Twilit Nightfall

Luna's flight back to the library was uneventful and relaxing. she noticed Twilight awake and packing supplies and angled herself towards the balcony of the bedroom.  Twilight noticed Luna's approach and opened the large window on her balcony so she could land.

"Twilight," Luna said, "You are up early."

"Yup," Twilight said simply as she continued searching for things she felt they would need. Luna looked into the saddlebags Twilight had out and saw that she had packed a large tent, some sleeping bags, a couple days worth in food and some canteens for water as well as a first aid kit.

"Do you believe we will be needing all of this?" Luna asked.

"Yes," Twilight said, "We're going into the Everfree Forest. And there are all kinds of things in there that are dangerous to ponies. I've even packed the antidote for Poison Joke, just in case we run across some and step into it by accident."

"You are.... very thorough, aren't you?" Luna asked.

"I have to be," Twilight said simply, "I can't let anything happen to me before I rescue Spike."

Luna nodded. There was a knock from downstairs and the sound of a door opening and closing. Twilight was distracted, but Luna went to check anyway, leaving the lavender mare to her thoughts and her packing. When Luna reached the downstairs area of the library, she was a little surprised to see the rest of Twilight's friends waiting patiently for Twilight to come down.

"To what does Twilight owe the surprise visit, ladies?" Luna asked curiously.

Pinkie Pie, still unusually somber and apparently even more so after last night was the first to speak up, saying, "We're here to give Twilight some support."

"Yes, dear Pinkie has the gist of things," Rarity said, "We cannot be there for her in the flesh, due to our own obligations, my sister Sweetie Belle in my case, but we all knew that there was something we could give her that would show our support."

Twilight came trotting down the stairs saying, "Alright, Luna, I'm all packed up we can- Oh! Girls, what are you doing here?"

Applejack walked up to Twilight, gave her a hug, and said, "We're here to give y'all somethings to help you out, sugarcube."

Twilight looked a little surprised and asked, "Why?"

Pinkie spoke up again, "Because we want to help. But we can't be there. We have things we need to take care of here in Ponyville."

The others nodded in agreement and began to gather their gifts. Pinkie was the first one to offer her gift, which was a pouch of about a dozen colorful egg shaped containers.

"Eggs?" Twilight asked.

Pinkie shook her head and replied, "They're kinda explosive."

Twilight twitched and almost dropped the one she was holding aloft in her magic and Pinkie chuckled saying, "Don't worry silly filly, they won't kill anypony. But they're really good for a distraction, cause they pop out enough supplies for a party! I even made it so they set up on their own! And there's a HUGE puff of bright pink smoke that pops out too!"

Twilight sighed in relief and gave Pinkie a hug, "Thank you, Pinkie. I'll put them to good use."

Applejack was next, bringing what looked like a length of rope. When Twilight took it from her friend, she could feel something pulsing from the length for a moment, then noticed a blade at one end of it.

"It's an enchanted whip," Applejack said in way of explanation, "Granny Smith says it's been in our family for generations. And something about hunting the undead or some such nonsense, y'all know how Granny gets when she's got somthin' on her mind."

"It is incredibly powerful," Luna remarked as she examined the whip, "Likely a relic of ages past when true necromancy was rampant among those that sought to harm others. This is indeed a great gift, Honest Applejack."

"Thank you, AJ," Twilight said, giving her a hug like she did Pinkie.

Next up was Fluttershy, who, surprisingly, brought forward what looked like leather armor. She set the armor on the ground and said, "It's manticore leather."

"Fluttershy.... " Twilight asked hesitantly, "Where did you get this?"

"Oh.... U-um, do you remember that manticore Nightmare Moon put that thorn in?" Fluttershy asked, retreating behind her mane.

"Yes," Twilight nodded, "I thought you were friends with him?"

"I-I was..." Fluttershy said quietly, "He passed away about a month ago..... I was there when he....." She hesitated before continuing, "He wanted me to take his hide, in return for the kindness I showed him... I.... I couldn't s-skin him myself.... It was too hard for me to do it, so I asked around and found a gryphon armor smith to make it for me. He even made a dagger out of his tail."

Fluttershy brought the dagger forward and set it on the armor and Twilight asked, "Why did you have this made?"

"U-um..... I figured it would be good to have around....." Fluttershy said quietly, "Because of all the trouble we tend to get into...."

"A wise decision, Kind Fluttershy," Luna said soothingly, "And I am sure that your manticore friend would be happy with the decision as well."

"R-really?" Fluttershy asked.

"I knew a manticore before my descent into darkness," Luna said, "He may have been wild, but he always went out of his way to protect creatures weaker than himself."

Twilight knew that Fluttershy had gone through a lot to give this gift to her. She also knew that Manticore hide was impervious to just about everything, save for dragonfire and the chill brought on by a wendigo. The dagger was just as useful. Manticore stingers, even after death, continued to produce an incredibly potent paralyzing agent, from what Twilight read about them. It was never enough to outright kill anypony, but more than enough to incapacitate even a full grown dragon if the situation ever arose. And, with the stinger AND venom sac still intact, the dagger would be invaluable in her quest in the off chance that something should happen.

"Thank you, Fluttershy," Twilight said, giving the shy pegasus a warm hug, "I know how much Mr. Mew meant to you."

Fluttershy nodded wordlessly and made way for Rarity to step forward. She brought out a cloak. It was a simple royal purple color. No flashy gems or other frivolities adorned it, which was surprising, considering it was Rarity presenting the gift.

"What?" Rarity asked under Twilight's curious gaze, "Is there something wrong?"

"No, it's a lovely cloak, but...." Twilight trailed off.

"It is not like what I would usually make, am I right darling?" Rarity asked.

"Well, yeah," Twilight said, rubbing her foreleg, "It's so simple, really."

"Then I suggest you apply some magic to it and see what happens," Rarity said with a mischievous wink.

Twilight did so and was surprised to find that her magic couldn't seem to find any kind of hold over the cloth. Having a sudden idea, the lavender unicorn tried firing a force bolt at the cloth, only to have it rebound back at Twilight. She ducked at the last second and turned around to find that there was a sizable scorch mark in the wall. Luckily, no books were hurt during the backfire of the spell.

"It's called dragon-silk," Rarity explained, "Most magic won't affect it and it's completely fireproof."

Twilight's eyes went wide. Rarity answered before Twilight could ask her question saying,"I am quite sure you remember Spike's little.... accident on his birthday. As it turns out, during the clean up, he managed to find a rather large amount of his scales that had been shed during his rampage. It was tedious to clean up, but it was worth it in the end, because he was planning on making a tuxedo for himself, but lacked the knowledge to do so. So, he came to me, and I made the tux for him. It was the same one he was wearing during Your brother's wedding, if I remember correctly. Though I cannot tell you how difficult it was to get the scales to dye black....."

"Thank you Rarity," Twilight said, unable to say anymore than that. The thought that Spike had a part in making her cloak was almost enough to make her tear up. Rarity nodded and made way for Rainbow Dash, who was off to the side, looking a bit flustered.

"I, uh," Dash started, "I'm no good with words, egghead, so I'll just give you this."

She brought a short sword forward and placed it with Twilight's other gifts and said, "I had this made a while back. Like just after I got my cutie mark. My uncle worked at a factory that makes sky steel armor and weapons for the Royal Guard and he told me I could have anything, so I asked for this baby."

Rainbow Dash looked at the blade fondly and continued, "My uncle even managed to get my Cutie mark engraved on the cross guard and an old pegasi saying engraved on the length of the blade."

Sure enough, when Twilight pulled the blade out of its scabbard, it read, "Mediocris ventus quod videlicet caeli."

"Fair winds and clear skies," Luna translated over Twilight's shoulder, "It was meant to wish somepony well on a journey. And you said it is made from sky steel?"

"Yup!" Dash said proudly, "A hundred percent pure sky steel, guaranteed to never rust, chip, break, or go dull."

"A very useful gift, and one we may have need of," Luna said.

"Thank you Dash," Twilight said, giving her a hug as well, "Thank you all so much for these. I'm sure they'll help out in saving Spike."

"Think nothing of it, darling," Rarity said, waving a hoof, "We're just sorry that we cannot make the journey with you."

The others said something similar before having to excuse themselves. They all had lives that they needed to return to, which Twilight understood. She didn't blame them in the slightest. Applejack had a harvest to take care of, Fluttershy had her animals, Rarity had clients to worry about, Pinkie needed to watch the twins while the Cakes were away, and Rainbow Dash had her responsibilities as weather manager to deal with.

Still, Twilight couldn't help but wish that her friends were coming along. It would help keep her thoughts away from depressing subjects. For now, though, Twilight and Luna set off for the Everfree Forest. Packing her friends gifts in her saddle bags, she turned to Luna when she noticed a small flash of light from the dining room table.

"Celestia has given you her support," Luna said in way of explanation, "These are flasks, similar to the ones I myself use. But, only one is full at the moment."

"How do I fill them?" Twilight asked, examining the flasks.

"Simply show the flask to any hospital nurse. They will know to fill the flask and support you," Luna said.

"I need to remember to thank Celestia when we get back," Twilight said.

Luna nodded and asked, "Are you finished packing?"

"Yes," Twilight replied as she gathered the gifts from her friends, "Just need to grab my saddle bags and we can go."

~~~~~~

The trip through the forest was uneventful and rather boring. Luna and Twilight didn't speak much to each other. Luna because she wasn't sure what to say and Twilight because she was nervous about the upcoming Blessing. What seemed like hours later, the pair found themselves at the bridge leading into the Castle of the Pony Sisters.

Walking carefully across the bridge, Twilight and Luna entered the castle and made their way to the Lunar wing. The trip through the castle was a little bit more eventful than the one through the forest, considering that the castle was falling apart around them. But, they made it to Luna's throne room without so much as a scratch.

"I'll start setting up camp, then," Twilight said.

"Of course, Twilight," Luna responded. She looked up towards the sky and saw that it was nearly sunset. She readied herself to raise the moon and sent her consciousness into the aether. There was no conversation with Celestia this night. Just a sisterly hug, one more promise to ensure Twilight's safety, and the exchange of the day for the night.

Bringing herself back to the material realm, Luna found that Twilight had already pitched a tent and gathered enough wood for a small fire. Steeling herself and looking into the night sky, Luna stood up and stretched, some of her joints popping.

"What now, Luna?" Twilight asked.

"For now, Twilight," Luna replied, "We start a fire. And you rest. You are going to need it for the Blessing."

Nodding, Twilight retired to her tent. Luna set up a fire and busied herself with it while the full moon reached its apex.

~~~~`~

At about midnight, Twilight found herself being gently shaken awake by Luna.

"It is time, Twilight," Luna said simply, "We must make our way to the antechamber."

Groggily, Twilight nodded. She rubbed the last of the sleep from her eyes and followed Luna down a hallway on the side of the throne room that she hadn't noticed earlier. At the end of the hallway was a  large, Gothic looking doorway. Engraved on the door was a pair of thestrals holding a full moon between them. Luna pushed the door open with her magic and the mural split in two down the middle to allow the unicorn and princess into the room beyond.

Twilight was stunned at the sight before her. Inside the antechamber was a number of statues, all of various vampires who had served Luna before her banishment. Twilight looked at the statues and noticed that there were more than ponies depicted there.

"I didn't know that other species could become vampires," Twilight said.

Luna glanced around the chamber as they walked to the other end and said, "In the past, it was not uncommon for members of all races to request this blessing. I have had everypony from gryphons to dragons come to me."

They reached the end of the hallway when Luna stopped and looked at one statue in particular. Or rather, what was left of it.

"Who was this?" Twilight asked curiously.

"I have forgotten his name," Luna said, her tone becoming icy, "On purpose, I might add. This.... thing became closer to me than I would have thought possible, closer even than Celestia. Then, he betrayed me. He betrayed Equestria, the country he had sworn to protect. He was cunning, vicious, and perhaps most dangerous of all, he was charismatic in a way I had not seen in any other being to recieve my blessing."

Twilight recoiled slightly from Luna. Mostly because of her tone, which was angry and hurt in a way that Twilight couldn't understand. Luna lapsed into silence as she turned to the rather plain door in front of them and opened it into a large round chamber.

The chamber itself was slightly bowel shaped and very plain looking compared to the room they had exited just now. There were a series of thirteen pillars set at a regular interval along the edged of the room, each depicting a different phase of the moon. Luna led Twilight to the center of the room and stood, bidding Twilight to do the same.

"H-how is this going to work?" Twilight asked, a tinge of fear hitting her voice.

"It is fairly simple," Luna said, "The spell circle here will channel the magic I put into it while simultaneously directing it into you. As I have said before, the experience is different for each individual undergoing the blessing, so you could feel anything from a slight tingling sensation to the worst pain imaginable."

Twilight, at a loss for words, simply nodded. Luna took this as a sign that she was ready and said, "Twilight, there is one more thing I must say before we begin."

"What is it, Luna?" Twilight asked.

"I am sorry," Luna said solemnly.

Twilight didn't have any time to react before Luna retrieved a dagger from somewhere and sliced open a neat cut on her own foreleg. Luna immediately began chanting as the blood dripped from her leg and onto the spell circle she had indicated shortly before. The circle itself began glowing a dull red as the blood began flowing through it, completing pathways that had long been dormant.

Twilight began to feel a pleasant tingling sensation as the spell continued on. She had been mentally bracing herself for pain, so this was a very nice surprise. Ignorant to what Twilight was feeling however, Luna continued on with the spell, her chanting growing ever louder. A fell wind began whipping through the chamber, making Luna and Twilight's manes and tails billow around them.

The sensations Twilight was feeling had developed into full blown orgasmic pleasure by this point. The lavender mare had let out a series of moans that would have made Honey Dip proud. And Again, Luna continued with the spell, unaware of what Twilight was going through.

Ages later, or what seemed like it to Twilight, Luna's chanting hit an apex. Twilight screamed as her body shook in pleasure. She held her mouth open in a soundless scream after her breath ran out, her body quaking in exhaustion, pleasure, and power. After what seemed another age to Twilight, she collapsed into a puddle of her own juices. Luna rushed forward with her flask and tipped it into Twilight's mouth. She drank greedily as if she'd not had water for weeks.

Eventually, Twilight was sated and fast asleep. The sun rose outside as Luna carried Twilight back to their camp site. She cleaned Twilight off as best as she could and set her down under her cloak. Luna, who was too tired to do much else, took a drink from her own flask and lay down next to Twilight, the morning sun rising over head.