//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Overcoming The Day // by Spacecowboy //------------------------------// “Well, I would have to say that it sounds like things are going quite well for those three,” Luna cheerily spoke with a large smile gracing her face. Another faint round of laughter emanated from upstairs, reaching the ears of the ponies gathered below. Spike walked in with a tray of refreshments, setting it down on the table. “Thank you for the refreshments, Spike.” He nodded his head and grabbed a gem from the platter. “No problem at all. I figure with Twi and them upstairs laughing like that, they’re gonna be talking for a long time. Like, a really long time.” Spike rolled his eyes, although the knowing smirk on his face betrayed his true feelings. “They can take the rest of the day if they really want to,” Cadance quipped at Spike, blowing a raspberry his way. “I’m just very, very glad that I don’t have to fall back to Plan B. That would have been a bit awkward to explain to Twily later on.” Shining was mid-reach for a pastry when he paused and turned to gaze at Cadance. “Cady, you don’t mean—” Cadance cut him off with a raised hoof and smirked before he could finish asking the question. “Yes, Shiny, I do mean that. Love for one’s family is still love, after all. Therefore, the spell would work on Twily and Mom and Dad.” She hesitantly smiled, awkwardly rubbing her two hooves together for a moment. “There’s no way I would let that bond be broken over anything. Luckily, I didn’t have to!” Groaning, Spike shook his head and looked at Shining. “Man… mares. I swear I’m going to go crazy cause of them before I even hit puberty.” He screwed his face up in disgust and shuddered. “Hey, Bro, you want to go do something? You know, outside of the library?” Shining noticed the pleading glimmer in Spike’s eyes as he considered the request. A quick glance towards Cadance was met with the nod of her head and a small smile. He turned towards Spike, smiling. “You know, that sounds like a good idea. What exactly did you have in mind?” “I was thinking that it’d be a good time to go ahead and take care of an errand or two for Twi, and then stop by Sugarcube Corner and get some more of those diamond sprinkled cupcakes. Pinkie usually makes one batch a week for me, and I just ran out.” He helplessly shrugged and walked over to Shining. “I just want out of here for a bit, y’know?” he pleadingly whispered to him. Laughing, Shining hooked a hoof around Spike’s shoulder briefly. “Sounds good to me, go on ahead, I’ll be out in a minute.” He removed his hoof and watched Spike walk towards the door. Turning towards Cadance, he walked over to her and briefly kissed her. “We’ll be back in a bit, Cady. You and Luna enjoy the rest of the morning and I’ll make sure we’re not out for too long.” Cadance watched him and Spike leave, chuckling quietly to herself. Sipping at her tea, she sighed, sinking into the cushioned seat. “Ah, Spike really knows how to brew some good tea.” Cadance set the cup down on the table and smugly smiled at Luna. “So do you any idea what you’re going to do next?” “Well, at the moment I will be staying in the library with Twilight. Celestia is taking care of the necessary paperwork for me to remain here, under the pretense of training Twilight. At least, I presume that is the reason she is giving them.” Luna sneered, disgust on her face. “That bureaucratic monster she made in my absence is beyond annoying. She still refuses to let me dismantle it with my own bare hooves.” Laughing, Cadance gently shook her head. “I know what you mean from having to deal with matters in the Empire. Shining is a military stallion through and through, so I always have to deal with the paperwork. It truly is a nightmare.” Her laughter intensified as tears began to pour from her eyes. “Just imagine it… if some hapless stallion pisses you off, all you’d need to do is throw his dream right into the middle of the bureaucratic machine, and just make sure they can’t wake up. A few hours of dealing with that should set anypony straight!” “Nay, for that is a fate that I would not wish on anypony,” Luna stated in disgust. “It truly is a vile thing; I could almost believe that it was a last curse given to us by Discord.” Snorting, she took a bite out of a pastry, taking out her anger on the hapless baked good. “Anyhoof, let us move back to the original question of yours. In truth, I have no idea what exactly is next beyond spending my days here. I will continue tending to my moon, but everything else falls to my sister once again. Cadance nodded, slightly humming to herself. She unconsciously smiled as another peal of laughter drifted downstairs, reminding them both of the occupants still above them. An idea came to mind, bringing a large smile to her face. “You know, Aunty, I have an idea that you might just like.” Luna questioningly tilted her head as a curious look crossed her face. “Oh? I had been thinking on something to do for Twilight given recent events, but I had yet to come up with anything that satisfied me,” she remarked, shrugging her shoulders as she nibbled on a cookie. A mocking look of shock came to Cadance’s face as she flared her wings for extra emphasis. “What’s this, the pony that is often attributed to heated nighttime events at a loss when it comes to doing something simple for her new love?” Smiling, Cadance got up and seated herself next to Luna, who was busy patting her chest and coughing due to trying to inhale her food. As she recovered, Luna nudged Cadance with a hoof. “While some ponies may still attribute nighttime… liasons to me, that is something that I have yet to pick back up since my return.” Crimson tinted her normally blue fur an even darker shade bordering on purple as she peered into her cup. “Besides, even were I current on such things, it is much too early to consider such a thing. I mean, propositioning Twilight this early—” Cadance’s throaty laughter cut Luna off as the smaller mare was unable to control herself. Luna’s glare went unnoticed as she rocked back and forth, her hooves holding onto her sides. Once she regained control, she turned to Luna. “Oh, Aunty, that was just too precious! I certainly did not mean that, although I admit it would definitely take her by surprise! Could you imagine that? “I was more referring to a simple date or something along those lines,” Cadance explained with a warm smile, slightly nudging Luna with a hoof. “I mean, I figure you and Twi could use some alone time, you know? I wouldn’t exactly call your relationship so far a normal one.” Humming quietly, Luna’s expression brightened at the suggestion. “Yes, that would actually be quite nice. We have had a chance to do one or two things at most, but rarely have we been alone.” She paused, a thoughtful look on her face. “Perhaps I could find some place away from town, somewhere new for both of us… I shall think on it for a short time, thank you for the idea. It should prove to be most enjoyable,” Luna thankfully spoke as she hugged Cadance. Cadance returned the embraced and nuzzled Luna. “No problem at all, I’m glad that I could help,” she warmly replied, turning her attention back towards the refreshments on the table. “Just don’t spend too long thinking about it, otherwise you might not have enough time to pull it off for tonight. Besides, sometimes the simplest approach is the best one.” Luna nodded, pursing her lips in thought as she briefly closed her eyes. “In that case, I do believe that I have something in mind.” She conspiratorially smiled, leaning in even closer to Cadance. “While I go and find a spot, I’ll need your help to procure a few items so I can have it set up for this evening. Here’s what I need you to do for me…” Twilight had a large, beaming smile adorning her face as she, Crescent, and Velvet descended the stairs back into the library proper. Hours had passed by, and the only reason they had come back down was that their rumbling stomachs demanded a ransom be paid to them. Luna pulled her gaze from the window, where the sun hung low on the horizon, and addressed the trio with a smile. “Welcome back down, I trust that you three managed to clear the air amongst yourselves quite thoroughly?” she asked with an amused smirk, care twinkling in her eyes. Nodding, Velvet briefly nuzzled Twilight before replying. “Indeed we did, Princess Luna. We also heard some rather… heartwarming things about you and our Twilight. I must say, I don’t think anypony else in all of Equestria could go and give their marefriend their own star, it is quite romantic!” Coughing slightly and fighting to hide the small blush that was forming on her cheeks, Luna simply smiled in return, nodding her head. “Well, I am most glad to hear that. However, I must insist that I steal Twilight from you for the next few hours before any more… stories may be told amongst us all. Spike and Shining Armor should be returning shortly, and I believe Twilight will not mind if you stay as long as you would like.” Breaking his hug with Twilight, Crescent smiled. “I think right now the only thing we’re concerned about is getting some food, we were pretty lucky that Spike ran up some up for us around lunchtime. Just take care of her for us, Princess. That’s all we ask.” He leaned in a little closer, whispering slightly. “Also, I apologize about yesterday. Twilight explained quite a lot about you and her, as well as Princess Celestia. Just know that Velvet and I simply hope you make our Twilight as happy as possible.” He moved back as Twilight walked towards them, Velvet veering for the kitchen. “So, what is it that you have planned, Luna?” Twilight asked as her father left the room as well, the aroma of cooking food drawing him away. “Think it can wait until after dinner? I’m absolutely starving right now.” Laughing, Luna held out her hoof for Twilight to take. “Never fear, you shall sate your hunger shortly, just not here. Any more than that, I cannot say, else it will be ruined.” She smiled when their hooves met, and Luna called upon her magic, whisking them away from Ponyville entirely. They reappeared in a small clearing with a pond within a heavily wooded area. After a moment to regain their bearing, Luna let go of Twilight’s hoof so that she could wave her own, pointing at the area around them. “Welcome to the Whitetail Woods, Twilight,” she warmly spoke, the only other audible sounds that of the wind lightly blowing through the canopy around them and the occasional animal. “What are we doing h—” Twilight began to ask before noticing that Luna was levitating a large picnic basket from a nearby bush, a neatly folded blanket on top of it that moved closer to the pond. Her eyes filled with happiness as the blanket unfolded itself neatly on the grassy edge of the water, the basket landing on the center of it. Luna conjured two pillows side by side and gestured towards one with a hoof. Twilight quickly bounded over and nuzzled Luna before sitting down, a large smile plastered across her face. “Cadance helped me set this up on short notice. I believed that you could use a nice, quiet evening away from everything weighing on your mind, and so here we are, out in the middle of the woods,” Luna explained as she took a seat next to Twilight, opening the lid of the basket. “Wow, that looks good,” Twilight remarked as Luna revealed a small container filled with slices of bread that appeared to have been soaked in butter and garlic before being toasted. As the lid was removed, both of their stomachs growled as the aroma of the garlic bread reached their noses. “It smells good, too.” Twilight reached out with her magic and took a slice as Luna pulled out two plates and set them side by side. Luna noticed how quickly the bread Twilight had taken disappeared and laughed as she continued to empty the basket’s contents. “Now, Twilight, take your time and enjoy it. It has been quite some time since I last made this meal, so I would like to know what you think of it,” she playfully quipped as two wrapped objects floated over to settle down on the plates. With a small flourish of her magic, two calzones were revealed, the dough baked to golden, crispy perfection. Setting down another piece of bread on her plate, Twilight took one look at the food before her and widely beamed, taking a small bite from it. She chewed a few times, closing her eyes and enjoying the rich mixture of flavors that assaulted her senses, sending her to nirvana. Finally swallowing, she smiled and turned towards Luna. “Cadance told you about these, didn’t she?” Laughing, Luna nodded her head as she set down two glasses. “Indeed, she mentioned how you had a particularly soft spot for a five cheese calzone with tulips and daisies.” Luna smirked, a playful twinkle coming into her eyes as she filled both glasses with some cider that had been freshly procured from Applejack just hours prior. “I learned quite a bit about you from her, I must say. So many things about you that I had not known yet, why she even told me a certain song that you enjoyed singing as a filly, I think it was—” Twilight heavily blushed from embarrassment as she managed to cover Luna’s mouth with her hoof before the name of the song could be uttered. “Please, not that. Anything but that, Luna!” She was caught off guard as Luna lightly kissed her hoof and smiled, finally noticing the playful look hidden in Luna’s eyes. Blushing, she drew her hoof back and looked down at the food. “I did a lot of things growing up I’d rather forget, thank you very much. Cadance is so going to get it,” Twilight began, still looking down. A thought came to her mind as she looked back up, mirroring the same expression Luna had shown moments prior. “You know, back before she began dating Shining, she had a journal that she kept on her. Let’s just say the next time you see her, just casually ask her about the night she fell asleep foal-sitting me, and how she was calling out for my brother. That should be good enough,” Twilight finished with a grin on her face that was not even wiped away as she took another bite of food. Finally done with the preparation work, Luna took a bite of her own, sighing lightly in satisfaction. Her ears perked up at the mention of Cadance’s diary, and she looked at Twilight quizzically. “Oh? You cannot tell me just that and leave it alone. Tell me the whole story, please?” she asked, leaning towards Twilight with eyes full of curiosity. “Well,” Twilight hesitantly began, drawing out the single word. She nearly broke out into laughter as a pleading expression crossed Luna’s face, and she dove in. “When she was foal-sitting me, she fell asleep on the sofa with her journal wide open on the floor next to her. I got to read first-hoof about how she was crushing on Shining, but didn’t have the confidence to ask him out. When I went to go wake her up, she started calling out his name. Well, more like she was moaning his name.” She stopped, making a small gagging noise. “That night resulted in one of the best-kept secrets in our family. At the age of seven, I hooked them up, because Shining didn’t have the confidence to ask her out.” Both of them succumbed to laughter as Twilight finished, their meal momentarily forgotten as tears streaked down both their faces. Luna was the first to recover, her laughs turning into something more akin to a chuckle. “You are the reason they finally came together, and at seven no less? I can see why that might embarrass the Princess of Love… Oh, ‘tis a perfect prank to play!” Luna lightly nuzzled Twilight’s cheek, returning her gaze back towards their plates. Raising her glass with magic, Luna brought it before her and motioned for Twilight to do the same. With a playful smile she brought her glass to Twilight’s and brought them together, briefly mingling their magical auras. “To a good meal, and a good evening.”