Learning to see Luna, the story of Vivid Colour.

by Hope

Chapter 8. Bedsheets

Vivid woke in a bed that wasn't her own, in soft downy sheets and the softest pillows that swallowed her up when she moved. When she reached out with her magic, she momentarily thought she'd shrunk. She was on a bed that seemed comically oversized, with pillows as big as Vivid's whole body.

When her magic spread out past the edge of the bed, she realized very quickly than she was not shrunken, and that she should not be in this bed.

Her cloak and circlet hung on the back of a chair next to a desk, in a bedroom with bookshelf walls and a massive wall of glass windows. Hanging from the ceiling was an ornate candelabra that had been converted to use natural gas, and that was designed in the shape of a Crescent moon.

Once she found that shape, she quickly found it reoccurring all around the room. Moons with the telltale magical signature of silver plating.

She was in Princess Luna's bedroom. On her bed. Alone.

Frantically, she scrambled until she fell off the bed and barely caught herself, panting. She then turned and grabbed the sheets in her magic, making the bed as though no pony had ever been there.

Her cheeks were burning. Her memory had failed her before, but to not remember entering the Princess's chambers was mortifying. She must have teleported in, black-out drunk on champagne from her graduation ceremony.

Becoming the Court Mage was a great honor, and a stunning achievement after only months of training under the Archway, but it was no excuse to invade the princess's chambers.

Once the bed was made, her circlet placed on her head, and her cloak on her back, she began probing the room for a magical way out. But at every turn, her magic was unable to find a way to teleport out. The walls must contain a layer of lead.

Stymied, she pondered how she could have possibly gotten in last night. It seemed impossible.

The doors opened, and Vivid froze, stricken with fear.

The maid, a unicorn, was not surprised to see her. In fact, she seemed quite prepared. She lit her horn and displayed a tray on which a glass, a bowl, a few pieces of bread, and a small pile of herbs lay.

"Lady Colour, her Royal Highness has sent lunch, and a remedy for the effects of last night's celebrations."

Vivid cocked her head to the side before clearing her throat and approaching.

"She... her Highness sent these?" She asked, her voice approaching the vocal range of a young filly, or perhaps a bat.

The maid was unphased.

"Yes." The tray was placed upon a table. "If your greatness is in need of anything further, we shall provide it."

"Greatness, what is that supposed to mean?" Vivid asked in between gulps of pure cold water.

"It is the honorific for a mage of the court," the maid said as she bowed. "Now, if I may be excused, your greatness?"

"Um... of course, yes," Vivid nodded quickly. "Um... thank her Highness for me, if you can."

The maid nodded and left.

"Should have asked how I got here," Vivid growled. "Damn your ego, Viv. You need to know."

There was a flap of leathery wings, and that was the only warning Vivid had before a quartet of hooves struck the carpet nearby. Vivid quickly expanded her magic to observe the figure, as her shield snapped into place around her, pushing the chair and table a few inches away to make room.

The figure was one of Princess Luna's royal guards. But unlike many of those guards, his wings were not an ornamental part of his armor. His eyes were not enchanted, but naturally keen. He had fangs, and armor that hummed with magic energy.

Thanks to the more perceptive spell Vivid was using, she could see the layers of his eyes, not just a smooth sphere but the slitted pupil, and the delicate fibers of his iris. He was focused entirely on her, but did not move. Did not extend the blades on his hooves.

Slowly, Vivid let go of her shield and let it fade.

She could hear rain outside, and her own breathing, but nothing else. The rain lashed the windows, making a continual hiss.

"Guard captain Orion, I assume," She said as she set her cup of water down, proud that she'd managed not to spill it.

He nodded and walked closer to her. It made her skin crawl that she couldn't hear him walk.

"Just because her Highness saw fit to share a bed with you, does not entitle you to my good graces," Orion said, almost whispered.

"She shared a bed with me?!" Vivid replied in shock.

Orion stopped, seeming incredulous, but then nodding.

"Well, that... explains some things," Vivid mumbled, her cheeks hot as she remembered an odd sense of warmth in her stomach when she'd woken up. "But I swear it was not my intention--"

"I care not," Orion interrupted. "I also do not care about your new title. You are a security risk, and a known killer. I will be watching you closely."

The warmth in Vivid's cheeks became hot anger, but she nodded.

"I would expect nothing less. I'll finish my meal and leave then."

Orion nodded, before he seemed to dissolve before her gaze. His form becoming insubstantial and falling apart, but Vivid was able to perceive something nopony else could. The outline of his aura, still visible to her.

He spread his wings and flew back into the rafters, while Vivid decided not to let him know that she could spot him. She turned back to her food, and despite not having much of an appetite, she ate the soup and bread quickly.

She coughed a little, maybe having eaten too quickly, and neatly stacked the bowl, plate, and cup all together so it would be easy to take away. She had no way of knowing if Orion was still watching her, so it could pay to be unusually courteous. She then opened the royal bedroom doors, taking a moment to appreciate that she was indeed in Princess Luna’s private chambers, and slipped out.

There were two guards posted, one on either side of the door. They didn’t react to her presence.

“I hope it has been a good night for the both of you,” she said with a friendly smile.

“It’s Aftermid, about to get off my shift and go home,” one of them replied happily. “Looking forward to some quiet small hours with my children.”

“Well, I wish you a peaceful night then,” she nodded to each of them, before continuing onward down the hallway.

She’d never actually been in this part of the castle, so she had to stretch her magic out quite a ways to know where she was.

Many maids and guards passed her by, seeming to pay her no mind past a polite nod. The hallways this far up in the castle were all wood floored, with wooden ceilings and rolled tin pipes in the corners that carried hot air from somewhere else where it was heated. The lightweight pipes creaked when they began to warm up, the tiny gaps in between them sealing as the metal expanded.

The walls were still stone, even so far above the bedrock that jutted out from the side of the mountain. The stone was secured together not just by gravity but by metal rods running through their centers, and grooves carved into them so they would lock together tightly. She couldn’t imagine them being separated except by some great explosion.

Hung on those walls at regular intervals, tapestries decorated the halls. In between them were doors, small tables, or in some cases alcoves with especially precious decorations within.

Though Vivid hadn’t told anyone, she absolutely despised tapestries. Paintings typically had different metals in the paints, she could perceive those. Writing had ink on paper. But tapestries had so little difference between one color and the other, as far as magic was concerned, that it was just a hanging rug as far as she was concerned.

The first alcove she came across held something that her magic seemed to skip right off of, making her pause. It was like she was looking at a hole in space. She stepped closer and modified her spell. The hole wavered, and she gained a bit of an outline. It looked like a sculpture of some kind, roughly pony shape but she couldn’t determine the materials or the subject.

She frowned, unused to her magic being unable to give her the answer behind the questions she asked. She twisted her spell yet again, trying to pull just a little more information out of the mystery she’d quickly become obsessed with.

The outline all around became more defined, and Vivid was able to tell that it was an alicorn. Not Luna though, the indentation carved into her flanks was of a sun, not a moon.

Though any other pony might not know the name of the figure, Vivid did. It was a depiction of Celestia, daughter of Sol, wielder of the sun. In more of a year of living in the castle of Canterlot, this was the first time that she’d seen any depiction of Luna’s solar sister.

Despite not being able to tell what the statue was made of, Vivid was content to know what it depicted, as she turned away and resumed her scan of the hallway, only to find another statue opposite the first. However, this second statue was easy for her to scan. It was made of metal, most likely copper, but in every other way it was exactly the same.

She frowned, but decided that it was not a mystery that she could solve.

"Do you need any assistance finding your way, madam?"

The guard who had approached her was wonderfully ordinary. He was a unicorn, with the typical armor that had imitation wings on it. She could almost taste the enchantment on the armor, and she knew what it would make any other pony see. Fangs, slitted eyes, and tufted ears. It also made the armor look much more realistic, apparently. But to Vivid, all that magic just made him glow somewhat.

"Well, if you could guide me back to the great hall, I haven't been in this part of the castle before."

"Of course! You're the new court mage, right?"

Vivid nodded as she followed him away from Princess Luna's bedroom.

"What does it mean, being a court mage? We haven't had one since before I became a guard."

Vivid had to work not to sigh. She didn't want to explain her position, but she didn't want to offend the guard either. She had few enough friends in the castle.

"I'm a form of advisor. In magical matters, mostly, I can advise the princess of a recommended course of action, or even demand an audience if she is doing something I feel is improper. But really it's ceremonial. I am here to show the public that we have a strong understanding of magic, and that the ongoing study and improvement of magic is progressing."

"Improvement of magic?" The guard asked incredulously. "I don't think it needs improvement."

"What if every Unicorn could provide illumination?" Vivid proposed. "Theoretically, if every Unicorn could be taught to make a simple light with little to no effort, would that improve life?"

"Well, of course! I suppose I see your point," the guard nodded, as they finally reached the great hall.

"So keep working on improving magic, and let me know if you can teach illumination to me, and every unicorn," he chuckled as he stopped at the doorway. "I'm Smart Guide."

As he held out a hoof, Vivid gasped, making him recoil a little.

"Are you descended from Smart Cookie, from the founding of Equestria?"

"I thought that you were from another country," he said with a nervous smile.

"I am, but recently I took the time to take a basic lesson on Equestria, are you? Descended from her, I mean."

"Yes," he nodded reluctantly. "But I don't have like, a vast family fortune or anything..."

Vivid realized he'd tensed up when she'd gotten excited, and she chuckled, shaking her head. "My fascination with history is not in search of your wealth, I promise. It's just interest. My family history is short and... Vague. So learning of long traced families is fascinating."

"Well!" He relaxed considerably, smiling. "Yes, I am descended from her. It is a long and twisted path up the family tree, but I still have her crest on a banner at home."

"Vivid Colour!"

Vivid froze, turning towards the sound before whispering to Smart. "I'll have to talk with you later. I believe I am needed."

Vivid turned to face the voice, to see Fine Line. The mare was scowling.

"First night of being court mage, and you don't appear until near midnight. Why, exactly, are you so late?!"

"I believe you would prefer that answer in private, madam Castilian," Vivid said with a faint blush, doing her best to stand straight, and keep her ears up.

"I ask a question, because I require an answer, Mage Colour!" Line barked, stepping a little closer.

"I awoke in the royal chambers, Lady Line, and the guards did not appear to have been informed of my schedule!"

Hot in the cheeks with both embarrassment and anger, Vivid was surprised to hear Luna's distinctive laugh, from the great Hall.

She'd clearly heard the exchange, and spoke once her laughter subsided.

"I told you that you would have to ask her yourself, Fine," Luna said gently. "But I did say you may not enjoy the answer."

"W...well, yes, clearly," Fine Line stammered. "There is a matter that you must advise, Mage Colour, report to your Princess's side."

"Of course," Vivid bowed to Line before approaching the throne.

She bowed to Luna, expanding her magic far enough that she could spot Luna's soft smile, and her nod in reply to the bow.

Vivid then walked up the steps and sat on a cushion on the last step before the platform that held the throne. She was facing across the steps, so Luna was to her right and the rest of the hall was to her left.

"Present the plaintiff," Luna said, and Vivid could hear the large doors at the other end of the hall opening.

A group of three ponies entered, and once they walked into the range of Vivid's vision, she could see that two of them were earth ponies and one of them was a Pegasus.

When they reached the spot where the carpet ended, they all stopped and looked up to Luna.

"Present your complaint," Fine Line stated.

"The unicorn named Shade Blossom has cast spells upon our crops, causing them to wither away," one of the earth ponies said loudly.

"And destroys our clouds!" The Pegasus added "we haven't been able to water our crops for weeks!"

"Is Shade here to defend this claim?" Luna asked Line.

"He has refused to attend, saying that his farm is not actually part of Equestria, so we have no right to summon him."

Luna sighed. "Investigate this claim, but for now, what do you think of the spellcraft, Vivid?"

Vivid sat a little taller, being the focus of the court.

"These effects could be accomplished through magic, it is true. But it would take a great deal more skill and power than simply salting the fields. I can go to this place and investigate the magical traces, to see if it truly is spellcraft which is responsible."

"Is this acceptable to the plaintiffs?" Luna asked the assembled group, who looked at Vivid warily.

"I... could somepony else be sent? We've already lost a great deal to a unicorn, we are reluctant to bring another to our farm," the pegasus admitted.

Princess Luna sighed, and in that one sigh, there was enough disappointment to make the three plaintiffs cringe.

"Have you forgotten I am a unicorn as well, my little ponies?" Luna asked, voice even and without threat.

"Uh... No, your highness. Not at all," the pegasus mumbled, looking away. "Of course, we will welcome Ms. Colour to our lands, to search for the effects of Shade's magic."

"Very well. Vivid, if you do find that Shade is at fault, you will have two royal guards at hoof, I trust you will bring them back here safely to face sentencing?" Luna said as she stood and began walking down the stairs towards a side door.

"Of course your highness, but if I could have but a moment..."

Vivid stood and followed her, trying to catch up and then almost running into the princess as Luna stopped at a doorway.

"Yes?"

Vivid tried to find her words again, suddenly she could think of nothing but the curve of Luna's neck, and the strength in her body. Vivid nearly stammered, but kept herself together.

"Would not another Archway mage be sufficient? I have only just gained my post and there is much to discuss about recent happenings and--"

Luna's hoof gently tapped Vivid's lips, silencing her.

"Make camp before dawn, and wait for me to visit. The guards will grant us time to speak then."

A great comforting warmth rushed across Vivid's cheeks, and the back of her neck as she nodded.

"Of course, your highness."

Comments

[Backlash91]

Wait wat.....i...I'm lost...so very lost...prim Rose's story had flow to it...this one is jumping all over the place and quite rapidly...vivid apparently murdered a ton of griffons...and..had sex?...with luna?....and now shes court mage.......

Halp?