A Midnight Stroll

by Vargras

Canterlot Nights

The life of royalty had never really been for her. Never one for formalities, Luna had always looked wistfully upon the citizens of Equestria - there were times where she often wished she could just live among them for a day, completely unknown to them all, just so she could know what it was like to be normal. It wasn't like she despised her royal duties - she knew it was a great responsibility, and she was proud of it. Yet, despite all this, it still proved to be boring and lonely work. Once she had raised the moon, she often had no pony to talk to, save for the royal guards. and even they were often too busy with their duties to have a bit of fun. Her boredom finally got the better of her, however, and so she set off for one of the few places she could find solace - the Canterlot Royal Library.

Though she had visited this place time and time again, Luna often forget just how heavy the doors could be. She pressed herself against the doors to the Library, slowly forcing them open, and made her way inside. The candles within had been magically enchanted to burn forever, and at all hours of the day - even though she was the only one there, it still felt more lively than any other part of the castle. The Princess hummed to herself as she began to browse the countless titles that lay upon the shelves, a faint smile appearing on her face as she reached the shelf dedicated to Starswirl the Bearded. She eventually settled on a book and brushed the dust off, though she quickly scowled and hurled the book across the room once she saw the title: "The Mare in the Moon: Night Mare Moon and Other Ponyfolk Tales".

It was still something she was deeply ashamed of, and something she often preferred not to speak or think about - she had let her envy and anger consume her, and in the resulting chaos, she found herself banished into the moon, forced to live a thousand years in exile. Those thousand years had been especially painful and lonely, and it did nothing more than add fuel to the fire, but she had finally been redeemed through the actions of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Luna glanced across the room at the book as it lay scattered upon the floor, pages torn from the bindings, and it was then that she remembered just how often those same books had been her only friends. She thought back, all those years ago, to when she was but a filly. Celestia, her elder sister, had always been the social butterfly, attending gatherings and making friends - Luna, on the contrary, was more socially awkward and had the unfortunate knack of going about things the wrong way. While her sister attended parties and events, Luna spent her time in the royal library of yore, immersing herself in book after book. Her imagination often ran wild, and it was not uncommon for the young Princess to be heard reading aloud to her own fictitious friends.

Luna levitated the book in front of her, neatly placed the pages back where they belonged, and sat the dusty old tome back upon the shelf. She was still just as bored as before, and her thoughts of the past made her just as lonely as she was all those years ago. More than anything, she needed friends, and to have a bit of... what was it, Applejack had called it? Fun? Luna nodded to herself, wrapped herself in her favorite cloak, and wordlessly departed Canterlot.

She needed to clear her head and get some air. She needed to take a walk.

Comments

[AWSOMEPOSSUM16]

"it was not uncommon for the young Princess to be heard reading aloud to her own fictitious friends."
Sounds a lot like me.

[worst day with sunny sky]

great story, man
Luna is my favorite character afterall. she's alot like me.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

Nice beginning. Throwing the book is a good way of showing her inner turmoil.