"And with that, we end today's Night Court." an attendant finally announced. The princess, who was sitting on her throne, almost relaxed with the declaration, but she remained firm as royal etiquette demanded. She then received the obeisances of her subjects, watching the ponies present there exit the throne hall, leaving only the alicorn of the moon and her helpers for that night.
After the last pony left the place, and the doors closed, Luna allowed a long sigh to flow, settling herself better in that ‘chair’ that her sister called a throne, which she already knew, no matter her effort, was impossible to comfort herself.
"Any problem, Great Mother?" Her attention suddenly turned to the guard in promptitude a few meters to her right. An earth pony dressed in night guard armor, that makes it impossible to show his true appearance. From the outside, he looks like a pony with dark blue coat and yellow eyes with vertical pupils.
"No, Shadow Blaze… Actually, yes. This throne as usual!" The alicorn slammed her hoof on the arm of the throne in disapproval. "This thing my sweet sister calls a throne, killing my rump all night long!!"
Luna didn't let the moment drag on any longer, jumping off the throne without hesitation and stretching her hind legs, already numb from sitting still for too long.
"Let's go for a walk, I want to stretch my muscles before the night starts."
Shadow Blaze nodded at the princess, already knowing that, even though her moon had already been in the sky for a few hours, for Luna, the night only truly began with her beloved vocation.
Both left the hall, leaving the other castle's staff members in the throne hall, finishing organizing the place for the day court that would take place shortly after sunrise. They walked silently through the corridors bathed in silver moonlight, quite empty compared to during the day, save for the occasional staff on patrol.
"If I may ask, Great Mother..." Shadow Blaze suddenly cut the sweet silence of the night, accompanied by the echoes of they hooves on the marble floor in a relaxing symphony, like a lullaby, "If the throne bothers you so much, why not change it? I'm sure that if it’s so uncomfortable, Princess Celestia must not like it either."
"..." Luna continued her pace for a few moments in silence, then used her telekinesis to remove the young stallion's helmet, undoing the illusion and revealing his rust-colored coat, and his orange mane, like flames from a fireplace on a cold winter night.
She preferred the colt that way, admiring the legacy of the children of the night, her eternal subjects since before her exile to the moon. - Much better. And yes, Celestia probably shares my disapproval of that huddle of stones we know as the throne, but it won't be changed, that's for sure.
"But wh--"
"A lesson learned." The alicorn interrupted him, smiling at the confused and innocent expression of her shadow. "That throne is deliberately uncomfortable. Tia designed it that way to always remember the weight and responsibility of leading a nation. That way, no matter who sits on it, the message will always get through, and the role of leader will never be mistaken as a privilege, but a responsibility."
The earth pony listened in silence, pondering over such a lesson.
"I see… So being on that throne is yet another reminder of how princesses dedicate themselves to Equestria, day or night."
"As we always have, and we will for a long time to come." Luna nodded smiling, admiring her starry sky. Close to the horizon line, a small cloud floating lazily dragged her attention. "But it's still a shame. If it were up to me, I'd go back to my childhood and make a throne entirely out of clouds."
"Clouds?" repeated Shadow Blaze, raising an eyebrow.
"As an earth pony, you might not have had the opportunity, but clouds can be quite soft and cozy. I remember a simpler time when I would take a few escapes to nap in a loaded Nimbus. It was like lying in Jell-O!"
"Sounds like fun." The earth pony chuckled, enjoying the alicorn's nostalgic and happy expression.
"Oh, but that wasn't all. Cloud sculpture was my favorite hobby at the time, something I got from my mother." The alicorn looked again at the small cloud, as if it were a window to another time, letting out a laugh after remembering yet another feat of the past. "There was a day when we decided to advance the level, and we started to gather a large cluster of Cumulus, the goal was to make a full-scale castle, cloud ponies included! But we were quite careless in the process... When I realized, all that mass had merged and become a gigantic cumulonimbus in the shape of an immense anvil!" The princess laughed, shedding tears of joy with the sweet memory that invaded her mind "When I thought that maybe we had exaggerated a little, lightning hit us dead on! My feathers smelled burnt for weeks! And fortunately, apart from that and a torrent of heavy rain for two days, no one was hurt."
"Wow… I can’t even imagine such a scene. And princess Celestia, any stories with her?"
"Oh, lots! You'd be surprised how much dirt Tia has accumulated over these millennia." The alicorn smiles devilishly, then raises her attention to a detail that had escaped her. Shadow Blaze frowned as he noticed the sudden regret on the alicorn's face, which quickly reverted to a smile, though she couldn't fully hide her emotions behind it. "But she was much older then. She had too many responsibilities already."
"Were you lonely?" The earth pony was surprised, approaching the alicorn in order to comfort her, which was answered with a reassuring smile.
"Nah, not even a little bit! Whenever possible, my sister gave me a lot of attention. And we had a big, loving family. I was just....reminded of things that hurt."
Shadow Blaze was about to ask more about the source of the princess's grief until he realized they had reached their final stop, the great doors of the moon alicorn's room. Two members of the night guard present there, who had been guarding the entrance, immediately saluted, opening the doors for the alicorn to pass through.
"Well, enough old stories for today! A good night to you, Shadow Blaze. Sleep well."
Then Shadow Blaze bowed respectfully to Luna, while she finally entered her room. The doors closed right behind her, and the alicorn sighed in relief. This would be a beautiful, long night.
"I have to admit, it's not easy to get in here." As soon as Luna heard a female voice, she immediately replaced her relief with a survival instinct that scanned the room in a split second. The alicorn didn't know what could make her more shocked: the intruder's presence, or her lack of interest in hiding. The pony in question was sitting on the other side of her desk, serving tea with her special set that she only wore when her sister visited. She was a young unicorn with coat as blue as the night sky and a mane as silver as the moon at its peak. She wore a simple gray cloak with a hood pulled back, and an odd black cloth blindfold covering her eyes, with a single golden eye embroidered into the fabric. "A good night tonight, isn't it? Hello, Princess Luna."
For a moment, Luna's heart sped up. Several questions came like lightning in her mind, mainly about her identity and how that pony managed to get into her rooms. She could have called the guards, who were faithfully guarding the doors behind her, immediately, but she took a second look at the intruder carefully, noting her insouciance as she poured two cups of tea. Luna had no way of knowing for sure because of the blindfold, but she felt the unicorn staring at her with a 'try if you can' expression. The princess's curiosity grew. Indeed, a lone unicorn wasn't really a threat to the alicorn, and in a quick scan of the room, the princess of the night failed to notice any charms or possible traps, besides on her blindfold. 'Let's see what this is all about,' she thought, maintaining her composure, then approaching the table.
"A beautiful night indeed, albeit with the appearance of some hindrances that might jeopardize my chance to enjoy it," The princess countered, taking a seat on the opposite side of the unicorn, now being face-to-face with the intruder.
"Oh! I beg your pardon for the circumstance. I hope this cup of tea might be enough to make up for the inconvenience." The unicorn pushed the cup with its purple telekinesis closer to the princess, keeping a smile worthy of Celestia's respect. Luna wasn't the biggest admirer of that expression, an invisible mask that hides the true intentions of the wearer. The blindfold also brought confusion to the princess. The unicorn wasn't blind for sure. Not just the way she moved or oriented herself, but the constant feeling of being watched. Luna could feel traces of magic from the object, but the nature of the enchantment, and the symbol embroidered on it were unknown to her. 'Twilight Sparkle's presence would be most welcome now', the thought cross her mind. "I don't intend to waste your precious time, I just wanted to talk a little. In fact, I just wanted you to answer one question."
"Just a question? With such a simple goal, I can't help but wonder why you would take such a risk, sneaking through security, when you would be welcomed into my night court, miss..." – The night princess was raising an eyebrow, doubting that the blue unicorn's motivation was of such an innocent nature.
"Well, where are my manners?!" The unicorn quickly got up and bowed to the princess. "Witness, Only Witness, princess. Also, I would like to take the opportunity to tell you how much of a fan I am. I have admired you since childhood, and only happiness brought me when you returned from your exile. Your vision to bring more independence to us, your subjects, has been an inspiration. And after visiting a village of your followers, the Children of the Night, my admiration only grew!"
"Ehmr… Thank you?" Luna was surprised by Witness's knowledge of such facts. There weren't many who interacted with her children's villages. Many left their homes, seeking to know the world, or those who lived outside the confines of their reclusive colonies, but the opposite did not happen much, especially in the present day, where so few remained. At the same time, the emotions in each of the unicorn's words didn't seem to be just empty praise like many nobles in Canterlot, but sincere words from a grateful heart. The princess hid her satisfaction in her composure, continuing to glare at her intruder without touching her tea.
"And that's why I chose you! You see, this matter is of somewhat personal importance to me, and it is also something I would like an honest answer to, and avoid the need for you to limit your speech or for us to be interrupted by others." The unicorn sat down again, now in a more relaxed position, and off guard. She was deliberately exposing herself. Perhaps to show the lack of hostility? The princess decided to observe further. "Please, please say you'll hear me! I promise to give myself up and not offer any resistance if you want to arrest me, after all, I still invaded your chambers. I'll also tell you all the security flaws, and step-by-step what I did to get here! No lies, just sweet honesty. I swear by The Magic!"
Luna again had to hide her astonishment. Before she could react, the horn of Witness began to glow and the princess felt magic trying to resonate with her to complete the contract.
"So it's my attention and answer, in exchange for how you got into my quarters, along with your contacts, tools, and whatever other information you've gotten that helped or could help you get here. I hope you mean this, my little pony, for the burden of betraying such an oath, is treacherous and cruel. I swear by The Magic." The princess seriously warned, honestly worried about the well-being of the unicorn in the possible intention of not honoring such an oath. Then letting her horn's mana resonate with the spell.
"I'm glad you agree! No need to worry, I assure you!"
"Very well." Luna then allowed herself to relax to a certain extent, looking at the cup of black tea and letting go of her worries, taking a sip. A strong taste, almost without sugar, just the way she liked it. "What is your question?"
"Glad you asked. Well, before the question, I think a little context is needed, so that your answer can be ideal. To start with... consider the following scenario: Let's say our world, which we are in now, is one of an infinite number and variety of many others. Some are quite similar to ours, while others may be completely different, although this is not so important now. These worlds similar to ours are always being affected by the force of probability, so even if you make the same decision in both, the results end up being different. Thus, if the princess were to save a life in danger here, in the other, that victim would meet her end."
"... Proceed." The princess replied, after Witness's pause, although these theories of alternate universes and different worlds were not her specialty. In fact, Luna had almost no interest in such a subject. If she wasn't mistaken, she was pretty sure that Celestia and Star Swirl had actively studied this at some point, perhaps her sister would be a better choice for the young intruder's question. But she would answer truthfully, as she had just sworn. "Though it's kind of silly to think of it all that way. It's not as if a simple failure could generate such a catastrophe. If you don't succeed in a way, don't give up, insist. If you failed, turn it into a lesson, and reciprocate by helping someone else in the future."
"Oh, but it's not!" The unicorn huffed dissatisfied. It was more than apparent that the subject really did matter to her. Perhaps she was one of the students at the University of Canterlot and was trying to get a second opinion on some rejected project. Just thinking about the possibility disheartened the alicorn, she had hated every moment when proud nobles tried to circumvent their failures using the princesses. It was more recurring than it should have been. The unicorn should have gone to the night court for something like that if she wanted her opinion. "Think a little more, do you really think that you are like that today because you decide to be like that? The princess is like that and thinks that way today, as a result of various situations in your past, which brought you here! Think, only a bad day. A single bad day is all you princess would need. Perhaps a cold, or waking up a little less patient. A small change that would change the results of your choices, thus changing your whole day. Thus changing the next day, and the next, and so on!"
The unicorn took a deep breath, then sipped her tea, visibly calming down.
"Oh sorry, off topic again. Alright, back to my question. What would you princess do in this case, knowing that? Would you try to save the victim? Would you try to make any good choices in life? Or would you ignore it all? After all, no matter what you do, it will fail anyway."
"A moral issue? I was expecting a little more than just a personal opinion. An interesting conundrum indeed, but I think it would be better worked out in a room of theorists than with me."
"Oh please princess, you don't need to be so disappointed!" The unicorn's expression became saddened, resorting again to her cup of tea. "I have my reasons, just answer the question, please."
Luna sighed, rolling her eyes dissatisfied with the situation. She saw herself as practical, if there's something you can do, do it. These questions implying: 'If you know it could go wrong' made no sense to her.
"I think I'd try to help anyway."
"But it's useless"
"But I would try."
"I told you, it is useless!" The unicorn insisted, not hiding her dissatisfaction with the response. "Princess, are you taking this seriously?"
"Well, that's all hypothetical, of course. But I'm not going to stand by and watch someone need help, doing nothing. If anyone needs me, I'll help!"
"But doing so might only make things worse in another world!"
"Perhaps, but I would still help someone."
"No… no, no, NO! Didn't you hear anything I said!" Luna was already expecting such a reaction. In fact, she couldn't help but giggle at Witness' reaction. It was the same reaction her older sister had in situations similar to this current debate. It didn't take long for Celestia to give up asking for opinions and advice on nonsensical theories like this one. "Even if you do it here, everything gets worse elsewhere! You haven't done ANYTHING!
GGRRRR!! Enough of that stupid grin! Do you think this is a joke?! You are all stupid and ignorant and don't understand what it's like to have to watch everything happen, being limited behind that subjective perception!! SCREW ALL OF YOU!!!" Luna recoiled, startled by the unicorn's sudden emotional outburst, which slammed its hooves on the table with all its might, nearly knocking the tea set to the floor. Just as suddenly, she then stopped, slowly turning her face to Luna. “Especially you, Princess Luna. Some at least pretend to care when they reply to me, but you... you're one of the damn ones who don't even care. Which is why it has to be you! You said you'd save them all, didn't you? Let's see how silly that will be...
The unicorn stood up, suddenly showing something on her hoof, which it hurled towards the princess. Luna would instinctively create a shield until she noticed that Witness was not throwing the object at her but for her. A strange, oval-shaped gem, colored purple like her magic. The princess sighed, suspecting it was a magical information storage artifact.
"My little pony, calm down." She said, silently cursing herself for the way she treated the young mare. True, she was disinterested, but she was acting the opposite of what she'd just said. She would apologize and start things from scratch. "You don't have to be so--"
However, the moment Luna caught the jewel with her hoof, her entire surrounding disappeared in a black blur, and in the blink of an eye, she would no longer be in her room. The princess jumped back, raising a magic shield as she tried to make sense of what had happened, answered with her surroundings becoming a dark and dense forest, and Only Witness, like everything else, was gone.
And above all else, a pink moon shone above all else.
– Eh?