The Princess of the Night
Chapter 1 – An Unexpected Twist
A/N: Are you readers ready for this? Probably not. I'm not even sure if I am, but I suppose I won't know until I try. Once you've finished reading this story, maybe you could head on over to the sequel that I've just posted. That's right, there's more! If you enjoyed Gerard's adventures in this story, you're going to love TPotN 2: The Demon.
(The events described in this chapter take place shortly after Nightmare Moon's exile by Princess Celestia)
There was a blinding light, accompanied by a searing flash of agony, which disappeared as suddenly as it arrived. The former princess cried out in pain as she plummeted towards the lake that had just materialised below her. The night sky was clear, which was odd, thought Nightmare Moon. The last thing she saw before her sister cast that spell on her was a cloud-filled sky. Nightmare could feel herself picking up speed, racing towards the lake in a streak of light.
"I wonder if we look like a shooting star?" mused a small voice in Nightmare's head.
"Oh, for pony's sake, do shut up, we don't have time for your nonsense." retorted Nightmare as she reached terminal velocity.
"This is going to hurt, isn't it?" inquired the voice again, seemingly indifferent to the entire affair.
"Most likely," admitted Nightmare, striking the lake.
The Alicorn's body froze in shock from both the impact and the temperature of the water in which it was now immersed. The princess of the night could feel that she'd broken some bones with the force of the impact. Just before she lost consciousness, the former co-ruler of Equestria willed herself to float to the surface.
Less than a mile away from the aforementioned lake, a young man was just leaving the stable after tending to his horses. It was the middle of the night and he wasn't used to disturbances like this, but he enjoyed the horses' company, and so went to check on them.
"I wonder what got them so worked up?" he muttered to himself. Just then, there was a noise akin to a cannon firing. The man's keen ears told him the sound had originated from somewhere near the lake. Sensing danger, he swiftly crossed the yard and opened his back door, retrieving the shotgun he kept there for pest control. Admittedly, he had never used it on an animal, but he took it regardless. It made him feel brave. The young man set off at a jog towards the lake.
Ten minutes later he arrived, sweating and out of breath.
"God, I really need to get back in shape," the man panted. He remembered being in secondary school and running the same distance in almost half the time, without feeling nearly as exhausted as he did now. Just then, the man snapped back to reality when he noticed ripples on the otherwise still lake. He gazed out across the lake and thought he spotted something, but he couldn't be sure. He approached the edge of the lake and called out.
"Hey! Is anyone out there?"
There was no reply, but the mysterious shape was steadily drifting closer to shore, and so the man waited patiently.
After five minutes or so, the shadow began to take on substance, and the man was shocked by what he saw. It looked like a pony floating slowly towards him. Without a moment's hesitation, the man threw down his shotgun, stripped down to his underwear and began to wade into the lake. Instantly he regretted his decision, for the water was icy cold, but it was too late, he was already in, so he may as well continue. With the water up to his waist, the man unceremoniously plunged forward into the freezing water and began paddling towards the shape, which was now easily identifiable as a pony of some description, or so the man thought. He was too busy to notice the folded wings and single horn that the creature possessed.
"How in the world you managed to get yourself out here is beyond me," said the man, his teeth chattering from the cold. He wrapped one arm around the animal's neck and gently pulled it back to shore. When they finally flopped onto the grass bank surrounding the lake the man felt so drained that he simply collapsed on the ground.
"How nice it would be to just lie here and sleep under the stars," he thought. But he knew he would not be able to sleep without first ensuring that the pony was ok, so he pushed himself up off of the ground and slowly approached the still unconscious pony.
It was at that moment that the man noticed the strange appendages on the mare's sides and head. Certain he was hallucinating; the man knelt down and gently stroked the magnificent beast's wings and horn.
"What in the world are you?" the man whispered, filled with awe.
Princess Luna had witnessed the entire affair from her mind; however, she was still too weak to regain consciousness. In her mind's eye, she stomped her hoof in frustration. She could only hope against hope that this strange creature would not abandon her, for she required answers. What was this place? How did she get here? What was this strange creature who was even now checking for the flutter of her heartbeat, a small breath in her lungs?
She searched her mind for any sign of Nightmare Moon and found her in a dark and secluded part of her mind. She appeared to be sleeping. "The force of the impact probably drained her strength," mused Luna.
"I am sorry, but I cannot have you wreaking havoc here in this world," said the princess, imprisoning her darker half in that small recess of her subconscious. She then began preparing herself for the traumatic transition back to consciousness.
The man breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed the rise and fall of the creature's chest. He draped his clothes over the beast and snuggled up close to it in an attempt to warm it up and keep himself warm at the same time. It was at that moment the Alicorn's eyes flickered open and a slight moan escaped its lips. The man, who was dozing off, became instantly alert. He sat up and stared at the Alicorn, patiently waiting for it to regain full consciousness.
"Wh-where are we?" mumbled Princess Luna.
The man's jaw fell in amazement as he backpedalled away from the creature. It talks?
"No, please do not fear us," said the princess of the night, reaching a hoof towards him, "We mean you no harm."
"No way… This is not happening," muttered the man to himself.
"Actually, it is," said Luna, confused. "Please, we need your help."
"O-of course," the man stuttered, deciding to go along with things.
He approached the midnight blue pony once again and began to examine her body.
"I'm not one hundred per cent sure, but I think your forelegs may be broken," said the man, looking the creature in the eyes for the first time.
"Do you have a name?" he inquired. If it could talk, he mused, then surely it had a name.
"My name is Luna."
"Well Luna, it's a pleasure to meet you, although I wish it could have been under different circumstances. I'm afraid we have a slight problem."
"What is it?"
"Well, my house is over a mile away and I have no way to get you there…"
"That should not be a problem, just picture your home in your mind."
"I'm not sure how that will help," said the man slowly.
"Trust us, just do it."
"Alright." The man pictured the yard of his house, with the stables off to one side and an old pickup truck parked out front. As he did this, he became aware of a strange presence in his mind. He felt a surge of energy and suddenly they were sitting in the yard, Luna panting from the teleportation spell she had just cast.
"Ok, now I know I'm dreaming," said the man, looking at his surroundings, slightly disoriented.
"What makes you say that?" inquired the princess.
"Well, first off; I'm woken up in the middle of the night by strange noises and my horses going crazy. Then I come to the lake and find a winged unicorn-"
"Alicorn," interrupted the princess.
"-Alicorn, which then teleports me back to my house. I don't know how things work where you're from, but that just doesn't happen in this world."
The man sighed. "It doesn't matter; I'll figure it out in the morning. I can't really let you stay in the stables, the horses don't like visitors."
"That is quite alright, we shall simply stay in your humble abode."
"My house?" said the man, confused. "But I don't have anywhere for a pony to stay."
"Not even a spare bed?"
"Well yeah, but- Forget it, you can sleep in my spare bed tonight, I just need some rest."