//------------------------------//
// 4 - In Which Princess Luna Receives Concerning News 
// Story: Ned Stark in Equestria 
// by ProbablyHuman 
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Luna



Princess Luna had put the moon down for the morning, and was going to her chambers to get some rest. The Night Court, as usual, had argued for most of the night over various issues of policy. Equestria being largely a Monarchy, the two courts' power was mostly advisory in major issues, though they were given largely free reign over issues that were not important or interesting enough for either of the Princess’ attention. Luna halfway thought they should just give her full political power to the courts, just so she wouldn’t be responsible for dealing with them anymore. Whom dost thou kid, Luna? Thy court would run amuck without thy guidance.
Listening to them bicker was rather stressful, particularly in the aftermath at the attempted Changeling invasion. Luna knew many of the elected officials, nobles, and dignitaries she had to put up with in the Night Court had ambition to ‘move up’ into the Day Court, and not only because the hours it met were easier on most ponies. Celestia’s court was generally considered far more prestigious, mostly because it had been active for over a millennium, while the Night Court had only been reinstated last year, a month or so after Luna’s return. As a result of the Night Court being reopened, new ponies were needed to fill the court. Most of them were either ambitious and cynical or well-intentioned but hopelessly naive, by her estimate. The appointed head of the Night Court, Chancellor Grey Glasses of Cloudsdale, was one of the few who seemed intelligent, well-meaning, and reasonably sensible, though the manner in which he presented anything of even minor importance was longwinded, monotone, and unspeakably dull. It said something that Luna had no better options than him to make the head of her court.
Still, she didn’t envy Celestia having to deal with with the Day Court. Populated largely by a bunch of uptight and often pompous nobles, Celestia had told her that they were largely well educated and sensible, but also arrogant and unwilling to compromise. There were a few that stood out as being more reasonable, however. There was the somewhat eccentric Mayor Mare of Ponyville, who managed somehow to also find time to make frequent trips to Canterlot to represent her peaceful town in the Day Court, for example. The Vanhoover representatives, particularly the elder statesman of the city, Count Beard, tended to propose a lot of good ideas, despite being a bit uppity about his ‘unquestionable wisdom’ being questioned by anypony but the Royal Sisters. On the other hand, there were ponies like the somewhat notorious Lens Glare, the personality and socialite from Los Pegasus, who ran for representative with ‘Why Not?’, as her campaign slogan, was basically the opposite: relaxed, accepting, and basically useless. Celestia also often frustratingly expressed concern to her sister about the increasingly influential railroad magnate from Manehattan, Major Markets, and her increased sway over many of the representatives.
The pony Celestia had put in charge of the Day Court, Chancellor Ironblood, was an extremely competent organizer and facilitator. Ironblood had made his way up in the world- an orphaned unicorn raised in Baltimare, he’d entered the Royal Guard as a young colt, and was soon after made the youngest Captain of the Guard in three centuries. After retiring from the guard he’d gone into public service, and was known to Luna to be as persistent at brokering deals in the Court as young Twilight Sparkle was at studying magic. Celestia had told her that Ironblood later married into royalty a bit over twenty years ago, though his wife had died in foalbirth. Ironblood’s son, however, had become somewhat infamous in the nobility as a complete twit. Few were particularly surprised that his date with that young fashionista, known to Luna to be the Element of Generosity as well, went so badly at the last Grand Galloping Gala.
Despite his son being an incredibly un-charming Prince, the Chancellor had a reputation of being stern but fair, and Celestia, who had been presiding the Day Court for well over a thousand years, had commented privately that she’d have a hard time adjusting to dealing with Court without him when he inevitably died of old age. 
Luna eventually reached her chambers. Yawning, she pushed the doors open and entered, only to find her sister inside. To the common observer, Celestia would have seemed to be in her full regal splendor, confident and wise. To her sister, on the other hand, she currently looked worried, her gentle smile masking a deep concern. Something in her eyes gave away her age in a way Luna could see, but did not comment on. She has been like this since the Changeling fiasco, and by the look of her it seems to have worsened. 
“Sister, what art thou doing in my room in this early hour?”, Luna asked.
Celestia’s horn glowed, and the door behind them closed and locked, the windows shut, and the balcony door slammed closed, loudly. Luna knew intuitively if anypony tried to listen in on them, by means magical or mundane, they would not meet with success.
“Something’s come up, Luna.”
“Prithee, ‘Tia, what has transpired?” 
Celestia sighed, exasperated. “Sister, please try to speak in modern Equestrian. Nopony says ‘prithee’ anymore.”
Luna gave a smile, and replied “Well, at least I’m no longer TALKING LIKE THIS on a regular basis.” The furniture trembled at the use of the old Royal Canterlot voice. 
Frowning, Celestia went on. “As I was saying, sister, there’s been a ripple in in the Veil. Something’s come through.”
At this, Luna stopped. The Veil, the magical boundary high above the world, was a carefully kept secret, known only to the most skilled and trusted magical researchers, and the highest government officials. Pegasi never flew that high, and even those that tried would find it impossible, due to the low amount of magic at higher altitudes temporarily weakening their magical field which helped their wings keep them aloft. The only two ponies whose magic could affect anything above the Veil were Celestia and Luna, and then only to control the Sun and the night sky.
But there had been cases, in the past, of things coming from ripples in the Veil; not from space, but from other worlds. It had been theorised by some of the top magical minds in Equestrian history that the Nightmare, the infamous being that had bent Luna to its selfish will a thousand and one years ago, had come from beyond the Veil though magics powerful and unknown, and it was entirely possible that Discord’s origins lay beyond the Veil as well.
Needless to say, the idea of something else coming through was gravely concerning news, to Luna in particular.
“When did this happen?”, she asked in barely more than a whisper. “And where? Do we know what it was that came through?”
“I just received word of this myself, sister; the unicorn that detected it from the Canterlot Observatories didn’t know what the ripple was, so it was about four hours before the observatory’s Director saw it in their report, recognized it, and brought it to me.”
Normally Luna would be annoyed that the director had woken her sister to report to instead of just going to her; after all, the night was her domain. Luna realized she probably would be mad at him later, but at the moment, hearing what he’d reported took priority.
“I notice you’ve not yet told me where the ripple was detected to be, or what came through.”, she asked, carefully trying to avoid habitually slipping back into Old Equestrian grammar. 
Celestia looked down, her mask of confidence slipping. “Above Ponyville, and we have no idea what came through. I’ve already sent Twilight a scroll asking her to keep a lookout for anything unusual, and be careful. No response yet, but I suppose it is to be expected, as it is early, and she’s always tended to study into the night and wake up late.”
While Luna did not know Twilight Sparkle as well as her sister did, she was still greatly concerned, as she owed the young mare a debt that could not be easily repaid for freeing her from the Nightmare’s influence, and for her assistance when she had visited Ponyville on last Nightmare Night.
“What should we do?”
“Twilight is a grown mare, a brilliant pony, and has the of Element of Magic besides.” Celestia continued, with a hint of regret in her voice. “We shall simply wait for a reply from her, and pay close attention to goings-on in and around Ponyville. It is unlikely that whatever entered Equestria from the other side of the Veil will wish to make itself known, so we may have to wait a while on this, and prepare ourselves and Equestria for whatever may occur. You should probably let Grey Glasses know about this as well before the next assembly of the Night Court.”
“Yes, I suppose so,” Luna conceded, despite the fact that she hated dealing with the Night Court’s Chancellor. “Speaking of young Twilight and her friends, has word reached the public of their connection to the Elements of Harmony?”
Celestia looked up at her sister. “I’ve personally seen to it that everyone at the wedding during the Changeling invasion knows that, while I inadvertently revealed them to be the Element-bearers when I asked them to get to and use the elements, it was in a moment of crisis, and under no circumstances are they to spread word to anypony that those six are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.”
“Do you think it will last, sister? We can’t keep it a secret forever,” Luna countered. “They are going to have to be acknowledged for all their heroic deeds someday.”
Celestia walked toward the balcony, and pushed the doors open. “Yes, perhaps someday. But do you truly think all of them are actually ready for the fame and celebrity it would bring? Remember that time when Fluttershy wound up as a star model for Photo Finish? You can’t just quit being one of the ponies that saved Equestria from Discord. That sort of fame sticks, and I don’t want them being dragged into politics any more than I can help it. They deserve better than that.”
With that, the immortal Princess of the Sun walked onto the balcony and into the bright fall morning. Opening her wings, she flew off, leaving her sister to ponder her words.