WHEN MIDNIGHT FALLS

Chapters

An Inproptue Meeting.
A Simple Colt.
The First Notes of Love.

An Inproptue Meeting.

The storm blew cool night air through the open doors of Luna's balcony as she lay resting on her glorious bed not sleeping but peeking into the dreams of her loyal subjects seeing through her eyes what lay within their subconscious minds. Many were dreaming simple dreams. Old memories being replayed, or dreams of what they desired for the future. And others had more interesting dreams playing through their heads. One Unicorn colt was climbing a mountain of Muffins then fell down after tripping over one, which caused a huge muffin-slide that carried him back down. Luna smiled to herself as she watched the colt eat muffins as he was being carried away by them.

"That was a silly dream." Luna thought to herself as she left the colts dream and was heading for another when a loud crash pulled her out of her journey. "What in all of Equestria...was....that?" Luna stared at her stone floor. There was something large and very dark there. It wasn't moving but she was taking no chances with it. She fired up her magic ready to strike at a moments notice. The wind blew into her room from the open balcony archway as Luna stood at attention looking at the odd addition to her floor. She had at first thought it to be nothing more than a rouge branch blown in from the storm, but then the form groaned.

She paused for only a moment wondering if this creature might be some form of enemy who had botched its sneak attack. But as a pair of impressively large wings unfolded and the form began to rise she saw it was a Pegasi. She rushed over to the figure who she found was quite taller than herself once he'd stood to his full height. She looked him over sensing that he wasn't actually hurt by his tumble from the sky. The colt was huge compared to other colts and Luna wondered if he was actually a colt at all and not a stallion. But his wide eyes though aged by the labors of his profession were the wide curious eyes of a colt still able to be surprised by things that happened in his life.

"I beg your pardon Miss, I didn't mean to come through your balcony and disturb your slumber." She nodded to him and spoke softly with the Royal Canterlot tongue.

"Nay my good colt you did not disturb our slumber as we were not yet asleep. Tell us, what has occurred to cause thou to fall so unceremoniously from the heavens." The colt looked at her perplexed but recovered quickly as he realized just who's balcony he'd come crashing through.

"My Princess, I beg thee forgiveness for the intrusion. There is a storm coming My Princess and it is a rather roguish one. It hath caused us much calamity. A most vexatious storm indeed My Princess. But fret not for mine comrades and I shall dispel this boorish monstrosity of wind and rain post haste that thoust beautiful moon might shine a pond the sleeping faces of thy loyal subjects." Luna smiled at his more than proper mannerisms.

"How very well thou hast spoken faithful servant. Tell thine Princess thoust name that We may remember thoust good deeds and loyalties." The colt smiled and Luna was enthralled by his eyes which shimmered as silvery bright as the moon as he spoke.

"My Princess thou praise is most kindly given and graciously received. But I am but a humble Night Watcher who's job is simple enough and unworthy of your notice. Alas my name is even simpler and far beneath your precious time or concern." Luna frowned and looked sternly into the eyes of the colt. Though he was larger than Luna the colt felt like a small foal before her piercing gaze. Luna stood tall before the colt who had lowered his head but was still slightly taller than she was. Luna knew she still had more growing to do herself, after all Alicorns grew based on the level of their magical powers. So she knew she wasn't yet full grown.

But seeing this colt who was certainly much younger than her standing taller than her even as he was cowering made a twinge of anger flow through her. Not at the colt, he was after all just a humble servant. He couldn't help his size. But her sister could help hers. Celestia, Princess of the Sun; She knew exactly how to help Luna gain more magical power. And thus she knew how to help Luna become more than just her tiny little lunar sister. But Tia would not bestow the knowledge nor magic on her and that baffled and angered Luna to no end. Luna was pulled from her dark ponderings by a calm smooth male voice. It was the colt and Luna was taken aback by the relaxing effects his voice made on her mind.

"My Princess, please forgive your humble servant. T'was not my place to question your desire to know my name. If it pleases you to know, my name is Midnight Rain. My father was Night Falls and my mother is Ebony Sky. I am but a humble weather Pegasi of the infamous Midnight Patrol Unit." The gaze Luna had fixated on him had compelled Midnight to speak for fear he'd angered the Lunar Princess. Midnight smiled at Luna. "I hope you'll remember me when I am gone My Princess as mine will be a short life. We do not live long on the Midnight Patrol but we live with constant excitement!" Midnight looked towards the open balcony doors.

"Alas on this, I must depart My Princess. Mine comrades will surely think me dead if I am not back soon. I am honored to have met you in person My Dear Princess Luna. I pray you keep me in you're thoughts, knowing you are thinking if me will give me strength to fight any storm." Luna nodded in reply to Midnight. Words escaped her at the moment as she led him to the balcony. The wind whirled around them and Luna looked over the land. She knew that other ponies couldn't see past the storms rain and wind but her Alicorn magic made her eyes sharper. She could see the destruction the storm was causing and wondered if Midnight would survive taming it.

"Midnight Rain...As your Princess I command you to do you're very best in you're duties to the crown, however, as a mare who knows life is dangerous I ask that you take care of thyself and do not take foolish risks." She smiled and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Go forth my brave servant, serve you're Princess well. And may the light of the moon shine in the darkness of the night for you." Midnight bowed to Luna spread his wings and flew into the night. One of his feathers came loose when he flew away and Luna picked it up from the stone floor.

It was a beautiful midnight blue with deep violet tips that faded into a rich, solid black. Luna returned to her bed took out a large black diary that had shimmering silver stars all over it and tucked the feather into it. She had a feeling that this colt would someday be something important though she didn't know just how important to her he would be. A knock sounded at her door and when she opened the door with her magic Celestia Princess of the Sun was standing there with a concerned look on her face.

"Luna, What are you doing in here? I heard a loud thumping sound. Are you Ok?" Celestia looked at her little sister curiously. Luna smiled.

"Oh yes Dearest Tia I am well. I simply stumbled over myself. I was startled by something I saw that is all." Celestia looked at Luna harder her eyes searching her face for the real reason for the noise but she then smiled back at Luna.

"I see, Well perhaps that is enough Dream Watching tonight then. Come lets have some hot cocoa in our secret study. Luna shook her head.

"That's ok Tia, I think I will call it a night." Celestia looked at her sister in shock and confusion as Luna closed the door in her face.She stood there a moment perplexed by what had just happened. Luna loved cocoa and she loved being in their "secret" study. It always tickled Celestia how everypony knew about the study but for Luna's sake they pretended not to notice when shed slip away into the hidden door. Celestia stood a moment more thinking on why Luna would reject her offer to spend time together but then shrugged it off to being that maybe she was tired from Dream Watching. Celestia knew that Dream Watching was a form of mind reading and it drained a lot of magical power from Luna. She turned and headed back down the hall wondering to herself if she should help Luna gain more magical power so the strain of Dream Watching wouldn't be so great on her. But if she did that Luna would also grow in size and her demeanor would also change to being more one of a mare than of a filly.

Celestia loved her little sister being the happy filly she was, though in truth, Luna was already larger than most full grown mares. Celestia looked at the tapestries hanging along Luna's corridor. They showed her life from her birth to their battle with Tireck and their battle with Discord and finally their unification of all pony domains under one ruling body, Them. The window at the end of the corridor showed Luna raising the moon majestically looking up to the night sky as a full and bright moon rose behind her.Silver rays shown from her horn and her body was lined in silver to show the magic of the Night flowing through her. Celestia sighed. Her sister was not a little filly anymore was she. She'd stood by her and fought off many evil enemies something no filly could have done and every night she raised the moon and gave console to subjects who were having turmoil by giving them sweet dreams. She was shouldering the responsibilities of a full grown mare and yet Celestia realized she was still being viewed as a young filly.

Celestia vowed to herself then that she would start training Luna in how to gain magical power from the cosmos themselves just as she herself did. It was time Luna became a full fledged Alicorn Mare. Celestia sighed as she looked up the corridor that led to her own room. Shed miss her little actually little sized sister. But she was excited to watch Luna bloom into a powerful Princess just as she herself had done. She opened the door to her room, walked in closing it behind her and went to bed. Luna listened to her sister walk slowly down the hall and back to her own room. She knew that walk and knew that her sister was thinking deeply about something. What was it that was on her mind? Probably something about her.

Luna turned and trotted outside onto the balcony. She sighed softly as the wind blew her flowing mane around. Celestia's mane and tail were made of pure magic that radiated from within her body due to the sheer amount of magic she possessed. Luna looked at her own light blue colored mane which was indeed beautiful and shined and flowed like the purest of crystal waters, but it was still just regular hair. Why would Celestia not trust her with more magical power. Why did she insist that Luna was too young to learn about the magic she possessed. Luna furrowed her brows.

"Why does she always treat me like a foal when I am clearly more of a mare than many of the fully grown mares in our kingdom...." A strong gust of wind hit Luna and blew her hair in all directions. "This storm is most fowl, Please...Midnight Rain....Be Well and stay safe tonight." Luna gazed in the direction that Midnight had flown as rain started to pour down on her. She wished with all of her heart to see him again. In her very soul she hoped he would be ok even if no others in his group made it, she knew it was cruel, but she wanted to see him again.

In that moment she wanted to see him again more than anything else.

A Simple Colt.

Midnight braced himself for the wind that was about to hit him. He knew it would knock him off course if he didn't fight it. But he was good, his wings were strong and could handle the strain of it. Midnight sighed as his mind wandered to Princess Luna. She was more beautiful up close than he could have ever imagined. Most colts had a crush mare that they knew they'd never be able to have. Most colts drooled over Princess Celestia complimenting her pure white coat and the fact that she brought the day to the land. But Midnight always loved the night. His mother often said that because he was born at night it made perfect sense his love for it. And as for his crush mare, Midnight loved Luna. She was His Princess. Oh yes, he served them both but the one he wished to meet, the one he wished to be recognized by, the one he wouldn't mind dying for, was always Luna. Midnight rolled with the wind as the gust tried to push him off course. His wings tucked in close to his body making them stiffer and able to handle the force from the air pressing against them. As the gust past, Midnight unfurled his wings allowing them to catch the wind again and carry him to the heart of the storm. There they would kill this beast of wind and rain and bring safety to the land.

Midnight considered every storm as alive. No matter how small or large the storm was, to him it was a living thing that demanded respect. A storm could take out an entire platoon of Night Watchers or if controlled properly it could be turned into rain clouds that could be used to water crops. Midnight understood storms, better than he understood anything else really. It wasn't that he was dumb, no he was far from dumb. But he was a simple colt. He liked to keep things simple in his life and while others sought excitement he sought tranquillity. Midnight understood complex things very well and had a knack for simplifying the hardest of problems. He was viewed by all his comrades as something of a good luck charm. Sense he joined the Sixth Platoon of Night Watchers their casualties and injuries rates had dropped substantially. The group believed it was because of his name that he was so good at reading the rogue night storms. At one point they even wanted to appoint Midnight as leader of the platoon but he declined wanting only to help serve. As he flew onward he wondered if he should have taken the position. Would Luna have been more impressed by him if he were the platoon leader? He let his mind wander to Luna and his body started to drift off course.

"HEY MIDNIGHT GET YOUR ARSE IN LINE AND STOP DAY DREAMING!!" A loud deep voice pulled Midnight out of his head and into the storm again. The voice belong to Thunder Clap the stallion who was appointed leader after Midnight declined. Thunder was a thick stallion with strong wings and a powerful voice. He was a dark grey with a mane and tail that were a brilliantly bright white. When his mane was pulled straight back along his spine it was long enough to reach his tail. And with a brilliant white blaze that ran up his face from his muzzle it gave him the effect of lightning streaking from within him, traveling along his back, and off his rump. Midnight focused on Thunder as he spoke, he noted just how many scars he had and wondered how many storms he'd survived.

"PLATOON WE ARE GOING TO DISSIPATE THIS STORM AND BREAK IT INTO FOUR SMALLER RAIN CLOUDS TO BE USED AT MULTIPLE FARMS. MIDNIGHT WILL DIRECT YOUR COURSE OF FLIGHT SO LISTEN UP!!! MIDNIGHT YOU HAVE THE SKY..." Thunder Clap flew back getting in formation with the rest of the group as Midnight flew forward. Midnight spoke loudly, though he couldn't match Thunders power, as he informed the group of his plan of attack.

"Thank You Thunder Sir. We are going to reverse the winds flow. That will stop this hurricane like effect we are seeing in the storm. After that we can separate the clouds into four small rain clouds and use them to water some of the farms that haven't gotten enough moister." Midnight explained which group was to do what and they set to work. Despite the storms power Midnight knew it would be tamed petty easily and sure enough after fifteen minutes of work the storm started to collapse and dissipate. Four large rain clouds were made from the dying storm and they were flown to farms that needed rain and drained till they were no more. Thunder flew up next to Midnight and thumped him on the shoulder.

"Great job Midnight. We got through that one with nothing more than cuts and scrapes. You are amazing at telling what the storms gonna do." Midnight nodded and thanked Thunder who flew off to check on the other platoon members. A bright light shined on Midnight, looking up he saw the clouds vanishing and the Moon was shining bright and full as if to thank them for clearing the sky. Midnight smiled.

"You're Welcome My Princess." He didn't know how but he felt as if he were standing before Luna again. She really was an amazing mare. Midnight let his mind wander to thoughts of Luna as they finished their jobs and headed back to their homes. In a few short hours Celestia would be raising the Sun and Luna would be sleeping. Midnight wondered if she might dream of him as he was sure he was going to dream of her.

Luna's eyes glowed a silvery white as she looked over the land through the light of the moon. She was looking for one pony in particular. Gazing around through the moons light was a bit strange as she could see in many directions all at once. But she soon found who she was looking for. Midnight was hovering in midair gazing at the moon. Luna gasped as she looked him over. He was glorious floating there like a fallen piece of her night sky. His eyes twinkled in her moonlight like two stars. His blue black mane and tail flowed like silk and shimmered like dark water. He was gazing at the moon and while Luna knew this she couldn't shake the feeling he was actually looking back at her.

"Thank You, Most Faithful Servant." She whispered to herself and jumped when Midnight replied back as if he'd heard her. She now knew that whatever it was there was something very special about this colt and she was determined to find out what. She turned and returned to her room as Midnight went into his small cloud home. Her moonlight reached into the house very well as Midnight had every window exposed to her light. But Luna didn't want to watch him sleep. She lay on her bed and closed her eyes. No, she would not watch him sleep. She would join him in his sleep. She let her body relax into a comfortable position so it could rest as she let her mind wander in Midnight's dream world. The journey into anothers mind was a dangerous one. Getting lost on the trip could leave the body unprotected and the soul in mortal danger. But for Luna Dream Watching was second nature. She'd been doing it sense she was a very small filly. She let the sounds and sights of other dreamers pass by her. She was looking for one ponys dream and she soon found it. Midnights dream world was one of dark shadows and mist but Luna was not worried about this as this was often what dream worlds looked like before the ponys brain formulated a true dream world. And as expected Midnight was walking through the mist when Luna found him.

He had a glazed look in his eyes and Luna knew that he was still partially awoke. She needed to wait till he was fully asleep before she interfered in his dreams. Traveling into anothers dream wasnt the only danger. Tampering with anothers dreams while they were still falling into the dream state was also dangerous. Any pony who was over ambitious and moved to fast to get into another ponies head could cause the other pony to remain in a dream state or could get them both stuck in the dream state. Luna having done this forever knew how to wait patiently for somepony to fall completely into their dreams. After a while Midnights eyes started to clear and he got more focused as he walked. This was good, it meant he was falling completely into the dream world and soon Luna would be able to let him know she was there. Midnight stopped walking and looked up. In the blink of an eye Luna was in his dream world. All around her where once there had been only mist and darkness there were now stars and planets. Midnight was flying through space Luna realized, but to where she was unsure. Midnight flew onward and Luna set her own wings into motion following him at a safe distance so as not to be noticed just yet. She wanted to know where it was that he was going. It didnt take her long to figure out when ahead of them she saw a large round silvery white object. It was the moon! Midnight was flying to the moon and Luna smiled.

"So, he is dreaming of my moon. Mayhap he is thinking of seeing me again." She thought to herself. She shrouded herself in bright light and flew past Midnight so fast he thought she was a shooting star. She intentionally flew past the moon and then when she knew she was out of his sight she turned around and landed on the moons surface before a beautiful castle. She smiled looking at the castle Midnight had created of Moonstones and Pearls on his dream moon. Clearly, it was meant to pay homage to her. Luna saw a large window and decided to fly into the castle before Midnight arrived. Once inside she was amazed by the details that were already formed within Midnights mind about the place. Most ponies formed details as they came into areas within their dreams which meant that when Luna decided to go ahead of them in a dream it was almost like stepping off a movie set where the fake world looked one way but the rest of the world looked dark and fuzzy. But not here, within Midnights lunar castle there were details everywhere including beautiful paintings that depicted Luna in regal glory and majesty. Everywhere she looked the castle seemed to be a monolithic museum dedicated to her. Her triumphs her history everything about her was depicted in this castle. Even some of the tapestries that were in the castle looked exactly like the ones in the real Canterlot castle.

There were statues and carvings along the pillars of the castle that each depicted her raising the moon during various phases of the moons cycle. She came to a stairway not quite sure how shed even gotten there and as she descended the stairs she saw that they led into a Grand Hall. And it was here that she saw the most beautiful of depiction of herself that shed ever seen in either the dream world or the real world. There gracing the direct center of the uniquely designed hall was a water fountain the size of a small house! But the size of the fountain was a minor part of its impressivness. The main feature that made it impressive was that the fountain was made of intricatly carved gold and silver inlaid with the purest of pearls. Each tiny pearl added its color to the next creating a mural of Luna. She stared at the fountain in awe. Of all those who had loved her as their Princess shed never seen any create such stunning beauty within their mind and souly just in her honor. The fountain Luna was standing atop gold and silver clouds in the very center of in.

She was looking towards the heavens with one forleg raised in a majestic pose that gave the viewer the feeling that at any momment she would simply flap her wide spread wings and fly away. Water flowed out of openings carved into the silver of the intricatly detailed mane and tail thus giving the illusion of movement. The bottom and sides of the fountain were lined with pearls of various shades of white blue and yellow giving a feel of the clouds in the sky to the crystal clear water within. Luna was stunned beyond words when she looked up following the gaze of the statue of herself and saw that the entire ceiling over the fountain was in fact a giant skylight that allowed the sky to be viewed by all who stood beneath the fountain and gazed upward with it. But it wasnt just the stars that could be seen. There shining like a beautiful blue pearl was the planet Equestri, and all of her beloved subjects in Equestria. For Midnight to think of such details for a place that was only a dream world amazed Luna. So caught in her thoughts and ponderings of Midnights mind was she that she did not notice him approach untill he was right behind her.

"My....My Princess?? What...What are you doing here??" Came a familiar smooth voice and Luna turned to find Midnight gazing at her with a mix of confusion and barely contained joy. Luna cleared her throat as she regained her regal composure.

"Ahem, Midnight..We did not hear you come in. How are thee good and faithful servant? We are here to see if thou art well and to Thank Thee directly for Thine tireless service to the crown." Luna could feel herself blushing slightly, which was not lost on Midnight. He smiled mischieviously realizing that she wasnt telling him the whole truth of why she was there.

"Is that so My Princess? Then I Thank You for coming unto my humble mind to Thank me. However, My Princess if I may be so bold..I do not think that is the only reason you have come? Tell me, were you thinking of seeing me once again as I was thinking of once again seeing you?" The blush on Lunas face deepened and Midnight smiled. "I thought so, I am glad you were thinking of me as well. I do not understand how you are here or if you are real, but I am glad to see your beauty once again even if this is nothing more than a dream." Luna smiled as she felt her heart flutter at his words. It was odd the reaction she was having towards him and she didnt quite understand it but Luna knew in her heart that Midnight was special and she would visit his dreams every night if she had to to figure out why.

"Well, it would seem that We are not as good at hiding Our emotions as We thought We were. Yes Faithful Servant Midnight..We were thinking of seeing thee once again. We wish to know thee better." Luna felt her blush deepen as Midnight smiled and stepped closer to her.

"Well My Princess if you wish to know me better I have one request. Can you refer to yourself as -I- instead of -We-..at least while we are here in this dream world. That would be a good first step for me to get to know you and you to know me. Every time you refer to yourself as -We- or -Us- I half expect your sister Princess Celestia to come from around the corner." Luna blinked for a moment then nodded.

"Yes We..That is..I will speak in first pony while in this dream world with you. And now Midnight Ww....I have a request to ask of you." Midnight perked his ear up.

"Yes My Princess, What do you need of me?" Midnight asked enthusiastically as Luna smiled at him warmly.

"Midnight you may call me Luna while we are in this dream world. There is no need for formalities and titles here. Here we will be equal and my name is Luna." Midnight nodded.

"I understand Prin..Luna..I will call you by your name when we meet here." Luna nodded and turned back towards the fountain.

"This is beautiful Midnight. Ive never seen anything like it. How did you ever think of something so...Amazing?" Luna was startled slightly when Midnight whispered in her ear.

"It wasnt hard to create something this beautiful when the muse its modeled after is even more beautiful." Luna didnt think she could blush any harder but in that instant Midnight proved her wrong and her cheeks actually began to hurt from the amount of blood rushing to them.

"Ah, ahem, well..We..I mean..I, Thank You.." Luna stammered as she moved herself a few steps away from Midnight. He for his part smiled impishly and continued conversing as if nothing had happened.

"Come My Dear Luna, I have more in this castle than just this fountain and there is more without it as well." Luna smiled and fell in step next to Midnight as he led her from the Grand Hall. Hours passed and Luna had seen every inch of the castle and had even toured the garden outside. But in truth she couldnt remember much of what shed seen. Much of her time had been spent stealing glances at Midnight. He was a very handsome colt and Luna found herself being drawn more and more to him. Midnight himself was in a state of utter elation. Here he was talking and walking with the mare that he adored above all others ponies. So what if it was in his dream world and thus could possibly be fake. He was at this moment, with the mare of his dreams and that was all that mattered to him. Luna was also happy to be spending this time with him. She felt like a much younger filly again. It was strange the feelings flowing through her. She knew of falling in love at first sight but she'd never believed that such a thing actually existed. But the feelings flowing through her were definitely the first twangs of loves song. She sighed absent mindedly as she thought of what it would be like to have a deep relationship with this intriguing colt and Midnight looked at her questioningly.

"Luna, is everything ok? Are you getting tired? We can stop and rest...though I am not sure how you can become tired in a dream." Luna smiled.

"Oh No, nothing is wrong I was simply lost in my thoughts." Midnight raised an eye brow.

"I see. So what were you thinking of Luna?" Luna blushed her thoughts had just wandered into a more inappropriate train of thought and she was having a hard time composing herself.

"Well..Ummm..It was about..Uhh..Nothing..It isn't important really..Don't worry about it.." Luna couldn't bring herself to tell Midnight that she was thinking of what it would be like to kiss him. But to her amazement it seemed that he could either read minds or he too had been thinking the same thing because he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Forgive me Luna, but you are so beautiful and I have wanted to kiss your cheek for so long. You may punish me if you feel the need to, I will not run from it." Midnight looked down sheepishly at his hooves. Luna smiled then lifted Midnights chin so he was looking at her. Then she leaned up and placed her lips to his own. Midnights breath caught in his chest at what was playing out before him. Never had his dreams been this realistic. Never had he ever dared to dream of kissing Lunas lips. Luna closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the kiss. She pressed up firmly seeking to deepen the kiss. Midnight responded in kind pressing his lips down tentatively at first then he put more pressure into the kiss matching Luna. She sighed deeply into Midnights lips and lifted her hooves to wrap them around his neck. Midnight shivered at her touch and broke the kiss to gaze into her eyes. "Luna..Tell me honestly..Are you the real Luna or just a figment of my very over active imagination?" Luna smiled sweetly.

"It is late Midnight. In fact the sun will rise soon. Tomorrow afternoon come to the Royal Castle and ask for me. I will answer everything then. But now it is time for me to depart and you to rest. Goodnight Midnight, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow." Midnight tried to speak but he found himself falling into a dark pool. His brain fogged over and he vaguely recalled seeing Luna flying away and then...Darkness.

The First Notes of Love.

Luna pulled herself out of Midnights mind and sighed softly as her room came into focus. Her heart was beating fast and she could still feel the rosy heat of a blush on her cheeks. She giggled to herself as she thought about Midnight's beautiful dream world and the castle he'd build there in honor of her. Everything about it was breath taking and far beyond what Luna expected any pony to make for her, even if she was their favorite Princess. She yawned slightly as the strain of dream watching began to weigh on her. Luna rose from her bed and stretched. She was going to get a light snack then go to sleep. She trotted over to her door, opening it she stepped out and headed towards the kitchen. She knew she could have easily had one of the servants go and fetch her something, but she felt like doing things for herself this morning. Luna came to the kitchens grand doors and pushed them open. The smell of breakfast wafted from within and Luna smiled. Celestia had instructed the servants to prepare breakfast for the whole castle including themselves in the morning and soon she knew that there would be a morning feast.

Celestia would have the servants come to the grand dining hall and they all would sit together and eat. But not Luna, she would usually be asleep when all this was going on and would not get to enjoy having a meal with every pony. This saddened her, Why was it that Celestia got to be seen as the kind benevolent ruler while Luna was left in the shadows. "Because she doesn't care about you." Whispered a voice in Luna's mind. She shook off this thought. "Nay tis not true, my sister loves me and that will never change." Luna walked over to a cabinet and used her magic to grab a box of multigrain cereal. She loved this cereal and got out a bowl and spoon. She filled the bowl and got out the milk. She poured some milk into her bowl as her mind wandered again to Midnight wondering if he was having a morning snack as well or simply sleeping and recovering from his work. Luna almost didn't see the little filly as she turned to leave the kitchen and just managed to stop walking without trampling her. "Oh My Stars! Greetings small one, and where for hast thou come from? Where is thy guardian? Shame on them for allowing you to wander unchecked." The tiny filly looked up at Luna who was much bigger than her and smiled.

Luna noticed that her eyes were an odd pale icy blue shade, much the same color of her coat. She lifted her hoof and waved it at the little filly but she looked at Luna with unseeing eyes. "Well now I understand. Thoust can not even see thy Princess of the Night. That is for the best for I am sure thou would have run away by now if thoust could see Us." Luna rubbed the filly's snow white mane gently. Most ponies seemed to flee Luna rather than stay too long in her presence. Celestia always said it was because she always wore such a serious expression and she needed to try smiling more. But Luna knew better than to be foalish enough to believe that. Her expression was never too hard unless something had angered her and when she was angered every pony knew it. THAT is how a Princess should be! Her will is Law and everypony should respect and adore her regardless of how her face looks. For all those ponies knew she was perhaps trying to decide just how she would arrange the stars that night or if the moon should be a crescent or full! Not that it mattered anyway, they would all just sleep through her night and wake at Celestia's dawn.

Luna lost in her thoughts had stopped rubbing the filly's head and a tiny hoof rubbed her leg vying for her attention again. Luna looked down to see the tiny filly was still smiling up at her. Despite knowing she couldn't see her Luna was sure that the filly was looking right into her heart. Luna picked the filly up tenderly with her magic and held her level with her face. "Tell me little one, if thoust were born with sight would thee have loved my night?" The tiny filly laughed and cooed happily and Luna smiled. Well there was at least one pony she knew loved her night. Then her mind wandered to Midnight. Correction, there were at least Two ponies who loved her night. Luna smiled at this thought and held the tiny filly to herself with magic. She then levitated her bowl of cereal up next to her as well and trotted out of the kitchen heading back down the hall. Along the way she found a day guard who was napping while standing at his post.

"YOU THERE!! ARISE AND MAKE THYSELF USEFUL!!" Luna blasted him with the Royal Canterlot voice and he all but jumped out of his skin.

"M..m...m..m.m.m...My apologies Princess Luna I didn't see you coming!" Luna glared at him with glowing white eyes and he cringed slightly.

"NO YOU DID NOT SEE US COMING AND HAD WE BEEN AN ENEMY ABOUT TO SLIT THY THROAT THOUST WOULD HAVE BEEN NONE THE WISER TILL THOU WERE DEAD! TAKE THY JOB SERIOUSLY OR LEAVE THIS CASTLE! WE HAVE NO NEED FOR SLACKERS AND LOUTS!" Luna's gaze could kill and the guard was shaking visibly from fear. Luna was satisfied, she was quite certain that the guard would make sure to get rest and be more alert when he was working. She lowered her voice to a normal tone as she floated the tiny filly before the stallion. "I have found this youngling. Find her guardian and tell them that the Princess of the Moon demands that they keep a more watchful eye on her!! She was wandering around the kitchen where any manner of terrible things could have happened to her! Tell them if I find her wandering again they will be punished!" The guard nodded as Luna set the filly on his back.

"AND BE CAREFUL WITH HER!" Luna had turned on the Royal Canterlot voice again and the guard was almost deafened by it.

"Ye.....Ye....Yes Princess Luna I will do as you command." He quickly trotted away with the filly laughing on his back. Through all of Luna's loud talking the filly never once cried or showed fear. Luna smiled. She was a sweet little filly. "Maybe one day in the future I will have a filly like that and maybe Midnight can be the father?" Luna thought to herself then shook her head violently. "My Blessed Moon, I've only just met him and already I am thinking of.....Family? I must truly be tired." Luna walked and ate her now soft cereal so that when she arrived at her room she had nothing left to do but go to bed. She settled into her covers snuggly and let herself drift into her own dream world. Images of a darkly handsome colt filled her dreams and she smiled in her sleep as she hoped her dreams might one day become reality.

Midnight rolled one way in his bed, then rolled the other; and then rolled back the other way again. A night sky colored Princess was tickling him and he couldn't escape her assault no matter which way he rolled. Eventually she stopped tickling him but that didn't mean she was done tormenting him with pleasure. Midnight gasped as her lips met his in a passionate kiss. Midnight growled slightly as he felt his body react to her kiss. He knew what he was doing was probably all kinds of wrong, but he wasn't able to dwell on that too long with her licking his lips and twining her tongue with his. Midnight lost himself and threw his weight into his dream Luna making her fall backwards in a cloud of silver moon dust. He was all over her and leaned his head down to kiss her deeply. She gave in willingly and he took greedily. He rubbed himself against her soft body and relished in her soft moans. Midnight had never actually had a mare before, though he had had a few try to rub themselves against him and entice him into doing something.

But he'd always let them know he was only a colt and couldn't do something like that with him. Every single one was shocked when they learned of his age, and a good number of them told him that it didn't matter because he was clearly big enough to be a stallion. But Midnight never took their offers. Even other colts wondered why he didn't buck everything that threw themselves at him being he was clearly something they wanted. But Midnight had always said that he wanted his first time with a mare to be special not just him bucking for the sake of bucking. They always said he was weird and laughed but it never bothered Midnight. He knew who he was and he knew what he wanted. And right now, the What that he wanted was Luna's warm body wrapped around his.

He shuddered in his sleep his body physically reacting to his dream and his member slid free rubbing against his soft satin sheets. The internal dream world mixed with the physical real worlds stimulations to create something of a masterpiece. In his dream Midnight was making love to Luna, in reality he was making love to his freshly cleaned bedding. In the end he came, both in his dream world and in the real world which left his bed a sticky wet mess. But he was asleep, and in his dream world he was warm and happy. In a few minutes the dream would fade and the reality of his physical release would make itself known. But for now, he was happy and warm all over.

Luna wiggled in her bed. In her dream world she was being cuddled by a dark and beautiful stallion. Her mind had wandered to the future imagining herself as a tall graceful and beautiful mare of the night and Midnight had grown into the perfect stallion for her. He was dark as the night sky and just as breath taking to look at. She was laying with him cuddled in his hooves safe and warm. He was kissing her horn and muzzle gently as he whispered sweet nothings to her. "Your so beautiful Luna and your night sky is absolutely perfect. Those other ponies who don't stay up all night and gaze a pond its majesty are fools and undeserving of your concern. Worry yourself not of them and focus only on me. I love your night my Luna and I love you." Midnight kissed her lips and Luna felt herself blushing hard. He was so kind and sweet and Luna hoped even though this was just a dream that the real Midnight would be just as tender to her when they were both fully grown. Luna ran her hoof over his chest and neck and he moaned softly. She smiled and let her hoof run down his stomach.

She was going to run her hoof over other parts of him but a loud knock at the door broke her out of her dream and pulled her up into the world of reality. The sun was just starting to set turning the sky into a brilliant golden orange and Luna face hoofed herself. "Oh Nay, How could we have slept so long....." Luna didn't need to answer her own question, a distinct moistness between her thighs told her why she had slept so long. She gathered herself and answered in the Royal Canterlot voice. "YES, WHO KNOCKS AT OUR CHAMBER DOOR?" It was Celestia who answered and Luna felt herself growl inwardly then wondered where such a strong emotion of dislike towards her sister had come from. She shook it off and got up. Trotting over to the door she opened it with her magic. "Yes, Celestia to what do I owe this pleasure?" She smiled at her sister hoping Celestia just wanted to check on her and be gone but what came next was not what she wanted to hear.

"Sister, I came because there is a young colt asking for you. He says that you asked him to come today around this time. The guards were refusing to allow him entry but he was so adamant about coming to see you that he forced his way in. Even with four guards trying to hold him down he is still something to recon with. I decided to come and see if you actually knew him as I have never seen him before and am sure you haven't either." Luna looked at her sister in shock and then anger filled her voice as it was raised to full Royal volume.

"YES WE KNOW HIM!! HE IS OUR FRIEND!! TELL THEM TO RELEASE HIM IMMEDIATLY OR WE SHALL HAVE THEIR HEADS!! HOW DARE THEY ATTACK SOMEPONY WHO HATH COME TO SEE US!!! ARE WE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE ANYPONY VISIT AND ENJOY OUR COMPANY?! OR IS THAT A PRIVLEDGE RESERVED ONLY FOR THEE CELESTIA!!" Luna's voice was filled with a malice Celestia never knew she had. She stood for a moment processing the situation then spoke in her ever calm motherly voice that now in days irritated Luna more than calmed her.

"Luna, I have never denied you company. Nor will I ever do something so cruel. I simply wanted to make certain he was not a spy or enemy trying to harm you. I will inform them that you know him and to allow him to wait for you in the grand dinning room. And I will have them bring him some of our finest food to atone for his rough treatment." Luna sighed, she knew she had done wrong and needed to make things right. She spoke softly now making sure to convey her regret with her every word.

"Big Sister, Wait....I apologize for my out burst. Lately I have been feeling...Odd. That outburst stemmed from a very heavy mix of sorrow and....anger? Though I can not understand what I am saddened or angered about. But this colt....Midnight....He literally crashed into my room last night and well...Something about him is special." Luna felt herself blush slightly. "He makes me feel....Happy again. Maybe its because he is a Night Watcher and I know how short their lives can be but he faces every night with such optimism and a love of life. It makes whatever tiny thing I have going on seem....Unimportant in the grand scale of things and in the short moments I have spent with him he has made me feel....Happy." Luna sighed softly. "So please forgive my moment of anger. It was not at you....I am just having some confusing thoughts and need some pony to talk to. I hope that sense your always so busy you wont mind if that some pony is Midnight." Celestia smiled brightly much to Luna's shock.

"I see...Oh Luna I know exactly what is going on here. And do not worry, you were already forgiven before you asked. I hope....Midnight?...Is that his name...Very fitting when paired with you, will be a good friend for you. Yes, a very good and close friend." Luna looked at Celestia confused.

"What? What do you mean Sister?" Celestia laughed softly.

"Oh nothing my dear Luna. Nothing you need to worry about now. You'll understand in due time. I will go and inform them of the situation now." And with that Celestia vanished with a loud pop. Luna sighed and turned back to her room. She trotted quickly over to her boudoir and grabbed up her brush and moisturizing spray with her magic. She spritzed and brushed her mane and tail quickly then looked herself over in the mirror. She didn't need the spray but it was a very nice smelling spray and she wanted her mane to spell pretty for Midnight when she hugged him. She smiled looking at herself.

"We Are....I Am....Beautiful." She said softly to herself then turned away and trotted out of her room closing the door behind her. She concentrated and magically teleported herself to the hallway outside of the grand dinning room where she and her sister entered. She could hear Celestia talking to Midnight who was apparently having a great time despite his earlier treatment. Luna smiled, that was definitely going to be one of the things she loved about him. Luna opened the door to the grand dinning room and stepped inside. "LUNA!! HEY!!" Was the first thing that greeted her. Midnight forgetting himself had called her by her name without her title and she smiled. "Oh Wait!! I mean...PRINCESS LUNA, HEY!!" Midnight smiled sheepishly as Celestia's gaze fell on him. Luna giggled which caused Celestia to turn her attention to her instead. It had been so long sense shed seen Luna smile let alone giggle.

Luna was right, there was certainly something special about this Midnight colt. Celestia looked back towards Midnight as Luna took her usual seat next to her leaving Midnight to sit alone and gaze at the two of them. He was certainly large for a colt, but those big wide eyes were definitely filled with the innocent curiosity that a stallion could never hope to poses once he's lived life. "Midnight, We are glad that thou hast come to visit us. We are sorry for the confusion earlier. We...Over slept and were not here to Welcome thee. Forgive us." Midnight looked at Luna with eyes that Celestia and any pony else could see were filled with love and admiration. But when he spoke Celestia was taken aback. His proper voice was certainly lower than his playful voice and held all the edges of a stallion. But what surprised her more was the manner in which he spoke matching Luna's proper dialect with perfect precision.

"Nay My Princess Luna, Thou dost not have to apologize for what occurred to me. T'was was mine own fault for using force to gain entry into thy Castle. Any good guard worth their salt would have tackled me as well. I would have tackled me had I been there." He winked at her and Celestia was amazed to hear Luna laugh softly before she spoke again.

"Had ye been there thoust would have tackled thyself? How gallant of thee to protect thy Princesses from thyself." Midnight bowed his head.

"But of course most beautiful Princess of the Night, It would be my honor to protect thee and thy sister from all manner of threats, even myself." Luna laughed out right and Midnight joined in. Celestia could not help but smile. She was not sure how but in a night Midnight had made a bond with her sister and gotten her to smiled where it seemed she herself was no longer able to. She was happy for Luna. And if Midnight managed to live and become a stallion maybe he could be Luna's special some pony. Celestia had never seen herself getting married but shed always hoped for her little sister that wedding bells would be heard and little colts and fillies born to her. Seeing the joy on Luna's face made Celestia once again believe that her dream for her sisters happiness would come true. She interrupted their banter of joy then with a question.

"Ah Luna, Didn't you say that Midnight here was a part of the Night Watchers? They are a very special branch of the Night Guard are they not?" Luna looked at Celestia and nodded her smile still stuck on her face.

"Oh yes dear Sister. They are a very special branch trained to fly at night and control the wild storms that brew during the night hours." Luna's smile faded slightly as she continued. "Because the night....Is so dangerous...This special branch was made to control the Everfree storms that roll in from the forest during the night and keep them from ever reaching the Castle or Ponyville. They also use those storms to water crops that need more moister than others all around Equestria." Luna's smile completely faded as she finished. "They are known for their amazing flying skill, but they are also known for their high death toll. They loose more members than any other of the guard squads combined per year. Their work...Is a dangerous evil. If only the night were less wild and more tame...But we...Do not have the power to control everything in Our night. We are too weak to protect our most faithful servants...And they die for us." Celestia saw a tear run down Luna's face and she worked hard to find a way to cheer her up but Midnight beat her to it with his simple mind and good natured voice.

"Nay My Princess, Do not shed thy tears for us. We are proud to serve you and protect all ponies during the night. Yes the night is wild, but that is one of the things that make it beautiful. The night is FREE. It is its own creature and it demands our respect. But if you give that respect you will find that the night is the most amazing time of day. There are so many things to find in the night that youll never see during the day!" Midnight had forgotten his proper dialect simply wanting to make Luna smile again. "Your night is amazing to all of us who work under your night sky. We often sit and look at the stars when we finish our work and marvel at how perfectly you set each one in the sky. Speaking of that, I have a question Princess Luna." Luna wiped her eyes and looked at Midnight curiously.

"Yes Midnight?" Midnight looked down at his hooves for a moment seeming to be unsure of how to ask but then he spoke and his voice was calm and steady but serious.

"Me and the others in the Night Watchers in my squad were wondering...Do you make the stars for every pony who has died?" Luna looked at Midnight at a loss for words as he continued. "We were just wondering this because...Well...If you remember a few weeks ago there was a tornado that came from the Everfree. Tornados and Hurricanes are the most dangerous storms we can face and they often kill a number of us before we can dissipate them. Well as I said before, we often sit and take a moment to gaze at the stars after we are done working. Well the next night after we had finished our work we noticed there were some new stars. At first we figured that we had just missed them but one mare on our team, her names Star Shower by the way, well she is a fanatic about your stars. She even showed us a map of your night sky showing where every constellation was and every random star and on the map. And the place where the new stars were was empty on that map. We couldn't believe it but she kept going with it and told us to count the stars. We did....There were five...Five new stars."

Midnight looked at Luna his eyes shimmering slightly with barely held back tears and Celestia felt her heart melting at his face. "There were three of us that died in the sky that night and the last two died at the hospital, well one died on the way to the hospital. The last died as they were trying to operate and save him. He was Showers son. He had wanted to follow in his mom and dads hooves. His dad Snow Storm was killed a few years back during a bad blizzard. Kind of ironic given his name but a strong ice wind blew him into a dead tree that was, well, as cold and hard as ice. It stabbed him through the heart and he was dead long before we were able to find him. Star Shower noticed the new stars and told us that it wasn't the first time shed seen you add new stars. She told us that when Snow had died she had looked up into the night sky wondering why he was gone and where he was now and there it was, a new star formation with exactly the same number of stars as the number of ponies who died."

Midnight couldn't hold his tears back anymore and they ran down his face. "Luna....Do you make stars for ponies who died? Because if you do....Then I know two of those stars are for my father and mother. And for that....I Thank You from the depths of my soul." Luna sighed and rose from her seat. She flapped her wings and flew down to Midnight. She landed in front of him and wrapped her hooves around his neck pulling him to her for a warm embrace.

"Yes my faithful servant. Every pony who dies is my subject and deserves my love and concern. When I wake everyday I look to see the reports on who has died during my night and the previous day. Every night I fill the sky with their souls and make new creations to honor their life. Every ponies life is like a star burning brightly....Until it isn't. I make sure that their life...Their light...In some small way...Never truly dies. I have done this for years, eons, generations....And I have never had any pony notice. Of all my servants you, my Night Watchers...Are my most beloved for you clearly know my heart better than any pony. So I make more and more stars as my way to Thank You."

Luna felt tears run down her face as Midnight hugged her tightly and cried into her mane. Celestia couldn't help the tear that rolled down her cheek but she quickly wiped away the rest and flew down to land beside her sister. The time she had been dreading had come. She never knew that Luna held herself responsible for the deaths of the Night Watchers. And shed never known that Luna was filling the night sky with stars for all the ponies who died. The guards who were in the room were equally as shocked. For one, seeing the Princess of the Night weep over others when she always seemed so cold was a pill to swallow, but to hear that she filled the sky every night with stars to honor them was something that they could have never imagined. Everyone of them vowed that before they slept they would make a point to gaze at the night sky even if it was only for a few moments and appreciate the work she put into the night. Celestia placed her hoof on Luna's shoulder.

"Luna. My sweet, sweet Luna. I never knew you did such a wonderful thing in honor of our ponies. I was so blind to hold you back from your full potential. Well not anymore. Luna if you wish it, starting tomorrow I will teach you how to gain the magic of the cosmos just as I have. You will not just be able to control the moon and stars but also the sun and even the rains. Together we can protect this land both day and night and lessen the deaths that happen from Everfree's wild storms. I am sure of this now, you are ready to learn this most ancient of magic." Luna looked at Celestia with wide bright eyes.

"Sister....Do you mean what you say? Will you truly teach me so that I may become a mare as strong as you and can protect my subjects with you?" Celestia nodded and was knocked over by the force of Luna slamming into her with a massive hug. She laughed as Luna nuzzled her neck and showered her cheeks in kisses with the repeated mantra of, "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" the whole way. Midnight having wiped his face was laughing at the scene before him. On one hoof he found it to be adorable and sweet. On the other hoof he found it to be very sexy. Luna finally released Celestia from her loving death hug and Celestia rose to her hooves with as much dignity as she could having been knocked over by a filly half her size then kissed and hugged half to passing out.

"Well, yes....I am glad you are happy Luna. But listen to me well...What I am going to teach you is powerful magic. You must control it, you can not let it control you. Not Ever." Luna nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes Sister, I will be careful and focus." Luna promised happily unable to contain her joy. Celestia nodded to her and looked out the window.

"Well my beloved Luna the time for you to raise the moon and stars is here. May haps Midnight would like to watch?" Midnight nodded so violently that Celestia worried he was scrambling his own brain. Luna giggled.

"Ok Midnight you can watch. There is no need to destroy your head in the process." Midnight smiled.

"This is so cool Princess Luna, I have always wanted to watch you create the beautiful night! This is a dream come true!" Celestia smiled at him then flapped her wings and rose into the air.

"Well come Midnight. Luna let us go to the balcony and begin." Luna nodded and flapped her wings as well lifting off the ground behind her sister. Midnight followed suite and the three flew out the large wooden doors that led to the main hall and then out the large doors that led to the outside. The air felt alive to Midnight and he wondered if it was because he was flying with the two Princesses. They flew up and around the castle till they came to a large balcony that faced the direction of both the rising and setting sun and moon. Celestia opened her wings and Midnight marveled as her whole body began glowing with a golden light. Luna landed next to her and did the same thing. Midnight landed behind them looking on in awe as Luna started to glow with a silvery light. Midnight stood there and watched as the sun started to quickly set and the moon in turn started to rise.

Midnight focused on Luna and tip hoofed around her so he could watch her from a more frontwards view. His breath cough in his chest as he gazed a pond his Princess in all her glory. The silver glow radiated from her like star dust and flittered about the air. Her mane and tail swirled in an invisible wind and shimmered like the moonlight on water. Midnight held his breath as Luna opened her eyes and they glowed a brilliant white and the moon started to climb higher and higher in the sky. He could feel a heat radiating from her and wondered if it was her magic he was feeling. Once the moon reached a certain point Luna released her magic allowing it to travel at its own pace around the planet. Luna sighed and blinked allowing her eyes to return to normal. She then looked to Midnight and smiled.

"And that Midnight is how I raise the moon every night. Did you enjoy the show?" Midnight smiled brightly.

"DID I!! IT WAS FANTASTIC LUNA!! I VE NEVER SEEN SUCH POWER!! YOU ARE AMAZING!!" His enthusiasm took Celestia by surprise but Luna smiled and basked in the glow of his glee and her moonlight. Yes Midnight was some pony she wanted to keep around.

His love for her was palpable and she didn't want to ever be without it.