1.9

Luna slowly, but powerfully approached the pedestal. She had considered these stars left by her sister and thought of what they may be.  Since these stars were left be Celestia, Luna wasn’t afraid. Her sister was neither cruel nor deceptive, she may even have a strange sense of morality in the ways she defended each star to their seekers. She expected the peril to be fair and just.

She looked down at her hooves as she walked and was disturbed by the tracks she left. Every inch of grass and every spec of dirt seemed so perfectly placed and every step she took through the dream felt like a desecration of its fantasy. A darkness hung over the steps and she became uneasy.

“Starswirl, the place is not natural and I feel uneasy. Pray tell, what is it that we have stumbled upon?” Luna asked gingerly as they entered the temple.

“Oh? You want to know why this place terrifies you?” he started, “It doth could be of many different things. All of them equally dreadful, shall I describe them to thou in the greatest detail or most excruciating detail?”

“Briefly describe the three most likeliest possibilities,” Luna replied, annoyed.

“Very well, we have either stepped into a false consecration, a dream field or a terrifyingly peaceful temple that your sister particularly adores and protected with magics unknown,” Starswirl explained, “The first one, we will be judged by celestial cardinals and most likely attacked, the second one we will need to find a way to escape the dream field before our spirits leave our bodies or the third one some else bad happens. Oh also you might just be afraid of living dreams.”

“Most wonderful,” Luna responded sarcastically.

The three had reached the pedestal and had the fabled orb. Sitting in front of them was a rather unassuming glass orb. Vaguely opaque with a whitish hew, it was a smaller gem that sat on a musty old pedestal in front of them. Luna wasted no time picking it up and stowing it away.

“Luna, dearest sister…” a familiar voice quietly spoke to them.

“Celestia?! Show yourself!” Luna said excitedly.

“I’m sorry, I cannot because your quest has only just begun,” Celestia’s voice continued, “You have much to learn before you can return. We are a balance sister, one no more powerful than the other. We will need to work together when you return. Take my Morning Star and with it, the strength of morning’s light.”

Luna let Celestia’s words ring in her ears as it trailed off. It had been a long time since she heard that voice, and needed to wipe a tear from her eye after hearing it. She had only half-hoped that this adventure would yield what she thought it would, but now she was certain.

“Let us go, we have three more stars to acquire,” Luna said, hopes confirmed.

“How simple could it have been,” Midnight Sky announced, “And to think we were certain that your sister had some sort of unfathomable horror awaiting us.”

As they strolled out of the temple their eyes met unfathomable horrors. Just beyond the eye wall of the storm Luna could see creatures whose many eyes glowed a sinister red. At the ground was a scattered sea of red eyes whose number, uncountable, whose insect bodies chittered and chattered menacingly. At the next level were nightmare spiders whose fangs reflected the light of the sacred garden. Even higher up were towering monstrosities whose shapes were various and equally sinister with great red eyes. A noisy chatter surrounded them, almost

The creatures clawed out into the daylight but were burned, some of their claws falling off and turning into boiling dark bile that ate away at the dream.

Luna screamed.

“Tis actually my 5th guess,” Starswirl began, staring up at the nightmare, “Or perhaps it was a combination of my 3rd and 5th guess. Well it would seem that we need to acquire more daylight your highness.”

It was clear that the creatures were held off by day light.

Luna stared up at the sky through the eye in the clouds. In the distance, she saw cloud slowly move in front of the sun. In only a few moments it will block out the sun’s light.

“CLOUD!!! Starswirl we need a daylight spell, now!” Luna commanded.

“Please excuse thee while I execute the talents of a fabled Princess whom livest 1000 years ago,” Starswirl replied sarcastically.

The cloud had begun to intercept the sun and cast a shadow at the edge of the wall. Swiftly the creatures filled in the shade and followed it as it approached the three ponies.

“Everypony retreat to the temple,” Midnight commanded.

They ran back into the temple and Luna recovered the Morning Star. Attempting to understand her sister’s words she began assaulting the stone with a myriad of magic, but without success. Spell after spell deflected off the ball as Luna racked her mind for meaningful or relevant ideas. The cloud passed over the sun and the shadow approached them quickly. The creatures neared them, filling the shadow of death devouring the temple in the process. At a frightening speed Luna panicked as they fell within 5 feet of them.

“STARSWIRL PUT A SHIELD UP NOW!” Luna commanded with lunar fury.

Immediately Starswirl conjured a force field that held the creatures at bay in a small sphere around them. He darkness had now fallen completely over the temple and through their force field, they could only see evil eyes and the vague outlines of claws, talons and scythes. They began to pick away at the shield, scratching and clawing at it. With every attack Starswirl grew weaker. He began to buckle to his knees and show signs of extreme stress.

“DO IT NOW PRINCESS,” Starswirl pleaded,” WHAT EVER YOU DO, DO IT NOW.

As Luna frantically tried everything she had on the orb she saw one of the towering monstrosities lift its giant sickle shaped arm and brought it down hard on the shield.

“SUPPORT HIM MIDNIGHT,” Luna desperately commanded as the darkness closed in on them.

Horn alight, Midnight took up the shield with Starswirl. For a brief moment Starswirl felt relief, before the nightmare shattered his mind. Midnight struggled to stay conscious. He stared at Luna desperately, his last thoughts of her.

“If we perish through this Luna, tis an honour to—“ Midnight began weakly.

“SILENCE FOOL, I AM TRYING TO THINK,” she interrupted briskly.

Luna saw the claw get lifted up again and frantically tried her last efforts. Channeling the magic she used to raise the moon, she hit the orb. It began to sparkle and Luna’s eyes grew wide. The orb went dull and the spell fizzled. The monster’s claw came crashing down, shattering Midnight’s mind. Luna diverted her attention to support the force field at the last moment. She began to think wildly fast under the pressure.

‘We are a balance, it is eternally night here. Don’t raise the moon, LOWER IT!’ Luna thought quickly.

Luna used her “Lower the Moon” spell on the orb and it sparked. Luna desperately started thinking of a last solution convinced that it didn’t work, but the orb shone brightly, repelling the creature and burning the ones too slow to escape its glow. Slowly it expanded and Luna could see the sky again.

Above her the sun shone through the clouds and storm’s eye began to expand infinitely, engulfing Equestria in the day’s light. At last after years of darkness, she had returned light to the eternal night of Equestria. The creatures all burn to death in horrible agony.

Seeing the creatures’ burn to death, their skeletons and flesh incinerated, Luna shielded her eyes to block the horror upon horror.

“Celestia, this is what you left for me? What has happened to you?” Luna said quietly to herself, amidst the mesh of burning body parts and writhing screams of the dark insect army.

In front of her was a smoking Morning Star whom shone brightly in the day’s light and at her feet was Midnight and Starswirl, still unconscious on the ground.  She looked at sun and morning light and reveled in the conflicted moment of hope and despair. She was sure that ponies across Equestria looked upon it with eyes of wonder and purpose.

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