A brilliant, perfectly bright moon slowly rose in the sky that night, illuminating all of the land in a wondrous silvery luminescence. As was traditional, as the final rays of light died in the west, the silver and ebony armored Night Guard took over from the golden armored Royal Guard, post by post. The final post to be replaced was always the one that stood upon the observation tower - the last place in Canterlot to be able to see the sun.

As the guards slowly shifted into place, Princess Luna carefully tucked together the ancient pile of parchment on her table into a rough stack before depositing it back into the ancient ebony chest. For a moment, her hoof caressed the sleek midnight blue steel of a very familiar helmet… and she quickly grabbed hold of the lid and slammed it down, roughly shoving her horn into the keyhole and sealing it up as tightly as she could with her magic.

The chest so sealed, she withdrew her horn and laid her forehead upon the top of the chest and forced her breathing to become even. There was nothing to fear from a mere suit of armor, even one that had become synonymous with the darkest moment in her life. Yet still, she could not bring herself to look upon the thing for more than the briefest of moments. Too often the very touch of that ancient metal, stronger and more powerfully enchanted than anything else in the entire armory, brought back horrifying visions of the atrocities committed during the Nightmare War.

Worst of all, these visions reminded Luna of the one thing she was certain of. The reports were still scattered and sparse, as was the case with these kinds of survivor reports, but the general picture was clear. Twilight was grinding an iron hoof into the throats of the griffons, and whoever did not willingly submit to the Shadow was made to do so in ways that sent chills down Luna’s spine. The tales of what her minions were doing was bad enough, but the reports of what Twilight herself was doing had been far, far worse.

What had been unthinkable in the reports from Ponyville were now all but completely confirmed. Celestia, bless her pure soul, would be unable to process such actions from one whom she held such deep feelings for, and the same would go for Cadence and Shining Armor. All would deny that things could be that bad, that anypony as good as Twilight could bring herself to perform such acts. But Luna knew better. Luna knew what a pony could be driven to if they believed they had reason enough. Luna knew to what depths a pony might sink... under the right circumstances.

Luna’s memories were hazy of those times just after becoming Nightmare Moon. After Tantalus had convinced her that his dark power would be all she would need to draw equal to the power of her sister, much became clouded. But she knew enough to remember drawing all of her precious Thestral children into her web of power and dominating their minds with her own. Enough to remember the fear, the abject worship of her very being that she had forced upon the conquered. Enough to remember what she had done in the pursuit of mere recognition. She too had once been regarded as distant but fair, a good pony that could be relied upon to be even-hooved and just.

Power changed everything though, no matter who you were. Add fear atop that power - the fear of losing everything you loved to enemies you could not see, fear of lacking the strength to fight those evils, fear of… well, it was a recipe Luna herself knew the results of far, far too well. Twilight could now taste the sweet blood of victory over her enemies. Assured by that blood that her power could bring her the victory she sought, she would become only more daring. Worst of all, she would be only more willing to do ‘whatever had to be done’ to secure the world she desired.

Luna sucked in another deep breath and tried to exhale her own fears from her body. She needed to be calm, and most of all she needed to be prepared. Twilight… So alike and yet unalike, we two. Like staring into a mirror of my own soul. What I did for purely selfish reasons, you did for selfless ones. Luna swallowed the lump in her throat and fiercely fought back the tears that threatened to shed.

Twilight. Her friend in an age where all she had been left with was Celestia and a legacy of fear. Yet Twilight had not shown her fear, but love and acceptance. Twilight had not fled from her, but tried desperately to bring her into the circle of those that she had loved. Twilight had introduced her to the valiant little Pipsqueak and how to have ‘fun’ in the modern age. Twilight had released the bonds of ancient privilege and royal duty that had kept Luna from finding the reasons to live in this age.

Twilight had saved her life, in far more ways than one.

It only behooved Luna to make sure that when the time came, she could do the same.

It had taken her nearly a week to find the spell, buried deeply in the forbidden archives. Her sister undoubtedly had wanted to ensure the knowledge was as far removed from being known without actually losing it, but Luna still knew every trick she’d used to do such things. The knowledge of it burned in her mind, a spell so utterly complex and fascinating that it could have been the subject of a lifetime of research. The power requirements were immense for just about everypony… except for her.

After all, the Moon was her domain.

The fragrant scent of the subtly sweet green tea hit Luna’s nose and seemed to instantly clear her clouded mind. A touch of magic brushed open the door and within she found the target of her attentions this eve. Gentle Blade sat cross legged before a cheerfully crackling fire, dressed in a tightly fitted emerald green dress of a style Luna had never seen until she visited the Kingdoms. They had called it a ‘kimono’, though this one had obviously been much changed with the long skirt having been cut much shorter… almost to the point of being risque, given the way it flowed over the Ki-Lin’s flank quite fetchingly.

Gentle Blade’s forehooves were folded in her lap as she went about the complexities of her tea preparation. Each delicate porcelain cup positioned just so, each dish containing the additives she favored filled to a specific degree. It was fascinating how utterly serious the Ki-Lin took their tea, and Gentle Blade was no exception to that obsession. Still, she had to admit they made a truly fabulous cup of tea… and that it was very, very fun to horn in on their careful preparations.

So she crossed the length of the room, taking care to be utterly silent in every step she took. She stealthed up to where Gentle Blade sat, and just as she was about to open her mouth… “Bright the Moon, Tsukiyomi. Would you care to join me?” A second cup appeared seemingly from nowhere, and Luna snapped her mouth shut around the ‘boo’ she was going to yell. How on earth…? “Your boots produce a very specific noise, Goddess. Might I recommend removing them if you intend to be silent.” There was a certain amount of snark and amusement in Gentle Blade’s voice, and Luna instantly appreciated the fact that the warrior mare was finally relaxing enough to talk to.

That was going to be very important, very shortly. “Yes, thank you. I shall take that advice under consideration.” She folded her legs - an odd convention that - in the same way that Gentle Blade had on the other side of the short tea-table and cocked her head curiously at her companion. “It is good to see you are finally relaxing a little. How are your comrades dealing with their new… ah, surroundings?” It had been incredibly amusing when she’d realized that Canterlot was a great deal more than just a city to these folk.

But Gentle Blade smiled mysteriously over her cup, taking a slow sip before speaking, “Living in the Shining City is not precisely what they imagined, but it is a wondrous place all the same. As for myself….” She waved a surprisingly delicate hoof, given that her body was of the kind that only came from decades of honing for battle. “One can become used to anything, given time. But that is not why you came here tonight, Tsukiyomi.“

Luna arched her eyebrow at the young pony, but nodded slowly. It was that blunt honesty combined with the surprisingly excellent instincts for what was going on around her that had brought Luna to this decision. What had previously been just a whimsical thought about Gentle Blade’s future had morphed into something much more serious as the situation had become more clear.

The truth was, Canterlot was paralyzed by the events in Equestria. They were barely holding onto the dragnet that kept Winterlight penned up in the Everfree Forest, and the Royal Guard was not nearly numerous enough to deploy in direct confrontation against her. The bulk of Equestria’s military forces could not be deployed because… well, frankly speaking, Winterlight and the cult of the Shadow had not done anything precisely illegal. Whatever Luna, Celestia, and Cadence might know about them and their intentions, they had not engaged in any action which ran contrary to Equestrian Law. Since Twilight’s actions in the Griffon kingdoms were, at this point in time, only ‘alleged’ as nopony had actually seen her there…

Luna was short on good options. Fortunately, she did have one arrow in her quiver that was perfectly matched to this particular task, at least in the sense that she could use it without having to deal with the confounded politicans. “You are correct, Gentle Blade. I have come here tonight to tender you a highly unusual offer.” She sipped her own fragrant tea as a rush of dark heat flushed through her bones. The pulse of Lunar power was always at its strongest when she was thinking of…. well, this. “And should you prove amicable, extending that same offer to your comrades.” Oh, it had been so long since she had brought new children into her family. Was it so wrong to so deeply desire it?

Gentle Blade nodded slowly, laying down her cup and gesturing wordlessly for Luna to continue. Luna took in a deep breath and exhaled it - forcing the power inside of her to calm itself. I swear, the Moon is like a little puppy that can sense walkies… “You have by now seen our Royal Guard and their counterparts who watch over the night. Under our laws, while they bear Our insignia the Royal Guard are technically under our command. However, this is an illusion. The Royal Guard cannot be commanded into action save at the direst of need, or when Equestrian law has been thoroughly breached.” She sighed softly, rubbing at her temple - she’d tried for days to find a way around those restrictions, but it appeared her sister had spent much of the last thousand years wrapping up the loopholes in those laws.

Luna took a moment to collect herself before speaking again, “These laws were made to keep Equestria from becoming a military state, where every problem was solved with force. But both my sister and I knew that the day would come that somepony would be clever enough to flout the law without actually breaking it.” The power of the Moon pulsed within her again - and this time, she could feel the raw, seething hunger of the thing, and its fierce desire to be loosed upon the world again. Luna shuddered for a moment, focusing her willpower and stymying it. “My sister, being a mare dedicated to peace, placed in my hooves the charge to form a special force that would be able to act in secret when need demanded. While she would take charge of the gathering of intelligence and knowledge to wield against those who would seek to harm our little ponies.”

Gentle Blade nodded slowly, and Luna found a smile coming to her lips… only to feel the gentle sharpness of the fangs in her mouth, aching to come out. Patience… Soon, she insisted silently to that power, and slowly it receded in response. “My sister formed the Equestrian Intelligence Service, whilst I…. formed the Lunar Guard.” She closed her eyes and her horn alit with cerulean magic - pulsing softly before vanishing as she called to her children...

They came in silence, as they always did. Slipping through the window and past the door, darting in and around here until twenty of them settled around the table without a word or a noise that could be heard by mortal ears. Gentle Blade stared around her at them, at the glowing golden eyes and strange pupils. Luna spoke softly, now unable to deny the call of the power within her. “I gathered them from every part of Equestrian society. From the great to the small, I found those who had the skills I required and unto them granted the gift of my blood.” Luna’s lips spread wider in a smile now, and she could see the shock on Gentle Blade’s face at the sight of the sharp incisors that had replaced her more normal equine teeth. “The blood of an Alicorn is a potent thing, and granted onto them some of my own strength and powers. Though I knew it not at the time, I was creating an entirely new race of ponies… my children, the Thestrals.”

Without prompting, one amongst their number stepped forward and flared out her batlike wings. Luna shot the thestral in question a quick glance, Ah, Belladonna. Perfect. She is always good with the new ones... Before returning her gaze to the now patently shocked Gentle Blade, who was clearly having a bit of trouble with all of this new information. Luna continued to speak softly, trying oh-so-very hard not to imagine Gentle Blade with her… “For centuries, they have done what no other Equestrian could. They have fought the foes the law could not touch and brought fear and death to the enemies of Canterlot.”

Luna bent her gaze upon Gentle Blade, forcing her power not to do as it pleased and entrance her no matter how easy it would be… “We have need of them once more, Gentle Blade. Yet I have none amongst them who are well studied in the art of war. So. I have need of you.” Luna finished, biting the modifiers to that word off before they could slip out of her mouth. The last thing she needed was to scare the poor dear off because she was getting excited at the prospect of what was to come...

For several long minutes, Gentle Blade sat there while rotating her teacup slowly between her hooves. Luna was thankful for that - as it gave her time to focus her self control inward and mentally beat down the beast within her. I am not a slave to my desires. I am not the Shadow, who seeks only to slake her own lusts… I am Luna, and the Night obeys me, not the other way around.

Luna felt her whole body give off another little shudder as she suppressed that power, hoping that no overt physical changes had manifested themselves. Fortunately, it did not appear that Gentle Blade had noticed her momentary… indiscretions. I had forgotten how strong the Moon could be. The last time I had brought new children into the fold was… Goddess, before the War. No wonder the Moon’s power is so eager to taste of it again… Luna had never asked her sister if the Sun fought to be let free as much as the Moon did, but she was certain that Celestia wrangled with her own power no less than Luna.

Gentle Blade set down her teacup and exhaled a deep breath. “I am handling all of this rather well, no?” she quipped, folding her hooves in her lap and flashing a brief smile. “My goddesses appear before me without warning and whisk me off to a land out of myth and legend. They tell me that the art I have spent a lifetime to perfect is now desperately needed, with none of the foolish politics of the court… and now, a goddess asks me to serve her directly for the rest of eternity…” Gentle Blade swallowed softly, her hooves tightening in her lap.

Luna could have facehoofed at her own lack of awareness, but it probably would have done nothing for poor Gentle Blade’s mood. So much had been happening lately… “Ah, I do apologize. I am so used to dealing with those who see us in a far different light - ” But Gentle Blade was shaking her head firmly, holding up her hoof. Luna shut her mouth and nodded, sitting back to see what else she had to say.

Gentle Blade coughed faintly, before a smile crossed her face. “Tsukiyomi, you do not need to apologize. I merely needed to - ” She paused then, wetting her lips with her tongue. “Take a moment, I suppose. So much has been happening so quickly.” Luna gave off a wry chuckle at the echo of her own thoughts, and Gentle Blade smiled faintly. “Goddess Tsukiyomi, my life has always been dedicated to you and Amaterasu. If you believe that there is a way I might better serve you both, I would welcome the opportunity.”

The Ki-Lin mare slowly came to her hooves, walking with a surreal calmness around the table. “I do not deny that I am nervous about such a thing, but… I have come to realize that it was not coincidence that placed me before your eyes, but a greater purpose.” Gentle Blade came full circle around the table, face to face with Belladonna and a faint smile on her lips. “The spirits knew you would have need of one like me, and they have conspired to ensure the proper tool was at hoof.” Gentle Blade took in a deep breath and exhaled softly, bowing her head before the surprised looking thestral mare. “But I do not fear the need for a blade, nor do I fear what may become of that blade in the reforging. “

Gentle Blade lifted her head, turning it to stare soulfully at Luna, who could not help but feel just a little awed in the presence of such an acceptance of the world. Gentle Blade’s voice was soft, but determined. “What must I do?”

“You want me to do what?!”

Luna sighed softly, trying to glare a hole into the door in front of her. “Princess Cadence, you must understand. I will be working powerful magics - some of which may… affect the castle staff, and I would rather you not also be so afflicted.” Cadence was giving her a blank look then, and Luna sighed irritably. “It may induce a state of unusual excitement,” Luna tried again, and once again Cadence was giving her a blank look - one full of confusion. Luna snorted softly. “They could be affected by a state of unnatural lust, Cadence! For pity’s sake, did my sister not teach you anything of sexual magic?” Cadence’s cheeks suddenly went even pinker than normal, and she coughed heavily to cover up her embarrassment.

Luna sighed, facehoofing again. “My sister hath become such a prude.” She shook her head, unable to stifle a laugh. “Alicorn of Love, indeed,” she snorted, then stabbed a hoof towards her niece. “You are going to accompany me then. You ought to see how such power can be used for a good purpose, instead of the evils that the Shadow wields it for.” She turned upon the spot and trotted towards her doors as Cadence dissolved into sputtering and denials until Luna smacked her hoof into the door. “You will follow me, niece. Or I shall have you bathed, oiled, bound up in a fetching manner and brought to my chambers to await my displeasure.” Luna shot a severe - and playful - look over her shoulder, meaning every word. Cadence stared at her as the color ran out of her cheeks, then miserably trotted up alongside her.

Luna felt a surge of satisfaction and nudged the door to the Lunar wing of the palace open with her hoof and beckoned her niece imperiously through it. Once she was on the other side, Luna nodded to her guards. “Seal the doors and windows. Nopony is to enter my domain until I so will it.” Her words were quiet and cold, brooking no argument. The last thing she needed was some poor soul coming into her domain when she was casting this spell - especially in the presence of her children, who might decide to take said uninvited guests into their own hooves and… well, the poor pony might enjoy themselves, but Luna much doubted they would be the same ever again.

Luna swept down the corridor with Cadence firmly in tow, following the ebony stone hallways up the gentle slopes that would lead to her personal chambers and the ritual circle within. “Auntie Luna, what exactly are you doing that is potentially so…” Cadence began, her words sputtering into a fluster for a moment, before quickly recovering itself. “Potent? I mean, even my magic typically can’t affect ponies I cannot see…”

Luna chuckled faintly as they approached the final door - a towering monolith of black oak set with shining silver fixtures. “Dearest Cadence… my realm is the night, and dreams. And it is from those dreams and the raw seething energies within them that the power of this spell comes.” Luna gave a flick of her magic and the door swung open, only for Luna to bend a sly look upon her niece. “And drawing from that realm of power can sometimes mean some leakage, if you catch my meaning.”

Cadence descended into muttering and dire promises of vengeance as Luna swept into her room - which was blessedly free of the rest of her children. Good. The old traditions have not been forgotten. They would be needed later, but Luna did not wish to have to explain their presence to Cadence. Not right now, at any rate. Gentle Blade herself sat silently in the middle of the ritual circle, with a small pile of black and red clothes neatly folded atop a chair. What she had brought with her was one of those odd, faintly curved blades laid across her lap in all of its bare, glittering steel.

“Sit,” Luna growled at Cadence. “Someplace well outside the ritual circle, and do not interrupt me.” Cadence gave off a mouselike squeak and quickly fluttered over to a secluded and otherwise normal chair, primly perching herself upon it. Luna eyed the circle and her distance from it, and nodded once. Good. She is wise enough to know when to exercise caution. Luna would have to use the same caution - especially given what was going to come next.

With each step she took across the circle, the ancient magic slowly roused itself to life. The runes etched into the stone glowing to a shimmering blue - the color of her magic made manifest. “Gentle Blade,” she whispered, silently activating the magics of the ritual she’d developed more than two thousand years ago, “you have come before me, willing to serve.” The first magical circle sealed behind her, and the second slowly came to life - this time, the magic a darker azure hue. “Are you prepared to serve, now and forever?”

“I am, my Queen,” she said calmly, not even bothering to open her eyes as she responded in the ritual of acceptance. There was resolve set upon her face, and just the barest hint of joy in her voice. “I am prepared to serve in darkness and war, that those who live in the light may live in peace.” She spoke with as much conviction as Luna could have hoped for as the second magical circle glittered for a moment before setting into its seal, a second invisible wall of power springing up around them.

Luna looked up and embraced the magic within her, calling to the power of the Moon as it soared overhead, its gentle silver light pouring in through the clerestory windows high above. “Thou will become like unto me,” she whispered as the power filled her soul from within - the light of the moon pouring out of her eyes and horn. “Blood of my blood,” the whisper resonated off of the walls as she struggled with the all-encompassing power of her beloved Moon, pouring it into the magical circles with reckless abandon. “You will serve me without fear, for the Moon will always watch over thee.” The words came on reflex as she slowly turned in circles around Gentle Blade - impressed that the young Ki Lin was not gawking about.

Oh no, this one would stand amongst the greatest of her children, and this she already knew. “My blood will flow in thy veins… and thy blood in mine,” Luna intoned with a rapturous glee, running her elongated tongue over the sharp fangs that now glistened in the moonlight. “You will be reborn little creature, and hold watch over the night. For in the absence of the Light, Darkness prevails.” Her steps wound her closer and closer to the Ki-Lin, and all of Luna’s attention was now upon her.

Luna’s magic plucked the long and sharp blade from Gentle’s lap, lifting it up to her own hooves. “Now drink, little one, and join us.” The blade’s absurd sharpness made quick work through her fur and skin and glistening red lifeblood oozed from the wound as Luna tapped into the realm of Dreams with the utmost of her power. Gentle Blade’s lips found her hoof, almost worshipfully kissing at the wound before fastening without squeamishness about the thing. Luna gave off a delighted laugh - the sound of it like a thousand tinkling wind chimes and echoing off of the walls as reality and unreality began to merge in the center of the circle.

Luna had never been able to figure out precisely what happened in these moments. All she knew was that she surrendered a tiny piece of her power - a piece of her innermost self - and simply gave it away to the one she had chosen. Once they had taken in the power, it would become a part of their own self, and they would be reborn as part of her blood. The world around her warped in a mix of light, sound, and color: the sweet life blood of her body slowly draining out. The blood itself was rich with magic - far richer than even the most ancient and powerful of dragons - and the results could never be said to be truly the same each time.

The magic flowed from her soul into Gentle Blade’s body. A little touch of the Moon’s power, a little piece of the Dreamrealm’s insane magicks, and the piece de resistance… Luna’s fangs sinking almost delicately into the flesh of Gentle Blade’s exposed neck, drawing forth some of her blood and life energy into Luna herself.

The feel of it was utterly unlike any other experience she knew of, and in this case it was luxurious beyond anything Luna had expected. Gentle Blade’s power was so utterly pure, so totally sure of purpose. It was the blood of a creature who had been born for a single reason - to make war.

The power, the utter bliss of it lanced through Luna like a bolt of lightning. Her back arched suddenly as the power raced through her and her tasting of Gentle Blade’s life essence cut short by sheer spiritual force. For a moment, all of the world was waves of silvery energy that flooded the room with power before time came to a crawling halt…. and all of that power gradually melted away into the breeze, a glistening wind of light and sparkling motes of energy flooding out of the windows and into the skies above Canterlot.

Luna felt her body slowly freed from the fierce grip of the Moon’s energy, but it did not leave without a gentle caress of her cheek - a subtle reminder, perhaps, not to deny it freedom for so long again. It did not leave exhaustion in its wake, but it did leave a sense of exertion and ache. Then again, holding as much power as she had been would undoubtedly have taken some toll on her.

A soft voice came from below her, faint but strong. “My Queen?” whispered the newest member of her family, and Luna looked down with a stirring of pride in her heart. The Ki-Lin was still unquestionably of her race - but her eyes marked her as one of Luna’s, now bright golden with almond shaped irises. Her coat was now a far darker green, almost the color of an evergreen tree. “I… I feel strange, My Queen,” she whispered again, almost gripping onto Luna’s legs as the magic in the sealing circles died away.

Luna nodded slowly, gently brushing Gentle Blade’s pitch black mane back with a slow smile. “I know my child, but it will pass.” She brushed the mane back fondly, admiring those bright golden eyes. They really did look marvelous on her. “Worry not my Chosen, and rest.” The last word was a subtle but firm command, and Gentle Blade’s eyes slowly shut. Her body curled in instinctively towards Luna’s waiting hooves, and within moments she was as sound asleep as a child.

Luna looked up for a moment - only to see Cadence leaping off of her balcony with her cheeks flushed a very vibrant red and streaking down toward the palace in search of her stallion. Luna laughed softly, then went back to stroking the precious Ki-Lin’s mane. She whispered softly, and tried not to think of another young mare not so far from here… a mare she owed a debt to. One she would see repaid in full.

“Yes, my dear one… rest while you can. For tomorrow, you must go to war.”