//------------------------------// // Antiquity // Story: Admiration and Admission // by Scribe of the Nightwings //------------------------------// “Sister, this is merely unnecessary!” Two ponies strolled down the esteemed halls of Canterlot Castle as they discussed amongst one another. One was a tall alabaster alicorn that had a literal flowing mane of multicolored hair. She had a gentle smile similar to one of a caring mother trying to settle down her rambunctious foals. To her side was a smaller alicorn mare with light navy coat and light blue mane. As apposed to her sister, this one had an expression that seemed to be a strange mix of determined and pouty. “Luna, I am only trying to help you.” Princess Celestia calmly explained to her younger sister. “As much as I’m eternally grateful that you have returned to me, I still think that you’ll need some help adjusting to things before you can continue on with your royal duties.” This did little to quell the smaller mare’s protests. “Yet we do want not a scribe to assist us with our offices. We fared fair enough by our own a thousand years since! Doth thou forsooth doubt our abilities now that we be in this…state?” The two alicorn stopped in front of one of the grand doors that graced the castle and Celestia turned to her sister with a comforting look. “Luna, the last thing I would ever want is to make you feel uncomfortable while to work to recover your true form. Especially since…I am partially responsible for putting you in such a place.” The smaller alicorn’s expression softened as she heard her sister’s voice shift into a more mournful tone. “That being said,” Celestia continued with more of her usual optimism. “Things have certainly…changed since the last thousand years you were in rule with me. I mean no offense, but I fear that your diction might be lost on some of our subjects. Therefore, I feel a scribe assigned to you will not only help in the transcriptions of court, but hopefully he’ll be of help in assisting you in adjusting with current times.” Self-consciousness of her dialect aside, the smaller princess cocked her head. “We are still not sure about this aide thou speak of. What would he is still afeard of….what we were before?” “Luna,” Celestia assured her sister. “I scouted this pony myself. I am sure that he will have no misgivings or fears about you. Now, how about we finally go meet him?” With that, Princess Celestia magicked open the door and the two princesses walked into the foyer where there were three ponies. Two of which, Luna instantly recognized as some of Celestia’s royal guard, donned in their golden armor. In between them was a pony that she didn’t recognize. A male unicorn with a steel-blue coat and a somewhat messy white mane that looked as though it had been quickly combed in a much neater fashion. His cutie mark appeared to be a purple spiral galaxy with a brown quill being dipped right into the center. The stallion looked rather nervous; his icy-blue eyes scanning the wall through the glasses perched on his snout. When the unicorn noticed the two princesses enter the room, he swiftly straightened out his posture, only to then go into a bow. The guards, meanwhile, continued to hold their stoic expressions as they stood at attention. “You may take your leave.” Celestia addressed the guards. The stallions each gave a brief nodded before exiting the room, leaving the blue stallion alone with the two diarchs. “Please rise, my little pony,” she then said to the bowing unicorn, who immediately followed her orders. “Now, would you be so kind as to introduce yourself to my sister here?” The stallion’s eyes quickly shifted from Celestia to Luna, who had remained silent. She watched as he carefully stepped over before her while trying to keep his composure. “Salutations to you, Princess Luna!” he began in an overly formal voice. “M-My name is Astral Ink, and I will be your Royal Scribe this day forth! I hope to…er, I mean, I plan to assist you to my greatest ability so that you may serve Equestria to the highest extend!” Luna only looked back at the stallion as he tried to put on a more confident expression, only for it to look like a very worried smile. It was very apparent that he was on edge, as to why Luna could only speculate. “Ch-CHARMED.” Luna bellowed out in response. She had intended to use her Royal Canterlot Voice now that she was in the presence of a subject. However, it seemed that her current body lacked the vocal cords necessary for such a feat. Instead, her voice provided a shaky mix of loud and squeaky. “Please forgive my sister,” Celestia then followed. “It was typical for us to use to use the Royal Canterlot Voice to address the public a millennia ago. Although it seems that she needs to time to…adjust back to her original form before she can perform such an announcement.” That latter statement Celestia gave while giving a subtle sideways glance to the smaller alicorn. Almost as if it was indirect plea for her to take it easy for the moment. Luna gave a silent pout to her sister, but eventually resumed back to a neutral expression once again. “Oh, it’s no problem, Highnes- uh, Highnesses.” Astral quickly said. “I’m well aware of some of the royal customs from back in the day. Did some reading on the subject, if you don’t mind me saying. Fascinating methods when compared to some of today’s practices. N-Not that there’s a problem with that, I mean!” The blue alicorn watched as the pony stumbled with his words, not quite sure what to make of it. She then shifted an inquisitive look to her sister, non-verbally asking her about the pony she “scouted” herself. “Astral is fresh out of Canterlot University,” the alabaster pony explained. “so he might be a bit wet behind the ears. However, he graduated with top marks in political science and professional writing. I was especially impressed with his transcriptional ability and record keeping.” The unicorn beamed at the alicorn’s praise. “Thank you, Princess! I was hoping to gain some employments in the courts, but…I never expected that I would acquire such a prestigious position!” Luna only continued to stare at the stallion. When her sister informed her that she would be receiving an aide to assist her readjustment in society, she expected somepony a bit more seasoned. Not that she was completely ecstatic for some older and most likely condescending pony giving her constant lectures as to what and what not to do. However, she still wasn’t expecting this. The way the unicorn acted so nervously around her made the alicorn feel uncomfortable. “Princess Celestia.” a royal guard announced as he entered the room with the other ponies. “A few nobles are requesting an audience with you in the throne room.” The Princess of the Sun gave the guard a nod and turned to the other two ponies. “I’m afraid duty calls. Astral, your luggage and belongings have already been moved to your quarters. You may speak with my personal aide, Raven Inkwell, to assist you in learning the daily schedule of the castle. But for now, why don’t you and Luna go ahead and explore the castle and get to know one another.” Right before she left, Celestia leaned down a bit to give her sister an affectionate nuzzle. “I promise that it will all be fine. Just be yourself.” she whispered in her ear before raising her head again. “Farwell to you both!” At that final announcement, Princess Celestia and her guard exited the foyer. Leaving the alicorn and unicorn alone in the room. Luna thought about what her sister whispered to her before she left. What did she mean by being herself? The alicorn’s gaze then shifted over to her newly appointed scribe. He still remained upright, as if to maintain a sense of proper presentation, however the same couldn’t be said about his face. The nervous smile he held relaxed a bit when Celestia left, but he still looked as though he was on edge about something. His eyes shifted to the ground a few times only to then return back to the alicorn. “So, ummm…” he shakily said only to then trail off into silence. It seemed as though he was at a loss of words. This certainly added to the growing awkwardness that was in the atmosphere. Luna gave a small huff of frustration at this. She certainly had her suspicions about the cause of this stallion’s anxious mannerisms, though it now seemed that it was up to her to confirm them. “Subject!” she finally broke the silence. Though she couldn’t yet use the Royal Canterlot Voice, she could at least give some authority in her voice. “Ere we begin to get acquainted with one another, we hast a few questions regarding thy current portance in our presence!” “O-Oh!” the blue stallion quickly said. “My behavior?! I’m terribly sorry, did I offend you in some way, your Highness?” The response peaked Luna’s intrigue. “Thou understand us? Except for our sister, most other ponies are left confused by our divers manner of speaking.” The stallion chippered up bit. “Oh that, it’s not that big of a deal, really. I took a history course back in university that focused on the period before your…let’s just say sabbatical. During which, I picked up some old Ponish so that I could understand the material better. So, I should be more than capable in helping you adjust your speaking mannerisms to more current times. N-Not that there’s any wrong with your current diction, I mean! Just to…help other ponies understand what you’re saying! Hehe…” Once again, the alicorn inwardly cringed when the stallion started to act nervous. She should have expected this, really. It certainly wasn’t the first time that she noticed a pony’s mannerisms suddenly shift when she was in their presence. Sure, the subjects warmly welcomed her back when see was freed and gave her praises. But that was only when her sister was also present as well. Alone, Luna only seemed to give off an eerie atmosphere to her when ponies were in her sole presence. No doubt caused by a thousand years of story and legend about her corruption and ultimate banishment. It reminded her that she was in a different time; how she was no longer seen as just the sister of Princess Celestia. “Well, aside from that matter, we feel the want to discuss something most meet if this partnership is to be successful.” the alicorn explained. “Anything, your Highness!” Astral dutifully responded. Luna took a sharp breath and finally let out her thoughts. “As thou are no doubt aknown, we were once the entity known as Nightmare Moon that was bent on shrouding the land in darkness. 'Twere only with the Elements of Harmony that was freed from such a beshrew and appear as thou see us now.” Astral nodded as he followed along. “Yes, I remember reading it in the newspaper, but Princess Celestia also gave me a brief summary when selecting me for this position.” “Most well then.” Luna nodded while keeping a serious tone. “Withal the knowledge of our former alias known, we desire to remind thou that we no longer hast such dreams of conquest.” The stallion tilted his head in confusion. “I’m…not sure I follow, your Majesty.” “We are not Nightmare Moon!” Luna answered with a rough edge in her voice, only for it to trail off into a more somber tone. “Argal, we would appreciate it if thou would forbear being so anxious around us. We warrant that we shall not cause harm thee or thou loved ones. Thou want not hast to fear us.” “Fear you?!” Astral incredulously asked. “Princess, I’m not afraid of you, not in the very least.” For a moment, Luna could only stare back at the stallion after what she heard. “T-Thee lack to lie to us to spare our feelings. We understand what a monster we were and-“ “I am not lying to you, Princess Luna.” Astral interrupted. This time, Luna could hear the genuine tone in the unicorn’s voice. “Even putting aside the assurances Princess Celestia told me, I know you’re not Nightmare Moon. You certainly don’t look or even sound like the monster from the scary stories I heard of when I was a colt. You’re not…making me feel threatened.” The alicorn was taken aback at the unicorn’s honest proclamation. However, that didn’t stop her from still being lost. “Then, what is the reason for thy skittish attitude that been performed from the start of our meeting?” The pony quickly realized what she meant and dipped his head a bit. “Oh…that. The truth is I am nervous in your presence. I was caught completely off guard when Princess Celestia herself offered this position to me. I really thought that after dusting off some of my knowledge on history prior to a thousand years ago, I would be more mentally prepared for this. But the truth is, I’m still quite anxious that I can serve the likes of you. I never knew if could ever live up to somepony like Umbra Quill.” Luna looked perplexed at the mention of the unfamiliar name. “Pardon?” “Umbra Quill.” Astral explained. “Your previous scribe, before your banishment. She ended up writing a memoir of her experiences serving under you that she later published. They stopped making copies a few decades ago, but I eventually found a copy after some deep digging at the library. She thought quite highly of you.” Her previous scribe? Luna had no recollections of having such an aide back a millennia ago. She quickly thought back to the memories that she had before her corruption. She remembered the old castle, her task with raising the moon every night. Then there was her sister with her royal duties. Duties that…seemed to have gained much more attention and admiration than her own. Previous feelings of growing resentment and jealousy then rushed back to the alicorn, feelings that made feel sick at the current moment. Then finally, there the pivotal moment when she raised the moon over the sun and allowed the darkness to encroach over her very soul. The rest was just…Nightmare Moon for a long time. That was all Luna could recall. She couldn’t remember anypony like this supposed Umbra Quill that not only served under her, but also held her in high regard. All of that kind of praise and attention went to her sister…right? As Luna began to really think on it, was it truly correct to say that there was literally no pony that had such respect for her and her duties. Was it possible that…in her blind rage and jealousy…she forgot about those ponies? Or rather, forgot to care? “Princess Luna?” The blue alicorn was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Astral address her. The stallion was looking up to her with attentive eyes. For the first time, Luna noticed that his gaze was not one of judgement or anxiety. He was just looking at her normally, like that she wasn’t once a monster. “We…we apologize.” Luna eventually said. “Darkness hath surrounded us for quite a long time that….the memories of ere are tangled within our mind. We are afeard that we not remember this Umbra Quill.” “Oh, I see.” Astral said in a hushed tone. “I didn’t mean to bring up such a touchy subject for you.” Before the alicorn reassure the stallion of any fault, he spoke up again. “B-But that’s fine! I’m positive you’ll eventually remember, one step at a time. But for the time being, I’ll still do my best to serve you! And, you know,…hopefully I’ll leave a more lasting impression on you. A princess like you deserves as much, after all. While the alicorn was very much touched such a sentiment, the lingering insecurities that had lead to her previous banishment began to creep into her heart again. “Thy words are sweet, yet we implore thou to forbear with the exaggerations of our character. 'Twere our hubris and jealousy for our sister that marshal't us on a dark path. Were it not for Celestia and then later her student we would hast ensured that the travelling lamp would ne'r rise again. Such praises to us are unnecessary.” “That’s not true!” Astral suddenly insisted. He quickly realized his outburst and evened out his voice. “I’m mean, you shouldn’t think like that. Princess Celestia may be amazing in her own ways, but you’re still a princess too. You still deserve as much appreciation and respect as she does. Maybe there weren’t that many ponies back then who understood that and maybe…you got jealous and bitter about it. But that was the past! With time, I know ponies will realize your importance in no time.” The unicorn then hardened his resolve and gave his princess a determined look. “Princess Celestia didn’t force this position on me. She offered it and I accepted. I accepted it because I knew it would be an honor to serve somepony as regal as you. I want to hold that same amount of pride that Umbra Quill had when writing her book. So I’m here to serve you, my princess. Not out of fear, but for the hope that my service can assist you in leading Equestia to a bright future.” Luna’s heart clenched a little at the stallion’s declaration of dedication to her. Here he was, treating her like a mare that deserved the upmost respect for somepony of her title, and all she could do was wonder how many ponies that were like him way back when. How many dedicated ponies did she ignore all because their attention wasn’t enough for her? “…Scribe Astral Ink.” she eventually said, trying to keep the authority in her voice. “We…We are most thankful for thy dedication to thy place upon our side. Our only hope is for thou to subside any anxiety to our presence. Thou hast already made a good first impression and we appreciate the aid that thou shall grant us in the future.” Luna felt great relief when she saw the stallion relax his posture a tad and put on a genuine smile. “That sounds…acceptable, Princess Luna. I promise that I will do everything in my abilities to make sure that you transition well in both the castle and current times.” With that, the royal pony gave a courteous nod and walked to the door. “We suggest we now hie ahead and familiarize thou to the layout of the castle as our sister quoth. Be warned though, we are still getting wont it as well, with it being divers from the former castle we once resided in a thousand years since.” “Yes, your Highness!” Astral dutifully said as he quickly trotted to the alicorn’s side, just like how any proper royal aid would. Luna had a hard time suppressing a smile when she saw him open up the door for her. It was nice to know that chivalry hadn’t died since the last time she was in Equestria. Thus, the partnership between the alicorn princess and her scribe official began.