Long, long ago, past years without number, began the night.
Where once there had been only darkness in the absence of the sun, now there was light. Not the stark light of day, the harsh glare of that brilliant orb, but the soft glow of the moon. The symphony of the stars. A hundred billion tiny points of hope, shining out a promise that the old fears, the primal terrors of the dark, would never again be allowed to seize those hours when the sun had run its course.
And she had thought it was all for naught.
~~~~~
Two figures stood on a darkened balcony, high in the branches of a tree house. A dim red lantern illuminated them from below as they took turns peering through a telescope. One unrolled a parchment, angling it toward the light, trying not to stare into the beam directly and ruin her night vision.
"I can't even begin to imagine how long it must have taken you to create all this, Your Highness. And without the help of a telescope, or reference books, or anything. You even put stars up there that are too faint to see with the naked eye!"
The larger pony turned her head from the eyepiece, her coat a sea of deep blue despite the rosy light from the lamp at their feet. "I'd like to be able to say I had the luxury of taking my time, but honestly in the beginning I was a little hasty about the whole thing.
"I'll admit I was rather glad to learn about the invention of telescopes. For the longest time it seemed that half my work would go forever unseen. I didn't intend to make so many of the stars so dim, but I really didn't have the hang of things, and in my rush… Well, I'm happy to let it be said that I did it on purpose, nowadays," she smiled.
"I certainly never would have guessed," Twilight Sparkle chuckled. She had started to feel recently as though she was getting slightly more of a handle on Princess Luna's sense of humor. It was a relief after the first few nerve-wracking visits. She hadn't been sure whether she should agree with the Princess's self deprecating comments, or laugh, or leap to her defense. On more than one occasion she had been tempted to just hide under the nearest table and hope that the living goddess would forget she was in the room.
Princess Celestia had asked Twilight to help her sister readjust to modern pony life, and although she had been initially nervous, if there was one thing Twilight could do it was to rise to a challenge on behalf of her beloved mentor.
After a while, she had found herself looking forward to Princess Luna's visits. It was nice to have somepony else nearby occasionally who wasn't busy running their own business, or bouncing around partying, or sleeping half the day. It also didn't hurt that the Princess never seemed to be tired at night. Stargazing was one of Twilight's favorite activities outside of a book, and it was refreshing to have a companion who didn't spend most of the evening trying to stifle a yawn.
"Do you think we could see the Apple Core Nebula at this time of night?" she asked, glancing back at her parchment.
"Oh, I should think so. The weather patrol seems to have been well in control of the cloud situation today. It's not too far above the horizon yet, but it should be over the trees at least."
Princess Luna stepped aside as Twilight peered through the small spotting scope and aligned the instrument above the tree line to the east.
"There's the Fox… Now a little to the south east, and... There, that should do it." Twilight moved her eye to the main scope.
A faint orange glow filled the eyepiece, and a few scattered stars were visible, but little else. She fiddled with the focus for a moment, but the view stubbornly remained orange. "Oh."
"What is it, Twilight?"
"I … I can't really see much of anything. There's too much light coming from the town. We'll have to wait until later when it's risen a bit further I think," she sighed.
"Shame, that's one of Applejack's favorites. It's hard enough to get my friends to stay up and go stargazing with me already, I don't want to have to compete with the streetlights for their attention too. If she can't see the Apple Core until after midnight, I'm not sure I'll be able to convince her to stay awake."
"I wouldn't worry overly. I'm sure they enjoy your company just as much as they do the view." Luna smiled, but Twilight thought she detected a note of sadness.
"Is something bothering you, Princess?"
"Oh, it's nothing really."
"I'd like to help if I can. You can talk to me." She worried briefly whether she was being too forward, and glanced down at her hooves. "That is, if you'd like."
"You are a kind soul, Twilight Sparkle. I suppose I have had to rely on myself for so long, I'm in the habit of just quietly dealing with whatever comes my way." Luna paused for a moment, seeming to gather her thoughts.
"It was wonderful to find on my return that the ponies had invented ways to make themselves comfortable in the night. That they tend to stay out later and spend more time in my domain. But you're quite right; it is a shame that the same inventions might detract from their enjoyment of the night sky."
"I wish you could have seen the crowd that gathered to watch the centennial meteor shower. Everypony had a wonderful time. I think you would have been proud."
"Thank you Twilight. I think I would have liked that very much." As she spoke, a cool wind blew through the tree's upper branches and Twilight shivered. "Oh, you're cold, poor dear. Shall we head inside and have something to eat?"
"That sounds good. We should try to be quiet though, Spike is fast asleep."
"Of course." Princess Luna stooped, lifted the telescope's dew covers from the deck, and nudged them carefully into place. Twilight's horn glowed softly for a moment as she swung open the patio door, rolled up her star maps, and collected the lamp from the floor. The pair stepped inside and made their way softly downstairs to the kitchen, closing the door so that they could talk without disturbing the slumbering dragon.
Twilight retrieved a tray of cupcakes from her pantry, and brewed a pot of mint tea. They ate in silence for a moment, enjoying the fluffy desserts and sipping their tea slowly while it cooled.
"I received a letter from your friend Rarity a few days ago, asking me to visit her here in Ponyville," the Princess said, taking a dainty bite of cupcake.
"You did?" Twilight swallowed, surprised.
"Yes. Apparently she has something she wants to show me. I'm not sure what, though; she was rather cryptic about the whole thing. Not that I mind, of course. If anything I'm a little intrigued. Very few ponies take the time to write to me, outside of formal invitations and government matters."
"I hope she's not going to try to get you to endorse a new fashion line, or something."
Princess Luna laughed softly. "Would that be such a bad thing? It would be nice to get a fresh view of the trends these days. You should have seen the look on my sister's face when I showed her what I was intending to wear to the gala."
"Well, that wasn't long after you got back. Nopony would have judged you."
"After Celestia's reaction, I wouldn't be so sure. It was enough to make me want to hide in my room all night!"
"I wondered why I didn't see you there."
"Oh, I made a brief appearance, but I only really came out long enough to get a few canapés and some punch before dashing back behind the nearest pillar."
The Princess chuckled to herself, and shook her head. "Crinolines going out of fashion. Who knew?"
~~~~~
It was quiet. The night would shortly be making way for Celestia's sun.
The trees of the Everfree Forrest stood unmoving in the last rays of moonlight. A shadow emerged from the wood and crept up the hillside to the rocky outcropping above.
It paused for a moment, as if casting about in search of something. Then, just as silently as it had arrived, it slipped out of sight beneath a large flat boulder, and disappeared into the deeper shadows of the cave beyond.
Letting his eyes adjust to the cave's dim interior, the messenger pulled back the hood of his cloak. A flicker of firelight was visible ahead, and he made his way toward it. Eventually he could make out a pair of eyes, glittering in the darkness on the other side of the fire. He stopped, and dropped to one knee.
"Our plans are in motion, my Lady."
A low, silken voice came in reply, seemingly from all around. "Excellent. My agents inform me that the Pretender will be visiting her little pets once more before the end of the week. See to it that she finds them less … accommodating … upon her return."
"As you will."
The messenger stood, and backed away from the fire. Only once he had turned and was almost out of the cave did he realize that he had felt no warmth upon his face, smelled no smoke. He shivered a little, raised his hood, and stepped out into the first light of dawn. Birds were beginning to sing in the tops of the trees.
The sound brought him no comfort.
Twilight sat at her desk, poring over a stack of hastily taken notes. She had woken slightly later than usual after a night of astronomy and conversation with Princess Luna, but she now found herself with a head full of ideas.
"We just need to alter the design of the street lamps so that more of the light shines on the ground, instead of going up into the sky," she mused. "That would be more efficient too, it's wasted up there anyway. But the lamps were only installed a few months ago. How am I going to convince the Mayor to spend more money so soon?"
She was pulled from her reverie by an urgent knocking at the front door.
"Spike? Spike, can you get that?"
The knocking continued.
"Oh," she thought to herself, "did he go to the store earlier and I just didn't notice? I bet that's him coming back with the groceries for tonight."
She stood, and trotted towards the door, opening it with her magic. "You know Spike, you could just put one of the bags down instead of standing there knocking all… Oh."
Princess Luna stood in the doorway, looking a little flustered. "Hello Twilight. May I come inside please?"
"Erm, good afternoon Princess," Twilight said, trying not to look too surprised. "I mean, of course, come in, please. I'm sorry, I thought you were… Never mind. Can I help you with something?"
"I hope so," Luna began, stepping inside and quickly shutting the door behind herself. "It's about that letter. I'm, well, I'm a little embarrassed to say it, but is there any chance you might come with me to visit Rarity this afternoon?"
"Rarity? Sure. Is something the matter? Does she need our help? She seemed pleased when I told her you would be stopping by, but she didn't mention anything wrong."
"Oh, no, no I'm sure she's quite alright. It's just that…" Luna looked down at her feet. "I'm a little nervous."
Twilight blinked, then grinned. "You know I almost thought you were serious there for a minute your Highness."
Luna looked up, blushing, and turned back towards the door. "Forgive me, Twilight. This was a mistake. I shouldn't have bothered you."
"Wait, wait, you are serious? I'm sorry, please don't go. I thought you were kidding. I guess I don't have such a handle on your sense of humor yet after all."
"Why would I joke about such a thing?"
"Well, you are the Moon Princess after all. I mean really, what in all of Equestria would be scary about a dress shop?"
"You're right," Luna said, hanging her head once more. "I suppose I am being silly."
"No, that's not what I mean at all. Ugh, I'm making such a mess of this." Twilight rubbed her eyes, and indicated a nearby sofa. "Please sit down your Highness. Let's talk it over. I just want to understand."
"Very well." Luna reluctantly sat at one end of the couch, but looked no more comfortable for it. Twilight took the other end, turning to face her.
"I really didn't mean you were being silly, I promise. I just thought a pony as powerful and wise as you couldn't possibly be scared of visiting Rarity. I assumed you were pulling my leg. Like that time you tried to convince me you were afraid of the dark, remember?"
Luna seemed to brighten just a little at this. "Yes, yes I suppose that was quite a good one. But I assure you, I don't feel all that wise right now."
"Can we start again? What is it about visiting Rarity that has you so upset?"
"It's just… How should I put this?" Luna thought for a moment. "It's ponies. It's just ponies."
"What?"
"Twilight, try to remember that I've been alone on the moon, stuck in what I thought would be an unending nightmare, for the past thousand years. I've been back for a few months now, true, but even so it's not been long by comparison. And what have I done in that time? Essentially, I've buried myself in books trying to catch up on a millennium of missed history and civics. I've spent time with you, certainly, and enjoyed myself a great deal. But other than you and my sister, I've barely spoken to anypony."
"I guess you seemed a little skittish around me at first, but you loosened up so quickly. I thought you got over your shyness."
"You're quite right, it didn't take me long to warm up to you. But you're not like other ponies. You live in a library, for one thing; you know how much I missed being around books. You have a thirst for knowledge. You're the only pony so far who hasn't looked at me as though I had three heads when I used an abacus."
"Well I wanted to know how it worked!"
"Exactly," Luna nodded. "That's it exactly. You and I are in many ways kindred spirits, Twilight Sparkle. You are a scholar. We have the same curiosity about the way the world works. At some level I understand you. And I don't feel as though I have to explain myself to you, or make excuses at every turn, because you understand certain things about me too. Once I realized that, I stopped worrying so much when I was around you.
"But other ponies just don't seem to see me in the same light," Luna sighed. "They bow and scrape, or they give me blank looks when I ask for help with mundane modern devices. Some have even put two and two together about Nightmare Moon. The way they look at me… And I just know they whisper about me behind closed doors. Sometimes I don't blame them."
"But Rarity's not like that. Not at all. She would never have invited you here if she was afraid of you, and she knows as well as I do that you weren't at fault for what happened at the summer sun celebration. She was there."
"Believe me when I say I haven't forgotten that. I know that I owe all six of you a debt of gratitude, one that I will likely never be able to repay. But still, she's not like you and me. What will I even say to her? What will I do if she starts discussing modern fashion, and I have no idea what she's talking about? What if she thinks my tastes are outdated and prudish? I just don't know whether I can bring myself to walk into so much uncertainty."
"You can, Princess, and you will. I know it," Twilight said, with a sudden glint in her eye. "And do you know why? Because I was in exactly the same place not so long ago."
"You, Twilight?"
"Yes. You remember I told you all about growing up as Princess Celestia's star pupil? How I spent my days and nights studying in Canterlot ever since I was a young filly?"
"Of course."
"Well how do you think I came to be living here in Ponyville all of a sudden?"
"My sister sent you on a mission, as I understand it. She knew I," Luna hesitated. "She knew that Nightmare Moon would return. And she knew that you could save me."
"Yes. She knew that I must harness the Elements of Harmony," Twilight smiled. "She knew that I, the bookish loner with no time for socializing, would have to wield the magic of friendship. A magic that I knew absolutely nothing about. A magic embodied by five strange, crazy ponies, who I didn't understand, and at first I wasn't really interested in understanding. Five strange, crazy, wonderful ponies who took the time to teach me what it meant to be friends. To teach me what I had been missing all those years."
Twilight's eyes shone as she continued, "Five wonderful ponies who I love more than anything else in this world, and who I literally trust with my life on a pretty regular basis."
Luna was quiet for a moment, and then nodded. "I think I understand."
"Good. I promise you your Highness, you needn't fear Rarity, or any of the others. I'll be right there by your side for as long as you need me to be. But more importantly, I know they'll treat you with all the respect and understanding that they gave me back then when I was first learning about friendship."
"Can you be so sure?"
"I'm very sure. Because they know," Twilight said, looking the Princess in the eye, "that you're my friend too."
Luna opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again.
Then the tears came.
~~~~~
Twilight opened the front door of the library, and almost walked into Spike trying to balance several shopping bags as he reached up for the door knocker.
"Twilight! How did you know I was here?"
"Oh, hello Spike. Just a lucky guess." Twilight winked at Luna. "Princess Luna and I were just heading out for a little while. We shouldn't be too long."
"Hi Princess Luna!" Spike grinned and peered around Twilight's legs, almost dropping a bag. "Whoops! That one's got the eggs in it. Don't want to have to clear that mess up... Again…"
Luna smiled back at the baby dragon.
"I'll let you ladies get on with your day. Ponyville's premiere picnic provider has work to do!"
"Have fun, Spike. And thank you!" Twilight called after him, as he trotted off towards the kitchen.
Luna followed Twilight outside, and closed the door. "He certainly seems like a helpful little fellow."
"Spike's my number one assistant, that's for sure. He can be a bit much sometimes, but I'd be lost without him."
Luna looked at Twilight as they walked. "Forgive me," she said quietly. "I don't know what came over me back there."
"It's quite alright, Princess," Twilight assured her. "You really needn't keep apologizing. A little cry once in a while can do a pony good."
"I don't think I would have called it little," Luna smiled weakly. "But you're right, I do feel better for it. In any case, thank you. I really didn't mean to be so emotional, but I think I've let myself get wound up a trifle tight about visiting Rarity today. And then when you said… Well, I think it was relief, more than anything. I just felt like you lifted a weight from me, and I let my mask slip a little. I truly hope it wasn't an imposition."
"Princess, you don't have to wear a mask around me. If you want to that's your business, but don't feel as though I expect it of you. Friends don't need each other to be anything but themselves."
"I suppose you're right. Thank you, Twilight. I'm a bit overwhelmed, truth be told. It's felt like a very long time since anypony reached out to me for any reason other than duty. Besides my sister, of course. I believe I have some mental adjustment to do."
"I understand, your Highness."
Luna stopped walking. "I hope I'm not being too presumptuous, but would you be willing to do me one other small favor?"
"Of course. Name it."
"Would you think it too bold… That is, would you mind terribly if I asked you to call me simply 'Luna'? I really think I would feel a lot more comfortable, and it's a great deal more, well, friendly. Don't you think?"
"Are you sure that's OK? I mean thank you, and I would love to, but I don't want to get in trouble or anything. I can't imagine calling Princess Celestia just 'Celestia'. It makes my mane stand on end even to think about it."
Luna smiled. "Technically you would be obeying a royal request. I think that trumps protocol. And if anypony ever says anything about it, feel free to point them in my direction."
"In that case, thank you, I will. Luna."
"Oh Twilight," Luna giggled a little and bounced on the spot. "It sounds so strange coming from somepony other than Celestia! I love it! Thank you so much."
Twilight laughed, delighted to see the Princess in improved spirits. "You're very welcome. I can't promise not to slip now and then, but I'll do my best."
"Oh, that's a very good point. For goodness' sake, trust your instincts; don't forget yourself and go addressing my sister as 'Celestia' without her honorifics. That would get terribly messy." Luna winked theatrically, and started walking again towards Rarity's boutique.
Twilight laughed, and trotted alongside. "Are you kidding? I wouldn’t dare! She'd banish me from Equestria. Or lock me in a dungeon. Or banish me, and then lock me in a dungeon in the place that she banished me to!"
~~~~~
They were still laughing when Twilight knocked at Rarity's door, and a sing-song voice answered from inside. "Come in! It's open."
Luna stopped short, the laughter dying in her throat.
"Remember what I said. You'll be just fine," Twilight reassured her, opening the door.
The interior of Rarity's boutique was bright and airy. A semicircle of mannequins stood to attention by one wall, draped with various fabrics in different stages of assembly.
An immaculately coiffed white unicorn appeared at the top of the stairs, a pair of red half-spectacles perched jauntily on the end of her muzzle. "Princess Luna!" she said, trotting down to the main shop floor. "Welcome, welcome. I'm so very glad you could make it. Oh, and Twilight too, what a pleasant surprise!"
"Hello Rarity," Twilight smiled, and stepped aside to make way for the princess.
Luna swallowed audibly. "Good afternoon, Rarity. Oh, forgive me, may I call you Rarity? How rude of me. I shouldn't presume," she blushed.
"Of course, your Highness."
"Thank you."
Luna blinked, and seemed to be waiting for somepony else to say something.
Rarity looked from the princess, to Twilight, and back. She cleared her throat. "Well then! Shall we begin?"
"Begin what, exactly?" Twilight asked.
"Why the fitting, of course!" Rarity's horn glowed briefly, as she moved an empty mannequin to the middle of the room. "I noticed you at the Gala, your Highness. I was simply mortified on your behalf. No wonder you decided to make an early exit! I was almost envious of your escape really, once that lummox Blueblood started showing his true colors. But I digress.
"So I said to myself," she continued, apparently unaware of the princess's deepening blush, "Rarity, darling, you must save this poor soul from such a crime against fashion. You simply must!"
She levitated several bolts of dark fabric from a nearby shelf. "Now I'll admit, the color work in your ensemble was sound. Whoever put it together had a good eye for matching the shade of the fabric with your hair and coat. Some of the finer details were quaint, if a little dated. But the shape! My goodness, you looked almost as though you had stepped right out of one of Twilight's dusty old books."
Luna looked almost as though she was trying to become invisible. Rarity seemed not to notice, however, as she concentrated on draping a swathe of dark blue silk over the mannequin. "May I ask, your Highness, who it was that designed your outfit? It didn't look like anypony's work I'm aware of."
"Well actually," Princess Luna began, almost inaudibly quiet, "I made it myself."
Rarity froze.
"You did? Oh goodness, I don't mean to offend your Highness. Truly I don't. But you looked so awkward and out of place, I felt that it was my duty to offer you some sartorial guidance. I can completely understand how you might feel a little out of touch with today's couture."
Luna simply stared at the floor.
Twilight broke the silence. "Rarity, I'm pretty sure the gown you saw was more than a thousand years old. Right Luna?"
Rarity cocked an eyebrow questioningly at Twilight and mouthed "Luna?", but the purple unicorn continued on. "I would think when it was made it was the very height of good taste. And now it's an antique too, don't forget."
"A thousand years? But how?" Rarity looked thoughtful. "Fabric so delicate should have turned to dust long before now. Hmm. Clearly you're a better seamstress than I had thought, your Highness. Forgive me, I simply wanted to help. Would you allow me to show you what I had in mind? Let me make it up to you. Please."
Luna looked up, still red, but nodded.
"Splendid. As I said, I was quite taken with the overall color scheme, so I've kept that largely unchanged. I also borrowed the idea of the scallops in the hem of your train - like adorable little crescent moons…"
Twilight allowed her mind to wander, as Rarity's design began to take shape on the mannequin. She had considered making some excuse to get the princess out of there when Rarity initially launched into her critique. But eventually Luna seemed to begin relaxing, albeit slowly, as Rarity focused more on praising the parts of the old dress that she liked and had decided to incorporate. If Luna had designed and made a gown herself, Twilight mused, she must have known a thing or two about fashion before her exile. Perhaps there was hope that these two might find some more common ground after all.
Half an hour or so later, Twilight realized she was looking at the rough form of an entire garment on the mannequin. Rarity had pinned most of the gown's major components together, and was walking the princess through some of the details as she took measurements.
The outfit was dominated by dark blue tones to complement Luna's coat and mane, with mostly silver details, as in the old dress. Rarity had also added hints of a rich orange in the hem of the train, and a matching carnelian necklace. Twilight found herself reminded of the last rays of sunset against the beginnings of a night sky.
"… and then here, the line over the haunch is still demure but more confident. It leaves enough to the imagination, but at the same time it gives the imagination a little something to work with."
"Yes, I can see that," Luna nodded. "Things have definitely changed in the last thousand years, but I think I understand where you are heading. It's rather more showy than anypony would have dared when I made that old gown, but one must move with the times. I might have to wear it around the castle a little before I attend any more formal events, though. Just to get a feel for it, you understand."
"Oh quite, your Highness. But trust me, you'll look fabulous."
"Thank you Rarity. And thank you for your generosity. You weren't the only pony to see me at the gala, but you've been the first to offer any practical advice about my predicament. Then on top of that you put so much effort into coming up with a new design. I am truly grateful."
"You're welcome, of course, Princess. I'm so glad that you like my vision for the new dress."
"I do. And I know you weren't trying to be unkind earlier, please forgive my unfortunate reaction. I think perhaps I'm still a little sensitive about being so out of touch."
"Nonsense, darling. You have an excellent eye for…" Rarity gasped, clapped a hoof to her mouth, and hurriedly curtsied. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry your Highness."
Luna looked at Twilight, who was standing impassive, waiting to see how the princess would react. She looked back at Rarity, the white unicorn's head still bowed.
Then she smiled, and finally let out a ringing peal of laughter.
"Please stand up. You haven't offended me."
Rarity stood and shook her head, her face now redder than Luna's had been. "I really did just call you 'darling' didn't I, your Highness? Good grief, whatever must you think? Oh Rarity, you are a silly filly."
"Let's just call it even, shall we?" Luna said, still chuckling to herself. "I won't tell anypony about it, if you promise to keep the designer of my old gown a secret too. Do we have an agreement?" She winked at Rarity, who blinked, and then smiled.
"I believe we do, your Highness. I believe we do."
~~~~~
The sun was well on its way toward the western tree line by the time Luna and Twilight left the boutique and started walking back towards the library tree. Rarity had spent an hour or so looking over recent fashion magazines with Luna, explaining some of the finer points of modern trends. Twilight was happy to see the two of them starting to get along, and Luna for her part proved to be an enthusiastic student. She had also taken the time to sketch some period clothing for Rarity, who seemed interested in the possibility of incorporating retro elements into her own designs.
"Well," Twilight said, "I think all in all that went pretty well."
"Thank you for coming with me, Twilight. I'm glad you were there. I hope you weren't too bored while Rarity and I talked shop."
"Oh please, with the number of times she's waited for me to finish reading a book or talking about some academic subject she doesn't care about, I think it's only fair."
"Well your patience is appreciated, nonetheless. We should probably start getting ready to leave soon, if we're going to make it out of town before sundown. It doesn't really matter where I am when I raise the moon, but I prefer not to have too public an audience. Doing it here in the square might seem a little ostentatious."
"I understand. We'll pick up some blankets and the picnic back at the library, and be on our way."
Luna nodded. "Yes, it shouldn't be too hard to find a suitable spot in the countryside. I just need a fairly clear view of the sky."
"Would you mind If I watched?"
Luna paused. "It's been a long time since anypony but my sister saw me at work. But…" She nodded. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. Yes, that would be fine. Although I can't promise it will be particularly exciting."
"I'm sure you'll be magnificent," Twilight said as they continued towards the library.
They found Spike tidying the kitchen, with a small hamper and a pair of fluffy blankets waiting on the table. "Almost ready for a cozy evening under the stars, ladies."
Twilight took a peek inside the hamper. She was greeted with an aroma of herbs, and spiced apples. "This smells delicious."
"You've got sandwiches, cookies, and some fresh apple pastries from Sugar Cube Corner. If you can wait a minute, I'll whip up some cocoa and you'll be all set."
Luna stepped forward. "Thank you Spike. You've worked very hard."
"Aww shucks, it's nothing your Highness. All part of the job. Now, where'd I put that milk?"
"Oh my gosh, I almost forgot!" Twilight put a hoof to her forehead. "The telescope! That would have been pretty embarrassing. Would you excuse me for a moment Luna?"
Spike stopped, looked at Twilight quizzically, shook his head, and went back to searching for the milk.
"Of course. Spike and I can manage for a few minutes I'm sure."
"OK, I'll be right back."
Twilight headed out to the tree's upper balcony, picked up a wooden case from a nearby shelf, and stepped out onto the deck. She opened the case, setting it in front of her, and moved around it to the telescope. The instrument was securely held in a swivel mount on the balcony's railing, but by loosening a couple of bolts Twilight was able to slide the tube out of its clamps. She set it gently in the case beside a neatly folded wooden tripod, and was about to close the lid when she noticed that the dew cover was sitting on the deck a few feet away.
"Well that's odd," she said to herself. "I could have sworn Princess Luna put that back last night. I hope it hasn't got a bunch of leaves and dirt on the objective."
She took the scope out again, removed the other cap, and held it up to a portion of the sky. Peering into the eyepiece, she sighed. "Oh great. That's just perfect."
Against the blue background was a large red smudge.
She span the scope around, and gave it a gentle tap with the lens pointed downward. Nothing came out. Lowering it again, she peered inside the objective, and gasped, blinking to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
There, painted on the surface of the lens in crude red letters, were two words:
LUNA LOVER
"What the…?" She sat heavily, cradling the vandalized instrument close to her body. "Why would somepony do that? This is a delicate piece of scientific equipment! This just makes no sense!"
Spike's voice called up from the kitchen, "Twilight, are you OK? We heard a thump."
"Yes, I'm fine!" she answered, snapping back to reality. "I just knocked a few books over. I'll pick them up, don't worry." She thought she heard Spike muttering something about there being a first time for everything, but she wasn't going to pay him too much attention at that moment. Her horn glowed, and she closed the patio doors as quietly as she could.
"Who would do this? Why would anypony want to upset me? Maybe it's just Rainbow Dash or Pinkie playing a joke. No, no, they wouldn't do anything so mean. Oh Celestia, what if Luna sees this? She'll be so upset!"
She stood, and paced back and forth. "OK, priorities Twilight. Priorities. I'll just have to make up an excuse, and we'll take one of the smaller telescopes tonight. It'll be fine. Then I can fix this one later, and start figuring the whole mess out."
She slid the scope back into its rings, tightened the bolts, and replaced the lens caps. Then she carried the case down to her room, took out the large wooden tripod, and replaced it with the smaller scope and tripod next to her bed.
A few moments later she reappeared in the kitchen, with the case floating behind her. "OK, I'm all set. The big scope seems to have gotten stuck in its mounting up there, but I've got a smaller one that should work just fine."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Luna said. "Can I help at all?"
"No, no, it's fine thank you," Twilight said hurriedly. "I guess it's just got a little dirt or something in the screws. I'll look at it later. We really should get going."
"I suppose you're right. Thank you again Spike, for making us supper, and for the chat."
"Any time, Princess. Have fun out there tonight. I think I'm gonna make the most of the peace and quiet, and take a pre-bedtime nap."
~~~~~
Two figures crouched in a large bush, watching a pair of ponies walk away from the library and onto the road leading out of town.
"Well, that didn't do much," the larger one said.
His companion raised the hood of a cloak about himself and began to back out of the bush, as the ponies they were observing disappeared around a bend in the road.
"Don't worry yourself," he replied. "We are just getting started."
