It had been ten minutes since my class had arrived at the Canterlot Royal Botanical Gardens, and I was already bored out of my skull. It was a beautiful, sunny day, not a gray cloud in sight that a weather pony didn't immediately zip up to kick back into fluffy, white submission. The sun was shining, the bees were buzzing, and my classmates... Well, they were also buzzing.
My friends were no help- they were galloping around joyously from flower to flower, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at every silly leaf and petal. I had been amused, briefly, by Peanut Brittle getting himself stuck in a magnolia tree and Miss Bluebottle having to fly up in a huff and yank him down by the tail, but that was over quickly and then it was back to bushes and grass, grass and bushes, the same old botanical blah blah blah.
Honestly, I appreciate plants as much as the next filly, because what else would we eat without plants? Gems, that's what, and I'm no dragon. I like having all my teeth. But a whole day at the Botanical Gardens? I'd actually have preferred our stuffy old classroom, and that's saying a whole lot. I guess I'm just not a very outdoorsy kind of pony. You'd understand this attitude if you met me, by the way- I'm an Earth Pony, but I'm not tough or strong, or any of that typical Earth Pony stuff. In fact, I'm small for my age and kind of chubby, and it's all I can do to stop my mom from making me wear orthopedic horseshoes. In short, I'm definitely not the athletic type. I prefer lunch to nature walks, and board games to botany.
Being the cool and rebellious type that I am, I had spotted my chance at a daring escape a few minutes after Peanut's unfortunate yet not unexpected mishap (Note: Peanut Brittle is the type of foal who, given the chance, would not only stick his hoof inside a beehive to grab some honey, but pick the largest hive because the bees in that one have more honey and "won't mind sharing as much". You see what I mean about him?). There was a hedge maze near to our group, and I made my escape when my friend Rosebud loudly pointed out a particularly vibrant daisy to the class, all of whom fell over themselves to get a look at it.
There were a lot of ponies wandering around the gardens- families and young couples, mostly, and another school field trip with younger foals than us, none of whom had their Cutie Marks yet. I, who had earned mine a week and a half ago, sneered at them. I managed to reach the maze and slip inside without anyone noticing I had gone. the hedges were high and dotted with roses, and I felt confident that I could pass the remaining two hours alone with a book and a snack and then meet up with my group before they left the garden. Adjusting my saddlebags, I trotted deeper into the maze, a confident bounce to my step and a satisfied smile on my face.
As the hedges rose on either side, the sun was cut off and shadows rose around me. Without the sun on my face, the air seemed chilly, and I shivered. I have a great memory, and a fair sense of direction, so I wasn't worried about getting lost, but something about this maze seemed out of place, even a little spooky. Maybe it was how unkempt the bushes were, compared to the immaculate lawns surrounding them. Then it struck me- I was the only pony in this maze. Despite how crowded the gardens were, I was alone in the tangled labyrinth.
My confidence faltered, and I began to re-think my clever plan. It was sorta dark in that maze, and there was always the possibility that I'd get lost, or lose track of time. I was about to turn back when I remembered how rapturously Rosebud and Miss Bluebottle had been waxing about the koi ponds and the water lilies, and I steeled myself for the charge. Faint heart never won fair lady, or whatever. My goal was a fair amount of peace and quiet, anyway.
Whoever the groundskeeper was for the rest of the gardens, they had obviously never set hoof in the maze any further than a meter or two. Apparently koi required too much attention, and the hedges had been left to fall into rack and ruin. The place was weedy, and the ground was treacherous with roots. Branches reached out to snag my saddlebags and tail, although I totally didn't squeak and jump the first time it happened. Not me. I kept going, looking for a bench or a table like the sort that dotted the well-kept lawns of the main gardens, although I was starting to get the sneaking suspicion that this area was unused for some reason. I turned yet another one of the endless corners, and got the shock of my life out of the blue.
Without warning, the narrow hedges opened up into a wild, untamed garden, bursting with life. It was laced with vines and sprinkled with wildflowers, like a gardener had gotten fed up with the neat, orderly lines of the garden and decided to go nuts all over this one tiny section. There were no low stone benches, as I had hoped for, but in the center was a trellis, wrapped almost entirely in tiny yellow roses on thorny vines. On that trellis was an unmistakable figure (even facing away from me), and I recognized her at once. My heart stopped beating for a moment.
It shouldn't have surprised me that much, considering we were in the Royal Botanical Gardens. But still, it's not every day you turn a corner and run smack-dab into Equestria's one and only Princess Luna.
I hadn't said a word, apart from the running mental commentary of OH MY GOOOSH IT'S A REAL LIVE PRINCESS WHAT SHOULD I DO WHAT SHOULD I DO, but the Princess turned as if she knew I was there. Well, I figured, she probably had some crazy alicorn magic that alerted her whenever nosy foals come barging into her private garden (because even I had figured out by now that that's exactly what this place was). Or maybe, I thought with the sensible half of my brain, maybe she just heard me stomping around the hedges like a drunken dragon.
In any case, now she was looking at me. And standing up. And walking toward me. Uh-oh. My legs suddenly remembered their manners, and without consulting my brain, decided that now was a good time to prostrate myself before her. I collapsed to the ground on my knees, but I couldn't help peeking up at her as she approached.
Princess Luna was the most elegant, beautiful, graceful pony I had ever seen in my young life, and I immediately idolized her for that. There were no ponies like her back in my hometown. She was so regal, and her face didn't betray any emotions except- Well, now she was sort of smirking, and was that a snigger I heard escape her lips? She raised a silver-shod hoof in front of her mouth, and appeared to compose herself. She smiled at me. I loved her for that. If it had been my secret garden that somepony blundered into, they'd be hoofing it out of there with their tail ablaze at this point. But she wasn't mad- Or at least, she didn't look mad, and that was something. When she spoke, it was gently, without malice or anger.
"What are you doing in here, little one? Didn't you see the signs posted, or did you get lost?" She took my hoof and pulled me upright. "We should get you back to your parents."
I stammered, trying not to look in her sympathetic eyes. "I, I, I didn't see any signs, ma'am. I mean, Your Majesty."
She twisted her face in a way that, on an ordinary pony, would suggest that she was trying not to laugh. "Princess Luna will do just fine. Where are your parents?"
I dug one hoof in the grass, awkwardly avoiding her gaze. "Well, actually I'm here on a field trip. The, um, the truth is that I left my group on purpose. I came in here to get some peace and quiet- but I swear I didn't see any signs!"
Princess Luna laid a foreleg across my shoulders and clucked sympathetically. "Oh, you poor little thing. You can't let bullies get to you, you know. When you run away, it just makes them think-"
I interrupted, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. Interrupting a princess was bad, obviously, but misleading her to think I was a victim of bullying was probably some kind of special crime that would get me thrown off of a castle wall or something. "No, no, don't get the wrong idea, Your Princess- I mean, Princess Luna! I left because I just don't like flowers very much."
This must have pushed her over the edge, because the Princess burst into peals of laughter. I stood there as she sat down on the grass next to me, one foreleg still around my shoulders, and laughed as if my Cutie Mark declared me the world's greatest comedian. I just stood there awkwardly, wondering if I should be laughing or not. Was it rude, not to laugh when royalty did? Or would it be rude to join in? The niceties of etiquette were too much for me, and I decided to forget about it. I was already in pretty deep muck, I figured, so nothing I did now could make it any worse.
"Princess Luna?" I nudged her gently, and slowly her laughter subsided into the occasional guffaw and snort. She wiped her eyes and smiled at me.
"Sorry about that. It's just that you came in here looking as though hell-hounds were dogging your hoofsteps, and it turns out that you just don't care for the flowers! It's too rich."
I sort of appreciated how that would seem funny, but I didn't crack a smile. I was about to risk my neck here. "So... does that mean I'm not in trouble for trespassing?"
Princess Luna shook her head emphatically. "Oh, no, of course not! I was sitting here brooding and wallowing in the past, and you appear and give me some much-needed relief! If anything, I should thank you. What's your name, little one?"
I was floored. What was she talking about? I had ditched my group, trespassed on a private area, and disturbed the Princess in her secret garden. I ought to be horsewhipped, not thanked! But she was smiling, and I didn't want to seem ungrateful, so I answered. "My name's Jigsaw."
She patted me on the head, and finally released me from her half-embrace. I edged away as politely as possible, but she wasn't going to let me go that easily. "You can stay here as long as you need, Jigsaw. I think I could use a little company."
I nodded uncertainly. "That's really nice of you, Princess Luna."
She waved a hoof. "Just Luna is fine."
I cast about wildly for something to say, but my mind was blank. Luna didn't notice my panic, and continued to speak. "Come over and sit with my, won't you?"
Oh, no. I found myself being guided over to the trellis where Luna had been relaxing when I arrived. I cast about wildly for excuses to escape. Sorry Princess, but I need to get back to the group after all. I'm suddenly very interested in botany. Sorry Princess, but I need to go wash my mane. Sorry Princess, but I hear my mother calling. Gotta go! I couldn't think of anything, so allowed myself to be marehandled. She sat me down on the carved, mossy stone bench, and settled herself next to me. "Where do you come from, Jigsaw?"
I was starting to calm down, realizing that Princess Luna- despite any nasty rumors or dark past, was a very nice pony. And maybe it was just my imagination, but she seemed a bit lonely. I answered her.
"Well, I'm from Haywood. Do you know where that is?" She nodded. "Oh, OK, I wasn't sure that you would. It's a pretty dinky town. I always wished I lived in an old city like Canterlot. It's got so much history!"
My words seemed to give Luna an idea. She was silent for a moment, then smiled. "Here, Jigsaw, look at this." She picked up a book from the other side of the bench and slid it over to me.
"This is an old book that I just found in my personal collection. It's over a thousand years old, and tells a fascinating story. Do you like history, Jigsaw? I've been dying to show this to someone ever since I rediscovered it this morning."
The book had already captured my attention. It was obviously ancient, and the pages were covered in gilded illustrations that caught the afternoon sun and shimmered enticingly. A sentence on the page caught my eye. "Every pony in Equestria was plagued by nightmares unceasing, and Weaver did not falter in her duties, but doubled and redoubled her efforts until nopony could sleep for fear of the Mares."
I looked up at Princess Luna eagerly. "I love history! This book is so pretty, Princess! Do you really want to show it to me?"
Luna was pleased with my reaction. Her horn glimmered faintly, and the book rose into the air and floated in front of us. The pages rippled and fluttered themselves back to the beginning, and the Princess looked at me. Her expression was serious now, and I felt my enthusiasm tempered by apprehension.
"This story is true, but not many ponies know it. I like you, Jigsaw- you seem like a good-hearted foal, but I need to know if you can handle hearing a story like this. It's not pleasant, although it does have a happy ending, and many ponies suffered before the matter was resolved. I had a hoof in these events myself, and I am not proud of the crimes I committed. Do you still want to see it?"
I nodded vigorously. I really, really wanted to know it now. Luna turned to the book and took a deep breath.
"All right, then. This," she turned the first page, "is the story of the Night Mares."
