Starlight

Prologue

Compared to previous nights, this one seemed much different than usual. Not only were there fewer stars in the night sky, the moon seemed significantly larger and brighter. Even though it was night, it seemed much like daytime, which was an even more unusual occurrence. Yet, it didn't seem to cause much of a problem for most of the citizens of Equestria, having become familiar with the oddities that come with the night sky, especially involving the moon. The reason, however for the extraordinary size of the moon was due to something else. Something that just so happened to be going on in the palace, in secret.

It had remained a secret throughout all of Equestria and even the castle. Only a select few had actually known of this day in advance. Some had their suspicions, but it was kept mostly quiet, namely for security reasons as it wasn't something that happened everyday. In fact, this was actually the first time something like this had ever happened in the history of Equestria. Not even the staff could figure what was happening as a forest green unicorn galloped through the halls of the castle in a panic. This would be the first time anypony had ever seen him like this before. It was very suspicious to see such a calm and collected pony act in such a rushed manner.

However, the reason for this was, because he was involved and he had just returned from a meeting in the Crystal Empire. You see, during the meeting, which was more of an inspection to see how everything was faring for being just over a year since the empire's return, he had received a vital message from Princess Celestia, urgent beyond what he could believe. The letter itself had caught him completely off guard, nearly causing the unicorn to faint on the spot. Thankfully though he was able to hold himself steady before galloping at full pace down the halls and through the empire itself. All the while, he found himself shouting in utter joy, which was also out of character for him. Yet, he found he couldn't help himself. His news quickly spread throughout the Crystal Empire, bringing even more untold joy.

With time of the essence, instead of taking the train, he opted for teleportation. This wasn't a mistake either as he had arrived within the garden of the castle in a matter of minutes after the letter had fallen into his hooves. His demeanor had changed drastically though as he rushed through the castle and even after being within its walls for well over three years, he still found it difficult to navigate. Why hadn't he just teleported onto the balcony? After a few wrong turns through the halls, he finally arrived at the door to his and Luna's room, with a look of urgency and determination on his face. He inhaled very deeply before pushing open the doors and what he came to hear nearly shattered his eardrums.

Pain or sheer agony? The sapphire alicorn could no longer tell the difference, it was all pain to her as her sister held her hoof. “Where is he?!” she cried out, in-between her own screams. “He should've been here by now!”

“I'm sure he's almost here.” the alabaster alicorn whispered and as if on cue, the doors flung open to reveal the unicorn previously spoken of. This was a relief for all that were in the room, the alabaster alicorn, the sapphire alicorn, and the forest green unicorn mare. Out of everypony in the room though, it was the sapphire alicorn that seemed most relieved to finally see him. Even through the tears of pain streaming down her face.

“Emerald...” she whispered as he took ahold of her other hoof. She didn't dare question what took him so long, nor did she dare scold him about it, all she cared about was, that he was here now.

“You're late, Emerald!” the forest green mare snapped. “Count yourself lucky that you arrived in time!”

“Mom! Now's not the time to be scolding me!” he snapped back, giving the sapphire mare a soft kiss right next to her forehead. “I'm here now and that's all that matters! So...how far along is she?”

“The baby is crowning right now...I actually see its horn.” came the reply he wanted. “It shouldn't be much longer now....which reminds me...Luna.” The princess listened to her mother-in-law's guiding advice, which came from experience. Even with the guiding voice though, she hadn't anticipated that it would've been this painful. Luna was able to endure though, turning to both her dear sister and her husband for support and even though it was the most agonizing experience of her life, she also felt joy that was unmatched. Inhaling deeply, she gave another push upon the unicorn mare's orders. This seemed to shoot the searing pain to new heights, causing her to let out a terrible shout, this time in the Royal Canterlot voice.

It shook the whole castle, echoing throughout the marble halls and into the night. Then finally, there was silence, blissful silence. All Luna could feel was a sense of relief as the pain finally began to subside. As it did, she felt the hoof of her husband lift her head, and that's when they finally heard it. The sound that brought tears to the eyes of the new parents. The cry of their child.

“Its a girl!” the unicorn mare finally said, her face beaming at the prospect of being a grandparent. Without hesitation she had already cleaned up the newborn, quickly wrapping her in a soft, warm blanket. One that seemed all too familiar to her son, as he had been wrapped in the very same one. She carried the newborn foal to them, resting her right beside her parents.

In this moment, something happened, something nopony in all their lives could've seen coming. In Emerald's eyes, tears began to form, but not tears of sorrow or pain, no. But simple tears of joy. It was something none of the ponies in the room had ever seen. It seemed both Luna and Emerald too were on the same page as tears even slid down her cheeks, shifting from tears of agony, to tears of joy. It was, by far the happiest time in their lives. Even the alabaster alicorn shared in the sentiment, unable to hold back her own joy. It was a true miracle, one she was glad to be able to share in.

“Celestia...” came a whisper, as a tear slid down from her magenta eyes.

“Yes, Ivy?” she sniffed.

“I think we should go...” the unicorn mare whispered. “Leave the new parents to bond...and to rest.”

With a brief glance between the three, watching as Emerald kissed her sister on the forehead again, she only nodded in agreement. With that, the two quietly trotted from the room, not saying another word. This left both the princess of the night, and her prince to spend time with their new daughter. This resulted in a few curious glances as they took note of everything. While it was early, they quickly discovered that she took mostly after her mother in terms of looks, having inherited the dark sapphire coat that Luna had, but, at the same time, they also took note of the eye color, which seemed to be tis-similar to Emerald's own. What really struck them as odd however, was the fact that, compared to both of them, her mane was entirely different. Instead of being either a light azure, a cobalt blue, or a earthy brown color, it was instead a greyish-silver color. It struck the pair for a loop indeed, before long however, it snapped into their minds, recalling Ivy's mane color, which was a shimmering silver.

“A silver mane...your mother's traits are really prominent, aren't they?” Luna asked, giggling very softly.

“I didn't think I had inherited the trait though.” Emerald replied, “But, then again...darker colors are often more dominant traits.”

“You know...there's still one thing missing...the one thing that would make her...'perfect'.”Luna whispered, at first it seemed as though Emerald was lost in his thoughts, unsure of what the lunar princess meant. Through his eyes, his daughter was absolutely perfect as she was, beautiful, and so precious. As he gazed at the now-sleeping foal, he continued to think deeply, which only made the princess laugh, being sure to keep it down as so she wouldn't disturb the newborn princess.

“What do you...?” Before he could finish the sentence however, the reality dawned on him. Which caused the reaction of him tapping his own head with a soft laugh. “Silly me...how could I forget! But....what do we name her?” Luna could only tap her chin very softly in thought as she gazed back at their sleeping daughter. At the same time, Emerald climbed from the position he had been in right beside his wife, to which, she observed. Watching him as he climbed from the bed and crossed the room. He trotted onto the balcony, his gaze shifting up to the night sky where he found himself lost in his own thoughts.

Never in his wildest dreams would he of imagined that, not only would he be having a family, but that he'd also be a prince. It was something straight out of a fairy tale, at least to his knowledge. It had all begun on that day, the day he had returned to Canterlot after having received a mysterious note involving Princess Luna. At first, he seemed confused after receiving it, but that quickly calmed down as he read through the letter. It went on to explain that, out of everypony in his family, he was the one most worthy for the task. To be the personal bodyguard for the Princess of the Night. At the time, he felt it was like a dream and as he was on a job already, he had very little time to spare to at least provide immediate protection. But, who would've guessed that his life would've changed that much after he took on the job? Not Emerald. No, everything to this day, was something he never saw coming, he never intended on falling in love with Princess Luna, he had simply gone to protect her. Yet, it seemed like fate had other plans for him. As he spent more time with her, he grew closer and closer, forging a bond unlike anything he had ever felt. Which resulted in her not only regaining her strength, but finding her true self again.

Then came the next shocker, at least to Luna. On their two year anniversary it happened. She should've seen it coming, but didn't. However, it wasn't just the fact that he had done it, but it had been HOW he did it that threw her one and to this day, she knew she'd never forget it. The way he had proposed to her was, by far the most memorable day of her life. Next to this day, it had to be one of the happiest moments in her life since her return. As for the wedding, the two had decided to keep it relatively small and private. After what happened with the previous royal wedding, it had been expected. Not only that, but neither pony could stand the press. This wedding wasn't without its problems however, as one particular pony had taken it upon himself to try and spoil it. And no, this time, it wasn't Silver. He was in fact, one who actually helped arrange the whole affair. Instead though, it had been Prince Blueblood. Through the doors, he came bursting in. Unlike before, he looked like he was a complete wreck. On that day, it was something that nopony had understood. At least, until the pony behind him spoke up. Had it not been for her, the wedding may of very well been ruined by the spoiled prince. How would everything been had Emerald's mother; Ivy Charmer not been at the places she appeared? It always seemed that, when her sons needed help, no matter where they were, she was always there and today's actions had shown it.

After throwing Blueblood out on his ear, she quickly apologized, saying that she wouldn't dare miss her own son's wedding. This is where it seemed Luna gained a new respect for her. That wasn't the first time the unicorn had stepped in to help out and she was thankful too. To be truthful that day had also been one of the happiest, not just to Luna, but to Emerald as well, as he actually got the chance to meet his mother face to face for the first time as well as watch her chew out his elder brother, Silver, later that very day.

As he sat upon the balcony, Emerald was finally beginning to understand what it truly meant to be a parent, even though he had only been one for no more than ten minutes. He smiled as his eyes continued to gaze up at the night sky. As they wandered, the smile began to fade, his thoughts finally returning to what to name the child. In the time his eyes were scanning the sky, they eventually locked onto a single star. This one seemed brighter than the others for some reason, thus drawing his attention. It had been able to stand out even against the light of the super-moon, which had been a cause of the special occasion. As he gazed at the star in question though, an idea finally struck him.

He skidded back into the room, returning to Luna's side. “I think I have it!”

This quickly caught the lunar princess' attention, who couldn't help, but also hush her husband with her hoof. “She's trying to sleep...don't wake her just yet!”

“That's it though...I think I have a name for her!” Emerald said, acting a bit out of character even for him.

“Well...what is it?”

“Star!” He replied instantly. To be truthful, she did like it right off the bat. As it represented the fact that the foal was born from the lunar princess, however, she seemed to brush it aside as it didn't feel as prominent as it should.

“It...” Emerald knew immediately what Luna was going to say, as if he had read her mind.

“Before you brush it aside...think about it. She's like a ray of light on our lives....she's like our little star of hope.” Emerald defended, at this very moment, it struck the lunar princess, which made her smile even wider.

“No, Emerald...How about...Starlight?” Luna spoke up. “I...think it'd go nicely with your family's name too...yes...Starlight Crescent.” Emerald didn't argue with this either, in fact, it actually sounded much better to him. He could only smile as he kissed Luna very softly.

“Starlight Crescent...”