//------------------------------// // CH. 06 Meetings // Story: Who Needs the Sunshine // by Atuhor Name //------------------------------// Meetings         Twilight rushed through the streets of Ponyville in the dead of night. Well, not quite according to her completely accurate scheduling watch, but close enough for her.         Close enough for her to be LATE.         She arrived at Sugarcube Corner out of breath and barely able to knock out Pinkie Pie’s super secret "Secret Luna Watching Society’s Super Secret Knock."         Twilight moved to sit down on one of the chairs, but was intercepted by Pinkie Pie, who glared at her suspiciously, menacingly holding out a hoof.         "No, not, now, Pinkie," Twilight managed to gasp out.         "Awww Pinkie, just leave her alone, she's clearly too winded to do all the fancy acrobatics in your secret handshake anyways." Applejack took a brief census of the current occupants of Sugarcube Corner, which appeared to be missing one Rainbow Dash. "And does anypony know where Rainbow Dash is?"         All of them looked up when they heard the sound of somebody rappelling down a rope from the roof. Rainbow Dash, in full black spy gear, night-vision goggles and all, dropped down smugly right next to Applejack.         "Rainbow Dash, Chief Spy, reporting for duty," Rainbow said, raising a hoof in a crisp salute.         "And where in Tarnation did you get that outfit, Dash?"         "Pinks lent it to me ‘cause I'm the official spy here."         "All right, all right," Applejack cleared her throat, "Anyways, y’all have anything to report here?"         "Ooo! Ooo!" Pinkie shouted, raising a hoof into the air and bouncing back and forth on her hind legs.         "All right, whatcha got for us?"         "Well. today, I got a scratchy nose and a tickly belly."         "And that means?"         "That means somebody enjoyed some of my cooking!"         "Pinkie. Ah meant something relevant to this whole 'Luna might be a changeling' fiasco."         "Oh, well, why didn't you say so!"         "That’s the whole reason-"         "Because when I saw Luna at the party I threw for her, she was all waaay different! and totally enjoying the party! unlike on Nightmare Night, when she was all shouty and touchy, and kinda scary." Pinkie said, waving her hooves dismissively.         "But anyway I thought, hey, that was kinda weird, so I watched her during the party and she didn't seem like the Luna I met at Nightmare Night at all! She was so happy, and carefree, and she even beat me at competitive doubles tic-tac-toe TWICE."         Pinkie stopped to take a huge breath.         "So then I got another Twitchy Twitch today, that told me I should have a Sugarcube Special Hearts and Hooves Day box put together, even though it isn't until February, and then Twilight came in, and I was all like," Pinkie imitated her full body gasp from earlier, "and I realized that Twilight! was in love with somebody! and it didn't take me two guesses to find out it was Luna."         All at once everybody turned to look at Twilight, who became rather flustered at the attention.         "Well I don't-" Twilight said, but was cut off by Rainbow Dash.         "There's no use denying it, Twilight. I saw you down by the lake with her today."         "Bwaa, you were watching that?" Twilight was dumbstruck.         "Of course! I'm supposed to be following Luna around, after all, and since you two never seem to go anywhere without each other, that means I'm following you around too." Rainbow looked unusually proud of herself.         "And, I saw you two down there getting all lovey dovey. It was all I could do not to gag when she put her wing around you, Twilight."         Twilight was about to speak when Applejack cut in.         "Now, Twilight, this is exactly what I was talking about, and the way this evidence is stacking, I'm beginning to think that she isn't the real Princess."         "But Applejack, becoming a nicer pony isn't a sign of being a changeling. And I'm sure you all appreciate how little she's using the royal Canterlot voice. As well as how much she minded her manners at your party, Pinkie. And especially how polite she was to you, Applejack, after what you put her through."         Twilight stood up like she was addressing a crowd from a podium.         "As it stands, we don't have enough evidence either way. Hopefully, tomorrow, Rarity and her test can help us gain more insight into the situation."         "However speaking as the pony who has been around her the most, " Twilight said, casting a glance around at her friends, "At this point I would say that she is not a changeling in disguise."         "Ah hope you're right about this, Twi." ----------------         Naudia sat downstairs in the library, talking with one of the lunar guards.         In truth, it was a changeling from the hive, having recovered enough to disguise and get a status report from her.         "Things are going well here. By my estimates, we have enough food for two months now."         "We have lost fifteen changelings to injuries too severe to be treated, since you left."  The disguised changeling looked noticeably worn, but for the first time in months, perhaps even years, there was a glint of hope in his eye. "Also the Prisoner-"         Naudia flinched at that.         "-Is doing... better, after her incident."         "You are treating her well, right?" Naudia said, nervous enough that it showed. "We will have to mend relations with the ponies, once we have enough love not to starve to death during the peace talks."         "As instructed, we are treating her as we would you."         "Alright then." Naudia breathed a sigh of relief. "Now go. Twilight should be returning soon." ----------------         Luna (the real Luna) was feeling out of place.         It wasn't that the changelings were unwelcoming. Quite the opposite: They went out of their way to help her out, in any way they could.  It was all she could do to stop them queuing up to peel and feed her grapes.  Seemingly not out of any sort of urge to get something out of it either. Every one of them really brightened up, just from the knowledge that they had helped her out.         But it wasn't all games of "Settlers of Coltan" and happy changelings.  Luna had come dangerously close to a relapse into Nightmare Moon. She could still remember that snide face in the mirror after she had blacked out.         Still hear that mocking voice.         "I haven't tried to take over yet, dearie, because you're doing such a good job in my stead,"  Nightmare Moon laughed. "At this rate, I could probably just retire and let you take over for me."         Luna looked up into the vanity mirror at the dark alicorn.         "Nightmare, I have told you to be gone from this place. Foul aberration."         "Uh uh uhh, Luna, you know as well as I do… the closer you get to your breaking point, the closer I have to be to you." Nightmare snorted. "After all, I am not summoned and dismissed like a servant."         Nightmare stepped out of view of the mirror and Luna heard a hoofstep behind her, and a voice whisper into her ear.         "I am invoked, Luna. And I will be waiting."