For Her Happiness, or Yours?

by Relagen

Chapter Two

“Ah! Here we are, darling! The Far Afield Inn, by Marritrot.” Rarity’s horn glowed softly as a small notepad floated out of her saddlebag with a ruffle of flipping pages. “Oh, I do hope Twilight made a note of your room number. She neglected to inform me.”

“It’s quite alright. We can simply ask the receptionist. I’m quite certain there is only one ambassador from Faroan staying here tonight.”

Rarity chuckled nervously, “Yes, that is true.” The light from her horn faded as she returned the notepad to her bag and pushed the door open with a hoof.

The Main Six spotted them immediately from a lounge area in the center of the lobby. Pinkie bounced in her chair and waved them over, grinning brightly. They trotted over, and Twilight gave them a cordial smile, “You’ll be staying in the Executive Suite on the 3rd floor, Stratus. I have already been up to ensure that everything is in order.” She levitated two keys into Stratus’ hoof.

“Thank you, Twilight,” Stratus nodded, tucking the keys into a pocket in his shirt.

“Princess Celestia has requested your presence for dinner. It is merely an informal meeting so she can go over a few things before introducing you to the nobles you will be negotiating with. I will be presiding over the day court during the negotiations, but Princess Celestia will brief me on the progress each evening.”

“I presume this means that you will communicate your ideas through Her Highness Celestia?”

“That is correct, although I doubt if I’ll have much input. I’m the Princess of Friendship, not the Princess of Formalities.”

Stratus chuckled at that. “I see. When should I make my way to the castle for this meeting?”

“Princess Celestia was very clear to leave that up to you. She does not want you to feel rushed. Please take some time to make yourself comfortable in your suite.”

“Thank you, Twilight,” Stratus bowed his head slightly. “I assure you I will not keep her waiting for long.”

After some quick farewells, Twilight and her friends departed. Stratus made his way to the Suite Twilight had mentioned. As he stepped through the door, he noted a small kitchenette to his left and a coat rack to his right, which he promptly placed his hat on.

Next to the rack was a closed door, which upon opening revealed the bathroom. Entering, he grabbed a washcloth to clean off the slight accumulation of sweat and street grime he had gathered over the day. Satisfied, he stepped back out into the main room of the suite. As promised, his luggage was already placed neatly aside in the corner. He quickly changed into a fresh shirt and vest, spritzing the vest with a cologne he had diluted to make its scent more subtle.

A brief stop in the bathroom to ensure his mane and clothes were straight, and then he exited the room and trotted downstairs back to the lobby. His plan to hail a cab was dashed when an armored stallion met him at the door.

“Mister Stratus Swirl?” the guard questioned.

“I am he,” Stratus answered.

“I am Captain Solaris of the Solar Guard,” Solaris continued with a salute.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Stratus returned the salute.

“Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia, has sent me to escort you to Canterlot Castle. Am I correct to presume you are ready to depart?”

“You are correct, Captain. Lead the way.”

The Captain saluted again before opening the door and leading Stratus outside and into a cluster of guards surrounded a coach to which two more guards were yoked. “It has been some time since we have had a high profile ambassador in the heart of Canterlot,” Solaris explained before Stratus could ask. “I advised Her Highness to make a little show tonight to ensure that her citizens know you are under the protection of the crown.”

“Thank you, Captain.” Stratus calmly took a seat in the coach. After pausing to be certain he was situated, the guards set off at a comfortable pace, taking the main street straight to the castle.

Overall, it was quite a comfortable ride. The coach looked simple outside, but was quite lavish inside. It appeared to be intended to transport a princess when she did not wish to make a public appearance.

The guards arrived at the castle in no time and escorted Stratus to the throne room, which surprisingly was already empty, implying that Celestia had adjourned her day court early. Captain Solaris stepped forward, bowing deeply. “Your Highness, Princess Celestia, keeper of the sun and guardian of the day…”

I wonder how long he rehearsed this introduction. Stratus thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as the Captain recited some details from the Lord of Faroan’s commendation letter he had sent to Princess Celestia a month prior.

“ …from the northern land of Faroan, the Lord Hissing Steel’s prized ambassador, Stratus Swirl, the youngest descendant of Starswirl the Bearded.”

“Thank you, Captain. At ease.” The voice of Princess Celestia filled the room, despite her soft tone. Everypony could clearly hear her without having to raise her voice in the slightest. When she spoke again, Stratus felt as if she had the sweetest voice he had ever heard. “I trust my guards made your trip comfortable, Mister Swirl.”

“Yes, your highness. I can assure you I have never received better treatment. Please accept my compliments on your guards, as well as Her Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle. She and her friends have a most refreshing approach to greeting ambassadors. Her kindness is a welcome change.”

“Are you often met with hostility?” Celestia inquired, as if reading his mind.

“Some nobility are loathe to welcome a potential threat to the status quo. I am delighted that Equestria has a different mentality.”

“Twilight Sparkle has been greeting and befriending our allies and their representatives for the past decade. She excels at reading their needs and making them feel welcome. I have enjoyed watching her grow with each new experience.”

Rising from her throne, Celestia waved to her guards. “You may leave now, Captain. Will you please accompany me to dinner with my sister, Mister Swirl?”

“It will be my pleasure, Your Highness,” Stratus said with a slight bow, prompting a giggle from Celestia. He looked up at her, flicking one fluffy ear in confusion.

“There is no need to be so formal, Stratus. Without my guards present, we may speak more casually. Please, just ‘Princess Celestia’ is fine.”

“I see Twilight is not the only princess who likes to waive formalities,” Stratus observed.

“She takes after her teacher, much as her students have taken after her. After ruling Equestria for thousands of years, I have found that formalities are only good for hiding my little ponies’ personalities. I prefer to let them shine for who they really are.” Celestia surprised Stratus by draping a wing around him and guiding him to her private dining room. Stratus cast a sidelong glance at her nervously, but decided that her intentions seemed innocent enough.

Princess Luna was already in the dining room, her horn glowing as she fidgeted with the place settings, trying to hide her nervousness. Despite having spent just over a decade in Equestria after returning from the moon, she still felt like she wasn’t adequately familiar with modern ponies. Meeting foreign ambassadors was nothing short of terrifying to the lunar mare.

Hearing the door open, she hastily stopped fidgeting, the sudden swivel of her ears and slight clatter of silverware as her horn grew dark the only signs of her anxiety when her sister entered with Stratus. She put on the calmest smile she could muster, turning her head slowly and subtly clearing her throat before she spoke, “Good evening, dear sister. We see thou hast brought young master Swirl with thee.”

Stratus stopped abruptly, his attention drawn wholly to the lunar mare. Princess Luna was standing at an angle that allowed him to see her perfect form, from her soft features and flowing mane down every gorgeous curve to her ethereal tail. What held his gaze the most, though, were her angelic wings, which she held proudly spread above her, framing her stunning beauty. She was absolutely the most beautiful mare he had ever met.

Celestia showed no sign that she felt his wings fluffing up beneath her, answering her sister calmly, “Yes I have, Luna. I hope you don’t mind if I discuss some things with him over dinner.”

“Assuredly not, dear sister,” Luna replied, her smile turning a hint sweeter.

“Thank you,” Celestia said before glancing at Stratus. “Mister Swirl, this is my sister, Princess Luna.”

“We are pleased to meet thee at last, master Swirl,” Luna greeted, turning her bright teal eyes to meet his gaze.

“The pleasure is all mine, Your Highness,” Stratus responded, bowing politely. The return to formality helped him draw his wings tight against his sides again. He knew he had only narrowly escaped making a fool of himself, and he was determined not to let it happen again.

Despite this promise to himself, he barely concealed a startled twitch when a blue wing entered his vision and lightly touched his chin, turning his face up to meet her beautiful eyes again as her mesmerizing voice washed over him like silk and honey. “Please, you may simply call us ‘Luna’ if thou wish. We know our sister has instructed thee likewise. Thou art a guest in our home. Do not think of thyself as an ambassador meeting royalty.” She smiled at him again, “If we did not know better, we daresay we might think thou art nervous.”

“I seek to please you and your sister, yet I must put my country first when negotiations begin tomorrow. I only hope the kindness I have seen thus far does not dwindle if negotiations become...heated.”

Luna shook her head, “Our kindness is not dependent on the result of your negotiations. Equestria can afford to lose a little in this agreement if it means securing friends and allies in your country.”

“You appear to have him hanging on every word, sister,” Celestia observed. She was sitting in the center seat at the table. When had she sat down? Stratus had nearly forgotten she was there, so engrossed was he in her sister’s voice and her eyes. He felt his cheeks reddening when he realized this.

“Yes, sister, ‘tis true. Thou knowest the moon has quite an effect on ponies.” What that effect was, she neglected to say, and Stratus thought better of asking her.

He cleared his throat as he approached the table and selected a chair, “Forgive me if looking you in the eyes is some terrible grievance in Equestria. I am used to associating with representatives rather than royalty and I do not recall mention of that in my studies of Equestrian etiquette.”

“Thou knowest very well that is not what we mean,” Luna retorted, her tail swishing playfully as she trotted up to him and sat in the chair closest to the one he had chosen. “However, as we can see thy embarrassment, we shall allow thee or our sister to change the subject.”

“A wise decision, Luna,” Celestia clattered her silverware as she raised it to get their attention. “Shouldn’t we eat while it is still hot?”

“Indeed. We hope it is to thy liking, sister.”

“Did you cook again?”

Luna looked indignant, “We only started because we were interested in the development of modern culinary masterpieces. We are not wholly awful at it.”

“Not wholly awful? Luna, you are almost better than my paid cooks are.”

Stratus, growing curious, took a cautious taste of the meal. Whatever was in it certainly did not grow in the north, but it tasted delicious. He dug in with more enthusiasm, much to Celestia’s amusement and Luna’s rapture. “Huzzah!” she exclaimed, causing Stratus to jump visibly. “Our dear teacher’s young descendant is pleased with our cooking! Thou owest us the bid thou gambled, sister!”

Stratus frowned as Celestia’s expression turned to one of sheer horror. “You...gambled on whether I would enjoy your cooking?”

“Thou hast found it to thy liking, yes?”

“It’s delicious, Luna,” he answered, “but--”

“Thou owest us thy cake, sister!”

“--cake?” Stratus glanced back and forth between the sisters in bewilderment. “You gambled...with cake?”

“And jammie dodgers were Luna’s bid,” Celestia replied with a grumble. “I love those cookies, and she hogs them all.”

“As thou doth lock away all thy cakes, sister.”

“They are baked fresh daily just for me,” Celestia replied, putting on an adorable pout. “I don’t want to share my cakes.”

“Couldn’t Luna just have your baker make her another?”

“Nay! ‘Twouldn’t be my sister’s cake! The bid was for her cake!”

Stratus chuckled, “Well, you two enjoy fighting over your cake while I enjoy Luna’s delicious cooking.” He promptly took another bite as the princesses broke out into a food fight, fortunately sparing him from the crossfire. He watched on, still bewildered, but thoroughly entertained as he witnessed millennia-old royalty fighting like children.

When the princesses settled down, they were both quite covered in bits of food, and giggling uncontrollably. They returned to their seats and promptly stared at their empty plates for a few seconds in silence before bursting into more giggles. Stratus grinned at them, “You two certainly had fun.”

“Sister!” Luna exclaimed loudly, making Stratus flinch. “How has our guest evaded our flying food arsenal? This must be rectified! We declare it shall be so!”

“Oh, no, that’s quite alright!” Stratus fell from his chair as he attempted to escape, but the lunar princess was too fast, leaping on top of him and promptly smearing the food from her own body onto him. He froze in shock, totally mortified by what was happening as the princess lifted him bodily and squashed him between food-stained feathers, giggling hysterically. “Huzzah! The mess has been spread to thee!”

“How has this happened?” Stratus groaned, wondering if the food stains would ever wash out of his clothes.

As if she read his mind, Luna set him down, “Fear not! We shan’t allow thee to venture back to the inn thusly.” Lighting her horn, she teleported his clothes off of him. “Our staff shall clean up thy wardrobe with the utmost haste.”

Stratus shivered slightly, extremely conscious of the sudden lack of clothing. “Thank you, your highness.”

A stallion whom Stratus presumed to be the cook entered the room with a cake, “Your dessert, highnesses and ambassador.” He set it carefully on the table in front of Luna. “You won your bet, yes?”

“Assuredly so, good teacher,” Luna replied, giving him a cheery grin as she cut a slice for Stratus and one for herself before pushing the rest across the table to Celestia. “Fear not, sister. We had no intention of taking all of thy cake.”

Celestia beamed, “Why thank you, Luna! I should have known you would save me plenty.” She dug in with a gusto entirely unbefitting of royalty. Stratus did not even care at this point, struggling to preen one wing as he returned to his seat. Giving up for the moment, he took a bite of cake. As expected, it too was delicious.

“Dost thou desire assistance with preening thy wings?” Luna inquired innocently.

Stratus froze, his face turning red as an apple instantly. “I...do believe I can manage, Luna.” He folded his wings tighter, hoping she would not insist.

“We are responsible for thy trouble. We feel it is owed thee.”

“Your highness, with all due respect, I do not think that is proper.” Stratus met her gaze, hoping she could see that it was best not to keep trying.

Fortunately, Luna was getting quite good at reading body language. “We understand, master Swirl. In that case, please accept our apologies, both for the damage to thy feathers, and for...our second error.”

Stratus smiled, “Of course, Luna, you are forgiven.”

“When thou hast finished thy cake, we will show thee to someplace private where thou may clean and preen thyself before thou must return to the inn.”

“Thank you, Luna. I appreciate it.”

“You are most welcome, master Swirl,” Luna replied before shoving her entire slice of cake into her mouth at once, doing an excellent hamster impression while she chewed the sweet morsel.

Stratus chuckled again, finishing his cake more politely. Barely had he swallowed the last bite when Luna wrapped a wing around him and pulled him out of the dining room, dragging him quickly to a washroom. “Will this do for you?” she asked, gesturing toward a steaming bath in the center of the room and plush towels stacked neatly along a wall.

“Yes, this is excellent, thank--” the door clicked shut as Luna slipped back out swiftly. “Well, at least she respects privacy,” he mumbled, still quite confused by the lunar princess’ behavior. He shrugged it off as he slipped into the bath, letting out a happy sigh as the hot water slowly pulled the food from his coat and feathers.

Yes, this meeting went quite well, he thought.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Is this story based off of Sereg's story series?

[Relagen]

8596574
No it's not. I hadn't heard of that until now.