//------------------------------// // Prelude - Letter (Rewrite) // Story: Stargazers // by Astarea //------------------------------// Stargazers Prelude - Letter Summer had come. Ponies all over Equestria joyfully went outside to frolic and play in the sunlight that gently warmed their coats and hearts. Truly, wherever you wished to look, you would stumble upon families, friends and acquaintances spreading the magic of Harmony. In Canterlot, the shining pearl of Equestrian society, this manifested itself as increased hoof traffic outside and many nobles were mixing with the more common populace of the town with a tiny bit of disdain. Yet even their perceived slights did nothing to lower the joyous merriment that befell the seat of the Royal Pony Sisters. However, there was one pony, who unlike her fellow ponies, did not enjoy the beautiful day outside. She did not do so because of two reasons: she did not wish to alienate herself accidentally by committing a social faux pas, which was also tied to the second reason. The mare promised her sister that she would study the books provided by the Royal Archives in order to acquaint herself with the modern equish society. Nevertheless, Princess Luna was bored out of her mind. It had been just a few short months since she came back from her thousand-year banishment in the moon. Compared to the mindless task before her, the banishment was not so bad in terms of activity. Sadly, the company she was in had been poor and there was absolutely nothing to do. Therefore, Luna planned. She pondered. She invented. It was a whir of intellectual activity, where unveiling the future with thought had been the one thing keeping her sane. Well, that and the thought of coming back to her beloved sister, Tia. Celestia was overjoyed when her biggest wish was fulfilled and her student – accompanied by her friends – brought back her sister. Together, the group of ponies did what Celestia had failed to do, and banished the Nightmare from Luna’s mind. It was later that day that both alicorns broke down, crying tears of happiness of finally having back the one pony that could truly understand the unique position of an immortal. Yet Luna had noticed many changes in her sister. She no longer had that authoritarian aura around her that inspired thousands to fall for her. No, it was replaced by a constant feeling of motherly love. Truly, Celestia became very overprotective of her child, Equestria. That over-protectiveness bothered Luna currently. Despite her protests of being able to get back into the swing of ruling an entire nation, Luna was denied any duties by Celestia - who quoted that she could take care of Equestria on her own for some time - more as a reason to keep her little sister from returning to the throne. She did return to Luna her title, however, that of The Princess of the Moon. It was completely and utterly unbelievable to the Moon Princess. Yes, she might have looked at that moment as a foal, but her powers would slowly return over time. It might have set off the nobles, if a foal were to take the throne. Yet it was Luna who set up more than half of the laws, which were still governing Equestria. She did not spend uncountable years bickering with sycophantic nobles to consolidate and centralize Equestria’s government, just to be pushed aside! The books that she had read so far indicated the past thousand years were a time of peace. Acquiescing to her sister’s wishes, Luna studied the changes that had swept over Equestria. Moreover, if the younger sister was to be truthful, she was not impressed with the achievements of the pony race during her absence. During the early days, there was talk of rebellion, pushed by the power-hungry and always discontented nobles. When Celestia got over the pain of losing her sister, she quickly rooted out the malcontents and Equestria was peaceful once again. Clearly, Celestia was not as subtle as she believed herself to be. The same happened when the gryphon nation attacked. They sent their armies, parading ranks near the borders of Equestria after raiding several of the nearby villages, waiting for what they thought would be an easy hunt for pray in the form of the Equestrian army. Celestia did not bother to send any soldiers. She used her control over the sun to demonstrate her power and scared away all of the gryphons. After that, there were no significant threats to Equestria. The remaining time spent in peace meant that progress had stalled. Luna knew that war lead to the discovery of new technologies and spells. Yet, here she was, looking at a very slight improvement in technology and, if such a thing was possible, deterioration in spell casting. With the exception of the lavender unicorn who freed her and the captain of Celestia’s guard (whom she later learned was related to the lavender mare), there were truly no awe-inspiring mages. Even the much-coveted position of Archmage of Canterlot fell into the hooves of a bumbling buffoon, whose power could be contained in a teaspoon! Like everything stagnant, Equestrians became content and lazy in their peaceful and easy life. The true wonders of the magic of ages long past became just a myth or legend. It was annoying as Luna considered herself a patron of arts and sciences. She decided there and then that she would stir up the hive and bring back the glory of ancient magic. Luna shut the dusty tome, putting it away on a stack near her desk. She gazed upon the piles of books she had yet to read. It had not diminished since she began her study months before. She could swear Celestia snuck in when Luna was asleep and put more and more books onto the pile. The urge to get out and do something was unbearable now. The sounds of the busy city, floating from beyond her window and beyond the wall of the palace were too distracting. Finally, Luna decided. She would go to see her sister. Perhaps Tia would humor her this time and they could spend a nice, quiet evening together, just like in times long past. The blue alicorn got up and stretched to remove the strain of sitting too long in one position. She walked to the double doors to the study, gave one last look at the dusty room and with a frown on her muzzle, closed the doors. It was time to hunt down a sister. Luna walked around the castle, still unused to the size and opulence of this new home. The Everfree Castle had been smaller, more defensive and not so… shiny. She really needed to talk to Celestia about adding some more blue and black to the design. She passed many guards and uncountable doors on her way to the main floor of the palace. Many of the guards still gawked at her presence but they quickly schooled their faces into the customary dull expressions that were expected – at least once they saw her looking. She giggled at a guard whose eyes literally bulged out at the sight of her. Luck seemed to be at her side as the next door opened and from within, the regal co-ruler of Equestria stepped out. She was levitating a scroll in her golden magic, smiling gently at the words contained within. Was it truly good news, to set off her sister like that? Luna remembered Celestia’s hate for paperwork. “Tia!” – Luna enthusiastically exclaimed. – “I had enough of that dusty room. Would you mind spending some time with me?” – She added. – “And what’s the great news, to have you beaming at parchment like that?” Celestia looked momentarily startled at being addressed so suddenly. Once she realized that the voice belonged to her beloved sister, she smiled affectionately. “Oh good evening Lulu.” – Celestia said, gently nuzzling her younger sister. – “I will always find time for you, even at the cost of my own free time. I owe you that and much more. As for this, it is not a document per se… it is a friendship report from my student. Would you care to join me for a walk?’ – She finished, setting a leisurely pace, which Luna - not being back to her usual height – was grateful for. The two sisters walked side by side through the palace’s long corridors, the younger still taking in as many sights as she could in order to better know her new home, while the elder penned a response to the letter she received from her student. When Celestia looked like she completed writing and sent the letter in a green wisp of smoke, Luna decided to break the silence. “Your student, the lavender unicorn? The one that lead the element bearers to combat the Nightmare? I must take some time in the future to express my thanks. I am truly grateful for what she had done for me.” – She said. – “Yet I can’t get over the feeling that I somehow know her. She reminds me of somepony from long, long ago…” Celestia smiled internally. She had also noticed the similarities between her student and the pony Luna mentioned. She decided to give her sister more information. “If I were to take a guess, I would say that she reminds you of Clover. I am not surprised you noticed the similarities. After all, you and Clover were inseparable as friends. Let me tell you that these mares do not only share the coat and mane colors. Here, take her letter and tell me: What do you think?’ – Celestia explained, handing the letter into Luna’s magic. The younger sister lowered the letter to her eyesight, giving it a quick but thorough read. Her eyes widened with each word as she progressed down the scroll. Once she finished reading, she gaped for a short while, before realizing what she was doing and handed over the letter back to her sister. “It is… almost eerie how similar their thought processes are. This letter is verbatim to how Clover would write it. If I did not test most of the laws of magic myself, I would say that your student was a reincarnation of Clover. But that is impossible…” – Luna trailed off, lost in thought. The alicorn sisters were outside in the gardens now, walking through the statue section, slowly approaching an aged and slightly cracked statue of a peculiar draconequus. “Twilight is her descendant, as far as I am aware. You know from your studies that magic has a certain habit of doing the impossible…” – Celestia trailed off, sighing wearily at the sight of Discord. It pained her every time, as it brought back so many mixed memories. Luna noticed the sudden drop in her sister’s mood and decided to change the topic tactfully to something safer. “This letter… It implies that it is one amongst many others. Is there perhaps a way that I could gain access and read through the rest of the correspondence? Or do you consider it private?” – The younger sister asked. Celestia was thankful for the distraction. The idea of letting her sister benefit from her student’s studies had merit. It would certainly stop Luna from brooding so much. “Perhaps.” She answered aloud. – “They are not too private and would serve as a nice distraction from the tomes you need to read. In addition, I have to think that you would benefit from a fellow scholar’s observations. There would have to be one promise though.” “Anything sis! Well, at least within reason. I have a good memory and I still remember our banana split bet. It was messy and my ribs will never heal from the laughter we indulged ourselves in back then.” – Both sisters chuckled at this. “These letters are very precious to me. I would ask you to be very careful in their handling. I plan on hanging them on the walls in my rooms, once my student graduates.” Luna thought for a second, looking at their surroundings. They were on a small hill in the gardens proper with a single tree standing vigil over a small pond next to it. “Of course I will! You can count on me, Tia.” “Excellent. If it is not too much to ask… would you be willing to raise the moon tonight?” – Celestia asked gently, judging her sister’s reactions. Luna lowered her head in shame and the elder alicorn could swear she saw the glimmer of a tear. However, her sister, as expressive as she was, considered herself too strong to show weakness like that. Even to her own sister. It was this, which Celestia believed, led to her becoming so distant with her younger sister. “I… I am sorry, sis. I… am not ready for that yet.” – Luna choked out, trying to sound neutral, but failing. – “Could… Could you please wait for me a little longer?” – She asked, a tear finally appearing in her eye. Celestia pulled Luna into a tight embrace, using her wings to form a protective cocoon around her sister in her fragile moment. She knew she could not rush Luna into this. Wounds take time to heal, after all. “Of course, Lulu. As much time as you need. I will be there and wait for you. Always and forever.” Luna tightened the embrace as the floodgates opened and she let her tears flow freely. “I know you will.” – She whispered softly.