//------------------------------// // Emotional Storm // Story: Apple of My Eye // by musicalreader //------------------------------// Apple of My Eye- Ch. 23 Emotional Storm AKA- ….. You Know What, Forget the Joke, Here’s a New Chapter “Well… I must admit… I didn’t know that such a pleasurable activity could be so exhausting…” Luna noted out loud, dabbing a towel across her brow as a smile played across her face in the dimly lit room. The lights had been extinguished as the night stretched on and a giant sleeping pad had been unrolled across most of the floor, with blankets and pillows scattered hither and yon. “Mhmmm… I gotta say Luna, I don’t think that I’ve ever had somepony do THAT before…” Rainbow commented, lying on the mattress and panting, having finally stopped moaning. “Well, it seems that there has been a surprising lack of information in the art of physical pleasure since my forced ‘vacation’… I’ll have to see about rectifying that with a book of sorts…” Luna responded, grinning proudly. “It looked like a lot of fun.” Aurora commented, “I kind of wish that I’d joined in now…” “As we’ve already discussed Aurora, while it wouldn’t exactly make your situation worse… we don’t want you to feel uncomfortable…” Twilight noted, rolling from her place near Rarity, both of the unicorns having worn each other out quite nicely. “Twilight is right darling… as much fun as I believe it would have been, there is no shame in admitting when something is outside your comfort zone…” Rarity said, panting slightly from exertion. “And it’s not as if you were alone in watching. I believe Applejack volunteered to stay with you if you desired any one on one time…” “Yeah… can’t say Ah didn’t offer.” Applejack interjected, laughing softly and looking up at Aurora with bedroom eyes from the pile of pillows she had been basking on since Fluttershy worked her over. “But like Ah told ya, it’s bad manners ta push a guest inta somethin’ they ain’t sure of.” “I still say she’d have liked it… besides, I could have practiced one of my signature moves on her.” Rainbow commented, her legs finally having stopped shaking enough to let her stand up and go to the kitchen to get a glass of water. “In any case, that was most enjoyable… what did you say the name for this was now Fluttershy?” Luna asked, looking at the yellow Pegasus, who’d proved exceptionally knowledgeable in the hour or so they’d spent working each other over in turn. “Umm… it was a deep tissue massage with a bit of acupressure Princess…” Fluttershy responded softly, a relaxed grin on her face as she watched her friends slowly get back to their feet. “Hmmm… we would have called it a ‘rubdown’ in the old days…” Luna noted, frowning slightly. “What does ‘rubdown’ mean these days? I have yet to hear somepony use the phrase in conversation…” “I don’t think it means anything appropriate…” Aurora said, blushing. “Oh please.” Twilight said, blowing a raspberry, “It doesn’t mean anything other than to rub something or somepony from the top down with your hooves, usually to give the other pony pleasure, or to work an oil, varnish, or other liquid based substance into a porous material.” “Twilight, we love you, but you’re SOOooo wrong about that.” Pinkie interjected, giggling, “A rubdown is what you do when you’re with a stallion and you don’t wanna use anything other than your hooves to make them feel all squirmy inside…” “Squirmy?” Luna asked, looking around to the confused faces of Aurora, Twilight, and Applejack. Fluttershy was hiding her face behind a pillow, and Rainbow Dash was trying not to laugh. “Pinkie Pie… you’re so weird…” Dash said between fits of laughter, “I mean, of all the words to describe an orgasm, you go with THAT!?” By this point, the confused faces had decided to take a page out of Fluttershy’s book and hide themselves behind a nearby pillow, in Twilight and Aurora’s case, it was to hide a blush. In Applejack’s case though, it was to keep from looking at Aurora. “AAAAAND just like that, I think it’s time to go to sleep, anyone else?” Twilight asked, looking around the room frantically, trying to find an out. “Oh come now darling… you act as though you’ve never been with a stallion before.” Rarity commented, the entire group watching as Twilight Sparkle began to squirm in her seat uncomfortably. “You’re kidding me…” Dash noted, a look of disbelief on her face, “You, the filly dating the Royal bucking Guard, and one of, if not THE most powerful unicorn in Equestria, has never had a roll in the hay?” Twilight cringed visibly, glaring at her polychromatic pal. “Don’t even start… I didn’t even hardly have FRIENDS before I came here… romance was completely out, and I lived in the same room as Spike until recently, so it’s not like I had a lot of chances…” “Oh come now darling… I’m sure that a gentledrake like Spike would have happily given you some privacy to be with a special somepony if you asked.” Rarity chimed in, hiding her grin behind a hoof politely. “You are SOOooo not getting the point…” Twilight grumbled, a look of general disdain on her face “Oh I think she gets the point Twilight, she’s just being a silly filly about it to get under your coat.” Pinkie responded almost sagely… and with a surprisingly calm expression… “Okay, who are you and what did you do with Pinkie?” Aurora asked sarcastically, eliciting a chuckle from the group, which was ended shortly by a series of yawns from about half of them. “Hey Luna, I have to ask, aren’t you nocturnal?” Twilight asked, looking at the blue alicorn, “I mean, I’ve rarely ever seen you in the daytime… and you’re the Princess of the Night… so aren’t you, you know, awake when everypony else is asleep?” “Tis a fair question… I believe that Aurora is best suited to answer though, I explained everything to her after I brought her to this land.” Luna said, deflecting to question to the grey mare who was walking over to the pile of pillows and blankets. “Huh? Who’s asking me what now?” Aurora asked, her face turning to look back at the group while she bent over and picked up a particularly large fluffy pillow and a fuzzy purple blanket. “Luna just threw you under the carriage for answering some of Twilight’s questions about Luna.” Rainbow said, smirking, “So, you’re probably gonna get grilled on just about everything having to do with her royal blue flank.” “RAINBOW!” Applejack, Twilight, and Rarity exclaimed in unison, stopping for a second to look at each other in shock that they all had the same reaction. “I don’t care how informal she wants this sleepover to be, it is BEYOND rude to talk about a Princess, and your FRIEND in such a manner.” Rarity scolded. “And Ah won’t have ya insultin’ a guest in mah home!” Applejack continued, glaring down the cyan Pegasus. “Not to mention the fact that I only asked about ONE aspect of her life, not EVERY little minutia of her existence.” Twilight glowered, burning a hole into Rainbow’s head with her stare. The tension in the room had gotten to just about the breaking point… before being shattered by a snort… Everypony’s head swiveled robotically, turning to look at none other than Luna sitting firmly on her haunches, watching the group and trying desperately to contain her mirth at the bizarre scene in front of her and failing miserably. The usually composed, calm ruler wasn’t just chuckling… she was laughing so hard that she was snorting! Eventually, the sight of the Princess laughing in such a…. well, such an UN-royal way… managed to get to everyone, and the whole group was laughing to the point of gasping for air. When things finally calmed down yet again, and everypony was complaining about their stomach’s and sides hurting; and in Rainbow Dash’s case, that she couldn’t breathe, everyone decided to follow Aurora’s lead. Everypony grabbed a pillow and a blanket of their liking, and settled down on the cushion covered floor in a close knit circle. The only ones who seemed to notice this though were Luna and Aurora. “Uhhh… girls?” Aurora asked, the darkness serving as a cover for the flustered look on her face. “Hmm? What’s wrong sugarcube?” Applejack asked, raising her head from her spot cuddled up to the grey mare. “Is… is there any way I could get a bit more space? Please? I wouldn’t ask… but I mean… physical stuff right now is kind of the last thing I need if I want to sleep…” Aurora muttered, pulling the blanket up over her face in embarrassment. “Awww… does this mean I have to move too?” Rainbow asked, perking her head up from where she’d been leaning gently against Aurora’s withers on top of the blanket. “I mean… you don’t have to go really far away… but… I mean…” Aurora began to say, stumbling over her words, and certainly not wanting to offend anypony. “I believe that a little bit of space around Aurora, given her present, er… condition… is not too much to ask.” Luna supplied, coming to her friends rescue. After just a little bit of grumbling (from AJ and Dash), shuffling, and readjusting on the floor sized mattress, everypony had settled in comfortably enough, and gentle snores began to filter into the air from some of the more tired mares in the room. Fluttershy and Rarity were the first to drift off to sleep, their breathing short and shallow, a small twitch of their legs the only indication that they were dreaming. Oddly enough, Pinkie seemed to drop like a stone, going from a twitchy tangle of blankets to a lightly snoring pile of pony in the space of a few seconds. Lastly, Aurora and Twilight fell asleep, their minds drifting off to dreams about fantastic lands, daring deeds, heroic quests and adventures worthy of epic poems… Not really. Twilight was dreaming about visiting Equestria’s largest library and becoming a princess, and Aurora’s dreams are a different creature entirely… no, we aren’t going to go any further into detail, suffice it to say that it was very inappropriate for a Teen rated story. Finally, the last three members of our little group were left awake, their eyes gazing around the darkened room and listening to the sounds of sleeping ponies, with background music provided by a multitude of crickets and a couple owls outside in the orchard. “Are you two still awake?” Luna asked quietly, from her space between Twilight and Pinkie Pie. “Eeyup…” Applejack answered softly. “Yeah.” Rainbow replied, slightly less softly… “What about you Luna? Do you even sleep at night?” “Not normally… but since I cancelled the Night Court for this little get together, I may as well take advantage of the reprieve…. I just can’t seem to relax I suppose…” “Ah know the feelin’ Luna.” Applejack said quietly, her head tipping to the side slightly to watch the rise and fall of Aurora’s chest underneath the blanket. “But Ah guess that’s what happens when yer sleepin’ next ta somepony like her…” “You talking about Rory?” Dash asked, sitting up slightly and looking at the patch of slightly orange shadows. “No Dash, Ah’m talkin’ about Mayor Mare…” Applejack deadpanned. “Why are you thinking about Mayor Mare?” Dash asked, missing the sarcasm. “I believe that she was making a joke Rainbow Dash.” Luna noted, quirking an eyebrow and smirking in the darkness. “Since you two are both still up, do you want to join me in the kitchen?” “Sure Ah guess…” AJ responded hesitantly, getting to her hooves as quietly as possible. “I’m good right here.” Dash replied, scooting a little bit closer to Aurora and trying to gently wrap one of her wings around Aurora’s sleeping form. “Oh no ya don’t…” Applejack said, pulling the blanket off of Rainbow and glaring down at her friend’s silhouette. “Ah ain’t havin’ nothin’ inappropriate happen in mah home unless both ponies are at least awake ta consent ta whatever ya have in mind Rainbow… ‘sides, Aurora ain’t in her right mind and she’s vulnerable, ya really gonna try an take advantage of her like that?” “Why does everypony think I’m gonna jump her the first chance I get?!” Rainbow hissed, standing up and getting nose to nose with the orange Earth Pony. “Seriously, I care about her as more than just a notch in my headboard… I just want to be closer to her, is that so wrong? And you were just about ready to jump her when we were playing Spin the Bottle anyway AJ, so don’t you go acting all high and snooty at me!” “Okay ladies…” Luna interrupted, grabbing them both in her telekinetic grip as she spoke with a stern tone, “I think it’s time for some kitchen time…” Honestly… these two act like some of the castle guards after a couple of drinks… Luna grumbled to herself Good thing I didn’t bring any Moonshine with me this time. As they made their way into the kitchen, both Rainbow and AJ had a rare moment of telepathy… those few and far between moments where two completely different individuals are able to see into each other’s minds and echo their thoughts in perfect unison and synchronicity. Some scientists and magicians have tried to figure out exactly what it is that fuels such occurrences, and they have never been able to identify it. The only thing they are sure of, is that this momentary glimpse into unified thought seems to occur in times of intense emotions. At that moment, Applejack and Rainbow were both overcome with an unerring sense of worry, with a dash of mild panic. But the important thing isn’t what causes these moments… it’s what is thought in these moments… and in that instance, they were both thinking the exact same thing. ………We’re bucked…… “Now… since we’re finally alone, I have some questions for you two…” Luna began, setting the competitive mares down on the floor and sitting down so that she was at their height. “W-what do you want to know Princess?” Rainbow asked, still a little bit shaken up from the impromptu levitation. “Ah’m willin’ ta bet that yer wantin’ ta know what our intentions are with Aurora…” AJ guessed, recognizing the look in Luna’s eyes as the same one that Granny Smith had when Big Mac brought a mare home for the first time. “You are certainly perceptive Applejack.” Luna said, bowing her head slightly in acknowledgement. “And you are also correct… I care for Aurora as one would a child, so to speak… I brought her here to Equestria, and she has been a good friend, and a good student… it is only natural that I would be protective of her in matters such as this, and especially after realizing that she is currently in Heat…” Applejack cleared her throat, looking sideways at Rainbow, who was currently staring off into space with a dreamy look in her eyes and a light blush playing across her muzzle. “Ah’m sorry about kissin’ her lahk Ah did Luna… if I’da known she was in Heat, Ah’d have kept mah space…” “Yes, well, we appreciate the apology… And I’m sure that Aurora does not hold a grudge against you, so neither shall I… but the past is not an issue. Especially since I know with no small amount of certainty that Aurora is still uninvolved in matters of the heart. My concern is with what you will do from here on out.” Luna answered, smiling slightly as she looked between AJ and Rainbow. “Perhaps you would like to tell me your intentions first Rainbow Dash?” “Huh? Oh… yeah… well, I mean… that spell wears of soon, right? I mean, Aurora’s not going to be Aurora for much longer. I kind of want to wait until she’s back to normal before I make a move of ANY kind… right now I guess I’m just being protective…” Dash answered, her brow scrunched in concentration as she tried to put her emotions and intentions into words. “It is interesting that you should use the phrase ‘normal’…. But tell me, is that how you feel as well Applejack?” Luna asked. “Well… Ah mean… Ah don’t know… Ah want her ta be comfortable, and Ah know this ain’t a good time ta be tryin’ anything cuz of how confusin’ it might get fer her… but still… Ah can’t really deny that there’s somethin’ there that wasn’t there when he was a stallion…” “Hmmm… well, it sounds like you both at least have honest and caring feelings for her… but I wonder what will come of them in the future…” Luna mused out loud, her soft gaze passing over them. “What do you mean by that?” Rainbow asked, frowning. “I only mean that things have changed quite a bit since I was banished… and even though I was not reconciled recently, it is still not long at all for those of us who have seen over a thousand years of history unfold… some things have disappeared, others have come about full circle, and then there is that most rare of occurrences, when something NEW happens… The relationships growing between you two and Aurora… it could go in just about any direction… it is interesting…” Luna explained, a small smile playing across her face as she seemed to lose focus of the room, her mind wandering to any number of possibilities. “So does this mean that ya ain’t gonna try and scare us off?” AJ asked, poking her hoof idly at the floor. “Oh no, make no mistake, if either of you two should hurt my protégé, there will be consequences.” Luna said sternly, her gaze focusing back onto the two young mares in front of her, her angry expression holding for only a couple seconds before breaking into a grin, “But I believe that you will find her a difficult individual to hurt…” Almost as if on cue, a thunderclap rolled over the land, reverberating through the wooden structure of the house, the lights flickering out and a flash of lightning illuminating the three mares in an eerie green glow. “What the hay was that?!” Rainbow shrieked, jumping up into the air and slamming into the ceiling by accident. “That’s thunder, Dash… Ah thought all y’all weather Pegasi worked with it enough ta know it when ya heard it… ” Applejack answered, wincing slightly at the impact her friend had just made with the ceiling. “Like Tartarus that was!” Dash exclaimed, bouncing back from the impact surprisingly quickly. “We don’t have any rain scheduled for another week, let alone a thunderstorm!” “I have to agree with Rainbow Dash…” Luna said warily, “That light was not normal… certainly not of Pegasus design either. Quickly, we must check on the others.” The two young mares followed Luna back into the living room, where the thunder (or more likely, Dash’s little meeting with the top of the kitchen) had managed to at least wake up Fluttershy, and now Rarity and Twilight were stirring. “Wha- What’s happening?” Rarity slurred, lifting her head from on top of Fluttershy’s withers, which she had apparently rolled onto at some point after falling asleep, and the poor Pegasus seemed to be a bit too nervous to move her. “What are you three doing up?” “We were talking.” Luna explained briefly, nodding to her two guards, still standing at attention near the front door, “I’m afraid that there is something I must see to immediately. I’m just glad to see that you are all alright.” “Whoa whoa whoa… what do you mean there’s something you have to see to?” Twilight asked, now standing and not bothering to keep her voice down, which was causing Pinkie and Aurora to twitch in their sleep. “Princess, it’s just a storm…” “No Twilight Sparkle… I may not know exactly what it is that is causing this evil air, but it is much more than a simple storm… But with any luck, I am simply worried over nothing… Nevertheless, as the guardian of the night, it is my duty to see to this disturbance.” Luna said firmly, careful to keep her voice down and lighting her horn up with magic to make the walls absorb some of the thunder and the noise from the five ponies that were awake, “And you should really be more careful Twilight Sparkle… it is bad luck to wake a sleeping mare.” “Tell that to the storm outside…” Twilight grumbled, “And I was having such a nice dream too…” “Oh yes, I am well aware… and by the way, that stallion of yours is really quite something to look at… for a Solar Guard anyway.” Luna replied, winking mischievously, “Now if you will all excuse me, I must go see what exactly is disturbing my Night…but do not let my absence keep anypony from enjoying this sleepover.” With that being said, Luna’s horn lit up once more as she teleported to the cause of the nocturnal disturbance, leaving the seven mares alone in the room with nothing to do but sit and wonder. “Well… I mean… it IS kind of nice not to have to go on some dangerous mission…” Fluttershy said, poking at the mattress and circling her hoof on her blanket, which she had draped around her like a cloak. “That still ain’t somethin’ Ah’m too happy about…” Applejack said, “Ah’d rather be out there helping Luna with whatever it is that’s making such a ruckus…” “If Luna can’t handle it, neither could we…” Twilight pointed out. “Not without the Elements anyway, and those are in Canterlot… even if I were able to get Spike up to send a letter, there’s still no guarantee that Princess Celestia would be up at this time of the night to read it and get the elements here in time…” “Can’t she just poof them over here like she does those letters you two exchange?” Rainbow asked, hovering in place nervously… whenever she felt ill at ease, she had a habit of trying to get some distance between her and the ground. “Of course not Darling…” Rarity interrupted, her brow scrunching up, “The Elements are highly magical artifacts that are resistant to all but the most powerful of magical spells. And a teleportation spell, even one performed by the Princess, wouldn’t be capable of budging the Elements.” “……When did you read into the Elements so much Rarity?” Twilight asked, amazed and confused by her friend’s knowledge of the ancient artifacts. “Oh please Darling, they’re beautiful pieces of jewelry that look like they were crafted by a master, did you really expect me not to look into them at least a little bit? Besides, I’m a Unicorn just like you, is it so out of character for me to read up on something to inherently magical?” She replied, quirking an eyebrow up at her purple friend. “……You were tryin’ ta see if ya could change how it looked to go with yer outfits, weren’tcha?” Applejack guessed, her face an expressionless mask as she watched her friend twiddle her hooves nervously. “Well… not all of them… I just wanted to know if there was any way I could make mine into a tiara like Twilight’s… I mean, it’s not difficult to find an outfit that works with my Element, but I wanted a little bit of variety…” “Wow Rarity…” Rainbow said, chuckling softly, “You know, if we could find a way to relate fashion to a question, I think you’d be able to give Twilight a run for her money when it came to doing egghead stuff.” Despite their best efforts, the four other mares couldn’t help but have a good laugh at the Seamstress’s expense. To her credit, Rarity took it in stride, only shooting Rainbow a dirty look for a few moments before cracking a smile at the joke. And so the five PFF’s passed the time, talking idly and tossing ideas back and forth about what exactly was outside that Luna had gone to confront. “Ah still think it’s some kinda monster from the Everfree…” Applejack said, putting her hoof down dramatically, not for the first time. “Oh please… if it were something in the Everfree, then she would have taken us with her. After all, we managed to defeat Nightmare Moon and Discord.” Twilight said emphatically, rolling her eyes. “I think it’s some kind of ancient evil that only a chosen warrior can defeat… kind of like with Sombra.” “Well what if it IS some kind of dusty old monster, and Luna isn’t the one that can beat it?” Rainbow suggested, crossing her hooves, “I mean, if Daring Doo was gonna go after some kind of cursed artifact, then she’d make sure that she either knew for SURE that she was the one to break the curse, or she’d bring backup… I’m just saying, safety in numbers…” “Oh I’m sure that she’ll be just fine if it’s in the Everfree.” Fluttershy said with uncharacteristic confidence. “I mean, the only things in that forest are some fuzzy old Manticores, a couple of Cockatrice’s, they might need a bit of an attitude adjustment, but they’re not too bad overall. Oh, and I’m sure she’ll be fine with the nice Sea Serpeant!” “Uh Sugarcube… Ah think yer missin’ tha point… It’s Luna… alone… not you.” AJ said, looking around the group, “Ah’m not sayin’ that Ah don’t think she can handle herself… Ah’d just feel better knowin’ that she wasn’t alone…” “Luna left to go somewhere by herself?” Pinkie asked groggily, poking her head up from the pillow she had been drooling on and startling the five mares already up and about. “For Luna’s sake Pinkie!” Rainbow swore, shooting an extra five feet into the air, “Will you please not do that? You scared the hay out of me!” “Sorry Dashie…” Pinkie said embarrassedly, “So what were you girls saying about Luna? Where’d she go?” “We don’t know…” Twilight said nervously, “And I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t like it…” “Well it’s not like we can exactly go gallivanting off by ourselves.” Rarity reasoned, “I mean, for one, we’d need to get past the guards, then we’d have to somehow manage to follow where Luna went, and then in the best case scenario, we’re facing something that is bad enough to warrant one of the Princess’s direct attention.” “That… oddly astute…” Twilight said, raising her eyebrows, impressed by her friends logic. “Still, there has to be something we can do…” “There is somethin’ we can do Twi.” Applejack said, looking around at the group. “We do just what Luna said and enjoy ourselves.” “And just how the hay are we supposed to enjoy ourselves with Princess Luna out there doing who knows what with some kind of possibly malevolent force, bent on destroying ponykind!” Twilight replied, her hair starting to curl and stand on end in random little haphazard clumps, her eyes looking around erratically as she started to look more and more panicked. “Easy there Twilight…” Pinkie said, jumping forward and hugging her friend, “Come on now, we don’t need another Smartypants incident…” V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V Somewhere across Ponyville, a grey maned Earth Pony, who also happened to be the Mayor, twitched in her sleep. A repressed memory pushing itself to the forefront of her dreams. “Mmm… go away… I’m too old to play with dolls…” she mumbled in her sleep, her legs kicking out lazily as her mouth turned up in a small smile, “Well… I guess as long as nopony sees me… heheheheh…” Meanwhile, back at the Apple Farm, the oldest (and only) stallion of the Ponyville Apple family woke up in a cold sweat. After staring around the room hastily, a small clap of thunder making him jump and sending a chill up his spine. “Nnnope!” he said to himself, digging an old doll that Twilight Sparkle had given him out from under his pillow, snuggling up with the soft companion and smiling as he drifted off back to sleep. “Mmm… They tried to steal you precious, but you’re safe now…” He said, grinning as sleep took him back into its loving embrace. V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V “……Y’all just get a chill up yer back?” Applejack asked, looking around at the group, and at Aurora, still snuggled up under her blanket, snoring softly as her hair just managed to shield her eyes from view. “Not really dear… are you alright?” Rarity responded, following the farmers gaze to the sleeping mare and smirking knowingly. True, it wasn’t a secret, but it was still nice to watch these kinds of things develop. “Why would you get a chill?” Twilight asked, “The room is nice and warm… wait… don’t tell me that this is like Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense… Is that something that most Earth Ponies have?” “Nope!” Pinkie squeaked, giggling, “If Applejack had my Pinkie Sense, then it wouldn’t be a PINKIE Sense, now would it?” “I… I guess not… but that’s still a weird question to ask randomly.” Twilight said, frowning slightly as she forced herself not to push the subject further… every time she tried to follow Pinkie Pie’s reasoning, all she ended up with was a headache. The group chatter began to die down relatively quickly. There just wasn’t much to talk about really, not with Luna gone off to do who knew what off in who knew where… Finally though, the silence was broken by the quietest mare in the group. “Umm… Does anypony think we should wake up Aurora and let her know that Luna left?” Fluttershy asked, looking around the circle. “I don’t know Fluttershy… I mean, it seems kind of mean to wake her up just to give her bad news like that…” Rainbow suggested, shrugging. “Besides, for all we know, Luna’ll be back by morning… no sense in making her panic in the meantime.” “I agree with Dashie… She looks like she’s having such a nice dream too. I don’t wanna interrupt any happy thoughts and make her all sad and stuff.” Pinkie agreed. “I also think we should let the poor thing rest… I mean, it’s not like tonight has been easy for her.” Rarity added. “Whatcha mean by that? How did she have a rough time tonight?” Applejack questioned, standing up defensively. “Are you sayin’ she ain’t being treated right under mah roof?” “Darling, it’s not a matter of how she’s been treated. It’s a matter of all the things that are going on with her physically and mentally right now. Do I really have to remind YOU of all ponies that she’s in Heat? AND this isn’t exactly a normal state for her to be in anyway? I’m not slighting you at all, but I’m simply saying we should be respectful of her own frame of mind. Would you really want to hear something that involves somepony like Big Mac or Granny Smith leaving to go off somewhere unknown while you were already in a rather chaotic whirlpool of emotion?” “Ah still think she’s more than capable of handlin’ tha truth, and Ah say it ain’t right ta leave her in tha dark about somepony that’s a teacher, and practically a parent ta her. Ah say we wake her up if fer nothin’ else than showin’ her tha respect anypony deserves.” Applejack said emphatically, pounding her hoof down on the padded floor. “Nopony’s saying we’re gonna keep her in the dark!” Rainbow said defensively, her wings opening in a subconscious attempt to look larger than she really was. “We’re just saying that she doesn’t need to be woken up with a bunch of panicked mares and a missing Princess, who happens to be her teacher!” “Okay girls, settle down…” Twilight said, frowning at her friend’s arguing, “Look, for all we know, Luna will be back soon. She’s a Princess of Equestria after all. And I’m sure that whatever is going on, we won’t help the situation by upsetting anypony… that being said, we have a duty as friends to make sure that nopony is kept in the dark about anything that affects the friends they care about.” “What do you mean Luna went out?” Aurora asked, her voice cutting through the tense atmosphere in the room. An eerily green flash of lightning illuminating the room and highlighting the shocked faces of everypony except for Fluttershy and Aurora. “And why was everyone shouting?” “Well, you see Aurora, everypony was arguing about whether or not we should wake you up to tell you that Luna went out to face some kind of ancient villain thingy, and nopony could really agree. But that doesn’t really matter now since you’re awake just like everypony else!” Pinkie explained, the first of the group to snap out of her shock. “By the way, that was really good timing, have you ever considered doing standup?” “Uhhh… I’m good, thanks Pinkie… what was that part about Luna facing an ancient villain?” “Oh! Well, I’m not really too sure what it was exactly…I kinda woke up a little after she left and scared Dashie.” Pinkie admitted sheepishly. “You were scared when she left, Dash?” Aurora asked, sitting on her haunches and shaking the remnants of a dream from her head. “No! I mean, yeah, I mean… Pinkie startled me! Okay, yeah, I’m kinda scared for her… but I wasn’t scared because she left!” Dash said, defending her image, “I mean… she’s off fighting some big unknown thing in who knows where! Aren’t you worried?” “Not really… I mean, do any of you realize how many nightmares she fights on a regular basis?” Aurora asked, looking around. “What does fightin’ nightmares have ta do with fightin’ some big ol’ evil storm that’s shootin’ green lightnin’?” Applejack asked. “Well… she managed to help me with my nightmares…” Aurora said cryptically, looking around the room. “In any case, I’m sure she’s fine, she’s probably finishing off whatever it is now and heading back as we speak! Now, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t get back to sleep with that thunder going on, so how about we all do something to keep ourselves busy?” “Busy like, playing a game busy? Or busy like making cupcakes busy?” Pinkie asked, her hair starting to poof back up to its normal height. “Uhhh… well…. Whichever you girls want to do I suppose…” “We could make some apple pie in the kitchen.” Applejack suggested. “That sounds like fun AJ.” Aurora seconded, smiling kindly at the farmpony. “You heard the mare! To the kitchen!” Pinkie exclaimed, leading the charge through the door, the rest following her less than enthusiastically. “…. Hey Aurora, are you sure she’ll be alright?” Dash asked, pulling the gray mare off to the side after everypony else had gone through to the kitchen. “I’m sure Rainbow… she’s a grown Alicorn… she can handle things.” Aurora said confidently. V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V TO BE CONTINUED…