Chapter 10: Two Fears with One Stone

It was the day of the Royal Wedding and nothing was as it should have been. The sky was an ominous shade of red and Luna had just exited her quarters after sleeping soundly due to the night guard duty. What she saw made her stop in her tracks. Changeling troops were marching through the streets of Canterlot, taking its residents prisoner.

“… no… no no no…” Luna frantically spoke as she rushed down into the throne room where The Elements, her friends, Cadence, Shining Armor, as well as her older sister were being detained.

“What the fuck is going on!” Luna shouted, losing her composure entirely.

“You weren’t here,” Celestia deadpanned, not even looking at her.

“What? Why wasn’t I notified!?”

“You should have been here, Luna,” Twilight echoed.

“No… I… I didn’t know!” Luna said, starting to get freaked out.

“Why weren’t you here, Luna?” Fluttershy parroted.

“Yah didn’t protect us, Luna,” Applejack spoke.

“I… I…” Luna was fumbling for words, tears were starting to make their way to her eyes.

“This could have been avoided. You could have helped us,” Celestia continued to speak in a perverted version of her own voice.

“Why didn’t you help us?”

“No…”

“Where were you when we needed you most?”

“NO….!”

“You failed to protect us, your subjects and friends.”

“No… please… no…!”

“You failed us, Luna. You failed us and you failed Equestria.”

“NOOOOO!” Luna screamed as she sat upright in her bed, panting. Checking over herself, she was in Twilight’s house, her physical form was intact, and she could perform magic… she was okay. She was sweating profusely as a result. Luna then let it all out and she began to cry. She could control lucidity, command cosmic bodies, yet she still succumbed to nightmares… even a sense of guilt and uselessness that still plagued her to this day. Despite it being three in the morning, her cries did not go unheard.

“Lulu…?”

“Tia…?” Luna replied, still sniffling and letting the waterworks flow.

“Talk to me. What’s wrong?” Celestia asked, the greatest concern evident in her voice.

“I… It was… ugh,” Luna couldn’t even form articulate thoughts right now.

“The nightmare, again?” Celestia asked.

“Yeah…”

“You can’t let this get to you anymore. It wasn’t your fault and none of that even happened. We’re all okay as you can see and Equestria is safe! No one saw that coming,” Celestia reasoned.

“It could have been avoided if I was there to help and protect-”

“No, Luna. That’s where your reasoning fails you. You have a wonderful heart but you have an overprotective complex about you. We can handle ourselves, Luna, and even though you’re co-ruler with duty to serve Equestria, you don’t need to be at its side constantly. That’s why we ‘co-rule.’ You can’t rationally blame yourself for that. It wasn’t your fault… ask anyone and they’ll tell you the same thing. No one views you in a worse light for any reason! Hey, even go for a walk tomorrow morning… mingle with the crowd. Your previous work over the last week and a half will confirm this for you,” Celestia reasoned once again. Luna was starting to see her point, albeit slowly.

“Let it go, Luna. You did nothing wrong and everything was circumstantial. There shouldn’t be any guilt here. Please, for your own sake and mine… it’s okay,” Celestia cooed.  Luna had calmed down enough to where she nodded to herself in understanding.

“Alright… maybe I’ll do just that in the morning.”

“Good. Now, get some sleep and when you wake up tomorrow in your irritable mood due to your interruption in sleep, try not to kill the first person that starts shit with you. Civilian casualties create a mess of paperwork,” Celestia said sarcastically. This made Luna chuckle quite a bit.

“Thanks, Tia”

“Anytime, Luna. Wake me up again, though, and I’ll hurt you,” Celestia replied. Luna merely rolled her eyes.

“Tia…”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.” This was something Celestia did not hear very often from her introverted sister. She knew it to be true, but to actually hear the words come from her mouth tugged at the heartstrings a bit.

“I love you too, Luna. Get some sleep,” Celestia replied in a much softer tone before cutting the connection.

Luna took another deep breath and sighed back into her pillow. Drying her remaining tears, she decided to catch a few more hours of sleep before heading out into the town before the beach.

And sleep she did. Luna woke up a bit more refreshed at around eight in the morning. The trip to Equestria’s beach was scheduled to be at around noon, so Luna was up undoubtedly before the other girls. She dressed herself in her “glorified underwear” which was her bathing suit and put on a standard short-sleeved shirt with some jeans before walking out to catch some fresh air. She smirked to herself, knowing that Equestria was indeed safe, before strolling off towards the town center, admiring the scenery around her. What Luna forgot, however, was that by instinct, she wore her tiara, effectively letting everyone know who she was if they didn’t recognize her already. Many looked her way and gave her nods, small bows, and even smiles when she locked eyes with them. Luna smiled to herself as she continued the half-hearted stroll throughout the town. She noticed that there was some construction going on for a new building, and also noticed that the workers were losing their grip on a large piece of stone.

“Shit! It’s gonna drop!” One of them shouted before the offending stone was encased in a blue aura.

“Hold on there, I gotcha!” Luna shouted out as her arm was stretched out. She held it and moved the stone to a more secure location before the other workers safely took it from her magical grasp. The workers did a double take when they saw who it was that helped them.

“Thanks a ton, Princess!” one of the braver and more outspoken workers shouted out to her, waving. Luna merely waved back and blew a kiss before continuing on her way. Everyone who witnessed the spectacle was somewhat dumbfounded, as neither of the princesses really had the time to just stroll around and meddle in common affairs. However, since all Luna had was time and some irrational guilt to lose from her head, she thought she might as well walk around Ponyville and see what’s there to do. Luna found a fruit stand and decided on a little snack before breakfast.  

“How much for a green apple, good sir?” Luna asked in a very friendly manner as she leaned on the stand. The vendor perked up immediately when he saw who was gracing his humble fruit cart. The man looked conflicted as to what emotion he should express. Luna sensed this but took no offense to it, easing his choice by adding a genuine smile.

“T-Two bits, Princess,” the shop owner said a bit more relaxed but still apprehensively. After all, you would too if royalty or any other leadership graced your abode! Luna reached into her wallet and pulled out a ten note, handing it over in exchange for the apple.

“Keep the change, and call me Luna,” Luna said with a smirk and a wink as she bit into the apple and walked away, leaving the rather flustered shop owner to ponder if that was really the Lunar Princess.

Luna finished her snack and tossed the core into a trash can before taking a seat in the park. She surrounded herself with the sounds of nature and children playing and having fun. She took a deep breath and relaxed, putting her hands behind her head, closing her eyes for a split second. What she then noticed was that a couple of young boys spotted her and they huddled to themselves. It was painfully obvious that they were talking about her. Aside from the mall, children tended to be more innocently honest with their words. Luna had had many experiences where children would call her Nightmare Moon like nothing was wrong with it. She half expected this to be the case. She noticed that one of the boys was working up some courage before he walked over to her, looking up to her in the eyes. Luna was curious as to what would happen next so she watched the little child intently. Seemingly out of nowhere, the boy pulled a flower from behind his back and handed it to her. Now, this was interesting: of all the things Luna had expected to happen at this moment, this was far from the top of that list. Luna was overwhelmed at the little boy’s actions and she sincerely felt that she was gonna cry at the sweet yet simple gesture. She merely accepted the flower and smelled it before giving a gorgeous smile to the boy and then kissing him on the cheek. The blonde haired boy turned as red as an apple before running back to his group of friends.

“I just got a kiss from Princess Luna! Beat that!” the little boy shouted.

“Cooooool!” all the other boys shouted in unison.  

“You’re lucky! Luna is the prettiest Princess ever!”

Luna thought that she was going to explode if she didn’t move from her spot. So, she let her blush subside before walking elsewhere around the park.

“Wow… have things really changed that much since I’ve been here only a mere week and a half?” she asked herself, pondering the situation as she walked by others treading the same path as her.

“Hey, Princess!”

“Hi, Princess Luna!”

“Stunning as always, Princess!”

“Beautiful night last night, Luna!”

Well then. This was most unexpected to say the least. Luna relished in the attention, but she was almost uneasy because she was not used to this degree of it, let alone the praise. Those that held reservations about her kept their distance and stowed their tongues rather than vocalizing it, although she could easily hear some 'nay-sayers.' Maybe things have changed. Perhaps her guilt was unfounded. In the end, maybe it was the mere effort that counted!

Luna wandered around some more, making casual conversation here and there with random people who stopped to say hi before retiring to a small café to eat some breakfast before she returned back to Twilight’s place. Upon arriving there, she got back just as all the other girls were filing in to leave.

“There you are, Luna! Where’d you go?” Twilight asked as she was packing the last of their things.

“Oh… around,” Luna answered vaguely. Twilight accepted this and they were all ready to go. A carriage was sent for them, courtesy of Princess Celestia and they went off to Equestria’s beaches where it was still hot for the season. Upon arriving, Luna rubbed her temples one last time in frustration before they all stepped out onto the sand.

“Ugh… sand,” Luna said in a very annoyed manner, squishing it between her toes.

“What’s wrong Luna? Don’t like the beach?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“It’s not that it’s just… the damn sand! It gets everywhere!” Luna emphasized. Pinkie only giggled in response.

“Don’t worry Luna. If things have a pattern, you’ll end up having fun today, I’m sure,” Fluttershy added in. Luna sighed once more and mustered a smirk before they all set up somewhere on the sand. Once everything was set up and accounted for, all the girls removed their cover-ups, exposing their bodies clad in bathing suit (bikinis for all of them) and also their cutie marks.

“Guess that’s my cue to lose the cover-up,” Luna mused before she removed hers as well. Naturally, the set of girls were drawing eyes from all over the beach but they paid them no mind. Dash, Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie immediately ran into the water screaming and laughing while Rarity, Luna, and Fluttershy, sporting indigo, teal, and pink bikinis respectively, put on sunglasses in a synchronized manner and laid down under the sun to relax. What was interesting to note was that Rarity’s glasses were diamond shaped lenses, Luna’s were crescent moons, and Fluttershy’s were butterflies. It looked almost planned.

After about an hour of switching their positions and soaking up sun, Luna and Fluttershy decided to play around and do some light contact sparring on the beach; nothing major or flashy but just practicing of some basic principles, while Rarity was eating lunch next to a small radio they brought which was playing some rock music. So far so good, Luna had no complaints aside from the sand. Seriously, she was not having much luck with the sand and she found that she had to wipe herself down fairly often as it got into very undesirable places.

“So, Fluttershy,” Luna began as Fluttershy through an effortless roundhouse at Luna where she lightly blocked it away. “Do you feel that you’ve learned a lot with this makeshift training I’ve given you?”

“Oh yes definitely!” Fluttershy began to speak as Luna countered with a slow punch, Fluttershy avoiding it and countering with her own. “To be honest I feel more… confident in myself and my abilities, even after this short amount of time.”

“Do you feel this is different than when you learned from Iron Will?” Luna asked as she ducked under Fluttershy’s ‘punch’ and countered with a sweep, Fluttershy repositioning her front leg to avoid it.

“Like night and day. My overall personality hasn’t changed as a result and I’m not a monster. I’m just sterner… albeit with more… adept physical fluidity and colorful language no thanks to you,” Fluttershy joked, getting a chuckle out of Luna.

“Well, endless hours of drilling are sure to have some effect. I’m just curious as to what degree. Maybe we’ll get to see that in action,” Luna said. The thing is, Luna had the knack of predicting and reciting the cue, albeit without her knowledge, of when something was about to happen. Twilight had just surfaced from under the water and moved her hair back behind her ears when she spotted two girls, fairly attractive, walking towards her two friends having fun on the beach. Twilight knew exactly who they were.

“Ugh for fucks sake. Girls?” Twilight got the attention of Dash, AJ, and Pinkie and motioned for them to follow her back out onto the shore. When they saw why, they immediately understood and slowly waded out of the ocean.

“Well, what do we have here? It’s Flutterbitch and Nightmare Moon,” one of the intruding girls spat out contemptuously. It was interesting to note that the lack of unadulterated ‘fear’ of Luna had a double edged sword complex about it. While many took an extreme liking to her, many were now more emboldened to vocalize their obvious dislike of her. Fluttershy immediately recognized the voice of Lyra and the presence of her best friend who was always found with her, Bon Bon; Fluttershy’s blood immediately began to boil with her new found confidence and ability to release her pent up anger. They were soon accompanied by some other guys who were there with them as well. The two of them knew Fluttershy during high school and would often target her and pick on her due to her timid nature. Often times Rainbow Dash had to step in. However, not this time. Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, there are certain things you ‘don’t want to do,’ and there are also certain things you ‘really don’t want to do.’ One thing you don’t want to do, is get Luna mad. Even though she doesn’t use her powers, title and status for her protection, or banishment anymore, she was still a force to be reckoned with. However, as many would agree, one thing you really don’t want to do, is get Fluttershy mad. In an instantaneous exchange of eye contact, Fluttershy gave Luna a look that said “chill out, I got this.”

“Well, what do we have here? It’s ‘get drilled in a locker-room by two guys’ and ‘skank of the year,’” Fluttershy spat out very venomously. The interesting thing was, was that Fluttershy was actually speak truth in part. The colorful language alarmed even Luna who went almost slack-jawed at her audacity and forward show of aggressiveness. Apparently high school wasn’t far behind and these girls left an open wound with Fluttershy that was just finally about to get sewed up. The offending girls and other guys, who were there as an audience, were horrified at the words. Twilight, Dash, AJ, and Pinkie arrived just in time to hear the exchange.

“What the hell did you just say to us, bitch?” Lyra retorted.

Strike one.

“I’m sorry, I don’t believe I stuttered. Apologies that you couldn’t hear me over how much of a whore you are,” Fluttershy rolled her eyes. Twilight’s jaw dropped and she covered her mouth while Rainbow Dash was attempting to stifle her laughter, effectively cheering her on. For someone who protected her all throughout high school, this was beautiful to see. The other girls kept their silence as well, waiting to see where this went.

“You wanna start something?” Bon Bon added. The other guys kept their distance.

Strike Two and a half.

“Oh trust me; it’s been started since you started with me the first day of High School. Don’t test me… flat-chest,”… oh yes. Fluttershy went there. Dash needed to walk away before she completely lost her composure, losing all her senses to howling laughter. Pinkie looked in another direction and Rarity continued to watch. Applejack, Twilight, and Luna were ready to step in if necessary. However, it seemed Fluttershy was more than capable of handling this situation right now. This beats the dragon and Iron Will incident by tenfold and is not misallocated anger. The last remark had its intended effect on Bon Bon.

“Oh yeah? And just what the fuck are you going to do about it… FlutterCRY?!” Bon Bon spat out as she stepped forward and pushed Fluttershy hard. She stumbled but regained her step.

Strikes three through fifteen.

Fluttershy calmly pushed her hair behind her ears before she walked forward, right into Bon Bon’s face. This was the last time Fluttershy was going to put up with their shit… ever.

“I advise you to keep your head down in the very near future,” Fluttershy said with an emotionless voice and narrowed eyes. Bon Bon dared her to try something, not aware in the slightest where Fluttershy’s newfound courage came from or what she had to back it up. Little did she also know that Fluttershy just finished counting down in her head; she then, in one fluid motion, politely introduced her elbow to Bon Bon’s temple. Bon Bon went down hard… and not in a way she was used to. Everyone became stunned, and it seemed like the ocean even stopped producing waves in a hypothetical sense of being shocked.

“That was a suggestion for the current situation. Not just when you frequent your favorite clients,” Fluttershy spat out one more time before she glared daggers at Lyra, daring her to try something. She then turned around and walked over to her other friends. Before Lyra could do anything to retaliate Luna stepped in and advanced on the other group.

“Alright we’re done here. You,” Luna pointed at Lyra.  “Pick up your ‘skank of the year,’ round up your boy toys, take the lot of you and fuck off,” Luna ordered aggressively. Lyra had nothing to say as she did just that, silently admitting a humiliating defeat.

The important thing now was tending to Fluttershy. The girls all knew that when she had massive bouts of anger and aggression, she tended to be prone to regret and crying fits afterwards.

“Fluttershy, are you alright?” Dash asked, concerned. Fluttershy grabbed a soda and drank it normally as if nothing happened.

“Thanks for your concern, girls, but I don’t regret it,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head.

“Are ya sure? You were completely in the right but, we just wanna make sure yer alright,” Applejack added in. Fluttershy gave all her friends her genuine sincere smile.

“And that’s why you’re my best friends. But really, I’m fine. I’m better than fine, actually. She verbally and physically assaulted me, so I retaliated accordingly. Well… maybe with a little bit of retribution snuck into it for all those years…” Fluttershy joked a bit, speaking in her usual softer tone now. The girls all took this as reassurance that she was indeed alright. Then they all looked to Luna, but said nothing. When Luna gazed back, they all had smiles on their faces. She successfully reached Fluttershy, and nothing but good had come out of it. Fluttershy continued to talk and play like her normal, timid-like self, but she knew how to act accordingly, all thanks to lessons from one of her new, greatest friends.

The day continued as planned with the seven of them having a wonderful time. Luna was even convinced to join them in the water, and she had a blast doing so! Needless to say, with her looking like that, she had attracted a few looks from guys here and there, and she casually responded with a friendly wink or smile… something she would never think of doing… but then again, she wouldn’t think of wearing the glorified underwear known as her bikini either. Eventually, though, they had to return home and they parted ways for the remainder of the day. Luna stripped down and went to the shower to get the salt off of her body when she was once again, reflecting to herself.

“Well, I guess we took care of two things today. Guilt, almost completely erased. Fear of the beach… pretty much gone.” Luna was thinking as she started running the water.

“Well… was it really ‘fear’ of the beach? Yeah, I’m a bit more exposed in my bathing suit but I worked out at a public gym in a sprots bra… I guess that’s similar,” she continued to think. Then as she was wiping down her body, she felt the scraping sensation of particulates rinsing off of her body. Oh yeah. Now she remembered why she didn’t like the beach.

“Fucking…. SAND… EVERYWHERE!”