Fugue - Volume 1

"Wake up!"

Huey's eyes drifted open. To his surprise, he found a large pair of dark blue eyes staring back at him, which he immediately recognised as Princess Luna's.

"The day has passed, the sun begins its descent once more!" Luna declared, her hooves tugging urgently at Huey's t-shirt. Yawning, he crawled sluggishly out of bed and allowed himself to be dragged to the balcony Luna's bedchamber possessed. After giving his eyes a vigorous rub, Huey watched as the sun descended below the horizon. Unlike the sun he recalled back home, there was little time wasted between the sun hiding behind the horizon and the moon emerging to takes its place. In the span of moments, it was now pitch black, if one disregarded what little moonlight there was.

"That's it?" Huey remarked. "That's sunset?"

"Yes," Luna stated proudly. "That was the demonstration of our sister's power over the celestial bodies that occurs daily!"

"I can't help but feel incredibly underwhelmed," Huey admitted, earning him a gasp of disbelief from Luna. "What about the pleasure one can get from witnessing a sunset?"

"Hath thy eyes deceived you?" Luna asked. "The sun hath set before your eyes! What more could there possibly be to witness?"

"Well, for starters," Huey began. "The beautiful sight. What we saw was a simple switch from day to night. Where I'm from, it doesn't take place over the course of seconds. On the contrary, we have our own naturally occurring seasons, and constantly lengthening and shortening days and nights."

"Your kind must wield great power to have achieved naturally occurring day and night, along with the weather."

"You give me too much credit," Huey replied solemnly. "My kind has done nothing of the sort. It is the power of science that created our situation."

"Your kind must live in constant fear of the elements and the hardship they may bring?" Luna clarified, earning a nod from Huey. "But that is monstrous! How dost thy fellow humans cope with such uncertainty? How hath thee survived without the certainty of your crops bearing fruit?"

"We study the skies, Luna," Huey explained. "It is a service that requires hundreds, if not thousands, of humans, who constantly watch the skies and use great inventions to predict what the weather will be. We then plan around this knowledge."

"For a moment, we believed thy kind hath perfected control over the seasons to the point of automation!" Luna mused. "Instead, we learn that you are living in perpetual fear. Dost this situation not bother you or your kin?"

"We have adapted," Huey replied. "At first, we could not predict the weather, which did lead to famine and death on a number of occasions. However, we learned, ensured we grew more than necessary, in case a famine did occur, and try our best to co-exist with the weather, since we do not possess the power to control it."

"This revelation truly astonishes us," Luna murmured thoughtfully. "How dost thy weather work? If not via the labours of pegasai, what causes the rain to fall, the sun to shine and the temperature to rise and fall?"

"I don't know the full details, but allow me to explain part of it. Do you have a ball or anything that is spherical in shape?"

"We possess a perfectly sculpted globe of our lands and those beyond it," Luna replied. "It is in the royal observatory nearby."

"Then please, shall we take that walk we postponed, so that I may provide the answers you seek?"

"Let's!" Luna chirped. For the first time, a clear emotion had been displayed, excitement. Huey smiled as he was escorted back into the bedroom by Luna, before being ushered out into the corridor. It was clear that all traces of uncertainty had been vanquished from Luna's mind, all that existed was herself and Huey. The human chuckled quietly to himself as Luna eagerly trotted through the halls of the castle, completely ignoring a number of servants and guards, who were going about their duties.

"This way!" She cheeped urgently. "We urge you to hurry, Huey!"

"Alright! I'm coming!" Huey replied in defeat as he sped up into a jog. Within moments, Luna arrived at a pair of doors, which were swiftly thrown open to reveal a truly magnificent observatory, the candles inside swiftly being ignited by Luna's magic to provide illumination. The domed roof consisted of panels of glass, permitting an almost perfect view of the night sky by just looking up. The centrepiece that dominated the room was a massive telescope. Unlike observatories Huey remembered, which needed to create a massive gap in the roof for the purpose of allowing the telescope to see the sky, the architect who had designed this room had opted to integrate the roof with the telescope, permitting the user to immediately gaze at the stars without exposing themselves to the elements outside.

"Here is the object you seek!" Luna said as she presented Huey with a globe. It was clear by the unusual landmasses that this was not a representation of Earth, but it was perfect for Huey's demonstration.

"I want you to imagine that you are the sun, Luna," Huey began. "Stay right where you are. As the sun, you never move, but you are constantly shining light around you."

"We understand," Luna replied with a nod, before she sat down and began waving a hoof towards the globe in Huey's hands. "We are breathing our perpetual light upon you."

"Exactly! However, unlike Equestria, my home, Earth, rotates," Huey continued, while rotating the globe round in his hands. "This constant spinning is what creates night and day for humans. Our world revolves around the sun."

"Fascinating!" Luna chirped. "But what of the seasons and the varying days?"

"That's the next part," Huey replied eagerly. "Right now, we have the planet rotating, which provides a stable and consistent amount of day and night. The next part is that my planet is tilted."

Huey adjusted the globe so that it was tilted away from Luna slightly. He then pointed towards the upper hemisphere that Luna could see.

"Here, it is further away from the sun due to the tilt," Huey stated before pointing to the lower hemisphere. "While it is warmer here due to it being tilted closer."

"Amazing!" Luna remarked. "But that dost not explain the varying day and night cycle, nor dost it explain the seasons!"

"That's explained by the final thing my planet does!" Huey said as he began to walk around Luna. "My planet doesn't just spin in one place, it spins around the sun in an orbit. By doing this, the planet alternates towards tilting towards the sun, or tilting away from the sun, depending on where you are. When we are tilted towards the sun, the days are longer, brighter, warmer. However when we are tilted away the days are shorter, colder and darker. Since the planet is constantly going round in a circle, there is a cycle of warming up and cooling down that humans could map out into the four seasons; summer, autumn, winter and spring."

"This is truly beyond words!" Luna burbled. "A heliocentric planet! Equestria's greatest astronomers demonstrated that we are the exact opposite centuries ago!"

"It is very clear that your planet is what my kind would call 'geocentric'," Huey remarked. "A planet that has the sun and moon revolve around it, instead of the other way round. I can tell you that many years, decades even, were spent arguing over whether my planet was stationary or mobile."

"We are truly astounded!" The princess replied. "We would be willing to do anything to be given the chance to witness the natural movement of the sun and moon in the manner you describe!"

"It could get boring, Luna," Huey said quietly. "Days are calculated to last twenty four hours, the same as here, however the movement of the sun across the sky is very slow."

"That may be true, but you are telling us that a celestial body as vital as the sun does not require magical intervention to perform its role!" Luna argued. "The planet itself moves to make the days and seasons go by. Dost thou not see how new and exciting it is for us?"

"I do, I truly do!" Huey reassured her. "However, the natural progression of a single day is not the part that I believe you should be excited about. It is the transition between day and night that you must see!"

"Why?" Luna asked inquisitively. "We hath seen days and nights pass for thousands of years. What dost seeing the transition happen slowly achieve?"

"My dear Luna," Huey began solemnly. "That is a sight that I am unable to describe. It is a sight that I believe you and your sister should see with your own eyes, because words cannot begin to give it the credit it deserves."

"Thou must be teasing us!" Luna declared defiantly. "No celestial event could possibly be so fantastical that thou art incapable of describing it for us!"

"I am not lying!" Huey stated bluntly. "I promise you that when the time comes for the sun to rise again, you and your sister will see something that will, metaphorically, blow your mind!"

Luna narrowed her eyes in suspicion and pursed her lips in thought.

"We shall see," Luna eventually muttered. "We shall see for ourselves whether this event you speak of is worthy of such praise."

"I am confident that you will concur with my assessment," Huey reaffirmed. "However, the night is, as some might say, young. What should we do now?"

"We remember our most favourite activity during the night was to craft intricate patterns into the sky," Luna reminisced sadly. "We would while away the hours by crafting entire constellations for our subjects to admire."

"Constellations that they could not admire, due to being asleep," Huey added, causing Luna to look away. "However, I do not see any stars tonight."

"They are only temporary," Luna explained. "The stars one sees in Equestria's skies exist only for a single night."

"Every single one is unique," Huey mused. "Back on Earth, the stars are other suns that are millions of miles away. Their light incapable of being seen during the day, but they light up the sky during the night."

"Your home is so incredibly different from ours," The princess remarked. "The sun and moon do not require magic to work, and the stars are not created each night by hoof."

"Correct," Huey confirmed. "The stars my kind see are millions of years old, the suns of what could be other planets that bear life."

Luna gasped lightly at the enormity of Huey's statement. Meanwhile, Huey took the first opportunity to look up at Equestria's sky during the night. He had yet to take the opportunity due to being in dire need of sleep. Much to his disappointment, Huey saw nothing, but inky blackness. Not a single star was accompanying the moon.

"Of course," Huey muttered to himself, while approaching Luna, so that he was stood next to her. "Each star lasts a single night."

"Indeed," Luna sighed. "It would appear that our sister has yet to craft her own designs into the blank canvass before us."

"Or, perhaps, she cannot," Huey suggested, causing Luna to look at him. "She is the princess that represents the daytime. The night is not her domain. It is possible that she either chooses not to craft a landscape with stars due to needing to sleep, she cannot do so due to her magic revolving around the sun, or..."

"Or what?" Luna probed inquisitively. Huey remained silent for a moment, quietly giving the sky one last scan to confirm there were no stars before he looked into the eyes of the princess beside him.

"She chose not to, because it would not be right for her to tread on the territory of 'The Princess of the Night'," He postulated. "Perhaps the reason the sky is devoid of constellations is due to its rightful architect not being ready to paint the sky... Until now."

Luna's eyes widen at the implication Huey had just dropped upon her. She glanced up at the sky before staring back at Huey, her hoof raising to cover her mouth.

"Y-You mean..." She stammered. "I should..."

"Yes," Huey replied with a nod. "Your canvass awaits you, Princess Luna, create a masterpiece."

Luna's eyes glistened as they welled up. Her gaze slowly locked onto the sky above, tears trickling down her cheeks as she fought with herself mentally. She desperately wanted to let herself loose on the sky before her, but the pleasure it would give her felt undeserved.

"I-I can't!" She stuttered, her head shaking vigorously. "I can't do it. I don't deserve-"

Huey cut her off as his armed wrapped around her from behind, enveloping her in an embrace. The Lunar Princess squeaked in surprise, but did not fight back as Huey comforted her.

"Do it for me," Huey whispered. "Show me the beauty an Equestrian night can bring to a being that comes from a world where magic does not exist."

For a moment, Huey thought that his encouragement had fallen on deaf ears. However, he was proven wrong when a reinvigorated Luna gently broke free from his embrace and stepped forward. Eyes closed, Luna ignited her horn and pointed it towards the sky. Huey looked up and gasped as he saw specks of light suddenly spark into life across the sky. Mouth agape, he watched in silence as Luna threw herself wholeheartedly into her work. Using her horn like a piece of chalk, Luna's head rotated and tilted in time with the emerging patterns of stars, creating a collage more spectacular than the individual patterns of stars she had created.

Minutes passed by in total silence, Huey too astounded to speak, while Luna concentrated on her art. Eventually, after almost ten minutes had elapsed, Luna breathed a deep sigh and opened her eyes to admire her finished landscape.

"What ist thy opinion, Huey?" She asked quietly, while leaning back into the embrace Huey she had originally broken free from. Huey blinked and attempted to speak, but could only achieve incomprehensible mumbles. Luna blushed and giggled at the human's linguistic difficulties.

"I... Oh my gosh," He stammered. "It's beautiful."

Huey did not know whether he had ever actually appreciated stargazing before he lost his memory, but he was definitely doing so now. Witnessing the actual process, and seeing the stars flicker into life, had added an element of wonder that could not be matched by the stars he could look at on Earth. Tenderly, he tightened the embrace he was providing to Luna, a move that caused her to hum with approval and snuggle closer.

"I have never seen anything like this before," Huey murmured quietly. "If there is one memory that I would want to keep forever... I think it might be watching you craft what I'm seeing right now."

"That's not all," Luna replied with a giggle. "Watch the sky."

Luna's horn burst into life again. Huey obeyed her command and scanned the night sky, desperately searching for the sight the princess wished for him to see. His gaze eventually spotted a collection of stars that were shining much brighter than the rest.

"What do you see?" Luna asked. Huey pursed his lips in thought. It was clear that saying 'stars' was the incorrect answer, so he stared at the highlighted dots of light, mentally begging them to provide the answer he was seeking. After a few moments, Huey gasped as he realised that Luna had highlighted a constellation. Desperately, he began visualising the myriad of different lines he could draw between each star, knowing that they would, somehow, create a recognisable shape. However, his recollection of constellations from earth were that they rarely looked like the creature or mythical figure they were named after.

Suddenly, a particular combination of imaginary lines revealed to him what Luna had done. The alicorn had created a sequence of dots which, once connected together, created what could only be described as a stick person. Huey grinned and nuzzled the top of Luna's head.

"I see a human," He whispered, earning him a hum of confirmation from the princess. Huey's heart swelled with pride from the fact that Luna had taken the effort to draw a picture of him with actual stars.

"I hope you like it," Luna replied nervously. Huey nodded and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"I love it," He murmured into her ear. "It's beautiful."

Luna sighed in relief and readjusted her position for extra comfort before responding.

"You're welcome."

Content, the pair admired the landscape Luna had created.

"I don't know if anyone's ever said this, but you are clearly a talented individual," Huey remarked quietly. The princess squirmed slightly, the sudden compliment taking her by surprise.

"Th-Thank you," Luna murmured. "But it was the arrogance caused by the night that corrupted us."

"I'm not so sure," Huey countered thoughtfully. "If you pardon my asking, how frequently did the citizens of Equestria actually see you in the flesh?"

"N-Never." Luna stammered quietly. Huey grimaced, this revelation was both enlightening, but troubling too. This innocent mare had spent hundreds, if not thousands, of years watching over her subjects' dreams and crafting truly amazing sights with the canvass provided by the night sky, but had never received any recognition for them. Tenderly, Huey tightened his embrace a little more and nuzzled her mane, earning him a satisfied hum. If Luna was to feel any sense of self-esteem, she had to be given the opportunity to be seen by the public. It sounded incredibly petty and self-centred when portrayed simply as a need to be seen and fawned over, but the issue ran much deeper.

Luna had clearly been an integral, but unnoticed, part of the smooth running of Equestria. However, the knowledge that Celestia was praised and worshipped like a goddess, while her equally consistent stewardship over the nightly needs of Equestria's residents occurred without any recognition, would, undoubtedly, chip away at any individual's self-esteem. Huey felt a pang of sympathy for Luna and Nightmare Moon. A simple thank you, or a kind remark about how beautiful the star-filled sky looked, would have done wonders for the princess, however that did not happen and the results were catastrophic.

"What is on thy mind?" Luna suddenly asked. "We hath noticed that thy embrace hath increasingly restricted our movement over the past few minutes."

"What? Oh!" Huey exclaimed, his grip immediately slackening. "I'm sorry, I was thinking about someone... And it made me feel sad for them."

"Oh? Who is it that hath won your concern so completely?"

"You."

Luna tilted her head back, so that she could look up at Huey in surprise.

"You feel sad for us?"

"I was thinking about how lonely you must have felt, while trapped on the moon," Huey lied, unwilling to reveal the pang of sympathy he had experienced. "I cannot begin to imagine how awful it must have been for you."

"It is the price we paid for our past actions," Luna explained indifferently. "Do not worry, Huey, for that chapter of my life is over. We shall craft a new chapter of redemption together."

Huey nodded with a wide smile plastered over his face.

"I would be honoured to accompany you down that path, Luna," He replied solemnly. "It means a great deal that I have been able to speak to you at all!"

"Hmph, you give us praise that is undeserved," Luna remarked. "But we thank you for your kind words regardless."

"I'm glad," Huey responded tenderly. "If you are willing to answer, could you tell me more about what life was like before Nightmare Moon?"

"Hmmmm... We do not believe our life hath been incredibly interesting," Luna began thoughtfully. "However, the part we played with helping our sister vanquish a great menace from Equestria is worthy of your attention!"

"Oh really?" Huey asked, his interest piqued. "I wouldn't mind listening to what you have to say."

"Then make thyself comfortable!" Luna ordered enthusiastically. "We shall regale you with the tale... Of Discord!"

"Discord?"

"Discord is a creature of power that exceeds ours and our dear sister's," Luna began. "Long before I became Nightmare Moon. Equestria was struck down with a period of great unrest and unhappiness. The clouds rained down chocolate upon innocent equine heads, the grass became wool and pigs could fly!"

Huey stared at the princess in disbelief, the only response made was a solitary blink.

"It truly was a time of chaos for all!" Luna explained. "The culprit behind this most troublesome state of affairs was Discord, a being that had the head of an equine, the horns of a goat and deer, the tail of a dragon, the paw of a lion and talon of a griffin, and the legs of a goat and a lizard. A being that lived to be out of the ordinary. Chaos was his lifeblood! The wacky was his forte! The unusual was his usual!"

"Okay..." Huey replied slowly. Even though his disbelief and growing concern for Luna's sanity was becoming more apparent, she continued regardless.

"However, we journeyed far and wide, with our sister, in search of a set of magical artifacts that were capable of subduing him and returning Equestria to normal; The Elements Of Harmony."

"Oh!" Huey interjected. "Were they a set of gems, one of which was a six pointed star?"

"Indeed, Huey! The same gems that vanquished Nightmare Moon!" Luna confirmed. "My sister and I used them together to undo all of his troublesome magic and turn him to stone!"

"You make it sound like this was incredibly easy," Huey interrupted again. "Surely the showdown you had with this being was far more eventful! What happened?"

"Well, it was rather anti-climatic," Luna admitted. "Discord wasn't willing to take us seriously. So, he sat back and laughed, while we unleashed the power of the elements upon him!"

"Let me get this straight," Huey said incredulously. "A mish-mash of creatures with the power to turn the entire landscape into wool just sat there and let you turn him to stone with the very same artifacts that would be used against Nightmare Moon?"

"That is correct!"

"I'm sorry," Huey began apologetically with a sigh. "I can't believe this story. You want me to believe that this living jigsaw puzzle, with the power to make chocolate rain, just sat back and laughed, while you unleashed power beyond comprehension upon him. If this is true, where is he now? You said you turned him to stone, so this thing must be sitting somewhere as a statue, right?"

"Right, Huey!" Luna chirped. "He lives in the palace gardens! We'll show you!"

Huey raised an eyebrow and followed Luna as she briskly trotted out of the observatory and into the lush grounds encased within the walls of Canterlot Castle. Huey rushed to keep up with The Lunar Princess as she charged ahead of him into the depths of the gardens. Eventually, she stopped beside a statue and turned towards a tired and wheezing Huey, who was barely managing to keep up.

"Here he is!" Luna declared with a flourish. "We present Discord, embodiment of chaos!"

Huey raised a hand to silently convey the message that he needed a moment to recover. Luna cringed slightly at the exercise she had unwittingly provided and gently gave Huey's back a pat, while he continued to inhale deep lungfuls of air. After he had sufficiently recovered, Huey finally looked at the statue Luna had presented.

Stood before him was a majestic, but incredibly mismatched collection of animal parts. Discord was exactly as Luna had described. One of his arms, in the form of a lion's paw, was holding his chest, while the other, a griffin's taloned "hand", was thrust into the air in a defiant pose. Huey was swift to notice that even though the creature's head had been described by Luna as "equine", he could see nothing that bore even the slightest similarity. It was truly a sight that needed to be seen to be believed.

"This is him over one thousand years ago?" Huey enquired. "This exact pose was the last one he took before being turned to stone?"

"Correct, Huey," Luna confirmed. "While he was far from being a violent and tyrannical ruler, his troublesome behaviour was just as bad."

"I see," Huey hummed as he paced round the statue. "If this is his actual physical form, can he hear us? Is he still alive?"

"He is very much alive," Luna replied with a nod. "Whether he can hear us, we cannot tell."

"I wouldn't be terribly happy if I was encased in stone, but still capable of sensing what happened around me," Huey mused, while giving Discord's leg a gentle tap. "I'd probably be driven totally insane by the experience."

"Considering Discord is the embodiment of what his name represents," Luna remarked thoughtfully. "It would be hard to tell if that's the case. He was hardly the picture of sanity when he wasn't in this current state."

"That's true, however it makes me wonder," Huey murmured. "Is there any chance that he might break free like Nightmare Moon did?"

"We sincerely doubt it," Luna replied confidently. "There has been many opportunities throughout history for him to break free, but we have yet to see anything occur. It is our firm belief that he is totally harmless."

Huey glanced over the statue once more before humming in agreement and following Luna, as she trotted back into the castle.

"My sister tells me that you wish to show us something, Huey."

Huey nodded in response to Celestia. He and Luna had been able to successfully while away the hours and were tired, but Luna had prevented him from heading to sleep to ensure that he would show the two princess' the indescribable event he had mentioned to Luna. His eyes heavy and beginning to burn with fatigue, Huey yawned and stretched to provide the last ounces of energy needed.

"Yes," He muttered. "Please, come with me and let me show you."

The royal sisters obediently followed Huey out onto the balcony of Celestia's bedchamber. With the time for the moon to be lowered fast approaching, Huey beckoned the two princess' closer, causing them to stand beside him. With Luna on his left and Celestia on his right, Huey pointed at the moon.

"Luna," He began. "Begin lowering the moon, but do it slowly."

"Slowly?" Luna repeated. "But why?"

"Both of you will see in a moment," Huey replied. "Please, do as I ask."

Luna huffed slightly at the curt tone Huey had employed, but said nothing as her horn ignited and the moon slowly began its descent.

"Slower," Huey said. "If you lower it too fast, you'll miss it."

Luna nodded and slowed down the descent to a barely noticeable crawl. Huey then turned towards Celestia.

"Raise the sun, but do it slowly as well, the same speed as your sister," He requested. "I assure you that my unusual directions will bear fruit in a few moments."

Celestia grimaced slightly, unsure of the purpose of Huey's insistence on the transition from night to day being done slowly. However, she sighed and followed his instructions. Huey leaned forward and gripped the balcony as he watched the suns rays begin to appear over the horizon.

"There!" He shouted, causing the two alicorns to jump. "Look at the horizon!"

The two alicorns looked in the direction Huey was frantically pointing at and gasped. Instead of the usual sight of the clear blue sky, the suns rays had scattered, causing the sky to take on a breathtaking mixture of orange, pink and dark blue. Huey laughed cheerfully as he marvelled at the sight.

"Your Royal Highness'," He began grandly. "Allow me to present to you... The phenomenon known as twilight!"

The alicorns stepped forward, unaware that their respective holds on the sun and moon had ceased.

"How is this possible?" Celestia asked. "It's... It's beautiful."

"You were right, Huey," Luna remarked. "It really is indescribable."

"I know," He replied. "What you are witnessing is the sun's rays being scattered as they creep over the horizon. The result is what you see before you. A breathtaking symphony of colour."

The trio fell silent, the sight leaving the princess' all lost for words, while the human remained silent so they could truly appreciate what he had helped them to create.

"Luna, Celestia," Huey murmured quietly. "This is perhaps something the pair of you can do together."

"Together?" Celestia repeated inquisitively. "What do you mean?"

"This sight can be recreated when the day becomes night and vice versa," He explained. "All it requires is patience and a slower transition from day to night. Imagine it, twilight heralding the arrival of a new night or day, a few precious hours where it is both, yet also neither. Both of you will be awake simultaneously. I don't know whether it requires much concentration to manipulate the sun and moon, but I am imagining that you both can slowly move your respective celestial body and spend that new found time with each other."

Celestia hummed in thought before looking at her sibling.

"What say you, dear sister?" She asked. "Would you be willing to perform the duty of raising and lowering the moon once more?"

Luna glanced at her sister, then back at the horizon, before nodding her head eagerly.

"Yes, please, Tia!" She begged and wrapped her sibling in a hug. Celestia smiled and returned the embrace, while Huey watched silently.

"Then it is settled, Lulu," Celestia replied authoritatively. "Today begins a new chapter in Equestria. We shall enjoy this brand new celestial event Huey has shown to us!"

"What should we call it?" Luna asked, causing Celestia to look at Huey.

"The same thing his kind call it," She murmured. "Twilight."

Huey blushed and looked away as the familiar feeling of pride swelled within his heart again.