It was just after sunset, and Princess Luna had just finished the arcane spells that would guide and ‘raise’ the moon. While the process of the spell was completed, it would be another half hour before her nightly handiwork shown on the horizon for all to see.
The Princess stepped from the edge of the balcony where she had enacted her magic, and cantered back into Canterlot Castle. As she began to make her way to the proclamation chamber to relieve Princess Celestia of her royal post, she contentedly sighed. So much had indeed changed in the years she had been gone; ponies now enjoyed the night, and saw it as a release from the troubles of the day. A great amount of music, art, and poetry were being dedicated to her work now, as it seemed the subjects she ruled over had finally begun to see the beauty of the night sky without a fear of the darkness that accompanied it.
Though this knowledge pleased her to no end, for it did, she couldn’t help but feel anxiety. It wasn’t all too long ago that she had been Nightmare Moon, and while Ponyville had been the only town to physically see her in a thousand years in that form, there were still the legends of Mare in the Moon. Even after all this time, ponies had not fully forgotten what she had done, and Princess Luna was certain there were at least a few who were frightened of her still. She didn’t let these thoughts keep her depressed for long. She had learned from her subjects that they were quick to forgive, even if they were long in memory: Nightmare Night a few months before had taught her that. Sometimes, though, the memories; the guilt and shame she felt for what she had done drove her to a deep sadness.
As Princess Luna approached the doors to the proclamation room, she heard two voices. The one of them she knew all too well; her sister, Princess Celestia. The other she only knew by acquaintance; Bunsen Burner, the Chief Royal Science Officer.
“I’m afraid it’s worse than we imagined, Princess Celestia. The subject has escaped, but worse still, we’ve come to realize he alone is not the true threat.”
Any other pony would have had to listen at the door to grasp every word of the conversation going on within the proclamation chamber, but Princess Luna had a good ear, along with the fact that she had heightened senses. She listened more intently now to the exchange.
“Please explain Bunsen Burner,” Princess Celestia said in a grim voice. Princess Luna hadn’t heard her sister speak that way in a long time. This was a side not many ponies had ever experienced of their seemingly airy and lively ruler: the serious and no-nonsense side of Princess Celestia.
“The subject was rescued by another of his kind who came in a blue box. The box in question is of technological origin, not magic, and it is hundreds of years ahead of anything we have in either magic or science.”
The Princess of the Night decided now was as good of a time as ever to make her entrance. She signaled the guards within the chamber with her magic, and they promptly opened the doors to announce her arrival. As she approached the thrones, Princess Luna exclaimed, “Fair sister, I have come to offer you respite from your daily toil!”