1 - Remembering
Luna stood on the balcony of her sleeping chambers and let her gaze wander over the city of Canterlot, a thoughtful frown on her face. Down in the streets, her subjects bustled about their daily business, revelling in the sunny day her sister's sun had brought to them. Of course, the weather teams of the pegasi had made this possible as well, scheduling a cloudless sky for today. It reminded her of the days before her banishment to the moon, when jealousy had plagued her mind night and day. Thankfully she had overcome these feelings as well as the darkness that had kept her imprisoned in her own body with no hope of escape. But she could not have done it without the help of the Elements of Harmony and, more importantly to her, not without their bearers. She would do anything to keep something like Nightmare Moon from happening ever again.
It was unusual for her to be awake at this time of day, but sleep eluded her. And, more frustratingly, she didn't know why. Her Night Court had been surprisingly slow which was a nice change from her usual workload. Perhaps it had just been too slow. But somehow she felt that that was not the reason. Some foals down in the castle courtyard spotted her and waved their hooves at her with happy smiles on their faces. This show of youthful affection warmed her heart and eased the moody feelings. Consequently, a big smile crept on her face as well and she waved back enthusiastically, albeit not as enthusiastically as she would have liked to. As a princess she had to retain a certain level of dignity. At least, that was what was expected of her by the Royal Canterlot Protocol. Once again she tried to remember why she and Celestia had let themselves be persuaded by the nobility to approve their petition. Neither of them had really wanted it, but somehow it had seemed necessary. How long ago was this now? Three thousand years? Yes, something like that. Give or take a few centuries. It didn't really matter. But it were small things like these that showed her, that her actions to reinstate her reputation with her subjects had been successful.
It took her a full minute to realize that the foals had moved on while she was lost in her thoughts. And now she was waving at a group of nobles, still with a silly grin plastered on her muzzle. She brought her hoof to her mouth, coughed constrainedly, and hoped that her slight blushing was not visible to the ponies who were now looking up to her consternated, and slightly appalled. Why do I feel like this? I am one of the princesses! If I want to be happy and exuberant, I have every right to be. One of these days she should really talk with her sister about loosening the Royal Canterlot Protocol.
Sighing she turned around, walked back into her bedchamber and, with a flick of magic from her horn, closed the wide doors behind her. As an alicorn she didn't need to sleep everyday but usually she slept for at least a few hours to maintain somewhat of a routine. But if she couldn't sleep today, she would do something else: something that she had wanted to do for a long time now. With a look of determination on her face, she entered the bathroom adjacent to her sleeping chambers. Taking a look at herself in the mirror over the wash bowl, she decided that her mane needed a bit of combing to be truly presentable. Firing up her horn once again, her hairbrush was engulfed in a pale blue aura and lifted from its resting place to float over to her head. Letting it glide through her mane to tame a few strands of billowing night-sky back into place, she made some more detailed plans for the day. With a satisfied nod she replaced the brush and trotted back into the sleeping area. Without stopping she donned her regalia and opened the doors to the corridor outside her bed chamber. The corridor itself was deserted except for a few other doors, that led to different other personal rooms of hers, and the two guards–a pegasus and a unicorn–that stood on either side of her chambers. At the first move of the doors, the guards snapped to attention.
"Private, please inform my sister that I will be taking a walk to the city today, if she needs to contact me. Aside from that, I will join her at dinner as usual," she spoke to the pegasus on the right.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" he acknowledged with a salute. He then spread his wings and flew off down the corridor.
"I will send an escort to meet you at the castle gates, Your Highness," the unicorn guard said to the princess.
"No, that won't be necessary. This is no official visit, but a private one. I do not wish to attract more attention than I would alone, even without a bulk of guardsponies following me." Luna stopped him before he could make his first move.
"Are you sure? The Royal Canterlot Protocol..." his voice trailed off as he saw the suddenly grim expression on the face of his princess. "Yes, ma'am, no escort, ma'am," he hastened to comply, adding a swift salute.
Slightly appeased, Luna gave him a nod and made her way down the corridor, following the guard she had just sent after her sister. Her way took her to the great entrance hall of the castle. It had two big arched doors opposing each other, as well as several smaller ones that led to different parts of Canterlot Castle. The big doors to her right opened to the throne room in which her sister was sitting in this very minute to receive all kinds of ponies during the hours of her official daycourt. The other door led to the castle grounds and the Royal Gardens. There was a whole bunch of ponies standing in the hall waiting to see Princess Celestia, kept snugly in line by several guards. All of the ponies bowed as they noticed the entrance of the second diarch of Equestria. Luna acknowledged their reverence with a curt nod, which was joined by a warm smile once she noticed that not one pony before her bowed out of fear, but out of appreciation for their princess. Yes, this is how it should be. she thought with satisfaction, and let a bit more spring get to her trot as she turned to the front doors, dignity be damned for today. She could have told her sister about her plans herself, but didn't want to disrupt her court any more than necessary. And a guard would most likely not even be noticed by the nervous ponies speaking to their ruler. Whereas, it was not unheard of that more than one pony would suffer a nervous breakdown on the unexpected entrance of a second princess. Talk about bad timing.
Just as she opened the doors to the outside, those to the throne room burst open as well. Curious, she turned around, only to see the guard she had sent to her sister stumble out.
"Your Highness! Please wait a moment!" he called before running up to her. Luna waited calmly for him to reach her. As he did she looked quizzically down as a signal for him to speak. "Princess Celestia wishes you fun and a relaxing trip. But she is curious about your plans and asks if you would be willing to be a bit more precise."
Shooting a quick glance upwards over the waiting ponies who tried as hard as possible not to be seen to be eavesdropping–failing miserably of course–and into the throne room, she saw that her sister was looking back at her with that trademark smile of hers. An exuberant and slightly devious grin stole itself on Luna's face. "Why, of course I can!" she exclaimed happily. Using the Royal Canterlot Voice the first time in months, she shouted in the direction of Celestia, "Just going on a little shopping tour!" And with that she turned around and made her way through the open doors. A small giggle escaped her as she imagined the the stunned expressions on the waiting ponies' faces and she could almost actually hear several jaws hitting the floor.
Her gloomy mood from a few minutes earlier forgotten, she made her way to the streets of Canterlot. What a wonderful day to go shopping!
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The streets of Canterlot were even more bustling with activity than she had expected after watching it from her balcony. But, much to her relief, there was no big uproar among her subjects upon seeing one of their princesses walking the very same ground as themselves. Most of them were smiling at her when she passed them, while others had curious looks on their faces; only occasionally did a pony feel it necessary to bow before her. Overall, she had a very pleasant feeling about her visit to the city. Some time ago, a few weeks after she had returned from her banishment, and only a couple of days after her power had sufficiently rebuilt to retake her usual royal, alicorn body, she too had come to the city to witness the changes that had occurred since her disappearance. After about an hour, she had teleported back to her quarters to break down into a sobbing mess on her bed. The ponies she loved so much had fled, screaming at the top of their lungs upon seeing what they thought was Nightmare Moon. All reassurances from herself, or the guards, had done nothing to calm them down. It had taken Celestia all of the remaining day, and most of the night, to calm Luna down and reassure her that eventually the attitude towards her would change. And, as usual, she had been correct.
Luna gazed with fascination at the many different shops, restaurants, boutiques and market stands that made up Canterlot's main shopping district. A light breeze was blowing that added just the right amount of cooling to the warm day without turning it chilly. But, as it blew up from behind her, her mane that usually was billowing all on its own was pushed constantly into her face, tickling her nose and obscuring her view. After about ten minutes she'd had enough of it. Looking for a shop selling all kinds of small accessories Luna hurried forward. Once she had finally found one, she browsed the different items until she found what she was looking for. After paying, she straightened her mane with her magic and snatched her new scrunchie snuggly over it. Now her head sported a ponytail that kept her mane just far enough behind her so it couldn't get in her way. Satisfied, she moved on. So, what should I do first? It's not as if I've had something particular in mind. A low rumbling emerged from her stomach, giving her an idea of what to do. But, as dinner wasn't that far away, she decided to settle for just a small ice cream cone on this hot day.
Five minutes later a cone with about a dozen differently flavoured scoops floated before her and she was happily licking away at her icy treat. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of something unusual. An animatedly, chattering group of foals, led by a unicorn mare, made their way through the streets a short distance away. They were quite young, maybe around the age of six, seeing as not one of them had gained a cutie mark yet. One of the foals spotted her and she saw a pair of eyes swelling to enormous proportions. The colt pointed a hoof towards her and said something to his followers. A moment later the pair of enormous eyes were joined by several others. Luna smiled and waved a hoof at them. But, as she got no reaction, it dawned on her that, in this case, it was not the princess that got the attention of the foals, but the gigantic ice cream tower hovering in front of her. The leading mare, having caught on to the fact that some of her charges were trailing behind, let out a small call to them and snapped them somewhat cruelly out of their dreamworld. As they hastened to catch up with the rest of their group, Luna noticed some sort of scarf around each of their necks. Must be a group of those filly scouts I've heard of. But as she looked a little bit closer she recognized the symbol on the scarves. It was the symbol of one of Canterlot's smaller orphanages. That gave her an idea and, once again, a devious grin crept up her face. She looked around until she found what she was looking for. A pair of guards on street patrol. She trotted up to them and waited for the two to become aware of her presence.
"Your Highness!" one of the guards exclaimed, evidently surprised. "What are you doing out here without an escort? This is quite dangerous!"
Luna raised an eyebrow unapprovingly before retorting. "So, you want to tell me that the shopping district is a puddle of crime and you are just taking a stroll, gawking at the sights?"
Becoming a little bit nervous, the guardspony tried to save himself. "Of course not, Princess Luna! The crime rate is at its all-time low thanks to yours and Princess Celestia's reign."
At this point his partner facehooved herself, knowing what was to come. If he thought he could appease the Princess of the Night with this statement, he was wrong. Very wrong. "Well then, I think you are implying that your princess is incapable of doing a little wandering in streets and shopping for a new outfit without a horde of guards to nanny her?"
He was doomed. He just knew it. His career was over. If he was lucky, that is. The poor guard broke into a sweat and began to prance around nervously from one hoof to the other. "No, Your Majesty, that was not what I was trying to say. I just meant..." he trailed off as he was at a loss for words. Frantically, he tried to think of something to say, casting his eyes from left to right non-stop. Then he broke. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty, I didn't mean to insult you. Please don't banish me to the Everfree Forest!" he wailed. His partner brought the second hoof to her face in a futile attempt to hide her embarrassment.
"I will see over it. This time. On one condition. Go back to the castle and tell my assistant–Honeycomb–to gather up ten of my staffponies. Then for her to meet me down at Whitetail Alley in two hours. Do you think you are up to this challenge?"
Relief flooded through the guard's body. It seemed he was saved from what he had assumed to be a cruel fate. "I most certainly am, Your Highness. I will deliver your orders immediately!" he almost shouted while bringing a hoof to his forehead, just the hint of a shake retaining visible. In fact, he was so relieved, that he forgot one essential detail.
"Well then... shouldn't you be moving?" Luna asked after almost a minute in which the guard had failed to do as much as blink.
That finally did the trick. With a horrified shout of "Of course!" he broke into a gallop turning in the direction of Canterlot Castle. Shaking her head, Luna watched him go. The Royal Guard was second to none, but once in a while they got just a bit overprotective. Though she had to admit to herself that she liked toying with them a bit, when the opportunity arose. Suddenly the second guard spoke up. "I have to apologize for my comrade here. I'd like to claim that he was new in the business, but sadly... he's not. He even forgot he has wings to get him to the castle quicker."
"Oh, it's alright Private. He's not the first to stumble over his own tongue when this topic comes up with my sister or I. But I think you should follow him and see to it that he doesn't rouse the whole court."
"Of course, ma'am." And with a salute, the guard in the armor of the Night Guard took off in pursuit of her comrade. Before leaving however, she turned around and spoke up again. "Oh and, Your Highness?"
"Yes?"
"Your ice cream is melting." With that she turned and flew away.
Shooting a quick glance at her cone, Luna sighed and then turned back to the leaving guard as a question came to her mind. "What is your name, Private?" she called after the guard with the bat-like wings.
"Private Lethe, ma'am!" the guard called back. She was now only discernible for her sharper alicorn senses. Lethe? That sounds familiar. Of course! Lethe and Hoplite... Funny I didn't remember them. She had met with the odd duo on several occasions now. The most memorable was, without a question, the war for the Royal Kitchens.
Having dealt with this matter for now, Luna turned her attention back to the rapidly melting ice cream and hastened to gobble it down before the sun could take too much of a toll on it. You may take my dessert pie from me, dear sister, but this ice cream is mine, all MINE!
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Two hours later Luna was standing in the middle of Whitetail Alley waiting for her personal assistant, with a clutter of colorful shopping bags surrounding her. And, as reliable as her assistant was, she did not have long to wait before a dozen ponies appeared at the far corner of the street. Shortly after, they were coming to a halt before the princess.
"Punctual as always, Honeycomb, very good," Luna greeted her personal assistant–a light green earthpony mare with a even lighter blue mane and tail. On her flank resided the image of a beehive. Her eyes were a glowing orange and her mane was put into a tight bun.
"Of course, Princess Luna. By now you should know that I won't keep you waiting. Nice manestyle by the way." Honeycomb had been her assistant since about a month after her return to Equestria and, over the course of the past years, they had gotten to know each other quite well. She liked this hard working mare with her down-to-earth approach on things. And with that simple but honest compliment Luna suddenly realised how much they really talked over things not related to their jobs. I think I would call her a friend, if I had time to think about it.
"Thanks a lot, the wind was a bit of a nuisance today. But enough of the chit-chat, we've got work to do," Luna said with determination. "I want my shopping bags to be brought to my private chambers. One of you will suffice for that. The rest of you: Follow me," she ordered.
"May I ask what your plans are?" Honeycomb spoke up as the group followed Luna down the street.
"I had a little run-in with a group of foals today. And, as I realized they were from one of the smaller orphanages, I thought it would be nice to treat them to a little something. So now we will all go to the nearest ice cream parlor, buy enough ice cream for all of them, and then see their reaction."
"Then we will need ice cream for thirty children and about half a dozen adults, if you want to include their minders; and some for our group too, if you don't mind. They have dinner at six, so we should preferably get their by half past six so that the ice cream will be a dessert for them and not turn out as a strange kind of hors d'oeuvre." Honeycomb rattled down a mental checklist.
Luna stopped dead in her tracks, a dumbfounded expression on her face. Turning to her assistant she raised an eyebrow. Slightly blushing but with a voice that was all business, Honeycomb began to explain. "As I got the message from the guard and stopped him, with a little help from his partner, from rousing up all of the royal court, I tried to anticipate what you had in mind and did a little digging. From the meeting point you wanted us at, and knowing of your dedication to children, it was not difficult to deduce that it had to have been to do with the orphanage. So I went to the archives and pulled up any information I could get my hooves on in the short time I had. Do you need their quarterly figures?"
"Even after several years you manage to surprise me with your abilities. Are you related with the house of Sparkle? You seem an awful lot like an ex-unicorn I know," the astounded princess retorted.
"No, but my mother was an accountant and my father tried to memorize any poetry he could. I think you could put it down as 'bad influence'."
During their short exchange they had resumed their walking and now reached a small ice cream parlor at the corner leading to a side street. "I think we should get the same for everypony to avoid quarrels," Luna spoke to herself while entering the parlor. The one room that made up the shop was empty at this late hour and the staff seemed to be getting ready to close for the day. Walking up to the counter a staffmember greeted her and asked for her wishes. "I'd like to have a portion of three scoops in a paper cup. One scoop of chocolate, one banana and one snozberry with a topping of whipped cream and a waffle. Oh and that order fifty times, and wrapped in bags please." Luna gave her order. It was the second time that day that she heard a jaw drop. This time accompanied by a suppressed snicker from behind her. The mouth of the pony in front of her hung wide open and the eyes were bulging. After a couple of seconds he pulled himself together and cleared his mind by shaking his head furiously, before then calling together his staff to get an organized chaos going. "Take your time, we've got half an hour before we need to get going and it would be a shame if the ice cream was melting before we got to our destination."
"Of course, Your Highness. Everything will be prepared exactly as you wish." And with a curt bow, he joined his staff to coordinate his order of the month. Meanwhile, Luna and her followers took a seat at the various tables. "So, what is the real reason for this spontaneous idea?" Honeycomb spoke with a lowered voice after they had made themselves comfortable. She had steered Luna to a table in the far corner of the room. Not without reason, it seemed. "Don't get me wrong, Princess, I like it, and I know you like the little ones since your first Nightmare Night, but it seems just a bit off."
The smile Luna had worn the entire time faltered a bit, turning lopsided in the process. "I don't exactly know myself. Today was just odd," she confessed. "At first I simply couldn't get to sleep. My thoughts were wandering from one thing to another, but I couldn't tell you what they were about. I feel something nagging at the back of my mind but can not get a hold on it. It's been building since the last Nightmare Night, now that I think about it. When I saw a group of foals in the castle gardens my mood turned completely and I decided to do this little outing. I'm probably just a bit overworked. You know how hard the last couple of months were with all the meetings with the various diplomats of our neighbors, and the associated ambassadors of both sides. All the treaties that had to be negotiated. In fact, you should take a vacation yourself. You have been a great help all this time and you must be at least as strained as I am. Besides, I don't want to wake up hog-tied by two foals. Your son and daughter must certainly miss their mother, considering the little time you spend together. And your husband surely wants his share as well." The last sentence was said with just a hint of suggestiveness.
"Oh, I'm fine, don't worry. I love my family and make the most of the time I've got with them, and it's just more intense as it is. Besides, Silver Streak has gotten to that age where he isn't really thrilled about a mother watching his every step," Honeycomb added with a chuckle. "And for the weekend we have a big picnic planned with a friend's family. Morning Hue couldn't keep her mouth and wings still because of this the last week. Autumn Leaf's ears have started crumbling for sure, let me tell you. He is happy if he can get enough sleep for his weather patrolling." Turning serious again, she finished. "In fact, perhaps a vacation isn't that bad an idea. I think he needs a break."
"It's settled then," Luna declared authoritatively. "After the next week you will take at least a two weeks' vacation. If you need more, that won't be a problem. The Summer Sun Celebration is coming up in a month and I still have a lot of planning to do on my own, so it would be slow for you anyway."
"Thank you, I'm sure he will appreciate it. And I will make sure he relaxes. At least when I'm done with him." Her gaze fixated a distant point and turned into a leer.
"No details please, I once got a small impression from one of your dreams by accident. Made my mind wander the whole day..." Luna stopped her with mock exasperation. But, before Honeycomb could retort anything, the high chiming of a bell sounded through the room. "Oh, I think our ice cream is ready. Let's get on our way then." And with that they stood and readied themselves. The bags were spread between the ponies of her staff and the owner was told to send the bill to the Royal Treasury. In high spirits they headed for the orphanage.
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Half an hour later the group of a dozen ponies arrived at Skyfall Orphanage. For a small orphanage, it had quite some large grounds stretching behind it. The building itself was old–ancient in fact. It had to be one of the oldest buildings in all of Canterlot. A low stone wall surrounded the property with some equally low, and quite rusty, iron gates at the front entrance. A sharp pain flashed through her head. Flinching she closed her eyes tight, trying to shake it off, with moderate success. What was that? This place... it seems familiar... At first glance all of it just looked old but, as Luna studied the building's front more closely, she realized just how shabby it was. She stopped, with a crestfallen look on her face. Honeycomb walked up to her. "Do you remember when I asked you, if you wanted to know their quarterly figures? That was just a half-joke. They are quite rundown. And not because of mismanagement either, I can assure you. They do what they can, but there's just not enough money on their accounts. The headmaster–Willow Wind–wrote letters for the last five years, at least, to get a raise in funding. But she was turned down each and every time."
Luna's expression had gotten more dissatisfied the longer her assistant had talked. "I cannot believe this. How could someone in so much need could get turned down for so long? Celestia and I made perfectly clear that the well-being of our youngest subjects were of the utmost importance to us!"
"Yes, but there is still a margin left, which the social department can use to make decisions. And they decided that Skyfall Orphanage was just too small to be considered for a raise in the budget."
"It seems, we have to do a little revision of the department and the directives we gave. Please schedule an appointment for next week on this matter. And now let's get going." It was apparent that the princess was quite displeased with the situation. Sighing, she turned her attention back to the building before her.
Aside from a few windows on the first floor to their right, the building lay dark before them in the onsetting night. Soon she would have to raise the moon but, for now, she had a delivery to make. After opening the front door, and stepping into the entrance hall, Luna let a bright light emit from her horn to get a better look at her surroundings. Her fellow ponies filed in, one after the other, behind her. On both sides of the doors, bookshelves stood aligned along the walls, filled with books of various ages and conditions. Above the shelves hung huge paintings of famous ponies of old times. Starswirl the Bearded being just one of them. After a few meters, the hall spread to both sides, forming a T-shape. At each end, a staircase led to the first floor. Beside the stairs, on the ground floor, corridors opened into the rear parts of the building. What they led up to though, was unknown to Luna. And it didn't really matter to her right now. Her goal was located up the stairway on the right in the single, lighted room that she presumed to be the dining hall.
Arriving at the landing of the first floor, Luna could hear the faint clatter of cutlery on dishes and the excited bantering of little ponies. It seemed the dinner was almost over. Just in time. Looking behind her, to make sure everybody was there, Luna laid a hoof on the doorknob. "Please, wait outside until I call you in," she told them in a hushed voice. Facing the door again she turned the knob, pushed the door open, and jumped into the dining hall, wings spread wide in excitement. "Good evening, my little ponies!"
Some of the nearer foals shrieked in surprise and jumped into the air. The rest of the room was instantly silence, more than a few jaws hanging wide open. I'm getting good at this, Luna thought amused.
"Princess Luna!" the unicorn mare she had seen earlier in the streets with the group of foals exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I mean, to what circumstances do we owe this honor?" she quickly corrected herself as she bowed before her ruler. Together with several other adults she had been sitting at a table at the far end of the room but had risen to her hooves when Luna had entered.
"Oh, I just got a little restless today and had to stretch my legs a bit. Don't think anything of it. And please, do stand up. This is an informal visit," Luna replied cheerily.
Recovering from their initial shock, several of the children started to run up to the princess. "Princess Luna! What are you doing here? Will you be sleeping here tonight? You are sooo awesome! Will you read me a story?" A mess of small, excited voices assaulted her. Luna started to laugh lightheartedly as she kneeled down and wrapped her wings tenderly around the mob of excited foals; nuzzling the nearest ones gently. In the last several years, after her first Nightmare Night in Ponyville, she had been organizing different events for children all over Equestria. After her long banishment she had had problems to adjust to the new ways that had evolved during her absence. So, every time she felt down, she had thought back to that night in the small village near the Everfree Forest. And every time it had helped her to get back on track. Nowadays, she had quite the reputation among the younger generation of her subjects.
"Sorry, children, but I cannot stay for long." At their saddened looks she hastily added "But I have a little present for all of you. Get back to the tables and take a seat, please."
Excited cheers echoed through the room as the foals stormed back to their places. "YAY! Presents! Told'ya she's the BEST PRINCESS EVER!" Standing up again, she giggled one last time and then spoke to the room at large. "So, what do you think about some ice cream?" The shouting that followed was almost deafening. With a glow of her horn she reopened the door, and her followers started to enter in a neat line. Then they spread out to deliver their icy treats. Hovering over one of the bags, Luna walked up to the table where the keepers were seated. Setting the bag down on the table she took a seat between them. "Help yourself to some ice cream as well, it's delicious!" Hesitantly the ponies around the table started to pass out the cups of ice cream. Willow Wind was the last to take a cup.
"This is most generous of you, Your Highness. And far be it from me to reject an offer of free ice cream, but..." she trailed off–clearly torn between two choices, with both promising to doom her in one way or another.
"Please, speak your mind. Despite what rumors you may have heard, I long ago laid down the habit of gobbling up ponies for contradicting their princess," Luna spoke warmly, hoping to reassure the distraught mare.
Finding the strength to go on, Willow Wind looked up, straight in the eye of her ruler. "... but I'm more than a bit hurt by this. I pledged for a raise in funding for several years now. And each and every time all I received was a letter with some default text, telling me that 'there is no obvious need to raise the funding' because somewhere there is some orphanage which clearly needs it more. I'm not saying that we are the only ones needing the bits, but we have turned quite desperate lately. We can hardly afford the costs to light our rooms, as you may have noticed. We had to cut down the heating in the winter. And the staff has graciously relinquished a part of their salary, just that we can feed the kids properly. And now you come bursting through our doors with ice cream? To say, that I feel mocked, would be an understatement."
Luna hung her head low in shame and sorrow. Sorrow, for what the children, and the ponies who catered for their needs, had to endure and shame, for not having done anything about it. Sure, she didn't know, but as the ruler of Equestria it would have been her duty to make sure things were going the way they had planned. "I know I cannot make this up to you that easily, but rest assured that you have my deepest understanding of your feelings and I beg your forgiveness for my inaction. And I will not wait any longer. I swear to you, that in this very night, I will do something about this. Your situation is unacceptable. Furthermore I will revise the whole funding system for our orphanages, to make sure that something like this won't ever happen again. Once again, I apologize."
"I take it the appointment for next week just moved up the importance ladder a bit?" spoke up a slightly slurred voice from behind her. Turning around, she found Honeycomb standing there, with a clipboard in hoof and a pencil in mouth.
"Indeed, my faithful assistant. When I get back to the castle, I will meet with my sister to discuss a few things over dinner. After that, I want to have a meeting with the head of the Royal Treasury and the head of the social department. If they are already home, they will be there nonetheless, do I make myself clear?"
"As clear as the Crystal Palace, Your Highness. I will return to the castle immediately and have everything ready, for when you arrive." With that, Honeycomb left, a determined expression on her face.
Having said nothing to the princess' apology so far, Willow Wind broke her silence. "Thank you, Princess Luna. This means a lot to me and my colleagues, as well as the children."
"You're welcome," Luna replied sincerely.
"But there is one other question I have to ask." Willow Wind added defiantly.
"Well, go ahead." Luna beckoned for her to go on, curious where this was leading.
"Have you ever had children, Your Highness?"
That took her by surprise. "I'll just say that I raised quite a few." she answered evasively.
"Then where did you get the idea of giving these children sugar right before bedtime?" Willow Wind asked. The annoyance in her voice almost physically palpable.
Luna was dumbstruck. That little fact had totally slipped her mind. She was saved from an answer by a hyperactive little unicorn filly, not older than six years, running up to her, bouncing on her hooves. "Princess Luna! Princess Luna!"
"Yes, my dear?" Luna asked with a warm smile on her face. It was not unlike the one usually seen on Celestia's.
"The moon is missing! Why is there no moon?" she asked with an unhappy frown.
Shooting a glance out the nearest window, all she saw was blackness. The moon? Of course! I totally forgot to raise it. Indeed, her sister had already lowered the sun; leaving a starless, hence dark and somewhat gloomy, nightsky. "Oh, by Celestia! You're right!", Luna exclaimed in mock agitation. "Well, we can't keep it that way, can we?" With that she scooped the filly up with a wing and plopped her down on her back. Walking up to one of the big windows set into the outer walls, the room turned silent as everyone was watching her. Reaching it, she turned around to the filly on her back.
"Now watch closely, and you will soon be able see the moon." Turning back to the window, Luna stood completely still, eyes closed. For a moment, nothing happened. Someone switched off the lights to get a better view of the scene outside, while everyone walked up to the princess and formed a semicircle behind her. Suddenly Luna spread her wings wide, opening her eyes. They glowed in a bright, white light while at the same time her horn was engulfed in an aura of a dark midnight-blue. The little unicorn watched in awe. Trying to simultaneously observe the princess, taking in every little detail of her imposing posture, and the rising of the moon.
A moment later, a pale light appeared at the edge of the horizon. The moon began its ascension. Slowly it rose higher and higher until all of it shone over all of Equestria. But it did not stop there. It rose further up the sky. And, one by one, the stars appeared. At first there were only a few, but a minute later hundreds sparkled in the dark night sky. None of the ponies present had ever seen the Princess of the Night raising the moon before. They all were stunned by the beauty of the scene unfolding before them.
At last, the moon came to a halt; almost at his highest point in the sky. "That was beautiful, Princess Luna!" an awestruck voice whispered in her right ear excitedly, as tiny hooves wrapped themselves around her neck. Luna bent her head around and nuzzled the foal on the cheek. "Thank you, my dear."
Turning around completely, she faced her subjects again. "My little ponies, it was a wonderful evening and I thank you for your hospitality. But I have to go now, as my Night Court is about to start. So, let me wish you a very good night and I hope that we will repeat this sometime soon."
"It is us, who have to say 'Thank you', Your Highness," Willow Wind spoke up. "Tonight, you brought us hope again." Then she turned to her charges. "Alright, children! It's bedtime for all of you now, so get going. And don't forget to brush you teeth extra hard after the ice cream you ate." A collective groan echoed through the room. The fillies and colts got up and headed for the door. Of course as slowly as possible. Luna giggled at the sight.
"It's time for you, too, little one." Luna lifted the filly down from her back with her magic. But as soon as the tiny hooves touched the ground, several things happened. A ray of sparkling moonlight shone through the window and fell on the little unicorn, as she ran back up to Luna and hugged her front leg. "No, Princess Luna! I want to stay with you! Please, take me with you!" Pleading eyes looked up at her.
At the sight before her, something exploded in Luna's head. Only through a sheer force of will could she stop her legs from giving out under her. Memories, long forgotten, came flooding back to her conscious mind. Her face paled. Foals looking up at her. The Skyfall Orphanage. Rays of moonlight enveloping the form of little ponies. Children calling onto her for help. She had forgotten. Totally and utterly forgotten. How could I have forgotten my children?
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You have a good proofreader, it wasn't painful to read. Anyways, work on your characterization, maybe flesh out the characters of Honeycomb and Willow Wind. This might get featured, calling it.
4158488 "it wasn't painful to read" Well, thanks... I guess?
Honeycomb will be handled later in the story. If I will use Willow Wind that much in the future I don't know, yet. But thanks for the hint, I will certainly look into that.
Then again... I think my clock is broken... first the story was approved in what felt like five minutes, and again five minutes after that it was read AND commented on?
4158544
Eh, I read fast. And by not painful, I mean there aren't noticeable errors that pull the reader out of the story, so that's good. :)
That was awesome I'm already very excited to see where this goes! I hope Celestia handles the children of the night alright. Don't want her and Luna apart again.
Nah, Luna feels spot-on, chalk it up to her massive development in Luna Eclipsed and the comics.
Luna, my favorite princess, yes she does feel spot on.
I always knew she had a soft spot for children.
Pretty good start! I like the idea of Luna getting involved with her subjects more, kickin' butt and helping underprivileged fillies and colts! Next time, I hope she verbally bodyslams some jerk politicians for that crappy decision to cut funding.
Keep it up!
This is off to a really good start! Your characterization is excellent, as many others have already stated. I appreciate the fact that this seems to take place a few years after the main canon, as it's allowed Luna to re-settle into her role and re-connect with her subjects, even if (as shown with the orphanage) she's still a little short-sighted at times.
Also, I sense a few shout-outs to a few other fics in here, with Honeycomb, the Night Guard Lethe, and the "War of the Royal Kitchens." I can't remember which specifically, but I enjoyed the inclusion, as it was a nice little Easter Egg nestled within the narrative. Keep up the good work!
P.S. Congrats on getting featured!
Reawakening:
Her spirit Renew
Raised to a Heavenly view
Share the Moon’s bright love
This. so beautifull!
I love the Silly Filly Studio animation "Children of the night" and this. this get my heart melting down to a puddle of ice cream in the summer sun!
This is truly a wonderful and beautiful telling. I wish you luck in your continuing story.
You let the Oghma Infinium proofread for you?! Are you mad?!
inb4 tittysparkles ref
4158488
Ehm... now you scared me with your calling coming to pass....
4160965
Good chances for your hopes, I'd say
4161051
(This) Honeycomb was created by me. if there is another one running about, I have no knowledge of her and they are not related to one another.
Lethe and Hoplite I first saw in the story A Slice of Life, which also contains the War for the Royal Kitchens. Quite a funny read.
4161720
Well... I found it in my bookshelf... and it gave me a level-up... so, I thought, "Why not?"
4161790
I think, I'm missing something here...
All others:
Thank you for your feedback! Glad to hear that I got Luna right. Let's hope that it goes as well with the other characters I intend to use.
I have to say I'm quite baffled for getting featured so fast and with my first story. This feels kinda awesome!
Well then... I better start writing chapter two ^^
4161914 Well... I s'pose when you put it like that. I'd just be cautious of any voices in your head from now on.
Awesome
You know what I like most about this story. It reminds me a lot of my own writing style. The topic is similar too. I too wrote a story that was a sequel to a fanwork. A sequel to Snowdrop called Snowy Night. It was also featured. Great minds think alike I suppose.
Well I for one enjoyed this story, and I look forward to what comes next. I wonder what the fate was of Luna's children.
Just one thing. You keep referring to ice cream as just "ice" so many times that I'm pretty sure it's intentional. Is that like a local thing?
Either way, I hope for an update soon. Keep up the good work.
This was a really good read, looking forward to chapter 2 yay :)
You might want to break your paragraphs down a little bit though, sometimes it was a bit overwhelming.
4162770
Hm... I don't like it when there are too many blank lines, but I will take a look at it.
4162508
Snowdrop is cute, but the end is just sad
Well, in Germany we usually use just the equivalent of "ice" instead using "ice cream" so that might have to do with that, but it wasn't exactly intentional. Probably more an unconscious thingy...
4163116 Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
Ach, Eis! Ich sehe jetzt.
I have to admit, I cant wait to see where this goes.
"And the snozberries taste like snozberries!"
4161914
I'd say that's just another sign of your really strong characterization skills, as I felt I'd already met this mare in another story given how naturally she and Luna seemed to mesh together. You obviously have a strong vision of who she is, what her backstory is, and how her relationships developed, as that all comes through in the narrative quite clearly. A great example of showing rather than telling.
And yes, A Slice of Life was indeed hilarious. Let all in Canterlot beware the demands of the Royal Diet!
Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
4161914
Slice of Life too awesome. Reminder of the ages that have passed without update too painful.
Well its a good start. I would write more but I have my own stories to get to :P
I would give you one piece of advice that hasn't been said yet. Flesh out one or two of the children. Sure Luna doesn't play favorites, but in every group and especially since Luna is quite observant, there has to be one or two that either stand out, or get forced into the background. It will also help with creating an image of the children... which i'm having trouble doing so since you merely describe them as fillies and colts without really giving much information as to their condition, age group, cutie mark or not... etc.
Stilll a nice start. I will be following this to see where it goes.
Nightmare Moon's madness consumed many an innocent. I'm genuinely afraid as to what Luna may find in her search.
Have a fav, you heart-tugging writer, you...
Interesting. I think I'll come back and read this.
This is pretty good.
Well... that was really nice, I can't wait to see more.
I`m liking this story so far... I cant wait to read more
I don't really see how she was portrayed out of character. Think about it... despite being around the same age (technically) as Celestia, Luna has been stunted mentally since living IN the moon.
She still has a lot of growing up to do, as seen on Nightmare Night: Luna is impulsive, rash, and slightly selfish. She didn't think about how her actions would be perceived, just acted on impulse. Yes, that's it Luna is very impulsive!
On the other hand, in the episodes since then... she is very concerned with children. We don't see her in the dreams of adults, only the nightmares of foals. This indicates (to me) a deep seated concern for those who are the most vulnerable.
An orphanage full of colts and fillies would greatly attract Princess Luna. More so if they are not looked after and treasured as the tiny stars, she probably views them as. On the other hand I think she would have less patience for those that don't share her opinion. I see the Royal Voice coming.
4167955
I think it's more the fact that she is on the social stand from a thousand years back. Old times, more respect, you know ;)
As you mentioned correctly, she is as old as Celestia (they're old enough, that whatever age differences there are, I think can be neglected) and that's quite old. And with that come quirks and oppinions a mere mortal can not fully grasp.
The occasions where she is out of character, in my oppinion, are the scrunchie thing, the enormous ice cream cone and yelling happily with the RCV through half of the castle to tell her sister she is going on a shopping tour!
4167322
Aw, don't worry. I don't intend to break her. :)
I like MLP for the carefree world and easy forgivings. So don't expect that much darkness in my stories ;)
4165797
Thanks for the hint, you're right. I don't know if I should correct that, though. I don't like altering published stories.
4163900
That's great to read. Because that is not really the case. xD
My own characters tend to be to similar to each other, so I don't use them often as that fact annoys me quite a bit. But after your comment, I had some ideas for her, so I think I will make an exception for her
good beginning. cant wait to see where this goes. looking forward to next chapter
I want more!
We'll written, engaging, and heart warming. I want to know what happens next.
This is great! I hope to see more!
YEessssss
YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
MOAR, NAO!
Very good read, good sir. Twilight approves.
Luna is adorable in this. And I agree with the children. Luna is best princess
Hoping for more soon!
~Ever
4161517 don't you mean duo cartoonist
I'm enjoying this so far and look forward to more.
You might want to have your proofreader go over it a bit closer, and always remember to just do a quick search for all the common mistakes, for example:
Should be there.
The best way that I tend to use is just search the entire chapter for any of those kinds of words (their, there, they're, its, it's, who, whom, and so forth) and reread the sentence to make sure it's correct.
Additionally, you replaced 'ice cream' with 'ice' about 80% of the time, which was a tad jarring.
4168007
YAY!
Yay! I did a thing!
img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120228224010/mlp/images/e/ec/FANMADE_Twilight_Clapping.gif
And more Honeycomb will definitely be welcome!
4168852 they're both awesome
PLEASE continue this story!! I have been looking for a decent Luna fic for a while and i totally love this one!!!
Wow, I never would have thought english wasn't your first language. I just figured they call ice cream ice in britian or something like that.
Very good, and I eagerly await more.
Dark0952 has written one, and he says in the comments "this is the actual story after the video, I got the backstroy from one of the creators. I will finish this eventually". But it's incomplete and hasn't been updated since August. His story (so far) is written from a totally different perspective, following the children from the video after Luna/Nightmare's banishment.
Good start!
Perfect place to ask this!
Anybody notice a filly flying after Luna that looked like Sunset Shimmer?
I'm hooked, must have more
Hey Guess What... I found the PERFECT song for this.
(Edit: Because i am getting replies about this. YES THIS IS A JOKE)