Part One: Dearest Luna...
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Part One: Dearest Luna...
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Luna firmly stomped a hoof in protest. “But sister, you cannot schedule a storm tonight! I have been planning this meteor shower for months!”
“I realize this shower is important to you, but nopony expected us to experience a drought for the past seven weeks. If we don’t force rain for our ponyfolk, then their crops aren’t going to take and they will starve.” Celestia moved to the window and peered out into the sky. The afternoon sun was setting, and the sky was busy with pegasi bringing in clouds from all over Equestria. The region of the Everfree fields has always had finicky weather, but never in the recorded history of Equestria had there been such a drought.
“‘Tis not fair! I have been carefully summoning these meteors and calculating their path on astral charts since the last falling of snow! A simple storm such as this could be conjured up at any time!” Luna was fighting back tears as she spoke and her voice beginning to crack from the strain of emotion. “Why can it not wait until after the shower and rain in the morrow, during the day?”
“Luna, please calm yourself. If the storm were scheduled for tomorrow, the farm-ponies would be inside, waiting out the rain. The fields become very muddy during heavy rain, and working the fields becomes nearly impossible. Pushing back the storm any further pushes planting back yet another day. Can you not post-pone your meteor shower until after planting is done? Perhaps then we could make more of a celebration out of it?”
“That is exactly it! Once the meteors are on their way, little can be done to affect them! All my work and effort will go unnoticed tonight during your precious storm, as it always does!” She turned and galloped away muttering through her tears brushing past a pegasus just entering the room.
Celestia turned and called after her, “Luna, wait!” She was just about to head after Luna when the pegasus interrupted her.
“Princess Celestia?” Caught off guard by the scene, he paused for moment, collecting himself. “Your presence is requested at the Office of Weather Control. Nearby regions are running out of clouds, and they are requesting your help with the last few stages of planning tonight’s storm.” Celestia stared down the hallway, completely quiet. He nervously cleared his throat, “is everything all right Princess? You seem... pre-occupied... Should I tell them you are busy?”
“No.” She exhaled deeply, mustering the best smile she could for the pegasus. “It’s a personal matter, but as our subjects require my attention, I will have to work matters out with her later tonight.”
Luna had not run with any particular destination in mind, she had just needed to separate herself from Celestia. Yet, when she had stopped, she found herself in front of the palace library. ‘Perfect...’ she thought to herself. She needed to calm herself down, properly sort out her thoughts, and assess the argument with her sister. Luna had always been fond of reading, partially because it was the only thing she could occupy herself with, and a good book now would surely settle her emotions. She produced a bit of light from her horn and began browsing the library.
‘Perhaps Celestia was right... I was being fairly selfish demanding my own wishes before the needs of our subjects... But this was my chance to show to the world the true beauty of the night!’
‘To show the world I existed...’
‘Is it really so wrong to want ponies to see the night as I do? As beautiful as the night is, it makes me feel so empty. Nopony plays during the night; nopony works. Some ponies even fear the darkness of my night. If only I could make them see the night for what it truly is, I wouldn’t feel so lonely...’
‘If only I had someone to share it with...’
Luna’s thoughts came to a sudden halt as she rounded the corner of a bookcase. Startled, she jumped back, her tiara nearly flying off her head. Had she really just seen those... eyes? They were sharp, and piercing, with narrow cat-like pupils. They were already gone, but they must have been eyes. As strange as it seemed, she couldn’t help but reflect on how they had softly glowed in the darkness. Looking around, she noticed that she could see the light from her horn reflecting back from a mirror on the wall.
‘It must have been a reflection... Perhaps I’m worn from the stresses of today? I should go get some rest... Yes, I’ll feel better after a good sleep.’
Something was certainly out of place here however. Luna approached the mirror, the light from her horn casting a harsh glow upon her face. On the shelf of the mirror, there was a very old looking book, done up with a pale-blue bow. She had passed by this mirror earlier, and no such book was here... “Hello...?” Luna’s voice broke the still air, but there was no answer. She looked back to the book, which was entitled Borealis, and a little tag next to the bow indicated it was for her. She’d never heard of it before, but she took one last quick look around the room and took the book. She left the library and hurried to her bedroom.
How long had she been in the library? The storm had already begun, and she knew it was already past sundown. She had been raising the moon for so long now that it was almost a subconscious task, not that anypony would notice if she had forgotten to bring up the moon with the storm tonight. The halls were completely empty, and the harsh patter of rain upon the palace’s windows gave off an eerie atmosphere. Nonetheless, she returned to her room unseen and hid the book underneath her bed. It vastly intrigued her, but she truly was very tired. She let out a quiet, slow yawn and crawled into bed. She’d read her gift tomorrow, when she could give it her full attention.
Luna awoke to a loud crash. Panicked, she quickly peered around her room from behind her covers. “Who goes there?!” Her demanding tones rang throughout the room, but the only returning sound was the constant pitter-patter of rain from the storm. Then she saw it. Letting out a sigh of relief, she went over to her window. “It must have blown open in the storm...” A gust of wind washed over her, spattering her lightly with rain. Luna shivered, and looked out into the night. The sky was still filled with clouds, but the storm was beginning to let up. Hanging her head, she wondered how her display would have looked; she could imagine the cooing ‘ooh’s and ‘ahh’s as the meteors streaked across the sky. Another gust of wind tore her from her imagination, chilling her to the bone. She eased the window closed and firmly slid the lock into place, clicking reassuringly. A warm breeze now wrapped around her, almost embracing her as it brushed by. She turned to find the source of the breeze, and her eyes grew wide as they met with somepony else’s. The same eyes she had seen in the library now were looking directly into hers, glowing ever so softly in the darkness. Inside her mirror was a tall, slender mare, with a coat as dark as midnight. Her mane seemed to flow effortlessly as Celestia’s did, but appeared as though made up of nebulae, sparkling as the sky does on a cloudless night. The mare was smiling gently, gazing intently into her eyes.
“Hello... Luna.”
The two stood there for what felt like minutes, the only sound between them was the ever-present rain. Finding herself, Luna shook her head in disbelief and looked back to the mirror. She was still there. Stumbling on her words Luna asked, “who are you?”
“I am Aurora Moon, but you may call me Moon.”
“Right, then Miss Moon, why have I awoken to find you inside my mirror?”
“Just Moon, please. I am afraid you will have to ask yourself why I am in your mirror.”
“Oh good. I have gone insane. The stress of the past few weeks has gotten to me worse than I thought...”
“You haven’t gone insane my dear, goodness no!
“Then I must be dreaming.”
“You aren’t dreaming either. I am as real as you are. I’ve simply been waiting for the perfect opportunity to reveal myself, when you were alone and calm... Clear-headed.”
“So why are you here then? And why do you hide inside my mirror?”
“Hiding? I am not hiding.” Moon slowly vanished into the misty depths of her mane and Luna watched in bewilderment as it proceeded to seep out of the mirror and slither across the floor, then disappear again inside a portrait above her bed of Celestia and herself. The misty shape returned to that of the dark mare, and she slowly walked across the painting. “It is difficult to explain, but I am inside of these objects because I am in a way... bound within them. I present myself to you however, because I wish to make you happy.” She paused to examine Celestia’s image, “Funny. I got the impression she was taller...”
“Make me happy? You do not know me, yet you wish for me to be happy? I find it difficult to believe that is your sole intention. Why should I trust an apparition from within my decor?”
Moon laughed softly, “Luna~... I know you far better than you can even imagine... I know your wants, your desires. I know every little detail that makes you tick... I know that for years now, you’ve felt alone in this world. All you’ve ever wanted was to be noticed. After all, you do just as much work, if not more than Celestia, so why should she receive all the praise? But rather than stoop to jealousy you worked ever harder to prove your worth! You researched and practiced for months at a time, creating masterpieces on the canvas that is the night sky so that the world may finally acknowledge you. But that day has yet to come, hasn’t it Luna? Ponyfolk sleep away the night, ignoring the beauty it contains; even fearing its lack of sunlight to guide their way. They’ve become so attached to Celestia’s precious sun that they hardly bear to be without its piercing light!”
Luna stared, baffled, at the mare in the painting. Could it be? Who was this mare, this ‘Moon?’ The swath of energy and emotion flowing from her was not coming from somepony who had merely watched her for the recent years past, but from a pony who had experienced it directly. ‘But this doesn’t make sense, I’ve been alone all these years, how could she know these things? Who is she? … Have I really been alone?’
‘I’ve always been there Luna.’
‘You... You’re in my head?!’
‘I always have been, but I laid in wait, hoping that one day somepony would notice you, but it seems they never will... Too long have you been without a friend...’
Moon straightened her posture; “too long Luna! It is your turn to bask in the joy and reverie of your subjects! Together we will make them see the beauty of the night, and finally all will appreciate your works!” Her mane expanded to fill the painting, and it painted a new image in its place. A massive crowd of ponies, looking onward to Luna, expressions of awe and joy throughout. Luna was high in the air, her arms stretched out into the night, presenting a most beautiful visage. Behind her the night sky was awash with blankets of colour, wavering lightly, almost dancing in the moonlight.
“It... It is beautiful...” She couldn’t find the words to explain how she felt, but the image was flooding her with emotions. Tears began to flow from her eyes, her jaw was tightly clenched from frustration. Luna had always been strong; after all, she had aided in the defeat of Discord, yet she felt as though anything more would break her. The lights portrayed were a mystery, however. She had never seen anything like it before, let alone anything so beautiful, so... serene. Wiping the tears from her face, she asked “But what is it? How will we even get ponies to notice?”
“Together.” The image faded from the painting, reforming into Moon, and to Luna’s surprise she appeared to step out of the painting. She slowly approached Luna and pressing their necks together, embraced her. It was too much, and she collapsed into Moon’s shoulder, sobbing heavily. The warmth of her touch flowed through Luna, slowly soothing her.
“My dearest Luna, you need not cry...
...I am here for you now...
...Together, we will make them see. We will show them the beauty of the night through you, an aurora to emblazon the sky into their hearts.” Pulling away, she looked deep into Luna’s eyes, and smiled. “All you will need to know is in the book. But it is time for you to rest; the days to come will be incredibly demanding, just remember that I will be here for you the entire way...”
“But I still don’t understand...” She struggled to speak through her tears; she could hardly think straight, but there was one clear question burning in her mind. “Who... are you?”
Moon inhaled deeply, and sighed. “If you must know, I won’t lie to you. You mean far too much to me to keep anything from you...” She paused, trying to form her next words carefully. “In a manner of speaking, I am you, Luna.”
“So you... you’re a figment of my imagination...?”
“No Luna, I am a part of you, just as an actor is part of a play. Subconsciously, your sheer force of will has enabled me to stand with you, but normally I could merely bear witness to your misfortunes. Only recently have I become strong enough to interact with the world outside your mind.”
“The meteor shower...”
“Exactly. It is as though your emotions have given me life. To see the world through my own eyes... The night is even more beautiful than I could have dreamed...” Moon closed her eyes, and sighed. “Come Luna, you should rest now; your head will clear by morning.”
Luna’s tears had slowed, and Moon guided her back into her bed. Laying the covers over her, she gently wiped the tears from Luna’s eyes, and lightly kissed her on the forehead. “Sleep well, dear Luna...” Luna closed her eyes as Moon looked out to the slowly clearing sky, just as one of the last meteors streaked past the moon.
For the first time in five years, Luna smiled...
Author's Note: Although this story does not currently contain much to merit some of the tags, I've chosen to tag as such anyway as I may hit along those strings later in the story, and want to caution readers ahead of time.