Defender of the Night

Chapters

Watcher of the Night
Protector of the Night
Mystery of the Night
Beginning of the Night

Watcher of the Night

”Luna!”

Deep cyan eyes turned to look up at the princess of the sun. Tears began to well up in her eyes, fear taking over. Wind twisted around, her celestial cobalt mane flowing in sync with the ashen whirlwind. A shadow loomed over her as her older sister trotted closer and closer, the world seemingly cracking around her with each step taken. Lightning flashed everywhere, the proceeding thunder not subtracting from the fear that was currently grasping at her with its icy tendrils.

“You have proven to me that your actions as Nightmare Moon are unforgivable,” declared Princess Celestia. Her eyes glowered with a deep seething anger. “There is only one punishment befitting of your deeds.”

A gold aura wound its way around her sharp as a blade horn. As gold energy continued to build up in the monarch’s horn the unrelenting winds blew even harder and howled far more furiously, the earth becoming torn and scorched with each bolt of lightning that struck. Celestia spread her wings wide and rose up into the air to make her final statement.

“Death.”

With a gasp, the alicorn princess shot up from her bed, sweat dripping from her forehead. She looked around the room. Though large, it was relatively smaller than she’d liked it to be. It was created after she had reverted from Nightmare Moon, and the room itself was an improvised addition to Canterlot Castle. Each of her walls along with the ceiling and floor were painted a deep shade of blue, similar to that of her mane, and of the night sky. Extravagant decor lined the walls and fancy pieces of furniture lay scattered around the room. Her bed itself was twice the size of that of the average pony’s, wooden columns reaching up towards the high ceiling of the bedroom. Sapphire curtains were draped between them and matching silk sheets covered Luna’s sleek and slender body.

She blinked. She had a nightmare. The nightmare. The nightmare that plagued her rest every night since she had been released from her imprisonment. Not only did it contain a fear that took over her entire soul, but it was one that she knew in her heart to be true. She could not run away from this, it was inevitable. Her crimes against Equestria were unforgivable. No matter how many times her sister told her that she was forgiven, or how many times she’d been told it was okay, the absolute truth of the matter was that she was guilty, and she would always be.

Her breathing began to slow. It was still early. Sun shone through her covered windows, brightening up the nearly pitch-black room ever so slightly. It was too late to return to her slumber. And she didn't want to. After all, who would want to return to that? If sleeping was her illness, then staying awake was her medicine.

The next hour of the sleepless mare’s time was spent pacing back and forth, reflecting on her recurring nightmare. She had to find some way to atone for her sins, no matter how impossible it seemed. Even now she still had very little political influence, and very rarely did she get the chance to raise the moon as she normally did before her exile. She knew Celestia was limiting her on purpose.

Ringringringringri-!

An alabaster hoof came slamming down upon the wretched device. The remorse she previously felt momentarily left her body and replaced itself with anger. The moon princess could never get used to a lot of this new technology she had been introduced to. Maybe this was part of a cruel and unusual punishment. Either way, regardless of the reasoning behind the act, one of her royal guards would slip in at some point during the day while she slept, and replace her destroyed alarm clock, as would happen every day.

A knock came at the bedroom door. Did Celestia send for somepony to wake her up? It was not a normal part of her evening wake-up routine. Maybe this was another small ‘punishment’ that her older sister would be implementing. She pondered this as she opened the door. Standing outside was Celestia herself, her multi-hued mane flowing and glittering as beautifully as the sun itself. This came as a surprise to the younger sister, as Celestia was normally either very busy, or was preparing for her rest and lowering the sun to make way for the moon.

“Luna,” was all she stated, glaring down upon her sibling.

“Yes, my sister?” the younger one responded.

“Follow me.”

Luna exited her room and followed her sister as instructed. Through open arches the sun could be seen to have already set, the moon no doubt risen by Celestia tonight. The two trotted down the dull, purple halls of the castle in utter silence. Fewer of Celestia’s royal guard roamed the hall at this hour, slowly being replaced by Luna’s night guards. A few gold-plated ponies passed by, each kneeling to the royal siblings when they passed by. Luna was surprised that Celestia did not respond to any of them and kept walking. Bags could be seen forming under her eyes. The fatigue of running a nation took its toll.

They reached a winding staircase, and then stopped. Celestia gestured with her wing for Luna to climb the stairs first. It was one flight, but it went a long way, and straight up to the highest point of the castle. Time seemed to stretch as they trotted higher and higher, towards whatever it was that Celestia had in store for her younger sister. Large, oak doors appeared at regular intervals, each with a specific marking or design, and as the pair ascended, it could be seen that each door they passed appeared to be newer than the last.

Finally, their destination had been reached. The door was a brand new one, one made from a different material than most of the others. The intricate designs that lined the marble door were reminiscent of the shining night sky that Luna controlled, surrounding a center symbol. It was a crescent moon that wrapped around a single jewelled eye.

The white alicorn stepped aside. “Place your hoof here,” she instructed, gesturing at the centerpiece.

“Why?” Luna asked.

Celestia smiled, chuckling softly to herself. “Only you can open this door, Luna. This is a gift for you, and for you only.”

A gift? “For what reason do you have to give me a gift?”

“Luna, there are plenty of reasons I would want to give you a gift,” Celestia explained to her sister. “It is a simple gesture and a nice thing to do for somepony you love. But mostly, it’s a gift for your birthday.”

Luna had completely forgotten about her birthday. The days passed with such little significance that Luna stopped bothering to count the days and let them simply pass by, like a river that bore no fish to catch. Each day was just another in a long, monotonous year. To be told that it was her birthday came as such a surprise that she nearly cried. Nearly.

With a hollow look on her face, she responded, “What is it, Sister?”

She smiled. “Why don’t you take a look and find out?”

The moon princess hesitantly lifted her right hoof up to the marble door and placed it on top of the jeweled eye. The symbol glowed from underneath her hoof. Stars etched in the entry began to take on an ambiance of their own, each lighting up one by one under the entire image matched the night to a tee. A strip formed down the center and wrapped around her hoof in a spiral formation. The two now separated halves of the door began sliding apart slowly to reveal only darkness behind them. The two alicorns stood in silence for a moment after the process had finished. Then Celestia stepped into the blackness of the room. While still in sight, she beckoned for Luna to follow her in. Since she enjoyed the darkness, she did as she was told. The door closed.

A faint golden glow appeared in front of her. The glow became brighter, revealing Celestia’s horn. The sun princess cast her spell. A large circular object that separated the two sisters lit up. The entire room filled with the blue light that emanated from the center. It was a pool. A large vat sat in the middle of the also circular room, the water it was filled with was still, motionless. The rest of the room had no windows and no door other than the one from which they entered and was completely empty, the blue, glowing pool aside. The walls and ceiling themselves were made of a blue marble coloured like Luna’s own crystal horseshoes while the floor consisted of checkered shades of grey.

“What is this, Sister? A pond?” she asked. A dark room with a simple pool did not seem like any kind of gift that would normally be given on a pony’s birthday.

“This,” she began, “Is a special kind of pond. This is a Night Pool. I believe that the time has come for you to take back full control over the night.” The white princess smiled. “You shall now raise the moon every single night, as you did a thousand years ago.”

“But what does this Night Pool have to do with this?”

“The Night Pool allows you to watch over the ponies of Equestria during the night. You can enter the dreams of ponies to keep their minds at peace. Any place touched by the silver light of the moon, you'll be able to go, and anypony, you'll be able to speak with."

"So—"

She nodded. "You have full responsibility over the night, without my interference."

A single tear squeezed itself out of the moon princesses eye and dripped down into the magical pool. The blue water rippled, no longer still. "Thank you, my sister," Luna said.

"I'll leave you to begin with your duties. Goodnight, Luna."

"Goodnight."

Celestia trotted through the sliding door and left Luna alone in her own fortress of solitude. She gladly accepted the darkness that enveloped her when the door closed, smiling ever so slightly. She wiped away her tears and returned to her emotionless face. Standing over the edge of the pool, she looked in. The water's movement slowed, leaving her own reflection in its still and unmoving wake. Luna leaned forward, her horn touching that of her reflections. The blue glow of the pool grew until the whole room was lit with not a shadow to be seen, and then, it stopped. The waters shifted and changed, forming an image: Equestria. The entire country could be seen from inside that room as if she herself was flying above the earth and looking down upon it with her own eyes.

It was beautiful.

But the beauty was not what needed to be focused on. This gift was given to her so she could take responsibility over her night sky and watch over Equestria during the night. Where to begin, she thought, looking over the country. I suppose Canterlot is a good a place to start as any.

Focusing on the regal city, she activated her horn, casting a spell that would magnify her overhead view so that she could see only Canterlot. It did not take very much effort to do so; in fact, the simplicity of working the Night Pool could be compared to levitating small objects. The center of the pond rippled outwards, the now fleeting image of Equestria becoming blurry before settling to reveal the city of Canterlot. Though normally filled to the brim with bustling city life, most of the high society ponies now locked themselves away in wait for Celestia's sunny day.

The peacefulness of the night, the softer shades revealed by the light of the stars and moon, the general perfection of this hour is what made the night the time when all the world was at its very best. But ponies wasted it away hiding out inside their homes. No longer was this so enraging for Luna, as she understood that ponies needed their rest. The peacefulness of the night made way for an excellent sleeping period; but she was still peeved that nopony seemed to appreciate her as much as she'd like.

Her cobalt eyes scanned the vast city, keeping watch, making sure all the ponies stayed safe either in the streets or in their homes. It seemed that she would be spending countless nights searching for dangers that didn't exist. Maybe this wasn't what Celestia intended when she gave the Night Pool to Luna, but still, it was how Luna decided she would use it.

Wait, what was that?

Protector of the Night

All that was needed to catch the eye of the night princess was a swift movement and a slight glimmer. It was not much to go on, but there seemed to be at least something happening. She leaned forward and touched the glowing tip of her horn to the pools surface. A simple spell, one that would allow her to view the unknown event more closely. The image in the water grew slowly, the picture homing in on a relatively small house near the edge of Canterlot. While the darkness of the night would normally be trouble for any normal pony, Luna was well-adjusted to the witching hour; in fact, she preferred it. Her eyes beamed through the shroud of darkness with ease. Let's have a quick look at what we have here...

"Hey, Head Honcho," said an unknown stallion dressed in a black sweater and ski mask. He was currently at the front end of a large, extremely detailed painting. He and his partner Head Honcho were in the process of carrying the painting to—

Nothing. As soon as the stallion stepped past a certain point away from the residence, he disappeared. The same held true for his partner. Soon enough the two were gone and the night was silent. But all is not always as it seems. To any observer, there was nothing to be seen, but in reality there was a box. A box made from the magic of one unicorn stallion.

"What is it, Shadow Sneaker?" Honcho replied, setting down his end of the painting. His features could not be seen beneath his own mask, but his lack of pants showed his brown flank. Upon it was a cutie mark that resembled a pair of broken handcuffs. He looked to his partner while letting the painting lean against the wall of the mystical box.

"Do you ever get the feeling someone's watching you?" Shadow wondered.

"Sometimes, but I wouldn't worry about it. Thanks to this cloaking spell of yours, we'll never get caught with anything again!"

He was right. Why should he be worried? After all, Head Honcho was a master criminal, practically incapable of getting caught, and Shadow considered himself a pretty good thief, even though he was only an amateur. But he just couldn't shake off that strange feeling, it was as if he really was being watched, which would be impossible because of the shroud of invisibility he had cast over their moving cart.

"Get over here, Sneaker, we still have more stuff to loot," beckoned Honcho. The accomplice hesitated for a second before shrugging off his uncomfortability and following him back to the target.

Luna watched the pair of bandits reappear out of thin air, the two of them trotting back to the house. Probably to snatch more goods, thought the princess, intently watching the in-progress theft. To say that the citizens of Canterlot had little financial trouble was an understatement. Being the capital of the country along with the home of the princess sisters, only the highest society ponies could afford to live there. This caused a great trouble, pinpointing it as the number one target for robbery, though it was not a common topic among ponies. They chose to ignore it, to leave it be and hope it goes away. But it never does. Though they did not think it, even her own night guards along with her sister's were full of corrupt ponies willing to let things go for a certain price.

Now, in this situation Luna had two choices. She could alert the night guards, and they could be sent off to monitor the area, though the process would take far too long and by then, the criminals would be literally out of sight. The second option was to deal with it herself. She could not resist the idea of handling the situation on her own. In fact, it beckoned to her. It was her duty as co-ruler of Equestria, a position she took seriously. The only way she could make it up to her little ponies was to help them through her royal duties, which, surprisingly weren't very many. Yes, it seemed this option was the one she not only had to choose to be successful, but also the one she had to choose for her own sake, for her mental stability.

She made up her mind. Off came her black regalia. She was gone.

Down flew the dark as night alicorn, a star speckled foggy contrail left behind along her path. Luna burst through a patch of clouds with ease and landed in the street. The clip clopping of her hooves was soft, as near to silence as it could be. If not for the robbery that was taking place under her own nose, it would be the perfect night for a stroll. Stillness. Silence. Peace.

But neigh, peace was unwittingly being held at bay, the resilient night a blanket to cover crime. It was Luna's night, her responsibility being exploited by the scum of the city. Ergo, it was her job to stop it.

"Heh, this job is easy as pie."

It was the familiar voice of the leader of the crime duo that caught her ear, his scratchy voice was emanating from seemingly nowhere, but Luna knew better. Somewhere in the area was the invisible cart. All she would need to do was find it and stop them. Still trotting, slowly and silently, she sidestepped a small box with articles of clothing that a Canterlot citizen decided to scrap because they were out of season. A personality flaw of those that lived such a high society lifestyle.

The invisible transport was somewhere around there. She was was sure that she was nearing the spot the voice originated from. Just a few more steps and—

FTAANG!

There it was. Planting her face into the metal wall of the invisible vehicle had been more than enough to startle the mare, causing her to jump back and headlong into the box of discarded clothing.

"What was that noise?" came the voice of a very disturbed Shadow Sneaker.

"I don't know. Let's check it out," his comrade responded. The shuffling of hooves could be heard from inside. The fallen princess lifted herself up from the heap with her forehooves, head pounding from the collision with the unseen cart. It was worse than when she had learned to fly as a filly. Or maybe it was due to her pampered lifestyle as princess that caused her to become soft. In any case, there was no time to be thinking about such things. The thieves had found her out. Now was the time to act.

As she lifted herself up onto all four of her hooves, she noticed that the feeling of fabric stayed wrapped around her head. A hat had latched itself onto her head, along with a ripped black dress. It was tucked just under the brim of the hat, running along her neck and draping itself over her back, giving off the appearance of a long robe, or a cape. As much as she would have loved to get rid of the ridiculous apparel, she was already out of time. The two masked colts were now standing face to face with her, their eyes staring her down from under their covers.

"Who the hay are you?" asked one with a hint of hostility. His voice gruff voice was easily recognized as the one called Head Honcho, who Luna knew would be trouble. "You look awfully ratty for a Canterlot chick."

The alicorn mare was taken aback by such a statement, being of royal descent. Though, it was understandable considering the garb she was currently wrapped in. And it was that garb that hid her identity from him, somehow keeping him from recognizing one of the royal sisters herself. As fun as it would be to reveal herself and wipe the smug look off of his horsey face, the cloth and hat seemed to have tangled themselves up in her ethereal mane, keeping themselves stuck on. Attempting to remove it would give the robbers too big a window for their escape.

"Who I am is none of your concern, criminal. What I can tell you is that it is my duty-" She paused. As well as my redemption, she thought quickly, "to stop you from committing such a heinous act." With her hooves planted firmly against the ground, Luna prepared herself for what was to inevitably come.

Lightning flashed.

"Pffffttt— HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Are you kidding girl!? What are you, some kind a' superhero wannabe? Look girl, the stallions are playing here. You're gonna want to run home and play superhero there. So move along, or somepony's going to get hurt." How dare he speak in such a way to a princess! The fool does not know to whom he speaks.

His partner was obviously nervous. Though he held up a pair of small daggers with his grey magic, his four legs were shaking, and moisture was building up on his mask. "Hey, umm, Honcho? I think we'd better get going with what we got. If she reports us to the guards, we're done." He backed away slightly.

"Are you kidding, it's just some mare. It's not like she's a princess or anyth—"

Not a chance. Not one more second would pass by that Luna would allow the criminal scum to finish that, or even any other sentence. This pony was to go to jail for his insults, and the first step to getting him there was with a right hoof to his lower jaw. She could even feel the cracking of his skull, the sound loud enough to discourage his partner from any such shenanigans. Blood stained her hooves. She turned to face the other pony, leaving the first rolling on the ground rolling in pain. But he was not to be seen. The spell. He cast the same invisibility on himself that he put on the cart. Which meant he was around somewhere. Due to her natural capability when it came to the night, seeing in with such little light was hardly trouble for her, but her foe had an invisibility spell that sought to conceal every bit of movement he made, giving him the upper hoof. At least she had one...

Except, she didn't. The other pony had disappeared from sight. His moaning was gone too, so the unicorn must have put a silencing spell on them. That meant she lost them. This alicorn princess had somehow managed to fail to stop a simple robbery. There would be no redemption, there would be no responsibility over the night. She couldn't help anypony. The thought of Celestia locking her up in her room seemed inevitable. Does she really love me? she thought. Does she really care? Maybe she does care; maybe she cares enough about me that she'd have me contained to my room. For my own good. Luna, dwelling on her mistake, and what the future held, flapped her wings, ascending above the street. The castle came into sight. She tried for a moment to remove the hat and torn cloth with her magic, but it was too tangled to get off without careful precision. She sighed. Energy formed around Luna's horn as she prepared to teleport back home and stay in her room the rest of the night, hoping for the best.

But then something caught her eye. A slight glimmer skated through the nearly empty streets of Canterlot, wavering in and out of sight before finally it revealed a large metal vehicle fading into existence. Was that-?

No answer was needed. It must have been, it was the only possible thing. The thief had undone his cloaking spell. He was magic fatigued. A normal unicorn could not hold a sight spell for such a prolonged period without having to deactivate it or risk passing out. And that mechanic was Luna's window of opportunity. Discharging her magic, she reared up and gave her wings a single powerful flap, sending her hurtling down towards her target. Stardust trailing behind her, the Princess quickly caught up with the moving vehicle. Upon further inspection, it was found that the stallion pulling was the earth pony, Head Honcho. That meant the unicorn fellow was sat inside, probably counting the profits they'd made off of the heist.

Here we go.

A deep cobalt field of energy engulfed her horn, the same energy wrapped itself around the carts back end, lifting it up off the ground, leaving Honcho running on the spot.

"What the—" he yelled confusedly.

He looked back. "Dear sweet Celestia. That chick's an alicorn!" He obviously still did not realize the mare he and his lackey were messing with, though, he seemed to be getting the idea.

Sneaker popped his head out of a side window to sneak a peak at their captor. Surely enough, there was Luna, hovering behind them, a smug look plastered on her face under the brim of the hat. He looked down at the floating vehicle and frowned. It was supposed to be his best heist. He himself fired up his own magic. The green energy took hold of the vehicle and sent it crashing to the asphalt. And they were off once again.

"Oh no you don't," Luna whispered, now enraged while speeding towards the cart. All of her efforts to magically lift the vehicle were all countered by the duo's unicorn. The key to catching the two was to take him out first. Boosting her flight speed with a bit of magic, she caught up and landed on the roof, cart continuing to rush forward. She had to admit, the pony was a fast runner. But now was not the time for admiration. It was time to heat things up. With a fire spell.

A small blue flame burst forth from the very tip of her horn. With it, she cut open a large square hole in the metal roof, sparks flying. She tore the useless sheet away, sending it flying in whatever direction. Inside was all the stolen goods, presumably all from the last house. Looking back up at her in fear was just the blue unicorn she was looking for, clad in black, his mask now removed and sitting next to him on the floor. "This just is not your day, is it?" asked the shrouded princess before snatching up with a bit of magic and slamming him against the roof. The sound of his body thudding against metal echoed, causing lights to begin blinking on throughout the city. All the better, maybe somepony would actually alert the royal guard so they could imprison the two, if Luna stalled long enough. A simple bubble trap would keep the unicorn from causing any trouble with his own spells.

A sphere the same colour as Luna's magic formed in front of her. Anypony caught in it would not be able to escape.

The problem was the lack of a target. Sneaker had slipped away with his invisibility spell again. Reappearing behind the flustered Luna, the colt blasted her with a small bolt of magic. It definitely was not much to an alicorn, but it was enough to knock her off balance for half a second, the momentum of the vehicle lending a hand in knocking her off. Down she tumbled, managing to grab onto the edge of the roof at the last moment.

She would have fallen, quickly losing the battle...

Had she not have wings. The easy task of floating back up was followed by the not quite as easy task of finding the once more invisible unicorn stallion. He was somewhere near, there was nowhere to go. "Where are you, thief?" she called out into the silence. Somewhere. Somewhere. There. Luna twisted around, her hoof smacking the re-materializing stallion across the face. He vanished.

"Your trick shall no longer work on me, for I have figured out the secret." She spoke directly to him. Shadow Sneaker revealed himself, smirking. "I did not notice it before," Luna began, standing still, "but your cloaking spell is not perfect." She looked down. "Being invisible does not make you unseen. Your shadow still appears." It was true, though the spell perfectly hid ponies or objects, it could not hide shadows.

"Clever girl," he responded, "but I have more than one trick.

"Gaaaaah!"

Being immortal did not mean she was not vulnerable to physical harm. Luna could be killed like any other pony, which is what her foe took advantage of. An ethereal dagger that was plunged into her side de-materialized. Blood dripped.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want anypony to get hurt, but you forced my hoof."

Another dagger appeared above the stallion's head. She teleported right on time, because the magical weapon narrowly missed her. Finally, he was down for the count. The nighttime mare tackled the bandit to the edge of the roof, not letting him escape this time. With one hoof on his shoulder, she punched him. There was no way she'd once more let him catch her off guard. When the stallion tried to cast another spell, he was cut off by a quick jab to the horn before taking another hit to the jaw.

Now time for the partner.

Princess Luna turned around to see that Honcho was also now on the roof. Nopony steered the cart, nopony pulled. The vehicle was now heading down a long hill that rad down the center of the city to the train station. "Look, lady, if you don't leave us alone, I'm gonna have to—"

What a joke. A quick rope spell was enough to keep him from going any further. Along with a bit of duct tape to shut the cretin's ignorant mouth.

A sharp pain.

Her hind leg.

Shadow Sneaker. He was more trouble than he was worth, especially because he was casting a spell after taking such a hellish pummeling. Luna turned around to see Sneaker casting a spell. It didn't look to be doing anything, but Luna felt it. The unicorn was slowing the momentum of the cart. Ahead, she could see the train station, small groups of ponies standing here and there. Was he...?

"I know when I'm beat, unlike my partner..." the unicorn whispered before falling into unconsciousness. It can be said that Shadow Sneaker was one of the more respectable crooks, especially with him thinking of the safety of innocent ponies. Luna smiled. Maybe someday she could be like him. Not the whole criminal part, she felt she had enough of being evil, but his personality.

*SNAP*

She turned. A pony stood below with a camera hung around his neck. More ponies were gathered behind. Their faces began to glow, the sun beginning to rise. Then she remembered. The sun. That meant her sister had awoken to raise the sun. And she was meant to be in her new watching room. This was bad. She teleported, light flashing, leaving the gathered ponies standing in awe.

As fast as she possibly could, Luna dashed down the spiraling staircase that lead from the Night Pool back down the the floor that housed her living quarters. She needed to get to her room unnoticed, which was tough considering the amount of guards patrolling the castle. Luckily, it was dusk, which meant that her night guards would be rotating with Celestia's royal guard, meaning there would be empty areas where the day guard had not taken over yet.

Arriving at her room safe and sound, he slammed the door shut. Now she had to try and remove the hat and torn dress without ripping portions of her mane out of her own head. Simple telekinesis did not work, so she would need to check get into the bathroom and use a wide array of hair styling supplies to fix the mess.

Knock, knock, knock.

Oh no.

"Luna, are you in there?"

Oh no.

This was bad. Luna needed to work quickly, before Celestia got in. A small spell from her horn would delay her sister from opening the lock, though she was not sure the spell would last long enough.

Come on, come on! Get! Off! MY! HEAD!

SCRIIITCH

Close enough. Holding back her cries of pain, she incinerated the scraps of cloth and jumped into her malicious bed. As if on cue, the spell she had cast finally broke, allowing her sister, Princess Celestia to open the bedroom door.

The sun princess looked around. Ahhh, there she was. Luna must have gone to bed early. So sweet and peaceful. Celestia was glad to have a sister such as Luna. It had been a tad disturbing since she returned from her imprisonment in the moon, but at least she wasn't causing any trouble like when she was just a filly. Celestia smiled. Oh the adventures they'd get into. She left, shutting the door behind her. I wonder where she got that torn-looking bow. It's cute. I think I could pull it off.

Author's Note

Sorry for taking so long. I had to work on my other story, plus I'm working on a one-shot for a group contest. It's about Octavia, and will have her solving a mystery. That's all the information I'll give. But anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Also, about becoming Mare do Well, that specific part is coming, just hold off.

Mystery of the Night

Mare-do-Well: A Canterlot Appearance?

At the break of dawn this morning, a figure was seen standing atop a vehicle full of stolen goods. Eyewitnesses say that this was costumed hero, 'The Mysterious Mare-do-Well', originally a mysterious mare who did good in the city of Ponyville. One bystander was able to snap a photo of the mare, though the quality makes it hard to recognise any noticable details, but the mare's trademark hat and cape are outlined on the silhouette. Along with the cart was crime lord Head Honcho, along with low-level criminal Shadow Sneaker. The two had...

"Impossible."

How could the Mysterious Mare-do-Well show up now? And in Canterlot, no less. This mysterious mare that does well had been a creation of Twilight Sparkle and four of her friends that they used to teach Rainbow Dash a lesson in humility. After that, the group decided that it would be for the best that they put the costume away, and disposed of it. All four of the Mare-do-Well costumes were incinerated that day, leaving no trace of the helping hero. But now, she had returned. And it could be no one but her friends, as they chose not to reveal the Mare-do-Well's identity to the public. But which one did it? Nearly all of her friends were in Canterlot at the time of the incident. The only one she could rule out was Fluttershy, who was left with herself in Ponyville.

Twilight stood up from her seat at her old, oak desk, allowing her issue of Equestria Daily to fall onto the wood surface. A full day of investigating was ahead, and she was prepared to disregard sleep if she had to. From a drawer that sat under one of the countless bookcases that lined the library walls Twilight levitated a folded parchment, which she brought back to her desk. The contents, after unfolding, read:

Pinkie Pie to leave for Canterlot-Delivering cake for the birthday of Money Von Richenburg
Rarity to leave for Canterlot-Business collaboration with FancyPants
Applejack to leave for Canterlot-Major applesauce delivery
Rainbow Dash to leave for Canterlot-'Being Wonderbolts' seminar, afternoon and morning
~~Leave for Canterlot-Meeting with Princess Celestia~~
CANCELLED

Let's see if Rarity has something to say about this.

Luna lay awake in her bed. She could not sleep. Images of everything she had gone through last night, swam through her head. She had personally attended to a crime. She stopped it with her bare hooves. Though there was nothing wrong with helping her little ponies, there was something wrong with breaking procedure. It would bad publicity for the citizens of Canterlot to find that their princess went against her own — in reality, Celestia's own — laws. She smiled. But hey, who cares about procedure. Going out, saving the ponies whose home had been robbed. The rush that it gave her, the sense of accomplishment; something she hadn't felt for quite a while. Not only that, but it felt amazing just to know she was helping. Just being the feeling of being able to help anypony without the struggle of rules holding her back.

Then it dawned on her. She had escaped being caught by Celestia for the time being, but her memory brought forth a horrifying thought. A picture had been taken of her at the time of the incident. Taken at point blank range, anypony would be able to tell it was her. She furrowed her brow. Her tightening eyelids hid her terrified eyelids. Luna ducked under her blanket, hiding herself from nopony in particular. What was she to do? It was already morning, meaning that the Canterlot News would soon be delivered to the castle.

"Argh... Can't sleep," she said. Her horn lit up and her bed sheets flew off of her body as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. When she stepped out her bedroom door one of Celestia's guards turned to face her and bowed.

"Princess Luna, shouldn't you be resting?"

Luna looked down at him with bags under her eyes. "I simply require a short walk."

He nodded in understanding, stood up, and left. Luna continued to make her way through the wide halls of the castle, the bright light beginning to sting her eyes. As she approached the monolithic doors to the throne room she began to think about what her response would be when Celestia found out about her illegal antics. Going against procedure could be wiped away if the reason was to stop dangerous criminals, right? She hoped by the light of the moon that was true.

Through the doors she went, revealing a near empty room, her sister, Celestia occupying one of two golden thrones and two unicorn guards by her side.

"Ah, Luna. What are you doing awake at this hour? You need your rest for tonight. Is there something you need?" The warm, motherly smile that her sister always wore was there. She did not look to be angry. Perhaps she was hiding it?

"I- er..." Luna stuttered. It was probably for the best to let her know. Besides, odds were she would be commended for such an act. "I have something that I must confess, sister. Last night, I-"

"Your majesty!"

The doors burst open, swinging inwards and smashing against the walls of the throne room's entryway. The forced caused terrible gashes in the walls. This happened every time this particular pony entered the room, the damage normally being painted over on a regular basis.

"Your majesty." The yellow colt bowed, nose nearly touching the ground before he recoiled. "The royal paper has arrived," he proclaimed in his posh accent that Luna thought to be ridiculous. His horn emanated a royal blue, the colour matching that of his eyes and swirly mane. From a worn leather saddlebag encrusted with gold, his magic produced a greyscale folded paper which he held to the sun princess. "Princess Luna," he greeted.

"Noseworthy," Luna huffed, sneering at the stallion.

"What was that?" he asked, rubbing the potato of a nose that brought upon such a nickname. "I couldn't quite hear that. Would you say that a bit louder?" If his smile grew any larger it would almost be the size of his nose. Celestia questioningly looked down at her royal message-tracker and her sister. Luna saw this from the corner of her eye and quickly caught on to what Noteworthy was looking for her to do.

"It was nothing." The sleep deprived princess continued to glare at the egotistical messenger while he joyfully handed over to Celestia her copy of the newspaper. How she just wanted to buck that ill-mannered pony in the face. A shame that Celestia would allow no harm to come of any of their subjects, regardless of their personality; or the evil deeds they may have done. Then Luna realized something. It would be guaranteed that her image would be in the paper, meaning that Celestia was soon to find out exactly what had happened last night. "Sister, I-" she started in hopes that she could break the news first, but Celestia interrupted her before she could finish.

"Luna," she said. "Have you seen the paper this morning?"

"I can-"

"The Mysterious Mare-do-Well: A Canterlot Appearance."

Luna began to say something, but she stopped herself and sputtered at what her sister had read. "I- buh. The Mysterious who-now?"

"Mare-do-Well," interrupted Noteworthy. "I am surprised that royalty such as yourself is so unknowledgable in such public affairs."

I hate you.

Celestia leaned forward and looked at Noteworthy, and said, "Noteworthy, why don't you run Luna through the details of who the Mysterious Mare-do-Well is. And while you're at it..." She smirked and set down the paper. "Allow Luna access to the vault."

Noteworthy's face was w mix of both surprise and anger, which he quickly hid. "But princess, you said that the vault is for your eyes only."

"Luna is a princess, and and a ruler of this nation. She has just as much of a right to anything as I do."

The stallion grumbled and quickly turned around. He then proceeded to walk out of the throne room. "Come then, princess. I shall show you to the vault."

Before leaving Celestia in the throne room, Luna turned and asked, "Sister, are you considering bringing this pony to justice?"

Celestia shook her head. "No, Luna, there is not yet a need for such a thing. Though against the rules, Mare-do-Well did something good last night."

Luna let out a sigh of relief.

"But I am going to have the guards keep an eye out. If she shows up again, something may have to be done."

Luna's eyes went wide. " Er, may I borrow that paper? It may help me er, learn about this 'Mare-do-Well character."

"Be my guest."

Luna levitated the paper to her and rolled it up, placing it behind her left wing for safe keeping and quickly trotted out of the room, being sure to softly close the doors behind her. Fast as she could, she caught up to Noteworthy, who was angrily mumbling something to himself that she couldn't hear, though she could guess what it was. "Noteworthy, I believe that you were ordered to tell me of this Mare-do-Well?"

"Ah, yes, I suppose I was," he groaned, quickening his pace, hoping to get this whole ordeal over with before long. "The Mysterious Mare-do-Well was a masked hero who took to the streets of a town called Ponyville about half a year ago. She saved ponies that were in danger, and the news of this hero quickly reached Canterlot. But then, not even a week later, she disappeared, leaving no trace of herself anywhere. Now it seems that she has returned, but is now in Canterlot."

So they think that it was this costumed hero that did that.

He stopped. "Anywho, here it is: The vault." He cast a spell with his blue magical aura covering his horn and shooting straight towards the middle of a large, circular iron door. The beam of magic struck the crystal in the centre, causing nearly the entire door to glow. The door began to recede backwards into the opening behind it before stopping and splitting directly down the middle, each side sliding outward to reveal a small wooden door.

"So this is the vault?" Luna asked her guide.

"Yes, now go in. Princess Celestia has not allowed me to know what is in it, but apparently she's willing to let somepony like yourself in. I shall leave you. Goodbye, princess."

He turned around, stuck his nose high into the air, and left. Quietly, Luna stuck her tongue out at him. "That arrogant prick is simply infuriating" she whispered, stomping her hoof with her final word. A stray tuft of hair fell down in front of her face, which she blew away.

Finally, it was time for her to enter the mysterious vault. What would be inside? Why did Celestia want her to see it? It was time to find out.

"Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique!" Rarity said in response to the silver bell that would sound whenever the door opened.

The unicorn wiped the little sweat there was off of her forehead with a levitated cloth and took off her ruby red glasses. Turning around, she saw that the pony that entered was not another client, but one of her close friends, Twilight Sparkle.

"Ah, Twilight, it is nice to see you today. What is it you need?" she asked.

"Rarity, we need to talk," responded Twilight.

"You sound serious, Twilight. What's wrong?"

Twilight instantly cast a spell that closed up all of the blinds in the house and locked all of the doors. "It's about Mare-do-Well," she whispered.

Rarity put a hoof to her mouth. "You saw too?" Rarity brought a stray newspaper over and opened it to the correct page. "I wasn't sure I believed it, but somepony brought her back."

"You mean it wasn't you?"

Rarity gasped. "Heavens no! I would never be able to do such a physically taxing thing."

Twilight thought about this. She had a point. She doubted that a pony like Rarity could beat up a pair of thugs, but she could still have something to do with it. She could be lying. For all she knew, it could be the combined effort of all her friends again. Either way, Twilight would have to hide her suspicions until she got to the bottom of the whole thing.

"But there's something I don't understand. You were the one who made the original costume. You kept the design. How did whoever it is get the costume?"

Rarity shrugged. "Honestly, I couldn't say. It baffles me how they could obtain the costume. I would go interview somepony else. Maybe Rainbow Dash knows something."

Twilight's horn glowed and all of the curtains were raised, and all the doors unlocked. "Thank you, Rarity. I think I'll do that."

"Well, I wish you luck. Good day, Twilight."

She soon left the clothing store, on her way to Rainbow Dash's cloud home. She still couldn't cross anypony off of the suspect list, but at least she had a bit of information she could hold onto.

The room was empty except for one wooden cabinet emblazoned with the cutie mark of a pony that she knew well. The pink star that normally sat upon Twilight's flank was carved intricately into the wood. The container nearly dwarfed even her, an alicorn. Two small lanterns burned dimly on either side of the chamber.

Luna pulled open both doors of the cabinet with her deep blue magic. Inside was a series of scrolls, each tied with a red ribbon and stamped with her sister's cutie mark. There seemed to be about twenty to thirty scrolls in all. Below each one was a small plaque engraved with a date and a short description detailing its contents.

But there was one that specifically caught her eye. 'The Mysterious Mare-do-Well'.

Did Celestia want her to see this?

She pulled the scroll from its home in the cabinet and carefully removed the ribbon that held it shut. Unfurling the paper, she began to read its contents.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I learned that no matter how good you are at something, you shouldn't show off or push your talents on everypony else. Bragging isn't good. It can hurt your friendships, and hurt you.

This week, I was the talk of the town, flying around and saving ponies and stuff. But the real action started when a costumed mare showed up.

Mare-do-Well, Luna thought.

She pretty much stole all of my thunder when she was stronger, more agile than me, could fly, AND cast spells. I... I guess I got a little jealous. Mayor Mare named her the Mysterious Mare-do-Well, and was going to hold a big celebration for her. At least, until I crashed the party. I chased her down and around town until I finally caught her. But when I tore off her mask, I saw that it was one of my best friends. Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie!? The wild mare from my visit on Nightmare Night?

Soon, all of my friends revealed themselves to also be Mare-do-Well. They all went and posed as a single superhero to teach me a lesson on humility. It really worked, and I'm glad they did that for me.

-Your faithful subject, Rainbow Dash

Luna could not believe it. Mare-do-Well was really multiple ponies posing as one mare. And that's who everypony thought that she was. She was the spiritual successor to Twilight and the others.

I- I should just admit it now. Reveal that I am in fact not Mare-do-Well, and the entire thing is just a big misunderstanding. Celestia said that it was okay anyways. As long as I follow the rules next time, I won't get in trouble. As opposed to properly bringing the criminals to justice.

The whole situation was just racking her mind. It just felt so liberating to be able to do things without the rules and restrictions that kept a princess bound. Maybe it would be a good idea to continue. If she did it under the guise of Mare-do-Well, she wouldn't be caught. But on the other hoof, if she continued to ignore the law to exact justice, and if she did get caught.

She didn't want to dwell on the consequences. But she'd seen the kind of scum that resided in Canterlot. There wasn't even any telling the kinds of ponies that were spread out across Equestria. And it seemed like the law just wasn't enough to keep those kinds of criminals in check. It was time for action. Her appearance as the Mysterious Mare-do-Well was just an coincidence. Tonight would be a new beginning.

After a whole day of searching, Twilight Sparkle had no answers. All of her friends had denied having anything to do with the Mare-do-Well incident. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack; Twilight had no clue who could have done it, and she was tired of looking for the answer. It was time to sleep. Maybe something new would come up tomorrow.

Twilight cleaned herself up, preparing for bed by washing her hair and brushing her teeth. After putting on a purple sleeping gown, she levitated one corner of her star spangled bed sheet and climbed onto the soft mattress, allowing the covers to fall over her sleek body. It did not take long for Twilight to fall asleep and be sent off to dreamland.

Beginning of the Night

Wind swirled around Twilight as she trotted carefully through the dark and threatening forest. It whispered, moving swiftly between branches and what few leaves were left. A worried expression creeped across her now sweating face. A crunch sounded off in the distance, to which Twilight swiveled her head to see. Another sound, this time closer and on her right. Her head snapped to search that side for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing but a few shrubs and bushes. Twilight continued walking along the dirt path that stretched out in front of her.

The wind began to pick up, it's whistle growing steadily into a howl, and then into an ear drum-bursting screech. A whirlwind of scattered leaves and branches began to pick up, swirling around her, building up until the winds became a destructive tornado, tearing up everything around Twilight and soon enough, lifting her up off the ground. Twilight rose slowly upwards through the eye of the storm, her terrified shriek drowned out by the sound of the wind. And then, it stopped.

Twilight floated in the air, still screaming, though the whirlwind had ceased. The moon, shining silver, hung in the sky behind her, basking her in its tender glow. Soon enough, Twilight ran out of breath and she stopped. Feeling nothing under her hooves, she looked down. As soon as she took notice that there was no longer earth beneath her, she began screaming once again, but not before being cut off by a voice that boomed out from behind.

"Twilight Sparkle!" it echoed. The unicorn turned her head, her body following suit. The powerful female voice had come from the moon itself. A shadow creeped its way up the side of the space-rock's surface, bringing forth the image of a mare, which in turn seemingly leaped off the side of the moon and into the air in the form of black smoke. The cloud's form twisted and writhed, changing into a shape similar to that of a pony, and soon enough, became instantly recogniseable.

"Princess... Luna?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, Twilight Sparkle, I have come to ask a favour of you." Luna flapped her wings, slowly descending to the ground along with Twilight Sparkle.

As the two touched down, Twilight remarked, "This is a really weird dream I'm having. Why are you here?"

"I assure you, I am no figment of imagination. I have recently acquired the ability to enter the dreams of ponies through the use of a magical artifact called the mirror pool. With it, I can-"

Twilight promptly interrupted the moon princess, sending the discussion in the opposite direction. "You can enter ponies' dreams? Where did you get it? How does it work? That must be very powerful magic if-"

"Twilight!" said Luna. "Focus. I am in need of your help."

"Of course, Princess, anything you need." Twilight turned around and began trotting, the world around the two of them morphing into a large room resembling Twilight's library home in Ponyville. The difference being that this room alone was the size of the entirety Canterlot. Rows of wooden bookcases shot up from the rocky earth, towering above the two ponies and even reaching past the clouds. Book after book lined the shelves detailing various subjects such as cooking, or fighting, or dancing. The section that they were currently walking down was seemingly endless.

Luna, following Twilight, began with a leading question. "You know, of course, of the hero known as the Mysterious Mare-do-Well?"

Unseen, Twilight's eyes widened, but she continued to trot at a steady pace. Magic emanated from her horn and plucked a book from high above, bringing it down to in front of Luna, who used her own magic to pluck the book out of the air.

"Mare-do-Well, the result of plan to teach Rainbow Dash a lesson. After that, we got rid of Mare-do-Well." Twilight sighed. "But your asking means you caught news of her reappearance." Twilight turned around and faced Luna. "I know it's one of my friends, but I don't know who it could be, Princess. Other than them, it couldn't be anypony else."

Luna cringed. How interesting her visit was becoming. She stared and the pages of the book in front of her, examining the detailed snapshots from Twilight's thoughts and memories. Rainbow Dash, Mare-do-Well, the four costumes, everything that Twilight remembered, she could see. Five pieces of paper floated in from every side. Each of them showed an image of each of Twilight's friends along with some information on their whereabouts the night before.

"I have done an amount of searching to satisfy your curiosity," Luna said, still trotting forward into infinity. "I can tell you with absolute certainty that none of your friends are the Mare-do-Well."

Twilight perked up instantly. "What? How do you know?" she asked before being stopped in her tracks by a black and white image that seemed to be cut out from a newspaper that floated directly in front of her. It was a picture of the Mysterious Mare-do-Well standing atop a moving cart, though it was merely the silhouette.

Luna turned around and began to retell her tale of the night previous. "You see, there is a reason I know that the Mare-do-Well that appeared last night was not one of your friends." As if by magic, the image in front of Twilight began to waver and change. Soon enough, the image of Princess Luna was imprinted on the paper. "I am the Mysterious Mare-do-Well."

"B-but how? How did you-? What?" Twilight stammered out.

"I did not actually know who this Mare-do-Well was until only recently. Today, in fact." Luna turned back around and continued walking, book cases sliding back into the earth from where they came, large square displays appearing in their place, the images matching up with whatever Luna said. "The only reason I knew to inquire you is because I happened to come across your friendship letter to my sister. Everything that happened was a complete accident.

"In case you were not aware, my birthday was one night ago." Twilight stood up straight upon hearing this.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Princess, I didn't know-"

Luna held a hoof up in such a way that Twilight recognized Luna wanted her to keep quiet. "There is no need to apologise, Twilight Sparkle. My sister and I deemed it best not to publicize the birth date of 'Nightmare Moon', as it were." A frown spread across Luna's deep blue face. "We celebrated the occasion in private, my sister giving me a gift of great power." An image appeared on one of the floating panels of magic, showing Luna inspecting her gift and proceeding to activate it. "The Night Pool. A device of powerful magic that allows me to watch over the night and to enter the dreams of ponies, as I am currently doing with you. I caught a pair of criminals and made an attempt to stop them."

Twilight rubbed her chin with her hoof, pondering on the explanation. "That makes sense," she said. "But I still don't understand how or why you dressed up as Mare-do-Well to stop them. Why would you need to keep your safekeeping of the city a secret?"

"Yes, I shall explain that." Luna nodded and directed Twilight to one of the floating images. "I... was not exactly paying attention at the time and ended of becoming entangled in a box of discarded clothes. My silhouette being similar to that of you and your friends' Mare-do-Well is purely a coincidence. What you are right to question is my ambiguity. You see, Twilight Sparkle, what I did was right, but it was against proper protocol. If what I did was to be leaked to the public, I fear my reputation may be at risk."

"Wait, you think everpony will think less of you?" Twilight asked, confused. "You did your job as a princess, nothing bad would happen."

"Yes, but what if I were to do it more than once?" Luna inquired.

Twilight raised her brow. "Well, I don't think there would be any problems, but I think that would be dangerous. A princess shouldn't be out dealing with danger at every waking moment." She realized what Princess Luna was getting at. "And you think that you'll be forced to stay in for your own good."

"Yes, Twilight Sparkle. It is the guards' job to deal with such seemingly trivial issues, but I find that they are not as good at their job as they are made out to be. They are not keeping the city safe as properly as they should. I know that I can do this more efficiently. I can be an example, and being a princess would restrict me from doing that."

"But that's not true! You can still help ponies as a princess, it wouldn't change a thing."

"If it makes no difference, then I should at least try to keep my identity hidden. This is what I have come to you for. I require your original disguise. If it does not work out the way I expect, and if it truly makes no difference, I will reveal myself.

"You don't need to be doing this, Princess," Twilight pleaded, stomping one of her front hooves lightly. "You're not thinking logically! What is there to gain from pretending to be a superhero that should no longer exist!?"

Princess Luna held a hoof up, silencing Twilight. Twilight tried once again to speak, but for some reason, she could not bring herself to do so. "This is my decision, Twilight Sparkle. You shall help me, and that will be the end of it."

Twilight sighed heavily and lowered her head in defeat. She was frustrated with Princess Luna, but if this was her final decision, then who was Twilight to question the decision of a princess. "If you really want to do this, then I'll go along with it, but when I say I'm done, I mean it." The world around the two mares began to shatter, dematerialising into a pitch blackness, Luna along with it.

"I understand, Twilight Sparkle. I shall return tomorrow night and we shall begin our preparations." Luna's voice faded out, echoing until it sounded no longer like her voice, but the whispering of a faint wind. Twilight was left to return to her slumber, too worried of the princess of the night to dream peacefully.

Of course, this was only the beginning.