//------------------------------// // New Direction // Story: To Lead a Better Life // by Prince Colgate //------------------------------// The morning sun shone through the window and covered Luna’s face as she opened her eyes. She got out of bed and walked over to the window. She looked out, up at the sun, squinting due to the brightness. Celestia had done a great job on the morning sky as well, she had to admit… It was just so much harder to appreciate because it was so bright. Luna stepped out of her room and headed downstairs. She figured she would head back to the library, and actually get some books to read this time. Hopefully the other ponies wouldn’t be there. She grabbed a small, purple saddlebag and threw it over her back, then headed out the door. Busy ponies filled the streets of Ponyville. Luna had slept in, and most of the town had already gotten started on their daily routines. The Apple Family had their apple cart set up in front of the post office, and hungry ponies flocked to the stand for some cold apple juice. Something about the idea of cool, refreshing apple juice on a hot day appealed even to Luna herself. “Hello miss Luna.” Applebloom stood at the stall, trying her darndest to sound respectful. “Would ya care ta buy some apple juice?” Luna smiled at the little filly. “I would, actually.” She magicked a few bits out of her saddlebag and laid them on the stand in front of her. The filly gleefully snatched them up and fetched her a glass of apple juice. Applejack, who had been supervising the transaction (making sure Applebloom didn’t scare anypony off again) stepped up to the counter. “Howdy there!” She greeted Luna. “Ya’ll enjoying yer stay here in Ponyville?” “Why, yes actually. It’s rather nice here. A lot quieter than Canterlot.” At that moment, as if on cue, Rainbow Dash came crashing into the stand, knocking over Applejack, as well as all the filled glasses. Luna took a few steps back, shocked by this uncanny occurrence. “Watch where yer goin’!” Applejack shouted as she tried to recover the apples that were buried by the wreckage. “Heheh… Sorry. Got going a little to fast, sorta lost control.” Rainbow Dash apologized, sort of embarrassed by her accident. “Well next time try tah crash inta a bail of hay or somethin’!” Luna crept away from the wreckage while the two ponies argued. A glass of apple juice wasn’t really worth the hassle at this point. Finally, she arrived at the library. She knocked on the door. “Come in!” She heard Twilight yell from somewhere within the library. The library seemed much bigger when it was empty. The size reminded Luna of her own personal library back in Canterlot. That was one thing she did miss about Canterlot, her library. It had rows and rows of two story tall bookcases filled with biographies, works of fiction, non-fiction, old newspaper archives, the works. Luna was browsing the fiction section when Twilight came down from upstairs. “Oh, hello Ms. Luna!” “Hello Twilight.” Luna turned to the purple unicorn. “This is a very nice library you have here.” “Why thank you. It was old and dusty when Spike and I came here. We spent a lot of time making it what it is now.” “You did a wonderful job.” Luna pulled a book from a shelf and examined it. It was dust free, though the binding seemed to be damaged a little, as though the book had been thrown around a lot. She pulled out another book and made the same observations. She gave Twilight a concerned look. “Oh, well…” Twilight realized what the Princess was noticing. “The library gets messed up from time to time. It’s usually Rainbow Dash. It’s really interesting how one Pegasus can mess up an entire library in one crash.” Luna’s expression changed into one that almost seemed like fear. She had seen first hand how destructive Rainbow Dash could be. It was really quite frightening. “Yes, she really is a… Peculiar pony.” “Yeah, but she’s a great friend… Well, usually. She’s probably the most loyal pony you’ll ever meet.” “Hm…” Luna tried, but she just couldn’t imagine Rainbow Dash being anything other than an absolute disaster. Twilight noticed Luna’s disbelief. “It really is hard to believe, I know.” Luna placed the book back in the bookshelf. She stepped away from the fiction section and headed across the room to the non-fiction side. “When I came back from my banishment, my library was over twice the size as it was when I’d left.” She paused, collecting her thoughts. “Celestia made sure everything was perfect for my return... I think part of her actually felt guilty for driving me to that point in the first place...” Luna seemed to zone off a little when she spoke of Celestia. Twilight thought it was best to change the subject. “Oh, um, Miss Luna, if you wanted to, there’s a spare room here at the library. You could stay there... Since I’m sure the Inn is probably a little crowded for your tastes...” Luna looked at the purple unicorn, contemplating the offer. In fairness, Twilight Sparkle WAS the most bearable pony she’d met yet, and staying with her would definitely be easier than Pinkie Pie... “Well...” She started, “I wouldn’t want to impose...” “Oh, it’s no problem, really, the room is being wasted right now.” “Oh... Well... If you really insist....” “I do.” Twilight smiled back at her.