//------------------------------//
// Arts and Humanities 
// Story: What Princesses Need 
// by Aegis Shield 
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What Princesses Need
Part 11: Arts and Humanities (Pon-nan-aties?)


It was art class time for the Lunar Stallions, and Princess Luna herself was sitting at the head of the table. The massive playroom that had been set aside for the orphans in disguise had been transformed into a haven for the arts and humanities. Each Lunar Stallion leaned over a big pad of paper, busily drawing or coloring this or that while conversing with his neighbor. Princess Luna peered out over the crowd of them, smiling contentedly.

Dr. Psyche approached from the double doors, his caramel fur brushed and his mane slicked back nicely once more. He looked much less flustered than the last time Luna had seen him. Much to her surprise, he bore a drawing pad and art supplies himself. “Oh, well then!” he looked surprised at the scene in front of him. The Lunar Stallions turned as one, staring at him with critical golden eyes. He jerked to a halt while they sized him up, smiling nervously. Then, slowly, they went back to their activities. “I had no idea you took such good care of your royal guards, Princess.” Said the doctor. “Even giving them time to pursue the arts, that’s just amazing!” he smiled as he came to stand next to the nighttime Princess. 

“Expressing oneself is healthy and helps one grow.” said Luna, smiling at him gently. She nodded towards the twenty-two armored ponies that were hunched over their artworks again. Occasionally one would glance at his neighbor’s work, and his neighbor would lean closer, as though he might get copied off of.

“I agree whole-heartedly.” Dr. Psyche said, magicking his pad and box of crayons out onto the table in front of her. “Actually, I have something new for you to try as well, Princess. Would you indulge me?” he asked. Luna pushed her mane out of her eyes as he flipped the pad open. At the bottom of the page was the word ‘house’. She looked at him curiously. “I’d like you to draw a few things for me.” He asked politely.

“We art not a foal, doctor. Explain.” Luna said, an annoyed look crossing her face. 

The doctor blinked at her, then looked over at the crowd of grown stallions that were busily coloring. So stallions could have art time, but not her? He cocked his head, confused, but then shook it quickly. “It has a point to it, I promise. I’ll be able to analyze your drawings and tell more about you, just like we did with the ink blots. Remember those?” he asked, lowering his voice."They helped a lot."

Luna looked over the pad of paper with renewed interest. Well! If it would help he become well again, she could certainly try for it. There were no crayons or anything of the sort a thousand years ago, but they seemed easy enough to use. “Alright.” She said, leaning across the table to pick up a blue crayon in her mouth. Sure, she could levitate it with her magic—but like so many artists before her she preferred to feel her instrument in her mouth while she was creating. It was more personal that way. 

The Lunar Stallions looked over at the Princess with interest. Ohhh? She was drawing something too? They jittered excitedly. Usually the Princess just watched and encouraged them in their own artwork. It would be fun to see what Luna was making! The dark alicorn leaned over her paper with a serious expression. House. The first page wanted her to draw a house, huhm? Alright then. Luna worked diligently, trying to make straight lines and windows as she pleased. And a peep-hole, she’d seen doors with peepholes before, on houses. And this… and some of that too, she liked that. She smiled gently over her work, and looked over at Dr. Psyche for approval. He nodded encouragingly, having found a chair so he could scribble in his notebook. He squawked loudly when a Lunar Stallion leaned over, scribbling with a red crayon in his notepad. He swatted the pony away angrily but Luna giggled, covering her mouth with her paw. The stallion grinned impishly, and Deep Psyche sidled away from him with a mild scowl.  Luna turned the page of her big drawing pad. ‘Tree’, it said. She turned another page. ‘Somepony’ of the opposite gender’. She turned another page. ‘Yourself.’ Luna ended up making four colorful drawings, and turned the page to the fifth one to find it was the final one. She cocked her head, for the final drawing had already been made for her. It was a Hearth’s Warming Eve scene, complete with foals, a mother and father pony, and presents under a tree. ‘Draw yourself in this scene’, the note at the bottom bade her. Luna sweated a little in indecision, picking up a dark blue crayon in her mouth and tapping the paper a few times. Leaning, she did as it told her to do and quietly shut it. “Done.” She smiled quietly, pushing the pad towards Dr. Psyche. 
The caramel stallion smiled and thanked her, putting it in his saddlebag along with the crayons he’d brought with him. “Well I’ll let you be, Princess. See you later!” he smiled. On the inside, he was already calculating a vast array of things as he left the large room. Princess Luna was very creative and meticulous, he’d be able to ‘read’ a lot in her drawings to help aide her in the near future. He was glad he’d remembered his art therapy techniques so quickly after their last session together.

---incesss! Incesss! PRINCESS! PRINCEEEEESSS!

Luna stood so hard from her table she startled the gaggle of stallions, holding her ears fiercely. It was like a thousand ringing bells in her mind, auuugh! A Lunar Stallion was panicking, the woven spells in his helm were going off like crazy, crying out for her help! She peered across the room, her ears perked and her heart revved up. She looked at the far end of the table, her irises constricting into pinpricks. Two empty chairs. One was Aegis Shield’s, but he’d been adopted. She made a lightning-fast head-count. Twenty-two. One Lunar Stallion was missing! How had she not noticed?!

=-----=-----=-----=-----=

“Another moon pie.” Called the stallion in shadow.

“Okie dokie lokie!” said one of the mares. Melancholy, still tied to the chair with strong rope, caught a flash of pink as a pony bounced away and rooted in her saddlebag. “Here y’go, shiny!” She hoofed over the tasty treat.

Melancholy’s eyes grew big and soft. A moon pie, no treat was more sacred to a Lunar Stallion. His tummy growled and he gave a whimpering sound as it was waved slowly under his nose. “Doesn’t this look good? Mmmm!” Shining Armor leaned slowly into the light. He’d reattached Melancholy’s nose so that he could smell the chocolate and soft marshmallow of the tasty treat, but had been torturing him in a far worse way. Leaning with a slightly cruel smile, Shining Armor ate the moon pie in front of him. The Lunar Stallion whimpered pathetically. “Mmmm-yeahh, ish goo’!” he said, crunching noisily.

The poor tied up pony’s tummy growled again. They weren’t sharing with him at all! He turned his head to one side, ears down and whimpering a little. He’d cried out for Luna earlier, but of course nopony could hear you scream in a barn in the middle of nowhere. The other mares had gone home, but Shining Armor the pink one, and Twilight Sparkle had stayed behind to ‘take care’ of him. And by take care one meant torture him!

“Don’t you wish you had some moon pie too?” Twilight asked, pulling another one from Pinkie’s bag. She’d long caught on to the fact that the Lunar Stallions were not exactly what they seemed. Shining Armor hadn’t voiced it aloud, but it really did seem like they had the intelligence level of foals. “We could share with you, if you tell us about Nightmare Moon’s plans.” She’d shifted over to a more pleasant and half-motherly tone. The Lunar Stallion looked at her with soft eyes, leaning and nibbling at air with his massive fangs, trying to get just a tiny taste of the pie she was holding out to him. She waved it under his nose again.

“Urrrlllgh! Urrrlllll!” He was sticking out his long, forked tongue, just tryyyyying to get a tiny little taste of the chocolate coating. Twilight Sparkle was startled, not for the first time, at how monstrous the strange breed of pony was. “Lah-lah-lah-lahhh!” his tongue waved comically back and forth trying to get the moon pie, and Twilight jittered back with heat in her face. Melancholy slumped against his bonds, whimpering softly.

“The P-princess loves you, Twilight Sparkle.” He confessed finally, broken. “She just wants to be with you, is all. You guys are friends, right?” he asked in a small voice.

“Not anymore.” Twilight said in a low voice, just a little bit savagely. The stallion tied to the chair looked hurt at her words. “Friends don’t do such terrible things to each other.”

“That’s right.” Shining Armor confirmed, scowling. “What is she planning to do next?” he leaned and poked the lip of the stallion’s helm, threatening to pull it off his head. Melancholy leaned back a little. Shining Armor knew what was under the magic of the helm, it was easy enough to see. He didn’t wanna shrink down to his foal form, they might stuff him in a locker or something! He was only safe as long as he was big and strong. Melancholy leaned back and back while the white unicorn threatened with his horn.

“I-I-I dunno!” Melancholy stuttered. “She’s been reading lots of books so she can learn to be friends with Twilight better! That’s all!”

“Why were you watching me so close?” Twilight leaned in to press. Now that they’d broken his will, they could get real information about him.

“The P-Princess isn’t allowed to touch you! Princess Celestia said so! So we were watching to keep you safe until our Princess was ready to come see you again! Honest! EEP!” the chair tilted all the way back until he fell and hit his head on the dirt floor behind him. The bolt of pain hurt the poor foul in disguise, and he began to cry. Literally cry. Twilight stared at him while he squirmed in his bonds. He was like a child. How did he get to be a royal guard? She sighed haggardly, tired and very much on edge.

Just then, the barn doors were BUCKED open and the room filled with armored stallions! Twilight gave a shriek as dark armor and golden eyes filled the room. Shining Armor shouldered up next to his sister, a pink shield encasing them in a sphere of protection. They looked around in panic while hay was tossed, stallions whinnied and rushed about to cause general mayhem! The stalls were flung open, tools were shaken from their tacks on the walls, and thunderous hooves deafened any who heard. Then it all came to a stop, for the silhouette of a black alicorn was in the double-doorway.

Twilight and Shining gaped at her as she emerged into the beams of silvery moonlight that were peeking in through the hay loft. Nightmare Moon! She turned her great head slowly, left and right, taking the scene in. “Find Melancholy.” She commanded. The gaggle of stallions pointed, and she zeroed in on the poor pony tied to the chair on the ground. She swept across the room and he looked up at her, lip quivering. Leaning, she touched the ropes with her horn to free him. He burst into sobs, pressing up against her breast for nuzzles. It was a strange thing for the Sparkle siblings to watch as Nightmare Moon closed her eyes and gave said nuzzles. The former captive clung to her long legs, so relieved his mother had come to save him. “Shhh-sh-sh-shhhh… it’s alright.” She crooned over him, stroking his body with magic and hoof to soothe. “We’re taking thou home now.” She looked up, over the group of her pretend soldiers. “Take Melancholy and wait outside.” She bade them. They obeyed, bearing their little brother out with him. They pressed in around him like a comforting herd, the group mentality giving the poor traumatized thing great comfort. He was back among his brothers, he would be okay now.

The doors swung closed by Nightmare Moon’s magic, and all the lamps lit themselves until the place was well-lit again. Pinkie Pie stood to one side, visibly stunned that twenty-two stallions had just charged in and then left just as quickly. She leapt up into the loft, peering down at them with interest. Then, she rode the crane rope (meant for getting heavy things into the loft) down and stepped outside. Being a pony of very little brain, she thought maybe she could make friends now. Opening her saddlebags, she approached the frightened herd of stallions and peered about. There was their guest. She knelt where he was resting on his belly. “Here you go! Shiny and Twilight weren’t sharing but I don’t mind!” she fed him the moon pie and patted his head. Melancholy crunched on it eagerly, thankful.

Meanwhile, back in the barn, Nightmare Moon loomed over Twilight Sparkle and Shining armor. The bubble shield shattered like so much tinsel when she but touched it with a hoof. As though a mortal pony could shield himself from a GOD, hah! “I’ve a good mind to wring your pompus neck, Captain Shining Armor.” The black alicorn whispered with narrowed eyes. Her anger was palpable, for the barn itself was shaking.

“Stay back!” Twilight shrieked at her, igniting her horn threateningly. “You can’t touch me! Princess Celestia said so!” Nightmare Moon’s brow rose for a moment, and she considered her surroundings. The purple mare gave a squawk when she was lifted bodily with magic and stuffed into an empty apple barrel. The top thunked into place, then turned to seal itself.

“Twily!” Shining Armor tried to run to her aide, but Nightmare Moon stood sideways to block his path. He glared at her angrily.

Sealing the barrel with magic and cocooning it with an enchantment to keep her from breaking out, Nightmare Moon agreed. “True. Thou art innocent in this travesty, Twilight Sparkle.” Now was not the time to deal with her love interest. Now was the time to deal with Shining Armor. Without warning or gesture she turned and BACKHOOF’D him so hard he was launched into the air and pinwheel’d ass-over-tea-kettle into a series of hay bails with a cry. “Shame upon thee!” Spat Nightmare Moon. “As a Captain of the Royal Guard thou knowest the secrets of my Lunar Stallions! How DARE thou?!” she demanded.

“How dare YOU molest my sister!” Shining got up, nursing the bruise on his face and staggering back into view. “You’re the monster here, just leave us alone!”

“We are a monster, and a madpony.” Leered Nightmare Moon, her fangs dripping with neon green goo. The drips that touched the ground hisssssed in the earth like acid. Shining Armor stepped back, intimidated. “But while we are receiving medical attention for this, thou!” she paused, thrusting an accusing hoof at his chest. “THOU art foal-napping and interrogating a ten year-old as though he were a prisoner of war!” he backed up a little, scowling at her. “And I see not a drip of remorse on your face.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “We shalt see what Celestia thinks of your… techniques.” She turned from him. She paused, not turning to look at him. She lowered her voice to a whisper only he could hear. “And thou calls us a monster.” She snorted, turning and leaving the barn. 

Shining Armor felt his back knees knock together. He wasn’t so sure he was entirely justified anymore. He was under orders to defend Twilight from Luna… Nightmare Moon? In general. That meant doing everything he could, right? But… did it also mean holding a foal–in-disguise against his will to find out more about the enemy’s plans? Where did he draw the line? It troubled him deeply that he wasn't sure. Suddenly remembering his sister when the black alicorn was gone, they worked together to work the seals off the barrel and free Twilight.

The purple mare gasped aloud, popping out of the barrel like a jack-in-the-box to breathe in the sweet fresh air. She leaned over the lip of the barrel, panting. She slowly looked up at Shining Armor, “Is… is what I heard true?” she asked, looking up at him with big eyes. “It was muffled, but I heard it, right?” she asked him with a softening gaze. “That stallion was… a foal?” Shining Armor looked to one side, turning his ears back. Twilight Sparkle swatted her brother’s face, right on his bruise.

=-----=-----=----=-----=

Dr. Psyche sat at his desk. The entire thing was cleaned off save for Princess Luna’s five drawings, a symbology book, and his notes. Making sure the door was closed and his coffee was hot, he began to translate.

Luna’s house drawing was interesting. It had many windows with curtains. She liked privacy. The front door not only had a peep hole but stepping stones leading up to it. She not only liked but wanted guests, and was encouraging visitors. The house itself was light blue, a happy and relaxing color. There was a barn area attached with a little cart in it. She liked to be mobile and able to go places. Interesting.

He switched over to her tree drawing. It had funny, sky-pointing branches. None of them were very thick. She wasn’t sure about how permanent things were in her life. Not a lot of roots were showing, this showed clear realization that she was worried about investing in anything. Putting down proverbial roots scared her.

The Doctor shifted to her drawing of herself. Luna seemed good enough at drawing herself, but… Celestia was in the picture too. She didn’t like being alone. “Heirarchic scaling…” the doctor mumbled, flipping a few pages of his symbology book. In ancient tablets and other artworks, if a pony was drawn bigger than the others in meant he was more powerful or more important. In the drawin, Celestia was roughly twice Luna’s size. She really respected and understood her sister’s power. The Luna in the picture was standing under Celestia’s outstretched wing—a hiding sort of symbol, in which she took solace in her powerful sister for comfort. Interesting.

Turning over the picture of the stallion, Deep Psyche cocked his head. It was a great barrel-chested thing. He had red fur and a top-hat on, with black eye-shadow under his eyes. There was a cape running down his back, black as night and his hooves were simply massive. He flipped back and forth through his books. It occurred to the doctor that Luna was more than likely bisexual. Not that it was of any detriment, but there was plenty here to suggest it. Big, dark-eyed, mysterious.  Big hooves too. Even back in Luna’s era there was a joke about ‘if he’s got big hooves’… and so on. The obscured cutie mark really played into the ‘tall, dark stranger’ archetype, which was perfectly healthy. Mares the world over were excited by such a concept. The top hat was an interesting accessory as well. Perhaps she found stallions of station attractive? Though the only time he’d ever seen anypony in a top hat, he was either a performing magician or dressed in tails at a high society party. 

Deep Psyche shifted to the Hearth’s Warming picture. Luna was supposed to put herself somewhere in the picture. He frowned. Where was she? She hadn’t drawn herself anywh—wait, there she was. The psychologist leaned and squinted. In the window of the pre-drawn scene was a pony’s face. It was dark blue like Luna. “Lettering…?” he mumbled. It was rare for a patient to put any sort of wording into their drawings. He squinted closer, for the words were quite small.

'Please don’t be frightened of me.'

He leaned back in his chair, pressing his hooves together thoughtfully. The hoof-writing was spindly and jagged, not loopy like Luna’s. That was Nightmare Moon’s penmanship, he surmised. She was so sensitive she did not even want to place herself amongst the happy family in the picture. Instead she’d placed herself outside, in the window, as not to disturb the ponies gathered around the holiday tree. Deep Psyche stroked his chin a few times in deep thought. There were some serious abandonment issues going on here. Having been on the moon for so long, Luna had literally been removed from society and she couldn’t even DRAW herself being reintegrated. That said much about her.

The stallion took off his glasses, sipping his coffee for the seventh time. Smacking his lips together, he made more notes in regards to the color, size, and techniques Luna had used to draw her pictures. He was learning so much about her. He smiled as he scribbled, running a hoof through his mane. He’d just gotten a much clearer picture (no pun intended), and he was just about ready to really start helping her. He closed his notebook with a flourish, turning and ringing the servant’s bell on the wall.

A few minutes later, a maid came to his office. “Yessir?” she asked.

“Please inform Princess Celestia: All of my preliminary testing is over. I’m ready to start helping Princess Luna.” He smiled grandly, rising from his high-backed chair. She beamed at him, and galloped away to deliver the happy news.


End of Part 11