//------------------------------//
// Nº 2 
// Story: The Luna Papers 
// by CoffeeBean 
//------------------------------//

	Cadance tiredly sipped at her morning coffee, her eyelids still heavy from waking so early. It was a little bit past 5 in the morning, and Shining, being a military stallion, was already up and rearing to go. When the two did keep each other company overnight, as opposed to staying in their respective quarters, Cadance would normally sleep past Shining's alarm, but this morning she planned on upholding his suggestion; persistence. 

It was hard to remember that Luna was nocturnal, and she had only been awake for an hour or so prior to Cadance's attempts at conversation. Now that it was later in Luna's day she hoped her mood would be better... if it had been poor in the first place. Reading emotion from the stoic Alicorn was difficult, if not impossible. 

Cadance's eyes were brought up from her coffee as Shining came up the spiral staircase from the bottom floor of the tower, his mane still a little damp from being in the shower. 

"You're not going back to sleep?" he asked, standing idly for a moment before continuing on to a somewhat short table in the round bedroom, upon the table being a coffee maker and the required amenities for preparing a proper brew.

Cadance groaned. "No... I'm going to try catching Luna before she goes to sleep."

"Good luck. I have no idea how her sleep schedule works."

Cadance sipped at her coffee again as Shining walked over to her, sitting beside her at the edge of her large, almost pillow-like bed. The big, circular cushion had an ornate wooden frame surrounding its base, but it lacked the legs and headboard that would be on a standard bed. 

"Like I said, just keep talking with her. You may be her niece, but she doesn't know anything about you."

"I know. Do you think she's mad that I've never really tried to connect with her before?" 

Shining chuckled, reaching around Cadance's waist to pull her close. "Honey, she's not mad at you! She acted the same way around me the first few times I tried casually talking with her."

Cadance's gaze met Shining's for a moment, her smile showing some re-assurance. "Alright."




A little nervous knot had formed in Cadance's stomach as she approached the ajar door of Luna's study. The dawn's sun had just barely peeked over the horizon to provide the halls with an even contrast rather than the bright columns of light that normally striped the halls once the sun was high enough to shine directly through the windows. 

Upon reaching the door, and hearing faint speech, Cadance poked her head inside, seeing Luna sat at one of the other chairs at her end of the desk flanked by her two personal guards, a somewhat large, rectangular document held up before the trio. Only a second later did both guards turn their heads towards her, their yellow, radiant, slit-pupil, eyes boring into hers. She noticed their fluff-topped ears flickering a tiny bit, Luna's quiet speech still continuing as she looked at the paper held before her. 

Cadance cleared her throat. "Auntie Luna?"

She finally looked to her. "Oh, dear Cadance! Thou... you are up quite early."

Sensing it was safe to do so, Cadance entered. "I wanted to spend some time with you before you went off to bed."

Luna smiled, the document before her being brought down to where it was no longer visible to Cadance. "That is quite nice of you."

"I figured... you know, I've known you for a while, but we haven't had the chance to actually have time together."

"Indeed." 

Cadance pulled out the chair she had sat in the previous night, noticing the books were now stood on their ends in a row rather than stacked on their faces.

"I'm... not intruding, am I? You were showing them something when I came in."

Whatever document Luna did have, it had been rolled up and tied with some twine, preventing Cadance from seeing whatever it was. 

"Nay, I was making my closing statements." she explained, standing up and moving to the head of the desk, her two guards following and flanking her just as they had before.

"What were you showing them? If you don't mind me asking."

The leftmost guard's membranous wings gave a little flutter, drawing Cadance's attention to him temporarily.

"Oh, a simple proposition."

Cadance blinked, her eyes moving over the three pairs of eyes on her, their collective gaze seeming to push her down in her seat. 

"Well, I hope it goes over with whoever you submit it to."

Luna's hoof raised, flicking at the corner of the table as she hummed in acknowledgment. A moment of silence passed before she looked up, Cadance noticing both her and her guard's ears twitch a tiny bit.

"Thank you, Frolicsome," Luna stated, prompting Cadance to flip around in her chair to see the stallion approaching from the door, his white magic holding a tray that contained a small feast. Though, for some reason, what stood out most to Cadance were two fresh apples accompanying the drink, dessert, and large dinner. 

"The chef wants to know your opinion on the pecan pie. He says they've been toying around with the recipe, your Highness."

Luna hummed as her magic working to clear away the few papers that occupied the desk before her. The tray came to rest before Luna, her magic taking the silver fork and cutting the very tip from the slice of pecan pie. She moaned upon taking the bite, quickly gathering more of the pie. Cadance couldn't help but notice how Luna's hoof still flicked at the edge of the table.

"Tis wonderful! Tell the chef to not change a thing!"

"Will do, Your Highness."

Luna stopped his departure by tapping her hoof on the table. "One last thing." the rolled up document Luna and her guards had been viewing floated up, Luna's blue aurora around it being replaced by Frolicsome's white spell.

He looked at the scroll a moment, nodding and continuing on for the door.

"Uh, excuse me, Frolicsome Meadowlark..." called Cadance, again stopping his advance.

"Yes?"

"Could you have the chefs make me something for breakfast? Whatever they think of will do fine."

"Of course."

With those final words, and without further stoppages, Frolicsome continued on and left the study, leaving the door open. Silence returned as Luna ate her dinner... or breakfast; Cadance wasn't sure which name her meal would have. She couldn't help but let her eyes occasionally wander to the two guards flanking Luna; she had only ever seen them once before now, and that had merely been a glimpse. 

One of the two curious apples now floated from the tray, not moving to Luna's mouth, but to the leftmost guard's mouth, her aurora dropping off as his fangs clamped down on the fruit. Rather ungracefully, his head craned down a bit as his hoof came to meet the apple, his teeth slowly gnawing away at the fruit. After not too long only a thin core remained, which was knowingly taken from his open jaw by Luna's magic and fizzled out of existence. 

The same process repeated with the right guard, Cadance watching with a slight look of awe. With their meals complete the guards returned to their previous stances, Cadance keeping her eyes fixed in their direction. In perfect unison, Luna and her guards returned Cadance's gaze. Still, no words came from them. Not a single peep, mumble, nor whisper. 

Cadance cleared her throat. "I've never seen your guards around before, auntie."

Luna hummed after taking a bite of mashed potatoes. "They are nocturnal."

"Why weren't they here last night?"

"They were."

Cadance paused. "I mean... what you would consider morning... you know; when I was here before we went to get dinner?"

"Aye."

"But... they weren't here."

"They were posted at the door."

"T-They weren't at the door... auntie."

"You did not look up."

"They... do they have turrets they stand in above the door?"

Luna shook her head, her fork delivering a healthy group of grilled asparagus to her waiting maw. Cadance stayed quiet a moment, anticipating a response, yet nothing came. She sighed quietly in defeat, sliding further into her chair.




The morning had dragged on, and Cadance had stayed a fair time within Luna's study after finishing her breakfast. There wasn't much difference in Luna's attitude from last night to this morning; she still never began conversations, and she didn't say much when she was addressed. Her sentences were always kept short even if the question posed would benefit from a longer answer. Above all, she still never made much eye contact with Cadance. It was beginning to wear on her. 

To escape the silence of the study Cadance had ventured out into the calm morning halls of the castle in search of Shining; he hadn't told her of his day's plan before she had left her quarters, which meant searching for him would be a grand task. She had looked in the normal places; his office, the barracks, the Castle's war room, the flying field, but still, he was nowhere to be found. She had looped around the entire castle by this point, and was now nearly at the beginning of the Administration wing. 

Her pacing paused, however; as the corner of her eye caught something beyond the hall's windows within the small, square space of grass, trees, and flowers that occupied the negative space between the halls. It was Luna, and she sat in perfect stillness upon the grass. Her dark blue coat did a somewhat good job of concealing her in the sunless space, but one thing did stand out quite eerily; that same void aurora her horn had produced last night. Her eyes were closed, and her wings were wrapped around her body, concealing her legs. Cadance stared in an almost trance-like state as she approached the window, her mind now rampant with questions. 

Cadance yelped, jumping back as Luna teleported directly in front of her, her posture remaining totally unchanged. Her faintly glowing eyes, however; now glared into Cadance's, and her horn's voided, misty aurora faded away.

"Meditation."

Cadance stumbled over her own tongue a moment. "W-What?"

"Meditation. Clearing the mind before sleep." reinstated Luna as her wings unfurled from her figure, causing a cold breeze to strike Cadance.

"I-I didn't ask... what you were doing."

Luna offered a small smile as she stood up, staring at Cadance a moment before turning and beginning off down the hall. "You do not know you did."

Cadance stood frozen with confusion for a time before snapping to her senses, trotting to catch up to Luna. There was silence among the two for a moment as Cadance tried to think of something to say that didn't involve what had just happened.

"So... you're going to sleep now?"

Luna hummed, nodding only a little. Cadance looked at her a moment, noticing the ear not facing her lay flat against Luna's head.

"You're... awfully quiet, auntie."

"A pin drop seems quiet when beside thunderclaps."

Cadance continued staring at Luna, her mouth hung open and brow furrowed in confusion, but slowly, her gears turned. 

"I... I'm not too talkative."

Luna finally looked to Cadance, her other ear now standing up straight. "Neither am I."

"I've noticed..."

Cadance looked forward to see that they had reached the place where two halls met, that junction being where Luna's tower quarters was located. The two tall doors leading into the circular tower were completely jet black, and only one was marked with the same moon on Luna's flanks. 

"Well, I guess this is goodnight," Cadance spoke, standing idly as Luna opened each door simultaneously. 

"Nay; that comes in 10 hours."

Cadance held her tongue a moment, Luna now standing in her doorway and looking to her. "Oh, I guess you're right. Good... morning, then."

Luna smiled. "Indeed."

"Love you, auntie."

Luna's smile widened, her ear flicking and her front hooves doing a strange little tap. "I do love you, as well!"

Cadance stood idly as Luna retreated into the darkness of her tower, the doors shutting softly.