Luna stretched lethargically upon the cast iron bench in her corner of the Royal gardens. Reading from the most recent edition of her favourite scientific journal and enjoying her night off by just being generally lazy while admiring the accomplishments of her little ponies. Her sitting place surrounded by Nightshade, Moon Lilies and other flowers that appeared their best in the darkened hours of their world, radiating off reflected moon light in an array of mellow blues and purples or tinted whites. The atmosphere made her quite comfortable in the cool night air.
However this odd variety of plants, either sitting contently within flower beds or crawling over the ornamentation included a few less then natural constructs of Luna's recent botanical experiment, ripe with bio-luminescent fruit, berries, petals or flowers brought into the world through the blend of magical and chemical manipulation by the name of alchemy to which her mind occasionally wandered.
And botany wasn't the only subject Luna was making headway in of course. When investigating Equestria's infrastructure a short while after her return she had found a number of new technologies were being under developed, particularly steam engines and the rail network. Despite Luna's initial reservations over the loud, dirty and potentially dangerous machines they had grown on her due to their potential. Luna was a dreamer by nature after all and she knew of many who dreamed of the wonders this technology could bring them indirectly when she stumbled into said dreams herself.
As such, Luna's endorsement of steam technology had bought in unexpected advancements in the form of new machines such as steam shovels that helped clear the way for new tracks to be laid and increasing efficiency in quarries. Luna was finally beginning to think Ponies were starting to live up to some old friends of hers; long gone friends. They had set some prolific achievements to live up to, even if they had disappeared in the minds of ponies. They were little more than distant folk law in this modern age with a tarnished reputation due to past misunderstandings by her sister and a few ill kept secrets on her own part.
Still, with her ambition to live up to them her botanical and alchemical experiments were just one subject in a long line of scientific intrigues spurred on by her supply of funding out of her considerable stipend, which was itself incited by her passionate side emerging once more much to the simultaneous joy and despair of her sister. Luna found a smile creep up on her when recalling her most recent experimentation with trying to stably solidify nitro-glycerine, a chemical severely underexploited due to its explosively unstable nature. The ingenious invention of a one legged stool by the lead pony on the project was an interesting spin off.
A sharp tune pierced the air shattered her musings, swiftly teraring away her thoughts and bringing her attention to the perpetrator disrupting her at-night day-dreaming activities.
Knowing the source all too well Luna let slip a sigh before turning her attention to the source; one enthusiastic head grounds keeper Mr Hayseed. It wasn't that she hated the stallion or even thought ill of him but-
Another shrill whistle cut through the air.
But he could be irritatingly absent minded at times, to the point of completely ignoring the moods and personal comfort zones of other ponies. This was further emphasised by the fact it took him almost a whole minute to realise her presence.
"Oh, Princess Luna!" he called out in a tone of surprise. A quick courteous bow was administered soon after. "Fancy meeting you here at this time o' night…"
Luna rolled her eyes behind the privacy of her journal. "Indeed, as I regularly am upon this night of the week."
The aging stallion lifted a hoof to his chin in thought. "Huh, that's odd; I usually do m' rounds of the nocturnal section of the gardens on Wednesday nights. What a coincidence," he exclaimed with his twangy country accent ringing on like an out of tune guitar. It was a most alien accent for someone who dwelled in Canterlot.
"Indeed, perhaps we should rearrange our schedules so as not to get in each other's way so frequently," Luna suggested, while keeping her irritation in close check.
Luna was slightly taken aback by the look of shock that crossed his face. "Oh my, Princess please forgive me,"
Despite knowing she should hold better mannerisms Luna couldn't help the smile that was beginning to creep up on her at the fact that the deranged gardener was finally catching on.
"I never meant t' imply y'er presents here was impedin' my work! Even if you were it would never be no inconvenience, please don't ever feel the need t' accommodate fer my meagre duties my Princess," his genuinely dismayed response continued.
It took a great deal of Luna's mental fortitude not to face hoof at the shear ignorance displayed by Mr Hayseed. Instead she put on a smile and tried to take advantage of the comment, "Please, thy work is important. 'Tis your duty to uphold the appearance and dignity of our diarchy and our estate. It would be counterproductive to my own interests to interfere with thy duties."
"Nay princess, it's y'er time t' rest an' relax. I'll be havin' no hoof in interferin' in that. You need a clear head t' rule more than a pretty garden," he announce almost gleefully.
Once again Luna felt herself befuddled, this time by the gardener's words of ignorant and hypocritical wisdom. She did her best to maintain a friendly appearance. He was just far too polite and modest to openly chastise, not to mention irrefutably loyal despite his lowly position. The guard reports of him beating off changelings using mere gardening equipment at a frightening efficiency came to mind.
Still, she began to wonder if she were going about the gardener the wrong way. He was an experienced and evidently competent fellow despite certain short fallings. Perhaps he had something to offer within that area of experience.
"I suppose, let us move towards pleasant conversation. I seek your opinion on my recent creations. Would you care to shear in a professional capacity?" she inquired with a touch of eagerness.
Mr Hayseed looked a little caught off guard by the sudden change of topic but did not hesitate long in his reply. "Oh, well… them plants sure are pretty, if a bit impractical. The tricky bit was all them funny fertilisers they needed. The pests weren't goin' t' last at all though."
"I beg your pardon, to what pests do you refer?" she queried with speculative confusion.
"Just them kooky slugs an' snails of yer's yer majesty. Thought them rather pretty myself until yer sister pointed out they'd be mighty easy fer hedgehogs to spot, though I made a point of tellin' her hedge hogs hunt with their noses not their eyes," he explained candidly.
A subtle tic came to Luna's eye in that moment. "And pray tell, how exactly did my sister prove her point?" she asked. Even Mr Hayseed couldn't miss the poisonous accusation behind the question.
He grew stiff as he realised his position in lines of sight of a now seething Princess. A Princess who single hoofidly slung the moon around like a swing ball on a daily basis.
He gulped. "Well yer majesty, like I said I didn't exactly believe her and she may have possibly ordered me to open the tank they were kept in… and I defiantly didn't lose fifty bits to her," Hayseed explained carefully.
Fortunately for him the Princess's ire was diverted to the balcony of a certain tower. Her experiments had naturally drawn up a lot of attention and not all of it positive. Still, this had worked to her advantage drawing attention to the potential dangers of her biological experimentation. The last thing she wanted was another menace comparable to para-sprites to pop into existence through miss conducted meddling. So of course anything new she came up with was sent through a rigorous string of tests to ensure no harmful side effects to their world's bio-sphere or even magic saturation, not to mention unanimous approval from her sister Celestia and at least five PhD level experts in the field of biology and ecological communities. The newly written laws regarding the mater were cumbersome and irritating but Luna agreed to their necessity.
However this instance of interference was far beyond necessary. A stream of pranks had gone back and forth between the two sisters near constantly since childhood squabbles but this was a step too far for Luna. Celestia was medalling in her personal passions now. Even if the point of the practicality of glow in the dark invertebrates was valid this was a trigger on Luna's rage.
In the depths of her scorn Luna began to mutter her thoughts aloud. "So, though was the one responsible for their eradication. Celestia, sister, I vow you shalt not rest easy for a long time to come for this slight against mine… hobbies."
Afterwards she paused in her seething for but a moment to contemplate whether or not this was too trivial for a feud. She decided it was very much worth it. She had been denied crucial evidence in her tests by this sabotage, not to mention the malicious destruction of her creations. It was fortunate that she still had many samples of the eggs of her precious gastropods. They would be instrumental in the continuation of her experiments… and revenge.
Luna did decide however, against branding hedgehogs as vermin and mandating their extermination throughout the realm. After all, they were merely pawns in her sister's vile plans, victims of her cruel manipulation. Besides, she couldn't stay mad at creatures so fundamentally adorable in their features.
Luna's manic internal plans for vengeance were not to last though, as she was interrupted by the swoop of webbed wings and heavy hoof falls, no doubt one of her guards being the origin. While looking for the source of the frantic trot she took note that Mr Hayseed had obviously sidled off while she was embroiled in though. She brushed the thought aside hastily and turned to the rather concerned Lunar guards pony approaching.
The young female noctral by the name and rank of Lieutenant Nighting Gale, one of her best, snapped off a quick salute. "Ma'am, one of the instruments in the outer tire of the royal vault has been behaving strangely."
Luna raised an eye brow. The monitoring room of the royal vault was filed with instruments to detect numerous miss happenings across Equestria and the rest of the world. Some were designed to detect severe or suspicious weather patterns beyond their borders, others to warn of dark magics within their land, there were seven entirely dedicated to detecting and locating Discord and many more, each increasingly obscure and useful in their purposes. As such it was concerning to hear of their activity from the guards watching over them.
"Well then, we had best not tarry, Lieutenant Gale. Lead the way." Dog marking the journal, a habit she only dare extend to such temporary documents, she rose and began to walk back to the palace. As they began to trot through the gently lit hallways Luna casually continued her queries. "So, what threatens our most bountiful nation tonight? I do hope 'tis not necromancers again, they always seem to think We will be on their side, honestly the arrogance! Not to mention the disrespect of associating mine self with such gruesome activities."
Luna had picked up a habit of personally leading her night guard to counter the odd significant threat that arose every now and then. Her dear sister may have outdone her at every turn in the domain of public relations and diplomacy but Luna had her own talents in the realm of 'aggressive negotiations'.
Nighting Gale looked a little nervous. "We don't know your Majesty, the only instructions attached is that we were to inform you or your sister should it show activity."
A light frown graced Luna's features. If its function was unspecified that meant that meant whatever the disturbance was, it was serious enough not to be within immediate public knowledge. "Then pray-tell, which one was it? Even if its purpose was not on display surly the name is listed somewhere."
"The name was in Ancient Equestrian Ma'am, I'm a little rusty so all I could make out was the first couple of words saying something about slippery room," she replied bashfully.
Luna frowned as she tried to remember which instrument Nighting was referring to, muttering as she did, "Slippery room, slippery room, slippery… space. Slip Space. Tell me! This device, did it compose of a copper frame of a globe with a blue crystal held within its centre?!" Luna questioned almost franticly so.
Nighting recoiled at the abrupt questioning and it took a rather tense second longer than usual for the words to sink in. "I, uh… Yes, Princess. The crystal was glowing and sending out beams of light towards the north-west sky."
Princess Luna's eye's went wide and glassed over for a moment before turning and tearing down the corridor and half flying to the instrumentation room, a panicked Nighting Gale following closely in her wake.
Luna promptly arrived at the antechamber to the vault, successfully startling the guards still monitoring the devices as she rushed in. The instrument in question's crystal was still glowing indicating its recent activation. Carefully she adjusted a couple of dials on its base of the hybrid clockwork magic device and several beams of light appeared pointing up toward the north-west just as Nighting Gale had described.
This was news. Whether it was for good or ill was still to be determined but Luna could not help but remember her stray thoughts earlier. "Coincidence? I think not! An Alicorns intuition seems to say old friends are returning once more! I hope they are not angry for the fate of their brethren… or put in danger by mine sister's overreaction," she whispered both excitedly and worriedly to herself.
Just then a panting Nighting Gale burst into the room. "Y-Your Majesty, is everything all right?"
Luna's ponderous smile lit up her face. It was fairly well known around the palace that it was an expression that meant trouble. It was frequently seen before such incidents as the time she let her pet Python romp through the pantry to get rid of a mouse infestation. The chefs were grateful but the monstrous snake still scared many of the staff half to death.
"We are facing the most jubilant of troubling news my dear Lieutenant! Come quickly, we must inform mine sister!" she announced before swiftly exiting and beginning to race down the corridors of the palace again.
One of the corporals present, a solar guard in navy blue night watch armour, decided to pass her a 'complement'. "All in a nights work, eah Lieutenant?" He smirked for but a second.
The resulting death glare wasn't the worst one could imagine but with draconic yellow eyes backed up by a set of razor sharp fangs it was damned close.
Nighting Gale swiftly made off around the corner muttering about what she would do if they were in the same chain of command. As a part of the Lunar Guard the most she could do is file a formal complaint and doing so for something so little as a stray comment wouldn't reflect well on her character.
Nighting Gale sighed and resigned herself to the fact she would probably be running back and forth around the castle all night. Again. The things she would do in the name of their beloved mistress of the night. Stealing a glance at her own flank where a plat of deep purple armour covered a cutie-mark consisting of a swirling eddy like pattern of stars, and she couldn't help but smile, just a little bit…
All in a nights work indeed.