//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Luna's Existential Crisis 
// by bahatumay 
//------------------------------//

	He had appeared again, just as he always had.

Princess Luna, watching from the shadows, quickly ran a hoof through her mane. Not like it helped, or anything--it always waved in its own, otherworldly wind--but she felt a bit more confident anyway.

Ha. Imagine that. The Princess of the Night, once upon a time the most feared being in Equestria.... afraid of a midnight picnic. (1)

"Midnight," she greeted him, walking up towards the spread blanket. Oh, beautiful, beautiful Midnight.

The black alicorn turned, eying Luna appreciatively. She wore no regalia; but her simple presence was enough for him. (2)

"Good evening, Luna." The Lunar princess smiled at his informality, one of the many things she loved about him. He returned his gaze to the stars. "It is not every night that the Neighbular galaxy (3) is so clear. It is beautiful."

Luna stepped closer and brushed up against him. She could feel his heart start racing.

She took a breath to steady her nerves, and slowly, tenderly, leaned in to kiss him.

This moment was brutally ruined by a distinct sound of sharp tapping. Scowling, Luna turned to see Pinkie Pie, tapping on a random sheet of plywood and beaming brightly. 

"Time to get up, Princess!" she chirped happily. Luna cocked her head in confusion. That wasn't Pinkie's voice; it was male...

Luna's eyes opened. She was in her bed—alone, as usual—and the sun was on its way down, making way for the moon that she soon had to raise. The tapping sound came again, and she turned her head towards the door.

"Princess?" the servant called hesitantly.

Fine... fine... "Fear not, I arise," she grumbled. She shook back the covers of her bed and gently lowered herself to the floor. With smooth motions born of years of practice, she gently slid on her tiara, shoes, and other regalia, and headed out to greet the Night.


*  *  *


Breakfast (or dinner, depending on which princess you asked) was eaten in relative silence.

Luna broke the silence with a tentative question. "Tia? Do you ever wonder what it would be like to have a very special somepony?"

Celestia might have missed a beat, but her voice was as calm and collected as always. "I... do not often think of such things," she responded slowly. "My royal duties keep me quite occupied."

"But surely you've considered it?"

Celestia shook her head. "I cannot say that I have."

Luna pouted. Thousands of years, and all of them spent alone? That made no sense. Had her sister no heart?

Though, in all honesty, Luna did realize that hers was a different situation. Most ponies slept through her night, so it wasn't as though she had ponies lining up to meet with her or invite her to lunch or other perpetual busy-ness as her sister had. She did, however, witness most of the romantic occurrences. Nighttime always did seem more appropriate for that sort of thing. Perhaps that had rubbed off on her? Luna shook her head and returned to her breakfast.


*  *  *


"Thank you so much for inviting me again, Luna," Twilight said, looking over her star maps again.

"Oh, Twilight, there's no need. I merely enjoy your company.” A soft smile played at Luna's lips. “And the company of anypony who loves the Night."

There were a few moments of silence as Twilight compared the charts and the view in the telescope. Luna tried very hard to keep a straight face until... there it was. The younger unicorn gasped in excitement as she found a new star not recorded in the book, and she quickly grabbed her notebook to record her discovery.

Luna smiled contentedly. It was always refreshing to find somepony who loved the thrill of discovery. Constellations were easier to find, but stars gave her much more pleasure. Once, Luna had had the brilliant idea of adding a new star every night until somepony noticed, with the prize being a new consolation immortalized in the heavens in their honor.

She had reached 56 before giving up.

They observed in silence until Twilight broke it with a question. "Luna? Do you still get lonely at nights?"

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Still? What do you mean?"

Twilight's eyes widened. She hadn't exactly meant for that to come out that way... or for it to even come out at all. Luna simply had a way of being wonderfully informal; and that, combined with the peaceful night, had the effect of shutting down the verbal defenses Twilight normally had in place. Hastily, she tried to verbally backpedal onto safer territory. “Well, what I meant to say was... uh...” One quick glance at Luna's eyes revealed that she wasn't getting out of this one so easily. Twilight took a breath, steeled herself, and spoke. "I mean... what with... well... I figured that you were alone for most of your nights, what with everypony sleeping and all, and that might possibly be one reason you... uh...."

"Des̷c̕e҉ǹde̷d?͘" Luna suggested softly.

"Yeah," Twilight said, relieved that she hadn't been the one to say it (and that Luna had chosen such a gentle euphemism). "The night is something really, really important to you, but you didn't have anypony to share it with. Everypony was always asleep. That hurt, didn't it? I think that if Rarity's designs were to go ignored, she might turn crazy and sadistic, or if nopony came to Pinkie's parties, she might, oh, I don't know, turn into a serial killer or something.” Twilight tried to giggle at the joke, but it fell as flat as Luna's expression. There was a brief pause. “You didn't have any friends, did you?"

Luna's mouth tightened in one corner. "No, Twilight Sparkle. I did not."

Now feeling more than mildly uncomfortable, Twilight changed the subject. "Pinkie Pie has found a very special somepony. And he has to be really special if he can keep up with her." 

Luna smiled. She had seen that particular night that they had met (she had a special place in her heart for those six that had lifted her again from her de̸s̛cȩnt, and often kept closer tabs on them), and had also seen the night where he finally asked her out, to which Pinkie had responded with a mini, personal party. If Luna's memory served, it was a party entitled something along the lines of, 'I finally have a coltfriend because he finally asked me out and I said yes because he's the bestest best pony in the whole wide world and I love him very much'. They had a lot in common, those two... It seemed that those who had suffered the most had the most laughter to give. (4)

Twilight interrupted Luna's musings. “So that means you've never had a very special somepony, have you?”

Luna suppressed a small snort of laughter as she shook her head. “No.”

“What if you did?” tumbled out of Twilight's mouth before she could stop it.

Luna looked at Twilight askance. “What do you mean?”

Twilight blushed furiously, realizing that she probably had gone too far, but by now it was far too late to turn back. “Well, sometimes when I'm done studying, before I sleep, I like to think of what my special somepony would be like.” She took a deep breath to steady herself, ready to share something profoundly secret and usually kept, well, close to her heart. “I don't think I'd mind what he was, but I think a pegasus would be a bit too flighty. I wouldn't want somepony exactly like me, but we have to have a lot in common, you know? He would have to love reading, of course, and deep intellectual conversation... ” She smiled, lost in her thoughts. “And I want him to feed me hayfries when I'm studying.” 

Luna couldn't hold back a small laugh. Twilight blushed again, now completely and thoroughly embarrassed. “OK, then, what would you want in a very special somepony?” she challenged.

Luna sat back, thinking. “I fear my views of the nights have twisted mine standards... He would be perfect. He would be kind, he would be strong, he would remember things like anniversaries—I have seen enough of those to know how important they are, especially in this day and age.”

Twilight nodded. She had learned that from personal experience. (5) Subconsciously, she scooted closer to Luna.

Luna looked up at the sky, and took a deep breath. “But most of all, he would love the Night.”

Twilight snuggled closer to Luna and rested her head against her. “I'm sure he's out there somewhere, Luna. I bet he's just dying to meet you.”

Luna laughed softly, somehow managing to keep her mirth regal. “I have my doubts. But feel free to keep wishing, Twilight Sparkle."

“On every star, Princess.”

Luna laughed again, this one loud and full, as she wrapped a warm wing around Twilight. Together, they watched the Night.


*  *  *


As per her schedule (which she had quadruple checked), Twilight stayed in Canterlot that night, and, since she couldn't just visit Canterlot without talking with Princess Celestia, stayed there for most of the day, and didn't leave until late afternoon. It was evening by the time her chariot landed back in Ponyville, and so Twilight opened the door to the library softly, so as to not wake up Spike. Spike, however, had had plans of his own, and was waiting up for her. Well, he had tried, but he was asleep on the chair by the door. He was, after all, still just a baby dragon. Twilight couldn't help but smile as she saw him and his sweet gesture. She was tempted to bring down a blanket and just let him sleep; but, knowing that that position would leave him with a really bad backache in the morning, she gently prodded him awake. “Hey, Spike.”

One eye opened blearily and glanced around the room, until it landed on who had woken him. “Twilight!" He shot to his feet, all tiredness forgotten. At least, he attempted to. Having forgotten he was on a chair, Spike misplaced a foot and very nearly fell face-first onto the ground, and would have had Twilight not caught him. Still as shameless as ever, Spike grinned at her. "How was Canterlot?”

“Oh, it was... fun.”

“Just fun, eh?” Spike asked, as Twilight let him back down on the ground.

Twilight sighed as she loosened her saddlebags and set them on the ground. “The night was beautiful, and Luna was kind as always, and Celestia discussed some great new experimental theories with me. I could tell you all about them...” She paused as she saw Spike suppress a yawn, “maybe tomorrow,” she finished. 

Spike could tell there was more, and waited patiently.

Twilight sighed. “I'm just thinking of Luna. Last night, she just seemed... sadder.”

“Why would Luna be sad?” Spike wanted to know. After all, being a princess definitely had its perks. Heck, being an assistant to the student of a princess wasn't such a bad gig in and of itself.

“I think it has to do with her not having a very special somepony.”

Spike's brow furrowed. “Not even a crush?” he asked.

Twilight shook her head.

Spike sat down, bewildered. He personally found himself partially defined by his crush on Rarity, and not having some secret desire--somepony else to live for and impress--as part of an identity was a very foreign concept to him.

“So tonight, I'm going to wish that she finds her own very special somepony, on every star.”

“That's a lot of stars,” Spike said thoughtfully.

Twilight smiled. "Then I'd better get started."


*  *  *


Two hours later, Spike's eyes flickered open. From the other room, he could hear the quiet sounds of, "I wish Luna could find a very special somepony. I wish Luna could find a very special somepony. I wish Luna could find a very special somepony."

Making a mental note to ask her to wish on every star that his personal shining star Rarity would one day notice him, he pulled his head under the blanket and drifted off to sleep again.