Audi and Nova Noctis were well known, having become the source of interplanetary intrigue overnight. Their daughter, Luna, was the first and only child to be born of two cis women. Scientists in various fields of biology flocked to the Ishtar Sink on Venus to conduct various tests and research both the happy couple and their child. The first tests had confirmed that Luna was indeed the child of Audi and Nova, with a margin of error less than two percent. When asked how they had achieved such a thing when the technology to create a child this way did not exist, the couple simply shrugged and claimed she was a miracle: their own little Light.

Growing up, Luna was closely observed by various researchers, including those who studied the Traveler and the Light. They found she was quite normal, and surprisingly mentally healthy, considering the amount of public attention that was on her. She took music lessons for various instruments, from the violin to the oboe to the piano. She learned how each one worked, what the essential mechanism for creating sound was, and how to play with that directly. As she left high school and moved on to college, she pursued music, to the surprise of no one.

She went to a relatively small college on Earth. It wasn't particularly prestigious, nor did it have a particularly robust music program, but it was where she wanted to go. On her first day, when her mothers dropped her off, they gave her a simple necklace. It was a simple gold chain upon which a pair of intertwined rings hung. One ring was gold inset with a ruby, while the other was silver inset with sapphire. The two rings were inseparable, as they were bound both by the chain, and to each other.

The rings were her mothers' wedding bands. Audi and Nova had the original rings made into that necklace shortly after Luna was born, with the intent of passing it down to Luna as an heirloom. The rings were the promise of love to each other, bound together in unbreakable loops. The chain was Luna, intersecting both rings both individually and together, including her in their love.

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Luna shot awake, her wings itching with distilled anxiety. She could feel Violet's curse magic flaring down in Lighthold, and could only assume the worst. With no regard for control of her magic, she ripped open her balcony doors and threw herself into the night. The icy air easily pierced her coat, only adding to the chills that ran down her spine. Off in the distance, the only sense of hope came from the fact that the night was still dark. Whatever was happening, Violet had yet to cast that curse.

Her mind raced to put the pieces together. What was that dream? What did it mean? What was with that incantation? Why did she look and sound so weak...?

Was Violet dying? Could Violet die? She still had her Shape, her 'Ghost' as she called it. Its entire purpose was to bring her back from death. As long as it was unharmed, could she not just be brought back?

Luna touched down on Violet's balcony, and reached up to knock on the door, but found only a curtain blocking the way. Inside was quiet and dark, but she could hear faint sobbing. It sounded... mostly like Violet, but with another voice mixed in, similar to how she sounded when she'd cast her curses.

"Violet?"

The sobbing went quiet.

"Violet, may I come in?" Luna asked softly.

There was no reply.

"Violet, I'm coming in," she said.

With a faint touch of magic, she pulled the curtain aside and entered Violet's room. Immediately, Violet's dragonoid form caught her eye. The fur on the back of her neck raised in response, and her feathers itched with anxiety. But then she noticed the fox sitting in Violet's lap as though nothing were wrong. Violet's hand continued stroking through its fur in steady rhythm. A necklace Luna had never seen before was around Violet's neck, shining in the beam of moonlight that slipped past the curtain.

"Violet... are you... okay?" Luna asked tentatively.

"Yes..." Violet answered. "I'm... not hungry..."

Luna paused, confused for a brief moment before understanding kicked in. She lit her horn, trying to feel what was happening.

A fine wish, Miss Noctis! Your desire for this is vast as the void, and shall feed me until this star dies!

She could sense a warmth flowing in the room, and she could sense that Violet seemed to be absorbing it.

Your wish is granted. Your daughter, my heir, is born.

Violet's magic, her Light, seemed to be growing stronger, and the curse magic seemed to be weakening. Luna looked up at her, trying to follow what she was sensing in that room.

Violet stopped petting the fox. The warmth stopped flowing. Slowly, Violet's scales began to recede, sliding back down beneath her clothes and skin. Luna looked on in disbelief.

I leave for you enough desire to sustain you until you are old enough to know how to hunt on your own.

"Violet... That fox..." Luna murmured. Her brain struggled to grasp what was happening, let alone how it was possible. The fox was radiating a warm feeling, something akin to the warmth of motherly love, and Violet had been absorbing it, almost drinking it. "Where did you find that fox?"

Violet remained silent as she watched her body return to normal. The bony face-plates shrank down until, like the scales, they receded beneath her skin. The stingers, too, shrank back down to nonexistence.

"I found her in the forest, not far from where I crashed," Violet said, her face betraying her confusion. She stared at the fox pensively, and the fox ignored her gaze. "I... I don't understand what she is, but she fed me..."

Luna thought for a moment, trying to piece together an explanation for what she'd just witnessed. "I think that fox was your inheritance. The {Ahamkara} must have left you a well of desire from which you could sustain yourself..."

Violet looked down at the necklace, her mind still processing what was happening.

"Violet, I'm coming in," another voice sounded, this one rougher than either Luna's or Violet's. The curtain pulled away to reveal Chrysalis. Her mane was even more unkempt than usual, and her eyes betrayed a deep-seated anxiety that Luna could immediately recognize. Her brow furrowed as her gaze shifted between Violet, Luna, and the fox. "I could feel her feeding on something... Was it you, Princess?"

"No," Luna answered, gesturing to the fox.

The fox, in turn, smiled cheekily at the ponies.

Chrysalis flared her own magic, reaching out into the aetheric field. Near immediately, Chrysalis' gaze fixed on the fox with a deep and curious confusion. "That fox is not real."

Violet raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean...?"

Chrysalis sighed. "That fox is... empty. It's a vessel, and only that. It's not possible for such a being to exist. The amount of magic necessary to sustain it..."

Luna looked down at the fox. "It contains desire..."

"Correct," Chrysalis said. "It's made of magic and desire."

"Then... I won't starve..." Violet murmured.

Luna tentatively approached. "No, you won't starve."

If ever Luna had been surprised by Violet's actions it was in this moment. The princess had no time to react as Violet threw her arms around her and pulled her up into the tightest hug she'd ever felt. Luna's face immediately stained over with a harsh blush.

Chrysalis, meanwhile, simply smiled to herself, drinking in the overflowing warmth of the affection.

Rose stared up at the sky, watching the pegasi moving the clouds in preparation for a thunderstorm. It was morning, just before dawn; the first of the sun's rays were just barely visible over the horizon, providing just enough light for herself and the pegasus weather crews to see by. The cool air felt nice against her skin.

The sound of footsteps. A gentle touch of a cold hand on her shoulder. A soft, feminine voice that said, "Hey."

"Mornin', heatsink," Rose said as Mae wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Fuck you're cold."

Mae was unarmored, wearing some civilian-wear that had been given to her by one of the local ponies. ~Rarity~ was her name, if she remembered correctly. According to Luna, she was quite talented, and her designs were pleasing to the eye. Given Rose's restrictions on what she could and couldn't get away with wearing without overheating or accidentally incinerating, the Warlock had declined the pony's offer to make her clothes.

"I'm always cold, you know that," Mae said, smirking to herself. "My armor's bulky so I can fit in the heating system."

"So why aren't you wearing your armor now?" Rose asked, a playful smile appearing on her lips.

"Wanted to bother you," Mae answered.

The two sat in silence, watching as the storm was assembled in the sky.

"This place is fuckin' weird," Mae murmured.

"What's the weirdest bit?" Rose asked.

"All of it," the Titan replied. "The locals are ponies, magic is real, they make their own weather, and everything's just so... peaceful."

"Yeah..." Rose hummed. "But it's nice..."

Mae nodded. "Aye... It is..."

The two sat in silence together for a moment, watching as the sky was filled with dark clouds that smelled of lightning and petrichor. As the final patch of clear sky was filled in, one of the pegasi flew down and landed in front of the two. Said pegasus had a coat the color of clear skies, and a mane in every color of the rainbow. ~Rainbow Dash~, Luna had said her name was.

"~You two should head inside,~" the pony said. "~The thunder will start in about five minutes.~"

Mae released Rose from her heat-sapping hug and stood up. With a snap of her fingers and a flash of light, she donned her armor. "~Good,~" the Titan replied. "~Let it come.~"

"~It's not safe to be out here, you need to go,~" ~Rainbow Dash~ insisted.

"~I will be safe. Lightning cannot harm me,~" Mae said. She stepped calmly forward into the field of the park and took a low, awkward stance. Her legs were bent, her left the only one on the ground, her right slightly raised. Her left arm was forward with the elbow bent and pointed down, while her right was bent behind her head, elbow up, palm facing the sky. Lightning flashed in the sky, hidden by the clouds, and the roar of thunder followed.

Luna stepped forward into the field, to the surprise of Rose and Mae. One of the princesses, ~Luna~, if the crescent moon on her flank was anything to go by, sat down next to Rose with a contented smile. She offered a polite nod to the Warlock, and Rose nodded right back before turning back to her sisters.

Luna stood with a brand new posture about her, a new aura that made both Mae and Rose wonder what had happened. No longer was Luna hunched over as though trying to make herself smaller or hide away. She didn't stand with the same commanding presence as a Titan either. There was something entirely different. Something Mae and Rose recognized, but couldn't put a name to.

Thunderclap and flash. Lightning struck Mae, and in an instant, seven blades of Arc Light formed across her body: one in her right knee, one against her right hip, one in her right elbow, one between her right shoulder and neck, one in her left elbow, one in her left armpit, and one in her teeth. With incredible speed, the Titan lurched forwards with her Arc Blades, juggling the seven blades through the air as she moved.

Luna swept her left foot in a circle around her and flared her own Light. Twin blades of Void Light formed in her hands as she brought her left blade around behind her, perfectly blocking Mae's incoming slash. She ducked forwards, bringing her right blade up to block one of Mae's airborne blades. Luna leapt up into the air, allowing her Void Light to slip her into glossy stealth, making her nigh invisible to the naked eye.

The two Guardians proceeded to dance a dance of blades, neither managing to gain ground against the other. Rose watched with greater interest than usual. Luna had never been able to keep up with Mae's Arc Blades before, and would usually take her first death within the first twenty strikes. But as she counted twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, Luna remained standing. Sixty. Luna was still veiled in shadows, and Mae could only make out her form from being so close and seeing the way the light from her blades bent around her. Rose could see her by watching the footsteps in the grass and where the rain was halted before it reached the ground. Seventy. Eighty. Ninety. The two Guardians clashed one final time, totaling one-hundred strikes.

The blades of Arc and Void Light faded away, leaving Mae and Luna standing face to face staring into each other's eyes. Several ponies, including both princesses, were assembled, all sitting and watching like Rose.

"I see you haven't lost your step in this peaceful world," Mae said.

"Sometimes, you need to stop and start again," Luna replied. "I've found a new rhythm."

"And you keep mine just fine," Mae added with a delighted smile. She brought herself back to a normal standing position. "This place is good for you."

"No, the people are good for me," Luna said with a subtle smile. She gestured towards the ponies. "They helped me learn to move on."

"This place is good for you," Mae insisted, placing a heavy hand on Luna's shoulder. "You've found a place to rest your soul. A place where people care about you, not just your Light or what you do with it."

Luna smiled and started walking back to Rose and the ponies. "Aye. I've found a special place where I don't have to worry about the Ahamkara or the Vanguard or the latest movements of the Cabal or the Hive. I can finally breathe easy here. I'm not walking on eggshells anymore..."

Luna smiled and placed her hand on ~Luna's~ withers as the ponies stood up. "~Let's get out of the storm,~" Luna said.

To herself, she added, "I can rest in peace."

Author's Note

If you can see the reference I made with Mae's Arc Blades, congratulations.