26th June 2012
14:21 GMT -7
Luna smiles when she sees PCP, goes on smiling when she sees me, and continues smiling with
slight strain when she sees Artemis. She slides her paperwork aside with thaumokinesis while getting off her seat and walking around her desk to greet us.
"Grayven, it pleases Us greatly to greet you 'pon this eve."
Oh dear. I'm still not good at pony body language, but if she's doubling down on the archaic speech then she's
really unhappy. Quick check. Tail… As down as her tail gets, given its propensity for billowing in ethereal winds. Ears… The left one is reasonably upright, but the right has twitched three times since we entered the room.
O… Kay. While I
have explained what happened in the Land of Summer's End, this is the first time that she's actually
seen-.
Artemis takes a step forward. "Are you okay?"
"Yes!" Ear twitch. "We are fine." Another ear twitch, and she turns to Pinkie. "Pinkie Pie, there are matters We must discuss with Grayven and Artemis."
"Uh-huh."
PCP smiles at her, perhaps waiting for something actionable. No one ever accused Pinkie Pie of being able to take a hint.
"In private. Without-…" Ear flick and a reconsider. "It would help Us immensely if thou wouldst guard our antechamber against interlopers."
Pinkie sits ramrod straight and salutes. "You can count on me, Princess!"
She turns and trots up to me.
"Either Princess Luna learned Pinkie Sense, or she's really not okay. And if she's learned Pinkie Sense then it's either going to rain toadstools next Wednesday or we're about to be invaded by giant grapefruit."
"And how would toadstools even get into the air?"
She nods.
"I'll find the grapefruit knives, you calm Luna down."
"Got it."
She nods, winks, then prances out of the door and shuts it behind her. Luna gives her a moment, then the door frame shimmers in the colour of her magic. Some sort of locking and sound deadening spell, presumably. The mare herself fidgets in place for a moment, then darts towards me and
kisses me.
I blink in surprise as I.. try and work out how to better manipulate pony lips. Artemis.. looks away, tossing her tail awkwardly.
I swear, Lantern Grayven, if I have to give you relationship counselling-.
That won't be necessary, Sinestro.
"We think-" Luna prances in place. "-
that we-."
I
generate construct body cushions,
pick Luna up and
carry her over to them before depositing her upon them and laying down next to her, my barrel resting against hers. I nod my head at her opposite side and Artemis
carefully walks around and lays down next to her.
Luna… Appears to calm down slightly, her head slightly bowed.
"Then… You wish to form a herd?"
Artemis sticks her head up over her. "Ah… What?"
"It is a somewhat dated practice, wherein a marital group would be formed with several mares sharing a stallion. It was only common during periods of warfare, when disabling or fatal injuries were more common amongst the fighting stallions, but it still occurs in modern Equestia and… We suppose that it is better than the
other tradition that could apply."
"Okay, first off, I already have a boyfriend."
"That is not without precedent-."
"
Secondly, Grayven and I are not seeing each other. We're friends. Good friends who spent a lot of time together."
Luna gives her head a shake, then turns it slightly so she can look at Artemis.
"You are..? But you were-? Grayven hath told Us that neither of you feel right when you are apart."
"Ah…"
I…
Just about manage to stretch a wing over Luna's back. "Put it this way. Twilight and the other five are pretty close, right?"
"That is not-."
"
Right?"
She ducks her head slightly. "They.. are."
"And they've been on numerous adventures, testing their capacities against the worst the world can throw at them. Right?"
"That is.. so."
"And none of them are romantically involved with any of the others. Are they?"
"None of them are-."
"
Are they?"
Luna stays quiet for a moment.
"They are.. not."
"Luna." I nuzzle the top of her head. "I'm going to have female friends, and you're going to have male ones. That doesn't necessarily mean that either of us are planning on expanding our 'paramour cluster'."
Artemis lifts her head so that she can make eye contact over Luna, and mouths 'necessarily?' at me.
"But.. your.. magics are attuned to one another."
"And yours aren't attuned to anyone else?"
"No. Well. We.. are naturally attuned to the magics of Our sister, as we regulate the cycle of day and night."
I widen my eyes. "
Gosh. Dare I ask-?"
"We are not-!" She jerks her head away and tries to flutter her wings, but with Artemis and I surrounding her they can't really move. "
Involved with our sister!"
"Glad to hear it. I'm also not
involved with Artemis. Despite how our magics complement each other, and despite the amount of time we've spent together."
Luna droops slightly. "Ah."
I try to lower myself to show support, but I'm too big to really
lower so I just dismiss the cushions underneath me.
"Feeling any better?"
"No. I have behaved like a fool."
"You've behaved like someone who doesn't have a lot of social contacts and was dreadfully afraid of losing one of the few that she does have." Maybe I should have done something about that
first? I assumed that the importance of special talents and cutie marks made the job-role more important, but… That could be wrong. I'm trying to help one person here, not learn the fundamental truths of pony psychology. "So I had an idea. I think you should widen your circle of friends in such a way that it doesn't overlap with
my circle of friends, because in your mind anything that threatens your relationship with me threatens
everything."
"What.. do you have in mind?"
"My colleague Circe is having a bit of a get-together for powerful magic users who are out of the loop on modern thaumaturgy. It's not really my scene, but I thought that perhaps you and Twilight Sparkle might like to attend. Most ancient mages tend to end up a bit cut off from the modern era too; you may have something in common."
Luna raises her head.
"You wish for Us to get out of the castle and make some friends?"
…
"Yeah, I… Guess I… Do. It… Looks like the Elements of Harmony hit me harder than I
thought?"
.
