The moon shone brightly in the sky above the peaceful land. The stars twinkled in the pitch black night sky, each so bright, it felt like somepony could reach out and touch one. Night was usually the best part of the day for most, mainly because the world was at peace, from the moment the moon rose into the sky, all the way to dawn. Tonight, however, was different.
In the White Tail Woods, just a few short puddle jumps south of the capitol city of Canterlot, a brown pegasus stallion worked his way through the thick trees and brush that blanketed the land. He was on his way to a clearing, which was a special place in his heart. His violet eyes sliced through the cool, dark late-summer air as he walked through short bushes. From hoof to head, he was plated with a shiny set of soothing blue armor. The chestplate part of his main armor piece was dark blue with lighter blue stripes, complete with a serpent eye dead center on his armor. His wings remained shut tightly against his sides as he marched fearlessly through the forest. Above, the moonlight just barely broke through the leaves, creating small white rays which stretched through to the ground, which waved slightly thanks to the shadow of the leaves shifting in the light breeze. Part of the stallion's jet black mane, which wasn't under the protection of his blue helmet, jumped lightly in the breeze. It was a good feeling, but tonight, he wasn't feeling or showing happiness.
Finally, after what felt like hours, he reached a large clearing in the trees. The moon was large and bright the moment he stepped out of the trees and bushes, as were the stars, which blinked and shimmered in the dark sky. He sat in the four-inch high grass, which waved slowly in the breeze. A cold chill forced his wings to pop off of his sides, but they remained at his sides despite not being fully closed. He stared up at the moon, which was different than it was a long time ago. He was staring at Princess Luna.
"Hey, Luna, it's Radiant. Radiant Star," He started, smiling a bit up at the moon. "Look. I just...I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for everything. I-...I'm sorry for being the nuisance I am. I don't really know what you saw in such a worthless excuse of a stallion like me, but..."
He looked down at his hooves, his ears pinning down as he tried to think of things to say, before glancing back up at the moon and stars.
"I just want you to know, I tried...I tried to help you. I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to save you..."
Tears slowly formed in his violet eyes as he stared up at the moon, in pure lust. Radiant then reached his arm up and bent it, wiping the water from his eyes, before looking back up at the mare in the moon.
"Remember when you first brought me out here, and we played with the lightning bugs?" Radiant chuckled and smiled lightly. "I miss that. Then when we laid down right here, and we stargazed,-" He slowly looked down again. "-then we both saw that shooting star, and wished that that moment could last forever...good old times."
The breeze slowly stopped, and the sound of leaves and grass waving around faded away, but he refused to notice.
"I hope...I-I hope you know that I savored every moment I spent with you," He looked up again. "because those were the best moments of my life. I also hope you don't think I'm a freak, because I wanted to have the job to escort you anywhere you desired. I only wanted to care for you, to protect you, and I failed you. I failed everyone. I am a failure."
Tears filled Radiant's glassy eyes once more, but this time he did not resist stopping them. His heart beat painfully as memories flashed by.
"All of our times together, Luna and Rady...heh...now that I think about it, that name sounds good on me." His pupils trembled as he stared at the grass, which had some dew on it. A tear broke free from his eye, and it crept down his face.
"Where are we going, your highness?"
"Rady, thou does know thou doesn't have to call me 'your highness', correct?"
"Hey, you're the princess of the moon. I would hate to have my head cut off by Celestia for calling you Luna."
"My sister Tia would never do such an insane and horrible thing to a handsome stallion like yourself."
Radiant blushed and continued to follow Luna through the trees. "Aww, I'm not handsome."
"Thou is, stop denying. I ask of you nicely to call me, Luna." Luna smiled back at the brown pegasus, before walking over a short bush and into a clearing, where the moon shone bright and high in the sky.
Radiant glanced around, smiling brightly at the sight of the clearing, as well as the view of the sky.
"Whoa, Luna. What is this place?" He looked around as the blue alicorn walked over to a spot in the grass, sitting down in it.
"A place I found a few years ago, where me and Tia used to play," She sighed contently, looking up at the moon. "Tis a nice clearing."
Radiant walked over and sat next to Luna, looking up at the moon with her and smiling.
"It's beautiful, is it not?" Luna glanced over and smiled.
"It is." Radiant smiled at the moon and stars.
Unknowingly, he reached a hoof out and wrapped it around Luna's side. The mare was shocked for a brief moment, but smiled more and leaned against the stallion. Radiant's eyes widened slightly, and he looked down at Luna, who was now laying her head on his shoulder. She sighed happily and closed her eyes, moments later feeling even more comfort as Radiant gently rubbed her side.
"Are you ticklish?" Luna opened her eyes and looked up.
Radiant looked off to the side and up, "Well, uh, not reall- OOH!" He burst out laughing, flopping onto his side as Luna tickled under his wings and hooves.
Luna giggled and stopped for a moment. "Not ticklish, huh?"
Radiant laughed and was contorted on the grass, wiping a tear away. "O-okay, maybe a li-"
Luna pounced on the stallion and tickled more, holding him down as he wiggled and laughed.
"Lu-hahaha! Luna! St-hahaha-p!" Radiant laughed louder. "Luna...hahaha...stop!"
"Luna, stop this!"
"Why should I? You get all of the praise for your 'precious' sun, while I get shunned and frowned upon for my beautiful moon and night!" Luna, now transformed into the wicked Nightmare Moon, stomped her hoof.
"Luna, listen to me, your night is beautiful. Who told you it is frowned upon?" Celestia levitated six gem stones in the air in a light yellow aura, three at both of her sides.
Lightning cracked in the sky, around a black sphere high in the sky, eclipsing the sun.
"All ponies hate my night, now I will force them to see that it is more than what they all think it is! GUARDS!"
Four lunar guards, two pegasi and two bat ponies, landed between Nightmare Moon and Princess Celestia, all armed to the teeth with spears and knives.
"Please, Luna, don't make me do this!" Celestia's eyes were glassy as she faced the guards in the eyes. Her horn lit brighter, and a blast of sunlight hit the guards. Nightmare Moon turned away to avoid being blinded, but when the flash faded, her guards' armor sat on the floor, the ponies themselves completely gone.
"What have you done with my guards?!" She stared in shock at the armor, then up at Celestia.
"They're banished to Tartarus, Luna. But, you cannot be banished there. In turn, I banish you Luna to the moon!" A tear fell from Celestia's eye as the words slipped from her mouth, and she fired a beam of magic at the gem stones in her magical grip, the Elements of Harmony.
Down the hall, Radiant Star ran into the room, sliding to a stop a distance behind Nightmare Moon. He watched in shock as the room shook, and the light from Celestia's magic as well as the elements lit the long hallway.
"What?! You cannot banish me!" Nightmare Moon stepped forward.
"Yes...Luna...I can."
Celestia halted, before the elements fired a beam of magic one at a time at the nightmare alicorn standing before her. The elements emanated their own colors, all combining to create a rainbow tornado which wrapped around Nightmare Moon.
"No! NOOOOO!" Nightmare screamed and tried to run, before the magic from the elements blasted her into the sky and into the moon in a powerful blast of energy. A shockwave ring from the amount of magic burst around the moon, and soon shook the earth, a sign Luna was now banished into the moon.
Radiant's world came to a screeching halt. He slowly sat down, staring at Celestia, who was setting down the elements and panting out of an excessive use of magic.
"N...no..." Radiant's violet eyes glassed up, and a tear fell from his face. His ears were pinned down, and he breathed heavily. Radiant then glanced up at the moon, which now had shadows on it, resembling an alicorn mare; Princess Luna.
"Ugh!" He growled, ducking onto the grass and putting his hooves on his head, shedding tears simultaneously. He screamed in anger, then cried out loud, punching the dirt a couple of times. He cried for a full minute, before sitting back up and staring at the moon once more, still crying silently. He then grabbed his helmet and threw it off of his head, which bounced on the wet grass and came to a stop a few feet away. His black mane fell down, no longer held in his helmet
"Luna, please! Come back! We need you back, I need you back!"
Radiant cried, his chest pulsating from the heavy breathing as tears streamed down his cheeks. He grit his teeth in lust and some anger, before sobbing into his hooves, still sitting up in the grass. He cried loudly as more memories flashed through his mind, before a final image of the moon just after her banishment glued itself in his mind. Radiant slowly pulled his hooves away, and looked at them. They were soaked with his salty tears, and he wiped them against his coat which wasn't much of a help. He reached into his armor and pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose into it, before folding it up neatly and placing it back into his lunar armor. Radiant then looked back up at the moon, still with glassy eyes.
"When are you coming back, Luna?" He stared, his heartbeat slowing to a calm pace. "I pray every night that you will come home some day...I want everything to go back the way it was, I wish you would be here...because I love you."
The breeze slightly picked up, ruffling his wing feathers a bit as he stared up at the moon, completely frozen at his last words. More tears built up in his eyes as he froze. Radiant slowly looked down at the grass, which was no longer moving. In a small area where the grass was smashed down, sat a small picture of Luna just a week before she turned to Nightmare Moon, of her with Radiant at her side, both smiling. He shed another tear, which fell onto the picture. He slowly picked the picture up in his hooves, wiping the tear off with one and wiping at his nose. The picture made his heart warm slightly, and a small smile cracked on his face. He stared for a full two minutes, before looking back up at the moon.
"Please, come home soon Luna." He mumbled to himself, before tucking the picture into his chestplate and standing up. He walked back towards the trees, leaving his helmet behind in the grass, slightly but unnoticeably dented after being thrown into the ground from anger.
"I miss you."
