//------------------------------// // The Star's Date With The Moon // Story: The Star And The Moon // by Robobrony //------------------------------// The Star’s Date With The Moon Just as Celestia promised, they arranged a town meeting in Ponyville to let every pony there know what had happened with Midnight Star and Sombra, informing them that Sombra had been purified by the elements of harmony and no longer posed a threat. After every pony’s last experience with Midnight, they were a little more accepting of this and welcomed him. Though, there were still a few that did not like the idea that a former tyrant was now in their town. Because of his situation, Sombra ended up staying with his son in his house and used the couch as his bed. Midnight tried to tell his father he didn’t mind taking the couch and letting his dad have the bed, but Sombra wouldn’t have it. Midnight’s artistic career started off pretty good since every pony saw him as a bit of a hero. He got so many requests for his artwork. His six friends even helped to advertise his talent by showing off the paintings they had he made for them. All this in the span of a few days. Friday night finally rolled around and Midnight had a snazzy suit to wear for his date thanks to Rarity. It was a black tuxedo with gold cuff links with diamonds embedded in them, a white undershirt and a black bow tie. Midnight was upstairs in his room looking himself over in a mirror. He sat on his haunches and fiddled with his tie a bit. “Wow, don’t you look handsome.” Sombra stated from the entrance of the room. Midnight turned to face his dad. “Oh, hey dad, thanks. I still can’t believe I’m actually going on a date with a princess. But not just any princess, princess Luna herself.” “I’m proud of you son. You seem to be doing well for yourself already.” Sombra said as he walked in and came to his son’s side. Midnight gave a smile as he turned back to the mirror. “Thanks dad,” He then frowned as he looked himself in the mirror. “…But I am kind of nervous. Sure I had a chance to meet her before and talk with her, but this is an actual official date.” He hung his head. Sombra offered a smile as he placed a hoof on Midnight’s back. “Midnight, relax, you’ll do fine. Just be yourself and you’ll do great. She wouldn’t have agreed to this date if she didn’t like you. Besides…” Sombra gave a smirk. “….I saw you two kissing when she first saw you on our return. She likes you.” Midnight blushed at the memory. “Dad.” Midnight whined. Sombra just chuckled. “Heh heh, awe come on son, I’m just messing with you.” He stated with a nudge. Midnight smiled. “Yeah, I know. I’m glad to have you back dad.” He wrapped his forelegs around his father in a hug. Sombra smiled as he returned it. “I’m glad to be back son. I really missed you.” They held their embrace for a good minute before separating and smiled at each other. “So, how has your job hunt been going?” Midnight asked. “Not as good as I had hoped I’m afraid.” Sombra stated. Midnight cocked an eyebrow. “Really? Gosh, I’m sorry.” Sombra shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll find something. I don’t want to be mooching off my own son.” “Dad, you’re not mooching off me, I’m helping my father to stand on his own hooves by giving him a place to stay. If you need a job, I guess I could use an assistant.” “An assistant?” Midnight’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! Ha, why didn’t I think of this before. I can hire you on as my assistant with my art studio and you can start earning your keep and some bits so you won’t feel like you’re taking advantage of me, which you’re not.” “I don’t know son.” “Come on dad, what other choice do you have? If you don’t like it, it can just be until you find some other job. I won’t take no for an answer.” Midnight stated boldly as he poked his dad in the barrel. Sombra rolled his eyes. “You won’t huh?” Midnight closed his eyes with a smile. “Nope.” Sombra sighed out. “*sigh* Fine, you win son. I’ll be your assistant for your art studio.” “GREAT! I promise you won’t regret it.” Midnight cheered. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I believe it’s almost time for my date.” Just after he said that, there was a knock at the door. “I guess it is.” Sombra said. He followed his son down the stairs and into the living room. Midnight approached the door and opened it using his magic. “Good eve-“ He stopped himself when he saw it wasn’t Luna there but a bat pony wearing dark blue armor. “Uh…..hello?” Midnight said. The pony in armor looked Midnight over. “Greetings, are you Midnight Star?” He asked. “Yes, who are you?” “I am here to take you to princess Luna for your date. Please follow me outside to the carriage.” He stated. Midnight was a little confused about this. “Uh, ok.” Midnight turned to his dad. “See you later dad, have a good night.” “You too son, take care and have a wonderful time.” Sombra said as he waved his son off. After facing forward again, Midnight saw a carriage waiting for him with three more bat ponies harnessed to it. It was an open carriage and was dark blue with fins on the side just above the wheel covers and two more fins on the sides on the backing of the carriage. “Whoa.” Midnight expressed. “Um, what’s with the fancy carriage?” He asked. “This is princess Luna’s personal carriage. She has decreed that any pony courting her will be given rides, when necessary, in her carriage to meet with her for a date.” The guard Midnight was following answered. “Please board and we will be underway to Canterlot.” “Uh, ok, sure.” Midnight climbed onto the carriage and sat on his haunches. The guard then took his place with the others and hooked himself up. They galloped forth and took to the air. “Uh oh. Uh, maybe this is a bad time to mention I’m afraid of heights!” Midnight called out as the carriage lifted off. As the carriage flew on in the night sky with Luna’s moon beaming full and the stars twinkling in the sky, Midnight was lying on the floor of the carriage and covering his face with his hooves. “I would like to get down now!” He called out. “We are almost there sir!” The back left guard called back over the rushing of the wind. Midnight removed his hooves from his head, crept to the edge of the carriage and looked down to see trees just below him passing by. He yelped and ducked back down. “Please don’t fall, please don’t fall, please don’t fall.” He chanted to himself. After a long flight, according to Midnight but was really only ten minutes, the carriage came to a landing on a wide balcony. Midnight jumped down out of the carriage and began kissing the ground as he was happy to be on solid earth. “Oh sweet beautiful ground, *kiss* *kiss* How I missed you. *kiss* *kiss*.” Midnight Star then noticed a pair of dark blue hooves with silver shoes before him. He looked up and followed the legs up to a pony form with a horn and wings. “Midnight, are you ok?” Princess Luna asked with a concerned look. “Princess!” Midnight quickly picked himself up and dusted himself off. “Hello there, it’s good to see you.” “What were you doing just now?” She asked. “Well….I uh….heh heh. I was just…..” Midnight searched for an excuse. He didn’t want to say why he did what he did out of embarrassment. “I was just…..admiring the floor, very nice structure. Good and solid.” “I see.” Luna said as she raised an eyebrow, not sure if she should believe him. Midnight finally took a good look at Luna. She was wearing her usual royal attire, but she also wore a silky dark blue dress that sparkled like the stars as she moves. “Wow Luna, you look amazing.” Luna smiled. “Thank you Midnight, you look rather handsome yourself.” “Thanks, so where shall we go for our date tonight?” Midnight asked, glad to be off the subject of his odd behavior. “There is a restaurant in Canterlot I have heard good things about. We shall go there, unless you have something else in mind.” “I don’t actually, I don’t know anything about Canterlot. This is my first time here.” “Very well then, let us be on our way.” “After you my dear.” Midnight said with a bow. They began their walk through the castle to make their way out into Canterlot with Midnight next to Luna. Along the way, they ran into Celestia. “Oh, hello Luna, good evening Midnight.” “Hello sister.” Luna greeted. “Greetings princess.” Midnight said with a bow. “I hope you and your father are settling in well in Ponyville.” Celestia said with a smile. “I am princess, thank you. Though, my father has been having a little trouble, but nothing serious.” Midnight informed. “Oh? What kind of trouble?” Celestia asked in concern. “Nothing really, but it has been resolved, he’s just been having a bit of trouble finding a job.” “But he managed to find one?” Luna asked. “Yes, he did. I gave him one as my assistant.” “Your assistant?” Celestia questioned. “For my art studio.” Midnight clarified. “He’s been feeling like he’s been mooching off me and felt bad about it. This way, he can feel like he’s earning his keep while staying with me until he can find another job and get a place of his own.” “I see. I am glad things are working out for you two.” Celestia said. “But if you should ever need anything, please feel free to contact myself or Luna if you need to.” “That is very kind of you princess, but I think I’ll reserve that for only the most dire of circumstances.” Midnight said with a smile. “Very well then, I shall leave you to your date then. Luna, I wish you and your date a lovely time.” Luna smiled back. “Thank you sister, we shall. See you later.” Luna said before the couple continued on their way. A little later, they arrived at the restaurant Luna mentioned. It had a lot of couples and families waiting to get in. It was a very high class looking place and all the ponies that were there to eat were dressed very nicely. Luna and Midnight Star walked up to the stallion in charge of the seating. He was a unicorn with a white coat, a black mane and tail and a black mustache. “Yes, how may I…..” He paused upon seeing Princess Luna. “Princess Luna, a pleasure to have you here this evening.” He stated with a smile. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?” “Good evening sir, I am here on a date with my colt friend Midnight Star.” Luna informed proudly. The stallion looked at Midnight who wore a sheepish grin and waved to him. “Hello.” He said. The stallion lost his smile upon seeing the pony with the princess. “I see, you are dating a commoner?” He asked. Luna frowned. “Watch thy tone knave!” Luna said, nearly slipping into her royal Canterlot voice. “He is a very kind and noble pony, surely you have heard of him have you not? He is my date and you will show him proper respect. Understood?” Luna scolded the pony who was now cringing behind his podium. Midnight was a little surprised at Luna’s reaction to how the stallion spoke of him. “Of-of course your majesty. P-please forgive my ignorance.” “We will forgive thee this time, but choose your words more carefully. We have a reservation for tonight.” Luna said. “Yes, of course princess.” The stallion went down the list in front of him. “Here we are, princess Luna and Midnight Star. Allow me to show you to your table.” The unicorn lit up his horn and levitated two menus from under the podium. Upon entering further into the place, Midnight saw the place was two stories, it had a second floor. On the first floor, there was a stage where a band was playing classical music. The stallion led Luna and Midnight to a round table on the second floor of the restaurant at the edge of the second floor so they could look down. This made Midnight a little nervous being so close to the edge but held in his fear. “Here you are, a waiter will be with you momentarily.” The stallion said with a bow. “Thank you good sir.” Luna said as she sat in her chair. “Yes, thank you.” Midnight added with a bit of nervousness in his voice as he took his seat across from Luna. The stallion left them to return to his post. Luna sent a smile at Midnight as she started up a conversation. “So Midnight, how is your art studio coming along?” “Oh, it’s....It’s coming along nicely, I already have a few ponies who requested something and paid me in advance so I managed to get the art supplies I’ll need to fulfill the requests.” Midnight informed. “We are…..I mean, I am most pleased to hear this. You know, I still have that painting you made me.” “Really? So I take it you’re enjoying it?” Midnight asked, managing to forget his fear as the conversation went on. “Indeed, I looked at it every night before I raised the moon to remind me of you. I missed you very much when you…..well.” Luna stopped mid-sentence and frowned as she looked to the side. Midnight frowned as well. He smiled again as he reached a hoof over and placed it on Luna’s cheek to get her to look at him. “Hey now, no need to worry about that. I may not know what you went through when I was gone, but I’m back now, and we can be together. That’s all that matters, right?” Luna smiled again. “You are right Midnight, it fills my heart with joy to see you back.” An earth pony stallion approached them. “Good evening, I’ll be your waiter tonight. What would you like to drink to start off with?” Luna levitated her menu up and went through the drinks. “Let’s see, I would like the apple wine please.” “An excellent choice. Apple cider aged a bit with a bit of pineapple and cherry in the mix.” The waiter said. “And you sir?” “That sounds nice, I’ll have the same please.” Midnight said. “Very well then, I’ll bring you your drinks soon, would you like to order your meal now or do you need more time?” “We’ll need a bit more time thank you.” Midnight informed. “Very well then. I’ll be back shortly.” The pony left to retrieve the drinks. “So Midnight, are you enjoying your time with me?” Luna asked. “I sure am, I’m still a little blown away that a princess, of all ponies, is showing interest in me.” Midnight stated. “Princess?” Luna said to herself as her smile faded. “Midnight, do you……like me just because I am a princess?” Midnight cocked an eyebrow at her question. “What do you mean Luna?” “I mean do you like me just because I happen to be a princess?” She asked again. Midnight smiled again. “Of course not. We may not have gotten to spend much time together, but from the time we have spent, I can tell you’re a kind, caring, wonderful mare. Note how I said MARE there instead of princess. I don’t care that you’re a princess, Luna. I like you for who you are, not what you are.” Luna looked at Midnight curiously. “Really, you do not care that I am a princess?” “Luna, I wouldn’t care if you were just a simple mare living a regular life like other ponies. I like YOU for who YOU are.” Midnight said to ease her mind. “As I said, I can see you are kind, caring pony who just wants to be liked. Not to mention how beautiful you are.” Luna smiled with a blush at the compliment. “Thank you Midnight, your words are most kind.” “And I mean every one of them Luna.” Midnight stated firmly. Luna leaned across the table and planted a kiss on Midnight’s lips. Midnight Star’s eyes widened in surprise, but smiled soon and enjoyed the moment. They soon parted from their kiss with both of them blushing. There was a comfortable silence for a bit before the waiter finally came by with their drinks. “Here you go, your apple wine. Are you ready to order now?” Luna went first. “Yes, I would like the hay soup with a fruit salad on the side.” “Very good, and you sir?” Midnight looked over the menu a bit before giving his order. “Let’s see, I think I’ll have the spaghetti and hay balls with a fruit salad on the side as well.” “Sure thing, your orders will be out momentarily.” The waiter took their menus from them and left. Luna’s eyes suddenly widened like she just remembered something. “Oh, Midnight, before I forget, I have something to give you.” “Luna, you didn’t have to get me anything.” Midnight stated with a smile. Luna levitated out a necklace with a silver chain and a light blue six pointed star on it. The star had a depiction of a crescent moon at its center. “Here Midnight, this is for you.” Midnight eyed the necklace floating in front of him. “Wow Luna, this is very nice. You didn’t have to do this?” “Yes I did, it is the mark of the royal courter.” Luna stated. Midnight cocked an eyebrow again in confusion. “Royal courter?” Luna placed the necklace around Midnight’s neck with her magic as she explained. “Yes, this necklace is to let every pony know that you are my colt friend and courter. It is tradition for a stallion courting a princess to wear a mark of the princess they are dating.” She said with a smile. “Um….is this really necessary?” Luna frowned. “Do you not like it?” “It’s fine….it’s just….isn’t that a bit much? I mean…..a necklace just to show I’m dating you?” Luna began to hang her head. “I see, you do not like me as I thought.” Midnight frowned as well. He soon realized his mistake and scolded himself inwardly. “You IDIOT! Refusing this necklace means, to her, that you don’t like her like she does. How can you be so STUPID?!” Midnight smiled again and spoke proudly. “Princess Luna, I will proudly wear this necklace as a sign that I am your colt friend.” Luna’s face lit up at his words. “You will?” “Yes, I’m sorry if I worried you there.” Luna’s smile got bigger, if that were even possible, and reached across the table to pull Midnight into a hug, rubbing her cheek with his. “Thank you Midnight, this means so much to me.” Midnight hugged back. “If it makes you happy, I’ll do it. I’m proud to say I’m dating princess Luna. Besides, it is a really nice necklace.” Luna pulled her head away from Midnight’s cheek and looked him in the eyes. “Thank you Midnight. You have made me very happy this night.” She then gave him a kiss on the cheek in gratitude. After, they sat back down in their chairs just in time for the waiter to come with their food. “Here you go, hope you two enjoy your meal.” “Thank you very much.” Midnight said to the waiter. So for the rest of the night, Luna and Midnight Star ate and enjoyed each other’s company, talking and smiling, getting to know one another better. For Midnight Star, it was the most magical night of his life.