Moonrise: New Moon’s New Path
~BlackRoseRaven
Luna yawned quietly, half-asleep still and smiling a bit, laying comfortably on something warm and unyielding, that seemed to shift a bit beneath her as one of her hooves lightly scraped along its side. She could feel her bedding under the lower half of her body, her long, insubstantial tail flicking slowly back and forth, trailing along the ground with quiet whispers… and then her deep dark eyes opened in surprise as the thing beneath her fidgeted and Scrivener’s voice muttered: “You’re a lot heavier than you look.”
“Scrivener Blooms!” Luna winced and threw herself backwards, waking up almost instantly as she looked down in surprise to see the court poet looking up at her moodily, a large hoof-shaped imprint on his bare face. She grinned embarrassedly as she realized what had happened, then cleared her throat and looked down, tinged faintly red as she muttered: “Thou art in mine bed, ‘tis improper. I demand that thou relocate thyself immediately.”
“You fell asleep on top of me, and you’d be grumpier if I had moved.” Scrivy grumbled in return, and the male carefully pushed himself up to his hooves with a wheeze, arching his back and wincing as it cracked loudly, before he glanced over his shoulder and added mildly: “You know, your accent comes out a lot more when you’re all cutely-embarrassed about something.”
The Princess of the Night glowered at Scrivener at this comment, her horn faintly glowing as she asked flatly: “Would thou like me to further test mine magic upon thy head, court poet?”
The male immediately cleared his throat and quickly turned towards the covered window, and Luna allowed her eyes to follow him before she smiled despite herself: it was true, after all. Old habits died hard… and it was probably part of what made her and Celestia seem so completely different. Celestia, after all, had been able to change with the times, had been there to experience the growth and evolutions of Equestria… and Luna, meanwhile, had been sealed in the moon, with no one but the darkness for company…
She closed her eyes and shook her head quickly as Scrivy opened the curtains and gazed out into the deepening dusk, then sun’s last rays fading from the stained sky. Her own eyes looked out at this, smiling a little: they had both awoken early, but it was a good thing. Early night allowed her to wander the castle a little and see some of the hubbub that was always present in Canterlot, before she spent either hours toiling away in the library with Scrivener or working with her tireless sister on relearning to harness all the things she had forgotten and lost from a thousand years of imprisonment followed by being blasted with the Elements of Harmony.
“Would you like to go and get breakfast, Luna, or would you prefer me to bring it to you here?” Scrivener asked her, and the Princess glanced up, pulled out of her own thoughts with a small smile towards the male. For a moment, Scrivener looked back at her suspiciously, but then he only frowned curiously as she continued to smile at him. “What?”
“Thou art so casual, that is all. Thou always were… and things are so different now, thine attitude but one of many things so alien from the past I have lived.” Luna murmured, looking down thoughtfully, and then she looked up and nodded with a smile. “Yes. Together, let us head now to the dining hall. I am curious.”
Scrivener nodded approvingly as he approached the door: for the first few months, Luna had been in near-quarantine, and only recently had she decided to start making her presence more clearly known throughout Canterlot. It was difficult for her, with how many ponies still distrusted her, made worse by the fact her passionate temperament sometimes caused little flares of anger and jealousy here and there… which of course, many of the ignorant nobles and overprotective Royal Guards had a tendency to blow completely out of proportion. But the more they got to actually see Luna, sitting there like any other pony, the more they saw her presence around the castle, the more they would get used to her… and to the idea that she had really changed, and she really was no longer Nightmare Moon, whatever certain other parties might say otherwise.
Scrivy pushed the door open, and then he looked down with surprise as Sammy chirped up at him, the tiny little skeletal dragon standing on its hind legs as it flapped its wings and motioned at its empty ribcage, inside which sat a letter. Scrivy glanced over to Luna, and she nodded eagerly, immediately sitting back and saying warmly: “I had rested so well I had all but forgotten mine letter fast to Twilight Sparkle in the morn. Do pray tell!”
“That means show us.” Scrivy said mildly, and Sammy chirped enthusiastically as Luna rolled her eyes before the pseudodragon leaned forwards and spat the letter out of its skeletal jaws, catching it in its nimble little foreclaws and quickly rolling the parchment open to hold up in front of Scrivener. “‘Dear Princess Luna. I would be honored to come for a short visit and my friends are just as enthusiastic as I am! We have a few kinks to work out in our schedule but how does the day after tomorrow sound? Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle.’ You did get permission, right?”
“’Tis my castle as well as my sister’s, I shall do what I please.” Luna said imperiously, raising her head proudly and closing her eyes, and when Scrivener only continued to look at her amusedly, she slowly opened one eye, then sulked and muttered: “Yes, Mother Celestia approves and has set aside lodgings. I believe she is eager to see Twilight Sparkle for some unrelated matter, in any event.”
Scrivener smiled at her, and Luna grumbled as she straightened before saying clearly: “Scrivener Blooms, to thy post. Before it grows ere too late and we keep Twilight Sparkle waiting too long, we shall draft a response. We have… I mean, I…”
Luna frowned a bit, glancing down and looking almost confused for a moment as she shook her head, and Scrivy stepped towards her, looking concerned. She rose her head after a moment, however, smiling at him embarrassedly and murmuring: “No, ‘tis fine. Merely allowing mine thoughts to plunge too deep into… such darkness that still exists. Please, worry not. It is but a stumble.”
After a moment, Scrivy nodded slowly, and then he stepped carefully past Luna as she shook her head, clearing it of almost-alien thoughts that didn’t seem like they were entirely her own. Something that happened during her moments of fatigue and heightened emotion more often than she liked… but thankfully, were growing rarer and passing much more quickly than they had when she had first rejoined her sister in Canterlot.
She turned her eyes to Scrivener as he unrolled a length of parchment and picked up a quill, grumbling under his breath as he always did about the uselessness of hooves and making her smile a little as she said softly: “And yet what would thou do if thee had been born a unicorn?”
“Probably turned into Twilight Sparkle, and I shudder to think of the consequences of that.” Scrivener muttered, and Luna smiled indulgently at him before he glanced over his shoulder, saying mildly: “Anyway, when you’re ready, Princess, I am. We’re starting to run low on ink, though.”
“Fixed with but a gesture.” Luna replied imperiously, and her horn glowed brightly as she focused her eyes on the ink jar… before grumbling when Scrivener slid himself in the way and glowered at her. “Scrivener Blooms, my sister limits me enough in feats of magic…”
“And you promised not to mess with my stuff after the last time you blew up an inkwell trying to help me, Luna.” Scrivy retorted, and now the female cleared her throat, glancing awkwardly away as the glow faded from around her horn. “Your magic is way too powerful. Besides, as you like to say, ‘twould not be proper.”
“Thou mocks me now! I am insulted.” Luna reared back slightly, glaring at him, but a smile quirked at her mouth all the same before she said mildly: “Very well, then, but thou can fetch the ink wells yourself.”
“Yes, like I always do.” Scrivy said dryly, cocking his head towards her. “Your cruelty in such a harsh punishment has been noted, Princess.”
At this, Luna gave him a devious look, leaning forwards a bit and asking teasingly: “Wouldst thou like to see just how cruel I can be?”
“Okay, okay, you win, you’re creeping me out now.” the male complained, and Luna laughed as she stepped up beside him before the court poet turned his attention back to the parchment, asking dryly: “Are you going to dictate this response or shall I?”
“I shall, I shall. I would not wish for thine obvious affection for Twilight Sparkle to get in the way of such a task.” Luna replied clearly, and Scrivy sighed as he dropped his head forwards to clunk loudly against the desk before Luna nudged him firmly with a hoof, saying mildly: “Still thine fallacious grievances and write as I speak.”
Scrivy grumbled something about obsession, but then he nodded, and Luna rose her head, saying in a loud, carrying voice: “Dear Twilight Sparkle. Thy swift and gracious response is wholeheartedly appreciated and I shall look eagerly forwards to meeting with thee and thine soon. Please inform me should thee require any assistance and know that my sister Celestia is as eager as myself to see thee. Your friend, Princess Luna.”
Scrivener muttered to himself, and then he nodded after a moment as he finished with a swirl of the quill, saying mildly: “Does the fact that I sign everything for you make this more or less official?”
Luna gave him a flat look, and then her horn glowed as she yanked the parchment away from Scrivener’s hooves with a simple flick of her head, her mane swaying around her beautiful features as the letter was quickly rolled neatly closed and a royal seal was affixed to it. “Perhaps instead thou should enjoy the fact that thou art my voice and hand, Scrivener Blooms. No one else in the kingdom canst submit things in mine own name, after all.”
“Oh believe me. This mere earth pony poet often lords his unreasonable power over the unicorns and pegasi of Canterlot, probably more than you would approve of.” Scrivy replied with a slight smile, watching as the letter floated over to Sammy as the pseudodragon stood up on his hind legs. A moment later, he leaned forwards and breathed out a whoosh of blue flame that reduced the parchment to a stream of ashes, which shot towards the window as if drawn by a magnet before seeming to vanish entirely from sight.
“Do not tell me what I would and wouldst not approve of, Scrivy.” Luna replied pompously, and Scrivener rolled his eyes with a smile before she bumped herself against him, saying quietly: “Besides. I think often the reason I have been able to find friendship with thee is because like me, thou art nothing more than an unwanted thorn in high society’s rosebushes.”
“I can’t tell if you’re making fun of my cutie mark or not.” the male replied dryly, and Luna sighed and rolled her eyes before he smiled at her as Sammy chirped at them, tilting his head and asking: “Meet you in the dining hall?”
“I… of course.” Luna replied, nodding and not wanting to admit how much she’d prefer his accompaniment: she was proud, but she was not nearly as confident as she acted, especially these days. And sometimes travel through Canterlot could be difficult for her… it was not a castle she was entirely familiar with still, after all, and the looks she sometimes got…
Scrivy looked at her hesitantly, even as she began to walk forwards and Samael skittered past Scrivener to curl up on the Princess’s bedding… and a moment later, he fell into step beside her, asking quietly: “Have I ever told you my story about my cutie mark? Or… emblem, I much prefer your term for them.”
“Many things have changed over this last millennia, names of such included… once, I commented to my sister I feared our people had become soft with their strange new ways, and Celestia spent the better part of an hour lecturing me on recognizing the value of harmony.” Luna remarked mildly, and Scrivy smiled at her as they walked down the long passage together, side-by-side. “Sometimes I think she purposefully misinterprets mine speech, other times I wonder how different the world must now be… after all, never would I have suspected that Celestia would have permitted our original home to fall into decay and ruin, and moved here, to this castle in Canterlot.”
“Why do you always have to make everything about you, Luna? Here I was, ready to bare my soul to you, and you have to go off on one of your little rambles about yourself.” Scrivy nudged her lightly with his shoulder as they walked down the passage, and Luna laughed and shook her head, favoring him with a smile and softly-gleaming eyes. “But now you got me all curious, and you should know better than to do that, too. I mean… you still seem to know your way around here, that’s all. You’ve even referred to being in this place before…”
“For I was. We were the rulers of Equestria, Scrivener Blooms… of course there was more than one lodging in which we could reside, in those days long ere past. Nay, the palace in what is now the Everfree Forest was our home, our safe retreat, our bastion… here, Canterlot, is where the royal courts have always been, and where business was always conducted.” Luna paused as they emerged out of the shadowy lower halls, passing by two guards that stood silent and serious, ivory pegasi in gleaming golden armor. “Perhaps, though, ‘tis not so strange. The castle, that once-home that is now only ruins… ‘twould have been filled with bad memories. We remember all too well…”
Luna quieted as they walked onwards, Scrivener glancing towards her softly and nodding a bit as they passed through well-lit, radiant passages, ornate paintings over the walls and vast tapestries depicting great events of the past… yet only now, Scrivener had come to realize they were all events of a more-recent past, within the last five hundred years, after Luna had confessed she recognized very little in the castle. He knew that on the one hand, Celestia was trying to not think about the long-ago past… but he knew on the other it hurt Luna to look around a castle half-familiar to her and see that every tracing and trapping of the far-flung past she had been a part of had been removed. In fact, there were more monuments testifying to Nightmare Moon than there were to Princess Luna.
No longer did the bright light, coming from glowing crystals and eternally-burning torches, seem so beautiful… the day-like radiance that lit these populated areas of the immense castle only made it all the clearer how distasteful and distrustful many of the ponies here were of Luna as they shied away from the two. But right now, Scrivy and Luna were in their own little world: they had one another, and that was all that mattered. “Then go ahead, fair Scrivener Blooms. Tell your story.”
“Only if you don’t plan to interrupt me again two lines in.” Scrivy gave her an amused look, and Luna nodded, still smiling but her eyes not only curious, but calm and serious. Despite how casual Scrivener could take most things, the fact that such a pony of such high standing actually had such interests in him sometimes made him feel awkward… more awkward than even when Celestia asked him her curious questions.
Then Scrivy shook his head a bit, clearing it with a bit of an embarrassed blush before he gazed ahead as they passed through a wide foyer, calmly beginning: “As you know, I’m from North Neigh. Famous for two things… being very cold, and being rather… hostile, shall we say. Those Spartans around Canterlot make me feel right at home.”
Luna smiled a little at this as they passed another pair of guards that paid them no heed, only looking straight ahead, tall and intimidating… and then Scrivy continued quietly: “The Blooms family was fairly well-known. Merchants, florists, and the like…” He paused, then glanced over at her awkwardly, silent as a several ponies in fine dress and saddle walked past, before finally saying: “They were unicorns.”
Now Luna looked over at him with surprise, tilting her head, and Scrivy smiled a little. “And yet I’m an earth pony, yes, born without a horn. They say we all have the same origin though, correct? And I know it’s been known to happen now and then… a Pegasus born without wings, able to walk on the clouds but never to fly… a unicorn without a horn, never able to use magic. My parents were… a little less than thrilled.”
Luna nodded slowly, studying Scrivener silently as they walked into the immense dining hall, heading automatically to the table they called their own: while many of the other tables were occupied by off-duty guards, servants, and a few nobles that were sampling the food from the kitchen, the tables in the far corner – where the light didn’t touch as much, where there was always a pall of shadows from the curvature of the ceiling above – were usually left unoccupied. As they moved, Scrivener continued: “As you know, there’s always been certain… equality issues we usually try to brush past between our different kin. The further away from the center of Equestria you go, the worse these issues get, especially in the borderlands… borderlands that are probably fairly similar to how they were even before you were exiled, Princess Luna.”
Scrivy smiled a little at her, but it was clear his focus was somewhere else as he continued quietly, eyes flickering with memories that refused to fade: “Even untrained, most unicorns can still use magic to some extent, letting them safely and easily do jobs that would be difficult, even dangerous, to an earth pony or even a Pegasus. A Pegasus Pony, meanwhile, can at least fly, often reaching great speeds, and to them the skies are often safer than the earth. But an earth pony, well. We sit deep on the lowest tier, and my family made sure I knew that.
“I was treated as a servant, essentially. In my free time, I wrote little stories and poetry, to vent my frustration and sadness, and to try and escape the world I was growing up in.” Scrivy glanced over at Luna as they sat down in front of their preferred, pockmarked table, and Luna held a hoof up towards a servant in the distance, who almost jumped at the sight of them before nodding and hurrying off to fetch food for the two. “One day while I was in the shop, a pony came in to buy some flowers for his wife’s birthday. My parents had me carry the flowers out to his carriage and while I was loading them, I dropped my notebook. It fell open, and by the time I realized it was missing, the male had picked it up and was reading it.
“Of course, I was a little angry. I’m… protective of my work.” Scrivener smiled a little at Luna, who nodded after a moment, looking at him with quiet entertainment. “But then he asked me if I could write a poem for his wife, and it shocked me so much I forgot to be mad at him. I said I’d try if he really wanted me to, and I jotted something down – something awful and romantic – and gave it to him… the next day, he came back, came back specifically to see me. To thank me and to tell me he had a brother involved in the publishing business in Trotronto who might be interested if I had more work to show him.
“Now that was the last place I wanted to go, but I realized that I did want to be a writer, dammit… and when I realized that, when I said I wanted that, my cutie mark appeared. My emblem…” Scrivy stopped, then he looked over at Luna with a smile. “Not that anything worked out very well, but that’s a story for another time, Luna.”
Luna nodded, and then she shook her head slowly, saying softly: “A sad story, Scrivener Blooms… but in a way, I’m glad ‘tis so. For were it happy, perhaps thee would not be here… and I would surely be less for lack of thou.”
“Aren’t you going to go back to saying ‘you’ sometime soon? Your sister will get on my case again if she thinks I’m letting you slip back into your old speech habits when we’re supposed to be bringing you up to speed.” Scrivy said softly, but he looked truly touched, and Luna smiled warmly at him as she nodded after a moment.
“’Tis difficult, but I shall try. Besides, thou… I mean, you… have been teaching me far more important things than how to speak more akin to the ponies of today.” Luna replied gently, and then she glanced up as two servants approached, both looking a little nervous as they carried heavy silver platters upon their backs, and then they carefully reached back to grip the leather-wrapped handles of each in their teeth and lift them forwards to place them upon the table in front of Luna and Scrivener.
Then the two equines hurried off, and Luna half-glared after them as she muttered: “Funny. In Ponyville they liked it when I scared them. Here, the ponies seem to fear me no matter what I do.”
“Well, either they don’t know you enough yet or know you too well, Luna.” Scrivy replied dryly, looking down at the lettuce and hay in front of him, and Luna gave him a dry look before he asked moodily: “You ever notice how when we eat in your room, we get five star meals, and when we eat out here, they seem to give us whatever’s left over in the kitchens?”
“I would argue with thee… I mean, you, Scrivener Blooms, but as this happens every single time we come to eat here, I fear you may for once be correct.” Luna replied morbidly, poking at her hay with a hoof, and then she grimaced a little. “I swear that mine just moved of its own accord. I demand that in thy… your capacity as servant you sample my food first, ‘lest it be alive.”
“Oh, your legendary bravery clearly shows, Princess Luna.” Scrivy replied drolly, and then he sighed and leaned down with a grumble, sniffing at the hay and lettuce and muttering: “Can’t you just magic this into a cake or something?”
Luna scoffed at this, retorting: “I am no show-pony here for your entertainment, Scrivener Blooms. Besides, as you have no doubt noticed, my magic best works for things that dwell in darkness. So unless you wish to feast upon brambles and moss and poisonous flowers, we are better off eating what lay before us. Once, of course, you ensure that nothing nests within.”
Scrivener grumbled a bit, then hesitantly took a bite of the hay… and he chewed thoughtfully as he sat back, looking nervously down at the plate before grunting and nodding, swallowing after a moment. “Well, it’s a step above what they feed the prisoners, at least. I guess us outcasts are worth more than… I mean, I’m sorry, Princess.”
But Luna only glanced at him with a bit of a smile, cocking her head and saying dryly: “Oh no, Scrivener Blooms, I was far too blinded by the obvious swarms of doting subjects to realize all this time I’ve been less than loved by the ponies of Equestria. Truly shocking.”
Scrivener only looked at her for a few moments, and then he shook his head and muttered: “Please do me a favor and tell Princess Celestia you learned sarcasm from Twilight Sparkle, and not from me. She’ll go easier on her. Although I hope not too much easier… even though sick little Twilight would probably enjoy a good-”
“I still believe that thou art fond of her.” Luna replied mildly, leaning down and taking a bite of her food, and Scrivener grumbled under his breath as she chewed thoughtfully before grimacing a bit as she swallowed. “We must ensure that there is better fare prepared during the visit. I wish to make a positive impression… admittedly, ‘twas only Twilight Sparkle whom I was able to confer with upon Nightmare Night.”
She halted, then fell quiet, looking down… and the two ate in silence for a few minutes before Luna finally looked up with a sigh, her eyes roving over the now-nearly-empty dining hall as she murmured: “Precious few ponies seem to appreciate the night, Scrivener Blooms. I hold myself accountable and responsible for events that did transpire in the past, but… the way they look at me. It reminds me not only that some sins cannot be forgiven, but also that even in the past, before I became… Nightmare Moon… they never liked me. When I walked among them, they feared me; when I stood beside my sister, they saw only one pony, one ruler… and I was merely her black, dark shadow…”
Luna sighed a little… and then she glanced towards Scrivener as he gazed at her with quiet sympathy before she smiled a little, their eyes meeting as she asked quietly: “I have asked thee this before, but why does thou not fear me? I mean… why do you not… recoil from me? Even now, my mind thinks of what occurred in Ponyville with great joy and also great fear: the more and more I pick it apart, the more I fear that I was a… like a carnival trick, like a beast enchained and-”
“Now stop, Princess, you get one brooding moment every hour. I can’t keep up with all this at once.” Scrivy interrupted gently, and Luna rolled her eyes but then looked at him calmly, awaiting his answer, and he sighed and shrugged a bit, glancing up towards the high ceiling. “That’s like asking a rock why it’s not afraid of the sky, Luna. I just… know you’re not going to hurt me. Well. You’re not going to maim me, I mean, even if you have a bad habit of practicing your magic on me.”
“Oh, silence, Scrivener Blooms.” Luna sighed and favored him with a flatly-amused look, one of her hooves pawing lightly at the floor. “Still, all the same… I am touched.”
“I’ll touch you.” Scrivy muttered, and Luna stared at him for a moment before the male winced back a bit… and then he wheezed in relief when the Princess threw her head back and laughed: and as always when she was pleased by something or other, it was loud, clear, ringing through the hall as if she didn’t care who heard… and it made Scrivener smile, both at her joy and because she wasn’t going to blast him with lightning for letting his mouth run before his brain could process it again.
Luna’s laughs finally faded as they stood side-by-side at the table… and then she looked up with embarrassment as a calm, collected voice called gently: “I’m glad to see you so happy, little sister.”
The dark-coated female blushed a bit, ephemeral mane swaying around her as she looked up as Celestia approached, standing on the other side of the table with a soft smile on her face as she regarded the two. Both ponies nodded to her respectfully, and Celesta regarded them for a moment before she said gently: “Princess Luna, I need to speak with you alone. Will you please accompany me to a more private setting? And Scrivener Blooms, I need you to do some research for me in the Royal Library, the Chief Librarian will tell you more.”
Scrivener looked hesitant, but Luna nodded after a moment, nudging him quietly under the table with her hoof, and Scrivy gave a sigh before saying mildly: “Your wish is my command, Princess Celestia. Although I’m a poet, not a researcher…”
“Yes, but I require ponies I can trust for this work.” Celestia replied in a quiet voice, and Scrivy looked up with a curious frown before she smiled and motioned gently with one broad ivory wing away from the table. “Go now, all your questions will be answered in time.”
Scrivener nodded after a moment, and then he turned and left the table, glancing back once to see the two sisters watching him, still on either side of the table, both similar and opposed… and then he sighed a bit, turning his attention forwards and muttering: “Yeah, this is a good sign, really.”
Luna, meanwhile, finally looked back at her sister, and Celestia slowly met her gaze as she straightened, her rainbow, ephemeral mane flowing around her as she said quietly: “Please accompany me outside, my little sister. I believe now that it is time that I discuss things with you I was… at first hesitant to speak of.”
The female nodded slowly, and Celestia turned and headed towards the far end of the dining room, taking long, graceful strides towards a set of double doors leading to an outer, enclosed terrace. Luna hurried around the table to catch up to her, feeling a strange chill roll down her spine as she said nervously: “Sister, what is it? Thou seems somewhat… distracted. Usually thou art so… together.”
“I shall explain all I can in time, Luna… for now, let me gather my thoughts and let us try and find a little privacy.” Celestia replied quietly, and Luna nodded nervously after a moment, frowning a bit as the ivory equine smiled faintly, her amethyst eyes strange and clouded. “I know what this must seem like. Keeping you purposefully in the dark so often, not telling you everything that’s going on… but I do truly have your best interests at heart, my little sister. I do not fear you, or fear what you will become given the chance. I fear for you… I cannot imagine how difficult going through this is for you.”
Luna glanced away awkwardly, not exactly keen on discussing this subject with her sister with how bitter she could become… something else that Celestia had trouble understanding, like she had control over it. But a moment later, Celestia changed the subject to something that was almost more awkward as they continued across the wide dining hall, asking curiously: “You and Scrivener Blooms… you are close, are you not?”
“Celestia, I know what you’re thinking, and we’re really just friends, really!” Luna said embarrassedly, looking ahead with a wince and muttering: “He’s my first friend in… a thousand years, and-”
“I did not mean to accuse you of anything, little sister.” Celestia smiled a little now, glancing with amusement over at the embarrassed equine as they passed through the double doors and into the crisp night air, hooves quietly tapping along the stone tiles of the secluded veranda. “But either way… I am glad for it, Luna.”
The smaller pony only remained silent as Celestia quietly walked towards the edge of the terrace, looking out over the wide stone railings and up towards the moon high above, and Luna hesitantly joined her side after a moment, fidgeting a bit but doing her best to remain silent before Celestia began to speak, slowly and quietly: “I know you dislike that I have kept you from fully exercising your powers over this last long while. I know you have many questions I have not answered… many concerns, little sister, that you do not voice but I feel clearly. I keep you safe for both our sakes, though, even though I admit… there is more selfishness on my side than I like to admit. You are brave and proud, little Luna… while I have more and more guided our people towards a peacefulness you once described as ‘slovenly.’”
“I did not mean it in such a way, Celestia, thou knows this as much as I do.” Luna retorted, but she seemed more embarrassed and hurt than angry… but this was soothed by a calm glance from the larger female.
“It does not matter who was wrong or right, though, Luna, or what my reasons were for keeping certain things from you. I now find myself in an awkward position…” Celestia halted, looking down quietly over the edge of the railing, and then she sighed and shook her head, rainbow mane rippling around her. “I must ask you to do something for me, Luna. I don’t like that I must…but I can think of no other who can. Not even Twilight Sparkle and her friends would be capable of this task… and Equestria has grown more and more dependent and worshipful of my presence. I say this not with pride and joy, not to mock you, little sister… but instead with envy for you, believe it or not.
“Once upon a time, you and I were adventurers, warriors of a land under siege by vile forces, not chained down in one place but wandering around our country, setting wrongs right.” Celestia murmured, gazing up at the starlight… and for the first time in Luna’s eyes, her big sister seemed… old. Tired… perhaps even regretful. “You and I and mighty Sleipnir, who lays long dead in the mountains now… I miss our brother. I truly do.”
“I do as well, Celestia… I do as well.” Luna murmured, looking away silently for a moment, and then she shook her head a bit before glancing towards her sister, asking quietly: “What is it on thy mind, though? Thou art avoiding the subject.”
Celestia nodded, and then she gazed up towards the stars, saying softly: “As you know, neither of us can connect any longer to the Elements of Harmony. You, because you have been touched by… something darker than darkness. Myself, because in anger, I used the elements to lash out at you. Luna, I have defended my actions for long enough… and I have to admit to you now that what I did was wrong. The elements burnt away the impurities that had fostered inside you and brought you back because Twilight Sparkle bore you no malice in her heart. She acted out of necessity, recognizing the strength of the elements, putting value in all else… while when I acted so many years ago, I tried to manifest all six elements myself through sheer force of will, and used them to hurt someone I cared for very much.
“I know we both remember it well: a prolonged battle, and one final blast that left you wounded and broken. Even then, I felt my connection with the elements fading rapidly… and instead of trying to convince you otherwise, instead of forgiving you, instead of trying to help you, I used the last reserves of the elements to seal you into the moon.” Celestia lowered her head, clenching her eyes shut as she dug her hooves against the ground and whispered: “My people think I am so benevolent. Under my rule for a thousand years they have forgotten the people we used to be, sister… I am so sorry for that. I am so sorry that they do not know the truth, and do not care to listen. That they do not understand Nightmare Moon was not a monster, only the end result of a series of bad choices made not only by you, but by myself… just as they do not understand I am not as perfect as they make me out to be.”
Luna remained silent, looking up at her sister as the larger equine’s amethyst eyes turned to her, the two gazing at each other silently… and then Celestia lowered her head forwards with a quiet sigh, murmuring: “Twilight Sparkle is a very powerful unicorn, and possesses the ability to become a strong and virtuous leader. But she and her friends are not as… protected as I thought they would be. Even with the Elements of Harmony absent, they should have been able to resist Discord’s mockery and corruption, and yet they did not. I fear that the Elements of Harmony, after all their years left in our broken home, have lost much of their power… power that must be regained over time.”
“They are also young ponies, Celestia… not children, but not entirely adults, either, still full of dreams and hopes, in an awkward phase of maturing-immaturity.” Luna replied softly, nudging her sister quietly with her side, and Celestia looked strangely surprised at the contact, as if physical touch was something the held-above-all Princess of the Sun had all-but-forgotten. “Discord is a master of deceit and mischief. We know not how old he truly is, only that his purpose is to spread the chaos he takes such enjoyment in. And perhaps it is not my place to judge, sister, but would it not be better to banish him away from this world rather than leave him frozen in stone?”
“Discord and his punishment is not the subject at hand, Luna, we can discuss this later.” Celestia replied quietly, and her voice was tactful, but her eyes took on a cooler glint for a moment that told Luna clearly it was not a subject she wished to talk about, making the Princess of the Night wince back a little. A moment later, Celestia continued quietly, as if her younger sister had not spoken: “The Elements are weakened. I can no longer travel as easily throughout the kingdom to settle disputes and investigate… certain matters. We have few of the old ways and old weapons… much has changed these last thousand years, and our people are peaceful, unicorns no longer trained as battle mages, the only Pegasus ponies taught to fight the knights and soldiers of Canterlot and precious few other places.
“And yet, not all is well in this world. Many of the greatest threats to Equestria slumber or lay dormant or defeated, but there will always be others to rise up in their place and threaten our land… and no guarantee that old foes will not awaken, as Discord demonstrated all too clearly. Imagine, little sister, if Fenrir awoke tomorrow… what would we do against such a threat?”
Luna shuddered at this thought, looking away with a grimace and closing her eyes at the name of the monstrosity that Sleipnir had died fighting in the dark mountains, giving his own life to seal the beast away beneath an avalanche of rock and shale and ice… and then she murmured quietly: “Yes, sister, I see thy point… yet I do not claim to understand what thy is reaching for.”
Celestia turned towards Luna, their eyes locking as the two looked at each other, and for a long time, the larger female hesitated… and then finally, she bowed her head forwards, saying quietly: “My sister, Luna… we do have tools and shields at our disposal… but nothing so great as the artifacts we once gathered from across Equestria and locked away in the vaults beneath our ancient home. Twilight Sparkle found the Elements of Harmony in the ruins of that castle, but that was only one of many treasures that may still be there, hidden deep inside the Everfree Forest. It pains me to ask this of you, little sister… but I need you to go there for me, to delve deep into the vaults, and retrieve for me several ancient artifacts that can be used to ensure our homeland continues to be protected.”
“Sister, I… thou asks much of me. ‘Tis not… it is not a place I am eager to return to.” Luna lowered her head a bit, flushing faintly as she looked away with a wince… but then Celestia reached out and silently rested a hoof against her shoulder, and the female sighed a little, closing her eyes and mumbling: “Thou must at least answer why it must be me, of all ponies, whom you wish to go upon this… this mission, of sorts…”
“Because the vaults are sealed in such a way that only you or I can open them, and I cannot leave Canterlot… and because I know that where all others would fail, you will succeed.” Celestia said gently, and Luna looked up with a surprised blush at this, barely able to believe what she had just heard. “I fear that… dark things have taken up residence in the deeper levels of our old homes, things that even a thousand years ago I thought I heard whispering in the walls after… we fought… and I do not want to pit Twilight Sparkle and her friends against such corruption when the Elements of Harmony are of unknown strength and ability.
“But you, Luna, you were cleansed through-and-through… I have faith that if anyone can resist the allure of the nether-realm, it is you.” Celestia said quietly, meeting her eyes… and Luna fidgeted nervously, shuffling her hooves and flapping her wings once as she looked with almost-fear up at her sister. “And of course I do not ask that you leave tomorrow, nor even in a week’s time. I shall give you more than a month to prepare for what lay ahead… and I shall aid you in training in the old ways. In more than simply adjusting… we shall study the arts we once did years and years ago.”
“But why not simply teleport there, Celestia, raid the vaults, and return? For thou, it would be a simple task… thy powers are vast and great, and thou seem pure as the driven snow even after all these years that have passed.” Luna replied quietly, looking up at her sister… and Celestia smiled sadly, closing her eyes and shaking her head slowly.
“No, Luna. There is a difference between order and purity, between pride and confidence. Even you seem to have fallen under the illusion I am infallible… but I am not.” Celestia’s violet eyes opened, looking quietly down at her sister. “I am less the adventurer that I once was by your side, dearest little sister… now the role I play is that of ruler and adviser to the people of Equestria. I’m Celestia the Princess now, no longer Celestia the Dragon Slayer.”
“And yet once upon the time thou wert both.” Luna said softly, and Celestia laughed a little as she dropped her head forwards, looking rueful and amused. “I admit I am both… flattered and… in a part of me that still may yet be scarred, a little hurt. It… is difficult to put into words, but I feel like… I shall always remain past-Luna to thee, while thou art now in the future, and I am… left behind.”
She lowered her head quietly… and then Celestia stepped forwards, silently leaning her neck along the back of Luna’s, half-embracing her as she slipped closer. “I understand it isn’t fair, Luna. I understand that at times I may patronize you, and be overprotective. And if there was any other way, believe me, I would take it. But there isn’t… and we cannot risk leaving Equestria unprotected. Our people have forgotten about the wars and hatred and strife that once ravaged this land… but I know it still lurks. It is our job to defend our home… it is our job to keep these ponies safe.”
Luna sighed quietly as she rested against her sister’s body, eyes closed tightly, feeling fears and worries tickling through her mind before she nuzzled silently against her rainbow mane, whispering: “Yet I was the one who was corrupted. Who was… tainted. I may even carry that blackness now inside me, and Nightmare Moon may never truly be gone from this world…”
“Shh now, Luna. I have already placed much weight upon you, I know, and you need time to think about this, to calm… all I want you to understand is that I have faith in you.” Celestia leaned back a bit, quietly kissing her younger sister’s forehead, and Luna smiled faintly as her eyes roved upwards silently, violet and deep cyan irises meeting. “I give you this task not because I do not wish to do it myself… because I cannot accomplish it myself, but I believe that you can. I have never forgotten that of the three of us, you were always the sharpest fighter, Luna, in arts almost lost now, that are only ever seen in the most rare of competitions.”
“Yes, and warriors have no place now, except in tournaments fought with toys and to stand around Canterlot, looking intimidating.” Luna rolled her eyes with a mutter, and Celestia smiled despite herself before she shook her head slowly. “I am a relic of a past they do not wish to remember, sister. It will never change…”
“But perhaps this will change everything.” Celestia replied softly, and Luna looked up with a slight frown, tilting her head before the larger female stepped back a bit so she could better gaze down into her sister’s eyes, rainbow mane seeming to glow with its own quiet radiance as the stars twinkled in the sky above. “You will be acting in the interests of Equestria, under my direction, perhaps, but of your own free will, and going forth to bring artifacts of great power and significance from our ancient home here to Canterlot. You will be doing a great service to us all, on what some will see as an adventure from the old days of Equestria, before we became used to peace and were able to settle into our comfortable villages and cities.
“It would be like the stories of old with new life breathed into them, Luna. And all would owe you a great debt.” Celestia continued quietly, gazing up towards the moon above before she smiled a little, saying softly: “And it would make for a good test too, don’t you agree? I am sure the Everfree Forest will be of little threat to you… and I shall not hesitate to send Twilight Sparkle and other ponies I can trust to help you if serious dangers should arise. We have much to plan, little sister, but plenty of time to prepare… and I promise you, Luna, that if you accomplish this mission without any serious setbacks, I’ll allow you to resume your post of moving the moon across the sky and give you more freedom to do as you please around the castle. I’ll… do my best to stop mothering you all the time, as I believe you refer to it as.”
Luna blushed a bit, glancing down embarrassedly as she muttered: “I do wish that thee would cease thy spying upon myself and Scrivener Blooms… but… very well. I must think about this, but sister, I do already have one request; if I am to undertake this journey… I wish to be accompanied by Scrivener Blooms, should he agree.”
Celestia looked surprised at this, frowning slightly as she leaned down as if to study her sister, but Luna only continued to look calmly back up, meeting her eyes fearlessly despite the want to fidget and blush. Finally, after almost a minute had passed, Celestia said slowly: “I thought you said you two were only friends…”
“And it is exactly upon such an occasion as a journey of this undertaking that I will need a friend most.” Luna replied firmly, and then she lowered her head a bit and said quietly: “I will need someone whom I can trust with me. And with Scrivener Blooms and his pet by mine side, I shall be able to stay in easy communication with thee, big sister. He will be able to help me keep watch, and it would… ease my soul if I had someone with me.”
Luna glanced awkwardly away as Celestia looked down at her thoughtfully, and then she finally nodded slowly, saying quietly: “Very well, Luna. If Scrivener Blooms agrees… he shall accompany you on this journey.”
“But pray tell, Celestia, what do I seek?” Luna asked curiously, glancing up at her sister, but Celestia only smiled and shook her head, turning away and walking back towards the open doors leading into the castle.
“We’ve spoken enough on the subject for one night, Luna. Take tonight off, discuss this with Scrivener Blooms, and prepare for the arrival of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. There is much to do, but we have plenty of time.” Celestia paused, glancing over her shoulder as she stood for a moment bathed in the light flowing out of the double doors, and then she simply nodded to her little sister before turning to walk into the castle, leaving Luna standing alone in darkness lit by stars and ivory moon above as she stared after her sister, features etched with uncertainty as a string of apprehension whispered through her heart and soul.