MLP: Prelude pt 4
#4 of MLP: Prelude
It was a cold autumn morning as Lunar sat in front of the headstones of both his parents. They were both buried with distinguished honors in the face of danger and laid to rest in the royal cemetery. He sat there with his head low before the two graves. "How long has he been sitting there?" Solaris asked as she came upon the side of Autumn Breeze, the attendant she had assigned to Lunar's care.
"He hasn't moved all morning, not even for breakfast. I can't say I know what he's going through because I never lost my family the way he did. But it must have been very traumatic."
"Evening told me that when he arrived the little one was encased in his own magic. I suspect from the reports that he may have witnessed his mother die before him. Only something of that magnitude I believe would have caused it."
The unicorn looked upon the young alicorn. "Maker's love, to have gone through such a thing and still be able to function."
"We alicorn are more resilient then one might believe. Still there was little to be decided when I heard. Evening and I can never take the place of his mother and father, nor do we wish to but we will guide him as if he were one of our own nonetheless. And besides, it would break Luna and Celestia's heart if we sent him away now."
Autumn looked up to her queen then back to the colt. "Yes I have seen that the princesses have taken a shine to him."
Solaris nodded to Autumn before slowly approaching the morning colt. She gently sat beside him and he could see her out of the corner of his eye. "Oh hello your majesty." The colt's voice held little emotion. Could she blame him? In a matter of a few hours his family and all that he knew was gone.
"Listen to me young Lunar. I know that this is a trying time for you but you must be strong. Your mother and father would not want to see you sitting here day in and day out morning over them. They would want you to live you life."
Lunar's head lowered. "I know all that your highness."
"Then what seems to be the matter?'
The young colt started to shake slightly. Solaris saw this and draped one of her wings over him. "I couldn't save them. I wanted to, had to, needed to but I just couldn't. My magic is too weak to do much of anything aside from a few spells. But that still dosen't excuse the fact that there should have been something, anything that I could have done. I mean look at me, I'm like Tia and Luna and even the king. Aren't we suppose to be powerful ponies?"
Autumn watched as her queen moved around behind the colt and wrapped her wings lightly around him. "Lunar we alicorn maybe a wise and ancient race but we are still ponies of this world, still prone to difficulties that growing up brings. Yes our powers are greater then any unicorn but that dose not mean we are born that way. Evening Star and I were just like you when we were your age. There were a great many things we couldn't do till we were older."
Lunar remained seated between the queen's wings for a time before a stallion walked up beside her and spoke into her ear. "Yes I understand." She slowly rose to her hooves and looked down to the still trembling colt. "Come Lunar, there is something you will want to see."
Solaris had lead Lunar into the castle and up a flight of stairs, Autumn Breeze was by his side as they turned down a hallway. The queen stopped by a set of large doors before two unicorns opened them to reveal the large throne room. Along the far wall sat the throne, of which Evening Star sat. Two guards held chains in their magic connected to a canine. He wore a red vest and spiked collar around his neck. When the doors opened he turned his head around and Lunar froze in his tracks. He knew just what this thing was.
"You have eluded my troops for far to long mongrel. Your pack as it were is gone, cast to the winds. You are all that remain of that raiding party that destroyed a nearby village."
"Ha you can not prove that." His voice was bizarre, a mix of guttural growling and gruff speech.
"Oh no? I happened to have a witness whom can claim you were part of that group."
Solaris gently nudge Lunar with her wing to coax him to step forward. The colt looked up to her as she tilted her head to the group of ponies within the throne room. Lunar looked back and gulped as he walked into the large room. All the eyes of the ponies whom filled it were upon him. Their whispers, some were too low to hear but other...
"Look at him he looks just like the king."
"Who is he?"
"I can't believe it."
One of Evening Star's advisor looked up to him. "Sire why have you hidden an alicorn foal from us, surely he should be..." The stallion raised a hoof to silence the unicorn.
"I understand your thoughts my old friend but know that I had not a hoof in this. And I do believe the thought of lifting him to royal status is a possibility but only if he wishes it. For now let us proceed." The elderly unicorn nodded.
"Now Lunar I know this is difficult for you but is this the one that attacked your home?"
Lunar stood before the throne and turned to face the canine in chains. He looked up into those slickly yellow eyes and then he felt that same fear and frozen in place. He body trembles as he stands there but then something deep inside him sparked.
The air within the throne room started to spin, slowly circling around the colt. "Sire what's going on?
"I'm not sure. Lunar are you alright?"
The colt's head was hidden by his mane and his body shook before lifting his head and opened his eyes which glowed a brilliant white. He flared his wings which threw every pony against the walls. Even the king and queen were thrown off their hooves before the colt lunged for the downed canine.
"IT WAS YOU! YOU TOOK THEM FROM ME! I HATE YOU!" His voice boomed throughout the room well into the castle. The little colt was lost in grips of anger and rage as he pummeled the canine in the face repeatedly. "I HATE YOU,YOU MONSTER!"
Because of the tremendous surge of magic coming off the colt, only Evening Star and Solaris were able to get close to him. Tears were streaming down his eyes as he continued his assault upon the canine. The queen eventually reached him and took the colt into her wings to which his magic faded and he clutched her foreleg, crying heavily. From the stands, the ponies of the royal court were all shouting about the colt's actions. The canine was battered and bloody upon the throne room floor but still very much alive.
"Every pony be silent. I know what has happened here but you all can not in good standing expect me to arrest a child for lashing out at the one responsible for his family's death." The stallion slowly and menacingly walked up to the canine as he tried to scurry away from him only to be stopped by the wall.
"Consider that the final act you will ever know." Evening Star looked around him. "An attack on any pony of this kingdom is an attack on the crown itself. Rover of the northern Diamond Dogs you have been found guilty of the slaughter of this kingdom's citizens. Therefore I sentence you to death. May the Makers have pity upon you, for you die at dawn. Take him away." Two earth ponies griped the chains, hoising the canine to his feet and carted him away.
Solaris nudged the still shaking and tearing colt from the room. They did not want to put anymore due pressure upon the stallion then was already there. Lunar sat in the middle of the hall with his head down. Autumn had looked up to her queen then to the colt. "Should we?" She asked in a hushed tone. The queen simply shook her head.
Night had finally fallen upon the land and Celestia lay within her room. She had heard Lunar's shouting from her place in the observatory but by the time she had gotten there, Lunar was no where to be found. Her mother told her it was just something the young colt had to get off his chest but it was still troubling her. Lunar was her closest friend and she could not sleep unless she knew she did all she could to help him. So the young princess climbed out of her bed and crossed her room to the door. She opened it and peeked her head out, looking up and down the hall for any guards that maybe on patrol.
Seeing that the coast was clear, she ventured out of her room, closing the door behind her. She cautiously made her way down the hall till she was just outside Lunar's door. Placing her head upon it she could hear soft sobbing from inside. It broke the princess's heart to know that her friend was still suffering from all that has happened. Very gently she opened his door and stepped inside then closed the door behind her. Before she took a step further, her ears perked and she heard what she thought was singing.
"Come stop your crying, it will be alright. Just take my hoof, hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you. I will be here don't you cry." As she walked further into the room she seen that the singing was coming from Lunar.
"For one so small you seem so strong. My hooves will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken. I will be here don't you cry." Celestia continued her slow and soft approach till she was just a few feet from him.
Lunar sat upon the window sill staring up at the stars in the sky. His silvery mane gently fluttered in the breeze from outside. His indigo eyes never taking their gaze of the slowly moving stars.
"For you'll be in my heart, yes you'll be in my heart. From this day on now and forever more. Yes you'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart....always." Celestia continued to watch him before something caught her eye. Upon his flank was a crescent moon and a star....his cutie mark. When had he gotten it? How?
"It was a song my mother sang to me at night, kind of a lullaby. Whenever I would hear it I knew that no matter what, she and my dad were always with me. Hmm? Oh my cutie mark? Yeah I got it when I made those." He pointed up to the two stars just beside the moon.
"I figure your dad is going to be mad at me when he finds out but, I don't care."
"Wait, you made them? How, I thought only father could make them."
Lunar just shook his head. "I don't know. I just kept thinking of mom and dad. Next thing I know, my magic takes over and two balls of light form on either side of me before shooting up there."
"Can you make anymore?"
Lunar nodded. "I'm sure I could but... I'm just not in the mood right now. I am sure you heard it right, my little out burst?"
"I would not be surprised if the whole castle didn't hear it. What happened?"
Lunar sighed and hopped off the window sill. He still stood close to it however. "Your father found the leader of the those, Diamond Dogs he calls them?" Celestia nodded.
"Anyway when I first left my home that night, he was the one I ran into. He would have killed me if mom hadn't broad-sided him. I just I don't know what came over me. When I saw him I frozen, I was so terrified but then something just....snapped. I tore into him Tia., my magic took hold and knocked him back before I jumped on his and just pounded my hooves into his face. I would have killed him if your mom didn't stop me. I was just so angry, I wanted to kill him. I truly did but when your mom grabbed me I realized my mom and dad would not want that kind of thing looming over me."
Celestia walked over to her friend and lightly placed her hoof under his chin. "Look Lunar, no matter what happens you will always have me a Luna beside you. You are our dearest friend."
Solaris and Evening Star were sitting in the den the next morning when Astranima, Celestia's attendant ran into the room.
"Your highness, princess Celestia is not in her room. I looked all over the castle but I couldn't find her anywhere."
Solaris and her husband took off out of the room and through the castle. The two ran with incredible speed that the unicorn mare was having trouble trying to keep up. They burst through Celestia's bedroom door and look about the room for her. "Dear maybe we should ask Lunar if he has seen her." The stallion nodded his head and the two of them galloped down the hall and opened Lunar's bedroom door, only to be met with a sigh that brought smiles to their faces.
Upon the floor, their daughter lay curled up, Lunar was laying beside her and had his head over her neck and a wing covering her. The three ponies silently watch the sigh as the two of them slept peacefully. "She must have come to check on him during the night."
"Didn't seem like she wanted to leave him from the looks of it. Maybe we should just let them sleep for a while longer." Evening Star nodded his head and they filed out and closed the door softly behind them.