Belial: Luna's Assistant

“We are ruled by two princesses,” the teacher's sweet voice said as she started her lesson. “Princess Celestia brings about the sun while her sister brings the night time.”

“Why do we need night time? It's so annoying, I wish we just had the sun,” a young boy in front of Belial asked.
“If we didn't have the night, then you wouldn't have the energy to have fun during the day!” the teacher replied enthusiastically, although the class just groaned in response. “Anyways, she makes the rules and protects us from other kingdoms, although we haven't had any conflict in over a hundred years. Princess Celestia is the most generous person in our kingdom.”

“Hey, we're going to pick berries in the forest after school, why don't you come with us?” a young girl with purple hair asked Belial.

“Come on Dusk, they're too gloomy to join us,” the boy who sat in front of her asked.

“Oh come on now, don't be like that!”

“No, they're right. I don't really wish to go anyways,” Belial replied, forcing a small smile.

“Alright, if you insist.” Dusk walked away back towards her friends, leaving Belial to herself. While the rest of the others left for recess, she stayed behind to nap. She dreamt of a calm and quiet forest, away from the noise of the other kids. She slept well until the closing of the door pulled her attention back to the class, a few of the kids snickering at her. The teacher quickly took back to her lesson, Belial taking the opportunity to go back to her sleep, but unfortunately the dream didn't come back.

The next thing she knew, the bell rang and school was let out for the day. She quickly grabbed her things and left the school, making her way through the plaza where parents were walking with their kids. She made her way down to the edge of the small town and opened the door to her small rundown house.

“Mom, Dad, I'm home.” She chuckled, “Oh who am I kidding, you aren't coming back.” She threw her bag near the door and opened the fridge to pull out the meager food she was able to get from the food drive the day before. She placed a microwave meal into her broken microwave and set the timer a few minutes past what the package advised, knowing it would take longer to heat up. A few minutes later, she had eaten the meal and returned to the couch, falling asleep quickly.

She found herself waking up just as the sun had set, moonlight sneaking in through the boarded up windows.
“I really need to stop sleeping in the day,” she muttered to herself. She got up and rubbed her eyes before getting up and washing herself off with a bucket in the bathroom, changing into her clothes for the next day.

She stepped out into the night for the first time she could remember. The night was cool and the town was completely silent with only the nocturnal animals making sounds. She looked up at the stars as she sat down on the fountain in awe at the beauty, and how it was all hers.

“It's beautiful, isn't it?” a voice from behind her say. There was a woman with long dark hair, black wings and a purple and blue dress who took a seat next to Belial. She wore a crown on her head with a lone sapphire. Belial quickly realized who this was and bowed to her.

“My princess, I'm sorry I didn't notice you before. Are you the one who brings night?”
The princess's face turned sour for a split second before composing, “Yes I am. I am Princess Luna, but I assume that the schools didn't teach you that, right?”

“No they didn't. They only taught us about Princess Celestia. Your night is beautiful, though. It's so calm with no noise.” Princess Luna motioned for Belial to sit.

“Thank you. Not many people are awake to see the beauty, so may I ask why you are?”

“I slept too much in the day, so I decided to take a walk outside.” The princess laughed at that.

“I never knew someone who would sleep during the day. How are you liking the night?”

“I prefer it to the day. The day is too noisy, hurts my head and it makes me too sleepy. I'd rather just stay awake during the night.”

“Interesting. Would you mind if I met your parents? I have something I want to ask them.” Belial looked down to the stone path.

“I don't have any. They left me when I was super young, so I was always on my own.” The princess placed a kind hand on Belial's shoulder.

“How about coming to live in the castle as my assistant?”

“Really? Why me, though, I'm so gloomy and weird.”

“You're the first person to see the appeal of the night. While you aren't the first to find themselves awake at night, you're the first to truly appreciate my work.” Belial thought about the offer for a moment.

“I'd love to be your assistant, my princess.”

“Who is this, sister?” a shorter woman with short blonde hair that shone like sun with white wings asked as Belial and Luna entered the castle at the edge of the city. Belial found herself rooted to the spot as she realized that this woman was Princess Celestia.

“This is my new assistant, Belial. She saw the beauty in my night, so I decided to reward her.”

“I'm happy for you,” Celestia said, a genuine smile on her face. “It's nice to meet you, Belial. Once everything is finalized, I'll let you meet our other assistants.”

“Thank you, Princess Celestia,” Belial replied.

“Come on, we need to have you officially join. Follow me to the throne room,” Luna said. Belial said goodbye to the other princess, and followed Luna down the long hall past several side hallways until they came across a large set of doors. Luna waved her hand, purple energy swirling around it and engulfing the door, causing it to open into a large throne room. There were two thrones, one white and orange with gold accents, while the other was black and blue. Luna took a seat on the black and blue thrown and motioned for Belial to step forward.

“Get down on one knee and I will swear you in as my personal assistant,” she said. Belial obliged, dropping to one knee and looking into the princess's eyes.

“Belial, I will bestow upon you the rank of assistant and the power of night, do you accept this?” she asked, her hand glowing.

“I do.” Once she said those words, a cold but comforting feeling swept through her as the princess's magic engulfed her body. A blue tri-phase moon appeared on her left hand as her clothes changed into a black pleated skirt and shirt with blue accents. Two black bracelets with a blue line down the middle appeared on her wrists. She could feel what felt like wings spread from her back. She brought them in front of her to see that they were the same dark colour of princess Luna's.

“You are now my first and only assistant. Just like us, you will not require as much sleep as you did before. Tomorrow morning you will meet with the other assistants, but for now, follow me to your quarters.”

“This is your room. The door to your left leads directly to mine, as they are connected,” Luna explained. Belial walked into the room in awe at its extravagance. There was a large bed underneath a window with a table and dresser, all painted blue or grey.

“Your clothes will automatically be cleaned every morning, so no need to worry about that. If I need you, you will feel your bracelet vibrate, so keep that in mind. Not all assistants serve us directly, however. The ones in grey are the cleaners who take care of the castle, so don't be rude to them. The ones in white and gold are my sister's personal assistants.”

“Thank you. I'll do my best for you, my princess.” Luna smiled before opening the door.

“Have a good night Belial.”

Belial awoke the next morning under the covers of her new bed. On her dresser was another set of clothes she assumed was her uniform. She got up, made her bed, then changed into the clothes brought in. There was a knock at the door leading to Princess Luna's room. Belial opened the door to the princess standing in front of her.

“If you're ready, follow me to meet the other assistants. You'll be able to eat breakfast with them as well,” she said.

“I don't really eat much, but thank you.” The pair left the room and traveled the halls, others in grey moving away as the princess passed, staring at Belial with bewilderment. They soon found themselves in a small cafeteria with around dozen people in gold and white uniforms.

“This is where we eat. You don't have to eat, but I do want you to talk to the other assistants, so go ahead and sit at the table. I'll call for you in an hour.” Belial looked to the long table where the other assistants were staring at her.

“There's a free seat over here,” a woman with short pink hair said, motioning to the seat next to her. She carried a sword on her hip, the sheath the same design as her uniform.

“I think you're the first assistant that Luna's taken. What's your name?” another person with medium length brown hair asked.

“I'm Belial,” she said softly.

“I'm Rose. Why did she take you in?” the woman with pink hair asked again. Belial began slowly explaining what happened the day before. The others listened as she spoke, the only time anyone had ever listened to Belial. After she finished, they quickly asked more and more questions until her bracelet began to vibrate slightly.

“Sorry, Princess Luna is calling, I'll see you all later,” Belial said, standing up before leaving the cafeteria. Even though she wasn't sure of the layout of the castle, she had no issues finding Princess Luna in the large library near the top of the castle. The library was vast with multiple floors of spiraling bookcases. In the center of the room was a selection of tables illuminated by the sun spilling in through the large windows that reached to the roof.

“You made it, very good. Sit down, I have some things to teach you,” Luna said. She sat in the middle with a small stack of books next to her. Belial took a seat in front of her.

“The first thing is about your very being.” Luna placed a book in front of her. There was a picture of a stylized person wearing the same uniform as her. She began to read the passage in front of her.

“Immortality?” Belial said, astonished. “I didn't know I would live forever.”

“Only one assistant can be immortal at a time. Since we also live forever, it is useful.”

“So I can look at the night forever?” Belial said, ecstatic.

“Yes you can. Go ahead and read the rest of the passage.”

“So something like this?” Belial asked, hesitantly letting the blue energy surround her hand and the book to make it hover.

“Yes, just like that. I want you to grab me this book,” Luna said, handing her a note with the title of a book. “Just focus your mind on the name of that book and call for it.” Belial dropped the book she was levitating to focus on the 'History of Equestria Volume 1' A few seconds later, she had produced a book from the third level.

“You're very close, but that's the second volume.” Luna produced the first volume right next to it and set it down on the table. The two of them spent the entire day reading until Princess Celestia entered the library.

“Sister, it's time to raise the moon. I'm going to go to sleep afterwards, it's been a few weeks, so you and Belial say goodbye to the other assistants.”

“Come on Belial, I'll show you how we switch the time,” Luna said.

Belial and Princess Luna waved goodbye to the other assistants as they went home for the day. The only one who stayed behind was Rose.

“You aren't leaving, Rose?” Belial asked.

“No. I'm like you in the sense that I don't need to sleep much. I am Princess Celestia's first assistant as you are Princess Luna's. I will be going to sleep now, since I haven't slept in a month, though. See you in the morning!” Rose walked back down the hallway out of sight.

“Follow me to the garden, there's something I want you to see.”

“Aren't we supposed to stay inside or something? Just in case someone comes for help?” Belial asked as he followed Luna outside and to the right.

“No one ever comes during the night,” she said, the words harsh. “My sister is adored by everyone in this small kingdom, but I have only had you since I was born. No one appreciates me!” She stomped her foot as they stopped in front of the entrance to a garden. In the middle was a fountain surrounded by beautiful blue and purple flowers.

“I'm sorry. This is what I wanted to show you, my personal garden.”

“It's beautiful. Are these plants that only bloom at night? They're so beautiful.”

“I wish that everyone would be able to see this. If only the people knew what they were missing!” Belial exclaimed as she spun under the moon. Luna's face lit up with an idea.

“Why don't we show them, then?”

“Princess Luna, may I ask you something? Why does Rose carry a sword?” Belial asked as she drew out the plans for a grand gala to be held at night.

“Generally, the Immortal Assistant is trained with a weapon after 10 years of service, but if you can get this gala to happen, I'll train you afterwards when you hit your fourth year.”

“Really?” Belial asked excitedly, writing down the plans quicker.

“Speaking of which, when's the last time you slept, don't you feel tired?” Luna asked, closing another book of magic.

“I think it was the day that you took me in, so almost three years ago now.” Luna's hand appeared over the paper Belial was writing on.

“Go to sleep for the day, alright? I'll keep working on this and we can give this to her tomorrow. You need to sleep more, otherwise you'll start getting weak.” Belial sighed and stood up.

“I understand, have a good day. I'll go to sleep then eat a little.”

“Princess Celestia, today we bring you an idea to bring people together under the moon, The Grand Gala,” Belial said as Celestia sat on her throne. She handed the plans to the princess who carefully read everything.

“This is a great idea! I'll go down today and find people to help get ready. Can you all handle sending out some invites to the older members of this kingdom for a week from today?”

“Of course sister!” Luna said, beaming.

While Princess Celestia went down to the town, Princess Luna and Belial went to a private room to write down the invitations.

“So who are we going to address these to? I don't exactly know anyone to ask for.”

“Don't worry, I have a list of people, we just need to write out a couple dozen invites. Do you not have anyone in mind, even if you weren't exactly friends?” Belial thought back to the time three years ago during school.

“Dusk,” she finally remembered. “She was the only person to reach out to me.”

“Then we'll reach out to her as well.”

A week later the castle had been fully transformed to accommodate nearly three dozen people. Streamers were wrapped around the pillars with the throne room completely rearranged for the day. There was a small stage behind where the chairs were with tables on the sides filled with food.

“All of the preparations are ready, correct?” Princess Luna asked Princess Celestia as she entered the room with her assistants. They had replaced their usual uniforms with suits and simple dresses as had Belial.

“Yes, everything is ready and the guests are outside the doors, so we just need to let them in. Rose, Belial, why don't you two open the doors and greet the guests,” Princess Celestia suggested. The two assistants made their way to the front door of the castle.

“I think this will be a night to remember,” Rose said before opening the door to nearly three dozen people in extravagant clothing.

“We welcome you all to the first Grand Gala of Equestria! Please follow us to the main hall for food and dance!” Belial called out. The crowd quietly followed as they made their way through the stone halls and into the transformed throne room. There were astonished gasps from the guests as the princesses stood on the stage.

“We would like to welcome you again to the Grand Gala. This was put together to allow the people of this kingdom to get together and see the spectacle of night!” Luna said. A string quartet came onto the stage and began playing, signaling the start of the gala.

“Hey, you're Belial right? I was wondering where you went,” Dusk said.

“Hey, you made it! How are you liking the night so far?”

“I love it! It's so beautiful, the stars, the moon.”

“I'm glad you liked it. Princess Luna and I came up with this idea to have more people appreciate her.”

“You both did so well. I was actually thinking about becoming a teacher; do you think that I could talk to Princess Luna about the history of Equestria a little?”

“I would be honoured to teach you,” Luna's voice rang out beside Belial.

“Princess Luna! The honour is all mine,” Dusk clamoured.

“Meet me here after school tomorrow. Me and Belial would love to have you join us.” Dusk smiled and bowed before returning to the gala.

“There's so much history in these books!” Dusk gushed over the books that Belial had given her.

“I know, right? You'll be one of the best teachers in no time! You only have two more years, right?”

“Yep! I'll be taking over soon enough. I'll make sure people never forget Princess Luna's name again.” The door to the library opened.

“Thank you, Dusk. Can I take Belial away from you for a second, I have something to give her,” she said.

“Of course, princess. I would never dream of saying no.”

“Just call me Luna, both of you.”

“So what did you want to give me?” Belial asked as the two made their way to the lower levels of the castle. She said nothing, instead opening a wrought iron door into what looked like a forge. On the table was a curved sword, the tip folding back. It was stylized in the same way as her own uniform. The blade looked like a piece of the night itself had been connected to the hilt.

“It's beautiful!” Belial picked up the blade, testing its balance. She sheathed it and attached it to her belt.

“You're going to need it soon.” Belial gave her a puzzled look.

“I'm going to bring eternal night to Equestria. I have all I need to make it happen, and I want you to make sure that no one stops me. One week from now, the stars will align in such a way that I can stop the moon. All I have to do is feed my power to a quartz crystal.”

“Why?”

“I'm sick and tired of my sister getting all of the praise!” Luna slammed her hand on the table. “She got the credit for the Gala as well. We'll make them see the beauty of night! I'll call for you a week from now to the throne room where you will defend the crystal from Rose.”

“Understood, your majesty.”