The Dark Night

Chapters

Ch 1- An Old Friend
It Begins
How it all Started

Ch 1- An Old Friend

The night was a dark one. Barely a star in the sky and the moon was dim. The two Lunar Guards standing outside Princess Luna’s chamber were still as statues as they stood guard over Luna’s chamber. It had been three months without a single incident. Although that was good news for the citizens of Canterlot and all of Equestria; it left the guards completely bored and irritated. Then a sudden movement caught the eye of one of the guards. The other guard quickly caught on and stood at a ready stance.

“Who is there? Show yourself!” One of the guards demanded to the shadows. The next thing they knew was that they were on the ground, out cold. A figure appeared from the shadows and a rather odd figure at that. It stood up tall on only two legs and was as black as the night itself. All except for its piercing blue glowing eyes that now shot open. Their faint glow lit up the shadows as the figure approached the princess’s door. Slowly and without making a single sound it opened the door and closed it. Its eyes glowed as it looked around the room. Paperwork sat in high stacks on a work desk and many books were scattered around the room. Only four candles illuminated the room and the princess was nowhere to be seen. The figure quietly made its way over to Luna’s giant bed and took out an odd shaped package from behind it. A letter was attached to the package and they both were slid under the princess’s pillow. The figure was too preoccupied with its task to notice Luna coming in from the balcony. Once she got a good look at the figure she stood there motionless, staring at the odd thing before her.

The figure looked up at the princess and stared at her with its glowing eyes. Then, as fast as lighting, the figure shot past the princess and went out the window. Luna quickly followed but by the time she got to the window the figure was gone.

The morning after that eventful night the story was made public as the press got their hooves on it. Everypony was shocked by the news and the two guards were questioned. They could not answer any of them except that the figure was fast and stealthy. Meanwhile with the commotion downstairs Luna sat next to her bed thinking the events of last night over.

"Who was that odd figure? What did it want? How did it get in Canterlot? Ugh!"

Luna laid down on her bed in frustration when she felt a lump under her pillow. She immediately reached under it and pulled out the strange looking package. She noticed the note and read it over carefully.

Dear Luna,

I am sorry for all the mystery and secrecy but there is little time. I require your assistance urgently! Please as soon as possible meet me at the path that leads into the Everfree Forest. You can bring any of your friends or your sister but I ask you to do it quickly! The item in the package will give you some clues as to what this is about. Please hurry Luna!

An old friend.

"An old friend? Who could that be?" Luna thought to herself when she heard a knock on her door. “Come in.” She said as she was still looking over the note.

“What’s that Luna?” A very tall pony with white fur and a radiant mane asked as she entered the room. Luna was surprised to see it was her sister who had come to visit her.

“This? It’s a note the figure left with this weird package. I’m still not sure if I should open it.” Luna answered her sister. Celestia walked over to Luna and sat down next to her looking over the note.

“Well I think we should open it. After all what is the worst it could be?” Celestia advised.

“Fine, I’ll open it.” Luna said with a sigh as she untied the string with her magic. The brown paper surrounding the item it held fell open with the removal of the string. What was inside shocked both Celestia and Luna.

“It… it can’t be. That’s not possible…” Luna trailed off. Celestia looked from the item to her sister and back again.

“Luna, what are you talking about? What is this?” Celestia asked still confused as to what was inside the package. Luna slowly looked up at her sister; her eyes filled with sadness and fear.

“As the letter said….. It’s from an old friend….” Was all Luna managed to say. With that they both went back to staring at the item in question. It slightly shined in the morning light as the sun’s rays began to light up the sky. Within the package was a gold ring, with the engraving, To my best friend and my dearest companion Luna. With that Luna took the ring and carefully placed it on her horn. Celestia only watched her as she did this.

“Luna what’s going on? Who is this friend?” Celestia asked, desperate for answers. Luna only walked over to the balcony and stared out to the Everfree Forest. Celestia came up close behind her, the look of worry on her face. “Luna please, PLEASE tell me what’s going on.” Celestia asked once again.

“Dear sister, you must come with me to the Everfree forest to get the answers you seek. And send a message to Twilight Sparkle, informing her of the situation and that she, and she alone must meet us there. Then all your questions will have answers…” Luna trailed off once more. Celestia only nodded and left her sister to go write the letter to Twilight. Luna stared at the forest once again and whispered to herself, “Could it really be him?” She took the ring off of her horn and stared at it closely. “It has to be him; it just has to be…” With that, Luna went into her room and packed up some food. She then went into her closet and unlocked a secret compartment. Within it there was a photo book and a necklace with a locket. She took both items and placed them in her saddle bag. She then put the ring back on her horn and made her way out the door to the Everfree Forest.

It Begins

Luna was making her way to her carriage, ready to go to the Everfree and see what awaited her there. However, before Luna could get to her carriage, Celestia came up behind her and made her stop walking.

“Luna I want to know what’s going on and I want YOU to tell me. Please Luna, please…” Celestia trailed off as she looked at her sister with both worry and desperation in her eyes.

“I’m sorry sister, but I can’t tell you because I don’t really know what this is about. All I know is that this ring is from a life I thought was gone forever. It seems I was wrong. Sister as I said before, if you want answers you will have to come with me.” Luna said with her face turned to the ground. She couldn’t bear to look her sister in the eyes. In all honesty she was scared. The ring itself was a big enough shock to her. Having to go to the Everfree Forest and meet someone she might not even know and who is obviously dangerous was not doing her any good. Celestia could tell Luna was troubled. Not many things got Celestia on edge but this was an exception, especially since it involved her sister.

“Alright Luna, I’ll come with you.” Celestia said with a small smile on her face. Luna however didn’t see it, as her face was still turned to face the ground. “Luna please look at me. Whatever this is I’m sure we can get through it, and Twilight wrote back. She said that she’ll be waiting for us by the Everfree.” Celestia said as she took her hoof and lifted her sister’s face to hers. She could see Luna’s eyes were watery and filled with worry. Those eyes reminded her of when Luna was a little filly. She would always cuddle up to her big sister with those pleading eyes of innocence when something scary happened. Celestia allowed herself another small smile. This time Luna smiled back. It was a silent agreement they both made without speaking a word.

“Thank you sister, thank you.” Luna said as she went up to Celestia and gave her a big hug.

“Of course Luna, I am your sister.” Celestia said hugging back. With that the two went over to Luna’s carriage and made their way to Ponyvile.

In Ponyvile Twilight packed up the last of the things she wanted to bring with her. She triple checked over her list, as usual, to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.

“Let’s see, wildlife book, some medicine and bandages, a few snacks, a compass, and Spike… SPIKE?!?” Twilight looked at the purple dragon with confusion as he lay in her saddle bag, cramped and obviously
uncomfortable. “Spike I told you that the princess said only I can go.” Twilight said as she was trying to get the baby dragon out of her bag.

“I know Twilight but I wanted to come with in case you need a big strong dragon to help you….” Spike said trying to flex his tiny muscles. Twilight just gave him a look. Spike gave a big sigh and got himself out of her bag. “Twilight can you promise me something?” Spike asked with a serious face.

“Sure, what is it Spike?” Twilight asked with a little concern in her voice.

“Come back soon and please be careful. I know I don’t show it too often but I do care about your safety.” Spike said with a small blush on his face.

“I promise Spike, and… thanks. I’ll be back soon hopefully. If I’m not there are some gemstones in the upper cabinet.” And with that Twilight left Spike and the library and began walking down the path that led to the Everfree.

The princesses made it to the entrance to the forest at midday. They both stepped off of Luna’s carriage and she ordered the two guards away. The two sisters looked into the dark forest with concern and uncertainty. It had been a long time since they’ve been anywhere near it. It shocked both of them by how gloomy it looked, even at the middle of the day.

“Princess! Luna! You’re already here!” They heard a voice call from behind them. The two of them turned around to see Twilight Sparkle trotting towards them with a smile on her face. She was greeted by smiles of their own.

“Ah my faithful student, how are you?” Celestia asked as she nuzzled Twilight on the neck.

“I’m doing just fine, though I’m still a little confused as to why I was the only one allowed to come.” Twilight said as her smile slowly went away. Luna looked at her straight in the eyes as she spoke.

“You were the only one allowed to come because your other friends would be in danger. With your magic you can defend yourself a lot more than your friends can and we could really use your help.” Luna finished and stared at Twilight for a few more seconds waiting for a response.

“Luna of course I’ll help. That’s why I came after all! So what do we do now?” Twilight asked looking at Luna then looking toward Celestia then back again.

“Yes sister, what do we do now?” Celestia asked looking at Luna also.

“We wait.” Was all Luna said. So that’s what they did. They just sat at the entrance to the Everfree and waited. Twenty minutes passed by without a single thing when all of a sudden a voice emanated from the shadows.

“I see you brought your sister Luna! And a close friend I presume.” The voice was slightly deep and masculine. The owner of the voice was obviously male.

“Is it you? Is it really you?” Luna said speaking into the shadows.

“Yes Luna, it’s me.” With that a tall figure stepped out from the shadows. Its eyes opened up to reveal two glowing blue orbs, darkness trailed off its body as if they were flames, and his whole body was as dark and shadowy as the night. Twilight stepped a little closer to her mentor as the figure came closer. Celestia stood her ground and stood in a ready stance in case things got violent. Luna only stepped closer to the figure, tears in her eyes.

“I need proof to know it’s you. Proof that you aren’t just my imagination, proof that you are REAL.” Luna said as she pointed to the ring on her horn. The figure was now only a few feet away from Luna. It then walked right up to her and showed its left hand. On its index finger was a ring with the engraving “To my dearest friend and best companion Noah”

Tears now flowed freely from Luna’s eyes as she looked from the ring to the figure.

“Noah… It is you!” A large smile came on her face as tears of joy escaped her eyes. She brought the figure into a tight hug and cried freely on him. “How did you get here? What happened to you? Why are you here?” Luna continued to ask questions, but then the figure silenced her. Luna looked deep into his glowing eyes and saw something, something familiar. Then the realization struck her like a blow to the head. It was the darkness. The darkness that had consumed her a thousand years ago. The darkness that had turned her into the Nightmare. “Noah… how, how did this happen to you?” Luna asked still hugging him. Her tears of joy had now turned back to tears of sorrow. Noah took one of his hands and brought Luna’s muzzle up to his face. Luna allowed it to happen, she knew what he was about to do.

Celestia and Twilight however, did not. Thinking he was about to cause harm to her sister Celestia rushed in between the two of them, knocking Luna to the ground and causing Noah to be pushed back.

“What do you think you are doing to MY sister?” Celestia nearly yelled. Her horn began to glow as she charged up a spell.

“No sister he was not going to harm me!” Luna cried out. Celestia, upon hearing this, backed away and her horn’s glow faded.

“My apologies Noah, I… I did not know what you were doing and I acted without thinking.” Celestia said as she took a few steps back, a little embarrassed.

“No, you were thinking of your sister’s well-being and I understand why you did what you did. But if I may please proceed for time is short.” Noah said walking towards Luna.

“But of course.” Celestia said as she watched Noah pick Luna off the ground. Twilight looked up at the Celestia.

“Princess what are they doing?” Twilight asked one of the many questions in her head.

“I have no idea Twilight.” Was Celestia’s reply. Noah’s and Luna’s faces were getting closer and closer and then Celestia knew. They were going to kiss! The pair’s mouths touched and a bright light came from it. The light was so blinding that even Celestia had to shield her eyes. When the light had vanished; Twilight and Celestia were both shocked by what they saw. The shadowy and dark figure that had once been Noah was no longer there. Instead in its place lay a human, clothed in a black robe. Luna looked up at him and smiled. Memories flooded back into her mind from a forgotten time of her life. He still looked the same. Same dark hair, same handsome face, and same deep blue eyes. That is what drew most of Luna’s attention, his eyes. She could get lost in his eyes, as if all the worries of the world were nothing. Her sister snapped her back into the real world.

“So this is Noah? Who are you exactly?” Celestia asked, approaching the two of them. Luna got down onto her four hooves again and stood close to Noah. He cleared his throat before he answered.

“I am a human from the planet Earth. And I have come here to deliver dire news. Equestria is in danger of falling and crumbling into dust. A threat of unimaginable power is coming to your land.” Noah said, his voice much different. It was slightly softer, more relaxing, calming even. But the words he spoke were alarming to the three ponies present.

“Why tell us this? And why not just contact us instead of snooping around Canterlot and leaving a mysterious note and package?” Celestia asked him. Noah’s gaze turned toward the ground.

“Because I wasn’t myself. That thing you saw before was darkness with me barely in control. I do not know where it came from. All I know is that Luna saved me from it… at least for now…” Noah stopped speaking for a few seconds as the others stood in silence, looking at him. “I’m sure all of you have many more questions but now is not the time to answer them. We must travel to the middle of the forest and there I will tell you how I know of this threat.” Celestia was about to protest when a sudden tremor shook the ground beneath them.

“What was that?!?” Twilight asked, hugging her mentor’s leg.

“It’s starting! We must move quickly before time runs out, HURRY!” Noah called to them as he began running into the forest. Luna was the first to run after him, followed by Celestia, then Twilight. And so their adventure began. Though they did not know it yet. The events to follow will either lead to Equestria’s safety or destruction. And so they began to make their way to the heart of the Everfree Forest, not knowing what awaits them.

How it all Started

As the four of them walked deeper into the forest, they began to notice something rather odd. The forest was becoming a lot brighter! It seemed the deeper they went the more light shined through the trees’ thick leaves.

“This doesn’t make any sense. I thought the Everfree Forest was supposed to get darker the deeper you go in.” Twilight said trying to break the silence that had settled over the group. Noah looked back at her as he talked, though he did not stop walking.

“Normally that is true but we are heading towards the center. In the center there is a large clearing were we can set up a place to rest and replenish ourselves.” With that he turned his head forward again. Twilight just walked and let out a tired sigh. She had hoped that they would stop and take a little break by now. Unfortunately for her Noah was determined to get to the center as quickly as possible. They had been walking for two hours now, but still there was no sign of the center.

“Ugh! Are we almost there?!?!” Twilight complained.

“Almost, just a little longer. By the way I didn’t catch your name.” Noah said as he still continued walking.

“My name is Twilight, Twilight Sparkle. Noah, how do you know all of the stuff about the Everfree, and about that tremor, and about…” Twilight was cut off as the group entered a large area that was completely open. Sunshine filled the area and soft grass grew on the ground. Twilight could have sworn that they weren’t even near the Everfree. Yet it surrounded the area with its thick trees.

“Well, we’re finally here. Let’s take a load off. Please, everyone sit.” Noah urged them. Luna. Twilight, and Celestia complied, each giving a sigh of relief. Noah let out a small chuckle. “Come on Luna, we walked farther than that before!” Noah said now laughing. He had a warm smile and a very peaceful laugh. As if his happiness was an infectious disease, Luna and Celestia began to giggle followed by Twilight.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t walked such a long distance in a few years!” Luna said, a small smile appearing on her face. Noah smiled back. It didn’t last too long however. The giggling and smiling soon stopped. He then turned to look at everypony present. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Twilight and Celestia were on edge, their curiosity and the suspense getting the better of them.

“Now I’m sure all of you have questions and I promise they will be answered. But first, Luna and I must tell how it is I know her and this world.” Noah said, turning his head to look at Luna.

“Before we begin, I brought something that might help you two understand how Noah and I know each other. If it’s alright with you Noah may I begin our story?” Luna said looking at Noah.

“By all means, after all, we have all the time in the world.” Both Twilight and Celestia were confused by how gingerly Noah’s voice was.

“Wait, you were freaking out about how we were running out of time, why do we suddenly have all the time in the world?” Twilight asked accusingly.

“A good question Twilight. You see this clearing is no ordinary clearing, it’s a time spell. Cast millennia ago. All time does not exist here. This is why I was so intent on getting here. Now then if there are no more questions, Luna, please begin.” With that Twilight, Celestia, and Noah turned their attention to Luna. She was in the process of getting something out of her saddle bag, and the three of them sat there, waiting. When Luna finally pulled out the item she desired Noah gasped.

“Y-you kept our photo book? After all this time?” Noah said with what seemed to be the formation of tears at the edges of his eyes,

“Of course I did, we did have some amazing memories after all. Now then, let us begin at the beginning,” With that Luna opened the photo book to the first page.

It all began a while after I had been banished to the moon. Nightmare Moon had receded to the back of my mind, waiting for us to be freed from our prison. I was having a hard time coping with the loneliness and silence. I was beginning to go crazy! I needed to talk to somepony, anypony! I was desperate for something to do. Minutes felt like hours, hours felt like days! The only relief I got was when I slowly cried myself to sleep. However, I still got nightmares and woke up screaming to the silence around me. I had no way to know how long it had been, or how much longer it would be until I was freed. I began thinking about ways to apologize for my wrong doings, ways to make up for the ponies I hurt, most importantly my sister. Nightmare would then intrude on my thoughts and mock me for being a pitiful weakling. But one day, or night, something happened. I was awoken from a nap by a strange light. The light turned out to be an old form of magic. It was an ancient teleportation spell. I couldn’t believe that I was going to be free in Equestria again! And neither could Nightmare. I slowly made my way through the portal, expecting to see the green fields of my beautiful home. Instead, a strange figure awaited me on the other side. It stood on two legs and looked at me with shocked eyes. I looked at it the exact same way. As it turns out, that spell was activated by complete accident by this strange creature. We stared at each other for some time before one of us spoke.

“Hello, I’m Noah.”

“I am Luna…. Where am I strange creature?” I asked looking around the strange world.

“You’re in the forest just outside Andersonville. Um, how are you talking?” Noah asked. Now bear in mind that this was many years ago. Noah was much younger and did not know as much as he does now; he was also a lot cuter.

“Luna focus on the story please.” Noah said with a blush on his face. Luna giggled at him. Celestia and Twilight did the same.

“Okay Noah, anyway…”

“I hath been talking since I was but a little filly. And what of thou?” I asked. I was not accustomed to the way he talked, much as it was when I came back from the moon. Twilight should know that well.

“Same thing with me. I do have a question though, why are you talking with old English?” Noah asked me.

“Old English? This is Equestrian. I believe thou need to study more on languages.” I told him. He just stared at me blankly, his eyes full of wonder and curiosity.

“Um, Equestrian? There’s no language called that on Earth.” Those words struck me like a blow to the face. I looked around me slowly and carefully. My suspicions were unfortunately correct. I was not in or even near Equestria; I was on a different planet!

“Noah, could you please take over now?” Luna asked with little puppy eyes.

“But of course.” Noah said with a smile on his face.

Well I might as well start with how the portal opened. It began on what seemed would be a regular day. The sun was out, animals were about doing what they do, and I woke up in a good mood. It was summer time and I was free to do what I felt I wanted to do. I decided that it would be a nice day for a walk in the forest near my house. I got dressed, packed a few snacks, told my parents where I was going, as I was only 16, and I headed out. I had been in the forest many times before but I never went too deep. That day I decided to go as deep as I could. Little did I know that that choice would change my life. As I went deeper and deeper into the forest, I began to notice something rather odd, there seemed to be old structures buried under all the plants. I ignored it as much as I could but the deeper I went, the more the structures took shape. Then I reached the center. I stood there shocked, unable to believe what I was seeing. It was an old tower, what looked to be medieval. I was amazed at how well it looked, as it must have been hundreds of years old. My curiosity got the better of me and I began to explore the tower. What I found was amazing! It looked like some kind of fire pit with a lot of books and weird ingredients around it. I picked up one of the books and tried to make out the title. Thankfully it was in English. It was Spells for the Apprentice. I laughed at its content. It spoke of magical spells and sorcery. Now in my world there is no real magic, or so most people believe. I found out the hard way how wrong we are on that. I decided to humor myself and try one of the spells. It was called the Spell of Help. It said that once cast it would help anyone who needed help the most. I gathered everything the spell called for and threw it into the fire pit. There as one problem, no way to light it. I looked around for something to help with this little problem but found nothing. I was about to leave when I heard something. A crackling noise, as if something was on fire. I turned around to see my suspicions were correct. The pit was on fire! Only it was a blue flame that shined brightly and powerfully. Then the fire began to spin around. It spun faster and faster and glowed more and more. Soon a spinning vortex opened up and that was when she came out. It was Luna; only at that time I thought it was a very interesting looking pony. Then I learned that she could speak. And our conversation began as Luna had said. And so after an awkward moment of silence I spoke again.

“Um, are you okay, um Luna?” I asked sheepishly, still very nervous and somewhat scared. She just looked at me with big, teary eyes. They were full of pain, misery, and deep sadness. It was then I knew why she was here. She was the one in need of help the most. That is why the spell brought her here. I noticed that her head hung low to the ground and tears were now flowing freely from her eyes. I decided to do a daring thing. I went up to her and embraced her in a hug. She gasped at this almost as if she had never been hugged before. I then felt her calm down in my arms and she returned the hug.

“T-thank you, Noah.” Was all she managed to say before breaking down to tears again. I only held her tighter, knowing that was all I could do to comfort her. She soon stopped sobbing and I released her from the hug. She looked at me and a small smile came across her face. I smiled back.

“Why were you crying Luna?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Because I am free but I am trapped at the same time.” Was her answer.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, where do I begin….” And that is how I learned of Equestria and most of its secrets. It is also from Luna that I know of her rather big problem, Nightmare.
Once her story was finished I simply went up to her again and hugged her once more. She immediately hugged back.
“I’m sorry I can’t do more for you Luna, I truly am.” I began to cry slightly. This time it was Luna who helped me. She tightened the hug and whispered to me.

“Thou hath helped me more than thou know. Thou actually allowed me to talk, to tell my story. Thou were actually friendly to me.” Now Luna began to cry. It was then that I realized that something was happening to the fire pit. Luna soon noticed it also. The blue fire inside whirled about and engulfed me and Luna. At first I thought I was about to burn to death, then I noticed that I actually felt happy and relaxed. It was as if I was a small child being held by a loving mother’s arms. I calmed down and looked around. All I saw was a fiery, blue surrounding. Then I saw Luna drifting next to me, her eyes filled with wonder. She soon noticed me and smiled. At that exact moment something amazing happened. We both laughed, we smiled, and we looked around at the spectacular display before us! It was as if the magic itself was taking all of our worries and troubles away. Then, the sight before us vanished and we were back in the tower, the sun setting. Luna got up and stared at it, curiosity in her eyes.

“Who raises and sets the sun here?” She asked. I simply gave her an odd look. I then remembered her telling me of how she, and you, Celestia, raise the sun and moon.

“Actually it does it by itself, same with our moon.” I said starring at the sunset myself. Luna looked back at me, a shocked expression on her face.

“Thou meanest everything works itself here? Really? How fascinating!” Luna exclaimed and looked back to the sunset.

“Yeah, it must be a tough job to raise the sun and the moon. Here everything just works itself out. Most people explain it with science. I could teach you some of it sometime.” I offered. Luna just turned around and smiled at me.

“I think that would be very nice.” Was all she said. I smiled and walked over to her. We just stared at the sunset and smiled. Then the realization hit me. How am I supposed to explain a talking pony from another world to my parents?!?!?

Author’s Note: I am really sorry I took so long to update! And it’s not even that long dangit! And please forgive my horrible use of the way Luna talked with thou and stuff, I’m not use to using that. But I would like to thank everyone who has read my story. Thank you all a million times over! I just hope this story stays entertaining. Okay I’m rambling now. Have a great day everyone!