Chapter 10~
-Crystal Empire-
Another royal procession makes itself known via the rising and booming of trumpets being blown in formation. Much like the arrival of King Malik and Prince Olstrom, another carriage is hauled through a crowd of curious crystal ponies—crystal guards having established a safe pathway for the vehicle.
The roman motif and golden armor of the guards who pulled the carriage—stallions, mares, and of all three types, dictated that they were not from the empire. The carriage itself gleamed with its bounty of golden compositions, its fluttering banners depicting two alicorns circling each other in a similar Yin and Yang fashion but with a high emphasis on the sun and moon.
“Oh, my!”
“Could that be both Sisters of Equestria?”
“Doubt it. Princess Celestia is the only one who even bothers to show up.”
“True, but only sun banners are hung up when she arrives!”
“And the carriage is hanging both!”
“I’ve never seen either of them in pony before.”
“I have! Princess Celestia’s flank is-”
“Shhh! Don’t say that out loud, you idiot!”
……….
The carriage’s luxurious walls muffled the exclamations of the outside empire’s residents, the ears of the vehicle’s two alicorn inhabitants flickering in response, both sitting across each other in silence.
“It pleases me that thou hast decided to accompany me this time, sister,” the white alicorn mare began, beauty and grace present in her tone as a hoof clodded in metallic golden attire caressed her pink mane.
She then gestures toward a small round table etched into the white-marbled floor of the vehicle, a tea set resting on its platform. “Pray, sister, partake in some tea with me. Thou hasn’t had a single cup, and I’d recommend the black variant-”
“Nay,” the dark-blue sibling interjects, the cadence of her words akin to a rebellious teenager. She blew a strand of her light-blue mane from obscuring her sight as she kept her gaze locked onto the nearby window, scrying the outside world.
A sigh escapes from the white sibling’s throat. “Sister… please, talk to me. What troubles thine thoughts? And don’t bother denying it. I can see it upon thine face clear as day.”
Silence is the answer, save for the outside world’s muffled voices. The darker sibling then raises a forehoof clodded in light-blue metal before resting it under her chin, propping her head up, followed by a groaning sigh.
“Luna?” the white sibling tried but was once again ignored. Now growing inertly irritated by her sibling’s actions, the larger alicorn sharply raises her head while adjusting her folded wings.
“Princess Luna Selene Invictus,” she spoke as if preparing to scold a child. “I am addressing thee and demand that thou-”
Luna interjects with a rapidly shot and scornful gaze, “Do not talk to me as if my crown bares no value, Celestia.”
Celestia’s head reared back in shock, ears folding against her head which nearly slammed into the back wall, a rectangular wooden slide door being most notable. Her muzzle gapes as she tries to scrape her throat for words, but none can be found.
Luna glaringly bares her teeth with heavy breaths as her body rattles with many emotions: anger, hatred, betrayal… envy. But the Lunar Princess hurriedly tried to recollect herself, shaking her head as her breaths stabilized slowly.
She… she hadn’t meant to snap like that. And her gaze fell to the small table positioned between them, steam seeping out of the teapot’s spout.
“A-apologies, sister.” Luna rests a forelimb on her chest, taking recuperative breaths as Celestia remains stunned by the outburst. “T-tis… I…” she sighed, “I’ve been… restlessly tending to my night as of late… but have grown quite irritable, too. I’m sorry for mine outburst.”
Celestia continued to stare at her downtrodden sibling for what felt like an eternity, and the shock she bore had never worn off. In truth, the Solar Princess had noticed Luna’s recent mood swings, often being too unpredictable no matter how hard she tried to perceive the darker alicorn’s emotions.
“I-it’s ok, sister…”
Back in Equestria, the younger alicorn would keep to herself but performed her duties and maintained the harmony of night and day. As such, Equestria would chug along smoothly like the train system schematics Celestia had been planning with nobility (Investors), inventors, and engineers.
But then there were the times when Luna would finish her nightly duties, and as the sisters attempted to swap the reigns, Luna would resist, insisting on allowing the night to go on for just an hour more.
Unfortunately, Celestia had to shoot down every attempt, and it wounded her to see her sibling trot away in disappointment. She remembered how It all started as a gleeful suggestion from Luna, but over time, it grew to what the sun alicorn could only perceive as demands over anything else.
If only her sister could see reason. If only her sister could see how affecting the cycle of night and day can potentially bring about catastrophic disasters, a sudden food shortage being chief among them.
If only Luna could see that Equestria wasn’t the only nation that relied on the harmonious cooperation of the celestial bodies, it was all of Magius. The sisters held a heavy weight on their shoulders, and if even one of them slipped up, well, Celestia didn’t want to imagine such an outcome.
But, apparently, she’s the only one who cares. She loved her sibling dearly, but such a request would always be out of the question.
Celestia narrowed her eyes in focus, observing Luna, whose gaze returned to the nearby window during her recollections.
-What is it that troubles thee, sister mine?- Celestia inquired, the words echoing in her mind.
She just couldn’t fathom any plausible causes. They both possessed equal shares of their kingdom, their subjects loved and adored them both, and, if anything, Luna had the more lax occupation of the two.
The solar diarch was sure that Luna would sing an entirely different tune if they ever were to swap roles. But she quickly shook her head at those thoughts—they were unbecoming, and now wasn’t the time for them.
Celestia tore her gaze from Luna and peered out another window adjacent to the one the lunar princess surveyed. She immediately notes the call signs of a marketplace, searching through the sea of ponies with interest and curiosity.
Then, she gasped lowly but just loud enough for Luna’s ears to pick up with a flicker, the lunar diarch shifting their gaze.
“Sister?” Luna inquired. “What hath-”
Celestia rapidly turned around on her furnishing, pulling the wooden sliding door open. Whatever had garnered her interest, the solar princess was filled with so much urgency she seemingly ignored or simply didn’t comprehend Luna’s words.
“Stop the carriage!” Celestia boomed, and the guards pulling the carriage adhered, the vehicle coming to an abrupt yet steady stop.
……….
“Here you go, girls!” an energetic crystal earth pony stallion wearing a white and red striped apron declared, adjusting his chef’s hat before offering two desirable treats in either forelimb. “Two Strawberry Shiver shakes with extra sprinkles!”
“Thank you, Mr. Sweet Tooth!” Radiant Hope and Snowdrop respond in unison, taking the offered treats and wasting no time in locking their muzzles around the red straws that protrude upward in their beverages.
The duo joyfully siphoned substances through their straws, an explosion of milk-strawberry flavor gracing their senses.
“Woah, careful there, younglings,” Mr. Sweet Tooth warned with an extended forelimb. “You don’t want to drink too fast or you’ll-”
“Tch, ow!” Hope cried out, raising a hoof to rub at her temple.
“Get a brain freeze…”
“Nng! Regret, regret!” Hope screamed, giggling. “But so worth it—ow!”
Sweet Tooth could only chuckle at Hope’s antics before shifting his gaze to Snowdrop, raising an eyebrow at what he saw: the pegasus just kept… going.
“My word,” he began, genuinely amazed. “How in the world can you do that?”
Snowdrop halts her feast, licking her lips. “Do what?” she inquired, tilting her head.
“Well, that,” the aproned stallion emphasized with a forelimb. “Nopony could just chug it down as you did without getting a brain freeze. By Latona, you must have quite the tolerance.”
“Oh!” Hope exclaimed in realization, turning sideways and raising her drink over Snowdrop like a presentation. “Let’s just say that Snowdrop lives up to her name.”
Snowdrop nods. “Princess Amore told me that I was born with a unique ability. I, uhm, I’m very resistant to low temperatures.”
“Oh, I get it,” Sweet Tooth beamed. “I’ve heard of pegasi who could set themselves on fire and others who could manipulate water. But yours is a first for-” his eyes suddenly widened as he spotted something behind the two fillies.
“Oh, my sweet Amore…”
Snowdrop’s eyes widened, her nostrils flaring. “T-this scent…”
Hope inquisitively looked between them before following the stallion’s gaze and turning around in place. Then, her eyes shot wide open, and her muzzle dropped upon seeing the two airborne individuals who stunted all in attendance.
The unicorn filly also now understood why the local crowds fell abruptly silent.
Hooves clopped against the crystalline ground via a pair of landing alicorns, each bearing the sun and moon on their flanks. The new arrivals fold their wings and trot forth while Hope finally manages to escape her goldfish simulation during their approach.
“Greetings, little ones,” Celestia began, her voice sending ripples of warmth through Hope and Snowdrop’s forms, stopping before them with Luna in tow. “Thou ‘rt Snowdrop and Radiant Hope, If I’m not mistaken?”
“Ababa-wha-baba-uhhh,” Hope tried, but her shock clearly affected her mind.
Celestia giggles with a hoof covering her muzzle. “Well, I am not familiar with this ‘Ababa-wha’ thou speakest of, but, pray, may we talk?”
Hope failed with words, so she used her actions, nodding in response. However, there was a detail about the princess that threw her off:
Why are Celestia's mane and tail pink? They were supposed to be rainbow-colored like it was in her vision. Also, why didn't it flow as if Celestia were underwater?
……….
As the former duo conversed, Snowdrop relied on her sense of hearing and smell to familiarize herself with the solar member of Equestria’s diarchy. Her nostrils flared again, and she recognized the scent of a sunflower mixed with various kinds of fruits—it was the best comparison she could make.
There was another scent, too—just underneath it all. One that the blind filly easily deciphered and recognized. -Is that… chocolate cake?- Snowdrop inquired inertly.
“Why am I even here…?” Snowdrop’s ears perked up upon hearing a voice coming from somewhere around Celestia’s proximity. “These ponies ‘rt only interested in mine sister. Tch, no surprise there. Twas foalish of me to agree to accompany her.”
-Is that… Princess Luna?- the pegasus inquired. -Why does she sound so… sad?-
Snowdrop had used her gifts long enough to know that, judging by the frequency, Luna dropped those words in a hushed tone, intently keeping those around her from hearing it. But Snowdrop was out of the ordinary.
“Snowdrop!” Hope’s voice beckoned, drawing Snowdrop from her inner thoughts. “Princess Celestia asked if we’d like to go with them to the castle! Come on, let’s go!”
Snowdrop’s ears perked up. “O-oh!” she quickly recollected. “But, didn’t you and Sombra visit the castle earlier?”
Hope shot the pegasus with a deadpan expression.
“I mean, y-yes! I’d like that!”
“Huzzah!” Celestia celebrated, trotting closer to Hope. “Wouldst thou like to ride upon mine back?”
Hope was left astounded by the request. “W-well, I m-mean, sure, b-but- eep!” she squeaked as a golden aura plucked her up, floated her in the air, and set her down on Celestia’s back.
“Sister,” Celestia called while turning, “be a dear and escort Radiant Hope’s friend upon thine back, yes? Their name is Snowdrop, and be careful with her. She’s-”
“Blind, I know.” Luna finished, rolling her eyes. “I am well acquainted in recognizing physical disabilities, sister.” the lunar alicorn fires up her horn in a light-blue aura, which covers the blind filly’s body and lifts them upward.
This was the first time Snowdrop had ever been carried in such a fashion, and the experience felt mildly awkward for her. Still, she didn’t doubt the proficiency of the magical grasp’s owner, and the pegasus was gently lowered onto Luna’s back.
Snowdrop blinks her eyes twice, followed by a shy yet embarrassed expression. “T-thank you for carrying m-me, princess. And, um, i-it’s a pleasure to m-meet you.”
“Charmed,” Luna responds while glancing back at the filly, looking forward again. “We disembark upon thine behest, sister.”
Celestia nods, turning skyward and spreading her wings apart. “Hang on, Hope.”
“Hang onto wh-AAAAT!!” the young unicorn screamed as she hurriedly grabbed onto Celestia’s mane, pulling it harshly—the duo suddenly airborne with a single, powerful flap of the white alicorn’s wings.
“E-easy thine grasp, my dear,” Celestia flinched.
“How about you warn me the next time you do that, please!” Hope boomed, garnering a joyful chuckle from Celestia.
Luna fell into a formation at Celestia’s rear as they flew toward the castle’s direction, the lunar mare’s mane fluttering in the wind, which mildly conflicted with the blind filly on her back. The two ‘flights’ are about as night and day as the alicorns themselves, and where Celestia and Hope flew in joyous laughter together, Luna and Snowdrop flew in awkward silence, though mainly for the light-blue pegasus.
“Uhm, Princess Luna?”
“What is it, child?”
“Oh, well, I just-”
“Speak confidently,” Luna interjects, Snowdrop’s ears perking up. “Chin up, back straight, and eyes forward. Carry thineself with courage, Snowdrop, and in doing so, ponies shall react to thy presence with respect.”
Snowdrop’s ears folded against her head. Did… did the princess, in a sense, not respect her? She was unsure about how to take those words.
A sigh from Luna garners the inner-turmoiled filly, almost as if she could sense Snowdrop’s thoughts. “Apologies if my words seem harsh, young one—I… I’ve been through some hardships as of late, and I tend to speak bluntly.”
Snowdrop swallowed a lump in her throat, but admittedly, she absorbed some of Luna’s advice. “It’s ok, your highness. Oh, and—princess?”
“Yes?”
“As you already know, I’m blind, but I wanted to ask you something, and you’re the perfect pony to-”
“Out with it, Snowdrop. There’s no point in prancing around the bush. If there’s something upon thine mind, say it, and be done with it.”
O-ok,” Snowdrop swallowed, “Could… could you confirm how the night sky looks?”
Luna suddenly stopped in pure shock, eyes wide open as she hovered in place, although she ensured that the filly on her back wouldn’t fall from the action. All the while, Celestia and Hope became distanced ahead with every passing moment.
“C-come again…?”
“The night sky, a-and the moon,” Snowdrop began, Luna’s gaze slowly turning back to the pegasus. “I’ve been having dreams of them, but I’m not sure if they are as accurate to the real thing.”
“I-I see…” Luna hesitantly dared to ask, “And, pray, can thou explain it in detail? Be brief if thou must; just tidbits is enough.”
“Hmmm…” Snowdrop pondered with a hoof to her chin in thought. “Well, there’s the moon, which is a giant white sphere casting a remarkable light on us all.”
-R-remarkable… light…?-
“And then there’s the entire night sky!” Snowdrop said most joyously. “Oh, it’s so beautiful—blankets of black, purple, and blue, all melding together like smoke and clouds—It’s almost indescribable; I just don’t have the words to do it justice!”
-Wh-what…? It-it couldn’t be…-
At this point, Luna had long been taken aback in amazement by the filly’s words. There on her back was a blind filly singing wonders and praises of the night that SHE worked so hard to perfect.
A blind filly did what those with sight could not!
Sure, what Snowdrop saw was from a dream, but it amazed Luna how nearly accurate it was to her actual night.
“Oh, and, princess—then there are the stars!”
“S-stars,” Luna repeats, a small smile forming on the edges of her muzzle. “T-tell me, what doth thou think of them?”
“They are the best thing about the night, at least, in my opinion,” Snowdrop answered unhesitantly, Luna’s eyes widening in pure bliss as she didn’t want the filly to stop talking. “It’s like the sky is their canvas, and the stars create beautiful pieces of art for all of us to enjoy,” she giggles, “Sorry, I just get so excited talking about them.”
“N-nay!” Luna beamed. “T-thou needst not apologize for such a thing; t-the night is indeed worthy of thy praise.”
Snowdrop nods. “I guess w-what I’m trying to say is, w-well,” a vibrant blush forms on her cheeks, and try as she might, she couldn’t contain the dam that was about to burst within her.
The pegasus suddenly raises her forelimbs up high, pure joy plastered on her features.
“I just love the night so much! Thank you so much for making it, Princess Luna!”
And there it was, the words Luna had wanted to hear so dearly. Those very words echoed within the alicorn’s mind, soon embedding themselves into every fiber of Luna’s being.
She finally found what she was looking for, the rare diamond in the rough. And while Snowdrop was only one in number, the little filly represented a spark, one that Luna would caress with the moon’s tender sweetness.
One would become two, and two would become three. It would continue to multiply in a glorious domino effect until, one day...
Yes, Luna could see it now—legions of ponies praising her moon and night just as much as Celestia’s sun and day, and Snowdrop would be responsible for all of it.
“P-princess?” Snowdrop inquired the motionless alicorn, save for the flapping of their wings. “Are you ok-”
Luna swiftly embraces Snowdrop in one fluent motion, cradling the filly against her chest region with both forelimbs, stunting them in the process.
“I am more than ok, Snowdrop,” Luna lovingly dropped, raising the filly high up into the air like a newborn foal. “Thou hast no idea how grateful we are for thine words—thank you, Snowdrop! Thank you!”
Luna carefully holds the filly in place, garnering laughter from the pegasus before barrel-rolling and flying forth again, continuing onward to the Crystal Castle.
“Come, Snowdrop! My sister can handle the talks with Princess Amore, so let us convene within one of the castle’s chambers.”
“Ok!”
To say that Luna was filled with happiness would be an understatement. She even regretted not coming along with Celestia on this venture, for she would never have claimed the beautiful fruit within her grasp.
However, in the deep recesses of her mind, Luna had to wonder:
What was it that drew Celestia’s interest in these fillies? What was it about them that caused her to stop the carriage?
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Quite curious about celestia, and that Luna scene was pretty sweet.
Man, what a great chapter. when you know the story of the two sisters it seems sad to see Celestia doesn't put too much time due to politics or perhaps try to spend more time with her to listen Luna while seeing her sad and envy her sister for being in her shadow and nobody loving the night as much as she does. When Luna finally meets Snowdrop and hears her love of the night, it just makes me happy to see Luna so happy to find another pony that loves the night as much as she does. This is really getting even better and better as the story progresses and I can't wait to see where this story goes.
the start got me laughing
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Thank you very much!
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mhm
This chapter was easily my favorite so far despite not even having Sombra, my favorite character. The tension between the two royal sisters is just so good and I love the way Luna reacts to Snowdrop coming out as an admirer of the night.
Just a friendly local ice cream guy. Don’t mind the flames and the heavy ordnance.
nme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/twisted-metal@2000x1270-1392x884.jpg
Ok, so Snowdrop IS blind.
I was a bit confused, cause I remember her “shearing a glance” with someone at least a couple of times. Thought that maybe this is some other Snowdrop, not the OC one.
Yeah, found one
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Thank you very much!
Yeah, with this story, I’m exploring possibilities that I’ve always wanted to delve into while still keeping it somewhat inline with the established timeline.
There will be quite a few surprises in store for Sombra and Sombasi.
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Not gonna lie, that’s actually who I thought about when coming up with a name for that merchant.
As for Snow and Hope sharing a glance, I meant for it to show just how sharp Snow’s senses have become. However, I should edit some details to that exchange as I can definitely see where the confusion comes in.
Thank you for that!