This Fading Night

by Witch Doctor Lion Mane

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Sad, Romance
Length: 12605

The story of Crescent Eclipse, the first true lover of night, who struggled to help her favorite Princess in her darkest hour, even if Crescent was too late.

A little over a thousand years ago, it was no secret that very few, if any ponies, cared for Luna or her night sky, preferring Celestia's love and light to the darker Princess's more mysterious ways. However, these accounts aren't as accurate as historians make them out to be. For, in truth, one thousand years ago lived a pony by the name of Crescent Eclipse. As she grew, Crescent became Equestria's first real astronomer, charting the heavens as night settled over the land. As such, she was the first to notice as the nighttime began to get colder, and the stars and moon, which had once been her nightly companions, seemed to become bitter and distant.

Upon taking note of this, Crescent set out to find out what was wrong, and over a thousand years later, Luna is rummaging through some older books in the Canterlot Library when she discovers a very old, long abandoned journal hidden behind several other books. Curious, Luna takes the journal and begins to read it. What she finds inside shocks her to her very core, making her reassess everything she thought she knew and remembered about the days leading up to her turning into Nightmare Moon and being banished.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2016-09-18 21:07:52 UTC

Discovery

Night had long since fallen over Equestria, the moon shining high above even the distant, towering peaks of the Crystal Mountains. As the gentle silver rays washed down upon the world below, ponies snuggled up in their beds, pulling their blankets close and smiling contentedly as pleasant dreams filled their heads.

Yes, it would seem that all ponies in Equestria were asleep. Well, all except one.

Down in the streets of Canterlot, the large metropolis which served as both the capital and political center of Equestria, a sole figure could be seen walking, basking in the light of the gorgeous full moon above. The street on which she walked was long deserted, save for few mice scurrying about in the alleyways. The pony did not mind though, reveling in the silence, a rare commodity in Equestria these days, what with all the new/old villains which had been popping up. But that was a concern for another time.

Shaking her head, the figure, large in stature compared to everypony but one, continued her trek through the peaceful streets, casting her gaze up towards the sky so as to admire the stars as she walked. As the figure turned her head, the light of the moon bounced off her shimmering dark blue coat, which bore a black-spotted patch on the rump area, and a crescent moon cutie mark. Her mane, unique to only two ponies in the entirety of Equestria, perhaps even the world, swayed in an invisible breeze. Starting out as a very light see-through purple at the edges, it turned a dark blue the closer it got to the center, not as dark blue as her coat, but still pretty dark, and seemed to twinkle in spots, as if someone had taken the night sky, stars included, and brought it down into this pony's mane. The same thing could be said for her tail, which also flowed in a non-existent breeze, and floated behind her body for a great length. To match up with her looks was a pair of wings and a horn, both the same color as her coat, and eyes the same color as the moon's reflection off blue ice. To finish her appearance off, Luna had a full hoof set of light purple metal shoes and a small piece of chest armor which wrapped around her neck that was the same color as the black splotch on her back, and also had her cutie mark placed directly in its center. Both pieces of clothing seemed to have that same odd twinkle to them as Luna's mane and tail, though the young High Princess had not really taken note of this before.

Strolling through Canterlot, Luna watched the night sky, a small smile on her face as she admired her handiwork. Nopony else may have been up to marvel at her creation, but that didn't mean they didn't care, and Luna was not about to become jealous again. She had learned her lesson regarding such things long ago.

So focused was Luna on staring at the sky that she did not watch where she was going. Before the Princess could realize what was happening, she had tripped, chin hitting against the third bottom step of the set of stairs she had just walked into. Taking a moment to recover from the shock, Luna sat up with a small groan and rubbed her lower jaw. That was gonna hurt for a while. Scowling, Luna turned to face the stairs and the building which they led up to, and paused for a moment, the scowl vanishing as she stared up at the towering structure before her. It was the Canterlot Public Library, the one to which the unsealed books of magic and history went, alongside the fictional novels such as Daring Doo. A seemingly harmless place, one that hadn't injured her on purpose, and bore no ill will towards Canterlot or its residents. However, Luna did recall there were some books her sister had secretly sealed away here. After all, who would think to look in a public library for secret information?

Not that any of that mattered. She had no real reason to linger here, and besides, the sun would be rising soon. She had to get back to the castle and get Celestia up, or else that lazy bum might try to sleep all day.

Rolling her eyes a little and giggling slightly, Luna turned to leave, but then movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning back towards the library, Luna saw the shadow of a pony faintly outlined against one of the windows. Narrowing her eyes, Luna knew there wasn't supposed to be anyone in there at this time of day.

Trotting up the steps to the library, Luna stopped before the two heavy-set marble doors, which were  brown and fashioned in a way to look like ornately carved wood, though the shine of the marble gave away what it really was. Still, all in all, it was an impressive set of doors. Which is why Luna felt so bad when she forced them apart, causing the heavy-set lock to bend inward with a shriek as the doors just about busted off their hinges.

Racing into the library, Luna frantically glanced around, first towards the window where she had seen the pony in the first place, then at the surrounding bookshelves. There didn't appear to be anypony in here with her. Frowning, Luna thought about turning to head back out and find some guards to help her search, but dismissed the idea quickly. The pony would likely be long gone by the time they returned, and besides, she was an all powerful alicorn princess. She could easily track down this intruder and arrest them on her own.

Mind made up, Luna stalked further into the library, trying to be as silent as possible as she searched for the intruder, hoping to have the advantage of surprise. However, as Luna got deeper into the library, she began to think there was no one here, and that maybe she'd taken more than a hit to her jaw. Just as she was about ready to give up and turn back, Luna suddenly heard the front doors slam shut, and heard a lock click into place. Startled, Luna took a second to compose herself before racing back to the front of the library. She immediately saw there was nopony there, which only made Luna feel more on edge, before she raced up to the doors.

Pulling with all her might, Luna tried to force the doors open, but the lock stayed firmly in place. After a couple minutes of little success, Luna tried turning to magic, blasting at the doors with everything she had. However, they still refused to give way. Finally, exhausted, Luna slumped to the floor, her horn smoking.

How was this even possible? She had, just minutes before, smashed through these doors like they were made of cotton candy. Now, not even her strongest magic was doing anything against them, and to top it all off, someone had bent the lock back into place and locked it. Who, though? Just who was that strong, that powerful, able to undo what an alicorn had just done, and then trap said alicorn inside?

There was only one answer.

"Celestia!" Luna called out, irritation laced in her voice. "This isn't very funny! Get out here now, sister, before I have to come catch you!" Luna demanded. From the corner of her eye, Luna saw movement once more, and instantly snapped her head towards it, catching the last glimpses of a pony's tail disappearing behind a set of bookcases on the far right side of the library. "Oh no you don't!"

Racing after the shadow, Luna barely managed to get to where she had seen them in time to watch the pony's tail yet again disappear behind another set of bookcases, though the particular area that direction seemed to lead towards was the far right corner of the library. Raising an eyebrow, Luna trotted quickly after the pony, whom she was still sure was her sister, before coming to an abrupt stop. She had arrived at the end of the row she'd seen the pony run into, which led directly to the corner, but there was nopony there.

Peeking out from behind the bookcase, Luna looked down the line of bookcases before her, though saw no one trying to get away. A bit bewildered, Luna cautiously emerged from behind the bookshelf, sure that nopony could have gotten away so fast with how fast Luna had been, not even her sister. Growing suspicious, Luna examined the area around her. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary at first, but upon closer inspection, Luna found a small pile of brick scrapings on the floor. Her eyes traced the dust across the floor to the right corner wall before beginning to look it up and down for clues. That was when she spotted it.

There was a small nick along one of the bricks of the wall, which the library was mostly composed of, other than the marble doors, and took note of how the brick seemed to be more worn than the others. Curiously, but also hesitantly, Luna reached out a hoof and gently placed it against the brick. She felt it shift under her touch, and, feeling a bit more confident, Luna pushed harder, and the whole brick disappeared into the wall.

There was the sound of gears turning, and then a small section of the wall slid away to reveal a doorway, which led into inky blackness beyond. Unable to resist raising an eyebrow again, Luna lit up her horn as she stepped into the passage beyond, grumbling under her breath how she was gonna get Celestia back for this.

Then she began to walk, heading down a dank, dark hallway, the only light coming from her horn, getting a couple hundred feet in before she heard the door slide shut behind her. The sound made Luna jump a little, and she glanced back in slight fear when she realized her escape route was gone. This all had to be part of the joke, right? Celestia was probably still pulling her hoof, though at this point, Luna was beginning to doubt the theory about it being her sister. This seemed a little extreme, even for Celestia. But if it wasn't her sister, who was leading her into what was obviously a trap?

Getting more nervous by the second, Luna took a moment to steel herself, then began back down the hallway, not giving herself another moment for thought. If she had, she likely would have bolted, but no, she wanted to track down the pony doing this and confront them. If this was all some sick prank, then she would make sure the guilty party got a very stern talking to. If it wasn't a prank...well, that was a conern for when she reached the end of this hallway. If she did.

Which she did. After what felt like an eternity, but was actually only ten minutes, of walking, Luna emerged from the cramped tunnel. Upon setting hoof outside the hallway, a series of fires suddenly burst to life on either side of Luna, spreading out in front of her till they disappeared from sight. What the light revealed had Luna gaping.

In front of her lay a utopia of knowledge, thousands upon thousands of books stacked as far and high as the eye could see. There were bookshelves of every height and wood type filling the unbelievably large space, each shelf crammed full of books and other pieces of literary art. From the walls and ceilings hung pictures, each of a depiction of an important pony in Equestrian history, and they absolutely crammed the walls, blocking out whatever color the room's walls might have originally been.

Marveling at the sight before her, it took Luna a minute to actually glance around her and see what was actually at eye level. In all honestly, the rest of the room's decorations were pretty boring compared to the rest, mostly being comprised of a large series of tables and study cubbies spread out by the very large hoofful across the entire library network.

Upon having taken it all in, Luna only had one thought: How much stuff is my sister hiding from Equestria? And me?

Luna would have contemplated that thought more, had she not seen something move once more in her peripheral vision. Her mind and body snapped to attention as they settled on the distant figure of the pony. For once, Luna got a good look at the pony, and knew immediately that it wasn't her sister. They were far too small in size, and only had a small, normal pony horn gracing their head. No wings, though, another big clue it wasn't Celestia, and also pardoned Twilight and Cadence, though she didn't think either of them would pull this, and again, Cadence was way too tall.

Perhaps it was...no, that wasn't right. This pony had a horn, so it couldn't have been any of the usual suspects. Her last suspect was Rarity, but she immediately dismissed that thought. Rarity would never pull something like this, not even if she was doing it for one of her friends. It simply wouldn't be lady-like, and everyone knew how important such things were to Rarity.

Which meant this had to be somepony outside her circle of friends, and that also meant this had just turned dangerous, for Luna only knew one other unicorn personally, and they would never pull this.

A stranger had drawn her into the library, trapped her in it, led her here, and trapped her here as well. She was now in a room with a mysterious pony with no escape routes should they try something.

Focusing back on her opponent, Luna took a second to realize that something was off about them. While she had at first thought it was hard to see them because of the shadows they were standing in, Luna now saw that the pony was actually a literal shadow, form incoherent and shifting within the darkness. As this realization came to Luna, the shadow pony suddenly turned and walked down the aisle they were standing next to.

Luna released a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. Standing straight, Luna's face took on a steely expression as she approached the spot where the pony disappeared. No way was she going to let this pony get away without answers. There was only one pony beside herself could control shadows, but he was supposed to be dead...if that was false, she needed to know, and this shadow would give her her answers, whether it wanted to or not.

Upon reaching the entrance to the aisle, Luna peered in with sharp eyes, and saw the shadow pony almost instantly. They were standing a little ways past the center of the aisle on the left side. Their right front hoof was lifted and was resting on a series of books on one of the shelves, which appeared to be the fifth one up from the bottom shelf. Upon Luna appearing at the end of the aisle, the pony glanced over, and as it did, Luna could almost swear on her sister that the shadow pony actually took on the appearance of an actual pony.

In that brief second of time, Luna saw an unicorn mare, her fur the same color as the darkest of shadows, with a mane and tail that were both dark blue-greenish and light silver-blue in color. On her mane, which was done up in a braid that rested over her left shoulder, the dark blue-green was a stripe down the center while the silver-blue bordered it on each side. On her tail, the colors were flipped, with the dark blue-green bordering the silver-blue. Her hooves matched the color of the silver-blue, and her eyes were a dark blue in shade. The pony's cutie mark was that of an almost full moon with a couple stars twinkling around it, though Luna was quick to notice a small portion of the upper right half of the moon was missing, as if something was covering it.

As the pony's appearance shifted, they locked eyes for a moment. In that split second, Luna saw great sadness in her eyes, though also hope, a deep hope. And then, Luna blinked, and the pony went back to being a shadow, disappearing into the shelf her hoof had still been resting on.

Taking a moment to get over the wave of shock which had engulfed Luna, the Princess hesitantly stepped into the aisle, not sure what to expect as she approached the spot where the pony had been standing. Upon ever-so-slowly reaching it, Luna felt her pelt tingle slightly, picking up on the magical energy left behind by the pony, who Luna had zero doubt had been a ghost.

Shakily lifting a hoof, Luna began exploring the shelf which the pony had seemed intent on, flipping through the books. Most of them seemed to be about theoretical magic, things like resurrection and witchcraft. There wasn't anything that jumped out as Luna scrolled through the titles, and none of the authors had a name which would inspire Luna to think of the ghost mare.

Luna spent a great deal of time looking through the bookshelf that the pony had led her to, even flying up to the top shelves to check, thinking perhaps the pony hadn't been able to reach the actual shelf she wanted Luna to search. There were a couple of books and author names that caught Luna's attention, but she had ended up putting them back when she was sure they weren't what the pony had been trying to show her.

After spending a good twenty minutes examining every inch of the bookshelf, Luna sighed and landed on the ground, having been searching the top shelves, and shook her head. There was nothing here. The pony had led her on a wild goose chase, and trapped her in the library, for no reason at all.

Right? That had to be the only explanation. There was nothing here for her to see, and the pony...the pony. She had seen the look in that mare's eyes, and Luna was absolutely sure it had been real. She had been trying to show her something, Luna just couldn't see what.

Frustrated, Luna kicked the shelf slightly, causing some of the books to shift. As they did, one of the books on the shelf the pony had originally been pointing to fell out, hitting the ground with a dull thawk! Luna, realizing what she'd done, bent her head to pick the book up, but then a small, very subtle flash caught her eye. Lifting her head back up, Luna peered into the space behind where the other book had been sitting on the shelf, and noticed something crammed into the back of the shelf. The light from the fire seemed to be reflecting off something on its cover, and this is what had caught Luna's attention.

Reaching into the shelf, Luna grabbed hold of the object, pulling with all her might as she tried to dislodge it from its crammed space. As the object, which Luna now identified as another book, began to emerge, several more books tumbled to the floor, but Luna ignored them.

The book now in hoof, Luna backed away from the shelf, heading to a nearby table. The table itself was a simple one, made of plain oak wood, with a couple of chairs of the same wood pushed up on either side of the center. Setting the book down on the table in front of the chair nearest her, Luna climbed gingerly onto the seat, fearing splinters, before settling in and turning to examine the piece of literature.

The book, which seemed to be a journal of some kind, was fairly simply in make, with hardened leather for the covers and spine, all plain except for the front cover, which contained the cutie mark of the pony from before, and below that, written in loopy cursive in a faded, shimmering, light blue ink of some sort, was a name.

"Crescent Eclipse," Luna whispered, stroking the cover softly, removing a great deal of the dust which covered it. Luna had no idea why, but a tear formed in her right eye when she said that name, and fell down onto the cracked leather of the cover directly between the cutie mark and the name.

Wiping away the tears in her eyes, Luna took her eyes off the name when she saw that the book's pages were giving off a subtle glow of sorts. As she took notice, the pages flashed briefly, and then an odd click sounded through the air. A lock spell, which had just unlocked.

Luna felt this was weird upon realizing what had just happened. Why had her tear unlocked the spell? Curious, Luna slowly reached out and pulled back the front cover, ready to start reading.

Beginning

Log 1, Date Moon Cycle 10, 20th Day, 214 A.D. (After Discord)

Hmm, where to begin. Well, I guess I could start with my name. I'm Crescent Eclipse, and this is the first time I've actually kept any sort of journal. Well, if you don't count the diary I had when I was a five-year-old filly. That aside, though, I thought it might be a good idea to start keeping records in this way again. I've been discovering so much lately, and I can barely manage to keep all the papers I have together. They always end up spread across the floor of my apartment, so this journal is really a desperate bid to keep things tidy from now on. I hope it'll help, like my mom's assured me. I really should start listening to her advice more often. She suggested I keep journals a long time ago, and if I had, I likely wouldn't have to be making this bid to help with the organization.

Anyway, moving on. I suppose I should also mention why I'm even starting this. You see, I'm what ponies have began to call an astronomer. Don't really know where the word came from, and I can't help but feel they use it to make fun of me. Well, bah, I say to them. While they waste their lives away with the plain daytime sky, I get to stay up all night and enjoy the beautiful stars and moon. Despite whatever cruelty it may secretly hold, I am proud to call myself an astronomer, and hereby claim it as the official title for my profession, and for any other pony who may one day take my job on. Not likely anypony will, but here's hoping.

Speaking of my career, I discovered yet another constellation last night. It was in the northern portion of the sky, hidden just slightly under the moon when it reached its axis. It seemed to be that of a pony standing rear-to-rear with a yak, both appearing to hold a weapon, the yak a spear, and the pony a sword. It had taken me ages to clearly see it, and I do believe it symbolizes the recent alliance Equestria formed with the yaks to push back the invading northern dragons. A new addition to the sky, in other words, but one that had still taken me a month to find. Luna is incredibly amazing at placing the stars into such subtle designs, ones that you have to really focus to see. Only true artists could see and appreciate the painting that is her night sky.

Ah, Princess Luna. Bringing her up causes so much admiration to surface in me. Even as a young filly, I always idolized her. It may have set me apart from the rest of my classmates, but I don't care. The Princess is the true epitome of grace and beauty. I cannot understand how everypony else shuns her so. She far more deserves respect than Celestia. Each night, Luna takes her paintbrush and brings us a masterpiece in the sky, but yet, nopony but I ever seem to stay up and witness it. Perhaps I am the only one who truly appreciates her, at least in my home town. There has to be other ponies out there who care, right? There are far too many ponies in the world for me to be the only one who cares.

Or maybe I am just the freak everypony in my class thought I was, unique among every other sun-loving pony in the world. I refuse to believe that, though. Others have to appreciate Luna, it wouldn't make sense otherwise. But that it is an argument I do not want to get in tonight. Besides, I have to go and finish my sketch of the new constellation. I haven't even named it yet, either. About time to start brainstorming!

Signing Out,

Crescent Eclipse

Luna sat staring at the journal for several seconds, her brain taking several minutes to fully process what she had just read. Had she really had an admirer back then? Was this pony, Crescent Eclipse, right about others caring for her above her sister as well?

It was like a hoof to the gut. The mere thought that she had had ponies who did care for her back then, and had completely ignored them in her jealousy, made Luna feel rather nauseous. It made everything she did back then a hundred times worse, if it was true. She had had no reason to be jealous if Crescent Eclipse was right. No, that made it so that Celestia's part of the blame was lifted and placed on her shoulders. It meant...she'd been the one ignoring her subjects, not the other way around.

Luna felt like her whole world fell apart at that thought. Everything that she'd done, it was all for paranoid, selfish reasons. Her turning to Nightmare Moon and turning on her ponies, on her sister, and being locked away for a thousand years, it was all because of her paranoia.

But that all depended on if Crescent Eclipse was right. This line of thought hinged on whether or not Eclipse had ever actually been able to find fellow night-lovers like herself, or if the mare had really been the only lover of night at that time frame.

And there was only one way to know for sure. Luna had to get back to reading the journal.

Gingerly, as if it might bite her, Luna's horn lit up, as did the second page of the journal, and she flipped it to the next entry. The glow on her horn died away, and the page settled gently on top of the first, illuminated by the light blue glow of one of the fires. Then, taking a deep breath to calm herself and releasing it, Luna began reading once more.

Log 2, Date Moon Cycle 10, 25th Day, 214 A.D. (After Discord)

Phew, been a long five days. Starswirl showed up in town a few days ago, and everypony had decided to throw a festival for him, celebrating his newest magical discovery, which had something to do with a modification on the normal teleportation spell. There was talk of throwing the festival next year, too, due to how big of a hit it was, but I don't know whether anypony will even care by that point. It was probably just a one time thing, though hey, I could be wrong. Dazzle seemed rather insistent upon it.

That aside, though, I've finally managed to finish my drawing of the new constellation, which I've dubbed Crystal Fiery, to match up with the location the fight took place and well, the fierce clash. Not very original, I know, but there's only so much you can do with a name. I've often struggled to think of names for them, though I cannot help but think my naming them is a moot point. I'm sure Luna already has names for them, and intends to make sure they go down in the history books.

Speaking of, both Princesses ended up appearing in town to speak with Starswirl, and ended up staying to enjoy the festival. I tried to talk with Luna, but the crowd and my shyness held me back. It was beyond great to see her, at least. And just as I thought, the drawings I've seen do not do her justice. She is glorious, with a mane and tail which seem to hold the very night within them, and a coat which would put the darkest of midnight blues to shame. And her eyes...I have never seen eyes in that shade of blue before. It is like...I cannot even properly compare them to any other color in the world. Perhaps it would be best to describe it as if someone had tinted the moon with the finest of light blues, while still managing to keep silver subtly hidden behind it, taken some of the rays that moon made, and put them within Luna's own orbs. I know that does not make much sense, but it is the best I can do.

Listen to me, prattling on like some silly filly with a schoolyard crush. I cannot help it, though. I've devoted my life to the study of the night sky, and that technically means I'm also studying Luna. Sounds a little creepy when you think of it that way, but it's the best way I can summarize my behavior. I really hope neither Princess ever sees this, especially Luna. Would be pretty awkward explaining it to them.

Anyway, I think it's about time to move on from that discussion. As for any other things that have happened, I cannot say there's been much excitement. Nothing new in the sky tonight, though there doesn't need to be for me to admire it. I can't help but wonder if Luna will make something new soon, though. Perhaps it could have to do with the festival. Perhaps a constellation for Starswirl. No, wait, there is already one up there because of another work he did that impressed the Princesses, his cutie mark, I do believe. Still, lots of other things Luna could celebrate in the sky. I'm not saying I'm pressuring her, but I can't help but feel like a little filly again every time I see a new constellation. Her work is just so beautiful.

All that aside, I don't think there's much more I can report right now, so I guess I'll just go for now.

Signing Out,

Crescent Eclipse

Luna took another small break to gather her thoughts, a small smile not able to keep itself from gracing her lips. Despite what Crescent Eclipse's first entry might have meant for Luna, the way the mare had been crushing on her was adorable. Honestly, it felt nice to be appreciated in such a way, considering she'd never actually had somepony show interest in her that way before. It made Luna feel deep regret over the fact she'd never met Eclipse, at least when she was living.

Well, what's done was done. All she could do now was read the mare's journal and imagine what could have been. Sticking to that line of thought, Luna used her magic to flip to the next page and read the words recorded there.

Log 3, Date Moon Cycle 11, 23rd Day, 214 A.D. (After Discord)

It's been nearly a month since I last wrote in this thing, and for good reason. Things have become rather hectic in my life. I'm sorry to say that my dear mother has passed on. It has hurt seeing her move on, but she was getting old, and I'm glad her death was so peaceful, going in the middle of the night like that. Rest in peace forever, Lily Sweet.

As if that wasn't enough, my job hasn't exactly been making me any bits, and the waitress position I have barely makes me enough to pay the rent, and this month, I'm late, and it's causing my landstallion to breath down my neck. I don't know if I'll be able to stay here for much longer. I don't know where I'll go if I get kicked out. My dad disappeared long before I was born, and my other relatives and I are pretty much estranged. I don't exactly have a lot of friends, as my previous entries may have hinted at, but the few I do have aren't that close to me.

To top it all off, I've began to notice something about the night, something I think is even more worrisome than my other problems. Over the past couple weeks, things have been getting colder, and I know that doesn't sound odd considering how close it is to winter, but I don't just mean that type of cold. I know it's hard to fathom it, but the night does have its own feelings, mostly projected by Luna, I think, and recently, these feelings I've been getting from it...well, they're not good. I think something is happening to Luna. I can't say for sure what it is, but a couple nights ago, the coldness in the night turned to bitterness, and I've finally done something about it.

Unable to ignore my worries, I wrote a letter to Luna, and sent it with a carrier pigeon yesterday morning to the Palace of the Two Sisters. I hope it has reached her, and that my words might have helped her. Though my hopes are pretty low for that, considering the night was still pretty harsh-feeling last night. Perhaps the letter ended up in the hooves of one of the guards, or even Princess Celestia, and they haven't managed to get it to Luna yet. I'm just hoping she reads it soon, if she hasn't already. I can't help but get a really bad feeling every time I look up at the moon this past week. Whatever's happening, I think I need to investigate it, and try and reverse it, before something horrible occurs.

Signing Out,

Crescent Eclipse

Luna stared down at the pages of the journal in utter confusion. There were so many things in this chapter she didn't understand. First off, how Eclipse was able to pick up on the night's feelings was beyond her. It was a gift Luna thought only she had, considering they were mostly her own emotions that the sky projected. She'd never, in her thousands of years, heard of another pony having such a gift. Another thing which troubled Luna, perhaps the biggest issue, was the mention of the letter.

Looking back, Luna was absolutely sure with every fiber of her being that she'd never received any letter in the days leading up to her becoming Nightmare Moon, which, if this was dated right, was only a few months before her transformation. What in the name of Tartarus had happened to the letter?

"There you are!"

Luna jumped at the sound of a voice behind her, and whipped her head around so fast she almost gave herself whiplash as she tried to identify the intruder. Upon seeing who it was, Luna let out a sigh of relief before closing the journal, tucking it under her wing, jumping gracefully from the chair, and turning to face the being standing behind her.

"Discord. What are you doing here?" Luna asked, her voice laced with a bit of suspicion. This caused Discord to smile darkly for a second before letting out a laugh, the darkness leaving his expression. "Oh, Lulu, you are just too paranoid for your own good! You sister sent me to find you. She's...well, fairly upset with you, considering it's almost nine in the morning and the moon is still up," Discord explained with another chuckle.

The blood instantly drained from Luna's face as she let out a gasp, raising her right hoof to her muzzle. "Oh Tartarus, I can't believe how late I am!" Feeling rather embarrassed, Luna rushed past Discord and made it halfway across the room when she realized she had no way out of here, due to the entrance to the tunnel being sealed. Unless...

Turning back to face Discord, who was admiring all the books filled with secret knowledge, she called. "Discord, you wouldn't have happened to get in here by opening the door to the library, would you?" Discord glanced back at Luna as she spoke to him, and a sly smile slid onto his face. "Oh, this is in the library? I only managed to get in here cause I teleported to where I felt you were. Good to know where this is, though."

Luna wanted to smack herself over the head for her stupidity. Sure, give the all-powerful Lord of Chaos the location of an entire library's worth of secret and powerful magic. Great job, Lulu.

Now pausing in her rush to contemplate how to get out, she almost forehoofed again. All she had to do was teleport! Wow, she can't believe how worried she'd been earlier about escaping when she thought Eclipse was a threat. She could have just teleported away.

Nodding, Luna prepared to teleport, but as she did, her wings instinctively opened, spreading out as if in preparation for her to shoot into the sky once she was done teleporting. However, as they did, the journal fell out from their place under her right wing, dropping to the floor and sliding to Discord's feet.

Luna, realizing what happened, rushed forward to pick up the journal, but it was too late. Discord, who had originally gone back to examining the books, saw the journal slide towards him from the corner of his eye. Curious, he turned and picked it up from its spot near his feet. He took a moment to examine it as Luna rushed forward to snatch it back, but even as she did, Discord's face went pale, and his grip tightened on the journal, keeping Luna from tearing it away with her magic.

Looking up at the Princess, who had come to a stop upon seeing Discord's reaction, a slightly concerned look on her face, Discord asked in a much softer tone than normal, "Where did you get this?" Luna, after a moment's hesitation, pointed with her wing down the aisle where she'd found the journal. "It was tucked behind a bunch of books on ones of the shelves over there. The, uh...well, it may be hard to believe, but the owner's ghost guided me to it."

Luna may as well have said that the world was about to end. Discord snapped his fingers, said something about raising the moon for her so fast Luna almost wasn't sure she heard right, then teleported them both back to the table. Luna was back in the seat she'd been in before, with Discord sitting in the one across from her, an anxious expression on his face as he glanced around like he expected something or someone to come bursting in at any second trying to stop them. "Quick, open it back up and continue reading. Out loud, if you don't mind, but keep your voice down," Discord swiftly told Luna.

Now more confused than ever, Luna opened the journal to the entry after the last one she'd read, and began to speak the next log aloud.

Trip

Log 4, Date Moon Cycle 11, 27th Day, 214 A.D. (After Discord)

Nothing has happened since I've sent the letter. The night still feels cold and bleak, and I am really starting to miss its companionship. With my mother gone, my family estranged, and pretty much no friends, the night is all I really have left in this world. The fact that it has become so distant makes me feel...well, useless, and rather lonely.

I'm not gonna let this drag me down, though. As I previously mentioned, I am going to start investigating. I've already bought tickets to Everfree City, and hope to soon meet Luna. I don't know what exactly I'll say to her, how I'll explain the situation, but I'm just hoping that she'll understand my story and save me the trouble of feeling like an awkward school filly trying to explain to her teacher an unbelievable story of how her homework ended up getting misplaced. Or I'm guessing that's what it might feel like. I've had that happen before, and it was pretty embarrassing.

Anyway, I've got my bags packed, and am scheduled to leave on the train first thing tomorrow morning. I won't be returning for a few days, so I think I might do a little bit of sight-seeing and souvenir shopping before I go to the palace, to help ease whatever nerves I might have. I'll also be staying at a motel located near the center of Everfree City, on the west side, so I'll be close to both the market and castle. A win-win.

On another note, I saw something pretty strange in the sky tonight. I wasn't really going to write about it, cause at first I didn't think much of it, but now that I look back, I can't help but feel it was a bit...odd, even with how things have been in the night sky lately. There was this odd black spot between the Andrublia System and the Horex Galaxy. I know that doesn't sound all that important, but there was supposed to be a small asteroid field there. I know asteroids are always on the move, but they were still there the night before, and it didn't seem like they'd be going any place soon. It's almost like something was blocking out the asteroids. Or like something destroyed them. I'm not really sure, but it only makes me feel more worry for Princess Luna. If things in the night sky are starting to disappear, what does that mean for the Princess? I can only hope to get to her in time and try to help her. I'm not sure how much a normal pony like me can do, but there's no harm in trying, even if I fail.

Signing Out,

Crescent Eclipse

Luna finished reading the fourth entry, taking a small break to look up at Discord. He seemed to be deep in thought, appearing troubled by something he must've heard in Crescent's writing. Not sure if she should break him from his trance, Luna hesitantly reached out to tap his arm, but then he finally seemed to emerge from his stupor and noticed what Luna was doing. He quickly withdrew his paw hand, which had been resting on the table, and Luna had been about to poke.

"Oh, don't worry about me, Lulu. Just thinking back and imagining is all," Discord assured the Princess of the Night. Luna, after a moment's pause, pulled her hoof back, letting it fall back onto the chair next to her other front hoof. "You just seemed to be out of it. I'm not sure I've ever seen you like this before." Discord bit his lower lip for a second and looked away, careful not to let his fangs pierce his skin, before releasing his lip and turning his attention back on Luna. "Yes, well, there's a great deal you don't know about me, or this pony. And before you ask me to explain, I think you better continue reading. I'm sure she wrote down most of it, and you'll get the answers you seek by the end of the journal."

Luna wasn't quite sure how to take Discord's cryptic message, but obliged, turning the journal to the next page and beginning to speak it out loud.

Log 5, Date Moon Cycle 11, 29th Day, 214 A.D. (After Discord)

I arrived in Everfree City yesterday, and was quick to find my hotel room and fall asleep the minute my head hit the pillow. Honestly, I'm not sure about this anymore. Don't get me wrong, I do want to help the Princess, but this trip has taken a huge toll on my finances, which were already shabby to begin with, and I'm afraid I'll go home to find my stuff either repossessed or on the front lawn.

While this alone would have made me cancel the whole trip to begin with, Tartarus, anypony would have cancelled in my situation, I can't help but feel that I can't abandon my mission. Something in me is urging me on, telling me I need to talk to Luna. I can't really explain it, but I'm going to listen to it for now and try to get into the castle tonight. I know it seems like a bad idea to try and ask for an audience with one of the Princesses in the middle of the night, but it's the most logical course of action when it comes to Luna. She's mostly up for only nighttime, except for the rare occasion, and while her bat pony guards are a bit scary, I've come too far already to back out now. If I want to talk to Luna, I have only tonight and tomorrow night, and I'm going to actually have to sleep at night tomorrow if I want to catch my train home.

Here's hoping everything turns out alright. I don't think I have too much to worry about, so long as the guards don't turn me away, or Luna refuses to see me. I'll report back later with what happened. For now...

Signing Out,

Crescent Eclipse

Luna once more paused briefly, both to turn the page and think about what she'd just read. Crescent must not have been able to get past the guards. That was the only explanation, considering she didn't remember anypony visiting her within the months leading up to her becoming Nightmare Moon. Though why the guards hadn't even told her about Crescent trying to visit...it was all very suspicious. Luna guessed the only way to find out what was going on was by continuing to read.

Focusing on the journal once more, Luna cleared her throat and began the sixth log.

Log 6, Date Moon Cycle 11, 30th Day, 214 A.D. (After Discord)

Things have not gone as I'd hoped. After coming all this way, it seems I won't be able to do a thing to help Princess Luna, who I am more then sure by now is the cause for the darkness seeping into the night. I say I'm sure because I spotted her last night before I tried to seek her audience. She was wandering down one of the hallways in the top eastern side of the castle, and was passing by a large stain-glassed window depicting the defeat of Sombra, an event which happened not very long ago. Her head was hung, and she had this troubled look on her face. I tried to catch her attention when I saw her, but she seemed to be too caught up in her thoughts, and disappeared on the other side of the window without even glancing up.

I had immediately picked up my pace when I saw this, and arrived at the front gate within seconds. However, upon making my request to see Luna, the guard told me that she was refusing visitors, and did not wished to be bothered. I tried to explain the situation to them, and what I saw as I was making my way here, but they refused to listen, saying that they'd only let me in if the matter was, 'actually urgent', or if I had a large enough group with the same concerns. I still tried to get inside to see Luna, but the guard forced me away, threatening the dungeon if I didn't leave.

I had no choice but to listen. If I hadn't, I'd have gone to jail, and there's no way I'd get to see Luna then. I need to find out what's wrong with her, and help fix it as best I can. But I don't know how I'm going to do such a thing. They didn't believe me, one probably crazy-sounding pony, about how urgent this matter actually was. The only hope I had was if I could get other ponies to agree with me. If the guards thought enough citizens were actually as worried as I, they'd have no choice but to let us in, considering the well-being of Luna was their duty, and if other ponies were that concerned for the Night Princess, then it was their job to make sure everything was actually alright.

But there's nopony I know or have heard of that might listen to me about this, or even already have their own concerns for Luna. This whole thing seems pretty hopeless. Unless...no, that's crazy. I couldn't do such a thing. I don't even have the money for it. But I could always make it...

Maybe I could find other ponies out there who'll care and listen. I just have to search. If I could find others, I could get in, and together, we might be able to help Luna. Our Princess of Night is suffering, and as her royal subjects, it is our duty to try and help her. I can't be the only one who sees this. Right? Of course I'm right. It's time to start making plans. I've got loads of places to go, and fellow night lovers to find. I just really hope the worries I had about being the only true pony loyal to Luna are false. Something has to be done to help Luna, or else something terrible is going to happen. I can feel it in my gut.

Signing Out,

Crescent Eclipse

Luna found herself once again staring blankly down at the pages, confusion swirling through her brain. There was so much here that didn't make sense, things that were once more out of place.

"Bu-but I didn't order the guards to turn away visitors. I never said any such thing over that span of time. What in Equestria is going on here?" Luna looked up at Discord for answers, but the Chaos Lord was twiddling with his fingers, trying to look anywhere but at Luna. When she saw this, Luna's eyes darkened, and she glared Discord down. "Did you have anything to do with this, Discord?"

The draconequus was very quick to answer this question, finally looking up at Luna and shaking his head, paw, and claws in a no,no,no motion. "Heavens no, Luna! Even when I was sealed in stone, I knew you were suffering, and while I have to admit I did find it amusing back then, even I wouldn't have sunk so low as to keep your subjects from visiting you. I was never cruel or low enough to kick a pony when they were as down as you were. I mean, sure, there was the whole thing with me messing with Twilight after I drained her of her energy and friendship, but that was gloating, and I stopped when I realized what I was doing. I, after all, only seek amusement, not pain."

When Discord was done speaking, Luna gauged whether or not she could trust him, and after a little while, she eventually calmed down, the anger leaving her eyes, to once more be replaced by puzzlement. "But if it wasn't you who told my guards to turn away subjects, who was it?" Discord was instantly back to twiddling his thumbs. "Oh, I don't know. Perhaps a traitorous or overprotective Captain. No real way to know, so I guess we should just move on and continue reading. Maybe we'll discover the answer later down the line."

Luna didn't buy his little act for a second. He was acting far too fidgety and paranoid. Leaning forward, Luna forced Discord to look up at her by enveloping his serpentine head in her magic and jerking it up. "Discord, who told the guard to turn away anypony who came to see me?" There was a long staring contest after Luna finished asking her question, one that caused the tension in the room to increase tenfold. At first, it didn't seem like either were willing to give up the stare and lose the match, but Discord eventually started to crumble. Luna was a far stronger pony than he, and had had far more intense moments with Celestia. In other words, Luna was a champion at this little game, and she wasn't about to lose her title.

Letting out a sigh and breaking eye contact, Discord frowned while a triumphant grin spread across Luna's face. Leaning back, she waited patiently for Discord to collect himself after his defeat, and turned to her with a slightly nervous expression. "Very well, Luna. I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to ask questions afterwards. Simply continue reading the journal. I can pretty much say for a fact that the answers you seek are told further down the line." After a moment's thought, Luna nodded, wordlessly agreeing to Discord's terms.

Taking a minute to compose himself and ready for the storm, Discord said, "The pony who was responsible for barring your subjects from seeing you was your sister, Celestia."

Journey

Luna was not sure what to think when she heard Discord's response. She felt like maybe she should be throwing a fit, saying he was lying, or that she was going to strangle her sister. Instead, all Luna could feel was...well, nothing actually. Luna didn't feel a thing. No shock, no anger, no hatred, it was like her emotions had just evaporated into thin air.

This realization and her reaction had Luna double-guessing herself. Had she always known Celestia had done this? That made zero sense whatsoever. How could she have known? By this point in the journal's time, she had started to crawl into her shell, and rarely spoke to her guards, the castle staff, and especially her sister. There was no way she could have known before turning into Nightmare Moon, or after the transformation had happened. So that still left the puzzle of why Luna felt so calm.

"Oh," was all she could manage to muster as she started freaking out inside a little bit. This was not normal. This news should have had her in a tizzy, but it was like Discord had merely told her that there was going to be a rainstorm later. Luna's reaction seemed to also surprise Discord, who slowly unwound himself, having become tense the instant the words left his mouth. Then he watched as Luna turned her focus back to the book and began to read the next page.

Log 7, Date Moon Cycle 12, 17th Day, 214 A.D. (After Discord)

Phew colt is there a lot to catch up on. These past two weeks have been some of the most hectic of my life. After my failure in Everfree City, I had come back home and decided to have a long talk with my landstallion. I told him of my intentions to travel around Equestria, and asked that he keep the very few possessions I have that I couldn't bring with me in a storage locker downtown I knew he had. In exchange, the apartment would go back on the market, and I would pay him fifteen bits a month for the storage unit. I know I can at least do that. And now that I have that out of the way, I have officially bought my ticket to my first destination.

Baltimare. It is one of the oldest and biggest cities in the entirety of Equestria, and I figure that with all those ponies, at least some of them must share my loyalty to Luna. It's just another thing that wouldn't make sense otherwise. I am actually currently on the train right now, and am minutes away from my destination.

I don't exactly know how I'm going to try and root out any other ponies loyal to Luna, but that isn't going to stop me from trying. Perhaps my best bet would be to try and find ponies with the same night-themed cutie mark as mine. A star, the rising moon, Tartarus, even something like the setting sun could all point to a pony who studies the night as I do. My hopes are pretty high right now, and I pray that they don't get shot down.

Even if I fail at yielding any results in Baltimare, I've got just enough money for a train ticket to Manehattan. If I can't find anything there, I'll go to the newly-established Vanhoover, and start working my way down the west coast from there. If all else fails, I'll try my luck at some of the smaller towns down south, like Appleloosa and Dodge Junction. I'm determined to find any other ponies who have the same loyalties as me, no matter how long or exhausting the journey. I owe Luna that much for everything she's done. Without her and her beautiful night sky, I'd likely still be a blank flank trying to figure out what I'm meant to do. After all, I refuse to believe my talent could have been anything other than being an astronomer. I feel deep down in my gut that it is the only thing I was meant to do in life, and I doubt I'd feel any different if I didn't have my cutie mark.

Oh, seems the train is stopping. Guess that's my cue. I'll probably take all day and tomorrow settling in and doing a quick search through the busier spots in Baltimare, so it'll most likely take a couple days for the next entry. Oh well. Until then...

Signing Out,

Crescent Eclipse

"So this must be when it all started."

Luna looked up at the sound of Discord's whisper, not sure if she'd been hearing things. The draconequus once more sported a look of deep thought, his claw hand holding his chin while he stroked his beard, seeming to be lost within the clouds of his mind.

Tilting her head a little to the right, Luna contemplated trying to break him from this second trance, but before she could decide, Discord looked up, seeming have just realized he'd spoken aloud. "Oh! Forgive me, my mouth sometimes runs away from me," he apologized, while his mouth literally leaped off his face and landed on the ground, scurrying behind a bookcase. Scowling, or at least Luna assumed he was by the way his eyebrows were furrowed, the Lord of Chaos snapped his fingers, and his lips reappeared on his face with a small flash of light.

Nodding in satisfaction, Discord turned his focus back to Luna, a coy smile on his face. "Do go on. Things are about to start getting good, and I do love an exciting story."

Luna, eyes slightly narrowed, flipped the journal to the next page and began reading.

Log 8, Date Moon Cycle 12, 20th Day, 214 A.D. (After Discord)

Ok! Colt, things sure have gotten interesting in my life lately. I can't believe it's only been a month since this all started. And now, things only keep getting more and more interesting by the second.

So, to recap on the events of the past few days, I spent the majority of them looking for Luna Loyalists, as I've taken to calling them and myself, and so far, I've had some very intriguing results. I have met a couple of ponies who seem to at least pay attention to Luna. They don't really have any talents related to nighttime, and they seem to hold Celestia at the same level as Luna, but hey, it's a start. I've asked them both if they know of any ponies who feel both Princesses are equal like them, or even know of anyponies who prefer Luna to Celestia like I do. Rose Mist, the first pony whom I met, said she didn't, but Bugle, the second pony, has pointed me in the direction of a popular pub. A lot of ponies go there during the night, and he says if I'm going to find any Luna Loyalists in Baltimare, they'll be there. I'm going to head out tonight, and bring my journal with me, so that I can cut out the middle stallion and just write my findings there instead of waiting till tomorrow. Plus, it might help to get the name of any ponies I meet who are potential Luna Loyalists. I could jot them down and remember them much easier tomorrow, which is something I might need if I end up having to partake of any cider or wine. It's not that I wouldn't mind a drink or two, I just would prefer to not have my mind get clouded, but knowing pub ponies, a couple may try and buy me drinks. Won't be the first time.

Anyway, the moon is starting to rise, and I think it's about time to take off. I won't bother signing out just yet, since I'm likely going to be writing in here again soon, so I'll just put a dash through the middle and continue this entry later.

I'm at the pub now, and it is just as lively as I expected. There are stallions playing pool, ponies discussing recent sport games, and a ton of yelling and merriment. Right now, I'm seated in a corner near a small window, waiting for my order of hay fries to arrive, and also scoping out the ponies. None of them seem to have cutie marks pointing towards a talent involving night, but I'm not quite ready to give up yet. There's a couple of ponies who have still peaked my interest, even without night-based marks, and I intend to talk to them after finishing my fries and they have a couple more ciders in their bellies. Drunk ponies are far more easy to talk to, and I should be able to get answers out of them quicker when their brains are fogged over by alcohol.

Hahaha, I'm never doing that again. One of the stallions I thought might share my loyalty is very...well, let's just say he doesn't understand personal space. And one of the others, he almost upchucked on me. I guess I gave them the chance to get too much cider in their system. At least two of the six I spotted have yielded promising results. One mare, Sugar Bits, couldn't stop babbling on about how Celestia was overrated when I brought up the subject of the Princesses. I think I even remember her saying a quick comment about how Luna is far better before she went off another tirade about Celestia and wandered away. The second possible Loyalist, Rock Fall, outright told me that he didn't like the way Celestia always seemed to glorify herself above everypony, even her sister. I have yet to bring up the idea of going to see Luna, or even why I would want their help, but I know Sugar Bits works at a bakery not too far from my motel, and that Rock Fall will be staying in the north side of town finishing his iron delivery till this weekend. They've both given me the go-ahead to drop by if I want to chill and talk, though I'm not too sure if Sugar Bits will remember this even happened by tomorrow morning. She was pretty drunk. Rock Fall, on the other hoof, seems to have been far more sober and sincere. I guess I'll just have to see how it goes the next few days.

Well, with this whole fiasco out of the way, it's about time for me to head back to the hotel. I'm pretty sure it's almost dawn, and I will admit that a couple of the ponies I talked to bought me drinks. Best to go sleep it off for now. I think when I wake up tomorrow, I'll go see Sugar Bits at the bakery. A doughnut sounds like it would make for a great breakfast, and I'm more than sure they'll sell them there.

Signing Out,

Crescent Eclipse

Luna was not all that shocked about there being other ponies who had held her higher than her sister back then. Crescent Eclipse herself had already gotten her over any surprise she might hold for that subject. It was like Crescent had said, if there was one pony loyal to Luna, there had to be others. That's how logic worked.

What did surprise Luna was that these ponies seemed to have shared her opinion of her sister back then. While Crescent had said she didn't like Celestia because she, in Crescent's opinion, stole the respect Luna also deserved, the two ponies Eclipse had spoken to both apparently believed her sister glorified herself above everypony else, and was far overrated for it. That was basically how Luna had felt back then as well, except her belief that her sister was overrated came from jealousy. These two had had the same thought, but it did not come from jealousy like Luna, but instead from their solid opinion of what was right and wrong.

The mere fact she hadn't been alone in this lifted a fairly heavy burden off Luna's shoulders. She had thought she was the only one to see it back then, and that she had been being ridiculous, but this journal had proved it all wrong. A small smile of relief couldn't help but make its way across Luna's face as this realization hit. Her whole rebellion hadn't been without a cause, and others agreed with her, at least a thousand years ago.

Glancing up at Discord, who was watching Luna with a small smile of his own, for a moment, Luna silently flipped to the next page and began reading.

Log 9, Date Moon Cycle 12, 21st Day, 214 A.D. (After Discord)

I went and spoke to Sugar Bits during the late morning, just as I had said I would, and the conversation was fairly awkward at first. Sugar Bits said she could only slightly recall talking to me last night, and tried assuring me that whatever she told me last night was not true, that it was the drink talking. At first, I was inclined to believe her, but then I asked if she even remembered what it was she had said. She had quickly told me no, and I reminded her.

After that, things got a little more friendly between us, and the tension had left the space between us. She explained that she actually did still like Luna above Celestia, even if she didn't stay out as much during the night. She went on to tell me that when she was a young filly, she had wanted to meet both Princesses, and got the chance once when they came to her neighborhood to watch a show put together by a famous theater pony named Masks. After pleading with her mother for a ticket, Sugar Bits had gotten to go. While Bits did say she enjoyed the show, which was a play about the attempted liberation and then disappearance of the Crystal Empire, she couldn't stop looking up at the Princess' booth, and grinned every time she saw one of them. However, when the show ended, and the time came for her to meet them, she could only find Princess Celestia. After getting her autograph, Sugar Bits had asked where Luna was. According to her, Celestia completely ignored her question and turned to sign another fan's paper. While Sugar Bits knew it was possible Celestia might not have heard her, she's still almost completely certain to this day that Celestia had, considering how loud of a voice she had back then, and the fact a few adults seemed to notice the same thing too, exchanging a couple glances before one of them, a nearby neighbor of Sugar Bits, lead her away and back home.

After learning this story, I cannot help but start to have my growing suspicions about Celestia. Something isn't adding up here, and I get the feeling that the deeper I go, the darker things are going to become. And now that it's later in the evening, I'm going to see Rock Fall and see if he might have something to add to this mix that might point me towards an answer for Celestia's suspicious behavior.

There's no doubt in my mind now. Something is going on in the Palace of the Two Sisters, and it isn't good. I have just gotten back from my conversation with Rock Fall, and colt, did he have a story to tell me.

After having gotten our pleasantries out of the way, Rock Fall had began talking about when he first got into the mining business. He told me that during his about tenth delivery for the first company he worked for, he was tasked with working alongside Geode, one of the senior delivery ponies in the company, to take a steel delivery to the blacksmith at the Castle of the Two Sisters. Being the young, ambitious pony Rock Fall claimed he was back then, he was very eager to go to the palace and meet the Princesses. Thought making friends with them would get him a hoof up in society. This is where his story turns from normal to downright weird.

Apparently, upon delivery of the shipment, he had volunteered to go inform the Princesses that the steel shipment had arrived. Geode, a pony who didn't much like others, had let him go, and Rock Fall was escorted to the throne room and told to wait while they went to go get Celestia.

After being left in the throne room, with only an inattentive rookie guard to watch him, Rock Fall had began walking around the room and admiring it. As he had, he heard a door to his right open, and Princess Luna peeked in, a cautious look on her face. After seeing Rock Fall and the guard, who had straightened up at Luna's arrival, were the only ones in there, Luna had stepped inside, and walked over to sit on the throne on the right.

Upon seeing Luna, Rock Fall had, as any loyal pony would, bowed to her. When she said he could stand, he had told her he was here to let her and her sister know the steel shipment had been delivered. Luna had seemingly been confused by this, though Rock Fall never got to know why, for Celestia and the guards had arrived back in the throne room at that moment.

Upon seeing her sister talking with Rock Fall, he said something strange happened. Celestia had gotten this irritated look on her face, though when she had noted Rock Fall had seen this, it changed to a look of, in Rock Fall's opinion, false concern. He went on to tell me that Celestia had told Luna that she should be resting, that the daytime was Celestia's, and she shouldn't have been worrying herself over anything that happened during her time. However, this had sparked a small argument between the two. Luna wanted to know why Celestia had ordered more steel when they hadn't hired any new guards lately, or used any of their current supplies. Celestia had told her it was not her concern, and when this escalated things, Celestia had had the guards escort her sister back to her room, claiming that Luna was merely cranky from lack of sleep.

After Luna had been forced out, Celestia had finally focused on Rock Fall, and asked for his forgiveness, using the same excuse that Luna was just tired.

Rock Fall didn't really believe a word of it, not even then, but hoping to get on Celestia's good side, had said it was alright, before informing her about the shipment. Celestia had thanked him, and Rock Fall had bowed, about to leave, when Celestia stopped him. He said what happened next was the weirdest part of the whole thing.

Apparently, Celestia had asked him not to tell anypony about what he just saw, coming up with some garbage line (his words, not mine) about how Celestia didn't want her and her sister's subjects thinking Luna was some unapproachable grump who would only turn you away.

After promising, he had left, and hasn't told a soul up to this day. I, of course, questioned why he would tell me, and his answer has really got me thinking.

He said I wasn't the only one who noticed something weird was going on during the nighttime. He mostly does night shifts at the mine he currently works at, and has felt the air become colder, and can't help but feel my same sense of dread. He may not be as connected to the night's emotions as I am, but it's nice to at least know others care enough to note things are changing.

He went on to say that he was starting to become anxious as well, and that maybe it was time he told his tale to those who felt as he did. While I will admit I've yet to bring up the idea of going to see Luna to Sugar Bits, I did, rather hesitantly, mention it to him.

To my great surprise, Rock Fall said he'd be willing, though he knew as well as I did that it would not be an easy feat, especially after seeing what he had. I told him that once I'd convinced enough ponies to help, I'd contact him, and we could meet up in Everfree City. Same would go with anypony else I could convince. I'm hoping I'll get the same results with Sugar Bits, but I get the feeling she'd be far less willing. Here's hoping though.

Anyway, I think it's about time to leave Baltimare. I'm pretty sure there's nothing more I can accomplish here. Once I talk to Sugar Bits again, I'll go get that ticket for Manehatten, and see what happens from there.

Signing Out,

Crescent Eclipse

Luna leaned back, her thoughts adrift in the past as she tried to recall the events which Rock Fall had claimed to happen. She remembered many fights with her sister, and it took a minute for her to recall which one Crescent had written about. That's right. It was about Hearth's Warming Eve, and that one gray stallion, Rock Fall, apparently, had been in the throne room. She had been wanting to see what her sister might be up to, maybe surprise her with an offer for tea, an attempt to soothe things between them, but then she'd learned of the steel.

The steel. Even to this day, Luna had no idea what it was meant for. What had Celestia's intentions been? Rock Fall had been right when he mentioned the facts about the guards, and still having a decent amount of steel in storage. So what had Celestia ordered it for?

Luna was beginning to feel overwhelmed by all this new information. All these little mysteries surrounding the months leading up to her becoming Nightmare Moon, all these coincidences, when you put them all together into the same puzzle, it left one very ugly picture.

Celestia had been up to no good back then, and she had a lot to answer for.