The Stars Above Know

The Stars Above Know

by Denim Blue

“The dark and light can only exist because of each other. With one taken out of the picture, the other consumes itself and no longer bears the value it once had.”

• from a foreword by Princess Celestiafrom ‘The Legend of the Mare in the Moon: A Tale of Love, Jealousy, and Hope’ by J. L. Whisperwood

Nightmare Moon sighed deeply she watched the planet she orbitted from her lunar vantage point. According to the internal clock within embedded deep within her mind, she had been imprisoned here for only a week. Despite this, it felt like months had gone by for her.

“I’m sorry this had to happen, Nightmare. I didn’t think we’d end up here, of all places.”
Nightmare gave a soft chuckle. “It’s fine, Luna. We’ve only got a millennium until we’re free. I just hope we were right about your sister. The last thing we need is a second Queen of the Sun...”

“Celly is...not a bad pony, Nightmare.” echoed the younger, gentler voice of Luna within the midnight black pony’s mind. “I daresay that with how things went in our fight, and the fact she used the Elements of Harmony so easily, I’m positive she will turn out better. She seemed sad when she used them on us, after all. That’s a sign right there, isit not?”

The black alicorn’s frown morphed into a small smile. “I suppose it is. I only wish my Celestia was as...patient and merciful as yours. Hopefully your sister will continue to improve.”

“Do not worry so much. We will just watch from here, and see how things turn out for Equestria. We have got all the time in the world, after all. Even if we wanted to leave, the Elements stripped us of most of our celestial powers...”
Nightmare nodded in response. “That’s true.”

“Hey, Luna-I mean, Nightmare...?”
Nightmare Moon chuckled. “You can call me Luna if you want. I know it’s a little weird, but we are the same pony. Well, in most cases, anyway.” She gazed up at the stars twinkling in space. “What do you want to ask, Luna?”

“Can you...tell me again about how you ended up saving your Equestria?”

Nightmare chuckled loudly this time. “I’ve told you that story several times now, haven’t I? You are a filly at heart, aren’t you?”

“N-no! I...I just like to hear your story, that’s all...I wish I could be as brave and strong as you are.” She paused, and Nightmare could picture her counterpart hesitating with her words. “I...I’m not sure I can ever be as great as you are.”
“You already are as brave as me, Luna, if not more so. You gave up your freedom to change the course of Equestria’s future. You imprisoned yourself for eons to protect a kingdom that will probably never know the truth behind your actions. That makes you a true hero.”

There was a moment of silence that followed those words. A sniffling echoed in her mind, followed by a few quiet sobs. Nightmare could only offer the other occupant within her the comfort of her company, unfortunately.

“Luna, I’m here for you. I know this is hard, but no matter what, we have each other. I promise.”

“Thank you, Luna.”

“No, thank you, Luna,” Nightmare replied. “Now then, the story.” She cleared her throat, “I had decided that Celestia’s rule over the kingdom, and the...crimes she had committed had gone unanswered for too long, and being the co-ruler, I placed the responsibility of punishing her upon my own two shoulders...”

Chapter One: Papermoon

In a land similar to the Equestria we know of...
3050 E. B.

Luna slowly walked down the hall leading to the throne room where her sister was currently waiting for her. As she made approached the giant double doors of polished oak, the two guard ponies on either side of the entrance saluted her. She acknowledged them with a slight nod, and smiled gratefully as they opened the doors for her.

A middle aged stallion looked to her before nodding and speaking over the background noise of the throne room. “Her Royal Highness and Overseer of the Night, Princess Luna!”

All the ponies within the hall looked to the entrance. Luna raised her head slightly, and lifted a hoof gracefully while smiling. Every pony within the throne room bowed low as she resumed her walk towards the back of the throne room. All but one pony, the one who was currently seated in the larger of the two thrones.

“Sister, I was hoping you’d be here soon,” Celestia greeted with a smile. “I’m sorry for this sudden summoning, but I need to discuss something with you.”

“Of course, Celestia.” Luna gave her elder sister a gentle nuzzle in greeting while the servants and guards returned to their respective duties. “What did you wish to discuss?”

Celestia looked to the low-lying sun in the sky and spoke. “I wish to extend the daytime during summer.”

Luna quirked an eyebrow. “Whatever for, sister? I remember us agreeing to twelve equal hours of day and night throughout the year. We spoke of this ages ago.”

Celestia sighed while nodding. “Yes, but my dear Luna, let us be honest with ourselves. No one is interested in being awake during the night, and our subjects cannot grow crops when the sun is beneath the horizon.” She placed a gentle wing over Luna. “They need my sun, dearest sister. Summer is a time of warmth and an abundance of life. The country needs longer daylight in order to do farm work.”

“I suppose that’s understandable. What about my moon then? My night? Too much sun is a bad thing, after all. You know how dangerous a drought can be for our land.”

Celestia laughed, like a parent laughing at something their foal had said that they found amusing. “I suppose there’s some truth to that, but only a little. The average pony only needs nine hours of sleep at most. I’d honestly say let’s just have a ten hour period of no sun, but I suppose your moon can be there as well. It does brighten up the otherwise dreary night sky.”

“I made that ‘dreary’ night sky, sister. If you took the time to look at it, you’d see how beautiful it is.”

“Yes, yes, the stars, comets, and whatnot, but I cannot see it, since I sleep during the evening hours.” Celestia cleared her throat. “Let us cut to the chase, Luna. In return for my extended period of day during the summer, you get an extended period of night during the winter.”

“I...during...the winter? Celestia, I...no one is going to bother watching the night sky during the winter when it’s too cold to-”

“Luna, please don’t make this more difficult than it is,” Celestia began. “We cannot have everything go your way, can we? Besides, if it’s dark longer, than it will be colder longer, and thus keep the snow from melting immediately until spring thaw.”

Luna paused for several moments, then forced a smile onto her face. “Well, yes, I see your point, dear sister. You were right about my idea of solar eclipses and how harmful they could be to the ponies’ eyes...I suppose this is for the best, too.”

Celestia nuzzled her younger sister and smiled. “I’m glad you understand, Luna.” She, along with her escort of guards, made their way to the doors. “Take care, dear sister. I am off to my chambers for the evening.”

Luna’s head drooped as soon as Celestia’s back was turned. “Yes...take care.”

One of Luna’s servants came to the downtrodden alicorn’s side, a small frown on her lips. “Milady...is something wrong?”

The midnight alicorn gave a soft smile to the unicorn hoofmaid. “No, I’m fine Candle Glow. Thank you.”

The mare gave a bow and returned her attention to her work, leaving Luna alone with her thoughts.

Celestia...I don’t want to think that you’re trying to give yourself more power over Equestria...but...you’ve changed so much. You used to focus only on our subjects and kingdom, and now... Luna kept her neutral expression as she looked to the emblem of the sun etched into the stone over the entrance way. These ponies are not just our servants. They’re our responsibility...our family, and our life. Have you so easily forgotten that, sister?
The night dragged by slowly for the younger alicorn princess. She continued to monitor the moon as it made its way across the dusk-blue sky, adding a bit more shine to the occasional star if she felt the desire to do so. For the most part, it was like any other night to her: uneventful, and lonely. Most of the ponies in the castle had retired for the night, and only the occasional guard would walk by, giving her a bow before checking the throne room and leaving once more.

Luna wouldn’t lie and say she didn’t mind the lack of company. Sure, she was good at keeping herself entertained with her musings, but ponies were still social creatures by nature. She wished that more of the kingdom’s subjects would enjoy her night, but Equestria was a steadily growing kingdom, and the land required farming to be done. Farming required hard work, and hard work required well-rested bodies. Therefore, sleep was a must for the vast majority of Equestria.

“I am sure once things become more stable, we will be able to have less need for heavy labor.”

Among many things, Luna was an advocate for progress. She marveled at the capacity of the pony mind, and always found herself enthralled by the latest advancement in everyday Equestrian life. Why, no more than a year ago an Earth pony in the growing town of Manehatten had patented the first grain mill. Now they were popping up all over the kingdom, and bread was becoming a more common and accesible source of food.

Literature was becoming more prevalent, too. Printed texts of various classic stories and documents were being made by the hundreds every week. Equestria’s very first university was situated in the town of Fillydelphia, and it was attracting the attention of scholars from every corner of the land, both young and old alike. Subjects such as philosophy, mathematics, poetry and literature, as well as magical studies were among the major subjects taught.

Despite all these wonderful advancements, Luna couldn’t help but feel that her subjects were being held back. She didn’t like to point hooves, but she felt Celestia held much of the blame for this. While a rather kind mare for the most part, Celestia had a habit of getting what she wanted. The majority of the time, these demands were usually beneficial to the kingdom. Farming, for instance, was a practice performed only by earth ponies, and was as old as Equestria, if not older. Increasing the acres of land put aside by farming had been supported by the Princess of the Sun. She persuaded wandering herds of ponies to find a place to settle down and practice agriculture. More land meant more food, and more food meant more ponies could eat. Families grew, ponies lived longer, and stable settlements began to form in more areas as a result.

One not-so-good idea was Celestia’s idea to keep governmental power solely within the hooves of her and Luna. Ponies had asked at first for a say in things, and eventually demanded (politely, of course) that they have a voice in politics. Luna had favored it from the start, but Celestia...

The ponies were allowed to have a given number of representatives, depending on the size of their community, who would speak on their behalf. Celestia and Luna, while still the major voices in government, gave the ponies a limited role in Equestria’s day to day affairs. These chosen representatives could request funds, resources, or other forms of aid from the two sisters. It was less than Luna would have wanted, but it was progress.

Progress... Luna thought. All it needs is a little time...

3078 E.B.

“...and so, your Majesty, I feel that with the points I’ve made, New Hayfield deserves to be given full representation and recognition as a town, or our citizens will have to discontinue alfalfa trade with the rest of the country.”

Celestia looked to the middle-aged pegasus mare who was the supposed mayor of the decade-old settlement of New Hayfield, a community that was founded fertile lands in northern Equestria. It was the currently the most successful producer of alfalfa. With alfalfa being such a key source of food in the kingdom, the citizens believed they deserved to have a stronger say in the House of Equestrians. Despite their influence in the agricultural life of numerous Equestrians, they had only one true representative to speak on behalf of their community. While it was still smaller than the cities of Fillydelphia and Manehatten, New Hayfiled was still a steadily growing community.

“Miss Lacey Wing, correct?” Celestia asked.

“Yes, your Majesty,” the mare replied.

“Miss Lacey Wing, are you aware of what I must deal with on a day-to-day basis?”

“Well...I realize you are incredibly busy, your Highness, but-”

“If New Hayfield feels that it deserves special treatment, then perhaps the kingdom needs to look into reforming the town to better fit the needs of the many.” She shook her head. “If I made an exception for your case, then the other representatives would ask the same for their towns.”

Lacey Wing took a step back, all confidence she had held moments ago vanishing. “N-no, your Highness, we aren’t requesting any kind of special treatment, just equality! We have no real school system set up, and food is running low for us with the limited money our town makes. We only wish to be given the full rights of a city so that we can run ourselves more efficiently, just as any true town within Equestria–”

“I have lived far too long to not see what you are trying to pull, Miss Lacey Wing.” Celestia turned to her guards. “Escort her out of here, and see to it that she is not allowed entry back into the castle grounds.”

“Your Highness, please! There are ponies starving! We’re on the brink of Equestria’s borders, we face continuous attacks from raiding parties and-”

“Wait,” Celestia spoke, and her guards halted, keeping a firm grip on the distraught pegasus. “Raiding parties, you say?”

Lacey Wing blinked several times, then began nodding frantically. “Y-yes, Diamond Dogs, to be exact. We have no real policing force or militia to stave them off, unfortunately. We are just lucky that they only take what they want and leave us unharmed for the most part.”

The Princess of the Sun frowned while gazing into the pegasus’s eyes. “This changes things. You should have told me this from the start.” She turned to one of the captains of her Royal Guard who stood a ways from her throne. “Captain Thundermane, how many new recruits do we have as of now?”

The Pegasus gave a bow before speaking. “Milady, we currently have a little more than one hundred recruits that have about two months’ worth of proper training. They’re ready to serve if you need them.”

Celestia nodded. “Good. Gather these new soldiers and form teams that can take care of these raiding parties in New Hayfield.”

Lacey Wing chanced to speak. “What of the community’s ponies?”

“For now, nothing shall change. This is a greater concern. You shall return to your settlement and inform them of what I told you about the situation regarding New Hayfield being given full rights.”

“I...” Lacey Wing’s head drooped. “As you wish, your Majesty.”

As the guards escorted the crestfallen pegasus out of the throne room, Luna waited at the exit. As soon as the oak doors closed, she raised a hoof, halting the guards “You can let go of her.”

The two guards did as they were asked, and smiled knowingly. They had hoped Luna would be listening.

“P-Princess Luna!” Lacey Wing bowed. “It’s an honor to-”

“That’s enough.” Luna approached the mare and continued. “I overheard your request to my sister. If you want...I shall sign the proper documents and make New Hayfield into a proper town. It’s still too small for many representatives, but I can bump up the number to three for now.”

Lacey Wing began to tear up before bowing graciously. “Th-thank you, your Highness. I cannot express how thankful the ponies of-”

“Think nothing of it. In fact, don’t speak a word of this until I make it official.” Luna looked to the two guards. “I trust you two gentleponies will do likewise?”

“Of course, Princess Luna,” replied one of the stallions while the other guard gave a nod of agreement.

“Wonderful.” Luna smiled to the joyful pegasus. “Please have a safe trip back to New Hayfield.”

“Yes, and thank you once again, your Highness.”

Luna watched as the three ponies made their way towards the main entrance of the castle, her smile slowly turning into a frown. “Celestia...”

The past two decades had been...difficult. Luna had more or less taken a step back into Celestia’s shadow while her sister went about radical reforms. Celestia still had some political weight stacked against her thanks to the House of Equestrians, but she also still had greater political power than they did. Luna was the only one who could truly balance out her sister’s sway in the kingdom’s government, and that was only because she had lived long enough to know how to be sneaky about it. Truth be told, Celestia didn’t really pay much attention to her subjects outside of how they directly affected the kingdom as a whole. Manehatten usually got most of her attention along with Fillydelphia. Baltimare was still a young town, but it was steadily growing and its harbor had become a chief area of importing and exporting for the kingdom. Celestia was planning on getting more ships built in the next five years for that small city.

When Luna asked why Celestia wasn’t placing more concern on her subjects’ interests, the answer she was given shocked her.

“Luna, my dear sister...they are just ponies. Simple, mortal, ponies. At best, they live for several decades, but in the end they all die. Eventually they’ll just see that our way is the right way, and live with it. I’m helping them, not mistreating them.”

Luna’s image of her sister had become cracked around the edges for the past half a century, but now...

Now she didn’t know what to think. Celestia used to be so cheerful, loving, and caring. A little vain at times, but nopony was perfect.

So, Luna took it upon herself to try and counteract Celestia’s less admirable actions. She was pretty sure her elder sister knew of this, but she had yet to do anything. Celestia wasn’t stupid, she knew that much. She was likely letting it go for now, waiting to see how far Luna would take things.

If only she knew how far the Princess of the Moon would go.

3080 E.B.

The stairway leading into the dungeon of the Royal Sisters’ Castle was lit by flickering torches that lined either side of the wall. Surprisingly enough, the dungeon itself was rarely used for long term cases.

Most time the prisoners never got the chance to live more than a year down here. Criminal behavior was something Celestia had only the most minute of tolerance for.

Luna banished the dark thoughts from her mind and continued down the stairs until she reached an old wooden door. She pressed against it, causing it to slowly open. Before entering, she looked behind her.

No one had followed. Good.

She walked into the darkness and closed the door behind her. With nothing but pitch black around her, she opted to summoning forth a ball of light that manifested itself from the tip of her horn. The soft, white light filled the empty hall of prison cells.

Luna herself had excellent night vision, but this light wasn’t for her. No, it was for the three dozen ponies that stood before her, covered in cloaks of a dark gray and purple bearing the sun and crescent moon on the back of them. They all bowed to Luna as she returned the gesture in kind.

“Are we missing anyone?” Luna asked curiously.

“Yes, Milady. Flare Mane was unfortunately unable to make the trip here tonight. He sends his regards and will be informed by Hawthorn within the week.”

These ponies were a group that Luna had come to know over the years, and they came from all corners of the kingdom. They were her connection to the outside world, and the executors of the plans she herself couldn’t carry out.

Some were farmers, politicians, and even musicians. Others were guards who served directly under Luna, some were even fugitives who had escaped from prison, though Luna learned that all these cases were related to various degrees of protesting against Celestia’s borderline tyranny.

Despite the range of occupations and lifestyles, these ponies had one thing in common. They wished to change Equestria, for the better.

Each of the three dozen or so were given aliases.They were known collectively as the Night Watch. They worked in the dark, among the light, and kept their business hush-hush to those outside of their circle.

An earth pony mare cleared her throat. “Milady, I believe it imperative to tell you that Princess Celestia has asked the Royal Treasury about the kingdom’s funds as of late. We’ve had to lie and not mention the nine-hundred bits that were taken last week.”

Luna gave a nod. “Thank you, Wheat. I understand the risk you and Fair Meadows are taking with this cover up. I assure you that the bits are going towards a good cause though. The orphans of Manehatten will be able to eat well for several months now with the funds anonymously given to them.”

The mare gave a low bow before standing back at attention. Luna looked over the others and waited to see if the others had anything to share. After several moments of silence passed, she began.

“As I’m sure most of you know, my sister has...crossed lines that I believe should not have been crossed. The buffalo tribes of western Equestria have sent formal complaints to us of our continued expansion of farmland without consulting them first. She replied to the complaint by sending military forces to quell the tribes. From what I understand, the situation has worsened, and fighting has begun.” She sighed, “Are there any among you that have loved ones serving in the military out in western Equestria at this time?”

“Milady, my wife and two eldest nephews are both in the Pegasus Cavalry.”

Luna gave a nod to a pegasus that she recalled went under the name Withersdale. “I hope that we can end this conflict and the problems with my sister before things become worse for our friends and family.” She stood a bit taller. “This leads me to my summoning of all you tonight. In one year’s time, I will begin the plan we made two years ago. I...will use the Elements of Harmony if necessary...though I hope against all hopes it doesn’t come to that. In a perfect world, I would be able to peacefully persuade my sister to step down from the throne and allow Equestria’s citizens to run their own land. If things don’t work out as such...well, we discussed what plans I have in mind.

One of the cloaked ponies raised a hoof. “Your Majesty, begging your pardon, but...I wasn’t informed of your back-up plan.”

The alicorn quirked an eyebrow. “Dafodilia, correct?”

“Yes, your Highness. I am afraid I’m probably one of the newer members of the Night Watch, so forgive me if I have been uninformed on all the details of your plan.”

Luna looked up to the vast darkness of the shadowed ceiling as she spoke. “Well, I am convinced that Celestia is suspecting me of something. To what degree, however, I do not know. She may have safeguarded the Elements of Harmony, or worse, is keeping them close to her in case she decides to use them on me, or the growing number of dissenters throughout the kingdom.” She looked down to the stone floor as she continued. “If it comes to that...if I am forced to fight against her with such powerful magic at her command, then I will have to counter it the only way I can think of.”

Silence hung in the dark as Luna sighed deeply. “I will have to call forth the power of the stars and moon, and allow them to give me the strength to fight back. Such a magic is dangerous, even when it is performed properly. I could be destroyed from the inside out, I could explode...the outcomes are endless. I’m hoping that my power as the Princess of the Moon will allow me to use such powerful magic, but I’m not entirely sure. Worse case scenario, I die while taking Celestia with me.”

The young mare’s jaw went slack. “D-die, your Highness? I...I thought you and your sister were immortal!”

“Ageless, Dafodilia. Not immortal. We can be killed...although, for the record, my sister and I have endured pain and suffering that normal ponies could not survive. I can live without aging a single day, but I can be killed. I don’t know what it would take to kill me, and I don’t wish to find out any time soon.”

“What...what would happen in the event that you and your sister perished?”

Luna smiled. “The world will notice the imbalance, and correct itself. Celestia and I may control the sun and moon respectively, but they are capable of doing things themselves. It would only require...a great loss of magic in our world, which would transfer over to the two celestial bodies. I can imagine that unicorn magic would be the first thing lost, followed by pegasi and their ability to stand on clouds. Again, this would be a worst-case scenario, and most likely not happen.”

Seeing that her group was still listening to her, she continued. “Right, well, when the day comes for this plan to take place, I ask that you be prepared to fulfill your designated roles, as we discussed. You’ll be informed on the exact date through mail, the letters will be delivered through ‘Shady Skies’, an alias I have given myself. I will state that the grand opening of Canterlot’s newest library will take place on a given date. That date will be the time you are to be ready perform your role in our plan. Understood?”

“Yes, your Highness,” the ponies replied in unison.

Satisfied with the response, Luna dimmed her magical orb of light before snuffing it out. The dark had returned once more, yet her eyes could still see every single one of them clearly. “Very well. All of you, please be careful on your way back. I trust you all have ways of getting back to your respective homes?”

Several smaller orbs of light formed on the horns of the unicorns that were present among the ponies. She smiled. “Good. Be safe, Night Watch.”

She watched as the groups of ponies split into groups, the different colored orbs of light vanishing down halls of the neglected prison and heading towards the various secret passages that Celestia herself didn’t know of.

After heading back up the stairs and informing the guards that she would not be attending court duties for the rest of the night, she retired to her study. It was already two in the morning, and she was feeling drained. She still had another two or so hours before she would have go about lowering the moon, and Celestia would likely be awake by then.

Luna began to think more on the reason behind this secret organization she had helped create. Along with the tragedy the buffalo were facing, Celestia had personally seen to the dragons that were causing problems in the southeastern regions. From what Luna knew of dragons, they had very loose ties within their race, most of them living isolated lives from each other. There was a council of elders, but that was it. Celestia could have spoken to this council first, but instead she had told the dragons that were living close to Equestrian settlements to disperse. Dragons, being a proud race, replied by refusing her demands.

Their mountain caverns were now charred, glassed over ruins. Luna got a good look the blackened skeletons of the once mighty creatures when she visited the region personally. The ground was still smoking when she arrived.

Now the dragons had declared Celestia to be a monster and tyrant. What surprised Luna was that she had received a letter from the dragon elders themselves, pleading for her to do something about Celestia’s actions. She responded by stating she would do what she could.

She hadn’t received any further letters from them, and that had been about a year ago.

Luna turned to an old tome written in what was known by scholars as Runic Equinic. Luna knew the language simply as Equinic, but the language had changed so much since she first spoke it. The symbols were written around a picture of the crescent moon and four stars surrounding it.

Turning the page revealed another passage about the night sky, and included another illustration with a caption underneath it. The caption simply read ‘Armor of the Night’. The drawing was rather detailed, Luna thought. The armor consisted of a helm, a peytral, and four armored shoes. All pieces were said to be of a blue hue, and symbolized the power of the cosmos that the bearer was entrusted with.

Whoever wears this armor shall know and respect the power of the stars and moon above. Even so, to use this enchanted armor carelessly could easily lead to a pony’s undoing. Only those whom the stars and moon recognize as a being with intentions true and righteous can yield their power. Then, and only then, can that being be a true avatar of the night. They will become one with the night sky, and the night sky shall become one with them.

Luna closed the tome, magicking it back to its proper place in the highest shelf of her personal library.

There was no turning back from this, she realized. If Celestia fought back, she would have no choice but take down her sister by force. For the sake of Equestria, and all of the world she hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

To be continued...