Author's Note

Welcome back, all. You know the deal; read, like, comment, all that jazz. Enjoy.

When everything is coming your way, you're probably in the wrong lane.

-Tom Synder.

A Luna Eclipsed

''You know, this actually ain't bad,'' Duncan commented as he took a bite of his dandelion, tomato, and lettuce sandwich.

''I told you; I knew you would be fine,'' Twilight responded with a sense of pride. Duncan finished his current bite and looked to his friend who long finished hers, along with a side of hay fries and some cider.

''After I told you that it wouldn't do anything to me, as long as the bitterness was cooked out,'' Duncan replied, making Twilight chuckle nervously for the moment. ''You need to work on that, you know.''

Twilight paused her thought, wondering what her friend wanted to tell her.

''I haven't been here that long, but I can see you have a bit of a 'complex','' Duncan used air quotes as he spoke. ''and that shows where you have the need to prove your point a bit more than the average pony, which isn't all that bad, but when you go out of your way to do it, you seem like a know-it-all.''

Twilight wanted to argue against that very point, it was almost second nature to her to do something akin to that, only she slowly began to realize that Duncan was right.

''He's right, Twi. Remember that Friendship Issue you struggled with a few months ago when Celestia had to bail you out?'' Spike replied with a raised claw. Drat. She hoped he wouldn't have to reference that; she had learned her lesson, albeit after the fact.

''Ugh, fine. I apologize.'' Twilight said, noting that for the books. Nightmare Night so far, was indeed full of different things to do, and most of the townsponies didn't actually pay much mind to Duncan, possibly it being from the majority of those who saw him were from behind as his cloak did not any real physical identification besides just possibly being a bigger pony like Big Mac. ''I wonder what's taking the girls so long.''

''I don't know about the rest of them, but I can say we're here at least,'' Applejack said as she, Pinkie, and the CMC came walking over.

''Hey guys!'' Spike waved them over to the trio's table, once again proclaiming the validity of his costume. ''Like my costume?''

''It. . .certainly fits you, Spike,'' Applejack chuckled as she came to the night's festivities dressed as a scarecrow. ''What's Twilight and Duncan getup all about?''

''I'm Starswirl The Bearded, why do I have to keep telling everypony about this?'' Twilight groaned and stomped a hoof as her bells jingled.

''Everyone isn't as well-versed in the means of history, magic, and everything in between,'' Duncan walked over and laid a hand on Twilight's shoulder. ''Especially me.''

''You're not even from here, so you get a pass,'' Twilight pushed Duncan's shoulder away before pointing to the farm pony in question. ''You, Applejack? You don't know?'' Applejack looked in between Pinkie Pie and Sweetie Belle before pointing a hoof to herself. When Twilight's gaze failed to let up, Applejack let out a hearty laugh.

''You do know who you're talking to, right? And besides, with that beard, I reckon you're some sorta country music singer.''

Twilight groaned as everyone chuckled at her, Spike doing the most to contain his laughter. Duncan looked at the CMC, looking to see their getup for the night; Scootaloo was dressed as a mummy, Sweetie Belle went as a bumblebee, and Apple Bloom was a wolf.

And then there was Pinkie Pie. As a chicken.

''Pinkie Pie?'' Duncan asked, cracking a small smile as she looked at him, swiveling her head just like a chicken would.

''Yeah, Duncy?''

''No,'' Duncan shook his head, chuckling as Pinkie clucked. ''Just no; if I didn't know any better, I would batter, bread, and throw you into some oil.'' Duncan looked on as the Crusaders were jumping up and down about Nightmare Night and what they would try and do to help get their Cutie Marks.

''Hey, Duncan, how come nopony's come to you about you being. . .you know; Human?'' Apple Bloom asked as she leaned over to him, darting her eyes back forth to the few ponies passing by their table.

''That I can't really tell you, AB. We did have your friend, Pipsqueak get a little spooked by me, but I don't think he was trying to be mean. Don't suppose you guys saw him on your way here?''

Applejack took a seat before she went and took a bit of candy from Apple Bloom's pumpkin basket, happily munching on some candy corn. The only thing they were able to encounter was Rainbow Dash, who looked to be in a hurry to go and spook somepony else, paying no attention at all to them as she told Duncan about the antics of their friend.

''I swear she gets a rise out of this,'' Duncan said as he leaned on his arm. ''If she's not quick, the night will pass by before she can hang with her friends,'' Applejack nodded as a thought came to his mind on the concept of friends. ''Where's Fluttershy and Rarity?''

''My sister's busy in Canterlot; she's not one for the. . .spooky stuff, so she won't be joining us,'' Sweetie Belle said as she pouted a bit, hoping that she could enjoy this night with her sister since they never got to hang with her much. But she knew the truth; she didn't prefer the night dedicated to things that go bump in the night.

''And where's Fluttershy?'' Spike wondered.

''In her cottage; scared as ever about tonight,'' Scootaloo replied simply. Twilight and Spike both looked at each other with an unimpressed look as Duncan nodded to himself with a look of self-confirmation once he thought about it. ''But where's Rainbow Dash? She said she would be here.''

Duncan groaned once again, gaining the interested look of Scootaloo as he talked about what the trio witnessed Rainbow screwing with them before taking off to terrorize more of the townsfolk. A thought came to him on how tranquil the night seemed, contrary to what the actual night itself was actually about.

Nearby, a few of the ponies finished bringing a stone statue that depicted Nightmare Moon.

Duncan didn't want to jinx anything, but he had a good feeling about Nightmare Night.

''Uh, guys; what's with the wind?'' Spike asked the group as the sky began to be assaulted by a wave of clouds, the light of the moon soon being blacked out. Thunder and lightning rumbled, causing the ponies to stop what they were doing.

Twilight, Applejack, and the CMC took a few steps back as it began to rain some. The wind blew so fiercely that Twilight's hat was swooped away, and a figure loomed its shadow to the eye of the clouds. Duncan narrowed his eyes and hoped that nothing too bad would actually occur; would this be Celestia? A pair of bat-winged stallions flew towards the statue, hauling a carriage that held a cloaked pony with their head down. Coming to a stop at the base of the statue, every second was tense and seemed to last forever. Stepping off and touching down on the ground, the figure's hood was taken off to reveal the princess of the night, Princess Luna.

''Princess Luna!'' Twilight smiled, realizing who it was.

''Citizens of Ponyville! We have graced your tiny village with our presence so that you might behold the real Princess of the Night! A creature of nightmares no longer, but instead a pony who desires your love and admiration! Together we shall change this dreadful celebration into a bright and glorious feast!'' She boomed with the Royal Canterlot Voice.

''That's Celestia's sister? What the fuck is she doing here?'' Duncan asked, shielding his eyes from the roaring wind until it died down. What was she doing? Ordered by her sister to kill him? Kidnap him?

''Yes,'' Twilight replied as Luna turned to look at the statue, noting the inconsistencies with it and shaking her head with a disapproving frown. ''Well, this night is essentially made her make her appear like the monster she was believed to during her banishment, but the girls and I personally helped her reform from Nightmare Moon to who she is now. . .she just may be a bit out of touch with this new time she's been thrust into.''

''And if you ask me, she seemed pretty remorseful for what she tried to do, and Celestia herself comforted her when it was all said and done,'' Applejack agreed with Twilight. Nothing so far, even with exception of her arrival seemed to indicate any malice or hate that Celestia possessed towards Duncan the day she came to Ponyville. ''I don't think-''

''-That's just it; you think. You don't know. Who's to say she won't be the same as her sister, if not worse? 1,000 years is a long-ass time, and if she was around when the Equestrian Humans were here or even had a hand in exiling them, I don't want to be anywhere near her right now,'' Duncan said as he ducked a bit underneath the table the pair was at. She hadn't noticed them yet, so that was a plus.

''I don't think so, Duncan. Princess Luna still is a regular pony, just like everypony else, she just may need help realizing that.'' Spike said, a few of the townsfolk running away as Luna approached Mayor Mare.

''Madame Mayor, thy Princess of the Night hath arrived.'' Luna offered her hoof to Mayor Mare as she cowered in fear on the ground, too scared to want to get up and run for the hills. The sneer on Princess Luna's could not have gotten any worse. They. . .chose to deny her? Her subjects, as well as Celestia? No, it could just be one. She offered another hoof to a Unicorn dressed as a fish as he shied away. Then another one. Then another. Same response. Nothing but whimpers.

''What is the matter with you? Very well, then. Be that way. We won't even bother with the traditional royal farewell!'' A look of anger was plastered on her face as she stomped her hoof on the ground, easily splintering the rock.

''Think we should talk to her?'' Apple Bloom asked, standing behind Applejack as Sweetie and Scootaloo did the same to Duncan, who already was attempting to hide.

''Duncan and Twilight should be the ones to do that. You girls and Spike should stay here and try to calm everypony down,'' Applejack said, catching Duncan off-guard as he looked at his friend with a bewildered expression.

Feeling a surge of anger overtook his fear, he stomped over to his friend and tapped his foot against the ground, looking to see her unimpressed look that challenged his own.

''And what will you be doing while we, and by that, I mean me, risk our lives to talk to her?'' Duncan asked.

''Manging things here; somepony has to.''

Starlight had tried her hoof at this spell a few times before, and with varying amounts of success, though this time was a bit different, due to the subject being a bit more difficult to. . .convince than others. But, the saving grace of this would be that she would not have to endure this for long.

Only long enough to complete her mission.

''Princess Celestia's target better be worth it, doing something like this is. . .ugh; terrible.'' Starlight observed the night sky, noting the quiet that filled her walk. Every step she took felt. . .so wrong, it felt unusual and it irked her to no end. Thoughts of the notes she made, as well as the files about Twilight and her friends flowed through her mind.

Twilight would no doubt be the first of her friends to respond to any threat to her precious friends, so she would need to be taken care of first, should her attention be drawn to them.

According to Celestia, she would be the most difficult to take care of, and for good reason.

''That thief had better be careful had to not get too comfortable. . .being Celestia's Understudy comes with more perks than you think, but you squander them,'' Starlight muttered to herself, wanting nothing more than to show Twilight Sparkle who was the better, and who would fall under her hoof, only to pushed to the brink of pain and suffering.

And then she would relish in the
aftermath.

Being in this form certainly held its share of advantages, but she wouldn’t be falling in love with it at all; just get in do what she needed to, and get out.

The town came into view, the various decorative theme of spiderwebs, jack-o-lanterns, and Nightmare Moon strung about mattered little to her. This town would soon be reduced to rubble after all had been said and done, and the real work that she so desperately wanted to get started could begin.

“Oh, hey Rainbow Dash! What happened to your cloud? Did you lose it?” Starlight heard a voice call out to her, making her stop and look to the sky to see a Pegasus looking at her, or rather, trying to look in her direction if not for her eyes disagreeing with each other. Taking a moment to ponder what this pony wanted, and who she was slowly came to her in the form of remembering names and faces from the dossier.

Though it mentioned next to both, she figured this was Derpy.

Which she had no time for.

“Bite me; I’m busy, Derpy.” Starlight said as she continued on, pushing Derpy out of the way as she looked confused at her ‘friend’ and flew off, probably figuring Rainbow Dash was having a bad day; she wanted to be a good friend and leave her be until she was ready to talk.

“Bye, Rainbow Dash; see you later!” Derpy waved goodbye as she smiled. Starlight rolled her eyes, continuing on.

“What an idiot,” Starlight whispered to herself. But now, she would have to find her target and isolate him to start the first phase of her plan.

Princess Luna sat in a clearing, gazing upon the moonlit night with eyes filled with tears. She was told that she would be welcomed back, be loved, and treated as if nothing happened.

The last one she knew was highly unlikely, but she still tried to hope.

Celestia told her how she should try and make a effort to adjust to this new world, to learn what she missed while on the moon, and to learn to let the past go, but it was difficult. She flopped every action; even saying hello in the old tongue was considered outdated, and when that was all she knew, things had to change.

Tracing a hoof in a dirt patch, she watched as the earth moved under the slightest force; she sulked her head lower and wiped her tears away. Luna thought gaining the love and respect of her subjects would be easy, but her ambitions were too high for something like that to occur right away when her past is beginning to actively haunt her now.

“If only somepony could help me understand how to navigate this new world. . . somepony who knows not of my past, and somepony who may relate to adversity,” Luna said to herself, her mane and tail long standing still as a connection to her emotions.

Twilight Sparkle and her friends risked their lives to help free her from the darkness, and she never truly got the chance to thank them properly. She still remembered those last moment ensnared by the darkness, when her thoughts were not her own and she attempted to reach out to fight against the grip of shadows, only to helplessly do nothing until the release came from the Elements Of Harmony.

Luna almost considered leaving and going back to Canterlot; it would make the most sense versus staying here and possibly scaring the masses even more. Celestia would understand-

“Um. . .excuse me?” Luna heard a voice call out, interrupting her thoughts. Wait. . .that voice sounded a bit familiar. She slowly stood up and turned around to see something she would have thought a myth. Something she was taken from; and a part of her that felt guilt. “Princess Luna?”

A Human? Here? Why now? And why. . .on this night of nights?

Her breath hitched in her throat, the step she took back out of instinct also making the Human step back a bit too, a cautious look in his eyes as he stood a safe distance away. She instantly recognized he wore face paint, the dark red hiding most of his features as the crescent moons running down his face gave the impression of tears.

His cloak was simple, with a clasp as it looked to swallow him whole.

She didn’t know what to say at first, anything that came to mind was immediately disbanded the second she began to realize what creature stood before her.

“A Human? W-What are you doing here?” Luna asked, the nervous look in her eyes betrayed by the somewhat forceful tone in her voice. She watched as the Human groaned and unclasped his cloak, revealing his clothes and body shape much easier. He certainly was taller than her by a good length, possibly even reaching up Celestia’s chest. He walked forward slowly, his hands clearly visibly as he spoke.

“I honestly don’t even know. . .one minute I’m fighting the mafia, and the next I’m here, and with a death warrant the second I touch down here,” Luna observed him leaning against a lone tree that stood separate from the others, providing just enough shade under the moon light. “I just hope I’m not making a mistake by doing this.”

Luna walked forward towards him, also cautious but more curious than anything. From his wording, he indeed was not who she thought; an Origin Human.

“So you are not of Equestria birth, but rather-“

“-Earth, our actual home, yes. And my name is Duncan,” Duncan looked down at Princess Luna as she looked positively curious, the somber mood she was once in slowly being replaced. “And I’m here to get answers.”

“To what questions?” Luna asked. Duncan looked at her with a sideways glance for a moment. He studied her features, hoping that she would not be lying so she wouldn’t be throwing him into a proverbial pit of needles. Luna. . .was Celestia’s sister, and that fact alone scared a him a bit to think someone like her, who wanted nothing more than kill him and his people from his own account of events, had a sister that she also banished for a millennium.

Luna could be on her side, or actually another player in this messed up game.

He remembered what Twilight and Spike, as well as Applejack said. But if they were wrong; it would be hell to pay. Duncan looked to the moon, noting its beautiful glow and position among the stars.

Twilight suggested that he be the one to start off taking to her as she watched closely from a distance, knowing that the pair may be just the thing the other needed for the ball to get rolling of solving the mystery of the Equestrian Human’s exile.

He needed to get answers, one way or another.

“Answers to why my people were exiled.” Duncan said as Luna looked on intently, sitting down on her haunches as she heard the information that she did not even know was possible.