//------------------------------//
// Bitter Magic 
// Story: The Night And Her Thief 
// by Cosmological Principle 
//------------------------------//

Luna trotted out her door and into the lounge; her mane and tired eyes looked about as well as she felt, a complete mess. The constellations in her mane were stolen by tangles, curls, and knots galore; culminating into a visibly bedridden pile of hair that clung to the back of her neck. She released a long arduous exhale from her rather sore throat before falling into a blue beanbag chair; a small tiny coffee table to the left of it; with sleep still hanging under her eyelids, she hung her head back and looked over the lit room. Rays of vigorous sunbeams illuminated the slightly dusty air, a calm atmosphere lingering in the small dances of the light. Luna's gaze turned to the sound of the large main door behind them that were being opened by two large guards; on the right side of the door was a golden day guard, to the left a dark night guard and trotting through the now widely open door was a slightly bulky white earth pony in a waiters outfit. Upon the waiter was a large mullet in a most ridiculous shade of bright pink and a tray on his back which held two teacups and a pot of coffee in the middle, a brush in front, and a small rectangular tin in the back. He strode forward to the coffee table and bent his neck down to let the tray slide off unto it.
"Good afternoon my princess, did you sleep well?" He asked removing the top of the tin to reveal an assortment of sweeteners.
"I suppose i have had better in the past." She said pouring a cup of the black liquid into her once empty teacup while several packets of sugar were ripped open and dunked into her coffee.
The waiter held a small frown while he grasped the brush around his fetlock before standing upright behind the princess and started to reinvigorate her matted hair.
"I am truly sorry to hear that my princess; may i ask what it is that kept you awake?" He pondered toward Luna; who was stirring around her drink with a small wooden chopstick; white and black now creating small shapes on the surface.
"Oh i was just thinking of something...important to me." She began to swirl around the shapes in her coffee while the waiter made some visible progress with her mane.
"...I know it is not my right to ask, but i care about my princess and whatever is making you lose some of your well deserved sleep should be important to me is well." He asked steadily
Luna remained silent when she found the shapes in her coffee to be of some interest.
After a small amount of time Luna asked a question to the waiter.
"Silver; may i ask you a...personal question?"
The waiter faltered a tad; a little concerned he might have been too invasive to the princess; still he complied nonetheless
"O-of course your Majesty." His stutter returning to agitate him once more.
"If...if you did not enjoy being a waiter, but instead always wanted to become something like a chariot puller; even though you were always told you needed to cater, would you still be a chariot puller?"
The waiter was taken aback by such a question; quite convinced this was the princesses strange way of telling him he would have to pull chariots as some sort of punishment for his intrusiveness; but yet again he figured it would be best to comply with the moon princess.
"Well i s-suppose if the need to become a-a...chariot puller was g-g-great enough th-th-then i suppose i would just h-have to become one." He hated it when he was nervous, it always brought his vile stutter out.
"But what if you did not have to?" She said diverting her gaze from the coffee to Silver's slightly shaking form.
"I-i am not sure i underst-st-st-STAND the-the question m-my princess."

I do not want to pull chariots, I do not want to pull chariots, I really REALLY do not want to pull chariots

Luna guessed she had misused her words, as he was now fumbling with his brush and shaking all over the place.
"Well...if you wanted to be a waiter all your life and felt that nothing would drive you from it then; would you still do what all said you must do despite your desire?" She looked to the clamming waiter.
"And no Silver i am not trying to make you so nervous and i am most certainly not going to make you pull chariots, you may calm yourself." She said slightly chuckling. 
At the sound of her assurances he chuckled a little as well and began to regain himself again.
"O-oh good i-i was worried there for a second a-hah-ha...ha."
Luna giggled and felt him go back to brushing without shaking violently.
"W-well uh-uhm, as to your question then i...well...hmm." He thought deeply of Luna's question with the thoughts of chariots out of his mind; and understood what she was actually asking of him.
"Well i became a waiter because it just felt...appropriate. I enjoyed meeting new people and having them trust me with their own well being, and i guess...i guess it just came more naturally than something like...chariot pushing." He cringed at the awful thought. Luna had focused her attention to her coffee, occasionally sipping from its confliction of bitter and sweet; inhaling as it worked its magic, not noticing Silver Platter had just finished his meticulous grooming. 
"All done my princess." He said walking over to the coffee table and placing the brush on the tray.
"Oh thank you Silver, you always are a great help to me." She quirked at the waiter, as he carefully placed the teacup, pot, and tin on the small table before taking the tray back unto him.
"I need not your thanks my princess your well being; is my well being." He bowed before slowly turning and trotting off back through the door as the homogeneously conflicting guards slowly closed the great hunk of wood. Luna's mane now floated carelessly again, as did her thoughts on Silvers words.

She laid her cup; drained of its bitter magic back onto the table before walking to the balcony. It was a beautiful day; the denizens of Canterlot mulled about daily duties, talking, laughing, and living.
Luna's lungs were filled of the lights warmth yet again as she relaxed one more time before quickly losing herself in thought of someone else.