Luna had her forehooves wrapped around Midnight’s body and had pulled him close to her for the night. Anyone looking in would probably have compared it to a mother holding her son who had had a bad dream or something similar.

However, most mothers probably wouldn’t have had sex with their sons before turning in for the night, like the two had done.

Despite the insurmountable age gap between the two, Midnight barely coming out of colthood (he had yet to get his cutie mark, yet the fact didn’t seem to bother him) and Luna being an immortal alicorn with millennia of life behind and ahead of her, the two had connected on a level far deeper than a physical one.

It was more of an understanding of each other. They both detested the public spotlight, each having suffered from public scrutiny, both good and bad and preferred to hang back while other ponies took the limelight; Luna letting her sister deal with most of the affairs of running a country whereas she tended to their subjects at night, walking in their dreams and comforting those that needed it. Luna hadn’t been able to resist peeking into her sister’s dreams about a particular lavender alicorn and she never knew her sister had a thing for restraints and gags.

A while ago, when she had first taken Midnight under her wing as her personal student, she had looked into his own dreams, which had startled her in their maturity.

Most colts his age tended to dream about silly things like sports and the occasional horror story about fillies being harbingers of evil, yet his were more practical. He dreamed of studying, learning and being around those he cared about; Luna had been surprised to see herself among that number, yet there hadn’t been any ponies that could have been his parents or siblings.

She wondered why, since he never had anything bad to say about his family, having come from an average pegasus household in Las Pegasus. He had shown remarkable intelligence for his age and had gotten a scholarship for a school in Canterlot.

It was here that he had first met and interacted with Luna during a fieldtrip to the Royal Palace. While the rest of his classmates had focused on Princess Celestia, he only had eyes for the smaller, yet no less regal, dark blue mare beside her.

-

Luna watched as Celestia talked with the group of young colts and fillies from one of Canterlot’s many schools. She was bored out of her mind, but years of practice had allowed her to hide her discomfort behind a mask she could take on and off with ease. She let her eyes wander over the group, most of whom were looking at her sister with expressions of poorly-concealed awe and wonder. She found it terribly amusing. Yet there was one who wasn’t looking at her sister and the reason that the pony wasn’t looking at the Princess of the Sun was because he was looking directly at the Princess of the Moon.

‘Sister…’

Luna’s thoughts were directed at the white alicorn beside her. They could exchange words mentally, which was useful when dealing with some ponies, zebras, dragons or other creatures, as it let them come up with ideas and plans without giving anything away. Luna felt her sister’s attention shift to her, yet she didn’t break stride in talking with the curious foals.

‘There’s one student who is looking at me.’

‘Nothing wrong with that, I’m rather surprised it hasn’t happened before .’

Celestia’s mental voice held an undercurrent of amusement that confused Luna.

‘Your point?’

‘Relax, sister dear, why not invite him to one of the side chambers for a chat?'

There was something in her voice that made Luna pause, and she felt her face warm at the innuendo.

‘And how am I supposed to do that without drawing attention?'

‘You’re a smart pony, I’m sure you’ll think of something .’

She felt Celestia withdraw her mental contact and Luna let her gaze settle on the dark-coated colt who still gazed at her.

Luna focused her thoughts and sent out an inquiring probe towards the colt. She could touch the minds of other ponies, even when awake, although depending on the pony, it was sometimes hard to get past their mental walls. Some had firmly shielded minds, which meant they were shy and introverted. Others had minds like open books.

The colt was among the latter category, his mind was open and Luna was rather surprised. She again met his eyes and she could see the question there.

‘Is there something on your mind, little one? Just think what you want to say.'

The colt’s silver eyes narrowed slightly.

‘I’d rather hear about you.’

Luna nodded slightly, impressed by the clearness of his reply, especially given his apparent young age. Most ponies his age tended to scream their thoughts. She contemplated what to do next. A small grin formed on her muzzle.

‘Ask your teacher you…ah…have to use the little foals room. I’ll meet you outside.'

She saw a sourly bemused look pass over the colt and he rolled his eyes. He got to his hooves and went over to his teacher, exchanging a few words with her. Luna saw an exasperated look on the middle-aged mares face and she shooed him towards the door.

‘Sister, I have some business to attend to.’

Celestia flicked her ears in dismissal and Luna got to her hooves and departed from the room herself.

She took a few twists and turns and came up through the hallway outside the throne room, seeing the young black-coated colt sitting patiently outside. Luna saw the guards looking at him curiously, yet they had the discipline of years of training and didn’t bother him.

“That’s one way to arrange a meeting.” Luna remarked as she came up to him. He jumped slightly and scrambled to his hooves. He stood uncertainly, shifting his weight from one hoof to another as he looked at her. Luna looked at him. “You wanted to see me?”

His cheeks turned pink and he stammered. Luna sighed and knelt in front of him.

“Hush, it’s okay," she murmured. She moved by his side and gently nudged him forward. “Walk with me.” After a few steps he managed to get himself under control and followed her.

They went higher up into the palace, heading towards one of the many spires that topped the ivory and gold structure. As they continued, the décor faded from the whites and golds to blues and silvers. Eventually they came to a large pair of doors inscribed with a crescent moon, much like Luna’s cutie mark. Luna opened the door, paying no attention to the two bat-winged guards flanking the door who looked at the colt behind Luna curiously.

It was a rather simple room they entered, most of it being taken up by a large four poster bed with numerous pillows scattered about. The ceiling was adorned with countless sparkles of white, mimicking the night sky. Luna flopped on the bed with a tired sigh.

“Well? Sit down, relax. Leave the royal dignity outside, it’s far too boring for a chat," Luna said, stretching.

The colt sat on a pillow and smiled slightly. “I’m hardly royalty, uh…Princess,” he said, looking around the room.

A soft forehoof on his cheek made him flinch and he looked up into Luna’s blue eyes.

“Call me Luna, please, titles make my skin crawl," she said, retrieving her hoof. She hadn’t missed his flinch and she wondered why.

“So, what’s your name?” Luna asked.

“Midnight Runner," the young pony replied softly.

“Where did you grow up?”

“Las Pegasus.”

Luna pricked her ears. “What was your childhood like?” she asked gently. She had a feeling he wasn’t really comfortable talking about it, but she knew the best way to solve a problem was to face it directly.

Midnight looked at her and shrugged. “Wasn’t terrible, wasn’t enjoyable,” he replied. His wings shifted against his sides and he looked down at his hooves. Luna nodded.

“Were you happy to get the scholarship to Canterlot?”

His only answer was a nod. Luna looked at the gems embedded in the ceiling for a moment before turning her eyes back to the silver-eyed colt.

“Would you prefer living here permanently?”

The way his ears shot up and his eyes lit up, it was almost startling at the change.

“More than anything,” he replied, his voice earnest. Luna blinked and hid a smile behind a hoof.

Something flickered in the colt’s silver gaze and he looked back down. “But if my parents don’t hear from me, they’ll disown me. I’m already enough of a disappointment to them as I am.”

Luna’s voice held a slightly sing-song quality to it as she spoke. “Oh, I’ll think they’ll be singing a new tune when they learn what you’ll be doing as part of your permanent residence here.”

Midnight looked back up at her. “What makes you say that?” he asked warily. Luna blinked and spoke slowly.

“Because you’ll be studying under me, as my personal student.”

Midnight stared at Luna, an expression bordering between disbelief and longing dancing on his face. Swallowing nervously, he managed to find his voice.

“You’d be willing to take me on as your student?” he asked, his voice clear. Luna remembered when Celestia had told her about Twilight Sparkle’s exam, where she had managed to turn both her parents into plants, hatch a dragon and cause that same baby dragon to grow to full size in a matter of seconds. After Celestia had fixed everything, she had offered to teach Twilight personally. If Luna remembered her sisters words correctly, Twilight’s question, which was probably similar to Midnight’s had consisted of the words ‘You’, ‘student’, and ‘me’ along with some ‘squees’ and other inarticulate noises of joy.

Usually a lack of enthusiasm was grounds for dismissal, yet Midnight’s expression was carefully neutral, although she could sense his eagerness in the way he held himself. His wings trembled, as if he was trying to keep himself from leaping with joy.

It was rare for either of the royal sisters to take on students; even more rare if they were common ponies. Whereas Twilight Sparkle had been something of a magical prodigy, she had come from a simple household. With Midnight, his origins were even more mundane. Luna let her mind wander over several possibilities as to what might happen if she took the colt under her wing.

No doubt, the tabloids would be in an uproar, probably start some rumors about less-than-ethical practices going on behind closed doors. She recalled a newspaper article that had been printed more than a century ago that claimed she was brainwashing ponies through their dreams. That had caused a massive increase in charms and dream catchers that supposedly blocked her from entering ponies’ dreams, which was hogwash. She pushed the past away and focused on the present.

Midnight Runner also appeared to be mulling over her proposal. Finally, he let out a determined sigh. “Alright, so if I do become your student, how would it work?” He settled on his haunches comfortably and looked up at her with clear eyes.

“Basically, I would become your teacher in everyday subjects. Think of it as home-schooling, but with royalty as your teacher,” Luna explained, to which Midnight nodded. “You’d also join me when I hold court, where I settle disputes ponies bring to my attention.” Luna grimaced. “It’s not exactly exciting, but maybe you’ll learn something about how to deal with ponies.” Midnight arched an eyebrow.

“Sounds interesting enough; if they don’t have a problem, most ponies seem willing to create their own.” Luna blinked in surprise as Midnight continued. “I’ve had to deal with ponies like that in foalschool," he pouted. “They kept taking all the good toys, probably even broke a few they know I enjoyed just to make my life miserable.” An amused grin played over his muzzle. “I had my revenge in the end though, I got a scholarship to Canterlot and they’re stuck in Las Pegasus.”

“I notice you don’t have your cutie mark yet, is there any reason why?” Luna asked, her eyes tracing the colt’s unadorned flank. Midnight shifted his hips as he turned to gaze at his blank flank.

“Would it make sense if I said I don’t think it’s the right time for getting my cutie mark?” he replied, turning to meet her gaze. Luna went silent, a thoughtful frown on her face.

“A little…?” she replied uncertainly. Midnight smiled slightly. He idly stroked over his tail as his gaze turned blank. Luna was reminded of a unicorn meditating. He looked detached, yet she could sense that he was searching for the words to put what he wanted to say in understandable terms.

“Cutie marks don’t decide what you can and cannot do.” he said finally. “Most ponies seem to think that whatever their cutie mark is, that determines what they’re capable of, and once they get it, they stop trying to learn new things.” He looked up at her, uncertainty dancing in his silver orbs. “Does that make sense?”

Luna nodded. “Certainly. Just because your cutie mark is…say, a moon, doesn’t mean you can’t cook or ice skate or pull off sonic rainbooms.” Midnight arched an amused eyebrow.

“And can you cook, ice skate or pull off a sonic rainboom?” he asked teasingly. Luna stuck out her tongue.

“Not very well, not at all and no.” she replied. “But that doesn’t mean I haven’t tried.” She looked up at the gem-studded ceiling. “I think it took Celestia a week to get the taste of my cooking out of her mouth.” Midnight snorted softly and smiled.

“I was usually the one to cook in our home. Mum was a drunk, dad was hopeless and my sister never got the hang of it.” Luna picked up the subtle softening of Midnight’s voice when he mentioned his sister. His tone went past the usual level of affection a sibling would have for another of their blood, much like how Luna felt about her sister.

Instead, his voice was that of a lover, one who knew and understood another on a level that most ponies never dreamed of.

“Your sister was somepony…special to you?” she asked gently, afraid she might drive him back into his shell where his family was concerned. She saw the emotions warring on his face. He seemed afraid to express it, yet at the same time desperate to get it out in the open, off his chest.

“I loved her.” he murmured, looking back down at his hooves. “More than a brother should.”

Luna tucked her legs under herself as she watched him. He seemed old for his apparent age, barely out of foalhood; from what she could see, he would probably grow up to be a very handsome stallion.

“Aren’t you a little…young for romance?” Luna asked. Midnight tilted his head as he rolled onto his back on the cushion. “You make it sound like we were intimate,” he replied, stretching his hooves above him.

“So you weren’t?” Luna pressed. Midnight closed his eyes. “No…maybe one day we would have been, but with the scholarship, we had to put those plans on hold.” he said quietly. Luna frowned and went silent. Midnight gazed at the ceiling.

“Rather impressive, did you make it yourself?” Midnight asked as his eyes traced over the subtle patterns in the gemwork, showing off the night sky as accurate as the real thing. Luna didn’t try pressing him further on his sister; that wasn’t any of her business and she was glad for the change of topic.

“I didn’t trust anypony else to do it accurately, so I made it myself,” she murmured. Midnight raised his head from his supine position. “Seems rather wasteful if you sleep on the bed though,” he remarked. Luna rolled her eyes and rolled off the bed, landing on her front next to him, making him jump in surprise.

Luna lay next to him on her back and wiggled, making herself comfortable. “You’re right.” she remarked, ignoring his discomfort at her proximity. “The view from down here is much better, wouldn’t you agree?”

Midnight let his eyes wander over the Night Mare’s body slowly and he blinked and shook his head as he lifted his eyes to view her bemused expression.

“I was talking about the stars,” she remarked, making his cheeks flare up in embarrassment.

“Oh, don’t be so shy, I’m not stranger to ponies staring at me,” she rolled on her back and relaxed, stretching her body sensually.

Midnight Runner looked back at the ceiling, trying to lose himself in the intricate gemwork of the patchwork of stars. He heard Luna mutter “Colts…” under her breath and he looked back at her. She had rolled back over onto her belly and had tucked her hooves under her, avoiding his eyes.

“I…I’m sorry, it’s just that…” Midnight wasn’t sure how to find the words that could properly express how he felt without seeming insensitive to Luna’s feelings. “I’m new to this sort of thing," he said and cringed. Even to him, the words sounded inadequate.

Luna smiled and lifted her head off of her hooves to regard him with a clear eye. “Trust me, we have a while to get to know one another, so don’t rush it, alright?” she said gently. Midnight could only stare at her and sigh as he tried to make himself comfortable.

Luna’s horn lit up as she levitated a quill, inkwell and parchment over to her. Wetting the feather, she started writing on the parchment.

Midnight watched her curiously as she wrote.

“Writing a letter to your family, so they won’t think you’ve died or something when you don’t come back,” Luna said.

“That will disappoint them,” Midnight replied as Luna finished, rolling up the paper and it vanished in a flash of blue fire.

Luna frowned as she turned her gaze towards him. Midnight was lying on his back, wings spread out on the floor, eyes closed. She wanted to say something, but the right words eluded her.

Author's Note

As I've stated before, these are fragments, they don't tie into each other, yet I don't want to spread them out over multiple stories with no end to them. Better to have them all in one place and work it out from there.