Part 10: Returning scales and wands.
The sun fell, marking the end of another week. A soft and sleepy routine fell anew over the humble town of Ponyville. The clouds on high caught the light, and their underbellies radiated a heavenly golden luminescence. Perhaps the gates to the divine were this parting radiance, ready to welcome the passing of the soon to be late season of summer.
When Luna left the library, she could feel the starting shifts of changing winds. Looking back, she called out through the still open door: “You’re certain you’ll be okay to close up by yourself in a couple hours?”
A gray mare with reddish eyes and a black bob cut appeared in the frame, backlit by the interior. With an air as breezy as the slowly cooling weather, she told her: “Luna, there’s two ponies shuffling around in here. I’m sure I’ll be just fine.”
“I feel bad, leaving you here by yourself.” Luna brushed one shin up against the other. A hesitant foot planted back toward the door. “Maybe I should double check things. Miss Mare wants her weekly report in tomorrow, after all.”
Chuckling, Hope-Heart put up her hooves to bar her from entry. “You hardly touched your lunch while getting that folder ready for me earlier. All I have left is to fill out that last form regarding book condition, and nothing’s been damaged all week. It’ll be fine.”
Still, Luna dithered about in place. “Well. If you’re certain?”
“I am.” Hope announced with confidence. Glancing over her own shoulder, she noticed someone ambling toward the counter. “Let me get this guy checked out. I got this. Go have some fun.”
Her expression softened when Hope winked at her. A relieved smile curled her lips. “Okay. Thank you, Hope.”
A soft click of the door preceded a stroll further into town. Along the way, Luna recognized the buildings and even a few passers by at a glance. And she no longer needed a map or to timidly ask for directions to find somewhere besides the town square. The dark morning when she needed Applejack to guide her through these streets felt so very far away. Unlike that morn, she breathed easy this evening. She was home.
Her jaunty trot brought Luna along to a familiar cafe. But even as it came into view, something else drew her attention far less passively than a business locale which cannot move. It was a pink figure, who leapt from her table and hopped onto the bars that gated off their designated patio space. She cupped her hooves to her mouth and sounded off: “Over here!”
Luna picked up the pace. When she approached the gate, she hopped into the air, light as a feather, scooping up Pinkie into her hooves. She twisted her wings, spinning the two of them through the air, sending Pinkie into a giggling tizzy. Then gently, she set down by the table Pinkie had been sitting at, letting her down.
“Ha.” snorted Pinkie, wobbling on her hooves, losing her footing. She ambled back and started falling over. But nearly an instant after her thighs made contact with the concrete, she rolled into a tumble, coming up with a bounce as her frizzy mane settled. “Just kidding!”
“It’s nice to see you again, dear.” said Luna, taking a seat.
Pinkie claimed the seat across from her at the tiny table. “You too. I went ahead and ordered a pizza for the two of us, hope that’s okay.”
Luna propped herself up on her elbows, hooves forming the bowl which her chin filled in. “Hmm, what toppings?”
“Well,” she explained, “normally I’d get the works. But I figured you’d prefer something simple and hearty, so I got eggplant and mushroom.”
“Sounds good to me. Nice and umami.”
“That’s a funny word.” decided Pinkie aloud. She tried it for herself, to see how it felt. “Oo mah me.”
“It’s a little new to me as well.” Luna admitted shyly. “I’m told it more or less means savory? Either way, it has been an experience, finding these new words in Ponish to express myself.”
“Oh!” spouted Pinkie with excitement, suddenly remembering. “Speaking of expressing yourself, I heard Hope was teaching you to write poetry.”
Luna chuckled. “I was around when the fundamentals were being established, so I hardly needed teaching there.” With a little less confidence, she admitted that: “I have however missed a lot progress in the medium. And I never thought to write a poem before, really.”
“I’m sure it’ll be great!” beamed Pinkie.
The opening of the cafe door hushed them. It was a sobering quiet which the appearance of this mare in the doorway demanded prolonged attention. Petite as she was, she filled the air around her with a buzz, all eyes on her. Confidently, dutifully, she sashayed across the cobbles of her patio space, over to them with a high-held chin.
“Hi, Marley!” blurted Pinkie with the usual glee and then some.
“Nice to see you again, Marlo.” Luna whispered, again feeling surprisingly timid in this presence.
“The pleasure’s all mine, girls, really. And Luna, I though we were over this; friends call me Marley.” Her smile oozed a confidence that weakened those around her. The collar of her black button-up fit snug round her neck, under which unfurled a necktie patterned with nearly mint colored creeping vines, and a few lavender blossoms here and there. She retrieved a notepad from her dark green apron. “Clay’s out today, so the shop’s mine. Can I make you two lovely gals some coffee tonight?”
“I’ll take my third most usual.” announced Pinkie, very assured. “It’s a special occasion.”
Luna returned the smile Pinkie gave her, but became nervous again Marlo addressed her. “I’m afraid I still don’t know much about coffee.”
Marlo tapped her chin with her pen and smirked. “You like breakfast tea, yes? With milk and maybe honey too?”
“I suppose.” said Luna uncertainly.
“Then I might have just the thing for you.” She chuckled and calmed down. “For this one type of blend, they leave some fruit pulp in with the coffee beans for the roasting process. Some say it has a little bit of a honey taste. If I add some milk, it might help bridge the gap for you.”
Luna’s lip went into a pondering curl. “Mm, sure. I’ll try it. Thank you, Marley.”
Marlo was positively tickled at hearing her nickname. She quickly jotted that down, stowing the little notepad, smile shockingly bright in the waning light of the setting sun. “Certainly, friend. I’ll have those out to you darlings along with your meal in just a little while, okay? Thank you for your patronage.”
They watched her trot off high on her heels and beaming. Luna spoke up first: “So are we going to address… um…”
Pinkie giggled, playing with her cup of ice water. “We super do not have to talk about it.”
“Well, it’s just, she is very…” She paused, searching for the right word. “Charming.”
Pinkie took a sip, and all the little water droplets lining the sides glistened. “Mm, that she is.”
It was about that time something else gleamed off the last few rays of the sinking sun. And a steady darkness descended upon the very world as it lowered beyond the lines of roofing beyond, a few blocks away to the East of them. Luna lifted from her chair, eyes fixated on the spot where it had slipped past the corners where she wasn’t looking. “What was that?”
“What was wh--” started Pinkie, but a sickening crunch rang out. She whipped around in her seat so fast, she was like to fall out of it.
Two blocks away, cries rang out as ponies hurried through the intersection, scattering in various directions. A strange figure in a wide-brimmed hat careened around the street corner, veering in under a lamp post just as a unicorn was lighting it.
The cafe door opened with a bang. Less composed than usual, Marlo came running out with a couple of her servers in tow. “What’s going on?!”
When Luna saw her looking to her for answers, she shrugged. But standing tall, she took initiative. She spread her wings and hopped out onto the street. And just as the figure in the large hat began to look a little familiar, a behemoth of a creature swerved around the intersection on huge claws that dug into the cobbles after her.
“Return unto me my treasure, tiny thief!” bellowed the beast.
“Galahad?” wondered Luna aloud as the golden dragon chased somepony down. Her wings fidgeted; she wasn’t sure exactly what to do here.
“That’s Galahad?” Pinkie asked, slack-jawed.
“Yes, she’s the dragon I was--wait, Pinkie! What are you doing out here on the street, this is dangerous!”
As Luna made to slide her back into the outdoor dining area, Pinkie slipped under her hooves with ease to keep her spot. “Any friend of yours is a friend of mine.”
“No, you shouldn’t trifle with angry dragons, stop, hold on.” Luna snatched at her a few times as she skipped away, but she ducked, tumbled, and even tripped under her hooves.
“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie!” gleefully shouted Pinkie Pie to the raging stampede of one. “Luna here has told me a lot about you!”
The quake became a rumble as the huge, shiny dragon’s rage slowly subsided into confusion. Here approaching was a pony she didn’t know, being chased by a pony she did. Her diamond eyes darted between the target of her ire hopping behind some loose crates nearby and this pink prancer. “Who is that? You know of Luna, my dearest pony friend?”
“Know her? She’s my girlf--eep!” squeaked Pinkie as hooves wrapped tight around her torso and she began to rise into the air. Luna had finally scooped her into her hooves, and seemed to be lifting her to speak with the dragon more face-to-face.
“Is that the term we’re using now? Are we there yet?” Even as Luna came up to Galahad, she had trouble focusing on her.
“Would you like to be there?” It was such an ernest question, and she asked it with the biggest of smiles. Her lashes fluttered like a pair of soft butterfly wings.
“I’m not opposed. I just don’t want to move too fast, you know?” She turned Pinkie about in her hold.
“That’s okay,” Pinkie assured, holding onto her shoulders, “we don’t have to call ourselves anything you’re not comfortable with yet.” She punctuated her reassurance with a peck on Luna’s nose, and the two of them laughed a little nervously, their cheeks flushing.
Galahad, however, was not as endeared as they were. Her head tilted to one side, and she asked aloud: “Should I offer the two of you your… privacy?”
The two of them grew wide-eyed, remembering the large dragon face lifted up to greet them. Luna fidgeted, uncertain if she should set Pinkie down, or keep her at eye level with Galahad. She stammered out her words: “Oh, Galahad! It’s nice to see you. This dear here is my best friend, Pinkie Pie.”
“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie.” added Pinkie Pie, waving at the confused dragon.
“Greetings unto you, Pinkie Pie.” said Galahad to Pinkie Pie. Pleasantries out of the way, she turned away from them, huffing over the stacks of crates not too far off.
“O-oh, uh, what brings you to Ponyville?” asked Luna, trying to hover alongside her.
With a callous claw, Galahad knocked over a top crate. “A most valued treasure of my hoard has been stolen away from me.”
“What? Who would do such a thing?” About that time, Luna noticed some of the town guard gathering round, trying to probe the situation from a distance for now. “Oh, no, everypony please. She’s a friend of mine.”
Pinkie rattled off a few questions, thinking maybe she could help look, if she weren’t being held. “What’d you lose, miss dragon? Is it important? What color is it? What shape?”
When Galahad flicked aside another crate, the mysterious figure tried to dart away. But her claw was too quick. She snatched the pony up by her cape, hoisting her for all to see. “This is the thief in question.”
Luna’s jaw fell open, and she nearly dropped Pinkie. “Trixie, is that you?”
There was no hiding her face behind the hat, it was entirely too distinctive. She tossed her head back to lift the brim, stowing something behind her, laughing sheepishly. “Ohhhhhhhhh, Lunaaaaaaaa. I-it’s so good to see you again?”
She asked it like a question, and Luna was nonplussed. “What have you got there? Trixie, did you really steal something from Galahad?”
Trixie slipped it further back when a red sliver began to show. “Whaaaaaaaat? Certainly not! I’d--I mean I wouldn’t--I’d never--”
“I’ve had enough of this.” decided Galahad, unclenching her claws. She watched the magician plummet a few feet to the ground, and when she hit tail-first with an “oof,” a shiny object of ruddy deep red bounced into the air. At its zenith, she plucked at it with two ginger, pinching claws, which closed down with a clink.
Setting down, Luna let Pinkie hop to her side. Her disheartened gaze fell from the mystic red shape down to the dejected amateur wizard. “What were you thinking?”
Trixie tugged on the brim of her hat, curling down onto the sidewalk, pathetic and small. “I don’t know, I… thought that maybe a magical artifact would help me improve my magic, a-and that…”
“And?” Luna tried to keep a calm tone, but realized her judgement might be seeping in a little harshly. She came over and pat her on the back. “Come now, Trixie. You can talk to me.”
One purple eye peered up from underneath the hat. “Ugh, it sounds so dumb to say out loud, though.”
“Trixie.” said Luna again, a little more firmly this time.
“I thought if I used a mystical artifact to improve my magic, I might be able to make you proud of me. Like I promised before.” She crossed her hooves and turned away from her in a huff.
After a snicker, Luna felt awful about it when Trixie glared at her from beyond her slumped shoulder. She had to reassure her. “Oh, no, no, I wasn’t trying to laugh at you, honestly. I’m tickled pink you look up to me like that.”
“Yeah, well, it figures the dragon I’d steal from would turn out to be your friend.” scoffed Trixie. “You’re so cool…”
“Alright, not really the point, here. You ought not to steal things, hmm?” She sat down beside her. “Not from any dragon, or perhaps in general, for that matter. My being friends with said dragon shouldn’t influence that decision.” She peered up at Galahad’s claw. “What did she steal from you, anyhow?”
Before her, Galahad lowered a gem nearly as big as any pony’s head. It glinted red as fall, and was heart-shaped. “Heavy is the ruby heart, as it can bear the weight of all that which you let into your very own heart. Frankly, I’m surprised she was able to lift it. She’s not as strapping as you, Luna.”
“Also not really the point, Gal, come now.” started Luna, somewhat incredulous. That’s when Pinkie tapped her shoulder to point out the gathered guards. “Oh dear.”
One approached. He had a sturdy build to him, but wore no more than a padded gambeson, as befitted the less dangerous going on of small time country life. His coat was flint-black, which parted like a geode for his amethyst hair that might give Rarity’s mane a run for her money. Something seemed oddly familiar about him as he cleared his throat. “Luna, nice to see you again.”
“Oh,” she said, turning about and trying not to seem confused about that statement, “thank you?”
“At any rate,” he continued as he approached, “I’m just checking on this whole situation here, making sure if we need to get involved? We, uh, didn’t really fetch the armor or weapons, so is everything alright here?”
After the whole situation was explained to him, the stalkier, lake-blue guard asked: “Should we ask the dragon if she wants to press charges, chief?”
“Well, Horace, she doesn’t really… pay taxes, so…”
“Uh, excuse me,” interrupted Trixie, hopping up to confront them, “she crushed my wagon.”
The main guard shared a nonplussed look with Horace, before turning to her and flatly saying: “You snuck into her lair and stole from her hoard.”
She puffed up indignantly. “I may be a thief, but that wagon was my home. Surely saying ‘that’s that I guess’ isn’t really fair.”
He lowered his eyes at her. “You’re right, it isn’t fair that I’m letting go of the fact that you brought an angry dragon down on us with swiping claws, nearly causing a city-wide panic.” As her hopes sank, dejected, he cleared his throat. “Not to sound harsh here, but we’re lucky nopony’s hurt. You included.”
Galahad huffed with feigned offense. “Righteous fury does not turn me into some feral beast, you know.”
“Right, sorry if that came out rudely.” he corrected. To his surprise, he felt a tap at his shoulder. Luna stepped forth.
“Alright, let me try to mediate here.” Click, click. Her hoof rang sturdy against the bulk of Galahad’s thigh. “Now, Galahad. You had every right to be angry. But don’t you think you handled this a touch too aggressively?”
“Absolutely not, in the pursuit of that which belongs to me.” She turned up her dragon snout.
“One friend of mine has her artifact back now.” Luna’s gesturing hooves moved from dragon to magician. “But now another friend of mine hasn’t a home. You might agree this is a touch extreme--that you’ve escalated the situation?”
That golden jaw clenched in an attempt not to betray the grinding of huge teeth. But their size meant a quiet to pony ears was a touch too tricky. “Am I not endowed some fury when crossed?”
“Certainly.” agreed Luna with a pleasant smile, giving her claw a comforting pat. “But if you held true to that alone, you’d have one less friend in this world, no?”
Galahad stammered as Luna nuzzled up against her shoulder. With a huffy turn of her head to look away, her cheeks turned rose gold. “Bah, you are lucky we are kindred spirits, you and I.”
“A blushing dragon,” mused Pinkie, “now I really have seen it all.”
“So do you think you might help make up for my friend’s cart you crushed?” Luna was certain to bat her lashes for all they were worth and nudging Pinkie who laughed.
“Fine.” Grumbling aside, Galahad presented the ruby heart, and soundly tapped the back of it with her other claw. Several stacks worth of a bizarrely pristine golden coin, long since out circulation, fell out of it, into a loose pile one head high at Trixie’s hooves. “This ought cover the damages, I should think.”
The guard with pretty purple hair spoke up. “Oh, those are pretty valuable.” When he got several confused looks, he said: “What? I have an antique coin collection. I can do other things.”
“So, it’s a magical storage container?” Luna asked of Galahad’s artifact, which she withdrew deeper into her own clutches, closer to her very real dragon’s heart.
“You may stow that which you treasure.” she explained, as though it were obvious. “Was I not clear before?”
“It’s clear as crystal now, Gal.”
“Ha.” Pinkie seemed to like that one.
Luna then turned to Trixie who was counting out her coins and said: “Is there anything you’d like to say to my dragon friend, Trixie? Something perhaps you ought to say?”
Trixie shuffled over and took her hat off. She peered up into those great big nonplussed eyes. “I’m sorry to have stolen from you, and very… humbled by this. Especially considering you didn’t owe me anything. It’s very generous of you.”
“Mm,” mugged Galahad, “isn’t it just?” Something pawed at her claw, like an insistent kitten, desperate for attention. Looking down, she saw Luna being somewhat disappointed. Her dragon maw began to falter. “I suppose that’s not entirely the point. I should have practiced some of the benevolence Luna here has been teaching me. I too am sorry, for not at least attempting to parlay with you before escalating.”
“There we are,” cooed Luna, “admitting that was very mature of you.”
Galahad leaned down, nostrils flaring, and huffed. A toothy grin overcame her when Luna’s hair blew back and she flinched. “I’ll walk a ways from your town, and take off from there. Wouldn’t want to knock anything over on my way out.”
The handsomer of the two nudged his compatriot and made a circular motion for the other guards to disperse. “See, Horace? All’s well that ends well. Let’s go put all the patrols back into place. Thanks for being amiable, miss dragon--Galahad, was it?”
“Fie, little knight.” she growled, stomping on by. “You are lucky it is a new age when reasoning is more viable than fire and steel. Else I’d have damaged more than the link in a caravan chain, and you’d have shattered every lance from your armory against my hide.”
“To be fair, miss, we only lance beasts, when necessary.” He bristled up as she continued loping by. Luna’s soft little chuckle nearby caught his attention anew.
“Take it from me, friend; even the worst of the monsters and beasts of old can redeem themselves with time.” She gave them a wink, and as she went her separate way with Pinkie at her side, she caught Galahad pausing to let that sentiment sink in. She kept on, and so did she.
It was only later on, in the dead of night, that Luna sprang up in bed. Her hooves quickly covered her face. This was no fear she felt, but disgrace. Dragging at her cheeks and jaw, she groaned aloud to no-one: “Oh my gosh. That was Stoneheart earlier, and I didn’t recognize him…”
End of summer arrived. Wistful clouds drifted listlessly across the sky. Fields nearby saw a pleasant time for picnickers in this nigh perfect weather. Among them, the odd scarf, however, had finally been adorned.
Beyond the pining of summer loves, where newfound, surprised admiration gazed across the table cloths laid out on the grass, there sat a boutique on the hill by the street. And within it there was a monster and hero both, an entity unified and redeemed, grumbling with her seamstress extraordinaire.
“Must I really wear my element, Rarity?” complained Luna, fiddling with her crown.
“I had imagined it as the centerpiece of your ensemble.” Rarity gently set it back up behind Luna’s horn. “Why, darling, can you help me understand why you’d rather not wear it?”
Luna took it off once more. She turned it about between her hooves. “There is a certain implication, you know? Me, a former royal, showing up, wearing a crown.”
Rarity turned the other way, grimacing. “Oh dear. I was so caught up in the euphoria of finally getting to do a regal-like piece, that I forgot what a social faux pas this might seem.”
From seated nearby, Rainbow chuckled aloud and added: “I can see the gossip rags now. ‘Queen’s Sister Usurps Her Again With Fancier Crown!’”
Fluttershy chided her, wagging the hairbrush at her with disapproval. “Don’t tease, Dash. This is a big night for her.”
“Indeed.” agreed Rarity. She spread out her hooves, showing this imaginary bigger picture. “A misstep such as this could destroy any sense of social standing for us all.”
“Aw pshaw.” dismissed Pinkie.
“‘Pshaw,’ excuse me?” Rarity seldom raised her voice, but that seemed to strike a nerve.
“What does she need with a bunch of fancy ponies living half the country away?” Pinkie shrugged. “We love her plenty here.”
“Especially you, huh?” muttered Rainbow under her breath, bemused, before being silently berated by Fluttershy once more. To that glare, she could o lay offer a timid smile.
“I understand your sentiment, Pinkie, I really do.” Rarity gestured toward Luna fondly. “We’ve all become fast friends with our Luna here. We all love her, very much so.”
Luna reflexively pawed at her chest, as though her heart might beat out of there. “I’m touched.”
“Even if she does make the odd mistake, here and there.” Rarity gave her a churlish grin and pat her cheek.
Luna squinted at her, lip curling. “Alright, no, that’s fair.”
“Oh I’m only teasing, darling.” She waved her hoof. “As your friends, part of our job is to keep you humble.”
“And my ego may yet never be the same.” Luna shrugged with a playful grin of her own, before producing a golden chain. “At any rate, here. I brought the necklace Galahad gave me. It has a similar aesthetic to my crown, will that work?”
Rarity borrowed the piece with a “Thank you.” and waltzed it over to a rack with several garments. Her horn’s magic pulled apart some of the hangers with a series of thoughtful clicks. When she found the one she was looking for, she held the necklace up to it, and pondered. “Hmm.” she said, and: “Hmmmmmmm, yes this… this will do.”
Right after this exchange, the door to the boutique opened, the jingling of the bell feeling surprisingly aggressive. In strode Applejack, none too pleased with some aspect to her current lot in life. Her wandering green eyes seemed to be hunting for someone in particular.
“Nice of you to join us, Applejack, dear.” teased Rarity, a pleasant smile betraying her true feelings that it was indeed nice for her to see AJ again.
Applejack marched right past her, ignoring the sweet greeting to get into it with Luna. “Listen, Luna, we have got to talk about that filly you’ve done pawned off on me.”
The dark blue mare thought of the powder blue filly. “Is Trixie really that bad?”
It had been the morning after the Galahad incident. A raucous knock on Luna’s door brought her to a desperate Trixie, realizing she had enough money now to fix her cart, but not for a hotel. With little else in mind, Luna had told her she might know somepony who’d but her up for a little while.
“But she’ll make you work for it.” Luna had told her.
“Then the great and powerful Trixie will be the best worker.” Trixie promised her.
“She is the worst worker.” complained Applejack. “She’s incompetent, lazy, and she talks back whenever I tell her to do literally anything!” Applejack worked her hooves along the edges of her cranium with a rough “Grah!” Her hair became mussed up and her hat crooked on her head.
“I hadn’t expected she’d be the best at labor.” admitted Luna, taking AJ’s hat off her, passing it to Rarity, who delicately placed it at the very top of her favorite hat rack. “What about simple tasks? Sweeping? Have you tried sweeping, it’s very straightforward. Even I can sweep.”
“Last time I gave her a broom, I came back two hours later to a barn that was still half-covered in dust.” AJ sneered, remembering the disappointment she’d felt that day. “And she was napping on a haybale nearby.”
Rarity leaned in, such that her cheek would be open. “Hello, by the way, AJ, I love you.”
“Love you too, Rares.” said Applejack without a second thought, turning from her rant to plant a doting kiss on that waiting cheek. She then picked up where she left off. “And another thing, Luna, she’s been a right bad influence on Applebloom. I--” trailed off her words, realizing she’d been tricked into some open affection. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Rainbow, Flutterhsy, and Pinkie, all giddy as little schoolyard fillies, bouncing in their chairs. Her face turned nearly as red as the apples she picked.
“Why don’t you calm down and let me start braiding your hair?” cooed Rarity.
“At any rate,” added Luna, patting her shoulder, “repairs to Trixie’s wagon should be done in a couple days. Think you can put up with her a little longer? For me?”
Applejack pouted, pensive as Rarity ran the brush through her locks. “Fine, I guess. But if she talks back to me one more time, I’m gonna let her have it, hear?”
“Loud and clear, Applejack.” sighed Luna, shaking her head. “I owe you one.”
Rarity had already begun brushing out Applejack’s mane, pulling the strands out into strips to layer over one another. “Yes, yes, magicians and such. Come now, girls, we’ve much to prepare for.”
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Trixie may be great and powerful, but she needs to learn a bit of appreciation. life at the Acres is certainly better than the alternative, rock farming's a much harder job.
I am not surprised that even though she has a new change of heart, Trixie decides to steal. Also that Moment where Applejack confessed her love for Rarity was pretty hilarious and sweet
First off, super adorable Rarity/Applejack moment. All my love for it. When the red gem was mentioned with Trixie's theft, I at first thought it was the Alicorn amulet, but a treasure storing Ruby was an even better twist/addition to the world. Nice job on adding new magic to the lore of this world. For the cafe, I feel like it's a bit strange for Luna to be off put by beauty, from any creature, given her age, constant court presence in the past, and proximity to her sister for so long. Like, wouldn't her sense of beauty be 1k years old and so people considered stylish/beautiful now be strange to her instead? But I can dig her insecurities as they make her more dynamic, and maybe Marlo is just that confident compared to Luna's current social awkwardness.
Secondly, I really hope by last chapter you mean the last chapter in this arc of the story! I really hoped to see the relationship between Celestia and Luna start to be mended and the trials there as well as Luna and Pinkie working out their first conflict what with Pinkie's note to Celestia and such without Luna knowing. I don't feel like that stuff can be resolved in a last chapter. BUT, even if this should all end with one more chapter I'll appreciate you giving us a finale to the whole thing and want you to know I enjoyed it each step of the way. So, thanks for writing and sharing the stories with us!
9772790
Hard work mixes with that girl like water and oil, ha.
9772963
Ah ha, at last my plan is complete. You all thought I was writing an inter-personal story about Luna? It was all a ruse to get a RariJack scene after 15 chapters. I kid, but I'm actually like super glad people like that bit; listen, I live for cutesy schmaltz and I love getting to write some and that people are here for it!
9773416
A dumb idea I got into my head was "wouldn't it be funny if just absolutely everyone found this barista mare hot?" because that's the kind of weird running gag I enjoy (like with Petra calling her "the hot one"). But it strangely works for Luna, I think, in that it makes her nervous. Like, it kinda opens this door to a side of herself she maybe hasn't considered, or reconciled with. A similar door that Pinkie's trying to step into.
Also I felt a bit iffy about the Trixie + powerful magic item bit, like is this too early to be stealing a few ideas from later seasons? I dunno, I mainly wanted one more mention of some side characters and what was going on with them before, you guessed, it the finale to this arc. Which, woof, yeah, there's a lot of some heavy strings to tie together. Might be a long last chapter.
And hey, thanks for reading!
That RariJack bit near the end was just precious~