Closer than Most
It was almost impossible for Luna to resist the urge to break into laughter. “S-so what do you think?”
“I look ridiculous.”
The alicorn’s snickering became louder. “I think it suits you just great! You should really show your friends!”
“And how exactly does this suit me? It looks terrible!”
“Do you know what that hairstyle is called?”
“Enlighten me,” replied the changeling.
“Beehive hair!” Luna broke into laughter and slammed her hooves on the desk.
In the crystal ball that sat on Luna’s desk, the changeling queen’s hair towered about a foot above her head and her small crown was sitting on top. “I can tell you have been planning this for a while.”
“Hey, I think it looks great on you. It even has a special use! If the changelings get too cold, they can live in your hive hair to keep warm!” Luna fell out of her stool and onto the floor, kicking her legs as she laughed uncontrollably.
The changeling hadn’t even cracked a smile as she magically restored her hair to its original style. “The history books are wrong; this is the true terror Celestia sealed away for a thousand years.”
The princess was laughing hard enough to produce tears, which she wiped away when she got back in her seat. “Oh don’t be such a spoiled sport. Everybody loves a good joke.”
Nymph sighed. “This is what I get for taking fashion advice from a pony who is a thousand years behind the times.” She took her brush with her magic and proceeded to straighten her mane. When she finished, she looked back at Luna with a much friendlier expression. “So besides some cheap jokes, what is our Princess of the Night up to this evening?”
“I am taking a day off from my duties so Tia and I can spend some time together as it is not often we are so light on work. I’m also bringing Cherub with us since I know she needs somepony to keep her company and I’d like to keep an eye on her. What about you? Any particular plans for the rest of your day?”
Nymph had her attention focused on a small mirror as she overlooked her mane. “More court for me, I’m afraid. It’s the holiday season, so many of my subjects tend to use that to push for what they want. Maybe I should do the same with your people and get some Equestrian citizenship already. It would be a great holiday gift for us changelings, don’t you think?”
“You could try.”
“I most certainly will.” She clapped her hooves together. “I can feel it, Luna. We’re getting so close to ponies accepting changelings and putting this mess behind us, allowing the birth of a new age.” The queen licked her sharp fangs. “Not to mention all of that love waiting for us. I still don’t understand why you and Celestia can’t just allow us to your country and make your subjects suck it up. We all know it is inevitable.”
“That is not how we do things in Equestria. Even if we wanted to do such a thing, I’m afraid the ponies will do something drastic if they still feel any tension. You will just need to be patient, Nymph.”
“I swear you two need work on putting your hoof down. My changelings always respect the wishes of their very beautiful queen.” She flicked her hair and Luna rolled her eyes in response. “Anyway, what are your plans for the holidays, Luna? Hearth’s Warming Eve is just next week.”
The princess shrugged. “Nothing special. We’re just having Cadance and Shining Armor stay for Hearth’s Warming Eve and then they leave in the morning. After that, Tia and I will just relax at home and enjoy our time together.”
Nymph produced a look of disappointment. “That’s it? Oh Luna, you need to do something fun! You two should come to Bugartha and attend my garden party. Every changeling is talking about it and I’d love to have you both there. You know how much they adore you.”
Luna couldn’t help but smile, recalling how the changelings treated her upon her first visit. Since Celestia had visited before and put their fears to rest, the insectoid race was very happy to meet her, learn all about her, and they even pleaded to see her raise the moon, having absolute admiration for the night sky. “Thank you, but I’m afraid I must decline. I just want to be with Celestia and relax.”
“Fine, but you better come to my next one. So what did you get me for Hearth’s Warming Day?” the changeling asked eagerly.
Luna’s heart jumped and tried her best to not show it. “It’s a surprise, Nymph. You’ll just have to be patient.”
The queen saw right through her and crossed her forelegs. “You didn’t buy gifts for anyone yet, didn’t you?”
“O-of course I have! I have them wrapped up and everything! Honest!”
Nymph chuckled loudly. “I had all mine done quite some time ago, slowpoke. Canterlot has so many wonderful things to offer and it was easy to find gifts for my friends. You should probably do some today since you’re going out already.”
Luna felt a bit ashamed she was so behind and it didn’t help her friend was mocking her, but she knew a way to make Nymph drop the subject. “So which form did you use to get those gifts?”
The question immediately put the queen in a sour mood. “Mine.”
“Oh, so you actually paid for things?” Luna taunted.
The changeling pulled on her own hair. “I don’t get why you two make such a big deal about that one time. I’m royalty!”
Luna couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction. “Just because you think you deserve something doesn’t mean you can simply just take it. You may have actually hurt their business.”
“My subjects let me have free things,” she grumbled.
“And you thought you could do the same with our forms for your ‘shopping'.”
Stressed from the conversation, Nymph stood up. “Excuse me, but I need a snack.”
“Go on ahead. I’ll be here when you return,” Luna said in a teasing voice.
Nymph left Luna’s line of sight. The princess was expecting her to simply fetch a crystal filled with love until she heard the queen open her window. Luna sat there with an unsettling chill as she heard the sound of chirping, which gradually became quieter until it disappeared all-together. “Hmm, I guess I’ll leave the nest and see if I get lucky again.” Nymph then reappeared in front of Luna. “So what were we talking about?”
Luna slowly pointed a hoof at her own mouth. “You have little something there.”
Nymph wiped the red liquid off her mouth and licked it. “Did I get it all?”
“Yeah.” Luna then shuddered. “I hope you also stayed away from pet stores like you promised.”
“Yes…” groaned the queen, sounding very annoyed. “But it’s not my fault I love animals.”
“In your stomach,” remarked the princess. “Have you ever thought of going vegetarian?”
Nymph gasped. “I would rather die! I couldn’t possibly give up manticore or phoenix and there are still so many types of seafood left to try. You’re just going to have to deal with my diet and accept us for who we are.”
“I just hope the other ponies can,” Luna muttered. “Speaking of food, I am quite excited for Cherub’s event as I’m sure it will contribute quite a bit of love to your kingdom.”
Nymph rubbed her hooves together. “I’m sure it will! My changelings were so pleased when you allowed us to feed secretly and even more so now since we have a hotspot to harvest from on our favorite holiday. You must give Cherub my thanks.”
Luna thought about it, but she would wait until the matchmaker wasn’t so uncomfortable around changelings. “So are you going to personally attend, Nymph?”
“Of course I am! I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I always did admire that romantic holiday and now I can celebrate it instead of using to it to feed in secret.”
“And I assume you will have a date?”
All of a sudden, Nymph’s mood dropped. “We’ll see.”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
She shook her head with a hoof on her face. “I’m just having a little crisis, that’s all.”
“Crisis? What’s going on?”
Nymph groaned loudly. “This is so embarrassing.”
Luna grinned, realizing it wasn’t a serious issue. “Now I really want to know. What is it?”
“I might as well tell you now. No doubt you’ll hear about this anyway if you come back here and the fact you’ll just pester me until I tell you.” Luna shrugged innocently and Nymph cleared her throat. “So remember how young Twilight came here about a week ago for more research? For this visit, she decided to study changeling mating habits.”
Luna froze on the spot. “Twilight wanted to study that!? I didn’t think she would ever work up the courage to research such a thing, even if she was with somepony she loved.”
“I think she was just picturing us as more of creatures for study rather than people. Anyway, so while she was doing research, although I’m not entirely sure how she went about doing it, she starts telling some changeling researchers about mating habits of bugs since we seem to be related and…ugh!”
Luna’s curiosity was getting the better of her. “Oh, I am flooded with excitement. What happened?”
Nymph shifted her eyes to the side as her cheeks shifted to a green color. “Twilight mentioned to them that the females of certain bug species actually eat their mates!” Luna immediately figured out what was coming and laughed like wild. “She tells them this usually happens when the female is much bigger, so guess who they all suddenly thought was a cannibal! This idea about me spread through my kingdom like a plague and I didn’t find out for days! I decided to invite one of my guards to my bedroom one night and he just breaks down and begs me not to eat him in front of so many changelings! It was so humiliating!”
The princess was panting after managing to control herself. “Oh come on. I’m sure you’re just making it sound worse than it was.”
“All of my guards and friends were terrified of me! They even sent investigators here to look for changelings who have gone missing from when Chrysalis was the queen! Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to have every changeling think you eat the ones you sleep with? Do you!?”
Once Luna had gotten every laugh out of her system, she just smiled at her. “Kind of. During my first Nightmare Night, the children believed that I ate small children and when they caught me holding Pip in my mouth, they all screamed and ran away, thinking I was eating him!”
The changeling cracked up and that caused Luna to do the same. “I guess we have more in common than I thought. I just hope Twilight isn’t planning another visit any time soon. I don’t think I can handle it.” She turned towards a small clock on her desk and sighed. “I’m afraid I’m running short on time before my duties resume, so I will see you tomorrow. Goodbye, Luna.”
“Goodbye, Nymph. Take care.” Nymph’s image disappeared from the orb, leaving only Luna’s reflection. Luna got off her seat and went to her closet for her winter clothes. As she dressed, she started thinking of a way to once again mess with Cherub. Luna loved the occasional prank, but she couldn’t help but to keep doing them to her friend, mainly because her reactions were always worth it. Within a minute, an idea formed in her head. She spent the next few minutes thinking it over and shaping it to perfection. When she had her prank all thought out, she giggled loudly and hopped a little. It was a little harmless prank that would be worth the look on the unicorn’s face. Maybe it would be going a little too far, but she simply could not resist.
With her magic, Luna was covered in a blue glow. A few seconds later, she was in the form of Celestia. After befriending Nymph, the queen allowed the two princesses to study her magic so they could prepare themselves for Chrysalis’s return. One spell she and her sister developed was the ability to shape shift, which was much harder for a pony to pull off. The alicorns often used this spell when they were in public so they didn’t get hassled by the citizens and when they wanted time to themselves. With everything ready, Luna casted her teleportation spell, transporting herself in front of Cupid’s Arrow. It took a moment for her to keep herself from snickering and to keep a straight face. Once that was accomplished, she knocked on the door. The door opened and several ponies stood before her. “Howdy, Celestia,” greeted Applejack. “What brings ya here? Lookin’ for a date?”
“I’m just picking up Cherub for my sister,” Luna replied. “Are you all heading home?”
“Yeah. It’s been a long day and I just want to crash on my basket,” said Spike as he stretched and yawned.
“Go ahead and get some rest. I would love to stay and catch up with you all, but I’m afraid my time here will be brief, so I will see you all another time.” Spike, Applejack, and Rarity left as Luna waved goodbye. When she turned around, she was greatly startled by a unicorn grinning widely at her. “And you must be Trixie.”
“I am! Has Twilight told you about me!?”
“Yes, she has mentioned you plenty of times,” she answered, unsure if that was even true. “How are your studies going?”
“A little boring, but I’m doing great. I can easily say I am the best student Twilight Sparkle ever had!” she proclaimed with a hoof on her chest.
“You’re the only student she’s ever had,” she reminded.
Trixie waved a hoof. “Still, with her help, I shall soon be the greatest entertainer in all of Equestria, if not the world. With her access to the Canterlot archives, I may even be the next Hoofdini!”
“Those are some big goals you have there, Trixie.”
“If you want to make it big, you got to dream big!” the unicorn declared loudly. “I don’t care how long it takes. I’m going to be the best magician ever! I just wish she would tell me where she put that stupid amulet,” she muttered to herself in a voice quiet enough for Luna not to hear her.
“Well I hope it all works out for you, Trixie. Good day.” When Luna walked past her, she felt her tail being pulled on.
“So when I do become the best magician ever, could I do shows at your palace? You will be amazed by Trixie’s tricks!”
Luna managed to pry the pony off. “I would be honored. Just remember to practice first.”
Trixie squealed with delight. “I will get right on it!” She then trotted away with a skip in step, humming to herself.
When Luna stepped inside Cupid’s Arrow, Pinkie appeared from the backroom, hopping as she usually did. “Hi, Celestia!” Luna watched as the pony went right past her. “Bye, Celestia!” Pinkie went out the door and soon disappeared from sight.
When Luna opened the door to the other room, she found Cherub looking at her from her desk, already dressed for the outdoors. Cherub was an interesting mare to Luna. When they first met, Cherub was much different, where she possessed a negative aura and was easy to annoy. Despite this, she had proven herself to be a supportive pony and Cherub even managed to change herself for the better. She was now often happy, loving, and even very entertaining to be around. However, there were moments where she would become stressed over something about her old life and become absolutely miserable. Luna wanted to help her with her problems, but she knew little about them, so there was only so much she could do until she opened up. “Oh. Hello, Celestia,” greeted the mare in surprise. “I was actually expecting Luna.”
“Luna had something come up and asked me to pick you up,” she lied.
“I see. Shall we go, then?”
“Of course.” Luna’s horn glowed and she teleported them to the Night Princess’s room. The room was similar to Celestia’s, but it carried décor of the moon instead of the sun. “You may wait here until she returns. She should be only a few minutes.”
“Sounds good.” Cherub immediately headed to the large bed and threw herself on it, giving out a relived sigh as she landed on it, which was of massive size and its sheet had stars all over it with several constellations drawn out.
Luna smirked from her action, amused. “You’re just going to make yourself comfortable?”
The unicorn stretched herself. “Luna’s my friend, I’m sure she won’t mind. I’d let her do the same.”
Another thing she liked about Cherub was how comfortable she was with her. Ponies would never dare act this way around her, whether from respect to her as a princess or from fear of her as Nightmare Moon. Only the first time they met was Cherub afraid of her, but now the unicorn treated her like any other pony, which was why Luna felt so close to her. Of course, this would not stop Luna from pranking her. “Get off the bed, Cherub,” she said in a commanding voice.
Cherub grabbed a pillow and placed it under her head. “No thanks, I’m good. This feels heavenly. Is this bed magical or something?”
“I said get off!”
The mare quickly jumped off the bed. “Okay, okay, I’m off. What gives, Celestia? Luna doesn’t mind.”
Luna cleared her throat. “That’s Princess Celestia to you, subject! You may be Luna’s friend, but I still demand your respect, which you don’t seem to have any for me.”
Cherub was steadily becoming nervous. “I get the feeling this isn’t about the bed.”
Luna gave her angriest look. “You would be correct, Cherub. There is something of more importance we must discuss, which is why I came to get you myself.”
“A-and what would that be?”
Luna took some stops towards her and said, “I know everything about you, Cherub.”
A look of absolute horror grew on Cherub’s face. “I-I-I-I don’t know what you are talking about! I-it’s all lies! I’m not hiding anything! It was Pinkie’s idea!”
The fake Celestia leaned towards her friend, causing her to back away even more. “You cannot hide anything from me, pony. My sister and I share everything.”
For some reason, Cherub seemed to be less panicked, but still on edge. “And what did she tell you?”
Luna looked dead into her eyes and said, “You make fun of my butt.”
Cherub stared at her blankly and slowly tilted her head. “Could you repeat that?”
Luna backed away and paced around in front of her. “You like to crack jokes about me and my ‘large’ behind. I can tolerate some jokes, Cherub, but this has gone too far. I find it completely disrespectful and foolish to talk about your ruler in such a way.”
Like a child being scolded by her mother, Cherub looked at the floor. “I’m sorry, Princess Celestia. Please forgive me.”
“I will not let this go of this so easily. I am very tempted to make you face punishment for this insult by throwing you in the dungeon!”
The unicorn was now panicking. “I-I’m sorry! Please don’t punish me! I’ll do anything!” she begged.
Luna rubbed her chin. “Well, there is one thing you could do for me. If you do this, I will forget this whole thing and never bring it up again as long as you don’t either.”
“I’ll do it!”
“Excellent. Now simply repeat what I say exactly and I will forgive you.” Luna cleared her throat and said, “Princess Celestia does not have a fat butt.”
“Princess Celestia does not have a fat butt,” Cherub repeated.
Luna was very pleased that she had gotten this far, so it was time for her to go all out. “Princess Celestia has a flank that all ponies crave.”
Cherub just looked at her like the mare in front of her had gone insane, but Luna remedied that by loudly clearing her throat, which made the unicorn jump. “P-Princess Celestia has a flank that all ponies crave.”
The blue alicorn had to hold in the urge to laugh when she said, “Princess Celestia has the most fabulous booty in Equestria.”
Cherub was extremely baffled by the request. “E-excuse me?”
Luna stomped her hoof, causing everything to briefly shake. “Say it!”
Cherub quickly scrambled away from her and yelled, “P-Princess Celestia has the most fabulous booty in Equestria!”
The way she yelled that while acting like she was scared for her life was too much for Luna to handle. “Princess Celestia is…is…” Luna exploded into laughter and fell onto the floor, rolling around and kicking her legs.
Cherub was not sure what to think of what she was witnessing and slowly backed away. “A-are you okay?”
She sat up and pointed a hoof at her. “You should see the look on your face!” Luna then removed her disguise, greatly startling her friend.
“W-what the buck is a changeling doing here!?”
“Silly Cherub, I’m no changeling. It was just me the whole time!”
The unicorn shook her head. “I just saw you transform right in front of me! You’re a changeling!”
Luna calmed herself and got off the floor. “If I was really a changeling, then explain why my magic is blue, how I teleported us here, and how would I know what we gossip about.”
Cherub pondered this for a moment and then put a hoof on her own face, groaning. “I should have known something was up, but I was too confused and afraid to think straight. Still, how could have I fallen for such an obvious charade?”
“Because I am an excellent prankster,” the alicorn gloated proudly. “I just thought it all up before coming and I simply could not pass it up. Was I a good Celestia or what?”
“You’re the worst friend ever,” Cherub grumbled.
Luna threw a hoof around her and pulled Cherub to her, still smiling. “Lighten up. I thought it was pretty funny.”
“Of course you would, since you aren’t the victim,” she muttered, followed by a sigh. “Honestly, what’s with you pranking me so much lately? It’s so childish of you, especially since you’re so old.”
“What about when you made kissy faces at me?” the alicorn reminded with a little bit of seriousness in her voice.
“That was more of a calculated joke. At least I didn’t make you talk about how great my sister’s butt was,” Cherub said while pointing a hoof at her own behind.
Luna sat down and crossed her forelegs. “Oh, and putting me in an incredibly awkward and uncomfortable situation is somehow better?”
“I was expecting you to make me kiss your butt.”
“You tried to kiss me!”
Cherub chuckled and walked past her. “Would that really had been so bad?” Luna froze on the spot, completely caught off guard by what she asked. She then noticed Cherub was not in the room and quickly followed her. She didn’t need to run far as the unicorn was standing near the door. “So which way to Celestia? I still haven’t figured out how to get around this place.” Luna suddenly teleported them, placing them in another hall with a pair of golden double doors and two pegasi guards in front. “Right. You seriously have to teach me how to do that.”
The guards saluted the princess as she knocked on the door. “Sister, it is I. I have Cherub with me.”
“Come in.” Luna and Cherub opened the doors and went inside, finding Celestia wearing a pink coat, yellow boots, and a white scarf. “Hello, Cherub,” she greeted warmly. “How are you today?”
“I am fine, thank you.” She gave Luna a cold glare, who grinned in return. “Luna certainly knows how to welcome somepony.” She suddenly became uneasy as she looked back at the other alicorn. “You are Celestia, right?”
Celestia cocked her head. “What a strange question. Of course I am Celestia. Why do you ask?”
Luna giggled, confusing her sister even further. “Oh, it’s nothing. Are you ready to depart?”
“I was just waiting for you. Let us get going.” They approached Celestia as her horn glowed, who then teleported the three of them far out in the wilderness. They were standing on a trail in a forest area located at the lower part of a small mountain, surrounded by snow. Far off in the distance in front of the setting sun was Canterlot, where they were only seconds ago. “And here we are.”
Cherub took a few steps away from them and looked around. “Very lovely place. So what are we going to do here exactly?”
“We’re going to take a nice walk through the forest,” answered Luna as she pointed towards their path.
“We came all the way out here just to hike?”
“I promise you will find it enjoyable,” said Celestia. “Come.” Celestia and Luna walked ahead and Cherub followed. Luna knew she was disappointed, but hopefully she would like the surprise they had in store for her. “So how is business, Cherub?”
“Interesting as usual. Ponies keep hitting on Twilight or me, Trixie puts on an adequate performance and brings in a little extra cash, and I needed to call security yet again. Who knew the dating business was so insane?”
“Sounds fun,” Luna said with a smirk. “Anything really interesting happen that you want to share? We’re going to be here for a while.”
Cherub thought for a moment. “As a matter of fact, I do remember something. I actually had this pony going through my garbage the other night.”
“Your garbage? What on earth was he looking for?” asked Celestia.
The red mare snarled loudly. “He was a nosey journalist looking for something juicy. When I tell him to beat it, the jerk starts asking me for a story while flashing me in the face with his stupid camera. I don’t get why I have to deal with this manure. My life is my own business and it is not for sale.”
“It comes with the life of fame, I’m afraid,” commented Celestia. “Ponies take much interest in celebrities and royalty and even Luna and I sometimes deal with harassment because of it.”
“So what did you do?” asked Luna.
“I tell the guy to leave me alone, but he doesn’t take the hint that I didn’t want him there. He then has the nerve to ask about my love life and I sort of,” Cherub trailed off for a moment while motioning a hoof around, “lost it.”
Luna stopped and turned around. “Define lost it.”
The unicorn was startled by Luna’s sudden turn around, but continued her story. “I will admit that I was tempted to shove his camera down his throat, but my celebrity status could be compromised if he were to go whining to his boss. So of course, I decided to take a smarter approach.”
Luna studied her. “Cherub, what exactly did you do?”
Cherub chuckled and walked on ahead. “I put on a pleasant face and invited him inside for a drink. The gullible sap agrees and I get out my strongest drink and offered him some. After two drinks, the poor guy can’t get enough, so I let him have as much as he wanted. I simply watched as he drank and rambled about stuff I could care less about. Finally, he passed out and fell right onto my floor.”
Luna sighed and shook her head. “I can’t believe you got him drunk, Cherub.”
“Oh, it gets better. So I drag the idiot outside and put him next to one of my garbage cans, which I knock over. I then take his camera and snap a nice little photo of him passed out next to a garbage can with a bottle of alcohol in his hoof.”
“Goodness,” spoke Celestia, shocked from her actions. “I hope you didn’t leave him out there.”
“No, I brought him inside and locked him in my closet. Afterwards, I went to bed. The next morning, I can hear the guy banging on the door downstairs. I let him out and he was completely hung over. He asks me what happened, but I just told him what the deal was. I had his roll of film, which contained the picture of him I took, and I told him if he or any of his friends ever harassed me again, I would release the photo and add a nice little story of an innocent mare being sexually harassed by a drunken reporter. I don’t think I’m going to have any more problems for a while.”
Luna sighed in disapproval. “Honestly, Cherub, that’s too mean. I do not approve of blackmailing anypony for any reason.”
Cherub only smiled at her slyly. “I think I was entirely justified.”
In Luna’s opinion, Cherub was sort of like a coin. She could either be a fun mare who could brighten any of Luna’s dark days or a wicked pony that knew no mercy and sometimes she even scared the princess. Luna was glad that the latter had become a rarer occurrence, but it still happened too often in her opinion. She knew why Cherub was usually angry; she just wished she would try to control it. “Just promise me next time you will not stoop so low. You’re better than that.”
“Oh come on. He was asking for it!”
“Please, Cherub, promise me.”
With some reluctance, Cherub nodded. “Very well. Next time I will try something a little…friendlier.” They continued their walk in silence, taking in the scenery around them. Luna looked at her sister, who had her tongue stuck out as she attempted to capture some of the falling snowflakes. The sight caused Luna to giggle, which caused Celestia to blush when she realized she was being watched. Cherub, on the other hoof, was only focused on the surrounding environment. “You know, sometimes I forget how beautiful Equestria really is.”
“Most ponies do,” Celestia replied. “We have ruled this land for thousands of years and I am glad most of it has been retained. Luna and I always like to tour through the untouched lands whenever we get the chance, which is not often unfortunately.”
“I really admire it. I kind of wish Pinkie was here right now to enjoy it too.”
“Then why didn’t you invite her?” Celestia asked.
“I tried, but she said she had to work today at Sugarcube Corner. Plus she said she was in the middle of some research and could not be interrupted.”
“What research?” the blue pony asked curiously.
The matchmaker shrugged at her. “Beats me. All she said was it had something to do with love, but knowing her, I worry of what that means.”
The pony mentioned was currently on break from work at Sugarcube Corner and sitting in her bedroom. She had the door locked and all but a small light off to ensure no pony knew her secret. Pinkie reached into her box, randomly selecting two items. When she had her picks, she pulled them out. “Rarity and Discord? That’d be so funny!” She cleared her throat and proceeded to speak like Discord. “Rarity, ever since I became good, I can’t stop thinking about you. Your hair, your generosity, and even your organized chaos! My heart is a chaotic storm when I think about you!”
“Oh, Discord,” said Rarity, “I’ve always admired you as well. You are such a…rarity!” She then proceeded to make them kiss while imitating the sounds. After a few seconds, she threw them back into the box and began digging again. “That was fun. Who’s next?” Her next two selections caught her by total surprise. On one hoof was the Princess of Love herself, Cadance. On the other hoof was her newest friend, Chrysalis. “Ooo, this is gonna be fun!” She cleared her throat and began using Chrysalis’s voice. “Cadance, my changelings are hungry for love and stuff and I need your help to feed them. Also, I can’t take my eyes away from you because you are so pretty, but I know you think I’m weird looking.”
Pinkie giggled. “Oh Chrysalis, of course I will help you. Also, I don’t think you look weird at all. I think you’re very beautiful and…” The mare all of a sudden gasped. “Wait a minute! Cadance is married!” She couldn’t make her and Chrysalis get together. She was with Shining Armor and it would have been weird to split them up, especially since the changeling nearly ruined their wedding. That’s when an idea hit her. She pulled out the Shining Armor figure and spoke with Cadance’s voice. “Chrysalis, I love you very much, but I also love my husband. That is why I will cast one of the best spells ever to make us all happy.”
“What spell is it?” asked the stallion.
“The spell of polygamy!” Pinkie made magic sounds with her mouth. “It is done! We are all now double married!” She moved the figures up and down, making cheering noises. She reached back into her box and pulled out two other ponies. To her surprise, it was Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. “Oops. I can’t do anything with them. That’d be way too weird!” She was about to put them back, but she halted. After darting her eyes around, she slowly pulled them back out.
For nearly fifteen minutes, the three ponies ascended the trail. Celestia and Luna were happily gossiping with one another while Cherub was left out as she dragged behind from the steady climb. “Falling behind already?” teased Luna when she noticed they were short one mare. “You need to get in shape.”
“I am in shape,” Cherub shot back. “I’m just a little worn from this morning. Trying to catch up with Applejack and Rainbow Dash on a run is impossible and I still don’t understand how Pinkie moves so fast or even keeps her shape with her diet.”
“Trying to understand Pinkie is something I would consider to be impossible,” Celestia jested. “She is definitely one of a kind.” A moment after she said that, they heard a strange sound, causing them to become quiet and slow their pace. “Do you two hear something?”
“I thought I was the only one,” answered Cherub as she looked around. When they walked a bit further up the path, the sound became louder and clearer. “Is that…music?”
“Who else could possibly be up here?” Luna wondered aloud. They walked along until they reached a clearing with a frozen lake. However, something did not fit the picture. Near the ice were a beach chair and an umbrella, with a certain draconequus resting with a pair of sunglasses and a speedo equipped. “Discord?”
The chaotic god sat up and removed his shades. “Oh hello, princesses! What are you doing in my super-secret tanning spot? Came to get a quick tan?”
“Tanning spot? It’s winter at the moment, not to mention sunset!” reminded Celestia.
“Well the sun still kind of there, so I’m just getting a last minute tan. I need to absorb as much sunlight as I can to stay warm for winter!”
Celestia sighed, knowing it was completely pointless to argue logic with him. “We’re just passing through. We usually go up this trail for walks, especially during this season.”
Discord looked at her companions, noticing one who stuck out, and became excited. “Oh hi, Turnip! How have you been?”
“Cherub,” the mare corrected in annoyance as the two princesses giggled.
“Whatever. How was work? Anything interesting?” he asked while leaning towards her.
The unicorn stuck a hoof in his face and shoved him back. “No.”
Luna stepped closer to him and asked, “Discord, why are you interested in her business, anyway?”
He sprang onto his feet, towering over them with his massive height. “Because by my calculations, her home is one of the most chaotic spots in Ponyville! I just love waiting nearby and watching as madness is unleashed on its own!” He suddenly gained a tuxedo, a top hat, and a monocle. “Truly some of the best performances I have ever seen.”
“Do you sometimes give this madness a little push?” Cherub asked hatefully.
He shook his head and gave off a hearty laugh. “Heavens no! It’s so much better to just let it happen on its own. It’s like painting a picture. It’s better to just sit there and watch the painting make itself than to draw your own.” He bent over and pulled on her cheeks. “You are just a magnet for trouble, Trumpet!”
He quickly pulled away when Cherub tried to bite his fingers. “Cherub!”
Luna could see her friend grinding her teeth. “Discord, shouldn’t you be looking for Chrysalis? That is what we assigned you to do.”
The draconequus snapped his fingers, making his outfit disappear and creating a telescope, which he looked through while sticking it in Luna’s face. “I’m just taking a little break! All that searching with nothing happening really drains my stamina. Besides, I can see quite a lot with this thing from here. Don’t you worry, the moment this changeling girl comes, I’ll know!”
“I’m sure you’d be just as useful if you stuck that telescope where the sun doesn’t shine,” grumbled the unicorn.
Discord then pressed the telescope against her face. “You mean like in a rabbit hole? Great idea, Chernobyl!”
“My name is Cherub, you dolt!”
Celestia put a hoof on her face. “Well it’s been nice seeing you, Discord, but I’m afraid we must be going before things get out of hoof.”
“Of course. See you all later!” He watched as the two alicorns walked away and then turned around, finding Cherub still standing there. “Yeeeessss?” he asked innocently.
The mare grabbed the telescope and bashed it over his head, which Discord didn’t react to at all. “Stop spying on me, you creep!” She then stormed off to catch up with the others.
Discord waved to her as she walked away and when they were all out of sight, he turned towards his radio. “Now for some peace and quiet.” He hit the power button and relaxed as death metal played in reverse blasted out.
Several minutes after encountering Discord, the three ponies made it to the end of the path, arriving at an open area with a steep drop on the left, where the trees were few and they could see some of Equestria in the distance. “And that concludes our tour,” said Celestia.
Cherub wiped some sweat off her forehead. “That felt more like a workout than a tour.”
“Really? Neither of us have broken a sweat,” teased Luna.
The unicorn rolled her eyes as she walked ahead. “I will admit I enjoyed being out here but now I am just exhausted. Can we go back to Canterlot now?”
“Not yet. We’ll rest a little before heading back, so take a moment to relax,” spoke the older sister.
“Alright.” Cherub approached the steep drop and sat down to look at the view of Equestria and was soon joined by Luna. The princess noticed that Cherub was panting, so she magically produced a water bottle and held it to her friend, who took it. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry our little trip wasn’t as exciting as you were hoping for and that we even had to deal with Discord,” Luna said as the mare greedily drank every drop she could get.
Cherub wiped her mouth after finishing. “It’s alright. It was actually quite enjoyable. Thank you for bringing me.”
“It is always a pleasure to have you around,” the princess complimented.
“I can tell, considering you’ve been visiting every day for a while now.”
“I’m sorry if I’m bothering you.”
“No, I always love it when you come by. Sometimes I wish I lived in the palace with you.”
“Me…too, honestly.” They both looked back at the view in front of them with Luna occasionally shooting a glance towards her. After a moment, she yawned and stretched a foreleg towards her.
“Sister,” spoke Celestia, causing the younger alicorn to immediately retract, “I believe it is time to bring about your night.”
“R-right. Of course.” Luna got up and stood next to her sibling. With her magic, Celestia ended the sunset. With the sun finally down, Luna stood near the edge and brought the moon into view. The three ponies sat and watched as it slowly climbed the sky. Since they were far from civilization, they witnessed Luna’s sky in its full beauty. “Another perfect night for the creatures of the world,” Luna said happily.
“It’s so beautiful,” spoke Cherub in awe as she gazed into the heavens. “Of course, it’s only second to the pony who made it.”
Luna quietly gasped. “Cherub…”
The matchmaker turned towards her with a taunting smile. “Yes?” Rather than speak, Luna just looked into her eyes, finding it difficult to find what she wanted to say. Their stare lasted until a loud growl was heard and Cherub looked at herself. “As much as I love sitting here, I think I have done enough relaxing.”
The two princesses felt their own hunger approaching. “I suppose it is time we return home,” spoke Celestia.
“So let’s teleport out of here,” suggested Cherub.
Celestia shook her head. “Actually, there’s one more thing we need to do while we’re here.”
“What?”
Luna pointed a hoof behind her. “We need to go back down.”
Cherub grew a look of disbelief on her face. “We have the walk all the way back down with empty stomachs?”
“Walk? Don’t be ridiculous.” Celestia’s horn glowed and she made a gigantic sled appear in front of her.
Upon seeing what Celestia brought, Cherub looked down to the slope she was sitting by, finding it to be very steep. “No way.”
Celestia grinned in response to her protest. “Yes way, Cherub.”
Luna took the sled. “Tia, I believe it is my turn to drive.”
“You’re right. Get in front.”
Luna placed it on the ground and sat herself on the front and then Celestia sat behind her. They looked at the red pony, who just stood there with a look of horror. “Are you coming?” asked Luna.
Cherub backed away. “I am not getting on that death trap.”
Both of the alicorns laughed at her, causing her to scowl. “Well either you get on or you can just walk back,” Luna offered.
“You’re kidding me!”
“Nope! So hop on and enjoy the ride. I guarantee it’s safe.” The blue alicorn held out a hoof to her. Cherub was hesitant, but she slowly walked over and took her hoof, seating herself between the alicorns and wrapping her forelegs around Luna’s chest. “All set?”
“I hope so,” the unicorn whimpered.
“Good.” Luna moved the sled so they were over the edge. As the sled slowly tilted forward, Luna said, “Hold on to your flanks!” The sled then moved forward down the hill, accelerating as Luna steered to avoid any obstacles they came across. She had produced magic lights on the front allowed her to see what was ahead in the dark and provide them a good view of the environment around them.
“How are you holding up?” Celestia asked Cherub.
The mare looked around while still clinging to Luna. “Not bad, actually. This is nice and relaxing.”
Celestia chuckled. “Too bad that’s about to change.”
“Huh?”
“Lulu!” the elder sister called. “I think it’s time we showed her how we do things the alicorn way!”
Luna looked back at her with a grin. “I like the way you think, Tia! Preparing the turbo!”
Cherub gasped. “Preparing the what!?”
Both of the alicorns’ horns glowed and their vehicle was covered in light, causing it to vibrate as it was being prepared to go at a much higher velocity. “Get ready, Cherub!” yelled Luna. “We’re going light speed!”
“Light speed on a sled!? That’s ludicrous!”
The blue pony put a pair of goggles over her eyes, ignoring Cherub’s loud protests. “Here…we…go!” The sled exploded forward, turning into a rocket that plowed massive amounts of snow before it. The nature was disrupted by both the snow that was sprayed everywhere from their high speed and by the sound of a unicorn screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Having fun, Cherub?” Celestia called mockingly.
“You two are bucking crazy!” she shouted while her face was dug into Luna’s back. “I want off this wild ride!”
“Sorry, but the ride doesn’t end until we get to the bottom!” Luna responded in a teasing manner.
While Cherub whimpered, Celestia tapped on her sister’s shoulder and pointed. Luna looked in the direction she was pointing and was baffled. Near them was Discord, going downhill at the same speed as they were. However, he was upside down and sliding downhill on his face and his head was buried in the snow. As the two alicorns stared in disbelief, he gave them a thumbs up. A ramp suddenly appeared in front of him and he launched off and flew into the sky, gaining acceleration as he disappeared into the blue yonder.
The two princesses slowly looked at each other, unable to find the words to describe what they just witnessed. Giving up, Luna turned her focus back to driving. She kept avoiding the trees and making every jump she could make, loving the air time. After a couple of minutes, they reached the bottom of the hill and they slowly came to a stop. With the ride over, Luna and Celestia stood up. “Not bad, Lulu. I think that was record time.”
“I never get tired of that, but I think all that jumping did something. My back feels funny.” The older sister sniggered and pointed. Luna looked behind her, only to find the red unicorn still clinging to her. “Cherub?”
“I want off this thing right now, Luna! This isn’t funny!”
Sighing, Luna tapped her on the head. “Cherub, the ride’s over.”
Cherub slowly opened an eye to look around. She then opened both eyes and saw they were off the sled. Embarrassed, she climbed off of Luna. “So did you have fun?” Celestia asked playfully.
Cherub walked with a sway in her step. “Let me think about that.” She then fell over into the snow as she fainted, causing both alicorns to crack up.
After enjoying some dinner, Celestia and Luna led their guest to a room with a large couch and a film projector mounted on a tall table behind it that was pointed towards a screen and a shelf filled with a collection of film reels. Luna tried to sit next to Cherub, but she scooted away. “Do you watch many movies, Cherub?” asked Celestia.
“Not really. Pinkie took me to one of her movie dates with Fluttershy. They seemed to have enjoyed it while I thought it was stupid.”
Celestia smiled as she pulled out a reel. “Well I hope you will enjoy this one, but I need to ask how you would feel about watching a changeling movie.”
Cherub immediately straightened her posture. “Well I would love to know why we’re watching a changeling movie.”
The princess walked behind her to set it up in the projector. “It’s a movie Luna and I like a lot, despite its low budget. I hope you don’t mind that it was created by and stars changelings.”
The unicorn relaxed on the couch. “I suppose it should be alright.”
“Excellent.” Celestia put the film reel labeled “Arachula” in the projector as Luna got up and prepared some popcorn and soda for them.
“So how did you find this movie?” Cherub asked while watching Celestia set everything up.
Luna brought the snacks to the table near the couch and handed one to her friend. “We found out about changeling movies a long time ago from Nymph. I was surprised they even had such a thing since they were behind on technology, but films were and still are a big thing in the changeling culture. This movie is a classic, but I’m afraid its technology is behind Equestria’s by quite a bit, so it may seem a little cheesy.”
With everything ready, the two alicorns sat down and Celestia turned on the projector. With the lights off, they could see the title on the screen as the music played. The film was about a changeling count named Arachula, who possessed a curse that prevented him from draining love normally, so he had to suck it out of his prey by biting their necks. However, this caused ponies to turn into changelings with the same curse that would obey him against their will. The film began with Count Arachula seducing a mare in a nearby pony village and then showing her his true form when he was ready to feed. “W-what do you want from me!?” asked the terrified mare.
The changeling grinned, showing his enlarged fangs. “I vant to suck your love.”
Celestia and Luna sniggered loudly. Despite how good the acting was, that line was very corny to them and they loved hearing it every time. Several minutes passed since the scene and Luna asked, “How do you like the movie so far, Cherub?”
“I actually like it quite well,” she replied happily. “Has anypony else seen this?”
“We have shown Twilight and her little friends one time and they liked it too,” answered Luna.
“Except a certain pegasus,” added Celestia, causing them both to laugh.
Cherub turned to them. “You actually made Fluttershy watch this? That was rather mean.”
Celestia quickly shook her head. “We would never drag poor Fluttershy to a horror movie. It was actually Rainbow Dash who became afraid.”
The mortal pony developed a look of absolute disbelief. “Rainbow Dash got scared by this movie?”
“Very, but I have no idea why. Watching her freak out was certainly more entertaining than the movie,” commented the blue alicorn.
“I'm not surprised since you seem to love putting your friends through complete terror.” Luna flinched from Cherub’s harsh comeback and said nothing more.
After a while, they finished their snacks and watched the film in silence. Changeling guards were investigating reports of ponies from a nearby town disappearing at night and they found one with bite marks on her neck and similar features of a changeling. “Sir, I think there may be a vampling among us!” cried one of the guards.
“A vampling?” asked the captain in complete horror. “We must get to the queen at once! The kingdom is in danger!”
Luna looked away from the film towards Cherub, who was leaning against the edge of the couch a good distance from her. She tried to continue watching Arachula, but she was too distracted by her friend’s sour attitude and she said, “Cherub?”
“What?”
Luna extended a wing towards her. “Why don’t you sit next to me?”
The unicorn immediately looked back at the screen. “Pass.”
“Come on.” No response. “Cherub, I’m sorry about earlier. It was wrong of me to tease you for being scared. But please, sit next to me. I want your company.” The unicorn was hesitant at first, but she scooted closer and Luna brought her wing around her. Luna noticed the way Celestia was looking at them and chose to ignore it, trying to enjoy the moment with her sister and her friend.
“Have you ever thought about being in a movie, Luna?” the matchmaker asked as she rested her head on the alicorn’s shoulder.
“I have occasionally as I find them very fascinating, but I don’t think I would make a good actress,” she admitted.
“Considering how good looking you are, I don’t think any pony would mind.”
Luna blushed, flattered by her compliment. “I remember that Queen Nymph said once if she could do one thing if she wasn’t royalty, she’d be an actress.”
The princess could feel her friend’s body tense up, which she assumed was from the name she spoke. “Really? I…never knew that.”
“Yes. She simply loves performing arts and thinks she would be one of the best. She would love bringing stories to life with thousands of fans watching and cheering for her. She already has a wonderful singing voice, so I can sort of see it.”
“I can too.” Cherub looked at both of them. “Now that I think about it, have either of you ever thought of something like that? Like what would you do if you weren’t a princess?”
It was then Luna’s turn to tense up. She tried to quickly come up with something, but was thankful when Celestia spoke first. “I actually have. If I wasn’t a princess, the one thing I would do is be a teacher.”
Cherub looked at her funnily. “Aren’t you one already? You have a school named after you and everything.”
“Yes, but I would become one full time. I would devote myself to giving children an education they deserve. I simply love teaching students and the kind of education they receive can affect who they become when they age, so I would be shaping their lives and my country for the better.”
“That sounds lovely, Tia. Maybe you should let me take over more so you could spend more time with your students.” Luna looked at her friend. “What about you, Cherub? What would you do if not matchmaking?”
“Modeling.”
Luna smirked. “That didn’t take long.”
“What can I say? I did it a while back and I simply love the thought of being a goddess among the ponies, being the ultimate desire of the stallions and the source of jealousy for the mares.”
“Hearing that from you somehow doesn’t surprise me,” Luna commented as she rolled her eyes.
The unicorn shrugged. “Try it for yourself and see if you feel any different. I promise you won’t.” Luna wondered to herself if she should take up her advice. She knew there were still a few ponies that were afraid of her as they still saw her as the monster she was before and maybe dressing up and looking cute for a few pictures may help ease them into accepting her. Remembering they were in the middle of a film, she returned her focus onto it. She was glad they stopped discussing alternative careers as she did have one secret passion and she was not willing to share. She couldn’t imagine what they would say if she told them.
“Luna?”
The princess flinched. “Yes, Cherub?”
“What would you want to do?”
Luna put on her most believable face. “Um…I’m not sure. I’m afraid I spend too much time doing work to consider such things. I’ll let you know when I think of something.”
“Take your time, Lulu. You don’t have to think about it now.” Luna then relaxed and watched the movie, glad the whole thing was blown over.
“She’s lying.”
Luna felt her heart jump. “E-excuse me?”
Cherub sat up and turned towards her with a sly smile. “Little Luna’s lying to us.”
“I-I am not!” Somehow, Cherub was very good at reading her, even more than her own sister. Whether Luna was lying or bothered by something, the unicorn would know about it. It was as if she had a sixth sense of how she was feeling. While it was great for when she needed her support, this moment made her resent it.
Celestia leaned at her sister. “So what is it you're hiding, Luna? We don’t often keep secrets from each other.”
“Can we just watch the movie, please? I don’t want to talk about it.” She turned back towards the screen and tried to maintain a straight face and prayed they would do the same.
“If you will not tell me, then you leave me no choice.”
Luna looked at Celestia and backed away. “Tia? What are you going to do?”
Celestia magically pulled out a loose feather from her wing. “I think I shall force the truth out of you. There can be no secrets between us.”
The blue alicorn’s eyes went wide when she realized what was in store for her. “Oh, please don’t, Celestia! It’s personal!” As her sister crept closer, Luna crawled away from her. Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind and held in place. “Cherub!?”
“Let her have it, Celestia! I want her to sing!” The feather went straight for Luna’s side and commenced its assault. The alicorn flailed like mad as it tickled her but could only move so much as Cherub maintained a good grip on her. “Tell us your secret!” ordered the matchmaker.
“N-n-never! Stop it!”
Celestia moved the feather towards her chest as Luna kicked her legs. “You know I won’t stop until you fess up.”
Knowing she was serious, Luna said, “Alright, alright, I’ll talk! Please just stop!” Cherub released her and Celestia ceased her action. Luna was breathing heavily as she moved away from them. “You two are terrible.”
Celestia playfully tousled her hair. “Sorry. So what are you hiding, Luna? I am dying to know what you’d want to do.”
Luna faced the screen in front of her, unable to look at them when she admitted, “If I wasn’t a princess, I…would want to be…a…rock star.” She just watched the movie and tried to ignore their reactions. However, Cherub’s sniggering was making it extremely difficult.
“A rock star!?” She pointed and laughed at her, causing Luna’s face to turn crimson.
“Cherub, calm down,” said Celestia, who also found great amusement in her confession. “I had no idea you were interested in something like that, Lulu.”
“I have been interested in rock music in a long time. I attended a concert with Rainbow Dash once and I was simply blown away by what I heard and saw. Never in my life had I ever seen music such as that and I was just enthralled. I’ve been collecting records and listening to them in my spare time.”
“But why haven’t you told me about this before? We don’t usually keep these things secret from each other.”
“I figured it was not very princess-like to enjoy such music, so I was not entirely sure you’d aprove.”
Celestia put a foreleg around her sister. “While it is most certainly unexpected, I am fine with it. Besides, there are much worse careers you could have chosen.”
“At least my guess was in the ballpark. I figured Luna would want to do something involving entertainment.”
Luna looked at Cherub with a frown, knowing she was about to crack a joke about her. “What were you thinking?”
Cherub smiled deviously and turned back towards the movie. “You might be better off not knowing.”
Luna sat up and got in her face. “Cherub, what in the world did you think I would want to do?”
“Pole dancing.”
Both alicorns looked at her in absolute shock. “Pardon!?” Luna shouted, almost using her Canterlot voice.
“Come on. All the fun things happen at night and I know you love dancing, so why not?”
“I would never partake in such a lowly activity! How dare you think of me that way!”
The crimson pony kept smiling at her, causing Luna great annoyance. “It’s not lowly at all. It’s a great way to express the beauty of your body and to have fun. I can imagine you would be a natural.”
The princess had enough of being teased, so it was time for her to turn the tables. She pointed a hoof in Cherub’s face and shouted, “Well let’s see you do it then!”
Cherub’s smug expression immediately shifted into one of surprise. “Say what?”
“If you think pole dancing is so great, then why don’t you show me?" Luna demanded as she continuously jabbed a hoof into the pony's chest. "It shouldn’t be too much trouble since you already love showing off your body to other ponies.”
“I…”
She moved Cherub off the couch. “Go on, Cherub! Convince me why I should partake in such a thing! Dance for me! Shake that money maker! If you perform well enough, perhaps I shall toss bits at you! Give me a show of a lifetime!”
Cherub nervously shifted around in front of the alicorns, bringing a stroke of satisfaction to the younger sibling. “Luna, did you just ask Cherub to dance sexually for you?” Her words struck the alicorn like a sack of horseshoes and her face reddened. She rested her head on her hooves with a look of anger on her face as the audio of the movie was drowned out by the sound of laughter.
“And then they thought she was a cannibal!”
Celestia cracked up and her sister couldn’t help but join in. “Oh, the poor thing. I had no idea Twilight did that.”
“I think you wouldn’t have believed her if she knew and told you.” At the moment, the sisters were bathing together in Celestia’s private bath. The room was covered with tiles and wallpaper that shined of golden color and the wall was decorated with images of the sun and other symbols representing the alicorn. The small window showed the world outside as daytime, even though it was currently night. Luna preferred her own bath, where it was not as bright and had a more soothing environment in her opinion. “You really shouldn’t allow Twilight to run around there without supervision. I can only imagine what else will happen.”
“I would love to join her in seeing the changelings and Nymph, but it has been too busy here lately.” Celestia sighed and rested her head against her hooves as she stared at the ceiling. “Sometimes I dislike being a princess because of all the work.”
“I can agree with that. Cherub doesn’t realize how lucky she is to have such a simple job.”
Celestia then sat up, smiling at her sister. “So I came up with a great idea and I want your input.”
Luna grew a look of great anticipation. “I’m listening.”
“Okay, so you know how we can disguise ourselves and even other ponies with magic? What if we found two ponies to disguise and act like us while we go around in their forms to do fun stuff?”
Luna gasped. “You want to hire doubles so we can ditch work and have fun? How scandalous!”
“What can I say? I want more vacation time like you do,” she said while poking Luna’s chest with her hoof.
Even though she wasn't being serious, Luna cringed a little. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m glad you’ve made such a good friend, Lulu. She’s very delightful.”
Luna smiled. “She is. But if we’re going to find doubles, we may as well use changelings as they are raised to perfectly imitate ponies. So how long do you think it’ll be until this whole changeling thing is over with? Nymph is getting eager and I can only imagine how her subjects are feeling with all this waiting.”
“Months before they are allowed here and years until they are fully accepted, just like all the other races before them. It doesn’t help that their first appearance in the world was in the form of an invasion that almost succeeded.”
Luna nodded, knowing this was unfortunately true. “I just want them to be able to feed freely and see how beautiful the world is. I feel bad for them that they have to survive of the emotions of other species and I can only imagine how difficult it was for them to acquire it back then.”
“I feel the same way. We must continue in doing what we can to undo the damage caused by Chrysalis. Speaking of Chrysalis, I hope she is safe after all this time.”
“I don’t,” the other alicorn muttered bitterly.
Celestia gave her a look of disapproval. “Luna, don’t say that. I know you don’t like her, but do not forget how much she means to poor Nymph.”
“I guess,” spoke Luna as she thought about going to her workout room and giving her special punching bag another round. “I also can’t help but worry of what she’ll do when she shows up. The more days pass, the more anxious I feel. She could be right here in Canterlot and we wouldn’t know it.”
“We’ll find her and foil her if she is in fact planning revenge. With her own kingdom ready to take action against her, I doubt she will prove to be much of a threat, so let us not worry about her until the time comes.” Celestia’s horn glowed and brought up the temperature of the bath water. The princesses sighed with pleasure and they lowered themselves until their heads were above the surface. “Besides, there’s something else I wanted to talk about.”
“Tell me, sister.”
“Cherub.”
Luna raised a curious eyebrow. “Cherub? What about her?”
“Well there is something about her I’ve been wondering for some time. Other than myself or Cadance, I’ve haven’t seen you get this close to anypony since your return.”
The younger alicorn crossed her forelegs. “And?”
“I’m just curious, that’s all. You seem so drawn to her, even when she had a mean streak. You leave the palace often so you can see her, you always write to her, and you even talk about her a lot. You have even invited her to come with us during our personal time together. Why is that?”
Luna opened her mouth, but she didn’t have an answer. Why was she so drawn to that mare? Even when she saw how mean she was during their first meeting, she became interested in learning more about her. She realized that Celestia was right about her spending so much time away from home to be with her. Was it because she was curious of her past? Did she secretly want Cherub to help her find love? She didn’t want to say it, but Cherub had been on her mind a lot lately. It wasn’t entirely clear to her, but she believed she knew some of the reasons why she liked her. “Well, I guess in all honesty, I saw a bit of me in her.”
“A bit of you? What do you mean?”
Luna rested the back of her head against the edge of the bath. “She is a pony who made terrible mistakes in the past and is trying to put her life back together, sort of like myself. I don’t know why, but after meeting her a few times, I just felt that I had this…duty to watch her. I saw this sorrow buried deep within her and I wanted to help her in any way I could. She also acted so differently towards me compared to anypony else and I admired that. Even now, I still feel that I should keep her close to ensure she is doing well. I can’t explain this feeling, but I just feel so happy around her. She’s kind of my best friend.”
Celestia hung her head and sighed loudly. “I…see.”
Even one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders could tell what was bothering Celestia, so Luna moved closer to her. “However, there’s this one pony who will always be my true best friend.”
“Oh?” The older alicorn asked playfully. “Now who would that be?”
Luna hugged her. “You. Now and forever.” Celestia hugged her in return and they both laughed.
“I wish every day was like this, where I can spend so much time with you,” Celestia spoke softly.
“Me too, but we know that cannot be. There is still much work for us to do in running Equestria.”
Celestia tightened her hold and Luna could hear her sniffling. “It’s not fair. There’s still so much time to make up and our roles keep getting in the way. It’s just not fair, Luna.”
The younger princess ran her hoof through her hair. “Sister, I am here and I will never leave you again. Please do not be upset. We will always be together. I’ll even stay up sometimes just for you, okay?” Celestia nodded and pressed her lips against the top of Luna’s head. Luna closed her moist eyes as her sister quietly wept, deciding that after tomorrow, she would spend more time with her family.
“Yeesh, get a room, you two.” Both princesses turned towards the source of the voice, finding Discord in the bath with them while wearing a shower cap, holding a brush in one hand and a rubber ducky that resembled him in the other. He whistled loudly to himself as he scrubbed his body until he noticed the two hateful glares he was receiving. “What?”
Luna and her friend sat on the large bed in her bedroom as they ate some ice cream straight from the containers. Luna was enjoying her chocolate flavored treat while Cherub had vanilla. “I believe this is my favorite way to wrap up the day.”
Cherub swallowed and wiped her mouth. “Agreed, but this is not exactly a habit a princess such as yourself should have. I find it to be very improper.”
The alicorn shrugged and continued eating her frozen treat. “It’s not like they’ll ever know. Besides, it’s fun to act like a normal pony sometimes. Being royalty has too many rules while being a commoner has more freedom.”
“I’m guessing you like to act like a normal a lot with that new spell of yours,” spoke Cherub, remembering the prank from earlier today.
“Oh yes!” she answered excitedly. “I simply love infiltrating any town and saying hello to strangers. They never have a clue of who I am and I can do whatever I want without being judged for it! Just the thought of being in disguise and fooling everypony gets me thrilled!”
“I envy you for your new trick, but promise me you will never take the guise of Pinkie and pull a fast one on me.”
“Promise.” Luna had enough of her dessert and placed it on the nightstand. “Now that I think about it, ponies don’t usually run away anymore when I approach them as me. They’re really treating me the same way as my sister.”
Cherub lied down next to her while keeping the container on her stomach. “I’m glad. They’re finally learning that you aren’t Nightmare Moon anymore and just a sweet princess.”
“It’s been a long time, but things are finally becoming normal for me.” She looked at her friend and grinned at her. “Of course,” she said suddenly, “I can still be quite evil.”
Cherub chuckled, but when she saw how Luna was looking at her, she slowly removed the spoon from her mouth and asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Luna sat up, causing the red mare to gulp. “You teamed up with Celestia when you wanted to know about my passion and teased me about being a dancer. You betrayed me, Cherub.”
Cherub slowly crawled away from her, laughing nervously. “H-hey now! There’s no need for you to do anything! We were just having fun! Nothing wrong with that, right?”
Luna’s horn glowed. “Not at all. I always enjoy fun and I think we shall have a little more. That is why,” she removed two feathers from her wing, “it shall be doubled for you, Cherub.”
“No, no, no-” Luna’s revenge was unleashed. The next thing the unicorn knew, she was laughing like a madmare as she rolled around in attempts to escape from the feathers. “L-L-Luna, ha-ha, s-stop! I submit!”
Luna shook her head. “Not yet. I’m having fun, just like you two were earlier!”
Cherub tried hiding under the covers, but that did nothing to protect her. “W-what do you, ha, want me to say!? I’ll do anything!”
Luna waited about a minute, pretending to think of what she wanted while Cherub kept laughing. “How about you say sorry for what you did? Then I’ll let you go.”
“Okay, okay! I’ll say it but let me breath!”
Luna stopped her punishment, allowing the mare to catch her breath. The alicorn wore a smug smile as Cherub took deep breathes. Once she caught her air, Luna said, “Go on. I’m waiting.”
Cherub, finally finished, cleared her throat and sat in front of her. “I’m sorry, Luna.”
“For?”
“Sorry you’re so gullible!”
“Wha-” The matchmaker launched herself at Luna and then proceeded to tickle her and Luna was in hysterics. After a moment, Luna fought back and the room was filled with the sound of their laughter as they fell onto the floor and rolled around. After several minutes, both of them laid exhausted, unable to do any more.
“Hey, Luna?” Cherub panted.
“Yes?”
“I propose a truce.”
“And I accept.” They both forced themselves up and faced each other. Luna stuck out her hoof and Cherub took it so they could shake on it. With the war over, they climbed back onto Luna’s bed. “Well that was very fun.”
“Yeah, but I think we’re too old for this kind of stuff.”
“Says who? We’re free to act however we choose.”
“I swear you are a bad influence, Luna.”
The princess nudged her with her elbow. “You just need to loosen up. Besides, you sure it’s not Pinkie?”
Cherub laughed. “You both are. I wouldn’t have ever dared to act that way if I hadn’t met either of you.”
“That is true. If it weren’t for us, you’d be a grump.” Cherub glared at her and Luna nudged her once more. “Oh, lighten up. You know it’s true.”
“Whatever.” Cherub went back to her spot and stared at the ceiling. “So what should we do tomorrow? Believe it or not, I haven’t grown tired of all the craziness we usually go through, which may not be a good thing for my mental health.”
“Nothing, I’m afraid. Not only will my workload have piled up, but I think Celestia has been feeling a little neglected and I want to be with her. There’s also the fact Nymph will be here again soon and I know how you feel about her.”
“Oh,” Cherub said disappointingly.
“Would you like to meet her?”
The unicorn fidgeted her hooves. “Maybe later.” Luna sighed, disappointed that she once again declined. She wanted Cherub to meet the queen so it would help her feel more comfortable around changelings, but she would have to wait for another time. “So I guess the fun times are over until she leaves?”
Luna laughed and shook her head. “No, the fun will begin again when she visits.”
Cherub stared at her intently. “So you and Celestia hang out with her off duty?”
“Yes, and we do things similar to what we did today. She’s a very fun person and we just love messing around.”
The matchmaker retrieved her ice cream and began digging through it with an increased pace. “I…didn’t think Nymph would grow on you so much. I still remember when you didn’t trust her or the changelings at all.”
“I didn’t think so, either. I’ve grown sympathy for her when I heard about her and Chrysalis and she really is a nice changeling. After a few months, I started to warm up to her. The way she’s usually around and how she gets along with Celestia and me, not to mention her long lifespan, I sometimes think of her as a…little sister in a way.”
The spoon in Cherub’s magical grasp was released and fell into the container. “You…do?”
“It’s strange, but it’s true. It’s nice to have a younger sister who looks up to me. I honestly think I will make a better sister than Chrysalis has, don’t you?” Rather than give an answer, Cherub placed the ice cream on the night stand and turned away from her. Luna already had an idea of what was wrong and was quick to respond. “Please forgive me. I shouldn’t have said those things while knowing about your issues with your own family. It was very thoughtless of me.”
“It’s all right, Luna. You didn’t mean it.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just give me a moment.” Cherub sighed deeply and looked off into space.
Luna couldn’t imagine what was going through her head and felt bad for bringing it up, so she put a hoof on her shoulder. “I wish you would talk to me.”
“I want to, Luna, which is why I plan on telling you everything.”
Luna shot up, very surprised by what she heard. “Truly?”
“Truly.”
Luna couldn’t believe it. After all this time, she was going to learn everything about Cherub. What were her sins? Was Cherub even her real name? She could feel herself shaking with excitement, wanting to know everything that made the mare tick. “Well go on. I’m listening. I want to know everything about you, Cherub.”
Cherub laughed and turned towards her. “Awfully eager, aren’t we? No, I didn’t mean today, but after Hearts and Hooves Day.”
Disappointment crashed down on Luna and she fell back onto the bed. “I have to wait that long? That’s forever from now!”
“I’m sorry, but my holiday takes priority. Once that is out of the way, I will spend all of my time and energy in repairing everything that is wrong with my life, starting with telling you everything about me.” She sighed. “I will admit I feel very scared.”
“But why?”
Cherub clenched her eyes and her voice was shaky. “I’m scared that you won’t want to be my friend anymore.”
Luna would have been lying if she said she wasn’t a bit afraid of what her dark secret was. Cherub only told her it was something very awful and delayed telling her as much as she could. The princess sometimes worried it was something along the lines of murder, but she knew Pinkie knew her secret and was still her friend, so it couldn’t have been that bad. Still, she couldn’t help but worry. “Cherub, I’m here for you. I am your friend and I’m not going to abandon you. I will be there at your side when you need me.” Luna took her hoof and looked into her eyes. “We will always be friends, no matter what.”
Cherub giggled. “Luna, I think you’re easily the most wonderful pony I have ever met.” Luna’s cheek turned crimson. “And that’s why I want you to let me help you find a special somepony.”
Even in a moment such as this, Luna saw the offer coming from a mile away. “Oh, you were just waiting to say that, weren’t you?” she jested.
The red mare shrugged innocently. “I know. You want to do it yourself, but listen. Yes, I originally wanted to do it to help increase my reputation, but now it’s for a different reason. I want to do it because I want to help make you happy, Luna. You and I have been through so much hardship in our lives and we have an understanding of each other, you know? I know you sometimes feel lonely despite having Celestia and your friends around; like something is absent in your life. Since your return, you have not felt love in the romantic sense and you are nervous of beginning again, wondering if somepony you have feelings for will only see your past instead of you.”
“How did you…” A hoof pressed against her lips was enough to silence her.
“I want you to give me a chance. I want you to let me pay you back for all the kindness you have shown me before. Somewhere out there is somepony who will appreciate everything you do and will love you for you, saying, ‘Luna’ instead of ‘Princess'. I’m going to find this pony for you, Luna, and I’ll do everything it takes to do it, just for you.”
Luna was speechless. Not in a long time had somepony been so willing to go above and beyond to make her happy. The way she spoke about finding her this very special pony made her heart beat faster. “Cherub, I don’t know what to say, but what about your own special somepony?”
A shake of the head was her answer. “It will have to wait. I still have things to do before getting involved in such a thing.”
“I see.” Normally, Luna would have just declined once again, but this felt different. In Cherub’s eyes she could see powerful passion and determination and Luna wasn’t sure if she could say no. She knew her friend well and was confident she was more than capable in accomplishing her goal. Imagining what sort of pony she could find to be her lover flooded her with excitement, so Luna chose not to wait any longer. “Cherub, I can’t believe I am saying this, but I think I actually want to take you up on your offer.”
Cherub gasped loudly and threw herself at the princess, hugging her tightly. “Thank you! I promise I won’t let you down. I will get right on it tomorrow.”
“Take your time. There’s still plenty of time before Hearts and Hooves, so you better make sure you look over every potential pony.” Luna yawned as Cherub released her. “Let’s talk more about it tomorrow. Goodnight, Cherub.”
“Goodnight, Luna.” Luna turned off the lights with her magic and pulled the covers over herself. She couldn’t believe she actually said yes and was filled with nothing but excitement. She could only imagine what kind of pony Cherub would end up finding for her. However, since she had said yes to her, it would only be polite to accept Cadance’s offer as well and hoped Cherub wouldn’t be mad about it.
The princess tried to fall asleep, but she thought of something else and it made her feel less excited. It was a shame that poor Cherub would be running her own romantic holiday event and have no pony to be with. Already she had brought so much love to others and even experienced her own heartbreak, so Cherub not having a date would have been just wrong. Even though she was asleep, Luna took her hoof as an attempt to show her how much she cared. Cherub kept saying she would have been fine by herself, by Luna didn’t believe it. She must have been so torn up about the whole thing and Luna thought this would be the perfect opportunity to help her. She would work out the details later, but she at least had a backup plan for the both of them. “Cherub?”
Her eyes slowly opened and she looked at Luna. “Yes, Luna?” she asked tiredly.
The princess suddenly felt timid, finding it difficult to maintain eye contact. “If you can’t find me a pony in time, would you…like to be my date? As friends?” She immediately flinched, wondering if she should have even asked her such a question.
“I would gladly accept,” Cherub replied warmly.
Relief flowed through Luna as she worried she would have said no. Their eyes were locked as they found warmth in the presence of each other. Luna smiled at Cherub and she smiled in return. Their faces were inches apart and Luna could feel her breath tickle her muzzle. The princess couldn't help but move closer to her. To her surprise, Cherub did not back away. Luna then reached over and gave Cherub a quick peck on the lips, thankful that the darkness hid her blushing. “Thank you, Cherub.” She then closed her eyes with a smile on her face, excited for what tomorrow would bring.
Eventually, Luna was asleep and she entered the realm of dreams, unaware that her physical body was still holding Cherub’s hoof.