Me, You, and a Library for Two

by Dull Mist

Planning

Planning

The window curtains were open just enough to let a thin ray of light in, and Silver Quill was in just the right position for the light to shine on his sleeping eyes. He squinted and muttered in his drowsiness, irritated that the inanimate energy had the gall to wake him so rudely. With a groan, he turned on his side facing away from the window, and slowly drifted back into the land of dreams. He sighed contentedly, and as luck would have it, that content did not last.

Several sharp knocks came from the front of the house, loud enough to reverberate throughout the entire building. Silver Quill gritted his teeth in annoyance and ignored the rude pony vying for his attention. After a few seconds of silence, the knocks came again, each one jarring Silver Quill with its loudness. He had to force himself to not jump out of bed and give this pony a verbal lashing the likes of which they have never seen. But he restrained himself, and when he went thirty seconds without hearing anything. he sighed and settled down again. "Some ponies..." he muttered. Soon after that, he heard a shuffling noise from the side of the house, outside his room window.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Silver Quill slowly rose from the comfort of his bed, and groggily walked to the window. When he opened the window, he was greeted with the face of a dark blue pony with her muzzle smooshed up against the glass. The pony grinned happily at Silver Quill's shock.

"SALUTATIONS YOUNG SILVER QUILL! ART THOU READY TO START THY VACATION?" Silver Quill could do nothing but stare at the face of a very happy Princess. After a few seconds of being bewildered, Silver Quill closed the curtains, counted to five, and opened the curtains again. Much to his chagrin, the supremely delighted pony was not a figment of his imagination. Only when Luna lifted her hoof and gently tapped on the glass of the window did he realize he should open it.

"What in the world are you doing Luna?" As hard as he tried to suppress it, Silver Quill couldn't prevent a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice. Luna however, appeared to be far too excited to notice it.

"Why Silver Quill, we are here to see thou off for thy sabbatical!"

Silver Quill blinked, not comprehending. While his body was awake, his mind was still asleep.

"I'm sorry Luna, you're going to have to explain yourself a bit more than that."

Luna merely laughed and shook her head. "We are afraid that explanations shall have to wait young Silver Quill, for now thou must get out of bed and make thyself presentable. Our sister Celestia has summoned you." Silver Quill blinked several times before sighing and turning away.

"Of course Princess Celestia wants to talk to me, why in the world would it be anything else? Because that makes total sense." Luna beamed at him. "Verily! We shall be waiting for thou outside of thy house."

Silver Quill chuckled at Luna's inability to detect sarcasm and said "Alright, I'll be out shortly." Luna nodded happily and walked away from his bedroom window.

After 10 minutes of freshening up, brushing his teeth, and getting his mane in order, Silver Quill made his way out of the front door to meet with his excited friend. He found Luna in a drowsy state of happiness, her eyes glazed over, and her body slowly swaying with the breeze. Apparently she didn't realize how strange she looked to the other ponies walking by, because she didn't react in the slightest when they walked by, staring at her.

Silver Quill had to wave his hoof in front of her face and call out her name to snap her back to reality. After several blinks and a confused exclamation, she burst into a wide smile. "Ah, Silver Quill! Art thou ready to depart?" Silver Quill looked closely at her. As far as he could tell, there was no reason for her to be so... bubbly. It wasn't her normal behavior that's for sure, although he didn't know what she was like during the day since all their meetings happened at the same spot at night.

"As ready as I'll ever be to meet Princess Celestia." he replied.

Luna looked at him with surprise on her face. "Oh! Art thou nervous to meet our sister for the first time?"

Silver Quill looked up at her and shook his head. "To be honest Luna, I'm much more confused than I am nervous. From what you told me about her, I think I won't have any problems with her. But what I want to know is why she wants to see me, and why so early."

Luna nodded her understanding. "Ah, now we understand." She peered down at Silver, trying to reassure him with her gaze. "The reason for our sister's sudden interest in thou, young Silver Quill, is that she kindly agreed to find a suitable location for thy sabbatical upon our asking." Silver Quill's eyes widened in surprise.

"You asked her for a place for me to take my vacation? What did she say?" Luna thought for a moment, making Silver Quill slightly nervous. What did she have to think about?

Once Luna was satisfied with her answer, she said, "We did not ask our sister to find you the right location, per se. It was more that we asked her to confirm that thou were able to stay there." When Silver Quill's expression made it obvious that she would have to go into more detail, she continued. "What we mean to say, is that we know the perfect place for thou to take thy sabbatical, but we needed our sister to confirm thy living arrangements." Luna smiled down at him. "Do not worry young silver Quill, our sister shall explain in greater detail." Silver Quill could do nothing but shrug, no point in pushing the issue he figured.

The rest of the walk to the castle was filled with companionable small talk. The chatted about the latest news in Equestria, what was going on in the literature industry, and Luna's musings about getting back into music. As they walked and talked, they were the subject of interest for many passing ponies. The Princess of the Night was very rarely ever seen in public, especially in broad daylight. While Luna was blissfully unaware of all the attention they were receiving, Sliver Quill just decided to ignore it, though he did find himself thankful that it was early in the morning, so there weren't too many ponies out.

after 20 minutes of walking, they reached the castle. Silver Quill had been inside the castle several times before, and it never failed to take his breath away. The golden statues made by master artisans from all over Equestria, The priceless works of art made by artists who have been dead for centuries. The precious minerals and gemstones throughout the castle were expertly placed to compliment the decor, but never too much to make it overpowering to the eyes. It really was a marvel, a testimonial that shows what ponies are truly capable of.

Silver Quill took followed Luna up the wide marble staircase in the main hall, trusting her to take to the Sun Princess. As they made their way up the many steps of the castle, Silver Quill pondered what had Luna in such a fine fettle. Normally, he was quite skilled at telling what other ponies were feeling, and why, but this time he was coming up blank. He decided to pay it little mind, and instead focused on the task at hand, which was not making a fool out of himself in front of Princess Celestia.

Luna stopped walking in front of a particularly extravagant door, even for this castle. It was made of dark red mahogany and looked as though 4 average sized ponies standing on each others backs would have little difficulty walking through. With a smile, Luna hammered on the door, sending several loud bangs echoing down the wide corridor and making Silver Quill flinch. The door opened slowly on silent hinges.

Luna nodded at him and walked in. Silver Quill looked around, curious what this room was. The walls lined with bookshelves that reached the high ceiling, the single desk on the side of the room, and the lack of other furnishings suggested the it was the Princess's private study. The sun Princess was standing at her desk reading a letter, but put it down to address them.

"Dear sister, what have I told you about knocking? Your goal is to get the other ponies attention, not destroy the door." Princess Celestia smiled tiredly at Luna, who blushed slightly. This was apparently an issue that was familiar to the two of them, and after the way that Luna abused his own poor door, he understood why.

"Our apologies Sister, we were just a little bit too excited."

Celestia laughed, not at her sister, but at her antics. "Clearly you were." Celestia smiled politely at Silver Quill. "And this must be the pony that you spoke about."

Luna was instantly excited again at her mention of Silver Quill. "Ah yes, where are our manners? Sister, this is our friend Silver Quill. Young Silver Quill, this is our dear sister, although I'm sure thou art already aware of that." Luna giggled a bit, pleased with herself for helping to break the ice between the two with her little joke.

Silver Quill laughed inwardly at Luna's silliness, and brought himself up to his full height to address the princess. "It's a pleasure to meet you Princess Celestia." Silver Quill said with a deep bow. Celestia laughed and said, "Please, any friend of my sisters is a friend of mine, just call me Princess Cele-" Princess Celestia stopped mid sentence in confusion. She looked quizzically at Silver Quill , who grinned back at her. Celestia chuckled, and said "Well, I didn't see that coming."

Through Luna's descriptions of her sister as an individual, and not just as a princess, Silver Quill could tell that she wasn't very fond of being worshiped by other ponies all the time. He knew that addressing her just by her name could be seen as presumptuous, and that she wouldn't like it if he said, "your majesty", so he did the next best thing.

When Celestia smiled at Silver Quill again, it was more sincere. "Well Silver Quill, I'm sure you must be wondering why you're here." He nodded at her, and she continued. "I'll admit that when my sister came up to me asking me arrange a temporary residence for you outside of Canterlot, I was a little confused. But she was adamant, and I know my sister well enough to know that when she gets an idea in her head, there's no way to get it out." Luna grinned, more so to herself than anypony else.

"And I was even more surprised when she asked me to arrange your vacation in Ponyville of all places, but still, she has her reasons. But then she asked me if it was possible to ask my student, Twilight Sparkle, if you would be able to stay with her." Silver Quill's eyebrows rose higher with each revelation. Why had Luna been so insistent on him staying in a town he's never been in and with a pony he's never met?

"At first I was confused, but it makes sense when you think of it. Luna told me that you are a writer and that you are looking for a change of scenery for inspiration." He nodded again, looking from one Princess to the next. "Well, if that's the case, then I think this may be the perfect place for you. My student, you see, lives in and manages the only library in Ponyville. One that has more than enough space for a few more ponies to live in."

Silver Quill thought about this. Living in a library in a quiet small town with nothing to do but leisurely read the time away. This idea was sounding more appealing by the minute. "I think that sounds like a lovely idea Princess Celestia, but I do have one question. For both of you actually" They looked at him expectantly. "Why would you two go through all of this trouble just for me?" he asked.

Luna gave him a big smile and simply said. "Because thou art our friend young Silver Quill!" Silver Quill's eyes widened at that, and he returned her smile with one of his own rare ones. Celestia's eyes were unreadable as she looked at her sister, then at Silver Quill.

` She thought for a few seconds before answering. "And I am doing this because my sister asked me to, and because I think that it would be good for my student to make a new friend."

Luna nodded sharply, as though expecting nothing less. But then she frowned slightly as a sudden realization seemed to hit her. "But it all depends on miss Twilight Sparkle's reply. She may say that she is too busy or doesn't like the idea, or that it would be to much of an inconvenience." Luna's brow wrinkled slightly as she mulled over all the possible reasons why Silver Quill would not be able to holiday in Ponyville, but Princess Celestia only laughed.

"Why Luna, you should have more faith in her her. I knew that Twilight Sparkle would be perfectly fine with sharing the library for a few weeks or so. In fact, I was reading the letter she sent me saying so when you two came in."

Luna's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "So, dost thou mean to say that Silver Quill will be going to Ponyville?" Her voice had gotten unnaturally low in her strange excitement. Silver Quill still couldn't fathom why she was acting like this. Celestia looked at Luna strangely, no doubt due to Luna's abnormal behavior. "Well, if Silver Quill would like to go to Ponyville for his vacation, then yes, that is what I'm saying." Luna's eyes snapped in Silver Quill's direction.

Silver Quill looked from one Princess to the other. After some thought and consideration, he nodded. A smile so large that there was no way for it to not be painful bloomed on Luna's face. Her whole body trembled, and he heard a high pitched squee coming from within her throat. The combined effect made Silver Quill think of a boiling tea kettle.

Celestia cleared her throat. "Luna, I think it would be best if you went to sleep now. I'll handle the rest." Luna nodded, and said her goodbyes to her sister and her friend, although they seemed to be rather halfhearted. She was lost in her strange mind by the time she reached the door.

Princess Celestia and Silver Quill stared after her. Celestia was the first to regain her composure. "Alright, now, your train leaves at 3:30, so you have plenty of time to pack what you need." Princess Celestia's horn lit up as she levitated a small piece of paper, his ticket, from her desk.

Silver Quill took the ticket in his own telekinetic grasp, and looked up at the Princess. "Thank you very much Princess Celestia. I'm very grateful." Princess Celestia nodded idly.

Silver Quill took this as his cue to leave, so he said his goodbyes and walked toward the door. Before he could open it however, he was stopped by the Princess's voice behind him. "Wait just a moment if you will, Silver Quill."

Silver Quill turned around to look at her. "Is there something else Princess Celestia?"

Princess Celestia seemed to have dropped all of her royal demeanor as she spoke to him. "Before you leave, I just wanted to say thank you. For being friends with Luna I mean." Silver Quill was pretty sure he knew exactly what she was talking about, but decided to see what she wanted to say.

"Why do you thank me for that Princess?"

Princess Celestia looked at him as though they were both completely normal ponies, which was kind of silly since they technically were. But when she spoke, it was as though he was no different than her. "When my sister first came back to Equestria, she wasn't the same pony as she always was. She was quieter, more reserved, and definitely not happy. But since she met you, she's been slowly becoming more and more like the sister I know and love. I think you were a major part of that change. The way she called you her friend earlier convinces me of that. So, thank you."

Silver Quill looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "You're very welcome Princess. Luna has been quite the good friend to me, so I'm glad that I have helped her as you have described."

Celestia nodded, her eyes twinkling at him and said "I'm happy to hear that. Now, I think you should go and get ready for your trip."

Silver Quill nodded again and turned to leave, but stopped at an impulse. He turned around again and said "Princess Celestia, I don't mean to pry or anything,but do you know why Luna was so... excited?"

Princess Celestia's face was completely deadpan when she replied with "I'm afraid I haven't the faintest clue Silver Quill."

Silver Quill wasn't convinced, but accepted the answer nonetheless. He merely said goodbye once more and left. Princess Celestia waited a few seconds after the door had close to let out the laughter that had been building up inside of her. Truth be told, she knew exactly why her sister was acting extra eccentric today. Luna always had always been a romantic, and there wasn't a doubt in Celestia's mind that there was another reason that Luna was so insistent that he stay with Twilight Sparkle. She chuckled softly to herself, wondering what will come out of this.

---

Silver Quill had everything he may or may not need with him as he boarded the train to Ponyville. Some light reading for the ride there, a fair amount of bits to last him throughout his stay, a few writing materials just in case, and other essentials. He looked around and found a seat that wasn't to close to anypony else. He needed to be alone with his thoughts right now.

Comments

[dankmememaster420]

I CLAIM THE ALMIGHTY FIRS- 'gets hauled off in black van'

[Ninjayorkshire]

Luna your matchmaker i knew why she wanted him to go to ponyville

[Xaratos]

Luna is kind of trollestia but Luna

[Time Squid]

1229367 TrolLuna?

[metroid_freak]

"What we mean to say, is that we know the perfect place for thou to take thy sabbatical, but we needed our sister to confirm thy living arrangements." Luna smiled down at him.

Oooh damn, I've watched enough anime to know PRECISELY where THIS is going...

Still loving the story thus far! Keep it up!

[katarjin]

mahogany

..do i really need to post the clip? and Luna acting like me when the shipping in a story gets going is funny as hell

[Mega Maniac]

mahogany

[PaulAsaran]

Okay, who the heck is this guy? He's friends with Luna do to a coincidental meeting. Okay, fine, no problems there. But Luna tells him he's to meet Celestia – the most important and powerful pony in Equestria – and his response is "Oh, okay, let me just get ready." Does Silver get excited – or nervous – about anything? I get he's a calm guy, but this is going into unbelievable territory. Since meeting Celestia doesn't phase him, I now expect him to take meeting all the Element-bearers and their friends with an equal lack of interest, because that's the character you've created.

You depiction of Luna is... interesting. I'm guessing this may relate to how the comics depict her, which I understand is very social and silly. It's a big clash with my headcanon that makes this story all the more interesting. By now it's abundantly clear that I guessed right with Luna's intentions. It does strike me as odd that she would go through Celestia to get Twilight's permission, though, when she could have saved everyone the time and trouble by meeting Twilight directly (in her dreams, for instance) and making the request personally. Still, the argument can be made that having Celestia make the request almost guarantees an acceptable response, so I'll go with it.