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

Chapter Five

Weeks Later

        Luna had been flying for weeks when she finally spotted it. The glowing light on the ground, brighter than the stars in the sky. She swooped swiftly to the ground. There she saw a cavern under the ground, and the glow came from inside. Luna flew down to the source of the light, and saw something so beautiful she forgot all of the anger she had felt for just a few moments as she stared.

          It was a glowing crystal tree, with beautiful hanging crystals and a giant star in the center. On each of the five main branches were crystals. One dark purple, one blue, one red, one orange, and one light pink. Luna stared at each the crystals in turn. Each held a meaning Luna felt, but did not truly understand. The raw magic in the cavern was enough to destroy even her, but Luna felt no fear. The cave had a good aura about it, and it coursed through Luna's soul like electricity.

         Suddenly, Luna felt the presence of another in the cave. Slowly, Luna turned around. Breathing a sigh of relief, Luna recognized the now tall figure.

        "Tia," Luna whispered with a cautious smile. "It's been awhile."

         Celestia said nothing, only rushed into Luna's embrace. She cried, for she had missed Luna more than she had ever known possible. Luna cried, for she felt the same. They just hugged for a long time, until dawn came. Luna watched as Celestia raised the sun, then she told Celestia of the village she had seen.

         "That beast must be stopped," Celestia responded in horror. Luna nodded.

         "I believe the raw magic in this cave is strong enough to destroy him and save the ponies," Luna told Celestia. Celestia nodded.

         "Look," Celestia told Luna, pointing at the ground. Luna followed her gaze.

         On the ground where Celestia had pointed was a piece of parchment. Luna picked it up and began to read the inscription. 

        "Dear finders of this tree: You have stumbled upon what is easily the most powerful magic in all of the lands. Be careful with it, for it only works for the worthy. What you have found are the Elements of Harmony, a powerful set of magical objects that work through the magic of a strong emotional bond. No one pony can wield them alone. The elements you see in the tree are Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty, Honesty, and Kindness. These elements, while powerful, are only the smaller parts of the whole. There is a sixth element within the tree, and only it can work on its own and be used by one wielder. It is the element of Magic, and its power is what powers both the tree and the other elements. The others can be used by any friend of the wielder of magic that possesses the quality it refers to, but Magic must be wielded by a powerful magic user. One day, there will come a magic user so powerful that their cutie mark will resemble that of the element itself. The other elements will begin to shape themselves to fit the cutie marks of the magic wielder's friends. Only when this happens will you finally have the true masters of the elements of harmony. I trust you, finders of the tree, to make sure that the Master of Magic comes to understand the true power of their magic. Good luck."

        Luna finished reading, and she stared at Celestia, whose eyes were wide with shock.

          "We must protect these elements," Celestia said. Luna agreed wholeheartedly.

           "Then let us take them to save the ponies," Luna declared. Celestia nodded.

             Celestia's eyes softened as she looked at Luna. "I'm glad that we're back together," she whispered kindly.

             "Me too," Luna whispered. "We should always be on the same team."