Letter 1

Luna's great, dark wings blotted out the rising sun as she flew in through the open window to her bedroom. The night had once again come to an end and her dear sister was flying into the sky, to bring the sun to the land of the ponies.

So few enjoyed her wonderful nights, and often she worried that there were none at all who enjoyed her endless sea of stars, her gentle moon in all its phases, or the deep and rich darkness of her night sky. The ponies she and her sister cared for were a timid lot and seemed to find reason for fear and cowering in every shadow, let alone in the great night.

She pawed at the mattress of her her bed with her hooves for a moment, then drew the curtains of her heavy blue canopy closed around her. The soft blue glow of her horn seemed to blaze for a moment before she let the magic fade and laid her head down to her pillow.

Something popped and scratched beneath her head and she sat up drowsily, lighting her small enclosure with her horn once more. On her pillow, was a now rather bent scroll of parchment with a black ribbon tied tightly around.

"What's this?" She wondered aloud.

She lifted the scroll in an aura of blue and let the magic work free the knot, unrolled it, smoothed the wrinkles, and began to read the shaky, rough, and yet somehow still elegant writing.

My most adored Princess Luna,

I am but a lowly guard in your ranks and, though I fear that it is far too great hope that you might notice me, that you might look to me as I look to you, I must write this letter in that vain hope that the reckless dreams of a lowly guard might, at the very least, touch your heart. My hooves shake and the pen is unsteady in my teeth as I write these words. If writing this letter were fighting dragons, I would have endless reserves of calm, but the risk here is greater than life. The risk is love and a broken heart.

The endless dark of your night sky, the gentle light of your stars, and the fair glow of your moon, all these things are beautiful, more so than a simple soldier could capture with words, yet still they are but reminders of your smile, your eyes, and the glimmer of your mane. My dearest princess, it is you that brings beauty to the night - nay to the world! Let others dally in the day, that harsh light, that endless heat, that raw and burning time- let them have it! Yes, let me have your night! And though it is greedy to think, shameful to say, and though I am unworthy, I would have the night to myself and you, alone and always, though I know that would deprive others of your glorious beauty, though I know it is wrong, I want this still. To have you, your night, your stars, and your moon to me alone! It is a foolish desire, I know.

Perhaps I go too far in this letter. Perhaps you will think me mad or a fool or a mad fool. Perhaps you would be right to think me so, but what stallion could look upon the Princess of Night and Starry Sky, could gaze upon your beauty which goes deeper than the darkest midnight sky, and not go mad with love? I cannot be the only one that feels his heart rend and blood burn when he looks upon you. Every stallion must feel his heart hammer into his chest so low that he fears he'll step upon it at any moment. I know that I have come far too close to trodding upon my own heart more times than I can count from little more than a whiff of your perfume upon the night air.

I may not be able to gather the courage to send this letter to you, but if you are reading this, then I have conquered the one fear that torments me more than any other. You need not reply, but if you would, if my words have touched you, then please leave your letter behind the fourth pillar in the main hall of the castle before any midnight. I will watch for your reply, though it may be beyond any hope, I will watch.

Looking always to the endless depth and beauty of your dark night,
-SB

Luna blushed and read the letter over four more times, her smile, confusion, and blush growing with each pass through the letter.

She could see that the writer had penned a few attempts before this final letter. A bit of ink had bled through a stack of paper with each draft. Whoever SB was, he had spent a great deal of time and thought on his words.

"Does he really love the night as much as I do?" She asked the air around her.

She laughed at herself then.

"Getting caught up in romances and secret letters is no business for a princess. This colt is simply infatuated. I shouldn't encourage him."

She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but kept the letter on the pillow nearby. After an hour or so of turning and tossing she opened her eyes again, lit her horn, and looked at the letter once more.

"Well, perhaps I should write him back. After all, he did pour his heart into this letter. It would be impolite not to respond in some way. And a princess must be polite. Yes. That's it. I'll write him back, just to be polite."

Luna tossed open the curtains of her canopy, and hopped to her desk, where she lifted quill, opened ink, and began to write back to her admirer. The admirer of her beautiful night.

"Perhaps, at the very least, he will be a confidant. Perhaps, at last I will have someone to revel in the glories of the night. I suppose every princess must play a fool once."

She giggled and was shocked at her own girlishness for a moment before returning quill to paper and writing the first draft of her reply to SB.

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