Luna Sets the record straight

by Paradise Oasis

chapter 6

Sky Runner's Letter, written during a break between Luna speech tour stops:

Oh, thank the Horsemaster! I finally have a break from my duties! Between jotting down speeches for my princess, and supervising the nightly weaving up the star tapestry, I seem to get precious few moments to myself. This break in Luna's speaking tour has given me just such a moment to collect my scattered thoughts. This white unicorn stallion with the black mane is currently not needed at present, so my time is currently my own.

Yet, my mind is ever active, and I cannot seem to just sit here and enjoy the moment's peace that the horsemaster has granted to me. Therefore, I have decided to write this letter to no one in particular- to keep my mind busy, lest inactivity drive me to Cutie mark insanity syndrome.

Sky Runner… a name that suits me, even though I cannot fly. I am ever busy, ever on the go… idleness would be a curse to me. Yet I have never liked large groups of ponies. I prefer to be part of a small herd of intellectuals, where my talents can shine, and be put to good use. Being another face in the crowd is an anathema to a unicorn such as myself.

My foal hood was an unhappy one… being the only wingless pony in Cloudsdale. They other colts and fillies held my flightless state in contempt… as I always had to ride around in a small balloon with basket my father had purchased for me. Only two ponies showed me any amount of kindness, was a boisterous blue filly with a rainbow mane, and a timid yellow one- whom I thought was very pretty. We used to play together when we were very little, but I soon moved away, and never saw them again. I was so young then, I don't even remember their names.

My parent's unwanted mistake was soon disposed of, as a younger sibling who actually had wings was born, and I never saw them again. No, my future lay along a different path… shipped off to magic kindergarten on the surface, to be raised by strangers in a hostile and unfamiliar place. In my mind's eye, I can still see a sobbing little colt lying on his bed, crying out to the heavens. "Mommy…daddy… Don't you love me anymore? What did I do wrong?"

A foal does not yet understand the unfairness of life.

My life on the surface, was equally as miserable. As soon as my teachers trained me in the use of my magic, I discovered my special talent- to create, to innovate. To change pony society through magic, and improve everypony's life with the wonders I would bring into being. But always was I scolded for thinking outside the box, my sketches and notes crumpled up and thrown away in ponymentary school. My Ideas were too dangerous to even be considered, I was told. And if I didn't want to end up a worthless dreamer, I needed to get my head out of the clouds, and start thinking like everypony else!

Always did I shy away from other ponies, refusing to revel and play with them in the brightness of the day. Too much noise, too much light… I can't think under those conditions, can't plan, can't work. My days were spent cooped up in the library, where I discovered books, my one true companion during my youth. But the night… ahhh, now there was a time to celebrate! To go out under the quiet beauty of the stars, where nopony could bother or distract your meditation and contemplation… that was truly a gift!

It was during these youthful years, that perusing the dusty old tomes of the library, brought a hitherto unknown figure to my attention. Through my readings, I discovered that there had once been a beautiful princess of the Night, an alicorn named Luna. She, too, had been unwanted and neglected, the ponies of her day shunning her beautiful night. She grew angry with a society that left her unloved, and fell because of it. And when I gazed upon an old tapestry depicting her- hidden deep away in the library's basement- it was then that an adolescent unicorn then fell in love with the long-forgotten Princess Luna.

My teachers, of course, were not pleased with my new infatuation. The long love poems and sonnets I wrote, describing her beauty and the beauty of her night, were locked away in the school's filing cabinets, and labeled as subversive material. Why was I making this so hard on myself, I was asked, dredging up the memory of a long forgotten ghost? She had rebelled against our beloved Celestia, I was told, and the intellectual leaders of pony society wanted the traitor forgotten. Why couldn't I shower my male adolescent devotion on the Solar princess, like every other colt?

And so again and again I received detentions and suspensions, but still did I continue to write in admiration and devotion to Luna. Every night I looked to the night sky, wishing it was her work… instead of the white Alicorn, whose society had made my life miserable. I would have flunked out of school, had I not proven exceptionally talented with my magical studies. And so, I was accepted into university- where I met my friend, Midnight. A dusk colored pony who was as much of an outcast as I, the two of us hit it off right away. We worked on many projects together… and got into trouble many times together.

The years of university passed quickly, and by my graduation, I was ready to strike out into the academic world. Midnight had gone away to do some sort of research in a place called Ponyville, and eventually found himself a beautiful wife. I, on the other had, proceeded to throw my entire career away by writing 'The rebellious Lunar princess; another look' as my master's thesis. I quickly found myself booted from the university, and had to survive on my own in the harsh world of the Canterlot Private sector. Were it not for the help of another unicorn I had befriended, a war vet named Fancy Pants, I most certainly would have starved.

But the day came, when I heard that the unthinkable had happened- the princess I had so loved and admired throughout my youth... had finally returned. Nightmare moon was gone, and Princess Luna stood before the world, purified once more. Now, when I looked up and saw the beauty of the night sky, I knew the object of my devotion had put those starts and heavenly bodies in their place. It made my life, of working dead end service jobs and starving on a nightly basis, a little easier to bear.

But I was unprepared when one night, out on one of my star-admiring trots, that I happened to stumble across none other than Princess Luna herself. I was stunned by her beauty under the moonlight, when I gazed upon her for the first time. Here... made real flesh and blood.. was the princess of my dreams, who had only been freed a few months ago. Turning, the alicorn princess spotted me, and her eyes went wide. She could not believe that a pony was actually out in her night, and reveling in it. Trotting regally up to me, she spoke.

"GREETINGS SUBJECT!" The royal Canterlot voice greeted bluntly. "TELL US WHAT DOES THOU THINK OF OUR HANDIWORK?"

"Beautiful..." I replied, unfazed by the intimidating bellow, and still stunned that the princess was actually talking to me. "... absolutely beautiful."

Again she was stunned... no pony had ever sincerely enjoyed her nightly work in the heavens, and complimented it. "This... pleases us." She told me calmly, smiling. "Tell us your name, good sir."

Luna's speeches have already spoken of what happened during our first meeting, and what followed. I suddenly rose from being a lowly working-class pony, to being a member of the newly-forming royal nocturnal court. But the truly defining moment came one starry night, three weeks later... that's when everything changed.

I came into the throne room early that night, to make sure everything was set up when Midnight and the others arrived. I had just taken my hat and coat off, when I looked up and saw the Princess sitting on the throne, reading some papers out of a file. But as I got close, I noticed... to my horror... that it was the very file from my high school years... containing all of the sappy love poetry and romantic sonnets I had written about Luna in my adolescence! It seems Luna had wanted to do some research on the members of her court, and had ordered this suppressed collection retrieved from the school archives.

"The beautiful mare of the night, whose wavy hair forms the endless sea of stars." She read under her breath, her cheeks turning a slight tinge of pink. "How I long to hold her in my hooves and caress her..."

It was over... my hopes and dreams of working in the Princess's court were shattered. She now knew how much of a fool I was- a hopeless dreamer. Lowering my head, I quietly trotted towards the door.

"SKY RUNNER!" The royal Canterlot voice boomed, as she spotted me. "COME TO US THIS INSTANT!"

"Yes My princess..." Sighing, I trotted up the steps to the throne, I tried to hide my tears. "Shall you have me thrown in the dungeon now, or later?"

"Sky Runner, didst thou write these declarations of Courtly love to me, as the Troubadour ponies do for their ladies fair?" She asked, looking at me curiously. "Didst thou suffer all of this pain and misery most foul in thy youth, out of a forbidden devotion to an alicorn thou was told again and again was evil?"

"Yes my Princess.." I choked out, lowering my mane even father.

"Dost thou realize that NOPONY HAST EVER DARED TO WRITE A POEM ABOUT OUR BEAUTY AND GRACE! WHILST CELESTIA HATH BEEN THE SUBJECT OF SONGS!" Her Eyes glowed like the blazing moon- a sight so beautiful and terrible, I dared not look away. "WE WERE STARVED FOR THIS KIND OF DEVOTION AND LOVE! YET PONY DUKES AND BARONS, WHOM WE WOULD HATH GLADLY SHOWERED FAVORS UPON, DENIED IT TO US!"

"Yes, Princess..." I was actually tearing up at this point, unable to hold it back any longer. My life was over... as soon as she finished speaking, I would be hauled away and executed for my audacity and arrogance.

"YET THOU, WITH NO PROMISE OF REWARD, AND THE THREAT OF PUNISHMENT BY YOUR TUTORS HANGING OVER THY HEAD, WERE AUDACIOUS ENOUGH TO SING OUR PRAISES? A PONY THOU HAD NEVER MET?" The night wind howled from her voice, as she stood over me now. She pointed her glass-slipper clad hoof as me accusingly. "THOU SUFFERED TORMENT, LONELINESS, AND TORTURE MOST FOUL... ALL OUT OF LOVE FOR YOUR BELOVED PRINCESS LUNA?"

"Yes... I'm sorry..." I, a grown stallion, started to cry. I was a fool... and I knew it. My teachers had always told me that medieval courtly love wouldn't win a modern filly's heart. Only a medieval mare would think Troubadour courting was romantic, and fall in love.

"My good Sky Runner." The wind died down, and I felt a soft flowing mane, gently nuzzling mine. "Wouldst thou do us the honor of forming the lifebond with us, and becoming our royal consort?"

And so it was, that I became the royal Chamberlain of the Nocturnal court, and Chancellor of all of Equestria (well, at least during the night). We have decided to keep our lifebonding a secret, until we figure out how to present it to all of Equestria. We are thinking about perhaps presenting it after this speaking tour is done, and Luna's Dream Valley project is completed. Only time will tell how this will affect things.

Now, I must be off. The unicorns have begun to work on the tapestry of Stars, and I have some important supervising to do. I think I'll stick this letter away in the archives, along with Luna's speeches and some other letters from the speaking tour. Who knows, somepony might find them useful someday.

Author's note: (Like Midnight in my other fics, Sky Runner is not an OC, but rather another character from another generation of My Little Pony.)