Feeling the pull of his magic, Sunshine rose drearily from his bed, glaring at everything that was covered in his morning light and even went so far as to shut the curtains. Going to the bathroom door, he stopped after opening the door. Remembering the night before, he could still see where Eris was standing around him and where she had went around him.

Passing the mirror and sink, he went straight for the toilet, and again the nervous tension was there.

"This shouldn't be to hard," he said to himself. "Just aim and relax."

Fluttershy's Cottage

Fluttershy was still sleeping peacefully when something soft began hoping up her comforter to her head. Stopping at her shoulders, the little blue jay put its head under hers to try and wake her, but she just moved a hoof under her chin. Looking as if he would let the woodpecker have a go, he looked back at the door and saw the other birds flocking past and downstairs. As he flew off with them, Angel poked his head out from where Fluttershy's hoof was before and glared at the birds.

Downstairs, with bedhead and a slightly disheveled grin, Eris poured a few cups of birdseed into the feeders hanging up, put the vegetables, fruit, and nuts out for the other animals, and something that woke her up a little more was the deer coming in from the back again. The fawn looked at her with those big, black eyes, gave a horrific hacking sound and left.

"Wonder if I should make breakfast?" She asked herself as she stared at the kitchen. "Not really hungry, maybe Fluttershy would like a muffin."

Making a banana nut muffin with a side of warm green tea appear on the coffee table, the drowsy goddess trudged up the stairs to the bathroom.

Looking at herself in the mirror while Angel busied himself with getting up, she grimaced at her reflection that made her look even worse when it did the same. Looking at the shower temptingly, she spared a glance at the still sleeping Fluttershy and grabbed a towel.

Luna's Bedchamber

Sucking in a breath of air when she yawned, Luna took off her tiara and chest piece, threw her hoofcovers haphazardly by her bed, and climbed into bed where she buried her face in a pillow. Just as she was beginning to go to sleep, she was suddenly disturbed by a knocking at her balcony doors. Not bothering to see who it was, she unlocked with her magic and to her dismay her brother had the nerve to keep the curtains pulled back.

"I would say good morning, but then again it's not so good for you." Sunshine said sitting on the edge of her bed. "How was the night court?"

"Uneventful." She muttered raising her muzzle up briefly to speak.

"Good, you should have enough energy to start writing your apology letter to Eris." He said making her groan. "Better to do it now and get it over with, or I could tell her she can do whatever she wants as revenge."

Luna hastily got up and nearly fell on the floor when her hoof caught on her blanket, scrambling to her desk in the corner she pulled out an ink well, a quill, and a blank sheet of parchment that she began writing on.

"Good," he said looking over her shoulder. "Make sure to put in the part about you having to give her a gift no matter how absurd."

She looked at him and glared until he moved back, all the while grumbling to herself about him waking her up. She paused twice, first to sneeze and second to sniff the air until she was looking at her brother with a sour expression.

"Brother, why do you smell like ammonia?" She asked fanning the air with a wing.

"Luna," he said glancing at her door. "I may need to go with you to Ponyville for a different reason."

She didn't ask why, but instead chose to slide back in her seat and look at the paragraph she had already. Adding three more lines, she rolled it up, put a ribbon on it, and a wax seal. Looking at her brother for approval, he nodded and went back to the balcony doors.

"Luna," he said standing in the open doors. "You can fly to the town, I'll be taking a more direct route. If you need me, I will be at the library."

Fluttershy'sCottage

Covering her face with a wing, Fluttershy desperately tried to block the sunlight coming in through her curtains, but she ended up hitting herself in the face instead. Startled, she hid under the blanket until she gathered the courage to look out from underneath it. Seeing no immediate threat, her blood pressure went back down when she finally sat up in bed rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Looking around, she was expecting to see animals giving her starving looks by the amount of sunlight coming through the window. As she was panicking the bathroom door opened and Eris stepped out drying her hair with a towel. Giving a quick greeting the Draconequus threw the towel in the dirty hamper and went back downstairs.

"Eris, was up before me?" She said to herself looking between the steaming bathroom and the door to the stairs.

Quietly lowering herself off the bed, she went to the stairs and peeked down from the top. Eris was there, giving some rabbits slices of carrot, and she was even smiling about it.

Staring the whole time while she went down the stairs, she didn't see the step she missed until she was already on her back, but by that time Eris had her on the couch in a second. Raising her head up from her fetal position, Fluttershy looked around and saw the animals were looking at her worriedly along with Eris who absently minded cut more carrot slices.

"Morning," she said giving the last slices to the small pack of rabbits. "Nice of you to join the land of the living."

"G-Good morning." Fluttershy said looking at the muffin and cooled green tea sitting on the table. "Was that for me?"

"It was an hour ago." Eris said turning it around to reel most of the muffin had been pecked away. "The birds got to it while I was in the shower. I was hoping the running water would have woke you up, but you're a heavy sleeper surprisingly."

"What time is it?" She asked looking outside where the birds were singing on the tree branches.

"Sometime past two in the morning." She said grinning from Fluttershy's expression. "If it weren't for the animals, you would be a real couch potato."

"T-Thank you for feeding them," she said watching some mice scurry through mouse holes. "What are you going to do today since the animals have been fed?"

"I was going to go into town and stop by Rarity's, but I was also thinking about going to my thinking tree to think." She said grabbing for her missing beard. "I really miss that thing."

"What did you need from Rarity's?" She asked sipping her tea. "If you don't mind me asking that is?"

"Between you and me," Eris said leaning down to her ear. "Whenever I walk around town I feel like a chocolate bar in a fat camp. Every stallion I've passed stares. And, I think Sunshine has once or twice."

"Sunshine?" She said giving Eris a confused look. "Why would he be staring at you like that?"

"The good prince has good taste in mares I guess." Eris said. "He probably looks like someone's image of a perfect stallion to any mare I could think of." She said making Fluttershy grin momentarily. "What?"

"N-Nothing." She said looking away. "I-It's just that you said he was an image of a perfect stallion. I thought you were describing how you saw him." She said looking into her cup.

"Well, he's not bad for a prince," she said elbowing Fluttershy lightly. "Can I ask you something?"

Fluttershy looked up at her with big eyes and saw the serious look on Eris's face, nodding Eris leaned forward, supporting herself by the knees.

"If you say a stallion is cute, and I mean scream at the top of your lungs when I say, say, what does it mean when he says you're charming?"

"I-I don't know." Fluttershy said looking back into her cup. "Nopony has ever said anything like that to me..."

"Really? No one ever?" Eris said making the pegasus blush. "I don't see why not, I'm sure there are plenty of stallions out there that would give a leg for you."

She blushed even harder and ran to the door when a knock was heard. Opening it, she rushed past Luna and went to the small bridge to fan herself with a wing. Luna poked her head in and immediately saw Eris giving her an indignant look as she sat on the couch.

"Eris," Luna said stepping in.

"Loud mouth," Eris sneered feeling her throat start to tighten up again. "What do you want now? Haven't you done enough already?"

She didn't say anything, but instead took the scroll out from under her wing and slid it over to Eris. She picked it up and opened it, looking over it quickly and than a second time, more slowly. Her expression softened noticeably but she still kept her distance from the alicorn.

"You're going to buy me anything I want? No matter how absurd it is?" She asked receiving a nod from Luna. "What a coincidence, I was going to go see if Rarity could take my measurements and make me some clothes."

"Clothes?" Luna asked cocking her head. "Eris, we do not normally wear clothes at all. Why the sudden need for such apparel?"

"Stallions keep staring at me where ever I go." She said. "You know, I think Sunshine did once or twice." She said remembering when she woke up in bed with him.

"He was staring?" She said smiling. "I would not doubt it the way he went to you last night. He seems almost protective over you."

"Why shouldn't he?" She said smiling. "I am a national treasure."

"You seem more like one of his treasures." Luna said laughing. "I thought he was going to bite my head off last night. He may have too if I wasn't his sister."

After a moment of silence between the two, Luna looked Eris in the eye when a flustered Fluttershy came back in, visibly still red but much calmer than she had been.

"Hello Fluttershy, is something troubling you?" Luna asked but didn't receive an answer. "Fluttershy?" She said again waving a hoof in front of the pegasus's face.

"Wha-? P-Princess Luna!" She said coming out of her trance. "I-I'm so sorry I ran past you like that, but I was-I needed to get some air."

"I saw," she said smiling at the pegasus. "Why were you in such a hurry though? Was there something troubling you?"

"N-No." She said shaking her head. "Nothing troubling me at all. N-Nothing at all."

Luna gave her a skeptical look but said nothing. Instead, she motioned with a hoof for Eris to leave with her, the Draconequus after patting Fluttershy on the head, exited the building leaving the pegasus to her thoughts.

Spike

Standing on a ladder, he had two book balanced in one hand and was shelving another with the other. Moving the book to the sides, he tried to get it to slide into the shelf but another two books kept moving in the way when he tried to move the book in.

"Spike," Twilight called from the kitchen and not a moment after came into view with an empty tub of ice cream. "What is this?"

"Evidence I was trying to get rid of." He said not bothering to make up a story. "It was last night's desert." He said casually.

"What did you eat before this?" She asked throwing it away out of view.

"A tomato sandwich." He said putting the last two books away. "I think I forgot to put the tomato in the refrigerator though."

As he was sliding down, a red flash filled the room that temporarily blinded him and Twilight, once it was gone, Prince Sunshine stood where the epicenter was. He gave a curt nod to Twilight but took Spike off the ladder and levitated him upstairs.

"Can I ask what this is about?" Spike asked as Sunshine locked the door and pulled the curtains over the windows.

"Spike," Sunshine said sitting on the floor. "I need your help."

"You need my help?" He asked skeptically. "With what? Don't you have wisdom from the ages?"

"I do, but none of that is doing me any good now. I need your help concerning something... Personal." He said looking down at his hooves he had tucked away.

"Oh," the drake said in recognition. "You need help with asking Eris out?"

"Ye-no!" He said blushing from the thought. "You are almost like a son to me, Spike, and I need to know if there's anything I should know about going to the bathroom. It's a strange question, but I'm still getting used to being a stallion in some aspects. Using my own toilet being one of them."

"Well, I don't see how I could help." He said looking at the embarrassed prince. "Shouldn't you see a doctor about this?"

"No, Spike," he said flattening his ears. "There's nothing wrong with me, other than being a stallion that is. What I'm trying to ask is... When you have to urinate, how do you keep it from making two streams?" He asked making the dragon slowly force out a laugh through his teeth.

"You don't really control it," he said. "You just hope for the best and if it starts dividing, just try and stop going. That's all I can tell you."

"Well, thank you for your help." He said bringing Spike into a short hug. "Spike, I have another question."

"What's that? Is it that you can't go properly? We have some prunes downstairs."

"No, but  it concerns food." He said smiling at the dragon. "Do you know where I could possibly get something greasy to eat? Perhaps something coated in cheese? I'm having these strange cravings again."

"There's a little place by Rarity's," he said pointing at it from the covered window above Twilight's bed. "It has some good veggie burgers and you can get hayfries covered in cheese. It has an all-you-can-eat buffet with some pretty heart-stopping looking food."

Sunshine, letting a smile slowly form, unlocked the door and passed Twilight by the stairs as he quickened his pace to the front door. Twilight, looking at the prince leave, looked back up at the stairs and saw Spike smiling down at him.

"So, what did he have to talk with you about?" Twilight asked going up to Spike.

"The Struggle." Spike said. "You wouldn't understand. No girl could ever understand."

Luna

Looking up at Eris, she couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable she actually looked walking through the streets. Looking back, she saw a pair of stallions quickly turn their heads. She tucked her tail in, feeling uncomfortable herself now that she knew the stallions would be eying her like a piece of candy.

"Do you always feel this way?" Luna asked as they passed a couple walking together. "So, unprotected?"

"This is m third time on the streets, and I feel like running under the nearest tree." Eris replied. "Is it like this in Canterlot?"

"I have no clue, but I would not doubt it." She said carefully watching a stallion out of the corner of her eye. "Those ponies really are vultures, economically and politically. Most of them don't even work, but have others do it for them. I would rather listen to the troubles of these ponies here in Ponyville, the ones who actually know what a hard day's work is worth in their short lives."

"Speaking of hard working, don't look now, but big red and mannerly is coming up behind us." Eris said smiling down at the suddenly ashamed alicorn. "Don't worry, I'm sure he still likes you." She said nudging her in the barrel. "Here he comes now."

Luna spared a glance over and saw Big Mac hauling a cartload of barrels, a stand, and his little sister riding on the back nibbling on an small apple pie.

"Ladies," he said before stopping and backing up, sending his sister into a barrel. "Luna, bout' last night..." He said rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah never got to finish askin' ya if ya wanted to... Maybe... Go star gazin' sometime?"

"M-Me?" She said feeling tears begin to form. "Even after last night? I made Eris cry and I-I made a fool of myself."

"We all have our bad days," he said moving the wooden yoke on his neck. "Some are worse than others. So, uh, do ay need time or are ya busy tonight?"

"I believe Equestria can survive without me for one night," she said. "It did for a thousand years and it may do so for another night. Where will we be going?"

"His room!" Applebloom said from the barrel. "He has this neat telescope in there and he's been wantin' to show it to ya!"

"Thank ya kindly Bloom," he said giving her his neutral look. "Don't ya love siblin's?" He asked making Luna laugh.

"I do adore my brother, and I will admit with him around lately the castle has been more alive than I remember." She said wiping a tear away. "I must bid you a farewell Macintosh, Eris and I have some shopping at Rarity's."

"Eeyup." He said, nodded and began on his way to the market.

"By big sis'!" Applebloom called out waving at Luna that sent the alicorn into a furious blush and giggles.

"Bloom!" Big mac shouted making her fall over from laughter.

Looking down at the amused alicorn, Eris couldn't help but stifle some giggles of her own as she watched the princess considerably perk up.

"See, he still likes you." Eris said walking again. "Nothing to worry about."

"I see that now." She said wiping away another tear. "His sister is quite a jester. Me and her will get along just fine."

Nodding in agreement, Eris spotted the boutique up ahead and ran to the building as fast as her mismatched legs would carry her. Luna, easily being the fittest one in comparison, gained on Eris easily and arrived at the door in nearly the same time. Opening it in a swift motion, Eris walked in with a large grin followed by Luna who stopped to look around at the frills and bright colors she was unaccustomed to.

"Welcome to-" Rarity, who was on a stool overlooking a sketchbook, was saying but stopped and got a curious look when she saw Luna with Eris. "Princess Luna, Eris, is there something you need?" She asked tapping a pencil on the desk by her.

"Luna here," Eris said not even bothering to suppress her grin in the slightest. "Is going to be buying me a few clothes as part of her apology."

"I will also be buying some for myself as well." She said looking back at her tail. "I suddenly feel so exposed." She said sitting down in one of the plus chairs.

"Oh? What prompted this sudden need, if you don't mind me asking?" Rarity said taking the measuring tape around her neck and going to Eris. "Go stand on the platform there, I'll be right with you dear."

"All the stallions keep staring at us." Eris said. "I feel like I'm nothing but a piece of meat in front of a pack of Timberwolves." She said cracking her knuckles.

"Ever since she had brought it up," Luna said looking at the dress-maker. "I have also noticed them staring quite blissfully, if I had to choose a word for them, at my hips." She said scooting further into her seat.

"Oh, I know exactly how you feel." Rarity said getting onto a step latter but still fell short of Eris's shoulders. "This could be a problem."

"If you get stared at too, than why aren't you wearing any clothes?" Eris asked grinning as she saw the white unicorn's cheeks turn bright red.

"Eris, could you get down on all fours for me? I can't reach you properly from this angle and I'm not sure if my measuring tape would be accurate if I used magic."

Letting out a sigh, she promptly got onto all fours and stretched out across the room nearly filling its length. Looking back-and-forth from her, Rarity looked at her tape and excused herself for a moment.

Watching the unicorn rummage through a closet filled with rolls of fabric, she came back out with a piece of measuring tape twice as long as her previous one. Stretching it out, she put one end under Eris's hoof and had her hold the other to her shoulder.

"This will only take a minute," Rarity said smiling. "I promise."

Sunshine

He trotted through the streets, smiling happily as he passed shocked and bewildered ponies while he followed the scent of grease and melting cheese. Ignoring even Macintosh as he passed, he spotted the buffet. A large brown brick building with a rusted green roof, red and white striped shades over the windows, and ponies coming in and out and every time the door opened, it released another burst of the greasy cheese covered food inside driving him even faster.

Stopping at the glass and wood doors, he pushed one open and felt his mouth water with saliva. When he passed through the second set of doors, he glanced at the 'Sit Anywhere' sign, but his attention was fully dedicated to the buffet filled with greasy, cheesy, and unhealthy foods altogether.

There were only six other customers there when, as he was getting his first plate, a portly dark green pony came out wearing a stained apron. Walking up to the alicorn with a partially yellowed grin, he got Sunshine's attention long enough to make some small talk.

"Hey'a there," the pony said. "The name is Artery Blocker, as you can see. Welcome to the Life Savor grill. Listen, you look like a big guy, you eat a lot and pay a lot, you'll be considered family here. Isn't that right folks!?" He said out to the other customers who raised their drinks r gave a few whoops of delight towards him.

As he was looking back to Sunshine, he saw the alicorn was already sitting at a table and had half the plate gone. Smiling, he went back tot he kitchen doors and looked back to see Sunshine get up after scarfing down his food and return to the same table with a plate filled even higher than the last. And then again, and again, and again.

Looking at a clock on the wall, Artery Blocker say, just in half an hour, Sunshine was still shoveling in food, and now he head small stacks of plates crowding his table. Looking at the buffet, he bit his lip when he saw three of the eight trays were empty, and some of the customers were even leaving.

After watching him scarf down food until he was feeling sick, he went back into the kitchen and began having the other cooks go into overtime preparing more food.

Looking at the waitresses and waiters coming in with dirty plates, each one cleaner than the last, he saw the looks of disbelief on their faces just as one of the them sat by the doors.

"Everything." The waiter said looking at the rest of them. "He's eaten everything out there in just an hour and fifteen minutes. He's just standing by the buffet table, looking over here. I think he'll try and eat one of us if he doesn't get any more."

Artery Blocker, sparing a glance outside, saw the alicorn standing expectantly looking at the door with a plate held in a crimson aurora. Looking at what they had left, it was only enough to last the day, not feed a large crowd, and that alicorn had eaten enough to satisfy just that.

"Um, j-just set the food out. He can't still be hungry. He ate the entire buffet after all." He said until he looked back at the alicorn. "Just put out the food, he'll have to stop eventually."

"When we're out that is." The waiter said putting more dishes by the sink.

As soon as they were taking the last of the food out, refilling each tub with hayfries in cheese, haybacon strips, burgers, burgers with cheese or covered in it, Sunshine's smile came back full force as well as his hunger.

Artery Blocker and the rest of the staff, looking as Sunshine finished each steaming tub, one after the other until he was at the last one, which he simply took with him to the table. Just as he was finishing the last one, Artey Blocker, half afraid he may get bitten, and half angry for multiple reasons, interrupted the alicorn's meal when he slammed a hoof on the table.

"You need to leave." He said making Sunshine stop to look at him like a puppy who had just had its treat taken away. "You've eaten nearly everything we have. You've even scared off my customers. Get out of here."

Losing his gluttonous happy face, Sunshine furrowed his eyebrows and stood up, towering over the portly green pony with a good few feet on his side.

"The sign said all-you-can-eat," Sunshine said making Artery Blocker scrunch up his nose from the smell of two buffets worth of greasy, heart stopping food. "And I'm not done eating."

"Well, I'm tellin' you, you are." He said going to the doors. "Just get out of here, you're scaring the staff."

"Well obviously they've never seen appreciation for their cooking before." Sunshine said standing outside by the doors. "And I doubt you know what false advertising means."

"False advertising!?" Artery yelled. "You oversized garbage disposal, all-you-can-eat is for normal ponies, not black hole's with legs."

"Normal ponies? I'm as normal as any of you. I just have a large appetite." He said indignantly.

"large? Large!?" Artery laughed. "I don't think you got a stomach under all that muscle. I bet it's just a deep fryer!"

"Listen, you-" he stopped grabbing his belly, coughed and than grabbed it again, leaning against a trashcan by the doors. "Something doesn't feel right."

"Hey, you alright?" Artery asked backing away slightly. "You're lookin' a bit green in the gills. Yoo-hoo, you hear me?"

"G-Get a doctor and-" Sunshine cut himself off when he stuck his head into the trashcan and grabbed his stomach hard enough to leave a mark on his coat. "I-It hurts... Hurts so much..." He said retching into it again, his entire back arching as he stood on his back legs.

Artery, sending a waitress for help, went back inside to get a cold rag, but Sunshine glimpsed Rarity's house just behind the buildings across the street. Pushing himself off the garbage can, he shakily began tele-hopping his way to the boutique.

Eris

Looking up at Rarity as the unicorn showed pre-made clothes to Luna, she was sore from staying in the same stretched position, even after Rarity had made the clothes she had requested. Looking at the unicorn, she blew a lock of her hair out of her eye that disrupted some of the fabric by her.

"Rarity, when can I stop posing like this?" She asked stretching her clawed leg out resulting in a series of pops and cracks. "I'm getting sore."

"Oh, you could have stopped and hour ago." Rarity replied showing Luna a pair of jean shorts similar to Eris's.

Eris let out a huff and fell ungracefully to the floor, stretching and cracking ever joint in her body before getting up with help from her tail. Pushing herself into a seat, she stretched out again in a more comfortable position.

"Now," Rarity said packing each individual's clothes into two separate saddle bags. "Since you two are first time customers, you get a discount and complimentary bags to carry your purchases. The total is fifty bits for the entire purchase."

Luna, standing in a pair of jean shorts that stretched down to her knees, a turquoise zip-up jacket with a white shirt underneath that, reached under her wing and attached to a small string was a bag of bits. Opening it, she unceremoniously poured the bag out into an empty bowl.

"Fifty bits exactly." She said looking herself in the mirror. "I do see the appeal to wearing clothing now, I look quite attractive."

"Don't start kissing the mirror, your highness," Eris said just teleporting her green shirt and shorts on. "I don't look to bad myself." She said looking at herself from the chair.

Before Luna or Rarity could make a comment, a hard knocking came from the door followed by a wet moan. Eris, closest to the door, reached over and turned the knob only for the door to swing open and Sunshine to fall on his chin. All three of them just looked at him in shock as he didn't make any moves to get up, but instead started shaking and grabbing his stomach. Eris, brushing his mane from his eyes, pulled her paw away and felt it was wet.

"Rarity, I-I'll be right back. Go get Twilight and tell her to meet me at the hospital." She said teleporting her and the prince to the hospital.

Ponyville Hospital's E.R.

Eris, standing over a moaning Sunshine, grabbed the nearest doctor before any of the others could notice her or the alicorn and just pointed at Sunshine. The doctor, signaling the others and nurse had a gurney bed rolled over, and with Eris's help, quickly put him on it and had him rolling to an empty room where fluids were being set up.

Standing outside while ponies rushed in and out, she saw multiple machines brought in, tubes a pump, surgical bags, and even more fluids. Holding her tail, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, trying to block out the machines whirring, the suctioning coming from another, or the doctors and nurses talking to each other so fast it sounded like a buzz.

"Why do I always have to carry you here?" She asked herself letting a few fearful tears escape. "Please, get better Sunshine." Next Chapter: Get well, sweet prince. Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 39 Minutes