Luna's New Friend

Chapters

A Grave Conversation
Out of the Mouths of Foals
Sweet Sorrow

A Grave Conversation

Manticores. Owlbears. Nightmares.

Princess Luna is used to facing the most fearsome of adversaries.

But, tonight, she's intimidated by the prospect of speaking to an unfamiliar filly who's sitting by herself in Canterlot Castle.

Luna takes a deep breath and approaches the foal -- an Earth pony with a blank flank, a light-blue coat, and an unkempt, dark-blue mane and tail.

Once Luna is a few hooves away from the filly, the latter looks up from the book that she's reading. She says "hello" in a lackadaisical tone. And then she immediately looks back down at her book.

The princess's eyebrows rise. She's used to being greeted more enthusiastically by ponies whom she's never met before -- especially foals. The Cutie Mark Crusaders seemed at least a little awed when Luna showed up in their dreams.

Meanwhile, this little piece of work didn't even wait for a response from Luna before burying her muzzle back in her book.

Luna clears her throat. "Good evening, young mare. May I ask what you are doing here?"

"Reading," the filly replies. She doesn't even bother to look up this time.

Luna's brow furrows. "I can see that. I meant, what brings you here?"

"My hooves."

The princess's left eye twitches. "Do you know whom you are addressing?!"

"I do." The filly looks up with a small smirk. "Do you?"

For a moment, neither pony says anything. Then, Luna bursts into laughter.

"Ah ha ha ha!!! You have a point!" Luna smiles. "May I ask your name?"

"Paper Cut," the filly answers.

"It is nice to meet you, Paper Cut," the princess says. "What a unique name."

"My father gave it to me," the foal replies. "On the day I was born, he got a paper cut from my birth certificate. It hurt him so much that it was all he could think about. So, when he was filling out my birth certificate, he wrote 'Paper Cut' in the space for my name. And it just stuck."

"An amusing tale, indeed," Luna chuckles. "Your father sounds like quite the character. I would like to meet him someday."

"You can't," Paper Cut replies.

"Why not?" Luna asks.

"He's dead."

Luna gasps. "O-oh, I... I am so sorry..."

"Don't be." Paper Cut looks back down at her book. "He died over a year ago."

Luna's gasps again. "You remember it...?"

"I saw it."

The princess's eyes widen, and her jaw drops.

After several moments, Paper Cut breaks the silence without looking up from her book. "My father and I were playing tag. I was 'it,' and I chased him into the living room.

"He bumped into the bookcase. A book fell down and hit him in the head, killing him instantly. He had what's called an 'eggshell skull.'" The filly pauses. "This was the book."

Luna's eyes widen even more.

After several more moments of silence, the princess asks, "You are not afraid of that book...?"

"Why would I be afraid of a book?" Paper Cut replies.

"I meant, reading that book does not make you... uncomfortable?" Luna asks.

"Not at all," the filly answers. "The bloodstain's long since dried. See?"

Paper Cut holds up the book, which has a large brown stain on the spine. As soon as she sees it, Luna grimaces and looks away.

"...What's the matter?" Paper Cut asks. She opens the book back up to the page that she was reading. "Surely you've seen blood before."

"O-of course I have, but... that is your -father's- blood," Luna whispers.

"So?" the filly replies. "Blood's blood."

"Does it not remind you of your father's passing? I mean, do you not feel saddened when you see it?" Luna asks.

"No," Paper Cut answers.

"...Do you not feel guilty about your role in your father's death?" the princess asks. She immediately regrets asking such a question.

Luckily, Paper Cut doesn't sound offended. Her tone is as stoic as ever. "Why would I feel guilty? My father was always clumsy. He's the one who bumped into the bookcase. I might as well feel guilty about the paper cut that he got from my birth certificate.

"Sure, neither injury would've happened if I had never existed... but I didn't choose to exist, did I?"

Luna stares at Paper Cut. How can she be so self-possessed about seeing her father die just over a year ago? Luna has spent years wracked with guilt, and she's never caused anypony's death, not even indirectly.

The princess has to know why this mysterious filly is the way she is. "...What does your mother do for a living? Is she a professor? Advisor? Author?"

"Housekeeper," Paper Cut answers. "When my mother works here on weekends, I usually stay with my aunt. But my aunt's sick today. So, here I am."

"...I suppose that even housekeepers can beget moral philosophers," Luna thinks.

"She's not stupid," the filly adds.

"I beg your pardon?" Luna asks.

"My mother," Paper Cut says. "She's not stupid."

"...I did not say that she was," Luna coolly replies.

"No, but you were thinking it."

"I was not." Luna is pretty sure that that's not a lie.

"You asked whether she was a professor or in some other learned profession, and I told you that she's a housekeeper," Paper Cut says. "And you've probably guessed that she's just an Earth pony, like me. You're judging her."

Luna's brow furrows. "I do not judge ponies by their race or class."

"That's a bit hard to believe, coming from an Alicorn princess."

Luna raises her voice. "I will have you know that I was not born a princess! I -earned- my crown!"

"Oh, I know that," Paper Cut replies with a small smirk. "I'm reading the published version of the journal that you and Princess Celestia kept."

She holds up her book, revealing the title on the cover: "The Journal of the Two Sisters."

Luna pauses for a moment, then bursts out laughing again. This time, Paper Cut chuckles too.

Once they stop laughing, Luna smiles at the filly. "I need to visit my tower. Would you care to join me? You can take a look through the telescope on my balcony."

"I'd rather read." Paper Cut reopens her book and looks back down at it.

"You can have a slice of the cake that I keep in my secret icebox," Luna offers.

"I don't care for sweets," the filly replies.

Luna pauses. "...You can read the uncensored version of that journal."

In the blink of an eye, Paper Cut has closed her book and stuffed it into her saddlebag. "Let's go."

Out of the Mouths of Foals

"I -knew- it," Paper Cut mutters as she reads a musty journal.

"Knew what?" Luna asks as she looks through a telescope.

"You and Princess Celestia were born Alicorns," the filly answers. "It says so right here in your uncensored journal."

"That is accurate," Luna replies. "Is that not common knowledge?"

"I've heard that, soon after Flurry Heart was born, you said that no Alicorn had ever been born in Equestria before," Paper Cut observes.

"That is also accurate," Luna explains. "Celestia and I were born eons ago, back when there was no Equestria -- just three independent feuding tribes. So, technically, Celestia and I weren't born in Equestria."

"Ahhh... and, of course, Princesses Cadance and Twilight Sparkle were made into Alicorns, not born the way," Paper Cut says.

"Precisely." Luna pulls back from her telescope and smiles at the filly. "You're knowledgeable for somepony so young."

Paper Cut looks up from the journal and smirks. "And you're amiable for somepony so old."

If somepony else had said that, Luna would've gotten mad. Instead, she laughs.

"I would like to think that I have aged gracefully," the princess smiles.

"Perhaps spending a millennium on the moon had something to do with that," Paper Cut replies.

Luna's smile disappears.

"What, too soon?" Paper Cut asks. "It's already been about eight years since you returned."

"To an Alicorn, eight years is not much time," Luna replies.

"That's hard to believe, given how impatient and short-tempered you are," Paper Cut remarks.

Luna's smile returns. "Do you always talk so bluntly to royalty?"

"You're the first royal I've ever met," Paper Cut answers.

"I hope for my fellow princesses' sake that I am the last," Luna chuckles.

The filly smirks too, before looking back down at the journal.

After a few moments, Paper Cut says, "The guard outside seemed troubled."

"...How could you tell?"

"His tone of voice sounded weird," the filly replies. "Am I right?"

Luna frowns. "As a matter of fact, yes... His mother died yesterday."

Paper Cut looks up from the book. "Then what's he doing here?"

"...What do you mean?"

"Why's he at work?" the filly asks. "Didn't you offer him some time off?"

"...The thought did not even occur to me," Luna replies.

Paper Cut frowns. "That was inconsiderate of you."

Luna frowns as well. "How can you say that, when you're so nonchalant about your own father's death?"

"I am -now,-" Paper Cut retorts. "I wasn't the day after he died."

Luna blushes.

"This might be hard to believe, but I cry sometimes," the filly continues. "Not as much as more effusive ponies do, but still. Everypony grieves in their own way. You should give that guard the chance to grieve in private."

"...But... this is different," Luna replies. "You are a foal. He is an adult. A royal guard, no less."

"He still has a heart, doesn't he?" Paper Cut asks. "Weren't -you- upset when your parents died?"

"...I... have no memory of my parents. Celestia is the only relative whom I remember."

Paper Cut blushes. "...Sorry."

Luna smiles at the filly. "Do not be... they died over a millennium ago."

Paper Cut rolls her eyes. "That sounded better when I said it."

The princess chuckles. "In all seriousness... I just realized why I was insensitive to the guard's loss. I do not remember ever losing a relative, so I cannot understand that pain.

"When you told me that your father died, I was sympathetic, because you are just a foal... But when the guard told me that his mother died, I thought little of it, because he is an adult.

"But... I suppose that a family member's death hurts at any age, does it not?"

"How would I know?" the filly replies. "I'm just a foal."

Luna smiles. "You are much more than that, Paper Cut. Please excuse me a moment."

The princess opens her bedchamber's door, steps into the hall, and closes the door behind her. Shortly afterward, she returns.

"You should have seen the look on his face." Luna smiles and blushes. "I cannot remember the last time I saw somepony so grateful."

"You want to see gratitude?" Paper Cut asks. "Break out the cake that you mentioned earlier."

Luna raises an eyebrow. "I thought you said that you do not care for sweets?"

"Haven't you learned anything from your sister?" the filly smirks. "When you're a cake addict, you keep it a secret."

Sweet Sorrow

"That was delicious," Luna murrs as she licks her plate clean.

"Indeed," Paper Cut nods. "Does Princess Celestia know about your secret icebox?"

"Certainly not, and you had better not tell her." Both ponies laugh.

"So..." the filly smirks. "What you're saying is that I now know a secret that I could use to blackmail the Princess of the Night~?"

Luna chuckles. "At first, I thought that your special talent was reading... But now, I wonder whether it is being a smartass~"

Paper Cut giggles. "That would certainly lend new meaning to my name... Perhaps I should write some books, and put my cutting remarks on paper~"

The two laugh again. Then, Luna glances at the clock on the wall.

"Oh no!!" she gasps. She rushes to the balcony and magically lowers the moon. Shortly afterward, the sun rises.

"Phew... I was almost late," Luna breathes a sigh of relief. Then she gasps again. "You stayed up all night!!"

"So?" Paper Cut asks.

"You have thrown off your sleep schedule!" Luna frowns. "Oh, your mother will be so upset with me!"

"Relax," the foal replies. "Mom lets me stay up however late I want on weekends."

"...That is unhealthy, especially for a foal," Luna chides.

"So is cake, but we all have our vices," Paper Cut rejoins.

Luna sighs and smirks. "I truly pity your mother for having to deal with your impudence all the time."

"I was about to say the same thing about your sister," the foal winks.

The two share another laugh. Then, there's a knock on the door.

"Paper Cut? Are you in there?" a mare's voice asks.

"That's my mom," the filly says. "She must've shown up because we mentioned her three times."

Luna rolls her eyes. "Be right there!" she calls toward the door. Then she whispers to Paper Cut, "Promise me that you will be more respectful toward your mother. If she has not shipped you off to the Frozen North by now, she is by far the most patient pony in Equestria."

"Relax," Paper Cut replies. "I'm perfectly nice to her. After all, somepony's got to be there for her after her husband died."

Luna smiles. "You are a remarkably strong pony, Paper Cut."

The foal smiles back. "Strong wind makes strong trees."

Paper Cut walks to the door and opens it. A baggy-eyed mare with an apron and a head scarf is standing in the hall.

The mare immediately kneels. "P-Princess Luna, I apologize."

"Please, rise," Luna smiles. "For what are you apologizing?"

The mare stands back up. "For whatever my daughter did."

Luna and Paper Cut snicker. "Actually, I invited Paper Cut up here to speak with her, not to punish her. I found our conversation to be delightful. And she even helped me solve a problem that I did not even realize existed."

The mare blinks. "...'Delightful' conversation? ...That doesn't sound like my Paper Cut. She annoys everypony she encounters."

"Oh, she annoyed me too," Luna replies. She and Paper Cut laugh, and the foal's mother smiles. Luna continues, "But in a good way, much like... like one sister annoys another."

Paper Cut smiles at Luna. "I'll be happy to come annoy you again anytime."

Luna chuckles. "The pleasure would be all mine."

Paper Cut's mother smiles and bows. "Your Majesty was most kind to keep my daughter company. If Your Grace would excuse us, Paper Cut and I could use some rest."

"Of course," Luna nods.

Paper Cut and her mother start walking down the hall. A few moments later, the filly stops and turns around. "...You're best princess."

Luna blushes and smiles. "And you are best filly... Just do not tell the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

Paper Cut smirks. "Ooh, another piece of blackmail material~"

Luna laughs. "Get out of here!!"

The filly giggles, turns around, and walks out of sight with her mother.

The princess watches them leave, then goes back into her bedchamber. She magically levitates the journal that Paper Cut was reading, places it on her bed, and then flips to the end.

Between the journal's last page and its back cover is a tattered sepia photograph. Luna lifts it to look more closely at the two Alicorns in it -- one male, one female.

Luna has never cried while looking at that photograph before.

Author's Note

2,556-word gift for Caneighdian

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