//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 
// Story: Satellite Lovers 
// by whatmustido 
//------------------------------//

	Proving that sibling rivalry was still a thing, the day of Luna’s art thing dawned rainy and nasty. Luckily for Luna, she had people whose jobs were making sure she was happy, so they cleared up that doom and gloom well before night ever came.
When you made your way to Luna’s chambers that night, it was in a lot of pain. Since Goldie was taking off to work on her personal project, you decided to take off as well and work with your trainer for longer each day. He was finally confident that you wouldn’t be beaten by a foal, but he wasn’t quite sure about your chances against a house cat yet.
Though to be fair, the last cat you saw straight up destroyed some curtains. You weren’t in a hurry to see what it would do to your arm.
You decided to stop by Luna’s room around the time she would be waking up to see if she had any last minute instructions for you. When you knocked, a maid quickly answered. “Ah, your highness,” she said with a smile. “Please, come in!”
You don’t hesitate and enter. “Is Luna in her room?” you asked, not really wanting to find her in the bathtub again.
“Yes, Prince Consort. I believe she is picking out an outfit for tonight. I’m sure she would love your input!”
You really doubted that, but you nodded. “Maybe. I guess I’ll find out.” You walked on in, since the door was open. Luna was unclothed, just staring at the mirror on a vanity. “You ready for tonight?” you asked.
She flinched slightly when she heard your voice, then turned her head to face you. “Anon.” Her horn lit up and the door closed behind you, then she turned back to the mirror. “I was just… thinking.”
“Thinking is bad for you.”
“That depends entirely upon what you are thinking about. I am thinking about the coming event. It will be the first I have hosted in… a long time.”
“Oh, you’re nervous.”
“I am not—” She sighed and hung her head slightly. “Yes. I am somewhat nervous.”
That’s actually a little unexpected. You didn’t figure anything could make either sister nervous anymore. “You’ll be fine, Luna. You’ve been through worse than anything that might happen here. And you’ll have a few friends with you, too. You said that vampire chick is coming, and possibly a dragon and whatever that other thing you said was.”
“Madremonte… Her name is Poira.” She turned to face you yet again. “Do you truly find it odd that I am nervous?”
“Yeah. You’ve been through all kinds of bad stuff. Ponero, the Drake Treaty, a guard mutiny, a cold war with the minotaurs, killing a gjenganger, Stalliongrad, and god only knows what else.”
“You have been doing research.”
“You both know about me. I figured it’s only fair to learn some about you. The point is, compared to all of those, this is a cakewalk. You’re too badass to be afraid of some silly public event.”
“...While that is true, it does little to assuage the nervousness. Those events taught me that nervousness is normal. Before a big event that is important to me, I always feel it. I am usually able to get over it quickly and force myself to move on. I will do the same here.”
“Good to know you can do that. I felt nervous all through the wedding. I didn’t get over it until the reception was almost over.”
“It becomes easier with time. And when you have those you know you can rely on with you.”
“Well, if you feel yourself start to have a panic attack, let me know and I’ll do something embarrassing to put the attention on me. Everyone’s probably expecting me to fuck up anyway.”
“That is hardly true. From what I have heard, the common ponies greatly approve of you, now that most of them know you are learning a trade and are still friends with other commoners. However, it is an offer I will keep in mind. Your reputation would be easier to fix.”
“I didn’t know I had an approval rating…”
“All royals do. Some are better received than others. Blueblood is on the bottom, which is why we have him on sabbatical to… somewhere. I think Celestia found the most uncivilized place possible to put him. You are between Cadance and Celestia.”
That didn’t really sound like a fun place to be, honestly. “Good to know, I guess.” You decided not to ask where she was. “So how is this going to work?”
“After we eat with my sister, we will return here and get prepared. I will put the spell on you that will allow you to stay up all night, and then we will both get dressed. Then we will go to the throne room and the event will begin shortly after that.”
“That part sounds easy, at least. What about after that? And do you know how many people ended up coming?”
“More than I expected, but not as many as I hoped. Once the event begins, we will go on a tour of the premises. Most of the artists have set up in the observatory. Some artists are still working on their projects outside of the palace, and will arrive later in the week. You will not need to do more than appear at my side. Around two or three in the morning, I will consider your duty done and allow you to go to bed.”
“Honestly, I might rather stay up. I kinda want to see what they’re doing.”
“That is a choice I will leave up to you.”
“Besides, your sister turns into a monster if you wake her up on accident.”
She snorted. “At least that is one thing that has not changed. Your suit is finished. I will decide what to wear later.”
“I figured you would have had that planned out already.”
“I did. My plan was to wear nothing, like I usually do. However, my sister oh-so-kindly suggested that I dress up to make a good impression.”
You shrugged. “That’s how it works where I live, too. If it makes you feel any better, I don’t particularly want to dress up either.”
“I am not surprised. Clothing that tends to give a good impression also tends to be uncomfortable. Unfortunately, it is a fate we will soon share.”
“Oh well. Ready to head to dinner?”
“Yes.” She started walking to the door, so you followed her. The maid wasn’t in the front room anymore. “My sister mentioned that you told her I was inviting a dragon.”
“I didn’t realize you hadn’t told her.”
“And yet you did not mention I was inviting a vampony, despite knowing she would disapprove.”
“I didn’t. I also didn’t mention the changeling or the madremonte.”
“Why? You hid it from your wife, despite knowing she would not approve.”
“Because I know how to keep secrets. And I trust that you know what you’re doing. You care about these ponies just as much as she does and you wouldn’t risk letting them come to harm. You either have a plan to make sure nothing happens or you trust your friends enough to know they wouldn’t do anything. Either way, I trust that you know what you’re doing. This is your day, not Celestia’s, and she doesn’t need to be poking her nose in it. I love her, but I also know she has a bad habit of micromanaging.”
“I see.”
“That said, I’m also a little disappointed you didn’t tell her yourself. You know it’ll just upset her when she finds out. She’ll think you don’t trust her, either.”
“I am aware. She would be even more upset if she asked me not to do it and I did it anyway, so I thought it wise to just not mention it.”
You shrugged. “That’s between you two, then.”
“You will be involved, should she realize you knew but did not tell her.”
“The simple solution for that is for you to not tell her.”
“I have no intention of doing so. Your loyalty will be remembered. And, of course, I prefer my sister happy, not upset.”
“There, we can definitely agree. When she gets angry, she likes getting on top. And she’s definitely a little plump, so my pelvis aches for a while afterwards.”
“The dangers of being the royal husband,” she said with a smirk. “Luckily for you, should I become desperate enough to ask you to fulfil your husbandly duties, you will not have that issue.”
“Well, I’m glad to know you’d have to be desperate to consider me,” you quietly said.
“That is not what I… I do not find your form ugly, Anon. I just happen to obtain fulfilment in other ways.”
“...Now I’m really glad I always knock.”
She blinked and then blushed bright red. “That is also not what I—” She took a deep breath to compose herself. “I exercise and explore magic. I am still recovering from being on the moon for so long, so I need all the exercise I can get. And there is always more to learn, so magic is something I can delve deeply into.”
“Right. Sure.”
“Yes. Indeed.” She was still blushing slightly, so you decided to leave her alone the rest of the way.
When you two got to the private dining room, Celestia wasn’t there yet. That meant the food wasn’t there yet, because the servants still considered Celestia their primary princess, and weren’t in the habit of putting food out until she got there. So you and Luna just sort of sat in your places, waiting in awkward silence.
After a minute of that, you sighed and asked, “Want to mess with Celestia some more?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“When she gets in here, we only refer to each other with adorable pet names. Something stupid, like Woona and Nonny. We say them with those stupid baby voices young couples use when talking about and to their crushes.”
“She will see through that in an instant.”
“Yeah, but it’ll still annoy her.”
“That is a very good point… Nonny.”
“I thought you would agree, my pretty little Woona.”
As she predicted, Celestia realized you were messing with her almost immediately. As you predicted, she got very annoyed when you both continued doing it anyway.
It was kinda funny.

Once dinner was done, you and Woona went back to her rooms to get prepared. “Your suit is in the bathroom,” Luna said as she walked over to the same mirror she had been staring at when you walked in earlier.
“The bathroom is a weird place to store a suit,” you slowly replied.
“I knew we were coming here to get prepared, so I hung it there so you could change in private. At least, I assumed you would like privacy.”
“Well, unless you’re really curious about what a human’s junk looks like, privacy is probably for the best.” She didn’t reply as you went into the bathroom to change.
The suit she had made for you was really, really tacky. Or at least, that’s how it looked to your uncultured human eyes. It was dark blue with white stars randomly placed around it. On the back of the jacket was a large half moon. All it needed was wolves on the front and you could get all the bitches.
If you didn’t already have the one you wanted most, that is.
Once you were unsuitably dressed, you went back into Luna’s bedroom. She was still staring at the mirror and didn’t seem to have moved. “You alright?” you asked.
She flinched. “Yes.” Her eyes moved to look at you through the mirror. “What do you think of the suit?”
“It’s ugly as hell. You can wear pretty much anything you want and it won’t matter, because everyone’s gonna be staring at this weird-ass half moon thing on my back.”
“...I am sure Miss Rarity will be quite pleased with your review.”
“Jesus, don’t even get me started on the shit Rarity’s made for me. She didn’t know how to make any guy clothes when I got here. Crazy bitch tried making me wear a dress and panties for the first month I was in Equestria, then got all uppity when I went to Canterlot for some real clothes.”
She finally turned to face you. “...You wore a dress your first month here?”
“Tch, hell no. I happened to have two sets of clothes with me when I got here. I made do.” Well, two sets of outerwear. You might have worn some of the other stuff she made you, not that Luna needed to know about that. “But going to Canterlot to get clothes ended up with me moving here because Ponyville is a terrible place to live, so at least I can thank her for that.”
“What is so terrible about Ponyville? It seemed like a pleasant place when I was there.”
“As an outsider looking in, I can understand that. But it seems like there’s a at least one new disaster every week, and Twilight and her friends are always at the center of it. Going for a visit? Sure. Living there, no. Anyway, you need to get dressed up.”
“I do.” She turned back to the mirror.
“That mirror isn’t helping you get dressed, Luna.”
“...I know.”
“Then you should probably be looking at dresses instead of staring at a mirror.”
She took another deep breath and slowly sighed. “I am… unused to dressing up. Would you be able to assist me in picking out a suitable gown?”
“Well, I can certainly try. I would suggest asking Celestia, but she’d probably suggest something she thinks would catch my eye and you’d end up accidentally looking like a slut.”
“That is precisely why I did not ask her.” She started walking to the other door in her room, the one you hadn’t yet seen open. “Most of what I own has only recently been recovered from the castle in the Everfree, and only those that were magically preserved were salvageable. My selection is small.” Her horn lit up and the door opened, revealing a surprisingly large walk-in closet. “And of those recovered, half were armored suits.” The both of you stepped inside, letting you get more of a glimpse at its contents.
As she said, one wall was taken over by armor. One was an entire suit of steel armor, complete with wing guards and a horn cover. She couldn’t fly in it, but she’d be a fucking tank. One was scale-mail, lighter and easier to move in but a little less protective than full plate. One looked like a dress at first glance, but you realized that it was reinforced in key areas by metal plates.
On the other side were three actual dresses. One was a dark blue, matching her coat. But it was extremely old fashioned and frumpy as hell, looking more like something from the medieval era than anything someone would actually wear. One was a stark white and looked more like a nightgown than something to wear outside. The final one was dark red and looked like it would show off quite a lot of fur.
“Alright, I’m kinda curious about that one,” you said, staring at it.
“That is a long story. To put it short, there were times that my sister and I relied on the powers of persuasion… or seduction. I did my duty as a princess. I have actually been planning to burn this dress. I just wanted to show it to Celestia first and ask why she preserved it instead of one of the outfits I actually liked.”
“Ah.”
There were three dresses on the back wall, presumably from this era. One was a wedding dress, given as a gift by Rarity but never worn. 
One looked more fit for a dance than a public event. The front part of it was green with fanciful and flowering night-blue embroidery on it. From around what would be her cutie mark and back, it was a flowing night blue, little sparkles and pinpoints of light appearing like stars. Lace covered it in alternating sections, creating a nice look. And along both sides of the lower back were two large peacock feathers, their colors fitting the rest of the ensemble very nicely. Around the neck was a string of black pearls with a crescent moon centerpiece. All things told, it was overdesigned and gaudy, at least to your mind.
The last one was a slutty nightgown.
“Alright, I gotta ask again—”
“A wedding gift from Celestia,” she answered.
“Right.”
“So what do you think? Which one should I wear?”
“You want to know what I think? Fuck going in a dress. Don’t let Celestia tell you how to run your court. You do you.”
“...Are you just saying that because I do not have any appropriate dresses?”
“While that is the case, it doesn’t mean the thought isn’t valid. You do what you want to do. And if you don’t want to wear a dress, feel free to go buck naked.”
“The thought is valid, yes. However, Celestia did not tell me to wear a dress. She advised that I do so. But we are wasting time debating this. I do not want to wear one and I do not have one that is appropriate, so I will not wear one.” She nodded once and walked back into her room. “Stand in front of me.”
You walked over in front of her. “So now what?” you asked. Her horn lit up and she pressed it against your nose. You kinda wanted to move back, but figured that wouldn’t be wise. After a second, some kind of energy transferred from her horn into you and you blinked in surprise. “Whoa.”
“That spell will keep you awake indefinitely. I will be able to dispel it whenever you desire, and it will be as though you woke up from a full night’s sleep.”
“Convenient. But you said it has side effects?”
“If you keep it active for too long, it does. Or at least, it does on ponies. I have not tested it extensively on other races due to the… severity of the side effects. Now, go to the throne room. I will be there shortly.”
You started to walk to the door, but stopped. “Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you there? It might help soothe your nerves.”
“I will be fine. I must make a few more preparations. Tell those that are in the throne room that I will be there shortly.”
“Alright. I’ll see you there, Luna.” She didn’t reply as you left.
You didn’t get many chances to hang around the palace after Celestia and Luna swapped places, so you weren’t used to the changes. There weren’t too many, though all the maids wore Luna’s emblem instead of Celestia’s and all the guards were her creepy bat ponies. Creepy because they stared at you uncomfortably, not because they looked weird.
When you got to the throne room, two of those night guards stood in front of the throne, along with an older stallion that was wearing an eye patch. His eye focused on you when you started walking up to him. “Prince Consort Anonymous, I do not believe we have been introduced.”
“We haven’t. You already know my name and title. What’s yours?”
“I am Gravel Pit, Luna’s primary advisor.” You aren’t quite sure how a guy who mines gravel got to be an advisor, but you knew better than to ask some questions in ponyland. “Is she on her way?”
“Yeah. She just needed to make a few more preparations. Do you know what kind of crowd we’re looking at tonight?”
“Five hundred were invited from Canterlot and a few close cities. Slightly over three hundred have checked in today, and we believe up to fifty more will make an appearance later this week. The main observatory was chosen to house many of the artists that didn’t require a special area, due to its view and size. If you’ll recall, that is where your wedding took place.”
“Yeah, I remember. It’s also where Cadance got married. I assume anyone working with metal or gems is going to be working in the palace’s crafting wing?”
“Yes sir. We also have a few nature artists that will be working in the garden. If the princess had taken my advice, we’d also have artists in the kitchen and possibly with the royal tailors.”
“Some people do consider preparing food an art. And there’s definitely an art to fashion, but I don’t know if it’s one I’d want to show in an event like this. But she really should have gone for the food. It would essentially be free catering!”
“My argument exactly,” he said with a smile. “But your wife can be headstrong at times. Preparing food and fashion weren’t arts a thousand years ago, so she doesn’t consider them art now. She’ll invite them eventually, I’m sure. Princess Celestia will probably insist on inviting the chefs next time, at least.”
“I might talk to her about it, though she isn’t really in the habit of taking my advice either.”
And of course, in walked Luna. You blinked in surprise when you noticed she was wearing the amulet you made for her. Aside from her crown and her shoes, that was all she had on. “My ears are burning,” she said as she walked up. “I do hope you two were not discussing me.”
“Probably just all those artists wondering where their patron is,” Gravel said with a winning smile.
“Yeah, we definitely weren’t discussing your awful taste in jewelry,” you said with a smile of your own.
She rolled her eyes. “I thought I should match your awful taste in suits.” Ouch, your feelings... “At least we can give the same excuse when somepony asks why we are wearing them: They were gifts. Is everything prepared, Gravel?”
“Yes, your majesty. Most of the artists should be congregated in the observatory right now, or on their way. Poira is in the gardens and Reginald is in… Or maybe on the crafter’s hall.”
“Excellent. I hope Poira is behaving herself.”
“I gave her a guard so everypony will know she’s safe. He’s watching her to make sure she doesn’t do anything she shouldn’t.”
“Good, though I find it doubtful he could stop her if she tried. And what about our other guest?”
“She’s minding her own business and only spoke to the changeling in disguise once. When her interest was rebuffed, she backed off.”
“Excellent, though I thought she would have already added changeling to her list. I believe we are set. Anonymous, let us go start this party in earnest.”
“Sounds good to me,” you said with a nod. “Lead the way.” And so the three of you went.