The Lost World

The Lost World

By: Bairiko

Chapter 7

Two days had passed since Celestia and company had left and, contrary to what some nobles had thought, Equestria wasn't teetering on the edge of anarchy or, thank Faust, a cultural revolution.

How can Tia stand this? Luna thought as the last petitioner of the morning stood in front of the throne. The noblepony before her prattled on about some dispute over a vineyard near Las Pegasus. Apparently a group of vines had grown over the nobles manor wall and now he had deemed the middle class earth pony who owned the vineyard should cede that part over to him. We didn't know a pony could be so petty,.

"So as you no doubt see your Majesty," Luna glanced at the copper coloured unicorn stallion, "It is for these reasons that I feel you should grant ownership of these lands over to me, so that no further problems and damages arise," The noble finished with what he surely thought was a winning smile.

The earth pony, a young stallion coloured not to far off from the grapes that adorned his flank, stared incredulously at the noblepony, "So, my grapes grow a bit over the fence and mess up your little flower garden, and I have to give you ten acres of my families land in return?"

"It is fair compensation, those flowers were of a rare northern variety that are very hard to grow this far south that cost me quite a fair amount of bits," He practically sneered at the other pony.

Luna looked between the two ponies and, before they could start arguing for the third time, asked, "Pray tell, what type of flowers were they Mr. Garnet?"

"Moon Roses your Highness," the noblepony, Garnet, answered.

"Moon Roses?" Luna blinked, then she smiled, "Moon Roses happen to be a personal favourite of ours," At that, Garnet smiled as well, the copper unicorn turning a triumphant smirk towards his adversary. "However," His smile drooped, "We happen to know that Moon Roses grow well anywhere there is plentiful moonlight, and what better location than a cloudless desert?"

"Wait your Highness, does that mean he's been lying this whole time?" The earth pony, Green Leaf asked.

"What? No! I would never lie to royalty!" Garnet looked horrified at the very thought.

"Thou say a fair sum was paid for these seeds, did thou not research them beforehoof to see if they truly were as rare as implied?"

"Er, no your highness," He glanced over to Green Leaf, "The merchant showed me a book describing the flower that said they only grow well in colder regions,"

"Yes, a common misconception considering their natural habitat is in the north," Luna stated, "As they are easy enough to regrow, I do not see how forcing a vineyard to cede property is in anyway beneficial,"

Now it was the earth ponies turn to smirk triumphantly. "But," Luna continued, "We can not justly sit upon this throne and ignore everything presented to us," She looked towards the noble, "Thy petition to have land confiscated and ceded to thee is denied, however," She turned to the earth pony, "Thou shall have to remove the offending vines at thy own expense, upon completion We ask thou to make sure nothing more comes of this. We decree this matter resolved and dismissed."

Neither pony looked pleased with this decision, but they accepted it none the less as they bowed deeply and trotted out. The guard outside could be heard announcing the closing of court, amid a chorus of displeased voices. Luna looked out one of the windows over the garden, wishing she could have spent the last four hours amongst her own gardens which, among others, included her own patch of Moon Roses.

"Was my ruling fair Duster?" Luna asked after the final pony had left the throne room. Though they all tried to hide it, she knew each petitioner who had visited her, noble and commoner alike, had been at least a little bit intimidated by her.

"Every bit as just and fair as your sisters m'lady," Feather Duster said.

"Come now Duster, surely thou have more to say than that?"

"No your highness,"

Something is wrong with her, Luna thought as Feather Duster once more looked out a nearby window. Every day, at nine in the morning, the lunch hour, and three in the afternoon she looks out any window she can over the city, why?

"Are thou well Duster?" She asked, but the tan mare didn't respond. "Duster?"

"Huh? Oh! I'm sorry your Highness." Feather Duster said, "Pardon me?"

"We had asked if thou were alright,"

"I'm fine your Majesty," Duster said, smiling slightly, "Now then, on to lunch?"

Luna regarded her for a few seconds, trying to figure out what was wrong before a quiet grumbling reminded her of her hunger, "Very well, what is for lunch today?"

"If what the chef told me is right, a lovely salad with oranges, feta cheese and sunflower seeds," Feather Duster started walking towards one of the side entrances for the throne room as she spoke over her shoulder, "Lunch will be served in your private dining room in half an hour,"

Luna sighed.

The afternoons of the weekdays saw court closed, allowing Equestria's rulers a chance to deal with governing the kingdom. Luna found herself seated once more in the throne room of the castle, this time at a desk hidden away behind the throne as she dealt with the paperwork necessary to keep Equestria running.

The gryphons want another change done to the trade agreements? Luna thought as she re-read the letter from the Gryphon Ambassador. For centuries Equestria and the Kingdom of Gryphus had been on positive, if sometimes tense terms, but sometimes the Gryphons liked to push their luck.

The smell of ink was in the air as Luna levitated her salad bowl over to her, picking away at what remained as she drafted a fifth response to the Gryphon Ambassador.

"Um, your Majesty?" A voice from behind her asked. Luna looked over her shoulder and saw one of Celestia's Royal Guards looking at her, looking sheepish.

"Yes guardscolt?"

"Uh, Prince Blueblood is demanding he see you Princess," He said.

Luna didn't look to impressed, "Tell the good prince that court is closed for this day and he should try again on the morning," She said.

"That's just the thing your Highness, we tried that. Hes ignored us and is--" The guard was cut off when the doors to the throne room were thrown open, the prince marching between them and glaring triumphantly at the guards. He barely bowed when Luna stepped from behind the throne to watch him.

"Auntie Luna!" He said, flashing a winning smile at the alicorn, "How have you been?"

"We have been well nephew," Luna replied evenly, Why does 'Tia insist on letting Blueblood and his family believe they are of kindred blood to us? "Now, we feel the need to remind thee that court is currently not in session. Pray tell, what doth thou have to say that could not wait until the morrow?"

"Please auntie, surely you don't think the regulations governing court for the common riff raff apply to the Noble Houses do you?" Blueblood asked, looking askance at the idea.

Luna fought to suppress a sigh. Blueblood had one of the most privileged upbringings attainable for a pony simple because his family was thought of as being related to the Royal House. This lead to the prince growing accustomed to getting what he wanted, and almost always at the expense of the lower classes.

"The rules set by our sister encompass all classes nephew," Luna said at length, "Including thee. Now then, since thou hath already interrupted our work, what was it that thou wished to talk about?"

"I was only wondering where dear aunt Celestia has gone," the white stallion said, "The other nobles and myself also wish to know how long she would be gone for,"

"Our sister has gone on a political trip, to where and for how long she would not say," Luna said in return.

"Yet she took the Element Bearers with her?" Blueblood laughed softly at the look on Luna's face, "Come now auntie, when six national heroes vanish, alongside our beloved princess leaving inexplicably ponies tend to put two and two together," The way the prince said it sounded as though he couldn't believe Luna hadn't thought of that, "So what I really want to know is if whatever auntie Celestia is doing is dangerous, as she needed the Elements with her,"

"We shall say it again, we know not where Celestia has gone, nor do we know why she has brought the Elements with her," Luna replied, "However, we are more than confident that they are under no threat lest Celestia would have asked our assistance on the matter,"

"Hmm," The  snow white prince thought for a second, then seemingly came to a conclusion, "Well, thank you for your time auntie," He dipped into another half bow before turning around and trotting back towards the throne room doors.

Luna was just about to sit back down when his voice drifted back to her from the door, "I wonder though, why she chartered an airship, one known for traveling to dangerous regions in the past, to fly west? Some sort of lost land maybe?" Luna looked back over, noting the princes blue eyes staring right back at her. "I seem to recall a legend about that area, something about a land of death to the west," He grinned, "Surely auntie Celestia couldn't have gone there, could she?" With that, he left, his golden tail being the last thing seen of him as Luna sat there wondering just what he knew.

A new worry had taken hold in the mind of the Night Princess as she sat waiting for Celestia to lower her sun.

Blueblood knows something, Was her conclusion, How he knows and what he knows however remain to be seen, She glanced around the balcony she was sitting on as the cool night air blew around her.

Finally the sun began to set, Luna perked up as the sun approached the horizon as she set about raising the moon. The waxing crescent rising high over Equestria as the nations night life set about the towns and villages, a new cultural aspect Luna was fascinated with. The night was no longer a time to be feared, but a time to relax and have fun with friends, something Luna had wished for one thousand years ago and was now a reality.

No more is our night evil and wicked, The thoughts of Blueblood forgotten, Luna watched the city as ponies trotted too and fro in the glow of the streetlamp, This is what our night was meant to be, She smiled at the sounds of laughter and music, tempted to take flight and observe it all more closely.

But alas, she couldn't. Now that the moon was floating serenely overhead Luna turned her back to the city below and trotted back into the tower. A nation does not govern itself after all,