Furry Ball of Moonlight

by Lise

Rating: everyone
Tags: Fluttershy, Slice of Life, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 35992

When a moonlight kitten enters Luna's life, the first thing on her mind is to give it to Fluttershy and forget all about it. However, nothing involving kittens is ever that simple.

When a moonlight kitten unexpectedly enters Luna's life, she has no idea what to do. The creature knows no limits, pestering her during the day and night, even disrupting her work! Surely Fluttershy could help her get rid of that nuisance! ... Even if it can be adorably cute at times.

Thanks to the HKIFA group for advice during the story's creation.

Special thanks to Malefactory for editing.

Published 2016-02-26 00:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-04-14 19:08:24 UTC

2. If you fail, seek Fluttershy!

Fluttershy was humming happily as she flew about her cottage. Everything was going perfectly — she had cleaned all her animal friends, fed them, found a perfect pet for Cherry Berry's filly, fixed the roof, baked a fresh batch of cinnamon cookies for Discord's visit, even managed to get Angel Bunny to be less grumpy. It was indeed a red letter day and she couldn't be happier.

I could go see how Sweetie Belle is doing, Fluttershy considered. It had been days since she had checked on Opalescence. The cat's fur was delicate and required special care. Usually, Rarity would take good care of her, but urgent business had called her Canterlot. That left Sweetie Belle to take care of the pet, and despite all her overwhelming enthusiasm, the filly wasn't fully cut out for it.

“What do you think, Angel Bunny?” the pegasus asked, as she carefully brushed the dust around a spiderweb. “Should I—”

Before Fluttershy could finish, the door to her cottage swung open.

“Meekest Fluttershy!” Princess Luna flew in along with a strong gust of wind that swept through the room. “There is something I need to speak with you about!”

Fluttershy didn't think twice. At the sight of the Princess, she shrieked in fear and darted to safety under her bed. Please go away! Please go away! she thought, shivering as memories of Nightmare Moon filled her mind. It didn't matter that she knew perfectly well that Luna had was a different pony now, or that, in fact, they had spent a whole night observing the migration of lunar moths five days ago. The yellow pony's reaction to any scare was the same – flight, never fight.

“Fluttershy?” Luna's voice repeated, this time closer to the pegasus' hiding place. “Fluttershy, why are you hiding?” Her head popped in under the bed. “Nightmare Night is months away. Is something else troubling you?”

“Umm, no, nothing, Princess,” Fluttershy moved further away, still shivering.

“Good, for I need your help with something,” Luna continued not in the least concerned with the shock the pony was going through. “There's this puff of chaos I don't know how to deal with.”

Puff of chaos? The phrase was interesting enough to get Fluttershy to stir a bit, then relax, then calm down enough so as to emerge from under her bed. Puff of chaos? Does that mean a chaos puppy? I've always wanted to see a chaos puppy!

Fluttershy took a deep breath, then timidly moved to the outside. The cottage was very much like it always was, with the exception of an impatient alicorn tapping her hoof in the middle of the living-room. Fluttershy swallowed.

“So, umm, where is the, umm?” She approached meekly.

Instead of an answer, Luna took out a small ball of fur from under her wing, placing it on the floor. Fluttershy's eyes widened.

“A baby kitten!” she said, instantly recognizing the creature. “I've always loved kittens! Just as I like all the other little baby animals. I never thought you'd get a pet, Princess.” Hearing that, the alicorn snorted, looking away. “I always considered you more, umm, reserved.” That was putting it mildly, of course. On the few occasions Fluttershy had tried to bring up the idea of a pet, Luna had seemed particularly disinterested in the prospect. For her get a kitten, of all animals, showed significant commitment.

“How do I get rid of it?” Luna asked uncompromisingly, causing the pegasus to eeep in fear. “Oh, no, no, no.” The princess quickly waved a hoof defensively. “I do not wish to harm it. I want it to stay away from me.”

“Oh.” Fluttershy asked. That’s a huge relief. “Umm, why do you want it to stay away?”

“Because it's ever so annoying!” Luna's entire expression became distorted as she spoke. “It keeps trying to leap onto me, claw me, bite my feathers and my tail, break anything it could, and unless it's asleep — it won't even stay in one place!” She stopped, breathing heavily. For a moment, Fluttershy could swear she saw steam coming out of the Princess' nostrils. “And every time I set my mind to punish it, it looks at me with the most adorable, innocent expression, causing me to forget all the harm it's done. A real menace! I have faced Discordian generals less bothersome!”

“Umm,” the pegasus chuckled. “That is how kittens behave, Princess. At times they could be a hooffull, but with enough care and dedication, they will—”

“No!” Luna cut her short. “No care, no dedication! You know everything about animals, tell me how to keep it away from me!"

A puzzling request. The kitten looked quite calm, innocent event. Still not used to its surroundings, it looked about curiously. It seemed so absolutely adorable! Why in Equestria would anypony not want to be with it?

Gently, Fluttershy moved closer, then started patting the feline on the head with her hoof.

"Careful!" Luna warmed. "It'll leap and claw and climb all over you!"

"Now, now, I'm sure it'll do no such thing." Fluttershy scooped it from the ground, then to Luna's horror hugged it tenderly. What was more the kitten seemed to like it. "You're a good little kitty, aren't you? You would never do anything bad."

"Just wait ‘till it bites off a feather," the Princess said, unconvinced. She did appear a bit intrigued, though. Possibly because the kitten's purring was loud enough to fill the entire cottage.

"You just want some attention, don't you, little one?" The pegasus snuggled the kitten a bit more than put it on her head. So sweet. Just like Opal, when she was younger. "What's its name?" She turned to Luna. The Princess looked back blankly. "Umm, Princess, it does have a name?"

"Oh, probably." The alicorn waved a hoof. "I just call it 'puff'."

"Puff?" Fluttershy's eyes grew wide. "That's a lovely name!" Luna arched a brow. "It really is a cute little puff."

"That's not all it is," Luna grumbled. "It can fly," she stated, at which Fluttershy gave her a confused look. "Float rather. It can also walk on clouds, vanish when it feels like it—" she gave the kitten a quick glare, "—and also one other thing. Just take it to your hiding place, and you'll see."

“Oh, no, I, umm, can't possibly do that,” Fluttershy shooker her head, careful not to have the kitten fall off. “I don't want to frighten the poor little dear and...” Her voice trailed off. By the looks of it, the princess wasn't taking no for an answer. “Umm, maybe I could go there for a teensy weensy bit.”

Of dear, oh dear. Princess Luna is upset. Surely she doesn't want anything bad to happen to the kitten. I'm just imagining things, again, like when Princess Celestia brought Philomena. I got everypony in so much trouble back then, and even had Philomena go through a horrible ordeal.

Reluctantly, the pony went under her bed again, kitten on head.

“And be sure that there is no light!” the princess ordered.

Fluttershy complied. There’s nothing to be afraid. It'll only be dark for a few moments, she tried to give herself courage. Slowly, she took the kitten from her head... then gasped in amazement. The kitten was glowing! Stronger than normal luminescence, more powerful than a firefly’s glow, the animal light up the space under the bed, with soothing white light. For a moment it almost seemed as if the moon itself had changed shape and crawled next to Fluttershy.

“You can shine!” she said excited and petted it. The kitten let out a happy meow. “As if your fur is made of moonlight. Moonlight?” the pegasus mused. That wasn't a bad name. Actually it was quite nice – far better than 'Puff' for one thing. “Do you want to be called Moonlight, little one?”

The kitten meowed again happily.

“I'm so happy, Moonlight!” Fluttershy rubbed her nuzzle against it. “And Princess Luna will be overjoyed. I am sure that—”

“Meekest Fluttershy?” Luna's voice boomed. “Did the beast try to chew your feathers off? Do you need any help dragging it off you”

“Heh, heh,” Fluttershy laughed tensely. “I am sure the Princess is just joking.”

Remember, Fluttershy, this is not Nightmare Moon. This is your friend, who also finds night creatures fascinating, and who... is really scary looking when upset!

"Well, what do you think?" Luna asked eagerly, as Fluttershy emerged from under the bed. Seeing the alicorn, the kitten instantly meowed and ran in her direction. Annoyed, the Princess pretended to take no notice, although she didn't move away when the kitten started rubbing itself against her hooves.

"Umm, well, it shines." Fluttershy tried to remain neutral.

"It shines, it flies, it follows me everywhere!" Luna complained, although unconsciously she lifted a hoof to pat the kitten on the head. Only after a few moments did she realize what she was about to do. Annoyed with herself, she promptly pushed the creature back towards Fluttershy. "Just take it and keep it here! And if anything unexpected happens — have Spike send me a scroll."

"But I have tea with Discord in less than an hour—" Fluttershy began.

Before the pegasus could finish, the Princess had gone, just as unexpectedly as she had arrived. Fluttershy was at a loss for words. Had Luna dumped a kitten on her? Maybe she has terribly important work to do and wants me to take care of Moonlight until she’s done?

The kitten turned out to be quite well behaved, despite Luna's insistence on the contrary. It's peculiar nature made it a bit more reckless than most kittens Fluttershy had taken care of. The floating, in particular, proved to be a nuisance, as it would easily reach top shelves and play with the most fragile objects it could find. A few words from Fluttershy, however, had ensured that the only damages were a few broken glasses. It also helped that Angel kept an ever-vigilant eye, constantly following Moonlight throughout the cottage.

The only concern, on Fluttershy’s part, was the kitten's complete dislike of food. The pegasus wasn't foreign to picky eaters. Angel Bunny was a prime example choosing to eat only what caught his fancy. Fluttershy had lost count of the amount of times she had resorted to the stare to get him to eat. Moonlight was different. the kitten wasn't choosy, rather it found everything offered completely inedible. Solids posed no interest, milk had caused it to become sick, even pure rainwater had set the kitten on a coughing spree.

"You really, really, really must eat something, Moonlight." Fluttershy pushed a cup of sweetened milk mixed with catnip. "Just a tiny little sip," she pleaded. "Just one."

The kitten looked at the milk with its large blue eyes, then back at the pegasus, as if saying "please don't make me eat that." Fluttershy was just about to make another attempt, when a loud poof came from the living-room.

"Why, hello there, Fluttershy!" A familiar voice said. "So sorry, but I seem to have come a tad early today," he said in mock-apology, as he knocked on the door from the inside. "I do hope I could come in?"

"Oh, yes, if course," Fluttershy turned around with a smile. Oh, Discord. You always are so silly. "Please, take a seat, I'll be with you in a moment." For a few seconds she wondered whether to remind the draconequus not to take the phrase literally this time. It's just a little fun. And it's not like anypony will get harmed. I wouldn't want to hurt Discord’s feelings.

"Please try to eat something, Moonlight." Fluttershy turned towards the kitten again. "I'll just spend some time with a friend. Angel will keep you company so that you don't feel lonely. Isn't that right, Angel?" The bunny didn't seem one bit pleased, but after a moment's grumbling, nodded. Apparently he preferred anything than to be near Discord.

"Oh, thank you, Angel!" I knew I could always rely on you. "I promise to prepare your favourite dessert tomorrow!" Receiving a disgruntled nod, Fluttershy quickly rushed through the kitchen to get her tea set. No sooner had she done so, then she suddenly found herself sitting across a table from the draconequus, tea tray still in her hooves.

"Well, seeing how rushed you were I thought I'd give you a hand," Discord said mischievously, then snapped his fingers. A tray of cookies appeared on the table. "Get it? Give you a hand?" He started laughing. Fluttershy politely joined in, clueless as to what the funny part was.

"So tell me, Fluttershy," the Spirit of Chaos took a cap and started pouring tea back into the teapot, "did I tell you about my latest adventures?"

"Umm," the pegasus managed to say, before her guest continued his tale.

"So, there I was, innocently improving the gardens of Canterlot.” With the flick of his claw a green hat appeared on his head. "You see, I was convinced that dear old Celestia was about to get bored with the current state of her garden. Why, that dreadful place has seen less change than me when I was a statue. So, I decided to plant a few chaos seeds, to liven things up. Just a small amount — hardly seventeen hundred or so."

"Seventeen hundred?" Fluttershy took a sip of her tea. "Oh, my..."

"Yes, I know," the draconequus sighed. "Should have been seventeen thousand. Guess you can call me a bit stingy, but with the cost of chaos being at an all-time high, I thought—" There was a sudden silence. Discord's expression changed to alarm, then surprise and finally annoyance. A full ten seconds later he coughed diplomatically once, paw in front of his mouth. "Tell, me Fluttershy, has something new happened to you since my last visit?"

The pegasus blinked. It was very unlike Discord to stop mid sentence. If anything, the problem usually was to get him to stop.

"Umm, no, not that I..." She tried to think of everything that had happened since last week. Well, I did get a few books to read to my animal friends. And I did agree to have my mane done at Rarity's insistence. Maybe the letter I got from Treehugger counts as something new? I thought she and Discord had made up.

"Well?" The draconequus asked impatiently.

"I, umm, fixed the roof?" Fluttershy suggested. "I, umm, also had my mane done." She blushed ever so slightly.

"What?" Discord arched a brow. "Yes, yes, very nice," he said waving a paw, entirely disinterested. "Have you been around any magical beasts, by chance?" He looked her straight in the eye. "Like, you know, a savage magic kitten?!" He showed her his tail — there was kitten a dangling from.

"Moonlight!" Fluttershy screamed in panic.

"Well I'm glad you are worried about—" Discord began, then stopped abruptly. "Wait what? Moonlight? Seriously? You wound me, Fluttershy." A set of violins appeared in the air behind him, all playing a sad melody. "You wound me more than the teeth of this foul beast that is trying to eat me alive!"

"Now, now, Discord, that isn't very nice!" Fluttershy scolded, as she flew to the kitten. "Moonlight is just a small innocent kitten. Just because he’s playful, doesn't mean you have to be mean."

"Playful?!" Discord said in utter disbelief. "You call this playful? It's trying to eat me alive!"

"Oh, hush!" Gently, the pegasus took the kitten with her forehooves. "Now, now, Moonlight. It's all right to be playful, but we don't just bite the tail of guests. Discord could be a dear—" a loud "humph" came from the draconequus, as he crossed his arms, "—but it is impolite to do that, while we are having tea."

"Mrrw?" The kitten looked at her. For several moments it hesitated, before releasing its prey. "Meow," it sad sadly.

"Don't worry, Moonlight." Fluttershy smiled. "I'm sure he forgives you."

"What?! I what?" Discord asked, furious. "Why I, never! I've been hurt beyond measure!" He said dramatically, paw over face, before proceeding to fall backwards on a therapist's couch that just happened to poof into existence beneath him.

"Discord..."

"Fine, alright," the draconequus grumbled, proofing back to the tea table. "I suppose I could, as long as that aether beast keeps to itself."

"Moonlight is no beast! He is just a cute little kitten in need of some love and care!"

"Yes, sure, and I'm Princess Celestia." Discord transformed into a caricature of the Sun Princess, crown, horn, mane and all. "Wait? Don't tell me you really don't know."

"Know?" Fluttershy asked.

"Really?" Discord's jaw dropped off his face, landing on the table and tap-dancing away. "You really don't know what this thing is?" A new jaw appeared as the draconequus asked. Fluttershy just looked at him, saying nothing. "What you have there, dearest Fluttershy, is what we in the biz call an 'aether beast'. A creature most foul that is aether materialized, made solid in a..." He looked at the creature inquisitively. "A furry ball of—"

"Moonlight," Fluttershy added helpfully.

"A furry ball of moonlight?" Discord mused, paw on chin. "Well, I guess it could work. Then again, you don't have my vast experience of thing-naming and whatchamacallit. Still, I'm curious where you got an aether—" he shuddered, "—kitten."

"Aether kitten? Is that what it's called?" Fluttershy continued to rub the feline's belly, making it purr happily. "Hear that, Moonlight? You are an adorable aether kitten. Princess Luna is going to be so happy when I tell her."

"What?!" Discord's eyes popped out of their sockets. "Little Luna brought this?"

"Uh huh." The pegasus nodded happily. "She said it was following her everywhere, so she brought it to me."

"Following her everywhere, you say?" An evil grin appeared on Discord's face. "And I thought nothing interesting happened in Canterlot." He rubbed his forelimbs.

3. Bring Your Pet to Work

Luna was not happy. The more she thought about the kitten the angrier she became. Why couldn't she get it out of her mind? It was gone! Banished! Well not banished, it was actually placed under Fluttershy's care. A sense of guilt came over the Princess. What if it was more than the pegasus could handle? Luna didn't know much about animals, but had experienced first hoof the destruction the puff was capable of.

Maybe I should check Fluttershy's dreams? the alicorn thought. It wasn't like there was much work that night anyway. Ponies didn't have as many nightmares as they did in the past. A discreet sneak would hardly hurt.

Taking a deep breath, Luna concentrated on the dreamscape. She could feel a number of unpleasant dreams, but only about five that measured up to full nightmares. Of those one was related to cutie-mark fright, one to sibling-parent anxiety, and the list three were all... romance related fears. Luna facehoofed. If I never see a love related nightmare again it will be too soon! They aren't even original — the same dream with a different background! Can't the ponies of this generation just go ahead and ask their crush to a date instead of filling their dreams with nonsense? I might as well link their dreams together and save me some time! Two other options remained — cutie-mark or parent-child troubles.

Cutie-mark it is. Luna spun the dreamscape around her, peering into the dream. It belonged to a crystal pony. Interesting. It had been ages since Luna had ventured into such a nightmare. Its owner was Jet Lignite, a colt of twelve, still without a cutie mark and, interestingly enough, born with a black coat and mane. Well, at least the problem is clear. Somepony is afraid of becoming the next Sombra, it seems. A slightly touchy subject for Luna, but nothing she couldn't deal with. At least it wasn't another teenage romance fear.

Hidden in the background, Luna watched the dream unfold. Everything seemed quite standard — crystal ruins, black smoke, screams and explosions, all accompanied by orchestral music and distant maniacal laughter. Jet Lignite was there, among the ruins, surrounded by several other ponies, his friends from what Luna could sense. All of them were terrified. Moments later Sombra emerged, covered from head to hoof in dark spiky armour. So edgy, Luna thought, amused.

"You cannot hide what you are!" the Sombra-projection said in a thundering voice. "When you get your cutie-mark, I shall rise to rule the Crystal Empire! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!"

Bwa-ha-ha? Not the most original villain speech, yet fear was fear, and Luna could feel it everywhere. The foal wasn't afraid of becoming Sombra, he was afraid of not fitting in, he only couldn't see it. The real problem was that he had started acting like a bully to his friends, which had triggered the dream.

Time to get to work. A quick thought, a flash of magic and a giant moon appeared through the smoke. I know a thing or two about the dramatic as well, kiddo. Luna smiled pleased. Rays of moonlight shot down at Sombra, vaporizing him in an instant. Now, to make my entrance.

"Hello, little one." The Princess emerged from the moon, descending majestically to the ground.

"P-p-p-princess Luna?" The colt asked, still trembling with fear.

"It is indeed I, child." She smiled warmly. "You have been going through this nightmare for three days, Jet Lignite. Yet it is not in your dreams that your true fear lies."

"You know my name?" Both enthusiasm and alarm were felt in his voice.

"I am the Princess of the Night, I know the names of all my subjects." Of course, nopony is surprised when Sis seems to know everything. Of course, she has to be the perfect one! "Just as I know your real fear isn't becoming Sombra."

"It isn't." Jet looked at the ground. "I'm just afraid that everything might change if I get my cutie-mark. What if it's something bad and my friends leave me?"

"That is a serious question, indeed. Do you like doing things that are bad?" Luna arched a brow. This was probably the one part she disliked most of all — acting like a copy of Celestia. What she wouldn't give to be her own self.

"Err..." The hesitation was obvious.

"I see you understand." The moon in the dream shone brighter. At least Luna here could do all the dream effects she wanted. “It is normal to be afraid. You are not the only one afraid of what might change once you get your cutie-mark. However, that is no reason to start picking on your friends, is it?"

"No." Jet looked down at the ground, ashamed. "I've been treating my friends badly because I didn't want them to think I'll change when I get my cutie-mark." He sighed. There we go, kiddo. It's not that difficult to see, is it? "I'm an idiot," the colt kicked the ground with his hind legs.

"No sweat." Luna winked, causing Jet’s eyes widen in surprise. Opps. Too casual. I must quickly get back to Celestia levels of theatrics. "I must go now, child. Other dreams await me. Yet, if you ever need me, just call my name in your dream and I'll be there." Just be sure to need me if you call me. I don't do useless chats.

“Thank you, Princess!” the colt shouted, as she rose into the sky. “I’ll never forget what you told me!”

A brief nod, a polite smile, and Luna was out of the dream. Well, that was painless. Usually colts made a far greater fuss of things. Now onto the more annoying ones. Although, maybe she could check on Fluttershy first? It would only take a minute. Nopony would mind. Besides, there was nothing wrong in visiting a dream. It has nothing to do with the kitten, Luna tried to convince herself. I'm just concerned with Fluttershy, that’s all. I bet the puff isn't even in there.

It wasn't difficult sneaking into Fluttershy's dream. The pegasus loved surrounding herself with animals. Even if Luna were to appear right beside her, Fluttershy would probably not even notice. Well, you certainly dream in style, the Princess thought, hiding behind a bush. There were no fancy buildings, no crazy happenings, just a single tree in the middle of a sunny meadow, surrounded by forest. Nothing but peace, calm, and—

"Ouch!" Luna felt something bite her tail. Quickly she turned her head, nostrils flaring. What she saw by no means surprised her. "Oh." She narrowed her eyes. “It's you.” Stupid puff! Should have known Fluttershy would let you enter her dreams.

Moving the dangling kitten within reach, Luna thrust her forehoof straight at it, then, inches away from its face, slowed down and gently blooped it on the nose.

"Meow?" it asked surprised, letting go of her tail in the process.

"Aha!" The alicorn shouted, victorious, moving her tail safely away. A hoof pointed at the small creature. "That will teach you to mess with Nightmare—"

"Mew!" The kitten interrupted, leaping onto her hoof. Nightmare Mew? The alicorn blinked. No, it's not funny! I'm not going to laugh. She desperately tried to stifle her chuckle. Her lips locked tight, but even that wasn't enough to prevent a chuckle. In a single instant all the times it had bitten her, all the times it had clawed or embarrassed her, faded away erased by its adorableness.

"Silly puff." Luna smiled, patting it on the head. "I guess you can be nice when you want to. Maybe I'll come visit you from time to time?"

"Mew mew meow!" It meowed victorious, in an obvious attempt to copy her.

"Yes," Luna chuckled, scratching its ear with her hoof. "You are Nightmare Mew, the most adorable nightmare puff in the dreamscape."

"Umm, hello, Princess," a meek voice suddenly said, causing the alicorn to stiffen.

Uh-oh! Luna thought, quickly dropping the kitten to the ground. Even in a dream, she didn't want Fluttershy to get the wrong impression. It's not like Luna wanted to keep the pet or anything — she was a Warrior Princess, ruler of night and dreams, and definitely not the type of pony to be seen with anything soft and cuddly.

"Meekest Fluttershy, I sensed your dream was filled with fear," the alicorn lied, discreetly shoving the kitten to the side. "Tell me, what monsters and fears trouble you this night, so I may dispose of them."

"Oh, no monsters, Princess," the pegasus replied cheerfully. "I just called you here to tell you—"

"Do not be fooled! I distinctly felt that—" What?! You called me here? That can't be. I didn't hear anything. Besides, you shouldn't know how to summon me in the dreamscape. Only ponies in dire need should be able to do that.

Cautiously, Luna extended her hoof and tapped Fluttershy on the head. Hmm, seems solid. Doesn't feel like a dream entity. Can I be sure, though? Circling round the dumbfounded pegasus, she continued her examination. The wings seemed symmetrical, the feathers solid and firmly attached.

“Umm, Princess?” The pony tried to ask as Luna moved her wings up and down.

Those seem fine, but what about the hooves? Luna ignored her, focusing on the pegasus’ legs. The number was adequate — always four, no matter from which angle she looked. Just in case Luna checked five times, tapping the hooves as she did.

"Umm, is everything alright, Princess?" the pony asked with a slight blush.

"Just checking to see if you're real." Curses! I'm out of character! Clearing her throat, Luna continued. "There are nightmarish beings that copy our appearance." I sure hope you're gullible, filly. "But fear not, for I am capable of telling the difference and seeing the truth in the world of dreams. Tell me, why did you call for me?"

"Oh, I just wanted to tell you the good news." Fluttershy smiled. "I know what Moonlight is!"

No sooner had she said the name, than Luna felt something soft and furry plop onto her head, followed by a distinctive "Mew mew meow!". Just great. Even in dreams you are a constant nuisance. Were this any other pony’s dream, Luna would have erased the last few minutes of her memory and quickly left. Sadly, she simply couldn't do that to a pony as kind.

"And what is—" The kitten slipped off the Princess' head, grabbing hold of her mane. The event was somewhat painful for the alicorn, leaving Puff dangling in front of Luna's face, mewing incessantly for help. The Princess could only sigh. "—it?" She finished in an annoyed voice.

"An aether kitten!" Fluttershy said with annoying joy. "They are very very rare and very very special. Actually, they are rarer than phoenixes."

Should I just destroy it? Luna pondered as Fluttershy’s explanation went on. It's not like it's real. At least that would get me some calm… Doing so in front of Fluttershy would change the dream into a nightmare, not to mention she would react when she woke up. Probably be terrified of Luna for weeks. Besides, even if it was a dream projection, Luna didn't want to harm Puff. All she wanted was to get it to be a bit more cooperative.

"I understand, kindest Fluttershy." The Princess cut Fluttershy short, then levitated the kitten off her mane and to the ground, losing a few hairs in the process. A highly unpleasant experience. Nopony since Sombra has done that to me! Maybe I should just send you to my enemies and watch them suffer? "Alas, I must get back to work. Dozens of ponies rely on me to save them from their nightmares." That was a stretch if there ever was one. "Our talk will have to continue in the morning."

Opening a door out of the dream, Luna slipped away with as little as a goodbye. Why, in Tartarus, did I run away? she flapped her wings twice, as she flew through the dreamscape. Some Nightmare Princess I turned out to be. Running away from a kitten and meek pegasus. She had to admit, though, that the experience was oddly relaxing. Sure, the kitten was annoying, obnoxious and a walking menace, but also... somewhat adorable. In any event, it was far better than work. Let's see what "fun" awaits me now. Three romantic nightmares and a parent-child issue. No question which Luna would take care of first.

The parent–child nightmare was another clear cut case — the parent, in this case Silver Standard, was going through the usual fears of having a child leave the nest. Single child parents tended to get these a lot. In this case, the fear was made worse because of Silver Standard's extreme social ambitions.

"Please, don't go, Silver Spoon!" the older mare cried, weeping as her daughter walked out of what appeared to be a luxurious mansion.

"Hmph!" the filly replied, not even bothering to look back. What a brat. Luna thought. "Were you there for me when I grew up, Mother? Even before father passed away, you were alway busy with meetings, spending more time in Manehattan than here."

Ouch, harsh! I can sympathize, kid. Luna continued to observe, hidden behind the massive chandelier of the dream. There were quite a lot of issues that needed resolving. The conversation appeared to be between a mother and her daughter, but in truth it was nothing more than Silver Standard blaming herself for what she believed to be her failures.

"I did it all for you!" The mare kept on crying, tears rolling down her cheek like small rivers. "I wanted you to have everything you wanted. I wanted you to have even more than I did."

"Did you give me any love? Even a spoonful?" The filly snorted mockingly. "How many of my birthdays did you miss, Mother? Did you ever come to pick me up from school? Did you ever allow me to have parties at the house? Did you ever wonder why I spent so much time at Diamond Tiara's place?"

All right. Now we are getting close to the heart of the problem. I just need to give them a while longer to talk it out and—

"Mew mew meow!" A sound pierced Luna's ear.

No! Stars, please no! Luna's blood ran cold. Panicking, she looked around desperately hoping she had imagined it. The sound of ringing crystal shards told her she hadn't. Less than two feet away, the moonlight kitten was trying to cling onto a piece of crystal of the chandelier. Curse you, puff! There was no time for hesitation. Without thinking, Luna snatched the kitten, quickly covering its mouth with a hoof.

"I do not care, Mother!" The dream scene continued below. "I am going and there's nothing you—" the filly suddenly stopped.

Please don't look up, please don't look up! Luna tried to remain still and silent, yet holding a struggling kitten made that next to impossible.

"I'm sorry, Puff," Luna whispered. I know that you aren't real, but I still didn't want to do this. Keeping her cover, she shot a bolt of magic right at the kitten. The energy hit the puff with full strength… and nothing happened.

What?! Luna gasped in disbelief. How could this be possible? Her magic was strong enough to destroy anything in the dreamscape! Even a tantabus should have at least felt pain. Instead, the kitten had just curled up in hooves, purring loudly.

"What are you?" Luna wondered.

"Is somepony there?" Silver Standard asked from below. Curses! Luna had been found out. There was only one course of action now. Shoving the kitten under her wing, she made her entrance. With the grace of a wounded elephant, Luna floated to the floor trying to keep at least part of the chandelier intact.

"Silver Standard," Luna began. Both the dream projection of the mare and the filly looked at her in utter confusion. "There are many fears that trouble you." Just as there is an annoying one troubling me right now! "Losing your daughter is one of them, but there is something deeper you must face."

"There is, your highness?" The earth pony asked, uncertain.

"Your daughter is still at school. It will be years before she moves out, even if she wants to." A sharp set of claws sunk deep into Luna's wing. Hey! Not now! I'm working! She tried to keep a relaxed appearance. "Isn't there something you need to do? Something you have been avoiding all these years?"

"I can't talk to her!" Silver Standard said, terrified. "She hates me. If I do that I'll only make things worse!"

"And you think it better to hide away and not talk to her at all instead?" Tiny kitten paws started playing with Luna's under feathers. Stop, you accursed beast! I'm ticklish! Stomping her hoof, the Princess opened a portal to Silver Spoon's dream. Normally, she would never do anything of the sort, yet this was an emergency! She wanted to giggle so badly, she felt like biting her own tongue. And all because of a kitten! "See what your daughter wishes in her dreams."

Silver Standard looked. In the other dream Silver Spoon was sitting at small kitchen table, enjoying a sloppily made breakfast with a dream projection of her mother. The place seemed like the insides of a shack, rather than a mansion, but there was no mistaking the joy the young filly was feeling.

"Silver..." Silver Standard whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

Perfect! Luna levitated the kitten out from under her wing. She only had a few seconds to scold it properly, so she had to be efficient as possible.

"Listen!" The alicorn tapped it on the head. "You do not follow me to work! You do not mess up dreams, bite, tickle, claw or anything else you—" The kitten looked at with its large blue eyes. "And don't use the sad face on me! It won't work! I have defeated armies! Faced nightmares you can't even imagine! If you think that..." her words trailed off. Curses! Why must you be so cute?! "Very well. This time you get a pass. But we will talk about this after I'm done with work!"

Luna glanced at Silver Standard. The mare wasn't paying attention to anypony but her daughter. This was good, at least. With luck her nightmares would stop and the whole issue would be resolved in a matter of days. Now was a perfect time for Luna to make her exit, before something made another mess. Hiding the kitten in her mane, the Princess took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

"I see that things are not as you thought them to be," she said Celestia-style. "There are many things that could be resolved as long as you have the courage to take the first step."

"I... I think I understand." The pony smiled through her tears. "Thank you, your highness! Thank you for everything you have shown me."

"It is my task to help, my little pony." Stars how I hate that phrase! Couldn't Sis have come up with something more normal? "Just keep in mind that often what is in our hearts is the most difficult to show and—"

"Mew mew meow!" The kitten popped out of her mane, waving its paws.

Both Silver Standard and Silver Spoon stared at the puff. For the love of Starswirl! Celestia is going to flip when she learns. I could hear the nagging now. Taking a pet to work, linking dreams on a whim, getting ponies to see me in a less than perfect state...

"Is that a kitten?" Silver Spoon asked, not in the least bit concerned by any of the weirdness that was going on. Apparently the fact that the Princess of the Night was ten feet away, in her mother's dream, no less, didn't impress her one bit. "Mom, can I have a kitten?"

"Why, yes, yes dear." Silver Sterling nodded. "If her highness is suggesting it, then it certainly must be beneficial."

What? No! I never suggested anything if the sort! You're supposed to— Luna winced. This whole thing was absurd. You know what? Fine! I don't even care anymore! "Kittens are indeed a powerful bonding force that would help both of you," she said. Never before had she felt so embarrassed. for the first time in over a millennium, she felt like running away. "Just be mindful that a kitten is not a toy. You must be certain of your choice and both of you should take care of it through the challenges that await you." And trust me, you'll have plenty of those!

Gritting her teeth, Luna quickly slid out of the dream. The kitten was playfully jumping on her head, yet at the moment she could barely feel it. One task! i had one task — to look after the dreamscape, and I couldn't manage even that!

"Will you calm down?!" Luna shouted, causing the entire dreamscape to tremble. Immediately, the kitten obeyed, falling flat on its stomach. "Oh, now you become quiet?" Its purring resonated through her head, as if she was wearing a vibrating wig. "No, that's not making me feel better! Not one bit!" One had to admit, though, it was sort of slightly precious...

"Meow? Mew mew meow?" The kitten budged a bit.

"No! There won't be any more Nightmare Mew for tonight!" She deadpanned. "I'll just have to find a way to put you somewhere and hope that you don't follow me. Wait a minute! How did you get here?" Levitating it off her head, the alicorn gently poked its stomach. A loud meow confirmed her worst fear. The kitten was real! More real than a nightmare, more real the a dreamer’s projection, it was real real, as if it had physically entered the dreamscape!

That shouldn't be possible! Luna pulled its tail. The creature squeaked in alarm, struggling in mid air like a tortoise on its back. Something very wrong was going on here. Without a second thought, Luna flapped her wings with full strength. In the blink of the eye she was back in Fluttershy's dream.

"Fluttershy!" Luna shouted. No time for theatrics or etiquette. She needed answers desperately. "Fluttershy, where are you? I need to know something!"

"I'm in here, Princess," a voice came from within a nearby tree. "I'm sorry, but—" a zap of magic hit the tree, causing it to disappear in a cloud of colours. In its place a very scared and confused pegasus stared at the alicorn, body shivering, wings glued to her sides.

"Quickly! Tell me, where did you last see Puff?" Luna grabbed her.

"I... I..." Fluttershy only managed to say, trying to curl up like a terrified hedgehog. Curses. I forgot how easily she got scared. Now I have to go Celestia again.

"There's nothing to be afraid of." Luna let go, remaining on the ready to levitate Fluttershy back, should she try to flee. "I just want to know where you saw the kitten last." A swarm of butterflies appeared around them. Please let those calm you down.

"But, but... It's right there." A trembling yellow hoof pointing at Luna’s head, just at it jumped off grabbing hold of the Princess' muzzle.

"Not now," Luna sighed, levitating the kitten back onto her head. At least there she knew what to expect from it. "Purring wig, now!" she shouted. As per command, the creature flopped down. At least you got that right! "Where was the kitten before you went to sleep?"

"Oh, I made a special birdhouse just for it." Fluttershy started, tentatively. "Since he was flying about... and the birds didn't mind, I, umm, thought it best that Moonlight have lots of space to himself." With every world Fluttershy’s composure came back to her — she stopped trembling, her voice became louder, even her posture became somewhat relaxed. "Also, that way he could eat whenever he felt like it."

"Uh?" Luna blinked. Flying? Birdhouse? Eat? What are you talking about, Fluttershy?! There was no logic to what was being said. Isolated, everything made sense. Combined in a sentence — it felt like playing chess with Discord.

"Moonlight is an aether kitten." Fluttershy reminded, extending a wing to it. The creature meowed, then gently took hold of a few feathers with not nearly as much ferocity as Luna expected. "He feeds on magic. That's why he went into the dreamworld looking for you. He seems to enjoy the taste of your magic."

"Lucky me," Luna grumbled. And I thought my nights couldn't get worse.

4. After an Exhausting Night

"Twilight? Twilight?" Fluttershy kept knocking on the door. She had been doing it for a while now and there was still no answer. In itself that wasn't weird — now that Twilight was a Princess, she had a lot of responsibilities. It was entirely possible for her to be called to Canterlot or the Crystal Empire or anywhere else in Equestria for that matter.

Oh, my, Fluttershy thought. Maybe I should come back later? I can't just go into her castle. What would I think if somepony went into my cottage uninvited? A faint purring sound on her back quickly changed her mind. No! I have to be brave! Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the castle door and, making sure nopony was watching, went inside.

Books, she had to find books. If anything, last night had proven that Fluttershy could not take care of Moonlight without considerable help. Discord was kind enough to identify the species and explain a few basic things, but that was far from enough. And having a floating, glowing, dreamwalking kitten was a bit more even she could handle.

Twilight's library was, as always, in perfect condition, rearranged for the third time this month. Fluttershy distinctly remembered her friend mentioning that arranging books by author was far more efficient than going by book name. A questionable practice, but one that currently worked to the pegasus' advantage. Fluttershy happened to know the author in question. After the Philomena incident she had spent several weeks researching phoenixes. According to the forward, the author — Fauna Magnifica, PhD — had several more tomes on magical creatures. One of them had to have something on aether kittens.

"Are you alright, Moonlight?" Fluttershy asked, as she went through the rows of books. "You aren't hungry, I hope?"

The only response was a quiet purr coming from her back. Good. At least you are sleeping well. I do hope Princess Luna is as well. She did seem slightly tired after all the excitement this morning. Excitement was an understatement. The princess had spent the entire morning chasing after the kitten in Fluttershy's cottage. To make things worse, Moonlight kept on popping in and out of the dream world, further frustrating the Princess. By the time the matter was resolved both kitten and owner were completely exhausted. Oh, I do hope Angel Bunny is taking good care of Princess Luna.

MacCloud, MacIntosh, MacQuartz, Magnifica! There were four tomes in total. Fluttershy already knew the one about phoenixes by heart. That left three more. The first she picked contained a detailed descriptions of Tartarus beasts and monsters, along with their feeding habits. The next focused on sea creatures of various types. Finally, the third focused on chaos and aether beings.

"There, you see that, Moonlight?" Fluttershy opened the book at the index. "Now we shall learn everything about you."

The temptation to crack the book open there and then was tremendous. The pony, however, managed to resist. It wouldn't be fair to Luna to do so. No, the better thing to do was to take the book, leave a note for Twilight explaining Fluttershy was borrowing it, then go back to the cottage.

"Do you know what we are going to do now, Moonlight?" Fluttershy asked, as she started writing. A faint snoring sound came in response. As if somepony is gently squishing Equestria's tiniest chewy toy. Fluttershy placed a hoof over her smile. "Sleep well, little Moonlight," she whispered.

It didn't take long to finish the note. Fluttershy took the book and carefully put it in her saddlebag. That took care of that. Now to bring Luna the good news. Of course, she couldn't resist sliding a wing over the sleeping kitten. Maybe I should cover you with my wing? Oh, you're just so fluffy! No surprise Princess Luna calls you Puff. She trotted back outside.

A patch of clouds was forming in the sky. Weather ponies had already started preparing for the evening's showers. Unsurprisingly, Rainbow Dash wasn't among them. I would have liked Dashie to see Moonlight. Twilight also. I wish all my friends could see, but... maybe when he gets older. I wouldn't want any of them to harm you by accident. You are a baby kitten, after all.

“Hey, Fluttershy!” a raspy voice said above her. “What are you—”

“Shhh!” Fluttershy covered her back with both wings. “Not so loud,” she whispered. “You'll wake him up!”

A few feet above her, Rainbow Dash blinked, looked around, opened her mouth to ask something, closed it, the looked at Fluttershy again. Her expression yelled “Who? Who am I going to wake up?”

“There, there, Moonlight,” the yellow pegasus said to the nothing on her back. “Rainbow didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“Err, who are you talking to?” Rainbow Dash slowly circled her, carefully examining her with her specific what's-going-on frown. “Fluttershy, are you seeing things again?”

Again? “Oh, no,” Fluttershy smiled. “I'm just careful that—” suddenly she stopped. Oh, dear. Princess Luna told me she doesn't want anypony to know about Moonlight. What do I do?

“That?” Rainbow Dash pressed on. “That what?”

“Nothing.” Even her widest smile was incapable of hiding the guilty expression on her face. Maybe if I just continue to the cottage Dash wouldn't notice?

“Fluttershy…” Rainbow Dash eyed her.

“No, it's nothing!” Oh, there's too much pressure! I can't think of anything to say! “It's an imaginary kitten! Just a little imaginary kitten, I'm taking to the cottage.”

“You have an imaginary kitten?” Rainbow Dash crossed her forehooves. Fluttershy's explanation only seemed to make her all the more more skeptical, and ten times as curious. “That is having a nap, and you are taking it to your cottage?”

“Yes, that's it!” Fluttershy nodded eagerly. “Now I must hurry home and—”

“And where is this kitten?” Rainbow blocked her path. “On your head?”

“Oh, no. On my back. It's the Princess, that—” Eeep! I didn't mean to say that! Please, Dashie, just… Princess Luna will be furious if she learns I've said this much! As if to make things worse, the kitten chose the exact moment to wake up. Fluttershy felt it stir, dig its claws into her back and stretch. A yawn followed, accompanied, much to her horror, by a meow.

“Meow?” Rainbow Dash looked suspiciously at Fluttershy’s back. “Are you trying to prank me?”

“No! Yes!” Fluttershy cowered. Which is the right answer?

Unfortunately, tilting forward caused the kitten lose balance. Becoming visible, it quickly looked around for a more stable surface and leapt onto it. The surface happened to be Rainbow Dash's head. The pegasus’ reaction, as with any sane creature, was to try to get the kitten off. The kitten’s reaction was to remain on, no matter regardless of the claws or methods it had to use to do so.

“Get off!” Rainbow Dash darted into the sky, causing Fluttershy to become petrified with fear. No! the meek pony thought, utterly incapable of moving a muscle. All she could, was watch with horror, as Rainbow Dash went through a series of maneuvers, each aimed at freeing her of the kitten.

Ascent, double flip, dive, two-seventy turns, even the cloud cover was breached a few times, yet the only thing it managed to cause was to get the kitten to cling tighter to her mane.

“You asked for it!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Prepare for the—”

“Stooooop!” a deafening scream pierced the air. Both Rainbow Dash and the kitten froze in mid air, staring, eyes wide, at the yellow fury that approached from the ground. For a split second both had come to the realization what they had done, as well as what consequences were to follow.

“Meow?” the kitten managed to squeak, before a furious Fluttershy flew by, snatched it from Rainbow Dash’s head, placed in her saddlebag, and flew away faster than anypony had ever seen her go before. Moments later, Rainbow Dash blinked, cautiously touched the top of her head with a hoof, then went to the nearest cloud for a nap.

* * *

Armies, I have defeated armies, Luna kept repeating to herself as she lay exhausted on Fluttershy's couch. Sombra, Discord, my sister, even. I took them down without breaking a sweat. Zap, poof, done! Why can't I handle one silly puff?!

The night had been exhausting to say the least. Not only had the kitten interfered with her work in each of the nightmares, but it had also proven incapable of remaining in once place for more than five seconds. The only time it actually listened was when Luna was shouting at it, and even then the effect was momentary. And if that was not enough, it had gone through a dozen dreams in search of her. It was a menace! An unadulterated evil menace! And it kept haunting her!

"Why, oh my!" The most annoying of voices drilled its way into Luna's ear. "Fancy meeting you here. I always knew you had a vibrant nightlife, but slumber parties at Fluttershy’s? I would never have guessed."

Slowly, Luna cracked an eye open. Just great. she closed it back again. Her head was hurting enough without having to look at an annoying draconequus.

"What?" She asked flatly, covering her face with a hoof.

"I'm hurt that you'd even suggest that!" The typical Discord lying approach. Luna knew from experience that he only started that way when he had done something seriously wrong. "Here I come to visit my good friend Fluttershy, and I get unjustly accused of—"

"Discord, I haven't even accused you yet." Luna grumbled. Apparently the universe has conspired not to let me get any sleep today! Begrudgingly, she stood up. Stars, please just let him be done quickly. "Let's have it."

"Why, Princess, whatever do you mean?" The draconequus feigned ignorance, a halo appearing above his head.

"I really don't have the ti—"

"But since you mentioned it, I'd like to thank you for making me the guest of honour at tomorrow night's Gala!" Discord didn't give her a chance to finish. "I couldn't be happier, knowing that all my Equestrian friends would be there. Really, it's too kind of you." He reached to kiss her hoof.

"I did no such thing!" Luna briskly pulled her hoof away. "And the Gala is months away!"

"What? Oh, you must be thinking of the Grand Galloping Gala." Discord waved a pawn laughing. "How silly of me. I was talking about the Grand Night Galloping Gala, or if you prefer G.N.G.G. for short."

"I've had it with your foolishness!" How does anypony put up with you? Even "reformed" you're a constant pain in the flank. "There is no such thing!"

"What's that?" Discord made a hearing horn appear and placed it next to his ear. "For a moment, it sounded like there wouldn't be a Gala event. Pity." He shrugged. "I guess I'll have to find some other way to pass the time. Maybe I'll go have lunch with Celestia instead. There are so many things we can talk about, like your magnificent moon kitten, for example."

Luna froze. How by the stars do you know of... Fluttershy! "I don't know what you're talking about." The alicorn looked away.

"Now, now." Discord waved a claw at her. "I'm sure there is nothing to feel ashamed about. All of us are adults after all. I'm sure that your sister would understand. She might even be proud of you. It's a great responsibility taking care of a pet, hiding it, feeding it, taking it to work. You probably have a lot of anecdotes you could share with her."

Curses! This was so typical! Leave it to him to try to take an advantage of everything. So many millennia and he hadn't changed a bit. What options did Luna have? She certainly wasn't going to organize a Gala, let alone make him the guest of honour. She stood a better chance fighting him in here and now. With some luck she could manage to defeat him. As long as no animal in the cottage got seriously hurt, she could—

"Princess Luna!" Fluttershy galloped into the room. "I... Oh." Seeing Discord she stopped. Her wings trembled for an instant before freezing in place again.

"Why, Fluttershy." Discord smiled widely, teleporting next to her. "So good to see you again. It's been ages!"

"Umm, but we had tea yesterday—" the Pegasus began, but was quickly interrupted.

"And what are these magnificent saddlebags?" The draconequus patted them. "Haute couture? You definitely have taste, as a changeling would say."

"Oh, thank you." Fluttershy looked away, blushing slightly. "I bought them from Rarity's."

"Yes, yes, very nice." Discord waved a paw dismissively. "And just large enough to hold a kitten, let's say?" He poked the saddlebag.

Just you dare harm Puff and I don't care what my sister or anypony has to say, I'll drag you to Tartarus myself! Luna felt her muscles tense up. How unfortunate that Fluttershy was here to see this. Nonetheless, Luna was ready. A fine blue glow surrounded her horn. The last time she had blasted anypony with all her might was during her battle against her sister. It wasn't going to be a pleasant sight, more than certain it was going to destroy the cottage, but still—

"Mew mew meow!" The moonlight kitten leapt out of Fluttershy’s saddlebag, flying straight toward her. In the blink of the eye, it had lodged itself onto her horn, chewing on it, as it were a sugarcone.

"You can't be serious!" Luna shouted. Even now, puff?! I'm about to start a battle with the Spirit of Chaos and you start chewing my horn! Now way in Tartarus I'm ever taking you to a battlefield! If you had been around we'd never have won a single war!

"Aww, isn't that cute?" Discord asked in his sweetish mocking voice, causing Luna to blush with embarrassment. This was beyond humiliating! "Maybe I'll take a few pictures?" The draconequus took out an instant camera and started taking photos. While Luna gritted her teeth, considering whether or not to charge at him, kitten and all, he took one of the prints and started waving it in the air. "I think I'm going to frame this. What do you think, Fluttershy? Would it look good on the ceiling?"

"I, umm," Fluttershy began, but once more Discord cut her short.

"Yes, you are quite right." The draconequus pulled the print away. "Who has time for this, when there's a Gala to prepare for. Isn't that right, you cute wittle thing?" He teleported next to Luna and started scratching the kitten under the throat. Apparently, Moonlight didn't appreciate it, for moments later it viciously bit Discord's claw.

Yes! You show him, puff! Luna smiled, feeling vindicated as the draconequus waved the kitten about in an attempt to get it to release him. That's what happens to those that oppose us! Actually, the puff did have some spirit. Anything that didn't like Discord couldn't be all bad.

"So, about the Gala." Discord snapped his fingers, transforming the kitten into chocolate. Both Luna and Fluttershy froze, eyes wide with horror, as the draconequus approached it to his mouth. Noticing their looks, he paused.

Monster! Luna wished to say, but the scene was too shocking for her to even budge.

"Oh, come on!" He snapped his fingers again with a frown. A very surprised kitten appeared in mid air, a few feet above Luna's head. It blinked, meowed once, then fell victim to gravity, plopping down on Luna's head. You did this on purpose, didn't you, you snake!

Feeling the safety of Luna's mane, the kitten quickly scurried inside, tearing a few hairs as it went. Instinctively, the alicorn though of the armies she had defeated, although this time the culprit was very much Discord. Just you wait! Vengeance shall be mine!

"Please, do you take me for a monster?" Discord took a bite of the chocolate kitten he was holding. "You hurt me deeply, Fluttershy." He put a hand on his forehead dramatically. "And I was thinking of inviting you to the Gala."

"There. Will. Be. No. Ga—" Luna began, stressing heavily on every word. Somewhere from within her mane the kitten meowed along with her.

"Although dinner with dear Celestia does sound so much more inviting." The draconequus rubbed his forelimbs. "Why, I heard the most remarkable story this morning. Seems like a filly and her mother brought a kitten. Quite the coincidence, don't you think? Apparently they got the idea from a dream, of all places. Now that's an interesting topic for discussion. Hmm?"

There was no avoiding it. Luna's options were clear — do as she was told or face the consequences... and that meant decades of sighs and passive-aggressive comments, separated by a snarky comment of two. Maybe I could tell Sis myself? That was an even worse idea. Even if Luna could swallow her pride and come clean, Celestia would ask why she wasn't told earlier. That would lead to the long topic of trust, and the relations between them, stirring memories from millennia ago, even before the whole moon incident. Tempers would flare, voices would be raised, Luna would destroy a castle tower in protest, the Elements of Harmony would arrive...

"Very well!" the Princess said through her teeth. I'll remember this! "You will be the guest of honour of my Gala at the end of the week!"

"Oh, Princess, you shouldn't have!" Discord turned away from her bashfully. "But since you insist, I've already arranged for everypony that's anypony to get an invitation!" A basket of envelopes appeared on the living-room table. "And some for Fluttershy's dear adorable friends." He grinned widely. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a speech to prepare! Have fun with your kitten!"

A poof and he was gone. Second worst day ever! Thinking about it now, it would have been easier just to fight him.

"Mew meow!" The kitten popped out of Luna's mane onto the floor. "Mew meow! Mew meow!"

"You said it, puff." The alicorn stroke it gently on the head. "Discord is one mew meow." Stars, what am I going to tell Tia?

5. Daytime with a Kitten

Never have I been so humiliated. Luna felt like crying. Brought to exhaustion by a kitten, blackmailed by Discord, and now hiding from her sister in one of the palace's attics. Worst of all, the only times the puff would leave her alone were when she tried to teach it obedience. Everything seemed like a giant cosmic joke.

"Mew! Mew mew mew!" The kitten squeaked from Luna's head, furiously trying to claw her ear. A day ago the Princess would have been furious. Now she accepted it the necessary price to keep it from causing more damage. At least now it wasn't running about. Rhythmically flicking her ear, Luna focused on the bestiary Fluttershy had given her.

"Aether creatures are a strange and mysterious race, the origins of which are shrouded in mystery," the princess read out loud. Some authority on supernatural creatures this mare is! she grumbled to herself. I bet she hasn't seen an aether kitten in her life! Sadly, this was the only resource available. Luna herself, had never been interested in animals, save for a few dream creatures. She could tell what was what, but when it came to any details she was notoriously uneducated. "From what is known, they are born as a result of a powerful magic discharge, thus their name," she read drearily.

Oh, the cluelessness! The alicorn snorted. The kitten probably knew more. The author certainly was full of herself, using long descriptions and complicated phrases to increase the word count, while saying nearly nothing about the beasts themselves. Luna skimmed through several pages until she reached anything remotely useful. Each time she flicked a page with magic, the kitten would instantly divert its attention and gnaw on her horn the moment it lit up.

"Puff," Luna said, more out of habit than anything else. The kitten hardly ever listened. "Wig!"

No reaction. The creature continued chewing on the horn for a few seconds more, then observing the lack of magic, went back to the task of tormenting Luna's ear.

"Of all the ponies in Equestria, you had to pick me," she sighed.Anyway, back to reading this useless trash. From now on she was going to flip the pages by hoof.

Apparently, magic was the only thing aether creatures could consume, be it direct spells or aether sources. A good thing to know. Guess I must definitely keep it away from Sis? Although, it's so tempting... I'd like to see how stuck up you are when you wake with a kitten chewing on your feathers, Sis. Bet you'll drop the greater-than-all stance and start swearing like a mailmare in a tempest! Knowing you, though, maybe even Puff would find it difficult to stomach your sarcasm.

"Mew!" The kitten leapt of Luna's head in a desperate attempt to capture the elusive ear. Alas, the ear flicked again, causing the creature to flop on the floor.

"Careful, Puff." Luna didn't bat an eye. The first few times it had plopped on the floor, she had been horrified it could hurt itself. The next dozen times she had been annoyed at its persistence. After that Luna had simply stopped caring. If anything was wrong, the kitten would let her know... by mewing incessantly like a weather siren.

"Says here that you should be fed once per day," the Princess stated. "Hear that?" She booped it gently on the nose. "Once! Not every ten minutes!" The kitten rolled on its back, trying to claw the hoof with all four paws. The attempt made the alicorn smile. "Just look how fat you've become," she scratched its tummy, receiving an annoyed mew in response. "Keep this up and you'll become fat as Sis."

"Mew mew mia?" The kitten asked.

"Yes, that's right." Luna pulled her hoof away to turn another page. "Mew mew mia. My big fat sister. She spends all her time sitting on her throne, munching cake, swapping scrolls with her protégé, and giving me condescending looks. You're lucky you're not her pet."

The kitten paused, looking at her with curiosity.

"If you were her pet, she'd be all like this." Luna straightened up, giving herself an air of extreme dignity, then cleared her throat. Looking at the kitten, she sighed heavily. "Moonlight, know that I am not disappointed." The kitten tilted its head, blinking. "It is natural for you to understand nothing of this world. And I very much want to help you, but I can't save you from yourself." Luna looked away, sighing demonstratively again. For several seconds she said nothing, facing away from the creature. "I do wish you'd talk to me. Everything about you I learn from Fluttershy."

"Mrew?" A confused sound came from the kitten.

"I have known you your entire life." Luna turned around theatrically, waving her mane as she did. Her eyes seemed full of concern to the point of tears. "Why do you act this way, Moonlight?" She extended a hoof in the kitten's direction. "Do you still think of the moon? We are together again, just like before. Why can't we—"

The sound of galloping hooves interrupted Luna's speech. Somepony was rushing towards the room. The alicorn barely had enough time to push the kitten out of view, than the door swung open.

"Princess!" A Royal Guard ran in, gasping for air. The single word was said with such an amount of relief, that far a moment Luna wasn't sure if war hadn't broken out. "Thank the stars! We've been looking everywhere for you. Her Majesty wishes to speak to you. Urgently."

Curses! Maybe a war would have been better. "I'll be with you shortly," Luna said coldly. "Wait for me in front of the door." A single look from her ensured the guard didn't think twice. Saluting, he quickly left, shutting the door behind him. "Puff," Luna whispered. As if on command, the kitten ran to her. "I have to go for a bit. Now, I'll only be away for a few minutes."

"Mew mew mia?" It jumped against her hooves.

"Yes, mew mew mia." The Princes pushed it away, taking a quick glance at the door. "Big fat mew mew mia wants to talk to me. While I'm away, I want you to be quiet." Fat chance of that. Stars, why do I even bother? "You can destroy anything here, just don't leave the room and be quiet!"

The kitten tilted its head sideways, looking at her attentively. I'll take that as a yes. Luna gave Puff one final glance, then left the attic. The guard was waiting for her patiently outside, as he should. Definitely one of Celestia's, in more ways than one. Luna could tell he was old school — the kind that still regarded her as less than equal to her sister. Oh course he'd be the one to search every last room in the palace. Somepony wants to show off in front of "mommy."

"Where is she?" Luna trotted on impatiently. She wasn't at all looking forward to her conversation with Celestia. "Throne room?"

"Her Majesty is in the garden, Princess." A cautious reply by any means. At least he didn't call Luna "Highness" to her face.

And of course you have to take me to her. She continued without saying a word. Stars forbid that I go by myself. Why, I might make her wait a whole minute more, or something. Passing through the corridors, Luna noticed more guards stand to attention. Celestia had definitely gone all out, and that was never a good sign. The slight sliver of hope Luna hold onto was that it might have to do with some new official visit.

"Did she say anything?" Luna wasn't able to keep herself from asking. All this time and I still feel like a filly who's been caught stealing cookies from the kitchen. Another thing I have Puff to thank for!

"Only that she wished urgently to speak to you, Princess." The reply was neutral as a weathervane on a windless day. "She did appear somewhat concerned."

Great. Like I didn't have enough problems already.

The royal gardens were completely deprived of guards. Normally, Luna wouldn't care. It wasn't like she spent much time there. In the present circumstances, however, she was slightly alarmed. Her sister obviously wanted to have a one on one, and somewhere that nopony could listen in to their conversation. She couldn't have found out, right? The thought pierced her like a cone of ice. It was too soon! Luna had been so careful not to let anything slip. Had she failed? Fearing the worst, she turned towards the Royal Guard to ask for a hint, but he was no longer there. Some guard you are! She frowned. Pester me all the way to the garden, but chicken out before setting a hoof in it. And everypony wonders why I prefer to be on my own. Sis, your guards are totally useless!

"Afternoon, Sister," Celestia said a short distance away. She was standing by a small bushel, her phoenix perched on a nearby stand. "Did you sleep well?"

"Hi, Sis." She knows. I know she knows! "Well, the night was a bit busy, so—"

"When you didn't come to breakfast this morning, I was worried." Celestia turned around. Uh-oh. That's the pre-accusatory tone. "In fact, I was so worried after our talk yesterday, that I—" she suddenly froze mid-sentence, her face twisting in horror. "What happened to you, Lulu?!"

"Err?" Luna blinked in surprise, as her sister literally rushed towards her. What did I miss?

"Your face, your horn!" Luna felt a healing spell being cast on her. "How stupid are you?! You think grinding your horn off will be of any help? You think that'll make your pain go away?!"

"Oh, that!" You got me scared there for a moment, Sis. "It's nothing."

"And what's this?" Celestia put a hoof under her sister's ear. "Piercings? Honestly? Trying to make a statement at your age!"

Great. Here we go again. Luna snorted. I have one goth phase and you keep bringing it up. And I am not piercing my ears! If you had a cat for a pet, instead of a stuck up phoenix, you might possibly understand.

"I've done something wrong, haven't I?" Celestia sighed deeply. "I should have taken greater care, than shutting you out. Especially, since I knew what you were going through."

"Sis, listen for a moment." And we are back to the usual drama. Stars, there are times I wish I was the older sister. Luna rolled her eyes. She was about to add something with her own blend of sarcasm, when she spotted something in the sky. "Stars, no!" she shouted. Why?! Why can't you do one simple thing, Puff?

The kitten either completely missed Luna's hint to float away, or did the opposite just to spite her. And if that was not bad enough, its presence attracted the attention of someone else. Philomena, Celestia's phoenix, managed to somehow sense the puff and quickly turned its direction. Oh my stars! Luna turned pale, as she realized. Philomena was made of magic. The kitten ate magic!

"Sis!" Luna hugged Celestia tightly, ensuring she had no way of turning around. I so much hate myself for doing this! "It has been so difficult for me!" She pretended to cry on her shoulder. In truth, her eyes did not leave the kitten. "Please, don't give up on me! I'm no longer sure what I'm doing." There go my last shreds of dignity. How in Equestria will I dig myself out of this huge mess?

"There, there, Lulu." Celestia patted her on the back. "I'm here. Everything will work out. You'll see."

Meanwhile, behind the Sun Princess, the kitten had apparently chosen a new target. Attracted by the phoenix, it had diverted its path. Sure, get impressed by a flaming pheasant, why don't you? It's not like I'm the Princess of the Night or anything. A touch of envy mixed with Luna's alarm. She thought of snatching the kitten and flying off, as she had done yesterday, but Celestia's return hug locked her in place. Magic was also out of the question — last time Luna had tried to levitate it, the kitten had devoured her spell.

Please don't eat Mena, please don't eat Mena! she prayed. Unsurprisingly, the kitten took no notice, landing clumsily on the bird's perch... and slipping halfway off. For several agonizing seconds it attempted to claw itself back up, until Philomena grabbed it by the back of the neck with her beak, and pulled it beside her. Do you have any self-preservation skills?! Luna wondered, while pretending to be sobbing on her sister's shoulder. Claws extended, the kitten took a short while to find its balance, looked at the phoenix, and expressed its gratitude by taking a wobbly step forward, then sinking its teeth into Philomena's wing.

Ouch! Luna's entire body shook, imagining the pain. Told you! Leave your guard down for a second and this happens. Strangely enough, the bird didn't seem bothered in the least. Lifting her wing, Philomena let the kitten pluck out one of her feathers and continue to chew it. Seconds later a new flame appeared in the empty spot on her wing, forming into a new feather.

Hey! That's not fair! Luna grumbled to herself.

"What caused the change, Lulu?" Celestia pulled her sister back, just as Luna was trying to see what the kitten would be up to next. For a moment, the Princess of the Night considered repeating her sobbing act, but the tears in Celestia's eyes made her reconsider. Damn it, Sis! Why always so emotional?

"I... err... I..." Curses! I can't think of any new lies!

"I went to your room," Celestia said quietly. "It was in shambles. The furniture, the bed, the walls... you tried to destroy your own room, and I didn't even hear!" She paused. I don't even want to know what you saw there. Luna swallowed. Part of her remembered chasing the kitten furiously as it went in and out of the dreamscape. I knew I should have cleaned up!

"Things are getting better, Tia." Luna forced a smile. Her eyes glanced briefly behind her sister. The kitten was sitting on the edge of the perch and using a single paw to tentatively claw at Philomena. On her part, the phoenix just stood there patiently, doing absolutely nothing. Luna could almost hear the bird sigh.

"You're not just saying this to calm me down, are you?" Celestia looked at her.

"Wha?" Luna blinked. Did I miss something you said? Curse that puff! "Oh, no. Things are really getting better. I just need some time, that's all." She released the hug pulling away from her sister. "I just need a bit more time."

"Time is not always the answer, Luna." Celestia shook her head. "Avoiding a problem never sets things right. Trust me, I know."

"Aaa-ha." Luna's glance darted towards the kitten again. The little furball was now rubbing itself against the phoenix. What? You managed to get it under control in less than a minute? How, Mena, how? As if hearing her, the bird looked at Luna, silently asking "what's this you have here"?

"Thank you, Sis!" Luna resorted to another hug. This time, however, she used the occasion to send a message. Waving a hoof, then moving it in front of her mouth in unmistakable shhh fashion, the alicorn made it clear she didn't want the secret out. The phoenix facewinged. Oh, you did not just do that, fire chicken! What do you take me for? A filly of ten?

"I'm always here for you, little sis," Celestia said, very much oblivious to the scene behind her. "And I promise you, I'll find a way to make things better."

No! The talk is almost over! Desperate, Luna made signs for Philomena to grab the kitten and fly out of sight. The absurdity of the situation wasn't lost on anyone — the Princess of the Night, and diarach of Equestria, begging a bird to keep a secret from her sister. At this point, Luna no longer questioned why she was doing this. The only thing she knew was that the show had to go on... because of reasons. Much to her fortune, the phoenix complied. Grabbing the kitten by the back of the neck again, she flew into the sky and out of view. Now I have one more creature to blackmail me, Luna thought bitterly. At least she could stop with the act.

"I really think you should try to make some friends, Lulu," Celestia said. The notion instantly made Luna roll her eyes. "It's like I keep telling Twilight. She used to be somewhat like you at first. And look at her now." Stars, not this again! In any other day, Luna would have stomped off, furious. Because of the whole kitten business, however, her only option was to endure, listen and agree. Thanks again, Puff! Suppressing a grumble, she took a few steps back.

"I have friends, Tia." Even if most of your subjects treat me as a second fiddle.

"No, Luna, you don't," Celestia sighed. "Friends are ponies you spend time with, ponies you invite over or go to visit them more than once a month. And I am not talking about the dreamscape." The mentioned of the dreamscape made Luna feel uneasy. "Do you have such friends?"

"Of course," she quickly answered. "There's Firefly, and Minty, and Shadow Hoof, and..." Luna stopped. Her sister was giving her the oh-you-poor thing look again. I have it when you do that! "What?"

"Firefly vanished over a millennia ago," Celestia sighed. "Minty, Shadow and all the ponies you knew have long since passed. Even your ex-coltfriend disappeared once Cadence took the throne of the Crystal Empire."

"Oh." I knew that! And good riddance! I'm done with bad colts!

"I know!" The Sun Princess beamed, causing chills to run down Luna's spine. "I'll invite the Elements to spend a while at the palace. I'm sure that will help! That way you can get closer and learn—"

"No!" Luna shouted. The last thing I need is more ponies! I can barely keep puff a secret as it is!

"Oh?" Celestia arched a brow.

"I meant only Fluttershy would be enough," Luna quickly added with the fakest smile possible. At least she knows about Puff.

"The Element of Kindness?" Celestia considered, hoof on chin. "That's a splendid choice! Who better than to show you kindness than Fluttershy? Stars know, I haven't been giving you enough." Again with the self-depreciation. Seriously, Sis! Maybe you need some sort of therapy as well?

"Yes. I'll go tell her that—" Luna began, but Celestia's raised hoof made her stop.

"Don't be silly, Sister. I'll send Spike a message. In the meantime, maybe you can explain what this Night Gala thing is?"

"Night Gala?" Uh-oh. I completely forgot about that.

"According to Discord, you made him the guest of honour," Celestia said sternly. "As he put it 'a key figure of Luna's first very own Gala'. Now, I'm all for you enhancing your social life, but organizing a Gala tomorrow, even with Discord's help, might be going a bit too fast?"

"Err, I was about to talk to you about that." Tomorrow?! Discord, you snake! Next time I see you, I'll strangle you with your own tail! It was supposed to be at the end of the week! "I thought that it might break the monotony and..." Her words trailed off. And what? And that we could eat cake? I'm so doomed!

"Luna, you really are the best sister one could wish for." Celestia patted her on the back. "Of course it's normal for you to have your own Gala. And between you and me, I could really use the distraction. Having it once per year really is barely enough for me to recharge my batteries, so to speak," she chuckled, hoof in front of mouth.

"I'm... glad." Luna smiled. This went surprisingly well.

"Don't worry about a thing. I'll send a scroll to Twilight to help with the organization of things. You know how much she enjoys doing that. And of course, I and the other Elements will lend a hoof as well."

"Of course." This is so weird! If I didn't know better I'd think I was dreaming.

"There's just one last thing, though." Celestia moved closer. I knew it was too good to be true! Go ahead, Sis. Let me have it. I bet it's about yesterday's dream mess up. Or me hiding in the attic. Or something or other. "Please take a bath," Celestia whispered in Luna's ear. "You smell like cat litter."

Damn you, Puff! Haven't you embarrassed me enough?!

6. Nighttime with a Kitten

Fluttershy was nervous. Actually, she was absolutely terrified. The scroll she had received from Princess Celestia had been alarming, the carriage ride to the palace — frightening, and the Royal Guards had loomed over her like giant statues. I can do this! I can do this! She kept repeating to herself, as she made her way through the giant hallways to Luna's chambers.

Everything's going to me fine. Her hoof moved towards the door, its trembling increasing as it got nearer. Just because I'll be spending the night in Nightmare Moon's room, doesn't mean that—

"You're here!" The door opened violently before Fluttershy could even touch it. "Quickly, I don't have much time!" Surrounded by a blue mist of mane, Luna grabbed the pony's hoof and pulled her in before Fluttershy could even eeek.

The room was a complete disaster. Any thoughts of fear Fluttershy had had were quickly replaced by pity. How can anypony live here? she wondered.

"Princess?" Fluttershy asked quietly, looking around. Everything was on the floor — from bowls, vases and pieces of fruit to curtains, paintings and even parts of broken furniture. The walls were bare, covered in stains, with only a few torches providing dim light. All the windows were boarded with crude wooden planks, and the entire ceiling was covered in tiny claw marks.

Fluttershy swallowed. She would not have believed such a mess was possible if she wasn't staring at it with her own eyes.

"You do not pee over my horseshoes!" Luna shouted at something in the middle of the room. "You do not sharpen your claws on Mew mew mia's painting!"

Cautiously, Fluttershy made a step forward. On the floor, in front of the princess, was Moonlight, looking down with a guilty expression. Oh dear, the pegasus thought. You are being scolded, poor thing. But you didn't mean any of that, right? Princess Luna is just a bit upset.

"You do not try to eat Mew mew mia's pet!" Luna scolded on. "Is that clear?"

"Mew mrra?" The kitten looks up with its large blue eyes.

"Don't you try that on me!" Luna didn't seem at all impressed. "And yes, Mew mrra!" She snorted, furious. "Now, I'm going to work and leaving you with Fluttershy. If I hear you've been causing any problems, I'll summon a rain cloud!"

"Mew..." the kitten replied pitifully.

"Good!" Luna nodded, still frowning. "Sorry, Fluttershy. I wish I could stay, but there are over two dozen nightmares tonight. I'll try to pass when I can, but don't count on it."

"I understand, Princess." Fluttershy smiled. So much like Rarity. I remember the first time she called me to take care of Opalescence, while she was away.

"There's food here somewhere, I think." Luna a looked around at the piles on the floor. If there was anything that would pass for food it definitely wasn't obvious at first glance. "Also, one of the planks of that window is loose, so you can feed Puff moon rays, if you have to. Don't let him trick you into giving him too much!" She waved a hoof in front of Fluttershy. "Puff is fat as it is. He still gets enough exercises, but the book says it is crucial that habits are established at an early age."

Fluttershy nodded, attentively. Umm, I know all that, Princess. I am the one who gave you the book in the first place.

"Also, and this is very important, Mew mew mia mustn't learn about Puff." Luna levitated one of her horseshoes and wiped it in what appeared to be part of the curtains. "Knowing her, she'll probably happen to pass by," Luna gestured air quotes with her hooves, "a few times during the night. Don't be surprised if she asks if I'm well. She has this obsession I'm reliving some tragic past or something."

"Yes, Princess." Fluttershy nodded again. "Umm, who is Mew mew mia?"

Grumbling audibly, Luna facehoofed. "I've even started talking like it!" She glared at the kitten, which was sitting obediently on the floor. "Mew mew mia is Celestia, Mew mrra is Philomena, and..." The Princess looked up at the ceiling, deep on throught. "There are other words, but I can't think of them now. Anyway, I must go!"

With that, Luna flew out of the room, closing the door behind her. Fluttershy raised a hoof to ask something, then slowly lowered it back to the ground. I thought you needed to be asleep to enter dreams, she wondered. No matter, that was not why she was here. The only reason was to take care of Moonlight.

"I'll be spending the night with you Moonlight." Fluttershy smiled, moving closer to the kitten. Gently she moved her hoof toward it, allowing the small creature to climb on and onto her head. Magic or not, some things were the same for all kittens. "You've become quite responsible, haven't you, Moonlight?" Fluttershy chuckled. On her head, the kitten purred. "I know it must be difficult, but please give Princess Luna some time. She is working very hard, and has shown great progress."

"Mew mew meow!" the kitten meowed.

"Err, no, we do not call her Nightmare Moon," Fluttershy said gently. "She is nice now, and we must be nice to her. You want to be nice to her, right? Isn't that so, little Moonlight?" She patted it on her head with a hoof.

"Meowa?" the kitten attempted. Meowing the new "name" resulted in a series of sneezes that knocked it off the pony's head. Like a parent feeling her child to be in danger, Fluttershy's reaction was immediate. Her forehooves instinctively moved to catch the kitten, as if went down, way before it could reach the floor.

"Careful, little Moonlight." She stroke it on the head. "You mustn't keep falling off. You might hurt yourself or get dirty." Fluttershy looked around. Umm, I'm sure the Princess means well, but her bedroom is... a tinsy winsy bit messy. The pony lifted her hind hoof and looked at — there were traces of crumbs on the bottom. "What do you say we clean this room for when Princess Luna comes back?"

The kitten had engaged in licking its paw, while curled up in Fluttershy's forehooves. Hearing the question, however, it quickly stopped and meowed twice. Oh, you're such a sweet kitten. The Princess is really lucky to have you. And you are lucky to have her.

Cleaning the room was far easier than Fluttershy was used to. Back at the cottage, there were always dozens of animals moving about, and while they always were trying to help, they tended to do make everything messier instead. The Kitten behaved in an entirely different fashion. It preferred to remain on the pony's back, occasionally climbing onto her head, and pointing out the direction in which cleaning was required.

The greatest problem Fluttershy had was the furniture. Without magic or materials, there was no means of repairing it. The thought of asking a Royal Guard crossed her mind, but quickly subsided. Instead, everything broken was arranged in neat piles in one corner of the room, while all that was whole was carefully stored away. Thankfully, several tables and a nightstand had survived Luna's onslaught, making the room at least partially habitable.

"That was fun, wasn't it, Moonlight?" Fluttershy asked cheerfully, wiping the sweat off her forehead. The kitten only purred in agreement, curled up on her back. "Do you know what we need now? A nice bath." At the mention of the word, Moonlight's head popped up, as if struck by lightning. Quickly it jumped onto the ground and started running around Fluttershy's hooves meowing in protest.

Oh, you're so funny. Opalescence didn't like taking baths either, at first. I just know you'll love them.

"There's nothing to worry about, little one." Fluttershy smiled tenderly. "Everyone needs a bath. Even Luna has them. You do want to look your best, don't you?" The kitten paused, hesitant. "What will all the ponies think if they see you enter their dreams looking like that?"

The kitten jumped against her forehooves, and was just about to express its concern, when a knock was heard coming from the door.

"Luna? Fluttershy?" a warm voice said from outside. "I happened to be passing by this part of the palace, and thought I'd come see how you two were doing."

Oh, dear? It's Princess Celestia! Princess Luna warned me this might happen! Fluttershy looked at the kitten. Unlike her, the creature was not in the least alarmed. Quite the opposite, it seemed rather curious who was at the door.

"Umm, we are fine, Princess," Fluttershy said meekly. "Moonlight," she whispered to the kitten, "climb onto my back and turn invisible." The kitten looked at her, confused. Its tail moved playfully around. "No, it isn't playtime, Moonlight."

"Sister? Fluttershy?" Several new knocks followed. Oh dear, the Princess must not have heard me. Fluttershy picked up the kitten and quickly put it behind one of the piles of furniture.

"We are fine, Princess!" she shouted as loudly as possible. Moments later, the door cracked open. Her pulse doubled, Fluttershy rushed to the middle of the room again. I can do this, I can do this!

"Sister?" Celestia slowly entered in the fashion of a pony who knows she's doing something wrong, but went ahead with it anyway. "I was just wondering—" Seeing Fluttershy, the Princess stopped. Her stance quickly changed giving her the familiar regal air. "Fluttershy." A warm smile appeared on her face. "How are you?"

"Umm, I..." I must not be tense! I must not be tense! If I am, the Princess will find out about Moonlight!

"No need to be afraid, my little pony." Celestia went to her. "If anything, I am grateful that you are here. Luna is going through a difficult period, and I feel that if anypony could help her it is you."

"Umm..." Fluttershy only managed to say. From the corner of her eye she noticed the kitten climbing up the pile she had placed it. The good news was it had turned itself invisible. The bad news — it was climbing so clumsily, that even invisibility wasn't going to keep it unnoticed for long.

"I have you to thank for Discord's transformation, not to mention all the creatures you constantly take care of." Celestia continued, completely oblivious. Meanwhile Fluttershy, made a quick sign to the kitten with her wing. The fidgeting on the pile stopped. I'm so sorry, Moonlight, the pegasus thought. "You see, my sister has had a difficult past," the alicorn sighed heavily. "I suspect she is still thinking about an old love of hers. Not that that colt was any good for her to begin with. Actually, where is Luna?" Celestia asked, apparently only now noticing that the condition the room was in. "And why are the windows boarded?"

"Umm, to keep ponies from seeing the mess?" Fluttershy smiled tensely.

"Typical." Celestia rolled her eyes. With a flash of her horn she levitated the boards off the windows, arranging them neatly in a free corner of the room. "I was hoping she could at least bother to tidy her room. Oh well, I guess that's what big sisters are for." The alicorn's horn flared up again. Within seconds pieces of destroyed furniture rose into the air, then started linking to one another, like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

Fluttershy's heart stopped. Moonlight! Desperately, she turned about, hoping to catch a glimpse of the kitten among the floating pieces. The task proved impossible. Furniture fragments of various size and nature swirled about madly, restoring cupboards, wardrobes and the bed to their original state. The urge to fly among them, in search for Moonlight was unbearable. Please be all right, Moonlight! If something happens to you, I'll never—

"Meow!" a loud squeak followed. Fluttershy immediately turned in the direction of the wardrobe. On her part, Celestia glanced at Fluttershy.

"Did you say something, Fluttershy?" The princess arched a brow. Pale with fear, Fluttershy turned back. What do I do? What do I do? She bit her lower lip. "There's nothing to be afraid of," Celestia chuckled. "This isn't the first time I've fixed Luna's room." The furniture steadily floated in place. "And despite what my sister has told you, having the windows open is good for her. I am sure that right now, she's sleeping on some cloud, doing her work in the dreamscape. At least there is that. Tell me, what do you think of her state?"

Fluttershy opened her mouth a few times, yet no sound came out.

"Really, Fluttershy," Celestia moved closer. "There is no need to worry. I will not be upset no matter what your thoughts are. Luna won't be either. Surely, you must see that? Although she would never admit it, she values your company a lot. There are probably ten ponies she trusts in the whole of Equestria and you are certainly among them."

"I... I..." A shaking hoof pointed towards the wardrobe. "It..."

"The wardrobe?" Celestia looked at it confused. "It's hardly special. Do you think it upsets her? Maybe it is time to change the room's style a bit. As things are now they probably remind her of our old home too much," Celestia mused. Forgetting about Fluttershy, she went to the wardrobe, carefully examined it on all sides, then, apparently coming to some new realization, sighed deeply. "Oh well, I'll have the royal carpenters come up with a more modern design. And I'll have to check what things she likes of this millennium… things are never easy with her."

I wish everything is alright! It must be alright. I haven't heard any more meowing, so maybe Moonlight is fine? Yes, he must be fine! Aether kittens are resilient, the book said, so Moonlight must be... Oh dear, what have I done?!

"Thank you, dear Fluttershy!" Celestia said loudly. "You have helped me a lot! Please, feel free to enjoy the castle while you are here. I have given instructions that you are to be allowed everywhere but my private chambers!"

Fluttershy felt the Princess pat her on the back before leaving the room, but her mind was elsewhere. For several seconds she remained motionless, staring at the wardrobe. Then, something in her brain switched. Rushing forward like a madmare she opened it.

"Moonlight!" She squeaked, wildly opening the thousands of sections it had. The thing was worse than a filing cabinet! "Moonlight! Please be all—" something soft and furry landed on her head. Shortly after a mew followed. "Moonlight!" The Pegasus grabbed it, then gave it the stoniest hug she was capable of. "You are fine! I was so scared!"

"Meow!" The kitten stirred, trying to escape.

"Oh, sorry." Fluttershy loosened her grip. Immediately, the kitten leaped on the floor, then, turning visible, glared at her displeased. "Umm, maybe I was a bit too frightened?" The pony smiled sheepishly. The kitten's reaction was only to turn around and demonstratively walk away, tail raised high.

Oh, dear. I got him upset.

"There, there, Moonlight." The pegasus went in front of the kitten. "No need to be upset. Just look how nice your room is now." Hearing the phrase "your room", the kitten stopped. Its head tilted to the side, as it looked around, before replying with a loud resounding meow. Fluttershy giggled. Cats will be cats. "So, do you want to have a nice bubbly bath? Your fur will shine like the moon."

The kitten rushed up onto her back. Unlike before, this time it needed no more convincing. Let's hope you are still as eager when you actually see water. Initially, Fluttershy had hoped she could have a bath as well, but the thought of leaving taking the kitten with her or leaving it unsupervised, quickly changed her mind. Instead, she gathered the courage to ask one of the Royal Guards for a large bucket of warm water, a bar of soap and a towel. At the question of whether she was thinking of having a bath, Fluttershy blushed, replied quietly that it was for cleaning windows, then hid back in Luna's chambers. Meanwhile, the kitten was enjoying jumping on and off "its" new bed.

"Moonlight, please be careful that you don't ruin Luna's sheets," Fluttershy said, still slightly flustered from her recent experience.

"Meowa?" The little puff asked, before leaping off the bed again and flopping on the floor. This time, it's momentum was far too great, causing it to slide along the smooth surface to the opposite side of the room.

"Yes, Meowa." Fluttershy nodded. "We don't want to make her—"

"Fluttershy!" A gust of wind came from the open window, followed by the Princess of the Night literally storming in atop a cloud. "How's Puff?"

Fluttershy's immediate reaction was to rush to the kitten and curl up in fear. Luna, didn't even seem to notice in the least.

"Is he fine?" The Princess went on, hovering in the middle of the room. "Did he get in any trouble? Did he ask for me?"

"All... all is fine, Princess." Through utter force of will, Fluttershy managed to show her head from behind her wings. "Moonlight—"

"Where is he?" Luna looked around. "He's not hurt, is he? If Tia took him away, I swear by Starswirl, I'll pluck that burning chicken of hers!"

"E-e-everything is fine, Princess," Fluttershy repeated. As if to reinforce her claim the kitten jumped out from behind her, and started running in circles right under Luna.

"Meowa!" It meowed, seconds before being scooped up by the alicorn.

"Puff!" Luna hugged it. "You're alright!" For nearly ten seconds she remained still, holding it against her neck. Purring filled the quiet room.

Aww, how sweet! Fluttershy thought. Both of them have certainly grown so much. Why only two days ago, Luna couldn't even take care of it. The Pegasus chucked. That, however, was enough to get a reaction. Luna's glance shifted to Fluttershy, then back to the kitten. Her face became covered in guilt and embarrassment, the alicorn slowly put the kitten on her cloud, then turned in the opposite direction.

"I finished work early," Luna said, sounding not in the least bit convincing. "So I decided to see if you're fine, Fluttershy."

"Umm, I am, Princess." The smile didn't leave Fluttershy's face. "Moonlight is fine, and Princess Celestia repaired the furniture in your room."

"Oh." Luna said, only now taking note of the fact. "I was going to get to that first thing in the morning."

"Actually, you're right on time for Moonlight's bath."

"That's nice." Luna poked the kitten playfully with a hoof. "Wait, what?!" she gasped. "You're going to give Puff a bath?!"

Never before had Fluttershy heard so much fear, surprise and indignation wrapped in one single question. What did I just ask? she wondered. Cats didn't particularly like water, but this was an aether kitten! According to Magnifica, moon creatures adored water, be they kittens. Fluttershy was certainly not going to do anything that harmed the little creature! How could Luna even think otherwise?

"Umm, he is a bit dirty, Princess." Fluttershy began apologetically. "Don't worry. I've given plenty of animals a bath. I know—"

"Puff isn't just any animal!" Luna frowned, placing a hoof on the kitten protectively. "What if he catches a cold? The book said that it can take years for aether creatures to recover!"

"Umm, but—" The pegasus try to say something, but was quickly interrupted.

"Or what if he drowns? For a kitten Puff's size anything larger than a fruit bowl would be an ocean!"

"But, I will—"

"Not to mention the soap!" Steam came out of Luna's nostrils. "Do you know if the soap is suitable for kittens? Do you know who made it? What if Puff is allergic and loses all his fur? Or if a bubble bursts in his eye, causing him to go blind?"

A series of knocks came from the door.

"What?!" Luna barked, very much furious. The door abruptly opened, revealing a somewhat confused Celestia, levitating a large bucket of water beside her. Instinctively, Luna pushed the kitten down into the cloud. "Sister," she said coldly. In her current state being nice wasn't a priority.

"Luna," Celestia replied in turn. "I was told that Fluttershy requested a bucket of water." Her glance focused on the cloud. "A storm cloud?" she sighed heavily. "I thought we discussed this, Luna. No clouds indoors. And if that isn't bad enough, you're forcing your guests to do the windows for you?"

"As if you do your own windows!" Luna grumbled. "And the bucket is not for Fluttershy, it's for me! I'll be having a bath!"

"A bath?" Celestia blinked. "In this? You're going to take a bath in your room, in a bucket?"

"You said I smelled of cat litter, so yes!" Luna snorted. "In my room, in a bucket, using a storm cloud. Or is that too unbecoming?"

"Sister, as you are aware, we have a bathroom the size of the throne room." Celestia narrowed her eyes critically. "And it's full of shower clouds."

"Well, maybe I want to?" Luna crossed her forelegs.

"You are being childish, Sister."

"Well, maybe I want to be childish?" The Princess of the Night remained defiant. Apparently, this was the last straw for Celestia.

"Very well, then." Celestia ceased her levitation spell. The bucket slammed on the floor, splashing water all over her hooves. "If you'll continue behaving like a foal, maybe you do deserve taking a bath in this." She pushed the bucket into the room. "Good night!" She slammed the door shut.

"Ha! Fine!" Luna shouted back. Fluttershy could tell that the conversation had taken a greater toll on the alicorn than she was letting on. The Princess' ears were flat and one of her forelegs was shaking slightly.

"Meow?" The kitten fell through the cloud, plopping on the floor.

"Not now, Puff," Luna said curtly. "I... need to get back to work." Not waiting for an answer, she flew out of the room, leaving Fluttershy, Moonlight and the storm cloud behind.

Oh, dear, Fluttershy thought. The moment she did, the cloud began to rain.

Author's Note

Question to everyone:
Do you think Celestia knows about Puff or not?

7. Dear Moonlight Kitten...

The kitten continued chewing on the flaming feather. It was an enjoyable feather — fresh, tasty, and so magnificently spicy. Very different from the food Puff usually had. Moonlight magic was nice and all, but after two days it got old. Moments later, the feather popped, disappearing in a puff of smoke. The kitten sneezed, hitting its face on the floor. That was the problem with phoenix feathers — they didn't hold for long, and caused way too much sneezing. A few steps away, Philomena sighed audibly.

"Another?" Puff meowed guiltily. Philomena just shook her head, then plucked another wing feather and offered it to him. Yay! Puff leapt onto the feather. He would smile if he weren't so busy enjoying the new treat.

"Please chew silently, kitten." The Phoenix rolled her eyes. The kitten paid no attention whatsoever. He liked Philomena — she was nice, although so very stuck up. Even when she flew, she held her beak high. At least he could understand her, though. The ponies — they were a different matter entirely.

The second feather exploded in a cloud of ash. Hesitantly, Puff looked at Philomena once more. Her glare of disapproval was clear as day. Obviously, she wasn't going to give him another, so he would have to snatch one on his own. The kitten sunk down. Puff’s tail waved about, as he prepared to pounce.

"Don't even think about it," Philomena said firmly, beak held high. Uh-oh. She's onto me. Puff remained in position for a few seconds more, then leapt past her.

"Nightmare Mew!" he yelled, leaping back again, much to his joy and the phoenix's annoyance. How he wished Luna could be here. She was fun, and she fed him a lot. Of course, she’d pretend to be angry and not care, but the moment no one was looking she'd always give him a bolt of magic to eat. Not to mention that she —

"Puff!" A dark alicorn flew through the window. "Neigh neigh neigh?" She scooped him from the ground. "Neigh neigh neigh neigh!"

"Luna!" The kitten meowed pleased. You came when I called? That's so cool! I'll try it again later! "Hey, Mena, look how cool Luna is! When I call her she appears out of nowhere!"

The phoenix sighed deeply putting a wing on her face. A bit overdramatic, the kitten thought, but he was too busy having his belly scratched to care. Taking full advantage of the situation, he climbed up the Princess and flopped down on her head. He could have just as easily floated, but climbing was so much more fun. The one rule he had to follow was not bite her feathers. Luna seemed weird that way. There were a lot of other rules too — don't claw the ceiling, don't knock down vases, don't pee in the wardrobe... all those were irrelevant. The only thing Luna really cared about were her feathers.

"Neigh neigh neigh," the alicorn said, waving a hoof at him. It seemed like she was upset about something. "Neigh neigh Celestia. Neigh neigh neigh big fat Celestia!" Puff could tell Luna was still mad at her sister. Every time the pony used the words "big" and "fat" something was wrong. Also, Philomena had ruffled her feathers slightly.

The conversation continued for several minutes more. Most of it was unintelligible. Puff only knew a few words in pony speech, most relating to food or various versions of "don't". As usual, the talk ended with a stern warning of some sort, followed by Luna placing him back on the floor, then flying off.

"See, see?" Puff wasted no time, bragging to Philomena. "That's my ponycorn! Isn't she the best?"

"Celestia can, at the very least, understand me when I talk," the phoenix scoffed. "And it's 'alicorn', not 'ponycorn'. Really, you could at least try to learn part of her language, kitten. It's ridiculous not being able to talk to your pony."

Meanwhile, something new had attracted Puff's attention — drapes. There were so many of them in this room, that they made him feel dizzy. Nice, soft, smooth, reaching all the way to the ceiling drapes! It simply would be a crime not to climb them!

"I was fluent in pony five hours after I hatched," Philomena continued. "Celestia and I had our first full conversation the very next day. You, however, are clearly neglecting your language skills. Not that I'm implying anything, I've been young too... a few dozen times, but you—" the phoenix stopped. Puff was no longer there. Instead, the kitten had climbed halfway up the curtains. The goal was almost in sight! Just a little more and—

A pair of talons grabbed the kitten by the back of the neck. Instantly, Puff froze. His paws lost their grip as he was pulled off the curtain. Mena! Why do you always do this?! Just because your feathers are tasty, doesn't mean a thing! The bird flew back down to the floor, yet did not let go of the kitten.

"When Princess Luna entrusted you to me it was to make sure you were safe," she said slowly and clearly. "Now, I understand you are just a kitten, but try to take things at least a bit seriously. Soon, you will be living in the palace as Luna's aide. This is a great responsibility! It will fall on you to take care of your Princess when she is feeling down and protect her when needed."

Almost managed to... The kitten struggled to free itself from Philomena's grip. Must escape fat chicken! An audible sigh sounded, after which the kitten’s wish came true. Philomena let go of Puff's neck, letting him scurry off towards the first instance of safety he could see — in this case a cushion.

"Really, kitten!" the phoenix said critically, as Puff tried to claw its way under a cushion ten times his size. Far too heavily to be moved by a cat alone, it effectively trapped him under it. A series of meows followed, desperately pleading for help. "It's a mystery how Luna manages to put up with you."

"Help me out! Help me out!" Puff tried to free himself from the soft prison, yet his paws weren't cooperating. The slippery floor, Curse you, slippery floor!, was a treacherous enemy that took every opportunity it got to strike at him. Now I understand why Luna wears horseshoes. If I get out of this, I promise not to pee on them... unless I have to! Something took hold of his tail. Before Puff could even react, a strong tug freed him from the cushion’s embrace.

"Had enough adventures for one day?" Philomena asked sternly. Talk about embarrassment. Puff looked at the ground ashamed. He knew this wouldn't work on Philomena, but instinct made him try. Truth was that he did want to learn how to help Luna. It wasn't his fault that the world was filled with so many new and exciting things!

"Sorry, Mena," he meowed quietly.

"Look, the faster you learn the basics, the faster you can take care of yourself," the phoenix said. "Just put your mind to it for a while and it'll come naturally. Then we can do some pranks."

"You?" The kitten looked at her in disbelief. "You do pranks?"

"Well, you don't think you're the only one with a hint of mischief," Philomena laughed. "I have fun all the time. Every now and again I even get Celestia mad."

"No!" Puff's eyes widened. "Big fat Celestia?"

"Ahem!" She glared at him. "Celestia is not fat. And yes, at times I get a grumble from her. One time, I tricked Fluttershy into thinking I was sick. She spent all afternoon trying to find a cure, only to watch me burn to ashes right in front of her. I'll never forget the look on her face when I came back to life."

Puff blinked. Phoenix humour seemed scary. He would never do something like that to Fluttershy. That yellow pony was always nice and could understand him. Why, he wouldn't even think of biting a feather off her wings! Hopping on her head, kneading on her back, or even pouncing at her hooves — sure, but pretending to be ill and dying — never!

"Come along, kitten." Philomena flew towards the window. "It is my task to educate you about your surroundings. There are a lot of things you'll need to learn about the palace and its ponies."

Yay! Puff jumped happily, then ran after the bird. Exploring all the new places in the palace sounded like fun. Eagerly, he rushed toward the window, and... Aw! He smacked into the wall beneath it. Why did jumping have to be so difficult? It was so much more fun than floating. Floating was slow and boring. Maybe Mena will teach me to fly like her?

"Mena! Mena!" he meowed, as he sat on the floor. I hope she comes. This always works with Luna.

"Seriously, kitten?" Philomena screeched, flying back into the room. "Didn't you hate being carried?"

"I'll behave," Puff squawked with the most innocent face he could muster. The phoenix grumbled, then swooped down to grab him. Victory! The kitten thought, as the two of them flew out of the room. The urge to struggle remained, though. There was something unnatural in being carried this way.

The garden was the first place that Philomena chose to show. Quite disappointing, to be honest. The kitten had already seen that when he had first met the phoenix. True, this time there was no need to hide, but still there had to be a lot much more interesting places to explore.

"This, kitten, is the garden," Philomena said, as she landed on a statue. "Celestia visits it a few times per day. There are three things you must remember. For now you are small, but in time you'll become a Princess' aide. As such, the garden will become one of your responsibilities. All creatures here will look to you for advice and you'll provide it to the best of your ability."

Violet flying thing! Puff's attention was quickly grabbed by a nearby butterfly. Ignoring Philomena's speech, it pounced in an attempt to catch the curious insect. On its end the butterfly didn't seem to feel at all threatened, for it merely veered slightly not even bothering to get out of the kitten's reach. This only infuriated Puff. Hey! It clawed wildly at the insect. I have defeated armies of squishy toys! I won't be defeated by a violet flying thing!

"Ahem!" A cough behind Puff made him stop what he was doing. "Enjoying yourself?" Philomena asked, her words dripping with disappointment.

"Sorry?" the kitten meowed. In response the phoenix only shook her head.

"Look, if you aren't serious, I—" suddenly, she stopped. Both creatures froze motionless — they had heard a new series of sounds approach... pony sounds. "Quickly!" Philomena snatched the kitten and flew right into a nearby bush. "Be still and quiet!"

Puff was about to ask a question, more than one in fact, but the phoenix's warning glance made him reconsider. Instead, he focused his attention on the approaching horses.

"Neigh neigh neigh!" The voice was clear now. A feeling of extreme happiness filled Puff. He had recognized the owner of the voice — it was his pony. His first reaction was to rush forward and rub himself against her hooves. Barely had he made a step forward when something grabbed his tail, causing him to plop head first on the ground.

"Hey!" he grumbled a mew. "That was nasty!"

"Shh!" Philomena covered his mouth with a wing.

"Neigh neigh neigh, Fluttershy?" Luna went on. Puff could see her now, and she didn't seem at all happy. She was sadder than when he first saw her, more upset than last night even. The kitten's smile disappeared. "Neigh neigh, Celestia! Neigh neigh neigh!" Of course it would be big fat Celestia! She always picks on my Luna! I've only seen her once up close, but she's mean! She tried to squash me with a wardrobe! I'm so telling Mena to have a word with her pony!

"There, there, Princess. Everything will be fine," a second voice said. No mystery as to whom this voice belonged. Yellow pony was the only one Puff could understand freely. Also, she was extremely nice. If he didn't already have Luna, he would gladly consider her his pony. Actually, why not? Nothing said he had to limit himself to a single pony. Luna was just going to be his official pony. "I'm sure Princess Celestia didn't mean any of that. And the Gala will be the best one yet. The girls are helping out, and they already have enough experience to, umm, avoid past mistakes. And Discord is a sweetheart. He just, umm, wants an teensy-weensy amount of attention, that's all."

Discord? Puff's sadness was quickly replaced by joy again. If the Discord creature was to visit that meant there would be a huge feast! The kitten's stomach growled just thinking about it. The chaos creature was like an every flavour all-you-can-eat buffet. Maybe a bit tough to chew, but the taste... Saliva filled the kitten's mouth.

"Discord," Luna hissed. "Neigh neigh neigh!"

"Umm." Puff could see the yellow pony tremble. Whatever Luna had said, must have been very scary. "So, umm, are you sure you won't tell Princess Celestia about Moonlight?" Both the kitten's ears flicked. "Moonlight" was how the yellow pony preferred to call him. "He has become quite responsible. Last night he even helped me clean your room." That's right! I helped clean my room! "I'm sure Princess Celestia won't be one bit upset."

"Bah!" Luna waved a hoof. "No! Neigh neigh neigh neigh neigh! Neigh?" The alicorn took a dramatic pose. Oh, I like this! Celestia reenactments were always fun. Also, Luna was really good at them! The ruffling of feathers beside Puff, however, indicated that not everyone enjoyed the performance.

"Well, you saw the garden," Philomena said curtly. "Let's see other parts of the palace."

"But, I wanted to watch this," the kitten meowed in protest. Too late, for the phoenix had already grabbed him and was flying away. Philomena could definitely be scaringly fast when she wanted to. In a way, Puff understood her — no one liked hearing bad things about their pony.

Flying at high speed was incredibly nice. Only now did Puff see how slow his clumsy floating actually was. What should have taken minutes took mere seconds. The kitten managed to get a glimpse of the entire city, as the phoenix soared across the sky. Ponies moved about like small dots. So many ponies... So many things to play with. Of course, Luna will remain my number one pony! The experience was cut short by Philomena plunging down, then taking a sharp turn right into the palace, through the corridor and into... a totally unknown place. Puff stared at the endless shelves filled with countless things to push off onto the floor. His paws began to itch.

Landing on a free shelf, Philomena cleared her throat.

"This, kitten, is a very important room," she announced. "It's here that the ponies prepare their food. Every pony house has one, but this one here is special."

So many shiny things. An uncontrollable urge forced Puff to take a few steps forward, mesmerized, only to slip off the shelf. Quickly, he grabbed the edge with his front paws determined not to fall. Mews for help filled the room, only to be interrupted by a deep sigh. Annoyed, Philomena lift him up back to safety again.

"Listen, kitten," she began in her serious tone. "You do know you can float, right?"

"Yes?" Puff tilted his head to the side. What does floating have to do with anything?

"So, why do you insist on screaming for help every time you slip? Just float!"

You're so stupid, Mena! I can't float when I'm hanging onto something. One can only float when I’m in the air. I bet you're just envious that you don't have paws. Oh, yeah, you can't dreamwalk either!

"As I was saying, here is where ponies come to eat." The phoenix placed a wing on Puff's head and firmly directed his attention to a pair of ponies in the far end of the room. Oh, yuck! They are making that stuff! Yellow pony tried to force me to eat it once. I know she's nice and all, but that stuff is disgusting! "Unlike us, they cannot survive on magic. Instead, they eat solid and liquid foods. Once you get older, you too will be able to experience such. I know that it seems impossible now, but in time you'll see that it isn't that bad."

"As if!" Puff stuck out his tongue.

"More importantly, for some reason ponies are nicest here," Philomena said sagely. "I learned that when I was a very young chick. They always pet you, even if they are busy, offer food secretly, and don't stay mad at you even when you make a mess. Best of all, they love talking to you."

"Luna always loves talking to me!" Puff countered. Well, it was shouting mostly, but that still counts! The look the phoenix gave him was anything but convinced.

"Another thing, and this is the most important of all, the Princesses sneak in here when they think the place is empty," Philomena announced conspiratorially.

"Really?" Somehow Puff had difficulty imagining Luna sneak anywhere. The pony was as noisy as a storm cloud.

"Oh, yes." The phoenix' beak twisted in a smile. "Luna comes in the afternoon to get some ice cream, and Celestia raids the place at night for cake."

"Ha! Big f—" The scorching glare Philomena gave him made Puff instantly reconsider. Wow, Mena is seriously protective of her pony. "—luffy Celesta!" He finished the phrase. Not the best save, but thankfully good enough. The bird just humphed and looked away. "Are there always so many ponies here?"

"Usually no," Philomena responded coldly. "There are busy preparing for your pony's Gala tomorrow."

"Ah." Puff nodded. He had no idea what a Gala was, but it sounded important.

"Come, kitten, there's one last place I want to show you."

The flight was short. This time, Philomena let the kitten simply grab hold of her tail. Definitely a fun experience. Of course, Puff had helped too — he had floated along, not to mention he had only eaten two tail feathers in the process. Mena really is cool! Strange and scary, but cool!

The room they went in was very different from any Puff had seen. It was absolutely huge, and bright, and warm. Luna's room was nice, but in a sort of slightly lonesome sort of way. When playing there, Puff got the feeling he was the only special thing in the room — he had the freedom to do anything he wished, surrounded by soft calmness. Here it was the opposite — the room screamed "gather all, and let's be together". Nice, in a very intense sort of way. A giant painting decorated one of the walls. It was identical to the one in Luna’s room — a portrait of both ponies standing next to each other. They seemed so happy there… although Celestia still looked fat.

"This, kitten, is Celestia's room," Philomena said, dropping him onto the floor. "With the exception of myself and Luna, no one else is allowed to enter. You," she patted him on the head with a wing, "will be as well, in time."

"It's so... big!" Puff continued to stare around in amazement. There were so many things he could do, and yet, he felt something stopping him from disturbing anything. For some reason, he just wanted everything to remain as it was, untouched by claws.

"And when you come here, there is one thing you need to remember — whatever happens in this room, much like Luna's, is not to leave its walls."

"Oh?" Puff sat down, then moved his tail around his paws. "Why?"

"As I said a while ago," another deep sigh, "we are the Princesses' aides. It rests on us to take care of them and to ensure they are well. I do that by listening to Celestia. Although she sees a lot of ponies, and is constantly writing to her students, she loves to talk. It is my task to respond and make her feel better when she needs it. Your... methods are obviously different, yet they clearly affect Luna in similar fashion."

"They do?" I have methods? Who knew?

"Of course," Philomena chuckled. "The change in Luna is apparent. Just look at how different she behaves when she's with you. Now, there is that silly matter of her keeping you a secret. I honestly have no idea why she insists on that." The phoenix shrugged. "There's nothing wrong in having an aide. Still, ponies are strange, even princesses."

The phoenix was about to add something more, when the sound of approaching hoofsteps sounded from beyond the door. Aww, and Mena was getting to the good part! Ponies really are interruptive creatures! Without a word, Puff rushed under the bed. The lack of light made his fir glow. Hopefully, fat Celestia wasn't going to notice.

"Ah, Philomena." The kitten heard the pony say upon entering. Hey, why can your pony talk properly? First thing I'm telling yellow pony is to teach Luna to talk! "I'm so glad you are here. It's been a dreadful day."

"I'm always here, Princess." Wow, Mena! Just wow! You grumble, sigh and whatnot, but when your pony arrives you act like this? "Is it about Luna's Gala?"

"No, not the Gala," the pony sighed. Her behaviour resembled Philomena's quite a bit. Puff was certain that Celestia's fatness was also to be blamed on the phoenix. At least my pony takes care of her appearance! "It's Luna again. I simply don't understand why she is being so difficult. She's hardly spoken a word to me since last night. I honestly cannot understand what she wants. I helped setting up her very own Gala, I constantly try to support her in everything she does... One moment she is fine, then she suddenly becomes sad, then angry."

"Maybe she is going through changes, Princess," Philomena said. Curious, Puff struggled to the edge of the bed cover. From this angle the only thing he could see were Celestia's hooves.

"I know, but until when, I ask you, Philomena? It has been a while now. The ponies have started accepting her. Many are grateful for her chasing away their nightmares. Many have even sent thank you letters. And what does she do? She mopes, she destroys her room, irresponsibly launches bolts of magic at the moon..."

The pony paused. This was the perfect opportunity for Puff to venture a look from under the bed, and so he did. There she was — the older sister of Luna. Celestia was quite imposing and regal, even more so than Philomena. The whiteness of her coat made him think of clouds. I wonder what her feathers taste like. Maybe I should charge and bite one off? That will show her to be mean to my pony. Well, Mena will be upset if I do that...

"She's keeping secrets from me," Celestia said, causing both Puff and Philomena to suddenly freeze in place. The kitten felt this wasn't the best time to be in the open... but he so much wanted to climb onto her! That white coat was just too tempting! "Luna thinks I'm clueless, but I know she's hiding something from me. Her acting is atrocious, by the way. The only reason I humour her is that I don't want to force her telling me before she is ready. I know that's the right thing to do, but the waiting is painful."

"Why not ask, Princess?" Philomena made a subtle wing gesture for Puff to get out of sight. That only seemed to increase his interest. "She is your sister."

"A sister that still hasn't spoken to me since our last quarrel," Celestia sighed. "I really hope the Gala makes her feel better. The introvert she is, though, my expectations are low." The Princess petted Philomena gently on the head. "What would I do without you, Philomena? I better get back to helping organize the event, though. Twilight is being a bit... overenthusiastic again."

Hardly had she said it, Celestia left, not even glancing in Puff's direction. That was good, in a way — the kitten hadn't been found. However, the things he had heard made him feel somewhat sad. It was as if a cloud had thundered right inside him. Floating to Philomena's golden perch, he sat beside hear.

"That was heavy," he meowed.

"Definitely." The phoenix nodded. "Not as bad as six centuries ago, but still not good."

"So, my pony is keeping me a secret from your pony because she doesn't think your pony will approve," Puff began. "And your pony knows my pony is keeping a secret from her, but doesn't want to ask her because she thinks my pony would be upset. This sounds stupid!"

"Ponies," Philomena shrugged. "Complicated creatures. The only thing we can do is support them."

Well, that might be enough for you, but not for me. Tomorrow, during this Gala thing, I'll fix everything!

8. The Night Gala - Opening

The palace was crowded with ponies. Luna had never imagined it possible for so many to fit in the hall. At such short notice, and keeping in mind who the guest of honour was, she was expecting a few dozen at the most. Possibly a hundred, if Celestia "benevolently" suggested to her subjects that they attend. Instead, Luna was looking at over a thousand, eagerly pushing and shoving to take part in the event. A line thirty yards long had formed at the palace gates. For stars’ sakes! So much for having a quiet and boring evening.

"Princess, you are expected," one of Celestia's aides reminded. "The guest of honour has been most—" the pause was accompanied by a sigh and a frown, "—insistent that you present him yourself."

"Has he?" Luna tried to remain as calm as possible. That good for nothing, mismatched jigsaw puzzle thinks he can boss me around? Sadly, Discord had the means to do just that. Until the Gala was over, Luna was going have to play by his tune. "Inform our esteemed guest that I'll announce his greatness in a moment," she said.

"Her Majesty also inquired when you would appear to officially start the event," the pony went on. Aren't you the perfect assistant? Just like Sis likes them. “Inquired” did she? More like reminding me not to be late! It took considerable effort on Luna's part not to snort. "This being your event, it is only proper that the honour be entirely yours."

"Quite," Luna said curtly. "Please inform my voluminous sister that I'll be there shortly."

The unicorn flinched. Even Celestia's "training" proved incapable of hiding the shock on her face. The aide’s lips pursed, after which she quickly muttered something unintelligible and rushed away.

So much for that. Luna told herself. Just one night. Surely it couldn't be that difficult? Puff was hidden away, securely locked in the Princess’ chambers. The alicorn had taken special care to ensure that all possible points of exit were safely locked, barred, bolted and otherwise made impassable. There was absolutely no way the kitten would leave that room… and that's precisely what made Luna feel uneasy.

How did I ever get into this mess? If she hadn't lied to Celestia, none of this would have happened. There would be no secret for her to keep. Discord wouldn't have anything to blackmail her with. There would be no reason for last night’s yelling match with her sister... Well, it was too late now. Assuming a royal stance, Luna glanced once more at the ponies outside, then calmly made her way towards the main hall. It had been a while since she served any official function. Other than raising and lowering the moon, Celestia had spared Luna the annoyance of bureaucracy. If she could have taken charge of this event, it would have been even better. At least then Luna wouldn't have to deal with the crowds and the annoying draconequus. Several pairs of guards saluted the Princess of the Night as she passed by. Naturally, all of them were white pegasi. Not even my own guards… Fine! Let's get this over with!

"Announcing her Royal Highness," the chamberlain declared, as Luna entered the grand hall. Highness? The alicorn's eye twitched. "Princess of the Night, Keeper of dreams and Sovereign of all Equestria!" That's a bit better.

Everypony stopped whatever they were doing. A thousand pairs of eyes turned in Luna's direction. The feeling was new. Hardly in millennia had Luna been the centre of attention. She liked it. For once it was as if she actually mattered in this kingdom. Hardly had she started to enjoy it, however, when the feeling disappeared again. Celestia was also present, seated comfortably on a cushion by the throne. Of course you'd be here, Luna thought, as she put on a fake smile. Waiting to jump in if your "poor wittle sister" messes up again, eh? Stiffly, the Princess of the Night made her way in front of the throne.

"Citizens of Equestria, it pleases us that you have given us the honour of attending the first Night Gala!" Luna announced. The silence couldn't be louder. Not that she had expected cheers or wild stomping, but at least there had to be some reaction. Concerned, Luna glanced at her sister. “Go on,” Celestia gesticulated. What? Are they seriously expecting a speech? You never had to do any of that that for your Galas, Sis!

Among the crowd, Pinkie Pie waved, giant smile on her face. “Go for it, Princess!” the pink pony shouted.

"Err, we hope that you find the event to your liking,” Luna added. This is so stupid! “And might this night last forever!"

New silence followed, broken only by a single "Yoo-hoo!" from Pinkie Pie. Was this normal? Luna glanced at her sister, who was now staring at her with a mixture of pride and concern. Really, Sis? Luna frowned. Upset with me already? What will be my punishment now? A week of eye rolling? Unfortunately, her reaction was completely misinterpreted. Coughing audibly, Celestia proceeded to clap her hooves eagerly. Seconds later stomping filled the hall.

Moon, take me now! Luna felt like groaning. "Thank you, our little ponies." Stars, I really hate that phrase! "But please, save your applause for the real mastermind of this Gala." She glanced around. Discord was nowhere to be seen. Just typical! Pester me to have this stupid event, then go off somewhere. "The one who... makes life in Equestria... interesting, and my very special guest of honour, Disc—"

"Why, Princess, you shouldn't have!" The draconicus poofed into existence right in front of Luna. "I truly am touched. To name me the guest of honour? Why, this is a surprise beyond surprises! Never in a thousand years would I have dreamt to be the guest of honour at such a grand occasion!"

Don't push it, snake! Being here is bad enough! I hope Puff is doing well. Maybe, I should have left more toys for him to play with?

"Since my dear Luna caught me completely off guard, I’ll be brief." The draconequus snapped his fingers. A large scroll appeared before him in mid air. "First of all, I'd like to thank my dear friend, and best Princess, Celestia!"

Wait, what? Luna blinked. This was the last straw! Celestia might tolerate Discord's antics, but Luna wasn't having any of that. Furious, she stomped away, not even bothering to take her place on the throne. It wasn't as if anypony would notice anyway.

"That cloud dripping, rot festering, miasma sniffing worm!" the alicorn hissed under her breath, as she walked furiously through the hall. The crowd parted as she approached, staying safely out of the reach. "If anyone ever asks me for a favour again—"

"Umm, Princess," a meek voice tried to interrupt.

"—I'll give them lightning piercings, strangle them with mist—"

"Umm, Princess," the voice persisted.

"—then twist them in a knot!" Steam came out of Luna's nostrils.

"Princess?" the voice squeaked.

"What?!" Luna snapped, only to realize that the pony trying to attract her attention was a very pale and shivering Fluttershy. "Oh, Flutter, sorry." The alicorn's demeanor instantly changed. "Please, don't mind me. It's just that this stupid Gala has me a bit argh. Discord, my sister, a thousand ponies that somehow managed to make their way here..." She waved a hoof, annoyed. "I can't wait for all this to be over!"

"Oh," the pegasus said. "It's not that bad..."

"Not that bad?" The Princess levitated a glass of crystal water from the tray of a passing waiter, then emptied it in a single gulp. "This is probably the worst night I've had in months! I honestly feel that everything that could go wrong, did so!"

"Umm." Fluttershy swallowed. "Maybe not everything?" She asked tensely.

"Please, there is no need to try and calm me, Fluttershy." Luna shook her head. "I've defeated armies. I'm sure that I'll survive this disaster as well."

"Well... you see..." Fluttershy cowered more and more with every word. "There's..."

"Yes, Fluttershy?"

"There's just a..." Fluttershy's voice could barely be head. "It's... Moonlight is... gone."

Luna froze. The crowd around her seemed to disappear, leaving her alone with her fears. Stupid, stupid Puff! Of all the times to run away, why did you choose now? The alicorn's stomach felt as ice. Anything could happen to the kitten in this crowd, absolutely anything! Images of him being trampled floated before Luna's eyes. Or what if it had run off into the city? At this time of night there was no telling where he might end up!

"Are you sure?" Luna grabbed Fluttershy pulling the pegasus towards her. "Are you absolutely sure? Maybe he went invisible again and you missed him?"

"I... I..." The terrified Fluttershy managed to squeak.

And just when I thought things couldn't get worse. A missing Puff could only mean one thing — trouble. Luna glanced around. The place was too crowded to make anything out. Luna's heart sank. What if somepony steps on the kitten? If he was running around invisible, that might well happen.

"Fluttershy!" The Princess turned back to the pegasus. "When did you..." Luna paused. The pony in her hooves had fainted. Curses! I must her overreacted a bit. "Fluttershy," she whispered, letting go of her. "Fluttershy, it is alright. I am not upset with you." Just furious with myself! I never should have left him alone! Oh, I'm so worried that something bad might have happened to Puff. "Fluttershy, please wake up. We need to find him."

Find him, Luna thought. That certainly was easier said than done. There was absolutely no way of them knowing where the kitten had gone off to. He might be in this very hall and they wouldn't even notice. Trying to hide her panic, Luna looked around. The ponies had divided in small groups discussing the latest gossip — for the most part comparing the Night Gala to the Grand Galloping Gala. A few steps from the throne, in front of a giggling Celestia, Discord continued his "small impromptu speech".

"...and I couldn't not mention my dear friend Twilight, now a princess, in her own right." The annoying noise made its way into Luna's ear. "Why, if it hadn't been for her, I'd—" Discord suddenly stopped amid word. Dozens of drops of sweat appeared on his reddening face. "But enough about this." The draconequus' face twisted in a guilty smile. The scroll he was holding disappeared in a puff of smoke. "We are here to rock the night, aren't we, everypony? So let's get started!"

For the briefest of moments Discord glanced at Luna. Not a word was said, not a gesture made, but the message was clear. Well, at least I know where Puff is. The princess frowned. I'll just go to that snake and— Discord snapped his fingers. His expression changed back to normal, as he casually made his way to the crowd. For several long seconds Luna just stood there, staring blankly.

"Wonderful." Her frown deepened. Thanks to Discord, she was back to square one. Apparently the stupid draconequus wasn't deity enough to withstand the teeth of a kitten for a few seconds. Just a few seconds! I would have gone to claim it in that time! But nooo! I'm Discord, my scales are sensitive! Where, the stars, must I start to look for Puff now?!

The sound of a vase smashing to the floor, came from the far end of the hall. Hearing it, Luna allowed herself a smile. Maybe she wasn't back to square one after all?

* * *

The last hour of Fluttershy's life flashed before her eyes. What... what... where? she wondered, trying to get her senses in order. The last thing she could remember was starting a conversation with Princess Luna at the Gala. However, she was no longer there now. Instead, she standing in front of the Princess' chambers, looking at a copy of herself unlock the door. Was this a déjà vu? A spell? A memory of some sort?

"Moonlight?" Fluttershy's other self whispered, entering the room. "Is there anything you need? Maybe a nice snack?" Her copy took out a Phoenix feather. Philomena had given her that feather back when the bird had rebirthed in Ponyville. The pony held it very dear. She also know that it was the perfect lure to get the kitten out of hiding. Alarmingly, nothing happened.

"Moonlight?" Fluttershy watched herself say louder. No reaction. "Moonlight?"

Princess Luna had been adamant the kitten remain in her room until the following morning. She had assured Fluttershy that there was no possible way for him to escape, be it through cunning or magic. But if that were the case, where was he? Looking around, the pegasus could see a large collection of chew toys piled next to the bed, as well as a few freshly torn bedsheets, yet no Moonlight.

"Don't go near the bed!" Fluttershy proper shouted. Her copy, however, did not hear her. Instead, it did exactly the same mistake Fluttershy had.

"It's all right, Moonlight," the Fluttershy copy said waving the feather as she approached the bed. "There really is no need to be upset. I know you want to play with Princess Luna, but she is really, really busy right now. Just be good kitten and play with your toys, and I’m sure she'll pass by to see you and—"

The creaking of the door interrupted the sentence. One Fluttershy sighed, while the other watched the kitten squeeze through the crack of the door into the corridor. You have become sneaky, Moonlight, Fluttershy thought, while her copy rushed towards the door in an attempt to catch him.

"Oh my, oh my!" the copy squeaked. "Princess Luna will be so upset! Moonlight was supposed to remain in her room, and I let him loose, instead."

"Fluttershy," a distant whisper echoed.

"Maybe I should try and find it on my own? The Princess probably has her hooves full with the Gala."

"Fluttershy." The whisper was now closer to a voice.

“I'm sure that Moonlight means no harm. He is responsible enough to know not to be seen. He probably just wants to stretch his legs a bit and will go right back to—”

"Fluttershy! A yell thundered, causing the pegasus' eyes to pop open. She was at the Gala again... on the floor... with Princess Luna looming over her.

"Eeep!" Fluttershy curled up in fear, instantly regretting she wasn't unconscious. The Princess will banish me! Or yell! Or yell and then banish me! Her entire body trembled.

"Sorry, but we must catch him quickly." Fluttershy felt being levitated in the air. "I've no idea how that pesky thing managed to get out of my bedroom, but when I catch him and we’ll have words!" The Princess muttered. A few steps away several ponies gasped in horror. Luna didn't even notice. "We mustn't let me sister find out!"

"Umm, Princess, maybe you could... suggest the possibility to Princess Celestia?" Fluttershy attempted to reach the floor with her hooves. It wasn't easy.

"Ha! As if!" Luna snorted. "I won't give her the satisfaction of... No!"

Eeek! Fluttershy covered her head with both wings. The lack of any further follow up made her cautiously peek through her feathers. Apparently, she wasn't the only one — the entire hall was staring in her direction. Are they staring at me? Fluttershy shivered. I… I… Don't like being stared at! The fear gave her strength to reach the floor with the tips of her hooves and push herself away from the Luna. Nopony reacted. Hesitantly, Fluttershy repeated the process — the result was the same.

Oh, how silly of me. She blushed in embarrassment. They are not staring at me, they are staring at Princess Luna. And the Princess is staring at… Eeek! Twenty feet away, Moonlight was eagerly climbing up one of the royal tapestries. He had already gone so high, he had nearly reached the ceiling. Moonlight! My goodness! Fluttershy screamed internally. There was no time to think. Flapping her wings, she darted upwards, straight towards the kitten.

"I'll save you!" the yellow pegasus screamed without thinking. The kitten obviously heard her, for he stopped and turned around to look at Fluttershy. Just don't look down, the pegasus thought. This is no place for a kitten! You could fall, or accidentally get pushed into a bowl of punch, or—

Inches from her hooves, the kitten vanished. Fluttershy grabbed the tapestry, but it was already too late. The only thing she managed to achieve was to pull on the tapestry, tearing it off the wall. Oh dear, she thought as she fell to the floor, the heavy fabric that piling over her.

“Moonlight?” she whispered. “Moonlight, are you all right?” There was no sign of the kitten. That was supposed to be a good thing, she was certain of it. According to the book on aether creatures, kittens always floated when left in mid air. Moonlight had probably landed safely in the hall somewhere.

Phew, that is a relief, Fluttershy thought. Hardly had she done so, when fear struck again with a vengenace. I... I... ruined Princess Luna's Gala... She felt her body tremble. ...and let Moonlight out of the room. I'm a terrible pony!

"Fluttershy?!" The tapestry moved off of her, revealing the face of an extremely furious Rarity. "Why, I..." The unicorn paused to take a deep breath. And now I've upset Rarity as well. Fluttershy braced herself. "I can't believe I didn't notice it earlier! This tapestry so obviously clashes with the rest of the decor! Why, it's a crime to let it remain hanging!"

"Umm, right?" Fluttershy smiled uneasily, as Rarity levitated the tapestry away. "Umm, terrible."

"Quite so, darling!" Rarity said indignantly, as she trotted away. "Absolutely hideous! Not to worry, though, for I will quickly resolve this fashion injustice!" The unicorn trotted away.

"Indeed, fairest Rarity," Luna said loudly, moving towards Fluttershy. "The Gala of the Night requires your invaluable fashion sense!" The explanation, apparently was good enough for the crowd. It only took a few more seconds for conversations to fill the hall again, returning the event to its usual stuffy, boring state. Fluttershy, however, was far from calm. The kitten was still missing, lost somewhere in the sea of ponies. "Fluttershy," Luna whispered, "did you manage to catch him?"

The pegasus shook her head. "No, Princess... I... I..." I feel so ashamed!

"We'll split up!" Luna's tone was dangerously close to an order. "You search the upper part of the throne and I'll take care of the rest. Remember, Sis mustn't find out!"

"But, isn't Moonlight's life more important than..." Before Fluttershy could finish, the alicorn had already disappeared into the crowd. The pegasus' ears drooped. "...keeping the secret from Princess Celestia..."

* * *

That was close! Puff ran through the forest of hooves. Fluttershy had almost caught him... which was strange, since she was supposed to be on his side. She had let him out of his room, after all. Why was she trying to catch him now, though? Ponies! They can never make up their minds. Obviously, if he wanted something done right he was going to have to do it himself!

The hall was way bigger than he imagined — at least ten times as huge as his room. And all those ponies. The temptation to climb on their heads and jump off was so great. Actually, why don't I? They'll be happy to help. The kitten looked around. Most of the ponies were just standing there, talking to one another. Amusing, but utterly useless for Puff's needs. Maybe he could—

"Uh-oh," the kitten meowed. Luna was approaching. From the expression on her face, she was anything but pleased. It didn't look like she wanted to play. Why must my pony be so thick headed? Can't she see I'm doing what's best for her? Bah! Of course, she can't. She's just a ponycorn. Changing direction, Puff quickly ran towards what seemed to be a table of pony food.

Food! The kitten's stomach growled. He wanted another bite of that Discord creature so badly. Maybe after he showed himself to big fat Celestia he'd attempt that again? The stupid walking buffet had the nasty ability to teleport him away. If it hadn't been for the creature's peskiness, Puff would have already... Oooh, this one smells tasty! Stopping for a moment, the kitten looked focused his attention on one surprisingly unusual pony. So far Puff had only come across two that fit for eating — his pony and her sister. There also were Philomena and the walking buffet, but those didn't count. Being presented with a third pony to bite on was too good an opportunity to miss!

Floating up into the air, Puff took a better look at his new prey. It was a white pony, somewhat similar to Philomena's alicorn, only male and without wings. The magic that radiated from it was quite meager, less than a phoenix feather. Still, the aroma was entirely new.

No feathers, Puff mused, looking at the blond maned pony. I'll go for the tail then! The cutter crouched down in the air. Pressing on his front paws, he waved his tail twice, then leapt down without hesitation and sunk his teeth into the pony's tail.

"Neigh!" the pony said indignantly, yet didn't move a muscle. Nice! This one is so cooperative! I'll keep it! A few bites later, Puff quickly changed his mind. The taste was awful! The pony was so bland, as if it had gone out of its way to mix its magic with air. Disgusted, the kitten rushed along the pony's back, hopping onto his head, then onto the table.

"Neigh neigh!" loud yell came from behind. Uh-oh! Puff recognized the voice — it was Luna. Quickly he ran under the nearest rack of pony food. Luna was fun and all, but right now he didn't want her to interfere with his plan. "Neigh neigh neigh, neigh!"

Move on, move on! The kitten said to himself. Why must this pony business be so difficult? Everything kept getting in the way! If Luna wasn't his favourite pony, Puff would have long left the hall to explore other rooms. Still, as Philomena had said, the princess pony was his responsibility, and he was going to see it to the end! If only there was an easier way to attract big fat's attention, though.

"Wow!" The kitten blinked. A few steps away, a giant pyramid of sparkling glasses rose to the ceiling. Puff had never seen so many glasses in one place before! There had to be hundreds stacked one atop the other, filled with bubbly water. So many! He gazed in wonder. So sparkly… This was almost like a dream come to life, and Puff had seen enough dreams to know. A shame that all this was wasted on water, though. There were so many better uses one could think of.

Wait a moment! The kitten smiled. This gives me an idea! The best idea ever!

9. The Night Gala - Closing

"Fleas?!" Prince Blueblood nearly fainted. "This can't be! I just... I... I'm not feeling well..." He leaned against the table for support.

Good thing he's an idiot! Luna thought. Only Blueblood would believe that fleas had bitten him, then climbed onto his head. Scratch that. There was no way even he could fall for such an absurd explanation. As long as he humoured her, however, Luna didn't care. The important thing was that he didn't suspect the truth. Let him assume she was a crazy mare for all it mattered.

"Quickly, go to the royal physician!" Lunar rushed him away. Just get lost, you idiot! Go get yourself groomed, or something!

"Of course, auntie Luna," Blueblood replied as he arched a skeptical brow. He opened his mouth to say something, then froze. No words came out. The deathly glare Luna gave him was enough to destroy any word. "At once, Auntie." At least that's one good thing about this stupid Gala! Luna thought. Nopony would dare ruin "my big night."

Where are you, Puff? Luna directed her attention to the hors d'oeuvre table. A trail of disturbed hors d'oeuvres and tipped plates showed exactly where the kitten had been. Good thing it wasn't his nature to be careful or subtle about anything. However, one question continued to bother the Princess: why was Puff running away from her? Usually the kitten would do anything in his power to get close to her. At times it almost felt as if she were the pet. Tonight, for some reason, he was doing the exact opposite, purposefully avoiding her. Did I do something to upset him? Was leaving him alone too cruel? I knew I should had left Fluttershy in the room with him! Or at least Philomena! The Princess stomped on the floor loudly.

"Why, hello, Luna!" The most annoying of voices said. "Fancy finding you here."

Great, just great! I'm stuck with him again. "What do you want, Discord?" The alicorn hissed.

"Wow, that's cold!" The draconequus shivered. Large chunks of ice formed all over his torso to prove his point. "And I thought my dear friend, who couldn't possibly have a pet, would at least hear me out. Well," he shrugged, as pieces of ice fell off him and onto the ground, "I guess I was wrong."

"Please, tell me." Luna glared at him. I really don't have time for this!

"So glad you asked!" Discord's smile became as large as the moon. "Your quaint little party is fine and all, but I was thinking of adding a little something for poomth. Know what I mean?" He nudged her conspiratorially with his elbow. "Nothing says party louder than hard cider."

"Uh-huh." The Princess wasn't paying attention. Her focus was solely on the table. She just saw a few dishes move on their own.

"Naturally, if anypony under a hundred tries to drink, the cider would turn into water." Discord went on. "We are responsible adults, after all and—"

"Yes, great! Do that!" Luna shoved him aside. Please let me be wrong! Her eyes stared intensely at the crystal water pyramid. A glass budged, then another, and another. Before her very eyes, the kitten appeared, fully visible and climbing towards the top. "No!" the alicorn shouted and leapt in Puff's direction.

The kitten turned around, looked at her with its large cyan eyes, then simply jumped off, turning invisible in mid air. Damn it, Puff! Can't you be still for one second? Well, of course you can't, but must you attract attention to yourself? This isn't the dreamscape! Here you can get hurt!

"Is anything the matter, Princess?" a concerned voice asked. It was Twilight Sparkle. "Is the Gala not as good as you hoped? Did I forget something? Is anything the matter with the food? I know I should have asked for your preference, but since it was to be the same as the Grand Galloping Gala, I thought..." Her lower lip trembled slightly.

Oh, not you too! At this rate she was never going to catch Puff.

"The Gala is perfect, Twilight Sparkle!" Luna quickly grabbed the top glass of the pyramid. "Huzzah! A toast to celebrate your hard work in making this event the best Gala ever!" The sound of clapping of hooves came from the other side of the hall. Groaning, Luna looked at the source — it was Celestia.

Seriously, Sis?! Can you stop being the ever-supportive sister for one moment? I'm not ten anymore! Stomping filled the hall once more, much to Luna's annoyance. And of course everypony else would join in! If you do something then it must be good!

Luna slowly descended back to the floor. On the outside she appeared calm, pleased even. Deep inside, however, she was a bundle of fear and rage. A series of stupid antics and unfortunate accidents made her lose sight of Puff, and that made her want to bring a host of storm clouds into the hall. Let me see what Celestia and her rabble think of that!

In the opposite end of the hall, Fluttershy was doing her best to continue the search. Her inept approach only infuriated Luna more. For twenty full seconds the alicorn observed as. the yellow pegasus timidly look around the hooves of ponies in the off chance of stumbling upon Puff. Luna just didn't see the point. There was no way Fluttershy could find Puff using this method! At best she'd just scare him away!

That's it! I can't bear this anymore! Luna turned away. Watching Fluttershy was like walking a tightrope while drunk — the desire to jump and get it over with was greater than reaching the end successfully. The way you're acting, Fluttershy, you might get stepped upon. As if hearing her, the pegasus turned towards Luna and waved through the crowd.

Please, Fluttershy... Luna felt like facehoofing. There's no need to to pretend we don't know each other. The waving didn't stop, on the contrary it intensified.

Fluttershyyyy. Luna snorted. The meek pony probably meant well, but now was the worst possible time. Luna's nerves were already stretched thin, and any additional monkeyshines only made the situation worse! If you really want to say something, just come here and say it! Don't go waving about as if I'm some mindless... Suddenly, it dawned upon her. Fluttershy wasn't waving, she was pointing... pointing at something behind the Princess... something that happened to be—

Puff! The alicorn briskly turned around. Moments of warm relief preceded heart stopping terror, as Luna spotted the kitten... on top of a musician’s head. It was just sitting there, eagerly trying to catch the top of the cello’s scroll, despite the musician's attempts to the contrary. Puff, you bad kitten! Luna leapt over the hors d'oeuvre table. You are so getting punished! Just let me catch you and you'll spend a week locked in my room! And no joining me to work!

The kitten made a step forward, messing up the musician's perfect mane. To her credit, the mare merely leaned her head slightly to the back, not missing a note. Sensing the change in environment, the kitten froze still. Focusing on the cello's scroll, it lowered its head, waved its tail and pounced forward.

"Meow!" It meowed victoriously, instants before it was grabbed in mid air.

"Got you!" Luna said in semi-whisper. The cellist continued playing, as if nothing had happened. "What do you think you are doing?" The Princess hissed quietly at the kitten. "You do not run around just like that! You do not climb food tables or ponies without permission! Do you understand me?!"

The kitten looked at her in utter confusion, then meowed and licked her on the muzzle. Oooh, no! No you don't! You're not getting off so easily this time! Discretely, Luna looked around. Fortunately, the majority of ponies were too busy with their hiring gossip to notice a thing. The only one aware of Puff's existence was the musician and she seemed rather pleased to have it out of her mane.

"Look, I know you are bored," Luna whispered in a softer tone. "But you can't just—"

"Why, if it isn't Moona *hic*," Discord suddenly appeared, wrapping a paw round Luna. The action was so sudden and shocking that the Princess didn't even consider blasting him with a bolt of magic. "Thish ish a very... *hic* very... you... sho nice to me!"

"Discord!" The alicorn pushed him off of her. The draconequus looked in bad shape. "Are you drunk?" You are a total mess!

"Very." The draconequus smiled widely, then leaned on Luna with his full weight. The kitten tried to take advantage to take another bite of Discord, but the Princess promptly pulled it away.

"You were fine just a few minutes ago!" the alicorn snapped. "How could you get so drunk in a few minutes?!"

"Pinkie *hic* Pie!" Discord waved a paw towards the ceiling. "Challenged me to a shider drinking competition. I *hic* shaid I'd show her... who can... do that thing..." He gesticulated, searching for the correct word.

"Drink?" Luna suggested with a level expression.

"Drink!" Discord snapped his finger causing an elephant to appear in the middle of the room. "Guesh I showed her! Eh?" He nudged her. This time the kitten managed to bite him in the process, only to be pulled away by Luna again.

"Discord, you—"

"Why, hello there, beautiful!" The draconequus slithered off the Princess, moving next to the cellist. "And what ish your name?"

"Err." The musician blinked. Tolerating kittens on her head was one thing, yet having to deal with a drunken draconequus was more than anypony had bargained for. "Octavia," she said in a sharp Trottingham accent. "Octavia Melody."

"Octavia," Discord repeated slowly. "Let me tell you shomething!" And I made this thing my guest of honour? Luna winced. The only reason she didn't facehoof was because she was trying to keep the kitten hidden. "You're too good for that cello! *hic*" The draconequus continued, causing the cellist to blush. "Come with me! I'll take you through Equestria! *hic* And all the other places too!"

"Discord." This was quite more than Luna was prepared to stomach. "This is hardly the time or place! Besides! You can't even keep a kitten in check, let alone—"

"Bah!" The draconequus snapped his fingers. Instantly the kitten disappeared from Luna's hooves. A second finger snap and the entire hall was filled with multicoloured balloons.

"Discord!" The Princes grafted at the empty air, as if somehow that would bring Puff back. "You idiot! What did you do?!" Her horn flashed white hot with magic.

"Now, now, *hic* Lulu." Discord shook a claw. "One kitten — one problem. No kitten — no problem. Beshides, it won't bother you in a balloon."

The draconequus might have added something else, but Luna wasn't listening. Instead she had leaped into the air and was flying through the balloons as fast as she could. If anything happens to Puff, I'll...! The alicorn grit her teeth. There were too many balloons. Finding Puff would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

"Meow." A faint sound came from below. Puff? Luna blinked. The kitten seemed close. Discord, you polkadot! Of course he'd pull something like this! The fiend was probably not even drunk, just putting on an act to have some fun. "Meow." The sound came again. There was no mistaking it.

Gently, Luna flew back down. There was no point in making a bigger scene than she had already. In her eyes, the Gala was already a huge disaster, like every other before it. No surprises there. The event was doomed to fail from the start. To be honest, she didn't even remember why she had gone along with it in the first place. It was obvious that Discord couldn't be trusted. Anyway, back to the matter at hoof. This time, when I get Puff, I'll—

"Silver Spoon?" Luna's eyes widened in surprise. What was the filly doing here? And why was there a kitten on her head?

"Your Highness!" A mare nearby bowed, urging the filly to do the same. And you are Silver Standard. I remember you from the nightmare. "Thank you so much for helping us!" The pony quickly began, before Luna could manage a reply. "Without you I don't know what would had happened to my family! I had been putting off my problems for so long that I... let me just thank you for everything!"

"It's all right." Luna smiled. it was always nice to have someone appreciate her work. A pity she couldn't just say that. Because of her sister even now she had to be regal and mysterious. "It was you and your daughter that resolved your issues. I merely showed you what path to take."

"Thank you for the kitten, Princess!" Silver Spoon beamed. "Mom got it for me just as you said! Her name is Ingot. Isn't she cute?"

"Indeed, she very much is." The alicorn gently scratched the kitten behind the ear. The little thing just purred, rubbing its head against Luna's hoof. It was definitely cute, and far better behaved than Puff. There were no traces of scars on the filly's ears, her mane didn't have a hair out of place, not to mention that Ingot hadn't budged from her position the entire time. Of course, every other kitten would be well behaved! Luna grumbled internally.

"All the ponies at school are, like, really envious." Silver Spoon smiled. "Especially after they learned that Ingot is a Northern Silver and has a family tree going back three hundred years! Do you have a pet, Princess?"

The question caught Luna off guard. One moment she was playing with this extremely well behaved kitten, the next, she felt shivers run through her entire body.

"Why do you ask?" The Princess looked at the filly defensively. Calm down. It's a normal question. Every filly her age would want to know something like that.

"Well, you had a kitten in the dream," Silver Spoon said. Curses! She remembers! "Also, Princess Celestia has a pet, so—"

"Dear, let us not waste any more of the Princess' time," Silver Standard said softly adding an unspoken don’t embarrass me. "Her Highness must be quite busy. Remember, this is her special Gala, and there are many other ponies she needs to talk to."

"Yes, Mother." The filly pouted. "Sorry, Princess Luna."

"That is quite all right, my little pony." Argh, that phrase! "I am glad for you and your mother, but there indeed are a few things I must take care of. It was a pleasure seeing you. And remember to wash Ingot's paws and ears regularly. I suspect she wouldn't approve of baths, so use a moist piece of cloth."

Both filly and her mother gaped. Hey, Celestia isn't the only pony who knows things! I'm a Princess too! Luna thought, as she moved away. Why was it that ponies were so surprised when they learned she knew something about everyday life. It wasn't like she had a host of servants that followed her around. Anyway, she had to get back to finding Puff. If I were a kitten trapped in a balloon, what would I do? the alicorn mused. Try to get out, probably, but how? Knowing discord, he probably had strengthened the balloons, to be impervious to claws and teeth. The only remaining option was to direct the balloon towards something sharp, or—

"Meow! Meow!" A new series of meows came, this time from above.

Or attract enough attention to have somepony pop the balloon for you! Obviously, Puff was sneaky as ever. Even in this noise it was inevitable somepony would notice sooner or later, and that meant Celestia would too.

"Hear me, my little ponies!" Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot voice. She had to act fast. "To make the night even more special, I propose this exciting new fun! Pop the balloons that our guest of honour has graciously created—" she glanced at Discord. The stupid draconequus was paying her no attention, still explaining something to the unfortunate cellist, whose face had turned bright red. "—to ensure our amusement." I'll deal with you later, snake! "Let the popping begin!"

The announcement was met with hesitation. For the most part, the guests just looked at one another, uncertain what to do. None dared to humiliate themselves in doing something as unrefined at such an important event. Even Celestia just sat on her cushion, looking at her sister expectantly. Great, Tia. The one time I need you to be proactive and you don't do anything!

"Discord," Luna said loudly. "Surely you would like to participate in such an amusing event?" The draconequus just waved a paw, completely disinterested. Luna gnashed her teeth. "Surely as my guest of honour you will take part in this?" Meanwhile, the mewing intensified. At this rate even Luna's use of the Royal Canterlot voice wouldn't keep it hidden for long.

A displeased groan followed. Discord turned around, with the grumpiness of a filly forced to eat lemons, glared at the Princess. He then demonstratively crossed his forelimbs and went back to his conversation with Octavia. Luna felt her blood boil. Oh, you didn’t just do that! Her nostrils flared. If it was war he wanted, he was going to get it! And not the jokey type of war he was used to. Luna intended to go full Nightmare Moon on him the moment this charade was over. Actually, why wait?

"Umm, Princess?" Somepony tugged her mane gently. "I... Umm..."

"What is it, Fluttershy?" Luna briskly turned around, causing the pegasus to cower in fear once more. Damn it. Why do I always lash out at her? She's the only pony that has actually helped me search for Puff.

"Hey!" An angry Rainbow Dash flew between Luna and Fluttershy. "Don't frighten her like that!"

"Rainbow Dash?" Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

"I, umm... I asked Rainbow for help," Fluttershy squeaked. You what?! Nopony was supposed to know about Puff! Twenty minutes into the start of this stupid Gala, and already two have seen it! "Please, don't be send me to the moon!"

"Fluttershy, I... Wait, what?" Luna blinked. Where did that come from?

"Rainbow promised to help," Fluttershy said apologetically. Tears were gathering in the edges of her eyes. "And... and I know she'll keep the secret." Oh, Fluttershy. Luna smiled. Once again, I'd be lost without you.

"Element of Loyalty here!" Rainbow Dash said proudly "I'll help you find your," she snickered, "kitten." Very mature, Dash. Luna snorted. "I have just to find it, right? No mushy stuff or anything?"

"Just find it," Luna deadpanned. As if you could handle Puff. "I'll take care of—"

"Sister!" A loud voice filled the hall. "A word with you, if you please." Everypony froze.

Oh, damn it! She used "please". She only uses please when she's upset. Luna glanced at the hall below. Celestia was standing a short distance away, waiting patiently. There wasn't a trace of a smile on her face. Rather, her eyebrows had moved down in an untypical frown. Luna swallowed.

"Rainbow Dash," Luna said loudly, "you and Fluttershy may start your competition. Remember, it is not about the number of balloons you pop, but popping the right one." And for stars sake, don't let Sis find out what you are up to!

Rainbow tilted to the side, confused. Clearly the pegasus was not one for subtle hints. Alas, Luna couldn't go into further explanations. From this point on, it was up to Fluttershy to conduct the Puff-search. Meanwhile... I really have to be careful. No snapping at Sis, no bursts of rage, just a normal annoying talk between two adult alicorns. That and lots of sarcasm...

"I see you added games and balloons to your Gala," Celestia said, once Luna had joined her.

"Yes." The younger sister nodded. She wasn't able to think of any convincing lie, so was keeping it short. With the corner of her eye, she noticed Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash start flying about the balloons.

"Maybe I should add some to my Gala, as well." Celestia stated.

"Might be nice." This is the most awkward conversation ever.

"You aren't still thinking about him, are you?" The question felt like a shard of quartz hidden in a slice of chocolate mousse.

"Huh?" Luna took a step back. What?! How did we get back to this topic? "Please, not this again." Annoyance crept in her voice despite her best attempts. "How many times must I tell you? I've been over him for centuries. Before you banished me to the moon, even!"

Celestia just sighed. Ouch, that came out really bad.

"Look, Sis, I'm really fine." It was a lie, but one Celestia needed to hear, apparently. "Just look around. The Gala is great. Hundreds of ponies came to see me. The hall is full of balloons, for stars' sake!"

"If you say so." Celestia looked away. There we go — passive-aggressive already. "Please, walk with me a bit."

"You want us to go outside during my Gala?" Actually that wasn't a bad idea. With Celestia out of the hall, Fluttershy and Rainbow could find the kitten and safely take it somewhere without her sister noticing, it was perfect.

"Of course not," Celestia said stiffly. "I meant walk towards your throne."

"Oh..." Great. Just great!

"About our quarrel, I didn't want it to happen." Celestia didn't look her in the eye, as she spoke. Instead she just went on forward, walking in her usual regal fashion. Her voice, however, was but a whisper. "There was no reason for me to go to your chambers. Truth is, I used the bucket as an excuse."

You don't say. Luna rolled her eyes. I never would have guessed.

"I just wanted to check on you." Ponies bowed and moved out of the way, as the two sisters made their way to the key place of the hall, Luna's mind was split. On the one side, she was trying to keep a discreet eye on the kitten search, on the other — her conversation with Celestia had taken a rather serious turn. "I know you are keeping secrets from me, Sister," the Sun Princess said.

"Oh?" Venturing in dangerous waters. Maybe I should just tell her? So what if she gives me the silent treatment for a few months.

"And it hurts me." The sadness of centuries was buried in that single phrase. Luna had no idea how to react. How could anypony react to this? "Do you think I can't tell? Do you think I don't feel when you are hurting? I am your sister, Lulu. I might run a kingdom, have students, exchange scrolls with my protege, but I am your sister! I never wanted to hurt you."

"I..." Damn it, Sis! This is supposed to happen in private! Why do you force me to react in front of everypony! Is this another of your lessons? Tough love and all that? "It's nothing, really." She tried to brush it casually away. "I know you always take care of me. It's just that sometimes I need my space, you know."

"Time, space, peace of mind." Celestia shook her head. "You always say you need those, yet they never make you feel any better. Even when you seem all right for a few days, you get back to destroying your room and sleeping on storm clouds outside the palace."

Luna had rarely seen her sister open up so much to her. Tia was always caring, true, but the last time something similar had happened was after the Elements of Harmony had brought Luna back from her nightmare state. Then, just as now, they had been nothing more than two ponies, accepting everything about each other. Surely she would understand about Puff. She'd probably laugh, even. How stupid have I been! Luna sighed. She should have told Celestia about the aether kitten the moment it had appeared. There was absolutely nothing to be ashamed of!

"Tia, I..." Luna began. She was seconds away from freeing herself from the monster she had made this secret to be. No more pretending, no more hiding, no more bad acting and absurd explanations. She only had to say it.

"Meow!" A loud sound broke Luna's train of thought. Above her, the moonlight kitten was plunging down, eyes set on its target. Its paws were reaching forward, claws visible.

"Puff, no!" Luna managed to shout, yet far too late. The kitten landed on the white alicorn's wing, sinking its teeth in a vicious attempt to pluck off a feather. No! Stars please, no! Luna felt her wings cover her face in fear and shame. She hadn't done this since she was a filly, yet now she felt just as helpless, watching her pet bite a feather off her sister's wing, then triumphantly leap to the floor, prize in mouth.

"Luna?!" Celestia asked in shock. Luna's entire world came crashing down.

"Look, it's just..." Why now, you stupid Puff?! Just a few more minutes, a few more seconds even and everything would have been fine!

"Is this yours?" The Sun Princess asked, as a wave of disapproving gasps filled the hall.

"I can explain..." Luna tried desperately to come up with something. He bit off her wing feather. No creature has ever come close to biting off one of Tia's feathers! When I almost did she was so furious with me, I feared she'd kick me into a pulp!

"Mew mew meow!" The kitten proclaimed happily, still gnawing on the feather.

"Nightmare Mew?" Celestia looked at it accusingly, then back at Luna. "Care to explain?"

Damn it! I didn't want this to happen! "It's mine, okay?" Luna shouted trying to hide tears of rage and shame. "It's mine! I kept it hidden in the place for days! I created it!" The secret, that she had kept bottled up, now urged to get out in all its embarrassing details. Worst of all, Luna no longer cared. She didn't care about anything! "You heard me right! I created it with my magic, when I flared up the moon to be as bright as your sun! You think I did it a few times per month? There were times I did it every second day! I just covered the sky with clouds so you wouldn't notice!"

The gasps were replaced by silence.

"And you think that's all?" Luna was in a state of rage. "I never liked your fancy phrases and stiff behaviour! I just did it because that's what you expected of me! I, the perfect little sister that is a clone of yourself! And will you stop constantly going on about my ex?! We had something once, it didn't last very long. I've moved beyond it ages ago. No need you reminding me of it. It's just annoying! When have I questioned your love life? For once will you just let me do something without suffocating me with your light?!"

There! It is done now! Luna was breathing heavily. She didn't didn't expect her outburst to be so long or violent. Some of the things she said she'd been keeping inside for over a millennium. Now they were in the open for anypony to hear.

Celestia didn't say a word. She just looked at her sister in a completely emotionless fashion, then turned around and calmly started her way towards the nearest corridor.

What... what just happened? Luna couldn't believe what she had done. Expecting a fierce exchange of words, she had lashed out first. The only thing she managed to achieve with that, however, was to push her sister away. She had pushed Celestia away. Luna had been so certain there would be a fight, that she didn't even consider her sister might not want one.

"Tia..." the dark alicorn managed to say. She wanted to add that she wanted her sister to come back, that she wanted them to forget all this and just live like normal ponies. None of those words came out. Celestia paused for a moment, then, without looking back, continued out of the hall.

What have I done? I banished my own sister! Luna stomped on the floor with rage. I might have as well sent her to the moon! How long would it be before they talked again? How long before her sister trusts her?

"Mew mewa?" The kitten climbed upon her hoof. Celestia's feather was still dangling from his mouth.

"You," Luna said bitterly, pushing it away. "It all happened because of you! If you had just remained in the stupid room, everything would have been fine! I would have told my sister about you and I wouldn't have to keep this stupid secret any more! But you had to bite off one of her feathers!" She snorted angrily. "Now I've lost her!" Storm clouds formed, filling the hall. "And it's all because of you! I really wish that you never came to exist!"

"Well, if that's all you want." Discord appeared out of nowhere and snapped his fingers. The kitten dissolved in a flash of light, leaving the feather to float slowly to the ground. Luna's heart stopped. No! I didn't mean that! I didn't really mean that, I was just upset and... "No need to thank me," the draconequus grumbled, massaging his temples. "Now, if you please just stop shouting. I have a killer headache."

Luna felt she didn't belong in this world anymore. Moments ago she had distanced her sister, and now she had lost Puff forever...

Author's Note

Special thanks to -TGM- for helping out with this chapter. :)

10. Moonlight No More

I will have Puff back! The magic emanating from Luna’s horn intensified. The light shone so bright it transformed part of the garden from night to day. Terrified creatures scurried about trying to get as far away as possible. One blast. Just one strong blast and he'll be back. This time I'll take care of him. This time everything will go right!

Blasting the moon with so much strength would be noticed throughout the whole of Equestria, but at this point Luna no longer cared. The night had been a catastrophe, a near nightmare event. She had lashed out at her sister, distanced the few friends she had, terrified the ponies at the event... and lost Puff. Curse you, Discord! Off all the things you've done! I'll have him back though! I'll get him back and then—

"Princess, no!" a voice screamed nearby. "Don't do it!"

Fluttershy? Luna paused. The glow of her horn dimmed a fraction. What was the pegasus doing here? After the display at the Gala she should have left like all the rest. After what Luna had done to Puff, Fluttershy shouldn't even be speaking to her.

"Casting that spell won't bring Moonlight back!" The yellow pegasus stopped a few feet away. Her entire body was trembling. "If—"

"I know what to expect now!" Luna concentrated on her spell once more. "Everything will be fine this time."

"But, but..."

"I won't have my kitten taken away from me!" Stupid Puff! So annoying, troublesome, irritating and the best thing that's happened to me since I came back! It didn't care about my past or my present. It—

"You cannot replace a pet!" Fluttershy shouted. "Even if another kitten appears it won't be Moonlight. And it is wrong for you to pretend it will. What happened to the kitten is terrible, worse than terrible, yet he is gone!" Tears formed in her eyes. "He is gone, Princess," she added quietly. "Rushing to find another pet won't help anypony, especially you."

Luna's horn faded. Am I this pathetic? Receiving lessons from a pony a hundred times younger than me? If Sis could see she'd have a laugh. Sis... The glow of magic vanished completely.

"I doubt anything could replace that pesky puff," the Princess forced a laugh. Her ears, however, drooped down. "I guess my feathers are finally safe now."

"Princess..." Fluttershy ventured forward. "It's all right..."

"No, it isn't," Luna sighed. I guess I do sigh like my sister after all. "Again I made a mess of things and for what? I can't even figure out why I kept Puff a secret to begin with. It was just a stupid kitten, for stars' sake! Just a stupid little kitten!"

I will not cry. I will not be pitied! What I've done, I've done and I'll bear the consequences. I must find a way to apologize to Sis. Better it comes from me this time. Also to Twilight and the rest. Not sure I could make it up to them. I seem to have a pattern of messing things up.

Searching for a distraction, the Princess looked at the sky. The moon was shining brightly, as always. The weather teams had taken special care to clear the skies for Luna's grand night. A pity they had to work for nothing. The Night Gala had lasted less than twenty minutes, an hour if the early arrivals were taken into account. Obviously, it never took long to make a mess of things.

"Does this sort of thing happen a lot, Fluttershy?" The alicorn sat on the ground. "Losing a pet, I mean."

"Umm, yes it does, Princess," the pegasus said quietly. "Many pets... go away, and it's always sad when they do."

"But in time the pain will pass and you'll find the courage to get another," a new voice spoke. "But you'll never forget him, though."

Luna tensed up. A jolt of guilt made her ears shoot up and turn around. Pride and fear kept her from looking back, inner pain urged her to. The new arrival didn't leave her much time to make a decision, calmly sitting down next to her. Sis... Luna thought. You came. But why? After everything I put you through... all the things I said...

"I wanted to bring some ice cream," Celestia said gazing at the moon. "But it seems like the kitchen staff had beat me too it."

"Oh." I can imagine the stress they've been through.

"They left some cake, though." A sad smile formed on Celestia's face. "Since it's for me they just had to make sure it was left intact."

Luna didn't respond. Fear kept her from opening her mouth. She had already put her hoof in it far too many times tonight.

"Lulu, I came to apologize," Celestia said. The words were calm, clear and determined — the polar opposite of what they would have been if coming from Luna. You what? The younger unicorn blinked. You? What do you have to apologize for? "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. You weren't wrong. I was just too shocked at the time to think clearly. It seems all those centuries ruling alone made me a bit defensive when being challenged. Everything you said was true. I have been smothering you, trying to mold you in what I thought would be the perfect sister. My speech, my behaviour, my values, they were my own, and I should not have imposed them upon you."

"Sis, I—" Luna began, but Celestia raised a hoof causing her to fall silent.

"You say I always overreact, and I do," the Sun Princess continued. "I'm used to knowing everything. When ponies are in trouble, they share their problems with me, and I find a solution. You..." She shrugged.

"You can't expect me to gallop to you for everything, Tia," Luna said quietly.

"And you shouldn't." Celestia smiled. "But at least for some of the things? I still have a lot to learn, Lulu. Like you, I too need time. I look at you and see one of my little ponies that is hurting and I don't know why."

"I am not a little pony..." Luna grumbled.

"I know that. We have defeated armies together. But after a thousand years I have to relearn it. I only ask of you that you have some more patience with me, little sister."

Wow, Sis. You've been keeping secrets from me as well, haven't you? And all this time I thought you were just looking down on me. How do I even react to this?

"You're not mad about the feather?" Tartarus! I'm over a thousand years old and this is what I could come up with?

"Lulu," Celestia sighed with a smile. "I've had more feathers plucked raising Blueblood. As a foal he had this idea that he could use them to become an alicorn. When he gathered a few dozen he glued them to both his sides and jumped from one of the palace towers." Ouch! Luna cringed. Blueblood really was an idiot. "Did you honestly think that a kitten could upset me in any way?"

You bet I did! "And the Gala? You are not upset about the disaster it turned out to be?"

"Well, it was a bit brief, I have to admit, but it was your first one, so it's understandable." Celestia patted her sister on the head. "Learn to see the good in things. We got to have this talk, didn't we?"

Yes... We got to have this talk. And I lost Puff in the process. All because I couldn't keep my stupid temper!

"Isn't that nice?" A grumble came from a few steps away, causing Fluttershy to scream and run for safety behind Luna. A pair of bloodshot eyes rose from the ground, transforming in an extremely hungover draconequus balancing a bucket of red hot coals on his head. "Celestia, dear, could I bother you for a tinsy-winsy bottle of painkillers? My head is thumping like a square wheeled carriage."

"Discord..." Luna hissed. Just seeing him brought all the memories of rage back, multiplied tenfold.

"What?" The draconequus sneered back at her. "Just because you didn't have a fun time is no reason to—"

"Fun? FUN?!" Luna scraped the ground with her forehoof. "After what you did to my kitten you still talk about fun?!"

"Bah, fine!" Discord turned his back to Luna. "Be that way! Last time I do you any favours!" He snapped his fingers.

Luna had already started concentrating on a spell. One strong burst of energy from this distance and she could tear him to bits. Just one good shot and... Suddenly she felt something bite on her horn. The magic gathered started draining away. No! Luna blinked. It can't be! But it was! A kitten was dangling from her horn, trying desperately to hold on with teeth and claws.

"Puff?" Luna asked in shock and joy. "You are alive?!"

"Of course it is alive!" Discord grumbled, massaging his temples with two burning coals. "I just sent it to the moon. What do you take me for? A monster? Sheesh! Do a favour and they all gang up on you. Need a lift home, Fluttershy?"

"Umm, maybe in a bit?" The pegasus smiled from behind Celestia.

"Fiiine." The draconequus wandered off towards the palace. "I'll try to find a furnace to stick my head in. But, please, you have fun, by all means."

Discord said a few more things, but it was all white noise to Luna’s ears. All that matter to her was the kitten; the kitten which meowed and clawed his way out of the tight hug she was giving him, then jumped onto the ground. Sneezing a few times, he made his displeasure known by giving her a disapproving look, then proceeded to lick his paw.

"Just look at him!" Luna snorted. Her false anger did nothing to remove the smile on her face. "Behaving as if nothing happened. You are a menace, Puff!" She pointed a hoof at him. "An absolute menace."

"Kittens are like that, Princess," Fluttershy said quietly. "Maybe, I should give you a book on normal kittens as well? It, umm, might be helpful?"

"As if that will help." Luna turned away indignantly, although she kept looking at the kitten from the corner of her eye.

"You know, Lulu, my first pet was a kitten," Celestia spoke up. Both Luna and Fluttershy looked to her, eyes wide. "Midnight. She was very organized in her behaviour. I remember she always did the exact opposite of what I told her to do. Of course, she didn't feed on magic." The alicorn then extended her wing, offering a feather to the kitten.

Immediately Puff stopped licking its paw. Tempted by the tasty treat, looked at Luna, then at Celestia. The white alicorn just nodded. That seemed to be all the permission Puff needed. He lunged forward and grabbed a feather with both paws, then eagerly started chewing on it.

"Mew mew!" he meowed between bites, causing Celestia to chuckle. Beside her Fluttershy blushed slightly.

"What?" Luna arched a brow.

"Oh, he just asked that Fluttershy stop calling him Moonlight," Celestia explained, pulling her wing back. "Apparently, it's not cool enough."

"Of course, it is isn't." Luna rolled her eyes. At least you have good taste, Puff. "Well, I better get to work. With the Gala over, I have no excuse not to. Sis, could you please take care of Puff? He gets cranky when he's alone and I don't want him to follow me to work."

"Of course, Lulu." Celestia nodded.

"Well, then I'll be on my—" Luna stopped. The kitten had spit out the feather and now was looking at her with its large blue eyes. No longer the clumsy creature of a few days ago, it made its way to Luna's hoof and meowed. "You know what, Puff?" Luna patted him gently on the head. "You really are cute, but my feathers will always be off limits!"

Author's Note

Special thanks to -TGM- for helping out with this chapter. :)

1. The Kitten and the Princess

The more things change, the more they remain the same. Sitting on her cloud, Luna looked down at the palace. From this distance it was little more than a bright dot in the circle of light that was Canterlot. She had been living there for over a few years now, and yet It still felt foreign. Very much like her old castle — it too had been more Celestia's than her own.

All this time and I still feel like scraping the sky, Luna sighed. Little things kept piling up, trivial things that made her feel alone again.

Luna's horn flared up. She had no intention of letting her past control her!

"I am with my sister now," she said out loud. "And she has forgiven me!"

She still spends more time with her ponies, than she does with me.

"The ponies have accepted me!" Luna said louder.

And they still use me to scare them.

"I keep the nightmares out of their dreams!" The forgotten urge to cover the sky with pitch black storm clouds started to emerge.

It couldn't be that bad, A sneaky voice whispered. Just a little darkness, to show them who's queen. Several days. A few weeks. One month tops.

"I help them free themselves from—" she started shouting, the suddenly stopped. "Oh, just shrivel up," she grumbled, shooting a burst of energy towards the moon. For a single moment the huge satellite flashed, covering the whole of Equestria with light bright as the sun. Seconds later the wave of brightness was gone. The moon quickly faded back to normal.

"That was pathetic," Luna sighed and flopped on the cloud. I wonder if Sis noticed this one. Hopefully, she was only going to get mad. The absurdity of pretending that everything was alright was far too passive-aggressive for Luna's taste.

I wish for this nighttime to last for a lifetime, she thought. Or possibly for a few hours longer. It was ever so soothing, so sweet, so much like things used to be.

I'll just sleep here, Luna summoned a few more clouds. She wasn't in the mood to fly back to the palace. Celestia could take care of rising the sun on her own. Plus, it would hardly be the first time Luna missed breakfast. Closing her eyes, she entered her own preferred dream space and dozed off. Sadly, her sleep did not last long.

The interruption came in the form of a low but constant vibrating sound that filled the princess' left ear. It wasn't loud, just bothersome enough to annoy her into waking up. In a brisk fit of rage Luna's head moved up, glaring at the source of annoyance.

"What the…?" she managed to say, as her anger was quickly swept away replaced by disbelief. On the cloud, next to her, was a small furry ball of moonlight. And it was purring!

Cautiously, Luna nudged the thing with her hoof. It felt soft and surprisingly warm. What, the stars are you? she wondered. Another, stronger shove followed. This time the ball reacted. A set of paws appeared from under it stretching forward. They were followed by a tail, a second pair of paws, and finally the sleepiest head Luna had ever seen.

A kitten? she had trouble coming to terms with the thought. What would a kitten be doing here? And why was it made of moonlight?

The creature, by contrast, didn't seem at all perplexed. It yawned, stretched a few times, then proceeded to lick its paw for several seconds. Finding the result satisfactory, apparently, it turned to look at the alicorn with its glowing, cyan eyes and let out a faint meow.

Meow? Luna arched a brow. Slowly, she moved a hoof towards the creature. The glowing feline looked at it curiously, then cautiously placed a paw on top. Finding it suitably solid, the kitten proceeded to try and climb on. The attempt was far from successful, with its hind paws slipping, leaving it dangling in mid-air. Desperate meows followed, as the kitten tried to cling on.

"Stupid thing." Luna smiled as she lowered the kitten safely onto the cloud. The puff of silliness was enough to have such an effect, despite her mood. Still, how did it get there? Last she checked cats didn't go about flying among clouds.

The kitten purred again, then proceeded to rub itself against Luna's hooves. Amusing, the Princess thought. However, even so, there was no time for distractions. Sunrise was approaching, and with this night's mess up, Luna preferred to be on time. Hopefully, Celestia would only frown and sigh disapprovingly during breakfast.

"Sorry, little one." The Princess brushed it away with her wing. "There are things I need to deal with again. I'll just—"

Before she could finish, the kitten bit a feather of her wing. The action was more startling than painful — never before had any creature dared do so to her. Instantly the alicorn raised her wing, but it was too late. The kitten refused to let go, dangling in the air.

"Seriously?" Luna grumbled. And to think the night was starting to look up. Now she had an annoying puff to deal with in addition to everything else. "Look, just let go." Her magic surrounded it, in a futile attempt to pull it off. Alas, the kitten had set its mind on keeping the feather in its mouth and refused to compromise.

Of course, there was the option to pluck the feather off, but Luna's pride wouldn't allow it. She had managed to endure centuries without losing a feather, and she wasn't going to break the habit.

The distant calls of roosters broke the silence. Star screams! Luna thought. It was almost time for the ceremony. She looked at the kitten, then at Canterlot below. Usually she would make it to the palace with time to spare. In the current situation, however...

"Know that I am not pleased with this!" the alicorn said, glaring at it, then leapt off the cloud.

It was weird flying with a kitten attached to the wing. Luna had to wrap it in a levitation bubble just to make sure it wouldn't cause any further problems. Just you wait, pest! The moment breakfast is over, I'll deal with you in my own fashion!

Celestia was already on the terrace when Luna landed, along with the usual rabble. Usually Luna would openly sigh, but the look her sister gave her, forced the Princess of the Night to be at her best behaviour. Great, she thought. The sun was not up yet, and the frowning had already started. Beside her, Blueblood yawned. It's going to be a long sunrise.

"Sister, if you please," Celestia reminded. Oh, filly, she is really mad at me this time. Luna grumbled internally. Celestia could easily set the moon on her own— she had done so for ages. Asking Luna, openly at that, was a clear hint of her disappointment.

"Of course, sister," the dark alicorn replied. This whole charade was useless. At least it didn't take any effort... or it wouldn't if something hadn't decided to claw at her wing just then. Curse it! Luna tried to keep her composure. She certainly couldn't let anypony see there was a kitten under her wing. Embarrassment aside, she couldn't explain the kitten’s presence without mentioning the moon flare, which in turn meant discussing her state of mind, and that was something Luna didn't have the time nor the will for.

"Is everything alright, sister?" Celestia arched a brow. Her eyes, however, were saying Are you going to embarrass yourself again, Luna? I expected more from you.

"Yes," Luna lied, turning her wing, so as to completely hide. The only thing she could do now was to lower the moon and put this awkward experience behind her.

The moon went down rather choppily. Luna felt uncomfortable, especially since, second's later, her sister rose the sun in flawless fashion. Brag a little more, Sis, why don't you? Not that I'll feel inferior or anything. Kitten claws struck again, this time stronger than before. Someone had definitely decided to give Luna a hard time.

"Sister," Celestia said slowly. "Is there anything I need to know?" She glanced at Luna. Her hoof moved in the direction of her wing, but before it could reach it, the younger alicorn moved away.

"Maybe at breakfast," Luna said, hurriedly entering the palace.

Quickly, quickly! Luna rushed through the corridor. The only thing she could think of was fleeing to her room. Two millennia and I still behave like a foal.

Storming past guards and servants, Luna galloped into her room, closing the door behind her with a slam. At last she was safe. Safe? What exactly am I running from? Extending her wing, the alicorn glared at the kitten. As if sensing her displeasure, it let go of the feather it was chewing and plopped gently on the marble floor. Seriously?! Now you let go?!

"You!" Luna pointed a hoof accusingly. "What do you think you are, embarrassing me like that?! Armies have fallen for less! Cities have crumbled! And—" She narrowed her eyes. "You aren't listening to me, are you?"

Oblivious, the kitten continued to try and stand up straight. A difficult task, considering the floor was polished to perfection. This was the puff's first time on such a smooth surface and it showed. Tapping her hoof, Luna waited patiently for it to achieve its goal, yet on the fifth unsuccessful, be it amusing, flop she had enough, levitating it onto a nearby table.

"Listen," she said sharply, managing to grab its attention. "I have no idea where you came from, but you will learn to behave! That means no clawing, no biting my feathers, no—" she levitated it away from the vase it was playing with, "—breaking things. You know, what? Just stay here ‘till I finish breakfast, and we'll deal with this."

The kitten looked at her with its large eyes, tilting its head sideways. There was so much innocence in its look that Luna knew it was up to no good. Unfortunately, she had breakfast to attend to.

"Stay!" She ordered, moving it onto her bed. "And don't claw anything!"

The door slammed shut again, startling several guards. Annoying, puff! Luna made her way to the dining hall, her lips moving slightly in her anger. I know you are going to tear the sheets to shreds. You'll probably be as annoying as a cub manticore. The moment breakfast is over, I'm throwing you out!

No one announced Luna's arrival into the dining hall. One look at her furious expression was enough to make any pony cower in fear. The Princess of the Night, didn't even notice, taking her usual seat.

"Ahem," a somewhat surprised voice said from across the table. "You were saying, Luna?" Celestia arched a brow expectantly. Star screams! Luna thought. She had promised to explain everything earlier, a moment of folly she bitterly regretted. No way in Tartarus I'm telling her a kitten caused this!

"It's been a long night, Celestia." The younger alicorn waved a hoof dismissively. "Not that I don't enjoy having breakfast with you, but I really could use some rest today."

"Celestia, am I?" the elder sister asked, then let out a disappointed sigh. Great, Luna grumbled silently. Starting with the sighs already? "Luna, why would you never tell me what is bothering you? The nightmares, the Tantabus..." Celestia focused her gaze on her sister, who promptly looked away. "Do I honestly have to rely on my student's letters to learn things about you? Why don't you share anything with me?"

"Well, you seem to be more concerned with her problems, than mine," Luna whispered loudly enough to be heard. The moment she did, she felt a touch of guilt. Twilight Sparkle had helped her more than once. It wasn't fair to talk this way about her, although, truth be told, everything said was true.

"Look, Tia, I really appreciate you trying to look out for me and everything, but now is not the—" Suddenly Luna froze. Across her, on the other side of the room, the ever-curious face of the kitten had emerged at the open window. How had the pesky creature even managed to get there? Luna was certain she had closed the door to her room.

"Please don't be like that," Celestia stood up and in typical fashion began slowly making her way to the other side of the table. Luna's eyes, however, remained glued to the kitten. "I know I have no idea what you've been through, and I can only imagine your pain, but that time is behind us now." Celestia approached. "It really is nice to have you back, Lulu. It's like old times. We are together now."

Luna could feel drops of sweat fighting to appear on forehead. It was agonizing to watch the kitten move about clumsily. Each time it ventured towards the room she felt her feathers stood on end. Each time it moved away, she desperately wanted to sigh in relief. The bad thing was that the stupid kitten couldn't make up its mind!

"I know Equestria has changed a lot, but—" Celestia suddenly paused. Her eyes narrowed a fraction. "Lulu, did you do something stupid?"

"What?" Luna's glance quickly away moved from the window and onto Celestia. She knows! The thought pierced her like a crystal arrow. "What makes you say that?"

"Lulu..." Celestia deepened her frown.

"I flashed the moon again last night." Luna shot a quick glance at the window. No kitten there. The little menace must have gotten bored and gone elsewhere. "I wasn't in a good mood, so I just let out some steam."

"Again?" Celestia sighed. It was apparent she was struggling not to roll her eyes. "You really need to open up more, little sis. You can't vent your frustration on the moon every other week. You don't have to talk to me, although I would prefer it."

"Tia, please." Luna twisted her face in a semi-groan. "Who would I talk to? Cadence? Your protege? The Elements?" With the kitten no longer being a point of concern, she felt she could speak her mind. "Yes, things are a lot better than before, but also I feel nothing has really changed. I still live in your castle, help out with your chores, appear before your subjects. A thousand years and I still am your shadow! Actually, I think that—"

There was an abrupt stop. Luna felt something bite her tail, and she didn't need to look to know what it was. Stars! The pesky puff hadn't gone away, it had gone in.

"You think what?" Celestia looked at her sister with concern. Tailfeathers! For once I manage to get your undivided attention and I can't even take advantage of the fact! It was difficult enough to keep a straight face while a pesky kitten was chomping her tail.

"Please tell me you are not still thinking about him!" Celestia said accusingly. "I told you back then he was no good for you. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the reason you turned into a Nightmare."

"Tia," Luna managed to say through her teeth.

"Please, Lulu, look me in the eye and tell me you are over him." The Sun Princess put a hoof on her sister's shoulder.

Oblivious, the kitten bit harder, bringing tears to Luna's eyes.

"Lulu, are you crying?" Celestia asked, genuinely worried. Just great! Luna felt like cursing. How in Equestria could one small puff of fur cause so much chaos? Now her sister was convinced she was crying about her ex, which Luna wasn't! She had gotten over Sombra centuries ago, before the Crystal Empire war even.

"You are still thinking about him." Celestia put a wing round her sister. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Because there is nothing to tell, Tia! You make wild assumptions, as always! The worst part was that Luna couldn't even share the truth now. If she were to reveal the tears were caused by a kitten biting on her tail, Celestia wouldn't forgive her for decades. No, for the sake of calm and stability the farce had to continue.

"I thought I had gotten over it," Luna lied, as she flicked her tail, tossing the kitten under her wing. A painful process, that brought another set of tears to her eyes. "I think I need to spend some time alone." She hurried to move away from the table. The faster she could get out of the dining room, the less chance the kitten would meow in Celestia's presence.

“Wait!” Celestia said sharply, then, untypically, trotted in front of Luna, blocking her way to the exit. Her expression was stern. Curses! You saw something, didn't you? Even when we were young you would always spot things… and never let me forget it. Luna swallowed. “Running away doesn't solve anything, you know. I see that you need this, so this time I'll let you, but please let there be no other times.”

“I...” Luna began. She had no idea how to respond to that. “I'll try?” she asked tentatively.

"Please do." Celestia nodded, sympathetically. "And don't worry about anything. I'll take care of everything here. just try to get your spirits back up."

"Thank you," Luna said, her ears flopped to keep the appearance of sadness, as she left the hall. This was humiliating, let alone ridiculous, but at least she had managed to get away without her sister finding out the shameful truth.

"Just you wait, you puff of chaos," the alicorn said under her breath. "I'll show you what it means to embarrass me! Wars have started for less!" It was all nonsense, of course, but Luna was hoping her harsh voice would have an effect on the creature, if nothing else.

First thing out of the palace, Luna flew up into the sky. Several pegasi were there — mostly weather ponies, as well as a trio of Wonderbolts. Seeing the Princess, several of them waved in recognition. Just perfect! The one time I actually needed the skies to be clear!

"Meow?" The kitten struggled to get free under her wing. Luna could feel its magic wrapped paws tickling her side.

"Oh, no you don't!" she said, darting through the air. "You are going to face the consequences, no matter what!"

There was one patch of sky the Princess knew no one would dare disturb — the area above the Everfree Forest. Ponies still avoided the place, unused to its chaotic nature, which made it a perfect hiding spot. Arriving there, Luna summoned a large storm cloud and landed on it.

"So!" She levitated the kitten up to her face. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in?" she asked, furious. "Chewing on my feathers and my tail, making a fool of me in front of my sister. Twice! I don't even want to imagine what you have done to my room! Why I bet that you—"

Leaning forward, the kitten licked Luna on the tip of the muzzle. Instinctively, the alicorn bopped it on the head with a hoof. No sooner had she done so than a feeling of guilt swept through her. What am I doing? Did I seriously hit a kitten on the head just now? A kitten?! I really must get my act together.

Confused, the kitten continued floating in front of her, its tiny paws on its head.

"There, now." The Princess held it with one hoof, gently stroking its head with the other. "I didn't mean that. You really need to learn to behave properly. That means no biting or clawing. Got that?" She rubbed its throat, causing it to purr.

"What am I going to do with you?" She asked, as the kitten returned to its usual antics, trying to playfully claw her hoof. "I have no idea where you came from. And I certainly can't keep you."

Luna was about to add something more, when the sound of thunder split the air. Before she could react, the kitten arched, hissed, then leaped out of her hoof… beyond the edge of the cloud. The entire scene was so absurd that it took several seconds for Luna’s mind to register it as real.

"Puff!" She managed to yell, sadly far too late to make a difference.

Not good, not good! Luna quickly leapt off the cloud. There was no way it could survive such a fall. And even if by some miracle it did, the forest would literally eat it alive. Panicking, she scanned the area for any sign of it.

"Puff! Puff!" she shouted. No! This couldn't happen! "Puff!"

"Meow!" A soft squeak-like noise sounded above her. The Princess looked up, just in time to have the kitten land on her muzzle.

"Oh," she said, eyes half narrowed, as relief was replaced by irritation. "So you can fly as well..."

This is going to be a long day.