If a Pegasus were to fly into Equestria’s night sky they would have seen the midnight blue alicorn among the stars and if that Pegasus were to brave the extreme altitude and get close to that princess they would have heard a sound only familiar to easels, canvases, workbenches, and other tools of artist’s and craftpony’s trades. Some would say it is the sound of inspiration, others would argue that it is the language that the mind uses in its inner workings given voice still others would say that the creator is simply giving voice to their work. Whatever you would call it, it sounds a bit like “hrmnmfrnmfrtrnmmn”.
“hrmnmfrnmfrtrnmmn.”
“What was that Lulu?”
Luna looked up from her work to see her sister standing in the door to her chambers. “Didn’t thou just go to bed sister?”
“No Luna it’s nearly time for dawn. You’ve been working for hours come and have breakfast.”
“We just had breakfast sister.” Before Celestia could argue an audible growl from Luna’s stomach finished the argument before it had a chance to begin. Luna looked at her sister sheepishly, “maybe we have gotten a little caught up in our work”.
“Well you can tell me all about it while we eat.”
The two sisters made their way to their private dining chambers chatting amiably like they had every day for the past few months.
“I’m planning on completely overhauling the night sky.”
“Forgive me sister, I do not share your passion for the stars but every night has been more beautiful than the last since your return. Why do they need such upkeep.”
Luna’s hunger had taken over the majority of her though processes and as she answered her sister she slipped back into the use of the royal ‘we’ again, “the stars have drifted slightly while we were away. They need to be put back on their proper course. While they were dimmed no one would have noticed but now that they are shining in all their glory they have bunched up and spread out slightly, we have done what minor fixes we can. We just need to put them all back but we have to find where each star is in reference to one fixed point-“
“Polaris.” Celestia interrupted.
“Exactly, we are nearly done. We should be ready to do all the work tonight. Will you call the weather pegasai and ask for overcast for me tonight?”
“No,” Celestia replied flatly.
Taken aback by her sister’s sudden abruptness Luna replied, “sister I know you want me to start governing and we plan on complying after we have learned the new laws, and I know that familiarizing myself with the bureaucracy is part of that. But this seems petty way of getting me to do that.”
“Sister I meant no such thing by that. I want to watch you work and I think so will most of Equestria,” Celestia replied with a laugh.
Every time she heard her sister laugh Luna realized how much she missed it. She considered letting the nation watch her for a time. It would make her sister happy and that alone was reason enough to do it. But if she was going to do something she was going to do it well.
Yes that could work.
She hid her smile as she finally conceded to her sister. “Very well tell the weather pegasai to make sure this night is perfectly clear then. If the sky is to be my stage I will have no clouds between me and my audience.”
Celestia’s smile turned to a grin before she spoke, “that will be my first item in court today. Speaking of which it is time for dawn.”
“Of course sister” Luna knew it had been time for dawn exactly three hundred twenty-three seconds ago but if her sister didn’t want to rush the sun she didn’t mind. Luna had always loved the predawn moments where neither she nor her sister reigned. It seemed to be one of the only times they could be together without all the pomp and circumstance of their position. Celestia’s horn ignited with magic as she began to draw the sun up. Luna ignited her own as she threw her consciousness up into the stars and began putting them to sleep.
Sleep well my children tomorrow we will dance. Somehow the stars understood her and she them. They did not use words but she could feel their excitement for the next night.
We are all glad you're back my princess, the one body in the night sky with a voice had seen fit to break her silence.
I’m glad to be back and I’m so very sorry I ever let myself be taken away. I’m especially sorry for what I allowed myself to do to you my first and most loyal subject. Even as she spoke she felt the moons consciousness slipping away but it did leave an impression before it went; forgiveness, peace.
Had a pony walked into that dining chamber they would have seen Princess Celestia with the scowl of concentration that Luna had worn almost every waking moment since her return and Princess Luna with the serene half-smile on her face that was the trademark of her elder sister.
Luna walked her sister to her throne room where she would hold court before going back to her study. She quickly modified her plans for the stars movement before flying out her window to begin preparations. The night sky was her stage but she would make sure every pony could hear from their seat.
The spell was easy and there were plenty of public spaces in every city to place it. The day’s work went by quickly until she reached the settlement of Ponyville, these ponies were the ones who had rescued her from Nightmare Moon and welcomed her back so generously. These ponies would have the best seats in the world for her performance tonight.
She approached an orchard just outside of the town. It looked to be just after harvest with the trees retaining all their leaves and none of their fruit. There was a large red stallion with a half apple cutie mark, blonde mane and docked tail and a pulling harness around his shoulders working in the field. Luna thought it best not to surprise him so made several passes through his field of sight before landing in front of him. She had assessed him as large from the air but when she landed she realized what an understatement that had been he was perhaps the only pony in Equestria that didn’t need to look up at her face. Granted he would have to be on tip-hooves at the time but it was quite impressive nonetheless.
The stallion eyed her curiously, not unfriendly or afraid but not with the deference due a princess. Luna concluded that he must not know who she was. Her sister’s lessons on current syntax forgotten she rose up on her hind legs “HAIL GOOD COLT” she began raising into the air “BEHOLD, WE ARE LUNA YOUR PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT AND-“ THUD. The branch cut off Luna midsentence. She didn’t hit her head hard but it had surprised her so much that she lost control of her body and before she could recover she found herself in the middle of a very unprincess-like collision course with the earth.
The stallion was either surprisingly quick on his hooves or had known what would happen from the moment Luna began introducing herself. Either way he was between her and the ground to break her fall with time to spare. Most ponies large or otherwise could not bear the weight of an alicorn falling on them but this one was apparently not aware of that fact. With only a grunt of exertion he bore the night princess as she came down.
Luna quickly gathered herself and got her legs under her. The stallion held out a hoof to support her until she rose to her full height. Luna rose up on her hind legs to try again then looked up at the tree above her and thought better of it. Instead she smiled sheepishly at the stallion in front of her and mumbled a thank you.
“Eeyup,” The large stallion simply replied with an amiable nod.
“Um, is this your family’s land?” Luna gave up on being princess-like. She concluded that appearances had gone out the window when she hit her head and fell on top of the pony.
“Eeyup, we’re the Apples and this here’s Sweet Apple Acres,” the stallion drawled in reply.
Luna was thankful that she would not have to repeat the awkward process of tracking down the owners and bumbling through another introduction with her archaic diction, “Would you mind if we casted a spell from here? ‘Twill just last for tonight and it won’t hurt any of thy trees.”
The pony bowed his head and gestured with a hoof that Luna should continue. “Thank you very much uh, what was your name again?” She asked.
“M’name’s Macintosh Apple but most folk jus’ call me Big Mac.”
While Celestia would have ignored the stallion’s down to earth demeanor and lack of court polish, Luna celebrated it. He was on his families land and owed her no allegiance or fealty. Most likely he had no clue who she was supposed to be even after her introduction and had treated her with the easy respect and informal chivalry of a farmer.
“I am princess Luna, Celestia’s sister. And I am truly honored to meet you Big Mac” Luna said introducing herself at a more personable volume and current syntax.
At the mention of Celestia his eyes grew big and he gave an awkward bow murmuring an apology before asking, “Were you the one that raised all that ruckus during the sun celebration,” before adding, “your highness?”
Farmers definitely had not gotten any less blunt in a thousand years. Part of Luna rejoiced in that, they were simple and unchanging, a part of the earth itself. Empires may come and pass, wars would be won and lost, and the mountains themselves would be worn down by time, but there would always be farmers. Simple, honest, blunt farmers.
While the more philosophical side of her brain lauded the unchanging virtues of farmers the rest of Luna still had a question to answer. She looked down ashamed before letting her legs give out. “It is a long story but in the end it is still my fault,” Luna said as tears began to fall.
“Now hold on Princess. Applejack told me what happened, and if her or even Applebloom sent me to the moon for any length of time even if I was deserving it I’d be right angry and keen to do all sorts of things I didn’t mean to when I got back. She said that you’ve made your amends so let that be the end of it y’hear,” Realizing who he was talking to he added a “Your highness.”
No farmers had not changed one bit. Luna could tell him the whole story but it would not matter, to him the matter was closed and to continue feeling guilty would serve no purpose. Luna recognized his sister’s name; Applejack the element of honesty. She had already vouched for Luna and as far as a farmer was concerned the word of family was gold. Farmers had not changed. They were still honest and blunt, trustworthy and trusting, gentle, kind, forgiving, and wise.
“What is it about farming that makes a pony so wise?” Luna asked aloud without realizing.
“I reckon there’s not a whole lot about it that requires much brain power, frees your mind up for contemplatin’ and such,” the farmer replied with a hint of a smile on his lips.
Luna flushed with embarrassment at speaking her thoughts aloud and having them answered. “Thank you Macintosh Apple but we have one question,” She finally said, “If you have heard our story why art thou so quick to forgive us?”
“I may be the best farmer this side of Canterlot but I can’t make any of these trees grow apples if they don’t want to,” he said gesturing to the orchard all about them, “I can work my tail off and get nothin’ come harvest time. I reckon there’s one respect that farmin’ and princessin’ are the same: even if you do your best sometimes things just don’t work out how you want them to. And when that happens you can’t sit there thinking how bad it is, you gotta keep goin’ or they’ll never get better.
“Now princess you’ve just had a whole thousand years of bad harvests and you got a might hot under the collar. I’ve gotten angrier over less so I’ve no right to hold it against you even if you being angry means I work in the dark for a few hours.”
Luna wiped her eyes and rose to her feet at the stallion’s encouragement. When he had finished she replied, “Thank you, it seems everypony in Ponyville wants to forgive and welcome us. We are doing something special tonight for all of Equestria, and this spell will make it even better for Ponyville as thanks for how you have welcomed us.”
“Well you’re more than welcome to cast it from here, Princess. I’m about done for today so I’ll be getting out of your mane.”
Regaining something of her regality Luna nodded and said, “Very well. Thank you again Big Mac, for your kindness and your wisdom.”
“Eeyup,” was all the reply the stallion saw fit to give before trotting off.
Luna cleared her throat and put the strange encounter from her mind and got back to her work. The spell would easily cover the entire town. It was like the spell that covered her makeshift observatory in Canterlot only much larger, it would magnify the night sky while increasing the detail of what the ponies within saw tenfold.
The sun was already on its slow descent into the western horizon Luna hurried to the other side of Ponyville to complete the spell, but when she arrived she was surprised to see a lavender unicorn standing on the exact spot that the other half of the spell needed to be placed.
“Ah Twilight Sparkle, my sisters prized student, librarian of Ponyville, The Element of Magic, and one of my saviors. We are overjoyed to see you.” Normally Luna would have used a great deal more formality in addressing her but to a pony she owed so much to decorum took a back seat.
The mare graciously bowed before speaking, “Princess Luna it is good to see you again. Forgive me if I am intruding but I felt a powerful spell here and I just came to investigate it. But I see you are here and doubtless you are more suited to the task. I assume you just came from Sweet Apple Acres. I sensed another spell there.” The mare flushed slightly realizing she had started to babble.
“yes I did, it is actually the origin of this spell as well, it is one that I am casting over all of Ponyville as a thanks to you and the other elements for saving me,” Luna explained being careful not to revert to the royal ‘we’.
“What sort of spell is it?” Twilight’s face lit up with excitement and curiosity. Luna recognized the look immediately. This mare had a voracious appetite for knowledge but it would have to go unsated for now. The surprise was for her as much as anypony in Ponyville.
In a moment of impish trickery that would have done her sister proud Luna gave the curious mare a sly smile and said “you will have to wait until tonight when it takes shape to see” before flying off towards Canterlot. With her curiosity peaked the mare seemed to forget all sense of decorum as she rushed after the princess trying to get a firmer answer. When she saw that she would not succeed she sat down dejectedly and Luna thought she heard her mutter something about princesses before walking back to Ponyville.
Luna had to admit that the upcoming performance, picking on her sister’s student, and even her conversation with that stallion had set her in high spirits. The lack of sleep didn’t bother her, alicorns could go weeks without sleep and not be affected, which helped when ruling nations.
Not long into her flight the high spirits took her and she began doing loops and barrel rolls for nothing more than the sheer joy of it. She spotted a cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane flying up trying to challenge her.
It figures that loyalty would think she could keep up with us.
Luna was easily the best flyer in Equestria. As alicorns her and her sister inherited a double portion of all three of the pony traits, her sister leaned more towards an earth pony’s strength while she was more gifted in the Pegasai magic of flight and weather. In magic they matched one another. Celestia had much more raw power than Luna ever would but Luna made up for it with her skill.
Luna wasn’t sure how to handle the mare approaching her. She could address her but she was quickly running out of time before night was due. Taking inspiration from her encounter with twilight she hovered and let the mare close in on her for a few seconds, before she casually went from a hover to supersonic speeds in the blink of an eye. Her acceleration paused for a moment while she ripped through the sonic barrier around her right between the pegasus and the setting sun, which hid the telltale rainbow disk that was produced. The mare recovered in an instant and shook her head not believing what she had seen.
She would have made an excellent shadowbolt captain but I’m glad she didn’t accept the offer, Luna thought to herself between laughs. With the stage set Luna took the rest of the fading day to meticulously groom her appearance before the night’s performance.
Luna was just about to take off from the balcony into the darkening sky when she heard her sister behind her.
“No princess should be seen out and about without the symbol of her office,” Celestia said as she walked up behind Luna with the obsidian crown of the night princess in her magic grip. Before Luna could take the crown in her own magic her sister had floated it down upon her starry mane.
Luna had not worn the crown since her return saying she would take it up when she finished studying the new laws and began ruling with her sister, but tonight she felt it was right to take it up again even if it was just for the night.
“Thank you sister,” she said nuzzling the snow white mare before smiling at her sister and taking off into the twilight.
Luna waited until the sun was well set and even an hour or two after that getting all the stars awake and below the horizon into their places. Celestia had announced that Luna intended to give a starshow tonight so most of Canterlot was awake and waiting but the rest of equestrian had fallen asleep already.
Luna flew to the very apex of the sky reaching into every ponies dream at the same time it took monumental concentration but she managed to appear serene and address each sleeping pony. “Wake up my little ponies. Come out and look at the sky I have something special for you all tonight.” She nudged those who stayed asleep gently with magic to help them rise.
Luna pulled half dozen instruments out of thin air with magic in a fashion that even discord would envy. She tuned each in turn and began to play. Soon her voice joined in the ensemble in a slow dance.
Come Little Children, I'll Take Thee Away
Into A Land Of Enchantment
Come Little Children
The Time's Come To Play
Here In My Garden Of Shadows
Follow Sweet Children, I'll Show Thee The Way
Through All The Pain And The Sorrows
Weep Not Poor Children
For Life Is This Way
Meandering Beauty And Passions
Hush Now Dear Children, It Must Be This Way
To Weary Of Life And Deceptions
Come Now My Children
For Soon We'll Away
into The Calm And The Quiet
Come Little Children I'll Take Thee Away
Into A Land Of Enchantment
Come Little Children
The Time's Come To Play
Here In My Garden Of Shadows
The stars were out in full force before the end of the first verse and in the verses to follow they danced and twirled around each other. Luna was hard pressed to not let the stars giddiness seep too much into her or she would lose concentration on the half dozen instruments she was playing. The music was being amplified by her spells all across Equestria and any sour not would carry just as far.
On the second repeat of the song the moon started its trek across the night sky. Luna struggled to understand why the one body of the night she had not formed herself seemed to inherit her awkwardness at dances. Though it took a more or less direct course through the night it did take a few spins with Polaris and some other stars before it left the sky early. Luna understood how the moon felt and didn’t mind her early exit. Tonight was for the stars.
Occasionally one star would race across the sky and leave a sparkling trail through the sky. Seeing how they enjoyed it Luna let a quick, flighty sequence of notes run through the melody a few times to encourage them. Soon the star’s slow dance through the sky was marked with trails as a few stars would race each other across the sky.
After hours of dancing Luna gave a signal and all the stars danced in the direction of their place. Within one more repeat of the song they had taken the proper place of the night sky eleven months ago. Luna kept the instruments going after her voice faded as the stars gave a slow march of the constellations through each of the months letting each shine more brightly than the others as it took the highest point in the sky.
Finally Aquarias took prominence and the sky stopped its accelerated path. With the final cadence Luna played the show ended. The stars and even the moon felt tired but content.
As Luna came back to her tower she heard a great roaring sound, thinking the kingdom was under some sort of assault she hurried to the castle to see what could be done. She landed roughly on the balcony in front of her sister saying “what is that noise, is the kingdom under attack?”
Celestia smiled and replied, “no you silly filly they are applauding you,” as she turned Luna around to face the crowd in the castle courtyard. When the crowd spotted Luna on the balcony they went from an enthusiastic applause to a cacophony of wild cheering and cries of adoration for the night princess.
Luna reversed the spells she had placed all around Equestria so that she could hear those places and found that every city was applauding and praising. She reached out with the new sense the elements had given her and found that only some of the youngest foals had fallen asleep and were quickly waking up in the nationwide din to join in the cheering for the princess that made the stars dance. Soon there were none left asleep.
Tears of joy streamed from Luna’s eyes. She never dreamed she could be this happy, that she could stand by her sister as all of Equestria cheered for her. Luna knew that they might startle at her presence again in only a few short months but she would always remember the night that everypony in Equestria cheered for her.
Author's Note
this is unrelated to my other fic starring Luna. So if you've read them both and think the character interactions are completely different it's because they sort of are. Thanks for reading and i hope you enjoyed it!
