SWEET TALE'S SWEET TALE
By GeodesicDragon
Merry Christmas, Owen!
As the last of the suns rays retreated over the horizon, making way for the moon to cast its glow over Ponyville, most of the residents began their nightly rituals. For most of them, that meant going to bed. But for one stallion, it meant gazing intently at the sky and watching as the stars began to shine. He blew an errant strand of golden mane out of his eyes and smoothed down his green fur, before sitting on his haunches and looking out a window.
"Beautiful as always, Princess Luna," he muttered as the Princess of the Night took to the sky and began brightening some stars while dimming others. "Both you and the sky, that is. You are so graceful, so elegant..." He sighed. "And I'm just plain old Sweet Tale. As if you would look twice at a lowly stallion such as myself."
He watched as Luna hovered in mid-air and admired the fruits of her labour. With a small grin, she began flying back towards Canterlot while Sweet Tale nodded to himself. "If only you would notice me, even for a moment," he whispered, as he finally took to his bed and let sleep claim him.
***
The next morning, Sweet Tale was dragged out of the bounds of dreamland and back into reality by the blaring of his alarm clock. He rubbed the dust from his eyes and clambered out of bed, stepping into his shower with grim abandon.
"Why do I never get to see how that cursed dream ends?" he grumbled. "It's like my mind enjoys messing with me, forcing me to wake up at such a crucial moment."
He stepped out of the shower and towelled himself off, before leaving his house and entering Ponyville. The market was on, yet Sweet Tale ignored the shouts of the vendors peddling their wares and made straight for the doors of Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie watched him eagerly as he entered and approached the counter.
"Hiya, Sweet!" she squealed. "And what can I do for you on this super-fantastical bright and sunshiney day?"
"Good morning, Pinkie," Sweet Take said jovially. "I'll have a box of raspberry turnovers, please."
Pinkie shook her head. "Sorry, Sweet, but we're all out of those," she chirped. "Maybe you'd like to try something else?"
Sweet Tale sighed. "All right then," he replied. "Let me see what you've got." He took a step back and began to look at the various treats on offer, when his attention was drawn to a couple of pink wafers on a tray. "Can I get those pink wafers instead then, Pinkie? They look nice, though I doubt they're even half as delectable as the majesty that is the raspberry turnover."
Pinkie giggled. "Okie-dokie-lokie, that'll be six bits please!" She put the wafers into a bag and passed them to Sweet, who gave her a few coins in return. "Thanks a lot, Sweet, now get on out there and have a splendiferous day!"
"You too, Pinkie," Sweet said through the bag he was now clutching in his mouth. He said his farewells and walked out the door of the bakery — and straight into another pony who was coming in. The two of them collided with each other painfully, both of them cursing as the pain shot through their skulls. Shaking his head, Sweet Tale looked over to see whom he had walked into. A pegasus mare was looking back at him with an annoyed expression on her face, a forehoof rubbing tenderly at a small bump on her head.
"Why didn't you watch where you were going?" she griped. "It's just as well you're not a unicorn, otherwise you could have had my eye out!" Sweet Tale didn't reply. "Well? Are you going to reply, or are you just going to stare at me?"
"I... uh..." Sweet Tale rubbed the back of his head nervously and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention because I was more interested in these wafers I got from the bakery."
The pegasus scoffed. "Really?" she asked. "That's the best excuse you can come up wit— wait, did you say 'wafers'?"
"Uh, yeah," Sweet replied. "I did say 'wafers'. Although, with all due respect, what business that is of yours is beyond me."
"Is it the pink wafers?" the pegasus enquired, to which Sweet nodded. "Are there are any left? They're my favourites."
Sweet Tale shook his head. "Sorry, but I got the last two. Somepony got the last raspberry turnover, so I decided to give the wafers a try instead."
The mare let out a groan. "Damn," she moaned. "I knew I should have gotten here earlier!" She glanced at Sweet Tale and, to his surprise, licked her lips. "Say... you wouldn't mind sharing one of them with me, would you? I'll pay you for it."
Sweet took a step backwards. "Uhh... that's a bit of an odd request," he replied. "So you'll forgive me if I don't acknowledge it. I'm sorry I bumped into you, Miss...?"
"Dawn Star," the mare replied. "My name is Dawn Star."
"Right," Sweet smiled weakly. "Well I'm sorry for bumping into you, Miss Dawn Star, but I really need to get going now. Good day."
He stepped around her and began walking back to his house. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that Dawn Star was following him. His pace quickened and soon he was at his door — only for the pegasus to drop out of the sky and land in front of him.
"Look," she said. "We got off on the wrong hoof. I'm sorry if I made you nervous with my awkward offer, it's just that I really love those wafers and do my best to have at least one every morning. You would be doing me a great favour by sharing one."
Sweet Tale rolled his eyes. "Very well," he replied. "It would be rather rude of me not to, especially if it means I can take a closer look at that bump on your head." He opened the door and gestured inside with a forehoof. "My name is Sweet Tale, welcome to my humble abode. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable."
Dawn Star smiled at him as she entered, wiping her hooves on the welcome mat before entering the living room and taking a seat on the sofa. She sank into the cushions slightly as Sweet Tale took the seat opposite and put the bag of wafers on the table. Both ponies looked at it, Dawn Star licking her lips again.
"Help yourself," Sweet said. "You dig in, and I'll go get the first aid kit. A bump that big needs some kind of attention."
Dawn Star nodded and took a wafer from the bag, while Sweet Tale walked into the kitchen and picked up a small box from the counter. He returned to the living room to find his guest taking small bites from the wafer, nibbling on it like a rabbit would a carrot. A small grin graced his lips as he watched her, and a few moments passed before she finally noticed him. She giggled sheepishly, a small blush coming to her cheeks, and set the remains of the wafer down on the table. Sweet Tale chuckled and stood in front of her, putting the first-aid box next to him.
"I'm going to take a closer look at your head," he said gently. "So just hold still, relax and let me work my magic." Dawn Star did as she was asked and allowed him to gently run a forehoof along her head. As his hoof brushed where the two had collided, she hissed in pain and drew away from him. "Yep, there's definitely a small cut in the middle of your forehead. I'll need to apply a bandage."
Dawn Star looked at him in shock. "No," she replied. "No bandage is necessary. I will let the wound heal naturally."
"You can't walk around with a cut on your head," Sweet Tale said sternly. "It might get infected. So, please, let me do this."
"I don't need a bandage," Dawn Star snapped. "So just stop asking and let me worry about my own well-being, thank you very much."
Sweet sighed. "Fine," he muttered. "Suit yourself, but don't come crying to me when you wake up one morning to find that it has turned green or something."
"Oh trust me," Dawn Star shot back. "I won't be doing anything of the sort. In fact, I think I'll go and leave you to... whatever it is you actually do around here."
"I'll have you know that I'm a writer," Sweet said through gritted teeth. "I'm the author of a very popular series of instruction books for foals — everything from keeping safe while playing to avoiding the dangers of the Everfree Forest. Parents across Equestria trust the advice I give, while the foals themselves like following the adventures of the colourful characters."
"Oh," Dawn Star said, sounding bored. "For a minute there, I thought you were the elusive author of the Daring Do series." She let out a yawn. "Though I suppose even foals need some form of entertainment to keep them amused."
"Just what is your problem?" Sweet Tale yelled. "From the moment I met you, you have been getting on my nerves. First you walked into me outside Sugarcube Corner, then you followed me here, then you took one of my wafers – without so much as a 'thank you', by the way – then you refused to accept my help regarding that wound on your head... and now you are daring to insult my job? Do you even realise how pathetic you look right now?"
Dawn Star looked ashen-faced down at the carpet, clopping her forehooves together nervously. "I just... I just find it hard to fit in," she said quietly. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me," Sweet replied flatly. "I think you'll find that I can be very understanding. I've met a lot of ponies in my time here, and I have heard a lot of their problems. So there is nothing you can tell me that I probably haven't heard already."
Dawn Star laughed weakly. "I don't think you've heard anything like this before," she said. "Very well, Sweet Tale, you seem like a trusting stallion. After all, you did invite a mare you barely even know into your home without having an... ulterior motive, as it were. I will tell you what my problem is, but first I would kindly ask that you stand back."
Sweet Tale raised an eyebrow but said nothing and took a few steps backwards until he was in the doorway, while Dawn Star got off the couch and stood in the middle of the room, closing her eyes and unfurling her wings to their full span. She held that pose for a moment before a bright light began emanating from the middle of her forehead, where her injury was. Sweet held up a forehoof to protect his eyes as the light grew in intensity, rendering him unable to see for a moment.
"And that's that," Dawn Star said. "Open your eyes, Sweet Tale, and see for yourself what my problem is."
Doing as he was asked, Sweet Tale opened his eyes slowly. A dark shape began to take focus directly in front of him, and he looked up to see Princess Luna staring back at him. His jaw hung open loosely and he babbled incoherently into the floor as he pressed his muzzle against it in a bow, to which Luna groaned and rolled her eyes.
"This," she said sternly. "This is my problem. Wherever I go ponies are always fawning over me, which makes fitting in with them extremely hard. That is why I used an old spell to come up with the guise of 'Dawn Star'. I found it much easier to get to know ponies then, as they saw me as a new friend whom they could get to know... rather than a Princess whose every whim they should cater to as quickly as they could."
Sweet Tale stood bolt upright. "Apologies, Your Highness," he said. "It's just that never in my life did I expect to meet you. Not at an event, not in my dreams... and certainly not in the street!"
"First of all: you may call me by my name and not my title," Luna replied. "Secondly: I apologise for the way I've been acting, but you have to realise that a thousand years on the moon has been quite detrimental to my social skills. But I just want to be seen as an ordinary mare, somepony who is a friend and not a ruler."
"I already see you as an ordinary mare," Sweet Tale said. "I wasn't here at the time, since I was attending a meeting with my publisher in Manehatten, but I heard about how hard you tried to fit in on Nightmare Night. I understand that it didn't go as well as you expected to begin with?"
Luna shook her head. "No," she mumbled. "Although I was there in the form of Nightmare Moon, everypony was under the impression that she had returned yet again. If it wasn't for Twilight Sparkle convincing them that I was merely pretending, then that night could have turned out far worse for everypony involved."
"Well there you go then," Sweet said jovially. "I don't see Princess Celestia going to the same lengths you to do fit in amongst her subjects, so that alone is a testament to your character as somepony willing to do whatever it takes to fit in." He paused for a moment. "Please don't tell your sister I said that!"
"You are quite right," Luna said dismissively. "Ever since my return, Tia has been somewhat distant with the average pony. If I didn't know any better, I would say that she is staying away to give me as much time with them as possible — lest I once again be consumed by jealousy and allow her to take over my very being."
"If it's any consolation, you don't need to worry about that," Sweet Tale said reassuringly. "There are plenty of ponies out there who respect you, myself included, but you don't need to resort to deception in order to meet them. I for one would be honoured to call you my friend... if you'd like me to, that is."
"You sound like Fluttershy," Luna teased. "But it is as I said: everypony will continue to see me as their ruler, and I cannot change the way they think about me."
"Exactly!" Sweet said excitedly. "You are their ruler, Luna, so you need to use that to get what you want. Simply ask that everypony treats you like a normal mare, and they will — no questions asked!" Luna looked shocked for a moment, but then blushed and scuffed a forehoof along the floor. "You... you've never thought about trying that, have you?"
Luna shook her head, her blush intensifying. "No, I didn't," she said sheepishly. "All the times everypony has catered to my every whim, and it never occurred to me that all I had to do was ask that they treat me like their friend or neighbour." She chuckled. "You make a very good point, Sweet Tale, thank you."
Sweet waved a forehoof dismissively. "It was nothing," he said, a small grin on his face. "Now why don't we go and test my little theory on everypony?"
Luna glanced at the clock. "I would like to, but I cannot," she said. "I must go to the train station for the journey back to Canterlot." She looked at Sweet, whose grin had become a small frown. "But that doesn't mean we can't test it there. Tell me, Sweet Tale... what are you doing tonight?"
Sweet Tale shifted his weight from hoof to hoof. "Not much," he replied. "I was going to have some dinner, look at the stars for a while and then go to bed. Why do you ask?"
"Since you have given me this great idea, it would be selfish of me to not invite you to witness the results," Luna said. "Therefore, I am formally asking you to come and dine with me in Canterlot." She winked slyly. "Besides, you can get a better view of the night sky from my private dining room."
For the second time that evening, Sweet Tale's jaw hung open. "Y-y-you're kidding, right?" he stammered. "Me, dine with you? Maybe I'm the one who suffered a head injury..."
"I assure you, subject, that this is very much real," Luna replied sternly. "You are the first pony I can remember to treat me like you would your friends or neighbours. Three examples of this kindness are as follows: One, sharing your wafers with me. Two, the concern you showed upon seeing that I was hurt — and before you ask, my magic healed that injury when I took my proper form. And three... inviting me, a complete and total stranger, into your home in the first place. If that doesn't make you good friend material, then I don't know what does."
"You see me as a friend?" Sweet Tale paused for a moment before he laughed heartily. "Wow, Ponyville must be the only place in Equestria where it is this easy to make friends." He laughed again before noticing Luna gazing at him. "Oh, right, sorry. It would be my pleasure to accompany you to Canterlot, Luna."
Luna clopped her forehooves together eagerly. "Wonderful!" she said. "Come along, and I shall teleport us both there. Oh, and Sweet Tale?" He glanced at her. "I am also curious as to how your dreams about me will end. So with that in mind..." She leaned in closer, her muzzle inches from his ear. "You'll be pleased to hear that I don't have an alarm clock."
Sweet Tale pondered these words for a moment, and then his ears perked up and he developed a mile-wide grin. "I'm very pleased to hear that," he replied. "Very pleased indeed."
Luna returned his grin with one of her own as she charged her horn with magic, enveloping both ponies in a blaze of light and sending them away to Canterlot to begin their new-found friendship.
*** THE END ***
Author's Note
This is what happens when you get me Irn-Bru fudge for Christmas.
Cover art used with permission. Thanks, Teasle! :D
FUN FACT: Dawn Star is a name I made up on the spot.
