Chapter 03 – Friendship in the darkness.

The journey to the newly formed city of Canterlot was strenuous. Fortunately, the train tracks had not been damaged during the battles so they were able to use the transport to hasten their arrival.

The sun's deity was in her cabin, it wasn't a very large room, but it had enough space for what she really needed. The desk was full of leaves and scrolls, several piles had accumulated in the last few hours with each new message she received from the mayors of the different cities of Equestria, all of them requesting to be informed of the situation.

If there was one thing Celestia really didn't get used to, and maybe she never would, it was deal with the noble houses of Equestria. Most large noble families were petulant, always scoffing their social status and taking advantage of the poorest families.

Before she and her younger sister took the lead, the noble houses had practiced rather questionable acts. Some of the most problematic families of the then newly formed Ecuestria, carried out what was known as “survival hunting” and were used to practice slavery. While most of these acts had been abolished and were considered serious penalties after the arrival of the two sisters, it was also true that there were still some noble houses that resisted leaving their sick habits.

On the other hand, it was nice to know that with the help of the three most prominent familie leads by Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinhead, were making a smooth change in the equine society. With them, it was possible to maintain a relative order between the constant differences of opinions which seldomly leads to fights and remained more like disagreements between the three races, however it had to be admitted that even they were quite accustomed to certain manias that caused discomfort with each other.

For starters, Platinum used to be quite selective with her tastes in clothes, eye-catching ornaments, expensive accessories and all kind of gemstones, the last ones had always been her main weakness and she liked to brag about the refined society of which unicorns came from. She had a bad habit of hire maids and butlers mainly constituted by earth ponies given her physical resistance to the tasks she considered unworthy of unicorns, although it can be admitted that working for her was lucrative.

On the other hoof, Chancellor Puddinhead was quite strange, always going from one idea to another on a constant basis, she was an absentminded pony and was really hard for her to focus on the issues. Every time one of the assemblies was held to discuss the state of the nation and try to find solutions to the problems, she used to jump from one idea to another (even the deity of the Sun had to admit that her name suited her quite well). However, Celestia knew the Chancellor had a good heart and was dedicated entirely to do what she could to protect the interests of her people. Even though this didn't always show it in the best way.

Finally there was Commander Hurricane, too militarized for her own good. She had a serious anger management problem, although Celestia attributed it to the way she was trained at the Pegasus Militar Academy. Because of that the princess could understand Hurricane’s often stubbornness, insensitiveness and strong character. It was very common for her to end up arguing with the other two leaders, especially Platinum, whose personality was quite countered to hers.

It was a relief that Clover, Pansy and Smart Cookie were such good friends and always looked for a way to keep the three leaders focused on making sure they solve things for the good of the nation and not letting the heated discussions escalates to anything else.

But what now occupied the ruler’s main attention was the young little pink pegasus she was cheerfully playing with. It was a huge relief to her heart to see her smile and fly back and forth enthusiastically, it made her understand the beauty of ignorance and in a way make her jealous of that. Cadence was too young to clearly understand what had happened around her and even though in her dreams she was in danger of being stalked by Nightmares Celestia was confident that her sister would be able to give the little girl the protection she could not give her during her sleeps. Seeing her so happy she couldn't help but feel a certain nostalgia, she missed her years of childhood and the multiple games she shared with her beloved little sister. Now she hardly had any time to spend with Luna, let alone talk. Worse of all, after the defeat of Discord Luna seems to be increasingly distant from her. A slight knock on the door brought her back to reality.

-Come in- Celestia said as she turned her attention to the door and stood on her fours.

-I'm sorry for the interruption your majesty- said a unicorn mare crossing the threshold. her fur looked pale sandy color, while her mane glistened a slightly light brown color. She wore a cobalt-colored layer with some darker tones and adorned with stars that seemed to move on their own along the fabric.

-You don't have to worry about that Clover- replied the white alicorn with a friendly tone while giving the unicorn a warm smile as she closed the door behind her.

-I will be brief your majesty… I’ve looked for the enchantment that, according to your description, King Sombra used in you- Celestia kept her attention on the unicorn –The enchantment was designed to bring out the deepest fears of the victimized pony, the only way to break it is overcoming one's owns fear or interrupting the magic of the caster-

Celestia continued looking at the unicorn, although her attention seemed to shift to the moment when king Sombra had shocked her with that spell.

-The effects of the spell allow the wizard to immobilize his victims by trapping them in the illusion and at the same time mentally weakening their concentration. The longer the victims stays trapped within the illusion, the greater the damage deals to their minds. This affects directly the victim's response reflexes and in the case of unicorns or alicorns- she adds by looking at the princess -It significantly decreases the pony´s ability to use magic because the spell affects their concentration, preventing the magicians to conjure any kind of spell against the victimizer-

Clover paused a slight before continuing.

–The problem is that the spell is also capable of breaking the mental defenses of the victim, destabilizing their emotional balance, if Sombra’s magic had been strong enough or if your mental strength would not have enough conviction to resist the attack, the effect could have been much more devastating-

-How serious?- asked Celestia clearly processing the information as she recall that night.

-Well to begin with, it might cause a mental imbalance. The victimizer could easily cast a spell of mind control on his victim, decreasing the chances of a response from the victim. If the damage taken by the spell is greater it can cause the victim to suffer a mental breakdown driving his victim into madness. It's not the best of the endings- said the unicorn as she looked at the pink pegasus that had somehow climbed on her back and now played with her mane and hood.

-I see- remarked the deity of the Sun as she began to walk around the room, immersed in her thoughts.

Zephora's words were spinning in her head, the images of what she remembered from the battle against king Sombra fluttered in her mind. It was clear that Sombra had planned to incapacitate Celestia and confront Luna alone, perhaps persuade her to follow him. The white alicorn knew her sister well, she knew Luna would never fail her. It was true that her younger sister was more reserved than before, although she could also attribute it to all the hard working and of course that after Discord's betrayal neither she nor her sister were the same.

Nevertheless, if king Sombra had really shown Celestia what her greatest fear was then Zephora’s warning may come true, so she would have to do something. However, she wasn’t sure of how to address the subject.

-Clover, I will need you to contact Zephora and tell her what you discovered, it is of the utmost importance that you maintain contact with her. Can I trust you with this?-

-As you wish Majesty, it will be my pleasure- said the unicorn unable to hide the emotion in her voice. Celestia knew full well that one of Clover's virtues was her interest in knowledge and her ability to keep secrets.

-And one more thing… I don't want you to tell my sister about this for now, I don't want to worry her- added the ruler.

-With all due respect your Majesty, Princess Luna is the one who should least worry about this matter, her magic is based on the power of darkness, I don't think this kind of spell can affect her greatly- remarked the unicorn as she blew over the belly of the pink pegasus making the little filly laugh while holding her with her magic to avoid the little one falls to the ground.

-That's what I'm afraid of- Celestia replied almost in a murmur.

Once again, a couple of rhythmic banging on the door caught her attention. The ruler recognized perfectly that pounding.

-Come in, captain- she said walking behind her desk.

The pegasus solder came in closing the door behind him, seeing Clover playing with Cadence he look at the princess as if waiting for her to ask to be left alone.

-There is no problem captain, you can speak freely Clover is not a pony that spreads news and my niece is too small yet to remember what is being discussed at the moment- said the consenting alicorn as if she had read the Stallion’s thoughts.

-As you wish your Highness- he starts. After a slight pause to recollect his thoughts he continued -I've already prepared Princess Luna's personal team- Continued as he passed her a list of names -I think they are the best option to start it-

Celestia looked at the list carefully before returning it to the captain with an approval look.

-I agree with the selection you made captain, who will be in charge of leading the group?-

-I consider Lieutenant Siegfried to be the most suitable for the task... and the princess will not feel uncomfortable having him by her side- she added, keeping his face impassive -Although Épsilon was the captain of their squad, so maybe she will maintain her leadership over them-.

-I agree, proceed immediately captain. I'll talk to my sister to bring her the good news.- this time she addresses Clover -I'm going to leave my niece at your care, it won't be long.

Clover nodded as she continued to play with the little pink filly while Celestia and Caramel left the room.

-Captain when the whole team is ready, I want you to bring them to me, I would like a word with them before their official presentation to my sister-

-As you wish your Majesty- said the captain as he and the ruler departed in different directions.

Luna was in her sleeping compartment lying on the lap of a young black coat unicorn with emerald green mane and tail. The unicorn was completely enraptured as she stirs the princess's mane with her hoof.

-It feels strange- Luna's voice was soft and delicate, her eyes remained closed while she enjoyed her mare´s affectionate touch.

-What do you mean Lulu?- ask the dark coat unicorn.

-This...- indicated the princess of the night pointing to her companion’s careful hoof.

-Don't you like it?- asked the unicorn somewhat surprised by the words of the light blue mane alicorn.

-What?- said surprised getting up to look her in the eye -NO, of course that is not that- she stands so close that they were practically muzzle to muzzle -I just...- Luna sighs before laying back on her mare’s lap –It's just that seeing you in your not real form it’s odd. I know it's silly, but even though you're you I feel like you're not the same pony Crisi... And I know very well that I could not ask you to keep your real form and risk someone might discover you... It's just that… I just... What I mean is...- she said turning face up but avoiding eyed contact.

Chrysalis silences the princess of the night by gently placing one of her hooves on her lips. She then guided her beloved’s face to make her look at her.

-I understand my dear- she said, blue sapphire meets green emerald as she looked her mesmerizing eyes -And I'm sure you understand, you don't have to explain anything- added touching Luna’s forehead with her own.

-But Crisi I... You... You don't understand... I… that’s not the matter... I just - she tried to say before being silenced again, this time by the gentle touch of Chrysalis’s lips against her own.

The kiss was soft, even though Chrysalis' lips were different right now, Luna knew it was just an illusion, that unicorn was the same Changeling that she had found outside the castle of the two sisters that night and that had accompanied her during her solitary Night walks, the same Changeling who always sat next to her to look the dark blue sky every night, the same changeling she had become friends with. The same creature she had fallen in love with.

She let herself be guided by the kiss, allowing her memories emerge freely. Recalling that night deep in the EverFree forest.

The deity of the night walked through the castle gardens. Since their coronation as princesses of Equestria, her sister was increasingly occupied spending less and less time together. Which had resulted in a significant reduction of those relaxing times they used to share with each other.

She was always impatient to play some games, pranks each other or play hide and seek using the multiple secret chambers they had built into the castle and above all she loved the organ. It took them forever to finish it but it was worth every second invested on it. The device not only had an excellent sound, it was also able to activate the castle traps by pressing the correct sequence of notes from the organ’s keyboard. It was one of her best ideas after all.

But now, things were different, with the terrifying amount of work her sister seemed to have every day, she barely had time to spend with her. The meals and long talks they shared between twilight and dawn had become just quick meals with some short decent talk until greetings and goodbyes needs to be said. That night in particular, Celestia had fallen asleep at her desk, which prevented her from dining together once again. All Luna could do was find a blanket to cover her just to prevent she catches a cold. Soon after she raised the moon and began her work adorning the night sky by placing some stars here and there.

Now she was outside admiring her work and being honest with herself, despite how lonely the castle seemed at times during day light, at her beautiful nights the castle looks practically abandoned, aside from one or two guards patrolling the perimeter. The silence was such that the melody of crickets and other animals and insects that roamed the Ever Free Forest was clearly heard.

Many ponies feared entering the forest at night and they have the right to, the place was scary at nightfall one could never be sure of the kind of creature that might be stalking you behind a bush or a tree hidden inside the deep shadows. However, for Luna darkness had always brought serenity and calm, allowing her to meditate and organize her own thoughts easily, but she would be lying if she said she did not miss the company of some pony. Being in charge of the night's tasks, it was no surprise that the activity of the castle decreases, after all most of the ponies used that time to sleep and dream peacefully, traveling to their own remote place in their imagination where they could get rid of their actual problems.

She had asked herself the same question each and every night. “Why did anyone seem to take a little time to admire their nights?” Ever since she was a filly, she'd heard fantastic stories of romance, adventure and terror and all of them had one thing in common: The night was the symbol of fear, just as rain was commonly associated to sadness and sun to joy.

Since she had discovered her special talent and therefore her Cutie Mark, she knew her destiny was bent on making the nights beautiful and praiseworthy, she had set out to give her subjects a beautiful view that would allow them to feel that they were dreaming just by looking at the night sky. Her nights were designed so that the ponies of Equestria could feel the same joy and serenity she felt whenever she looks at the dark sky, as if they were walking under a diamond roof in the dim moonlight. She fervently desired that her nights could bring joy to every being who saw them, although so far none of that had happened.

A sound suddenly caught her attention when a creature jumped out from the bushes, it was a creature she had never seen before. Its body appears to be protected by layers of black and green shells like the exoskeleton of an insect, which seems to protect her from other predators. The creature’s hooves or what she assumed were hooves, had holes form side to side along its four legs. It´s mane was a complete disaster and not precisely because it seems to have been galloping through the forest for a while. That creature had a pair of light green see-through wings made of a membrane so thin and also covered with holes.

The creature stopped in her tracks when she noticed the dark blue alicorn standing in that garden just a few inches in front of her, that pony creature was bathed in the moonlight looking majestically intimidating, her gaze fixed on her.

The deity of the night looked imposing. Chrysalis’s gaze quickly shifted to one of extreme concern when she noticed that the alicorn was looking at her attentively, those deep blue eyes looks just like the unknown deep sea. She stays there frozen in place, suddenly the sound of hooves galloping in their direction forced her to break eye contact and quickly take refuge back into the bushes of the castle gardens.

From the shadows appeared the castle guards wearing their grey armor. It was clear that they had been chasing that creature for some time as they seemed quite exhausted finding hard to catch their own breath.

-Damn we lost it- said one of them, throwing his spear against the ground and nailing the pointy tip right in front of the bush where the creature was hiding.

-Calm Ginger Cake, it can't be too far away, we managed to damage one of its wings so that thing can't take off, she won’t flee- answer a second soldier while examining the area the best he could dangerously approaching the set of shrubs in which the creature was hiding.

Noticing they were not aware of her presence, the dark blue coat alicorn approached the group of soldiers and cleared her throat to get their full attention. The stallions shriek by the sudden noticing the presence of the night princess, who was advancing towards them.

-Princess Luna… your majesty. What are you doing outside the castle at this hour and unprotected? Don't you realize you could be attacked by some repulsive evil creature from the Everfree?- said one of them bowing.

-Like the one you were chasing?- she asked raising an accusatory eyebrow.

She could clearly feel the presence of the creature in the bushes, who seemes to have some kind of magic although it was extremely weak. Luna immediately comprehend the creature was too exhausted to defend herself. Based on the sensations she perceived from the shadows around her, she could also clearly sense that the creature was terrified, possibly crouching as far as its body allowed, trembled from tail to muzzle.

-That's right your Majesty- said the first soldier without hesitation, if Luna had not misheard, his name began with Ginger something, it was not very intimidating name for a solder anyways.

-Do you know what it was?- asked with genuine curiosity.

-No, your majesty, but we found it feeding on some animals and given its appearance we concluded that it could present a risk to you so we tried to capture it, but...-

-We would say it looked like it was being hunted- the dark blue alicorn continued with a look that clearly indicated she wasn’t fooled by the soldier's words.

She knew some ponies loves to practice hunting other creatures, especially those who were extreme rare. The hunters usually kept them as personal trophies. It was true that after the creation of Ecuestria these practices had been decreasing and her sister was trying to abolish them completely. Luna was not surprised that there were still some nobles who practiced those activities without regard and there was no doubt these ponies were some of those nobles.

-Well, it did not seem really that dangerous to us, especially when hurt. Yet we are sure that by this time you are already out of reach gentlecolts and we doubt that my beloved sister would be pleased to hear you have abandoned your posts to chase a creature of the forest who clearly has been interrupted mid-dinner- Luna looks at them with a poker face, as if challenging them to encourage themselves to deny her words. As she did not receive a response from the guards she added -We may not be an animal expert, but I do know that approaching a predator who is feeding is the same as inviting him to attack you. It's not a very smart decision from a well-trained royal guard, unless you were waiting for it to attack you to have some kind of... let's say "excuse" to practice some activity that could be... I don’t know... “Illegal”- She said emphasizing the last word in a disapproving tone.

Knowing perfectly well that it was not convenient to test their luck any further the guards bowed and leave without saying anything else although it was clearly noted in their facial expressions, they were not happy with the whole situation.

As soon as the guards were out of her sight. The princess of the night approached the bush where the creature remained hidden.

-You can go out now, there is nothing to fear. They won't hurt you as long as you stay a safe distance from the castle-

The creature came out of the bushes hesitantly keeping her gaze on the alicorn one. Luna looked at her more carefully than before. It really was unlike anything else she’s ever seen before, but despite of everything else Luna didn't seem to be afraid of her in fact it was the complete opposite, Luna was really curious now about that strange creature.

The princess of the night deflected her gaze into the creature’s wounded wing, without thinking and lighting her horn she executed one of the healing spells Star Swirl had taught her to heal the multiple wounds she used to do herself all the time she was playing with her older sister.

The creature shrugged once again as she felt the princess's energy transfer from her horn to her wing. For a moment she thought that the dark blue coat mare had only dispatched the guards to have fun torturing her. Perhaps raping and tearing her wings first. However, when she realized that the pain disappeared from her whole body. She couldn't help but open her big bug-like green eyes and let out a sigh that until that moment she didn't know she had kept.

-Ready, that will help you return home- said the deity of the night.

The creature watched the alicorn for a moment, total confusion placed all over her face. Luna turned around and began walking towards the castle.

-Thank you- the silent and fearful voice of the creature draw the attention of the princess of the night once again.

With a big smile on her face and a voice that seemed even more melodious than it possibly was, the alicorn answered kindly.

-It was my pleasure dear- after this Luna resumed her journey to the castle leaving the creature alone in the gardens.

The memory faded from her mind the instant Chrysalis broke the kiss.

A couple of knocks from the other side of the wooden door caught the two mares’ attention. They quickly parted and took a seat on their respective sides as the deity of the night regained its composure before answering.

-Come in-

A white alicorn of multicolored mane emerged from the threshold, which waved gracefully as a faint light emanated from her magic hold on the door handle.

-Hi dear sister, I hope I didn't interrupt anything important- she said with a teasing tone.

-N… No of course not my sister- said the younger alicorn trying to sound casual and failing admirably by doing so.

Celestia looked at the unicorn who sat across the room before looking back at her younger sister. -Sorry I didn't remember being introduced before, Miss...-

-Crisi, this is my sister Celestia. Dear sister she is Crisi- Luna replied hastily and almost comically.

-Pleased to meet you Crisi- continuous Celestia stretching her hoof toward the other mare.

-On the contrary, the pleasure is mine princess- Chrysalis replied, taking full control of the situation and giving the older ruler’s hoof a little squeeze with her own. Luna blushed, it was obvious that Chrysalis was used to be a leader, after all she herself was the princess of her hive.

-Anyway- continue the white alicorn by turning her gaze to her younger sister -I came to tell you that I had thought about your request to make the night watch an official team- Luna was now paying full attention to her sister's words -After what we suffered with this war, I began to consider it more and finally I decided that having a special team to help us keep the kingdom protected overnight is an excellent idea- said the older sister.

-We are so glad to hear that. Thank you Tia!- Luna replied embracing her older sister.

-I am glad to know that you approve it. I hope this new guard can help you with your work and give you more free time to do other... Ejem… more personal activities- she whispers to her sister’s ear.

Luna's cheeks changed from pink to an intense red that could hardly be hidden under her dark color fur. As she timidly looked down clearly embarrassed. Satisfied with her sister reaction Celestia took a couple of steps back.

-I'm leaving, still have a couple of things to take care of. I'll notify you when your guard's team is ready- looking at the black unicorn she added -It's been a pleasure Miss Crisi, I hope we can see each other more often and maybe have a cup of tea with some cupcakes-

-Of course, your Highness, it will be my honor- Chrysalis replied with a bow.

Celestia turned around to leave the cabin before stopping for a few moments turning to see her sister over her shoulder with a sly grin placed on her face.

-Oh I almost forgot dear sister. You've got a little spit on your lips, it would be nice if you took care of those details the next time, especially in front of Siegfried and the others, they might get jealous-

No waiting for an answer from her little sister Celestia left the room, she had not gone far from the sleeping compartment when Luna’s voice was heard loudly all over the corridor.

-CELESTIA WHY YOU DIDN'T TELL ME BEFORE!?- her younger sister shouted using her royal Canterlot voice. It was something she tends to do every time she lost her self-control.

It was clear that her little sister was still the sweet innocent alicorn she had seen growing up next to her. Unable to hold back anymore, she began to laugh hardly as she returned to her own Sleeping compartment.

Author's Notes:

Author's Notes:

And here we are with a new chapter of "Moonbeam" hope you're enjoying this little story.
See you in the next chapter.
Bye

---

In memory of Victor Fidel Beloved grandfather and mentor.

March/1938 - October/2018