The Second Sister

by Novella Paperback

In all my days

Grandma. She'd said grandma. Wait, was that what she'd truly said? Maybe I had misheard. There was no way she could have said grandma.

"I spent a lot of my time when I was younger going over my genealogy and-"

No, I'm almost sure she was wrong. I'd misheard somehow. I didn't see any children during the times I could observe her life. She had died alone. No filly would let her mother die alone. Yes, either I'd misheard, or she had simply misspoken, that's all.

"- Then there was this OTHER uncle of mine -"

But what if I hadn't misheard? Did Starsing really have a young that I didn't know about? Is this mare the descendant of the one unicorn who understood my night?

"Princess?"

If that's the case then I need to investigate further.

"Your Majesty?"

I need to see that book!

"Princess Luna?"

"Huh, what? Yes?" The small Mare's words finally broke through her inner monologue and Luna jumped to attention. "WHAT DOST THOU WISH TO ASK, SUBJECT?" The Royal Voice come without warning ... to either of them. Luna was sure that she much appear as surprised at Novella did. "I am... Sorry." She apologized. "I was thinking. What was it you were saying, Librarian?"

The golden unicorn shuffled from hoof to hoof, appearing a little flustered. "I was saying that if you wanted, I could go and get the book from my house. There's a whole chapter about Starsing near the beginning." She looked around the room, which Luna noticed now had a slight buzzing in the air, probably from how loud she had spoken. "If you wanted it, that is." She finished and turned her forest green gaze back towards the princess.

Luna managed a bit of a smile, appreciating the offer entirely. Not many ponies would be so willing to hand over the history of their family to another, it was too valuable, especially to unicorns. "Thank you, I would very much like you read if if you wouldn't mind. Starsing once gave me a very precious gift, and I would just to just know that she was happy in her life."

Novella's own smile was a little sad. She couldn't imagine having friends from so long ago and knowing that they were gone now, it seemed to upsetting. "I'll go and get it for you right away, Princess." She bent her foreleg and bowed to her.

"Please bring it to to the palace when you do." Luna replied, bowing her head in thanks before turning and leaving the room, and then the library all together.

She watched her go and let out a small sigh, turning to study the room she was in. So many years of history recorded, what were the odds that the only one the Princess was interested in was her own? She scoured the library for any stragglers, then locked the front door on her way out and put up the closed sign before she began to head back to her home.

Novella's mind was racing as she trotted through her neighborhood. How long would the Princess want to keep the book? She would give it back...right? What if something happened to it. She shook her head and smiled to herself. She was being silly, having Princess Luna interested in her simple genealogy was quite an honor. There was nothing she had to fear with the Princess taking a look at it.

With that train of thought her new guide, Novella was much calmer when she arrive to her small two bedroom home on the Southern end of Canterlot. She rather liked her little home, it was painted light blue with a brick type roof, a few bushes around the white front door and a flower painted on the mailbox, thanks to her sister. The main room inside was spacious yet homey, mostly, again, thanks to her sister. Novella was too wrapped up in her job and her books to pay much attention to decorating her home, so nearly every choice about the house had come from Novelette, her twin sister.

Furious clicking in the corner drew her attention and the pony watched in mild amusement as the mare in question typed away at an old type writer, spitting out page after page for, probably, a new story she was writing. Their coloring was a little off, where as Novella had a golden coat, Novelette's was a warm cinnamon color, and her mane and tail were both just the maroon color that was striped in Novella's. Their eyes both retained the green they're gotten from their mother though.

"AH HA!" The excited exclamation had Novella giggling into a hoof. Her sister had often gotten to wrapped up in her writing that she spoke aloud with the characters so the tone of the scene would be perfect. "At last, thought you could run from me? You should know better, as if I'd ever let you go now."

"Oh no, please Sunbeam, please." This voice was higher pitched, coming from the corner of Novelette's lips.

"Don't beg for something you don't want." The regular voice was back and Novella was beginning to wonder if she was listening into something she ought not to be.

"But.. but I... Oh, I can't fight it any more. Kiss me you foal!" The higher pitched voice moaned and Novella finally broak down in laughter. Her cinnamon colored double jumped in her seat and spun around, face flushed and eyes bright with excitement. "What are you doing here?!" She asked.

Grinning, Novella trotted past her to one of the many many bookshelves lining the walls. "I have to drab something. Princess Luna came into the-"

"Princess LUNA?! So it is true, she's really back?! Holy cow, I'd never believe it if you hadn't told me, this is amazing, what did she look like? Was she beautiful? I wish I could have seen her, was her voice like that of the Nightingale? Was her mane flowing like Celestia's does? Oh! Oh, did she smell good?"

Completely flummoxed by the barrage of questions, Novella just gaped, open mouthed, at her sister. "You've got to get out more, sis." She shook her head and pulled the thick book free with her magic."She's really back, she looks like the paintings of her, She's very beautiful, she was...er... loud. No, it didn't flow, it was like Princess Cadence's mane and...um... I guess?" She answered grudgingly, knowing she would never be left alone if she didn't.

Novelette swooned onto the sofa and fanned herself with her hooves. "Her story's always been so romantic. Cast away by the sister she loved because her loneliness had overcome her. How tragic! Don't worry Princess, your loyal subject will love you enough for all of Equestria!"

The unicorn threw her hooves up into the air and hugged onto...presumably an invisible Luna. All Novella could do was stare, and she was pretty sure she felt her eye twitching a few times. "So...uh... yeah... I'll pick up dinner on the way home.. I'll let you get back to...erm... whatever it is that you're doing..."

"TRAGIC!" Her twin ignored her and rolled, holding onto the back of the couch so they were facing each other. "Isn't it JUST tragic? Surely the Princess could use some pony to brighten her lonely nights. A certain mare with a flair for romance. I'd give her some of my work, and she would read them and fall madly in love with my Mare Characters. Then, I would reveal to her that each and every one was molded after yours truly! With her hearts desires now come to light, she would have no choice but to fall madly in love with me!" She melted down the back of the couch with a dreamy sigh. "Luna and Novelette, isn't it beautiful? A love story for the ages."

Novella rose a brow at her sister, contemplating how quickly she could escape before she was roped into some scheme. "I don't think the Princess is looking for love." She told her twin. "She just got back, I'm sure she has a lot of work to do in catching up with the times and all that."

"Who better to help her than a new lover?" Novelette grinned maniacally, somehow now laying on the floor with her head on her hooves. "I would be the best specially somepony she'd ever had."

Well then... obviously her family was insane. "I'll leave you to your planning then." She said and left as her sister sighed and giggled like a little school filly over her new crush.

---

"Your Highness, a unicorn is requesting your presence about a book."

Luna looked over towards the golden armored guard and she waved a hoof. "Show her in." She decreed. Only a moment had passed as Novella walked into the large reception room, the rather large book floating along at her side surrounded by a sparkling green glow.

"Your Highness." The golden mare bowed to her when she was near enough and with her magic, opened the book to a page near the beginning. "I believe you wanted to see this." Their magic crossed, creating a beautiful mixture of green to blue as the book was passed over, Luna shivered involuntarily.

"Thank you." She dipped her heat graciously and looked down at the book. There, on the first page, was an age word painting of Starsing in her later years, probably done during the height of her culinary career. Her living years were filled with praise in the book, for her talents and her tenaciousness at raising a few filly without the help of.. whatever stallion she had mated with. There was no mention of him, just the comment of a romantic liaison in another country. Luna turned to the daughters biography, reading through it, then the next and the next. Her flipping became near frantic when she didn't receive any of the information that she longed for.

"Luna?"

The word faulted her flipping and Luna's head lowered in defeat, sadness ringing in her eyes. "Thank you." She set the book on the ground infront of Novella. "You may go now."

The mare hesitated, stepping forward. "Princess if there's anything I can do," She started uncertainly.

"LEAVE US TO OUR SOLITUDE!" Luna's voice boomed around the echoing room and Novella picked her family's book up once more. She didn't question her Princess, and so, she turned and indeed, left her to her solitude. Luna's eyes closed the same time the doors did and she laid on her seat, head head on her hooves. She'd been excited for nothing. That book had told her only what it deemed important. She had wanted to know so much more. It did not say if Starsing was happy, if she sang to her little filly or even her favorite thing to eat. It didn't say if... if she'd moaned Luna at all. If she'd even remembered their one night together. And that was a rather depressing thought indeed.

All she had longed to know... what SHE deemed impotent, would never be written down in any book. She would never find out if Starsing had ever thought of her again.

Unimportant. Unremembered. Unloved. Her one chance had failed her, and Luna knew she would never knew what had been lost in the sands of time forever.

Comments

[Romalisk]

So sad...

[Yubella]

Novella rose a brow at her sister, contemplating how quickly she could escape before she was roped into some scheme. "I don't think the Princess is looking for love." She told her twin. "She just got back, I'm sure she has a lot of work to do in catching up with the times and all that."

She had and still has no work. She is only there as a figure head and muscle.