Chapter 21
Gosling, now Straight Key, walked in between two very interesting mares, enjoying their company. There was a lot to be learned here, if he paid attention, if he kept his wits about him. These bodies, they didn’t lie, they didn’t conceal, the emotions of the sisters came out unchecked, unfiltered, and plain to see. Celestia, as Sunshine Smiles, did not have her princessly mask, and neither did Luna as Moonlight Raven.
Being a smart pony, he planned to use this to his advantage somehow, in whatever way he could. The sisters, they hid things, from each other, from him, from others, and it was mighty, mighty frustrating. The wind gave a playful tug against Straight Key’s body and snowflakes danced in whirling eddies around his legs while he kept time with the two mares on either side of him.
“Moonlight?” Straight Key turned to look at the sinister goth girl on his left.
“Yeah?”
Was she smiling? She almost looked like she was smiling. “About that friendly little mount earlier…”
“What about it?” Moonlight asked in a raspy deadpan.
“I didn’t mean to freak you out if I did. I’m young and I do stupid stuff. It was just friendly flirting… schoolyard stuff—but thanks to guard training I know that schoolyard stuff can be harassment and I’m just worried that it bothered you.” Squinting, Straight Key studied Moonlight Raven’s face, trying to read past her passive features.
“I will confess, I panicked a bit at first,” Moonlight admitted, “but then I remembered that you’re my friend, and you’ve been in far more intimate situations with me. You’ve behaved yourself even when I did not.” Snowflakes clung to Moonlight’s mascaraed eyelashes, transforming her into an exquisite creature of winter beauty.
“Like, oh my gosh, the two of you… so cute! I can’t stand it!” Once more, Sunshine Smiles began to pronk around in the snow, and her solidified sunshine mane bobbed and bounced. “You two like, totally deserve to be happy… both of you should like, you know, hook up, it would be like, amazing.”
“Woah, she’s talking again.” This time, a snowflake clung to Moonlight’s eyeshadow mid-blink, and stood out in intriguing contrast.
“She can talk all she wants,” Straight Key said to the mare on his left while the mare on his right pronked around. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay, so you could have a nice night.”
“Thank you, Straight Key, that’s really nice of you…”
The Tasty Treat was crowded with ponies, and there was a significant wait to get a table. Had they come in the door as the Royal Family, they would have been seated right away, with some poor customers no doubt being booted from their table, but having come in as commoners… they had to wait like everypony else.
Sitting on the padded bench, Straight Key couldn’t help but notice that Sunshine Smiles was acting in a most peculiar way. She was effervescent, bubbly, but she was also clinging to him. There was something shy about her, she almost seemed reserved when crowded on all sides by strangers. Her behaviour was noticeable and it was almost as if she was scared, but doing her best to hide it.
Meanwhile, Moonlight Raven didn’t seem too bothered at all, other than the fact that she sat on the bench grumbling about the wait. Impatient, she was not used to waiting, and she had made this clear that she found it annoying. After her initial outburst, she contented herself with mumbling to herself about how unfair life was, how bleak and meaningless it all was in true goth girl fashion.
All around them, life was happening. Little foals cried, no doubt ruining what might be an otherwise nice dinner for some. Personal space was violated in the line of those waiting for a table, which seemed to be distressing for Sunshine Smiles. There was laughter while music played, loud voices, and whimpers of pain from those who had dared to eat the hottest curry.
For Gosling, sitting inside of the body of Straight Key, he realised for the first time just how much he missed this. It was a crushing realisation to have, and it caused the smile to flee from Straight Key’s face. Most of his life was spent indoors now, inside of Canterlot Castle. Inside of the most opulent gilded cage ever constructed.
And just to come out, even in disguise, he had no way of knowing just how many of the guests around him waiting for a table were guards. A little niggle of guilt formed when he thought about how much inconvenience he was causing at the moment. Just to come out and go to dinner. One of the guards was Hush, but he didn’t know which one. Everything was a snarl right now, and there were quite a few who were unhappy with the long wait.
He had witnessed the death of normalcy in his life, and this conclusion left him a little sad.
Beside him, Sunshine Smiles now looked frazzled, and she clung to him, trembling just a little, but somehow putting on a good show, acting as though everything was fine. The press of the crowd, the heat coming from the bodies, the salty smell of sweat, the pungent reek of pegasus wingpits, the muffled roar of too many voices all packed into too small a space, it was getting to poor Sunshine Smiles.
The table was intended for two ponies, but somehow, Straight Key, Midnight Raven, and Sunshine Smiles all managed to make do. It might also be the worst table in the establishment, being located right next to the swinging kitchen door, and not the sort of place where one might seat the Royal Family, should one host them.
But they were common ponies, having a common dinner.
Straight Key sat between the two sisters, having what might have been the time of his life. Being unicorns, they did all of the work and he did all of the eating. When a spoon or a fork was put in front of his face, he didn’t question it, he ate it. He was sweating, his mouth was on fire, his eyes were watering, and everything was great.
Everything but Sunshine Smiles. More and more, Straight Key noticed something was wrong with the sunny-maned mare. The cracks were showing, her eyes were darting around, and she radiated more and more manic energy. She was crammed into the corner, she insisted on sitting there, and he watched the way that she watched the crowd pressing in all around them.
“Sunshine…” The word rolled from Straight Key’s tongue, a familiar word, because Gosling already called Celestia by that name. “You’ve been hiding something from me, haven’t you, Sunshine?”
The levitated fork and spoon both froze and the mare focused her green eyes on Straight Key. “Like, whatever… I don’t know what you mean.”
Moonlight Raven turned a heavy-lidded and somewhat bored looking stare upon her sister while she chewed up a mouthful of lentils. Straight Key leaned over, getting into Sunshine Smiles' equinal space, and he observed her reaction while she pulled away. These bodies didn’t do a very good job of hiding stuff, or bluffing, concealing, or revealing.
Reaching out a foreleg, he snaked it around the slender little mare’s body, pulled her closer, placed his muzzle next to her ear and whispered, “Time for a little heavy petting and seat wetting—”
“Like, stop that! There’s like, ponies watching and stuff!” Sunshine Smiles voice was shrill and came straight out of her nose. She squirmed, trying to be free of Straight Key’s embrace, but he was much larger and stronger than she was. “Like, oh my gosh, I’m being groped, stop that!”
“You’ve definitely been hiding something from me, Sunshine.” Straight Key’s eyes narrowed and he squeezed the little pink mare even harder. “You’re an introvert, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Sunshine Smiles said, sounding frightened and a bit fillyish. “Like, I don’t even know what that word means, I’ve never heard it before in my life.” She was trembling now, and her breathing had progressed to a state of near-panting. “Now, like, let go of me because you’re all sweaty and grody, for sure.”
“You are… you are my little introvert—”
“Leggo, dweeb!” Sunshine squirmed, but for once, she was the smaller, weaker one. “I am not an introvert, I’m not! Like, stop calling me that!”
“She is,” Moonlight deadpanned.
“Traitor!” Sunshine’s eyes narrowed, her whole face contorted while turning purple with rage, and her lower lip protruded into a mean-looking point. She continued to try and pull away from Straight Key, but he overpowered her, hugging her close, and there was nothing she could do about it. When he started stroking her neck to comfort her, she let out a contemptuous snort of righteous indignation.
“This explains a lot,” Straight Key whispered, his lips brushing up against Sunshine’s ear. “You’ve been an unhappy, squirmy little introvert having to play an extrovert princess for a long, long time, haven’t you?”
“No!” Sunshine Smiles continued her futile struggle, but didn’t put much effort into it. “Like, shut up. I’m not talking to you.”
“You’re not aloof, you’re an introvert that is coping with the crowds.” Straight Key’s embrace became less antagonistic and more comforting. “Every day, you put on a brave face and do your best to hide it, because you think of it as weakness.”
“Shut up.” Scowling, her nostrils flaring, Sunshine collapsed into a pout, folded her forelegs over her barrel, and then went quiet.
“She wants to be the ponies’ princess,” Moonlight Raven said in a low, growly whisper. “The perfect princess, perfect in every way, outgoing, cheerful, extroverted, but meanwhile, she’s screaming on the inside and she’s been scared stupid because she’s terrified that you would find out that she’s not the mare you thought she was. You should see her dreams, she thinks you’ll leave if you find out.”
“Is this true?” Straight Key asked.
“Shut up, both of you!” Sunshine resumed eating, taking angry, nippy bites, and she no longer shared with Straight Key, who was still holding her. She filled her mouth with rice, vegetables, and fried, crispy bits, then chewed, ignoring her mealtime companions.
“You’re that shy introverted filly in school that wants to be one of the popular fillies… and those popular fillies… they plan, and they plot, and they’re mean, and they’re catty. I got involved with one of those popular girls… her name was Skyfire Flash, and we both know how that turned out. You’re better off being you. You already have me, and I like the idea that I’ve settled down with that shy, quiet girl from school. She strikes me as the type that really appreciates what she has.”
Sunshine Smiles said nothing in return, but a sweet, almost sad smile did appear, and she kept eating while her eyes watered—from spice or kind words, it was impossible to say. The flickering candles on the table were reflected in her eyes and after swallowing, she leaned up against Straight Key, content to be held.
Reaching out one foreleg, Straight Key pulled Moonlight closer, ignoring how she resisted him. After a bit of scooting together, the tiny, cramped corner nook for two became a cosy spot for three. Moonlight stopped resisting, let heave a raspy sigh, and leaned up against Straight Key. Together, the three resumed eating.
“It’s like, super hard being the biggest pony in the room, and like, having everypony stare at you, and watching every little thing you do, and you just want them to like, stare at something else. It like, totally sucks standing out, being the biggest and the prettiest and the center of attention, and I like, you know, like hate it and stuff.” Raising her spoon, Sunshine fed Straight Key a bite of peas and cheese. “You can’t fit in. You stand out. There’s like, no way to go unnoticed, and it like, totally blows.”
“It must be hard.” Straight Key licked his lips, a bit, but then was poked in the snoot with a spoon loaded down with chickpeas, which he ate.
“I totally don’t have a choice in the matter.” Sunshine Smiles shivered as some of her perkiness returned. “I really am energetic and perky and horny and I can be really outgoing to those who are the closest to me… but it takes a while for me to like, you know, open up to ponies. But like, when I’m doing my job as a princess, I don’t have time to get to know ponies, or like get used to being around them, I just have to rip myself open and bare my soul and I like totally hate it. It hurts, you know? It’s totally like when you get laid, but you’re not ready and nothing is lubed up, and it like totally hurts, but you keep going because you totally don’t want to be a disappointment.”
“Everything is about sex for you, isn’t it?” Straight Key asked while Sunshine filled her mouth with rice and broccoli.
“Introverts can really like sex… it’s just the opening up to other ponies part that is hard to do,” Moonlight Raven deadpanned, answering for her sister, who now had her mouth full. “And then, when you do find that one pony that you can open up to and be yourself, you just wanna do it all the time. It’s not even about the sex, it’s about being close.”
“And it feels good too,” Sunshine added, talking around a mouthful of half-chewed food. “Try this!” She held up her spoon which was loaded down with some of the curried broccoli and she slipped it between Straight Key’s lips before he could say anything in response. “You’re like, my best friend, and I can be like, all open and stuff and act like a total spaz and it feels good to just be myself.”
“Well…” Moonlight Raven let heave a sigh that sounded as though it was equal parts ennui and angst. “You finally know my sister. I think it will be a while longer yet before you know me.”
“Yeah, like, when we’re not being the princesses, we’re like totally different ponies…”
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Celestia holds so much back.
i. hate. the way sunny talks -.-
soo annoying x.x
8160846 Totally for sure!
like, totes adorbes
I'm not sure about no introverts were harmed. They certainly had alot of their secrets ripped out and exposed. At least the enivroment and position wold make anyone over hearing them hard
I feel that feel tia...
8160846 You should, like, I don't know, get used to it maybe? Like, maybe that's like rude and stuff?
I find it rather amusing to see Celestia as a Valley Mare/Filly.
This was another well written chapter, and it really shows why we all keep coming back for more chapters and more stories ^_^
8160885
Do you reckon she'd be on the cover of a Flank Zappa album?
8160901 Yes. Yes she would. Maybe even the inspiration?
I find that hard to believe. Poor Celly..
8160885
I feel she might be playing the accent/speech pattern up a little. Not much, just enough to offend a linguist.
It's probably in the same vein she likes jumping in puddles. A strong dose of "un-princessly" behavior as a form of relaxation.
8161171
Actually, it's the illusion responding to her mood and amplifying the effect.
Sucks being introverted, know that feel all to well...
That was soooo fugging adorable i almost died. I think your biggest talents lie in those cheerful slice of life moments like this one and action packed scenes like Bucky and Twilights crazy train ride.
Introverts, assemble!
next TO her
A level of character development we will probably never get from the real sun butt. Shame.
8163858 Separetely!
8161180 The 'likes' she speaks, reflect the likes she seeks.
8164932 have you seen the latest episode yet?
8178772 Considering it just came out yesterday, in Canada, no, but I did watch Dr Wolf's review.
Is there a picture of Straight Key anywhere?
The Celestia here is amazing. It's like looking in a mirror. I have the same thoughts running through my mind all the time.