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Moonlight, Veiled - Book 2

By horsa
Created: 2021-12-27 00:12:23
Updated: 2022-11-08 02:26:36
Expiry: Never
anonlunasafedramaprincess luna/moon/

  1. -CHAPTER II-
  2.  
  3. >You're massaging your eye sockets wearily in a vain attempt to rub the last remnants of morning's drowsiness away.
  4. >The golden rays of the early morning's sun are streaming into your small study room of within palace archives and alighting upon your earthenware mug, half-full of rapidly cooling coffee.
  5. >"And you see, Sir, I've drawn the conclusion that the economic declines during the Griffon Wars were chiefly due to the loss of Appleloosa's supplies to the capital, which was in turn caused by the breaking of the Pony-Buffalo alliance 5 years prior in response to the looming threat of..."
  6. >Ink Blot was filling you in on the details of his latest economic report, which was tasked to the both of you by the Minister of Finance.
  7. >Apparently, he needed some historically-grounded excuse to levy the taxes he needed, and it was left in the realm of your obligations to the court to accommodate him.
  8. >Happily enough, it was a fantastic excuse to leverage your young assistant's help, and a great device to stretch his academic muscles.
  9. >That didn't make the retelling of the report any less dry, unfortunately.
  10. >You take another sip of coffee, and listen slightly more closely to the report of your compatriot.
  11. >Of course, you've read the histories of the nation's recent financial woes, and boned up on your rudimentary economics.
  12. >And as such, you knew damned well the cause of the economic deprivation of the Griffon Wars was chiefly caused by the relatively small Equestrian military simply being overtaxed by prolonged combat.
  13. >Moreover, the incapacity of the Equestrian industrial sector to maintain fighting strength while simultaneously drawing manpower (horsepower?) from the relatively rich rural farmlands of the Ponyville region spelled certain doom for the Canterlot coffers.
  14. >This whole Appleloosa nonsense was a drop in the bucket at the very worst, but you couldn't fault Ink Blot for trying.
  15.  
  16. >Just as you can tell he's about to dive into an exhaustive thesis on the wartime prices of apples, you decide to cut him off.
  17. >Patiently, you explain to your student the complex nature of the Equestrian taxation system, the impact Appleloosa's apple supplies had on Equestria's economic theatre both pre- and post-colonization, and, in short, lecture him on the reality of the situation.
  18. >Happily, he's an able and apt study, and listens carefully to your every word.
  19. >You're impressed, and you suprise yourself with the realization.
  20. >Ink Blot had shown himself, up until this point, to be overeager and enthusiastic to a fault.
  21. >While you'd consider that the downfall of someone who had dedicated themselves to study, the young colt had demonstrated multiple times that he had a patient and attentive head on his shoulders.
  22. >After your explanation, he's quiet for a moment.
  23. >He scratches his chin speculatively, furrowing his brow in concentration.
  24. >"Sir Anonymous?"
  25. "Hmm?"
  26. >"If the Griffon War was so costly, how did we not get conquered? Surely the Griffon Kingdom should be ruling over us, if all of what you said was true."
  27. >You nod sagely, enjoying the heady feel of possessing knowledge the young colt lacked.
  28. "Quite so. Canterlot was forced to settle, as it so happens."
  29. >"Really? But the Grand Princess..."
  30. "The Grand Princess was powerless to refuse the Griffon's demands, I'm afraid. All the land surrounding Horseshoe Bay, including the Haysead Swamps and Baltimare, were surrendered."
  31.  
  32. >Ink blot slumps in his chair, a crestfallen expression falling upon his face.
  33. >"But... I thought the Grand Princess couldn't be defeated! That she'd protect all of her subjects, no matter what..."
  34. >You're not quite sure what to think of that.
  35. >It's true that most Equestrians looked up to Luna as some kind of protective, avenging god, rather than as just a princess.
  36. >At least, that's what you've been lead to believe by what you've heard from the ponies around you, as well as many an old account and record.
  37. >The reality of the situation was much more nuanced, of course, but you're at a loss on how to break that information to the colt beside you.
  38. "Don't worry, Blot. I'm sure the Princess only did what was best for everyone."
  39. >That doesn't seem to cheer him up very much, and he looks away from you pensively.
  40. >After a long silence, you cough, and stack your myriad papers up before you.
  41. "Listen, why don't you take what I've told you along with these notes here, and review your thesis. Write me up a properly sourced report as well-done as your last one, and you can take the rest of the week off, eh?"
  42. >That seems to cheer him up a little bit.
  43. >Snapping out of his reverie, he nods enthusiastically and thanks you, before running off to his own study room with the notes suspended haphazardly in his aura.
  44. >You chuckle to yourself at the sight, shaking your head at his youthful energy, before reclining into your chair with a contented sigh.
  45. >Smiling to yourself, you take a long swig of your coffee.
  46. >It was cold.
  47.  
  48. >You're not left with much time to enjoy your morning, however, before you're interrupted by a knock on your study door.
  49. "Come in!"
  50. >The door opens with a sharp creak, revealing the figure of one of Luna's Night Guards in the doorway.
  51. >You're taken aback; you hadn't had any reason to expect a visit from one of them.
  52. >Not any reason that you knew of, anyways.
  53. "May I help you?"
  54. >"Sir Anonymous, your presence is requested in the Grand Princess Luna's study as soon as you are able."
  55. "Of course! You can tell the Princess that I'll be up immediately."
  56. >"Do you require a guard, Sir?"
  57. >You're already bustling about your room, throwing on your cloak and gathering up your supplies, some choice books, and pipe in your bag"
  58. "No, no, that's quite alright. You go on ahead, I'll be there before you know it."
  59. >"Very well. I take my leave, Sir Anonymous."
  60. >Very formally, as usual, the guard bows before leaving the study.
  61. >In just under a minute, you've gathered up everything you need, and head out as well.
  62.  
  63. >Once again, you find yourself walking the familiar path to Luna's wing of the castle.
  64. >You pass by the occasional pony going about their business on your way up, but overall the halls are near empty.
  65. >It was, after all, rather early in the morning, so you weren't terribly surprised.
  66. >The ponies that do stop and greet you, however, do so with more warmth and familiarity than what you'd grown used to over the last few months.
  67. >It seemed like being appointed to office in front of the court legitimized you in more ways than just one, and the ponies of Canterlot had begun to readily accept you as one of them.
  68. >You reach the great oaken doors of the Royal wing, and are promptly allowed inside by the ever-present night guards, who were clearly expecting you.
  69. >And, once more, the colourful wing of the castle welcomes you with open arms.
  70. >You never fail to be impressed by the beauty of the morning sun hitting the stained glass in the walls, and you smile jovially at the thought of spending time with the Princess again.
  71. >The night guard that summoned you is stationed by the door to the study, and nods his head in acknowledgement at your approach.
  72. >"The Grand Princess awaits within, Sir Anonymous."
  73. >You offer a nod and a word of thanks, and open the study door.
  74.  
  75. >Inside, you're met with the familiar scene of Luna's study.
  76. >Bookshelves, desk, chairs, and decorations placed just as they were when you were here last.
  77. >Laying peacefully in repose on her lounge chair is Princess Luna, reading glasses propped up on her muzzle, going over a particular burgundy-covered book held in her aura.
  78. "Luna, you summoned me?"
  79. >"Yes, yes. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable. Close the door behind you."
  80. >You do as she says, and set yourself up in an armchair beside her.
  81. >With a small sigh, Luna closes her book, after placing a small red ribbon in it to mark her spot.
  82. >She sets it on a table beside the lounge chair, and you can see that it's the same book you noticed on her desk, when you were last here with ink blot.
  83. >"Would you like anything? We have had biscuits, tea, and coffee prepared for thy presence."
  84. "Oh, some tea sounds excellent, if you please."
  85. >She nods happily, and floats over a tray from her desk on to the small table, right beside her book.
  86. >It's arrayed with an impressive collection of biscuits and snacks, a tea and coffee pot, and delicate-looking silver receptacles of cream and sugar.
  87. >Quite the setup, you think, before you remind yourself that you're in the presence of royalty.
  88. >You get started on preparing a small cup of earl grey, while Luna looks on demurely.
  89. >After you've finished with your tea (which, as you immediately find out, is delicious), Luna makes herself a glass as well.
  90. >"When We were just a filly, We would always arrange tea parties with our sister. It occurred to Us, just this morning, that We haven't had one for more moons than We can remember."
  91.  
  92. >She stirs her tea with a finely engraved silver spoon, and looks down into the swirling brown liquid thoughtfully.
  93. >"It's most odd. As time goes by, We've found that our memories start to fade. Why, We can barely remember what We had for dinner last evening, but the memories of spending golden afternoons with Our sister are made brighter and clearer with each passing day."
  94. >She sips her tea with a carefully practised elegance, and looks towards the window, her expression clouded in reminiscence.
  95. "Is that why you've asked me to be here? To talk about your sister?"
  96. >Luna's expression darkens, slightly.
  97. >"Yes, We suppose so."
  98. >You think back on what you know about the history of Equestria in the time period surrounding Celestia's disappearance.
  99. >All that any book that could be found would say is that, after a long golden age of Celestia's supremacy over Equestria, she had simply ceased to be.
  100. >So far as the historical record could be concerned, one day there were 4 princesses, and the next there was one.
  101. >It was baffling, and you've been hoping for the longest time that Luna would choose to shed some insight on the matter.
  102. >Looking at her expression, though, you could see that it was an extremely sensitive subject to her, to say the least.
  103. >In fact, you were starting to think that your question may have been a severe overstepping of your bounds.
  104. >You keep your silence, sipping at your tea and watching Luna carefully.
  105. >She's furrowed her brow sternly, and looking at the book beside her with a piercing gaze.
  106. >A moment later, however, her expression lightens again, and she gives a small, bitter laugh.
  107.  
  108. >"No, no, it has been far too long. What happened needs to be told, and the time to tell it is trickling away, day by day."
  109. >She turns to you, the smallest tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
  110. >"You will hear through my tale, We hope?"
  111. >Sighing with relief internally, you nod.
  112. "Of course, Luna."
  113. >"Very well."
  114. >She lifts up her glasses, and raises a small napkin to dab at her eyes.
  115. >She lets out a sharp, weary-sounding breath, and looks at you, renewed confidence filling her features.
  116. >"We trust you've brought your tools for writing?"
  117. "Naturally. I never leave my room without them."
  118. >She chuckles.
  119. >"Ever the faithful scholar, Sir Anonymous. Now, before we begin this project of ours, I'm afraid I must make a request."
  120. "You have but to name it, Your Highness."
  121. >"Whatever We tell you, and whatever you've chosen to record, must remain a secret, until We give you leave to publish it."
  122. >She looks at you, and behind her milky-blue eyes, you can read the fierce sternness in her words.
  123. >"What transpires in this room remains solely between you and Us, with no exceptions. Do you understand?"
  124. "On my honour, Luna, I swear that it will be so."
  125. >She looks deep into your eyes, before smiling once again, and nodding in satisfaction.
  126. >"Very well. Now... Where to begin?"
  127.  
  128. >A long moment of silence stretches on between the two of you, as you each work your way into your tea and biscuits.
  129. >Luna nibbles at a baked treat, her brow furrowed in concentration as she paces around the room.
  130. >Eventually, she stops mid-stride, gives a sharp, affirming nod to no-one in particular, and walks back towards her chaise lounge.
  131. >She curls herself up in it comfortably, and looks at you.
  132. >"Come, Anonymous, would you care to join us on Our seat?"
  133. "I can write far better from where I am, Princess."
  134. >Honestly, you still weren't sure you were comfortable being physically close with the Princess, but she just laughs away your doubts.
  135. >"Don't be so shy, good Anonymous. We won't bite, and We find your presence comforting. Humour Us."
  136. >You shake your head in mock exasperation, secretly grateful for the Princess' insistence.
  137. "Very well, as you wish."
  138. >Luna clops her hooves together in a dainty applause, and you take your seat by her head.
  139. >She scoots closer to your side, curling herself up once more, and resting her wither against your side.
  140. >Once she's made herself comfortable (and you incredibly less so), she looks up at you with a reassuring smile.
  141. >"Art thou ready?"
  142.  
  143. "Aye, Luna."
  144. >"Very well."
  145. >She hovers her tea towards her, and takes a small, thoughtful sip.
  146. >"We would assume the first question you and many others would ask is what happened to Our dear Sister?"
  147. "I think that's a fair assumption."
  148. >"Unfortunately, We're afraid We are unable to give you the answer you seek."
  149. >Some of your disappointment must have shown on your face, because Luna quickly shakes her head apologetically.
  150. >"Not immediately, at the very least. Not with any kind of clarity, and, we fear, perhaps not as satisfactorily as you may wish."
  151. >"We may only state that you must trust Us, for now. Perhaps, with time and care, you may at least come to an understanding."
  152. "Very well, Princess. You have my trust, as always."
  153. >"You're very kind. No, We're afraid that Our tale must start very, very deep in the depths of the murky past."
  154. >She takes a moment to collect herself, casting her memory far into the sands of the past, forgotten to perhaps all but her.
  155. >"I feel it may be most fitting to start with the young Princess, Twilight Sparkle."
  156.  
  157. >"We assume you're familiar with Twilight's ascension, sir Anonymous?"
  158. "I am, actually. Nothing like it had ever happened before, hadn't it?"
  159. >"Quite. You see, Twilight Sparkle was the first Alicorn to be raised from one of the common folk. An idea of Our sister's, actually. She was always the generous one."
  160. >Her last words trail off quietly, and her eyes momentarily turn downcast.
  161. >You put an arm around her withers, and massage beneath her mane reassuringly, to which she responds with a barely audible sound of appreciation.
  162. >"At any rate, Twilight was the first Alicorn raised artificially, through magic. Others, such as the Princess Cadence, were natural born, though not as great in power as Our sister and Us."
  163. >"Now, as you may well be aware, Alicorns such as Us have an incredible lifespan. Indeed, it was unknown to Us whether or not it were possible for our kind to die."
  164. "Was?"
  165. >Luna grimaces.
  166. >"We thought we couldn’t. Death was a mystery which had always eluded Our sister and I. Though the world changed around us, generations passing us by in mere moments of Our thought, we remained as unchanging as the course of the heavens.”
  167. >You held your eyes on her as she spoke, taking in her clouded eyes and her greying, pale mane. Early illustrations had described her radiance and brightness, the sparkle of the stars in her hair glimmering like diamonds.
  168. >Now, her mane more closely resembled the faint glimmer of a distant nebula, the stars shrouded by the distance of the cosmos galaxies away.
  169. >”Tell Us, do you know what young Twilight Sparkle was the Princess of?"
  170. >You think on that for a moment. Historical descriptions of Twilight were relatively uncommon, her presence in the annals brief by comparison to Celestia and Luna.
  171. "It was Magic, right? Or Friendship? The histories I’ve seen tend to confuse the two."
  172. >"Ah, but the two are one and the same, Sir Anonymous."
  173.  
  174. >"The gift of years, powers, and station far above that of her friends would prove to be the undoing of our young Princess."
  175. >"You see, her friends were still very much the subjects of the flow of time which she had escaped. Eventually, as all mortals must, they passed on."
  176. >Luna paused for a moment here, taking a thoughtful sip of her tea. You do the same.
  177. >Whether by some magic imbued in the cup, or because not as much time had passed as you had thought, the tea was still pleasantly hot.
  178. >”Have you ever outlived someone you loved, Anonymous?”
  179. >The question takes you somewhat by surprise.
  180. >Though you weren’t particularly young, you weren’t old, and had found yourself in Equestria well before death had touched your life back on Earth.
  181. “Just a pet, once. My family’s dog, when I was... around 6 or 7, I think.
  182. >Luna nods, closing her eyes thoughtfully.
  183. >”My condolences, Anon.”
  184. “It’s okay, it was so long ago, I barely remember.”
  185. >The words seem callous coming out of your mouth, but they were honest.
  186. >”And that’s the thing, isn’t it? A dear friend passes from your life, and you carry the weight of their memory with you. As you grow, you age, you find new love, new friends, and that weight seems less over time. Not because the pain is any less, but because your capacity for pain grows as you do.”
  187.  
  188. >“Imagine, Anonymous, that this was not so. Imagine that you cannot age, that you find yourself eternal, an unchanging rock set against the firmament as the river of time washes about you.”
  189. >“Every pain, every wound to your heart as fresh a hundred years later as it was the day you took it.”
  190. >She stops again, here. The final syllable seemed to catch in her throat as she spoke it.
  191. >You set your hand on her flank in what you can only hope is a reassuring fashion, but in that moment, she seems as unapproachable as a star light years away.
  192. >Compared to her, with the long pain of eternity born on her weary and ancient heart, what are you?
  193. >Here, on this small couch, you suddenly feel like a child, insignificant and shallow.
  194. >"Princess Twilight bore her burden as best she could. Though she loved her friends more dearly than perhaps Celestia and I could ever know, she bore their memories into her reign as Princess of Friendship with grace."
  195. >”She taught the art of the magic of friendship, and gave the love of her friends to many a generation of young pony to succour them in their need.”
  196. >”In hindsight, what Our sister had done to her was cruel. To live beyond the years of her friends, to pass on to others what she had lost over and over again over the long years.”
  197. >Luna closed her eyes, and a small trickle of tears trailed their way down her cheek in silent sorrow.
  198. >"Eventually, she died. It seemed natural, peaceful, and graceful in age, but her heart simply could not bear the weight that was being asked of it."
  199.  
  200. >A heavy silence falls about the room.
  201. >From within her study, the sounds of the castle are faint, dimmed by stone and cloth.
  202. >In the space following the end of her reverie, Luna delicately finishes her tea, carrying it to her muzzle in her azure aura.
  203. >You finish yours as well, more to busy your hands than because you were keen for the drink.
  204. >Tears start to well up in your eyes, and tending to your cup gives you an excuse to avert your gaze from the Princess while you collect yourself.
  205. >The silence persists uneasily, broken by the occasional chirp of birdsong from far outside the study windows.
  206. >Luna sighs heavily, and turns towards you again.
  207. >”We’re sorry to burden you with such a weighty memory, good sir.”
  208. >You give her what you hope is a reassuring smile, and place your hand on her withers in an attempt at comfort.
  209. “Please Luna, don’t be. Like I said in the garden, it helps to get these sorts of things off your chest.”
  210. >Luna smiles sadly and leans into your hand, resting her neck against your arm.
  211. >”More than that, Anonymous, it’s just as important that you begin to understand Our history. Remember that.”
  212. >You’re not entirely sure what she means by that, but give a quiet word of reassurance as you stroke her mane.
  213. >"That should be enough for today, however. Let’s bring ourselves back to happier matters, and have some more tea.”
  214. >Some time passes in warm spirits between you and the princess, idle conversation occupying the hours you sit by each other’s side as the afternoon wears away.
  215. >Before you realize it, the sun had started to set in the window, and was casting its final dusky glow across the silver platter, emptied of treats and tea by the two of you.
  216. >Though the ghosts of memory still hung thick in the air between you, you felt contented.
  217. >By appearances Luna was as well, though you couldn’t quite stop thinking on what she had told you about the Princess of Friendship.
  218. “Thank you for today, Luna.
  219. >Luna closes her eyes and leans her head on your shoulder.
  220. >"No, Anonymous, thank you. Too long has the burden of this tale rested upon Our shoulders alone. It is well, that We can trust you with it as well."
  221. >You stroke beneath her mane in gratitude, eliciting a contended sigh from the elderly horse.
  222. "My pleasure, Luna."
  223.  
  224. >On the way down to the archives, your stomach grumbles voraciously.
  225. >You realize that you hadn’t had a proper supper, and still had a whole evening of work ahead of you.
  226. >Luckily, with that thought in mind, you come across one of the palace maids in the hallway ahead of you, just short of the archives.
  227. "Excuse me, madame?"
  228. >She turns to face you, and on recognizing you, both nervously and formally bows.
  229. >"Sir Anonymous, yes?"
  230. "If I could bother you for a moment, me and my my companion in the archives would like some dinner brought to us, at your earliest convenience.”
  231. >She bows again, lifting up the grey hem of her skirt in her hoof daintily.
  232. >"Right away, m'lord."
  233. >You thank her, and set back out for the archives, smiling to yourself.
  234. >There were definitely some benefits to the trappings of authority, and palace-wide room service was one of your favourites.
  235. >You make it to the archives in short order, and are greeted by the familiar, cozy scene of the massive oaken shelves filled with voluminous tomes and scrolls from floor to ceiling.
  236. >You walk through the stacks on a roundabout route to your study, taking in the sights of the old stone walls, thick wall-hung carpets and rugs, and brassy antiquated lamps.
  237. >On the way back to your study, you pass Ink Blot's alcove.
  238. >The young colt had set up his personal study in a distant corner of the archive, home to a small table, lamp, and a ratty, weathered old armchair.
  239. >It was a bit worn out in a matter similar to the rest of the archives, but he seemed to enjoy it.
  240. >You think that, previous to his employment with you, he had spent a fair bit of time on his own here.
  241. >You pass by the alcove, and see that Ink Blot is actually asleep, splayed out in his chair with his cheek rested on top of a stack of papers.
  242. >Careful not to wake him, you sneak by his side to investigate the writing he's sleeping on.
  243. >A puddle of drool is smudging the ink around his face, but you can make out that it's a rewritten draft of the report you'd been working on with him that morning.
  244. >Judging by the amount he had written, he must have been working himself to the bone in your absence.
  245. >Touched, you grab a woven throw that's resting on the chair's backrest, and throw it over him in a jury-rigged imitation of a real blanket.
  246. >You'll wake him up when the food gets here.
  247.  
  248. >You get to your study, and after making yourself comfortable, you retrieve some writing materials and get to work transcribing and taking notes on what Luna told you.
  249. >You're done before too long, and take pains to keep the notes locked away as safely as you can.
  250. >Note-taking is necessary for your work for accuracy's sake, but due to your promise not to reveal what she's told you to anyone, you had a need now more than ever to tend to your security.
  251. >Happily, the study had been fitted with a hidden lock-box behind a bookshelf, and now you finally had a use for it.
  252. >Happy in their concealment and safety, you allow yourself to rest with your pipe and reflect on the day, anticipating the coming meal.
  253. >Happily, it arrives fairly soon.
  254. >You hear a knock on the door, and open it to reveal a two maid ponies, each bearing a tray laden with food.
  255. >Two servings each of soup, some warm bread and fresh greens, and a generous amount of butter.
  256. >And one serving of ice cream.
  257. >You clear up some room on your desk for the food, and direct the maids to set the trays down.
  258. >As they enter the room, you notice you recognize one of them.
  259. "Ah, Miss Tea Leaves, how's it been?"
  260.  
  261. >Since your ascension to title, you'd been moved into a palace room more suited to your station, and with that, assigned a new housemaid.
  262. >As such, you haven't seen Tea Leaves for over a month, at least.
  263. >"O-oh, good, Mr. A- I mean, Sir Anon. M'lord."
  264. >She's as nervous as ever.
  265. "Don't worry about the titles, Leaves. I'm not used to them either."
  266. >Your attempts to alleviate her nerves elicits the rare treat of the smallest of smiles from her.
  267. >In short order, they've got the food set up on your desk, and make to depart.
  268. >Before she leaves, you try to get Tea Leave's attention.
  269. "Hey, Leaves? Thanks for remembering about the dessert thing."
  270. >"Oh, n-no problem, Mr. Anon. We heard you asked for some food, a-and..."
  271. >She trails off, and you decide it'd be best to just finish up the conversation for her.
  272. "Much appreciated. Come back and visit any time, okay?"
  273. >She nods, and departs with her maid companion.
  274.  
  275. >With that out of the way, and with your table laden with a delicious-looking and rapidly cooling spread, you hurry to go get Ink Blot.
  276. >He's just where you left him, the chair's throw still draped around his body, and the puddle of drool on his papers slightly increased in size.
  277. >Hesitantly, you approach him, and prod him a few times in the head to get him awake.
  278. >"B-buh?"
  279. >He raises his head rapidly, startled out of his sleep and blearily trying to recollect himself.
  280. >After blinking rapidly a few times and shaking his head clear of sleep, he realizes that you're standing in front of him, and quickly attempts to compose himself.
  281. >He clears his throat awkwardly, and grabs up his papers in his aura, tapping them against the table to get them neatly stacked.
  282. >"Sir Anonymous, terribly sorry, I must have dozed off for a second there. Do you need anything of me?"
  283. "No, not at all. I've just got some lunch delivered, and I figured you'd appreciate getting at it before it went cold."
  284. >At that, his stomach gives an audible grumble, and he smiles somewhat abashedly.
  285. >"That'd be excellent. I think I may have forgotten to have breakfast this morning..."
  286. "You've got to look after yourself, Ink Blot. You're no use to me starving, you know."
  287. >"I know, sir."
  288. >From the way he's acting, it seems like he's preparing himself for some kind of serious reprimand.
  289. >He gets out of his chair, and you pat him on the back companionably.
  290. "Don't get your stirrups in a twist over it, Blot. C'mon, let's eat."
  291.  
  292. >You and Ink blot have all but polished off the soup and greens, and he's nibbling at his ice cream while you lounge and munch at the remnants of your bread.
  293. >It's some kind of red-laced sourdough, and it's delicious.
  294. >You've got to hand it to the palace kitchens, they make some excellent fare, especially with the constraints they seem to operate under.
  295. >"Hey, Sir Anon-"
  296. >Ink Blot takes a moment to take a bite of ice cream.
  297. >"Why don't you ever get some desserts when we get food? You always give me yours when you get some."
  298. >You munch contemplatively on your bread while you think of an answer.
  299. >Of course, he was just a young colt, not being ill over sweets is probably a completely foreign notion to him.
  300. "I suppose I just don't like them. Too much sugar sits ill on an old palate, you know?"
  301. >He raises an inquisitive eyebrow.
  302. >"Too sweet? Anon, you're crazy."
  303. >You chuckle.
  304. >Normally, Ink Blot was incredibly formal and polite; it was nice to see him talk to you in a more familiar manner.
  305. "No, it's true. Once you've gone without sugars for a while, it's very hard going back. Fruit, wine, tea and biscuits are all the sweets I need."
  306. >"Well, if you say so. More for me, I guess."
  307.  
  308. >After the two of you have finished, you both lay back in your chairs in contentment, basking in the afterglow of a good meal.
  309. >Of course, it's not to last, and you both know there's work to be done before the day is over.
  310. >Eventually, you straighten up in your chair with a groan, and Ink Blot follows suit.
  311. "So, what have you got planned for the evening?"
  312. >Ink Blot scratches his chin contemplatively for a second.
  313. >"Well, I suppose I was going to work on that report we were working on this morning, and then... Sleep, I guess?"
  314. >You furrow your brows at that.
  315. >Ink Blot was just a kid, and though he was incredibly talented and hardworking at what he did, you couldn't help but wonder why he didn't do more... Well, kid stuff.
  316. "You don't do anything for fun?"
  317. >"Well, I do read some books sometimes. There's some Daring Do classics I've been reading, and..."
  318. "You don't play with the other fillies and colts?"
  319. >Ink Blot visibly becomes awkward at the question, looking down at and shuffling his hooves.
  320. >"Well, I don't really know anyone else..."
  321. >You think back to when you've seen him before, and realize that you can't remember ever seeing him outside of the archives.
  322. >He's uncomfortably averting his eyes, and you lay a hand on his head, hoping to alleviate the tension a little bit.
  323. "Hey, don't worry about. Just take it easy, okay?"
  324. >"Okay Anon, I will."
  325. >As the topic of his social alienation sits in your mind, you think back on what Luna had said about the Princess of Friendship earlier today, what Twilight could have done for Ink Blot.
  326. >Of course, there had been no Princess of Friendship for years without count, with only the ghost of her memory haunting the cold fastness of a Canterlot that had long since forgotten her.
  327.  
  328. -CHAPTER III-
  329.  
  330. >Time in Canterlot had seemed to pass you by more and more quickly as you settled into the comfortable rhythm of your title’s duties.
  331. >The minutiae of tending to the needs of the royal archives kept you more than occupied, and the long, dark winter months passed more quickly than you’d realized .
  332. >Ink Blot had grown into a capable academic under your tutelage, and his help tending to the organization of the noble’s requests had quickly become indispensable.
  333. >On this chilly evening, you’d found yourself working long into the night on a particularly burdensome report, whose completion seemed to elude you with frustrating consistency.
  334. >You arch your back, loudly and violently cracking the knots you've accumulated over yet another day hunched over your candlelit desk.
  335. >Laying down your quill, you survey your workspace, taking in the damage.
  336. >Several broken and scattered quills lay about the desk's surface, atop piles of paper, scrolls, and among various pots of ink and other refuse.
  337. >It's a right mess, but at the centre of it all, is another immaculately written, impeccably sourced, and incredibly tidy essay.
  338. >It's a synthesis on the economic decline of Equestria, and you can only hope it's addition to the archives will be (at the very least) informative to the nobles and court scholars.
  339. >To say the least, you're proud of it.
  340. >As you very well should be; you've spent too many long nights working on the thing.
  341. >For a short while, you simply lay back in your chair, content to stretch out, and think of nothing in particular with a self-satisfied smile on your face.
  342. >You're knocked out of your inattention, however, by the guttering sputter of your faithful candle on the desktop.
  343. >You could swear you'd replaced it just a few hours ago.
  344. >Looking at your small, magical desktop clock, you observed that it had long past left behind the hour of your usual sleeping schedule, and was closer to the dawn than not.
  345. >With the satisfaction of an onerous project behind you, and fatigue still a distant thought, you think a celebration is in order.
  346.  
  347. >You look out your window, and note the moon hanging low and bright in the late midnight sky.
  348. >You couldn’t be sure why, but you were inexplicably certain that you’d be able to find Luna tonight.
  349. >You retrieve a particularly old bottle of wine you'd gotten as a gift from a noble courtier some time ago from within your desk, and place it carefully in your sack with some stoneware cups.
  350. >You were told it was a particularly fine vintage, and the thought of sharing it with the Princess buoyed your spirits.
  351. >You’d seen her in passing over the months since your last rendezvous in her study.
  352. >Both of you had been too busy for a prolonged meeting recently, though, and she hadn’t summoned you for another session of her personal historiography since sharing the memories of Twilight.
  353. >Your gear assembled, you quickly make sure you were presentable for the evening in a nearby mirror.
  354. >The late nights of work had left you a bit more ragged than you were used to looking, but you do what you can to make yourself presentable before setting off.
  355. >You leave the silent comfort of the study, and make your way into the long, sombre hallways of the moonlit palace.
  356. >Your footsteps echo loudly in the vast silence of the ancient stones, interrupted only very rarely by the occasional muffled clip-clop of the palace housekeepers.
  357. >A chill breeze blows under the great stone archways, fed by the numinous cracks in the stained-glass windows.
  358. >The chill and draft only increase as you get closer to your destination, eventually growing cold enough to force you to wrap your cloak tightly around your body as you continue your journey.
  359. >The stones are cracked with age and overgrown in sections with moss and ivy.
  360. >In this familiar wing of the castle, underuse has eaten away at the proud stones, and flora has grown inside the walls where holes and cracks have been allowed to rest untended.
  361.  
  362. >Before long, you find yourself before a familiar door.
  363. >The ancient oak and iron feel smooth under your touch, and the hinges swing open noiselessly at a gentle push of weathered handle.
  364. >Before you is Luna’s midnight garden, fragrant and peaceful as when you first laid eyes on it.
  365. >The winter chill of the hallway is suddenly banished behind you as you cross the threshold, the draft kept out of Luna’s sanctum by some unseen magic.
  366. >As you leisurely stroll into the garden, you remove your thick woolen layers and take the time to appreciate the beauty of Luna’s midnight craft.
  367. >Fireflies light the path before you, casting their flittering light on the lavender bushes flanking the central path.
  368. >Free from the winter frost, the ancient stone fountain in the central courtyard splashes playfully, sparkling clear water reflecting the silvery lances of moonlight filtering through the leafy canopy.
  369. >At the far end of the garden, laying in repose against the balustrade, is the Grand Princess Luna
  370. >Somehow, you’d known with absolute certainty that you’d find her here, though you couldn’t explain how.
  371. >You approach her wordlessly, taking in the regal silhouette of her relaxed frame cast against the brightness of the full moon.
  372. >She seemed lost in thought, the grey of her eyes cast out across the expanse of the kingdom stretching out in the darkness before her.
  373. >You knew her eyesight didn’t allow her to see far beyond the confines of the palace hall, but it seemed to you that her memory illustrated the landscape before her clearer than the sun ever could for you.
  374.  
  375. >As you approach, Luna speaks softly into the silence.
  376. > “Welcome, Sir Anonymous. Wouldst thou share this night with us?”
  377. >She seemed as unsurprised to find you here as you were to find her, and you thought that perhaps she had summoned you to her unspoken.
  378. “Of course, Luna. I was hoping to find you here, in fact.”
  379. >As you make your way to her side, you retrieve the bottle and cups from your bag, and gesture enticingly with them towards the princess.
  380. “I’ve just finished with some work weeks in the making, and thought I’d find some company to celebrate with.”
  381. >Without moving, Luna takes the bottle from your hand in her aura, and levels it with her eyes inquisitively.
  382. > “Quite the vintage, Anonymous.”
  383. >You take a seat beside her, setting your back as comfortably against the stone balustrade as you can.
  384. “So I was told; truthfully, I would have made a poor sommelier.”
  385. >Still holding the bottle, Luna draws the cork from its neck with a satisfying pop, and fills the cups with practised elegance.
  386. > “Then we shall have to judge it for ourselves together. What is the toast, Anonymous?”
  387. >You think for the briefest of moments before responding.
  388. “To satisfying endings of long labours.”
  389. >Luna smiles, and raises her cup to yours with a gentle tap.
  390. > “To labour’s end, and work well done.”
  391.  
  392. >You take a steady draught of the wine, and to your delight the flavour’s smooth and sweet, full of rich notes and subtle fragrance.
  393. >Luna gives a small contented sound as she tucks into her cup, taking a reserved sip after a moment’s hesitation.
  394. >On seeing her resulting smile, you’re grateful for the impulse that led you to bring the wine to her tonight.
  395. > “That’s delightful Anonymous, thank you. We rarely partake of drink, reserving the pleasure for rare occasions.”
  396. > “We’ve seen so little of one another in the last few moons that, perhaps, tonight may qualify as such.”
  397. >She takes another sip, and looks back thoughtfully out over the balustrade, casting her clouded gaze over the moonlit landscape beyond.
  398. >Over the wine, the two of you pass some time in idle, discussing the minutiae of your lives since you’d last seen each other.
  399. >Luna’s particularly interested in the well-being of Ink Blot, and the small everyday matters of daily castle life.
  400. >You know well enough that the two of you have a mutual disinterest in discussing matters of work and the court in leisure hours.
  401. >As light as the conversation is, though, the shadow of the task Luna had set for you, and the mysteries of her past, loom heavy on the horizon of both your thoughts.
  402.  
  403. >From a comfortable conversational lull, Luna breaks the steady silence of the garden.
  404. > “Wouldst thou care to rest against us? Leaning against the stone must surely be uncomfortable.”
  405. >Her tone had changed slightly, softer and somehow more compassionate, and she raises a wing invitingly.
  406. >You’re suddenly aware of the cool and unforgiving stone pressing into you, and raise yourself with a barely stifled groan as you rub the knots from your back.
  407. “If you’re certain, Princess. I’m quite comfortable, really.”
  408. >Luna chuckles softly at your stubborn propriety.
  409. >”Please, Anonymous, We appreciate the gallantry, but humour Us and come rest.”
  410. >Not needing further encouragement, you sidle over to the cool grass by her side, and gingerly rest yourself against her flank.
  411. >The sensation feels like sinking into a dream, her warm and velvety fur absorbing the tension from your body as she lowers her downy wing across your chest.
  412. >You find yourself enveloped in her softness, warmth, and gentle floral fragrance.
  413. >Finding a comfortable position against her side, you raise your eyes to the sky above and take a moment to appreciate the wheeling of the stars around the full, lambent moon.
  414. >In that moment, Luna seemed to you to be less a physical being, and more the very embodiment of the concept of night.
  415. >Her essence and that of everything around you was of soft light, cool breeze, gentle fragrance, softness, and rest personified.
  416. >You felt that you started to truly understand what was meant by her title of Princess of the Night.
  417.  
  418. >”Art thou comfortable, Anonymous?”
  419. “If any man, anywhere, has ever claimed to be more comfortable, I’d call him a liar.”
  420. >You feel the gentle tremor of a silent chuckle work through Luna’s frame, and she flutters her wing against you appreciatively.
  421. >”We’re glad..”
  422. >Another comfortable silence passes, the splashing of the fountain behind and the mournful breeze of the wind on the castle walls the only sounds to disturb your repose.
  423. >After a moment, Luna speaks again, her voice low and thoughtful.
  424. >”Many a long night would pass between Our sister and Us in just such a fashion, in days long past.”
  425. >You shift from beneath her wing, and look up to see her turned towards the distant horizon, unseeing eyes fixed on sight from the depths of memory.
  426. >”In the dark, in the days of our youth, we would hold one another as we learned how to move the heavens together.”
  427. >She sighs, and turns back to look at you.
  428. >”It felt almost as if she burned from the inside with a radiance, a heat which could dispel even the coldest winter night. Laying by her side felt as if one were basking in the high summer sun.”
  429. >”She was always the warmest, between the two of us. Easiest to be around, to befriend and most esteemed in the admiration of all.”
  430. >Her eyes harden slightly at the memory of ancient jealousy.
  431. >”That was always to be the proper order of things, perhaps. We were the younger sister, destined to reflect her light.”
  432.  
  433. >She chuckles wryly.
  434. >”How insignificant such concerns seem now, after all these last years.”
  435. “The two of you fought, didn’t you? A long time ago.”
  436. >The question brings itself to voice unexpectedly, and almost immediately you regret bringing it up.
  437. >In truth, the history of Luna’s banishment was hazy, and something you’d struggled to understand fully in your studies.
  438. >Luna, however, laughs, and the sound is more full and heartfelt than you’d have expected.
  439. >”Yes, Anonymous, you could say that, though that may be something of an understatement.”
  440. >”Consumed by jealousy, doubt, and fear, We sought to take the heavens from our sister by force.”
  441. >The laughter leaves her voice, and she carries on thoughtfully.
  442. >”It was a foolish thing, and not a day goes by We do not regret what we had done, or think how things may have gone differently had we just a little more wisdom.”
  443. >”A thousand years, Anonymous, we were sealed in the heavens, in the hopes that what rot had possessed my soul would have a cure by the hour of my return.”
  444. >”Imagine that, for a moment. A millennia of solitude; both Our sister and I separated from each other, where before we had been our guiding stars. Touchstones in the sea of eternity, lost to each other.”
  445. >”A thousand years is no time to spend alone, and though we had always thought that Our lunar imprisonment was cruel, We hadn’t realized the toll solitude had taken on Our sister.”
  446.  
  447. “Celestia wasn’t alone, though, was she? I’d thought she’d still had the palace to run, and everyone knows of her relationship with her students. The Princes twilight, especially.”
  448. >Luna nods solemnly.
  449. >”Indeed, she always had some companionship, throughout the long years of my exile. That’s the very thing, though, Anonymous.’
  450. >”Hundreds of years she spent, befriending, caring for, and loving the ponies around her. Guiding the kingdom and its subjects through the years, taking students under her wing, sharing her warmth with all around her, over and over again.”
  451. >”And, over and over again, watching them die around her.”
  452. >”Perhaps We were lucky, in Our isolation. Alone, we slumbered in a dream through the years, scarcely aware of the slow turning of time. For Our sister, every passing year brought with it new loss, and fresh pain.”
  453. >”That was the truest betrayal of Ours, we think. To force her hand to Our banishment, and to leave her alone with the world’s mortality. In comparison, fighting over the sky seems foolish.”
  454. >The silence which followed seemed stiller, and the night somehow colder, after Luna finished.
  455. >Your heart broke for the venerable princess, and you thought again of the long years she’d spent alone since the disappearance of Celestia.
  456. >You turn at her side, reaching over her neck to wrap your arms around her.
  457. >You may only be a mortal, and you could never fully understand what pain she had gone through in long years of isolation and grief.
  458. >But in this moment, you felt that you could try to offer what paltry comfort you had within you to give.
  459. “You’re not alone, at least. Not while I’m here.”
  460. >She leans into your embrace.
  461. >”Not while you’re here, Anonymous.”
  462. >The embrace lasts for a short moment that feels like an eternity, and throughout you can feel the steady heartbeat of the Princess against your chest.
  463.  
  464. >You withdraw from each other, and Luna sighs, followed by a gentle chuckle.
  465. >”In a way, We suppose We were fortunate. Even at Our sister’s side we had spent long years alone, guarding the solitude of the night, away much from others.”
  466. >Suddenly seeming to remember its presence, she takes the wine bottle again in her aura, and refills your cups with its remnants.
  467. >”Though no matter how long one’s life may be, there’s little point to it without companionship.”
  468. >She gives you your cup, which you take gratefully.
  469. “Even if mortal company is a double-edged sword for someone like you?”
  470. >Holding her cup stone-still, Luna nods solemnly.
  471. >”Especially so. Nothing lasts forever, Anonymous. After every night, dawn must follow.”
  472. >At her words, you notice the faintest glimmer of dawn on the horizon.
  473. >Luna turns towards the horizon, and you follow her gaze west as the early rays of rosy-fingered dawn begin to touch the rolling hills and valleys of Equestria laid out before you.
  474. >Luna’s horn envelopes itself in her aura, but its colour seems different than usual.
  475. >Instead of her signature lavender magical signature, the colour surrounding her horn is now an incandescent rose-gold.
  476. >You feel a hum of power exude from her, the vibration of it resonating almost imperceptibly in your chest as Luna fixes her gaze at the distant sun.
  477.  
  478. >You stand up, transfixed by the luminescent spectacle before you.
  479. >Slowly, carefully, gracefully, the sun creeps up from beyond the firmament, and in a sudden flash bathes the castle in a brilliant orange light.
  480. >The radiance shocks you
  481. >You’d seen the sunrise before, but with Luna at your side you realize with sudden clarity that you’d never truly appreciated it until now.
  482. >Her work done, Luna turns away from the balcony’s edge to look back at you.
  483. >A playful smile dances across her face, the early morning light glimmering and shining in her eyes.
  484. >The orange haze of dawn mingled with her starry mane in a waltz of radiant light.
  485. >She was the Princesss of the Night, but unmistakably now recognizable as the sister and regent of the Day, in all its glory.
  486. >”We used to begrudge the dawn, but we learned such things were meant to be shared”
  487. >You walk to her, the heat of the sun’s magic radiating from her, and hold her against your side as you look out over the horizon together.
  488.  
  489. -CHAPTER IV-
  490.  
  491. >At long last, winter slowly began to release its icy grip on the walls of Canterlot.
  492. >The nights had started growing shorter and warmth had steadily returned to the days, winter’s frost begrudgingly giving way to cold morning dew on the castle’s battlements.
  493. >From the streets of the city and expanses of the farmland below, you can hear the cheerful singing of ancient songs rise up from Equestria’s residents as they begin the laborious task of cleaning up the last of the winter’s snow and preparing for the planting season.
  494. >Though the spirits of the castle seemed buoyed, the winter chill hadn’t seemed to release its grip on Luna.
  495. >As the nights began to give way to the day, promising summer on the distant horizon, the Grand Princess seemed to withdraw into herself more and more frequently.
  496. >Her sessions in the Royal Court and appearances in the formalities of Canterlot high society had become more noticeably marred by a growing sense of fatigue.
  497. >Perhaps it was because you had been spending more time with her lately, but you could almost notice the scales of gray weighing more heavily on her eyes, and the milky nebulae in her mane had become more and more prominent as the year wore on.
  498. >The change seemed inexplicable; for years, she had been unchanging, but it now looked as if the accumulated weight of years had finally began to make their presence known.
  499. >You’d been spending more time with her recently in part to offer some comfort in the long winter nights, and in part out of selfishness.
  500. >Reliving her memories seemed to breath new life into her with you at her side, if only for the duration of the telling.
  501. >You’d hoped that your time together could do something to rejuvenate her, but with grim certainty, you felt the opposite was perhaps more true.
  502.  
  503. >An unusually warm, sunny spring morning finds you mulling over your Princess over your breakfast.
  504. >Toast with butter, jam and eggs, with your characteristic first cup of the day’s coffee.
  505. >Simple, nourishing, and doing little to raise your spirits.
  506. >You catch yourself idly poking at your egg with your fork unproductively, lost in thought, when one of your dining companions speaks up.
  507. >”Is everything to your liking, Sir Anonymous?”
  508. >Shaken out of your morbid reverie, you see Tea Leaves looking at you from across the table, a concerned frown on her face.
  509. >Ink Blot, meanwhile, is tucking into his usual double-serving of breakfast with ravenous spirit, lost to the world as he buries his nose into an open book beside him between bites.
  510. >Tea Leaves, your faithful room service attendant and maid, had taken to taking breakfast with the two of you at your insistence.
  511. >You’d come to think of the two of them as something close to family over your time at the castle, and they seemed to enjoy each other’s company.
  512. “Thank you Tea, but everything’s fine. Just not that hungry, I suppose.”
  513. >At your words, Ink Blot perks up, and with a thumbs up from you, he summons your plate to his side with his aura.
  514. >Tea Leaves continues to watch you with concern furrowing her small, equine brow.
  515. >”Can I get you something from the bakery then? It’s too nice a day to start with a grumpy breakfast.”
  516. >You begin to protest, but something in her expression says that she won’t take no for an answer.
  517. >You smile ruefully, accepting that her harassment is only out of care for her charge.
  518. “Alright, if you insist. Dealer’s choice.”
  519. >With a smile, Tea Leaves quickly gets up from the table, and trots out to fetch something sugary from the kitchens.
  520.  
  521. >You sigh, and cradle your coffee as you look out the window.
  522. >The sun this morning was brilliant, its rays casting through the thick glass of the library sitting room and catching the dancing motes of dust in the air.
  523. >The effect was magical, and you attempt to let it raise your spirits as you sip at your coffee.
  524. >Tea Leaves returns soon, a small platter of treats delicately balanced on her back.
  525. >With a word of thanks, you take it from her and place it on the table, before selecting a simple apple danish for yourself.
  526. >It’s not your usual choice of breakfast food, but the flavour does some more to raise your spirits.
  527. >You think you ought to bring some to Luna, when next you see her.
  528. >”When I first came to the castle, I was so frightened of the Princess, and of all the high and lordly ponies in the courts and halls.”
  529. >You look back at Tea Leaves from your reverie out the window, as she suddenly breaks the companionable silence.
  530. >Looking at her plate, she carries on.
  531. >”I was always worried that I’d do poorly, or make some mistake, and I’d be let go.”
  532. >”Then one day, I was sent to clean the Grand Princess’ quarters. My legs were shaking so much on the walk there that I was exhausted when I finally got to her door, and the guards looked so cruel that I almost ran away from the door.”
  533. >”Before I could muster up the courage to knock though, the door opened and the Princess invited me inside.”
  534. >Tea Leaves laughs lightly to herself, and the memory brings a warm smile to her eyes as she carries on.
  535. >”The Princess was so kind to me, I almost thought I was dreaming. We sat, and she asked me all about how I was doing, how I was finding the castle, whether or not the Headmistress was pushing me too hard.”
  536. >”I’d always thought that the Princess was cruel and cold; from where I was, she always seemed so distant.”
  537. >Tea Leaves raises up her donut, and takes a moment to savour a small bite of the sugary pastry.
  538. >”She told me that if I was ever feeling scared, or lonely, that I could always talk to her, and share some food.”
  539. >”She also said that nothing helps with gloomy mornings like sharing some tasty treats with friends.”
  540.  
  541. >You take another bite of your danish, looking at the pony sitting across the table.
  542. >This is probably the most she’s said to you at once in all the time you’ve known her, and you suddenly find a new layer of respect for the dutiful little horse in front of you.
  543. >As nervous as she always was around your large, frightening and alien presence, you realized that she honestly cared for your well-being, and hated to see you moping around, as you’d been doing too frequently lately.
  544. “That’s good advice, Tea Leaves.”
  545. >You set your pastry down, and reach across the table to pat her mane.
  546. >She leans into your hand as you scratch behind her ear.
  547. >After a moment, you pull back to finish your breakfast, as Leaves and Blot do the same.
  548. “I’m worried about Luna.”
  549. >The thought gives itself voice quietly, almost unbidden, making Tea Leaves and Ink Blot look up from their meals in a moment of shock.
  550. >Immediately, you can tell that they shared your feelings, though neither had been able to voice it.
  551. “It’s like she’s drifting away, or losing herself...”
  552. >As you speak, the fear welling up from deep within you threatens to crack your voice, and you fall back into silence.
  553. >Ink Blot is the first to speak up, doing his best to put on a brave face.
  554. >”It’s okay, Anonymous. The Princess isn’t going anywhere. She’ll get better soon, I know it.”
  555. >Tea Leaves nods earnestly in agreement.
  556. >From their perspective, from a distance, it must have looked like Luna was just tired.
  557. >However, you had come to know the Princess better than perhaps any other pony in the court since you’d started keeping her company.
  558. >From this familiarity, and from a sensation of certainty from deep within your gut that you couldn’t deny, you knew beyond a reasonable doubt that the Princess’ time in Equestria was coming to an end.
  559.  
  560. >An evening later that week finds you seeking out Luna’s wing of the castle, looking forward to the prospect of spending some of the dark night hours at her side.
  561. >You feel at least a little bit selfish. Though Luna was clearly appreciative of your presence, you found yourself more frequently seeking her out for your own sake.
  562. >The presence of the Princess had an immensely soothing effect on you; as if by her side, all the troubles of the world, the aches and pains of everyday toil, melted away.
  563. >Luna had summoned you tonight, however, so your conscience was clear of the prospect of intruding upon her unasked.
  564. >The walk to her wing is as uneventful as you’d come to expect, the late hours of the castle’s business uninterrupted save for the occasional distant tapping of maid ponies hooves on the weathered flagstones.
  565. >Before long you find yourself at her familiar door, with her familiar guards standing at its flanks.
  566. >With a wordless nod from the thestrals, you’re admitted within, the door creaking dramatically behind you at your entrance.
  567. >You were certain at this point that the door’s hinges were kept squeaky from Luna’s flair for melodrama rather than neglect.
  568. >The room is dim, lit only by the orange glow of a small, crackling fire in the hearth, and from the pale moonlight streaming in from the window opposite.
  569. >Though spring had started to warm the days in Canterlot, the night’s chill still gripped the old stones of the castle enough that the gentle heat of the fire was a welcome relief.
  570. >On a familiar large couch, Luna sat before the fire.
  571. >Her eyes were closed and her breathing gentle, and if it weren’t for her ears perking up slightly at the sound of your arrival, you could have thought she was asleep.
  572.  
  573. “Good evening Princess.”
  574. >Her eyes open, half-lidded in weariness, and she smiles happily as she re-positions herself, downy wings fluttering.
  575. >”It is, isn’t it? The sky is clear, the stars are bright, and Canterlot sleeps in harmonious peace.”
  576. >With steady, considered movements, Luna gracefully dismounts from the couch and paces towards you.
  577. >You reach out, wrapping an arm around her as she leans into your touch.
  578. “If there’s one saving grace of winter, it’s that we all get more time to appreciate your work in the night sky.”
  579. >With a dry chuckle, Luna withdraws from the embrace.
  580. >”There’s no need to flatter, dear Anonymous, We know you appreciate the daylight hours as much as everypony else.”
  581. >”We’re no longer so young and headstrong to take it personally. The love of living things is for the day, and the night has its own special qualities We’ve earned to cherish over time.”
  582. “All the same, your nights are truly something special, and I hold them dearer now that I’ve shared them with you than I ever did back in my home.”
  583. >”And for that We are glad. Sharing the beauty of the things you love is life’s truest joy.”
  584. >She starts to walk towards an adjoining room, and beckons you to follow her.
  585. >”Have you eaten yet, Anonymous?”
  586. “Just a little, a few hours ago.”
  587. >She just smiles, and opens a door leading towards what appears to be a modest dining room.
  588. >The room is furnished with a modest table and a single chair, while the walls are lined with cabinetry housing antique dining wares interspersed between gilt-framed paintings.
  589. >Judging by its aesthetic incongruity compared to the rest of the room, you suspect it had been a recent addition to Luna’s quarters.
  590. >A modest spread of covered platters is laid out on the table, with dining set for two set carefully at opposing ends.
  591. >At the delicious smell wafting from the setting, you realize that you were a lot hungrier than you’d earlier thought.
  592. >”We hope you’re still hungry, then. Call this a flight at the spur of the moment, but We thought you may wish to share a simple meal with Us.”
  593. >The food is delicious; an assortment of delicately grilled and roasted vegetables of every description, served with richly honeyed bread and salad.
  594. >You’d long since gotten over the initial disappointment of Canterlot’s vegetarian diet, and Equestria’s earth ponies seemed to be able to produce vegetable fare far more rich and delicious than anything you’d had at home.
  595. >Over dinner, Luna regales you with some of the adventures of Princess Twilight from the days of her youth, sharing stories of their triumphs and mishaps from a perspective you’d never gotten from the histories.
  596.  
  597. >The food is finished just as Luna finishes a particularly funny retelling of one of the Element of Laughter’s hijinks.
  598. >Your combined laughter fades away amicably with the contented sighs of a good meal finished
  599. >”Those were golden years. Brought back from the moon at Our sister’s side, with the young Princess and the Elements bringing the light of their friendship to the castle... We treasure them, now, as We hadn’t thought We would.”
  600. >She picks up her glass in her aura and swirls the contents around thoughtfully, before finishing it.
  601. “Where are the Elements of Harmony now?”
  602. >Luna shrugs.
  603. >”Truly, we don’t know. They were taken from the Tree of Harmony by Our sister and Us, and held in Our keeping until she bore them against Us in our Lunar exile.”
  604. >”After that, they were lost to her. They were summoned and embodied in the friends of Twilight Sparkle, but as We’d said, they were lost to the march of time which claims all mortal ponykind.”
  605. >She sighs, and raises herself from the table, making her way back towards the sitting room with a beckoning gesture for you to follow.
  606. >”Since then, Celestia and I spent long years searching for them again, but to no avail.”
  607. >She sets herself back on her couch, and you place yourself down beside her, watching the dancing light of the flickering fire cast about her starry mane.
  608.  
  609. >She gazed deep into the fire, lost in pensive recollection.
  610. >”Eventually, our Sister gave up on the search, and we ruled together as we once had in ancient days, without the hope of the Elements to aid us.”
  611. >She turns back to look at you, and you see the glimmer of an ancient and unbreakable will behind her eyes.
  612. >”We never could give up, though. Not entirely. Ever we sought to protect the dreams of Our ponies from the nightmares of the dark, and in so doing saw their innermost fears and thoughts.”
  613. >”Ever we sought to find in the young ponies of Our land those who would embody the Elements. Laughter, kindness, loyalty, generosity, honesty...”
  614. >”Magic was always the most elusive. The magic of friendship, the guiding northern star which binds the elements together, always evaded our search. And it has become so hard to search alone.”
  615. >She turns back to the fire with a sigh.
  616. >”Even now, as We scour the dreams of Our ponies, we hold out hope that there’s a future for Harmony in Equestria.”
  617. >”Celestia had always told us to hold on to that hope, and for the promise of the new dawn for Ponykind, but…”
  618. >Luna’s words had been pouring out of her in confession faster and faster as she spoke, but at the final words they caught in her throat.
  619. >”But I can no longer see it.”
  620. >You catch the reflection of the fire glimmering in her watery eyes for a moment before she closes them, bowing her head sorrowfully.
  621. >Looking into the fire yourself, you muster up what conviction and bravery you can.
  622. >It doesn’t feel like much.
  623. >You run your hand through her mane, and gently turn her muzzle up towards you.
  624. “There’s always hope, Luna, and even if you can’t see it, I’ll be at your side to find it for you.”
  625. >You wrap her closer in embrace, head against hers, as if by holding her tightly you could save her from the dreadful dark which threatened to close around her.
  626. “If by my life or death, if by moving heaven or earth I can bring a promise of better tomorrows to you, Luna, I will.”
  627.  
  628. >You feel the slight wetness of Luna’s tear dampened cheek press against your neck as you hold her, and stroke her mane reassuringly as she takes her time regaining her composure.
  629. >She withdraws from your embrace after a while, looking at you affectionately, and takes your hands in her hooves.
  630. >”Truly, Anonymous, We don’t know what stroke of luck brought you to Us, but we are grateful of it.”
  631. >”Here, at the close, We cannot express how much We value your presence.”
  632. >You smile ruefully, old doubts and insecurities tugging at your mind.
  633. “Surely, there are ponies in Equestria who you could have had here in my stead. My whole life… I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve done nothing to deserve being in your trust. Nothing worth honouring.”
  634. >Luna tightens her hold on your hands, and an edge of earnestness enters her voice.
  635. >”There’s nopony in Equestria who isn’t raised to love or fear Us, and who hasn’t at least heard of Us. There’s nothing so isolating as a reputation, and no loneliness more stark than that in the limelight.”
  636. >”No, Anonymous, by simply being at Our side, offering your company and care with no sense of duty or obligation, sharing in Our fears and allowing an old mare to unload a little of time’s long burden…”
  637. >”It would be enough for anyone from your world, any pony in Equestria, and it is enough for Us.”
  638. >The warmth and love in her eyes gives the truth to her words, and you raise her hooves to your lips in a chaste kiss.
  639. >You still don’t entirely believe that you’re worthy of being the trusted confidante of this beautiful, venerable moon princess, despite her words.”
  640. >You realize, though, that there’s a part of you which loves her to the point that you have no choice but to have faith in the trust she puts in you.
  641. >The word, springs to your mind unbidden and with undeniable certainty.
  642. >You loved Luna.
  643. >You realize that, in a way, you’d always loved her.
  644. >As you loved the light of the moon, the solace of the dark of night, and the ineffable beauty of the tapestry of stars, you loved Luna as their embodiment.
  645. >You’d grown to love her ethereal, ageless beauty, her compassion, grace, kindness, and gentle, despondent humour.
  646. >In these ways and more, you realize your heart was no longer your own, but held in the hooves of the heavenly moon princess before you.
  647. >You couldn’t imagine it being anywhere else.
  648.  
  649. >As your eyes rise once again to meet hers, everything unsaid seems to pass between you in a moment of perfect understanding.
  650. >A long spell of silence passes between you, and you run your hand through her mane to her contented, soft sounds of comfortable delight.
  651. >The crackle of the fire slowly dies down, with neither of you willing to leave each other’s side to kindle the flame.
  652. >Eventually, the warm glow of the fire is replaced by the silver shine of moonlight, and the shadows cast about the room appear deeper and darker with each passing moment.
  653. >There was no confession, no spoken acknowledgment of your relationship with Luna, but you knew that it had deepened over the evening.
  654. >Your place by her side still seemed like such a fragile thing, made of such diaphanous hope that to speak of it would shatter it.
  655. >It seemed like a dream, and the look in Luna’s eyes told you that she had seen your dreams as only she could, and had shared them in kind.
  656. “It’s late, Princess.”
  657. >”It certainly is, my dearest Anonymous.”
  658. >The glimmer in her eyes and hint of a smirk playing about her mouth was as clear a challenge as any you’d heard issued.
  659. “May I stay with you, tonight?”
  660. >Her smirk unfolds into a brilliant smile, lighting her eyes with a starry glimmer.
  661. >”We were wondering if you’d ask, or if you would force upon Us the indignity of putting the question to you, instead.”
  662. >Gently, she head against yours, allowing the warmth of her breath to intermingle with yours.
  663. >”You may, on this night, and as many thereafter as you wish.”
  664.  
  665. -CHAPTER V-
  666.  
  667. >You found yourself once again in Luna’s night garden
  668. >The moon was shining through the canopy of the trees, baleful light streaking across the flowers in playful hues of blues and purples.
  669. >Fireflies danced among the petals, and the soft sound of trickling water from Luna’s fountain played in the distance.
  670. >You approached it, knowing that you’d find her there.
  671. >You make your way down the path, your steps tapping distinctly against the paving stones marking your way.
  672. >You catch a glimpse of the fountain through a twist in the trees, and see no sign of the Princess.
  673. >As you round the corner, a sense of wrongness nags at your consciousness.
  674. >Luna is nowhere to be seen, and the gentle sounds of the garden slowly fade away to nothing, replaced by the low moan of the cold wind battering against the castle walls.
  675. >The light of the moon, shining silver-bright over the garden, hanging low and full above the garden balustrade, begins to dim.
  676. >It begins to deplete before your eyes, waning from gibbous to crescent as the air begins to chill.
  677. >A final sliver of moonbeam alights on the edge of the fountain, and draws your eyes to a single white feather laying on the cool stone.
  678. >You pick it up, and in your hands the colour shifts from a swan-white to a dark, dusky violet.
  679. >You drop it in shock, and as it drops from your hands the vane disintegrates, pulled apart by the cold and cruel wind growing ever more violent at your back.
  680. >You stand transfixed, watching the feather disappear while the shadow cast by the darkling moon swallows up the garden before you.
  681. >In the time it takes to catch your breath, the light of the moon dies with a final glimmer of feeble shimmer
  682. >It is utterly dark, and the howling cold of the wind is your only company as you lose all sense of space and time, devoured by the abyss clawing at you.
  683. >You turn about, senseless, searching for anything to hold on to in forlorn hope.
  684. >The sound of your steps are muffled, and blindly you reach out to no avail
  685.  
  686. >Just as despair feels like its working its claw around your heart, you catch the faintest flicker of light from somewhere beyond your peripheral vision.
  687. >You turn about, trying to find it, desperate for light to dispel the darkness around you.
  688. >In a striking flash, the imperceptible light streaks across a distant horizon, cleaving the dark into a vision of warmth, colour, and shadow before flickering away again.
  689. >The dark returns, but it feels distinct from the terrible void that the flash of light had banished.
  690. >It’s cool and comforting, wrapping around you like a blanket delivering you to a restful sleep.
  691. >The familiar sounds of the garden return, the horrible howl of the frigid gale dispelled, replaced by the fountain’s splashing, the sweet song of nightingales and the chirping of insects.
  692. >Slowly, the moon waxes again, growing through its phases until the silver glow of the full moon’s light once again illuminates the verdant garden.
  693. >The floral scent returns at last, and the memory of the horrible darkness fades into the ghost of a terrible dream.
  694. >You kneel on the soft grass of the garden, clutching at your chest as your heartbeat returns to a normal rhythm.
  695. >”Are you alright, Anonymous?”
  696. >You look up, not realizing that there was someone beside you.
  697. >Luna stands before you, her intense azure eyes beset with compassionate concern.
  698. “I’m... I’m okay. I think.”
  699. >With some effort, you get up, and take a proper look at Luna.
  700. >She looked strikingly different than the venerable Grand Princess of the Night that you were familiar with.
  701. >Her mane is a deep, striking navy blue, shot through with subtle auroras of purples and the brilliant shimmer of a multitude of stars.
  702. >Her face is rounder, younger, and softer, and your gaze returns to her eyes as you realize how striking they suddenly seemed.
  703. >You were used to the clouds of age which had set over her eyes, giving her a distinct impression of ancient venerability.
  704. >Now, however, her eyes were bright and clear, and shone with the ancient depth of the moonlit sea.
  705. >This was Luna not as you knew her, but as she was in younger days
  706.  
  707. >Perhaps this was Luna as she knew herself, drawn from the deep and forgotten well of her memory.
  708. >Seeing your confusion, Luna giggles, and the sound is free and youthful as a spring stream freed from winter’s frost.
  709. >”Yes, Anonymous, this is but a dream, and in the world of dreams all things are possible.”
  710. >She trots playfully in place, a contented smile enduring from her moment of jubilation.
  711. >”When We counsel the dreams of our subjects, We feel it dishonest to alter Our appearance from its waking form.”
  712. >”It is gratifying, however, to engage in some vanity from time to time.”
  713. “For what it’s worth, the real you is more than beautiful enough for me.”
  714. >Luna’s smile turns wry, and she looks at you knowingly
  715. >”Are We not real to you, Anonymous?”
  716. “I didn’t think so... but I don’t know how to tell any more, to be honest. What I felt, just now... the darkness that passed... that felt all too real.”
  717. >”The world of dreams holds more truth to it than that of the waking light, and reality is just a matter of perspective, Anonymous.”
  718. >She turns to face you, moving her muzzle close to you as you reach up and place your hand against the side of her neck.
  719. >”What difference does it make if We aren’t real, at this moment? Who are we to judge what is real at all?”
  720. >”What you see in the waking world are merely shadows cast on the wall by a light we can only perceive at a great distance. In dreams, we may walk closer to that light, together.”
  721.  
  722. “Come to think of it, Luna, this is the first time you’ve visited my dreams, isn’t it?”
  723. >”You mean to say you hadn’t dreamt of Us before? How callous of you, Anonymous.”
  724. >You playfully tousle her starry mane in response, eliciting a light giggle from the princess.
  725. “You know what I mean.”
  726. >”Our guardianship over the realm of dreams extends to Our subjects, Anonymous. We safeguard the dreams of the ponies of Equestria exclusively.”
  727. >She turns from you, pacing around the garden and looking around with the curiosity of a tourist in a foreign country.
  728. >”You certainly aren’t a pony, and We hadn’t considered you a subject of Equestria.”
  729. >”Even after bestowing title upon you, We didn’t think it right to intrude upon your dreams. We valued your trust too much to breach your privacy so carelessly.”
  730. >She turns back to you, looking at you with concern written across her face.
  731. >”Even now, We must admit this feels strange to Us.”
  732. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’ve had a change of heart.”
  733. >”But we didn’t, Anonymous. Dreams work in curious ways; You were dreaming of Us, and We were dreaming of you. The call for one another across the realm of night drew us together.”
  734. >You thought back to your memories of the dream’s beginning, and how you were searching for Luna in her garden before the howling darkness enveloped you.
  735.  
  736. >You wonder what kind of dream she was having, to have been drawn into yours.
  737. >Or were you pulled into hers, and was the darkness drawn from her nightmares?
  738. “That... That darkness...”
  739. >”And the light which followed?”
  740. >Luna seems to know what you were going to say before the words escaped your lips.
  741. >”We know what it is you saw, for it was in Our mind as well.”
  742. >She walks back to your side and leans against you, lowering her neck to nuzzle you gently.
  743. >”We do not know where Our dream ended and yours began, but We are very familiar with the spectre of nightmares.”
  744. >”Do not be troubled, dear Anonymous. Sometimes, a dream is just a dream.”
  745. >She lifts her head, and for a moment, your gaze locks with hers.
  746. >The shadow of a profound fear lurks behind her radiant sea-blue eyes, such that you feel your blood run cold with the recognition.
  747. >The princess, her will indomitable for as long as you’d known her, had felt the same terror you had experienced just moments ago.
  748. >Almost as soon as you see it, the shadow is gone, and you’re left again with the Princess of the Night smiling bravely before you.
  749. >”In truth, Anonymous, We are glad to have met you like this, tonight.”
  750. >She beckons for you to follow her down the garden path as she slowly walks away from the fountain.
  751.  
  752. >You follow after her, the light of the moon and the sounds of the garden fading away behind you.
  753. >”There are some things We have wished to tell you, but...”
  754. >She falters for words, trailing off in uncertainty.
  755. “Words sometimes aren’t enough.”
  756. >She nods, not looking back.
  757. >”It is easier for some things to be seen, and such things can’t be seen unless in dreams, and memory.”
  758. >The two of you walk forward through the garden in silence, the sounds behind you slowly receding into silence once again.
  759. >The onset of stillness feels oppressive, with the world around you quieted entirely save for the steady sounds your and Luna’s tread.
  760. >Suddenly, she rounds a corner, leaving you behind her in the shadows of the garden.
  761. >You hasten your stride in pursuit, but find yourself somehow unable to find her in the twists and turns of the benighted garden.
  762. >Just as you start to think that Luna had left your dreams for her own, you turn another corner and find yourself before a door.
  763. >It’s set in place amidst a void, the garden path falling away into darkness before reaching its threshold.
  764. >The door itself is large, ancient, and heavy; not at all like the weathered oaken door leading to the garden in the castle at Canterlot.
  765. >Your footsteps stopped, the oppression of the dream’s silence begins to surround you once again.
  766. >You remember again the fear you saw behind Luna’s eyes, and the bravery in her smile.
  767. >Trusting her, and summoning up what bravery of your own you can muster, you step towards the door and place your hand upon the handle.
  768.  
  769. >You step beyond the threshold, and enter into a cavernous stone room.
  770. >You find yourself in the ancient hall of a castle you’d never seen before.
  771. >Monolithic columns line the hall, leading to a high stone dais at its far end, wreathed in gloomy shadow.
  772. >The approach to the dais is lined with braziers lit with eerie green flames.
  773. >The throne atop the dais, overlooking the length of the hall, was a vicious and twisted looking thing.
  774. >It seemed as if it was carved from raw obsidian, chased with black and cruelly beaten iron, and fashioned in the shape of a set of mighty and monstrous jaws.
  775. >Overall, an intimidating aspect loomed over the hall, which was dead silent save for the crackle of the virescent flames
  776. >A tall, equine figure sat in the throne, its features cast in shadow, shapeless, clad in ancient and elegant steel armour chased with silver filigree.
  777. >The figure seems not to have noticed your entrance, and just as you remember that Luna must have led you to this dream-realm for a purpose of some kind, the door behind you opens.
  778. >Quickly, you move to the side, narrowly missing the swinging of the doors behind you.
  779. >”It’s time to end this sister.”
  780. >The voice comes from the doorway, stern and commanding.
  781. >A brilliant glow emanates from the direction of the voice, flooding the room in amber light before fading to a dull glow.
  782.  
  783. >A tall white Alicorn, taller by a hand or two than Luna, strides purposefully into the hall
  784. >Her mane flows about her like a cascade of shattered prismatic light, softened to a hue of pastels.
  785. >It doesn’t take you long to realize this must be Celestia, back in the days of her youth.
  786. >All the paintings, manuscript illuminations and stained glass likenesses of the princess did little justice to the weight of presence the pony princess carried in her stature.
  787. >Across the hall, the shadowed figure laughs in her throne.
  788. >The laugh is shrill and haughty, and trails into an unnaturally baritone echo which reverberates off the walls and through your chest.
  789. >It makes your skin crawl, but doesn’t seem to faze the white Alicorn princess before you.
  790. >”End what? We are eternal, Sister. Our night will never end, and thou shall wither before We allow thee to see the light of the sun again.”
  791. >”To what end, Luna?”
  792. >Luna?
  793. >Surely, the shadowy figure on the throne couldn’t be the Princess you knew and loved.
  794. >There was so much you didn’t know, though, about either of the Alicorn sisters.
  795. >You knew she and her sister had fought in the past, leading to her banishment on the moon for a thousand years, but the details had been buried in the sands of forgotten history.
  796. >Celestia paces around the hall, the light radiating from within her illuminating only a few feet before her before being smothered in the darkness.
  797. >”To take from thee what is Ours by right. To rule, to command, to be seen, obeyed, feared, and loved as thou art.”
  798. >The figure steps down from the dais, trotting with a solemnly measured step while keeping her eyes locked on her sister.
  799. >”Perhaps, if though are supplicant to Our liking, when We have had our fill of rule, when we see that Thou hath suffered as We have these long years... Perhaps we may permit thee back to Our side.”
  800. >Shadows snake from her hooves across the stones of the floor, cracking them in their icy grip.
  801. >”But thou shalt exist as We have; in Our shadow, unseen, unloved, and despised.”
  802.  
  803. >Celestia continues her pace, circling the hall opposite her sister, keeping a wary distance.
  804. >Her eyes are hard, but beneath the anger and sternness, you see a hint of sorrow.
  805. >”Have I been so cruel to you, sister? What have I done to deserve this from you?”
  806. >The figure across from her, who you now know to be but are unwilling to recognize as Luna, snorts with derision.
  807. >”Thou hath done nothing at all, Princess of the Sun. Thou would have forgotten about us entirely if the command of the moon rested with thee, alongside all else you have already.”
  808. >”That’s what this is about then? A fit of foalish jealousy?”
  809. >Celestia speaks again, and the anger in her voice grows to a stronger pitch, the light emanating from her growing fiercer and more radiant with each word.
  810. >”Jealousy, after a fashion, sister. You dote on thine subjects, and they love you in turn. But they will pass, your petty little kingdom will pass, and at the end of all things, thou wilt have I, and I alone, for company.”
  811. >The figure stops in the middle of the hall, the lanterns billowing their miasmic light more violently in her presence, as the shadows of the hall gather themselves about her.
  812. >”We are jealous of you, Sister, yes. Thou art Ours, and We are yours, and thine pretty little castles, fields and subjects are but passing trifles.”
  813. >The shadows grow, and Celestia’s light seems to dim as Nightmare Moon’s speech reaches a threatening crescendo.
  814.  
  815. >”What love you give for your little collection of mortals will wither and die, sister, as they all must die. We do thee a mercy, and will crush thine dreams before they crush thee.”
  816. >”So that’s what this is about.”
  817. >Celestia takes a step closer to Nightmare Moon, staring her down with her piercing magenta eyes.
  818. >”Luna, I know you’re in there. I know you’re afraid. I’ll never abandon you, sister. My love for the ponies we’ve taken under our wing does nothing to lessen the love I have for you.”
  819. >Celestia smiles ruefully, the beginnings of tears welling in her eyes.
  820. >”Though, now, I can see how it would look that way. We’re stronger than this, sister. We can love, and still endure. We don’t have to choose.”
  821. >For a moment, you sense hesitation from the shadowed figure of Nightmare Moon.
  822. >The shadows writhing from within her elegant armour plates seem to tremble and recede, and you hope for a moment that they’ll pull back, revealing the kind and gentle midnight-blue pony princess you knew.
  823. >A beat passes.
  824. >”So naive, sister.”
  825. >Nightmare moon lunges at Celestia, the shadows of night deepening the hall to an abyssal void.
  826. >Your last vision of the dream is a flash of Nightmare Moon’s eyes, twisted in desperation, fear, and rage, flashing before you as she lunges at her sister
  827. >You’re knocked backwards by the force of her assault, flung through an open window and tossed into the night sky beyond.
  828.  
  829. >You jolt up in a start, the sudden sensation of vertigo lurching you awake from sleep.
  830. >The sheets around stick to your skin, the silk slightly damp with sweat.
  831. >Your heart is racing, the images of the nightmare’s last moments seared into your waking eyes as you slowly regain your senses
  832. >The sensation of falling and the burning image of the haunted, monstrous green eyes of the shadowed spectre in the nightmare stay indelible in your mind as your heart slows back down to a reasonable pace and you regain your breath.
  833. >You rearrange yourself into a more comfortable seated position and reach for a small glass of cool water placed on the bedside table
  834. >It’s refreshing, and serves to further calm you as the nightmare slowly fades into an unpleasant memory.
  835. >You take stock of your surroundings, bleariness from your rest’s sudden interruption causing you to momentarily forget where you were.
  836. >The night had not quite ended, the gloaming from beyond the delicately iron-chased crystal window lending the faintest grey light to illuminate the room.
  837. >You’re bundled up in the luxurious silken sheets of a truly immense bed, placed against the wall of a richly decorated apartment in Luna’s personal wing of Canterlot Castle.
  838. >You finish your water, and lay your head back down on your downy pillow with a sigh.
  839. >As you set yourself down, you feel something stir beside you, and turn your gaze to the opposite side of the bed.
  840. >Your eyes meet Luna’s, and for the space of a heartbeat, they appear glowing green, their slitted pupils boring into your soul in a sudden flash of terror.
  841. >You recoil, clutching at your sheet as terror steals your breath for an instant.
  842. >Then, as quickly as the vision had come, it vanished, leaving behind the clouded, deep azure eyes of the Princess you knew and loved.
  843. >She holds your gaze unflinchingly as the moment of terror washes through you, pangs of regret and fear visible in the minute trembling of her mouth and the moisture welling in the corners of her eyes.
  844. “Luna, sorry, for a moment...”
  845. >”It’s alright, Anonymous.”
  846.  
  847. >Her voice is almost whisper quiet, the words catching slightly as they’re spoken.
  848. >”Now you know.”
  849. “But... that wasn’t you, was it?”
  850. >”It was. That part of Us has always been there, and it always will be.”
  851. >She makes an attempt at a brave smile, straining before allowing it to fade.
  852. >You lean in close to her, your hand caressing her face and brushing away the wetness of tears which had started to trial down her cheek.
  853. “It’s okay, Luna. I’m here.”
  854. >She leans against your hand, closing her eyes with a relieved sigh.
  855. >You knew that your reaction had hurt her, but it seemed that she had expected it.
  856. >She had brought you into the confidence of her innermost and vulnerable memories. In your moment of fear, you couldn’t shake that you had betrayed her trust in some way.
  857. >Sensing your doubt, she nuzzles into your hand and leans further against you.
  858. >”That nightmare We showed you, Anonymous, is one we see in our reflection in every moment of solitude, waking or at rest. We knew it was a heavy burden to place on you, and are grateful you’re still with Us.”
  859. “And I’m not going anywhere. Whatever it is inside you, you’ll never have to face it alone while I’m at your side.”
  860. >”That’s not the kind of thing to say lightly.”
  861. “I mean it, Luna.”
  862. >She withdraws from your hand, regarding you steadily.
  863. >”We... I believe you.”
  864.  
  865. >She turns away from you, casting her myopic gaze beyond the window.
  866. >”It’s a strange thing, isn’t it, how quickly the fear of love can bring out the worst in us.”
  867. >”For so long, We were fearful of Celestia’s love for her ponies, her subjects, and how that would lead to her downfall... That very fear and jealousy led to Ours, while she endured.”
  868. >”For a thousand years, without Us, she tarried amongst the mortals of Equestria. When We learned that so much time had passed, it was hard to believe for all the little impact it seemed to have made on her.”
  869. >”We had thought her weak, and Ourselves in our aloofness and detachment strong... And yet We broke before her, and she was still with us to pick up the pieces and put Us back together.”
  870. >”Time would prove Us wise, though the vindication is as ashes in Our throat.”
  871. >There’s a moment of silence. The gloaming casts ever more faint traces of light across the room, illuminating minuscule airborne dust-motes dancing before Luna’s billowing mane.
  872. “So, she passed then. Like Twilight.”
  873. >Luna sighs ruefully, long and deep, and doesn’t answer for some time.
  874. >At length, quietly, she responds.
  875. >”The deaths of the Princesses Twilight and Cadence came after many a long count of years. Their love of the world was rooted in their loved ones, mortals all, and as those bonds failed, so too did they.”
  876. >”Afterwards, We had thought Celestia and I would rule together, peacefully, happily, as we once had before the shadow took Us.”
  877. >”Something in Our sister had changed, though. There was a great chasm cast between us; a thousand years of loneliness, of friends and family forged by her, and lost.”
  878. >”We had always counted them among Our friends as well, but we realized Celestia had needed them as We had not. With their loss, something vital in her life was severed, and she began to age.”
  879. >Luna stops again, seemingly unsure how to proceed. You place your hand reassuringly on her flank, stroking her gently.
  880. >”Many long, desperate, fearful years passed before she left Our side. One... one long night, the sun wouldn’t rise, and the world was cast in a grey twilight. We sought everywhere for Our sister, but she had gone... and for the first time, We were left alone to raise the sun.”
  881. >”We have done such ever since, every morning.”
  882.  
  883. >Luna leaves the bed and paces over to the window across the room.
  884. >She closes her eyes, lowering her head solemnly as her horn begins to glow in a warm, amber light.
  885. >You recognize the colour of her sister’s sun magic now, similar in hue to the glow Celestia had cast in Luna’s memory.
  886. >The glow strengthens, suffusing the room in its warmth.
  887. >Slowly, ever so slowly, the sun begins to crawl up from behind the mountains in the east.
  888. >Luna’s brow furrows and her eyes open in a barely concealed expression of frustration.
  889. >The sun’s rise arrests slightly, stalling minutely as its first rays span across Equestria beyond Luna’s window.
  890. >You look over to Luna in concern, but saying nothing to break her concentration.
  891. >Her calm and stoic demeanour, ever dominant in her bearing even in her most vulnerable moments at your side, looked compromised as her gaze fixated on the rising sun.
  892. >For a moment, her face is drawn in strain.
  893. >The warmth of her horn’s glow intensifies, the glow reflecting off the gilded surfaces of her furnishings and accoutrements as she struggles to command the celestial body before her.
  894. >The struggle carries on for a long moment before the dawn finally resumes.
  895. >The sun, after sitting in place beyond the horizon, starts to move again, its arc through the sky set on its proper course once more.
  896. >The glow from Luna’s horn dims and fades to nothing, the natural glow of the sun’s light in the room the only remaining source of light in her chamber.
  897. >Lit by the reluctant daybreak, Luna stares beyond the window, the sun’s rays reflecting shimmering in her eyes which remain fixed forward, ahead of her.
  898. >Her breathing, while quiet, seems slightly shallow and laboured, as if she had just finished a strenuous run.
  899.  
  900. >You realize you’ve been holding your breath, and gathering your senses, you walk over to Luna’s side at the window.
  901. >You place your hand reassuringly on her withers, and at your touch her wings rustle to alight against your arm
  902. “Is everything alright?”
  903. >Luna takes a deep breath before answering.
  904. >”No, We don’t think so. We’ve been raising the sun for such a long count of years, now, that it’s become as second nature to Us.”
  905. >”Lately, however, it has become more difficult. Just a little, and We thought nothing of it... perhaps just an artifact of Our advancing age, but never has it been more difficult than today.”
  906. >You glance to her cutie mark, thinking over her words.
  907. >As far as you could tell, the talents of the ponies of Equestria were demarcated by the symbol which appeared magically on their flanks at a young age.
  908. >This appeared to be the case for Unicorns as well, where their magical abilities rarely went beyond the purview of their mark.
  909. “Have you always been able to raise the sun?”
  910. >”No, that was always the domain of Our sister.”
  911. >Seeing your confused expression, Luna smiles gently.
  912. >”When Celestia banished us to the Moon, the Elements of Harmony gave her Our talent in raising the Moon. We aren’t sure why; the Elements always worked in mysterious ways.”
  913. >”When We returned, freed from both the moon and the shackles of the nightmare I had allowed myself to become, We were given back Our talent, and Our duties resumed as they had before.”
  914. >”When Celestia passed, We hadn’t tried to raise the Sun. It wasn’t Ours to command, and it didn’t occur to us to try.”
  915. >”We tried to raise it not out of a sense of duty, or desire, but desperation. We thought the sun would never rise again, and We never fully understood why We were able to bring about the dawn.”
  916.  
  917. “Maybe, somehow, some part of her is helping you. Is still with you.”
  918. >”It’s a comforting thought. Our world works in strange ways, Anonymous, and there’s so much We still don’t know.”
  919. >In the silence that follows, you share the peaceful vista of the rising sun over Equestria, the light filtering in through the heavy window panes alighting the drifting dust-motes in Luna’s chamber.
  920. >In the distance, you hear the happy chirping of songbirds, warmly welcoming the new day.
  921. >A question weighs heavily on your mind, but Luna addresses it before you can give it voice.
  922. >”We don’t think there’s anything you can do, Anonymous.”
  923. >You turn towards her, your heart rising in your throat as you ready yourself to protest.
  924. >Luna’s face is serene, her wise and ancient smile reaching her eyes as she gazes beyond the window to an invisible horizon.
  925. >Something in her expression quells your distress, and the heat of your protest dies in your throat.
  926. >You realize that her age must have weighed heavily on her ever since she’d lost Celestia, but bathed in the morning sunlight, the burden seemed light upon her.
  927. “There must be something.”
  928. >She closes her eyes and shakes her head slightly, her mane flowing gracefully about her neck with the movement.
  929. >”Making peace with this has been a long time coming for Us, Anonymous. In truth, that is in part why you’re here.”
  930. >”Do you remember the task We set for you?”
  931. >You nod. Though other work in the castle archives and your time with Luna had preoccupied you over the months, you hadn’t stopped giving thought to the book of history she’d requested of you.
  932.  
  933. >Memory is the only way we can endure beyond Our natural span of years, Anonymous. The memory of those who knew Us, and who loved Us.”
  934. >She touches her hoof to her breast, a tear rolling down her noble face, belying her smile.
  935. >”Celestia... Our sister lives in Us, and once We are gone as well, nothing of her will remain.”
  936. >”We give what We can to you, Anonymous, in the hope that you may preserve it for a future which We won’t see.”
  937. >She turns back to you, eyes glistening.
  938. >”I’m sorry.”
  939. >You take her in your arms, embracing her as tightly as you can.
  940. >You press your face into her neck, the ethereal flow of her mane brushing against your tear-stained cheeks.
  941. “I can’t-”
  942. >The words catch in your throat, emotions rendering you almost mute but for the force of will you summon up to speak.
  943. “I can’t let that happen. I won’t believe it.”
  944. >Shakily, you remove yourself from you embrace, holding your hand on her shoulders and summoning what courage you can to look in her eyes.
  945. >”There’s no future for me I can bear without you in it, Luna.
  946. >Sadly, she cups your cheek in her hoof, tears freely welling from her eyes without reservation.
  947. >”Just enjoy what time we have, Anonymous. Don’t hold on to sorrow for those whose time has come.”
  948. >Tenderly, she pulls you back into an embrace, soft and warm.
  949. >You return it in kind, hoping to bring some comfort to yourself in her touch.
  950. >Still, the thought pressed against your mind with the force of a swelling storm.
  951. >You couldn’t let Luna pass without a fight.
  952. >There had to be something.
  953.  
  954. -CHAPTER VI-
  955.  
  956. >”You know Anon, you should really get some sleep.”
  957. >The voice snaps your focus, and you blearily look around your surroundings to identify its source.
  958. >Ink Blot is standing in your doorway, a small magical lantern held aloft and a concerned look in his eyes.
  959. >Ah, of course. He must be packing up for the night.
  960. “What time is it?”
  961. >”A couple hours after midnight, I think.”
  962. >That doesn’t seem right.
  963. >You stand up from your seat, stretch your back with an audible series of pops and cracks, while you look around your study in the hopes of regaining your bearings.
  964. >It was pitch black outside your window, and had been for many hours before Ink Blot appeared in your doorway.
  965. >Your tea was cold, and the candles on your desk were running low.
  966. >You had thought you’d been at your studies for only a few hours, but time must have run away from you.
  967. >Again.
  968. >Tonight was just the latest in a string of late, distracted evenings spent feverishly studying your way through some of the royal archive’s most ancient texts.
  969. >You groan and rub at your eyes, where dark circles from sleepless nights had started to form.
  970. >”I was just getting up to use the bathroom, and noticed your lights were still on. I thought you’d just forgotten about them, but...”
  971. >Ink Blot awkwardly stumbles his way through his explanation, and you stop him with a wry chuckle.
  972. ”But here I am, still up at an ungodly hour when I should have been asleep hours ago. You’re right, Ink, I should get some rest.”
  973. >You stretch the stiffness out of your joints as you begin to tidy up the night’s debris, collecting together your various notes, sorting out your books and turning out the lights.
  974. >Ink Blot takes the used tea-cups and plates from your desk in his aura, but the concerned expression doesn’t leave his eyes.
  975. “It’s alright Ink Blot, it’s far too late for you to be worrying about tidying up after me. I can handle just fine on my own.”
  976. >”It’s okay, I’ll pass by the kitchen on my way to the washroom.”
  977.  
  978. >With a thankful grunt, you leave him to it as you finish the process of leaving your study in a relatively organized state.
  979. >He hesitates before leaving, giving you the impression both that something was being left unsaid, and that his excuse for bothering you at this late hour may have not been completely honest.
  980. “Something the matter, Ink?”
  981. >His nervous hesitation persists wordlessly for an awkward moment before he responds.
  982. >”Well... We’re just worried about you, Anonymous. Sorry if I was being rude or anything back there, but you really do need to be getting more sleep.”
  983. >”You’ve just been holed up in your study so much lately, you’re barely eating, and we were... Tea Leaves and I, that is, we’re just wondering if everything’s okay.”
  984. >You let that marinate for a moment as you exit your study, back turned to In Blot as you lock your door and think.
  985. >You have been distracted lately, but you thought you’d been doing a better job of hiding it from the ponies than you evidently had been.
  986. “I’m fine, Ink Blot, really. It’s just been a rough couple of weeks, there’s... There’s something I’ve been trying to figure out, and I don’t know how much time I have to do it.”
  987. >You sigh, and run your hand through your hair pensively as you try to downplay the gravity of your situation to the young unicorn colt.
  988. “So, yeah, I’ve just had to pull a lot of late nights is all. It’s nothing to worry about. Thank you for your concern though, Ink.”
  989. >He looks slightly reassured, but not enough to let up too easily.
  990. >”Is there anything I can do to help?”
  991. >You smile a little, fatigue robbing you of the ability to hide the expression.
  992. >Luna knew what she was doing when she assigned Ink Blot as your assistant; he had a strong sense of duty, but even more than that was his penchant for generosity, and apparent admiration for you.
  993. >You wonder for a moment if he was one of the potential candidates for the Elements of Harmony Luna had mentioned searching for, some time ago.
  994. >The thought of Luna brings your momentary reverie back to reality, and you shake your head.
  995. “No, I don’t think so. Confidential research, that sort of thing.”
  996. >You didn’t want Ink Blot to be any more concerned than he already was.
  997. >More than that, you were terrified of rumours spreading in the halls of Canterlot.
  998. >No, Luna trusted you more than you trusted yourself, and you certainly didn’t trust any other pony in the castle to know that something was amiss with their princess.
  999.  
  1000. >Ink Blot nods understandingly, and makes to carry off the dishes into the castle hall.
  1001. >”Well if anything changes, I’m happy to help, Sir.”
  1002. “I’ll bear that in mind. Thank you for the offer, and for your concern. I’d forget to sleep completely if I were left to my own devices.”
  1003. >He bids you god night as well and walks off into the shadowy darkness of the doorway beyond the archive, as you make for your room.
  1004. >With each step, fatigue gnaws deeper into your muscles and joints as your nascent sleeplessness begins to catch up with you.
  1005. >As you finally make your way to your bedroom, you’re nearly ready to collapse once you reach your bed, and barely make it out of your day clothes before sleep takes you.
  1006. >Your last waking thoughts before a restless sleep takes you are of frustration.
  1007. >Weeks, now, you’ve been searching for answers on Alicorn magic and the riddle of Luna’s aging, but you’d gotten nowhere.
  1008. >You’d known for a while that the archives had precious little information regarding Princess Celestia at all before you’d started this search, but all knowledge pertaining to her passing had either been completely scrubbed, or hadn’t existed in the first place.
  1009. >You were left to assume, as Luna had inferred, that whatever had happened to Celestia was in the process of happening to her, and there was simply no way around it.
  1010. >It was a train of thought you were still hellbent on refusing to entertain.
  1011. >It was becoming clearer by the day, however, that you weren’t going to get any answers to this problem in the royal archives.
  1012. >Frustrated and tired, with these thoughts swirling in your mind, you drift off to slumber.
  1013.  
  1014. >...
  1015. >You find yourself atop a great mountain, the rolling hills and little towns of Equestria spilling out around you in all directions as far as the eye can see.
  1016. >The moon is low in the sky, casting a pale light across the landscape, while in the east the touch of dawn had not yet raised itself from its slumber.
  1017. >The world was cast in a grey haze, and a chill wind blew about your clothes as you gripped them tightly around yourself, looking to stave off the nipping cold.
  1018. >You were lost, and had no idea how you’d gotten up atop the mountain, but you knew you couldn’t let yourself begin the descent quite yet.
  1019. >Not yet, not until you’d found what you were looking for.
  1020. >The moon sets, and you strain your eyes to see afar in the dimming light.
  1021. >Soon, the sun would rise, and you’d be able to find it.
  1022. >The moon set fully, but the sun didn’t rise in turn.
  1023. >You waited, and waited, and waited, straining to see into the distant east for a sign of the sunrise.
  1024. >It never came, and you felt the familiar tug of desperation pull at your mind.
  1025. >Your breathing quickened, and your eyes darted back and forth across the vista before you, searching.
  1026. >The towns of the ponies below began to light up, first with lanterns, then with a great clamour from all directions, fires burning wantonly in the streets.
  1027. >If only you could find what you were looking for, then everything would be okay, and you could climb down from the mountain.
  1028. >The light dims further, the pinpricks of angry fire in the valleys mirroring the starry sky above, the grey twilight casting a dull gloom before you as the mountain wind grew colder.
  1029. >It felt like you were being buffeted by the winds brought from the four corners of the world, and would soon be crushed if you couldn’t find...
  1030.  
  1031. >”Anonymous.”
  1032. >The fiery scene before you fades, the winds cease their incessant howl, and the moon returns to its place in the sky overhead, its silvery light cast about you in graceful serenity.
  1033. >”You’ll forgive us for intruding, We hope.”
  1034. >You turn and find Luna standing behind you, eyeing you worriedly.
  1035. “But I was looking for...”
  1036. >Suddenly, you realize what’s happening.
  1037. “Ah.”
  1038. >Luna smiles, and walks over to your side.
  1039. >”It usually takes a moment. Realizing you’re in a dream can be a disorienting thing.”
  1040. >”We said it felt wrong to intrude upon your privacy, but it felt worse to let you sink into a nightmare alone.”
  1041. “No, you’re right... Thank you, Luna. I’m glad you’re here.”
  1042. >With that, she happily brushes up against your side, allowing you to lean lightly on her and place your hand on your customary spot in her mane.
  1043. >”You said you were looking for something.”
  1044. >Her eyes pierce into yours, the deep crystal-blue pools giving the impression that she was laying your innermost thoughts bare for examining.
  1045. >You shrug helplessly.
  1046. “I don’t remember for what. Something important. You, maybe.”
  1047. >”Hmm.”
  1048. >Luna ruffles her wings, and turns her face towards you with a smile.
  1049. >”Well, would you like some help in your search?”
  1050. >She steps aside and kneels slightly on the stony surface of your mountainous lookout.
  1051. >”Your dream’s placed us rather high up already, but We’ve always thought We do our best searching in the air.”
  1052. >Under normal circumstances you’d hesitate before taking Luna up on her implied offer.
  1053. >A waking dream was, of course, not normal circumstances.
  1054. >Stepping to her side, you run your hand through her mane, looking to secure a firm grasp on er without pulling her hair.
  1055. >Nimbly, you jump on her back, and the sensation feels somehow more natural than you ever could have expected.
  1056.  
  1057. >Luna lifts herself back up to full height under you, and the sensation of her warm body flexing and moving under you is thrilling beyond adequate description.
  1058. >There’s a connection between you, of trust beyond words.
  1059. “Ready when you are, my Princess.”
  1060. >Luna casually saunters to the edge of the mountain face, and the stone beyond the peak’s precipice drops sharply, careening hundreds of yards into the craggy foothills of the valley below.
  1061. >”Hold tight, Anonymous.”
  1062. >With a great bounding leap, Luna launches herself from the craggy peak, casting the two of you in a plummeting nosedive towards the ground below.
  1063. >The acceleration pulls your heart into your throat, your every nerve fighting to cling to Luna’s as the ground speeds towards you, getting closer with every passing millisecond.
  1064. >Just when you’re certain you’re going to crash, Luna’s wings fan out in a great sweep, and you’re launched back into the night sky in a great, sweeping arc.
  1065. >The g-force of the maneuver dizzies you, but the thrill of speed and the sensation of flight is intoxicating, and you let out a whoop of amazement.
  1066. >The adrenaline still coursing through you, you gently nudge Luna through a series of arcs and dives, wheeling gracefully through the cool night’s air above Equestria.
  1067. >She seems to respond to your thought almost more than your touch as you fly together.
  1068. >Judging by both the heat of her underneath you and the steady thumping of her heartbeat felt through the press of your legs at her sides, you can tell she’s as exhilarated as you are.
  1069. >”We fly only in dreams of late, but it doesn’t make the experience any less sublime.”
  1070. “It’s incredible, Luna.”
  1071. >You knew you were dreaming, but the thought of waking was as far from your mind as the two of you were from the ground below.
  1072. >Luna gains altitude in a great sweeping lift, her wings fanning out and trailing a magical aurora of stardust behind you as she glides through the cover of clouds.
  1073.  
  1074. >Your flight levels, no turbulence or wind drawing from the sensation of the smoothness of the Princess’ flight.
  1075. >Your mind wanders freely as the stars wheel above you, and unbidden an old poem from memories long forgotten comes to mind.
  1076. A lonely impulse of delight,
  1077. Drove to this tumult in the clouds...
  1078. >”I didn’t know you were a poet, Anonymous.”
  1079. >You didn’t realize you had spoken aloud, and for a moment you’re grateful Luna can’t see your red-faced embarrassment.
  1080. “Ah, the poem’s not mine. It’s an old piece, from my homeland.”
  1081. >”How does the rest of it go?”
  1082. >You think for a moment, searching your thoughts for the words.
  1083. I balanced all, brought all to mind,
  1084. The years to come seemed waste of breath,
  1085. A waste of breath the years behind
  1086. In balance with this life, this death.
  1087. >”Hmm. A melancholy piece.”
  1088. “I suppose so, but I’ve never seen it that way.”
  1089. >”The important thing is the impulse of delight, then. Enjoying the present, the tumult in the clouds, as you said.”
  1090. “That’s what brought it to mind.”
  1091. >You can’t see her face, but you can sense the presence of Luna’s serene smile as she banks into a swooping dive beneath the clouds.
  1092. >”Come then, Anonymous. Let us find what you were looking for, and let your dream take us where it will.”
  1093.  
  1094. >The wind bears Luna up on its drafty breath, her wings catching the cool night breeze with serene effortlessness.
  1095. >She steadily gains altitude, catching updrafts with ease as you steadily make progress across the landscape below.
  1096. >You scan the ground, your vision enhanced inexplicably by the magical influence of Luna on your dream.
  1097. >Flowing streams, pony villages, farms and orchards, forests and rocky crags all stretch out before you in an unbroken montage of pony civilization.
  1098. >You’d never spent much time outside of Canterlot, so the landscape is unfamiliar to you at first.
  1099. >You have, however, spent a good amount of time looking at maps, both contemporary and ancient.
  1100. >From that knowledge, you can tell that this isn’t Equestria as it existed in the present day.
  1101. >That land was, as you were led to believe, reduced from the splendour of its glory days.
  1102. >Patchwork nations and recalcitrant provinces, held together by the eternal struggle of Canterlot’s withering bureaucracy.
  1103. >Here, though, was Equestria as it should have been.
  1104. >Perhaps, it was Equestria as it had been.
  1105. >Fields rich with grain, sparkling lights and song from the windows of the quaint and peaceful pony villages, stretching out as far as your eyes could see.
  1106. >Although it was veiled under the shroud of night, the scene was almost paradisaical in its serenity.
  1107. >”You’ll have to forgive me again, Anonymous. It appears Our presence is influencing your dreams.”
  1108. “That’s fine with me, I much prefer this version of Equestria to what I saw earlier.”
  1109. >”Don’t read into that too closely, Anonymous. It’s tempting to see prophecies in dreams, but all too often they’re simply a release for our fears and anxieties.”
  1110.  
  1111. >You’re silent at that.
  1112. >You don’t know how much of your earlier nightmare she’d seen, but you were certain the Princess of Dreams knew what was in them, whether she’d seen them or not.
  1113. >”So do not be troubled.”
  1114. >Luna cranes her head around to look into your eyes, a reassuring smile drawing out a similar one of your own.
  1115. >You lean forward to give a thankful stroke of her neck, just before she swoops into another long, arcing dive through the air.
  1116. “So this is Equestria as you knew it, I assume?”
  1117. >”It is. We often dream of it, though We could never admit as much to the court.”
  1118. >”It’s an old dream, to see it restored again. To see Our ponies safe, and happy, no cares or worries beyond the tribulations of their friendships, hopes, and dreams.”
  1119. >Luna sighs.
  1120. >”It’s an old dream. We do what we can, but our Sister was always the more skilled with governance. Even then, she leaned on the Elements for much.”
  1121. >It always comes back to Celestia, doesn’t it.
  1122. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Luna. You’re an excellent ruler.”
  1123. >”You’re most kind, Anonymous.”
  1124. >Something in her inflection tells you that she doesn’t necessarily take the compliment to heart.
  1125. “Believe me, Equestria would be much worse off without you.”
  1126. >Now it’s Luna’s turn to be silent.
  1127. >She dives again, suddenly dropping altitude in sharp descent that causes your heart to stick in your throat.
  1128. >The two of you fly together in silence for some time, the momentary awkwardness quickly giving way to the simple pleasure of flight.
  1129. >You’d been making your way east for quite some time, if your knowledge of the Equestrian landscape matched the landmarks passing below.
  1130. >”We hadn’t seen the Celestial Sea in quite some time. It had always held a special place in Our heart..”
  1131. “Why’s that?”
  1132. >”It’s where We grew up.”
  1133.  
  1134. >Although it’s hard to make out in the distance, you catch the faint ripples and glimmers of a distant water, vast and dark.
  1135. >Luna begins to descend as she approaches it, and from a great distance you hear the crying of gulls.
  1136. >As you approach, the sound of the surf grows clearer, waves crashing on sandy shores intermingling with the sea bird’s call.
  1137. >As if in tune with the sounds of nature, Luna begins to hum a tune under her breath.
  1138. >The melody is familiar, somehow, though you’re sure you’ve never heard it before in the waking world.
  1139. >Still, the gentle hum reverberating from her body beneath you fills you with a sense of warmth, of longing, and a deep familiarity you can’t explain.
  1140. >You draw closer to the shores of the sea, and as you do, the first hints of dawn begin show on the distant horizon.
  1141. >The sky fills with a flood of rosy orange as the rays of the sun breach the surf beyond vision, and you reach down to hold Luna as you take in the sight together.
  1142. >Suddenly, without warning, the morning light floods your vision, searing your eyes as you turn away from the light and into the soft darkness of Luna’s mane.
  1143. >The soft, plush, cotton, warmth of Luna’s...
  1144. >You’re in your bed, and the light flooding your vision was cast from windows in your room, the curtains thrown back in shocking suddeness.
  1145. >Where a moment ago you had been draped over Luna’s withers in flight, you suddenly found yourself clutching your pillow.
  1146. ”Hrnng...”
  1147. >”Sorry sir Anonymous... Ink Blot insisted you should get your sleep, but it’s already almost time for lunch.
  1148. “S’fine.”
  1149. >It was considerate of them to let you sleep in as long as you had, but you still wish you could have held on to the dream for just a moment longer.
  1150. >You rarely dreamed at all, so having one of your better ones interrupted stung a little.
  1151. >Groggily, you get up, wiping the sleep out of your eyes and stretching the weariness from your joints.
  1152. >Ink Blot was right, you really needed a full night’s sleep for a change.
  1153. >Maybe it was a side effect of Luna’s presence in your sleep, but you feel better rested than you have in weeks.
  1154.  
  1155.  
  1156. >”Can I get you anything? We were just going to have some sandwiches in the dining room.”
  1157. >Tea Leaves, though still attending to you with her customary nervous demeanour, putters around your room and tidies with a comfortable familiarity as she speaks.
  1158. >You’d gotten over your discomfort with her lack of regard for your privacy a while ago.
  1159. >After all, she meant well, and you’d learned not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
  1160. >If she felt comfortable dealing with your laundry and dusting your dressers in your pyjama-clad presence, that was fine by you.
  1161. >You got the impression that having something to keep her hooves occupied with put her at ease as well.
  1162. “Is there coffee on?”
  1163. >”Yes sir, a fresh pot should be just about finished by now.”
  1164. “Excellent, thank you Ms. Leaves.”
  1165. >You raise yourself up form your bed, stretching out fully and taking in the morning sunlight.
  1166. >You think again on the struggle Luna had faced raising the sun a few weeks ago, and resolve to take some time to see her as soon as you can.
  1167. >Though she’d extended the open invitation for you to join her in her quarters whenever you wished, something had held you back, and you’d only visited a handful of times since.
  1168. >The easy explanation was, of course, that you had thrown yourself obsessively into your research in the intervening weeks.
  1169. >As much as you’d wanted to spend leisure time with the Princess, you didn’t know how much time you had to solve the problem she had posed for you.
  1170. >Any time not spent in the pursuit of the answer to the question of her mortality seemed wasted, though it pained you to admit it.
  1171. >She was adamant that the question was better left unanswered, but you couldn’t let it go.
  1172. >Not if letting it go meant accepting an unacceptable fate.
  1173. >You cast your eyes to the locked box where you kept the work in progress she had set for you, so many moons ago.
  1174. >Your personal notes and research, your record of the life and times of Luna and her peers as you understood them.
  1175. >The record which would carry her memory in posterity, after she was gone.
  1176. >You hadn’t touched it almost a month, but its presence weighed on your mind like with the gravity of a millstone.
  1177.  
  1178. >”Is something the matter?”
  1179. >Tea Leaves had stopped her absentminded tidying, and was looking at you with a concerned expression.
  1180. >You shake the recurring grim thoughts from your mind, returning Leaves’ expression with what you hoped was a carefree smile.
  1181. “Not at all, just a long day of work ahead. You go along, I’ll get changed and meet you in the dining room.”
  1182. >Tea Leaves nods, and trots out of your room with a professional briskness.
  1183. >Knowing her, she was on her way back to the kitchens for an emergency pastry pick-up.
  1184. >Try as you might to hide it, you knew that Tea Leaves could tell when you were in poor spirits.
  1185. >You lean on the window sill, cracking the frame open slightly to allow in the cool spring morning air.
  1186. >Birds chirp in the distance, the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the Canterlot streets are carried to your high window by the morning breeze.
  1187. >Though it’s only the early days of spring, the wind’s chill bites surprisingly deep, and you close the window again with a shiver.
  1188. >The sun washes over you from behind the veil of glass,, doing little to warm you as you summon the energy to get dressed.
  1189. >You think again to the pleasant coolness of the night wind buffeting you in your dream’s flight with Luna.
  1190. >Taking a deep breath, you turn away from the window, and towards the new day beyond your door.
  1191. >Your research may have led to a dead end so far, but your dream had renewed your confidence that hope remained.
  1192. >Humming a familiar tune, get dressed and head to the dining room.
  1193.  
  1194. -CHAPTER VII-
  1195.  
  1196. >The early morning sun washes over the walls of Canterlot as you depart from your haunt in the archives.
  1197. >A few days had passed since your last dream of flying with Luna, during which you’d kept busy with your backlog of bureaucratic archive-keeping.
  1198. >With much of your duties either completed or delegated to the reliable ministrations of Ink Blot, you had decided to stop in at court on your way up to a visit with Luna in her quarters later on in the day.
  1199. >It had been a while since you had seen her hold court, and you thought it best to keep abreast of the comings and goings of Luna’s government.
  1200. >Though it was still unseasonably chill, the weather seemed nice enough that you thought you could tempt the Princess with an afternoon walk once her matters of state were dealt with.
  1201. >The halls of Canterlot Castle echo with the steady clacking of your boots on the weathered flagstones as the occasional courtier and serving-pony passes you by with courteous nods and greetings.
  1202. >You return the gestures with more sincerity than was customary for you; for whatever reason, the day had found you in high spirits.
  1203. >You had dreamed last night, and the glowing, beatific sensation of it had followed you out of bed.
  1204. >Generally, you didn’t remember your dreams.
  1205. >With the recent exceptions of the dreams spent in Luna’s supernatural company, your dreams were infrequent, and more often than not instantly forgotten on waking.
  1206. >That had never bothered you before, but since becoming acquainted with the Princess of the Night, you had started to treasure the prospect of dreams more now than ever before.
  1207. >Though you had tried to hold on to the memory of your last night’s dream, the effort was like trying to hold water in cupped fingers.
  1208.  
  1209. >By the time you’d gotten dressed and broken fast, all that remained was a pleasant feeling to lift you on your way to the great central hall of the castle.
  1210. >The frequency of your encounters with the castle’s attendant ponies increases as you draw closer to your destination, the distant clamour of the hall growing sharper with every step.
  1211. >A busy day in Canterlot, clearly.
  1212. >Robed unicorns carried scrolls and parchments through the halls, the reams of Equestria’s bureaucracy suspended by their magic.
  1213. >Pegasi and Thestral guards stand at regular intervals on the corridor approaching the hall, silver and gold armour burnished with the careful precision of parade uniforms.
  1214. >And between them all, ponies of every race and creed and a fair few creatures of the world’s stranger races mill about, discussing their business in a constant low clamour.
  1215. >Many of them are still unused to you, a unique and strange creature as you are.
  1216. >Your stature doesn’t help you blend in, as you tower over most all creatures you’ve seen in Equestria’s capital.
  1217. >You were told some dragons and a fair few minotaurs were as tall or taller than you, but you dwarfed almost every pony without contest.
  1218. >Luna was the only exception among them.
  1219. >Eventually, after attracting a few side-eyed glances and murmured whispers, you make it to one of the doors leading to the great hall, guarded by a pair of Thestrals.
  1220. >One is familiar to you; one of the guards you frequently passed by on the way to Luna’s quarters.
  1221. >He catches your eye and nods with a smile, which you return warmly as he beckons to the door.
  1222. >”The Princess is holding court, Sir Anonymous. Enter as quietly as you can.”
  1223. >Such a professional pony.
  1224. “Of course.”
  1225. >With a gesture he beckons you towards the door.
  1226. >It may be your imagination, but his smile seems forced as you pass him by, and out of the corner of your eye you see his expression return to a grim sternness.
  1227. >Now you think on it, the tone and pieces of overheard conversation among the chatter had seemed subdued, and a mood of worry loomed over the ponies in the hallway like a cloud.
  1228. >You hoped it was nothing, but a familiar feeling of dread starts to set in your gut, displacing your earlier cheeriness.
  1229.  
  1230. >Trying to push it out of your mind, you open the door to the great hall, the well-oiled hinges sighing as you quickly make to enter with as little audible disturbance as you can.
  1231. >You silently shut the door behind you and turn to take in the sight of the throne room.
  1232. >A crowd of ponies stands at attention on the sidelines of the hall, the echoing silence of the space underwritten by quiet murmurs and the ever-present scratching of quills on parchment.
  1233. >In the centre of the hall, a pony is in the middle of what appears to be a long-winded and well-prepared speech, his words carrying across the concourse and amplified by the acoustics of the cavernous space.
  1234. >It didn’t seem like he was saying anything particularly important.
  1235. >Regardless, the prime audience of his speech immediately distracted you to the exclusion of all else in the room.
  1236. >Luna, Grand Princess of Equestria and Guardian of Dreams, sat in her great throne upon the high dais at the end of the room.
  1237. >It had only been a scant few weeks since you’d seen her last.
  1238. >You’d meant to take the time to visit her since you’d last seen her in person, but between her visits in your dreams and the burden of work in the archive, time had flown away from you.
  1239. >Time which, evidently, had not been kind to the Princess.
  1240. >Her mane, though still possessed of its nebulous ethereality, was shot through with thick strands of milky white.
  1241. >Bags and wrinkles had started to show around her eyes, the lines and creases pronounced even from your far vantage point.
  1242. >Beyond all these things, by far the most noticeable change was in her bearing.
  1243. >She seemed tired, fatigued as if she hadn’t slept in days.
  1244. >She appeared stooped and weathered under the weight of age, where a few weeks ago she had carried her venerability with regal grace.
  1245. >Since you’d seen her in person last, age and stress had struck the Princess with the weight of a mountain, and you cursed yourself for not making the time to see her in person sooner.
  1246. >Luna notices you from across the room, and gives you a wan, almost imperceptibly subdued smile before returning her full attention to the pony in front of her.
  1247. >He carries on for another few minutes before finishing, and Luna responds as accommodatingly as she can before calling for the next petitioner.
  1248. >If your estimation of the time was correct, you figured Luna would be engaged in the morning court for at least another hour or two before retreating for her private chambers.
  1249. >You decide to stick around, hopeful that you can catch up with the Princess after she takes her leave.
  1250.  
  1251. >After a couple of long hours, Luna leans over and speaks softly to one of her attendant guards at her side.
  1252. >”The morning court of the Grand Princess Luna is now concluded. Any petitioners who hadn’t a chance to speak with her Majesty, please patiently wait for a future audience or petition the Privy Council for guidance and queries.”
  1253. >The guard speaks in a clear, ringing voice, and the announcement is met with some subdued chatter and grumbling from the assembled crowd.
  1254. >With some visible effort, Luna lifts herself up from her seated position on the throne and climbs down from the dais towards the room’s rear exit.
  1255. >Likewise, you take your leave from the room, joining the throng of ponies making their exit from the Princess’ audience.
  1256. >You were reasonably certain you knew the route Luna would take to her quarters, and you knew a route through the castle’s many corridors that would allow you to intercept it.
  1257. >Following directly after Luna from the throne room itself was, after all, a poor look.
  1258. >You were reasonably sure the courtiers and noble-ponies of Canterlot were already distrustful of your relationship with the Princess, and you didn’t want to give castle rumours any more ammunition.
  1259. >Not that you really cared for that kind of intrigue, but it would make both yours and Luna’s jobs more difficult.
  1260. >The crowd thins as you make your way down Canterlot Castle’s many passages, until you reach a thoroughfare which connects to the hall leading to Luna’s wing.
  1261. >Mercifully, the hall was abandoned, with only the rustle of a slight breeze disturbing the hall’s many tapestries and the distant, muffled clamour of conversation behind you breaking the silence.
  1262. >A moment passes before you hear the sounds of approaching hooves.
  1263. >The familiar staccato tap of armoured horseshoes belonging to the guard-ponies, accompanied by the elegant, yet notably languid strides of a familiar alicorn.
  1264. >An unfamiliar flutter of nervous anticipation catches in your chest for the space of a few heartbeats before you round the corner.
  1265.  
  1266. >Down the hall, Luna paces towards you with a steady, assured stride, engaged in a quiet conversation with her pair of guards.
  1267. >When they notice you standing down the hallway they abruptly stop in their tracks, bristling defensively.
  1268. >By their shock, it seems you took them by surprise.
  1269. >”Dusk Wing, Splendid Armour, it’s okay. Surely you’re familiar with the good Sir Anonymous.”
  1270. >One, a dark thestral, collects himself first and answers Luna’s reassurance.
  1271. >”Of course, Princess, he just... Took me by surprise, I suppose.”
  1272. >”We should have been more alert, Your Majesty. Forgive me.”
  1273. >The other, a bright white pegasus, bows submissively alongside his bat-pony companion.
  1274. “I should have announced myself. Sorry for sneaking up on you.”
  1275. >Luna chuckles.
  1276. >”Now, don’t be ridiculous. There’s no need for apologies for any of you here.”
  1277. >She beckons to the thestral, who’s avoiding her gaze abashedly.
  1278. >”Dusk Wing here was just telling Us about his filly’s first day at school. Moon Wing was her name, correct?”
  1279. >”Yes Princess.”
  1280. >Dusk wing returns her serene expression with an embarrassed smile, infectiously drawing a gring from his pegasus companion.
  1281. >”Well, you’d best go attend to her. You too, Splendid Armour, the day’s been long already and We know you haven’t eaten in hours. Change the guard, have the next shift on duty in an hour’s time; Sir Anonymous can keep Us safe until then.”
  1282. >The ponies look up at you questioningly, and you do your best to put on airs of confidence.
  1283. “It’s a relief to know the Princess is safe under your watch, gentlemen. It’s been a pleasure.”
  1284. >Seemingly satisfied, the ponies bow and depart down the hallway, leaving you and Luna alone together.
  1285. >”It’s been some time, Anonymous.”
  1286. “It’s felt much longer.”
  1287. >You reach around her withers, where your hand finds its familiar place in the waves of her mane.
  1288. >She leans in to you, and you can almost feel some measure of stress fall off her weary frame as her weight rests against your chest.
  1289. “Want to go for a walk?
  1290.  
  1291. >”Where do you have in mind?”
  1292. >Withdrawing slightly from your side, Luna takes a moment to stretch, limbering up and shaking the weariness from her joints as she looks at you expectantly.
  1293. “Nowhere in particular. It’s a nice day, so wherever our feet take us.”
  1294. >Truthfully, you had a spot in mind.
  1295. >It was nowhere special, but your past explorations of the castle had revealed a hidden gem of a place to you that you haven’t had an opportunity to visit in a while.
  1296. >You thought the spot might refresh Luna a little.
  1297. >You walk through the halls of the castle, slowing your natural pace to keep abreast of Luna.
  1298. >She’s walking slower than you were used to, her gait measured and deliberate.
  1299. “How’ve you been?”
  1300. >You pose the question to Luna gently, but it still seems like a poor way to break the silence.
  1301. >Luna gives you a look that’s part wry smile, part pained grimace.
  1302. >”Is Our state that obvious?”
  1303. “You just seem a little tired.”
  1304. >Luna drops her grimace with a chuckle.
  1305. >”We are tired. It is Our custom to keep long hours in Our watch over the night, but the day has brought little rest lately.”
  1306. >”Raising the sun hasn’t gotten easier since you saw Us last.”
  1307. >Studying the tired bags under her eyes, you recall the sunrise you’d spent with her almost a month ago.
  1308. >Going through that every day must be exhausting, and she still had a country to run every day afterwards.
  1309. “There’s not much I can do to help, is there?”
  1310. >”Not really, but We appreciate the sentiment.”
  1311.  
  1312. >You place your hand on her back again and give her a reassuring backrub as you stroll leisurely down the winding palace corridors.
  1313. >You’d lift up the sun every morning yourself if you could, but without any kind of magical ability of your own, your company was the best thing you could offer her.
  1314. >It didn’t seem like much, but the evident relaxation you can feel from Luna under your hands tells you it’s better than nothing.
  1315. >Thankfully, the walk is as relaxing as you could have hoped.
  1316. >You navigate towards the south end of the castle’s upper reaches, some distance away from Luna’s chambers and the cloistered studies of the archives.
  1317. >This wing is relatively unfamiliar to you, having had little reason to find yourself here in the time you’d lived in Canterlot.
  1318. >The sun washes through the stained glass windows, their immense floor-to-ceiling construction serving to wash the halls with a brilliant amber light.
  1319. >The air in the hall is warm, the chill of the outside air serving only to lend the space an occasional errant breeze as the sun heats the slate flagstones below.
  1320. >The light catches in the grey streaks of Luna’s mane, accenting the ethereal blue haze with whorls of rosy silver.
  1321. >You knew the burden that age had placed on the Princess, and you knew how she still saw herself in her dreams.
  1322. >In that moment, though, she seemed more beautiful than you’d thought it was possible for a living thing to be.
  1323. >She catches you looking at her, and raises an eyebrow inquisitively as you turn away in embarrassment.
  1324. >You realize you must have been staring.
  1325.  
  1326. >Luna holds some of her flowing mane before her eyes in her aura, sifting through the flowing strands thoughtfully.
  1327. >”There’s a bit more grey in this than We’d prefer, but We doubt there’s hair dye which would work on Our mane.”
  1328. “Trust me Princess, you don’t need it. The silver’s a good look on you.”
  1329. >”We’ll have to take your word on it, Anonymous. We’ve always been fond of Our mane, and hate to see it change.”
  1330. >You shrug, and take a lock of it in your hands to examine more closely.
  1331. >Luna’s mane was something of a mystery, the fine hairs held aloft in an ever-present field of unseen magic, blended together into an ethereal mass of night-sky azure.
  1332. >The aged grey streaks peppering her mane seemed more tangible than their surrounds, the individual hairs seemingly devoid of the magic permeating the rest of her mane, but still held aloft in the collective mass.
  1333. >The effect was like strands of fine silver wire suspended in the midst of a rushing stream, dancing arrhythmically in a constant flow of movement.
  1334. “I think I could get used to it.”
  1335. >Luna smiles, and the two of you continue walking along the sunbathed hallway.
  1336. >”If We could see it from your eyes, Anonymous, maybe We wouldn’t resent the change as much. Thank you.”
  1337. >”Before we came into the fullness of Our power, it used to be as plain and simple a mane as any other mare’s, you know.”
  1338. “Really?”
  1339. >Luna nods.
  1340. >”Mhmm. In Our youth, it was a pleasant powder-blue. If dyes could work on Us, We’d consider changing it back.”
  1341. >”As it is, realizing the full power of our celestial magic had the unique side effects of suffusing Our mane. Quite the curious thing.”
  1342. >You try to imagine what that must have looked like, but you just can’t imagine Luna without the shimmering mass of hair you were so accustomed to.
  1343. >As you ponder the mysterious appearance of a younger Luna, you find yourself turning the corner to your destination.
  1344.  
  1345. >At the end of the hallway before you lies an elaborate doorway, a construction of delicately interwoven glass and metal.
  1346. >The latticed framework of bronze was fashioned into an impression of vines and branches, layering upon themselves in an intricate display of natural craftsmanship.
  1347. >Between the latticed greenery, slivers of glass caught the light filtering from beyond like glittering jewels.
  1348. >The door was wonderfully made, and you were glad to have remembered the way to it.
  1349. >The castle was so vast that you were worried for a little while that you’d get lost on the way.
  1350. >You look to Luna expectantly, wondering if she was familiar with the far-flung reach of her home.
  1351. >Some subtle emotion flickers from behind her eyes, her serene smile held with practised discipline.
  1352. >”It’s been a long time since We’ve been here, Anonymous.”
  1353. “I’ve only been here once, back when I first came to Canterlot. I stumbled on it when I was getting myself settled in, and haven’t visited since.”
  1354. >You walk down the hall and rest your hand for a moment on the door’s handle, which was cast in the form of a sinuous vine wrapped around a length of wood.
  1355. >It even had leaves and grapes, rendered in such lifelike detail that you felt you could reach out and eat them if it weren’t for their metallic sheen.
  1356. >You pull the door open and turn to Luna, gesturing for her to go ahead of you.
  1357. “The first days of spring seemed like a good time to visit again.”
  1358. >Luna smiles and proceeds into the space within, brushing deliberately past you as you follow behind her, letting the door swing shut noiselessly at your back.
  1359.  
  1360. >The two of you had entered the Solarium of Canterlot, a hidden gem of the castle, built in the distant past of the castle’s glory days and dutifully maintained by the its many servants for years beyond count.
  1361. >The solarium ran along the upper reaches of the castle’s southern face, with great glass panels stretching from the floor to the ceiling, curving overhead to offer an uninterrupted panorama of the sky above.
  1362. >The panels were framed by metalwork similar in style to the doorway: vines, branches and great stems of flowers of every description cast in dull-gold bronze growing between the panes of glass.
  1363. >Between the great windows and the stone walls of the castle ran a grand hall, the cavernous space broken by the setting of an immense quantity of plants.
  1364. >Long fallen out of use as a space for leisure, the solarium had become a greenhouse, a nursery for the castle’s many other gardens.
  1365. >Blossoming trees grew in great planters along the walkway, pink blossoms joyfully budding along their branches attended to by flights of bees.
  1366. >Along the hall’s central pathway, a scattered array of benches, statuary and fountains lined a central path that led a curving path to the room’s far end.
  1367. >The air is heavy and humid, but a brisk breeze running through the hall renders it refreshing in a peculiar kind of way.
  1368. >It’s heavily perfumed by the fragrance of blossoming flowers and pollination, underscored by the heady aroma of freshly-tilled soil.
  1369. >Washed with the warm light of the midday sun, the solarium feels idyllic, and seems to be completely unoccupied with the exception of the princess and yourself.
  1370. >Luna has walked ahead of you a little, her neck craning around as she takes in the sight of the room.
  1371. >She stops and smells a collection of bright pink flowers low to the ground, closing her eyes in carefree bliss as she allows herself to relax and soak in the atmosphere.
  1372. >The room, with its reams of new growth and serene warmth, fills you with a sense of rejuvenation.
  1373. >Seeing Luna slowly walk among the flowers, watching the bees flit from blossom to blossom with delight in her eyes, you feel that it must be having a similar effect on her too.
  1374. >You hurry your pace to allow you to walk at her side once again.
  1375.  
  1376. >On drawing abreast to her flank, you feel the strange sensation of an unseen physical force nudging you closer to her.
  1377. >Her horn glows with her characteristic azure aura and though she continues not to say anything for the time being, her earlier smile deepens, reaching her eyes in joyful wrinkles.
  1378. >You continue to walk along the length of the solarium, each turn in the path offering some new sight of fresh spring growth.
  1379. >Eventually, Luna breaks the amicable silence.
  1380. >”Thank you for bringing Us here, Anon.”
  1381. “You’re welcome, Luna. I’m glad it’s still as nice here as I remember it.”
  1382. >”We remember it somewhat differently.”
  1383. “Oh?”
  1384. >Luna beckons to a nearby unoccupied stretch of floor next to a young apple tree, set in a large, ornately carved stone planter.
  1385. >She paces ahead of you, gracefully setting herself down on the ground before it in a resting position.
  1386. >Following suit, you sit beside her, leaning back against her side with care.
  1387. >Happily settled in repose, Luna continues.
  1388. >”Do you know what this place is?”
  1389. “Well, when I first came by here some time ago, I was told it was just a greenhouse. The gardener here said it was one of the older rooms in the castle, though.”
  1390. >”An old room in an old castle, indeed. You remember Our night garden?”
  1391. >Of course you did; Luna’s nocturnal garden, tucked away in a nigh-abandoned section of the castle’s northern reaches, was one of your dream’s most common settings.
  1392. >You nod.
  1393. >”As that is Our refuge and oldest sanctum, so too was this Solarium the getaway of Our sister.”
  1394. >”She always kept fresh growth and budding flowers in this space, and it always looked at it’s best under the golden light of her afternoon sun.”
  1395.  
  1396. >By now, the sun had truly started its climb into the sky, leaving behind the mountainous ranges of the south.
  1397. >The light cast into the room reflected off the cream-white flagstones of the floor, and glinted off the bronze furnishings of the great glass windowpanes before you.
  1398. >The light dappled through the leaves of the tree above you and through the flower petals and vines around the room, casting about Princess Luna and yourself in a wash of softened colour.
  1399. >”She’d be glad, We think, to see how the space is used now. We haven’t wished to visit in many a long year, but it warms Our heart to see it well-tended to and as beautiful as it once was.”
  1400. “It’s a fitting use for it, isn’t it? To be used as a greenhouse.”
  1401. >”Mhmm.”
  1402. >Luna nods sleepily, eyes half-shuttered with fatigue.
  1403. >”It’s a good place for new life, new growth... She would be pleased.”
  1404. “You didn’t know what had happened to it?”
  1405. >”No... There are too many memories here, all bittersweet. We gave it over to the castle caretakers to use as they saw fit, with the promise that they care for it.”
  1406. >Luna’s speech grows lower and quieter, her breathing slowing as she relaxes, and you begin to slump against her as her weariness pulls you into its gravity.
  1407. “I’m glad I could bring you here, then. The weight of the past is lighter if you have some new memories to help bear it.”
  1408. >”We’d like to think so, dear Anonymous. Besides, our revisiting of this room was long overdue. That you’re here with Us means much.”
  1409. “It’s a funny coincidence though, isn’t it? I had no idea what this place meant to you.”
  1410. >Luna yawns heavily.
  1411. >”Nothing’s truly a coincidence, Anonymous.”
  1412. >Sighing wearily and setting her head down against her forehooves, Luna closes her eyes.
  1413. >”Especially with you.”
  1414. “Hmm?
  1415. >You look over to Luna, seeking some answer to her cryptic statement in her face, but she’s fast asleep.
  1416. >Before you have time to ponder what she meant, the combination of the room’s and Luna’s warmth, comfort, and fatigue pull you to sleep after her.
  1417.  
  1418. >...
  1419. >The rolling of distant waves plays softly in the distance as you get a grip on your surroundings.
  1420. >You’re standing on a stony outcropping, the rock under your bare feet warmed by the long hours spent under the blazing summer sky.
  1421. >The sun itself is setting behind you, and as your vision adjusts you make out the violet-blue expanse of the sea stretching out before you, painted in vibrant hues by the sun’s retreating light.
  1422. >The scene is calm and serene, but lonely.
  1423. >You don’t know where you are.
  1424. >You’re not even sure you know who you are.
  1425. >You walk down the shore, the warm stones seeming to pave a way towards some distant, unknown destination.
  1426. >That place is almost pulling you with a magnetism as undeniable as gravity, drawing you further on.
  1427. >The setting sun descends in a graceful waltz behind the hills to your left, the rolling foam of surf crashing incessantly to your right.
  1428. >Your eyes drawn forward, beyond the winding path of stone and water.
  1429. >You hear a distinct clopping sound as you progress, hooves beating a wearied staccato on bare rock.
  1430. >You turn your gaze towards where it might be, but see nothing.
  1431. >Then, in the distance, a new sound breaks the serene silence of the scene.
  1432. >It’s coming behind a rocky bluff, growing clearer as you approach.
  1433. >It seems familiar, and you pick up your pace as best you can despite the inexplicable fatigue sapping the strength from your joints.
  1434. >The sound grows clearer and louder with each step, and seems to be coming from a beyond a rocky outcropping just around the corner.
  1435. >It’s singing, and the sound of the sweet voice calls to you.
  1436. >You realize now that you’ve been here before, heard this voice before, and recognize the sorrowful melody of the tune.
  1437.  
  1438. >”I tarried long on stony shores,
  1439. >Beneath the sunlight, wandering.
  1440. >The sunbeams on the water played,
  1441. >The wind about my mane.”
  1442.  
  1443. >”The crying gulls, the sighing breeze,
  1444. >Long hours of sunlight, conjuring.
  1445. >In twilight hours I searched for thee,
  1446. >I searched for thee in vain.”
  1447.  
  1448. >”O Moonlight, you're missed so much more than you know,
  1449. >For sunlight remembers you still.
  1450. >I love you, dear sister, from long, long ago
  1451. >And across the long years, I still will.”
  1452.  
  1453. >The voice trails off into a whisper in the final lines of the chorus.
  1454. >You begin to respond.
  1455. >You don’t know how but you know the words which follow afterwards, but they won’t reach your mouth.
  1456. >You’re struck silent, trying and failing even to call out.
  1457. >...
  1458. >You open your eyes, and find you’re once more in Canterlot’s solarium.
  1459. >The memory of the dream is still vivid in your mind, but you take a moment to readjust to your surroundings.
  1460. >The sun, still bright, is hanging much lower in the sky than when you’d last remembered.
  1461. >You run some quick mental math, and figure you and Luna must have been sleeping for at least four hours.
  1462. >She still was; her breathing was steady and deep, her chest rising and falling beneath you as she slumbered peacefully.
  1463. >She was muttering something unintelligible in her sleep, forelegs twitching slightly.
  1464. >The memories of the dream and the melody of the song still linger in your mind, and you twist to your side, reaching over to stroke Luna’s mane.
  1465. >The muttering and twitching ease, and you continue to stroke her beautiful silver-shot aurora as she sleeps.
  1466. >You call to mind what she had told you about shared dreams when you had last slept together, and assume that you had intruded on one of hers.
  1467. >It felt more clear, somehow, than any of yours had ever been.
  1468. >You’d felt as if you weren’t in your own skin, but were somehow more lucid and aware than you were even during your waking hours.
  1469. >Your twisted position starting to grow uncomfortable, you turn yourself back around to lie at rest, your back reclined on the steady rise and fall of Luna’s flank.
  1470. >You’re sore from the awkward position of your nap, half on the stone flags of the solarium floor, half resting against the Princess.
  1471. >Still, you want to put off stirring from your position for as long as possible, for fear of disturbing Luna’s sleep.
  1472. >Clearly, she needed it much more than you did.
  1473. >Sleeping, she almost looked like the youthful Luna shown to you in her dreams before.
  1474. >Stress, care and fatigue had been replaced by the carefree restfulness of slumber.
  1475. >You could still see the fine lines etched into her face by an uncounted length of long years, and the shimmering grey streaks in her mane which combined belied her age.
  1476. >You take in a deep breath, letting yourself enjoy the moment for as long as it lasts.
  1477. >It struck you not for the first time that day how much you loved the Princess of the Night, and you made a silent promise to yourself not to leave her long alone again.
  1478.  
  1479. >After a moment, you feel the pattern of her breathing shift beneath you as she begins to stir.
  1480. >”Good morning, Anonymous.”
  1481. “Good afternoon, Luna.”
  1482. >You shift upright and turn to face Luna just as she does the same, leaning in close to you for a long embrace.
  1483. >”We didn’t mean to rest for so long, but at least the day’s not wholly over.”
  1484. “The sleep did you good, it looks like you haven’t gotten nearly enough of it lately.”
  1485. >She huffs in exaggerated outrage.
  1486. >”Tell Us we look terrible without telling Us, hm?”
  1487. “You know what I mean. Everyone needs a day off, even majestic pony princesses.”
  1488. >Leaning into you for a light nuzzle before pulling away, Luna stretches out on the flagstones, yawning mightily before shaking some of the drowsiness from her joints.
  1489. >”Especially Princesses. The days have been far too long lately. We can’t thank you enough for pulling Us away today, Anonymous.”
  1490. “It’s the least I could do.”
  1491. >You both raise yourselves from the warm solarium floor, Luna continuing to stretch and shake the dreariness from her joints as she does.
  1492. >The nap, the afternoon sunlight and the heady aroma of spring growth in the solarium reinvigorated you, and looking at Luna, you could tell that it had done wonders for her as well.
  1493. >Her eyes were clearer, more open, and something resembling a brisk spring in her step had returned to her gait.
  1494. “Hopefully I didn’t keep you from royal business for too long.”
  1495. >Luna chuckles.
  1496. >”Nothing that couldn’t be delayed or put off, We’re sure. The nobleponies can do just fine without Us.”
  1497. >”We will, of course, still hold our Evening Court with Our advisors, but that should be a simple affair.”
  1498. “A quiet evening afterwards, then?”
  1499. >”Like many before.”
  1500. >There’s a moment of silence as you process the unspoken request, and consider your earlier promise to yourself.
  1501. “Care for some company, after your court?”
  1502. >You glance at her in time to catch the fleeting smile pull at her mouth before she responds.
  1503. >”That would please us greatly, Anonymous.”
  1504. >The smile lifting your spirits as you walk, you place your hand on Luna’s flank as she draws closer to you in kind.
  1505. >You exit the Solarium, leaving the brassy, vernal doors and the memories of a warm spring afternoon behind you.
  1506.  
  1507. >Luna walks with you back towards the core of the castle, away from the isolated upper reaches near the Solarium.
  1508. >Neither of you say much for the short journey, content with each other’s reassuring company.
  1509. >She walks close by your side, her steady gait causing her to intermittently brush up against your waist as you rest your hand on her withers.
  1510. >Soon enough, you reach a fork at the end of a long hall, with one path leading to her advisory chambers and the other leading down towards the archives.
  1511. >”Well, We ought to explain Our absence today to Our guards. We’re sure they will have wondered where We disappeared off to.”
  1512. “You can put the blame on me, if you want. I can handle your guards.”
  1513. >Luna giggles softly.
  1514. >”We’re sure you could, but that shouldn’t be necessary. Thank you again, for today, Anonymous.”
  1515. >You pull close to her for a parting hug, which she reciprocates gratefully.
  1516. “I’ll be up in a few hours, then?”
  1517. >Luna nods.
  1518. >”The evening meetings shouldn’t take too long. If you wish, you can assist Us with the sunset. Raising the moon is always better with company.”
  1519. “I’d love that. Until then, Princess.”
  1520. >With a final glance and shared smile, you part from Luna, heading down towards the heart of the castle towards your chambers.
  1521. >You wanted to make sure Ink Blot was managing the archives well enough on his own before disappearing for the night.
  1522. >Besides, you also wanted to clean yourself up for the evening.
  1523. >You didn’t get the impression that Luna minded your natural scent much, but your nap in the warm, muggy air of the Solarium had left you feeling a little musty.
  1524.  
  1525. >Before too long, you find yourself entering the familiar territory of the archives. .
  1526. >It remains, as ever, little changed from how you left it that morning.
  1527. >A scant few ponies track their way between the towering oaken shelves, guided along by the helpful ministrations of Ink Blot.
  1528. >In open channels between the stacks, still more ponies sit at desks, hunched over tomes and materials for whatever studies their interests or the castle’s bureaucracy demanded of them.
  1529. >Where once the magnitude of the archive’s reams of literature had felt overwhelming, time had made you comfortably familiar with the area.
  1530. >Returning to the meticulously organized shelves of your haunt in the castle felt, after your long tenure in residence, like coming home.
  1531. >Judging by Ink Blot’s growing confidence in his role as aide to your station, you can tell it’s a sentiment he shares as well.
  1532. >You make your way across the archive’s central hall towards his desk, where he’s tending to the management of cataloguing the books in your care.
  1533. “How’s everything going so far today, Ink?”
  1534. >He looks up from his work with a start, clearly having not heard your approach.
  1535. >”Oh, Anonymous, we were wondering where you’d gotten off to all day. It’s been slow here, same as ever.”
  1536. “Right, sorry about that. I got caught up in something with the Princess.”
  1537. >Ink blots nods with an air of understanding.
  1538. >”That’s what I figured. Nothing bad, I hope?”
  1539. “No, no, of course not.”
  1540. >That felt like an odd thing to ask, and Ink Blot clearly notes the taken aback tone in your voice.
  1541. >”It’s just... Well, other ponies are saying the Princess hasn’t been doing well lately.”
  1542. >You raise an eyebrow, holding yourself back from the urge to defend Luna.
  1543. >”Other ponies?”
  1544. >”No one in particular, just... You know.”
  1545. >He gestures broadly across the room in the general direction of the studious forms of the archive’s patrons.
  1546. >”It’s pretty quiet in here, but you hear some things.”
  1547. “Right.”
  1548.  
  1549. >You take a deep breath, sighing a little as you think on his words.
  1550. >Of course, gossip would travel fast in the castle, and Luna’s decline compared to even a month ago was significant.
  1551. >You suppose it can’t be helped.
  1552. “Don’t mind what the other ponies say. Luna’s stronger than they probably give her credit for, she just needs to take some time every now and then to rest.”
  1553. >You smile a little at the fresh memory of your sunlit afternoon nap together.
  1554. >Hopefully, your words reassure Ink Blot a bit.
  1555. “Speaking of which, Ink Blot, I wanted to let you know that I’ll be gone tonight, and probably a good bit of tomorrow as well. Can you manage the archives on your own for a bit?”
  1556. >He nods enthusiastically.
  1557. >”Don’t worry about me, Anonymous. I’m doing just fine. Like I said, it’s been pretty slow down here.”
  1558. “Thanks Ink, I appreciate it. If I make a habit of disappearing on you, I’ll look at getting us another set of hooves for help.
  1559. >Ink Blot nods, a little hesitantly.
  1560. >”It’s okay, Anonymous. Just... take care of the Princess, okay?”
  1561. >The sincerity in his voice touches you, and you’re reminded of how much the Princess means to him, and to all the castle’s subjects.
  1562. >You think back on your breakfast with him and Tea Leaves some weeks ago, and how you’d voiced your concerns over the Luna’s well-being then.
  1563. >Surely, nothing you can say now would allay his concerns.
  1564. >You were having a hard enough time reassuring yourself.
  1565. “Everything will be okay, Ink Blot. Have faith..”
  1566. >Unsure of what else to say beyond the vague platitude, you pat him on the shoulder as you leave the desk and head towards your quarters.
  1567.  
  1568. >Deciding to shower the day’s accumulated sweat off first, you head to the bathroom adjoining your private chambers and disrobe.
  1569. >You let the hot water of your ensuite’s shower run through your hair in a steady torrent, the almost-uncomfortably hot water distracting you from your worries and cares.
  1570. >As you let the water run, you can feel the tension in your muscles evaporate under the steamy heat.
  1571. >The sensation brings to mind the vividness of the dream you’d had just a few hours ago.
  1572. >Of the sun-baked heat of the stony shores in Luna’s dream
  1573. >A dream you were certain you’d stumbled on without Luna’s knowledge or permission.
  1574. >She had been sleeping deeply, and the rules concerning her magical control of the realm of dreams was still mysterious to you.
  1575. >Moreso than the sensations of the dream, the feelings of the heat, the sound of waves and the mysterious song, what stuck with you was its poignancy.
  1576. >Now, hours later, as you contested with your heart in the rushing water of your shower, you struggle to combat the overwhelming feeling of loneliness that had suffused the dream and persisted into your waking mind.
  1577. >If that was Luna’ s dream, how deeply had it moved her, and how indelible was it in her daylight hours?
  1578. >It had felt familiar, as well, and you wondered how often it had recurred when she’d allowed herself to surrender fully to sleep.
  1579. >The afternoon nap had left you both rejuvenated and refreshed, but you think you understand Luna’s apparent exhaustion a little better after the day’s revelations.
  1580. >Maybe the stones of the old Solarium still retained a little of her sister’s magic, and that was partially to thank for the quality of rest you had on its grounds.
  1581. >Whatever the case, your ruminations bring no relief and no answers, and so you finish your shower and start to prepare for your nocturnal rendezvous with Luna.
  1582.  
  1583. >The sun hangs low above the mountains beyond your quarter’s window, casting its dimming light on your humble room.
  1584. >You’d spent a little time going over some documentation that Ink Blot had delivered to your desk earlier, and had just finished getting some things together for your night with Luna.
  1585. >A set of night clothes, a change of clothing for tomorrow, and a familiar pair of stoneware cups accompanied by another bottle of wine.
  1586. >Luna enjoyed her previous dalliance with alcohol, so you thought it’d be fitting to provide another beverage for he night.
  1587. >A light honey and fruit wine, appropriately in season with the dawning spring, produced by a vintner in the countryside around the old site of Sweet Apple Acres.
  1588. >You’d heard good things.
  1589. >Never adept at fashion, you hope your simple taste in day clothes is appropriate for Luna’s company.
  1590. >No court-wear by any stretch of the imagination, your dark slacks and light button-down shirt feels both comfortable and acceptably dressed for the occasion.
  1591. >Not that this was any kind of occasion, as you made sure to remind yourself.
  1592. >Any time spent with the princess still felt like an honour you were remiss not to treasure, however.
  1593. >Just as you’re feeling a little bit less self-conscious, you hear a light tapping at your door.
  1594.  
  1595. “Come in”
  1596. >You speak without looking around, busy inspecting your shirt for wrinkles.
  1597. >You were expecting Ink Blot to come in soon anyways, to check in on the evening’s remaining duties before sending you on your way.
  1598. >”So this is your room, is it? It’s a little cleaner than I expected.”
  1599. >A very familiar voice comes from the doorway, and not at all the one you were expecting.
  1600. >You turn around in shock to find Luna walking through your threshold, eyeing your room with a playfully aloof curiosity.
  1601. “Luna, I wasn’t expecting... I was just about to head up, actually.”
  1602. >You gesture futilely at the exit, and Luna chuckles a little at your awkwardness.
  1603. >”It’s okay, Anonymous. Our evening council appointments necessitated a quick trip to the archives, and We thought that, since We were here, We could escort you to Our rendezvous personally.”
  1604. >She gestures to the doorway, where you catch a glimpse of Ink Blot looking into your room apologetically before withdrawing from the frame.
  1605. >”Young Mr. Blot was kind enough to show Us to your chambers, and We thought to surprise you.”
  1606. “Well, it’s definitely a welcome surprise.”
  1607. >You gesture to the room in general, shrugging.
  1608. ”It’s not much, and I have Tea Leaves to thank for keeping it as clean as it is. I spend most of my time in my study, after all.”
  1609. >”Hmm.”
  1610. >Luna approaches your bed, pressing into the mattress with a silver-clad hoof thoughtfully.
  1611. >”Well, your bed leaves much to be desired. Ours is much softer.”
  1612. >You laugh and approach her side.
  1613. “Mine’s not big enough for both of us anyways, Princess. Want to get going?”
  1614. >She nods happily.
  1615. >”Let’s.”
  1616.  
  1617. -CHAPTER VIII-
  1618. >Without any further delay, with your night’s supplies in your trusty bag, you exit your chambers adjoining the archives with Princess Luna at your side.
  1619. >As you traverse the archive’s central hall, you draw the curious glances of the studious ponies among the stacks..
  1620. >You try your best not to let their attention bother you too much.
  1621. >Though most had gotten used to your alien presence by now, it was something else entirely for them to see their beloved and august monarch in their midst.
  1622. >It was quite another to see her walking happily at your side.
  1623. >As unsure as you were about the exact nature of your relationship with the Princess, you were certain that it must look even more confusing to any outside observation.
  1624. >Luna, for her part, didn’t seem to mind the looks of consternation from her subjects, so you thought it best to follow her aloof lead.
  1625. >After receiving a quick assurance from Ink Blot that he had the running of the archives well-under control, and after Luna had given him a small word of encouragement and appreciation for his hard work, you depart from the depths of the archives for the winding halls beyond.
  1626. >Though deep in the heart of the castle, the hall’s air was kept cool and clear by way of the castle’s enchantments, refreshingly free of the musk of old papers and parchments.
  1627. >Luna seems in high spirits; her head is held aloft, eyes clear and level with yours, free of the ghost of her burdened slouch from earlier that morning.
  1628. >Her mane, with its distinct run of silver-strands piercing its azure flow, catches the flickering light of the hall’s magical lanterns in a subtle, shimmering dance.
  1629. >After so long spent in her company, the way her mane caught the light wherever she went still managed to take you by surprise.
  1630.  
  1631. “How did the evening court go?”
  1632. >Luna grunts noncommittally.
  1633. >”Well enough, We suppose. It appears we must do something to address an incoming crisis regarding the spring planting.”
  1634. “Something’s wrong with the earth ponies’ crops?”
  1635. >”Not exactly. We’ve had an unseasonably cool spring. There’s some concern that crops may not yield as much as expected... Or needed.”
  1636. >”That isn’t something the Pegasi can fix?”
  1637. >Luna shakes her head morosely.”
  1638. >”They’ve tried. It seem the problem lies beyond their ability to solve.”
  1639. >The implication, of course, was that it had something to do with the her..
  1640. >You’d noticed the spring had been late to start, and the winter’s frost had persisted beyond when you’d reasonably expect.
  1641. >Maybe it was because you were inside much more often than not, but you didn’t think the unseasonable weather was quite so bad as it evidently was.
  1642. >Luna’s recent difficulty with her control of the sun was clearly having consequences beyond her own well-being.
  1643. >Looking over at her, you can nearly see the lines of worry creasing her face, burdened with another weight of concern.
  1644. >You reach over to rest your hand on her shoulder, gently massaging under her mane.
  1645. “I’m sure we’ll think of something.”
  1646. >Luna smiles bravely, though with the air of someone who clearly saw little chance of escape from a difficult situation..
  1647. >”Thank you, Anonymous. We’re certain this is just a passing concern.”
  1648. >Her gait slows for a moment as she leans into your side in a sort of equine half-hug, which you draw her into reassuringly.
  1649. >”So, what’s in the bag?”
  1650.  
  1651. >Happy to change the subject, the rest of the walk to her chambers is spent discussing how best to spend the evening.
  1652. >What to eat, what would pair best with your wine, what constellations she wanted you to see from the view on her balcony, what meteor showers she had planned for her night sky...
  1653. >As she waxed on about her work in the night, what grim mood that seemed to have possessed her during her recollection of the evening’s meeting left just as quickly.
  1654. >Her eyes lit up with excitement over the stars she had carefully arranged in exquisite patterns on the firmament ages ago.
  1655. >Her mood was infectious, and it took a moment before you remembered that she was no longer able to see what she was describing.
  1656. >That was a small part you could play for her; to be her eyes, and for her to revel in her work through you.
  1657. >You cherished the thought.
  1658. >Eventually, you reach the threshold of Luna’s chambers.
  1659. >Luna’s guards stand in their customary spots, waiting for her arrival.
  1660. >Returning a gesture from the Princess with staccato salutes, they open the doors to her quarters and beckon you inside.
  1661. >The interior of Luna’s living space was little changed from how you remembered it.
  1662. >The room’s furnishings had been rearranged slightly, with a broader couch replacing the slightly smaller one from your last visit.
  1663. >A new table had been brought to the space between the couch and the hearth as well, furnished with a set of dining wares for two.
  1664. >Luna must have had the room prepared for your visit at a late notice.
  1665. >The elegant decor of the room is lit by the gentle amber-pink glow of the setting sun, casting the last of its rosy rays through the large window at the room’s opposite edge.
  1666. >Even though the room was still only barely familiar to you, it felt like home.
  1667. >Luna walks into the room ahead of you, towards a small bell stationed on a table near the entrance.
  1668. >She rings it, producing a high, clear, chiming note.
  1669. >”What did we decide on again?”
  1670.  
  1671. “Pizza, right?”
  1672. >Luna nods happily
  1673. >”Yes, of course. We think We’ve earned a bit of a treat, wouldn’t you agree?”
  1674. “Today’s been far too nice, and it’s been far too long since our last dinner, to worry about eating healthy for one night.”
  1675. >Not that you thought pizza would pair well with the wine you’d brought, but once Luna had brought up the idea of the classic junk food on your way to her quarters, your craving for it wouldn’t let you consider anything else.
  1676. >You hadn’t realized ponies even had pizza.
  1677. >Summoned by the bell, one of Luna’s serving maids enters the quarters with a curtsy.
  1678. >”At your service, Grand Princess.”
  1679. >”Ah, Feather Dust, would you be so kind as to bring Sir Anonymous and I a pizza from the kitchens?”
  1680. >Luna, with a little of your input, describes her preferred toppings to the diminutive unicorn before sending her on her way with a word of gratitude.
  1681. >Luna watches the maid leave and sighs, a contented smile resting on her face.
  1682. >”Over the many long years, Anonymous, one lesson of Our sister’s that has never left Us is this: that We never take Our little ponies for granted.”
  1683. “It shows. They love you, Luna, and the ponies I know all look up to you.”
  1684. >”That’s a flattering sentiment, Anon. If only there were more We could do for them.”
  1685. >There it was again; that lingering sense of duty-bound guilt Luna always kept close at hand.
  1686. >One of the lasting scars of her days before her banishment.
  1687. >She closes her eyes, breathing deeply as her smile deepens.
  1688. >When her eyes open, they shine with delight once again.
  1689. >”It’s just about time, isn’t it?”
  1690. >You cast your eyes out towards the window, beyond which the sun has almost completely set.
  1691. “It seems so, my Princess.”
  1692. >With a practised yet effortless grace of movement, Luna paces towards the window, her horn’s aura shimmering around its handles and drawing it open in a fluid motion.
  1693. >There’s a small balcony beyond, a stony slab suspended high above the castle parapets enclosed by an ornately wrought steel lattice-fence.
  1694. >As she steps over the threshold, she turns back towards you, brilliant azure eyes shimmering from behind her flowing mane with effervescent light.
  1695. >’Come with me,’ they said.
  1696. >As they commanded, you obeyed, stepping out into the golden light of the setting sun alongside your Princess.
  1697.  
  1698. >Luna waits at the threshold for you, lingering for a moment as you approach her side.
  1699. >She brushes up against you as you rest a hand on her withers, a mutual gesture that’s rapidly becoming automatic.
  1700. >”Wait here, and watch.”
  1701. >You realize that, though much of the time you’d spent with Luna was at night, you’d never seen her actually raise the moon.
  1702. >She maintained that her sunrise, as brilliant as it was, was a pale imitation of her sister’s.
  1703. >Now you’d be one of a lucky few to see Luna at work in her element.
  1704. >She takes a deep breath, raising her milky, clouded eyes to the sky above as she starts walking towards the far side of the balcony.
  1705. >Almost in time with her gait, the sun finishes its descent below the horizon.
  1706. >Luna stands before you, her tall and regal frame set square against the dimming, dulling amber glow of the sky beyond, until darkness finally swallows what’s left of the sun’s light.
  1707. >A moment passes, a beat between breaths which feels almost eons long as you wait for Luna’s work to begin.
  1708. >You’re reminded of the darkness from your dreams, the lightless twilight which haunted a land with neither sun nor moon.
  1709. >Suddenly, from some space deep within your chest, you feel the distinct sensation of a distant hum.
  1710. >A powerful force, vibrating simultaneously from both within your bones and somewhere impossibly far away, growing stronger with each passing moment.
  1711. >Luna’s horn starts to glow, wreathing itself in a swirling nebula of cosmos, glittering brilliantly against the darkling sky.
  1712. >Her mane begins to toss about her sides, undulating like the water of a meltwater spring.
  1713. >It flows more and more rapidly by the second, tossed upwards and around her head by some unseen wind.
  1714. >It mingles with the aura of her magic, forming a diffuse mass of platinum stars trailing into the heavens above, the river of her mane spilling into the sky in a great reverse waterfall.
  1715. >The sky, a dark and shapeless expanse mere moments ago, was suddenly populated by an uncountable mass of brilliant stars, the smoky silver haze of distant galaxies weaving through them in ribbons of pearl.
  1716. >Luna’s silhouette remained perfectly still, the conductor of a grand orchestra, the centre around which the firmament untangled according to a design untold millennia in the making.
  1717.  
  1718. >As the sky’s brilliant array of spangled stars eased into their places, Luna’s horn began to glow once again, this time with an aura the colour of pale gold.
  1719. >The humming in your chest began to reach a crescendo, ancient and untold power thrumming through every fibre of your being.
  1720. >You wondered, for a brief moment, if being next to Luna as she used her most powerful magic was dangerous.
  1721. >You decided you didn’t care if it was.
  1722. >A pale, ghostly light began to glow from beyond the horizon, growing brighter in time with the intensification of Luna’s aura.
  1723. >Slowly, the moon began to crest the horizon on it ascent amidst the wheeling stars above.
  1724. >Pitted and cracked, ancient and impossibly far away yet vivid enough that you felt you could reach out and take it if you tried, Luna’s lambent lantern of the night ascended at her command.
  1725. >Gracefully it curved a smooth arc across the heavens, leaving a trail of nebulous stars in its wake as it assumed its place in the firmament.
  1726. >Luna, crown jewel of the night sky, serene and watchful, cast its comforting glow across Equestria.
  1727. >The glow around Luna’s horn dimmed, her mane returned to its easy, languid weightlessness, and she turned away from the sky to face you.
  1728. >Her clouded eyes, the indigo murky with the cataracts of age, watered slightly at their corners.
  1729. >The ghosts of reflected starlight danced in their depths, and she smiled with the joy of an artist who’d just completed a painstaking piece.
  1730. >”We don’t usually put on such a show, but...”
  1731. >Poised and elegant, she trots towards you, a shadow of trepidation creeping into her otherwise carefully composed voice.
  1732. >”Having company... Someone near, close to me, to bring them out for...”
  1733. >For the first time since you’d known her, Luna was at a loss for words.
  1734. >Despite that, you’d never felt that you’d understood her more perfectly than at that moment.
  1735. >You walk forwards to meet her, holding her cheek in your hand and drawing her eyes to meet yours.
  1736. “You were stunning, Luna.”
  1737. >You lean in towards each other, sharing in each other’s breath and touch as your eyes close, and your lips meet for the first time as the moon and stars wheel in the heavens overhead, drawn into being by the mare you loved.
  1738.  
  1739. -CHAPTER IX-
  1740. >It’s the dead of night in Princess Luna’s chambers, and you find yourself awake.
  1741. >The air is still and silent, the only sounds the gusting of wind on the castle’s battlements and the steady rhythm of Luna’s breathing.
  1742. >She was still asleep, clearly.
  1743. >Careful not to wake her, you try your best to sidle out from under the sheets as smoothly as you can.
  1744. >After painstakingly extricating yourself out from the tangle of silk and feathers, you free yourself from the bed as your feet find solid ground beyond its edge.
  1745. >You look back at the princess, both to make sure that you hadn’t disturbed her slumber and to take in the sight of her sleeping beatifically.
  1746. >The weight and care of the day had left itself behind as she’d drifted off to sleep, and she looked as carefree and happy in rest as you’d ever seen her.
  1747. >You resist the momentary urge to return to her side; you didn’t want to risk waking her up.
  1748. >Reluctantly, you take your eyes from the Princess and turn towards the door.
  1749. >In the sitting room beyond, evidence of your evening together with Luna was strewn around the couch.
  1750. >A couple plates littered with pizza crusts and some uneaten slices lay on the lounge table, accompanied by a drained wine bottle and glasses.
  1751. >The two of you had enjoyed your night together after Luna’s moonrise, eating, drinking, and sharing in the joy of each other’s company.
  1752. >Without the need for words, you’d both felt that a threshold had been passed with your kiss.
  1753. >Awkward at first, as the night had gone on you’d drawn each other closer in one another’s embrace, sharing in the tactility of mutual love finally requited.
  1754. >You walk over to the window at the far end of the room, opening it to catch the fresh air beyond.
  1755. >You breath deeply as you step over the balcony, standing in the spot where you had held Luna scarce few hours ago.
  1756. >You reflect on your relationship with the Princess, gazing out at the starry tapestry carefully woven above you.
  1757. >You had been devoted to her long before you’d grown to love her.
  1758. >As a monarch, she had been easy to love; just, fair, elegant, majestic and willing to trust you when you’d found yourself stranded in a strange, foreign land.
  1759. >Serving her had been easy, and as you’d done so, she had started to open herself up to you.
  1760. >Some part of you found comfort in the mutual unlikelihood of your relationship.
  1761. >It seemed beyond the wildest dreams of hope for a being as incredible as Luna fall for you, but not too long ago it would have seemed equally impossible for you to fall in love with a talking horse.
  1762.  
  1763. >You hold the moon in your eyes, smiling contentedly as you let its comforting light wash over you.
  1764. >Whatever strange twists of fortune had set your life on this path, you were glad they had led you here.
  1765. >”Can’t sleep, Anonymous?”
  1766. >With a start, you turn to find Luna standing beside you, smiling coyly at your surprise.
  1767. >”Our apologies. We didn’t mean to frighten you.”
  1768. “You just shocked me a little. I suppose I was spacing out.”
  1769. >You gesture to the night sky, drawing a small chuckle from the Princess as she moves closer to your side.
  1770. >Reaching out to draw her close, you run your fingers through her mane as she gently leans against you.
  1771. “I had a pretty good nap this afternoon, so I guess I just didn’t need much sleep. Besides, it can’t be very long until sunrise.
  1772. >”Just a few short hours.”
  1773. >Luna didn’t try to keep the resentment out of her voice, and you give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
  1774. “What about you? Couldn’t sleep much either?”
  1775. >Despite having just woken up, the newly-familiar look of suppressed fatigue had crept back into Luna’s face.
  1776. >”Not really.”
  1777. >She gives you a wan smile, casting her half-blind eyes out over her work overhead.
  1778. >”We’re still tired, but it doesn’t seem to be the kind of tired that sleep can fix.”
  1779. >She closes her eyes again, her smile fading as she leans more heavily on your side.
  1780. >”Thank you for being here, with Us, tonight.”
  1781. “I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.”
  1782. >Eyes still closed, still leaning against you, Luna turns her head towards yours, leaning in for a small, soft kiss.
  1783.  
  1784. >”Until the very moment of our first kiss, Anonymous, We...I wasn’t sure how I felt. Everything had felt so confused, so lonely...”
  1785. >She opens her eyes and sighs, and you stay silent.
  1786. >You’d noticed she’d dropped her habitual use of the royal plural; surely a sign she was deep in a train of thought that you were loath to break.
  1787. >”After being alive for so long, after days and nights, moons and seasons passing beyond the count of untold years, I feel for the very first time that the future is uncertain. Not since I lost my sister had I felt so unsure about what the future holds for me... For us.”
  1788. >”And yet, somehow, I’ve never felt happier. Not since time beyond memory had I so safe heading into the unknown. I owe that to you.”
  1789. >She turns to look into your eyes, and you return her gaze.
  1790. >Deep pools of azure, wells clouded by age and deep as the sea, look into yours with an intensity that pierces into your very soul.
  1791. >As clear as speech, they say: I trust you; my heart is yours to hold.
  1792. >You cup her cheek and kiss her lightly on her forehead.
  1793. “Every moment I’ve spent with you has been a gift, Luna. Whatever tomorrow brings, We’ll face it together. There’s no one I’d rather face it with.”
  1794. >She alights her forehead against yours, holding herself to you with a gentle and reassuring pressure.
  1795. >“I love you, Anonymous.”
  1796. ”I love you too, Luna.”
  1797. >With another kiss, you withdraw from your embrace and face the night sky.
  1798. >A long moment of silence follows, the two of you taking comfort in one another’s presence, the need for words passed as you watched the steady course of the moon trailing above.
  1799. >”I wish tonight would never end.”
  1800. >Breaking the silence, Luna’s voice is whisper quiet, scarcely audible above the sound of the wind on the battlements.
  1801. >You look to the Princess.
  1802. >Tears had started to gather in the corners of her eyes, collecting like morning dew after a cold spring’s frost.
  1803.  
  1804. >The few short hours Luna promised pass in silence.
  1805. >What Luna had said hadn’t warranted an answer in words.
  1806. >Only the reassuring stroke of your palm on her flank, the silent promise that you wouldn’t leave her.
  1807. >You both knew that no night could last forever.
  1808. >You hold one another close as you quietly observe the steady dance of the heavens above.
  1809. >The moon tracks its course over the horizon, attended to by its court of stars, nebulae trailing in its wake like a wedding train, attending to its serenity and majesty in the sky.
  1810. >Though you’re up far earlier than you were used to, no trace of fatigue touched you.
  1811. >Luna looked similarly awake; her clouded eyes open and attentive as the minutes ticked past unnoticed.
  1812. >Together, you felt like guardians of a restless watch, guards standing at attention on a bastion set against some unseen threat.
  1813. >You supposed this sensation, this watchfulness, was a part of Luna’s domain as Princess of the Night.
  1814. >Guardian of Dreams.
  1815. >Despite the ever-present howl of the wind on the castle, you felt comfortably warm.
  1816. >Maybe it was the presence of the Princess at your side, warm and comforting, or maybe it was some magic steeped into the stones of the castle, but the weather seemed to have no effect on you here.
  1817. >The night trailed on, the long hours creeping by in a sequence of precious, too-short seconds.
  1818. >Eventually, the moon descends below the horizon, out of sight.
  1819. >Darkness descends on Equestria then, lit only by the distant, ethereal glow of stars.
  1820. >You felt Luna’s reluctance keenly, then.
  1821. >You wished the night could last forever, too.
  1822. >It had been too short, and your newfound relationship with the princess had felt evergreen, fresh, and beautiful in the few short hours that you’d spent with each other.
  1823. >The dawn of a new day would bring fresh challenges, difficulties, weariness and all the little pains that were part and parcel of life itself.
  1824.  
  1825. >Though your heart raced with excitement at the prospect of days to come at Luna’s side, you still felt that some of the magic of this night would be lost with the rising sun.
  1826. >Luna lets out a long, drawn-out breath at your side, rolling her neck to shake of some of the accumulated stiffness built up over the last few hours of stillness.
  1827. >”Looks like it’s time, Anonymous.”
  1828. >She looks over to you, the day’s fatigue preemptively present in the lines of her beautiful face.
  1829. “Just a moment, Princess.”
  1830. >You turn to face her, holding her cheek in one hand and running your hand through her mane with your other.
  1831. >You just wanted to take a moment to appreciate her in the beauty of the night that she’d made for you both before surrendering the moment to the encroaching daylight.
  1832. >She leans her head into your hand, smiling sadly as she takes in the moment.
  1833. “I wish we could stay here.”
  1834. >”So do I.”
  1835. >She closes her eyes, her smile spreading warmth to her lined, weary face.
  1836. >”We’ll have many other nights, Anonymous, but each must end. Treasure the memory of this one; I know I will.”
  1837. >You nod and draw in for a kiss.
  1838. >She returns it with a pressure that speaks to a deep, desperate reluctance to let the moment end.
  1839. >Eventually, the kiss breaks, and you move to walk to the opposite end of the balcony to make room for the Princess to do her work.
  1840. >”Wait, Anon.”
  1841. >You stop in your tracks at the insistent tone of Luna’s low voice.
  1842. >”Stay with me.”
  1843. >You think back to the sensation of immense power thrumming and vibrating through your core at Luna’s moonrise.
  1844. “Is it-”
  1845. >”Trust me.”
  1846. >Luna smiles again, with a warmth that banishes your misgivings.
  1847. >Buried within the smile, though, you read the trace of a plea from the princess.
  1848. >You nod and return to her side, your hand finding its familiar spot at her wither, your fingers running through the ethereality of her mane.
  1849. “Ready when you are, Luna.”
  1850. >She turns her gaze beyond the balcony's balustrade, over the horizon, and magic begins to wreath her horn in a swirling corona.
  1851. >Far over the distant curve of the horizon, you swear you can almost see the faintest glimmer of light already.
  1852.  
  1853. >You remember Luna’s last sunrise you had seen in person as if it were yesterday.
  1854. >The hum of ancient power flowing through the stones of the castle, through your core and concentrating at the tip of Luna’s horn.
  1855. >You remember being in awe of the spectacle, and though you were worried about Luna’s difficulties with the feat, you were still looking forward to it.
  1856. >That first time you’d witnessed Luna’s work in person coincided with the first time Luna had apparently had difficulties with the task, and deep down you worried that it was somehow your fault.
  1857. >Luna, though tangibly distressed by the prospect of the sunrise, still seemed confident in her ability to execute it, and had asked you to stay.
  1858. >You hoped that whatever strength your presence could give the princess with your presence could be enough.
  1859. >You place your hand on her back reassuringly as she begins her millenia-old ritual.
  1860. >As the pale-gold hue of magic begins to swirl around her, the familiar thrumming of magic begins to resonate within your core.
  1861. >The faint glimmers of sunlight flicker on the horizon, waning and waxing as if the sun itself was straining against the dawn.
  1862. >The musculature of Luna’s flank against your hand, usually supple and relaxed, feels taught.
  1863. >Luna tenses further as the glow begins to strengthen, the strain causing her to perspire slightly.
  1864. >The sun’s light had barely begun to glow over the horizon.
  1865. >The glow strengthens, Luna tenses still further, gritting her teeth and widening her stance, and the thrumming beat of her magic courses more and more powerfully through your hand and into your bones.
  1866. >You feel a pressure build behind your eyes as the hum begins to reverberate through your skull.
  1867. >You weren’t sure how you knew, but you were certain that the magic being performed in such close proximity to you had forged some kind of empathetic link.
  1868.  
  1869. >Your muscles began to tense and tremble unwillingly, the point of connection between your hand and Luna’s flank growing hot at first, then cold in waves.
  1870. >Still you hold on, refusing to leave Luna’s side.
  1871. >The light intensifies to the point of being blinding, the white-hot core of her horn leaving ghosts burned in your eyes.
  1872. >Still the sun refuses to rise, the faint glimmer of light wavering at the edge of the horizon.
  1873. >The struggle stretches on in silence for what feels like an eternity, though you were certain that barely a few minutes had passed.
  1874. >Your hand is numb, sweat running down yours and Luna’s backs in rivulets.
  1875. >The hum of magical power had intensified to the point of being nigh unbearable, the pressure in your skull reaching a migraine pitch.
  1876. >In the centre of the incandescent maelstrom, Luna grits her teeth determinedly, bracing for a final push.
  1877. >Despite the numbness of your hand and the pain of your muscle’s tension, you lean closer against Luna, wrapping your arm around her in embrace.
  1878. >Whatever she needed from you, you would give.
  1879. >The light, the reverberating bone-deep humming, and the cascade of magical power reaches an almighty crescendo
  1880. >You close your eyes, feeling Luna tremble beneath your arms as the sensation of magic slowly begins to bleed away.
  1881. >When you open them, the sun is peering above the crest of the horizon, taking its place in the crystal-blue sky.
  1882. >Rosy-fingered dawn stretches over Equestria, caressing the castle with its gentle gold-pink light.
  1883. >The light illuminates the Princess in your arms, who’s staring into the horizon, breathing heavily.
  1884. >Her flank is damp with sweat, her breathing shallow and her eyes half-lidded with fatigue.
  1885.  
  1886. >You feel as if you’d just ran a marathon, but looking at her, you can tell Luna feels worse.
  1887. >”Anon, I-”
  1888. >Before she can say another word, her legs collapse from under her, fatigue from effort sapping their ability to hold her another moment.
  1889. >She collapses on the cool stone, eyes closed.
  1890. >Shit.
  1891. >You turn back to the balcony’s window, hoping for assistance.
  1892. >A maid watches from the sitting room beyond, worry and fear painting her face in an expression of shock.
  1893. “Water, quickly!”
  1894. >You call out to the maid, who immediately dashes off to get Luna the help she needs.
  1895. >”Anon... I’m okay. I’m okay.”
  1896. >Luna’s voice is scarcely louder than a whisper, trying and failing to sound reassuring.
  1897. “Like hell you are, Luna.”
  1898. >She chuckles dryly, the sound resembling a weak cough more than laughter.
  1899. >”That was the easiest morning I’ve had in a while, Anon.”
  1900. >Her chuckling turns dry, remorse and guilt creeping into her deathly tired voice.
  1901. >”I’m so sorry... I was selfish, I didn’t want you to leave.”
  1902. >She turns to you, holding your eyes in hers as she raisers a hoof limply onto your lap.
  1903. >”So selfish- I drew so much from you, I wasn’t thinking. I thought it would be okay.”
  1904. >You hold her hoof in your hand, clasping it firmly, though you can’t help but feel that you’re clinging to her in desperation.
  1905. “You should have taken more.”
  1906. >As you speak, you hear the sound of the balcony door open behind you.
  1907. >It’s the maid again, who you now recognize as Feather Dust from the night before.
  1908. >She’s brought a pitcher of cool water, mixed with pieces of cucumber and citrus fruit, and a small stack of towels.
  1909. >”Oh, thank you Feather Dust.”
  1910. >Even in her weakened state, even with her voice barely audible from the strain of breathing, Luna’s infallibly polite to her help.
  1911. “It’s okay, I’ve got it from here. Thanks.”
  1912. >Clearly uncomfortable with the private scene she’d intruded on, the maid pony curtsies wordlessly and scurries from the balcony.
  1913.  
  1914. >You fill a glass from the pitcher and hold it to Luna’s lips, allowing her to sip from it without straining herself or her magic.
  1915. >As you set the cup down in front of her, you drape a towel over her back, patting the sweat dry and trying to warm her clammy flank.
  1916. “This isn’t the first time she’s brought you these, is it?”
  1917. >Luna finishes a quaff with a small sigh, and breathes deeply.
  1918. >”Like I said, this morning was relatively easy. Dear Feather Dust has been Our faithful help for a while now, and We hold her in confidence.”
  1919. >Luna’s voice sounds stronger with each passing moment, though it still quavers with each shuddering breath.
  1920. >”You can’t be with me for this again. It was dangerous, and I can’t put you through that again. I shouldn’t have-”
  1921. “You’ll have to force me to stay away.”
  1922. >You interrupt her guilt-ridden monologue before she can get started, and look into her eyes again.
  1923. >Holding her, your sweat mingles with hers, the wind blowing cold and clammy against your face.
  1924. >The headache had started to subside.
  1925. “Like I said, Luna, no matter what the future brings, I’ll be at your side to bear it with you.”
  1926. >Luna looks like she’s about to say something, her eyes boring into yours with her characteristic intensity.
  1927. >Instead, she shuffles from her prone position closer to your side, gently pushing you aside and on your back so she can rest her upper body fully against yours.
  1928. >She holds herself above you for a moment as your hands continue to rest against her sides in a half-embrace.
  1929. >”Thank you, Anonymous.”
  1930. >She leans in for a grateful, exhausted kiss.
  1931. >Through your touch you can feel her muscles tremble slightly with the strain of holding herself up above you, and after the kiss she collapses again, this time against your chest.
  1932. >Winded slightly, you smile and stroke her mane as she gives a long, contented sigh.
  1933. >”Let me just lie here for a moment, Anon.”
  1934. >”Of course.”
  1935. >You let a moment pass in silence as you stroke her mane.
  1936. >The sun slowly rises above, casting its light across the sky, but shedding little warmth on you and the Princess.
  1937. >Her breathing steadies, her tension melts from her muscles and her sweat dries to leave behind a pleasant musky fragrance.
  1938. >You decide to voice the question that had been burning the back of your mind since Luna had finished the sunrise.
  1939. >”How long do you think you can keep doing this?”
  1940. >She doesn’t answer.
  1941.  
  1942. -CHAPTER X-
  1943. >After that night you shared with Luna, the days passed with a belaboured reluctance.
  1944. >Wracked with care for the Princess, the long hours between sunrises passed with agonizing slowness, passing in turn to longer days and weeks.
  1945. >Each morning brought the same routine of the tortuous sunrise, and each night brought the relief of the starry expanse called at Luna’s command.
  1946. >Just as it seemed the winter had reluctantly released spring from its chill grip, spring hurried to pass into the long days of summer almost before it had a chance to truly begin.
  1947. >The days grew long, your precious nights with Luna grew short, and each morning’s sun was raised with more difficulty than the last.
  1948. >You had resolved to stay at Luna’s side as much as you were able.
  1949. >Your responsibilities in the Archives still commanded a fair portion of your time, of course, but the basement halls had shifted from residence to place of work.
  1950. >Ink Blot, despite his youth, had proven himself a capable enough lieutenant, and you delegated much of the day-to-day running of the place to him and his newly-hired cadre of academics and shelf-minders.
  1951. >Far from the mouldering, neglected haunts the archives had been prior to your arrival, the place was bustling with the attentions of the capital’s administration.
  1952. >Though you had far more important things on your mind lately, you took some pride in that.
  1953. >One breezy summer morning, you find yourself once again in your quarters within the archives, rummaging through your desk in search for a missing catalogue of one of the library’s back rooms.
  1954. >The morning’s efforts with Luna had left you drained, and your search through your shelves had gotten you nowhere.
  1955. >Rubbing your temples, you sit on your chair for a moment to collect yourself.
  1956. >Just as you do, you hear a knock on the door.
  1957. >Sighing a little at the unexpected interruption, you let the sound hang in the air for a second before answering.
  1958. ”Come in.”
  1959.  
  1960. >The door creaks open and Tea Leaves walks in, carrying a small tray on her back.
  1961. >You immediately feel a wave of guilt over your momentary annoyance.
  1962. >”Good morning, Sir. You looked a little tired coming in, so I brought you some things.”
  1963. >Sure enough, her tray carried a fresh mug of coffee, just how you liked it, and a small pile of breakfast pastries just like she’d shared with you however many weeks ago.
  1964. “Oh, thank you, Tea Leaves.”
  1965. >You clear a space on your desk for the tray, taking it carefully from its resting place on Tea Leaves’ back.
  1966. >The pastries – danishes, small donuts and strudels with fresh creamy icing – are fresh from the castle’s kitchens, wisps of steam rising from their flaky layers.
  1967. >The coffee, fresh-brewed and black, smells enticing, waking you up nearly by aroma alone.
  1968. >Once again, you’re gratefully for the ministrations of Luna’s incredibly proficient serving staff in the castle kitchens, and for the attentiveness of the small mare at your side.
  1969. “Want to join me for a bit? I think we could both use a little break, and a very wise pony once told me that sweets are best enjoyed with company.”
  1970. >Not waiting for any further persuasion, Tea Leaves grabs a stool from the corner of the room and sets herself up upon it.
  1971. >She reaches over for a doughnut that she’d clearly been eyeing hungrily, taking it in her hooves with a meek word of thanks.
  1972. >You eat together in comfortable silence for a moment, nibbling on your respective delicacies and listening to the sweet music of birdsong from beyond the panes of the room’s sole window.
  1973. >The beams of the sun catch on dust motes in its path, swirling in gentle eddies above the steam of your coffee and the dusty piles of books cast in the morning’s amber glow.
  1974. >It’s serene, enough to make you forget your troubles for a few minutes.
  1975. ‘So, how have things been with you, Ms. Leaves?”
  1976. >It’d been a while since you’d last spoken with the timid maid, and you realized that you’d missed her company a little lately.
  1977.  
  1978. >”Oh, everything’s been well, I’ve just been so busy lately that I haven’t had much time for much else but work.”
  1979. “I hope I’m not keeping you from anything important?”
  1980. >Tea Leaves smiles sheepishly.
  1981. >”No, it’s okay. If I tell my boss that you needed me for something, I don’t get asked too many questions.”
  1982. “I didn’t realize my name was a get out of jail free card.”
  1983. >Tea Leaves cocks her head and looks at you, puzzled by the expression.
  1984. “Ah, it’s a game I used to... never mind. Feel free to use me as an excuse to get out of work any time, Leaves.”
  1985. >”Oh goodness, I’d never. I do miss seeing you around the archives though, a little bit. It’s a little less... Comfy? With you gone so often, I mean.”
  1986. “Mmm. Not much that I can do about that, I’m afraid.”
  1987. >Tea Leaves nods understandingly.
  1988. >”The Princess needs you, I know.”
  1989. >It’s your turn to look at her quizzically.
  1990. >She looks away, slightly embarrassed.
  1991. >”The other maids talk, a little. Feather Dust said that the Princess was keeping you around nearly every morning. She won’t say why, though.”
  1992. >Beneath her words, you realize that Luna’s struggles with the sun must be common knowledge around the castle by now.
  1993. >You take a long draught of your coffee, thinking.
  1994. >You’d thought that must be the case, of course, if for no other reason than that the simple natural phenomena of the sun’s rise every morning was growing ever more belaboured and delayed.
  1995. >Between that and Luna’s visible fatigue at her public appearances, anyone with eyes would be able to see that something was amiss.
  1996. >Some honesty, for now, seems the best policy.
  1997. ”I’ve been doing what I can for Luna, though I’m not sure how much help I truly am to her.”
  1998. >Tea Leaves takes another thoughtful bite of her doughnut before responding.
  1999. >”I don’t see the Princess all that often, but Feather Dust also says that these last few weeks, she’s looked happier than she has in months. Whatever you’re doing, I’m sure it’s enough.”
  2000. “Thanks, Leaves. I appreciate that.”
  2001.  
  2002. >Unsaid between the two of you, eating alone in your small office, was the question that’d been hanging over your head since that fateful night with the Princess.
  2003. >How much longer she could last, raising the sun ever morning with ever increasing difficulty and pain.
  2004. >If Tea Leaves, Feather Dust and presumably the rest of the staff knew that Luna had been needing your help, then surely the question of when the holding pattern of Luna’s ability would come to an end.
  2005. >Your regular presence at Luna’s side must be undermining the facade of her infallibility, but there was nothing that could be done about that now.
  2006. >You finish your coffee and pastry just as Tea Leaves finishes hers.
  2007. >It was a short reprieve from the day’s early tribulations, but an appreciated one.
  2008. “Thanks again for bringing these, Leaves. We’ll have to have a proper lunch together some time soon; you, Ink Blot and I.”
  2009. >Tea Leaves gathers up the dishes onto the tray once again, placing them carefully balanced on her back.
  2010. >”I’d like that, Sir Anonymous.”
  2011. >With a professional curtsy, she backs out of the room, leaving you alone once again with your thoughts..
  2012. >You return to your desk, thinking back to the task that had been interrupted.
  2013. >As it turns out, the papers you had moved to make room for the food Tea Leaves had brought had been hiding the missing catalogue.
  2014. >Smiling at the serendipitous fortune, you set aside the sheaf of indexes and carefully rearrange the remaining documents in the room.
  2015. >With the task complete and the day looking a little brighter, you figured you ought to attend to the Princess again, as she’d like be finishing up with her morning court fairly soon.
  2016. >As you clean, a book catches your eye from the corner of your room.
  2017. >You withdraw it from its place deep under a pile of books on a nigh-forgotten shelf, eddies of dust swirling in the thin beams of light as you retrieve the thick, dusty tome.
  2018. >It’s the book Luna had given to you in her study, when she’d first tasked you with the remembrance of the Alicorns.
  2019. >A project you’d let hang in limbo, and a grim reminder of the inevitability Luna had seen in her future.
  2020. >You hold it for a moment, silent and still.
  2021. >Reaching resolution, you take it in your bag, alongside some writing instruments you had planned on taking with you to Luna’s chambers.
  2022. >The book’s presence weighing on your mind as heavily as it weighed on your shoulder from its place in your bag, you make your way out of the archives, on the long journey to the high reaches of ancient Canterlot.
  2023.  
  2024. >The halls of the castle increase in activity as you progress through its heart, the steady and familiar flow of bureaucrats, delegates and menials attending to their business creating a background ambience to your procession.
  2025. >A few ponies greet you in passing.
  2026. >Most ignore you.
  2027. >You pay them little heed, your attention firmly elsewhere.
  2028. >The staccato beat of your boots on the flagstones forms a rhythm in your mind, driving your pace at a steady clip towards your destination.
  2029. >Before too long, that sound is your only company, the lonely reaches of the castle's high eastern wing almost entirely bereft of occupants.
  2030. >Most of the wing was occupied by rooms of state, guesthouses for important dignitaries and sitting rooms for government meetings.
  2031. >The castle had a surplus of such rooms, needing much more of their kind in the earlier, happier days of its existence.
  2032. >In these latter days of Luna's monarchy, great swathes of the castle fell into disuse, and her recluse nature meant the neighbouring apartments to her quarters were the first to get that treatment.
  2033. >The guards at Luna's door are present as ever, vigilantly keeping watch over their charge's threshold.
  2034. >They're very familiar with your presence by now, your tenancy in Luna's rooms being a regular fixture of their security duties.
  2035. >With a passing nod, they allow you to pass into the room behind them, ancient door swinging open noiselessly to allow your passage.
  2036. >Luna's castle apartment was as you'd left it that morning; impeccably clean, comfortable and welcoming.
  2037. >The maids had been at work since you'd left, and a magically warmed pot of tea was waiting at one of the room's side tables.
  2038. >You pour yourself a cup, bag still slung around your shoulders as you mixed your preferred brew.
  2039. >The clinking of the spoon against ceramic was the only noise to interrupt the silence of the space, aside from the gentle rustling of the room's curtains in the breeze.
  2040. >Tea in hand, you round a corner at the far end of the room, beyond the great window leading to the balcony, and down the proceeding hall.
  2041.  
  2042. >The hall is as opulent as the rest of Luna's quarters, dressed in rich appointments of gilded, hoof-carved wood, portraiture and statues lining the wall's alcoves opposite a sequence of windows.
  2043. >Pacing your familiar route automatically, you round another corner and reach your destination.
  2044. >A small sitting room which Luna had suggested you use as a personal office until your living arrangements could be sorted out more permanently.
  2045. >You lay out some of your personal effects from your bag on the desk, taking a moment to organize yourself.
  2046. >Ink, quills, some pencils and assorted tools of your trade already litter the desk’s surface, and you add to them a few things you’d figured you would need for some of the work ahead of you.
  2047. >Finally, you withdraw the thick, leatherbound volume from your bag, heavy with unfinished pages and notes inserted between its leaves.
  2048. >The history of the alicorns, the remembrance of Luna’s life and the memory of her family resides barely begun within its pages.
  2049. >You open it up for review, taking a sip from your tea as you do.
  2050. >Long pages of notes lay scattered between its pages of the reign of Celestia and Luna together, before and after the Lunar banishment.
  2051. >You’d found little of Celestia’s rule between the two periods of diarchy, and little else of the ascension of Equestria’s other princesses.
  2052. >What Luna had told you had helped with your study, filling in some gaps in the historical records and explaining some ill-explained curiosities littered across the long span of Equestria’s scarce-remembered history.
  2053. >You’d written still more concerning your understanding of the Alicorn’s unique relationship with mortality, yet much still remained a mystery to you.
  2054. >Their stories had ends, surely; Luna’s own was a shadow of dread constantly on the back of your mind.
  2055. >The beginnings of their tales, however, had proved to be much more elusive.
  2056. >Cadence and Twilight Sparkle were elevated from conventional beginnings, certainly.
  2057. >There were records of one of the Elements of Harmony being considered for elevation to a similar status – the element of Honesty, allegedly – but their provenance had proven to be a fanciful fit of communal storytelling by a collection of ancient pony scribes.
  2058.  
  2059. >Aside from Luna’s offhand mention of the days of her and Celestia’s youth, there had been nothing to find regarding the earliest days of the lives of the Princesses of the Sun and Moon.
  2060. >A problem that had hounded you in the earliest days of the project, and which eluded you still.
  2061. >A few short hours pass by as you peruse your notes, putting into order the threads of a narrative that you’d hoped would bring, if not clarity, then at least some small measure of understanding of Luna’s legacy.
  2062. >You loved her, after all, and though you resented the implication of the work, you thought of it still as an act of devotion to the Princess of the Night.
  2063. >As the days had gone by, your inability to give any lasting succour to the princess had put you in a foul mood, and the work she had given you seemed to be one of the few remaining avenues of meaningful work on Luna’s behalf.
  2064. >The ink is, somehow, still wet on one of the final pages of notes you’d written, and you hurriedly move to blot it dry.
  2065. >Another drop of moisture lands on the page, and you catch yourself as you reach for your blotting cloth.
  2066. >Your cheeks are wet; you’d begun to tear up without realizing it, lost as you were in your thoughts and your work.
  2067. >With that realization, tears begin spring up from your eyes fast and unbidden as the looming spectre of the grief yet to come overwhelms you.
  2068. >For a moment, you weep freely and quietly, head held in your hands as you lean on your desk helplessly.
  2069. >You lose track of time, but eventually the fit passes, the catharsis leaving you feeling like a watery rag, wrung tight to dry.
  2070. >Sniffling, your eyes stinging, you recline back in your chair and close your eyes with a long sigh.
  2071. >Other thoughts and memories run through your mind, now.
  2072. >Of nights in the garden, of moonlit skies and dreams of flight.
  2073. >Whatever else, you had to be grateful for what you had been able to share with Luna so far, no matter how it might end.
  2074. >You had to remember that.
  2075. >Another deep breath, and you stand up from your desk, stretching out your back with a small series of pops and cracks.
  2076. >Circling around, you notice a small plate had been placed at an end table adjacent to the office’s door.
  2077. >On it were a few small pieces of candies and chocolate that hadn’t been there when you’d come in.
  2078. >You chuckle a little.
  2079. >One of Luna’s serving maids – Feather Dust, maybe – had clearly heard you from behind the door.
  2080. >Luna’s ponies were really something else.
  2081. >Accepting the silent gift of the confectionery pick-me-up, you exit the room to freshen yourself up.
  2082. >Luna, after all, would be back any minute now, and you didn’t want her to see you like this.
  2083.  
  2084. >Minutes pass, stretching into a long hour of waiting.
  2085. >After a little while, you return to the study with a fresh cup of tea and a small lunch retrieved from the apartment’s dining room, intent on finishing one of the more menial pieces of work you’d brought with you from the archives a few days ago.
  2086. >That task passes uneventfully without any sign of Luna’s presence.
  2087. >Exiting the room again, you peer out the window over the balcony beyond.
  2088. >The sun was hanging low in the sky, beginning its descent into the long line of the horizon.
  2089. >Over the last week, Luna hadn’t been away from her quarters any longer than she’d had to be, owing as much to her fatigue as anything else.
  2090. >Making your way across the sitting room of Luna’s quarters, you open the door, finding the guards in their customary places on either side of the portal.
  2091. “Has Luna been by lately?”
  2092. >One of the guards, a grizzled old Thestral, shakes his head.
  2093. >”No, no sign of the Princess since she left this morning for court.”
  2094. >That was odd.
  2095. “Thanks. I think I’ll be heading out in a moment; if she comes by, tell her I’ll be back shortly.”
  2096. >The Thestral nods in affirmation as you close the door again.
  2097. >You weren’t usually one to be concerned over a minute break in routine, but where Luna was concerned, you couldn’t help yourself.
  2098. >The most likely scenario was simply that she’d gotten caught up in some inane business of court, but still.
  2099. >She’d had a particularly hard morning, and had gone to her duties more worn out than you’d seen her in a while.
  2100. >Even if it ended up being a pointless walk, you thought that going out in the castle to look for her was a better use of your time than rattling around in her quarters, waiting.
  2101. >You were still feeling hollowed out from earlier, and you hoped that a walk around the castle would lift your spirits a little.
  2102. >Decided on your course, you don your shoes and jacket, and set out into the castle in search of the Princess.
  2103.  
  2104. >You first decide to make your way to the throne room at the castle’s heart.
  2105. >You figured that if Luna wasn’t there, there would be somepony nearby who would know where she was.
  2106. >Though its still relatively early in the day, with the afternoon only barely having passed into the evening and the early summer’s sunset still a few hours away, a hush had descended on the castle.
  2107. >Where usually ponies would be milling around the hallways as their day’s duties proceeded to an end, instead the halls were still and silent.
  2108. >You hear hushed voices from behind closed doors you passed on your way towards the castle’s staterooms.
  2109. >Pausing for a moment at one of the doors, you listen intently to what was being said within.
  2110. >The words are hard to make out, though the tension behind them was palpable.
  2111. >With some clarity, you catch a phrase from the muttering that nearly stops your heart.
  2112. >Luna’s abdication.
  2113. >You step back from the door, taken aback, and head towards the throne room with a new urgency lending more and more speed to your steps with each passing yard.
  2114. >By the time you get to the threshold of the throne room, you’re on the verge of running.
  2115. >Gracelessly, you open a door leading into the room, casting it aside as you stride within.
  2116. >The room is very nearly empty, the echoes of the door hitting the limits of its hinges the only sound resonating in the cavernous space.
  2117. >Luna, as you had become increasingly sure, was nowhere to be seen.
  2118. >Her throne atop the dais at the far end of the room was draped with a thick black cloth, the regal appointments of her station symbolically veiled and rendered shapeless.
  2119. >You hadn’t seen it covered like that before; Luna’s throne was always the centrepiece and namesake of the throne room, whether she was on it or not.
  2120. >That didn’t bode well.
  2121. >Though the room was nearly empty, there was one other lone figure on the room’s periphery, near where you had entered it.
  2122. >One of the castle’s servants, a small earth pony, sat slumped at a bench, leaning heavily on a broom’s handle and crushing its bristles distractedly.
  2123. >It seems like she either didn’t notice your entrance or didn’t care.
  2124.  
  2125. “Hi there.”
  2126. >You speak softly, but she still jumps, nearly dropping her broom in fright.
  2127. >”Oh- Oh, Sir, sorry, I was just taking a break, I-”
  2128. “It’s fine, don’t mind me. I’m just passing through.”
  2129. >Relieved, she slumps down on the bench again, letting the broom clatter to the floor.
  2130. >”Oh, thank goodness.”
  2131. “I’ve been trying to find... someone, but the halls are unusually empty for this time of day. Has something happened?”
  2132. >The mare nods, but doesn’t speak.
  2133. “Uh, do you mind if I ask what?”
  2134. >She looks askance at you, seeming to realize only just now who you were.
  2135. >”I’m surprised you don’t know, Sir Anonymous. Everyone says you’re deep in the Princess’s counsel.”
  2136. “Humour me.”
  2137. >”Well, it’s the Princess... She was late to court this morning, and she looked... Well, you know.”
  2138. “Tired?”
  2139. >The mare nods.
  2140. >”Like none of us had ever seen her before. So tired, and... sad.”
  2141. >She takes a moment to collect her thoughts, and you let the silence hang with its palpable tension.
  2142. >Luna had left for court that morning at her usual time, accompanied by her guards, and your mind raced to remember how she had appeared as she’d departed.
  2143. >More tired than usual, surely, but little different than she had any other morning over the last week.
  2144. >However, even despite how well you’d come to know her, Luna was a difficult pony to read.
  2145. >Surely she must have been hiding something.
  2146. >”She walks to her throne, but stops before sitting on it – you know, like she normally does.”
  2147. >You nod, urging her on with her story.
  2148. >”Instead, she turns towards us all, standing next to her throne, and...”
  2149. >She stops again, closing her eyes, recalling the recent memory.
  2150. >”She apologized to us. She spoke so quietly, so softly... real gentle, like my grandma used to sound when she put me to bed as a filly.”
  2151. >She smiles at the seemingly unrelated memory, glum expression broken by the happy thoughts brought up by the recollection of Luna’s voice.
  2152. >”I was at the back of the room, with however many hundreds of officials and nobleponies of all kinds between me and her, but it was like I was standing right next to her, you know? Like she was talking to just me.”
  2153.  
  2154. >She sighs, the smile fading.
  2155. >”Anyways, she apologized. She said she was sorry, and that... that she couldn’t be our Princess any more. That she was so proud of all of us, that she wished she could stay, that she knew we would do great and wonderful things without her, and that... she was leaving.”
  2156. >The lump that had been growing in your throat dropped into your stomach like a pit.
  2157. >You sit down on the bench next to the mare for fear of your legs giving out from under you.
  2158. >”She didn’t say it, of course, but we all guessed what was wrong. She had this look in her eyes, like she just couldn’t keep going on any more.”
  2159. >”Can’t hardly blame her, can you? Way things have been.”
  2160. “Everyone needs rest, and time away from their responsibilities. Even someone as special as the Princess.”
  2161. >Unspoken in your words is the hopeful reassurance that Luna’s retirement is temporary, but you’re not sure it convinces either of you.
  2162. >Still, the mare smiles.
  2163. >”She did say a little more, after all the ponies had settled down. She said she’d still be with us, in a fashion. That though she couldn’t be the Princess of Equestria, she was still – how did she put it – the guardian of the night? That she’d be with us in the moon’s light, and in our dreams, or something like that.”
  2164. >She makes a helpless gesture towards the empty expanse of the throne room.
  2165. >”I hope she’s okay, but I just don’t know what we’ll do without her.”
  2166. >She falls silent again, casting her eyes downwards in melancholy.
  2167.  
  2168. >Then, suddenly, as if remember once again where she was and who she was talking to, she starts up again in a rush.
  2169. >”Sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble – I should really get back to work, we’ll want the throne room tidy for whatever will be going on tomorrow.”
  2170. >You give her shoulder a reassuring pat, hoping to alleviate at least a little of the tension.
  2171. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. We’ve all had a long day.”
  2172. >Finally out of words, the mare just nods sadly, fiddling with her broom.
  2173. >You stand up, finding some newfound steadiness in your legs.
  2174. “Just trust in Luna. I’m sure everything will work out in the end.”
  2175. >She doesn’t answer at first, but as you make to leave the cavernous hall of the throne room, you hear her voice pipe up from behind you.
  2176. >”Look after her, okay? We don’t understand what’s going on... but she seems to trust you, so... we have to, right?”
  2177. >Your hand rests on the door’s handle, frozen as you search for a response.
  2178. >Realizing you have none, you swing the door open, walking once again into the empty halls beyond, leaving the solitary mare behind you in silence.
  2179. >Whatever trust Luna and the other ponies had in you, and whatever hope you gave them, you had none of either left for yourself.
  2180. >At the very least, you thought you had a better idea of where to find Luna.
  2181.  
  2182. >The trip back up to the high reaches of the castle takes on a different feeling than the descent.
  2183. >Gone is the sense of urgency and apprehension that had sped you on your flight to the throne room.
  2184. >In their place is a growing sense of foreboding, of the knowledge of a looming finality, that the route your life had followed with comfortable rhythm was about to take a sudden shift.
  2185. >As you wind your way up the long spiralling stairwells and meandering halls of the antiquated castle, the wafting air through the empty spaces and the long shafts of alternating shadows and amber light of the low-hanging sun your only companions, a sense of serenity begins to settle on your soul.
  2186. >The status quo was never going to hold; either you were going to find a way to cure Luna’s ability somehow, or...
  2187. >Or she wouldn’t be able to raise the sun any more.
  2188. >You were glad the latter was brought on by her decision rather than being forced upon her.
  2189. >You knew she was strong-willed enough that she would have let the efforts of providing light to Equestria kill her, if she thought it was necessary.
  2190. >You wished she’d told you earlier about her decision, but you know she must have agonized over it.
  2191. >Maybe she hadn’t made a decision at all until she’d entered the throne room.
  2192. >Either way, it changed little.
  2193. >You were going to stay at her side, no matter what else may come, as long as she’d have you.
  2194. >Eventually, you make it to your destination in the farthest reaches of the upper castle, far beyond the patrols of the castle’s guards, the ministrations of the castle servants and the lives of its courtiers.
  2195. >A familiar hallway, a place that had marked the beginning of your relationship with Luna.
  2196. >The vaulted ceilings of those halls seemed to nest within their shadows the ghosts of ancient memory
  2197. >The arches and columns are were ran through with cracks, draped with the growth of vines creeping in through the windows, and hung with the silvery strands of cobwebs.
  2198. >Just as you’d left it last, the ancient oaken door, hanged on wrought iron hinges, was closed shut.
  2199. >Usually locked, the same preternatural sense had guided you here left you certain you’d find the place open and occupied.
  2200. >The door swings with a magical lightness and silence at your touch, and you enter Luna’s garden.
  2201.  
  2202. >You’d only been in Luna’s night garden after sunset and in the earliest minutes of dawn in your past visits, so the vista before you is almost alien as you took in your surroundings.
  2203. >Gone were the glittering flights of fireflies in the darkened canopies of the low-hanging trees, as well as the luminescence of the flowers reflecting the silvered moonlight.
  2204. >Instead, the foliage waited in perfect stillness for the setting of the sun, bathed in the yellow-orange glow of the fading day.
  2205. >The light reflected on glossy leaves and colourful flower petals, casting the light under the trees in a kaleidoscope kaleidoscope palette.
  2206. >The light was dappled by the leaves overhead, casting mottled patterns of shadow on the smooth grass underfoot.
  2207. >You ear the familiar burble of the fountain in the distance, and immediately set out for it.
  2208. >By the familiar sight of the fountain, set against the balustrade overlooking the horizon, you spot the reclining form of Princess Luna at rest.
  2209. >Though you’re certain her sharp hearing had heard your approach, her face was turned from you, her attention fixated over the balustrade to the expanse of Equestria beyond.
  2210. >She was clad in a familiar antique golden palfrey, and held a white feather nestled between her hooves.
  2211. >The wind rising over the walls of Canterlot picked up in a rush, rustling the grass at her sides and flowing through her mane in a starry cascade.
  2212. >”Anonymous, I knew you’d come. And just in time. Please, join me.”
  2213. >Luna’s voice is tightly controlled, formal, with the faintest evidence of strain behind her careful enunciation.
  2214. >You do as she commands, setting yourself at her side on the cool grass, wind blowing through your hair as your arm finds its familiar place on her withers.
  2215. >Her flank is firm to the touch, the muscles beneath her velvety coat tense.
  2216. “I heard about what you did today.”
  2217. >Silence hangs in the air following your words.
  2218. >Luna’s pale eyes remain distant, fixed away from you.
  2219. “It was the right choice.”
  2220.  
  2221. >Some of the tension leaves her as Luna shifts gently beneath your touch, sighing heavily.
  2222. >”Do you think so?”
  2223. >You nod, even though Luna’s still not returning your gaze.
  2224. “Something had to give. What you’ve been going through these last weeks... That was never going to last.”
  2225. >”I could have kept going, even if only for a little bit longer.”
  2226. “If anyone could do it, it would be you, Princess. Call me selfish, but I’m glad you decided not to. I hated seeing you suffer, like that.”
  2227. >Luna smiles softly at that, and rustles her wing to draw you closer to her side, turning to hold you in her eyes.
  2228. >”I’m the selfish one, Anonymous. I needed your help, perhaps more than I realized, but... after seeing what it was putting you through, I couldn’t carry on. I couldn’t do that to you, and I realized what that must have felt like for you.”
  2229. >”Drawing you into the ritual of the sunrise was like holding up a mirror. It was folly to let it go on for as long as I did.”
  2230. >She sighs again.
  2231. >”I wonder how long Celestia would have held out. She raised the moon for a thousand years without me... I beat her, but not by much.”
  2232. >She frowns a little, consternation furrowing her regal brow.
  2233. >”At least, I don’t think by much. The march of years has gone on for so long, I think I’ve started to lose count.”
  2234. ”I think she’d be proud of you.”
  2235. >A curious look shadows Luna’s expression, as she appears taken aback by the statement.
  2236. >”Would she? You never knew her, Anonymous.”
  2237. >You think on that for a moment, letting silence punctuated by the rustle of the wind in the grass settle between you.
  2238.  
  2239. “No... No, I’ve never known her. But I know you, and what I’ve learned about her through you. About her love for you, her kindness, her understanding. The same love you still hold for her.”
  2240. >You draw up closer against Luna’s side, taking her into a tight embrace.
  2241. >You rest a hand on Luna’s hooves, not daring to touch the feather she held there, but stroking her hoof gently to bring her attention to it.
  2242. “She’s understand. You did well.”
  2243. >Luna nuzzles her neck against you in response, returning your show of affection in turn.
  2244. >”Thank you, Anonymous.”
  2245. >The words are quiet, heartfelt, and full of emotion barely restrained.
  2246. >By now, the tension has fully left her muscles, the princess relaxed under your arm.
  2247. >You hold each other there for a long moment, the wind rustling your clothes, drawing Luna’s mane out behind her, the silver-strewn stellar mass almost seeming to flow through the long pathways of her night garden behind.
  2248. >The sun sinks steadily downwards, the horizon reaching up to take it into its embrace.
  2249. >You knew, deep down, it would be the last sunset you’d watch with Princess Luna.
  2250. >You turn to look at her, looking for recognition of the moment’s gravity reflected in her features.
  2251. >A small trickle of moisture runs down her cheek from her eyes, a sad smile set on her lips, and yet her expression remains serene.
  2252. >There was no more hesitation, guilt or the weight of heavy burdens on Luna’s regal shoulders.
  2253. >With the orange light of the sunset dancing on her noble features, her mane cast behind her in the wind and her face set towards the sun, she looked free, the bittersweet relief of her choice liberating her for the first time in millennia.
  2254. >You take a deep breath, steeling yourself for whatever may come.
  2255. “What now, your majesty?”
  2256. >Though you’d intended for the title to carry some irony, you surprise yourself to find your words completely sincere.
  2257. >Title or no, the mare beside you was the very definition of majesty.
  2258. >She turns to you, smiling with a bitter, mischievous irony.
  2259. >”Now, Anonymous, the night will last forever.”
  2260.  
  2261. >You and Luna sit together, holding one another while you watch the sun set below the horizon.
  2262. >Eventually it does, the final rays of the sun’s golden light casting upwards from beyond the edge of sight before being snuffed out, piece by piece.
  2263. >The departure of the sun leaves the vista of Equestria awash in the purple-golden hues of twilight, the last vestiges of the its glow retreating almost reluctantly from Luna’s domain.
  2264. >Eventually this passes as well, with Luna watching on with the air of a statue set in stone, immovable against the tide of time.
  2265. >You’d seen many sunsets pass with Luna over the last few weeks of your residence with her in her chambers, but this felt indelibly different.
  2266. >Usually, she’d start the process of raising the moon almost in time with the setting of the sun.
  2267. >As the sun dipped below the horizon, the moon would rise in tandem, leaving the briefest flash of twilight between the two, ensuring Equestria would always enjoy the blessing of the Alicorn’s heavenly light.
  2268. >Now, Luna surveyed the landscape intently as the sun’s light spent long, dragging minutes taking its light with it beyond the borders of her realm.
  2269. >Though she was mostly blind, her focus remained unbroken in her surveillance, glimmers of the fading light reflecting in her greying eyes.
  2270. >Finally, the last of the sun’s light passed from the landscape below you, leaving an abyss beyond the edge of the balcony’s balustrade.
  2271. >The area immediately around you is grey, cast in the dullest of light from the ambience of the garden’s few scattered lamps.
  2272. >You can barely make out the form of Princess Luna beside you.
  2273. >Luna takes a deep breath.
  2274. >”Farewell, sister. Until we meet again.”
  2275. >The words are spoken in whispered silence, almost as a prayer meant for her ears alone.
  2276. >She then turns to you, her voice picking up with a new purpose.
  2277.  
  2278. >”Does the dark frighten you, Anonymous?”
  2279. >You think back to your dream that you’d shared with Luna, of the terrible all-encompassing darkness in her garden, and of the twisted nightmare form that’s consumed her.
  2280. “A little.”
  2281. >Your honesty seems to satisfy Luna, and she nods appreciatively.
  2282. >Though you can barely see her in the gloom, her eyes seem to glow with an inner light, shining out from deep within their occluded surface, radiant in the darkness around them.
  2283. >”It frightens me too. Celestia had told us, back in the days of our youth, how deep and terrible was the darkness that threatened to swallow Equestria before our arrival.”
  2284. >”The unicorns of that darkened age had learned the art of moving the heavens, but the cost was great, and the result a poor imitation of the craft of Celestia and I.
  2285. >”It was only by our power that true light was brought to Equestria.”
  2286. >”When I sought to become Nightmare Moon and cover the land in this great and terrible darkness, I thought that my light, and mine alone, would suffice for the ponies. That I would withhold it at will. That Equestria would have the moon, or nothing at all.”
  2287. >”It was cruel, vain, and selfish. It allowed the darkness within me to swallow me incurably, forcing my thousand year imprisonment until the Elements would reveal themselves for my salvation.”
  2288. >Luna falls silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts.
  2289. >Around you, despite the presence of the Princess of the Night at your side, the air had begun to grow cold, biting and frigid despite the season.
  2290. >In the garden, the shadows deepened.
  2291. >”I tell you this, Anonymous, because it is important for you to understand what is about to happen.”
  2292.  
  2293. >”I can no loner give the ponies of Equestria the light of the sun.”
  2294. >”What I have left to give them is the very same as what the Luna who sought to rule through fear and force thousands of years ago had to offer.”
  2295. >”Now, however, I offer it freely, withholding nothing. I can never give them the sun again, but my subjects will never live in fear of the dark while I draw breath. That much, at least, I can do for them.”
  2296. “Eternal night, then.”
  2297. >”I am the night, Anonymous. I’m not sure eternal is the right word. What happens afterwards... Who can say.”
  2298. >Sensing you’re about to protest the admission of the inevitable as she saw it, Luna forges onwards, cutting you off.
  2299. >”But yes. Night unending will fall on Equestria. Not a night ruled by darkness and fear, but a night of dreams, peace, and light. A final gift from Princess Luna before she casts off her mantle.”
  2300. >Luna’s horn begins to glow with a silver-gold swirl of deep magic, drawing up motes of light from the garden around her, flowing through her mane and into her horn’s tip.
  2301. >”Are you ready?”
  2302. “As ready as I’ll ever be, Princess.”
  2303. >Luna smiles, standing up and approaching the balustrade at the garden’s edge with outstretched wings.
  2304. >”Then stay by my side, and bear witness.”
  2305. >You hesitate for a moment, remembering the pain and struggle of the last weeks’ morning routine.
  2306. >Noting your momentary reluctance, Luna trots back to you, resting her head against yours in a tender gesture of comfort.
  2307. >The magic flowing around her and concentrating in her horn flows against your skin on contact.
  2308. >The sensation is indescribable – like running your fingers through warm sand, like feathers brushing against your skin, like the flow of cool waters over desert.
  2309. >”This magic is part of me, Anonymous. I promise you, I’ll never hurt you again.
  2310. >You raise your hand to her face, feeling the magic flowing across your fingers as you draw close to her for a kiss.
  2311. “I love you, Luna.”
  2312. >”I love you too.”
  2313. >She takes a deep breath, and turns her milky gaze away from yours and out into the stygian horizon..
  2314. >”This darkness has lasted long enough.”
  2315.  
  2316. >The flow of magic around her intensifies, building up brighter and more powerfully to her horn’s tip as she walks towards the garden’s edge.
  2317. >The contrast between her and the darkness beyond is stark.
  2318. >Luna’s entire figure, swathed in the flowing current of magical energy, appears incandescent against the shadow.
  2319. >Slowly, steadily, the magic gathered around her horn starts to fall upwards, at first in a trickle until it picks up in a torrent of nebulae, stars, and platinum wisps of energy.
  2320. >The ritual feels similar to the moonrise you’d spent with her when you’d shared your first kiss.
  2321. >You’re held captive in awe of the spectacle, no less captivating than the first time you’d seen it.
  2322. >What differences there are between Luna’s magic then and now are subtle, though still noticeable.
  2323. >While that moonrise was an intense rush of emotion, a glorious tidal cascade of stars beyond count, tonight Luna’s work progresses slowly.
  2324. >The intricate web and weave of stars taking their place overhead feels deliberate, somehow. As if it were the practiced performance of a grand symphony after eons of rehearsal.
  2325. >No less beautiful, no less stirring, the work of a master craftsman producing her magnum opus played out above you, overhead.
  2326. >Your hand still on Luna’s side, you feel the peculiar sensation of magic being drawn through you, Luna drawing some hidden energy from your presence to mingle with her own magic.
  2327. >While the sunrise was draining to the point of pain, the power of the moonrise flowing through you feels invigorating, warm, and powerful.
  2328. >If this was what it felt like for Luna every night, it was small wonder she loved her duty as much as she did.
  2329. >Eventually, the stars above you arrange themselves into the map of familiar patterns that you’d grown used to over your many long nights in Equestria.
  2330. >Still, the cascade of Luna’s magic, the starry flow of her mane into the night sky, doesn’t cease.
  2331. >New stars appear in the dark spaces of the night sky, new nebulae cast their silky arms across untouched vistas, stars previously dim and distant grow in intensity to match the brightest of their kind.
  2332. >You recognize constellations from your own distant memory among the works of Luna’s own craft, scattered across the night sky as she draws her magic through your touch.
  2333.  
  2334. >Tearing your gaze away from the spectacle above you, you watch Luna for a moment.
  2335. >The starry streaks of her silver-shot mane are beginning to recede to their roots, flowing ever faster through her and into the night sky.
  2336. >Her eyes glow with an ever brighter intensity as the ritual proceeds well beyond its usual end, the power of her magic drawn up from within burning as she casts it to the wind.
  2337. >Luna’s breathing is steady and sure beneath your hand, though you can feel her body begin to grow hot and the drumming of her heart grow faster.
  2338. >Finally, the moon begins to materialize overhead, drawn up from where the sun had set.
  2339. >It’s lower, brighter, more majestic and somehow more full than you had ever seen it before.
  2340. >The glow from Luna’s horn starts to dim as she draws from the last reserves of her magic, willing the heavenly body into place.
  2341. >The moon crawls upwards, casting its silver light across Equestria in a warm, comforting glow.
  2342. >It shines in hues of pale gold, flower-violet and shimmering pastels that shift and shine iridescently from its pockmarked surface.
  2343. >Finally, with a final swirling wisp of magical energy cast from Luna’s horn, the moon finishes its ascent, sitting enthroned in light amidst the bewildering array of stars about it.
  2344. >”There. It is done.”
  2345. >Luna turns to face you, and you turn your gaze from the sky to meet her eyes.
  2346. >Gone was the starry swirl of her magical mane, and the deep, crystalline glow from behind the wells of her eyes.
  2347. >In their place was a mane of a very deep, very tangible navy blue, shot through with wisps of white and grey.
  2348. >Her eyes, still beautiful sapphires brimming with intelligence, charm and the personality of the princess you loved, showed no sign of magic from within, veiled with the grey of age.
  2349. >”Would you describe my work to me one more time, Anonymous? I would like to see it with your eyes.”
  2350.  
  2351. -CHAPTER XI-
  2352.  
  2353. >You and Luna lay there for a while in the moonlit garden, the glowing stellar tapestry above casting its dancing silver-hued light across her reclining figure.
  2354. >You stroke her mane absentmindedly, describing the stars to her as best you can.
  2355. >Usually not one for words, your description nevertheless seems to satisfy Luna, as she smiles appreciatively at your praise of her night’s work.
  2356. >She feels different, now.
  2357. >The hair of her mane and the fur of her coat seem rougher, somehow, under your touch.
  2358. >Her mane used to flow around your hand like an ethereal river of fine-spun silk.
  2359. >Now, though beautifully smooth and luxurious, it felt much more mundane.
  2360. >”If you keep worrying at it you’ll start to pull out hairs, Anonymous.”
  2361. >Embarrassed, you quickly pull your hand back, meeting Luna’s playful smile with a rueful expression.
  2362. “Sorry. I think it’ll jut take some getting used to.”
  2363. >”Indeed. On the other hoof, I did miss my old mane a little. This makes for a nice change of pace.”
  2364. >With a hint of effort, Luna take a length of her mane in her magical aura, suspending it close before her eyes.
  2365. >”I was worried I’d drain my magic out and find it entirely gone.”
  2366. “You didn’t know what would happen after tonight?”
  2367.  
  2368. >Luna drops her mane, looking pensively out into the night sky.
  2369. >”There was no precedent, so... no, I suppose not. Some small part of me was wondering if casting off my Alicorn’s magic would kill me.”
  2370. >Realizing what she said, Luna hurries to finish her thoughts
  2371. >”No, no- I didn’t think that would happen. Just a shadow of doubt, I think. It felt... right. Casting my magic into the sky freely, willingly, felt like the right thing to do. As I began, I knew it would work. I can’t describe how.
  2372. “So, how do you feel?”
  2373. >”Hmm.”
  2374. >Luna gets up, stretching out her limbs and tossing her mane around in an exploratory kind of way.
  2375. >”I feel... lighter, somehow, but heavy at the same time. Like a great weight has left from inside me, but it left behind a host of smaller, mortal burdens.”
  2376. >She rears up, kicking out her forehooves playfully, then immediately winces slightly.
  2377. >”Ooh, that was a bit much”
  2378. >Gingerly gathering up her composure, she begins to stretch out her back, splaying her forehooves out in front of her and holding her wings aloft as she raises her hindquarters into the air.
  2379. >Groaning a little with the effort and satisfaction, she returns to a neutral standing position once again, fixing you in her piercing gaze.
  2380. “So, what happens next?”
  2381.  
  2382. >”Hmm.”
  2383. >”Well, there’s a few matters of state to attend to – my ministers will want me to give them their final assignments before my resignation becomes official. That will happen soon enough, and then Equestria will be entirely in their hands, for better or worse.”
  2384. >She sighs pensively, reminded again of the immense burden of duty she was putting on her subjects.
  2385. >”After that, I’m just a normal pony, no different from anypony else.”
  2386. “Alicorn physiology notwithsanding, of course.”
  2387. >Luna flutters her wings and looks up at her horn, going slightly crosseyed in the effort.
  2388. >”True, it will be hard for me to blend in with normal citizens, but we can try.”
  2389. “And after that?”
  2390. >Luna shrugs, looking at you with a playful glimmer in her eyes.
  2391. >”Why, that would be up to you. You’ve served me well for so long, I think it would be a refreshing change of pace to follow another’s lead for a little while. Enjoy my retirement, such as it is.”
  2392. >You turn to the balustrade, looking out over the horizon beyond, illuminated by the lunar glow.
  2393. >In your mind’s eye, you recall a vision of a rocky beach on a sunwashed coast, the sea stretching out before your dreaming eyes.
  2394. >You recall the melody of a song, half-remembered dreams pulling you to somewhere you knew, but had never been.
  2395. “I’d like to see some more of Equestria, I think. See where you grew up, where you’d been.”
  2396. >Luna smiles knowingly, as if she’d been expecting that answer.
  2397. >”That sounds wonderful, Anonymous.”
  2398. >She leans in towards you for a kiss, and, hoping to preserve the peaceful serenity of the garden you felt you likely wouldn’t share with each other again, you hold one another close as you pass however many precious hours at her side as you can.
  2399.  
  2400. >You realize before too long that measuring the passage of time without the sun’s movement is very nearly impossible.
  2401. >You hadn’t been in the habit of carrying a timepiece for some time now, measuring your days instead against the light outside.
  2402. >Even using Luna’s new moon for the purpose is a non-starter, the massive silver-pastel orb fixed immobile in its spot in the heavens.
  2403. >How long had you been laying in Luna’s garden?
  2404. >An hour? Two?
  2405. >You had the vague idea that it must be nearly morning, if mornings still rose over Equestria.
  2406. >Luna sleeps undisturbed beside you, snoring softly.
  2407. >The rise and fall of her withers rocks your head as you rest it on her, promising to lull you to sleep.
  2408. >Sleep should come easy, but your thoughts refuse to let you rest.
  2409. >You get up, careful not to disturb Luna’s slumber, and walk to the balcony’s edge.
  2410. >You wonder if she was still able to keep watch over the dreams of Equestria’s ponies, or if she had given that up as well.
  2411. >You resolved to ask her when she woke.
  2412.  
  2413. >Reaching the balustrade, you peer off over the horizon, the sounds of the rushing wind mixing with the playful splash of the garden’s fountain behind you.
  2414. >Beyond, you see the scattered lights of Equestria’s multitudinous pony settlements, farmsteads and villages sprinkled over the darkling landscape in a mirror of the starscape above.
  2415. >You detect movement, the lighting of lanterns moving to and fro across the roads like fireflies.
  2416. >’Morning’ must be approaching, then.
  2417. >From the distant east, you catch a faint shimmer of orange beyond the mountains, glowing like a distant fire before snuffing out as quickly as it had appeared.
  2418. >A distant dream replays itself in your mind’s eye, firming up your resolve.
  2419. >A stony shore, the crash of waves, an ancient song.
  2420. >Not much hope, but better than staying still and waiting for the end.
  2421. >You turn back to where Luna lay on the grass.
  2422. >She’d awoken, and was peering up at you curiously.
  2423. “Good morning, Princess.”
  2424. >You approach her and give her a little kiss on the tip of her nose, eliciting a smile from the drowsy pony.
  2425.  
  2426. >”Good morning to you too, Anonymous.”
  2427. >She scratches thoughtfully at her chin with her wing feathers, eyeing you playfully.
  2428. >”Of course, it’s not really the morning, and I’m not a princess.”
  2429. “It’ll take a while to get over some old habits.”
  2430. >You step close to her, looking deep into her milky-blue eyes.
  2431. “Though, you’ll always be a princess to me.”
  2432. >Her smile broadening, she pulls you in to a deeper, longer kiss, welcoming the false morning together with you.
  2433. >She pulls away after a moment, meeting your gaze with an air of rejuvenation.
  2434. >”We ought to get something to eat, and set our affairs in order. We ought to set out before too long, and you’ll need to make sure your duties are in good hooves.”
  2435. “Of course, I’ll make sure everything’s taken care of.”
  2436. >An air of seriousness settles over Luna as she holds you in her gaze for a moment longer.
  2437. >”It’s important work, Anonymous.”
  2438. >You nod.
  2439. “I haven’t forgotten.”
  2440. >Satisfied, Luna smiles warmly again before setting off along the garden path with you at her side.
  2441. “You know, I was thinking it would be nice to have a bit of a send-off before we leave canterlot. Nothing too big, just a lunch Tea Leaves, Ink Blot, and maybe some of your guards and maids.”
  2442. >”Mmmm. You know, that sounds nice.”
  2443. “After all, we’ll have plenty of time for meals alone together once we’re on the road.”
  2444. >Luna reaches the door, pushing it open with a slight effort using her aura and turning to you with a warm expression, buoyed by the idea of your upcoming trip together.
  2445. >”Bring them by my quarters in a few hours, I’ll have a lunch prepared.”
  2446.  
  2447. >Those few hours pass by quickly.
  2448. >Soon after exiting the garden with Luna, you part company and head your separate ways.
  2449. >Luna towards the government chambers, to handle the minutiae of the abdication with her courtiers.
  2450. >You, towards your familiar haunt in the archives.
  2451. >You wonder how much time will pass before you walk these steps again.
  2452. >You wonder how much different your life would look when you did.
  2453. >Those thoughts weighing on your mind, you reach the lantern-lit archival doors and step inside.
  2454. >It’s empty within – a stark contrast to how you’d left it prior.
  2455. >With the lingering air of uncertainty and trepidation hanging over the castle, the emptiness of the bureaucratic archives made sense.
  2456. >The pieces of castle life, up in the air at the moment, would fall where they would, and you hoped Ink Blot would be up to the task of cataloguing the pieces.
  2457. >Upon your entry, the young colt is nowhere to be seen.
  2458. >That wasn’t of particular concern – you’d find him, or vice versa, before too long.
  2459. >In the meantime, you resolve to walk the shelves for a moment, letting the reminiscent mood occupy your thoughts for a moment longer before you had to get your things ready.
  2460. >Between the stacks, carefully organized and illuminated by the presence of magical lanterns, you could almost forget about the eternal night beyond the castle walls.
  2461. >Your fingers skim across the bumpy spines of the catalogues, tracing out the embossed print across their backs.
  2462. >For a moment, it felt for all the world like an average sunny afternoon.
  2463. >As if you were searching for some works due for processing across a lazy day of sunbeam-lit, coffee-assisted study.
  2464. >Your hands stop on the spine of a small book that you hadn’t noticed before.
  2465. >Wiping away some dust, you take a closer look at it's title on the spine
  2466. >Heliomageius
  2467.  
  2468. >You pull it out, curious.
  2469. >It was a small volume and had been bound recently, but the parchments inside were terribly old.
  2470. >It was written in an ancient tongue – some dialect of Old Ponish – that you were unfamiliar with.
  2471. >Still, something about it piqued your curiosity terribly.
  2472. >You resolved to take it with you.
  2473. >After all, you figured you’d want some light reading material on your journey with Luna, and she may be able to help you translate its mysterious contents.
  2474. >Shaken out of your reverie, you head back out through the stacks towards your quarters.
  2475. >As you round one of the final bookshelves, you spot Ink Blot emerging from the archive kitchen.
  2476. >He’s suspending a small cup of coffee in his aura in front of him, along with a small pile of scrolls.
  2477. >Behind him, closing the door behind her, is Tea Leaves.
  2478. >Both look uncharacteristically subdued.
  2479. “Hey guys.”
  2480. >”Oh Anon, we were just wondering where you were.”
  2481. >Ink Blot responds first, while Tea Leaves just gives a melancholy nod of support.
  2482. >Long familiarity and the events unfolding around them had robbed them of their customary formality, which sat well with you.
  2483. >More than your subordinates, now more than ever you’d come to think of them as your friends, and you’d hoped they felt the same.
  2484. “I’ve been with the Princess. Well, just Luna now, I guess.”
  2485. >At the mention of her name said independent of her usual titles, Tea Leaves’ ears flick back slightly.
  2486. “It doesn’t sound right, does it?”
  2487. >”I don’t think it ever will.”
  2488. >Tea Leaves responds, finding a stool to perch herself on behind the counter of the archives as Ink Blot does the same.
  2489.  
  2490. >You find a chair to seat yourself on opposite them, setting your book aside for a moment as you lean pensively on the aged oak.
  2491. “She’s well, though.”
  2492. >You speak into the ensuing silence, answering an unasked question.
  2493. “There’s a weight lifted from her. Raising the sun had grown too difficult for her, and... Well, I’m sure you know the rest. But she’s doing well.”
  2494. >”What happens now?”
  2495. >Ink Blot speaks this time, and you respond with a noncommittal shrug.
  2496. >”I’m not sure. Luna’s in counsel with her government at the moment, and I’m sure they’ll work out everything for the best for all of you.”
  2497. >”But not you?”
  2498. “Not me. Luna wants to enjoy her retirement, and she and I are planning on taking a bit of a vacaton.”
  2499. >Once again, the awkwardness of your special relationship with the Alicorn hangs like a weight behind your words, but you try to push it out of mind for now.
  2500. >”Where are you going?”
  2501. >Tea Leaves, this time, asks the question, sipping her coffee thoughtfully.
  2502. “I’m not sure. East, I think.”
  2503. >The other half of your answer sits on your tongue for a moment before you resolve to give it air.
  2504. “If there’s anything I can do to help her, I think I can find it there. She said that was where she spent her time when she was young.”
  2505. >You shrug again, a little more helplessly this time.
  2506. >The concept of Luna as a filly seemed preposterous to the two ponies, and they make small noises of understanding.
  2507. “Don’t say anything about that to the Princess, though. I want to keep her mind off of... it, for as long as I can.”
  2508. >Tea Leaves nods in agreement, while Ink Blot gives you a questioning look.
  2509. >”Are we going to see her again? I didn’t think we’d see much of her, now that she’s... abdicated.”
  2510. >The word seems to sit uneasily on his tongue.
  2511. “Oh right, of course. We were actually going to invite you two up to her quarters for a bit of a send-off meal, if you’re free this afternoon.”
  2512. >At the question, their ears perk up almost in unison, and Tea Leaves speaks up first.
  2513. >”Of course, Sir, we’d be honoured-”
  2514. >You quickly wave her down before she gets too excited.
  2515. >”It’s just a little thing, between friends. She’s just a regular pony now, after all, so don’t get too worked up over it., It’s just a small going-away party.”
  2516. >Tea Leaves smiles abashedly.
  2517. >”Oh yes, of course... That sounds nice.”
  2518. >Ink blot looks at you curiously, taking a moment in what almost seems like hesitation before answering.
  2519. >”We’ll be there.”

Moonlight, Veiled - Book 1

by horsa

Moonlight, Veiled - Book 2

by horsa

A Cold Night's Date

by horsa