The Chosen.

The pale moon shined ever brighter through the abyss, casting the whole land of Equestria in a protective glow of The Night Mother. Princess Luna the giver of tender dreams, the mother of all those who were born within her darkness.

We all live in light, We all vanish into the dark.

The Princess had long nights ahead of her, each one bringing forth its own challenges. To bring in the calm to those troubled, to ease the hearts of the frightened or to give The Chosen beautiful dreams.

Closing her pale blue eyes, she could feel herself sinking into The Royal Palace floor. Swallowed up by the abyss and drug deeper into the nothing, she would float endless on a wave of sorrow, eyes watching the fear and horror that her night brought.

This world of screams and cries, this was her Kingdom. She was the one to silence the noise, she was the one to bring the darkest night before the dawn. Narrowing her eyes to the night, she made the voices stop. She had a long night, hours to go before she could ever rest.

The Chosen were first.

Beauty in the dark.

Misty Showers was always a mare who enjoyed the small things in life, never one to ask for the world or its shimmering treasures. Instead she would take joy in the mundane, for it were the smallest ponies, who made the biggest differences.

She sat beside her window, watching the rain pour down across the land at night. The droplets cascading down the glass, trickling over the clouds high above, crashing down to the world below.

“Grandma!” Misty could feel her ears perk up suddenly, her Grand-Filly Golden Skies pushing into her room happily, if a bit soaked from the rain.

“Golden? What on earth are you doing here this late?” Misty asked in shock, quickly pouncing up from her seat and grabbing a towel with her violet magic. Wrapping the child in a warm hug and cotton.

“Duh! It’s your Birthday Grandma! I told daddy we can’t miss today! nuh-uh!” The filly giggled happily as the mare smiled in place, her son walking in through the door next.

His mane was drenched from the storm, but the unicorn still held a damp cake box in his magic. His dark green eyes gazing to his mother, a sense of embarrassment and meek joy across his muzzle.

“Sorry that we are so late mom. But this storm has just been wild today!” Her son sighed placing the cake box on the nearby dresser.

“Honey. You could’ve just come by in the morning.” Misty shook her head and trotted to her son, wrapping him in a loving embrace.

“I thought so too. But Goldie here was bent on giving you a surprise today, no matter what!” The stallion chuckled, his wife entering from the storm with presents.

“Duh! It’s a birthday! If we came tomorrow, that would just be some other day!” Goldie shook off the towel, her coat and mane fluffed out cutely.

Misty smiled to her family, this alone was all she wanted for her birthday. To be surrounded by all those she loved, to know she was never forgotten.

“Who wants some cake!?” Misty giggled clapping her hooves together joyously.

Mayday could never do anything right for her father, he always found a fault in anything she had done. Be it cooking, cleaning or even meeting friends. Anything she did was met with criticism or worse.

Her pale yellow eyes gazed down to the bruises upon her hooves, each a reminder of the wrongs she had committed. Downstairs she could hear her father yelling, unable to find the bottle of wine he had hid.

More like drunk weeks ago. Yet she knew in her heart, he’d be back in her room within the hour. Blaming her for this crime and like always she would take the punishment, it was the cycle of life.

The thumping of hooves slowly made their way up the stairway, Mayday curled up into as small of a ball as she could. Delicate hooves covering her eyes, he hated if she made eye contact. The door to her room opening wide, heart sinking deep into her chest.

“My Little Pony. You have grown up to be so beautiful.” The calm and soothing voice of her mother spoke up, cutting through the darkness like a blade.

“Mom? But…” Mayday gazed up from her bed, the smile of her mother causing her to almost melt in place.

It had been years since she’d seen her mother, she never thought she’d be able to see that smile again. The young mare weakly sliding out of bed in confusion, yet rushing to her mother and wrapping hooves into a hug.

“I’ve missed you so much! Dad he’s been so…” Tears slowly traced down her cheeks as Mayday gazed down to the floor in shame.

“I know dear. But I’ve come back to get you away from this place, you will never be alone again.” Her mother cooed and softly ran a hoof through her mane.

“I need to pack.” Mayday tried to rush over to her closet, a dream of her’s finally coming true.

“No need dear. I’ve gotten everything set up at home.” The mare giggled with a smile, her daughter tilting her head to the side in awe.

“Really?”

“Yes! New clothes , A New Room and A New Start!” Her mother walked over towards the bedroom door with love overflowing from her gaze.

Mayday shivered in place, fear slowly overtaking her frame. Eyes looking out the door in uncertainty, her mother raising a thin brow.

“Dad is downstairs.” Mayday folded ears back slowly. Her meek voice a soft whisper.

“He can’t hurt you anymore.” She held out a hoof, her daughter slowly taking it, in her own.

“I promise.”

Lucky Hoof sat up gazing to the night sky, the once cold and bitter streets of Manehattan now warm and cozy. The moon was extra bright tonight, basking all in a glow that almost rivaled the sun.

It was beauty in its purest form, one he was happy to be able to see for himself. The small colt stretched out in place, sat atop a pile of old boxes in his alley. He oddly didn’t feel alone tonight, as if something was watching him.

No!

Prying into his soul.

“I never knew my Ma or Pa! Can’t take their form.” Lucky chuckled out into the darkness around him.

“I have no need for material things too. Stuff was overrated!” Lucky narrowed his eyes across the alley, a soft mist of shadows coming into view.

Princess Luna blinking long lashes confused, stepped out of the darkness and into view of the child. Never had she been spotted in her own realm, it had come as quite a shock indeed.

“Wow! Princess Luna! Never thought I’d meet somepony so pretty!” Lucky smiled down from his pile of trash, Luna unable to help herself and blush.

“Aren’t you just a little Casa Nova?” Luna lifted a hoof over her muzzle and giggled, slowly walking to his side and sitting down.

“Nope! Just bein’ truthful.” The colt chuckled aloud and took a deep breath. A gentle smile forming across his muzzle.

“I’m dying tonight? Aren’t I?” The child asked with a gaze to the moon high above. Luna looking down to the child in shock, her heart sinking deep within her chest.

“...”

“It’s ok. Don’t be sad please. Pretty nice of you to give good dreams to the fading.” The colt softly patted the hoof of The Princess to help calm her thoughts.

“Anything you want? I can make whatever you desire here.” Luna sighed and shivered in place.

“Hmmm. You made it warm. You made it bright. I guess I’d just like some company?” The colt smiled up to the Royal Mare who held back tears.

“I can do that.” She extended her wings wide, wrapping the child into her embrace softly.

“So. Am I the only one?”

“No. Two others are enjoying the night.”

“So I’m not alone? That doesn’t make this scary then.”

Misty slept quietly in her room alone, It was her birthday today. None had come to visit an old mare, who enjoyed the smaller things in life.

She smiled in her sleep, in a dream so warm she blew out the candles of her cake. The breathing of a mother slowly coming to a halt, her wish had come true.

“It doesn’t need to ever be scary. It should be a joyous time, no more pain or sorrow.”

Mayday was curled and beaten upon her bed, the sound of her father talking among friends downstairs echoing in the air. The mare having a steady stream of blood, trickling out of her ears and onto the sheets.

Her eyes open to the sky, through her open window.

Within a dream so beautiful, her mother who had passed so long ago. Showed her daughter around their new home, a large cottage far from everypony. A place they could be alone, to catch up on so much lost time.

The pegasus closing her eyes, the fear finally gone.

Lucky watched the moon with his new friend, both enjoying the beauty and silence of the night. He yawned never in his life, feeling so cozy as he did now. Closing his eyes for a second, he cuddled as close as he could to Luna.

The Princess sat in awe, her eyes to the skies as tears flowed to the ground below. The child gone from her side, his dream over. His joyus life to start anew.

The Chosen always go first.

Her Nightmare, Will go last.