POV: Mark
I lie down facing the ceiling. The sun had gone down a little while ago, and Star was across the room trying to get some sleep facing away while I thought on the day. Sleep had eluded me, so why fight it? With nothing to do and knowing Star was, for a fact, still up, I called out to her, "Hey, Star?"
Star shifted around until she came to her right side, facing me from her side of the room, "Yeah?"
"I'm curious. What do you think of the ponies?"
"Waddya mean?"
"I mean...," I paused, thinking of a way to phrase it, "like, just in general, what's your opinion on ponies. To me... Well, odd and... Well, almost child-like. I haven't had too much interaction, but your the one that handles most conversations. Luna is... Well, kind, almost mother-figure to her subjects, but at times it feels as if it's just an act."
Star didn't say anything for a few moments as she thought. Then she got up and sat in her bed, and I did the same relaxing against the wall that so happened to be cold. I decided to wrap myself in the blanket I had. Star was still in thought before she finally spoke.
"Well... I'll have to agree with you on that they seem... childish. Redheart probably thought us something along the lines of run-a-ways and wasn't so deceptive to hide it. The cotton candy pony... Well, I think he was just an anomaly. There have been some... Odd, ponies, but then there others like Moonshine and Blaze, the two that were our personal guards, are normal in all tense and purposes. Luna is a ruler, some oddness is expected, but some others seemed childlike. Redheart, her distrust in our word, the guard, who didn't even entertain the idea of the ships, the cotton candy ponies, who I suspect was in some kind of shady business if Luna had to get involved. But... Well, actually, I guess that's all. We've been quite isolated and have only had the chance to meet a few ponies."
"I suppose your right... But you've gotta admit; perhaps their... assumptions were because of our apparent young age. I mean, I doubt it has to be repeated, but it's... A bit frustrating being treated differently because we're 'young' and all that. Kinda brings out my pettiness, but on the matter at... hand?"
"Hoof," Star corrected, "we should get used to it. Besides, it'll mean fewer slip-ups for you."
"Alright, back to the matter at... hoof, ponies are... Well, you know what I mean. I only hope that we meet ponies that are 'normal' for the sake of our own sanities. We might look young, but we're well old enough to start becoming more independent. Maybe it's not the best... environment to grow up at such an odd stage of our lives, but it's what we have, which is nothing. We're pretty much alone. Just you and I. No home, no family, no... Nothing."
Star only stared back at me before she slightly hung her head, "You know, I've been thinking the same, well, more like dreaming. It's odd, but I keep getting constantly reminded that we're alone. We've seen somethings, perhaps we should have done things differently, but it's... Hard."
I was unsure of what to say to that. I myself tend to think when I'm alone, but now it's... This is all just so... Lonely. Star's words we answered with silence as we both developed deep into thought. It wasn't too long until I realized that just thinking had made me tired. So from a sitting-up position, I just slowly slid down the wall and back onto the bed, closing my eyes. I heard Star do the same soon after. Sleep had come to make its claim.
"Rise and Shhineee~"
"Go away."
"Hmm, an interesting proposal, how about, no?"
"no u."
"I-... Wha...?"
"Go away," I repeated.
"Oh, your no fun; besides, didn't Luna say we were going to go on a pegasus flown carriage to Canterlot? Actually, speaking of Canterlot, what do ya know about it?"
I finally opened my eyes to see a wall in my face. I turned to face the other way to see Star, who had unceremoniously jumped onto the bed, which was more than large enough to accommodate both of us.
"Didn't we already talk about this yesterday? You can't expect me to know everything just because I read. So no, I don't know what to expect."
"What? But didn't you find anything while at the library yesterday?"
"I spent my time there reading about magic. It's fun, you know."
"That's it?"
"Yes, that's it; no, go away." With my piece said, I harrumphed and threw a pillow over my face.
"I know you hate mornings, but cmon, you can't sleep your life away."
I muffled a sentence through the pillow, one she ignored.
"And how are you even still tired? We both went to sleep not long after the sun when down? If you keep sleeping like that, I'm going to have to go out and find-"
I tossed the pillow I was using in her face and sat up groaning, "Where do you always find this cheeriness in the morning?"
Instead of a reply, I got a pillow in my face. Too tired to throw it back, I grabbed the pillow with my hoof and tried to go back to sleep, ignoring Star as she continued to babble on and on about things. She noticed me ignoring her and began to physically moving me around a bit, which I decided to ignore as well.
What I couldn't ignore as easily is when Star got tired and jump on me. The blanket operating me from her did little to cushion the impact. As much as I wanted to toss another pillow in her face, I was currently trying to sleep on it.
"Going be stubborn, eh? Well, that's not a problem for me."
Curiosity hit me at her suspicious tone. I had a few ideas, most of which she had done in the past, such as dumping water on me, using me as a trampoline, shoving food in my mouth when I refused to get up, and for breakfast, and now that I think about it, it's as if she enjoys making me suffer every morning.
Before I could think longer, I felt Star's magic begin to drag me slowly. Where I wasn't sure as I pulled the pillow and blankets along. A moment later, she stopped dragging me.
"Hey, Mark," she said from right in front of my face, "you might wanna open your eyes."
The being right in my face was enough for me to open my eyes, and as I did so, I was greeted to a sight of a malicious grin. She was lying on her belly at eye level with me, but she reached out to me with a hoof. She 'booped' me on the snout. Out of reflex, I tried to back away. And it was now I know where she dragged me to, as I felt the edge of the bed give way and the short distance to the ground now became no distance.
"Oof!"
I now lay on the ground as my pillow and blanket all fell on me. I looked up to her, peaking down the bed giggling.
"You enjoy doing this to me every morning, don't you?" I asked drily.
"I wouldn't have to if only you got up~" she sung.
There was no going back to sleep after that. But if I were going to lay on the ground, so would she as I used my magic and gave her a yank down. Of course, she would fall on top of me, but it would be worth it.
"Wha- Hey!"
She flopped right on me and knocked the air out of me for a moment. My plan didn't go quite as planned as she got up and off of me a moment after, "you make a good cushion for falling, you know."
I groaned, "Why must you do this every morning?"
"I won't have a brother who'll sleep in all day," she said matter of factly, striking a superior pose before giggling, "besides, it's 'fun' you know, thinking of new ways to wake you. In fact, it's adorably as cute as a pony."
I slowly got up and yawned as she spoke. With my magic, I grabbed my pillow and one last time threw it in her face, "If you say cute, so help me, there won't be enough pillows in the world to toss at you."
The pillow flopped down as she grinned, "Aww, but it's true! You're adorable as a ponies, and it makes waking you up even better."
This time, the pillow from her bed flew at her. When it hit the back of her head, I used the other to wack her face making Star Sandwich. When the pillows fell, she wasn't grinning, so I started walking towards the window to attempt to guess the time. Instead of making it to the window, two pillows flew at me, one waking me in the face, the other got impaled on my horn.
I just stood as the pillows fell, and when they did, I sighed.
And that's how Pillow War#28 started.
"Huzzah! I am victorious!" I said aloud as I had both the Pillows and Blankets surround Star in the corner. The last nail in her coffin was nearly set, but then I heard a small creaking and turned around.
There, poking in through the door, was Eclipse. Been a while since we've seen her.
"Am I interrupting something?" She asked, befuddled and confused at the sight.
At that moment, I felt both the blankets and pillows grabbed from my magic. I turned around to watch myself get trapped and entangled between the blankets as Star brought down the last nails into my coffin.
"Oof!"
"Guess I'm the victorious one. We're now tied at 16-16."
"What?! Oh cmon, that was cheap, Star!"
"War wasn't won by those willing to just stand down and die without even trying."
"Still, that was a cheap strat."
Star rolled her eyes as her magic released me as I tried to get myself out of the blankets she wrapped me in.
"Hello, Eclipse; it's been a while! And no, you weren't interrupting anything. Mark's just a sore loser," she said, ignoring me.
"Hey! You pushed me off the bed!"
"And you refused to wake up. AND you pulled me down."
"You landed on me, and you called me adorable and or cute."
"It's your fault; I fell on you. And anyway, It's true, for whatever reason, you like a giant puppy to me. Besides, you threw a pillow at me."
"You escalated the situation and threw the pillow back at me after I retaliated for you escalating the situation."
"And yet it is you, who decided to toss it back at me, escalating it even more."
I grinned, "War isn't won by those willing to stand down and die."
"I-..."
For the entirety of the conversation, I had forgotten about Eclipse, who was just silently watching at the door.
"I... can go if you two are busy..." said Eclipse after Star was stunned into silence.
"Oh, hey Eclipse, almost forgot you were here. No, it's fine; we're about done anyway since Star's brain cells seem to be killing themselves off right now trying to think up a comeback."
"Hey!"
"What, it's written in your expression."
A pillow flew at high speeds into my face and stuck there.
"Okay, I admit I deserved that," I said as I had the peel the pillow off my face.
"Anyways," said Star, "sorry Eclipse, it's... Well, actually, did you need anything?"
Eclipse seemed weirded out and slowly looked at Star before speaking, "I... Well, I suppose I should start by saying I've been... Permanently? I'm not sure, but I've been assigned as your guards."
"Wait, you weren't already our Guard?" asked Star.
While those two talked, I got the blankets and pillows before and began cleaning everything up. 'Magic really does make somethings easier than with hands.'
"It's complicated and a bit confusing for even me with the paperwork and all. Anyways, second, Luna said we'd be going to Canterlot via sky carriage today, right?"
"Yep," both me and Star answer in unison.
"Alright, anyways, we have to be going in 20 minutes. I had some free time, really; I was just incredibly bored and decided to check in with you two. But I can go if you- Oof!"
I didn't let Eclipse finish her sentence. I knew when she left, Star and I would be left behind, and also incredibly bored with nothing to do. With that done, I spoke, ignoring her expression, "Don't you dare leave us to our own boredom, because we don't we have anything to do either."
Eclipse looked at the pull she now had in her hoof before she smirked at looked back at me. I rose a brow. 'I have two blankets and a pillow. And magic. She can't think she'll-'
I was wrong, according to the highspeed pillowing in my face.
Team#3 Added: Eclipse
Pillow War#28.5
"Why are your manes... disheveled?"
Eclipse, Star, and I all stared at Luna as we followed her dumbfounded before we all looked at each other, seeing our messy manes that we overlooked.
"No matter, our carriage hath arrived."
Luna smiled and stepped out of the way as we walked off the ship, revealing a carriage with four pegasi attached to it. Star was using her magic to try and smooth out her mane. I didn't really care up until the point where she pulled me closer before trying to smooth out my mane. I grumbled in annoyance and tried to pull away, but she only yanked me harder.
Luna had come to get us three from our room earlier when it was time to go. She had cast a different spell on Star and I and dispelled the one from yesterday. She said this one would allow us to be in our natural forms, but other ponies just wouldn't notice we're alicorns.
Ah, Star was finally somewhat finished smoothing out my mane; she finally let me go. I grumbled once again.
"You know, if you keep grumbling about trivial things, you'll overwork yourself when you have the to need to do something else."
I shot Luna a small glare at her comment.
She stared back impassively before she shrugged and turned towards the enclosing carriage. Upclose, the pegasi attached were all the same. Very much like the white guards, I saw back at the ship. Eclipse was not very useful when I asked about the ongoing of the ship military-wise.
Now at the medieval-looking vehicle, I had to hop up to get in. Surprisingly, they fit all four of us. It was a tight squeeze, but it somehow worked.
"Luna?" Star asked.
"Yes?"
"How long will our trip be?"
"Oh, only a couple of hours."
Well, great, now we'll be stuck in a cramped space for hours-
"Waait," I realized, "Luna, Eclipse, you have wings!"
Star came to the same conclusion before we both glared at the two ponies opposite of the carriage.
"Well...?" said Star, awaiting an excuse to tear apart.
"It's a tradition for royalty," answered Luna.
"And thestrals are generally slower than pegasi and tend to have more sensitive eyes," said Eclipse.
...
...
"Okaay then..." I awkwardly said, "well, why don't we get going...?"
Five minties later
"Luna?"
"Yes?"
"We're not going to... like fall off, right?"
I looked down and over as we slowly flew up into the air. This would be the second time Star and I find ourselves flying in our lifetimes. I was a little afraid of heights but not too much. I drew back when I heard Luna chuckle, "Of course not, little one, the chariot is enchanted."
Something she said caught me off guard, "Charoit? Wait, is there a difference between chariot and carriage? Because I was sure, you said carriage the other day?"
Luna began to blush just a tiny bit, "Well, I tend to mix them up myself, but yes, there is a difference. This is a chariot. Apologies if I confused you."
"Oh no, it's fine."
"I must say, your quite perceptive."
I spat out the words, "I'm-sorry?" when she caught me off guard. I looked up to Luna with her ever-flowing mane and deep blue eyes as she looked at the two of us.
"Truly, you two notice the smallest things, and from the report I got from your trip to the city, you two are quite independent. You may be older than you seem, but if I may ask, when did you two learn to become so mature?"
"Well... Is it not expected? We're nearing to becoming adults and have a life ahead of us... At least we did..."
My head hung a bit as I quietly kept that last sentence to myself. Star spoke up in the awkward silence.
"Um, question, why didn't you use the same spell as yesterday? While I do prefer the one right now, why change?"
It took me a moment to realize Star was talking about the illusion spell to keep our nature hidden before Luna replied, "Ah, the current spell I'm using I learn just today."
"What do you mean you learned today? I thought you had been busy with something?"
Luna smiled, "Yes, however, while I was busy, I found time to send a message to my sister. She sent a reply and within the reply was the spell."
"Ah, I see."
I listened in as Star and Luna began to converse. I grew bored and hung my head over the small rail thingy.
One Week Ago
POV: Celestia
"Twilight?"
"Yes, Celestia?"
"Are you sure you want to start your royal duties? You may have gotten used to your new magic, but princessing is a hard thing."
"Yes! Of course, P- wait. Princessing?"
I held a hoof, trying to stop a chuckle, "I'm joking, of course. But are you still certain?"
Twilight brought her Tea closer as the two of us sat in my tea room. 'Yes, I have a room specifically to drink tea in. What are you looking at, huh?'
"Yes, I've been thinking it over. My studies feel like they're over, and nowadays, I'm just sitting around." Twilight threw her hooves around in a comical fashion.
"Well, if you're sure. I'll have to see what I can find to start you off, though..."
"Actually, didn't you tell me Luna was on an important mission? I haven't seen her for quite a while."
"Ah yes, I do remember telling you that I would... Hmm, actually, she should be back soon. The nobles have been getting antsy, which I suppose would be nice if I had you to help deal with them... I suppose I could tell you..."
Five minutes later
"I suppose I should have expected this," I said to nopony. I brought my tea up and took a nice relaxing sip, "oh, and Twilight, be a dear and try not to burn the tapestry with your burning mane."
My comment was responded with nothing but her mane bursting into even bigger flames, burning the tapestry.
"Okay then, just so you know, that's going out of your research pension. It isn't cheap pretending to be rich, you know."