The Princess, the Pie, and her favourite rock.
Luna's horn ceased its glow. Her duty was done. She looked to the sky and pondered her work.
Celestia's sun had completed its tour for the day and had now been replaced by myriad stars, which dotted the inky canopy. A low full moon taking its place amongst a thousand constellations known and unknown, bestowing a very dim light upon Equestria. It was a cool, still night. Luna sighed, "A cool, still, lonely night." she thought to herself.
There appeared to be no dreams to attend to tonight, which was a rare occasion, but not impossible. Since the elements of harmony did such a fine job at attending to needs and troubles of Equestria, ponies started to feel safer and less afraid of such monsters and terrors, and therefore, fewer nightmares plagued the subconscious. Luna understood and even found some appreciation to that, though she did enjoy protecting and communicating with her subjects. It beat having to talk to herself all night after all.
With her schedule so far cleared up, Luna took off in flight. She rarely got a chance to wander through her own night sky, yet she found no enjoyment in it.
The wind brushed through her wings, the cold pricking at her feathers, almost spitefully. A clearing came into view. Luna wasn't sure where exactly she was in Equestria at this moment, she had been lost in her own thoughts. It was barren, a few dead trees, and even fewer living ones dotted the field of sorts. What stood out was a small hill, overlooking it all. It seemed to be the only spot with some form of vegetation. Luna descended and slowly came to rest on this small hill. She gazed upon the land in front of her with half-lidded eyes.
She averted her eyes from the moon and the landscape before her, head hung low. "Oh sister, subjects, I have grown since I became nightmare moon so long since. Without your friendships and love, all that you have taught me, I know not how I would have overcome my shame. Yet still, I bear onto mine sadness." She spoke to herself, like she usually did on nights, as nopony else was ever there to talk to. "So Why? Why do I torture myself so? Why must I still feel heavy that my night is not celebrated....not even by myself?"
Of course, there was Nightmare Night, but sometimes she feels its more the celebration than the night sky and moon itself, that ponies enjoy. It wasn't like before, this envy. She was proud of her sister. Her work was hard, her days were beautiful. No, this time it was because she wanted to feel like her role was important, she wanted her subjects to love her night because maybe then, she could learn to love her night again too. Right now it just served as a reminder that she had turned on her sister and all of Equestria, all her friends. She lifted her head back to the scenery before her, she swore she could only just make out a small farm in the distance.
"Are you talking to me?" A female voice questioned, void of any emotion.
Luna gasped and turned her head in the direction of the soft voice, an earth mare was the source of it, her mane was a dull purple, her eyes teal, and wearing a simple muted blue dress. She looked... tired almost, from what Luna could tell.
"No, i was... talking to myself." Princess Luna admitted, a little embarrassed.
"cool."
"I'm surprised to see anypony out at this hour. What art thou doing up so late?" Luna asked softly, curious.
"Boulder wanted to go for a walk."
"Boulder?"
"My pet. I always take him out for exercise at night." She gestured to her side. Luna followed her movements and eyes down to... a rock? Yes, definitely a rock, tied to a leash.
Princess Luna opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Eventually, she just resorted to raising an eyebrow at the odd happenings. The earth mare made her way over to her, excruciatingly slow. 'Boulder' dragged behind her each step. The mare sat down next to the princess on a small patch of grass. Luna was a bit taken aback at this but said nothing.
The two sat in an awkward silence for some time, the mare staring at the moon, and Luna at her, before she finally broke the silence. "Doth thou have a name?"
"Yes."
Luna's eye twitched from the less-than-informative answer. She was about to ask again when her new companion spoke once more.
"Maud."
Luna looked at her, unsure. "It's nice to meet thou." She said as she joined maud in looking at the moon.
"So what were you talking about?"
Luna's pupils shrunk to pinpricks. Was she really to discuss private matters with this stranger? It was really none of her business, but then again, it's not often she had somepony to talk to at night. With a heavy sigh, she reluctantly decided to just go with it. "I suppose I was just thinking about my sister-"
"Celestia?"
"Yes," Luna confirmed. It was refreshing to see one of her subjects being so casual about being in the presence of royalty. This mare seemed to be surprising her a lot tonight. "Celestia was always the one to shine out of the two of us, figuratively and literally, it's hard to explain. I don't feel envy towards her like I used to, I just wish my night wasn't void of any presence." She looked to face Maud, but her eyes found their way to her hooves instead. "Do you have any sisters?"
"Yes, Marble, Limestone and Pinkie Pie."
Luna's eyes widened, she was related to Pinkie Pie? It couldn't be the Pinkie Pie she was familiar with, could it? “You mean, Pinkie Pie of ponyville? Pink bushy hair, party Pinkie Pie?” Luna could not spot the resemblance for the life of her, in nary her mannerisms or looks.
“The very same.”
Luna thought hard for a moment, so many questions were running through her head. She couldn't judge, no. What would this pony have to gain from such a lie, in fact, maybe she could relate to her own situation. “You two are certainly,” She paused, trying to find the way to phrase it without causing offence, “Unique...erm, different.”
“I get that a lot. We are very different, she is more well known and stands out in the crowd.”
Luna could understand what that felt like, maybe she was in the same situation? “Doth-Does, that bother thou?” She asked, feeling hopeful. She scolded herself for feeling that way though, why would she wish for another to feel the way she did about siblings or anything for that matter. Guess she just wanted somepony to relate to.
“No, not really.”
"How, if thou dost not mind me asking, does it not bother thee so?"
“I like that she is unique, everypony is. I am happy with who I am. But I can still relate to you.”
Luna hung her head low, she could learn something from this pony, so how come this wasn't helping her?
“You should be too,” Maud said nonchalantly.
This caught Luna off guard, even more so when Maud suddenly pulled a rock from her bag. She held it in her hooves looking at it for some time. “Do you know what this is?” Maud asked, still looking at it almost lovingly.
“Um, a rock?” Luna answered, not sure where this was going.
“It's you.”
“So.. I am a rock?”
Maud ignored the question, much to Luna's frustration. “You know, sometimes you might feel your job isn't important. I'm a rock farmer.”
“Rock Farmer?”
“Yes, we grow rocks, not in the traditional sense, we strip the rocks of the land for building materials, but we also charge the rocks and the land with earth pony magic. It brings balance to natures course, the magic we provide, results in vegetation, Flora, and sedimentary formations to come much faster, therefore anything we take from the land can come back tenfold. A practice most have forgotten.”
Luna was intrigued, she knew earth ponies had brute strength and a connection to the land more than any of the races, but the idea of Rock farming was not one she was familiar with. This made her feel guilty furthermore. Though she had been gone for a thousand winters, did she really know that little on her subjects? She made a mental note to look into the modern lives of her ponies when she returned to the castle.
“You wouldn't think that Rock farming would be an important career, but it is. Most, like Pinkie Pie, leave for more exciting lives, and there's nothing wrong with that. This is why I don't feel any sadness, even though I miss her. I love my job, I know what I do is important and special.” Maud turned to look at Luna, “And you should feel the same way about your night.”
Luna was surprised to find herself feeling a little better, she would never have guessed she'd find a new appreciation for an earth ponies career, one of Rock farming no less, and she liked it, what other things could there be to discover? A small dwindling fire lit in her heart. Yet she still needed more fuel for the flame.
“My Night, like your Rock farming, is a lonely one. None truly play or celebrate the night like my sisters day.” Luna said with a sigh.
“Not true.”
Luna turned to look at Maud, expectantly. What exactly did she mean by this? “Ponies sleep during my night, a much-needed occurrence I know but I still wish they could see-”
“Again, not true.” Maud cut off. “See that over there,” Maud pointed her hoof to the far right of the field. Luna followed her hoof to find... two ponies. They were too far away to be heard, but they looked like they were giggling and laying on the grass, pointing upwards to the cosmos. “Yes, Ponies need sleep, and yes, they love long sunny days. But your night is loved too.” Maud continued.
Luna was listening, still entranced by the ponies in the field. How could she have missed them on her way in?
“Your night is where things can be calm, its when special somponies can partake in candlelight dinners and cosy up by the fire. Your night is when we can dance to soft music in the light shades the moon and stars provide, they cast a soothing glow, making hues of colours you wouldn't be able to see during the harsh sunny days. This is the time where mothers and fathers can tuck in their foals, giving them a kiss goodnight. This is the time most thinking is done, where somewhere in Equestria a group of fillies and colts are telling stories around a campfire.”
Luna was speechless, she could almost feel her eyes becoming wet, and her fur beneath them damp subject to the tear she hadn't quite realised was rolling down her cheek silently.
“Without your night we cant see fireworks, fireflies, meteor showers.”
Maud smashed the rock in on the ground in front of her, where it smashed into two pieces, startling the Princess in the process. Luna started to become nervous, for if she was supposedly the rock in Maud's eyes... it was quite a non-directive aggression towards her it would seem. But then a glimmer caught her eye.
Now split in two, the rocks innards were visible, and it was hollow, well, sort of. The insides glimmered in an array of purple and blue hues, crystals. all different sizes and clustered together. Regardless of their different shapes and shades, they seemed to have a perfect correlation. It was beautiful.
“What is-” Luna began.
“A Geode. This is you.”
“How? It's beautiful... what exactly is a geode?” Luna asked.
“A geode is a sedimentary rock of sorts. It's even formed from another kind of rock, igneous. Geodes are my 3rd favourite geological formation, my pet boulder is my second favourite. This Geode is a rare one, a mix of Quartz, Opal and Celestine.” Maud said, still in the same emotionless demeanour she has kept up all night. “Geodes are like almost every situation you are in, have been in, and will ever be in.”
Luna just stared, saying nothing. Maud sighed.
“You are broken right now, princess. And that's okay. Just like the Geode here sometimes you will need to break before you know your worth. But does it mean you're any less beautiful because you are broken? No. Consider this,” Maud placed the to pieces back together, reverting it back to a normal looking rock. “This represents you and nightmare moon, it could even represent a job you hate but get good money for, a relationship you might be in that is incredibly toxic, but you love them.”
Maud then separated the pieces again. “Now this is you, separated from Nightmare Moon. Or having quit the job, or having finally broken away from the bad relationship. One piece represents you and the other represents the thing you have parted from.”
“Nightmare Moon was nothing of beauty!” Luna snapped bitterly. It was a sensitive topic. But her evil counterpart had no right to be compared to something natural and pretty.
“That can be both incorrect and true. With respect, your highness, without nightmare moon, you may have still been dwelling on the very thing you have gotten over, your jealousy for your sister, your anger.”
Luna opened her mouth to interject but Maud held her hoof out in a motion to cease her oncoming objection. ”Yes, you are still envious, but not in the same way. Because of nightmare moon, you've learned the things you would never have, or at least not for a long time. Lessons in jealousy, anger, control.”
“I suppose..” Luna stated, sadly.
“The bad can be beautiful because, without the bad, we wouldn't know what good is. We wouldn't know kindness if we didn't know cruelty, Loyalty if we didn't know disloyalty, Honesty without lies, Generosity without selfishness, Laughter without sadness... Magic without lack of faith. You’ve been away for a thousand years, things have changed. In big cities like Manehatten and Neigh York, Ponies work during the night, and party during the night too. Did you know Neigh York is called the city that never sleeps?”
“Nay,” Luna said quietly, Neigh York wasn't around a thousand moons ago. Oddly enough, this small earth mare, this rock farmer, was making her see things from a completely different perspective.
Maud held up the pieces of Geode to Princess Luna, “Is this just a broken rock?”
“Nay, it's not just a broken rock, its... beautiful.”
“Then why do you see yourself, as only a broken rock?”
Silence...
“You know,” Maud continued, “You have so many ponies that can see your real value.” She placed the pieces together again, shielding the crystal treasure underneath. “You may see yourself as broken, or just a plain rock with no significance. But as i can see the value in this stone, so can your sister, and your friends see the value in you. And maybe not right now, you will soon see your value too. Like a bad relationship, job, or heart, somethings are better broken apart, before they can truly know their worth. And just because you or other ponies might see this plain looking sedimentary as having no value, it doesn't mean you don't have value, you just haven't let your colours show yet.”
“This is all so, incredible,” Luna said. “Doth thou do poetry young mare?”
“Yes. A thousand or so I've made.”
“That's amazing!” Luna said in bewilderment, “May I hear some?”
“I don't have them on me right now, but I would be willing to send some to you via post.” Little did Luna know she would receive a thousand copies of poems that had to do with almost every geological formation to date, but no matter.
“I look forward to it,” Luna said with a smile. She turned to look at the young couple in the field, they appeared to be dancing now, a soft music was carried through the wind. Violin and cello, on par with Octavias quality. “I feel guilty for being so... upset now.”
“Don’t be, some rocks crumble easier than others. Sometimes it takes time to become something strong, and that's okay. Geodes take anywhere from thousands to millions of years to form into what they are. Some Meteorites that fall burn up in the atmosphere, some are large and strong enough to make an impact. Like rocks, everypony is different, and we all get stronger. When we break, we form again, in our own time. Just because your sister or even anypony might have an important job, or do wonderful work, and is admired by many, it doesn't mean you aren't. The love you have for your own work shines through all the same.”
Maud got up from her spot on the hill and slid the two halves of Geode over to the princesses hooves. She started to turn and walk away. “Are thou leaving?” Princess Luna asked, almost panicked, she didn't appear to want her new friend to go.
“Yes, I better get home, Boulder is getting tired.”
“Ah yes... Boulder. Well, I thank thee for the chat tonight, I didn't realise how much I needed it... It really helped.”
“We can do this again sometime if you like.” Maud proclaimed, nonchalantly.
The princess smiled, “I’d like that.”
Maud Pie turned to walk away again but she paused and looked over her shoulder. “Princess Luna, I'm sure you may have guessed from all my excitement-”
Luna raised her eyebrow. Excitement? This mare had been void of any emotion in her tone and mannerisms all night.
“But I'm a huge fan of yours, your number one in fact.”
For the umpteenth time, tonight Luna was taken aback, “You speakest truth?”
“Yes, the Moon is the prettiest rock I've ever seen, and it will always be my favourite. Have a good night Luna.” And for the first time all night, and what Luna thought could almost be the first time in her life, Maud smiled. With that Maud finally headed off, pulling Boulder in tow, disappearing from view as she made her way further down the hill.
Luna found herself smiling as well, she looked to the couple in the fields, who had now fallen asleep in an embrace, and let out a small joyful laugh. Luna picked up the Geodes holding them in her moonlight, they sparkled in it, she tucked them under her wing. She would later put them in her bedchambers to remind her of everything her new friend Maud had said.
The Princess took to the night sky, and for the first time in a long time, she could say that she loved her job. She had found comfort in her own moonlight.