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Undying Love
Topic Started: Thursday Aug 8 2013, 09:34 PM (180 Views)
TheProtobabe
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[5/25/2013 7:56:43 PM] AustralianChaos: The city of Canterlot took on a pale pink hue in the early morning pre-dawn light, the city practically glowing against the gloom of the surrounding landscape, giving the entire city, especially the towering palace, an almost ethereal, mythical look.

But for one young stallion, the view was of little importance. Starfall was currently sleeping peacefully, a small smile on his face...oblivious to the fact that was curled up on a plush couch in the middle of the private quarters of Princess Luna. A thin blanket covered his frame, hiding the scar that ran along his left side...where his left wing has been remove in a violent accident some months ago.

In those months, the young pegasus stallion had secretly been dating the Princess of the Night, hence why he was in her quarters. After spending the evening together, Starfall had ended up falling asleep by her side, and after a short incident involving the Princess looking into his dreams...dreams about his hopes for their future, she had let him stay for the night.

But as the time for dawn approached, the door to Luna's quarters opened, her older sister, Princess Celestia, poking her head in. It was time to raise the sun for the day...and the Princess wanted to use the time to talk to her little sister.

"Sister?" she called softly, knowing that Luna was usually awake at this time. "Sister, it is almost time, and I..." her calls stopped short, however, as she finally noticed the sleeping figure on the couch. Celestia was aware of her sister's relationship with the young pegasus, and while she had never spoken against it, both Starfall and Luna were aware that something was eating away at her.

For a brief moment, Celestia could only stare, her mind swirling with possibilities of why Starfall had been here...all night. But she finally dismissed those thoughts...they may love each other, but their relationship had been slow, and Starfall was on the couch, not in Luna's room. Still, the two of them sharing her quarters meant that the relationship was deepening more rapidly than the elder Princess had predicted...a fact that worried her deeply.
[5/25/2013 7:56:59 PM] Kelly: (whoa long post XD)
[5/25/2013 7:57:12 PM] AustralianChaos: (opening ones usually are)
[5/25/2013 8:28:05 PM] AustralianChaos: (long response? Or stuck?)
[5/25/2013 8:28:28 PM] Kelly: (Ah, no, sorry I got...distracted)
[5/25/2013 8:28:55 PM] AustralianChaos: (it's fine)
[5/25/2013 8:42:14 PM] Kelly: Luna trotted on quiet hooves into the next room, opening the door and leaving it open so the 'click' would not awaken the yellow stallion currently dozing on her couch. His hooves were curled under him, his mane mussed and splayed across his face. Starfall looked peaceful and at ease, oblivious to the world and having pleasant dreams. If they were anything like the ones the Princess had seen before, they most definitely were... though seeing the possibilities of her and Starfall's future was startling and somewhat scary, it was also beautiful beyond reason and only made the dark mare fall for the pegasus more. A small smile graced her features and she trotted carefully past him before heading out to the balcony, where she regularly raised and lowered the Moon with her arcane Alicorn powers.

She was just about to call on her powers when a soft, familiar voice sounded nearby, making Luna lose concentration and falter. Of course her sister would join--she always did--but wasn't she a tad early? Luna had yet to lower the Moon... shrugging it off, the dark alicorn ducked her head through the balcony doors and greeted Celestia silently, waving her outside with a hoof to talk without waking the stallion. Luna knew Celestia was going to see Starfall there; it was no secret to her bright sister than she and Starfall were seeing each other romantically. This was only the next logical step, and though Luna felt a tiny bit shy about revealing this more emotional side of herself, she knew that there was nothing wrong about having him over for the night.

"Good morning, sister. Did thou sleep well?" Luna asked quietly, a small, serene smile on her face.
[5/25/2013 8:48:48 PM] AustralianChaos: Celestia looked up as Luna greeted her, giving her sister a small smile. "I did, little sister," she said softly, walking around the couch, pausing briefly to look down at Starfall. She had to admit, he looked calm, peaceful...happy, even. Ever since the whole saga with the comet and his former friend, Cosmo, Starfall had been struggling. But with Luna's help, clearly, he was recovering, and if his expression was any indication, there had been no nightmares last night.

"Luna, I was hoping I could speak with you while we raise the sun...in private?" Celestia slowly requested, looking up from Starfall, but glancing back down at him pointedly...she did not want him to be privy to this. Hopefully it would allow Luna to be honest and forthcoming with her. The elder Princess gestured to the balcony, suggesting they head outside to talk.
[5/25/2013 9:00:54 PM] Kelly: Luna tilted her head slightly in question as Celestia requested a private audience with her, the smile shrinking slightly with a touch of worry. If she didn't want Starfall to know about what she was about to say, it was either about Starfall himself or about secret royal matters... and Luna doubted the second. Wondering what Celestia was going to say and bracing herself defensively, the dark princess nodded in acquiescence and headed outside with her sister, gently closing the tall doors behind them.

"One moment," Luna said first, and called on her powers that controlled the Moon. Light blue magic lit her horn and the giant, pale orb in the sky slowly made its way downwards, gently as if the Princess of the Night was laying it to sleep. She let go and relaxed, the Moon properly lowered, and watched as Celestia took over and raised the Sun in tandem with the lowering of the Moon. They always synched it so that the citizens never had to go without some form of light, even if it was only the soft light of the dying Moon.

"What was it thou wished to speak with us about, Sister?" Luna asked finally, hoping she wouldn't regret asking.
[5/25/2013 9:10:34 PM] AustralianChaos: Princess Celestia followed Luna outside, a quick spell by the elder Princess sealing the doors magically behind them, so Starfall couldn't eavesdrop...even unintentionally.

As Luna lowered the moon, Celestia's own magic flared to life, the sun slowly appearing above the opposite horizon to the setting moon, Celestia's magic fading once it was on its way across the sky, turning her attention back to Luna as she asked why Celestia was here.

In response, Celestia turned back to the windowed doors, looking at the back of the couch where Starfall still slept. "How long has it been, sister. Three, four months?" she asked simply, her gaze still on where the young pegasus was.
[5/25/2013 9:15:17 PM] Kelly: Taken aback by the question, Luna paused for a moment, then narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Why was Celestia asking? Was it because Starfall was sleeping on her couch? Did she think that Luna was moving too fast for her tastes? She was a grown mare! Luna was not about to feel shame or embarassment for having him over, nor would she succumb to answering to 'big sister' about every detail of her relationship with the pegasus stallion. It was her personal life and that was that. She said none of this, however, but fixed Celestia with a cool gaze.

"Indeed it has. It will be our fourth month together romantically in a fortnight. What of it?" Luna asked almost casually, save for the ice that had suddenly crept into her voice.
[5/25/2013 9:23:35 PM] AustralianChaos: Celestia sighed, easily reading Luna's suspicious question, and the cold edge to her voice. She knew her little sister would not like this conversation, but Celestia was committed, now. She had to try and protect her sister...even if it was from herself.

"Four months...and you are getting closer. Though, I have the feeling tonight was not exactly planned," she said softly, nodding back to the couch. Celestia's tone was soft...and in a way conflicted. It seemed like she was touched by their relationship...but at the same time trouble, as if there was something about it...about Starfall...that scared her.
[5/25/2013 9:31:22 PM] Kelly: Celestia's sigh melted Luna's icy exterior slightly, but the younger alicorn remained steadfast and somewhat defensive. Being the younger sibling had trained a sort of inferiority complex into Luna's psyche, and made her feel instantly a bit rebellious when confronted by her older sister. Though, they were both thousands of years old, and Luna knew better than to let it get to her too much. She let her own sigh slip through and visibly relaxed a little bit, listening to Celestia's words and the gentle tone with which she was speaking. Her elder sister was obviously worried and only wanted to help, but Luna couldn't shake that tiny bit of rebellion she felt deep within.

"No, it wasn't," Luna admitted, still a bit stiff but more sincere. "We are getting... very close, Sister. Starfall brough us out of the darkness and showed us that we can be loved... and not just by thee, Celestia." The smile came back a bit; she couldn't help herself. The thought of Starfall's dreams came back to mind, though she wasn't sure she was ready to share their content with Celestia just yet. It was the reason he stayed the night, though; Luna only hoped Celestia wasn't in a prying mood.
[5/25/2013 9:37:09 PM] AustralianChaos: Celestia nodded. "I know, little sister...and I am happy for you, I really am," she said, her voice sincere, but still trouble. "My worry is that you have not thought this through as completely as you should...that there are things you have not considered..." she paused slightly, before charging ahead. "Or perhaps are just refusing to..."

Celestia's worry was a simple one...mortality. Specifically, Starfall's. As an alicorn, and Guardian of the Night, Luna's lifespan was immeasurably long, like her own...possibly even infinite. She would see entire ages come and go...while Starfall, a perfectly average, normal pegasus stallion, had already lived a large portion of his own lifespan out.

Celestia was worried that, with how close Luna was getting to Starfall, and the fact that, as Luna had explained, she had not really been close to anypony aside from herself before now, that when Starfall grew old, and eventually passed on, that the emotional damage would break her little sister.
[5/25/2013 9:39:06 PM] AustralianChaos: (she's being a little over-protective, but that's what happens, really)
[5/25/2013 9:39:20 PM] Kelly: (Yep, big sister duty.)
[5/25/2013 9:39:24 PM] AustralianChaos: (mmhmm)
[5/25/2013 9:39:31 PM] AustralianChaos: (oh, and you're a fan of Nightwish, right?)
[5/25/2013 9:39:51 PM] Kelly: (Yep!)
[5/25/2013 9:40:00 PM] AustralianChaos: (Have you seen the Imaginaerum movie?)
[5/25/2013 9:41:15 PM] Kelly: (What? No)
[5/25/2013 9:41:18 PM] AustralianChaos: (XD)
[5/25/2013 9:52:44 PM | Edited 10:03:16 PM] Kelly: Celestia's voice had a sort of quality to it that Luna did not like one bit, like she was going to put a damper on her day and demean her relationship with Starfall--which was exactly (in Luna's view) what Celestia did in a few short sentences. Holding her head high and straightening to her tallest height, Luna's cold stare returned full-force and only hardened when Celestia suggested that Luna was being purposefully blind to 'problems' in her and Starfall's romance. Snorting in a very un-ladylike fashion, the younger sibling raised a hoof and stomped in lightly back on the ground almost subconsciously.

"We beg thy pardon, elder sister, but we are very much aware of what thou art making reference to. It is not a subject we care to discuss until the right time comes, and we would prefer that it is not something thou speakest of," the Night Princess retorted, both expertly avoiding the subject and reverting completely to her old-fashioned way of speaking. "And why dost thou think that we have not thought this decision through? If thou wilt recall, it was we who spurned Starfall first. It was we who was reluctant to go through with such a romance, and now that we have finally opened our heart to it, thou hast the audacity to say that we did not think this through?" Luna struggled to keep her voice level, but it wobbled with anger anyway as she argued with Celestia. How dare she bring up Starfall's mortality right now, when she was so happy? Why would Celestia question Luna's decisions? Did she not want Luna to love anyone, ever?
[5/25/2013 10:04:38 PM] AustralianChaos: Celestia sighed, her face adopting a pained look as Luna grew cold and angry. She had predicted this was some extent...but it was better to hurt her sister a little now, than to see her completely destroyed later on. "Sister, I am only trying to look out for you...to warn you. Barring some kind of small miracle, Starfall will not be here forever..." she sighed, lowering her head slightly. "As much as I want you to be happy, and find somepony special to you...I fear you have not truly thought about the ultimate consequences you will have to face for this, in future decades."

It truly hurt her, to say this to her little sister. But she had to...she had to try and protect her sister from the pain that was surely going to come her way if this kept up. "Luna...please, just listen to me...just let me try and warn you..."
[5/25/2013 10:15:14 PM] Kelly: Luna did not want to hear any of this. Anger swept through her chest and changed her from a sculpted ice statue to a raging inferno. Did Celestia think her to be foolish and blind? Did her sister think that, just because she was younger, she was a complete dunce?

"Dost thou not think we have not thought about that, SISTER?!" Luna asked hotly, venom dripping on the last word. "We know as well as thou that Starfall is not immortal, that he will not be with us forever. Cannot we enjoy what precious time we have with him and feel that joy and happiness that love brings until then? Can we not care for him and cherish him while he still lives? Thou art not the only pony in our lives, Celestia, whether thou accepts this or not," the dark alicorn pointed out cuttingly. "We do not need thy warning; we are not foalish and we know what will inevitably happen. We do not need thou to ruin what precious time we have with Starfall..." Luna's voice began to falter and hot tears began to sting her eyes. She turned roughly away and allowed her long, starry mane to block the view to her face. She would NOT show weakness right now and crumble in the face of adversity, especially in front of her bigger sister who thought she was oh-so-wise.

"Do not do this to us, sister. Let us have what little happiness we can while it lasts, and leave us be."
[5/25/2013 10:21:37 PM] AustralianChaos: The raging retort from Luna stunned Celestia in it's ferocity, making her backpedal a half-step, clearly stunned. Even accounting for last night, Luna was far more caring of Starfall than the elder Princess could ever have predicted. "I...don't want to see you hurt, my sister...that is all..." she said, sounding almost lame, now that Luna's retort was burned away her objections that her sister had not thought this through.

As it was, a knock on the window became a somewhat welcome distraction, Celestia looking over and seeing not Starfall...but a Royal Guard. Pausing, giving Luna time to calm down, Celestia undid the spells placed there and opened the door. "What is it?" she asked simply, trying to hide the strain in her own voice.

"Forgive the interruption, Your Highness...but there are three ponies requesting the presence of the Night Princess," he stated, glancing at Luna. "Along with her student. They claim to know him," he said, looking back at the pegasus, who was slowly getting up, obviously having been roused by the Guard, still half-asleep and getting his bearings.
[5/25/2013 10:31:42 PM] Kelly: Luna quirked her ear backward when the knock came at the window--a Royal Guard, coming to give them a message. The younger princess allowed her sister to answer the call so Luna could take a moment to compose herself and rid the lone tear that had made its way down her right cheek. Wiping it away with her foreleg, she took a deep breath and counted down from ten as the air escaped her lungs. This always worked as a way to keep herself looking regal and completly calm every time someone needed her to be the Princess, and not just Luna. The crown was what defined her right now and not her personal self.

At the mention of the request to see her, the Night Princess, Luna finally turned around, surprised. Nopony ever wanted an audience with her... despite the seething anger that still bubbled just beneath the surface, Luna felt genuine confusion mixed with excitement. She cleared her throat and came forward.

"Your Princess of the Night is here," she announced (a bit more pompously than needed, but it was her moment). The guard then mentioned the ponies wanting to see Starfall, and she felt even more confused than before. "Who is it that wishes to see Starfall and me?" Luna questioned in a tone that commanded an answer, true to form.
[5/25/2013 10:41:35 PM] AustralianChaos: The Royal Guard shook his head. "They said young Starfall would know who they were," he explained simply. "They are waiting in the lobby...should I send them away?"

Princess Celestia glanced at her sister, raising an eyebrow, wondering what this could possibly be about. Aside from Twilight and her friends, Starfall had no aquaintances left...Cosmo had betrayed him, betrayed all of Equestria, and was now contemplating his mistakes in the palace dungeons.

But before either Luna or Celestia could say anything, Starfall responded, his voice still groggy. "No...no, I'll see them..." he said, shrugging the blanket off, and getting to his hooves. His gaze was down, looking at his hooves, seemingly muttering to himself, clearly baffled.

[5/26/2013 7:32:08 PM] Kelly: Light Heart primped her mane nervously for the umpteenth time as they waited in the royal hall; they could see the Princess's bedchambers from where they stood, and the guards that were currently attempting to get the royal sisters' attention. The pegasus mare was absolutely ecstatic to meet Luna, who was apparently Starfall's teacher and mentor--something that still baffled her to no end. She loved her son, she really did, but Starfall was... odd, to say the least. He wasn't very good as socializing and he was rather unsavvy when it came to upper-class society, as well. Starfall was simply too weak-willed to amount to much of anything--or so she had thought. Getting chummy with the Princesses was something she didn't expect from the shy yellow pegasus.

So it came as an utter and complete shock to her system to see her son walk out of the Night Princess's bedchambers, tailing behind Luna and Celesta with several guards flanking each of them as escorts into the main hall. Starfall's mane looked mussed and uncombed, and the feathers of his right wing (the one facing her) were also in disarray, as if he'd just been... sleeping. The implications of all this made Light's jaw drop and she was stunned into silence, unsure of what to say.

Above her, Luna quirked her brow as they came to a standstill in front of Starfall's family, as if expecting something. Light gulped and bent one knee in a bow clumsily.

"I... I, well, I beg your pardon, Your Majesties," she apologized nervously, still bewildered. "I seem to have forgotten myself. I am Light Heart, proud mother of Starfall. This is my husband, Shadow Dusk, and my other son, Star Hunter. We are very pleased to meet the mentor of Starfall."

Luna glanced back at Starfall very briefly and shot him a bewildered look. From what she'd gathered, his family didn't get along so well with him, but here they were, being kind and trying to make amends? It was somewhat confusing. She composed herself within a moment and answered back graciously, however.

"Welcome, family of Starfall. We are pleased to have you here. Please, let us talk somewhere comfortable," Luna greeted politely. Celestia would have to lead them to a sitting room, however; the castle had been remodeled after a thousand years and the Night Princess still got lost once in a while...
[5/26/2013 7:48:35 PM] AustralianChaos: As Starfall followed the Princesses out into the hall, he grabbed his cloak quickly, remembering that his parents were unaware of his missing left wing...something he would rather they were not informed of. He knew their attitudes, and a pegasus without a wing to them was considered even lower than an Earth Pony. Starfall's rather in particular had problems with unicorns, being something of a racist...a pegasus supremacist.

He quickly draped the cloak over himself as they approached his family, making sure that only his right side was visible to them until the dark, midnight blue material was fastened securely around his neck, hiding the scar that gave away his crippled state. As he looked at his parents, he paused. Both his mother and father had controlled expressions, though her mother looked highly shocked about something. Star Hunter, on the other hoof, seemed to be trying to hide his disinterest...rather poorly, but still enough to at least look polite, probably on Light Heart's instructions.

When Light Heart spoke, Starfall's stunned expression was there for all to see as Luna glanced at him. He was sure his ears had deceived him. She had labelled herself his 'proud mother', and given little attention to Star Hunter. Neither she, nor his father, had ever said they were proud of him, or even appeared to be, before. It felt like his whole world had just been twisted and warped beyond comprehension.

At their names, Shadow Dusk and Star Hunter also bowed, though when Shadow's name was spoken, Celestia seemed to pause, as if in thought. She never said anything though, taking Luna's cue and leading the group off towards a private sitting room, gesturing for them all to come in, and asking to guards to keep watch outside. The Sun Princess got the distinct impression that this was to be a private conversation.

As everypony took their seats, Starfall looked around awkwardly. Social custom dictated he sit with his family...but after the events of Stratos Crossing, he felt that would be far too uncomfortable. Sitting with Luna, as much as he wanted to, was also out of the question, as it would raise far too many questions. In the end, he was forced to find his own little space, situated between both parties, but with some distance between each one.

For a few moments, an awkward sort of silence descended upon the room, nopony really sure what to say. In the end, it was Starfall who got things started. "Uhh...this is, well...really unexpected," he said, looking at his family. They were up to something, they had to be. "What are you all doing here?" he finally asked.

Shadow Dusk finally answered. "I would have thought that obvious...son," he said, the last word sounding subtley unusual...like it was awkward for him to say. "We have not heard from you in some time, so when the word spread that you were being tutored by Princess Luna, we naturally wanted to catch up."

Starfall stared at his father, shuffling a little in unease. This whole thing felt off...his family were being far too calm, too nice...it was almost like they were entirely different ponies.

Before he could think on it further, Star Hunter also spoke up. "There was something about some kind of awards ceremony a few months ago?" he enquired, though his tone betrayed his skepticism. Word had spread of the awards ceremony in which Starfall had, rather shockingly, spoken out about the public's mistreatment of Princess Luna...but it was clear Star Hunter did not believe it, and needed to hear the story directly from the source.
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[5/26/2013 8:21:52 PM] Kelly: The atmosphere in the room was thick and incredibly awkward. Even the Princesses, who were excellent diplomats, found it hard to make conversation and break the ice as Starfall's family stared around the room, clearing their throats once in awhile and trying to look anywhere but at anypony in the room. Luna had no clue what to think in this situation, and had to think hard about not going over to touch or protect Starfall, which was her first instinct. She could taste the bad blood between all of them and it made her feel almost ill... Luna couldn't imagine the things that had happened to make Starfall so visibly nervous or upset.

Finally, the brother (Star Hunter?) spoke up, asking about the awards ceremony that had happened not too long ago, sounding skeptical. Luna flicked an ear almost imperceptibly, wondering why he sounded so suspicious. Surely he'd heard of the huge celebration? It was a huge ordeal that involved many ponies, and was heard about Equestria-wide...

Giving Celestia a quick glance (by now she'd completely forgotten about the argument in light of new events), she spoke up.

"Indeed... Starfall was mostly responsible for saving many ponies from the threat of a comet that nearly killed hundreds. The ceremony was to recognize his efforts in keeping them safe and locking up a sadly crazed pony that brought the whole thing on," the dark alicorn explained slowly, in a voice that sounded incredulous that they hadn't heard of the ceremony. Perhaps they didn't want to hear about it until now... that was truly the only logical explanation for their ignorance. Unless they lived under a rock. Luna left out the fact that she'd re-transformed into her alter ego, Nightmare Moon, since it wasn't something she really enjoyed talking about...

Light simply sat and nodded politely, sweating a little under the awkward weight that had settled on the ponies present like a thick cloud of dust. At Luna's mention of Starfall's acheivements, her ears laid back slightly. No doubt he'd used that... unnatural ability of his to foresee things once again, with ponies thinking it was some amazing gift or something. It made Light almost sick to think about, though if the Princesses praised such an ability, she would pretend to think it a blessing, as well.

"I see," she said curtly, giving Starfall a sidelong glance. "Much like what happened back at Stratos Crossing, I gather?" she asked, more to Starfall than anypony else. It was sort of an admonishment that went under the radar, as if she disapproved of such 'behavior' from her son.
[5/26/2013 8:28:41 PM] AustralianChaos: As Luna discussed the awards ceremony, he could see Star Hunter's face taking on a perplexed sort of surprised...stunned that the Princesses were confirming the story, and labelling Starfall -Starfall, of all ponies!- a hero.

The details seemed to stun Star Hunter into silence, but Light Hear managed a response...a very subtle jibe at his abilities that made Starfall's ears pin back, just barely resisting the urge to shy away from his family. He knew how much they hated his ability...so unnatural, almost 'unicorn-ish' in nature...and didn't buy their calm attitude one bit. "I...it was similar, yes..." he said, his voice very quiet, almost afraid. "But with the help of several ponies...we stopped it in time..." he added quietly, his neck twitching almost imperceptibly...fighting to resist the urge to look at the scar on his left side, hidden under his cloak, still.

Shadow Dusk also seemed to be fighting his instincts, Starfall clearly able to see that he wanted to yell and rant at him for his unnatural abilities, but holding it back thanks to the company they were keeping. "Forgive my curiosity, Your Highnesses, but we were under the impression that Starfall was a student of yours for some time before this incident. If we may ask, what was it you saw in my son that convinced you to take him under your wing?"
[5/26/2013 8:30:22 PM] Kelly: (Okay I'm answering Moon's RP so I'll be a few minutes)
[5/26/2013 8:31:03 PM] AustralianChaos: (*nods*)
[5/26/2013 8:42:35 PM] AustralianChaos: (So you haven't seen the Imaginaerum film?)
[5/26/2013 8:45:26 PM] Kelly: (Nope. Also, just finished that post, working on this one)
[5/26/2013 9:07:41 PM] Kelly: Luna noted with some ire the tone with which Light addressed her son and his amazing ability to foresee disaster. It was none of her business, but she wanted badly to butt in and protect Starfall from the hidden sting of Light's words. Instead, the dark princess settled with shuffling her wings irritably but saying nothing, a small frown gracing her features. Her aquamarine eyes flicked to focus on Shadow, who had directed a question towards her.

"Mm, yes, he was, and is, my protegee and student. As for the reason behind why I chose him, I cannot say specifically. However, I will say that your son is very, very bright--extraordinarily so--and has knowledge of the stars that is unmatched by anypony besides myself. Starfall has proven himself several times, and his talent has saved many ponies. I took him under my wing--under my dear sister's suggestion--and have been fine-tuning his talent. He has great potential for the future, and has already accomplished much in his short lifespan," Luna explained, her voice softening as she spoke of Starfall's abilities and remembering all the events leading up to his becoming her protegee and student.

Light looked very surprised at this whole statement, her eyebrows raised under her mane-line. Starfall's talent was... desirable? Even so much as to want to IMPROVE upon it?? It was... absurd, and against everything Light and her husband believed. But here was the Night Princess, claiming it to be a wonderful and amazing talent! How did she know that he wasn't causing ponies' deaths and not preventing them? How did she know that Starfall didn't bring danger upon the ponies he surrounded? The pegasus mare cleared her throat quietly and brought attention upon herself.

"Ahh, I see, Your Majesty, thank you for explaining. However, I am concerned about something... Starfall's abilities are indeed, quite, ah, *unique*, but... Well you see what I'm afraid of is that the poor dear's talents might actually bring about a bit of bad luck to those around him? Not that we blame him at all, of course," she added, smiling tightly. "We are very proud of him for helping those he puts into danger, and he certainly has a vast amount of--*interesting* knowledge about the stars, which nopony but Your Majesties should be privy to... We simply worry that perhaps his talents aren't what they seem?" she finished, seeming completely and genuinely sincere and concerned that Luna wasn't understanding how dangerous and unnatural Starfall was.

The Princess of the Night was having a *lot* of trouble containing herself now. Her jaw was locked into place, the only perceivable sign that she was violently angry at the mare that called herself Starfall's mother. Blaming her son, her SON, for the disasters that happened all around him? Saying that Starfall CAUSED trauma and death? What was he, some harbinger of doom? Death himself? It was utterly ridiculous. Luna closed her eyes and counted to ten backwards again. It failed. She tried again, the room so tense that she felt like it was a rope about to snap against the weight of an elephant. She cleared her throat loudly and sat up straight, not hiding a hard glare at Light Heart. The white pegasus shrank back at the look.

"Starfall's abilities have nothing to do with what happens to the ponies around him, except to foresee events and prevent tragedies from occurring. He in no way is responsible for these misfortunes. The one responsible for the recent events involving the comet were brought about by none other than the unicorn Cosmo, who betrayed ponykind in his grief over his lost sibling and desired nothing but dark revenge. Starfall saved everypony in that horrible event." The dark alicorn's wings were shuffling now and then with anger, an action not lost on Light, who understood the subconscious pegasus message very clearly. "You would also be wise not to doubt your Princess in her choice of student, mother of Starfall," she finished, in a somewhat commanding but extremely polite and formal speech.
[5/26/2013 9:10:50 PM] Kelly: (Got carried away with how long that one was XD)
[5/26/2013 9:11:36 PM] AustralianChaos: (heheh)
[5/26/2013 9:11:51 PM] Kelly: (Kay, back to drawing yay!)
[5/26/2013 9:12:56 PM] AustralianChaos: (debating whether Starfall's wing should come out)
[5/26/2013 9:13:23 PM] Kelly: (Hm... I say play this out a tiny bit longer and then do that. I like the tension buildup :P)
[5/26/2013 9:14:05 PM] AustralianChaos: (heheh)
[5/26/2013 9:20:56 PM] Kelly: (Pokemon movies are halfway done yay!)
[5/26/2013 9:33:48 PM] AustralianChaos: Luna's explanation of how he came to be her student, and the soft tone she had as she spoke, left Starfall with the urge to hug his secret love...but knowing what a bad idea that was, he just gave her a small, secret smile.

But when Light responded, attempting to warn Luna about the dark nature of Starfall's abilities, at least in her mind, the young pegasus seemed to shrink into himself. All the insecurities, the self-doubt that Luna had helped him get past were starting to come back to him...the memories of Stratos Crossing...the horrified screams of those he couldn't save...the mental image of Nocturna, lying in the wreckage, slowly dying...

Luna's sudden, enraged outburst against Light Heart snapped Starfall back to the present, but the damage was already done...his pain, his fear, was palpable. Princess Celestia was throwing him a concerned look...she had noticed, which meant Luna had, too. Judging by the look of resigned disappointment on Shadow Dusk's feature, and the barely-contained smug satisfaction on Star Hunter's, they had seen it, too.

"Forgive my forwardness, but how can you be sure, Your Highness?" Shadow Dusk finally asked. "Many of those who were at Stratos Crossing were dead...and you say Cosmo descended into madness. You must be aware that, for many years, Cosmo was the only pony Starfall's age that he ver associated with..." he added, the implications subtle, but there. He was vaguely accusing Starfall of being the cause of Cosmo's madness, a fact not lost on Starfall, who shrunk back even further.

"It should also be said that my 'brother', here," Star Hunter chipped in, practically spitting out the word 'brother', clearly having no familial love for Starfall. "Knew about the meteor storm that would destroy Stratos...and sat on it for a whole week!"

Starfall looked around wildly, the room suddenly feeling very hostile, the walls seeming to close in on him. Too many old wounds were being reopened, too many past insecurities revived. He shrank further back, wanting so desperately to flee the room now, but knowing how bad that would look in an already ugly situation...so he stayed, silently taking the verbal lashings, never raising his eyes from the floor in front of him...never rebuking or denying anything his family was saying...he did not know what to say.

[5/27/2013 5:37:22 PM] Kelly: lol yup
[5/27/2013 6:07:01 PM] Kelly: Luna did not know how much longer she could stand to be in the company of these ponies that called themselves Starfall's family. First the mother, who seemed to genuinely be concerned for Starfall's welfare in a backhanded, twisted way, started the argument that Starfall was the cause of problems, and even when the Princess tried to quash that belief, the father and brother came back tenfold with arguments following Light's that were equally as ridiculous and a third as kind. Luna gave her sister a look that was a mix of anger and helplessness. She had no idea what to do or how to answer these ridiculous pegasi, and they were only making Starfall feel horrible... Bracing herself, Luna got to her hooves and slowly trotted her way over to her coltfriend, not touching him but taking a protective (and, she hoped, mentor-like) pose in front of him.

Luna wanted very badly to rebuke all of them and throw a fit much like the one she had on Nightmare Night a few years back, but right now that seemed like a bad idea... it would only serve to embarass Starfall further and alienate his 'family'. Though it didn't seem like such a bad thing... She decided to try to emulate Celestia's kind, motherly tone and kill them with a little kindness. It wasn't Luna's style at all, but it was better than traumatizing Starfall any further.

"Cosmo was driven to madness because of the death of a young pony very close to him. Not because of Starfall's 'influence', as you imply. Cosmo was also under the influence of a dark, evil and ancient magic whose power you could not hope to comprehend. He used this old magic to cause others pain, to lash out like a wounded animal... it was a tragic event that could have killed many, but Starfall's abilities prevented that from happening. He saved many lives... including my own," the dark alicorn explained, pausing for them to chew on what she said. "As for Stratos Crossing, Star Hunter," she added, addressing Starfall's sibling, "That was the first time Starfall's ability became apparent, correct? He was having nightmares that repeated themselves--a common occurrence in many ponies. He simply did not understand their meaning until the week after they began, that is all. Not because he wished harm upon his fellow ponies." Luna was taking each of their arguments and attempting, as best she could, to crumble their foundations to dust. Though, with stubborn and ignorant ponies, sometimes arguing against them was foolish and useless...

Luna glanced back at Starfall, who looked desperate to escape, to be anywhere but here. Her wing twitched as if she wanted to wrap him up under it, but she refrained. Light Heart didn't miss that movement, though, and her lips pursed. She knew what was going on, the looks Luna gave her son, the implications of what she'd seen earlier as they all exited the bedchambers together... But how to address it? Ignoring what Luna had just explained, Light diverted the conversation very quickly.

"Well, then. Starfall, since we have not seen you in quite awhile, I must ask you... have you found yourself a pretty mare yet, hm? A special somepony? Hopefully you have at least attempted to do a little training so you can protect a lovely pegasus mare when the time comes?" Light asked, fluttering her eyelashes meaningfully. She was fully aware of what she was saying this time, though now she was measuring Luna's and Starfall's reactions as a test.
[5/27/2013 6:07:09 PM] Kelly: (There you go, more stress! Muahahaha)
[5/27/2013 6:09:09 PM] AustralianChaos: (oh dear...)
[5/27/2013 6:09:32 PM] Kelly: (Where'd Moon go? D: )
[5/27/2013 6:09:37 PM] AustralianChaos: (afk for a while)
[5/27/2013 6:10:04 PM] AustralianChaos: (By Celestia, Starfall's taking a battering)
[5/27/2013 6:10:29 PM] Kelly: (Poor guy. We'll see how he deals with all this with Luna trying to protect him.)
[5/27/2013 6:27:24 PM] AustralianChaos: Starfall glanced up as he saw take up a defiant, almost protective stance in front of him, throwing her a questioning look...she was risking giving away too much about how close they were here, and he did not want to make it worse by speaking up.

But as Luna spoke, taking every one of his family's arguments...and ever one of his insecurities, and crushing it into dust, Starfall could feel some life and hope return to him. He fought to keep his face straight as Luna mentioned Stratos being the first time his abilities had manifested themselves...there had been one other occurance, a more positive one when he was young, that had given him his cutie mark, but nopony had witnessed that. But the rest of her arguments were truth...he had not fully understood the warning until it was too late, and even when he tried, his warnings fell of deaf, unlistening ears.

When the Princess was finally finished, both Shadow Dusk and Star Hunter were silent, stunned by the speech Luna had just provided. Hunter looked like he was on the verge of making a passionate, and probably disrespectful, rebuke...but Shadow's hoof on his shoulder silenced him. Shadow knew the score, here...and further arguing the point at this time was useless.

But then Light Heart suddenly shifted the topic of the conversation...and her next question caught Starfall totally off-guard, gaping at his mother as she asked about a potential romantic interest in his life. Even Star Hunter seemed surprised...though more because he though Light Heart's question was stupid, believing Starfall totally incapable of drawing a mare's attention.

As it was, Starfall's neck twitched...literally on the verge of turning to share a worried glance at Luna when he realised that would give the game away...just barely managing to restrain himself. In the end, he grasped at one question his mother had asked, which would allow him to dodge her main line of interrogation, and hopefully stall for a little time. "Well...since I'm in the castle so much, because of my studies, the Princesses thought it would be wise for me to undergo some basic Royal Guard training," he mentioned softly.

He was actually in the process of being put through an accelerated course right now, being trained by none other than the current Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor...the elder brother of his best friend, Twilight Sparkle. Starfall never mentioned any of this though...being training by Shining himself would raise suspicion, and his father would explode if he found out he was friends with a unicorn.

His father, however, did seem surprised at Starfall's words...but for once, in a more positive way. It was Celestia, however, who said something that ultimately explained. "I thought I recognised you, Shadow Dusk...you were once a Royal Guard, were you not?" she asked, getting a simple nod from the stallion.

"For three years," he answered. "Travel complications due to living in Stratos saw me retire," he added simply, before turning back to Starfall. "It is good to hear my son finally heading down that path. But I believe you did not answer your mother's question...what of a mare in your life? You're of age son...you should have already found a pegasus mare in your life."

Starfall once more froze...he had hoped for more time than that. "I...well...I guess..." he muttered, trying to find some way out of this delicate situation. He was not the most convincing liar, something Luna was keenly aware of, along with his parents.

[5/27/2013 6:53:18 PM] Kelly: Light's question also caught Luna off-guard, though, as a Princess she was very good at appearing nonplussed and unsurprised. She was very glad for that ability right now when Light Heart's questions struck too close to home. Starfall thankfully eluded the first park of the question and distracted everypony briefly by mentioning his Royal Guard training--something to help him defend himself and Luna if needed, since being close to royalty meant that there were more crazy ponies ready to attack them. It also seemed to be helping Starfall forget his disabilities as a Pegasus and remember than he was more than just his wings. Twilight's big brother was also an excellent motivator and a good friend to Starfall, and was slowly taking care of his self-esteem issues.

"Yes, I did deem it necessary to have him train under the Royal Guard academy," Luna agreed, adding to Starfall's statement to bolster it. "He is doing quite well, too, from what I hear." She stayed in the background a bit as Celestia and Shadow spoke of his past as a guard. Luna breathed a tiny sigh of relief, glad to have avoided the question of Starfall's romantic life. It seemed Starfall's parents put emphasis on stereotypical gender roles... a trait that didn't sit well with Luna, being female and having a strong personality, but it was better than them insulting Starfall and making him feel terrible about himself.

But Shadow Dusk was smarter than he looked and didn't forget about Light Heart's question. Of course they would bring it up again... Luna didn't know exactly how to answer right away, so her mind whirred with possibilities as Starfall stammered. She interrupted somewhat loudly with an excuse.

"The mare Starfall is currently seeing does not wish to have her identity be known. Fame comes with danger, and so she has chosen to remain anonymous for now," Luna stated. Well, it wasn't a lie, and it was a good reason for a pony not to reveal themselves... though what they didn't know was that Luna was protecting Starfall, and not the other way around. Light quirked an eyebrow and gave the dark Princess a level stare.

"Oh, she doesn't, does she?" The pegasus boldly asked in a voice that was thick with implication. Luna blinked once but her expression did not waver as the two mares stared one another down in an awkward moment of silence between the two. Now Light knew that LUNA knew that Light was aware of exactly what was going on... and now it was a game of wits and mind games. Of course, that was Light Heart's forte, and the pegasus wasn't going to give in easily.

"No, she does not," Luna answered firmly, closing the conversation from further questions.
[5/27/2013 6:53:24 PM] Kelly: (Women mind gaaaames)
[5/27/2013 6:54:58 PM] AustralianChaos: (lolz)
[5/27/2013 7:01:57 PM] AustralianChaos: (hmm...just working this out...)
[5/27/2013 7:02:22 PM] Kelly: (Okay. Take your time, I'm doing other stuff too ^^)
[5/27/2013 7:12:02 PM] AustralianChaos: Luna's interruption came as a massive relief to Starfall, as she found a plausible excuse to avoid revealing their secret. But as Luna and Light Heart got into something of a contest, Starfall could read the signs...his father and brother were still clueless, if suspicious...but his mother knew...she had to.

Starfall warily got to his hooves, stepping towards the two mares, hoping to say something to calm them down, especially before Light Heart decided it was worth blabbing the story. Shadow Dusk, however, intercepted him on the way. "Be reasonable, Starfall...if this mare is going to be a part of our family, I think we should be introduced from her. It's not like we're..." whatever Shadow was going to say next was lost as he froze, his eyes wide, staring at Starfall's side.

In his attempt to make Starfall pause and look at him, he had unwittingly knocked Starfall's cloak, unclasping it and sending it fluttering to the ground. Starfall gasped in horror and made to grab the cloak, but it was too late...the scar on his left side, and the fact that his left wing was gone entirely, were now visible to everypony in the room.

Shadow Dusk pulled away from Starfall, staggering back as if burned, staring at the scar in a strange mix of horror and...disgust. "Starfall...what...what have you done to yourself?!" he demanded, his voice raised, making the young stallion flinch back slightly. This was not going to end well...

[5/27/2013 11:25:04 PM] Kelly: Luna wasn't sure what she expected from this little tiff between herself and Starfall's mother, but this meeting had gone from bad to worse in the space of less than an hour of being in the same room with these ponies. She turned when she noticed Starfall moving towards her hesitantly. He, too, had apparently picked up the subtle nuances of Light's meaningful statement, and was attempting to do something about the two mares, but Shadow Dusk had stopped his son.

The next couple of seconds seemed to move slowly. Luna watched in horror as her beloved's dreaded secret was revealed by way of Shadow Dusk's unecessary roughness when stopping Starfall. The neat slash of damaged tissue was readily visible to Starfall's family, and his father, who put heavy emphasis on physical ability, was the first to see it. Starfall's missing wing was something that he grieved over still, though lately he had been recovering from the traumatizing event. And now his father was screaming at him... Luna stamped her hoof quickly between the two stallions, giving Shadow Dusk a look that begged for him to continue so she could teach him a lesson.

"That is the scar left from his brush with death," the princess explained in a tone that dismissed question. "It is direct result of Starfall saving my own life during the events of the comet's arrival. I would think you to be proud of him for laying his life on the line for somepony else." She eased off, magicking the cloak back around his shoulders and catching his eye extremely briefly, trying to convey her empathy and gratitude in one fleeting glance.

"B-but, he can't even be considered a pegasus anymore! What will happen to his honor and dignity? Oh, dear, with no wing, Starfall..." Light Heart looked horrified--both for her son and her own reputation among other pegasi. "You can't come back to--" she interrupted herself here, about to say "can't come back to Cloudsdale", though she was sure that the Princesses would frown upon the ways of pegasi. It was something undisclosed to other members of ponykind, even alicorns. Nopony else would understand unless they were pegasi themselves.
[5/27/2013 11:34:14 PM] AustralianChaos: It was at this point, however, that Starfall's patience, worn thin by all that had happened during this meeting, finally broke. He refused to look at any of his family, head bowed in a quiet sort of shame. Even Luna levitating the cloak back over him, clasping it back around his neck, did little to help him, though her look did reignite some of his spirit.

It was enough to allow him to interrupt when his mother started spouting horrified, almost panicy words. "I know what it means, mom," he said, his voice short, sharp...but also sad. He refused to look at his family, feeling the tears welling up...that would just set them off even more. "You drilled it into me enough times, both of you did...how could I forget."

Hearing the way his voice was shaking up, Starfall knew he had to leave...now. "I...I need some air," he said flatly, before turning and leaving, trying to appear as calm as possible. The moment he was out of sight and earshot, however, he fled, quickly making to leave the castle, heading for the old tower Twilight Sparkle had once called home...that she was allowing him to stay at indefinitely.

After his departure, Shadow Dusk snorted. "You must forgive my son, Your Hignesses," he said with a touch of exasperation...he had heard the warning signs of Starfall's tears, and knew what it meant. "He has a history of fleeing from his problems, rather than confronting them."

The worst, however, was Star Hunter, though he didn't say anything, there was a concealed look of satisfaction on his face, though one had to look carefully to see it. He was actually taking some twisted pleasure from seeing his perceived failure of a brother brought down another notch or two, believing it cemented his status as the superior, better son in the family.
[5/28/2013 12:02:34 AM] Kelly: The darker of the two princesses was a mare of a myriad of emotions. She was flightier, more mysterious, and a bit more out-of-control than her sister. So throwing her into a situation in which she could not express these feelings welling up in her chest was excruciating; Luna wasn't sure how much longer she could remain civil anymore. When Starfall's family finally broke him, however, it was the final straw. Not really caring who heard her, Luna finally reacted to all of Starfall's family's horrible comments. Falling into her old speech, she responded.

"Is this truly how all of thou feel towards Starfall? Thine son, thy brother? That because he is different, because he is selfless, that he is weak or a lesser pony?" She asked in a low, quavering voice that radiated danger. "Your hearts are hardened and corrupted if you cannot see why Starfall is a radiant light, a pony that everypony should look up to and emulate in their own lives. He has conquered death and tragedy, and he has discovered powerful secrets of the stars that thou cannot even begin to imagine." She flicked her tail nonchalantly before giving them all a cool stare. "We must tend to our student. If thou wilt pardon us," Luna snapped. She turned her back in a very impolite gesture and began walking away. "Guards, please see to it that these... *ponies* have a pleasant journey back to their homes." She paused. "...immediately."

She kept walking steadily away, her entire body trembling--not with fear or sadness, but with raw, unbridled anger. The last time Luna had felt so much rage, she had turned her own heart black with hatred and become the fearsome Nightmare that all ponies knew and feared. As she trotted away, Light's voice perked up.

"I will be sure to let everypony know the news of yours and my son's... *involvement* with one another, Your Majesty," the pale mare smirked. Luna stopped walking for a moment, but did not face her.

"So be it," the princess countered, making Light's smug expression falter. She hadn't expected Luna to be so cool and collected about the whole thing. Light Heart turned to Celestia with a pleading expression as Luna walked out of earshot.

"Please, Your Grace, we know your, ah, lovely sister is a tad less gentle and kind as you. Can't we please stay a little longer and chat over breakfast? We don't have to have such animosity towards one another, don't you think?" Light wheedled, trying her best to get just one more moment alongside royalty.

Luna was already out of earshot, and was now cantering rapidly to where Starfall may have gone. Eyes darting left and right, she tried to figure out where he went... a maid gave the princess an empathetic look.

"Your Highness... he went in that direction," the maid pointed out gently, gesturing. Luna thanked her and galloped that way, slowing down when she heard sniffling and crying. Starfall...

"Starfall," she began, her voice suddenly hoarse with emotion. "Can we... can I come in? I... I sent them away..." Luna admitted in a halting voice, as if she'd done something bad. "We are deeply sorry, we should not have let it get so out of hoof... Starfall..."
[5/28/2013 12:18:47 AM] AustralianChaos: Princess Celestia watched her sister leave after all...a little stunned by her vicious outburst. Nevertheless, the elder, calmer Princess had to admit that this family had it coming...treating their own flesh and blood as they had, demeaning and belittling him and his achievements to the point that he fled the room in tears was not something she was used to seeing...a darker side of Equestria that was thankfully very rare.

But when Light Heart spoke, Celestia kept her gaze on the door where Luna had departed...more so the trio behind her couldn't see her own face grimacing with suppressed displeasure. It took every ounce of her concentration to keep her face calm and gentle as she turned back around, her voice calm, but with a hard edge to it. "I have already made one mistake this morning regarding my sister and her student...I will not make another," she said cryptically. "I fear any further conversation would to too strained...it would be best if we took a day or two to let these events sink in before we attempted any further contact."

She paused, her gaze now taking on a harder, more scolding edge. "But you should know that I was also there the night the comet nearly struck Canterlot. Your youngest son stood tall when he could have fled. He saved not just my sister's life, but the lives of thousands in Canterlot, and spared all of Equestria from an age of darkness and misery..."

Getting a quick brainwave, she looked at the guards Luna had ordered to evict Starfall's family earlier. "Please escort the young Star Hunter from the palace grounds," she commanded, the Guards giving a quick bow, before leading a thoroughly perplexed Star Hunter away...confused as to why she would want his parents to remain behind.

Once he was gone, Celestia turned to Light Heart and Shadow Dusk. "I have a better idea regarding the two of you. Follow me...there is something you need to see," she said, again in her commanding, no-nonsense tone, leading them out of the room, towards the main Throne Room.

----------

In the tower, Starfall was still sobbing, having collapsed on the nearest couch as soon as he was inside, just trying to let loose some raw emotions when Luna knocked on the door.

"I..." he called briefly, considering sending her away, before sighing, he was talking about a Princess here...he really couldn't say no. "Sure, fine..." he mumbled, sniffling as he tried to bring himself under control. "You don't...need to apologise, Luna. I should have...I should have known this would happen as soon as I saw them..."
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[5/28/2013 6:08:24 PM] Kelly: "Ah, Princess?" Light Heart asked, confused after Celestia's orders to escort Star Hunter and not the adults to be escorted off the palace grounds. "What are you...?" Momentary fear flicked through her mind, like she was about to be punished for something, but the Sun Princess's quick explanation made the pegasus relax slightly. Light looked to her son and nodded. "Just wait outside, dear. We will come for you after the Princess had finished speaking with us," the mare directed. They were then led by Celestia and the guards, who stopped following when the Princess came to a specific area in the castle.

Light exchanged a curious glance with her husband, and tilted her head at the Princess of Light. "Your Highness, what is it that you wanted to show us?" the pegasus asked, itching to know what it was that Celestia was so eager to show them.

-----

Luna quietly crept into the room, as if being loud would further upset her coltfriend. His face was streaked with tears and his body sagged dejectedly, as if all his fire had gone out from his family's words. The alicorn almost felt like crying, herself--her emotions had been tossed about all over the place already and it was hardly noon. Soft happiness at the image of Starfall, dozing peacefully on the soft couch in her common room, frustration at her sister for failing to understand the relationship between Luna and her special somepony, rage and horror at the treatment of Starfall by his family, and now just crushing empathy and sadness at the broken mess of a pony before her.

Deciding that words weren't really enough to comfort her beloved right now, she opted to simply shut the door quietly behind her and move over to the yellow pegasus. She climbed up on the sofa he was occupying and adjusted herself and Starfall so that he was laying his head on her side with her large, downy-soft wing encompassing him. She was not one for a lot of physical affection, but she'd eased off on that attitude lately... besides, Starfall seemed to greatly enjoy her touch, and right now he needed it.
[5/28/2013 6:24:38 PM] AustralianChaos: Princess Celestia glanced back at the two ponies following him as Light Heart asked about her intentions, Shadow Dusk also looking curious. "You will see, soon enough..." she answered cryptically, before finally opening a massive, ornate doorway, and leading them into the Throne Room.

The long, intricately decorated hallway was lined with dozens of stained glass paintings, depicting the short, but eventful history Equestria had gone through...the unification of the Three Pony Tribes that founded the nations...Discord's reign of terror...Luna's banishment to moon. And more recently, Twilight's various struggles against Nightmare Moon and Discord...and Queen Chrysalis' defeat on Shining Armor and Princess Cadance's wedding day.

But also, among the most recent windows...there was a stained glass image of the night the comet nearly destroyed Canterlot. The Elements of Harmony were there in all their glory...and standing there, protectively in front of them, blocking the villain, Cosmo, from stopping the Elements...were Luna and Starfall.

"Since you refuse to hear any of your son's triumphs...perhaps his sacrifice will become clearer if you were to see," she said, her magic flaring to life, as a golden glow levitated something from a locked recess on the windowsill at the edge of the stained glass image of Starfall...a collection a small, shimmering crystals, recognisable to some of the wealthier parts of Canterlot; Memory Crystals.

Memory Crystals were simple devices, able to store a pony's memories, and via either magic or a specifically crafted, highly expensive device, could be projected into a room to be viewed...as if the watchers were actually there. Princess Celestia had clearly collected memories of that night, from Starfall, Luna, and several others...and intended to share them with Light Heart and Shadow Dusk.

----------

Starfall was a little surprised when Luna cuddled up on the couch with him, but did not resist it, leaning into her comforting presence, never saying anything himself as he gratefully let her help him, his sobs lowering in intensity, but continuing to cry himself out for a few more minutes.

Finally, he got himself under enough control to speak again, sniffling as he spoke shakily. "Thanks, Luna. I...I guess I needed to get it all out. I just...I had hoped that maybe, with everything I had done lately, and in your presence, that they might have started at least respecting me. I should have known better, really..."
[5/28/2013 6:50:04 PM] Kelly: "What... is that... Starfall?" Light breathed, staring at the image of the stained glass. The design itself was breathtaking... the bright colors, filtered by the sun's bright light, cast shimmering lights upon the room. Celestia's pristine white coat was stunning with all the colored lights dancing upon her fur and wings, her golden jewelry reflected its own light as well. Light Heart walked slowly up to the glass and stared upwards. Starfall's simplified figure had a determined look on his face, back to back with Luna who also seemed to be protective of something... a bright streak that represented a comet hovered above everypony, threatening their lives.

"..." Light was rendered speechless, her inhibitions about her son's talent loosening somewhat--though she really didn't want to believe it. She couldn't have been wrong all these years. She turned to Celestia as the Princess brought out some strange crystals--memories of other ponies. Light Heart could do nothing but nod dumbly and brace herself for the flood of memories she was about to see.

----

Luna used a bit of her magic to levitate the cloak up to Starfall's face, gently wiping some of the tears away. She nodded as he told her that he needed to just let go and let himself cry. Luna knew him well enough that she completely understood his meaning.

"I am not the epitome of perfection, Starfall... I have done things in the past that I am not proud of..." Luna sighed at his statement. "Perhaps if Celestia were your mentor instead of me..." she choked up a little at this, thinking that part of his family's reaction was her fault. "I am sorry that they did not recognize you as you should have been. Starfall, you have been nothing but kind and generous to everypony, a trait which I dearly wish others had more often. Please do not let a few words from your parents quash your accomplishments," Luna admonished very gently.
[5/28/2013 6:51:31 PM] AustralianChaos: (going to be taking a lot of scenes directly from Magic from now on)
[5/28/2013 6:51:43 PM] Kelly: (Okay)
[5/28/2013 7:09:30 PM] AustralianChaos: Princess Celestia gave both of them a look, raising an eyebrow at Shadow, who had been silent the whole time. The stallion was saying nothing, though his frown suggested he was still unconvinced, even upon seeing the stained glass, making the Princess sigh as she found the particularly memory crystal she wanted, putting the rest back away, before levitating out a simple projector for it.

The crystal simply slotted into a matching hold on the projector, and the whole room seemed to shimmer and distort, as it was morphed into the world of the memory.

They hadn't been taken far...the memory showed them in the palace's main lobby, during the Coronation Ball almost four months ago. All three ponies were free to move around, but any attempt to interact with the ponies at the Ball would fall on deaf ears, and walking into them would just see them pass through, like a ghost.

It was difficult to initially spot Starfall in the crowd...but a few moments after the memory began, it become obvious, as the crowd on the dance floor seemed to crowd around a couple on the verge of dancing...Starfall and Luna.

Both the pegasus and the Princess were dressed up for the night, and both of Starfall's wings were present...this was before he lost his left one. He and Luna were slowly getting into position, Starfall nervous, and Luan gently guiding him. "Relax, Starfall...let them watch. Let them know that it is thou, Starfall, that is our most valued student...and friend."

Soon, they actually started dancing. It was far from a professional performance, but Starfall held his own. While this was happening, Princess Celestia kept an eye on Light Heart and Shadow Dusk, trying to guage their reactions.

Shadow Dusk was clearly stunned, but more by the fact that he was looking at his younger, failure of a son, in a unique, pricey-looking suit, his appearance groomed and highly respectable, dancing with the Princess of the Night, her dress matching the style of his suit almost flawlessly. He looked like he...belonged there, as impossible as it was for Shadow to comprehend. What had happened to Starfall in the time since he had become Luna's student?

----------

Starfall smiled gratefully as Luna helped clean him up. But as Luna spoke, Starfall shook his head. "No, Luna...it has nothing to do with you," he said softly. "My parents, they...they're old-fashioned, even by your standards. They place value on stallions that are strong physically, don't show their emotions, and work to provide for the family," he said, glancing at his own physique.

While he was a measure taller than the average pegasus stallion, he was also lean, with an almost lanky build, though his recent Royal Guard training was starting to pay off...the first signs of developing muscle showing. He would never be strong like his father wished...but if he kept this up, he could develop a wiry build, with a strength that belied his lean looks.

"I've always been too weak, too emotional, to my parents' liking. I tried to prove myself to them when I went to school...but my grades mattered little. He was always hoping I'd become a Guard, like him, or perhaps a Wonderbolt, like my brother's currently aiming for..." He sighed, trailing off, glancing down at his cutie mark. "But even before we moved to Equestria...I knew I was going to disappoint him."
[5/28/2013 7:29:13 PM] Kelly: Light Heart felt dazed and confused by all that was happening around her. She and Shadow were thrown into a memory-induced vision that looked and sounded very real, though when Light gasped and stumbled in surprise, the table she tried to support herself with made her fall right through. She landed on her backside hard, though it only smarted slightly and she got up a moment later. The fall made it clear, though, that this world was something she could not interact with... it was purely memory and nothing else.

They made their way through the 'ghostly' crowd until they came upon the image of Starfall, his bright coat giving him away even among candy-colored ponies. He was dressed to the nines in a classy, designer's suit tailored to his slender frame, his mane combed and neatened up... Starfall looked, for a lack of a better word--good. Light's ears flattened back. Never had she seen her younger son take pride in his appearance much before, but here, though he was shy around his mentor, he carried himself with more dignity and pride. There was something in his eyes that was different from the pony who had lived with them back in Stratos Crossing...

Light noted Luna's soft words and frowned softly. She was so kind to him, and though neither of the ponies noticed, it had changed Starfall ever so slighty. His neck was held steadier, there was more confidence in his steps... even now, in these memories, these two ponies obviously cared for each other much more than they let on. For the first time, Light Heart was feeling regret for missing parts of her younger son's life, and she had no idea what to say or do in this situation. Starfall was with the upper-class and holding his own just fine, and dancing with a princess... Was there something she had missed in Starfall's life that had brought about such a change in him?

----

Luna tilted her head curiously at Starfall's lingering statement, his words heavy with memories. She felt a story coming on, but she didn't want to pry too much.

"Starfall... if there is anything you wish to speak about, you know I will listen with an open heart," the alicorn promised, tilting his chin up with a hoof so she could look into his eys for a moment. "How is it you are so young and so full of mysteries, already?" she teased, a smile tugging the side of her mouth upwards as she attempted to lighten the mood.
[5/28/2013 7:42:50 PM] AustralianChaos: Within the memory, Starfall and Luna's dancing was accompanied by small whispers, the two of them having a hushed conversation in the middle of the dance floor that they did not want overheard. Luna looked oddly nervous, while Starfall was just confused...at least until he cried out, his frame suddenly going rigid, his eyes glassy and unfocused.

Knowing that little would happen in the next minute, as Luna held Starfall and tried to make sense of what was happened, while the crowd just muttered amongst themselves in concern and some fear, Celestia chose that moment to speak up. "At this moment, your son is recieving a vision...a vivid warning of the impending comet strike. Tell me, does that look like something he would want to experience?" she asked, gesturing for them to look at Starfall. Despite his body being limp, his consciousness off in a whole other world, his face seem flash through emotions of pain, shock, and absolute terror...whatever vision he was experiencing was highly unpleasant.

Shadow could only look dispassionately at the scene. "It highlights my earlier words, Your Highness...such a thing is unnatural. He is a pegasus, not some unicorn voodoo practitioner." The derogatory way he referred to both unicorns and magic made Celestia give him a hard glare, but she remained silent...biding her time, to see what further events might do to them.

Starfall's vision finally ended, coming back to reality suddenly. He tried to shout a warning to the room...but it was at that moment that a pulse of silver magic shot down from an indoor balcony somewhere above, causing an explosion that sent several ponies flying...both Luna and Starfall simply disappearing behind the cloud of smoke, making Shadow gasp audibly.
[5/28/2013 7:43:03 PM] AustralianChaos: (derp, forgot the LunarFall piece, hold on)
[5/28/2013 7:44:25 PM] Kelly: (Okay ^^)
[5/28/2013 7:53:51 PM] AustralianChaos: Starfall was silent for several long moments, having an internal debate with himself. He had never revealed the circumstances of how he gained his cutie mark to anypony...though now, he was beginning to wonder why.

Making his choice, he sighed softly, smiling at Luna's lighthearted quip, giving her a brief nuzzle as he hopped off the couch. "You have no idea how much I've wished for a normal, simple life, Luna," he remarked back, before heading to the corner, where he often left his saddlebags. It was odd to note that, while he had two bags that hung from it, one on either side of his body...the left one he almost never rummaged in, despite it always being full.

He flipped open the left saddlebag this time, though, pulling out a couple of worn pencils, and a notebook...a private journal or diary of some sort...before finally lifting out his most prized possession.

It looked like a raw, unrefined, uncut gemstone...but like no gemstone in Equestria. It shimmered in all colors of the rainbow, like a multi-faceted opal, but unlike the opal, it was translucent...almost magical in appearance.

It was an extremely rare gemstone known as the Tears of the Stars. So named because they were not native to this world...only ever found in fallen meteors. Because of this, most stones previously found were either dull, contaminated, or horrendously small. The biggest one ever found could fit in a stallion's hoof. They were also exceedingly rare in Equestria...most meteors containing these Tears fell in distant lands...the most common place to find them being the land Starfall was born and initially raised in.

The one Starfall possessed, however, took both his forehooves, and a wing, to hold steadily. It was close to five times bigger than the biggest recorded stone of it's kind, and was almost completely free of any traces of rock, dirt, or other contaminants...it was absolutely stunning, and Starfall had just casually been carrying it around in his saddlebags for years! Starfall was well aware of what he carried though...he hung on to it, and kept it close, for it's sentimental, rather than monetary, worth.
[5/28/2013 7:54:04 PM] AustralianChaos: (got it!)
[5/28/2013 7:55:16 PM] Kelly: (Gonna be a few minutes)
[5/28/2013 7:55:31 PM] AustralianChaos: (okies)
[5/28/2013 7:55:41 PM] AustralianChaos: (I'm setting up lunch anyway)
[5/28/2013 7:56:08 PM] Kelly: (Mmkay)
[5/28/2013 8:20:16 PM] Kelly: Light Heart watched Starfall's past self go limp and stunned as he had one of his 'visions'... It was unsavory to watch, an unnatural occurrence that had taken ahold of his body and forced him to go through the motions of false magic. Light suddenly had a thought shoot across her mind. What if these visions weren't Starfall's fault, but he'd been taken advantage of, or hoodwinked by some dark magic? Something as terrible as this... something that made Starfall grimace so much was obviously evil.

"Can't... can't he stop them? These visions?" Light asked in a highly concerned tone, unable to peel her eyes away from the scene. She yelped when the silver magic caused an explosion, cowering back even though she knew full well this was a memory. It was all just, so real...

"S-Starfall! Shadow, what...?" Light Heart called out, but stopped herself when she came back to her senses and recognized that this was all but a memory. Nopony was in danger any longer, but this was so realistic...

----------

Luna looked on curiously as Starfall slipped from her hooves and trotted over to where his saddlebags were, shuffling through them. She noted with some curiosity that he was looking through some old items, including journals and notebooks... she had a sudden burning desire to know what words were written there, so she could glean a bit of information to fully understand the pony that was Starfall, but she mentally chided herself. Those were personal, and of course she shouldn't read them.

Her ears perked forward when he came back cradling a stone of some sort. It was somewhat large and looked very rough and old, so Luna was intrigued at first as to why Starfall was showing it to her. Then he came closer and she recognized the patterns upon its surface and gasped in shock.

"S-Starfall! Where did you get this?" she breathed. She immediately got to her hooves, a manic gleam in her eyes. It was a look she got whenever something fascinated her; and anything to do with the stars or her night sky always intrigued her. "This is... If I am correct, it's the largest of its kind here on our planet... Do you know how rare and precious this is?" Luna asked Starfall incredulously, not taking her eyes off the beautiful, rare stone.
[5/28/2013 8:35:54 PM] AustralianChaos: Celestia shook her head. "Starfall does not control his visions. They occure whether he wills them or not...and from my interactions with him, it is an ability he despises...a curse that he tries to make the best of."

After the explosion, Celestia fell silent, watching as Starfall, hurt and dazed, got back to his hooves, Cosmo intervening before he could check on Luna. The two argued for some time, Luna soon joining in as she got back up. A careful look revealed the orb...the dark magic controlling Cosmo, as Starfall desperately tried to get him to back down...though that did not lessen Cosmo's rants of revenge one bit.

Then the unthinkable happened...the orb suddenly latched onto Luna, and in the space of a few moments...Nightmare Moon returned to Equestria.

----------

Starfall gave Luna a sheepish look as she cried out about the value and rarity of the gem, nodding slowly. "I know it's valuable...but that's not what makes it important to me, Luna," he said softly.

"This gem..." he said slowly. "This gem brought me my cutie mark. I had a dream one night of a comet falling into a field near where we used to live. I was just a colt at the time, barely a couple of years into school, so I didn't understand the importance when the dream when I woke up and found it had actually happened. I snuck off in the middle of the night to do a bit of stargazing...and found that the comet had actually come down."

"This..." he said, holding up the gem. "Was what I found there...and next time I looked, I had my cutie mark." He said, smiling softly, almsot sadly. "You know...it's the only time I can remember my visions showing me something good..."
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Light's ears flattened behind her at Celestia's explanation. A whirlwind of emotion fought in her heart, wanting to blame somepony--namely, her son, Starfall--for the unnatural and obviously dark magics at work within him. No pegasus should have magic powers, aside from their natural abilities with weather control and clouds. The explosion settled down, ponies screaming in the vision, when Cosmo--one of Starfall's old friends--showed up, an alarming expression on his face. Light frowned. She never approved of unicorns and their magic, and the black pony's corruption only drove that opinion home further. Magic did nothing but harm, no matter what form it came in... with the exception of the two pony princesses, and even then, Luna was corrupted into her darker form. Light finally noticed with some confusion that a dark stone, an orb of some kind, seemed to be pulsating with power... she didn't have much time to figure it out, though.

Just as the thought of Nightmare Moon crossed her mind, none other than the dark alicorn herself appeared, immediately after Cosmo's passionate argument and a look of fear from Princess Luna as the black unicorn forced her to come in contact with the orb. This time, even knowing in the back of her mind that none of the visions were real, Light Heart cowered in fear under the cold, draconic gaze of the feared Mare in the Moon.

"Oh my Celestia...!" she gasped out of habit, forgetting who exactly was standing nearby.




Luna regained her composure, going from an avid star scholar and the Princess of the Night back to just Luna, marefriend of Starfall. She sighed slightly and allowed Star to speak of how he found the stone, knowing that there was a message of sorts he was trying to convey to her. She kept silent and nodded at the right times, smiling softly when he seemed to recall fond memories. She realized that he was recalling the time when he thought his abilities were good, and something to get excited about... and her heart plummeted when she remembered how horrible his family was to him for his soothsayer ability.

"Starfall..." she said softly, her voice sad. "Your ability is something to celebrate. Without you, where would I be right now? I would be terrorizing the world... again. Cosmo would have destroyed everything." She scooted a little closer. "Starfall. You know better than to think that, simply because your ability shows you something bad, that the ability itself is bad. Life isn't always something full of joy... there's sadness and hurt, too. But without that, could we truly appreciate the happiness, relief, and joy on the opposite end of the spectrum?" She countered his implied dislike of his ability. "Furthermore, your ability... I know it's hard to see such terrible things happen to ponies you love. But aren't you grateful that you helped to save them from that very doom? That you were able to stop most of it from happening? If you weren't there that night, Star, ponies--many of them--would have died. Fillies and colts would lose their parents. Husbands and wives would lose spouses. Grandmothers would be forced to bury grandchildren. Think, just think for one moment about everything you've accomplished with your ability... and tell me again how you don't want possession of it," she dared him, her voice growing stronger with passion.
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Princess Celestia, as it was, ignored Light Heart's exclamation...such usage of her name did not trouble her terribly, and her thoughts were currently on the scene in front of her, watching as her sister was corrupted and turned to darkness against her will. It hurt her, to watch this again, to see her sister like this...but Starfall's family needed to see this, and so did she, if it still pained her so.

But watching from an outside perspective also lended her a new insight into the chemistry between Luna and Starfall. Watching the look of pure horror and anguish on his face, and his desperate, if futile, pleas to her and Cosmo...he was clearly torn, trying to stand up to Nightmare Moon, but the fact that his love was somewhere inside that darkness and evil meant he couldn't bring himself to act. The clear sense of hopelessness Starfall was radiating brought a snort from Shadow, the former Guard clearly despising this aspect of Starfall's personality. The gesture made Celestia sigh to herself...he seemed to expect his own son to go charging into certain death.

But she was once more drawn away from her musings on the full extent of Starfall's fractured family life when her clone came bursting onto the scene, halting Nightmare Moon's progress, six young ponies clearly having alerted her to the danger. The anger and determination were clear...as was the pain. Even now, the thought of fighting her own little sister left the elder Princess with a sense of dread...she really hoped the Coronation Ball was the last time this ever happened. Even as she and Nightmare traded words, the pain and reluctance were there to see...she had not wanted to fight, but had no other choice. Too many lives depended on it.

After trading several barbs, the Celestia from the past trying to talk Nightmare down, the mare of darkness simply growing more irritated and determine with each attempt, the tension finally snapped...Starfall finding himself in the crossfire of one of the most powerful magical battles in Equestrian history. Or...he would have, had Celestia not sacrificed her first attack to pull Starfall out of the line of fire, managing to deftly avoid Nightmare's attack at the same time...before the two of them started a vicious exchange of spells, in a battle to decide the fate of Equestria.

----------

Starfall sighed once his tale was finished, hanging his head slightly. He had just laid a secret part of him bare for his Princess and love...and was kind of embarrassed now it was done, having trouble looking Luna in the eye. When she spoke though, he did look up, listening as her words grew more and more passionate, trying to convey to him the positives of his strange ability.

It was an argument Starfall had heard a few times before...one that he tended to forget frequently. But he could never deny it's credibility whenever he was reminded of it. She was right...as hard and painful as it was, getting these visions of destruction, often involving ponies he cared about...it was because he received these visions ahead of time that he was able to do something to prevent them. But all the same...

In the end, Starfall sighed softly, staring at his forehooves once more. "I know, Luna...I just, I wish I could have more visions like the one that brought me my cutie mark. Ones where nopony is endangered...where good things come of it. But all I've seen since then is endless death and destruction..." he muttered.

Since the Coronation Ball, Starfall had prevented two more asteroid strikes, Luna's magic sending the massive hunks of space rock on their way long before the posed any danger. But seeing the possible devastation of the strike he'd averted...all the buildings lying shattered and burning, and all the ponies bloodied and broken. His recent weeks had been filled with horrendous nightmares...ones he had not informed Luna of, and ones she had yet to witness through her nightly duties watching over the dreams of ponies. He did not want to burden her with any more work than she already had. Last night, sleeping in the Princess' own chambers...that had been the first peaceful night he had been graced with in some time.
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The pegasus mare's eyes flicked to her husband for a brief moment as she calmed slightly, though her body was still tense and defensive. The vision was so realistic and frightful... she had to keep telling herself that it wasn't real, that all of this was just the magic Celestia was using to show them an event. Shadow's snort was not lost on her, and she seemed to shift uncomfortably at another of her husband's social gaffes in front of the Princess, but her eyes went quickly back to the scene. Vision-Celestia was trying to talk her sister down, obviously distressed at the dark transformation that had occurred. At Nightmare's side was Cosmo, looking smug and triumphant, while Starfall just looked devastated. Light's heart wrenched at the expression, despite her misgivings about Starfall... obviously this was a horrible moment for him, and knowing that he was in love with the Night Princess only made her feel worse.

She was shocked when Nightmare Moon began powering up a spell, aimed right at Starfall when he tried to intervene. Light watched as Celestia forced him aside, taking the brunt of the magical blow to protect her son. Of course, Celestia would do something so noble... she was the Princess, after all, and would protect any of her subjects from harm. A surge of warmth flowed through her out of appreciation for the Sun Princess, but the moment was short-lived as she realized that a magical battle ensued right after that. Shots of powerful arcane light were exchanged, and Light felt suddenly overwhelmed by the sheer force and size of each spell. Two alicorns of almost goddess-level power were dueling, and such a display of magic was terrifyingly intense. Light clung to Shadow for protection, her mouth open with an expression that was something between horror and awe.




Luna's passion faltered as she listened once more to Starfall, her heart going out to him. Though he saved many lives, and though his abilities did do a lot of good... it was true that most of his visions were horrific and terrifying. She'd never experienced them first-hoof, but he'd described some of them, and even a pony her age hadn't seen disaster that horrible. She let out a deep breath and gave him a brief, small nuzzle.

"Oh, Starfall..." she murmured, her words thick with sympathy. She didn't know what to say; of course it was horrible, the visions he had to suffer through. Not to mention his family... "I am truly sorry for the pain you have endured because of this ability. Talents as powerful as yours... they come with a heavy price, I'm afraid." She cast her eyes to the side, hesitating a moment before she began speaking again, this time allowing her own vulnerabilities to shine through as she finally opened up a little. "I have some idea of what you must endure. As an alicorn princess, I can humbly and honestly say that I am powerful--much more powerful than anypony aside from my only equal--Princess Celestia." Her words turned from an empathetic, soft speech to a sort of 'storyteller' tone, as if she was looking back and remembering something that had happened in the past.

"...Before I was sent to the Moon, I was a haughty creature, wanting nothing more than to be adored by all around me. I felt that, because of my beauty and power, that all should be loyal to me and fall at my hooves." She smirked to herself in self-criticism. "What a foolish pony I was. Thinking that my age and knowledge, paired with my looks and power, that I could make others respect me without even trying.

"My sister was kinder than I, and her gentle, loving nature, paired with her own warmth and power, made everypony love her--even adore her. I, the dark and mysterious mare with a colder side, was left alone to wallow in bitter jealousy. Years passed, and I grew ever more hateful towards everypony, including my own beloved sister. And then came that fateful day... my heart, filled with dark emotion, was open to influence... and influenced it became, and thus Nightmare Moon was born.

"Though I was jealous and bitter, the last thing I truly wanted was to harm anypony. I was... frightened, of my own power. I was locked in the body of a foe who used my powers as its own, and suddenly my abilities were nothing but a burden to my sister and all my beloved subjects. I had become a danger. And, again, recently... that... entity stole my body and my power once more, and I feared the worst. My abilities, the same that bring ease to nightmares and the same that raises the Moon every night... they were used for harm against one of the ponies I love most." Luna's eyes, now shining with unshed tears, turned back to Starfall. She was looking at him, and yet, she wasn't--remembering her past was making her see things that were forever etched in her memory. "I could have killed you, Starfall. I fear it every day, every moment I allow myself to be with you--a fragile, normal pegasus pony who holds my heart within him." She sighed shakily, attempting to calm her emotions before she broke down crying. Luna closed her eyes a moment and refocused upon Starfall.

"I know the pain you endure. It hurts me to see it, but I know at least a part of your burden. If ever you wish me to help you, if by talking or calming your dreams, you simply have to ask it of me."
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Shadow Dusk could only watch as the battle between Princesses unfolded in the vision, holding his wife with a wing in a protective, comforting gesture...for all his cold, hard attitude, he clearly did care for and love Light Heart. He turned to the real Princess Celestia, clearing his throat. "Forgive my interruption, Your Highness...but I think my wife has seen enough," he said simply, the request to at least spare her the battle clear, even if he was less troubled...his only real problem being the vast displays of magic.

But the Princess shook her head, gesturing for them to follow her, leaving the devastating battle behind. "My battle with my sister is not the focus of this vision..." she replied cryptically, Shadow guiding his wife as he followed her, soon noticing they were chasing after Starfall, who had retreated into the entrance hall of the castle, the shock and horror of what was happening seeming to have paralyzed him.

The sight of his own son so visibly consumed by fear only reinforced Shadow's disappointment in his youngest child. Stallions were supposed to be brave and strong, and Starfall had never been either of those, even in recent months, it appeared. But...just when Shadow was about to comment on Starfall's lack of courage, something seemed to shift in him. Whether it was fatalism, or a profound sense of desperation, Starfall seemed to have found some reason to act.

The next few minutes, as Starfall intervened on a fight between two of Cosmo's Earth Pony thugs, and three of the ponies they had seen briefly with Princess Celestia earlier, stunned Shadow. Starfall may have intervened indirectly, refusing to directly confront the thugs...but he had fought, and even directly subdued one of the thugs himself. It was more than Shadow had ever expected of his disappointment of a son. Even as Starfall turned his attention to Cosmo himself, out on the balcony above the main lobby where Celestia and Nightmare were still battling savagely, Shadow found himself feeling his first sense of satisfaction for his youngest. That small surge of pride died away when his small confrontation with Cosmo saw him soundly beaten, the six mares he had been helping all variously teleported away by Cosmo's magic...but it was something.

Then the battle raging below finally came to an end, Celestia being distracted by Twilight's defeat and disappearance for a moment too long, leaving her lying beaten and broken on the lobby floor, Nightmare standing there triumphantly. Shadow had to remind himself, and offer a whispered reminder to Light Heart, too...that it was just a vision, that Nightmare and Cosmo could not have possibly won.

----------

Starfall just sighed shakily as Luna spoke of the burden of such powerful abilities...a burden he knew far too well. He knew it was selfish of him, but it was a rare day in which he did not wish to be relieved of this ability, to just be able to spend his days studying the stars, in all their magical wonder, without having to worry about the visions of devastation and destruction.

But when Luna continued, adding her own tale to the mix, Starfall looked up, a little surprised. Luna rarely spoke of her past, even to him, and even when she did, she glossed over many of the details, often changing the subject very quickly. Knowing this was a rare show of honest detail from his love, he lay down on the carpeted floor of the living area and listened intently.

Her tale left him feeling for his love. Her desire to be loved and adored by her subjects had backfired spectacularly on her, leaving her alone and jealous of her elder sister...which brought out an unexpected dark side to her impressive power. Starfall soon understood what she was trying to say...like him, she had a dark side to her power...an aspect of her abilities she loathed, even feared, much like he did. She understood his pain.

Starfall knew that Luna was still adjusting to physical displays, but all the same, he had to do this, standing and wrapping his hooves around her neck, hugging her gently. Not only did he want to show her he cared, no matter what dark secrets she held...but he was also trying to his tears that were starting to fall at her clear pain.

"Luna..." he breathed shakily, trying to get himself under himself control...an impossible feat considering the emotional roller-coaster his morning had become. So he just held her tighter, whispering into her ear. "I don't care what anypony says...you and Nightmare Moon are not the same pony. The Coronation Ball proved that to me...that dark power may take your body and use and twist it for their own ends, but it can't take your soul...your spirit. You fought back that night, Luna," he added, trying to give her some positives to take from the experience. "You wouldn't allow Nightmare Moon to hurt me...and you defeated the darkness and drove it away, all on your own, without the assistance of the Elements of Harmony. You know how to defeat it, now..." he paused, taking a moment to cling to her a little tighter.

"Luna...I'm not afraid of Nightmare Moon, not any more," he added, pulling away to look directly into her eyes, so she could see the total sincerity in his gaze. "I have seen you at your worst, just as you have seen me at mine...and she doesn't scare me because I know you. You have a strength, both in body and mind...when you let that inner strength take hold, Nightmare Moon can't touch you. You care too much about those Nightmare Moon would seek to harm...you're too strong for the darkness, now."

He gave her a soft, watery smile, still holding her, his nose almost touching hers. Moments like these were so rare, and so precious to him, that he did not want it to end. "I knew of the mystery, the fear, that ponies held for you, even when you first took me under your wing, Luna. That did not change my feelings for you, then, and it does not change them, now. I love you, Luna...I always will," he muttered, suddenly sounding almost shy. He hesitated a brief moment, before deciding to act before his courage failed him, leaning up and giving her a fleeting kiss.
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Light stammered in protest as Shadow insisted that she'd seen enough of this display. "N-no, dear, I can--" but she was cut off by Celestia herself when she argued that they needed to see this, that as the parents of Starfall, they should go through the same trials and tribulations that he'd had to in this situation. At the Princess's comment, Light turned her attention to the background of battle, where Starfall was running away as if he had a place he needed to go... curious, and ignoring her husband's scoffing as Starfall avoided battle where he could, she watched as he knocked one of the enemies aside, continuing on as if determined. In the meantime, the Element bearers were fighting Cosmo's deluded followers, all tough ponies ready for battle. Even Cosmo himself, while keeping up the shield that trapped everypony, was fighting Twilight, though his dark magic made her seem useless. All the commotion, the violence, was both fascinating and horrifying for Light Heart to watch; deep inside, she disapproved of mares getting their hooves dirty to fight, but of course she wouldn't voice that opinion aloud. Mares should be delicate, protected by their stallions--not jumping in the fray and fighting for themselves.

Starfall had gotten a look of inspiration on his face, using creative tactics to make up for physical weakness and sending statues careening down to destroy the evil thugs below. Though he looked a little green around the gills for hurting another pony (Light frowned at this; he shouldn't have felt useless guilt for attacking such horrible ponies), a few of the Elements of Harmony thanked him for saving their lives. Light felt a small surge of pride for her son and his quick thinking that had saved those ponies. Then, the purple unicorn of the Magic Element went down, and the room was utter chaos. The magical duel between princesses was still going on throughout all this, the blasting spells sometimes coming dangerously close to normal ponies; fights were going on in every direction, the castle crumbling all around within their imprisoning dome that held the ponies helpless within. The pegasus mare couldn't imagine herself in such a situation... she probably would have fainted by now. And yet, there were many mares still standing, looking terrified but holding firm. Cosmo was making ponies disappear with some kind of evil magic, and, to Light's complete shock, Starfall had launched himself at the dark unicorn, ending in a tussle. Cosmo finally regained control, forcing Starfall to watch the destruction and laughing as he threatened the pony's death in the end.

Though Starfall's mother felt some of the leftover satisfaction that, indeed, Starfall was the one who had caused Cosmo's madness, a part of her also felt pity for her son. According to Celestia, Starfall could not control his visions, and his denial of them at the beginning was what had caused Cosmo's beloved sister to die. Her brain still hadn't gotten to the part where it was hers and Shadow's fault that he would hide such an important vision--she was still processing what all of this meant. She glanced up at her husband to see his face and reaction, still clinging to him for comfort through all the violence that was happening all around them... She wasn't sure how this would end, but she knew, somehow, that she wouldn't like it...

--------

Luna flattened her ears slightly as Starfall began to comfort her after exposing her dark past, her feelings. She hadn't meant to make him feel bad for her; she'd meant to comfort him, not have it the other way around. She began to protest as he tried to soothe her, though his words were a salve to an old wound that scarred her heart. "No, Starfall, I just--I did not mean--" But the feeling of his warm hooves and body so close to her, along with the whispers of comfort and reassurance, made her guards fail. She allowed herself to enjoy his touch and his soothing reassurance that he loved her no matter what, that he believed in her. It was almost her undoing, the way he could untangle all of her feelings and replace them with calm serenity and acceptance of herself.

She wrapped her own larger wing around him and leaned into his touch, feeling the wetness of tears stain the fur along her neck. "P-perhaps you are right..." she conceded, meaning to sound reluctant and instead sounding gratefully relieved. A single tear slid from her eye, not really out of sadness, but because her head was swimming with so much emotion right in that moment that she couldn't help herself. Starfall pulled away from her to gaze into her eyes, his face completely serious. She blinked in something close to surprise from the unexpected sincerity of his words, though with each statement that came from his mouth, she felt more and more like she was going to fall apart, completely defenseless at his feet. Luna's face went from the normally composed, indifferent mask to a shining expression of melancholy joy. Her lips trembled, brows scrunching from the effort not to start bawling in front of her coltfriend.

"Mm-mm..." her body began to tremble as he brought his muzzle close to hers, small whimpers escaping though she kept her mouth tightly closed. The dark alicorn princess closed her eyes, hiding the shining wetness that was threatening to fall down her cheeks. His confession of love broke the dam, and tears began falling unchecked down her face.

"S-Starfall..." she croaked out, but was interrupted when his lips met hers in a soft, comforting kiss. Before a moment ago, she hadn't known that she'd needed this, that the both of them were made to be one another's comfort and loving support. She returned the kiss with passion, the emotion coming through it with unchecked abandon. Though he backed away, she chased after him, holding him fast with her hooves and pouring every ounce of love, compassion, and thankfulness for his very existence into it. The kiss lasted for only a brief minute or so, but to her it felt like it had been hours before they broke apart. "I love you too, Starfall," she whispered brokenly, and clung to him tightly as if he was about to run away any second.
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Shadow continued to watch the scene play out in front of him, his stance steady, aside from the wing curled around Light Heart, his face set in a neutral frown, trying not to give too much away as he watched Cosmo gloat. But when Cosmo started raging about Nocturna's death, Shadow could not hide a small expression of surprise when it became clear that Starfall had never known of Nocturna's fate. The whole town had known of it...Cosmo's grief had been so extreme, so total. But then again...Starfall had never returned to the ruins of Stratos Crossing, though it never crossed Shadow's mind that he and Light were the reason for that, having all-but disowned him in the wake of the horrific event.

The way the news seemed to break Starfall was nothing but ptiful to Shadow's mind. The way his own son just sagged, all fight leaving him, threatened to bring a digusted, disappointed snort from him. The noise was stopped just before it came, however, when the vision suddenly swirled and shifted. "What?" Shadow asked, more to himself than to anypony else, though Celestia heard him.

"What Cosmo and Nightmare Moon do next is a closely guarded secret," the Princess explained. "Only those who witnessed it that night are allowed knowledge of the details." As she finished, the vision once more solidified, now finding themselves outside Canterlot Castle...just in time for Starfall to suddenly appear there in a flash of silver light, the Princess continuing her explanation as Starfall just lay there, looking on the verge of breaking down.

"What your son witnessed in there, for all its secrecy, was horrifying, and something I hope nopony will ever have to witness again," she said solemnly, before gesturing up, making Shadow follow the gesture, finding himself looking at the comet. "That comet, thanks to Nightmare Moon and Cosmo, is now on a direct course to Canterlot. In about twenty minutes, the entire city, and all the ponies living there, will be no more."

The Princess knew that she was being harsh...but after the earlier behavior Light Heart and Shadow Dusk displayed towards Starfall, she felt it was deserved...she wanted them to know what he went through...right down to the fear and hopelessness consuming the situation he was in.

----------

As Starfall gave his beloved a small kiss, he could feel the shaking consuming her form, the small whimpers of emotion, and the tears smaring across both their fur. He made to pull away, to apologise for upsetting her, but was stunned when she pressed forward, keeping him close and not just continuing the kiss, but deepening it. Her display of passion broke through the restraint Starfall usually held onto when displaying affection to the Princess, his hooves holding her as close as he dared, eager to take this moment while it lasted.

But even as they held each other, Starfall's myriad of emotions started working against him...his self control was broken by the rough day he had endured, and the longer the kiss continued, the more he found himself slipping into instinct, conscious thought slowly failing him. He was wrenched back to reality when his thoughts went into territory he really had not expected, his stunned embarrassment only intensifying when he realised that his hooves had tentatively started to wander away from Luna's neck, though thankfully had yet to go anywhere inappropriate.

Even as he forced himself to break the kiss and pull away slightly, Luna held him tight, her words doing a good job of crumbling that bit of self-control had managed to wrestle a hold of. He gave her cheek a soft, but passionate kiss before he could stop himself...but when he found himself starting to trail kisses down the side of her neck, realised he was rapidly heading into dangerous territory, and needed to stop...fast.

"Luna...wait..." he said, his voice breathless and conflicted...her tight embrace meaning that the sudden tension in his body would be nearly impossible for her to miss. His hooves didn't leave her neck...but there was a noticeable tension there, as if he needed some air and space for a moment. He knew the sudden change in his demeanor would likely confused, and perhaps upset her, though, making his ears pin back. "I'm sorry, Luna. I just...I..." he faltered, not exactly sure what to say. How in Equestria could he explain the thoughts going through his mind right now? He knew that he must be blushing something fierce from them right now...but was scared that the Princess might get upset at what had just transpired...and what part of him wanted to transpire.
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Light furrowed her brow as Celestia changed the vision so that they could not hear anything, instead pointing out the comet. The mare tilted her head curiously and then gasped at the implications--that comet was huge! And headed straight for them! If she hadn't known this was the past, and that they'd all been saved, Light would have panicked on the spot. Knowing he was going to die, knowing that it was, essentially, his fault... what was going through Starfall's head right in that moment? Her pale hoof began to lower slowly from her mouth as she realized that her son, her son, had gone through all this, and survived. It was humbling, to say the least, that the son they'd thought was so unnatural and weak was going through all of this, with the knowledge that he'd survived through it all.

"But... but they all live! They all live, how...?" Light Heart began to ask, but quieted as things kept going after the comet was directed towards the ponies. Starfall seemed to give up, as if he couldn't do anything about the impending doom that had befallen them. In this situation, Light couldn't say she wouldn't have done the same... But familiar ponies, the very ones that bore the Elements of Harmony, had surrounded him and comforted him, along with a younger teen filly who claimed that he'd saved her at Stratos Crossing. Light stood shocked, mouth agape. She'd never known... and Starfall hadn't even known the filly's name. It was so brave, and so much like the pony she and Shadow had always wanted him to be. For the first time, Light felt proud of Starfall for an act of courage.

What she didn't know was that she would feel far more proud when she saw the way he'd lost his wing. But for now, she watched as he concocted a plan to sneak back in and stop Cosmo and Nightmare Moon. Light paused a moment and thought about an idea that had suddenly hit her, making her face tighten with anger once again for her son. Cosmo had gone mad, and so had Princess Luna... both of which who had associated with Starfall. Could there have been a correlation? Did Starfall simply bring horrible luck to everypony he befriended, or, in the case of the Night Princess--was romantically involved with...?

----------------

Luna sort of noticed when Starfall's hooves slid down from their place around her neck and around to her sides, but she didn't think much of it, other than the fact that she enjoyed his touch. He was warm, comforting, just--Starfall. She allowed it, still slightly emotionally compromised and unaware of where his mind was headed. It was when he brushed past the sensitive spot right under her wing joint that her eyes flew open, feathers stiffening slightly. Her tears had stopped falling, now, though there were drying tracks on her face and some on Starfall's bright fur, as well.

"S-Starfall?" She queried, somewhat confused and muddled by all the warring emotions in her mind. He seemed to hesitate slightly as he came back in, this time planting a soft, slow kiss on her face that made Luna smile. She hummed happily at the chaste gesture full of tenderness, but her eyes widened and she let out a soft gasp when he kept going. Down her face, to her jawline, underneath to the velvet-furred, soft flesh of her neck... Luna remembered the times she'd seen dreams of other ponies that were like this. Passionate encounters, usually ending in something a bit more... intimate... flooded her mind, and then two voices warred with one another in her head.

'Improper behavior! Stop it now before it gets worse!'

'Oh, but this feels... wonderful...' indeed, Luna felt herself give in slightly, tilting her head to the side instinctively to allow Starfall better access.

'Scarlet mare! How could you allow such desecration of your body?' the old-fashioned voice shrieked. A soft sigh escaped her lips at her coltfriend's touch. Luna wanted it to continue... she wanted more of this close contact. Her soul called out for it, almost irresistibly. 'No, not yet, Luna! You aren't ready for this yet! Think of the consequences, what if you get caught, what if it goes too far and you end up with foal--'

Luna's half-lidded gaze snapped open, the fog of Starfall's spell lifting. She realized that he was stiff around her, and felt the hot warmth of his cheeks. The Princess cleared her throat awkwardly and laughed nervously.

"It is... ah... quite all right, Starfall. We were both a bit, well, compromised..." Luna reasoned out, still a bit stunned by her own reaction to Starfall's touch. Who knew that this could feel so wonderful, so beautiful? All her life, Luna had thought that couples' intimacy was uncouth and a bit, well... icky. She would have been lying to herself if she said she wasn't a little intrigued by such behavior, however... "Let's... calm down for just a moment," she chided gently, pulling away from Starfall before she could become more confused by this sudden change in behavior. "I am not ready for such interactions. Not... n-not yet," she admitted, color coming to her cheeks at the insinuation that they may do more things like this in the future. Her body began to cool, thankfully, away from the warmth of Starfall's body, and with the rapidly dropping temperature that came from her own reaction. Luna fluttered her wings, fidgeting a bit in the awkward silence that dropped over the two of them. "Sh-shall we perhaps take a step outside to get a bit of fresh air?" she suggested.
Edited by TheProtobabe, Monday Sep 23 2013, 06:48 PM.
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For several long minutes, Starfall was totally inconsolable. Shadow was left to watch on as his disappointment of a son just gave up and lay there, despite several attempts by the six mares that were his friends to get him to fight on. In the end, it took the intrusion of a young adolescent mare to finally get Starfall's attention. When said mare mentioned that she knew him from Stratos Crossing...that he had saved her life back then, Light's shock was reflected in Shadow's expression, though his had a more disbelieving edge to it.

As the seven ponies in the vision had something of a tender moment, Celestia explained it. "Starfall told me you had never noticed in the rush to escape the doomed city, but when you were all fleeing Stratos Crossing, Starfall had seen this filly, Archer, scared and alone in the Cloud District. As an Earth Pony, Starfall was well aware that she had no hope of escaping in time...just as he knew that his own time would be sorely pressed if he went back and tried to save her. Your son permitted me to see the event from his eyes...and his bravery, saving that filly even at the risk of his own death or injury, was something Starfall should have recieved more attention for. The two of them made it out of the city with less than seconds between them and certain doom. The both of you seem determined to see the worst in Starfall...there is a side to him you don't know, either of you. I have lived through many generations and lifetimes...but he has a deep-seated sense of fairness, selflessness, and chivalry that I see far too rarely over the years..."

The Princess let her commendation of Starfall fade away as the vision once more exploded into action, Starfall seeming to get a brainwave, racing off in one direction, while his six friends went the other. Archer briefly attempted to go with him, but Starfall managed to convince her to leave, to warn the city if possible, before finding her family and attempting to make an escape. For a moment, Shadow was not sure what to think...Starfall suddenly seemed totally different. There was a determined, desperate fire in his whole demeanor, along with an almost fatalistic sense of courage...where had this side of Starfall been hiding all these years?

To further confuse the situation, Princess Cadance, along with her husband and Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor, soon joined Starfall, treating him like they had met him before. Just how many powerful of prominent figures in Canterlot society was Starfall aquainted with? The three of them worked together to find a secret entrance into the castle, Shadow sort of paying attention as the Princess mentioned that in the wake of this event, she had physically and permanently sealed off this secret tunnel, so nopony could ever use it again.

Shadow got yet another shock as Starfall entered the secret tunnel alone, Cadance and Shining Armor staying behind to find the six mares and guide them here. Even Shadow's sense of pride struggled to comprehend this. Surely Starfall was walking to his death? How could he have possibly survived facing both Cosmo and Nightmare Moon alone?

----------

Starfall could not bring himself to meet Luna's gaze and both of them came to their senses, Luna's reasoning of his apology sounding awkward and hesitant...almost forced. It made Starfall's ears pin back, sure Luna was keeping her temper in check. He knew he had gone way further than he should have just then, and his compromised emotional state was no excuse. In a way, he had to consider himself lucky he stopped himself when he did. Had he gone any further than that, Starfall was sure Luna would be hitting him with spells right now...highly unpleasant ones.

Luna's further words only compounded Starfall's guilt, as she displayed the reason and calm behavior he should have been displaying himself the whole time. He made to sit down, only for Luna's words to give him pause, her assertion of 'not yet' stunning him. He could see the subtle implication that she may be willing to embrace such intimate interactions in the future, Starfall's blush returning with a vengeance at the thought.

For a few moments afterward, there was an awkward silence, Starfall shuffling occasionally, shifting his wings and avoiding Luna's eyes, trying to hide his blush, and completely at a loss for what to say. When she suggested getting some air, the waver in her voice was easy for Starfall to pick up, letting him know she was even more rattled by what had just transpired than he was. He kept his focus, though, nodding and heading for the front door out of the tower, needing to resist the urge to smack his head against the door as he reached it.

For all his social awkwardness, Starfall was not a stranger to the details of intimacy. His parents had given him the obligatory discussion about it when he was an adolescent, and while he and Cosmo were still friends, the unicorn would every now and again boast about a quiet moment he had shared with a young mare from their school or such. Starfall, himself, though, had never had a marefriend, and was quiet and shy to even consider the prospect of a casual fling simply for the physical side of things. Because of this, it was Starfall's first time dealing with such a situation...which he knew was part of the reason for his near loss of control. He just hoped that, now he was familiar with how his hormones behaved in such circumstances, he could keep his focus and control if this happened again.

Once they were outside on a balcony by the front door to his tower apartment...he still thought of it as Twilight's, though...Starfall finally found some words. "Luna, I'm sorry," he sighed, his voice calmer, though choked with guilt and a sense of shame, his ears flattened, still staring at his hooves. "I got carried away in the moment, and I lost control. I didn't mean to go so far...it was stupid, and wrong, and you deserve better than that..." he could feel tears stinging his eyes once again, pausing to try and regain some control of himself...again.
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