“Storm! Sweetie Belle! Dinner is ready!” Rarity yelled as she opened the door, her voice barely overpowering the sheer volume of the music. Unfortunately, the techno was ended by her lifting the needle from the record so the four dancing fillies could hear her. “Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, you should probably head home too.”
The two fillies yelled their goodbyes as they sped out of the Boutique, ready for dinner themselves. Rarity ushered me to the bathroom and made me wash my hooves before I ate, which I was prepared to do whatever but eh. I had been walking on my hooves this entire time so I couldn’t really complain. Couldn’t really eat with dirty hooves after all.
Once I zoomed downstairs I took my seat at the small dining table next to Sweetie Belle. Rarity came out of the small kitchen with three plates filled with pesto pasta. While delicious, Rarity took the opportunity to drill ‘proper etiquette’ into my head.
“Oh dear, you can’t lift your fork in your magic yet can you darling?” Rarity raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised at the fact that I was wielding my mighty utensil with a hoof instead of a magical grip like the two unicorns.
“Uh, no.” I offered a sheepish grin to the mare. “I haven’t really figured out how my horn works. Kind of fell by the wayside, to be honest.”
“Well, no time like the present then.” Rarity gave me a confident grin as she spun the fork in her arcane grip. “Try to imagine that you’re holding your fork with your hoof, but through your horn instead.”
I couldn’t help but frown slightly. “I tried that before with a door and ended up blowing the whole thing off its hinges. Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Rarity sighed and got a thoughtful look. “I suppose your magic may be stronger due to being an alicorn...”
“But you won’t figure it out unless you practice!” Sweetie Belle chimed in, giving me a confident pesto-y smile. “C’mon, just try!”
I took a breath and tried to lift the fork using my horn. It glowed with a faint yellow aura and twitched, before slowly floating up into the air. I was able to get it to pick up a piece of pasta, but once it left the plate it shot up and embedded into the ceiling instead of floating up slowly.
“....maybe I should wait on that.” I grimaced, the fork looking well and truly stuck.
“Probably for the best.” Rarity grimaced herself, offering a new fork to finish the meal. “Maybe Luna should be the one to teach you magic then. Sorry.”
Within the hour Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and I found ourselves at the Ponyville Train Station. I didn’t really have much to pack, other than the hoodie that Rarity made for me and a stuffed bear, so my bag was small and light. The suit I asked for would take a bit to get made, so I didn’t have to bring it for better or worse. Twilight stood in a corner with Spike, a good few more bags next to her. The alicorn looked off into the distance dejectedly, while Spike sat on a bag and read a comic book.
The train in front of us was much, much larger than I expected. It towered over me, the steam engine itself a monster of an item. Behind it was several train cars made of simple steel embossed with dark blue and black designs, fitting for the Princess of the Night. Several Guards ran back and forth, packing the train up and getting ready for the journey.
“Oh, where is everypony? They’re going to miss the chance to say goodbye!” Rarity worried, pacing back and forth by the end of the platform.
“Goodbye? I was planning on visiting, not disappearing forever.” I tilted my head in confusion.
Rarity turned and gave me a gentle smile but continued pacing. “I am happy to hear that darling, but it is still bad luck to not wish a pony a safe journey. Especially as far as the Crystal Empire.”
“There they are!” Sweetie Belle yelled, pointing a hoof at a slowly rising dust cloud.
The dust cloud quickly dissipated once the group got to the station, thankfully not spraying too much dust everywhere. Getting dust and dirt out of this coat is a pain in the ass. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo scurried over to me and Sweetie Belle, happy smiles on their face. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy went over to Rarity, the four of them conversing quietly before heading over to Twilight.
“Yo Storm!” Scootaloo slid to a stop, her wings buzzing excitedly. “You’re planning on coming back to visit, right?”
I nodded, letting out a small chuckle. “Yeah, don’t worry I will. Can’t leave my best friends behind, can I?”
“Good!” Apple Bloom let out a huff before giggling. “Ah spoke to AJ and Big Mac, if ya ever need a place to stay when you visit we’d be happy to have ya.”
“Same goes for Rarity and I!” Sweetie Belle slid into the conversation with all the skill of a raging bull.
“Aww. Thanks, girls.” I gave the three of them the biggest hug my short filly legs and wings could provide. “I’m gonna miss you while I’m at the Crystal Empire.”
“Make sure you bring us souvenirs!” Scootaloo asked, a bit louder than I appreciated considering her face was close to mine. “I’m sure the Crystal Empire has some crazy stuff.”
“I’ll see what I can do, don’t worry.” I laughed and rubbed the back of my head with a hoof. “I don’t exactly have money but I’m sure I can come up with something.”
“I mean, aren’t you a princess? I’m sure Princess Luna or Princess Celestia could pay for anything you buy.” Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow in confusion.
I winced slightly at being called a princess but tried to hide it as best as I could. “I mean, I guess they could. Still, I am probably gonna try to pay for what I can. Think of it as personal pride.”
The three fillies looked confused at my very unfillylike response but simply shrugged it off, probably thinking I’m just being weird again. Thankfully I was saved by one of the passenger cart doors opening, revealing Aunt Luna.
“Storm, Twilight, Spike, it’s time,” Luna called out, waving us closer with a hoof. “Twilight and Spike, your cart is two doors down. Make sure you get some rest, we will have a long day tomorrow.”
“Yes, Princess Luna!” Twilight responded, waving Spike forward with one of her hooves. The dragon huffed and picked up two of the bags, waddling towards the designated train car. Twilight herself turned back to talking to her friends, which based on the worried and annoyed looks on their faces was a big one.
“Storm, come over so I can show you your cart!” Luna waved her hoof, gesturing for me to enter the cart with her.
“Okay, Auntie Luna!” I turned back to the CMC and gave the three fillies a big hug. “I’ll see you all soon. Don’t do anything too stupid while I’m gone, okay?”
“Ha! We aren’t that dumb.” Scootaloo argued while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rolled their eyes.
“Ya sound like my sister.” Apple Bloom snorted. “Ya take care as well, we ain’t there to help ya either.”
“I will try to limit my stupidity, don’t worry.” I chuckled, a small blush forming on my cheeks.
“Good luck Storm, we’ll miss you!” Sweetie Belle gave me a sweet smile.
The three of them hugged me back, thankfully not tightly enough to bother my still healing rib. I reluctantly broke the hug and picked up my bag, slinging it over my shoulder onto my back without too much trouble with my balance. Honestly, I felt like my balance improved by leagues the past few hours. Weird.
I headed over to Luna and attempted to hop up into the door next to her. I was short enough that I landed a bit awkwardly, my back right leg hitting one of the steps and sending me sprawling on the cart floor. Luna quickly looked down at me, her face draped with concern.
“Are you alright, Storm?” She asked, lifting me to my hooves with her magic.
I awkwardly brushed myself off with one of my hooves, blushing with embarrassment. “Yeah, I’m fine, I was just a bit reckless and thought I could make that jump. Stupid small legs.”
Luna let out a small chuckle. “Well, I am just happy you’re alright. Now come, it is time for you to get ready for bed.” My aunt nudged me forward, leading me through the entrance of the cart proper. I tried to dig my hooves in but my filly strength was no match for her actual alicorn strength. “I made sure you had your own room for tonight, between mine and Twilight’s.”
“B-but it’s only what, 9 o’clock? It isn’t that late! I haven’t gone to bed that early since I was like 14!” I wriggled and complained, my high-pitched voice turning it into more of a whine than I liked. For all my effort I ended up being simply picked up by the mare, carried under one foreleg like a sack of flour.
“Maybe back home you stayed up late, but you’re a filly now and you need lots of rest to grow big and strong.” Luna’s long legs (at least compared to mine) let her stride through what I assumed was the guard’s barrack cart. Barracart. The next cart was what I assumed was her cart, with a large four-poster bed, rack for her regalia, and a mirror.
As we approached the door to my cart I began to feel my heart fall into my stomach. Auntie Luna said that my cart was between Twilight’s and hers. The thoughts of waking up to Twilight doing weird magic or trying to ‘fix’ me again raced through my brain. Luna paused and looked down at me, her eyebrows furrowed in concern at the fact I was probably close to hyperventilating.
“What is the matter? If you’re afraid of nightmares don’t be, my presence is usually enough to dispel any ill dream, even when I am not actively patrolling the dreamscape.” Luna gingerly set me down on her super soft bed, allowing me to be almost at eye level with her. “Or is something else the matter?”
I swallowed hard, a little embarrassed at admitting I was terrified of even sleeping alone around a purple pony. I flicked my ears back and tried to avoid making eye contact as I mumbled. “I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.”
“What was that? You have to speak up Storm, it isn’t polite to mumble under your breath.” Luna used one of her hooves to lift my head back up. “I cannot help you if you don’t tell me your problem.”
“I-I don’t want to sleep alone tonight. Twilight is right next to me and I don’t want her to mess with me in my sleep again.” I blushed in embarrassment, not used to admitting to something so....unmanly. Usually, I was the one people went to for help when they had issues sleeping, not the other way around.
Luna smiled, using the fact that she still had my chin in her hoof to force me to actually look her in the face. “Storm, do you want to sleep in my bed?” I couldn’t help but shuffle my hooves a bit in embarrassment, but the sheer directness of her question was surprisingly nice.
“I-I, yes, I would appreciate that.” I slipped from her grip and hopped from the bed, stammering a bit in awkwardness. “If I’m not imposing, I mean I can just go to my bed and make sure my door is triple-locked and-”
“Storm, take a breath.” Luna’s voice cut through my own, commanding my attention. I shakily took a breath and turned around, forcing my mix of emotions to calm a bit. “Storm, hop on the bed. Tonight you can sleep with me, there is nothing embarrassing about wanting to not sleep alone. Especially after all you’ve been through.”
“I-I...” I once again took a deep breath and let it out, forcing my embarrassment and awkwardness down. “Okay. Thank you, Auntie Luna.”
Why are my emotions so crazy? I mean I’ve shared a bed with family members before, back in Utah I shared one with my little brother since there wasn’t much room. This is just sharing one with an aunt. I mean it is a bit awkward since I’m doing it because of Twilight not because of room but...
I saw Luna raise her eyebrow slightly and her smile deepen, which made me calm down a bit more. I slipped my bag off my shoulders and set it down in one of the corners of the cart for safekeeping. Thankfully there wasn’t much else I had to do to get ready, I had already brushed my teeth before leaving and I didn’t have to change into pajamas. Instead, I just hopped onto the bed while Luna took off her regalia and placed it to the side. The curtains were also pulled shut, cutting out the feeble light from the fading sun.
With a smirk Luna lit up her horn, prompting me to turn my head to the side in confusion since I didn’t see what she was controlling. So I let out a squeak of surprise as the blanket under me suddenly yanked down, spilling me up and over the fabric and landing me on my back on the mattress. A surprisingly soft mattress compared to what I was used to back home.
“Hey!” I yelped, rolling onto my stomach and pouting.
Luna giggled and crawled into bed herself, scruffing my mane with a hoof. I let out another futile cry of protest but begrudgingly accepted the attention of the mare. She pulled the large, silky dark blue blanket over the two of us, up to her side and my neck. I wrigged a bit to get comfortable and was quickly scooped up into a hug.
I thought about resisting but decided to allow myself to be the little spoon in this cuddle. I couldn’t really protest that much since I was almost half the size of Luna after all. So instead I made myself comfortable in the warm embrace and closed my eyes. Either from the nice soft bed or the gentle embrace of Luna, I quickly fell into the first truly peaceful sleep of my time in Equestria.