Chapter Five

A light ticking sound was, almost, the only disturbance in the silence of Luna's room. A book was levitated in front of the Princess of the Night, surrounded by an indigo glow, as always. A pair of half-rimmed glasses adorned her face as she was also holding a feather pen, and a few pieces of parchment on the desk below her head. For the most part, a princess' life is nothing to be adorned, while yes they do get loved and cherished, not to mention pampered, it can be quite frustrating.

The main reason for this, or at least for Luna as she didn't know how her Sister dealt with such annoyances, is due to the immense amount of paperwork that they must do almost every day. One of the few times they have off is Saturday, and even then they're too busy sleeping to do much else. On the times that Luna did get her time off, she went into the gardens to relax and have a walk around, perhaps went to watch a motion picture, it all depended on her mood.

Thankfully, today was Friday, so when she woke up tomorrow she'd have the day off. For whatever she chose to do instead of getting a maid or some other servant bringing papers to her room, usually stating redundant things such as how important it is to have regulation bathroom sizes. While an important decree or some other law did come her way at times, Luna was more or less extremely bored throughout the entire affair. Don't even get her started on her Night Court...

But, it is the price everyone must pay with Royalty, Luna decided. She would love to take a vacation, but many ponies were still uncertain about her, so it was almost her duty to try and prove herself, not that she needed to for the important ponies to her like Celestia or Twilight and her friends. The main problem were the nobles. From what Luna could tell, they have no power other than words and 'Royalty'.

Just the fact that the pompous little idiots thought they could boss around other ponies because they are rich unnerved Luna to such a degree, she would punt them all out of Equestria herself. However, Tia knows exactly how Luna feels, and obviously stops her from doing so. Mostly. Whenever the Princess gets a chance, she always tries to debunk the facade of royalty put on by the nobles.

All part of a kingdom, Princess Luna summarized. It wasn't always pretty, it wasn't always kind, but things had to be done for a reason. Even when the things to be done are regulation bathroom sizes.

Luna's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden burst of laughter. Looking behind herself with a mild expression, she saw Marceline nearly inches away, and floating above her, trying to stifle her laughter, "Ho, oh my god. That's too funny, regulation bathroom sizes? I'm sorry but really, that's just..." Another fit of laughter left the Vampire Queen.

Growling quietly, Luna turned back around, trying to focus on the ticking of the clock, it always helped her calm for some reason. Perhaps it was the fact it was calm, collected, and kept moving forward. Almost like Luna, or how she was a majority of the time.

After a few more random papers, a stomach then growled. Confused, Princess Luna raised her head up a bit, her face scrunching up a bit as she looked back to Marceline, "...Why have you not told us you were hungry?"

The look of laughter died almost immediately as she got a mostly blank face, or rather neutral one, "What do you mean? I'm not-" Yet another sound from her empty stomach sounded in the room. Looking back up to Marceline's face, Luna cleared her throat, "You were saying?"

With a small flip in midair, the Vampire Queen landed beside Luna, "Look, I really don't wanna bother you if you're busy, just get your work done and then we can talk."

Glancing outside through the open balcony, the Moon was nearing the horizon, which made Luna scratch her chin, "Well, it is nearly daybreak, and I'll be asleep the whole day without the world ending, so we think thou should tell us what it is you seek for sustenance."

She opened her mouth to reply, probably in a nonchalant manner, but Luna instantly said, "No."

With a slight look of defeat, Marceline sighed over dramatically and said, "Well, I'm a vampire, so what do you think I eat?"

Without a single thought Luna responded with the simple answer, "Blood."

A small chuckle escaped Marceline before she said, "Well, I can, but I tend not to. Here, you see this curtain?" Marceline lifted up a velvety, red curtain, and seemingly had trouble to have it in her hands. About to respond, the Vampire Queen stopped Luna in her tracks and sunk her teeth lightly into the fabric of the curtain. Within a few moments, the effects took place and the whole curtain started to lose it's color, turning a grey color.

Eyes slowly opening, the Princess' shocked face was probably what made Marceline smile, or perhaps it was getting something to eat. In either case she pulled away once it was all gone and sighed, floating on her back as if on a pool, "See, told ya it was weird. Anyways, yeah."

With a few moments to collect herself, Princess Luna said, "So you drink the pigment red then?" A nod was her only answer as Marceline floated backwards.

She watched her for a good minute before turning back to her work, eyes scanning her book to read and work on the random papers at the same time.

For about a half hour the room was dominated by the sound of the old, wooden clock against the wall. Then Luna spoke up, "If you could eat so easily, why did you not do it beforehand? We would've allowed thee to eat, we assure you."

Something like a first time, at least for Luna, a glimmer of responsibility was present in Marceline's voice, "Because I know I've been a pain in your royal behind and I'd rather not get in trouble in a place where I can't run away from. Not to mention I wasn't even that hungry, you'd know if I was."

A bit taken aback by the way Princess Luna heard Marceline speak, she simply nodded and said, "Alright, then...simply tell us if you need anything more, Marceline."

And with that small encounter, Luna turned back to her work and began writing out her signature and other such things, and silence dominated the room once more.

A yawn came from Luna's tired body, but her mind was still more than active at the moment. In fact it was racing. She knew she wouldn't be asleep all day tomorrow, she would have to look after the Vampire Queen. Bringing bad tidings to her new friends in the land of Ooo wouldn't be the best way to reintroduce herself.

However, her mind was also the fact that Marceline was fairly silent, and now sitting on the bed while looking downwards. Setting the paperwork and pen down in it's ink, Luna stood out of her chair and pushed it back in, trotting over to the woman slowly, "Marceline, is something troubling you? You've been rather quiet."

She slowly looked up, a regular look on her face, just as always, "Huh? Yeah, I'm cool, just a bit worried about some stuff back at my home, don't worry about it, it'll be fine." A rather quick answer left her, so Princess Luna decided it'd be best not to push for information. Whatever it is, she probably doesn't want to think about it too much.

Walking to the other side of the bed, Luna laid down in a heap, however, just as she did, a familiar tug on her magic made a heavy sigh leave her. Standing up to go to the balcony, she began charging the spell once more, just as she did every day.

Luna then found herself in a comfortable bed, seemingly just after she had cast the spell. She sat up quickly, looking around with a slight panic gripping her. The room was white, or at least tried to be in a way. An IV was hanging loosely with nothing hooked into it and a bandage was around the base of her horn. She slowly got herself up despite the small amount of fear, and also because of the aching pain in her whole body.

Taking off outside the room as quickly as she could, Luna ran out of her room into a corridor. Outside, her Sister, Tia, was sitting in a chair while she talked to what seemed to be a nurse. And, much to Luna's relief, Marceline was beside her Sister and sat cross legged in midair. Something inside her wanted to ask how no one had asked anything, but she had more important things to ask.

She took a few steps towards them, only to notice that her footing was off slightly, and so did the nurse. She trotted over in a hurried pace, making sure that Luna didn't fall flat onto her face. Tia had also gotten up with a worried look, walking over to Luna. Marceline followed shortly behind her Sister, watching Luna carefully.

Despite Luna's semi-quiet retorts, the nurse worked her into her bed once more. Luna sighed, rubbing her forelegs due to the aching feeling. The nurse said something to Celestia, and she then nodded, so the nurse trotted off. Luna assumed it was something about being alone with her sister.

Both Tia and Marceline stepped up to Luna, Marceline sitting down at the foot of the bed as Luna asked in a slightly raspy voice, "Sister, what happened? We remember casting the spell but we-"

Celestia took hold of her sister's hoof with her own, saying calmly, "It's alright Luna, do not worry, we took care of the Sun and Moon, nopony even noticed what happened."

Sighing with relief, Luna then let her head fall back into the pillow, then asked, "Thou didn't answer our question, Sister, what had happened?"

Stepping up slightly, Marceline said in response, "You started the spell thing, but apparently something happened and I guess just as you were completing it, you just collapsed on the balcony for some reason. You wouldn't wake up and I went to go get your sister."

While giving Marceline a bit of a look, Celestia then looked back to Luna, "Indeed, you had passed out due to overexertion of your powers, your magic was still there, but not very much of it."

Luna swore under her breath, hitting the bed lightly, and Celestia took notice immediately, "Sister, it's nothing to be ashamed of. From what I know you've been very active since you came back, you've been overworking yourself far too much and-"

Interrupting Tia, Luna retorted, "But you've been able to take the harness of both celestial beings for a millennium, yet I cannot control one for three years!" Her voice cracked slightly due to her almost-yelling, and Marceline shrunk back a bit, realizing it was a conversation between sisters, not her AND the sisters.

Celestia replied with a sigh, "I know, but sister I've had time to get used to both, you haven't moved the moon for years, you cannot expect so much of yourself. Give yourself time, ever since you got back you've been working your flank off in order to prove yourself to everypony, and don't say you don't, because I know you too well to not see you're lying."

Her ears splayed back slightly, looking to the side, "If it's what we have to do in order to gain back our respect for the subjects then we must do it, it's the only way for others to trust us as they did before...thou knows, Sister."

For a good minute, Celestia looked Luna over. A concerned expression mixed with motherly worry was something resembling contemplation, and she looked to Marceline, and said to Luna once more, "My sister, I'm sorry but there is little I can do to reassure you that kind of trust from them. But you must know, many still trust you unconditionally sister, it isn't going to change by working yourself into a hole, Luna."

She tried to respond in some way, but in the end Luna simply wanted to disagree to disagree, for no other reason did she have to disagree. With an annoyed sigh and slightly more aggravated tone of voice Luna then asked, "Then what would you have us do while we get used to using our powers?"

Thinking for a moment, Celestia turned and said with a small smile, "Go on a vacation, Luna."

It had been five hours. Five hours of back and forth bickering of Celestia and Luna, Celestia arguing it was for the better and Luna saying it would make her look lazy and unfit. Both of them, however, annoyed Marceline as she sat in the room, tuning her guitar.

"-but it will make us look as if we cannot hold our own in the form of being a Princess-!" For the thousandth time, Celestia said, "It will help you relax so you aren't so overworked, Luna! Even I have taken vacations, and yes I do still raise the Sun and or Moon, but it still helped to simply know I had time to myself, everypony needs that Luna, even you."

Luna groaned and said in a slightly whiny voice, "But Tia, we-"

Celestia interrupted her immediately, "No buts, you're going on a vacation Luna, trust me, it's for the best of your interests. It isn't better for a Princess to pass out on her balcony and get taken to the hospital."

With that said, Luna sat back, realizing she didn't have much of a say. Huffing, Celestia then smiled giving Luna a nuzzle, "Trust me with this, sister. Don't worry about the kingdom or it's ponies for a few days, perhaps a week. Everypony needs a few days to unwind and calm themselves."

Luna didn't respond other than a small nuzzle back and a, "I know, Sister..."

As soon as Tia left, Marceline floated above Luna and said, "Rough day, huh?" Luna simply turned her head over, closing her eyes, "Thou will still be leaving in a few days time, Marceline. But because off circumstances thee will have to come with us."

A wide grin splayed on Marceline's face as she raised up, clasping her hands together, "Ho boy, this is gonna be fun..."

"...more like a nightmare." Said Luna, mumbling under her breath as she fell asleep, as did Marceline shortly after in a chair next to the bed.

Author's Note

Woo hoo, two in a row. Can we go for a triple kill? Who knows. So yes, vacation time, oh boy. I hope you all enjoyed, the next few chapters will have some more characters coming in to hang about or other things, who knows, I'm pretty indecisive a lot of the time. I must also say the vacation will be a part of the story, but nowhere near all of it, so stay tuned!