Luna's New Friend

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."