It was another night, like so many others, that Luna spent alone and ignored. She looked to the other end of the dining table and could barely make out her sister's flowing pink mane from among all the nobles vying for her attention. Even the cake in front of Celestia was mostly uneaten due to all the council and various paperwork that was shuffling in front of her. In short, she was busy.
This had been happening a lot more lately, they had agreed that they would at least spend the morning and evening meals together since Luna's duties had made her mostly nocturnal. Lately however, even that time was being consumed by all the work that Celestia took on herself. Luna had been feeling exceptionally grumpy lately as a result.
She breathed a sigh of discontentment. How long was she expected to put up with this treatment?
"Well if that's how you're going to be, I guess I'll come back later," a voice appeared next to her. She knew that voice even if she didn't notice when he came in.
Luna quickly sat up straight in her seat and puffed her chest out. Both her heart and her wings gave small involuntary flutters as she turned to face him. "Clover! You're back!" She couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice.
"Did you miss me, princess?" Clover asked as he sat down next to her, a smile on his face.
"I..." she turned her blushing face away and crossed her hooves. "You didn't have to be gone for so long."
Clover raised an eyebrow and chuckled at her reaction, "did I catch you at a bad time?"
Luna shyly looked back and scrunched her nose at him, "do you have any idea how long you've been gone?"
"Not really, I sorta lost track of time," he scratched the back of his head.
"A whole year," she poked him in the chest to emphasize each word.
"Has it really been that long?" Clover stared off into the distance, his mind going to other places.
Luna gave him a light tap on the shoulder, "don't you go wandering off just yet. You just got back."
"I'm sorry, Luna," Clover reached forward and placed a hoof on top of hers, causing a pleasant shiver to run up her spine as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "It's good to see you again."
The sound of a light cough came from the other side of the table.
Clover kept his eyes on Luna and did his best to ignore the sound, "so has anything interesting happened while I've been gone? I see you've gotten taller again."
"Em hem..." The sound of someone clearing their throat came from the other side of the table.
"You would hardly notice if you bothered to stay for more than a couple days at a time," Luna retorted as she also did her best to ignore her sister's insistence.
"EM HEM..." The voice was far more insistent this time.
Clover dropped his head and gave a defeated sigh before turning it to the source of the interruption, "can I help you, Celestia?"
Celestia looked down her nose at him with a holier than thou sort of attitude, "we were just wondering when you planned on greeting your princess?"
"I thought that's what I was doing until her sister decided to stick her nose in," he snapped back, causing Celestia's eyes to grow wide while a hushed silence fell over the nobles at her side.
Almost as if on que, the nobles all erupted into riotous roars of, "how rude" and "don't talk to the princess like that" and everyone's personal favorite, "somepony should teach him some manners."
Celestia held up a hoof, silencing the cries of the nobles, "we see thou art as sharp tongued as ever. Then we shall get to the point. Hast thou found our teacher?"
Clover slumped his shoulders, "no. Unfortunately, I still have not been able to locate Starswirl the Bearded. Both him and the Pillars have just simply vanished without even a clue as to where they went."
Celestia leaned back in her seat. "I see," she said under her breath. "It pains us to say it, but we fear he is truly lost." She lowered her eyes in contemplation, "he was an excellent teacher and we doubt we shall ever see his like again." She lifted her gaze back up to Clover, "tis a shame to leave his position unfilled when there is one on hoof that is more than qualified to do so. So wouldst thou consider our offer, Clover. Will thee consider taking up the mantle of Archmage?"
Once again the nobles started up like a bunch of clucking chickens. Protests and concessions were being shouted over each other. Complaints about bloodlines and what would be considered proper being chief among the voices.
Luna's eyes were locked on Clover as he milled over the request. If he took the position, he'd be staying at the palace all the time. Luna wouldn't have to feel so alone anymore.
Celestia held up a hoof to silence the nobles. Silence reigned over the chamber as all eyes were locked on Clover.
"I don't believe I can at this time," Clover seemed to come to a decision as he shook his head. "I have my own student to tend to and I fear the duties of the Archmage would interfere with his studies."
"You found somepony to teach, have you?" No one was shocked near as much as Luna. She had been very well aware how adamant he was against taking on a pupil. "Where are they from?"
"Well," he said, taking a pause for dramatic effect. "Far to the north, past the endless blizzard, there lies a kingdom made of crystal."
"HA! I knew it was too good to be true," said one of the laughing nobles. "Did you come here to regale us with ridiculous tales? Next you're going to tell us it was inhabited by ponies made of crystal."
"Why yes Viscount Blueblood," he said with a sneer. "I didn't know you were familiar with them." He turned back to Luna, "so anyway, they all have this amazing crystalline gleam to their coat and even though they're all earth ponies..."
"So you took on a farmer as a pupil," Blueblood interrupted him. "I didn't think you could demean the noble unicorn tribe any... Ahhh!" Blueblood cried out as a bolt of magic flew out from Clover's horn and struck him in the chest. A twisted vortex of magic wrapped around the noble, obscuring him from view. It only lasted a few seconds but when it cleared, a young colt was left sitting in a pile of clothes that were far too big for him.
"There," Clover nodded in approval at his spell craft. "Now you have an excuse when you decide to act like a child."
Luna held a hoof to her mouth and fought back laughter. He did always find ways to make her laugh.
"Anyway, as I was saying," he continued like he hadn't just humiliated one of the nobles. "It turns out that even though they're all earth ponies, every several generations a unicorn is born among them. Nopony knows why, but he was in need of a teacher and I decided to take on the task." He looked to the door, "Come on in, Onyx."
The door slowly opened and a small unicorn colt with a grey coat and a black mane shuffled inside. He looked around nervously at the nobles that looked down their noses at him before making his way behind Clover to hide from their piercing gazes.
"So you have indeed found yourself a student," sighed Celestia. "I don't know why you felt the need to go to the ends of the earth to find one. There had to have been at least one child within the noble houses you could've taught."
"And give them a bigger head than they already have? Is that the real reason why the doors in this place are so large? So they can fit their egos through them?" He snapped back with a grin.
While they continued to argue, Luna smiled down at the small nervous colt, taking note of the black crystal that made up his cutie mark. "So little one," she said to him, catching his attention. "What's your special talent?"
Onyx snapped his attention to the lunar princess, "y-yes your highness," he answered nervously. He closed his eyes, seeming to focus as a white aura lit up around his little grey horn. A black gemstone slowly grew in front of him, flowing like glass until it took on a the shape of a small flower. The stone wavered in the air for a moment before falling. Onyx tried to catch it but his hooves were too slow. Luna swiftly flicked a blue bolt around it, using her magic to deposit it into her hooves before it could hit the ground.
She looked at the object she held. It was a small rose made of the blackest crystal. "Tis quite beautiful," she complemented him.
"Th... Thank you... Your highness," he nervously bowed.
"We still think thou wouldst make a fine Archmage!" Shouted Celestia.
"And be stuck looking at your face every day! I don't think so!" Clover shouted back.
Onyx looked up at Luna with concern on his face, "should we stop them?"
Luna had a menacing smirk. Lighting her horn, she picked up the quarreling unicorn, a shocked look appearing on his face as he realized what was happening.
"Luna?! What are you doing?! Put me down right... Mffff!" His words were cut off as he was floated over to Luna. Where she promptly wrapped her wings around him and smothered him into her fur. Onyx's cheeks turned a rosy color as he watched his master get marehandled.
"Dear sister," said Luna to her sister who looked as if she was about to throw something. "Seeing as thee are once again indisposed, we shall take our evening meal in our chambers." She unwrapped the unicorn from her embrace and made her way out of the room, Clover scowling at the sun princess while he was levitated behind her.
"That must be the longest we've ever seen thee converse with mine sister before it turned into an argument that could be heard all across the castle," Luna said as she finally set Clover down.
Clover looked a bit embarrassed as he got his own hooves back under him, "I'm sorry about that. She just always finds a way to get under my skin."
"We doubt that is the best example that thee should be setting for thine young pupil," Luna looked back at Onyx who was still following them down the hall.
"Fair point. Onyx," he called out to him, getting the colt's attention.
"Yes master?" The young colt looked up.
"Never act like I just did, especially with royalty," he told him.
Onyx looked a bit shy as he shuffled nervously, "then why did you?"
Luna had to stifle a grin as Clover looked a bit uncomfortable at the question.
"I've known her since she was very young, younger than you are now. While that may afford me some forgiveness, that doesn't mean the way I acted was appropriate. Just make sure you watch your manners better than I do. Understand?" He turned away.
"Yes master," Onyx gave him a deep bow.
"There's the little troublemaker!" The voice carried on the wind as Clover flinched at the reprimand. He quickly looked from right to left as the voice continued.
"Don't you be looking for a place to hide." A spark of light sped towards them at breakneck speed before stopping right over Clover and landing on his head.
"Hi Whisper..." Clover said nervously. "How've you been?"
"Don't you 'Hi Whisper' me," said the little fairy as she grabbed and began twisting one of his ears. "Do you have any idea how long you've been gone?"
"See what happens when you go missing for so long?" Luna smiled as Clover was subjected to the fairy's attention.
Clover flinched as Whisper twisted his ear, "everypony is picking on me today."
"Nice to see you again, Princess Luna," said Whisper as her eyes fell on the young colt following them. "Oh!" She exclaimed as she let up on torturing the stallion. "Who's this cutie?"
"A fairy?" Onyx watched the little form with rapt curiosity.
"That's a strange name for a pony," Whisper grinned down at him.
"I'm sorry," he said in embarrassment. "My name is Onyx Shard." He bowed to the small form.
"Well at least somepony has some manners," she looked back at Luna and Clover and waggled her eyebrows. "Is he yours?"
Both of them were stricken into silence as a mad blush raced to overtake their faces.
"Relax, I'm only teasing." Whisper flitted over and landed on Onyx's head. Onyx for his part, looked confused at what the fairy had just said. "So are you gonna be here long?" She asked Clover.
"For a bit," he responded as he fought down the blush. "I'll be heading back to the Crystal Empire in a couple days. I just wanted to show my new student some of the places outside of his home."
"I see," she tapped on Onyx's head. "So... You little squirt, you hungry?"
The young colt's rumbling stomach was the only confirmation she needed.
"Come on!" She flitted off his head and started hovering down the hallway. "Let's see if we can't pilfer anything from the castle kitchens."
Onyx looked up to Clover, a question on his face.
"Go on," he gestured with a smile. "It has been a long journey."
The young colt galloped after the fairy, both of them off to terrorize the palace chefs.
"So how has everything been in the last year? I still can't believe it's been so long," Clover said as they both entered Luna's private chambers.
Luna didn't answer, instead she walked up behind Clover and wrapped both of her forelegs around him as she pulled him closer. "You talk too much," she as she leaned down and nuzzled into his mane.
Clover didn't protest the affection, instead he relaxed in her grip as he reached up and rested a hoof against the side of her face. "I missed you," he said softly as he nuzzled her back.
"Why do you have to be gone for so long?" Tears fell down her face as she unfurled her wings and wrapped them both up in a velvety blanket of feathers. "You worry me when you're gone for so long."
"I'm sorry I made you worry. It's just... I have to find him," he said somberly. "I have to find out what happened to my friend."
"I know," she said sadly. "It's just so lonely when you're not here. Everypony is asleep at night and the night guard isn't much for conversation."
"Have you talked to your sister about this? I mean, I hope you get along with her better than I do," he said with a hint of mirth.
Luna chuckled a bit, a small smile breaking onto her face, "heh, especially since the enmity between you two has become legendary in the court." Her smile fell a bit, "Celestia has become... A bit distant. She acts like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders when dealing with the court and she keeps turning down my offers to help."
"And how's your dreamwalking been?" Clover asked.
"It's been getting better," Luna admitted. "However, some of the ponies have been getting mad when they realize that somepony's been looking in on their dreams."
Clover turned around in her embrace until he was facing her, "be patient. They'll realize how valuable your guidance can be in time."
"It doesn't make it any easier though," she turned her head away from him.
He reached up and turned her to face him again. "Life is never easy and you've got a long life in front of you to figure this all out," he smiled softly at her. "You have gotten taller, though," he had to strain his neck a bit to look up at her.
Luna pouted, "you said that already. I'm not the little filly who fussed over having her favorite pony all to herself anymore," she smiled at him.
"Oh really?" He grinned up at her. "What are you now then?"
She leaned down and spoke softly as she felt his warmth against hers. "I think you know what you mean to me," she said with a smile just before pressing her lips against his.
Luna awoke in her chambers back in Canterlot, feeling flush as she lifted a hoof to her lips. She should have known that so soon after seeing him again, that old memories would come bubbling back to the surface.
The pain in her heart was agonizing as she rolled over in her bed. She clutched one of her large pillows to her chest as she curled around it.
Tears flowed freely as she sobbed in her solitude. "Oh Clover," she wept. "Where have you been all this time and why won't you come to me?"