Chapter 01: Sound of Silence

How long had it been since she'd seen this night sky?

Not for an age. The last she'd seen of it, she was a small child and so full of imagination. Those were innocent times, naive times. They were times when she could see the stars take the form of animals and play about the sky. They were times when she felt at home in her own dreams, instead of feeling the need to hide within the nightmares of others.

Where had such sense of wonder gone? She began to ponder this, but set it aside in her mind. Now wasn't the time to rediscover her innocence.

Getting caught up in the scene around her wasn't easy though. She had missed the rolling fields painted with brushstrokes of night. Long had she forgotten the stunning beauty of ghostly Nightglow Blossoms blanketing the hill to mimic the stars in the sky. Fireflies soothingly blinked in hypnotic rhythm, begging her to get up and chase them with laughter.

The smell of the earth, so reminiscent of a pony she seldom liked to think of, beckoned her to roll around in the grass like a filly. Oh to be a filly again and envelope herself in this once wonderful landscape of her own making.

No, not of just her own making.

Such a thought violently ripped her from her mental wandering and back into the present. The co-architect of this dreamy vista sat across from her. Amidst the pale-glowing blossoms sat a silhouette of the deepest black.

Smoldering eyes of green gazed back at her in withheld fury. Its inky-black figure resembled a pony, yet it constantly swirled and shifted like the surface of a stream. On its flank, the image of a black moon greedily sucked in the silky light that barely illuminated the flower-swept hills around them.

Being in its — no her — presence made Luna's heart beat hard and fast enough for her body quiver. She was scared and nervous, but there was an odd peace that waited just below such paralyzing emotions.

Being near this pony-shaped shadow felt deliciously familiar.

It felt like coming back to a home she'd nearly forgotten. It felt like seeing her sister's near blinding smile after a thousand years of heartbreaking loneliness. She imagined this is what it felt like to see your mother again after being apart for so very long. How had she gone so long without noticing that she yearned for this familiar presence?

“Hello Darkness” she greeted. Her voice was raspy and breathless with nerves. Her body quaked again, and her heart lurched when the shadow's eyes narrowed. She prayed to the stars above that Twilight's advice would prove true.

“Hello, my darling Luna” Darkness answered back.

Author's Note

There's the opening chapter of my hopefully not-so-long story. I do want to establish a few things before we continue. I added the "Alternate Universe" tag because I plan on introducing themes and backstory that I wouldn't even entertain as canon. I do, however, think these concepts would be pretty awesome regardless. So, don't think that everything you read in this story is my "head canon".

Also, though this is mostly a Luna story, there will be some Celestia-centric bits. I'm not in the camp that wants to paint her as a dictator, or overly controlling. I actually think she has a big heart.... perhaps too big?

Anyway, this is the last long(ish) note I plan to write until the final chapter. I hope you enjoy the story!