//------------------------------// // chapter 17: Alternate Farewell // Story: Good Night Luna // by Scribe Scribbles //------------------------------// It was early in the morning. I just opened my eyes when Luna jumped on me. "Get up!" She said enthusiastically. "Come on! Get up! Get up!" She jumped up and down. "Get up! Get-" I grabbed her head and held it stationary. "What is it?" I moaned half awake. "It's my Birthday!" Luna kissed me on the forehead and jumped off the bed. "GET UP!" She yanked the sheets off the bed. I moaned and then got up. My eyes were still adjusting tot he light. "Come on! There's so much to do in so little time!" I walked over to the window and looked outside to see a tropical storm poring rain. "It's raining." I grunted. "Exactly!" Luna's attitude didn't deflate one bit. "No one's at the beaches.They're all inside!" I looked back outside at the rain. "Well played Mother Nature, well played indeed." I got dressed and met Luna in the living room. She was wearing a rain jacket and the biggest smile ever to be seen. We got in the car and drove off. We went to see the painted church. No one was there so it was perfect. I put a dollar in the donation box and walked in with Luna. Luna walked all over the small church looking at the paintings. "They're so beautiful!" She said looking at Jesus. I looked over to my right and saw a particular painting. "Huh." I shrugged. "What is it?" Luna asked looking back at me. "Hell looks better than I remember." I said pointing to the painting of Hell. Luna rolled her eyes. We walked out and headed for waipi'o beach. I parked the jeep and Luna immediately jumped out. There was nobody on the beach, but I still worried. She threw off her rain jacket and jumped in the water. The people in Hawaii say they hate the rain, but Luna and I love the rain. Luna more than me. Rain meant that Luna could actually go outside without having to worry so much about being seen. It meant she could go to the beaches in broad daylight and be herself. Me, it meant that I got to see Luna at her happiest. Nothing on Earth could make me any happier than seeing Luna smile so hopefully and happy. I sat down on the beach and watched joyously as Luna swam around in the sea, laughing and smiling. Luna yelled at me to join her, but I didn't. I stayed on the beach and made sure that nobody poked their heads out from the plants. After what seamed like a few hours, Luna walked out of the ocean exhausted. She came up and collapsed on the picnic blanket. "Havin fun?" I said putting a towel over her. "Ha!" Luna breathed. "That... was... AWESOME!" She plopped her head down on the sand. After a while we got back in the jeep and drove off. I went into a restaurant and ordered some lunch. I got in the jeep and handed Luna her salad. "So.." She started. "When are we gonna go to Green Sands?" Ever since we came to Hawaii. I always wanted to show Luna Green Sands Beach. We've never been able to together. I've been there three times since we moved here and that was with my family. "Radio said the storm's gonna clear up late tonight." "we can't go now?" Luna was very impatient about seeing the beach for the first time. "Because I want you to see it without it raining. A "perfect" experience." Luna rolled her eyes, but she was patient. I took Luna out on the ocean in the boat. I bought a boat a few years ago so I take Luna to swim with dolphins, turtles, or scuba dive. There was no possible way to make any kind of scuba gear fit Luna. Instead Luna would cast a magical bubble around her head so she could breath under water. I got my scuba gear on and jumped into the water where Luna was waiting for me. Luna couldn't actually go under water all on her own so I had to pull her down under the surface and the she could look around. Luna got to see a pod of dolphins, a bale of leather back sea turtles. I took her down further to see the coral reefs and the fish that lived there. ~~~ It was late in the night as the moon shown onto the island. The rain had just started to let up. I was driving along the main highway. I looked to see Luna staring out the window with her headphones on. Her coat was midnight in the moonlight. her cyan eyes stared longingly at the shoreline. I smiled and looked back at the road. When we arrived to the beach, Luna didn't hesitate to jump out of the jeep. She ran up to the edge of the cliff and jumped off. Outstretching her wing she glided down till she was just feet above the water and then dropped. I got my stuff and walked down the side of the cliff to the beach. I sat down on the beach and watched joyfully as Luna was happily swimming and rolling in the waves. She finally got to see the beach. She finally got to come here for the first time. She laughed and splashed in the water. This time I hopped in as well.Luna didn't even notice me, what with her being to happy to notice anything but herself and the water. I crept up to Luna and then jumped up and splashed her in the face. "Ak! Ptoo! Daa-ad!" "Ha, ha! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUNA!" Luna jumped on top of me and pushed me under the water. ~~~ After over an hour of the happiest time of my life without a doubt. We headed back home to go to sleep. Well I wanted to sleep, Luna was already fast before she got int he got in the jeep. I had to carry her up the cliff (not easy considering I'm 50 and Luna weighs 110 pounds!). Shes really grown. Luna was now 5' 3" (or "No! I'm 6' 3"! My horn!"). It was 2 A.M. by the time we got home. Luna sluggishly and wearily got up and walked in the house. Luna walked into the living room while I took off my shoes. I was setting my shoes down on a rug when I heard a familiar, wet at the same time un-familiar voice shout out. "SISTER!" I immediately stood up strait. No! I thought to myself in a panic. Oh dear god! No! Please no! pleees-FUCK! I turned around to see Luna standing in the middle of the room, immobilize from most likely shock and disbelief. Celestia had her arms rapped around Luna's neck. Celestia was in near tears. "Oh sister I'm so glad you're alive!" Celestia started kissing Luna on the forehead. "You're alive! You're OK!" Luna stuck out a hoof and slowly pushed Celestia away. "Sister, Luna what are you doing? It's me, Celestia! Your sister! Don't you remember me?! Please tell me you remember!" Celestia was now crying. "Celestia? What are you doing here?" Luna said still baffled. "You do remember!" Celestia took a step forward and Luna immediately took a step back. "Dad?" Luna said. "Dad?"Celestia said looking at me. "Did Luna just call you Dad?" Luna started backing away from Celestia. "Luna, sister! What are you doing? It's me, Celestia! You just said my name not ten seconds ago!" "She knows who you are." I said hoping to calm Celestia down. "Then why is she like that?" Celestia didn't seem to be calming down. By now, Luna was hiding behind me like a toddler. "I know who you are." Luna said poking her head out from behind me. "so you do remember?" Celestia said hopeful. "I know that you're my sister and ruler of Equestria, other than that, I don't remember." Luna moved her head back behind me. "Why?" Celestia tried to make eye contact with Luna. "Well when I found her, she was no older than five." I said getting Celestia's attention. "And how long ago was that?" Celestia moved her head trying again to make eye contact, but Luna ducked her head down poking me in the back of the neck with her horn. "twenty three years." "And you raised her ever since?" "Yeah. Why the fuck wouldn't I?! It's Princess Luna!" I stepped to the side with my hands in the 'behold' position causing Luna and Celestia to have a split second of eye contact before Luna moved behind me again. I walked over to the couch and sat down. Luna walked close to me making sure to be on the opposite side of where Celestia was. Luna sat down with her front legs on my lap. There was a moment of awkward silence when Luna turned her head towards the stairs. I looked over and saw a brown unicorn with a brown mane, brown eyes and a phoenix feather slipped in his hair that hung down. "Scribbles?" Luna said recognizing him immediately. "Hello Luna." Scribe said walking over. "Do you remember him?" Celestia asked. "I told her about him." I said. "How do you know about me?" Scribe questioned. "I drew you Scribe!" Scribe gave me a look of disbelief. "Prove it!" He sounded just like me. "That phoenix feather. You always carry it around for good luck. You prefer to clip it in your mane rather levitate it around everywhere you go." We both exchanged looks of judgement. “So… Well played?” I raised an eyebrow. “Well played indeed.” Luna smiled. “Luna? Sister?” Celestia spoke. “Are you ready to go?” “Go where?” Luna said puzzled. “To go home.” Scribe said softly. Luna paused. “But, I am home.” The whole house was silent. “No. They mean your real home. In Canterlot. Where you belong!” I said. "But I belong here!" Luna protested. "No. I was just raising you, keeping you safe, knowing that one day your sister would come to take you home and praying everyday she didn't. Equestria is your real home. You belong there! With your sister! With beings like you! Where you can be free to walked around in broad daylight whenever!" Luna sat up strait. "What? No! I wanna stay here with you!" "You'll be happier there!" I argued. "I'm like everything just the way they are! I am happy!" Luna threw her arms around me. "I don't wanna go! I wanna stay here! With you!" Luna started crying. "I don't wanna go!" Luna squeezed me tighter. "Hay!" I said softly as I pulled her off me. I lifted her chin so I see her beautiful cyan eyes. They were flooded with tears. I could never stand to see her cry. "You see that pony over there?" I pointed to Scribe. Luna looked over. "Yeah." She sniffed. "He is the spitting image of me! And he will ever leave you! Isn't that right Scribe!" "Well.." He said. I glared at him menacingly. "When you say "never" that means I get to live with a Princess, in a castle!" Scribe happily. A smile appeared on Luna's face. "Don't give him any ideas!" Celestia interrupted. "Sure tell me that after I give him the idea!" I smiled. Luna giggled. "You're just as despicable!" Celestia mumbled. Luna, Scribe and I chuckled. "Luna?" Scribe said. "You ready? To-to go home?" Luna looked back at me still a bit teared up. I was started to shed a few tears myself. I hugged her. She hugged me back. "Can I bring anything?" Luna said looking at her sister. "Yes." Celestia smiled as a tear fell down her cheek. In a flash of light Luna had teleported upstairs. Celestia walked up to me. "You took my sister in and raised her for twenty three years. For that I will be forever grateful." Celestia gave me a hug. I felt her horn touch my head. A warm sensation went through my whole head. Luna came back down Levitating a shoe box. It was no doubt full of her most cherished possessions. Celestia stepped away. Luna walked up to me. She had a big smile on her face and smiled back pulling Luna into one last hug. "I love you daddy!" Luna said. I let go of Luna. Luna illuminated her horn and plucked one of her feathers out of her wing and handed it to me. "Never stop smiling dad." I smiled. Scribe put a hoof on her shoulder. Luna walked over Celestia. Scribe and I looked at each other. "Scribe." I said sternly. "If you brake her heart! I will find a way and I will kill you!" Scribe smiled back at me. "Couldn't if I tried!" He said proudly. "Besides, I think she'd get me before you could." We both chuckled. Scribe walked over Luna and Celestia. Celestia illuminated her horn. Celestia leaned her head down and as her horn touched Luna's head, Luna looked over and gave me one last smile before my vision was engulfed in white light. Today was my birthday. I woke up to have sun shining through the curtains. I smiled. I grabbed Luna's feather and clipped in my hair. I Skyped with Julli and she wished me a happy birthday. When Celestia took Luna home there was nothing left. No pictures, none of the things that I bought her were left. It was just me and Julli, and the key chain doll. I sat down on the couch with a bowl of noodles when noticed something that wasn't there or anywhere else before. It was a letter. The back was signed in big swirly, cursive. It read. LUNA I turned it over to see the Equestrian imprinted in a blot of blue wax. I opened the letter carefully. I pulled out a folded piece of parchment. I unfolded it and read the words written in Luna's lovely cursive. Happy Birthday Daddy! Love Luna I looked back at the envelope. It was stuffed full of pictures. It was all the pictures that I had ever taken of Luna. All the pictures. All the memories. I pulled out the last picture. It was picture of Luna with her around Scribe. They were standing on a balcony with the moon in the background. Luna was smiling. I smiled.