An Empire Lost in Time

All throughout the night, Luna thought about Luminous and her conversation with his advisor, Sir Phoenix. ~I wonder if I should try to get in his dreams?~ she thought as she sat down.

Meditating on the floor, Luna opened her mind to think of Luminous. Pouring her magic into the spell, she entered his dream. There sitting in front of her with their backs turned, she saw herself and Luminous sitting in old Equestria. The houses below them spread out and dated. The moon hung midway through the sky, and she could see their hooves intertwined. They gazed deeply into each other's eyes before dipping into a passionate kiss. Luna turned away embarrassed as she watched the dream version of herself kissing Luminous. Her cheeks flushed red, and she almost left, but the dream changed. Her surroundings changed from the peace of the moonlit night to a dark room, the walls lined with books. There was a roaring fireplace to her back and a tall window to her left. In front of her she saw a desk littered with books and parchment. His back was turned, but she could feel his sadness and fear. When she moved around to get a better look at was causing it, she saw a blurry scroll on his desk. He was holding a pristine blue feather in his hooves. Suddenly he slammed a hoof on the desk and threw the letter into the fire. Watching the letter burn, she wondered what it could have said to make him so upset until he threw the feather in the fire as well. It charred a bit before he fumbled in front of the heat of the fire and pulled it out with a hoof. She could see tears falling down his face. He carefully wrapped the feather in a cloth and put it in his armor. The first and only thing she heard him say in the dream was, “I love you, Luna. I hope you’re happy with your choice.”

The earth shook with a force that Luna had never felt before; books and scrolls fell to the ground, and the whole city seemed to scream in fear. Luminous rushed over to the window that faced the sea. Dark clouds gathered over the city, and a wave that reached to the very heavens cast its shadow of death over Atlantis. “Raise the shield!” A powerful voice echoed with great power. Luminous rushed out of his room. The dream ended, and there was darkness all around her. She stood very still, thinking for a moment. ~Is it possible that this was the night I waited for him? What did he mean by my choice? I chose him. So why was he so upset? I must know, and I must know soon. Something's not right here.~ Luna woke to find herself sweating; she was still in her spot on the floor. Before her was a tray of pancakes. She looked to the sky and saw it was morning. Her moon was just on the edge of the sky. She knew it was time to set the moon to make way for dawn.

“Wow, this took me the rest of the night? It seemed so short.” She looked down at the tray and smiled. “Celestia must have come in to talk to me while I was in the dream.” She stood, grabbed the tray in her magic, and placed it on her desk. Walking to the balcony doors, she stepped outside. The cool morning breeze cleared her thoughts, and she proceeded to set the moon.

Luminous shot up, his hooves shaking and mind racing. The feeling of loss was heavy on his heart, the memory of the wave still fresh in his mind. He had thought that dream would no longer vex him, that he would no longer have fond memories of Luna. “My lord, is everything alright?” Vindex asked, once Luminous had calmed himself a bit.

“Aye, just an old memory,” Luminous replied. He noticed that Vindex and Sir Titan being the only two of his four guards awake. Sir Phoenix was sitting in a chair sleeping, and Lady Poppy hung from a beam on the ceiling, happily asleep. He could hear her soft, content mutters. He turned to Sir Phoenix and draped a blanket over him. Standing and clearing his thoughts, he continued, “Best to let them rest. What's on my agenda for today?”

“Well, there's gathering more insight on the workings of this kingdom, which your father requested a full report on.” Vindex spoke in a hushed tone. “Other than that, a few requests from Duke Valor and Duke Noctis, involving what kind of weapons, armor and technology they possess.” She then coughed a bit. “And your brother asked if you could, um, say how the mares looked.”

Luminous facehoofed. “I absolutely will not ‘find out what mares look like’ in the kingdom. If my brother wants to know, you may tell him to find out for himself.” ~That little pervert. Honestly, couldn't he be a bit more reserved.~

“Very good, my lord. I'll Inform him when we return.” ~Though I wish I didn't have to. I hate being near that pervert; he always undresses me with his eyes.~ She shuddered for a moment before regaining her composure.

The prince nodded in understanding, then he turned and rummaged through his bag, looking for the case that contained the feather. Finding it, he opened it. When he saw the feather missing, he softly closed it and looked up and around the room. His eyes glowed in the pre-dawn light, and a deep shadow made him look menacing. He eyed all his guards, feeling a bit of anger building, but calmly asked, “Vindex, did any of you leave the room last night?”

“Aye, Sir Phoenix left for a bit,” she replied.

“Do you happen to know where my feather is? It seems to be missing today,” luminous asked.

Vindex bit her lip and look toward her fellow guards before turning back to face her lord. “Well, I hate to be a rat, but after you fell asleep, I saw Sir Phoenix rummaging through your bag. He seemed to leave in a hurry after that. He didn't return for quite awhile.”

“I see,” Luminous replied, glancing at the sleeping guard. He dressed in a simple cotton shirt and left the room without a word. Vindex followed as best she could, but the prince was too quick, as his long legs made it too hard for her to keep up with.

He stopped at the end of the hall next to one of the maids walking past. He towered over the poor pony. “You, tell me where I can find Princess Luna.” He paused for a second, waiting for the shaking pony to answer. “NOW!”

Shaking, the mare answered, “Sh-sh-she is in he-her ch-chambers. Sh-she just set the mo-moon. I-I can lead you th-there.”

“Good, take me there at once!” he said. He began to calm down, but the strict urgency in his voice did not.

Luna prepared herself for bed; she had just stepped out of the bath and changed into a sheer silver robe. The edges were of Rarity’s design. It was adorned silk and small symbols of the moon. She sat down on her bed when suddenly a loud urgent knock pounded on her door.

“Princess Luna, I must have a word with you,” said the voice on the other side of the door. She knew it instantly. Not bothering to change, she calmly walked over the door and opened it.

“How may I help you, Prince Luminous? I am just about to lay down for the day.”

Luminous’ eyes were full of anger until he looked upon her. It melted into embarrassment, and he turned his head away, blushing. “I..I came to talk to about something.” He coughed a bit, trying hard to not let his eyes wander back to her beauty as she stood there.

“What is it you need to talk to me about?” she replied, noticing his distracted blush.

He looked to the two guards at the door. “May I... come in? I prefer to talk in private.”

“You may, though I wish I had known sooner you wished to talk.” She used a hoof to close her robe though it did nothing to make her more modest.

After he entered the room he closed the door, and stood in silence for a moment. “I was hoping you could return what Sir Phoenix took from me. I would assume he brought it to you.”

“Oh you mean this?” she said, holding a charred feather in her magic. “This is mine. Why ever should I return it you?” She scowled for a moment. “This symbolizes a pony’s promise to love, yet last you said, and I quote, ‘I care not for you any longer, or for your lies.’ As far as I am concerned, you don’t deserve this back.”

His ears and head fell in sadness. “Please,” was all he could reply.

“That does not tell me why you want it.” Slowly her fur became darker and her eyes glowed teal in anger.

“I can’t explain, just that I need it back,” he replied.

Luna’s mane turned a smokey purple and fangs protruded from her lips. She stepped forward putting a hoof under his chin. “If you can not tell me what you want it for, then you shall suffer knowing it is forever mine.” Her eyes flashed.

When he looked upon her, his eyes widened with fear. It almost seemed that she had grown taller. “What is happening to you?” His voice showed great concern.

She dropped his head, stepping back so the faint light silhouetted her figure. “Oh, you mean this?” she asked, gesturing to herself. Flaring her wings, she said, “This is what happened to me when you disappeared.” She stamped a hoof, leaving a crack in the marble floor. “This is what caused me to be banished for a thousand years on the moon.” She leaned in just inches from his face to emphasize her point. “This is my nightmare, Nightmare Moon!” She smiled, the faint light glinting off her fangs.

His eyes were full of fear, but not for his well-being. He couldn’t believe that the mare he found so beautiful could turn into something so frightening. “I..I’m sorry.” He shrunk back. “I didn’t know.”

Luna growled, “Of course you wouldn’t know. I suffered after you left. No one loved my nights or me. I became a monster.” Hot tears of rage fell down her face.

He looked down again. “You said you didn’t want to be with me, and that our kingdoms mattered more.” He looked at the crack on the floor where her hoof had been. “I wanted to be with you.” He looked up into her eyes. “After we sunk, my subjects longed to see the night sky.”

“I did not! I waited until dawn for you! When I returned, you and the empire were gone. All that I was told was that a huge wave had swept you and your kingdom away!” Luna screamed at him in pain.

He said nothing for a bit, just looked at her crying, wishing to comfort her. Then he spoke again. “Your letter said otherwise, and you ripped my heart out. Then I lost…”

“I sent a reply to you that very night. In it, I wrote to you saying yes, I wanted to run away with you, so I waited at our spot.” A memory flashed in her mind from his dream. “And what do you mean you lost? What did you lose?” She wasn’t yelling anymore, just hurt, though her features did not change.

He didn’t speak but tears fell from his eyes. “You and my mother.”

Luna visibly shrunk as her features returned to normal. “What do you mean you lost your mother? Is Empress Nightsong no longer alive?”

“Alive or dead aren’t the right words, more like… It’s complicated to explain; you would have to see it for yourself,” he said, shaking his head.

“So then why? Why tell me you didn't feel for me anymore if that's how you felt then--and apparently still feel now, according to that dream…” She cut herself off, putting a hoof to her mouth.
He looked up, “What dream?”

Luna tapped her hooves together, embarrassed. “I, uh, I wanted to see how you were doing last night, so I entered your dreams and saw…” She didn't want to tell him he saw them kiss. Her embarrassment became more apparent as she felt her cheeks flush red-hot.

He looked blankly at her. “Saw what?” he asked, recalling his dreams from the night prior.

Luna fell on her haunches, once again tapping her hooves, her face glowing red through her dark fur. “When I entered your dream, I saw you and a version of myself kissing.” She paused and cleared her throat. “Then I saw you toss a piece of parchment into a fire and heard a loud rumble. After that you went to the window where there was a huge wave and left. Then the dream went dark.” She didn't feel it necessary to touch on her concerns or give him full details.

“I should be angry,” he said, getting to his full height. “Yet, I’m not. I feel nothing… not a single shred of doubt about my responsibility remains.”

Luna stood and turned to face the window. “If that is how you really feel, then why bother with getting your feather back? What's the point?” She sighed. “It should have no meaning to you anymore.”

“It keeps me pony.” He sighed, reaching out to give a comforting hoof, but stopped short of touching her. “It reminds me of love lost, but also reminds me I have a duty… and that…” he trailed off.

“You know, I had something you gave me once--I think it was one of your scales.” She looked distantly out the window, staring at nothing. “I lost it when I was banished, yet I still stay pony, and I don’t lose my cool anymore. So why do you need it? What is the real reason?”

He looked away, “Without it I have no reason to feel for this kingdom, or another’s, for that matter.” He sighed.

“So in other words, you’re saying it keeps you sane. You make it sound like if you didn't and just let yourself not ‘be pony,’ that Equestria would be in danger,” she said, turning and glaring at him.

He didn’t speak, just looked sorrowfully into her eyes. Dread was held within his blue-silver eyes.

Luna sighed after a full minute of waiting for him to speak. “Fine, if that is how you want it, you may have the stupid feather. It’s just trash now. It means nothing to me.” She handed it to him before moving towards the door. “I am very tired; please leave.”

He held the feather for a moment, “This feather is the only reason… the only reason that I stood up to…” He shook his head as he started to leave. “Nevermind.”

“You can’t seem to tell me the truth, so why should I care? Just get out of my room.” Luna huffed and magically opened the door.

He left without a word.

The day seemed to go on forever. He watched the royal guards training, and he studied how the kingdom was run, taking notes along the way. Sometimes he would compare notes with Golden Valor, who had been doing much the same work. The feather rested within his tunic, reminding him to see the ponies as living beings, not just objects. It reminded him to care.

Phoenix had been searching high and low for his lord, but this place was strange. Halls seemed to lead nowhere, and rooms stretched on without end. After opening a door, he stumbled into the library. At the heart of the library sat Princess Twilight with books all around her. Seeing no other pony and no sign of his lord, Phoenix walked up to the her and looked at the books she was reading. ‘History of Lemuria’ was among the pile of books.
“Hm, I wonder if the Dowager Queen would find that book accurate,” he said from behind her.

Twilight jumped. “What do you mean? Is this not a good account of its history?” she stood up, getting close to his muzzle. “Are there other books that have better information?”

Phoenix laughed. “Well, there are the ones she wrote, plus the records of the war, and of course you could always ask her yourself should you get the chance to visit our empire. I’m sure Dowager Queen Aurora Borealis would be glad to recall when Lemuria was young. It's my understanding she spends a lot of time in the library within the palace.”

“THERE IS A LIBRARY!!!” Twilight shouted in his face with excitement.

He shook his head. “Um, you do know my empire is far older than your kingdom, right?” he asked with a laugh. “Of course we have a library.” He recalled what he wanted to ask her. “Oh, have you seen my lord?”

Twilight thought for a minute. “I believe I saw him in the garden. I can take you to him if you want.”

“That would be of great help; this place is a maze,” he joked.

“Yes, it certainly is. I remember getting lost in these halls myself when I was a filly,” she said, walking to the door.

Phoenix followed and thought of yesterday. “How is Princess Luna doing? She seemed disheartened.”

Twilight recalled their talk from the previous night. “Well, I can’t speak for her current status, but when I last talked to her, she was very upset. I managed to comfort her, though.”

“Very good. I’m sorry if my lord caused any harm.” Phoenix wondered if that was part of the reason Luna listened to him. “You know, I could see if my lord would allow you to return with us. It could be a great idea to meet our emperor if we are to be allies someday.”

“Would you! Oh, that would be fantastic. Though I must say, Luna does feel greatly for him. What he did when he greeted her yesterday was very cruel.”

“Aye, I will not dispute that. He has never done something like that before; most of the time, he is reserved, even going so far as to stand up for us scoundrels.”

Twilight smiled. Eventually they came to a pair of glass doors. Twilight stopped. “Here is the garden. If you need any more help finding your way, let a guard know, and they will be happy to show you.”

He gave a slight bow before heading into the garden.

It was the final night of the prince's stay in Equestria. He was to leave in the morning. He, his guards and the princesses were all seated at a large dining table to eat. The meal was all vegetarian. He disliked the choice of food, seeing as he greatly missed the savory taste of fish. He was seated directly across from Luna. She would not meet his gaze and would not speak back to him. Idle chatter had flowed through the room since the meal began, and he had attempted to talk to her with no avail.

“It has been brought to my attention that somepony from Equestria should meet my father and see the greatness of Atlantis.” Luminous looked across the table toward Celestia and the other princesses. “I would be honored to extend a personal invite to Princess Twilight Sparkle.” He smiled for a minute. “Sir Phoenix mentioned to me earlier that you just love books. I thought it would be a good opportunity for you to learn about our culture.”

Twilight looked to Celestia, an eager grin on her face. “Please, may I go? I promise to do my best.”

Celestia pondered the invite for a moment, then sighed. “I suppose you can go; however, on one condition. Please take Luna with you. I trust you to be a good diplomat, but Luna has more experience. I want you to have someone there if you need it.”

Luna gasped, jerking her head toward her sister. ~How could she do that?! If only I could explain to her how uncomfortable this makes me.~ She cleared her throat. “It would be my pleasure to accompany Twilight to the empire, sister.” ~If only to smooth things over.~

“Very good. We leave in the morning,” Luminous said, smiling.