• Published 19th May 2013
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Tidbits of Mast and Sail - Habanc



Ye 'Ole Collection of Ships

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Star Tending

“Whitestorm, I'm afraid that my meeting tonight with the Vukodlak emissaries will have to be postponed, please notify them.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. May I ask why, in case they wish to know?”

“Monthly star tending. I'm sure they'll understand, being creatures of the night.”

“I would agree. Is that all, Your Highness?”

“Yes. You may go.”

As soon as the robe-ridden unicorn exited, a long sigh was released, followed by a roll of the neck and the creaking of joints. It was a long day at the office, with no less than half a dozen fires to put out. In one case of a chef's apprentice, it was literal. Decompression was needed- nay, required. Ruling a nation, even when splitting the work with another, had many demands. It demanded patience, intellect, creativity, diligence, and a long list of other attributes. It also required time off.

Sitting back on her bed, she kicked off her greaves and let herself fall backwards, glad to be rid of such uncomfortable hoofwear. She stretched her limbs to their maximum, moaning in relief. Her crown and gorget floated to a shelf, discarded like annoying odds and ends. Au naturel, the weary princess was finally at peace.

Musn't fall asleep though, since it would be a shame to miss star tending. Luna let her mind wander as she slumped on the bed, slowly nestling within the covers. If Twilight truly intends to help maintain the night as part of her duties, she'll need a teacher who isn't napping the day away.

The infant alicorn had been allowed some time to adjust to her new surroundings, but now both Celestia and Luna agreed she needed to start learning how to rule. Dusk court was slowly coming into being, with the oversight of arcane policy and scientific research already hers.

Celestia had deferred instructing Twilight on the art of statecraft onto her sister. Why, she could only guess, although a niggling thought told her it was yet another esteem-boosting tactic by the sun goddess. Regardless, when night court was held, Twilight would stay with her and observe. Afterwards, there would be solo tutoring and studying, usually over dinner. Ironically enough, Night Court was held in the day, with all issues falling under Luna's area of jurisdiction coming to her, often of the economic sort. Luna thought that sleeping at night would be a nice, subtle way to show that she was just like any other pony, not some power-grabbing god who aimed to submerge the world in eternal darkness once again. Celestia had found the plan “a tad extreme” and the notion ridiculous that anypony could still see her that way, but ultimately did nothing to stop it.

As spring gave way to summer, they eventual began taking their meals and lectures outside, where the natural warmth under the warm and cool wash of hues in the sky proved better atmosphere than a stuffy study room. Often, towards the end of each session, Twilight would switch her focus to the rapidly-advancing glimmers of stars. At first, it was merely curious. What star was Luna's favorite, whether or not she planned out any of the constellations, why some were different colors, etc. But then, as time went on, it became answer of how stars were made, how they were brought into the sky, and all other sorts of questions on how Luna's magic worked with them. In the last two weeks, the workings of Equestria was not even discussed. Stars were the main topic, with bits of casual chatter thrown in now and then. Luna didn't mind at all, since in all honesty there wasn't much more Twilight could learn except from hooves-on experience. Yet every morning, Twilight still waited there beside her seat at Night Court, a small smile on her face.

Four nights ago, Twilight admitted that stargazing was one of her favorite activities, a calming ritual of sorts that she had done since she was a filly. She went on about how there was something soothing to see so many small blips of light remain constantly and continually in the same spot, a sense of normalcy that evaded all of life's curves and dips. Touched, Luna offered to let her help with star tending, the very process that kept the stars in their place in the sky. It was a minor part of cosmical duties, but given some practice, Luna said that she could even do it herself one day.

Met with an emotional, cheerful hug, Twilight agreed. It was a date, she proclaimed with glee. Then, with a massive fluster, she took her words back, admitting it wasn't, even though it was, but Luna would know what she meant.

The older alicorn merely laughed and shook her head, telling her that she didn't understand, asking whether she was being asked out on a date or not. Teasingly, she added in that dinner would be prepared for them, and with it taking place on Luna's private balcony under the stars, it could be a prospective place for one. Twilight, at a loss for an answer, quickly excused herself and left.

A tickling sensation formed in Luna's side. It was soft at first, but began to grow in strength. Giggling, she rolled over exclaiming, “stop it!” Wrestling her way through blankets, she opened her eyes to find one embarrassed pony standing at the edge of her bed.

“Twilight? What are you doing in here?”

“I- umm, I am so sorry, Luna. It's just that, well, you told me to arrive at nine, and so I did. After knocking on your door and waiting for awhile, I decided to open the door. I promise I wasn't meaning to intrude, but I thought maybe you were already on the balcony. Then I saw you were asleep and I didn't know what to do so-”

“Wait.” Luna held her hoof in the air, yawning. She rubbed her eyes, asking, “What time is it?”

“Nearly ten.” Twilight gulped, shifting a stack of notecards in the air beside her. For notes, no doubt.

“And... And you arrived at nine? Twilight, why didn't you wake me up earlier?”

“I-I tried to,” she admitted, fumbling with each syllable. “I tried calling your name and poking you, but that didn't work. S-so I sat around and thought-”

“So you watched me sleep for awhile before deciding to tickle me awake, is that it?” A smile grew around the corners of her lips.

“No!” Twilight responded immediately, flustered.

Luna nodded slowly. “Sure. So you say.” Getting up from the bed, she started walking over towards the balcony doors. “Regardless, we have some stars to tend to. Unless you have anything else to say, we should get started.”

“I do.”

Stopping in her tracks, Luna turned around slowly. Twilight was seeming quite on edge tonight, and this did little to refute that point. Delaying her lesson on star tending? What could be more important than that?

Pulling out one of her index cards, face still very flustered and voice shaky, she began to read aloud:

“Hi Luna, I've been thinking about what you said a few nights ago and-”

Oh my. By the stars, this is adorable. Luna shook her head, trying her best to stop from snickering. It would crush the poor girl's heart. Still, the smile that overtook her face came with lightning speed.

“- it sounded very nice. And I thought, because we both like the stars-”

Glancing up from her card, Twilight noticed the amused facial expression Luna could not hope to contain, and blushed even more. The aura around her cards flicked and faltered, and she did not get through even a couple more words before her magic collapsed completely, dropping a dozen cards onto the floor, scattering them everywhere.

Quickly fumbling for them on the ground, Twilight muttered, “Umm, I-I'm so sorry I didn't mean to I just got scared and I dropped them and-”

Sighing, Luna stepped up before her. “Twilight?”

The mare in question looked up, rising to her hooves. “Y-y-yes?”

“You're cute.” With that, she leaned in and pecked her on the lips.

Twilight recoiled for a moment, eyes wide, comprehension reduced to dust. Then, slowly, the facts began to click into place. Her voice was quiet and unsure. “I... I-umm... I don't have a card for that.”

Luna burst into laughter, holding her aching chest with a hoof. She was afraid it might put a damper on Twilight's spirits, but she could mend those if need be. This was too much.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she wrapped Twilight in a hug. Releasing her, she began to skip towards the balcony doors, saying, “Come on, Twilight, time for our date.”