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You stand at attention once more, as Luna finishes up with another batch of cases, brought before her for today’s assembly. Her rulings were much the same, in terms of fairness, but she thought on them for a bit longer. Perhaps she was trying your advice. Or maybe the cases were just harder to decide. You only rarely paid attention, since they were more often than not incredibly dull events. Today’s assembly was different, though.
“Knight, I require your assistance.” Luna’s voice was commanding, but not unkind. You took a few steps forward, and looked to Luna. “I wish your opinion on this matter.” You nod, and Luna looks back at the ponies before her. “Tell Knight of your situation, and hear what he has to say.”
You gesture to the pony on the right, and he begins.
“Well, your advisorship, I had ventured beyond the walls of Canterlot, hoping to found a farm. I had picked out a promising plot of land, and I had begun to stake my claim formally, when this pony came along, and demanded that I get off of his land.”
The other pony jumps in at this point. “You’ve got that right! That was my land!” You raise a hoof, and they both stop, and look at you.
“One at a time, please. Once he finishes his side, I’ll hear yours.”
They both lay out their sides of the story, and it turns out that the first one, Early Autumn, had the legal claim to the land, as he did do things as was written in the law. However, the other pony, Rainy Summer, did have a better claim to the land, as he had been developing it for a few days, prior to the arrival of the other pony. There was a clear cut answer to the problem in the eyes of the law, but you didn’t want to take that route. You opted to try for a compromise.
“Early Autumn, you have the legal backing to claim the land. However, Rainy Summer has been developing the land for a few days now. I want this to end well for both of you, so I am willing to broker a compromise.” They both look at you with hope in their eyes. “Early, would you be willing to share the land with Rainy, and form a partnership? It would ultimately benefit both of you, and you would even be able to keep all of the land. I won’t meddle in the legal aspects of your partnership, I just suggest it as a means of alleviating the issue.”
They both think for a moment, and then turn to each other. They immediately dive into a business discussion, and before long they turn back to face you. Early speaks up, and Rainy nods in time. “We’ve decided to take you up on that suggestion. It’d be beneficial for both of us, and we’d be getting much more land than if we were going at it separately. Thank you, your advisorship.”
You give a small bow, and take a step back. A couple stewards approach the two farmers, and in a matter of minutes they are escorted out, leaving you and Luna alone. You let out a large sigh, momentarily forgetting where you are. It is only when you hear a throat being cleared that you realize that you are still with Luna.
You turn to face her, and she has a smile on her face. “Is that what you were talking about yesterday?”
“Yes, Princess. Early was on the side of the law, and so I could’ve simply ruled in his favor. Instead, I looked at the situation from a different perspective. Rather than follow the letter of the law, demanding a legal claim be filed, I looked at it in the sense that physical development should be constructed, in order to file for a claim to the land.”
Luna nods, and the two of you begin the walk to her quarters. Much like yesterday you look through windows, taking in the beauty of the castle. Nothing has changed in the layout, so it takes the same amount of time as yesterday. You find yourself, once again, entering Luna’s quarters. She heads over to her bookshelves, and you decide to pick a new object to examine. Your search is rewarded with a marble bust of a dragon.
You lose yourself in the small swirls of the stone, and before long you hear the sound of an opening door. Habits die hard, and you immediately snap to attention, looking first to the main door, and then the balcony. You see Luna take flight from the balcony, and you move to a position from which you can watch.
Once again, Luna manages to leave you awestruck as she creates the night sky. Massive blooms of darkness spring up across the sky, and then spread like vines. Soon the whole sky is the deep blue of night. A single star illuminates the night sky, and you watch it closely. Without warning, it zips across the night sky, leaving stars in its wake. You lose track of the first star moments after its trip started, but you watched as the sky was bathed in the tiny pinpricks of light.
Just like the night before the Moon was the last part of the sky to be added. Ponderously, it began its long trip across the night sky, and once more you find the entire event to be riveting. You manage to regain your composure as Luna enters the room, and you move over to her.
“Magnificently done, Princess. Another beautiful night sky.” She gives a small smile at your praise, and you struggle to keep yourself from blushing.
“Thank you, Knight. Now then, I’d like to ask you some more questions, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, Princess.” You take a seat in the same chair as before, and Luna grabs a quill, and a new sheet of parchment.
“Now then. That compromise that you proposed back at the assembly. What made you think to do that, rather than apply the law?”
You think for a moment, and then you realize your reasoning. “Well, Princess, I knew that both of them thought that they were right. They both had good reasons, and they both seemed like reasonable ponies, so I knew that ruling in favor of one, over the other, would only make things worse in the end. A middle ground was the best bet for creating a lasting peace.
“I was inspired by my sister, mostly. When I deal with her I know that there are times when the rules need to be bent, in order to make life better. Blindly applying the rules is what leads to dissent amongst the people. They may be able to understand the rules on paper, but nothing is ever so simple in practice.”
Luna writes quickly on her parchment, and then she looks up, a curious look on her face. “Knight, we’ve known each other for how long?”
“Ten years. Give or take a couple of months.”
“And yet you never talk about yourself. I knew you had a sibling, but I didn’t know anything about them. Now I know that she is a mare. How old? Where does she go to school? Please, tell me what you’d like to share.”
Well, this is an interesting topic. “Well, Princess, she’s only eleven, and she goes to Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.” You pause for a moment, but Luna jumps in.
“She’s a unicorn? But you’re a pegasus.”
“Well, our parents were a unicorn, and a pegasus. Our father was a unicorn, and our mother was a pegasus. I’ve sometimes wondered what I’d be like if I’d taken after dad, instead of mom, but I’m happy with my life.”
“Was?” Luna looks confused, and a small frown finds its way to your face.
“Yes, was. They died just a few years after my sister was born. I’d rather not get into too much detail about that, though.” Luna nods, and motions for you to continue. “Anyway, my sister is a real pain at times. She’s always eager to show off what she’s learning, and at times I am really happy for her. Other times, though, I wish that she had somepony else to show. I suppose that she’s not really a pain, it’s just that I wish she had more friends. She never hangs out with anypony. She just comes home, and then studies.
“I’m always encouraging her to make new friends, but she just brushes it off with some excuse about being too busy with schoolwork.”
“Well, from what I can see, she’s learning it from you.” You look at Luna, and she gives you a smile. “Please, Knight, tell me when you last took a day off. Or the last time you did anything really enjoyable.”
You are eager to prove her wrong, but you come up with nothing. You can’t even remember the last time you took a day off. You try to think of some friends from outside of work, but there aren’t any. “Wow. I had no idea I spent this much time here. But it’s only right.” You jump right back into the role of the loyal guard. “I need to keep you safe, Princess. I’ve been guarding you for ten years, and I intend to continue till I die, or you dismiss me.”
Luna laughs at your change in attitude. It’s a musical sound, and you involuntarily smile at the sound. “Please, Knight. I have almost a hundred other guards who can protect me. Tomorrow I want you to take the day off. It’s Saturday too, so you will be able to spend the day with your sister. Then, on Sunday, you can come back, and resume your duties.” Her smile never wavers while she talks, and it puts you at ease.
“I suppose I can do that, Princess.”
“Excellent. Now, on to my next question.” She pulls out a new sheet of parchment, and she readies herself to write. “What is the best approach to encouraging more spreading out? Canterlot is a safe haven for the ponies under our rule, but we must spread out, lest we risk over-crowding.”
You answer her questions, as the night progresses, and most of them are fairly straightforward. There aren’t any other questions pertaining to you, but Luna does occasionally comment on your answers. Before long it is two in the morning, the official end time for your shift. You stifle a yawn, and stand up out of the seat. Luna stands as well, and walks with you to the door.
“Have a nice night, Knight.” She lets out a small chuckle. “And remember, tomorrow is your day off. Be sure to enjoy it, won’t you?”
You decide to have a small bit of fun, and you reply, “By your command, m’lady.” Your tone, and expression show your joking manner, and Luna chuckles once more.
The trip home is silent, as you expect. You arrive home, and find Moonbeam sitting at the dining room table, head lying on her book. You gently lift her up, and begin the walk to her room. You deposit her as gently as you can, but she still wakes up.
“Hey, bro. What took you so long?” She’s incredibly sleepy, so you just give her a quick kiss on the forehead, and then you tuck her in.
“Nothing much, Moonbeam. Luna gave me the day off tomorrow, so I’ll be spending the day with you. But you need to go to sleep, now, since we’ll be busy tomorrow.”
She sits up a bit, as you give her the news. “You’ve got tomorrow off? You’ve never had a day off before.”
“Well, Luna decided that I’d spent far too much time without a break, so now I’m having one. Now, go to sleep.” She snuggles under the covers, and gives a big yawn.
“G’night, Knight”
She drifts off to sleep, and you slowly stand, and leave the room. You gently shut the door, and head to the kitchen. Without the pressure of work in the morning, you find yourself at a loss. You clean up Moonbeam’s books, and then blow out the few candles she was using to study. With the room plunged into darkness you wait until your eyes adapt to the absence of illumination, before continuing.
You enter your own room, before you stop. You exit your room, and head down the hall to your parents room. You only come in here once a week, and every time you do come in it looks the same as it always has. Seven years they’ve been dead, and you still can’t believe it.
There were only a few things in the room that you ever touched, and one of them was a family portrait. It showed signs of its age, but you didn’t care. You were holding Moonbeam while your father stood behind you, and your mother was right next to you. Their smiles always brought a sad smile to your face.
“Don’t worry, dad. I’ll make sure that Moonbeam grows up to be a strong mare. I won’t let her down, and I won’t let you down either.” You can still remember your father’s chat with you. It amazed you that he had that talk with you, and then just a few days later he died. It was in this very room too. You slowly turn, and you feel like you can almost hear his voice.
“Knight, I want you to take care of your sister when we’re not home. Your mother and I have no intention of leaving, but if something does happen I want you to promise me that you’ll make sure she grows up right.”
“Yeah, dad. I promise I’ll make sure she grows up big and strong.”
He chuckled at your response. “I don’t mean physically strong, I mean emotionally strong. She’s different than you are, Knight. From the day you were born you had a fierce loyalty to whoever won your heart, and you treated everypony else like they were a threat. She’s different, though. You can see it in the way she acts. She’s too quick to trust, and make friends. I don’t want to stifle that, but at the same time I don’t want it to hurt her. Suppose that somepony takes advantage of that?”
Now, you see that you have failed your father in that last aspect. Moonbeam’s tendency to trust, and make friends with ease, had been squashed slightly. You were always so busy with work that she had no real role model to base her life off of. Instead, she emulated you, and did what you did.
I need to be a better role model for her. I’m turning her into a friendless pony. I’m a friendless pony. The revelation shook you, and you just stood still for a moment. With a sigh you put the picture down, and returned to your own room.
You got ready for bed, and then you finally laid down on the bed.
Tomorrow I will start anew with Moonbeam. I need to show her that there is more to life than just books, and school. She needs to make some friends, or else she’ll spend all her time studying.
You curl up under your blankets, and you slowly drift off to sleep. Before you make it, though, you hear your door being pushed open a bit. Years of training caused you to sit upright, and you looked to the door, ready for anything.
You watch as Moonbeam comes into the room, and she climbs up into your bed. You scoot over some, and she puts her pillow down next to yours, and she quickly falls asleep again. You can’t help but smile at the absurd levels of cuteness.
You lie down again, careful not to disturb her. This has happened before, but not for a few weeks. You mentally shrug, and write it off as being nothing out of the ordinary.
Soon enough you feel the grasp of sleep, and you drift off to sleep. Your rest is not dreamless this time, but is instead filled with half remembered events.
(Another chapter down. Enjoy, and be sure to rate and comment.)