//------------------------------// // Chapter 29 // Story: Princess Luna's Suicide Solutions // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// The sun settled on another day, and the dark sacred night began to creep up over the sky. The foals were out to play already, eager to be free of the confines of the orphanage. There was a noticeable change of mood in the orphanage lately. Noctilucent looked down upon his charges, both of them laying on a blanket spread over the sand. Pyrocumulus was staring upwards at the stars, her eyes fully open and her slitted pupils wide. Shortbread Cookie was fussing, hungry, and waiting for Quirky. Shortbread Cookie wasn’t the only pony waiting for Quirky. Noctilucent also awaited the pyromantic unicorn, who was off doing her rounds no doubt. He fussed and fidgeted as well, sighing constantly, and occasionally kicking a hoof into the sand. The sand was warm and pleasant to sit upon. Noctilucent scanned the area, looking over his other charges. Sassafrass and Arroyo were talking about something, they were animated and excited. The griffon was making gestures as though she was plucking something and her wings flapped and fluttered as she babbled. Arroyo was unusually animated, his eyes flashing with keen interest, his face alive with movement, his mouth drawn into a broad smile. There was no doubt to Noctilucent that they were discussing music. Graves and Cactus Blossom seemed to be having a discussion of some sorts, and Candy Corn was sitting next to Cactus Blossom, quiet, and rather reflective looking. Graves and Candy Corn occasionally shot a glance at Noctilucent, and he wondered what they were up to. Biscuit was cuddled into a reclining lawn chair with Holly, listening as she read to him. Holly was stroking him as she held her book in her magic. “Everypony accounted for,” Noctilucent announced to his two little foals. From way off in the distance, there was the sound of laughter and music. Somepony was having a party it sounded like, and the sound carried over the desert sands. Noctilucent looked skywards and felt the faint dull throb of depression in his mind. He wanted to fly again. To soar. To drift among the cloudbanks, weaving in and out of the white fluff, riding on hidden currents and feeling the air as it flowed over his sleek pelt. He craned his head to look at his wing and felt disappointed with himself. He quietly reassured himself that he would fly again. Shortbread Cookie began to squall a bit and Noctilucent had to nose her to make her quiet down. She was small and warm against his muzzle, the soft hairs of her belly tickling his nostrils. Two tiny forelegs wrapped around his snoot and he could feel her barrel hitching as she cried. He could feel the rumble of her tiny stomach through his lips. She was small and incredibly fragile, a little bundle of delicate bones, some flesh, a bit of hair, and a thudding heart beat. All of it was incredibly precious to him. He flopped down on the blanket and rested the side of his face against her body. The pegasus smiled a moment later when she began to suck on his ear as she was prone to do. He could feel the tip of his ear being slurped on and it made his heart warm, every depressing thought about flying now forgotten. It was hard to believe that he had almost killed himself. It was a difficult thing to think about. Had he continued to go on about his life, he believed it would have stayed empty and void. He never would have met these foals. Or Quirky. Taking the leap had brought him here. He didn’t know what to feel or what to think about the issue. Clearly he needed to be here, and leaping had brought him here. Had he done the right thing? He couldn’t imagine life as it was. He felt another warm body squirming against him and saw a flash of dusky orange in his vision. All Noctilucent could conclude was that he had needed help, and now he had it. He rubbed his cheek against his foals and felt a little better. Clearly how he got here wasn’t as important to think about as figuring out what to do now that he was here. The night felt strangely invigorating. Noctilucent heard a squeal and raised his head. It was then he saw her. She was coming around the corner, pulling her wagon. He was on his hooves in a second, closed the distance, and gently nudged several foals out of his way. Reaching out with his good wing, he pulled Quirky in by her neck, kissing her deeply. She resisted for a moment, not knowing what was going on, but then melted as he continued to press his lips against hers. It was wet and slobbery and Noctilucent didn’t really know what he was doing, but that didn’t stop him from trying all kinds of new things with Quirky’s lips. Finally, he pulled away, leaving a very stunned and confused Quirky. “Foals are hungry," he mentioned as he headed back towards the blanket. “They just kissed, didn’t they?” Cactus Blossom inquired of her fellow orphans, her ears still straining. “Yeah, they did,” Candy Corn replied. “One of those wet messy kisses,” she added, smiling and blushing. “I wish I could have saw that,” Cactus said sadly. “It was disgusting,” Graves said. “The germs exchanged. Ugh, disease vectors…” the donkey shuddered as he spoke. “Yet part of me is very pleased that he finally did it. Blech.” “Maybe it is because I don’t have lips… but I don’t know what the big deal is,” Sassafras observed. Quirky unhitched herself from the wagon in the midst of all the comments being made, licked her lips, and shot off after the pegasus. “Oh no you don’t, you’re not getting away that easy,” she growled. She pulled Noctilucent around with her magic, dragging him over the sand, and pulled him in for a kiss. A wisp of flame shot from her horn and the smell of something burning filled the air. She kissed the pegasus passionately but tenderly, one foreleg reaching up around his neck and pulling him closer. “There is something vaguely comforting about watching the caretakers in your life showing affection,” Graves observed as the two ponies continued to smooch. “I can hear it, but I can’t see it. Sounds juicy though,” Cactus announced. “You foals leave those two alone and give them a much needed moment,” Holly chided. Quirky finally pulled away and went over to the blanket. She eased herself down upon the blanket, nosing each foal as she did so, and then began to pull them both in to feed them. Noctilucent sprawled out beside her, a broad dopey grin on his face. Noctilucent listened as the foals suckled, feeling his own heart thudding crazily inside of his barrel. “Quirky, I uh, well, there is something I was going to ask you, but I am going to tell you instead,” Noctilucent announced. “What’s that?” Quirky replied. “I was going to ask you to be mine, but I have decided to skip that step and avoid any chance of rejection. I love you and I want to be with you Quirky,” Noctilucent whispered into Quirky’s ear, making the mare shiver. “We’re both going to spend some time talking to Dr. Lethe, are you okay with that?” Quirky nodded. “I’d like to hear you say it,” Noctilucent urged. “If it means keeping you, then yes,” Quirky agreed. “So you want to keep me?” Noctilucent asked. “Very much so, more so now that you didn’t take advantage of me when I was having one of my moments,” Quirky replied. Noctilucent pressed his nose just behind Quirky’s ear and inhaled, breathing in the scent of slightly sweaty mare. She smelled like burning wood and salty sweat. He planted a soft peck on the bony bump behind the base of her ear and watched as Quirky trembled in response. “This… this is really odd… I have two foals clamped on my teats and you giving me a case of the shivers Noctilucent,” Quirky whispered. “And the foals are watching us.” Noctilucent pulled his head away and looked at the eyes peering at him and Quirky. “Don’t stop on our account,” Candy Corn quipped. “Don’t be shy,” Cactus Blossom encouraged. “I don’t hear making out noises anymore.” she muttered. Cactus Blossom decided to take matters into her own hooves and carefully felt her way over to where she heard the sounds of the foals feeding. She sat down on the blanket and turned her head in the general direction of the two adults. “Now, I am going to give both of you a good talking to, and you are going to listen,” Cactus announced. “Stop playing around and get down to business. Holly, how long do most ponies court one another before deciding to settle down?” Cactus asked. “About a week or two,” Holly replied, not even bothering to look up from her book. “Longer than that and it isn’t natural.” “See, I rest my case,” Cactus Blossom leaned in and perked her ears forward. “Also, your sound proofing spell needs work,” she whispered in a very faint voice. Quirky’s whole body turned pink, and then even pinker, until she was finally magenta coloured. “I sensed that somepony needed comforting and it woke me up,” Cactus said. “Don’t worry, I don’t think anypony else heard anything.” Noctilucent gulped. “I am going to go and play now, so you two can keep making out. And stop dragging your hooves with one another, you are setting a bad example,” the foal chided. “Right now we are all watching you and learning from what you do, so no pressure,” Cactus Blossom said in a loud clear cheerful voice. She rose up, turned around, and carefully felt her way back to her companions. “We need to set a good example for the foals,” Noctilucent said with a faint tremour in his voice, the barest hint of laughter. “So Quirky, do you want to be my mare?” “So what level of commitment is this?” Quirky asked. “Well, I uh…” Noctilucent saw the pleading look in Quirky’s eyes. Noctilucent felt his throat closing and he struggled to breath. “Noctilucent?” Quirky asked. Noctilucent struggled to draw a heaving breath. “Noctilucent, breathe, the foals need you and so do I,” Quirky urged. “Permanent,” Noctilucent gasped. “But we need to get some issues sorted out first. I don’t intend to ever let you go,” the pegasus heaved. He felt light headed and full of terror, wondering how Quirky would reply. “Nothing would make me happier,” Quirky replied, closing her eyes. She lowered her head and rested it on Noctilucent’s foreleg. “I don’t think I could have handled rejection…” Noctilucent breathed. “I have been worried all day that I was going to lose you,” Quirky said. “After what I did. I was scared,” she confessed. “I nearly lost my mind. I stayed so scared all day. And then you came up and you kissed me…” “I’ve been waiting all day to do that. I thought about it this morning when you came by. Things stayed kinda weird between us for the day after the incident. I talked with Lethe later that afternoon. Then I had a night to think about it, and then this morning I really did want to surprise you, but I just didn’t have the nerve, so I spent all day trying to raise up enough courage to do what I just did,” the pegasus confided in the unicorn. “How could I say no after how patient you’ve been with me and that kiss? I mean, that kiss was smouldering. You looked after me during a very vulnerable moment in my life… and I think you are right. Some time with Dr. Lethe would be wise,” the unicorn replied to the pegasus. The pegasus felt the unicorn’s head on his foreleg and realised that everything was starting to feel right with the world. He glanced over at the foals, and realised he was being watched. Unknown to Noctilucent, there were two faint flickers on his cutie marks. The candles did not light, but the images there did shimmer faintly, reacting to destiny finally being acknowledged.