Chapter Three: Baby-Steps
“You what?”
“You promised you wouldn't freak-out.” Sea Breeze anxiously reminded.
“I promised I would try.” Star Shade heatedly countered.
“...Maybe, put in a little more effort?” The mare offered.
This was met with a glare.
Seeing the stallion's quickly growing ire, Sea Breeze held up her hooves to forestall him “Alright, alright, just let me explain. I can make this make sense.”
Star Shade closed his eyes and visibly settled, or at least caged, his anger, before again focusing his gaze on Sea Breeze “This had better be good.”
Sea breeze visibly let out a sigh of relief at this, before giving a nervous grin “Uh, yeah, I was totally serious about putting a lot of thought into this. You'll-...”
The mare trailed off, as she noted Star Shade's glare starting to intensify.
“...-Uhm, right. Well...” Sea Breeze had to briefly clear her throat at that, before glancing to her hooves. A moment later, she quickly picked up her helmet, before sliding it back onto her head. Making sure the protective headwear was securely in-place, Sea Breeze took in a deep breath before focusing back upon Star Shade “OK, so...I think Princess Luna is kinda...isolated.”
Sea Breeze couldn't help but notice the confused look being sent her way now, though she couldn't be sure if it was due to the notion or her tone. She did feel uncharacteristically serious about this topic.
“I mean...I can't be the only one to have noticed this, right?” Sea Breeze tried to prod things along.
Star Shade merely shook his head at this, before sending a wry look Sea Breeze's way “Why did you feel the need to put your helmet back on?”
“I-...uh, I wasn't really sure just how angry you might get?” The mare hesitantly answered.
“You thought I was going to assault you over you saying something-...something that you would say?” Star Shade demanded.
“Well, I don't know. I mean, there have been some conversations when I probably would have been better off if I had went into things with a helmet on.” Sea Breeze tried to explain.
The stallion briefly thought she might have been kidding, before realizing that, no, this wasn't some sort of joke or put-on. He couldn't help but let his mild shock, and anger, show at this upsetting admission from the mare.
He was particularly distressed by how casual she seemed about it. And the implications.
“Well, don't get all judgmental, alright? I mean, I know I made some stupid choices in my life, but-” Sea Breeze began, a touch defensively, as she seemed to think his reaction was directed towards her.
“That is not what I'm upset about! I'm upset over the idea that you think-...how can you think that such a thing would be normal?” Star Shade demanded.
“Uh, what?” Was her uncomprehending response.
“Has this always been the case? I understand that you've had troubles with your father, but-” Star Shade began.
“What?! You think that- No! What in Sweet Luna's name is wrong with you?!” Sea Breeze cut-in, finally grasping what the stallion seemed to be assuming.
“What?” Came Star Shade's equally uncomprehending response.
“All I meant was, that I spent a decent chunk of my young life on my own, being all irresponsible and whatever. I didn't always think things through well enough, to pick the right ponies to hang out with. That's it.” Sea Breeze finally explained.
“I-...Oh.” Came Star Shade's reply.
“Yeah.”
The stallion took a moment to clear his throat “Well...I suppose, I started jumping to conclusions, but still I'm not exactly pleased to hear that.”
“Well-...yeah, you knew I was kinda stupid back then. It wasn't anything that I hold a grudge over, cause it was just stupid scuffles and whatnot. Stuff that happens when folks with the wrong kind of tempers get a bit too tipsy or whatever.” The mare continued to elaborate.
“Even so...if there's anything that was ever criminal that happened towards you...” Star Shade prompted.
“I-...well, you gotta understand, alright. I learned to take care of myself, so everything's cool, OK?” Sea Breeze seemed to hedge a bit.
The stallion simply nodded at that.
“I just can't believe that you could think something like that about my dad. He's never had a problem with letting me know what an idiot I was, or anything. I mean, he could really workout his vocabulary, whenever we would get into an argument. He could come up with some really creative ways of describing someone's stupidity, believe me. But he never did anything like that.” The mare explained.
“Well, I suppose that's some relief, but-” Star Shade started.
“And don't get started on that again. I mean we were a small port, so we were always dealing with sailors and whatnot. Everyone kind of talked like that. Sailor-talk, and all that. He was probably a lot more restrained with me than with most others. I mean, I was kind of an idiot back then.”Sea Breeze continued, not letting the stallion regain any momentum.
The stallion gave another nod at that, trying to accept the explanation, though something still seemed to be visibly bothering him “So...you're saying that a lot of the ponies spoke rather...crassly, in your hometown?”
“Not just ponies, but you could say that, yeah.” The mare replied.
“You don't seem especially crass or vulgar, despite your other...traits.” Star Shade pointed out.
“Uh, well...I mean, it's not exactly a party-trick you just whip out, you know? I could probably reduce you to tears, if you really wanted me to lay into you.”
“You don't think that you're overstating things a bit?” The stallion asked, visibly skeptical of the claim.
“Nah. We even had this sort of informal contest down on the docks, where everyone would tear into each other. Verbally, I mean.”
“Seriously?”
“It's not as bad as you think. It was always, you know, quasi-friendly. It really helped get, like, grievances and bad feelings out in the open, so they could be buried for real. We also had food and drinks, so that was awesome.”
Star Shade couldn't help but shake his head at this, not sure if he believed his fellow bat-pony or not.
“If you don't believe me, dad was the reigning champion for five years running. Lost on a technicality, the year before last. Reduced the referee to a quivering pile, when they made the decision. Had watermelon afterward though, so it kind of-” Sea Breeze continued.
“I think we've wandered a bit too far from the matter-at-hoof...though, for the record, I would like to apologize for assuming that...” Star Shade offered.
“That I wanted to climb into Princess Luna's bed, or for assuming that about my dad?” Sea Breeze cheekily asked.
“You do understand, that you're still not exactly off-the-hook, don't you?” Star Shade sourly retorted.
Sea Breeze waved a hoof at that, in a placating gesture “I know, I know. And I really do have some, like, thoughts that should help make things make sense.”
“And I'm still waiting on them.” The stallion reminded.
“Right, so...what exactly was I saying?”
“...You're failing to inspire much confidence.” Star Shade remarked.
“What? I lost my train of thought.” The mare defended.
“You barely even got started before.” He countered.
“Well...look, I gotta a very specific, very convincing-” Sea Breeze began.
“I'm sure.” The stallion interjected.
“-series of points. And I don't want to mess it up. I mean, the arguments gotta build off of each other, like some sort of carefully designed, architecturally-glorious, big...thing.” Sea Breeze tried to explain.
Star Shade rubbed his brow again.
“Seriously. I got a whole process masterminded.”
“I'm sure.” The stallion remarked.
“You let me get going, you'll probably be hitting on Princess Luna yourself, before-” Sea Breeze confidently added.
“You were observing that you thought that Princess Luna seemed isolated. Now please explain yourself, before my headache gets any worse.” Star Shade irritably complained.
“Oh...right. Princess Luna seems kind of isolated...” Sea Breeze confirmed to herself.
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...So, like I said, Princess Luna is all isolated and...uhm...what was I going to say?” Sea Breeze hedged, as she brought a hoof up to her chin in consideration.
“You cannot be serious.”
“I- there was a lot of stuff to remember! I'm trying to get it all sorted.” The mare replied.
“Don't bother.” Star Shade tersely stated.
“What? Why?” Sea Breeze asked, with no small amount of confusion.
“You're relieved for the night from this post. You can head back to your bunk.” Star Shade calmly ordered.
“What?!” Sea Breeze demanded.
“For that matter, you're going to be reassigned to another part of the castle, from here on.” The stallion continued, in a matter-of-fact manner.
“I- But- Why?!” The mare asked, an edge of panic entering her voice.
“Your overly casual manner and general lack of discipline aside? If you can't explain your earlier comments, as being anything aside from a base lust for our Princess, I don't want you assigned so closely too her anymore.”
“But, I haven't even done anything!” Sea Breeze pointed out.
“And I'd rather we kept it that way. If you really are harboring unwholesome thoughts towards Princess Luna, then this course is just as much for your benefit as anypony else.” Star Shade continued, unmoved by the mare's argument.
Sea Breeze's jaw dropped a bit at this, before she whipped her gaze around to look at the doors that lead to where Princess Luna was, no doubt, hard at work. Turning her eyes back to Star Shade, a hint of desperation in her expression now “Wait. I mean, you can't right? You can't just kick me out of the Night Guard like that!”
“You are not being kicked out. You're being assigned to a different post.” Star Shade reminded.
“But, I took that whole oath thing! How am I supposed to protect Princess Luna, if I'm not here? I mean, I swore to do anything I could to help her!” Sea Breeze pressed.
“Then you can help her the same way so many other members of the Night Guard do, on a nightly basis; by representing Princess Luna and serving others.” Star Shade countered, his tone becoming more strained with irritation.
“You didn't even let me explain!”
“Then explain!”
“I just want to help her!!!”
Silence reigned in the moments following that emotionally wrought outburst. Star Shade couldn't help but glance towards the double-doors they were stationed outside of, partly wondering if Princess Luna had heard that, and partly to avoid looking towards Sea Breeze. The doors were heavy, and lightly enchanted to ensure that incidental noises didn't bother the princess, but that could only go so far. Still, he could only avoid the mare in front of him so long.
“Listen. Just try to calm down, Sea Breeze. We can-” Star Shade began.
“I'm sorry, about that. I-...I just can't go back to being that sort of pony again...” Sea Breeze admitted, now looking to the side, avoiding Star Shade's own gaze now.
This was easily as upset as he had ever seen the upbeat mare. Nothing seemed to truly bother her over the months that he had known her, until now. Whether she was being chewed-out by a superior, overworked, dismissed, rejected, or even insulted, she always carried through with the same...resilience. There were some few times that she may have been surprised or uncomfortable, but those rarely lasted for long. The few moments where she showed any deeper part of herself were, likewise, short-lived.
By now, Sea Breeze should have already been trying to laugh this whole thing off.
Not nearly in tears.
He was nearly ready to speak-up, to try to say something to calm her or...something, when she turned back towards him.
“I mean, I promised. She needs help, and I think I can...you know? Do that. She's amazing and I want to...and there have been other amazing ponies that I wanted to help. But then I never did, cause of...reasons.” Sea Breeze tried to explain, her voice a bit more in control now, even though she found herself rambling.
Star Shade couldn't help but shake his head, at this sight “We can talk about this later. Right now, you need to-”
“I can't just leave again. I don't know who I'll be, if I do that again. I don't know if...” Sea Breeze eventually trailed off, unable to articulate her emotions.
The stallion considered the mare now, even as her gaze drifted down towards her own hooves. Some part of him started to wonder if she would just root herself to that spot and refuse to move, refuse to give up this position in this hall, and her life. He didn't doubt her devotion at this point, and hadn't done so for sometime. He recalled that first meeting clearly, and even then recognized that Princess Luna had made an impression upon the mare. While not the ideal recruit, she hadn't complained through the training. Half of the reason he ended up at this post with her so often, was that she was almost always the first and most eager volunteer for any position even remotely close to the Princess. To say nothing of the transformation she willingly undertook to become a bat-pony.
He hadn't had any doubts about her intentions for sometime.
But good intentions sometimes lead to woe, regardless.
And this reaction, this didn't seem healthy by any measure. Somewhere along the line, it seemed as if Sea Breeze had placed Princess Luna as the determining factor, on whether or not she could make herself into a better pony. That if she didn't succeed in 'helping' Princess Luna, that was it. Being able to fix all of her past mistakes, rested on doing this one thing right. That was very worrisome, even if it was only guesswork, on his part.
“Can we just forget I said anything at all? It's like, ha-ha. I got you. I mean, I say things like that all the time, so-” Sea Breeze began to plead.
“Just...explain yourself.” Star Shade interrupted.
The mare couldn't help but stop to look up, a faint hope in her eyes “What?”
“Before we discuss anything else...just finish explaining what you meant earlier. How you think...flirting with Princess Luna might help.” Star Shade clarified, even as part of him realized there were greater issues at play. Even if there was some sort of sense behind her proposal, what about the rest of this? He couldn't help but wonder if the mare needed to be moved away from the Princess, for her own well-being.
But, part of him still wanted to give her a chance.
“Can you do that for me?” Star Shade asked.
A few moments of hesitation, and the mare gave a nod “Y-yeah. I just...need a minute.”
He nodded in-turn, giving her the time to compose herself.
Soon enough, Sea Breeze gave a cough of laughter, that was closer to a sob, before putting on an uneven grin “Wow, I really did kind of screw-up that pitch, huh? Heh, stupid...brain, and whatnot. Never does what you tell it to.”
Star Shade didn't comment on the mare's faltering attempt to make light of the situation; if that's what she needed to do to compose herself...
“So...I guess, I'll just stick to the basics then, huh? I mean, keep it simple, right?” Sea Breeze hedged.
Star Shade held his silence.
“...I think Princess Luna needs more friends, as opposed to guards, or whatever.” Sea Breeze eventually stated.
The stallion gestured with a hoof for her to continue, after a few moments.
Gaining a bit of confidence, after seeing Star Shade's calm reaction, the mare nodded “So, like, how many ponies do we ever see her just sort of...hang-out with?”
“I'm not sure a Princess ever 'hangs-out'...but I think I see your point. Go on.” Star Shade prompted.
“Right. I mean, she only ever spends any non-working time with Princess Celestia. And she's cool and all, but that's not normal, or anything. And there's that whole thing with the, you know, incident. The big one, from like a thousand years back?” Sea Breeze continued.
Star Shade's face soured up a bit at that point, not liking the direction it was going in. He didn't particularly like that topic to begin with, and if the mare was suggesting that Princess Luna was going to...go down that path again, he couldn't help but become a bit defensive.
“I know what you're thinking, and that's not what I'm getting at.” Sea Breeze quickly added, noting the look on the stallion's face. Swallowing a bit, before continuing “It's more like I'm thinking we need to work to help the root issue, that lead to the whole...you know.”
Star Shade furrowed his brow at this “I fail to see how trying to seduce Princess Luna helps.”
The mare gave an exasperated sigh, at this “I never said I was going to try to seduce her or anything. I have standards, you know?”
“What?”
“I mean, not that I wouldn't, like, be the first in line to-...this isn't helping my case. What I meant, is that I'm not going to do something like exploit someone's emotional issues, just cause I'm attracted to them.” Sea Breeze explained.
“Emotional issues?” Star Shade pressed.
“Yeah. I mean, there's more to it being right than just getting a 'yes' or whatever, you know?” The mare added.
“I'm well-aware of that. I just...” Star Shade stopped himself, before he could comment on Sea Breeze's own, increasingly obvious, emotional issues. Shaking his head at that “If you didn't want to seduce Princess Luna, then how could you justify flirting with her?”
“Uh, because flirting with and seducing somepony isn't the same thing?” She replied, as if it should be obvious.
At the skeptical look she received, Sea Breeze rolled her eyes “I- look. Seduction is all about the endgame. Flirting, that's more like...okay, so I don't just flirt with folks I want to sleep with, alright? There's more to it than that. It's, uh-...what's the word I'm looking for?”
“I couldn't possibly know.”
The mare let out a sigh at that “I guess, it's all about...barriers. It's about getting folks to relax, and let you in...figuratively.”
Star Shade had to rub the bridge between his eyes, at that last part.
“It's letting them know that they are attractive to others, and that there isn't anything wrong with them. That you accept them.” Sea Breeze continued on undeterred.
“And yet, you can't just tell them this? You don't think the same could be achieved with compliments or some such thing?” Star Shade argued.
“You can compliment someone without it being personal. I mean, if you didn't know me, and I just said, like...you're handsome or you're a real go-getter, would you take it to heart? No, it'd just be some nice-thing, that I said to you.”
“You can't authoritatively declare something like that.” Star Shade argued.
“Well, hey, there's lot of ponies that have said nice things about Princess Luna. I mean, you don't waste any time in letting her know that you think highly of her. Do you think of yourself as her friend?” Sea Breeze eventually asked.
The stallion was given some pause at that.
“Flirting may have been the wrong word to use. It's just sort of the first thing that came to mind. Again, not helping my case, I know.” The mare conceded with a wave of her hoof.
“But, yeah, if part of protecting Luna is making sure that she's happy, it means providing her the things that other ponies need too. I think that we need to make it clear to her, that there are those out there that want to know her and not just respect who she's supposed to be for us.” Sea Breeze finally finished.
Star Shade rose a hoof to his chin, as he processed that. He could admit that, on several levels, it made sense. He, like many others, knew that Princess Luna was trying to reach out to ponies, with uneven success. And, while she didn't exactly come across as a traditional case, their Princess of the Night had an odd sort of shyness to her. While Princess Celestia frequently went out into public and interacted with her subjects, Princess Luna's attempts were somewhat further and fewer between.
It might actually help, if those she was already familiar with were the ones to give her some guidance and social experience. Certainly nopony of the Night Guard would give her a hard time over the occasional faux pas.
His attention was brought back to the mare, as she gave an anxious cough.
“And, I-...I mean, if you really think that it's best though, that I get reassigned or whatever...” Sea Breeze began, visibly dreading the possibility “ If you think it's the best way for me to help her, I shouldn't...you know? But, still I think I'm right on this and, uh, just keep it in mind, alright? For her.”
Star Shade watched the mare for a few more moments, considering everything that had just been said and everything he knew of her. Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes before letting it out in a long, heavy sigh.
“That might not be necessary.”
Sea Breeze immediately looked up, hope visibly entering her countenance “...Might not?”
“Do not think that I am removing the option from the table, and you should continue to improve yourself, if you are going to continue working in proximity to the Princess. But, now that I understand your point-” He was cut-off as a pile of armored pony crashed into him, as Sea Breeze abruptly engulfed the stallion in an embrace.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you-”
“Tch- this is precisely the kind of unprofessional behavior that I was talking about!” Star Shade bit out, halfheartedly.
Looking down at the gleeful mare, it wasn't really that what she had said earlier that had swayed him, though in the end there was some sense to what she said. It was the last part, that had helped convince him, more than anything. Once her panic had passed, and she could admit that maybe she could help in ways other than being at Princess Luna's side, it came across as less of an obsession than he feared.
Still, he would need to take on a more direct approach with guiding the mare, as a member of the Night's Guard. Maybe he would have to embrace being some manner of mentor for her. Maybe-
“Am I interrupting something?”
Both bat-ponies turned to see Princess Luna standing in the doorway, a scroll floating in her magic, and a bemused look on her face, as she scrutinized the pair.
There were several seconds of silence, as they both tried to process the situation. To Star Shade's chagrin, Sea Breeze seemed to be the first to get her thoughts in order.
“Uh...hey, Gorgeous. What's up?”
Star Shade was starting to see the sense in Sea Breeze putting her helmet back on, as he was gripped with the overwhelming urge to smack her upside the head.
For Princess Luna's part she didn't seem particularly bothered, merely tilting her head in mild curiosity “I am not exactly sure. May I ask what the two of you are doing?”
Star Shade acted quickly, shoving Sea Breeze away before she could say anything more to the Princess “Nothing worthy of note, your Highness.”
“Yeah, nothing to note. He's getting married, you see?” Sea Breeze quickly agreed.
The Princess of the Night blinked at this revelation, before turning her attention towards Star Shade “Is this true?”
Put on the spot, it took the stallion a moment to reply “I-...Yes, your Highness.”
Princess Luna slowly turned her gaze back towards Sea Breeze “And you were...?”
“Me? Well, I was just so excited for him...” Sea Breeze vaguely explained.
Princess Luna nodded at this, before focusing back upon Star Shade “Then, I suppose, you have my congratulations as well, Star Shade.”
“...Thank you, your Highness.” The stallion managed to reply.
“May I ask, when is the wedding planned?” Princess Luna calmly asked, her tone as formal as before.
Before Star Shade could speak up, Sea Breeze chimed in “He was telling me earlier, that he was hoping for something in Autumn. And a Harvest Moon.”
The stallion had to swallow down a mixture of irritation for the mare and his own discomfort with this situation “I-...Is there something we can assist you with, Princess Luna? We haven't disturbed you have we?”
Sensing that now was the time to return to propriety, Sea Breeze stood up a bit straighter “We are, as always, at your disposal, your Highness.”
For a brief moment, there were the smallest of slivers of hesitation and discomfort coming from the Princess, as Luna's eyes briefly turned towards the scroll still hovering in her magic “...No. No, that is not the case. I-...that is, We thought to seek counsel on a matter that...goes beyond our own experience.”
“Is there someone you would like us to fetch, your Highness?” Star Shade inquired, all business now.
Luna frowned a bit at this, before shaking her head “Nay. I do not think that shall be necessary.”
Sea Breeze briefly glanced towards Star Shade, out of the corner of her eye “Uhm, if I may ask, Your Highness? What kind of counsel are you looking for?”
Again, there was an uncharacteristic pause from the normally forceful Princess, before the scroll began to float down to eye-level for the two bat-ponies “We have recently received a missive, detailing some manner of nocturnal establishment's celebratory unveiling to the general public. As is only appropriate, it seems We have been invited to serve as the Guest-of-Honor for this event.”
“...You got invited to a night club?” Sea Breeze summarized.
“So it would seem.” Princess Luna agreed.
“Well, that's cool, I guess.” Sea Breeze noted to herself, even as Star Shade considered the 'missive' in question.
Luna nodded at this “While We are quite naturally receptive to the compliment implied in such an invitation, We find that We are...unsure as to how one approaches such a function.”
There was a brief silence, at this admission from the the Princess.
Star Shade cleared his throat briefly, before focusing upon his Princess “Your Highness, are we to understand that you are seeking advice on how one-”
“You need help with going out clubbing?” Sea Breeze asked in a succinct manner.
Princess Luna briefly pursed her lips, before nodding “I believe that is the correct term, yes.”
Sea Breeze suddenly gave a very big grin. One that Star Shade didn't trust, at all.
About a week later...
“You are quite sure that this garb shall serve our purposes?”
Sea Breeze glanced just a little ways down the Canterlot street, to where the Princess of the Night was trudging after her “Uh...yeah, you'll blend right in, your Highness. I mean, you look like just another average, everyday...super-model.”
Princess Luna looked up at that, from beneath the brim of her cap “Is that not at cross-purposes to our goal?”
“...Might be about as much we can accomplish, your Highness.” Sea Breeze admitted.
The disguised Princess of the Night pursed her lips at that, before glancing down at her disguise. While Princess Luna had been able to temporarily poof away her wings and will her energetic mane and tail into more normal appearances, she hadn't done much to alter the rest of her appearance. It had proven a challenge setting up an outfit for Luna that could help her avoid attention. They had eventually settled upon a dark, oversized longcoat, long enough to drape over her Cutie Mark, with a plain shirt underneath. This was topped off with a simple cap, and a pair of trendy sunglasses, to better conceal her features.
It actually looked half-decent. Which was where they had run into the first problem for the night.
The Princess was still sporting a figure that a lot of mares, and some stallions, would kill to have. Princess Celestia had long been considered the epitome of pony-beauty, and Princess Luna came about as close to that standard, as was possible.
And, while Sea Breeze wasn't normally one to complain about such things, it would make going incognito a bit difficult.
Luna, for her part, had helpfully offered to alter her physical dimensions at that point. Unfortunately, this was well-after they had already secured her outfit. Going that route would have likely left most of the clothes a bit on the oversized side.
Sea Breeze was pretty sure Star Shade would have suggested putting off this little practice-run, until they could secure proper attire for the Princess, if he had been there at the time.
Fortunately, Star Shade had volunteered to be a part of the shadowing squad, the Night Guard detail that would be surreptitiously following them around town. Just in case of an emergency. As such, the overly-cautious stallion was probably off getting into position right then, and not in a position to attempt to veto anything.
“Even so, I am not sure I approve of being compared to a pony, whose sole contribution to society is their physical appearance.” Luna quietly groused, as she adjusted the ill-fitted coat over her shoulders.
“Heh. Well, every great work of art needs a canvas.” Sea Breeze remarked, as she fell in at Luna's side, even as the Princess visibly began to consider this point.
“You are suggesting that these ponies have made themselves unto the clay that others will then shape into inspirational form?” Luna asked the smaller bat-pony at her side.
“...Is that what I'm suggesting?”
“I suppose that, in that light, I have made for a poor clay then.” Luna lamented aloud.
“What? No, no, you're doing great.” Sea Breeze quickly denied, with a wave of her hoof.
“And yet, the whole purpose of this excursion is to gather the necessary experience for this event that I am to attend, without drawing attention. Which I seem to be very much failing to do.” The Princess noted, even as she openly eyed a number of other ponies that were passing them in the street.
“Uh...well, you did just say all that in a...very loud and clear way.” Sea Breeze carefully pointed out. This caused the alicorn to come to a brief stop, as she self-consciously rose a hoof to her mouth.
“Oh...yes.” Luna quietly cleared her throat, before speaking in a more subdued tone “I suppose, I still am working too hard to ensure that my voice carries to all that would hear it.”
It was a far cry from the 'Royal Canterlot Voice' but even her regular speaking voice had a tendency to carry her authoritative weight behind it, if she didn't pay careful mind to it.
“Don't worry. You're doing alright. You just gotta remember that you aren't necessarily giving out orders that need to be heard by everyone, you know?” The bat-pony quietly encouraged.
Princess Luna gave another nod at that, which necessitated her pausing to adjust the shades that had slid down her nose. Turning back towards the mare at her side, as they resumed their walk “I still am not clear as to why I should be wearing sunglasses after my night has already set.”
“They're just there to make it a bit harder for people to figure out who you are.” Sea Breeze easily replied.
“Merely concealing my eyes will serve?” The diarch asked, with a shade of skepticism.
“Can't hurt.” Sea Breeze pointed out, with a shrug.
“Hm...as you say, then. I would also know what forms of the 'night-life' we are going to be indulging in. I presume that we shall be participating at a night club, yes?” Luna inquired, even as she avoided eye contact with a couple of ponies that were scrutinizing her outfit.
“That is the plan, your High- I mean, Moony Melodious.” Sea Breeze quickly switched over to Luna's agreed upon alias, with a small grin. The bat-pony had been the one to suggest it, and had been very pleased when Luna had taken to the fake name. Granted, Sea Breeze had a lot of leftover names, that she had elected not to use for herself. So, it was statistically likely that Luna would have liked one of her ideas.
“In fact, we're gonna try to hit several clubs tonight, let you get a feel for the different kinds of places that are available. Maybe try a few other popular nightly endeavors, while we're at it.” Sea Breeze explained.
“And each of these night clubs is essentially a self-contained ongoing celebration, yes? With all that would entail?” Luna pressed.
“Uh-huh. Each one's basically gonna be it's own flavor of party. Music and dancing, foods, socializing, drinking. Some probably got their own gimmicks going on too, but most of them will have all that stuff, at least.” Sea Breeze continued to explain.
“And, we are to become inebriated over the course of the night, yes? I'm given to understand that is a crucial part of 'painting the town red' based on what I've been told.”
Sea Breeze gave a hesitant nod at that “Uh, yeah. Usually. But, that's not something that's really required of you, if you don't want. I mean, can you even get inebriated?”
“It is not an impossible feat, though I shall likely need a great deal of alcohol for that.” Luna answered rather casually.
“Well...I really only have this week's pay on me, so...” Sea Breeze mentioned, suddenly worried about how much this night might cost.
“I appreciate the offer, and your generosity, Sea Breeze. But that shall not be necessary.” Luna quickly reassured.
“Oh?”
“Indeed. A rather mousy pegasus in the Royal Treasury has seen fit to secure me with the right to charge directly to our private vaults. As the modern colloquialism goes...it is on me.” The Princess explained even as she levitated up the small tab, that would serve them that night.
“Well, in that case...”
Early morning...
“Ms. Sea Breeze?”
That soft call for her was the sound that pushed the bat-pony mare back into the world of the waking. And the blinding headache, that was triggered the moment she cracked her eyes open. Sea Breeze quickly cringed away, moaning even as she raised her forehooves to cover her face. Which only brought attention to the cotton-like dryness of mouth, her general sense of exhaustion, and the faintest waves of nausea, that all added together into one massive hangover.
She briefly tried to turn over, as a means to escape the light that was trying to work it's way past her eyelids and into her brain, but was given some pause when she bumped into something.
Something large, warm, and distinctly pony-like.
'...crap.'
Sea Breeze wasn't terribly surprised, when she opened her eyes and saw that she seemed to be sharing a bed with the Princess of the Night.
The bat-pony slowly forced herself to sit up, and take in the situation. Which brought some small relief, as she couldn't pick-up any of the...physical signs that the worst-case scenario had taken place. It seemed she had simply passed out in the same bed as Luna, and little else. Though, she had to wonder where Princess Luna's disguise had gone.
'Well...maybe Star Shade won't, literally, kill you.'
At least, it was a nice bed they had ended up in. That was probably a good sign. It was all pretty and soft, with silky sheets and nice embroidery. Though, one thing did stand out in her mind, as she noted Luna's back hooves jutting off the far end of the bed.
“This sure is a small bed...” Sea Breeze muttered to herself.
“Sorry.” Came the same quiet voice as before, which finally drew the bat-pony's gaze towards it's recipient.
A little, pale blue, unicorn filly was at the side of the bed, patiently waiting for Sea Breeze's attention. Something about the light-yellow of the filly's mane and her demure manner sent up a few flags in the mare's head.
But her brain didn't really feel like sorting through that sort of thing right now.
“Uhm...hi.” Sea Breeze eventually greeted.
“Are you feeling any better now, Ms. Sea Breeze?” The filly politely asked.
“Uhm...no. But, it's fine...I know you from somewhere, right?” If she'd broken into a stranger's house, things might just get awkward.
“You don't remember me? From camp? I'm Delicacy.” The filly, Delicacy, reminded.
“...Oh, right. The cute little filly, that was always following Kitten around.” Sea Breeze nodded, finally recalling where she had seen the young unicorn. This was Diamond Tiara's little friend from the Summer camp she had volunteered for.
“I'm glad you remember me.” Came the earnest reply from Delicacy, even as she gave a kindly smile towards Sea Breeze. A moment later, the little unicorn gestured a hoof towards the bedside table where a couple of glasses and a pitcher of water waited “Did you want something to drink?”
“I, uh...yeah, thanks.” The mare's mouth was practically a desert right now, and she knew well that a lot of the symptoms of a hangover came from dehydration anyway.
The filly gave a nod, even as she floated a half-full glass towards the bat-pony “My pleasure. And you did say that you were probably going to be thirsty in the morning. You and King Luna.”
There were two parts of that statement that nabbed Sea Breeze's attention. The first, was that she had apparently been talking to a young filly while she was utterly hammered. The second didn't need to be explained.
“King Luna?”
Delicacy blinked at her apparent confusion, before giving a nod “Oh, yes. You were both very insistent that she was to be referred to as King Luna now. You made that very clear, during the knighting ceremony.”
“...Princess Luna made me a knight?”
The unicorn filly tilted her head at this, before retrieving a small scroll, featuring some very official looking contents. Delicacy's magic quickly floated it over to the bat-pony for perusal.
There was a whole bunch of flowery language, legal stuff, and very expensive looking scrollwork, but it was the contents near the bottom that did the most to clarify things.
There was Princess Luna's very precisely written out name. Along with, like, two solid lines of accumulated legal titles, all delivered in an exacting order. Evidently, being completely drunk-off-of-her-butt did nothing to compromise Luna's penmanship.
There was Sea Breeze's name. In a barely legibly scrawl.
On the line for the witness to sign.
“...In light of her great forbearance and exemplary grace under pressure, I, Princess Luna of Equestria, do so name Delicacy-...She made you a knight?!” Sea Breeze shouted, as she finally processed what she was reading.
“I think the proper term is Dame.” The filly politely corrected.
“I- But-” The mare began to sputter, before looking back towards the filly, incidentally catching sight of the contents of the room.
Like the humungous pile of bits and gems stacked off to one side. And the giant, glowing sword that was leaning against a dresser, it's tip digging into the floor of the bedroom.
Sea Breeze paled as she took in these sights.
'You also apparently broke into a young filly's bedroom in the middle of the night.'
She brought her hooves up to cover her face, as her brain helpfully reminded her of that one fact. This lead to her realizing that she had something on her head. It turned out to be some sort of wide-brimmed hat.
“Wh-what is this?” Sea Breeze quietly intoned, as she looked at the hat that now sat in her hooves. It was undeniably awesome looking, with it's buckles and the big plume of feathers coming from the top.
Delicacy leaned in, before helpfully pointing a hoof towards something “I think there's a tag here, Ms. Sea Breeze.”
True enough, there was such a tag. One that read 'Property of Canterlot Museum of Exceptional Ponies. Exhibit #324 Captain's hat of the Dread Pirate, Jolly-Roger' all in neat, tight lettering.
“That would explain why you insisted on being called Pirate Queen Sea Breeze.” The unicorn filly noted.
Sea Breeze let the hat drop, before quickly turning towards Luna's prone form, to frantically attempt to shake her apparent partner-in-crime into wakefulness “Luna! Luna! Luna! Luna! Wake-up! Wake-up! Wake-up!-”
Her efforts were quickly met with success, as the Princess of the Night began to groggily arise from her slumber. Not all there herself, Princess Luna ended up taking several moments to rub the sleep from her own eyes.
During these few moments, Sea Breeze couldn't help but stare with worry, at the heavy, jewel-encrusted, crown that Luna was sporting.
Luna was visibly nursing her head, and presumably her own hangover, as she spoke her first words “Why am I being roused so early?”
“P-Princess Luna?” Sea Breeze quickly garnered the alicorn's attention.
And she did get Luna's attention “Sea Breeze? What are you doing in my-...this is not my bed.”
Sea Breeze quickly shook her head.
“...I hope you did not do anything untoward, while I was so inebriated?” Luna asked, in far too calm a manner.
Sea Breeze honestly didn't know how to answer that question, as she was quite busily trying to keep her panic in-check.
“Uhm, I don't think Ms. Sea Breeze did anything of the sort.” Delicacy helpfully chimed in, likewise quickly earning the alicorn's attention “You made it very clear to her last night, that if she was going to, uhm, take advantage of you, she had best do it while you were still inebriated. But Ms. Sea Breeze was already asleep, when you told her this...then you started blinking at her a lot, and then fell asleep too.”
The dark alicorn blinked, at this matter-of-fact relaying of details.
The little unicorn filly shifted her hooves a bit, before tilting her head towards Luna "I'm not really sure what you were worried Ms. Sea Breeze might do, but I don't think she did it."
Princess Luna seemed to maintain her composure with remarkable aplomb, as she quietly stared down upon Delicacy “Who is this child? And why is she in here?”
“Oh, this is, uhm...my bedroom, King Luna.” Delicacy carefully explained.
Luna didn't seem to comprehend the 'King Luna' part of that statement, anymore than Sea Breeze did. Though, she did finally notice the heavy crown, that she had apparently acquired over the course of the night. The Princess slowly levitated the gem-studded crown of iron from her head, taking in it's angular craftsmanship and the dog-like motifs it sported.
“Can you also tell me why I am wearing this crown?” Princess Luna slowly asked the filly.
“You...you said that you were the new King of all Diamond Dogs, now?” Delicacy slowly responded.
“I see...and what of that large weapon, over there? I assume it does not belong to you?”
The unicorn filly shook her head at this “You said, that any Dame of the Night should have an appropriate sign of her office. You left and came back and presented it to me.”
Princess Luna nodded at this.
“You said, that you personally forged it from bent-moonlight and the songs of the stars themselves. I wasn't sure if you were speaking literally or not.” Delicacy added. A moment later, Delicacy rose a hoof to her chest “Uhm, not that you aren't welcome here, for as long as you want, King Luna. But, I don't think I can find anymore ways to keep my family's guards from becoming suspicious.”
“You have guards?!” Sea Breeze exclaimed, the last thin strand of her calm snapping at that revelation.
Delicacy just gave a quick nod, in response.
“I-...what are we supposed to do, Princess Luna?!”
Carefully setting the large crown down, Luna calmly turned her attention to the panicked bat-pony at her side “I'm afraid we only have one recourse.”
“...Take responsibility for our actions?” Sea Breeze offered, quietly dreading that possibility.
“Of course not. We flee, and see to it that none of this is ever discovered by my sister. Ever.” The Princess of the Night calmly replied.
“Wait...we're going to try to hide all of this?” Sea Breeze asked, not quite believing what she had just heard.
“Do you have any objections to this course?”
“No, just checking.”
There came a sudden knock on the bedroom door, causing all eyes to turn towards the accompanying mare's voice “Miss Delicacy? Is everything quite alright?”
The filly quietly cleared her throat, before calling back “I'm fine, Sterling.”
“Are you sure? We thought we heard voices?”
“I was just reading aloud a bit.”
“...Well, do try to get a bit more sleep, dear.”
“Yes, ma'am.” Delicacy easily replied.
Sea Breeze found herself a bit impressed by how well the filly seemed to be handling things.
“I don't think that's going to buy much time, but-...” Delicacy began, before suddenly stopping as she turned back their way.
Noticing the filly's staring, Sea Breeze eventually glanced around to see what had gotten Delicacy's attention.
She stopped when she saw Princess Luna, Guardian of the Night, Vanguard of Dreams, and Immortal Protector of the World, stuck half-way out the bedroom window, her back hooves splayed out as she tried to find purchase.
“Really?!” Sea Breeze demanded not believing what she was seeing.
“We fear this portal may be too small to facilitate our egress.” Came Luna's mildly distressed response.
“You think?!”
“Miss Delicacy? I'm quite sure I heard somepony else this time.” Came the servant's voice once more.
“...Haste would be advised and assistance appreciated.” Princess Luna remarked.
“Yep.” Sea Breeze quickly agreed, before moving to the window. Without preamble, the bat-pony quickly put her hooves to the alicorn's backside and gave a strong shove.
This elicited a sudden yelp from the Princess of the Night, as she quickly popped through the window, and promptly fell into the bushes below.
Briefly freezing, as she realized what she had just done, Sea Breeze quickly looked out the window and calling down in a hushed, though frantic, whisper “Are you alright, your Highness?”
“...I shall survive.” Came the unenthusiastic reply.
“...can we not tell Star Shade about any of this?” Sea Breeze called down a moment later.
“...agreed.”
The bat-pony was torn away from the Princess as she heard the doorknob to the room start to rattle, and the increasingly worried voice of the servant on the other side of the door.
Glancing towards the bemused Delicacy again, Sea Breeze tried to force on a grin “So, hey! It was great seeing you again, kid. We gotta go now. Please don't tell anyone about us being here, okay? Bye.”
And before the filly could respond, Sea Breeze was out the window.
The unicorn filly couldn't help but glance about her room.
It was going to be very hard trying to explain all of this to her parents, without mentioning the two of them.
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*laughter*
Good chapter and also funny at the end
yay, it's finished, now can read it.
"Uh, you see... a dragon flew by the window and just shoved part of his hoard in, saying something about letting me hold onto this for a while for him." *Carefully shoves scroll knighting her under the bed.*
Really, that was an interesting mix of heavy emotional issues and humor.
5680363 Yep, that's the contrast I was going for. Typical Sea Breeze fun, while still showing she's still someone that has to work through some of her emotional issues too.
I just finished reading.
I don't know how I came across this but I do know one thing: I so want to see more of Sea Breeze, Star Shade and Luna.
Because this is comedy gold.
5682616 Worry not. Due to sheer popularity, Sea Breeze is going to remain a part of my future writing. By extension this will include Star Shade. Luna's also going to be getting some dedicated spotlight time soon...Just realized we don't have a Luna emoji, and that makes me sad.
That may be the best end to a night out drinking ever. My only question is, did Luna just assume the title, or did they really find a group of diamond dogs who crowned her King? Could have some implications for Equestrian diplomatic relations that might make it just a bit more difficult to hide the night's events from Celestia.
5684615 It's kind of fun leaving things vague, and letting everyone fill in the gaps on their own in this kind of scenario, so don't take this as being authoritative. There were no actual Diamond Dogs around, and it's just a drunken romp that ended up leading to a break-in to a museum, a pretty easy accomplishment between the two of them. They ended up swiping a couple of replica pieces, as one assumes the museums have all learned a lesson about keeping actual pieces on display, after all the times Ahuizotal probably robbed them. Luna withdraws a large amount of gems, and they spend a good portion of the night trying to bribe regular dogs around Canterlot with them to follow their new King. And eventually end up breaking into Delicacy's wealthy family's home.
That's my hypothetical scenario, to explain the events of the night. But I welcome any other ideas or speculation.
And, yeah, there's pretty good odds that Celestia going to find out everything, assuming she isn't figuring things out already. They left kind of a paper-trail during their escapades. I was actually tempted to write a short-scene at the end, with Luna and Sea Breeze trying to sneak back into the castle only to find Celestia and Star Shade waiting. But this chapter was already running pretty long.
Delicacy is such a nice foal, isn't she ?
5697330 A bit manipulative, but she's a nice filly.
Oh god, that was great. Of course things went totally loopy like that once Sea Breeze and Luna went out clubbing.
5684684 That and Star Shade had a squad shadowing them to make sure everything went well so he probably saw quite a bit of what happened.
Also, I think that extra scene might make for a fun extra chapter to tack onto the end at some point in the future because there is no way Celestia will not know most of what happened by the time she confronts Luna which will inevitably lead to some funny trolling and watching Sea Breeze try to worm her way out of trouble should also be amusing.
5769116 It didn't get mentioned in the story, as neither Sea Breeze or Luna would have realized it, but they accidentally shook off Star Shade's tails, over the course of the night. While it was a good idea in theory, tailing ponies isn't something they're all that experienced with. Meanwhile, Sea Breeze lived a good portion of her life learning how to avoid supervision, and Luna is...well, an alicorn with thousands of years of experience.
5769575 That makes sense. Tailing is not trivial, and with them going into a lot of clubs there are plenty of opportunities to accidentally slip out without the tails noticing it.
7904689 It was a while since I wrote this one, so I'm not exactly in the same headspace.
But as I recall it was mostly to serve as a point of contention that Star Shade initially had against her, viewing it as unprofessional and likely to lead to interpersonal problems. Whereas with Sea Breeze it helped demonstrate a lackadaisical attitude coming into the Royal Guard that was at odds with her goal of being a different pony; not so much the part that she enjoys sex, but that she's not considering the obstacles that could arise from doing so flippantly.
Sea Breeze doesn't see a problem with people enjoying whatever they can in life, which is not itself a problem, as she usually works to avoid hurting anyone in the process. But, deep down she knows that her usual behaviors don't really lead to long-term ties or growth, which suggests that for a while she was sticking to her usual behavior despite consciously wanting to change. She was basically trying to sabotage herself without even realizing it.
On some level, both Sea Breeze and Star Shade eventually realize that she is, in a way, sabotaging herself. Eventually this leads to Star Shade to taking a more active role in trying to mentor her and curb her tendencies, as he focuses less on her habits and more on the fact that she wants to change. Meanwhile, Sea Breeze starts to move beyond being principally concerned with her own comfort, both emotionally and physically, and starts actively trying to put someone else first. This lets her focus her efforts, as she's no longer just concerned with being a better pony for her own sake, but is instead interested in taking control of her life for Luna's sake.
Again, it's been a while since I wrote this one. So, I'm not sure if I'm even interpreting my own writing entirely correctly at this point. But that's the gist of what I recall.
In short, Sea Breeze has always enjoyed sex, but knew that this lead to previous social troubles for her before. Despite wanting to change, she slipped into old habits anyway, subconsciously undermining her own efforts. She starts to realize this and starts trying to be more responsible with her personal life, with Star Shade's encouragement.
Hope that explains her character a bit more.
I feel obliged to say this in response.
You can has review!