//------------------------------// // V. Lonely Moon // Story: Frozen Tears // by Greatazuredragon //------------------------------// Lonely Moon “Lady Snowdrop, we greet you and welcome you to our court.” Princess Luna simply stated, her features almost stone like in their unresponsiveness as she intoned the formal words, her tone of voice sounding almost hollow to the blind mare’s ears, only a slight shine upon the Princess eyes betraying any emotion as she took in her old friend bowing before her throne. “Princess Luna, Moon Warden, I thank you for granting me this audience.” Snowdrop replied back, the formal words easily rolling off her tongue despite the fact her mind was thundering with worried questions and troubled musings, trying to understand what exactly was happening. The fact that the normally boisterous and warm hearted Princess of the Night she knew so well was acting so stiffly, her voice so unnaturally cold and distant, only making her worry even more. “Your thanks are received. Now speak, why do you come before our throne this night.” The Alicorn kept saying the formal greeting in an almost mechanical fashion, Snowdrop’s sensitive ears allowing her to almost see the hollow sadness carried within the Princess voice. ‘Something is definitely not right.’ She decided with finality, her mind trying to ponder how to question to her old friend about what was wrong, to enquire what was bothering her without breaking protocol and breaching court etiquette. Her mind drawing a complete blank as she remembered what she could about court proceedings, she suddenly came with a plan about how to proceed and immediately decided to implement it. Despite the fact part of her mind knew that Silver would be exasperated upon hearing about it, Midnight would probably complain and grumble about what she was about to do, and Star would most likely deeply approve of said plan. Suddenly jumping forward with a quick flap of her wings Snowdrop swiftly crossed the distance separating her from the Moon Princess, foregoing all proper protocol, unneeded etiquette and silly pomp in favor of embracing her oldest friend into a warm hug, gently nuzzling her side with her head. Her friend was in pain, etiquette and proper behavior could go buck themselves for all she cared until Luna was feeling better, after all, the fact she had just made an completely unforgivable breach of decorum for a petitioner visiting the Princess court wasn’t nearly as important as comforting her distraught sounding friend. “I missed you Luna.” She honestly stated, pretending to not notice how the Moon Warden had completely stiffened for a moment at the contact before starting to relax and tentatively start to return her embrace, as if she was no longer used to receiving such a sign of affection and wasn’t really sure how to respond. “It’s good to see you again.” “Likewise Snowdrop, your presence is a much appreciated gift.” Princess Luna softly said after a moment of silence, a small but true smile slowly surfacing from beneath her stony features as she gently nuzzled the blind mare in return. “We have missed you too, my friend.” Hearing some true emotion returning to the Moon Princess voice, even if said emotion was a deep loneliness with the faint tinges of happiness mixed within her words, Snowdrop redoubled the strength of her embrace, trying to convey to her oldest friend just how much she cared about her, how happy she was that they were finally able to see each other again. But even then she couldn’t help but ponder what could have happened to Luna to leave her so emotionally distraught, what could have happened to her in the year they had stood apart to fill her voice with such sadness and loneliness. Something was terribly wrong with her old friend, and Snowdrop had every intention of finding out what it was. Enjoying the cold night air as she walked alongside Luna through the palace gardens Snowdrop let out a near silent sigh in relief, for after nearly half an hour of catching up with the Princess and regaling her with how things were going on with her life in Cloudsdale, the Moon Princess was finally in a slightly better mood. “Are you sure it’s alright to just leave the throne room just like that?” Snowdrop curiously enquired after a moment of thought, slightly worried that her whisking Luna away for a stroll could cause problems, while gently rubbing her shoulders against the larger mare in an effort to reassure the Moon Princess. “Night Court will not end until several hours from now after all.” “That will not be a problem Snowdrop, in the case of somepony coming to our court seeking our aid one of my guards will be more than able to seek us out, not that that’s likely to happen.” Luna morosely stated, sadness clear upon her words as she gazed upwards towards her moon with a blank stare. Ears flat against her skull Snowdrop inwardly berated herself for bringing up the subject and causing the Princess mood to plummet once again, even if she was desperately wondering what could have happened with the Night Court for no pony to be attending it tonight. Or the saddening and worrying possibility that was carried within her friend’s words that this was not an separate and unique occurrence, but something that had been happening for some time already. “Really, Luna? It’s only the two of us out here, no need to keep up the stuffy speech!” She firmly stated, forcing as much cheerfulness into the words as she could while attempting to distract the Princess with some light teasing. “You can still use the normal ‘I’ instead of the royal ‘we’ when around me, you know.” “Unless… Oh please don’t tell me the nobles have finally managed to turn you into a pompous snooty snob?!” The blind mare cried in mock horror, stopping upon her tracks and lifting a hoof towards her mouth as if distressed, all the while giving the Moon Princess her best shocked stare. “Oh, the horror, the horror! I have failed you my friend, they finally got you too! The end is nigh!” She finished in a dramatic shout, collapsing upon the ground in over exaggerated despair and covering her face with both wings. After a moment she lifted the feathery curtain she had draped over her head and ‘stared’ Luna straight in the eyes, inwardly enjoying the fact she had managed to make her friend to stop moving and blink in surprise, the bemused look on her face clearly showing she hadn’t expected Snowdrop to speak about her Royal speech, especially in such an over the top manner. “So what say you to this, oh, moon maiden, will you abandon the words of royalty that cover your silver tongue for but a few short moments so that you may converse with this poor, lowly mare?” She continued, giving her words as much pomp and circumstance as she could while raising her nose high into the air like some of the more ridiculous looking nobles tended to do. “Will you forsake your royalty to mingle with the riffraff, oh, Princess of the Night? Will you dare to commit such an affront, abandoning your nobility and embrace the words of a mere commoner? Will you heed the request this one has made to you this night?” For a moment Snowdrop feared she may have pushed just a little too far, as Luna simply stayed there staring at the young Pegasus as if she was some kind of alien entity, only for her fears to be proven completely unfounded as the Moon Princess suddenly threw her head backwards and roared with laughter. “My apologies Snow, you are right. I guess I have been spending far too much time amidst the high nobility.” She said in a far warmer tone of voice, hugging the white mare close with a large ebony wing, a small smile firm upon her face. “Far too much time amidst their trite plots and thoughtless plans, and not nearly enough time with those with whom I can be myself I’m afraid.” “As long as we have that cleared out, apology accepted.” Snowdrop cheerfully stated, nodding her head while adopting a faux serious look. “Now let’s go Luna, this night is far too beautiful to be wasted talking about silly nobles.” She said while taking the lead, journeying deeper into the gardens, an amused huff coming from behind indicating that the Moon Princess was following after her. Lying down amidst a flowerbed that was all but overflowing with moonflowers, their sweet fragrant smell permeating the slightly chilly night air, Snowdrop rested her head upon Luna’s side, enjoying the peace and the quiet as they stood amidst a field of white. Her ears flicking upwards she momentarily focused upon the song of the night sky, enjoying its subtle but undeniably powerful melody that was carried amidst the night winds. “Your night is especially beautiful tonight Luna, truly great work.” She truthfully stated, her words calm and content as she appreciated both the faint song she could hear coming from the stars and her friend’s presence at her side. “I thank you for your kind words Snow, even though I know they are nothing more than mere platitudes said to appease me.” Luna tiredly replied, sadness and grief once again re-emerging within her voice. “Luna, how could you say that!” Snowdrop sternly stated, inwardly bemoaning how poor Luna’s mood still was despite spending over an hour trying to uplift it. “You know I would never fall so low to lie to one of my closest friends, so you know that when I say your night is beautiful that I mean it!” “And how much stock should we put upon the words of a mare that never even saw what she is talking about!” The Alicorn of the Night harshly replied, the anger that had been buried deep within surfacing for a moment. “Why should we hear the words of one that has no idea upon what she speaks of?” “I may not be able to see it Luna, but that does not mean I cannot hear it.” Snowdrop firmly replied, not backing down in the slightest despite being confronted by an angry Alicorn. “And what I hear is a song of beauty beyond compare, calm and compassionate, but still strong and decisive, just like the Princess whom embodies it.” She continued, nothing but truth in her words as she ‘looked’ at her old friends with warm eyes. “And so, when I say your night is truly a wonder you better believe it!” The Moon Princess locked eyes with Snowdrop truthful stare for a long moment, pain, sadness and anger flashing within her own blue orbs, until after all but deflating in place she allowed an extremely tired sigh to leave her lips. “I’m sorry for snapping at you like that Snow. I know that you are speaking the truth.” She sorrowfully said, gently nuzzling the smaller mare in apology. “By no means does it excuse me from unjustly shouting at you, but the last few months have been far too harsh my friend. Sometimes I feel as if my temper is being held in check by but a single strand, and I'm terribly sorry that you ran afoul of that.” “It’s alright Luna, I understand how sometimes things can simply be too much.” She replied with a small sad smile, her mind remembering her own foalhood. “Please don’t worry about it.” A moment of companiable silence passed between them, as they simply lay amidst the sea of white of the moonflowers, the Moon Princess wings gently cradling her smaller companion. “It’s ironic isn’t it?” Princess Luna finally muttered breaking the silence, a slight bitter tone clear upon her words. “Nearly all of our subjects shun and shy away from our night sky, forsaking its beauty without a second thought. No matter what we do, or how much effort we put forth, they simply turn away from what we pour our heart and soul into offering them without a hint of hesitation.” “But the one mare who fully understands the true beauty of our night sky, that appreciates it as the gift it truly is, is one who has been forbidden its full splendor by the cruel whims of fate.” She said with a bitter chuckle, sad eyes gazing at the Snowdrop own unseeing eyes. “They so easily forsake what they have been freely gifted without a second thought, while those who deserve to appreciate said gifts are forbidden from doing so. Fate is truly a cruel mistress.” Looking at her friend's morose form Snowdrop wondered how to deal with Luna’s depression, something that was apparently going on for quite some time. Only to decide that she knew far too little about the whole situation, something she would try and remedy first thing the next morning. For the moment she would try and offer what support she could towards her friend, and perhaps convince her that others did appreciate her night. “Your nights are beautiful beyond compare Luna, majestic and mysterious, but still soothing and comforting. Sooner or later everypony will have to bow down to the inevitable and agree upon that.” She honestly stated, giving her friend a beaming smile. “Just give it some time, I’m sure they will come around.” A long moment of silence followed her statement, the Moon Princess simply staring at the moon high above as if pondering her words, before breaking the silence with a barely audible whisper. “Yes, you are right. Our majestic night cannot be so easily denied, it cannot be so easily overshadowed by our sister’s light.” Luna quietly said in a wondering tone, as if talking with herself and not to the Pegasus by her side, her soft words cutting through the night’s silence like a knife while blank eyes stared at the silvery depths of her moon high upon the sky. “In the end everypony will have to appreciate the beauty of our night, they will come to see the error of their ways and enjoy the splendor of our dark and jeweled sky.” “Even if we have to make sure of it ourselves...” Snowdrop felt a unexplainable shiver going down her spine as she heard her friend's words, upon hearing the anger and loneliness all but dripping out of every syllable she had just uttered, showing a deep pain that simply could not be something recent, but a deep wound that had to have been festering for months on end, if not even longer. Leaning against the princess side while gently nuzzling the distracted mare’s neck she attempted to give her what little respite and comfort she could. But at the same time Snowdrop inwardly decided that she really didn’t like how Luna’s voice had just sounded. So hurt and pained, angry and lonely, and so very much cold. Sitting upon a table within the palace library, fighting back a yawn due to having been awake during most of the night and waking up early in order to try and find out exactly what was happening with Luna and the Night Court, Snowdrop followed Silver Quill’s movements while waiting for her reply to her queries regarding what was happening with both Luna and her Court. “I’m afraid this has been happening for quite some time Snowdrop, this rift between the nobility and Princess Luna.” Silver Quill said with a tired sigh while mechanically reshelving a few books to their proper stands inside the library. “It’s not a sudden change, it has been gradually growing for the last few years from what I was able to observe.” “But that can’t be right, last time I was here I didn’t see any of this, and that was little over a year ago!” Snowdrop angrily retorted while rubbing her head in an attempt to stave off a headache, her lack of sleep making her a little snappish. “How could Luna’s growing isolation have started that far back? And how come almost nopony noticed it? It makes no sense!” Snowdrop simply could not understand how things could have gone so wrong without anypony noticing it. Could not understand how in Tartarus an apparent feud between the nobility and Princess Luna could have even started, much less devolved to the point most ponies were now actively boycotting the Night Court altogether! “During the last time you were here you mostly visited us during the Day Court, and most nobles and even Princess Luna herself have been doing their level best to hide the growing schism from Princess Celestia.” The unicorn mare replied matter of factly, stopping to give the blind Pegasus a sad gaze. “I’m quite sure Princess Celestia has almost no idea of what is truly happening in regards with the Night Court, that ponies have been all but shunning her younger sister and boycotting her Court for months already.” She continued while grabbing her glasses with her silvery aura in order to rub her tired eyes. “Not only does nopony within the nobility report this issue to her Majesty, but the Moon Warden herself is going to great lengths to keep the appearance of normalcy when she interacts with her, hiding it behind a mask of aloofness.” “But how could her not notice it! Luna’s currently is an emotional mess; anypony that knows anything about her at all would see it immediately!” She angrily retorted, incredulity clear in her face upon the mere idea of anypony failing to see the quite drastic changes upon the Moon Princess behavior and mood, much less her own sister. “Oh, I’m sure Princess Celestia realizes something is not quite right. But has no idea how serious the situation truly is, how poorly Princess Luna is dealing with it all.” Silver Quill immediately replied, turning around to give the Pegasus Mare her full attention. “It also doesn’t help that Princess Luna has stopped having her meals alongside her sister for a few months already, which reduced the times upon which they interact with each other to almost nothing.” “Combining that with the fact both the aggravators and the aggravated of the whole situation are trying to keep it all under wraps, alongside the fact the Day Court is always full to bursting with petitioners occupying all of Princess Celestia time, the Sun Bearer simply hasn’t truly noticed what is happening.” She continued, a hint of bitterness entering her words. “Or perhaps she simply doesn’t want to see what’s happening…” “The fact the commoners themselves started to avoid the Night Court due to both rumors disseminated by the nobles or wanting to avoid the whole mess really hasn’t helped matters. The situation has devolved to the point that I think that you are the only pony from outside her Highness personal staff to openly interact with Princess Luna in months.” “Quite frankly Snow, I have long since run out of ideas regarding what I can do to try and help the Princess with dealing with it all. Arranging things so that you could visit being one of my last gambits in order to try and uplift her Majesty spirits at least a little.” The Unicorn mare bitterly stated, putting her glasses back upon her muzzle, a brittle smile upon her features. Snowdrop simply stood there in shock upon hearing that, realizing that the situation wasn’t as bad as she had initially feared upon meeting Luna last night. Oh no, it was infinitely worse. The entirety of the nobility actively shunning both Princess Luna and all but attacking her Night Court, the common ponies staying clear of the whole mess either due to fear of reprisal from the nobility or due to believing the rumors being spread about Luna. Everything festering for months on end to the point the whole Night Court had been deserted night after night for months already. All the while Luna’s big sister utterly failed to notice anything was even wrong in the first place. “Oh, dear Faust…” Snowdrop slowly muttered, disbelief sadness and exhaustion battling for dominance within her voice, Silver Quill simply placing a hoof upon the Pegasus mare shoulder in pained understanding. ‘What do I do?’ The blind mare questioned the universe at large, trying and failing to find a way, any way in which she could help fix this whole mess, all the while fearing that there simply was no answer to that particular question.