Chapters In the Heart of the Night
Luna sat in her room, awake so late at night when not even a single other pony was. She sighed as she stared out the window of her bedroom into the forest below. The leaves shook and trembled the way her mind might bounce from thought to thought. Normally Luna liked the silence, but not today. She pressed her cheek against the windowsill and sputtered. If only she were just normal, maybe ponies would like her more if she were less strange. That’s what Celestial always said,
“If you were less strange maybe ponies would like you,” Luna mocked her sister’s voice, “yeah right,” she snorted, “ponies wouldn’t even like me if I was normal.”
She stood up and began pacing back and forth across her room, she stared at her clock. It was still hours till morning, and if she went to sleep she might not wake before she was supposed to lower the moon again.
What a strange concept, she thought to herself, to raise such a large object with such ease, so strange it didn’t do it on its own, it seemed so very important to the way the world functioned.
She sighed as the clock ticked away the seconds and minutes.
*tick tick tick. Tick tick tick. Tick tick sob*
Sob? Now that was new, and it wasn’t the clock that made that sound, it came from outside. Luna trotted over to her window, and listened for the sound to come again. And then there it was.
*sob*
But not the sob of a pony, the cry of a foal, Luna shut her window and creamed open her door. Scooting down the hall past the guards and her Sister’s room. She stepped out the door onto the spongy forest ground and made her way through the woods. She followed the sounds of the crying as they got louder and louder. She reached the edge of a clearing, sat at the middle was a small, blue grey pegasus foal, he was crying loudly, but there wasn’t even a single pony around who might claim him as their own.
Luna stared at the small foal, he was so frail, like one light breeze might break his poor little body. Luna took a couple small steps towards him, she looked down at the colt, then checked again that there really was not a single pony around, then she gently picked him up with her magic.
When she grabbed him he stopped crying, he stared up at her bright purple eyes full of curiosity and intrigue. He blinked, reaching out a tiny hoof towards the mare.
“Where did you come from?” Luna asked, teleporting a blanket to herself and wrapping it around the foal. A small slip of paper feel out from behind his ear as he flicked it forward to listen to her.
Luna picked up the paper with a single hoof and stared at it, reading the hoof written letters.
“To any who find him, please take care of him.” It read, there was no signature, no claim, nor mark of ownership. But with the words the note read that made sense. Why would one who left their foal wish to be known.
Luna looked at the foal, who stared back at her with that same bright curiosity. She flipped the note over, on the back side it read in larger letters
“Hello, I’m Stormcloud.”
Luna stared at the word, the name, then at the foal.
“Hi there Stormcloud,” she said, the foal tilted his head, then snuggled into the blanket, falling asleep.
Luna pulled Stormcloud closer to herself and turned back towards the castle.
“Well I guess we’re going home,” she said.
She walked through the darkened forest for what felt like forever before reaching the castle, she stepped up the cold stone staris and opened the large door. To her surprise Celestia stood behind it.
“Where have you been?” She asked, then saw the foal, “More importantly, where did you get that foal from?”
“Well, long story Sister, but I found him in the Everfree forest, and I was out looking for him because I heard him crying from up in my bedroom. I apologize for my absence, did I miss the sunrise?” Luna explained.
“No, not quite yet, but the guards had gone to check on you and found you absent, so they alerted to me that you were missing.”
“My apologies once again sister, I heard crying in the woods and felt a need to go investigate,” Luna said.
“Very well. Do you know the whereabouts of his mother?” Celestia asked.
“No, she left him with a note, I don’t believe she wants him.”
“We’ll what are we supposed to do with him?”
“I’m not sure… maybe I can raise him?”
“You, raise a foal? you’re too young.”
“I’m not! I can raise him, there are plenty of mothers younger than me!”
“You have too many responsibilities.”
“I have more free time than most ponies in Equestria sister.”
“Fine, if you think you can raise a foal I won’t stop you, but do not say I did not warn you if you cannot handle it.”
Luna sighed and carried Stormcloud to her room, she made up a small bed from him, folding together blankets in a crib she had crafted with magic out of an old tree. She tucked him into the little bed. He looked content and comfortable as he slept, snuggled into the warm sheets.
“Good night little one, sleep well.” Luna said, looking out her window, and listening to the clock tick closer and closer to the hour she would need to lower the moon.
The time ticked on and on, feeling like forever until eventually Luna saw the glow of the sun on the horizon. She gently lowered the moon allowing her sister to bring the sun into full view.
Luna looked down at Stormcloud, the little foal squirming in his bed. Luna stared at him adoringly.
“I promise I’ll take care of you,” she whispered.
In the Heart of the Night
Luna sat asleep cozily in her bed as the sun rose bright and warm outside her window. She could sleep all day if she wanted to, but a small bump against her bed woke her.
She sat up with a start and looked down to find Stormcliud sitting at her bed below her. He smiled up at her and giggled with a bright and bubbly joy.
“Mama!” He whinnied excitedly.
“Morning Stormcloud,” she said to the little colt, he was much larger now than when she had found him those years ago, but two years makes a lot of difference one must assume.
Luna smiled at him as she stepped out of bed and onto the ground below her. She grabbed a hair brush and began to brush her hair. It felt like every day her hair was more and more magical. When she was small it would fall to the sides of her face in bouncy curls, but now it looked like there was wind ever blowing into it.
Stormcloud’s hair reminded her of how her own looked when she was little. It curled and twisted around his face in little loops and swirls. And it bounced with every little step he took.
Once she had finished brushing out her mane she dusted off her coat and then turned down to Stormcloud.
“Let’s get you ready why don’t we,” she said, picking him up with a wing and gently setting him on the soft cushions of her bed. She turned around with a smaller brush grasped in her magic and began to brush out the little Pegasus’s hair.
“Pretty like mama!” He cheered with a giddy expression.
“Prettier than mama,” Luna remarked, brushing out the last curl with a single swipe of the brush.
She lifted her saddlebags off the hook they sat on against the wall and placed them gently on her back.
She lifted Storm off the bed with her magic and set him in one of the bags. Walking out of her room into the castle’s main hall, she waved a greeting to Celestia, who sat with a group of townsponies talking and mingling. Luna opened the front door and set her hooves and the solid stone stairs that sat at the castle’s entrance. She trotted through the lush forest until she reached a small market situated in a field just outside of the forest.
She walked past many ponies, some waved, a few bowed, the average reception that Luna was used to when she came around town. She stepped up to a stand, selling fruits of many varieties.
“Which one do you want?” Luna asked Stormcloud, turning to let him see all the fruits on the table. The little colt stared at each of the fruits for a while, inspecting each one before placing both of his tiny hooves on an apple.
“Abble!” He cheered excitedly.
Luna smiled and with a laugh she handed a couple bits over to the shop keeper, “one apple please, and a pony of strawberries.”
The shopkeeper nodded and put both items into a cloth bag, handing it to Luna, who grabbed it with her magic.
The princess trotted over to a nice patch of soft grass and set Stormcloud down. She split the apple into quarters and set it down for him to eat. Sitting down herself she began to grab strawberries and eat them as well.
“Good abble,” Storm giggled as he took a big bite of the Apple. He smiled wide at Luna.
Luna smiled back at him, early mornings were always nice, with Celestia busy Luna could finally have a minute of calm for herself and Stormcloud. Sure, she much preferred the quiet beauty of the night, but this was fine, as long as Storm was happy.
“All done!” Storm whinnied.
“Alright,” Luna said, lifting Storm back into her saddlebag and turning to the more wild parts of the field. Trees scattered the ground and the green and golden grass swayed in the gentle morning wind.
She set him down about midway through and began to read a book, letting him play in the flowers.
By the time she had finished reading she looked up to find a dimming sky, and Storm sitting with a bouquet in front of her.
“Fowers!” He said happily.
Luna laughed, “thank you Storm,” she said, grabbing the flowers and placing them in her pack.
She looked at the sky, Celestia was pulling the sun down, so Luna lifted her horn to the sky.
The air around the alicorn seemed to change as her horn it in a bright turquoise light, she pulled the moon into view, and as she released , her magic fell in glowing sparkles to the ground.
Storm stared up at the sky, “wow, pwetty,” he said.
“You think so?”
“Uh huh, what little dots?”
“Those are stars.”
“Staws?”
“Yes, stars. Do you like them.”
“…staws,” the little colt was dazed, staring at the glimmering lights above, he toddled into the grass out from under the tree they were sitting under to hide from the sun. He stared with starstruck eyes at the glimmering sight above him.
Luna looked at him and smiled, even if no Pony liked her, even if no pony would be there. She had this, this little colt right here. And in her heart, Luna could tell he was all she would ever need.
“I like the stars too.”
In the Heart of the Night
Storm Cloud looked out at the snow outside the castle window. Glistening as it fluttered gently to the ground. It was such a strange thing. He’d seen it so many times but he once again felt the need to ask.
“Mom? Why does the snow look like the stars?” He asked.
Luna looked at the colt, “I couldn’t tell you If I wanted to,” she laughed,
Storm giggled, pulling on his socks and letting Luna wrap a scarf around his neck. He galloped out into the snow, tramping the mounds of fresh-fallen flakes into little hoofprints of packed crystal.
He trotted deep in the snow, rolling up and down the forest ground speckling his grey coat with little white dots. He stood up and shook off the powdery flakes looking Luna in the eyes with a bright smile. “Let’s go to the market mom!” He said gleefully.
Luna nodded and the two walked into the main market square, it was late in the day, so ponies were beginning to pack up stalls. Luna and Stormcloud trotted over to a hot cocoa stand just before the salespony pulled out the closed sign and ordered two cups. The pony gave the two their cups and closed up shop as they walked away.
Storm chugged the cup down as Luna gently sipped at hers.
“Mom! Help me build a snow pony!” He insisted, already deep in the snow.
Luna laughed, “alright!” She dashed into the snow after the colt and began packing together snow in the ground.
Luna started rolling up a ball of snow for the head as her son packed the body together. The two hoisted the head up on the body and shaped the ears. Storm fluttered up and placed some hay on top to make a mane.
The two ponies stepped back, admiring their hard work. Storm leaned onto Luna.
“I love you mom,” he said.
Luna nuzzled her colt, “I love you to Stormcloud.
The two sat down in the snow and made little drawings, the moon, the stars, ponies, all sorts of things. It was about half past noon when a young filly walked over towards the group.
“Hello there Stormcloud!” She called.
“Yes Maple Berry?” Storm asked, turning to the filly.
“You want to come and skate on the lake with me, Honeycomb and Star Sparkler?” She asked.
“I would love to, can I go mom?” Storm turned to Luna and asked.
“Where are you all going?” Luna asked.
“Just to Barrel Breeze Lake, just down the road from here a little ways.” Maple Berry said.
“Well I am not sure, are you going to be on your own, I need to be back at the palace…”
“We will be fine mom, I am an old enough colt to be on my own with other foals.” Storm said.
“You are right, I am probably just being paranoid,” Luna said, shaking off her worries.
“So I can go?” Storm asked.
“You can go.” Luna replied.
Storm did a little loop in the air, giving a whinny of joy.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you mom!”
“You are welcome,” Luna said, “I have to go now, be safe.”
Storm hugged his mom, “I love you mom,” he said holding her tight.
“I love you too kid,” Luna echoed the sentiment, holding her colt tight.
Luna walked back to the castle and Storm ran off with his friends.
“So where are Star and Honeycomb?” Storm asked Maple Berry.
“They are already at the lake, they asked me to go invite you.”
“Well that is nice! Thank you for bringing me!”
“No problem.”
The two foals skidded to a halt at the lake shore, the ice looked quite steady. A sign nearby read,
“Thin Ice, Dangerous Skating.”
“Hey, isn’t that a waring sign?” Storm asked.
“Yeah but it’s been there forever, foals have skated on this lake every year since ponies first came to this town.”
“If you say so,” Stormcloud said with a shrug, sitting down to pull some skates on.
Once he had finished both Star and Honeycomb were over by him and Maple Berry.
“Ready to go ponies?” Maple asked.
The foals nodded their heads. Maple gave a signal and they all jumped on the ice. Storm skated around in circles, spinning and leaping. He was a very good skater, he crossed the middle, jumped up and landed again.
Maple berry skated past him as he started a new lap, “you are really good at this.”
“Thanks! I’ve skated for a lot of my life!” He responded.
He dashed to the middle once again, skating a circle and spinning in the center.
He jumped into the sky, littered with falling flakes as the night sky was with stars. His rounded feathers pushed him just a tad higher as he hit them against the air underneath him. He turned his body facing his front hooves to the ground, ready to land.
But he didn’t land.
*crack, crack, crack*
The ice began to fall under the pressure. Storm looked down at the cracking ice fear sparking up in his bright purple eyes.
“Everypony off the ice! He called, pushing his skates as best he could to escape.
It wasn’t enough,
*crash*
*splash*
The world is falling, it feels cold and dark.
He is scared, but he is calm. He doesn’t understand this feeling, he wants to. But the water overtakes him before he can grasp it.
***
Luna sat in her room, staring out the window. It was so lonely without her kid, she wondered when he would get back.
She heard a knock at her door.
“Storm is the that you?” She asked.
Celestia opened the door with a gentle hoof.
“Luna…” her expression was grave, her eyes dark and telling Luna almost nothing.
“What? What is it!?” Luna asked, frantic fear piercing her gaze.
“…he’s gone… he fell through the ice, nearby ponies did their best but they couldn’t reach him.”
Luna heart dropped. The whole world just seemed, to stop. She felt dizzy, unaware, this wasn’t real, this couldn’t be real. She must be asleep, this must be a night mare.
*Wake up Luna! Wake up!*
But she couldn’t wake up, this was real.
Luna fell to the ground, tears pouring down her face.
“No…” she sobbed, “No!” She wailed, “not him! Not my foal!”
Celestia stepped back, “I’ll give you time…”
“Of course you will! That’s all you know how to give isn’t it! Just time for me to be alone! Never willing to sacrifice your precious glory time for anyone! Even your own sister!”
“Luna that’s not what-“
“Enough sister! Leave my room at once.” Luna glowered.
Celestia took a step back, but softly nodded. Stepping out of the room and gently closing the door.
“Oh why world, why him!? Why the only one who got me!”
Luna thought back to just one night ago.
*“The stars are my favorite”*
He had said.
*“They twinkle and they glow, and they make me think of my favorite pony”*
*”they remind me of you.”*
That sweet colt was all she had. And now, now the world had taken him from her. She’d had enough of this world.
He loved the stars, so the stars he would see, even in death. She wouldn’t let this go on any longer, ever only appreciated by one, without him, there was no one.
“If they don’t want me I’ll make them.” *she declared.
“The night will last forever… for you my colt…”
A swirl of darkness curled up from the ground. Surrounding her.
“All for you.”
Author's Note
Wait a moment! This isn’t the end of this story! It’s not a tragedy! Just wait chapter four is coming soonish
In the Heart of the Night
When Nightmare Moon Was banished to the moon, the Elements of Harmony created strange effects on the land. And in a particular lake it created a strange sort of barrier. Though all around it was warm, the lake was frozen, almost as if the Elements had done so on purpose.
Time passed, years went by, ponies lived and died, and Equestria grew large and beautiful.
“Do you know why that lake is still frozen even though it’s summer?” A Pegasus asked his coworkers.
“It’s called everfreeze lake for a reason, but no, nopony knows why,” the coworker responded.
“Has anyone ever tried to break the ice?”
“No point.”
“But what if something is down there?”
“If you wanna go digging in a magic frozen lake be my guest, but if there was something of value down there I assure you it would already have been dug out.”
“I will then,” the Pegasus retorted, grabbing a couple weather jars and a shovel. The stallion glided down to the ice cold lake and set down his supplies.
he smacked a shovel in the ice and it cracked
It took hours, almost a full day to break through the ice, but by the time he’d finished a small crowd had gathered.
“There’s a pony in here!” The Pegasus shouted, stepping back.
“Someone get some heat on them!” Another shouted
“They may still be alive.”
The ponies scraped the ice away, heating it with fire and the light of the sun. Eventually they broke through.
Stormcloud hit the ground with a thump, his body beginning to shiver as it warmed up. He coughed a couple times, blinking his eyes open and looking around.
“Huh? Who are you strange ponies? Where are my friends? Where is my mother!?” He asked, he had a slight accent, strange to the ponies around him.
“Clam down little colt,” the Pegasus who pulled him out said, “you’re safe.”
“Where is my mother?” He asked again, nearly demanding the answer. His purple eyes glowed with passion and worry.
“Little colt we don’t know who your mother is, but that lake has been frozen over for a thousand years, how did you get so deep in it?”
“I was skating,” he said, “see.” He lifted a hoof, showing off long rusted skates.
“These were brand new! How’d they get rusted so quick?” He whinnied.
“Little colt… do you know what town you are in?”
“This town hasn’t a name yet,” he replied, “it’s a market town, it only comes around when the weather is warm,” he said.
“No little fella, this is Ponyville.”
“Ponyville, we’ll I’ve never heard of that. Perhaps they built it to surround the castle?”
“What castle?”
“The castle of the two sisters, my home.”
“Little colt the castle of the two sisters is in ruin, it has been for years.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Little colt I think you may be living in what to you would be the future. What you speak of is a time far before this one.”
“…the future… the castle… where is my mother? Princess Luna, I’m sure you must know her, she is one of your rulers after all, she is an Alicorn, even if this is ‘the future’ she would still be here.”
“I don’t know of such a pony colt, the only princess we have is Princess Celestia.”
“Always forgotten, how dare you all. Well where is Princess Celestia then, she is my Aunt, she will know where Luna is.”
“If you say so colt, she lives up in Canterlot, but that’s a far fly from here.”
“I can make it, my wings are strong and they carry me well.”
“Not when they are wet little guy, sit and rest for a bit, we’ll call a chariot.”
Storm grumbled, his ears and hooves ached from the cold and he felt as though he’d never feel warm and dry again.
Eventually the chariot arrived carrying the young Pegasus to the new canterlot castle. He stared at it’s towering spires, with awe and wonder.
“It’s so much bigger than the old castle…” he thought aloud.
It took a while making it though the snow speckled sky, but eventually he reached Canterlot, landing on the castle grounds with an awestruck gaze.
The gaurds led him to the front gate of the castle, and opened the doors. There stood his aunt, her mane… looked different, and she was so much taller. She spoke to a gaurd or two, but Storm didn’t seem to care to wait for her to finish.
“Aunt Tia…” he said softly, and Celestia almost seemed to shake with fear, she turned slowly to look at him.
“Aunt Tia where’s mom?”
Celestia stared at the colt, “…Storm?” She asked, her voice shaky and confused.
“Where’s mom?” He asked again.
“She… she’s gone Stormcloud.” Celestia said.
Storm’s heart seemed to shatter as it dawned on him. Then anger filled his gaze, blazing in his lavender eyes, with fury so bright it could kill.
“What happened to her?!” He shouted, his words cut like knives, his tongue sharp and his tone deep and accusing.
Celestia stared at him, soft golden eyes holding back centuries of tears.
“She was banished…” the princess managed to let the words escape her lungs.
Storm stared at her with shock and pain in his eyes, and all the princess could do was stare back at him with a saddened gaze, eyes full of sorrow and regret.
“What did she ever do?” Storm wailed at his aunt, and she could barely stand seeing the distressed expression that painted his little grey face.
“She tried to kill me, to turn the world to an infinite night… I had no choice.”
And though Storm stared with anger and agony for a moment, his eyes quickly softened, seeing the pain in Celestia’s own eyes.
“I…I understand…” he said softly, he hung his head close to the floor, the near inaudible sound of dripping tears piercing the quiet air as they hit the marble tiles.
“I’m so sorry storm… I-I don’t know what to do for you.”
Storm looked up at eyes so dark they seemed like infinite holes of sorrow.
“It’s okay auntie Tia… I’m sure you tried your best… I just need a place to stay, that’s all.” He said.
Celstia sighed sadly, “you can stay with me Storm, the castle has always been and will always be your home.”
Storm nodded, and the guards brought him to a room, where he sat on the balcony for a while, before spreading his fluffy wings and fluttering to a soft cloud above, as the sun set and the moon became visible on the horizon, Storm stared, tears in his eyes.
“Hi mom…” he whined softly, “I’m sorry I didn’t listen… you told me to be careful.”
Storm fell asleep on that cloud drifting far from the castle. when he woke he looked around to find a place entirely different from the one he had fallen asleep in. He stared up at towering structures made of cloud, rainbows and rain, lightning and wind all rushed around him. The weather factory sat before the young colt.
He fluttered off the cloud he had slept on and landed on the soft surface of the weather factory yard. He trotter forward, looking at all the different machines and buildings.
“Wow, is this how we produce weather now?” He wondered aloud, “it’s so huge! And complicated. He placed his hooves on a window and peered inside, Pegasi of all shapes and sizes working in a metallic sort of rhythm. Storm looked over at the door beside him, and he took his hooves off the window, he placed a hoof against it, and gave a small push, sneaking his way in. He crawled under conveyor belts of clouds, and past huge tanks of water. A couple ponies walked close and he ducked into a room. He felt his fur stand on end, but not in fear.
All around him were different bolts of lighting, in all kinds of colors and types. Each one in a specialty jar made just to hold it and it alone.
“Woah…” he stared in awe, and set a single hoof against one of the jars, sending a small shock through him.
Just as he reached for another he heard the door creak, he turned fast and his tail knocked a jar off the shelf. In an instant Storm felt the shock pulse through his body, streaking blue lightning illuminating the room in a flash. As the pony at the door held a hoof up to block the light. Storm fell to the ground, not injured somehow, and still feeling jittery.
“Woah kid! How did you get in here?” *the pony at the door asked, looking down at Storm, he was the same Pegasus who had found him in the lake.
“Wait, I recognize you, you’re the princess’s nephew right?” He asked helping Storm up off the ground.
Storm nodded.
“Well you’ve created quite the shock, huh kid?” He asked, “have you messed with Lightning before, or is that cutie mark of your’s new?” He asked.
Storm looked down at his flank in shock, “No, that is new.” He whinnied.
“Well congrats kid, but I am required to ask why you are even in here?”
Storm gave a guilty look, “well I mean… it just looked really cool and I…”
“You snuck in?” The stallion asked.
Storm nodded, and the stallion laughed, “alright, well normally I would kick you out, but since you’ve impressed me how about this, I’ll give you a tour of the factory then a free ride to the Summer Sun Celebration so you can meet back up with your aunt, how about that?” He asked.
Storm smiled giddily, “okay!”
Author's Note
Next chapter will be the last! Get ready for heartfelt reunions, another perspective on familiar scenes, and probably some tears.
