Mail Mare
Time slowly dragged by over the next few weeks. I kept to myself once Celestia and I returned to Canterlot. No one visited me or welcomed me, except for my loyal bat ponies, who where descendants of my original guards and friends. They were cautious with the topic of my banishment, which upset me more than if they did speak of it. To spare my feelings was unnecessary, for I accepted my past...
Anyway, I was quite unsociable in that time. I did not go to social gatherings, or parties, as Celestia called them. Instead, I stayed in my tower, entertaining myself with a witchcraft called vi-d-o games. They are amazing, enticing, and addictive, filled with magical wonders and feats that even I could never conquer.
Well, it wasn't just the vi-d-o games; I was embarrassed by my filly-like appearance. Alicorns mature with their power, and seeing that most of my power was snatched away when Nightmare Moon took control, I had the coat and mane of a preteen. What kind of princess would I be if I let the new Equestria think I'm some immature foal?
A while later, it was the night of the Gala. The Grand Galloping Gala. You know, the big fancy "party" that only the most important ponies are invited to.
Celestia had approached me then, going on and on about how I should go and meet new ponies. I told her I was not going, but she insisted. Sometimes, that mare is too pushy. After an hour or so of arguing, I simply flew off, not caring where I went or who saw me. I did not want to go to some froufrou Gala. A thousand years of banishment, and she wanted me to waste my night by welcoming guest to a gathering that always ended up a disaster. It was my duty though, and I was sure she would've followed me.
Thank Faust she didn't.
Some how, in my haze of anger, I flew to Ponyville. It looked a little different then when I saw it weeks before, and lights lit up every corner of it. I landed gently on a wispy cloud, letting the breeze tug at my mane as I looked towards the setting sun. Its bright radiance wafted through the sky, making the usual blue look like a spectrum of colors. Pink and purple hues tinged its yellow blaze, and an on coming darkness was slithering towards it from the west.
My favorite time of day.
I waited for the last of the sun's rays to die before casting my magic towards the moon. Holding the celestial body firmly in my grasp, I jerked it forward, letting it start it's route across the night sky. I swayed my horn from side to side, leaving a strand of stars in the sky with each twirl. When my job was done, I held back a snort of frustration. My beautiful work could not be seen with the glare of these Gods-forsaken lights! To top that, no one was in sight. Probably asleep, or worse, at the Gala. I couldn't help but feel angry. After all this time, after all I had gone through to make them respect me, they still didn't care for the stars or night.
"Thou ungrateful whelps do not see what gifts I give them!" I bellowed to the moon, "Nothing has changed! So what if ponies stay up all night? They don't appreciate anything!" I slammed my hooves against the cloud, my eyes sparking and cracking with sudden power. I swung my horn and launched a bolt of lighting at the town below.
A smug, if not deranged, grin curled across my lips as all the lights died, leaving terrified ponies to wail in fear. Their screams fueled my power. My body went numb, and magic surged through my veins like blood.
"Muhaha, hahahahaha Ha!" I cackled to the stars. I froze, fear creeping along my spine.
The transformation had started. I could feel The Nightmare creeping back into my mind. "No! No no no no no no NO!" I screamed, feeling dark magic swarm my body. I fought it, slashing through it like a blade. It would not claim me again!
"Look out bellow!" came a slurred voice.
My head whipped up to the sky just in time to see a package come smashing down on my head. Then everything went dark.
"Oh no oh no oh no! Are you dead? Oh dear! I just don't know what went wrong!"
I fought for consciousness as my eyes drooped. My head hurt like hell and wouldn't stop spinning. Dried tears stuck to my cheeks, letting me know I had been out for a while. I winced as I rubbed my head, but a thrashed, brown package inches away snagged my attention.
"Oh thank Celestia! I'm so so so so so sorry for the whole package-smashing-your-face thing. Carrying all this mail at once is really difficult, and it doesn't help that I have to work so late," came the dopy voice again. My blue eyes shifted over to a gray pegasus with a fuzzy blond mane. One gold eye watched me intently, while the other rolled off in a different direction. A trail of bubbles hugged her flank, while she wore an over-filled satchel and a blue mail mare cap.
"You're Princess Luna, right? I recognize you from the celebration at Ponyville! What'cha doing all the way in Manehattan? Especially tonight," She chattered. I rolled my eyes and turned my back on her. I didn't feel like explaining why I refused to go to the gala, especially to this numbskull of a mare. "Did you lose your gala dress? Was everyone scared of you? Oh!" she gasped,"Are you in trouble with Celestia?!"
Red blinded me. I lashed around and came muzzle to muzzle with the moronic mare. "What am I, a pathetic filly that needs big, powerful Celestia to foalsit me? You're lucky I didn't vaporize you on the spot when you smashed my skull, you idiot!"
Dazed by my outburst, the mare stood frozen. Her face was blank as she tried to comprehend what just happened, but that didn't last long. Lip curling, she bared her teeth in a hateful way, quiet sobs racking her body. A single tear dropped from her lazy eye." I'm not an idiot! I'm not! Why does everyone say that? Why does everyone hate me?"
Her strong reaction surprised me. "I... sorry-" I stopped myself. I was sorry? My memory of what happened moments earlier, before my head was nearly bashed in, buzzed through my mind. Leaping to my hooves, I grabbed the mare by the scruff of her neck with my magic so that she was at eye level with me. "What do I look like!" I yelped. The mare shrunk away from me.
"Y..you look like you did at Ponyville......," she whimpered, dropping her satchel. Envelopes exploded as the leather bag hit the cloud's soft surface.
My mind was racing. No nightmare Moon. I didn't transform this time, but why? What made this time any different then the last? My eyes locked with her good one.
I dropped her back onto the cloud, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The mare sat there sniffling, her hooves desperately trying to collect the letters as they blew away in the wind.
" Make some new friends,"
A frosty figure crouched beside the weeping mare. Their body shapes shared similar, lean muscles.
I shook my head, taking several steps away from the mail mare. Snowdrop's ghost doppelganger looked up at me with pleading eyes.
Funny, I thought, they both have eye disorders.
Snowdrop gave a weak smile, as if I had discovered a secret of hers. Confusion flooded my mind, but something stood out. I had upset this gray mare, and helping her would be the right thing to do. Unsure of what to do, I watched the mare's feeble attempt to marshal the mail, but a sudden gust of wind whipped them far into the sky. She let out a wail and flopped down on her stomach in defeat. Regret pulsed through me. How rude and tyrannic I must seem to this civilian.
An envelope fluttered by my face. I snagged it with a levitation spell before it could flee. I stood there for a long time, staring at this simple letter. Then cautiously, I crept towards the mail mare, hanging my head as I levitated the letter in front of her face. I released it as she gently grasped it between her hooves. I waited in silence for many moments before I turned and spread my wings.
I leaped into the air, my feathers tracing the stars. My targets soared through the clouds. A white paper caught my eye. I curved my wings and dove down towards the town, eyes watering from my speed. Once in range, my levitation spell grabbed the letter and flung it where the gray mare sat above the earth. I didn't want to be thanked. I continued to race around town, eyes narrowed in concentration. In one swoop I had four more pieces of mail in my grip. It was nice to feel the wind in my feathers after so long.
A few hours had passed by the time I caught all the mail. I don't know why, but when I returned to the cloud, the mail mare was still there. After what I had did to her and how long I had been flying, she sat and waited for me to alight upon the cloud. Once I did, I neatly placed the mail into her satchel and placed it over her shoulder. The tears had long since dried from her eyes and she looked ... grateful. I gave a small nod to her and flapped into the air. A hoof caught mine and pulled me back down.
Shocked, I pulled my hoof from her grip, but landed back down. A tiny smile unfurled across her lips. She held out her hoof,"I'm Derpy Hooves," she neighed.
I was taken aback by her introduction. Derpy. That was a name I could remember, though. I took her hoof in mine and gave it a weak shake, "A pleasure to formally make thou acquaintance," I said regally. She laughed.
"So, are we friends now?" she asked abruptly.
The question took me by surprise, but I knew the answer.
"Yes, I guess we are."