//------------------------------// // A wink and a smile // Story: Crystal Amiss // by TassieDevil //------------------------------// As we walked down the rather bland hallway a question struck me “Hey Luna?” “Yes dear Crystal” “How come this place is so bland I mean with you being the princess and all I thought you would have a more decorative home”. “Well you see Crystal it has been quite a while since I’ve needed to worry about that, when my sister freed me I just didn’t think it was important but now that you’re here” The rumbling of my stomach interrupted her making me blush like crazy. She started to chuckle which practically turned my whole face red as an apple “Maybe we should discuss this after breakfast” she suggested “yes maybe we should” I said trying albeit difficultly to show a cool expression but looking up to read her face I saw I wasn’t fooling her and we both started to giggle like little school fillies. “Ahh here we are “Luna exclaimed, I hadn’t even realised we were still walking down the ridiculously long hallway which of course was as bare as ever. We stopped in front of a beautiful door and it was also the strangest for two halves of it were completely different one side was nearly pure white with a golden sun in the middle spreading light all over its side and it positively oozed beauty and purity while the other side was a rich navy blue with a full moon right in the middle and thousands of stars burning brightly it was dark and mysterious but it was also beautiful and it also reminded me how hard it must be to live with someone who was pretty much your polar opposite “shall we enter” Luna asked with a hint of smile playing on her lips I realise I had been staring at the door far to intently “let’s go” I said quickly so we could avoid the awkwardness of the moment and with a push of her hooves we entered the room beyond. I gasped loudly in shock and then awe and I had to check more than once that I was awake. The room was absolutely indescribable their table (which filled almost half the room)f looked as if it was made from pure gold with amazing, intricate patterns that were made from what looked like silver and some other definitely precious material she had no name for except it was blue as a clear summer sky the patterns were delicate swirls and symbols that looked as if only a pony far superior and intelligent then herself would understand the chairs were in a similar fashion but they had a burgundy cushion on each one and they looked as soft as clouds. There were columns of marble with green leaves wrapped around them and the green complimented the white marble nicely. The two huge windows had extremely detailed pictures of the two princess it was so detailed you could almost see there manes flowing due to some mysterious magic that was beyond her, then of course there was the contents of the table. The food looked delicious there were platters of fruit that looked like precious gemstones with a sprinkle of sugar on each one, there were puddings of every shape, size and flavour, pancakes piled so high they looked as if they touched the ceiling (I wondered at the inconvenience it would be to get those but then I remembered they were unicorns to them it would be as simple as ABC), there were rolls of bread that were practically begging to be dripped in the sizzling sauces that were laid down right next to them, and on one part of the table there were literally thousands upon thousands of chocolates and sweets and little cakes that looked like they had been made from fairies and for all I know they could of been. I sat down next to Luna who had already found a place to sit and soon I found myself grabbing everything that was edible within hoofs reach. It was undeniably the most delicious meal I have ever had. After I had finished stuffing myself I finally noticed that we were completely alone “Excuse me princess” I asked “Please call me Luna” “Umm okay Luna why is there nopony here apart from us?” “Well it is quite late in the morning” “How late?” an uneasiness washing over me that had nothing to do with the large amount of food I just ate. “Well i it’s about an hour to midday” she stammered uncertainly “WHAT! It’s been that long already” I can’t believe I had just forgotten about my father but I had this place had distracted me and so did Luna I must be the worst daughter in history my eyes started to burn as tears sprang into them thinking about the pain I had put him through, how I had ran off without even considering his feelings I mean mother’s death was hard on him too I mean most days now he just sat at the table staring at the nothingness sometimes a drink in his hand sometimes none. But whatever the problems we had, we have to face them together “Thank you so much for everything Luna but I have got to get going” “May I ask why” I threw words at her like father and help but already I was scampering for the door “WAIT!” “Sorry Luna” and then I pushed open the door and ran outside the room not hearing the alicorns warnings. I ran out into a maze of marble tunnels and immediately lost my bearings. I looked back and instead of seeing kind, sweet Luna I saw the dark shadow that plagues my dreams and haunts me when I’m awake. I had no idea what I was seeing was real or just some creepy hallucination I was having but I didn’t want to found out so I ran through the maze hoping I could lose her in the web of tunnels and winding stairwells. But everywhere I went there was the shadow blocking me whenever I thought I saw an exit. Pretty soon with all the fear, sadness and adrenaline coursed through me my legs just gave out and I just laid in a dark empty room shivering as the shadows crept up to me and once again everything turned black. Eventually I awoke and saw that the room was almost too dark to see anything though could make out small details such as various shapes of what looked to be stone but it was too dark to be sure. I noticed that there were no evil beings surrounding me and plotting the most painful and evil way to kill me and I started to doubt my own sanity but no matter what had actually happened my fear had been real and so were the tears that were running down my face. I tried to wipe them away but they kept on streaming out of my eyes and after a hard attempt to stem, the flow I gave up. I noticed a door (that was not unlike the one that entered into the dining room, it was too magnificent to call a dining room but I couldn’t think of what else to call it) and mustering up all my bravery I went through the door. I entered into a room that looked like it had been carved from one block of marble everything fitted together so well and it looked as if the tables that were all on the edges of the massive room had been grown from the rock itself. I then saw that I was not alone there were about 50 guards all in talking and eating it seems I have entered the barracks I was not entirely sure if this was a bad or good thing “THIEF!” somepony screamed, bad it was definitely bad. I had no idea what do as the 50 or so guards advanced to me I considered going through the maze but who knows what could happen in there so I stood my ground and looked for another way to escape. There, there was door with sunlight glinting through the bottom. But how was I supposed to get there so I did the first thing that came to mind “CHARGE!” I screamed as I ran towards the guards as fast as I could and this was something they weren’t expecting from, a little pony like me and their surprise caused a break in rank which I quickly galloped through and I ran as hard as I could to the door but when I got to it all hope seemed lost but strange purple air covered the door and I heard a satisfying click of the door opened and I looked back for just a moment and I saw Luna right at entrance to the barracks and as I turned back to run through the door and to home I swore she winked at me. Okay so she wasn’t trying to kill me at all I smiled at the thought as I was being chased by a horde of guards.