Mother Moon, Daughter Snow

Chapters

Stargazing
Not an Ice Pony
Cold Hearted
Chilling Out
An Ent-ice-ing Offer

Stargazing

As the sun fell below the horizon, Luna focused on elevating the moon into the sky. She felt her magic grip the moon, pulling it across the now dark Equestrian sky. Soon, the moon cast its light on the world, signaling the beginning of the night and sending the ponies of Equestria off to bed.

Luna observed the night sky, smiling at the stars as they twinkled in the sky, and the moon as it illuminated the night sky. Never as brilliant as the sun, but far more subtle and gentle in its shine, the moon's light shined beautifully for everypony to see. The stars were less bright than the moon, but they were beautiful all the same. The night sky was one of the most amazing things Luna had ever known.

Yet ponies slept right through them, only coming out to work and play during the day. Their complete ignorance of the beauty of the night always filled Luna with sorrow. It was occasionally accompanied by other emotions: despair at forever being ignored, jealousy at the ease with which Celestia could make ponies fall to her feet, and anger at the ponies who slept through her night and lived alongside the sun.

However, there was one pony who truly knew how to appreciate Luna’s night. And as far as she was concerned, it was the only pony who mattered.

“Mommy?”

Luna turned around. She was a light blue pegasus filly with a white curly mane and a pair of cloudy eyes. She was Snowdrop, Luna’s daughter.

Snowdrop had grown quite a bit since Luna had taken her in, and she was now a happy filly who was always eager to please and comfort her mother. They were rarely ever seen apart from each other, unless Snowdrop was at school or Luna was busy in one of her royal meetings. Indeed, they could not imagine living without each other.

“Hello, Snowdrop,” said Luna as Snowdrop walked onto the balcony. “I just finished raising the moon.”

“How does the moon look tonight, mommy?”

“It is quite beautiful,” Luna said with a smile. She then quietly added “I just wish more ponies would say that to me.”

“I wish I could see you raise the moon,” Snowdrop said, slowly turning her head towards the ground sadly.

“I know,” Luna said as she knelt down and wrapped her wing around her daughter. “But you don’t need to see to do great things, Snowdrop.”

“You always say that.”

The blue alicorn bit her lip. She knew her daughter’s blindness had always been a great obstacle for her, no matter how much she tried to help her. Indeed, Luna often felt guilty for not being able to heal her filly’s eyes even when she could raise the moon with ease.

Even so, she knew the risks of telling Snowdrop everything she knew, and so had to be very careful with the words she chose.

“I'm... sorry I cannot tell you more,” Luna said finally. “But I do know that you will be able to find your path one day.”

“Do you think so?”

“I know so,” said Luna. “You're a very special filly, my little snow princess, and you are strong enough to find your way in this world, even without your eyes to help you.”

Snowdrop smiled and wrapped her hooves around her mother, who gladly returned the filly’s embrace with her wing.

“Do you want to go visit the stars now?” asked Luna.

“Yes, please!” Snowdrop said excitedly as she released her grip on her mother. She in turn grabbed Snowdrop with her wings and lifted her onto her back. Once she was secure, Luna opened her wings and took off into the night sky.

As Luna flew across the sky, she could hear the dreams of the many ponies in Equestria. Many of them dreamed of serving Princess Celestia, becoming royalty themselves, or playing in the company of Celestia. All in the brilliant glory of the day.

Dreams about the night were much rarer, and they were always bad. They included monsters which chased fillies and colts, mares and stallions who were captured by evildoers and forced into slavery, and many other ghastly scenarios. No matter what happened, a dream could be guaranteed to be bad when the night was included.

Even worse, nopony ever dreamed about Luna.

“Are we there yet, mommy?”

Luna shook herself from her thoughts.

“We are almost there, Snowdrop,” she stammered. In the distance, she could see a white fluffy cloud awaiting them. She began to slow down as she approached it, delicately landing on top of it.

“Here we are,” she said as she gently lifted Snowdrop off her back with her wings and deposited her on the surface of the cloud next to her. The two ponies then turned towards the night sky and the many stars it held.

While Luna stared at the sky with her eyes wide open, Snowdrop closed her eyes. As she did so, she remembered the first time she had been taken out to gaze at the stars.

“Mommy, what are stars?” asked Snowdrop.

“They are tiny points of light that shine alongside the moon and help it illuminate the sky at night,” said Luna. “That's why they are the moon's friends.”

Snowdrop turned her head towards the sky.

“That’s nice,” she said sullenly. “They probably look very pretty right now, don’t they?”

“I… suppose so,” Luna said uncomfortably. “But can you not hear them?”

“What do you mean?”

The Princess of the night extended her wing over her filly, holding her close as she explained the magic of the stars.

“Not many ponies can hear it, but when the stars shine in the night sky, they twinkle very quietly. But you have the best ears I’ve ever seen, my little snow princess. I know you’ll be able to hear them.”

As her mother finished her explanation, Snowdrop closed her eyes. There was a soft breeze blowing through the clouds around them, and slow breaths taken in by both ponies. But she couldn't hear a thing.

“All I hear is quiet,” she said sadly. “I’d rather see them.”

Luna sighed as she watched her daughter's sadness. She knew that there was nothing she could do to heal Snowdrop’s eyes, but it always pained her to see the little pegasus’ unhappiness.

“You don’t need to see them to wish on them.”

Snowdrop turned towards Luna in surprise.

“What do you mean by wish?” she asked. “You can wish on them?”

“Indeed,” said Luna. “A long time ago, before Celestia and I came, the stars were rare, and ponies couldn’t wish on them. But then, I took over, and I made sure that the night sky was always full of many stars so that ponies could have their wishes come true.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

The dark blue alicorn smiled. The awe and amazement in her daughter’s voice never failed to fill her with joy.

“Yes, it certainly is,” she said.

“Do you think if I wished hard enough they would let me see them?”

There it was. The inevitable question.

“I... suppose they might,” she said. “However, the truth is I’m not sure.”

“Why?” asked Snowdrop. “Didn't you say that my wishes could come true if I wished on them?”

“I did,” said Luna. “But not always. There are some wishes that not even stars can make true. And there are other wishes that stars don’t like to grant.”

“What do you mean?” Snowdrop asked worriedly. “What kinds of wishes?”

“Most of them are selfish wishes,” said Luna. “The kind you make only for yourself, and not for others.”

“Oh,” said Snowdrop, her head dropping in sadness. “I guess that means they won’t let me see, since I’ll only be asking for something for myself, rather than something to help other ponies.”

“Oh, of course not,” Luna said reassuringly. “Don’t you think that you could do great things for other ponies if you could see?”

The little filly stopped for a moment as she considered her mother’s words. As she did so, she felt Luna nuzzling her tenderly.

“As long as you wish to help others, your wishes shall never be selfish, my little snow princess. And who knows? Perhaps one day the stars shall grant your wish.”

Snowdrop yawned contentedly as she thought about the stars. To her tired surprise, she could hear a very quiet sound, like a pin dropping from half a castle away.

“Mommy?” said Snowdrop. “I think I hear the twinkles.”

Luna smiled happily as the tired filly spoke to her.

“I’m glad you can,” she said happily. “Now why don’t you make your wish, like you always do?”

Upon seeing the little filly nod, Luna lifted her onto her shoulders, sitting up as high as she could. Snowdrop, meanwhile, pointed her head towards the stars.

“Hello stars. I know you have a lot of wishes to listen to, and I don’t know if you can make them all come true. And maybe you think my wish is too selfish. My mother says it isn't, but maybe you think so. But if you don’t think so…”

Snowdrop paused for a brief moment. She had made that very wish many times. Maybe the stars really thought her wish was selfish. Maybe her mother was wrong, and they didn't have the power to grant her wishes. Maybe she was destined to be unable to see for the rest of her life.

However, she pushed her fears aside. She would not allow herself to be defeated by her fears.

I've never been able to see anything. There are so many things that ponies talk about that I can’t understand, and I wish I could. Worse, everypony thinks that I can’t do anything. They never say it because my mother is a princess, but I know that they think it. And… I want to show them that I’m not useless.

“I wish that I could see.”

As she finished, she gave out a big yawn. Sensing that she was losing her balance, Luna caught her in her magic, then placed her down on the cloud and blanketed her with her wing.

“Tell me about the stars like you always do, mommy.”

“Of course, my little snow princess,” said Luna. “Close your eyes and I will tell you everything.”

Snowdrop smiled as she closed her eyes, and nodded slowly. Satisfied, Luna looked up into the night sky and began to speak.

“There are many different kinds of stars, in many different shapes and sizes,” said Luna. “However, they all have little points at their edges, and when they sparkle, their shapes shift, and they leave little glowing spaces, but only for a moment. Many stars shine alone, but there are others who join together with other stars to form drawing in the sky, which we call constellations. Those stars remind us of the past, and tell us stories. Then there are stars which always point in the same direction, so ponies can use them to find their way when they're lost. And the few that streak across the sky and fall down to the earth, the shooting stars, are the ones you make your strongest wishes on, because they can carry them through.”

Snowdrop yawned as her mother finished her lesson. Sleepy though she was, she was still excited to hear every word her mother was saying.

“That's so nice,” she said quietly.

“Of course it is,” said Luna. Having said that, she looked up towards the stars, observing them with a melancholy gaze. In her mind, she wondered if it would be bad to remain like this forever, with her daughter in her loving embrace under the light of the moon and the stars.

She didn't know how long she sat on her cloud. For all she knew, it could have been hours, though it was much more likely it was only a few minutes. However, when she turned back to look at her daughter, she saw her fast asleep under her wing.

Luna couldn't help but feel sad at the sight. It meant that her favorite ritual, stargazing with Snowdrop, was now over. However, she was also happy, as she knew that she had spent valuable time doing what she loved the most. But more importantly, she knew that, no matter how many ponies rejected her night, there would always be one little filly who spent them with her.

As gently as possible, she lifted Snowdrop off the cloud and onto her back. Once she was certain that her filly was secure on her back, she took off into the sky, flying back towards Everfree City.

Author's Note

Hello everyone!

So, this is a little story I've been playing with for more than a year. Basically, I began to toy with the idea that Snowdrop would have been orphaned, leading her to be adopted by Luna. After some discussion with my proofreader, the idea started to evolve, eventually forming a story which I hope I will be able to write into something good.

My proofreader and I have been busy as of late, though, so neither of us have had as much time to work on this or anything else as we would have liked. Hopefully that will change soon.

With that said, I really hope that you guys enjoy this. And I also hope that I can work on this (and my other stories) without much trouble.

Not an Ice Pony

Author's Note

Yes, most of the chapter titles are going to be terrible ice-related puns.

Not an Ice Pony

Snowdrop didn’t like going to school. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy learning, or the fact that it meant that she was unable to spend time with her mother. No, the problem was her classmates. For the most part they were quite polite to her, and many of them quite helpful to boot. However, she was able to tell when ponies were trying to suck up to her due to her status as a member of the royal family, or if they were offering her assistance simply because they thought her blindness made her unable to do anything for herself.

Oh well, she said to herself. Let’s get this over with.

Sighing softly, she pushed the doors open. She then entered the building and navigated her way towards her seat, being careful not to bump into anything or anypony. While she knew the schoolhouse well enough to walk through it without any problem whatsoever, she had spent her first few days learning her way, which had earned her more than a few condescending remarks. These had quickly been replaced by insincere apologies once everypony had discovered she was the daughter of Princess Luna.

“Good morning, everypony,” said her teacher, Ms. Windith.

“Good morning, Ms. Windith,” the foals said.

“Well now,” she said, “today we’re going to learn about how the earth ponies grow the crops that feed us all!”

“That’s boring!” said a voice. Snowdrop recognized it as her classmate Cumulo Nimbus. “It’s just putting seeds into the ground and waiting for them to grow!”

Snowdrop sighed. It was going to be one of those days.

“As a matter of fact,” said Ms. Windith, “the farming of crops is an extremely complex process that only earth ponies can perform. Believe me, by the time we’re finished, you won’t think of it as boring anymore!”

As Cumulo Nimbus groaned and slammed her head onto her desk, Snowdrop couldn’t help but chuckle.

“And once the final crops have been harvested, the land needs to rest before it can produce more. That’s the only reason winter exists in the first place.”

Snowdrop couldn’t help but feel sad as her teacher said this. She had been born on the day of winter solstice, and the season held a special place in her heart.

“Well, winter isn’t that bad.”

Although Snowdrop could not see her classmates, she knew that they were all looking towards her in shock, and possibly anger as well. Still, she refused to turn away from Ms. Windith, hoping that she would be allowed to elaborate.

“And why do you think so, Snowdrop?”

Snowdrop grinned and began to explain.

“Well, the land is usually full of lots of noise, but in winter there’s peace and quiet. And families who usually spend most of their time apart all snuggle up together next to the fireplace. In fact, even the cold isn’t as much of a bother once you get used to it.”

“I see,” said Ms. Windith. “Well, you certainly have an interesting way of thinking, Snowdrop.”

Snowdrop smiled briefly, but sighed once Ms. Windith went back to her lecture. She could sense that she had only complimented her to make her feel better. Even now, she could hear her classmates grumbling to themselves, complaining about the short days, the lack of productivity, and above all, the cold.

If there was one thing she wished for more than the gift of sight, it was for winter to be appreciated.

“Well, now we’ve heard enough about winter,” said Cumulo Nimbus, pulling Snowdrop out of her thoughts. “But I still don’t understand this whole ‘Earth Pony Magic’ thing. I mean, Unicorns have horns and we have wings. Unicorns have their magic for lifting the sun and moon, and pegasi can control the weather and fly and whatnot. But what do earth ponies have that makes them magic? And for that matter, why can’t pegasi and unicorns just get rid of the earth ponies and do everything themselves? We’re the ones who have powers, and they just work on the ground-”

“Cumulo! Were you not listening to my lesson?!” Ms. Windith said angrily. “Earth ponies are just as important as any unicorn or pegasus! Whenever they’re tending to their crops, their hooves constantly come into contact with the seeds, soil, and tools they use. Their hooves pass on their magic onto these objects, giving them the necessary strength to grow into the crops that we eat!”

“Yeah, but I don’t get it. If the earth pony magic makes everything grow, why can't they use it to make the land get ready for growing immediately?”

“Magic does not work that way,” said Ms. Windith. “While it is true that earth pony magic is what gives life to the earth, it can actually damage the land if it is used improperly, or if too much is applied. That is why we need to give the land time to rest.”

“Well, why does winter have to be so cold and dark?!”

“Because winter is like the earth’s night,” said Snowdrop. “The earth needs to rest, like ponies do, so wouldn’t it need it to be cold and dark?”

“That’s a very good explanation, Snowdrop,” said Ms. Windith. “Now, let’s all go off to lunch!”

Snowdrop smiled and nodded. At the same time, however, she could hear Cumulo Nimbus growling at her.

The little blind filly sat on a bench as she ate one of her crystal berries. She listened intently to her surroundings to find out what each of her classmates was doing. She also tried her best to make sure nopony would bother her while she ate.

“Can I sit here?”

Snowdrop paused at the voice. She recognized it as one of her classmates, Firefly.

“Of course,” she said. “Nopony’s sitting there.”

“Thanks,” the young filly said. “By the way, I liked how you told Cumulo why winter needs to be cold.”

“I’m glad you did,” said Snowdrop. “The truth is, even if it is cold and dark, I actually like winter.”

“Well, it’s not something that most ponies would enjoy, but I think it’s pretty cool if you like it.”

Snowdrop smiled happily. Unlike most of her classmates, Firefly was genuinely friendly and helpful towards her.

“So, what are you having today?” asked Snowdrop.

“A daisy sandwich and some carrots,” said Firefly. “You?”

“Daffodil salad and crystal berries.”

“Crystal berries?” said Firefly. “What are those?”

“They’re these berries that they used to grow in the Crystal Empire,” said Snowdrop. “Mommy says there's a special place for them at the castle, because the Crystal Empire doesn't make them any more.”

Firefly shifted forward. “Why don't they?”

“Mommy never told me.”

“Oh,” said Firefly. “I guess that’s why I’ve never heard of them.”

“Yeah,” Snowdrop said as she picked up one of her berries. “Here, you can have one.”

“Are you sure?” said Firefly. “I mean, if they’re really rare, and they’re yours, shouldn’t you keep them?”

“No, I’d be happier if we could share them.”

Snowdrop kept holding the berry in her outstretched hoof. After a moment, she could feel Firefly’s hesitant hoof picking out the berry.

“Thanks,” she said.

“You’re welcome.”

As the last students made their way back to their chairs, Ms. Windith began to pass out papers.

“We have a quiz today!” she said. “It shouldn’t be too hard as long as everypony made sure to listen to our lessons throughout this week!”

As a few students groaned, Ms. Windith rolled her eyes. As she passed out the quizzes, she stopped next to one particular filly.

“Here’s your quiz, Snowdrop.”

The light-blue filly smiled and took her quiz. Ms. Windith smiled back, then moved onto the next pony.

“Why does she get her own special quiz?”

The older pony sighed. It was this again.

“Snowdrop needs her own special materials because of her... condition,” she explained. “We’ve gone through this before, Cumulo Nimbus.”

“Which condition? Her eyes or her royalty?” said Cumulo Nimbus. “I mean, everypony gives her what she wants just because she has ‘special’ eyes!”

“That’s enough, Cumulo,” said Ms. Windith. “Please stop complaining. You have a quiz to take.

Cumulo Nimbus sighed in frustration as she turned towards her quiz.

Why do we even need to know this? She thought to herself. There are no earth ponies in this class!

She turned her attention to Snowdrop. The blind filly was currently deep in thought, poking her quill at her quiz. Cumulo Nimbus eyed her furiously.

“You think you’re so special, don't you?” Her voice was barely a whisper, loud enough only for Snowdrop to hear.

“Yeah, everyone sees you and says oh look at her, she can't see, so we should give her all sorts of special treatment! But that's not enough, you're also the daughter of one of the princesses! Well, it still doesn't change the fact that you can't do anything!”

“Time's up!”

Shocked by the sudden announcement. Cumulo Nimbus looked back down at her quiz. To her horror, it was completely blank. She desperately grabbed a quill to try to answer any question she could, but her paper was picked up before she could do anything. Ms. Windith took one look at her quiz, and proceeded to glare at her disappointment.

For a moment, the pink filly stared blankly at her desk. She could hardly believe she had messed up as badly as she had.

“You know,” Snowdrop said quietly, “if you're going to tell me that I can't do anything, you should at least try to show what you can do by yourself.”

The light blue filly made her way out of the schoolhouse. Winter was in full swing; the chilly wind was blowing, the ground was frosty beneath her hooves, and she knew that clouds were gathering above even if she couldn’t see them. While she knew her classmates would disagree with her, she loved the cold and the peace.

“Hey Snowdrop!”

She groaned as she heard somepony call her name. She knew exactly who it was.

“Hey, Cirrus.”

“So, how'd you do on your quiz?”

“I certainly hope I did well,” said Snowdrop. “My mother would be quite disappointed if I didn't.”

“Yeah... your mother,” said Cirrus. “She's Princess Celestia's sister, right?”

“Princess Luna,” said Snowdrop. “Yes, she's auntie Celestia's sister. And she’s just as important as Celestia.”

“Uh, sure!” said Cirrus. “She’s important! And your her daughter, so you’re really important too, right?”

Snowdrop held back a sigh as Cirrus rambled on. She'd had this conversation several times already, both with him and with several other colts and fillies. All they wanted was to get on her good side in order to get easy access to Princess Celestia. It was incredibly frustrating for her.

Somewhere in the back of her head, a tiny voice was calling out, urging her to buck Cirrus in his smug little face.

But that would be wrong, she thought. After all, he hasn't really done anything to me. And even if he did, mommy always says that I'm not supposed to seek revenge for what other ponies do to me.

Regardless, the voice refused to listen. It said that she was royalty, and thus was allowed to do whatever she wanted.

But just because I’m royalty doesn’t make me better than anypony else, thought Snowdrop. Mommy tells me that we must always treat everypony with respect, no matter who they are.

Now angry, the voice kept talking, telling her that there were other ponies who did not deserve respect, and that needed to be put in their place.

No, thought Snowdrop. I’d never stoop to that level.

“So what do you say?” asked Cirrus.

“Excuse me?” said Snowdrop, momentarily distracted from the voice. Cirrus groaned in frustration.

“I was saying you could let me visit your home one of these days?” said Cirrus.

Snowdrop clenched her teeth as the voice kept screaming at her to beat him up.

“Oh, I don't know,” she said, doing her best to keep her voice steady. “My mother is very busy, after all, and I don't know if she'd have time to talk to a friend.”

“But what about Princess Celes-”

“Oh it's getting very late. I need to go before she thinks something happened to me!”

Before Cirrus could say another word, Snowdrop had already run away as fast as she could.

Cold Hearted

Luna walked through the library’s vast archives. Rows upon rows of shelves stretched out before her, each one carrying thousands of ancient books full of unimaginable knowledge. Few ponies even knew of the existence of these dusty old tomes, but those who did dreamed of one day reading every single one of the precious books.

And yet there was only one book she was searching for.

So many books, holding such great information, and yet the one book that she hoped could answer her daughter’s prayers eluded her. She knew that, if she could find it, there was so much she could learn.

Perhaps even grant Snowdrop’s greatest wish.

No amount of determination could help her, however, if she could not find the book. And as Luna searched through the multitude of similar-looking books, all with dusty, ancient spines with faded titles, she began to wonder if it even existed. Even as the rational part of her mind told her that it definitely was here, and she just had to search harder, her thoughts turned back towards the many days she had already spent seeking her prize. As she did, she shuddered at the thought of wasting her days searching in vain, losing valuable time she could have spent with Snowdrop.

It was then that she saw it. One of the books, thought initially as inconspicuous as any other, had a particularly bright title etched onto its spine. Luna read it, grinning excitedly as she realized what it was.

“I found it!”

Excited, Luna reached out for it with her magic.

“Please tell me you can help me, father.”

“Welcome back, your highness.”

Snowdrop nodded in response, indifferent to the gesture of the guard. She simply walked towards her room, too irritated to speak to anypony. When she arrived, she slammed the door behind her.

“Stupid foals!” she yelled out. She then threw herself onto her bed and began to punch at it in frustration.

“They never want to be my friends! They never even care about my mommy! All they care about is Celestia!”

Snowdrop continued to take her frustrations out on her bed for several minutes. As she calmed down, she reached out for her nightstand and pulled a soft rounded object towards herself.

“Hello, Bonko,” she said as she held her plush clown in her hooves. “You don't really care that much about auntie Celestia, right?”

The plush made no response.

I guess nopony likes my mommy because they don’t like the night, she thought to herself. It’s cold, and dark, just like winter. They only like it when it’s light and warm.

What is light, though? Mommy says that when it’s light you can see everything. But I can’t see, so does that mean I live in darkness? Is that why I prefer the night and winter rather than the day and the summer? If I could see, would I prefer the day too?

And if I did…

“Snowdrop? Are you there?”

The young pegasus was pulled out of her thoughts by a stern voice outside her room. Even so, she did not move.

“Go away, Aunt Celestia!”

She heard the door open, then hoofsteps approaching her.

“You are a princess, Snowdrop,” said Celestia, her voice full of disapproval. “It is unbecoming of you to sulk in your room like this.”

Snowdrop gritted her teeth.

“Maybe I wouldn’t be sulking if other ponies didn’t want to talk to me just to get your attention!” Snowdrop said angrily. “All you have to do is raise your stupid sun and everypony loves you! Mother raises the moon, fills the sky with stars, and protects everypony’s dreams, and nopony ever says anything about how hard she works!”

“DO YOU BLAME ME FOR YOUR OWN FAILURES?!!”

Snowdrop flinched at Celestia’s Royal Voice.

“Perhaps you have forgotten that I am in charge of all diplomatic affairs in our country, Snowdrop. I meet with all dignitaries, nobles, and other important ponies who come to us, and I write the various treaties and decrees that keep our nation afloat. I deal with all our paperwork, and whenever there is an important event, I represent the entire Equestrian royal family. Do you honestly think that ponies appreciate me simply because I raise the sun?”

Snowdrop did not say anything. She simply growled at Celestia.

“Come. It is nearly time for dinner, and you must look presentable.”

Why? It’s not even one of those fancy parties where everypony gets to fawn over you, Snowdrop thought angrily. However, she did not say anything, and simply climbed off the bed to follow Celestia.

After dinner, the two alicorns walked down the hallway together. As they did, Celestia noticed that Luna seemed to be glaring at her.

“Is something wrong, sister?”

“I believe I should be the one asking, sister,” said Luna.

Celestia rolled her eyes.

“Snowdrop appears to have had problems at school,” she said. “And she saw it fit to blame them on me.”

“Oh my,” said Luna, her voice heavy with sarcasm. “Why could that be?”

“She was upset that everypony appreciates my days and shuns your nights.”

“And is it wrong for her to wish they loved me as much as they love you?”

“No,” said Celestia. “But you have done little to actually deserve their love.”

Luna felt her heart fill with rage.

“I bring forth the moon, giving Equestria the gift of the night! I have painted tapestries of stars across the skies in order for ponies to bask in their beauty! And I journey into the dreams of ponies to ensure their safety!”

“And what value is there in any of these achievements?” asked Celestia. “In the day, ponies produce food, fuel, buildings, and everything that makes life in Equestria possible. Your skies may be beautiful, but there is no use or value to something that merely looks pretty. And what use is there to protecting a pony’s dreams if you cannot protect them in their waking hours?”

For a moment, Luna tried to respond, but she was unable to find anything to say.

“You waste your time making your night beautiful for our little ponies,” said Celestia. “And the only pony who even bothers to acknowledge it is incapable of seeing its beauty.”

Luna glared at her sister, and then walked off towards her balcony.

As Luna lifted the moon into the sky, the anger she felt towards Celestia lingered. Why should she bother doing her job if nopony ever appreciated it? Everypony loved Celestia’s bright days, so wouldn’t they be happier if there was no night? Wouldn’t it be better for everypony if the sun stayed in the sky forever?

The more rational part of her mind told her that this was a flawed assumption, however. If the sun stayed in the sky constantly, the entire world would suffer for it. The land would become much too hot for anypony to live, evaporating water sources and wilting plants. And even without such disastrous scenarios, the ponies of Equestria needed time to rest in order to properly function.

But why did they always have to sleep during the night? Would it be too much to ask for just a few of them to be nocturnal?

“Mommy? Are you all right?”

Luna quickly pushed her thoughts and feelings aside and turned towards Snowdrop.

“Of course I am,” she said, keeping her voice as calm as possible. “Why would I not be?”

“I heard you arguing with Aunt Celestia earlier. Did you two have another fight?”

Luna bit her lip. She did not want to impose her own problems onto Snowdrop.

“It wasn’t anything you have to worry about, my little snow princess. Merely a disagreement.”

“You have a lot of those, don’t you mommy?”

Luna sighed sadly. It was true that there were many things she and Celestia disagreed about. However, the last thing she wanted was for them to affect Snowdrop.

“Do not worry, Snowdrop. Everything is just fine.”

“Well, if you say so,” said Snowdrop, an uncertain expression on her face.

“Come now,” said Luna. “The stars are awaiting your visit.”

A small smile crept up onto Snowdrop’s face as she walked into her mother’s embrace. Luna then lifted her onto her back and flew off into the sky.

Chilling Out

Sundays were much quieter than most days of the week. The Everfree castle was closed for business, official or otherwise, which meant the princesses were free to do whatever they saw fit. And naturally, Luna spent every moment of it with Snowdrop.

“Come on, mommy, I want to play with the ducks!”

“Don’t you worry, my little snow princess,” said Luna. “Those ducks aren’t going anywhere.”

The little snow-blue pegasus giggled as her mother nuzzled her gently, then picked her up with her magic and placed her on back. They then made their way towards the royal garden. As they entered the grassy fields, Snowdrop was greeted by the sounds of birds and squirrels, the fresh breeze flowing through her mane, and the warmth of Celestia’s sun.

“It’s a really nice day today, isn’t it, mommy?”

“It is,” said Luna. “It looks so beautiful.”

“It does?” said Snowdrop. “I wish I could see it.”

Luna smiled sympathetically at her daughter’s wishes.

“You don’t need to see it. You can hear and feel and smell it, can’t you?”

“Well, I guess I can.”

“That’s all you need to enjoy this. Now why don’t you go chase some ducks?”

Snowdrop smiled and nodded, and then ran off in the direction of the quacking. As she ran, she listened to how they got louder as they got closer, and then began to shriek as they noticed her running in their direction. She then stopped for a brief moment as the ducks went silent.

Luna watched in fascination as the ducks regarded the white-maned pegasus filly which had interrupted their day of quacking and waddling around. She in turn was turning her head around, trying to figure out where they might have gone. Then, one of the ducks quacked at her, as if it was asking her politely to leave them alone.

“Ah! There you are!”

The ducks quacked out loud as Snowdrop started chasing them again. They then scattered in all directions, leaving her temporarily confused as the cacophony of quacks spread out, making it difficult to pinpoint any specific directions. Seeing that their pony pursuer had stopped, the ducks stopped as well, becoming silent once again and turning to stare at her in what seemed like a mix of curiosity and caution.

“Okay,” said Snowdrop. She closed her eyes, focusing on the sounds that surrounded her: the wind running through the trees, the ground crunching beneath her feet, the waves in the water, and the beating of her own heart.

“Where are you, duckies?”

As the wind flowed past her, she could hear something else. It was like her breathing, but it sounded somewhat different, more like some sort of animal. In addition, she could also smell mud and wet feathers.

“Gotcha!”

Snowdrop smiled as she began to run towards the closest duck she could find. It, in turn, began to waddle and flap its wings as fast as it could to avoid the incoming filly tackle. However, the filly in question opened her wings as well, pushing herself even faster to catch up to the duck. No matter how fast it moved, it couldn’t escape her, as she was getting closer and closer with each breath.

“Snowdrop!”

Luna could only watch as the duck made a mad dash straight into the pond, splashing down and swimming as hard as it could. Hearing the splash in front of her, Snowdrop panicked and tried to stop. Before she could do so, however, she tripped over a patch of loose grass, tumbling forth into the muddiest patch of pond possible.

As she emerged, she felt the dirty mud sticking all over her, and attempted to remove some of it off of her face. As she did so, she heard the ducks quacking all around her. Unlike before, when they had seemed shocked and alarmed, their quacking now sounded like laughter. A kind of laughter she was all too familiar with.

“Stop it.”

The quacking continued, becoming even louder and more mocking with every second.

“I said stop it,” said Snowdrop, her voice showing signs of anger.

If the ducks heard her, they paid her no heed.

“I SAID SHUT UP!!!”

An explosion of sound rumbled through the garden, which was followed by several scared quacks which became more distant as the sources moved farther and farther away. Snowdrop then felt her body being lifted out of the mud and into her mother’s warm embrace.

“Snowdrop!”

The blind filly gasped at the tone of Luna’s voice. She seemed angry, yet mostly worried.

“Why did you do that?”

Snowdrop bit her lip.

“They were laughing at me, mommy. I don’t like it when they laugh at me.”

Snowdrop closed her eyes and turned away. She was worried about what her mother would say. To her surprise, however, Luna did not scold her.

“Come, Snowdrop. You need a bath.”

While it was technically a bathtub, the royal tub was large enough to qualify as a small pool. Each handle and faucet was made of gold or diamond, and the edges were coated in silver. When completely full, the water level was deep enough that most ponies had to stand up on their hind legs for their heads to come above the water level. And unlike most bathtubs, it had much more than merely hot and cold water: it carried a variety of scented soaps, including strawberry, vanilla, cinnamon, mint, and Snowdrop’s favorite, primrose. In addition, there were bubbles in all sorts of colors, although for the purpose of bathing her daughter, Luna chose simple white bubbles.

Usually the little pegasus greatly enjoyed her baths; Luna’s delicate scrubbing helped her relax while she took in the warmth of the water and the sweetness of the primrose. Today, however, she had much on her mind. The incident with the ducks had reminded her of her first few days at her school and how everypony had laughed at her for being a useless blind foal. At the time she had simply sat in silence, listening to the way they mocked her. Even though her mother had instructed her teacher (Snowdrop was tempted to say threatened) to deal with the bullies, they continued to speak ill about her behind her back. And yet Snowdrop never attempted to get even with them.

“Mommy?” she said finally. “Are you mad with me?”

For a moment, Luna said nothing. However, as she rubbed shampoo into her daughter’s mane, she considered how much she could say without causing any sort of problems.

“I’m not angry,” she said finally. “I am merely worried. You seem to be… troubled.”

Snowdrop considered what her mother had said.

“When those ducks were quacking, it sounded like they were laughing at me,” she said. “It was like when I first went to school.”

“I understand,” said Luna. “What I don’t understand is why you lost your temper. You have always been such a sweet filly, Snowdrop. I would never imagine you yelling at anypony, much less in the Royal Voice.”

Snowdrop paused as she let her mother’s words sink in. She had often thought about getting even with the ponies who mocked her, yet she never did. But today she had yelled at a group of ducks who hadn’t even been trying to anger her, in the Royal Voice no less. She was actually surprised that she had even managed to shout in the voice at all, having long believed only her mother and aunt could use it.

How much harder would it be to yell at your stupid classmates, Snowdrop?

The white-maned filly pushed back the little voice in her head as Luna scrubbed her tail.

“I try not to, but it’s really hard sometimes,” said Snowdrop.

“I know it’s hard,” said Luna. “I often find myself wanting to take out my frustrations on Celestia, even though she holds no responsibility for any of my woes.”

“But if Celestia wasn’t there to raise the sun every day, wouldn’t ponies look up to you?” said Snowdrop. “Wouldn’t they adore you like they adore her?”

Once more, Luna chose not to answer. However, as she began to wash Snowdrop’s wings, she thought about how much Celestia was loved by her subjects, even though she took a mostly passive role in protecting Equestria. On the other hoof, the princess of the night actively protected the dreams of her little ponies, and created beautiful nights for her subjects to enjoy. And yet, because nopony was awake during the night, nopony could ever appreciate her work.

“We’re done,” she said finally, doing her best to forget any feelings of animosity she may have felt towards her sister or her subjects. “Now close your eyes, Snowdrop.”

Snowdrop obediently shut her eyes, and listened to the gentle hum of Luna’s magic. The next thing she knew, her body was splashed by water, and she felt the soap and suds being washed out of her mane, tail, and body.

Luna smiled and lifted her now clean filly out of the tub as she levitated a towel from the towel hangers and passed it over Snowdrop. First, she carefully dried out her body, and then moved on to her head and mane, making sure to get out as much water out as possible. Finally, she moved on to her tail, making sure not to pull too hard.

“How do you feel now, my little snow princess?”

Snowdrop shook her tail, then her hooves, and finally her head. She then turned towards her mother and smiled.

“As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” Luna said with a smile. “Now, why don’t we do our little dance?”

Snowdrop gasped in excitement and nodded. Then, she and Luna began to carry out their favorite little game.

“Moonlight, moonlight,
fireflies awake,
make a wish,
and do a little shake!”

The first verse had the two ponies bounce up and down while alternating between their left and right hooves. In the second verse, they held their heads next to the floor, covered their eyes with their hooves, then lifted their hooves, as if opening their eyes. Then, for the third verse, they closed their eyes and held their front hoof (Luna’s right, Snowdrop’s left) against their hearts, as if swearing to the stars above. Finally, they moved their bodies so that their flanks were just about facing each other and shook them.

Having finished their dance, both mother and child fell to the floor laughing.

As they both sat at the royal dining table, Luna watched as Snowdrop ate her ice cream. The little pegasus loved ice cream, whether it was vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or any other flavor. While she never quite said it, Luna believed that it had something to do with the fact that it was as cold as winter, which both she and her daughter greatly enjoyed unlike the many other ponies of Equestria.

Luna's mind briefly wandered to winter. It was the part of the year when the earth ponies let the earth rest, and so the pegasi created snow to enable the process. In spite of its vital importance, few ponies liked it, as it was cold and dark, and so they spent most of their time indoors around their fires. It also reminded ponies of the windigos, which had nearly frozen all of Equestria while feeding on the hatred they felt.

Thus, while spring, summer, and fall were all considered to be special in one way or another, winter was seen as a nuisance which was only tolerated due to its importance in restoring the earth. It was similar to the night in that regard, which was regarded as nothing more than the time for ponies to rest to prepare them for the day. Because of this, Luna felt a special affinity for winter.

That, and the fact that Snowdrop had been born on the night of the Winter Solstice.

Today, the royal dessert chef was serving salted caramel ice cream with some freshly baked chocolate cake. The ice cream was half-melted due to the heat of the cake, soaking the cake in delicious cream. The result was one of the most delicious desserts either Luna or Snowdrop had ever tasted.

“It is excellent, Chocolate Cake,” said Luna.

“It's so amazing!” said Snowdrop.

“I appreciate your compliments,” said Chef Chocolate Cake. He was a rather tall and slender unicorn stallion with a beige coat and brown mane, and a chocolate bar for a cutie mark. His face was full of joy at being told that his newest creation was a success.

“Of course, I must ask why you are eating sweets right now. Not that it bothers me, your highness, but most ponies would be telling their foals not to spoil their appetites.”

“Well,” said Luna, “Snowdrop and I have been dealing with a few issues recently, and we needed something to lift our spirits.”

“I see,” said Chef Cake. “Does it have anything to do with your sister?”

Luna put her spoon down and sighed.

“It is nothing that you must concern yourself with, Chocolate Cake. I assure you I can resolve these issues on my own.”

“Well, if you insist,” said Chef Cake. “Of course while I am merely a chef, if you wish for advice, I’m always here to help.”

Luna smiled, then thought about Snowdrop’s problems.

“I don’t suppose you have any advice for my daughter?”

“What’s eating her?”

“Nothing!” Snowdrop said quickly. “I’m just fine!”

Chef Cake stared at her, attempting to get her to say something else. Meanwhile, Luna groaned.

Author's Note

The little variation on the "Sunshine" dance was inspired by this.

An Ent-ice-ing Offer

A short time after after tucking Snowdrop in for bed, Luna sat in her room, illuminated only by the light of the moon. Lying on her desk was the ancient book she had recovered a few nights prior. While it had a vast collection of ancient spells and incantations, none of them even came close to what she needed.

“Oh, father… did you not consider that a pony might need this?”

Still, she pressed on, seeking the spell which would be be able to help her.

“Princess, you are required for the night court.”

Luna lifted her head and glared at the guard who had come to her.

“Why should we be present for that? Nopony ever wishes to ask us for guidance. They only ever go to our sister.”

“Be that as it may, you are required to hold night court,” the guard said. “It is tradition. And you know how seriously your sister takes these matters.”

Luna huffed, but did not say anything.

“We shall be there shortly.”

As the guard nodded and walked away, Luna groaned. She then looked down towards the book.

“I’m sorry, Snowdrop.”

With the exception of a pair of guards and Luna, the throne room was empty. If the sun had been shining, there would have been ponies pouring in, impatient to make themselves heard. But since nopony was awake during the night, nopony ever showed up.

Luna poked idly at a strand of her mane in an attempt to entertain herself. Ultimately, all she could do was remind herself of how much time she was losing; time she could spend protecting the dreams of her subjects, creating beauty in the night sky, or finding the spell she so desperately needed.

Oh, why am I still here?! Nopony ever bothers to come to me!

“Princess Luna?”

The dark blue alicorn looked away from her mane, noticing a trio of ponies approaching her. One was a yellow earth pony mare with a pink mane, another a dark blue pegasus stallion with a light blue mane, and finally, a violet unicorn mare with a silver and blue mane. As far as Luna could tell, all three of them were commoners.

Luna was surprised to see them, though not particularly hopeful; ponies occasionally came to the night court, though it was invariably either to protest a verdict set down by Celestia, or to complain about the night. However, as the three ponies marched towards her, she noticed something different about them; they were looking at her not with fear, anger, or even indifference. Instead, they were looking upon her with adoration.

“Princess Luna!” the stallion said, stopping at the steps to the throne. “It is such an honor to meet you at last!”

Luna’s ears perked up. Nopony had ever told her that they’d been honored to meet her.

“Thou art… honored to meet us?”

“Your majesty, we have always held you in much higher regard than your sister,” said the stallion. “My name is Night Wing, and these are my associates, Posey and Twilight Lulamoon.”

He pointed his hoof at the earth pony mare, and then at the unicorn. Both mares bowed respectfully, before Twilight began to speak.

“Permission to speak freely, your majesty.”

“Permission granted,” Luna said, still surprised that these ponies had come to her.

“When I was a little filly, I had some terrible nightmares,” said Twilight. “I would be unable to sleep at night due to my nightmares, and I would be unable to stay awake in the day. My parents tried to help me, but there was little they could do for me.”

“Nightmares?” Luna asked. “Dost thou mean…”

“Yes, princess. One night, you came into my dreams and dispelled the nightmare. You then helped me realize that it was a projection of my own fear, and that I needed to overcome that on my own. If you hadn’t done so, I might never have gotten my cutie mark.”

The mare pointed towards her flank, which was adorned with a crescent moon surrounded by six-pointed stars. Seeing it, as well as hearing her story, gave Luna the smallest amount of pride.

“There’s more,” said Night Wing. “When I was young, I loved to watch the stars. I know that not many ponies stay up at night, but… there was always something comforting about the stars. And the moon is beautiful as well. It has always been an inspiration to me.”

“And the night is very important for everypony,” said Posey. “After all, the day is very loud and bright. It can be very disorienting sometimes. The night is peaceful and quiet, and even though some ponies don’t like the darkness, I think it has a unique sort of beauty to it.”

Luna tried to keep her neutral royal expression. However, the fact that there were three ponies standing before her who had come to appreciate the night like she’d always wanted was making it very hard for her to do so. Slowly, she allowed herself to smile.

“We… are honored that you think so,” she said finally. “But why have you not come sooner?”

“We were never quite sure what to think, your highness,” said Twilight. “I had only experienced your company in my dream, so I did not know if you were really there, or if it had been a dream. And we always believed that you would believe us to be beneath you. After all, we are not nobles or foreign dignitaries, or any sort of pony that could merit your attention.”

Luna sighed internally. She didn’t like how disconnected she and her sister were from the common ponies. She had often made suggestions to alleviate the problem, but Celestia always refused to take any action.

“But then we found out that you had adopted a filly.”

Luna’s eyes widened.

“We were amazed to find out that you had adopted a filly, especially one with her… problem,” explained Night Wing. “But for a time, some of us believed that you would eventually tire of her, and would abandon her. And yet you have continued to raise her with love and kindness.”

“We always admired you, but we always thought of you as a mighty ruler who was unapproachable by the common pony,” said Posey. “But seeing you raise your daughter with such devotion, even in spite of the problems she faces, made us realize that you were still a pony, regardless of how powerful you are.”

No longer bothering to hide her joy, Luna slowly rose off her throne and began to approach the three ponies.

“My little ponies… I have spent my entire life being overshadowed by my sister. No matter how hard I tried, my attempts were always met with cold indifference. On the rare occasion that ponies have spoken to me, they have always treated me as a being so high above them that they fear to speak openly, for fear of offending me. I am grateful that you should come to me to express your admiration so openly.”

The three ponies smiled excitedly before Night Wing began to speak once more.

“We are not the only ones, your highness. There are many others. We come here in representation of our organization.”

Luna raised an eyebrow.

“Organization?”

“That is correct,” said Night Wing. “We call ourselves the New Lunar Society. We admire the night and all its gifts. However, because of this, other ponies see us as outsiders. Many even believe us to be a danger to other ponies.”

Luna frowned. Ponies were being considered a threat simply because they preferred the night?

“And this is why we came to you, Princess. We wish for everypony to admire the night as much as we do. However, as you must surely be aware, ponies tend to be rather fearful of the night, and so they do not give us a chance to show them its real beauty and majesty.”

“And so you wish for my endorsement?” asked Luna.

“We would be honored, your majesty.”

Luna considered what the ponies before her were saying. If it was true that there were ponies who loved her nights, then wasn't it her duty to help them? And even if it wasn't the simple fact that they appreciated her should be more than enough reason for her to assist them in any way possible?

Finally, she made her choice.

“How can I help?”

The three ponies grinned.

“Well,” said Twilight, “we are attempting to build a town of our own. One where visitors can come to learn about the wonders of the night. However, we lack materials, bits, horsepower, and a place where we can build.”

“And you wish for me to provide you with the resources that you need?”

“Well, if you want to,” said Posey. “Really, it's more like we need somepony to serve as our representative so we can collect what we need. And... we thought having our own princess would improve our chances.”

Our own princess.

The words rung in Luna's mind. Her older sister had always been everypony's princess. But not anymore.

“Please,” she said, a smile forming on her lips. “Continue.”

Author's Note

I just noticed that it's been exactly one year since I posted the second chapter. In that time I've gotten only three chapters (including this one).

...I really need to stop being lazy :facehoof: