The Skies Above Canterlot

Chapters

A Banquet
A Visit
A Special Occasion
A Consequence

A Banquet

The Skies Above Canterlot
By Juvenal

Today had been a very excellent day for science in Equestria. As the official (and only) Astronomer in the land, it had been his duty to log the transit of a planet across the Equestrian sun. It was eerily similar to the transits he was used to at home – much like a transit of Venus, the second planet in their local system was passing in front of the sun, visible as a dot. Equipped with a simple telescope and a piece of paper, he projected a bit back for the viewing pleasure of the few ponies present. It was a magnificent site, as far as simple Astronomy goes, and the viewing pleased him. It was a rare day where something like this might happen, and even rarer when ponies would take notice and care. The greatest advancement for sciences, he thought, was to make sure science would pass on.

Quickly as it came, the event passed and ponies dissipated. It wasn’t a particularly good viewing, unfortunately. Clouds passed by and without a very strong showing from that sun, the event wasn’t captivating for the audience. Only the most studious ponies cared about the stars, and even fewer about seeing some light hit a paper. But it was what he could do with the tools he had, so he thought no more of it. He had no time to worry, and little time to record his observations – a royal feast was being held later and he was due to report today’s work – to the Princesses, no less! So he scribbled what he could down, walked around his little observatory, and donned the haphazard suit he had had custom made. He was the only human ever seen in this land, and the local tailor had struggled to make clothing for the odd dimensions of an ape. It didn’t help that human fashion and pony fashion disagree, so he naturally drew many eyes as he walked about the Canterlot’s town square.

The day waned to the midafternoon by the time he’d made it north to Canterlot Palace. The feast was to begin soon, so he hurried to the banquet. It was in massive banquet hall, with many tables of massive lengths leading up to a much smaller (but grander) Royal table. The hall was decked with finery and sophisticated ponies that flocked to the court in hopes of Royal praise, and the grandness of the hall certainly spoke of the riches they could gain. But despite the grandness of the hallway, he was a bigger wonder to the guests. As he progressed towards his spot at the table of honor (a position he did not care for, it brought even more attention to him when he already garnered far too much). Occasionally, well-to-do mares and stallions would approach him and ask questions about him and his species, “What is a human?” “How do you stand on so few legs?” “Is having so little hair cold?” “Is it true you eat meat?”

He’d answered those questions so many times, to so many people… Do they even remember that there’s a person in this body? He wondered. But he didn’t want trouble, and wanted to make good time as to get back home to his quiet observatory on the hill, so he quietly answered and continued onwards.

After fighting through the better part of the crowd, with one particularly insistent pony demanding “to see if he really doesn’t have hooves in those weird rubber things at the end of your legs”, the royal guard found him and escorted him to his spot at the table. He breathed in deeply and released, preparing to see the royals. The Royals could lop off his head if they saw fit (and according to the books he read as a boy, royals often did), so he was deeply afraid of speaking out line.

To his chagrin, the royals had not yet come. Instead, he was at the VIP tables with all manners of famous ponies, all of which he dared not disappoint for fear of the backlash. But instead of the quick in and out he’d desired, instead he faced more questions.

“How did you get to Equestria, again? I believe you said you were from another place, called…Erff?” One particularly posh stallion asked.

He silenced a groan before it came out, no-one ever pronounced Earth correctly. But at least they are asking about him as if he were a person with a story, and not an object.

“It all began eight months ago, six months before I became the royal Astronomer. On my own world, Earth (he emphasized, with just a tint of irritation); I was observing an alignment of planets. Strangely, when the planet aligned I heard a strange humming noise. “He stopped, and attempted to reproduce the hum. It was a bit off; considering it had been eight months he thought it was a good recollection - somewhere between the warm-up sound of a television and a honeybee.

“It wasn’t exactly a normal noise, so I went to find out where it came from. It was pitch-black, so I walked straight through some sort of portal without even knowing it. I was disoriented the second I touched the market’s ground, so I fell flat on my face. Naturally, the huge thump of a weird ape-thing scared the willies off of everypony at the market, so they started panicking and I got trampled unconscious.” The table laughed, which he figured was a good sign. No sense boring impressionable people, he figured.

“When I came to, I was under arrest by the Equestrian guard and they’d taken my clothes off. Some old stallion, a science-y type, poked me with a stick… and I asked him if his mother had taught him to never mess with strangers!” There was another laugh, but this one felt forced. Well, one for two isn’t bad.

“So to save you all the boring details, they kept me confined for a few days until they was sure I didn’t breathe fire or eat ponies and then sent me to the science labs. Fortunately, one good assistant figured I was living being with a body and a mind and got the powers that be to give me an audience.” With a look of graciousness, he motioned at the Royal chairs. He really did need to thank them again for that; they’d probably saved him from a life of experimentation.

“They graciously relieved me of my shackles, and even commissioned me as the Royal Astronomer I am today. First one ever, to boot!”

Interest had clearly left, and the story had been too long for the taste of all the ponies at the table. They all sat and gave their two cents to each other – the closest ones openly praised the Royals’ assistance, and the farthest ones he could hear sounded like they weren’t convinced that he wouldn’t eat ponies. A time passed, and finally a fanfare interrupted conversation.

The trumpets blared, and banners swung down from the upper balconies of this fine hall. Guards that had been watching from the walls sped into military file, edging a walkway that no one but the Royals would grace. A proud-voiced announcer pronounced the entry of the two royals with all due enthusiasm (and a hint of pride, for getting to announce it). The two Royals, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna flowed down the hall. They weren’t as elaborately dressed as most of the guests, but were certainly regal – their fine metal shoes shone brightest in the hall, their royal collars screamed of a dynastic greatness, and their adorning crowns demanding the respect of the absolute rulers of the realm (and especially its jewelers, with their lustrous design).

They were beyond magnificent. Words cannot express the refinement, the care, the beauty, the thoughtfulness, the perfection of even their steps towards their chairs. And everypony in the room knew it, bowing not just out of habit but genuine concession of the Royals’ superiority. The Astronomer did as well, but with a touch of thankfulness in his bow. They seated themselves, and began all royal thanking and formalities that princesses are expected to fulfill. He played with his fingers. Their stare always pierced him, when it came to him, and it was hard to remain merely composed when just listening to them. What if I say something rude? Or stupid? They could decommission me and I’d most surely go back to the labs for study! He feared. He resolved that he must stay professional and proper, lest he lose freedom and home.

They eventually called on him to report his findings, after mentioning probably every wealthy or famous pony in Canterlot at least once in passing. With all eyes, Royal and otherwise, he attempted to repeat his findings with whatever shred of showmanship he could. Moving his hands and arms, eyes and body movements all went in to desperately make a dot moving across a piece of lighted paper sound interesting, but based on the audience he wasn’t succeeding. Most stared glassy-eyed at him, with a few exceptions from the obviously scholarly ponies in the room. The princesses, obviously, both paid the respectable attention they had to give as royals; but he couldn’t help but shake something was different about Luna’s expression.

Her eyes were wide-opened, and her attention was pointed solely at him. Her sister maintained a professional amount of interest, and kept eye contact, but Luna had more. She watched every motion intently, every fact carefully, every syllable excitedly. Her smile rose up just a bit, causing a very unprofessional dimple to rise in her cheeks. But that was silenced quickly and she returned to her former state. He couldn’t quite parse why she was so abnormally interested. Maybe it was just polite, since everypony else looks bored? He thought.

He finished his discussion on the orbit and its similarity to heavenly bodies from his home, and gave the floor back to Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia. But as the discussion advanced, the main topic dissipated and the conversation decentralized. Celestia conducted her conversation to the side of the table away from him; but Luna was engaged with his side’s talks. While much of the talk came about some wealthy land owner and his recent farming improvements, the regal (and booming) voice of Luna addressed him directly:

“Did you notice any unusual movements of the stars during the engagement? Did you see them shimmer especially? Did they move smoothly? Did you see new ones because of the darkening of the sun?” She spat out rather quickly. He got a sense that she was excited, like a mother hearing complements about her children.

“Ahem, excuse me. I mean, did you enjoy the stars during this event?” She much more calmly asked.

“Well, yes. I did, I enjoy seeing all stars, to be honest. It’s been my passion and work as long as I can recall, even before I arrived here. Goodness, I can recall my first spyglass and how I used it to see our Moon. It was a lovely thing, though a bit less clear through our atmosphere than yours. Through Equestria’s sky, it looks like a gem…” He mused, rather entranced by the memory. Halos form around Earth’s Moon because of clouds getting in the way; with Pegasi managing the clouds in Equestria, every night was a clear night and no streetlights could interfere with the crystal-clear viewing.

Luna reacted very well. That smile rose up again, but was again dashed to a more conservative one. “I’m very pleased to hear that your observations are going well. Most ponies lack that sort of love of their craft, and hearing that humans have such drive… it’s impressive.”

Being a human always comes up, doesn’t it? He mused. At least I’m pleasing the Royals, my job is safe. The unprofessional smile crept up on his face. She saw it, and responded with a brighter, but still conservative smile.

Luna didn’t engage him in conversation any more that night, though he occasionally caught her glancing at him. He meant to keep appearances, and tried to hold a straight face. He didn’t need to let her see how incredibly relieved he was that he hadn’t blown his career. Fortunately, the festivities had to end in time for the Royals to manage dusk’s more demanding stellar movements.

A Visit

The road home was long and dark. He sought something to do, so he did what any astronomer might do. He looked up skyward and thought of the Princess moving the stars, all the moons, and all the planets. It was a wonder to him that one being could manage such a thing, even with gifted magic talents and the mind to match. He stopped on the side of the road in particular to see the moon sail upwards. It seemed to go unusually fast, as if excited by some unknown force. But still, it impressed him as always. He saw the mares of the moon and contemplated if it would be a good idea to rename them, considering that the word “mare” now referred to about 70% of the population of the world he stood on. But he probably couldn’t keep it straight anyways, so mare they would stay.

He got back on the path and took his long route home. A few carriages passed him, but it was otherwise uneventful, and he got to enjoy the night sky setting in. It was different, gazing at it on foot. It wasn’t quite like seeing it through a telescope, notepad at his side. That was work. This was admiring, like staring at the tide coming in at sunrise or a beautiful mountainside in the early morning. It was a beauty, with a pitch-blackness tinted just slightly by shades of red and purple from the remnants of daylight giving way. The stars glistened bright as diamonds, with the moon being a great white opal blessing the sky. Picture perfect, it was true beauty in his eyes.

He situated himself for the night watch, despite being a bit tired from the day’s work and the banquet. After redressing himself, he took a sit in his beloved recliner, one of the few comforts from home that he had had remade by ponies. Between the comfort of normal clothes and the serenity of his hilltop, he wondered why he ever left the place. His eyes slowly panned across the room, across the simple dressers and tables and beds; stopping on a framed photo. Oh, right. That’s why. The photo showed a young boy, sitting pleased at the main square of a county fair many, many years ago. He was surrounded by all manners of men and women enjoying the day, all eagerly deciding between what to visit first: food stalls, game booths, or the main attractions? It made him feel rather sad, actually – he hadn’t seen a soul of his own kind in eight months. He’d been optimistic to come back for the first two months, but once he settled into a routine and career he’d given up hope such a portal would ever come. Dancing, families, girls… ponies were fine folk, but those are things they could never supply. Not in the same way. He sighed, and stood up and headed towards the observatory section of the building. There was no sense dwelling in the past, and even less in wanting things he could never have.

The observations that night were rather queer, and everything seemed to be gliding around rather giddily compared to normal. If he didn’t know better, he’d say they had a mind of their own. But it was no matter, observations were observations and there was no time to dilly-dally with silly speculation as to why.

A week passed, and another report on activity was due. Two days prior, he’d tripped on the hill and rolled quite a distance down before stopping on his knee; so he sent a message requesting that his documents be ferried by a royal envoy instead of by-hand, as he always did. A shame, he thought. He’d been doing well in being reliable for the court, but all the want to visit Canterlot personally was out of the question. He tidied up the front of his home expecting professional company, particularly his study (which was cluttered) and his observatory dome (which was even worse). It was hard to keep this place clean by his lonesome, leg injury and all. His mother always told him that a woman’s touch was irreplaceable, and he pondered hiring a maid. Bah, it costs far too much. I might make a respectable sum, but those custom suits are far too pricey. He grimaced.

One o’clock came, and he began expecting company. The courier was due to come at fifteen-past-the-hour, but a knock came at maybe forty-five past. He hobbled over to the door, and opened his mouth in preparation to complain just a bit. But that wouldn’t be so. At the door was NOT the standard courier, nor the stallion he usually reported to with data. Instead, there was six royal guards, three on the left and the other three on the right, and her Majesty Princess Luna standing just beyond them. Panic set in, and he immediately dropped to the ground to bow.

“Rise, Astronomer.” She said.

“Yes, your majesty.” He responded. This dinky house was not fit for a princess’ visit, and what on Earth was she even here for!

“I have no doubt you’re wondering why I have arrived at your little doorstep.” She walked a bit forward. She tried to present herself as tall and powerful, but unfortunately humans’ head level is a good bit above even the tallest ponies. So he instead straightened up a good bit, and gave the look of a duly fearful servant.

“I am the keeper of the stars. All your reports eventually trickle down to me through superiors, but I’ve found that trickle…lacking.” He shuddered. Am I being fired?

“Therefore, I’ve chosen to come to the source for more information. Therefore, I shall be getting reports directly from you from now onwards, to aid in my Celestial task.” Her voice rose toward the end of the statement, giving the impression of supreme power. If seeming supreme was a skill, she was an artist at it. Even her guards subconsciously lower their shoulders, as if to bow without seeming off-task from their martial duties.

A wave of relief fell over him. He might have to work harder to seem worthwhile as a servant, but at least today wasn’t the end. “Yes, your majesty.” He spoke.

“Guards, keep this home under sharp supervision, and allow no visitors. I shall take care of my business and we shall return to the castle, as planned.” She said, matter-of-factly.

Standing just to the right of the door, he pulled the door open with his left, bowed, and motioned inward with his right. Ladies first, especially royalty, he figured. He proceeded through the house and into the observatory-dome, adjacent and connected via a small hallway to the home. He was silent and stone-faced while leading Her Majesty, Princess Luna; he figured that was the most respectful thing. As he opened the door to the observatory, again with the bowed door opening that looked most servile, she walked through and he carefully shut the door. It might hurt her royal ears if it were slammed, of course.

“You may speak freely, Astronomer. We’ll be working rather closely from now on, given the nature of our work, and I don’t want to be hostile. I’m a bit more approachable than you seem to think!” She giggled, and he blushed a bit. Why didn’t she stop me from making a fool out of myself? He wondered, with a hint of irritation.

“Yes, ma’am.” He said. He still felt the urge to be formal. Luna smirked, sensing this – which was not a particularly extraordinary feat. He had it written in his face, a bit embarrassed while failing to hold a straight face.

After a brief silence, she walked over towards the main telescope. She eyed it over a bit, and spoke: “This is your telescope, yes? I’ve never actually seen one.”

“Why, yes. It is. It’s a fine one, at that, the glassworker you commissioned to fashion the mirrors did a fantastic job. No automation like the mirrors at home, it’d been done by hand, slowly. It’s…proper, that way.” He said. He stared for just a moment, stuck thinking about the word “hand”.

Luna contemplated his wording, then assumed he meant hoof. “I’m pleased to hear it. Glass Smith is a fine stallion, and master of his craft. We told him to take his time and create the finest mirror, on account of it being for Royal usage; so fine it is. We were actually worried he’d rushed to make it and make mistakes.” Another brief pause followed, with discomfort in the air. “How well can you make out the Moon?” She asked, with soft care.

“Very well, actually. I found a way to mount a camera to the eyepiece, and it works splendidly. Here, the photos.” He handed her the photos. They were pixel-perfect to real life, clear as the night that they’d been taken.

Luna pulled the photos out of his hand with a slight glow of magic. She levitated them to her eyes and studied them, eyes flashing left and right like a typewriter scrolling from side to side. She smiled softly, without a doubt she’d never seen it so closely before. The smile kept growing as she kept looking.

“It’s so very clear this way. I spend so much time managing my Moon, and yet I never really get to see it – beyond eyesight, I mean.” Luna said, trailing off in thought.

He walked around to her side, handed her a close up image, and pointed at a large crater on the moon. “It’s a lovely shot of the crater Copernicus, actually. Look, you can make out all the ridge lines from the impact site.” He traced his finger about the perimeter of the crater; so that the crater’s interior edge was visible.

She studied it closely, just as interested in it as the first photo. She smiled, and he looked into the photo a bit closer. The glossy photo reflected Luna’s eyes, which shined a very gentle blue. He shook his head a bit to reset his focus, and then moved onward towards his desk. He began organizing his notes on stellar movements, and Luna continued looking through his many photos, making quite a messy stack on the desk. Her smile held still.

He finally resolved that he should disrupt her viewing (she’d been entranced for almost five minutes, and he saw no sign of it slowing), and brought over some star charts. He’d kept track of all stellar positions to an accuracy of a tenth of an arc-second, and was quite confident that it’d look very professional and meaningful to his benefactor.

“Princess, I have the data for you. Princess? Your majesty?”

“Why did you call that crater Copernicus?” She responded, looking up intrigued.

He was taken aback a bit; Copernicus was a standard name. Why wouldn’t it be Copernicus?

“Well, where I’m from, it’s what that crater is called.” He said.

“But why?”

“Err, that was the name of a famous Scientist. So someone named the Crater after him in honor of his work”. He said. A curious look came on her face. “What’d he do?”

“Among other things, he formulated a theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun.”

“Oh my, that IS very important. Before my sister and I founded the colleges of Astronomy and Physics to tell people this, most people assumed that we did everything about the world. And that we were Goddesses. People still bring us sacrifices instead of gifts, from time to time.” She giggled, with a hint of worry. “It’s very interesting, though. Humans had to learn much about the stars without our help, so they had to guess instead of know…It must’ve been hard.”

“It was, I suppose. It took us thousands of years to learn even basic things like the difference between stars and planets, moons and our sun. But it made us very good at discovering things for ourselves.” He said.

Luna smiled. “Such curiosity doesn’t seem to be natural to ponies, sometimes my sister and I think we’re dragging them through lessons instead of them following us. It’s…nice to see someone take interest.” She looked away for just a second, and then turned back. “But yes, the star catalogs. Let me see them.”

He led her to a file cabinet, and took out some papers. In proper ledger paper, he had the many stars he’d kept track of recorded, with times and dates, names, positions, and other miscellaneous data recorded. He handed them off to Luna and she studied them as she did the photos.

“There is something wrong with this particular star’s data, though.” He said. He pointed to one star, which he suspected (without proof) was Sirius. “Three weeks ago, this star looked far too in front of itself, and I tried checking and rechecking and it came back wrong. In fact, a few stars had that same problem. So I’d ignore that day’s data.”

“No, that’s right.” She said. “I was…upset that week, and I suppose I pushed it too far.”

“Pushed it too far…?” He said, perplexed.

“Well, for most objects, my sister and I move them on gut feeling alone. We use magic to move them, but accuracy is rather hard when you’re thinking about other things. “

He was rather shocked. Not appalled, but surprised. He’d never really thought of it in terms of how they moved, just that they did. And to think, they’re so accurate every night that we thought it was natural… He mused.

“So, this data…” he began

“…is a checkup system to make sure my Sister and I do our work correctly. We’ve never had the luxury of having someone make sure we don’t mistake, so this is a blessing beyond your imagination. We’ve worked for so long without help…”

Her Royal façade fell. For this entire time, every smile had been hinting of it, but she’d still kept it up until that very moment. How very… human, of her.

“…I’m glad to be of assistance. Princess.” He said, attempting to sound a bit reassuring.
They continued to play with numbers and telescopes until Luna was sated. She walked towards the exit, and beckoned. He came, and began to open the door.

“It’s been a pleasure, thank you for your time. It’s not often I get to discuss my stars with anyone who cares…” She said. “Besides my sister, I mean.”

“And for me, as well.” He responded. “This observatory rarely gets visitors.”

“I shall return soon, to see more data. Probably next week, if no crisis takes my time.” She said.

So he opened the door and escorted her through the little house as he had before. As he opened the door, she changed her posture quite pronouncedly. She stood taller, held her neck high, and adjusted herself most carefully. The guards did as well, though much more visibly. Clangs sounded as they all scrambled to their proper guard posture, with a salute.

“Guards, prepare the carriage for departure. I must return to the Palace in time for the evening. Let us not delay!” She pronounced. They quickly did as commanded, and the princess rode down the little hill quietly.

A Special Occasion

The week went on, and life continued. He studied the stars as always, but took careful note to make sure he was accurate, but also to account for any “Royal irregularities” in the stars. He sent letters as always, but every two weeks Luna would come and speak with him. They’d talk about stars and telescopes, but occasionally dip into personal matters. Though she hadn’t meant it at the time, Luna had given him the keys to her mood. Any irregularities represented a bad day, and he would often end up discussing it when that data point would come up in the record analysis.

Naturally, this led to a good bit of confiding. A princess has many problems in her day, despite the banquets and dresses. Laws, taxes, political instability, foreign relations… all were very pressing on the Princess of the Night, and it had to come out somehow. But he didn’t mind. That hill was very quiet, and it was nice to talk about something besides how he only had two legs or his distantly related ape-parents. Furthermore, talking calmly with the second most powerful person in the entire country was an experience. By her guards, she was so very domineering. But by him, she was very calm and inquisitive. She was childlike, with energy and attention and a certain animation that he found most entertaining (and endearing). The nights were more beautiful there, though. The light of the city was far away, and the natural beauty of the cosmos was vivid in the eyes of the observer. It shone clearly, and only once or twice he swore it was brighter than natural. Those were most amazing occasions.

This day was a fine Sunday, with which he’d been ordered to come to the Palace with some documents. It was the beginning of Winter, and the next Lunar Perigee was heading up. Now to most ponies this meant nothing, but it was a day of particular interest to astronomers around Canterlot. For most (who had no telescopes), it was the day where the Moon was close enough to be seen easiest for the entire month. Unfortunately for the few astronomer ponies in Canterlot, the last four had been rained out due to winter farming demand, but this one was slated to be clear as crystal. He expected to be asked to give some talks on the moon, perhaps a viewing for the colts and fillies of the well-to-do; then proceed with standard talks with the Princess. So he prepared some simple diagrams and charts and attractive do-dads to entertain the little ones and the tall (curiously, he found the models more necessary for adults; adults felt more entitled to be entertained when presented to).

The familiar walk between the Palace and the Hill was most pleasant; he stared upward but curiously didn’t think too much about the stars. Usually, he’d look at stars and attempt to recall paths of stars and amuse himself with the mechanics of the universe, but wondered about what he’d say to the Princess this evening. He had so much to say, but so little would interest her. She was a very warm person (talking just a bit too fast when she got going), once she got comfortable. He always worried he bored her, or sounded foolish to her, but she’d never complained about it. The journey ended and he moved his mind back to his work.

The talks went fine, though he occasionally stuttered and looked a bit distracted all day. The colts and fillies were very pleased to look at photos and models, and were delighted to play with the little tripod telescope he’d set up. The adults, however, seemed as boring as always. Bah, he thought, they’re hopeless anyway.

He proceeded to the Princess’ study, but was stopped.

“Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia has summoned you. Come with me.” A proud stallion-guard said sternly, as the royal guard always looked. He followed as requested and arrived to the Throne room, which had been cleared of dignitaries. The banners were flown down far, and the windows were stained glass works of art, depicting brave ponies before them. The path to the throne was carpeted red, and the rest of the room was made of some combination of white marble and gold. It screamed of power, even if it seemed a bit too decadent. Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia sat on her throne, gazing on her new subject with that cunning smile she always donned.

He bowed deeply, and called: “What do you need from me, Your Highness?”

Her smile grew just a bit as he unbowed, and she called “Nothing in particular, I just thought I might speak with one of my subjects that are long-since missed.” It was true, since Luna had begun visiting him instead of vice-versa, he had come to Canterlot only a handful of times for supplies and to the Palace not once.

“Your work with Luna has been quite useful. Her work has been most accurate, and she’s been very pleased with it as well. Your service is invaluable, and that portal was most certainly in our favor. “Her gaze penetrated him.

“Y-yes, Your Highness. It’s been a pleasure.” He stammered out.

“The nature of your work is appreciated, but I do have something else to thank you for.” She said. “Guards, this is not for your ears. Guard the entrances, from the outside please.”

The Royal Guard quickly but professionally exited the building. The door closed with a solid thud, and the size of the room quickly occurred to him. Then the importance of a private, royal audience came. A most serious matter, he feared.

“Your hilltop is very quiet, isn’t it?” She asked.

“Pardon, Your Majesty?”

“Not many visitors come to you, do they?” Elaborated the Princess.

“No, few at all come. Luna is my only visitor.”

“Does that hill feel lonely to you?”

“Yes, I suppose. It’s not too bad, nothing to worry about.”

“You are lonely because no-one is there, no one to talk to. But there’s another sort of loneliness that persists when people are still with you. A loneliness of spirit that happens when no-one will speak to you. Do you understand?”

He puzzled with it for a moment, but didn’t think of anything. The pause made it quite clear, so she moved onwards.

“Luna tells me that you are an astute man. You can see things in the sky, but also in people. I must thank you; Luna simply cannot…” she paused, searching for words.”…find the right people to speak to. A princess’ work is most difficult, and requires an absolute control over motions, words, and feelings. They tend to bottle up.”

Apparently the Sisters speak to each other, no one else knew. He thought, recalling the privacy of the observatory, and the guards who spent so many hours sitting outside his door. I really should install chairs or something for them. He caught on to his whimsical thoughts, and dashed them so he could focus.

“She is most … comforted by you. She truly is underappreciated for her part in the celestial cycle, and you’re the only source of appreciation she gets. You do her a grand service I don’t think you fully understand.”

She was right, of course. He did not understand what she meant by “grand service”, but he figured this was just a formal thank you anyways.

“It is my pleasure to serve her, and you.” He bowed deeply. “Truly.”

She was pleased. “So you would serve her most fully, if it came to that?”

His head moved back a bit, surprised. “Yes, of course. Anything for Princess Luna.”

“Very good, she chose well. You may go about your business, Astronomer.”

He proceeded out the room, and the guards returned to the throne room. He walked through the halls, with a single escort once he proceeded into the inner halls. They led him through the many spiraling halls and into the private quarter of the Palace. It felt different from the main chambers; those rooms were all very tall, with vaulted ceilings and fancy paintings and elaborate decoration. These halls were still quite elegant, but felt much more like a home. He looked and he saw: the halls shorter, the rooms smaller, and the construction more soft and inviting. It was a shelter from the political trials of the rulers of a powerful nation. And it was fit for a princess, but more importantly it was comfortable to anyone who walked in it.

He proceeded down some stairs that lead along the craggy cliff face of Canterlot, which were glass on every surface but the floor. That pathway continued downwards to two large chambers, which were usually obscured by the height of the palace before it. The escort led him to the eastern-most room. Once they’d arrived at the door to the room, the door stood closed with a fine lock carefully opened. The escort opened the door to the chamber, and he looked into the long and wide room. The walls facing the cliff were very simple stone, but the walls to the east, west, and north were a grand glass window, which was curved to give a clear view of the sky. In the center of the room, there stood a glowing white orb in a stand, which was in turn on a golden pedestal that had been polished and embellished to perfection. Looking at him next to the stand was Luna, looking with a very loving smile and a gentle gaze. The escort exited the room and he slowly walked toward Luna, taking some time on account of the scale of the room. He bowed, but she stopped him and spoke.

“My friend, I’m glad you made it. I’ve quite a gift for you.” She looked skyward. “Everyone in Equestria knows that my sister and I move the stars, sun, and moon.” She smiled most brightly. “The sun is setting, and it is my turn to raise the moon. I’ve taken you to the Rising Room, our most private chamber. It is here that I do my daily duty, where I raise the moon in the evening. My sister is in the other room, the Setting Room, setting the Sun. I want you show you how I do it.” She smiled as wide as her body would let her, her cheeks poking her face to a perky, beautiful look.

He was excited. Seeing the moon, the sun set? It was fantastic! It was the mystery of the world, which he’d always wanted to understand. How this beautiful creature before him took the stars themselves and brought them to order, to a beautiful cosmic dance that stepped closely and cleanly every night. It was truly amazing, and his only thought was a bright feeling of beaming happiness. He, too, smiled brightly.

“You’ll be the first to see it, my sister and I work. We always close these doors and bar viewing. There are even magic wards obscuring sight into these rooms from the cliff. You’re my special guest!” She giggled, excited.

He stood back, and she took her position. “Here I go, I’ve never had to work for an audience before~!” She said, melodiously.

She stood up, postured neutrally. With a great glow, her horn began its magic, projected at the orb. She braced herself, lowering her body in preparation for a great jump. When she jumped, her body became encapsulated by a great white glow. The orb, too glowed, and in the glass behind her a great white Alicorn-shape appeared below the moon. She lept up, wings beating at full force and the horn emitting so many magic sparks. She struggled, holding the projected weight of the moon with her form. The white shape on the wall strained, corresponding to the great struggle of its caster. But over the course of the next few minutes, Luna struggled and pushed until her great shining Moon rose up into the sky, most properly. She relented, and slowly floated down on a cloud of magic energy. The white form gracefully kept moving, keeping her momentum from earlier. She rested, and sat.

He was awestruck. The magic of ponies didn’t hold much interest to him, but what he had just seen was truly marvelous. Such blazing lights, such a coat about her, the great form on the window, and the moon itself moving…it was fantastic beyond his comprehension. He stood, eyes wide open and mouth open and in most pleasant shock. When his brain came back to him, he walked over to Luna and, overwhelmed, grabbed her softly by her front shoulders.

“That was amazing, so beautiful…The most beautiful thing I think I’ve ever seen.” He breathed out.

“Thank you, dear”. She said. He didn’t really notice the word choice. “I’m glad I could share this with you…I’ve never shared it with anyone. Neither has Celestia. It’s…for us. Just us.” She smiled, and shivered with excitement. “It’s my gift, to you, for being so kind to me. So dear to me.” She got closer to him.

He was pleased, and got a bit closer. They hugged lovingly; he’d have shared a hug with anyone since he got there. It was pleasing to him, she was warm and soft. The separated and she spoke:

“You’ve cared for me when no-pony else really did. They don’t get me, not the way you do. You see what I do and think it’s beautiful; everyone else gets scared by it. You’re the only one who gets me, and you’re so beautiful in your own way. I have to wait so long between your visits, time passes so slowly. I don’t want you to leave. Not again. I want you, here, with me.”

That, he understood clearly. And panic set it. It hit him like a sack of bricks, and he stood slack jawed and eyes wide open, white and pupils constricted. She is into me. He is INTO me. She’s amazing, but like that? She’s a horse, for goodness’ sake! A goddess and a four-legged being! She’s nothing like me, and what would it be like to live with her!? I wake up in bed, look to my left and see a pony? And what of the Royal life? I can’t live for ponies! I can hardly see them without being harassed! I can’t do this, but… His mind shut off for just a second. But then he knew: had to let her down gently.

“Princess, um, I, um, I, um…” He began…

She saw the doubt in his mind. Her irises constricted, tighter than his. She knew that it was a no, that he wouldn’t be with her, that her love wouldn’t be returned. And it got to her. Her eyes began to water, her smiled vanished and was replaced with a defeated, open-mouthed, and reversed into a great sorrow. She wailed a great and unintelligible sound.

“WHY!?” She squeaked out, her throat strained from the emotion

He stood still, unable to answer. His heart ached, his mouth was dry, his eyes too were a bit wet, and could not act at all. His legs strained under what felt like a sudden great weight.

“I SAID WHY!” She screamed. He still couldn’t say a thing. “I ORDER YOU, TELL ME WHY! I’M YOUR RULER, YOUR PRINCESS, ... your friend..." She looked down, and sniffed. Her anger regrouped and a split second later, she bellowed: "ANSWER ME!”

He dropped to his knees, and braced himself with his hands. It was shameful; he hurt her, couldn’t say a thing, and couldn’t handle it. He merely sat there, useless.

With a great cry, she dashed to the window, and broke through. The glass shattered starting right in the heart of the white pony figure, and it dissipated. Luna did a 180, flying up and over the building and headed due south. All of Canterlot heard the noise from the great horse, and came outside to find the problem. Few saw, but those that did saw a great blue figure speeding through the sky, making a great din and leaving a trail of tears. The moon stilled in the sky, stalled without a celestial hand guiding it.

A Consequence

The Setting Room opened, and a royal guard and Celestia came into the Rising Room. He still sat there, motionless. Celestia saw the look in his eyes, and shook her head and knew.

“I hope she’ll be well…” She lamented. “Knowing her, she’ll flee to the Celestial Retreat to the south...” She rested her hoof on his shoulder. His head rose up to meet her face. That horse face, so very foreign despite being familiar to him. But it didn’t matter. Celestia escorted him out, and had him return home to his quiet Hill. There, he might recover. He could harden himself again, so that he might be more ready for the world.

But the road south to the Hill was long, and his mind was fixed on his problem. It kept ticking, as his legs moved slowly. She was wonderful to me, gave me all I had. But no, she’s still not like me. Not a human. I couldn’t feel that way for someone else… His eyes fell to his feet, and another wave of shame fell on him. I can’t, I just can’t. He stopped, and let a few tears out. When he could again walk, he got back on the path. But still, I’m so far from home. Humans are gone, and I’ll never see one again. The slow sorrow dawned on him again; it had been gone since he’d been with Luna. She was the thing that kept him happy, every other Sunday when she’d visited. It kept him from worrying about the past, and gave him something to see in the future.

He got closer to his home, and he thought with a bit more focus than he had before; less dark thoughts and more about what to do. Well, if I can’t be with her, I should at least tell her properly. He feared that might hurt her more, but it was proper. I must, then. He resolved, and took the path east off the road to his Hill. It led to the Celestial Retreat, instead; a dark and poorly kept road leading into a dark forest. It was probably all but abandoned.

He continued onwards, and his mind ticked still. But…what was it? That feeling, the one I felt when I saw her…when I saw her eyes and they looked so gently at me. Maybe… he thought, and shook it off. There was no way he fell in love with a horse. Eight months, twenty months, forty years…he was a human, and humans did not go with horses. Birds didn’t mate with fish, and bunnies don’t mate with bears. There was no way that it could work, it was impossible. Soon, he made it through the jungle. The dark jungle, it loomed over him and felt so hidden. It seemed like the land itself obscured his sight, and would not relent from confusing his senses. The Retreat was in sight, royal but still much darker. It looked a bit unkempt, some small cracks and poor lighting. The walls screamed of grandness, but the dark corners of the room took it back and made it feel tomb-like.

But as he walked through the halls, he heard a faint noise. A sad noise, and as it came closer…it became a lament. A sob. A saddest, most heart wrenching sort of sob. He felt it, and it pained his chest. His muscles hardened, and his pace slowed. He couldn’t stand this sob. Not from her. He’d heard children cry, fillies and colts cry, men and women cry, mares and stallions cry. But not her. He had to stop it. And he felt it, in his bones and in his being. I cannot let her cry, not her. My sweetest friend…

He proceeded into the main chamber, a dark room with a single beam of moonlight letting into the center. Luna sat, situated just half way in the beam, back to the door. He walked in, and his footfall made a loud clack on the tile. Luna looked up, away from him.

“LEAVE ME BE!” She howled.

He stepped closer, until he was close.

“I SAID LEAVE ME BE!” Screaming, she grabbed loose tiles from the floor and threw them at him. He ducked, but she missed by a wide margin. They both shattered; the sound resonated in the silence. The only other noise was Luna’s sobs.

He sat up to the platform, and tried to gather his voice.

“I-I…I c-can’t… I can’t be…” He stopped, speechless.

“YOU CAN’T BE WITH ME?” She yelled. “Why, because I’m not a bug-eating monkey like you!?” He ignored the insult.

“No…I just…”

“NO, I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. YOU THINK I’M TOO RUDE, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE DOES.” She pronounced.

“No, not that at all. I thought about it. I thought about that very thing, so long and hard. I walked down here, long and hard, so I could tell you that I didn’t love you. “

He prepared his thoughts. I should say ”But I think I do like you, I just can’t get over the difference between you and me…”. No, I should say “I like you, but I’m having trouble getting over you being different…”. No, not that, I should say… He readied his throat.

“But…but…But…”

“ENOUGH!” She screamed, and raised herself into the air. She raised more tiles, and flung them at him. So many more than before, they rose up and spun themselves about, aiming to hurt.

“But I love you anyways—“

A great crack sounded. These tiles were true, and hit him. They smashed into his head, and broke it most certainly. He crumpled, and a pool of crimson blood pooled about him. Luna turned around, and wimpered:

“M-my love?”

No response. The pool grew, and finally grew into the light from the moon above. Her eyes constricted again, when she saw the red touch her moonlight.

If Luna could’ve survived this before, it was most certainly gone now. Her willing lover laid motionless, his soul no longer with the living. And by her own action. Her mind quaked, her body shook, and her eyes wide and whiter than the full moon. Her head jerked to and fro, and her body shivering from the unnatural cold of a hurt mind. She was so very much like a mad animal. She didn’t make a sound, but instead levitated the body up and into the moonlit section of the floor, onto a raised block. It brought into view the full extent of her crimes.

The moon did not set that night. Her mind was no longer hers, she sought love from the only people left in her world: her subjects. But they didn’t love her night, how could they? Only twelve hours of night, and even less of the pure black of the night? They’d never appreciate it like he did, so they must be given more time to see it - even if that meant an eternity of black.

An imperishable night, that’d teach those that never loved her. They’d love her, even if he wouldn’t. And no one, not even her sister would stop her.