The starry night of the Moon-Bearer shone, filling plains and valleys with its serene touch. Hoofed and not, asleep or awake, the embrace of the dark sky felt thorny to the Sun-loving beings, who preferred the cheerful and warm Sun rays of the Dawn-Bringer, Celestia. The Daughter of Night, jealous and sorrowful, dominated the skies with her wings as she flew over the mirrored sea of the Equestrians.
"Harmony! Harmony!" had proclaimed with fanfare the libellous scribes, adversaries of Chaos, under the aegis of the multicoloured maned one. But where was this much-coveted Harmony? For whom was it, and who defined it? Did it mean coexistence—or domination? And who would rule over the other? Was it, perhaps, the Moon’s fate to bow its head before the radiant Sun?
Such thoughts tormented the mind of Luna, the Princess of the Night, and wishing to free her spirit from such unpleasant musings, she chose to fly under her Moon, far from her bitter castle, which suffered under the unbearable grip of the accursed and untamed forest. Nopony had noticed her absence, not even her own flesh and blood, leaving her eyes to fall upon the waves in sorrow.
The crowns and jewels weighed upon her—one she felt unworthy of, the others given without gratitude. They took up space on her head and neck, filled with black onyx and glory, yet empty and counterfeit to the dark-hued one. What use were such gifts and gestures when she painted the heavens, yet no one sat to admire them? Instead, they shunned them as they would the Serpentine beast of iniquity and disharmony.
Perhaps such weight did have a purpose upon the Many-Named One—to drag her down to the depths of the waters and oceans. Why should anypony guide and watch over a multitude of ungrateful beings who prefer to toil under the Sun and hide beneath her Moon when they could be singing and dancing under her beautiful Night?
"Endure…" she murmured to herself, an attempt to steady herself and continue her journey. In time—she believed—an attribute she possessed in abundance, that her works of art, those hanging above the heads of Harmony’s children, would one day draw them in. Then, the Moon could finally show them her love—something she wished to believe she, too, possessed in great quantities.
For now, she let her wings carry her forward, with the wind cooling her face and billowing through her mane and fur—a small but welcoming comfort for her aching heart. From the heights at which the sister of Urania soared, vast seas turned into mere rocks and islets, as she paid no mind to the danger that an unfortunate or misguided event could bring.
But in the back of her mind, in the depths of her subconscious, where it reigns and demands actions to be carried out and desires to be fulfilled, something sinister accumulates and expands, slowly but surely growing strong, shadowy tendrils gripping and slithering around her psyche and maws of sharp teeth sinking into matter and immaterial alike.
The hours passed, with the half-Moon-bearing Mare trying to soothe her soul, unaware that the time of her Moon had passed and that she was meant to pass over the guardianship of the Heavens to her sister. However, when she opened her eyes again, harsh sun rays and unfamiliar clouds greeted her, forcing her to shut them once more.
When, having won the struggle against the light, she opened her eyes once more, before her lay uncharted waters and new expanses, seen for the first time by the Moon-Touched One. Beneath her hooves, immeasurable distances stretched out, a sea of many islands, with a number of islets and rocks too great for the naked eye to count, nestled between two landmasses, separated by two narrow sea passages.
Judging by her location, these lands are mostly rocky and mountainous, with the majority of the few plains and fertile areas lying near the coasts, accompanied by countless natural harbours, rich and strategically positioned, capable of hosting numerous cities, from where ships laden with goods would dock and trade.
"What kind of place is this?" wondered the Mare of Dreams, her eyes half-closed and confused, "The land is too mountainous for ponies and too flat for griffons... and certainly too green for dragons," she explained to herself in order to bring some order to her mind and understand where she was, something she would not succeed in doing unless she descended herself and asked the inhabitants of this land, if there were any.
"Should I descend? Maybe I should..." She couldn't finish her sentence before swallowing her words, for when she turned her head to survey her surroundings, she was met with lands just as unfamiliar as those before her. A sigh worthy of her royal stature escaped her muzzle as she resigned herself to the fact that she had no other choice but to go and ask.
"Great..." she grumbled as she began her descent toward the unknown lands. Never before had she seen such geophysical diversity in her life, except in the grotesque creations of the Lord of Chaos. But unlike those abominations, the landscapes before her were pleasing to the eye—certainly more intriguing than the monotony of the Everfree Forest.
Such variety, however, made it a difficult task to choose a place—a settlement—where Luna could descend and enquire. Her attention was drawn to the lands on her right, specifically a little below the centre of this vast coastline, where a harbour was founded. Even from the altitude at which she hovered, she could make out shapes floating upon the waves, moving toward the area she had spotted earlier.
"Ships!" she declared with excitement, descending to observe the construction in greater detail. Long in length and with two broad sails, it was propelled by rows of oars, though the figures upon its deck were few and difficult to distinguish. Luna rubbed her chin with a hoof in thought.
"Perhaps I'll have a better vantage point near the city, at its borders," she decided, changing course. She reasoned that if the denizens of the coastal settlement were not ponies, she might have to adjust her approach in seeking assistance. After a while, she flew down and landed on top of one of the many hills surrounding the small settlement.
"Let's see," Luna began murmuring, "small settlement, big amount of rich and cultivated land around it, nice, warm weather," she listed off. Calling her impressed would be an understatement; rather, she was jealous. Envious, even. Comparing the settlement before her to that swamp and mood-dumper of a forest back in her and her sister's castle should be considered a grave insult to the settlers of this fine land. "Thinking of settlers…" but she didn't manage to ponder about them for too long.
"Who’s there?" a male voice demanded, prompting Luna to flip around, swift and battle-ready, prepared to face whatever the surrounding trees concealed.
But she was left speechless at the sight of the creature before her—bipedal, furless, and slender. It wore a pure white garment that draped from the sides of its head down to where the hind legs of a pony would be. Instead of hooves at the ends of these limbs, there were small, frail protrusions, protected by hoofwear similar to Luna’s own—though, of course, of lower quality compared to her own.
Where she expected to see front hooves, she instead found multiple scattered parts—four in the front and one on the side of each of the creature’s paired limbs. Like a griffon's talons, yet two more in total numbers and not at all sharp, seemingly incapable of cutting flesh, instead preferring to grip tightly onto a staff.
Finally, on the creature’s head, there was no muzzle—only lips, pressed and flat. Its nose was equally flattened above them, rendering its face smooth and level, with a beard covering the surrounding area—no less striking to her eyes than that of her friend, Starswirl. On the sides of its head sat ears, motionless and still. And lastly, its eyes—small and brown—were filled with both anger and wisdom.
They stared at each other, neither moving, unlike the pines around them, which the wind pushed and pulled, swaying back and forth. The sun’s rays continuously shifted their patterns upon the trunks, the grass-covered earth, and the two figures standing amidst it all.
Despite the anger in the creature’s eyes, Luna could discern that it was not directed at her. So, when she sensed neither malice nor hostility from it, she deemed it both useful and safe to abandon her defensive stance, standing tall and proud.
"Does the offspring of Arion neigh before me?" The creature wondered in surprise, making Luna’s eyes widen as she herself was struck with astonishment.
It speaks! Luna recognised. Since it... no, he speaks, that means I will be able to learn where I am and return to the castle and my... duties. Her thoughts ended painfully, with darkness creeping at the edges of her vision before she turned her attention back to the sapient being.
Arion? Who is that? The Princess wondered and decided to introduce herself.
"No," the Mare finally responded, raising her front hoof and placing it against her chest, "I am the daughter of the Night and no child of Arion," she introduced herself in a manner befitting a pony like her.
The creature took a step back, his eyes widened in shock as he raised his left upper limb, releasing his grip on the staff and bringing it forward, showing Luna the equivalent of the underside of a pony's hoof.
"An illogical is logical?!" He exclaimed, "You possess the speech and the intellect of man?" The being added, confusing Luna.
Man? Luna wondered in her head before addressing him. "I possess no intellect of 'man,' but rather that of the alicorns, for I paint the Night and command the Moon," Luna royally explained, but her eyes narrowed when his shock morphed into a sardonic chuckle.
"You command the moon, and they sacrifice the living only to end up dead!" He laughed and ridiculed, pointing with his front limb toward the city below the hill, which was now met with the Princess’s most intense glare.
"What are you speaking of, and why do you compare my words to monstrous deeds?" Luna demanded to know, her heart filled with resolve and her eyes ablaze.
"Before you lie the houses of ignorance and the markets of folly of the mindless Ephesians!" he explained with disgust and the stance of a judge. "Where at night, when the sun sets and reason with it, they deem themselves gods and chase eternal life through the sacrifice of cattle and themselves by their own hands."
"Abhorring!" the Princess cried. "How dare you compare me to those who hold nothing sacred or holy?"
"A liar you are, or you possess a madness worthy of the Ionians!" he accused her, bringing back his limb and pointing at Luna. "For from your words, I understand that you do not know the truth."
"And yet, I know enough to know the truth," she asserted with determination, "and certainly more than you!" She added, her spirit growing restless and competitive in order to show the creature that he walks the path of ignorance.
"You do not convince me, steed," he said, lowering his limb and returning it to his staff, "for if polymathy led to truth, then the two should-be-ill-reputed of Samos and the deceived one of Ascra would not be spreading falsehoods like the wind scatters leaves."
Luna, wondering, tilted her head to the side out of curiosity. "To whom do you refer, with your mouth full of poison?"
"In whom else could I be referring?" he scoffed at the question, shaking his head from one side to the other. "To poets, one epic and one not, beloved by the Greeks while deserving only scorn, and to a geometer who speaks of stillness and numbers, ignoring the world around him."
Luna, unable to endure his critique and arrogance any longer, raised an eyebrow. “And why do you hide the truth from me and the others, oh wise one, who knows it so well? Go on, reveal it to us, the ignorant ones!” She taunted and challenged him.
"Answer me, instead, this question," he retorted, returning a question of his own. "Since you speak of the moon and claim to know it, what is its relation to the sun?
A heavy and stinging blow was dealt to Luna by such a question; thoughts of grief and indignation invaded and disturbed her sensitive and vulnerable heart. But, not wishing to show weakness to her interlocutor, she answered with all the determination she had, not realising the darkness that was expanding inside her.
"Its relationship is harmonious, of course," she replied, not very convincingly to her ears as she continued. "As in a lyre, where the wooden frame remains still and the strings are shaken, their reconciliation allows for the listening of melodious music and the achievement of harmony," she explained, with every word spoken causing strength and vigour to be lost.
He shook his head in disagreement. "I'm afraid it is not as you say, despite the interesting analogy," he admitted before presenting his own perspective. "Instead of a musical instrument, use a weapon of war, a tool of destruction. Just like in a bow, where the wood remains still and the string is drawn tight, what manages to release the arrow and sow death is one thing: conflict."
"Conflict?" The word escaped her lips without her own will or intent, spoken eagerly. Too eagerly, as the word echoed inside her head by many voices.
"Conflict, indeed," he nodded affirmatively, "and not only in celestial bodies, but in everything: the high and the low path, the immortal and the mortal. One is born from the other, and one cannot exist without the other. Harmony is achieved through discord."
"Discord?"—hungry voices longed to hear more, their shadowy claws digging into the edges of her mind, forcing Luna to shut her eyes and struggle to follow the words of her conversationalist.
"And after many decades of contemplation, searches, and experiments, yes, this is my conclusion," he finally declared, taking a deep breath before gazing at the sky for a moment and, at last, finishing his speech. "Indeed, the father of all is one: war."
“WAR!!!” screeched the cacophony of myriads of abominations, the pain so intense that it almost brought Luna to her knees, and the sheer force of it shaking her mind, forcing her to brace herself and begin breathing heavily in an attempt to regain her composure.
Lowering his head again from gazing at the sky, he found Luna distraught and stepped forward to help. “Are you alright? I observe that this does not seem to be the case.”
“Do not worry about me,” she reassured him to put his mind at ease as she drew her final deep breaths. “What worries and troubles me is returning to my place of residence, but I will have a hard time finding it.”
He placed one of the scattered parts of his front left limb on what was presumably his chin and began to rub it. “I believe I have an idea of where you come from.”
"Really?" She asked, surprised and with her hope rekindled.
He moved the scattered limb from his chin and toward the horizon, to the west, beyond the sea full of islands. "Draw a straight line from here, passing through the cities of Delos, Argos, Syracuse, and Carthage, and you will reach the Pillars of Heracles before crossing them.”
Luna, grateful for the kindness of this stranger, lowered her head in a gesture of respect. "From me, a thousand thanks, and a thousand deeds in the future shall benefit you and those you love."
But she couldn’t remain there for long with the one who had helped her, for she felt something perverse take over her mind, like a tyrant taking control of a slave. So, she turned her back and prepared to fly.
However, she stopped at the last moment, realising that she had forgotten to receive from him the most important thing of all. She turned her head back over her shoulder to see him one last time. "I would like to have the pleasure of knowing the name of the one with whom I had such a conversation and was benefitted by."
"I am Heraclitus, from the city of Ephesus," he replied for the first time with a smile, "though this city does not deserve me."
Having received his name, Luna smiled at Heraclitus before spreading her wings and soaring into the air. The sunset was near, signalling the brief beginning of her duties.
That smile of hers didn’t last long, however, for her face was taken over by a frown of concentration, trying to clear her mind from the sudden attack on her consciousness by Heraclitus’ words.
“Conflict…” murmured a voice from her right with the malicious sound of iron clashing with iron, forcing Luna to shut her eyes tight and grind her teeth.
“Discord…” hissed another voice as storm clouds gathered around Luna like predators, their movements coordinated and their desire to swallow her whole, Luna grabbing her head out of pain.
“WAR!!!” screeched a female voice inside Luna’s head as the latter howled in agony and the clouds consumed her, lightning striking out and thunder being heard for miles.
The heavens bore witness to the event, its planes silent and waiting. Soon enough, a sinister laugh could be heard coming from the centre of the clouds. Where Luna once stood, now sharp teeth had taken her place, slit irises full of hunger and the desire of only one thing:
The fall of the Sun and the eternal rule of the Night.
