//------------------------------// // Mare Vaporum // Story: Lunar Eclipse // by DMDash71 //------------------------------// BOOK I: First Quarter 1,100 years before Twilight Sparkle’s arrival in Ponyville and the Reconcilation. Chapter 1:Mare Vaporum (Sea of Vapors) It all started with the sandwich. Princess Luna, immortal alicorn and co-ruler of the land of Equestria, opened one eye and immediately squeezed it shut again as the unwelcome sunlight of full day struck her gleefully upon the face. We really should get those drapes repaired. She rolled over underneath the coverlet, the smoothness of the material whispering against the cobalt fur that covered her body, and yanked the edge of the blanket up over her head, shutting out the light. Settling herself once more, one hoof tucked up under her chin, she began drifting back towards the sleep that still waited nearby with its welcome embrace. Too early to get up. A low rumbling from her abdomen intruded, and her eye slid open again unwillingly. “Thou hast to be jesting with us.” The words, spoken aloud but muffled by the covers, made her ears twitch. She kicked a hindleg irritably, and the traitorous coverlet slipped down again, unmasking the upper portion of her face and letting in the damnable sunlight again. Uttering a groan, she risked peeking out with one eye again and looked at the softly ticking clock that sat on her bedside table. 12:47. In the afternoon. Thou art seriously jesting with us now. Her mind wandered momentarily, wondering if Discord had something to do with it, but their malevolent cousin had been imprisoned in stone centuries earlier. The memory of her skipped lunch last night came forward, and she sighed in resignation. Usually she was punctual about such things, almost to the point of obsession, but she’d been working on repairing a particularly complicated constellation that had been in disarray, and it had taken her almost the entire night to get it right again. One mis-scheduled supernova, and her night had been shot. The star’s glorious death had been startlingly beautiful, though, and she wondered idly for a moment if anyone had commented on it. She ought to check with the royal vizier when she— The emptiness in her stomach complained again, much louder this time, and she threw her hooves up into the air, sending the coverlet flying. “Fine! I yield to thee! Let us fill thy emptiness so that we may get at least some sleep this day.” She rolled to one side and slid from the bed, her jaws widening in a bone-cracking yawn. Something light and quick, then. She ran a forehoof through her sleep-tousled forelock, idly watching the interplay of the sunlight as it shone through from behind her, the light turning to a deep blue as it passed through the ephemeral material of her mane and formed a dark pool of color on the white sheets. Luna debated on the trouble of making herself at least somewhat presentable, but the thought of combing out her mane and tail was not something she felt like dealing with at the moment. A glance at the rack on the wall that held her tiara and chestplate decided her. We are not going to hold court, just to procure a snack. Even the shoes seemed too much trouble. Besides, she was in her own home, in her own castle, shared with her sister and responsible to nopony else. Was not the edifice itself named The Castle of the Two Sisters? Running through the whole rigmarole of getting dressed just to go eat something and then come back to bed and reversing the entire process was ridiculous. Especially since she would have to repeat it in six hours when she rose to bring on the night after her sister had put the sun away for safekeeping. Thus it had always been for centuries, ever since they had come of age and taken up their duties as custodians of the land of Equestria. Blinking, Luna snapped herself out of her reverie; she had been dozing off again just looking at the light blue crested shoes that hung neatly on their pegs before her. Soonest begun, soonest done. She stretched idly, then shook herself, emitting a reflexive whinny at the pleasant sensation. Turning, she paced over to the door, hearing the soft thump of her bare hooves on the rug. We really did not need those shoes. We should do this more often. Her horn glowed softly as she opened the door and strode out into the hallway, unmindful of the Sun Guards who stood sentinel duty outside her chambers as they snapped to attention. She turned left instead of her usual right, and went down to the end of the hall to a small staircase that led down through the central spire of the main castle tower. Nicknamed “The Servants’ Way” by those who primarily used it, it gave access to several different areas that were less decorative than the Main Hall or the Royal Court, but served functions just as vital. The clicking sound of her hooves followed Luna as she descended the staircase past the castle laundry, the princess nodding to one of the chambermares as she passed with a packload of linen. Another flight down was the break room for the servants, a small place they could call their own and escape from the piercing eye of the royal court for a small space of time and relax. Luna pointedly never looked in on anypony in this particular room; the servants were loyal and worked hard at their jobs, and she felt they deserved their privacy. If they felt the need to vent about anything, they could come here and set down their burdens to those that understood them and could offer comforting advice. Luna could appreciate this; she provided a similar service as part of her nightly duties, albeit it was of a more profound nature than agreeing about what a slavedriver the head butler was. Halfway down the next flight of stairs, the pleasant aroma of fresh baked bread brushed across her nostrils, and Luna took a deep appreciative breath. The kitchens were down here, and her stomach rumbled again in anticipation as she reached the landing and pushed open the door leading to the rear of the bakery. The smell of bread intensified at once, and she stopped in the doorway, closing her eyes, her nostrils flaring as she drew the scent in. “Oh, that is lovely.” “Highness!” Luna opened her eyes to see a straw-colored pony with cooks’ whites and a tall chef’s hat perched precariously atop his head heading toward her. “Bun-Bun! Whatever art thou preparing that smells so delicious?” He laughed at the pet name she always used (and only when nopony else was within earshot) and shook his head. “Milady, tis merely preparations for lunch. The castle stands on strong stone, but I do think it runs on soft bread more often than not, n’est pas?” Bon Appetit arched an eyebrow at her and gave her a curious look. “Mademoiselle is up at an odd hour. Are you quite well, milady?” “We are quite well. We did, however, make an omission last night due to our duties and neglected our evening meal. Hast thou something we make partake of, at least to settle our stomach?” Luna offered him a wan smile. “We really are tired.” Bon offered her a worried expression. “My lady works too hard. You keep doing this, Princess, it’s not at all good for you. Your sister would—” “My sister would lecture both of us until we starved,” Luna stated, cutting him off. Seeing his crestfallen expression, she softened her tone. “We apologize, Master Chef. Our hunger and fatigue has made us unseemly.” “Not at all, Highness.” He offered her a smile and turned away, beckoning. “I’m sure I have something that will hit the spot.” Bon trotted back over to the wooden prep board he had been working at when she had entered. “Just have to finish up here and I’ll get you something tres’ excellent, I promise.” Luna’s ears perked as she followed him over. “What are thou crafting, then?” “Crafting? Hardly, milady.” He chuckled. “Merely a sandwich. “Peanut butter, banana and hay bacon. I could make this in my sleep.” Luna’s muzzle twitched. She was not overly fond of bananas; the fruit left an odd taste in her mouth which often took hours to get rid of, but she was hungry, and she could sleep through the cloying aftertaste. “That would be fine, Bun-Bun. We would not trouble thee for something complex at this hour, anyway.” Her stomach rumbled agreeably, and she reached out for the sandwich. To her surprise, the pony slid it out of reach. “Oh, no, milady! This one is for Princess Celestia. Your sister is holding morning court, and requested a snack to refresh her. Tis’ made to order, you know. Fear not, I’ll have this done in a trice and will see to your needs myself.” He smiled. “Whatever your heart desires, shall be my command.” “Our heart does not hunger,” Luna replied irritably. “Tis our belly that cries out, and we are most tired. Come, give it over, and make our sister another, or have one of your ‘prentices do it. This is a course unseemly for a master chef such as thou.” She reached out for the sandwich again, but the other pony again pulled out of reach. “Princess Luna, please.” Bon Appetit's voice was low. “This was made for your sister, especial, and she is waiting as we speak. Let me finish and serve her, and then anything you want, I will prepare with my own hooves.” One of the serving colts poked his head through the door at the far end of the room, and Bon nodded at him. “Any longer and I risk her wrath.” Luna blinked, staring for a moment, then lowered her forehoof. “Certainly,” she said, her voice suddenly brittle. “Heavens know my sister would part thy head from thy shoulders were her precious lunch delayed.” Bon glanced at her, his ears drooping as he realized the measure of the alicorn’s darkening mood. “Highness, I only meant—” “Stop thy prating and get about thy duty, servant.” Luna’s tone was cold and even. “Our sister awaits. Or is her need less now than it was a moment before?” She flicked a forehoof at him dismissively. “We shall serve ourselves, as it seems best.” The head chef opened his mouth again, then closed it, realizing the futility of the situation. He offered her another confused, worried glance and then picked up the finished sandwich and placed it on a plate which lay ready nearby on a gold-plated tray. There was a pale blue flash from underneath the white toque the pony wore, and the tray levitated up into the air, surrounded by an aura of the same coloration. It jittered slightly, then steadied, floating off toward the door that led toward the main hall where Celestia was waiting, with one troubled unicorn following it. Luna stood, watching Bon through narrowed eyes, unaware of the low gritting sound her teeth were making as they ground together tightly. The soft midnight blue shimmersilk of her tail flicked sharply, and there was a momentary flash from the horn atop her brow. An answering flash briefly lit the tray Bon Appetit was carrying, and then faded away again. It was an ageing spell, a very minor one, something usually used by low level apprentices to help speed up the processing in the wine cellars. Neither Bon nor his assistant appeared to notice, and the two vanished into the room beyond, the heavy wooden door swinging shut behind them. Luna turned, shooing the junior cook that had approached her away with a flick of her forehoof. Her horn flared alight again, levitating one of the long, serrated knives from a nearby rack and slicing off two pieces of the freshly baked bread that lay on the counter. She floated one over to herself, pressing it lightly against her muzzle and inhaling the scent again. Oh, lovely. The ingredients that Bon Appetit had been using were still laid out neatly, and she availed herself of them, applying the peanut butter liberally on both slices of bread. It was the crunchy kind, too, the one that Celestia adored and Luna despised, but she used it anyway. She could have asked one of the servants to fetch the smooth, creamy kind that she liked, but no. No. This sandwich was special, wasn’t it? Oh, so special. The hay bacon went on next, three slices carefully laid out, and she broke off the small ends that poked out over the edges of the bread and munched on them thoughtfully. If you didn’t break them off, the damned things would drop onto your lap or on the floor, and hay bacon was way too tasty to waste like that. Luna’s horn brightened again, and a banana floated out of one of the tubs that hung overhead, settling down before her. A flick of her magic and the annoying yellow peel was gone, the pale whiteness of the raw fruit hanging before her eyes. She levitated a smaller knife into place and sliced the fruit in half, then sectioned it lengthwise, laying the pieces into place carefully. This is rather amusing, she mused absently. We really should prepare our own meals more often. No, that wasn’t quite right, was it? This was just humdrum manual labor. No, the entertainment...the the entertainment was in the anticipation, wasn’t it? That was the spice that made the meal all the sweeter. Bon Appetit might be a master chef, but Luna thought she knew a bit more about spice than the unicorn did right now. Luna laid the knife to one side, and settled the halves of the sandwich together, peering at it closely before nodding. Nice and neat, nothing hanging annoyingly off to one side or threatening to slide off and plop on the floor in an unsightly mess. This was perfect. The soft jingling sound of magic filled the air as her creation lifted up before her, floating in the air, and then held there, poised. There was a muffled exclamation from the other side of the door leading into the chambers where Bon had vanished, followed by the clattering sound of diningware crashing to the floor. A clear cry of horrified disgust floated through the closed wooden portal, followed by several shouts. The young colt who had been assisting the head chef appeared, pushing the door open with his rump as he backed into the kitchen, and Bon Appetit’s voice could be heard for a moment. “...terribly sorry, your highness, I’m sure I checked before—” Luna bit down on the sandwich that floated before her, feeling the delightful crunch of the hay bacon under her teeth, the salty sweetness of the peanut butter on her tongue. The softness of the banana spread over her palate and she closed her eyes, chewing blissfully. This tasted simply divine. She thought she would sleep rather well after this. “Luna, I’m really disappointed in you.” Celestia’s features were as dismayed as Luna had ever seen them. “Did you have make the banana rotten like that? Bon was horrified!” “He should have been. That was our intention.” Luna paced slowly alongside her sister, looking straight ahead and deliberately refusing to make eye contact. “He refused us. A lesson was called for, and we delivered it.” “At my expense as well as his.” The white-coated alicorn shivered involuntarily, her muzzle drawing down into a moue of distaste. “That tasted horrid. I spat the thing out without thinking. On the captain of the guard, no less.” “Stalward Shield?” Luna chuckled softly. “We should have liked to have seen the look on his face. Tell us, sister, is he capable of more than one expression?” “Luna!” Celestia came to a halt, her tone sharpening as she glared down at the smaller alicorn beside her. “You embarrassed all of us, and humiliated Bon Appetit in front of the entire court. What sort of lesson did you intend to impart??” “The fact that we do not like being ignored,” Luna spat. “Not in favor of thou, or anypony else. Thou speakest of the humiliation of a chef, a servant, but what of mine, sister? What of thine own blood?” She jerked her head around to fix her sister in her gaze, the deep cobalt of her forelock swirling about her brow. “We are not accustomed to having our requests dismissed without a thought.” “Luna…” Celestia was slightly taken aback by the heat of her sibling’s glare. “It was just a sandwich. Bon offered me his resignation, and it was all I could do to make him stay. Was it really worth all of that because you had to wait for a few minutes?” “We are immortal. Time is a meaningless thing to us; you know this.” Luna’s forehoof struck at the smooth stonework beneath them, striking up sparks and sending a sharp ringing sound echoing down the corridor they were in. “What we do not like is being made to feel...secondary. Redundant. Useless.” Her voice quavered at this last and she looked away quickly, glancing down at the mark that she had scored into the slate beneath her hooves. Warmth enfolded her as Celestia’s wing draped itself over her body, and she felt the touch of her sister’s muzzle on her ear. “Thou art anything but useless,” the elder alicorn told her in a soft whisper. “Thou art our own blood, and more dear to us than our own life, which we would give to thee, if need be.” The hot flood of tears burned in Luna’s eyes, and she lifted a forehoof to scrub them away angrily, hating herself for feeling weak, but she smiled and uttered a shaky laugh. “We see that thou hast not forgotten how to speak properly, at least,” she said. “Times change,” Celestia said. Her voice was warm, her breath soft against Luna’s cheek. “Words change, but our feelings for you never will, Luna. Thou art our...my sister, and I love you.” A small hint of humor entered her voice. “Even when you come close to making me barf on my advisors.” Luna burst out laughing, the sound dancing around them as they stood alone with each other in the corridor that led to their chambers. “We are sorry, sister. But t’would almost have been worth it to see the looks on their faces.” She scrubbed her face again and looked up at Celestia. “They do dwell on thee; we see it in thy face. Thou art tired all the time from the weight of their ramblings.” “We all have our duties, Luna. I bear mine, just as you do, even if the weight differs.” “Couldst…” The smaller alicorn paused, hesitantly, then went on. “Couldst we help thee? Our night court is paltry compared to thine. We would help carry thy burden.” Celestia shook her head. “I’m afraid the nature of the troubles in the day court would prevent that. Most ponies are just accustomed to the day, I’m afraid.” She began walking again, slowly, and Luna followed, keeping pace beside her. “The day is the time when they’re active, and when all their troubles need resolving.” Luna paced beside her, matching her step for step in silence for a moment. “Perhaps. But as thou said, sister. Times change.”