Through Crimson Eyes

by Level Dasher

Chapter 62: The Gift

“Luna!” A loud pounding echoed through her chambers. “Luna! Get up!”

A minute later, the deadbolt clicked open and a small crack appeared along the door frame. A dark blue eye peered out from the shadows, blinking in the light.

A harsh sigh emanated from within. “Tia, why are you waking me? I hope you have a good reason for pounding upon my door.”

Celestia spoke quickly, “I do, Luna, I do. You need to come and sign for something in the main hall.”

Luna yawned. “Please tell me you jest, Sister. Can you not sign for it? You know I have been in need of proper rest.”

“Yes, Luna, I know. But they say they require your signature. Besides, I really think you’ll want to see this!” Luna rubbed her eye with a hoof and let out another yawn. Celestia’s voice softened as she said, “Luna, I know yesterday was hard for you, but believe me, you will not regret coming out right now. I think this is it!”

The previous evening had indeed been hard for Luna; the funeral was still fresh in her mind. While she led the service flawlessly, she had not slept well the whole week prior. Frequent cries during her sleeping hours could be heard throughout the halls, eliciting visits from concerned guards. However, the funeral was now over, and Luna was pleased with her performance. She had honored her friend as best she could. She knew that was all he would have wanted, and his family had been beside themselves.

All Luna wanted now was a good day’s sleep, but her older sister was depriving her of it. “What are you talking about, Tia? What makes you so positive this will excite me?”

“I checked the return address on the paperwork.” Celestia looked around before she put her head to the door and whispered, “I think it’s the gift you’ve been waiting for.”

The visible pupil in the door’s opening dilated as Luna went from groggy to attentive in a flash.

“WHAT?”

The single word, accidentally conjured with the Royal Canterlot Voice, echoed through the halls as Luna slammed the door into Celestia’s head, knocking her onto her hindquarters. “Give me a minute!”

Was that really necessary, Luna? Celestia thought as she rubbed her temple. Then she called through the door, “I will be downstairs with the delivery stallions, Sister! Be sure to look presentable!”

Luna rushed into her restroom with a harsh sigh. Why do you think I told you to give me a minute? A brush surrounded by a blue aura quickly flowed through her mane. “Yes, Sister! I will meet you in the main hall!”

A few minutes later, Luna rushed to the stairs, stopped short at the top, and gracefully descended the staircase at a proper pace. She found Celestia speaking with one of the delivery stallions, who held a clipboard and a quill in his green aura.

“I apologize for requesting that you wake her, Your Highness, but as I mentioned before, this delivery came with specific instructions. Princess Luna must provide the signature… and I dare not disobey instructions from the walking shock-stick.” He shuddered.

Celestia smiled. “There is no need to apologize. If the package is addressed to my sister, she should naturally be the one to sign for it. Ah! Here she is now.” Celestia glanced at one of the guards, then leaned down to the delivery stallion and whispered, “If I were you, I would be careful how you refer to the Captain’s mother— you never know who’s listening.” The stallion’s eyes darted left and right to the guards in the room while Celestia chuckled.

As Luna approached the delivery stallion and her sister, she watched as three more stallions carried in a moderately-sized, thin, square crate. Her eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

“G-Good day, Your Highness,” the stallion said nervously, the reverberating shout from a few minutes ago still ringing in his ears, along with Princess Celestia’s words. “I apologize for waking you, but I was given specific instructions that you had to sign for this package personally.” He levitated the clipboard and quill to Luna, who took them in her own aura and provided the required signature.

“It is quite alright— thank you. Is there anything else I must know regarding this delivery?”

The stallion released a relieved breath. “Yes, Your Highness. Please read the accompanying message first before opening the package; it’s important.” He pointed to the front of the crate, where an envelope was attached.

Luna nodded. “Again, thank you. If that is everything you require, I will be retiring to my chambers.”

“Yes, Your Highness. That’s all.” The delivery stallion bowed, then turned and waved to his crew. “Come on! Don’t dally— we have more deliveries to make!” After carefully laying the crate against the wall, the crew galloped for the door, followed by their leader.

After the princesses watched the stallions exit the castle, Celestia glanced around the main hall. Satisfied that the two of them were alone, sans a few trustworthy guards, she looked at Luna with an imploring grin. “You’re not really going to go back to bed now and make me wait to see what this is, are you?”

Luna cocked a brow at her sister. “Surely you jest, Tia.” Without a second thought, Celestia and Luna simultaneously approached the crate.

“Good. Especially after the thoughtful gift you gave me, I believe you owe me that much,” Celestia said sarcastically, pointing to her head.

Luna spied a noticeable lump on her sister’s temple and cringed as she put a hoof to her mouth. “Heh… Sorry, Sister.”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “It’s fine. Now remember to read the message first.” As Luna glared at her sister with a ‘Do-you-think-I’m-deaf?’ expression, she detached the envelope from the crate. Celestia gave the package a quick once-over. “Do you know what it is?”

Luna removed a sheet of paper from the envelope. “I can think of one thing that would be this shape, but I cannot imagine he would give it to me.” She unfolded the paper to find hoofwriting that seemed vaguely familiar…

Dear Princess Luna,

When Crimson first told me that he could sense his time was near, I was devastated. As one of my best friends, I could not bear the thought of losing him. Unfortunately, he said it was just his time, and we could do nothing about it.

Crimson consulted me to obtain my approval to carry out his intentions. I told him that since this had been a gift for him, he could do with it as he wished. When he asked if it would be okay for him to give it to you, I told him, absolutely. I will repeat the same thing I said to him: if you accepted this gift from Crimson, it would be an incredible honor for me as well. This particular item holds a special place in my heart. While I believe Crimson’s battle with cancer was the true source of it, in Crimson’s eyes, this is the very thing that earned me my cutie mark. It took me ages to think of a name for it; I hope it is to your liking.

Thank you for keeping my friend with us for so many years. Please cherish this gift as Crimson did.

Your Loyal Subject,

Starry Knight

Luna’s eyes widened as she read the letter, her initial suspicion as to the crate’s contents becoming more and more likely. They bulged when she read the signature, which was practically a guarantee.

Dropping the note, she whispered to herself, “S-Starry Knight?” No… it couldn’t be… did he really…?

“Sister? Is everything alright?” As Luna visibly quivered, Celestia mistook her appalled expression for fear. “Is something the matter?”

“I… I think…” As Luna moved toward the side of the crate, she carefully unlatched the hook that held it closed. A quick glance inside revealed the form of an ornate golden frame. Luna’s front hooves shot to her mouth, she lost her balance, and fell onto her rump. The guards chuckled quietly as she stared at the open crate with her eyebrows curved upwards and whispered, “He did…”

Celestia suppressed a laugh as she watched her sister take her turn to fall, but the expression on Luna’s face confused her. “Sister, who did what?” She picked up the note Luna had dropped.

Luna was speechless as she slowly rose to her hooves. When she once again stood on all fours, she approached the open side of the crate. Focusing power to her horn, she cast a steady levitation spell. Slowly backing away from the crate, she carefully pulled the precious item from its container. After completely removing it, Luna leaned it against the wall.

She gazed at the portrait of herself alongside a young colt holding a telescope.

Celestia observed the painting for a few moments. “Luna, it’s beautiful. Who—” When she saw the ‘SK’ in the lower-right corner, she cut off her question, then asked a new one. “Is this one of Knight’s works?” Celestia was familiar with the renowned artist. One of his paintings of Canterlot castle hung in the royal dining hall, though the signature on this piece looked significantly different. It lacked the trademark teal streak on the ‘t’; in fact, it was only his simple initials. She quickly read through the message that had accompanied the painting, including the postscript on the back that Luna had neglected.

Luna nodded. “As far as I am aware, it is his first piece that he would deem of professional quality. Knight showed me a few of his early works— some of them were quite good, but he was most proud of this one. That stallion was talented from an incredibly early age.”

Looking up from the note, Celestia smiled. “Agreed. He may consider it an honor for us to be in possession of this wonderful work, but—”

Luna finished the sentence for her, “It is even more of an honor for us.” The two princesses nodded at each other. “Tia, would it be alright with you if I am rather selfish as to the placement of this piece?”

“Sister, it was a gift for you. You may do with it as you wish.” Celestia quoted the message from Starry, grinning.

“Thank you, Tia.”

“But do tell me, what do you have in mind?” Celestia asked. Luna slowly broke into a smile as she turned her head towards the upper floor. Celestia nodded. “I’m certain he would be thrilled to be up there.”

Luna nodded as well. “I will write to the Captain’s mother and let her know of his new location.” After a moment, she chuckled and turned to her sister. “Perhaps I also ought to inform her of her reputation amongst the delivery service…” Celestia shot a hoof to her mouth and attempted to suppress a snort.

Author's Note:

Given the title, I find it amusing that I happened to publish this chapter on my birthday. It actually wasn't intentional, it just happened to time itself that way.
Oh, and in case you forgot, and don’t want to go searching through chapters again (though it's chapter 9 if you want to click through to the full size again):

Comments

[Dreams of Ponies]

Silly princess shenanigans, always funny. Also, I wish my postal service was that good, jeez.

Again, yet another fully circle come around. Such a good way of tying things together, honestly. I bet she puts it in either her bedroom or the astronomy tower, or both if that's what her bedroom is, heheh.