You open your eyes, blinking away your sleepiness. You look to your right, and Luna is still asleep. You brush her mane out of her eyes, and plant a kiss on her forehead. She wriggles a bit, before laying still once more. You get out of bed, and head downstairs. You open the door to the gardens and stroll out of the gate. Maybe a nice walk will help me clear my head.

So you set off on your walk, still puzzled by Luna’s change and her dependence on you. You take another look at the castle, and thankfully Luna’s lights are still off. As you walk further on, you notice something on the ground. It is a scroll, wrapped in red ribbon with a gold seal.

You reach down and open the letter. It is from Celestia
I wanted to send you this letter wishing you luck.
I know you were not up to this before, but I hope you are finding it okay by now. If you intend to reply to this letter, you must write on the back of this scroll. You will then want to burn it, Luna can use her magic for you. It will send it back, as I have encrypted the address of my castle on the seal. I expect you to inform me of your progress with Luna, and when you succeed in her rehabilitation, send me a letter and I will teleport you back together. I am looking forward to seeing you both again,
Celestia.

You slide the letter into your pocket, and make your way back to the castle. You slip through the gate, and open the main door. You hear a sobbing noise coming from upstairs. Uh oh, what’s happened? You open the door to Luna’s room, and peer inside. ‘Luna?’

A figure rushes you from the shadows, slamming you into the wall. You are prepared to strike your attacker down, but you recognize the starry mane. ‘Luna, what’s wrong?’

She sniffs and wipes her nose. ‘I woke up and you weren’t there. I had seen a bright light and thought you had gone back to Equis. Oooh I’m so happy you’re here’ You rub her back, doing your best to calm her.

‘Shh hey hey hey. Calm down. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere for a while. I just wanted to go for a walk.’ You look down at Luna, who is still shaking.

‘But, but how do I know that?’ Luna starts to break down again. You rock her from side to side, trying to stop her crying.

‘Luna, I dont want to leave you. Seeing you like this, you have no idea how painful it is.’ You fight back tears of your own. ‘I want to see you happy. Celestia told me of a strong, beautiful mare who feared nothing. What I see here, is a beautiful mare. But she is fearful, scared. I want to fix that. I want you, us, to be happy, no matter what it takes.’ Luna sniffs, before wrapping her arms around you.

‘So you dont want to leave me?’ You are puzzled by her question.

‘Of course not, have you been listening? Luna.’ She looks away, but you turn her head back to you. ‘Luna. I love you.’ You leave your words hanging, the silence of the hallway almost amplifying your words. Did I say the right thing? You question yourself, almost wanting to take it back. But then Luna speaks.

‘I love you too.’ She smiles at you, and you kiss her. Not on her cheek, but on the lips. A short yet passionate kiss. You pull back, and stand up.

‘Come on. Let’s go get something to eat.’ You take Luna’s hand and pull her off the floor. You loop your arm through hers and guide her down the stairs. You walk into the dining room, and sit down. Luna brings out a plate of salad, and you start eating. Luna sits down next to you, resting her head on your shoulder.

And for the first time since you arrived, everything seems okay.

‘Um, Princess?’ The guard walked into Celestia’s room.

‘Has there been a reply yet?’ Celestia whipped her head round, anxious to hear about your progress with Luna.

‘He’s requesting permission to return’

‘NOW?’ The guard dropped his gaze, taken aback by Celestia’s tone.

‘Yes, now. He sais Luna is healthy.’

Celestia forced herself to relax. My god, this can’t be. Surely this cannot be true! I have spent years trying to fix my sister, and this man does it in days? ‘Very well. Thank you, you are dismissed.’ The guard shuffled out of the room.

Celestia closed her eyes. She concentrated on casting the spell, creating a two-way portal for you to return. The bright light appeared in the middle of the room once more, and Celestia sat down on her throne, waiting your arrival.

She was not kept too long, and after about 30 seconds, Celestia saw you and Luna appear through the portal.

You stand up, giving your arm to Luna for support. She mutters a quiet thank you, before turning to face Celestia.

‘Oh my dear Luna. How I’ve missed you all these years.’ Celestia is fighting back tears, seeing her sister for the first time in quite a while. Luna runs up to Celestia and they embrace.

‘It’s so nice to see you Tia.’ Luna smiles at her sister, and leans in close. She whispers something into Celestia’s ear, inaudible to you.

Celestia looks over at you. ‘Well, congratulations. You’ve managed to reunite us and bring back the traditional customs. Thank you so much.’

You smile at Celestia. ‘The pleasure is mine. Besides, you’ve given me a new mare-friend. And quite a pretty one to.’ You grin at Luna, who runs back to you. You pull her in, kissing her on her nose. ‘There’s just one thing.’

‘Oh?’ Celestia and Luna say the word together.
‘Where do we live now?’

Luna looks at you puzzled ‘Why not here, in this castle?’

You try to think of an excuse, but you cannot. A blush spreads across your cheeks. ‘Well, I, uh, you know.’ Luna looks at you, a puzzled expression on her face. ‘Well, you know. The birds and the bees, man and woman, mare and stallion, chemistry. Uh.....’ Luna blushes, then walks over to you.

‘I think I’ll take my castle back, but thank you, Tia.’ Luna’s arms snake up around your neck, and she pulls you in for a kiss. ‘Come on. Let’s go.’ Luna walks on, and you follow close behind. You turn and wave Celestia goodbye, then you make your way out with Luna.

‘Where is your castle anyways?’ You inquire

‘Through the everfree forest’

Author's Note

I'm proud of Applejack; I had a Krispy Kreme apple pie, MY GOD THEY'RE GOOD! So yeah chapter 4 is out, thanks again for all the favourites!