//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: A Thousand Years // Story: Muffins for Luna // by Feenkatze //------------------------------// Luna stood on her balcony, looking down at the crowd of ponies gathered in the Canterlot Gardens. It was the elite of the city, wearing their best dresses and drinking only the finest beverages out of crystal glasses. The sounds of talk and laughter and music echoed through the night. The party seemed to be quite lively. Luna was happy for her niece, she really was. Back in the day, it would have been unthinkable for a pony of Princess Cadence’s status to marry a commoner, captain of the Royal Guard or not. But Luna understood that things had changed. During the past thousand years, the world had turned without her. Looking up at the night sky, Luna let out a sigh. It seemed to be the only thing that hadn’t changed while she was gone; the stars remained exactly where she’d put them, in the constellations that she had once created. Luna remembered how she’d spent months on some of them to get them just right. Those had been happier times, before everything had gone wrong. Before she’d become Nightmare Moon. Right in the middle of the firmament sat the Moon, flooding Equestria with its silvery light. Luna shivered. A thousand years she had spent up there, imprisoned in its very heart. She didn’t recall much of it; for her, it had been but a long, long night’s dream. However, every time she raised it in the evening, and every time she set it again in the morning, its touch reminded her of the cold loneliness of her exile. Luna looked back at the party. She didn’t feel like going there, celebrating with ponies she didn’t know, but she had to, for Cadence’s sake. After she hadn't had the chance to see her grow up, the least she could do now was be with her niece on the evening of her wedding. Centering herself, Luna took off. Slow piano music reached her ear, and as she came closer, she spotted the newly-wed couple on the dance floor. Luna didn’t want to interrupt them, so she searched the crowd for her sister, finding her surrounded by six ponies she recognized as Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Luna flew to join them, gently touching down next to Celestia. “Hello, everypony. Did I miss anything?” “You were what!?” Luna gasped. She and her sister stood a bit apart from the crowd so they could talk in private, and Celestia had just told her about the events of the past day. “You have heard right, Luna: the Changeling Queen collected so much power that even I could not stop her anymore. I fear that, if it hadn’t been for Shining Armor and Cadence, well … I don’t want to think about what would have happened.” Luna hesitated for a moment, but then stepped up to her sister and hugged her. Her intention was to comfort Celestia, but she realized then that, in her shock, she herself was the one who needed comforting. “How is that possible?” “It’s the power of love, Luna – stolen love, but love nonetheless. I’m afraid that it’s one of the few things that not even I am able to stand up against.” “Had I been there … had I known what was happening, perhaps we could have stood a chance together.” “It is certainly too late to find out. Though, judging by the sheer power of the Queen, I doubt that the outcome would have been any different.” Luna swallowed. She hadn’t been there when Celestia had needed her. Just as she hadn’t been there for her for a thousand years. “I’m sorry.” “I don’t blame you, Luna. You’ve guarded Canterlot all night, so you could not be expected to be awake. In fact, to keep us distracted was all part of the Queen’s plan.” She gently pushed Luna back. “Anyway, now you know. I’d like to leave and get some sleep, if you don’t mind. It has been a trying day.” Luna didn’t hold her back. Part of her wanted to, but she wasn’t that selfish. She looked around. Cadence and Shining Armor were still dancing. She was able to spot Twilight Sparkle and her friends among the guests, but they were engaged in their own conversations. She should be celebrating with these ponies, celebrating the wedding, and the victory over the changelings. But Luna didn’t know how. She just stood there, an outsider, silently watching. The Changeling invasion wasn’t only a catastrophe in itself, the aftermath also turned all levels of administration into pure chaos, starting with the damages done to public property and ending with representatives of other countries who had to be welcomed so that they could assure their empathy in well-polished speeches. It wasn’t until Sunday afternoon that, finally, the last stack of paper had disappeared from Luna’s desk, the last petition had been rejected, and the last bill had been paid. Luna got up from her desk, letting out an undefined noise. She didn’t know how to make it through another week. It wasn’t the first time she dealt with a crisis like this, but she felt like it was the worst she’d experienced yet. She considered going straight to bed, but her nights weren’t any less busy than her days. After the horror of the attack, the dreams of many ponies were haunted by Changelings, and as Princess of the Night, it was her duty to look after them. It certainly didn’t help that, whenever she didn’t face other ponies’ nightmares, her own were catching up on her. She needed to get out of here, Luna decided, away from the bookshelves, the heavy bureaus, and the painted windows. Leaving the room over the balcony, she looked at Canterlot. The Sun was standing low; it touched the white buildings with a light so bright that she had to blink. Luna took off into the air. Usually she would have searched for a spot somewhere in the mountains, where she could be alone, but she was too tired to fly all the way up there. So instead she headed for the city. Canterlot still didn’t feel like home to Luna, even though she’d been living here for over a year now. Taken by sudden melancholy she thought back to the old castle, the one which she and her sister had built together so many millennia ago. It was lying in ruins now, forever lost in the Everfree Forest – destroyed by none other than Luna herself. Landing in a small street near the center of the city, Luna tried her best to ignore the stares she earned. Some ponies bowed before her or ducked their heads, while others hid behind corners or hurried to get away. In a window she saw a little filly looking at her with big eyes, only to be pulled back by her mother. Had she known a spell to turn invisible, Luna would have used it. She thought about getting back to the castle when she suddenly felt something impact her rump. Spinning around, Luna found herself face to face with a pegasus mare who was sitting on the sidewalk and rubbing her nose. “Oops,” the stranger said. “My bad, sorry. Didn’t look where I was going. Are you okay?” “I’m fine. It’s fine.” The mare’s gaze was irritating, probably because of the way her eyes were pointing at different angles; while one eye was looking towards Luna, the other one was completely off, wandering around. Luna wondered if she really saw two things at the same time. The pony got back onto her hooves and her face lit up in a smile as her second eye joined the first one in looking at Luna. “Hi, Luna!” “Why, hello, Miss …?” “Derpy Hooves, from Ponyville. We met on Nightmare Night, remember?” Luna thought for a moment. “I think I do – you were the pony with the paper bag costume, if I recall correctly?” “That’s me! And you even got the costume right. Everypony else was asking what it was supposed to be.” If possible, Derpy’s smile became even brighter. Luna couldn’t help but smirk at that, her somber mood forgotten for the moment. “I’m sorry I bumped into you like that,” Derpy repeated. “Can I make it up to you? Like, treat you to a muffin?” “You don’t need to, there’s no harm done.” “Alright. But we could have a muffin anyway. I like you. And I like muffins.” Luna felt heat rising into her cheeks. She didn’t even know how to respond to that. What did that pony want from her? Derpy looked at her patiently, still smiling, and despite her irritation Luna couldn’t help but smile back. The lightheartedness of the other mare was infectious, and maybe this was exactly the distraction she needed right now. “Thank you, Miss. I think I would like a muffin.” “Yay!” Derpy spun around her own axis once, then headed down the street. “You coming? There’s this small bakery at Prance Square where I thought we could go. I mean, for the best muffins you have to visit Sugarcube Corner in Ponyville, but this is usually my place to go to whenever I’m here in Canterlot.” “Of course, let us go there.” If she was honest, Luna didn’t even know where Prance Square was – she’d rarely ever been to the city. Derpy turned her head to look at her. “So, how –” “Watch out!” Just in time, Derpy dodged the lantern pole that she’d almost run into. “Heh, thanks. That was a close one.” Luna wasn’t sure if she should be amazed or frightened by this mare. Derpy went on, now focusing her sight straight ahead. “What I wanted to ask was, how are you doing?” “I'm –” She wanted to say that she was fine, but that would’ve been a straight up lie. “Well, a little tired.” Derpy gave her an empathetic look. “I bet that princess thing is tough business, huh?” “Sometimes it’s challenging to handle the responsibility, that is true. But that’s how it is, and I couldn’t let Equestria down. Not again.” “I really appreciate what you and your sister do, by the way. Like, the day and night thing and reigning Equestria and all that. I think a lot of ponies just take it for granted, but it must be a lot of work.” Luna smiled softly. “Thank you. It’s good to hear, once in a while, that somepony cares.” They fell silent after that, until they arrived at what Luna assumed was Prance Square. Like all of Canterlot it was a piece of art. The white walls were framed in black and gold, and high roofs pointed into the evening sky like dragon teeth. Derpy took her to a small shop, the slim facade of which had been squeezed into a corner. A sign above the door displayed a piece of cake and a steaming cup of coffee. As Luna entered the shop, she was enveloped in a cloud of coffee smell. The inside wasn’t big, but it did look cozy in a way, with the massive wooden tables that were crammed into the back and the plush pillows resting on the chairs. On some of them sat ponies, their heads turning towards Luna as she entered. Conversations stopped. Luna felt a gentle nudge from behind and stepped towards the counter, where an old mare with a pink apron stood, sweating nervously at her sight. “I’d like the usual, please,” Derpy said, walking up to Luna’s side. “For her the same.” “Y-yes, of course,” the shopkeeper replied, disappearing in the back of the shop. “Do you wanna sit here,” Derpy asked Luna, “or rather go outside?” “I think I would prefer the latter.” The old mare came back with two paper bags which she placed on the counter, bowing so low that she almost hit her head against it. “It’s an honor.” A small frown stole onto Luna’s face. The other ponies in the room kept staring, and she shuffled her hooves uncomfortably, until Derpy paid for the meal and picked up their orders so that they could leave. Back outside, Luna took a deep breath. She grabbed the bag that Derpy offered to her, inspecting its content. It was a kind of cake, apparently, but relatively small, and wrapped in paper. She threw a glance at Derpy, who had turned towards her own treat. Luna imitated what she was doing, peeling off the paper and taking a large bite. The sweet flavor of chocolate filled Luna’s mouth. “Mm, this is good,” she said between bites. The muffin had a fluffy, moist texture. “I shall see to it that the kitchen staff includes these in the royal breakfast.” “Wait, you don’t have muffins for breakfast?” “I wasn’t aware of this kind of pastry, much to my regret.” Derpy’s smile froze, and her face went blank. “So this is the first time you – oh my gosh!” Luna winced when Derpy jumped at her to hug her, almost letting her muffin slip out of her grip. But before she could react, Derpy already drew back. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I’m just a bit overwhelmed is all.” Luna shrugged it off and bit into her muffin. They slowly walked, just straying around the square. It wasn’t very busy. The ponies they did encounter, however, stared at Luna as if she were a ghost. “I get why you didn’t wanna stay in there,” Derpy said after a while, throwing her a side glance. “I get stared at too, all the time. You’ve just gotta ignore them.” “I should be more comfortable with public attention than this, being a princess, shouldn’t I?” “You’re still only a pony, though.” Luna thought about that for a second. Maybe Derpy was right; maybe she should take things a little easier. Even if she knew which horrible things she had done and could never reverse. You’re still only a pony – she couldn’t argue with that. She caught Derpy’s gaze, who had finished her muffin and was now observing her. Luna shoved the last bit of her own muffin into her mouth and looked down on her hooves. It would take her some time to get used to those eyes. When she did look up again, Luna saw Derpy pouting for the first time. “I have to catch my train back to Ponyville now. I’d love to stay here with you longer, really, but tomorrow’s a Monday.” “Of course. It’s a Monday not only for you.” “But hey, this was fun!” “It was indeed. Thank you so much! I don’t assume we could do something like this again?” “Totally! If you’re not too busy.” Luna sighed. “Unfortunately, time is an issue – there is no telling what the upcoming weeks will hold for me. But I promise that I’ll make the time once I can.” Derpy nodded and, as she turned towards her, the smile returned to her face. She tilted her head and carefully stretched out her forelegs to hug her. “I’ll see you, Luna.” “Have a safe journey home.” Luna looked after Derpy as the mare hurried down the street. She couldn’t explain to herself why, but she was still smiling. This was probably the most enjoyable conversation she’d had with anypony, except perhaps her sister, since her return. Visiting the city had turned out to be the right choice, after all.