A Quest for Knowledge

“So… a new species, Ms Darkeye?”

Selune was standing in an oval office with the Princess of the Night herself. It was made out of mahogany, and there were a lot of documents in folded scrolls on top of it, some of brought by Selune herself. An enchanted crest was on the front and middle of it depicting the current phase of the moon. There were three chairs one behind the office and two in front, and on the sides of the room were two libraries filled with tomes after tomes. Selune would give anything to spend a day here just learning what was within them, but what she was here to do was far more important. After a series of necessary bureaucratic procedures her letter had finally made it to the Princess. For reasons unknown to her, the Princess wanted to discuss the matter of venturing into the old castle with her personally. She shuffled her hooves feeling awkward at this, perhaps even a bit stressed.

“Yes Princess… the records I sent you…” Selune started explaining before she was interrupted with a raised hoof. Princess Luna waited until she stopped and spoke once again.

“Miss Darkeye… I trust my subjects, I trust you. I trust that your knowledge doesn't fail you and your mind is clear on this matter, right?” Selune simply nodded at this.

“My concerns are not scientific, at least not entirely. My question is… do you believe you will find what you seek there?” Her inquiry made Selune worry a bit. This wasn't a question about her confidence alone.  She gulped, trying to find the right words in her anxiety. She was in front of what she considered an inspirational figure, an idol.

“Princess…”

“We are alone Selune, you may call me Luna. As much as I like the titles my subjects give me, I do not wish to alienate myself from them. As I said before you volunteered, this project of clarifying the past serves a purpose: to connect the past with the future, so that we may learn...”

“... from the mistakes of the past.” she completed the sentence. She immediately realized her mistake and put her hoof  in her mouth with wide eyes. She had interrupted the Princess! But that wasn't the only thing that was  clear to her now, she now understood why the Princess wanted to talk to her about this. This wasn’t about what research she did, but what else she would find, or see.

But Luna wasn’t offended, instead she smiled kindly at her for remembering. They were reaching the point, and she was glad that Selune, whether by coincidence or not, understood.

“Are you even sure you want to go there, Selune? I have heard of your… enthusiasm for my works, but you might not like what you see there. This castle could do wonders for your research, but I don’t want to kill your spirit by letting you go there.”

Luna’s eyes looked into Selune’s,requesting an answer. She had a small smile, not one tense muscle in her expression. She had the kindness of the wise old mentor saying proverbs like “Ignorance is bliss”, or “Sometimes the truth hurts”. There was no easy answer to this, but in a way she felt like she already had it, she just had to look back and find it.

“Remember when you asked me why I want this? Why I joined this seemingly boring job?”

“Mhm…” said the Princess, letting her  continue.

“I told you that I wanted to contribute. When you asked me “To what?” I said. “To build a world the size of the dreams of the ponies.” My answer hasn’t changed, and I don’t think your wish to connect with other ponies has changed. No matter what I find in there it won’t change the Princess I see before me,” she had gained a new air of confidence. Remembering why she was here, what led her here, what gave her the strength to continue.

“Selune…”

“Princess, please allow me to call you that for now, there are some things about me you don’t know. My family comes from a lineage of unicorns who’s gifts have always  been associated with sight. Lumina Oculus my mother, Noble Gaze my grandfather, Clear Sight… and so on. But when I was born I had pitch black eyes, the unicorn magic I had within me had a complication and couldn’t stabilize. I didn’t cry, and I hardly woke up, and I was sure to die if that went on for too long.”

This seemed a tad off subject and Luna was puzzled a bit. “Where are you going with this, Selune?”

“Bear with me a bit, I am getting to it. My mother Lumina was a seer, possesing the magic of divination. She saw within a vision that I would see only if the light of the sun and the moon struck my eyes together. We went north, up where the Aurora Borealis are… beautiful green lights the solar wind causes upon the Equestrian sky. There we waited, and when the light of the full moon shone upon the Borealis one ray shone into my eyes, and I was finally able to see. It also gave me the white markings you see upon me. The first thing I saw was a full moon, and a dark figure of a mare “carved” upon its surface.”

The Princess was quiet, she knew what Selune saw. It was her, it was her own self. The part of her which she wished to forget. She closed her eyes in pain, refusing to look one of her own subjects in the eye. How could she look at her? How could she even tell her she was sorry? Was she even worthy to give an apology? She felt a soft, hesitant hoof rise up to her face and touch her, the understanding smile of the mare standing before her trying to reach her, to extend a helping hoof.

“Despite what my mother said when she recited the tale of that mare, I knew that even if they told me the figure on the moon was evil, even if they told me that this figure was about a monster from the most dreadful of fairy tales…”

They looked eye to eye, and Selune, though hesitant, though she felt unworthy to even touch the Princess… She knew that this was the right thing to do.

“... that deep inside, there was something more. I didn't know exactly what but when you returned to us I saw it. A heart filled with love. Love for her subjects, for the night, for life. My mind confirmed what my heart was feeling. So if you want to apologize to me Luna… don’t, because in my eyes your figure shines the brightest.”  She had managed to say it, but she was pretty sure this wouldn’t last long. It felt awkward addressing Luna without her title, but it sure felt nice.

Luna was silent, silent but happy. It wasn’t just the kind words that warmed her heart. It wasn’t just the faith that inspired her when she saw the faces of her subjects. It was the confidence in those beliefs. Of course, Selune wasn’t the first to say this, Celestia had also talked to her in a similar way, but she had dismissed it as her sister being her sister. She thought  it was merely a false hope fueled by sisterly love, in fact she didn’t quite believe her subjects felt this way.

As the extended silence grew on,  Luna took Selune’s hoof and put it down slowly. She held it softly, as if showing her appreciation for the gesture, as she did the blush on Selune’s face intensified. It sure felt like she made a leap of faith with that move.

“Well…” Luna coughed as Selune withdrew her hoof, shaking off the shivers that had come from her actions. Luna smiled, she was lucky to have found such a unicorn - understanding, and good at her job. As she pondered, her mind shifted into what her journey would need.

“Are you sure you’re going to find what you need in the old castle? This is a treasure hunt you’re doing Selune, and the castle might just be the first stop. You’re going to need supplies, food, water, parchments, quills…” she started counting the items, trying to find what she could provide.

“Worry not Princess, I have taken care of these. I just need your permission and I can begin right now.” Selune tried to calm her down, but the Princess was not willing to leave her like that.

“Well in any case, I’m not leaving you to go alone like that! You may be a competent sorceress, Selune, but I’m not letting you go away alone! You need a bodyguard to help you face the danger! There must be someone among the guards that may help.”

“Actually…” well, that idea wasn’t so bad in Selune’s mind. Not only that, but she knew of a perfect candidate, someone she had known as a filly.

“A friend of mine is among the Solar Guard.” She said hesitantly. He wasn’t under Luna’s command, which was why she didn’t say it at once.

“Well, I’ll have to inform my sister about his absence, maybe volunteer someone of my guard to replace him, but that’s a minor issue.” Luna seemed eager for something, eager to help perhaps, to do something to help. “Well… what’s his name?” She said, waiting for a response.

“Terra Lionmane.”.