A Second Life chapter 11

>You and Luna sat on her bed in silence.
>Your mind could barely wrap it’s head around what she had said.
“Are you sure? I mean… it’s only been a few weeks”
>”I’m sure Anonymous.”
“How?”
>”Anon, I’m sure. The… ugh what’s the word for this thing?”
“Pregnancy?”
>”Pregnancy, yes. It lasts six months.”
“That’s not long… humans normally last nine months usually.”
>”Exactly. And before long, it will be obvious to Celestia what’s happened.”
“Why does that matter?”
>Luna looked at you as if you just went full retard.
>“Anon, I’m going to lose my crown, my dignity… maybe even you…”
“Me? I don’t understand…”
>”Anon, do you realize how… shameful it is to conceive a child out of wedlock? Especially for a member of royalty.”
“Then let’s get married.”
>”Not funny.”
“I’m not joking. I’ve thought about it before… I just never had the courage to bring it up.”
>Finally, a smile from Luna. However small it may be, it was welcome all the same.
>She leaned over and nuzzled your cheek, and you gave her a tight hug in return
>”That’s sweet Anon, I wish it would work.”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
>Luna pulled away, her eyes falling on the floor below. “Royal weddings take months to plan. If we rushed it, we may have it planned in two months. And then another month to actually get p0nies to come.”
“Does it have to be so… big?”
>”It would seem… wrong if it wasn’t. It’s a big tradition and if I fight against it, it would only delay it, as well as bring suspicion.”
“But we would still be married when it’s born. Then-“
>”No Anonymous, that wouldn’t work. It would be born too soon, and we’d be shamed together.”
>Luna laid her head down in defeat; a single tear fell onto the silky blanket below her.
>You placed a hand on the back of her neck, rubbing it gently.
>”It’s not fair… I don’t want to lose you…”
“Hey, we’ll figure something out. I’m not going anywhere.”
>”If Celestia doesn’t kill you, she’ll banish you, and keep either of us from seeing each other.”
“If she finds out.”
>”I can’t leave, how else am I supposed to hide it when my stomach swells up?”
“I don’t know yet. But I promise I’ll figure something out.”
>”You always do seem to manage the impossible…”
“Damn right I do. Now, just relax. Try not to think about it.”
>”Easy for you to say.”
>You kissed Luna on the forehead, and made your way over to the door.
>”Oh, Anon. I’m sorry for hitting you… I just got carried away.”
“It’s fine Luna, I deserved it. I won’t ignore you like that again.”
>You made your way to through the castle, toward your room. It was already getting late.
>”Anonymous! I heard you were out of the hospital.” Celestia came from behind you, and walked along side you.
>”I trust your recent heroics haven’t caused too much injury.”
“I wouldn’t call them heroics, more like stupidity. But yes, I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”
>”Tell me, have you had time to think about the offer? We could use more training instructors.”
>Fuck, you had somewhat forgotten about that. And now that you had a little you on the way, that would affect your decision.
“Uh, I need some time to think still. With recent events and all.”
>”What do you mean recent events?”
>Damn it brain are you trying to spill the beans already?
“A certain somep0ny is worried about me is all…”
>”I see. As I said, I’ll do my best to keep you behind the front lines. Possibly inside the castle.”
“Right. I promise to have an answer by tomorrow.”
>”I see. Well I suppose this is where you were heading. Take care Anonymous.”
“You as well, Princess.”
>You stepped inside, and laid on the bed, hoping for sleep to embrace you quickly.
>Nothing, not even a yawn came to you.
>So many things to think of, so little time.
>Better idea, time for apple whiskey.
>You grabbed the bottle and poured a little bit into the cup you kept in your room, and sat back on your bed, sipping away.

>Before you realized it, the sun was rising to shine its rays of light though your window.
>You’d been up all night, thinking things over in your head.
>May as well get the day started off right.
>You swapped into your workout clothes and started up some PT inside, not in the mood for a run today.
>In the middle of your pushups a knock came from your door.
“Who is it?”
>”It’s me”
“Well come on in me!”
>In stepped Luna, wearing her favorite cloak, who looked down at you in confusion at your odd stance.
>”Do you wish to be an alicorn again?”
“Exercise Luna. I either do this or run every morning while you lower the moon.”
>”I see… well…”
>You leapt to your feet suddenly, surprising Luna.
“Did you want to talk about something?”
>”Yes… I heard my sister gave you a job offer. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“The same reason I didn’t listen to you about… it. I was planning on talking to you today about it.”
>”I see. Do you wish to hear my opinion?”
“Of course I do…  But first, why are you wearing your cloak?”
>”Tis a bit chilly outside, winter will be here soon. Does it not please you?”
>You could already tell nerves were making her turn back to speaking in her old style.
“No, I was just curious. This actually gives me an idea.”
>”What? About being the advisor for Shining Armor?”
“No, about… it. Just wear your cloak around until it’s born. It hides your figure really.”
>Luna stared at you silently for a moment, as if processing what you just said.
>”THAT’S your brilliant idea?”
“Well, yeah. If you wore it in public, Celestia wouldn’t notice when your stomach once it starts to get bigger.”
>”Wont that bring suspicion as well?”
“I don’t think so. Just tell Celestia you’re setting a fashion trend. Or… something…”
>”That’s a terrible excuse for wearing my cloak around all the time. Still… that helps us delay her knowing. But what about once it’s born?”
“I’m still working on that… ”
>”Well, at least we have a start on this… as for being an advisor to Shining Armor…”
“It would be just that. An advisor. No field work. No combat. I’d stay in the castle most of the time.”
>”Promise?”
“I promise.”
>”Then go for it.”
“I’m glad you think I should. I honestly wasn’t sure. Now, I need a shower.”
>You grabbed some fresh clothes and jumped in the shower, washing the drying sweat off of your body.
>Feels good man.
>With the grime washed off, you dressed and headed out into the castle to find Celestia.
>She was a lot easier to find than Luna it seems, since most of her time was spent in the throne room.
>”Ah, Anonymous, have you made a decision?”
“I have Princess. Tell Shining Armor he has a new advisor.
A few weeks later…
>What a day, being Shining Armor’s advisor was more  tiring than you expected, with his leadership meetings twice a day.
>You didn’t care for the excessive amounts of paper work, or the ridiculous wake up times one bit.
>Neither did Luna for that matter, it seemed you hadn’t seen each other in days.
>That’s because the two of you hadn’t save for eating lunch together for a brief 15 minutes.
>Today was starting out much like the same, another meeting about possible training, and patrols patterns.
>At least you had time to go to the dining hall that Luna and Celestia ate at along with members of the other royalty.
>Luna was too absorbed in a book to see you approach, or see you sneak quietly behind her.
>You bent down and kissed her cheek, startling her into giving a small squeak.
“Good morning Princess, mind if I eat with you?”
>”Of course Anonymous.” Luna was blushing slightly, still unused to the idea of PDA apparently.
>That, or she was embarrassed by the small squeak you forced out of her.
>You took your seat next to her, and waited for your food to be delivered.
>”I see Shining Armor finally let you leave the guards”
“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting this job to have so much…”
>Curse your lack of Equestrian swear words.
>”Bulls shit?”
“Bullshit, yes.”
>Luna chuckled, “I’m still not sure if I should teach you those words in Equestrian, I have a feeling you’ll make quite the scene at clubs.”
“You’re probably right about that.”
>Your breakfast came, which you began to eat with some haste.
>”Today’s Friday, are you going to the club with Spitfire and Soarin?”
“Actually, I was thinking we could go out.”
>”I don’t think I should be going out to club right now. Even if I was the type of p0ny that would enjoy such activities.”
“Have you even been to a club Luna?”
>”No, I haven’t.”
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to take you sometime in the future.”
>”Sometime in the very distant future, I’m sure. I’d worry about our… package.”
“Of course. But tonight I was thinking we could go to a local restaurant. I hear Octavia is playing at the Gilded Lily tonight.”
>”That sounds lovely, Anon. Meet me in the courtyard when you get off tonight.”
“Then I’ll see you tonight Luna, take care.”
>You finished your drink and made your way out to the castle hallways, and went back to work.
>More reports, more files, and more questions from Shining Armor.
>How the hell did he run the guard before you came along?
>You checked the clock on the wall after what seemed like every hour, finding it only to have moved only a few minutes.
>”Anon! You there?”
“Huh? Oh! Sorry Shining Armor, I dazed off.”
>”Got some where to be Anonymous? You’ve been looking at the clock all day.”
“I was planning on going to The Gilded Lily with Luna, somewhat of a dinner date.”
>”Why didn’t you say so? Get on out of here!”
“You sure Shiny?”
>”Yeah, get out of here before I change my mind”
“Thanks, but you still owe me one. This don’t count!”
>You rushed out of your office and to your room, tossing aside clothes until you found your best outfit and put it on.
>With you nice clothes on, you went to the courtyard to find Luna.
>She was chatting with Celestia, in front of the spot where Discord’s statue once stood.
>An ever absent reminder of the danger Equestria was in.
>”Anonymous, I was beginning to wonder if Captain Shining Armor was going to keep you to himself all night.”
>Luna smiled, turning to face you in her black dress that was studded with diamonds all over to mimic the night sky
“I don’t think the Captain is a colt cuddler.”
>The two princesses chuckled, ”Well, I’ll leave you two alone. Have fun at dinner sister.”
>Celestia made her way inside, leaving you with Luna, and the two of you made your way into the city.
“You look lovely tonight Luna.”
>”Thank you Anonymous. I was saving this for the Gala…”
“Gala?”
>”Oh, right. It’s a bit of a formal ball we have once a year. I forgot you didn’t know about it. You showed up in Equestria a few days after it.”
“I see…”
>“You have a suit, correct? Wouldn’t want you underdressed.”
”This is actually my best outfit… but I don’t tend to go to formal parties anyway.”
>”If I have to suffer through this, you do too.”
“Gee thanks.”
>You arrived at the Gilded Lily after a brief walk, finding the restaurant fairly packed.
>Octavia must be quite the star around these parts.
>A lone p0ny stood at a pedestal, looking down at a list.
>”Do you have a reservation?” You hated this guy already, all snooty and proper.
>”Sorry, I do believe I forgot to make one. Surely you have room.”
>The p0ny opened his mouth as he looked up from his book, as if he was about to say something, then dropped his jaw at the sight of the Princess.
>”I’m sure we have an empty table for you Princess Luna! One moment!”
>The p0ny quickly made his way through the restaurant, looking for a table.
>He quickly rushed back, and showed you to a table right by the stage where Octavia was playing.
“Seems dating a Princess has its perks.”
>”It would seem that way. That or he was afraid of the creature that survived Tartarus.”
“I doubt it.”
>The waitress came to the table to take your orders, the very air about her seemed jittery and nervous.
>”G-good evening your highness, would you care for a bottle of our finest wine? It’s a-”
>“Water will do fine, thank you miss.” Luna smiled softly at the waitress in efforts to put her at ease.
>”Oh, ok. And you sir?”
“Water as well please.”
>The waitress gave a small bow and hurried off to get your drinks, retuning only moments later with the two glasses and set them on the table.
>The food came just as quickly, each thing looked just as delicious as the next.
>All that was left was to sit back and talk, allowing the soft music to fill in any silence that came between you two.
>Around 2300, you paid the bill, much to Luna’s protest.
>You were too nice of a guy sometimes, but Luna liked it, so you would keep doing it.
>The walk back to the castle was fairly quiet, With Luna arranging the stars in the night sky as the two of you walked.
>Luna walked so that her body pressed against your side, allowing your hand to drape over her shoulers.
>It was the closest thing the two of you had to holding hands.
>”Thank you for the romantic evening Anonymous. We should do this more often.”
“Yes we should.”
>The two of you paused in the courtyard, where Luna stood on her hind legs and draped her forelegs over your shoulders.
>You wrapped your arms around her in a hug, and took in the perfect moment.
>The stars, the air, the statue gleaming in the starlight behind Luna, the scent of her perfume, the feel of her fur and mane against your skin.
>Wait… That statue shouldn’t be there.
>You did a double take at it, confirming what you were seeing.
>In the darkness, a pair of yellow and red eyes cracked open, and stared right back at you.
>”What a lovely couple…”
>Discord.
>Luna spun around at the familiar voice, he horn already glowing.
>”Oh please, don’t let me interrupt! It was just simply adorable to see the soon to be parents of a freak.”
>You didn’t waste a second, springing forward at Discord with your fist in full swing.
>Just like always, your fist connected with no more than smoke.
“How do you know about that?”
>You spun around in search of Discord, the night sky making it more difficult than usual.
>Your eyes locked with the two red and yellow eyes mere inches away from your own, causing you to flinch.
>A dull pain filled your abdomen, causing you to double over as the wind was knocked out of you.
>”You just don’t learn do you Anonymous. I know everything!”
>He disappeared again, just as a bolt of lightning arced through the air he once occupied.
>Luna trotted over to your side and pulled you to your feet.
>”Are you ok?”
“I’ve had worse… where is he?”
>”Yoo-hoo! Over here!”
>Fucking Discord, he was toying with the two of you again.
“What do you want from us Discord?”
>”I just want to hang out with my favorite human! No one else ever plays with me after all.”
“I am so sick of your shit Discord.”
>You charged again, and once again met empty air.
“Why don’t you stay and actually fight me? Afraid?”
>”Anon don’t!” Luna tied to caution you, just as Discord reappeared behind you.
>His claw came down across your back, tearing a gash in it diagonally.
>You fell to the ground in pain, and Luna shot off another lightning bolt.
>So close, the arc had to have been only a few inches away from his chest when he teleported.
>Luna rushed over once more, but you were already on your feet.
>if you couldn’t take him on one on two, maybe you could do it one on a hundred.
“Shoot a light spell in the air.”
>”How is that going to help us?”
“Just do it!”
>Luna charged her horn and shot into the air, the spell dissipating after a few hundred feet.
>”Can’t fight your battles for you? Very well.”
>With a snap of his fingers, Discord multiplied into several copies of himself, each one wearing a toothy grin of his impending victory.
>Guards swarmed in from above , dismounting their chariots and surrounding the multiplying Discords that surrounded you.
>”May the chaos begin!”
“With pleasure. Now hold still.”
>Luna cracked off lightning at the first Discord, vaporizing it instantly as you charged in toward what you thought to be the real Discord.
>The guards joined in the fray as well, Pegasi diving in from the air above in efforts to make contact with the Discords while Unicorns shot off bolts of energy.
>You finally made contact with the Discord you were fighting, driving your fist into its head and having it turn to dust at your feet.
>A fake, duplicate. All that effort for dust at your feet.
>Looking around, a lot of the p0nies around you were having the same luck.
>Suddenly, a thunderous voice filled the air “ENOUGH!”
>One Discord nearby teleported and reappeared next to Luna, his remaining clones turning to dust all around.
>Luna charged her horn once more, just as Discord gripped it with his lion paw, and with his talon redirected the arc straight at you.
>The arc struck your chest; its power seemed weakened by its premature firing and redirection.
>Regardless, the jolt was enough to knock you on your back, pain lancing through your body.
>You struggled to get up, fueled at this point by nothing but adrenaline and anger.
>Discord had Luna’s horn gripped tightly, a razor sharp talon at her throat.
“Let her go…”
>”Why would I do that? I have everyone right where I want them. After all, being your best friend, I think I should announce the big news!”
“You wouldn’t…”
>”You can’t deny the chaos that would ensue.”
>Just as he trailed off with his words, Celestia herself swooped down beside you, her mane set ablaze like she had it in Tartarus.
>”Nice of you to join us Celestia! The parties just about to get started!”
>As Discord was talking, you could make out Luna’s horn began to glow brightly.
>”Now now Princess Luna, you don’t want another lightning bolt to hit poor Anonymous over there. I don’t think his little body can take another.”
>Well, there was one thing you agreed on.
>”You have everyone where you want them…” Luna was obviously struggling with what ever spell she was about to cast.
>Her eyes suddenly shot open, glowing bright white “But I have you exactly where I want you!”
>A lance of white light burst from her horn, striking Discord’s hand as he tried to redirect it like the lightning.
>Instead, his hand turned to stone, and he brought it in front of his face in horror as the stone spread across his body.
>”NO! NOT LIKE THIS! YOU”RE COMING WITH ME!”
>He gripped Luna’s horn tighter, forcing  her to wail.
>The stone transformation wrapped around Discord, and then jumped to Luna, and began transforming her as well.
“NO!”
>You sprinted toward her, hoping to rip her away from Discord’s grasp.
>The lightning strike had really messed you up however, forcing you to stumble, trip, and face plant in the stone path.
>When you looked up, it was too late.
>The light had faded, leaving only a statue of Discord gripping Luna’s horn in anger, his hand raised as if he was about to deliver a death blow.
>You scrambled to your feet, continuing your charge at the statue, driving your fist into Discord’s stony face over and over.
>You felt a sickening snap as your hand broke, and you collapsed to the ground once more.
>The p0ny you had spent so much time with, had fallen in love with, and was about to start a family with, was now nothing more than a giant lawn ornament.
>Manly tears fell that night. Many, manly tears.
>You felt a hoof fall on your shoulder, but you didn’t bother to look up to see who it was.
>”Guards, return to your posts. The battle’s over.” Celestia’s voice seemed like it was right over top of you.
>You felt Celestia nuzzle against the side of your face, which you flinched away from.
>She had seen you angry, uncomfortable, happy, but this was new.
>Demons didn’t cry, they didn’t love, and they didn’t show emotion like this.
>She accepted that Anonymous wasn’t a demon a long time ago.
>But now she realized how much like a p0ny he was, as he laid on the ground at her hooves.
>”I’m sorry Anon… I know she meant a lot to you as well…”
>You remained silent, your voice too choked up to squeeze out a single word.
>Not that you had anything to say anyways.
>”Come Anonymous, we should get you to a doctor to treat your wounds.”
>Again, more silence.
>You acknowledged the throbbing pain in your hand and backside, but little else.
>You just didn’t have the will to stand up.
>The last time you lost a friend like this, you had been in the back of the MRAP, stuffing wounds with gauze.
>this stung a thousand times more, the empty numb feeling that plagued you so long ago was back and stronger than ever.
>”Anon, com-“
“I’m fine…”
>”Very well. I guess I’ll do it then.”
>Just as you were about to respond, a mist wrapped around your backside, and you felt the flesh comeback together.
>The sensation felt like alcohol being poured down your backside, causing you to cringe and grunt in pain.
>The mist wrapped around your hand as well, healing the bloody skin over your knuckles and setting your bones straight.
“Thank you…”
>A wing draped over your body as Celestia lay down beside you, startling you.
“What are-“
>You looked over at the white alicorn, and to your surprise saw tears shimmering in the moon light.
>You ass, Celestia was Luna’s sister, she was probably hurt more than you were right now. After spending so many years together and all.
“I’m sorry too…”
>You leaned over and embraced her, looking up at the new statue in front of you two.
>The two of you sat there for what seemed like hours, before you finally drifted off to sleep under a feathery blanket of Celestia’s wing.

>Fall asleep in courtyard, wake up in bed.
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>[N]/[Y]
>You crawled out of bed, noticing you were still in your outfit from the night before.
>You changed out of it, noticing the torn back side
>It really happened last night, Discord, the battle, Luna sacrificing herself to stop Discord…
>The half bottle of Apple Whiskey was already looking good.
>Still, maybe you imagined that last part.
>You donned a set of clothes, and slowly made your way to the courtyard.
>Shining Armor would understand if you were a bit late today, yesterday was rough regardless if you imagined it or not.
>Entering the courtyard, you could see the statue from the castle entrance.
>You didn’t need to walk all the way up to it to tell Luna was really there.
>But you had to touch it, see it up close, before you could believe it.
>You placed a hand on Luna’s stony body, running a hand along the coarse texture.
>”Anon…” Shining Armor approached you from behind.
“I’ll report in soon…”
>You knelt by the statue, placing your forehead against it.
>More manly tears were on their way, and there was no way you were stopping them.
>”Take the day off Anon, take the week off for all I care. I can’t use you like this.”
“Thanks Captain…”
>”Let me know if you need anything.” He placed a hoof on your back side as he spoke, then paused moment in case you needed to say anything.
>After a moment of silence, he withdrew his hoof and walked off leaving you in the courtyard alone.
>You spent some time there, just kneeling by the statue, doing your best not to look at Discord, before finally getting to your feet and wiping the remaining tears from your eyes.
>You made your way back to your room, passing Celestia along the way, her head hung low.
“Princess?”
>She looked up momentarily, forcing out a small smile.
>”Morning, Anonymous. Are you doing… ok?”
>You only shrugged, finding yourself at a loss for words still.
>”Would you care to join me in the libray?”
“I don’t think I’m in the mood to read Celestia.”
>”Even if it could bring back Luna?”
“…Well, that I may  be willing to do some reading for. Lead on.”
>If there was even the slightest chance you could bring Luna back, you would do whatever it took.
>In the library, you and Celestia began grabbing all sorts of scrolls and tomes, with various symbols marked all over them.
>Quite honestly, you had no idea how you were going to help Celestia, the markings were unlike an you had ever seen, possibly an ancient equestrian language.
“Celestia, I can’t read any of these. How exactly am I supposed to help?”
>”Just bring me scrolls, and when I finish with one put it away. That way we won’t have to stop and clean up.”
>That was pretty logical, even if you didn’t have a direct impact you would be able to support the overall effort.
>Damn you brain for always looking at things in a military perspective.
“Alright, let’s get this stated
>You began placing scrolls on the table, and almost immediately were tasked with taking scrolls back as Celestia began reading with the speed of Kenyans.
>This would prove to be quite a physical job.
>The hours of the day seemed to go by quickly, your only actions consisting of shuffling back and forth from shelf to Celestia and to another shelf.
>”I need to go lower the sun for the night Anonymous, could you clean up in here?” Celestia sounded as  drained as you were.
“Is it that time already?”
>”Unfortunately, yes. And I yet to find a single scroll that even looked promising.”
>You were already busy putting away an armful of scrolls in a box you had found, so that the two of you could pick up in the same place tomorrow.
>”Good night Anonymous, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
>Just as she stepped out, your stomach gave a thunderous roar that would have scared small animals away.
>You never even ate breakfast, and chances are neither had Celestia.
>You placed the box of tomes and scrolls under the table and made your way to the dining hall.
>Thankfully there were still a few p0nies still on duty, though they were cleaning up everything.
>You grabbed the attention of the first one you came to.
“Excuse me, do you have any food left over?”
>”I think we have a few muffins left, would you like a bag of them Anonymous?”
“Yes ma’am, thank you.”
>The p0ny disappeared into the kitchen, coming back out with a white  paper bag filled with muffins.
“Thanks again ma’am.”
>You hurried off to meet Celestia before she turned in for the night, finding her just as she was coming back inside.
“Celestia!”
>Her ears perked up, and she cranked her head around to look at you.
>”Anon, I thought you would be in bed by now, what are you doing?”
“I brought you some food, I know I went all day without eating, I figured you would have to.”
>That brought a small smile to her face. “That was thoughtful of you Anonymous, thank you.”
“You welcome, Celestia. I’ll see you in the morning after sunrise.”
 >”Good night Anon.”
>You made your way back to your bedroom, quickly passing out on the bed without bothering to undress.
>It was going to take forever to go through that library.
>You’d been at this for weeks, hopelessly going through the giant library in search of a spell that would work.
>Dispelling magic was almost unheard of in Equestria, as most spells had relatively short term effects.
>Whatever Luna had cast, it was powerful, turning her and Discord into stone for what could be months, or forever.
>”Anon… ANON!”
“Huh? Wha- I dozed off again, didn’t I?”
>”It would seem so. It is past noon, should we head to lunch?”
“Luna needs us to figure out this spell, one of us should sta-“
>”Anon, you need to rest your eyes. We both do. We could be looking right at the spell and not realize it.”
>She had you there, and there was no argument you had against it.
“Ok, I guess you’re right.”
>”I know Anon, come on.” Celestia gave one of her small chuckles.
>She walked a few paces away, and then turned to wait for you to catch up. “Come on Anon, I’m getting hungry.”
“You sound like your sister.”
>Celestia laughed a little, which in turn made you laugh.
>Seems laughter was infectious, and it spread between the two of you like a plague, intensifying for a few seconds
“Why… are we… laughing?”
>You could barely get the sentence out between your gasps for air and laughter
>Finally it died down after a few minutes, leaving you two standing in the library, with you leaned against a shelf.
“Alright, let’s go get some food, Princess.”
>The two of you walked side by side to the dining hall, and sat at one of the nicest table you had always assumed Celestia reserved for herself.
>The two of you ate quietly for the most part until Celestia spoke halfway through the meal.
>”Why do you and Luna never eat at the royal table with me?”
“Royal table? You mean this one?”
>Celestia nodded, looking down at her plate.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because she always eats with me, and didn’t think I was allowed to eat here.”
>She shook her head, a sad look on her face.
“Maybe it’s because we never got along in the past.”
>”Do we not get along now?”
>She was right, you hadn’t argued since you came out of Tartarus with those p0nies.
“We do…”
>”Then why don’t we eat together more? Or talk? Or… anything.”
”I don’t know Princess Celestia. I guess I never saw you as a friend.”
>“Oh…”
>Smooth brain, you probably just made her feel great.
“We’ve always just been like… business acquaintances.”
>”I understand Anonymous, I’m sorry I brought it up.”
>Damn it brain, you’re a smooth talker.
>Sit back, shut up, and watch this.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t be friends now.”
>Celestia smiled and looked up at you from her plate, “That’s kind of you to say Anon.”
“Come on, we should get back to the library, this spell won’t find itself.”
>You grabbed a sack of food for later and made your way out the door with Celestia back to the library.
>The two of you dove back into the books, putting aside a few tomes that looked promising
>”Take these to the statue, I need to lower the sun.”
“Sounds good Princess. See you soon.”
>You made your way to the courtyard where Luna’s statue remained unmoved.
>The night sky soon came into view; the moonlight seemed to capture Luna’s beauty even in her stony form.
>Celestia swooped down next to you, taking up the first tome with her magic.
“Let’s hope this works…”
>”It will Anon, stand back.”
>Celestia’s horn grew brighter than any you had ever seen, and hit the statue.
>The light faded, revealing an unchanged Luna.
>”Right, next spell…” Celestia’s voice was shaken, but she did her best to maintain her composure.
>You handed her the next tome, and watched as she cast it, to no avail.
“Last one. Third time’s a charm, right?”
>Celestia looked at the tome, then cast the final spell as you looked on in hopes of seeing the stone fade away to blue fur.
>As the light faded, so did your hopes.
>Nothing had changed, not even a little.
>You stood there for a few minutes, hoping the dispel effect would work after a few minutes.
>Celestia put her wing around you, seeing your saddened face.
>”I’m sorry Anonymous, we’ll try again tomorrow…”
“Yeah… I guess we will…”
>She withdrew her wing as the two of you walked inside the castle, Celestia staying by your side until you came across your room.
“Good night Celestia… See you tomorrow.”
>”We’ll get it eventually Anon, don’t worry.”
>You shut the door as she finished her sentence, and got ready for bed.
>Today started out like any other day.
>Wake up to rays of sunshine on your face.
>Look at picture of Luna you had taken from her room a few weeks ago in order to get motivated.
>Stumble into shower, allow brain to process the number of fucks it has in stock.
>Number is still 0.
>This is where it got different.
>you opened your door to find Celestia in mid- knock.
“I’m up. Am I running late or something?”
>”No Anon, I… was hoping we could talk.”
“Walk and talk, I want to get started as soon as possible.”
>”That’s just it Anonymous… It’s been three months… We’ve went through almost every spell in the library.”
“Which means we’re almost done with finding a proper spell.”
>”Yes… I suppose that’s true.”
“Are you trying to imply differently?”
>Your tone grew serious, if somewhat angry.
>Celestia avoided eye contact as best she could.
>”I don’t like it either Anon, but we might not be able to bring her back…”
“I won’t stop until I’ve used every spell in Equestria on that statue out there, with or without you.”
>”I expect nothing less from you by now Anon. However, we have worked on this without a day off for so long. All I suggest, is that we take a day off.”
“How can you-“
>”Anon, you can go to the library if you want. But I’m tired from yesterday still. I need to relax.”
“Very well, I’ll do it myself.”
>Brain: Are you forgetting something?
>What?
>You can’t into magic.
>A valid point good sir.
 “Alright. I guess one day won’t hurt…”
>”Perhaps we could do something together. Since we have become friends, haven’t we?”
>You always imagined Celestia being more charismatic than this, perhaps she was awkward around you after everything she did to you in the past.
“I suppose, what would you like to do?”
>”Well, there’s the theatre that plays orchestras and plays regularly. Perhaps we could go see one.”
>You didn’t care for the theatre, watching plays and listening to orchestras.
>Still, if you were forced to take a day off, it did sound relaxing. And you couldn’t abandon Celestia after telling her you would try to be more of a friend.
“Sounds as good as anything I suppose. When is the first showing?”
>”I’ll send somep0ny by when I find out. I should attend to a few things I’ve neglected over the past few months.”
“Then I’ll see you later.”
>Celestia trotted down the hallway, leaving you to wander about the castle in search of things to do.
>Despite your efforts, you ended up at the statue, as if your mere presence would restore her back.
>”Anonymous I take it?”
>You turned your head to meet the purplish eyes of a pink alicorn.
“I don’t think we’ve been introduced.”
>”Princess Cadence. Shining Armor’s husband.”
“Nice to meet you, Princess. Shining Armor is a good friend.”
>”Yes… He has been a bit concerned about you, though his work leaves little time to see those closest to him.”
“I hope he’s followed his own advice and made time for you.”
>”Well, yes. He has been doing better about that. You both seem to be workaholics still.”
>You didn’t a response for that, you were a bit of a workaholic.
>There was a silence between the two of you for a while, making Cadence shift uncomfortably.
>”You miss Luna…”
“Obviously.”
>Your answer was dry, as if Cadence had simply asked if it was sunny out when the sun was shining on the both of you.
>”Most p0nies would have lost hope by now.”
“I’m no p0ny.”
>Brain, chill out. She’s trying to help.
>You looked over at Cadence, who seemed a bit flustered at your shortness.
“Sorry, I guess I’m just…-“
>”It’s a sore subject for you, I understand. I just wanted to say your loyalty to Luna is unrivaled by any I have seen. Luna is a very lucky mare to have you.”
“Thank you Princess. Sometimes I wonder if I should give up. But something keeps me going…”
>”The power of love?”
>You couldn’t help but chuckle. That was sappy. You looked back from the statue over to her, as she eyed you curiously.
“Sorry, it’s just where I come from… never mind.”
>”Stay strong Anonymous. I’m sure you and Celestia will find a way to bring her back.”
“Thank you Princess.”
>She walked off, leaving you alone at the statue for a few moments.
>Your silence was interrupted yet again as a guard swept down to you, the armor style denoting a member of the elite guard.
>”Sir, Celestia wanted me to give you this.”
>You took the piece of paper from his mouth and looked it over.
>Dinner at 1700 at the Gilded Lily, and a ticket to the 1900 showing of a play.
>Why were your jimmies rustling?