Chapter 2: Frustration
CHAPTER 2
Frustration
Luna raised her Moon. She gazed at it with a peculiar longing in her heart before turning away, falling into step with her sister.
“Going back to your perch?” Celestia asked.
“No. Thy most persistent student has persuaded me to spend time with her.”
The smug satisfaction in Celestia’s smile was impossible to miss.
“Thy smile betrays thee, sister. ‘Tis not becoming.”
Celestia ducked her head, blushing, a contrite look gracing her features.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been in control so long I’m not sure how to turn it off anymore.”
Celestia’s eyes glistened.
“I missed you, sister. Now you’re back, but you’re… different. Colder. Unhappy. I want you to be happy. How can I celebrate your return if you find only misery here? How long before you decide to go back and leave me again?” Celestia retained control, but her voice betrayed the extent of her emotions, at least to Luna.
Luna reached in and wrapped her forelegs around Celestia, pulling them together.
“Oh, my sister, my anchor, how couldst thou think I’d leave thee again?”
“You’re miserable,” Celestia said softly into Luna’s shoulder. “You spend all your time alone, staring at the Moon!”
“Peace, sister. Peace. I’ll not leave again, this I swear. Should it please thee, for thy sake I’ll try to befriend thy student. For thy sake I’ll… limit my… meditations.”
Celestia drew back.
“Good,” she said. “I think you two would be good for each other.”
The implications were clear.
“Celestia…”
“I mean it. You need to reconnect with ponies, and Twilight is as open and compassionate as you could ask for. Even if you just remain friends, I think it will be good for both of you.”
Luna released Celestia, and shook her head slowly.
Celestia smiled, her eyes twinkled.
“Go on. Don’t keep my most faithful and persistent student waiting. Good evening, Luna.”
“Good night, Celestia. Thy dreams be sweet and unmarred by the day.”
“Love you, Luna.”
“Love thee, sister.”
The pair separated, and Luna made her way to where Twilight would be found.
It was a simple common room, set back from the public areas of the castle, and accessible from both the pony sisters’ bedrooms. It might have surprised many who did not know Celestia that it was a plain room, furnished more for comfort than the need to impress. Of all the pony sisters’ flaws, and flaws they had, the desire for opulence had never been one. The room, instead, might kindly be referred to as ‘shabby’. The furniture was worn and old. Here was an endtable whose corners were worn smooth, though it was obviously cared for, oil having been carefully rubbed into every detail. There was a chair that was obviously, at least to Luna, Celestia’s favorite. Though the upholstery was frayed and the arms loose, Celestia’s essence clung to it like no other piece in the room.
And there, seated on a cushion positioned at a table, was Twilight Sparkle, a gentle smile on her face.
“So, Twilight Sparkle, what plans do you have for us?”
“Please, Luna, call me Twilight.”
“As you wish, Twilight. The question remains.”
“Well… I thought we could do something you wanted to do.”
Luna sat, her head drooping, and her shoulders slumped.
“Is… isn’t there anything you’d like to do?” Twilight asked.
Luna caught herself casting a glance out the window, searching for the Moon.
“N-no. I… I don’t know what to do,” she admitted.
It was the truth. After a thousand years, she couldn’t even remember what she liked to do.
Twilight’s eyes unfocused in thought.
“Well, then,” she said, her eyes returning to Luna, “We’ll just have to do something I like to do.”
The Canterlot Palace Library was home for Twilight like few other places.
“The library?” Luna asked.
“I love the library. I love libraries,” she said as they walked through the aisles. “The smell of the books, the knowledge locked away, waiting to be discovered, the peaceful stillness. I love libraries.”
Luna felt herself warming to the idea. It was a peaceful place where ponies were unlikely to impose upon her. Still….
“So, we are here to do what, research?”
“Oh, no. Don’t get me wrong, I love to do research, but tonight…” Twilight led them into an inobvious nook. “Tonight we read purely for pleasure.”
She sat, looking at the books fondly.
“The palace library is renowned for its vast stores of knowledge, but very few ponies know there’s actually a small fiction section,” Twilight told Luna. “I used to know the librarian quite well, from all the hours I spent here. He let me in on this little secret.”
Twilight levitated a book off the shelf.
“This one is one of my favorites. ‘Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone’. I’ve read it a dozen times, I think.”
Twilight offered the book to Luna.
“And what shall you read, Twilight?”
“Oh, I’m sure I’ll find something. The fiction section is small, but I’m pretty easy when it comes to books.”
Luna opened the book and leafed briefly through the pages.
She closed the book and set it down in front of her.
Twilight glanced over from where she was perusing the shelves.
“It doesn’t interest you?” she asked.
Luna closed her eyes and spoke just above a whisper. Twilight had to strain to hear her.
“Twilight Sparkle, there is little to read on the Moon.”
Twilight froze.
“Oh… you mean… you…”
“Not exactly,” Luna said. “I still remember, mostly, but I am out of practice, and the writing has… has changed. A thousand years is a long time.”
“Oh. Oh, Luna, I’m so sorry.”
Luna tensed, and opened her eyes.
“Do not pity me, Twilight Sparkle!”
Twilight stared back at her, wide eyed, and an open, earnest expression on her face.
“NO! No, I didn’t mean… I just… I was sharing something I love. I didn’t mean to be insensitive. I didn’t think…”
Luna stared at that earnest, worried face. Regret at her waspish response began to seep in.
She levitated the book over to Twilight.
“I have an idea. Read, Twilight. Read aloud. Let me hear the story.”
“Read… to you…?”
“You wanted to do something together. I’m sure I can find something in this library I can read easily, but then we would each be in our own minds. Share what you love, Twilight.”
“Well…” Twilight hesitated. “Okay, but maybe we should go back to the common room so we can be more comfortable. That means we should probably tell the librarian we’re borrowing the book.”
“Leave that to me,” Luna replied.
They wandered out to the main area of the library, only stopping by an administrative desk to leave a note.
“Um… Twilight…” Luna called, paper and quill held in her magic. “Would you mind…”
Luna offered the paper to Twilight, her cheeks colored.
“Huh? Oh, sure.” Twilight took the sheet, not quite sure what was being asked.
She looked at the note.
She couldn’t make heads nor tails of the carefully written script. Not only did she not recognize most of the words, there were letters she’d never actually seen in use, only read about.
“Oh. I’ll just write the note, then.”
Twilight scribbled a quick note under the unusual text.
“There. All set!” She set the note on the desk.
“One moment,” requested Luna. Her horn pulsed with magic. The paper rustled and jerked, as though being shaken or tortured. When it ceased, there was a glowing mark emblazoned on the bottom.
“Wow,” Twilight gasped, looking at the mark.
It was the shape of the Moon, appropriately enough, but there was a stylized hoof print in the center, and the whole mark glowed with an iridescent quality.
“That is my royal seal. It marks your words as my own, though not by my hoof.”
“It’s beautiful. How do you do that?”
Luna looked at Twilight.
“You would counterfeit a royal seal?”
“What?!? NO! I just… it’s beautiful, and such an interesting bit of magic. It would be wonderful to know.”
Luna looked into Twilight’s eyes, but saw only honesty.
She turned to leave the library and motioned for Twilight to follow.
“Even if you knew the spell, and could mimic the shape exactly, it would still show as false. It radiates with my essence. Perhaps I could show you how in the future. You could create a seal of your own. For now, we had plans for your book.”
“Daring Do, and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone. Chapter One. As Daring Do trekked through the tropical jungle…”
Luna adjusted herself on the cushion, listening to Twilight’s voice. She closed her eyes and stopped paying attention to the words, just listening to the rise and fall of her voice. This wasn’t so bad. It was almost like being alone. Twilight was so focused on her reading that Luna could probably slip away unnoticed.
The story was your standard adventurer’s fare. Luna thought the hero was a bit too clever, too strong for her liking. She never really seemed to be out of her depth. Regardless, the writing was strong, and the imagery evocative.
As she listened to Twilight’s voice, she considered the value of having a copy for herself to follow along and familiarize herself with contemporary writing.
There would be time enough for that later.
Luna continued to listed to Twilight’s voice. The room seemed to be so warm, and getting stuffier. The voice continued on, never ceasing. The tones became harsh to Luna’s ears.
Twilight stopped for a yawn. Luna pounced on the opportunity.
“It must be late for you, Twilight. It was most kind of you to stay up for me, but you should get your rest.”
“I… I suppose so. I guess I hadn’t realized how late it was.”
Twilight placed a nearby bookmark before closing the book and placing it on the end table by Celestia’s chair.
“I had fun, though. I’ve never really read to anyone else. Would you like to continue again tomorrow night?”
Luna considered. She wanted to decline, but she had promised…
“Yes. Tomorrow night, then.”
“Goodnight, Luna.”
“Goodnight, Twilight Sparkle.”
Luna watched Twilight depart, and listened to the hoofsteps diminish down the hallway before rising. She took the door to her bedroom, went to the balcony, and launched herself into the air.
She alit on her usual perch, and stared at the Moon. The night air drained the heat from her too-warm skin, and the silence soothed her punished ears.
Luna stared at the Moon.
Luna raised the Moon. It was a simple act, and held a familiarity she’d almost forgotten in her absence. She gazed at it for a moment, judging her work, its light and weight.
Adequate, she decided. Not brilliant, not amateurish, but adequate.
Luna turned to leave, Celestia falling into step beside her.
“How is my most persistent student?” Celestia asked.
“Thou hast not spoken to her?”
“I’ve gotten a few notes, but I haven’t been able to spend real time with her. Not like you have.”
“She is… a most virtuous and forthright pony.”
“That’s all?”
“For now. Speaking of which, I’d like to peruse thy bookshelf.”
“My… bookshelf? Whatever for?”
“Now, sister, don’t be coy. I was once well versed with thy tastes. Thy student has been sharing her love of fiction, and I’m sure the story she’s been reading me has captured thine attention as well.”
Celestia chuckled.
“Of course, sister. I should know better than to expect judgment from you.”
Luna stopped, and nuzzled her sister.
“I fear my writing is overly antiquated. I’m hoping to use the books to learn what’s passed me by.”
Celestia returned the nuzzle.
“Anything for you, Luna.”
Luna walked into the common room, book in tow, to find Twilight waiting there.
“What do you have there, Luna?”
“It is Celestia’s copy of your book. I’d like to follow along to help learn modern writing.”
“Oh. That’s a good idea. I hadn’t thought of that.” Twilight cocked her head in thought. “You speak very well, though,” she observed.
“When the walls of my prison weakened, I could stretch out my senses and hear the speech of ponies. I could not reach them, and I was wary of making myself known, but I could hear. In time, I understood.”
Luna felt unsure under Twilight’s gaze.
“Perhaps we should continue with the story.”
Twilight smiled and opened her book to the marked page. She started reading, her voice unsteady at first, but gaining strength as she absorbed herself in the story.
Luna listened as she made herself comfortable. Twilight’s voice was clear and sweet, a pleasure to listen to. It made the situation bearable. Luna closed her eyes and listened for a moment before opening her own copy. She flipped through the pages, looking for the appropriate spot in the story. Knowing the sounds of the words helped significantly. Though some letters had changed, and the words themselves. had morphed, the pronunciation of the familiar letters were still similar enough for Luna to sound them out. It was the missing letters, and the unfamiliar combinations that changed pronunciation on a whim that frustrated her.
Luna sighed. It would come in time, but for now it was like being a yearling again.
She did her best as Twilight continued.
Luna raised the Moon. She gazed at it a moment, unsure of what she felt about her work. She shook her head and turned.
Celestia sat watching her.
“More reading tonight?”
Luna shook her head.
“We finished the book last night. It’s just as well. I’m frustrated with my lack of progress and in need of a break. Twilight, too, needed some time apart to visit her friends in Ponyville.”
Celestia rose, and the pair walked into the palace.
“So what will you do now?”
“I am unsure.”
Luna followed Celestia down a hallway towards some of the more public areas of the palace. Hallways went from mostly deserted to populated to crowded. Luna frowned internally as she saw ponies skirting the walls to get by her, and watching her cautiously from the shadows. She felt empty.
She paused. It only took Celestia a few steps to notice.
Luna looked at her. She glanced at the ponies hiding in the shadows.
“They’ll come around, Luna. You just need to let them.”
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Really, Twilight should probably take advantage of this to get first hand information on how writing, speaking used to be. I mean, sure it's nice to acclimate to current conventions, but that doesn't mean there isn't any value in old things.
Here. Have like #50
Powerful work
What about the bat ponies? You'd think they, at least, wouldn't be afraid of Luna.
Firstly I wanted to say thanks for writing this, because this has given me something to do. you see I had an idea for a story, which involved princess luna, but I felt the story was lacking something. It was lacking depth, it was lacking personality. it was completely boring. Granted I have yet to write it yet, as it is only a idea in my mind, but your chapters have given me a reason to put pen to paper (literally since I want to work out all the details.)
anyways I probably sound like a raving LUNAtic (Ha see what I did there) but yea What you have now given me is a mindset for Princess Luna, granted not so dreary and hopeless, and sad and downright depressing. So thanks for that.
Keep writing and good luck
Hope there is more soon love this story
You are doing S1 Luna Justice. a.deviantart.net/avatars/p/r/princesslunaplz.png?2
Solid writing and a slow progress movement towards TwiLuna interaction which doesn't feel rushed.
Locking forward to more.
This was solid. It was a nice, smooth segue into their budding relationship, and introduced some wonderful character building on Luna's side of things.
I feel like the pace was too quick, though. The announcement that Luna was going to start interacting with Twilight could use some more emphasis and space to breathe, as otherwise it felt crammed. This is an important part of the story, and yet I don't feel like it received the attention it needed. The same "crammed" feeling applies to most dialogue, for instance:
Well, how does Celestia feel about this? Does she give her a look of sympathy, or perhaps encouragement? Does she understand the turmoil that Luna's going through, and simply nod at her and change the subject? You're doing well at putting in the parts of conversation that actually matter, that move the story and keep it concise, but its choppy. It's missing a tidy flow to make the words read like butter. My advice is, give your scenes and conversations some space to breathe, don't stop the film as soon as your lines are said. Give it another second or two to roll.
Additionally, I found that I was taken out of your story by this bit here:
First, and this is just a minor thing, but since Twilight is still talking and the subject isn't completely different, the first and second paragraphs should be conjoined into one. Second, and more importantly, this is quite a stretch for you to make on Luna's part. With some reinforcement, perhaps it'd be fine, but it's suddenness and lack of support makes it unrealistic. On the same note, you really don't need it. You could delete the third paragraph and it'd read well, if not better. At this point (I'm not neglecting the possibility of this idea playing a larger role later on) it doesn't really add anything to the story. It was an off-hand mention of Twilight's that evoked this reply that ultimately put a lot of question marks on your story.
If this concept of Luna being able to worm through her prison plays a bigger role later on in the story, I'd still recommend some space to draw out dialogue like this. It's a massive, world-changing fact that we're reading, and it'd need more build-up and reinforcement to make sure we buy it.
All in all, as I said, a solid chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'll keep an eye out for more.
This is great, but wow do I hate Luna in this, she's so damn defensive, taking every opportunity to lash out at others, usually Twilight, who is a bit of a sensitive soul.
Her attitude needs work, Celestia better get on that quick.
5189688
I'd like to tell you that things will get better. Perhaps they will in time, but in such cases I would expect things to get worse before they get better. I hesitate to say much for fear of spoiling the plot.
I will tell you two things, however:
1. Luna's attitude can be read several ways, and stem from several causes, perhaps even more than one at a time.
2. Luna's attitude is not a problem Celestia can solve.
Solid start to a promising story. I like it. Different to many of the TwiLuna fics I've read and stronger than a great many shipping stories are in general.
Here's hoping for updates soon :twilight smile:
I'm intrigued as to where you will take these two.
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I'd read your story but hadn't commented, and that's a shame. This is a wonderful start you've got going. Yes, it hits a few of the TwiLuna tropes, but it subverts them quite nicely too. Luna is lonely and angsty, Celestia sends Twilight to befriend her (while shipping TwiLuna herself), friendship ensues. Unlike in many early TwiLuna stories, Luna here responds not by busting into tears or being "cured" immediately (followed by confessions and kisses), but by rounding on Twilight, doubting her, shouting, and acknowledging her only begrudgingly. Good stuff, and from the setup it looks like it'll take a while to resolve. No instant romance here, no quick fixes, and that's a good thing because it'll keep IWTM fresh.
I'm hooked! Remind me to drop a blog post encouraging readers to give IWTM a read.
Also, 1000 bonus points for spotting something I don't think I've ever seen addressed, even in my own TwiLuna: your Luna is functionally illiterate. That's golden! Brilliant, and gives Twilight the "in" she needs, though it could easily make Luna more withdrawn or ashamed if Twilight's not careful. Really, I've never seen it done here, and it never even occurred to me. If anyone wonders how this could be real, check out a few samples of Old English circa 1020 AD vs. any 21st century American English. Grammar, vocabulary, even the alphabet were different. I can absolutely see Luna having serious difficulty with it - yet another cause for her withdrawl and melancholy. Good show, zeus_tfc! *
* Oddly enough, I posted an idea somewhat like this in the TwiLuna skype chat, about Luna being a relic, Rip Van Winkle style, waking up 1000 years later, now completely and utterly lost with Twilight the only one who'll treat her as anything but a museum curiosity. Nobody ever claimed the story idea, so I'm thrilled to see it (or something like it) found a home here!
5192856
Thanks for noticing! It's something I didn't want to overdo, lest it get annoying, but I felt I had to at least touch on logically.
As far a Rip Van Winkle goes, I was thinking more along the lines of Castaway, but both are applicable.
I like this story. A very interesting take on what on one aspect of what it must be like to displaced by 1000 years.
Thank you for writing it. I look forward to more.
fix
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delete "."
Also that entire paragraph needs to have all the spacing after sentences fixed. You have tons of double spacing where single spacing is needed.
5192856
Did you ever end up posting this? I don't remember you posting a link to it. For shame, Brunny!
Regardless of, this is a wonderful piece, and I am glad I found it.
You need to change "is" to "it" in the middle of the sentence
her soul is a black as night and Luna's heart is in a pit. a deep and dark pit. a pit that no light can penetrate down to the bottom. and her heart is as cold and as barren as the moon which she raises.