Sunset was here and night was descending upon the world, darkening the lands for as far as the eye could see from up on the castle balcony. The lights in ponies’ homes lit up in their vain attempt to keep the night at bay. But, as each light eventually turned dim in the thatched roofed houses below, the stars above twinkled into existence, filling the sky in a mesmerizing, shining blanket.
On the horizon, the moon started to rise into the heavens, gracing us with its calming majesty. It was not the same shine as the sun itself, but it cast its own subtle light that made the world come alive in its own unique way. The emerald fields and dark trees below were waving and moving in their own special dance as a fresh, evening breeze flowed through the lands.
My horn dimmed as I looked at the results of another successful evening. Everything was as beautiful as ever, perfect and right where it needed to be for tonight.
“Excellent work sister,” Celestia said as her horn dimmed after she placed the moon in the best spot for tonight and fixed a few of the stars in the sky. It was a masterpiece, our masterpiece. “Soon you will be able to do this all by yourself if you keep up with your studies.”
I smiled as I looked at her in her white, regal glory, with her pink mane floating around in the gentle breeze. She was right. One night I would be here all by myself, raising the night’s sky and drawing upon the midnight canvas alone.
It was her who raised the sun, and me who raised the moon. Soon, we wouldn’t be standing on this balcony, alongside each other in our evening ritual. Eventually, we would be here together for our very last time.
“I will see you in the morning if you’re still awake,” Celestia said with a tired smile on her face as she looked out to the horizon, right where the sun had gone down. Even with sleepiness in her features, she somehow she still looked as radiant as she has always been.
We watched the night sky and the homes below, but I knew she needed to leave, needed to sleep. I gave a soft sigh as I put my head on her shoulder. “Tia… where will we fly to?”
A small smile crested her face as we leaned on each other for the last of tonight. “To the sky and the clouds above,” she said as she nuzzled into my mane before finally turning around and taking her leave. “Goodnight, sister.”
I could hear the sound of her hoofsteps on the stone floors slowly fade away as she left me alone at my post. Thus was the burden of being Princess of the Night.
I woke up in my bed, roused the light of Celestia’s sun shining through the window as it was nearing the horizon. Night was about to begin once more and it was time to get up. My morning began as normal, brushing my mane and dawning my midnight crown before I headed out the door.
It still felt a little early, but that was alright since I went to bed before sunrise; lots of sleep for the evening ahead. Really, I usually went to sleep when the dark skies lit up, and the warm, orange and red colours started to appear in the clouds near the eastern mountain ranges.
I’ve been with my sister before in the morning, watching her as she raised the sun. But I just could not get used to that sight; something in my stomach just didn’t feel right, watching my moon disappear and the stars fade away as her star took its place. It was much easier to go to sleep before then, knowing the night was with me when I went to bed, and being able to wake up right at the best part of the day.
Sunset was soon approaching, and the guards were switching out for the night shift. It was the only times I’ve seen them move while at their post. These guards never moved while on watch duty, I know, I’ve tried.
“Hey Gregory!” I called out with a wave of my hoof as the white guardspony stood at attention. He and his partner would be staying like that for the rest of the night. Predictably, the stallion didn’t utter a single word or even glance over in my direction.
“I’ll be seeing you later tonight, don’t you worry,” I said as I trotted up to them for a little chat, and to look at their decorative golden armor; it was so shiny I could see my reflection in it. “I might even bring some chocolate chips cookies made with the kitchen’s secret recipe. I know you won’t be able to resist that,” I said with a smirk, plans already forming in my head.
It was the best chance I had. Though the plan might work even better if I had somepony to help, somepony to stay up with me and keep watch over the cookie stealing guards. But that was for a later time tonight when my evening activities slowed once the moon was up, and I didn’t have too much time before sunset, nor did I have any cookies either!
“But for now, I bid you adieu for the time of my moon is approaching! Hehe!” I giggled as I quickly trotted of down the hall, hurrying to the kitchen before it closed for the night.
I could smell the fresh bread in the air, along with delicious cinnamon buns and other pastries that were baked earlier in the day. I always loved coming down here and having my pick of the leftover treats! And the cookies were still good till the evening, that I was sure of.
I passed a few of the cooks heading home for the night as I finally rounded into the kitchen. They were good for snacks and things, but right now I needed a baker, and she was still in the bakery section sweeping up the floors into the corner.
Bready Buns looked up as she seen me coming over, and gave a little bit of a tired smile. “Hello, Princess. What can I do for you this late in the day?” the tan mare said as she floated the broom over to the corner.
I quickly jumped up on one of the stools. “Cookies!”
She chuckled for a small second before shaking her head. “Hehe, I’m sorry, Princess, but we don’t have any leftover ones tonight. We do have a few things that they didn’t eat in the dinner party,” she said as she looked over at the counter with a few platters stacked on top of one another. “Some blueberry muffins, half a cinnamon loaf and… ooh~ looks like there’s one more slice of the carrot meringue pie still there!”
I shook my head. “No, not those! I need a batch of cookies made up stat! It’s not for me, and since you make the best cookies ever I thought it would be great if you could make up some and let me give some to the guards since you’re the best mare ever!”
She let out a sigh as she looked out at one of the windows to the slowly fading orange that was in the sky. “Well… if you would like, Princess… I can make them for you.” The cookware and ingredients were already floating out from the cupboards they were put away in.
“Yay!” I cheered out and threw my hooves up in the air. “Thank you Bready, you’re doing a service to us all.”
The mare simply gave a quick little bow to me before she started to mix the ingredients together in a flurry of magical activity that only a master baker could possess; what was expected in the royal kitchens. Eggs were cracked and shells were tossed; flour and sugar, butter and chocolate were mixed together with a pinch of salt. Finally, drops of the magalificent poppy were added, one of the secret ingredients that gave them their own enhanced flavour that ponies just couldn’t get enough of.
I sat there practically drooling as the dough was made and a spoonful of it hovered my way. “Oooo~” I squeaked out in delight as I grabbed it in my own magic and took a small nibble of it.
“How does the Princess find this batch?” the mare said with a knowing grin on her face, lacking any hint of doubt.
“Mmm! Scrumptious as usual,” I said as I took another nibble of the precious delight. “Really I don’t know why you can’t just make up a giant bowl of this for us to snack on sometimes. Or why not both?”
Bready was already forming the dough into small little balls and placing them on the marble baking stone in front of her. “Because if you eat too much dough, you’re going to be sick all night from it. Only a little as a treat.”
I frowned at that and took another bite of the precious, chocolaty goop on the end of the spoon; I wasn’t going to accept the dangers of this delicious treat any time soon.
The cookies were placed and the baking stone was sent into the brick oven for the final transformation! Coals were still burning on the bottom, but Bready threw another log on them and the fire started cracking to life once more. Even from here I could smell the slight hint of smoke wafting out from the burning oak.
I watched as the flames danced around in their enclosed space, but after a while my eyes turned back to Bready who was cleaning the dishes and sweeping up the floors at the same time. “So Bready, I know you already assisted me in crafting these cookies, but do you think you would also be able to stay up with me for a bit longer. I have a plan to finally see the guards move!”
“You’re doing what?” she said as she looked at me questioningly for a moment before she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Princess, but you’ll have to do that on your own. I do have an early morning decorating a cake for a guest coming in early in the day.”
“Awwwe!” I whined and wiggled in the chair. “But couldn’t somepony else do that? Or ask whoever’s coming to just show up a little bit later?”
“I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way, I’m the head baker here and can’t exactly get a guest to reschedule. I wouldn’t be able to do either of those.” She looked back out at the window. “It is already a bit late and I would like to get to bed as soon as I can, preferably before the moon is up. I’m sorry, Princess.”
My eyes went wide. “The moon!” I said as I looked out at the sky. It was already a bit darker than I wanted while down here in the kitchen. Just how long was I here for?! “Oh Bready! I… I got to go.” I jumped from the chair and started to quickly head for the door. “I’ll see you later then?”
“I’ll just leave the cookies here when they are done, Princess!” she called out as I turned the corner and trotted up to go meet my sister.
By the time I could see the balcony, the skies were already a shade of dark blue and purple. Tia stood there with her horn glowing as night was beginning. I rushed over to stand beside her as my horn lit up as quickly as I could get it. The sun was already down and the moon was just cresting over the horizon, but better late than never?
“Glad you could join me sister,” she said with a tired smile as she looked over at me.
I sheepishly smiled, “I’m sorry for being late. I was just getting some cookies from the kitchen before they closed. You know, fresh ones!” I chuckled a little at the perfect plan I was hatching. “They’re for the guards! I keep telling you that they’re basically statues every night, but there’s no way that I’m going to miss catching them trying for one of those sweet chocolate chips.”
The moon was rising above the eastern mountains and a nice calmness spread through me, watching its light subtly brighten up the lands. It felt like taking a nice deep breath and finally letting it all out. “But… I am looking for somepony to help me with that… and I was wondering…”
Celestia gave a noticeable sigh. “Luna…” she said with a little bit of a serious tone.
“Well I was just wondering if you could stay up with me. Just for a little bit later!” I said as I tried to smile as much as I could, hoping that it would convince her somehow. “Please, I really want someone to help me catch those cookies thieves!”
“Luna, don’t ask that of me. You know these days have busy and I’m already tired enough. I do not need to be staying up late to play games.” She stopped for a second before letting out another sigh. “Even tonight sister, I raise the sun in the morning. I can’t be doing both every day; I need you to be here with me.”
“I’m sorry for being late. It won’t happen again!” I said as I bit my lip a little. It was always the sensitive subject, but as of late it seemed to be even more of delicate matter. “But since I do need somepony… and well… since you don’t really stay up with me and see my night, I was just giving you the offer.”
“You don’t stay up in the daytime with me at all either…”
I paused and looked down at the floor. That was true. We were bonded as sisters, but that fact alone would always wedge in and separate us. It was the way we were born; her of the day and me of the night. Forever together, yet forever apart.
The stars were out and the moon was settling in on its path for the rest of the night. By all accounts, this night was a success once more. I rested my head on her shoulder as our horns dimmed. “Tia… where will we fly to?”
She nuzzled into my mane, pausing as she took in a long breath and sighed deeply. “To the sky and the clouds above. Goodnight, sister.” With that she left me at my post for another night, alone watching the stars twinkle above. I should go check on those cookies…
They were easy to find, right on the counter where Bready had been mixing everything together earlier in the day. But the mare had taken her leave who knows how long ago; now it was all me and this stack of two dozen cookies; and they were still warm!
Eagerly, I grabbed the top one and devoured it like one of the hungry, forest beasts of lore. “O-ohhh~ hehe… these are good,” I giggled in delight. They were just the right texture, not too hard, nor too soft, but right in the middle, and the chocolate was just on the edge of melty! Right where it should be!
I grabbed another one and munched on it as I started heading out of the kitchen, taking the long way to those particular guards with the platter on my back. I still need to find somepony who might be up at this hour to come over and help me, and a walk through the residential section outside might bear some fruit.
Like from the top of the balcony, there was nothing but darkness inside the windows of ponies’ homes. Looks like many of them had already gone to sleep for the night, deciding to just let the midnight beauty pass like usual. Even the outside air was beginning to have that cool crispness I liked so much that made my fur stand on edge.
But still nopony was out, and all of the houses were dark.
I trotted along for a little longer, munching on another cookie as I check everything out. Up ahead a flicker of light caught my eye coming from a window. The whole room looked faintly lit up from here and it was a good chance somepony was awake! I think I remembered the house too and it might have been where one of the schoolponies lived.
The glass was hard to see through but there was definitely light in there.
DING DONG
I stood back at the door after ringing the bell.
Bork!
Bork bork bork!
I could hear it deep inside the house, the sound of fearsome dog no bigger than a tomato loudly defending its territory from a distance. I could hear hoofsteps walking towards the door, but noticed that the borking stayed safe and secure, far into the house.
I quickly gulped down the last of the cookie and with my tongue, made sure my teeth were clean, right before giving a bright smile at whoever was coming down to meet me.
The door cracked open and a slightly older looking mare glared down at me.
“Greetings, citizen! I am looking for the help of a schoolpony who may be able to assist me on an adventurous task. I have a dozen cookies here and am using them to bait the guards into moving. Perhaps even yourself would be able to help if you are willing!”
“Lucky is asleep,” the olive coloured mare said and frowned a little more. “And so was I. What kind of pony is up at this hour knocking on houses?”
She squinted at me as she looked me over, almost like she could barely see right now and needed thick glasses of some kind. “My, you almost look like that one princess filly in the castle. But there’s no way she’d be doing something as silly as waking ponies up in the middle of the night.”
I gulped a little bit. She sounded like a hard no for the idea. “Well if I were the Princess, would you please go and ask this Lucky if they could come join their princess for the night?”
“Umm… I’m sorry, but he’s got school tomorrow and Celestia herself isn’t stopping my boy from missing his classes.” The dog in the background kept giving out high pitched borks, and the mare heavily shushed it.
“I… see that you are busy for now citizen. Take care for the night!” I said with a deflated smile. As she said a quick goodbye and closed the door, I started to trot back off to the castle.
No pony in this entire town seemed ready to spend a night with their princess. All the lights were off, and the one house that had the faintest indication of activity just sounded more annoyed at the disturbance than anything. I huffed out as I kept walking, grabbing another cookie off my back and munching it down.
The walk back to the castle felt even longer than coming down here in the first place. I was certain at least somepony would take up my call and join me, but like always, it was just me in the middle of the night. At least I’d have the guards to talk to when I finally set my plan in motion.
Like every other night, they were at their regular posts just standing in the hallway till the morning. They were under orders not to move, no matter how hard I tried to get them to flinch, nothing ever worked on them; they were still as statues.
It didn’t help any that I couldn’t even order them to do anything! Tia made sure of that and wouldn’t change her mind no matter how much I asked. I sighed a little as I laid the half dozen cookies down on a nearby table in the middle of the room.
“So, Gregory, another long night here just watching the place? I really bet standing here on your hooves is just so exhausting… don’t you think?” I said as I flopped over the end of a bench, looking at the two of them from upside down.
Gregory I knew, he was usually posted here, but the other one switched pretty frequently. I’ve never learned their names before… well I’ve never actually learned Gregory’s name either. That stallion could be named anything for all I knew since he never said it. But I liked the sound of Gregory. It sounded… foreign.
“I mean, we could always play a game or something,” I said as I flopped my head side to side, brushing my mane against the floor. “Like a game of tag! Really, no one would know Gregory.”
They still didn’t even move a muscle as I stared at them… I’m pretty sure they don’t even blink either. I huffed out when I had to lose the staring contest way too soon. “Why are you two always the strong, silent type?”
My eyes wandered around the room a little, as I thought over tonight so far. “You should have seen the night I’ve already been having. First I went to go get those cookies, which… you probably already knew since I told you… heh...”
“Then rose the moon with my sis. I don’t think she was too happy that I was a couple seconds late… but I did say sorry, and she probably could have waited a minute or two. I was coming like always… just got a little caught up with cookies,” I said and sheepishly smirked at the guards.
“They were made just for you two, so if you want, you can help yourself anytime.” I stared at them a bit longer but they still didn’t budge.
“You know how hard it is to find somepony to be up at this hour? I went for a walk in town and everything is off and dark. Everypony is asleep just dreaming away. Though, this one lady’s house I went to had a candle in it. I was pretty sure they were awake… but… I may have woken her and up when I knocked. She looked like she had bad eyes though, so she hopefully didn’t recognize me.”
“She didn’t join me and help me watch over the coo-” My eyes widened a little and I paused. “Uh… help watch over a project I’m working on! Yup! Hehe…” I nervously laughed a little, hoping that they bought it.
“But yea… no luck finding anypony for tonight.” I looked to the floor for a little bit before finally giving another sigh. “But at least I have you guys!” I said as I quickly hopped back up onto my hooves. “Which reminds me! I told you I was bringing some cookies! And I have half a dozen of the kitchen’s freshest batch right on that plate for you to enjoy.”
“Now…” I said with the brightest smile I could fake right now as I started to trot down the hallway. “I don’t think I should bother you any longer, so I think I’m just going to head to my room and go study.” I turned the corner and disappeared from their sights.
Little did they know, I wasn’t actually going to my room! I put my back up against the wall and glanced around the corner. I was here to stay!
I had kept vigilance on them for the past twenty minutes. I was sure they were going to pounce on them as soon as I hid myself, and I was sure they could at least smell the cookies by now! How could they resist such a delicious treat?!
I huffed as I slumped back down against the wall, though I still kept my ear right to the corner, ready to hear the tiniest of noises. My legs were a little sore though from standing still for the last little bit. It would be nice if I had learned like a secret watching spell, then I could just sit on my bed and watch them instead.
It might be an idea to ask my teacher later on about teaching me that, but right now he seems pretty set on the strict lesson plan of night time magic and fine moon control. I just don’t know why he asks me to work on essays and things every night, I do this stuff with Tia every night and that’s way more practical.
I furrowed my brow a little, remembering I had some particular questions on this week’s constellation homework that I needed to ask him… and maybe he might help me with a little project of my own. Finally, I stood back up and headed back down the hallway to go check on the bait.
The guards still hadn’t even moved. “Just doing some old walking down the hallway!” I said to him nonchalantly as I passed by; nothing suspicious here. I glanced at the cookies and five and a half were still just sitting right there.
Wait…
“W-what?!” I stammered as I jumped right over to the plate. “No no no! No no no no!” I glanced back and forth between the guards and the cookies. One had a giant bite taken right out of it! Just left there!
“Ha! I caught you!” I said pointing my hoof at the stoic figure. I couldn’t tell if they fell for the bluff. Did one of them really just do this? When? How!? I was watching and listening to them the entire time! There was no way that they did this, but the evidence was right there!
I trotted right up to them, looking over their muzzles closely for any traces of cookie dust. I glared right at their muzzles, but both of them were clean. “You win this time…” I said, resigning myself to defeat for this night.
I started to trot away. All this work and nothing even close to fruitful came out from it. But I confirmed that they did move. Through magic, feather or hoof, they did move. One of these nights I would finally catch them in action, but for now, I’d go see what my teacher was doing.
The room was dark, but I quickly flicked on the candles with a spark of my horn.
“Wake up!” I yelled as I came crashing down onto the sleeping form in the bed.
“Ghaaa!” he shouted out in surprise, almost tumbling off the bed in the process. He blinked himself awake and hugged the blankets tightly as he looked at me, processing what just happened.
“No sleeping!” I said, standing there proudly on the foot of his bed. “It’s only 1AM and there’s so much to do. I demand that you stay up with me and entertain me! And I have the perfect plan, we can start by-”
He started to give a soft, tired chuckle as he shook his head. “Settle down, settle down, Princess. It is much too early for a pony this old to be awake at this hour.”
“But Starswirl!” I whined, hoping he would reconsider. “I’ve been trying for ages to get a pony to even stay up and watch some cookies with me.” He cocked his eye brows a little at that but I still continued. “I wanted to see if you’d be able to do that, or maybe show me some more cool spells or something for tonight.”
He just kept shaking his head. “I’m sorry Luna, but I am much too tired right now. Maybe another time that isn’t so late, and as you said, it’s 1AM, and ponies should be asleep at this time.”
“But I’m wake! I’m always awake now!” I argued back and gave the bed a tiny stomp of my hoof. “Please stay up with me?” I said, giving him the best puppy dog eyes that I could muster.
“Luna…” I could see his heart melt and his features give way. He stopped shaking his head and just looked at me. Maybe I had chance. “You are the Princess of the Night. You are the one to be out there watching over ponies and keeping the celestial skies in balance… and not waking old men from their sleep.”
“But there’s nothing to watch over since nothing ever happens!” I said as I tossed my hooves into the air. “I’m just here wandering around the hallways. No ponies ever around and I’m booooored!”
“Well I won’t be helping you for this night. I do need my sleep for tomorrow as I rise early, but maybe in the future, you will be able to spend time with a pony or two during the night.” His eyes drooped half closed and he gave a small yawn. I hope I wasn’t losing him, but he continued. “Who knows what the future holds, but I know you’ll figure something out and find your own way. Right Luna?”
“I guess,” I sighed and glanced away; looks like another night in solitude leaving me to watch stars and write papers. Oh right… I had homework too. “Oh, and about the assignment. Could you stay up with me for a few minutes longer so I can ask you something?”
He smirked a little and nodded. “That I will be able to do.”
“Perfect!” I squeaked and smiled a little, getting at least a small win here. “Well I’ve looked all over the libraries and scrolls, but you have one constellation that you wanted me to write about and I couldn’t find anything on it. One of the more obscure minor constellations, Equuleus.”
“I know where it is, but… nothing really more than that besides it’s of a pony? Maybe?” I said with a little shrug, grasping at straws a little bit.
“Ah, yes. Equuleus, the watching mare,” he said with a nod and his eyes finally fell closed as he talked with me. “There are not too many textbooks that talk about her, that’s for sure. Ponies say that she rose into the heavens above to help keep watch over ponies while they drifted off into sleep.”
“Oh, kind of like me?” I said as I bounced a little on the bed.
“Yes,” he continued. “She was the original guardian of the night before you were even born.” His head slowly fell back onto the pillow, looking like gravity was winning the fight. “A faint constellation, but still clear enough if you know where to look.”
“If you want to know more, just… look on page forty-two of…” he paused for a second, “…forty… two…”
I could practically feel him slipping off into sleep and entering his own personal dreamland. “Goodnight Starswirl,” I said as I headed for the exit, making sure I flicked off the candles with my magic before I shut the door and made my way to the outside balcony.
I had no idea where to look for more information in the library, but at least I had something interesting to watch in the sky tonight.
The sun hung low in the sky once more as I was roused from my sleep; another night was fast approaching. I slept in a little, but I was still on schedule. The only thing was, that today, there wasn’t really any plans for later on besides raising the moon.
I sighed as I got up and started to get ready, dawning my midnight crown once more. My homework was practically done for this week and yesterday felt like a total flop. When I passed the guards yesterday the whole plate was cleaned till not a crumb was left, but unmoving the guards remained.
Short of putting a bell on them, I didn’t think I would be able to catch them without help. But who would help? Celestia wouldn’t. Everypony else in town probably wouldn’t either, and roaming around like last night would probably bring more disappointment.
I opened up the door and headed to the balcony. It was a little earlier than normal, but after being late yesterday it might be a good idea to get there with lots of time to spare; maybe we could even talk for a bit longer too.
I sighed again as I walked past the guards who were already set up for their night. And that’s my fate, one little conversation with my sister and then I’d be just the filly in the night, forever in solitude with her thoughts.
I was halfway to the balcony, but I could hear hoofsteps on the stone floors quickly approaching. It was Celestia, and even she was a bit early to be headed up to the balcony.
“Eager to come and raise the moon with me sister?” I teased a little as I walked slowly enough for her to catch up. Though her radiance was a little off today, her mane seemed less like it was flowing in a small breeze, but more like it was just fighting to stay up. I wondered if she was even able to shower this morning.
“Actually, sister…” she said with a small frown as she stopped. “I think it is time for you to try this night by yourself.”
“What?!” I blurted out in shock. “What do you mean, by myself? You’re still coming up with me then, right?” I asked but Celestia just shook her head. “Tia! You can’t do this to me! I get it if you can’t stay up later in the night, but you’re not even helping me with the sunset?”
Celestia took a breath in and gave a quick sigh. “I have a very early morning sister and it is already late for me. It has to be this way, since the way today has gone-“
“Ugh,” I grunted loudly, cutting her off. “Please, can you just come watch me then? And stay till the moon is up?
“Luna, I’m not-“
“Besides, what do you even have tomorrow that’s so important? Another guest coming in for a cake party? Really, out of everypony here, I’m sure you can reschedule that for later.”
“Luna!” she snapped out. “There are things in the day that are important to me, you and this entire kingdom that simply cannot be ‘rescheduled’. I will not be helping you tonight, and it’s about time that you start handling your responsibilities without my help.”
“What responsibilities?” I retorted. “The only thing I have is the moon, and then it’s nothing from there. Nothing at all with nopony! Bored and wandering these hallways for all of eternity. You have no idea what I have to go through each night since you’re never there!”
She just gave a sarcastic chuckle and rolled her eyes, looking like she wanted to speak, but held her tongue as she started to walk away.
I paused as I watched her. My eyes shut tightly closed when I felt them already starting to tear up a little. Her hoofsteps echoed out with each step. “Tia…” I called out with a shaky voice. “W-where… where will we fly to?”
I heard her stop and stand still for a moment before a soft sigh escaped her. “Goodnight, sister.”
I could hear her hooves on the stone floor, fading off in the distance as she left me alone for tonight.
I headed outside, onto the balcony and into the cooling air, looking at the sun just above the horizon. I wiped my eyes with a hoof as my horn started to glow; even without Celestia this still needed to be done.
Slowly, I started to lower the sun and hide it below the horizon. It was relatively smooth, but it did wobble from side to side every time I sniffed. The lands were turning dark and the reds and yellows in the sky were starting to turn blues and purples as night took over. Hiding away Tia’s light was easy enough, but the real challenge came with making a proper night.
I looked to the eastern mountain and gulped a little. I’ve never really did this without her before.
But I was the Princess of the Night. I could do this. I had to do this.
I squeezed my eyes closed as my horn lit up to raise the moon, and slowly I could feel the nocturnal light bathe our world. I pull it up fully, pretty close to where it should be and then sent the moon off on its journey for the night. I looked over to the spot where Tia would be sitting, but only cold stone was there.
I pressed into my magic a little harder, making the stars wink into existence. One by one, I could feel each little sparkle light up against the black canvas until the entire thing was covered in a blanket of small dots.
It felt like it was all there, but when I finally opened my eyes I expected to see a majestic masterpiece above, not what tonight had actually become. The glorious light that usually came from above, felt dull and subdued, like and entire shadowy fog was mixed in.
The moon looked more grey than white, and it looked like it was drifting slightly north. The stars above didn’t fare any better, constellations were misshapen, and some weren’t even there. I could see Equuleus was intact, but I could feel the watching mare laughing at me from above at the mess I made in the sky.
My horn glowed as I tried moving the moon back into place and the stars to their rightful spots, but no matter how much fixing I tried, it seemed to make everything worse. Stars bumped against each other and the moon shook as much as my legs were.
My sister and I had always made the night perfect, but there wasn’t the same radiance at all. It looked messy, dull and dark. I sniffed a little more and felt a droplet roll off my cheek and hit the floor. Was this my night?
My jaw clenched as I looked at it all. Was this my own touch? The best I could make it?
My horn glowed again as black streak covered up a swath of stars. Fine! If this was what I could bring, then I’d rather the lands be shadows and darkness for tonight! It wasn’t like anypony was watching anyways.
Like a shadowy painter, streaks of black filled the sky. No more stars! No more moon! Everything would be gone into shadows tonight!
I whipped my midnight bush without a care, it all needed to go. Even the tower of the castle and the town below faded away as darkness descended. I looked down and even the stone was an inky black; it felt like stone on my hooves, but it started to feel like it wasn’t even real. It all looked like a black void in every direction.
Instinctively I took flight, flying into the all-encompassing shadows. In some way, everything felt right, almost like the world was destined to be like this. I couldn’t see anything, not the town nor the castle. That was gone.
I had never seen darkness like this before; day or night, light either shone from the moon or the sun. This felt like a completely new world, and I could feel my breathing steady as I glided on into the blackness. Most ponies would have probably been terrified of this overwhelming unknown, but… it didn’t feel unknown. I felt more aware than ever, connecting with everything around me and feeling inside the shadows. It… felt comforting.
I hovered for a moment before landing on an invisible walkway I just knew was there. It all felt so serene here, like everything in the world was finally making sense.
I could feel my heartbeat slow as twinkles started to appear in the darkness. They were all around, appearing up above and down below like a sea of stars in the night sky. But these were different. The ethereal motes of light floated around, near and far, like little fireflies in the night.
One floated close and I looked into its blue twinkle. The center illuminated up, until I could see a pony skiing downhill on one of the fluffiest slopes I have ever seen.
My eyes widened with surprise. These were ponies’ dreams!
I reached out to it with a hoof, instinctively pressing against it until I slipped inside. It felt like it was the most natural thing in the world.
There were ponies down below, all cheering at a red pegasus as he glided down a cloud mountain so high I couldn’t even see the top. I could feel a smile cresting my face as I watched the enjoyment he had in his own personal adventure.
My horn lit up as I felt for the next orb and whisked myself inside; a mare was talking about jam with a friend. I moved on to the next; an old pony was sitting by the lake watching the ducks. Another held a small colt fretting over a test.
I smiled excitedly as I floated from dream to dream. They were all here; everypony who was sleeping and dreaming had a dot somewhere in this expanse. By the way some of the ponies looked at me I could tell that they could see me too.
I waved and another mare waved back. This… it felt like I belonged in this realm. Could I be with my subjects in the night, watching over their dreams while they slept? I… I think I could. The Princess of the Night was more than just scenery now… this… this felt like it was part of my destiny.
I reached out further, feeling around to the dreams that lay before me, but I could feel strangeness in one of the orbs; like it just barely existed, residing here in some weird limbo state. I grabbed onto it and floated inside of it.
The only thing there was two oval windows that were partially glazed over. I could see the inside of the castle hallways, with a bench and table right ahead and a painting of… wait…
I gasped out loud. This was Gregory! “Hi, Gregory!” I called out excitedly inside his dream… head… place? I could see the windows flash dark for barely an instant. I wondered if I startled him.
Either way I smirked and lit up my horn again to find another random dream. I always knew they were statues, but I had no idea they were actually sleeping on the job. Wait till I tell… well… somepony…
I could feel the dreams as I searched through them, the colours and emotions coming from each one. I could feel a pink one in particular that floated around. I didn’t know how, but it reminded me of Tia and I swear this was her dream by the way it felt.
Unlike the others though, this one felt off, almost like a strange, unsettling turbulence washed right over me as I slipped inside this dreamscape. I was standing back in the castle hallway and I could see the balcony just at the end of the hall. The sky outside was turning darker and yellowish hues of light flickered from outside; I could smell the slight hint of smoke in the air.
My fur stood on edge as a pair of guards came barreling down the hallway. “Wait! Where are you going?” I yelled out. “What is going on?” But they were already around the corner before I could finish. I trotted on after them, hoping that I’d find Tia. She would know what was happening here.
The castle was in a state of disrepair I had never seen before. The smooth stone on the walls had deep cracks inside of them.
The ground shook, tripping me and knocking me to the floor suddenly. I could see a few pebbles dislodge and hit the floor. One of the paintings on the wall toppled to the ground as well. The shaking slowed and I quickly picked up the pace to see her before it was too late.
“Tia?!” I yelled down the hallway as I galloped towards the throne room. “Sister?!”
The doors were already open up ahead and I could see guards hurrying and getting ready for something. It was amazing how fast they moved, like an example of organized chaos. I rushed in and caught a glimpse of pink within the crowd.
“Tia!” I squeaked, squeezing through the wall of guards that were tightly packed, all listening in.
One of the captains, wearing his gilded and jewel encrusted armour was speaking to her. “If we can get the main squad to the south quadrant, we might just be able to hold it back long enough.”
“That’s not enough!” Celestia retorted. “Where are our allies? They should be here to help us in our time of need.”
The captain shook his head. “After your meeting with the chancellor… the bad cake… he was indisposed and was never able to send the message that a threat like this was coming. I’m sorry, Princess. But Equestria is alone in this fight.”
Celestia frowned deeply, taking a slow gulp as she composed herself till she looked as regal as ever. But I could see her forehoof tense up ever so slightly; she was nervous. “Do what you can captain” she said and the captain made a few hoof movements to his men. “For now we can-“
A deafening crash from above burst through the noise in the room as one of the towers exploded in a bright fireball. The room shook again as Tia hit the ground. The guards scrambled away in a hurry as they rushed to their posts, while the captain steadied himself.
I had my wings spread for balance, watching as pieces of the stone structure tumbled to the ground. A chill went down my spine as I heard Tia call out. “O-oh… no!” she said with wide, horrified eyes as she looked at the tower. “Luna was in there!”
I could see the tears coming down her face as I rushed to her. “Tia! I’m right here!” I said as I grabbed her and hugged her as quickly as I could.
Her head buried into my mane, sniffing tears away as she hugged back with all she had. It felt like she would never let go. “L-Luna… you’re… you’re here! I thought… you…”
“Shhh~” I said with a small smile as I tried stroking her mane. “I was here the entire time. Everything is alright.”
She pulled away; a small smile was on her face for a second before it turned more serious “No, Luna,” she said with a shake of her head. “You don’t understand, the nightmare is coming and we can’t win. We’re all alone.”
Her eyes widened as she looked at the door. Shadows were building up, consuming the entrance and the walls around it. Like ghosts, the guards had already disappeared when I wasn’t looking; even the Captain was no more. Only the shadowy nightmare remained, formless, but entirely covered in shadows except for red eyes that pierced through the darkness.
I could feel my sister shiver for once. I barely ever saw fear in her, but right now she was terrified. Quickly, I grabbed her head and made her look into my eyes instead of staring at that thing. “Tia… I’m here,” I said softly and put my head against hers. “It doesn’t matter if we’re alone. We have each other.”
I held my hoof out to her and I could hear her slowly breathe out to calm herself. Her hoof grabbed mine as she looked back up at me with a small, hopeful smile cresting her face and her horn starting to glow. We could do this. “Together?” she softly asked.
“Together.”
We held onto each other’s hoof as we turned to face the dark nightmare; its blackness was engulfing the room as would be upon us soon. There we were, standing against it as my horn started to light up and out from us came a royal beam of light.
The dark creature let out a long, echoing shriek as the beam slammed into it, blasting the shadows away until it evaporated from existence.
I could feel a heaviness lift as our horns dimmed. The nightmare was gone, and we still remained. Like a cloud from outside had let the sun shine through, this entire room felt lighter and more vibrant. Even the air no longer smelled like smoke, and a sense of calmness filled the energy of the dream.
Before, it felt unsettling in here, but now it was starting to feel the same as any other pony I visited tonight; and the smile on Tia’s face just highlighted that fact. I could see light shine through the windows as the sun peaked through whatever darkness was outside.
“The sun’s out again,” she said with a little bit of a frown on her face. “Are you going to sleep?”
I smiled and shook my head, “I think I’ll stay with you tonight.”
Author's Note
I hope everyone enjoyed this. It is one of my first stories that is rated E for Everypony that I wanted to write ever since I saw Tjpones drawing of Luna. Hope I did some justice to that.
Please let me know what you thought of the story with a comment below.
Also, I do plan on making a sequel to this that goes into a little more risqué aspects of dream magic soon. If you would like to see take a look at stories before they are published and give me some early feedback, I do have a discord.
