Night Owl loved nothing more than flying among the stars. Everypony was asleep, and he was alone to admire Luna's beautiful moon.
He shucked off his armor and launched himself off the tower. The soft wind brushed across his mane as he soared over Canterlot's lights. A wide array of stars spread out like a blanket above him and he wondered if perhaps he could fly high enough that he would be next to the stars. He could stare into infinity and never be lost, guided by the comforting light of the moon.
Far below, some other pony was sitting on her porch, looking over the Canterlot wall, music playing faintly in the background. Soon, though, she went inside. Everypony was going to get lots of sleep while they could, then get up so they could watch Celestia raise the sun.
Tomorrow was the Summer Sun Celebration. Night Owl personally didn't care for it, but he would be there standing by Luna's side as her personal guard. Besides his job, he loved to see her doing what she did best. Even if his presence hadn’t been required, he probably would have gone just to see the alicorn gracefully lower her namesake out of the sky.
He did one more loop-de-loop then winged back to the castle. Luna would need help preparing herself to lower the moon. Not that she had any trouble with it, but for the Celebration she did it with quite a lot of pizzazz.
One year, she even had Night Owl do a Nightlight. That was like a sonic rainboom, but instead of a rainbow, Night Owl got a brilliant glowing trail of purple and white. Hence the purple star on Night Owl's flank.
This year, Luna wanted an enchanted purple aura around her head. Apparently it needed a pegasus to lift it, since it was somewhat like a cloud. Night Owl didn't understand magic, but since his Princess commanded it, he would go with it.
He landed back on the balcony and pulled back on his armor before knocking at the door to Princess Luna's private quarters.
"Princess Luna, I am here to assist you with your preparations," Night Owl called out in what Luna like to call his "business voice".
He had always wondered why Luna insisted on not having several servants for each task, but one who was an all around good helper. He wasn't about to argue, though; she was his colthood crush and idol. Now that Night Owl was grown up, the two had a slow but blossoming relationship. Sometimes he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. It was as though some goddess had matched the two of them, for no two ponies loved the night more than Luna and Night Owl. Then again, Luna was half goddess...wasn’t she? She certainly was immortal, but Night Owl didn’t like to think about that. He would settle for a long, happy life with her.
"You may enter!" Luna called from inside. Night Owl nosed open the door and entered the princess's rooms.
Luna was sitting at her vanity, brushing her hair with her magic. The magic aura, Luna's chest plate, and her boots lay spread out on the bed behind her.
Night Owl stood there, a little lost. Luna got up, her hair apparently finished, and slipped into her boots.
"Thou should see thy face. Do not worry, I only need thee to help place my aura and secure the chest plate."
Night Owl sighed with relief. "These feminine tasks are beyond my poor simple male abilities."
Luna grinned at that. "Thou art a competent assistant and a fine companion."
Though both the princesses used the Canterlot voice, royal we, and old language when speaking in any public place, Luna liked the speech patterns so much she had fallen into the habit of using archaic language all the time. Night Owl bowed and said both mockingly and seriously, "Thou art too kind, Princess."
He walked over to the bed and picked up the chest plate. For some reason, it was easy to fasten with teeth, but Luna had never gotten the technique down with her magic. He slid it over Princess Luna's bowed head and settled it on her shoulders, then flipped the catch with his hoof. Luna straightened.
Next, the magical aura. Night Owl picked it up and felt the magic flow across his hooves. Though it looked liquid, it was surprisingly light yet sturdy. He arranged it over Luna's head and neck, while she pointed out minor adjustments to make. The excess, which there was quite a lot of, flowed around Luna's head, not unlike Princess Celestia's mane. Night Owl stepped back to look at his handiwork. She was breathtaking.
"What doth thy think?" asked the Princess.
"You look wonderful, Luna," Night Owl breathed. "Everypony is going to love you!"
For some reason this made Luna sad. "If anypony looks at me, next to Celestia."
"Princess," he said, looking her straight in the eyes, "your moon is a thousand times more beautiful than Celestia"s plain old fireball of a sun."
Luna blushed and replied, "Thou art too kind, Night Owl." She gave him a quick kiss and stepped out onto the balcony.
Whenever he was around her, he felt light as a feather on one of his wings. When they kissed, chills ran straight from his neck to the base of his spine. Wasn’t there a song like that? I would smile as the shivers and chills run down my spine...
He joined Luna on the balcony and wrapped his wing over her. She was now staring out over Canterlot, her face impossible to read.
“Are you ready, my Princess?” Night Owl asked. She did not turn to look at him. “Yes...let us be off now. Our subjects are waiting.” Night Owl pulled back his wing and Luna took off, the former flying just behind her. They soared above Canterlot together, Luna leading the way and Night Owl flying on her tail.
As they neared closer to the center of the city, more and more ponies appeared in the streets below. Luna cloaked herself and Night Owl in darkness. The princesses could not be seen until their appearances during the ceremony. They reached the platform and landed silently next to Celestia. Luna deactivated the spell and seemingly shimmered into existence.
Celestia turned her head to look at the pair, Night Owl moving to stand next to Celestia’s own guard. The guard- Night Owl couldn’t remember his name- blinked at Night Owl but otherwise didn’t acknowledge his presence. He was at attention, and couldn’t afford to break it. Not in public. Night Owl snapped to attention and listened to the sound of the crowd. Behind him, Luna and Celestia were whispering.
Before long, the noise of the crowd quieted down. “Go on Luna, that’s your cue!” whispered Celestia. Luna flew up to the top of the sun-circle and lit up her horn, preparing to lower the moon and herself down. But she hesitated this time. Celestia leaned forward in between the two guards.
Luna’s mane-aura whipped around her, growing darker and darker. Still the moon did not lower. Celestia flew up next to her sister and shouted, “Luna! Lower the moon! Stop this!” Celestia’s guard- Sunburn, that was it!- tensed and prepared to take off. The darkness surrounding Luna whipped back to reveal a very changed pony. Rather cheesily, the crowd gasped.
She was tall and midnight black, with blue armor on her hooves, chest and head. The spotting on her flank was now purple, and her mane and tail had become the starry aura. She laughed, a chilling, malevolent laugh.
“No, Celestia, I will not lower the moon. Luna and I have had quite enough of the sunshine and your precious little sun-loving subjects. It’s time that they appreciated the night! And it will last forever!”
Celestia pulled her lips back in a snarl. “Nightmare. I thought we had gotten rid of you. How dare you corrupt my sister!”
The Nightmare that was Luna laughed. “Poor little Luna was so lonely. So sad. Nopony appreciated her. She was more than willing to merge with my soul. Back down, Celestia, and you may be allowed to live under the reign of Nightmare Moon!”
Sunburn dashed to Celestia’s side as Nightmare Moon swung a hoof at Celestia’s head.
“Night Owl! Get the Elements of Harmony! Hurry!” shrieked Celestia. Sunburn and Celestia flew at Nightmare Moon to the gasps of the crowd as Night Owl fled back to the castle. He flew into Celestia’s tower and landed in front of the Elements of Harmony room. He brushed a very specific feather against the lock, which was keyed into his and Sunburn’s feathers. Luna and Celestia used the more obvious horn-lock. The door opened far too slowly, revealing two crowns with three stones set in each. He grabbed them and flew back out the window, not bothering to wonder how Celestia would use both.
A dark blue force field now surrounded the main square. The force field was slowly expanding to encompass all of Canterlot. Without stopping, Night Owl flew straight into it. As it passed through him, his wings seized up. He rolled onto his back and landed hard in the middle of the road, trying to protect the Elements of Harmony.
Adrenaline pumped through his body as he got up, along with shock. It couldn’t be Luna that was doing this. No, she was innocent. That, that monster had to be perverting her nature. She was so peaceful, so kind...surely she would never want to do this to another pony? Night Owl took off down the road at a run, ignoring the pain in his spine and wings.
Night Owl skidded to a stop at the edge of the square. Most of the spectators were either lying down with their hooves over their heads, unconscious, or...he didn’t want to even think it. Up on the stage, Nightmare Moon and Celestia were locked horn-to-horn, blocking each other’s spells. Sunburn lay off to the side of the stage, his armor smoking and dented. His wing was bent back unnaturally. Now, how could Night Owl get Celestia away from Nightmare Moon long enough to give her the Elements...?
A direct attack was the only option. His wings were still cramped up, but the Princesses weren’t that far above the ground. He galloped down the center of the crowd, where an aisle had formed before the ceremony purely by habit of the citizens.
He had to time this jump exactly right. Just before he hit the edge of the stage, he tossed the Elements up towards Celestia and leaped up, hitting Nightmare Moon squarely in the side. They crashed down, Night Owl on top of Nightmare Moon. There hadn’t been a sound of clattering metal, so Celestia must have caught the Elements.
“Get off me, you foal!” cried Nightmare Moon and, picking up Night Owl easily with her mane, tossed him into the base of the sun-circle. The metal ring teetered and crashed down on top of him. Night Owl’s vision blackened and he struggled to lift the pole off himself. It was no use, however. He was still weak from his crash-landing, and besides that, apathy had set in. What was the use of getting up, when it meant he would have to just fight against his precious Luna? No, it was better to just lie here and let it play out. He was a mere guard. Celestia would handle this quite nicely.
Little by little, the black spots dancing around his vision faded away. Celestia was now wearing a single crown with the six jewels of the Elements embedded in it. It must have changed form to fit the bearer...
He watched as Celestia opened her eyes to reveal glowing pits of pure light. The six jewels shot out beams of light that coalesced to form a rainbow that bore down on Nightmare Moon relentlessly. Pride and horror warred with each other, while the Elements of Harmony wrapped Nightmare Moon in a glowing array of color then shot up into the sky, right at the moon that Luna had failed to lower.
Then, she was gone and the rainbow was fading away. Without any of her usual flair, Celestia set the cycle of the day right again, taking control of both celestial bodies. Medic ponies rushed forward to fuss over the three combatants, and Night Owl allowed himself to be carried away half-conscious and utterly defeated.
He came to in a soft bed that might as well have been a cloud, for how alone and isolated he felt. Sure, the bed next to him held Sunburn, but neither of them talked, not even when Celestia visited them. Should he have felt honored? Should he have felt anything? It was just better to float away like he always had. Only now, with his wings bandaged to his sides and the doctors whispering nervously over him, he was confined to his mind and bed.
In the bed beside him, Sunburn turned over to look at Night Owl’s still figure. He didn’t know what happened to Night Owl, since he had been passed out for most of the battle, but the other guard was absolutely traumatized. He cleared his throat.
“Night Owl?” No response. “I, uh, I know you’re hurting right now...” He paused. “Inside, that is...and, if you need any help...or if you start talking...I guess I’m there for you.” There was a slight rustling of sheets as Night Owl shifted. Sunburn cursed his inability to communicate with words. That was all Sunburn was going to get from him today, though.
One thousand years.
A thousand deathless years to sit here on the moon and watch Equestria. Luna could feel Nightmare lying dormant inside of her, but wasn’t compelled to do anything about it. She had a thousand years, after all. More or less. It was hard to keep time here. It was hard to do anything, except wallow in regret. Should she have felt angry? Should she have felt anything? It was just better to float away like she always had. Only now, trapped on the moon in a punishment she deserved, she was confined to her mind and the tiny rock she used to control.
After perhaps an eternity of waiting, she laid her head down on her hooves and stared down at Equestria. She could see anypony from up here...her dear sister, Celstia, settling into her bed after lowering the sun. Surprisingly enough, Equestrian society had settled quite nicely into a new system with only one Princess. She’d had her fit over that, but anger lost its attraction all too quickly.
Now she was watching Night Owl, her beloved Night Owl. He’d been hit hard by her betrayal. Now, he walked the streets of Canterlot, instead of flying over them, and held his wings close to him. He barely interacted with anypony. And at night, he would sit on top of the mountain that Canterlot was built into, and stare up at the moon. She would stare back down at him and wish he could see her too. Not tonight, though. She knew what he was up to. She’d seen the signs, seen what was building up in his mind. Did she blame him? Not a bit. If she’d been in his place, she would have done the same thing. Oh, to be truly mortal! Not stuck like this, living for far too long, able to heal all but the worst injuries. Fate was a cruel, cruel thing.
She watched, a little jealous, as Night Owl stood at the very tip of the cliff. He stared up at the moon, and she looked back at him, wishing desperately she could be with him one last time before they both vanished into forever. Night Owl tipped forward, closed his wings tight, and fell straight down.
His wings did not open to catch himself. Nopony was waiting beneath to save him, for too many still feared the night after what she had done. He simply hit the ground.
And Night Owl never moved again.
Luna could only wait for forever to hurry up and finish itself. It was going to be a long, cold, lonely exile in the sky.
