A soft blue glow emanated from the solitary figure silhouetted against the darkening sky, as far away, suns and galaxies moved under its magical bidding. With the last few lights at the right brilliance and in their correct places across the nocturnal sphere, Princess Luna stood back to admire her handiwork. She had long since accepted that her arrangements were principally for her own satisfaction as precious few ponies were ever out at this time, and those who were rarely turned their heads upwards to marvel at the magnificence of the night sky; her night sky.
Whilst it was generally accepted that she would conduct the formal duties of raising and lowering the moon from the Royal Castle at Canterlot, she preferred the freedom to express her creativity from wherever gave her inspiration. More often than not, this was away from the distractions of the city, somewhere where she could commune with nature and tap in to the subtle influences at her disposal.
Being the only pony capable of dream walking, Luna was a very good barometer of social harmony; when tensions ran high, then her night would be filled with bringing solace to large numbers of troubled individuals who would be ready to adopt a more understanding conciliatory stance to their problems on the next day. Tonight was different; ponies were mostly content with their lot and so she had time to spare, choosing to treat herself to the rare luxury of flying down to Ponyville, home to a number of her closest friends.
With the sky now meeting her approving eye from all angles, she chose to loiter a while around a few of her favourite haunts, reliving some of her happiest memories. Turning a corner, lost in reverie, she was suddenly surprised to see a pony still out, and more than that, looking up admiring her night sky. As she got closer she could see that the pony was holding a drawing pad in her blue aura.
The moonlight glowed off the immaculately presented white coat and reflected the sheen of a beautiful purple mane and tail. Luna didn’t need to look at the cutie mark to verify who this was up so late, but nonetheless she couldn’t help her eye involuntarily tracing down the perfectly rounded flank to the three blue diamonds she knew would be there.
Luna had no wish to startle the novice stargazer, so introduced her presence in a soft respectful tone as she approached:
“Good evening Rarity”
“Oh Princess” she gasped in surprise, almost dropping her sketches “I … I wasn’t expecting to see anyone …”
“I hope you are not disappointed?” replied Luna.
“Oh Princess, no!” she bubbled enthusiastically “It’s so beautiful; I wanted to preserve it forever and maybe even use it for a range of new designs”
“I am most flattered. Would you care to show me your sketches?”
“Oh, um … I’m not sure if they really do your work justice” flustered Rarity. She felt herself turning pink and was grateful that the darkness covered her embarrassment, but Luna picked up on the tone in her voice and read her like a book.
“Follow my hoof” said Luna edging close to the fashion designer and pointing into the sky “That is a new feature I have created this night.”
Rarity carefully put down her sketch pad on a stool she had brought out with her and looked up in wonder at the delicate cluster of swirls that she had never seen before.
“You created that?” she gasped, her eyes as wide as saucers.
“Yes” she replied simply “I felt that corner of the sky to be in need of brightening up.”
“Does it have a name?” asked Rarity incredulously.
Luna thought and looked around briefly:
“How about The Carousel Constellation?” she proposed.
“Oh, surely not!” squeed the white unicorn squeezing her cheeks together with her forehooves “Really?”
“It has to be called something, and the swirls do form a carousel shape” said Luna turning to face her beguiled companion.
Rarity buried her muzzle into the older mare’s neck, tears brimming in her eyes as, repeating “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Luna put a foreleg round the overwhelmed fashion designer and drew her in tight, giving her the lightest of kisses that Rarity did not feel, but just heard and pressed in tighter in response.
Once she had regained her composure, Luna asked again about her sketching, and feeling a much closer bond between them felt the courage to show her, albeit amidst protestations that it was incomplete and should not be judged at this stage.
“If you see here” she said pointing at specific details on the costume sketches “The background material is a dark purple to represent the blank canvas of the night sky and these overlays are supposed to capture the stars. There are different transparent layers, each carrying details from the sky, and all free to move over one another to create a subtly changing perspective … or at least that’s the plan.”
Rarity was aware she had got carried away and when she paused for breath, looked into Luna’s eyes and hesitated, something in her countenance reaching out in a way she had never experienced before and causing the next volley of words to stick in her throat.
Luna could have broken the brief silence that fell between them, but chose to embrace it instead for a few moments longer, relishing the expectancy projected from the dressmaker’s beautiful deep blue eyes.
“I feel most honoured that our premiere fashion designer should have chosen to apply her talents so ably to immortalising the pageantry of the night sky that so few ever choose to see for themselves. I hope I may be privileged to witness these designs develop into your next best-selling range.”
At such praise from the Princess of the Night herself, Rarity felt overcome with a wave of delirium that requested, if not demanded the immediate attentions of a fainting couch, but which in her planning she had carelessly forgotten, so instead plomped down on the stool she had brought outside.
The Princess giggled discretely and excused herself, leaving the ecstatic fashion designer to rationalise what had just happened. As far as she could see, Princess Luna had just created a new constellation in the night sky and named it after her, and if that were not enough she had approved the new night time inspired line of fashions; she would be swooning for the rest of the evening.
Luna conducted the rest of her nocturnal duties with a little more flair than usual, skipping through her regular responsibilities with a happy smile in place. It was so unusual to find another pony who had such an interest in her creativity that she felt positively buoyant and looked upon her own work with an even more critical eye than usual, because it was no longer just for herself, but for Rarity too.
All too soon, the night time ended and she was obliged to lower the moon to rest, making way for the sun to encourage the ponies of Equestria from their slumbers. She always felt a twinge of sadness at having to say goodbye to the night, but this morning she was eagerly planning ahead to what displays she could muster to impress her audience on the next evening.
As was customary on transferring responsibility for the safety of Equestria between the realms of the sun and the moon respectively, she headed for the prepared dining table where her sister waited. She trotted briskly to conclude what would be her last official activity of the night and the first of Celestia’s day, providing an opportunity for each to brief the other on events that may be of importance during the forthcoming watch.
She seated herself at table with a swish of panache unseen by her sister since before her banishment over a thousand years ago. As a consummate politician, Celestia was used to reading the body language of others who were far more adept at hiding their feelings, and this new-found happiness and accompanying boost to herself-confidence was flashing like a beacon. Something had clearly happened and she had the feeling that it wouldn’t be long in coming out.
“Good morning, Sister” breezed Luna brightly, notwithstanding her having just finished her night shift.
“Good morning to you too dear Luna” greeted Celestia with a warm smile “How was the night?”
“It was wonderful Sister” she effused, her eyes taking on a faraway look “Just wonderful!”
“How so?” prompted the white mare.
“Everything went well; the stars followed my will obediently, but more than that I found I had a secret admirer ...”
There was a pause as Luna suddenly realised she had said too much.
Celestia knew it wasn’t protocol but slipped her elbows onto the table and rested her chin on her hooves, smiling devilishly at her younger sister across the table accompanied by the clear unstated message ‘I’m going to stay here until you tell me everything.’
Luna was cornered and could feel herself starting to blush; not something that was immediately obvious to anypony else because of her blue coat; but her sister knew her all too well.
“Go on” she prompted, her smile widening as a roguish sparkle twinkled in her eyes.
“I … I do not consider it appropriate to betray confidences” she stammered.
“Now I really am interested” said Celestia, fixing her with her mischievous stare “What has my little sister been getting up to?”
“Merely some perfectly innocent appreciation of one creative designer by another.”
“Why then do you blush so?”
“I do not know what you are talking about Sister” said Luna, feeling herself getting uncomfortably warm all of a sudden.
“Didn’t you say you were going to Ponyville last night?” enquired Celestia, probing deeper.
“I believe my dinner is ready to be served” interjected Luna as a diversion, beckoning the waiter over with a degree of desperation in her eyes.
“I don’t believe they’re ready quite yet” said the white mare dissuading the waiter with a flash of her eyes. He faltered mid step and quickly bustled back to where he had started, well aware that a situation was brewing between the two most powerful ponies in Equestria. Although he didn’t want to take sides, Celestia’s stare had been by far the more assertive signal from either of the two Princesses, so it was her that he obeyed.
“Now let me see” mused Celestia wickedly “A designer in Ponyville. Hmmm …”
Luna was now unbearably hot and wishing she could be somewhere else.
“Oh my” toyed the Sun Princess “Surely not …”
“SISTER!” Luna admonished, reverting to her olden tongue in a moment of stress “Mine affairs are mine own!”
“Of course, and I shall respect them entirely” admitted Celestia, and then cheekily added one more word “Darling …”
She knew.
Luna hadn’t even managed to hold out for a full minute under her sister’s scrutiny.
“Oh look, Luna” said Celestia innocently “I do believe the waiter is ready to bring your dinner now.”
Now she had learned what she wanted, she beckoned the waiter over and he approached warily, eager to perform his serving function with the minimum of ceremony so he could escape as quickly as protocol would allow.
“Sister” hissed Luna venomously “There is a word for you …”
“Yes” she acknowledged, changing her expression in a flash to one that radiated genuine warmth “I am a caring sister who doesn’t want to see you hurt. I’m sorry I teased, but I doubt that you would have been quite so forthcoming if I had just waited. I am very happy for you – really.”
“But Sister" she pleaded defensively “We only admired each other’s work.”
Luna knew it sounded hollow, even though it was mostly true.
Celestia gave a knowing smile in response and Luna mentally face-hoofed, but she knew the more she argued, the worse it would sound.
Having recognised that she may have come over as a little too prying, Celestia regaled her younger sister with some of the funnier events that had arisen in the Court recently, patently embellishing some of the details for comedic effect as she worked to win her audience round. By the end of the meal, the earlier animosity had made way for good natured two-way interchange, both mares laughing at each other’s anecdotes.
When they had concluded, the two sisters rose and shared a nuzzle, parting on good terms as Celestia faced a packed schedule of formal commitments ahead while Luna retired to her bedchamber, still giggling to herself at some of the funny stories she had heard. However, once she was in bed with her eyes closed, it was not Celestia who came into her mind, but an elegantly coiffured white unicorn.