The Heavenly Endeavor

by Dusk_Runner

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure
Length: 5567

Celestia has serious reservations regarding the state of the kingdoms foreign affairs, and tasks Luna with solving them. Luna's solution is to send an airship to foreign lands, and hopefully make contact with other civilizations.

Equestria seems like the perfect kingdom. There have been no wars for nearly it's entire history, they have nearly no conflict with other civilizations, and the kingdom's subjects all live in good conditions with ample food and water. If that's the case, what could have Celestia so worried? Perhaps it's baseless fear of the unknown, but Celestia feels unsafe knowing nothing about the lands outside of her kingdom's borders. She's toiled with that fear for only she knows how long, but when she raises her concerns with her sister she's quickly convinced that Luna's solution to send out an airship to map distant lands and make contact with other civilizations is the best option. Thus, the 'Heavenly Endeavor', Luna's name for the project, began.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-01-16 16:20:01 UTC

Chapter 1 - A spot of tea

The Canterlot Gardens were beautiful, the flora lush and green, various birds chirping in the distance, and a gorgeous view of the city of Canterlot from the balcony on which Luna was currently situated all came together to form a relaxing atmosphere. It was the best place she could think of to have her ever busy sister sit down, relax for a few seconds, and enjoy a cup of tea. It had taken weeks of pestering to get her to make time for just this simple sit down.  However, Celestia had made good on her iffy promise that she would make the time between her royal duties to have a simple cup of tea with her sister; She was now making her way from the grand Canterlot castle over to where Luna sat.

Luna poured some tea and pushed a cup to the opposite side of the table, but the apprehensive Celestia barely paid it notice before she began speaking, “Luna...”

“Yes, Sister?”  Came Luna's prompt reply.

“Ever since your return... I've  been thinking...”  Celestia trailed off as she took a sip of her tea, most likely an excuse to collect her thoughts.

Luna produced a wry smile, “A dangerous pastime, dear sister... but do indulge my inflating curiosity.”

Celestia still showed signs of apprehension, but pushed on with her thoughts, “Well, I've been thinking a lot about the state of the kingdom.”

“Your tone is a bit apprehensive...” Luna laying her observations bare, “is something the matter?”

“Well, simply put, there are some affairs that I feel are in desperate need of... improvement.”

Luna was taken a bit off guard by her sisters revelation, “What affairs could you possibly be speaking of, dear sister?  Equestria is truly awe inspiring, with every city and town seeming to be even more wonderful than the last!  I've even visited frontier colonies like Appleoosa, and even at the worst of times they're great places.  There are no food or water shortages... the ponies are friendly... Dear sister, I am simply lost as to what could be so amiss to have you appear so troubled.”

Celestia smiled, Luna's praise of the kingdom seemingly more pleasing than the blind praise she received on a daily basis.  “I'm truly glad you find the kingdom to so... excellent, Luna.  To maintain it after your banish-” Celestia stumbled over her own words, “After Nightmare Moon's banishment has been truly difficult... I'm so truly glad to have you back again.”

“And I'm truly glad to be back in Canterlot, sitting here with you.”  She replied, trying to put Celestia's stumble in the past for both their sake.

The conversation died for a moment, and the two took the opportunity to take a few long sips of their tea.

Luna set down her tea and began again, “Something tells me you're still troubled, and no amount of praising the kingdom will fix it.”

“Astute as ever, Luna.” Although Celestia's words  seemed upbeat, her voice was flat, indicating to Luna that her sister was more worried about this issue than she had initially thought.

“Then, please share.  What has the celestial princess in such a state?”

Celestia started to speaking, but stopped before uttering a word.  After a moment she avoided the issue again, “I'm sorry to jump into issues like these when we're supposed to be relaxing and-”

“Now now, don't go apologizing.”  By this point, Luna was far too curious and far too concerned about this issue, and her sisters peace of mind, to let it be side stepped so easily,  “We're here to help you relax, and getting something off your mind can only help accomplish that.”

Celestia released a paned sigh, “Well... the problem is...” Celestia looked around, as if she were embarrassed to utter the next two words, “Foreign Affairs.”

“Foreign Affairs?” Mused Luna, raising an eyebrow.

“As I said.”  Came Celestia's flat reply.

“What's the matter?  The records I've read showed no wars, no conflict, no-”

Celestia cut her off, “That's just it, Luna.  There ARE no foreign affairs!  The Kingdom of Equestria has been completely isolated from the rest of the planet.  We scarcely know the land just outside our borders, let alone in the rest of the world!”

Luna wasn't sure what to say, and before she had even the time to form a reply Celestia continued her tirade.

“Why, our most accurate map points outside our borders and says 'Here be Dragons'.  Here be Dragons?!  By the cosmos, how absurd!  There's a reason literature like Daring Do is so popular, it's because no one actually goes to far away lands to explore anymore!”

Luna already had the beginnings of a solution in her mind, and this pause gave her what thought was an opening to interject, “Tia, I th-” Luna was wrong, and prompty cut off again by her sister.

“And as far as trade goes, hah!  Besides the griffons, no one has even-”

“CELESTIA!”  Luna said in a raised voice, trying to stop Celestia's rant for her own health.

“Oh...”  She sighed, “I'm sorry, Luna.  I just... got a bit carried away.  For the last thousand years I haven't had anyone to talk to about this sort of thing and it all just sort of started venting out.”

“Ah, but see, now you do have someone to talk to about this sort of thing; and this person has just the idea to solve your problem.”

“Color me interested, sister.”

“What say we get together some of our best and brightest, give them a fine ship, mapping tools, and full authority as our diplomats.  Then, we'll send them away to explore the lands, mapping the world as they go.”

Celesta's expression now more pensive, she was thoroughly examining the idea in her head, “And what of the danger?” Came a reply, finally.  “Beyond our borders, no safety can be guaranteed.  That's the primary reason our borders haven't grown in the last thousand years, and why we have this whole problem in the first place.”

“Safety need not be guaranteed.” Luna lowered her head and switched to a more casual tone,  “Trust me, Tia.  There are more than a few ponies out there that would sign up for the adventure alone, not to mention the betterment of the kingdom.  Hay, most ponies would accept the task simply because their princesses asked them too!”

Celestia's expression was now less severe, and was slowly lightening up; however it still revealed her reservations regarding the project, “Well, it's quite the proposition, Luna.  ...I don't think I would be able to organize any of it.  Finding the time just to sit here with you was an ordeal already.  Between roya-”

“Leave it to me, Tia.  You're busy and I need a project to occupy my time.”  Luna seemed truly confident in this statement, something that Celestia  hadn't seen from her in a long time.

“I don't know how I managed for so long without you, Luna.”

The two laughed heartily for a bit before Celestia finally regained enough control to speak, “Oh, it feels like it's been millennia since I just... laughed.  You handling this has taken a huge cloud off my horizon.  You'll have my full support.  The kingdom's resources are open to you.  Just keep me informed.”

“I'll not spend a single bit without you knowing, Tia.” Came Luna's firm reply.

Celestia's smile was telling, “We've not been out here for more than ten minutes and we've gotten more done than I would have with hours in there!” Celestia exclaimed as she motioned back to the castle.

“We should make a habit of this, Tia.”

“I would very much like that, but between duties and- No, I will make the time.  Every day, here.  At noon?”

“Don't trouble yourself too much to make it, I know it could be a serious pain.” Luna perked up a bit, “But, you being here every day would give us a chance to discuss the Heavenly Endeavor project.”

“What's the Heavenly Endeav-” Celestia paused for a moment, processing, “Have you already gone and named this thing?”

“See! I'm already making progress!”  Exclaimed Luna in one of her most childish voices.  The two princesses laughed heartily after this, they seemed as though they were both content for the first time in ages.

They sat in silence and sipped at their tea, enjoying each others company.  This location had been an excellent choice, and Celestia was feeling relaxed and far better off than when she had exited the castle.  Though, whether this was due to Luna's proposition, a few minutes away from bureaucracy, or Luna's resolve to take on this project, she wasn't sure.  Perhaps, she thought, it was a mixture of all three.  Eventually, Celestia finished her tea, sighed, and began speaking, “Well, I really should get back to my duties...”

“Yeah...” Luna replied, looking a bit sullen.  “I'm glad we were able to have some time together, at least.”

Celestia frowned, “Oh Luna, don't give me that look!  We'll be right here again, tomorrow at noon!”

“I know... it's just that it took so long to organize just this meeting.  What if something comes up, and-”

Celestia quickly cut her off, “Luna, I'll be here noon tomorrow, I promise.  Besides, now I'll be able to pull myself away from those menial tasks the nobles put me through so we can discuss foreign affairs, right?” Celestia winked.

“PRINCESS!” A guardspony yelled from the doorway to the castle, “YOU ARE REQUESTED IN THE THRONE ROOM!”

Celestia turned to Luna, clearly saddened by her summons,  “Well then, it seems my free time is up for now.”  She said before gathering up the teacups from the table.

“I'm glad we were able to talk, Tia.” Luna smiled

“I am doubly as glad,” Celestia replied as she walked back towards the castle door.

The second the door to the castle closed, Luna sprung into action.  It had been but minutes since the very idea of her project had been hatched, and her mind was already storming with countless ideas.  Lost in thought, she made her way to the front of the Canterlot castle, stopping into the royal archives on her way to grab some reference maps and papers of the city of Canterlot.

“Ah... What were they called...?”  Luna whispered to herself as she looked out into the city.  “Ah yes, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs!  Now where would be an appropriate place for one such thing...”  She set out into the city looking for a proper location.  She was hoping for both easy access and a central, regal location.  Both to look a bit showy should any foreign officials ever arrive, and so as to not give them unnecessary headaches in arrival.  Luna trotted around Canterlot for hours before arriving at a run down trade house on Canterlot's outer edge.  The sizable structure sat just within the large 'disc' on which  the rest of the city sat, but airship docks extended out into the aether.  The docks weren't in any better shape than the building, with stray ropes hanging from them blowing in the wind while the aged wooden docks gave off ominous creaking noises.

“Certainly not the best template...” Thought Luna as she looked around, “But it'll suffice.”

Luna pulled out a map that she had borrowed from the royal archives, one showing current property ownerships within the city of Canterlot.  Luna was pleased to find that the old trading house that stood before her was unowned, and actually scheduled for demolition and auction by city officials.  “Not anymore...” She said, before stamping the property with the royal seal to denote it's new found ownership.  Along with that, she filled out a small scroll informing Celestia of the seizure of the property, and sent it off to her using the same spell she used to communicate with her student.

“Now then... to work.” She said as she cracked the front door open.  Luna walked through the property, giving it a cursory inspection.  All the while, she filled in a blank scroll with required changes and repairs that would need to be undertaken before it could serve as a foreign ministry.  It had a mostly open floor plan, with occasional large rooms either for meetings or storage off to the sides, but it was indeed a sizable building; a full four floors, each with ample amounts of space.

As she walked through the building, she could feel the wind finding it's way between the myriad wooden planks and beams, letting her know that a good amount of insulation work would definitely need to be done.  The more she looked through the building though, the more she liked it; despite all it's current flaws.  Due to the nature of a trading house, most of the rooms on the upper floors were large to accommodate large amounts of wares, but would also make great offices.  A bit of prettifying would do the place good, but some support beams were a bit worse for wear, and she made sure to note that the supports be the first problem with the place to be tackled.  Before heading back into the light of day, she made a copy of her notes and left them on a dust covered table in the lobby of the building.  The exterior was as bad as it had looked at first glance, but wouldn't take too much work to fix up thanks to the construction materials used.  The walls were paneled hardwood and stone, and therefore could be cleaned up, repainted, and all around improved  pretty easily.  The place would be a hefty chunk of work, but in the end would be cheaper than building one from scratch.  Besides that, Luna felt that a building originally constructed by the citizens of Equestria rather than their governing body was somehow more fitting to serve as a foreign ministry.

Luna made her way around back to the docks after surveying the prospective ministry building.  As she walked out towards the end of the docks she realized they would most likely need to be completely replaced.  They were worn to the point of near-collapse from who-knows-how-long of lack of maintenance and exposure to the elements.  Every step she took, she felt like the wooden planks beneath her would give way.  The only thing that kept her from turning back was the comforting fact that she could fly should the docks decide they no longer wish to support her.

Luna let a contended sigh escape from her lips as she sat down at the end of the docks, the soft breeze causing her ethereal mane to flow to her side.  The setting sun glowed far off in the distance, bathing the scene in a soft amber.  She gazed out into the lands of Equestria, stretching as far as she could see.  The size of the lands of the kingdom, and just how big the lands beyond their borders must be, truly sank in in this moment.  It was intimidating, but she felt honored to be in charge of such an undertaking.

“The world can only get smaller,” She said to the wind

Celestia awoke feeling quite well rested.  As she started to stir, the burdens and obligations of the day to come started to push out her warm feeling of rest.  She sighed and gazed around the room; a few rays of light bled through the windows onto the stand containing her crown, hoof boots, and other daily attire.  Slowly, she rose from her bed and started putting it all on.  As she stood there slowly raising the items from the stand and applying them to herself, she started gazing around the room again.  Something wasn't quite right... yet she couldn't quite put her hoof on it.  Everything seemed to be in order, yet as she moved her gaze from wall to wall something was amiss.  As she raised her crown to her head, the sun glinted off of it and caused her to squint for a moment.  Then it finally hit her,  “The... sun?” She whispered to herself.

Her eye's widened and she immediately turned to her window.  The feeling of something being amiss now making complete sense, the sun was up!  She hurriedly threw her crown on and dashed to her door in a near panic.

“Good morning, Princess!”  Came the disembodied voice of a guard that Celestia hadn't even noticed yet.

“Buh, huh?”  Celestia stopped in her tracks upon hearing the voice.

The gray pegasus guardspony now in view, she visibly tensed up as she noticed Celestia's distress, “Is everything okay, your highness?!”

Celestia only managed to stutter out a few disconnected words, “I... Uh... Well, I... Yes.”

“...I'm sorry?”  The guardspony replied, cocking her head.

“I... Yes.  Everything's fine... what time is it?”  Celestia finally regaining her cool head, she managed a bit more of a complete sentence.

“It's just past noon, ma'am.”

Celestia's eyes visibly widened again, “NOON?”

“Princess,” The guardspony quickly added, “before you worry any further I might be able to clear some things up.”

“Please, anything to ease my confusion.”

“Your sister told me to relay you this when you awoke.”  The guardspony cleared her throat and began reading from a scroll she was holding, “Tia, I've taken care of most of your appointments and obligations for the day.  You have but one obligation today, and that is to meet me in the archives once you're awake.  Signed, Luna.”

Celestia was still utterly lost, but now at least she had a directive to follow. “I... see.”  Came her terse reply.

The guardspony revealed a small smile, “I'm glad that could resolve some of your confusion.”

“If only it hadn't brought on even more questions.”  Celestia said wearily, wishing she knew exactly what was happening.

“Unfortunately, I will not be able to help you any further.”  The guardspony searched the air for some appropriate words, “All I can offer is that you meet your sister like she asked.”

Celestia nodded, “Of course, of course...  You're dismissed then.”

“Aye, your highness”  The guardspony replied before turning to go down the hallway.

“Before you go... Might I trouble you for your name?”

The guardspony turned, knowing that being asked for a name by royalty was either a very good or a very bad thing... and she wasn't sure whether she was asking for better or worse.  Having little other choice though, she replied, “Commander Lightning Gale of the Royal Equestrian Sky Navy, your highness.”  She said as she bowed to the princess.

“Thank you.  Be on your way, then.”  Celestia's words were flat, and it was impossible for Lightning Gale to tell whether she had good or bad intentions.  Without any further business, Lightning Gale turned back down the hallway and left without another word.

“Oh, what in the wide world of Equestria is my sister scheming now?”  Celestia muttered to herself as she left down the hallway toward the archives.

Luna was completely lost in her work.  She was shifting from book to book, marking this, scribbling on that.  She had at least four books completely marked up in what would look like complete gibberish to anyone but her.  In-fact, she was so engrossed in her work that she didn't even notice Celestia walk through the doorway and over to her desk.  It wasn't until she tapped her shoulder that she noticed she wasn't alone anymore.  “AH!”  Luna cried at the sudden poke, dropping the book she had been hovering in front of her face.

“What do you think you're doing?”  Celestia's tone was stern.

Luna's reply was playful, “Just being a bit proactive, dear sister.”  She said as she picked the book she had been hovering back up.

“How exactly did you take care of all my duties for the day?”

Luna gave a wide smile, “I have my ways... I must say however that it wasn't easy, so don't expect it to happen very often.”

Celestia sighed, “If you're not going to answer that, then could you at least explain your motive?”

Luna just motioned to the mess of books around her, “This.”

Celestia's reply was quick, and her tone was still stern, “What exactly is 'This'?”

“They're all books cataloging and recording all modern airship designs.  From freighters to warships.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow as she looked them over a bit more closely, “And what exactly are all these markings on them?”

“They outline what would need to be changed and fitted on them to make them acceptable for an expeditionary mission.  Not only that, they each have an estimated cost.”

“I take it that you mean this research is for the Heavenly Endeavor?  You didn't need to go through the extra trouble of estimating a cost, I'm sure we'd be able to foot the cost of any ship you could draw up.”

“Oh, but it just adds a little extra challenge for me!”  Luna quickly tried to pull the conversation back to the task at hand, “As I was saying, I did a cursory look over of each one to see how viable they would be to convert to a proper expeditionary vessel.”

“Do you have any preference?”  Inquired Celestia.

Luna rolled her eyes around a bit, “Well...”

“I told you, if your reservations arise from cost, we can foot the bill of any ship you put forth.   We want and need the best.  The ship will be representing the entire kingdom to any foreigners, after all.”

Luna giggled, “Well then...”

“I feel like I've just walked into one of your traps...”

Luna winked at her sister before turning to the saddlebags sitting by her side.  After rummaging around for a moment, she magically laid out a couple scrolls on the floor between herself and Celestia.  “I drew this up myself.  It's what took the better part of my morning.”

“Better part of your morning..?” Celestia replied, laughter and disbelief in her voice, “These look like they'd of taken a shipwright ages!  Where did you even learn to design ships?!”

Luna seemed almost reluctant to elaborate on the reason behind her substantial knowledge on airships, “Well... I'm sure you know that the sun and moon have always been used for navigation...”

“But of course.”

“Well, for more fine-tuned navigation required by ships and airships, the stars have always been the answer.  I'd spend a lot of time at dockyards, watching ships come and go... many a sailor had even thanked me for 'creating such an excellent night to sail by' back then...” Luna looked down, greeting the floor with a wistful smile, “For them to study my night so closely as to be able to navigate by it, it seemed only appropriate for me to study ships and airships at least a little bit.”

“I... I see.” Replied Celestia, “I wasn't aware of the intimate relationship between the night and naval navigation...”

“Besides the sailors themselves, few are.”

“Tis a shame... navigation by the stars sounds quite interesting.”

The two sat in awkward silence for a moment before Celestia revived the conversation, “I don't see a balloon anywhere.  How does it even fly?”

“Aha!” Luna said as she perked up, “That's one of my favorite parts about it!  I was reading about how some newer airships have enchanted cores to allow more cargo storage, or smaller balloons, but with proper enchanting and load spacing we can eliminate balloons entirely.  You and I might need to help with the initial enchanting of the core, but I think it's possible for a regular unicorn to keep it flying.”

“You think?”

“I'm positive it's possible.  I wouldn't have designed the ship around it if I was beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

Celestia tossed the idea around in her head before finally accepting she barely grasped the concept despite her outward appearance, and that agreeing with Luna on this front would be the best course of action, “Then I can accept the risk, especially if it removes the inherent risk of balloons.”

“My sentiments exactly.  We don't know what the weather may be like, or what other conditions might arise out there, and balloon-floated ships could easily be disabled by strong winds or other nasty circumstances.   Besides that, look here...”  Luna placed her hoof on the paper, “See this?  There's four of these, two in the front and two in the back.  They're emergency balloons.  Should something go awry with the core, these can be deployed.  Though they aren't really suitable for long distances, they could allow the crew to land the ship safely.”

“I see you've thought this design through far more than I gave you credit for.  Does it have any... you know... defenses?”  Defenses were the one thing on airships that Celestia was familiar with, so it was natural for her to steer the conversation to familiar territory.

Luna glanced around the room, before moving her hoof, “Here.  The hull wood will need to be extremely well worked.  The hatches will sit flush with the hull, so they should be all but invisible to an exterior viewer when closed.  When opened, four cannons can be rolled forward, two on each broadside.  I've done some research on modern naval warfare; there are only four cannons, so the ship wouldn't be able to trade broadsides with our largest warships, but it would be able to hold it's own against most small to medium ships. I can't say for what they may encounter 'out there', but this being a diplomatic ship, we can't afford to have it bristling with weapons.”

“I agree.  That should be more than enough for what it's mission is... also, now that I've seen it a bit closer... I must say, your design of the ship is quite...”  Celestia wasn't quite sure on what word she should use, but quickly settled on, “befitting of the kingdom.”

Luna smiled, pleased at receiving the praise of her sister.  “Every nook and cranny in the hull is used for something... well, all the 'functional' areas are.”

Celestia seemed perplexed, “functional areas?”

“Areas you would see on a normal ship.  Besides those, I've allocated an area that's a bit removed from the 'guts' of the ship for any foreign dignitaries.  It's regal and fancy, which should please even the snobbiest of emissaries.  There's enough space for eight comfortably, though realistically only about six should come aboard at a time, and the other rooms would be used for negotiations, meetings, and leisure.”

“I see, but what about the crew?”

“Well, due to the lack of balloons, a crew of six should suffice to maintain the ship.  Possibly seven, depending.  There's enough room for eight crew members, but that design choice was more for prudence than practicality.  The bunks are pretty standard for a ship of this size, though a bit nicer than what you'd find on a typical warship of our navy.”

“Ah... do you happen to have any choices or preferences for crew members specifically yet?”

Luna thought for a few moments, “Well, I'd imagine it would be almost essential for at least two unicorns to be members of the crew, thanks to the magical core.”

“I mean, did you have anypony specifically in mind?”

“Oh,” Luna seemed a bit disappointed in herself, “no... I don't.  Nor do I have any idea where to start.”

“I see.  Well I can have a scribe deliver you a list and brief history of our best and brightest, as a start.”

Luna perked up, “Could you have them ensure that at least a few either currently or have served or worked on an airship?  I can't expect them all to have experience, but at least a few should, to make up for the others.”  Luna paused to think over any other essential attributes, “...We should also make sure none of them are afraid of heights.”  Luna chuckled at the thought.

“That wouldn't be a problem at all.  I'll have the scribe deliver you the lists by tomorrow, evening at the latest.  Though...”

“Hmm...?” Mused Luna, “Do you know somepony offhand?”

“Well, that pegasus who delivered your message to me, Lightning Gale.  As I recall, she served as first officer aboard the RES Pegasopolis.  That ship has some fairly similar specifications to your design.  She's always followed any orders implicitly, and those under her command always seemed to like her, an uncommon quality.  If you don't have anyone else in mind, I think she would be an excellent candidate as the captain of your ship.”

“If you think she can fill the position, I've no reason to think otherwise.  Have her dossier included with the rest of that list of candidates.”  She went silent for a second before adding, “...I just want to look it over.  I don't doubt your judgment.”

Celestia chuckled, “You know far more about airships than I!  Perhaps you should doubt it.”

“I'll be sure to go over her dossier twice then!”  Luna's tone was playful, but the atmosphere cooled back down to business after a few moments and she continued, “Anyway, Tia.  Before I let you go, I've got one more thing to show you.”

“Would it happen to have anything to do with that building you suddenly seized yesterday?”

“...It would.” Luna seemed a bit taken aback that Celestia had guessed it so quickly, “I take it that came across your desk quite quickly, then.”

“Of course, it was a royal requisition!”

Luna put her blueprints in her saddlebags and quickly stacked all he books she had been working with, “Well, that's good then.  Come, follow me.”  She said as she left the archives.

.

“So,” Celestia started, after a few minutes of walking in silence. “I take it that building is to be the ministry of foreign affairs?”

“It will be...” Luna looked around before reluctantly adding, “Once it's complete.”

“Complete?”  Celestia asked, inquisitive.

“Well... you'll see.”

Celestia narrowed her eyes, “See what?”

They rounded a corner, “Well... see.”  Luna replied, motioning with her hoof.

The building wasn't far from the castle, so the few minutes in silence had given them enough time to get where they were now; just outside of the soon-to-be ministry of foreign affairs.

“I... wow.” Celestia's expression showed disappointment,  “It's a sizable building but it's so... rundown.”

The two approached it, and once they were at a distance to properly appreciate it, Luna replied, “It won't be for long.  Look...”  Luna went silent, and her horn began to glow.  Before Celestia could ask what she was doing, a hazy field erupted around the building.  Before long, it compressed itself into a passable facade around the structure.  It was impressive to say the least.  Many of the exposed beams had been decorated with a gold finish, most panels and window panes had been replaced with beautiful sealed cherry wood, and banners and flags hung in several spots around the building.  It was regal and imposing, yet somehow inviting and friendly;  a peculiar property of Equestrian architecture.

“That's quite the change!” Celestia exclaimed, her expression of disappointment all but melted away, “but now it seems very... formal.”

“This is the ceremonial configuration.  Allow me...”  The field broke into a haze again, before solidifying into a slightly different image.  The banners were now gone, as well as the red carpet in the doorway that Celestia had scarcely noticed before.  It still communicated a message of regality and formality, as to be expected of a foreign ministry, but it was now much less ceremonial.  After a few minutes and a good few eyefuls of the structure, Luna let the facade collapse and the building's looks came back to reality.

“So,” Celestia started, “who's the lucky team to undertake your renovations of this place?”

Luna again showed disappointment in herself, as she had when she was asked about the crew, “I... have yet to tackle that problem.”

“The team who maintains the Canterlot castle could do it.  They do good work, of course.”

“That would be a great help.  It's been a long time since I've been here.. none of my contacts... besides you, of course... are...” Luna was on the verge of tears, “Available, anymore.”  She managed to say.

Celestia took a deep breath and began comforting her sister, “I understand how you feel.  I as well have had to see countless friends and acquaintances go before me.”

Luna smiled knowingly at her sister, but figured it would be best to move on from this sensitive subject for both their sakes.  “I'll also need a team to construct the ship.

“I have a number of shipwrights I could-”

Luna quickly cut in, “Any shipwright must be trusted implicitly.”  Luna took a quick look around, “None but the crew and the ones who build it should know about the hidden cannon hatches, nor the rest of the vessels defense and offense capabilities.”

“I can have a select few of our regular shipwrights work on it, I've trusted them with slipping hidden components into our warships before; all of them together should be able to build your entire ship while keeping their lips sealed.”

“If you trust them, then I trust them.  I'll have the blueprint ready by tomorrow.”  A contented sigh escaped from Luna's lips, “I guess that's all I have to show you for now.  All that's left to do is actually 'do' all this.  Select the crew... begin construction of the ship... renovations of this building.  I'd say we can get the mission going within a month.  The ministry might not be done by then, but I doubt our explorers will bring back any foreign dignitaries within the few extra weeks that we'll need to finish it.”

“Agreed.”

Luna rolled her eyes around, “Well, I guess that's it.  I'll head back to the archives and finish up this blueprint... you enjoy the rest of your day off.”  Luna turned to head back to the castle, but was stopped by Celestia before taking a step.

“Luna.”

Luna turned back around to face her sister, “Yes, Tia?”

Celestia struggled with her next sentence, it had been a long time since she felt so thankful to anyone, let alone her sister who had been gone for over a thousand years.  “I just... I don't think you realize how much you doing all this means to me.  Thanks.  Truly.”

Luna nuzzled Celestia, “You're welcome.  I just hope I'll be able to meet your expectations.”

“You've already far surpassed them.”  Celestia replied with closed eyes.

Luna turned and made her way back to the castle, leaving Celestia to figure out what to do with the rest of her day; one of the toughest problems she's had to tackle in years.