Celestia looked around and suddenly realized that the throne room was practically empty, just them and their guards. Though she was confused about where everypony went, she decided that it was a good thing.

She also decided that some fresh air would do them all some good and charged her horn.

Artemis saw what his sister was doing and turned to his guards. He told them to get some sleep and that he expected to see them after moonrise.

Celestia told her guards that the three of them needed to relax a bit and would be fine without guards for a while.

Celestia unleashed her teleport spell and the three of them found themselves in her personal gardens, in a shady spot under a large tree and next to a fountain.

Immediately, all three of them collapsed to the ground as each of them allowed the tension to leave their bodies. After a few minutes, they each moved enough for them to snuggle together. Celestia had her brother on one side and Twilight on the other as well as a wing stretched out over each of them. For a long while, all they did was lay there, relaxing and just listening to the water.

Twilight raised her head and was about to say something when her attention was drawn by a noise as first Artemis’ stomach growled, followed by Celestia’s and then her own. Eyes wide, they looked at each other for a moment before they all simultaneously burst into laughter. It took them a few minutes to calm down enough to talk.

“I guess we’re hungry” said Twilight, still giggling.

Celestia looked up at the sun for a moment before saying “Well, it is mid-afternoon now, so we missed lunch. Why don’t we go fix that?” Artemis and Twilight nodded as the three of them stood and began walking back to the castle.

As they walked through the halls, the guards and staff noticed that all three of them seemed much calmer and more relaxed than they had earlier, right after Day Court. That drew smiles from everypony who saw them.

By now, they all knew about what had happened during court as well as Blueblood’s plan and were glad that the plan had been stopped. Most of the castle also knew that Prince Artemis was now courting Princess Twilight Sparkle. That news drew a couple of conflicting reactions. Some were worried about how the courting process would work, with them living so far apart. However, they had also heard about how Princess Twilight had teleported here the night before just so she could help their prince. Even though some of them were worried, all of them were happy for the Prince and Princess.

The trio of alicorns made it to the kitchens and walked in, surprising the chefs. All of them jumped up, expressing concern that the prince and princesses had not come in for lunch, asking if they were alright. Celestia assured them that they were fine. She told them that they were out in the gardens and had simply lost track of time and asked them if they would mind preparing a late lunch. A question that was reinforced by a rather loud growl from Twilight’s stomach. She blushed, while the rest of them just laughed. The chefs asked them to wait in the dining room, promising that their food would be right out.

Celestia sat at her usual spot at the head of the table with Artemis on one side of her and Twilight on the other. The chefs were true to their word. A mere ten minutes later, they walked up to the door of the dining room loaded with daisy sandwiches and salads, as well as a massive fruit salad to be shared by the three alicorns. Just as they entered the room, Celestia lit her horn.

Twilight let out a squeak of surprise as she found herself suspended in a golden glow. Before she could ask what was going on, Celestia levitated her over to a seat next to Artemis and gently placed her by his side. She gave the pair of them a sly wink that earned her a blush from Twilight. Artemis, however, wrapped a wing around Twilight and nuzzled her.

The chefs smiled as they approached the table and served the prince and princesses their food. The meal proceeded quietly, as the three of them were more concerned with filling their stomachs than conversation. After they had each eaten their fill, they stood and were walking out of the room, when Celestia spoke up.

“Unfortunately, I have matters to attend to. I have to leave you for a while, but will see you at dinner.” she paused and tilted her head thoughtfully “Unless you want to spend the rest of the afternoon in Canterlot and have dinner out.”

“W-what?” Artemis asked

“You can have your first official date in the city.” Celestia replied “Just don’t forget to raise the moon on time, little brother.”

“A-alright” answered a surprised Artemis

Celestia chuckled as she left the room. She didn’t actually have anything to do so she headed to her room for a nap.

Artemis and Twilight went to the nearest balcony, spread their wings and took flight. They circled the castle a couple of times before they headed into the city of Canterlot. They landed on the main road and decided to walk around for a bit. As they did, they were greeted by several ponies that were going about their day.

The first place they visited was, of course, Twilight’s favorite bookstore. She picked out a couple of new astronomy books and headed to the cash register. As she paid for the books, Artemis asked “Twilight, what is astronomy?”

Twilight froze before turning to face him as she responded “You really don’t know?”

Artemis shook his head before replying “I’ve heard several ponies talking about it, but nopony would tell me what it is. Every time I asked, any pony I tried talking to said that they weren’t “Qualified” to tell me about it and walked away.”

He paused before repeating his question “Will you tell me what astronomy is, please?”

Next Chapter: Chapter 10 Estimated time remaining: 36 Hours, 13 Minutes