Twilight stared out the window of her castle as the new carriage designs rumbled down the street. Applejack had been very successful thus far in the designs of the automotive cars. Twilight figured that was the reason Princess Celestia had used her influence as a veritable goddess to extend Applejack’s life. She hadn’t been made an Alicorn, but she had been given wings. Of a sort. The spell Celestia had cast had given Applejack wings that she could call on when she needed them. Magical wings.
Describing them was hard for Twilight, because they were hard to draw a picture of or write descriptions of when she couldn’t see them often. Even Pinkie Pie had gotten wings, but upon receiving them, she’d begun traveling Equestria, bringing smiles and laughter to ponies all over the country. She still returned to Ponyville every so often to be with her friends. She even stopped at Sugar Cube Corner to help out, but Ponyville was no longer her home. All of Equestria was.
Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash had all been granted extended lives as well. Since the return of Starswirl the Bearded, the six heroines of Equestria had been granted longer lives, including Starlight. They wouldn’t live forever, because even Alicorns could be killed. Or even die of semi-natural causes. Or murdered. That had been proven thirty years ago, when Princess Cadance had been assassinated. Twilight had attended her sister-in-law’s funeral, as well as been a key player in finding the assassin. Zecora had been surprised to learn that it had been a zebra who infiltrated the Crystal Empire in the Frozen North and poisoned Cadance’s tea.
She had also been a key player in turning the assassin over, as said assassin had visited Zecora for the poison. She hadn’t been told who the poison was for, whether it was a poison or not, or what the main ingredient was. After she’d mixed it, all of her items for testing a potion, whether it be lethal or not, had mysteriously vanished. When she’d been questioned, Zecora had informed the investigators what had gone into the potion, the exact mixture, though Twilight and Pinkie Pie had needed to interpret.
Guards weren’t known for having a sense of humor, and Zecora’s rhythmic speech had made them think she was toying with them. Of course, after Pinkie Pie and Twilight translated, they’d discovered a small lab under a house in Ponyville, along with a bedroll, a separate room where the Zebra spy had been relieving himself, and a storage compartment for food. After Cadance’s assassin had been captured, Twilight had been put a little at ease. The difference, however, was that she’d shut herself off from her friends after the assassination.
When Rainbow Dash had been named Captain of the Wonderbolts after Spitfire’s retirement, Twilight hadn’t gone to the party. When Pinkie Pie had been given Sugar Cube Corner after the Cakes moved to Manehatten to raise their ever growing family, with their third child, Twilight hadn’t gone to congratulate her. When Applejack had expanded the Apple Family Business to include a store within Ponyville that sold jam, cider, and juice, as well as other apple products, Twilight hadn’t gone to the grand opening. When Fluttershy had opened her second animal sanctuary, deeper in the Everfree Forest, with Timberwolves acting as guardians for the creatures that took up residence there, Twilight had remained at home.
She had even ignored Rarity when she’d opened her Grand Carousel Boutique in the heart of Canterlot. It hadn’t been intentional, she just hadn’t felt like celebrating. Even after Shining Armor and Flurry Heart had come to try and cheer her up, Twilight had remained in her room, locked away from everyone else. Eventually, Celestia had been forced to call in Chrysalis, under heavy guard, to find out what was wrong. “Her heart is broken. She has no love remaining. I wouldn’t even send a grub to feed on her. It would starve to death.” The Changeling queen had said before taking her leave.
That, of course, had been three hundred years ago. All of the Barers were now Alicorns in their own right. They hadn’t been granted “Alicorn Status” by getting the appendage that was missing, but Celestia had discovered that prolonged exposure to the Elements of Harmony, as well as exposure to Discord’s magic, had made the seven of them, Starlight Glimmer included, veritably immortal. They would live as long as Celestia and Luna, if not longer. Barring a disaster like the assassination of the Royal Sisters, there were now nine immortal beings in Equestria, not counting Discord of course.
Pinkie’s, almost immediate, “we’re going to live forever” party had been Twilight’s last public appearance. She’d been so thrilled to hear she wouldn’t lose her friends, that she’d come out of her stupor long enough to come to the party. Until Pinkie Pie, being her usual self, had brought up Cadance. She hadn’t even been truly talking about Cadance, but at the mention of one party goer whose invitations to every party Pinkie threw from then on would remain in a chest as keep sakes, Twilight had excused herself. Flurry Heart, who had grown into a beautiful young mare by this point, had attempted to follow her favorite aunt, only for her grandmother to stop her. Twilight Velvet knew when her daughter needed time alone.
“But enough is enough.” She said, pacing across the same twenty-two tiles she’d been pacing for the last twenty minutes. “Twilight, I know you’re hurting. I know Cadance meant a lot to you. She meant a lot to all of us. But it is high time to grow up and stop acting like a love struck filly whose special somepony tore up her Hearts and Hooves day card. You’re a princess. Your friends need you. Spike needs you. Celestia and Luna need you.” She stopped in her pacing, turning to look sullenly at her daughter’s back. “I need you. I need my little girl to be happy again, Twili. To that end… I have… some news that may brighten your day.” She said and Twilight looked over her shoulder at her mom.
“You’re going to be a…”
“Sister… I know…” Velvet blinked. “Dad wouldn’t stop sending me letters about it… I’ll be at her birthday parties… but…”
“Twilight, if you say you won’t participate and be fun for your baby sister or brother, then I don’t want you there.” Her mother said and Twilight’s head snapped up and whipped around to stare at her mother. “Ever since the horrible incident with Cadance, you have neglected your friends, your teacher, and your family. Queen Chrysalis was called to check on you, Twilight. Queen. Chrysalis. That is how worried Celestia is about you. Do you know what the Queen said?” Twilight shook her head. “She said you have no love to feed on. That you have no love left.”
A sigh escaped Twilight’s lips as she turned her gaze to the floor. If Celestia had called on Queen Chrysalis to check on her, then she really was worrying everypony. And it had already been five years. Flurry Heart had started school in the Crystal Empire, alongside other fillies and colts her age. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle had all been accepted into Celestia’s newest school, the Academy for Gifted Ponies. All of them were furthering their lives. All the while, Twilight sat in her castle, only venturing out for food or the occasional trip to the spa to get herself groomed so her mane and tail didn’t get too long.
Rarity had seen her friend at the spa once, only for Twilight to ignore her completely and go about her business, getting her mane and tail groomed, before leaving, completely oblivious to Rarity inviting her over to Carousel Boutique for a get together with her other friends. “Promise me, Twilight, that you will visit your friends every now and then. Don’t go back to how you were before Celestia sent you here. Please? I worry for you sweet heart.” Her mother said and Twilight nodded slightly. “I want to hear you say the words…”
“I’ll go mom… I promise…” Sighing, content with Twilight’s answer, Velvet trotted over and pulled her daughter into an embrace.
“I know you’re hurting sweet heart. I have been too. As has Shining Armor and Flurry Heart. Them maybe more than you. I know you looked up to Cadance as a surrogate second mother when I was busy with my… extracurricular activities…”
“Mom… I know you’re a special Guard… all the Princesses know. I got a paper with the names of all of the specialized guard on it, in case I needed to speak to someone who wasn’t a Royal Guard.” Velvet sighed through her nose and nodded.
“Yes. But you need to remember, sweet heart, I’m still your mother. And I worry for you. Please, whatever you do, don’t shut yourself away again. You have more friends now, who all care about you.” Twilight nodded and her mother smiled and kissed her forehead next to her horn. “Thank you. Now… will you join me at Sweetie Belle’s party? It would mean the world to her if you attended.”
“I’ll… I’ll think about it… mom… I promise…”
“Well, if that’s all I’m going to get from you… I hope to see you down there sweet heart.” With that, Twilight Velvet departed from the room, closing the door softly behind her.
“You’re not going to think about it… are you Twilight.” A voice from the shadows in the corner said. Turning to look, she saw a figure step out of the shadows as if through a door. It wasn’t Princess Luna. The voice would have given that much away. But the hoof that stepped out was much darker than Luna’s navy blue coat. It wasn’t quite black, but it was edging towards it. Following the leg up, Twilight spotted first the wing, so the visitor was at least a Pegasus.
Continuing her upward gaze, Twilight revealed amber eyes, the color of sweet honey, framed by flowing lashes. A mare. The mane that rested atop her head fell in waves of black with silver and gold streaks running through it. Cresting her forehead was a horn. An Alicorn. As she revealed more of herself, Twilight was certain she knew who this was. “Nocta… Princess of Darkness.”
“No, dear Twilight. I am the true Princess of the Night. I just give Luna my powers so I can remain in command of the night sky.” She said as she trotted over and sat next to the younger princess. Twilight looked up at her, staring at the amber colored eyes that looked out over the darkened town. “You know… I was sorry to learn of Cadance’s… departure… from this life.”
“What do you care? You never spoke to her… you never speak to Luna anymore…” She said and Nocta sighed.
“Yes, it saddens me that Princess Luna can no longer hear my voice. I have been preparing new songs for her to hear, but since her connection to me has been weakened with the defeat of Nightmare Moon, she no longer hears them.”
“So… what? You want her to become Nightmare Moon again so she can listen to your songs?” Twilight asked and Nocta smirked, revealing a single sharp tooth, much like Nightmare Moon’s.
“No, Twilight. I want Luna to remain as she is. But I want you to get her to listen once more to my melodies. And I believe I have a way for you to do this.” She said and Twilight looked up at her. When she opened her mouth to respond, however, Nocta, the embodiment of night itself and all of its dark beauty, claimed the younger princess’s lips. It wasn’t her first kiss. Not really. She’d kissed Rainbow Dash before, simply because Rainbow had a bet with Applejack, which Applejack quickly tied. Twilight tried to jerk away, but Nocta’s magic held her firmly in place as her tongue found purchase in Twilight’s mouth. It felt… right. Wrong yet right all at the same time.
As if kissing Nocta was, somehow, the right thing to do, even if it was invasive and not entirely unwelcome. When Nocta pulled away, she grinned even as she began to fade from view. “Have your young friend Sweetie Belle sing one of my songs some time. You know them all now, so you should be able to coach her.” As the embodiment of Night stood to leave, Twilight grasped her tail in her hoof lightly. “Yes…?”
“Does this mean…?”
“No. Twilight. It does not mean we are a couple. I had to place the songs within you, and I felt you would find a kiss less invasive than me magically putting them into your brain.” Twilight nodded, touching her lips lightly as she released Nocta’s tail. As soon as she was free, the Embodiment of Night stepped onto the balcony, up onto the railing, and ascended a set of stairs that seemed to come down from the moon itself. As soon as she was out of sight, the image of the moon disappeared, once again leaving the Sun as the only celestial body in the sky.
“The songs of the moon… I… I suppose I should… do as I was asked…” She said to herself as she stood up and walked to the door. Before she could bring herself to push it open, however, she looked in the mirror to check her appearance. Sure enough, her encounter with Nocta had disheveled her mane, as well as left a blush on her face. Fixing her mane was no problem, a little magic would do the trick, but she had to hope her flushed appearance would dissipate before she got downstairs.
Sucking in a breath, she pushed the door open and froze. Chrysalis was standing there, along with Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Celestia. There was no possible way she could hide her blush, or the fact that her lips were still a little red. Celestia looked to be in the midst of knocking. “Twilight!” Pinkie shouted, pouncing on her friend. That quickly dimmed the blush on her face as the air was forcibly rushed from her lungs, but Celestia had caught it.
“Twilight… did we… interrupt something?” The princess asked and Twilight quickly shook her head.
“No! No… of course not, Princess. I was… getting out of the shower…” She said and Celestia quirked an eyebrow then turned to Chrysalis.
“Likely, Princess Twilight. If you were getting out of the shower, why aren’t you wet? And why does it smell like sex in your room?” The Changeling Queen asked and Twilight blushed furiously.
“Were you partying without us Twilight?” Pinkie asked only for Rainbow to jerk her back.
“N-no. Of course not. I… I wasn’t doing anything of the sort.” She said and Celestia stared at her student. “I swear. I was… trying to convince myself to come down… to join you for the party… then Nocta showed up and kissed me… and you came to the door…” she said and Chrysalis twitched an ear.
“What was that, Twilight?” She asked and Twilight swallowed and looked up at her.
“I was… convincing myself… to join you…”
“After that.”
“You knocked…”
“Before that.” Twilight swallowed and looked at the ponies present, finally noticing Luna at the back of the crowd.
“N…Nocta… came to my room… and… kissed me…” she said and Chrysalis smiled. She wasn’t going to let up.
“Nocta? Who’s Nocta?” Rainbow asked and Luna surged through the group as a mist form, pushing her sister aside as she became solid again.
“Did you say Nocta? She spoke to you?” Princess Luna asked and Twilight nodded. “What did she say?”
“That… you can’t hear her song anymore…” Luna’s ears dropped as she stood up straight. “And she’s sad… because you can’t hear the new songs she made just for you…”
“I… I didn’t know… she missed having an audience…” Luna said and Rainbow looked between the two of them rapidly before sucking in a breath.
“WHO IS NOCTA!?” she shouted and Celestia actually shot her a look that asked her to lower the volume.
“Nocta is Nightmare Moon. Her magic given form.” Luna said and Rainbow froze in mid-air, managing to stay airborne. “When he six of you freed me from Nightmare Moon’s powers, Nocta was returned to the moon. I used to sing for her, before I became Nightmare Moon, and she seemed to enjoy my singing.”
“Come Little Children was her favorite, wasn’t it Sister?” Celestia asked and Luna nodded.
“Yes. I did not know she missed my voice that much…” Luna sighed and Twilight looked up at her. “I have not sung in a long time… I may have to start singing again.”
“Maybe… Sweetie Belle could sing for her?” Twilight suggested and Rarity practically beamed with pride.
“Did Nocta suggest that?” Luna asked and Twilight nodded.
“She suggested the two of us coach her and teach them to her.” A smile came to Luna’s face at that and she nodded.
“Yes, I would very much like Nocta’s songs to be heard once again. And I do believe Sweetie Belle has the right voice to make them carry to her ears.” Celestia smiled at her sister as the two Royals turned and walked down the hall, the older sister eager to learn of Nocta and Luna’s interractions with her.
“So… does that make you and Nocta a couple?” Rainbow asked and Twilight turned and stared at her.
“No it does not.” She snapped and Rainbow hovered up, raising her forehooves in defeat.
“I was just asking, Twilight, no need to get snippy…” She said before turning to fly away.
“Wait… Rainbow… I’m sorry. I asked the same thing… Wait… you heard what else I said?”
“That she kissed you? Yeah. You said so yourself, I’m observant. Even if you were talking under your breath, I caught that.” She said and all of Twilight’s friends turned to look at her.
“Is that how she taught ya those songs, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked and Twilight nodded. “So… she implanted ‘em in yer head.” Another nod and Applejack removed her hat and tapped her chin with it. “Well… Ah’m not much one fer lumpin’ two ponies t’gether as a couple ‘less they say so th’mselves, but Ah think that makes ya’ll a couple.” Twilight looked at her and Pinkie nodded vigorously.
“Yeah. And even if it didn’t, it would still mean she liked you. I mean you don’t kiss somepony you don’t like, so she clearly likes you. Maybe she has a secret crush on you. Or maybe a secret secret crush, like even she doesn’t know she has a crush on you.” Pinkie said before pausing to suck in a breath, only for Rainbow Dash to cover her mouth with a wing.
“What Pinkie’s trying to say is, maybe Nocta’s just shy? She’s gotta be lonely. I mean, she kissed you to give you the songs. She’s an Alicorn right? She could have just implanted the songs in your mind with magic.” She said and Twilight blinked and touched her lips lightly. Rainbow was right. Nocta didn’t have to kiss her to implant the songs. She could have used her magic, or even given them to her one at a time, singing them for her each night before bed.
“Maybe without Cadance around, love can be given freely to whoever you want.” Starlight said and Twilight blinked. “Not to… say that Cadance’s death is a good thing… but love was given to the changelings and Chrysalis came around to accept it freely instead of taking it by force.”
“That, Starlight Glimmer, is because Cadance herself asked me to share love instead of just take it. As a last request, I couldn’t deny it.” Chrysalis said and Twilight nodded.
“So… what now?” Rainbow asked and Twilight looked up at her.
“Now? We honor Nocta’s request and learn her songs… if Luna will help me teach them.” Luna nodded and Twilight smiled, as did the other ponies in the room. If Twilight was going to help Luna teach everyone in Ponyville Nocta’s songs, that meant she was coming out of her room.
Author's Note
If I missed an indent anywhere, I apologize. Also... I apologize for the awkwardness... this story is relatively old, as far as my computer is concerned. I'd planned on posting it sooner, but I'd forgotten.
