Luna sat asleep cozily in her bed as the sun rose bright and warm outside her window. She could sleep all day if she wanted to, but a small bump against her bed woke her.
She sat up with a start and looked down to find Stormcliud sitting at her bed below her. He smiled up at her and giggled with a bright and bubbly joy.
“Mama!” He whinnied excitedly.
“Morning Stormcloud,” she said to the little colt, he was much larger now than when she had found him those years ago, but two years makes a lot of difference one must assume.
Luna smiled at him as she stepped out of bed and onto the ground below her. She grabbed a hair brush and began to brush her hair. It felt like every day her hair was more and more magical. When she was small it would fall to the sides of her face in bouncy curls, but now it looked like there was wind ever blowing into it.
Stormcloud’s hair reminded her of how her own looked when she was little. It curled and twisted around his face in little loops and swirls. And it bounced with every little step he took.
Once she had finished brushing out her mane she dusted off her coat and then turned down to Stormcloud.
“Let’s get you ready why don’t we,” she said, picking him up with a wing and gently setting him on the soft cushions of her bed. She turned around with a smaller brush grasped in her magic and began to brush out the little Pegasus’s hair.
“Pretty like mama!” He cheered with a giddy expression.
“Prettier than mama,” Luna remarked, brushing out the last curl with a single swipe of the brush.
She lifted her saddlebags off the hook they sat on against the wall and placed them gently on her back.
She lifted Storm off the bed with her magic and set him in one of the bags. Walking out of her room into the castle’s main hall, she waved a greeting to Celestia, who sat with a group of townsponies talking and mingling. Luna opened the front door and set her hooves and the solid stone stairs that sat at the castle’s entrance. She trotted through the lush forest until she reached a small market situated in a field just outside of the forest.
She walked past many ponies, some waved, a few bowed, the average reception that Luna was used to when she came around town. She stepped up to a stand, selling fruits of many varieties.
“Which one do you want?” Luna asked Stormcloud, turning to let him see all the fruits on the table. The little colt stared at each of the fruits for a while, inspecting each one before placing both of his tiny hooves on an apple.
“Abble!” He cheered excitedly.
Luna smiled and with a laugh she handed a couple bits over to the shop keeper, “one apple please, and a pony of strawberries.”
The shopkeeper nodded and put both items into a cloth bag, handing it to Luna, who grabbed it with her magic.
The princess trotted over to a nice patch of soft grass and set Stormcloud down. She split the apple into quarters and set it down for him to eat. Sitting down herself she began to grab strawberries and eat them as well.
“Good abble,” Storm giggled as he took a big bite of the Apple. He smiled wide at Luna.
Luna smiled back at him, early mornings were always nice, with Celestia busy Luna could finally have a minute of calm for herself and Stormcloud. Sure, she much preferred the quiet beauty of the night, but this was fine, as long as Storm was happy.
“All done!” Storm whinnied.
“Alright,” Luna said, lifting Storm back into her saddlebag and turning to the more wild parts of the field. Trees scattered the ground and the green and golden grass swayed in the gentle morning wind.
Luna carried Storm on a walk through the meadow, wandering as the sun drifted across the sky.
She set him down about midway through and began to read a book, letting him play in the flowers.
By the time she had finished reading she looked up to find a dimming sky, and Storm sitting with a bouquet in front of her.
“Fowers!” He said happily.
Luna laughed, “thank you Storm,” she said, grabbing the flowers and placing them in her pack.
She looked at the sky, Celestia was pulling the sun down, so Luna lifted her horn to the sky.
The air around the alicorn seemed to change as her horn it in a bright turquoise light, she pulled the moon into view, and as she released , her magic fell in glowing sparkles to the ground.
Storm stared up at the sky, “wow, pwetty,” he said.
“You think so?”
“Uh huh, what little dots?”
“Those are stars.”
“Staws?”
“Yes, stars. Do you like them.”
“…staws,” the little colt was dazed, staring at the glimmering lights above, he toddled into the grass out from under the tree they were sitting under to hide from the sun. He stared with starstruck eyes at the glimmering sight above him.
Luna looked at him and smiled, even if no Pony liked her, even if no pony would be there. She had this, this little colt right here. And in her heart, Luna could tell he was all she would ever need.
“I like the stars too.”