//------------------------------// // Fond Farewells // Story: Stuck In The Middle With You // by Vargras //------------------------------// Mornings. Oh, how she hated mornings. It wasn't her dear sister's fault, of course, but Luna had always disliked the day for one reason or another. Perhaps her sister's sun was too bright or the days were too hot - she wasn't entirely sure what the reason was, and she likely would never know. The dusky alicorn gave her head a quick shake as she tried to wake herself up, and she quickly took a sip of her coffee before devouring yet another donut. All of this was something Celestia was acutely aware of, of course. The two sisters knew each other intimately, and the elder sibling knew that Luna's moods and emotions fluctuated and changed just as often as the phases of the moon. Although the Princess of the Night often seemed quite stable and normal to most ponies, Celestia certainly knew better. During the day, Luna's patience often wore thin, and she had the tendency to fidget when sitting or standing still. She was, for lack of a better word, uncomfortable - the day and the sun were both polar opposites of everything Luna represented and controlled, and as such, it was outside of her own comfort zone. The white alicorn looked up from her newspaper and took a sip from her own mug, peering across the table at her sister. "So, Luna." "So, 'Tia." Celestia smirked upon hearing her younger sister essentially echo what she just said, and she chuckled softly. "Oh, stop that. Are you looking forward to getting back to your usual sleep cycle?" "Definitely. I mean... I am a bit sad that the camp has come to an end, but I'm looking forward to holding night court once more. That, and being awake during the day is absolutely killing me... um, no offense or anything." Luna levitated up her coffee mug once more and nervously took a drink, much to her sister's amusement. "None taken, little sister. You still have to bid your guests farewell, don't you?" The Princess of the Night nodded and quickly ate another donut, swallowing it before speaking. "Mhm. Just have to tell them goodbye and watch them get on the chariots so they can return to Ponyville. Though I'm... not sure how long that might take." Celestia was in the midst of taking another sip of coffee and quickly stopped herself, setting the mug down and peering across the table at Luna. "I'm sensing a hint of... something, little sister. Hesitation? Sadness? Apprehension?" "All of those, actually. I'll admit, though part of me is glad that the camp is coming to an end..." "...the other part doesn't want it to end, hm?" "Well... no." The dusky alicorn gave one of the donuts in front of her a prod with her hoof, even though she appeared rather uninterested in it. "I mean, I'm ready for this to be over so things can go back to normal, but... I've enjoyed this. For once, 'Tia, I have friends. Actual friends. I'm just a little worried that after all of this is said and done, I won't really hear from any of them ever again. I've got my letters with Twilight Sparkle - she'll definitely keep in-touch - but I don't know about the others." "And it worries you, doesn't it?" "A little, yes." "Just voice your concerns later on, Luna. Let them know that you'd like to stay in contact with them." Celestia, faintly smiling as always, briefly glanced down at her newspaper before returning her gaze to her sibling, her smile now replaced with a hint of a frown. "And while you're at it, could you ask Twilight Sparkle if she could write me more often?" Luna blinked, momentarily surprised by her sister's question. "I... yeah, I can ask her that, 'Tia. What do you want her to write about?" "Anything. Anything at all. As of late, the letters from her and her friends have been increasingly rare, and it's always about something they've learned that involves friendship." "But... that's what you asked them to do." The white alicorn sighed and slowly shook her head. "I know, but I've been stuck dwelling on what you told me a few days back. About how, 'If we can't love all the ponies for the rest of time, we'll simply have to love them lots while they're still here'. With these friendship reports, I've been treating them more like subjects than..." "Than what, Celestia?" Luna peered across the table at her sibling, visibly concerned. It wasn't often that her sister was moody like this. "Well, I should be treating them like ponies, like my children, but... I haven't been. And I need to fix that." "But why can't you just ask her yourself?" Celestia hesitated repeatedly, opening her mouth and quickly closing it before glancing away from her sister. She seemed to struggle for the right words to use, but she eventually found them. "Well, it's... not that simple, Luna. I don't know Twilight Sparkle like you do. To her, you're just Luna. There are no titles or anything else, you just... are. But for me, I'm Princess Celestia, or her teacher. There's no real sense of informality, and because of that, things are more... oh, what's the word?" "...distant?" Luna blinked momentarily, bringing a hoof to her chin as she eyed her sister. "Yes, distant. It's just not the same. I may have known her longer than you, but you know her better than I do. That's why I need you to ask." The dusky alicorn nodded and stood up, stepping away from the table and giving her older sister one last look. "I understand. Is there anything else you'd like me to ask of them?" "You can ask any of them that same question, if you'd like. I wouldn't mind getting letters from all of them, and I'm sure you wouldn't either." Celestia's frown slipped back into a faint smile, and she took a quick sip from her own cup of coffee. "At the very least, ask Twilight Sparkle to write me more often. Just promise me that much." "For you, Celestia? Anything." "Thank you. Get a move on, Luna - you don't want to keep your guests waiting." Luna nodded in return and quickly proceeded out the door, leaving the dining room and leaving Celestia to finish breakfast by herself. Alone once more, the white alicorn returned her attention to the newspaper in front of herself and began to skim through it. One article in particular caught her eye, and Celestia leaned down to get a better look at it. The staff of Equestria Daily would like to apologize for several false and harmful rumors that we've been publishing over the past few weeks. We have nothing but the utmost respect for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and we apologize for not verifying the validity of any rumors that involved them. With a smirk, Celestia set the newspaper down and slowly shook her head. "Oh, Luna." ----- "She's late again." "Yep." "She's always late." "Mhmm." Upon hearing that, one of the guards let out a groan of frustration. Being given guard duty over Luna's guests had been exceptionally easy work, but it was also exceptionally boring. They had been standing here for hours now, patiently waiting for the Princess of the Night to arrive so she could bid her guests farewell - and she had yet to show up. It had been enough to truly test the patience of one of the guards, and his comrade had repeatedly calmed him down and kept him in line, though that was quickly becoming more and more difficult to do. Clearly irritated, the young stallion turned towards his fellow guardsmen and shot him a glare. "Why are you always so nonchalant about this?" The other guard, an older stallion by several years, paid no real mind to his comrade and simply sighed. "Because it's our duty to serve the Royal Sisters, not to question their every action and word." "Princess Luna has been late every single day she's been scheduled to meet with her guests. Every single day!" "Princesses Celestia and Luna have breakfast with one another every day, regardless of the situation. You seem to continually forget that. Mind your tongue and stand at attention." "No, I will not mind my tongue! I've had enough of this! Proud as I may be to serve Princess Celestia, her sister makes a... a mockery of the Guard! I see her out in the training field sometimes, laughing as she watches the recruits run through their drills! Not only that, but the complete disregard she and her 'Night Guard' have for etiquette and procedure is disgraceful! It's a complete and total mockery of everything we and Princess Celestia stand for!" Still in the midst of his tirade, the younger stallion had failed to notice the arrival of Princess Luna, who currently stood at a distance, watching in silence with an amused look upon her face. The older guardsman knew she was there, of course, and he gave her a brief yet subtle snuffle as his way of acknowledging her presence - the dusky alicorn nodded and smiled faintly in return, even as the two guards continued their conversation. "Well then, considering how much emphasis you seem to place on etiquette and procedure, it might pain you to know that Princess Celestia has been attempting to be as informal as Princess Luna, and with a fair level of success. She also seems quite a bit happier as well. And besides, I fail to see what Princess Luna's activities within the training field have to do with anything." "Isn't it obvious? She's spying on us!" "...spying on us? And what makes you say that?" "She's always out there with a pad of paper and a pencil. Just sits on the grass and watches, jotting down notes or scribbling things. If you ask me, she's looking for weaknesses in the Guard." The older guard sighed and slowly shook his head. "Weaknesses in the... oh please tell me you're joking." "I'm not! I've read about it too!" A softer voice soon joined in on the conversation, though the younger guard seemed to pay it no mind at all. "Did you also read about how fat Princess Luna's flanks are from all the donuts she eats?" The younger stallion let out a boisterous laugh and quickly nodded. "Oh yeah, I remember that! Got quite the donut addiction, too! She's starting to get awfully tubby - serves her right, if you ask me." There was a soft sigh of disappointment, and it was enough to draw the younger guard's attention, though he quickly regretted doing so. His face instantly paled upon seeing Princess Luna, though the alicorn seemed to be staring at her own flanks with a frown. "...they're not that fat, are they? I mean, I only said that as a joke. I didn't think you'd take it seriously or anything." "Your flanks look quite fine, your Majesty - even a little thinner than your sister's, if I do say so myself." The older stallion grinned and even chuckled a bit as he watched Luna give him an embarrassed stare. The young Princess certainly hadn't been expecting an honest answer out of either of the guards, and she found herself blushing at the apparent compliment. "...um, thank you... I think? And what's this about my sister's flanks?" "Ah, that." He chuckled once more and slowly shook his head, the grin never leaving his face. "'Tia knows that some of the guards take peeks, but she never does anything to stop it. Truth be told, I think she kinda likes it. Reminds her that we're still ponies, instead of stone statues." All of this was rather new to Luna, and she briefly took her time to process it. "So... my sister knows that you all take peeks at her and she does nothing to stop it? And she even lets you all call her 'Tia'?" "Lets us? Your Majesty, Princess Celestia encourages it." The Princess of the Night blinked, surprised to hear such a thing. It seemed her sister was far more successful with informality than what she originally thought. "That's... new. The guests are still inside, though, yes?" "They are, your Majesty. Been patiently waiting for you. Shall I let them know you're headed in?" "The fanfare won't be necessary, but thank you. Though, I have to ask... is he going to be alright?" Luna pointed a hoof at the younger guard, who was still staring at her, his mouth agape. Ever since he had noticed her, the younger stallion had yet to utter a word, and it was starting to become rather concerning. "...I'm sure he'll be fine, your Majesty. At the very least, seems like you shut him up. Just head in, and I'll take care of this." The young Princess nodded and gave a brief bow to both guards before proceeding through the doors and into the barracks. As she disappeared inside, the older stallion leaned over and smacked his comrade on the cheek. "She's gone now, you know." The younger guard quickly shut his mouth and looked back at his counterpart, a frown upon his face. "...h-how long was she standing there?" "A while." "A-and you didn't tell me?" "Nah. Wanted to see the look on your face." There was a soft sigh. "...You're a jerk." The only response was a low chuckle. ----- As Luna strode into the barracks where her guests had been staying, the first thing she noticed were the suitcases. At the foot of each bed was a single suitcase, though the sole exception seemed to be Rarity - the fashionista had brought six. It seemed they had all been packed and ready to go for quite a while, and had simply been waiting on her. Such a thing caused the dusky alicorn to feel slightly guilty, though she quickly dismissed it as she greeted her guests. "I apologize for making all of you wait for me, but my sister was rather... talkative this morning. One thing lead to another, and I've been stuck with lots of little delays. However, after everything all of you have done for me, I simply had to see all of you off." Her last statement confused some of them, and Pinkie Pie stepped forward, her head tilted as she stared at Luna. "But we haven't really done anything at all. You're the one that's done all the work!" "On the contrary, Pinkie - you've all done a great deal for me. First and foremost, I have a request for all of you on behalf of my sister. Celestia talked with me earlier and essentially said that... well, that she's been lonely." Celestia's own student took a step forward, and Twilight Sparkle raised an eyebrow as she looked at the young Princess. "But... Princess Celestia never sounds lonely in any of the letters I've gotten from her." "Because you two only talk about official business. I've taken peeks at the letters between you two, and it's always about the kingdom, or it's a friendship report. It's never just about you two." Luna let out a sigh and slowly shook her head before glancing over at the lavender mare. "Truth be told, Twilight Sparkle, she misses you terribly. She has yet to actually tell me that, but I can see it from her body language, and how she perks up any time I mention your name." "Oh..." Twilight's ears quickly flattened, and the unicorn looked away from Luna. "I... feel kinda bad about it now. I mean, I'm her personal student, and I didn't know any better." "Don't worry yourself over it, Twilight Sparkle. Celestia's quite good at hiding her emotions, even from me. All she'd like out of you is some more contact - keep it informal, and treat her as 'Celestia' instead of 'Princess Celestia'. Think you can do that?" Luna smiled faintly, and it grew as the unicorn quickly nodded in return. The alicorn was quick to direct her attention to the other guests. "That goes for the rest of you as well. Just send me and my sister some letters every now and then. It doesn't matter how trivial you think it is, send it anyways. Besides, I'd kinda like to stay in touch with my um... my friends. Could you all do that for us?" The Princess of the Night was given several enthusiastic nods of the head from all seven guests, causing her to smile widely. At the very least, it seemed like her sister's request would be easily fulfilled, and it also meant that she would get some extra letters of her own. Before Luna could dwell on it any further, a gentle tug on her ever-billowing mane caused her to look down. In front of her was Pip, and the little colt looked expectantly up at her. "Princess Luna?" The dusky alicorn smiled at him and gave his head a gentle pat. "You don't have to call me that, Pip." "I know, but... I was wondering if I could get a hug before we leave, and I wanted to ask nicely." "A... hug?" She blinked, momentarily confused - in all her years, every display of affection had been directed at her own sister, with the sole exception being Twilight Sparkle. Even that had only occurred once or twice, and never again. Still, these were her friends now, and from what she had been told, giving out hugs is what friends did. "Oh, I don't see why not. C'mere, Pip." The obvious differences in their heights made a traditional hug impossible. Instead, Luna dropped down and simply laid upon the floor, and Pip quickly trotted over and threw his forelegs around her neck. The dusky alicorn placed a single foreleg around him, pulling him into the hug and causing him to laugh. Before she could do anything else, another pair of legs wrapped around her, and then another. It was a rather comical sight, to see the Princess of the Night quite literally buried in ponies, but she certainly didn't mind - these were her friends, after all. Afterwards, the Princess and her seven guests simply spent what was left of their time chatting, telling various stories. Some were from the camp, some weren't, and each was a tale worth telling. The Bearers spoke of the various adventures they had all been on, as well as the lessons they had learned. Pip told the others of how he ended up traveling from Trottingham to Ponyville, and Luna told all of her guests about herself and her sister. Slowly but surely, the guests began to leave - Rarity was the first to depart, and only did so after vowing to visit the young Princess the next time she was in Canterlot. Next was Fluttershy, and the yellow pegasus gave the alicorn another hug before grabbing her bag and making her way out to the waiting chariot. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash both left shortly afterwards, and both ponies promised to send something extra when they sent the first letter to the Royal Sisters. When the next chariot arrived, it was time for Applejack and Pip to leave. They both apparently lived near one another, and the orange mare promised to make sure that the colt made it safely home. Pip seemed especially reluctant to leave, and the pinto colt galloped over and gave Luna's leg a hug. "I don't wanna go, Luna..." The Princess of the Night tilted her head and peered down at him, an eyebrow raised. "Why not?" "'Cause I had a lot of fun, and I dunno if I'll get to see you again." "Oh, Pip..." Luna sighed and lowered herself to the floor once more, a faint smile upon her face as she looked him in the eye. "All you need to know is that... no matter where you go, what you do, or how many years pass, I'll always be there by your side. If you ever look up at the night sky, and you see the moon and the stars, just know that I'm there with you. Besides, I'll be visiting Ponyville again for Night Mare Night." The small colt looked up at her and sniffled. "...promise?" "I promise." Pip nodded and gave Luna another hug before turning and trotting over to stand at Applejack's side. The orange earth pony was carrying both of their bags, and gave a quick wave to both Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna before heading out the door. As Pip followed her out the door, the dusky alicorn let out another sigh and got to her hooves. There were only two of them now - herself, and her sister's student. As they waited for the last chariot to arrive, both ponies spoke at length about various topics. "...so that's why you were acting and speaking like that when you visited on Night Mare Night." "Mhm. 'Tia thought it would be rather funny. I obviously disagreed." "I'm guessing you got back at her?" "Ohh yes. Make no mistake, Twilight Sparkle, my sister and I are both pranksters at heart. After I got back to the castle that night, I snuck into Celestia's room with a tube of whipped cream and a feather." The lavender mare audibly gasped and giggled, shaking her head. "You didn't!" "I did! Put the whipped cream on one of her hooves while she slept, then tickled her face with the feather. She ended up smearing it all over herself." "And what did she say the next morning?" "Well, I showed up for breakfast, and-" A rather low cough interrupted Luna's train of thought, and both ponies looked over to find one of the guards standing beside the doorway. It seemed the last chariot had arrived. The dusky alicorn slowly nodded and looked at the unicorn. "Well, I guess this is it." The lavender mare let out a soft sigh and slowly nodded as well. "Guess so. Luna, I just... wanted to thank you again for everything you've done this week. I had a lot of fun." "As did I." Luna paused for a moment before continuing. "You'll... still write to me, won't you?" "Of course I will! I've been doing it anyways, so there isn't much of a reason to stop." The unicorn's bag was already levitating in the air, and she slowly made her way towards the door, only to stop and look over her shoulder at the alicorn. Luna's expression had already become rather solemn, and it caused Twilight to frown slightly. "Luna? Is something wrong?" "It's just... well..." The Princess of the Night sighed and slowly shook her head. "I never expected it to be this difficult to tell somepony goodbye." "It's not goodbye, though. You'll see all of us again on Night Mare Night, right?" Luna blinked, slightly confused. "Well... yes, but I'm not seeing how this isn't a goodbye." Twilight Sparkle simply smiled in return. "If you're seeing us again, it's not a goodbye. It's simply a good night. Make sense?" "I... suppose it does. In that case, um... good night, Twilight Sparkle." "Good night, Princess Luna. See you on Night Mare Night!" The lavender mare gave one last smile before trotting out the door, leaving Luna by herself to think over everything that had happened over the past week. It had been a whirlwind of activity, but she had come out of it with several new friends, as well a few lessons learned. With all of the experiences still fresh in her mind, the Princess of the Night turned and left the barracks, trotting through the halls of Canterlot as she made her way back to her room. Her journal would certainly be getting some more use today. As the alicorn trotted along, her hoofsteps echoing off the marble pillars, she muttered something under her breath. It was far too low for anypony else to hear, but that didn't matter - what mattered was that she heard it, and she certainly did. "See you on Night Mare Night. And... thank you."