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A Romp in the Castle. 3,403 words
The Evolution of Parties... One Thousand Years Later.1,633 words
Is it Better to Forget?3,178 words
Guardian1,534 words
Waking in Darkness2,977 words
Dinner and Laundry3,458 words
The Darkness Comes1,631 words
Trail of Despair1,578 words
Jolity Forever Shown, Path of Joy, So Few Have Known4,798 words
Sugar Rush2,614 words
Twilight Has a Burr Forcibly Removed From Her Saddle5,085 words
Genuine5,286 words
Laughter or Darkness3,575 words
Epilogue - Best Birthday Gift Ever! 1,160 words

Dinner and Laundry

"We believe the griffons won't be stupid enough to pull something at the festival, but extra guards have been posted just in case."

The captain's words might have echoed in her chambers, but they did not warrant Luna’s attention.

"Do you think she would be pleased if I wore a pink ribbon in my mane?" Luna asked, her eyes locked on the mirror.

The captain twitched nervously and started backing away. "I, uh... I..."

"No, you're right. Pink doesn't really fit with my coloring, now does it?" Luna pulled the ribbon out before the captain could give a coherent answer. "Perhaps a purple bow?"

The captain gulped. "I-I'm not sure I'm qualified to—"

"Ah, of course.” Luna tossed the bow on the floor, her eyes falling upon another ribbon which stuck out from the rest. “That one will be perfect!"

The captain’s eyes nervously drifted back and forth between the princess and the door to her chambers.

“Yes, this will do nicely,” Luna said, holding the dark blue strand of ribbon up to her hair.

Moving slowly to the door, the captain reached out for the knob. "Ummm, that about sums up the report. If you'll excuse me, Your Highness, I... left the kitchen on in the stove!"

Luna turned just in time to see the door slam as the captain beat a hasty retreat. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the mirror.

I thought he would never leave.

Appreciating the choice of color for another moment, Luna weaved the dark blue ribbon into her mane and tied it up in a neat bow.

"I thought your mane was made of glitter, or magic... maybe glittery magic?"

Spinning around, she spotted Pinkie—tied to no more than twelve balloons—floating down onto her balcony. Luna stared wistfully as the balloons floated off into the sky, knowing she wouldn't get a proper explanation of how such a thing was possible.

"My mane is indeed enhanced with my natural magic, but it is still solid enough to hold as much as any normal pony's would."

"Oooh, neat."

Luna stepped away from the mirror. "I assume you chose an activity for us this time."

"Sure did! It's gonna be fantasteriffic!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing in place.

“Care to reveal what that may be?”

At this, Pinkie merely giggled, making it abundantly clear that Luna would know only when Pinkie wanted her to.

The alicorn smirked. “A mystery date? Alright, then. I'm up for a good surprise anyway.”

Luna had been to a few restaurants since her return, and this one seemed fairly standard at first glance. Generic paintings lined the walls, and the lighting seemed just dark enough to make for a rather intimate setting. What she hadn't seen in a restaurant before now, was the small decorative cauldron in the middle of the table.

"Pinkie Pie, might I ask why there is a burning can of liquid underneath this cauldron?"

Pinkie licked her lips as the waiter dropped off a plate of bread in front of her. "Because fondue, silly."

Grinning sheepishly, Luna lifted her head from the table to allow the waiter to place her plate as well. "Right. That word again..."

Expertly spearing a piece of bread with her skewer, Pinkie placed the end of it on her nose and balanced it.

Luna cocked an eyebrow at her companion, but said nothing. Instead, she merely watched as Pinkie tilted her neck back and quickly snapped forward, sending the skewer flying into the air.Luna's gaze drifted in an upwards arch as the utensil landed with a soft gloop into the mixture, handle up. With a wink, Pinkie snatched it out of the pot and wolfed the cheese-coated bread down in a single gulp.

Luna scrunched her nose at Pinkie’s unusual display. “So.... this is how one fondues?”

Pinkie giggled around a mouthful of cheese. Swallowing quickly, she aimed her skewer at another helpless chunk of bread. "Nononono. You don’t fondue, silly. Fondue is basically just melted cheese. You’re supposed to dip your food in it."

"I see. What about this pot?" Luna asked, pointing to a smaller cauldron at the other side of the table.

"That's chocolate," Pinkie explained. That's for dessert."

Looking back at the big pot, Luna bit her lips. "So I should start with this one then?"

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. "Yup! Just go for it."

Luna's horn ignited, and she lifted it from the table. She pierced a chunk of bread and slowly lowered it into a warm, cheesy fate.

"How long should I leave it in there?" she asked, warily eyeing the submerged skewer as bubbles rose to the surface.

Pinkie thrusted her skewer, like a knight valiantly trying to fell a great beast. "As long as you want! I wouldn’t leave it in there too long, though, or it might get wrinkly. That's why I don't stay in the bathtub any longer than three hours and forty-seven minutes."

Rather than try to explain the difference between skin and bread, Luna opted to swirl her spear around a few times, and lifted it out. Gooey cheese trailed off her bread, dripping into the cauldron.

"It's not hot, is it? I can just eat it?"

"Hmmmph?" Pinkie mumbled with a glob of cheese in her mouth.

Luna rolled her eyes. "Oh, right. Silly me." She daintily placed her teeth on the cheese-coated bread and slid it off of the skewer.

"Oh, my," Luna mumbled around the gooey cheese. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

It was creamy...

...It was smooth...

...And it had just a touch of garlic.

She chewed it thoroughly, enjoying the opposing textures of the bread and the cheese. "This is delicious!”

"You like it?" asked Pinkie hopefully.

"I do! I do, indeed!" Luna nearly shouted, spearing another piece. “Perhaps I should take you everywhere I go. You could be my… my royal taste tester!”

Pinkie beamed at Luna, the faintest hint of a blush playing on her cheeks.

"We spent hours on that rail car getting back to Ponyville. Lemme tell ya, don't ever count on Rarity to catch you," Pinkie said, spinning a half-eaten chunk of bread on her plate.

Luna, too, had gotten her fill for the night. She had been content to sit back in her chair and let Pinkie regale her with tales of their friends’ exploits and escapades.

Small talk wasn’t one of Luna’s strong suits. She found most examples of such to be painfully boring and drab. Of course, most of her experience with idle gossip stemmed from pompous nobles in stuffy settings.

She found Pinkie’s chit chat to be much more palatable. Unfortunately, the conversation eventually hit a lull as Pinkie’s eyes fell onto her plate, seemingly having run out of things to say.

A sly grin crept across Luna’s face as she decided to try something that might throw her companion off-guard.

"Pinkie Pie,” Luna spoke up, leaning forward in her seat, “do you ever think about love?”

It seemed like an innocent enough question, but Pinkie's reaction was far from subtle. "Oh, uhhh… sometimes. But then I start thinking about icing, or when one of my friends’ birthdays is coming up."

Luna valued her ability to read body language even more than her own magic. Knowing when a pony was lying came in handy more times than she could count, especially when it came to matters of diplomacy. She smiled inwardly as Pinkie's face lit up like a pinball table with blushes and evasive glances.

"What about you?" Pinkie asked.

"Hmmm. I hardly think it's fair of me to tell the truth when you've told a lie," Luna said, smirking at the pink mare.

Pinkie went rigid, and her blush intensified. "How did you... okay, you got me."

"You don't have to say if you don't want to," Luna said, offering her a way out.

Pinkie fidgeted nervously in her seat, staring at her plate. "No, s'alright. Sometimes I do. I've seen some of the ponies in Ponyville going out together, or holding hooves in the park. I have a lot of friends, but sometimes when they don't know I'm around they say things like, 'Pinkie is nice in small doses' or 'A little Pinkie goes a long way', and I think that maybe I'll never have somepony who can stand being around me for longer than a party," Pinkie confessed, staring wistfully down at the table.

Luna's jaw fell slack. "Are you serious? Your friends actually say that about you?"

Pinkie leaned forward, waving her hooves frantically. "No, no, no. They don't say it when they think I'm around, and they're usually joking, but it's true. I know ponies can't stand being around me too long."

Remorsefully, Luna watched Pinkie idly spin the few remaining crumbs on her plate. The pony's smile had diminished quite drastically.

"I don't think that's true at all."

Pinkie looked up from her plate. "Huh?"

Luna lifted her head as if she were making a royal proclamation. "I find you're quite easy to be around. When you're with your friends, you do tend to be quite excitable, but what about other times? Do you not enjoy a quiet night in with a book?"

"Sure I do," Pinkie replied, her voice rising slightly.

"And bubble baths?" Luna continued.

"Well, yeah, who doesn't?" Pinkie asked, shrugging her shoulders.

"Then I think the answer is clear. You only act so eccentric because you're excited to be with your friends and to see them smile. At home, away from the crowd, I bet you're a mare like most, who just wishes to enjoy life," Luna stated with an air of finality.

A crimson blush returned to Pinkie's cheeks, deeper and brighter than ever. "Awww shucks. I guess you're right. I think that should get you a reward."

Pinkie speared a slice of apple and dipped it in the chocolate fondue pot. She pulled it out and pushed it toward Luna's mouth. Unfortunately, her aim proved a bit off as she bumped the alicorn's nose, leaving a small glob of chocolate.

Pinkie giggled and snorted as Luna crossed her eyes staring at the chocolate. "Oops! You got a little something on your nose!"

Luna smirked at Pinkie and lunged forward, snatching the apple slice off of the skewer. Reaching into the first fondue pot of cheese with her hoof, she scooped up a large glob of it and flung it toward Pinkie.

"Hmhmhmhm ha, ha, ha! It looks like you have some on your face as well!" Closing her eyes, Luna leaned back in her chair, satisfied she had won the battle. She didn't sit still very long however, as she felt a hot sticky substance flow down her head and mane.

Loud gasps echoed through the restaurant as Luna opened her eyes to Pinkie standing on the table, holding the fondue pot upside down over her head.

The audacity of what the pink pony had done was not lost on Luna. She felt her blood boiling as she stared back at Pinkie.

That is, until she saw her eyes.

It wasn't maliciousness, arrogance, anger, or even ill will that she saw in those eyes. It was innocence, and a touch of mischief. Pinkie just put her trust in Luna by trying to treat her as more than just a royal title. There clearly was only one way to respond. Using her magic, Luna lifted three fondue pots from nearby tables and overturned them over Pinkie's head.

“Uh oh…”

Pinkie blinked several times as the viscous cheese coated her entire body. Everyone in the restaurant jumped as Pinkie fell onto the table, kicking and laughing.

"Hee, hee, hee! That was a good one! My friends thought I was cheesy before! Wait till they see me now!"

Luna giggled into her hoof. "Pinkie Pie, I do believe you are what they commonly refer to as, 'a goof'."

After paying their bill, the nearby patron’s bills, and leaving a very large tip for cleaning, Pinkie and Luna left the restaurant and walked through the Canterlot streets. Following the street lamps, they got quite a few odd looks, still being coated in cheese. Luckily they were nearing the castle where a hot bath could fix that particular problem.

"It's a shame Celie wasn't there with us. I would love to have dumped a pot of cheese on her too," Luna lamented.

"Yeah, she doesn't have nearly enough yellow in her mane!" Pinkie agreed, giggling in the process.

"Well, we're here. I'll have a guard prepare a bath for you," Luna said, gesturing toward the castle gate.

Pinkie shook her head and backed up sheepishly. "No thanks. I'll be fine until I get back to Ponyville. I had a stupenderriffic time tonight."

"Wait!" Luna called out to the quickly retreating pony. "I... never told you what I thought about love. Remember?"

Pinkie halted in her tracks and turned around. "Don't worry! I think I already know," Pinkie said, giving her a wink.

Luna watched as Pinkie trotted off into the night.

Smiling across the table, Luna cleared her throat. "What flavor is it this week?"

Celestia licked her lips and removed the cloche cover. "Ooooh. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake!" the elder alicorn said gleefully.

Luna giggled at her sister's sheer excitement and returned to her own plate of steamed carrots. She lifted a report with her magic which had been left by the night captain about staff changes, reading what she could between bites.

"Princess Luna calls for extra cheese, please."

Luna looked up from the report and raised her eyebrows. "I beg your pardon?"

Igniting her horn, Celestia moved the morning's newspaper across the table where Luna could see. The front page story featured a picture of her and Pinkie Pie in the restaurant, absolutely covered in cheese.

"Sounds like you two had quite a bit of fun last night," Celestia said, pulling the paper back.

Luna felt a blush spread across her cheeks. "We might have gotten just a little bit carried away."

"I'm just glad I wasn't there. I'm certain Pinkie Pie would have targeted me first," Celestia remarked, folding the paper up and putting it to the side.

"You have no idea..."

Luna awoke to the sound of her chamber doors slamming open.

I was just dozing off too!

Sitting up in bed, Luna tossed off her covers and reached for her slumber mask. "It's been awhile since I've vaporized anypony. Just let me remove this real quick so I'll know whose name goes on the tombstone."

Lifting the mask up, Luna saw an angry Twilight Sparkle holding a newspaper aloft with her magic.

"Before you 'vaporize' me, Princess, perhaps you'd like to tell me just what in the hay this is about?"

Luna looked down at the paper and the now familiar picture of her and Pinkie covered in cheese. She cut her eyes at Twilight. "Honestly, I don't have to explain myself to anypony, not even you. Since you've gone to the trouble of waking me up just as I was finally asleep, I'll simply say it was a friendship outing between me and Pinkie Pie, and that's all there is to it."

Luna put her mask back on and fell back into bed.

"Is that how Pinkie Pie sees it?"

Luna sighed and sat back up. "I don't know how she sees it. It really doesn't matter how she sees it. Pinkie Pie has been a good friend as of late, and I enjoy spending time with her."

Twilight removed Luna's mask with her magic and pushed the paper back toward her. "The ponies at the restaurant certainly think it's more than just friendship, and I'm sure Pinkie Pie does too. This needs to stop!"

Growling in frustration, Luna tossed the paper into the air and blasted it with a bolt of magic sending shreds of paper raining down. "Why do you care so much about this, Twilight? Haven't you got anything better to do?'

The purple mare stumbled backwards in surprise by Luna's outburst, but pulled herself together. "I do. I have lots of things to do that don't involve defending who you choose to date!"

Twilight sighed and began collecting the left over paper with her magic. "Maybe you haven't given this much thought, either."

"And just what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Luna asked, cutting a nasty glare at Twilight.

"I mean, you have an incredibly long lifespan. Pinkie doesn't. If you two do become close, could you stand to see her grow old? One day she won't be able to bounce and cartwheel everywhere she goes. Would you be ready for that?"

Luna slumped back in her bed. A sudden rush of memories came crashing upon her. Names and faces from days gone by assaulted her. She recalled the time she and Celestia played keep away with Starswirl the Bearded's hat. The night when Celestia put superglue on Thunderhoof's hammer and they got put in timeout for an hour.

In the end they agreed an hour was worth watching the normally stoic guard lose his cool and smash several statues.

Luna also remembered the incident when she fell off of the castle's parapet. She was still young, so she didn't quite have the flight instinct down. Her hoofmaiden at the time, Tenderheart, treated her scrapes and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

She watched them die, one by one, leaving a void in her heart each time. It was a void she filled with darkness, and over time it consumed her along with despair.

One day, you'll wake up and she won't. It'll be Heartsong all over again. More sleepless nights; more childish anger; more hate and suffering.

Raise the moon, do paperwork, lower the moon, eat dinner, sleep, rinse and repeat. There's an unmistakable comfort in routine—a comfort Pinkie Pie tore away when she fell into Luna’s life.

In the end, was it really worth it? Was the momentary happiness really worth the inevitable anguish?

"You're right," Luna admitted.

Twilight's magic faltered while holding the paper shreds, letting them flutter to the ground. "Wait, what?"

Luna sighed, running a hoof idly along her comforter. "I couldn't stand to see her... like that, nor do I think I could stand to lose another."

“Another?” Twilight looked at her curiously. “Another what?”

"Nothing you should concern yourself with. You win, Twilight Sparkle. Pinkie and I will no longer have our excursions. If there's nothing else, I would ask that you leave me to sleep."

"Oh, right! Okay. I'll just leave you to it then." Twilight grabbed the shredded paper and dumped it into the trashcan on her way to the door. "Good nigh—" Twilight's eyes flew to the window. "Err, day I guess."

Luna said nothing. She simply turned away from the door and pulled the comforter over her head.

What in Equestria am I going to tell Pinkie?

There was nothing she could say. No excuse would be tight enough to withstand Pinkie's logic. She only had one choice.

Push the pony away.

Author's Note:

I wonder why Twilight cares so much about Pinkie dating a princess.

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