Intra In Nocte (The Night Inside: A Luna Story)

Chapter Two

One Year Later

        "Luna, are you sure you don't want my help?" Celestia asked.

        "Tia, I can do it myself!" Luna proclaimed stubbornly. 

         Celestia laughed. "Okay, okay," she said with a smile. "But I'll stand with you, just in case."

        Luna gave a small smile. Then she fluttered her tiny wings, and started to try and use her magic to raise the moon. She gritted her teeth, and pushed against what felt like an invisible boundary. Luna felt a surge of power within her, and immediately fear gripped her mind. She had realized quickly that the magic that had taken hold of her that night was not good magic, and she had tried to suppress the power and the hatred that came with it. 

        Luna felt the boundary she had fought break, and the moon pushed to its peak in the sky. Luna released her magical grip on it, and fell to the grassy ground, exhausted. Celestia was quick to catch her with magic of her own.

        "Did I do it?" Luna asked, nervous that she had failed. Celestia merely smiled, nodded, and pointed to Luna's flank. Luna stared at her flank, and saw the moon shaped mark there on top of her dark patch.  Happiness took hold of Luna, and she skipped around the meadow. Celestia's smile grew wider.

        "You did it, Luna," she told her. "You raised the moon, and you got your cutie mark."

        Luna looked up at her. Celestia's eyes were full of pride. "Thank you for showing me how, Tia," Luna whispered. "I love you."

       "I love you too," Celestia responded. "Come, let's go show Mother and Father!" she exclaimed happily. Luna's face fell for a moment, then she put on a fake smile and nodded. Truthfully, Luna didn't want to show Father. Luna could no longer bear to be around Father the same way, she was too angry at him for the way he had treated Celestia. She still loved him, but she was also now a bit scared of him as well. Hesitantly, Luna followed Celestia into the house.

       When they entered the house, mother immediately saw it. She ran over to Luna and nuzzled her happily. Luna smiled. At least Mother was good to her. 

        Father was sitting in the kitchen by himself, reading. Celestia cleared her throat quietly, and looked at Luna.

         "Father," Tia began, "Luna got her cutie mark!" She tried to sound excited, but it was obvious she was just as uncomfortable as Luna was.

        Father looked over at Luna, and the expression on his face was as if he was waiting for the punchline of a joke. When he saw it, his expression changed to confusion, then he quickly masked it with pride. He rushed to congratulate Luna, but she could feel the hollowness and meaninglessness of the words he spoke. Luna looked at Celestia, and she could tell she could sense it too. Luna's heart sank. What had she done wrong?