In the Name of the Moonby CavemonkynickChaptersChapter 1Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 2Chapter 1“You’re rather quiet tonight Night Wing,” Luna said as she painted the night sky. “I could say the same to you,” I responded, deflecting her thinly veiled question. “Maybe, but I have the excuse of being busy.” “Got me there,” I said with a laugh. “I’m just tired. I haven’t been sleeping well lately, no big deal.” “If you say so,” She went back to her work. I noticed she lacked her usual flourish as she finished up but decided not to make a big deal of it. “Off to night court then.” I sighed, “Joy.” Luna responded with a short laugh and we made our way down the tower steps. “Captain Night Wing.” A pale orange unicorn with a teal mane saluted me as we emerged from the stairwell. “Flourish,” I returned her salute. “So, who’s first in tonight’s moaning noble parade?” “Let’s see…” She replied and levitated a scroll from somewhere in her armor. She unfurled it, read a line, and sighed. “It’s Gold Leaf.” “Oh you have got to be kidding me, again?” I did my best to resist the urge to bury my skull in the nearest wall. Gold Leaf had been first in line for the past six nights straight with the same complaint. “Well if we gave awards for persistence he’d definitely be a contender.” Flourish said. “If only it were a worthy cause.” “Indeed,” Luna added, “There’s no way the music at Club Pon-3 is that bad.” “Personally, I like it,” I said, “especially since Vinyl started getting more experimental with her mixes.” “Yeah,” Flourish said, “she’s gained a new appreciation for strings ever since she hooked up with Octavia.” “That earth pony that plays the cello?” I asked. Flourish nodded. “How do you know of their relationship?” Luna asked. “I went to school with Vinyl, we still keep in touch. Mind you it’s not exactly a secret.” “Huh,” I said, “Well, either way this has to stop. I mean, seven nights in a row is ridiculous, even by my increasingly low standards.” “Is it just me or do you tend to use bigger words when you’re tired?” Luna chided. “I like to consider my extensive vocabulary nothing if not evidence of my immeasurably superior intelligence.” I replied. “Keep that up and you’ll be mistaken for a noble.” Flourish said. “You know, insulting your boss is the quickest way to end up unemployed,” I deadpanned. “And risk having to do the paperwork yourself?” Flourish shot back, “You’d never do that to yourself.” We all shared a laugh. By now we had reached the throne room where court was held and as Luna and I settled in for what was sure to be a long night, Flourish headed off to the double doors across from us to fetch our first guest. “So are you finally just going to shut this whiny colt down or what?” I asked Luna. “Believe me, I’d like to.” She sighed. “Luna, you don’t have to appease every single pony,” I said. “It’s impossible, and trying is detrimental to your sanity.” “More big words,” Luna smirked. “I honestly can’t help it when I’m tired. It’s like my mind is trying to compensate for being slow on the up… take” I glared at her. “Don’t change the subject.” “You are so easy sometimes.” When I didn’t respond she sighed again. “I have to try Night Wing… I owe them that much.” “Luna,” I was cut off by the doors opening as Flourish escorted Gold Leaf in. His appearance certainly lived up to his name. His coat was a fierce gold, his mane was stark white, and the suit he wore was somewhere in between. He had his chin held high and his face contorted in the typical “I’m so much better off than you that I could probably purchase your entire family” way that made him look more like there was an unpleasant smell in the room. And to top it all off, he had an honest to Celestia monocle on. “Now presenting,” Flourish began the traditional introduction of the plaintiff. “Save it,” I cut in, “we know who he is and I’d bet my next year’s salary that we also know why he’s here.” “Indeed,” Gold Leaf said, not faltering in the least at my interruption although I did catch a subtle glare from Luna. “So then,” Luna said, “You are here to protest the establishment that is known as ‘Club Pon-3’ yes?” And to think she picks at me for big words… “Yes,” Gold Leaf replied. “Such hovels do not live up to the standard we have here in Canterlot.” “Sorry, but since when was it your place to decide Canterlot’s standards?” I said. “What? W-Well I-I,” He stuttered looking to Luna no doubt in hopes that she would reprimand my audacity or some drivel along those lines. “Seriously,” I continued, “all you’re doing is wasting our time, so either you tell us the real reason you have a problem with Club Pon-3 or get out.” “Your highness,” He finally managed, “surely you can’t sit there and allow this… this ruffian to-” Oh, now he was in for it. “Silence,” Her voice was not loud but it carried authority that demanded obedience. “While I may not completely agree with Captain Night Wings particular wording he is the Captain of my Lunar Guard and you will give him the respect he deserves. Furthermore he is correct.” “Princess Luna, I implore you,” Gold Leaf pleaded, all of his noble composure gone. Luna ignored him. “I take pride in knowing all of my subjects and I happen to know for a fact that your residence is not within half a mile of Club Pon-3, therefore you have no legitimate grounds to file a complaint which means your motive must be a personal one.” Luna paused graciously to give Gold Leaf one last chance to plead his case. Unfortunately it seemed that all he could do was stare with his jaw on the floor. Every ounce of my self-control was focused on not laughing. “Then it is as I thought.” Luna finally said, “I’m afraid that my court has no place in settling personal matters. Flourish, show him the door.” “With pleasure, your highness,” she replied with a bow. As the door shut I continued to hold my laughter, determined to wait until they were out of earshot. Then Luna spoke. “That felt good.” She said. I have never laughed so hard, and before I knew it Luna was laughing too. “See,” I said once we had regained control of ourselves, “Sometimes you just have to cut loose a bit.” “I suppose you’re right,” she conceded, “but I don’t think I should make a habit of it.” “Fair enough,” it was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. The rest of the cases passed slowly and without incident and I was glad it was over. Four hours was plenty enough time for the high I got watching Luna hand Gold Leaf his flank to thoroughly wear off. “Glad that’s over,” Flourish said. “You’re telling me,” I replied starching out my legs and wings. “I just might rest a bit before setting the moon in the morning.” Luna added. “Welp, I got paperwork to sort,” Flourish said and sighed. As she left I heard her mutter, “I need a vacation.” I turned back to Luna. She really did look tired. Her eyes were closed and she was teetering a bit on her hooves. “You ok Luna?” I asked. Her eyes snapped open. “Huh?” She muttered before comprehending the question, “Oh yes, yes, I’m uh…” She shook her head, “I’m just a bit tired. That’s all.” “Go get some rest,” I replied, “I can handle things until morning.” “Thank you Night Wing. You’re a blessing.” She headed off to her quarters. I would have offered to walk with her but I had a new mission. I headed off to the watch station where I found Flourish surrounded by paperwork in her telekinetic grasp. “Watcha need Captain?” She asked as I approached. Her ability to multitask was astounding sometimes. “I need you to give a message to Shining Armor when he gets here.” I said. “Tell him I need to speak with Princess Celestia first thing after my shift.” “Will do boss.” She replied, not looking up, “You off to nap in the archives?” “Am I that bad?” I asked. “Nah,” she said, “I just know you, that’s all." “I guess you would after twelve years. Normally I would but I promised Luna I’d hold down the fort until morning.” “Which would include sitting around here watching me do paperwork,” She looked up at me, “go get some sleep Captain.” I opened my mouth to protest but instead yawned. “Ok, you win.” I said. “Wake me an hour before sunrise so I can make the rounds.” Flourish simply waved me off and dove back into her work. The archives are the watch station’s back room. It’s where all the nightly reports get stored away in the unlikely event that we ever need to refer back to them. The sheer number of filing cabinets in this room always managed to amaze me. A pony could write every minute of every day of their entire life and never come close to filling even a tenth of them. I've always wondered if this room is magically enlarged but have never really thought to ask. I made my way over to a corner still near the door and settled in on the floor. Despite the minor discomfort, sleep came easy. “Rise and shine Captain.” I groaned as Flourish prodded me into consciousness. “Good nap?” She asked as I stood. “Mmph,” I muttered, then my back popped, “Oof, there we go, much better.” “I’ll take that as a yes.” She said with a laugh. “I talked to Captain Armor. He said he’d pass your message on to the Princess and they’d meet you in the throne room first thing.” “Thanks Flourish,” I replied and headed off to do my last rounds for the night. Before long I found myself at the top of the tower waiting for Luna. I quickly lost myself in the peace of the night. The whole world was still. I soaked in the ambiance until the flutter of wings snapped me out of my trance. “Took the scenic route huh?” I said as Luna landed next to me. “Gotta stretch my wings somehow,” she replied, “Lest they wither and fall off.” “Did you get some rest?” “Yes, and once we’re done I’ll be getting some more.” We shared a laugh. Luna closed her eyes and the moon slowly dipped below the horizon. We turned and watched as a band of orange began to fill the sky. A soft breeze began to blow as the sun crept into the sky. The oranges and yellows mingled with the last deep blues of the night, it was breathtaking. “Show off,” Luna muttered, but she was smiling. “What am I gonna do with you two?” I said, shaking my head. Luna laughed. “Alright, back to bed.” She said. “Right, see you tonight.” I replied, making for the stairs as she took off. A few minutes and a short walk later and I was back at the doors of the throne room. As I entered I found Princess Celestia and Shining Armor waiting for me. “Good morning Captain,” Celestia greeted me brightly. “And a lovely one at that your Highness.” I replied giving a small bow as I reached the throne. “Why thank you, so what’s on your mind?” “It's Princess Luna,” I said, figuring we might as well get straight to the point. “I think the nobles are starting to get to her.” “I have noticed it as well." “I’m starting to worry. She’s good at hiding it when it comes time for night court but when we’re alone…” Celestia studied me for a moment. “I believe a vacation is in order.” She finally said. “How do you mean?” “Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe the furthest she’s been from Canterlot since her return is Ponyville.” Celestia said. I nodded. “And on top of that, our last outing was like a month ago.” I added. “Well then, I believe my sister needs to see how Equestria has grown, and you and Flourish are going with her.” “If that’s what you think is best.” I said with a smile, like I was going to argue with time off. “Well then, it’s settled. I believe a week should be sufficient enough time to prepare everything. I’ll take care of all the details and don’t worry, I’ll tell Luna.” “I was just about to ask.” I laughed. “Thank you your Highness. If that’s everything I think I hear my bed calling.” “Just one more thing,” she said. “Shining Armor, would you give us a moment?” “Of course,” He replied and left through one of the back doors. “What’s this about Princess?” I asked. She lowered herself to my height. “Is there something going on between you and Luna?” She asked. Oh horseapples. “Well, uh…” I started racking my brain for the right words. “I guess that’s up to her at this point.” “What do you mean?” “Well…” I told her about that night, about the lake where I poured my heart out to the Goddess of the Night, and about what she had told me. “We haven’t really talked much about it since then, haven’t really had the chance.” “I see.” Celestia replied when I was done. “Um… If I may… Uh…” Oh come on, stop stuttering like a foal. “You seek my blessing.” “That would be great, yeah.” Smooth Night Wing, real smooth. Celestia smiled. “Luna is her own mare, but if it makes you feel better I approve.” “Really?” She simply nodded. “Thank you.” “No Night Wing. Thank you. You have stood by Luna since day one of her return. You have no idea how much that has meant to the both of us.” She smiled then stood back up. “Now then, go get some rest Captain.” “With pleasure your Highness.” Chapter 3“Captain Night Wing!” I jolted awake and was on my hooves in an instant finding myself face to face with Silent Rain, my second in command. Flourish was close behind him. “Sir, you have to come quickly!” “Rain?” My mouth asked without consent. It was then I noticed we were in the archives at the castle. “What’s wrong?” “The sun has yet to rise and the Mare in the Moon is gone!” He responded. Right then, this is a dream. A memory of when Nightmare Moon returned. “Has there been any word from Celestia or her guard?” “No sir, nothing.” Rain said. “Our first priority is securing Canterlot.” “But the-” I cut him off. “We have contingencies in place. The princess has likely been moved somewhere safe by Captain Armor. We have to ensure the safety of the civilians. Rain, you take squads two, three, and five into the city. Clear the streets and get everypony back in their homes.” Having orders seemed to calm Rain’s nerves, and he shot off to follow them. “Flourish you’re with me. We have to secure the castle.” “Sir?” She called as we ran from the back room, “Are you sure the princess is safe?” “Yes,” I replied. “The princess is always prepared. If Celestia had already been defeated then Nightmare Moon would be storming the castle to take back her throne.” “Is that what we’re checking for?” “If she were here, we would know.” At that moment the entire castle shook as a powerful voice rang through the halls. “Ponies of Canterlot, the ruler of the night has returned!” Sometimes I swear the universe has it out for me. “Captain,” Flourish said. I turned to her. I’d never seen her so scared. She’s so hard to shake up. That face is something I’ll never forget. “Come on,” I said. “We’re going to the throne room.” My dream shifted, skipping over our sprint. Good thing too, I remember being pretty scared myself and that’s not a feeling I enjoy reliving. When we did reach the throne room Nightmare Moon was waiting for us. “And who are you two supposed to be,” the dark alicorn sneered. “I am Night Wing, current Captain of Canterlot’s Lunar Guard.” I responded, hoping I sounded much more confident than I felt. “And this is First Lieutenant Flourish, the most talented unicorn under my command.” “Flourish? Really?” Nightmare Moon scoffed, “Such a soft name, but you I like Night Wing. I could use you.” Ok, don’t remember that, I thought as her horn lit up and the shadows of the room began to converge around me. “You claim to be a Lunar Guard?” The shadows reached my hooves and began to engulf me turning my coat gray. It felt like being encased in ice. “Then submit to your princess!” As the shadows continued to climb my body I felt my wings flare of their own accord. The icy feeling reached my neck, my breath caught in my throat. The shadows clawed at my mind and I couldn’t bear it any longer. I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came, then I heard a voice. “Enough.” The world stood still and the shadows melted away. “You never told me you had nightmares.” “Luna?” I asked, still a bit wary after my memory had just become so distorted. “Yes, it’s really me.” She replied. “Dreams fall under my jurisdiction as well.” “You never mentioned.” I said shaking off the last of the chill the shadows had left behind. “You never asked.” “Right, so why are you in my head? I’m sure there’s some filly or colt somewhere whose nightmares require more attention than mine.” “Her,” she said as she walked past me. “Seriously? I know better than anypony that she’s no threat to me. Besides, this isn’t even the way things happened.” “Dreams can be very real Night Wing.” She turned to face me. “Sure, they may be all in your head but when your mind decides that something is real, it becomes very hard to convince it otherwise. The mind is a truly amazing thing. Its power is both great and terrifying. More importantly, dreams are a way for the mind to unwind. You can learn a lot about a pony from watching their dreams.” “Luna.” I called in an attempt to break her out of her rant. “Tell me,” She continued, unfazed, “do you harbor any fear concerning me at all?” “Why would I be scared of you?” “That wasn’t the question,” she said. Her horn lit up and the throne room dissipated into a white mist that hung around the two of us. “Just think about it.” Then she dissolved into the mist as well. I’m afraid of losing you. Chapter 4Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 5Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 2Finally the morning was here and I was pumped. The week passed much faster than most which I found a bit odd. Generally anticipation slows time to a crawl, not that I’m complaining. As I flew to the station to meet up with the others I couldn’t help but grin with excitement, although it felt a bit odd at the same time. Flying in the mid-morning calm, wide awake and free of my armor, it was different. I felt free. I chalked it up to me being a slave to my routine, but to be honest, the exhilaration I felt was a bit jarring. I lived for my job in the guard, my flank proved that. So why was I so happy to be rid of it for the time being? I cut my thoughts short as I closed in on the station. “Good morning everypony!” I said a bit louder than necessary, shaking myself out of my meditation as I landed before the small group that was gathered on the platform. Luna and Flourish were there of course, as well as Princess Celestia, Shining Armor, and even Princess Cadence had made it out to see us off. “You’re in a good mood,” Shining Armor said. “Indeed I am.” I replied grinning “You’re also late,” Flourish deadpanned. “Kill joy,” I pouted and turned away to promptly ignore any comeback she may have had ready. “Princess Cadence, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” “Good to see you too Captain,” she replied with a smile. “Now that you’re all here I think it’s time you started your vacation,” Celestia said. “Art thou truly so eager to be rid of us sister?” Luna asked. “Oh stop pouting,” Celesta sounded almost motherly, “This trip will do you some good, get you out of Canterlot for a while.” “We’d like to think we‘ve been absent long enough.” “Luna,” Celestia scolded, “Enough with the royal “We.” It doesn’t suit you.” Luna sighed. “Fine, you win.” Luna resigned. “Good,” Celestia smiled and stepped forward to nuzzle her sister. “Do try and have fun, hmm?” “I will,” Luna replied, returning her sisters affection. “Flourish,” Shining Armor said, “Keep ‘em out of trouble.” “I’ll do my best sir,” she replied, laughing. “Very funny Captain,” I said dryly although I couldn’t keep from smiling. With a last round of goodbyes, Luna, Flourish, and I stepped onto the train and made our way to our seats, a private car up front. Luna and Flourish stowed their saddle bags but I kept mine on. A life without magic is one of minor inconveniences and not removing my bags until I’m good and done with them for the day is one I’m accustomed to. “So,” I started, “First stop, Ponyville, shouldn’t be a long ride.” “Fifteen minutes tops,” Flourish responded. “We stay there tonight and tomorrow, and then the following day is our trip to Cloudsdale. I can’t wait to see it.” I gave a short laugh at her enthusiasm. “You’ll love it.” I replied. “Right, so we stay the night there then it’s back to Ponyville in the morning to catch our train to Manehatten. We stay there four nights and then head back home. All in all, a good trip I’d say. I haven’t had a whole week off since I was promoted.” “Only because you never ask,” Luna added. “That is beside the point” I shot back. She rolled her eyes. “So, Twilight Sparkle will be meeting us at the station right?” Flourish asked “Yep,” I said, “She’ll show us where we’re staying tonight and then we just relax the rest of the day.” A small tremor rocked the cabin as the train finally pulled away from the station. “So Flourish,” Luna started, “I take it you know Twilight Sparkle as well?” “Not as well as Night Wing but yeah.” She responded, “Pretty much the whole guard at least knows of her.” “Pretty much all of Equestria knows of her.” I added. “Well yeah,” Flourish said, “but what I meant was she spent a lot of time in the castle over the years. Being a bit bookish myself I helped her with her studies from time to time when she pulled all-nighters in the royal library.” “And I always had to carry her home in the morning when she finally passed out face-first into a book.” I said with a laugh. “Goodness,” Luna said, “I take it this happened often?” “At least once a week,” I said. “We’d try to get her to turn in at a decent hour but she’d always refuse declaring ‘Sleep is for the weak!’” Flourish shouted the last part, raising one of her front hooves for emphasis. “Then one day she stayed up two nights in a row and fell asleep during some dignitary meeting she’d been allowed to sit in on and Celestia put her hoof down. She gave her a midnight curfew and made me enforce it.” This got a laugh out of Luna. "Celestia always picks such interesting students," She said. “On the surface it seems she's just looking for magical talent, but there's always so much more to them." For some reason this statement struck me as odd but I wasn’t sure why. It was innocent enough, so why would it stand out? I could feel myself zoning out but was helpless to stop it. In times like this it always felt like my consciousness was splitting into my mind and my body. In this case, my body was vaguely aware of the conversation continuing without me and settled for watching the countryside pass by as we made our way to Ponyville. My mind, on the other hoof, was analyzing what Luna had said. Interesting students... so much more to them... why would that be important? Of course Celestia wasn't so shallow as to just look for raw talent. There’s so much more to a pony than just their special talent, and from what I understand of unicorns there isn't anything cut and dry about magic. There are plenty of factors at play, power is one but emotion is another huge deal. There are countless tales of unicorns achieving feats way beyond their normal capabilities when the right emotion is driving them. Shining Armor even told me about Twilight's mane and tail literally bursting into flame out of frustration on occasion. Ok, drifting into left field a bit, focus on Twilight. Why did Celestia take her on as a personal student? There was Twilight's incident at her entrance exams, but that was a raw power thing. Over my years of patrolling the castle halls I've heard almost every conspiracy out there. Some ponies think that Celestia was worried Twilight would lose control again one day, which is honestly a valid concern but I think if anything Twilight would have been too afraid to use magic ever again if left alone. So if Celestia took her in just because of the accident then it would have been so the talent wasn't wasted. That leads to the second most popular theory that Celestia was grooming Twilight to be the element of magic. Personally, this one makes more sense, but I'm not sure if I buy it. The ponies that do believe it make it seem cruel, as if Celestia wanted a weapon, but The Elements of Harmony can’t be weaponized like that. They can't kill, and they can't change a pony's personality, that’s been proven on multiple occasions. When Celestia and Luna used The Elements on Discord for the first time, it trapped him in stone. The same happened when he went nuts last year as well. When Luna was first eclipsed by Nightmare Moon, The Elements imprisoned her in the moon. That one bothers me though, because when Twilight and her friends used The Elements on Nightmare Moon it stripped her away from Luna instead. Based on what Luna has told me, Nightmare Moon was a physical manifestation of her jealousy and sorrow. When she was at her lowest, her emotions drew power from her magic and split off into Nightmare Moon. She said that while Nightmare Moon was in control, she felt trapped inside her own mind. She could see and hear everything that Nightmare Moon was doing, but was powerless to stop it. Wait, hang on... the first go around, The Elements of Harmony were wielded by Celestia and Luna, so maybe... maybe that had something to do with the different effects, because the second time, the elements were wielded by a third party, so to speak. Buck, I can't focus on anything, back to Twilight and Celestia. If Celestia was grooming the next element of magic, she'd need to be grooming the other elements as well. She knows better than anypony that all the elements need to be present for it to work. No, it's something deeper than that... What did Celestia see in Twilight...? Suddenly my body tapped my brain on the shoulder. Luna was calling me. "Sorry," I said. "I completely zoned out. What did I miss?" "We're here," Flourish responded. “Oh wow.” “Are you ok Night Wing?” Luna asked. “Yeah, I just got lost in thought, you know me.” I said, waving her off with my hoof and making for the exit. “What was it this time?” “Just something random my brain latched onto for some reason, nothing important.” Luna made to respond but as we stepped onto the platform she was cut off by a familiar voice. “Princess Luna!” Twilight Sparkle rushed up to meet us. “It’s so good to see you again!” “It’s a pleasure to see you as well Twilight.” Luna replied. “How was the ride over here?” “It was nice actually. The change of pace was refreshing.” “I’m glad to hear it,” Twilight beamed. Flourish made to say something but it died in her throat when a pink pony emerged from Twilight's mane. “Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie, but you already know that! Or do you? Well if you didn’t you do now! I’m here to invite you to a huge party tomorrow!” Pinkie produced three invitations from seemingly nowhere and gave them to us. “I can’t wait to see you there!” she added then turned and hopped away without waiting for a reply. “How did-” Flourish started, but Twilight cut her off. “Don’t, you’ll only hurt yourself.” “Sounds like experience talking,” I chided, earning a glare in response. “Anyways, about this party, what’s the occasion?” “You three,” Twilight responded, “not that Pinkie needs an occasion mind you. One time she tried to throw her pet alligator a birthday party two days in a row.” “She has a pet alligator?” Flourish asked. “That’s nothing,” Luna said, “I had a manticore as a foal.” “Seriously?” Flourish, Twilight, and I asked in unison. “Indeed. They are extremely loyal when raised from a young age.” “I’ve read about that,” Twilight said, “but in recent years, nopony has been brave enough to try. Anyways, we should probably clear the platform.” We nodded in agreement and followed her as she trotted off. “So,” I said, falling in line beside her, “where have you got us bunking down?” “The library if that’s alright,” she replied. “Ponyville doesn’t really have any hotels. Princess I-” “Please Twilight,” Luna cut her off, “just Luna will do.” “Of course Luna. I set you up a bed in the observatory.” “That sounds perfect.” “Flourish, you’ll be in the loft with me.” “Works for me,” Flourish replied. “Sorry Night Wing, that leaves you with the couch.” “Score,” I said with a little hoof pump. “Really? You don’t mind?” “Not at all, I spent nearly two months on your brother’s couch. Best couch ever.” “But Shining said he set you up in his spare room.” “He did, the couch slept better.” “If you say so, but just let me know if you’re not comfortable. I can turn it into a bed.” “I’ll keep that in mind.” By this time we had made our way to the library and Twilight showed us inside. We ditched our saddle bags and after a short discussion we decided to wander around town since Flourish had never been here before. Twilight lit up at the chance to play tour guide and she wasn’t bad at it. She started us off with the must see locations such as City Hall, Sugarcube Corner, and the Carousel Boutique. We even made it out to Sweet Apple Acres. On the way back to town we had quite the interesting encounter. Out of nowhere a sheep with a rope around its neck charged onto the path ahead of us dragging a white unicorn filly behind it. An orange pegasus and a yellow earth pony were riding a scooter in hot pursuit. Flourish acted first. Using her magic she cut the rope running from the sheep’s neck to the filly’s hind leg and lifted the sheep to prevent it from escaping. “The cutie mark crusaders,” Twilight sighed. “Oh, howdy Twilight!” The young earth pony exclaimed. Definitely an apple. “Whoa, is that Princess Luna?” The pegasus asked. “Indeed I am,” Luna said, “and these are my friends Night Wing and Flourish.” “I remember these three being at the wedding.” I said. “They were,” Twilight replied. “This is Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.” “So what’s with the sheep?” Flourish asked setting it down. “We were tryin’ ta get our sheep wranglin’ cutie marks.” Apple Bloom said. “And how’s that working out?” I asked. “Not good,” Sweetie Belle responded. “Hey, how’d you get your cutie mark?” “I got it when I joined the Lunar Guard.” “Apple Bloom!” We turned to find Applejack charging up behind us. “What have I told yall about messin’ around with the livestock? One of these days somepony is gonna get hurt.” “Sorry sis,” Apple Bloom said. “I hope they weren’t no trouble.” “Not at all,” Luna replied. “Good,” Applejack said, “I’ll take ‘em off your hooves then. See yall at Pinkies party tomorrow!” After that little event we headed back to Twilight’s place, just in time for Luna to set the night sky. Standing outside the Library, she closed her eyes and went to work. As the last rays of the sun disappeared beyond the horizon the moon began to rise. Mist-like tendrils wafted around Luna’s horn as the stars blinked into existence and danced across the sky. As she finished, I noticed that she had drawn a bit of a crowd. She smiled as she noticed them herself. A few approached her and commented on how beautiful the night was while others simply basked in her presence. When they had all gone their separate ways the four of us headed inside to turn in for the night.
Chapter 1“You’re rather quiet tonight Night Wing,” Luna said as she painted the night sky. “I could say the same to you,” I responded, deflecting her thinly veiled question. “Maybe, but I have the excuse of being busy.” “Got me there,” I said with a laugh. “I’m just tired. I haven’t been sleeping well lately, no big deal.” “If you say so,” She went back to her work. I noticed she lacked her usual flourish as she finished up but decided not to make a big deal of it. “Off to night court then.” I sighed, “Joy.” Luna responded with a short laugh and we made our way down the tower steps. “Captain Night Wing.” A pale orange unicorn with a teal mane saluted me as we emerged from the stairwell. “Flourish,” I returned her salute. “So, who’s first in tonight’s moaning noble parade?” “Let’s see…” She replied and levitated a scroll from somewhere in her armor. She unfurled it, read a line, and sighed. “It’s Gold Leaf.” “Oh you have got to be kidding me, again?” I did my best to resist the urge to bury my skull in the nearest wall. Gold Leaf had been first in line for the past six nights straight with the same complaint. “Well if we gave awards for persistence he’d definitely be a contender.” Flourish said. “If only it were a worthy cause.” “Indeed,” Luna added, “There’s no way the music at Club Pon-3 is that bad.” “Personally, I like it,” I said, “especially since Vinyl started getting more experimental with her mixes.” “Yeah,” Flourish said, “she’s gained a new appreciation for strings ever since she hooked up with Octavia.” “That earth pony that plays the cello?” I asked. Flourish nodded. “How do you know of their relationship?” Luna asked. “I went to school with Vinyl, we still keep in touch. Mind you it’s not exactly a secret.” “Huh,” I said, “Well, either way this has to stop. I mean, seven nights in a row is ridiculous, even by my increasingly low standards.” “Is it just me or do you tend to use bigger words when you’re tired?” Luna chided. “I like to consider my extensive vocabulary nothing if not evidence of my immeasurably superior intelligence.” I replied. “Keep that up and you’ll be mistaken for a noble.” Flourish said. “You know, insulting your boss is the quickest way to end up unemployed,” I deadpanned. “And risk having to do the paperwork yourself?” Flourish shot back, “You’d never do that to yourself.” We all shared a laugh. By now we had reached the throne room where court was held and as Luna and I settled in for what was sure to be a long night, Flourish headed off to the double doors across from us to fetch our first guest. “So are you finally just going to shut this whiny colt down or what?” I asked Luna. “Believe me, I’d like to.” She sighed. “Luna, you don’t have to appease every single pony,” I said. “It’s impossible, and trying is detrimental to your sanity.” “More big words,” Luna smirked. “I honestly can’t help it when I’m tired. It’s like my mind is trying to compensate for being slow on the up… take” I glared at her. “Don’t change the subject.” “You are so easy sometimes.” When I didn’t respond she sighed again. “I have to try Night Wing… I owe them that much.” “Luna,” I was cut off by the doors opening as Flourish escorted Gold Leaf in. His appearance certainly lived up to his name. His coat was a fierce gold, his mane was stark white, and the suit he wore was somewhere in between. He had his chin held high and his face contorted in the typical “I’m so much better off than you that I could probably purchase your entire family” way that made him look more like there was an unpleasant smell in the room. And to top it all off, he had an honest to Celestia monocle on. “Now presenting,” Flourish began the traditional introduction of the plaintiff. “Save it,” I cut in, “we know who he is and I’d bet my next year’s salary that we also know why he’s here.” “Indeed,” Gold Leaf said, not faltering in the least at my interruption although I did catch a subtle glare from Luna. “So then,” Luna said, “You are here to protest the establishment that is known as ‘Club Pon-3’ yes?” And to think she picks at me for big words… “Yes,” Gold Leaf replied. “Such hovels do not live up to the standard we have here in Canterlot.” “Sorry, but since when was it your place to decide Canterlot’s standards?” I said. “What? W-Well I-I,” He stuttered looking to Luna no doubt in hopes that she would reprimand my audacity or some drivel along those lines. “Seriously,” I continued, “all you’re doing is wasting our time, so either you tell us the real reason you have a problem with Club Pon-3 or get out.” “Your highness,” He finally managed, “surely you can’t sit there and allow this… this ruffian to-” Oh, now he was in for it. “Silence,” Her voice was not loud but it carried authority that demanded obedience. “While I may not completely agree with Captain Night Wings particular wording he is the Captain of my Lunar Guard and you will give him the respect he deserves. Furthermore he is correct.” “Princess Luna, I implore you,” Gold Leaf pleaded, all of his noble composure gone. Luna ignored him. “I take pride in knowing all of my subjects and I happen to know for a fact that your residence is not within half a mile of Club Pon-3, therefore you have no legitimate grounds to file a complaint which means your motive must be a personal one.” Luna paused graciously to give Gold Leaf one last chance to plead his case. Unfortunately it seemed that all he could do was stare with his jaw on the floor. Every ounce of my self-control was focused on not laughing. “Then it is as I thought.” Luna finally said, “I’m afraid that my court has no place in settling personal matters. Flourish, show him the door.” “With pleasure, your highness,” she replied with a bow. As the door shut I continued to hold my laughter, determined to wait until they were out of earshot. Then Luna spoke. “That felt good.” She said. I have never laughed so hard, and before I knew it Luna was laughing too. “See,” I said once we had regained control of ourselves, “Sometimes you just have to cut loose a bit.” “I suppose you’re right,” she conceded, “but I don’t think I should make a habit of it.” “Fair enough,” it was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. The rest of the cases passed slowly and without incident and I was glad it was over. Four hours was plenty enough time for the high I got watching Luna hand Gold Leaf his flank to thoroughly wear off. “Glad that’s over,” Flourish said. “You’re telling me,” I replied starching out my legs and wings. “I just might rest a bit before setting the moon in the morning.” Luna added. “Welp, I got paperwork to sort,” Flourish said and sighed. As she left I heard her mutter, “I need a vacation.” I turned back to Luna. She really did look tired. Her eyes were closed and she was teetering a bit on her hooves. “You ok Luna?” I asked. Her eyes snapped open. “Huh?” She muttered before comprehending the question, “Oh yes, yes, I’m uh…” She shook her head, “I’m just a bit tired. That’s all.” “Go get some rest,” I replied, “I can handle things until morning.” “Thank you Night Wing. You’re a blessing.” She headed off to her quarters. I would have offered to walk with her but I had a new mission. I headed off to the watch station where I found Flourish surrounded by paperwork in her telekinetic grasp. “Watcha need Captain?” She asked as I approached. Her ability to multitask was astounding sometimes. “I need you to give a message to Shining Armor when he gets here.” I said. “Tell him I need to speak with Princess Celestia first thing after my shift.” “Will do boss.” She replied, not looking up, “You off to nap in the archives?” “Am I that bad?” I asked. “Nah,” she said, “I just know you, that’s all." “I guess you would after twelve years. Normally I would but I promised Luna I’d hold down the fort until morning.” “Which would include sitting around here watching me do paperwork,” She looked up at me, “go get some sleep Captain.” I opened my mouth to protest but instead yawned. “Ok, you win.” I said. “Wake me an hour before sunrise so I can make the rounds.” Flourish simply waved me off and dove back into her work. The archives are the watch station’s back room. It’s where all the nightly reports get stored away in the unlikely event that we ever need to refer back to them. The sheer number of filing cabinets in this room always managed to amaze me. A pony could write every minute of every day of their entire life and never come close to filling even a tenth of them. I've always wondered if this room is magically enlarged but have never really thought to ask. I made my way over to a corner still near the door and settled in on the floor. Despite the minor discomfort, sleep came easy. “Rise and shine Captain.” I groaned as Flourish prodded me into consciousness. “Good nap?” She asked as I stood. “Mmph,” I muttered, then my back popped, “Oof, there we go, much better.” “I’ll take that as a yes.” She said with a laugh. “I talked to Captain Armor. He said he’d pass your message on to the Princess and they’d meet you in the throne room first thing.” “Thanks Flourish,” I replied and headed off to do my last rounds for the night. Before long I found myself at the top of the tower waiting for Luna. I quickly lost myself in the peace of the night. The whole world was still. I soaked in the ambiance until the flutter of wings snapped me out of my trance. “Took the scenic route huh?” I said as Luna landed next to me. “Gotta stretch my wings somehow,” she replied, “Lest they wither and fall off.” “Did you get some rest?” “Yes, and once we’re done I’ll be getting some more.” We shared a laugh. Luna closed her eyes and the moon slowly dipped below the horizon. We turned and watched as a band of orange began to fill the sky. A soft breeze began to blow as the sun crept into the sky. The oranges and yellows mingled with the last deep blues of the night, it was breathtaking. “Show off,” Luna muttered, but she was smiling. “What am I gonna do with you two?” I said, shaking my head. Luna laughed. “Alright, back to bed.” She said. “Right, see you tonight.” I replied, making for the stairs as she took off. A few minutes and a short walk later and I was back at the doors of the throne room. As I entered I found Princess Celestia and Shining Armor waiting for me. “Good morning Captain,” Celestia greeted me brightly. “And a lovely one at that your Highness.” I replied giving a small bow as I reached the throne. “Why thank you, so what’s on your mind?” “It's Princess Luna,” I said, figuring we might as well get straight to the point. “I think the nobles are starting to get to her.” “I have noticed it as well." “I’m starting to worry. She’s good at hiding it when it comes time for night court but when we’re alone…” Celestia studied me for a moment. “I believe a vacation is in order.” She finally said. “How do you mean?” “Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe the furthest she’s been from Canterlot since her return is Ponyville.” Celestia said. I nodded. “And on top of that, our last outing was like a month ago.” I added. “Well then, I believe my sister needs to see how Equestria has grown, and you and Flourish are going with her.” “If that’s what you think is best.” I said with a smile, like I was going to argue with time off. “Well then, it’s settled. I believe a week should be sufficient enough time to prepare everything. I’ll take care of all the details and don’t worry, I’ll tell Luna.” “I was just about to ask.” I laughed. “Thank you your Highness. If that’s everything I think I hear my bed calling.” “Just one more thing,” she said. “Shining Armor, would you give us a moment?” “Of course,” He replied and left through one of the back doors. “What’s this about Princess?” I asked. She lowered herself to my height. “Is there something going on between you and Luna?” She asked. Oh horseapples. “Well, uh…” I started racking my brain for the right words. “I guess that’s up to her at this point.” “What do you mean?” “Well…” I told her about that night, about the lake where I poured my heart out to the Goddess of the Night, and about what she had told me. “We haven’t really talked much about it since then, haven’t really had the chance.” “I see.” Celestia replied when I was done. “Um… If I may… Uh…” Oh come on, stop stuttering like a foal. “You seek my blessing.” “That would be great, yeah.” Smooth Night Wing, real smooth. Celestia smiled. “Luna is her own mare, but if it makes you feel better I approve.” “Really?” She simply nodded. “Thank you.” “No Night Wing. Thank you. You have stood by Luna since day one of her return. You have no idea how much that has meant to the both of us.” She smiled then stood back up. “Now then, go get some rest Captain.” “With pleasure your Highness.”
Chapter 3“Captain Night Wing!” I jolted awake and was on my hooves in an instant finding myself face to face with Silent Rain, my second in command. Flourish was close behind him. “Sir, you have to come quickly!” “Rain?” My mouth asked without consent. It was then I noticed we were in the archives at the castle. “What’s wrong?” “The sun has yet to rise and the Mare in the Moon is gone!” He responded. Right then, this is a dream. A memory of when Nightmare Moon returned. “Has there been any word from Celestia or her guard?” “No sir, nothing.” Rain said. “Our first priority is securing Canterlot.” “But the-” I cut him off. “We have contingencies in place. The princess has likely been moved somewhere safe by Captain Armor. We have to ensure the safety of the civilians. Rain, you take squads two, three, and five into the city. Clear the streets and get everypony back in their homes.” Having orders seemed to calm Rain’s nerves, and he shot off to follow them. “Flourish you’re with me. We have to secure the castle.” “Sir?” She called as we ran from the back room, “Are you sure the princess is safe?” “Yes,” I replied. “The princess is always prepared. If Celestia had already been defeated then Nightmare Moon would be storming the castle to take back her throne.” “Is that what we’re checking for?” “If she were here, we would know.” At that moment the entire castle shook as a powerful voice rang through the halls. “Ponies of Canterlot, the ruler of the night has returned!” Sometimes I swear the universe has it out for me. “Captain,” Flourish said. I turned to her. I’d never seen her so scared. She’s so hard to shake up. That face is something I’ll never forget. “Come on,” I said. “We’re going to the throne room.” My dream shifted, skipping over our sprint. Good thing too, I remember being pretty scared myself and that’s not a feeling I enjoy reliving. When we did reach the throne room Nightmare Moon was waiting for us. “And who are you two supposed to be,” the dark alicorn sneered. “I am Night Wing, current Captain of Canterlot’s Lunar Guard.” I responded, hoping I sounded much more confident than I felt. “And this is First Lieutenant Flourish, the most talented unicorn under my command.” “Flourish? Really?” Nightmare Moon scoffed, “Such a soft name, but you I like Night Wing. I could use you.” Ok, don’t remember that, I thought as her horn lit up and the shadows of the room began to converge around me. “You claim to be a Lunar Guard?” The shadows reached my hooves and began to engulf me turning my coat gray. It felt like being encased in ice. “Then submit to your princess!” As the shadows continued to climb my body I felt my wings flare of their own accord. The icy feeling reached my neck, my breath caught in my throat. The shadows clawed at my mind and I couldn’t bear it any longer. I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came, then I heard a voice. “Enough.” The world stood still and the shadows melted away. “You never told me you had nightmares.” “Luna?” I asked, still a bit wary after my memory had just become so distorted. “Yes, it’s really me.” She replied. “Dreams fall under my jurisdiction as well.” “You never mentioned.” I said shaking off the last of the chill the shadows had left behind. “You never asked.” “Right, so why are you in my head? I’m sure there’s some filly or colt somewhere whose nightmares require more attention than mine.” “Her,” she said as she walked past me. “Seriously? I know better than anypony that she’s no threat to me. Besides, this isn’t even the way things happened.” “Dreams can be very real Night Wing.” She turned to face me. “Sure, they may be all in your head but when your mind decides that something is real, it becomes very hard to convince it otherwise. The mind is a truly amazing thing. Its power is both great and terrifying. More importantly, dreams are a way for the mind to unwind. You can learn a lot about a pony from watching their dreams.” “Luna.” I called in an attempt to break her out of her rant. “Tell me,” She continued, unfazed, “do you harbor any fear concerning me at all?” “Why would I be scared of you?” “That wasn’t the question,” she said. Her horn lit up and the throne room dissipated into a white mist that hung around the two of us. “Just think about it.” Then she dissolved into the mist as well. I’m afraid of losing you.
Chapter 2Finally the morning was here and I was pumped. The week passed much faster than most which I found a bit odd. Generally anticipation slows time to a crawl, not that I’m complaining. As I flew to the station to meet up with the others I couldn’t help but grin with excitement, although it felt a bit odd at the same time. Flying in the mid-morning calm, wide awake and free of my armor, it was different. I felt free. I chalked it up to me being a slave to my routine, but to be honest, the exhilaration I felt was a bit jarring. I lived for my job in the guard, my flank proved that. So why was I so happy to be rid of it for the time being? I cut my thoughts short as I closed in on the station. “Good morning everypony!” I said a bit louder than necessary, shaking myself out of my meditation as I landed before the small group that was gathered on the platform. Luna and Flourish were there of course, as well as Princess Celestia, Shining Armor, and even Princess Cadence had made it out to see us off. “You’re in a good mood,” Shining Armor said. “Indeed I am.” I replied grinning “You’re also late,” Flourish deadpanned. “Kill joy,” I pouted and turned away to promptly ignore any comeback she may have had ready. “Princess Cadence, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” “Good to see you too Captain,” she replied with a smile. “Now that you’re all here I think it’s time you started your vacation,” Celestia said. “Art thou truly so eager to be rid of us sister?” Luna asked. “Oh stop pouting,” Celesta sounded almost motherly, “This trip will do you some good, get you out of Canterlot for a while.” “We’d like to think we‘ve been absent long enough.” “Luna,” Celestia scolded, “Enough with the royal “We.” It doesn’t suit you.” Luna sighed. “Fine, you win.” Luna resigned. “Good,” Celestia smiled and stepped forward to nuzzle her sister. “Do try and have fun, hmm?” “I will,” Luna replied, returning her sisters affection. “Flourish,” Shining Armor said, “Keep ‘em out of trouble.” “I’ll do my best sir,” she replied, laughing. “Very funny Captain,” I said dryly although I couldn’t keep from smiling. With a last round of goodbyes, Luna, Flourish, and I stepped onto the train and made our way to our seats, a private car up front. Luna and Flourish stowed their saddle bags but I kept mine on. A life without magic is one of minor inconveniences and not removing my bags until I’m good and done with them for the day is one I’m accustomed to. “So,” I started, “First stop, Ponyville, shouldn’t be a long ride.” “Fifteen minutes tops,” Flourish responded. “We stay there tonight and tomorrow, and then the following day is our trip to Cloudsdale. I can’t wait to see it.” I gave a short laugh at her enthusiasm. “You’ll love it.” I replied. “Right, so we stay the night there then it’s back to Ponyville in the morning to catch our train to Manehatten. We stay there four nights and then head back home. All in all, a good trip I’d say. I haven’t had a whole week off since I was promoted.” “Only because you never ask,” Luna added. “That is beside the point” I shot back. She rolled her eyes. “So, Twilight Sparkle will be meeting us at the station right?” Flourish asked “Yep,” I said, “She’ll show us where we’re staying tonight and then we just relax the rest of the day.” A small tremor rocked the cabin as the train finally pulled away from the station. “So Flourish,” Luna started, “I take it you know Twilight Sparkle as well?” “Not as well as Night Wing but yeah.” She responded, “Pretty much the whole guard at least knows of her.” “Pretty much all of Equestria knows of her.” I added. “Well yeah,” Flourish said, “but what I meant was she spent a lot of time in the castle over the years. Being a bit bookish myself I helped her with her studies from time to time when she pulled all-nighters in the royal library.” “And I always had to carry her home in the morning when she finally passed out face-first into a book.” I said with a laugh. “Goodness,” Luna said, “I take it this happened often?” “At least once a week,” I said. “We’d try to get her to turn in at a decent hour but she’d always refuse declaring ‘Sleep is for the weak!’” Flourish shouted the last part, raising one of her front hooves for emphasis. “Then one day she stayed up two nights in a row and fell asleep during some dignitary meeting she’d been allowed to sit in on and Celestia put her hoof down. She gave her a midnight curfew and made me enforce it.” This got a laugh out of Luna. "Celestia always picks such interesting students," She said. “On the surface it seems she's just looking for magical talent, but there's always so much more to them." For some reason this statement struck me as odd but I wasn’t sure why. It was innocent enough, so why would it stand out? I could feel myself zoning out but was helpless to stop it. In times like this it always felt like my consciousness was splitting into my mind and my body. In this case, my body was vaguely aware of the conversation continuing without me and settled for watching the countryside pass by as we made our way to Ponyville. My mind, on the other hoof, was analyzing what Luna had said. Interesting students... so much more to them... why would that be important? Of course Celestia wasn't so shallow as to just look for raw talent. There’s so much more to a pony than just their special talent, and from what I understand of unicorns there isn't anything cut and dry about magic. There are plenty of factors at play, power is one but emotion is another huge deal. There are countless tales of unicorns achieving feats way beyond their normal capabilities when the right emotion is driving them. Shining Armor even told me about Twilight's mane and tail literally bursting into flame out of frustration on occasion. Ok, drifting into left field a bit, focus on Twilight. Why did Celestia take her on as a personal student? There was Twilight's incident at her entrance exams, but that was a raw power thing. Over my years of patrolling the castle halls I've heard almost every conspiracy out there. Some ponies think that Celestia was worried Twilight would lose control again one day, which is honestly a valid concern but I think if anything Twilight would have been too afraid to use magic ever again if left alone. So if Celestia took her in just because of the accident then it would have been so the talent wasn't wasted. That leads to the second most popular theory that Celestia was grooming Twilight to be the element of magic. Personally, this one makes more sense, but I'm not sure if I buy it. The ponies that do believe it make it seem cruel, as if Celestia wanted a weapon, but The Elements of Harmony can’t be weaponized like that. They can't kill, and they can't change a pony's personality, that’s been proven on multiple occasions. When Celestia and Luna used The Elements on Discord for the first time, it trapped him in stone. The same happened when he went nuts last year as well. When Luna was first eclipsed by Nightmare Moon, The Elements imprisoned her in the moon. That one bothers me though, because when Twilight and her friends used The Elements on Nightmare Moon it stripped her away from Luna instead. Based on what Luna has told me, Nightmare Moon was a physical manifestation of her jealousy and sorrow. When she was at her lowest, her emotions drew power from her magic and split off into Nightmare Moon. She said that while Nightmare Moon was in control, she felt trapped inside her own mind. She could see and hear everything that Nightmare Moon was doing, but was powerless to stop it. Wait, hang on... the first go around, The Elements of Harmony were wielded by Celestia and Luna, so maybe... maybe that had something to do with the different effects, because the second time, the elements were wielded by a third party, so to speak. Buck, I can't focus on anything, back to Twilight and Celestia. If Celestia was grooming the next element of magic, she'd need to be grooming the other elements as well. She knows better than anypony that all the elements need to be present for it to work. No, it's something deeper than that... What did Celestia see in Twilight...? Suddenly my body tapped my brain on the shoulder. Luna was calling me. "Sorry," I said. "I completely zoned out. What did I miss?" "We're here," Flourish responded. “Oh wow.” “Are you ok Night Wing?” Luna asked. “Yeah, I just got lost in thought, you know me.” I said, waving her off with my hoof and making for the exit. “What was it this time?” “Just something random my brain latched onto for some reason, nothing important.” Luna made to respond but as we stepped onto the platform she was cut off by a familiar voice. “Princess Luna!” Twilight Sparkle rushed up to meet us. “It’s so good to see you again!” “It’s a pleasure to see you as well Twilight.” Luna replied. “How was the ride over here?” “It was nice actually. The change of pace was refreshing.” “I’m glad to hear it,” Twilight beamed. Flourish made to say something but it died in her throat when a pink pony emerged from Twilight's mane. “Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie, but you already know that! Or do you? Well if you didn’t you do now! I’m here to invite you to a huge party tomorrow!” Pinkie produced three invitations from seemingly nowhere and gave them to us. “I can’t wait to see you there!” she added then turned and hopped away without waiting for a reply. “How did-” Flourish started, but Twilight cut her off. “Don’t, you’ll only hurt yourself.” “Sounds like experience talking,” I chided, earning a glare in response. “Anyways, about this party, what’s the occasion?” “You three,” Twilight responded, “not that Pinkie needs an occasion mind you. One time she tried to throw her pet alligator a birthday party two days in a row.” “She has a pet alligator?” Flourish asked. “That’s nothing,” Luna said, “I had a manticore as a foal.” “Seriously?” Flourish, Twilight, and I asked in unison. “Indeed. They are extremely loyal when raised from a young age.” “I’ve read about that,” Twilight said, “but in recent years, nopony has been brave enough to try. Anyways, we should probably clear the platform.” We nodded in agreement and followed her as she trotted off. “So,” I said, falling in line beside her, “where have you got us bunking down?” “The library if that’s alright,” she replied. “Ponyville doesn’t really have any hotels. Princess I-” “Please Twilight,” Luna cut her off, “just Luna will do.” “Of course Luna. I set you up a bed in the observatory.” “That sounds perfect.” “Flourish, you’ll be in the loft with me.” “Works for me,” Flourish replied. “Sorry Night Wing, that leaves you with the couch.” “Score,” I said with a little hoof pump. “Really? You don’t mind?” “Not at all, I spent nearly two months on your brother’s couch. Best couch ever.” “But Shining said he set you up in his spare room.” “He did, the couch slept better.” “If you say so, but just let me know if you’re not comfortable. I can turn it into a bed.” “I’ll keep that in mind.” By this time we had made our way to the library and Twilight showed us inside. We ditched our saddle bags and after a short discussion we decided to wander around town since Flourish had never been here before. Twilight lit up at the chance to play tour guide and she wasn’t bad at it. She started us off with the must see locations such as City Hall, Sugarcube Corner, and the Carousel Boutique. We even made it out to Sweet Apple Acres. On the way back to town we had quite the interesting encounter. Out of nowhere a sheep with a rope around its neck charged onto the path ahead of us dragging a white unicorn filly behind it. An orange pegasus and a yellow earth pony were riding a scooter in hot pursuit. Flourish acted first. Using her magic she cut the rope running from the sheep’s neck to the filly’s hind leg and lifted the sheep to prevent it from escaping. “The cutie mark crusaders,” Twilight sighed. “Oh, howdy Twilight!” The young earth pony exclaimed. Definitely an apple. “Whoa, is that Princess Luna?” The pegasus asked. “Indeed I am,” Luna said, “and these are my friends Night Wing and Flourish.” “I remember these three being at the wedding.” I said. “They were,” Twilight replied. “This is Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.” “So what’s with the sheep?” Flourish asked setting it down. “We were tryin’ ta get our sheep wranglin’ cutie marks.” Apple Bloom said. “And how’s that working out?” I asked. “Not good,” Sweetie Belle responded. “Hey, how’d you get your cutie mark?” “I got it when I joined the Lunar Guard.” “Apple Bloom!” We turned to find Applejack charging up behind us. “What have I told yall about messin’ around with the livestock? One of these days somepony is gonna get hurt.” “Sorry sis,” Apple Bloom said. “I hope they weren’t no trouble.” “Not at all,” Luna replied. “Good,” Applejack said, “I’ll take ‘em off your hooves then. See yall at Pinkies party tomorrow!” After that little event we headed back to Twilight’s place, just in time for Luna to set the night sky. Standing outside the Library, she closed her eyes and went to work. As the last rays of the sun disappeared beyond the horizon the moon began to rise. Mist-like tendrils wafted around Luna’s horn as the stars blinked into existence and danced across the sky. As she finished, I noticed that she had drawn a bit of a crowd. She smiled as she noticed them herself. A few approached her and commented on how beautiful the night was while others simply basked in her presence. When they had all gone their separate ways the four of us headed inside to turn in for the night.
