Third Shift at Canterlot Castle (Princess Luna and Ice Storm)

[Hippo]

It was dusk. Princess Luna had just lifted the moon over the horizon in harmony with Celestia's sun. It was time to begin the night. And tonight wasn't just any ordinary night. Tonight was the first night Princess Luna had officially had her new stewardess to assist her with her evening. The last stewardess Luna had was much older than Ice Storm. And by the time the mare retired, she had her own way of doing things, and no pony, not even the Princess she served, could really change the way she wanted to do things. She was diligent, however, and Luna thanked her for her service, and still writes her letters when she has the time. Luna had a rough adventure in Canterlot trying to readjust to the new era of Equestria after her return. She owes much of that adjustment to the mare who helped her personally.

Luna's new stewardess, Ice Storm, would have a chance to see how she could fit into her new role. And just as well, Luna might see a way in which Ice Storm could help her in ways her previous Stewardess could not. Luna did not want to expect too much, however. Luna knew if any negative body language came from her while Ice Storm was present, it could possibly cause the pony to struggle with her confidence. Luna considered Ice a project of her own, and wanted to build her up to be the pony she wants to be, free of judgement and worry from a world who failed to lift her up to opportunity. It was all about attitude.

The princess shuffled down to the kitchen where several evening pastries would serve as Luna's light breakfast. The lucky thing about evening breakfast was that it was full of more possibilities than a traditional breakfast. There was no telling what might be offered for a midnight snack. And since the cooks often saved time and resources by preparing whatever Celestia had for supper for Luna's midnight breakfast as well, Luna got a glimpse of her sister's dieting routine as well. It was a strange way of connecting them. Nothing connected ponies like food and drink. Luna wondered if her new stewardess would join her soon, and hoped that Ice Storm had properly adjusted to the nighttime hours. It wasn't easy for many of the guards to switch shifts.

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[IceStorm]

To say that she was planning on finding a letter from Luna in her mailbox when she got back from the Crystal Empire would be like saying she would come home equally to find her shop had gone up in flames. Of course, given what she had just seen and been through, the latter actually would not have surprised her that much. It had been a long week for her, but from that week she had learned a lot, not only about herself, but about everypony else around her, and walked away with many new friends, and more importantly, all of her old friends still in tact. That alone was more than she could say for some of the buildings, but that didn't matter. Buildings could be rebuilt, and land could be reformed. Life itself, could not be replaced.

As it were though her shop still stood, and much to Ice Storm's glee, she had found a letter from Luna. When she opened it, she found it to be a summons to the castle for her to come on the night that she received this letter and that her training for her new role would begin. In truth the letter made Ice Storm quite nervous. She had no idea what she was getting into or what kind of expectations that the princess of the night was going to have for her. She only hoped that she wouldn't end up disappointing Luna or making her regret giving her an opportunity. She was already a bit sorriful because she didn't know how long the letter had been sitting in her mailbox, as she had been at the Crystal empire for a couple days after the attacks to recuperate from the attacks and conserve as much magic as she could.

However, she knew that she couldn't make the princess wait any longer, so she applied some of enhanced ointment onto the cut on her side, which already looked a lot better than it did a couple days ago, and wrapped it in another bandage. She wasn't sure if it was something in the ointment that she had gotten from the hospital before she left up there, but it was doing a number on how long it was taking to heal. In all honesty the only reason she had the bandage on her now was so that the salve would stay put on the wound as she moved around. She found that was really the only way to make it stay put without collecting other things that may not be good for the cut to have inside of it.

Once she was satisfied with how it felt, she began to head towards the castle. The moon itself was bright, and was already above the horizon, placed into the dusk sky above them by the very pony she wa supposed to report to tonight. The very thought of how much power she had to be able to control a celestial body such as that did somewhat intimidate her, but there was still one thing that she remembered from the one night that she spent with the princess so long ago. She was still a pony, and while of course being professional was part of the job, she at least got the inclination that she also enjoyed just being able to be herself. There would be time for those types of things later though.

When she arrived at the castle, the a couple of the guards out front stopped her. "Sorry ma'am, but at this time no pony other than the princesses and their staff are allowed in the castle at this time," the guard told her. She was staff wasn't she? Why wouldn't she be allowed in the castle if Luna had summoned her to come here? Then it dawned on her that she may not have informed of all of the guards of her arrival. After all, it would be hard for them to inform every single pony under them about new staff and the like, so she figured it was a misunderstanding. One that she could easily fix.

"Well, I am staff, or at least, or at least, I believe I am. I have this letter from Luna summoning me here tonight for some sort of training," she told them handing the guards the letter. The guards looked it over and then handed the letter back to her.

"This letter looks legitimate, but naturally with a claim as this, we will have to verify this with the princess herself. Surely you understand that we get things like this all the time from ponies trying to get to the princesses for whatever agendas they have. We just need to make sure everything's in order. If this is as you saw, you won't have any issues after tonight."

Ice Storm nodded. She could tell that these guards were a lot higher trained than the ones that she saw in the Crystal Empire. Of course, her views of them were slighted partially because the guards weren't acting on their own behalf there. She patiently waited for the guards to do what they needed to do so that she could get inside.

[Hippo]

Ice Storm was probably left outside the doors for about sixty seconds. She was being carefully looked at by the guard that remained on post, while the other reported to Luna. After those sixty seconds, the door opened again, signaling the return of the guard. But it was not the guard. It was Princess Luna. "Ice Storm. Whatever are you doing out here." She said with a half frown. "My stewardess is required indoors to assist me with my nightly duties." The facial expression on Luna looked stern, and for no apparent reason to her mood, or any indication of why she might have that kind of body language. But after a few seconds, she smiled warmly, revealing her coarse dialog was only the result of habitual commands to her guards, but also a little playful gauging of the pony psyche. Luna would never admit that frontally to playing a joke, however. Especially in front of a guard. "Come inside." She pushed open the door, the guard not getting in the way of the door, nor Ice Storm.

Luna started walking through the building back into kitchen's lounge where she was enjoying her first evening's cup of tea and cake. Several pastries of all kinds decorated on silver trays on the tables that surrounded the room. It was like a cake party of one, but now for two. "Come inside Ice, please make yourself at home. Is there a particular kind of baked good you prefer over all others? Perhaps a slice of ice cream cake?" Luna Chuckled, alluding to the unicorn's themed personality and magical trait. "I was just in here for a minute to eat a light breakfast and begin my day. I wasn't sure you would make it tonight. I pray you have long rest to stay up all night?"

Luna took notice of the bandage that was wrapped around Ice Storm's waste. The size of the bandage seemed large, but Ice Storm didn't seem to wince particularly in any extreme fashion to make Luna suggest that she didn't have it in her to work. She would soon find out if that was the case. "I take it you were in the Crystal Empire this past week." Luna shook her head in slight disappointment. "That was very unfortunate. But it's good to see the Empire be able to defend itself. I see you took some of the action yourself. But you look good." Luna complimented honestly.

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[IceStorm]

When the princess first came out to her, Ice Storm's ears splayed back and her demeanor saddened a bit. She hadn't even been inside the castle yet and already she had done something wrong. The princess's voice when she declared that she was supposed to be inside made her wonder if there was another entrance to the castle that she was supposed to use when she came in. She felt really bad though, and a bit worried now as to what could happen later. What else was she going to mess up tonight? So far she felt like she's made a horrible first impression and hoped that the Princess wasn't reconsidering.

The ache in her stomach though seemed to ease up though when she saw the princess smile. It was a warm smile. Perhaps she had intended something else with the way she presented the initial greeting but she was unsure of what it could have been at the moment. When she instructed her to come inside, followed closely not wanting to make the princess any more upset with her than she already was. If in fact she was actually upset with her to begin with. At this point she wasn't entirely sure, but she did notice that the princess's demeanor shifted rather quickly. She told her to come inside and make her self at home, asking if there was any particular baked good that she preferred over others, perhaps ones of the frozen variety as an ice cream cake. The comment made her smile a bit, already starting to lighten her up a bit. She said that she had just come in to eat breakfast and was worried that she was not going to be able to make it tonight. She also hoped that Ice had gotten proper rest to stay up all night. She nodded. "I would love a slice of ice cream cake if there is some available, and I pretty much went to bed as soon as I got home from the train station and saw the letter. I should be good for the night," she responded with a smile as Luna made the observation that she had been in the Crystal Empire within the past week.

"Yeah, I was at the top of the Spire when the attack started. I was going to try to help combat the Jarl that was there, but when it was revealed that Twilight was still alive, and when I realized how many ponies were in the room that couldn't fight as well as the condition of the building from all of the explosions that had occurred, I knew we had to get them out. This," she said nosing down to her side, "happened when I went to get Princess Twilight from where she lay next to the vault that had exploded. Those spears were quite sharp, but it wasn't too bad. It looked worse than it was, which it still does. I didn't really worry about it though until after myself and a few others that were helping me got Twilight out of the Spire before it collapsed. It was by far the most magic I have ever used in a setting, and nurses in the Crystal Empire said that I should try to use as little of it as possible for the next couple weeks while my aura recharges. Which means my store here in Canterlot will be closed until then, so I'll have all the time to rest during the day. Speaking of sleep though... Have you had a chance to arrange an appointment with one of the doctors about my.... issue?" she asked. She didn't know if it was the right time to be asking that sort of question or not but she was looking forward to possibly being rid of her issue soon.

[Hippo]

Luna sipped on her coffee as Ice Storm told her perspective on the events of The Crystal Empire's tragic events of the past week. It never ceased to amaze Luna the capabilities ponies have when in desperate situations. Upon finding out Ice Storm would be able to attend to assist Luna in her nightly duties, just temporarily out of service in the magic department, Luna figured it only a slightly inconvenience. The princess levitated a plate with a slice of chocolate strawberry ice cream cake on it towards Ice. "No magic use huh? That won't be an issue early on. I plan on bringing you up to speed slowly on the things I do that you will assist me on. You say your shop is closed for a week then? I'm a bit embarrassed at the moment. What was it you shop keep for? I don't know that I've ever heard you mention when we met and talked last."

When Ice Storm asked about a possible solution to her issue, maybe in the form of a specialist doctor at the castle would be able to help the student unicorn, Luna looked a little puzzled at first. "Oh, your magic aura should be fine..." And then she remembered. Luna could forget a few details here and there, but she would not forget the things that is most important to ponies she cares about. And the issue Icy was speaking of, was one of close importance. "Oh, that issue." Luna smiled. "Yes, in time we can set you up, maybe in the morning when all of our work is done and it's time to finish our day. Unfortunately, most of the royal medical staff is allowed to work during the day, so we will have to meet with them during those hours. Don't worry about it."

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[IceStorm]

Ice Storm's eye's lit up with enthusiasm when the princess started levitating over a slice of strawberry and chocolate ice cream cake. It was almost like the princess instinctively knew that strawberries where her favorite thing in just about everything that was edible. "Thank you very much," she smiled, not wasting much time using one of the spoons by the table to begin eating the cake as she listened to the princess speak on the events that she described. It didn't seem that she had much to say about the event itself, although she couldn't really blame her. That wasn't really something she liked remembering to begin with. At the same time though, she made sure that it was something that she would never forget so she could be prepared to act in a similar manner should she ever need to do so again. She did comment on the no magic use though, telling her that starting off, that wouldn't be too much of an issue because she planned on bringing her up to speed slowly on what she would actually be doing in the castle.

 

She also asked about her shop, apologizing that she said that she couldn't really remember what her shop did, or at least she couldn't remember it being mentioned amongst the other things that they had discussed that night. "Oh, I own a store called Frozen Delights. It's a place where anypony can go for... pretty much anything frozen. I can do anything from popcycles to mile-shakes and smoothies. Most of my business deals with snow cones though, as they seem to be my most popular item. I actually own two stores now. One from when I still lived in Ponyville, and I now own one here in Canterlot again now that I'm living here. I'm soon to be opening a third store, thanks to my mother actually. I took your advice from that night and tried to seek her out. I was actually a bit heart broken at first because I had went to Fillydelphia to try to find them, only to find out that they had moved a long time ago and I didn't have a trail to follow. I just got super lucky that my mom happened to be in Ponyville for some reason as I got off the train from Filly. We've made up quite a bit and now she's looking for a building that I can open a third store in over in Hoofington. She's supposed to send me a letter when she's found something suitable," she smiled.

 

Then Princess Luna started addressing the other issue that she brought up, and at first thought she was talking about the aura, but then remembered the issue in question. She told her that they would be able to set something up in the morning, but unfortunately most of the medical staff in the castle were only allowed to work during the day so it was something that would have to wait until after they were finished with their work tonight to get set up. Ice nodded. She wasn't expecting it to be fixed tonight after all, but getting an appointment set up to have it looked at was the next best thing so that she may perhaps find a doctor that can identify the problem so it can be fixed. "That's perfectly fine," she said finishing her cake. "With that in mind.... where do we start?" she asked eager to get started.

[Hippo]

"Well," Luna replied, "we don't have too much exciting things tonight, unfortunately. However, I would like you to show you some of the tasks my previous stewardess helped me with. Do you like astrology?" Luna sipped on a cup of tea awaiting a short response from Ice Storm, but continuing to explain without much pause. "The stars hold special significance to the nighttime sky, and they inspire all ponies. Here, there is often deeper examining of the stars as they relate to our world in Equestria. There is still a lot unknown about them. I raise the moon and yield it for the sun. This process will produce stars that move across the sky the same way the sun and the moon do when my sister and I work in unison. We know that some of the stars are farther away than others, but we are unsure why. We don't know if the shapes they make are significant or random. Many ponies rely on the alignment and brightness of the stars to guide them in their emotions. But some ponies are rightfully skeptical, coming to me and my court with questions on the nighttime sky. And unfortunately, there is only so much that we know and only so much that I can reveal. Part of being the princess of the night requires that I know everything there is to know about the night. But I also have to keep the best interests of my subjects first. Should I reveal some of the things I know but have not yet presented to any council, the strive for understanding and knowledge may rot or any new information will be taken as a misleading gesture that could uproot Equestria's society of love, peace, and harmony."

Luna saw herself lecturing a bit and chewed on a bit of cake to slow herself down. Any questions Ice Storm would probably have, Luna would expect to come. "Your task in this star study is pretty special. In some ways you will understand the stars more than I do."

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[IceStorm]

Ice Storm listened to the princess as she started explaining the events of the night. She first asked if she liked astrology. She couldn't say that she didn't. While she certainly didn't study the stars at night, she was most definitely always looking at them, and she supposed that was the basic start of astrology. The princess continued as she said that the stars hold a special significance in the sky and inspire many ponies. Considering she herself was one of these ponies, she couldn't disagree. She added that here, there is often a deeper meaning to the stars and how the relate with Equestria and that there was a lot still unknown about them. She mentioned that she raises and lowers the moon and that this process yields the stars that move across the sky in a similar fashion. They knew that some stars were further away than others, but they are unsure as to why. They didn't know if the shapes they make were significant or random, and that many ponies relied on their brightness and alignment to guide their emotions.

 

She added that there were some that were skeptical and rightfully so, and that part of her job in being princess is that she knew everything that there was to be known about the night, but she couldn't just give out all of the information as it could upset the balance and harmony that currently existed in Equestria if she gave out knowledge that hadn't been presented to any council or the like. She also added that her role in the star study was vital, and that in time she may even understand the stars even more than she does. "So, my only real question is that if you're afraid that the information could cause disharmony because of not being presented to a council before hand, why not drop casual hints to the council as to what they should be looking for to let them discover what you already know? Or is that where my job comes into play?" Ice asked. She understood that she would be studying the stars, and she presumed that the princess had some sort of study set up for her already for her to begin her work in, so she didn't really think to ask about anything like that.

[Hippo]

"That is where you come into play. And I have." Luna answered in reverse. "It's been very intriguing to see what kind of advancements pony academia has made in the field of astrology since I returned from being banished. The most exciting thing is not necessarily seeing ponies dedicating their entire lives to the study of the stars, but also seeing them find things that I may not have. The difficulty in balancing the encouragement of discovery with the advocacy of the important amount of emotional power things that make us feel significant is challenging. I can not let the scientists of all equestria be given so many hints that they discover things so quickly that ponies who pray among the moon and stars for their well-being begin to feel as if they have been lying to themselves. Even to me, the moon is a very significant thing to me. It represents my connection with Equestria and my sister, and it reminds me of where I've been and pushes me to move forward. To suggest that all the moon is is a large mass of rocky wasteland in which life for a pony is impossible would be correct, but it would also devalue the meaning the moon has if somepony chose to put those conclusion in front of everything they feel."

Luna got up from her reclined position and started walking down the hallway. "I want you to help to balance this. It is a tough task, as you can imagine. But by entrusting a pony to join me understanding they best way to balance these powers, I think it is achievable. I did not exactly understand ponies in Equestria very well when I returned. In order to adapt to my subjects I had to bring them into my circle to know them and their perspective." Luna opened a door in the hallway. "This is yours." Luna invited Ice into a large room. The room was designed to be somewhat of a small library, but was really more considered a large study room. There was a proper desk for an intellectual pony to sit at on one side, and the room featured average size windows to the castle courtyard. "Well, actually it's not officially yours. But no one ever really comes in here. Consider this your space if you need to read something, or just sit and think. I'm not sure how much you like to study, but a place to study is always helpful when you need it."

Luna walked over to a telescope by the window. She cracked open a window so that the telescope could reach to the sky. Luna looked into the instrument, adjusted the angle a couple times, and then stepped away. "Look into the telescope. What do you see?"

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[IceStorm]

The many thoughts continued in Ice Storm's mind as she listened to the princess explain that her original proclamation was in fact correct. She explained that she had dropped casual hints to the councils about new discoveries, but the most exciting thing about watching everything was watching the council figure our things that she may not have. That there was a degree of difficulty in being able to encourage the discoveries while still advocating the importance of the emotional power that the stars hold. Ice Storm knew first hoof exactly what kind of emotional power the stars held, so she could already feel the importance that the princess spoke of. She used her moon as a comparison. She noted how the moon was a very significant thing to her. That it represented her connection with Equestria and her sister. That it reminded her of what transpired and helped her move beyond it. She said that while suggesting that the moon was a rocky wasteland that was non-supportive of life would be correct, but it would devalue it's very meaning if those replaced what ponies felt about it.

 

She then followed the princess as she stood up and began making her way down the hallway. She continued to speak to Ice Storm, telling her that she wanted her to help balance this. She made no effort to hide the fact that this would be a difficult task, but she felt that by entrusting a pony to join her would make it possible. She added that at first she did not understand ponies when she returned from her banishment, and in order to adapt to their new personalities, she had to invite them into her circle and experience them first hoof.

 

As she concluded her statement they had reached a room in the hallway that Luna had opened. This room appeared to be set up like a small library as it had several bookshelves, a decently sized desk that seemed to be immaculate and professional quality, and a large window that overlooked the courtyard. Luna explained that she could come here to relax, think, or study as often as she needed to before leading her to the window, which also had a telescope in it. Immediately upon seeing it, she knew that the telescope would get a lot of use. When the princess instructed her to look through the scope, and asked what she saw, she did so without hesitation. When she did, what she saw awe-shocked her.

 

As she peered through the scope, she could make out a vast expansion of stars, dust, and luminescent particles that made up what she could only presume was a distant galaxy. The cluster itself looked almost cube shaped, but at the same time had round edges. "I see what I can presume to be a galaxy. I am not for certain what the name of the galaxy is, but I do like the hues of teal and aquamarine in the center of the galaxy expanding to an yellowy, orangish red with occasional pinks. The shape of it is also unique from what little bit I have read about them. Most galaxies are cyclones aren't they? or are these shapes more common?" she asked the princess.

[Hippo]

Luna smirked as Ice made her observations. She could tell that Ice wasn't exactly sure why she had asked for her observation or what point she might make. Luna would not make her think for long. "Well actually, it's not a galaxy. Ponies at the University here in Canterlot have determined it to be a single star, that exploded several thousand years ago, even before I could be aware of its nature. The appearance of the celestial object is very colorful isn't it? They say that it is still expanding from its explosion, and will eventually dissipate and form new stars."

Luna looked into the telescope herself, adjusted it a little bit, staring at the same object. "But you know what I see? I see a special star, one that is fuzzy-looking. And it's fuzzy looking because it radiates the magical power I, as the Princess of the Night put into the stars at night. This special star is the source of my inspiration and magical power that I wield every time I harness the night sky and move the moon to its proper location."

Luna then walked over to a bookshelf, and after a quick browse, pulled a book out with her telekinesis. She opened the book to a particular page and set it in front of Ice Storm. "Here, this study on ancient pony history tells the myths and religions early ponies had about the night time sky. When finding this object in the sky, they claimed it was a world eater, a distant mouth that would find its way to Equestria, and would eventually devour our world our of existence. They believed that if they were careful and meditated on the magical aura they possessed, that the wisest ponies could convince the mouth to keep at a distance, and that every night, the mouth would rise again to attempt to pull closer."  Luna snapped shut the book, and smiled.

After she put the book away she looked down at Ice Storm. "So, assistant. Tell me. What is this object?"

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[IceStorm]

Ice Storm listened to the princess as she spoke. The fact that it was what used to be a singular star astounded her. It also made her concerned whether or not something like this could happen close to Equestria. She's seen a few explosions around here in Equestria, mainly fireworks and the like so she knew some of the power that they had. She could only imagine the power of something that big exploding could have. The princess then spoke about how the star was fuzzy, and that it was so because it radiated magic. The very magic that she put into the night and stars every night. That calmed a lot of her worries because she knew for a fact that the princess wouldn't let something like that happen close enough to cause Equestria any sort of harm.

 

She watched closely as the princess moved over to one of the shelves and appeared to browse it for a few moments before finding a book on ancient pony history. This particular article spoke of ancient mythology and religion as the ponies who looked up into the night time sky that say this object thought it to be a mouth of some sort of power and if they meditated every night, it would remain very far away from them. She found it rather silly, but at the same time, ponies back then didn't have any where near the resources that they had now to analyze things so she couldn't say much. Although the way the princess presented the information, it almost sounded as if they were speaking about the moon themselves. She wasn't sure how long telescopes have been around, but she supposed that it might be possible.

 

"Well, if anypony were to read that scripture out of context, it would almost sound as if you were referring to the moon itself. Something that appears in the sky that looks like a mouth, which during the lunar phases would be an accurate description for a pony around that era. However, given the nature of the conversation, and the image that had appeared in the telescope, it stands to reason that the image that they are referring to, and the image in the scope are one and the same. Gathering all of the information to me, it looks as if this mass of stardust was once a star, as you sad that is currently being held in place by a magical force that you now control. An astral star, I believe would be the correct presumption. Although I am astounded that ponies of that era would have access to a telescope." she commented. Truth be told, she had no idea if she was right or not, but she used the information that she had learned from the princess to come to what she believed was a logical conclusion

[Hippo]

 

Ice Storm responded like a student.  A studious one, with a hint of wild guess.  Luna smiled.  "You don't sound very confident.  I'm not asking you, as if this is some sort of quiz.  I'm asking you to help me figure it out.  Not necessarily figure out what a particular item in the nighttime sky is, but also, the best way to interpret those results to myself, and to the public.  I cannot announce to the whole country on the scientific properties of an exploding star.  There are many ponies out there that are still encouraged by this quasar.  And despite whether or not there is an enchantment with the object or not, I cannot remove even false inspiration.  Because false inspiration, is still inspiration.  Yet, I cannot also acknowledge a spiritual answer, because it could possibly upset the scientific community.  How would the university react to a Princess who appears to reject facts about our observable world?"
 
Luna had several predicaments.  This was just one of them, and she had hope that Ice Storm would be the kind of stewardess that could help.  "There are many things like this that I can always use help on.  The previous steward was working on some projects, and I will bring you up to speed on those as we go along.  How do you feel about this?"  Luna wasn't sure how her new assistant would react to such an important task, especially since the answer to the riddle, was that there was no definable answer yet.

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