A Mysterious Visitor
The night was quiet, as always. Twilight Sparkle, Celestia’s favorite- and only- faithful student was hard at work, the only indication that she was even aware of her surroundings being the candles she kept adjusting so that the hot wax would not drop on her precious books. Outside her library, the quiet town of Ponyville was fast asleep. All were sleeping, dreaming of… Whatever it is they wished to dream of! (What, you expected me to tell you? Dreams are private!)
All, that is, except for a pale white pony with a carefully styled purple mane. Rarity was hard at work in her boutique, making one of the most important dresses she’d ever make. Princess Luna’s birthday was still weeks away, and Rarity had been picked by Princess Celestia herself to make the Lunar Princess's dress. The fashionista had started early, however, anticipating an influx of orders the closer the big day came.
Of course, this was all being kept from Pinkie Pie, as someone else had been commissioned to the party, so that Princess Luna could enjoy her first year back home with a party that was more… Mature, than the parties Pinkie planned.
Twilight Sparkle had also been invited, and was ecstatic. Rarity had already made her dress, a stunning after-sunset purple with sapphires set into the hem to represent stars. She was studying up on the kind of party that Princess Celestia wanted: a formal party, with music and dancing and drinking.
Twilight had never been to such a party, having turned down invitations to such events since she had been old enough to attend them. She told everyone it was because she ‘scoffed at drinking, finding it disgusting’. In truth, she was more worried about what happened AFTER you drank. She had heard the stories, waking up to find yourself asleep with somepony whose name you couldn’t even remember, waking with a terrible headache, waking up to find yourself in some alley somewhere, with all of you belongings stolen, and other, more gruesome stories that she never liked thinking about.
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In Canterlot, Princess Luna sat on her throne. She was deep in thought over her upcoming party, and therefore, when the guard came before her, it took him some time to snap her out of her stupor.
“A unicorn here to see you, Princess.” The bat winged guard said, saluting.
“Who could be visiting us at this time of night?” Princess Luna wondered to herself as a black unicorn with a dark red mane and black traveling cloak was ushered in.
He bowed before the throne. “Your Highness, I have heard of the upcoming celebration of your birthday, and have come to offer you my musical talent.”
Princess Luna looked curiously at the unicorn. “Very well. Where is your instrument?”
“If it pleases Your Majesty, I will demonstrate my art on the instrument that sits, forlorn and forgotten in the corner of the chamber.”
Princess Luna was stunned. The last time anypony had used the old piano that sat gathering dust in the corner of the room had been on her last visit to this castle before becoming Nightmare Moon. The royal musician had played a lively tune, and the castle had been alive with merriment. There had been much drinking and reveling, and her sister had looked so beautiful that no pony had ever paid attention to her. Around midnight, she had slipped away, out the door with some stallion who had been too drunk to notice whom he had taken home. After a night of sex, she had slipped out his back door while he slept, flown back to Everfree Castle, and had lowered the moon. She had spent the rest of the day brooding….
Luna snapped back from the thought. Remembering that only brought her pain now. She returned her gaze to the unicorn in front of her, who was studying her with a look of curiosity on his face. She motioned for him to go ahead, and his horn lit with magic as he pulled the piano into the center of the room, the ancient wheels on the bottom not making a sound, the piano having been so well kept over the past millennia.The unicorn sat on the bench, adjusting the seat, then adjusting his cloak for several minutes before giving up on the thing and removing it.
“Does your Highness have any requests?” The unicorn sat, his hooves poised over the keys, his large brown eyes staring at the Princess.
Luna thought for a moment, then pointed to the sheet of music on the piano. “That one. I know it all too well.”
The unicorn smiled knowingly as he glanced over the music. “As you wish.” His horn lit up with a dark red magic, and the Lunar Princess felt a moment of deja vu. A violin and triangle came to life from the same corner of the room, where they had been stored so many years ago, forgotten by all but the Princess who had had them kept.
The unicorn smiled once more at Princess Luna, and before she knew what was happening, he began to play.
The slow, drifting melody seemed to entrance the alicorn as she listened, the music casting a powerful spell over her body. She began to sway to the music, humming along to the slow tune.
The unicorn smiled as he played, watching the alicorn as she danced to the music. His hooves danced over the keyboard, as the violin played and the triangle sang out with each strike.
Suddenly, they were no longer in the throne room. Or rather, not in the throne room they had been in. Luna looked around, seeing the night she had been remembering only moments before.
The same unicorn that had been playing still played, but now, instead of just the violin and triangle, there were the images of the mare and stallion who had played them a millennia before. The room was filled with the high class, aristocratic ponies that had been there that night. The decorations were the same…and there was the group of ponies that always gathered around her sister...
Luna shook her head, and suddenly, the images were no more. Just memories….
“That is enough. I shall have you play at my royal party. Where can you be reached?”
The unicorn shrugged. “I have just come into town, your Highness. I came here first, lest the position already be filled before I arrived. I was going to go and look for a motel right after.”
Luna was already shaking her head. “You shall stay here, then. Guard!”
Her guard burst in, weapon drawn. “Yes, Princess?”
“Take our guest to one of the guest suites and ensure that he has what he needs. He shall be staying with us until further notice.”
The guard bowed. “Yes, Princess.” He turned to the unicorn and motioned for him to follow.
“Wait!” Luna called out to the musician before he left. His head popped back into the doorway. “You never did tell me your name.”
The unicorn seemed to hesitate for a moment, before adjust the cloak that had accompanied him, almost like a signature, through the entire episode. “Sean. Sean P. O’Farrel, Princess. And might I just say…Thank you.”
With that, he turned, his cloak seeming to cling to him despite the universal laws that forbade them from doing so, and the throne room doors slammed shut, leaving the Princess of the Night alone once more.