It was a long night for Twilight Sparkle. They had made it to the train with only minutes to spare, though luckily there was still a car available just for them, allowing them to rest in peace. Or so she thought. Instead, she spent the entire night tossing and turning. She sighed, looking out of the train window next to her, looking out at the night sky rushing above. She idly tried to invent some new constellations, since that often helped her sleep when she slept outside in the summer. It was already late autumn, the Running of the Leaves having occurred several weeks ago in preparation for winter.
Let’s see, new constellations... Wait, let’s try something new. How about... making my friends cutie marks? Sure, that sounds like fun, Twilight mused to herself, staring at the stars with half lidded eyes.
Okay, challenge accepted! Who can I find first? Aha! There’s a butterfly to the east... I guess that could count as an apple to the north-east. Oh, there’s a lightning bolt for Dash! That just leaves Rarity and Pinkie Pie.
Twilight’s eyelids slowly fell further and further as she tried to find her last two friends cutie marks, but dreamland slowly stole the mare away from reality, allowing her body to finally rest.
.o.O.o.
When the train arrived in Canterlot, Twilight was forced into the realm of the living by her friends, who forced her out of the car before the train could make a return trip. She stumbled a bit as she exited, a small pebble bouncing along the sidewalk just outside of the train station. Worried, the rest of the elements waited for Twilight to catch up, surrounding her for support. “Twi, there something wrong, sugarcube? Didn’t sleep well?”
“Yeah, I-” Twilight interrupted herself with a tired yawn, attempting to hide it behind a hoof, but failing. “I had the strangest dream last night, but I can’t remember it. I remember seeing all of your cutie marks, but-”
“Gee, that’s kind of funny you should say that, Twilight, cause that’s what I dreamed about too!” Pinkie giggled, trying to share her energy with the purple unicorn. “And then my cutie mark was all like ‘this is super important and stuffs, so I’m gonna talk really slow so that you will remember this, so listen carefully,’ and I was all like ‘Gee, this is kinda boring! Why is it talking so slowly? It should totally talk faster because the faster you talk the more you can say to other ponies and get to know them better because that’s the best part about talking to getting to know other ponies!’ And then I was so excited about meeting the pony that was speaking, but then I realized that it was still talking, so I listened again, and it was all ‘the end of peace and harmony as you now know it will soon be over if you do not tell them what I have said’ and I was like ‘Wait, what? Hey, what’s your name? My name’s Pinkie Pie! Wanna be friends?’ but then it woke up!”
Pinkie huffed in annoyance as everypony looked at her. She glanced around, then asked, “What? It’s true!” After a moment, comprehension dawned on her face. “Oh, the message! Right! Lemme think for a sec.”
“But, Pinkie dear, you were talking the entire time it was speaking,” Rarity protested. “How could you possibly remember what it was saying if you-”
“Everything that has a beginning, has an end, Laughter,” Pinkie said somberly, her hair becoming strangely straighter for a moment.
Twilight felt a slight throb in her head, the beginnings of a headache, but she pushed it aside. She waited for Pinkie to continue, until she realized that there wasn’t anything else. “That’s it? Well gee, that’s annoyingly cryptic! And was it calling you laughter, or was it saying that laughter has a beginning and an end?”
“T-the nightmare,” Fluttershy whimpered, ducking behind Rarity. “T-that sounded just like my nightmare...”
“What?” Twilight then turned to Fluttershy, the group forced to stop walking as Fluttershy cowered behind Rarity.
“I-I... I forgot about it once I woke up, but I had a really bad nightmare. N-Nightmare Moon was chasing me, and she was making fun of me, saying that kindness n-never got you ahead in life, and that she was going to come back to show me... I-it was really, really scary,” she squeaked, barely audible.
“Okay... That... is an interesting coincidence,” Twilight laughed nervously, trying to ease the tension. “I mean, everypony is bound to have crazy dreams like that every once in awhile, right?”
Applejack nodded her agreement. “Ain’t that the truth! Ah mean, ah dreamed that ma pappy was lecturin me again for lyin about what happened to ‘is hat! Ah mean, ah didn’t even remember that having happened until ah woke up! Ah think that was actually the first time ah had lied about anything, too. But then he said somethin ah don’t ever remember hearin... Somethin about... work not bein’ complete, and he wanted me ta do it, but ah don’t remember what it was he said...”
“I guess that ‘when it rains, it pours’, so to speak, when it comes to strange dreams,” Rarity mused.
“W-what?” Twilight asked slowly, struggling to fight off the strange sensation she was feeling grow in the pit of her stomach.
“Indeed,” Rarity nodded, frowning. “I was making a dress-”
“Like that’s a surprise,” Rainbow Dash snorted, earning her one hoof bump from Applejack, and a glare from Rarity, who had been interrupted.
“As I was saying,” Rarity continued, doing her best to ignore Rainbow Dash. “I was creating a dress. Nothing out of the ordinary, yes? It was bold, daring, and one of the best pieces I had ever created! When I turned around, however, I was confronted by this horrid, hideous shadow-like thing! It had the nerve to laugh at me, saying I had wasted my chance to become popular by being generous! Needless to say, I merely laughed at it, and it started to disappear, but as it did so, I woke in a cold sweat with a start, the words seeming to taunt me from the shadows, as if I were still dreaming, and not awake. It said, ‘Happy endings may be nice, but evil lasts forever! Don’t waste your time fighting the inevitable, foal!’ It... still makes me nauseous just thinking about it,” Rarity shuddered, looking away.
I-it’s nothing. It’s just coincidence... right? There’s no way that-
“Hey, that kinda sounds like my dream,” Rainbow Dash said shakily, before adding swiftly, “not that I was scared! Heck no! It started off great, you know? I was a filly again, and I was flying for the first time, but I was as fast as I am now! Well then this black thing was trying to chase me, so I started to fly faster, do barrel rolls, you know, try to get rid of it in general. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t shake it! Once it got close, it grabbed me, sneering ‘You can’t run from your problems forever, little pegasus! Unless you face it head on and kill it, it will always come back!’ At that point, it just let go of me, and then I woke up. It was a little freaky, yeah, but it’s not like... Hey, Twilight, are you alright? You look like you’re gonna-”
Twilight heard no more as she blacked out, falling unconscious to the ground as her friends rushed to her side, calling her name.
.o.O.o.
Darkness... At first Moonstone was simply unconscious, but as the night wore on, he slowly began to dream, if it could be called that. Moonstone, a strange voice declared, the voice echoing all around him.
“What? Who’s there?! Show yourself!”
No, I don’t think so, the voice replied smugly. I don’t think that would be in my best interest. Besides, you’re in for a, shall we say, busy night? Have fun! the voice faded, insane laughter fading behind it.
Moonstone tried to take a step forward, but was immediately trapped by dark purple sludge on his hooves. Moonstone tried to pull it off with his natual strength, and then with his magic, but to no effect. It slowly grew, enveloping the stallion until there was nothing left.
Silence... Moonstone opened his eyes, but was, again, all alone on the strange black plane. He turned around, looking, hoping to see another pony, but there was nothing. “Hello?”
There was no respone, not even an echo of his question. He took a step forward into the darkness, but paused. Huh? But... Why wasn’t there a sound?
He took another step, but again heard nothing. Worried, he started trotting forward, but his hooves made not a noise. Panicking, he started galloping, but not even the pounding of his hooves could be registered, the heavy panting of his breath not reaching his ears. He slowed to a canter, then a trot, before finally stopping, trying not to panic. It-it’s okay... This is clearly just a dream. I have nothing to worry about...
“Hello, Moonstone,” a feminine voice came from the side, greeting him smoothly.
Moonstone whirled around, wanting to keep an eye on the new, strange pony. She seemed to be both formless and beautiful at the same time, though there was something about her presence... She was sitting, but everything about her, from her face, to her posture, to her tone, all conveyed her superiority over all other ponies, yet her voice still seemed to drip with honey nevertheless. “I’ve been waiting quite a long time for you, you know...”
“Who are you?! What is your name, and how do you know mine?” Moonstone demanded, taking a defensive posture.
“My my, so eager to fight, are we? I... have been called many things, but I suppose I shall allow you to know me simply as Night. As to who you are, why, that’s simple,” she laughed coyly, raising her foreleg to cover her laughing mouth. “I am you.”
“What? You are not me, you’re a mare!” Moonstone protested, backing away, but not daring to look from the mare. She was pure black in the coat, her mane and tail blood red, and her eyes were eerily white.
“Thank you for noticing,” she simpered with fake modesty. “I suppose, rather, that I am like you. Lonely. Special. Strong. Intelligent. Resourceful... However, I am also, sadly, alone... At least, until I met you.”
“W-what?” Moonstone asked, his guard lowered ever so slightly. “What are you talking about? I’m not lonely! I have Galexia, and all of the new friends I’ve made!”
“Ahh yes, I forgot one of the things you are that I am not,” she continued, ignoring his outburst. “Naive. Find me, and I will tell you all there is you could ever want to know.”
“Oh yeah, like what?!” Moonstone retorted, his guard going back up.
“Like where your family is, first of all,” the mare said casually, her tail curling around her hooves like a cat.
“What!” Moonstone’s ears shot straight up in shock. The magic he had been starting to charge he allowed to dissipate. Regardless of whether or not she’s telling the truth, she knew enough to know that I’m looking for my family, and if she knows where they are, either she can lead me to them, or she’s holding them captive. Either way, keeping her talking would be in my best interests... “How do you-”
“It’s magic,” she replied simply, buffing a hoof on her chest fur. “I don’t have to explain anything to you... Though I suppose I might as well, if only a little bit. Your family is still alive. You have a younger sister, and despite everything her friends say, she still believes, like your mother, that you’re still alive.”
Moonstone sat in shock, his mind racing a million miles a second. Is... is it true? Can she really be telling the truth? How can I trust her? What if she’s jus-
Moonstone felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his back, causing him to collapse, but when he turned his head, there was no one there. The black mare surged to her hooves, her expression no longer idle, but hard, ready to fight. “Moonstone, on your guard! The Nightmare is trying to possess you! You must fight!”
Though a small, calculating part of his mind reminded him that this was ‘just’ a dream, the rest of his senses told him that the threat was very real. Closing his eyes, he focused his magic, trying to fight off the intruder, but not knowing where the attack was coming from, he had no idea how to fight it off...
.o.O.o.
Starlight had woken up in the early morning, feeling completely refreshed, but at a twinge from her still-broken wing, she contented herself with dozing, idly scooting slightly closer to Moonstone in the process. She twisted her head to the side, the weight on her back shifting as well. She heard a clicking sound, followed by her mother’s giggling. Groaning, Starlight mumbled, “Mum, what’re you doing? ‘M tryin t’ sleep...”
“Oh nothing, nothing at all, Star,” her mother said sweetly, leaning over the bed to peck her daughter in the snout. You’d better hope that he’s a gentlecolt, Star, or I swear I’m going to make him look and wish that he was born a mare...
All was peaceful in the room after that, but only for a few moments. As Luna walked into the room, the princess saw the two dozing ponies, gasping loudly. “W-what are th-”
Reacting instinctively, Serene Breeze shoved her hoof into Luna’s mouth, effectively silencing her as she hissed, “Shh, you’re going to wake them! You want to talk, you do your talking outside, Missy!”
There was silence for a moment as the two mares looked at each other in stunned silence. Luna was simply shocked that somepony had the audacity to tell her, the princess, to shush!
Serene, however, only just noticed who it was she told to be quiet, and felt the color slowly drain from her face. She swallowed hard, before continuing, “M-my daughter needs her rest, and I won’t let anypony disturb her needlessly! W-what can I help you with, Your Highness?”
Luna blinked, then narrowed her eyes, glaring down at the hoof in her mouth, which was quickly withdrawn. Luna then walked stiffly out of the room, Serene following behind. She closed the door behind her, and turned to face the princess, very nervous, when the dark indigo alicorn fell to her haunches, laughing uproariously. “Thou hast some amount of bravery, telling Us to be quiet! What is thy name?”
“S-Serene Breeze,” the pegasus replied meekly, her ears folded back on her head.
Luna noticed, and continued to giggle, mostly containing herself. “Thou shouldst not worry, Lady Breeze, We are not upset. We are most appreciative that thou carest so much for thine daughter and Moonstone, but...”
“B-but?” she asked hesitantly, nervously awaiting for the princess to continue.
“W-we were just... We were not expecting to see... A-are ponies today so open about their relationships? I-I mean I know...”
“What, their sleeping together?” Serene asked, confused. “They just fell asleep like that because of what happened last night. It’s not like they’re ‘sleeping together’. They’re just... sleeping together, you know? Didn’t you and Princess Celestia ever sleep together?”
“W-well, b-but that... it’s not... That is not the same thing!” Luna flustered, blushing heavily.
“But it is the same idea,” Serene continued, though she was blushing slightly as well. “I... won’t deny that I think they obviously like each other, but it might take some nudging on one or both sides to make anything happen.”
“Well, then it wouldst be best if we-”
“Mom?! T-there’s something wrong with Moonstone!” Starlight called out from behind the door, scrambling to get out of bed.
Serene and Luna rushed into the room to see Starlight backing into a corner, fear in her eyes as Moonstone had a miniature seizure attack on the bed. When Luna started to use her magic to restrain Moonstone, he snarled ferally, and everyone backed up in shock. His eyes were pitch-black, energy radiating through his entire body.
Luna narrowed her eyes, changing her spell. Moonstone tried to fight it off, his body still twitching as his horn glowed in response. Starlight, too worried to stand by any longer, rushed forward, throwing her body on top of Moonstone’s to help keep him from moving. She did her best to keep him from moving, but he was still larger and stronger than she was. Desperate, she looked to Luna, who grunted, “Surprise him... It might be enough to ruin his concentration.”
“Wah!” Serene Breeze shouted from behind Moonstone, but the only effect it has was starting her daughter, causing her to nearly lose her balance, before getting back on top of Moonstone.
“Get some water! Maybe that’ll work!” Starlight suggested quickly.
Serene grabbed a large pitcher of water from the nearby end-table, but it had no effect. Starlight continued to wrestle with Moonstone while Luna attempted her spell yet again. Starlight was just grateful that Moonstone was on his side, leaving him with less leverage than he would otherwise. She was constantly pushing forward, preventing him from getting right-side up, where he’d be able to get on all fours and run away. She looked to her mother and to Luna, but it was clear they were out of ideas. Starlight thought frantically for inspiration, but found nothing, save for a single idea...
Why do I get the feeling I’m going to regret this more than normal? Starlight took a deep breath, psyching herself, before leaning down, kissing Moonstone deeply.
Shock factor was what Starlight was aiming for, and by Luna that’s what she got. Her kiss not only stunned ‘Moonstone’, but also her mother and Princess Luna. Starlight did her best to ignore her surroundings, concentrating only on not freaking out, her eyes clamped shut. Okay, just stay calm. Luna will cast the spell any second now, and then I can stop kissing him. You had better be grateful! It's not like I'm kissing you because I like you or anything! You stupid, ignorant, infuriating, paranoid, quirky, handsome, kind, caring... Wait, what?
After several tense seconds, Luna was the first to finally recover, channeling the energy to her horn for the needed spell. Moonstone’s body radiated light for a moment, auras clashing briefly, before Luna finally won. Before Luna could even begin to give a rousing huzzah, however, another disaster struck.
Now, over the years, many rules and laws have been established. One such law was Maregan’s Law, which stated that if anything could go wrong, it would. However, it was a pony named Marephy who expanded upon that law, stating that if anything could go wrong, it would, at the worst time. However, due to recent, and upcoming, events, Starlight was ready to go to whoever it was that made these laws well-known to present her findings upon a variation of Marephy’s Law, which she was going to call The Parent Law. If your parents can show up to humiliate you, they will, at the worst given opportunity. Sadly, that was the case as Moonstone’s possession came to an end.
“For not being your coltfriend, you sure are affectionate, Sonata.”
Starlight, who had just started to lift her head, froze, her brain threatening to crash on her. She slowly turned to her mother, glaring for all she was worth. “You couldn’t have warned me he was there?!”
Milky Way sat on her father’s back, her filly eyes wide open, yet unable to process what had just happened. “What?! B-but... You’re not in a tree! But...”
Her filly mind left in shambles, trying to comprehend how she could have kissed Moonstone but not be in a tree, her father continued, not noticing that Moonstone was unconscious once more. “You know, Star, I think you would enjoy it a lot more if you weren’t so tense! You’ve got to relax! Here, try again and I’ll tell y-”
Thwack!
Digit Pi’s face rocked as he was punched quite hard in the head, snapping it to the a bit as Starlight started to rage. “Shut up! Just shut up! I’ve had it with you! What the buck have I done to get treated like this?! Is this supposed to be punishment for something, is that it?! All you ever do is tease me, and make fun of me, and order me around! Well you know what?! I’ve had it! You used to help me when I was a filly, encouraged me, and cheered me up when I needed it. What the buck happened?! I grew up?! Now that I’m an adult, all I’m good for is somepony for you to make fun of, to mock?! Well guess what, dad, I’ve had it! You want me gone so bad, I’ll go! I hate you!” she screamed, tears running down her cheeks. “If I never hear another word from you, it’ll be too soon! Goodbye!”
Shoving her father to the side as she ran away, Starlight tore down the hall, tears falling from her cheeks to the floor beneath. Where she went, she did not know nor care. She ran down the halls as she came upon them, until she finally came upon a room equipped with a television set, and several couches and chairs. Not caring if there were other ponies in the room, she quickly choose the closest chair she saw, curling up on the cushion as she started to weep in earnest.
.o.O.o.
Moonstone awoke with a pounding headache, barely making out somepony yelling. He opened his eyes with strain as the world slowly unblurred, coming into focus. He blinked, setting his eyes straight as he watched Starlight and Digit Pi talk. He couldn’t really make out what they were saying, due to an odd ringing in his ears, but he tried to ignore it as he struggled to remember what had just happened. I feel like I’ve been running for hours... What happened? I was dreaming, talking to that strange black mare, and then... Oh yeah, she told me that something was trying to possess me! I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?
He started to look around the room, noting that nopony seemed harmed, calming him, though only for a moment, as his eyes finally caught sight of Starlight, who was crying. I-I hurt her?!
He sat up quickly, opening his mouth to say something, anything to catch her attention so that he could apologize. He watched in horror as she stormed out of the room, her eyes full of tears. His body reacted faster than his brain could process, rolling off the side of the bed to land on his hooves, running and out the door the second his hooves touched the ground. He tried his best to keep up, but his injured leg slowed him down far more than he thought it would, forcing him to stop and catch his breath while he looked down the available hallways, trying to guess which direction Starlight went. He looked down at his forelegs, choosing to follow his uninjured leg to the right, hoping that was the right way.
.o.O.o.
Digit Pi sat down in shock, startled at where this was all coming from. I haven’t been that bad! Have I? I... Wait, what?!
He was barely aware of his daughter’s words as he watched her run off, sobbing. Oh dear Celestia... What did I do?
As he turned to face his wife, his head exploded in pain, forcing him to sag to his stomach, cradling his head in his forelegs as his wife started to talk in the once voice he dreaded the most: simpering. “Princess Luna, dear, would you mind being a sweet and watch little Milky Way for a bit? I need to have a few words with my husband.”
Luna arched an eyebrow at the request, but quickly levitated the creame-coated filly onto her back, taking the fallen box of donuts as she left. “Come, little one, let Us find thy sister and break our fast with her.”
She did not make it far, however, before she had to stop in order to comfort the confused filly on her back, trying to figure out why her family was hurting and arguing with each other. Not knowing how to explain to the little filly what had happened, Luna simply decided to settle with comforting the filly, reassuring her that, no, it was not her fault, and that everything would be alright in the end.
“W-will you use your super special fantastical princess powers if it doesn’t?” Milly sniffed, trying to be a big filly and not cry.
While Luna was hesitant to make such an extravagant promise, she also knew she could not resist the little filly’s pleading eyes. “I promise, Milky Way. Now, art thou ready to share breakfast with thine sister?”
The small filly’s stomach started to rumble, answering her question for her as she was levitated back onto Luna’s back. “Yush! And I’m really ready for some super yummy donuts because they’re like the best food in the world, except for banana muffins, because those have both bananas and muffins, and those are like the two best things ever in the whole world, except for maybe pancakes and donuts, though now I wonder what banana pancakes would taste like, because that sounds kinda yummy, and I-”
Luna couldn’t help but smile a bit as she trot down the hallways, listening to the now-normal filly on her back, who was happy to ramble on about anything and everything, so long as she was with a friend who was willing to listen. Besides, her energy is infectious! She would make a good nurse, perhaps, or maybe a motivational speaker, though her name suggests something to do with astronomy, perhaps discovering distant galaxies or planets, or perhaps... And now she has me doing it! This filly...
Luna laughed quietly to herself, shaking her head slightly as she kept up the search for Moonstone and Starlight, allowing the filly to cheer her up, feeling more refreshed after preventing Moonstone from being possessed. Oh buck... I need to tell Tia about that so she can get the elements here as soon as possible!
.o.O.o.
The doors to the hospital’s ER burst open, startling the receptionist as Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy rushed in, all of them trying to explain what happened at once. After several seconds, they were all cowed into silence when they heard Twilight yell at them from the spot on the floor they had left her. “Girls! I am fine! Stop harassing the poor nurse, she looks like she’s about to go into shock herself!”
Twilight was barely standing, swaying back and forth precariously. Fluttershy, however, was in full assertive mode, and was not about to take ‘no’ for an answer. She shoved Twilight towards the receptionist, explaining firmly, “Um, our friend passed out while we were walking, and we’re worried that she might be dehydrated, so, um, if you could check for that, that would be nice. I mean, if you’re not too busy. We don’t want to bother you...”
The receptionist, however, was already calling for a doctor to be paged, before directing Twilight to a nearby room. “Please wait here for the doctor to come, miss. She should be along in just a moment. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask everypony else to sit in the waiting area, however. I’m sure you’re concerned, but we don’t want to clutter the room! No go on, shoo, shoo!”
.o.O.o.
While Moonstone had not been walking long, he was feeling strangely winded and light-headed. Must be from being possessed or whatever Moonstone thought to himself tiredly. He shook his head, forcing himself onward to find Starlight so that he could apologize.
However, when he saw he on a chair in the next room, sobbing, he felt crushed. I... I did that? You must be insane, Moonstone! You think she’s going to just forgive you for whatever you did if she’s crying that hard? You’re an idiot! But... I have to try... I can’t just sit here and do nothing!
He walked forward slowly, his hooves making no sound on the soft carpet of the relaxation room. He stopped just short of the chair, his guilt growing with every sob he heard. He wondered for a moment if she should be looking her in the eye when he apologized, or if that would be rude, since she was crying. After wrestling with the question for a moment, he finally settled on clearing his throat, asking hoarsely, “L-Lady Starlight? I-I’m sorry...”
Starlight buried her head further into the corner of the chair, mumbling, “For what? You didn’t do anything to me, you moron.”
“W-well... W-what happened then?” Moonstone inquired, confused. “I though I must have hurt you earlier somehow, when that... thing was happening! What’s wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?”
He was left stuck as she remained silent, save for the occasional shuddering sob or gasp for breath. Well... What do I do now? If it wasn’t my fault, then what happened? What could I possibly do to cheer her up? Milly said that flowers and chocolates help, and so do poems, but I can’t really write, so... what do I do?
Left with no other ideas, he decided that if he couldn’t give her anything to cheer her up, he could at least show that he was there, and was willing to share the pain, so that she wouldn’t be alone. Carefully, he leaned forward with his bad leg, laying his head over her neck, trying to hug her as tightly as his bad leg would allow.
Starlight froze for a moment, trying to decide if it was a gesture of affection or comfort, before deciding that, really, she didn’t care one bit which it was, grateful to have any kind of comfort given from him.
After a minute, she finally decided to turn back around to face Moonstone,laughing faintly from nerves, “Don’t look at me. I know I’m a horrible mess...”
“At least you’re a beautiful mess though,” Moonstone said before he could think about what he said.
They both sat in silence for a moment, Starlight from shock, and Moonstone because he was still processing what he just said. When his eyes widened slightly, Starlight knew he realized what he had just said, and before she could help herself, started to troll him. She sighed dramatically, lamenting, “What a shame. And just when I was starting to like you... I guess I’d better go tell everypony to kick you out of town. Oh well... I don’t suppose you have anything else to say, now that you’re going to be kicked out?”
Moonstone’s heart dropped to his stomach, ashamed that he had slipped up so badly, and so carelessly at that! His head dipped to the floor in shame, thinking for a moment, but there wasn’t anything else major he could think of. Sighing, he stated, “Worth it?”
Starlight couldn’t help it. After all of the drama going on in her life, she just simply could not hold it in. She burst out laughing like a hyena, leaning on Moonstone for support as she tried to breathe. Unfortunately for her, the air did not appear to want to cooperate with her, leaving Moonstone completely perplexed. “I’m... glad my getting kicked out is funny?”
“N-no,” she said, desperately trying to get herself back under control. “I-I was just joking! You just... You surprised me with what you said, and then your face!” she gasped, starting to laugh again. “You should have seen your face when you realized what you said! It was just too priceless! I couldn’t help myself!”
After Starlight calmed down, she noticed that Moonstone was smiling as well, though she couldn’t figure out why. “Why are you smiling? You realize I was, well... making fun of you for being stupid, right?” she asked hesitantly, already feeling bad about doing it again.
“Yeah, I know!” Moonstone replied cheerfully, confusing her further.
“Wait, what? But... Why are you so happy about it?” Starlight questioned, struggling to understand his logic.
“You’re smiling,” he said, grinning innocently. “If I have to be stupid to make you smile, then I’ll just have to do my best to be the stupidest pony in Equestria!”
Huh? He’s happy he’s stupid because... it made me smile? I... I’m a horrible pony... How? How could he be so happy that I smiled when he was the one who got made fun of? Does... does he like me?
Starlight didn’t know if she should be excited or worried, but had no further time to think about it as she heard a feminine, cultured voice remark, “Oh my, how romantic... It’s not fair! Why can’t there be any charming stallions living in Ponyville?”
As Moonstone and Starlight looked to see who was talking, they saw a group of five mares trotting in, though one of them immediately took to the air once they made it into the room.
Rainbow Dash snarkily commented, “Because, like you said, it’s Ponyville. You can’t get much more plain than Ponyville! You wanna hook up with somepony, you go looking.”
Romantic? Moonstone questioned, confused. Who or what was romantic? These ity ponies are so confusing!
Applejack and Fluttershy shared a brief look, but it was lost in the confusion as Pinkie Pie bounded forward to meet the two new ponies who were sharing the relaxation room with them while they waited for Twilight’s checkup to be completed.
“Hi, my name’s Pinkie Pie! Why are you guys-” she started to ask, when she saw the white casts on their limbs, gasping, “oh no, you broke your leg and wing? How did that happen?! Did you mess up the massage or something, because I know that it’s hard to pick up how to do a proper wing massage, so I could maybe give you guys some tips for when you do it the next time, though now I’m all curious as to what you do, because a masseuse would know how to do a proper wing massage, so what were you two doing with-Ohmygosh! You’re a couple, how exciting! Come on, just follow Auntie Pinkie Pie and she’ll teach you everything there is to know about a proper massage!”
Moonstone and Starlight Sonata just sat still, though, stunned, though for different reasons.
A wing massage? What’s that? Is that something I’m supposed to be giving Lady Starlight “Wait, you can teach me how to give a wing massage? Okay! What are they for?”
“What?!” Starlight exclaimed, jumping up, her uninjured wing snapping up. “I... you... that... We are not a couple!” she proclaimed with a blush, her heart starting to race. I... do we really look like a couple? That’s...
Rarity’s eyes lit up, taking a few light steps forward, introducing herself. “Oh, our apologies,” she said with a silkily. “My name is Rarity, and-”
“You sure? Cause ya don’t sound positive to me," Applejack interrupted, grinning slightly at Rarity’s shocked expression of outrage.
Starlight grew flustered, her face turning slightly darker as she struggled to regain her footing. “I... Oh, Milly!”
Exceedingly grateful for the distraction, she dropped all attempts attempts at being polite as she ran to her sister, pulling her into a tight hug. “Sissy, are you okay?” Milky Way asked worriedly, her voice sounding small even to Moonstone’s ears. “Why did you hit daddy?”
Starlight’s heart stopped for just a second, not having even considered the possibility that her sister had been there when she blew up at her father. She swallowed hard, her heart leaping to her chest while a stone fell into her stomach. What have I done? How am I possibly going to explain this to her? “I... he...”
“It’s complicated, Milly,” Moonstone interrupted gently, sitting next to the little filly.
“But whai? He-he’s daddy! Why-”
“Sometimes... when you’re a big pony,” Moonstone explained slowly, trying to figure out how to best explain it. “You get confused... Sometimes, everything happens so fast, that you don’t know what you’re doing until you’ve already done it. you might not mean it, but you just get so afraid, or angry, or nervous that you just say or do the very first thing you can think of. Your sister...”
“I was just so scared, Milly,” Starlight murmured in her sister’s ear, hugging her as tightly as she could. “I didn’t mean it, I promise! I... I’ll apologize to daddy later, okay? I’m so sorry...”
.o.O.o.
While the others talked in hushed tones, Rarity trotted over to Applejack stiffly, her smile not reaching her eyes. “Applejack, darling, might I have a word with you?”
“Certainly,” Applejack grinned back cheekily.
Leaving Pinkie Pie to chat with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy staring into the large fish tank nearby, Applejack headed towards the corner of the room where they could have a semblance of privacy.
"I cannot BELIEVE that you would go and-"
“Yeah, ah did. He was already spoken for in her eyes, or 'ave you forgotten how to use yer own?" Applejack retorted, narrowing her eyes.
"Hmph! Remind me never to use you as a wing-mare!" Rarity huffed.
"Oh really? Then ah guess you don't want ta know if a guy is lyin to ya or not, is that it?" Applejack smirked, knowing she won the argument.
“But... you... Why?” Rarity finally asked, her eyes pleading to know the answer.
“Cause he’s already spoken for, or have you forgotten how to use your eyes?” She repeated, snorting. “She might not know it with her brain, but her heart has already made its decision. You, of all ponies, should know you have no right trying to break somepony up before they’ve even had a chance to start.”
Rarity opened her mouth, but no words came out for a moment. She sighed bitterly, her head sagging towards the floor. “You’re right, as usual, Applejack, as infuriating as you are... It’s just not fair,” she whimpered, growing depressed.
“It’s even more unfair trying to stop something before it has a chance to blossom... Come on, Rares, cheer up. You’ll find ‘im one day, ah know it.”
Rarity struggled for a moment, before sighing, smiling slightly. “You are right again, as usual. A lady never gives up, even when it seems impossible... Come, let us mingle again, shall we?”
.o.O.o.