“Do you enjoy my night?” She enquired.
I looked up into the sky, now lit up fully with the glow of uncountable numbers of stars. Some were regular white, a few were blue. With the moon as the centerpiece, it was the most glorious mosaic I had ever laid eyes on, and I told her so. She blushed a little at this.
She laid down on all fours, and she obliged me to sit beside her. “Even in these days of progress, there are very few who enjoy my handiwork.”
“Then it is their loss, Princess.” I never would have believed that such dark colored cheeks could turn so deep a red.
“You were not afraid of me,” I ask her. “Why?”
She paused. “I cannot show fear in the face of a new race that my country could have diplomatic relations with.”
“But it’s more than that, isn’t it?”
She looked at me with a blank face, but I knew I was right, because her pupils had dilated, even just the tiniest bit. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You see a kindred spirit within me, don’t you? You know the loneliness of being feared, and of the anger that comes as reaction to that isolation.”
Her poker face was falling to shambles.
“Luna, I know about Nightmare Moon.” She brought in her breath with a small hiss.
“How didst thou glean this information?” she had regressed into an archaic form of speech.
“As soon as I knew you could read my mind, I decided to gamble and see if I could read yours. I know your anger at others not appreciating your night, of the jealousy of your sister, of your attempts to bring night eternal, and of your imprisonment, release, and most importantly, your redemption.” She looked at me with eyes that were full of a sadness without tears; the silent melancholy of one who has never forgiven themselves of their past sins.
“You have been forgiven by your sister, and by your subjects. But that’s all for naught if you don’t forgive yourself as well.”
“There is no forgiveness for what I’ve done.” She said this in monotone, looking out over the waving grove and fields below us. “I abandoned my true duty for my own desires. My true purpose has been returned to me, that of raising the astral bodies, but I am adrift, without purpose.” She paused again, and looked to me. “It is strange to me, but I have not reservations in trusting thee.”
I placed my hand on her shoulder, just above her wing. “You feel stagnant; you’re going through the motions required of you, but you are feeling purposeless. I have a feeling that you won’t be able to move on in your life until you can face your subjects and say, ‘I forgive myself’.”
She stood up abruptly. I did as well, but much more slowly. She had a blank face once again, while mine was filled with concern. She folded her wings about me like arms embracing a friend, and then she laid her head on one of my shoulders, and then the other. I assume this was some kind of royal farewell. She then looked me in the eyes.
“Thank you, Adam the Human, for your counsel. You have my royal blessing to walk these lands in peace.” She then backed away, and took off into the night. As I saw her form grow smaller and smaller, I heard these words in my mind:
If ever you need me, call my name, and I shall come swiftly.
I'm thinking of adding the next ten chapters along with two new ones on Friday, but I could be persuaded to upload the next ten chapters tomorrow and add the the other two on Friday. What do you wonderful readers want?
The short length of the chapters to date, combined with the lack of a cliffhanger at this point leaves me feeling as though I can wait, and leave the cohesion of updates up to the author.
However if you wanted to update now, I certainly wouldn't be opposed to it...
NEEDS ABOUT 20% MORE RAINBOW DASH! wait wait... scratch that. I CLAIM THAT YOU SHALL DO SOMETHING OR YEAH.......
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Patience my good reader! I just finished the chapters that will focus a little more on Rainbow Dash, and believe me, her part of the story is going to be big!
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Really?
(Sigh)
This was a 'left field' chapter. I don't think that needs to be elaborated on too much. The tone and voice continue to improve, little by little, however.
Moveing on.