An Early Night

by epreeses1

Chapter 2

Luna stood there, her conflicted mind rushed multiple scenarios through her head, from an assassination attempt to everypony begging not to be gobbled.

“This is crazy, everypony will bow and run away from me, just like they did on nightmare night” she said yawning.

---

Unbeknownst to Luna, Celestia wrapped a small dark blue bow tie around her neck, the tie itself was enchanted with a spell that allowed Celestia to watch Luna’s interactions with the ponies of ponyville like watching her own reflection in a mirror.

---

Outside the library a young pinto colored colt with one brown eye was coming to return a book. The door to the library was open but the library was completely empty, but a unique cutie mark soon came into view, one that he’d seen before
“Momma!” he cried, running to to the princess, not even bowing as he hugged her leg

Luna never saw the young colt coming and jumped; she took a few moments to calm herself down before looking at whoever was hugging her leg.

“Oh you’re the pirate from nightmare night, don’t scare me like that” she said

Pip looked up before saying “ Sorry Luna I was just so excited to see you again, and please, call me Pipsqueak, or Pip, whichever you like”

Luna then remembered what little Pip called her when he was at the door “Pipsqueak, why did you call us ‘momma’?”

Pip blushed drooping his ears in shame, he was unable to look Luna in the eye. “I’m so sorry Princess it’s just, momma and Luna sound the same… at least to me they do. Please, forgive me, I promise I won’t do it again”

He let go of her leg and went back to his book, tears forming in his eyes and he let a quiet sniffle out.

Luna put a hoof up to her heart because seeing a sad colt that looked up to her made her feel like nightmare moon all over again

“Pip, please don’t be sad. It was just an accident”

The polka dotted colt put his book in the return slot. “Thank you for your forgiveness princess” he said, wiping a tear from his eye.

Despite being forgiven, Pip still sounded sad. “Is something wrong young one? why are you so sad?”

“I’m fine, there’s nothin to worry about” Pip yelled surprising Luna. He gasped and started hitting himself with his hoof “Gah, stupid Pip, pa told you not to yell at your elders, especially royalty, and what do you do? You yell at one” Pip kept hitting himself, making a sickening noise every time his hoof connected with his skull

Luna looked on at the young colt beating himself up because of a simple slip up, tears welled in her eyes as her patience slowly wore itself out. Lighting her horn, Luna froze Pip’s hoof before he could do anymore harm to himself

“Pipsqueak” she said in an authoritative tone. Pip froze, fear claiming his body, he closed his eyes tightly, expecting the wrath of the princess he just yelled at. Instead he got a hug.

“Pipsqueak, it is not right to harm one’s self” Luna said as she tightened her grip on what she considered her only friend.
“But, L-Luna!? I ‘ave yelled at you and I need to be punished” Pip said, confused

“No Pip, that is not what thou should do, now once we let you go, does’t thou promise that thou wons’t harm thyself anymore”

“But princess-“

“No, thou will not harm thyself if thou is one of our friends”

“Okay, prince-“

“And Pip” Luna said interrupting Pip’s apology

“Yes?”

“Don’t call us princess. Thou are a friend, one of our only ones, we do not allow friends to call us by that name, no for thou Pipsqueak, thou must call us Luna, just Luna”

Pip sniffed one more time and hugged Luna back. It was as if he needed it. “Okay Luna, I promise that I won’t hurt myself anymore”

Luna released Pip from her grasp and he went up and nuzzled her. Her surprise was evident as her face acquired the royal flush “Pip, um there is no need to”

Pip bounded out in front of Luna, the entirety of his sorrow gone like the wind. “I know Luna, it’s just” he pawed at the ground, gaining a flush of his own. “It’s just well, I…”

Luna saw how flustered Pip was getting, dropping her flush, a smile grew on her regal face.”Don’t worry thyself Pipsqueak, we are just not used to that kind of affection yet, but we will be in time”

“Hi Pip, I didn’t see you there” interjected a sweet toned voice that pip could not help but recognize.

Looking up, Pip saw the owner of the voice. It was Dinky, she and her mother were waiting for Twilight to return to the desk so she could check out her book on magic when she heard Pip’s voice.

“D-Dinky w-what are you doin ere!?” Pip said blushing again at the sight of his first crush.

“Oh I’m here with my mommy to get a book on magic. Did you say hi to princess Luna?”

Pip tried to speak but it felt like someone super glued his mouth shut and couldn’t say a thing
“Mommy, could you keep our place in line? I wanna go talk to Pip”

Derpy nodded and said “Sure, anything for my muffin” her eyes moving of their own accord as she spoke.

With her mother’s approval, the light amethyst pony happily trotted over to Pip and rested her head on his neck making him tense up. This was Dinky’s way of saying hi.

“How have you been Pip, I haven’t seen you since Nightmare night. Don’t you go to school?”

“I-I-I… Yes I do go ta school, it’s just…” Pip stuttered

“Just what? Are you going to another school or something? I didn’t know there was another school in Ponyville”

Pip was frozen, unable to speak. It took him a few moments before he could even think of something to say
“Y-yeah, dat’s it, I am going to ummm… Sunny friends school”

“Oh I’ve heard of that, it’s supposed to be really fun” Luna interjected

“I’ve never heard of that? Is it new?”

Pip looked around for a distraction, anything to get the focus of the conversation away from himself. He found it when he saw Twilight asleep on the job

“Ey, why is Miz Sparkle sleeping on the floor?”

Luna looked at Pip with an unnoticed blush on her face. “Ummm, I think it’s because she passed out when she saw me” she shamefacedly admitted

Dinky released her captive and looked at the librarian. “Hey, there you are miss Twilight. We need to check out a book… Miss Twilight?”

Dinky hopped over to the fallen unicorn and tried to nuzzle her awake.

After coming to his senses, Pip joined her. “Luna, we need to put ‘er somewhere soft, umm I don’t ‘ave any magic and Miz Sparkle is quite ‘eavy so could you, maybe?”

“What? Spit it out dear, I don’t know how to read minds” Luna said trying not to sound offended, even though it was her fault Twilight was out cold.

“Could you, you know move ‘er for me?”

Luna dropped her blush as confusion overwhelmed her mind. “We do not understand Pip, Twilight seems to be sleeping very peacefully, why would we move her when she sleeps soundly?”

Pip frowned

“But Luna, young mares should be treated with respect, and it’s not respectful to watch a mare as beautiful as miz Sparkle ‘ere sleep on a ‘ard and dirty floor. At least that’s what my pa says”

Dinky looked at Pip and nuzzled him, she liked her colts to respect mares, not treat them like property. Pip blushed, but didn’t let his stare waver

Luna didn’t understand; if Twilight looked to be peacefully asleep then why do I need to move her? As if to answer her question Twilight began to arouse from her sleep “Ugh, what happened?” she said rubbing her head

Pip and Dinky tried to help Twilight to her hooves, but were quickly told not to.

“Miz Twilight, I found you on the floor and Luna wouldn’t elp me move you to a softer location” Pip said.

“Oh, thanks for the concern Pipsqueak but I don’t know why Lu-!” Twilight froze, memories of what happened before she passed out. Memories of the mess Spike made, the long line, Granny and … and princess Luna showing up for friendship lessons “Princess Luna is here to learn about friendship from me!”

Dinky nudged Twilight towards the desk “Come on miss Twilight, you need to check out mine and mommies books?”
“Okay, gimme a second Dinky” Twilight said as little Dinky’s cuteness made her smile.

Pip grumbled before looking at Luna. “Well?”

“What?” Luna said

“Could you please explain why you didn’t ‘elp me move miz Twilight?”

A confused and slightly agitated look grew on Luna’s face “What do you need me to explain little one, I didn’t move Twilight because she looked comfortable and yes I’m here to learn about friendship what more do you need to know?”

“Why didn’t you move ‘er to a softer spot? It’s not right to leave a lovely mare on the floor when there was a perfectly good pillow she could sleep on”

Twilight felt the tension growing between Luna and Pip. She checked out Dinky’s and Derpy’s books out in record time so she could ease the situation.

“Thank you miss Sparkle, Dinky’s going to love her book” Derpy said

“Anytime Derpy” Twilight said, a forced smile on her face and a bit of her mane going out of place.

Dinky, who was behind her mother, jumped out in front and waved “I’ll see you later Pip. I’ve got some reading to do” She closed her eyes and proudly placed a hoof to her chest.

“Don’t mention it Dinky, and if you ever want lessons I’m always here” Twilight called out as the duo left the library

With her last two customers out of the way, Twilight turned to face the arguing friends “Pip, say sorry, you don’t yell at a princess”

Luna’s eye ticked at being called princess from someone she considered a friend

“But Miss Sparkle, shouldn’t Luna have at least put you somewhere more comfortable, it’s like my pa said-“

“LITTLE PIP, YOUR PRINCESS DOESN’T CARE ABOUT SUCH NONSENSICAL WHIMSY'S, TWILIGHT APPEARED COMFORTABLE SO I KEPT IT THAT WAY NOTHING MORE” the royal canterlot voice bellowed, Princess Luna's patients clearly gone.

Pipsqueak froze, Luna, his favorite princess just yelled at him, and after saying that yelling at friends is not right.
“Y-you’re not my favorite princess anymore!” tears streamed down his eyes, he felt betrayed “I ope I never see you again!”. He ran out of the library, passing his crush, who tried to comfort him but was ignored as he ran to the only spot he felt safe.

---

“What a crybaby” Luna said feeling like she should get a pat on the back.

“That was mean Luna, he just wanted to help me.” she judgingly said “I see why Celestia sent you to me”

Luna’s look of false pride popped like a balloon as she realized her dreadful mistake. “Oh… we’re so sorry Pip, we acted selfishly, if we had performed the simple task of levitating Twilight two feet onto a few pillows, none of this would have happened.” She started banging her head, for the same reasons Pip did when he yelled at her. “ Now we have scared off our only friend, what have we done?”

Maybe I should comfort her, tell her that it’ll be okay? Twilight thought No, that’s what you do for foals, you should go and find Pip and make Luna say she’s sorry

In her moment of thought, Twilight didn’t notice that Luna had disappeared. “Princess! Where did you go!?”

---

Up above Luna was flying, her eyes scanned the town below. “Luna! Hey over here!”

Luna turned around to see who spoke when a blur of blue slammed into her

“Ah, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS WHY DO YOU RAM INTO THE PRINCESS OF-“ Whoo, calm down Luna it’s only me the awesome Rainbow Dash” the cyan Pegasus said

“Bah, watch where you’re going Rainbow crash, at the speed you were going you could have broken something.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t take her nickname very well “Look I don’t care if you’re the princess, no one and I mean NO one, calls me Rainbow crash”

Her anger blinding her, Luna could only think of one thing to do. “WE DAMAND AN APPOLOGY RAINBOW CRASH”

Rainbow doubled her efforts, getting right up into Luna’s face “If you call me Rainbow crash one more time I’ll… I’ll”

“You’ll what Rainbow dash? I am not in the mood for games like this. We found it acceptable to call you Rainbow crash, simply because you crashed into me and it rhymes with your name”

Dash backed off, Luna wasn’t trying to insult her, she just didn’t know how much she hated that name… she was just uneducated and Dash was going to educate her fast. “Oh, in that case it’s okay” she got right up into the princess’s face
again “But don’t make it a habit, your title of princess of the night won’t stop my hoof from beating you senseless”

Luna blinked, her mind sending her mixed messages, she closed her eyes in concentration as she tried to sort everything out.

“What no snappy come back princess?”

Luna had never been threatened before, she didn’t know what to do.

Luna and Dash went silent. Luna tried to sort out these thoughts of hers while Dash tried to calm down.

Dash began to get annoyed at the sound of their wing beats and tried to strum up a more peaceful conversation. “So Luna, what are you doing here? I thought you were helping your sister with royal duties or something boring like that?”

Luna blinked, hearing her name made her think that Dash was a friend. Why else would she refer to her by her name. “Oh me, well I am supposed to be learning about friendship from Twilight and I’m here because I’m looking for Pipsqueak. You see I-”

“You mean when you screamed at him, something about putting Twilight on something soft.”

Luna nodded and her ears went back in shame

“Well, I could care less about… whatever it’s about; but I don’t like people yelling at my friends, so either learn to put a lid on your Royal Canterlot Voice or get out of my town!” Dash shouted

For the second time Rainbow Dash threatened Luna, but she was in too much of a hurry to make a big deal.

“Look, I just want to apologize to him, so if you don’t know where he is, I will be on my way” Luna said

“Oh, Pip went crying towards town hall, so head that way if you want to apologize”

“Thank you Rainbow Dash” Luna said turning to fly in the direction of the biggest building, assuming that it was town hall “Oh and Dash”

“Yeah”

“Don’t threaten me, I will let it pass this time because you helped save me but I won’t be so nice next time, okay”

Dash just went back to her cloud waving Luna off

Luna just rolled her eyes and left

---

Pipsqueak was not at the town hall, but lying on the cool grass in front of the Nightmare Moon statue where he first declared princess Luna as his favorite princess.

“I-I thought you were my f-friend Princess” he cried, wishing his mom was there.

Pip often came to this spot to be alone, it was the last place he remembered seeing his mother, and the trees surrounded the place in such a way that no one in Ponyville would hear what he said.

“Finally, I have been looking for you” a voice said

Turning around, Pip saw Luna “W-what do you want?” he said through his manly tears

Luna landed and sat down next to the colt “I thought you were at the town hall. I was getting worried that I wouldn’t find you”

Despite his anger towards her, Pip shuffled to her side and stared at the statue.

“Look, I’m sorry for yelling at you, could you please forgive me like I forgave you for calling me momma?” Luna said taking advantage of Pip’s close proximity to wrap a wing around his small body.

He sniffed and reluctantly rested his head on her side. “Really, you don’t want to yell at me anymore?”

Luna looked down at Pip, wishing that he would look up at her, urged to comfort the small colt but unsure if she could “Of course not young one, it was wrong of me to yell at you over something so trivial, can you forgive me?”

Pip’s tears slowed as the warmth of Luna’s body, quelled the last of his anger “Sure” he said, submitting to Luna’s comfort “if you said sorry then I should forgive you. At least that’s what my pa said”

“Good, so I am your favorite princess again?” a hint of a smile on the princess's lips

Pip finally looked up at Luna’s face and smiled “Of course you are my favorite princess again, Thank you”

Luna once more had a confused face “What do you mean thank you? It is I who should be thanking you for accepting my apology”

Pip chuckled “You’re a silly princess, I’m just thanking you for saying sorry and admitting that you did something wrong, thus learning something”

“Okay, now I’m really confused?” Luna said

He chuckled again “Oh, never mind, and if Dinky asks, I never shed a single tear got it?”

“But why, there is nothing wrong with crying?”

Pip struggled against Luna’s wing till he was both comfortable and looking at Luna’s face “Please, I don’t want her finding out”

“Why?”

“Well, I kinda have … a crush on her” Pip blurted out only to cover his mouth “Please keep it a secret, please”

“Oh how the plot thickens. Sure I’ll keep your secret Little Pip”

Comments

[mr. tallyman18]

I'm....somewhat unsure of how i feel towards luna in this, admittedly, its nice to see an actual example of her social setbacks in ways you can sympathize with the characters getting upset at, she's not just "kind of weird" she's actually somewhat rude in most peoples viewpoints.

it also helps that pip and rainbow dash actually do something that could set someone off (I can sympathize......children make me angry too ). reguardless it was alittle jarring to see luna have a shitfit at pipsqueak out of no-where and calling rainbow by a nickname that, reguardless of not being said with the same malace as it was by the dumbell and his friends, is still probably not a flattering nickname (although being the millionth time she's probably smashed into someones rib cage, spine, clavin, you'd think she'd be used to stuff like that by now

Eitherway, finding this series a good bit of fun, good job