//------------------------------// // Moonrise (Drama, Luna) // Story: A Band of Misfit Losers Hunt the Undead // by Rune Soldier Dan //------------------------------// Her voice was like a chorus of birds and angels. “Luna? Can you come over here, please?” Luna shoved her chair back from the computer, crushing a discarded soda can and sending two others rolling. Their new house was dark, but light and the smell of fresh cookies guided her to the dining room. Celestia sat at the table’s head, smiling with closed eyes and lightly stroking the bulge from her belly. Sunset sat to one side, also smiling, as did Torch on the other. “Thank you for coming, Luna. Please have a seat.” Theirs was an uncomfortably long dining room table, leaving Luna to sit several paces down from the others. Celestia steepled her fingers, smiling beatifically. “Have you given any thought to what we talked about earlier?” Luna drew a blank. She suckled at the orange Cheetos stain on her fingers and mumbled her confusion. Celestia’s smile did not break. “About you moving out, silly. My third child will be arriving in a few months. They’ll need their own bedroom, and yours is the only spare.” Luna squinted, trying to rally her memory. “Third?” Something babbled beneath the table. Celestia clucked dotingly and lifted a quiet, polite, adorable toddler onto her lap. “Yes, Luna. I have two beautiful children and a third is on the way. Isn’t it wonderful? My dream of a normal, married life and nuclear family have finally come to fruition. I’m going to be so busy taking care of them that I can’t make time for you anymore.” Luna blinked stupidly. Their adorable dog barked from the yard. “I know this is alright with you,” Celestia continued. “I spent the last fifteen years cleaning up your messes and doing all the housework while you came home and played video games. I helped you get jobs, friends, and purpose, all at the cost of my own dreams. Surely you don’t begrudge me wanting to be finally free of you. Surely you love me enough to disappear without fighting over it so I can be happy.” “Oh, now I get it,” Luna said. She took two fingers and pinched hard at her wrist. Eleven-thirty at night, or so said her phone. Luna glared blearily at the screen, then tossed it to the pillow next to her. Not fair at all. She wasn’t usually even asleep at eleven-thirty, so for a nightmare to wake her up before then was downright cruel. And she had to pee. Luna rolled out of bed, staggered to the porcelain throne. She sat there… a bit longer than was needed, with her head in her hands. Well. Time to go back to bed and stare at the ceiling for the next six hours. Either that or take a sleeping pill and crash for twelve, passing on the morning’s work to Celestia. Who never complained when Luna did so, ever. The choice was obvious. Might as well grab a snack if it was going to be a long night. Luna shuffled drearily and rounded into the kitchen, then let out an ‘oof’ as her chest connected with the refrigerator door. It wobbled, open. Luna made to push it closed, but a rival ‘oof’ came from the other side. Luna peeked over to find her sister, cast in the dim light of the open fridge. Like the dream version, her bulge was beginning to show. Unlike said dream, she wasn’t smiling. Her mouth wrapped around a spoon, with a depleted box of non-sugar ice cream held in her other hand. White dairy smeared around her lips, and the bottom three buttons of her pajamas hung open to make room for the belly. Their eyes met, and the embarrassment on Celestia’s face made Luna crack a grin. “You okay?” Celestia swallowed. “That’s my line.” “I went first.” “Yes, I’m fine.” Celestia wiped her lips with the sleeve of her shirt. “The little one’s hungry, that’s all.” Luna got her own spoon. Celestia held the box steady while she scraped out a wedge of ice cream and put it in her mouth. “Your turn,” Celestia said. Luna shrugged. “Just another no-sleep night. It happens.” Celestia sighed and pulled out another scoop. “Except that when it happens you spend the night on your computer. You just crawled out of bed.” “Man, that poor kid won’t get away with anything.” Luna chuckled a little, clinking spoons with Celestia as she went in for more. “You win, it was a nightmare. Those happen, too.” “What about?” “The usual bullcrap.” “I don’t know what that means,” Celestia said sternly. “But I must remind you that you were wholly responsible for saving the school from Principal Cinch, and you did it while riding a unicorn and swinging a scythe. Any thoughts of inadequacy you may have are completely unfounded.” “So you’re not gonna kick me out?” Luna asked as a joke. Yes, just a joke. Celestia released an unsteady breath. “Of course not. Luna, I...” She stopped for a second, shivering a bit before going on. “We’ve been together all our lives. I don’t want to change that. I need you.” Luna licked the back of her spoon. “I guess. Someone’s gotta keep order in the school when you go on mommy leave.” “Not just that,” Celestia corrected, though a smile rose on her lips. “I’ll also need someone to help with diaper duty.” “And to take over the hunting,” Luna said. Celestia’s smile fell. Luna caught her gaze. “It’s gotta happen. Even Harshwhinny thinks a new mother has no business in the business, and she probably eats babies.” “Been sounding them out, have you?” “Yep.” The pale lips twitched upwards again. “The young, hungry tigress is knocking the old matriarch off her throne, hm?” “You’re pregnant, sis,” Luna grumbled. “I know,” Celestia sighed. “Change is hard.” Luna shuffled from foot to foot. “Yep. So… okay, full disclosure? I’ve been doing coffee with Harshwhinny. Talking about supplies, tactics, information. She knows what’s happening and she can bitch about nepotism all she likes, but she also knows I’m the only one who can keep the Canterlot High crew together without you.” Awkward timing, but a yawn came through right before she dropped the bomb. “We actually tracked and nailed that one East Side vampire. Her, me, and Cranky, with me calling the shots. About as training-wheel as it gets, but it went smoothly.” Celestia gave a wan smile. “Well, now. I’d call that proof that you are a very skilled, ambitious, and important person. Wouldn’t you say?” Luna looked away, blushing and smiling. Celestia deposited the empty container into the trash, humming a tuneless few bars. “I hope you don’t consider it a violation of my motherly duties to keep making tools for the business. And perhaps I’ll finally collect that pile of tomes we’ve accumulated into something approaching a real bestiary.” “So long as you don’t consider it a violation of my hunter leadership to help you with those diapers.” “We have a deal.” Celestia followed Luna’s yawn, and Luna followed Celestia’s. “But right now it’s bedtime, for mommy and baby.” “Got a name picked?” Luna asked as they trod slowly to the living room. Celestia seemed to hem a bit before responding. “Well… oh, alright. This is still secret, but she’ll be a girl. Don’t tell anyone. I’ll give you the name if you promise you’ll go back to sleep.” Luna nodded. Strange, but the chat and ice cream left her feeling drowsy. Celestia leaned to her and whispered, and the next minute Luna was in bed. Her thoughts turned fuzzy, and her consciousness began to fade. Very strange… she could never go back to sleep after waking up. But here she was. A nice name. A little flattering, given the second half. Luna whispered it out loud before falling asleep. “Sunny Starscout.”