//------------------------------// // 9. Friends in Night's Embrace // Story: Glow // by Carapace //------------------------------// Spitfire, like most foals, had grown up hearing The Legend of the Mare in the Moon. The rise of Nightmare Moon, all the terrible, frightening things that came in her wake, and the looming threat of a visit from the Nightmare Princess should they not make a fitting offer of candies each Nightmare Night were major staples of her life. Somehow, Spitfire found herself longing for the slightest hint of a fanged grin or an echoing cackle that carried the promise of malice. Instead, she was met with a serene smile and casual gait that rivaled Princess Celestia. Princess Luna hummed a tune as she lead Spitfire through the hedge maze that was the Royal Garden, stopping here and there to sniff at a few flowers or voice compliment to the gardeners’ work. “Astounding, is it not?” she asked, smiling at a few bluebells. “I must confess, I don’t think I could ever have the patience for gardening, especially not here. Between the constant upkeep, temperamental plants dying due to the slightest mistake in care, or my employer’s flights of fancy, I think I would sooner tear my mane out.” Uncertain how to react, Spitfire settled on a rather forced chuckle. “Y-Yes, Your Highness. I’m sure it can get a bit troublesome from time to time.” “This walk was meant to be casual, Captain Spitfire. There is no need to be so tense.” Princess Luna frowned. “You look as though you’re ready to take wing and fly from my presence at a moment’s notice. We’ve had cordial relations prior to this, have we not?” “We have, Your Highness,” Spitfire replied, nodding in kind. “Then, pray tell, why do you seem so nervous?” The wing around her withers tightened, pulling her flush against Princess Luna’s side. A playful gleam shone in her eyes. “You weren’t up to any mischief while entertaining Princess Twilight, were you?” Aside from sex last night and letting Soarin get her plastered? Oh, definitely not. She forced herself to smile, giving an anxious flick of her tail. “No, Your Highness,” she said with a rather stiff shake of her head. “My teammates and I kept a good eye on her throughout the night and made sure no pony bothered her at the club. The worst thing to happen was, well, her getting a little tipsy.” Princess Luna nickered. “I saw. Our dear friend is in for quite the rude awakening, if I do say so myself.” She paused a moment, then aimed a teasing grin at Spitfire. “Or, rather, my friend is in for a rude awakening. She’s your girlfriend now, I believe.” Right to the point, quite unlike Princess Celestia’s coy smiles and slow pulling information out at her own leisure. Giving another nod, she replied, “Yes, Your Highness. Princess Twilight and I agreed to start seeing each other on a more regular basis this morning.” After a beat, she added, “I hope that doesn’t displease you.” “Not at all,” Princess Luna said. She lifted her wing off of Spitfire, folding it neatly against her side. “Quite the opposite, I’m delighted to see that Twilight has found a pony she deems worthy of her affections. I must confess, I’d grown a bit worried that she would end up conjuring herself one.” Spitfire flicked her ear, turning to face the princess. “Is that even possible?” Princess Luna shook her head. “Many things are possible with magic, my dear Captain, but creating life out of nothing is not among them. With Twilight Sparkle’s talent for it, she could, in theory, imitate it, but I doubt she is the sort to try.” She turned her attention to the sky, a fond smile crossed her muzzle. “She’s had a few brushes with some rather unsavory spells that left her apprehensive of actively practicing dark magic.” She hadn’t mentioned anything about that. Spitfire wrinkled her nose and made sure to log that away for later. Might make for an interesting story or two. They came to a fork in the path, Princess Luna stopped and chewed on her lip. “Hmm, which way was it?” she muttered, humming to herself. She gave a little flick of her starry tail and stomped a hoof. “Confound it, Tia! Next time we decide on gardening schemes, I’ll have to insist that we do away with this silly thing!” Unable to think of a suitable retort, Spitfire kept her mouth shut. She shifted in place as she waited for Princess Luna to make her decision, giving her wings a little flex. Don’t tell her “we could always just fly.” Try to say it respectfully. She took in a deep breath, then bowed her head. “Your Highness, if you would like, I can fly up and check the paths ahead, then return with what I see. Maybe that’ll help you remember?” “Oh, thank you, Captain. However, that won’t be necessary,” Princess Luna said with a smile and a wave of her hoof toward the leftmost path. “I believe our goal is down that path. Come along, please. I wish to continue our talk.” With another bow of her head, Spitfire followed alongside her as they made their way past patches of orchids, tulips, and sunflowers—which, to her surprise, Princess Luna stopped to survey a moment before shooting her a cheeky smile and nibbling on a few petals. “Delicious,” Princess Luna said as though savoring a meal. “Such a shame that my sister will complain that I’ve been snacking on her flowers again.” Spitfire nearly tripped over her own hooves. Only her natural grace and agility helped her right herself in time to disguise it as a neat sidestep away from the very flowers Princess Luna was snacking on. Her move earned a hearty laugh from the Princess. “Come now, Captain Spitfire! Surely you’ve savored a nibble of sunflower petals before!” Those teal eyes twinkled, shining with mirth and a hint of mischief. Princess Luna stepped to the side and swept a hoof over the flowers. “Care to join me?” “N-No, thank you, Princess!” She stammered, bowing and shaking her head so fast her mane whipped back and forth. “A wise decision. Tia will merely roll her eyes and find some other means to return the favor for me. You, on the other hoof, wouldn’t have fared so well, I fear.” Princess Luna noted with a hint of a pout to her tone. “Though, now, you’ve ruined my little joke. I’m afraid I’ll have to ‘dock points’, as Rainbow Dash would say.” Spitfire blanched, her wings flared out to their fullest extent. “Wait—I—you’re rating me?” Princess Luna gave a solemn nod. “T’is the duty of family to ensure that prospective suitors are the best for their own.” A beat later, she resumed her smile. “Although, I should think that Twilight’s happiness after the Gala and her excitement for your dates, alongside your reputation warrant my approval. For now.” Before Spitfire could reply, she began walking again. Shaking herself out of her shock, Spitfire dashed to catch up with her. “For now?” she parroted. “I reserve the right to allow for change in opinion. After all, Twilight is family now; through Shining Armor’s marriage and her own adoption into our ranks after her ascension.” She fixed Spitfire with a sidelong glance. “I trust I need not go into detail as to what expectations there will be for you?” “No, Your Highness.” I already had the riot act read to me once. “I’ll treat Twilight with the same respect I would any of our princesses, yourself included.” Princess Luna snorted in amusement. Her eyelids lowered, her sidelong glance becoming a more coy, half-lidded stare, with a smirk added in. “Perhaps not quite the same, I would wager.” Spitfire felt a fire burn in her cheeks. She ducked her head, pinning hear ears back to block out the laughter. “That wasn’t quite the way I meant it,” she said. “I’m certain it wasn’t.” With a sly smile, she nodded toward another patch of flowers, violets this time. “T’would be rude of me not to offer some sort of fare for you. If not Tia’s, perhaps you would prefer Twilight’s, hmm?” If it were at all possible for her face to actually burst into flames, Spitfire was certain she was nearing that point. The implication behind Luna’s wording was not lost on her. “N-No! No thank you!” she stammered, her voice came out in a squeak. “I had plenty to eat at the club! Er, food, I mean!” “Of course, silly me. Another time, then.” Princess Luna turned her attention to the path ahead, her eyes lit up. “Ah, here we are!” She had lead Spitfire to a clearing, with a single bench placed just a few feet from a gentle pond, a weeping willow for shade, and patches of moonflowers open and glowing with the soft white light of the moon. Blinking, Spitfire could only gape at the sight. She was, by no means, a gardener or herbologist—that was more her mother’s thing, which she tried to tune out as best she could. That said, moonflowers were some of the rarest flowers in Equestria, described as beautiful beyond compare, save for the moon itself. “Ma is so gonna kill me,” she whispered, a grin creeping across her muzzle. Spitfire broke away from Luna and trotted over to get a closer look. “Her biggest dream has always been to see just one of these.” “Sentiments shared by many,” Princess Luna said as she moved to stand beside Spitfire. “Unfortunately, moonflowers can be rather temperamental when it comes to their care. Beautiful though they are, I fear they’re too much hassle unless a pony is willing to dedicate time to them. Not to mention their aversion to heat.” “Ma’s retired, but she and dad moved back to Mustangia after he left the Wonderbolts.” She wrinkled her snout, the thought of Mustangia’s summers making such a beautiful flower wither and die brought forth a frown. “Too bad these wouldn’t last out there.” “A pity, indeed. Though I do so love to see them in bloom, I do worry that the garden staff is required to spend too much time caring for them. Although,” she broke off, her gaze flitted to the castle, then back to Spitfire. “Whenever I’ve asked, I find myself informed that it is a ‘privilege’ to care for something that brings me such delight.” While Princess Luna sighed and returned to stare at the flowers, Spitfire watched a smile slowly spread across her muzzle. Very much like her own mother whenever her father bought her something expensive—there was always a bit of complaint that he’d spent too much, regardless of how much he had from his pension or continued merchandising through the Wonderbolts, until either he grinned, swept her into a tight hug, and pointed out that she was trying not to smile. As fun as it was to watch her mother squeal and squirm as she beat her hooves against his chest, Spitfire would just keep her mouth shut in Princess Luna’s presence. There was only one princess for her to tease until she blushed and squealed, and she was currently sleeping off her first night out with the Wonderbolts. A yawn threatened to escape her lips, Spitfire sucked in her lips and forced it back into her throat. Her eyes watered as she tried to release it through her nose, struggling to withhold it lest she seem rude. To her dismay, her lips parted unbidden, letting a tiny bit of the yawn out, until it forced its way out. She clapped a hoof over her mouth and turned her head away, her eyes fluttered shut. Two second ticked by. Then three. Then six. Princess Luna snorted. “Am I keeping you up past your bedtime, Captain?” “Huh? No!” Spitfire shook her head. “No, Your Highness. I apologize. Twilight and I just had a rather late night last night and then we went to the club with Fleetfoot and Soarin.” “I understand. Perhaps you would like to sit down for our talk?” she offered, motioning toward the bench. “I don’t foresee it taking too much longer, but I would prefer we converse in comfort. Come, join me.” Spitfire bowed her head and followed, waiting as Princess Luna swept gracefully into her spot on the bench before hopping up to sit next to her. With a happy smile as she settled in, Princess Luna began, “You will understand, of course, if I may sound a bit redundant in asking you to take proper care of Twilight while you date her.” She fluffed her wing and gave a little flick of her ear. “Aside from her status both as my family through Cadence and a fellow princess, she is precious to me. She is to the entire family, really.” “Of course,” Spitfire replied. “She’s rather close with all of you, if I recall.” “That she is. Myself, I find her to be an example of a pony I aspire to be, and am grateful for the help she’s offered. With that in mind—” her eyes narrowed and flashed, a reminder that Princess Luna could be just as dangerous and menacing as her nights “—you understand that should you cause her any manner of pain, you will bear the full brunt of my displeasure.” A chill ran down her spine, as if the breath of a timberwolf was ghosting over the back of her neck. For a second, she could’ve sworn Princess Luna’s teeth sharpened into gleaming fangs, which only disappeared when she blinked and looked again. Swallowing a lump that formed in her throat, Spitfire gave a shaky nod, unable to bring herself to speak. As soon as the darkening of Princess Luna’s mood came, it was gone. “Wonderful!” she chirped, the bright smile returned in full force. “Then with the obligatory ‘threatening elder speech’ and ‘notification of my pending approval’ given, I may dispense with this charade so that we may speak on happier matters.” With a tiny giggle, she added, “I trust you would appreciate such a change?” Spitfire let out a sigh of relief. “Yes, very much so—er, no offense, Your Highness.” Again, she felt the onset of a yawn building in the back of her throat. Rather than fight it, she brought a hoof to her mouth and let it out, covering it as best she could. Wrinkling her snout, she blinked owlishly, trying to fight off the lure of sleep as best she could. “Ugh, sorry, Princess Luna. Dunno what’s come over me tonight.” “Worry not. The hour is late, and it was I who asked you to walk with me after your evening at the club.” Turning her attention to the pond before them, Princess Luna closed her eyes and began to hum a light, soothing tune; one eerily familiar, but distant enough to nag at the back of her mind. Her eyelids began to droop. Spitfire closed her eyes and shook her head, bringing a hoof to her forehead. Wake up, don’t fall asleep. “So, uh, what else did you want to talk about?” she asked, struggling to bite back another yawn. “Places I’m not allowed to take Twilight or something?” Giggling to herself, Princess Luna shook her head and said, “No, nothing of the sort. Though, I do hear she enjoys a good hayburger every now and again.” She shot a wink. “I should think her focus will be more on good company than being wined and dined.” “Good to—gah!” Spitfire had to cover her mouth again as a yawn cut her off in mid reply. “Sorry. Good to know, Your Highness. I’ll remember that.” “Do so. While I may be a bit protective of her due to the things she’s done for me, I will say that you have my support, as far as the Royal Family goes.” Her ears perked up. Spitfire tried to fight the urge to swish her tail. “You mean it?” Princess Luna gave a single nod. “Yes, Captain. I cannot necessarily say that I would be moving quite so fast as to allow another to sleep in my room after only a couple nights—” she paused to arch an eyebrow at Spitfire, who fidgeted and rubbed her shoulder. Does she know? If she did, Princess Luna opted not to say anything. Instead, she simply continued, “—however, I accept that this is not my relationship, so I shan’t attempt to dictate a speed for you. As adults, you are more than free to make your own decisions. Within reason.” She turned to face Spitfire, giving a slight raise of both eyebrows. “I draw the line at finding the pair of you enjoying our City Guards’ finest housing.” Spitfire snorted, a relieved grin spread across her muzzle. “I’ll keep that in mind, Your Highness.” She let out a little sigh, letting the little bit of tension leave her chest. “I appreciate your support, and I’m sure Twilight will as well.” “No thanks are necessary, Captain Spitfire. Make her happy and respect her as she deserves, and I shall consider us even.” Her smile seemed change, from bright and cheery to one more akin to how Spitfire’s mother would look at her. “I believe that concludes our business. I thank you for granting my request this evening.” Ah, that’s my cue. “The pleasure was mine, Your Highness. I’m always happy to answer when called,” she said. “With your permission, Princess, I think I’d like to head back to the hotel.” “Ah.” Princess Luna hummed. “You’ll need your rest if you are to entertain your princess tomorrow.” Taking it as permission, Spitfire made to stand and bow before departing, but instead found herself caught in the soft, feathery embrace of a midnight blue wing. “Er… Your Highness?” she asked, her voice betraying her confusion. With an awkward rustle of her left wing, she gave a sheepish chuckle and quipped, “I, um, I should probably get back or I’ll fall asleep sitting next to you.” “‘Will’ fall asleep?” Princess Luna repeated, barely restrained amusement bubbling forth into her voice. “Oh, my little pony, I’m afraid you fell asleep quite some time ago.” Spitfire blanched and made to pull back, but the wing held her fast. “What?” “It was my fault, really. I should have realized that you were exhausted when I saw you yawn as you readied to leave, and again when you started upon arriving to this place.” She waved her hoof at the clearing around them. “After the third or fourth, you started to nod off, so I offered my wing.” Her mouth worked wordlessly, a muted squeak escaped the back of her throat as her blush returned in full. “I am so sorry!” she babbled, covering her face in her hooves. “Oh, gosh, please tell me I didn’t let you wrap me up!” Princess Luna’s eyes twinkled with mirth. “You curled right up against my side like a little foal.” She threw back her head and laughed as Spitfire groaned in dismay, then leaned over to nuzzle her mane. “Worry not, my dear Captain, your secret is safe with me. None shall hear of this, you have my word.” Spitfire let out a low whine, cursing herself. “I appreciate that,” she said after a moment. “I’m really sorry.” “Don’t be. I enjoyed our talk, even if you fell asleep partway through. Our next conversation will have to take place when you aren’t so tired.” “Still, it’s really my—” She stopped short, her ears twitched as Princess Luna’s words finally clicked. Wait a minute. If I fell asleep… Slowly, Spitfire turned to meet Princess Luna’s eyes, her mouth fell open to form a small ‘o’ of wonder. How are we talking right now? As if reading her mind, Princess Luna nuzzled her mane and whispered, “Try not to let it bother you too much, Captain.” She stood and fluffed her wings, leaving Spitfire to sit and gape at her. “Unfortunately, I must ensure that my subjects are not burdened with nightmares this eve, so our time together must end. I greatly enjoyed this talk.” “I—uh—thank you?” Spitfire blinked. “Wait, am I sleeping on the bench?” Laughing, Princess Luna shook her head. “No, my dear, you are not. I brought you to one of the castle’s many guest rooms and took the liberty of sending a note to your teammates. You’ll be expected to join us at breakfast, by the by. Think of it as a term of repayment for your room this evening.” Spitfire could only nod wordlessly, afraid that her mouth would fail her should she try speaking. “Wonderful!” Giving two quick stomps of her hoof, Princess Luna turned with a merry swish of her tail. “I’m sure Twilight will be pleasantly surprised—and the others will be happy to host you as well.” She began to walk away, a door appeared before her as she called over her shoulder, “Enjoy your rest and the dream it brings, Captain. We’ll meet again in the morning.” Before Spitfire could jump to her hooves and chase after her, the world began to change. Colors swirled around her like she was trapped in a swirling rainbow mixer. The beautiful clearing dissolved into a blur of colors, then faded away. Blinking owlishly, she glanced around the new scenery. Lush green grass, a cobblestone pathway, guards in gleaming gold armor holding their spears as they stood at post by the castle’s main entrance. What am I doing out here? Where did Princess Luna go? A pair of hooves covered her eyes. Warm breath ghosted over her cheek, a pair of soft lips pressed against her, banishing all questions to the deepest recesses of her mind. Spitfire felt her eyes flutter shut. The musty scent of books and bite of iron wafted to her nose. “Hon?” she murmured, smiling as she was dotted with another kiss. “How did you know it was me?” Twilight whispered back. She reached up and took Twilight’s hooves in hers, pulling them apart so she could turn around and wrap her in a hug. “I know my girlfriend,” she replied huskily, nipping at Twilight’s nose. “Even when she tries to get playful and turn the tables.” “I’ll have to step up my game then.” Stealing a quick kiss to her lips, Twilight slipped out of the embrace. She turned around and unfurled her wings, displaying her beautiful feathers. The sight made Spitfire’s breath hitch in her throat. “H-Hon?” she stammered. “There’s a patch of clouds to the west, towards Cloudsdale,” Twilight said, repeating her own words from the Gala. “Feel up for a quick flight?” Without waiting for her answer, Twilight kicked off and took wing, her laughter floated back to tickle Spitfire’s ears. A playful grin split Spitfire’s muzzle. She flared and flexed her wings. “Oh, your ears are so getting nuzzled, hon!” she called. She took off and flew as fast as she could, laughing as she chased her girlfriend through the sky. Bright sunlight shone through a crack in the drapes, bathing the room in a golden light as brilliant as the coat of the mare slumbering in her bed. Her eyelids squeezed shut, her feathers ruffled and unfurled to cover her head in hopes of fending off her age-old nemesis. A tired moan escaped Spitfire’s lips as she wrapped herself deeper into the covers, burrowing into her makeshift cocoon of warmth and fluff. “Five more minutes, ma,” she mumbled into her pillow, laying her ears flat. “Too tired for flight school today.” She braced herself for her mother’s soft laughter, then warm breath washing over her mane—the only warning she’d get before her mother would nuzzle between her ears and coo that it was time for good little fillies to get out of bed, and that real Wonderbolts didn’t complain about getting up with the dawn and training until their feathers fell out. Naturally, Spitfire had her own secret weapon, one every filly knew to use on instinct: a cute whine, followed by a big, showy nuzzle into her pillow. The ultimate battle of wills, pitting mother against daughter. But her mother’s voice and soft touch never came. The warmth of the morning sun touched upon her head like a soft hoof running through her mane, flashing across her eyelids as if trying to coax them open. With a low grumble, Spitfire sat up and rubbed at her eyes, opening and blinking them a few times to chase away the bleariness. “Ugh, that was a crazy dream,” she muttered, sparing a cursory glance around her hotel room. “What time did I even get back here?” She couldn’t remember. Everything after dropping Twilight off with her friends seemed fuzzy. Spitfire brought her hooves to her temples and massaged them in slow circles. “I brought her to the door,” she said. “I dropped her off with her friends, and then I came back to the hotel. I think.” No, there was something else. She didn’t go back to the hotel immediately afterward. Hay, I don’t even remember flying back, and there’s no way I was plastered—I don’t even feel the hangover! As the room came into focus, she noticed something rather different about her surroundings. Namely, that they were quite a bit different from her hotel room. Extravagant though the Wonderbolts’ penthouse suite was, it had nothing on this. High arching walls painted a beautiful pink, purple drapes, a bed that felt like she were sleeping on her own cloud mattress, and a rather extravagant headboard. Foreign, yet familiar. “I’ve been in a room like this before,” she thought aloud. Spitfire brought a hoof to her chin and wracked her brain. Something nagged at her mind. Something about her falling asleep next to the princess, but that couldn’t be right. Spitfire shook her head and threw the covers off herself. If she was in the castle, she’d probably been invited to stay in one of the guest rooms. “Twilight probably insisted or something,” she said with a little chuckle as she stretched her legs and wings. Wincing at the sound of her joints popping, she hopped out of bed. “She probably got all stubborn or something, and wouldn’t go up to her room unless I promised to stay with her or take a room for myself. I just forgot because it was a long day.” A very long day. Not that she’d complain, though. “Never a bad thing to get the rules straight so it works with a mare. Especially one who genuinely wants to hang out.” Spitfire rolled her shoulders forward, then back to loosen herself up. No matter how soft the mattress, whenever she slept on a bed that wasn’t hers, her muscles always stiffened right up and took forever to cooperate. She flicked her tail and turned to trot to the bathroom. A nice, hot shower would take care of those nagging aches and stubborn muscles. Out of the corner of her eye, Spitfire caught sight of a folded piece of paper on the nightstand. Curious, she stepped closer and took it in hoof, opening it to reveal a message written in neat, flowing script. Captain Spitfire, I greatly enjoyed our talk last night, despite its necessary transition to the dream realm. I do hope you found your sleep refreshing and the dream enjoyable, consider it a gift for making a very dear friend of mine smile. Remember, I expect you to join us at breakfast this morning. You’ll find the bathroom fully stocked. While I don’t think it necessary to remind you to groom yourself properly, this would be a good opportunity to leave an impression on Twilight’s friends, her brother, and Princess Cadence. Just a bit of friendly advice. Feel free to do with it what you wish. I shall see you at breakfast, my friend. Don’t dally. Princess Luna, Mistress of the Night, Bane of Chaos, and Protector of Dreams. Spitfire let the letter fall from her hooves, fluttering to the floor with a rustle. She stood stock still, the hoof she’d held the letter in shook. Slowly, she fell back on her haunches, her rump hit the floor with a thud. “What did I just get myself into?”