Muffins for Luna

Chapters

Chapter 1: A Thousand Years
Chapter 2: Mail and Muffins
Chapter 3: Luna’s Day Off
Chapter 4: Like the Moon
Chapter 5: Lights of the Past

Chapter 1: A Thousand Years

Luna stood on her balcony, looking down at the crowd of ponies gathered in the Canterlot Gardens. It was the elite of the city, wearing their best dresses and drinking only the finest beverages out of crystal glasses. The sounds of talk and laughter and music echoed through the night. The party seemed to be quite lively.

Luna was happy for her niece, she really was. Back in the day, it would have been unthinkable for a pony of Princess Cadence’s status to marry a commoner, captain of the Royal Guard or not. But Luna understood that things had changed. During the past thousand years, the world had turned without her.

Looking up at the night sky, Luna let out a sigh. It seemed to be the only thing that hadn’t changed while she was gone; the stars remained exactly where she’d put them, in the constellations that she had once created. Luna remembered how she’d spent months on some of them to get them just right. Those had been happier times, before everything had gone wrong. Before she’d become Nightmare Moon.

Right in the middle of the firmament sat the Moon, flooding Equestria with its silvery light. Luna shivered. A thousand years she had spent up there, imprisoned in its very heart. She didn’t recall much of it; for her, it had been but a long, long night’s dream. However, every time she raised it in the evening, and every time she set it again in the morning, its touch reminded her of the cold loneliness of her exile.

Luna looked back at the party. She didn’t feel like going there, celebrating with ponies she didn’t know, but she had to, for Cadence’s sake. After she hadn't had the chance to see her grow up, the least she could do now was be with her niece on the evening of her wedding.

Centering herself, Luna took off. Slow piano music reached her ear, and as she came closer, she spotted the newly-wed couple on the dance floor. Luna didn’t want to interrupt them, so she searched the crowd for her sister, finding her surrounded by six ponies she recognized as Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Luna flew to join them, gently touching down next to Celestia.

“Hello, everypony. Did I miss anything?”

“You were what!?” Luna gasped. She and her sister stood a bit apart from the crowd so they could talk in private, and Celestia had just told her about the events of the past day.

“You have heard right, Luna: the Changeling Queen collected so much power that even I could not stop her anymore. I fear that, if it hadn’t been for Shining Armor and Cadence, well … I don’t want to think about what would have happened.”

Luna hesitated for a moment, but then stepped up to her sister and hugged her. Her intention was to comfort Celestia, but she realized then that, in her shock, she herself was the one who needed comforting.

“How is that possible?”

“It’s the power of love, Luna – stolen love, but love nonetheless. I’m afraid that it’s one of the few things that not even I am able to stand up against.”

“Had I been there … had I known what was happening, perhaps we could have stood a chance together.”

“It is certainly too late to find out. Though, judging by the sheer power of the Queen, I doubt that the outcome would have been any different.”

Luna swallowed. She hadn’t been there when Celestia had needed her. Just as she hadn’t been there for her for a thousand years.

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t blame you, Luna. You’ve guarded Canterlot all night, so you could not be expected to be awake. In fact, to keep us distracted was all part of the Queen’s plan.”

She gently pushed Luna back. “Anyway, now you know. I’d like to leave and get some sleep, if you don’t mind. It has been a trying day.”

Luna didn’t hold her back. Part of her wanted to, but she wasn’t that selfish.

She looked around. Cadence and Shining Armor were still dancing. She was able to spot Twilight Sparkle and her friends among the guests, but they were engaged in their own conversations. She should be celebrating with these ponies, celebrating the wedding, and the victory over the changelings. But Luna didn’t know how. She just stood there, an outsider, silently watching.

The Changeling invasion wasn’t only a catastrophe in itself, the aftermath also turned all levels of administration into pure chaos, starting with the damages done to public property and ending with representatives of other countries who had to be welcomed so that they could assure their empathy in well-polished speeches. It wasn’t until Sunday afternoon that, finally, the last stack of paper had disappeared from Luna’s desk, the last petition had been rejected, and the last bill had been paid.

Luna got up from her desk, letting out an undefined noise. She didn’t know how to make it through another week. It wasn’t the first time she dealt with a crisis like this, but she felt like it was the worst she’d experienced yet. She considered going straight to bed, but her nights weren’t any less busy than her days. After the horror of the attack, the dreams of many ponies were haunted by Changelings, and as Princess of the Night, it was her duty to look after them. It certainly didn’t help that, whenever she didn’t face other ponies’ nightmares, her own were catching up on her.

She needed to get out of here, Luna decided, away from the bookshelves, the heavy bureaus, and the painted windows. Leaving the room over the balcony, she looked at Canterlot. The Sun was standing low; it touched the white buildings with a light so bright that she had to blink. Luna took off into the air. Usually she would have searched for a spot somewhere in the mountains, where she could be alone, but she was too tired to fly all the way up there. So instead she headed for the city.

Canterlot still didn’t feel like home to Luna, even though she’d been living here for over a year now. Taken by sudden melancholy she thought back to the old castle, the one which she and her sister had built together so many millennia ago. It was lying in ruins now, forever lost in the Everfree Forest – destroyed by none other than Luna herself.

Landing in a small street near the center of the city, Luna tried her best to ignore the stares she earned. Some ponies bowed before her or ducked their heads, while others hid behind corners or hurried to get away. In a window she saw a little filly looking at her with big eyes, only to be pulled back by her mother.

Had she known a spell to turn invisible, Luna would have used it. She thought about getting back to the castle when she suddenly felt something impact her rump. Spinning around, Luna found herself face to face with a pegasus mare who was sitting on the sidewalk and rubbing her nose.

“Oops,” the stranger said. “My bad, sorry. Didn’t look where I was going. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s fine.”

The mare’s gaze was irritating, probably because of the way her eyes were pointing at different angles; while one eye was looking towards Luna, the other one was completely off, wandering around. Luna wondered if she really saw two things at the same time.

The pony got back onto her hooves and her face lit up in a smile as her second eye joined the first one in looking at Luna.

“Hi, Luna!”

“Why, hello, Miss …?”

“Derpy Hooves, from Ponyville. We met on Nightmare Night, remember?”

Luna thought for a moment. “I think I do – you were the pony with the paper bag costume, if I recall correctly?”

“That’s me! And you even got the costume right. Everypony else was asking what it was supposed to be.”

If possible, Derpy’s smile became even brighter. Luna couldn’t help but smirk at that, her somber mood forgotten for the moment.

“I’m sorry I bumped into you like that,” Derpy repeated. “Can I make it up to you? Like, treat you to a muffin?”

“You don’t need to, there’s no harm done.”

“Alright. But we could have a muffin anyway. I like you. And I like muffins.”

Luna felt heat rising into her cheeks. She didn’t even know how to respond to that. What did that pony want from her?

Derpy looked at her patiently, still smiling, and despite her irritation Luna couldn’t help but smile back. The lightheartedness of the other mare was infectious, and maybe this was exactly the distraction she needed right now.

“Thank you, Miss. I think I would like a muffin.”

“Yay!” Derpy spun around her own axis once, then headed down the street. “You coming? There’s this small bakery at Prance Square where I thought we could go. I mean, for the best muffins you have to visit Sugarcube Corner in Ponyville, but this is usually my place to go to whenever I’m here in Canterlot.”

“Of course, let us go there.” If she was honest, Luna didn’t even know where Prance Square was – she’d rarely ever been to the city. Derpy turned her head to look at her.

“So, how –”

“Watch out!”

Just in time, Derpy dodged the lantern pole that she’d almost run into.

“Heh, thanks. That was a close one.”

Luna wasn’t sure if she should be amazed or frightened by this mare.

Derpy went on, now focusing her sight straight ahead. “What I wanted to ask was, how are you doing?”

“I'm –” She wanted to say that she was fine, but that would’ve been a straight up lie. “Well, a little tired.”

Derpy gave her an empathetic look. “I bet that princess thing is tough business, huh?”

“Sometimes it’s challenging to handle the responsibility, that is true. But that’s how it is, and I couldn’t let Equestria down. Not again.”

“I really appreciate what you and your sister do, by the way. Like, the day and night thing and reigning Equestria and all that. I think a lot of ponies just take it for granted, but it must be a lot of work.”

Luna smiled softly. “Thank you. It’s good to hear, once in a while, that somepony cares.”

They fell silent after that, until they arrived at what Luna assumed was Prance Square. Like all of Canterlot it was a piece of art. The white walls were framed in black and gold, and high roofs pointed into the evening sky like dragon teeth. Derpy took her to a small shop, the slim facade of which had been squeezed into a corner. A sign above the door displayed a piece of cake and a steaming cup of coffee.

As Luna entered the shop, she was enveloped in a cloud of coffee smell. The inside wasn’t big, but it did look cozy in a way, with the massive wooden tables that were crammed into the back and the plush pillows resting on the chairs. On some of them sat ponies, their heads turning towards Luna as she entered. Conversations stopped.

Luna felt a gentle nudge from behind and stepped towards the counter, where an old mare with a pink apron stood, sweating nervously at her sight.

“I’d like the usual, please,” Derpy said, walking up to Luna’s side. “For her the same.”

“Y-yes, of course,” the shopkeeper replied, disappearing in the back of the shop.

“Do you wanna sit here,” Derpy asked Luna, “or rather go outside?”

“I think I would prefer the latter.”

The old mare came back with two paper bags which she placed on the counter, bowing so low that she almost hit her head against it. “It’s an honor.”

A small frown stole onto Luna’s face. The other ponies in the room kept staring, and she shuffled her hooves uncomfortably, until Derpy paid for the meal and picked up their orders so that they could leave.

Back outside, Luna took a deep breath. She grabbed the bag that Derpy offered to her, inspecting its content. It was a kind of cake, apparently, but relatively small, and wrapped in paper. She threw a glance at Derpy, who had turned towards her own treat. Luna imitated what she was doing, peeling off the paper and taking a large bite. The sweet flavor of chocolate filled Luna’s mouth.

“Mm, this is good,” she said between bites. The muffin had a fluffy, moist texture. “I shall see to it that the kitchen staff includes these in the royal breakfast.”

“Wait, you don’t have muffins for breakfast?”

“I wasn’t aware of this kind of pastry, much to my regret.”

Derpy’s smile froze, and her face went blank. “So this is the first time you – oh my gosh!”

Luna winced when Derpy jumped at her to hug her, almost letting her muffin slip out of her grip. But before she could react, Derpy already drew back.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I’m just a bit overwhelmed is all.”

Luna shrugged it off and bit into her muffin.

They slowly walked, just straying around the square. It wasn’t very busy. The ponies they did encounter, however, stared at Luna as if she were a ghost.

“I get why you didn’t wanna stay in there,” Derpy said after a while, throwing her a side glance. “I get stared at too, all the time. You’ve just gotta ignore them.”

“I should be more comfortable with public attention than this, being a princess, shouldn’t I?”

“You’re still only a pony, though.”

Luna thought about that for a second. Maybe Derpy was right; maybe she should take things a little easier. Even if she knew which horrible things she had done and could never reverse.

You’re still only a pony – she couldn’t argue with that. She caught Derpy’s gaze, who had finished her muffin and was now observing her. Luna shoved the last bit of her own muffin into her mouth and looked down on her hooves. It would take her some time to get used to those eyes.

When she did look up again, Luna saw Derpy pouting for the first time.

“I have to catch my train back to Ponyville now. I’d love to stay here with you longer, really, but tomorrow’s a Monday.”

“Of course. It’s a Monday not only for you.”

“But hey, this was fun!”

“It was indeed. Thank you so much! I don’t assume we could do something like this again?”

“Totally! If you’re not too busy.”

Luna sighed. “Unfortunately, time is an issue – there is no telling what the upcoming weeks will hold for me. But I promise that I’ll make the time once I can.”

Derpy nodded and, as she turned towards her, the smile returned to her face. She tilted her head and carefully stretched out her forelegs to hug her.

“I’ll see you, Luna.”

“Have a safe journey home.”

Luna looked after Derpy as the mare hurried down the street. She couldn’t explain to herself why, but she was still smiling. This was probably the most enjoyable conversation she’d had with anypony, except perhaps her sister, since her return. Visiting the city had turned out to be the right choice, after all.

Chapter 2: Mail and Muffins

The familiar scent of morning air filled Derpy’s nostrils as she stuck her head out the window. The streets of Ponyville were empty and the Sun was rising, dunking the town in golden light. Derpy liked to see the sunrise. If she thought about it, she liked all times of the day. There was the bright warmness of the afternoon with blues skies and pearl white clouds; the colors of dusk, yellow and red and purple and turquoise; and finally the night that brought nocturnal silence, with a starry sky and clouds mystically lit by pale moonlight …

Realizing that she was still sitting at her window and staring into the sky, Derpy pushed herself through the opening, flapping her wings to keep herself in the air. She had to be on her way to work.

She soared down Cinnamon Street and then followed Golden Oak Street for North Quarter. She would work the early shift today, so most ponies were still asleep. However, there were exceptions: as she passed Town Square, her right eye spotted a certain pink mare in the street below. It wasn’t uncommon to see Pinkie Pie around this early, and as always, she waved at Derpy in her usual excited manner.

Derpy raised her hoof to wave back as she flew past. Unfortunately, she forgot about the old maple tree that grew down on the square, and only recognized its form when it was already too late. She closed her eyes as twigs grabbed her mane and tail. A moment later she hit the trunk and tumbled down to the ground.

“Whoopsie.” Pinkie giggled, bouncing towards her. “Are you okay, Derpy?”

“I think so.” Derpy inspected herself for any injuries, but she seemed unharmed. Pinkie had closed the distance and was trying her best to make a straight face, which, since it was Pinkie Pie, was a futile effort.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to distract you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Derpy sorted her feathers and flapped her wings a couple of times, just for good measure. “Alright, I’ll see you later.”

“Okie dokie!” Pinkie bounced off, humming a cheery tune. Derpy resumed her flight, now a bit more cautious of her surroundings. It was not the first time that this had happened. Actually, the tree probably had a Derpy-shaped mark in its bark.

But it was nice to see Pinkie this morning, she thought. Pinkie Pie was such a happy pony, and Derpy liked that about her. Plus, she had once called her a friend, and even if the cheery baker was friends with literally everypony, that still meant a lot to Derpy.

Derpy arrived late at the post office and waited patiently through her boss’s admonition of the week. The she put on her cap and went to fetch her mailbag. Being a mailpony could be stressful, but she gave it her best every day.

A co-worker was already waiting with the mail, ready for delivery. “Here you go!” he said, just like every morning. Derpy didn’t know his name, but she smiled and thanked him and shoved it into the bag. She loved being a mailmare. That in mind, she took off, nearly knocking him over with her wing.

Derpy rushed over the rooftops of Ponyville, mane and tail waving behind her like a flag. She was no racer, but she bet that she was still really fast, considering that she did this every day. She imagined flying an obstacle course. Just like Cloud Chaser or Blossomforth or Rainbow Dash, Derpy did slaloms and hairpin turns and barrel rolls. The big finish was a generous loop-de-loop, before she gracefully touched down in front of 51a Pudding Street, the first house on her route. Or so was the plan, anyway. As it came to that point, she noticed that the speed of the ground coming towards her was alarmingly fast, and the next thing she realized was that she was crashing muzzle-first into the carefully arranged bed of lilies in front of the house.

Derpy got up and shook clumps of dirt out of her mane. Fortunately, damage was only done to the flowers, and not to her or anypony else. One blossom was stuck in Derpy’s mane, and she mused whether she should keep it or not, but then the door to the house was kicked open and the furious resident stormed out.

“The horror, the horror!”

“Um … I’m sorry.”

“No! Not again! Why is it always me?” Lily Blossom looked like she was about to cry, and Derpy suddenly felt bad for her. She offered Lily a small stack of envelopes with her name on it.

“By Celestia’s Sun,” Lily cried, “who cares about the silly mail with …”

She gesticulated towards the mess that was her garden, gasping for air like a fish out of water. “… with this!?”

Derpy frowned. She was sorry for what had happened to the flowers, but that was no reason to turn to insults.

“Mail isn’t silly.” Derpy put the letters into the mailbox and turned away.

At 37 Pudding Street, which was the fourteenth house of her route, she had to deliver a packet. There was no name on the doorbell, but everypony knew that it was the home of none other than Vinyl Scratch. You could tell from the loud music playing late at night. At the moment, though, it was silent, and there was a fair chance of the DJ still being asleep.

Considering her duty, Derpy rang anyway. A noise came from inside. So she was awake, at least now. The door was nudged open.

“Packet for Vinyl Scratch!”

The addressed pony appeared in the door, her trademark violet shades hanging on her nose at an odd angle, and her mane protruding in all directions.

“Must be the … the records that I ordered for …” She yawned, grabbing the packet with her magic. “For the thing. Thanks man.”

“I’d need you to sign this, please.”

Derpy offered her the delivery list and a pen. One of her eyes wandered over the still empty street, while the other watched the unicorn write a crackly “Pone3”. For Derpy that was enough. She mentally checked her list of packets she hadn’t broken or lost – she was just about to set up a new personal record – and went on with her route.

For a while, nothing extraordinary happened. She finished Pudding Street and continued with Rose Alley, Old Saunter Trail, and the other ones. Her mailbag lost weight very slowly.

As Derpy left Birch Wood Street, the tenth street on her route, her left eye noticed a beautiful rainbow above her in the sky. She looked up and smiled. That had to be Rainbow Dash on weather patrol. They briefly knew each other from when Derpy had helped out the Ponyville weather squad, a day remembered by most as the flood of the century. Derpy’s second eye went upwards alongside the first one, trying to spot the flier, but Rainbow was already too far away.

The next moment, something solid struck Derpy’s chest, and before she knew it she found herself tangled with a stranger, a stallion with a brown coat and a brown mane.

She grinned awkwardly. “Sorry. Were you looking at the rainbow, too?”

“No. Unlike somepony else, I was looking at where I was going.”

“My bad.”

“You’re that Derpy Hooves, aren’t you?”

Derpy nodded, puffing out her chest with pride. “That’s me!”

“So it’s true what they say about you.”

“What do you mean?”

“That you’re a catastrophe on four hooves! Now excuse me, I have business to do.”

Derpy stared after the stranger, watching him depart. Was that so? She knew that she messed things up now and then, and she also knew that ponies were talking about her behind her back. But usually, they weren’t this rude to her.

Remembering the task at hoof, she moved on to Chicken Trail, street number eleven on her route. Her optimism was gone, and she went faster than before, suddenly anxious to finish off her shift as quickly as possible. There were only five more streets until lunch break, and then, hopefully, Pinkie would manage to cheer her up.

As she flew through the streets, Derpy’s mind went back to Luna, as it often had in the week and a half that had passed since they’d met. Luna was nice. She hadn’t seemed to be annoyed by her. Derpy wondered if they would see each other anytime soon. Then, a sudden thought struck her mind, and she nearly dropped a letter into the mud.

Had Luna ditched her because she, too, thought that Derpy was a catastrophe on four hooves?

She pondered that while she finished off Chicken Trail. Luna had said that she wanted to try and make time for her, but what if she just wanted to be polite? Derpy wouldn’t hold it against her if she didn’t want to be her friend. After all, it did seem like she ended up ruining everything she touched.

The twelfth street, Smart Cookie Street, seemed endless. Even the thought of her lunch break couldn’t lift Derpy’s spirits anymore.

“Get your muffins together!” Derpy told herself. With iron will she forced both eyes towards the mailbox in front of her. She felt the reassuring weight of the mailbag on her shoulder, and a determined smile reappeared on her face. The blood of a true mailmare rushed through her veins. She had a letter to deliver, and she would keep pushing herself until the job was done.

For the next two streets, her focus remained unbroken. At last she entered Candy Lane, a narrow street with twenty three house numbers, counting down to number 1, Sugarcube Corner.

She had gotten to 4 Candy Lane when a sudden movement at the entrance of Sugarcube Corner caught her attention. Her left eye tracked a tall figure leaving the shop, and she gasped. What was Luna doing here?

Derpy stuffed some letters into the mailbox and turned towards her. Too late she realized that it had been the mail for 2 Candy Lane, which she had already taken out of her bag. Well, the numbers 2, 4, and 3 were probably all used to misdeliveries by now. That’s what you got for living in a house so close to lunch break.

Luna approached her. “Greetings, Derpy Hooves.”

“Hi! Could you wait a second? I’m almost done here.”

“Of course.”

Derpy shot her a smile, before turning to finish off 3 Candy Lane. The last piece of mail before her break was a package for 1 Candy Lane, Sugarcube Corner, backdoor. She rang the bell and, after a second, the door was opened.

“Good morning, Mister Cake!”

“Oh, that must be the new cake-pan my wife ordered.”

He took the package, almost dropping it as he looked up and saw Luna in the street. Derpy turned her back at him, leaving him alone with his delivery.

“All done! Now, what brings you here?”

The Princess looked tired behind her smile, even more so than the last time Derpy had seen her. “I came to see you, at last. I just didn’t know where to find you, so I came to ask Miss Pinkie Pie for her help.”

“Really? And you traveled all the way from Canterlot just for that?”

Luna nodded. “I made a promise, did I not? If my schedule had allowed for it, I would have visited sooner.”

Derpy didn’t know what to say. Was this a dream? But no, if it had been, there would have been more muffins.

“I’m at work right now, but it’s lunch break. Wanna join me?”

“Gladly.”

They went around Sugarcube Corner towards its front entrance. A high-pitched bell welcomed them as they entered, followed by a high-pitched Pinkie Pie.

“Luna, you’re back! I told you it would only take seconds!”

Pinkie beamed and bounced into the air. Derpy was tempted to follow her example, but instead she led Luna towards her favorite spot in the corner, next to the window. From here she could observe the inside of the shop as well as the outside. Right now, though, her eyes were set on Luna, who took place next to her. Luna was still smiling, but when Derpy looked closer, she could see the strain in her eyes.

She tried to set up her most reassuring smile. “Having a rough week, huh?”

“Indeed. Everything is in a state of mayhem, even weeks after the attack. You have no idea how glad I am just to be out of Canterlot for now.” Luna looked at her hooves. “Well … that, and I had a fight with my sister. I believe the stress is getting to both of us. Truth is, I sort of fled from the castle this morning.”

“Oh.” Derpy reached out and pulled Luna into a gentle hug. “It’s alright. You’re here now.”

She felt Luna hesitate for a moment, then sigh and lean into the embrace. “I was searching for you because I didn’t know where else to go. But I have to go back soon.”

“Do you? Couldn’t you just take a day off? I think you deserve it.”

For a moment, Derpy thought Luna would disagree and tell her that it wasn’t possible, but she didn’t.

“Perhaps you’re right. Maybe I should allow myself some time to recover.”

She pulled back, and Derpy let go of her.

“Thank you,” Luna said softly.

“Don’t worry about it. And now let’s eat something, I’m starving.”

As if she had just waited for that cue, Pinkie Pie appeared next to them. “What do you want? Wait, let me guess – you want muffins? We have chocolate and vanilla and raspberry and blueberry and cinnamon and delicious apple muffins with the finest apples from Sweet Apple Acres; classical, muffins with chocolate sauce and fruits, with butter, with hot sauce …”

Derpy pondered for a moment. Sugarcube Corner had such great variety, and picking was hard. She could have eaten every single one from the list.

“I would like a cinnamon muffin please,” Luna said.

“Make that two.”

“Juuust a second!”

When Pinkie left, Derpy turned her full attention – and both eyes – back on Luna.

“I shall repay the favor,” Luna said, “and make this my treat.”

“Really? Thank you, I appreciate it!”

Luna just smiled in response. She seemed a lot happier now – then again, they were about to have the best muffins in the world, so who wouldn’t be? After a short moment, Pinkie reappeared, carrying a tray in her mouth that held their orders. Carefully, she slid the two baked goods onto the table.

“There you go! Fresh as can be.”

Derpy could tell that they were. The smell alone nearly made her lose her mind. She could have literally wallowed in them, though she knew from experience that that wasn’t a good idea. With a watery mouth she fixated her gaze on the muffin in front of her, not much unlike a predator stalking their prey. The next second, she had her muzzle dug into the treat, and sweet madness overwhelmed her. While she was chewing, one eye went over to Luna, who giggled and bit a large chunk off of her own muffin.

“You were right,” Luna admitted. “These are the best.”

“Aren’t they?”

They both got lost in the taste, sharing a bond of silence, broken only by chewing noises. When Derpy was done with her muffin, Luna was just finishing off her last bit as well, licking her lips. A small, absent smile lit her face.

Derpy wanted to ask her what she was thinking about, but then a side glance at the clock made her jump.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to get back to work soon.”

“I suppose we can’t cause Ponyville’s mail to be tardy, can we?” Luna still smiled, but there was regret in her voice.

“We could hang out later, though,” Derpy proposed. “If you want to, that is.”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Great! We can meet back right here in, like, four hours.”

Luna smiled and nodded. “I’m looking forward to it. Let me just –”

She stopped, suddenly becoming very uncomfortable. “Um … I believe there is a problem.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t exactly carry money with me. I’m afraid that I didn’t think about that when I pronounced my invitation.”

Derpy burst out in laughter. “Don’t worry, I got you covered.”

“I’ll make it up to you.”

“Nah, no need to. I’m just happy that you’re here.”

She hugged the still-flustered princess, then picked up her mailbag, threw some bits onto the counter, and headed out of the shop. She did love being a mailmare, but today, the end of her shift couldn’t come soon enough.

Chapter 3: Luna’s Day Off

Luna walked down the street, smiling grimly at herself. She knew that Celestia would understand her need to take a break, but that didn’t make her feel better about this. She couldn’t get rid of the feeling that she was letting her down once again.

So, why had she still decided to take the day off? Why now, why here?

In front of her, the town hall appeared. It reminded her of when she had first come to Ponyville, less than two years ago on the night of the Summer Sun Celebration, hiding in a cloud of purple smoke. Her sister had been waiting for her. There had been no fight – Celestia had known that she was no match for the dark powers that Luna had unleashed, not without the Elements of Harmony. Instead, she had looked at Luna – at Nightmare Moon – with tired eyes and surrendered herself.

Luna shivered, turning away from the sight.

She headed towards the library, not sure where else to go until Derpy was done with her work. Maybe she would have a talk with Twilight Sparkle once she was there. The unicorn’s advice had proven helpful to her before. Alternatively, she could always pass the time just reading. Her studies of the modern world had gotten completely neglected in the stress of the past weeks, so this might be a chance to catch up a bit.

The street lead her to a small park, which she remembered from Nightmare Night, even if it now lacked the festive decorations. A cobbled path ran around it, seamed by small bushes. Old rowan trees grew at its side, each one with a bench at its foot, one of which was occupied by two mares: a unicorn with a mint-colored coat, and an earth pony who was resting her head on the unicorn’s lap. Luna blinked and looked again. The way the unicorn petted the earth pony’s neck and played with her mane looked so tender, so loving. And the look in her eyes …

Were those two a couple? Openly engaging is such activities, in a public place, in bright daylight? Then again, the way society viewed relationships had obviously changed in her absence, so maybe it was possible for a mare and another mare to openly have a relationship. She decided to do some research on that, just to avoid awkward situations. As she passed them, Luna threw another glance at the mares, a smile sneaking onto her lips. That did look comfortable.

Leaving the park, she noticed pegasi working in the sky above, pulling together large chunks of clouds. One of them Luna recognized as Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, flying back and forth and yelling orders towards her coworkers. Telling from the size of the gray bulk, there had to be a particularly heavy rainfall scheduled for this afternoon. She hoped Derpy would be fine.

Still in thought, Luna arrived at the foot of the big tree that was the library.

“Princess Luna!” Twilight gasped as she opened the door. “What brings you here? Is everything alright? Did something happen to Princess Celestia?”

“Do not worry, Twilight Sparkle, everything is in order. I am just taking a day off.”

She reached out a foreleg with the intention to bump hooves with Twilight, as she understood was the common greeting nowadays. Twilight didn’t answer the gesture though, instead shaking the hoof formally. Perhaps, Luna should do research on that as well some time.

“Your visit is certainly an honor,” Twilight said, gesturing for her to come in. “Please make yourself at home. Can I get you anything?”

“Thank you, I was just hoping to do a little research.”

The word research had an interesting effect on Twilight: her eyes widened, and a grin appeared on her face that was just adorable. Luna could suddenly understand her sister’s obsession with the unicorn a lot better.

“You're here to research? In my library?”

“Right now I’m trying to understand the modern concept of romance. Tell me: is it accepted in today’s society to be in a relationship with a pony of the same gender?”

Twilight blushed, very slightly. “Um, yes, I’d say it’s perfectly normal even. When I think of the books that some ponies ask for … but that’s a different story.”

“What kind of books are you referring to?” Luna asked, puzzled. Twilight's blush deepened.

“Um. You know, those kind of books. The ones in the restricted section.”

Now Luna’s interest was roused. What kind of restricted knowledge was Twilight referring to? It had to be highly magical and dangerous.

“Can you recommend one of those?”

Unable to answer properly, a now very awkward Twilight went away to a hidden corner of the room and returned with a thin tome. Scarlet’s Sweet Secret was the title that was emblazoned on it in red letters.

“I guess it makes sense that you would want to research the topic as thoroughly as possible. For science.”

“And are there any other books that you can recommend?”

“Oh, there are plenty … maybe you’d also be interested in something, well, safer?”

Twilight walked along the shelves and pulled out tomes, and before Luna knew it, a tower of books was growing before her eyes. Twilight grabbed a scroll and a quill and noted down the titles.

“I’ll mark them as temporarily unavailable, so you can take your time and return them whenever you want to.”

Luna stepped forward to hug her. “I cannot thank you enough, Twilight Sparkle.”

“It’s fine, don't worry. Just doing my job.” She still seemed flustered.

Confused by her reluctance, Luna let go of her – had she done something wrong? But Twilight didn’t say anything, so she assumed that it was alright.

Luna sat down in an armchair and picked up the book on top of the stack. The Mare from the End of the Street – that sounded like fiction. Since her banishment, she had not granted herself the luxury of reading anything outside of textbooks, but it was her day off, and if Twilight had suggested it, she was convinced that it had to be helpful in some way.

She started reading the first pages. The prose was a lot different from what she was used to, but she had to admit that it was enjoyable. Soon, she found herself deeply immersed in the book, eager to get to the next chapter, and the next …

It told the tale of a young mare who fell in love with another mare. Her family, however, tried to keep them from seeing each other. The book took the reader through the ups and downs of their lives, until, after a heartbreaking scene in which they confessed their love, everything turned out well.

Luna didn’t look up from her lecture until finishing the very last paragraph. This had been quite a read – looking at the clock, she realized that she was running late to meet Derpy in time, so absorbed in the story had she been. She couldn’t wait to read those other books, but for now, she used a quick spell to send them to her room in Canterlot.

Twilight looked up from her own book. “You have to go? Feel free to come by again at any time. It’s always fun to have a reading buddy!”

Luna was unsure about whether or not to hug the unicorn this time, but Twilight walked her to the door and bowed, so she left her be.

“Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle. It was a delight.”

“Take care! And have fun with your books!”

When Luna stepped outside, she noticed the puddles in the street. Apparently, she had missed the big downpour. As she hurried to get to Sugarcube Corner, the pegasi were still busy with driving away the remains of the rain clouds. The Sun sent its beams through a crack in the gray curtains and let Sugarcube Corner shine in even brighter colors than before.

“Luna! Luna!”

Derpy glided down from above the rooftops and spread her wings to more or less gracefully land in front of her. Her mane was still a little wet from the rain, and her coat had become shaggy. Luna turned towards her and hugged her, though a bit reluctantly after her experience with Twilight. Derpy didn’t seem to mind, though, gently squeezing her and not letting go before Luna did.

“Is it okay if we go to my place?” Derpy asked. “I feel like taking a good brush; I’m all sticky from the rain.”

“Of course. I would like to see where you live, for that matter.”

Derpy took Luna down the street and around a corner, into a small alley. “That rain really got me by surprise. I don’t know who’s responsible for the schedule this week, but I’m sure that they’ve never carried mail. Some of the letters got wet even, and of course everypony is blaming me.”

“That sounds unpleasant. Do you have to deal with conditions like this often?”

“If it’s too bad we don’t have to work. But I always fly out anyway, even in thunder or hail. I mean, the mail has to be delivered somehow. And I am a mailmare, right?”

She spoke with so much pride that it sent shivers down Luna’s back.

“Also,” Derpy continued, “it makes ponies happy. When I deliver in a blizzard, they ask me to come in, and I get muffins and hot chocolate, and everypony is smiling at me, and there’s this fuzzy feeling, you know. That’s a great reward.”

They came into a bigger street and stopped in front of one of the houses. It looked rather old, the yellow paint scaling off the walls.

“Here we are!” Derpy gently pushed Luna through the entrance door and up the slim wooden stairs. Luna had to duck her head and be careful not to trip on the small steps. Unlike the castle, this building was clearly not designed with alicorns in mind.

“Turn left,” Derpy directed as they reached the first floor. “It’s open. I always lose my keys anyway, so I figured I’d just leave the door unlocked.”

Luna opened the wooden door and ducked her head again. She barely fit through the frame.

While the house didn’t seem to be in too good a state overall, the room she entered looked much nicer. The walls were painted orange, giving it a warm, welcoming atmosphere. In one corner stood a wooden table with two chairs, the other had a small kitchenette, and a single, wide-open window faced the street. Derpy passed Luna to close it.

“I’ll be with you in a second.”

She went off through a door. Luna gave the apartment one last look and settled down on one of the chairs, crossing her forelegs on the table. She liked it in here, she decided. It was cozy.

Derpy returned, a brush in her mouth, and sat down on the floor. As she brushed herself, she had to stretch in impressive ways to reach every part of her body, holding the tool in her mouth. Only when it came to the parts where she had to operate it with her hooves, she struggled.

“May I help you?” Luna offered.

“Oh, that would actually make it a lot easier.”

Without getting up, Luna took the brush with her magic and began to gently stroke with it along the grain of Derpy’s hair. At first it felt a little strange to Luna to do this, but as Derpy hummed in contentment and leaned into the brushing, she pushed away any reluctance there might have been.

As they were finished and Luna laid down the brush, Derpy pounced at her without warning, almost knocking her off the chair.

“That felt sooo good, thank you!”

“You’re quite welcome.”

Now that they were this close, Luna couldn’t resist running a hoof through Derpy’s coat. She was so soft!

“So, what do you wanna do now?” Derpy asked, drawing back.

“I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

“Hm. We already ate muffins. I don’t know, maybe we could do something like bowling?”

“Bowling?”

“It’s a game where you roll a ball over the floor and hit stuff. I’ve never played it myself, but I’ve heard that it’s fun. Hey, it would make it a fair game if we’re both new to it!”

“Then we shall try it together.”

When they left Bill’s Bowling Bar two hours later, Luna giggled like a madmare. Derpy on the other hoof was silent, walking beside her and looking on the ground in shame.

“Oh, I am so terribly sorry,” Luna managed to get out, catching her breath. “This is unbecoming of me. But his face was hilarious!”

Derpy didn’t look up. “At least you had fun.”

Luna laughed again. Bowling had been great, even though she doubted they would be welcome at this particular establishment a second time. If she weren’t Princess of Equestria, they probably wouldn’t have been allowed to stay even this long. But as she had made it clear that she wanted Derpy to stay with her, nopony had dared to stand up against that.

Of course she would pay for the damages later.

“Do not fret, my dear. It was worth giving a try, was it not?”

Derpy shook her head. “I should’ve known better. You saw how the other ponies looked at me. Do you know what they call me? A catastrophe.”

Luna’s smile faded. She only knew Derpy with a cheery grin on her face, but now she looked so miserable that it broke her heart.

“Derpy, look at me. I think you’re a wonderful pony, and I don’t care if you break things on occasion.”

“But I care. I can ignore what they say, but I can’t ignore how I feel about myself. I just don’t want to always be the one screwing up.”

Luna, following some sort of intuition, offered her a hug. That seemed to become a habit of theirs, she thought. She wrapped her wings around Derpy protectively, feeling the pegasus’s body press against her.

“I’m sorry,” Derpy sobbed. “I wanted you to have a good day.”

“So far this has been the best day of my last one thousand and … oh, way too many years. What are we doing next?”

“I don’t know if I’m up for anything big right now.”

“That’s fine. We can always return to your place if you want to.”

Derpy thoughtfully nuzzled Luna’s chest, before pulling out of the embrace. “Maybe we can take a walk at the riverside? It’s a nice place to go.”

“That certainly sounds pleasant.”

Derpy took off in a running start, and with one wing beat Luna followed her, glad to see that a small smile had returned to her face. At least there seemed to be one thing she was doing right.

They soared across Ponyville, Derpy taking the lead at a comfortable pace. Soon, they reached the edge of the town. In the distance, they could see a farm, with a mud road running through a cluster of apple orchards. Their heading was a different one though: towards the Everfree Forest, which seamed the horizon in its unfathomable depth. At its border, there was a small cottage, where Luna knew Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness, lived.

The river was running near the cottage, a blue band stretching across the patchwork of fields and meadows. Derpy started descending gently, and soon approached a small bridge. When she got close to the ground, Luna did a quarter turn and took a big load of air into her wings to slow down, gently dropping onto the river bank.

She turned towards Derpy, who apparently had a bit more trouble. Her glide angle was too steep as she came down, and so she hit the ground too hard, tripping forwards. Luna reached out a hoof, barely getting a hold of her before she fell into the water.

“Thanks for the save,” Derpy said.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I think so. This happens to me a lot. It’s a thing with my eyes. I can’t estimate distances very well, so that’s pretty bad for flying.”

“I see. It must be hard for you to do a landing at all then.”

Derpy nodded. “But I have a lot of practice, so most times I manage.”

She ruffled her wings and folded them back to her sides, then stepped onto the trail that went alongside the river. Luna followed her, walking up to her side.

The ground was soft, and high grass tickled Luna’s legs. A choir of birds sang in a multitude of voices, while the stream rippled next to them. It was a peaceful place, away from the bustle of the town, away from other ponies. She could see why Derpy wanted to come here.

Luna walked quietly, observing her companion from the corner of her eye. One of Derpy’s eyes was turned towards her, never leaving her; the other one, though, looked forwards. Luna still hadn’t gotten quite used to that.

“Say, Derpy.”

“Hm?”

“Can you really see two things at a time?”

Derpy nodded. “I can. But it’s hard to concentrate on two things at once, so most of the time it’s more distracting than helpful. Can’t do much about it though, they have a life of their own.”

“How interesting.”

“That’s one way to say it. Most ponies call me weird for it.”

“But you’re not. You just have very special eyes.”

“I know. And I’m happy that you think about it that way, too.”

They fell into silence again. Luna enjoyed the sensation of grass beneath her hooves, the warm tingling of the Sun on her back. She had missed those things during her banishment, and even the soft smell of rain and the sound that it made when it poured onto the ground. But that was over now. She was back in Equestria, and right now, she was enjoying a nice day. It suddenly seemed unreal how much she had worried about some paperwork this very morning.

She was a free mare. This was her day off, and she was happy.

It took them over an hour of walking to get back to Ponyville, and by the time they returned to Derpy’s apartment, it was already dusk. Derpy fetched them muffins for dinner, and they sat together and talked until it was time to raise the Moon.

Luna got up and headed for the window. There was no need to see the sky for what she was about to do, but she liked to have a good view regardless. Luna could feel her sister pulling at the Sun ever so gently, so that the day would make room for Luna’s night. She could feel her through the connection, standing on her balcony back in Canterlot and looking at her sunset.

Letting her know that she was there, Luna got a hold of the Moon and brought it into position. Celestia had just been waiting for that cue. She moved the Sun out of the way, slowly pushing it past the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple. In the distance, the first stars lit up. Finally, Luna dragged the Moon onto the sky, where it remained on its path, locked in the ancient mechanism that drove it ever forwards.

The Moon looked so tiny from down here.

“Luna?” Derpy said, and as Luna turned around, she could see her watching in awe. “I have a question, but I don’t know if it’s a weird thing to ask.”

“Just go ahead.”

“How exactly did you get to be in charge of the Moon? I mean, it doesn’t seem like a job you’d just apply for, right?”

“Indeed it is not – this duty is one that I had been chosen for before I was even born. But if you really want to hear about that, we will have to start at the very beginning.”

“Yay, story time!”

Derpy lay down on the floor and rested her head on her forelegs, looking at Luna expectantly. Luna sat down, folding her hooves.

“Back when the world was young …”

Luna hadn’t told the story to anypony in a long time. With it, memories came back: memories of her mother, the lovely Princess Laurentia, all-mother of ponies, with her pristine coat and her mane that shone like liquid copper. Princess Laurentia, the first alicorn, who had created day and night, making the Earth inhabitable for creatures of all kinds.

She told Derpy the whole story. Of the Ancients, most of whom, seeing how much the world was changing, had decided that it was time to pass away. How her mother had created the pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies, to fill the world with harmony. And how, eventually, she had decided to create herself two daughters, Celestia and her, to fill her place, so that she, too, could go in peace. By the end, Luna had to fight back tears.

Derpy crawled up to her, offering a hoof around her shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. For every being, even immortals, comes the time when their time in this world is over. I can accept that. But I have failed her. I have abandoned everything that Mother wanted me to care for.”

“You made some mistakes. But that’s in the past now. I think your mom would understand what you have gone through.”

“It doesn’t matter. For a millennium, I left my sister with a burden she was never meant to bear on her own. What if it happens again? What if Nightmare Moon is still there, deep inside of me?”

“You’re scared, and that’s okay! But you’re better than what you’re making yourself out to be. I believe in you!”

Luna buried her head in Derpy’s shoulder. “Thank you. You don’t know how much that means.”

Derpy gently stroked her back.

“Thank you for being a friend,” Luna muttered.

They sat together like that for several minutes, until Luna realized how late it had become. She shook herself and got up.

“I should leave soon. The way back to Canterlot takes some time.”

“You could always stay over night, friend.” Derpy grinned as she said the word ‘friend’. “If you want to.”

The invitation was tempting. Too tempting, Luna decided, to decline at such an hour, as the sheer thought of flying made her yawn.

“So be it.”

Derpy beamed at her, but then she had to yawn, too.

“Do you wanna go to bed now? Because I’m kind of tired.”

“If you do not mind. It is going to be a long day tomorrow.”

Derpy guided her into the bedroom, which, in contrast to the orange living room, was painted dark blue, reminding Luna of the night sky. A massive bed was squeezed into a corner, laden with a mountain of pillows. The floor was covered with a fluffy, light blue carpet, onto which Derpy collapsed immediately.

“You can have the bed, Luna.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely sure. Could you just throw some of those pillows at me?”

Luna took about half of them with her magic and shoved them onto the floor.

“I’ll be up kind of early tomorrow,” Derpy said, “but I guess you’ll have to set the moon anyway.”

“Yes, and then I have to leave.”

“Right. So … good night?”

Luna knelt down to give her one last hug. The gesture already felt familiar: the warmth of Derpy’s body, the softness of her coat. Luna gave all of her gratefulness into the embrace, for all the things she had experienced that day.

Then she let go and climbed into the bed. It was nice and cozy, and smelled just like Derpy. She snuggled herself into the pillows. They were quite soft, but they could never substitute the mare lying on the floor.

Chapter 4: Like the Moon

Derpy was walking down the prestigious Glass Blower Street of Canterlot, looking forward to a free weekend. It was Friday. Originally she had been scheduled for mail duty on Saturday, but she had swapped with Thunderlane’s Monday and Tuesday so that she could stay in Canterlot over the weekend. It was a two-for-one trade, but that was alright for her, she had done double shifts before. She got the day off, and that was all that mattered.

Behind luxury shops and expensive mansions, the towers of Canterlot Castle appeared like giant mushrooms growing into the sky. Guards were patrolling the gate, keeping not an inch of the surrounding area unwatched.

Derpy passed Gate Square. The shops here were the most exquisite ones in town, and many a high-class pony strode about, turning up their nose as she passed by. She paid them no mind. It had been a week and a half since Luna’s visit to Ponyville, and now Derpy was so excited to see her again that nothing else got through to her. There was something about the Princess that made Derpy feel like a bundle of condensed sunshine whenever she was around her. Maybe it was the genuineness with which she treated her, or maybe just how nice of a pony she was.

She could only hope that Luna wasn’t too busy. This was a surprise visit, and as things were with surprises, you never knew how they would turn out – just like that one time Derpy had wanted to make her mom surprise cookies for Mother’s Day. She swallowed. She’d rather not think about that.

After passing the gate, Derpy’s made her way towards the main building of the castle. A considerably smaller gate marked the entrance to the grand hall. This one, however, was closed, and a pair of guards stood in front of it following Derpy warily with their eyes.

“Good morning, Sirs,” she greeted.

No response.

“Could you let me through the door, please? I need to see Princess Luna.”

One of the guards snorted. “I’m sorry, Miss, but entrance is prohibited to strangers.”

“Hey, I’m no stranger – my name’s Derpy Hooves, and I’m friends with Luna.”

“Never heard of you, sorry. I'll have to ask you to leave.”

Despite his words, the guard didn’t look sorry at all. Derpy didn’t want to start an argument though, not after the last time she had tried arguing with a guard. Now what should she do?

She looked at the main complex that was towering up in front of her. It suddenly looked hostile, like it was built specifically as a fortress against her. But she couldn’t just give up. There had to be a way in!

She walked around the building. Since she hadn’t seen a mailbox at the front, she assumed that there was some sort of backdoor, like at Sugarcube Corner. Maybe she would have better luck there. She could pretend to be a mailpony. It would be the perfect disguise, since she really was a mailpony and would only have to pretend to pretend.

But before she could think that plan through, she recognized an annex that snuggled against the wall of the main building like a baby chicken against its mom. Four chimneys stuck out of its roof, spitting out gray and white smoke. There were no windows, but a slim wooden door was let into the side.

Derpy peeked left and right – both at the same time – and approached the door. It stood open by just a small crack, enough for a smell to escape into the open that reminded her of her dad’s famous carrot stew. Her stomach grumbled.

Carefully, Derpy opened the door just wide enough for her to slip through. She felt like the hero in one of those spy stories.

The room on the other side was empty, aside from a shelf with boxes and tin cans, and there was only one door leading on from here. Derpy heard kitchen noises: boiling and screeching, and ponies yelling things at each other while their hooves clacked on tiled floor.

Holding her breath, she pushed down the handle and opened the door as quietly as possible.

The kitchen was in a state of organized chaos, with cooks weaving in between one another, darting here and there to cut vegetables and measure spices and check on bubbling saucepans. In all the bustle, nopony noticed her entering.

On the other side of the room was a swing door, enhanced with metal at the bottom and with a round window in it. That was Derpy’s way into the castle! She sneaked across the room, staying right next to the wall. The smell of food was killing her. Maybe she should have eaten something before coming here.

The door came closer. She eyed the kitchen staff nervously, but they were still too absorbed in their work to notice anything.

Her heart beat like crazy. Just a few more steps.

Suddenly, a loud clank appeared under her as she stepped into a bucket. She jumped backwards, but it was stuck on her hoof. Derpy felt the bucket slide away on the slippery floor, and a second later, she lay on the ground with all fours pointing in the air. Heads turned towards her.

“Oops, sorry.”

She grinned awkwardly, trying not to panic. A chef stepped towards her, gray mustache quivering as he spoke.

“You better have a good explanation for why you're here, Missy!”

“I’m Derpy Hooves. I’m, uh, a courier with an important message for Princess Luna.”

“So?”

“I can only tell her eye to eye. Because – that is because it’s too important and secret.”

The mustache, curled up in confusion, started to shake threateningly. “Then what are you doing in my kitchen?”

“I was hungry after traveling all the way from, uh, Farfar Awayistan to deliver the message. But you’re right, I should better hurry up and –”

“You stay right where you are! I’m calling the guards.”

Derpy felt like shrinking down to the size of the chef’s hat. So close! What would happen now? Would they throw her in the dungeon? She had heard stories about what Princess Celestia did to criminals, which she had no intention of finding out whether they were true.

The chef was just about to rush off, when a voice was raised that sounded familiar to Derpy. “It’s fine, she’s with me.”

Derpy turned around to see who had spoken. It was a white unicorn who looked at her through large violet shades. Vinyl Scratch, the DJ on her mail route!

Derpy beamed. “Hi Vinyl!”

The chef looked like he wanted to talk back at first, but then something made him reconsider and he just nodded. All the ponies in the room suddenly couldn’t get back to work quick enough. Vinyl stretched out her hoof to bump it against Derpy’s.

“Let’s go.”

They left through the swing door, which led into a small corridor. Only when they left the corner behind them, Derpy dared to let out a sigh of relief.

“Thanks, that was close.”

“You’re the mailmare who screwed up my signed special edition of the latest Squirrel-X album, right?”

Derpy ducked her head, but Vinyl just laughed.

“Oh, it’s no biggie, I break things all the time. Speakers, mostly. Say, what’s your name? I see you so often, you know, but I never asked.”

“I’m Derpy Hooves.”

“Why were you demolishing the kitchen? Some kind of anti establishment thing?”

“That was an accident! I’m only here because I wanna see Princess Luna, but nopony believes me that we’re friends.”

“Yeah okay, I can see that.”

They turned around a corner into another corridor, where a richly ornamented carpet absorbed the sound of their steps.

Derpy smiled at Vinyl. “And what were you doing in the kitchen?”

“I always use them to get in. Front doors is for snooty slimebags like that Blueblood guy. Anywho, do you know the way to Luna’s room?”

Derpy shook her head. “It’s my first visit here.”

“Alright, I better show you the way then. Wouldn’t want you ending up in trouble again, right?"

“You would do that for me? Thank you so much!”

“It’s nothing. Maybe you could just be a little more careful the next time you have records for me? Vinyl can get scratches.” She buried her face in a hoof. “Ugh, I can’t believe I said that one out loud.”

Vinyl led her down a wide hallway, humming a melody which Derpy recognized from her latest album. The notes that were her cutie mark bounced up and down as she walked, accompanied by colorful dots that the sinking Sun painted on onto everything through the stained glass windows.

They went up a huge staircase for a while, with flat and wide stairs, and through a massive ebony door. Derpy caught a glance at the detailed carvings in the wood: animals of all kinds, dancing in celebration. The large hoofbar that grew out of the picture had the shape of two alicorns standing back to back with their wings crossed.

She was so fascinated that she bumped into Vinyl, who had stopped at the other side of the door, pointing to the left.

“Luna’s chambers should be over there. Never seen them myself, but I’m sure you’ll be alright from here. I kinda need to hurry up.”

“Thank you!”

Vinyl gave her a friendly nod and adjusted her shades before leaving.

Derpy followed the passage to her left, soon finding herself in front of another door. It depicted the night sky. The constellations were connected by fine lines engraved in the surface, and a stylized Moon was the hoofbar. This had to be it. Derpy took a deep breath and knocked.

A groan came from the other side. “I said I wished not to be disturbed! How difficult is that to understand?”

“Sorry! Didn’t know.”

“Derpy? Is that you?”

A moment of silence, then the door was opened with a fling of magic. Derpy peeked inside, finding Luna standing in front of a four-poster bed, looking confused.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you!”

“Oh.” Luna’s ears drooped, and she stared down at her hooves.

Derpy approached her, confused by that reaction – she had thought Luna would be more excited to see her.

“Is something wrong?”

“No. Well – no, not really. It’s just that I am invited to a party this evening. It is very important, so I’m afraid I cannot make any time for you tonight.”

Derpy stopped, tilting her head. Where was the problem? She loved parties! As long as she and Luna were together, it could only be fun.

But Luna didn’t want her to go with her.

Of course she wouldn’t, Derpy thought. Nopony invited her to parties, aside from Pinkie, who invited literally all of Ponyville. Luna was a princess, so she couldn’t show up with somepony as unpopular as her. Maybe she didn’t even want to go with her. Just like everypony else.

“Well,” she said, her voice cracking. “I hope you have fun at the party then. It’s okay, maybe we’ll see each other around some time.”

“Derpy?”

Derpy turned to go. Regardless of what she had said, she was not okay, not at all. But the last thing she wanted was to make Luna feel bad just because of her.

“Derpy!”

She didn’t stop.

“Luna!”

Luna winced as Cadence said her name, and turned her gaze away from the window. She was in a room filled with chattering and laughing ponies. Quiet music played in the background, and a buffet was set up on a long table, luring with all sorts of delicacies. Luna wasn’t hungry, though.

“Luna,” Cadence repeated. “It's so great you could make it! Are you enjoying yourself so far?”

She truly wasn’t, but she could never tell that to the host of the party. She couldn’t say that she didn’t like parties, and that she felt that she didn't belong here. She couldn’t say that she would rather spent the evening with Derpy. So instead she just nodded.

“It’s lovely.”

Cadence gave her a long look. “Do you want to tell me what is bothering you, Auntie?”

“You need not worry, everything you have arranged is perfect. I am merely thinking about somepony.”

Cadence raised her eyebrow. “Somepony?”

Luna sighed. “A friend of mine. She seemed so upset earlier, and I have to presume it is because of something I said, even though I am not certain as to what it was.”

“Have you asked her about it?”

“I wanted to, but she left before I could say anything.”

“That bad, huh?” Cadence joined Luna, and they both looked out of the window. The garden of Cadence’s and Shining Armor’s house lay peaceful in the warm colors of sunset. Soon it would be time to raise the moon. Luna had been told there would be dancing later on, but whatever interest in learning the modern dances she might have had, it had vanished completely.

“Luna,” Cadence said after a while. “I’m happy you are here, really. But, if this troubles you so badly, I want you to know that you can go at any time. I wouldn’t want you to feel like you owe me to stay.”

Luna looked at her with hesitance. “Would that be alright?”

“If you need to talk to your friend, then that’s what you should do. And once you talked things out, I'd always be happy to have the two of you back here later.”

“The two of us? Does that mean she can come as well?”

Cadence laughed. “But of course! You’re allowed to bring a ‘plus one’ to a party. Didn’t you know?”

Luna remained silent. The smile slowly slipped off Cadence’s face. “Ahaha, okay. I wish you good luck.”

“Thank you.”

Was Derpy disappointed that Luna didn’t invite her along?

She approached the door that led into the garden. She would find out. A few party guests gave her surprised looks as she passed through and spread her wings, taking off into the sunset.

Luna flapped her wings as fast as she could. She still needed to find Derpy first. However, she had a hunch where she might be.

After a short flight over Canterlot, a wide plaza appeared below. Prance Square was illuminated by the colorful lights decorating the windows of the shops surrounding it. Luna dove down to the ground at crushing speed, and only spread her wings to brake a good ten feet above the ground, stirring up dust as she landed in front of a small cafe. Some of the cobblestones cracked beneath her hooves as she touched down.

A sign with a piece of cake and a cup of coffee was glowing in the fading light of day. Through the window, Luna could see a certain, lonely gray pegasus sit in a corner, staring at a half-eaten muffin on the table in front of her.

Luna was about to enter the shop when a familiar pulling sensation made her stop. The Sun had almost disappeared behind the horizon, and it was time for the Moon to be raised. She rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help it. The night couldn’t wait any longer.

Luna didn’t like raising the moon in public. Even if it was huge, it reacted quite sensitively to her touch, and if she wasn’t able to maintain her focus, the consequences could be devastating. It also made her feel exposed in a way. The feeling that ponies might be watching her made this so much harder than it already was.

She closed her eyes, blending out her surroundings.

She could do it if she had to. Reaching out to the sky and forcing herself to think about her task, and only her task, Luna carefully pulled up the moon. Only when she was sure that it was on the correct path and had let go of the connection did she open her eyes to look at the result.

The pale orb that was the moon had appeared in the distance, slowly moving up into the night sky, surrounded by its mysterious glow.

“Don’t you have a party to be at?”

Luna jumped at the voice that suddenly appeared right next to her. Spinning around, she found Derpy standing just outside the cafe. Even in the sparse light that came from inside, Luna could see that her face was stained with tears.

“I left,” she answered.

“Why? Wasn’t it fun?”

Luna’s shivered. “It was no fun at all. But that’s not important. Will you tell me what is wrong? You pop up in my chambers, saying that you want to see me, and the next moment you run away and I don’t even know what happened!”

Derpy looked away. “You know when you really want to see somepony special to you, but they don’t have time for you? And then you remember that nopony likes you, and you just feel like you're a nuisance, and maybe you’re also cranky because you haven’t eaten anything all day?”

“You think that nopony – that I – wait, you hadn’t eaten?”

Derpy shook her head.

“Derpy, please forgive me. If only I had known I would have offered you something to eat! We could have had muffins together. But you were leaving in such a hurry it was giving me no chance to actually talk to you – I couldn’t even give you a hug.”

“I didn't want to bother you any longer. You said you didn’t have time, and you wanted to go to that party without me.”

“But that’s not true!” Luna made a helpless gesture with a hoof. “Please, you cannot just assume things like that. I wasn’t even aware it was acceptable to invite you along!”

“You didn’t know?”

Luna shook her head. “Sometimes I don’t understand things. I’m sorry.”

“But, you would want me to go to parties with you?”

“Of course, Derpy! You’re my friend. I did say so, didn’t I?”

“That was almost two weeks ago. I wasn’t sure if you hadn’t changed your mind.”

Luna sighed. “There was just too much to do. Do you know how much I missed you? And then you just run away, and I don’t even understand what I did wrong.”

“Yeah, sorry. I blew it.”

“We both did. But I have to plea for you to be patient with me. I'm still adapting to the times. Mistakes like this might happen.”

“I can understand that.”

Luna looked down on Derpy, offering her forelegs, and finally, Derpy took the invitation and flung herself at her in a big hug. Luna shuddered and pulled her close.

“Maybe I’m just used to it,” Derpy mumbled. “To ponies turning away from me, rejecting me. Maybe I expect you to do the same, no matter what you say.”

“You have to trust me.”

“I want to.”

They leaned against each other. It was like getting to rest after a tiresome day, or returning to Equestria after a thousand years of banishment – this feeling that things were back to how they should be.

“You say you missed me?” Derpy asked after a while. “I missed you too, Luna.”

Luna squeezed her. “Now, I realize that this is late, but do you want to go that party with me?”

Beaming, as if nothing had happened, Derpy grabbed her hoof. “I'd love to.”

It didn’t take them long to get back to Cadence’s and Shining Armor’s house. Luna was tempted to just land in the garden, but seeing how small and sparsely lit it was, she decided not to risk it, for Derpy's sake. So instead, they touched down under a lantern in front of the house and rang the doorbell.

“Luna, you’re back!” Cadence greeted her, before turning towards Derpy. “I’m Cadence.”

“I’m Derpy Hooves, from Ponyville. Hi!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Derpy.” She stepped out of the door to let them enter. “Do come in! You know the way, Luna. If you two will excuse me, I have to be back in the kitchen before Shining does something he will regret.”

She rushed through a door, and Luna walked down the narrow hallway into the living room, Derpy sticking to her tail.

The party had changed a bit since Luna had left. The buffet was gone, and so was the music. Furniture had been moved out of the way, and in a corner stood a unicorn at a small table with what she recognized as audio equipment, sorting some of those black discs ponies stored music on nowadays. If Luna recalled correctly, it was the same artist that had performed at Cadence’s wedding party. The disc jockey looked up, shaking her mane off her shades, and next to Luna, Derpy jumped forwards.

“Vinyl!”

The pony whom Derpy had called Vinyl bumped Derpy’s hoof. “Hey, now that’s a surprise!”

Luna looked from one to the other. “You know her?”

The stranger turned towards Luna, offering her a hoof.

“She brings my mail. And I –” she adjusted her shades “– bring the beats. Vinyl Scratch is the name.”

Luna didn’t hesitate to hoof-bump her. “Hi, I am Luna. It's a pleasure to meet you.”

She heard somepony walk up to her, and turning around, Luna found her sister.

“Look who decided to show up,” Celestia mocked her.

“I was been here earlier than you, just so you know.”

“Alright, alright. So as I see you’ve already made the acquaintance of Vincenza La Harmona Scratch?”

“Ugh, I hate that name,” Vinyl muttered.

Celestia chuckled. “Did you know that she is a niece of ours?”

“Oh, really?” Luna mustered the mare again, who looked at her hooves.

“Don’t really care about that royalty business,” Vinyl mumbled. Then she turned to Luna again. “But hey, you seem pretty cool though.”

Luna was honored. Nopony had called her “cool” before.

“Now I’d chat all evening,” Vinyl said, “but actually, I have to get some records spinning.”

Celestia turned away, extending a wing over Luna. “May I ask who your special friend is you brought with you? Might this be that Derpy Hooves character you couldn’t keep quiet about all week?”

Luna blushed.

“I see,” Celestia said. “She seems lively, I like that.”

“What do you think of the party?” Luna asked, trying to change the topic.

“It’s delightful. You know how much I love a good party.”

“Don’t remind me. I could never forget what you did for my thousandth birthday.”

“But you have to admit that the Smooze was a good dancer, and a gentleslime. Sometimes I wish we hadn’t banished it into another dimension. Good old times.”

Luna smirked. “You are terrible.”

Celestia ruffled her mane. “You know very well that you love me. And now, don’t let your weird old sister hold you back any longer. Go and join your friend.”

Where was Derpy, anyway? Luna turned around, and scanned the room.

She quickly found her, prancing around and knocking over the occasional drink and party guest. She was chasing a balloon, laughing as she kicked it into the air each time it threatened to sink onto the ground. Luna observed her for a little while, her eyes following Derpy’s gleeful bouncing as if in trance.

Eventually, Derpy noticed that Luna was watching and jumped towards her, crashing into her chest. “Hey, wanna play too?”

“As much as I would like to, I that might not be possible without causing a havoc.” She pointed at the other ponies in the room, who were doing their best to put space between themselves and the prancing madmare.

“Moreover, I understand that the music is about to start, so I meant to ask you if –” The rest of the sentence was swallowed by an ear-splitting noise coming out of the huge loudspeaker right next to them. Derpy said something, but Luna couldn’t hear her.

The sound abated, replaced by a fast rhythm. Derpy pointed towards a spot at the other side of the room, and Luna nodded and followed her, away from the source of the noise that apparently was music.

As they crossed the room, a strange sort of melody came in. Luna wasn’t sure as to what kind of instrument it was played on – it sounded like a bunch of noises mashed together. The ponies around them were jumping up and down to the rhythm, and Luna noticed that Derpy was doing the same, shaking her behind in front of Luna’s nose as she was hopping forwards.

Luna blushed and tried to imitate her, jumping up and down, switching her weight from the left to the right hoof and back. It felt a little odd, and she wasn’t sure if she liked this sort of dancing, but she kept going, since it appeared to be what ponies did at this sort of party.

They reached the other side of the room, and Derpy’s jumping turned into more of a shuffling. Luna tried to keep up, but then the pace of the music doubled, then quadrupled. What was this madness?

Suddenly, the beat stopped. Luna looked around herself, panting. What had happened? Then, all of a sudden, it came back, this time in a much slower tempo and with deep, thriving sounds. It hit her like a physical force, or rather Derpy did, bumping into her side with determination.

“Don’t hold back!”

Luna tried her hardest to follow the advice. Actually, the hopping up and down did become somewhat comfortable. She felt as if the whole world was shaking with the rhythm and all she had to do was to let that movement overtake her. Like the Moon almost, which also wanted to rise and sink each day, and only needed to be nudged onto its path.

Luna started to enjoy this. It was so unbelievably easy to give in to the music and just let herself fall, to be lifted up again by the next beat, carried by the sound. She didn’t even mind the loudness or the strange noises anymore, it all seemed to fit into the piece just perfectly.

She didn’t notice the evening passing by. More and more of the party guests were leaving, but she hardly even registered it. She only had eyes for Derpy.

Derpy was on another plane of existence. Beats shot through her system like electric shocks. She swam in the tide and drowned in the flood. She danced until her absolute and final last.

But that wasn’t the best part. The best part was watching Luna have the time of her life. If it had been possible, she would’ve danced with her forever.

Eventually, though, the exhaustion finally got through to her. She was gasping for air, and her hooves felt as if they had been massaged by a rhinoceros – not that she could speak from experience, but rhinoceroses didn’t have a reputation for being good masseurs.

She searched for an exit, passing through the ponies and music that surrounded her. Luna followed her, still swaying to the beat.

There was a door leading into the garden. Derpy stepped outside and took a deep breath of clear midnight air. Her coat was wet and sticky, and she shivered when the cool outside touched her. Immediately, she found a large blue wing draped over her back, and she leaned against Luna’s side, both for the warmth and because she didn’t trust in her hooves’ ability to carry her. She had been to many parties in Ponyville, but never before had she been so exhausted and at the same time so blissful after one.

“I’m done for,” she slurred, having a hard time keeping her eyes open. “You can go and enjoy yourself, I’ll just be staying here I think.”

She felt a gentle push forwards.

“I won’t leave you, Derpy.”

The next thing Derpy knew was that she lay in a bed. It was a huge one: a four-poster bed with a firm but cozy mattress and shiny silk covers. A bed worthy of a princess.

Turning around, Derpy found her princess, lying right next to her. She could barely make out Luna’s form in what little moonlight seeped through the curtains, but she could smell her, and feel her warmth. Had Luna carried her here while she had been sleeping?

Derpy carefully moved closer, snuggling into Luna’s side.

Luna was such an amazing pony. She wasn’t only beautiful and majestic and kind, but also just really cute. And apparently, she did care about her. Still, Derpy had to wonder if their time together meant as much to Luna as it did to her. She wasn’t even sure if Luna understood the concept of being in love.

But that was alright. In the end, what counted was that they were enjoying themselves.

Luna mumbled something unintelligible and twisted in her sleep, stretching out a wing and pulling Derpy closer.

Chapter 5: Lights of the Past

Luna sat on her bed, looking up from Scarlet’s Sweet Secret for the hundredth time to take a glance at the clock. It was three in the afternoon. She sighed and thought about looking up that time manipulation spell that she knew was somewhere in Starswirl’s collection of forbidden spells. Then she shook her head and went back to the book, deciding that it wasn’t worth the temporal disintegrity.

The reason for her impatience was of course that she wanted to go and meet up with Derpy. As she thought of her friend, a smile crept onto Luna’s face. Closing her eyes, she could almost hear her voice and feel the warm touch of her embrace.

Luna remembered waking up in her bed this morning, snuggled up to the other mare. It would have been the appropriate thing to do, Luna thought in retrospect, to offer Derpy a bed in one of the guest suites, but that idea had not occurred to her in her tiredness.

Not that Derpy had minded. And she? She had to think about it the entire day. There was an unreasonable level of satisfaction in cuddling with her, and it was the same with the hugs they shared. Maybe, she thought, she was just in need of physical contact after being isolated on the Moon for such a long time. Just for the comfort of feeling somepony’s warmth. That seemed to be a logical explanation.

Luna looked at the clock again, but the minute hand had only moved a small fraction, while her book was still opened at the same page it had been half an hour ago. Rubbing her eyes, she decided to put it away. Those books Twilight had given to her were quite insightful, and she did enjoy reading them, but today she just couldn’t focus. Perhaps Derpy wouldn’t mind if she showed up a little early.

She made her way down the streets, fighting back the urge to rush and soar over the roofs. Only slowly, the majestic buildings of Canterlot passed by. Luna wasn’t familiar with the address Derpy had told her to pick her up at, but she had asked a guard for directions, and apparently, it was in the Old Trade District. Luna had been there a couple of times, searching the antiquarians for some of her favorite books, though that quest had ended in disappointment. It seemed like the only copies that were left of them were in the library of the old castle, but she hadn’t dared set hoof there since her return.

Luna passed the market and followed a rusty street sign into Pepper Street. It was paved with old, uneven cobblestone, and she had to watch her step to avoid tripping over the bumps. The house with the number she was looking for was a three-story building to the left, with a facade that looked like it might have been colorful once, even though Luna couldn’t make out which color that might had been.

The labels on the buttons were unreadable, but Derpy had told her to ring the second from the bottom. As she did, steps emerged from inside, pacing down the stairs, then a shriek, followed by a short silence and a thump. A few seconds later, Derpy opened the door, brushing dust from her shoulder.

“Luna! I was –”

Not giving Derpy time to complete her sentence, Luna entangled her in a tight embrace. Derpy didn’t protest, instead getting up on her hindlegs and wrapping her forelegs around Luna’s neck.

“Luna? You alright?”

“Yes.” She squeezed Derpy for a second, before forcing herself to let go of her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to overwhelm you.“

“Don’t worry. I like hugging you.” Derpy beamed at her and rubbed her neck against her chest, which send a warm tingle down Luna’s spine. How did she do that? How did she make her feel like this?

“Derpy …”

Luna felt like saying something. She was so grateful that Derpy was her friend, and she wanted to let her know how special she was to her. But she couldn’t think of words that sounded quite right in her head, so instead, she just nuzzled the mare’s head.

“I hope it's alright that I'm this early?” she asked.

“Actually, I was waiting for you! We can go if you want.”

Derpy bumped against Luna’s side, shooting her the smile that she loved so much. Luna smiled back and nodded. “Let us.”

They spent most of the remaining day at the Castle, sitting on Luna’s balcony and talking. Derpy loved the view up there. She could see half of Canterlot and far over the Southern Plains. Even Ponyville was visible on the verge of the horizon.

After the night had fallen over the land, they went to have some muffins in a fancy dining hall downstairs. Two plates of food and one broken mug later, Derpy let out a sigh of contentment, licking at a few drops of sauce that were stuck on her nose. The royal kitchen staff was good, that much she had to admit. Maybe not as good as Sugarcube Corner, but hey, who was?

As she looked up, she caught Luna’s gaze. Derpy could have sworn that the Princess hadn’t taken her eyes off of her for one second. Not that she minded – she herself liked to have at least one eye remain on Luna at all times.

Luna blinked and turned her gaze away. “Did you enjoy your meal?”

“Yes, that was so good! You totally got me back for the muffins at Sugarcube Corner!”

“I believe I did. What do you want to do next?”

“Hm … we could go fly a little. I love flying at night!”

Luna nodded an agreement and got up, leading Derpy outside through a slim door. Their coats brushed against each other ever so slightly as they walked next to each other into a small yet elaborate garden which had been arranged in an inner yard. A spiral path went through banks of sweet-smelling flowers, and slim trees were planted in pairs, one to each side of the path, their crowns merging into neat little arcs decorated with magical lights.

Derpy looked up, and Luna followed her gaze. The sky was crystal clear, revealing thousands of stars twinkling down at them.

“There is a place …” Luna began, shuffling her hooves.

“Yes?”

“It holds unwelcome memories for me, which is why I haven’t been there in a long time. But tonight, I feel strong. Also, it bears something that I would like to show you.”

“We can go there if you want.”

“It is quite a flight, though, so if you don’t feel up to it, that is alright.”

“I’m a mailmare, remember? I can fly all day and all night.”

Luna smiled. “Then follow my lead.”

Derpy followed the Princess as she took off into the night. They rose high above the castle, until the lights of Canterlot lay spread out below them like fluorescent confetti, which Derpy thought was the coolest thing ever.

She had to flap her wings rapidly to keep up with Luna's ascent, chasing the white crescent Moon on her rump that shone through the night. Only as she leveled out and Derpy entered her slipstream could she relax a little. They leaned into a gentle turn towards the mountains. Small streams of air washed over the rocky surface, quietly whistling into the night. From what Derpy could tell, they were on course for the Everfree Forest. A small hint of worry crossed her mind. It was a dangerous place for a pony to go, especially at night. But she quickly dismissed that, trusting that Luna could keep them safe.

After flying for about an hour, Derpy heard something that sounded like the beating of giant wings in the distance. She looked back, but in the darkness she couldn’t see a thing. Had her senses tricked her? No, there it was again: a faint pounding somewhere behind them.

“Did you hear that?”

“That is just a dragon.”

“A dragon?”

She heard Luna chuckle in the dark. “They must be curious about us – I would presume that not many ponies advance this far into this territory.”

“You’ve met dragons before, haven’t you?”

“Indeed. Since my return I haven't been to Draconia once, but back in the day, I used to correspond with their kind quite regularly.”

Derpy shot another glance back, but there was still only the darkness of the night. “What are they like?”

“The ones I know are smart talkers, but they are politicians, so that’s to be expected. Very proud of their heritage. It is said that it is easier to talk a mountain into moving than a dragon, so stubborn are they, but in fact that is only half true. With patience, you can form strong bonds with them that surpass generations, and they are now loyal allies of ours.”

Derpy kept her ears open, but the dragon seemed to lose interest in them, the sounds of wing beats ceasing in the distance until they were finally gone.

After perhaps another twenty minutes, Luna began to descend, until they could almost touch the treetops with their hooves. Before them, in the light of the Moon, Derpy could identify the silhouettes of giant halls and high towers.

“Derpy, my dear … I present to you the Castle of the Two Sisters, residence of my sister and mine until a thousand years ago. Or, to be exact, the remains of it.”

They landed in front of a large gate, and Luna created an orb of warm magical light that hovered before them, illuminating the entrance to the ruins. Derpy stuck as close as possible to her as they entered the building. She really didn’t want to get lost in here.

Faint beams of moonlight fell through the damaged ceiling onto loose bricks and debris. Derpy lifted her head to take a look at it, peeking through the cracks at the night sky.

“For a thousand years this in a pretty good condition,” she remarked.

“Spells lie on this structure to protect it from any harm time may inflict on it. The damage that you see –” Luna pointed at the ceiling “– is my doing. Here was where I fought my sister, after my … my transformation into Nightmare Moon.”

Luna’s breath was sharp, and she shivered as she spoke those words. Derpy gently leaned against her side, letting her know that she was there for her.

“I wished to overthrow her,” Luna whispered, “and make the whole of Equestria mine. The Sun … the Sun should hath never been gazed upon in the skies again. For there could only be one princess, one ruler over this land, and that princess …”

She stopped, unable to finish that sentence. Before Derpy could do anything, Luna stepped off, and Derpy hurried to catch up, following her into a grand hall. Here, the destruction was the most visible: the ground was covered with chunks of stone, and the ceiling was all but completely gone.

“I can see her,” Luna whispered, carefully reaching out a hoof towards an empty spot on the floor. “I can see my sister lying here, injured by my attack.”

She stepped back. “I was a monster.”

Derpy could smell tears. Carefully, she wrapped her hooves around Luna.

“I thought that my sister was weak,” Luna continued. “That I could defeat her by letting the dark magic of the Nightmare into my heart. But it was I who was weak. I know that now.”

“Luna, trust me: you’re the greatest, strongest, most wonderful pony I know.”

Luna squeezed her tight, and for a while they just remained like that, relishing in the warmth and comfort they had to offer to one another.

“Alright,” Luna finally said, breaking the contact. “I did not come here to dwell on past mistakes. I wanted to show you something – something from the older, happier days.”

She headed towards the back of the hall, passing two massive stone thrones growing out of the floor. As they approached the corner, a door came into sight, hidden behind a pillar. Luna opened it and sent her magical light forwards, revealing a staircase that led into the basement.

“Mind the trick steps,” she warned. “It’s the fourth and seventh.”

Derpy followed her down the stairs and counted. One, two, three, … big step! Five, six, sev– she felt a grip of magic lifting her over the seventh step. Panting, Derpy tried to regain her balance.

Luna snickered. “Don’t worry, none of these traps are harmful. They’re mostly for fun. Tia and I would make a game out of it, installing traps and not telling each other.” She sighed. “I miss those times.”

Arriving at the bottom, they went through a narrow hallway. A wall appeared in the darkness in front of them, and Derpy was about to ask Luna if it was a dead end, but then she saw her horn glowing. Luna inserted it into a hole that Derpy hadn’t noticed in the dark, and the wall lit up in blue light, turning into a heavy stone door that slid open silently.

“Don’t worry,” Luna said as she stepped forwards, “you can come closer – I wouldn’t install traps in my own rooms.”

Derpy followed her, still hesitant. She could feel that this place was important to Luna. It was a part of her, her very personal sanctuary.

The room had the shape of a circle. Bookshelves covered at the walls, and the floor was crammed with a loose assortment of chests and scrolls. On a velvet pillow rested a set of gemstones, none of which were smaller than a pony’s head.

“Gems are the highest gifts a dragon could give to anypony,” Luna explained. “What you see here is the fruit of diplomatic efforts that have taken many a pony’s lifetime.”

Luna left Derpy to admire the stones, navigating through piles of scrolls towards the other side of the room.

“It should be somewhere around here … ah, there we are.”

Luna swept some scrolls off a particularly large chest. As Derpy stepped closer, she noticed a faint glow escaping it. Gently, the Princess stroked its top, before lifting the whole chest up with her magic.

“We should take this to the top of my old tower before opening it.”

They left the chamber, and with her magic, Luna sealed the door behind her.

“Remember, trick steps,” she reminded Derpy as they climbed the stairs, just in time for her to jump over them. They crossed a few corridors, the chest floating in front of them. Finally, they reached the tower, climbed up the spiral staircase, and stepped outside onto a platform.

Luna put the chest on the ground and sat down, gazing up into the sea of stars. Derpy followed her example. She could hear Luna breathe slowly and calmly next to herself, and was just about to rest her head on her shoulder when a movement went through Luna’s body.

“I haven’t done this for so long …” Luna murmured, half to herself, before unlocking the chest with her magic. The mystical light intensified, growing brighter still as she opened the box. Slowly and very carefully she lifted something out of it, something so bright that Derpy had to cover her eyes with a hoof at first.

“Is this what I think it is?”

“This is a star, my dearest. Not always have they been in the sky. It is only by my power they have found their place.”

Luna levitated it towards her. A bit scared, Derpy sat still and looked at it. From this close, it didn’t seem as bright anymore, and in fact the surface turned dark and patchy. It was small, no bigger than a tiny marble, but she couldn’t tell if it was made out of stone, crystal, or something else.

“Can I touch it?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Stretching out a hoof, Derpy moved closer, half expecting to be burnt or struck by lightning or something like that. But when she touched the surface of the object, it was cold and smooth. A quiet sound appeared in the air. The star darkened and revealed a pattern of small bumps, much like the surface of boiling water, polished and glowing weakly.

“A star’s glow is stronger the colder and darker it is,” Luna explained. “At day their light fades, but after the Sun has set they send it wide across the sky.”

She levitated the star away from Derpy, and it became brighter again.

“I found them in a place that is now forgotten, when I was very young. Nopony knows where they came from, but I like to think that the Ancients made them, for some purpose that has been lost with them.”

The stone rose up into the sky, its blinding light fading in the distance, more and more, until it was just a star among all the others. Derpy followed it with both eyes. She had goosebumps all over.

Luna raised more stars into the sky, until they formed a stream of light, spiraling upwards and piercing the darkness of the night. As they found their place, they seemed to connect, thin blue lines flashing between them before they finally came to rest and fit into the picture.

“Constellations,” Luna whispered softly. “It’s time to draw a new one.”

Derpy sat there and watched her arranging more and more stars. Luna’s face looked calm as she worked, and in complete harmony. The thread of rising stars was cut off soon though. The last lights found their place, and a couple of misty galaxies gave the finishing touch to the newly created piece of the night sky.

Derpy heard the sound of wood closing up with wood, and looked back down. The only light that remained was the faint glow from the closed chest.

Looking up again, she could almost see the connections, the single lights forming one big picture in front of her. It was not the largest formation in the sky, but it was still a masterpiece. Belts of stars crossed each other, and small clusters decorated some of the corners. It was funny how the galaxies that lay in between the lines looked almost like –

Wait. Did they look like sprinkles?

“It’s a muffin!”

Luna giggled, moving closer to Derpy. “Back in the day it would take astronomers years to figure out a new constellation. But you’re right: this is Muffin.”

She draped a wing around Derpy, allowing her to cuddle into her soft coat.

“I wanted to thank you,” she said. “Before I met you I was lost … I did not know how to cope with all the pain in my heart. But now I feel brave, as if there was nothing I could not do just as long as you are with me. So I made this for you. I understand that you like it?”

“Like it? That’s not even – it’s beautiful! Maybe the second most beautiful thing I’ve seen in my entire life!”

“Only the second?” Luna asked in mock dismay. “Is there anything more beautiful than the stars of my night sky?”

“You are, Luna.”

It took a moment before Luna said anything. “Derpy …”

The faint light of the Moon was barely enough to read Luna’s eyes, but Derpy knew what they were saying. Maybe she had known all along.

She leaned forwards until she could feel Luna’s breath on her nose.

“You are sweeter than all the muffins in the world,” Derpy said, “and I love you.”

She wanted to go on and tell Luna that she wanted to be with her forever; how she loved it when they hugged or even just sat next to each other and that she thought about her all the time …

In the end, she didn’t get to say any of these things, because Luna made a cute noise, and then Derpy’s world tumbled over as she was hit by the full weight and ardor of an alicorn princess.

“I love you too.”

Author's Note

The end.

This was a very fullfilling story to work on and made me squeal on a semi-regular basis. It did take much longer than expected - an entirety of four revisions - until I was completely satisfied with what the characters were doing at all times, part of which might be due to the first draft being from 2013/2014, but I think that it was worth the amount of work that went into it.

I want to take this opportunity for a shout out to my proofreaders. PoisonClaw and SongCoyote, thank you! I have certainly learned a lot from editing this story.

Now all that is left to say is: I hope that you, my dear reader, have enjoyed this as much as I have, and may you never run out of muffins!