In the magical kingdom of Equestria, in the royal capital city of Canterlot, in the innermost room of the West tower in the royal castle, a tall wisteria-colored mare paced back and forth.

Princess Luna, Bringer of the Night and co-ruler of Equestria, aimlessly trotted from one end of her extravagant bedchamber to the other. She couldn't really help it, it was something she did automatically – a nervous habit – when she was indecisive. And indecisive she was, for the night-loving Alicorn was trying to figure out if it would be a bad idea to go outside.

It had been a thousand and one years since she and her older sister, Celestia, had ruled Ancient Equestria together before her 'outburst'. It had been a thousand and one years since Celestia had begged her to see reason. It had been a thousand years since her sister had given up hope and banished her to the moon. It had been a year since she had escaped, and terrorized the nation as Nightmare Moon before being defeated and, marvelously, Celestia had forgiven her. And it had been seven months since she had left the safety of the castle.

Luna paused and looked out the window. From her high spot she could see far below the mountainside city, and in the distance she could just barely make out the bright, colorful town of Ponyville. Seven months ago she had gone there to reconcile with the townsponies, and had met with limited success due to her going on the town's most frightening holiday. Although the children seemed to enjoy being frightened, it was not an image she wanted to have. Her older sister was revered, loved, and respected. She hoped to at least be acknowledged.

Luna made her decision and opened her door. On either side of it in the hallway were two Lunar Guards. Their fur was indigo; their wings were painted to resemble those of bats. Her guards respected her, but didn't seem to look up to her at all. She decided to change that.

She cleared her throat. "Aghem, excuse me, Smog and Eclipse. I trust you are… having a nice morning?" She abstained from using her royal Voice as she normally would have done. The two dark stallions simply gave her blank looks, which weren't bad, exactly. Feeling a little more confident, she ventured, "If there's anything you need… um, feel free to talk to me. That's what I'm here for… anyway." She put on her biggest smile and began trotting down the hallway, unaware of the utterly confused faces of her guards.

On the way towards the center of the palace, she met some Solar Guards. Their white-furred heads were held high, and their golden armor gleamed. Luna nodded to them and said hello, but they went on as if they did not hear her. It was something she was used to; she never told her sister for fear of further rejection. Cold shoulders were better than out-and-out hostility any day. Still feeling a little offput, she continued to the front of the castle, the gargantuan staircase that overlooked the city.

Her sister was there, chatting away with a Guard. Luna trotted over to the two of them. The guard, who was giving Celestia some kind of report, saw her and put his ears back. When she pulled up alongside the older mare he simply nodded a good-bye and left. Deciding against pointing out the rude stallion to Celestia, Luna said instead "Good morning, my sister. Lovely day, hmm?"

"Indeed it is, Luna," Celestia replied. The pair was silent for a moment as Luna thought.

Finally she spoke again. "Celestia? Sister, how long has it been since your student last visited?"

"Twilight Sparkle?" Celestia thought a moment. "Not since her brother's wedding, about three months. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Luna said. "I was considering paying her and her village a visit."

"They are called towns now, Luna. And that sounds wonderful! Perhaps I will join you."

"No!" Luna's outburst startled Celestia, but she wanted to make a good impression on her own. "You stay. They, uh… need you here." Ignoring her sister's rebuttal, Luna turned and went back inside to get ready for her second visit to Ponyville.

She wished to not flaunt her power or her prowess over the night as before. She tied a simple gray jacket around her neck, making sure to adjust for her rather broad wingspan, and summoned Smog and another Lunar Guard to fly her to her destination. She considered flying there herself, but while she wished not to appear haughty, there were some nice perks to being royalty. And this was a jacket she didn't like to fly in anyway.

Nevertheless, she insisted on landing in the outskirts of the town. Calmly and nonchalantly, she began wandering the streets of Ponyville, the two Guards flanking her as was custom for safety purposes. It was a truly nice day, and the streets were filled with small-town ponies going about their business. Luna enjoyed seeing the town on a normal day, but she was bothered. All the polite nods, all the cheery hellos, all the warm smiles she gave to the ponies she passed were blatantly ignored, or worse, met with a cold stare Luna could only describe as contempt. The children who remembered her from Nightmare Night looked in awe, and some even waved or smiled, but their parents were quick to scold them and pull them to the other side of the street. A path opened up as ponies from all sides made every attempt to avoid her. Luna was shocked at such a display in a town her sister had painted as the sweetest place this side of the San Palomino desert, and was not quick to even believe it was happening.

She stepped out of the middle of the street and over to a stand where a gruff-looking pony was selling various fruits. She was content to stand at the back of the line, but said line scattered the minute she approached.

"Hello, sir. I would like a-" the princess began, but was interrupted by the stand's owner throwing his wares into a cooler.

"Closed for lunch," he muttered before shoving out the back and trotting off.

Luna had half a mind to send her guards after that rude stallion, or perhaps going after him herself. She then remembered her wish to be liked, and decided murdering a pony for refusing her fruit would not help. When she turned to go somewhere else, a ten-foot circle spanned around her as if she were in a force field. Beginning to feel embarrassed and ashamed, she turned to her Guards and told them to wait for her at the carriage. They protested, but she thought maybe if she went alone, she would be less feared.

It didn't help. Townsponies were less likely to notice her, but when they did, the crowd parted just as before. Luna was beginning to feel angry—not to mention hungry. The thought of a piece of fruit a minute earlier had reminded her that she had not had lunch yet. The ride to Ponyville had been a long one, and with the remaining events transpiring it was nearly three in the afternoon.

She looked around. The princess was in luck—there was a bakery café across the street called Sugar Cube Corner. She stepped across the road (all traffic instantly stopped) and inside the cute little building.

The interior of the shop was similar to the exterior in that it was cute and sugary-looking. Several ponies were in a line at the counter, and several others were at various tables, being waited on by a blue and yellow couple. She went in and sat down at one of the smaller tables—and the entire shop fell silent.

For a moment the store's patrons stared at the violet mare. The moment passed, and suddenly the store was aflutter. Customers rushed out, muttering to themselves and shooting Luna frightened or angry looks. The line disappeared and the tables emptied. One haggard old unicorn grabbed the filly in the high chair next to her and left without paying. Others scooted themselves to the wall farthest from the princess to pay and rush out. In the midst of the flurry, the yellow mare with the pink mane approached her gingerly.

"… Um, hello dear. I couldn't help but notice… I mean, it came to my attention… er, you appear to be scaring off our customers, dear. I don't suppose you might… leave and choose another place to have lunch?" She tried to smile.

Luna became frustrated. "You would ask me to leave? Do you not know who I am? I am your princess, Luna!"

The mare's attempted smile became a steely gaze. She leaned down close to Luna's face and said quietly,

"With all due respect, Luna…

Celestia is our princess."