The fundraiser turned out to be a massive success. Even with ponies a little more prudent with their coin, and Arin being a little intimidating due to his height – fresh baked goods always attracted a crowd. Especially when the cupcakes were iced with buttercream made fresh, and the cookies were soft and chewy. Pumpkin truly outdid herself.

Spreading the word of Luna’s dear and precious Knight raising money for orphans was great for morale, as well. Especially when Pumpkin was adamant about his involvement in the process – and while Arin was a bit uncomfortable at the start, it quickly washed away after the tenth sale. Erenorn had little in the way of charity, except among Inerts – it was a refreshing change to see the community at large happy to help those a little less unfortunate. In exchange for a small dose of diabetes, of course.

They stuck close to the more commoner heavy part of town, under Arin’s advice. He was after the people’s - er… pony’s hearts – and commoners would always outweigh silver spooned idiots ten to one. And knowing at least three Noble houses would be gunning for an election, he didn’t want them in his business. If there was one thing Quill Shine was right about, it was that politics were underhanded and backstabbing. The last thing he needed was to run into some of their goons and start a fight – even if it was only in words.

He was trying to keep bad PR to a minimum, after all.

By the time the sun began to set, they scored at least 1,000 bits in sales, with one cupcake left to spare.

“Alright. I think I’ve got a plan. Tomorrow, I’ll hunt up a reporter for the Canterlot… what’s your newspaper called again?”

“T-The um… Canterlot Nicker.” Pumpkin nodded her head, Arin walking by her side.

“Yes, that – if they’re still in business, I’ll have a reporter join me for the donation. A little interview, a few words here and there – it will get the word out. That Luna still has a heart in her. I’ll just come up with some kind of fancy speech to sell it. I think I learned enough from Celestia to at least do that much, especially with my time leading the Seraphs of Alma Sol.”

“Well, i-if you’re going to do an Interview – why not also, um... r-record it for Canterlot ‘95? I-It’s Canterlot’s newest radio station. The antenna is so strong, you can even catch it in Manehatten! I-I love their talk shows, especially Heat’s Hearts and Hooves hour. Gosh, the way she describes those stallions…”

Catching herself a little bit late, the lonely mare blushed. “Anywaygottagoseeyoutomorrow!”

Arin was left clutching the last cupcake, the little mare darting down the street with both carts in tow. One tugged tight by her tail, bouncing with each bumbling step she made - the other rattling in front of her, cauldron bouncing with empty cups rolling across the surface.

He couldn’t help but chuckle, as she rounded the corner out of sight. Adorable. He looked up to the sky, sighing. Rain clouds were gathering up above, as Pegasi worked to move a storm into place. He always found it odd that ponies controlled the weather in the settlements.

Spreading his wings wide, he stooped low before taking off – winds whipping around him as he took to the sky. Like most Seraphs, he wasn’t built for distance flight; but he made use of his wings when he could. Besides, it was only a scant few leagues - he could handle it relatively well. Landing at the drawbridge, his free hand wiped the sweat from his brow, the first drops of rain already starting to fall. Of course, he wasn’t there alone.

Luna was waiting for him. She was not at all happy about that, either.

“Are thy duties a joke?” she glowered; another bad mood. He didn’t feel ready for this.

“What? No, of course not. But you’ve been pushing me away, so I thought I’d do something for the community and your ratings. Cupcake?” He offered the pastry up as a symbol of peace, and her horn – with a crackling spark – exploded the blue cupcake into a shower of pastry gore.

“Luna – what the! I made that!” he yelped, whipping his sizzled fingers free of smoke; covered in a layer of frosting and soft pastry.

“We care not for thy games, Sir Arin! Your duties are to remain by my side at all times; not play baker!” She snarled, before spinning back into the Castle’s entry hall.

He had a feeling like he was failing Umbra’s suggestions here, to keep her happy and calm. It seemed like everything he did enraged her further; either he followed her orders mindlessly and harmed her reputation further, or he pissed her off by trying to be a helpful, productive member of society.

“Look, Luna. I did it for a reason. I went out to raise money for the orphans – I paid for it and everything. I made at least a thousand bits, and I did it in your name. You know, to help relieve some of the stress? Since I can’t do anything else but follow you around, I thought I’d give you a hand with your ratings.”

“We do not care what the peasantry thinks of Us.” She spat. “If they believe us unfit to lead, they are unfit to live. Do not patronize Us as an infantile mare unable to show mercy to the endless horde of jesters that parade in Our halls and muddy Our carpets. If you think so little of Us, perhaps our relationship is nothing but a sham!”

He fell back, aghast, clutching his hand to his heart in emotional distress. “I just wanted to help, Luna. I love you.”

She made to whirl around and shout him down to size – but the sudden motion of the spin made her woozy. A hoof clamped to her head, grunting in pain as a fresh migraine was born.

“We… I. I’m sorry. What…” It took her a moment to snap back to her senses. “I’m sorry, I think… I need sleep. I’m just so tired. I… what’s coming over me?… Have I been poisoned? It’s… I need to raise the moon. Arin, h-help me to the window?”

Arin didn’t react. She basically just denounced nearly every single pony in Equestria in one fell swoop, and insulted their relationship. This was beyond wrong, it was outright villainous.

He needed to find Twilight, and fast. If this gets any worse, Luna may snap and kill an innocent pony. His wings flared – and without a word he took off out the Castle gates. Luna meant to stand up and make chase, to say something – but her body wouldn’t move. There was too little strength to go around, as her soft voice failed to break the wind of his powerful pinions.

“What have I done?…” she whispered, stranded on the carpet. Like an ocean of red, with not a soul to save her.

Arin breached the castle again through the main garden, dripping wet and looking to avoid Luna at all costs. The western section of the fortress held the library after all; and if there was one place to find Twilight, it was there.

He used his wings to billow wind behind him with each bound – voices of gust-struck guards followed, but they gave no chase - their complaints for him to slow down swiftly ignored. He threw open the doors to the Library, letting the heavy wood clatter against the stone walls.

“Twilight, we need t-”

“Good evening, Arin. Have you come to join us?” Umbra smiled, sipping on her cup of tea quietly. Twilight sat between her and a pony he hadn’t met before; a mysterious mare under a short black robe. She had a dark orchid coat, with a claret mane coming up in a rough, strict mohawk. Her steely disposition matched Umbra’s, taking Arin in with her scarred face and shattered horn. And much like Umbra, she lacked a cutiemark. Her ocean eyes were commanding, much like Celestia’s old expression held when leading her troops.

“Hello, Arin. I’ve heard quite the tales about you; would you mind taking a seat?” the new pony offered, motioning to the pillow across the way from the trio, separating them by the width of the table.

“Uh, sure, but I’ve got something important to discuss-”

“About Luna, yes, we know. Do not take me as daft, Arin; I can tell when her state is becoming dire,” Umbra said, sighing in frustration. “I apologize. I have not slept yet. The night was long for me.”

Plopping down on the pillow, he was getting used to the outbursts here. It seemed that by the day, tensions rose across the world. “It’s alright – but who are you?”

The new pony brought her hoof to her chest, breathing in. “I’m Tempest Shadow. Or, if you find it more fitting – Fizzlepop Berrytwist. For clarity sake, my old name is simply a memory I use to relate to my past. Please, simply call me Tempest.”

Despite being high strung at the moment, the name forced a snort from the Seraph. He quickly calmed, as Twilight poured him a cup of tea.

“So. What are you doing here, Tempest?”

“I am here as a second opinion for Twilight’s work. While I may lack the proper magical foci of a functioning horn, my study of potent magics – especially banishment and sealing spells – are needed. In fact, I’d say Twilight was just about to contact you regarding our combined studies.”

“Yep! Fortunately, Umbra knows you better than anypony. There was no need, she knew you’d come find me. And look! Here you are, heh.” Twilight swirled her spoon around her mug, concentrating on her words. “Now how should I say this; we’ve come to a revelation. And it’s not a pleasant one, at least – not for you.”

“While we can not confirm Nightmare Moon’s return, we can clearly see the evidence of possession. And with no way to stop it, it is only a matter of time until we lose Luna, regardless of whatever efforts you may take to prevent it,” Umbra said between sips from her tea cup, turning her head downwards, as if to avoid eye contact. “By our estimations, we have less than a month until the Princess is either completely incapacitated, dead, or possessed.”

“Then we’re not too late? There’s something we can do?”

Tempest took her turn to speak. “There is one thing we could have done, and that was release Princess Celestia from the moon. There is a correlation to her imprisonment, and Princess Luna’s loss of control. But as it stands, the only method of instantly – and safely – retrieving her is lost. Leotoln is dead. By technicality, the banishment spell was cast by seven individuals. Because of this, you would need the original seven to retrieve her.”

“Umbra went over this before. What’s the good news? Surely you’ve figured out something.” Arin inquired.

Tempest continued, “There is one last method of breaking this spell early. You see, this is where science and magic meet, and while Twilight viewed it entirely as either science or magic based, I see it from both sides equally. A scholar needs to know her books, after all. The last method of retrieval is indirect, and it requires… you.”

He waited patiently for an answer, and when none came – out of fear of what needed to be asked – Twilight cleared her throat.

“We um… Well! We have to banish you to the moon. Not for a thousand years! Just until you can find Celestia, and – with something similar to the Crystal Heart – break the seal placed upon her.”

When Arin didn’t speak, Umbra went to do something she rarely does – comfort him. “Now, we all three understand that this is a serious endeavor-”

“I’ll do it.”

“Splendid.” Tempest laughed, finishing her tea. Umbra was left with her jaw partly dropped, slowly lowering her gray hoof to the table. “Then I’m no longer needed here. But, just in case – I’ll be staying in one of the spare guest rooms, Twilight. I’m thinking of settling in Canterlot anyway, now that my face isn’t plastered on every paper from here to Manehatten.”

“Wait, Tempest! Aren’t you going to explain your reasoning-” Twilight began, but was quickly cut off.

“Nope. I don’t have to. He agreed to it without question, I’m going without answers. Have fun summarizing it for me. All I have to say is, he’d make a wonderful soldier under my command.” Tempest retrieved her bags from the side of a book ladder, yawning. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Arin crossed his arms, staring right through Twilight. “But look. At this point, I’m hardly doing it for Luna anymore. Possession or not, she’s become an absolute tyrant, and I’m finding it hard to deal with it; even though I know it’s not her doing this. I used to think that being a Knight or whatever gave me everything I wanted; turns out, the only thing it did was make me a lovedrunk idiot thinking I could handle this stress. At this point, after dealing with about a tenth of what you’ve dealt with over the years, I’m ready to just live my life away from here.”

Even Umbra seemed taken aback from that, the two ponies giving each other a worried look. Following a brief moment of contemplation, Twilight cleared her throat. “…Alright. That… it can be arranged. Not now, of course. Later, much later, when we’re finally at peace. Let’s get back on topic…”

She shuffled her notes around – Twilight always had her notes, after all – giving Arin a chance to sip at his tea and calm down. He had just about enough of Royalty for a lifetime, as all of his problems stemmed from it.

“Essentially, while the banishment can’t be broken directly with the Elements, it can be broken by the Elements and Leotoln’s magic. Since we’re lacking in a particular corrupt Seraph at the moment, the next best thing is Leotoln’s direct descendant. You’re related by blood, your magic signature – while not identical – is similar enough to break the banishment in extremely close range. But my friends and I can’t just… target ourselves with the spell, Arin. Not only that, but we still need you to actually cast it. We basically need to repeat the spell in the same way it was originally used against her.

“Now, it’s impossible for you to carry the full force of Harmony in your ember for more than a minute or so, before you quite literally combust – it’s just too much magic for your body to handle. That’s why we cast the spell into an artifact, something meant to hold great power – and you can channel your energy into the item, then destroy it. Smashing, throwing, it doesn’t matter the method – as long as enough of your magic is in the item, it should explode and essentially cast Harmony on you and Celestia.”

“Okay, then why not just… cast the spell on said item, I pump it full of magic, and someone like you heads to the moon to bring Celestia home? I mean. I miss her to death. I do. Just… today isn’t a great day to be asking big favors of me without good reason. Luna basically just spat in my face when I tried to help her, and I just want the world to make some sense for five minutes.”

“That… kinda wraps back to the Crystal Heart, and how it’s the preferred type of artifact for this. See, without a frankly massive housing, you’ll never be able to store the entirety of a Harmony spell and your magic. The Crystal Heart was built for this; spreading hope through channeling hundreds of happy, harmonious pony’s magic through it. But that’s the thing – it doesn’t store the magic for long. If the Crystal Heart becomes too full, it could easily just radiate excess magic outwards – or even be used to channel powerful spells.

“So what’s the plan then? Don’t suppose you have anything to fit that role on hand? Or… well, hoof.” Arin leaned back on his pillow, awaiting the eventual ‘no’ or ‘probably’.

“Yep! Right here, in fact.” Princess Twilight reached into her bag, withdrawing a small, black and red amulet. She placed it on the table before him, the sight of a corrupt Alicorn garnishing the top of the diamond-shaped crimson gem.

“Where did you come across this, Princess?” Umbra gazed over the jeweled brooch, emerald eyes tracing its silvery-gray sheen. Lost over her memories as she recognized it near instantly.

“Eh, a magic duel. But that’s not the point. This is an Alicorn Amulet - well, the Alicorn Amulet; there’s only one we know of. It houses great power on its own, but corrupts the wearer in turn. Steadily draining them of their sanity, making them brash and vile. Now, I can remove the positive effects of the amulet just fine – but it’s still a cursed object. Even once I infuse it with harmony magic – the negative effects will still linger.”

She withdrew a brown hardback book with gold casings across its spine from her saddle, the gold plated title reading ‘Magical Foci of the Third Era’.

“We first learned of it’s abilities years ago, when a wandering magician challenged me to a duel. Now, cross referencing ‘Magical Foci of the Third Era’ with ‘The Enchanter’s Dream; of Homecrafting and Wizardry’, I was able to essentially drain the power within, and release it back into the Fabric of Reality. The magic lock still works, but it wont empower your spells – instead, it can store new power. And just like the Crystal Heart, it’ll exude excess magic over time. I wouldn’t be able to give you an exact reference, but once the girls manage to get here, I’d say you’d have three days at most to find the Princess, and escape. Which isn’t much, I’ll admit - I’m searching for a way to lengthen that time frame.”

She turned the heavy pages of the old tome, hoof pointing to the clear picture of the amulet. “But, the curse remains. Cursed Artifacts can’t simply be… uncursed, not without destroying them completely. Whenever you take magic directly from the amulet, it will still corrupt your spirit – it doesn’t matter if it’s pure Harmony or not. But you can avoid that by simply keeping it stored somewhere safe. Now Arin, look at me. Look into my eyes. You will promise me right now, nopony will ever wear this amulet. Do you understand?”

“Well, what happens if I – or say Celestia – does?” He finished his own cup of tea, sliding the saucer back to the Princess.

“You will undoubtedly turn violent and hostile to anypony close at hoof, even the Princess isn’t immune to it! You must avoid this at all costs. The corruption effect scales with the amount of magic channeled. Now, there’s one more thing to note…”

She withdrew Luna’s diary once more, a fresh sheet of paper sliding from the old pages. It was a roughly detailed map of the Moon’s surface – marked with places of interest and self made constructions Luna had left there. “We have no control over where you’re going to land inside the Lunar Plane. The spell could cast you to the dark side of the Abyss, or it can place you directly at the Homeward Crest. The difference here is massive; the Crest is the closest point between the Material plane, and the Lunar plane. We can’t confirm this will work anywhere on the moon, and you only have one chance – so you must escort Celestia to the Crest before shattering the amulet. Anywhere else may fail to reverse the banishment.”

Arin sighed, rubbing his head to help ease the stress growing by the minute. “So. If Nightmare Moon is there…”

“She shouldn’t be a problem. Just like Princess Luna, Nightmare Moon only has the magic to subsist and survive; Princess Celestia is the one in danger. It’s likely she’s just as burnt out as her Sister is right now, if not worse. If anything, you can… well, I don’t need to tell you how to protect a Princess.”

Umbra yawned, looking at the nearby wall clock with a sigh. Their discussion had dragged on long enough. “I am afraid that sleep beckons me, Princess Twilight. If you desire another audience, inquire in the morning. I still have two more homes to visit this coming eve.”

“No no, you did more than enough by bringing my attention to this, just before your ‘date’ with Arin. If it weren’t for you, I would have never thought of speaking to Tempest for her opinion on the matter. I’ve been handling this all wrong; it really does take a second set of hooves to fix a problem. If I weren’t the Princess of Friendship, I’d send a friendship letter to my teacher; but as you can guess, that’s a bit impossible at the moment.” Twilight bowed her head, turning back to face Arin.

“As for you, Arin. You need to prepare. It will be three days at most until I’m able to gather the Elements, more than enough time for you to settle any issues you have here at the Castle or Canterlot. I’ll also prepare luggage for your banishment; you will undoubtedly need to feed Princess Celestia while you’re there, just be sure to take it slow. Refeeding syndrome could very well end her life if you’re not careful. I want to make sure you’re entirely prepared for every challenge you may face. The Lunar Plane is a freezing, arctic wasteland – you’ll need heat, shelter, and any other comfort you can afford yourself, and the Princess. Don’t worry about the supplies - I am very thorough.”

Finally, after digesting everything Twilight had to say, Arin had a chance to ask a few other questions. He was a bit aimless at the moment, after all.

“Alright. Now, I wanted to talk to you about what I should do in the meantime. Personally, I thought it would be best to run a fundraiser in Luna’s name, y’know? Give her a better reputation in Canterlot. But, if I’m going to fix every problem we’re stuck with in three day’s time – should I just stop, or?…”

“No no, in fact, I’d encourage you to keep doing that. Once the Princess returns, she’ll be much too weak and sickly to work; Luna will have to lead Equestria until she’s recovered. It’s much like when Princess Luna first returned from the moon, except this will be much more dire for Princess Celestia. She could be out of commission for more than just a few days; Alicorns heal fast, but not that fast.”

She popped open Luna’s diary, sighing. “I’m not a cartographer by any means, but I’ll try my best to put together a better map than this for you. I don’t believe Luna will be willing to help me with this, not now – and in fact, we should probably keep this a secret. It’s obvious she’s under some sort of spell, and her being the only true heir to the throne spells disaster for us if she decides to do something brash. You’re her knight, Arin. I know you don’t want that title right now – but you have to do your duties and stay by her side, if she demands it. If she’s becoming Nightmare Moon once more, you might be able to convince her to let you run off around Canterlot. All you’d have to do is treat her as Nightmare Moon expects to be treated.”

“Again, that’s if. But if it’s true… how do I go about doing that?” Arin stood up, giving his wings a flap. Mentally preparing himself for the journey ahead, and advice would be the wind beneath his feathers to start moving.

“Well, I’d assume she’d want you to treat her like a Queen, be subservient to her rule and such. I think it’s the wording you need to work on. Saying ‘I’m gonna run a bakesale for you!’ isn’t the same as ‘Oh your royal Highness, I wish to spread word of your proper rule’; just fan her flames a bit. If she wants you to play dumb, play dumb.”

Arin slowly nodded, sighing. “It’s worth a shot. So should I stay with her in Day Court, or?…”

“No! No no no. In fact, stay as far away from her as you can, unless she outright demands your company. You need to make her happy by not being there right now. With Nocturne at your side, you’re going to have trouble refusing direct orders. If she snaps tomorrow and orders you to kill somepony – you’ll have to break your vow to spare lives, shattering the gem in Nocturne’s rain guard. And she’d definitely see that as a betrayal. She’ll either put you in the dungeon, or worse – turn completely against us, and become Nightmare Moon instantly.”

Coming together with a plan, he nodded. “I see. So, the more distance I put between me and her, the better. I’ll go on a mission to Canterlot to ‘spread the good word’ about her, and simply stay with a friend or two. I think it’s for the best right now, just send me a letter when you need me at the castle.”

Twilight blinked. “You have outside friends? I mean… besides the ones here.”

For the first time since he arrived, he finally gave a small, but genuine smile. Which he then corrected into a frown, when he realized Twilight was implying he can’t make friends. “I think I made two just the other day. Now, I need to check on Luna. If I’m lucky, she may be in a good mood – and I could simply tell her I’m leaving. But with your advice now, I think I can worm my way out of here even if she isn’t. After all, she thinks our relationship is… well, a joke.”