Sitting in the main room at a table fit for at least ten, the colts were feeling refreshed and pampered, even after such a short grooming. The fillies were upset and brushing one another while giving jealous looks to their counterparts, when two servants of the castle walked in, led by the apartment’s chef.
“Afternoon, everypony,” the earth pony chef said shortly, “your meals are prepared. Ladies,” she gestured to the pegasi servants with her forehoof.
The mare and stallion stepped forward, using their wings to move the platters from their backs to the table. Everypony wasn’t too excited to eat again so soon, which dampened the chef’s spirits. “I had heard you left your meal with the Princesses early, I didn’t know you had eaten first. I apologize for my mistake.”
“It’s cool, leave it. I might get hungry again,” Snickers said as the chef waved the pegasi to gather the domed platters and stopped.
Silver Spoon waved a foreleg. “Excuse me, I didn’t hear your name.”
The chef bowed her head. “My name is Chef Basil, it is an honor to meet you, Miss Silver Spoon. And the same to you, Miss Diamond Tiara.” Basil looked to the colts and bowed low, vanishing from their view. Basil stood again. “And royal guests, Snickers and Kiwe. If we may take our leave?”
Snickers nodded and the chef left. The food under the domed lids was gathering their attention and Kiwe lit his horn to lift the lid on one, grinning when he saw what it was. “Desserts!”
Having taken a plate and stacked it with treats, Snickers noticed Basil standing at the servant’s doorway. They both grinned and Snickers dug into his unhealthy snacks. A golden flash of light from the foyer brought the foals to a slow chew, whereas they were ravenously gobbing the treats before.
Celestia entered the room and Snickers felt the usual warmth precede her. “Hm, it seems you all have a sweet tooth as well. They do say a sweet tooth is often passed from mother to son, you know,” Celestia looked hopefully at Snickers, then averted her eyes when he didn’t show any joy at her statement. “But, the reason I’m here isn’t for donuts or cake. Snickers and friends, do you have a moment to spare for me?”
The foals all nodded and stopped eating, loudly gulping and wiping their mouths on cloth napkins that Snickers noticed were embroidered with his name. A glance back showed Kiwe’s napkin had ‘Kiwe’ written in elegant cursive.
‘Must be magic napkins’, Snickers thought to himself.
“Before I begin, do any of you know what an oath is?” Celestia asked.
Silver Spoon raised her foreleg. “Oh, oh! I do, Princess Celestia! It’s when you say you’ll do something, and mean it.”
Celestia nodded. “That is, in essence, the idea of an oath. I must have you all recite one with me. If you’re not willing to know the secret I’m about to share, please leave the room.”
None of the foals moved, and Celestia smiled. Her horn glowed and Snickers felt the warmth of the noon sun tingle his skin as the room was cast in a glow of her magic. Everything outside the walls was tinted black with a swirling fog, adding to the secrecy. Snickers and Kiwe were clearly growing excited, but not as much as the fillies.
“Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, we’re gonna hear a royal secret, Diamond Tiara!” Silver exclaimed.
“Bump, bump, sugarlump, rump,” they chanted and giggled.
“Children, your attention, please. Raise your right forehoof and repeat after me,” Celestia said and her horn flashed. Snickers felt something tingle in his mouth, but it faded quickly. “I, state your name, will not tell anypony what I’m going to learn today. I will do my very best to be kind to the ponies that do know, and I will also let Celestia have a slice of cake, if she asks and there’s enough to share.”
The foals giggled when they finished repeating the oath and opened the second platter to show several cupcakes. Celestia eyed them, but then stepped aside. “Snickers, would you mind sitting between your filly-friends?”
Snickers blushed. “They’re not my fillyfriends, we’re just in a little herd.”
Celestia smirked and nearly cooed, but stopped herself and waited as Snickers went under the table to sit between Silver and Diamond.
Celestia took in a deep breath, then exhaled loudly. “Sister, please come in.”
Snickers’s eyes widened and he wrapped his forelegs around Silver Spoon. The air chilled briefly, then normalized as the creature from an hour before walked into the room. Snickers was ready to run, but this time it wasn’t terrifying. It’s eyes were slightly red, it’s… Snickers noticed it was a mare.
Not a monster or an ‘it’, but a mare. One that had clearly been crying, if the tear lines were any indication. She remained tight-lipped, hiding her teeth this time as she stood by Celestia.
Celestia looked lovingly at her sister. “Luna, show them. It’s okay, I trust they’ll do fine.”
Luna nodded and her horn glowed briefly. Her coat shimmered, but nothing changed about her for Snickers. The others didn’t react the same, though. Kiwe dumped the contents of his plate onto his lap as he used it as a shield. Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara hugged Snickers, tightly enough to squeeze the air from his lungs.
“Too tight, lemme go,” Snickers wheezed. Once he was able to breathe, he looked at the tall mare, almost the same height as her sister. “So… y-you’re Luna?”
Luna nodded and looked at the floor, staying silent.
“Sister, is there a story you wish to tell them?” Celestia asked. Luna shook her head and took a short step back. “Come, now. You can do it. You’re a fantastic story teller.”
Luna inhaled and looked up, then opened her mouth to intentionally show her teeth and fangs. “I am not a monster, but I look like one because of a pact I made with a greater evil entity called Limelight. A creature summoned by black magic in a spell I cast to win me the favor of my subjects.
“A normal Limelight’s power is to make one believe they will be the center of attention for whatever their desire may be. A pony may wish to be a dancer, and the Limelight will make it so; at the cost of that pony breaking the leg of their rival, for example.
“Over a thousand years ago, I was shunned, and the ponies slept through my nights while showering Celestia with praise, affection, consorts, and gifts.” Luna giggled when she was shoved by Celestia’s wing. “It is true. While she had fun and love, I was alone, save for my guard, and dreamwalking.
“Certainly, it was a sad time for me. I was this tall then, but my body was like the glamour I use to hide, this,” she gestured to herself. “To win the love my sister had, I called Limelight to me and let it take me over, warping my mind and body to fit its needs. Limelight is many things, but honest isn’t one of them.
“To become loved, I gave up myself; body and soul. I am omnivorous now. I do not need to sleep more than four hours in a day, once every two days. I can see into the shadow realm, knowing where every pony is within my line of sight, or I can sense with my magic.
“I was told that these ‘gifts’ would be all I need to be the pony all loved and adored, with a final caveat; I had to dethrone my sister and take her place as Queen of the lands that the moon touches.”
Celestia and Luna, in her true form, shared a sad look, then Luna went on, “The battles we had were ruinous. The cities that made up much of the lands the three tribes had forged as their home was rend asunder, the castle was purged of all life, and the magics I used poisoned the land and air to their very roots, and far below.
“It was I who created the Everfree Forest, unknowingly a puppet to a creature from beyond our world. But, as much as I blame Limelight, it was all me; I who started the process and gave in to the allure of what I already had.
“My sister loved me, my guards listened to me when I spoke, I had a night court ponies would visit, and I had many a morning spent in the throes of passionate embraces. But, what I had, I did not see, and what was offered to me sounded so much like what I wanted, that I took it without thinking of what I had.
“So, now you know why I look like this, like Nightmare Moon. I am not evil, even though I may seem as such from your point of view, but…” Luna looked down her body to the brown colt hugging her foreleg. His silver mane fell back and showed Luna a bright smile that surprised her.
“I don’t care what anypony says, I’m calling you Auntie Luna forever! C’mon, guys,” Snickers called to his friends, “show her what Ponyville is all about.”
Luna held back a happy sob, but still hiccupped when both her forelegs were hugged by four foals, each talking animatedly about the story and how great it would be to look like Luna. Luna looked to Celestia, who mouthed ‘I told you so’, earning a dark wing slap to her side. Celestia pulled a napkin from the table and passed it to Luna, who used it to dab under her eyes.
Neither mare noticed Snickers cringe at Luna’s teeth when he saw them.
“Go, children, enjoy your treats,” Luna said softly. Her forelegs were freed with a gentle pull and the foals rushed back to their seats to resume eating. Luna recast her glamour, hiding her true self behind the smaller pony she is known for being. She nuzzled her sister and they shared a wing hug. “Celestia, I would be most honored to call him nephew, and cousin to the foal I will someday have.”
Celestia hummed. “He called you auntie, Luna. I know he’s in there, and I’ll see him again. But first, I need to remind him of who he is, and what he has to gain from his future with us. It is nearly time for you to take up the task of the sky, I’ll prepare here to show these darling children the beauty of your night.”
Luna chuckled. “Yes, and the splendor of your day coming to an end is to be mocked? I will stand by your side and share the passing with you, for them… and my nephew.”
“Fret not over such trivial words, dearest Sister. I will see you shortly, even if it is in passing. Will you hold court tonight?”
“Certainly,” Luna said loudly. “Ponies did not wait long to come visit me for their troubles, once I learned more of how you speak, of course. Limelight may have translated Middle Ponish to modern Ponish when I returned, but that magic has left me.”
Celestia wiped her dry eyes, as though she had a tear. “My sister and my son, returned to me in the same year… I cannot imagine a better gift.”
Luna giggled. “Perhaps for Mother to return and shower you with affection and gifts?”
Celestia sighed wantingly. “Just to see her, after so many years, would be nice. Come, I’ll take you to their rooms so you can give them your gifts.”
Luna pranced in place happily as the shield fell. “I cannot wait to see how my presents are received! Hurry sister, lower the sun so we can put the foals to bed.”
Blueblood cleared his throat politely. “Dearest aunties, perhaps we should not rush them to bed, as it’s barely six in the evening. The sun is to set soon, but bedtime isn’t until eight-thirty.”
“Eight-thirty? Why so late into my night, nephew, should they be kept from the joy of slumber?” Luna boldly asked Blueblood.
“Because, I am Snickers’s guardian; therefore, I make the bedtime… among other schedules.” Blueblood stated. “However, if you insist that I change their bedtime to something earlier, thus taking them away from playing with you all the longer into the night, then…”
Luna nickered in good nature. “You play a good game, Blueblood. I shall not challenge your authority as guardian to them, but if I do not see them in my realm of dreams tonight, I shall have stern words with your baker delivery for the rest of the week.”
Blueblood faked shock and placed a forehoof to his forehead, dramatically speaking. “Oh, dear me! Oh, whatever shall I do without my treats for a single day? Will this be how I, the noble and honorable Prince Blueblood meets his end?” Taking several steps to the table, he picked up a bearclaw in his magic and took a small bite. “I do not think I will be harmed too badly.”
The royalty shared a smile and then a nod, ever so slight. Blueblood traded his bearclaw for a donut and slipped it onto his horn, turned around to the table, and shouted, “Auntie Luna put a donut on my horn!”
The reaction was instant and each foal broke into laughter, pointing and spitting out breaded desserts to laugh without choking. Silver Spoon fell back onto Diamond Tiara and wiped her own eyes with a forehoof while laughing. Snickers and Kiwe chortled, making them all laugh louder.
The servants in the room started to laugh, even through their training, and the guards; for all their experience, smirked at the scene of a royal prince, pouting at four foals.
Blueblood whined after a few seconds. “Don’t laugh, it’s sticky, and drippy, and a waste of a good donut. Why, it’s so good, in fact...” Blueblood began trying to lick the donut on his head, running in small circles, faster and faster, until he fell over. He used his forehoof to pull himself up high enough to almost stand. “It’s so good, I’m spinning mad over it.”
At that, even two of the guards snerked; though they’d only admit it in private. The laughing of children drowned out any other sounds that mattered, anyway. Diamond Tiara got up and hopped to the floor, rushing to the bathroom while laughing, having laughed a little too much after drinking more water than she should have earlier.
Silver Spoon watched Diamond cantering and fell back to take up the whole chair they were sharing, her legs kicking in the air for a moment. She sat up and sighed, wiping her eyes with a napkin. Blueblood took the donut off his head and nibbled a small bite off of it. Luna and Celestia stood back, enjoying the moment, and Snickers sighed, chuckling with Kiwe as the laughter wound down.
“That was a good one, Blueblood,” Snickers said.
Blueblood nodded in appreciation. “Thank you, but this donut is, indeed, better.”
“Well, I think I’m done,” Silver Spoon said, patting her side. “I can’t eat anymore, or I’ll regret it before I go to bed.”
“Yes, the food you eat now will give you cramps later. We can’t have that,” Luna said. “Now, head upstairs to the balcony so that you may watch me raise my moon after Celestia lowers the sun.”
The three friends hopped to the floor and galloped to the stairs and to Snickers’s room. “Diamond,” Snickers shouted at the open bathroom door, “they’re gonna do the sun and moon thing,” Snickers said with clear doubt. “Like a star and satellite can be moved by a pony,” he scoffed.
Diamond flushed and rushed to wash her forehooves before joining the others at the balcony. Celestia stood to one side, Luna the other, and the foals between them. Blueblood ate his donut slowly and watched from beside the bed, not noticing the timberpony watching Snickers.
Snickers felt Laxxie’s curiosity and looked back. “Laxxie, c’mere, girl.”
Laxxie chirped and got up, scaring Blueblood enough to make his magic stop and his treat land on the floor. “What in the world is that?!”
Diamond Tiara answered first, “Laxxie! She’s Snickers’s daughter-puppy-timberwolf. She’s awesome, once you get past the wood and scariness.”
“Boo-butt,” Laxxie said as she reached Snickers and nuzzled him. Her moss was still soft and thankfully covered any splinters that may have existed.
Snickers laughed while Luna looked back to the surprised prince. “Boo-butt? A finer name I have not heard regarding you, silly nephew.”
Silver and Diamond joined Kiwe in a classic ‘ooo’, which Blueblood huffed at. “I shan’t play such foalish games, Moon-butt.”
Luna gasped and looked at Celestia. “Sun-butt, are you going to allow your nephew to speak to me in such a manner?”
Celestia rolled her eyes. “Both of you, quiet your butts so I can begin my duty.”
Blueblood blew a raspberry and pointed at Snickers. “It wasn’t me. It was him.”
Snickers hopped in place and stomped his hoof. “I did not! You’re a liar, you did it with your boo-butt of tooting.”
Celestia’s horn lit brightly, stopping the schoolyard insulting before it got out of hoof. The sun dipped lower in the sky until it was behind the mountains. Luna raised her moon and herself with a flap of her wings. Stars came to life in the sky where there weren’t any a few seconds before and moonlight shone off the golden topped castle towers.
“Woah,” Snickers and his friends said in a long few seconds at the sight. “That’s so cool how you can do that.”
Luna smiled when she landed from her display, ignoring the knowing look Celestia gave her. The look that said ‘showoff’. “That is my destiny; to control the heavens at night and… Snickers, are you alright?” Luna asked.
Snickers was wincing, seeing the dark creature with its leathery wings and sharp teeth still unnerved him. “Y-you’re st-still kinda scary. Like, when you show your sharp teeth; it makes me wanna run and hide under my mom.”
Celestia stepped closer. “Snickers, you can stand under me anytime you wish. I’ll take care of you and keep you safe.”
Snickers glanced back, but otherwise ignored Celestia. “Ponies said you were really nice and only pretended to be scary on Nightmare Night… can you maybe put on a disguise?”
Celestia looked at Snickers and brushed his back with her pinions to get his attention. “What color is Luna, Snickers?”
Snickers looked back at Celestia and instinctively moved between her forelegs to look at Luna. “Auntie Luna, I’m sorry I lied… but you’re scary looking. You’re still like you were when I first saw you, and when you shimmered downstairs and told us about your past. I can get past everything, but your teeth…”
Luna’s horn glowed and she bared her teeth again, earning a startled squeak from Snickers. Snickers hid his eyes behind Celestia’s leg. “I… I think my shirt’s in my trunk, I should put it on. Being naked feels too weird.” Snickers excused himself and gave a fearful, sad look to Luna, then galloped back into his room.
Luna noticed Laxxie just then. “You! Timberwolf, why are you here?” Her horn glowed and she started at the wooden pony. “Do not try to hide, either. I know of your kind and you cannot hide.”
A blast of magic struck Laxxie, reverting her to her wolf form. Mistress of the Night, I am but a spirit of the woods. I was brought to life by the colt, Sss… Alpha. I am part of his pack, not the ferals that guard the woods.
Luna narrowed her eyes at Laxxie, then Snickers slid to a stop between the two. “Leave her alone! She’s my timberwolf, and if you want her gone--”
Alpha, stop. Mistress only wondered, I think I may survive this encounter.
“What?!” Snickers snapped his attention to Laxxie. “You think she’s gonna destroy you? Well, fuck that,” Snickers stood protectively in front of Laxxie. “You gotta get through me to get to her.”
Silver Spoon moved to stand behind Snickers. “Me, too. Laxxie’s awesome, and I know she’s only gonna get better.”
Diamond stood beside Snickers. “And I won’t let you hurt her without knowing my daddy has a great legal team, and he’ll take you to court if you hurt Laxxie.”
Luna relaxed. “I’m not going to do anything to her, I was merely… curious,” Luna said, rolling her forehoof. “I cannot destroy her, anyway. She is bonded to you, Aquelis, not I.”
Snickers’s nostrils flared. “I’m not Aquelis!” He shouted loud enough for his words to echo back from outside. Snickers mentally commanded Laxxie to follow him while he went to get clothes on. He grabbed a pajamas shirt and fought his way into it, then grabbed a matching set of pants to wear.
He struggled for a few seconds before Laxxie moved in to help him pull his tail through, then move it up and over his rump to rest on his hips. “There, dressed for bed. I’m not tired yet, so let’s do something to take my mind off all this scary and mean shit.”
Celestia held up a wing to stop Luna, as the dark mare had clearly had enough; but Celestia knew her own tactics would work better. “Snickers, may I ask why you swear so much?”
Snickers turned his attention from Diamond Tiara approaching and restrained a smirk. “Why do you ask?”
Celestia barely said, “It’s just difficult to hear--” before Snickers cut her off.
“A pwecious wittle colt like me say bad words?” Snickers said mockingly. “Well fuck that, and the same to anyone that wants to change me. I tried that, and it fucked me over, so now I’m just gonna be the crass, rude, foul mouthed jerk that everypony hates!”
Snickers turned, bucked his traveling trunk, then cried out in pain. “My hoof, owie! My hoof, my hoof,” he fell to his haunches and lifted his hind leg to look at where it hurt. “A splinter?! What kind of cheap, shoddy… who’s fucking chest is this?!” Snickers shouted and struck at the chest that seemed solid, except where a small crack had been made from his kick.
Rosemary rushed over and rolled Snickers to his side to check his hoof. “It’s not that bad, it’s just in your frog. I’ll have it out in a jiffy,” she said and patted Snickers where his cutie mark would be. She surrounded his hoof with magic and the splinter popped out, landing on the floor. “What the… that tiny thing hurt that much?” Snickers asked, incredulously.
Kiwe lifted the splinter and sized it. “About half an inch long, but in the frog is a bad place to have one.”
Snickers looked at his forehooves. “Why haven’t I ever had that happen before? I’ve walked down tons of rocks on the streets and sticks in the woods.”
Silver Spoon slipped a foreleg under Snickers to help him up. “Were you wearing your shoes?”
“Yeah,” he answered. “Ever since my first week with mom.”
“Shoes are enchanted to protect hooves from what we walk on. You bucked the trunk, and these aren’t made for outside walking,” Silver said, holding up her forehoof to show her padded shoe. “No enchantments, because we’re inside, where it’s safe.”
“Unless you’re a moody colt that’s acting like a drama queen,” Diamond said, giving Snickers a playful punch.
Luna stepped ahead of her sister and spoke with her lips over her teeth. “Snickers, I heard you mention that you feel everypony hates you, do you truly believe that?”
Snickers shrugged and accepted a side hug from Silver. “Sometimes. Not like you can do anything about it.”
Luna smirked. “We shall see.”