7/8
It's hard to believe that it's already been a week since the Bearers and little Pip came to Canterlot. It feels like I only met them a few hours ago - my sister may have had a point when she mentioned how time seems to pass differently for us. Even if my guests may not consider me to be their friend just yet, I see all of them as being my friends. I simply hope we'll all continue to stay in touch, even after all of this is said and done.
Luna set the quill down and levitated her coffee mug up to her muzzle, taking a quick sip before returning to her writings once more. Though she had fallen asleep relatively quickly the night before, she didn't stay asleep very long - the Princess had woken up around four in the morning, and simply couldn't go back to bed. Luckily for her, her retinue of guardsmen had kept their nocturnal habits, and it wasn't difficult for her to find somepony to waste the time with.
Celestia had already raised her sun, however, and Luna's guards retired to their barracks not long after. Finding herself with a sizable bit of free time, the alicorn had decided to return to her journal once more, and was presently writing yet another entry within its pages.
I know for a fact my letters with Twilight Sparkle will continue, as they always have. As awful as it might be to admit, I'm somewhat envious of my sister at times - though I have yet to truly see Twilight's magic at work for myself, I can still 'feel' it to some degree. The potential within her is remarkable, and if the circumstances had been any different, I would have gladly taken her on as my own apprentice. I simply can't 'steal' her, however. Such a thing is deeply frowned upon within the academic world, and my sister has already built up a surprisingly strong relationship with her student. I wouldn't dare destroy such a thing.
In due time, perhaps I'll find an apprentice of my own - maybe not quite on the same level as Twilight Sparkle, but I digress. Regardless of my own feelings or attitudes towards wanting an apprentice, I would consider myself fortunate to stay in touch with any of these ponies. They've all proven themselves to be remarkable individuals in their own ways, and I think I'd be rather proud to refer to them as my friends.
There was a gentle knock upon her bedroom door, and Luna turned upon her stool as she faced towards the door. One of Celestia's guards stood in the doorway, giving her a deep bow before speaking - unlike her own retinue of guardsmen, her sister's guards had the tendency to be much more formal around her, even though she wasn't necessarily their Princess. "Apologies for the intrusion, your Majesty, but your guests have requested your presence."
"...they what? But I gave them the day off!" The Princess of the Night had already hopped off her stool, quickly making her way over to the stallion. "Why did they want me?"
"I'm afraid they wouldn't say, your Majesty. They simply requested your presence, and wouldn't tell me anything else."
Luna slowly nodded, her horn faintly glowing as she used her magic to shut her journal and put it away. "Very well then. Take me to them."
"As you wish."
-----
"You know Pinkie, for once, I think you're throwing a party for all the right reasons."
"...what's that supposed to mean?"
"Just... finish the cake. We already sent that guard out, so Luna could be here any minute now." Rainbow Dash trotted away from the table, quickly approaching Twilight Sparkle and giving the unicorn a mocking salute. "Rainbow Dash, reporting in, sir! Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Pip have almost completed the cake, sir!"
The lavender mare looked up from her list, an eyebrow slightly raised. "It's ma'am, not sir. And stop that."
"Bah, you're no fun."
"Sorry Rainbow, but I need to make sure everything's in order before the Princess shows up." Twilight sighed and looked around the room once more, nodding to herself and checking off another item on the list. "Simply getting to stay within the castle is a huge honor, and Luna's been extremely hospitable - there's no better way to show our thanks than by throwing a Pinkie party."
As if on cue, the pink earth pony wandered past the two of them, a rather large cake balanced upon her back. "'Cause there's no party like a Pinkie party! Cake's done!"
"Perfect!" The unicorn ticked off an entry labeled 'Cake' and gave another quick glance around the room. "Fluttershy and Rarity, how are the decorations coming along?"
The yellow pegasus was still flitting to and fro, making several last-minute adjustments to the various streamers and balloons that were pinned up throughout the room, and Rarity flashed Twilight a rather large smile. "Swimmingly, darling! Oh, to think of it! Me, doing decorations for a party for one of the Princesses! Mother and father would be so proud..."
"Oh, it's going just fine, Twilight. I just have to..." Fluttershy shifted one of the streamers slightly, smiling briefly before watching in dismay as the streamer moved back to its original spot. "Oh dear, um... okay, how about..." The yellow pegasus tried again and again to keep the streamer in place, failing each time to do so. "Rarity, could you pin this up for me, please? I mean, if you have the time for it. If not, that's perfectly okay."
"Let me handle it..." With a sigh, Rarity's horn briefly glowed as she sent a nail floating upwards, driving it into the streamer with her magic and pinning it firmly in place. "There."
Finally satisfied, Fluttershy slowly returned to the floor and smiled towards the lavender mare. "Okay, now it's done!"
Twilight Sparkle checked off 'Decorations' upon the list and grinned as she surveyed the room once more. "Well, the cake and decorations are done. All we're missing now is Luna. And... Applejack and Pip. Where did those two run off to? Luna could be here any minute now!"
"Right here, sugarcube." Applejack walked back into the room, a smile upon her face as Pip sat perched upon her back. "Cake-makin' got a bit... messy fer Pip here. Little fella went an' fell into some of th' frostin', so I got 'im cleaned up. Nothin' a damp washcloth can't fix!"
"If only I could get Spike to understand that. Still, it's good you two could get back here in time. Princess Luna could be here any-"
Before the lavender mare could speak any further, the doors to the room swung open, and in strode the Princess of the Night, flanked on both sides by her sister's guards. She immediately froze in place, a look of confusion upon her face as she glanced about the room. Streamers lay pinned to the walls, while several balloons of varying colors sat tethered to the floor. In the center was a rather large cake, and surrounding that were all of her guests. For the longest time, Luna simply stared at her campers, and only broke the silence to ask the question first and foremost within her mind. "Is... this a party?"
The campers simply stood there, as none of them had expected Luna to arrive this quickly, and most of them simply stared back at the Princess. After a few nervous glances, one pony eventually spoke up - Fluttershy. "Um... surprise?"
"So, wait. This is all for me?" The alicorn still appeared highly incredulous, and it was hardly surprising. Despite her long life, it was rare for her to ever really receive a celebration of any sort in her honor. Her birthday parties had always been fairly low-key events, kept between her and her sister, and it was rare for the public to ever join in on the festivities. To have a party such as this thrown in her honor was unexpected, to say the least. "I'm... not sure I understand. My birthday isn't until December, and it certainly isn't Night Mare Night."
"Your Majesty." One of the guards that accompanied her gave a small cough immediately following his statement, and she soon glanced over her shoulder to face him. With her attention fixed upon him, the stallion quickly continued. "It's... actually quite common to throw parties for occasions besides holidays or birthdays."
"...it is?"
"Yes, your Majesty."
"Oh. Um. Well then..." The explanation had only helped slightly, and Luna still found herself at a loss. The Princess of the Night turned to face her guests once more, and she took a single step forward. "So... what seems to be the occasion?"
Fluttershy once again spoke up, stepping forward and placing herself at the front of the group. "We um... we did it for you, Luna."
"But... why?"
"To show our thanks." Twilight Sparkle smiled and stepped forward, taking her place beside Fluttershy.
Not one to be outdone, Rarity also stepped forward and quickly spoke up. "You've been awfully polite to all of us, even when some of us were a bit... misguided with their reading choices. It only seemed fair."
"So we decided ta throw ya a lil' party. We know ya've been pourin' yer heart into this camp, so we did th' same with this party. Ain't that right, Pip?" Applejack and Pip both stepped forward, and from his spot upon her back, the colt nodded enthusiastically.
Pinkie Pie was already hopping in circles around Rainbow Dash, and the pink earth pony could hardly contain her own excitement. "And there's no party like a Pinkie party! Were you surprised? Were you?"
"Well since she's looking at us funny, I think she is, Pinkie." The cyan pegasus rolled her eyes and tilted her head slightly as she looked up at the Princess. "You uh... you like it, right Luna?"
The alicorn had since fallen to her haunches, and appeared to just as confused as ever. As the guardsmen quietly excused themselves from the room and shut the doors, Luna continued to glance from one pony's face to another. "I... I don't know what to say. I've never really had anypony throw a party in my hon-"
"What?!" Pinkie Pie rushed forth, pressing her nose against Luna's and staring the Princess straight in the eye. "You've never gotten a party? Never ever never?"
"Um... well, no. My birthdays have usually just been my sister and I. Pinkie Pie, could you please back up a bit. You're kinda-"
"Oh, we can fix that! We can fix that right now! Quick, someone cut a slice of cake!"
"Pinkie Pie, I really don't think this is necessary. Could you please back u-"
"Don't worry, Luna, I've got it all under control!" The pink earth pony had already cut a slice of cake herself, and now held it on a plate in front of the alicorn. "It's chocolate too! I know that's your favorite!"
Luna stared at Pinkie, an eyebrow raised and her mouth agape. "But... I've never even told you what my favorite is. I don't even li-"
Before the Princess could say another word, Pinkie Pie took it upon herself to feed the cake directly to Luna, shoving the slice into the alicorn's mouth and tossing the plate aside. Luna simply stared at Pinkie, completely and utterly shocked as several cake crumbs continued to fall out of her mouth and down towards the floor. The rest of Pinkie's friends, Pip included, seemed completely mortified, and Twilight Sparkle looked like she was on the verge of fainting. With a wide smile upon her face, the pink earth pony leaned towards the Princess of the Night. "Well? Do you like it? I made it myself!"
Unfortunately for Pinkie, Luna soon spat out much of the cake and scowled at her. A frown upon her face, the pink earth pony backed away and the alicorn stood once more, staring at the rest of her guests. "I'm leaving. Have fun with the party - I want no part of it. If you need me, you know where to find me."
As the Princess turned and made her way for the door, the guests reduced themselves to hushed whispers, and several glares were directed towards Pinkie Pie during the course of their discussion. As they hurriedly attempted to salvage their party, Twilight Sparkle teleported and placed herself in Luna's path. "Sooo... Luna!"
The alicorn seemed surprised at first, but quickly returned to her dour demeanor. "Not now, Twilight Sparkle. We can talk later, if you'd like."
"Well, there's just something I wanted to ask. Won't take long at all!"
Luna sighed and rolled her eyes. "...Very well, then. Speak."
"Do you remember when I visited during Hearth's Warming last year, and I brought you that gift?" Twilight grinned up at the alicorn and threw a quick glance back over her shoulder at her friends before looking back at the Princess.
"The astronomy book that you compiled and made for me - it's awfully hard to forget such a gift."
"...Aaaand remember how you didn't really have anything for me in return?"
Luna raised an eyebrow and peered down at the unicorn. "Well... no, I didn't have anything for you. Your entire visit was a bit of a surprise. Why do you ask?"
"Well, um..." The lavender mare nervously pawed a hoof against the floor and looked back up at Luna. "I was wondering if I could maybe get a belated Hearth's Warming gift? As in... now?"
The rest of the ponies were all watching their conversation with bated breath, and Luna was keenly aware of it. The young Princess quickly glanced over towards the group before looking back down at Twilight Sparkle. "And just what kind of gift do you have in mind?"
"...Stay here and have some fun with the rest of us? We all worked hard on this, and I know Pinkie can get a little... over-enthusiastic at times, but she meant well. So... please stay?"
Had it been any other pony, Luna would have very likely said 'No' and continued onwards without a backward look - Twilight wasn't 'any other pony', however. The unicorn was likely the closest thing the Princess of the Night had to a best friend, and Luna could hardly fault the lavender mare for wanting her to stay. As she mulled it over, she gave another look downwards towards Twilight, and let out a slight frown as she found her sister's apprentice staring up at her with pleading eyes. "I... don't know, Twilight Sparkle."
"Alright, fine... um..." The unicorn tapped a hoof to her chin, her eyes lighting up as an idea sprang to mind. "What if I danced with you some more later? Since you need a dance partner and all."
Luna opened her mouth, hesitated, and shut it once more as she thought it over. It was already difficult enough for her to even dare say 'No' to Twilight, and this latest offer made it essentially impossible. With a sigh, the Princess looked back down at the unicorn and faintly smiled.
"...Oh, fine."
-----
As per Twilight Sparkle's request, Luna had indeed returned to the party - that had been hours ago, however. After enjoying the cake at her own leisure, the young Princess had spent the rest of the time socializing and playing several games with the rest of her guests. Just like with her sister's own birthday parties, Luna was better than most when it came to charades, but as she had found out that afternoon, she was sorely lacking in other departments. She found herself performing especially poorly in Pin The Tail On The Pony, as well as several card games. Even with all the time she had spent playing Blackjack and Go Fish with her guards, she almost always found herself on an even playing field with the others.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash were both surprisingly good at card games, and Pinkie Pie and Pip both proved themselves adept at Pin The Tail On The Pony. Whereas Rarity and Fluttershy both performed well at Pictionary, Twilight Sparkle did admirably well while playing Twenty Questions. All of her guests had their own strengths and weakness, as did she, and they all had several facets to their personalities - as colorful and varied as they might be at times, such a thing was actually a source of comfort for Luna. After all, Canterlot itself was the very embodiment of boredom and dullness, considering that many of the citizens often followed incredibly strict social standards.
That had been hours ago, though. All of her guests, with the exception of Twilight Sparkle, had since wandered off to various other areas of the castle, leaving the Princess of the Night and the unicorn to dance in private. The lavender mare was still a bit clumsy, as far as dancing was concerned, but she was a fast learner. Already, she had made a great deal of progress, and though she struggled to keep up with Luna's own steps, she was still keeping up - that was the important thing.
"And one... two... three... step, turn... good, watch your footing." The young Princess smiled warmly at Twilight Sparkle, only to receive a rather nervous one in return. "Two... two... three... Twilight, not so serious. Dancing is supposed to be fun, not a chore."
"Right, sorry." The unicorn let out a nervous laugh and quickly looked back down, watching her own hooves as she followed the steps in-time with Luna's voice. It was a common mistake, but one she could hardly be faulted for. Everypony was bound to do the same at one point or another, and the alicorn had been no exception.
"Three... two... three... eyes up, Twilight. Your dance partner is in front of you and to your side, not on the floor." Luna couldn't help but laugh as she watched the lavender mare look up and smile sheepishly, and the two of them locked eyes as they continued to dance. "One... two... three... step and turn... and bow." As the song came to an end, the two ponies turned and bowed toward one another, and Luna stomped her hooves in approval as she pulled the record off the phonograph with her magic. "Much better! I think we'll make a dancer out of you just yet."
Twilight Sparkle blushed faintly and smiled, tilting her head as she watched the alicorn switch records. "I can't be doing that well so quickly. I mean, we only started this two days ago or so..."
"Better than most. You still have some very slight issues, but nothing some practice can't fix. Your biggest problem is that you take it far too seriously - after hearing about some of your letters to my sister, I know you have the tendency to get a little... too serious in situations you deem important." Luna's horn faintly glowed as she continued to flip through the records, rolling her eyes as she passed some of them. She honestly had no idea where so many of these records had come from, but at least it gave her plenty of options. "You dance your best when you loosen up. Let the music speak to you, and allow yourself to follow its cues. Don't over-think it."
"It's funny, really. I never expected you to be this big on music and dancing. You always seemed more like a patron of the arts."
"Dancing and music are both still forms of art, Twilight Sparkle."
"Well yeah, but... I just meant the rest of this." The lavender mare waved a hoof and gestured to the rest of Luna's room, and the alicorn nodded knowingly in return.
"Though my paintings and drawings still get most of my attention, dancing and music are both still fairly recent for me - I only picked them back up two days ago, after... well, over a thousand years without either. Still, it's like swimming. What was once forgotten is easily relearned as you begin to go through it once more."
Twilight idly shrugged as she continued to browse through the paintings that hung upon the walls. "Makes sense. What's next, Luna?"
"I was thinking we could try doing the tango. I keep seeing it mentioned in books, but you need a partner to really do it properly, which is always something I've lacked... until now, anyways." Luna tapped a hoof to her chin as she held one record in front of herself with her magic, quickly filing it away and retrieving another. "I just have to find the right music for it."
"...why the tango? If you um... don't mind me asking." Twilight pulled her gaze away from one of the paintings and glanced over in Luna's direction, staring at the Princess with a raised eyebrow.
The alicorn smiled as she finally found the appropriate piece of music, and she carefully pulled the record out with her magic, setting it aside. "'tis a more passionate dance. Much more lively than what you'd find in a ballroom. It's also much more intimate, in a way."
"...i-intimate?"
"Well... yes. You have to have a much deeper bond with your dance partner, and you also have to trust one another. Quite a few of the moves one can do while doing the tango rely heavily on that. That is the saying, after all - 'It takes two to... Twilight Sparkle, are you blushing?"
Upon closer inspection, the lavender mare was indeed blushing, and she let out a nervous laugh as she discovered she had been caught. "M-maybe? Um... well... I've been doing some reading as of late..."
"...and?"
"And I may have read a few stories about the um... 'appetites' you and your sister have."
At the mention of that, Luna stared deadpan at Twilight Sparkle. "You've been reading the tabloids, haven't you."
"...yes."
"One moment." The alicorn sighed and grabbed a quill and piece of parchment with her magic, scrawling furiously in front of the unicorn.
To The Staff of Equestria Daily,
If you publish one more false and disgraceful rumor about the 'deviant behaviors' my sister and I have, I will personally see to it that all of you are banished and thrown into a dungeon in the place I banish you to. This is the eighth time I've had to warn you, and enough is enough.
See to it that it does not happen again.
-Princess Luna
Before she had even given the ink any real chance of drying, Luna had already set the quill aside and hastily folded up the letter, shoving it into an envelope and sealing it shut with a wax stamp. This was not to be delivered by a pegasus - oh no, she was going to personally deliver this to their offices. That would wait until tomorrow, however.
With that little errand out of the way, Luna clapped her hooves together and gave Twilight Sparkle a warm smile, her horn faintly glowing as she placed the record on the phonograph and set it to play.
"Now then, where were we?"