A Lesson in Laughter

If not for the fact that there were other ponies in the castle trying to sleep, Luna would probably be giggling up a storm. She and Pinkie were, however, both trotting at a rather brisk pace - which was set by Luna and her excitement. Luna rarely got to come to the room she was leading Pinkie to. When she wasn't tending to the hearts and minds of all of her sleeping subjects, she was tending to the sky.

Hardly had she ever had the chance to simply sit down and enjoy the fruits of her labor. It was always an exhausting job, and Luna felt she had to give it her full attention, lest it fall out of grace and turn to chaos. But now, at an hour of which she usually found herself pondering the dreams of others, she was leading a new-found friend to a place she considered sacred - a place that, under her care, had blossomed forth into a wondrous display of unhampered beauty.

To say she was excited would be a massive understatement. She was elated with joy at the prospect, and the fact that Pinkie was keeping pace with her didn't discourage her in the least. She had subconsciously made it her goal to impress this mare, and she would do so with this grand display.

"Here we are, Pinkie," Luna said, stopping a few feet from the crystal door. It was embedded with gemstones that resembled the colors of the Elements of Harmony, and carved into the crystal itself was a beautiful assortment of constellations brought into form.

"Wooaaah! This door is really neat!" Pinkie said, the joy on her face rather evident. Luna was beginning to think that if a door was able to bring such happiness to the candy-coated mare, then what was behind the door just might cause her to pass out. "And ya know what they say about neat doors," Pinkie said, a sly smile replacing her giddy grin. "They hide the neatest stuff!"

Luna simply nodded in both agreement and confirmation, her happy smile breaking into a full-on grin with teeth - something she rarely did. This was going to work, she knew. Surely this would be the best moment of her night, and then the two would be best friends.

The very thought was enough to push Luna over the edge, and she began jumping from hoof-to-hoof in excitement. "Are you ready, Pinkie Pie?" she asked with a slight giggle in her voice. She felt like a little filly, eager to show the splendor that was her secret hobby.

"Am I? I can't wait!" Pinkie said, her gaze turning to the Princess. Soon she found herself bouncing in place, a soft thud echoing each time she made contact with the carpet.

"Stand back," Luna said softly, taking a step back and pointing her horn towards the door. She closed her eyes and calmed her giddy nerves, focusing her magic into one powerful burst. As she felt the rush of energy surging through her horn, she heard the mare beside her hum with amazement. This was going to be perfect.

For a brief moment, all went silent. Luna took another step back and opened her eyes, taking silent breaths as both her anxiety and her heartbeat rate rose. Now that she thought about it, she wasn't sure what she was hoping this room would do for her. She didn't actually consider the fact that she was doing this for Pinkie, rather than with her.

It was true that she was right there, standing beside Luna patiently as she awaited for the door to open. Her expression was that of pure awe, and it was ever-expanding in its graceful features. But even the mighty Princess of the Night couldn't help but worry over all of the possible outcomes that could come from this. After this room, she didn't really have anything else to show for herself.

She only had to hope that this would do something wondrous for her, or else she might have her spirit broken even further than before Pinkie came to visit her.

Whatever options she had for turning back had instantly vanished now. The door gave a muffled click, slowly opened away from the two ponies. A faint cyan light filled the hallway and showered over the two, causing Pinkie to stand on her hind legs and marvel at herself, giving a little spin.

Luna let out a small giggle despite her nerves being on their final stand. She couldn't help but admire Pinkie's curious and chipper attitude when it came to anything she did. It put her mind at ease, if only a little bit. The next part, however, was what made her worries melt away and change instead to bliss.

They both looked at each other in glee, simultaneously taking steps into the room, the door gently being shut behind them by Luna's hoof. Luna's magic was currently flowing throughout the walls through the use of special crystals made to perform like a trench for water. Brilliant light traveled up the walls and onto the ceiling, revealing carvings of yet more constellations.

These, however, were much more elaborate. The carvings told stories of correlations between the constellations, and the meanings behind each and every one to come to pass. If a scientist such as Twilight Sparkle were allowed into the room, it is safe to say they might remain in solitude for over a week simply studying the etchings of Princess Luna's mind put into form.

The most brilliant feature yet, however, may have been the final touch - the coup de grâce. High above both Luna and Pinkie's head was a chandelier made up of thousands of small, dangling crystals. They were strung together by a fabric designed by Starswirl the Bearded after Luna had confided her secret hobby to him. He had deemed the fabric "stronger than metal" and "lighter than clouds". Luna came to call it Swirl String, and the chandelier was one of the only structures to have made use of such material.

As it came to become brightened, the room was bathed in the same light that had been produced earlier, but was much more prominent now. The carvings and walls were lit up in sparkling blue light, making them seem as if they were on an astral plane of their own. It was everything Luna hoped it would be, and she only just noticed her smile had grown much larger than previously.

Unbeknownst to Luna, Pinkie had come to stare at her, rather than around the room. For whatever had captured the pink mare's attention had paled in comparison to what she was seeing now.

The Princess of the Night had few traits about her that were not unique. Even her coat was a rare shade, and such a thing on its own would have been enough to make Pinkie consider her beautiful. This was, however, an exception. Where the pink mare might have thought Luna could not get any prettier, she found herself proven wrong.

The light that now bathed over Luna caused her coat to almost sparkle with pure radiance. If she were here, even Rarity might have swooned over the pure elegance that was Luna's complexion and grace. All of these thoughts came to the young mare's mind, and she could do nothing but try and put it into words.

"I.. Uh," Pinkie stuttered for about the third time now. She was generally good at expressing her emotions, but they usually came out in strong, quick tangents of explanation or reasoning - even if that reasoning was somewhat illogical.

"What's the matter, Pinkie?" Luna asked, not sure of what could have overcome her friend. Perhaps the contents of the room had overwhelmed her? She had to admit she was a little impressed with how the room looked, but Pinkie didn't seem like the type to get choked up on her excitement.

"You," Pinkie said quietly, looking away for a moment to gather her thoughts. In that moment, Luna only became even more perplexed.

'You?' Was she herself the problem? She didn't think of anything she had done wrong. Maybe she was a bit overzealous about her hobby, but even then, she had been careful not to upset her new friend.

"You're really.." Pinkie said before hesitating, looking back to Luna for a second before letting out a frustrated sigh. This was unusually difficult. She rubbed her chin before having an idea. If she couldn't outright say what she meant, she'd just get Luna to understand.

"Have you ever looked at a bunch of flowers and thought, 'Wow! That's really pretty!'" Pinkie inquired, suddenly speaking quite clearly. After Luna nodded in confirmation, Pinkie continued, "Well imagine looking at that same field of flowers, but this time it's at night and you think 'Wow-ee! That's even prettier! I didn't think it could get so pretty!' Do you understand?"

Luna considered it for a moment, and came to the conclusion that Pinkie Pie was either calling her pretty, or she considered her a flower. Both were very nice compliments, but she felt it necessary to get at least a little clarification. While she appreciated both sentiments, one meant a little more than the other. And for multiple reasons.

"Do you mean to say I.. Look nice?" Luna said, carefully choosing her words. If anything, she did not wish to seem too eager or too vain. Especially not to her new friend.

"No, no! It's more than that. I think you're really -" Pinkie stopped, taking a moment to steady her nerves and do a few more gestures that Luna did not recognize. She seemed as if she was preparing herself to deliver some motivational, epic speech.

"Rarity once told me," Pinkie began, her words very deliberate, steady, and a bit more quiet now, "that if I have to tell somepony something nice, that I should make it really nice. And I think that you.." She stopped once again, but only to look Luna dead in the eyes as she said the next part, "Are the most beautiful mare in the world."

With that, she gave an exaggerated, proud nod. She also let out a large sigh of relief, as if she had said all of that in one breath - which she may very well have. She continued to stare at Luna, but her appearance was a lot more relaxed - at the same time, however, she seemed a little nervous. But it was an odd type of nervous. Through her pink coat, Luna spotted a dark blush spreading across her face.

Luna also noticed that a blush had found its way to her own face as well. Besides that, she also came to realize that her knees were sort of wobbling now, as if she was about to lose her balance. She remedied this by sitting upon her haunches carefully, trying not to stumble over.

Contrary to popular belief, not many subjects - regardless of species or homeland - would broach the topic of complimenting a princess. Many seemed more relaxed around her sister, Celestia, but it had been rare even before her own banishment for Luna to get compliments. Many seemed to either fear her, or hold her to a degree of silence; as such, never tried to converse with her.

This, in turn, left Luna horribly unprepared for Pinkie Pie's sudden flattery. She really did appreciate it - truly, she did - but she had no real response. She didn't even have the proper comprehension. She liked Pinkie Pie so much that she hadn't even considered that the mare might consider her a friend as well.

Or perhaps it was more than a friend? Celestia usually had incredible judgement when it came to ponies, and she also had a tendency to lay extremely elaborate plans involving others. One might attribute this to both her years as a political ruler and to her natural ability to tune in on the emotions of others.

This left Luna to wonder, then - was this all a fabrication of Celestia's design? Did she know that this is what the outcome would be? Or was she, perhaps, planning for a much simpler outcome? Perhaps Luna had truly accomplished this feat - whatever this feat may be - all on her own.

In all of her wondering, Luna found herself staring down at the pink mare that had just complimented her. She had unintentionally left a rather large gap in the conversation, and she was in a hurry to fill it. But without a proper plan in her head, she had to act on impulse. Considering the torrent of emotions she was feeling, she also deemed that to be a highly chaotic situation.

But, before she knew it, she had decided upon a course of action. For the second time that night, she reached over and wrapped her arms around the pink mare. This time was different, however - she put all of her emotion into this hug, rather than just her happiness and giddiness.

Pinkie had, in one night, come to mean much more to Luna than any possession, property, and quite possibly any memory that Luna had been holding to all these years. She now knew what that ache in her heart was telling her all this time, and she also understood why it had faded soon after meeting Pinkie Pie.

All these years of solitude even after returning to her people had caused her heart and mind to ache for company. And not just company, but the company of one who both cared for her well-being and genuinely wished to be around her - by choice.

She had found that in Pinkie Pie. And even if she had only just met her, she believed that her new friend felt the same way. Because she did care for Pinkie Pie. Quite possibly more than either of them knew in that moment.

She hadn't been aware of it before, but Luna now noticed the tears that had been streaming down her face. She wasn't even sure why she was crying - she felt really happy, actually. But Pinkie didn't seem to mind, as her hooves were now wrapped around Luna just as tightly as Luna's were around her.

She gave Pinkie Pie a caring - and careful - nuzzle, and found the counterpart of the hug return the gesture quickly enough to make Luna sure this was not a forced gesture. It was a genuinely affectionate hug between both parties.

What that meant, Luna wasn't absolutely sure. But she would worry over such details later, when she had time to herself. For now, however, she felt Pinkie's arms slump a little bit. And if that wasn't indication enough, Luna heard the tiniest yawn.

"Tired, Pinkie?" Luna muttered softly, her eyes opening ever-so-slightly. As the two pulled away, the Princess couldn't help but feel a little sad. That was, in her eyes, one of the best moments she had ever shared with someone.

"Kinda," Pinkie said softly as she rubbed one eye with the back of her hoof. It was blatantly obvious to Luna, but the mare seemed to be putting up a fight to look awake and alert. It was an admirable attempt, as well as an adorable one.

"Let's get to bed, then. I'm feeling a bit worn out myself," Luna said reassuringly as she stood up and offered a hoof out to Pinkie. It was a white lie that she told, of course; she was accustomed to staying awake through the night in order to watch over the dreamers and guard the lands. But if it meant disturbing Pinkie Pie, she wouldn't even consider it.

With a silent nod of consent, Pinkie hooked her own hoof with Luna's and stood up on her other three hooves. She slurred out something between a 'thank you' and a humming noise, to which Luna couldn't help but giggle at.

As the two walked towards the door once again, Luna shot forth another, smaller burst of magic towards the door. It opened slowly, and the lights began to fade away from the magical room.

Once they reached the hallway, Luna noticed that Pinkie had unknowingly - or so she thought - drifted closer to her as they walked. On yet another sudden impulse, Luna affectionately and caringly draped a single wing over Pinkie Pie.

They continued this way until they reached the room, where Luna magically opened the door and led Pinkie inside, closing the room off behind them. She hadn't really considered where Pinkie might sleep, however. But considering the fact that she was acting purely on impulses tonight, she figured she could act upon just one more.

She levitated the sheets and blankets of her bed so that Pinkie might climb up onto it to lie down, and instead got a look of questioning from Pinkie Pie. "Are you sure?" came the inquiry, but all Luna did to confirm was nod her head and smile.With that, Pinkie smiled a grin of her own and trotted over to the bed, a small bounce in her step.

Following her, Luna circled around the large bed, stepping over the strewn-about toys and games that they had used previously. She'd have to be careful not to step on those in the morning. For now, though, she climbed up onto her own bed, and laid the blanket down upon them both. Pinkie came to rest her head upon the pillow with her face towards Luna. Faint moonlight lit up her features and Luna could see a small, satisfied smile.

She gave another one of her own smiles and then scooted closer, wrapping her forehooves around Pinkie Pie. She felt a nuzzling against her chest, and felt her smile instinctively grow wider yet.

Whatever questions she had for Celestia, Pinkie, or even herself could wait until tomorrow. For now, she would simply sleep.  She would sleep in the caring embrace of one who both understood her and accepted her. Of one who, quite possible, loved her.

But again, such questions could wait until morning. She had once heard 'Tia say that, "laughter was the best medicine, but love was what kept sickness away." She had never truly understood that phrase until just now.

So, just before she was sure Pinkie had fallen asleep, she gently placed a small kiss upon the top of the mare's head. Now Luna could sleep,

Now she could dream.