Curtain Callby lunabronyChapters00 - Prologue01 - Return02 - Absence03 - Inspiration04 - Secrets05 - Exiled06 - Loss07 - Useless08 - New09 - Ascension 00 - PrologueMy name is Tragic Comet, and this isn't just my story. It's the story of a Princess. A story of undying passion for a lost art, and the faith she had in those that remained to keep it going. So this is it. The last story I'll ever tell. This is the story of how I died. Author's Note +100 geek points to anyone who gets this reference. Huzzah! 01 - ReturnIt was almost sunrise. A time which should have been joyous, for it was one of the few times when Princess Celestia got quality time with her sister. One of two short periods each day when, technically, they were both off duty. Luna had only returned several weeks earlier, but there had been significant tension between them. Tension that Celestia desperately wanted to remove. "I wonder if its this coffee," Celestia floated a cup of the bitter brew away from her sister. Coffee was fairly new to Canterlot, and most of its residents absolutely hated the stuff. The sun was rising slowly, and Luna was still not really exhausted. It was just one of those days. "Princess Novaria sent it to me from Evodia, her daughter found it in a distant land. Wouldn't say where she got it from, though. It's effective, but you have to get used to the taste." Hesitantly she gave the half empty cup a sip and grimaced, nearly spitting it out. "That's... certainly an interesting aroma." She put it down and looked to Luna, feeling disconnected with her sister. The princess of the night had indeed, had a few cups of the new import, but it wasn't what kept her up. She felt out of time again. New accents and dialects, foreign behavior, a thousand years of history she had missed. And Celestia, though always her bigger sister and still recognizable, was not the same. Feeling more like a mother than her sister. Luna was co ruler, she kept the night, but her sister was still the true ruler of Equestria. Ponies feared her, dignitaries asked for Celestia, and councils went to her for advice. A blue mood if any, and she was dark blue so it fit her like a velvet glove. The coffee had been fittingly bitter. "Aren't you going to read the letter that has arrived for you?" Celestia asked. Luna was not jealous of her sister, at least not in the way she once had been. Celestia ruled Equestria better than she ever could, and Luna still had hundreds of books to read. Perhaps thousands. Occasionally when Celestia wasn't looking she would sent a book to Twilight and request a summarized report to save her the trouble. Of course then she'd get back hundreds of pages with color coded notations and alphabetized sources that was even harder to read than reading the book itself in the first place. But what Luna did miss was companionship, she always got excited when she saw someone enter the Royal Chambers, but it was always the same. Aurora Wave requesting an audience with Princess Celestia. Flowing River requesting an audience with Princess Celestia. Luna looked up, brought out of her loneliness. "What? Oh. Of course." She slit it open with her horn, and the contents floated in front of her. It was a deceptively plain letter, though the envelope had been fairly stylishly decorated with a silver trim. The paper itself was fairly dark and the letters done in silver. They looked typed, but they weren't, she could recognize brush strokes. Each letter delicately painted in. "Princess of the night, drawer of the moon, her royal highness Luna, is invited to the Canterlot Theatre Mask, on the humble request of its actor Tragic Comet, in order to seek her approval for the upcoming Eternal Love tragedy play in which he'll be starring as in the portrayal of your highness." There were further details about when the show was to air, several months in the future it seemed. Celestia was already up, slipping the golden yoke around her neck and slipping on her crown and shoes. She seemed almost oblivious to Luna's discomfort. "Good letter? Oh, I'm off, it's getting late!" She quickly downed the rest of the coffee with a disgusted grunt and with a bolt she set off out of one of the tower windows. Luna was not easily surprised, but this caught her completely off guard. She'd expected Celestia to stick around a bit longer, and sighed. She mumbled a goodnight to her sister, her eyes on the letter. It took her less than a few moments to decide she was interested. She summoned a small number of her loyal guards, and politely requested her chariot be prepared for immediate departure. It was sunrise, she could be there within the hour. The vast army that Nightmare Moon had commanded wasn't hers anymore, disbanded long since. However getting loyal recruits had been no issue. Some from Celestia's squadrons, others voluntarily. They needed some modifications to do the job, they seemed to take that with pride. They always had. Flying on your own for long was hard work, and working up a sweat was not princess like. And riding a chariot never got dull, though she'd had to requisite it back from the Canterlot museum of ancient relics. Spikey, angular, and a ton of iron work held aloft by magic mostly. And magic mostly was what kept it from falling apart now. However it looked the part, though still as terrifying as it had always been. There was no need to clear a landing area for her. Ponies moved away from her in a large circle. Not all screams this time, things had changed. Especially since the Nightmare Night incident.They weren't cowering, but they didn't have the look of anticipation they had when Celestia was coming. Some genuflected, others bowed, some still stood a bit paralyzed with fear. Before her was the theater named Mask. Vertical columns marked the entrance. Two pony shaped masks adorned the top of the entrance, one sad, one happy. In her time there had been performances, but they had been centered around an outdoor amphitheater, this closed building was something different. Luna never felt necessarily ignored, but she did sometimes feel unwanted. Her own birthday had been a very minor event, much to the annoyance of Pinkie Pie. It would have been too dangerous to host a large event. Luna gave a routine smile at the ponies, instructed her guards to wait outside, and entered. She wasn't surprised by too many things anymore, living for thousands of years did that. Daily doses of the unfamiliar had gotten familiar, paradoxically. The lobby was pleasantly decorated. Not the gaudy royal unicorn style that the Canterlot castly had turned into. Yet it was not familiar to Luna either. In a city that was half marble, and full of large open windows, and burning street lights at night, this theater was different. The lighting was subdued, the windows were closed and drawn. There was silence, but then that was of course because when she had entered ponies had stopped speaking to each other. A young pegasi colt suddenly rushed away and flew through a quick latch in a wall. Currently a comedy play was going on inside called Midsummer's Mule. "Uh... uhm... excuse me your highness." The well dressed ticketmaster said. "But I...uh... am afraid the show is already half done." They hadn't been informed of her arrival. They should have known better. Thankfully she was saved the embarrassment of having to ask about the invitation, because a side door burst open revealing a white earth pony colt, growing, almost not a colt anymore. His mane was a golden color. He genuflected correctly, a short graceful bow on one leg, short, the kind of genuflection you'd make when apologizing. He stood again, his pose suggested confidence. "Princess Luna, I apologize for this, I'm Tragic Comet, we didn't expect you to respond so quickly." A controlled enthusiasm. 02 - AbsenceLuna was kind, and was in the middle of explaining to the ticketmaster that he had no need to apologize, and would be more than happy to wait. She was not one to interrupt a performance. She prided him on doing his job well, and turned when the door opened. She had fallen into her own dialect, a bad habit which appeared every now and again. "We hath not frequently recieved many invitations to many things," She said politely. "We are more than happy to come." "And come with me you shall!" He said with gusto, and led her through the set of doors. A sign informed ponies that this was for actors only. There was a row of doors with various names on it. "Private quarters, where we actors get to sleep when not on the slanted boards... and here is the dressing room." With great subtly he held up a hoof and strode silently and nonchalantly into the dressing room. Two earth ponies, one a creamy yellow with a purple mane, the other a dark color, nodded to him. They were mixing some colors. "Too much purple, he'll look like a dark Twilight..." But I saw her, there was definitely some magenta in her coloring! Oh, Comet! You're too early, we're still fiddling with the coloooo... is that... she's here?! Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" The first mare, upon seeing Luna, was reduced to bouncing and squealing. The creamy mare had both hoofs to her mouth, in almost pure ecstacy. The dark one had her back to Luna. "Gluon, don't have a fit, we'll figure out!" *incoherent reply* "Huh? More...what?" "...hind you." "Hind what?" "Oh for..." She reached up and turned the other ponies head, the darker pony's eyes widened. "Luuu… too... taa... haha… magenta.. yes too much magenta... your highness!" Comet was greatly enjoying this entire spectacle, and it was all he could do to keep from bursting into laughter right there and then. "Girls... her royal Highness of the Night, Princess Luna! Luna, meet the two greatest make up artists in Equestria, the talented sibling team of Gluon Wings and Painted Wings." If they could have died of joy and blushing they would have. Luna smirked, and just to toy with them and show off her humorous side, her horn glowed. All three ponies coats instantly changed to an exactly dark bluish purple, the exact shade of her own coat. For a mare who controlled the moon, a simple pigmentation spell was nothing. "Use this for reference, it will help you." She said kindly, and placed a hoof on the shoulder of one, then the other. "Calm yourselves, I am no more important than you are." They were floored, literally, and had to pick themselves up again. Holding onto each others hooves, almost squealing like little school fillies. The one who had been creamy presented herself as Gluon, and the other who had been dark as Painted, though she wasn't a pegasi. "Oh we'll get the coloring right now your highness, we'll get it just right... and your coat shines too, we can use the pearl dust for that." Comet smiled proudly. "They're good, if I told them to dress that puppet in the corner as you, by tomorrow you'd be looking at your twin" He whispered it to her, since praise seemed to cause them all manners of new shades. "Right now they're working on a costume for the play we'll be performing." Luna sat for a while, and asked them all sorts of questions. Why did they do it? What sort of plays were there? What was the purpose? Could there be plays about anything? So many things had changed. She was genuinely interested, and would have stayed and talked to the for hours if Comet hadn't cleared his throat politely as an indication to wrap things up. "The pigmentation spell will last for six hours, that should be enough time to perfect your craft," Luna explained gently. Both of the mares were talking over each other very fast, and it was fairly difficult to keep track of who was saying what. "Oh, we're in charge of doing the make up of the main stars of the show, and we craft very specialized parts of the costumes. Horns and wings… oh Celestia your wings are huge… we'll have to rethink it all over again!" "Maybe if we use the large feathers from pegasi, trim them..." "Nonono, wouldn't work... we'll need gryphon feathers!" "Oh yeah, that could work!" "What sort of plays, well right now we're mainly working on the Eternal Love play since *excited giggle* since its based on you, and now you're here! I've loved that play since I was a filly! Its the saddest tragedy!" "She has a thing for them." "Oh yes, though this is the traditional theater, so there's a couple of classic comedies, but its mostly drama and some epics and tragedies." "Oh, you totally have to come see our shows. We do big sets, and lots of scenery and special effects and the most amazing costumes… and great acting too! Comet you're the best, and you know it." "Oh yes we'll definitely get the coloring right... better get started, pearl for the gloss, remember that, Gluon!" "Getting it now!" Luna couldn't help but tease. "Or I could just turn Comet into Prince Eclipse for a few hours," She quipped. "But that would rob the two of you of all your wonderful work, so I think I'll just let the two of you work it out." She couldn't help but interject, snickering a bit herself. "They've got a near photographic memory," Comet smiled, seeing them rush off. "I think they'll be able to replicate your wings, just from memory alone. They're still working on getting the horn right, getting something like that to stick to you requires glue, and patience and a good form factor, hours in the make up chair. Dull... come I'll show you more... and oh...um... He blushed a bit. "I don't play prince Eclipse, that role is taken by one of the older actors. I play you, Princess Luna." Luna seemed very confused by this. "Why is that? Is it common for males to play females? I have heard rumors of subcultures of ponies who enjoy it, but doing it for theater seems very... odd." She said curiously. He wasn't nervous, it was obvious he had been prepared to explain this many times. Without mentioning her absence condescendingly, which ironically some ponies tended to do, especially dignitaries, he instead simply explained. "Theater a thousand years ago went through some changes after the wars had died down, larger cities and a new intellectual agenda. There was a period where mares were held in especially high esteem, and lowly jobs were considered improper for them. Acting being, even if very prestigious, lowly in that society's view. So stallions and colts suddenly had to learn the art of playing the role of mares. Which is what I trained to do. Its survived as a traditional art form because colts such as myself have very good singing voices. My great-great-grandfather was a gelding so he kept singing roles until he died… we don't do anything like that anymore." Luna winced at the very thought. "Thank goodness for that." 03 - InspirationLuna began walking with Comet down the hallway, offering her support as best she could. "It would not be completely unheard of for me to assist you vocally, if you needed it. Magic would be useful there. But if I understand correctly, that would defeat the significance of the art." She wondered aloud. "You really must bring your cast and set and come to Canterlot and give us a private viewing when it's done." "Oh, we'll definitely tour Equestria when its done, but I was actually hoping to get to talk to you about the script. It was written for my great great grand father, so it's a bit outdated, and... well, first I need you take you through the mayhem." And he opened a door and she was in what could only be described, as Celestia had recently explained to her, as a clusterbuck. Earth ponies, and unicorns were hammering away at things, gluing things together. Pegasi were flying around with buckets of paint which only by the grace of the unicorns did not splash everywhere. A hive of activity. A surrealistic wood workshop. Stars were painted in the sky, a moon rolled by. Curtains showing various scenes were sewn together on the floor, a river was carried past them. For once no ponies eyes were on her, and Luna felt a surge of excitement from that. Comet and Luna managed the entire trip through the workshop, unable to communicate without attracting any attention. They exited into a lounge, the sounds of hammers muted by the double doors. Comet continued, as if nothing had happened. "I've always wanted to get your feedback on the script. It's good, the songs are fantastic, but the problem with this is that I don't feel comfortable performing now that you're here." He searched for an explanation. "Don't misunderstand me, I love that you're here, but all ponies know who Celestia is, her character is simple, she's everyone's mom or bigger sister, eternal ruler blah, blah, blah… you're a mystery. No pony ever knew much about you, other than you were Nightmare Moon. You know, a big scary villain." Luna looked rather hurt by this. Comet didn't notice. "Artists filled in gaps, legends and stories on the few scraps of history they had. When I go on that scene, I want to know that you approve of the story we tell. It doesn't have to be perfectly historically accurate, but... I want to capture the spirit and I want to be true to you. Not my great great grandfather's vision of you or some strange long dead guards version of you." Luna's horn glowed, and some of the stars painted on the ceiling in the previous room moved position. The pegasus painting them nearly fell off his ladder. It was a bit of an OCD habit of hers, she hated when stars were portrayed incorrectly, and that time she'd fixed an important constellation. No excuse. She smiled a bit, more satisfied now. "Tell me your story, and I will tell you mine." She said soothingly, and sat next to him. "The only secrets I hold are that of my sister, dignitaries, and political tactics. Most else is fair game." Comet told the story, which was actually part of a larger series of tales interwoven called the Banishing Epic. "Most of that stuff we don't reenact, not all stories translate into our times. See plays and art are often ponies first way of understanding something, so after the war, many ponies wanted to understand why it had happened, and since artists knew next to nothing about you they took the folk legends and made it into this. The story begins actually with a song." The tale started with Rope Thresher, an aging earth pony singing a complaint about never having riches and always working too hard, urging his son to seek out better fortune. It was a deceptive tale, because it lured her in until she had forgotten that it was to become a love tale. The young earth pony, fallen on hard times, gave up his dreams to return home to the farm and stay there. "And then we have the scene where he wishes upon the high moon, that he would one day find the mare of of his dreams… that's my call to enter, yes, I fly by wire. Winds caused a storm knocking the princess who was drawing down the moon across the heavens, breaking her wing. She was a bitter creature." They made much out of her supposed resentment of Celestia, Luna didn't appreciate that bit. The jealous creature, embittered by the following of her sister, able to raise the moon wherever she was was, was slowly nursed back to health by the earth pony. Scenes developed their characters, him infatuated by her, unapproachable though she was. At some point during these talks, food and delicacies were served to Comet and Luna. He would act out scenes and… when he did that, though he was white, and a colt.. his motions changed, his voice was that of a mare. Not her voice, not exactly, but she could easily believe the voice belonged exactly to the character he portrayed. As the story continued, eventually of course their love was cemented, as she swore to live a life outside of her sisters presence, with many children. "And then the tragedies start… the first was he was barren, he sired no children with her… and lastly, and most cruelly he grew older, despite desperate attempts from her in keeping him from aging, to the embitterment of the local towns who grew jealous of his long life." He sang the whole last song for her, holding a pillow as tenderly and as lovingly, as if his sister was lying dying in his arms. Tears, seeming utterly real flowed from his eyes and the voice… that voice… a young princess in her deepest sorrow. Praising her long life, and yet her love had been true, and had seemed worth it and yet because of that so much more painful. Luna had tears flowing down her cheeks by the time he had finished, between the song and the story, she related to it all too well. Even if it was fairly ridiculous. Yes, she herself had many times wished she had time for a stallion, but between her near immortality and relentless responsibilities, there was no time. There had been one, one whom she cared for deeply, and who had cared for her in return. Maybe in another time something would have happened with him. But she had become Nightmare Moon, and he in turn an enemy of Canterlot. They were separated, and it was not to be. She hid herself with a wing as the colt finished, quickly composing herself. "That's a lovely story, Comet." She said, calm again. "All that, based on folklore?" "Just about everything in my family back then, which is two hundred years ago, were able to find. Mare's tales, and what little we had heard from Celestia when she had remarked on life. And spun a tale from that, though it's a good story right? But I want to know if it was true, and if it wasn't... was the Luna in the story similar to you? What's your take on it?" He was already himself again, though he seemed moved to tears as well, wiping them away quickly and easily with a hoof. Luna smiled softly. "It is not a story based upon myself, or Celestia, but a relatable one to any pony whom is gifted with long life." She said. "Alicorns such as Celestia and myself, we haven't time for many things that others take for granted. Being a princess is not always easy, an alicorn princess even harder." She said quietly. "I think..." She began to say something, but changed her mind, shaking her head. "Never mind." 04 - SecretsLuna had hesitated, and Comet had taken notice. As an actor, he was quite keen on being attentive to detail, and the mood of Princess Luna had not escaped him. The only problem here now was daring to voice his opinion, for he didn't want to appear rude or invasive. "If its something private, I can be discreet, though your secrets are your own and nopony elses," Comet said confidently. Sitting down on a chair,he added, "I've got good script writers... most of the songs are complete adaptions, the melody for the final song was done recently. Don't be afraid to tell me something because you're worried that you'll force us to change anything. We will if we think its a better story. I just want input about, well, you." Luna was quiet for a long time. "Immortality is cruel, in a way. You grow, you learn, you live. And you keep living. There are times when you are afraid to make friends, I know very well that the bones of some of the first friends I ever made have long been turned to dust." Her voice was quiet now, her tone serious and uncharacteristically morbid. "You become afraid to love, afraid of what other ponies might think. But you crave it. Immortality and love simply cannot go together, it's something many do not think about, the full effects, I mean." She said. "There are times I almost want to give it up, but my job is far too important, and I would never give that up. And I do not know what would happen if I were to suddenly relinquish my power. Would I merely become mortal, or would two thousand years catch up with me as I turn to dust and blow away in the wind?" She asked. "Celestia was reminded of my absence every day for a thousand years every time she raised the moon, I cannot do that to her again." Comet nodded understandingly. He seemed to grow silent when she spoke of the bones of her best friends. Deep in thought. "Did you ever have a loving relationship to another pony? Not to say that this story played out like that, but did you have one… or can you mention a friend?" Luna shook her head. "When I was young, there were stallions I had an eye for. Stallions even now that I would like to have known more about. But as I began my training, and as Celestia began hers, I think there was a mutual understanding that this was something we simply could not have. But that doesn't mean the feeling was not there. Nor does it mean we didn't want it." "Alright, well... my great-great-grandfather would have been disappointed that there never had been something like that in your life. As I said earlier, in the gaps of the story artists love to dwell. I should send you some of the various ways you have been portrayed. Those immediately after the war weren't too kind, its only in the latter half of that millenium that you became an object of mystique, and I rather hope that the Luna here will be a good catharsis for the lingering Nightmare Moon worries. You know, make Luna relatable. A pony with feelings and a heart that could be broken as well." Luna smiled mischeviously and looked at him. "Do you want to know a secret? Something that very, very few ponies know? Something that I've never even told Celestia, although I think she suspects it." "I shall go into the grave without letting it be known." He said with a smile. "You can count on me not saying anything Luna, I'm used to keeping secrets from just about everyone about the show, even between people on the same staff as myself. If its something you'll only tell me, then your words won't leave this room." She sighed a bit, and even looked a bit nostalgic. "Although I would never act on this, circumstances as they were, I had a crush, a long, long time ago, on the most unlikely stallion you could possibly imagine. Although I continue to this day to be disgusted by the path that he chose to take, I must admit... he was cute. Perhaps even still is." She said evasively. "Although my position prevents me from relationships, it doesn't stop my heart from beating, or from yearning. Even for ponies like him," she said with amusement, although was careful not to give his name. The papers would have a field day with that. With that, she rose, much to Comet's protest. "Wait just a moment, your Highness!" He exclaimed, and Luna turned to look at him. "Are you sure you're alright? You looked as if you became very sad there for a moment." "I'm fine," Luna assured him, and headed back towards where Painted and Gluon were working. "I have many ideas for how I may be able to assist your production, unfortunately most of them are fairly elaborate or time consuming or will require a great deal of magical expense. Some a combination of all three. For now, however, I shall be more than happy to help you in setting my story straight. Even if Rope Thresher never really existed," she said. This led about a groan from Painted Wings. "And it was such a moving story, I'd rather hoped it was real," she said wistfully. Luna just gave a smile as she rested on a cushion. "I will tell you of my experiences as best I can. Are you sitting comfortably? Good. Then let's begin." All three members of her audience leaned forward, curious as to just how well the real story would fit with the one they had prepared. Coincidentally, as Luna was at that moment thinking about her sister, her sister was at the same time thinking about Luna. *** "That's enough for now!" Announced a guard, which was met with a collective groan from the line leading into the Council Chambers. "Audiences will resume in thirty minutes!" Celestia had quietly excused herself from where she was working, and made her way out the back towards her private room. She had been seeing ponies all day, everything from zoning ordinances to disciplinary actions, and she was tired, hungry and slightly irritable. "Are you sure you're alright, my Princess?" asked her escort. "I'm fine, Celestia assured her worried guard, who had taken notice in her unusual silence on that particular day. "You've just been very quiet today, are you worried about Luna? She's a big mare, i'm sure she can handle being out on the town." "It's not that," Celestia sighed. They were in her private chambers, she had a thirty minute lunch break and had spent most of it staring out the window. "I am not worried about how Luna responds to my little ponies, I am worried about how the ponies will respond to Luna. There's a very hgh probability that many will not trust her yet." The guard frowned. "I'm sure she's alright. You have nothing to be worried about." "Yes, I know. But I know here better than anypony else does. When she gets an idea in her head, she can quite often take it to the extreme. I just hope she can rein it in." The guard snickered, quickly covering his mouth with a hoof, but the princess still saw it. "What amuses you?" Celestia asked. "You're a pony, and you said-" Celestia glared at him. "TWELVE YEARS DUNGEON!" Celestia demanded. The guard turned white. "No, wait, I didn't mean-" Celestia smirked. "See, I can be funny," she said, and disappeared into her private room, leaving a terrified guard behind. "That wasn't funny..." he muttered. 05 - ExiledA few days had passed since Princess Luna first visited the Canterlot Theater, and had promised to return in a few days to check up on its progress. In the meantime, she had business at Canterlot Castle to attend to. But first, there was the issue of food. Breakfast in Canterlot Castle was always a frenzy of activity. Waiters, servers and cooks were all doing their jobs, streaming in and out of the doors of the kitchen. They had plenty of staff to cater to, and unusually that did not include the princesses. The majority of food went towards the royal guards, who were known (and frequently parodied) for their enormous appetites which rivaled that of the Apple family. The princesses tended to take care of themselves when it came to food, although it was unknown if that was because of paranoia, personal security or other reasons. At this particular moment, Luna and Celestia were out on the upper balcony of the highest tower. Celestia was just completing the sunrise, and pegasi swooped in every direction through the sky to put the final clouds of the day into place. Luna watched her sister do the same thing she had done for centuries now, silent at first so as not to ruin her concentration. Having seen her sister raise the moon several times, Luna had in turn attempted to raise the sun under Celestia's guidance, but found herself frustratingly unable to do so. The glow of Celestia's horn eventually faded as its routine spell was completed, the sun hung fairly low in the sky and was now rising gradually higher by itself like a generator that had been kickstarted. She turned to face Luna, an expression of concern and sympathy on her face. "When are we going to talk about it, Lulu?" She asked softly. Luna felt her cheeks sting. The pet name that Celestia had for her didn't help matters any. It felt forced, almost condescending. Luna knew the name was meant to strike a nostalgia reaction within her, and she didn't appreciate it. "Talk about what?" There was a tone to her voice. Not quite harsh, but stubborn. "You know what," Celestia said, and her gaze lifted towards the ceiling, then back down again. "I'm proud of you for finding a hobby to entertain yourself, I think it's wonderful you've been helping out that little theater for the last few weeks. But we can't just ignore what happened. Ignorance caused us such heartache the first time." Luna looked at the floor. "I don't want to talk about it. It happened, it's over. We can move on." "It's not over!" Celestia snapped with such ferocity that the guards stationed outside the door jumped several inches. "Every night for a thousand years I rose the moon and said goodnight to you, knowing that you weren't there to say goodnight back. Every star reminded me of you, and that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was the looks that I got. From everyone. You may have been the one who tried to take over Canterlot, but you weren't the villain. I WAS." Luna looked stunned, it was so incredibly rare for Celestia to lose her temper like that. "I'm sorry... but that wasn't me... it was-" "The dark forces of the moon, I know. But you let it happen. No..." She took it back. That didn't sound right. "We let it happen. We pushed our emotions and feelings away, life went on as if everything was alright. But it wasn't. I ignored you." There were tears in the eyes of the elder sister now. "I won't let that happen again, Lulu. I can't imagine what it's like for you, now. Being back after a thousand years, a stranger in your own home. In your own time. I want to help you and I don't know how. You separate yourself from the truth by keeping yourself busy with the theater, I understand that. But if you don't open up to me, we're going to be right back where we were, that last night together a thousand years ago." Luna looked upset, her heart was racing and she was struggling to keep herself composed. She didn't want to talk about this any more than she wanted to think about it, but she knew if she didn't that Celestia would never give up the subject until she relented. One could only steal so much honey before getting stung. Sighing, Luna's resistance collapsed, and words came pouring out. "Nothing is the same, Celestia! Everywhere you go, you receive awe and admiration. Respect and authority. I am nothing but legend. I'm not even needed. You raised the moon without me for a thousand years, and as the generations passed that became normality. If you can rule and survive and function without me, why am I even here? Maybe I was better off on-" Luna was suddenly cut off by a sudden strike to the back of the head by a golden plated hoof. Celestia towered over her, liquid pride spilling down her face. "Don't you say that. Don't you ever say that. I need you. I functioned alone because there was no other choice. You know all about how theater works, Luna. I put on a mask every day and I played my part until the curtain went down. No longer a loving sister but a caricature of one. And at night... at night I cried for you, and sang to you. And very moment of every day I thought about what I'd done and wished you were here." There was no response that Luna could come up with. She had lost the battle against her tears, and now they fell down her face as well. She knew the heartache all too well. Both sisters had been separated by such distance and magic, and it taken its toll on the both of them. "I did the same, Celly..." she said quietly. "But at least you had Canterlot to keep you going. I had nothing up there. I had my own memories, I had rocks and dirt and the stars to count. I had the endless tauntings of the dark creatures of the moon. Voices in my head that wouldn't go away, voices telling me to do all sorts of things that I knew I'd never want to do. But there was no escape from them. The only way to break out of that prison was love, and how could I love while being possessed by jealousy?" She asked. Luna turned to look out at the sunrise. "You did what you had to do, I understand that. But it doesn't make it any less painful. I was jealous then, yes, but I thought perhaps if I ignored it, it would go away. But it didn't. It fed on my ignorance. It fed, and it grew." Celestia was quiet. "How did you pass a thousand years by yourself? I can't imagine you were very keen to make friends with the dark creatures of the moon, especially considering the sorts of things they were trying to persuade you to do." Luna cracked a weak smile. "I slept a lot. I honed my skills at dreamwalking, after a while I became able to not just traverse the dreamscape, but create my own. I created fantasies in my mind. Beaches, cities, mountains. Just wandering, creating, waiting. But even then, even after hundreds of years, I still couldn't create the one thing I desperately wanted more than anything." Celestia looked conflicted. "And what was...?" Luna didn't look back, just continued gazing out into the sunrise. "You." 06 - LossThe Running of the Leaves came and went, Hearth's Warming Eve passed. Twilight and her friends got themselves into strange adventures again, some requiring indirect intervention on Luna's part. Of course, on Celestia's suggestion, they had absolutely no idea she was helping them. The night was still hers to guide, dignitaries still ignored her for the most part, though some wer forced to deal with her when Celestia was occupied. Comet and herself exchanged increasingly casual letters, and he sent her pictures of the set, but he had still not sent her any pictures of the costumes. His team had written a new scene where the Luna in the play resists the earth pony. "I've seen my friends march to their graves over the centuries, I won't see my love in that parade, I won't let all my loves march away from me, it can never be." It was still subject to light revisions, but they were doing rehearsals, working out the songs. Opening day was fast approaching. As spring approached he came to Canterlot, being taken for a tour by Luna herself. Watching to see where she lived, seeing a little of her work, polite and dignified. When needed he was nearly as quiet and unnoticable as her personal servants. He was lucky enough to see a diplomatic exchange. Celestia had fun teasing them, much to Luna's annoyance. He promised that she wouldn't be disappointed in the Luna he'd perform. Spring neared, it would air before Winter Wrap-Up. The almost forgotten war with Discord had broken the weather, it would not change on its own, not like that anyway. Chocolate rain was not in the schedule anytime soon. Luna was never completely occupied like Celestia, princess of the night carried some flexibility with it although she wished she could do more. In the study tower, where books about Earth Pony history was piled up on the table, Luna slowly catching up on what had happened in her long absence, her servant Pip appeared. You never heard him flash in, he just quietly made himself known when he was needed. "Letter for you, Mask Theatre, not Comet's writing, seemed urgent." It was a plain white envelope, and the curvy handwriting was not the elegant letter Comet sent her. Important, must reach Princess Luna, Mask Theare - Painted Wings "Thank you, Pip." Luna said. Comet, similarly, had been given full clearance to Luna's Chamber, although her bedroom was off limits as it was to everyone except Celestia. He was able to wander the castle, at least. She took the letter, and unfolded it. Simple blank ink on parchment, Painted Wings was an earth pony and couldn't have written it, but must have gotten hold of a unicorn swiftly. It was written in haste "Dear Princess Luna, please come immediately. Something terrible has happened. Comet has broken down, and locked himself in his room. We were doing a rehearsal and broke down. Its terrible, Luna! His voice broke. Nobody can do anything. Please come and help him. Gluon and Painted Wings." 07 - UselessLuna dropped what she was doing immediately. "Pip, something has come up. Guard my Chamber, will you?" She asked, a very important job for the young colt. He nodded and disappeared outside the doors. The guards would listen to his relayed instructions, and he'd close the windows and turn on a light so that to all appearances it would still look like she was there. She didn't need to tell him that, he knew it instinctively. Luna would be in one of her moods, a mood by which he knew she was not to be disturbed. Luna teleported. A sensation which upon first experience was disorienting and even sickening, but to her, second nature. Far away, inside Comets personal room, shadowy tendrils of darkness burst into life, as if someone had left a smoke machine running a bit too long. From the shadows of night, emerged the Princess, dressed in her best armor. Not that she needed the armor bit, but it was always good to keep up appearances. The door behind her was closed she could hear Painted Wings and Gluon behind it. "Its going to be okay." "We love you, we'll make it work. Somehow." The room wasn't spartan, pictures of family members in various roles. Parts of scripts adorned the walls. Pictures from various plays. Prizes and awards. Resting, with her upper half on a table was… Luna. Or if she ever had a cousin who had everything she had, cutie mark, coloration, wings, that's what she'd look like. The wings seemed so real, that it would not have surprised Luna in the slightest if they started flapping. There was almost no recognizing Comet, the makeup cleverly his the jawline through subtle tricks of color. She had to squint a lot of to convince her mind that she wasn't seeing a younger twin. The illusion broke a little when the illusion spoke and revealed Comet's voice. "L.. Luna?" Luna didn't have many close friends, but considered Comet one of them. He could summon her whenever he wished, and she would come. The theatre had since gained quite a following of popularity upon the publication announcing that Princess Luna herself was often seen there. There had been a surge in ticket sales that continued to this day. "We are here, friend. Why hath thou sequestered thine self in this way?" She asked, mentally kicking herself. As hard as she tried to be modern, sometimes her old dialect just slipped right into itself. "I can't do it anymore.. I can't sound right." She.. he picked himself up, it was easier to recognise Comet now that he was speaking, he sat carefully, minding the wings. Some of the makeup from his hind end had rubbed off on the chair. "We were doing one of the new songs, and I'd had trouble. More trouble than usual." He gestured along his throat, a pained expression. "Filling the sound out, it was too stiff… bad day I thought, but then I couldn't hit the high note, my voice just..." He gritted his teeth, and a tear rolled down his cheek. It had finally happened, Luna could cast some diagnosis spells to measure the insides of his throat and gauge what had happened bodily to him, but there was no need. The latent malehood in him would be restrained no longer, he was becoming a stallion. A stallion with no place in a touring theatrical company. She sat next to him, soothing and calm. "That is nothing to be ashamed of, it happens to every colt and filly. Some sooner than others, but all just the same." She said gently. "Can the song not be sung in a slightly lower yet more believable pitch?" "I don't sing tenor, I'm an alto. And it would be horrible to hear you sung in a tenors voice." He wasn't angry with her, but he sounded frustrated. "What I think we might have to do, is have one of our female singers do it and then I'd have to adlib. Most ponies wouldn't know.. but I'd know. This show, it was going to be last of the traditional theatre. Its a dying medium, and I wanted to end with a great show but now I can't do it as it should be, most ponies wouldn't know.. but I would. Adlibbing is deception, and deception isn't right." He looked up at his family pictures. "I failed." 08 - NewLuna did something she had never done before, and the media would have a field day with it if they saw this. She scooted closer, and draped her wing around him, pulling him closer. "You have done so much and come so far, there is no giving up now." She said. "You've done wonderfully, and you're going to let a tiny little thing like this stop you? I don't believe it for a moment." His body was shaking, he rested his head against her large shoulder. "I can't, Luna, it doesn't work like that. I've seen it too many times. Colts don't have a long time on the stage. I wanted to end with this show, maybe a few runs over the summer. It came too early. What am I going to do? Is there a spell you can perform?" An Age spell? No, he'd still sound the same only be a lot younger looking. She was not a plastic surgeon, though she knew flesh altering spells subtly enough, but it was a field too much like an art and magic that almost no one got good enough at for practical purposes. Luna thought for a long time, and eventually, she nodded. "There is one." She said. "But because of the way it works, it would not take effect until right before each performance, and only last for the duration, meaning that practice and rehearsal would be fairly difficult. But I would do it for you," She said evasively. A long life, a good memory and a close approximation to great magicians, as well as being a talent of her own. Luna knew many spells that ought never to be cast. This was not one of those, but neither was it one that unicorns needed to know about. It had its own risks and dangers. Comet was silent, reading her evasiveness. "What do you have in mind?" He whispered. Outside she vaguely heard Gluon and Painted whispering to each other, flattening their ears against the door. She had always been mischevious, not as big a prankster as Celestia, but she knew how to retaliate. But this was a serious matter, and one that she would not do for just anyone. Slowly, and calmly, she replied to him. "I give you my voice." Outside, Painted and Gluon heard a "What?!" Comet's expression was enormously surprised. He looked moved and worried. "Can... you do that? It sounds very dangerous, and, you're a princess, we'll be rehearsing a lot many hours a day, and you're awake at night… its too much pressure on you… is it safe? How does it work?" He looked conflicted. Luna smirked. "It's not dangerous, it's exactly what it sounds like. I give you my voice. I work alone at night, so it's not like my voice is needed, and I can always use telepathy with Celestia. And it might give your performance a bonus degree of realism. But this is absolutely only between us, you understand." She warned. "It's no pressure at all." He was moved to tears. "I won't even tell Gluon and Painted, they'll suspect, but they won't believe it. Although something tells me they already know. I... Princess Luna... I don't know what to say. This is quite an honor. I won't ask of it from you for long, three shows, then the Mask theatre gets a new staff and I'll start giving acting lessons, or perform comedic rules, you don't have to have a good voice for that. Its what all my ancestors would have done." It was a great gift to bestow, and he genuflected before her shortly. Princess Luna was never one to be short of kindness, and nudged him up to stop his genuflect. "Stop that. You have worked so very long and hard, and come so far, I refuse to let you give up on your dream now." She commanded. "You may use it for as many shows as you wish, but I insist upon a full schedule detailing every location and time for every show. That much is nonnegotiable." She instructed. "It won't be many shows, this was the last one, it will be performed here, in Canterlot and perhaps in Evodia. Then the traditional theatre will close down and I'll find something else to do. Even if I borrow your voice, which I'm blown away by you offering, I won't even be able to look the part." He didn't sound bitter, but it was obvious that the future held some worry to him. The ending of an era, it was inevitable, they had touched on it before, most of the colts that could perform the roles of mare were trained by stallions who had been in those roles. It was getting farther and further between, mares had decided that they could perform those roles just fine, which they could. Luna would never know the anxiety of suddenly having to find something else to do, or the freedom. Barely beginning to be a stallion and already having to decide on new career paths. Luna could not help offering. "Young stallion, if ever you find yourelf in need of work, there are always jobs available at the castle. Some not quite as important as others, but paid jobs just the same. If ever you find yourself on hard times, I will personally put in a word for you for an interview. Perhaps you could even start a drama department in the castle." Comet nodded. "Perhaps I can teach your majesty some oratory skills, she might be as good a Luna as me." A polite joke. There was of course also quite another solution to his problems. A very complex spell, hard to do, and all but impossible to undo. Though it wasn't clear whether that solution was what he would look for. He was trying to perform his best in this kind of theatre. But that spell might just be the only solution to this problem. "We'll see, Comet." Luna said. "We'll see." 09 - Ascension 09 - Ascension Several Weeks Later... Luna had gotten up early, and Celestia was staying up late. They had worked together to clear a hole in their schedules where they could both arrive at the premiere. Drawn carriages, photographers flashing wildly as they entered the theatre, with an entourage of high pony society trailing behind them. They were shown to a private booth. The scene was unrecognizable, all traces of sawdust and wild work was gone. A blood red curtain hung in its stead. Two sofas had been laid out in their booth. A little decadent, but Celestia took to hers with comfort stretching her neck out to see the ponies spill out into their own seats. The theater had sold out, especially since the royal sisters had announced their visit there. An orchestra could be heard tuning up instruments somewhere. Eventually the doors were shut and the lights turned down. The show started, and a speaker came out presenting the show. A love drama, of something that might once have been and could never really be. The sets unfolded from the floor, well painted, entering the scene of a hard working earth pony, singing a song of how he wished he were wealthy so he didn't have to work so hard. So easily were you drawn into his tale that you forgot what the story was really about, this earth pony never measured up to anything so he told his son to set out and see if he could be what he hadn't himself. However it became apparent that his son had no high ambitions, and wanted simple to care for the cottage his father had left him, but felt anxious about this responsibility. So one night he wished upon the moon, that if it should be possible that he could be granted a favor just once. Comet, looking as much as the imprint of Luna as he ever had, came sailing, drawn on invisible wires. Or was it a unicorns magic? It was impossible to tell, but it was flying. The drama unfolded, the fall, the broken wing. The theatrical Luna, was... Luna, a younger version if anything. Was she really so theatrical at times, herself? The earth pony made no advances to her, but tended her wounds, watched her raise the moon at times. Some feelings were growing, the dialogue between them was excellent, jokes but it was comedy, emotions were building. Eventually she got better and left him, though he beseeched her to stay, asking her why she wouldn't. "I have seen friends, what family I once had and their generations, march to their tombs inevitably, and I'd see the same with you." The story eventually brought her full circle again, deciding to take it. Celestia was only hinted at in the story, sometimes indicating that there was a spat between them and she had left the castle voluntarily. And so began their love story… the costume changes on Luna's character were fantastic. It was all done by earth ponies who had to portray her many abilities. The shadow shifting, the dreams were handled with amazing scenery shifts. And of course the tragedy grew, she was barren, he would never sire children with her. He aged, grew greyer with each scene, magic was put in use to make him age slower. Jealousy grew, making them exiled to a small hut. Finally he was old and she was by his death bed. "I'll hold, I can sing your heart to beat, your blood to flow, I'll sing forever to keep you alive." A hoof came up and graced her cheek. The theatrical Luna was torn, begging to keep him alive. "Let me go…" Were his only words. A desperate request of love. And she did, tears streaming down as she gave out a mournful wail. "...I'd have given you it all, to lift your fillies up to you, to work, and be sick, and argue, and befriend you to the end, but this can never be." And she left, and the scene shifted outside, as she kept the moon up, about to prolong the night. A somber motherly voice came from the scene behind her. An argument between sister and sister ensued. They had no actor to play Celestia, but showed her presence as a light in the scenery. It climaxed as a fight escalated between the two sisters. "The ponies will rise with the dawn, as always. Will they not know that I have suffered loss!" "You kept thine day once, for a fortnight!" "For a war!" "And for the tragedy of lost love, ponies will not rise to know that this has occured! The sun should weep bitter tears for me!" "And it would rise as always." The argument came to a head as Luna called down the moon, and she looked out defiantly to the audience. "Is it worth it to love what you can lose? Even if it hurts so? I tell you I would give the nights away for such a life, my burden has grown heavier, and yet I would have done it again if I had the chance." It ended a few more lines later. Bittersweet and darkly. Very moving, a far better rendition than the typical play. Celestia stood up, a little moved by the display, though the tears were dried so it was probably from some of the love songs. "They were all moved, Luna." Celestia said. She had been watching the ponies, not the show. Their reactions. Their emotions. Their tears. Luna was not quite as composed, the play had touched her on a personal level. She had loved and lost many times, but this particular production had returned memories to her of every stallion that'd ever made her heart skip a beat. Although she was expected to maintain composure and set a good example for the other ponies, she was bawling her eyes out. Tears streamed down her eyes and dripped onto the floor, wings drooping at her sides. It was the first time the citizens of Canterlot had really seen Luna as anything other than perfectly calm. Celestia nuzzled her "I'm glad you liked it, I've seen too many of these productions in my days to remember what an effect they can have." Their guards kept the journalists at bay though they snapped one or two embarrassing photos. They were going backstage, champagne was popped, Gluon Wings and Painted Wings were celebrating with most of the cast. Luna saw her own self, dewinged, two bare white spots of fur on the back indicating where they had been glued on; slipping out of the party going back to his private room. Luna tried to compose herself, turning down several offers of champagne with a gesture of her hoof. She approached Painted Wings, and dipped her head in awe. She did something was normally only reserved for dignitaries of the highest ranking. "Would you tell Comet that Princess Luna requests an audience with him?" It was nice to have her own voice back, as soon as the show had ended the spell had been cancelled. "Ooo! Of course" She was enamoured, and of course most ponies there were generally awed at her presence. She watched the silly earth pony rush off, as Celestia politely conversed, asking questions about the production and each persons role. A master at getting ponies to talk and feel generally at ease around her. Painted Wings and Gluon came back. "He's ready for you." They smiled. Luna bowed her head. Her voice was hoarse, as if she'd been using the Canterlot voice for a bit too long. Must have been all the singing. She wound her way into the back rooms, knocking upon the door at the end. "Comet?" The door opened inwards, it wasn't locked or completely closed. She saw Comet sitting on a chair, still in full make up. Her double, leaning back against a chair, pouring himself two glasses of wine. "Luna." No formalities. He seemed, content, happy. "We did it... wanna drink up to that?" Without words, she pushed forward, and unceremoniously pulled him into a tight hug that her guards would have frowned upon. "I understand know why you kept so much of it from me, it was absolutely marvelous. I think Celestia cried." She smirked, her own fur still soaked. They nuzzled each other, it was a performance, it had just been a show, but it had been done as close to perfection as you can get. "I was a great Luna wasn't I? Learned from the best." They shared a special connection from that. It was a bit fun hearing him sound like himself again. "I think we'll do three more shows and then we're done and I retire." And with that he emptied his wine glass. Luna sipped at hers, she had never been much for alcohol. "I will be staying on at the theater," She admitted. "If for no other reason than to remain as producer or creative overseer, I love seeing all the ponies working and making ideas come to life. Even Celestia said how nice it was to see me out of my room and mingling for once." She said sheepishly. "This is my first show I've ever seen, I can't let it go away now." He poured himself another glass. Luna frowned, but said nothing about her disapproval. "You're welcome to do that, though I think you'll give Bitterweed quite a heart attack on that. He's got a lot of ideas. I can still do non-singing roles or perhaps comedy, and we'll see about trying to learn some fillies to fill in these shoes." His hooves still adorned the silver shoes. They were done well, proportionally his hooves were larger than hers, but because she was twice the regular pony size, they matched up pretty well. Luna smiled a bit. "I want to give you something, Comet. Something I think you'v earned. Provided of course you promise you'll hang onto it and not go pawning it off at the nearest opportunity," She said dismissively. "A gift? You've saved the show, my performance and the future of the theatre." He laughed a little, leaning back. "What is it Luna? If you're planning on giving me a longer lease on your voice I won't have it... its nice and it saved the show, but eventually pony would notice that I sound exactly like you." Luna rolled her eyes. "My voice is my voice, and besides, I need it. There are several magical items in the Castle that Celestia and I need our voices to activate." She didn't go into any further detail as to what those were. "Come with me." In a flash, she had teleported him. He found himself in what was unmistakably her personal, inner bedroom, a place few stallions had ever seen. It was not an inappropriate encounter, however, for she seemed to have more interest in her closet than in him, and was already heading towards it. Comet shook himself, a little disoriented by the teleport. "Your..." He looked around. "This is the castle! That's quite a teleport." Pish posh. "It's.. uh also my first time teleporting, never done before, it was very intense." Her double shook himself and followed her into the closet. It was almost as if Comet tried to carry himself with grace and dignity befitting his role, though without slipping quite into the character. Luna just smiled. "Yes, it is." She said, and reached into a box on the bottom corner. She pulled out a large necklace, one with a flower in the center. It was inset with gold and sapphire, but appeared to have not been touched in decades. "I want you to have this, Comet." She said gently. "You've earned it." He had her slip it on around his neck. Smiling, looking appreciative yet royally dignified. "I thank you for this gracious gift, it will be a good reminder in the years to come." He stated kindly with a raised hoof to his chest, then slipped out of his role and back to being Comet. His hoof raised to touch it. "Its beautiful Luna, thank you." Luna just continued looking at him knowingly. He could not possibly know of its significance. "What you wear now was once the Element of Rejuvenation. Its wearers have long since left this world, and its power has long since faded, but it still an item of importance and sentimentality to me, please do be careful with it. I have never seen a cast so small bring such power and life to a room so large, it is fitting of you." He was visibly impressed, and nodded. "Its not something you'll see me wear in my everyday life, but I'll keep it in my safe and remember it. Thankfully few ponies steal from the theatre, nothing really valuable, its all glitter and golden paint." The horse shoes were slipped off. "Would you believe that these aren't really silver, they just worked a thin, thin layer of silver on top of regular metal." The Night Princess was cheerful, their relationship was a casual one, and he was able to call her a personal friend. "Is something wrong?" She had been around enough ponies to be able to sense when something wasn't quite right. "Oh.. nothing, just got a little moved all of a sudden." He sniffed. "A couple of more years, and I won't act anymore, and all this dress up is going to happen to a lucky filly with the right talent, who can't stand my instruction. I could still be a mare in comedy, but I don't know if I'll do that. I'm a drama actor, not a comedian." Tears built in his eyes. The end was coming, and he started crying. The Princess of the Night suddenly got an idea, and a mischievous grin crossed her features. She moved in to wrap her wings around him, hugging as if to console him. Her horn glowed brightly. Her change was extremely subtle and graceful, so it was hard at first to notice how long his mane had become, or how slim his build was, or even the extra grace to his legs. Simple cosmetic spells at first. Those weren't the ones that would do the final change, a spell that would rework him through and through. Just little things to get the body into a more right shape. His cryings distracted him for a while, as he was comforted by her wings. Slowly though as the amount of magic increased gradually, he was starting to glow. He stepped back a few steps. "Wha.. what are you doing?" He looked confused as he saw the magic buzzing around him. "Ensuring your future," Luna said. He was the closest thing to a best friend that she had, and she had no reservations in showing him how much he meant to her. Her eyes glowed and took on a ghostly look, her hooves lifting slightly off the floor as powerful magic drained into him. The more complex a spell, the more power needed to perform it. Thankfully the moon was at full, and she was good at what she did. Though even then this was taxing on her strength. They both lifted off the ground, he looked a little scared, and then calmed down and closed his eyes. She watched air around him ignite, as the spell finally locked together. Landing gently she saw the cocoon of light descend and slowly evaporate. Comet, stood shakily on her four graceful legs, all the make up having evaporated. She gasped and stood up suddenly, managing to say a few sounds before her hoofs flew up to her mouth. "I'm… I'm…" She was agasp, shocked, and her face spread in a smile. Her hinds lifted in turn.. she giggled a little in disbelief. "You.. how…" Wordless for once. Luna gestured towards her full size mirror, to give her friend her first look at her new body. "When you are personal friends with Princess Luna, anything is possible." She said casually. Comet looked with disbelief at the mare in the mirror. "Will this wear off in the morning?" She asked wonderingly, her voice was very similar to Comet's when he was speaking more in character, but it was a natural voice, not something he put on. "No." Luna shook her head. For a moment, she second guessed herself, wondered if she had done the right thing. But she had seen into Comets dreams, saw how much he desired it. "You look lovely." When Luna said no, Comet was mollified and relaxed more, resting on the chair. "I can continue acting, I really can…" Rapture was what she was reading on Comet, utter joy. "I.. what are we going to explain to the others? Its going to sound strange that you gave this as a gift." Another voice joined them as a white alicorn entered the room. "Or maybe a certain Comet finally achieved perfection, and Luna was there to witness the transformation." She graciously offered as an explanation, looking at Luna with a mischievous smirk in her eyes. Looking proud as well. "There is one last thing I'd like to ask you." She offered. "If ever you find yourself short of work, you will always find a job at the Castle as our personal drama advisor. There are many young fillies and colts just bursting with talent, who simply need a light to guide them. For now, however, the theater lives," Luna said. "The theater lives," Comet agreed. Author's Note Unfortunately this was one of those projects that sort of derailed as it went on. My friend and I wrote it together, and it just didn't seem to go where we wanted it. Neither of us liked how it ended but it was a decent exercise in story writing. Just glad to finally finish it and get it out there so I can focus on other things. Also reading the first letter of every chapter will reveal best pony.
00 - PrologueMy name is Tragic Comet, and this isn't just my story. It's the story of a Princess. A story of undying passion for a lost art, and the faith she had in those that remained to keep it going. So this is it. The last story I'll ever tell. This is the story of how I died. Author's Note +100 geek points to anyone who gets this reference. Huzzah!
01 - ReturnIt was almost sunrise. A time which should have been joyous, for it was one of the few times when Princess Celestia got quality time with her sister. One of two short periods each day when, technically, they were both off duty. Luna had only returned several weeks earlier, but there had been significant tension between them. Tension that Celestia desperately wanted to remove. "I wonder if its this coffee," Celestia floated a cup of the bitter brew away from her sister. Coffee was fairly new to Canterlot, and most of its residents absolutely hated the stuff. The sun was rising slowly, and Luna was still not really exhausted. It was just one of those days. "Princess Novaria sent it to me from Evodia, her daughter found it in a distant land. Wouldn't say where she got it from, though. It's effective, but you have to get used to the taste." Hesitantly she gave the half empty cup a sip and grimaced, nearly spitting it out. "That's... certainly an interesting aroma." She put it down and looked to Luna, feeling disconnected with her sister. The princess of the night had indeed, had a few cups of the new import, but it wasn't what kept her up. She felt out of time again. New accents and dialects, foreign behavior, a thousand years of history she had missed. And Celestia, though always her bigger sister and still recognizable, was not the same. Feeling more like a mother than her sister. Luna was co ruler, she kept the night, but her sister was still the true ruler of Equestria. Ponies feared her, dignitaries asked for Celestia, and councils went to her for advice. A blue mood if any, and she was dark blue so it fit her like a velvet glove. The coffee had been fittingly bitter. "Aren't you going to read the letter that has arrived for you?" Celestia asked. Luna was not jealous of her sister, at least not in the way she once had been. Celestia ruled Equestria better than she ever could, and Luna still had hundreds of books to read. Perhaps thousands. Occasionally when Celestia wasn't looking she would sent a book to Twilight and request a summarized report to save her the trouble. Of course then she'd get back hundreds of pages with color coded notations and alphabetized sources that was even harder to read than reading the book itself in the first place. But what Luna did miss was companionship, she always got excited when she saw someone enter the Royal Chambers, but it was always the same. Aurora Wave requesting an audience with Princess Celestia. Flowing River requesting an audience with Princess Celestia. Luna looked up, brought out of her loneliness. "What? Oh. Of course." She slit it open with her horn, and the contents floated in front of her. It was a deceptively plain letter, though the envelope had been fairly stylishly decorated with a silver trim. The paper itself was fairly dark and the letters done in silver. They looked typed, but they weren't, she could recognize brush strokes. Each letter delicately painted in. "Princess of the night, drawer of the moon, her royal highness Luna, is invited to the Canterlot Theatre Mask, on the humble request of its actor Tragic Comet, in order to seek her approval for the upcoming Eternal Love tragedy play in which he'll be starring as in the portrayal of your highness." There were further details about when the show was to air, several months in the future it seemed. Celestia was already up, slipping the golden yoke around her neck and slipping on her crown and shoes. She seemed almost oblivious to Luna's discomfort. "Good letter? Oh, I'm off, it's getting late!" She quickly downed the rest of the coffee with a disgusted grunt and with a bolt she set off out of one of the tower windows. Luna was not easily surprised, but this caught her completely off guard. She'd expected Celestia to stick around a bit longer, and sighed. She mumbled a goodnight to her sister, her eyes on the letter. It took her less than a few moments to decide she was interested. She summoned a small number of her loyal guards, and politely requested her chariot be prepared for immediate departure. It was sunrise, she could be there within the hour. The vast army that Nightmare Moon had commanded wasn't hers anymore, disbanded long since. However getting loyal recruits had been no issue. Some from Celestia's squadrons, others voluntarily. They needed some modifications to do the job, they seemed to take that with pride. They always had. Flying on your own for long was hard work, and working up a sweat was not princess like. And riding a chariot never got dull, though she'd had to requisite it back from the Canterlot museum of ancient relics. Spikey, angular, and a ton of iron work held aloft by magic mostly. And magic mostly was what kept it from falling apart now. However it looked the part, though still as terrifying as it had always been. There was no need to clear a landing area for her. Ponies moved away from her in a large circle. Not all screams this time, things had changed. Especially since the Nightmare Night incident.They weren't cowering, but they didn't have the look of anticipation they had when Celestia was coming. Some genuflected, others bowed, some still stood a bit paralyzed with fear. Before her was the theater named Mask. Vertical columns marked the entrance. Two pony shaped masks adorned the top of the entrance, one sad, one happy. In her time there had been performances, but they had been centered around an outdoor amphitheater, this closed building was something different. Luna never felt necessarily ignored, but she did sometimes feel unwanted. Her own birthday had been a very minor event, much to the annoyance of Pinkie Pie. It would have been too dangerous to host a large event. Luna gave a routine smile at the ponies, instructed her guards to wait outside, and entered. She wasn't surprised by too many things anymore, living for thousands of years did that. Daily doses of the unfamiliar had gotten familiar, paradoxically. The lobby was pleasantly decorated. Not the gaudy royal unicorn style that the Canterlot castly had turned into. Yet it was not familiar to Luna either. In a city that was half marble, and full of large open windows, and burning street lights at night, this theater was different. The lighting was subdued, the windows were closed and drawn. There was silence, but then that was of course because when she had entered ponies had stopped speaking to each other. A young pegasi colt suddenly rushed away and flew through a quick latch in a wall. Currently a comedy play was going on inside called Midsummer's Mule. "Uh... uhm... excuse me your highness." The well dressed ticketmaster said. "But I...uh... am afraid the show is already half done." They hadn't been informed of her arrival. They should have known better. Thankfully she was saved the embarrassment of having to ask about the invitation, because a side door burst open revealing a white earth pony colt, growing, almost not a colt anymore. His mane was a golden color. He genuflected correctly, a short graceful bow on one leg, short, the kind of genuflection you'd make when apologizing. He stood again, his pose suggested confidence. "Princess Luna, I apologize for this, I'm Tragic Comet, we didn't expect you to respond so quickly." A controlled enthusiasm.
02 - AbsenceLuna was kind, and was in the middle of explaining to the ticketmaster that he had no need to apologize, and would be more than happy to wait. She was not one to interrupt a performance. She prided him on doing his job well, and turned when the door opened. She had fallen into her own dialect, a bad habit which appeared every now and again. "We hath not frequently recieved many invitations to many things," She said politely. "We are more than happy to come." "And come with me you shall!" He said with gusto, and led her through the set of doors. A sign informed ponies that this was for actors only. There was a row of doors with various names on it. "Private quarters, where we actors get to sleep when not on the slanted boards... and here is the dressing room." With great subtly he held up a hoof and strode silently and nonchalantly into the dressing room. Two earth ponies, one a creamy yellow with a purple mane, the other a dark color, nodded to him. They were mixing some colors. "Too much purple, he'll look like a dark Twilight..." But I saw her, there was definitely some magenta in her coloring! Oh, Comet! You're too early, we're still fiddling with the coloooo... is that... she's here?! Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" The first mare, upon seeing Luna, was reduced to bouncing and squealing. The creamy mare had both hoofs to her mouth, in almost pure ecstacy. The dark one had her back to Luna. "Gluon, don't have a fit, we'll figure out!" *incoherent reply* "Huh? More...what?" "...hind you." "Hind what?" "Oh for..." She reached up and turned the other ponies head, the darker pony's eyes widened. "Luuu… too... taa... haha… magenta.. yes too much magenta... your highness!" Comet was greatly enjoying this entire spectacle, and it was all he could do to keep from bursting into laughter right there and then. "Girls... her royal Highness of the Night, Princess Luna! Luna, meet the two greatest make up artists in Equestria, the talented sibling team of Gluon Wings and Painted Wings." If they could have died of joy and blushing they would have. Luna smirked, and just to toy with them and show off her humorous side, her horn glowed. All three ponies coats instantly changed to an exactly dark bluish purple, the exact shade of her own coat. For a mare who controlled the moon, a simple pigmentation spell was nothing. "Use this for reference, it will help you." She said kindly, and placed a hoof on the shoulder of one, then the other. "Calm yourselves, I am no more important than you are." They were floored, literally, and had to pick themselves up again. Holding onto each others hooves, almost squealing like little school fillies. The one who had been creamy presented herself as Gluon, and the other who had been dark as Painted, though she wasn't a pegasi. "Oh we'll get the coloring right now your highness, we'll get it just right... and your coat shines too, we can use the pearl dust for that." Comet smiled proudly. "They're good, if I told them to dress that puppet in the corner as you, by tomorrow you'd be looking at your twin" He whispered it to her, since praise seemed to cause them all manners of new shades. "Right now they're working on a costume for the play we'll be performing." Luna sat for a while, and asked them all sorts of questions. Why did they do it? What sort of plays were there? What was the purpose? Could there be plays about anything? So many things had changed. She was genuinely interested, and would have stayed and talked to the for hours if Comet hadn't cleared his throat politely as an indication to wrap things up. "The pigmentation spell will last for six hours, that should be enough time to perfect your craft," Luna explained gently. Both of the mares were talking over each other very fast, and it was fairly difficult to keep track of who was saying what. "Oh, we're in charge of doing the make up of the main stars of the show, and we craft very specialized parts of the costumes. Horns and wings… oh Celestia your wings are huge… we'll have to rethink it all over again!" "Maybe if we use the large feathers from pegasi, trim them..." "Nonono, wouldn't work... we'll need gryphon feathers!" "Oh yeah, that could work!" "What sort of plays, well right now we're mainly working on the Eternal Love play since *excited giggle* since its based on you, and now you're here! I've loved that play since I was a filly! Its the saddest tragedy!" "She has a thing for them." "Oh yes, though this is the traditional theater, so there's a couple of classic comedies, but its mostly drama and some epics and tragedies." "Oh, you totally have to come see our shows. We do big sets, and lots of scenery and special effects and the most amazing costumes… and great acting too! Comet you're the best, and you know it." "Oh yes we'll definitely get the coloring right... better get started, pearl for the gloss, remember that, Gluon!" "Getting it now!" Luna couldn't help but tease. "Or I could just turn Comet into Prince Eclipse for a few hours," She quipped. "But that would rob the two of you of all your wonderful work, so I think I'll just let the two of you work it out." She couldn't help but interject, snickering a bit herself. "They've got a near photographic memory," Comet smiled, seeing them rush off. "I think they'll be able to replicate your wings, just from memory alone. They're still working on getting the horn right, getting something like that to stick to you requires glue, and patience and a good form factor, hours in the make up chair. Dull... come I'll show you more... and oh...um... He blushed a bit. "I don't play prince Eclipse, that role is taken by one of the older actors. I play you, Princess Luna." Luna seemed very confused by this. "Why is that? Is it common for males to play females? I have heard rumors of subcultures of ponies who enjoy it, but doing it for theater seems very... odd." She said curiously. He wasn't nervous, it was obvious he had been prepared to explain this many times. Without mentioning her absence condescendingly, which ironically some ponies tended to do, especially dignitaries, he instead simply explained. "Theater a thousand years ago went through some changes after the wars had died down, larger cities and a new intellectual agenda. There was a period where mares were held in especially high esteem, and lowly jobs were considered improper for them. Acting being, even if very prestigious, lowly in that society's view. So stallions and colts suddenly had to learn the art of playing the role of mares. Which is what I trained to do. Its survived as a traditional art form because colts such as myself have very good singing voices. My great-great-grandfather was a gelding so he kept singing roles until he died… we don't do anything like that anymore." Luna winced at the very thought. "Thank goodness for that."
03 - InspirationLuna began walking with Comet down the hallway, offering her support as best she could. "It would not be completely unheard of for me to assist you vocally, if you needed it. Magic would be useful there. But if I understand correctly, that would defeat the significance of the art." She wondered aloud. "You really must bring your cast and set and come to Canterlot and give us a private viewing when it's done." "Oh, we'll definitely tour Equestria when its done, but I was actually hoping to get to talk to you about the script. It was written for my great great grand father, so it's a bit outdated, and... well, first I need you take you through the mayhem." And he opened a door and she was in what could only be described, as Celestia had recently explained to her, as a clusterbuck. Earth ponies, and unicorns were hammering away at things, gluing things together. Pegasi were flying around with buckets of paint which only by the grace of the unicorns did not splash everywhere. A hive of activity. A surrealistic wood workshop. Stars were painted in the sky, a moon rolled by. Curtains showing various scenes were sewn together on the floor, a river was carried past them. For once no ponies eyes were on her, and Luna felt a surge of excitement from that. Comet and Luna managed the entire trip through the workshop, unable to communicate without attracting any attention. They exited into a lounge, the sounds of hammers muted by the double doors. Comet continued, as if nothing had happened. "I've always wanted to get your feedback on the script. It's good, the songs are fantastic, but the problem with this is that I don't feel comfortable performing now that you're here." He searched for an explanation. "Don't misunderstand me, I love that you're here, but all ponies know who Celestia is, her character is simple, she's everyone's mom or bigger sister, eternal ruler blah, blah, blah… you're a mystery. No pony ever knew much about you, other than you were Nightmare Moon. You know, a big scary villain." Luna looked rather hurt by this. Comet didn't notice. "Artists filled in gaps, legends and stories on the few scraps of history they had. When I go on that scene, I want to know that you approve of the story we tell. It doesn't have to be perfectly historically accurate, but... I want to capture the spirit and I want to be true to you. Not my great great grandfather's vision of you or some strange long dead guards version of you." Luna's horn glowed, and some of the stars painted on the ceiling in the previous room moved position. The pegasus painting them nearly fell off his ladder. It was a bit of an OCD habit of hers, she hated when stars were portrayed incorrectly, and that time she'd fixed an important constellation. No excuse. She smiled a bit, more satisfied now. "Tell me your story, and I will tell you mine." She said soothingly, and sat next to him. "The only secrets I hold are that of my sister, dignitaries, and political tactics. Most else is fair game." Comet told the story, which was actually part of a larger series of tales interwoven called the Banishing Epic. "Most of that stuff we don't reenact, not all stories translate into our times. See plays and art are often ponies first way of understanding something, so after the war, many ponies wanted to understand why it had happened, and since artists knew next to nothing about you they took the folk legends and made it into this. The story begins actually with a song." The tale started with Rope Thresher, an aging earth pony singing a complaint about never having riches and always working too hard, urging his son to seek out better fortune. It was a deceptive tale, because it lured her in until she had forgotten that it was to become a love tale. The young earth pony, fallen on hard times, gave up his dreams to return home to the farm and stay there. "And then we have the scene where he wishes upon the high moon, that he would one day find the mare of of his dreams… that's my call to enter, yes, I fly by wire. Winds caused a storm knocking the princess who was drawing down the moon across the heavens, breaking her wing. She was a bitter creature." They made much out of her supposed resentment of Celestia, Luna didn't appreciate that bit. The jealous creature, embittered by the following of her sister, able to raise the moon wherever she was was, was slowly nursed back to health by the earth pony. Scenes developed their characters, him infatuated by her, unapproachable though she was. At some point during these talks, food and delicacies were served to Comet and Luna. He would act out scenes and… when he did that, though he was white, and a colt.. his motions changed, his voice was that of a mare. Not her voice, not exactly, but she could easily believe the voice belonged exactly to the character he portrayed. As the story continued, eventually of course their love was cemented, as she swore to live a life outside of her sisters presence, with many children. "And then the tragedies start… the first was he was barren, he sired no children with her… and lastly, and most cruelly he grew older, despite desperate attempts from her in keeping him from aging, to the embitterment of the local towns who grew jealous of his long life." He sang the whole last song for her, holding a pillow as tenderly and as lovingly, as if his sister was lying dying in his arms. Tears, seeming utterly real flowed from his eyes and the voice… that voice… a young princess in her deepest sorrow. Praising her long life, and yet her love had been true, and had seemed worth it and yet because of that so much more painful. Luna had tears flowing down her cheeks by the time he had finished, between the song and the story, she related to it all too well. Even if it was fairly ridiculous. Yes, she herself had many times wished she had time for a stallion, but between her near immortality and relentless responsibilities, there was no time. There had been one, one whom she cared for deeply, and who had cared for her in return. Maybe in another time something would have happened with him. But she had become Nightmare Moon, and he in turn an enemy of Canterlot. They were separated, and it was not to be. She hid herself with a wing as the colt finished, quickly composing herself. "That's a lovely story, Comet." She said, calm again. "All that, based on folklore?" "Just about everything in my family back then, which is two hundred years ago, were able to find. Mare's tales, and what little we had heard from Celestia when she had remarked on life. And spun a tale from that, though it's a good story right? But I want to know if it was true, and if it wasn't... was the Luna in the story similar to you? What's your take on it?" He was already himself again, though he seemed moved to tears as well, wiping them away quickly and easily with a hoof. Luna smiled softly. "It is not a story based upon myself, or Celestia, but a relatable one to any pony whom is gifted with long life." She said. "Alicorns such as Celestia and myself, we haven't time for many things that others take for granted. Being a princess is not always easy, an alicorn princess even harder." She said quietly. "I think..." She began to say something, but changed her mind, shaking her head. "Never mind."
04 - SecretsLuna had hesitated, and Comet had taken notice. As an actor, he was quite keen on being attentive to detail, and the mood of Princess Luna had not escaped him. The only problem here now was daring to voice his opinion, for he didn't want to appear rude or invasive. "If its something private, I can be discreet, though your secrets are your own and nopony elses," Comet said confidently. Sitting down on a chair,he added, "I've got good script writers... most of the songs are complete adaptions, the melody for the final song was done recently. Don't be afraid to tell me something because you're worried that you'll force us to change anything. We will if we think its a better story. I just want input about, well, you." Luna was quiet for a long time. "Immortality is cruel, in a way. You grow, you learn, you live. And you keep living. There are times when you are afraid to make friends, I know very well that the bones of some of the first friends I ever made have long been turned to dust." Her voice was quiet now, her tone serious and uncharacteristically morbid. "You become afraid to love, afraid of what other ponies might think. But you crave it. Immortality and love simply cannot go together, it's something many do not think about, the full effects, I mean." She said. "There are times I almost want to give it up, but my job is far too important, and I would never give that up. And I do not know what would happen if I were to suddenly relinquish my power. Would I merely become mortal, or would two thousand years catch up with me as I turn to dust and blow away in the wind?" She asked. "Celestia was reminded of my absence every day for a thousand years every time she raised the moon, I cannot do that to her again." Comet nodded understandingly. He seemed to grow silent when she spoke of the bones of her best friends. Deep in thought. "Did you ever have a loving relationship to another pony? Not to say that this story played out like that, but did you have one… or can you mention a friend?" Luna shook her head. "When I was young, there were stallions I had an eye for. Stallions even now that I would like to have known more about. But as I began my training, and as Celestia began hers, I think there was a mutual understanding that this was something we simply could not have. But that doesn't mean the feeling was not there. Nor does it mean we didn't want it." "Alright, well... my great-great-grandfather would have been disappointed that there never had been something like that in your life. As I said earlier, in the gaps of the story artists love to dwell. I should send you some of the various ways you have been portrayed. Those immediately after the war weren't too kind, its only in the latter half of that millenium that you became an object of mystique, and I rather hope that the Luna here will be a good catharsis for the lingering Nightmare Moon worries. You know, make Luna relatable. A pony with feelings and a heart that could be broken as well." Luna smiled mischeviously and looked at him. "Do you want to know a secret? Something that very, very few ponies know? Something that I've never even told Celestia, although I think she suspects it." "I shall go into the grave without letting it be known." He said with a smile. "You can count on me not saying anything Luna, I'm used to keeping secrets from just about everyone about the show, even between people on the same staff as myself. If its something you'll only tell me, then your words won't leave this room." She sighed a bit, and even looked a bit nostalgic. "Although I would never act on this, circumstances as they were, I had a crush, a long, long time ago, on the most unlikely stallion you could possibly imagine. Although I continue to this day to be disgusted by the path that he chose to take, I must admit... he was cute. Perhaps even still is." She said evasively. "Although my position prevents me from relationships, it doesn't stop my heart from beating, or from yearning. Even for ponies like him," she said with amusement, although was careful not to give his name. The papers would have a field day with that. With that, she rose, much to Comet's protest. "Wait just a moment, your Highness!" He exclaimed, and Luna turned to look at him. "Are you sure you're alright? You looked as if you became very sad there for a moment." "I'm fine," Luna assured him, and headed back towards where Painted and Gluon were working. "I have many ideas for how I may be able to assist your production, unfortunately most of them are fairly elaborate or time consuming or will require a great deal of magical expense. Some a combination of all three. For now, however, I shall be more than happy to help you in setting my story straight. Even if Rope Thresher never really existed," she said. This led about a groan from Painted Wings. "And it was such a moving story, I'd rather hoped it was real," she said wistfully. Luna just gave a smile as she rested on a cushion. "I will tell you of my experiences as best I can. Are you sitting comfortably? Good. Then let's begin." All three members of her audience leaned forward, curious as to just how well the real story would fit with the one they had prepared. Coincidentally, as Luna was at that moment thinking about her sister, her sister was at the same time thinking about Luna. *** "That's enough for now!" Announced a guard, which was met with a collective groan from the line leading into the Council Chambers. "Audiences will resume in thirty minutes!" Celestia had quietly excused herself from where she was working, and made her way out the back towards her private room. She had been seeing ponies all day, everything from zoning ordinances to disciplinary actions, and she was tired, hungry and slightly irritable. "Are you sure you're alright, my Princess?" asked her escort. "I'm fine, Celestia assured her worried guard, who had taken notice in her unusual silence on that particular day. "You've just been very quiet today, are you worried about Luna? She's a big mare, i'm sure she can handle being out on the town." "It's not that," Celestia sighed. They were in her private chambers, she had a thirty minute lunch break and had spent most of it staring out the window. "I am not worried about how Luna responds to my little ponies, I am worried about how the ponies will respond to Luna. There's a very hgh probability that many will not trust her yet." The guard frowned. "I'm sure she's alright. You have nothing to be worried about." "Yes, I know. But I know here better than anypony else does. When she gets an idea in her head, she can quite often take it to the extreme. I just hope she can rein it in." The guard snickered, quickly covering his mouth with a hoof, but the princess still saw it. "What amuses you?" Celestia asked. "You're a pony, and you said-" Celestia glared at him. "TWELVE YEARS DUNGEON!" Celestia demanded. The guard turned white. "No, wait, I didn't mean-" Celestia smirked. "See, I can be funny," she said, and disappeared into her private room, leaving a terrified guard behind. "That wasn't funny..." he muttered.
05 - ExiledA few days had passed since Princess Luna first visited the Canterlot Theater, and had promised to return in a few days to check up on its progress. In the meantime, she had business at Canterlot Castle to attend to. But first, there was the issue of food. Breakfast in Canterlot Castle was always a frenzy of activity. Waiters, servers and cooks were all doing their jobs, streaming in and out of the doors of the kitchen. They had plenty of staff to cater to, and unusually that did not include the princesses. The majority of food went towards the royal guards, who were known (and frequently parodied) for their enormous appetites which rivaled that of the Apple family. The princesses tended to take care of themselves when it came to food, although it was unknown if that was because of paranoia, personal security or other reasons. At this particular moment, Luna and Celestia were out on the upper balcony of the highest tower. Celestia was just completing the sunrise, and pegasi swooped in every direction through the sky to put the final clouds of the day into place. Luna watched her sister do the same thing she had done for centuries now, silent at first so as not to ruin her concentration. Having seen her sister raise the moon several times, Luna had in turn attempted to raise the sun under Celestia's guidance, but found herself frustratingly unable to do so. The glow of Celestia's horn eventually faded as its routine spell was completed, the sun hung fairly low in the sky and was now rising gradually higher by itself like a generator that had been kickstarted. She turned to face Luna, an expression of concern and sympathy on her face. "When are we going to talk about it, Lulu?" She asked softly. Luna felt her cheeks sting. The pet name that Celestia had for her didn't help matters any. It felt forced, almost condescending. Luna knew the name was meant to strike a nostalgia reaction within her, and she didn't appreciate it. "Talk about what?" There was a tone to her voice. Not quite harsh, but stubborn. "You know what," Celestia said, and her gaze lifted towards the ceiling, then back down again. "I'm proud of you for finding a hobby to entertain yourself, I think it's wonderful you've been helping out that little theater for the last few weeks. But we can't just ignore what happened. Ignorance caused us such heartache the first time." Luna looked at the floor. "I don't want to talk about it. It happened, it's over. We can move on." "It's not over!" Celestia snapped with such ferocity that the guards stationed outside the door jumped several inches. "Every night for a thousand years I rose the moon and said goodnight to you, knowing that you weren't there to say goodnight back. Every star reminded me of you, and that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was the looks that I got. From everyone. You may have been the one who tried to take over Canterlot, but you weren't the villain. I WAS." Luna looked stunned, it was so incredibly rare for Celestia to lose her temper like that. "I'm sorry... but that wasn't me... it was-" "The dark forces of the moon, I know. But you let it happen. No..." She took it back. That didn't sound right. "We let it happen. We pushed our emotions and feelings away, life went on as if everything was alright. But it wasn't. I ignored you." There were tears in the eyes of the elder sister now. "I won't let that happen again, Lulu. I can't imagine what it's like for you, now. Being back after a thousand years, a stranger in your own home. In your own time. I want to help you and I don't know how. You separate yourself from the truth by keeping yourself busy with the theater, I understand that. But if you don't open up to me, we're going to be right back where we were, that last night together a thousand years ago." Luna looked upset, her heart was racing and she was struggling to keep herself composed. She didn't want to talk about this any more than she wanted to think about it, but she knew if she didn't that Celestia would never give up the subject until she relented. One could only steal so much honey before getting stung. Sighing, Luna's resistance collapsed, and words came pouring out. "Nothing is the same, Celestia! Everywhere you go, you receive awe and admiration. Respect and authority. I am nothing but legend. I'm not even needed. You raised the moon without me for a thousand years, and as the generations passed that became normality. If you can rule and survive and function without me, why am I even here? Maybe I was better off on-" Luna was suddenly cut off by a sudden strike to the back of the head by a golden plated hoof. Celestia towered over her, liquid pride spilling down her face. "Don't you say that. Don't you ever say that. I need you. I functioned alone because there was no other choice. You know all about how theater works, Luna. I put on a mask every day and I played my part until the curtain went down. No longer a loving sister but a caricature of one. And at night... at night I cried for you, and sang to you. And very moment of every day I thought about what I'd done and wished you were here." There was no response that Luna could come up with. She had lost the battle against her tears, and now they fell down her face as well. She knew the heartache all too well. Both sisters had been separated by such distance and magic, and it taken its toll on the both of them. "I did the same, Celly..." she said quietly. "But at least you had Canterlot to keep you going. I had nothing up there. I had my own memories, I had rocks and dirt and the stars to count. I had the endless tauntings of the dark creatures of the moon. Voices in my head that wouldn't go away, voices telling me to do all sorts of things that I knew I'd never want to do. But there was no escape from them. The only way to break out of that prison was love, and how could I love while being possessed by jealousy?" She asked. Luna turned to look out at the sunrise. "You did what you had to do, I understand that. But it doesn't make it any less painful. I was jealous then, yes, but I thought perhaps if I ignored it, it would go away. But it didn't. It fed on my ignorance. It fed, and it grew." Celestia was quiet. "How did you pass a thousand years by yourself? I can't imagine you were very keen to make friends with the dark creatures of the moon, especially considering the sorts of things they were trying to persuade you to do." Luna cracked a weak smile. "I slept a lot. I honed my skills at dreamwalking, after a while I became able to not just traverse the dreamscape, but create my own. I created fantasies in my mind. Beaches, cities, mountains. Just wandering, creating, waiting. But even then, even after hundreds of years, I still couldn't create the one thing I desperately wanted more than anything." Celestia looked conflicted. "And what was...?" Luna didn't look back, just continued gazing out into the sunrise. "You."
06 - LossThe Running of the Leaves came and went, Hearth's Warming Eve passed. Twilight and her friends got themselves into strange adventures again, some requiring indirect intervention on Luna's part. Of course, on Celestia's suggestion, they had absolutely no idea she was helping them. The night was still hers to guide, dignitaries still ignored her for the most part, though some wer forced to deal with her when Celestia was occupied. Comet and herself exchanged increasingly casual letters, and he sent her pictures of the set, but he had still not sent her any pictures of the costumes. His team had written a new scene where the Luna in the play resists the earth pony. "I've seen my friends march to their graves over the centuries, I won't see my love in that parade, I won't let all my loves march away from me, it can never be." It was still subject to light revisions, but they were doing rehearsals, working out the songs. Opening day was fast approaching. As spring approached he came to Canterlot, being taken for a tour by Luna herself. Watching to see where she lived, seeing a little of her work, polite and dignified. When needed he was nearly as quiet and unnoticable as her personal servants. He was lucky enough to see a diplomatic exchange. Celestia had fun teasing them, much to Luna's annoyance. He promised that she wouldn't be disappointed in the Luna he'd perform. Spring neared, it would air before Winter Wrap-Up. The almost forgotten war with Discord had broken the weather, it would not change on its own, not like that anyway. Chocolate rain was not in the schedule anytime soon. Luna was never completely occupied like Celestia, princess of the night carried some flexibility with it although she wished she could do more. In the study tower, where books about Earth Pony history was piled up on the table, Luna slowly catching up on what had happened in her long absence, her servant Pip appeared. You never heard him flash in, he just quietly made himself known when he was needed. "Letter for you, Mask Theatre, not Comet's writing, seemed urgent." It was a plain white envelope, and the curvy handwriting was not the elegant letter Comet sent her. Important, must reach Princess Luna, Mask Theare - Painted Wings "Thank you, Pip." Luna said. Comet, similarly, had been given full clearance to Luna's Chamber, although her bedroom was off limits as it was to everyone except Celestia. He was able to wander the castle, at least. She took the letter, and unfolded it. Simple blank ink on parchment, Painted Wings was an earth pony and couldn't have written it, but must have gotten hold of a unicorn swiftly. It was written in haste "Dear Princess Luna, please come immediately. Something terrible has happened. Comet has broken down, and locked himself in his room. We were doing a rehearsal and broke down. Its terrible, Luna! His voice broke. Nobody can do anything. Please come and help him. Gluon and Painted Wings."
07 - UselessLuna dropped what she was doing immediately. "Pip, something has come up. Guard my Chamber, will you?" She asked, a very important job for the young colt. He nodded and disappeared outside the doors. The guards would listen to his relayed instructions, and he'd close the windows and turn on a light so that to all appearances it would still look like she was there. She didn't need to tell him that, he knew it instinctively. Luna would be in one of her moods, a mood by which he knew she was not to be disturbed. Luna teleported. A sensation which upon first experience was disorienting and even sickening, but to her, second nature. Far away, inside Comets personal room, shadowy tendrils of darkness burst into life, as if someone had left a smoke machine running a bit too long. From the shadows of night, emerged the Princess, dressed in her best armor. Not that she needed the armor bit, but it was always good to keep up appearances. The door behind her was closed she could hear Painted Wings and Gluon behind it. "Its going to be okay." "We love you, we'll make it work. Somehow." The room wasn't spartan, pictures of family members in various roles. Parts of scripts adorned the walls. Pictures from various plays. Prizes and awards. Resting, with her upper half on a table was… Luna. Or if she ever had a cousin who had everything she had, cutie mark, coloration, wings, that's what she'd look like. The wings seemed so real, that it would not have surprised Luna in the slightest if they started flapping. There was almost no recognizing Comet, the makeup cleverly his the jawline through subtle tricks of color. She had to squint a lot of to convince her mind that she wasn't seeing a younger twin. The illusion broke a little when the illusion spoke and revealed Comet's voice. "L.. Luna?" Luna didn't have many close friends, but considered Comet one of them. He could summon her whenever he wished, and she would come. The theatre had since gained quite a following of popularity upon the publication announcing that Princess Luna herself was often seen there. There had been a surge in ticket sales that continued to this day. "We are here, friend. Why hath thou sequestered thine self in this way?" She asked, mentally kicking herself. As hard as she tried to be modern, sometimes her old dialect just slipped right into itself. "I can't do it anymore.. I can't sound right." She.. he picked himself up, it was easier to recognise Comet now that he was speaking, he sat carefully, minding the wings. Some of the makeup from his hind end had rubbed off on the chair. "We were doing one of the new songs, and I'd had trouble. More trouble than usual." He gestured along his throat, a pained expression. "Filling the sound out, it was too stiff… bad day I thought, but then I couldn't hit the high note, my voice just..." He gritted his teeth, and a tear rolled down his cheek. It had finally happened, Luna could cast some diagnosis spells to measure the insides of his throat and gauge what had happened bodily to him, but there was no need. The latent malehood in him would be restrained no longer, he was becoming a stallion. A stallion with no place in a touring theatrical company. She sat next to him, soothing and calm. "That is nothing to be ashamed of, it happens to every colt and filly. Some sooner than others, but all just the same." She said gently. "Can the song not be sung in a slightly lower yet more believable pitch?" "I don't sing tenor, I'm an alto. And it would be horrible to hear you sung in a tenors voice." He wasn't angry with her, but he sounded frustrated. "What I think we might have to do, is have one of our female singers do it and then I'd have to adlib. Most ponies wouldn't know.. but I'd know. This show, it was going to be last of the traditional theatre. Its a dying medium, and I wanted to end with a great show but now I can't do it as it should be, most ponies wouldn't know.. but I would. Adlibbing is deception, and deception isn't right." He looked up at his family pictures. "I failed."
08 - NewLuna did something she had never done before, and the media would have a field day with it if they saw this. She scooted closer, and draped her wing around him, pulling him closer. "You have done so much and come so far, there is no giving up now." She said. "You've done wonderfully, and you're going to let a tiny little thing like this stop you? I don't believe it for a moment." His body was shaking, he rested his head against her large shoulder. "I can't, Luna, it doesn't work like that. I've seen it too many times. Colts don't have a long time on the stage. I wanted to end with this show, maybe a few runs over the summer. It came too early. What am I going to do? Is there a spell you can perform?" An Age spell? No, he'd still sound the same only be a lot younger looking. She was not a plastic surgeon, though she knew flesh altering spells subtly enough, but it was a field too much like an art and magic that almost no one got good enough at for practical purposes. Luna thought for a long time, and eventually, she nodded. "There is one." She said. "But because of the way it works, it would not take effect until right before each performance, and only last for the duration, meaning that practice and rehearsal would be fairly difficult. But I would do it for you," She said evasively. A long life, a good memory and a close approximation to great magicians, as well as being a talent of her own. Luna knew many spells that ought never to be cast. This was not one of those, but neither was it one that unicorns needed to know about. It had its own risks and dangers. Comet was silent, reading her evasiveness. "What do you have in mind?" He whispered. Outside she vaguely heard Gluon and Painted whispering to each other, flattening their ears against the door. She had always been mischevious, not as big a prankster as Celestia, but she knew how to retaliate. But this was a serious matter, and one that she would not do for just anyone. Slowly, and calmly, she replied to him. "I give you my voice." Outside, Painted and Gluon heard a "What?!" Comet's expression was enormously surprised. He looked moved and worried. "Can... you do that? It sounds very dangerous, and, you're a princess, we'll be rehearsing a lot many hours a day, and you're awake at night… its too much pressure on you… is it safe? How does it work?" He looked conflicted. Luna smirked. "It's not dangerous, it's exactly what it sounds like. I give you my voice. I work alone at night, so it's not like my voice is needed, and I can always use telepathy with Celestia. And it might give your performance a bonus degree of realism. But this is absolutely only between us, you understand." She warned. "It's no pressure at all." He was moved to tears. "I won't even tell Gluon and Painted, they'll suspect, but they won't believe it. Although something tells me they already know. I... Princess Luna... I don't know what to say. This is quite an honor. I won't ask of it from you for long, three shows, then the Mask theatre gets a new staff and I'll start giving acting lessons, or perform comedic rules, you don't have to have a good voice for that. Its what all my ancestors would have done." It was a great gift to bestow, and he genuflected before her shortly. Princess Luna was never one to be short of kindness, and nudged him up to stop his genuflect. "Stop that. You have worked so very long and hard, and come so far, I refuse to let you give up on your dream now." She commanded. "You may use it for as many shows as you wish, but I insist upon a full schedule detailing every location and time for every show. That much is nonnegotiable." She instructed. "It won't be many shows, this was the last one, it will be performed here, in Canterlot and perhaps in Evodia. Then the traditional theatre will close down and I'll find something else to do. Even if I borrow your voice, which I'm blown away by you offering, I won't even be able to look the part." He didn't sound bitter, but it was obvious that the future held some worry to him. The ending of an era, it was inevitable, they had touched on it before, most of the colts that could perform the roles of mare were trained by stallions who had been in those roles. It was getting farther and further between, mares had decided that they could perform those roles just fine, which they could. Luna would never know the anxiety of suddenly having to find something else to do, or the freedom. Barely beginning to be a stallion and already having to decide on new career paths. Luna could not help offering. "Young stallion, if ever you find yourelf in need of work, there are always jobs available at the castle. Some not quite as important as others, but paid jobs just the same. If ever you find yourself on hard times, I will personally put in a word for you for an interview. Perhaps you could even start a drama department in the castle." Comet nodded. "Perhaps I can teach your majesty some oratory skills, she might be as good a Luna as me." A polite joke. There was of course also quite another solution to his problems. A very complex spell, hard to do, and all but impossible to undo. Though it wasn't clear whether that solution was what he would look for. He was trying to perform his best in this kind of theatre. But that spell might just be the only solution to this problem. "We'll see, Comet." Luna said. "We'll see."
09 - Ascension 09 - Ascension Several Weeks Later... Luna had gotten up early, and Celestia was staying up late. They had worked together to clear a hole in their schedules where they could both arrive at the premiere. Drawn carriages, photographers flashing wildly as they entered the theatre, with an entourage of high pony society trailing behind them. They were shown to a private booth. The scene was unrecognizable, all traces of sawdust and wild work was gone. A blood red curtain hung in its stead. Two sofas had been laid out in their booth. A little decadent, but Celestia took to hers with comfort stretching her neck out to see the ponies spill out into their own seats. The theater had sold out, especially since the royal sisters had announced their visit there. An orchestra could be heard tuning up instruments somewhere. Eventually the doors were shut and the lights turned down. The show started, and a speaker came out presenting the show. A love drama, of something that might once have been and could never really be. The sets unfolded from the floor, well painted, entering the scene of a hard working earth pony, singing a song of how he wished he were wealthy so he didn't have to work so hard. So easily were you drawn into his tale that you forgot what the story was really about, this earth pony never measured up to anything so he told his son to set out and see if he could be what he hadn't himself. However it became apparent that his son had no high ambitions, and wanted simple to care for the cottage his father had left him, but felt anxious about this responsibility. So one night he wished upon the moon, that if it should be possible that he could be granted a favor just once. Comet, looking as much as the imprint of Luna as he ever had, came sailing, drawn on invisible wires. Or was it a unicorns magic? It was impossible to tell, but it was flying. The drama unfolded, the fall, the broken wing. The theatrical Luna, was... Luna, a younger version if anything. Was she really so theatrical at times, herself? The earth pony made no advances to her, but tended her wounds, watched her raise the moon at times. Some feelings were growing, the dialogue between them was excellent, jokes but it was comedy, emotions were building. Eventually she got better and left him, though he beseeched her to stay, asking her why she wouldn't. "I have seen friends, what family I once had and their generations, march to their tombs inevitably, and I'd see the same with you." The story eventually brought her full circle again, deciding to take it. Celestia was only hinted at in the story, sometimes indicating that there was a spat between them and she had left the castle voluntarily. And so began their love story… the costume changes on Luna's character were fantastic. It was all done by earth ponies who had to portray her many abilities. The shadow shifting, the dreams were handled with amazing scenery shifts. And of course the tragedy grew, she was barren, he would never sire children with her. He aged, grew greyer with each scene, magic was put in use to make him age slower. Jealousy grew, making them exiled to a small hut. Finally he was old and she was by his death bed. "I'll hold, I can sing your heart to beat, your blood to flow, I'll sing forever to keep you alive." A hoof came up and graced her cheek. The theatrical Luna was torn, begging to keep him alive. "Let me go…" Were his only words. A desperate request of love. And she did, tears streaming down as she gave out a mournful wail. "...I'd have given you it all, to lift your fillies up to you, to work, and be sick, and argue, and befriend you to the end, but this can never be." And she left, and the scene shifted outside, as she kept the moon up, about to prolong the night. A somber motherly voice came from the scene behind her. An argument between sister and sister ensued. They had no actor to play Celestia, but showed her presence as a light in the scenery. It climaxed as a fight escalated between the two sisters. "The ponies will rise with the dawn, as always. Will they not know that I have suffered loss!" "You kept thine day once, for a fortnight!" "For a war!" "And for the tragedy of lost love, ponies will not rise to know that this has occured! The sun should weep bitter tears for me!" "And it would rise as always." The argument came to a head as Luna called down the moon, and she looked out defiantly to the audience. "Is it worth it to love what you can lose? Even if it hurts so? I tell you I would give the nights away for such a life, my burden has grown heavier, and yet I would have done it again if I had the chance." It ended a few more lines later. Bittersweet and darkly. Very moving, a far better rendition than the typical play. Celestia stood up, a little moved by the display, though the tears were dried so it was probably from some of the love songs. "They were all moved, Luna." Celestia said. She had been watching the ponies, not the show. Their reactions. Their emotions. Their tears. Luna was not quite as composed, the play had touched her on a personal level. She had loved and lost many times, but this particular production had returned memories to her of every stallion that'd ever made her heart skip a beat. Although she was expected to maintain composure and set a good example for the other ponies, she was bawling her eyes out. Tears streamed down her eyes and dripped onto the floor, wings drooping at her sides. It was the first time the citizens of Canterlot had really seen Luna as anything other than perfectly calm. Celestia nuzzled her "I'm glad you liked it, I've seen too many of these productions in my days to remember what an effect they can have." Their guards kept the journalists at bay though they snapped one or two embarrassing photos. They were going backstage, champagne was popped, Gluon Wings and Painted Wings were celebrating with most of the cast. Luna saw her own self, dewinged, two bare white spots of fur on the back indicating where they had been glued on; slipping out of the party going back to his private room. Luna tried to compose herself, turning down several offers of champagne with a gesture of her hoof. She approached Painted Wings, and dipped her head in awe. She did something was normally only reserved for dignitaries of the highest ranking. "Would you tell Comet that Princess Luna requests an audience with him?" It was nice to have her own voice back, as soon as the show had ended the spell had been cancelled. "Ooo! Of course" She was enamoured, and of course most ponies there were generally awed at her presence. She watched the silly earth pony rush off, as Celestia politely conversed, asking questions about the production and each persons role. A master at getting ponies to talk and feel generally at ease around her. Painted Wings and Gluon came back. "He's ready for you." They smiled. Luna bowed her head. Her voice was hoarse, as if she'd been using the Canterlot voice for a bit too long. Must have been all the singing. She wound her way into the back rooms, knocking upon the door at the end. "Comet?" The door opened inwards, it wasn't locked or completely closed. She saw Comet sitting on a chair, still in full make up. Her double, leaning back against a chair, pouring himself two glasses of wine. "Luna." No formalities. He seemed, content, happy. "We did it... wanna drink up to that?" Without words, she pushed forward, and unceremoniously pulled him into a tight hug that her guards would have frowned upon. "I understand know why you kept so much of it from me, it was absolutely marvelous. I think Celestia cried." She smirked, her own fur still soaked. They nuzzled each other, it was a performance, it had just been a show, but it had been done as close to perfection as you can get. "I was a great Luna wasn't I? Learned from the best." They shared a special connection from that. It was a bit fun hearing him sound like himself again. "I think we'll do three more shows and then we're done and I retire." And with that he emptied his wine glass. Luna sipped at hers, she had never been much for alcohol. "I will be staying on at the theater," She admitted. "If for no other reason than to remain as producer or creative overseer, I love seeing all the ponies working and making ideas come to life. Even Celestia said how nice it was to see me out of my room and mingling for once." She said sheepishly. "This is my first show I've ever seen, I can't let it go away now." He poured himself another glass. Luna frowned, but said nothing about her disapproval. "You're welcome to do that, though I think you'll give Bitterweed quite a heart attack on that. He's got a lot of ideas. I can still do non-singing roles or perhaps comedy, and we'll see about trying to learn some fillies to fill in these shoes." His hooves still adorned the silver shoes. They were done well, proportionally his hooves were larger than hers, but because she was twice the regular pony size, they matched up pretty well. Luna smiled a bit. "I want to give you something, Comet. Something I think you'v earned. Provided of course you promise you'll hang onto it and not go pawning it off at the nearest opportunity," She said dismissively. "A gift? You've saved the show, my performance and the future of the theatre." He laughed a little, leaning back. "What is it Luna? If you're planning on giving me a longer lease on your voice I won't have it... its nice and it saved the show, but eventually pony would notice that I sound exactly like you." Luna rolled her eyes. "My voice is my voice, and besides, I need it. There are several magical items in the Castle that Celestia and I need our voices to activate." She didn't go into any further detail as to what those were. "Come with me." In a flash, she had teleported him. He found himself in what was unmistakably her personal, inner bedroom, a place few stallions had ever seen. It was not an inappropriate encounter, however, for she seemed to have more interest in her closet than in him, and was already heading towards it. Comet shook himself, a little disoriented by the teleport. "Your..." He looked around. "This is the castle! That's quite a teleport." Pish posh. "It's.. uh also my first time teleporting, never done before, it was very intense." Her double shook himself and followed her into the closet. It was almost as if Comet tried to carry himself with grace and dignity befitting his role, though without slipping quite into the character. Luna just smiled. "Yes, it is." She said, and reached into a box on the bottom corner. She pulled out a large necklace, one with a flower in the center. It was inset with gold and sapphire, but appeared to have not been touched in decades. "I want you to have this, Comet." She said gently. "You've earned it." He had her slip it on around his neck. Smiling, looking appreciative yet royally dignified. "I thank you for this gracious gift, it will be a good reminder in the years to come." He stated kindly with a raised hoof to his chest, then slipped out of his role and back to being Comet. His hoof raised to touch it. "Its beautiful Luna, thank you." Luna just continued looking at him knowingly. He could not possibly know of its significance. "What you wear now was once the Element of Rejuvenation. Its wearers have long since left this world, and its power has long since faded, but it still an item of importance and sentimentality to me, please do be careful with it. I have never seen a cast so small bring such power and life to a room so large, it is fitting of you." He was visibly impressed, and nodded. "Its not something you'll see me wear in my everyday life, but I'll keep it in my safe and remember it. Thankfully few ponies steal from the theatre, nothing really valuable, its all glitter and golden paint." The horse shoes were slipped off. "Would you believe that these aren't really silver, they just worked a thin, thin layer of silver on top of regular metal." The Night Princess was cheerful, their relationship was a casual one, and he was able to call her a personal friend. "Is something wrong?" She had been around enough ponies to be able to sense when something wasn't quite right. "Oh.. nothing, just got a little moved all of a sudden." He sniffed. "A couple of more years, and I won't act anymore, and all this dress up is going to happen to a lucky filly with the right talent, who can't stand my instruction. I could still be a mare in comedy, but I don't know if I'll do that. I'm a drama actor, not a comedian." Tears built in his eyes. The end was coming, and he started crying. The Princess of the Night suddenly got an idea, and a mischievous grin crossed her features. She moved in to wrap her wings around him, hugging as if to console him. Her horn glowed brightly. Her change was extremely subtle and graceful, so it was hard at first to notice how long his mane had become, or how slim his build was, or even the extra grace to his legs. Simple cosmetic spells at first. Those weren't the ones that would do the final change, a spell that would rework him through and through. Just little things to get the body into a more right shape. His cryings distracted him for a while, as he was comforted by her wings. Slowly though as the amount of magic increased gradually, he was starting to glow. He stepped back a few steps. "Wha.. what are you doing?" He looked confused as he saw the magic buzzing around him. "Ensuring your future," Luna said. He was the closest thing to a best friend that she had, and she had no reservations in showing him how much he meant to her. Her eyes glowed and took on a ghostly look, her hooves lifting slightly off the floor as powerful magic drained into him. The more complex a spell, the more power needed to perform it. Thankfully the moon was at full, and she was good at what she did. Though even then this was taxing on her strength. They both lifted off the ground, he looked a little scared, and then calmed down and closed his eyes. She watched air around him ignite, as the spell finally locked together. Landing gently she saw the cocoon of light descend and slowly evaporate. Comet, stood shakily on her four graceful legs, all the make up having evaporated. She gasped and stood up suddenly, managing to say a few sounds before her hoofs flew up to her mouth. "I'm… I'm…" She was agasp, shocked, and her face spread in a smile. Her hinds lifted in turn.. she giggled a little in disbelief. "You.. how…" Wordless for once. Luna gestured towards her full size mirror, to give her friend her first look at her new body. "When you are personal friends with Princess Luna, anything is possible." She said casually. Comet looked with disbelief at the mare in the mirror. "Will this wear off in the morning?" She asked wonderingly, her voice was very similar to Comet's when he was speaking more in character, but it was a natural voice, not something he put on. "No." Luna shook her head. For a moment, she second guessed herself, wondered if she had done the right thing. But she had seen into Comets dreams, saw how much he desired it. "You look lovely." When Luna said no, Comet was mollified and relaxed more, resting on the chair. "I can continue acting, I really can…" Rapture was what she was reading on Comet, utter joy. "I.. what are we going to explain to the others? Its going to sound strange that you gave this as a gift." Another voice joined them as a white alicorn entered the room. "Or maybe a certain Comet finally achieved perfection, and Luna was there to witness the transformation." She graciously offered as an explanation, looking at Luna with a mischievous smirk in her eyes. Looking proud as well. "There is one last thing I'd like to ask you." She offered. "If ever you find yourself short of work, you will always find a job at the Castle as our personal drama advisor. There are many young fillies and colts just bursting with talent, who simply need a light to guide them. For now, however, the theater lives," Luna said. "The theater lives," Comet agreed. Author's Note Unfortunately this was one of those projects that sort of derailed as it went on. My friend and I wrote it together, and it just didn't seem to go where we wanted it. Neither of us liked how it ended but it was a decent exercise in story writing. Just glad to finally finish it and get it out there so I can focus on other things. Also reading the first letter of every chapter will reveal best pony.
