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."