Guardian

PROLOGUE - TRUMPET

A star-pocked night like any other, save for dark clouds in the far distance. Upon a balcony of the castle of Canterlot stood a dark blue Alicorn, her mane flowing gently in perpetual motion. Though the air was calm and without a stir of wind, the atmosphere seemed somewhat oppressive to her. Squinting so that she may see further into the distance as to examine the clouds so far away, Luna found herself feeling more and more uncomfortable with each passing moment.

“Luna,” a gentle voice turned Luna's attention from the horizon, “what is it that has you out here so concerned?”

“My dear sister, something seems off. We are uncertain what it is, but the clouds in the distance bear a sinister nature. We cannot take our eyes from it.”

Celestia stepped forward, her mane drained of its vivid glow and flow due to the nature of the night, attempting to examine the horizon to the best of her ability. Of course, due to the nature of her power, her visibility was next to zero at the moment due to the daylight being non-existent. The white Alicorn sighed and brought forth a smile.

“Luna, my dear,” she began, “You need not worry about a few storm clouds.”

“Storm clouds... We are not certain that these are such simple things.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You cannot tell, but we can. The clouds move not with the wind, for there  is none. There hath been none all day. The clouds we see are dark, so dark that they blend in with our starlit veil to the point where even our eyes can hardly see them. They blot out the stars themselves so that their light shall not shine down upon the lands... They cast a shadow of despair upon our land. Your land, sister.”

“Don't worry your head on the matter, Luna. There is nothing to fear from a storm like that. It's just caught in a doldrum. It must be snowing quite hard up north where those clouds are. I hope Cadance and Shining Armor have prepped the shield around the Crystal Empire for such a storm.”

“'Tis no storm, sister. There is no thunder. There is no rain. 'Tis but a black cloud that blankets the north.”

“Regardless, don't concern yourself so much with a cloud. The rest of the night is your domain still, and it is still beautiful even with a dark blemish like that. Now, I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me, I need to return to my rest.”

“Sleep well, sister.”

The white Alicorn turned and began walking gracefully back to her room. Upon entering the castle from the balcony, however, she could not help but dwell on what had occurred. She said not to worry about it, she said that clouds like that mean nothing. But even though she could not see those clouds clearly, looking in the general direction of them had been enough to fill her with a familiar feeling of despair that she had not felt in a long time.