Dusk Shine's Fatal Flaw

Luna remembered their first meeting after the Elements purged her of the Nightmare.

She was having some of her first independent thoughts in a millennium. Her senses were overwhelmed and forced her still. It was as if hours passed before she felt her first sensation. Luna felt strong forelegs wrapped around her so securely that it brought back distant memories of when she was a foal. A little while later, she was capable hearing the garbled mess of several ponies talking over each other, mainly the sole masculine voice that was also closest to her.

"...s Luna i..."

The voice wasn't addressed to her, but it was the call that pierced all other sounds and brought her from the darkness of slumber. For the first time in over 1000 years, she saw with her own eyes.

His purple coat was mucked up with dirt and grime from the recent battle, his eyes were lightly sunken in from lack of sleep, his dark blue mane was frazzled with a twig sticking out of it and there was an ill-fitting crown containing the Element of Magic sitting atop his head.

He was glorious. Not counting her stint on the Moon, Luna had been nearly five centuries old, yet she was swooning like a filly. It was embarrassing.

In the coming weeks, she returned to Canterlot with Celestia. As she recovered and her magic began to return to her, she began to wander the dreamscape once again.

Luna had planned on simply testing the limits of her strength before retiring for the night, but felt drawn by a powerful signature completely unlike her sister's. She approached the floating sphere containing a freshly started dream and delved into it.

Luna was in a recreation of Ponyville. She stood on the balcony of the library under the stars as day finally gave way to night. Her only company was a single telescope. The town appeared empty. Other than what nature provided, not a light was lit nor noise was made.

She gazed into the night and found herself lost. Stars sprawled across the infinite black to a degree she'd thought impossible in this modern Equestria.

"Truly a wonder to behold."

The Princess of the Night jumped slightly at the voice. She turned to see Dusk Shine materialize into his own dream. He looked up at the sky with her as he approached the telescope.

"When I first left home, I slept under the stars with nothing but their light and the Moon's for company. It was a scary couple of weeks, but I wouldn't do things any other way." He prepped and adjusted the device before looking into it. "Not only did those couple of weeks give me the life I have today, but also gave me an appreciation for the night sky."

Luna watched as a table, with a rolled-up scroll on top, appeared. The scroll unwound to reveal a detailed sky chart. She blinked as she actually recognized the sky depicted.

"Tis the sky from 1000 years ago." Luna looked back up in awe. "Tis the sky we remember."

"Yeah. The real Luna's return renewed my interest in the stars and how their pattern's changed over the years." He broke away from the telescope long enough to catch her eyes, the absolute glee and adoration he held in those lavender orbs made her heart rush. "Absolutely that best use of Dream Magic since I picked it up." The stallion went back to his stargazing. "I wonder if the princess would be willing to share notes with me."

Luna stirred from her daze at that. She looked around and felt her surroundings with her magic. With each passing moment her eyes widened further. Everything was too well constructed and too consistent to be the product of a normal dream. "Tis dream magic?"

"Of course it is!" Dusk tore himself away to look at her, again. "Don't you remember last night? We've had this conversation before."

Luna just looked on confused.

"Wh- what about the night before?" Dusk leaned further back from the telescope.

Luna caught on and gave him a mischievous grin.

"You're not the Luna I dreamt up, are you?"

"Tis flattering that thou'd use thy magic to dream me up night after night. Although, should'st I be offended or disgusted at the implications?"

"NO! No, no, no, no. It's not like that at all!"

Dusk Shine's scrambling gave Luna one of her first genuine laughs in a long while.

Turns out, Dusk initially dabbled in Dream Magic to help fix his horrendous sleep schedule (didn't work). Only a few weeks later, he started using it to help compartmentalize his memories and experiences to at least ensure his existing sleep was as restful as possible. After moving to Ponyville, Dusk Shine learned that having somepony to talk to really helped organize his thoughts and improve his social skills (even if he was ultimately just talking to himself). Then, when the stallion had picked up stargazing, his companion of choice had been hers truly.

Funny how that one incidental meeting turned into them seeing each other almost every night. At first, Luna's excuse was "sharing notes" as Dusk put it. Then it was "good practice for her returning magic." Soon after, she didn't bother with a reason. Her invading his dreams in the late evening or early morning became a welcome meeting between two friends.

Yes. Friends.

Just friends.

As Luna began to reintegrate with the public and the """joyous""" world of nobility, those talks were what gave her the strength to face the day. Dusk's stories of his exploits in Ponyville never ceased to entertain. It seemed like every week would bring something new to that small town. Luna admired his determination to break old habits and truly learn what it was to be a good friend.

It inspired Luna to do the same. It was that drive that kept her sane in such an alien world.

He was what kept her going.

"What's even the point?"

"Pardon, my lady?"

The Princess of the Night roused from her thoughts. Her mind caught up to her surroundings and recognized the voice of her hoofmaiden. Another annoying meeting, another annoying worried look.

"It's none of your concern, Hearted."

Luna only took a few steps before she stumbled. The servant was at her side in a moment.

. . . . .

During Nightmare Night (one of the few times a year where the populace would stay up late into the night and effectively grant her a day off), Luna had the opportunity to meet Dusk Shine face to face. Luna was so giddy that she could barely sleep and took off from Canterlot the moment she raised the Moon. She forwent the train and flew to Ponyville under her own power.

The Princess of the Moon had never quite taken to flying after becoming an Alicorn. It was something done out of necessity rather than her first choice. On top of that, she hadn't flown much in over a millennium, which left her woefully rusty and out of the practice.

Needless to say, when Luna crashed into the Ponyville Library and wound up through its wall, it shouldn't have been a surprising affair.

Thankfully, her fall was broken by a comfortable bed. Un-thankfully, she wasn't the only occupant of that bed.

"Why?!" Spike the Dragon cried out in sorrow. "I just got my own room!"

"I guess we'll just have to room together until its fixed." Dusk Shine consoled his little brother.

"Which will be very soon! I'll have Canterlot's, no, Equestria's finest craftspony on it by the 'morrow!" The Princess was beside herself. "Under no cost to you, of course. I can even provide accommodation, if need be!"

"We'll make do. We're used to sharing a space." The stallion ignored the dragon's grumbling. "As for the repairs, perhaps this would be a good excuse to expand that room a bit."

The drake perked up. "Wait, honestly?"

"It was a broom closet before we cleaned it out. You deserve more." He rubbed Spike's head and turned to her. "Could that be arranged, Luna?"

The smile he gave her and the casual use of her name threw her heart to heaven and back. Not trusting her words in the moment, she just nodded with a goofy grin.

"Good, thank you. Now about tonight, we hadn't expected you so soon."

Spike jumped onto Dusk's back. "Yeah, I thought the Sun wasn't set to, uh, set for another hour."

Luna stared dumbly for a moment then looked around for a clock. She caught a glance outside the hole she made to see that her sister's Sun was indeed still up, eclipsed by her Moon. "Oh...."

Thankfully, Luna's mistake in jumping the gun was well timed. If it had occurred earlier in the day or at any other time in the year, then passing it off as her way of showing some Nightmare Night spirit wouldn't have worked. She still remembered Celestia's long lecture about it.

Regardless, after that kerfuffle, the boys got ready and they all went out.

Spike was dressed in an absolutely adorable dragon costume only slightly different than the one he wore a few years back. Dusk had gone all out with a genuine looking set of Crystal Empire armor. He promised her that it was made of a mixture of polished plastic and tinfoil, but her eyes were fooled every time she looked at it.

As for the Princess of Dreams, there was a sneaky trick in play. Luna's costume was no costume. Some low powered Transition Magic to make her shorter as well as some restraint to her normally floating hair was all that was needed to allow her to walk amongst the masses without a hint of suspicion.

"I was going to dress up as a Lunar Guard so we'd match, but I was not going to risk getting mistaken as an actual guard, again. Too risky being a night guard at night." Dusk waved his hoof dismissively. "Besides, I think the steel gray goes better with my coat anyway. No offense, my Princess~."

"None taken. I agree that the reflective blue would've clashed with the blues of your mane and the purple of your coat." Luna did her best to not let the tone of his last line get to her. "Perchance, did your trip to the Crystal Empire have any effect on your decision? I haven't heard much about your journey."

"Oh, it was great!" Spike jumped in front of the princess disguised as a Princess. "Everyone was acting all strange at first, but then they were really nice. They even threw a fair for u-" The dragon disguised as a dragon trailed off as somepony caught his eye. With hearts in his eyes, he was gone in a moment. "Rarity, Sweetie Belle! Happy Nightmare Night~!"

Dusk and Luna watched him run off while chuckling to themselves.

"I see that crush you told me about."

"Yeah, hopefully she lets him down easy. Or maybe he'll take a liking to Sweetie Belle instead. That'd be cute to see."

Luna saw the animated conversation Spike was having with the two sisters and how excited the younger unicorn was about whatever they were going on about. With a fond smile, she turned to look over to Dusk doing the same.

Her Moon caused his eyes to sparkle in the twilight and armor to shine an ethereal glow. The purple, blues, white and red of his mane were even more organized and straight than normal. His cutie mark, a dark lavender shield housing a light red sparkle (as he called it) and topped by three blue stars while further surrounded with six, smaller white stars, was on proud display.

In another life, Dusk Shine would've made a fantastic addition to the Royal Guard.

"Dusk Shine, what really happened while you were staying at the Crystal Empire?" Luna was hesitant to continue. "Your dreams have been distant. We haven't talked in weeks. Is everything alright?"

The stallion didn't turn to face her as she spoke. He continued to stare off at his little brother's interaction. His smile was gone. There was a cold air about him.

Then, like a snap, he was back to himself.

"Everything's fine. Just a weird experience is all. The magic of the Crystal Empire is fascinating." He reared up and pointed in a direction. "Let's say we join the festivities, oh Mare in the Moon."

Dusk then settled himself and offered a hoof. A gallant knight looking to escort his princess.

She just couldn't deny him.

The stallion's dreams (more like night terrors) wouldn't improve until months later. They were distant and repelled her every attempt to intrude. That was her job, to search the dreamscape for dangers and nightmares that threatened her little ponies, but when one she cared about so much seemed to be suffering, she couldn't reach him.

The only other beings capable of keeping her out of their dreams were her fellow alicorns, that draconequus, and a few other notable users of magic. No one could accidentally lock away their dreams from her.

Why was he rejecting her? Did he just not want to see her?

She must have been overthinking things.

Luna's attempts were soon able to get her close enough to feel the emotions his dreams held. So much fear, panic and disgust with equal parts longing, interest and lust.

She'd felt such emotions within a dream before. They often indicated ones she'd steer clear from in order to give the dreamer their privacy so to speak. Trotting into some pony’s fantasies unannounced wasn't a good experience for either party.

These emotions felt so much darker though. Was it a mere coincidence that such dreams appeared after Dusk Shine's visit to the Crystal Empire? That after spending a week in the hooves of another princess, he'd reject her company?

Was she overthinking things?

Salvation came one night when she felt a familiar pull. She immediately made her way within Dusk's dream and had to stop herself from practically tackling the stallion.

"This feels nice." He wrapped his hooves around her to return her hug.

"I apologize for the forwardness, but it's a good feeling to see a dear friend, again."

"I'm so sorry, Luna. I should've talked about what was happening." He broke the hold and stared up at her. He'd grown a lot since becoming a prince, but was still a bit smaller than her. A thought that made her giggle internally. "Good news, though, I think I won."

"Won?"

He thought for a moment, likely coming up with an explanation when a ripple ran through the dream.

"S-sorry, Luna. I think I need some actual rest. I haven't been sleeping well at all."

'Again?' She thought unhumorously, before the implications set in. "Wait, Dusk! Just a tab longer, if you wouldn't mind. What ails you so? I can't stand to see you suffer."

Another ripple put a damper on that. He glanced at the sky and his eyes widened. He took her hooves into his and stared directly at her with those beautiful lavender orbs. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

A larger ripple. "Yes, there's a meteor shower tomorrow night. I'm sure plenty of ponies will be up late into the night to watch it. Either way, I want to see you tomorrow, face to face, just the two of us. I'll explain everything then."

"J-just the two of us? Alone and under the falling st- stars."

He nodded, not noticing the blush rapidly spreading across the mare's face. "By that tree. The one near Lower Canterlot that you left from last time. I'll meet you there by the time you set your Moon."

He faded from his dream and she was alone. She shortly found herself out of the dreamscape and back in her room. She calmly, stiffly brought her front hooves to her face, rolled over into her bed and stared at the vaulted ceiling. All of this in an effort to contain herself (didn't work).

She had to make up a story for Celestia as to why she was squealing loud enough to alarm the royal guard all while prancing around like a little filly. Luna was quickly figuring out that her sister was easy to lie to.

Like before, the princess was having a horrible time containing her excitement. It was positively infectious to the staff of the castle other than Ms. Hearted who was beside herself in trying to keep up with her princess.

This time, Luna left before setting the Moon. Performing such a magical feat wasn't something she needed to do from within the safety of Canterlot Castle, but since it left her quite vulnerable during and after, it was always the safest bet. However, the remoteness of their location and security of a nearby prince was all she needed to feel comfortable enough to do such a thing.

Besides, it meant seeing Dusk just that much sooner, so totally worth it.

She arrived at their meeting spot and waited.

She lowered her Moon and waited.

She watched the gradually appearance of the stars and waited.

She turned her back towards the meteor shower to instead look fervently in the direction of Ponyville.

It was near time for her to lower her Moon when she arrived at his front door.

After Discord """accidentally""" burned Ponyville library to the ground, the Tree of Harmony created Dusk Shine and Spike a new home. It had been called the Castle of Friendship (after Dusk's unofficial title) and its doors were currently being beaten down (both metaphorically and literally) by the Princess of the Night.

Within moments, the double doors were pulled open by a frantic dragon. Before she could even make a comment, Spike was already speaking.

"Princess! Do you have news? Is everything alright? Can you tell me what's going on?"

Recovering from the bombardment, Luna felt her anger and pain fade away to confusion. "Spike? I'm sorry, but what is it you're talking about? Is Dusk Shine here?"

It was the drake's turn to look confused. "N- no. He left yesterday. Did you get his letter?"

"Letter?"

His eyes widened as he stepped away and gestured for the princess to come inside.

"Dusk had me send a few letters before he teleported away. One was for you. Gimme a sec." Spike closed his eyes and focused for a couple minutes. Just as Luna was getting antsy, a pillar of smoke came through the window, it swirled and sparked and flamed; within, a piece of parchment rebuilt itself. The whole process looked like it was burning in reverse. "Ah ha! Return to sender!"

She took the offered scroll and opened it immediately. Her heart sank.

Dear Princess Luna,

I'm so sorry to be cancelling on you last minute. Celestia's Sun is still in the sky, so I'm hoping this reaches you before you depart.

I have just received a letter from Cadance about an urgent matter at the Crystal Empire. I really can't afford to explain further, time is dwindling. The Princess* already knows of the predicament and I'm sure she'll be able to fill you in.

I promise that I will do everything in my power to make this up to you, Luna.

Sincerely,
Prince-to-be Dusk Shine

*Spike's note: To clarify, he is talking about Princess Celestia.

Luna let the letter fall out of her magic and onto the floor.

"Princess?"

Without missing a beat, she adopted a cold, serious demeanor. "My apologies, Spike. I am as out of the loop as you are. My presence is needed in Canterlot, so I shall leave immediately." Her horn welled with power.

"Wait!" Spike jumped in panic. After a breath, he calmed down and twiddled his thumbs in embarrassment. "Pl- please help him out, if you can, Princess. He can be a bit paranoid at times, but this time he looked scared." The dragon's eyes drifted to the ground. "Really scared."

The drake felt a wing rub his head and he looked up to see Luna's reassuring smile. A gesture that reminded him so much of his Big Bro.

"I will do everything in my power to assist Prince Dusk Shine, young dragon. You have my word." Then, the Princess of the Night disappeared.

"Princess, we need to stop this. You can't go on like this much longer. You'll die if you keep pushing yourself. Please."

Hearted stood beside her Princess, whose strength faltered yet again. She leaned heavily against the wall of one of Canterlot Castle's more out of the way halls.

"This is where I was." Luna spoke with a hollow tone. Her eyes focused on something far away.

"My lady?" The hoofmaiden's voice was coated with such annoying worry.

"Much like today, I had taken over each and every single one of my sister's duties, so that she may journey to the Crystal Empire without disturbing the peace here. I wanted to go myself, but even with my emotions running high, I knew that Celestia's presence would be infinitely more helpful than anything I could provide. She's stronger, wiser and more experienced than I'll ever be.

"She returned a few days later, having arrived on her own wings with zero fanfare. When she met with me, she was devoid of emotions, but I've called her my sister for over five centuries, I knew her. She's always been a rock for me and any pony to have met her, yet I have never seen her so shaken.

"Celestia asked that I venture into the dreamscape and look out for any sign of Dusk Shine or anything even remotely pointing towards him. I searched and searched for days, which turned into weeks. Not only at night, but at all hours of the day. I constantly roamed that realm and I couldn't find him. I told my sister; she must've had a solution. Why else would she press such a request upon me?"

Luna slid down the wall and found herself lying on her side. All it would take was a single member of staff rounding the corner to see the state of their Princess of the Night. The hoofmaiden could only watch.

"She told me he was gone, that if I couldn't sense his consciousness then a spell had taken him away. His life was gone, yet he wouldn't die. Everything that made him 'Dusk Shine' would be stripped away and repurposed.

"She didn't elaborate on what type of spell it was, but I've seen the dreams of six other ponies. I've seen a pony of shadows, a being of pure Dark Magic capable of overpowering even the most powerful relics and holders of Harmony Magic. It was a nightmare.... A-a-an actual Nightmare, just like...."

Luna tapered off, tears welling in her eyes. Her breath started to hasten and Hearted could only stand there.

"I was lucky, fortunate that I was connected to a celestial body that the Elements of Harmony could send me to. I could be quarantined away, unable to do harm to any pony until the Elements were re-energized and new bearers were chosen. Only then could their collective might purify Nightmare Moon. But this Nightmare survived the Crystal Heart, it survived the Elements of Harmony, it found a host we have no answer for."

Luna turned her gaze to the hoofmaiden. Tears freely fell down her face. Sobs began echoing.

"The elements are useless without their spark. Even if we could send or lock the Prince of Friendship away, the Element of Magic wouldn't find a new bearer. Not until... until...."

"...until the prince is dealt with. Dusk cannot be saved without the Elements and no pony can use the Elements without him." Hearted watched as her charge collected herself. The Princess wiped tears and slowly brought herself up to once again lean against the wall. Hearted watched on without moving, without a single emotion.

"My sister left this morning to do that very thing. For the past month, she has withheld from using any and all magic. She's preparing for a clear and concise bout." Luna locked eyes with Hearted, the sorrow within beaten back through sheer force of will. "If my suffering allows the one I love to suffer no more, then so be it. I ask you to support me just a few more days. In a few days, I promise my suffering will end."

Hearted continued to stand by and watch. Her demeanor was stiff and her face like stone. The silence was deafening until the spark of a unicorn's magical aura cut through the lack of sound.