Party of Two-Point-Six
by Nom deCheval
NOW
“SURPRISE!”
A horn blared and confetti blasted across her muzzle as streamers fell down all around her. She glanced upwards, briefly wondering where all of the streamers were actually coming from, before looking back at the mare standing in front of her. Well, standing was the wrong term, because even though the mare wasn’t traveling in any direction, she was most definitely still moving. Following the mare’s bouncing motion, her eyes darted up and down like a child’s ball.
Luna’s mind focused on a single question: What the hell was going on?
EARLIER
The night came on, the stars rose in the sky, and Luna smiled to herself and turned back inside her tower. Certainly, Celestia waited for her, hoping to share a dinner with her sister before retiring for the evening, but Luna remained undecided about joining her.
It would be another night, the same as any other, with her listening to the day’s events. Being told of the ponies that came by to ask for the wisdom and advice of the Day Court, asking for guidance and perhaps judgment in the matters of their lives. Dignitaries from distant countries would share meetings and tea with Celestia, discussing treaties and shared relations. Presentations by scholars, scientists and unicorn-mages on the future of ponies and ponykind for the next hundred years.
And the Night Court would deal with matters of near equal importance. Insect control. Volume ordinances. And maybe even a few intoxicated ponies needing judgment for the evening.
Her chest rose and fell. And then again. The smile that she had from raising the night had faded. A quick shake of her head and a smile forced onto her face, Luna spoke to herself.
“I will not go to that place again. There is no disrespect meant towards me. This is simply the order of things. My role and duties are equally the import of my sister’s. Indeed, I shepherd their dreams, a duty that Celestia cannot perform.” Her smile became more genuine. “At least not since my return. That, too, she handled for a thousand years during my absence.”
She stamped her hoof. “Luna! You are being a foal. Go greet Celestia with love and gratitude for having such a kind and caring sister. Do not let yourself become mired in moments of self-pity!”
Standing at her full height, her mane waving gently in the night air, she cut a figure that artists would long to recreate. Then she looked to her left and then to her right. “And you may want to quit talking to yourself.”
It was a quick trot to the dining room, accompanied by several greetings to guards and other ponies in the castle that evening. A familiar barrage of smiles and polite nods. Everything had become rote, and Luna was prepared for another dinner of nothing of interest.
Which means that she was entirely unprepared for what she found. The grand table that she shared with her sister for their meals was easily large enough to sit an additional dozen or so ponies, depending on their size, but that was never the case. It was always just the two of them dining alone. Always. It is not unusual for always to turn into usually, however.
Sitting at the table were six ponies that needed no introduction. Not only did Luna know them by reputation, she knew them by their actions directly, and by name. Applejack. Rarity. Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie. Twilight Sparkle. The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony.
“Greetings, Luna,” Celestia’s voice eased across her ears. “We have guests for dinner tonight. I hope that isn’t too jarring a surprise.”
“No,” Luna shook her head politely. “Of course not. You must forgive me, though. I was unaware that they were even visiting.”
“Oh no, Princess,” Twilight answered immediately, “we didn’t even know ourselves until a little while ago. It’s a long story. The short version is that we followed a pony here because of a misunderstanding, thinking she was trying to steal our Elements. It really was harmless.”
“Yeah, and the Princess here asked us to come an’ have some dinner with you both. Hope you don’t mind,” Applejack added.
“Of course not, you are always welcome at our table,” Luna replied.
“You are so very, very kind,” Rarity stated. “It is such an honor to be dining with not one, but both of Equestria’s ruling nobility.” Her eyes sparkled.
“Yeah, and the food here is the best!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed.
“Yes, and that,” Rarity stated, rolling her eyes.
“I tend to agree,” Celestia added. “The Royal Chefs do an exemplary job with every meal. It’s a joy to be able to share their talents with others.”
“Yes,” Luna nodded. “Yes, I agree.”
“Well, then join us.” Celestia’s wing opened in a broad gesture as she smiled over at her sister.
Two ponies rushed over and pulled out Luna’s chair, and two others brought over plates covered in a silver cloche, pulling them back to reveal the selections specially chosen for the Night Princess that evening. She nodded, smiled, and waited until the servants had stepped back slightly before sampling her dinner.
The conversation around the table evolved from the story of the mare that led them on a merry chase to the happenings in Ponyville and, thanks mostly to a rather insistent Rarity, the latest in gossip that was making its way through Canterlot.
Minutes stretched into something approaching hours before Luna stood from her chair and spoke.
“It has been a pleasure sharing this evening’s meal with all of you, but if you will forgive me, I have duties that I must attend.”
“Of course, Princess,” Twilight answered.
“Oh yes, please do forgive me for going on and on, but, well,” Rarity’s eyes seemed to vibrate, “royalty and everything.”
“Very understandable,” Luna nodded to Rarity, and then turned to her sister. “Celestia, I shall see you again in the morning.”
“Of course, little sister.”
Luna turned, and calmly walked from the room, the rest of the ponies turning back to their idle conversation--that is, save one. A bright pink pony kept her eyes on the Princess as she left the room, twisting her head to the side as the mare walked away.
NOW
“Were you surprised?” Pinkie asked, still bouncing. “I bet you were surprised, because you really, really look surprised, and I didn’t tell anypony that I was going to be here, so it was really a big surprise, so I’m betting you were surprised.” She leaned in close to Luna. “So were you really, really, really surprised?”
Blinking several times, Luna opened her mouth to speak, but never got a word out.
“Oh, and I hope you don’t mind that I went ahead and brought cake. I know that cake is really more of your sister’s thing, but I figure if Princess Celestia likes cake so much, then Princess Luna probably likes cake, too, right?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes, I do--”
“I knew it!” Another blast of confetti soared up behind Pinkie Pie, accompanied by the sound of a tin horn blaring.
“I must ask, though--”
“Chocolate!” She responded with a grin that ran from ear to ear.
Luna paused. “What?”
“The cake. It’s chocolate,” Pinkie explained. “I figured you were going to ask what flavor the cake was, since we were talking about cake and everything, and also, since you’re--you know--the Princess of the Night and everything, that a night-like flavor would be the best choice, and the most night-ish flavor that I could think of was chocolate.”
“That’s not what--”
“Actually, the mostest night flavor I could think of was something like ‘ebon starlight’ but I found out that there isn’t actually a flavor named that, so I had to fake it. I tried to fake it using nightshade, but boy was that ever a mistake! I suppose I could have used a tomato or eggplant, since they’re kinda related, but who ever heard of an eggplant cake. I mean--”
“PINKIE PIE!” Luna’s voice reverberated off the walls of her private chamber--though she barely recognized it at the moment--stopping the manic pink pony in mid-sentence and causing her to stop bouncing and sit down in place immediately.
“Yes?” Pinkie answered, the smile still plastered on her face.
“What are you doing here?” Luna asked in an evenly measured tone.
“Well, duh! I’m throwing you a party!” she answered.
“A...party?” Luna looked into the room, seeing no pony else waiting beyond Pinkie.
“Yep! It’s kinda my specialty,” she beamed.
“But...we are the only two ponies present,” Luna explained. “It is my belief that parties involve a gathering of many ponies in a single place to celebrate an event or occasion.”
“Normally, sure, but this is a party of two,” Pinkie answered, and then amended herself almost instantly. “Actually, it’s more like two-point-six, since Gummy is here, too.” She raised her tail up high, revealing a small alligator firmly clamped onto it. She leaned in towards Luna before continuing. “I’m only rating him at point-six because he’s really tired. He’s had a long day.”
Luna’s eyes went from the alligator--whose eyes seemed slightly less than focused--to Pinkie, back to Gummy, and finally back to Pinkie, all the while her mouth opening and closing in a chaotic rhythm.
Staring across at the Princess, Pinkie seemed completely unfazed by...everything.
“Let me ask a different question, then,” Luna began. “Tell me, why did you create this party?”
EARLIER
The dinner was slowing down. Rainbow Dash had already let the theatrics of her head rolling back while her legs and wings splayed out from the chair be her subtle indication that she was ready to get away from the table, and several of the others were falling in suit.
“Well, I suggest that we all go settle into our rooms for the evening,” Celestia stated. “We can meet again for breakfast, if you would like.”
“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash suddenly popped to life. “One more meal that like that before we head back to Ponyville is a great idea!”
“I reckon that works,” Applejack said through a yawn. “Besides, I’m getting a mite tired, myself.”
“Well, then it is settled. I will meet you here just after sunrise for breakfast,” Celestia smiled. “Now, off you go!”
“Princess?” Twilight whispered over to Celestia. “May I talk to you for a moment, in private?”
“Of course, my faithful student.”
“Well, we’ll see ya’ll in the morning, then,” Applejack stood from the table, followed by the other Elements, save Twilight, and walked calmly out of the room, shutting the door behind them.
“Now, what is it you wish to speak about, Twilight?” Celestia asked.
“Well,” she reached up and rubbed the back of her neck, her eyes turning away from the Princess, “it’s kind of awkward to talk about--and a little bit embarrassing, honestly--but it’s something that I’ve been wanting to bring up for a while.”
“What is it, Twilight? You can talk to me about anything,” Celestia extended a wing over the smaller mare, feeling her tremble as she did.
Twilight took a deep breath. “Okay, Twilight, you can do this.” She looked up into Celestia’s eyes, staring back at her half-lidded, and her breath suddenly left her lungs. The only reason she could speak at all was through sheer force of will. “Princess Celestia, I--”
“Can I ask you two a question?” Pinkie Pie interrupted.
Twilight almost jumped from her seat. Celestia turned calmly to look at Pinkie.
“Pinkie Pie!” Twilight’s head spun around, as though expecting to see dozens of other ponies rushing up around her. “How did you get in here? I saw you leave! The door is still closed. What are you doing here?”
Pinkie rolled her eyes. “I just told you, Twilight,” she answered, “I want to ask you and Princess Celestia a question.”
“Of course you can, my little pony,” Celestia said. “What do you want to know?”
“Well, it’s about Princess Luna,” Pinkie said softly.
“My sister? What about her?” Celestia pulled her head back slightly.
“Why is she so sad?” Pinkie asked.
“Sad?” Twilight’s voice went down an octave. “She seemed fine at dinner. What are you talking about, Pinkie?”
“She wasn’t fine. She was really, really sad,” Pinkie said.
“Luna hasn’t mentioned anything about sadness to me, Pinkie Pie,” Celestia replied. “What makes you think that was so?”
“Because of how she was acting. You know, all sad and stuff,” Pinkie said.
“She wasn’t sad, Pinkie,” Twilight answered. “She was here talking and laughing with us for a long time.”
“Yeah, but not a real laugh or smile,” Pinkie answered. “It was that sad laugh and smile.”
“Luna is a...complex pony, Pinkie Pie,” Celestia said. “It may appear that she is sad at times, but she has a great many responsibilities and duties that she must perform that leave her occupied for much of both her waking and sleeping hours. She was probably distracted, and you mistook that for sadness.”
“Hmmm.” Pinkie Pie brought her hoof to her chin, staring up to the right. Suddenly, she shifted back to stare directly at Princess Celestia. “Nope! That was sad. Full on case of it!”
“PINKIE!” Twilight shouted, her mouth falling slack. “You can’t just talk to the Princess that way!”
“Huh? I was just--”
“I’m sorry, Princess!” Twilight looked over at Celestia as she began to push Pinkie towards the door once again. “She didn’t mean anything by it!”
“It’s all right, Twilight,” Celestia reassured her.
“Pinkie!” Twilight shouted in a whisper to her friend. “Don’t embarrass me like that! Go on and get to your room. We’ll talk about this tomorrow!”
“But, Twilight, I--”
“Now, Pinkie!” Twilight shoved her out of the room, shutting--and this time locking--the door behind her.
Spinning back around, Twilight gave a crooked grin to Princess Celestia, who sat--unruffled--at her end of the table, staring back warmly at her student.
“Sorry about that,” Twilight stated.
“It’s okay, Twilight. She just seemed concerned,” Celestia said. “Now, what was it you wanted to ask me?”
“I...” Twilight stopped herself, looking over at the regal mare on the other side of the table, and realized that both her courage and the moment left with her pink friend. “Nevermind. It’s not important.”
Celestia smiled, and then stood and walked over to her prized pupil. “Why don’t the two of us go and have an after-dinner tea?” She leaned down towards Twilight. “Alone. In my chambers.”
Blinking rapidly, Twilight nodded, and then followed her mentor out of the room.
LATER
Lying side-by-side, Luna and Pinkie Pie fought to catch their breath. Their coats matted with sweat, they panted and stared at the ceiling.
“That...was...amazing,” Luna huffed.
“Told ya!” Pinkie smiled. “I knew you...wouldn’t be able...to keep up.”
“I have...the stamina of...a goddess, Pinkie,” Luna turned to face the other mare, “you did NOT...outlast me.”
“Says you!” Pinkie stuck out her tongue.
“While I am not...admitting to anything,” Luna raised up on a single limb as her breath returned, angling herself towards Pinkie, “I find it necessary to concede that what you did there towards the end was quite unusual. Very...exotic. How did you get your limbs to bend that way?”
“Oh, I’m just naturally flexible!” Pinkie grinned.
“But...it seemed as though you had an extra pair of legs,” Luna replied slowly.
“Really? Bet that was cool!”
“I...well, actually, yes, it was rather...cool, to use your term,” Luna laughed.
Luna rolled over and stretched out her wings, rolling either shoulder in turn. Pinkie stared back up at the ceiling, twisting her head back and forth as she stared at something.
“I am amazed at how sore my body is after that,” Luna stated. “Granted, it has been over a thousand years since I have done that, but I would not expect it to have such a strong repercussion so quickly.”
“Well, don’t use a muscle, you lose a muscle!” Pinkie stated, squinting up. “Hey, Princess Luna--”
“You may just call me Luna, Pinkie,” Luna laughed.
“Okay. Luna, what is it that you have on the ceiling?”
“I have nothing on the ceiling, Pinkie. What do you mean?” she answered.
“There.” Pinkie pointed to a lighter shadow above them. “It looks like there is something up there.”
“Ah.” Luna slowly rolled onto her back, staring up where Pinkie pointed. “That is one of the gifts of the night, Pinkie Pie. So, in a sense, I did put something on the ceiling, but not in the way that you are thinking. Shadows and darkness are a gift to the imagination. They allow you to see things that are not there by creating doubt in your mind. For a child, this often will lead to fear and distress, but for the older--or the more adventurous--it is a portal for creation. Simply put, you will see what your mind wants you to see.”
“Is that why I’m seeing four albino giraffes trying to swim across a huge lake while being chased by a smiling alligator?” she asked.
Luna nodded. “I suppose it is.”
“Oh, that reminds me: where’s Gummy?” Pinkie looked around her.
“You set him down right after challenging me to a dance contest, remember?” Luna said.
“Oh yeah. And I still say that I was able to outlast you! Or do you want to try a double or nothing mambo?” Pinkie wagged her eyebrows.
“I shall pass, Pinkie.” Luna twisted her shoulders once more, trying to loosen them. “I’m still feeling the effects from our first round, as pleasurable as it was.”
“You enjoyed it?” Pinkie popped her head up.
“I did. I most certainly did,” Luna answered softly.
“That’s swelleriffic!” She began to bounce in place, while still laying on her back.
“I’m rather surprised at how much I am enjoying our time together, Pinkie,” Luna stated. “I believe this is exactly what I needed.”
Pinkie turned her head and smiled. “You needed to dance? Wow! I thought what you really needed was when we had sex a few minutes ago!”
NOW
“I’m sorry, Pinkie Pie, but this effort is ill-timed. I must ask you to leave,” Luna stated coldly.
“Leave? If I leave then who’s going to eat the night cake? You can’t do it all by yourself!”
“You may take it with you,” Luna answered somberly.
“Don’t be silly! I can’t eat your cake unless your eating it with me!” Pinkie grinned.
“It is not my cake. It is a cake that you made and brought here, without my consent--or I would wager, that of anypony else.”
Luna walked into the room, past Pinkie and the cake, heading towards her desk. There were few lights in Luna’s private chamber, but even so, it was easy to follow Luna as she walked, the stars of her mane twinkling in the shadows.
“I do not know what possessed you to come here, Pinkie Pie, but it was quite unnecessary. In fact, I have a tremendous amount of work that I must complete, so I must ask you to leave. Thank you.” Luna stepped behind her desk, magic levitating some papers in front of her. She stared at them, cycling through them in order one after another.
She didn’t read them. There was nothing to read, in fact. The papers were covered in random scribblings that she put there the previous night during more than just a moment of boredom.
The silence lingered. Luna was listening for Pinkie picking up things and moving them, or at the very least her just leaving alone. Instead, she was getting silence. The papers shuffled in front of Luna, her eyes not even focusing on them as her ears twisted on her head, trying to hear anything from the room. Finally, she lowered the papers to check things.
“Hooey.”
Pinkie Pie was inches in front of her face. And she wasn’t smiling.
“I beg your pardon?” Luna pulled back.
“I said, hooey, and I meant it. You’re tossing out a bunch of hooey, and I’m not going to let you get away with it,” Pinkie explained.
“What?” Luna stepped away from the desk, her eyes scanning up and down Pinkie. “What is this hooey you speak of? And how does it pertain to me?”
“This is hooey!” Pinkie Pie motioned around her. “And you’re acting like the queen of hooey!”
“I am a princess, not a queen,” Luna clarified.
“But you aren’t the princess of hooey! And it just doesn’t seem right!”
Luna was backing away from the smaller pink pony. “What does not seem right?”
“When was the last time you laughed?” Pinkie asked, moving towards Luna.
“I was laughing at dinner tonight. You were there and witnessed it yourself,” Luna said.
“Nuh-uh! That was you faking it. I can always tell when a pony is faking,” Pinkie stated. “Especially laughing.”
Luna stood in the corner. Her head turned to the left and then the right, and then settled down as she looked at the floor. Slowly, her head rose up, her wings pulling up, as she stood to her full height, eyes glowing solid white.
“You are overstepping your bounds, Pinkie Pie!” She glared at the smaller pony, her voice growing in volume. “This is my personal domain, and no pony--not even my sister--may come into this room and speak to me as you have! Do not press this matter!”
She stood there, pushing herself up trying to reach Luna’s height, but falling slightly short. “Ha!” she blurted. “Ha! Ha! Ha!”
“You laugh at me?” Luna asked.
“You can’t scare me, Princess. I won’t let you,” Pinkie said. “I mean, sure, it was fun being scared on Nightmare Night, but that is totally different. That was for fun. This is...well, it’s also about fun, but in a serious way.”
Luna stepped to the side, and began to walk past the other mare. “I am leaving, Pinkie Pie. When I return I do not want you or anything that you have brought remaining in this room.”
Two steps later, she felt a hoof on her shoulder.
She turned, and there was Pinkie Pie. Her customary smile was gone, and her mane had lost a good deal of its bounce. The eyes that normally gleamed with joy and wonder simply stared at her, open and caring.
“Princess,” Pinkie began, “I just don’t want you to be sad anymore.”
EARLIER
“Six yards of cotton batting, check. A wooden replica of Canterlot Falls, check. Two vats of pudding, check. One large bag of magnetic ball bearings, check. Checking all of my party supplies, check!” Pinkie Pie reviewed the materials in front of her one more time, this time silently covering everything that was sitting in front of her. A stack of material standing as tall as she, that was easily four times her width.
“I hope this is enough. The Princess is going to be a tough pony to crack.” Her eyes went up towards the ceiling, closely followed by the rest of her head turning with them. “Can you crack a Princess? Should you? It doesn’t sound like that good of an idea, actually.”
She shrugged her shoulders casually and reached over to a small box and pulled out a small piece of rubber. A deep breath and a large exhale later, and there was the first balloon in front of her. Somehow, it floated up.
Looking at it for a moment, Pinkie shook her head.
“Nope! Princess Luna is not a red balloon pony. I don’t think she would chase it anywhere if it got away,” she decided. “I think she’s more of a blue and silver pony.”
Grabbing the red balloon that was floating there, she sucked the air out of it, putting it back into the box and pulling out a deep blue rubber sliver. A few seconds later it was floating in front of her. A squeal of delight squeaked from Pinkie.
“I just know that Princess Luna is going to be so happy that somepony took the time out to throw her a party. I would worry that she would be upset that no pony else is coming, but, well, she kinda seems like a private pony.”
She looked around at all of the things stacked in front of her, eyes darting from one to another.
“Wait a second! Where did my assistant get off to?”
Spinning around, she saw a small alligator with a blank expression chewing mindlessly on a bottle of red liquid.
“Gummy! Don’t try to break into the refreshments! You are supposed to be helping set up the rest of the decorations!” She pointed to the other twelve stacks of items that were littered around the room.
“Ooh!” Pinkie’s eyes grew huge. “We’re gonna need a special night-cake!”
LATER
“...and that is the first constellation that I ever designed. I call it ‘Embrace.’” Luna pointed up and to her right, indicating a cluster of stars that glistened in the night sky.
“Wow, do you name all of the stars?” Pinkie asked.
“They are my children, Pinkie. It would be wrong for me to leave them nameless.”
Nodding slowly, Pinkie focused on the the cluster that was just pointed out. She twisted her head slightly to her right, bringing it close to Luna’s shoulder, unintentionally.
“Have you told ponies about their names before?” Pinkie asked.
“A few times, yes,” she turned to look at Pinkie, who turned to look back at her, “but not often. I have to be in the proper mood.”
The wind was crisp and clean, breezing gently past them as they sat on the balcony outside of Luna’s private chambers. Below them, the streets were silent and empty, save for a few guards and night workers that milled about in their regular tasks. The whole of Equestria seemed content and calm, leaving the night to them.
“You seem happy,” Pinkie smiled.
“I am happy,” Luna answered. “I would not have thought it a scant few hours ago, but I am happy,” her eyes focused on Pinkie’s, “now.”
“Excellent! That means it’s time for the cake eating contest!” Pinkie’s face brightened.
Luna laughed. “You are relentless, Pinkie!”
Pinkie squinted one eye. “You mean that in a good way, right?”
“I mean that in the best possible way,” Luna answered.
“So...cake time?”
“Perhaps later, Pinkie. Perhaps later,” she laughed lightly.
“Well, can you tell me more about the stars, then?” Pinkie asked.
A twinkle appeared in Luna’s eye. “I would be delighted to, Pinkie.”
The Princess of the Night began to slowly describe the canopy of stars in a passionate and detailed way that no other being in Equestria could hope to equal. After a moment, Pinkie Pie gently rested her head on Luna’s shoulder staring up and listening intensely.
NOW
“Will you not listen to me, Pinkie Pie?” Luna shouted. “I am telling you to leave here, or leave me to go!”
“But I don’t want to,” Pinkie answered softly.
“This isn’t about what you want! This is about--”
“You,” Pinkie said. “I don’t throw parties to make myself happy, Princess, I throw them to help others. I want you to be happy.”
“Happy? Happy?!” Luna roared back. “What would you know of my happiness? What do you understand of exile, and solitude, and sorrow? To have to look at your own sister and know that you betrayed her all because of--”
Her voice cracked and went silent. Tears fell unbidden from her eyes, slowly gaining momentum.
“Because of what, Princess?” Pinkie’s voice was gentle and soothing, somehow so like that of Celestia’s at that moment.
Her head dropped, hiding her eyes behind her flowing mane. “Because of selfish pride. Because you were jealous.”
Pinkie dropped her head to the ground, looking up to see Luna’s eyes. “You don’t have to be jealous, silly. You’re the Princess of the Night. Other ponies are jealous of you.”
“They do not show that jealousy very well,” Luna sighed.
“Of course they don’t,” Pinkie rolled her eyes. “They’re following you, after all.”
“What do you mean?” Luna looked at Pinkie directly.
“You’re the big mystery goddess! You like to be all dark and hidey-hidey. The ponies that are night ponies don’t go flaunting things the way that day ponies do. They get together and enjoy the things about the night. The secrecy and privacy. Letting themselves go and become less worried about life. Fun! Music! Parties!” Pinkie waggled her eyebrows. “And sex.”
An eyebrow went up on Luna’s face.
“I know what transpires during the night, Pinkie Pie,” Luna stated.
“Sounds like you don’t. It sounds like you want the night to be exactly like the day. It’s not like the day. It’s a super-special nifty-keen unique time when ponies get to be what ponies want to be when the sun isn’t shining on them like a spotlight.”
“And you see this as a good thing? That they use my night to do that which embarrasses them during the day?” Luna raised up her head.
“It’s not that, Princess,” Pinkie Pie stood up and smiled. “It’s that they can be free. Just like you don’t act like Princess Celestia, they don’t have to act like everypony else at night. They get to be themselves.”
“And how do you know this?” Luna asked.
“Princess, I’m a party pony! All the best parties are at night!” she said.
Luna laughed. “I suppose they are.”
“Yay! A laugh! A real laugh!” Pinkie bounced up and down.
It took a moment, but Luna slowly began to nod. “Yes, it was. Thank you, Pinkie Pie.”
“Does this mean that you are ready to have a party?” Pinkie was suddenly nose-to-nose with the Princess.
“I...” she hesitated. Looking around the room, she saw time and effort, and more than that, care put into the decorations and additions to the room. “I think that I would be delighted.” She bent over and gave Pinkie a peck on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“Thank you!” Pinkie reached up and grabbed Luna by the muzzle, planting a long, sloppy kiss directly onto her mouth.
Luna pulled back and blinked. Pinkie stood there unfazed.
“No,” Luna said, “you are the one who put forth the effort, so you deserve the praise.” Magic pulled Pinkie Pie towards Luna, and the larger mare kissed Pinkie deeply, opening her mouth just enough to give pause.
The kiss broke, and Pinkie narrowed her eyes, her lip curling up mischievously. “Oh yeah, well, I say it’s you who gets the thanks!” She pressed forward again, twisting her head and letting her tongue come out and lead the way towards Luna’s mouth.
A gasp of surprise came from Luna, even as she opened her mouth to accept the other mare’s adventurous tongue. A brief struggle took place in Luna’s mouth, as her tongue wrestled with the intruder. Pulling back, Luna looked down at Pinkie with shortened breath.
“This...was not what I had in mind when I suggested a party,” she said.
“Well, are you horny?” Pinkie asked.
“I...do have a horn, yes, but what does that--”
“Close enough!” Pinkie leapt up, tackling Luna and sending them both sprawling to the floor. Their momentum carried them in a tumble, the sudden shudder of Luna’s desk indicating where the trip ended.
The full moans from the Night Princess revealed where Pinkie’s journey had taken her, which soon became a chorus of two voices. Along with gasps, groans, growls, shrieks, panting, howls, laughter and the occasional proclamation to Luna’s sister.
EARLIER
The door shut behind Luna, leaving the other ponies alone to finish dining with Celestia. Head high, she walked along the corridor, passing many of the same guards who saw her going to dinner with another polite greeting. She walked past her quarters, heading up the stairs to the tower that overlooked the whole of Canterlot.
The wind greeted her as she stepped out to observe the city winding down as the night settled into place.
“Do not cry, Luna,” she whispered. “It will do you no good to cry.”
A deep breath came with a ragged edge as she fought to obey herself.
“They do not mean anything by what they do. Twilight and her friends are simply being themselves.” She stepped to the edge of the balcony, her mane growing longer in the breeze. “They seek out companionship with your sister because of Twilight Sparkle’s long-standing relationship with her. Surely they arrived before dusk, thus putting the responsibility of reporting their arrival in Celestia’s court and not yours. The stories and laughter they directed at your sister was meant for everypony’s enjoyment.”
Her chin raised up and she stared into the black of the sky.
“But...it would be nice,” her voice cracked, “to have somepony show up for me.”
The tears flew off into the night as they slipped from her cheek.
The End
