//------------------------------// // After Dinner Comforting // Story: In Somepony's Shadow // by Whammy //------------------------------// After a long day of diplomacy, public appearances, holding court, and meetings (oh so many meetings), Princess Celestia desperately wanted to go to bed. Tonight, however, was different. Instead of the blissful peace of slumber, she found her pacing about the throne room nervously, like she was a parent waiting up for their kid. It wasn’t a child keeping her awake, however, but her sister. Between the two of them, Luna had always been the more introverted of the two, desiring love and affection from their subjects but always having difficulty in relating to them. That eventually festered into the anger and rage of Nightmare Moon, and for a millennium Celestia had felt guilty for having missed how much her sister had been suffering. Now she had a second chance to help her, though Luna’s stubbornness meant she had to be sneaky about it. Telling her about Nightmare Night celebrations in Ponyville had turned out better than she ever thought. The morning after had been one of the few times Luna joined her for breakfast and she spent the entire time gushing about it. Getting her to the Gala, however, had proved a more difficult task. Sure, it was probably the most boring celebration in the entirety of Equestria, but it was an expected formality that had to be endured. The dressing up, the dancing, the high-society guests, however, seemed to scare Luna off, pushing her to find any excuse to avoid it. Her first year back? Sure, Celestia understood to desire for privacy, but now that time had passed and Luna had made some headway into being more public, she wasn’t going to let her sister hide forever. The arrival of Trixie – which was in of itself quite the welcome surprise – had provided a good enough excuse to make her sister go. “You need to be there for your apprentice,” she had told Luna, not letting her know Twilight had never gone till after she moved to Ponyville. Playing to Luna’s sense of responsibility and burgeoning connection with Trixie, though, had done the trick. Fancy Pants’s dinner had been even more perfect, serving as a safe environment for Luna to get some practice for the big night. There was no way that it could go wrong, right? “Maybe I should have gone with her,” Celestia mumbled to herself, continuing her pacing as she thought of all the possible things that might have went wrong. She was startled from these thoughts, however, by a sudden flash of light and the arrival of sister, with neither Trixie nor the guards with her. That was not a good sign, but perhaps she had just left a little early? “Welcome back, Luna! How was your – “ “Absolutely dreadful!” Before Celestia could respond, Luna had crossed the room and embraced her before quietly beginning to sob into her coat. “Shhh, it’s alright, Luna, it’s alright. Why don’t I make you some pancakes and we can talk about it, okay?” Celestia could feel Luna moving her head up and down on her shoulder to signal yes, but decided to give the mare a bit more time before letting go. Tonight was going to be a long night. After Luna’s outburst and sudden departure, Fancy Pants had called for an end to the party. It wouldn’t exactly stop the resulting gossip – Fleur had assured Trixie that unfortunately tomorrow even the normal newspapers would likely have this as front-page news – but it gave Trixie and the guards at least a little breathing room to figure out what to do next. “Well, it wasn’t exactly the worst party I’ve been too. At least there was no rampaging horde of forest creatures being hunted down by an enraged pegasus,” Star Breaker said. “I’m sure this will all blow over soon enough.” “Unfortunately, it is unlikely to ‘blow over’ in time for the Gala,” Fancy Pants said, using his magic to try and clean up at least a little of the destroyed buffet table. “Princess Luna already had a bit of a reputation for being unapproachable and aloof. At least, that’s the reputation among those who’ve never had her visit them in their sleep.” “Oh, have you been having secret rendezvous with the princess, my dear,” Fleur said, helping the unicorn stallion with the cleanup while gently leaning into him, a grin across her face while a blush grew on his. “She has visited a few times to discuss some…anxieties, I’ve been having,” he replied. “But darling, you have nothing to worry about. Luna visits my nightmares, but you’re the only one in my dreams,” he said, leaning into her and giving a small kiss on her cheek. “I guess they’ve made up,” Star Breaker said, watching the two unicorns laugh. She gave out a cough to catch their attention, the two lovebirds bashfully turning their attention back to them. “Sorry, but I just wanted to let you two know we’re going to go ahead and head out.” “Oh, uhm, yes, I guess you want to get back to the Princess as soon as possible. Please, let her know that I am truly sorry that tonight turned out to be so stressful for her and that I would love to have her come back for a private dinner, if that would be more comfortable for her,” Fancy Pants replied. “I’ll pass the word to her,” Star Breaker replied, giving a quick salute with her hoof before turning towards the exit. “Come on, Moon Shiner, let’s escort Trixie back home.” Soon the trio were on the road back to the castle. The two guards had once again strapped themselves in to pull the carriage, but Trixie had opted to walk beside them instead of riding. She was tired, but she was also anxious, and a good walk always helped with that. Not helping, however, was the awkward silence the three fell into as they left the garden club behind. This was not exactly how Trixie had thought tonight was going to go, and she had never seen Luna so flustered. She had seen Luna angry, yes, but that had been because of mistakes she had made. It had been more of a righteous anger aimed at Discord and, to an extent, Trixie herself. This, however, this had been an anger she was much more personally acquainted with: the anger at being embarrassed. Honestly, she had never seen that come from either princess. Could princesses even be embarrassed? “Hey, uh, I got a question for you two,” she said, glancing over at the two bat ponies. “Have you ever seen Princess Luna act like that?” “Hmm, can’t say I ever have, but I’m also kind of new so can’t really say for sure,” Moon Shiner replied. “You ever see an outburst like that, Breaker?” “I mean, I’ve seen her get frustrated before, and she is not a morning pony, that’s for sure,” she said, swiping the air in front of her with her hoof for emphasis. “Then again, most night creatures aren’t. Never want to see me in the morning without coffee,” she said with a chuckle. “Anyway, I think that’s pretty much the biggest outburst I’ve ever seen out of her. Frankly, it improved my opinion of her,” she said with a shrug. “Never liked most of those ponies anyway. See them around the castle a lot, and most of them are just about the most annoying, self-centered sycophants.” “Sycophants? What, got yourself a word a day calendar?” Moon Shiner said, bumping into Star Breaker teasingly. “Hey, I had a proper education. I just choose to come off as a jock because it’s more fun that way,” she said, bumping him back, causing him to stumble a bit. “Though, for the record, I was pretty good at sports in school.” “Anyway,” Trixie said, interrupting this trip into memory lane. “I’m just kind of worried what she’s going to be like once we get back to the castle. She was pretty nervous about this whole night, and I know from first-hoof experience that bombing like that can be pretty tough to bounce back from.” “You mean the amulet thing? Ow!” Moon Shiner rubbed his shoulder as Star’s hoof returned back to the ground. “What was that for?” “You know we’re not supposed to bring that bring that stuff up,” Star replied. “No, it’s alright. I had meant just going back to the wagon after a bad performance and just indulging in whatever junk food I had packed, but yes, seeking out ancient evil artifacts and using them to seek revenge was also not the healthiest response I’ve ever had,” Trixie replied, rolling her eyes. “Point is, I know how much it sucks, and I just want to figure out how to help?” “Well, what do you do after a bad performance now?” Star Breaker replied. “After I learned some healthier habits, I…mostly still just kind of sat in my wagon, binge some junk food, maybe read a book or practice a simple trick to keep my mind busy. I mean, there’s not that much you can really do but just let those feelings run their course.” “I usually exercise when I have a bad day,” Moon Shiner replied. “Feels really good to just go for a flight, let that anxiety just burn away.” “Ugh, no wonder you got a better time on the course than me,” Star Breaker replied with a groan. “I’m honestly a more ‘junk food binge’ gall myself, but I don’t think that’s going to quite work with Luna.” “Well, what do you suggest?” Trixie replied. “Hmm, first, probably wait for Princess Celestia to stop comforting her. Never get in the way of a sibling wanting to protect their other siblings,” Star Breaker replied. “After that, probably just go and hang out with her for a bit to show some support, tell some stories of your own” “That…doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Probably would have ate a lot less junk food if I had somepony to vent to after a bad night,” Trixie said, rubbing the bottom of her muzzle as she thought. “Although, the junk food still probably helps…then again, she doesn’t really strike me as the type to like junk food either.” “Luna, please, there’s no need to rush! There’s plenty of pancakes to go around,” Celestia said. Luna, however, ignored the warning, instead angrily consuming a stack of pancakes drenched in syrup, whipped cream, and fruit. Sure, she would likely regret it later, but right now just having anything else to focus on was a blessing, and the warm, fluffy piles brought an odd sense of comfort to her. Perhaps Changelings were not the only creatures who could sense love in their food… “Luna, at least drink some milk!” Indulging in her sister’s wish, Luna, gulped down some milk, clearing her mouth and throat of pancake and toppings. Satisfied, she took a moment to finally just breathe and talk. “…why did you make pancakes? Are these not meant for breakfast?” Celestia blinked at the question, then laughed. “If I’m being honest, pancakes are about the only thing I’ve really learned to cook well. Quick, simple, and endless amount of toppings. Perfect for a princess wishing to indulge in a simple hobby,” Celestia replied, slowly eating her own pile of pancakes in a much more dignified manner. “Now, then, do you feel ready to talk?” “Yes, oddly. I was not aware that having a stomach full of pancakes could make one feel so comfortable,” Luna replied. “We’ll talk about the concept of ‘comfort food’ some other time. When we do, let me know what your favorite food is and I’ll try and learn to make it,” Celestia replied, setting her silverware down and moving her plate aside. “So, then, what exactly happened?” “Very well,” Luna sighed. “It was all okay at first. Nervous, but fine. I did stumble over something that Star Breaker said was ‘insider trading’, though.” Celestia nodded. “Ah, yes, many ponies seem to think parties are an excellent time to petition me about what I plan to purchase for the kingdom to gain a financial edge. I’m not surprised they felt it worth trying the same stunts with you.” “Indeed, and I made sure to be careful about that for the rest of the night, though the constant attempts to sell me everything became quite irritating,” Luna said, taking an angry bite of pancake. “That would explain the outburst you mentioned, but not why your coat is stained and smells –” Celestia sniffed the air “– like fruit?” “Dancing,” Luna said dryly. “Apparently there is a rather popular dance of minotaur origins performed at functions such as this, and while Trixie valiantly tried to help, I ended up crashing into the buffet table and spilling the ‘punch’ on myself.” A moment of silence passed, and Luna watched as Celestia took a napkin and spent an unusually long amount of time wiping her mouth. At least, it was unusual until Luna could begin to hear “Snrrrks” coming from Celestia. “It’s not funny!” Luna yelled, her face turning dark purple once again from blushing. That, however, just served as a signal for Celestia to laugh out loud. “I’m sorry Luna, but I just imagined how it had to look and just couldn’t help it,” Celestia said, now using her napkin to wipe some tears as Luna just laid back into her chair, forelegs crossed and pouting. “Honestly, I’m mostly surprised such a thing has never happened at the Gala, though I guess I should also admit that I never learned it either. I just declined to dance till ponies just gave up asking.” “You what! Then why did I have to do it?!” Luna replied, forelegs splayed out in exasperation. “I mean, did you try to decline?” “Well, yes, but then I saw everypony else dancing while and I wanted to join them…” Luna noticed Celestia’s laughing died down pretty quickly when she said that, instead her eyes widened and her voice softened. “I’m sorry, Luna, I didn’t realize it would end up being such a big deal for you. I’m so used to avoiding it I never thought you’d want to do it. I can bring an instructor in to teach you if you want.” “It’s fine, sister,” Luna said, putting a hoof to the bridge of her muzzle and rubbed it to stave off a small food-induced headache. “Trixie was doing fine, at least till my larger size compared to her led us to trip. I think I will join you in avoiding such dances in the future.” “No, no, if you really want to do it, you should learn!” “It is not the dance itself I wanted,” Luna replied as she got out of her chair, exhaustion and pancake-induced sleepiness finally catching up and desiring to just go to bed. “I just wanted to be a part of festivities, like how I participate in Nightmare Night.” “Hmm, I do think dinner parties would be much better if the ghost of Nightmare Moon haunted them,” Celestia replied, smiling as she too got out of chair, her magic working to tidy up the table just a little in the process. “That is not what I meant,” Luna said, but she was smiling too, just a little. She quickly pushed it back, however, wanting to stay mad just a bit longer. “It is just, there has been so much that I have missed that it feels so isolating when I encounter something I do not know,” she said, turning to head out. Before she could, however, she felt Celestia’s wing drape over her as her sister began to hug her. “Well, I’m sorry I didn’t let you know of all the customs of modern dinner parties, Luna. Like I said, it’s all just become so dull to me that I didn’t think about how it would be all new to you,” she said, nuzzling her sister gently. “But, still, you shouldn’t worry so much about being absolutely perfect. Even if you don’t know a dance or proper silverware placement or whatever else is the current thing they’re obsessing about, you’ll do your best when you’re just being yourself.” Luna sighed. Celestia wasn’t wrong in what she was saying, but at the same time it felt that the point was being missed. But it was getting late and the food coma was starting to settle in enough that she didn’t want to fight about it. Perhaps they could talk about it more another day. “You’re right, Celly. Still, I think after tonight I might sit out on this year’s Gala. Sorry to disappoint you,” she said, pulling out of the hug. She could see Celestia wasn’t happy but was at least trying to keep up a smile. “I…I understand, Lulu,” Celestia replied, matching Luna’s use of nickname as she pulled her wing back. “I do wish you to reconsider, but I understand.” She walked back, her magic enveloping the silverware as she continued to clean up. “But right now, just try and have a good night’s sleep, okay?” Now that Luna could agree with, and she gave her a smile. “Yeah, I will.” Trixie had spotted the two sisters talking in the dining hall and, following Star Breaker’s advice, had decided to wait for the two of them to finish. In the meantime, she had made her way to Luna’s bedroom and comfortably taking a seat, a bag of various snacks that she had bought at a small store that was surprisingly still open this late (Star Breaker’s recommendation – they catered to bat ponies and the night owls). She was in the middle of munching on some potato chips when Luna finally arrived. “There you are! You feeling alright?” Trixie said, moving so that the princess could get into her room. “Yes, Trixie, I’m feeling…fine. I just want to head to bed and move on, if you don’t mind,” Luna replied, not even looking at Trixie as she dragged herself through the door. Just as the princess tried to close it with her magic, however, Trixie stuck her foreleg in to keep it open. “Oh no you don’t, Princess. Apologies for being so forceful, but I know what it’s like to bomb a performance so I can tell that you aren’t fine at all. Besides, I brought snacks!” Trixie levitated the opened bag of chips and other goodies in front of Luna, who turned slightly green. “Uggh, no, thank you Trixie, but I’m absolutely stuffed with pancakes and couldn’t even dream of eating anything more,” Luna said, pushing the snacks back. “Please, just head to bed. We’ll have lessons tomorrow” she said, continuing towards her own bed. Sadly for Luna, Trixie was a rather stubborn mare, and instead she made her way inside and took a seat at the edge of the bed, munching on chips as she did so. “Nope, sorry Princess, but I’m going to have to overrule you on that.” Luna glanced over at her as she made her way underneath some covers. “Oh, is that so? Has the Great and Powerful Trixie decided to rebel against my rule?” “Yep, I, Trixie, have decided to stage a sit-in and demand you accept Trixie’s help in these troubled times. You do not, however, have to eat the snacks,” Trixie said, levitating out some cookies. Taking a bite, however, she spat it out. “Ugh, is that a bug?” “Those are probably made for bat ponies. Insects are not an unusual part of their diet,” Luna said, a small giggle escaping from the lump that was her, pillows, and blankets. “Star Breaker could have said something before I bought it. I thought the bug was just a mascot or something,” Trixie said, putting the cookies back into the bag and just focusing on the chips. “Anyway, where was I?” “Trying to comfort me?” Luna said. “But you really don’t need to do anything. I had a bad night, and I want to just forget about it.” Trixie shook her head as she chewed, swallowing before replying. “Look, if you don’t want to talk that’s fine, but you know that I really like to talk, so I’m going to do that for a while.” “As you wish, Trixie,” Luna replied, but Trixie could see that the princess had stuck her head out just enough for her ears to be visible. “Right, well, did I ever tell you the story of how I got my cutie mark, or the time I set the school curtains on fire during the talent show?” That got Luna’s attention, her head peeking out even further from under the blanket to look at Trixie. “No, I don’t believe you ever told either story.” “Perfect, because it’s one story,” Trixie replied, levitating up a soda bottle, wanting to get a nice drink in before starting. “Long before I was the Great and Powerful Trixie, I was just Trixie Lulamoon, the awkward magic kindergarten student with no cutie mark. I was a bit of a late bloomer, you see, but you can’t force perfection so it was alright,” Trixie said, starting off the story with her usual bravado. She just assumed Luna had rolled her eyes at that and continued. “Anyway, I already had a thing for stage magic at the time, what with my mom having a bunch of magic stuff around the house growing up.” “Is she a stage magician too?” Luna asked. “Nah, she’s a florist. Supplies me with all the flowers I need for my shows, though. She said my dad was a magician, but that’s all I know about him,” Trixie shrugged. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, Trixie,” Luna said, but Trixie waved it off. “Nah, it’s fine, I’m used to it. Not important to the story, anyway. What is important is that they announced there would be a talent show, and my little filly brain thought ‘Hey, if I win the talent show, I can figure out my special talent’, because that’s how I thought it worked.” “A display of one’s talents is not a bad way to determine if it is something you are truly suited for, and it appears to have worked. That does not explain the fire, though,” Luna said, having started to sit up and pay attention more. “I’m getting to that. Geeh, get some patience,” Trixie said, teasing the princess. “Anyway, I wanted to do a magic trick for the show, but doing all the stuff from the books hadn’t gotten me a cutie mark yet, so I figured I needed something…bigger. A unique trick all of my own that could be a real showstopper. So, I went to the library and began to research some real magic to do.” “Wait, the Great and Powerful Trixie, researching?” Luna replied, smirking. “Hey, I know how to research. I just don’t like it that much,” Trixie replied. “But, yeah, I got bored of doing that real quick, but there was a firework show that evening as part of Nightmare Night celebrations.” “Fireworks, for Nightmare Night? That seems odd,” Luna replied. “Yeah, there was some old stallion in our neighborhood who liked doing them. Thought it’d help scare off Nightmare Moon.” “For future reference, I am not afraid of fireworks,” Luna replied dryly. “Noted,” Trixie replied. “But anyway, that gave me the bright idea of creating my own fireworks out of magic. I mean, what better way to end a show, right? Big, loud, colorful, absolutely perfect for me!” “Yes, that does sound like a good fit for you. But I don’t see how that would lead to a fire starting. Aren’t your fireworks illusionary?” Luna replied. Trixie laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head. “Yeah, so, the first version of the spell wasn’t.” “Oh….” “But you’re getting ahead of me here,” Trixie said, putting a hoof out to signal Luna to stop before putting it back down. “So, I spent weeks working on the spell, and then it was time to perform. I did all the usual stuff first. Card tricks, pulling a rabbit out of a hat, that sort of thing. Didn’t go well. Never drew the right card, the rabbit jumped out of the hat and into the audience before I even said the magic words, yada yada. So, I was getting pretty nervous and decided ‘Alright, showtime.’” “And that’s when you set the curtains on fire?” “Yep!” Trixie said, oddly proud of that. “I just reared back, horn glowing, and just let out as many fireworks as I could,” she said, rearing back with forelegs high on the bed (well, best she could while staying seated). “And it was absolutely amazing. Lights, explosions, an array of colors…and then the curtains caught fire and everypony had to evacuate,” she said as she laid back down. “What happened after that?” “Well, obviously I was suspended for like a month. Princess Celestia was oddly forgiving of that, but I guess all of us got at least one freebie on destroying rooms, what with what Twilight did during her entrance exam,” Trixie replied with a shrug. “But, just, as much of a mess as it was, in that brief moment of things not being on fire, I realized just how much I loved performing and showing off what I can do for others. To just be able to get on that stage and put everything I have into getting those eyes on me. And so, ta-dah, cutie mark!” she said, moving to show off her cutie mark to Luna. “And you weren’t absolutely horrified about the mess you made?” “Uh, no? It was totally awesome! Never let a little property damage get in the way of a good show,” Trixie said, laughing at her own joke. “Okay, I’m kidding. That’s how you get banned from places, and it’s why I eventually learned an illusionary version.” By now Luna had fully emerged from the covers and was sitting up, though she was still wrapped in the blankets. “Well, I do thank you for telling me this story, Trixie, but I’m not exactly sure why you’re telling me this now?” “Because I wanted to let you know that, hey, sometimes you’re going to screw up big time, but it’s alright because sometimes good stuff can still come out of it,” Trixie said. “I mean, look, we both don’t exactly got the best history with this kind of stuff. You wanted eternal night, I wanted to take over a town, but hey, now we got each other to…I don’t know, talk about this kind of stuff? Like we did after you found out I got chaos magic from Discord?” Luna sighed, but Trixie could see she was smiling, and so took it that it was a sigh of relief. “Yes, you’re quite right, Trixe. I guess we both have had rather bad reactions to ‘screwing up big time’. Still, I’m not quite sure about how this latest incident will look…” “Uhh, again, you tried to bring in eternal night. In comparison, this is nothing. Give it like a week or two and I’m sure they’ll move on,” Trixie said, waving it off as she returned to eating some more chips. “Besides, you do have another chance for a good impression at the Gala, right?” Luna winced. “Oh, right, the Gala. I’m…not too sure I’m up for that,” Luna said. “Hmm, yeah, I guess I’d be a little hesitate for a repeat performance that close to a bad one,” Trixie said, thinking it over. “It’s not just that, Trixe,” Luna replied. “The entire time at the dinner party, everypony seemed more focused on what they could get out of me as a princess instead of wanting to talk to me as just ‘Luna’. I had seen how my sister gets along with the crowds and had thought those barriers had fallen compared to the past, but it seems that some things don’t ever change.” Hmm, yeah, Trixie didn’t quite have a story to respond to that. After all, she was never a princess. But they both knew someone who was both a normal pony and a princess. “Yeah, Twilight might have some advice on that. I mean, she still eats at fast food places and gets ketchup smeared all over her face, so I’m sure she knows all about ‘mingling with the common’ folk while still being a princess” Trixie said. “…don’t ask how I know that.” “By definition, her role as the ‘princess of friendship’ means she is more well suited to being able to maintaining such personal interactions despite her status. Besides, everypony in Ponyville knew her as just a normal unicorn before her ascendance, which surely plays a role in their continued willingness to treat her as just like anypony else. It is not like the ponies of this time ever met me from before I…” Trixie watched as Luna paused mid-thought, foreleg hanging in the air, a smile slowly creeping onto her face. “Uhh, Luna, is something wrong?” Luna glanced over at Trixie, smiling. “No, Trixie, I think I just had a brilliant idea.”