Luna stood inside a brightly lit if somewhat cramped office tucked away in one of the secluded sections of Canterlot Castle. Like the rest of the castle it was well furnished in bright and rich colours made of the finest materials. Although Luna cared little about the decor focusing instead on the other pony in the room.
“Are you free this weekend?” asked Luna.
Her companion seated at a sturdy desk populated by massive mountains of paperwork gave her only a terse response, “No.”
Luna sighed, “When will you be available then?”
“Not soon.” another terse reply.
“You do need to leave this room eventually.” Luna argued, “You have more or less shut yourself in for the last few weeks. The staff has stated complaints over their ability to locate you or this very room for that matter. But more importantly I do miss having you around and even now I rarely see you during the day.”
“Luna….” she began before pausing, taking a deep breath to help calm herself, “Luna, please. I was tasked with going over some of the final reviews for the newly proposed spells that the Magi Council put forth. I really need the time to finish this.”
Luna snorted, “Yes, of course they did. Why it is nothing more than a new excuse like the others." Luna was glaring although the paperwork mounds made it less impressive or even effective. "Are you certain you still wish to be with me? Perhaps friendship is preferred over love, perhaps this direction for our relationship isn't working. Perhaps it is best we end this farce of a romantic relationship before either of us hurts the other.”
At this Twilight broke her concentration from her work and turned to face her friend, her companion. She sighed, “Luna, you’re right. I’ve been trying to bury myself with something or another for well a few months now. Perhaps you're right, maybe a relationship at this point was not the best idea….”
Luna relaxed and her voice softened, “Maybe not but I do not want to see it just end. So perhaps you could promise yourself this weekend off, let us be together for the weekend and see if we want this relationship to continue as it is?”
Twilight thought this over, occasionally glancing at her unfinished work. Taking a deep breath, “You’re right, a weekend off from this would be good. A weekend off with you is even better, perhaps we do need to reevaluate if we want this to continue. Any plans in mind?”
Luna gave a slight smile, “Oh, there are some ideas in mind.”
Saturday morning dawned bright and clear, it looked to be a fine day although Twilight had no idea as to what her marefriend had planned. She stood outside the doors to Luna's chambers, she carried nothing just as Luna had requested and just as requested she had not touch the mountains of paperwork sitting on her desk since last night. This weekend was for the two of them, no work and certainly no crisis dealing. Luna stepped out, "Ready to leave?"
Twilight nodded, "Yes, although I wished you would tell me where we're going."
"That would ruin the surprise, Twilight" as she wrapped a wing over the smaller alicorn. She then lit her horn and the pair disappeared.
They reappeared in middle of a large field dotted with flowers of all types, shapes, and colours.
"Do you remember the place?" Luna asked.
Twilight looked around, "I do. We came here the first time we went stargazing outside of Ponyville or Canterlot."
"This is indeed the place, familiar yet unfamiliar changed under the rays of the sun as opposed to the light of the moon as we first saw it."
"It's beautiful here even during the day, but why are we here?"
"This field is full of flowers", she used her magic to lift one up, "The most notable are the daisies. A simple flower but for Earth Ponies of old there was special meaning to such a simple flower. I'm unsure if those meanings persist but to them the flower represented innocence, purity, beauty, patience, and simplicity but most importantly it represented a loyal love. All traits that you possess."
"B-but how? I've been busying myself, how could you still consider me loyal in spite of that?"
"Because you are. There's an old adage which was that the greatest love one could give to another is to sacrifice their life for them, to lay down their life for their friends. You've done that", Luna sighed, "That first night we met you risked life and limb to face a deadly foe and in doing so, you saved me from the Nightmare. We may not have been friends yet, but to me it counted. What else could I say or think of one who would charge in regardless of dangers; saving a friend's life requires courage and conviction but to save a stranger's life even more so especially in the face of great peril. When I returned to Ponyville for Nightmare Night, you stayed with me even as others fled and you helped when no pony else would. You became my guide to the changed world so different from what I knew. You've demonstrated that you are self-sacrificing and loyal. I know that these last few months have been difficult, the transition of your new role has not been all that smooth but I suspect there is more to it. All I ask is that you tell me when you are ready for I am here and ready to listen."
Twilight was stunned and took a while to respond, "T-Thank you Luna. I'll admit there are things bothering me but also that I'm not really ready to talk but thank you, when I'm ready I'll tell you."
Luna smiled, "Good, now for the other reason we are here." Her magic brought out a picnic basket, "Lunch?"
After the picnic lunch both ponies settled to calmly enjoy the day. For a few hours they relaxed in each other's company. Just before the moon was to rise Luna moved to stand up. "The moon needs to be raised soon" she turned to face the seated alicorn, "Before I had asked if you would like to aid me in rising the moon and you had declined. Perhaps tonight you will join me?"
Twilight sat still thinking it over before nodding, "I would love to" she said as she rose to her hooves. "What should I do?"
"Allow your magic to flow as mine does, allow your power to travel from yourself to the moon. To raise it is unlike the sun, the sun needs strength while the moon requires a gentler touch as it is much closer and has a more profound direct effect."
Together the two alicorns lit their horns, the elder of the two began weaving the flow needed to guide the moon upwards while the younger followed adding her own magic to spell. Together they raised the moon bringing it to its path in the sky. Then the elder painted the night skies in the lights of the stars while the younger settled to watch the sky become awash in the light of the risen moon and stars.
Luna instead of joining Twilight on the grass when the spectacle finished remained standing, "Twilight, will you come with me?"
Twilight was slightly confused, usually after Luna raised the moon and the stars she would join Twilight in their mutual hobby of stargazing. Despite her confusion she rose again and found Luna's wing draped over her back. Together the pair disappeared from the field of flowers.
When Twilight looked out again she saw rocks, dust, plains as far as the eye could see. The air was silent and coupled with the empty lands gave the feeling of the void. Looking up however revealed even more lights shining from above than ever before but she saw no signs of the moon only a sphere of blue and green....
"Luna" she cried her voice filled with awe as the pieces fell in place, "Is this the moon?"
Luna smiled, "It is. I have wanted to show you the moon for sometime now and here we are. A land barren of life yet easily sees a place brimming with life. A place so quiet and so different from the bustle of the planet."
"It's amazing. I never thought I could see the stars so well, seeing them here is nothing like seeing them back home." A brief thought flashed in her mind, "Luna are you okay with being here?" Twilight said in a concerned tone, "I don't want to be here if you aren't."
Luna nodded, "Being here is fine with me. My time locked here was hazy at best, much of it was in hibernation awaiting my chance to one day return home. The reasons I brought you here are twofold, the first is that I wish to share myself with you. The moon is part of who I am, I am the moon and it is me; my powers are drawn from the moon and its magics. The moon is important to me and while I have told you about myself in the present I have spoken little of the past. But as I wish to be able to share more of myself with you being here is part of that and although we may not have been together long but I found myself savouring every moment that we are together. It is too soon even for me, me a being more accustom to the traditions of days long past, to know how things will come to be between us or if it will last. But that is my hope, that we as a couple will last. It is this hope that I wonder if we still could say we love each other or was this decision not one we should have taken"
Twilight swallowed, "Luna, that's what I hoped for as well, I hope that it will work and that there is love between us but...." she turned her eyes towards the other alicorn, "Everything has changed so quickly, I'm so unsure of what the future is like now. For so long I had control, I knew what I wanted out of life and where I wanted to be or so I thought. I then made friends I never anticipated having, saved the world which I thought I would never do, found love that I always thought wasn't for me, then I ascended and became a Princess. A role I still question, am I worthy or even right for this role, can I lead ponies, can I help them. These are only some of the doubts and problems I've been carrying lately and part of why I've been so distant. Throwing myself into work, any work is how I used to cope with things." Twilight moved over to embrace Luna, "I'm sorry. You were right though, a romance at this juncture may not be the best idea but at the same time I don't want to lose you."
Luna returned the embrace with a gentle kiss, "You shall not lose me, this weekend was for us to reconnect. For us to recover and hopefully rediscover the spark between us. In spite of my long years I cannot claim to know everything but I will try. Especially if it is for us. This was for the other reason I had brought you here. You welcomed me and guided my transition to the new Equestria, one alien from what I once knew. I wish to return that favour, I wish to open your eyes to locales others have never glimpsed nor will likely ever see. In our youth sister and I visited dimensions and places so similar and so different than our own. You know of the retreats my sister had built in remote locations, they are merely pale imitations of places we saw on our travels, someday I wish to bring you there and show to you the true depths of the mysteries and wonders our world and ours have to offer. To your unspoken question, travel is nigh impossible for most. For alicorns and others like us travel to these locales is possible; although you are young in your powers and I wish to wait some time more for you to grow into them so that travel would be easier."
Twilight stunned sat thinking of Luna's words, "Luna, to see the moon like this was a dream come true. I never imagined how the stars could look like from here. I'm already glad you brought me to such an important place for you and someday I would love to see those places."
They spent the rest of the night on the moon, Luna had used her magic to conjure a small dwelling with enough food and comforts to last them the night. They settled in to watch the stars which shone more brightly and more clearly than they had back in Equestria.
The next morning or what Luna claimed as morning looked no different to Twilight than night on the moon had although she attributed to the different rate of rotation of the moon. Luna guiding their teleport the pair left the moon for their usual destination; nights spent stargazing was common for the two as was falling asleep in each other's hooves. The following morning likewise had a similar ritual, it seemed mundane compared to the previous night but no less important, breakfast at Pony Joe's.
The Triarchs of Equestria all held fondness for the small shop, its friendly shopkeeper, and its delicious wares, so much so that it inevitably became part of Twilight and Luna's regular stargazing ritual. Invigorated now by fresh donuts and steaming hot cups of tea and coffee, the second and last day of their weekend together began.
Today Luna's plans were to hold true to what she told Twilight on the moon, to be her guide to places that people and time had long forgotten. Places that once held great significance but had faded away from the minds of people, places that were now only spoken of in legends. There was no better place to begin than on their own world, today's itinerary was to visit where the ancient dragon mages had first crafted the Draconic runes changing the Draconic tongue from a spoken language to a written language.
Their visit to the Draconic ruins was interesting, located so far and remote from the world among a secluded range of mountains they were truly alone and away from civilization. The ruins hummed with untold power still stored in ancient runes that the ancient Draconic mages had carved deep into the stone, these same runes that modern Draconic scholars had yet to decipher. It was the first time in quite a while that Luna had seen Twilight so relaxed and the pair spent much of the day examining the old runes carved deep into the stone all while speculating on what their purpose might have been.Time passed swiftly and it was not until after the sun had set and the moon had been raised did they finally leave. Their second and last stop for the day was also where Luna had planned to have dinner.
"You brought us to your old castle for dinner?" asked a confused Twilight.
"Indeed, the Everfree Castle is a place of importance especially for us both."
Twilight turned to face Luna, "You're fine being here?"
Luna sighed, "Despite what did happen here it is still somewhere I have fond memories of." she closed her eyes thinking of the time she spent here, "This place once served as the last bastion from Discord's chaos, the powerful magics in this forest sheltered us which is why it and the castle bears the name "Everfree". I do not mind being here, I have been striving to not let the past weigh me down and being here and on the moon were part of that."
"If you're sure" Twilight began before trailing off.
"I am, the past will always be with me. With the many millenniums I've been alive that especially holds true." Luna paused when she noticed the slightly distracted look on Twilight's face. "Something else is still troubling you, more than what you told me before."
Twilight sighed, "There is, it's something that has always been with me in a way. From what Celestia and you have discussed with me and what I've been able to research, alicorns are not immortal but ageless capable of surviving many centuries, alicorns can die but with their advanced healing it is difficult but it is possible." she looked over at her wings, "I'm one now, ascension was never something I even thought was possible but now my new role makes me stand out. Again."
"Elaborate for me please, I know of the present you but you have not spoken much of your foalhood."
Twilight nodded, "Growing up as a noble in Canterlot meant I was supposed to distinguish myself and my family and uphold their name and honour. But I had a different problem, I've always enjoyed keeping to myself as the many librarians of the city will attest to. But I also had the challenge of being above others, I never wanted to put myself so above everypony but they saw me as above and even beyond them. My intelligence and my sheer raw power in magic isolated me, pushed me out in front of others. Becoming the Ponyville librarian was a fresh start in a way, ponies didn't stare at me in fear of what I could do and it didn't make them beg me to help them. I was one of the community, an equal. My ascension and coronation placed me outside again, even among the others Princesses I feel alone. All of you have a better grasp and understanding of your roles, I feel caught between my role as Ponyville's bookworm librarian and as Equestria'a newest Princess with an uncertain role."
Luna just stood there, her mind mulling over each thought her marefriend was bringing to light. "I understand. More than maybe you know right now but I understand. I too have felt as an outsider, in the before I was the "lesser" Princess yet I was also a skilled mage. I was once one of the more respected experts on magic yet few knew that, even fewer ever approached me about it. Now in the after, I feel alone again. Alone in a world so different than what I had left, returning to a role so similar yet different, not the warrior-princess of old as our role now is to negotiate through gilded and honeyed words not by the might of the sword or strength of one's magic. Words has always been my sister's strength not so much mine. Even as a mage I have also found myself woefully inadequate, outclassed not by the Archmage but by a humble student in magic."
At this Luna stepped closer to Twilight to embrace her, "I found myself outclassed, even my millenniums of knowledge paled to what you could do and what potential you possess. I am caught between the rougher world of before and the peace of now. Perhaps this is a reason why we found friendship and solace with each other. In a way we both understand what it means to stand out, what it means to be caught between roles and expectations, we are kindred spirits. We are alone save for some who truly know us; save for even fewer who understands us. If you are caught in between then I am as well, the words I spoke last night was the truth. You shall not lose me and I will be with you as you are with me, as we walk together in learning and understanding what our roles are, of who we are now and who we are meant to be."
Twilight just stood there as Luna defeated her fears and insecurities, everything she had been struggling with. Tell Luna everything had not been something she had planned to do but it felt good to, she felt lighter from knowing that somepony else knew and better yet understood some of the challenges and difficulties she faced. "Thank you Luna. I'm glad you're here with me. Thank you for this weekend, I glad to learn I'm not as alone as I thought. I love you Luna" leaning in to kiss her tenderly on the lips.