A man slowly cracks his eyes open and yawns, sitting up in bed.
A mare groans as she gets out of bed.
Opening a window, a man's head popped out.
Opening a window, a mare's head popped out.
Both sigh, before saying, "Morning!"
Bright, sunny daylight lies outside.
A man stands in a kitchen, yawns as he makes his breakfast.
A mare sits patiently at a table, yawning.
They sing, "La la la la da la~," in their hearts.
A yellow woman cheers as she eats her breakfast, a man smiling and doing the same across the table from her.
A mare looks over a scroll as she eats some toast.
A mare sleeps soundly in her dark room, happily dreaming.
"Hello, how are you?"
The days following the return of Luna, and the subsequent return of a diarchy in Equestria, were, in one man's words, "paradoxical." On one hand, many were overjoyed to have not only been saved from eternal night, but given a new princess. On the other, many were also wary of this new princess. They had heard only frightful tales of the Lunar Princess, tales of a dark mare eating foals whole, tales of dark and bloody war and rebellion...
...And Qudirk planned on giving the ponies something else to believe. However, he needed to prepare, before that could happen. Thus, the days after the return of Luna saw him almost exclusively in his study, and every now and again the castle library, writing up papers and pamphlets and more. Abrina knew better than to interrupt him, even if she did grow bored frequently and quickly.
Celestia had tried to contact him herself, and even Luna had once or twice, but even when they came to the tower they found naught but a sign that read in bold letters, "Disturb Me Not." This, of course, was not taken all too well by them, and even more so by Luna. Celestia tried to assure her sister that this was a common theme with the man, though in truth she was just as hurt and upset as her sister.
And thus, three weeks passed, and Qudirk finally finished his task and sat up from his desk. He grunted as he popped his neck and back, getting up from his chair and giving his works a once over. With a satisfied smile and nod, he uttered, "These should do nicely indeed." That said, he grabbed his leather satchel, carefully placed the papers inside, secured the straps, and nodded to himself. He looked to the clock. "Hmm, I suppose it's as good a time as any." He then picked up a regular pencil from his desk and a spare scrap of paper and wrote a quick note for Abrina. After placing it in an exceedingly obvious place so the oblivious girl wouldn't miss it, Qudirk made his way out of the tower.
He passed Charles on the way, the tiny golem standing upon a very tall stool as he washed the dishes in the sink. "Afternoon, Charles. Would you mind making certain Abrina knows I'm going to be out for the day? I left a note, but just in case she misses it, remind her for me, would you?"
Charles turned his head and nodded. "Certainly, sir. I'll make sure I do that. Do have a good one."
"You too, Charles," Qudirk said with a smile before continuing his descent of the tower.
It did not take him long to descend the whole tower and make his way out the front door, nor did it take him long to make it out of the Royal Forests nor the Royal Gardens. As he walked off of the expertly trimmed grass and towards the cobbled pathway leading to the Castle Courtyard, Qudirk checked the straps of his satchel one final time, before nodding to himself in satisfaction.
The walk down the path to the courtyard was quiet, but not as serene as the man would like. He had taken quick notice of the Day Guard patrolling the castle's grounds, many of them chatting amongst themselves as they walked. At least, until they noticed Qudirk, then they would silence themselves.
Every time, however, they failed to keep their hushed whispers from Qudirk's listening ears. They were talking about Luna, and not in the brightest of lights, either. With a frown and eyes full of determination, Qudirk quickened his pace.
The rest of the trek away from the castle and down into the city was not much different, the air filled with ponies chatting with each other. Certainly, many were simply talking about the day-to-day issues, but just as common was the talk of Luna and her return.
Qudirk's frown only grew at this. 'Such baseless claims.' He thought to himself as he traversed the streets of Canterlot, overhearing a few nobles speaking of how Luna was just waiting for the moment to strike. 'Luna has no reason to try and revert to her old ways, much less eat foals whole.' His grip on the strap of his satchel tightened. 'With any luck, these will help enlighten them.'
Qudirk passed many a building as he strode ahead, from shops, restaurants and hotels to manors, apartments and the rare few simple abodes. He did not often come out into the city proper, thus the large, sprawling city was a bit confusing for him to navigate through.
The stares of the ponies around him didn't help much, either. To him, it was all just too bright and confusing. Thankfully, with the help of a map he packed into his satchel, he soon found the building he was looking for.
"Equestria Daily Inc., good, I found it," He noted, stashing his map back into his satchel. The building was, oddly enough, rather simple and unassuming compared to the more colorful designs of most buildings in the city. Simple white stucco made up the walls, and the massive sign that announced the company's name was just a white backdrop with the words in cursive black script. The only item that stood out was the picture of a rolled up newspaper between the words 'Equestria' and 'Daily.'
With a shrug, Qudirk approached the door. "Well, Q, old boy, it's time to put those skills of persuasion to use," he muttered to himself as he pushed the door open.
The next morning, when Luna came into the dining hall, she was hit with a wad of newspaper right on her muzzle. "Ow!" she cried, stumbling back and rubbing the place of impact with a hoof. She glared up at her sister, whose smile was brighter than ever. "And what in the name of mine moon was that for, sister?"
"Read it!" Celestia urged, shoving the paper in her face again.
With a grumble, Luna did so, taking the newspaper with her magic and beginning to read. As she did, her eyes slowly widened. Then, they began to water, and Luna fell on her plot as she held a hoof to her mouth in shock as tears fell from her eyes.
Celestia smiled and walked over to her sister, sitting down beside her and wrapping a wing around her younger sibling, who cried into the embrace.
On the headlines of the paper were the words, "Resident Human Reveals Truth! Princess Luna War Hero!" Detailed below the headlines was how Luna lead the charge in the war with the Griffons millennia ago, as well as how she once protected a whole village of ponies from an invading force by her lonesome.
Many more of Luna's heroic efforts in that war were detailed, and all of this was due to the work of Equestria's resident human, Qudirk. The days to come would be filled with many a pony thanking Luna whensoever they saw her, the Day Guard especially, whom mingled with the Night Guard and gained even greater respect for her as they told their own stories of the Lunar Princess.
Luna, after several weeks of agonizing guilt since her return, was finally gaining acceptance from her subjects.