7 - I Wouldn't Call it Spying...
Celestia
I had just finished a meeting with a group of delegates from the Griffon Empire, and I was in serious need of a break. I had the rest of the afternoon off, and I had plans to spend it with someone I really cared about.
When I approached his room, I knocked on the door, hearing shuffling sounds from inside, followed by the words “Come in.”
I opened the door to see him pulling a hoodie out from his closet. “Hey, Mom,” he said absentmindedly as he threw the jacket on.
Did he already have plans?
“Hello, Orion,” I greeted with a wary look on my face. “Are you going somewhere?”
“Yeah. The guys and I are headed to the bowling alley and then we’re gonna catch a movie afterwards. I’ll probably won’t be home until around ten tonight.”
A frown grew on my face as my ears drooped, disappointed that my son already had a full day today. “Well, I was hoping we could spend the day together and perhaps visit your father tonight,” I said, hoping to sway him. “It’s been a month since we’ve last gone.”
“I know, but my friends and I already made plans, and I don’t want to leave them hanging,” Orion rebutted. “Can we go tomorrow?”
“I won’t be able to go tomorrow, sweetie. I’m going to be busy all day and by the time I get off, I’ll be too tired for us to go.”
Orion let out a sigh as he looked at his watch. “Well, I gotta head out, Mom. I’m already running late and I don’t want to keep my friends waiting.” He zipped up his black hoodie and headed out the door, his messy tail brushing my side as he passed me. “We’ll go visit Dad some other time, okay?”
“Sure Orion,” I sighed, looking down in disappointment before turning to look at him as he briskly walked down the hallway. “Have fun!” I called out.
“I will!”
“Be safe!”
“I will!”
“I love you!”
“Love you too!”
“Don’t spend too much money on snacks!”
“Mom!” he said, turning and looking at me with an annoyed face. I chuckled a little as I waved him off, but I still felt rather lonely.
I was really looking forward to visiting Orion’s father with him. We were only able to do so once a month, and he used to love seeing his dad even more than I did.
The sound of flapping wings made my ears perk up, and I turned to see Philomena flying towards me, cawing happily as she did so.
“Good afternoon to you, too, Philomena,” I smiled. “I hope you’re having a better day than I am.”
My pet phoenix opened her beak to respond, but what came out of her scared me out of my wits.
“BEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEEP! BEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEEP! BEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEEP!”
“Gah!” I shrieked as I fell out of my bed, landing on the floor with a thud. I let out a painful groan as I rolled onto my stomach and reached up for my nightstand, pulling myself up so I could see the time.
Six-o-clock AM.
“Already?” I sighed, finally getting onto my hooves. I levitated my golden silk sleeping robe with my magic, clumsily bringing it towards me and putting it on.
Another one of those dreams, fantasies of what could have been… They’d always happen towards the year’s end, and increasingly so as the end of November drew closer. Since Luna’s return, I made a habit of blocking my dreams so she couldn’t find them on her nightly surveys.
I went through every measure I could to keep that part of my life a secret.
A yawn escaped me as I tied the string around the robe, walking out of my room and heading towards the nearest mountainside balcony.
Sometimes this part of my job is the most tedious.
Octavia
“Would you like some tea, Rarity?” I asked the unicorn as she walked out of the bathroom, having just taken a shower. I perused the kitchen cupboards, wondering what flavor I should drink.
“Yes, please,” she answered as unwrapped the towel that had been holding her mane up. “What do you have?”
“Most everything. I’m somewhat of a tea connaisseuse.”
Rarity smiled as she looked through her closet. “Well, in that case, I’ll have some Jasmine.”
“Coming right up,” I said, taking a moment to think about what I wanted. “You know what? I think I’ll just have what she’s having,” I thought in surrender, preparing two cups of Jasmine tea.
Rarity and I sat next to each other on the couch, sipping away at our drinks. It had been five days since she moved in, and so far, I really liked having her around. For one, she kept her side of the room clean, which was one of the only gripes I had with Vinyl back when we were rooming together. I glanced over at Rarity’s bed and smiled at how spotless it was.
“You know, Octavia, I feel like going out on the town today!” the unicorn suddenly declared, causing me to snap my head back towards her.
“Oh really? What did you have in mind?”
She thought about it for a moment. “Actually, I’m not really sure. There’s just so much to do here in Canterlot that I’m not regularly exposed to in Ponyville.”
“Well, how about we go to the Canterlot Museum of Art? I don’t know if you’ve been there before, but they’ve made some recent renovations, so it’ll still be a new experience.”
I could’ve sworn that I saw Rarity’s eyes lit up like Hearth’s Warming lights at that moment.
“I absolutely LOVE that idea! It’ll be great to see some fine art! You know what? We should invite Marcus to come with us! The three of us will have our first outing together.”
I was taken aback by Rarity’s sudden excitability. Every now and then, she would have one of these outbursts, which always managed to shock me whenever I was around to witness one of them.
Wait, she wanted Marcus to come with us?
It was at that point that I became a little unsure. Because Rarity and I were roommates, it made it easier for me to get to know her, but Marcus was a different story. I had only seen him a few times since our first meeting, and he had been with Rarity all those times. I didn’t really know much about him, and I wasn’t sure if he’d be interested in museums.
I know Mother said to “be more adventurous,” but it’s a lot easier said than-
“Hello, Marcus! How are you?”
Huh?
I looked behind me and was surprised to see that Rarity was at her nightstand, talking to Marcus on the phone! When did she even get up from the couch!?
The unicorn seemed to pay no mind to my reaction as she continued to speak into the phone. “I hope I didn’t wake you up, darling… Oh, okay. Well, Octavia and I were headed to the Canterlot Museum of Art today, and we were wondering if you would like to join us.”
There was a long pause after that, prompting me to worry a little? Did Marcus not want to go? I didn’t want him to think that Rarity and I were too pushy.
“We were thinking about going at around noon,” she suddenly said, my ears perking up at the sound of her voice. There was another short pause before she said “Fabulous! Oh, and the museum has a café, as well, so we can all grab a bite to eat while we’re there!”
I let out a relieved breath, sinking back into the couch.
“Of course, Marcus. Bye!” the unicorn chirped before hanging up the phone and turning to me. “He’s going to meet us at the school’s main entrance at noon.” She then tilted her head, looking at me with a bemused expression before giggling at me. “Oh, darling. You need to learn to loosen up a little. There was no need to be so nervous. The worst thing Marcus could’ve done was say no.”
“Yeah. Right…” I chuckled nervously.
“So, now that we have plans, I was wondering if you could help me pick out an outfit to wear, we only have an hour to get ready.” Rarity smiled, skipping over to her closet.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Only?”
Luna
I tried not to regurgitate as I continued to eat my breakfast. Thanks to that accursed diet that Withers had forced upon me, all of my meals were limited to items that only had nutritional value. Today’s breakfast consisted of a bran muffin to start off, followed by a bowl of oats.
It was the blandest meal I’d ever consumed.
Marcus had long since left me. Once he was finished with his breakfast, he had to get ready to see some friends of his, leaving me to suffer through this terrible ordeal. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten my breakfast this slowly.
I let out a depressed sigh. Why me? Why did Celestia get the advisor that was obsessed with scheduling while I got stuck with the one that wanted to control my personal life? I’m a grown mare, for Equestria’s sake! What I do with my diet and my romantic life is my choice and mine alone!
“Okay, Luna. Calm down,” I thought. “You’ll get through this. You’ll figure out a way to outsmart that wretch of a stallion. All you need to do is survive for now until you can figure something out.”
Another sigh escaped me as the thought of losing weight crossed my mind. My current weight may have been above average, but I really liked the way I looked. My curves were in all the right places, and my body had a nice squishy feel to it, like I was a curvy, blueberry-flavored marshmallow, assuming the existence of such a thing. Additionally, my physician said that my weight was still healthy, so it’s not like I was risking my life or anything.
Above all else, though, I really enjoyed teasing Marcus.
Ever since he first came to Equestria, I’ve been pestering him about how he had been staring at me when we first saw each other after two years. We both knew that he was just surprised at how different I looked compared to back then, but I would jokingly claim that he was actually ogling me. The flustered and overwhelmed faces he’d make were simply priceless. How could I not find enjoyment in that?
Alas, once I start losing weight (and by extension, my squishy, marshmallowy physique), Marcus will stop staring, and then I’ll have nothing to tease him about, which would be a shame. Being able to tell jokes and laugh with him was one of the two things that got me through a day of dealing with Withers, the other being chocolate chip cookies.
And I’ve already lost access to one of those things.
As I managed to wash down the rest of my oats with water, I saw Celestia passing by as she left her morning court, and she waved at me happily once she saw me.
“Good morning, Luna!” she greeted cheerfully.
“There is nothing ‘good’ about this morning,” I scoffed.
“Oh, right. I overheard the guards talking about the diet that Withers put you on. How’re you handling it so far?”
“It’s only a matter of time before I start having suicidal thoughts,” I lamented. “I can’t live without my sweets…”
“I think you’re just going through withdrawal,” Tia said with a nervous look. “I’m sure you’ll be able to endure this.”
“I sure hope so…”
“Oh, by the way, have you seen Marcus at all this morning? He wasn’t in his room when I passed by.”
“He was here earlier for breakfast, but then he had to get himself ready. He’s going to be meeting up with some friends of his from school.”
At that moment, a worried look grew on my sister’s face, but it only lasted for a split second before disappearing as suddenly as it came. “Oh. I see. I guess he forgot to tell me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I guess so… Well, I’m sure he’ll be fine. It’s not like we’re in a massive city like Manehattan, and he’ll be with ponies that know their way around. At least that’s what I assume.”
“Did he say where he was going?” Tia asked.
I gave her another look. “Um… I think he said that he and his friends were going to an art museum.”
“Alright then,” she smiled. “I’ll see you later, Luna. Good luck with your diet.”
“Thanks. Heaven knows I’ll need it,” I sighed, watching Celestia as she walked off.
Why do I get the feeling that I shouldn’t have told her where Marcus was?
Celestia
I didn’t get it. Why would Marcus go out without telling me? My mind began to wonder what would happen to him. Sure, he was with friends, but he’s never mentioned them to me, so I had no idea who they were! I didn’t want my precious nephew to fall into the wrong crowd!
“What am I gonna do?” I thought. “I know it’s important for Marcus to have independence, but I just don’t feel right with this.”
I had reached my bedroom, worry building up inside me as I paced back and forth. “I promised Maria and Hector that I’d take good care of him. What would I say to them if something bad happened to him? They put their trust in me and I can’t let them down, but what can I-”
And just like that, it hit me. Luna said that Marcus was going to an art museum. Now, there were several museums of different kinds in the city, but there was only one museum of art, so there was no doubt that Marcus would be headed there. With that being the case, I thought that maybe, if I went to the museum myself in disguise and watched him from a distance, then I’d be one hundred percent sure that he’d be safe.
With this brilliantly concocted plan (if I do say so myself) in mind, I immediately went into my closet and found a simple white sundress and a matching hat to go with it. Looking into the mirror after redressing myself, I subdued the magic in my mane and tail, effectively causing them to be affected by gravity and fall from their non-existent breeze. I then used the subdued magic to hide my two massive protrusions.
The ones on my back, not on my chest.
“I should definitely change my mane color, too. Seeing a mane colored like mine will make me stick out like a sore thumb.”
With a snap of my fingers and a spark from my horn, I changed my mane and tail color to a very pale pink.
“Hmm… I should disguise myself more often.”
After taking that short moment to admire myself in the mirror, I grabbed my phone and sent out a text to Marcus before leaving the castle:
'Luna told me that you were headed to the art museum with some friends. Stay safe, and let me know when you get home.
-Celeste <3'
I arrived at the art museum at twelve-twenty in the afternoon, standing idly outside the building as I waited for my nephew to arrive.
“Okay, it takes a half hour to walk from CUFTA to here, so he should be here in about ten minut- wait.” I blinked as I suddenly saw Marcus approaching the building. “What the-? How did he get here so fast, unless… he took a shortcut! Why didn’t I think of that?” I let out a sigh of relief at the fact that I arrived early.
I watched Marcus as he walked up the staircase, and I noticed that there were two mares with him, and seeing who they were surprised me.
The mare to the left of Marcus was a white unicorn with a curly indigo mane and tail and blue eyes. I immediately recognized her as Rarity, a close friend of my former student, Twilight Sparkle, and the element of Generosity. Twilight did mention that Rarity was coming to Canterlot for schooling, but she never mentioned which school she was going to. On top of that, I was so busy preparing Marcus’s arrival that I didn’t even arrange a welcome for her.
The second mare, walking to the left of Rarity, was another one that I recognized. She was an earth mare with a grey coat, a dark grey mane and tail, and purple-colored eyes. I remembered seeing her at the Grand Galloping Gala several times over the past few years, and I’d been hearing that her ensemble had recently gone their separate ways, with her being the only one that stayed in Canterlot.
I let out a relieved sigh. Those two mares were very responsible young ladies, and if Marcus had to go out into the city with anypony from school, I’d prefer it to be them.
“Well, now I know that Marcus is with two mares that I trust,” I thought. “Hang on… Marcus is with two mares! Aww! He didn’t tell me that he had lady friends! That is so adorable!” I knew that Marcus was safe with those two, but now my worry was replaced by an overwhelming curiosity. “Is he on a date with them? Is he trying to impress them so they’ll want to be with him? It makes sense now that I think of it; he was probably nervous about his romantic life and didn’t want to tell me. That’s so cute! I definitely need to see where this goes.”
…What?
Oh, you think I was spying? That’s a rather harsh way to put it. I like to think of it as… looking out for my precious nephew.
Besides, I don’t think I’ll be doing any harm.
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Nice chapter! Really enjoying this so far (I may have also got a little testy eyed after Tia's dream).
Also, everything during and after Luna's POV is centered.
EDIT: I hate this phone. I meant teary eyed.
5305759
Really? Must've been an error when I imported the Google Docs file. I'll fix it ASAP.
5305759
Just fixed it.
Always glad to see another lovely chapter of this story.
Well that's a knee-slapper!!
Good one, Sketchy! *high-hoof*
Random theory time!
Orion's father is the good King Sombra. Celestia said they could only visit once a month. Maybe the portal to the alternate Equestria only works on a monthly basis, similar to the portal in Equestria Girls only working once every so many moons.
5306030
I made the joke before someone could make it in the comments.
Preemptive strike!
The dream scene was interesting and I really loved Luna's perspective about her physique. Additionally, I found Celestia disguising herself and spying herself to be hilarious...especially with how she breaks the fourth wall to say that it's not weird.
still a great story
stay classy
5306128
Huh??
You completely confuzzled me, dude.
Edit: Ohhhh, nevermind, took me a bit...
Oh silly Tia, in hindsight you'll realize what you did, but by then it'd be too late
Warning - 4th Wall breech! 4th Wall breech!
The only thing I want to comment on grammar-wise is the way you write out the characters' thoughts. Quotation marks should only be used when characters are speaking or if they're referring to a title to something like a book or movie. Italicizing words could do the same thing as the latter, but you'd have to choose one or the other and make that consistent throughout the story; other than that, it's also used to emphasize words when characters are speaking or when they're thinking to themselves. I honestly think you don't need to use both the quotation marks and italicizing the line to show the characters are thinking, but that's just me.
Other than that, excellent chapter, and nice reference to Celestia's moment with Orion.
5307971
I guess I could change it, but I'd have to go back and change every instance of it in the previous chapters since that's the way I've always written thoughts. I personally use quotations and italics because it helps to mark a clear separation between thoughts and narration.
im more curious in the honey pot perspective