//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: Luna's Lacunae // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// Rose Gold, who had a troubled expression upon her face, overcame her initial hesitation, stepped closer to Maeve, and then surprised the human girl by pressing her ear against the girl’s midriff in an almost half hug. “You foolish, foolish girl, do not do that again.” Frozen, almost dumbfounded, Maeve stood there, not quite knowing what to do, feeling panicked. With a gasp, she sucked in a lungful of air, resisted the urge to run, and then wrapped her trembling arms around Rose Gold’s muscular neck. She gave one light squeeze, she was still holding her breath, let go, and then stepped backwards. Knowing that a threshold had been crossed, Rose Gold, who was by all accounts, a good, wise mare, turned her head to look at the girl who was pale, frightened by a hug, but not so much by a what had been a terrifying descent from a tree. At least from Rose Gold’s perspective, such a descent would have been terrifying. Being that high up would have also been terrifying. The very thought of being more than ten feet up in the air made Rose Gold dizzy and nauseous. “I’m alright,” Maeve said as she took another step back from Rose Gold. Luna, who knew Maeve’s moods better than perhaps anyone, could see that the girl was not alright. Much to Luna’s dismay, Luna had to renege upon her plans for a good, thorough scolding and sound verbal thrashing. The simple touch had done more to Maeve’s mood than the entire tree climbing incident. Luna could see all of the tell tale signs. The trembling fingers. The quivering lip. The quivering in the corner of Maeve’s eye. She turned and looked down at Red Russet, who stood beside her, his face covered in worry wrinkles. “Red, would you like to learn how to prepare Maeve’s special calming tea?” Startled, almost spooked, Red had been so engrossed in watching Maeve and his mother that he had not expected Luna to say anything. He stepped away, stumbled, and would have fallen if Luna had not caught him. She held him in a telekinetic field, steadied him, set him on his hooves, and waited for him to steady himself. “Are you okay?” Luna asked. “Yeah,” Red said, forgetting to use his best and most formal speech around the princess. He looked up at Luna, his eyes wide, and saw something that most ponies did not see. Kindness. Her eyes were kind… and rather sad. Haunted eyes, even though Red lacked the wisdom or the vocabulary to express such a sentiment; they were entirely too similar to Maeve’s eyes and what he saw when he gazed at her. Red was so caught up in the act of staring into Luna’s eyes that Maeve was now forgotten and he failed to notice his fretful mother approaching his side with a worried mother’s expression upon her face. “Red, would you like to learn the secret of preparing Maeve’s special calming tea? You could be of serious help to her when she is in one of her panicked states… in such states she is sometimes incapable of making decisions or even making a simple cup of tea,” Luna said to Red. “I would like to learn,” Red replied. “Good, come with me back to the cottage and I shall teach you.” Luna lifted her head and looked Maeve in the eye. The girl deserved a good scolding, but Maeve’s chest was rising and falling in an all too familiar way. Scolding her at this point would be cruel, heartless even. Luna sighed. “Come on Maeve, come have a cup of tea.” “I’m sorry,” Rose said to Maeve. “Why?” Maeve turned and looked at Red’s mother. Rose Gold took a deep breath and prepared to explain herself. “The hug… I wanted to hug you… I wanted to hear your heart beating and I needed to know that you were okay. I did not mean to make you panic.” “I liked the hug… I hugged you back. You just surprised me, that’s all,” Maeve said. The girl wiped her sweaty palms upon her skirt and took a deep breath. “I’m okay.” Her eyes narrowing, Luna did not approve of Maeve lying, but said nothing. Using her telekinesis, Luna set the tea tin down upon the wooden counter. It was a simple thing, metal, a soft pink in colour, and had a raised wooden handle extending from the top that would allow an earth pony to use their teeth to pull the lid off. The tin was old, battered, and rescued by Maeve herself, who had taken a liking to it when she had found it in the Canterlot kitchens, set upon a table and made ready to throw out along with all of the other old worn out things in the kitchens. Looking over at the table, which was some distance away, Luna could see that Maeve was sitting in her chair, her arms were folded over the table, and her head was resting upon her arms. Luna returned her attention to the task at hoof. “The primary ingredient for Maeve’s tea are green tea leaves. I have the ratios written down, I shall give them to you. These give the tea a flavour that Maeve likes and help to hide the bitterness of the other ingredients. There is valerian root, which has a sedative effect. There is an abundance of widow’s rest—” Forgetting his manners, Red blurted out, “Isn’t that poisonous?” The Princess of the Night smiled a gentle smile. “Yes. Yes it is. Widow’s rest can be quite toxic, but only if the extract is turned into a tincture, with a great many plants boiled down into a concentrated syrup. For Maeve’s tea though, we use a few dried leaves, which I assure you, will do no harm to her at all. In low doses, helpful doses, widow’s rest slows the heartbeat, reduces the blood pressure, dulls anxiety, causes a mild drowsy effect, and sometimes leaves behind a feeling of hunger. This is why it is called widow’s rest. The plant has helped many a grieving pony get over the loss one they love, dulling the ache of separation, and easing the tenderness of a shattered heart.” “I see,” Red said, looking up at what Luna was doing with wide, curious eyes. “We also have a touch of chamomile, a few grave dancer petals, and the final, most important ingredient; mentha arvensis, which is a κ-opioid receptor—” “A what?” Red looked up at Luna, blinking, his expression was a request for an explanation. The colt was intelligent, very much so, and his interest had been gained. Luna, both surprised and delighted to see Red’s interest in the subject, felt glee that her word bait had proven that the colt had a hunger for knowledge. “It acts as a painkiller. It dulls the nerves, calms the stomach, eases nausea, can help soothe a sore throat, and on top of all of this, it has a pleasant, minty taste that Maeve likes a great deal. Along with the green tea leaves, it counters the unpleasant bitterness of widow’s rest and the somewhat foul, smoky flavour of the grave dancer petals…” Luna’s words trailed off. She lifted her head, tilted it to one side, her ears perked forwards, and then she bent her head down to have a better look. “This is interesting.” She reached out her wing and pointed at Red’s backside. “I regret to inform you that despite your namesake, you will not have much of an interest in potatoes.” “Huh?” Red began to turn himself around, chasing after his own tail, and he noticed something different about his back half. There was a teacup back there, which had not been there before, and some kind of leaf. “Did I just get my cutie mark?” Upon Luna’s face was a wry smile. She watched as the colt tried to get a better look. “That is a tea leaf. Congratulations.” “I don’t understand what just happened,” Red said in a low voice. He stopped to look up at Luna once more, and after staring at her for a moment, he glanced up at the wooden counter. “You have just discovered your life’s passion and have unlocked a gentle future well suited to your delicate nature. Those who specialise in tea blends are rare, treasured souls. A pony can specialise in so many things, alas, so few specialise in something practical and useful, like blending a good batch of tea. I have always lamented the shortage of such individuals. Once you have learned your craft, I might have to hire you on as one of my personal staff.” “Oh… oh… I can’t do that,” Red replied. He watched as Luna began adding tea into a mesh basket that went inside of the teapot. “What do you mean that you cannot do that?” Luna asked, playing it straight and enjoying Red’s squirming. “I am the Night Princess… who are you to refuse me? Do you know what I could have done to you for refusing me?” Nervous, the colt gulped and then his ears perked forwards. “I’ve offered to be Maeve’s assistant.” The colt looked over at the human girl slumped over the table and then back at Luna with somewhat fearful eyes. “I’m sorry.” “How dreadful.” Luna raised her eyebrow as she poured hot water into the teapot. “Perhaps I can lure you away with better pay? Maeve will never be able to pay you as much as I can. She might be Sorceress Maeve, but I am Princess Luna, the Princess of the Night.” “It isn’t about money,” Red replied, his brows furrowing. “You… you’re having a go at me, aren’t you? You’re teasing me…” “I am,” Luna admitted. “Just a little. But I was being serious when I said that you have a bright and promising future. You have a rare and valuable talent. It will certainly be useful for Maeve.” Luna fell silent and looked down into Red’s wide, staring eyes, and considered the colt’s future. “I shall see that you are educated, finding both an instructor and covering the cost of such an education. There is a rare opportunity here, and it would be shameful if it was not carefully nurtured.” “Thank you.” Red swallowed, his mouth was dry and he felt nervous. “Think nothing of it, I am glad that I had a part in this moment,” Luna replied. Luna felt an odd sense of happiness that she could not fathom, could not explain, a feeling of joy that banished away the other bleaker feelings that lurked deep within her. Red sniffed, his nostrils flaring, smelling the fragrant air. His ears laid back in a more relaxed position. He smelled something minty, and now he knew what it was, as well as something pungent in the background. Steam rose from the teapot where the tea was steeping. He looked up at Luna and noticed that she seemed more relaxed, her expression was now serene, calmer. She looked sleepy. “Are you going to go back to bed?” Red asked. Somewhat surprised by the question, Luna blinked a few times as she looked down at Red. “Why yes, I suppose that I will.” “You don’t look as tense as you usually do,” Red said, daring to be forward. So far, Luna had been acting like a common pony, more or less, and she had even teased him, which made it hard to be rigid and formal. He waited for Luna’s reaction and he felt the muscles in his back tense as he began to worry. “Something about this encounter has left me with a much needed sense of calm. The tension that has been plaguing me feels as though it has lessened. You are observant to have noticed, Red,” Luna replied. Relaxing, Red grinned, basking in Luna’s praise. He felt like pronking around the kitchen, but knew that such a thing was a bad idea. He was forced to stand there and remain still as his happiness bubbled within him. At least standing still and doing nothing made him look dignified, perhaps even important. His grin widened. “You look as though you are going to burst.” Luna felt a smile appear upon her muzzle. “I am going to serve Maeve her tea. You should go and show your mother your cutie mark. I think she will be most pleased about this development and it should help to put her mind at ease about your future.” “Thank you, Luna, for everything,” Red said to Luna. “Think nothing of it,” Luna replied.