"Mornin'," gleamed the big red colt, taking the mail from the grey pegasus' hooves with a smile.

"Mhm. How's the farm and all? And your sisters," Ditzy asked, a little shy at the big figure before her.

"All's well, thank'ya Ditzy. See you next mornin'," replied Big Mac. With that, the googly-eyed pegasus nodded and flew away to continue her morning routine. The sun was only halfway above the horizon and most of Ponyville was asleep, but Big Mac always seemed to be one of the earliest to get up. He was also one of the only ponies in Ponyville who received Ditzy's deliveries in person. The early mornings allowed the both of them to enjoy beautiful sunrise while most of Ponyville was only just waking up.

------

"Aw come on, just come fer a lil' while!" whined Applejack at her big brother.

"Ah told ya, ah dun' want 'ta go to them parties," the big crimson colt replied, desperately trying to excuse his way out of the situation.

"Yes you do. We dun' haveta harvest 'till the day after tomorrow, so there's no 'scuse fer you to not come to Pinkie's party. Now come on, it's good fer you to socialize a bit."

"...Fine. But only for an hour," groaned Bic Mac at the thought of the pink pony who always seemed to like to bother the colt.

Big Mac wasn't much of a social pony, but he was friendly nonetheless. He did have a small group of friends he would get together with occasionally, but he just wasn't built for gatherings at bigger scales. It was a relatively rare sight to see the red pony at parties.

"Ah'm gonna get a head start - gonna help Pinkie with some of them preparations. You better be there in an hour!" noted the orange filly, quickly turning around and trotting towards Ponyville. Big Mac sighed in both disbelief and submission.

What could go wrong, thought Big Mac, Ah'll just be in and outta there within an hour.

------

The sun was bright and there were small collections of clouds in the sky. It was about midday and the sounds of Ponyville were close enough that Big Mac could hear them as he trotted towards the town. Even though he wasn't much of a social pony, it wasn't an uncommon sight to see the work-pony come into town. He often visited during his time off, even if to just get away from all the apple bucking.

Walking into town square, Big Mac took notice to Sugarcube Corner as many ponies entered the building. Conversation and laughter could be heard everywhere, and even the muffled sound of loud music from the party filled the streets. Big Mac sighed once again and decided to make it towards Sugarcube Corner. Only for an hour.

"LOOK OUT BELOW!" a familiar voice yelled from above - a phrase a bit too common for the rainbow-maned filly.

"OOF!" exhaled Rainbow Dash as she broke her fall on Big Mac. Among the heap of the two ponies on the ground, Big Mac was on top of Rainbow who struggled under his weight. "Errrrghh..." she squirmed.

"Oh, uh... Sorry," apologized Big Mac as he lifted himself off of Rainbow Dash and helped her to her hooves.

"Oh... Big Mac! Uh, hi! Uhm, heheh... Sorry!" the light blue pegasus seemed not only out of breath, but out of words.

"Eeyup, it's all good. You okay?"

"Uhmm... yeah. Uh, yeah... I'm good. Sorry again!" she seemed to scramble her words as she lowered her head. "Um - how are y - I mean you look nice - er, gotta go!" and with that, she zoomed off - leaving a trail of a rainbow behind.

"Uh... Okay," at a loss of words for himself, Big Mac brushed off the situation and continued towards Sugarcube Corner.

He entered the building that seemed crammed with ponies; a wonder how anypony made their way through the place. A few shouts acknowledged Big Mac's entrance and he simply nodded back, but he immediately found himself with nothing to do. That was until a lavender pony trotted up to him.

"Hello Big Mac! Nice to see you here," Twilight greeted him with a big - yet shy - smile.

"Eeyup. Ah guess it's good fer me to come to these parties once in awhile."

"Heheh. Well glad to know you could make it," the purple pony insisted. Twilight looked to the side; she seemed to want to make eye contact with the colt but couldn't.

"Uhm... What's the occasion anyways? Ah was never told what this here party was for," Big Mac attempted to make the small talk.

"Oh, uh... Nothing really. Just another random Pinkie Pie party - that crazy filly," Twilight seemed to shrink her figure more as she 'socialized' with him. "Uhm well, have a good time," she mumbled. With that, she seemed to forcefully trot away with a sense of failure among her body language. Maybe she meant to say something but couldn't?

Awkward moment after awkward moment, thought Big Mac. Through an opening in the crowd, Big Mac spotted the food table and decided to head towards the goods for a snack. He was starving anyways.

Many sweets and pastries lined the table: from cupcakes to pie to candy to muffins. They all looked delicious, but Big Mac noticed that there were only two cupcakes left as he took one into onto his hoof. Readying himself to take a bite into the sweetness, he immediately found that the cupcake had vanished.

"Wha-"

"AAHMNOMNOMNOMNOM" muffled through the mouth of the pink pony - who seemed to appear out of nowhere - beside him. Crumbs of various pastries were scattered around her muzzle.

"Uh..." Big Mac uttered slightly. Shocked with surprise and annoyance, he decided it was best to back away now while the filly was busy enjoying her stolen good.

"Big Mac-y Lac Mac! YOU'RE HERE!" she exclaimed; Big Mac closed his eyes and prepared himself to endure what was to come.

"WEEEE!" Pinkie Pie threw all four of her hooves around the neck of the colt as she clung to the stable figure. "I'M SO GLAD YOU COULD MAKE IT ohmygosh it's the BEST when you come to parties - MY PARTIES!"

"Eheheh... Eeyup..." he mumbled through her fluffy mane that smelled like cotton candy, trying to keep his balance from the introduction of a filly clinging to his neck.

"OH did I eat your cupcake? I'M SO SORRY please don't be mad at me I'LL MAKE MORE! BIG MAAAAAAAAC" Pinkie shot words through her mouth like a machine gun. She climbed onto his back and rested her head on top of his, her front hooves still around his neck.

"Er... Pinkie..." He looked around, taking notice to the scene she was making as nearby ponies tried to contain their giggles.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm heeheeheehee," Pinkie mumbled as she rubbed her head against his mane. Big Mac rolled his eyes.

"Uh, Pinkie?"

"Nnnnnnnnnnnnnmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!"

"Pinkie... Yer messin' up mah mane..."

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm OH! SORRY! Ummm..." she squealed as she lifted her head up. She noticed, sitting on the other side of the snack table, was a big and untouched pie, still steaming from being just recently baked. "Ohmygosh... PPPPPIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"

The whole party went quiet as Pinkie's exclamation roared through the building. Windows in the Sugarcube Corner and nearby buildings cracked and birds in trees flew away. A few blocks down, the Cutie Mark Crusaders fell off a tight rope as the shock wave shook them off balance and they landed onto some safety mats.

"Ow - "

"What was that!"

"Still no cutie mark..."

And at the tree-library, the shock wave startled Spike who accidentally blew a flame on a few scrolls he was holding. Meanwhile, in Canterlot, Princess Celestia was in her quarters as a few scrolls popped up in front of her.

"Hmm.." She curiously opened one of the scrolls.

Look no further... Buy a Snuggie! A warm and soft blanket with sleeves!
It's like a sweater, but a blanket at the same time!
-Neighsbro Corps.

"Uh..." Big mac sighed as the party quickly resumed to its normal state, Pinkie Pie busy eating her pie. Slowly, Big Mac took the cupcake into his hoof and decided to go eat it somewhere else - in fear that the pink filly would return for his treat.

He walked to the wall that had seemingly empty benches. Seems like'a nice place to finally get some peace, he sighed with relief. He sat down on a bench and held the muffin up to his mouth.

"...Squeak..."

"Huh?" Big Mac opened his eyes and looked around - the source of the sound seemed to come from nowhere. After a small pause, he shrugged it off and went on to eat his cupcake... When in the corner of his left eye, he noticed he wasn't alone on the bench. A pale-yellow pegasus who blended in with the yellow wall was sitting beside him, almost curled up into a ball as if to protect herself from Big Mac.

"Oh, ah'm sorry Fluttershy. Ah didn't notice you there," he tried to speak softly to the delicate pony.

"Oh... It's... Okay..." the pink-maned pegasus replied - her voice just barely making it to Bic Mac's ears through the noise of the party.

"Well, ah can move somewhere else if you want. 'ts no problem," he tried to be polite. The very words from his mouth felt like he could shatter the fragile figure.

"NO!... I mean... No... You can stay. Beside... me..."

"Uhm... Well, if you insist..."

"Yes... Um... If you want... " She forcefully loosened her tension as she slowly uncurled from her protective ball, trying to sit normally - her head still down.

Big Mac continued to eat his cupcake. The sounds of the party filled the room around them, but there was an awkward silence between the pair. He glanced at Fluttershy every few seconds and noticed she was nervously rubbing her right hoof along her left leg.

"Um... So, what... What brings you h-here?" she asked. Typical Fluttershy.

"Ah nothin'. Mah sister insisted ah come to this here party so ah did," the big colt replied. Finished his cupcake, he stood up from his seat. "Uhm, ah guess ah'll leave you to it."

"Oh... Okay..." Fluttershy mumbled with a hint of sadness. She didn't look up as Big Mac walked away, but he almost felt heartbroken to leave the filly there alone. Pushing through the crowd, he came upon Applejack who had just finished mingling with the flower store owners; Rose winking at Big Mac as she turned away. Now ah remember why ah don' come to these parties, his mind reminded him as his stomach churned.

"Big Mac! Glad y'made it!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in excitement.

"Ah said ah would come, so ah'm here."

"So how're you findin' things?" she asked.

"Uh, ah'll tell you afterwords. Weird, as ah can put it at the moment," he responded, his thoughts hinting at his day of weird encounters.

"Well, ah see," she said, her eyes squinting in suspicion. Applejack tilted her head to look past her big brother and noticed an immensely red-from-blushing Fluttershy sitting alone on a bench. "Oh, ah see. Heheh, well have fun," she giggled as she walked passed Big Mac towards the lone filly. There was nothing Big Mac could do but shrug it off.

"Ooooh it's YOU!" said a very ladylike voice nearby.

"Hullo Rarity," he greeted the pearly-white unicorn who appeared in front of him.

"I see the big and muscular Big Macintosh decided to show up!" she smiled in an almost devious-like way.

"Eheh, eeyup. Ah'm here. How's the Boutique goin'?"

"Oh good, as always. Say," she began to closely eye his structure, "you... you simply must come by my place! We need to find an outfit for you. Maybe even a nice stetson!"

"Uhm, ah don't want to, you'know, intrude..." he nervously said as Rarity paced around him, eyeing every inch of his body.

"Mhmm..." Rarity paused for a moment behind the colt. He decided it was best for him to not think why. "I think a dark coloured stetson and a nice beige saddle would make you look... Amazing..." she said as she returned in front of the big colt. "I love the cowboy look... Heehee, how about tomorrow?" she pouted her lips and angled her head, as if to attain that 'adorable' appeal that females believe males find attractive.

"Ah... Fine. Ah guess ah could use a new hat and whatnot. Thank'ya kindly, Rarity," Big Mac forced through his mouth as he also forced a little smirk.

"Oohoo, you won't be disappointed. See you tomorrow then - ta ta!" she fluttered her eyes and trotted off, rubbing her tail against his face. Big Mac Shuddered.

"Why'd ah agree to this..." he whined to himself.

------

"New day, same route," Ditzy sighed, handing over the mail to Big Mac. Bills, letters to Big Mac from secret admirers (sometimes with cupcake crumbs accidentally included in the envelopes) and ads - the usual.

"Eeyup," he forced a smile, the events from yesterday's party still in his head.

"Welp, I'm off. Have a nice day!" Ditzy took off to continue her morning route.

"Ah'm not lookin' forward to today..." Big Mac mumbled to himself, trotting back towards the barn.

------

Why did today have to be a day off as well, Big Mac sighed as Rarity's Boutique came into view. Unlike the day before, the sky was mostly cloudy - the sun just barely shone through. As he approached the decorative building, he heard voices coming from inside. He peaked through a window to see Rarity and Rainbow Dash in a little argument.

"Rainbow Dash. He's going to be here any minute and I can't have you intruding in on our meeting," said the white unicorn, rolling her eyes.

"Well I don't see why he'd want to try on your dumb outfits anyways! I was going to ask him to, uh, hang out... Until I found out you invited him for a dress-up party instead!" barked back the light blue pegasus.

"...What are you doing here anyways?"

"Oh, uh..." she quickly shot back, thinking she could anticipate where the argument was going. Before Rainbow Dash could come up with an answer, the bell above the door jingled as Big Mac entered the building. He flinched at the sound of the bell as he hoped not to get their attention, but found the two mares staring wide-eyed right at him.

"B-Big Mac! I'm so glad you could make it," Rarity grinned. "I'm sorry, but Rainbow Dash here was just about to leave. Now."

"Ugh, fine. Hi Big Mac," the athletic pony winked as she trotted passed him towards the door, causing his insides to churn a little bit. After Rainbow Dash left and the door had closed, Rarity shot Big Mac a glance that almost caused him to flinch.

"Now... Come over here big boy," she teased and gestured him towards a platform surrounded by mirrors. He couldn't help but groan under his breath.

------

An hour - and a lot of measuring, cutting, stitching and fitting - later, Big Mac couldn't help but smile at his reflection; he did look a bit nifty in a stetson and matching saddle.

"Oooh you look simply... Cute!" Rarity commented, ignoring his new accessories and instead focusing her eyes on his broad flanks.

"Eheh... Eeyup. Thank'ya kindly Rarity... Ah think it's very nice. How much are'ya wanting for this outfit?" he asked, trying to pretend not knowing what she's looking at.

"Oh... No! Please, take this as a compliment from the beautiful Rarity," she snapped out of her trance. "If only I could have an equally as good looking and strong colt as yourself, I'd - "

"Now WAIT just a minute!" boomed Rainbow Dash who crashed through the door, "he's not going to choose Miss Schmancy-Pants here!" Rainbow then noticed Big Mac who was in his nifty new outfit. "Ooh, Big Mac, you look dashing... GET IT?!"

"Uh... What?" Big Mac's eyes widened. Why didn't I see this coming.

"Rainbow Dash! What - I told you we're busy!" stomped the unicorn.

"Come on, you're gonna hog him all day? I bet he's already bored of your dress-up... Thing," Rainbow snorted.

"NO he is not! He even said he likes his new outfit I - we've - come up for him. Right Big Mac?"

"Uh..." Big Mac didn't know what else to say as he began to panic. He never liked being the center of attention.

"Well I doubt he wants to hang out with you for now. What kind of a work-pony wants to play dress up anyways!" Rainbow desperately blurted out of her mouth. Neither of the mares took notice to Big Mac who was slowly making his way to the exit.

"I'm sure he's fine, staying here with little me. You wouldn't abandon your new best friend, right Big Mac?" Rarity put on a smug face and glanced at Big Mac who froze in place, only halfway towards the exit.

"Ah... Uh, girls... Ah think ah need'ta - "

"Did somepony say, ant-eater?!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Wha - "

"Where - "

"Hi!" the pink pony said in delight who was somehow on top of Big Mac's back.

"Agh, you... Okay, this is too much. Ah'm sorry y'all, but ah'm gonna head out," he braved up as he shook the pink pony off his back and galloped out the door.

"...See what you did?" Rainbow glared at Rarity.

"What did I do? You had to come and ruin our moment," she snapped back, as the two continued arguing.

Big Mac slowed his gallop to a stop in the town square to take a breath.

"Why did you run?" asked Pinkie Pie who was in front of him.

"Wha - Pinkie! Ugh... Ah don't want to take part of this nonsense. Ah don't like to be in the center of attention."

"But... But... I like you!" Pinkie squealed, her eyes turning big and watery. Big Mac rolled his eyes.

"Aw come on... Ah'm just not interested in gettin' involved in relationships. Ah don't like this here drama."

"Oh... I'm sorry..." Fluttershy mumbled, who was approaching Big Mac to ask if he wanted to get lunch with her.

"Golly - not you too!" His eyes wide in panic. Rarity and Rainbow dash appeared from the Boutique, Twilight from nowhere.

"There he is!"

"He's MINE!"

"I saw him first!"

"What are you - "

"But... I was going to..."

"Anteater!"

"Wait - "

"OW!"

"Stop it!"

"I'M GAY!!" Big Mac shouted. The ground seemed to rumble as the echo of his statement boomed in the distance - the five mares around him stared in sudden shock and silence. A vase on a nearby table had fallen off, shattering on the ground. And at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack fell off the rocking chair she was resting on.

"He - WHAT?!"

And beyond Sweet Apple Acres, a certain Great and Powerful unicorn who was making her way to Ponyville stopped in her tracks.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie can find another colt, anyways!" the smug pony stated as she turned away from Ponyville, her head held up high.

And in Canterlot, Luna (who was in the castle gardens) turned around to see nopony there except for the guards by the entrance.

"I'm sorry, you're what?" She spoke loudly across the garden to the guards.

"Uh..." he glanced at his partner who gave him a shrug, "I didn't say anything, Princess Luna," he yelled back.

"LUNA!" came a voice from above. Luna looked up and noticed her sister's head poking out of a window high in the castle. "LULU!"

"Ugh, WHAT?! I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!" Luna screamed back.

"GUESS WHAAT!"

"WHAT?!"

"REMEMBER THAT FLIER I SHOWED YOU YESTERDAY?"

"... DON'T TELL ME YOU BOUGHT ONE OF THOSE!"

"NO, I BOUGHT SEVENTEEN! DIFFERENT COLOURS!"

"WHY?!"

"I GOT ONE IN LUNA-SIZE, DO YOU WANT IT? IT HAS A PICTURE OF ME ON IT THOUGH."

"NO!!"

Back in Ponyville...

"Ah'm sorry... Ah'm not actually... that. But ah had to say something to get yer attention," he tried to say as calmly as he could, taking a deep breath. "Ah don't want to be in this kinda thing. Ah'm not sayin' none of you are lovely - you all are. And ah'm sure you'll all find a nice colt to be there for you, but ah'm not that one. Ah'm sorry," said the big colt as he slowly, but proudly, trotted away.

The five mares glanced at each other and shrugged, and then silently went their own ways.

------

"Mornin'," Big Mac greeted the grey pegasus, relieved to be able to talk to a mare without worrying about complication. Her blonde mane seemed to blend in with the surroundings as the sun shone its morning yellow embraces on the land. Big Mac matched her gleaming yellow eyes (even though they weren't always aligned) with the sun itself. Their daily meeting, although somewhat insignificant, held a deep meaning for the both of them.

"Hey. Another day of hard work ahead of you, eh? Oh, nice hat!" Ditzy replied, taking notice to his new addition and smiled at her first conversation of the day. It always made her feel better to hear the colt greet her a 'good morning' in his deep voice and accent.

"Eeyup," he responded, proud she approved of his latest accessory. He gently took the mail from her hooves as he noticed the simple smile on the mailmare's soft face. He couldn't help but smile himself - this time not having to force it. "Say..." he paused, thinking of his next words as a brief moment of silence crept up between them. Although there was an element of awkwardness, Big Mac felt himself wanting the moment to continue instead of it never happening, unlike the previous days' encounters.

"... Oh?" Ditzy tilted her head at the new turn in their daily, but brief, conversation; her heart began to beat a little faster.

Both ponies lived simple lives; they minded their own business and did their best not to intrude on other's. Alas, the history between the two ponies proved to be no more complex than the morning meetings to pick up the mail. But they shared something deeper that neither of them have ever felt before. This very moment was something they somehow had anticipated for awhile now.

"Wanna catch lunch later?"

A cloud of green smoke gathered in front of Luna as a message written on a scrap piece of paper appeared.

Lulu.

Luna sighed and rolled her eyes, placing the note to the right edge of the table as she sat in the grand but quiet palace library. Surrounded by mounds of books that covered everything from history to scientific theories to history of scientific theories to scientific theories of history, she had no time for Celestia's games. And although she had already covered plenty of material from what she's missed, she still had a lot of ground to cover. The minor interruption snapped Luna out of the 'zone', per say... And she already found it impossible to re-focus. That's when another puff of green smoke appeared before her as another message appeared.

Lulu Pooloo.

Squinting her eyes, she shoved the little piece of paper in her mouth and ate it. Luna loved her sister. But although her playfulness did bring her a smile every once and then, she couldn't help but feel very victimized. Luna was the younger one, shouldn't she be the brat? No longer could she focus anymore on the text below her, her mind was too focused on Celestia now. And then another message appeared.

LUNA:
Love-able
Understanding
Noodle
Anteater

Frustrated, Luna tore a small piece of paper from her notes and wrote down her own message:

That does not even make sense. I am not a 'noodle,' nor do I eat ants.

With a small flash from her horn, the paper combusted into a green smoke and dispersed into thin air. Not a moment later, another cloud conjured up a message for her to read.

Look behind you.

"AGH!" she gasped, just as she felt hooves wrap around her upper torso and found herself lifted off of the chair. The bigger Celestia dangled the poor alicorn in midair.

"Long Luna is looooooooong," Celestia laughed, trying to contain the squirming subject between her hooves.

"STOP!" Luna shouted with revolt, but couldn't help but giggle, "COME ON!"

"You know I loove you," Celestia teased as snuggled her smaller sister, laying her back down on her chair. A death-glare soon followed from blue eyes. Celestia then straightened her neck and resumed to the reason of her appearance. "I actually came here to give you a minor political task to deal with."

"Oh... Oh! Really?" Luna's eyes widened as she enjoyed working with the political side of Equestria. It wasn't often that Celestia allowed her to deal with such things since her return, but both of them agreed that she should just take it easy for now.

"Mhmm. It seems Archpony Shiver Mist from Cloudsdale has put up a request for more water from Manehatton," Celestia said, her tone changing from playful to business-like. "However, she has claimed that they're behind on their provisions of water supply and that if it keeps up like this, the next winter will not have as much snow."

"Oh? And what do they want us to do about it?" Luna asked, looking a little confused.

"Well, Mayor Agni from Manehatton offered two scenarios: increase their water-consumption allowance or allow their filtering company to spread to other coastal cities," Celestia offered, looking at Luna with straight eyes.

"Seems a little more complicated and controversial than the other tasks you give me," Luna pointed out as a bit of nervousness and concern built up in her. She hadn't dealt with big tasks like this before, and she was afraid of what the citizens of Equestria would think of her from doing such political duties.

"Well it has been nearly a year since your return, sister. It's time you start amping up your contribution to Equestria's politics - is that not what you wanted?"

"Of course! Let me handle it," Luna answered, trying to put a bit of excitement and less concern in her speech. "But, what do you think I should do about the situation?"

"Look for a compromise. We know that other cities would frown upon both scenarios, but there will always be a way to deal with things. Listen to your gut," Celestia smiled, poking Luna's stomach.

"Ow!" overreacted Luna, quickly returning to her death glare.

"But this doesn't have to be solved immediately; the deadline for this bill to pass isn't for another three months," Celestia stated, noticing Luna already loosening her tense body language, "and I have companion for you, who you will meet tomorrow."

"Oh, you mean like a - a pet?" Luna gulped out; she felt excitement - and a hint of fear - take hold of her. Celestia nodded with a devious grin - something that often made Luna confused if she should be afraid or excited. "W-what is it?"

"You'll seee!" Celestia teased once again. Luna's eyes widened but the big paper-white alicorn turned away, trotting off with a little wiggle to her rump. And then Celestia stopped as if she forgot to tell Luna one more thing.

"Oh! I also came upon this, well, ad. I don't know who sent it but I guess it kind of caught me off guard," Celestia hummed, levitating an opened scroll to her sister. Luna stared at the piece of paper, and it read:

Are you cold?
Does your blanket keep falling off whenever you try to pull it on?

Look no further... Buy a Snuggie! A warm and soft blanket with sleeves!
It's like a sweater, but a blanket at the same time!
-Neighsbro Corps.

"Uh, what does this have to do with politics?" Luna questioned, wrinkling her nose, "or anything, for that matter."

"For thousands of years, we've had to choose between a nice warm coat or a nice warm blanket. Isn't it kind of strange that we've only come up with this sort of thing now?" the elderly sister asked with, for some reason, enthusiasm. Luna could hardly believe her interest in such a... thing.

"Uh..." Luna felt herself at a loss of words - dumbfounded at this, rather, awkward situation.

"Oh come on, sis! Lighten up a bit... And you've been up studying for the past few days without any sleep. Don't you think you'd look adorable in one of these?!"

"Yeah... I'll think about it," Luna answered sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Celestia let out a little mischievous giggle and finally trotted away. "Ugh, that mare..."

------

Early in the morning (and still without sleep), Luna found herself in the luscious gardens of the Royal Palace. A thousand years is a long time for anypony, but to Luna it felt... "Strange," she muttered under her breath. There was no other way she could describe it - it did not feel like a thousand years nor did it feel brief. All she could remember was turning into her, then what she could describe as a 'brief eternity,' and then reappearing as her former self back in Equestria. "That's the past now," she told herself, "it's best I look to the present."

With a small sigh, she tried to focus her mind onto her newly given responsibility. But even through her newly-given political task, Luna found herself more anxious for her upcoming companion; she would always have loved the company of another creature... As long as it wasn't too mischevious.

Pets were common to the ponies of Equestria: Celestia herself had that infamous phoenix who was known for being as humorous as its owner. But despite its devious personality, it still never failed to amaze any who so much as caught a glimpse of the legendary bird. A single feather felt warm to the touch and stayed that way.

Maybe my pet is just as elaborate, she thought to herself, immediately projecting images of various exotic animals in her mind. A pixie? Maybe... Maybe even a baby dragon! Or a... Well, maybe simplify it down to a kitten... Luna pondered, until she noticed her bright moon in the sky.

The moon had already begun to sink down the horizon; it was only a matter of a few minutes before her sister brought the sun. Luna was meant to sleep during the day but she found herself staying up to study, depriving her of sleep within the past while. Goddesses didn't exactly need sleep, but it sure did put a sense of relaxation to them. She stared at her precious moon for a last few moments before it finally disappeared under the western horizon as the great embracing rays of limitless lights appeared above the land from the east. Luna sighed and decided to head to her quarters for some shut-eye.

------

Lick.

Something like a soaked string streaked Luna's face, causing her to scrunch up her nose and groan in agony. She didn't want to wake up, but quickly fell back asleep.

Lick.

Again. But before she could open her eyes...

Lick. Lick. Lick.

Her eyes opened - she wasn't dreaming. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was a beige cone-shaped muzzle accompanied by two solid black marble eyes. That's when a very thin tongue shot out of its mouth and licked her again. Oh no.

"Wha-UAAHH!" Luna gasped as she quickly stumbled out of her bed and dashed to one side of her room. "AAH! AAAH! WHAT IS THAT!" Luna screamed, pointing her hoof at the little creature that now occupied her bed.

"Shh! You don't have to scare him!" Celestia laughed who was by the door to Luna's room. A little basket with a few blankets was beside her - presumably the transportation used to carry the animal. "It's an anteater."

"No... NO! WHY!" Luna's wide eyes stared in disbelief at her sister.

"But just look at him, he's adorable!"

"AN ANTEATER?!"

"Shhh!" Celestia glanced over to Luna's new companion who was staring blankly at the two. Celestia was almost giggling out of control, but she was indeed holding back a lot of laughter. The look on Luna's face was, in fact, priceless.

Luna felt her tense body loosen as even she couldn't resist her sister's humor. She couldn't help but strike a little smile before giggling herself, even if her mind was mixed between "I'LL KILL HER" and laughter.

"I know it's a bit random," Celestia spoke through her laughs, "but I assure you, give him a chance. I'm sure you'll come close to this little fellow." Her gaze turned towards the anteater, still clueless and watching the confrontation. Luna let out a big sigh as the laughter died down.

"... What's his name?" Luna asked after a moment of catching her breath. She glanced over towards the anteater.

"Actually, he has none, Luna," Celestia answered. "In fact, he's an orphan," she added in, her voice lowering to a more grim tone.

"Oh... Oh!" Luna choked; she wasn't expecting the sudden turn in emotion. The eyes of the anteater, although were simple and circular, seemed innocent. But through the innocence, a strong sense of tragedy bothered Luna. Whatever it was, the animal knew it was looking at its new guardian - its new companion in the strange new world. It almost made Luna cry.

"So, what are you going to name your new friend?" Celestia asked calmly, already sensing a connection between Luna and her new pet.

"Well... Uh. I'm not good with names," Luna hopelessly mumbled, snapping out of her thoughts.

"He's your pet," Celestia added in, causing Luna to feel a little pressured. Luna was an intelligent pony, but brainstorming names wasn't entirely her profession. She thought back to her books, hoping to remember some names of historical figures or places. But there was nothing that entirely captivated her mind like Celestia's notes.

"Noodle. I'm going to name him Noodle," Luna proudly stated, a timid but bright smile appearing on her face. Celestia simply nodded and laughed, as if she somehow knew Luna was going to pick that name. Somehow.

Luna blinked. Noodle blinked back. After another moment of staring at each other in silence, Luna blinked again.

And Noodle blinked back.

It had been an hour since Celestia left the two to attend to her daily duties, allowing the newly-formed companionship to bond. Luna and her new pet anteater, Noodle, were lying on the floor staring at each other in silence. His coat was mostly a creamy white with a large patch of black fur on his back and a slightly darker patch of creamy coloured fur at his belly. There was also a small black patch of fur on his head, and his muzzle was mostly black as well.

Luna squinted her eyes and Noodle briefly flicked out his tongue.

Blink. Blink.

"I need to look up how to take care of you properly," Luna mumbled, her eyes softening to a less intensive gaze. Noodle, who rivaled the size of Luna's head (although it was a rivalry he wasn't winning) simply flicked his tongue out again. Lifting up one of her hooves, she slowly moved it closer to her new furry friend. Noodle cocked his head as the hoof slowly approached his side until Luna gently prodded the critter.

"Eep," whimpered Noodle.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare - Eep!" Luna squealed as Noodle wrapped his legs around her hoof, attempting to climb on. Seeing his struggle to climb onto his new master, Luna attempted to aid the anteater with her other hoof. Little did she know that anteaters were good climbers, and before she could lift her other hoof, Noodle quickly climbed up her arm and onto her shoulder.

"UAHH! Warn me when you're going to do that!" Luna gasped. She wasn't one for surprises, which was what made it that much more fun for Celestia to tease her.

Noodle let out a little snicker, and then finally climbed onto her back. Luna could already sense that this was another being who found joy in teasing the easily-surprised alicorn. He spread his legs out and gripped her back so he wouldn't fall off, fitting snugly between her wings.

"Heheh, I guess I'll be your main method of transportation!" Luna giggled, slowly raising herself off the floor. "Uhh, I guess we can go to the library. I should do some research into anteaters."

With that, she felt Noodle lick the back of her neck in response. He already understands me, thought Luna, he must be an intelligent anteater. Gently, she trotted out of her room and made it towards the library. The baby anteater was so light, she almost couldn't feel his weight on her back.

Along her way, she passed by a pair of guards stationed in front of a doorway. Though it was their duty to keep to themselves, they couldn't help but notice the... thing, on Luna's back after she passed them by. After she turned a corner down the hall, they looked at each other and shrugged.

------

"Special delivery for Princess Celestia," the grey pegasus mare read off a clipboard in her hooves. Two royal guards were in front of Ditzy Doo as she attempted to unload the package from her cart. Although it was a rather large box, it seemed she didn't need any help lifting it.

"Ah, uh... What exactly is in the package?" one of the guards asked, looking a bit puzzled.

"Well, I don't really know. It's light for its size though! But the sender is from a store back in Ponyville. Ahh..." Ditzy said as she let the box down in front of the guards, "it's from 'Quills, Sofas and Snuggies'."

"Uh, I guess we'll take it from here then? Yeah. Uh, thank you for delivering this. We'll get it to the Princess. From here," stuttered the guard. It wasn't often that they got deliveries to the Royal Palace, especially not for things from a store called Quills, Sofas and Snuggies.

"Um, thanks. I'll be on my way now. Take care!" Ditzy said as she turned away with her cart. Curiously, one of the guards tested the weight of the box and found that Ditzy was right - it was relatively light, as if it were filled with blankets... Or maybe sweaters.

------

"Ah - here we go!" exclaimed Luna in success as she levitated the book titled 'A pet-guide to Anteaters' onto the table in front of her. "Huh. I find it weird that there was even a book on anteaters in this library." Noodle lay on the table beside the book as Luna quickly flipped through the pages. Unlike the sight from the day before where Luna was surrounded by mounds of books, the table was empty save for the anteater and the single book.

"Hm. Judging from your size and fur colours, you are..." Luna mumbled to herself, eyeing the pages in front of her, "a... Northern Tamandua." Noodle flicked his tongue out in acknowledgement. "And you can flick your tongue for approximately one-hundred and fifty times per minute, apparently." Noodle flicked his tongue twice at an almost blinding speed. Luna smirked, impressed by the critter.

"Prehensile tail... Tongue attached to sternum... Lalala... Oh!" Luna gasped, her eyes widening as if she had just found gold. "During much of its first year of life, it will ride on its mother's back." She looked up from her book and grinned at her little friend. "Is that what I am? Momma Luna is here to take care of you, my little Noodle!"

------

The duo spent the next while in the library with Luna reading up on anteaters and Noodle, just barely the size of a book, trying not to get lost in the maze they formed on the table. Book subjects ranged everywhere from anteaters' habitats to the different types of ants and termites they fed on. There was one problem though: where was Luna going to get ants?

"I wonder if I can feed you some sort of fruit," Luna thought out loud. Raising her head from the book she was reading, she noticed the massive piles of books before her; Noodle not in sight. "Noodle? Come out, my little anteater!" she called, feeling a small prick of panic tensing up her muscles.

Without a response, Luna began carefully levitating piles of books to make sure he wasn't under any. But after a frantic search, it was more than evident that Noodle was nowhere to be found.

"Noodle? Noodle!" Luna called out, panic beginning to engulf her. Where was he? He couldn't have gone far. Thinking quickly, she began levitating all the books back to their respective places on the shelves in hopes that without the clutter, Noodle would be found. Though, still without any response, the last book found its way into its shelf and the anteater was nowhere to be found. While calling out his name, Luna began scrambling around the library to look in each isle of shelves.

"Guards!" she screamed as two wide-eyed pegasus guards swiftly appeared.

"Yes, Princess Luna?" asked one of them.

"My anteater is missing! Please help me find him!" she blurted out, panting from shock.

"Anteater? Uh - r-right away, Princess L-Luna!" the guard stuttered back, stiffly nodding to his partner. Both guards, without question, zoomed off and began their search for a missing anteater.

"Noodle?! NOODLE?!" Luna screamed with the panic of a mother losing her baby. She quickly galloped towards the front desk, but to her horror she noticed the two large front doors were wide open.

"NOODLE!" she continued to scream as she exited the library into the palace courtyard. A few palace workers and royals who were within earshot (and also frightened at the Princess yelling 'Noodle') tried not to stare, unwilling to question the former Nightmare Moon whatever was going on.

Galloping far and wide among the gardens, she poked her head in every hedge and bush she passed by in hopes of finding her pet anteater. Completely ignoring the horrified looks from anypony, she found that she began forming tears in her eyes. Her calls began to weaken as she felt her gut begin to sink in guilt. Though she didn't even spend more than a few hours with her new pet, she felt very emotionally attached to the anteater; he was almost the first being besides Celestia to look at her as family since her return from banishment.

Luna soon found herself going from a frantic sprint to a slow and modest trot, until finally stopping in her place at an edge of the garden. Her heart rate slowed and her tears continued to flow, earning her a few sniffs. Her voice, a little hoarse (no pun intended) from yelling, was quiet now. There was no sound but the small sniffs from Luna's sorrowful face and the wind whistling through the garden.

"I... I need you..." Luna murmured.

She couldn't help but feet empty and thin - a feeling no one could ever describe. Yes, she was upset about losing Noodle, but it's a moment like this that defined the look of a broken soul; a soul who lost their anteater. That was until she heard a subtle yell come from behind her. Perking up, and wiping away her tears, she slowly twitched herself around and found nopony there except for two guards by a castle entrance.

"I'm sorry, you're what?" she spoke loudly across the garden to the guards, trying to hide the pain in her voice.

"Uh..." one guard glanced at his partner who gave him a shrug, "I didn't say anything, Princess Luna," he yelled back.

"LUNA!" came a familiar voice from above. Luna looked up and noticed her sister's head poking out of a window high in the castle. "LULU!"

"Ugh, WHAT?! I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!" Luna screamed back, her voice affected by her fatigue. Though it wasn't entirely a time Luna wanted to be disturbed, she felt some sort of relief to see her sister.

"GUESS WHAAT!"

"WHAT?!"

"REMEMBER THAT FLIER I SHOWED YOU YESTERDAY?"

"... DON'T TELL ME YOU BOUGHT ONE OF THOSE!"

"NO, I BOUGHT SEVENTEEN! DIFFERENT COLOURS!"

"WHY?!"

"I GOT ONE IN LUNA-SIZE, DO YOU WANT IT? IT HAS A PICTURE OF ME ON IT THOUGH."

"NO!!" Luna screamed followed by a loud groan, earning her a slight, playful glare from the white alicorn. As much as Celestia's sillyness cheered her up, Luna couldn't help but fail to disguise her pain.

Not to Celestia's surprise, she noticed the trouble that was printed all over her little sister's face. The sun shone, the grass breathed, the air flew and the world was beautiful. But nothing upset Celestia more than an upset Luna, not even on a day as wonderful as then.

After a slight moment of silence, the quiet came back to surrounding the palace courtyard. She felt her form, tense from the banter with her sister, slouch in defeat again. Noodle, her only friend, was still missing.

Celestia slowly softened her expression as she pulled her head back into the palace from the window. She closed her eyes and stood still for a moment; until a quick flash of light ignited from her horn and engulfed her whole body. As quick as the light had come it had dissipated, and Celestia found herself looking at a sad Luna; the lush gardens of the palace surrounding the two.

"What's the matter, my dear sister?" she spoke, her voice regal and comforting. Another silent pause came to as Luna wrinkled her nose, looking down at the ground.

"I... I..." Luna tried to speak, but couldn't.

"Sister, you can tell me anything. I am here to care for you. I love you," Celestia murmured, slowly trotting up beside her sister.

"I... I lost Noodle..." Luna mumbled, almost succumbing to her tears as Celestia began to fold a wing over her - an act she always did to comfort. Luna, who was looking down at the ground, didn't notice the quiet gasp Celestia gave, the grin that followed, and the retreat of her wing.

Celestia inched her body closer to hers until they were touching, her head slowly nuzzling over Luna's mane. Luna nuzzled her bigger sister back and felt her tears begin to intensify - her muscles beginning to tremor as a breakdown became imminent. But before Luna could actually cry, Celestia put a hoof to her chin to raise her head up. Luna stared into her sister's eyes through her own water-filled ones.

"I know how hard it is to lose something very dear to you, Luna. I... I had no choice when I... did what I did to you a thousand years ago. I can honestly say that I can never be sorry enough," Celestia spoke, taking the opportunity to spill out what was on her mind and hopefully comfort Luna.

"'Tia, I forgive you. I know you did what you had to and we've talked about this many times..." Luna responded.

"I know, Luna. And I am more than glad that you are BACK!" Celestia suddenly yelped, coughing shortly afterwards. Luna, slightly startled, stared in confusion. "Sorry. But you know that I wouldn't have you -cough- BACK -cough- without the aid of the Elements of Harmony. It's thanks to them that you're here... I did almost nothing to get you -cough- back."

"...Uh, are... you okay?" Luna asked, looking up at her sister who had a wide grin on her face.

"Sometimes, you just have to rely on those who lean on your back," Celestia said flatly.

"W-what?"

Lick.

Quickly turning her head 180 degrees, Luna found Noodle clinging onto her back; he had been there the whole time. Before Luna could explode in glee, Celestia stepped back to give her space.

"NOODLE! NOODLE! I'M SO HAPPY I FOUND YOU!" she screamed as she began to hop in place, Noodle struggling to cling on. Celestia couldn't help but laugh.

------

"...And then she burst out of the library screaming 'noodle.' I was guessing she was hungry... Or something..." Brand the Royal Guard said to his partner, Calibur, as they walked on their patrol route.

"Eh? I've seen weirder things. I mean, I'm going to have nightmares of Princess Celestia in that sweater-blanket thing," Calibur responded, mildly kicking aside a pebble.

"You mean a Snuggie?"

"A - what?"

"Nevermind. I heard that Carver and Striker were hastily instructed to find an anteater by Princess Luna in the library," Brand stated, letting out a subtle laugh. "We don't get paid enough to handle this."

"If anything, we get overpaid," Calibur laughed. "I mean come on. We get paid to see these things."

"I guess you're right."

Celestia grinned as she retreated her head out of the window, overhearing the conversation below in the castle courtyard. Trotting up to a desk with a single piece of parchment on top, she levitated a quill and checkmarked a box beside a statement, saying:

A new uniform is going to be assigned to the Royal Guard. These uniforms will arrive in the Guard barracks within the next week.

Celestia almost let out an evil laugh, levitating the document and resting it on top of a mountain of boxes labeled "Snuggies."