Through Crimson Eyes

by Level Dasher

Chapter 61: A Shining Star in the Darkness

I cannot say I am surprised. I had a feeling that stallion was hiding something important from me when we last spoke in the dreamscape, but why this? Could he not allow me to say a few parting words?

As Princess Luna walked down the lonely corridor leading to her room, her thoughts strayed to the other papers enclosed in the envelope Aegis Spark had given her.

Which begs the question: how did he find the time to write something else? Crimson wrote astronomy books for years; he always contacted me to ensure their accuracy. So why… and how… did he keep this one from me? What could he have written that Tesla Coil would feel the need to ask my permission first before publishing it?

When she arrived at her chambers, Luna found Celestia in her doorway. “Luna, my apologies if you feel that I was spying, but I saw your conversation with Captain Spark. I could not hear what he said, but your expressions… Did the Captain’s father—” Celestia cut herself off when she saw the restrained tears in her sister’s eyes. A moment later, Luna simply nodded. Celestia put a hoof around her sister’s neck and said, “Oh, Lulu, I am so sorry. I know you two have been friends for ages.” Luna accepted her sister’s embrace, attempting to keep her composure.

When she broke from her sister, Luna quietly asked, “How did you know?”

Celestia sighed. “Well, as I said, your expressions gave me a clue, but I was not entirely sure. I only confirmed my suspicion when I heard you say the word ‘eulogy’.” Celestia gave Luna a small smile. “That is very kind of you, by the way. I am certain your friend would appreciate it. As does his family, I assume.”

Luna nodded. “While normally I would find such a thing inappropriate—you know I do not want our subjects to think we ‘play favorites’—this time I shall make an exception. Now, if you don’t mind…”

“Yes, absolutely,” Celestia responded, allowing Luna to enter her chambers and close the door behind her. Celestia let out a sigh, then a flash appeared beside her.

“Why don’t I ever get the night off?”

“Because you don’t have work hours, Discord,” Celestia deadpanned. “Don’t give Luna any grief for a while, do you understand me? She may have a sense of humor, but you know how she is about—”

“Oh, believe me, Celly, I wouldn’t dream of it.” Discord put on a sarcastic grin for a moment, but it quickly dissipated as his eyes went downcast. “Ever since Fluttershy… well, suffice to say, I know Luna is dealing with enough grief. I never thought I’d ever hear the end of it after my own little display at that ribbon-cutting at Ponyville General.”

Luna laid down on her bed and opened the envelope once again, this time extracting the other papers mentioned in the letter. The first sheet was titled: A Shining Star in the Darkness.

The Princess smiled as she put a hoof to her mouth, recognizing the phrase. She knew she had to rest, but the title alone had hooked her. She dove into the words written on the paper.

As a colt, I spent more time in the hospital than anywhere else. I went to school like any colt or filly, and I learned the same things as my peers, but my necessary immersion in the medical world prevented me from living what I thought to be a normal life. At the time, that was the one thing that I wanted, but knew I could never have. Little did I know, leading a “normal” life would not have made me the pony I am today.

During trying times, I was lucky enough to have friends by my side. They supported me through thick and thin, no matter the consequences. Over the years, I discovered that friends can be found anywhere, whether they be down the road, or in a room across the hall. Sometimes, great friends can even be miles and miles away… in a royal castle, perhaps.

~~~

I already had good friends that supported me when I first learned I had a battle to prepare for. However, shortly after my cancer diagnosis, Equestria’s own Princess of the Night graced me with her presence. As if summoned by my father’s prayers, she guided me through some of the worst times of my life.

As an avid stargazer, and would-be astronomer, I was always fond of the nighttime. My first impression of Princess Luna was an all-knowing, all-seeing deity that had power over not only the night, but over death itself. During a face-to-face conversation with the Princess, she corrected me. I now have a better understanding of what she may or may not be capable of. However, I still believe that our Lunar Princess gives herself far less credit than she deserves, even to this day.

~~~

In the midst of an already-troubling time, the loss of new friends, as well as my father, struck me incredibly hard. The process of losing my father gained my future wife her cutie mark, but this did not provide either of us any solace. Fortunately, Princess Luna once again came to my aid during this painful time.

Seeing that I considered myself such an avid stargazer, the Princess introduced me to a method of keeping my father close, despite his passing. Keeping watch on a star to represent my father each night helped ease my grief, but only slightly. Little did I know, Princess Luna had a bigger plan.

Suggesting a particularly bright star as my father’s representative, Princess Luna set the wheels of my future in motion. After watching this star nightly, I witnessed its transformation into a red giant, the same day I went into my first remission. It was my very own crimson star. While our humble Princess may deny it, I still insist on crediting her for helping me earn my cutie mark that day.

~~~

Despite the feeling of darkness that engulfed me during such hard times, Princess Luna pointed me in the right direction— straight to the light that would lead me home. My true guide had been Princess Luna from the beginning— from the start of my treatments, to the loss of my friends and father, to the earning of my cutie mark. She helped me through it all.

I eventually reached a point in my life when I finally understood what it meant to find comfort in darkness. Something that many ponies fear, I learned to revere. As ruler of the night, Princess Luna can command the darkness, which also gives her the power to shed light on it. Though watching an actual star may have gained me my cutie mark, that was not my perception of the situation. With Princess Luna as my guide, I knew I could never go wrong. My friends were my night sky, and Princess Luna was my compass— my bright and shining star in the darkness.

~~~

After a number of brutal chemotherapy treatments, I was blessed to be able to leave the hospital in remission (for the first time). One more congratulatory visit from Princess Luna was a crucial point in my life. Aside from earning my cutie mark that night, I was honored to receive an offer of friendship from our Princess, something that I would have been a fool to decline. To this day, the friendship I share with Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna, is, and forever will be, one of my most treasured possessions.

~~~

Years of experience have taught me that when communication between friends is limited, the friendship between them can fade. As contact lessens, the bonds of friendship may weaken, and eventually break. However, it is my strong belief that friendships can last forever if you allow them to. Keeping in touch, however minimally, extends the life of a friendship. The more contact you keep, the more likely it is that a friendship will last. The more effort you put into keeping that contact, the stronger the bonds of friendship become. Distance is a non-issue.

Even when the furthest distance possible is created—the end of a pony’s life—the bonds of true friendship still cannot be broken. If a pony has made an impact on his or her friends’ and family’s lives to the extent that they will never be forgotten, their spirit lives on. Even something as powerful as death is still no match against the bonds of friendship.

This is a belief that I shall take with me to my grave, along with my most valued friendships.

~~~

Princess—

There are plenty more segments that mention you, but I felt these would be the best to give you an idea of the book’s topics. Please let me know what you think.

—Tesla Coil

Princess Luna placed the papers on her pillow. She allowed a single tear to drop from her cheek onto the bedsheets before wiping the rest away with her hoof. After all her years of keeping in contact with the pony she had met when he was just a colt, the words from the same pony as an old stallion touched her in a way she had never felt before.

Though she knew she needed rest, there was something Luna had to do first. She exited her room and trotted down the hallway. Her destination was a long walk from her bedroom, but Luna wouldn’t be able to sleep until she completed this new task.

When she finally arrived at the doors to the library, Luna opened them silently, spotting Princess Twilight Sparkle seated at a desk in the back, with a rather hefty dragon by her side. As she approached the desk, a smile broke upon Luna’s muzzle. The dragon put his claws to his ears as she calmly asked, “Ah, time for the weekly archive?”

The youngest princess jumped in her seat. “Luna!” Twilight shook her head with a small chuckle. “You always do that. Are you trying to give me a heart attack? And why didn’t you jump?” she queried her assistant, who took his claws from his ears.

Spike shrugged as he continued organizing the papers in front of him. “I figured Luna’d pop in at some point. Besides, I heard her comin’.”

Twilight glared at him. “Then why didn’t you warn me?”

Spike grinned. “‘Cause I like it when she pranks you.” He looked at Luna and winked, earning a wink in return from her, and a nudge to the shoulder from Twilight. “What? I can’t pull one on you without getting a death stare! She gets away with it scot-free!” He turned to Luna with a quizzical look. “But it’s kind of early, and you usually use the Royal Canterlot Voice…”

Twilight’s expression changed completely when she looked at the clock. “That’s true… It is awfully early for you to be awake, Luna; is everything alright?”

Luna nodded. “Yes… to a degree. While I seem to have accomplished it anyway, I am not here for my usual prank.” She couldn’t help but smile when Twilight gently shook her head with a smile of her own as Spike returned to shuffling the papers in front of him. “Do you happen to know where the royal checkbook is?”

Twilight rummaged through a drawer in the desk. “Corvus told me he put it in here somewhere… Ah, yes, it’s right here. Do you need something?”

Luna nodded. “I wish to write a check out to the Shining Stars Foundation.”

Twilight smiled. “That’s the fund for pediatric cancer patients that he started, right?” Luna nodded again. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard you talk about it.”

Luna switched to shaking her head. “I know. ‘Tis a shame, too.”

Twilight smiled. “I can write the check for you, if you’d like.”

Luna shook her head once again. “There are specifics to be written in order to send it to the appropriate ponies. Thank you, but I will take care of it myself.”

“I understand.” Twilight nodded and gave her the checkbook.

As she grasped the financial tome in her aura, Luna replied, “However, I would appreciate it if you would do something else; could you write a letter for me, Twilight?”

“Of course! To whom?”

“Please write to Manehattan Publishers Inc. and ask them for any and all information they may have on a manuscript entitled A Shining Star in the Darkness, including its potential publishing costs. If they claim to have nothing, tell them their editing department should. They will be receiving an application soon; please request that they contact me when they do. Oh, and tell them not to inform the applicant of our contact. I will do that myself.”

“I can do that.” Twilight smiled again. ‘Shining Star’ was a phrase she had heard in multiple contexts over the preceding years; it always pointed to the same origin.

“Thank you, Twilight. Now if you will excuse me, I must accrue a few more hours of sleep before sunset.” Luna sighed.

“I think that’s wise.” Twilight turned back to her desk. “Spike, you know the drill.”

When the youngest princess and her assistant were out of earshot, Luna whispered to herself, “Yes, a few more hours… but I have to write a letter to a certain widow first.”

Luna exited the library, heading back to her bedroom. The checkbook and quill hovered in front of her as she filled out the specifics. She had written them multiple times before, so it only took a moment, but it had to be done properly. After snapping the book closed, she began determining what she would write to Tesla Coil, including her permission and funding for the publication of the book, along with the high likelihood of its acceptance. However, something kept intruding into Luna’s thoughts.

…A gift?

Author's Note:

For those of you wondering where the name came from, Corvus is a small constellation of the Raven, south of Virgo. Remember, this story takes place well into the future, so if you understand, you understand. If not, feel free to ask, but do so in Spoilers please.

Comments

[Dreams of Ponies]

Touching, all of it, all of my feels. Also, funny to think Twilight is the royal archivist, but stupidly appropriate I suppose.

I wonder what Princess Luna will decide as a gift, perhaps a constellation in the sky, or a star named after Crimson