Love Knows no Bounds

Burnie started his day slow, his eyes felt heavy as they opened. The warmth of his bed and the heaviness of his body threatens to pull him back to sleep, but the smell of wood wakes him right up. Burnie’s stomach growls loudly, and he turns his head to the side. Searching for the source of the smell, which is a plate seated on his desk. Mixed with the smell of bacon and eggs is a hint of Luna’s magic, a feeling Burnie won't admit he's already memorized. His heart beats faster at the knowledge that Luna was in his room and took time out of her day to bring him food.

Burnie eats slowly, wondering if Luna cooked the food herself, but he doubts it. No one spared that kind of time for him, not even his parents. He pushes that thought away, focusing on the task at hand. He only has two days to settle in, read as much as he can, and prepare to work alongside the Princess. So he gathers the books she left him, ignoring how the pages smell like her, and he exits his room. Burnie has always preferred to read in different settings, like the forest behind his old home, or next to the creek out of town.

He wanders the halls, occasionally ducking his head into rooms when he gathers the courage to. He eventually steps fully into one, his attention caught by what was inside. It's a hall of tapestry and paintings. Each depicts another scene, a story laid out across the walls. One side of Princess Celestia, how she earned her powers. The other holds imagery of Princess Luna, and Burnie follows the story.

He sees depictions of her childhood, her relationship with her sister. And her time as Nightmare moon. Burnie knows all about her already, he spent his childhood reading every book he could get his hooves on. It was an obsession, Burnie will admit that. But it's tamed down now, shifted more towards admiration rather than a flat out obsession. And maybe, now that he's actually met her, it may be more than admiration. The flutter in his stomach, the pounding of his heart. It feels as though something has sprouted in his chest and is growing flowers. Burnie refuses to name it.

He pauses in front of a certain tapestry, something about it makes his hooves halt, the tapestry itself isn't something grand, or remarkable. It's a depiction of Luna, silhouetted by the moon, her hair lifted by the wind. It's normal, a typical depiction of a royal pony. But for some reason, Burnie steps forward, closer and closer, his legs moving on his own. And he suddenly comes to a halt when his horn brushes against the woven fabric of the tapestry. And he blinks, his face twisting up in confusion. But when Burnie takes a step back, the distinct sound of stone shifting against stone fills the room. And Burnie jumps.

Hesitantly, he steps around the tapestry, his horn glowing to light the dark space. What he finds surprises him, he hadn't expected the castle to have hidden passages, but he's certainly looking at one. The wall had shifted to open a small doorway, he could see the start of stairs in the dark. And given the dust, he can tell this door hasn't been opened in a long time. And with a conflicted frown, Burnie turns back towards the exit of the room. He should leave now, head to the royal garden and read like he planned. But a small voice in his head beckons him forward. And Burnie listens.

Slowly, he makes his way down the seemingly endless stairs. There is no railing, and in the center of the spiraling staircase is a hole, one wrong move, and Burnie would go tumbling down into the abyss. So keeps his head forward, horn alight, and hooves carefully as he descends further into the dark. After what feels like thirty minutes or so, the air starts to feel heavier, and the stairs flatten into a platform before continuing down. Alongside a simple doorway.

Tired from the stairs, Burnie opts to step into the room. The moment he does, he feels as though the air had been sucked out of his lungs, and his legs tremble. Burnie makes a small noise, his head falling as he attempts to catch his breath. But that only makes him freeze, because what he sees staining the brick floor looks suspiciously like blood. It's old, dried and seeped into the bricks, but its there.

Burnie stumbles away from the stain, his heart hammering in his chest. And his back bumps into something else, making him jump once more and whirl around. He squints at the glass display case, the room too dark for him to see inside. So he leans closer, hoping maybe whatever is inside will give him an explanation to the blood stain. His horn bumps against the glass, and suddenly the whole room is filled with light. Rows of now burning torches sit on the wall of the long room. And Burnie freezes when he can finally see what was in the case.

It's a helmet, the dark gleam of the metal, the intricate design. Burnie immediately recognizes it, the cold in the air all makes sense now. Because the helmet of Nightmare Moon stares right back at Burnie. And he takes a slow, calculated step back.

This must be an old storage room, locked away so no one could get their hands on it, so the Princesses could erase the stain of Nightmare Moon. The rest of her armor is displayed similarly in the room. Alongside old tapestry and items dedicated to her. Nightmare Moon had worshipers, people who believed she was what the world needed, that eternal night was a gift rather than a curse. The history books Burnie read had taught him of that, portraying the distorted view of ponies all those years ago.

Burnie is snapped out of his train of thought when he hears distant steps going down the stairs. And his heart pounds, because he knows he should be here. If he gets caught, what if Luna sends him away? What if she revokes her request before he even had time to start? So, as fast as he could manage without making noise, Burnie steps further into the room. Ducking behind a tapestry, tucks himself into the small alcove and holds his breath.

Slowly the footsteps become louder, approaching the room. And they stop for a moment, before stepping inside. Whatever pony is here, Burnie knows they’re looking for him. Looking for the potential intruder. So he presses himself tighter against the wall. Silently prays to whatever god is out there at the pony leaves.

It's silent for a very long moment, not a sound is heard in the room aside from the crackle of torches. And Burnie almost relaxes, almost. Because suddenly, the tapestry he was hiding behind is being yanked to the side. And Burnie is standing face to face with Princess Luna herself. Her face inches from his own. Her eyes meeting Burnie’s wide ones. She doesn't look angry at least, but it's always hard to tell with her expressionless face. He swallows thickly, unwilling to speak up first.

“Burnie.” She eventually says, eyes narrowing. Her voice is flat, controlled, and his legs shake.

“Y-yes my Princess?” Burnie stammers out. Watching as she tilts her head to the side slightly, her horn brushing against his. Making Burnie jump again, her gaze softens at that as he leans away. Silently, Burnie misses the closeness.

“You're not in trouble.” She says, and he almost collapses in relief, “I'm just…surprised, that you found this place.” She continues, stepping back into the room. Burnie follows her.

“I am ashamed of this history.” She says, staring down at the display cases, and Burnie follows her gaze. Staring at the helmet, shivering at how it almost whispers to him. Begging him to put it on, the tainted magic lingering on the metal still has powers. Burnie can't imagine what it would do to a pony if they were to wear it. So he turns his gaze back to Luna, unwilling to let himself be tempted by the idea of power.

She's already looking at him when he turns, and he stiffens slightly at that fact.

“But it is a history that needs to be studied, you can learn many things from your past mistakes.” Luna says, sitting down on the floor, away from the armor, and she gestures for Burnie to do the same.

He complies easily, he's always fought against authority, but its Luna of all ponies. He’ll willingly listen to her any day. He sits down in front of her, head tilted back to maintain eye contact.

“I assume you already know the story? My sister and I made sure that it was taught throughout schools.” She says, and Burnie wordlessly nods at her words. She smiles, softly, but there's a hint of pain in her eyes. Burnie understands, she did bad things, and she paid the price for it. But many ponies still believe she should have remained locked on the moon, never to return to the earth. They doubt her ability and power.

“And what do you think of me, knowing what I've done?” She asks, nodding towards the armor. And Burnie pauses, takes in her words. He's silent for a moment before carefully answering.

“I know what you did was bad, but I also know that our mistakes don't define us. Just because you did bad things doesn't make you a bad person, especially since you were practically controlled by dark magic while doing it. And you served your punishment for it.” Burnie says gently, and he swears Luna’s gaze brightens, if for a moment.

“I also think you're making up for it, with all the work you're doing now I mean.” Burnie adds, his front hooves shifting on the ground, and Luna smiles again. Brighter this time.

“Thank you, for saying that Burnie.” She says as she stands, heading towards the door. Burnie follows after her, hardly noticing that the stain of blood on the floor has suddenly disappeared. He lets it leave his mind, because Luna is wrapping a wing over him and bringing Burnie to her side as they start to ascend the stairs.

He casts Luna a confused look, the feeling of her warmth against him makes his heart race. She smirks as if she can feel it.

“Wouldn't want you to fall before we got our chance to read together in the garden.” She murmurs, keeping him close as they walk. And Burnie mindlessly nods, head fuzzy from the feeling of her. But her explanation makes sense.

Though his gaze snaps back into focus at the second half of her sentence. Read in the garden, together?
What?!