Princess No More

by Llyander

Chapter 3 - Calm

Her final day as a Princess. The evening was warm and dry and Luna took it as a good omen for beginning a journey. She stood on her balcony, gazing out over her sister’s city as she summoned her magic to raise the moon, the blue sky shifting and darkening as Celestia’s sun set, and Luna’s moon rose to hang in the clear, star-studded sky. She made no special effort with her placement of the stars this night, nothing that might draw any attention and reveal that this was the day she had chosen to begin the next chapter of her long life. She would, of course, have been lying if the temptation to scrawl a particularly potent gryphonish insult across the skies hadn’t crossed her mind. She was only equine, after all.

Her eyes moved from the sky to the tower that faced her own where Celestia stood, gazing back. She could see the sad little smile on her sister’s face as the two locked eyes. It had been a difficult few days since her announcement. Making the proclamation in public had been something of a power play, but an important one. While she might not have been as adept at the game as her Sister, she had not lived so long without knowing how it was played.

She needed to make sure the information leaked to the common pony, not out of a simple, spiteful need to humiliate or embarrass her sister, but to make sure that the citizens knew what was happening and why. It was also, in part, to ensure that Celestia was not given the opportunity to talk her out of it. Her sister was far more cunning than any pony but Luna truly knew and, given enough time, it was possible she might have convinced Luna to stay.

But when the newspapers the next day screamed from their headlines that Equestria was about to be down one princess, the matter became moot. Everypony knew. Just like she wanted them to.

And, a little part of her whispered, perhaps she also wanted them to understand that it was their lack of regard for her and her night that had led to this course of action. Perhaps, if she was being truly honest with herself, there was a hint of pettiness in her decision. Just a little. But that didn’t make her statements to Celestia any less true. She would always be the lesser ruler here and a thousand years of ruling alone had made Celestia all the more inflexible and unwilling to truly share the throne.

There had been a time in the beginning when they were truly partners. She was the sword of Equestria with Celestia as its shield. The two of them had carved a swathe through the wilderness and convinced the other tribes to follow then, sometimes with words, sometimes with force.

But it seemed that civilisation did not truly agree with her. Her sister was the better and stronger ruler in peacetime. Luna had tried, oh she had tried since her return, tried to adapt, but she could feel the old hurts starting to bubble up once again, the two falling into the same old patterns. The greatest truth of immortals was that they were creatures of habit, right down to making the same mistakes over and over again. But not this time. Luna would make sure of that. She would stop this cycle before mere feelings of annoyance festered and turned to resentment and anger.

Celestia spread her wings and slowly bowed her head in farewell, the moonlight glinting on the unshed tears that stood in her eyes. Luna returned the gesture, watching with a sad little smile as her sister turned and disappeared inside, doors swinging shut behind her. They had agreed that there would be no more ceremony than this. No tearful goodbyes or last embraces. They had shared their last meal together just before she raised the moon and, yes, a few tears had been shed. Other than that, they treated this as just any other night, except that when the moon was raised it would be the last time the pair did so together in this place.

She had expected to feel some remorse. Some hesitation or reluctance to leave this life behind, but as she stepped back from the railing she was mildly surprised to discover that all she felt was anticipation for the road ahead. She paused as she turned, running a hoof fondly along the brass telescope that stood outside her chambers. She had spent many a night helping her own students gaze up at the night skies, guiding budding astronomers as they mapped out the jewels she hung in the velvet of her sky each night for them.

With a soft flash of her magic, she hung a small sign from the end that simply read “For Twilight Sparkle. Always remember to look up at the stars and not down at your hooves." She lingered a moment, studying her reflection in the polished metal.

Twilight Sparkle. She was under no illusions that the newest Princess loved the night as much as she did, but she knew that Twilight had her own telescope set in the balcony of her library, that she did fall asleep on a cushion watching the stars. Perhaps, through her, ponies would find a new appreciation for the beauty found in darkness. Her gaze soured as she looked down at the streetlights, each a tiny sun glowing on myriad street corners throughout Canterlot. Certainly they bathed everything in a warm, golden glow that was pleasant to behold, even she could admit that.

But every light that was added down here was one less they could see in her night sky as the light slowly and inexorably overcame the darkness. In years to come foals would look to the heavens and see only a near featureless void with only a handful of those stars strong enough to still be perceived through the false dawn of these “bulbs”.

She fondly patted the telescope one last time and trotted into her chambers. The servants had finished putting all she owned into storage save for the contents of her saddlebags that lay on the bed. She levitated these up, setting them over her withers, shifting as she got used to the weight. They were made of hard wearing canvas that had been dyed a deep blue to match her coat and each had been embroidered with her cutie mark.

She opened one with her magic and reached inside, pausing as she summoned a mental image of the item she required. She was pleased to find it a moment later, withdrawing the small gem and nodding in satisfaction. While the “saddlebags of holding” that featured in games such as Ogres and Oubliettes were merely a fantasy, there were ways to enchant an item so a pony could carry more with them than met the eye.

There were no convenient pocket dimensions, sadly, but what you could do was link an item to a place that already existed. In Luna’s case these saddlebags provided access to her private vaults beneath Canterlot, allowing her to access some of her smaller belongings as well as the money she had stashed there. For added security, the enchantment would only respond to her magical signature. For anyone else, should she run afoul of bandits or thieves of some type, they would find the bags plain, simple, and distressingly devoid of everything but lint and loose threads.

She removed her ceremonial garb piece by piece. Her peytral, then the ornate horseshoes and finally, with only a brief hesitation, her crown. She set them in a neat pile atop her bed, ready to be stored in the vaults with the rest of the relics of her reign. One last look around. One last check. She closed and locked the windows leading to the balcony, then picked up a stray book that had hidden in the shadows beside her bed and set it atop the blankets next to her formal garb, nodding to herself in satisfaction. All was in place. It was time.

She stepped out onto the landing, closing the door behind her. The two batpony guards that flanked her doorway immediately snapped to attention and she allowed herself a little smile at their dedication to their duty. “Gentleponies. You may stand at ease and, in fact, you are relieved for the rest of the evening. However, if I could beg a favour of you, Lapis?” She directed the question to the guard who stood rigidly on her left.

“Of course, Mistress,” the purple-haired batpony replied, stepping forward and saluting, hoof thumping against her breastplate.

“Could you please pass this message to Captain Ember with my compliments,” she passed a sealed envelope over, “and then convey one final message to all my faithful Night Guard?”

“It would be my honour, Mistress,” Lapis replied, then paused. “Our honour,” she added, nodding to her compatriot who offered a little smile but remained silent.

Luna lifted her hoof and set it gently on Lapis’ shoulder as she dropped into the old style of speaking for one last time. “This is my last command as thy Princess, my little pony. I wish thee to go to thy barracks forthwith, and purchase a round of drinks for every and any pony there, be they Sun Guard or Night. I would have you raise a glass and a toast to both myself, and my sister. I would have this night be one to celebrate my departure, not mourn it.” She cupped Lapis’ chin with her hoof, lifting it to gaze solemnly into the batpony’s wide eyes. “Can you do this? For me?”

Lapis’ jaw worked for a moment before she replied, her voice thick. “Yes Mistress. We can do that for you.”

Luna smiled at that and nodded. “I knew you could. Now, be at peace, my children. Serve my sister as dutifully as you have served me, and all will be well.” She released her hold and turned to leave, draping a dark blue travelling cloak over her barrel as she did.

Lapis opened her mouth, but her partner beat her to it.

“Who stands in defence of the Mistress?” he cried and Lapis responded without hesitation.

“We stand!”

The words of the creed followed Luna down the spiralling stairs. Once she was out of sight she allowed herself a moment to sigh. To wipe away an unshed tear from her eyes. They would be fine. It wasn’t like the bad times following the Nightmare Rebellion. Her batponies were safe and secure. Even with the lights filling the streets of Canterlot with light, there were always shadowed corners where her ponies would root out anyone who tried to hide their evil intentions.

She stepped out into the courtyard, her hooves chiming on the polished flagstones as she made her way towards the main gate with measured steps. Nopony stopped her. There were no crowds, no reporters. The few guards that patrolled the walls and the grounds snapped to attention as she approached, and then resumed their duties after she passed. A servant or two paused to watch her leave, then also quickly returned to their tasks. Some might accuse her of running away, she supposed, of slinking from the palace in shame, but she would not, could not, abide some ceremony full of empty pageantry. This unremarked departure, like that of any common traveller, was more fitting for the pony she hoped to be.

Each slow, measured step took her inexorably further and further away from the place she had called home for the years since her return. More than that, they took her away from an unfulfilling, unhappy life towards an uncertain future that she would make her own. She would carve out her destiny with her own two hooves once again, and that thought filled her with anticipation.

There would ne no more night court. No more staring at the ceiling and counting the tiles as the minutes ticked interminably slowly in silence and solitude, waiting for ponies who would never dare come to her. There would be no more hiding in the shadows for fear of frightening ponies away as she tried to watch a play or concert. No more watching ponies flinch away when she attempted to offer them her patronage as she had in the old days when she had been known as a great believer in the arts.

There would be no more whispers and rumours about the taint of Nightmare Moon, no more nitpicking and subtle criticisms of her decisions and proclamations, no more suggestions that “Perhaps we should get Princess Celestia’s opinion!”. No more nobles posturing and scheming and whispering behind her back as she moved through the halls of the castle.

There would be no more Canterlot. No more trying to help ponies in their dreams. No more screams of Nightmare Moon. No more Princess Luna.

She suddenly shivered as she looked up at the castle that surrounded her, a cold chill dancing along her spine. The polished walls felt like they were stifling her, pressing down around her in one last attempt to keep her from leaving, to drag her back, force her to take her crown up once more. No. This wasn’t her home. This wasn’t her place. It was her sister’s and she had to get away. Now!

Her measured pace picked up speed now. A trot, then a canter, and finally she was in a frantic gallop that drew confused shouts of alarm from the guards on the walls until they realised who it was, then their voices grew confused. She didn’t stop. Past the walls, across the drawbridge and over the moat. Only once she was on the path did she slow her pace, her skin still crawling, feeling as if the castle might wake at any moment like some slumbering behemoth and pursue her. She risked a quick glance over her shoulder, her sides heaving, breath ragged as that sudden, strange surge of panic ebbed. No. There were no monsters behind her. She was the only monster here, and she was trying, oh she was still trying, to be better.

She swallowed hard and gave herself a firm shake as she forced the lingering fear back down. She’d taken the first step. Okay, so she’d taken it at something of a gallop rather than the more dignified beginning she’d planned, but the first step had been taken nonetheless. She turned her attention towards the glowing jewel of Equestria that was Canterlot itself and couldn’t help her lips curling in distaste at the field of shimmering light that blotted out the beauty of her night. No. She wouldn’t go that way. She tapped a hoof to her chin as she considered her options.

Really she only had two options open to her. East and south were both mostly out of the question. East would take her into griffon territory and she had no interest in invading their territories. The griffons were notoriously prickly and difficult to negotiate with and she was unsure what they might do on finding an alicorn travelling their lands.

South would take her towards the near-lawless Klugetown and the lands beyond, as well as putting her uncomfortably close to the Badlands that the Changelings called home. They knew little of what lay to the south of Equestria’s border, though they had heard rumours that some new warlord was starting to gather up smaller territories under his banner. Crossing lands like that would be an uncertain and potentially dangerous undertaking.

To the west lay Vanhoover, Los Pegasus and the Smokey Mountains. Beyond those the world was mostly unknown, ripe for exploration, or she could head North. North would take her towards Neighagra Falls and the Crystal Empire. Beyond the Empire’s borders lay YakYakistan, the Yaket mountain range and beyond that? The map she had in her room simply stated “Into the unknown”. No pony adventurer had ever ventured further North than that. Or if they had, they had never returned.

North? Or west? North posed other hazards beyond merely the prospect of being eaten by some unknown creature that might occupy the frozen wastes.Those parts of the world had been home to Sombra and his armies. While the Empire itself was now liberated, could anyone truly be sure that they had found all the nasty surprises that twisted unicorn had worked on? That all his followers and the cults that sprang up in his wake had been put down?

No, the more she considered it, the lands to the west seemed the best option. She could pass through Ponyville to pick up any supplies that she might have forgotten about or neglected to add to her storage vault here at the castle, though that would almost certainly mean interacting with the Elements and while she was sure they meant well…she wasn’t sure those were conversations she wished to have right now. Especially not with the pink one.

A decision made, she shifted the weight of her saddlebags across her withers, adjusted the cloak so that it covered them to protect against any sudden changes in the weather, and took a long, slow breath of night air.

“Exit Luna,” she murmured. “Stage left.”

She flexed her wings and with one quick leap she was nothing but a shadow in the night sky, her new life waiting for her to find it.

Author's Note:

And so this little story draws to a close. I may revisit it from time to time with little snippets, postcards of what Luna finds out there as she seeks her own fortune, but, at least for now, this is all there is, and all there was ever planned to be.

Thank you if you've read this far.

Comments

[Stahlseele]

Aaww . .
i would have liked to read some more.
Especially when she gets to pony ville.
Or when twilight gets to the telescope.
Or maybe Celestia telling off the ponies
for once again taking her sister from her.

[protator]

11718861
There's also the aspect of magical ability. To my knowledge Cadance is the only alicorn who hasn't bothered/managed to learn teleportation.
Surrounding and trapping Luna with overwhelming numbers isn't possible. She can always just turn into a little dust cloud or teleport away entirely.

[protator]

It's a nice short story. Some parts felt a bit too drawn out while other interesting aspects were glossed over ...
The biggest issue imho is that, like many open ended stories with an interesting premise, this feels like the prologue of something bigger and the "complete" tag adds a bit of disappointment to the experience.
No conflict gets resolved. The story's already over before a proper conflict is even defined.

The fact that Celestia "called Twilight back" to Canterlot as an "advisor to the throne" ... I mean, Twi's a crown princess of Equestria. The sisters' equal according to Celestia herself. So it seams that Celestia really has a big problem with sharing power in general.
TyrantLestia, the lesser princess, and the princess in name only. So much potential for an epic story.

[new55]

That was a good story.

[Max Stroberger]

Well we come to a peaceful close and a last farewell.

[xbox432]

Huh, wasn't expecting it to end so soon... But there's nothing wrong with wrapping it up here rather than dragging it out if you have no solid plans for more.

Thank you for the entertainment!

[Llyander]

11746342

Yeah, it was really just this random scene I wanted to flesh out a bit. I'm not good with writing novel length stuff, honestly. I prefer short stories.

[Dusky Flare]

Thank you for this little story. I really enjoyed it.
The idea that there was no real place for Luna after her return is quite popular. And I like how you took in all the little things that supported that fact.
I would have loved to see the dynamic between Luna and Celestia a bit more, but I respect that you left Celestia acting like she appeared in the first seasons of the show: aloof and distant.
Luna leaving is a clear accusation to her sister. I was a little surprised to see Celestia give in that easily. She is used to get her will for millenia now. In my opinion she would not capitulate that quickly.
But that's just the Celestia I have in my head.
It now would be interesting to know how Luna copes with the downside of freedom, that is quite often loneliness.
Really nice story with lots of possible plots to explore.
Thank you again!

[Hye]

11745824
Hmph, I fully agree. Here, it feels like she never truly wanted her sister, or anypony else, for that matter, to be her equal.
Of course, if asked, she'd deny it and make a proclamation about, 'all the princesses are equal in authority and honor,' and hold a celebration, and so on and so forth.
But... There'll always be that little nagging feeling in the back of her head that's constantly being fed by the adoration she's drowning in each and every day, as well as the constant, gnawing reminder of her absent sister and all the little (and not-so-little) things she never did for her.