Part IV
"Give voice to those that have none."
"Do I have to?" I groaned.
"Apparently," replied Midnight, tapping his hoof on the ground. "Celestia has made it very clear that you both have to be there."
"What does the King of Cloudsdale want with us?"
"I'm not sure, but apparently he's pretty angry."
"What am I supposed to do with Starry?!" I frowned and sat down on one of the wooden library benches.
"I could watch him while you're gone," suggested Midnight, grinning. “I think he likes me enough."
"No, I can't do that to you. You have work to do."
"It's fine; somepony could take my place for a few days."
"Actually, I think I might have an idea," I said with a smug smile.
"Please don't tell me you're thinking of doing something crazy and reckless," moaned Midnight.
"Starry has wanted to go on a trip for a long time..." I muttered still smiling.
"Oh no. Please no!"
"And a young pegasus like him would blend in perfectly in a place like Cloudsdale."
"You're going to do this no matter what I say, aren't you?"
"Of course I am!" I said with a giggle.
***
"Do you have everything you need?" I asked as I levitated our things into a large suitcase.
"I think so," replied Starry. "It's not like I have much to pack. Where exactly are we going anyway?"
"I didn't tell you, honey? We're going to Cloudsdale!" I chimed.
"And that's supposed to mean something to me?"
"Wow, I did not give you a proper education. Cloudsdale is the city of the pegasi and it's where all the weather in Equestria comes from."
Starry dropped the blanket he was holding and whirled around to look at me. "You mean it's where my family came from?"
"I suppose it could be possible… But it is certainly unlikely.” Starry began to slip away into his own world, so I tried to change the subject. "There are going to be a lot of ponies there, so try to stay as close to me as you can."
"Wow, really? Now that I think about, it I've only seen a few ponies in my entire life. It'll be weird seeing huge crowds of them."
"Yes, I'm sorry about that. I never meant to keep you so isolated."
"It's okay; I understand," Starry muttered, kicking at the ground. "Besides, I like it here." Starry tried to force a halfhearted smile, but I knew something was still bothering him.
"Is there something wrong?" I said drawing myself a bit closer to my son.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you are acting distant, and I don't know why."
"It's nothing; I was just being stupid," muttered Starry, avoiding my gaze. "Sometimes I just wonder about my family, you know? And about how things might have been if I was, I don't know, normal."
"Normal?" I said taken aback. "Honey, what makes you think you are not normal?" Starry shifted on the bed and coughed.
"I don't really know any other stallions my age, but unless I'm missing something, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who lives with a princess."
"You are… at least as far as I know..." I bit my lip and closed the uncomfortable gap between us. Starry tried to move off the bed, but I stopped him and levitated him back in place. "Starry Night, look at me," I commanded.
Starry gave a quick toss of his jet black mane and turned toward me.
"You are not normal, but that's what I LOVE about you."
Starry tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"Being normal is boring! There are millions of ponies who are normal. You are unique."
Starry smiled trying to hold back the tears welling in his eyes. "Like mother like son, I guess," he said, putting his forehead up against mine.
After we finished packing, Starry and I loaded everything into my chariot and settled in for the long trip to Cloudsdale. Celestia offered to take me in hers, but this way I could put off explaining Starry Night's presence for at least a little while longer.
The flight was long and monotonous, but Starry enjoyed it nonetheless. He always found ways to find intricacies in the ordinary, and light in the dark. He had enjoyed the beauty of the outdoors, and tonight was no different.
"Mom, look!" beamed Starry as he pointed skyward. "A shooting star!"
I whipped my head up and yawned.
"Seriously mom, Look!"
"Alright I am looking, I am looking," I said rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I looked to the sky to see what Starry was fussing about, and what I saw was magnificent. A stunning streak of white starlight flashed across the dusky sky, leaving small shimmering flecks of itself behind to dance across the darkness. It was only visible for a few brief moments before it dipped out of sight, vanishing just as quickly as it had appeared. Starry looked over at me, his face overflowing with childlike wonder.
"I can't believe it! I had seen pictures of them in books but, I never thought..." He trailed off.
"Pretty amazing isn't it?" I asked as I nuzzled Starry's neck. He nodded his head and leaned his warm body up against mine.
"Wow, I am so tired," he said with a great yawn.
"I know how you feel."
"The world never ceases to amaze me," whispered Starry as his eyelids fell and lightly shut.
***
"Princess! We're almost there. Wake up!" It was the pilot's voice.
I opened my eyes again just to be assaulted by the blinding light of day. As my sight struggled to an ocean of sensory information, I winced. As things began to clear up, I saw a bulky grey stallion looking back at me from the front of the chariot.
"Rise and shine, Princess," he droned. "We're almost there."
"Oh yes, thanks," I said, stretching my wings and giving them a quick flap.
"Good thing, too," said the stallion wiping the sweat from his brow.
I looked over at Starry who was curled up next to me, his delicate sleeping body rising and falling like the gentle ocean tides. He was so cute I thought about leaving him alone, but I knew he would want to see Cloudsdale as we flew in. So I gave him a light nudge with my hoof and said,
"Honey, we are here. It is time to wake up."
He snorted a bit and then began to slowly peel his eyes open. He then recoiled at the scorching light of the sun and once again sealed his eyes shut. "Uhhhhhh, do I have to?"
"You don't have to, but trust me. You are going to want to see this view!" I teased.
Starry lifted his head and his ears perked up high. "I'm waking up. Give me a second." He then forced himself to open his eyes once again, and when he did his mouth dropped open. "Oh my gosh!" cried Starry as he took in the sight of the city that was now before us. "I didn't know it was flying!"
"Oh yeah, I may have forgot about that," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head. Starry however, didn't even hear me because he was too busy taking in the sight of Cloudsdale. It was strange how those huge stone-like buildings and coliseums perched so daintily on each downy cloud.
As we began to fly closer, we were able make out every detail of the massive city. The once blurry strands of color that poured from the bottoms of the sprawling cumulus mass had now become sharp and defined rainbows. Soon we were flying over Cloudsdale, and Starry was sticking his head over the edge of the chariot.
"Be careful honey," I nagged.
"I am!" Starry said, brushing me off. "And if I fall, I could just fly.”
"Oh yeah," I said, relaxing in my seat.
"Wow! Look at all those pegasi!" shouted Starry. I became curious as to what the fuss was all about, so I decided to scoot up next to him so that I too could look down upon the city below.
There they were; hundreds, maybe even thousands, of pegasi trotting along the streets and bolting across the sky. They all wandered around at their own paces and in their own random directions, zipping, zapping, twisting and turning. It was a massive kaleidoscope of living creatures, full of pastel colors that ran together into one big ocean of abstract shapes and forms.
"That's insane," mused Starry, enthralled. "I never knew there were so many other ponies in the world… I wonder what they're all thinking."
"it is strange, is it not?" I let out a heavy sigh and looked up. "It reminds you that you are not the only pony with things on your mind. That is something I learned from my trips into other ponies' dreams: everypony in Equestria has their own life and their own problems. it is so easy to forget about all that when we are busy taking care of ourselves."
Starry frowned a bit, but for the most part his expression remained blank. "I wonder what what my parents dreamed about," said Starry, still staring down at the cityscape. "Because all of my dreams are nightmares."
After a few short minutes, the chariot made its descent and landed with a skidding stop in front of the king's palace. However, to my dismay, we were not alone. The chariot was soon surrounded by a crowd of clambering ponies holding magic cameras and notepads.
Oh no! I thought I told Celestia to keep this trip quiet.
"LUNA!" they all shouted as they rushed toward me, raising their quills.
Great! The press...
"Princess! Is it true what they're saying about you!?" shouted one of the reporters.
"Wait what!?" cried Starry, swinging around to see what was happening. "Who is saying what about you?!"
I looked out at the ponies around me, trying to keep up with all of their confusing questions, but for some reason I couldn't pick out a single voice. It all clashed together into a tidal wave of sound and camera flashes.
"I... I don't know..." I squeezed out. I wanted to ask what the reporters were talking about, but I could not because they refused to give me any time to speak..
"Are you really in a romantic relationship with the captain of the Royal Guard?"
"What? No!" I shouted, my head spinning. I stumbled forward and attempted to pull myself out of the chariot, but the reporters blocked me. I then tried to fly away, but they were above me as well, hovering over me, vultures hungry for a juicy piece of meat.
I dove down to the floor of the chariot and tried my best to hide. I hoped that if I waited them out, they would go away, but I was wrong. They did not just stay, some of them even climbed into the chariot with me. Even that was tolerable to a point, but then one of them crossed the line.
"Is it true that you're a lazy slob who can't do anything right?!" he said shoving his fat face into mine.
“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT US!?" I screamed, fury scorching my every word.
"Uh... Well..." he gargled, a twinge of fear creeping into his nasal whine.
"WE ASKED YOU A QUESTION, WHELP!" I boomed in the best Royal Canterlot Voice I could muster. The small reporter then jumped back in shock, leaving himself slumped in a ball-like position.
"I, uh... asked if you were lazy."
"HOW DARE YOU!?" I fumed. "We should smite thee for even IMPLYING such horrid and insulting things!"
The entire crowd shifted on their hooves, and the fat reporter started to make a loud wheezing noise. "No! Please don't smite me! I... I have family! I'm just doing this to keep hay on the table. I meant no disrespect!"
Sensing that I now had the upper hoof, I made myself look as big and imposing as possible. "Very well!" I said, a satisfied grin crawling across my face. "We shall not smite you!"
The reporter looked up and let out a sigh of relief. "Th, thank you. I—"
"ON ONE CONDITION!" I blasted, cutting off the reporter who once again curled himself into a quivering ball of flesh. "Thou shalt leave us be for the remainder of our stay here!" The reporters all nodded. "And, you shall never write ill of us again! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" The reporters nodded again and scattered away like a swarm of rats. The fat one was the last to go. I watched as he hobbled away, his pudgy body making him incapable of flight.
For a second, I didn't know what to. I stood there like an idiot trying to take in everything that had happened. Suddenly, I snapped out of my shock and realized that Starry was nowhere to be found.
"Starry, honey? Where are you?" I called, darting my head back and forth.
"I think he's under there," said the disgruntled pilot as he gestured to the underside of the chariot.
"Oh... Uh, thank you sir," I said, stumbling out of the chariot, still too dazed to fly straight. I then dropped a substantial bag of bits at the stallion's hooves. "Consider that payment for all your troubles."
"Thank you ma'am, but I was just honoring an old favor to Captain Midnight."
"No, I insist!" I said pushing the bag closer to him. "Besides..." I started to hush my voice to a whisper. "You did promise to keep quiet about the whole child thing. Right?"
"I suppose," he replied in a low rumble.
"Great! Now if you will excuse me, I have a son to take care of!" I exclaimed as I ducked my head under the chariot. Sure enough, there was Starry Night huddled in a defensive pose, his peeled wide.
"Are they gone now?" stammered Starry, his voice a small peep.
"Yup, they're gone," I reassured him. "You can come out now." I extended a hoof out to Starry making sure not move too quickly.
"Okay," muttered Starry, still breathing a bit hard.
"I am so sorry! I had no idea the paparazzi would be here."
"It's okay, I just didn't expect my first interaction with a large amount of ponies to be like that," joked Starry as he crawled from beneath the vehicle.
"I know. it is awful that I let you go this long without see anypony else," I said, lowering my head in shame.
"No, what's awful are those ponies who were saying terrible things about you!" grunted Starry. "Look Mom, I don't blame you for keeping me locked up. Sometimes I get mad and say things I don't mean." He looked up at me with a soft smile, his eyes watering.
"Starry, I—."
"Just forget about it, okay?" He put a hoof on my shoulder. "The past is in the past."
***
The pegasus castle was an intimidating mountain of columns and archways towering over us. Its marble walls were so tall that an entire half of the cloud island was drowned in an ocean of shadows. It was a harrowing sight, but in its own way, it was also very elegant. Its terrifying fences and gates were all topped with long deadly spikes, but they were also embellished with artistic brass swirls and floral patterns.
When Starry and I had made our way to the main gate, a group of three heavily armored pegasi awaited us.
"Princess Luna?" asked one of the guards in a deep monotone.
"Yes, We are Luna," I said regally, my muzzle turned upwards.
"And this is?" he asked, staring at me with a face as solid as his armor. I frowned and tried to hide Starry under my wing.
"This is, uh... Our royal student!" I blurted out without thinking.
The guard looked at me.He was a statue.
"Do you not know about the royal student program?"
"No, I can't say that I do."
"We are shocked! It is traditional for us princesses to take a student every generation or so! We would assume somepony like yourself would have heard of such an ancient and important ritual! It is highly important to—"
He cut me off. "Oh, of course! The student ritual! Yes, I know exactly what you are talking about. Now if you just follow my squad and I, we can show you to where you will be staying tonight." The guard then turned around with a noisy clanging and unlocked the oversized gold padlock that adorned the castle gate. They then marched into the downy white courtyard and toward the doors to the foyer.
The two of us were then led through the cavernous halls of the castle and to our chambers.
"Wow! This room is huge!" trumpeted Starry as he galloped into the tall rectangular living space.
"What are you talking about? it is not even as big as my room back home."
"Yeah, but it's bigger than I expected!" quipped Starry as if his words should be common knowledge.
"Alright big guy, calm down," I said as Starry plunked down onto one of the two princess-sized beds. "We have a big day tomorrow, so we should get some rest."
"What about your sister?" asked Starry, sounding concerned.
"She's probably just running late or something," I snapped. "I wouldn't be too worried about it. I'm sure she'll be here by morning."
***
"What, in all Equestria is the meaning of this?" spat Celestia, throwing a magazine onto the table in front of me. I glanced down at it, puzzled by my sister's sudden outburst of rage, but when my eyeballs reached the title, I was appalled by what I saw.
"’ROYAL MELTDOWN!’?" I screamed, reading the cover. "’Psycho princess blows her top and threatens to kill reporters!’?"
"Luna," moaned Celestia, sounding her age, "Why did you have to go and make things even worse?"
"Hey, they attacked me! What did you expect me to do, just stand there?"
"I don't know, maybe not threaten to murder them!" bellowed Celestia, rubbing her face in her hoof.
I rolled my eyes. "First of all, I said smite, not murder."
"Look, those rats have been giving us bad press for weeks now; don't give them a reason to write more awful things."
"More? Up until today, I had no idea anypony was writing about us," I admitted.
"Well then, maybe I should enlighten you," she spat, throwing another magazine to the table.
"'Royal slob!’ ‘Princess Luna slacker!' How dare they?!"
"And it's not just you," said Celestia, pulling a third magazine out of a bag and hanging it in front of my face.
"Wh-what!?" I sputtered, bursting out into a fit of intense laughter.
Celestia jumped back, dropping the magazine. "And what exactly is so funny?!" cried Celestia, redness seeping from her cheeks.
"I-I'm sorry..." I said, gasping for air. "it is just that title!" I said, making a vague gesture to the glossy front page of the magazine.
"Hey, don't make fun of me! It's not true!" whined Celestia, a bit like a foal with a dirty diaper.
"Oh, I know! it is just SO stupid!" I glanced down, once again, at the silly tabloid that lay on the ground. Shocker!!! Star Swirl and Celestia disappearing together for days! More information on their scandalous relationship on page 14!
"It's not stupid! It's insulting!" fumed Celestia.
"it is both!" I shouted, trying to fight off another bout of giggles. "Isn't he like, one hundred years old?"
"One hundred twelve..." replied Celestia meekly. I laughed again. "Stop it! Besides, we're older than he is!"
"Yeah, but we don't look super old," I pointed out.
"Come on, Luna. That's a bit shallow, don't you think?"
"you are right; I am sorry. I just found it sort of strange, that's all." I sighed and sat down on the bed next to Starry, who was still sound asleep.
"I haven't laughed like that in a while." I said, a twinge of nostalgia in my voice. "Do you remember when we were fillies and we used to pretend we were princesses?" I shook my head, a wistful smile on my face.
"Did you ever imagine it would be like this?" asked Celestia in a weak voice.
"What?"
"Being a princess."
"I don't know," I said shrugging."Did you?"
"No," she scoffed, shaking her head. "Call me naive, but I thought it was going to be just like in the story books." Celestia then strolled over to the bed and sat down on the other side of Starry Night. "He's cute," she said staring at the messy maned teen. I smiled, and brushed away the hair invading Starry's face. "So you said he was your student?"
I winced, unprepared to defend my lie. "Yeah, so what?" I asked, crossing my forelegs. "If you can have one, why can't I?"
"Calm down. It's okay; you're right."
"I am?"
"Yes, go ahead. I think it's good that you to want to pass on your knowledge to somepony else." replied Celestia, an unusual air of casualness about her.
"Really?”
"Of course! Don't sound so surprised about it. However, I am a bit surprised by your choice..." Celestia looked back down at Starry's snoring body. "No offense, but male pegasi aren't typically princess material." As if on cue, Starry then rolled onto his back and began making a strange gurgling sound.
"I guess not," I said, giggling.
***
"Not to sound rude or anything, but dost thou mind telling us exactly why we are here?" I said, cutting through the awkward silence that hung over the banquet hall.
"Well, excuse me for trying to be a good host!" snapped the King of Cloudsdale as he tapped his hoof against the table.
"Please excuse my sister," said Celestia, a nervous catch in her voice.
A bit hurt, I threw her a venomous glare.
"What she's trying to say, is we were both just a bit caught off guard by your sudden urgency to see us." She then gave a plastic smile that her eyes clearly did not agree with.
"Oh, I understand," he grumbled. "Everything is business with you two." The king then sat up straight, causing his oversized chair to make an annoying squeaking sound. "If you're so keen on getting down to it—"
"No!" In an out of character turn of events, Celestia frantically interrupted the king. "It's not that; we're just worried about you, that's all!"
"Unfortunately, Princess, I don't think it's me that you need to be worrying about, " said the king forebodingly.
"Is that so? Then would thou mind telling us whom we should be worried about?"
"Well, due to the recent negative press surrounding your highnesses, many important ponies, such as myself, have been growing more than a bit concerned as to the state of Equestria," said the king, his voice flowing with smooth dulcet tones. "That is to say, we fear that the ponies of Equestria are not getting proper guidance from a strong role model."
"What are you saying!?" stammered Celestia.
"Is it not obvious!?" I snapped. "He is implying that We do not deserve to be Princesses!"
"To put it bluntly, yes. We believe that you've been acting quite unprofessional as of late—" he turned toward me with a blank expression. "—especially you, Miss Luna."
"HOW DARE THOU INSULT OUR LEADERSHIP CAPACITY?!" I screamed, unleashing my bottled rage.
"You see, this is exactly what I'm talking about," said the king, fake sweetness coating his every word. "You just don't know how to control yourself."
"We could convict thou of treason for even suggesting such things!" I barked.
"Not in my city you won't," said the king, all sweetness vanishing from his voice. "You two may be the Princesses of Equestria, but the ponies around here are loyal to me."
"How dare you!" shouted Celestia, slamming her hooves against the thick table.
The king let out a deafening cackle. "Oh well," said the king shrugging. "I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me with no choice." The king then waved his hoof gingerly and a stout figure appeared from the door behind him.
"You!" I scratched as I looked at the fat reporter that stood behind the table. I jumped to my hooves losing all control of myself. "We should obliterate thou right here and now, thy yellow-bellied snake!"
"So I see you two have met," said the king, a smug grin growing across his face.
"That cretin wrote lies about us!" I growled. The reporter took a few steps back and ran a hoof through his greasy mane.
"That's because I told him to," said the king, his voice dagger-sharp. "And he will keep writing lies about you until I tell him to stop or you two get overthrown, whichever comes first. Do you understand me?"
"Dost thou think you can get away with this?!" I shouted, spreading my wings, ready to attack.
"No, it's alright Luna. I can handle this," muttered Celestia, her body quaking. She turned back to the pegasus king. "What do you want?"
***
"I can't believe you!" I fumed as we made our way back to our chambers.
"There was nothing else we could have done!" admitted Celestia.
"We could have had his head cut off!" I snarled.
Celestia laughed a humorless laugh. "No matter how appealing that sounds, I'm afraid it would be impossible."
"What are you talking about! We can do anything we want!"
"Yes, technically that is true," said Celestia weakly. "But you heard what that moron said; the ponies of Cloudsdale adore him. If we were to have him executed, there would be revolutionaries at our doorstep within the day! Not to mention he has plenty of competent guards who are much more loyal to him than they are to us"
"I suppose you are right," I said, letting out a long sigh.
"Besides, you don't want to stoop down to his level, do you?"
"I just wish there was more that I could have done."
"Sometimes you just have give ponies what they want in life," replied Celestia, welcome optimism in her voice.
"Yes, but, he wanted a lot."
"It wasn't all that much, he just asked for the area between the San Palomino Desert and White Tail Wood,"
"Oh, and do not forget he also asked for unrestricted air travel all across Equestria!" I reminded her.
"They fly wherever they want to anyway; it's not like we can stop them. No, what I'm worried about is what he's going to ask for next time."
"What do you mean next time?" I asked, stopping in front of the door.
"You think this is the end of it? He's going to keep coming after us as long as he has something to hold over our heads."
“I did not think about that,” I said as I trotted into our room.
"Well, you should rest up. The king is going to force us to make an official statement before we can leave, so make sure you're not too tired."
"Thanks," I said, curling up under the bed's cream colored blanket. "I think out of all the rights we gave the ponies of Equestria, the only one I regret is freedom of the press."
Celestia let out a hearty laugh.
***
The next morning, Celestia and I woke up early so we could make an official statement about the deal with the king. However, when the guards came to get us, they told me that they only needed Celestia.
"Typical," I scoffed as Celestia trotted out the door.
"Look, I know it's annoying, but it's going to be over soon. Go blow off some steam or something," suggested Celestia as she dashed around our chambers.
"How?"
"I don't know! Go out with your student or something." cried Celestia as she prepared to leave.
"His name is Starry," I mumbled as Celestia slid out the door.
***
"Great!” I shouted, kicking over one of our chairs.
"What's wrong, Mom?" asked Starry, lifting his head from a gentle sleep.
"Nothing," I grumbled. "Just life."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"You know what," I said, getting an idea. "I think you can." I jumped from the bed and looked down at Starry. "How does a tour around Cloudsdale sound?"
"Are you kidding me?" shouted Starry, beaming. "I'd love to!"
"Great!" I said, whisking Starry off his hooves and and out the door.
I flew Starry all over Cloudsdale to show him the sights of the massive city while also doing my best to avoid being seen. I did not want to draw any attention to myself, especially after what just happened with the king. Despite my nerves, I was ecstatic to see how happy it made Starry to get out of that prison cell and trot the streets. I could see Starry's eyes fill up with wonder as I showed him the laboratories and factories that create the weather of Equestria, and to me that was the greatest thing in the world. Unfortunately, even when things seem to be getting better, sometimes the unkindness of others drags you right back down to the bottom.
***
“This is insane!" bellowed Starry as he galloped down the fluffy streets, gawking at a tall factory building.
"Slow down, honey!" I cried, my voice wavering.
"Oh I'll be fine; stop worrying!" groaned Starry.
"No, it is not that," I said flying up to Starry, holding my cloak tightly to my body. "I just don't want anypony to recognize me."
"Oh, sorry," said Starry, leaning up against my body.
"it is alright, Starry; I just get the sense that I'm not really wanted around here." I sighed and shook my head. "Anyway, that right there," I pointed at the building, its towering smokestacks belching out huge blobs of gray clouds. "That is where they make thunder clouds. it is where all the rain in Equestria comes from."
"I still can’t believe that it all comes from this one place."
"Well, the pegasi here work day and night to make sure that every single raindrop is ready to be shipped off to water the crops that provide all of us with food."
"Cool! Can we go inside?" pleaded Starry.
"We could, but it is almost time to go back. If we did, there would be no time to show you where they make all of the snowflakes," I teased.
Starry whipped around and looked me dead in the eyes. "Why didn't you say so earlier? Let's go!"
"Of course, my darling," I said, giggling at Starry's enthusiasm.
I then turned and began to fly in the direction of the snowflake lab, but before I had gotten too far, I heard the call of an unfamiliar voice.
"What do we have here?" It said in a low rumble.
I looked back only to see a small pack of teenage stallions surrounding Starry.
"It looks to me like somepony's lost their foal," said the muscular red pony that was leading the pack.
"Who, me?" asked Starry, his eyes darting between the three stallions.
"Oooh, it can talk!" jeered one of the other stallions.
"Of course I can talk. Why wouldn't I be able to?"
"Hey little guy! Where's your mommy?" asked the third pony, prompting cries of uproarious laughter from the other two.
"Hey guys, I don't want any trouble," said Starry, a helpless sheep in the presence of wolves. "So if you'll excuse me..." Starry tried to back away, but the big red one stopped him with a single hoof.
"Aw, come on! We just met. What's the rush?"
"Well you see, my mother is waiting for me, and it's getting late so—"
"Oh come on, mama's colt. Live a little!" The big stallion then ruffled Starry's mane and gave him a rough slap on the back. Starry backed up again, but this time he knocked into the hulking wall of bodies that the other two had formed.
I could not stand seeing Starry abused like that. I landed to see if I could chase the stallions off, but for some reason I could not move. It was like my hooves had turned to glue. Every time I tried to will myself into moving, my body rebelled.
"Hey, look at this! He doesn't even have a cutie mark!" mocked one of the ponies, inciting more disgusting snickering.
"You're kidding me, that's PATHETIC!" jeered the fiery red pony. I winced at the poison in his voice, my heart pounding within my chest.
"Come on guys, this isn't cool," said Starry, frightened. "Please, just leave me alone, and I'll get out of your manes."
"So, blank flank, what's you're name?" asked the molten pelted pegasus.
"My name is Starry Night, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me a... whatever it is you just called me!"
My jaw dropped. Only now did I realize I never told Starry about finding his destiny. I'm so stupid! I thought, burying my face in my hooves. How could I have forgotten?! Why can't I do ANYTHING right?
"So, Starry Night, let me ask you: do you even know what a cutie mark is?" questioned the bully, continuing the interrogation.
"Kinda..." mumbled Starry almost silently.
"’Kinda’? How can you only ‘kinda’ know what a cutie mark is!?" blurted out one of the other pegasi, chuckling. Starry once again tried to escape, but was thrown back into the middle of the three bullies.
"Well, what is it? Do you know what a cutie mark is or not?"
"Okay, I have no idea! Happy now?" The trio broke into laughter again, this time even harder than before. Starry didn't even try to escape anymore, he just crumpled to the ground and covered his head with his hooves.
I tried to close my eyes, but I could still hear the incessant laughter of the pegasi ringing in my ears. Eventually, it became too much for me to to handle. All of my frozen appendages shot back to life, and before I even knew what was happening, I felt myself launch into the air.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" I boomed ripping my cloak from my body. "AWAY, VILE CREATURES! LEAVE US ALONE BEFORE WE ARE FORCED TO DO SOMETHING WE REGRET!" I then let out a spectacular show of light from my horn, causing the horrified pack of bullies to scramble away in random directions. I continued the frightening display until I could no longer hear their screams, then fell out of the air and crashed to the ground at Starry's side.
Starry sat there next to me for a minute staring up at the sky, catatonic. After a few moments that felt like forever, a small whimper broke the silence and a single tear rolled down Starry's cheek.
"I am so sorry," I said, trying to fight back my own emotions.
Starry turned his head and looked at me, a deep sorrow filling his big eyes.
"I should have come earlier... I do not know what came over me.” I moaned, losing all control over myself. Guilt and shame filled my mind and I had to let it all out. So I cried. I cried harder than I ever had before. "I am such a fool!" I screamed, snot running down my muzzle.
"Shut up," mumbled Starry, edging closer to me.
"What?"
"I said shut up!" shouted Starry as he ensnared me in a tight, warm hug. I was surprised, but I hugged back. We held each other like that until the last sliver of the sun passed below the horizon. We had gotten so wrapped up in the moment, I almost forgot about raising the moon.
That night, I met back up with Celestia. She told me that the order they made her sign was excruciating. According to her, the king added more and more conditions to it until she would sign it. I was angry. If I had been there, maybe things would have been different.
After that, we decided to go home, so we got back into our separate chariots and left.
***
"So you get your cutie mark when you find out what you're supposed to do in life?" asked Starry as we flew back to the castle.
"Basically, it is sort of like your special talent. You know, the thing that makes you different."
"Why were those stallions making fun of me for not having one?"
I sighed. It was a difficult question mainly because I still wasn't sure myself. "Well, for one thing, most ponies have their cutie marks by the time they are your age."
"But why is that a reason to make fun of me? I don't get it."
"I do not get it either, honey. There are ponies in this world who enjoy picking on anypony they think is different. Sometimes ponies are miserable or insecure about themselves and try to take it out on others. Do not worry about it. You should not let what other ponies say get to you." I sighed and shook my head. "Besides, the term 'blank flank' has been around since the beginning of time."
"Really?"
"Yes, really." I said nuzzling Starry's neck.
"Stop it!" cried Starry, giggling at my touch.
"I remember when I was your age. Most of the other little ponies had already gotten their cutie marks years ago. Everypony else already knew exactly what they wanted to do in life, but I was just that strange filly who liked to stay out late and talk to animals."
"Were you ever made fun of?" asked Starry Night, his voice a tiny squeak.
I smiled and couldn't help but laugh a little as I reminisced on those long past days. "All the time! They would call me weird and creepy, they would laugh at me when I fell asleep in school, they would make fun of me for being a shut-in, and most of all, they would call me a 'blank flank'."
"But you're a princess," Starry interjected. "They can't do that!"
"Not back then I was not." I started to chuckle a bit. "That does not mean Celestia did not act like I was a princess. She was always my knight in shining armor, coming to save me from the mean bullies. Even if they were older and stronger than her, she never backed down. That is Celestia for you. Always trying to give a voice to those that have none."
I stood up in my seat and looked out of the chariot. There was not much left of the moon that night, just a thin crescent surrounded by thousands of tiny white pinpricks.
"What happened to you two?" asked Starry, his voice a knife cutting through the heavy silence.
"She says it is the job." I sniffled a bit from the cold and a slight shiver went up my spine.
"And what do you think?"
"I do not know, Starry. All I know is that yesterday was the first day I had an actual conversation with her in more than a century."
"You two are sisters; I am sure it will get better," chimed Starry optimistically.
"I hope so too, my darling."
***
From there, the rest of the year was business as usual. Starry, Midnight, and I had gotten back into our normal rhythm and, for the most part, nothing interesting happened, except of course the protests.
After our controversial meeting with The King of Cloudsdale, the public would not leave us alone, annoying tabloid newspapers or not. Ponies all over Equestria were protesting Celestia's rule, but for the most part she was able to quell their hatred with her words.
I, on the other hoof, was hit hard. Because of a combination of my bad speaking skills and my more intimidating appearance, the ponies did not trust me the way they did Celestia. To protest my reign, ponies started started to sleep through my night instead of taking naps like I did. Many of them even tried to get night outlawed altogether.
Things kept on going like that until Starry's seventeenth birthday.
***
"Well, Starry, how does it feel to be seventeen?" chimed Midnight, pride filling his voice.
"Exactly the same as being sixteen and eleven moons," replied Starry playfully, a wide grin on his chiseled face. Midnight laughed a deep hearty laugh and ruffled Starry's mane. Starry tried to pull away, but Midnight grabbed him and drew him in for a full noogie. "Come on Midnight, give me a break!"
"Alright, I'm sorry. I'm just proud of you."
"Settle down, boys." I said picking up a large plate. "it is time for cake!"
"I don't know about you two, but this is my favorite part!" bellowed Midnight, cracking another booming laugh.
As we ate cake, I could not take my eyes off of Starry. He had grown so much so fast. Although his messy black mane remained the same, it was almost like he was a completely different pegasus than the one I had found seventeen years before. His once soft and rounded face had evolved into one of a strong stallion. His legs used to be awkwardly short and disproportionate, and his body was pudgy and small. His legs were now muscular and defined and his body was like a large barrel. I marveled every time I saw his big blue chest rise and fall, a tidal wave of fur.
However, more than anything, I was impressed by his wings. What used to only be tiny and unusable appendages had become grand umbrellas, their giant shiny flight feathers stretching several feet each.
I was a bit sad knowing that I would have to watch the one I love grow up, but that could not overcome the intense feeling of pride I had for not only Starry but myself as well. You did it, Luna, I thought. You raised a foal all the way to a stallion. All those nights of sadness and worry did not mean anything to me anymore because I made it.
I looked up, and before I knew it, we were done with cake and moved on to the most important part of the anniversary.
"Alright buddy, it's time to see if the helmet fits,” said Midnight rubbing his fore hoofs together.
"Could you just start training me already? I'm never going to have your fat head!" moaned Starry as he gave Midnight a light shove with his body.
"If you keep talking like that, you're going to have a fat lip," joked Midnight, elbowing Starry in the ribs.
"I'm sure I will," replied Starry as he grabbed the golden guard's helmet from the closet and blew the dust from it. "Been a while since I've tried this."
"Well, go on! don't keep us waiting!"
"Calm down, I'm doing it," assured Starry as he began to lower it onto himself. "Here's hoping." And with one quick downward movement, Starry squeezed the helmet snugly upon his head.
"You did it!" I cried, grabbing Starry for a big hug.
"Mom, I didn't DO anything! I just put the thing on."
"Well I'll be," mused Midnight, running a hoof through his graying mane. "You beat me."
"What do you mean I beat you?" wheezed Starry, his lungs being crushed by my hug.
"When I was a colt, my father gave me that helmet and made me the same promise. I was a late bloomer like you, so I didn't fit into it until I was nineteen. That means you beat me by two years."
Starry lightly pushed me away and trotted over to Midnight. "Thank you," he said, giving Midnight a light hug. "It's an honor that you would give this to me and even more of an honor that you want to train me."
"It's no problem, son," he replied, hugging back. "How does next week sound? To start training, I mean."
"That sounds wonderful!" said Starry, light gleaming off of his new helmet. I smiled. He looked like he was born to wear it.