Have you ever seen a perfectly still world? One where absolutely nothing is moving, nothing is alive? If you were to look up, you would see nothing but stars. Every one of them in exactly the same place that they were the previous night, and every single night after. As eternal as the cosmos themselves. No wind, no creatures, no sound, only the stars.
This is the goal I strive for every night. Some nights are more successful than others.I may be Princess of the NIght, but I must allow the pegasi to commence a storm of some sorts, if there is not enough time during daylight to allow it. Other aspects beyond anypony’s control may arise, usually in the form of the wildlife, communicating with each other in various parts of the world.
I remember a philosopher who once said that everything in our corporeal world is an imitation of a theoretical, perfect object, which cannot exist on earth. Even a concept as broad as ‘the night’ will fall in the category of imperfect things.
But that doesn’t stop me from trying.
“Tia! I’m leaving!” Celestia was less than pleased with the volume of my voice.
“Yes yes, Luna, go. You needn’t use the royal whee when the rest of us retire.” She slunk off to her bed. Sleepy ponies are always moody ponies.
As I prepared to take off from the balcony overlooking Canterlot, a familiar voice rang in my ear. “Just this one time, your Royal Highness?”
Night after night, she nagged in my head to be allowed to help with the nocturnal preparations. And night after night, I refused her. Tonight was different, in that I was still going to refuse her. Cloudsdale had no weather scheduled around Canterlot that night, there were no events scheduled, and most importantly, it was the Winter Solstice. I was not going to let this slip opportunity for the perfect night go to anyone else.
“I think not. This is going to be the perfect night, I will make sure of that.”
I couldn’t see her, but her silence communicated everything I needed to know. I felt a little regret saying no to her, but the feeling dissipated quickly after I took flight.
Winter is the best time of year to have to perfect night. Not merely from the standpoint of preparations, but from the enjoyment I get. Most ponies shelter themselves from the frigid winter air, especially when the sun is not out to warm them with it’s rays. But they would not sleep as well as the do without knowing what is outside. Still, I enjoy being outdoors. It get’s lonely at times, but the Nightmare has helped recently with her colorful commentary.
I alighted on the edge of a cliff overlooking the city. The night lights were few, all of which were dwarfed by the plethora of stars scattered overhead. Every single one was perfect, constantly shining, never moving.
But I had work to do. I had declared that this was to be the most perfect night, and I will swim through a sea of eels in Tartarus before I would go back on that declaration.
“I am ready. Let us go forth, Nightmare! This opportunity will not slip me by!”
“Words, words, words” she stabbed back. “I want to see it!” With such encouragement, we launch into the night sky and set to work.
Top priority was the sky. Should anypony decide to partake in the night, that would be the first thing they would see. Since clouds no longer obstructed anything, the black sky was a completely naked canvas on which for me to paint.
I used my usual assortment of constellations; Sagittarius, Orion, Cancer, and so on. With a simple direction of the horn, I was dotting the obsidian void with the most perfect of diamonds. During the day, the only decoration would be those monotonous clouds, with the occasional bird or pegasus flying overhead. Aesthetically, this is much more pleasing. Pretty soon though, I ran out of ideas. I didn’t usually have this much free sky to work with. I was a painter with too great a canvas!
“You forgot the dippers, dear.”
I had? I had. Curses! And I still had another hemisphere to complete! “How could I have missed it! OH! I must get this night perfect, and there is yet a whole other sky to complete!!”
“Leave it to me dear. You go ahead and add the bears. I’ll handle the rest.”
She confused me. “Please explain. What could you do?”
“Same thing I did with the armor.” she clarified. “You’re tired, but I can keep going. Don’t worry, I know how you like the stars arranged. It will be perfect.”
I wanted to make absolutely sure that every detail was perfect, and only my touch could ensure that. She was right though, I didn’t have the constitution to make the southern skies with the same passion I had so far. “I would rather finish myself, but even an inexpertly finished night is preferable to unrealized perfection.”
“Oh ye of little faith. I’ve been with you a long time. I’d humbly say I can make this night as well as you would have.”
A boastful claim indeed, but I had more to lose. “Very well, I will add Ursas Major and Minor, then you do what you must.” Adding the two ladles took a considerable amount of time for a dozen stars, but since I would not be doing the rest, I could afford to exert myself just a smidgen more.
Finally, I was finished. All of northern equestria had the most beautiful sky I had ever created. Crisp air, shimmering brooks, singing winds, and of course the jeweled sky. All inviting ponies of all races to enjoy its tranquility. Now it was time to turn over the reigns. “All right. Your turn, Nightmare.”
“You will not be disappointed. Please land before I begin. It will make the transition less hazardous.” I didn’t ask why. My only concern was finishing this night. I did as she suggested, and I felt my eyes grow heavy as I touched down. In an instant though, I felt as fresh as ripened fruit. No fatigue, no ache, or anything of the sort. I tried to move my joints to see if this was real, but nothing happened. I tried to look down, but my eyes too were unresponsive. Before I could react to my loss of control, I had taken off, and was hurtling toward the southern sky. I was terrified at first, unable even to cry out in fear, until I realized I felt no exertion from the flight. I wasn’t in control, but neither was I taxed by it. It just seemed to happen of its own accord. Only then did I realize Nightmare’s intention.
“This is surreal.” I tried to speak aloud, but again, my lips were not my own. I did hear my voice, but not through my ears. My senses were gone, yet they were there.
“This is incredible!” That did come from my lips, but the words were not mine. “I feel the cold on my skin, and I taste the night air! Oh what delights you’ve kept from me!”
She was me, and I was her, as it were. “There is a price to this experience. Remember the night.”
“Of course of course. We are on our way to the southern skies. But the destination is only one part of the journey. Let me at least enjoy the trip.” If she was going to make good on her promise, I suppose she did deserve at least that much.
“So what do I do then?” I had to ask. “Am I just a spectator now?”
“That is all you are at the moment. Feel free to take well deserved rest while I work.”
I’d seen the south enough that the journey she was taking did not interest me too greatly. I only cared to see it once she’d finished her detailing. I slipped into a slumber as my night made itself.
“Wake up. Your night is finished.” I may not have had a body, but the transition from sleep to reality was no less nauseating. I attempted to rub my eyes, but vainly, seeing as I had neither hooves nor eyes at the moment.
When I was finally able to see, after Nightmare had directed my gaze skyward, At first, I didn’t react. It was exactly as I had planned it to be, no more, no less. The stars, each with the appropriate size, hue, and luminosity, were arranged in the same constellations as I had always done, immaculate and unchanged. Once I had been given the chance to observe the entire sky, I ask my eyesight be directed downward, towards the landscape. Again, everything was as I expected, not at all dissimilar to the north I had created. In the south though, it was winter, so the necessary changes were made. Instead of snow, grass grew dotted with dew, and the insects were active, now that the sun was not bearing down on them. It was my night, as it should have been.
As I mulled over the sky, and my own thought, the significance began to grow. It was exactly as I wanted it, as how I would’ve done it. Perfect, flawless, and beautiful. But I didn’t make this. Nightmare did. She did make it as I would have, to the tee. She even reduced the output of certain springs, so that the streams and rivers they feed would make less noise a they flow. She was true to her word.
“Is it to your liking, your Royal Highness?”
It isn’t befitting a princess to be at a loss for words, but I struggled nonetheless. “It’s exactly as I imagined. You did it. You made a perfect night.”
“No,” she corrected me. “I did one half. We made the perfect night.”