Celestia's New World

October 29

Princess Luna was staying at my house. She arrived during the night two days ago, meaning two nights that she has slept in my bed. The bed wasn't an issue, of course, but the longer she stayed, the more anxious I became. The more questions she asked me, the more I felt the need to see my beloved. The longer it went on, the more I looked forward to the return of my precious Princess.

It was the afternoon, after work, and I was using my computer once more. I haven't used it much recently, so with the good news cheering me up, I found myself wanting to open it up again. There wasn't anything new to be seen. I didn't expect much. With nothing in particular standing out, I idly started a game, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. As it opened, I questioned why I wasn't simply speaking with Luna. It would be the perfect time waster. Still, I didn't move from my seat.

As soon as I had gotten myself situated with the game, I could feel eyes staring at me. I tilted my head around and stared at the young Princess.

"I'm not letting you play." I said to her, straightening myself and pushing my headphones from my ears.

"This game certainly seems more realistic than the one you played earlier." she said, taking in the details of the game. After our talks, it really seemed like she was warming up to me.

"That so? Did you need something, Luna? I can put this on hold."

"I wished to speak to you again."

"What's on your mind?" I paused the game and turned to her.

"You've asked me questions that I could not answer, questions that I was unprepared for, now it is my turn. I know how much you value your relationship with my sister, but what if you were to grow apart instead of together?"

"If I grew apart from Celestia?" Just saying the words brought me discomfort. I leaned forward on my knees and gave careful thought to my answer. "If I stopped loving her... then... that's it. There would be nothing more I could do. I wouldn't want to be in a relationship with someone I didn't love. But if she stopped loving me... It would be... hard. I've thought about it before. About what would happen if our relationship failed. I wouldn't know what to do, Luna. I don't want to lose her, more than anything. But if I did... It would mean that it just wasn't meant to be for us. That's just something that we'll deal with when the time comes."

She nodded. "This may not mean much, but perhaps I could offer some relief. My sister is in love with you, that much is true. Her love has never been given freely. Though few and far between, her faith in her partner is powerful. She believes in the love she feels. She believes in you. Your relationship is strong. I truly believe that it will remain strong."

"That's really... That's really nice of you to say, Luna." Wow, Luna... She's being really sweet and I appreciate it so much.

"It shouldn't be long before my sister returns." she said, "She would not shirk the opportunity to see you again.

"Oh! That's good news." I replied with a smile.

She took in a breath. "I am satisfied for now. Perhaps I should try to relax again before I leave. I will wait for my sister upstairs, though I may return with more questions."

"I'm sure you'll be able to find me."

She uttered a short chuckle before turning for the stairs. Mere seconds after I turned back to my game, a loud cry startled me. It was immediately followed by a thump, then a pained whine.

What the hell was... I looked back to the stairs. "Luna? You alright?"

"I... fell." she groaned, "My ankle... It hurts badly."

I got up and started up the stairs after her. She was sitting on a step, holding her foot with her hands, rubbing her ankle.

"Are you... alright?" I asked again, crouching down to meet her.

"I don't know. I'm not used to this body."

"Did... Did you... step on the side of your foot?"

She nodded. "I did. That seems quite specific. Is it significant?"

"You may have sprained your ankle. Do you think you can stand?"

She looked to her foot, letting go. She winced as it moved. "I don't know. Likely not."

"Alright... Alright. Don't force yourself. Hmm... Alright... How about... I pick you up and bring you upstairs? Maybe."

"Please be careful with me."

There was no hesitation in her voice. She was more accepting of my idea than I thought she'd be. I suppose she has no reason to shun my help.

I moved to her side and hooked my arms underneath her legs and behind her back. Her close arm wrapped around my shoulders, holding me. I stood up with her in my arms. Compared to her amazon of a sister, Luna hardly weighed more than a feather. With her tiny body in my arms, I shuffled sideways up the stairs, trying my best not to shift her around. She didn't complain, but I'm sure she was hiding the pain so I wouldn't be worried. Now that my face was closer to hers, I could see that the fall had also marred her beautiful face, just below her right cheekbone.

I rounded the coffee table and lowered her to the couch, setting her legs on the table. This was the second time I've carried someone in my arms. Both times were Princesses.

"Thank you, Phil." she said to me, "This is... strange. It has been a long time since I've hurt myself due to my own clumsiness."

"Thankfully, it's usually not all that serious. You'll be fine after a few days. Gonna swell up though. I'll get you an ice pack. It might be a good idea to take off your sock."

"Very well. Thank you."

I left Luna alone for a short while to retrieve some tools to nurse her back to health. The bathroom cupboard had instant ice packs to cut down on swelling and towels to alleviate the ice-on-skin discomfort. She would also need a bandage for her facial injury. I retrieved that and an antiseptic. All the good stuff.

Luna was still struggling to remove her sock by the time I returned. The other foot was on the floor, her unequipped sock placed neatly onto the table. I noticed that she was only using one hand to work on it. The other rested against her abdomen, just below her right breast. Was she hurt there, too?

She noticed my gaze. "I need your help. The pain is too much for me." That... must be her way of saying 'this kinda sucks'. She didn't seem to be terribly hurt, just... annoyed.

"Oh... Alright, I'll give it a shot."

I placed the medical supplies onto the table and lowered myself next to her leg. She leaned back against the couch, breathing slowly. Her hand remained on her stomach.

I gave her foot a brief lookover. The sock was already scrunched up around her ankle. It should come off easily, I just had to be careful about where I grabbed it. I slowly widened the fabric around her heel, and after a short struggle, it pulled right off. Luna let out a single pained grunt, but nothing more.

I could already see that her foot was swollen. I gingerly reached towards her bare foot. "It doesn't... look that bad." I said, examining her, "Then again, I'm not a doctor."

"I have a great deal of medical knowledge, but I know nothing of human anatomy."

"You're holding your chest as well. And you got that cut on your cheek. You fell pretty hard, Luna. Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. This new body is simply difficult to control." she said. It sounded like she didn't want to admit her fault. I understood completely.

I nodded, looking back to her foot. "This... may hurt."

"Do what you must."

I gave her a light tap where her foot was red. She let out a whimper and pulled her foot away.

"Are you alright? How much did that hurt?" I asked.

"The pain while I am at rest is bearable, though moving or touching is a great deal more painful."

I nodded. "Alright, that sounds normal to me."

"You may release my foot, now." she stated.

Oops. I pulled my hand away from her. "Sorry Luna." Time for treatment. I handed the towel and ice pack to her and said simply, "Ice pack. And this..." I lifted the compress. "This slips over your foot."

As she took it from me, I retrieved some band-aids and rubbing alcohol for her face. She was watching me as she applied the ice to her foot. I gave her another look to make sure I had the correct bandage. It wasn't a particularly large opening, but a red bead of blood was already creeping down her cheek. As an instinct, I reached a paper towel to her face to wipe away the excess blood. She closed the eye above the cut, saying nothing. Her one-eyed stare made me realize how strange this really was. It made me a little uncomfortable. Nonetheless, I continued, picking up the antiseptic.

"You know what this is." I said, applying it to a new paper towel.

Her nose wrinkled. "I can smell the alcohol from here."

I lifted the paper towel to her face and cleaned her injury. She twitched from the sting, but otherwise didn't react, apart from once again closing the eye above the cut. Her other eye was trained on my hand. There was a... softness about her face. Maybe she... liked that I was taking care of her. She must still be studying me, I had no doubts about that. But even so... why did she seem so... kind?

I'm sure she was learning a lot about me, both good and bad, even during these past few seconds. Maybe she liked that I wanted to help her, but disliked that I took charge and didn't ask permission first. Or maybe she liked that my first instinct was to help her myself, but didn't find the physical contact enjoyable. That was for her to decide, I suppose. Maybe I was just overthinking this.

After her cut had been cleaned, it was a simple matter to cover it with a bandage. When I was finished, she examined her cheek with a hand. Her eyes met mine before she let out a soft, "Thank you, Phil."

"You feeling a bit better?"

She gave me a cute half-smile. "I am. Your help is much appreciated."

"I think you should get to that rest you've been wanting."

She chuckled. "Yes, it will do me well to lie down after this. It will provide a more comfortable position for my ankle. If you could though, a pillow, to elevate it?"

"Oh, yeah of course. Be right back."

I popped into my bedroom to retrieve a number of pillows for the injured Princess. She placed one underneath her injured foot as she laid on the couch, resting the ice on top. She took another pillow for her head.

"Oh, when I get back home..." She trailed off, leaving her thought up to interpretation.

"Let me guess... You're going to take the longest, hottest bath in the whole world."

She smiled as she turned her head to me. "That sounds lovely. I don't often neglect my bathing like this. It's not as if I feel dirty for having stayed here, mind you. I've quite enjoyed my time spent here."

"You've barely done anything here."

"Indeed. I find it quite relaxing to be alone with my thoughts."

"Yeah, it can be nice. Geez, you do not look too good. That booboo on your face looked like it really hurt."

"It was quite unpleasant." she said, reaching a hand to her injury.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"When I fell, I pushed my hands to the stairs to catch myself, but I only succeeded in hurting my wrists. I could not lessen the damage on the rest of my body. Thankfully, my other injuries seem minor."

"That's good."

"I hope this will not interfere with my return home."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll make it back, no problem.

She seemed content with herself, even after her fall. It was nice seeing her so calm and relaxed.

"Hey, Luna? I've been... doing some thinking. About... Celestia. Something I... noticed about her. About her body."

"Her body? What do you mean?"

"While she was here, her body didn't... change. At all. At least, not enough for me to notice. Her body was exactly the same from the day I met her. And I have... had the chance to... look."

Her face soured. "Yes... She has told me."

"Well... E-Even her legs were as smooth as the day I met her. And I know she didn't shave. Despite her diet of snack foods and candy, even her weight was exactly the same." That last one was a guess.

"You're concerned about her longevity?"

"Yes. I am. I know that Celestia is... much older than I am."

Luna chuckled. "By a factor of thousands of years."

"Yeah... s-so... Say... Say I do actually spend my life with Celestia. We live together for years and years and years... then... I die. What then? Will... Will I just... be a memory to her?"

"I'm afraid so."

"I don't... I don't want that."

"Neither does she. Nor I."

"I don't... want it... because... because it would take away all that I am... all that I live for... I live to make others happy, Luna. If all I become is a memory... Then... Oh, I shouldn't say this... Then I almost wish she would forget about me. To cause that much pain to her... It's stupid and it's selfish and I know Celestia that would hate it if I told her... but..." I stopped. She understood.

Luna let out a sigh. "Worrying will only bring despair. I can promise that my sister is prepared for when that time comes."

"She shouldn't have to be prepared, she shouldn't have to feel that pain. Partners can die, yes, I know that. But if they die of old age, the other partner shouldn't have more than a few years left. It's grim, but it's true. And that's not the case with Celestia. It's..."

"Phil."

I stopped immediately.

"Worrying will only bring you despair." she repeated, "My sister is... prepared. Believe me, I know that we shouldn't have to prepare for this, and I know that we shouldn't have to feel the pain of living after our loved ones parish... But it is the price we pay to be Princesses. It is the price we pay to live as long as we have. It is the price we pay... time and time again... It feels like we pay more every time..." There was a pain in her voice, not one I expected from her. "It is both a blessing and a curse."

"I'm... I'm sorry, Luna."

"If my sister could not accept the pain, she would not have shared her love. She understands what her love will mean. What would you do, Phil? If you were in our situation. Would you choose to love again? Could you choose to love again?"

"I... I don't know. I would want to, Luna. I would want to."

"Often, it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. You must cherish the good times you have shared with her, rather than dread the pain the future will bring."

I nodded. "Yeah... You're right."

"I am sure she appreciates your concern as I do. I do not wish any harm upon my sister. I am grateful that you feel the same. You are wiser than you appear."

"Uh... Thanks, Luna. I have another question. It's kinda related, but... it's a little less important."

"Very well. Ask."

"How... How do you and your sister live so long?"

"You would be hard pressed to get an answer from me."

"You don't know?"

"I have my guesses, but no explanation has satisfied me. I do, however, have an explanation I favor. We are gods. You have no idea how it feels to be able to claim, with no level of uncertainty, that I am a god. I know, of course, that it is not true. It is an extraordinarily arrogant claim, but for reasons I cannot explain, it makes me feel powerful." She paused for a short while. "Please do not tell my sister. She would laugh if she heard I had a god complex."

"No worries there, God-Luna."

A laugh escaped her lips before she stifled it. "Don't you dare refer to me by that name."

"I won't, God-Princess Luna. Please don't smite me with your divine powers."

"I will smite you with my own powers if I hear that again!"

The two of us shared a short laugh before I followed up with another question. "So, that's one possible explanation, what about some others?"

"It is not an immortality in the traditional sense. My sister and I can die, same as any other. We will eventually succumb to old age, given enough time. Our parents both lived far longer than us and they have both long since passed. I've always believed that our immortality... our long lives... came from our parents... from our race. I believe that is why my sister and I can live for so long, but it does not explain the reasoning behind it."

"Hmm... That's a thinker."

"I choose to believe that my abilities were given to me in order to make the world a better place. What would you do if you could live as long as us? If you were granted immortality. Or at the very least, if you were granted long life."

"I dunno. I'd try to use it for good, at least. If I could. I'd want to spend my time with... beings like you. You and Celestia. If I could live forever, I'd want to spend my eternity with her."

"Forever is a long time to be in love."

"I'd try."

She looked to the ceiling for a short time before looking back to me. "Before anything happens, I have a favor that I would like to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Do not ask my sister to marry you."

"What?"

Her expression became more serious. "Do not propose to my sister." she commanded.

"I've only known Celestia for a month, Luna. But... now that you mention it..."

"I understand. All I ask is that you wait. As I have said, my sister has never wed. I do not want her first to be initiated with a spur-of-the-moment proposal with no future planned."

"Oh... That... That makes sense. How can you go this long without having been married?"

"There were many factors that prevented weddings across the years. Political and personal matters... Often, her relationships simply didn't last. It's tragic, really."

"Yeah, it... I guess it is."

"What I said before, that I chased some away, I fear it may have been too effective. Soon, suitors stopped coming altogether. I suppose I am not the only one at fault, though. My sister did the same when she didn't like my... suitors. I suppose it's funny, in a way. We prevented each other from meeting anybody, even though we both desperately long for companionship." She paused for a few moments. "I did not mean to say that."

"So you're in the same boat as Celestia, huh?"

"I do not wish to talk about my personal life."

I shrugged. Fair enough.

She sighed, then continued. "After a time, the cycle began anew. Over the years, many, many different ponies tried winning her heart... Our hearts. So..." She chuckled. "Yes, I was in the same boat as my sister, as you say."

"Have... Have you ever gotten married?" I asked her.

"No." she solemnly stated, "No, I haven't."

"Wow... I'm surprised, more than anything. It could be like a simple courtroom wedding that takes like ten minutes and yet..."

She lifted herself and slapped a hand on the table. "The Princesses of Equestria will NOT have a 'courtroom wedding'!" she barked.

"Y-Yeah... uh... Yeah... S-Sorry..."

She glared at me for a short while longer before returning to her lying position in a huff. "We deserve more respect than that."

Even if she seemed calm, I didn't want to ask anything else after her outburst.

Instead, it was Luna that spoke next. With another sigh, she stated, "Things could have been very different had I been transported here in my sister's place, don't you think? I may have fallen for you just the same."

"You must've hit your head pretty hard to be thinking that."

"Perhaps."

"Celestia was enough of a catch. I definitely don't have what it takes for you to fall for me."

"Are you saying that I am more of a prize than my sister? What makes you say that?"

"Do you really think that you'd want to stay here like she did? I mean, just a few days ago, you didn't even seem to like me."

"It didn't take you long to change that."

"Well..."

"Why does my sister enjoy it here? It's because of you." She turned her head towards me. "You make it enjoyable to be away from the castle. I'm more like my sister than you may think. In a way, I'm envious of my sister. To have a man such as you..."

"Luna, you can't mean that. I mean, look at me... To you, I must be disgusting."

She chuckled.

I gave an apathetic, "Hurtful. I've just always thought that you were... would be harder to... to charm."

"What if it had been the case, though? If I had come to this world."

"I dunno. Same thing, probably. Except the whole... relationship part."

"Perhaps. Your relationship is a strange one, I think. Had you not... seduced my sister the way you did, the most you may have gotten would have been a kiss on the cheek as she left. As much as I hate to admit it, and as much as it pains me to say... your relationship truly started the morning after... you and my sister..." It caused her great pain to think about her sister's intimate life. "If I were in the same position, I do not know if I would have given in."

"Uh..."

"Why am I telling you this?" She stared at the ceiling. "I've never been comfortable discussing matters such as this. You've gotten me to drop my guard. It's a terrifying thought, really. I don't know you. You could be anyone. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Are you gonna be alright?" I asked.

"I just need rest. My mind is tired. However... it seems we are out of time."

"We are? Why's that?"

Luna gave me a smile. "She's coming."

"What? Sh-She is? You serious? She is?!"

Luna sat up again, then yawned. "Just as I was getting comfortable, too."

As she said this, a strange, familiar feeling of static electricity began to build up in the room. It felt just like before, when Luna first arrived. Once again, a large, white sphere of energy appeared in the middle of my front room. This time, it was pure white and seemed to condense itself into a flat circle. For a brief moment, everything was still. Then the whiteness began to fade. Shapes started to form a picture on the other side.

I could see what looked like a pony. The longer it lingered, the clearer it became. It was like a window into another world. And through that window, one thing stood out above everything else. A majestic white pony with beautiful magenta eyes and long, multicolored hair stared back at me through the portal. Her smile widened as she looked to me, as did mine when I looked to her.

Celestia.

We gazed at each other in mutual silence. Maybe we were both questioning the reality of the situation. Two lovers meeting once again through a portal to another world. It was a while before anything else happened, but she was the first to make a move, and in a way I had not expected.

Before I could react, she leapt through. Her body was transformed into that of a human as she passed through the portal. Her arms wrapped around me as her heavy body knocked me backwards over the table and onto the couch with a yelp from her sister as we almost crushed her.

As I returned her embrace, she buried her face in my chest. After a few moments like this, she looked up to me. Tears rolled from her eyes. Unlike last time, these were tears of joy. "I missed you." she whispered.

I pecked my mouth against hers, pressing hard against her soft lips in a passionate kiss. After we had finally disconnected, I placed my hand on her head and began to stroke her long, silky hair. "I missed you, too." I replied.

As we shared our tender embrace, Princess Luna began to move. She stood up next to the couch, a hand on the back for support. We both ignored her in favor of gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. She reached a hand towards the portal from where she stood and pulled it back towards herself, commanding the portal closer.

Luna looked to us one last time before passing through. A majestic blue pony took her place on the other side, one of her hind legs held off the ground. We were allowed a long time in each other's arms before she interrupted.

"Sister."

At first, Celestia didn't respond. It wasn't until Luna repeated herself that she turned her head towards her sister, laying against my chest. Celestia said nothing, waiting for Luna to continue.

"I have accomplished what I had set out to do. I have spoken to your partner and learned much from him. I wish you well, sister. Goodbye."

"I'll be back soon, Luna." she said, her voice shuddering, "Goodbye."

Luna gave us one last smile before the portal disappeared, leaving the two of us alone.

"She likes you." She turned back to me with a smile.

"Does she, now?"

We returned to our hug. Celestia pulled herself up my body and rested her knees on either side of me, sitting on my lap. I set my feet on the ground and moved back against the couch. For a while, this was all there was, broken by an occasional kiss.

"It's been so long." she said, not moving.

"It's been too long."

"Did you like talking to my sister?"

"Yeah, it was nice. I learned a lot from her."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't be here sooner."

"You're here now, that's all that matters to me."

"I've longed to be in your arms from the moment we parted. I love you... so much."

I kissed her again. "I love you too, Celestia."

We stared at each other, then met for another kiss, much longer this time. As our lips parted, she rested her forehead against mine, staring directly into my eyes.

Another kiss. The two of us started to move, gazing into each other's eyes as we did. Our lips pecked together as she moved to her back, my body following suit directly above her. Once again, I kissed her wanting lips.

My hand slid down her curvy body and rounded her soft rear, grabbing the back of her leg. I pulled as I went in for another kiss, squeezing her plump thigh.

"Make love to me like you used to."

[Scene missing]

"You couldn't even wait five minutes?"

"You laid me underneath you. Are you saying it wasn't your intention? I've worked very hard to get back here. Don't you think I deserve a reward?"

"A reward? Are you in heat?"

"What's wrong with sharing an intimate moment with my boyfriend?" She giggled.

Celestia has been in this world for not even an hour and yet we were already snuggling naked together in the bedroom.

"You lost weight." she said to me, caressing the arm I had draped over her.

"Hmm?"

"A little bit, you did."

"I... I guess I didn't eat much while you were away."

"Did you miss me that much?"

"Yeah."

"You still need to eat right."

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry."

She turned her head to me. "I mean that."

"You're the one that doesn't eat right around here. You eat enough junk food in one day to feed a small village for a few weeks." Her stare told me that she wasn't pleased with my response. I had almost forgotten how much she cared about me. "Alright I'll eat better, Celestia. I think you already know how good I can eat."

She chuckled. "Oh, I know exactly how good you can eat." She turned to lie on her back. "You spoke with my sister, now I have a few questions for you." she said, her voice soft and tired.

"I knew it, the questions are never gonna end."

"I promise that my questions will be more to the point. Now... What is your relationship with that woman, Sarah?" She seemed to be serious about this, despite her tired tone.

"She told her parents I was her boyfriend, so they wanted to invite me to dinner." I answered honestly.

"That's a lie. You're my boyfriend."

"I told her that you'd be the one to decide if I would attend."

"Why?"

"I like helping out my friends."

"Why did you tell her that I would decide this?"

"I wanted to shift the blame onto someone else so I didn't seem mean."

"Phil!"

"I didn't wanna just leave her to fend for herself, but I knew I would have to ask you anyways."

"Oh honey, you know that I wouldn't have an issue with it. What if she tries to do something, though? Luna doesn't trust her."

I knew? I guess I didn't know Celestia as well as I thought. "Well, I trust her."

"Do you want to go?"

"Kinda. I wanna know what sort of food would be prepared."

"The easiest way to a man's heart is through his stomach." She chuckled. "Perhaps I should cook for you, sometime."

"I'd love to try your cooking."

"Would you still want to go if there wasn't food?"

"Yeah. She made a mistake, I'm just helping her sort it out."

"She can sort her own mistakes out." she pointed out.

"Alright, guess I'll tell her I can't show."

There was a short pause before she said, "I didn't... say you couldn't go."

"Celestia, it's fine if you don't want me to. I told her not to expect it."

"No, no... It's just..."

"Are you alright?"

"Well, I... I'm a little..." She mumbled the next word.

"Celestia, are you jealous of Sarah?"

She gave me a slow nod.

"What do you have to be jealous for?" I lowered my hand to her rear to caress her soft, bare bottom. "Your butt is way cuter than hers."

Her body shivered under my touch. "Gentler... please... Were... Were you looking at her butt?"

Odd, I had barely touched her. "It caught my eye once or twice."

She placed her hand over mine. "Does it... look nice?"

"It looked alright. Average, I suppose. Suited her figure."

"How... How was she? You became friends with her quite quickly. Is she a kind person?"

"Yeah, she's nice. She's really shy and she stutters when she talks. It's her first job, so she's been nervous."

"Do you... find... shyness... attractive?"

"Celestia."

"You told my sister that... you liked her."

"Were you spying on us?"

"No... A little. Only at the beginning. I was curious about her. I didn't listen to the rest, I promised Luna I wouldn't. It's... alright if you did like her. We weren't in a relationship. It wouldn't be right of me to be cross. You couldn't have expected my return."

"I don't wanna worry you, Celestia. I can tell her that I can't help her. You wouldn't have to think about her again."

"No, there's no need for that. It's alright, honey. But before I make a decision, I would like to meet her."

"Are you sure, Celestia?"

"If you trust her, I will trust her as well."

"Alright, I'll let her know. That's nice of you, Celestia. I'm so happy to see you again."

"I'm happy to see you, too."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. So what did you and my sister discuss?"

"We just... talked. About all sorts of stuff. We talked about how I felt and how she felt about me and about how much I really loved you. A lot, I promise. She seemed to warm up to me towards the end."

"I'm glad." I'm sure she realized that I didn't actually answer her question.

"She had a real nasty fall towards the end though. She twisted her ankle, I had to carry her to the couch."

"Oh? Luna was hurt?"

"She's fine, she's fine. I made sure her booboos got patched up and made sure she was comfy until you got here."

"I'm glad. Wait, what do you mean by 'patched up her booboos'? How badly was she hurt?"

"Like I said, she twisted her ankle while walking up the basement staircase and fell. She struck her face on one of the steps. I cleaned it for her with rubbing alcohol and bandaged her up."

"How nice of you." she chuckled, "I'm sure my sister appreciated your help."

"It was nice spending time with Luna, even if she did keep provoking me."

"Oh?"

"She questioned my faithfulness to you, Celestia. I know she only wants to protect you, but it really made me mad."

"What did you say?"

"I told her the truth. I told her that I loved you."

"Oh... You're so sweet... I suppose if you trust that my sister had no ill intentions, I'll leave her be. She's quite the mysterious mare." She chuckled. "I'm tired."

"You sound tired."

"Are you tired?"

Not really. "Yeah."

She giggled to herself. "Maybe we should go to sleep."

"Yeah. Together."

"Yeah... Together. I love you, Phil."

"I love you too, Celestia."

Even though it was still early in the day, Celestia fell asleep in my arms. Her back pressed against my chest was so warm that I couldn't help but to join her. That night, I was truly happy. The feeling of her body in my arms was like falling in love all over again. Celestia was mine once again. She was mine to hold... and mine to love.