revenance_comms | Third Night: The Longest Night

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Third Night: The Longest Night

[Luna peers critically into the camera as it comes on. For once, it isn't wrapped in the pale blue shimmer of her magic; she reaches out a hoof to straighten it slightly.]

Excellent. Hold steady, Noctis.

[She turns and paces slowly away, to the edge of what turns out to be the belltower.] Tonight is the night of the Winter Moon Festival. My festival. 'Twas to be our first in...in some time. We had meant to gift our subjects with a grand and glorious sky, to show them all that -

[She stops, sounding near tears, and tosses her mane in frustration. Then, visibly composing herself, she takes a deep breath and lowers her head, her horn glowing first blue and then a bright silver as she takes flight. The silver light coalesces around and in front of her as she rises, until she is silhouetted against what seems to be a huge, brilliantly shining full moon, hanging high in the sky above Traverse Town.

Luna lands again, her horn still glowing faintly as she maintains the illusion. She's a little out of breath, but smiling triumphantly and somewhat defiantly.]

Tonight, there shall be a moon!

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Day Court, wow so you and your sister rule literally 24/7, huh?

[Pause as he considers something.]

Do days last 24 hours in Equestria or is that just an Earth thing. After all, I've noticed we don't really have EITHER here.

[He knew they had day and night at least, but he wasn't certain if it was 24 hours like back home. The snow is nice and packed now. Jack looks around.]

We can probably start on the head now, what do you think?

I daresay!

[Luna levitates up another small heap, starting to form it into a head.]

Court does not truly last all day and night, but we are kept quite busy. Our nights are longer in the winter and shorter in the summer, so that both Celestia and I have some leisure time now and then.

[Jack is shaping the body so that it has more detail, looking more like a snowbear than before.]

Once again I am so glad I don't have a job like that. I mean...I'm sure you're good at it and enjoy helping your kingdom but that's just not for me.

[Luna's hooves still on the snow and her ears droop as she glances down at the ground for a second.]

Yes. 'Tis...we are pleased to serve our subjects. [She doesn't sound exactly enthusiastic, however.]

I have always thought so. Whoever placed these stars had a talent for it.

[Complimenting their work makes her feel a little bit better about insinuating her pride over her own. Ponies become strange around her when she talks like that, though she supposes she cannot truly blame them.]

You don't sound like you're too excited about it.

[When he'd made a similar comment to North and the others they hadn't denied it but he could tell they were happy with their jobs. Luna though...she looked kind of burdened by it.]

Oh! No! Not at all!

[She rushes to defend herself, even though of course Jack would not suspect her of any fall back to darkness. But these days, she can barely express mild dissatisfaction without scaring the castle servants.]

We are quite pleased with our duties, we would not have our mark if we were not. We love creating the night! 'Tis simply...lonely, we suppose. All other ponies sleep in the night, even when they might be attending festivals.

[Wow, she didn't even mean to say that last part. Maybe she's still a little more bitter than she likes to admit.]

[Wow. She got defensive quick. Jack wondered about that.

He blinked and then glanced back at the moon that Luna had created.]

Yeah, I think I know something of what that's like. No one really recognizes the work I do either.

[He offers a smile though it's small.]

At least it sounds like your subjects believe in you and can interact with you...although I guess if they're asleep it's not very often.

[But it was still more than he was used to.]

No one placed them - most of them are other worlds. We're seeing the light of their hearts, shining to let the other worlds know they're not alone.

[It's always been a comforting thought to him. And yes, not all of them are worlds, but a great many are - even with some sort of barrier preventing him from traveling between them as he has in the past, the sight itself is still comforting.]

Is that so?

[Her ears prick, and she looks at them with a newfound interest.] We arranged the stars in Equestria's sky. They are just stars.

Hast thou been to many different worlds?

Not all of them, but some, yeah. [Unfortunately, at this distance he can't tell which world is which, or even which are worlds and which are stars. But still, it's a nice thought that the friends he made throughout his journey are out there somewhere, maybe looking down on this world, too.] Let's see - I've been to the Dwarf Woodlands, the Castle of Dreams, Enchanted Dominion, Radiant Garden, Disney Town, 626's spaceship, the Coliseum, Neverland, and the Graveyard. And there was one world I was on briefly, a bunch of islands, but I never learned that one's name.

...And Land of Departure. [Home.]

This is so. We have been trying to get out more...modern ponies are somewhat less fearful of the dark.

[She supposes she probably does still have it better than him. She shouldn't sulk so.]

It makes sense. Humans have become the same way. There are some cities back home that have something happening all hours of the night.

[He'd certainly had fun a few times in places like New York City or Tokyo. So much to see and even if no one else saw him there was stuff he could do.]

'Tis still a great many more than we hath seen. We do not believe such places are generally accessible from Equestria. Were they hospitable to thee?

Ah, dost thou have the same, ah... [She gestures vaguely with her forehooves.] ...little light machines? With the bulbs?

[Snort. Wow and he thought the other Guardians were bad about staying with the times. Granted, he wasn't aware of Luna's "circumstances"] You mean lightbulbs? Yeah, they have those.

Most of them were. There's a thing, though, one of the precepts - the worlds aren't supposed to know other worlds exist. So whenever we go somewhere, we have to try and be quiet about it, and try to fit in. I didn't do so well at it sometimes, but since a lot of worlds don't even know the other worlds exist, most people just assume you're from a part of their world that they've never seen.

But I made a lot of friends out there - I hope I get to see them again someday.

Ah. They...are interesting, to be sure. We appreciate that they allow ponies to feel more comfortable in the dark, but 'tis very difficult to see the stars in some of the larger cities now. We have been making them shine somewhat brighter of late, but there is only so much one can do.

Hmm. Suppose you're right there. But it's pretty easy to fly out of the cities and get out to the country and see the stars when you want.

[He glanced up.]

The stars shine pretty brightly here though. Usually in a city this big you wouldn't be able to see the stars like this.

We have spent little time in modern cities other than Canterlot. Even there, we most frequently ascend to the mountain's peak at night, when we are not holding court. The skies are much clearer there. [She glances over at him.] But we suppose thou must be familiar with many such places. 'Twould be covered in snow year-round if nature had its way.

Perhaps thou shalt! Traverse Town seems to respect worldly boundaries little.

Hmm. Maybe you should try to get out more then. Mountain tops and castles are nice and all but it's way more fun actually being around people.

[You can forget that people don't see you and pretend like you have friends. At least, that was why he did it. He didn't LIKE being alone.]

And actually I hang out around a lake more often than mountains. It's...home.

[He smiles. He hadn't realized until recently that the place he had called home as Jack Frost was also his home as a human.]

But you're right. I've been to plenty of mountain tops.

[He nods at that, because boy is it true.] Yeah - there's some people here that I saw in Radiant Garden, but it looks like they're from a lot later, time-wise, than I am.

We met some new ponies just before we came here! 'Twas one of our first public appearances since - ah, in some time.

[Awwwwwkward pawing at snow. She's pretty proud of her success in Ponyville, but she hadn't meant to say that.] We went to the town where the new bearers of the Elements of Harmony live. 'Twas something of a trying night, but we suppose it ended well.

Yes, we had heard that was occurring. 'Tis somewhat troubling...

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Third Night: The Longest Night

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