"Twilight, are you absolutely sure we have to go to eat in a public place? I mean, the royal chefs can easily whip up some gourmet meals." Luna asked, with a worried look on her face. She was reluctant to go out of the castle in the daylight.
"Luna, come on! You gotta be more public! You're not gonna make any friends staying in the castle all day! You need to get out more! I promise after we go to eat, we can go shopping!" Twilight excitedly stated.
"Shopping? Must we do so? Shopping malls are terribly overcrowded. There are a plethora of ponies filling every single nook and cranny in those buildings." Luna complained.
"Of course we have to go shopping! It's all on the list! I have the entire day planned out on a list! We have to follow the list Luna! Now come on! Stop being so sheltered already!" Twilight argued.
"Twilight, I swear to the heavens, you have an unhealthy obsession with lists. It is basically compulsive!" Luna argued.
"Luna, stop changing the subject. You're not getting out of this one. Come with me already. We're burning daylight!" Twilight contested.
"The more daylight I burn, the less time there is remaining until I raise my moon and relax in the calm serenity of the night." Luna was dead set on not going out to spend a day with Twilight. Luna just wanted to stay in the castle, where she felt home.
"If you don't come out with me, I will lecture you about the importance of going outside and being in public. You need to develop more social skills, Luna. Come on, please?" Twilight began to beg Luna and threaten her with lectures.
"If you must resort to lecturing me, then you are truly desperate. Just please... don't lecture me on contemporary English ever again... we spent far too much time on that."
"But it did work, you know! I mean, you aren't using words like thou and thee and art. But anyways, what you're saying is that you'll go?" Twilight began to get excited.
"Yes Twilight Sparkle... I will go outside with you and go to the shopping mall..." Luna sighed.
"And?"
"And I will follow the list that you made for the day." Luna reluctantly stated.
After much contesting and much debate that simply went in a circle, Luna finally had given in to Twilight's demands and decided to go with her to the local hay burger joint that Twilight had often visited. Luna, of course, was reluctant to go with her, and barely said a single word to her during the entire trip there. Upon entering, Twilight pressured Luna into making her order for herself.
"Twilight, why are you so insistent that I do things myself? As a princess, I have always requested that a guard fulfill these duties for me. Seldom did I ever need to lift a hoof to get what I wanted."
"Luna, come on! We're here not only to have fun, but to develop your social skills. Now stop frightening the cashier and just order something! It really isn't that hard, Luna! You know what, I'll order something for myself as an example." Twilight walked up to the cash register and spoke to the cashier pony that was shivering in fear due to the intimidating sight of Princess Luna. "Hello, may I please have a hay burger with some extra hay on the side?"
"Y-yes Ms. Sparkle. One hay burger with some extra hay one the side coming up on the double!", the fear filled cashier had said
"See Luna? It's not even that hard. Now come on, order, unless of course, you want to be lectured again."
"You and you're lengthy lectures can drive any pony to tears, Twilight. Besides, there is no need for your intrusive teachings here, I am perfectly capable of doing such a trivial task like ordering food at a restaurant." Luna had trotted over to the cash register with her eloquence and grace, acting very regal. "Hello, citizen who works the cash register." She seemed to tower over the pony, striking fear and intimidating him unintentionally.
"H-Hello P-Princess. W-What can I get for you?"
"I, Princess Luna, would like to request a Hay Burger, if I may receive one, that is."
"Uh... Luna? I think you should speak more down to Earth. You're kind of acting a bit too... royal."
"But of course we are acting royal for we are true royalty! Twilight Sparkle, how else should a princess act? A Princess is supposed to be respected and honored, is she not?" Luna questioned. She did not quite understand how to be down to Earth and had trouble with social skills in general.
"Luna, please, just act natural. Talk to them like you do to me. You should treat and speak to everyone as if they were your friend unless they give you a reason not to. Come on, just do it one more time, I know you can do it! Social skills aren't really that hard anyways, working on con-temporizing your English was a bigger challenge. Now come on!" Twilight Sparkle had persistently encouraged Luna. She knew that Luna was reluctant to be in public, but Twilight knew that this was for the best.
"Very well then, Twilight Sparkle." She then turned to face the cashier pony again and said, "*Ahem* I'm sorry for scaring you before, it was not my intention. Please do forgive me."
"Oh, don't worry about it Princess Luna, now, what is it that you wanted to eat again?" The cashier replied.
"Please, just call me Luna. There's no need for formalities here. All I wish for eating is a simple Hay Burger, just like the one that Twilight Sparkle had ordered."
"Alright Luna! One Hay Burger, coming right up!" The cashier pony then proceeded to tell the chef to whip up another Hay Burger, this time for Luna. The chef, within a minute, had made her a fine meal, making sure that it will please her. Once it was ready, the chef gave the food to the cashier who then proceeded to give it to Luna. "Here you go Luna! Your Hay Burger is done! Enjoy!"
"Thank you ever so much! Is a tip of a hundred bits alright?" She had asked, wanting to show her gratitude for the pony taking her order and putting up with her strange attitude.
"But Princess! That's twenty times the price of your meal!" The cashier pony was shocked as to the large number of bits the princess offered.
"Luna, are you crazy?! You don't tip anypony like that, especially at a fast food restaurant, no offense to you, Mr. Cashier. Luna, you're just supposed to leave a little humble tip like one or two bits, not one hundred!" Twilight Sparkle interjected.
"Don't worry Ms. Twilight, I understand. This isn't exactly the most respectful job a pony could have, and its definitely not a job where you should earn a hundred bits as a tip." The cashier had replied.
"Oh... I sincerely do apologize. I did not know that I shouldn't give such large tips. Whenever Celestia and I had dined out, over a thousand years ago, we had always went to high class establishments and always left behind rather generous tips." Luna used the past as an excuse for her actions.
"Luna, that was over a thousand years ago, and this is certainly not a high class establishment. This kind of place is for the average type of pony, the common citizen, if you will. If you ever want to have friends, this is the place that you start making them." Twilight explained.
"I suppose that is true. I'm sorry for all the discord I caused in this restaurant, I shall tip you five bits, in order to properly extend my gratitude for putting up with my ridiculousness. Thank you for the Hay Burger, once more!", she then turns to face Twilight and said to her, "Are you sure we should still eat here? I have caused quite the scene, and many, if not all of the ponies have their eyes focused on us. I do not think we can eat here in peace anymore." Luna had worryingly stated.
"You have a good point, Luna. Come on, I'll wrap up our food and place it in my satchels. We can go eat somewhere else in Ponyville, and after that, we finally get to go shopping!"
"I was hoping that you had forgotten about going to the shopping mall. Clearly and most unfortunately, I was mistaken. Come, let us go consume these Hay Burgers, and discuss this dreaded shopping mall afterwards."
With no further discussion or arguments, the two friends then went to the closest picnic area in Ponyville. They found a nice set of benches and tables to sit by, in a nice, relaxing, and more secluded area. This was more accustomed to Princess Luna's liking, since it wasn't in a crowded building like the fast food restaurant, no. This was a nice, wide, open, free space for Luna to feel comfortable to relax in.
"Oh thank heavens it is just you and I right now, Twilight Sparkle. I honestly could not stand to be in such a crowded place with all of the ponies' eyes watching me. It was quite the awkward situation, and knowing you, that wasn't even the worst part of it all, was it?"
"Oh of course not Luna! Remember, we still have to go to the mall! You promised to follow the list, and the list dictates that we spend some time at the shopping mall. You know it will be fun! Just two girls, hanging out at the mall, it's every mare's favorite pastime! I promise, you'll love it!"
"And if I do not enjoy this as much as you say I will?" Luna asked, having obvious doubt in Twilight's words
"Well that's on you then, you can't gain back lost time, trust me, I tried before, the ending wasn't so pretty." Twilight replied honestly.
Luna had sighed in response, recalling all the time she lost while she was banished on the moon. Twilight had inadvertently reminded Luna of the thousand years that was robbed from her. "It seems I have no choice, Twilight Sparkle. I must eventually go to this shopping mall anyways, I might as well go with a good friend of mine like yourself, while I have the chance."
"That's the spirit... I think. Now come on! There's still a lot of time until you have to go raise the moon and make it night time! Let's not waste anymore of our day and go have some fun!"
"Very well then, Twilight Sparkle. Lead the way, please. To be honest, I have been to the mall before, but I tried to erase it all from my memory, since I did not enjoy my time."
"How bad could it have possibly been, Luna?" Twilight Sparkle curiously questioned. "I mean really, its just a shopping mall, its really couldn't have been as horrible as you're implying it was."
"It was like a nightmare come to life! Ponies at every turn! Watching eyes that never stopped staring at you! The attention was killing me, Twilight Sparkle! It was as if their eyes were weighing down on me, crushing me slowly! They all expected me to say things to them! I realize it is a Princess' duty to speak to her subjects, but whenever I did so, I was always in the Castle. I was out of my element, for the lack of a better word. I was so afraid, I turned myself into blue mist, and simply retreated back into my room in the Castle, where I relaxed on my bed until it was time for me to raise the moon. And of course, upon seeing the serene night sky, I was instantly relieved." The look in Luna's eyes were a clear demonstration of the fright she felt being surrounded by so many ponies.
"And I thought Fluttershy had irrational stage fright. For Pete's sake Luna, you need to calm down. You got really worked up over that whole ordeal. Remember, this time, you're not all alone in a sea of unknown ponies. This time, you have one of your close friends, me!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed enthusiastically, hoping some of the positive energy would rub off on Luna and ease her worries about going to the mall.
"Please, let's just get on with it, as they say. Twilight Sparkle, please take me to the shopping mall. The sooner we get done with this, the sooner I shall be able to return to the solitude of my room, I suppose." Luna reluctantly stated.
With those words said, Twilight nodded in agreement and the two departed to the Equestrian shopping mall that was not all too far away. In about 5 minutes of flight, the two reached their destination. Unsurprisingly to Luna, the mall was crowded with ponies everywhere.
"Perhaps Equestria should have more malls. That could possibly help decrease the over-crowded-ness of this one shopping mall here." Luna had thought to herself. She was amazed by the amount of ponies that were constantly exiting and entering the large building. "Twilight Sparkle, how do you suppose we enter the building without being stomped into the ground by the stampede of ponies down there?" Luna asked, worried she will become nothing but dirt on a pony's hooves.
"Luna! Come on! That's a silly question! What are we doing right now?" Twilight asked.
"I do believe we are flying, observing the ponies down below as they move in and out of the mall." Luna responded.
"Right, we are flying! With wings! Now think about it. The ponies down there are Earth Ponies, and Unicorns just teleport in and out of the mall, where do you think Pegasi enter through?" Twilight had a subtle hint of sarcasm in her voice as she asked her question.
"Oh, I see. This mall has a specific entrance for Pegasi. That is what you are stating, am I incorrect?" Luna then realized how much of a fool she had made of herself, yet again. "Second time today, Luna. Shall you go for a third time?" Luna had thought to herself, being rather critical of her lack of knowledge of the contemporary world.
"Good job Luna! Looks like you learned something new. Now come on, follow me to the roof, we can enter through there! We can simply fly into the mall! Isn't that a nifty idea?" Twilight's sarcastic tone made itself much more apparent and noticeable. She was being a bit snarky and critical of Luna. She had begun to forget that Luna was still learning things about the world of today, and was mentally stuck in the past, where she felt comfortable.
"Twilight Sparkle, you need not, "rub it in my face", as they say. You have knowledge of a mall, does that really make you superior to me? I did not think so. Now let us go into the shopping mall and have this "fun time" you insist on having."
"Well at least I'm not some kind of drama queen. I swear Luna, all you do is cause a commotion. It's been this way ever since Nightmare Night! You may hate the attention to a degree, but you can't deny that you act so melodramatic sometimes. In fact, no, not even since Nightmare Night! No, this has been going on for over a thousand years! The whole Nightmare Moon thing was just a huge cry for attention since you felt so left out of everything because you always thought you were in your sister's shadow. Ugh." Twilight was beginning to get tired of Princess Luna and was regretting spending the day with her.
The expression on Luna's face made it very apparent that Twilight's words had hurt her. "Fine then, Twilight Sparkle, be that way! I have no need for a friend who misinterprets my true intentions nor for an acquaintance that does not understand me or my feelings. Go away, Twilight Sparkle, and have your fun by yourself. I see that I am only a, "brick in the mud", as they say." Princess Luna didn't know what else to say. She became speechless, as her emotions ranged from sadness to rage. She was worried that she would not be able to control her emotions any longer, and like the last time she visited the mall, she simply turned into mist and retreated. However, this time, she did not want to go to the castle, for she knew that that was the first place Twilight Sparkle would look for her. No, this time she retreated to the picnic area where she and Twilight had indulged in their Hay Burgers.
Twilight was filled with regret, once she saw what her words did to Luna. Luna's face expressed all the discord going on within her heart, and Twilight had realized what she had done. She had hurt Luna, by being insensitive to her feelings. She knew that Nightmare Moon was especially a touchy subject for Luna, but she threw away that regard because of how annoyed she felt. "Luna... please... I'm sorry...", Twilight had said as Luna turned into mist and left.
"Nice going Twilight... you wanted to show Luna that she could have fun when out in public, but in fact, you accomplished the exact opposite. I really wanted to spend time with her to... I guess I still haven't learned everything about friendship after all..." Twilight began to question everything she knew about friendship, worried that she was wrong about everything the entire time. She soon went to her home, letting Luna be in peace. She didn't want to ruin Luna's day any more than she already had. When she got home, she ignored Spike's greeting and simply went upstairs to her room, to lie on her bed and sulk.
Spike, concerned with Twilight's bad mood, went upstairs to confront her about it. He of course, had asked the obvious question, "Twilight, what's the matter? Why are you so sad?"
"Oh Spike, its terrible. I hurt Princess Luna. I hurt her on an emotional level. She treated me as a friend, and I let my temper get the better of me, and I said she was so melodramatic and I ended up ruining our day. Spike, if I betrayed someone's friendship, what have I really learned about friendship in the first place? Was everything I ever learned about friendship wrong? All of my knowledge is coming into question! Spike, what do I do?!" Twilight was in complete shambles.
Although Spike did not know the full situation, he still voiced his opinion. "Twilight, you should take a look in the mirror and see who's being melodramatic. Because right now, it's you. I remember you were so excited to finally spend some time with Princess Luna, you can't just let this go to waste! You should go find her and talk to her!" Spike tried to talk some sense into Twilight, but it did no good.
Because Twilight refused to take action, and instead wanted to sulk, Spike took matters into his own hands. He left the home to go find Princess Luna and talk to her, thinking he could act as the bridge that would bring those two back together.
As Spike was walking towards the train station to go to Canterlot, where he assumed Luna would be, he heard the depressed alicorn talking to herself very faintly. To his surprise, she was at the picnic area that Twilight frequently went to with her friends. As he approached her, the words she was saying to herself became more clear and audible. "Oh Twilight Sparkle, it seems that you do not want to find me and reconcile. "Tis a shame, you were a good friend while our friendship lasted. I do not blame you for your actions, however. I know I was being a nuisance." Luna then sighed and continued her self reflection, "I was being foolish this entire time, and perhaps I was a bit too sensitive. If only I could tell you these words face to face, but it seems you have no interest in reconciliation." She then put her head down, and sulked in the same fashion that Twilight was.
Spike then came closer and spoke to the princess who had been speaking to herself just moments before, "Princess Luna? I'm sorry to bother you, but can you please come back with me to Twilight's house? She's a complete mess, and I was hoping that maybe you could come around and help out. I know things didn't end so well with your "day of fun" with Twilight, but she's really a train wreck right now. She's being a bit melodramatic to, questioning her knowledge on friendship and everything. Please Luna, can you come?"
"I don't understand why she is so sad, nor do I understand why she is questioning her own knowledge. Her teachings on friendship are one of a kind. No one knows the kind of knowledge she holds when it comes to friendship. Why she helped me convince the citizens of Ponyville that I wasn't the scary creature of legends and lore anymore." Luna then realized why Twilight must be acting this way. She figured that the words that Twilight said to her hurt just as much to say as they did to hear. "Spike, I'll come with you. I have a few words I would like to say to Twilight Sparkle, and I feel that if and when I do say them, she will feel a tad better."
Spike led the way as Luna and himself were travelling back to Twilight's home. As they walked, Luna greeted all the ponies that they passed by, remembering Twilight's words that one should treat everypony as a friend unless they gave her a reason not to. The princess who adored solitude was beginning to warm up to the concept of befriending everypony. It was foreign to her, but thanks to Twilight's teachings, her social skills greatly improved.
Not too long afterwards, the two arrived at the tree-home at the end of the road. The baby dragon and princess of the night had then entered the home via the unlocked door in the front. Spike led the alicorn with a wish for reconciliation up to Twilight's room, where she lay, mumbling words to herself. "Twilight Sparkle...", she said, to try to get the sulking pony's attention.
"What do you want, Princess Luna? Did you come to yell at me for being so mean to you?" The depressed Princess had stated. Twilight had dug herself a deep hole, and filled it with nothing but self pity and self-loathing. She was drowning in an ocean of negativity.
"Nay Twilight Sparkle, nay. I have not come to you to yell, but rather, to reconcile and ask for forgiveness. After some introspection, I realized that my actions earlier today were indeed a tad foolish, and that perhaps I was a bit too sensitive to your words. Your friend Spike had told me about what you are thinking. You are doubting yourself and your knowledge, and I say that that is a thing only fools would do, and I suppose I am one of those fools, since I am guilty of doing such a thing in the past. However, who is and who isn't a fool is not the point. The point is, that your knowledge of friendship has helped a vast number of ponies all over Equestria. There is a reason why you were decreed a Princess, you know. Twilight Sparkle, you not only helped many citizens of Equestria, but you have also helped me learn the magic of friendship."
"R-really?" Twilight replied
"Indeed you have Twilight Sparkle. If it were not for you and your loving heart, your care and compassion for friends, and knowledge on friendship, not only would I more likely than not have ever stepped outside the Castle grounds, but you would have never defeated Nightmare Moon in the first place. I would still be tainted with the darkness' corruption, Celestia would still be gone, the Elements of Harmony would have remained destroyed, and night-time everlasting would have been upon us all. You are foolishly doubting your abilities, over one simple mistake. Not everyone is perfect, look at me, if you want an example. Now stop loathing yourself and start being the cheery, enthusiastic, and friendly Twilight Sparkle I have come to know and love." Princess Luna was trying her hardest to motivate her friend into cheering up. Just as how Twilight had come to her in her hour of need, the Princess of the night was there to help out in Twilight's hour of need.
After hearing these words, Twilight got out of bed. She stood tall and the invigorating look of confidence were emitting from her eyes. She then responded, "Luna, I'm really sorry for what I've said and done. I've been acting like an idiot ever since we spoke at the mall. Thanks a bunch for snapping me out of it, I was starting to lose it. I'm really happy that you came here to patch things up with me. Thanks for being the bigger pony."
"Ah, but it is not only me you should be thanking, dear Twilight. You should also thank your little friend Spike. Without him, I would have never thought to come to you and visit. Truth be told, I thought you wanted this friendship to be over, that is, until Spike found me at the picnic area and told me about all he knew. I was merely waiting at the park, expecting you to show up and reconcile, but I was soon disappointed. Had it not been for Spike, this conversation would not be taking place." The humble princess insisted on giving credit and thanks to the baby dragon.
"Oh thank you Spike! You have no idea how grateful I am that you did this! You're the best!" The ecstatic purple alicorn exclaimed as she gave a loving hug to her dragon friend.
"Aww, it was nothing. No need to thank little old me. Now I'll leave the two of you alone so you can work things out. If you need me, I'll be going down to tidy up the library and put the books back where they belong." He then left the room, leaving the two friends in Twilight's room alone.
"You know, Twilight Sparkle, I honestly wouldn't mind spending another day with you, so long as we don't argue and fight over nonsense. I do admit, I did enjoy the time I spent with you, and I am no longer completely opposed to going to that shopping mall with you. I do believe that you have taught me at least one thing, Twilight." The night princess stated with confidence.
"Oh? What did I teach you, Luna?" The curious purple pony asked.
"You have taught me, through experience, that no matter how bad a situation may be, so long as you have a friend with you, the darkest of times can become the brightest. For example, when we were at the Hay Burger fast food restaurant, and I was making a complete fool of myself, I felt like I was under pressure, and I became stressed, however, you quickly spoke to me, and your words not only reassured me that I could be out in public, but they also eased my tensions. In other words, you made that bad situation, a good one." The princess then smiled with glee.
Twilight returned the smile of glee and replied,"I'm really happy you're starting to get more comfortable being out in public among the commoners. You've come a long way, Luna, and I know things are only going to go up from here!"
"So, shall we finally pay a visit to the shopping mall?"
"Nah, it's over crowded anyways. Besides, I think you and I could have just as much fun just walking around Ponyville. Also, I think today is just one of those days where its better to just stay inside."
The two friends then laughed together as they realized how they essentially swapped opinions on shopping malls. "Haha, and all this time, I was so against the shopping mall, and when I finally concede and decide to agree to go, you change your opinion to my old one. I must say, I do find it rather funny how that happened." Princess Luna said while laughing slightly.
"Well, we spent enough of the day talking about the shopping mall and all, I think its time to call it a day, besides, you have to go raise the moon and make the night happen."
"Hm, while that is true, I believe the night can wait. I believe the time of Twilight is at hand for now. I want to spend some more time with you, since a good time of our day has been wasted indulging in foolishness." Luna said as the sun began to set. Again, the princess of the night smiled, but this time, she also was motioning to come in for a friendly hug. Noticing the dark blue princess' invitation, Twilight came in for a hug. This hug had only strengthened the bond that the two friends had shared.
The remainder of their time together was spent reading and discussing books that they both had enjoyed as they found more and more things in common. However, it eventually was time for Luna to leave to go to Canterlot, however, she did not make this trip alone. She convinced Twilight to accompany her and spend the night at the castle so they could continue spending time together.
-Epilogue-
As time went on, Luna's fears of being in public dilapidated. She became more friendly with everypony she met, and as a result, her image in the eyes of the public only became more positive.
Twilight and Luna became the closest of friends, and Celestia became happy that her sister was in the hooves of a good friend like Twilight.
To this day, they still make references to how silly they really were when they over reacted. The more the reminisced on it, the more good than bad that they found.
The End.
Author's Note
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