The Ponyville Park was teeming with life this time of year. Trees gained their fresh, green leaves and bushes sprouted berries and small delicate flowers. A few butterflies in pleasant pastel shades flitted to and fro while birds chirped and transferred from tree to tree in quick short flights.
Luna sat on one of the benches in the park. It was next to the path but despite the wonderful day, little to no-one strolled upon by. The only pony the princess had seen while sitting there was a cheery, slate grey pony bouncing along with a mailbag on her shoulder, she had waved but not come over to where Luna sat.
She guessed that the ponies did not walk the path because of her. Even after the progress she thought she and Twilight Sparkle had made getting ponies used to the new princess, it seemed the residents of Equestria still were afraid of her.
Luna let out a small sigh and stood from the bench. There was no reason to stay and stop evrypony else from enjoying the nice weather in the park. She clopped slowly down the path back to her carriage at the park entrance. Even though she had come to Ponyville with the sole purpose of seeing Twilight, she had become nervous and stopped by the park. She did not want to stay outside the library and arouse suspicion.
Only when the carriage had nearly arrived at Ponyville had she realised she had no clue what to actually say to Twilight. It had been a little while since she last even spoke to her sister’s student and that had only been a greeting at some sort of social event that neither had wished to attend. She had chosen to speak to Twilight due to how she had handled Nightmare Night and the effect on the natives she had made but she hadn’t exactly wondered how it would turn out.
Once she had got here, Luna had panicked. She was unsure of Twilight’s reaction or if she would even try to help. Maybe she was too busy, or did not want to.
Luna drew herself up to stand straight. No, she thought. She had been lonely for too long and now an opportunity to reprimand that had come along and she was too cowardly to do anything about it. The co-ruler of Equestria should be anything but cowardly.
With purpose in her clopping she went through the gates.
“Please, gentlecolts.” Luna said as her guards moved from beside the royal carriage to follow and assist her. “We... I shall not be requiring assistance. In fact.”
Luna quickly thought about what she would do and made some improvised plans.
“I would like you to return to the palace, I shall be awhile and would not like to keep you waiting. I shall either find lodging for the night or return before sunset.” She figured she might as well make a trip of it while she was here. The ponies here, she remembered, were far more pleasant than the business ponies and aristocrats from the Canterlot elite. The only normal, non-stuck up ponies she ever talked to were always the performers that occasionally entertained at an event.
Luna smiled fondly at the previous year when a rather inebriated pony with shocking blue hair and goggles had stumbled onto the stage shouting into the mic for an octopus until she was led away by one of the musicians.
“Are you sure milady?” One of the guards said. He had a deep brown coat and a deep voice. Thunder Hoof was his name and he had been with her ever since returning to the palace after her time on the moon. He stood now, unsure of whether to follow or not, looking at her with warm and concerned stormy grey eyes.
“I’m sure, thank you for your admirable service.”
Luna thanked them and trotted around the carriage onto the road to Ponyville centre. She was sure somepony would be able to direct her to the library.
*
Luna was in a considerably less good mood than the previous one she had had. She hadn’t spoken to a single pony around town. They found excuses and quickly left as she approached, the only pony who hadn’t fled was a pink pony with wild hair that matched who had been too busy making adjustments to some sort of cannon that Luna hadn’t dared interfere.
The weather was making a rather large turn for the worse. Despite the beautiful morning and midday, large black storm clouds had settled and wind had been steadily increasing for the past hour.
The youngest princess was now in a small café. Bright décor made it cheerful but the weather, her failed search and the ponies’ reaction had made her miserable. She was invisible mostly, the only other customers had been skittish when she entered but now sat as if she had never entered in the first place. Luna wondered which was worse, to be feared or ignored. A melancholy paper drew her attention to a paper on the table she was at.
7 PONIES MSSING. NO NEW LEADS.
Luna frowned. Missing ponies concerned her greatly, as much as the citizens adored Celestia and not her, Luna cared just as much for them as she did.
Sheriff Braeburn told us here at Equestria Daily that ever since the first pony disappeared over 5 years ago and the 6 since, no leads has ever led to discovering the cause of these terrifying and puzzling occurrences. The seemingly random disappearances have been spread out all the way across Ponyville with no discernable pattern. No evidence of a struggle at any of the sites of last sightings have been found nor has any pony seen nor heard any disturbances. “It baffles my mind” The sheriff said “ 7 healthy, happy ponies just-“
“Um, excuse me?,” Luna looked up to find an azure blue pony with whipped pink hair looking at her skittishly, with eyes that flicked around. She wore a frilly apron around her front and had two small pink earrings in each ear. “Can I… Can I help you?”
She said it as though she were terrified of the answer. She trembled ever so slightly. Luna inwardly facehoofed. The ponies were so cripplingly nervous around her it was untrue sometimes. She took the opportunity to find Twilight’s location however.
“Yes, you may.” She cleared her throat in a small cough, “I am looking for Twilight Sparkle, I’m not sure if you know of her. She resides in the ponyville library if you could give me directions to that instead.” Luna said “and whatever you would recommend from your menu for two”
The waitress fluttered. “Oh…Sure, I know Twilight.” She looked up for a moment and fell silent “If you head directly away from this store and then take a right at the end of the road, at the end of that road take a left and when walking down that street the library is visible from a street on your right”
She then bustled away from the table quickly, her cream pink mane jostling across her back. She dashed into a swinging door that presumably led into the kitchen part of the bakery. Luna sat sill until she returned. Was it possible she had been so close and not realized? The waitress returned back from the kitchens with a brown paper bag. She placed it on the table with a trembling jaw and backed away once again.
“My thanks, I uh…” Luna realized she didn’t have any bits on her. It must have shown on her face as the baker jumped in.
“On the house… princess”
“I shall return with payment” Luna resolved “Do not fret, a great thanks for the directions too, I fear that I may have been forever lost in these streets otherwise” She stood.
The pony’s mouth stretched into what could have been a smile, albeit a possibly forced and nervous one. Luna picked up the bag and clopped gently over to the door. She peered outside the window, it looked as if a few specks of rain were beginning to fall and a piece of trash was getting violently blown about.
Luna opened the door with and placed a hoof inside, remembering to appear social she waved to the waitress who stood watching her with an unusual expression. Luna stepped outside and immediately felt the wind push her to the side, her normally flowing mane held straight and rigid to her side, pointing with the winds direction. Better hurry up and get to Twilight’s, she thought looking up at the twisting clouds overhead, I wouldn’t wish to be outside when the storm really hits.
She cantered off down the street.
*
Mrs Cake let out a sigh and turned to the other two customers in the café, they had been watching out of the corner of their eyes the whole time the dark princess had been there.
“I do hope she isn’t going to eat Twilight” One of them said taking a bite of his cake.