Not even a sign of a smile.  Not a lip twitch, not a curl, nothing.  Luna sighs inwardly.  Clearly just her presence is making him uncomfortable.  As another tap coming from her escort confirms, she doesn't have more time to rectify that, either.  Royal duties and all that.  Ah, well.  It is the way it is.  She recomposes herself, standing straighter and donning an expression more dignified.  "Very well, Woodwind.  Thy princess bids thee well, and expresses her pleasure at having met thee.  May sweet moonbeams watch when ye depart and guide thee safely to thy home.  A blessed knight to all of thee.  Gleam.  Guard," she bids to them with nods before striding regally from the room, head held high.  She considers tacking on an apology, but...what exactly for?  The pair of guards at the door turn and soundlessly follow her as she crosses the threshold.

"Please, sirs, keep thy tones civil.  What impression would ye leave on this budding stargazer?  Nopony has questioned the validity of his find, sir guard, certainly not based upon his lack of formal higher education.  Why, if anything, it just makes his discovery more impressive.  Though, while we're on the subject," Luna says, smiling gently down to the pegasus, "All thy learning came from books?  On th-"

She's doing it again.  She's trying to put him at his ease, not formalize everything.  Talk like a young pony would.  Right.  "On your," she continues, stretching out the word to try to convince herself that it's what should go there.  It still sounds so different..."own initiative?  Hast- Have you considered any institutions of higher learning?"

"Nay, Gleam," Luna responds, making a minute adjustment to the settings on the telescope.  "Or not within the time since we were previously here.  We mer- I merely held an intention to make note of something and held it within my memory for the extent of the weekly hearing," she motions to the book, quill still set against the page in anticipation or irritation, one of the two, "only to have it flee our mind the instant we put our pen to the page.  It doth make us wonder if-"  She stops speaking and a slow smile replaces her defeated scowl as she adjust the eyepiece again.  "Of course, 'twas that!  How could that pass our mind?"  The pen moves furiously against the page for a couple of seconds before a heavily bookmarked book rises from a nearby desk and flips open.  She peers at it, then into the lens again before the pen makes a few more marks.

"Equestria is in for a treat," she says, walking from the stargazing instrument over to the desk, shuffling papers and reorganizing.  "In a week's time, a beautiful meteor shower shall grace the skies.  There will be some rather large ones, though none we believe to threaten an impact, merely of sufficient size to grant us a marvelous show.  And," Luna continues, turning towards the other three, "we he- I hear a young astronomy enthusiast has discovered a new asteroid."  Didn't she tell him to be at ease?  Maybe he mistook her meaning earlier.  "Please, child, do not fear thy prin- your princess."  Ugh, this newfangled way of speaking trips her up every time.  How long would it take for her to learn it?  "'Twould please us t- me to see your discovery, if I may."

Example post part 2:

Luna's horn ceases glowing and her eyes open.  She's in a cushioned chair on a balcony overlooking the castle and the city.  It's quite chilly, but she wears no more protection against the cold than her batpony guards flanking the door.  One of them steps forward when she returns from her dreamwalking, bowing low respectfully.  "Your highness, another fifteen minutes before your nightly court opens, as you requested.  You have a short list of disputes to mediate tonight, and a long list of missives from various nobles and officials around the city, and a few from around Equestria."

"Yes, thank you, Varius.  You may return to your post."
"Of course, your highness."  He bows again, then backs to his position on the other side of the door while Luna sighs.  Yet another night of listening to pointless squabbles, most of them asked to be deferred until Luna's shift as some kind of maneuver for favor.  She never really did get the hang of the dance that was politics, and frankly she couldn't see how Tia stood all the insufferable self-important nobles and their silly games.  Some nights she wished she could just send them all to the dungeon for a day or so to stew.  But Tia wouldn't approve.  As bearer of a crown, she has a responsibility to her subjects to serve them.

Speaking of that responsibility, the dream she's been watching for hasn't begun yet.  She's been carefully guiding a certain pony's dreams to help him recover from a traumatic experience, and it was at a crucial point.  If she didn't come to help tonight, there's no telling how much progress he could lose.  But he's not asleep yet, not yet ready for her assistance.  It worries her.  Would he sleep in time?  No.  She would stay calm.  Her horn glows once more and she dives into the realm of dreams again, this time finding a filly struggling to come to terms with her father's drinking problem.  It shouldn't take too long...


Twelve minutes later, she emerges from the dream of the filly.  That took longer than she expected.  Most dreams' turning points happened fairly quickly even amid the chaos of the subconscious, but this one had repeated the dream twice after it had been resolved without a real improvement made.  She sighs wearily as her horn's glow fades again, receiving the report that she has three minutes until she's scheduled to open court.  "Right.  Very well...Wouldst one of thee get me a drink before we begin?  We feel a trifle parched..."
"Of course, your highness," Varius says with a bow before heading off into the recesses of the castle while Luna stands and begins heading back to the door, giving one more sweep for the dream.

There.  The colt is in the throes of his nightmares, at a turning point.  Blast.  Why couldn't he have fallen asleep earlier?  Now she'd...she couldn't.  In fact, he's close.  Quite close.  Usually the dreams give her only the vaguest sense of the dreamers' location, but it was quite clear this time.  Closer than usual.  What is he doing so close to the castle?  She walks to the edge of the balcony and spreads her wings.
"Wait, highness!" calls Varius's partner from behind her, still bowing in deference.  "Your court is scheduled in two minutes.  What should we say?"
Well, at least it was a question of what to say rather than an admonishment not to leave.  "Tell them-" that they can bite my flank, she bites back.  "...that their princess will be joining them shortly and she apologizes for the necessary delay."  Yes, quite diplomatic, she thinks.  Should tide those hoity-toity nobles over for a few minutes.  But right now, there's a colt outside of his home that needs support and returning.  She takes off from the balcony.  One of her subjects needs her.

Name: Luna

Race: Alicorn

Gender: Mare

Age: *Muffled*

Special Talent: Control over the moon.

Strengths: One of the most powerful ponies alive, Luna has had much longer than most ponies to practice and refine her magical skills, though her sister is her superior in most magical respects.  She does have her own specialized skillset, though, including dreamwalking and an extent of shapeshifting magic.

Weaknesses: Luna is a very emotional pony, and sometimes lets this override her better judgement.  Her self-control has gotten her into trouble in the past, most particularly when she gave into her inner darkness and became Nightmare Moon.
Being absent from Equestria and its culture for a thousand years, she is also somewhat...out of touch with society in general.  This is most evident in her speech mannerisms, often reverting to an older dialect with lots of thees, thous, and whatnot.  There are also customs she's not accustomed to and some that she is that no longer hold sway.

Bio: Luna grew up looking up to her beloved sister Tia, convinced that she wanted to be just like her.  They were closer than most ponies in part due to their much longer than normal lifespans that meant they had just about only each other to be lifelong friends while most others would leave them, two ageless beings surrounded by ponies and other beings who would be kept behind by the hands of time.
This changed when they overthrew Discord and gained the throne of Equestria.  There could only be one Sun Princess, and while Luna gladly conceded the title to her beloved sister her attitude changed over time as the citizens of the land failed to appreciate her beautiful night as they did Celestia's day.  She had earned her place on the throne with her sister but received none of the same adoration and praise that Celestia did.  For the first time in her life she felt jealousy, and a rift began that grew over time until Luna one morning refused to lower the moon to make way for the day, becoming Nightmare Moon.  Celestia, as much as it pained her to do so, was forced to banish Luna to the moon for a thousand years using the Elements of Harmony, where she waited, her heart set on vengeance, for her time to have her eternal night.  And though she did miss her older sister, she was also blinded with rage.

After being reverted to her regular form by the same but different Elements of Harmony Celestia had used to banish her, she expected a terrible retribution from her older sister who she'd wronged, but to her surprise was offered her former throne and Celestia's continued love, the one thing she should have realized she should have wanted all along.  She gladly accepted and resumed her joint rule with Celestia.  Her reintroduction into society has been...a bit rocky at points, but with her sister's love and guidance she has been learning the strange new ways of ponies of this day and age, earning her place among them.

Extra Details:
Though their rule is a joint rule, it's quite clear who holds the greatest authority.  Luna tends to defer to her sister's greater experience and better judgement on most matters.
Luna has a more hooves-on approach to ruling, wishing to be a part of things rather than just sitting back and directing from behind the scenes.



Currently working on an example post.