Letter to a Princess (Older version)
To Fear the Sun
Quill and I stepped off the train. The conductor gave Quill an encouraging smile as we started down the platform. “Good luck with that summons.”
Quill returned a fragile smile of his own. “Thank you, sir.”
As we headed toward the castle, and our audience with Luna, a quiet hung between us.
The castle came into view, and Quill paused. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
I put my foreleg around his shoulders. “Don’t worry about it. Everything is going to be fine.”
He took a deep breath, gathered himself, and we continued.
Quill and I arrived at the castle gates before sundown. A pair of the royal guards stood at their posts. Quill took the summons out from under his wing. He was about to present it, when two of the lunar guards arrived.
“We are here for these two. Princess Luna is expecting them.” It sounded like the same guard that had delivered the summons two days ago. He motioned for us to follow him.
The royal guards never moved a muscle.
Quill perked up, knowing that we were not facing this without somepony that we knew. “Thank you for meeting us. Having you here helps.”
“No problem. We were on duty, and decided that you needed to see a couple of friendly faces.”
“Even if we all look alike, thanks to the armor,” the second added.
The first guard stuck his tongue out at his partner. “It’s the thought that counts.”
I was glad to see that the armor’s enchantment did not give him a forked tongue, like a couple of rumors held.
They guided us into the audience chamber, and took their positions. A short time later, another pair of lunar guards entered from the rear of the chamber. They were followed closely by Luna.
Quill and I bowed.
“You may rise. Deft Quill, please step forward.” Though she refrained from using her royal Canterlot voice, power filled her words.
Quill did not hesitate, and walked to the base of the throne’s dais. He bowed low, and addressed Luna, “I am here, my princess.”
“Raise your head, Deft Quill, and stand.” Luna studied Quill for a moment. “I am curious to know how you were able to send a letter to me by dragon fire.”
“Spike sent the letter for me, after he found out that I wanted to write you.”
The princess gave an amused smile. “I thought so. Your letter failed to mention your journal, and the nightmares that it detailed.”
Quill’s nervousness showed for the first time, his voice quavered for a moment. “I did not think that my problems were worth mentioning.”
“Yet, thanks to Spike’s talent, both the letter and the journal came to be in my possession. I have read them both.”
Quill blanched when he heard those words.
“I wanted to discuss your journal’s contents with you. Since this concerns my sister, she will be joining us.”
As if there had been some unseen signal, Celestia walked into the chamber. Celestia had a different, though just as powerful, presence. The combination of the two was stunning.
“Sister, are these two the ponies that you wanted me to see this evening?”
“They are. This is Deft Quill. With him is his brother, Sturdy Bookend.”
Quill and I both bowed as Luna named us.
“You may rise.” She turned back to Luna. “What kind of audience requires me to be here as well?”
“Deft Quill and I were going to discuss his journal. I wanted you to be here when we did.”
Had Quill not fully stood up before Luna said those words he would have not made it back to standing. He quaked at the thought of talking about the journal, particularly with Celestia able to hear.
“This is about a journal?” Celestia looked at her sister, then towards Quill.
Luna stepped down from the throne, strode from the dais, and came within a pony’s length from Quill. “Sister, please take the throne. I believe that you should preside over this audience. I will not be able to be impartial to what this pony has to say.”
Celestia tilted her head as if in thought, for a brief moment. Then she ascended the dais and took her place on the throne.
I had a feeling that something private had passed between the sisters, beyond the context of the words that had been used.
Luna turned back to Quill. “Tell me about the journal. Start with what caused you to write it. Leave nothing out.”
I started to take a step towards Quill, but the look that Luna gave me halted me mid-step.
She turned her full attention back to Quill. As he spoke, the events that caused us to be there replayed in my mind.
*****************************************************************************
I groggily lifted my head from my pillow, as Quill opened my bedroom door. “Quill, are you alright?”
“I can’t sleep.”
I patted the bed, and he sat down next to me. I got out from under the covers, and sat beside him.
Quill shook his head in disgust. “Why I am having nightmares like this? I thought I was too old for this.”
“You never get too old for nightmares; I still have them. We have only been here a couple of months. All the changes with the move are probably causing them.”
He rolled his hooves over and over on my blanket, as if kneading it would help.
“I really wish you would tell me what the nightmares were about. If you don’t feel comfortable talking with me, maybe Redheart could recommend somepony that can help.”
“I don’t want to see a doctor.”
“Then please, tell me what is going on.”
“I’ll tell you if you promise not to laugh or make fun of me.”
I rolled my eyes, and smiled, as I promised, “I promise that I won’t laugh, no matter what it is.”
“You Pinkie promise?”
I sighed in exasperation. “I’m amazed that you learned about that so quickly.”
“Everyone knows how to Pinkie promise, it’s one of the first things the other ponies taught me when we moved here.”
I recited the promise and completed the motions that went along.
“You know how to Pinkie promise?”
“Remember, I grew up in Ponyville. Now, tell me what is bothering you.”
He looked down at the floor. “Do you remember Nightmare Night, when Luna came?”
“That is something I do not think I will forget, even when I get as old as Mr. Giggles.”
“Ever since that night, I have been having horrible dreams about Celestia. I keep having nightmares about her banishing Luna. I even have dreams where Celestia banishes me for trying to talk her out of sending Luna to the moon. Luna seemed so lost and lonely when she came for the festival. I just can’t imagine her doing anything bad enough for Celestia to banish her.”
I leaned back on the bed. “I have not thought much about it. You’re right; Luna didn’t seem to be an evil pony. I’m sure that Celestia only used banishment as a last resort, whatever happened back then.”
Quill turned to me. “Could you lock me away like that?”
I looked at his worried face, as I answered, “No. I would never be able to live with it.”
He managed a small smile. “Thanks, that helps.”
*****
The next morning started out as any other. I got Quill out the door, after getting a good meal in him. I worried that the lack of restful sleep would catch up with him.
I still had a few minutes before having to head into work, so I decided to do something about the pile of mail that had accumulated. I gathered the outgoing mail into a bundle, and headed out the door.
I was about half way, when a shadow suddenly passed over me. I ducked, and barely avoided being hit by a gray pegasus. A metallic thump resounded, as the pegasus collided with our mailbox. After getting over the shock, I checked on the sprawled pony. “Are you alright?!”
She sat up, and looked over at the newly dented mailbox. “Sorry about that!”
I knew that voice. “Bright Eyes, is that you?”
“Bookend! I didn’t know that you moved here from Canterlot. Pinkie is slipping, if she didn’t throw you a party.”
I trotted over, and helped her up. “She probably would have, except I’m not new to Ponyville. Quill was the one that got a party.”
She frowned. “I must have missed that one, and missed you in the process.”
Her smile came back, just as suddenly as it had left. “You still call me Bright Eyes. You don’t have to, just call me Derpy. Everypony else does.”
“It just feels wrong.”
She intentionally moved her eyes out of alignment. “My eyes are the most prominent things about me. It’s nice to know that I stick out in other ponies’ minds.”
“You still have that rosy attitude.”
Her eyes went back to their normal positions. “It’s easy; I have a wonderful kid, and a loving husband. I haven’t seen you since school, how did everything turn out?”
I shrugged. “I graduated, but for a while I had nothing to show for it. I finally got a job as a clerk, and moved back here with Quill.”
She looked surprised. “Quill moved here with you? Why is he not with your parents?”
“It’s closer to Cloudsdale and the flight school. With both of them working such odd hours, I would be around for him more too.”
“How is he adjusting to the move?”
I hesitated.
Derpy switched into a tone that only a mother can use. “You ARE going to tell me.”
I told her about Quill’s nightmares. “I don’t know what to do. I want to help, but I have no idea how.”
She looked towards Cloudsdale, as if she could see Quill. “I never thought about what it must have been like for Celestia to have to do that to her own sister. Your brother is tackling some really deep issues, especially for somepony his age. Writing these things out can really help; you should suggest that he keep a journal about his dreams. He could even send Luna a letter, saying that he was glad she was back. It might do them both some good.”
“Thanks, I would never have thought of either of those. The only problem is I don’t know if the princess would even read a letter from someone she had never met.”
Derpy bent down and picked up her saddle bags. “You would be surprised. I have heard that Celestia answers her own mail. I hate to do this, but I really have to get back to my route.”
“Hang on for a second.” I handed her my bundle of mail. “Now if anyone asks, you were delayed on official business.”
She laughed. “I don’t think anypony would believe that. It will be a nice change from telling them I got tangled up in a tree, again.” She took off, and headed toward her next stop.
Thankfully, work was uneventful that day. I headed home, after stopping by the market. I had just started to put things away, when I heard the door open.
Quill came in, carrying a bag in his mouth. “Wat wif the ail ox.”
“Put that down first.”
Quill put the bag on the table. The top opened, just enough for a wonderful aroma to escape.
I smiled at the smell. “You stopped by Carrot Top’s stall.”
Quilled nodded. “I thought I might catch you doing the shopping before you went home. Carrot Top was packing up, and gave me a great discount.”
“How much do I owe for the soup?”
“But I wanted to pay for-”
I stopped him, with a wave of my hoof. “You earned that money, and it should stay with you.” I paid him back for the soup, and set out some bowls.
“You still haven’t told me what happened to the mailbox.”
“It had a run in with Derpy. Or rather, she ran into it.”
He gave me a concerned look. “Is she all right?”
“She seemed to be doing just fine. Thanks to her flying into the mailbox, I was able to catch up with her for a bit. We need to invite her and Turner over for dinner.”
Quill’s nose wrinkled up. “I guess that means Dinky too.”
“I am sure that she has grown up. She was just a little foal when you saw her last time. It’s not like I would be inviting the Cutie Mark Crusaders over for dinner.”
Quill shuddered at the idea. “We wouldn’t have a house left.”
I poured the soup, and my stomach rumbled its impatience. “I didn’t know I was starving.”
Quill grinned at me, and then started on his soup. “Wow, Carrot Top really can do amazing things with carrots.”
“I forgot to tell you, I talked to Derpy about your dreams. When she is not creating them, she is great at fixing other pony’s problems. I’ll understand if you’re mad at me, but I just wanted to help.”
He shrugged. “It’s alright. I just don’t want it spread around that I am having nightmares, like some foal.”
“I know Derpy, that’s not going to happen.”
I told Quill about Derpy’s suggestions.
He thought the ideas over for a moment. “I like the idea of the letter. Luna seemed like she could use something like that. I’m not so sure about writing a journal, but I’m willing to try anything at this point.”
“We’ll have to do something to thank her.”
We looked at each other, and simultaneously named the one thing that Derpy was sure to love as a thank you. “MUFFINS.”
*****
Quill started writing about his nightmares. The number of rough dreams began to decrease, and the bad nights did not seem to bother him as much. Quill also drafted a couple of letters to Luna, but never sent them. I though the situation would resolve itself with a little more time.
One afternoon, just as I was getting home from work, Quill all but tackled me as I opened the door.
“I’ve messed up so bad!” Quill’s wings were in full alarm position.
I frantically looked him over. “What happened? Are you hurt?!” Not immediately seeing an injury, I glanced into the house. “Is something on fire?!”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll be on the moon soon, but I’m not hurt. The house is fine too.” He took a quick breath and explained, “My letter got sent to Luna.”
I was relieved. “I don’t see how that is a bad thing. Even if there are a couple of mistakes, I don’t see what the disaster is.”
His eyes got a frantic look to them, as he told me, “My journal got sent too.”
I was shocked to hear that. “Tell me what happened.”
Quill all but vibrated as he spoke. “I had to go to the library to look something up for a school project. After I was done with my school work, I wrote in my journal. That reminded me that I had not sent my letter to Luna, so I finished it up. I asked Spike how I could find the princesses’ address, and he got curious. I told him I wanted to send Luna a welcome back letter. He had seen me working in the journal, and asked if it had something to do with the letter. I didn’t want to lie to him, so I said yes. He picked up my letter AND THE JOURNAL. Before I could stop him, he set both of them on fire with his breath.”
I gave him a confused look. “I thought you said that the letter and journal got sent to Luna.”
He looked irritated. “You don’t understand. Spike can send things directly to the princesses with his flames. He thought he was doing me a favor. I’m sure that Luna has gotten the letter, and she may have read the journal by now. If Luna tells Celestia about what I wrote in the journal-”
I interrupted him, to stop his train of thought. “Everything is fine. You are not going to be sent to the moon over a letter and a journal.”
“But, if Celestia finds out-”
I put my forelegs on his shoulders. “Stop any thought with the word ‘if’ involved. How long have you been like this?”
He managed to calm down, and got his wings to fold back down. “I don’t know, I think about half an hour.”
“I hate that. Nopony should be that wound up for so long.” A question suddenly came to me. “Why did you have the journal with you?”
He groaned at himself, and answered, “It got mixed in with my school notebooks. I don’t carry the thing around.”
I put my hooves back on the ground. “I know what we both need to do. I need to get out, and burn off some energy. You need to do something active too; it will help calm you down. I’m going to run the Whitetail Woods course. While I run, you are going to do some flying drills above me, and shout at me when I get off pace. After that, we can figure out what we are going to do about supper. Sound like a plan?”
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s not like I can undo the damage anyway.”
We stepped outside, and I shut the door behind us. “Luna will read the letter, and realize the journal being sent was a mistake. I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t get the journal back in a couple of days. Everything will be fine. If you were in trouble, the guards would have shown up by now. ”
Quill laughed. “You’re right. I just can’t believe this happened.”
Had I known what was going to happen, I would have never mentioned the guards.
*****
After our respective workouts, and finishing dinner, we settled down for the evening. I had just managed to read a couple of pages from a new book, when there was a knock on the door.
I opened the door, and found two of the lunar guards standing there.
“Is this the home of Deft Quill?”
All I could manage was a mute nod.
“We are here to deliver a message to a pony named Deft Quill. Would that be you?”
Somehow, I found my voice. “No, that would be my brother. I’ll get him for you.”
“Who’s at the door?” At that moment, Quill walked up beside me. His eyes went wide at the sight of the lunar guards.
The second lunar guard stated, “You must be Deft Quill. We have a message to deliver to you.”
My surprise at hearing a mare must have shown on my face.
The second guard turned to me. “The armor is enchanted by Luna. We all look the same with it on, whether we’re mares or not.”
I finally got my thoughts organized enough to invite them in, and offer something to drink.
The first guard chuckled. “Thanks, but we have to decline. We’re still on duty.”
The second guard pulled out a scroll, bearing Luna’s personal seal, and held it out to him. “Your presence is required at the castle in two days, before the hour of sundown.”
Quill took the scroll from her. “Thank you both for coming all this way to deliver this.”
She responded, “It’s our duty and privilege.”
They turned in unison, and flew back towards Canterlot, without another word.
Quill looked down at the scroll in his hoof, as if it had come from another world. The seal bearing Luna’s crescent moon, emblazoned in dark blue wax, stood out against the pale parchment. After bracing himself, Quill broke the seal.
He read Luna’s words aloud:
Deft Quill,
I have received your letter and the journal that accompanied it. I have come to the conclusion that what you have written is of import to me and my sister. You, and your brother, are to appear at the castle in two days, at sundown.
Present this summons to any train conductor, and you both will be given free transportation to Canterlot.
Princess of the Night, Luna
He looked dejected, as he carefully rolled the scroll back up. “I guess since Spike sent the journal, she knows about the nightmares too. How many ponies can say that they might have hacked off both princesses, with just one letter? I’m sorry I’ve gotten you in trouble too.”
“I really don’t think either one of us is in trouble. Luna probably just wants to talk with you; she is the princess of dreams.”
He smiled hopelessly. “Thanks, but you thought the guards wouldn’t show up either.”
I did not have a reply to that.
***************************************************************
I listened more intently when Quill began telling about the contents of his journal. As Quill talked about his nightmares concerning her banishment, Luna’s face softened. She occasionally nodded, in a supportive way, to encourage him to continue.
I saw Celestia draw in her emotions as Quill spoke. I could not read her reaction to his words, and that began to make me concerned.
After Quill finished the silence in the chamber was absolute.
Celestia stood up, and began coming down from the dais. “You fear that I banished my sister without a thought, and I would do that to anypony that I felt made a mistake?” Her tone was flat and completely unreadable.
Quill looked up at Celestia, and backed away from her approach. He stumbled into me, and fell to the stone floor in a confusion of wings and legs.
I did the only thing that I could. I rushed around him, putting myself between Quill and the descending princess.
I bowed low as I pleaded, “My brother meant no offense to you or your sister. Quill has been placed in my guardianship legally and physically. His actions are my responsibility. If you have been insulted, I will take any punishment in his place.”
A moment passed, then two. I slowly looked up. Celestia had tears rolling down her face, and a look of anguish that threatened to tear my heart out.
“Oh Luna, is this how my little ponies think of me? Am I seen as some monster that will punish them cruelly, even for the slightest offense?”
Luna hugged Celestia, as tears dampened her own cheeks. “Dear sister, our ponies love and respect you. I told you that the stories surrounding my stay on the moon had become too warped and needed to be corrected.”
Quill stepped around me. He spoke in a respectful, almost reluctant tone, “I don’t understand. I thought the stories were all true. Nightmare Moon came back, just as the Mare in the Moon tale said she would.”
Luna looked towards Quill. “Yes, but the historical facts that the stories are based on have been lost to most ponies. Do you know about our struggles with Discord and King Sombra?”
Quill nodded. “You defeated Discord using the elements of harmony. Not too long after that, you fought King Sombra and sealed him away.”
Luna nodded. “While the elements were able to seal away Discord, some of his magic lingered in Equestria. His powers warped the places now known as the Everfree Forest and Tartarus. That power also had ill effects on my sister and me. While Celestia was able to cast it off, I had more difficulty getting rid of its effects.”
Luna released Celestia from her embrace. “The elements would not respond to me as they had, due to Discord’s influence. We were left with no choice but to use our combined magic against Sombra, when his threat arose. Though we overcame him, his powers combined with the taint left by Discord. Before we realized what had happened, the corrupting powers began to turn me into Nightmare Moon.”
Celestia wiped her own tears away. “We worked along with some of the greatest unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony minds of the era for months. We tried magic, meditation techniques, powerful medicinal herbs, and nothing worked.”
“We finally found a solution that would end the corrupting influence on me, but it required that I be sent to the moon by the elements of harmony. It had to be done before the taint twisted me completely, or I would have faced a similar fate to Discord and Sombra. We tried to find an alternative, but my time ran out.”
Luna’s face showed her deep sorrow. “The taint pulled me into darkness. Celestia and I did fight; but it was much more a battle of words and raw emotions. Celestia kept me from hurting anypony, or stopping the sun’s rise during my madness. Only with her help, and using all of my will, I managed to push back the dark influence for a brief time.”
Luna turned to Celestia. “Please show them what happened that night.”
Celestia nodded, and her horn began to glow. The audience chamber was filled with a magical image of the main hall of an abandoned, dust filled castle. The image showed Luna as she used all of her strength to keep the forces assaulting her from taking hold. Luna’s magical aura shifted between a healthy glow and a dark miasma of power. Each time Luna managed to fight back the change, it was evident that the effort was costing her. Celestia stood near her sister, rendering aid. The images of the princesses relived the events of the past:
“You know that banishing me to the moon is the only way. With this thing feeding off of me, I do not have enough power. If I go to the moon, I can regain enough strength to shield myself.”
“I am NOT sending my sister to the moon! I WILL keep this from happening!” Celestia’s own horn glowed brightly, as she tried to help keep the transmutation from swallowing her sister.
“I will not allow you to face what I will become in battle, even with the elements at hand. I have already hurt you and everypony else. This will be difficult for us both, but it has to be done.”
Celestia hesitated, and then began to use the elements of harmony. “I tried so hard to keep this from happening. I do not know how I will rule without you.”
“You will rule as gracefully as you ever have. I am much more worried about leaving you to face the challenges here alone.”
Luna’s form began to glow, as the elements started their work. Luna’s outline seemed to wavier then, with an almost subdued flash, she disappeared. In that same moment, the elements of harmony turned to powerless stones and fell to the floor.
Celestia looked up at the roof of castle and wept. “Sister, these thousand years cannot pass swiftly enough.”
The magically created scene faded, as Celestia released the magic she had been using. No other pony alive, besides the princesses, had seen those events as they occurred. It was likely that nopony else, outside that chamber, would ever see them again.
Quill broke the subsequent quiet by addressing Celestia, “Now I understand. You did battle with Nightmare Moon, but not in the way the story is told now.”
Celestia nodded sadly.
Luna turned back to Quill. “I had to be sent to the moon so that I could shield myself. Had I not fought the dark powers with my own, I would have been sealed away like Discord or Sombra. The corruption would have infiltrated my very essence, and the elements would not have been able to separate it from me. The one thing that we could not have planned for was the change in the elements.”
Celestia explained, “The elements stopped responding to my magic due to my broken heart. New bearers had to use the elements when Luna returned, but I had no control over who those bearers would be. I found who I thought would be the bearer of the element of magic by accident, and put her under my tutorage. Twilight Sparkle figured out about the timing of Luna’s return, and warned me about it. I did not tell her the truth about Luna’s return, since I was not certain that she was the element of magic. I did not want to embroil her in a fight, if I did not have to. I sent her to Ponyville under the colors of checking the preparations for the Sun Celebration, gave her a push to find friends, and hoped that I had done the right thing.”
Quill asked, “Why leave the elements in such a dangerous place if they were needed to help Luna?”
Luna answered, “The elements were left in the old castle in case our plan did not succeed. Nightmare Moon’s first move would have been to destroy the one pony that could have challenged her, my sister. We could not risk a battle where other ponies would be in danger.”
A sudden realization hit me, and I blurted out, “By that point you had a degree of control over yourself. That is why you did not destroy the bearers of the elements of harmony outright.”
Luna nodded. “When my sister was not waiting in old castle when I returned, and seeing the lifeless elements, I knew something had gone wrong. Nightmare Moon sensed Celestia in Ponyville. Before Nightmare Moon could get to her precise location, Celestia shielded her presence and vanished to avoid a conflict. I tried to draw ponies from the crowd to the elements, without letting Nightmare Moon harm them. In the end the gambit worked, I was freed, and the elements were restored. Without the taint, I have fully regained my powers and am healthy as I have ever been.”
Luna stepped forward and pulled Quill into a hug. “While I may be the ‘younger’ sister of the two of us, we are both very old. I have great powers and a vast amount of experience to pull from. I knowingly chose my stay on the moon. I will not say that it was pleasant, but I would not have had it any other way.”
Luna released Quill.
Celestia put a hoof on Quill’s shoulder. “Having to banish one pony, even if it was her choice, nearly destroyed me. I will never do such a thing again. Thank you for coming this night. We will make sure that the truth about Luna’s banishment is known, so that troubles like yours will not happen again.”
Luna suddenly smiled as a thought came to her mind. “You have done both of us a service, by bringing your thoughts and fears to our attention. Such a feat should be rewarded with a boon. You may ask one of us, and we will grant it.”
I knew practically nothing of the traditional boons. I vaguely remembered, from school, that they were typically items of little monetary value, but of great symbolic worth.
Quill thought for a moment, and then suddenly broke out in a blush. “I have thought of something, but I do not think I’ve earned it.”
Luna’s eyebrow arched. “Oh? Name your boon, and we shall determine whether it is proper or not.”
“I would like one of your feathers.”
Luna’s grin broadened. “The last pony to ask for a feather of mine delivered a message that saved lives. While no lives were in danger this night, you did deliver a message to me and my sister. I do not have any loose feathers at the moment, but when one is ready I will be sure to have it delivered to you.”
Quill bowed. “Thank you, princess. It will be my most cherished possession.”
****************************************************************
A couple of weeks later, a knock on the door broke the quiet of another peaceful evening. I opened the door. Two pegasi stood there, a mare and a stallion. The stallion was carrying a well bundled package.
I asked, “Can I help you with something?”
The stallion grinned. “What is with all the formality? You should know us by now.”
I was utterly confused.
“Stop playing games, you lug.” The mare poked him in ribs. “My name is Warm Updraft, and this joker is Silver Breeze. We’re the lunar guards that delivered the scroll, and escorted you to your audience.”
Quill stuck his head out his bedroom door. “Bookend, who are you talking to?”
“It’s the lunar guards that helped us.”
I invited them both in, and this time they accepted the invitation. I got everypony drinks, and we settled in the den.
Quill was ecstatic that they had come. “I’m so glad that you came. We never did get a chance to thank you, for being there for us.”
Silver smiled at him. “Nah, we should be thanking you two. We got to see a piece of history that night.” He paused in thought. “That was something that will be with me for a long time.”
Updraft reminded Silver, “We have something that will be lasting to a certain pony here too.”
Silver jumped slightly at her words. “That’s right, I almost forgot. We are heading to Cloudsdale on leave, and decided that we better take care of this package ourselves. I hear the local mail service is a little rough with deliveries.” He began to unstrap the package from his back. “After wearing armor all the time, you forget that it’s not normal to have something strapped to you.”
Updraft smirked at Silver. “That is why I’m here; to make sure that everything gets done.”
“Ha, ha.”
He carefully gave the package to Quill.
Quill opened the package, inside was a stunning display. It held one of Luna’s flight feathers in a glass tube with etched metal caps. The tube was held on an elegant, matching stand. Quill was stunned at the gift.
Silver smiled at Quill’s reaction. “Luna put an enchantment on the feather that will preserve and protect it. I think that is the first time that I have ever seen a winged pony happy to lose a flight feather. That is something really special, take good care of it.”
“I will. I don’t know how to thank you for bringing me this, or helping me. I was such a wreck I did not think I would be able to talk.”
Quill stared at the display. “I did not expect something like this, I would have been happy with just the feather. Tell her thank you, it’s more than I ever would have dreamed.”
Updraft nodded. “You handled having both the princesses’ attention on you very well. You may want to consider looking into joining us, in the lunar guard, in a couple of years. We always need ponies that can handle pressure.”
“Updraft, we’re on leave. You promised no official business. Recruiting is official business." He looked at Quill. "Kid, don’t let her fool you, she is one of the ponies that drills the new recruits. She just enjoys torturing new ponies.”
“Thanks for the warning, but I’ll still think about it.”
Silver held his hooves up. “Don’t say that you didn’t have adequate warning, if she gets hold of you.”
Updraft looked over Quill. “If you are considering it, I have a couple of points of advice. Your wings look looked well developed, so you should work on your endurance for the running and ground based training. Whatever you do, don’t bulk up too much. You need agility, not strength, in the lunar guard.”
“That’s two times Updraft.” He pulled her to him, so that they were leaning against one another. “Just relax, and drop the guard stuff. When we get to Cloudsdale, I’m going to make sure that you quit thinking about that.”
She grinned. “Really, you think that you can keep me occupied for a week? I did not know that your stamina training had improved that much.”
Silver blushed furiously. “On that note, we’re out of here. I think that we have traumatized these two enough.”
Silver and Updraft got up, and headed for the door. Quill and I followed. Silver, being a gentlecolt, opened the door for Updraft and let her through first.
Come back by one evening, before you head back to Canterlot. We’ll go for something to eat.”
Silver grinned at the invite. “We’ll do that. Take care you two.”
Quill turned to me, and gave me an excited grin. “I think I’ll be joining you, on your runs and workouts.”
“So, you’re serious about the Lunar Guard.”
“I don’t know yet. I think I am still a little frazzled by what has happened. But, it wouldn’t hurt either way.” His eyes wandered back to the feather.
“We certainly have a story to tell Derpy, Turner, and Dinky when they come over.”
He grinned. “Yes, we do.”
Author's Note
If you enjoyed this story, please take the time to vote for it. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
Letter to a Princess (Final Draft)
To Fear the Sun
Quill and I stepped off the train. The clear afternoon sky was just beginning to be tinged by the colors of the oncoming sunset. After taking a second to adjust to being back on solid ground, we started toward the castle.
The conductor gave Quill an encouraging smile. “Good luck, with that summons.”
Quill returned a fragile smile of his own. “Thank you, sir.”
As we made our way through the Canterlot streets, a quiet hung between us. I glanced over at him. My brother’s typical upbeat energy had been replaced with an air of dread. I didn’t know what to say that would help, so I kept silent.
As the castle came into view, Quill paused on the sidewalk. He took a deep, shuddering breath. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
I put my foreleg around his shoulders. “Don’t worry about it.” I shook him lightly. “It will all work out.”
He put on a brave smile, gathered himself, and we continued.
We arrived at the castle gates before sundown, as instructed. A pair of the royal guards stood at their posts, both of them still as marble statutes. Quill took the summons out from under his wing. He was about to present it to the guards, when two of the lunar guards arrived.
The first of the lunar guards spoke. “We are here for these two. Princess Luna has summoned them.” It sounded like the same guard that had delivered the summons two days ago. He motioned for us to follow him.
The royal guards never moved a muscle.
Quill perked up, knowing that we were not facing this without somepony that we knew. He quickened his pace, till he was side by side with the first lunar guard. “Thank you for meeting us. Having you here helps.”
The guard grinned at him. “No problem. We were on duty, and decided that you needed to see a couple of friendly faces.”
“Even if we all look alike, thanks to the armor,” the second added, her feminine voice in contrast with her appearance.
The first guard stuck his tongue out at her. “It’s the thought that counts.”
I was glad to see that the armor’s enchantment did not give him a forked tongue, like a couple of rumors held.
They guided us into the audience chamber, and silently took their positions. The pair assumed the same kind of disciplined watch that the royal guards had shown at the gate, and said nothing more. A short time later, another set of lunar guards entered from the rear of the chamber. They were followed closely by Luna.
Quill and I bowed.
Luna seemed to take in every detail of Quill and me. “You may rise. Deft Quill, please step forward.” Though she refrained from using her full volume, power filled her words.
Quill did not hesitate, and walked to the base of the throne’s dais. He bowed low, and addressed Luna, “I am here, Princess.”
“Raise your head, Deft Quill, and stand.” Luna studied Quill for a moment. “I am curious to know how you were able to send to me by dragon fire.”
Quill calmly answered, “Spike sent the letter for me, after he found out that I wanted to write you.”
“I thought so.” The princess maintained her neutral expression, but amusement shown in her eyes. “While the letter was a pleasant surprise, the journal is what caught my attention.”
Quill’s nervousness showed for the first time, with the mention of the journal. His voice quavered for a moment. “I didn’t mean for that to be sent with the letter, Spike was just trying to help and got a little carried away.”
Luna let slip a small smile. “Yet, thanks to Spike’s talent, both the letter and the journal came to be in my possession. I have read them both.”
Quill blanched when he heard those words.
“I wanted to discuss your journal’s contents with you. The dreams of Equestria’s ponies are my concern, and I hate to see anypony suffer such nightmares.” Luna’s tone softened, “Particularly when those nightmares have me at their center.” Luna turned towards the door, from where she had entered the room. “Since this concerns my sister, she will be joining us.”
As if there had been some unseen signal, within a couple of moments, Celestia walked into the chamber. Celestia had a different, though just as powerful, presence. The combination of the two was stunning.
Celestia smiled at her sister, and then looked Quill and me over with the same intensity that Luna had. “Sister, are these two the ponies that you wanted me to see this evening?”
Luna nodded. “They are. This is Deft Quill. With him is his brother, Sturdy Bookend.”
Quill and I both bowed.
Celestia gave us a welcoming smile. “You may rise.” She turned back to Luna. “What kind of audience requires me to be here as well?”
Luna’s smile faded. “Deft Quill and I were going to discuss his journal’s contents. I wanted you to be here when we did.”
Had Quill not fully stood up before Luna said those words he would have not made it back to standing. He quaked so badly that, for a second, I might have to rush and steady him.
“This is about a journal?” Celestia looked at her sister with curiosity, then towards Quill as if trying to glean what he had written to receive such notice from her sister.
Luna stepped down from the throne, strode from the dais, and came within a pony’s length from Quill. “Sister, please take the throne. I believe that you should preside over this audience. I will not be able to be impartial to what this pony has to say.”
Celestia tilted her head as if in thought, for a brief moment. Then she ascended the dais and took her place on the throne.
I had a feeling that something private had passed between the sisters, beyond the context of the words that had been used.
Luna turned back to Quill. “Tell me about the journal. Start with what caused you to write it. Leave nothing out.”
I started to take a step towards Quill, but the look that Luna gave me halted me mid-step.
Luna turned her full attention back to Quill. The events that lead us here replayed in my mind, as he spoke.
*****************************************************************************
I groggily lifted my head from my pillow. Somepony had knocked on my bedroom door. There was only one pony that was supposed to be in the house at this time of the morning. “Quill, are you alright?”
Quill’s muffled voice came through the door. “I can’t sleep.”
“Come in, the door should be unlocked.”
The moment he stepped in the room, I knew something more than having trouble sleeping was bothering him. He must have waited to come to my room in order to hide it, but I could tell that he had been crying.
I patted the bed, and he sat down next to me. I got out from under the covers, and sat beside him. “I think we both know that this is a bit more than you not sleeping. Are you having bad dreams again?”
Quill shook his head in self-disgust. “Why I am having nightmares all the time? I thought I was too old for this.”
I grunted and shook my head. “You never get too old for nightmares; I still have them. We have only been here a couple of months. All the changes with the move are probably causing them.” I put my foreleg around him, trying to give some comfort.
He stared down and rolled his hooves over and over on my blanket, as if kneading it would help.
I shook his shoulder to get his attention back from wherever it had wandered. “I really wish you would tell me what the nightmares were about. If you don’t feel comfortable talking with me, maybe nurse Redheart could recommend somepony that can help.”
“I don’t want to see a doctor.” He turned to me, his eyes still haunted by whatever he had been thinking about.
I pulled my foreleg back. “Then please, tell me what is going on.”
He slowly nodded. “I’ll tell you, if you promise not to laugh or make fun of me.”
I rolled my eyes, and smiled, as I promised, “I promise that I won’t laugh, no matter what it is.”
“You Pinkie promise?”
I sighed in mock exasperation. “I’m amazed that you learned about that so quickly.”
A shadow of a smile appeared on his face. “Everyone knows how to Pinkie promise, it’s one of the first things the other ponies taught me when we moved here.”
I recited the promise and completed the full series of motions that went along with it.
Quill looked at me as if I had performed a magic trick. “You know how to Pinkie promise?”
I nudged him with my shoulder. “Remember, I grew up in Ponyville. Now, tell me what is bothering you.”
He looked down at the floor. “Do you remember Nightmare Night, when Luna came?”
I nodded and smiled. “That is something I do not think I will forget, even when I get as old as Mr. Giggles.”
Quill did not smile back when he looked at me. His expression became the most troubled it had been since he entered my room. “Ever since that night, I have been having horrible dreams about Celestia. I keep dreaming that I’m alone in some dark place, and I find Luna. She’s terribly sad, and when I try to do something to help her Celestia shows up and begins condemning her for all sorts of horrible things. I try to talk to Celestia about Luna. I try to tell her that Luna is hurting, and she needs help, but Celestia won’t listen. Celestia gets angry with me too, and starts screaming at both of us. She calls us horrible ponies, traitors to Equestria, all sorts of terrible things. Sometimes Celestia banishes Luna with me standing there, other times she banishes us both to a place in the moon where there is no light, sound, or anything to feel at all. The worst ones…” He stopped and looked down again, as fresh tears started down his face.
Deft Quill was a solid pony all around. He trained diligently to prepare for a position with the weather team. He had studied the great fliers that had come before him, and emulated the strong and fearless ponies that he admired. I knew whatever was causing trouble for him was something that reached deep.
I gently poked him on the shoulder. “Talk to me, just doing that much can help.”
He didn’t look back up, but he continued. “The worst ones are when she summons mom and dad. Celestia tells them what a horrible pony I am, and they agree. Luna tries to help me, but both of us get sent to the moon by Celestia, with mom and dad cheering it on.”
I was stunned, and it took a moment for me to respond. “Quill, mom and dad love you. They would never do something like that.”
He licked his lips nervously. “I don’t know anymore. If that’s true, why did they have me move in with you then?” His eyes suddenly widened, he snapped his head towards me, and he started waving his hooves frantically. “Wait! That came out wrong, you’ve been great! You’ve helped me keep on my training schedule, you’ve cooked, you help me with school, and you’ve done everything else that you could to help me!”
I caught his hooves with mine. “I know what you meant. The other didn’t even cross my mind, calm down. Mom and dad are both facing some tough times at work, and with each other. They didn’t want you living in a place where they both had such strange hours, and be around them fighting. They sent you here because they care about you, not because they wanted you gone. I’m glad you’re here. It got lonely living here alone. Besides, you’re in a better flight school now that you’re going to Cloudsdale.”
He wiped his face with a wing. “I know, but it still bothers me sometimes.”
“There would be something wrong with you if it didn’t.”
He let out a long, slow sigh. “I think seeing Luna at the festival, particularly as upset as she was at times, and wondering what her banishment was like, combined with the other stuff in my head. It’s made a huge mess somewhere in there.” He knocked his head with a hoof a couple of times, as if to rattle the problems around. “Luna didn’t seem like an evil pony. She seemed lost and sad. I can’t really picture her doing anything that would have caused Celestia to send her to the moon.”
“I have not thought much about it. You’re right. Luna didn’t seem to be an evil pony. I’m not sure anypony knows what actually happened back then expect the princesses themselves. I’m sure no matter what it was; Celestia only used banishment as a last resort.”
Quill closed his eyes and asked, “Could you lock me away like that?”
I waited for him to open his eyes, so he could see my face, before I answered, “No. I would never be able to live with it.”
“Thanks, that helps.”
*****
The next morning started out as any other. Quill went out the door, after I got a good meal in him. I worried that the lack of restful sleep would catch up with him, particularly if the nightmares kept on. I was going to make sure that he at least ate well in the morning, to help fight it.
I still had a few minutes before having to head into work, so I decided to do something about the pile of mail that had accumulated. I gathered the outgoing mail into a bundle, and headed out the door.
I was about half way, when a shadow suddenly passed over me. I ducked, and barely avoided being hit by a gray pegasus. A metallic thump resounded, as the pegasus collided with our mailbox. After getting over the shock, I checked on the sprawled pony. “Are you alright?!”
She sat up, and looked over at the newly dented mailbox. “Sorry about that!”
I knew that voice. “Bright Eyes, is that you?”
She grinned as she recognized me. “Bookend! I didn’t know that you moved here from Canterlot. Pinkie is slipping must be slipping, she didn’t throw you a party.”
I trotted over and helped her up. “She probably would have, except I’m not new to Ponyville. Quill was the one that got a party.”
She looked cross at herself. “I must have missed that one, and missed you in the process.” Her smile came back, just as suddenly as it had left. “You still call me Bright Eyes. You don’t have to, just call me Derpy. Everypony else does.”
I winched at the thought. “It just feels wrong.”
She intentionally moved her eyes out of alignment. “My eyes are the most prominent things about me. It’s nice to know that I stick out in other ponies’ minds.”
I shook my head at her antics. “You still have that rosy attitude.”
Her eyes went back to their normal positions. “It’s easy; I have a wonderful kid, and a loving husband. I haven’t seen you since school, how did everything turn out?”
I shrugged. “I graduated, but for a while I had nothing to show for it. I finally got a job as a clerk, and moved back here with Quill.”
She tilted her head in thought. “Quill moved here with you? Why is he not with your parents?”
“It’s closer to Cloudsdale, and the flight school. With both of them working such odd hours, I would be around for him more too.”
“How is he adjusting to the move?”
I started to say something, and then hesitated. I didn’t want to betray Quill’s trust.
Derpy knew something was going on, and switched into a tone that only a mother can use. “You are going to tell me.”
Derpy had a knack for helping other ponies. So I took a chance that Quill would understand, and I told her about his nightmares. “I don’t know what to do. I want to help, but I have no idea how.”
She looked towards Cloudsdale, as if she could see Quill. “I never thought about the old tale that much. Especially not about what Luna’s part in it really was. Your brother is tackling some really deep issues, especially for somepony his age. Writing these things out can really help; you should suggest that he keep a journal about his dreams. He could even send Luna a letter, saying that he was glad she was back. It might do them both some good.”
I gave her a quick hug. “Thanks, I would never have thought of either of those. The only problem is I don’t know if the princess would even read a letter from someone she had never met.”
Derpy adjusted her saddle bags for flight. “You would be surprised. I have heard that Celestia answers her own mail. I hate to do this, but I really have to get back to my route.”
“Hang on for a second.” I handed her my bundle of mail. “Now if anyone asks, you were delayed on official business.”
She laughed. “I don’t think anypony would believe that. It will be a nice change from telling them I got tangled up in a tree again.” She took off and headed toward her next stop.
Thankfully, work was uneventful that day. I stopped by the market and grabbed a few things before heading home. I had just started to put things away, when I heard the door open.
Quill came in, carrying a bag in his mouth. “Wat wif the ail ox.”
“Put that down first.”
Quill put the bag on the table. The top opened, just enough for a wonderful aroma to escape.
I knew that smell. “You stopped by Carrot Top’s stall.”
Quilled nodded. “I thought I might catch you doing the shopping before you went home. Carrot Top was packing up, and gave me a great discount.”
I reached for my bag of bits. “How much do I owe for the soup?”
“But I wanted to pay for the soup.”
I waved my hoof at him, dismissing his words. “You earned that money, and it should stay with you.” He held out his hoof, and I gave him the bits.
He looked at me expectantly. “You still haven’t told me what happened to the mailbox.”
“It had a run in with Derpy. Or rather, she ran into it.”
His wings half unfurled in concern. “Is she all right?!”
I started laying out the bowls and spoons for dinner. “She seemed to be doing just fine. Trust me, she taken worse blows than that. Thanks to her flying into the mailbox, I was able to catch up with her for a bit. We really need to invite her and Turner over for dinner.”
Quill’s nose wrinkled up. “I guess that means Dinky too.”
“I am sure that she has grown up. She was just a little foal when you saw her last time. It’s not like I would be inviting the Cutie Mark Crusaders over for dinner.”
Quill shuddered at the idea. “We wouldn’t have a house left.”
I poured the soup, and my stomach rumbled its impatience. Quill grinned, as I looked down and patted my stomach. “I didn’t know I was starving.”
Quill started on his soup. “Wow, Carrot Top really can do amazing things with carrots.”
I braced myself before confessing my misdeed. “I forgot to tell you, I talked to Derpy about your dreams. When she is not creating them, she is great at fixing other pony’s problems. I’ll understand if you’re mad at me, but I just wanted to help.”
He looked annoyed for a moment, but then shrugged it off. “It’s alright. I just don’t want it spread around that I am having nightmares, like some foal.”
“I know Derpy, that’s not going to happen.” I told Quill about Derpy’s suggestions.
He mulled the ideas over. “I like the idea of the letter. Luna seemed like she could use something like that. I’m not so sure about writing a journal, but I’m willing to try anything at this point.”
“We’ll have to do something to thank her.”
We looked at each other, and simultaneously named the one thing that Derpy was sure to love as a thank you. “Muffins!.”
*****
Quill started writing down his nightmares in a journal. After a couple of weeks, the number of rough dreams began to decrease, and the bad nights did not seem to bother him as much. Quill also drafted a couple of letters to Luna, but he never sent them. I thought the situation would resolve itself with a little more time.
One afternoon, just as I was getting home from work, Quill all but tackled me as I stepped through the door.
“I’ve messed up so bad!” Quill danced from hoof to hoof with nervous energy, and his wings were in full alarm position.
I quickly looked him over. “What happened? Are you hurt?!” Not immediately seeing an injury, I glanced into the kitchen. “Is something on fire?!”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll be on the moon soon, but I’m not hurt. The house is fine too.” He took a quick breath and explained, “My letter got sent to Luna.”
I closed my eyes and tilted my head back a little as the stress left me. After getting my heart rate back down, I tried to calm Quill down. “I don’t see how that is a bad thing. Even if there are a couple of mistakes, I don’t see what the disaster is.”
He began to look frantic again, as he told me, “My journal got sent too.”
My eyes widened with that bit of information. “Tell me what happened.”
Quill all but vibrated as he spoke. “I had to go to the library to look something up for a school project. After I was done with my school work, I wrote in my journal. That reminded me that I had not sent my letter to Luna, so I finished it up. I asked Spike how I could find the princesses’ address, and he got curious. I told him I wanted to send Luna a welcome back letter. He had seen me working in the journal, and asked if it had something to do with the letter. I didn’t want to lie to him, so I said yes. He picked up my letter AND THE JOURNAL. Before I could stop him, he set both of them on fire with his breath.”
I shook my head in confusion. “I thought you said that the letter and journal got sent to Luna.”
Quill impatiently huffed. “You don’t understand. Spike can send things directly to the princesses with his flames. He thought he was doing me a favor. I’m sure that Luna has gotten the letter, and she may have read the journal by now. If Luna tells Celestia about what I wrote in the journal, I’m going to be in all kinds of trouble.”
“Everything is fine. You are not going to be sent to the moon over a letter and a journal.”
“But, if Celestia finds out, I’m sure she’s not going to be happy knowing I have nightmares about her being a monster.”
I put my forelegs on his shoulders, “Stop any thought with the word ‘if’ involved. How long have you been like this?”
He managed to calm down, and got his wings to fold back. “I don’t know, I think about half an hour.”
“I hate that. Nopony should be that wound up for so long.” A question suddenly came to me. “Why did you have the journal with you?”
He groaned at himself, and answered, “It got mixed in with my school notebooks. I don’t carry the thing around.”
I put my hooves back on the ground. “I know what we both need to do. I need to get out, and burn off some energy. You need to do something active too; it will help calm you down. I’m going to run the Whitetail Woods course. While I run, you are going to do some flying drills above me and shout at me when I get off pace. After that, we can figure out what we are going to do about supper. Sound like a plan?”
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s not like I can undo the damage anyway.”
We stepped outside, and I shut the door behind us. “Luna will read the letter, and realize the journal being sent was a mistake. I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t get the journal back in a couple of days. Everything will be fine. If you were in trouble, the guards would have shown up by now. ”
Quill gave a short, hollow laugh. “You’re right. I just can’t believe this happened.”
Had I known what was going to happen, I would have never mentioned the guards.
*****
After our respective workouts, and finishing dinner, we settled down for the evening. I had just managed to read a couple of pages from a new book, when there was a knock on the door.
I opened the door, and found two of the Lunar Guards standing there.
“Is this the home of Deft Quill?”
All I could manage was a mute nod.
The lunar guard regarded me with amused, yellow eyes. “We are here to deliver a message to a pony named Deft Quill. Would that be you?”
Somehow, I found my voice. “No, that would be my brother. I’ll get him for you.”
“Who’s at the door?” Quill walked up beside me, his eyes went wide at the sight of the lunar guards.
The second lunar guard stated, “You must be Deft Quill. We have a message to deliver to you.”
My surprise at hearing a mare must have shown on my face.
The second guard gave me a sharp toothed smile. “The armor is enchanted by Luna. We all look the same with it on, whether we’re mares or not.”
I finally got my thoughts organized enough to invite them in, and offer something to drink.
The first guard chuckled. “Thanks, but we’ll have to decline. We’re still on duty.”
The second guard pulled out a scroll, bearing Luna’s personal seal, and held it out to Quill. “Your presence is required at the castle in two days, before the hour of sundown.”
Quill took the scroll from her, with a slight bow. “Thank you both for coming all this way to deliver this.”
She nodded to him. “It’s our duty and privilege.”
They turned in unison and flew back towards Canterlot, without another word.
Quill looked down at the scroll in his hoof as if it had come from another world. The seal bearing Luna’s crescent moon, emblazoned in dark blue wax, stood out against the pale parchment. After bracing himself, Quill broke the seal.
He read Luna’s words aloud:
Deft Quill,
I have received your letter and the journal that accompanied it. I have come to the conclusion that what you have written is of import to me and my sister. You, and your brother, are to appear at the castle in two days, at sundown.
Present this summons to any train conductor, and you both will be given free transportation to Canterlot.
Princess of the Night, Luna
I turned to him and asked, “What did you put in that letter?”
His shoulders slumped. “I told her about us moving here, and I saw her on Nightmare Night. I wrote that I was glad that she was back, and that she had made a full recovery. There wasn’t anything else important, that I can think of.” He carefully rolled the scroll back up. “I guess since Spike sent the journal, she knows about the nightmares too. How many ponies can say that they might have hacked off both princesses, with just one letter? I’m sorry I’ve gotten you in trouble too.”
I tried to give him an assuring look, but I really did not know what was going to happen and it showed. “I really don’t think either one of us is in trouble. Luna probably just wants to talk with you. She is the princess of dreams, maybe she just wants to help?”
He smiled hopelessly. “Thanks, but you thought the guards wouldn’t show up either.”
I did not have a reply to that.
******************************************************************************
I listened more intently, as Quill told Luna about the contents of his journal. Luna’s face softened, when Quill talked about his nightmares about her banishment. She occasionally nodded, in a supportive way, to encourage him to continue.
I saw Celestia draw in her emotions as Quill spoke. I could not read her reaction to his words, and that began to make me concerned.
After Quill finished, the silence in the chamber was absolute.
Celestia stood up, and began coming down from the dais. “You fear that I banished my sister without a thought, and I would do that to anypony that I felt made a mistake?” Her tone was flat and completely unreadable.
Quill looked up at Celestia, and backed away from her approach. He stumbled into me, and fell to the stone floor in a confusion of wings and legs.
I did the only thing that I could do. I rushed around Quill, and put myself between him and the descending princess. It wasn’t much, but it was all I could do. I knew that with her power Celestia could end me with a mere thought.
I bowed low as I pleaded, “My brother meant no offense to you or your sister. Quill has been placed in my guardianship legally and physically. His actions are my responsibility. If you have been insulted, I will take any punishment in his place.”
A moment passed, then two. I slowly looked up. Celestia had tears rolling down her face, and a look of anguish that threatened to tear my heart out.
Celestia turned her tear filled eyes to her sister. “Oh Luna, is this how my little ponies think of me? Am I seen as some monster that will punish them cruelly, even for the slightest offense? Am I that horrible?”
Luna hugged Celestia, as tears dampened her own cheeks at seeing her sibling in such pain. “Dear sister, our ponies love and respect you. I told you that the stories surrounding my stay on the moon had become too warped, and needed to be corrected.”
Quill stepped around me, timidly approaching the royal sisters. “I don’t understand. I thought the stories were all true. Nightmare Moon came back, just as the Mare in the Moon tale said she would.”
Luna looked towards Quill. “Yes, but the historical facts that the stories are based on have been lost to most ponies. Do you know about our struggles with Discord and King Sombra?”
Quill nodded. “You defeated Discord using the Elements of Harmony. Not too long after that, you fought King Sombra and sealed him away.”
Luna slowly stroked Celestia’s mane. “While the Elements were able to seal away Discord, some of his magic lingered in Equestria. His powers warped the places now known as the Everfree Forest and Tartarus. That power also had ill effects on my sister and me. Celestia was able to cast it off, I had more difficulty getting rid of its effects.”
Celestia removed herself from her embrace and faced us. “The Elements would not respond to me as they had, due to Discord’s influence. We were left with no choice but to use our combined magic against Sombra, when his threat arose. Though we overcame him, his powers combined with the taint left by Discord. Before we realized what had happened, the corrupting powers began to turn me into Nightmare Moon.” Celestia wiped her tears away. “We worked along with some of the greatest unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony minds of the era for months. We tried magic, meditation techniques, powerful medicinal herbs, and nothing worked.”
Luna’s posture fell in sadness as she spoke. “We finally found a solution that would end the corrupting influence on me, but it required that I be sent to the moon by the elements of harmony. It had to be done before the taint twisted me completely, or I would have faced a similar fate to Discord and Sombra. We tried to find an alternative, but my time ran out.” Luna’s face mirrored the sorrow in her voice. “The taint pulled me into darkness. Celestia and I did fight; but it was much more a battle of words and raw emotions. Celestia kept me from hurting anypony, or stopping the sun’s rise during my madness. Only with her help, and using all of my will, I managed to push back the dark influence for a brief time.” Luna looked to Celestia. “Please show them what happened that night.”
Celestia nodded, and her horn began to glow. The audience chamber was filled with a magical image of the main hall of an abandoned, dust filled castle. The image showed Luna as she used all of her strength to keep the forces assaulting her from taking hold. Luna’s magical aura shifted between a healthy glow and a dark miasma of power. Each time Luna managed to fight back the change, it was evident that the effort was costing her. Celestia stood near her sister, rendering aid. The images of the princesses relived the events of the past:
“You know that banishing me to the moon is the only way. With this thing feeding off of me, I do not have enough power. If I go to the moon, I can regain enough strength to shield myself.”
Celestia’s own horn glowed brightly, as she tried to help keep the transmutation from swallowing her sister. “I am not sending my sister to the moon! I will keep this from happening!”
Luna took a ragged gasp, and pushed back the change once again. “I will not allow you to face what I will become in battle, even with the elements at hand. I have already hurt you and everypony else. This will be difficult for us both, but it has to be done.”
Celestia hesitated, and then began to use the Elements of Harmony. Her breath was uneven with the effort she was putting into her magic. “I tried so hard to keep this from happening. I do not know how I will rule without you.”
Luna’s gentle smiled showed through, despite her struggle. “You will rule as gracefully as you ever have. I am much more worried about leaving you to face the challenges here alone.”
Luna’s form began to glow, as the elements started their work. Luna’s outline seemed to wavier then, with an almost subdued flash, she disappeared. In that same moment, the Elements of Harmony turned to powerless stones and fell to the floor.
Celestia gazed at the roof of castle and wept. “Sister, these thousand years cannot pass swiftly enough.”
The magically created scene faded, as Celestia released the magic she had been using. No other pony alive, besides the princesses, had seen those events as they occurred. It was likely that nopony else, outside that chamber, would ever see them again.
Quill broke the subsequent quiet by addressing Celestia. “Now I understand. You did battle with Nightmare Moon, but not in the way the story is told now.”
Celestia nodded sadly.
Luna gathered herself, and her posture changed, as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. “I had to be sent to the moon so that I could shield myself. Had I not fought the dark powers with my own, I would have been sealed away like Discord and Sombra. The corruption would have infiltrated my very essence, and the elements would not have been able to separate it from me. The one thing that we could not have planned for was the change in the Elements.”
Celestia’s eyes met Quill’s. “The Elements stopped responding to my magic due to my broken heart. New bearers had to use the elements when Luna returned, but I had no control over who those bearers would be. I found who I thought would be the bearer of the element of magic by accident, and put her under my tutorage. Twilight Sparkle figured out about the timing of Luna’s return, and warned me about it. I did not tell her the truth about Luna’s return, since I was not certain that she was the Element of Magic. I did not want to embroil her in a fight, if I did not have to. I sent her to Ponyville under the colors of checking the preparations for the Sun Celebration, gave her a push to find friends, and hoped that I had done the right thing.”
Quill asked, “Why leave the Elements in such a dangerous place if they were needed to help Luna?”
Luna answered, “The elements were left in the old castle in case our plan did not succeed. Nightmare Moon’s first move would have been to destroy the one pony that could have challenged her, my sister. We could not risk a battle where other ponies would be in danger.”
A sudden realization hit me. “By that point you had a degree of control over yourself. That is why you did not destroy the bearers of the Elements of Harmony outright.”
Luna gave me a small smile. “When my sister was not waiting in old castle when I returned, and seeing the lifeless elements, I knew something had gone wrong. Nightmare Moon sensed Celestia in Ponyville. Before Nightmare Moon could get to her precise location, Celestia shielded her presence and vanished. I tried to draw ponies from the crowd to the Elements, without letting Nightmare Moon harm them. In the end the gambit worked, I was freed, and the Elements were restored. Without the taint, I have fully regained my powers and am healthy as I have ever been.”
Luna stepped forward, and pulled Quill into a hug. “While I may be the ‘younger’ sister of the two of us, we are both very old. I have great powers and a vast amount of experience to pull from. I knowingly chose my stay on the moon. I will not say that it was pleasant, but it was not a torment either. I would not have had it any other way.”
Celestia put a hoof on Quill’s shoulder. “Having to banish one pony, even if it was her choice, nearly destroyed me. I will never do such a thing again. Thank you for coming this night. We will make sure that the truth about Luna’s banishment is known, so that troubles like yours will not happen again.”
Luna released Quill, and smiled as a thought came to her mind. “You have done both of us a service, by bringing your thoughts and fears to our attention. Such a feat should be rewarded with a boon. You may ask one of us, and we will grant it.”
I knew practically nothing of the traditional boons. I vaguely remembered, from school, that they were typically items of little monetary value, but of great symbolic worth.
Quill paused, and then suddenly broke out in a blush. “I have thought of something, but I do not think I’ve earned it.”
Luna’s eyebrow arched. “Oh? Name your boon, and we shall determine whether it is proper or not.”
“I would like one of your feathers.”
Luna’s grin broadened. “The last pony to ask for a feather of mine delivered a message that saved lives. While no lives were in danger this night, you did deliver a message to me and my sister. I do not have any loose feathers at the moment, but when one is ready I will be sure to have it delivered to you.”
Quill bowed. “Thank you, Princess. It will be my most cherished possession.”
****************************************************************
A couple of weeks later, a knock on the door broke the quiet of another peaceful evening. I opened the door. Two pegasi stood there, a mare and a stallion. The stallion was carrying a well bundled package.
“Can I help you with something?”
The stallion grinned. “What is with all the formality? You should know us by now.”
I was utterly confused.
“Stop playing games, you lug.” The mare poked him in ribs. “My name is Warm Updraft, and this joker is Silver Breeze. We’re the Lunar Guards that delivered the scroll, and escorted you to your audience.”
Quill stuck his head out his bedroom door. “Bookend, who are you talking to?”
“It’s the Lunar Guards that helped us.”
I invited them both in. They accepted the invitation. I got everypony drinks, and we settled in the den.
Quill was ecstatic. “I’m so glad that you came. We never did get a chance to thank you, for being there for us.”
Silver smiled at him. “Nah, we should be thanking you two. We got to see a piece of history that night.” He paused in thought. “That was something that will be with me for a long time.”
Updraft poked Silver again. “We have something that will be lasting to a certain pony here too.”
Silver jumped slightly at both the verbal, and physical, prods. “That’s right, I almost forgot. We are heading to Cloudsdale on leave, and decided that we better take care of this package ourselves. I hear the Ponyville delivery service is a little rough with shipments.” He began to unstrap the package from his back. “After wearing armor all the time, you forget that it’s not normal to have something strapped to you.”
Updraft smirked. “That is why I’m here; to make sure that everything gets done.”
“Ha, ha. I would have remembered it, eventually.” He carefully gave the package to Quill.
Quill opened the package. Inside the box, wrapped in layers of cloth, sat one of Luna’s flight feathers in a glass tube with etched metal caps. Along with the the tube was an elegant, matching stand. Quill was clearly stunned at the gift.
Silver watched Quill’s reaction with a grin. “Luna put an enchantment on the feather that will preserve and protect it. I think that is the first time that I have ever seen a winged pony happy to lose a flight feather. That is something really special. Take good care of it.”
Quill’s voice held some of his lingering awe at the display. “I will. I don’t know how to thank you for bringing me this, or helping me. I was such a wreck I did not think I would be able to talk. I did not expect something like this, I would have been happy with just the feather. Tell her thank you, it’s more than I ever would have dreamed.”
Updraft looked over Quill, as if measuring him. “You handled having both the princesses’ attention on you very well. You may want to consider looking into joining us, in the Lunar Guard, in a couple of years. We always need ponies that can handle pressure.”
“Updraft, we’re on leave. You promised no official business. Recruiting is official business." Silver looked back to Quill. "Kid, don’t let her fool you. She is one of the ponies that drills the new recruits. She just enjoys torturing other ponies.”
“Thanks for the warning, but I’ll still think about it.”
Silver held his hooves up. “Don’t say that you didn’t have adequate warning, if she gets hold of you.”
Updraft nodded in approval. “If you are considering it, I have a couple of points of advice. Your wings look looked well developed, but you should work on your endurance for the running and ground based training. Whatever you do, don’t bulk up too much. You need agility more than strength, in the Lunar Guard.”
“That’s two times Updraft.” Silver pulled her to him, so that they were leaning against one another. “Just relax, and drop the Guard stuff. When we get to Cloudsdale, I’m going to make sure that you quit thinking about that.”
“Really, you think that you can keep me occupied for a week? I did not know that your stamina training had improved that much.”
Silver blushed furiously. “On that note, we’re out of here. I think that we have traumatized these two quite enough. Thanks for the drinks; we still have a bit of a flight to go.”
Silver and Updraft got up, and headed for the door. Quill and I followed. Silver, being a gentlecolt, opened the door for Updraft and let her through first.
“Come back by one evening, before you head back to Canterlot. We’ll go for something to eat. It’s the least I can do to thank you both.”
Silver grinned at the invite. “We’ll do that. Take care you two.”
Quill turned to me, and gave me an excited grin. “I think I’ll be joining you more, on your runs and workouts.”
“So, you’re serious about the Lunar Guard.”
“I don’t know yet. I think I am still a little frazzled by what has happened. But, it wouldn’t hurt either way.” His eyes wandered back to the feather.
“We certainly have a story to tell Derpy, Turner, and Dinky when they come over.”
He grinned. “Yes, we do.”
Continued in Odds and Ends and Even Trades.
Author's Note
Thank you for reading my story. If you enjoyed it, please take a moment and vote on it. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
The sequel to this story, Odds and Ends and Even Trades, continues Deft Quill's and Sturdy Bookend's unexpected adventures in Equestria.
