It was the day after Luna’s first night lesson with Star Swirl, and she was eagerly showing off her near mastery of levitation to Falling Star. With a soft thud, the stone bench that had been floating moments before made its gentle landing. The glow around Luna’s horn faded and she panted lightly. The bench had been the heaviest thing she had ever lifted and it had taken a lot out of her. Falling Star cheered as he jumped off. “That was amazing Daydream! Your magic must be really strong if you could lift the bench with me on it!”
Luna blushed lightly “Oh come on you barely changed the weight of it” she said with a playful sneer.
Falling Star shot her a hurt look and puffed out his chest “Liar, I’m the biggest colt in my class! Teacher says I have the build of a captain in the making!” he said proudly.
Luna burst out laughing, a high pitched hysterical laugh. “What’s so funny?” he asked.
Through her laughter she managed to reply “Then all the other colts must be tiny!”
“Hey! Take that back!” the young colt shot back, and with that, the chase was on.
Luna took off out the gardens door with Falling Star fast on her hooves. There laughter echoed loud about the courtyards as they ran. Using her magic Luna toppled small things into Falling Stars path in hopes of stopping him. Thinking it had worked Luna slowed to a stop to check on him. He wasn’t there! She looked around and craned her neck but still she couldn’t spot him. She remembered to late that her dear friend Falling Star was a Pegasus. Her eyes shot skyward as she heard a small battle cry. Falling Star had folded his wings and shot at Luna like an arrow. Him aim was true and he collided with her, sending them both tumbling across the ground giggling like tiny foals.
The two stood still giggling and Luna looked around “Good aim” she stated before noticing where they were. “These are the castle gates!” she whispered in surprise.
Falling Star nodded “Yeah, what’s wrong? You seem nervous.” Luna nodded “I’ve never been outside of the castle on my own. Mother says it isn’t safe for me to leave the protection of the castle walls” she looked down.
“Well then” Falling Star said as he walked behind Luna “We’ll have to change that now wont we?” he spun around and with a gentle buck he pushed Luna through the wide barred gates. She let out a small shriek of terror and curled up, hiding beneath her hooves. It wasn’t long before Falling Star was at her side He placed a comforting hoof on Luna’s shoulder “Don’t worry Daydream; you have me here to keep you safe. I would never let anything happen to my best friend.”
Luna looked up at Falling Star as he smiled and gave a hoof up. “Best friend?” she questioned.
He nodded “Well yeah, would I spend this much time with a pony who wasn’t my best friend?” seeing the broad smile on Luna’s face he motioned to the city with a hoof “My I present to you, the royal city of Galloponaus!”
It didn’t take long for Luna to grow accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the city. It was something that fascinated the young princess to no end. “What’s that over there Falling Star?” it amazed her even more then how Falling Star wasn’t annoyed by all her questions. To the contrary he was more than happy to answer them.
“That? That’s a hat shop” he said with a small smile as they stopped to look in the window. “It’s where the hatter ponies make the most interesting hats you could ever see”
Luna quickly glanced at the various hats. “Interesting” they moved on but only got a few shops down before it was Falling Star who had them stop.
“My Uncle Sweet Roll owns this shop.” He hopped from hoof to hoof “Wait here Daydream! I’ll be right back!” he said before rushing into the shop.
To Luna it seemed like ages, but she sat outside of the shop patiently waiting for her friend to return. “Come back and visit again Star!” Sweet Roll called as Falling Star left the shop. He kept his wings spread as flat as he could and atop each wing he balanced a sweet roll. The princess stared; her mouth watering at the sight of what was the most delectable looking treat she had ever seen.
Falling Star smiled “Want to give a hoof here, oh magical one?” his playful plea pulled Luna to her senses and she fired up her horn floating the rolls before their mouths.
“To friendship!” Luna smiled as she made the rolls tap together.
Falling Star laughed “To best friendship” the two laughed and continued on the tour enjoying the tasty rolls.
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Her first day out of the castle had been a wonderful one. Luna and Falling Star had made their way to a quiet park where they sat and talked. They talked about everything, although on Luna’s end her telling’s of her goings on were altered to hide her royal identity. “Even though I’m not going to be a weather pony, I still have to learn about how the Pegasus care for all of Equestias weather, ‘cause it’s part of my heritage or something like that. But it’s so boring; I usually just tune it all out” Falling Star groaned.
Luna nodded “I know what you mean. I get the same thing in my magic lessons.” She stood and scowled pulling out her best Star Swirl impression. “Magic is the essence of all of this land. To use magic is to channel Equestias very power, and the moon and the sun radiate the strongest magical energies because” she paused “Well I’m not really sure why, that’s about when I fall asleep."
Falling Star laughed as Luna sat next to him again “Your teacher sounds like a windbag” he grinned.
Luna nodded “He is a bit of a windbag, but he does know magic that’s for sure” The two lay there and watched as the clouds moved across the sky. Their friendship had grown a lot in the short time that they had known each other. At times Luna couldn’t help but wonder if this would have happened differently if the pony Falling Star had met was her, and not the flour white Daydream that she pretended to be. Would he have talked to her knowing she was a Princess? She would have loved to think that he would have treated her the same way as he did now. That she could be just a regular pony. But it couldn’t be that simple. Nothing ever could be.
Falling Star got up suddenly “Come on Daydream. Let’s get going, weather ponies are bringing a storm” Luna leapt up and turned to see a herd of great black clouds rolling towards them, blocking out the afternoon sun. She could hear the rain already pouring from them and it filled her with dread. She didn’t want to go back to being Luna the royal alicorn yet. She wanted to keep her flour coating and stay as Daydream, the regular old unicorn!
“I hate getting wet” she said quickly as she hopped from hoof to hoof.
Falling Star nodded in agreement “Me to” he said backing away from the clouds with Luna “And those are some mean looking clouds.”
Luna jumped as a bolt of lightning leapt from the cloud. “Run?” she asked.
“Run!” he agreed nervously.
The two turned and began to gallop back towards the main part of town. A glimmer of hope! If they could make it back to town then they could run from shop to shop, using the over hangs to keep dry. This it going to work! Luna thought as she pulled ahead of Falling Star. But her hopes were shattered, as fate had other plans for the filly. The clouds rolled above them and the rain poured down on the young ponies. They reached the cobbles of the city to late as above the sound of the rain Luna heard Falling Star ask “Daydream? Daydream what’s wrong with your coat?”
Luna turned her head and watched as the flour was washed from her body. She looked at her friend and saw him standing there, his mouth open in shock. The rain was now coming down so hard that all other sound was drowned out by the sound of the drops pounding onto the cobbles. But Luna didn’t need to be able to hear the sound of Falling Stars voice to know what he said. She could read his expression, thought she saw the slightest hint of a need to bow to her, and she could read his lips. “Princess Luna!” he mouthed.
It was more then she could handle. Turning her back on the colt she spread her wings. She wasn’t the greatest flier, but she trusted that her wings would carry her away. She broke into a gallop, flapping her wings before she leapt into the air. She wobbled and wavered, buffeted by the wind and rain, but her wings soon balanced her out and she was flying. This was something that should have filled her with great joy, her first real flight, but she felt only sadness. Surely he wouldn’t see her as a normal pony anymore. She was sure that their friendship, at least as it had been, would be over. As she flew tears welled in her eyes and were all at once washed into the rain. Over the gates she flew, sobbing quietly as she glided down to land in front of the great castle door. She sat down in front of the door and stared up at the clouds. Was this the worlds way of saying that she and Falling Star couldn’t be friends? She shook her head “Don’t be ridiculous Luna, the world doesn’t talk to any pony” standing she opened the door and walked inside.
The rain was silenced behind the heavy doors, and that silence echoed in the main hall. Late afternoon, Celestia and their parents would be finished soon. With a heavy sigh she walked past the doors of the court room and headed towards her room. What started as a walk turned to a trot, which folded into a gallop towards her room, tears streaming down her face and leaving a trail of rain water in her wake. She had never felt so alone. The doors of her room opened and slammed shut as she ran in and slammed the door behind her. Her bedroom door seemed to be getting a lot of abuse lately; she would have to make a note of that. She didn’t get very far before her sorrow got the better of her and she collapsed to the floor crying.
She had no idea how long she lay there, wallowing in sadness and self-pity before a pony knocked lightly on her door. She curled up tighter “Go away! I wish not to see anypony!” she snapped before hiding in her hooves. The door opened slowly and a pony slipped inside. Sorrow gave way to anger that her order had been ignored and Luna leapt up. Without looking to see who was there and lifted a pillow in her magic and sent it hurtling towards the intruder “Did you not hear me!? I wish to see no pony!” She shouted as she opened her eyes, only to see the pillow floating in the warm magic of her sister.
“Forgive me Luna, You weren’t at dinner, so I came looking for you” she put the pillow back to the bed and grabbed a towel from her back “I followed the water”
Luna sat down as Celestia walked over to her with a kind smile. She sat behind her and gently began to dry her little sister off. “Did something happen today little sister?” Celestia asked in her kind voice. Luna didn’t answer, only stared at the floor. The sun princess tried again “something today with a certain colt and the rain?” she tilted her head. Ears back Luna nodded slowly. “Tell me little sister, what happened? From what you have told me the two of you are great friends.”
Luna nodded “We are Tia” she started “or at least we were when he thought I was a regular unicorn” she leaned back against her sister as Celestia’s wings wrapped around her in a comforting hug.
“You got caught out in this storm didn’t you?” she asked softly.
Luna nodded “It washed away the flour and he….. He just stared at me Tia! Just stood there and stared!” she cried and turned to hide her face against her sister.
Celestia smiled softly “Seems like a rather reasonable reaction if you ask me Lulu” she began “Put yourself in his place dear sister, he just found out that the filly he has been playing with, becoming good friends with, was secretly a Princess” she wiped a tear from Luna’s face with a caring hoof “Wouldn’t you be surprised?” she asked.
Luna thought this over for a moment. Was that really all it was? Shock that his friend was really another pony? Luna nodded “I guess that makes sense Tia…. I just don’t want him to treat me any differently.”
Celestia smiled again “I am sure that things will work out little sister. A true friend does not judge a friend by what or who they are on the outside, but on the inside, in their heart. Give him time, and time will tell your level of friendship.”
Luna allowed herself to smile and hugged her sister “Thank you Tia, you always know what to say.”
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Time, Celestia said that Falling Star would need time. Luna hated waiting though. She hated not knowing if they could still be friends. It had been two days since the rain and she begun to doubt that Falling Star wanted to see her. She was sitting in the courtyard where they had met. She wasn’t paying attention to her surrounding when suddenly a hard push sent her tumbling across the ground. She got to her hooves quickly, ready to berate whoever dared attack a Princess, only to come face to face with Falling Star.
“That, Luna, is for leaving me in the rain without so much as a goodbye!” he snapped. Luna ears pinned back and she looked down. Her ears perked up when she heard him laughing “Oh who am I kidding, I can’t stay mad at my best friend!” he said with a smile.
She looked up “Best friend?” She asked.
Falling Star nodded “The best, now what do you say we get you better on those wings?” he asked as he began trotting to the garden.
Luna nodded and hurried after him “I would love nothing more”