Pulvis lunaris solum amicus meus est
Many ponies claim that the sight of Canterlot’s highest peaks shimmering in the sunlight is the most beautiful image known to ponykind. Many an artist would claim that title for the sight of the setting sun from atop the sparkling peaks. But, whatever this mare or that stallion claimed was the most astounding sight in all of Equestria, they were wrong. For none have seen the sight of Equus from the surface of the moon, bathed in a silver glow and warm candlelight.
None, that is, but one.
As she lay among the unmoving grey dust, watching how her namesake brought night across the surface of the planet above her, her thoughts were not with the beauty of her view, or the fact that nopony else could ever hope to have such a perspective on the world, but on one, unavoidable truth.
She was not alone.
In truth, she was never alone. Even hidden as she was in the furthest safe place she knew from any other pony, living or dead, one would always follow her, always be with her, keeping with her every step. And when she spoke, the sound brought with it a chill that no poet could ever hope to capture in verse.
'You know, the dark side of the moon is quite nice this time of year Selene. You should give it a visit.'
The lunar princess jammed her hooves into her ears to try and block out the sound from her mind but to no effect. The voice rang out in her head once more.
'Oh Selene, you know that won’t shut me out. If you want rid of me, you know what you’d have to do.'
Her only response was to push her hooves further in, almost until it hurt. Still, the voice sounded loud and clear.
'You really should go over there. It must be dying to see you.'
That was it. Something snapped inside the alicorn, as it had time and time again, and in the replaying of a dark and tortuous ritual, she rose from the dust, and took a shaky step forwards. Step after step, placing one hoof in front of the other as she drew closer and closer to the darkness ahead. It was unnatural, seeming to whisper to her, reaching out across the monochrome plains as if to touch her, to drag her into its embrace. But just as she reached the border, where dark and light fought to keep the other back, she paused, as if in thought. But by then, no thought was left in her mind. Only the voice echoing across her, and that was enough to drive her forward. As she crossed and was pulled into the darkness, she let out a deafening silent scream before being torn apart into dust.
--<<(#========#)>>--
Celestia awoke with a start, cold sweat matting her coat as panic overtook her senses. Forgoing her regalia she galloped out into the hallway, making a beeline straight for one room in the castle. While she had often felt as if her height made her seem too imposing, she was thankful for it now, as she leapt over startled night guards and servants, not giving them a second glace. She didn’t care what impression she left on them; only one thing mattered to her now. Finally reaching her goal, she magically unsealed the moonstone door before bursting into the room. What she saw was not a new sight, but it was just as hard to see as it had been every time before: the battered, bloody body of her sister lying on the bed, flesh cut and torn, crimson staining the sheets beneath and around her.
It was all Celestia could do to stay standing.
The faint sound of ragged breathing was barely audible, but it was enough to assure her of one thing: that her sister was alive again. Recovering from her stunned paralysis, she rushed over to her side and hugged her, not caring about the blood that soaked into her coat. “Oh Lulu, why have you done this?” she whispered, kissing her forehead and holding her close. Her only response was a particularly strained breath. Fear still gripped the white alicorn’s mind, but she stayed as calm as she could, knowing that, while it would not be quick, her sister would be alright again.
‘At least we have a long time until morning,’ she thought to herself. But as she looked back over her sister’s form, she couldn’t help but think that the night wouldn’t be long enough.
She pulled back the large curtains hiding the outside from the room with her magic, and was suddenly bathed in a light the shade of the bed beneath her. It took a few minutes for her to regain her ability to think, having been shocked twice within the space of a few minutes, but when she did, she almost wished she hadn’t. For what she could now process was a horrifying scene, the likes of which would be told to foals in scary stories on nightmare night. But it was no fiction. The entirety of Equestria was bathed in the menacing glow of a blood moon.
Immediately, the Princess of the Sun made to find the captain of the guard to begin putting together a plan to calm the citizens of her country. But the sister of the moon did not move from her sister’s side. She could not bear to leave her alone, and all the royal duties in the world could not tear her away. ‘Besides’, she reasoned with herself, ‘If she gets better it might all go back to normal anyway. No need for alarm. Right?’ Content that she had loopholed her way out of having any responsibility, she looked back to her sister’s broken form, and kissed her forehead again, before settling down next to her, still tired from having been woken so suddenly. As she drifted off, the slowly stabilising breathing she could hear was reassuring, and it was not long until she was asleep once more.
--<<(#========#)>>--
Rude awakenings seemed to be part of Celestia's luck, as she was disturbed by a familiar pressure at the base of her horn. "Is it really time for morning already?" she said, before remembering the events of the previous night. She looked over to see a slightly less broken, if still worse for wear, Luna, her wounds healing over nicely. Careful not to wake her sister, she reached up into the heavens with her magic, feeling for the sun just beyond the horizon. She began to try to pull it up into the sky for a good minute, before realising that in her tired state she had forgotten to put the moon down first. Giving an exasperated sigh, she changed focus and reached out for the still-red moon, in order to just push it over the edge. But upon contact with it, she was filled with pain, rage, sorrow, and a torrent of other uncontrollable emotions, throwing her off completely. After another minute, she tried again, this time steeling herself for the onslaught that would pour through her. It took a few tries, but she eventually managed to get it far enough out of the way that she could raise her sun into the sky, before collapsing back onto the bed, exhausted once more.
"You know, dearest Celestia, if anypony were to see you lying in your sister's bed there'd be a scandal." Celestia decided to simply ignore the jibe, favouring sleep over a confrontation with that certain draconequis. "Oh, why be so rude, 'Tia?", he continued, "While it may be true that I do enjoy poking fun at you and sprinkling a little chaos into your life, I do have, not that you'd believe it, 'moral standards'. And even though I could think of infinitely many more ways to spice things up here, that's not why I came."
Celestia begrudgingly turned her head to face the cartoon Discord standing in the wall, attempting to look serious. "Oh? Then, please tell Discord, why are you here? And no games, I'm not in the mood."
"I wouldn't dream of it. Anyway, I, for one, am legitimately concerned over the well-being of your sister here." As Celestia raised an eyebrow, he added, "Oh please. I do, in fact, have a heart. And, as much as I hate to admit it, the idea of truly losing one of you from the world is... Well, I don't like it. And while I know it is a shock to you, if there is anything I can do to help little Lulu here, I will gladly oblige." Discord gave a little bow at the end of his speech, and for once, did not offer a joke or some physics-defying gag to go along. Celestia could almost believe he was serious.
Any doubts she had were immediately settled when Luna began coughing herself awake, and the cartoon-Discord materialised across the bed as real-life-Discord, accompanied by a glass of water, a stethoscope, and a look of genuine worry. "You... You really mean it don't you?"
Offence flashed across Discord's features. "Of course I do." However, his expression quickly changed back. "Do you know what happened to her?"
"No, I can't say that I do. But this isn't the first time. Not even nearly." A tear formed in the corner of her eye, but was wiped away by a paw before it could fall.
"Well, we'll find out. And we'll stop it happening again. I promise."
Celestia laughed a little. "If you keep being so serious you'll earn a reputation. I can't imagine what that would do to the balance of the universe."
"Now that would be chaotic. But if it helps her get better, I'll do it."
A moment of silence fell upon the pair, only disturbed by Luna shifting between them.
"Just to clarify, it's not like I'm into her or anything, so don't get any ideas. I'm just worried."
"Oh?" Celestia asked, smiling for the first time that morning, "And I'm supposed to believe that am I?"
"Well, you know I had a thing for you." A smile came upon his face too, as he said, "But she's too young for me."
"Who's what?" coughed Luna, opening her eyes to the world to be greeted by two worried faces looking back. "Oh... Hey 'Tia, Discord... Wait, what?" Celestia opened her mouth to explain, but could barely start speaking before her sister fell unconscious once again.
"And she was doing so well."
--<<(#========#)>>--
Twilight Sparkle was awake, and ready to face the day. A quick glance at the clock told her she was a few hours late, and that the day had already begun without her noticing. However, it was the weekend, so she felt it was reasonable to have slept in. It did mean, though, that she was hungry, and she made towards the door to her room to go find some breakfast. Unfortunately, at that exact moment, her number one assistant came barreling though the door, thoroughly squishing her against the wall. "Twilight! Urgent letter from the Princess! Where are- Oh." Spike grinned sheepishly as a rather miffed Twilight glared at him from behind the door. "Um... State emergency?" he tried.
"I'll excuse you this once Spike. But if you crush me again I'll have you cleaning the entire castle, understand?" Spike nodded. "Now, what's so important?"
"Oh, right, Princess Celestia sent a letter for you and it's marked 'Urgent'. I don't know what it says though." He passed it to her, and she broke the seal, beginning to read.
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
There has been an incident with Princess Luna, and she has requested for you to come to Canterlot to aid in her recovery. She was quite adamant that she wanted you to come, and in her present state, I am not going to deny her what she wishes. I have sent a carriage for you, which will arrive at midday. You may pack lightly, as you will be provided for here at the palace. Do not worry about your duties, they will be seen to or otherwise postponed.
Make haste.
Princess Celestia
"Oh, this is serious Spike. She says I'm needed in Canterlot right away. I don't know what's wrong, but I need to get ready." Another glance at the clock helpfully told her that it was 10 to 12. "Oh horseapples I'm going to be late. Bye Spike!" She shouted as she ran out of the doorway. "Be good!"
She reached the front of her castle just as the carriage pulled in. She had gathered a few books on her way, but had followed Celestia's advice otherwise. She practically leapt into the carriage, and the stallions pulling it immediately started up again, obviously aware of the urgency of the situation. As she watched Canterlot mountain draw nearer, she silently prayed that Luna would be alright.
Author's Note
Any criticisms or advice for this story would be greatly appreciated, especially now, when it would be less work to edit. I would like to get this one off to a strong start. -Luna (no, not that Luna).
