All Good Things

by Jasmine_Vonstarlight

Chapter 5

I could stay like this forever. I don’t know where I am, but it is where I want to be. I feel a slight shifting and a mumbling around me, and I decide it is about time to start stirring. As I wake up, I can see that Tia and I are still curled up from last night, and she is already awake. My door is wide open, with torch light coming in from the outside.

She is talking with some pony that I can’t quite make out through my still blurry sleep- vision, but I can tell he means well.
“...and I think our little princess has finally awoken”, Tia says with a smile, nuzzling me gently.

“Ah yes”, the pony says with a old but kind voice, “that I can see, your highness” he has slowly.

“And you must be princess Luna, the filly I’ve heard so much fuss about last night”, he says kindly as he walks in farther. I like this pony, he certainly doesn’t come across as a good for nothing.
“I’m sorry if I was... a little loud last night, sir...”, I state sincerely.

“Oh nonsense!”, he replies. He has quite a regal accent in his voice. “Everypony has a bad dream every now and again. And there is no need for formality! I am Busy Body, and I have been appointed by your dear sister to be your caretaker”.

He seems very happy to meet me, and if my sister knew him as well as he claimed, I think I really like Mr. Busy Body.
I rise groggily from the bed, stretching out my forehooves and neck while sleepily greeting him.

“Hello, Mr. Busy Body!”, I say as Celestia begins to respond.

“I’m glad you two have hit it off so well, I will be back shortly, as Equestria needs a sun at about this hour” she says in between a large yawn. As she gets up to leave, she nuzzles me softly and plants a kiss on my forehead.

“So Miss Luna, seeing that you are coming back to Equestria, our first order of business is to go over some of the changes you may notice.”

What does he mean by that? Surely my country hasn’t moved on too far without me, right? And what became of mom and dad? What about the war with the dragon clans? And did Zebrica declare independence yet? All of these things Tia did her best to shield me from, which looking back, was for the best. But at the time, I quickly became jealous that she and our parents got to discuss such heavy matters, just because they were older. I only I would have seen that they just wanted me to stay their innocent little girl...

“Is.. is it of pertinent importance, Mr. Busy Body?”

“Well, only a tad. Was there anything you wanted to do beforehand, Miss Luna?”

“Shower for one, is that okay? And maybe grab some breakfast?”

“Of course, your highness”, he replied obediently, why was everyponytreating me like the queen? Not that it is a bad thing, but maybe Mr. Busy Body could be my friend more than a butler.
He obediently grabbed a towel and beckoned me in, leaving me to wonder why I wasn’t being so independent. But as I happily trotted in front of the mirror, I quickly remembered. I know that my body has kind of rewound itself, but why can’t I remember anything past this? Oh well, I get to make things right this time!
I try to turn the knob with my magic, but strangely, my spell fizzles. Have I lost some of my magic as well? Well, it can be relearned with ease, no matter. I definitely turn the knob with my mouth, and through the white, regal curtain, I could see the silhouette of Mr. Busy Body making straightening my bed in the other room.
I made special note of how gingerly he treated my plushies while quelling the chaos of my bed from last night. Tia did say he was a caretaker and not a butler... I kind of like the sound of that, but does that mean that I am just going to live as a filly, or will I have my old responsibilities?

“Hey Mr. Busy Body?” I call from the shower.

“Yes, Miss Luna?” comes a reply from my room.

“When Tia said you are my caretaker, what does that mean?”, I ask.

“Well, your sister had originally appointed me to be her assistant many years ago, and while I may not have ever met you before, she shared with me her love and mourning for you”.

“Did she really?” I ask, simply shocked that my sister was in mourning.

“Oh yes, like you wouldn’t believe, Miss Luna. There About once a week, your sister would have to have a chat with me about you, simply an attempt to keep your memory still alive in her head. And I must say, what an honor it is to meet such a spectacular filly”, he says regally.

I almost retaliated at the filly remark, but I could tell that he was simply being sincere. Perhaps my current state of being isn’t as bad as I initially thought. Not to say that I would like to willingly give up all responsibility and have my hooves carried about on a velvet pillow, but I guess a little spoiling never hurt anypony.
As I dry off, I take a little extra time to appreciate the simple, yet soft and nice things in life on a planet with gravity and an atmosphere. I trot happily over to Busy Body, who floats a pillow in my direction and beckons me to sit down, lying down himself. He retrieves a brush and begins brushing my unkempt mane from the night before.
Noticing the tangled mess in it’s full... perfection... he comments.
“I heard you had quite the dream last night, Miss Luna”.

“Y-yeah, I guess so”, I respond sheepishly, not wanting to go back to that place.

“I won’t make you talk about it if the wound is still fresh, my lady. After breakfast, your sister has asked me to take you to see the Canterlot pediatrician”.

“Is he a nice pony?”

“Oh of course, my lady. Doctor Sigmund Von Smarty Pants is very good with fillies your age. Quite intelligent too!”

“Okay, it’s just that there are so many new ponies that I have to meet. I barely even know you Mr. Busy Body”.

“That’s quite alright, I can assure you that this old, grey stallion will be one of your closest friends in this castle”.

“Really?”, this whole ‘reacquaintance’ thing isn’t so hard after all! I curl up into a tight little ball as I enjoy the brushing. It’s been quite a while since Tia used to snuggle with me and brush my mane, and this pony has certainly earned my friendship.

Busy Body broke his classy tone and replied "yeah really", with a smirk. "But try not to fall back asleep on me, Miss Luna".

I quickly sit back up on my haunches with a giggle.

"Can we go visit Tia after eating breakfast and seeing the doctor?", I ask sweetly.

"We'll see, but Princess Celestia is quite the busy pony, as she now rules over all of Equestria".

"What about mommy and daddy?"

Busy Body donned a serious an stoic expression on his face.

"They are still away to the war, aren't they?" I ask saddly. This isn't much of a big deal, as I had gotten used to the idea before I left. I knew that they wouldn't be killed, so it was fine.

The grey, hoary pony nodded his head in confirmation.

"No big deal, it's okay", I say assuringly.

As Busy Body finishes, he pats my belly, cueing me to get up. While he gently tosses the pillow back on my bed, I prance in front of the mirror to the sight of the pretty pony princess I see in the reflection.

"You made me so pretty, Mr. Busy Body! Can we do this every day?"

"Well, that is my job, Miss Luna" he says winking. I trot over to him, and share a nuzzle with my caretaker.

Busy Body beckons me to follow him as he starts walking out of my room, I’m guessing we’re heading to breakfast now. Walking through the castle, past all the portraits and marble seems odd, but the there is some that feels so right at the same time, I can’t really explain it. Past the various corridors, I can see the maids, government officials, and other worker ponies looking at me with a sense of either shock or happiness. Many of them I can hear letting out a squee or two as I pass.
Arriving in the kitchen, all the cooks turn a give an expression of awe, the master chef looking as if he was going to faint where he stood. He had a peach colored coat with a jet black mane and a thin little moustache that curled far off of his face.

“Can we set this fair lady up with some porridge or something of the sort? Perhaps juice and pastries as well? Our little princess is quite famished.”, Busy Body asks in a whimsical tone.
The chefs are set in a scramble, procuring ingredients from every known cabinet in the kitchen . Busy Body and I walk back into the main dining room, a long chamber with high ceilings and a massive chandelier hanging majestically overhead. Taking a seat, I play with my silverware as my caretaker retrieves the latest issue of the Canterlot Herald.

“They wrote a piece about your return, Miss Luna”, he says, not looking up from the paper.
“Did they really?”, I ask, not showing my fear of the press. Even if the article was praising my sister and I, we still didn’t like the idea of people writing about us. We grew comfortable with the idea however when we realized that such articles were inevitable.

“Oh yes, they have a whole story on the front page. They say that many ponies were caused much fear until your sister issued a statement early this morning. So the press is on you and your sister’s side”.

“Well that’s a relief!” I say as a whole masquerade of cooks burst out of the kitchen, carrying plates of bagels, waffles, jelly covered breads, pastries of many types, a steaming bowl of oatmeal, a piping cup of coffee for busy body, and a tall glass of apple juice.
I observe all the things that seemingly appeared before my eyes, and marvel at how fast the chefs can bake.
“Will there be anything else for our fair princess?” asks the master chef.

“Just one more thing...” says Busy Body, motioning for the chef to come over. He slowly walks over with a confused look on his face. He leans down and has something whispered in his ear. After a few seconds, he gallops back to the kitchen and shouts “OF COURSE! Right away, sir!”

He returns within moments with a long bendy straw that in plunked into my drink. The chefs leave us with the plethora of food, and me with a confused expression.

“Can’t have you drinking without a command of magic, Miss Luna” Busy Body says with a loving smirk. I chuckle as I apply my face to the plate and inhale as much food as I can, as I am more than starving. But looking up, I see my new friend simply sipping his coffee and watching.

“I wouldn’t mind if you stole some of this, Mr. Busy Body. There is no way I could finish this all”, I say quietly, taken back by my manners. He smiles, politely takes a turnover, and goes back to his paper.
There is an awkward silence, but I could practically hear the stares that I was getting from not only the kitchen, but bypassers that were trekking through the grand hall.

“Why is everypony looking at me funny?” I ask innocently.

“Well, Miss Luna, you are more or less of a celebrity here in the castle at the moment. You see, everypony thought that you would never return, or if you did, you would be some sort of evil pony. But now that they see what a sweet filly you are, it is literally making headlines.”

“I see...” I respond. A celebrity? But what did I do? It’s not like I’m a musician or anything, I’m just a pony, a princess, but still. Just a pony.

“What is Tia doing right now? Is she too busy to even have breakfast?”

“I’m afraid so, Miss Luna. It’s nothing against you, in fact, she feels quite guilty. But she needs to speak with press ponies, the royal guard, your pediatrician, and she is preparing a public statement about your return. You are her first priority, you see”.

I scrape the bottom of my bowl, and notice that I am also about halfway through my second bagel, and I am already starting to fill up. Surprised, I ask Busy Body,

“Is it okay if I can’t handle the rest of this?”

“More than okay, Miss Luna. I never understood why the cooks prepare such generous portions, especially just for a filly like yourself”.
I hop down from my seat as I softly thud against the floor. Using his magic, Busy Body wipes the crumbs from my lips and starts off in the direction of the clinic.
The clinic was in one of the public parts of the castle, and served as the main hospital of this region of Equestria, serving the royals as well as the citizens. Many skilled ponies went to work there, serving the most grievous of diseases to the most concerned of mothers. It’s construction was very similar to that of the castle, but had lower ceilings, and much wider hallways, to accommodate the patients.
As we walk in the main foyer a nurse directs us to ‘pediatrics’, what Busy Body describes as the “filly doctor”, after he assures me that there won’t be any shots involved in my visit.

We walk into the waiting room, a large room with countless chairs, and an equal amount of parents with their fillies occupying them, each one with velvet backed seating and fine woodwork legs. It was clear that not many of these ponies actually wanted to be here, especially the parents. But I spied a group of fillies in the corner building with an endless supply of blocks.

“I need to check you in, Miss Luna. Why don’t you go play with the other fillies?”

“I’m not sure if they’ll like me very much, Mr. Busy Body...”

“Oh, hogwash. Who wouldn't like you, Miss Luna?” he said, with a reassuring nudge.

It seemed as if in that one moment, everypony in the entire world to stare at me. Most of them remained speechless, with stone- like expressions, others with obvious distaste, some even with fear. As I walked over the the other fillies, they killed their laughter and playfulness and follow the suit of their parents.

“What exactly are you?”

“Do you really wanna kill us? That’s what dad said.”

“Are you some kind of princess? You don’t look like one”

“Can you leave us alone, please?”

Everypony really has forgotten about me...

I slump my head, and slowly trudge back over to the desk where Busy Body was filling out papers. I expect to hear some sort of scolding in the direction of the other fillies, but their parents either agreed with them, or let them get away with their accusations.