Luna’s Story 4: Curse of the Black Stallions
Part 7: Intermission

Donut Sprinkle dove over a kitchen island, pressing her back to it. Fwipping her mane quickly out of her eyes, she panted and sweated in fear. The beast stalked about the kitchen, sniffing rapidly and growling. How had it gotten in?! When?! Slowly, shifting her weight, she turned and peeked. She could hear the rapid sniff-sniffing as it raided the spice rack and cupboard, nosing things out of the way with loud growls of frustration. She peered at the great black shadow, quivering like a leaf.

“Servant!” A very-pregnant Princess Luna roared. “Come out! We demand thee fix something chewy but also spicy, and with crunch!” she rattled off her craving, dashing through drawers and throwing things over her shoulder. Donut sprinkle yelped when a nine inch kitchen knife slammed itself into the wall. She was just the night time snack mare! She gave little goodies to night time palace guards and did the occasional snack run to other staff in the wee hours! She couldn’t make something so… so obnoxious! “Servant!” Luna shouted again, suddenly coming across a jar of peanut butter. She was instantly entranced, for the label read ‘crunchy’. “Oooh…” she nosed it out of the cupboard and leaned to magic the jar open. Her horn sputtered, crackled, then farted out a few purple sparks. Nothing happened. Snarling savagely, Luna picked up the jar with her hooves and tried to wrestle it open. Nothing. She pitched it at the floor with a shout of rage. The foal kicked, shifting in Luna’s belly. The Princess moaned, leaning hard against a countertop and holding herself. “Ohh! The foal!” she gritted her teeth, panting a few times.

Donut Sprinkle poked her head out, igniting her horn with the quietest magic she could. The peanut butter jar righted itself, then the top screwed off. The Princess’ wings flared open wide, a few feathers falling out as her ribs were slightly revealed. The foal was taking its toll. Jubilant, she shoved her muzzle into the jar, loud sloppy sounds bouncing all over the kitchen. As she ate animatedly she chased the jar around the tiled floor while the kitchen mare looked on. This would be a story to tell her children, her grandchildren, and so on… wow. Luna started tilting her head back, her long tongue trying to make the last bits of it come down to her. Crunching and slurping wildly, she finally dropped the jar when she saw a bunch of bananas hanging from a hook. Wide-eyed, she made a beeline for them and took the whole bunch. Peeling one she ate hungrily. She was on the seventh one when the sound of many armored hooves started rushing up the hall towards the kitchens.

“N-now Princess, I think your guards are coming!” said Donut Sprinkle a little fearfully. She approached the ravenous alicorn with a whisk, trying to herd her out into the hall where she’d be seen. Luna was shoveling grapes from a box into her mouth when she was poked a little. Chewing, she blink-blinked down at the little unicorn. “Let’s g-go now! They’ll be missing you!” she prodded the Princess a couple of more times. Luna leaned down and, without missing a beat, took a bite out of the whisk with a metallic crunch. Donut Sprinkle dropped it, going pale and then shrieking.

The heavy stampede of hooves halted, and the murmur of male voices in the hall got closer and closer. Princess Luna made to dive into the cupboard, but she held her belly and ended up doing a rather comedic lope. A quartet of Lunar Stallions burst into the kitchen and spotted her. “Princess!” One of them came forward. “We found you! Thank goodness!”

“Away to me, stallions! I demand cake!” she told the servant mare, Donut Sprinkles. The stallions looked at each other, then slowly came forward to herd her from the pantry and towards the exit. Luna pointed a demanding hoof at the mare, her face completely serious and agitated. “Cake! Cake I say! Chocolate with black jelly beans! Ca-aaaaaake!” her voice faded with distance while the four Lunar Stallions literally had to mare-handle her majesty out of the kitchen and back towards her room.

Donut Sprinkles stood alone in the wrecked kitchen. None of the other cooks were ever going to believe her, she thought miserably. Hey everypony, sorry about the mess! The Princess just came in here and jacked half of our food!
“Princess you’re naked and it’s the middle of the night!” said one stallion.

“Silence, Cinnamon Toast!” Luna squawked, her mane slipping over her eyes for a moment. “My foal demands food and I crave many things!” She poked him in the nose, sticking out her tongue at him. The normally red stallion sighed, then pulled a blueberry muffin out from his saddlebags. Her Majesty locked her eyes on it, starting forward slowly with open wings and wide eyes. She licked her chops, and Cinnamon Toast started walking backward. Nowhere, anywhere, had the Lunar Stallions trained for anything like this. Take out purse-snatchers? Sure. Battle for Canterlot, where Celestia herself was the enemy? He’d survived it. But nothing could prepare him for a hungry, pregnant Princess Luna who was eyeing him and his prize like a… like a something very hungry eyeing something delicious. He wasn’t good with analogies. Increasing his pace when she did, he led her back towards her private chambers.

Captain Aegis Shield was waiting when they arrived, patiently herding the Princess inside and thanking them all. Posting the Lunar Stallions a safe fifty feet from the bedroom door, he finally let the ‘starving’ Princess have her muffin. “It’s two in the afternoon, you should be in bed.” He scolded while she scarfed the pastry like she hadn’t eaten in days.

“I was hungry!” she balked.

“You need your rest too.” Aegis Shield said patiently, coming and putting a wing around her. Luna nuzzled him, crumbs falling from her muzzle.

“Ohhh, my stallion, you always have my interests at heart.” She giggled. Her stomach rumbled, and she suddenly belched explosively. She turned a lovely shade of scarlet, a hoof coming up over her mouth. Aegis snorted, shaking his head and moved to help her into bed. The dark alicorn moaned while she slid into bed, holding her belly. “It won’t be long now.” She whispered. “Two days, maybe three. She’s starting to move around a lot more.” She stressed a little until she got onto her back. She let out a loud sigh of relief, stroking herself and watching Aegis. “You must think me a great big blob.” She sulked a little as he walked around the bed to get into it with her.

The stallion clambered into bed, smiling patiently. “You’re not a great big blob, you’re pregnant.” He leaned and kissed her on the mouth. She purred into the kiss, stroking his chest a little. Then, he made a show of leaning down and kissing her belly as well. “You stay in there until you’re good and ready.” He glanced over his shoulder at the shambled remains of a crib he’d tried to build out of a kit. A much nicer one had been given to them as a gift by some of the palace staff, but he’d tried his hardest and given Luna a good laugh for it.

“She likes you, I can tell.” Luna said, hugging his head lightly to be abdomen. “She knows you will be a good father.” She lovingly stroked his golden mane, leaning back on the heap of pillows. Aegis smiled up at her, then leaned and pulled the thick curtains shut to shut out the daylight. Luna heaved a great sigh. There was a long silence. “…you don’t think me ugly like this?” she said timidly after a time.

“You’re pregnant.” He snorted. “There’s nothing ugly about it.”

“But I am round and eating everything and unsightly!” Luna mewled, eyes tearing up a little. Aegis Shield chuckled softly. “What if you no longer find me attractive after the birth?” she whimpered, clinging to him with his head to her belly.

“I find you attractive right now.” He said helpfully.

“Thou art a fibber!” she said, her stress making her old dialect return for the first time in a long time. "We are a great big blobby blob!" She began to wheeze a little, a mare trying not to cry. The foal shifted, a little distressed, and she held herself with a soft groan.

Aegis Shield leaned up, sidling upward until they were eye to eye. He cupped her cheek with his hoof. His eyes hadn’t adjusted yet, so he closed them and felt around with his lips until he found hers. Then he kissed her. Really, really kissed her. “I love you.” He whispered meaningfully. Luna suddenly burst into loud sobs and crushed the stallion against herself, covering his face and mane with kisses.

=-----=-----=-----=

Twilight Sparkle was pressed up against Stalwart Hide. A great table lay spread out in front of them, covered with scrolls and old tomes of lore. Some were in Ancient Equestrian, some were not. Both ponies had decided to do a bit more research on the old Lunar Stallions together. After all, if the Black Stallion had an odd necklace that made him black instead of grey, perhaps there would be some mention of a high-ranking stallion somewhere? There simply were not any black ponies in history, so such a stark color would be a topic of historical importance.

They’d been at it for hours, busily comparing notes and time lines. The great thing about the Lunar Stallions was that all of them had traceable lineages. They’d been following one stallion’s family line after another, back and back until they couldn’t be found. Since the medallions passed from father to son, they went through many hooves and changing of bloodlines. Illegitimate colts were major stumbling blocks.

“And then he married… dear Celestia, three different mares. He outlived them all!” Twilight face-hoofed, not sure which set of foals to look at first. Their latest stallion had been very long-lived, and had started three families. Since wedding vows often said till death do us part, he’d managed to marry three times and have foals with each wife. “Uuuugh!” Twilight rubbed her sore eyes and threw down her quill. Stalwart Hide smiled sympathetically. Sixteen hours without a break was a long time for a normal pony. Then again, Twlight Sparkle wasn’t a normal pony. He, at least, had his lunar armor to augment his endurance. Not her, though. She was all-natural, home-grown all-nighter material. Or in their case, all-dayer.

“Maybe we should take a break.” Stalwart Hide said gently, patting her back with a hoof. He’d said that an hour before, and an hour before that. Twilight prodded him with her quill, rubbing her eyes again and squinting blearily over the text again. Her eyes refused the strain and began to water. When the first tear of exhaustion fell he reached over and snapped the book shut. She scowled at him. “I think so.” He said firmly.

“I’m not done.”

“We need to rest for a bit. You won’t learn anything if you start drooling over the texts.” Stalwart Hide snorted. The purpled mare started to scrabble about in her notes, trying to make sense of the web of organizing she’d made over the giant span of time.

“How many stallions have we traced down? Like six?” she asked, sighing and flopping over to lean on him. Her head clanked painfully against his shoulder armor, but she didn’t flinch. “This is almost too much.” She sighed tiredly.

“C’mon.” Stalwart Hide said slowly. “We should stop for now. Leave it all here, we can just lock this study room and ask them not to disturb it.” He soothed her when she opened her mouth to protest. “After all, we’re doing difficult research for Princess Luna herself.” He smiled comfortingly.

“Mhh-rhh-mm…” Twilight had fainted, dead away, into a deep slumber while leaning on him. He looked at her in surprise, but said nothing. Smiling, he moved slowly and put his muzzle under her midriff. Lifting, he bore her gently on his back. Emerging from the study room, he bore the curious looks of a Lunar Stallion carrying an unconscious Archmage Sparkle from a study room. He had her cloak draped over her like a blanket, and her pointed hat clutched in his teeth (the jingling bell was hot to the touch, how odd…). He nodded just once at the mares behind the desk as he went by.

The Lunar Stallion bore her gently to the room where she was staying. It was Princess Luna’s astronomy tower, but he’d also learned that Twilight had stayed there while she was under Celestia’s private tutoring. When he arrived and pushed the doors open, he peered around curiously. One wall was all windows, looking out over Canterlot. Two walls were massive, ceiling high bookshelves, There was a massive hourglass in the middle of the room, counting down to who-knew-what, and finally he found the living space. At first he mistook it for an alcove, for it was literally an antechamber with no exit beyond it. There was a four-poster bed, a tiny icebox, and a writing desk with supplies. Depositing Twilight herself on the bed and fluffing a pillow, he looked for a hook to hang her funny hat on. Not finding one, he decided on the desk.

Peering over the desk and flopping the hat on it, he turned to leave, but stopped. Turning back, he lifted the hat and looked at the scrawlings on the papers. Twilight’s hoofwriting was atrocious, but he could sort of make it out.

Xoh o0oj noho u thoum0 feec ev cagiat jkuhcawxk…
udt xoh mudo u hiddadw haloh ev shoum0 uihehu…
jxo seict dek ro ev kxo ouhkx eh kxo jb0
udt xoh cowj rouikavic cakkco rhudsxoj ev jkhodwkx…
jfcu0ot eik 'doukx mo. M0 uvvoskaed udt xoukot-

The Lunar Stallion gasped, then rushed his hooves over his mouth as not to wake the sleeping mare. The poem. His poem. The one he’d been writing a few days ago before the ball! He snatched up the paper and quickly ran his hooves over the rest of the desk. Translation books, old codex, language translation algorithm pattern recognition formulas. There were pages and pages of notes, scribbling, and circled sections. Twilight Sparkle had, in three days, translated most of the first line, which read something like ‘Her eyes were a dreamy’. Just the first phrase. Gulping and panicking, his mind raced.

Twilight had only heard him mumbling to himself in the library! She’d only heard him speak the words once! Had she stolen his poem? No. No, it was safe in his study notes in his library locker, where he kept all of his supplies. The librarians were quite strict about making sure nopony ever disturbed anypony else’s things. The only other conclusion… the purple mare had heard the funny words in a language she didn’t know, memorized them in ONE go, and then transcribed them onto paper for study. Spelled right, no less! How did somepony spell things in a foreign language so correctly?! He was positively flabbergasted, and actually rather intimidated by this thought. His opinion of her mental capacity went up about ten notches, and he set down hard, staring at her scrawlings and notes. “Short lines and lack of proper nouns point to prose, perhaps a song or poetry…” he whispered, glancing over his shoulder at her. She was, of course, correct. He’d taken to writing poetry to practice his Ancient Equestrian. He smiled miserably. What should he do? Wait and let her translate the whole thing? Steal it? His heart thundered at the very idea. It wasn’t exactly an innocent poem.

Swallowing a little, he put the paper back where he’d gotten it. His mind ran over their dance at the Lunar Academy ball. There was something heavy, something needy in that dance. He liked Twilight, he did, but there was an underlying sense of power to her that he’d just not quite glimpsed. Maybe that was why she was Celestia’s chosen student? The Archmage of the central region of Equestria? He shivered a little with guilty delight. It was no secret the stallion had a weakness for powerful mares. Heaving a quiet sigh, he leaned to put out the lamp that lit the little alcove. He went and shut the curtains to block out the cruel rays of sunshine coming in from the wall of windows. Returning to her, he watched her sleep for a time. She was beautiful, sharp as a tack, and certainly more powerful than some Lunar Stallion unicorns he could name. So much perfection rolled into one more, it was staggering. He liked it, he decided. Leaning over her, he decided he would kiss her forehead and then be away. Just an innocent kiss.

Folding his wings quietly, he leaned over her. Her face was so peaceful, and she gave a quiet murr in her restful state. Just a quick kiss, a peck on the forehead. Closing his eyes, he closed the distance to zero and pressed his lips lightly to the right of her horn. Twilight turned, one hoof hooking around his neck. His eyes bulged when she suddenly clung to his head like he was a Smarty Pants doll. He pulled a little. No good. Looking around in a panic, he pulled a little harder. The purple mare fretted in her sleep, making a pouting face. She clung harder. The stallion stood there by her bedside, completely locked in place. Great. Just great. He stood there for several minutes, wondering what to do. Screwing up his bravery, he gave a sudden hard tug, like one might do to remove a band aid. Twilight whimper-moaned, and he quickly stuffed a pillow in her arms. She calmed down and purred, burying her face in it. Sighing in relief, he backed off and out of the alcove through the curtains. Walking backward out of danger, he turned around—

--And ran right into Princess Celestia. He eep-squeaked, his wings snapping open in panic. Her massive hoof rushed up to cover his mouth before he screamed in startled fear. Her bemused smile sent ice through his veins. Celestia was the polar opposite of Luna in so many ways, her very presence made him on edge. She held his mouth and nostrils for a few moments until he began to fret for air. She seemed to remember herself suddenly and released his face. Her hoof lowered and tapped lightly on the ground while he got his breath back. “P-Princess!” Stalwart Hide lowered himself to his belly to bow, as was appropriate to do for a pony of royalty.

“One of Luna’s Lunar Stallions…” Celestia said gently, smiling.

It was protocol to name one’s self before royalty as well. “M-my name is Stalwart Hide, your majesty.” He regretted it, oh-h’ohhh he regretted it, as soon as the words left his mouth. A spark of recognition fleeted across Celestia’s features when he spoke his name. The stallion that had poked fun at Luna when she was in a coma, almost a decade ago. He turned his ears back and she leaned forward a little to get a better look at him. He pressed his back knees together to keep from trembling.

“Where is Archmage Sparkle?” Celestia asked in the same gentle tone.

“She’s sleeping. She’s been working very hard.” He told her in a whisper, gesturing.

“Oh.” Celestia said, leaning to peer between the lips of the curtains. “I remember. She said Luna was having her research the Lunar Stallions.” The white alicorn said mildly. “You must be her research partner, if you’re in here while she is asleep.” Stalwart Hide gulped and nodded a few times. “That’s good. I do worry for her sometimes when she goes overboard--” Celestia paused when she saw the stallion split into an alarming piranha-tooth’d grin. His eyes had narrowed in knowing amusement, and he nodded without thinking. “Did you coax her to rest, Stalwart Hide?” the Princess asked. He nodded. “Interesting…” the Princess mused, eyeing him up and down once again. He wilted back a little, like she might strike him with her hoof or something. Celestia peeked in at Twilight Sparkle again, then turned about to leave. “She never rested when I asked her to, while she was learning something new.” She said mysteriously over her shoulder. “Perhaps having a partner to rein in her enthusiasm for study is just what she needed.” Then, she was gone.

It was all Stalwart Hide could do not to pee himself. If she’d come only moments earlier, she would’ve seen him in there with Twilight! The things she would’ve assumed! It made him shiver with icy fear. She’d drop-kick him to the moon, easily. It may have been over ten years since he’d worked under the Sun Princess, but he knew from the subtle facial twitches that she was being hardline-protective. She’d quite literally sized him up just now. Wiping his brow and sighing again, he stood there and looked around the room. This was where Twilight stayed. Neigh, Archmage Sparkle. He remembered his brash offer of a barracks bunk when they’d met before. How silly that must’ve seemed, if she had this huge place all to herself! He blushed a little.

Walking slowly, the Lunar Stallion went to the dark alcove and peered in at Twilight Sparkle. Turning to the writing desk and using his night vision, he decided to steal the poem she’d been translating. Stuffing it under his chest plate, he took out a fresh piece of parchment and, checking over his shoulder that she was still asleep, began to write. It wouldn’t be perfect, since he couldn’t use any of his books or codexes. After perhaps ten minutes of working from memory, he produced a few lines of prose to leave for her. Though it was in Ancient Equestrian, it roughly translated to:

If you can read this, we should dance again soon.
Just the two of us, alone together.
I think you are a cute pony.
I want to know you more.

It wasn’t nearly as beautiful or poetic as his last bit, but having worked with only what he knew by heart it was pretty good. He used basic words that she would no doubt track down and translate much more quickly. He wouldn’t mention it to her, he would only let her come to him. If she wanted. If she ever translated it. He smiled and shook his head. Of course she would. She was Twilight Sparkle. He yawned suddenly, and put the quill down. He was exhausted. He needed to sleep to. Turning and casting one more look at the unicorn as he walked by, he quietly shut the door of the astronomy tower behind him and left.

End of Part 7

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