//------------------------------// // "Who did I used to be?" // Story: New Moon // by Majestic_Donut //------------------------------// Later that night, when the Gala had finally ended and the last of the ponies had returned home, it was time to get a little filly in bed to sleep for the few remaining hours of the night. "But I'm not tired!" Yes... That's going well. "But Luna, you need to sleep!" Celestia groaned, very much tired herself. "But now I'm wide awake! It's only 2:36 at night! Can't I just stay up longer pleeeeaaaase?!" Luna whined. "No Luna! You have to sleep!" "But whyyyyyyy?!" "Because I really don't need you to be nocturnal again right no- oops..." Celestia stopped before realizing her slip up. "What's nocturnal?" Luna asked. "Goodnight Luna! Just sleep please!" Celestia quickly tucked her in, kissed Luna on the head, and fast-walked out of the room. "But-" "Goodnight!" Now Luna was alone in her room, wondering what being "nocturnal" was and why Celestia made it sound like she'd done this before. Maybe adult me stayed up all night every night... Well, if ADULT me can do it, FOAL me can do it too!!! Hmm, that sounds about right... THE NIGHT WILL LAST FOREVER!!!!! Moony piped in. I don't know about forever, but at least a few more hours couldn't hurt! Luna thought back. What to do though... the guards are still patrolling at night. They'd probably escort me back to my room if I left... Then we'll have to SNEAK out!!! What's your plan for doing that? Just step aside and watch the master of stealth! Since when did you become the "master of stealth"? Just now! Watch. Moony then came into the front of Luna's mind, taking control of her body. She then concentrated super hard and turned into a blue cloud. As she did, the inhibitor ring Luna usually wore fell off. Wait, how did you do that with the inhibitor ring blocking our magic? I didn't use magic. Then what did you do? I don't know. I just, knew I could do it... ... Okaaay. I guess now that the ring is off though, we can go try out magic in the gardens! It should be clear there. Luna suggested. Do you know how to get there? Woona, we share a mind and body, if you know where it is, I know where it is. Moony responded snarkily. I was just making sure! No need to be mean... Operation "Sneak out into the gardens past a bunch of guards to have some more fun for the rest of the night" commence!!! Moony begins by seeping out from the space under the door, staying as light and thin as possible. No more than a small wisp, she crept through the halls with a calculated speed just between fast enough but not in such a way as to draw attention. She continued her careful movements until she suddenly felt herself halt. Woona? What are you doing?! I wanna get a cookie! But we're on a mission, remember? Yeah, a mission to have fun! True... Okay! Cookies it is!!! The two fillies, resolved in agreement, took a detour from the gardens to go to the royal kitchen instead. Upon arrival in said kitchens, however, they were met with their first problem. Uh oh, it looks like Cady is having a late night snack... We can still get a cookie and avoid getting caught, right? We can try... So Moony worked her way quietly towards the cookie jar, careful not to knock anything over (though, I don't think she could've anyways being a cloud of fog). Sneak, weave, prowl, squeeze between cracks. She moved to the darkest shadows in the ceiling to get closer to the cookie jar, avoiding the revealing light from the open refrigerator door. The cookie jar was in a slightly lit area not quite outside the light of the refrigerator, so this was the most important part of the mission. Okay, now to get the cookie jar and we're home free! Yes! But... how do you grab things while being a cloud? I-I thought you knew how... I thought you knew! "OH MY GOSH WHAT IS THAT THING?!" Cadence screamed having glimpsed a dark smokey cloud near the cookie jar. "AAAAH!!!" Both fillies screamed in turn, shocked out of their smoky form from Cadence's scream. When Luna's body went solid again, she was a good four feet in the air. Naturally, she also fell four feet back to the ground. At first, Luna didn't react. A small part of her knew she was fine and nothing was hurt. But the other, much more filly part of her... "wwaaAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" Luna slowly increased her crying like an approaching ambulance, shock and pain catching up to her. "Oh my gosh Luna! I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you. What are you doing up at this hour?" Cadence asked, her heartbeat slowing down as she scooped up her small aunt. "I just wanted a cookie..." Luna sniffled. "Can't sleep?" "Nuh uh..." "Just this once, you can have a cookie," Cadence stated. "But, don't think you can just get cookies every night, okay?" Cadence added as she levitated over a cookie for Luna. "Okay," Luna said, taking the cookie in her telekinesis and eating it. "Wait, where's your inhibitor ring?" Cadence asked, suddenly concerned. "It fell off -nom nom- when Moony and I -nom nom- became smoke," Luna explained between bites of cookie. "When did you learn telekinesis?" "... I don't know. I just... know? It feels like a muscle," Luna explained, unsure. "Well, I suppose you're old enough and aware enough now to control your magic... right?" Cadence asked, hoping this wouldn't bite her in the butt later. "Uh huh!" Luna quickly agreed, glad the second part of the mission tonight could still work. Then Luna took notice of the empty ice cream carton on the table. "Why are you eating ice cream Cady?" "Um... Shiny and I had a bit of an argument... We're not talking to each other right now. I couldn't sleep tonight and I didn't feel like attending the Gala, so... I sat in here. Eating ice cream..." Cadence explained as Luna took note of the fact that there was much more than just the one empty carton. "Hmph, how come I can only have one cookie, but you can have 7 cartons of ice cream? And why are you mad at Shiny? I thought you loved each other," Luna asked the important questions. "W-We still do! It's just... I need to clear my head..." Cadence explained. "And ice cream helps with that?" Luna asked dubiously. "Heheh, no, I suppose not. We really should talk about it shouldn't we?" Cadence noted. "Yeah! If you don't talk to each other about your problems, then how can you fix it? Then you'd just keep getting mad until you do something stupid and get sent to the moon! Wait, I won't get sent back to the moon if I get mad at Tia again, will I?" Luna asked. "No Luna, you won't ha ha ha," Cadence assured. "I don't think you'll ever go that far again." "Hey Cady?" "Yes Luna?" "Can you teach me some magic tonight? Pleeeaaase," Luna pleaded. "Oh, well I don't know..." "We're both awake and can't sleep anyways! I miss spending time with you!" Luna pouted. "I know I haven't been around as much these last few weeks, and I'm sorry. Of course we can spend time together tonight. And maaaaaybe I'll teach you some basic magic," Cadence said. "YAY!!!" Luna shouted happily. "Inside voice Luna! Ponies are still sleeping," Cadence warned. "Oh, right..." Luna said more quietly. "Let's go. I've had enough ice cream heheheh," Cadence acknowledged sheepishly. Out in the gardens, Luna was learning all sorts of fun new spells. As she did, she noticed the stars outside and stopped to just admire them. "This is the first time I've stopped and just looked at the sky at night... I'm always inside and asleep at night..." Luna noted. Why do I feel as if I miss it? Did I used to spend a lot of time admiring the night? It is beautiful... I don't want this moment to end... I get the feeling we won't get our questions answered anytime soon... -sigh- Probably not. But the promise that they WILL be answered eventually is enough for me... "Are you okay Luna?" Cadence asked, noticing her sudden silence and expression of deep thought. "Who did I used to be?" Luna asked bluntly. "What do you mean?" Cadence asked. "I was an adult once. I can only assume I had quirks and interests that may not be like I am now... Am I super different now that I'm growing up again?" Luna asked, her tone laced with the vaguest of memories of her adult self. It was then that Cadence noticed Luna's memories seemed to be coming back faster than she was growing into them. Perhaps they were triggered when Celestia told her about her past life... in any case, she's speaking and asking questions in a far more aged tongue than any three year old should be speaking... Finally gathering some of her thoughts, Cadence simply stated, "No, Luna. You're not much changed. Not that I can tell. From what Tia told me, you were a very sweet but rambunctious little filly who loved to explore the world. You are that way now too, though the setting is different." "I'm just worried that I'll lose a part of myself..." Luna sighed. Cadence reached out to the scared filly and held her close in her wings. "Luna, you can never stop being you. No matter what happens, you will always be Luna and you will never lose part of yourself just because of a change in scenery, not your real self. You can still grow from past mistakes though and become a better pony than you used to be, but you'll never change so completely that you don't know who you are anymore. You were Luna, and you are Luna," Cadence assured. That answer seemed satisfactory to the little blue alicorn as she gazed at the stars. Just then, a shooting star danced across the sky. Then another. And another. A meteor shower. It was the most beautiful display Luna had ever seen in her life. "I wanna stay in this moment forever..." Luna sighed, gazing at the sky with awe and wonder in her eyes. Then she felt it. That feeling that the night would have to end soon. "But it cannot be..." "It's okay Luna. It'll be night time again tomorrow," Cadence assured to Luna. "I suppose you're right..." Luna yawns, finally feeling tired enough to go to bed just as the sun is rising. "Let's get you to bed now. You've had a long and busy night," Cadence said as she carried Luna in her wing back to her room and tucked her in. She then closed the curtains, making sure no bright sunlight would get through, and kissed Luna good sleep. "Sweet dreams Luna."