Gobbled

***Part 1: Must Be Dreaming***

Pipsqueak beamed. The grin on his face stretched from ear to ear. He was as happy as any little pony could be. Every few moments, Pip would look back at Luna as he lead her through Ponyville. The princess would simply smile back at him.

"I must say... These festivities are a lot more pleasant than I remember them being." Luna said with a happy sigh.

Pipsqeak remembered. He remembered everypony running from Princess Luna while they screamed in terror. He was one of them. Pip instantly felt really bad.

"I'm... sorry about that..." Pip said softly as they stopped by a fountain. "I thought it was just a game, really. Everypony else was running, so I ran."

Luna smiled as she turned to face Pip. She gazed through the opening in his helmet and into his eyes.

"My brave, little soldier, you have nothing to apologize for. In fact, you are making this night a very memorable one."

"R...Really?" Pip asked as he turned his head to his the red hue in his cheeks.

Luna nodded her head and chuckled.

"Of course, Pipsqueak. You have been a very fine gentlecolt, this evening..."

The princess' voice trailed off. She was no longer looking at Pip, but something on the ground next to the fountain.

"P...Princess?" Pipsqeak asked nervously.

Luna didn't answer. She took a few steps towards the fountain. Using the magic from her horn, she picked up what had caught her eye.

***Part 2: The Magic Moment***

"Oh my..." Luna gasped. "These are... beautiful..."

Pipsqueak cocked his head, showing his confusing. Luna turned around to reveal what she had in the grasp of her cloud of magic.

"Pipsqueak, are these... for me?" Luna asked as she held up the Nightlock flowers.

Pip's heart skipped a beat. They were slightly wilted, and the foil around the stems was dirty, but they were the flowers he had bought that morning. Now, they were in Luna's grasp.

"Are they?" Luna asked again. "Did you bring me here so I would find these... stunning Nightlock flowers?"

Pip was at a loss for words, but he nodded his head anyway. Luna's face broke into a huge grin. With the flowers still in the cloud of her magic, she put a hoof around Pipsqueak's back and embraced him.

"Thank you, my little pony..." She breathed into his neck.

"I...It was nothing..." Pip said at last, a little bolder.

Luna pulled away, smiling sweetly.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say you are trying to flirt with me, Pipsqueak..."

Pip froze. His hooves felt as though they were bolted to the ground, and his throat closed up.

"Hmm... It seems I have silenced you... Perhaps, I am on to something..." Luna said with a sweet chuckle. "So, I shall ask again. Are you flirting with me, Pipsqueak?"

There was no way around it. With no pony else around, Pip figured the embarrassment of being rejected by the princess wouldn't be so bad. After a moment of hesitation, Pipsqueak nodded his head slowly.

"Mmm..." Luna moaned as her gaze drifted to the flowers. "So, my suspicious were correct... The punch, the flowers... You are quite the charmer, Pipsqueak."

Then Luna did something Pip would have never anticipated in a thousand years. Pip remained motionless as the princess leaned her neck downward and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I like that..." Luna whispered into his ear. "So tender, and so kind..."

She placed another kiss on his cheek.

"A true gentlecolt..."

The princess gave Pipsqueak on last kiss on his cheek before pulling away. She was still smiling, but it was no longer warm and friendly. It was something else entirely...

"How was that for flirting, Pipsqueak?" Luna asked with a seductive grin.

Then, she noticed that Pip was still frozen in place.

"Oh no... Have I made you feel uncomfortable?" Luna asked, genuinely concerned. "I do hope I have not... Please, Pipsqueak, do say something."

It began small, but a smile began to crack along Pipsqueak's lips. A sigh of relief escaped Luna's lips.

"You... kissed me..." Said Pip as he looked up at her.

Luna smiled back.

"I did, indeed... Do you want me to do it again?"

Pip was ever more thankful for the cover of darkness. He could not bear to imagine what Luna would think if she could see his body shaking.

"Y...Yes..." Pip stuttered.

Luna beamed. Without another word, she leaned downward. However, her lips did not meet Pipsqueak's cheek. Luna's lips met his own. Pip's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates the moment Luna's lips touched his. The princess didn't pull away immediately. The kiss deepened as the seconds passed. As the seconds became a minute, Pip's eyes slowly began to close. When the kiss finally ended, Pip felt like he was on cloud nine. Luna pulled away, and she licked her bottom lip.

"Wow, Pipsqueak..." Luna moaned as she breathed heavily. "You really know how to make a mare feel special..."

Pipsqueak made no attempt to respond. He simply nodded giddily.

"We should not keep from ourselves our true feelings for each other, Pipsqueak."

The little pony shook his head, extracting a sweet smile from Luna.

"Then, am I speaking truthfully when I say we share similar feelings?"

Pipsqueak nodded his head quickly. Luna chuckled sweetly at his response. Then, her smile turned sad.

"Pipsqueak, my little pony... I cannot deny to you that I harbor special feelings for you within my heart. You have... touched my heart in ways no other pony has, and I regret not seeing that until now, but there is a complication..."

Like a balloon that met the tip of a needle, Pip deflated, and his heart sank into his stomach.

"It is nothing on your part, my dear Pipsqueak..." Luna said softly as she stroked a hoof against his cheek. "You have done nothing to prove yourself undeserving of my love..."

"Then... W...What do you mean...?" Pip asked as tears swelled in his eyes.

Luna wiped away his tears and cupped his cheeks in her hooves.

"No, Pipsqueak... Please, cease your tears." Luna said before pulling him into a kiss.

Pip shut his eyes as she pulled away.

"I cannot stay here, Pipsqueak." Luna said softly. "You must know this. My place is in Canterlot, with my sister. I care for you, Pipsqueak, and I... I love you, but I cannot stay here to exercise those feelings."

Pip avoided the princess' gaze, but he nodded his head to show he understood.

"I know you must feel hurt, but this is the truth. Because I leave in the morning, we should make the most of the night we have together..."

This caught Pip's attention.

"What... do you mean?"

Luna grinned.

"Do you care to take a mare to dance?"

***TO BE CONTINUED***