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RogerDodger
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2000–25000
Life Less Frightening
Princess Luna stretched herself out on the top of a small hill, enjoying the cool grass that tickled her skin and the gentle breeze that caressed her mane. A soft, distant chitter of crickets and wildlife could be heard off in the surrounding forest. The tall, enshrouded trees offered her a sense of protection as they towered above, leaving her with only a small clearing of open sky to watch. Countless stars twinkled at her, each one drawn to the finest detail and shimmering with beauty that simply could not be found anywhere else. In the midst of the celestial congregation hung her pride and joy: the very moon itself, and it shined with majesty all its own.
There were no castle staff running amuck, making noise every which way they went. She was not behind a desk, staring up at towers of paperwork that needed to be done yesterday. There were no politicians begging at her hooves, no foreign ambassadors breathing down her neck, no subjects praising her for what she hadn’t done, asking her things she was incapable of answering or otherwise knowing. Not to mention her sister wasn’t here to nag her either. It was this moment of being alone, of pure serenity that she found most pleasurable: just to escape the routines and formalities of her life, even if for only a little while.
A haphazard, aimless series of snapping twigs suddenly made itself known from somewhere close in the forest. Luna’s ears flicked at the noise and she glance off in the sound’s direction. She probably would’ve passed it off as just some random critter had it decided not to come towards her, the sound of hoofsteps beginning to make themselves apparent. Her gaze hardened, irked that her peaceful time alone was being infringed on. She almost decided then to get up and leave before being found, yet some unidentifiable urge held her back and kept her still in the grass. Perhaps the pony would just pass by, she thought, but then again who would be by themselves in the thick of a forest, especially in the middle of the night?
A small earth pony colt suddenly emerged from behind a tree and into the clearing she lay in. His coat was most likely a bright alabaster, but it was hard to tell due to the grass and dirt that stained it. His mane and tail were a very deep shade of blue—not too different from the shade of her own fur—but it was disheveled and had leaves and twigs caught up in its tangles. Not to mention he was probably eight years old.
He didn’t seem to notice her at first. He was too busy looking up at the stars to notice her. Luna watched him with curiosity as he scrutinized the stars, his mouth wordlessly opening and closing, his head tilting from side to side. Only after several minutes passed did he seem satisfied by whatever thought grasped him, self-affirming with a confident nod. He took just two steps forward before it suddenly occurred to him he wasn’t alone and froze in place.
Luna was able to hide her amused smile. Despite how annoying life could be around others, she’d always had a soft spot for children. Their innate innocence simply appealed to her and often made her feel, for lack of better word, welcomed. If she wasn’t expected to do otherwise, she’d probably prance through the streets like the foals she’d want to be playing with. But now, that basic instinct of her was suppressed, in its place a feeling normally reserved for a worried mother.
“Are you lost, little one?” she warmly asked. Her voice only seemed to startle the colt, however, and it took several long seconds before she got a reply.
“Uh… No, I’m not lost,” he said, his eyes darting around as if he didn’t know if he was allowed to make eye-contact. “I’m just walking around, is all,” he added with a wary smile.
“Really now?” she asked. “Somewhere in the densest reaches of a forest, in the darkest hour of the night no less?”
The colt bit his lip. “What are you doing out in the forest in the middle of the night?” he asked right back.
“Trying to relax beneath the stars,” she told him with a slight chuckle, swinging a foreleg up to the sky. The colt followed her hoof, breaking out a tiny, awestruck smile as his gaze shifted upwards. She then looked back to him and asked, “What is your name?”
The colt stammered. “Mommy says I shouldn’t give my name to strangers,” he suddenly blurted out, giving her a cold stare and a pout in return.
Luna blinked. “What? I should be no stranger to you, my little pony. Do you not know your princess when you see her?”
He tilted his head. “You’re a princess?”
She paused, feeling her breath lump up in her throat. “Princess Luna? Have you not heard my name before?”
“Yeah, Mommy says Princess Luna brings the night to the world so all the ponies can go to sleep,” he answered, an almost indistinguishable crestfallen tone to his voice as the sentence ended. His head gradually lowered in unison as well, but then it immediately perked back up and his eyes went wide. “Wait, you’re Princess Luna?”
“That I am,” she acknowledged, chuckling again, but out of amusement over the colt or some sort relief she couldn’t tell. Perhaps it was a mixture of the two. The withheld knowledge that her sister’s day was, simply put, more embraced by the world’s populace than her night could ever be disheartened her. She was the lesser, something that had and always would be true since she and her sister took on the burden of the heavens. Though she herself could never sleep, everyone else surely needed it, and this colt was although most likely unintentionally, bringing that lonely fact to light.
“I’ve never met a princess before,” the colt mused aloud, more so to himself than to her. His words regained her attention, and Luna watched as he spoke wordlessly and wiped his hooves in the grass.
After an uncomfortably long silence for her, Luna spoke. “Well now you know who I am, a stranger no longer,” she said. “Why don’t you share with me your name?”
The colt blinked. “Oh. Uhm… I guess so. I’m Stardust.”
“That is a lovely name,” Luna hummed. “Now tell me, Stardust, why are you out in the middle of this forest and not in bed?”
“Uh… I-I got unsunniea,” he said uncomfortably, shifting under her confused gaze.
There was a pause. “Insomnia?”
“Yes, that!” he squeaked. “It’s hard for me to go to sleep sometimes, so I like to go on walks.”
“I take it your home is not far from here, then,” Luna mused. “By why then, I wonder, wander the forest? Do you not fear what awful creatures may be stalking its shadows?”
“But I’ve lived here my whole life and do this all the time! There’s nothing scary here at all,” he tried to reason. “Besides, I like the night and I like the forest. And it’s not like I could sleep anyways.”
Luna couldn’t help but smile.
“I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy these get-togethers.”
Luna lifted her head and gave the pony beside her a look. “Oh?”
“I just like having somepony to talk to, I guess,” Stardust said, unsure of his own words. He rolled over onto his back and looked up to the sky. The moon was as luminous and beautiful as any other night, and it shone down on them like a spotlight through the forest clearing they lay in. He brought a hoof up to his chin for a moment, and then began snickering to himself. “Although, it still boggles my mind it’s with the princess of Equestria.”
“There’re two princesses,” Luna reminded him with a tiny smirk. “Besides, we share a common attribute. Sister has told me many times that good friends have common traits.”
“Just to think, a year ago I didn’t even know what you looked like!”
“Quite,” she commented, and then silence befell the two of them, their eyes jointly trained upwards at the night sky. The tranquil, earthen sounds that took hold over their peace only stood to solidify it. The black shadows not so much intimidating as they were soothing, only serving to emphasize the delicate light they were receiving. The grass was cold, but gentle, and every time she shifted her weight atop the tiny hill it felt like she was getting brushed by the softest bristles imaginable.
“Hey, Luna,” Stardust began. “If you don’t mind me asking, I’ve always wondered why you’re out here in the forest. I mean, I have my excuse, what’s yours?”
“You mean aside from escaping formality every once and while?” He nodded, earning a little sigh from her. “The night is a beautiful thing. I just think it could be appreciated a little bit more.”
Stardust snickered. “You got that right.”
Luna crossed her forelegs over her chest and sighed. The moon was shining, the stars were sparkling, yet she couldn’t help but feel like something was missing, something other than the empty patch of grass to her side.
It was the fifty-seventh night in a row Stardust hadn’t shown up. Not that she was worried or anything; she understood perfectly how work can get tend in one’s way. Although she never experienced it herself, the stories she’s heard behind the concept of “homework” sounded no different than the grueling paperwork she had to tackle every now and again. Of course, she highly doubted a young pony would have to negotiate peace with a nation on the brink of war, she still held sympathy for him. Nonetheless, she felt like something else, something unidentifiable, was missing.
“Perhaps we should make a schedule?” she pondered aloud.
“Sorry I couldn’t be here last month,” Stardust apologized as he took his familiar spot in the grass. “I had a chess tournament the third week, and I was busting my flank over finals the time before.”
“Perfectly understandable,” Luna dismissed with a wave of her hoof. “I myself had been rather preoccupied lately as well.”
“Life is just too mundane for my tastes,” he joked, sticking his tongue out to show how tired he was. “Personally, I prefer to live for the moment.”
“And what better moment is this?” Luna said with a smile as she stared up to the night sky.
“Can’t think of any,” Stardust said with a chuckle. “I can’t think of any at all.”
“College, hmm?”
“Oh yes!” Stardust chirped. “I’m going to Stellar University off in Baltimare. They got the highest-magnification telescope in the entire nation!”
Luna hummed. “Yes, I know the one. I had it gifted a century ago as a way of congratulating the school for having the highest test scores in Equestria.” She frowned. “It’s seldom used, however…”
“Well expect it to get put to full use!” he exclaimed, pointing a hoof skywards in emphasis. “The first star I find is going to have my name on it!”
“I could tell you where they all are right now,” Luna teased.
“Well where would be the fun in that?” Stardust remarked. “The whole point to astronomy is the exploration and discovery.”
“I’ll be sure to make the nights the fullest for you,” she said with a hint of sadness in her tone.
“You mean you aren’t right now?” Stardust innocently questioned.
Luna opened her mouth to speak but no words came. With a puzzled look she focused her eyes to the starscape above. Surely, every star had to be there, but even her eyes could only see so much. Perhaps there could be more, she reasoned, looking at the empty spaces between each blinking speck, but the night was beautiful enough as is. There was no need to add extra clutter to it, and there definitely was no need to take away from it. There was the perfect amount, a wonderful blend of whites and blacks. Surely it didn’t need any modifications to it.
Stardust looked at her. “Well?”
“One more year,” Luna said to herself with a sigh as she relaxed on the crest of the hill. The night sky felt empty to her, even though she had added to it throughout the years. Yet no matter how many stars there were, she had soon realized, the lonely feeling that had been plaguing her persisted, not diminishing the slightest.
“I wonder how he’s changed.”
“Engaged?”
Stardust failed to hide his blush and oversized smile. “I know! I can hardly believe it myself! We met senior year in college, and it just took off from there. But then after we graduated, we kinda went our separate ways for a while. But we promised to stay true to each other, and it’s been so long, I know, but I ran into her in town just the other day!”
“I’m certainly happy for you then,” Luna said with a nod. “As the saying goes, love works in mysterious ways. Even with all my centuries of life I am yet to fully understand it.”
“I don’t think anypony ever will,” he chuckled in response. “Oh, and of course, you’re invited to the wedding whenever that’ll be.”
A bittersweet smile slowly crossed her lips. “Unless you plan for the ceremony to be at this time of night, I don’t think I could make it. Yet I thank you nonetheless, whether I can be in attendance or not.”
“Don’t mention it,” Stardust said, twirling his hoof at the sky above. “I just hope that someday you can see her face.”
“I’m so sorry,” Luna tried to comfort, holding the stallion in her hooves like a mother would to a frightened child. What would normally be another peaceful night was sundered by his quiet sniveling and occasional, heartfelt sob. She caressed his back gently, making up for the breeze which was mysteriously absent as well.
“Sh-he just…” Stardust was able to say before his voice cracked, turning once again to a series of blubbery noises and gasps for air.
“I know, I know,” Luna cooed and nuzzled him affectionately. “There’s no need to keep thinking it over if all it brings is more sorrow.”
Stardust stiffened his hug around her and burrowed his snout into her shoulder. Luna sighed, not letting her dear friend overhear her thoughts. To have not only one’s wife, but the unborn child be taken away so suddenly was incomprehendable to her. It almost made her wish her physiology allowed for such traits so accustomed to ponykind, but could she suffer the inevitable heartbreak?
“I ca-an’t live l-like thi-is…”
She looked down at Stardust and held him tighter. A new moon hung high in the congregation of dimmed stars, silent witnesses to the happenings below.
Luna sat in a small clearing in the middle of a dense forest, atop a tiny hill staring at the night sky above. Everything was quiet and tranquil, but as the hours passed by that tranquility seemed to falter.
“Lulu?” came a voice from behind.
“’Tia?” Luna craned her neck around, just in time to see her sister walk out of the shadows. “What are you doing here?”
“I was wanting to ask you the same,” Celestia said, a look of concern on her face. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere, you know.”
“I’ve been here,” Luna calmly replied as she returned her gaze upwards, “waiting.”
“So I’ve been told…” Celestia mused, yet her sister didn’t seem to take any hints. Luna just continued to sit, eyes fixed but her mind wandered. She didn’t at all notice Celestia as she walked up to and sat down on an empty patch of grass beside her.
“Luna…”
“He’ll be here,” she interrupted. “Don’t you worry.”
“But the sun has to come up, Lulu.”
Luna turned her head. “Be that night can’t end now. He hasn’t shown yet!”
Celestia hung her head and sighed. There was a long a dragged out pause before she finally spoke. “This pony, Stardust, he was your friend, correct?”
“He is,” Luna affirmed with a nod. “We agreed to meet here on this day. If he wasn’t going to show, he would have told me beforehand.”
“That’s just it though,” Celestia said with a sad frown. Her ears were pulled back and her eyes seemed to sink, yet Luna was none the wiser. If anything that only made what she had to say harder. But Celestia swallowed the lump in her throat before it could form, and brought a small paper into view.
“My dearest sister, I want you to know there’s no real easy way to say this,” she began, “However, it is something that must be said. Eighteen months ago, your friend Stardust, in his grief over the loss of his wife, had committed—”
“Sister!” Luna suddenly shouted with noticeable pain in her voice. “Do not speak such things! The night will last forever for all I care, but he will show!”
Celestia brought up a hoof and tried to embrace her sister. “Luna, I know your heart is in the right place, that you mean the best of intentions, but unfortunately I cannot let this go on any longer. The sun has been absent for over a week now!”
“I will stay longer if it has to!” Luna cried. “I won’t let this day pass! He’s missed the past seventeen meets, but I know he won’t miss this one!”
“Luna, please! You are delusional! Listen to my words and—”
“[/i]No![/i]”
There were no castle staff running amuck, making noise every which way they went. She was not behind a desk, staring up at towers of paperwork that needed to be done yesterday. There were no politicians begging at her hooves, no foreign ambassadors breathing down her neck, no subjects praising her for what she hadn’t done, asking her things she was incapable of answering or otherwise knowing. Not to mention her sister wasn’t here to nag her either. It was this moment of being alone, of pure serenity that she found most pleasurable: just to escape the routines and formalities of her life, even if for only a little while.
A haphazard, aimless series of snapping twigs suddenly made itself known from somewhere close in the forest. Luna’s ears flicked at the noise and she glance off in the sound’s direction. She probably would’ve passed it off as just some random critter had it decided not to come towards her, the sound of hoofsteps beginning to make themselves apparent. Her gaze hardened, irked that her peaceful time alone was being infringed on. She almost decided then to get up and leave before being found, yet some unidentifiable urge held her back and kept her still in the grass. Perhaps the pony would just pass by, she thought, but then again who would be by themselves in the thick of a forest, especially in the middle of the night?
A small earth pony colt suddenly emerged from behind a tree and into the clearing she lay in. His coat was most likely a bright alabaster, but it was hard to tell due to the grass and dirt that stained it. His mane and tail were a very deep shade of blue—not too different from the shade of her own fur—but it was disheveled and had leaves and twigs caught up in its tangles. Not to mention he was probably eight years old.
He didn’t seem to notice her at first. He was too busy looking up at the stars to notice her. Luna watched him with curiosity as he scrutinized the stars, his mouth wordlessly opening and closing, his head tilting from side to side. Only after several minutes passed did he seem satisfied by whatever thought grasped him, self-affirming with a confident nod. He took just two steps forward before it suddenly occurred to him he wasn’t alone and froze in place.
Luna was able to hide her amused smile. Despite how annoying life could be around others, she’d always had a soft spot for children. Their innate innocence simply appealed to her and often made her feel, for lack of better word, welcomed. If she wasn’t expected to do otherwise, she’d probably prance through the streets like the foals she’d want to be playing with. But now, that basic instinct of her was suppressed, in its place a feeling normally reserved for a worried mother.
“Are you lost, little one?” she warmly asked. Her voice only seemed to startle the colt, however, and it took several long seconds before she got a reply.
“Uh… No, I’m not lost,” he said, his eyes darting around as if he didn’t know if he was allowed to make eye-contact. “I’m just walking around, is all,” he added with a wary smile.
“Really now?” she asked. “Somewhere in the densest reaches of a forest, in the darkest hour of the night no less?”
The colt bit his lip. “What are you doing out in the forest in the middle of the night?” he asked right back.
“Trying to relax beneath the stars,” she told him with a slight chuckle, swinging a foreleg up to the sky. The colt followed her hoof, breaking out a tiny, awestruck smile as his gaze shifted upwards. She then looked back to him and asked, “What is your name?”
The colt stammered. “Mommy says I shouldn’t give my name to strangers,” he suddenly blurted out, giving her a cold stare and a pout in return.
Luna blinked. “What? I should be no stranger to you, my little pony. Do you not know your princess when you see her?”
He tilted his head. “You’re a princess?”
She paused, feeling her breath lump up in her throat. “Princess Luna? Have you not heard my name before?”
“Yeah, Mommy says Princess Luna brings the night to the world so all the ponies can go to sleep,” he answered, an almost indistinguishable crestfallen tone to his voice as the sentence ended. His head gradually lowered in unison as well, but then it immediately perked back up and his eyes went wide. “Wait, you’re Princess Luna?”
“That I am,” she acknowledged, chuckling again, but out of amusement over the colt or some sort relief she couldn’t tell. Perhaps it was a mixture of the two. The withheld knowledge that her sister’s day was, simply put, more embraced by the world’s populace than her night could ever be disheartened her. She was the lesser, something that had and always would be true since she and her sister took on the burden of the heavens. Though she herself could never sleep, everyone else surely needed it, and this colt was although most likely unintentionally, bringing that lonely fact to light.
“I’ve never met a princess before,” the colt mused aloud, more so to himself than to her. His words regained her attention, and Luna watched as he spoke wordlessly and wiped his hooves in the grass.
After an uncomfortably long silence for her, Luna spoke. “Well now you know who I am, a stranger no longer,” she said. “Why don’t you share with me your name?”
The colt blinked. “Oh. Uhm… I guess so. I’m Stardust.”
“That is a lovely name,” Luna hummed. “Now tell me, Stardust, why are you out in the middle of this forest and not in bed?”
“Uh… I-I got unsunniea,” he said uncomfortably, shifting under her confused gaze.
There was a pause. “Insomnia?”
“Yes, that!” he squeaked. “It’s hard for me to go to sleep sometimes, so I like to go on walks.”
“I take it your home is not far from here, then,” Luna mused. “By why then, I wonder, wander the forest? Do you not fear what awful creatures may be stalking its shadows?”
“But I’ve lived here my whole life and do this all the time! There’s nothing scary here at all,” he tried to reason. “Besides, I like the night and I like the forest. And it’s not like I could sleep anyways.”
Luna couldn’t help but smile.
“I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy these get-togethers.”
Luna lifted her head and gave the pony beside her a look. “Oh?”
“I just like having somepony to talk to, I guess,” Stardust said, unsure of his own words. He rolled over onto his back and looked up to the sky. The moon was as luminous and beautiful as any other night, and it shone down on them like a spotlight through the forest clearing they lay in. He brought a hoof up to his chin for a moment, and then began snickering to himself. “Although, it still boggles my mind it’s with the princess of Equestria.”
“There’re two princesses,” Luna reminded him with a tiny smirk. “Besides, we share a common attribute. Sister has told me many times that good friends have common traits.”
“Just to think, a year ago I didn’t even know what you looked like!”
“Quite,” she commented, and then silence befell the two of them, their eyes jointly trained upwards at the night sky. The tranquil, earthen sounds that took hold over their peace only stood to solidify it. The black shadows not so much intimidating as they were soothing, only serving to emphasize the delicate light they were receiving. The grass was cold, but gentle, and every time she shifted her weight atop the tiny hill it felt like she was getting brushed by the softest bristles imaginable.
“Hey, Luna,” Stardust began. “If you don’t mind me asking, I’ve always wondered why you’re out here in the forest. I mean, I have my excuse, what’s yours?”
“You mean aside from escaping formality every once and while?” He nodded, earning a little sigh from her. “The night is a beautiful thing. I just think it could be appreciated a little bit more.”
Stardust snickered. “You got that right.”
Luna crossed her forelegs over her chest and sighed. The moon was shining, the stars were sparkling, yet she couldn’t help but feel like something was missing, something other than the empty patch of grass to her side.
It was the fifty-seventh night in a row Stardust hadn’t shown up. Not that she was worried or anything; she understood perfectly how work can get tend in one’s way. Although she never experienced it herself, the stories she’s heard behind the concept of “homework” sounded no different than the grueling paperwork she had to tackle every now and again. Of course, she highly doubted a young pony would have to negotiate peace with a nation on the brink of war, she still held sympathy for him. Nonetheless, she felt like something else, something unidentifiable, was missing.
“Perhaps we should make a schedule?” she pondered aloud.
“Sorry I couldn’t be here last month,” Stardust apologized as he took his familiar spot in the grass. “I had a chess tournament the third week, and I was busting my flank over finals the time before.”
“Perfectly understandable,” Luna dismissed with a wave of her hoof. “I myself had been rather preoccupied lately as well.”
“Life is just too mundane for my tastes,” he joked, sticking his tongue out to show how tired he was. “Personally, I prefer to live for the moment.”
“And what better moment is this?” Luna said with a smile as she stared up to the night sky.
“Can’t think of any,” Stardust said with a chuckle. “I can’t think of any at all.”
“College, hmm?”
“Oh yes!” Stardust chirped. “I’m going to Stellar University off in Baltimare. They got the highest-magnification telescope in the entire nation!”
Luna hummed. “Yes, I know the one. I had it gifted a century ago as a way of congratulating the school for having the highest test scores in Equestria.” She frowned. “It’s seldom used, however…”
“Well expect it to get put to full use!” he exclaimed, pointing a hoof skywards in emphasis. “The first star I find is going to have my name on it!”
“I could tell you where they all are right now,” Luna teased.
“Well where would be the fun in that?” Stardust remarked. “The whole point to astronomy is the exploration and discovery.”
“I’ll be sure to make the nights the fullest for you,” she said with a hint of sadness in her tone.
“You mean you aren’t right now?” Stardust innocently questioned.
Luna opened her mouth to speak but no words came. With a puzzled look she focused her eyes to the starscape above. Surely, every star had to be there, but even her eyes could only see so much. Perhaps there could be more, she reasoned, looking at the empty spaces between each blinking speck, but the night was beautiful enough as is. There was no need to add extra clutter to it, and there definitely was no need to take away from it. There was the perfect amount, a wonderful blend of whites and blacks. Surely it didn’t need any modifications to it.
Stardust looked at her. “Well?”
“One more year,” Luna said to herself with a sigh as she relaxed on the crest of the hill. The night sky felt empty to her, even though she had added to it throughout the years. Yet no matter how many stars there were, she had soon realized, the lonely feeling that had been plaguing her persisted, not diminishing the slightest.
“I wonder how he’s changed.”
“Engaged?”
Stardust failed to hide his blush and oversized smile. “I know! I can hardly believe it myself! We met senior year in college, and it just took off from there. But then after we graduated, we kinda went our separate ways for a while. But we promised to stay true to each other, and it’s been so long, I know, but I ran into her in town just the other day!”
“I’m certainly happy for you then,” Luna said with a nod. “As the saying goes, love works in mysterious ways. Even with all my centuries of life I am yet to fully understand it.”
“I don’t think anypony ever will,” he chuckled in response. “Oh, and of course, you’re invited to the wedding whenever that’ll be.”
A bittersweet smile slowly crossed her lips. “Unless you plan for the ceremony to be at this time of night, I don’t think I could make it. Yet I thank you nonetheless, whether I can be in attendance or not.”
“Don’t mention it,” Stardust said, twirling his hoof at the sky above. “I just hope that someday you can see her face.”
“I’m so sorry,” Luna tried to comfort, holding the stallion in her hooves like a mother would to a frightened child. What would normally be another peaceful night was sundered by his quiet sniveling and occasional, heartfelt sob. She caressed his back gently, making up for the breeze which was mysteriously absent as well.
“Sh-he just…” Stardust was able to say before his voice cracked, turning once again to a series of blubbery noises and gasps for air.
“I know, I know,” Luna cooed and nuzzled him affectionately. “There’s no need to keep thinking it over if all it brings is more sorrow.”
Stardust stiffened his hug around her and burrowed his snout into her shoulder. Luna sighed, not letting her dear friend overhear her thoughts. To have not only one’s wife, but the unborn child be taken away so suddenly was incomprehendable to her. It almost made her wish her physiology allowed for such traits so accustomed to ponykind, but could she suffer the inevitable heartbreak?
“I ca-an’t live l-like thi-is…”
She looked down at Stardust and held him tighter. A new moon hung high in the congregation of dimmed stars, silent witnesses to the happenings below.
Luna sat in a small clearing in the middle of a dense forest, atop a tiny hill staring at the night sky above. Everything was quiet and tranquil, but as the hours passed by that tranquility seemed to falter.
“Lulu?” came a voice from behind.
“’Tia?” Luna craned her neck around, just in time to see her sister walk out of the shadows. “What are you doing here?”
“I was wanting to ask you the same,” Celestia said, a look of concern on her face. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere, you know.”
“I’ve been here,” Luna calmly replied as she returned her gaze upwards, “waiting.”
“So I’ve been told…” Celestia mused, yet her sister didn’t seem to take any hints. Luna just continued to sit, eyes fixed but her mind wandered. She didn’t at all notice Celestia as she walked up to and sat down on an empty patch of grass beside her.
“Luna…”
“He’ll be here,” she interrupted. “Don’t you worry.”
“But the sun has to come up, Lulu.”
Luna turned her head. “Be that night can’t end now. He hasn’t shown yet!”
Celestia hung her head and sighed. There was a long a dragged out pause before she finally spoke. “This pony, Stardust, he was your friend, correct?”
“He is,” Luna affirmed with a nod. “We agreed to meet here on this day. If he wasn’t going to show, he would have told me beforehand.”
“That’s just it though,” Celestia said with a sad frown. Her ears were pulled back and her eyes seemed to sink, yet Luna was none the wiser. If anything that only made what she had to say harder. But Celestia swallowed the lump in her throat before it could form, and brought a small paper into view.
“My dearest sister, I want you to know there’s no real easy way to say this,” she began, “However, it is something that must be said. Eighteen months ago, your friend Stardust, in his grief over the loss of his wife, had committed—”
“Sister!” Luna suddenly shouted with noticeable pain in her voice. “Do not speak such things! The night will last forever for all I care, but he will show!”
Celestia brought up a hoof and tried to embrace her sister. “Luna, I know your heart is in the right place, that you mean the best of intentions, but unfortunately I cannot let this go on any longer. The sun has been absent for over a week now!”
“I will stay longer if it has to!” Luna cried. “I won’t let this day pass! He’s missed the past seventeen meets, but I know he won’t miss this one!”
“Luna, please! You are delusional! Listen to my words and—”
“[/i]No![/i]”