One night, in the long halls of Canterlot orphanage, one young Pegasus colt with his stark black coat, wings tipped deep purple, purple eyes and mane deep blue, paced slowly in the lonely room he was housed in the week before. Though he loved the night, he dreaded going to sleep for the nightmares seemed to only grow worse as time went on.
He had been an orphan for as long as he could remember, and tomorrow would be his eleventh birthday. He was transferred for a reason, the fillydelphia orphanage had become overcrowded and with such a dark color scheme and being as short as he was, he didn’t exactly standout to potential adopters. His social worker was likely right in her decision, but, as always, that didn’t make it any easier for him.
Aeon stopped pacing as he grew tired, and finally fell hard sleep. Allowing the nightmare creature to return yet again to the young colt’s mind.
“Aeon…” a soft voice whispered in to Aeon’s ear, causing a sharp shiver to run down his back. “Aeon honey?”
“Y-your back…” he winced “What do you want with me…”
“Oh, my dear Aeon, all I want is to help you get what you want.” The voice alliterated
“I don’t want this; they’ll die...” As he spoke there was a hint of doubt in his voice, all that the strange voice ever needed.
“Oh Aeon, you know those ponies don’t care about you, there is a reason you have no mother or father, your far too weak, why in all Equestria would someone want a colt like you? I can change this all for you in an instant if you let me. Not even those foals Celesta and Luna could beat us.”
“no. I don’t want this.” The foal could barely murmur in the presents of his tormentor
“Little Aeon, your just so close, all you need to do is open the chest” It sighed impatiently. “I guess I’ll have to let the nightmare come.” It paused “Unless you change your mind, of course”
Aeon hesitated; “I don’t want to hurt them…”
Aeon’s vision flushed into a school setting, and heard a last soft whisper for the moment in his ear “You asked for it little Aeon.”
A stallion teacher in a white suit walked up to Aeon. The foal could feel his legs grow limp. “Your late.”
“For what?” Aeon had a feeling he knew the answer.
“The class mother’s day party, you were supposed to be here an hour before school normally starts.” The teacher glared at the colt, before somehow gaining a horn, and using it to promptly pick up Aeon by the tip of his tail and drag him to a class room at the end of the hall. The hall had a striking resemblance to the one he had gotten used to in the Canterlot orphanage.
Thunder cracked over the steel brimmed door as the teacher dragged him into the classroom and locked the door behind them
The students sat as far away from Aeon as possible, whispering about all the things their mothers did for them. The glaring teacher shifted to a mare. “Students, to start our celebration, we’ll call you up one at a time, you need to give the class an example of a time your mother was there for you.” Aeon felt his heart drop to his stomach. “Aeon? Come up here. You’re first.”
He gingerly walked up to the front of the classroom and hesitated for a bit, (Getting him some nasty looks from the teacher) “my mom’s never been there for me, she abandoned me in a back ally shortly after my birth…”
The teacher laughed, before she, and the class glared dangerously at the little colt. “You must be worthless Aeon, for even your mom to through you away” The class roared in laughter, and Aeon began to feel much smaller than he already was.
Aeon dashed towards the door just to remember it was locked. His breathing grew heavy. The door began to creak open to reveal a familiar face, with her gorgeous red and orange mane, brilliant pink eyes, and fur white as Aeon’s was black. It was Ivory.
Aeon scored a large grin, and began to attempt to fix up the blue nest he called a mane, and called out, “Ivory! I can’t believe it’s you, Let’s get out of here!”
His heart dropped yet again, this time to the very pits of his stomach, as Ivory’s face turned to a terrible glare as well. She gnarled her teeth, “I’m not like you anymore Aeon, I HAVE a father now, and he’s one of the most important ponies in all Equestria, I don’t have time for you anymore.”
Aeon started to whimper, unable to keep himself from shedding a few tears, before his old friend grew, and he shrank to the size of a newborn mouse. Ivory put her right hoof forward, and continued on to crush her grieving friend, twisting his lifeless body in to the ground.
Aeon’s vision flushed back to the dark area, he was still crying. “Aeon sweet heart, you forced my hand. Oh well, I’ll see you tomorrow I guess.” Aeon’s vision started to blur out.
“Wait!” The little colt’s response called back the voice.
“Hmm?”
Aeon sighed nervously “I-I’ll do it. I’ll open the box”
Aeon heard what sounded like a thousand voices snickering in unison. A dimly lit castle formed around them, and the voice took the form of a pony made from shadows. Directly in front of him was a red carpet leading up to a chest. “By Luna’s light, what am I doing?” he muttered, almost inaudibly.
“All you need to do is open the chest, walk forward my little foal, and our power is yours” The shadow creature smiled.
Following its directions, Aeon walked forward sluggishly, and paused at the box. “DO IT!” the many voices screamed.
He held up his hoof, and-
“STOP!”
Aeon took back his hoof and quickly looked back to where the new voice came from to see a beautiful dark blue alicorn.
“P-Princess?” Aeon collapsed on the floor.
The princess began to shout, “Nightmare! How dare y...” Aeon blacked out.
Author's Note
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!
Luna's Feelings
The stunning princess of the night walked down towards the dining hall, she was to have her morning breakfast alongside her sister who was enjoying dinner.
Tia sipped her tea, before offering her sister greetings. “Had a good sleep I hope, sister.”
“I guess.” Luna groaned, making her way to her chair and levitating her coffee towards herself. Luna, like all sane people, hated waking up. “I’ve had worse”
Tia raised an eyebrow slowly, “No nightmares?”
Rolling her eyes, Luna gulped down coffee. “I’m over that, and you know it, now hand me some pancakes.”
“Just like I knew when it was happening?” Tia motioned to a nearby guard, “Lancer, grab my sister some pancakes.”
“Lancer, stay there, you aren’t an errand boy you’re a high ranking Canterlot lunar guard.” Luna leaned forward on the table, glaring. “Sister, hand me some pancakes.”
“No” Tia crossed her forearms in defiance.
“Do. It.” Luna lunged out of her seat, far forward on the table “Now”
“HORSEFEATHERS LUNA, GET YOUR OWN PANCAKE!!!” Tia screamed, startling poor Lancer with the vulgar language, “DON’T TELL ANYONE I SAID THAT!!” Lancer flinched back.
“UGG, WHY CAN’T YOU GET ME ONE PANCAKE!” Luna got up and started to angrily prance to the door, “Lancer, get my food, we’re heading to my study.” Lancer stumbled behind her, beginning to regret his newest promotion.
Luna and lancer clanked up the gold gold-plated stairs, Luna was regretting arguing with her sister, they were some of the oldest ponies in Equestria, she thought, maybe tomorrow I can have lancer bring down some cream pies, so when he notices the tension, we can have a pie in our faces instead of arguing. She smiled to herself at the idea of Tia covered in pie.
They quickly reached the study, and once there, Luna shooed away the guard and let loose her magic, the cyan blue aura overtaking her horn, causing the peaceful cool of the moons magic over take her horn, though a feeling she had experienced countless times, every time still felt like the first time, a sensation that never grows old. The moon moved, gladly responding to the Princesses beckon. The stars on their own precisely set themselves in place.
Stepping back inside, she now began to cast her spell, the one taught to her by Starswirl himself. She allowed her horn to twist and turn in her head, opening like a flower, as she focused. The familiar action was somewhat painful and left her weak, but the spell also acted as a type of anesthetic. It was one of Starswirl’s greatest works. The portal to the realm of dreams appeared in front of her, and she stepped through.
“WHAT IN TARTARIS IS THAT SMELL!” She winced alarmed at what smelled like stench of tar, rotting flesh and skunk. She slowly, covering her nasal passages creeped over towards the door emitting the stench, coming across a two-shade brown door, but there was something stranger than just a smell, the door had magical locks on it, strong enough to keep out anyone but her.
horsefeathers, I can feel the nightmare scape from here. Luna set to work on the first lock, a simple knot that alerted an individual magically connected to it that it was untied, a foals trick really. This one was easily undone with a simple barrier spell to destroy connection, and then simply untying the knot with no one the wiser.
Next was a memory lock, it would bring up one of an individual’s worst memories in an attempt to distract the user, luckily for Luna the Tantibus had taken any fear she had of herself and forced her through it over a hundred times, one lock could not hurt her.
Then was a rubix cube, most people would give up there, but Luna was persistent. When she and Tia were foals, Tia was doing better in school than Luna, so Luna spied on her sister near bed time to discover her weakness. Rubix cubes. Tia spent all night trying to get the sides to match and gave up by morning. Luna dug out the rubix cube and spent a week trying to figure it out before she finally found the secret: Move the stickers.
Needless to say she got through that one.
Luna opened the door to find the scene of a castle, in the center of the room was a chest and a red with gold trimmed carpet leading from the chest to the door she entered. It was an all too familiar scene.
Horsefeathers they’re back.
Luna stepped back behind a pillar to hide and took a deep breath. She forced her gaze to the door, knowing It’s victim was soon to appear in the doorway.
In just moments a young colt stepped on to the scene, clearly extremely tired, along with the shadow she knew only too well. Luna’s eyes swelled with anger. The colt Began to step forward and chanting commenced. He held out his hoof to open the chest. Luna couldn’t wait any longer.
“STOP!” Luna screamed out at the top of her lungs.
The princess heard the colt vocalize something but did not make it out, she was to angry.
“NIGHTMARE, HOW DARE YOU ATTACK A COLT!! GO BACK TO TATARUS WERE YOU BELONG!!”
The nightmare bit its lip in anger, but quickly regained its composure and smiled. “Oh, dear Luna, are you angry? So nice to see you again, my little puppet. Have you come to see my newest slave?”
Luna prepared her magic, hoping to blast the Thing hard enough for it never to be a problem again. “YOU. ATTACKED. A. CHILD. I’M NOT JUST ANGRY I’M PEEVED!”
It rolled its eyes at its old prey, “Oh Luna, you mean Aeon? He is much more than an ordinary pegasus foal, anyway it is time for me to take my leave.”
Luna's vision began to swirl as she was pulled towards the moon, still preparing the spell. The dream was ending.
Luna was thrown out of her portal as it closed.
“UGG!!” Luna’s spell released, hitting the wall of her room. Several guards rushed over to her study.
“Princess, what’s wrong!” Lancer said, motioning to his guards to stand at attention.
“Nothing, just a strong nightmare, you are dismissed. I need to take a fly.” The guards left, noticeably worried about how a nightmare could get so strong as to blow a hole in the wall.
Luna went out to her balcony and took to the air, she needed to find that colt before it was too late. Aeon just remember his name is Aeon. Where to look?
She, after a little thought, knew just the place. The Canterlot library in the Starswirl wing, when she and Tia were much younger, Starswirl developed a spell to help them with their pranks, a spell that lets you locate anyone you want as long as you know their face and their name.
Got it. She found the spell exactly where she put it last, next to her childhood books she made with crayons.
She recited the old spell with an image of Aeon straight in her mind. He was at the Canterlot Orphanage, not a far flight at all from the castle.
Luna arrived at the gate of the orphanage in no time, still not knowing what she was going to do. The lights were out for the night and she found the receptionist asleep at her desk. Luna shook the pony awake, who stuttered and fell at her feet all the way forward in shock. The princess rolled her eyes. “Get up, I am here to see the one named Aeon, bring him to me.”
“Right away your highness!” she stumbled out down the hallway, out of sight, leaving the princess to her thoughts for a few moments.
What in all of Equestria am I going to do? I clearly can’t leave him here, and I can’t take him, then again, though we don’t look it, me and Tia are quite old. But I know how Tia is, this boy is not an alicorn, and adoption out of the blue is two impulsive for her, but I really can’t leave him here, maybe Tia doesn’t have to know quite yet? I am without a successor…
I know what I’m going to d-
“PRINCESS! AEON WON’T GET UP” The receptionist yelled out to Luna sweating and panting.
“Let me see him.”
“Right this way princess!” She darted down to halls with Luna in hand. She started nudging him, and nothing happened. “Your highness, can you do anything?”
Luna checked Aeon’s pulse and he was okay. “He will be okay.”
The mare sighed with relief before harboring a look of confusion, “your highness, why did you come to see him?”
Luna smiled nervously, “I am here to adopt him.”
The receptionist’s eyes went wide. “Sure princess, but there will be paper work, and you need a home study! It could take months!”
Luna rolled her eyes in an annoyed way. “Last I checked the big castle over there is more than fine, and I am one of the two most powerful ponies in Equestria.”
“But you need to- “
“Take a note, please.” Luna said towards the receptionist, interrupting her. “By official decree of the princess of the night, the princess of the night only needs to sign off that she agrees to adopt a certain child, to adopt said child.”
Luna signed off on a scrap of paper, and turned to the receptionist, “Don’t tell anyone I was here.” The receptionist nodded, stunned. Luna took Aeon in her arms and flew back to the castle.
Once there she prepared him a room in a part of the castle that hadn’t been occupied in over a century (The Canterlot Castle is large enough to house all of Canterlot and then some). She used an enchantment on the window so that Aeon could see out, but no one could see in. Luna then placed Aeon on his new bed, locked the door, said goodnight even though he was unconscious, and head off for dinner as not to raise suspicion, still bewildered that she was now a mom.
Author's Note
Well, I just spent two day's writing, I hope it's good.
