Cups of Compassion and Coffee
"Is the royal carriage going to be much longer, Guard?"
"Negative. The ETA is a few minutes, sir."
"Good. Back to your watch post. Inform me as soon as the carriage arrives."
"Yes, Lieutenant Captain."
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The waiting room of Canterlot General Hospital was quiet and dark, the only light the moonbeams streaming through the windows, the only sound a quietly humming circulation fan. Instead of chairs, the waiting room was furnished with oversized cushions clustered around a few low tables - for most ponies, particularly those with debilitating injuries, this was a much more comfortable arrangement than chairs and high tables.
In a tucked-away corner of the waiting room, on adjacent cushions, sat Princess Luna and Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor. After Luna had awakened from her stress-induced slumber, she had been given a quick examination by the night-shift nurse and then discharged after finding nothing else wrong. Now she was merely waiting for the royal carriage to arrive to take her back to the castle.
Shining Armor, as was becoming common practice, was sitting beside her in the relative darkness. It was already well past midnight, so the streets outside were quiet. It was just Shining, Luna and their respective thoughts alone in the room.
Seeing Luna as she was, sitting with drooped ears and slumped posture, caused Shining Armor to recall what Celestia had told him about Luna 2 days before - perhaps the first time in a thousand years Celestia could ever speak with any degree of honesty about her. The words were choked and broken, but came directly from the sun princess' heart: "Luna, she... we did wield the Elements side-by-side, sometimes wingtip to wingtip, against any and all threats to harmony and the kingdom. We worked, we played, we laughed, we loved... a lot like dear Cadance with your sister. There was so much life and joy in her once... but it started disappearing when the jealousy started growing. I don't know where it came from or what fed those emotions... the legends say her night went unappreciated, but that was a lie even in that day. She slid more and more into those lies and deceptions, and eventually I lost her. You already know the rest of the story. Then when she came back, the Elements had to ravage her - it was like what happened that thousand years ago, there was no choice. The Luna I see now - the Luna you see now - is but a pale, hollowed-out shell of the defender of harmony - the sister - that once was. And it's up to you to help her reclaim what was lost in that darkness 1,000 years ago."
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A faint whisper of words reached Shining's ears, breaking him out of his reminiscing: "'Tis not right... 'tis not right..."
Shining immediately recognized the voice as Luna's, and turning could see in the faint light her face screwed tight, as if trying to avoid an emotional breakdown. Thanks both to Celestia's words and what little information Shining had been able to extract from the Canterlot archives about Luna before she became "Nightmare Moon", he understood that she was suffering from an overwhelming degree of frustration - trapped in a relatively weak body by her low power level, unable to carry out any of her original duties or even stand for herself. How could she defend harmony and help others when she couldn't even defend herself against the confusion, the guilt, the lack of sympathy assailing in overwhelming force?
"Indeed, 'tis not right." Shining finally speaks. Luna immediately turns and faces Shining with riveted attention, her eyes liquid with tears she is resisting letting escape down her cheeks.
"'Tis not right that anypony's work, much less that of an alicorn princess, go unappreciated." Shining begins to speak, his eyes soft with sympathy. "'Tis not right that there are creatures out there that would lie to and deceive a hurting pony for their own gain. 'Tis not right that sisters, much less sisters eternal, suffer in the way both hath suffered the past millennium. 'Tis not right any of what happened that millennium ago ever happened. But just as threats to harmony are eternal, so are these threats eternal, and they must be conquered if thou art to take thine rightful place beside thine sister again."
He then uses a forehoof to gently push Luna's chin up so that she is looking straight in his eyes before continuing, much as he had done with Cadance and Twilight in his past whenever he needed to get really honest with them: "Over the next months, there will be many who say only empty words. There will be others who craft lies and deceptions without fear or remorse - they care not for others or for this kingdom, only their own perverse desires for power. Yet others will fall away and abandon thee when the first trials come. But I am Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor, brother of Twilight Sparkle, and as long as the kingdom of Equestria stands I will never leave thee or forsake thee. On that fact Your Highness can rely."
Luna's tears finally are allowed to escape as she wraps her forelegs around Shining Armor in strong embrace. "O most wonderful stallion, if only thou were of our race, that we may have thee as consort eternal!" she exclaims, turning her head sideways as she nuzzles his chest. Shining gives a nervous grin - he knew there would be some very mixed reactions to what had just transpired - but returns the embrace as a number of bittersweet tears soak into his white coat.
One of the guards that had been waiting for the royal carriage was approaching to inform Shining Armor and Luna of the carriage's arrival - but upon entering the room and seeing the embrace, wisely backed away. The carriage could wait, surely...
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BACK AT CANTERLOT CASTLE...
Anypony that happened to be walking the halls in Canterlot Castle shortly after Luna's return there had a chance of coming upon a most interesting sight: Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor walking beside Princess Luna, the latter magically levitating a small bottle filled with a clear fizzing liquid in front of her. The princess of the night was drinking the liquid through a straw placed in the bottle - a novel experience for somepony recently displaced a thousand years in time.
Suddenly the peaceful and curious pulling of the liquid through the straw was changed to a very familiar and very loud noise to anyone that's ever drank anything through a straw and the liquid runs out. Luna and Shining both stop in their tracks, the bottle and straw with it is levitated away and up to Luna's eye level as she peers into the now empty bottle.
"Oh. Have the flavors and the bubbles dancing merrily upon our palate already come to an end?" Luna asks as the disappointment spreads across her face. Shining chuckles at what to him is a very fancy description of a very ordinary soft drink.
"That refreshment is a good way for delivery of the substance helping to keep a pony awake during the night, but usually it is delivered through a substance deemed 'coffee'." Shining explains.
"Where can we get some of this 'coffee', then?" Luna asks with a curious headtilt.
"There is some right this way, Your Highness." Shining answers, turning down a particular hallway with Luna following behind curiously.
The short hallway ends in a door labeled "Guard Standby Station". Opening the door reveals a small room with two Upper Class Guard unicorns, one white and one gray, both placed around a table with a coffee machine and various items related to the production of coffee placed on it. Each guard is magically levitating a mug filled with coffee, taking sips between lines of conversation.
"At attention!" Shining barks out, causing the guards to give a salute - and sheepish grins - in Shining and Luna's direction.
"Louts! Thou shouldst be at their assigned posts!" Luna adds in, causing the sheepish grins to disappear as quickly as they had appeared. The guards exchange nervous looks, then look back at Shining again.
"At ease. The princess is not yet familiar with the concept of coffee breaks, that's all." Shining sympathetically explains.
"Thou hast not even explained this 'coffee' thou speakest of." Luna fires back with an indignant glare in Shining's direction.
"One thing at a time, Your Highness." Shining gently answers before turning back to the guards and ordering one of them to explain to Luna how to make coffee using the coffee machine.
"Right now, sir?" the white-colored unicorn guard asks.
"Yes, right now. If your Lieutenant wants to file a complaint about this, tell him to take it up with me."
"Yes, sir."
"Only one of you is needed to demonstrate the machine's operation. I want the other one of you to proceed to 'the Luna Vault' and bring back a small selection of coffee mugs. Understood?"
"Sir, to take anything out of there requires written and stamped authorization given by a Lieutenant Captain or higher ranking." the grey-colored unicorn states.
"Oh, that's right... there should be some ink somewhere around here..." Shining Armor sighs out, telekinetically opening a small saddle bag slung over his armor to reveal a stack of parchment, a closed stamping pad, and an elaborately designed stamp.
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"Pray tell, what is this 'Luna Vault', Lieutenant Captain?" Princess Luna asks Shining Armor as the latter attempts to find someplace in the small room to set up his writing apparatus. Turning to follow him also left the other guards looking at her rear end - an uncomfortable prospect at best.
"Oh, maybe thine sister was waiting for thine birthday to tell of it." Shining states as he finds a small side table where a quill pen and inkwell had been placed - doubtless because this "standby station" was a convenient place to write up paperwork and more formal orders. With practiced efficiency, a sheet of parchment is laid on the table with the stamp and the stamping pad off to one side, all the manipulation done by magenta-colored magic.
"What doth our day of birth have to do with it?" Luna naturally asks.
As Shining uses the quill pen telekinetically to write out the appropriate authorizations, he speaks an explanation to Princess Luna: "Every year of thine banishment, on the day of thine birth, thine sister would leave a present for thee. Over the thousand years, this collection grew into a kind of museum deemed 'The Luna Vault'. Most of the older gifts have been lost in the ravages of time, however the more recent ones have survived, including a small collections of cups primarily associated with the consumption of coffee."
Princess Luna's face briefly changes to that of a surprised expression - the revelation of 'the Luna Vault' seems to have been an appropriate antidote for the recent ill-conceived public introduction attempt. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor finishes his writing, telekinetically opens the stamping pad, stamps his official officer stamp in the pad and then onto the page, leaving a design in bright purple ink. Although this purple was brighter and more blue-tinted than the "royal purple" reserved exclusively for Celestia, Luna and Cadance, it was close enough in shade to also draw Luna's surprise and curiosity.
The design of the stamp itself was based on Shining Armor's cutie mark, but more elaborate - the same shield with stars above it, but the starburst inside now with extra stars of the same kind as the ones above the shield placed between the points. There were six of these extra stars in total, doubtless referencing both Shining's younger sister with a very similar arrangement in her cutie mark as well as the Elements of Harmony. Encircling the shield from the right was a crescent similar to Luna's crescent moon cutie mark, and below the rest of the design were the words "In Nomine Lunam" - "In the Name of the Moon" or "In Luna's Name", depending on one's interpretation of the ancient Equestrian language.
Princess Luna had just enough time to take in the beauty of the stamp's design before the parchment it was placed upon was magically whisked away, rolled up and transferred to the white-coated Upper Class Guard, who saluted Shining Armor and Luna before leaving to do the assignment given him. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor astonished Princess Luna with his large breadth of knowledge on the subject of "coffee" - although he was very careful to point out his sister exceeded him on this and most other subjects. Nevertheless, it was enough to occupy all involved until the guard returned with a selection of mugs.
Luna made her choice from the selection presented (a mug labeled "Sisters Love Eternal", appropriately enough) and the Upper Class Guard made a pour of freshly brewed java from the coffeepot into the selected mug. Luna, levitating and moving the mug appropriately, then took a sip while the pair of stallions looked on, the moon princess having been warned in advance that the beverage would burn if she drank more than sips until it cooled down.
Immediately Luna's face contorts in displeasure and the sip of coffee is spit away in contempt. "Bitter, much too bitter! This will simply not do for our royal palate!" she exclaims indignantly.
"Well Your Highness," Shining explains as graciously as he can, "most ponies usually mix sugar and cream into their coffee to reduce the bitterness. Perhaps it would help in thine case?"
Luna gives Shining a skeptical glance, but agrees to the proposal. After some experimentation, Luna finally settles on "one measure of cream and two measures of sugar" as the recommended additions and decrees that her coffee should always be prepared in that manner from now on unless specified otherwise. The dark-colored unicorn guard uses the same writing desk Shining had used earlier to jot down a "memo" regarding this topic to be implemented more formally later.
Shining Armor takes the "memo" and stores it away for later, then pours his own cup of coffee. He is mixing in a cream and a sugar as he hears Luna giving orders to the white-coated guard for the mugs to be taken to her chambers, which he immediately leaves to do.
"Guard, we want a machine for the production of coffee placed in an arrangement similar to the one here somewhere in our quarters." Luna was saying to the dark-coated guard as Shining took the first sip from his cup.
"Your Highness, I would have to get a requisition form from the Quartermaster's Office, fill it out, submit it to the Quartermaster and then have him assign two servants to the set-up job. And Your Highness has stated you would not like to be disturbed during the day, so any set-up would have to be done after you awaken." the guard nervously explains.
"So it cannot be done tonight?" Princess Luna asks with an annoyed look on her face.
"Unless you wish me to wake the Quartermaster..." the guard meekly suggests.
"Fill out the forms and wake him! We want this as soon as possible!" Luna snaps out.
"Yes, Your Highness." the guard replies, deciding a quick departure the best course of action.
"Hmph. We see the impediments of governance have not changed significantly in the past thousand years." Luna snorts out in annoyance at Shining.
"No they have not." Shining replies sympathetically, imagining the headaches that had just been generated both for the Quartermaster and Captain Gibraltar...
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There is silence for a few moments, both Shining and Luna sipping at their respective mugs of coffee, that is suddenly broken by a doubletime clip-clopping of hooves. A grey pegasus guard almost literally bursts into the standby room, panting and sweating from the effort.
"What is all this about? Report!" Shining exclaims as the pegasus gives a hasty salute.
"Sir, I've been looking all over the castle for you and Her Highness Princess Luna. I passed by a unicorn that told me you both were here." the pegasus breathlessly explains.
"Is there something wrong, Guard?" Shining asks.
"There are some ponies that wish to see both of you immediately."
"Who?"
"The Thestrals, sir."
These words produce an exchange of looks between Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor and Princess Luna. Shining's eyebrows go up and Luna gives a sharp nod in response to that action.
"Take us to them, Guard. This meeting has been kept waiting for long enough." Shining commands the pegasus guard.
"Yes, sir."
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Ship SA/PL already.
Anyway, nice start, romance prompt, then now comes the drama.
Normally, I don't get that much into "inbetweenquels" (stories showing what other characters were doing during the normal show timeline), but I must confess that "The Canterlot Chronicles" is really sucking me in. It also helps that these stories are elaborating about characters I actually like, like Shining Armor and Luna. Hell, you actually have made Fancypants a rather interesting character with this series. I hope you keep this up, because I'd like to see where this series is going.
4967867 I'm glad to hear you like these stories, but I'm curious about your comment regarding Fancypants. Could you elaborate on that? I don't necessarily consider him "uninteresting", just VERY underdeveloped IMO.
4972933 Actually, that is a better way of putting it: underdeveloped. It also doesn't help that he only had one major appearance in the show. Regardless, I feel you're giving him a good chunk of development, and I actually hope he'll come into play in later stories in "The Canterlot Chronicles".
Luna Vs Mr. Coffee or Why the Ceiling Is Beige