The Break of Dawn sailed steady and true through the vast and open sky. The next morning Midnight had called on some crew members to prep his ship for takeoff and brought along members of the Harmony Guard, along with Lieutenants Avalanche and Lyra of the Dusk and Dawn Divisions respectively, for the sake of making this trip "official" as well as security. He'd then sent a message, "To our destination."

Twilight and Faerie Tail both tried beseeching Midnight to explain what he was planning, but all he'd said was they were going to the Shetland Isles, to see the lunar ponies.

Twinken was wearing his amulet again, despite knowing its ability to keep his telepathy under control was diminishing. He stayed in a cabin below deck, doing his best to keep calm and try and get some rest. Eventually, Faerie Tail had joined him and sung to him the song she often sang in the morning to greet the new day. It'd helped, and he'd managed to fall asleep, letting blissful slumber take him away... until he was gently shaken awake.

"Twinken, sweetie, wake up," came the soft and gentle voice of his mom. "Your brother wants to have a word with us."

Midnight had called a meeting including Twilight, Spike, Twinken, Faerie Tail, Avalanche, Lyra, and the first mate of The Dawn, a pegasus stallion named Skywyrd, an experienced airship pilot who was just starting to leave behind his youth and enter middle age, evident by his strong body starting to develop a paunchy belly despite his efforts to stay fit. His coat was stormy gray, his mane and tail black as a tempest with streaks of sky blue (along with a few silver hairs), he had a chinstrap beard, wore a pilot's jacket and flight goggles, and his cutie-mark was a compass surrounded by a lightning-laced storm cloud. When Midnight wasn't aboard The Dawn, Skywyrd was acting captain.

"Most of you here, as well as most of the crew and guardsponies, have never been to where we are going," Midnight started off while activating the meeting table's holo display.

It showed the Shetland Isles, an archipelago of seven isles, along with several smaller islands around them. The southernmost isle had a large lagoon while the northernmost was the only isle with an actual mountain. The middle isle, which was also the largest, had a golden dot of light not far from its southwest coastline, and everypony assumed that location was their destination.

"The Shetland Isles has been the home and territory of the Lunar Ponies for a little over a thousand years," Midnight explained, "created by Princess Luna after she spirited away around fifty foals, who were orphans, homeless, or abused, and infused into them her own nighttime magic, making them the first generation of the Lunar Ponies. After Princess Luna fell and became Nightmare Moon, the lunar ponies sensed it. Only a few left to find their beloved princess and they were never heard from again. The majority instead closed themselves off from the rest of the world, enshrouding the Shetland Isles in a magical mist that hid them... until Princess Celestia managed to find them. She respected their wishes to be left alone, and for centuries the lunar ponies mostly stayed hidden and unknown apart from a few exceptions.

"In that time, they developed their cultural identity, made their own traditions, and especially their leadership. There are three major communities of lunar ponies in the Shetland Isles, as well as around a dozen-ish smaller communities here and there. That golden light you see on the main isle of Isla Artemis is our destination, the lunar pony capital of Lunaria."

The display of the Isles then zoomed in to the location of Lunaria, and everyone was awed to see Lunaria, while not exactly a city, was still quite large. Larger than Ponville at least. The architecture of the buildings appeared oriental, with yagura towers, vernacular minka houses with decorative roof projections resembling either the moon or the bat-winged lunar pegasi, torri gates here and there, shrine houses, machiya townhouses, kura storehouses, there were shops and marketplaces, and surrounding the area around the community were farmlands, such as rice fields, peach orchards, cherry blossom trees, fields of sugarcane, melons, cabbage, potatoes, and so much more. Further away were stables and barns.

The two largest buildings in Lunaria were a stonewalled castle with pagoda towers, and some kind of arena, or was it an amphitheater?

"In their early days, the lunar ponies were tutored every full moon by Princess Luna, whom all lunar ponies, past and present, regard as their Mother of the Night," Midnight went on, "but she also requested the help of the ponies from the Village Hidden in the Bloom, specifically ponies who had been students of the legendary sorceress, Mistmane, to teach her Children of the Night while she was away, fulfilling her duties as a Princess to Equestria.

"These ponies' teachings and culture influenced the nascent community of lunar ponies, causing them to adopt some of their customs and traditions while making more of their own. In modern times, the lunar ponies are led by the Nocturnal Council, comprised of three traditional figures and their respective aids: The Shadow, the Healer, and the Elder or the Eldress, depending on their gender."

"Who are they?" asked Avalanche.

"The Shadow is regarded as the greatest of all the Lunobi warriors among the Lunar Ponies," explained Midnight. "The Shadow is charged with protecting the lunar ponies, training any among them who would follow the path of the Lunobi, and lead the lunar ponies in times of war.

"The Healer is exactly what they sound like. They are the foremost Healer in all of Lunar Pony society. More than that, the Healer represents the common folk and their interests among their society. The Healer is also charged with teaching traditional medicines and remedies made of resources both natural and supernatural.

"Finally, the Elder or Eldress, who is always an older lunar pony who is regarded and revered for their age, wisdom, and experience. Some were previously Shadow or Healer before retiring from their prior role and assuming the role of Elder or Eldress. Their duty is to guide and teach, to preserve as well as to embody the traditional and spiritual customs, values, and interests of their community and their culture, as well as to lead their community in their cultural rites and traditions, such as marriage, funerary, rites of passage, and so on.

"The three of them each choose two aides who are sorta like their co-seconds-in-command regarding their positions and duties, so this makes them nine total, forming the Nocturnal Council, which also oversees their code and their laws. They are the highest governing body in lunar pony society, while the leaders of the other communities, known as chiefs, answer to them. Only Princess Luna holds greater authority than the Nocturnal Council, but she prefers not to interfere with their governing unless they specifically ask for her help or she sees a reason to involve herself."

"Interesting! I figured that the Lunar Ponies had developed their own society and culture," Twilight was genuinely intrigued, "but I can honestly say, I didn't know what to expect, because this certainly wasn't it."

"So... who are the Nocturnal Council members now?" asked Faerie Tail, a tad nervous of this trip. She could recall Princess Luna telling her that it was through her (Faerie Tail) that her sons had inherited their lunar pony blood. Since she was not a lunar pony herself, Faerie Tail assumed the bloodline had thinned to the point it didn't manifest in her while unusual circumstances had made it manifest in her sons.

"The Shadow is Master Lunobi Pale Ryder," Midnight started off and the holo display featured a slender yet sturdy lunar pegasus, clearly named for his leucism ("not albinism," which Midnight made sure to point out). He wore a form-fitting outfit of gray so dark it was nearly black, an obi sash for a belt, a headband with a metal forehead protector engraved with the moon of Princess Luna's cutie-mark, pouches strapped to his belt, and what appeared to be armor mesh underneath his outfit, along with pauldrons on his withers held by straps of leather, a flowing cape-scarf around his neck of silvery blue, and his horse shoes seemed to have hidden mechanisms. His coat appeared a pale gray, his mane silvery white with a highlight of red like from a red moon during a lunar eclipse, his eyes were molten gold, and a pair of fangs poked out from under his upper lip. His wings, bat-like with a few frayed edges, were dark silver. His most startling feature was the three scars appearing as claw marks raking over his face, from the upper left above his left eye extending to the lower right underside of his chin.
"I trained with him in my youth, and for a while he was my rival. Despite my lunar pony heritage, he regarded me as an outsider who had no right nor business in learning the ways of the Lunobi. Plus I think he was jealous of the attention his father gave me during my training back then. That changed one day when pirates raided the Shetland Isles, trying to claim one of them as their own territory. I fought alongside the Lunobi in driving them off and even saved Pale Ryder's father. After that, he started treating me with some measure of acceptance though we never really became friends. Eventually he earned his rank of mastery and succeeded his father as the Shadow. His aides are two of his finest lunobi warriors, veteran lunobi Night Spur, and Star Swift, whom Pale Ryder trained himself."

"Sounds like a real hard case," commented Skywyrd with a smirk.

"Next is the Healer, Madame Hazel Twig," Midnight's horn lit up and the display of Pale Ryder was replaced with that of a lunar earth pony mare. She was similar in build to Mrs. Cake, having a pleasantly plump barrel and ample backside. The only signs of her lunar pony heritage were her tufted ears, little fang tips poking out from her upper lip, and the dew claws above her hooves, right on her fetlocks. Her coat was a silvery-green while her mane, tied up and out of her face by a scarf, was a honey-brown, and her eyes were orange like a poppy flower. She wore an apron of sorts, with dried herbal bundles poking out of the pockets, and her cutie-mark was a hazel tree with a mortar and pestle over its base, and the only unusual object she carried seemed to be a kunai knife.
"Hazel became the Healer a few years ago, after her father passed away, and she had already been groomed to be his successor. She's kind but firm, and yet she was actually uncertain of her ability to be a leader. Still, when push came to shove she rose to the occasion. Her two aides are her niece, Willow Shade, and a stallion named Mint Root, both her foremost apprentices in the lunar pony healing arts."

"I think I'd like to meet her," Faerie Tail commented, finding the sound of Hazel Twig to be approachable with a maternal impression.

"And... the last one?" asked Spike.

"Finally, the Eldress, Lady Moondance," Midnight's horn glowed again, changing the holo display to show a lunar unicorn mare, who looked to be old but not quite elderly. She wore a kimono-like garment of pale bluish-purple with patterns of black bats and silver crescent moons, tied by an obi sash of candlelight yellow. She was a lunar unicorn, evident by her horn, and her mane was done up in some kind of oriental bun style, colored silver like starlight while her coat was a lavender so pale it was mistaken initially for white. Her face was beautiful and noble, like a noblemare of Canterlot, but expressed a melancholy state of mind, like she was kind but there was a sadness to her. She had the look of an older mare but the only signs of her age were a few wrinkles on her face.
"Lady Moondance has served her society as their Eldress for over twenty years. She is wise, kind, and unconventional despite her position, believing in the concept of thinking outside the box. In fact she once told me that if you take your wisdom and knowledge from only a single source it becomes rigid and stale. Thus we must strive to learn and experience as much as Life has to offer us, as our time on this earth is so short. She is revered and beloved by her society. Lady Moondance's aids are her younger brother, Master Morrow Eclipse, and her oldest granddaughter, Madam Silk Trail."

"Are we gonna meet them?" asked Twinken, feeling a little nervous.

"Most likely, yes," Midnight nodded as he turned the holo off, "It's no secret to the lunar ponies that you're Princess Luna's pupil. They're likely to give you a quite the welcome."

For some reason, Twinken had mixed feelings about that.

At was late afternoon by the time The Break of Dawn reached its destination on Isla Artemis, specifically at a port of some kind on the coast, along with a lighthouse. There were a few boats, and a couple of airships, not including The Dawn. Midnight, Twilight, Spike, Faerie Tail, and Twinken disembarked, followed by two guards from Dawn and Dusk respectively, and awaiting them on the ground was Pale Ryder, accompanied by an older lunar pegasus stallion, whose left eye was scarred shut, his coat was graying black, losing its luster, his mane, colored an evening purple with a navy blue highlight, was tied back in a sort of topknot style. He wore lunobi clothing, covering his cutie-mark, and his remaining eye was yellow.
Beside him was a lunar unicorn mare a little older than Twilight. She had a coat of candlelight yellow while her mane was azure blue with a highlight of aquamarine. Her eyes were orange like a sunset, and she wore a short cherry blossom pink kimono with patterns of stars outlined silver, and her cutie-mark was a ninja star spinning while giving off star-shaped sparks.

Behind the three of them were four lunar ponies, two pegasi, one unicorn, and one earth pony, all garbed in lunobi attire so not much could be seen of their physical appearances.

"Master Pale Ryder," Midnight stepped forward and gave a respectful bow, "it has been a long time."

"Greetings, Prince Midnight, and yes it has," replied Pale Ryder, his voice having a soft grit to it, not deep but not light either, his speaking measured and in control. Pale Ryder regarded his old rival's family, and gave them a respectful bow in return. "It is an honor to meet you all. We hope you will enjoy your visit, though I would hazard a guess that this isn't a vacation."

"You'd be right about that. I am honored to meet you, Master Pale Ryder," Twilight gave a respectful bow as well, "I'm thrilled to finally have this opportunity to learn and experience your culture."

"I hope your experience will be positive, Princess Twilight," Pale Ryder responded before his eyes trailed over to Faerie Tail. A single whiff told him that this mare was of the night, though it was faint and he would not have sniffed it had he not been focusing on her enough. He didn't need to smell her to see that she was visibly pregnant. "An honor to meet you, Miss Faerie Tail. Your son spoke of you during our training as youths. I am pleased to see that you are healthy, and wish for you to have a healthy foal."

"Um- You are very kind, Master Pale Ryder," Faerie Tail was a little nervous. Princess Luna herself had confirmed to her that she was of lunar pony descent, which was why her sons had inherited the bloodline despite her own still being dormant. She was wary, and only hoped that whatever this trip entailed it would turn out well.

Then, Pale Ryder's gaze fell upon Twinken, who gulped and struggled not to shake under the intensity of the lunar stallion's glare. "So... you are the pupil of the Mother of the Night."

"Y-yes, sir," Twinken managed to answer, but balked to see Midnight stand beside Pale Ryder with a similar glare.

"He has potential... but hasn't been living up to it, as of late," Midnight stated with a soft bluntness that felt like a slap in the face.

"Midnight!!" Twilight and Faerie Tail both were appalled by Midnight, while Twinken's ears folded back in shame, because he couldn't deny the truth in his brother's words.

"Well, we'll see what we can do about that," Pale Ryder huffed before sighing, "As it is, however, a... reception has been prepared for your arrival, and I'm afraid it's unavoidable."

"Reception?" Faerie Tail echoed, not understanding.

"You'll see, just... go with it," Pale Ryder said tiresomely before he tapped his hoof, and his shadow expanded on the ground, causing Midnight, Twilight, Faerie Tail, Spike, and Twinken to fall into darkness...

...and then experience a bizarre sensation of the falling turning upwards, their bodies turning upside-down, which meant they had turned right-side up. They found themselves rising out of the shadowy darkness and standing in a strange corridor, empty yet eerie.

"What in the world...?!" Faerie Tail had never experienced such a phenomenon before, nor had Twilight. Twinken had gotten a taste of it once when he'd experienced his shadow powers starting to emerge, but it was something Midnight had felt many times.

He steadied his mother and wife, gently saying, "It's okay, just shake it off. Shadow Travel can be a little disorienting when you experience it for the first time."

"Where are we?" Twilight looked around. The corridor had a stone floor, the walls were wooden yet concealed by long curtains of silk. transparent yet shimmering. The ceiling was so high that none of them could see it up in the darkness. A source of pale bluish-white light gently glowed ahead of them, and they could hear a breezy air as it washed over them and felt it gently blow at their backsides, as though ushering them along.

"I... guess we head toward the light," Midnight cracked while his family and Spike gave him looks that varied between 'freaked out' and a sarcastic 'very funny'.

Their steps gently echoed through the corridor, the silence a little creepy that Twinken stuck close to Faerie Tail and Spike to Twilight. Midnight took the lead, not at all worried, looking more curious as to what awaited them.

The voice was soft and melodious, and they looked ahead to see another silk curtain with the silhouette of somepony standing on the other side.

Then, through the silk curtains to their sides, they took notice of various gentle glows of blues and purples, as the silhouette lifted her hooves and then threw them down. At the same time, every silk curtain fell, dissolving into a glittery dust that blew away, and they saw that they had not been walking down a corridor at all! They stood in what was apparently a large stadium or amphitheater, and the silhouette was a lunar pegasus pony, not quite a mare but no longer a filly.

She had an ultra violet coat, her mane, styled up in a regal-esque bun, was black as night with a highlight of ultramarine blue, she wore an unusual dress of yellow that was literally glowing, and floating above her head was some sort of etheral "disk" (possibly a semblance) that depicted the cutie-mark of Princess Luna. her eyes, vibrant as a blue moon, fell upon the visitors as she smiled confidently, as an audience of lunar ponies made themselves known with rapturuous cheering and the music began, as the young mare, standing on a floating platform, sang with her soul.

She stepped down more platforms, getting closer to the stage floor, while the audience cheered whereas Twilight, Spike, Faerie Tail, and Twinken watched in confused awe. Midnight just smiled to himself and enjoyed the performance.

The singer raised her wings, silvery and golden light radiating between them before she flapped them downwards, the light hitting the stage floor, creating a ripple of light that spread throughout the whole area, illuminating things a little more.

The young mare stepped down more platforms, as six more young lunar pony mares appeared, two of them standing beside her, the lunar unicorn having a semblance of a waxing moon above her head, the lunar earth pony a semblance of moon waning above hers.

The other four stood further apart on additional platforms, all six of them raising their hooves to the main singer.

The backup singers and dancers began to sing and dance alongside the main singer as te music swelled and the background changed from a nightly blue to a dusk-like pinkish-orange.

The visitors were starting to get into the performance as the ponies on stage were working it.

Then, the main singer, alongside the other two with moon semblances above their heads, launched into the air, the lunar unicorn first, then the lunar pegasus, and then the lunar earth pony, magic like stardust enveloping them as they soared above the audience's heads, like shooting stars.

As they zoomed above, twirling in succession, images of the lunar pegasus singer's face, as she had smiled confidently before the performance actually began, appeared like giant television screens, wowing everypony as things intensified.

No longer was only Midnight smiling, as his family all smiled and awed in amazement at the performance, highlighted with more dazzling light displays.

The three young mares came back down to earth, landing lightly between the four backup performers, as the giant silk curtain behind them displayed the main singer's face like a live giant close-up.

The main singer winked and the performance went on, as the members of the audience all began to dance to the rhythm as well.

As he bobbed his head to the music, Spike noticed a lunar pegasus on a floating magic turntable, clearly working

The main singer softly fluttered her leathery wings and floated upwards towards a spiraling light, resembling a galaxy, as she gave off sparkles like stardust.

She radiated with starlight, high above everypony's heads, before diving down towards the stage, as all went dark and silent.

A gentle glow of pale turquoise lit up from the semblance of the moon over the main singer's head, as she sat, her head hanging as though in mourning before she slowly lifted her head while singing. Her backup singers and dancers surrounded her in a circle, all with their heads bowed, as an ethereal semblance of Princess Luna floated around the main singer, collecting drops of light.

The main singer stood up, revealing she now wore a trailing gown as she slowly rose up into the air, the gown extending and gently spun `round as she rotated, a cosmic colorful display like planets, stars, and celestial bodies surrounding her as the music swelled like a steady heartbeat. Likewise, her backup singers stood up and turned outwards, standing and then floating in a rotating circle that expanded along with the cosmic display, prismatic lights shining from their hearts as they stood in dreaming bliss.

Streaks of light zoomed around the main singer, like fireflies in a rush, before a reverse-pulse of light imploded inward towards her... as she then launched herself high over everypony's heads like a shooting star of glittering radiance before she swerved down and zoomed back, right over everypony, towards the stage...

...and gently landed back on the stage, and sang and dance with her backup singers.

Her image was displayed on the silk curtain again as she spun `round, and then... raised a hoof. And pointed directly at Twinken, his eyes widening in confused mystique.

Not a single hoof in the audience wasn't still as everypony danced.

Members of the audience made room as Spike really lit up the dance floor.

The main singer, her backup singers at her sides, burst in glimmering embers of blinding light. When the light dimmed, she and they were then instantly dressed in more traditional yet beautiful and stylish kimonos, all poised with confidence, elegance, and beauty, and the crowd went absolutely nuts as flower petals rained down upon the entire amphitheater!

Twinken was utterly blown, as he thought, Maybe this trip won't be so bad after all.

This is gonna be kind of a crash course in Lunar Pony society (as it fits into the world of this fic)

Disclaimer: "Ultraluminary"