Clair de Lune
Chapter 1: Cast Out
Thick clouds enveloped the night sky over the kingdom of Equestria. Ponies tucked in to their beds after a hard day at work or at school. The warm, guiding light of the moon, under the command of the ever-vigilant Princess of the Night and co-ruler of Equestria, Princess Luna, assured her citizens protection and peace since their very existence.
One place on this particular night however, was void of such peace and stability: Canterlot Castle, where its rulers, the sisters Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, are housed.
It has been five days since the Night Princess last raised the moon, an issue that will not go unpunished, according to her sister. The palace guards had been scrambling far and wide in search of their missing princess, all to no avail. Since then, Princess Celestia had been holding responsibility for the rising and setting of both the sun and moon.
That night, two Lunar Guard pegasi landed by the castle grounds. Their minds raced as to how they could possibly address the Princess for their lack of effort and failure to find her still-missing sister. With the light, yet nervous tapping of hooves and anxiety written on one of their faces, they slowly entered the castle, which would lead them to the throne room. Here, their princess waited for news of the progress on the search.
"Oh, what will happen to us if this keeps up? Where could Princess Luna be?" said the female gray pegasus as they walked towards the doors leading up to the throne room. "Was she kidnapped during her raising the moon, or-or eaten by those by the Everfree forest? Or, is she…is she…"
The cinnamon brown pegasus to her right pushed her into a column with a stern look upon his face. Those sharp cobalt-blue eyes bore straight through hers. His forehoof pressed on her muzzle with enough pressure to tell her to keep her thoughts to herself. He could hear her muffled whimpering through his forehoof.
"Could you keep it together, private." Her superior spoke with a hushed, sharp tone. She fell silent and waited for him to continue. "Everyone has been working their flanks off to find Her Majesty, for the past days, twenty-four seven. Some have been lacking sleep even, this much I know, but believe me when I say that what you think and what you have to say about all this will not matter. Why? It is because that is detriment to our progress in finding Her Majesty."
He kept his fears of not being able to find Princess Luna to himself, and the thought of losing her would weigh heavily on every pony everywhere. As much as he wanted to share his sentiments with the private, he thought best to steel his mind and be strong for his underlings.
"What matters is that we find her, as soon as we can. We cannot afford to delay the search just because of fear. It will only hold us back from what needs to be done. Have some guts and keep it together, private. Do I make myself clear?"
With his forehoof off her muzzle, she allowed his words to sink in. She concluded that he was right; that there could be no room for emotion, be it concern or anxiety, when bound by duty. With a newfound resolve, she wiped away the fears inside and kept a straight face.
"Sir! Yes, sir," she responded with a salute, determined to face her worries. With that, her commanding officer let out a small smile on his face and gave a light nod, proud to have raised her spirits.
"Come on, private. We can't keep Her Majesty waiting too long," he told her as he motioned for them to continue their trotting towards the throne room.
Moments later, they came to a halt as they were standing by the large ornate doors that led to the throne room. Two palace guards at both ends of the door stood by, equipped with tall, steel pikes and well-clad in armor. The pegasus captain addressed his underling and himself to report to their Princess.
"Captain Lightning Fast and Private Willow Wind, reporting for Her Majesty Princess Celestia," the captain said as he kept a firm posture about. His junior officer, Willow, followed suit.
It took a few seconds to confirm their presence before the large doors were opened for them. The guard on the left side of the door gave them a quick nod, granting them entry into the room before gazing back at the hallways, keeping watch.
They were inside the vast, pompous confine that was the throne room. They walked along the carpeted aisle that led up to the golden, red-cushioned throne. Another pair of armored guards with pikes stood in attention as they secured the throne behind them.
The moonlight, lighting the halls through the large, stained glass tapestries, seemed to have calmed Private Willow to some extent. She knew that although her princess kept a calm and collected composure most of the time, she did so to keep her troubled thoughts to herself and to strengthen her subjects' faith in her, a reminder for the pegasus officer to stay strong and sharp in the face of adversity.
It may be a first for her to actually enter the throne room and allow the grandeur of it to sink into her. The small, pristine waterfalls at both ends of a short flight of stairs leading to the throne. The beautifully sculpted figures of both princesses made of marble as they walk. The stained glass windows chronicling the story of how the sisters overthrew their chaotic and evenly-matched predecessor, Discord. The glass ceiling that gave light to the room, be it day or night. All these details she could have looked into if given a longer time before their sovereign rulers appear before them, but the situation at hand forced her to move forward and fight the temptation to stop and stare.
"Hey, hang in there, kid. You'll do just fine," her captain whispered in reassurance. He put out a small grin to defuse a sense of formality and keeping it casual, if only for a moment.
"Thank you, sir," Willow responded as she gave him a light nod.
Just then, Captain Lightning raised his right forehoof lightly to her side, telling Willow that this was where they should stop and wait for Princess Celestia to emerge from her quarters. He lowered it just as soon as they heard the door by the left side of the throne open.
Princess Celestia came out from the door, trotting her way to the throne nearby. Even though she had seen and heard about it many times as a young filly, her long, flowing pastel-colored mane and tail never ceased to amaze Willow. Following protocol, she bowed down with her head lowered and her forehoof bent knowing she was in the presence of her princess. Captain Lightning did the same, but bowed down as soon as the Solar Princess was in plain sight.
Maintaining her elegant, regal poise, she spoke in a calm manner. "Good evening, Captain Lightning Fast. Private Willow Wind."
"Good evening to you too, Your Majesty," Captain Lightning replied, still in a genuflected stance.
"You can both stand up now," she told them with a small smile on her muzzle.
They both complied and stood up as she ordered.
"I trust you have something to report from your search, Captain," she asked with an eyebrow raised slightly upward.
"Yes I do, Your Majesty. At three forty-five this afternoon, the residents near Everfree Forest came to us after hearing manticores and some creatures roaring and a pony laughing maniacally. We surveyed the area as quickly as we got the report and sent a squadron to the forest. We found some fatally injured beasts and were tended to by our medical squad. Luckily, they did not attack us in our approach and complied with the medics well. The unicorn squad you sent us, led by your student, Twilight Sparkle, found some magical residue in the area and some hoofprints, and…" the captain took a short pause as he set his disbelief aside. "…we have reason to believe that Her Majesty, Princess Luna was…is behind all this. I deeply apologize, Your Majesty."
"Can you confirm this to be so, Captain?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Since there were beasts involved, Miss Sparkle personally brought in her friend, Fluttershy, to interpret what the creatures had to say for us. The suspicions were correct, Princess."
"And the magical residue?"
"Miss Sparkle confirmed it herself, Your Majesty. She also detected some negative essence laced within the residue. Dark and negative qualities, as she put it."
A thought came into Celestia's mind. She feared it was something she never wanted to encounter. Something that she wanted to keep her mind away from. An entity she and her sister faced when it attempted to take over Equestria centuries ago: the Nightmare Force. She wondered if the Force had taken over and corrupted her sister somehow, thus explaining her disappearance. She wondered if the Force, after centuries away in the darkness, had evolved drastically, capable of replicating other unicorn's magic with years of observation, all to frame her sister. She hoped it was the latter rather than the former. She hoped her sister was safe and lost on her way home.
Setting these thoughts aside for a moment, she brushed them off as she was in the presence of her subjects, not wanting them to see her fret. She only responded with a nod and spoke. "Thank you for the input, Captain. I trust that you will find the perpetrator and rescue my sister."
"A perimeter has been set around the forest should the attacker come out and it be spotted, as we speak. Groups of the best unicorns have been installed inside the forest in search of both the attacker and Princess Luna. Miss Sparkle and her friends are also coordinating with us through a quick response system should the same signatures be detected there or elsewhere. We will not cease to rest as long as we solve this, Your Majesty."
"I am sure that you will get to the bottom of this, Captain. And thank you for steadfast dedication on the matter. Keep up the good work," Celestia responded with a smile on her muzzle. Something Captain Lightning can be proud of. Something crossed her mind as Willow and her senior bowed out to exit. "One other thing, if I may add."
"Yes, Your Majesty?" Captain Lightning asked with a slightly confused look.
"This is directed at Private Willow Wind, actually."
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty?" This time, it was Willow's turn to speak to Celestia. Captain Lightning could sense nervousness coming from his underling's voice.
"I take it that this is your first actual trip to the throne room?" Celestia could see Willow trembling when she asked her, a look she could easily recognize as somepony not wanting to give a wrong answer on the day of an interview.
"Yes it is, Your Majesty," Willow struggled to calm down and stop her trembling hooves.
"What do you think, Private?"
"Um…er…" Willow stammered.
Celestia chuckled, having understood and seen that it was the pony's first few days out in the field and getting to have an audience with her, due to a few moments reading her.
"It is quite alright. Go ahead, dear," she told Willow in a sweet, motherly tone.
Willow felt her captain's hoof on her shoulder, telling her to calm down and convey her thoughts. He smiled and nodded while doing so. Taking off the pressure from her chest, she continued. "I think it is beautiful, your Majesty. Just like what my grandfather told me in his stories when I was a filly."
Celestia smiled after hearing from her. "Major Howling Breeze is a brave pony and served his kingdom well. I wish for him a healthier and happier life."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Willow bent her head slightly in reverence to her princess' remarks on her grandfather. Her princess nodded back.
"You may go now. Oh, and do be careful out there, Captain. Private," she said with the soft smile still etched on her muzzle. With that, both Captain Lightning and Private Willow bowed and left for the door, resuming their duties for the night.
Princess Luna woke up from what she believed was a horrible dream. She quickly scanned her surroundings, only to find that she was alone and secure in the safety of her own quarters. Having calmed down from her sudden hyperventilating, she realized nopony was present. Thankful was she when she found out that no trinket of hers was missing or tampered with. Just a dream! Thank goodness it was just a bad dream, Luna thought to herself. Taking comfort in this, she let out a weak smile.
She started to wonder why the sun had not come up as she trotted near the windows and a feeling of urgency and guilt came over her. It came to her senses that it was night time in Equestria and that she was supposed to be in charge of the kingdom. She hurriedly took a glance at her mirror to find that her mane was unkempt and dishevelled, like an octopus out of water. With her magic, she called upon her brush to fix her mane, while at the same time, levitating her obsidian jewellery and her crystal hoofwear for her to put on.
She was troubled as she laid her hoof on the doorknob of her room. She thought about what her kingdom would say about her tardiness, let alone her sister. She winced at the thought of her sister getting angry at her. Not caring for how long she slept, she opened the knob leading her to the hallways of the castle. She thought she had to face the music, realizing that it must have been her sister who raised the moon for her. Swallowing her fears, she trotted her way to the throne room.
Moments later, she was close to the throne room doors.
"Your vacation must have been relaxing, dear sister!"
Luna froze at her steps and winced as soon as she heard Celestia's voice calling out on her. Her heart pumped rapidly as she turned her head to see her sister by the marble column. She was not amused, nor was she relieved in the slightest.
Having stopped her sudden shivering, she gained what pride she had left and faced her sister with a neutral look upon her. "I'm fine, Celestia, thanks for asking. I could say the same about you."
Celestia approached her with a stern look, trotting towards her.
"It has been five days, Luna. Five days!"
Luna expressed her regret for an instant, having been out for nearly a week and at the enraged, yet calm tone in her sister's voice. She missed so much from those five days. She thought of holding herself back, not wanting to reveal her troubles that her sister might deem as petty.
"What were you trying to convey with that absence," Celestia continued, her tone took a shift towards concern. "That everypony does not appreciate the beauty of your nights? We have been over this for how many years now?"
"Two," Luna replied. She changed her mind as soon as she saw her sister angrily clench her teeth and raise her hoof slightly. "Alright, three. Three years now, I'm sorry." Her raised hoof in defense descended just as soon as she saw her sister do the same.
"THREE. DAMNED. YEARS. It took me that long to keep telling you to accept the hoof you are dealt with. To take responsibility of your citizens and cherish them and love them as they were your children and still, you learn nothing from them? From Mother and Father?"
Celestia's tone switched emotions as she spoke, from showing concern, to rising anger, and finally, immeasurable sadness. Sadness over the fact that after all they have been through, her sister seemed to take the lessons they learned from their parents, and the gifts they received from them, for granted.
"I…I don't know, sister. We'll talk about this at a more convenient time. I do have a kingdom to co-run," Luna passively stated. She was about to head for the throne room when she felt her sister cast an immobilizing spell upon her.
With an angry look upon her, she spoke. "There is no better time than now, Luna! And as far as I'm concerned, I could have you suspended if you keep this up!"
"You wouldn't dare," Luna was taken aback from her sister's declaration.
"Would you care to test me?"
Both sisters were furious at each other. Luna, for her sister's misunderstanding and ridiculous proposal; Celestia, for her sister's irresponsibility and insensitivity over her actions. They placed themselves in offensive stances, tapping their hooves and their horns aimed for one another. Without a second thought, they charged towards each other, hoping to disarm the other, even for a moment, and attempt to reason with one another later.
Their horns clashed when some of the guards stationed around the vicinity caught wind of their verbal argument. Fortunately, they were wise enough not to interfere, as they would not wish to be at the receiving end of their Majesties' awesome yet terrible power.
Seemingly aware of their presence, Celestia thought of teleporting away to someplace isolated, so as not to have their subjects witness a heated conflict taking place within the castle halls. Unleashing magic after magic against one other, spell after spell, they harnessed their powers to create their own versions of a powerful disarming attack.
"Sister, please…you don't have to do this," the Solar Princess pleaded.
"There is no point in turning back, nor there is such for holding back, dear sister," Luna spoke with a changing tone, her eyes turned turquoise and cat-like.
Celestia noticed these changes in her sister, and her fears were realized. Her sister has become a vessel for a Nightmare entity. When she did realize it, she saw Luna change further. Her coat turned black with a purple tint like midnight. Her long blue mane and tail glittered, and flowed. Her adornments turned into protective gear, which were both beautiful and capable of giving off a menacing aura about her. Her magic turned from a light purple into a distorted mix of cyan and a darker tint of purple.
Not giving into her fears however, she focused her powers to teleport both her and Luna, now that the guards in attendance had had a horrifying glimpse of the Nightmare-possessed princess. With a loud piercing sound, blinding flash of light, the sister princesses disappeared.
The guards were now scrambling in the castle, in an attempt to find their princesses, as Celestia and Luna teleported to a less-crowded and calmer area, yet teeming with all sorts of creatures, from harmless to dangerous: the Everfree Forest.
"Luna, please stop this," she pleaded.
The mare across from her did nothing but deliver a smirk and said, "Hah! Your precious sister is no longer here, Celestia. I rule her body now! I am the night…and the nightmare! I am Nightmare Moon! And for my first decree, I shall envelope this kingdom of yours into an eternal night!"
Summoning all her might, she threw a wave of immense power at Nightmare Moon. Her spell was put to a tug-of-war with the night mare's own spell; both were struggling to overpower the other.
For a moment, Celestia couldn't bring herself to inflict a harsh punishment on her sister. But seeing as she has been taken over, she began to have second thoughts. She loved and cared for her sister greatly, although there were moments when they could not agree on nearly everything. I wonder if, she thought to herself, wondered if what she was about to do is worth saving the entirety of Equestria.
Just as Nightmare Moon was about to defeat her with magic, Celestia, with a heavy heart and a teardrop in her eye, gave her all in hers. The beam was so blinding that the Lunar Guards surrounding the forest began to take notice and began to diverge to the light, taking it as a beacon to where Luna is. It was with this tremendous power that blinded the night mare for a moment, good enough to allow Celestia's magic to disarm her. Nightmare Moon has been defeated.
With the safety of her kingdom and her subjects as her top priority, Celestia was left with nothing else other than the choice she made. A choice that could drive out the entity residing within Luna and help her learn the error of her ways.
Holding back her tears and with a heavy heart, she declared: "Luna, for your incompetence and inability to live to your responsibilities to your kingdom and your subjects, you are hereby dismissed from your duties as co-ruler of Equestria and banished for an indefinite amount of time."
With another swish of her horn, she unleashed a dimension of sorts with the ability to drag Luna into its gaping maw. Luna, or Nightmare Moon, struggled to avoid getting sucked into another dimension as she dug her hooves heavily into the ground.
"Please, sister! Give me another chance to prove myself," Luna hastily pleaded, distress and despair becoming apparent in her eyes. Her eyes were no longer cat-like as she quickly regained control of her facilities.
Hesitantly refusing her sister's plea, she continued. "Until such time, you shall contemplate on your previous thoughts and actions and what you must do to regain the throne and prove yourself worthy again."
Tears were dripping from her eyes as Luna continued to beg for her life. "Celestia, I am begging you…Have mercy on me. I…I-I could not do this all on my own."
Looking away and wiping her own tears, she said, "I cast you out, Luna. May the Sun and the Moon guide you to your path to redemption."
Luna lost her grip as the portal behind her pulled her in with great force. Her last glimpse of her sister was so painful that she wished she did not go beyond the line when Celestia confronted her. The torment of regret and fear grew louder within Luna's heart as she was pulled into different directions by the darkness, not knowing where she will be swept off to.
The pale blue moonlight shined over Scituate that night. Its residents are asleep, amidst a few shops that are more than welcome to help travellers passing by. On that particular night, little Tom Lawrence was fast asleep in his room, snug as he could be in his light purple pyjamas. He has not been fully acquainted with his new home for the past weeks since he moved, but he and his well-furnished bedroom got along fine.
The sound of an object surpassing the sound barrier did nothing to wake Tom up, other than illicit a short mumble and a toss from him. It was the sound of some trees shattering, and breaking, and falling that did well to disrupt his sleep. Curious, he hurriedly checked the window to catch what had happened. He spotted a few trees fall by the side. The sound of the trees did not shake him up from sleep, but the object that fell from the sky.
What could have crashed that's close to here, Tom asked himself. His thoughts now drifted to his comic books. He thought that a meteor had fallen by the forest, capable of giving someone who had made contact with it superhero powers. Is it flying? Being super strong? I wish it's flying. I wanna get back to Delaware, the boy thought to himself. It could also be an alien from outer space who got lost on the way home and needed a friend, he second-guessed. A smile crossed his face with excitement as to what the strange object could be and hastily wore his blue hooded jacket, a red cap, and brought his yellow backpack with him. He stuffed his backpack with a flashlight, a book to read, a pencil, and a notepad. Once he strapped his rubber shoes on, he opened and closed the door as quietly as he can, in the hopes of not alerting his parents to his whereabouts, and went down the stairs to go out through the back door.
As he was about to sneak through the back door, Tom stopped by near the fridge to get a few snacks, should he go hungry. He brought an apple and a handful of animal crackers from a jar. He quickly but quietly went to the kitchen to get his bunny jug and filled it with water. Hoping that he would not wake his parents up, he silently opened and closed the back door, which he turned the doorknob as quietly as he could, on his way out. With his things and snacks set and a giddy look upon his face, he set out for the lush forests of Scituate, just across their backyard.