Author's Note
Just in case it wasn't read before, there is a POV shift, as in the story suddenly goes from third person to first person toward the end, as this story is told by a certain character. We know this character can also see other ponies past memories. This was a creative choice and a risk I was willing to take, so I hope there's no hard feelings. Enjoy.
A time beneath the stars
A warm glow illuminated a large, cold, crystal room with shelves of books far as the eye could see. Each shelf was lined with hard back books of all shapes and sizes, all in alphabetical order for the individual genres’. The skylight showed stars and the light warded off the darkness, provided a small space for which a book was to be read.
Although this lamplight hardly seemed necessary, it merely provided a clearer means in which to navigate the large space. Bright turquoise eyes glowed radiantly in the darkness only a meter away from the lamp, and they scanned the page of a book, paragraph to paragraph, fixed upon it like an animal stalking its prey.
The owner of these eyes blended in with the dark of the room, only the light gave her away as its rays cast over her black coat. Though for a time she had hardly any cause to worry about being spotted.
Then, echoing through the halls were soft, slapping footsteps which seemed to draw closer to the library. A dark blue and purple glow snuffed out the lamplight and the reader closed her eyes tightly as the dragon, Spike, opened the doors, and with a lamp held ahead looked around the dark room.
The atmosphere set in quickly. He gulped and closed the doors behind him which made a loud wooden k-thunk. Spike jumped forward a bit, looking back at the large heavy doors from the corner of his eye before looking ahead and moving forward.
He passed by various shelves, holding up the lantern to see the names listed on the individual spines, the genres and sections, all of them neatly tucked away and squashed together on the wooden shelves. But when he came to the largest part of the room, Spike noticed that on one of the shelves a book was missing.
Curious. Twilight hadn’t picked out a book from this shelf, he should know, he helped her move piles of books for cross referencing up to her study. The creepy atmosphere of the dark room quickly disappeared and Spike grew suspicious.
As he turned to move on he kicked over the lightless lamp on the floor. He cried out in fright and jumped back, only to fall over and drop his own lantern on the floor; luckily it didn’t break. He regained his composure and bent down to pick up his only source of light when he noticed the lantern and an open book.
Though Spike was confused and wondered if Twilight had left the book out by mistake, he knew that was unlikely and deduced the identity of the mysterious reader.
“I know you’re in here,” he said with a smile, “little fillies should be in bed.” He took a few steps back, then turned to his right and shined the light over a bookshelf where the young and inquisitive, Nyx, had tucked herself away to hide.
The curious filly opened her eyes briefly to look at Spike before quickly shutting them again. “You can’t see me, nopony here but us books.”
Spike chuckled, “Nyx, c’mon, you know better than to be up this late, you should be in bed.”
“But I can’t sleep, I’m wide awake,” Nyx said as she crawled out from her hiding spot. She stretched out her hind legs and her wings which she tucked back to her sides.
She flicked a switch which turned on the lights, then turned and face Spike with an energetic and active look in her cat-like eyes, that served to hide her reserved self concerns. Spike turned out his lanterns light and put it down on the floor.
“What’s the matter? Are you still worried about, Starlight?”
Nyx shook her head. “It’s not that,” She looked down to the floor before falling back on her haunches.
“Well you can tell me. I’m right here, Nyx, you can tell me anything,” Spike put a claw on Nyx’s shoulder and tilted his head to look her in the eye, “Twilight doesn’t have to know.”
Nyx remained silent. It was a vexing silence that filled Spike to the brim with worry.
“Am I too much like her, Spike?” Nyx asked.
Spike was confused. “I’m sorry?”
“Like Nightmare?” Nyx looked up at Spike again and blinked. “I’m scared of what I’ll become when I grow up… Starlights given me a lot to think about, and I wonder if my cutie mark alone could save me from becoming a nightmare again.”
“Nyx that’s crazy. You’re nothing like Nightmare Moon, and your cutie mark doesn’t rule you.” Spike reached out and pulled Nyx into a hug. “I understand why you’re worried, but should you be?”
Nyx lifted a hoof to Spikes back and sighed. “I guess not…” She rested her head on Spike shoulder following a yawn. “Why are you up so late anyway, Spike?”
“You should know why,” he said as they let go. “Twilight’s reading some books in her study and she sent me down here to collect a few, for cross referencing. Speaking of books, what were you reading before I came in here?”
Nyx seemed to perk up at the question, her somber expression melted away, giving way to a jovial smile. She looked over to the book and floated it over to Spike. “I was reading a book on Ponyville history. I’ve been reading it the last couple of nights… Which I probably shouldn’t have said.” She smiled sheepishly, much to Spike’s amusement.
“Oh yeah, I remember Twilight read this book in four hours after we moved here,” he said while taking the book into his claws. “She hasn't read this in ages.”
“I haven’t gotten very far into it. I’m only two chapters out of twenty in,” she sighed.
Spike glanced over at Nyx before examining the book and holding it out to her. “Here, you should read it.”
Nyx looked at Spike with a confusing stare. She looked down at the book, smiled and eagerly took it into her luminous light purple glow and hovered it in front of her.
“But,” Spike continued to Nyx’s dismay. She knew there was a catch and lowered her ears in preparation for what Spike would say. “You have to go to bed.If Twilight catches you you’ll be grounded, and I’m not keen on taking the blame for you, no comic book time if you don’t!”
“Eh? B-but Spiiike!” Nyx whined childishly and pouted cute-like a baby bunny.
“I’m just saying,” Spike shrugged.
Nyx nodded with a disappointed sigh. “Okay...” She gave Spike a quick glance before heading toward the door. She left with rather lively: “Goodnight, Spike,” before disappearing behind the door.
Spike watched Nyx go and with a heavy sigh he replied, “goodnight, Nyx.”
~~~
Nearby a warm hearth within the largest room of the castle, in what was now the earliest hours of the morning, Twilight Sparkle flipped through pages of large thirty inch thick books and scanned the many paragraphs on the page. She stretched out her wings accompanied by a loud yawn as she flipped a page and became numb to all else.
She’d completely lost track of time. She was in one of her undisturbed trances and hardly seemed to notice Spike as he came back with five books in his arms, stacked up upon one another in a heavy pile which by now caused a heavy strain on his arms.
“T-Twilight?” he called, only for his voice to go unheard.
Unwilling to let his arms strain any further, he dropped the books on the floor with a loud thud. Some books in this pile fell to the floor and brought the alicorn out of her literary stupor and her attention turned on the disorganization that had invaded her study. She put down her current read and came over to organize the books nearby her table.
“I’m sorry I didn’t hear you, Spike,” Twilight said in apology while the books piled up upon other books with too few starting new stacks.
“Yeah, I noticed,” Spike replied with a sigh and a puff of smoke.
He got back to his feet and dusted himself off while Twilight turned back to read. The dragon watched Twilight then turned his head to look at the door and long staircase that went down to the third floor, and he let out a big sigh which forewarned bad news. It caught Twilight's ear which perked up to hear it, only to droop once more.
“What happened now?” she asked as she turned to look at, Spike.
Spike looked back to Twilight and hunched a little. “I found Nyx in the library.”
“Nyx was out of bed?” Twilight replied in shocked surprise, Nyx was normally well behaved and rarely shirked sleep anymore.
“She was reading one of the Ponyville history books,” Spike said as he climbed up on top of a table and sat there. “She said she’d been out of bed for a few night now, and she seemed pretty upset over something.”
“Upset?” Twilight paused in her reading and looked over to spike in confusion. “What do you mean upset?”
“Well,” Spike started, “she asked me if she was too much like, Nightmare Moon. It’s got me a little worried, Twilight.”
Twilight pat the baby dragon on the head lightly in assurance. “I’m certain everything is alright. But, perhaps I should have a word with her.”
Spike shook his head. “A little late now, I sent her to bed, besides, Twilight, it’s pretty late already. You should be in bed too.”
“Moon Dancer and I have a lot of work to do regarding atmospheric shifts and lunar influences,” Twilight reminded the young dragon, “I don’t worry, Spike, Nyx will be fine.”
Although it was new to Spike and Twilight to hear of Nyx’s recent lack of nightly rest, it was unanimously clear that something needed to be done, lest Nyx be subjected to nightly prowls on a regular basis. The thought of Nyx as a night owl was criminal in the eyes of Spike, who only now started to compare the issue to his concerns when Nyx came home after the long night.
Spike, of course, grew even more worried as his thoughts turned to extremes. His teeth started to clatter as he only now started to wonder if this was a sign of Nyx maturing into another Nightmare Moon, but then he reminded himself that another Nightmare Moon was implausible as there is only one, and the current Nightmare Moon was nothing more than a little filly.
But alas, his thoughts of Nightmare Moon didn’t stop there. He started to wonder if this developing nocturnal habit of Nyx’s could be a sign of the transformation coming back. “But that’s impossible, Luna took care of it,” he thought, but still it did nothing to put his doubts at ease.
It took Twilight shaking the dragon to break him out of his insomnia inducing train of thought. He looked at Twilight who sighed and stroked his spikes softly. “You silly little dragon, what could be going through your head right now?”
Spike smiled modestly, “Just nonsense Twilight.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow and shook her head with a light corner smile that seemed to poke fun at Spikes ludicrous worries.. “If you’re that worried, Spike, we can send a letter to Princess Luna.”
Spike perked up and smiled at Twilight decision. Without another moment's delay, he picked up a quill and some parchment, and got to writing.
~~~
The following day left Nyx a troubled filly. Despite Spike’s request, sleep escaped her and left her rather groggy for the majority of the school day. When Cheerilee gave her lessons, Nyx’s eyes would droop and her mouth hang wide to the amusement of a snickering Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
The CMC found themselves looking at one another in vexation, and unlike Spike they didn’t go to the extremes of assuming it meant a new transformation, the audacity. But Nyx was forced to endure the whole day in this state, waking only to the call of her name or to groggily answer questions from a growing concerned Cheerilee. Why this was just the perfect opportunity to make up some snide and humiliating insults from Diamond Tiara and her associate.
At the chime of the bell and a call for the first half of the school day to close, Nyx shot up and mumbled something about parades and apples. Apple Bloom from just a few desks away, with her eyebrow cocked watched in mounting puzzlement.
“Ah think we should lend her a hoof,” she suggested and got up to approach with her friends in tow.
Nyx in her daze shook her head and rubbed her eyes which focused on her friends once her sight returned to normal after a brief moment of blur. The girls sat around her desk and took glances at one until all eyes fell on Nyx.
“Are you feelin’ alright, Nyx? Yer usually wide awake,” Apple Bloom inquired with some hesitation.
Nyx replied with a yawn and a shake of her head. “I’m alright,” she said in confidence, “I’m just resting my eyes a little, it’s nothing to fret about.”
Scootaloo let out a chuckle as she cleared her throat and looked at Nyx almost in disbelief. “Haven’t you noticed you’ve been falling asleep even long before now?”
“You’ve been acting almost like a bat all week. Without the wings and the upside downness, I mean,” Sweetie Belle added.
“The point is,” Apple Bloom sighed, “this is a little strange fer you, and you know, ponies are goin’ to talk if this is connected to yer past self, ya’know?”
Nyx’s head jerked back with her face filling with terror and her eyes appearing frightful. “Please don’t say that, Apple Bloom!” she cried out just a few pitches above a proper inside voice. “I’m not turning back, and I won’t!”
“How do we know that?” came the snooty and snide voice of one Diamond Tiara. “For all we know this might be the start of something new, maybe another transformation that you so frightfully deny.”
Nyx and the girls merely responded with bitter silence and unflattering glares.
“I wonder how the Princess’ will take the news,” the equally callous and unlikable, Silver Spoon, added, “It would be mortifying if Princess Twilight had to send you away.”
“♪NIGHTMARE!!♪” The fillies said together, their voices mixing into a twisted melody.
Though they snickered and laughed, they left the classroom with a bitter cloud looming over the CMC’s heads like a shadow of despair. Nyx’s first move after this session of bullying was to let out a lone cough and bow her head hurtfully.
Apple Bloom was quick to offer some comfort to Nyx with a gentle pat on the back. The dark filly sighed and adjusted her glasses which dropped just slightly to the right, and with a wave of her hoof in an almost princess like fashion she politely told Apple Bloom to stop with a smile following after.
“What jerks, are they ever going to let up?” Scootaloo asked expecting the same answer each time and glared awfully in the bully’s direction.
“I’m alright Girls,” Nyx spoke up at last. “Really, I feel fine… It’s not like they can keep doing this to me and expect me to get mad at them every time, right?”
“Girls,” Cheerilee called as she poked her head back into the school house. “Don’t you want to go outside? Class will be starting again in six minutes.”
Scootaloo seemed to take that information less graciously as the others, she groaned a little and looked at her friends. “I don’t know about you girls but I don’t want to stay in class all day long, you know?”
Though it took a moment, Nyx giggled at Scootaloo’s reaction, offering a welcome change to the mood for which smiles could be worn. “Then let’s not spend another moment here!” she exclaimed and ran toward the door with, the CMC, though delayed in their reactions, following behind.
~~~
The school days end came slowly for the sleeping filly who even during their brief time at recess struggled to stay conscious. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were a snickering pair of Harpies and did nothing more than torment Nyx at every moment of opportunity.
The walk home, at the very least, was welcome and allowed Nyx to remain open eyed a little longer. It wasn't hard, however, to see her dragging her hooves and have a quick stumble, only to be saved by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, brought out an air to warrant concern. They kept Nyx afloat briefly before coming to rest by a fountain, where she at last succumbed to sleep, only to fall face first into the cold water and wake once more with a start.
Nearby, Apple Bloom wondered how Nyx could be so tired, why was her focus off and her mind blank? What could bring such a healthy filly, such as herself, to be so restless on what could’ve been a normal day? Questions like these puzzled Apple Bloom and it bugged her to no end.
“Nyx?” she said and sat beside her. “Ah want an explanation, if Ah were Applejack and Ah saw you sleepier than a fruitbat without an apple, Ah’d ask ya to tell me what the problem is. So tell me why’re you fallen’ asleep like that all day for?”
Nyx met Apple Bloom’s eyes and shook herself dry. She sat back on her haunches and yawned with a sigh. “The obvious answer is “I can’t sleep.” But really my sleeping patterns have been erratic. Lately I’ve been awake none stop and only sometimes do I get some proper rest.”
She yawned once more and stretched out her wings and legs before continuing on: “Some nights I close my eyes and drift, but I don’t dream, I always find myself waking up and wandering. I’ve been wondering if it has to do with who I am… Maybe it does, I don’t know. I feel normal at night, when the moon is out and my eyes feel lighter, when they aren’t burdened by the bright glare of daylight.”
“You ain’t becomin’ a new nightmare, Nyx,” Apple Bloom said sternly to Nyx’s surprise. “Yer eyes might hurt in the sun and you might be havin’ a hard time noddin’ off at night, Ah’m sure that’s nothin’ Princess Luna can’t fix, or at the very least help you with. But that don’t mean you’re becomin’ Nightmare Moon again. Luna saved you and made you the little filly we call friend, and we wouldn’t have it any other way!”
Nyx took Apple Bloom’s words with confidence and smiled. Her eyes watered and she turned her head away to wipe her tears with a sniffle.
“So stifle them doubts and come with us,” Apple Bloom continued, “we’ll make sure ya get home safe an’ sound.”
“Thank you, Apple Bloom.” Nyx replied. Thanks to Apple Bloom, Nyx found some strength to stay awake, and even gained a small boost of energy to help her on her way home.
Nearby a friendly face watched on from the shade of a tree, and she chuckled to herself with a jolly smile that came from her heart warmed by the sight of friendship. To think it was a friendship without Twilight's influence that provided Nyx with such lovely friends, and filled this curious, but watchful onlooker with pride.
~~~
The night that followed that long day was no better than the others. It was after dark, likely an hour until midnight when the moon was at its peak. Twilight Sparkle continued to toil away with her books, all to assist her colleague in Canterlot, the candle light simply flickered as the wax melted onto the plate that held it in place.
The castle was dark and silent, not the noise of a cricket or the scurrying of mice could penetrate that ghostly sound of silence. Not even the tossing and turning of a young Nightmare, who snuggled into her remade Twilight Sparkle doll so childishly could bring even the ghost of a sound into the crystal halls, which in the dark could be thought of no less than tunnels.
A wind came howling through the crack in Nyx’s bedroom window, her ears perked up, she lifted her head and looked with her luminescent eyes out and into the night. There was a gleam of adventure which shone through her irises like a light, and she stood up and flew over to the light shining through the windows glass like a moth captivated by the flame.
With her aura she lifted the latch and stepped out into the autumn breeze that barely caused even a shiver. She took in the moon bearing light over the castle, and took flight, out into the large grassy field beyond her towering home.
After a few moments flight, she came to rest in a large open meadow, nearby a river, and ring of trees. She looked around to her left then right, her posture low as if to avoid danger and run away if need be, but as nothing came out to attack she relaxed and let down her guard. And with a laid back sigh, she sat back on her haunches and shut her eyes for the moment.
“A bit late for a midnight stroll, Nyx,” my voice rung out from among a cluster of trees nearby. It gave little Nyx a fight and she jumped up and turned to face me as quickly as an animal in danger.
Though she appeared on the defense, her demeanour crumbled back into a friendly little filly once I stepped out and into the moon's embrace. I lowered the hood I wore and let my mane flow like starwaves in a galaxy.
“Princess Luna?” Nyx’s voice carried a cadence of surprised curiosity, at how, I, the teller of this tale would be there seemingly at random on what was a beautiful night indeed. It was more coincidence that she and I would meet here at the same time.
“A little dragon whispered a few things in my ear one night not long ago, and I just had to see for myself these nightly activities you’ve undergone.”
Her ears folded flat on her head and she turned around in what I could assume was shame. There was no need to feel such a thing, I calmly strode over to her and came to lay beside her.
“I’ve heard you’ve grown quite concerned for your wellbeing, in particular, your transformation some time ago.”
Nyx’s ears lifted and she looked at me alarmed, “How did you know?”
“After Spike sent his letter I myself grew somewhat concerned and came just earlier today to observe you.” I said bluntly, “I’ve been out of sight but nearby, watching you as your eyes droop and close just when sleep reaches out to snatch you away.”
Nyx frowned and let out a depressed sigh which carried the weight of exasperation and her growing exhaustion. “But I don’t feel sleepy now, not like I did today. My mind is tired, but my body suffers from the denial it is trying to instill.”
“That would be the first stages of Nocturnalism,” I explained; “Your internal clock is likely in the process of adjusting to your habits.”
Nyx laid down on her side with a sigh and rested her head in her hooves. “What should I do? It’s only going to get worse…”
“You want to know what to do?” I gave Nyx a look and a smile and it piqued the filly’s curiosity. She looked at me with her eyes wide and eager and she nodded in anticipation.
“Warm milk, early nights and no reading,” I said, finally, only to bewilder the filly.
“That’s… that’s it?” Nyx asked. Of course she expected something more, something magical, perhaps. But the answer was just so simple yet it made sense.
“That's it,” I replied with my confident smile as if to garner some form of satisfying reaction from Nyx.
And I got it, she stared at me dumbfounded with a furrowed stare that made her look angry. I struggled to contain my laughter, lest she come think I was joking when, in all seriousness, I was not.
“There’s… nothing else?” she asked in her continued confusion. “You mean that’s it?”
I nodded. “Of course. And I especially meant what I said about the late night reading. You don’t need my sister and your mother's bad habit. The amount of visits I make to help them sleep, it’s exhausting.” I rolled my eyes and shook my head to emphasis just how routine it's become.
Nyx replied with a giggle and a smiles. My how it warmed my heart to see such childlike sounds. I reminisce about the times I walked Canterlot’s streets in my youth, only to be surrounded by children who would smile and flock to me in my passing as if a mother offering sweets, in a simpler time when I was at peace, not at torment.
With her eyes whose slitted pupils that looked lines on a vertical horizon, widened and met mine as she scooted closer to me and looked up at the starry sky so beautiful and brilliant with their many stars that shone down like distant suns, in a way I brought out suns of my own, like I piece together stories like this from the memories I see within dreams.
But Nyx didn’t scoot close just for my warmth, she had words, and she said to me, cuddled and eyelids down: “Okay, I’ll follow your advice. I was expecting something different, magical, I guess,” she smiled, “But if it’s that simple then I should be fine in no time, I’ll recover faster than a frozen frog after winter.” She winked.
Amusing. She was an amusing little filly. I giggled at her final proclamation, but I knew she would pull through as always. “I’ve put so much faith in you little one I might as well be one of those soft gummy things they sell at carnivals.”
Then we were silent, we looked up into the amaranth sky, with thousands of lights flickering and falling all through the night. The fall wind caressed our cheeks and brought with it a soft called that called winter’s coming. And we almost lost ourselves to nature's touch.
“Luna,” Nyx’s crystal voice broke the sudden silence and rendered the wind silent as though the night listened to her. I glanced down at her, turning my head slightly and standing my ears erect. “Do you think ponies whose souls have left this land become the nights stars?”
I was startled to have been asked such a question I also choked on my own breath. I took a moment to clear my throat and get a grasp back onto the question, it was an innocent, unexpected thing to hear from a filly as mature as she was, such a question was normally reserved for young innocent fouls whose grasp on mortality hadn’t yet been exercised.
“I mean,” she continued, “I know what stars are, and what they mean to somepony, but what do you believe, Luna?
I pondered for a moment. “What do I believe?” I mumbled to myself as my eyes came to lock onto the endless beyond, and I saw all of the stars glistening unhindered by the lights of towns and cities. A lone shooting star whizzed past with a sparkling trail of rainbow light, and I smiled unto myself that I have an answer.
“Well, dear, Nyx,” I started, “I do hold to my breast some sliver of belief that ponies do become stars toward the end. In a way we are all stars waiting to join the divine beyond. Such beautiful souls indeed.”
It was a strange philosophy, perhaps instilled in me by the passage of time. In my youth I firmly believed we were all destined to join with the night, a wonderful union of souls. Nyx helped me put things into perspective I suppose, stars being the souls of the departed, who are as free as the night sky and await any who join with them.
It reminded me of Dragon culture, the belief that a Dragon who lives with honor and without vice could join with their ancestors. I found myself smiling fondly at the connection. I sighed and closed my eyes soft like the wing beat of a butterfly, once again we were kissed by the wind as it took strides over the prairie and into the trees which shook and rustled like the blue grass. Once again, my ears were graced with Nyx’s clearwater voice.
“Isn’t tonight beautiful, Luna?” she asked with her eyes skyward in splendor.
I looked at her, at peace with herself, a warm feeling welled up in my chest. This filly was like an angel, to think she and I were the same being once upon a time. I looked up at the night sky and breathed a sigh of melancholy. “Yes, little one,” I replied with a smile. “Tonight is most beautiful indeed.”
What a beautiful night to lose some sleep.
