The moon hung serene over Canterlot, the unfettered light of a full moon shining through a mostly clear sky to land squarely on a window in Canterlot Castle.
The throne room window, to be exact. One set of eyes stared listlessly at it, chin resting on hoof. The throne room was silent, save for the steady, subtle tick of the clock and the occasional clink of horseshoe on tile as one of Luna’s personal guard shifted.
The moon princess herself was bored witless. With her return from the moon, after a brief period of acclimatization to a more modern Equestria, an ancient tradition had been reborn -- Night Court. A time and place for the common pony to make their wishes heard.
Nothing had changed in the thousand years since the Night Court had run. Still the nights were spent alone and unbothered; everypony who had any sense was asleep, after all. Even her own guards were asleep; to give them credit, they’d mastered sleeping while standing, with eyes open and even the occasional movement of the head to imply consciousness, but when it boiled down to it, Luna was the goddess of dreams and sleep; she knew when somepony was stepping into the realm of slumber.
The clock ticked onto midnight, and she sighed.
“I’m going to step out for a while,” she declared. “Send a messenger after me if somepony comes seeking an audience.”
The guard nearest her blinked, brought back to the land of the awake at the declaration, and saluted. “Yes, your majesty.”
Luna got up, and made for the door; some of her guards made to fall in line behind her, and she waved a hoof.
“I do not require a guard,” she said.
The guard saluted again. “As you wish, your majesty.”
Luna walked away, headed for the doors, silently thanking her stars for the solitude, and took wing.
* * *
Luna circled in the skies of Canterlot, rising steadily as she homed in on one of the few clouds in the sky. As she drew nearer, she saw a dark shape sitting on the cloud.
As she touched down next to the shape, she saw it for what it was - a pegasus of dark blue coat and teal mane, staring into the sky.
“It’s a nice night for it,” the stallion said, by way of greeting, not taking his gaze away from the moon before him..
“Good evening, Arctic Wind,” she replied. “How do you fare?”
“All the better for your asking, Princess,” Wind nodded. “How do you fare, is what I want to know.”
“It goes well,” Luna admitted. “I did enjoy Nightmare Night; it pleases me that they have a national holiday to celebrate the night... even if it is “haunted” by Nightmare Moon.”
“That is good,” Wind judged. “I assume Night Court is dull and uninteresting, as usual?”
“You assume correctly,” Luna sighed. “I don’t know what Celly was thinking, bringing back Night Court.”
“You disapprove of your sister’s efforts to reintegrate you into Equestrian society?” Wind asked.
“Less disapprove, more... think it’s a bad idea,” Luna guessed. “Equestria has grown, and now ponies are spending more time awake in my night. But even so, none come to petition me. Do they fear me still? Do they still think me the Nightmare?”
“Fear you?” Wind shrugged. “Perhaps. You are a god -- a little fear is to be expected. But Nightmare? I would think that ponies would know better by now.”
“How else do you explain how busy I am down there?” Luna pointed out. “‘tis fear, of that I am sure.”
“Well,” Wind shrugged. “If that’s what you think, who am I to gainsay you? I trusted your judgment in the past, I’ll keep on trusting you now.”
Luna sat silently for a moment, before biting her lip and turning back to Wind. “If... you had to guess, what would you blame it on?”
“Me?” Wind shrugged. “If nopony’s asking you for anything at night... perhaps that just means that your citizens are happy. All night-dwelling equines are satisfied with your rule, and ask nothing more of you than the moon and the stars.”
Luna tilted her head and nodded. “That... sounds plausible.”
Wind laughed. “You always did assume the worst, Princess.”
“Oh?” Luna smiled. “Really, now?”
“Really,” Wind nodded. “As your Champion, I’ve been privy to more of your thoughts than any other pony alive. And you’ve got a real habit of assuming the worst of yourself.”
"I've brought about the worst in the past," Luna muttered darkly.
"And you've brought about many wonderful things, too," Wind countered. "One bad day doesn't make you irredeemably bad."
"It was quite the bad day," Luna said dourfully.
"So? Does it cheapen your night? Are the lives you saved no less saved? Ten- Tartaurus, a hundred bad days don't automatically make you a bad pony forever." Wind indicated himself. "Look at me! A brigand, a thief and a coward. You made me shine just as bright as you make the stars and moon shine. If I was worth saving, then you most certainly are."
Luna kept staring at the cloud, and Wind leant forward, taking her hoof in his forehooves, holding it tight, and looking into her eyes.
"Give them time," Arctic Wind said. "What was it you once said to me? Patience?"
"Princess!" a voice hailed from below.
Luna bit back a curse, and leaned over the cloud. Below her, one of her night guard pegasi was hovering at a respectful distance. "What is it, Drusus?"
"You have a petitioner!" Drusus shouted. "You asked for someone to fetch you!"
Luna looked back out at the horizon; she was alone on the cloud, as usual. And yet, she could still feel the firm grip of her Champion around her hoof; warm and strong, until the day he met his end disobeying a direct order from her, the day Nightmare Moon had been born.
"Patience," Luna muttered, getting up, and spreading her dark wings, falling back off the cloud, and back down to the Night Court.
