Solacing Dreams

The hallways of the castle were silent, save for the incessant ticking of the clock above a large door. Two guards, clad in dark purple armour, stood firm at each side of the door. They kept their stoic positions, gazing longingly into the distance, until they caught a growing murmur from the room behind them. Holding their heads high, the two guards stiffened their backs and tightened their grip on their spears as the door opened.

“...and having signed the decree regarding the zoning of the areas adjacent to the Ohayo River, we should expect to see a cease to the disputes over that area,” a petite mare said as she wrote in a notepad. Next to her, Princess Luna strode into the hallway, holding a stack of papers of her own.

“Hopefully that will be the case, Miss Scribbler,” Princess Luna said as she read, “What other matters should come to my attention?”

“Well, there’s a petition by a couple to use the Castle’s Gardens for another charity ball next month… Oh, and the Ambassador of the Alpaca lands wishes to reschedule his audience regarding the new free commerce treaty,” Note Scribbler read out loud from her documents.

“Very well, then,” Luna said as she closed a folder. She stacked it with the rest of the files and then levitated it towards her aide.

“Princess?” Note Scribbler said with a hint of confusion.

“Come see me tomorrow before sunset and we shall review the night’s schedule,” the Princess said.

“Wait… Tomorrow?” Scribbler stopped in her tracks. Princess Luna had kept walking, but stopped as well once she realised her aide had lagged behind.

“Is something the matter, Miss Scribbler?” Luna asked her, arching an eyebrow as she shot her assistant a bemused look.

“Oh, no. Not at all, your Highness, it’s just that…” Note Scribbler bobbed her head to the side as she fumbled with her words, “Well, you usually use your nights to work through whatever pile of paperwork may have build up, and since you finished with the Night Court so early, I thought you may choose to keep working on your own.”

Immediately after saying this, Note Scribbler’s eyes opened wide and her mouth twisted into a grimace, “N-not that I’d ever tell you how you should use your time, Princess. It’s just that--”

Luna raised a hoof to try and calm the flustered mare. After managing to stop the barrage of apologies coming from Scribbler’s mouth, she spoke again, “At ease, my friend.”

“S-sorry, Princess,” Scribbled said as she gave the Princess a small bow.

“I simply wish to take a night off, that is all,” Luna said. She walked towards Note Scribbler and touched her face with her hoof. Raising her head, she looked her in the eyes and gave her a wide smile before she continued, “We have been working quite hard for this past couple of weeks, have we not? I believe a break should be in order.”

Note Scribbler nodded, “It’d be nice to spend the night with my daughter…” Note Scribbler said as a soft smile appeared on her face, eliciting a soft giggle from the Princess.

“Then so be it. Have the rest of this night for you and your family, Miss Scribbler. You’ve earned it.”

“Thank you so much, Princess Luna,” Note said, giving a deeper bow this time.

“I expect to see you right on time tomorrow, however,” Luna added in a playful voice before turning around and walking down the hallway.”

“Y-yes, Princess. Thanks a lot!” Note yelled, happiness bubbling through her.

“And send my regards to your daughter,” Luna said. She heard Note Scribbler say something in return, but she didn’t quite make out the words. She did, however, manage to catch the hurried steps of her aide walking away from her, and couldn’t help but smile.

The guards that accompanied them were standing a short distance behind her, still looking as stoic as ever, and watching them caused Luna’s smile to turn slowly into a smirk.

“I’d love to give you the night off too, gentlecolts, but I have a task for the two of you,” Luna said and started walking again.

The stallions nodded and followed after Luna. Not long after, the trio stopped in front of the large carved wooden doors with silver embroidery that identified the chambers of the Princess of the Night. As she opened them with her magic, Luna lowered herself until she was at eye-level with her companions, “I will be busy tonight, and I do not wish to be disturbed, understood?”

“Understood,” both guards replied in unison as they saluted. Satisfied, Princess Luna entered her bedchambers and closed the door behind her.

“Good night,” she said, her words sneaking their way through the space between the doors as they shut close. Once inside, she channeled magic into her horn, and weaved the arcane forces into a stream that she poured into the lock. The silvery metal shone as it received the bluish energy, and after a few seconds the glistening glow faded away.

Contented with her spell, Luna walked away towards the end of her room, where a dark mahogany desk, and an open scroll, awaited her.

She traced the words written on the parchment with her hoof as she read them once again. She stopped when she reached the end, and felt the grooves of a wax seal emblazoned with three capital letters.

“A night off...” Luna said to the empty room, and even though she was smiling, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

Shaking her head gently to dispel the melancholy, Luna took a step back. She sat on a cushion and spread her wings; her breathing slowed down, her back arched, and she raised her head. She stayed there, immobile for almost a full minute before her horn slowly lit up.

The energy she was gathering cast a barely noticeable dainty white light over the room, but as time wore on, the light shone brighter and brighter, growing in size as well until it enveloped the alicorn.

In the blink of an eye, the light was gone, and with it, every trace of the regal alicorn. In its stead stood a petite light blue unicorn mare whose only similarity to the pony who was there before was the black regalia that belonged to Princess Luna, which now hung loosely on the smaller pony.

The now unicorn Luna stretched and moved around, as if to get used to her smaller body. She then removed her crown, slippers and chest piece and floated them towards an open chest next to her desk.

Free from her royal insignias, Luna walked towards her balcony and opened the doors, snatching a scarf from a nearby perch just before she exited. Once outside, she took in the sight of the sprawling city before her. Things had changed so much since the time before her banishment, she could now see the hundreds of ponies making their way through the streets of Canterlot, enjoying her night, their night.

She spared one glance at her moon, and assumed that it was probably past nine. Sighing she returned her gaze to the cityscape and scanned it in search of a particular building. Once she found it, she focused on a spell and in a flash, she was gone.

With a similar burst of light, she reappeared down in the city, within the conspiratorial embrace of a dark alley. After checking for any random passer-by who may have spotted her--and finding none--, she walked towards the street. Once she stepped back into the light, her eyes set on a white, four-story construction in front of her, rising high above the rest of the Canterlot homes and contrasting with its surroundings, while somehow managing to blend with them in the great sprawling city at the same time.

Princess Luna walked through the exterior gates of the building and made her way to the front entrance, passing through the front gardens and towards the main access. A group of ponies wearing white shirts were clustered at the door, idly chatting between them. A worried young couple walked past her, dragging what appeared to be a filly with a severe cold. A pony in a wheelchair moved to let them pass. Two mares in equally white garments as the group of ponies outside were taking an elder pony in a stretcher into an elevator.

And amidst all the chaos, a cream-coloured mare was sitting behind a desk in the middle of the room going through some files.

Smiling, Luna made her way towards the counter, somehow managing to avoid the ponies walking to and fro, and cleared her throat to catch the attention of the mare.

“Oh, hello, Solacing Dreams! It’s so good to see you again,” the mare said with a warm smile.

“Goodnight, Tender Care, I hope I’m not too late,” Princess Luna--or rather, Solacing Dreams--said.

“Not at all, Sol,” Tender Care said in an earnest tone, standing up and giving Luna a quick hug, “everypony is waiting for you. You’re going to have a busy night, it seems.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Luna said as smile spread over her face.