A/N: Remember when I apologized for taking nearly a week to update something that I ALREADY HAD ON FILE? Well, I'm making it up to you all with an extra chapter. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 8: Unforgotten

Recent times yielded enormous amounts of fun; that was certain. But, there are times when the Lunar Princess simply needs a moment to herself. At this moment, she was doing relaxed laps in her pool. What was interesting to note was that she was actually wearing the swimsuit Celestia had gotten her, way back when on her forced trip to the beach, disregarding her swimming leotard. She silently performed a front crawl, musing in her own thoughts as she passed perfectly through the brilliantly clear freshwater pool. It was a standard tile ground pool that had her cutie mark laid into the work. It was perfectly visible from a birds-eye view. She reached the end of the pool and what was her twenty-fifth lap and exited out. Luna dried herself off and made herself a bit more presentable. While she had spent the entire day to herself, she was expecting someone over. Rainbow Dash had a busy day with the weather patrol, and Luna had invited her over so they could have some one-on-one hanging out time. She had done it with all the other girls, now it was her turn. Right on time, as well.

“Hey Rainbow!” Luna said with a happy complexion as she embraced her rainbow-haired friend.

“Luna! It’s been a while since we’ve done this,” Dash remarked. Luna nodded in acknowledgement and led her inside to the common room. What Luna really enjoyed about Rainbow Dash was that, despite her sometimes overly confident attitude and view on life, she was a very good conversation holder. The two of them could talk for hours on end about whatever was on their mind, regardless of how ridiculous or far-fetched the topic could have been.

“Want a drink?” Luna offered. Dash made herself comfortable on the couch and looked back towards Luna.

“Sure! Full bar?” Dash joked. However, Luna smiled and shrugged.

“Pretty much, actually. What’s your poison?” she asked. Dash thought for a moment.

“Gimme some vodka on the rocks. Add some green apple to it, would ya?” she asked. Luna nodded and fixed them both something soothing. She brought the drinks back and the two clinked their glasses together, relaxing almost instantly.

“So…” Luna attempted to start off conversation.

“I got a letter from my dad today. Wants me to come out to Cumulous to see my family in a couple of weeks. It’ll be fun to see everyone again,” Dash started out. Luna nodded again.

“Sounds like a journey. You get on well with your family?” Luna asked, sipping from her glass.

“For the most part. We all have some people who we just can’t stand, but, that’s family life.”

“I hear you there, Dash.”

“Hey Luna?”

“Hmm?”

“How did you get on with your family, aside from Celestia, if you don’t mind me asking,” Dash inquired. Luna paused for a moment, because it had been a subject that no one had touched in a long time, or inquired into, rather. She needed some time to compose her words.

“It was hit and miss with my family, mostly in part due to the dark magic that I harbored in my being at the time.”

“What do you mean?” Dash asked again, very curious.

“You know of my eventual turn to Nightmare Moon, so I’ll spare you those details. But when I was little, being in a family of magic adepts made it quite easy to see the existence of the pestilence that lay inside me. It was also at a time of great social unrest, so that probably complicated things further.” Luna explained.

“How so?”

“It was during the first Changeling Insurrection. The royal family was a target for attempted kidnappings by Changeling agents, and my family felt that if I was ever captured, the dark energy festered in me would prove almost lethal if turned against Equestria. Since this was before the Elements of Harmony, there was no way to purge it from my system. They wouldn’t have me executed, obviously, but deep down, I think some of them would have gone that route with me.” Luna mused. Dash was floored.

“Wow… I… don’t know what to say. Well, what about your immediate family?”

“I was never on really good terms with my mother. She birthed me, yes, but as I became more fiercely independent, she almost grew to resent me in some sense, also because of the dark magic.”

“What about your dad?” Rainbow asked again. Luna started grinning.

“Father was an amazing man. I was very close to him. Like Tia, he only saw the manifestation of dark magic in me as a potential that needed to be watched over, but wasn’t an immediate threat. To him, I was still his daughter, and he never treated me any differently. He was tough on me, that I’ll admit, but even so. I took after him, with the warrior ideology. While he did rule Equestria with my mother at the time, he was also a Field Marshall in the Equestrian Military. As a result, he passed his warrior and soldier mentality on to me. That’s why, before my whole ‘lightening up,’ I was always so stern… so formal. But, he managed to do that, yet still have a huge heart…” Luna said in a dreamy state.

“Seems like you really loved him,” Dash commented. Luna’s gaze went off into space as she remembered:

[Flashback]

It was late at night and Luna had snuck out of her room when it was supposed to be her bed time. She silently phased around the castle, attempting to not get caught, but she was looking for someone.  She couldn’t have been any older than eight at the time. Her little shenanigans was suddenly cut short when her magic was overridden and her physical body materialized and fell into a pair of strong arms. Coming out of the shock, Luna looked up to meet the equally teal blue gaze of her father, Field Marshal Quasar: a physically well-built individual with a hard gaze to him. He was still dressed in his military suit.

“Sneaking out of bed now, are we? My, my, that will never do…” the stern but smooth voice said with an edge of a smile.

“I had a nightmare, daddy…” Luna said with a hint of fear in her. She attempted to look tougher in front of him.

“Did you now? Well, you know it was all a bad dream. I’ll be here to protect you… just like mother and Celestia will be there to take comfort in,” Quasar cooed as he carried little Luna back to her room through the darkened halls, night guards saluting him as he walked by. Luna seemed somewhat dejected.

“I don’t… I don’t think mom likes me…” Luna said, her eyes a bit wet. Quasar sighed a bit, knowing what she was talking about.

“No, no, no… she loves you, Luna. Please know that she does,” he said softly.

“Then why does she always look so… angry with me? Like she doesn’t want me around, daddy?”

“She’s just… she’s just scared… Luna. That’s all she is. Because of the dark magic within you…” he attempted to reason. Luna was well aware of what was manifested inside her.

“Does she not trust me? I… I would never hurt anyone… ever!” Luna stated loudly, shaking her head to accentuate the negative.

“I know, my dear. You would never hurt anyone willingly. And that’s why you’ll grow up to be a wonderful lady, and an amazing ruler for Equestria,” Quasar smiled at her. Luna couldn’t help but smile back.

“I want to be like you, daddy!” Luna stated. He cocked his head.

“What do you mean?” he asked. Luna used her magic to levitate his officer’s cap off of his head and onto hers. Needless to say it was quite large on her.

“I want to command the army just like you! I want to use it to protect Equestria!” Luna said with enthusiasm, peeking her head out from under the brim of the cap and tracing the lining of the Field Marshall insignia on its front. He couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm that only a little girl could have.

“Oh really?” he asked, humoring her. Luna’s eyes lit up.

“Yes! I want to learn how to fight to protect myself and all of you too!” Luna said with conviction right as the two entered into Luna’s room. Quasar chuckled a bit.

“Well, would you like to know what I think?” he asked as he tucked Luna back in.

“I think you’ll make not only a wonderful leader of Equestria alongside your sister, but you’ll also make an amazing soldier,” he replied with a genuine smile, sitting next to Luna’s tucked in body. She couldn’t help but smile back before sitting up and wrapping her arms around her father’s neck. He returned the embrace fully.

“I love you, daddy,” Luna said happily. Quasar sighed out in bliss as she said those words. He pulled away from the embrace and kissed her on the forehead.

“I love you too, Luna. Now, get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning at breakfast,” he said with a smile which Luna was able to see with the help of reflected moonlight through her window. He turned to walk out, but Luna realized that she was still wearing his cap.

“Daddy! You forgot your hat!” Luna called out, waving the head adornment. Quasar looked over his broad shoulder and grinned.

“I have others like it. You may keep it, Luna,” he replied with a nod before bidding her goodnight and closing her bedroom door. Luna could only smile as she turned her gaze from the door to her father’s military cap, the moonlight reflecting off the gold insignia of a galactic system with five stars surrounding the body. She smiled at it, the light reflection hitting her teal blue orbs before setting it on her nightstand next to her and ultimately drifting off to sleep.

[/Flashback]

“He was my idol. I always looked up to him and valued all his opinions. Even after he died, I still asked him for advice, and consulted with him. Sometimes I still do. Even with my time on the moon, I never forgot,” Luna said in a softer tone.

“W-what happened?” Dash asked, careful not to pry too hard. Luna took a deep breath and exhaled out.

“During the last days of the Changeling Insurrection… well, I was too young to know at the time, but apparently they found the location of the Hive Queen. He and my mother, who also was militarily involved, decided to personally command and lead the final charge to crush the insurrection and put Equestria in an age of peace yet again… They succeeded…” Luna began to subconsciously quiver her lower lip and her eyes glassed over slightly.

[Flashback]

It was a very sunny day and a ten year-old Luna was playing around with a fifteen year-old Celestia. The two were having a great time in each other’s company while some Royal Guards kept watch over them. Soon, Luna stopped when she saw something approaching the castle: A military convoy. Luna connected the dots in her head and that only meant one thing for her: her father was coming home after being away for several weeks.

“Celestia!!”

“Luna! What is it?!”

“A convoy! It’s Dad and Mom! They’re home! They’re home!” Luna said, lunging into a full sprint as she finished her sentence. Celestia looked and confirmed Luna’s sighting before chasing after Luna as well. The two sprinted through the castle hallways in order to meet the convoy at the entrance. When they arrived, Luna came into the scene of several dozen troops conversing with higher ranked military officers who had exited their vehicles. However, she saw no immediate sight of her parents. This didn’t deter Luna in the slightest as she raced out of the entrance, Celestia following casually behind her. However, no matter how Luna searched, she couldn’t find her father. By now, several of the soldiers were giving the two girls somber looks. Luna mustered the courage to go up to a group of soldiers.

“Excuse me, have you seen The Field marshal?” Luna asked innocently while tugging on one of the soldiers’ uniforms. The group looked down onto her with sad eyes, unsure of what to say. Luna did not understand what was going on. Where was her father?

“Celestia, Luna” a male voice said, attracting the attention of the two girls who turned and looked up to meet the gaze of Marshal Solar, whom Luna knew as Quasar’s right hand man, and an individual whose presence Luna thoroughly enjoyed.

“Solar! Where’s dad?” Luna asked, getting more impatient. Celestia’s face echoed the same question. Solar didn’t respond immediately as he removed his cap and placed it over his chest.

“Your father… is not coming home,” Solar stated somberly. Being a soldier, he was not always so good in delivery of words. To the two girls, especially Luna, those two clauses could not fathomably be used in the same sentence. Celestia’s face began to contort itself slowly into one of pure sadness at the euphemism. Luna was not buying it, and instead, she became rather angry.

“Nonsense! Where. Is. My. Dad?!” Luna asked very forcefully, drawing attention from other groups of soldiers staring around. Even at her age, her gaze could kill. The Marshal was at loss for words on how to keep telling one who was so close to their parent.

“WHERE IS HE?! YOU WILL TELL ME IMMEDIATELY!” Luna began to yell. In the deep recesses of her mind, based off of the few words from the Marshal and the demeanor of everyone around her, she knew what had happened. That didn’t entirely mean she was ready to accept it. Solar was fumbling for the appropriate words.

“AS PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIA I AM ORDERING YOU TO TELL ME, AT THIS INSTANT, WHERE MY FATHER IS! WHERE IS FIELD MARSHAL QUASAR?!” Luna nearly screamed at the tall man. Never in her life had she used the ‘I am a princess’ card. Luna’s face, however, was starting to lose its firmness as tears began to roll down her face involuntarily. A distraught Celestia merely put her arms around Luna and pulled her away from Solar. Luna was beginning to fight it.

“Luna, Celestia… I’m sorry, I really am,” Solar offered what he could to the girls in terms of condolences. Luna broke out of Celestia’s grip and ran straight into Solar, hitting him in his stomach. Of course, in this state, as well as due to her size, those strikes were negligible, and Solar merely took them.

“Where… Is… he! Where’s my dad?” Luna began to repeat over and over again as her body and mind slowly fell apart in acceptance. Eventually, all her strength was exhausted and she fell into Solar’s embrace, sobbing her eyes out. For many of the battle hardened soldiers present, this scene was even too much for them to take, many shedding their own tears. Solar picked up a sobbing Luna and carried her into the castle, while two Royal Guards escorted a distraught Celestia.

“Daddy…!” Luna kept repeating between her cries of anguish.

Luna was never really the same innocent, happy, and carefree princess since; her demeanor hardening into how she was more notoriously recognized.

[/Flashback]

“…like my mother…he… he never came home.” Luna hung her head low in apparent sadness, but didn’t shed any tears, at least not yet. Dash draped an arm around her.

“The news broke of the hive queen being destroyed and the Changelings dispersing. Both were killed in an attempt to prevent the Queen from escaping,” Luna finished, shaking her head slightly.

“I’m sorry, Luna… if it means anything,” Dash said with deepest sympathy. This was something that the Lunar Princess was really trusting her with. Luna returned her embrace.

“Thank you, Dashie. But, it’s in the past.”

“Thanks Luna,” Dash added.

“What for?” she asked, confused.

“For trusting me enough to tell me what you just did, that’s ‘what for,’” Rainbow added with a smile. Luna embraced her friend tighter as her response. They held this position for about a minute before Luna released her.

“Well, fuck this sappy, overemotional shit!” Luna said with conviction and humor as she got to her feet and finished her drink. Dash couldn’t help but giggle.

“What do you want to do, then?”

“You ever fire weapon?” Luna asked.

“Nope.”

“Do you want to?” Luna asked with a smirk. Dash’s face lit up instantly.

“Do I?! Hell yeah!” Luna couldn’t help but giggle.

“Then, to the range!” Luna said, beckoning Dash with her head. She led her out the door, but before Luna walked out as well, something caught her eye. On her desk sat, in near perfect condition, sat an older Officer’s cap that had a gold Field Marshall’s insignia on the front. On the back, stitched into the fabric, was the name ‘Field Marshal Quasar.’ Luna walked over to the object and picked it up, examining it and wiping off some dust, smiling softly at it.

“Hey Luna, everything alright?” Dash called from outside, getting her attention.

“Yes, Dashie! I’m coming right now!” Luna called back. She then brought the cap up and kissed its front sweetly before setting it back down on her desk. She turned towards the door, before turning back once more, locking her eyes onto the object for a split second, and then lightly walking out the door.