[Canterlot] Recuperation in...Paradise? [Closed] [Ended]

[Skye]

Continued from [Woodlands] Night Walk [Closed]

The world swirled around Skye's consciousness as he began to struggle back towards the land of the living. At least, in his mind, though he had a terrible headache for some reason. Suddenly he gasped as his entire body felt like it was on fire, until at least it slowly receded towards the region of his flanks. The pain throbbed there, before slipping back like the tides of the ocean until he realized it didn't even actually hurt anymore but was merely the pain of a memory cut short before it had had fully the chance to become real. He squinted as he slowly became aware of his surroundings but only partially, and he was confused not to find the familiar roughness of the turf below, but instead the long-forgotten soft fabric of a bed supporting him. It had been ages since he had felt safe enough in Ponyville to stay anywhere that had a bed, but this one seemed absolutely immense to any he could recall. Like an ocean of bed. An ocean, that his mind kept trying to surface from before he realized that the smells weren't familiar either.

For one, it seemed a bit cooler here, a little less dense, certainly not dusty at all. Clean, though with the fragrance of torchlight. Silence greeted his ears and as he opened his eyes he realized he may as well kept them shut for all he could see. Dark as anything except perhaps his cave, nothing presented itself to his sight except for the shadows of what he could barely make out to be a bedroom of some kind. Or perhaps an infirmary, for the smells of gauze and other mediciny-type implements he cared not to see. He struggled for a moment as he realized he was laying on his side and for a moment more almost panicked before he realized the heavy weight on him was a blanket. The world swam around him again for a moment and he nearly retched from the sensation of vertigo. Then the feeling passed and he opened his eyes again, lowering his head over the side of the bed. Beneath him was the sturdy stone floor and a sturdy carpet covering it. Gingerly, he lowered his forelegs and stepped on it. The carpet did not slide, and the rest of him soon joined him on the floor. As he tried to stand up, he wobbled again, and collapsed. The memory of the fight with the bear suddenly rushed through him like liquid fire and he gasped.

"Hello? Anyone there? Luna?" he called into the darkness. Nobody answered him, and as he struggled back to his feet, he winced as his leg gave a twinge. It didn't feel bandaged up, nor did the usual crust of scab tug at the muscle, but it still was a little bit sore and probably would be. His weakness was likely from loss of blood which even Phoenix Tears couldn't replace. But he'd be alright, if he'd lived this long, he'd live even further. But the darkness didn't help him a whole lot, and he didn't want to get lost in...wherever he was. Another wave of nausea rippled through him and he decided to return to the bed and sleep it off until morning where he would be more able to decide what to do. And maybe find out where Luna had gone. He turned back and found the bed with the edge of his nose.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Luna awoke in the dark. She tried to recall where she was and what exactly had happenedâ€â€Âbut she had a profuse headache. She stumbled out of bed, realizing that the room was not her own. She found the door already open, and stood in the hall for a moment trying to get her bearings. She used her horn to create some light, but with her head hurting so she couldn't keep it up for long. She figured out where she was and headed for the kitchen.

That was when she rememberedâ€â€ÂSkye! But her head pounded too much for her to figure out what had happened. Maybe after a cup of tea...

Luna, feeling refreshed, recalled the events of what she thought were the previous day. How long she had been out, she couldn't tell. Celestia had promised to care for Skye...so wherever he was, he was fine. Luna would worry about it in the morning. That was what she told herself...but she was really worried about him now.

But as she walked back to the room, her glowing horn began to fade, and she yawned. She felt her way to the bed, climbing under the large soft blankets. The thought of Skye nagged at her, but tiredness took its toll.

* * *

The morning sun made Luna feel hot and stuffy under so many covers. The blankets lay heavy on her, heavier than she had remembered them being the previous night. She opened her eyes, trying to kick off the covers. She felt something heavy on her side as she moved, and lifted the blankets to seeâ€â€ÂSKYE?!

Skye's head and front hooves lay on her flank, and he was asleep. Thank goodness he was alright, butâ€â€ÂHE was in her bed!

She pushed herself away from him, getting tangled in blankets as she did so. She pushed herself too far, past the edge of the bed, and fell onto the floor. Her back hit the floor with a thump, knocking the air out of her. She rolled over and coughed, trying to get her breath back and remove herself from the blankets.

[Skye]

The peryton moaned a little as Luna stirred and woke, slipping out from underneath him, but his dreams were still somewhat troubled with half-remembered moments and emotions. As she fell out of bed, he rolled over and twitched, then breathed raggedly before he stretched and yawned, opening an eye. As his surroundings came into focus and he realized Luna was there, on the floor beside the large bed, he awoke fully with a start, his ears springing erect as he looked around. "What, but...Luna, where are we? Last thing I remember was..." he turned and extended his hindleg, looking at his flank where the bear had mauled him. Naught but a few darkened spots on his leg and a crust of dried blood marked where the bear had struck him, though he was still woozy from the loss of blood. He lowered his head and moaned again, squinting his eyes shut. "Still have a headache, but...better now. Are you okay?" he cracked one eye to look at her. "And what are you doing on the floor?"

His nostrils twitched as he caught the scent of expired torches smouldering in their sconces, then the rush of scents from being higher than he was used to, and turned to look towards the balcony on the other side of the curtain that guarded the room from the elements. "We're not...in Canterlot, are we?" he raised his head gingerly to look around the spartan room with its large beds, evidently a recovery room of some kind, and peered over the bed where the Princess was in a most undignified position at the carpets on the floor. "Did she bring us both up here? What happened to the bear? Are you alright? You're not hurt, I hope? Oh, Celestia, I'm so sorry for leaving you when I did, I was so terribly thirsty after eating the berries, I felt that you would be okay where you were and didn't realize how long I'd been gone, and when I'd returned and you weren't there, I panicked but..." he slowed down his rush of speech, and lowered his tone of voice. "I didn't expect to wake up next to you..."

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Luna blushed deeply as Skye mentioned their brief 'intimate' moment, her cheeks growing red and hot.

'YOUâ€â€ÂYOUâ€â€Â' Luna stammered as she pushed away the heavy cloth on top of her. She backed away from the bed, glaring at Skye and shaking with rage. 'Whatâ€â€Âwhat in Equestria were you thinking?! Climbing into bed next to one of the Princesses... And after I trusted you! You're justâ€â€Âyou're just a ruffian, that's what you are! A sneaky little blue ruffian!'

She back away from him further, her head lowered as if she might charge, but her eyes remained fixated on the blue Peryton. She took another step backwards, and bumped into the other bed.

'Ouch!' she yelled, as a slight pain ran through her back. She sat down on the floor and rubbed at the hurting part with a hoof. 'Must've hurt myself when I fell out of bed...' she mumbled.

'This is all your fault!' she said, pointing a hoof at Skye.

[Skye]

His eyes went wide and blinked for several moments at the unexpected tirade. It took a moment to process through his still muzzy brains before he tried to slip off the bed. He winced as his still sore leg came in contact with the floor, and he favored it as he stood a little splay-legged and looked at the Princess from over the mussed covers. "I didn't mean anything, it was dark and I didn't realize you were there! It's an awfully large bed, and I've never been here before. I don't even remember coming here!" he tried taking a step towards Luna and nearly tripped as his stiff leg took a moment to catch up. He decided to remain where he was on the carpet and hung his head.

"I know. I'm not used to having extended company, and I'd thought of you as a fawn and that you'd stay by the berry bush until I returned with water. I'm sorry, Princess, I assumed too much. Time got away from me too quickly, too. I knew you'd be thirsty and I should have waited until you woke up. And I didn't expect there to be a hungry bear nearby either. Normally I'd have picked up on it, but...I was distracted." he looked up at her. "I hope you can forgive me, this has been a very unusual couple of days...at least, I think it's only been a couple of days." he looked up, then out across the balcony. "Was it only yesterday?" he wobbled a moment, and tried taking a step, followed by another.

He looked back at her. "I promised you I'd be there, and then I wasn't. But I'd never hurt you on purpose, or do anything...untoward. I didn't realize you were there, but...I admit, I did rest much easier."

[MyLittlePonyTales]

A part of Luna wanted to get up and help Skye, make sure that is was okay. But the other part was still fuming at him, at hisâ€â€Âinsolence!

'Well, I, as a Princess, would never partake in something so crude and improper as climbing into bed with someoneâ€â€Âsomeoneâ€â€Âelse, shall we say.' she paused. 'As for the bearâ€â€Â' Luna attempted to act nonchalant, even as she fought to suppress a shudder thinking about it. 'â€â€Âwe both survived, so your apology is accepted.'

She watched as Skye walked slowly toward her, each step looking like it took a lot of effort. 'You shouldn't walk on that!' she exclaimed, and then added, 'Celestia's probably worked very hard to heal your wound, and she won't be happy if you mess it up.'

'As for how long we've been here...I just remember waking up last night with a horrid headache. Well, I made myself some tea in the kitchen, after stumbling through the dark castle looking for it. I don't know who's idea it was to not put me in my room. Would have made things much easier, then me having to crawl of an unfamiliar bed, and then backâ€â€Â' she turned and glanced behind herself at the second bed in the room. She recalled the night before, when she hadn't had a very good sense of direction...it was entirely possible that it was herself who had gotten into the wrong bed upon her return, rather than Skye being the scandalous Peryton she had momentarily thought he was.

'Skye!' Luna snapped back to reality. 'Get back in bed this instant!' she said firmly, coming up next to him to help support his weight away from his injuries. 'Iâ€â€ÂI'm really sorry for what I said...I suppose it was my fault that we...ended up the way we did.' she paused a moment, then realized what she had suggested. 'Not that I did it on purpose! It was really dark, and I was so sleepyâ€â€ÂSkye, you can't tell anyone! Not even Celestia. Please Skye, can you promise me?'

[Skye]

His step wobbled again as he tested his footing, then seemed a bit more stable as he stopped where he was, though he somewhat leaned against the foot of the bed. As she berated him for his indiscretion (At least, as far as he knew, he wasn't even sure what was going on at the moment, this was all just happening so fast and that headache wasn't helping much), though he ducked his head as she accepted his apology. "Thank you, Princess. I promise I didn't do it on purpose. But...I think if I were to wake up beside anyone, I'd rather it have been you than say, one of the palace guards or worse yet...Celestia...I vaguely remember a wing and her warmth, but I'm not sure if that was real or if I imagined it."

He turned to look back towards his leg, extending it out for a better look. "Good as new, mostly...she must have used Phoenix Tears on me. Heals the wound, but doesn't do much for blood loss, and the body's shock takes a little while to get over it. I'll be alright, Luna, it's just...I could use something to drink, and maybe eat, I think we could both use something perhaps. Some of that tea would be wonderful, perhaps. And something with sugar in it, maybe? It might help us both. Is there someone we can call to? I can't believe we're both alone here, but..." as she spoke of leaving the room and fetching something to drink, it was entirely possible she'd merely gotten a little turned around from where they'd both been placed, a room apart or perhaps even just a bed apart, there were two in the room at present.

As her voice called back to him imperiously, he blinked, and looked back up to her. "I...what? Bed?" he glanced back towards the bed which, at the moment, seemed like a monumental task to climb back in just after he'd managed to make it back out without falling on the floor this time. In and out, in and out, at this rate, he'd have his strength back in no time, all this exercise, if his body wouldn't likely decide it'd had enough and put him out until he was more reasonable about it. Which, given the state of things, would probably be less than proper and she'd already had enough of that tonight. "No need to apologize, Princess. I'd never do anything to you that you didn't wish of me, though it's likely a good thing we woke up here together like that, rather than elsewhere." at her cajoling at getting him back into the bed, he sighed and melodramatically slipped back atop the flat surface. The coolness of the covers actually did feel good, maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

The deer cracked an eye again as she explained herself further, then both gazed at her as she forbid him from speaking of it. "I promise I won't say, Luna. I'm not even certain what anyone might think, though I have to say, if this is a dungeon, it's probably the most pleasant of dungeons I would have imagined...I always thought they were dark and dank and musty and this is anything but. And they don't have balconies, as far as I knew..."

[MyLittlePonyTales]

'Skye? What are you...' Luna cocked her head to the side at his last statement. 'We're not...in a dungeon. For one thing, I'm a Princess, a ruler of Equestria, which makes the thought inconceivable and nonsensical. Do you...are you feeling alright?' She laid a hoof on his forehead, then realized how ridiculous that was. She wasn't a doctor, she had no idea what his temperature was even supposed to beâ€â€Âplus, he was a Peryton, not a pony.

'I'llâ€â€Â' Luna was becoming unnecessarily frantic. 'I'll have somepony bring something from the kitchen for you, alright?' She headed out the door, but turned back and peeked around it once more before leaving the room. 'Justâ€â€Âstay put.' she told him.

She returned shortly with some hot tea, which she offered to Skye. Soon after, a couple of serving ponies entered with two rolling trays heaped with food. A third pony came afterward with a teapot full of hot water and some cups, along with a more than decent supply of different flavors of tea. Luna quickly dismissed them, pushing one of the trays closer to Skye's bed.

'Here, you should eat something. Iâ€â€ÂI didn't know what you liked, so there's waffles and pancakes and french toast and berries and jam and more tea and fresh fruitâ€â€Âthere has to be something you like!'

[Skye]

He seemed to wobble as he climbed back into bed, and closed his eyes again as she started speaking. His ears followed her voice as she moved around and he made small sounds of acknowledgement. Though it wasn't clear he was particularily paying attention. For having a rough night, he seemed to fall asleep again rather quickly. However, he seemed fine, if perhaps a little warm, and his sides moved up and down in the normal rhythm of sleep. He just likely needed more rest, and he'd been inside for quite a while. As she spoke, he didn't seem to hear her, though it was easy to get the impression from the time that had passed that tea and food would be a good idea altogether.

When she returned, he was still fairly out, though at her urging he opened his eyes again and gazed at the tea offered to him. A sip, then a second, then he lifted his head and drank more readily, licking his lips. It may have been hot, but it was possibly the most delicious thing he could think of, and it was wet besides, and completely seemed to do the trick. He sat back up in bed, and blinked at her, a little sleepily as he sipped, then broke into a smile. "You can relax, Princess, I'm not going anywhere." as he swung towards the crowd of ponies that arrived, bringing a veritable smorgasbord of food, his eyes widened. He'd never seen the like, not a spread like this since...well, a very very long time. He'd have to think on it if he remembered to think about it later, but for now, he was ravenous. As Luna fluttered around exciteably, he couldn't help but smile. She was still young yet, and full of energy and life, and the sheer sight of her brought pleasure to his thoughts.

As she detailed the list of things she'd brought along, he stretched almost catlike on the bed, and nosed softly at a waffle, dabbing a bit of whipped cream on his nose. He stared cross-eyed at it for a moment, then looked over the rest before finding a cherry. He nosed at it carefully, then looked up at the princess with a large blob of whipped cream on his nose, stacked atop with a single cherry and grinned at her.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Luna had been nosing around the tea searching for a certain flavor, but she glanced up to see that Skye was alrightâ€â€Âand saw his ridiculous display. She stifled a giggle, turning away to clear her throatâ€â€Âit wasn't polite to laugh at others. When she turned back, she had tried to put on a serious face, but a smile threatened to show itself. 'Skye, stop playing around and eat! You'll never get your strength back if you play with your food. Besidesâ€â€Â' she paused as she poured hot water into a teacup, 'â€â€Âyou're not in the woods anymore, you're in civilization, and anypony else would find your behavior...well, deplorable.'

Then she thought better of her words. 'I'm sorry Skye, I didn't mean it likeâ€â€Âlike it sounded. It's just that I...I'm just used to being treated like a Princess. Guards bowing and servants attending to me, everypony always so prim and proper. But you're not like that. You don't treat me differently, and I don't know why. It just feels like...I've known you for a long time, even though we just met.'

She quietly added sugar to her teacup, staring into the darkening liquid.

[Skye]

Skye smiled, his expression bemused as his long tongue flicked out and whisked away the whipped cream and the cherry, munching on it thoughtfully. After he'd finished it, he turned and started to nibble on one of the waffles, and sipped on the tea. "It's very becoming when you giggle, you know. And playing with one's food is a right that the young have had since time has started. I may not be so young, but nowhere is it written that I know of that says mealtimes can't still be fun." a good piece of the waffle vanished as he took another bite, and he chewed quietly before swallowing the delicious bite. "The kitchens here are very good. It certainly must be a dungeon, for if this is moldy bread and rainwater, I think I'll just have to find a way to manage somehow." he winked, and sipped another swallow of his tea. "Civilization is where you bring it, too. But I promise not to embarass you in front of anypony if I can help it."

As she apologized again, he grinned once more. "Well, you are a Princess, that's a fact of life. And I'll never be anything other than a peryton, and your friend. I show respect to you, due your station, but I care about you as a friend. The other ponies have their duties, and I have mine." he finished off his waffle and started to nibble on one of the pieces of fruit. His eyes closed as he savored the sweet taste of the peach he'd found, then opened them again to take another drink of the hot tea. "My job is just much easier. When Celestia was your age, she thought nothing of running through the woods playing hide and seek. Even if we don't play anymore, I'm sure that filly's still inside her somewhere."

When Luna turned back to gaze into her teacup, he shifted a bit, extending a wing to brush against her. "When we're together, you don't have to feel like you need to be a Princess. You can be just plain Luna, a filly, having fun. There'll be plenty of time for your duties later, but for now, we can make the most of it. Just like last night, when you were with me. You hadn't had a care in the world, and it was all around you. As long as you remember me, you will always have me." her final comment made him smile. "Even though all I can do is influence dreams, though perhaps not you or Celestia's because of your powers, perhaps when you were in the moon some of them still managed to somehow reach you. I've waited a very long time for you to return."

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Luna continued to stare into her tea. 'It's funny. Celestia, I suppose, was a rambunctious child...but soon after I was born, we both began lessons to take on the royal duties. Even if I had had time, I wasn't allowed get dirty, or run, or even to leave the castle. They thought it was best if we learned together, and perhaps it was...but I missed out on that chance of childhood. Celestia was the oldest, and the favored...I guess that's why she was chosen to take on the duties of the sun, and I was not. She was the firstborn, and I am just her shadow.'

Luna had drifted off and was seemingly talking to herself. Then she remembered Skye.

'Oh I've said far too much!' she exclaimed, as if suddenly coming out of a trance. She moved toward one of the food trays, so that she could put food into her mouth rather than have words spilling out. As she turned, however, she bumped her teacup with a hoof, and in trying to right it, spilled it down one of her front legs.

'Ow! Oh, ow, hot!' she reflexively began to lick her leg to get it off. She glanced up mid lick, looking at Skye, and put her tongue quickly back inside her mouth.

[Skye]

His ears were focused on Luna as she spoke, taking in her story as he did everything else, pondering it and considering the significance of it. Did Luna feel slighted in how she had been treated, compared to her sister? He hadn't considered this before, but then, since the incident, Celestia hadn't come down to talk to him much about it. She'd mentioned it maybe once or twice, but as Luna, she'd had many other things on her mind more pressing than sharing her feelings with the deer. And since she'd been busy with her duties in the castle, he supposed she'd likely just hadn't had the time to come see him. But he was still here...which meant she still remembered him, as did others, so he'd never been totally forgotten. But Luna felt she deserved more and he was inclined to agree, she was Celestia's sister, not her daughter nor slave, but her sister, the other half of the same magic. Soon, Celestia would have to turn over her ability to bring up the sun and the night to her sister when Luna was old enough to take on the responsibility and all things would change there again, but reminding someone of the awesome responsibilities they were yet to bear was never a good way to remind someone of taking the joys of youth. Even one as regained as Luna's.

But he was listening intently as she spoke, until she tipped over the teacup and he dashed forwards as she licked at it, blowing lightly with his warm breath. It didn't do much to sooth the burn, but the passage of air over it at least gave the feeling of cooling until the hot liquid had cooled sufficiently. But there he was, his nose inches from her scalded leg, and looked up at her with splayed ears. As he noted her with her tongue poking out, he showed no shock, but broke into a smile as she quickly drew it back, then leaned own and lapped lightly at the burned area. He had no healing powers, but the care he displayed as if Luna were one of his own was evident until he was satisifed no permanent damage had been done. "Never feel as if you've said too much to me. I've bared myself to you more times than I can count while you slept in the sky, but you've given me some food for thought to go with the food for my belly."

Skye straightned back up, and pondered this. "She was a somewhat rambunctious child," choosing to use the same word Luna had, "as princesses are wont to be." he looked at her as he said this. "I am the eldest of my siblings, my brother and sister having long since gone elsewhere and I don't see them much. Yet I don't look at it as a matter of entitlement or favor, it was simply order. My brother, a journalist somewhere I presume, was the youngest. And my sister had a fiery temper of her very own. I hesitate to think of where she might be these days. But I don't feel jealousy that they felt to leave the home while I remained behind. My place was here, and it was just as well it was, or it might have been my sister you'd have found instead of me, and that's not a pleasant prospect, let me tell you." the peryton rolled over onto his back, and stuck his legs in the air, and wiggled them, then wiggled the rest of himself on the bed, evidently feeling much better now. He gazed upsidedownishly at Luna and licked his nose.

"You missed out on a childhood with your sister. But have you looked in a mirror as of lately?" he glanced towards one hanging on the wall under the bureau that held some of the food. "Take a look now and tell me what you see."

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Luna felt Skye's breath on her, and nearly bumped noses with him when she looked up. She pinned her ears back, uncomfortable with their faces so close, and pulled her head back. She watched Skye clean her, wanting to make him stop. It wasn't right, or proper orâ€â€Âand yet his smooth tongue was soothing, and Luna could say naught.

'I'm fine, really.' she reassured him when he paused to look her over.

Luna listened as Skye spoke, and responded once he had finished. 'But it seems that you have always been free Skye. And I a prisoner, literally and metaphorically. I am trapped in a world of duties, a world which I desire and hate. And for a long while, I was trapped in a world of nothing.'

Upon his suggestion, Luna made her way slowly to the mirror. She stood before it, slowly tilting her head from one side to the other, her face showing no emotion. She continued to stare as she spoke to Skye.

'I know that this, being a mirror, shows me reflectionâ€â€Âbut I know that you, being inquisitive and insightful, are not looking for that answer. I appear young, it is true. And perhaps, I may as well be, instead of over a thousand years old. I had forgotten much of the world during my imprisonment, not that it matters. So much has changed that I barely recognize the world in which I lived. It is as if time has passed for everypony else, but not for me. I alone have remained unchanged, for a thousand years. I know that I am old, but every time I see this mirror, it shows that I am young. And so I do not know who I truly am, or who I should be. I do not know what I am supposed to do or be. I just feel lost.'

[Skye]

Skye watched as she stood and walked towards the mirror, as she spoke. Though he said nothing as she continued to reflect until she stood in front of it and looked at herself. As she commented about what she saw, he still said nothing at all though she could see his tilted head in the reflection behind her on the bed. He crossed his forelegs, and appeared to be waiting as she thought. Certainly, time had passed, chronologically, but had really all that much changed between the once-self she remembered, and the now-self she saw? But he knew she had more to say, as she continued. When she had finished, he pondered this for several moments. Then he lowered his muzzle and took another sip of the tea, since cooled but still quite tasty.

As she spoke of her imprisonment, he continued to think, until she spoke again, and listened patiently for what else she'd had to say. When she spoke of herself as being young, or her insecurity of what her future would be like, he straightened up and shook his head. "You're thinking a bit too much on it, Princess. Look closer still, and tell me what you see." He nosed around for another waffle, and finding none instead chose to nibble on some grapes that had been resting in a bowl nearby. "Consider this as you look, for a moment. Suppose you had been born not a thousand years ago, but instead merely...a decade? Perhaps a little more. Just shortly ago, you received your cutie mark for discovering what it was that made you special. You've met a new friend, and your older sister is still young enough to spend time with you, and still your older sister. Instead of what you were expected to do then, consider what you're expected to do now. Think about this, and tell me what you see."

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Luna pondered what Skye said as she continued to gaze at her reflection, lost in thought.

'If I had been born more recently, perhaps the incident with Nightmare Moon would not have occurred. This is a different place entirely, there are more ponies, more creatures...there is not war, or unhappiness. Everything is peaceful and right, even, it seems, between Celestia and I...as it was when we were young. Celestia and I got along well, but she was always the one with the friends. The social butterfly, as it were, and I, the tag-along. We kept to our own kind then, not associating with other creatures. When things changed, I do not know...and I do not know if it was the work of Celestia, or just the work of nature.'

She glanced down at her Cutie Mark, a simple white crescent moon on top of a dark splotch. She studied it, seemingly trying to read deeper into itâ€â€Âbut the mark did not change, if that was what she expected.

'I have always known what makes me special, because it is what I have always been told. My Cutie Mark is merely a reminder of what I am supposed to do. I am special because I was chosen, not because of anything that I did.'

Luna turned back to the mirror once again.

'I suppose that I have always been lost. That was what led me to Nightmare Moon. I have always been apart of Celestia, doing my duty because it is expected, and because she does hers. She is the elder, and it is she who I must follow. That is what is expected.'

[Skye]

The peryton smiled as she reflected further, listening. His tail flicked back and forth as he relaxed on the bed, settling against the soft fabric. As she came to her last comment, he nodded. "In the future. But for now, I see a young filly, in the bloom of her youth, with all the time in the world to grow into her shoes, without the burdens she was previously tasked with. For now, Celestia will handle things as she must, her burden is greatest between the two of you. What I see, is a young pony who was given a second chance to start things fresh." he gazed at her as she looked towards her cutie mark, his eyes following. "In time, you'll follow. But not right now, and perhaps, not for some time yet. Right now, you've got a tea party with a new friend who's enjoying your company." he lowered his muzzle into another blot of whipped cream and grinned up at her again.

"And that's why I'm being silly. You should give it a try. It's very cute when you giggle, when you let your mane down and forget that you're a princess. Out there, or in here. I make mistakes too, I made one long ago, and I made one yesterday. But I do not regret what has happened. Had the bear never come, I might never have been brought to this place. We shouldn't dwell on what could have been. Instead," and he licked the whipped cream from his nose again, whisking it away with a delighted sound of the sweetness. "let's forget that you were chosen, and forget that you're a princess, and let's have a little fun together. I don't think it was any accident we ended up in the same room together. If we hadn't, I'd probably still be laying here asleep, and you might be just waking up somewhere else, brooding over the same things that drove you to find me in the first place. She didn't introduce you me, you found me on your own, and I think we should discover what you enjoy doing."

His face grew more serious, and he turned to make an effort to slip off his bed. "I think," he commented as his hooves touched the floor again, "that our tea is getting cold. I think I'd like a fresh cup. But let's be a little naughty together, you and I, and go see where it's made. I've never been to Canterlot, and if I'm not a prisoner here, then I would love to tour its grounds with you." he wobbled for a moment, then stood proud. "A bit of a walk will do me some good. Shall we?"

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Luna grinned feebly at Skye as he tried to be funny, though it was more out of politeness than delight.

'You would think that it would be easy to leave now. That I could go out into Equestria and enjoy myself for once. But, I cannot. The ponies do not love me as they do my sister, and there are many that still fear me. I am...shunned, by those who I am supposed to rule over, and help protect.'

She thought of the Summer Sun Celebration, where it seemed that the ponies had welcomed her back...but the thought kept nagging at her that perhaps they did it to appease Celestia, rather than please Luna herself.

Luna considered the places in the castle they could visit. The kitchen, yes, but that was not all that interesting and wouldn't take that long. The throne room, perhaps? But Celestia was probably there taking care of royal business, as usual.

'Perhaps we should...visit the gardens?' Luna said tentatively, still remembering when her temper got the best of her there. 'You said you wanted to see them, right? I love it out there, it's so quiet.'

Luna walked over to Skye, to make sure that he could walk fine, and to offer help if he needed.

'But I cannot forget my responsibilities so easily, Skye. Carelessness is what brought about Nightmare Moon. I cannot run away from the task that I must soon take on. I am Luna, ruler of the moon. It was I am, what I have always been. It is what I will always be. I mustn't forget that.'

[Skye]

He appeared to relax as Luna grinned, smiling more at the sight. "It looks good when you smile. You should wear one more often." he took a tentative step, then seemed more assured of himself as she spoke. "I don't know, I don't think these other ponies have had time to get to know you yet. I'm sure with time, they'll get to like you too. Before last night, I hadn't seen you come through the wood, or pass overhead on your way elsewhere. I think your approach should best be not to emulate your sister, but to be yourself." Another step, and then a hobble as he put weight on his hind leg; it still seemed a bit weak, so he favored it as he stepped. "The gardens." she suggested, and that sounded like a wonderful idea. Though he seemed a little forlorn at missing yet another cup of that delicious tea...but there was always time in the future for more, and he'd have to introduce Luna to Zecora, who often had some rather interesting blends, herself.

"I think I would like that, to visit the gardens. There's no rush, no pressure, we can take things easy. I think I'd enjoy it, my leg still isn't ready for anything more exciting than a careful walk." as she walked nearby, and his wings splayed as he maintained his balance, occasionally brushing the princess. "Psh. Carelessness may have brought Nightmare Moon out, but I think you've learned a bit since then. You're not ruling the moon right now, so today I think you can afford to be Luna, Princess-to-be-later, but right now just friend to a lame old peryton who would dearly love to see the fabled gardens of Canterlot with a lovely young lady. We can go see Celestia later, there's always time for that. Did you know, when she was your age, she once ate so much maple syrup..." his voice echoed down the corridor as he hobbled carefully alongside Luna into the castle.

[MudBug]

Once everything was in its proper alignment, things put to rest, the Princess had taken to waning out her worry in the corridors and took the time to think over what had happened in the last couple of days. She had nearly lost her sister again. She never, ever wanted that to happen again. Even if it killed the old mare, she never wanted it to happen.

Passing several old paintings of their youth, she reminisced fondly on those inseperable days and took the time to straighten them with her magic if any were even slightly crooked off to the side. They deserved more respect than that. And looking at the portrature of one inparticular, it made Celestia's old heart weep slightly in the loss for those comfortable days. The lack of akwardness. And the lack of fear she had.

But things were better now.

Making her way down the corridor, her ears flicked slightly at something. Was that a voice? Focusing on it she realised it was the peryton himself, he was up and about with his leg? She was quite suprised by this...but...he didn't sound all that low in spirits.

Infact by the sound of things he was telling that embarassing story about herself when she'd eaten all that apple sap, she supressed her laughter well enough, but couldn't contain her blush as she brushed some of her long flowing mane out the way of her face and furthered herself down the hall to intercept them.

When she found the pair, she offered them both a small, if concerned smile whilst looking over them to make sure they were all in one piece.

"As I recall," She started. "I got rather sick that day."

Letting out a soft chuckle, she smiled to the pair gently, briefly straightening out her wings and placing them by her sides so they were more comfortable as she eye'd her sister with a great fondness. She looked so content.

"How are you both feeling? Well I should hope?"

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Luna started when she heard Celestia's voice. She had had her eyes on Skye, paying attention to his story and trying to make sure that he really was fine enough to walk. Her head shot up at the sound of her sister's voice.

"Oh! Celestia! Good morning! Or, rather, afternoon, as it were." she forced a grin onto her face, despite the troubled thoughts that were still fresh on her mind.

She realized that she was awkwardly close to Skye. She had been trying to help support his weight, and nearly leaped away from him when she realized Celestia was there. Instead, she blushed, and pinned her ears back like a foal caught stealing sweets.

"Skye seems to be feeling much better this morning, as you can see. How long were we out, exactly?" Luna recalled the awkward waking earlier, and blushed a shade deeper.

[Skye]

The peryton was limping along carefully, their walk a fairly sedate pace, though occasionally leaned against for support by Luna as he stepped up or down a step down the hall. He was looking about as he was talking, noting the beautiful carvings and paintings along the route even while he spoke. The air was doing him much good, and having something in his belly helped as well. Despite the soreness of his flank, he really did feel much better than he had earlier in the night. As long as he didn't over exert himself, he was sure he'd be back to normal in no time. But it was the sudden appearance of Celestia in the hallway that caused him to start, nearly losing his footing as he went from a carpet to tile underhoof.

"Goodness, Princess, you startled me!" as she spoke, and at that moment a whole lifetime of images flashed before his eyes. Before it had registered what it was she'd actually said, he'd envisioned himself being tossed in the dungeon for daring touch Celestia's sister, being tossed from the balcony, being tossed in the dungeon and later tossed from the balcony, tossed from the balcony and later tossed in the dungeon, and he almost didn't notice the cooler spot next to him as Luna shied away from her sister's gaze.

Then her words brought him back to reality and made him realize that Celestia didn't sound angry. In fact, she'd finished the story, and at Luna's comment, he nodded enthusiastically. "I'm feeling much better. Princess Luna had some things brought up and we'd just had a delicious breakfast just when I think we both needed it most. It was most kind of her to do that for me. And then we were heading to the gardens, I felt the air would do us both some good, in the safety of the castle." as she chuckled, a broad smile crossed his face. "Sick as a fawn discovering a berry bush for the first time! I never thought you'd touch the stuff ever again after that." he paused, and regarded Luna for a moment, who was blushing violet at whatever thoughts were racing through her mind.

"In fact, I don't think you were very different then than Princess Luna is now, if I remember."

[MudBug]

Having to blink a little at the reactions she'd caused, she couldn't help but raise her head in faint suprise and wonder if she was that startling...then again, she had come out of nowhere when these two looked rather engrossed in their conversation.

Offering a small and appologetic smile she glanced over the pair of them and approached a step futher as they mentioned the gardens.

"Well if you're heading that way, I see no reason we can't walk and talk at the same time."

With a smile she turned on her heel to where she'd passed the door leading to the garden and took under consideration, Luna's question. How long had they been out? Her mind wandered over the hours that had passed with little fondness, remembering the worry that had worn her down through the day. However glancing back and seeing them all perfectly alright and safe made her smile slightly.

"I'd say you'd been out almost a whole day." Another appologetic look came to her face as she came to the door, with a soft flicker from her horn it opened up and she smiled as the bright floral scent wafted out with the growing evening colors in the sky. Stepping out she kept the door open for the pair whilst she watched the sky swoon a soft, blue that was about to turn orange.

"I had only started to set the sun a twenty minutes ago."

[Skye]

Skye paused, to look to Luna from where she stood before starting to hobble towards Celestia. "That would be ideal, Princess. I'm sure we all have a lot we should have likely shared, for quite some time." This last he said with a meaningful glance towards the moon Princess, then looked up towards the opening door, squinting a bit from the light that trickled through. "Only a day? It felt longer..." his careful step made a silly little tri-step hop as he favored the leg, putting pressure on it only when he had to stand for a period of time.

As he reached the door, he looked up towards the larger mare, then back towards Luna as she railed behind. "From Night, to Sunrise, to Sunset, to Sunrise and to Sunset again, and soon it will be night again, Princesses. Strange how time plays tricks on us all." he closed his eyes, facing out towards the garden, his nose wiggling comically as he took in the delightful buffet of smells. His ears swivelling to catch the jukebox of birds as they sang their daily fairwell to the sinking sun. "I've always wondered how that process worked...your raising of the sun...and later, the moon..." his eyes opened as he took in the sight of the gardens, catching his breath. "I met the two of you first in my garden...now I get to meet you in yours..."

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Luna took a step to stop Skye from walking on his own, but she paused. He seemed to be doing alright for himself, his limp seeming to lessen with each step. She figured that it was his forest upbringing, having to tough it out in the woods day in and day out. He also seemed to live muchly alone. Though he may have had travelers for company, there was no one to really take care of him.

She followed after Skye, catching up to him quickly as he reached the door. She took in how beautiful it was--since she had come back, she had spent a lot of time there. But the feeling of guilt nagged at her from the incident when she was last here. She hadn't had a chance to apologize to Celestia. Luna wanted so much to enjoy this time with Skye in the splendid royal gardens, but a knot of guilt continued to twist itself inside her stomach.

"You go ahead Skye. Explore a little bit, but be careful not to hurt yourself, alright? I'll--I'll join you in just a moment." she said, glancing up at Celestia.