WHEN MIDNIGHT FALLS

  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.