every gift bearer suspiciously, until finally one approaches with a strange looking tome. It’s a gift for Luna, and she accepts it gracefully. The tome is nothing special, and you barely pay attention, instead looking for a more obvious threat. The procession continues without incident, and after almost an hour Luna and Celestia receive the last of their gifts. Luna returns to her seat, and looks to you once more.
“Now then, what is this about ponies meaning to do harm to me?”
“As I said earlier, Princess, there are at least two ponies who mean to do harm to you. None of the ponies who presented gifts seemed suspicious, though, and that bothers me. My sister swore that it was something about a book of some sort, but the only book you received is that one,” you gesture at the book Luna just got. “Something doesn’t add up.”
“Perhaps in all of the excitement, your sister heard some other ponies speaking about some silly game they were playing. I have heard of this silly game called Mazes and Manticores. Apparently both my sister and I are frequently used characters in their games. I suspect that this is nothing more than a case of miscommunication.” She smiles sincerely, and continues. “Please, don’t worry about me. I am capable of taking care of myself.”
“I’d love to, Princess, but taking care of you is my job.”
“And you do a fine job. Now, please, go and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you’re back to work, and I’d like it if you could enjoy your day off.” She shoos you from the stage, and you reluctantly go. Soon enough you get back to Moonbeam, and her new friends.
“Luna isn’t too worried, so I suggest you do the same. I am glad that you told me that, but Luna said that you probably only heard a part of a conversation, and that it’s nothing.”
The fillies all lower their heads at your news, but you just smile. “I’m very proud of all of you. You did the right thing. Now, then, lets go back home, and I’ll make us some nice dinner.” The other two look at Moonbeam, and then at you. “You two can both come along too.”
With a cheer the three of them go from glum to happy faster than you thought was possible. They run circles around you the whole way home, and you marvel at their seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy. While you were making your way home you saw the transition of day to night. You paused, as did just a few other ponies around you. Most of the crowd just continued walking, without even a passing glance at the beauty above. It pains you to see ponies so blissfully unaware, but you know that not everypony can enjoy the beauty of the night sky.
Just under an hour later, and you were tucking in Moonbeam, and her two new friends, whose names you learned over dinner. They were so cute lying in bed, and you just couldn’t deny Moonbeam her new friends. Reluctantly you gave her permission to have a sleepover, but they’d have to go home the next day.
You finally crawled into your own bed just a short while later, and you let out a deep sigh as you looked at the ceiling.
The Princess is probably right. Nopony would be foolish enough to risk the wrath of the goddess of night. You drift to sleep, and once more you are bombarded with half remembered visions. Although, a few of the dreams you witnessed were less than pleasant.
(Be sure to rate, and comment. And check out my group. I'm always looking for new members. Also, I have a question that I have posed in my blog. It relates to my, as of yet, unreleased story. I need opinions, and you are the ones I turn to with my questions.)
In Tenebrae Invenit (In Darkness Found)
(It's been a while, I know. Sorry for the delay, But I wanted to work on Rising Sun some. Please, enjoy, rate, and comment.)
Luna’s time in court finally came to an end, and you were at rigid attention as Luna stood up from her throne. With a subtle gesture you begin to follow her to her chambers. After yesterdays fiasco you were still worried about the book. Moonbeam had never lied to you before. Not even when she did something wrong. And there had been plenty of times when a well worded lie could have saved her quite a bit of trouble.
I’m going to have to get that book away from her. If only to show it to Celestia. How, though? Your mind was racing as you walked behind Luna. You passed the usual guards, and they gave you curt nods. Before long you arrived at Luna’s chambers and you both entered. Unlike usual, you didn’t head to some random object in Luna’s room. This time you walked amongst the bookshelves, looking for the tome from yesterday. You fail to find it, and soon you hear the sound of the balcony door opening.
You head to the opening, and watch as Luna begins to craft the night sky. The sky changes from the red of sunset to the deep blue of night in what looks like waves of blue. It looks as if the sky is an ocean, with waves of blue lapping on the red coast. You are transfixed by the beauty of the change. Unlike usual Luna is sprinkling the stars in the blue of night as it spreads across the sky. You are sad to see it end, and you applaud Luna as she returns to the balcony.
As she gracefully lands you manage to make out a small blush fading from her cheeks. “Princess, that was easily the most beautiful transition I have ever watched you perform.” Her blush returns, but you almost miss it against the blue of her fur.
“Thank you, Knight.” She heads to the bookshelves, and she begins browsing.
“Um, Princess? If I may be so bold as to ask a favor of you?”
“What is it that you require, Knight?” She looks to you with genuine curiosity in her eyes. In the ten years you’ve served as her personal guard you had only asked for things a few times. You know what you’re doing is right, but something deep down is telling you that something is wrong.
You shake off your doubts, and press forward. “Princess, I would like to have the book you received yesterday examined by Princess Celestia. I would rather be safe, and have it checked. If there is truly nothing amiss, then there is no problem. But if something is found, then I will have done my duty.” Luna looks at you, and you swear that for just a moment you saw a scowl flash across her face.
Before you can process what you saw, she replies. “Of course, Knight. I understand what you mean. Better safe, than sorry. Just give me a moment to get it.” She heads up to her bedroom, and you remain where you are.
Did I see a scowl on her face? She’s never scowled. She’s always been either blank, or happy. Well, other than that one time. You shudder at the thought of the only time you ever saw Luna truly angry. But I am doing what’s right. I’d be a terrible guard if I didn’t check this out.
True to her words, Luna returns with the book just a minute later. She places it on the table before you, and she gives a small smile. “Here you go. Be sure to bring it back, though. It is an interesting book, and I’d be loathe to let go of it.”
“Of course, m’lady. I will have it back as soon as Celestia is done with it.” With that said you grab the book, and offer a deep bow to Luna. You exit the room, and you make your way towards Celestia’s tower. You only rarely head there, so the halls are new to you.
The white marble is much the same, but the décor is vastly different. Luna favors more gothic style trappings. Celestia’s various accoutrements all seem to have an angelic glow to them. You pass by several paintings of sunrises, and you even pause to look at some. One catches your eye, and you find yourself looking at it for a few minutes.
It’s a painting of an eclipse, but not just any eclipse. It’s a full solar eclipse. The corona of the sun is clearly visible, and there are even some solar flares painted on the sun. You lose yourself in the intricate detail of the painting.
[img] http://javisjones.com/wp-content/gallery/colors-dec07-may08/solar_eclipse.jpg[/img]
As you look at the painting, you feel a presence approach from behind. You turn around, and are surprised to see Celestia herself. She’s also looking at the painting, and so you look back to it. Several minutes pass, and finally you can take the silence no longer.
“Princess, I have something I’d like to ask you.”
“And what would that be, Knight?” It doesn’t surprise you that she knows your name. Very little that either princess does surprises you.
“Luna received this tome as a gift yesterday. My sister claims to have overheard a conversation between two ponies in the maze that would indicate that this book is a threat. I was hoping, m’lady, that you would take the time to examine it, and see if there is any basis to the threat.” Celestia levitates the book off your back, and she motions for you to follow.
Through the windows you pass, you catch a glimpse of Celestia’s tower. It is taller than Luna’s, and it has even more decorations. Atop the tower is a large rotating effigy of the sun. With only half as many buttresses as Luna’s tower, Celestia’s looked more welcoming. Before long you found yourself before the massive doors that led to Celestia’s study.
With a casual spell the massive doors parted, granting access to you and Celestia. She entered, and you followed. You had always been of the opinion that Luna had a very nicely decorated study. It had a good assortment of bits and baubles, and enough bookshelves to give the feeling of a true study.
Celestia’s study was far more grand than you could’ve imagined. There were dozens of bookshelves, all stuffed with tomes and scrolls. You cast your gaze around the room, taking in all there is to see, and yet you still miss parts of it.
Celestia seats herself on one of the large chairs in the room, and you stand a respectful distance away. The book that was the source of your suspicion is slowly lifted in a shimmering white aura. Celestia’s eyes narrow, and the book slowly rotates under her intense scrutiny. After a few minutes Celestia’s horn glows more brightly. The aura around the book glows brighter as well.
You spend almost an hour watching Celestia perform her work on the book. Finally she places it back on the table.
“I have seen nothing out of place in the book. Other than the latent magical energies of a spell written on paper, there is nothing.” She levitates the book towards you, and you place it on your back.
“Are you certain, Princess? Should something befall Luna I fear that so much could go wrong. You are the only being who could stand against her. Out of all of Equestria, you are the only pony who would be able to stop Luna.” You pause, realizing just what you are saying. “Princess, would you be able to stop Luna, if something went wrong? I don’t mean kill her, but to go about stopping your own sister?”
Celestia looks away from you, and you wait for a response. “I don’t know, Knight. I have often wondered what would happen if one of us turned on the other. We have been together for longer than I care to remember, but we have never truly fought with each other. There have been disagreements, but never any actual fights.”
You nod your head. “I understand, Princess.”
“Do you? Can you? Can you understand what it is that Luna and I do? We hold the entire planet in our hooves. We have so much power, and yet we are forced to hold back, to protect the ponies of Equestria. I fear that one day one of us will snap.” She seems to be looking into the distance, without actually seeing anything around her. You just stand back, and watch, unsure of what to do in this situation.
She suddenly looks at you. “Oh my. I really shouldn’t trouble you with my worries. Take the tome back to my sister. As far as I can tell it is safe.” You bow, and turn to head from the room. Before you can exit, though, you hear Celestia’s voice once more. It is softly spoken, and you aren’t quite sure that it was even said at all. “Keep Luna safe, Knight. For all of us.”
You slowly head back to Luna’s tower, wondering just what Celestia’s warning was related to. Surely she had been only speaking hypothetically. You give a sharp shake of your head. Celestia wouldn’t have said that the tome was safe if it wasn’t. I need to trust that she knows what she’s doing. The whole situation has thrown you for a loop, and you are too distracted by your thoughts to really pay attention to where you are going.
This distraction proved to be your undoing, as you soon found yourself lost in the halls of the palace. While you were confident that you would be able to get where you needed to go, the fact that you were on a quest for Luna added weight to your situation. The halls all looked the same, and so you had no real reference with which to find your way. Soon, though, you found yourself in a large hall, and in the middle of the room rested the most precious artifacts in the whole kingdom.
There, sitting on an intricately carved marble pedestal, were the Elements of Harmony. You knew that there were hundreds of magical wards protecting them, but you cautiously approached anyway. Few ponies had ever seen the elements, up close, or even from a distance. Each one represented one facet of true harmony, and they each held an unmistakable beauty.
You bowed your head, in respect for their place in history, and you turned away from them, eager to return to Luna, and return the musty old tome. You wandered the halls for a short time, before you found yourself in familiar territory. Quickly, having recognized where you were, you made your way to Luna’s quarters.
You entered her study, and you found her sitting in one of her chairs, reading some other tome from her collection. As you entered, her eyes snapped up, and looked at you. Her eyes seemed to lack the same spark that used to be there, but as she looked at you the small spark seemed to return slowly.
“I see you have returned, Knight. I trust you have brought me good news?” You smile, and take the book from your back, before bringing it over to her.
“Yes, m’lady. Even under the scrutiny of Princess Celestia, the book is clean of any trace of magic. I only did my duty, and I am pleased to see that it was ultimately unnecessary.” Luna returns your smile, and she places the book she was reading on the small table, and then she opens the new tome, eager to resume her reading. You stand at attention, waiting to do whatever it is that she may require of you.
“Is there anything you require, Princess?” You wait for a response, but when none is forthcoming, you remain where you are. You repeat yourself, and Luna looks up at you this time.
“No, Knight. I will busy myself with this book. You may go for the night. Thank you for your diligence.”
You bow, and head for the door. “Thank you, Princess. Have a pleasant evening.” She simply continues reading, as if she never even heard what you said. You look to the two guards outside her room. A nagging feeling passes through your gut, and despite the words of Princess Celestia, you feel compelled to keep your guard up.
“I want Luna’s quarters under constant watch. Nopony goes in, or out, without my leave. The princesses are both exceptions, but other than them, I want to know who sees the Princess. Am I clear?”
Both guards nod, and respond. “Yes, sir.” You smile, and relax somewhat.
“Something feels off, and I fear that our Princess may be caught up in the middle of it all. I pray that my suspicions are baseless, but if there is truly something amiss I want to know of it as soon as possible.”
You make your way down a few shorter halls, and to the quarters of Luna’s constant watch. The leader of this force reports directly to you, and he is at his desk, filling out some paperwork when you enter. He snaps to attention when you enter, and you calmly motion for him to return to his seat.
“Phalanx, I want you to double the guard for Luna’s outings, and her quarters. I suspect that something may be wrong, and I want to do everything in my power to stop it. No word is to spread of what I am doing. Especially not to the Princesses. Should they ask you directly, do not lie, but, also, do not volunteer information regarding this.”
“As you command, captain.” You take a seat opposite Phalanx, and he looks at you.
“I hope that what I am doing is right. I am going behind the Princess’ back, doubling the guard without her leave to do so. Phalanx, we’ve known each other for a few years, now. What do you think I should do?”
“Captain… Knight, you’ve always had a level head on your shoulders. I trust your judgment. If you think we need to exercise more caution, and increase the guard, so be it. And should your fears prove baseless, the cost to the treasury will be minimal.”
“And what if I’m right? What will we do if I’m right, and there is an attack against the princess?”
“Then you will have either saved her, or you will have done all you could. To suspect, and act is caution. To suspect, and stand idle is foolishness. Do what you think is right, Knight. Nopony will fault you for being wrong.”
“Thank you, Phalanx. I will be taking my leave, now. Should anything come about do not hesitate to summon me here.” You rise from the seat, and make your way home. The city is as quiet as always at this hour, and so you are able to get home quickly. You are the only one moving in the house, as it is deathly silent. You quietly make your way to Moonbeam’s room, and you gently open the door.
You see her lying in her bed, and you are about to close the door when you hear her gently call your name. You make your way to her, and you sit on the bed, careful not too crush her. “What do you need, Moonbeam?”
“I’m just glad you’re home. Did anything exciting happen today?” She’s still sleepy, but you are honestly glad to speak with her, if only briefly.
“Well, I expressed my concerns to Luna once more, and she allowed me to have the book examined. Celestia herself took the time to examine the book, and she said it was safe. I know that you, and your new friends, suspected something, but I am not so sure. I fear something may be happening, so I took some precautions to safeguard against something happening.”
“Thanks, big bro.” She gives you a small hug, and then she lies back down, clearly ready to sleep once more. You slowly stand, and make your way out of her room, and to your own.
I’m doing all I can to prevent threats to the Princess. Now, all I can hope is that it is enough. You slowly crawl into bed, and you look at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to claim you. Your dreams begin pleasant, but over the course of the night they turn less, and less, pleasant. A few times you wake, disturbed enough to be forced to wakefulness. True rest escapes you, and you sleep the night through in short bouts.
(I hope that this seems a bit more in character. If not, let me know what I've done wrong.)
