Cuori Intrecciati

Covered from head to hoof in mud, splinters, and bits of apple, Twilight craned her neck and let her eyes travel from the roots of Sparkle Tower up to the window of her bathroom. She could imagine every step or flap it would take to reach that window. Every burning, straining ache compounded upon her already sore, tired muscles.

There was no real question or debate. Summoning the last dregs of her magic, Twilight teleported—

—and stumbled. Her hooves clicked loudly against the tile floor, bumping into the tub before catching and steadying herself on the rim. With one hoof hooked over the edge for support, her other massaged the base of her horn. That might not have been her best idea.

It was a good minute before she opened her eyes to the near darkness of the bathroom. The moonlight coming from the single window was just enough to define the outer edges of everything, yet failed to reveal any detail. She glanced toward the light switch, positioned on the far wall beside the door. Who needed to be able to see to take a bath anyway?

Exing that off her mental checklist, she moved onto the next item, and frowned as she glared at the hot water lever.

Reaching for it was a groan inducing experience, every inch her hoof moved bringing with it a new, twisting ache. Her only rewarded for the ordeal: the rush of water falling from the faucet. Waiting until she could feel the steam against her fetlock, Twilight dropped the plug into the drain, letting the tub fill.

Minutes later, she cut the water off, only to stare at the steaming bath with discontent, debating if it was really worthwhile to drag herself over the rim.

Her desire to be clean won out. Muscles making loud, painful protests that she almost couldn’t ignore, Twilight started pulling herself over the edge. Finally cresting the edge, she dropped unceremoniously into the near scalding water, a fair amount splashing to the floor.

As the heat seeped into her coat, warming her skin and claiming the muscles beneath, her mind relaxed, drifting inexorably toward the events that had caused her so much discomfort.

Luna and she were only halfway to Sweet Apple Acres when the hydra came into view, looming over the trees of the southern orchard. Shouting something, Luna’s voice was loud and boisterous, but lost to the wind nonetheless. With powerful beats of her wings, she shot forward, leaving Twilight to lag behind on her untested wings.

At first sight, she was confused by the hydra’s lack of motion. It simply stood there, serpentine heads wavering from side-to-side, with a distinct lack of destroying anything… if she ignored the swath of broken trees behind it. Only as she drew nearer was she able to pick out Fluttershy hovering before it.

A wave of relief washed over her. With Fluttershy’s help, Twilight was certain they could get the hydra to return to its home without doing any more damage to the Acres.

Luna got there first and fell in at Fluttershy’s side, joining the discussion—if that’s what it was—without hesitation. Catching up herself, Twilight hovered on the sidelines, marveling at the fact that Luna could talk to and understand the hydra more so than actually listening to what was said.

All of that changed when she noticed Fluttershy stretch her neck out and one of the hydra’s heads jerk back as though slapped. Dark-blue magic flashed around Luna a moment later, encasing her whole body. When it faded away, she was covered from head to hoof in a suit of imposing plate mail. A halberd, the head shaped to match Luna’s cutie mark, save for the curved spike on the opposite side, was grasped in her field, leveled at a second of the hydra’s heads.

“Thou shalt vacatest these premises at once, or suffer for thy foolish choice.”

That’s when everything went to Tartarus.

—————————————

The ache in Luna’s wings only spurred her on as she flew toward Canterlot. Every muscle in her body sang the glorious chorus that only came from a truly excellent workout. It was the song of life and vitality, euphoria in its every note. She could scarce recall the last time she’d felt so alive.

She made regular excursions to the fringe towns, ensuring that the dangerous creatures that lurked nearby knew to stay out of pony lands. None had proved much of a challenge though. Chimeras, owlbears, and manticores could suffice for an hour’s entertainment, but little more. A full grown hydra? Now that was a foe worthy of her time.

While she attempted to assist Lady Fluttershy in talking it down, she held little hope it would succeed. Hydras were notoriously dense and stubborn. Having four heads only served to divide the brain power between them, leaving them disproportionately aggressive.

Fluttershy, bless her courage, refused to back down as the beast became belligerent. In a last ditch effort, she attempted to stare it down, even succeeding in making one of its heads cringe back. Against a hydra, however, one head was far from enough.

Knowing full well what was about to transpire, Luna summoned her armour and weapon from Canterlot and allowed the beast one last chance to back down… with unfortunate but predictable results.

Twilight acted quickly, teleporting Fluttershy away just as the hydra’s rightmost head shot toward her. Not that Luna was about to allow her to be hurt. The flat of her halberd caught the creature’s head, smashing it to the side and dazzling it long before it would have reached the pegasus.

The hydra’s heads snapped back then, arching like snakes ready to strike as Luna brought her halberd to a low ready. All four heads roared in unison, their volume matched in kind by her own battle cry just before both charged forward.

That’s when the fun started.

—————————————

The hot water was wonderful. Heat seeped into her sore muscles, encouraging the flow of blood and helping them relax. It filled her head with fuzz, drowning out her growing headache. Warming every part of her body, she finally smiled for the first time since Luna left.

Her eyes fell on the wood-handled brush, only to slide back up to the ceiling. She would fix that later, much later.

Between the seductive warmth and her complete exhaustion, Twilight could do little more than close her eyes and sink back until all but her nose was underwater. She finally relaxed, letting her mind wander as it would.

Luna had been amazing. Twilight had already admired her for her intelligence and her ability to understand new concepts in math and magic with ease. She was pretty too, which, being Princess Celestia’s sister, was no surprise at all. During the fight, however, she became something else entirely.

Luna’s halberd crashed into the hydra’s head mid-strike, slamming it to the side long before it would have reached Fluttershy. With that, all of its attention trained on her. Twilight cringed back from the deafening mix of Luna’s ‘Royal Canterlot Voice’ and the hydra’s quartet of roars, her ears folding back in a vain attempt to protect her hearing.

When she turned back, it was all she could do not to gape. Luna was like a wasp, darting about the hydra’s heads, stinging it again and again with the flat of her halberd as she avoided its serpent quick strikes. With moves that would have left Rainbow Dash openly impressed, Luna dodged, spun, rolled, and juked around all four heads like she was dancing. Graceful, every movement flowed into the next, confounding the hydra at almost every turn… almost.

She wasn’t perfect, or the hydra got lucky. Every so often one of its heads would catch her before she could slip out of the way. Her own hits might have been powerful and numerous, but the sheer mass behind the heads was enough to send her careening away. Each time, she recovered before crashing, but that wasn’t enough.

Luna was retreating, falling back inch-by-inch as she fended off the hydra’s attacks. Every snap of its jaws stole ground from beneath her. Luna’s bravado was admirable, her boisterous shouts loud enough to be heard across the Acres, but she needed help.

Charging her own horn, Twilight sped in to assist.

—————————————

Even so long after the fight, and so close to morning, Luna’s blood was up. She didn’t fly in a straight line, she couldn’t. Her path looped and curved as she laughed and soared above Equestria, reenacting select instances from the fight while speeding toward home.

Twilight’s first attempt to assist was valiant and not unimpressive. That being said, Luna realized in the first moments that her martial training left much to be desired. Honestly, she was surprised by her chosen tactic. After hearing Twilight’s tale of the ursa minor, she’d have thought her to use a more diverse set of spells and tactics. Instead, she charged straight for the beast, firing bolts of pure magic from her horn.

Such displays of force were a terribly inefficient use of magic. Visually impressive and properly intimidating, certainly, but inefficient nonetheless. She’d have to make sure Twilight learned more standard combat tactics sooner rather than later.

Before she could warn Twilight away, three of her bolts landed, leaving black scorch marks across one of the heads, and little else. The injured head roared in pain, but it was one of the others that responded to the attack, coming at Twilight from a blind spot.

A quick teleport put Luna between them, and a swing from her halberd deflected the gaping maw down and away, smashing it into an apple tree, destroying it in an explosion of splinters, leaves, and apples.

“Come, Twilight Sparkle!” she shouted, “We must herd the beast back to the forest!”

—————————————

Twilight let her forehooves move over her chest and legs, massaging her aching muscles and brushing off most of the collected detritus. Something between a groan and moan escaped her lips as each movement released mixture of pain and pleasure.

Once she joined in the fight, everything became a blur of magic and motion.

Twilight almost smacked herself as Luna shouted between beating off the hydra’s assault. Even if she hadn’t watched Shining train with the other guards, she should have known not to bother with blunt force magic. Something as simple as holding a rock could produce an equivalent effect with drastically less effort.

Flying out of the hydra’s reach, she selected a number of good sized stones. With a simple spell, she hardened them against shattering and set them to spin around her like an asteroid belt. Next, she cast an illusion spell to produce two exact copies of herself, improvised weaponry included. Doing her best to mimic Luna’s war cry, and probably failing, she and her illusions charged back into the battle.

With Twilight’s help, Luna no longer needed take the slow course of drawing the hydra toward the forest, instead they worked together to herd it. Luna had her stay at the peripheries, teleporting from one side to the other to keep the hydra’s retreat from curving off course while Luna provided the brunt of its motivation to retreat in the first place.

The hydra wasn’t completely stupid, however. After enough time watching, it learned to track her teleports.

A well timed headbutt caught her completely off guard, knocking her from the sky and through the crown of an apple tree. A hastily cast shield saved her from the worst of the branches, but shattered before she passed all the way through, leaving her covered in bruises and apple bits.

Twilight wasn’t without her ability to learn from her mistakes either. Resummoning her illusions and rushing back in, she had them all produce the flash and crack of teleportation when she switched places, occasionally teleporting the rocks while she remained in place to further confuse the hydra.

Luna, still staying well within the hydra’s reach as its primary target, continued to take hits of her own. Even then, she turned each strike against the hydra, teleporting behind one of the other heads and using the momentum buck it with that much more force.

It wasn’t until the hydra had been driven a furlong away from the farm and into the Everfree Forest that it gave a final pained roar and turned tail. Luna and Twilight pulled back the moment it broke off, hovering in place and watching until they were certain that it wouldn’t turn back.

—————————————

Beaten and bruised, the hydra finally accepted its fate and fled. That it was able to do so was a victory in its own right.

From the beginning, Luna had known the outcome; a hydra was no threat to her. Had she so chosen, the fight would have ended in seconds instead of dragging on for an hour. If not for Twilight’s assistance, that course may have been unavoidable. Her first strategy had been working, drawing the beast off the farm and into the forest, but convincing it to not return? Such would have been far more difficult on her own.

With their foe routed, they turned to focus on the ponies and the farm. The question of ‘Why’ came up, with many eyes turning toward the youngest of the Apple siblings. Before too much could be said, Luna and Fluttershy both spoke up, assuring them all that the hydra was after the apple trees, looking to gorge itself in preparation for its coming hibernation.

After ensuring Applejack—or more likely her brother—would petition the treasury for recompense against the damage to their orchard, Luna made her goodbyes and turned toward home.

Home. She was flying home. Not toward the old castle, those broken ruins of her past, but toward her home and her future. Toward the tall shining spires of Canterlot, and the sister who dwelt there in. Toward the lover she’d always known, but only recently discovered.

Her lover.

She almost laughed at how easily she applied the title to the image of Celestia. There was no hesitation or reservation. Not anymore. It was almost ridiculous, looking back. After so many lifetimes standing side-by-side, it was only after her fall, after they were finally separated that either of them even considered the other as anything more than Sister.

How much could have been avoided if—

She shook her head. Down that path lay only regret.

Celestia. Tall, regal... voluptuous Celestia.

She had always been beautiful, even before the poets crafted her into the ‘ideal’, an idol against which other mares could never hope to measure. Yet it took seeing Celestia in a moment of weakness, unguarded and unawares, for Luna’s own heart to take her down a path she’d never known existed.

It was an overwhelming one. It was a terrifying one. It was waking up in her sister’s embrace, reeking of sex, questioning everything. Did Celestia truly love her? Was it all an act? Nothing more than pity? Or worse: a calculated deception to keep her placated and in-line?

If it had played out any differently… if Celestia had come to her… But she hadn’t. She had suffered in silence, been willing to sacrifice again... afraid. Those worries had faded with time, growing quieter and quieter, until she could no longer hear them over Celestia whispering her name as she slept.

Luna had never known a world without Celestia, and she never wanted to.

As the castle neared, Luna noticed color returning to the sky. She was late… hours later than normal. Celestia would already be awake, waiting for her. Would she be angry with her? No. Annoyed at most, maybe a little worried.

Wouldn’t that be nice? Celestia perched on her balcony, staring at the horizon, scanning for any sign of her beloved sister. Then spotting her, relax, let down her guard and release that unrestrained smile she hid from the rest of the world.

Luna’s heart fluttered at the image. At the thoughts of Celestia, her warm embrace, her velvet lips, her perfectly plump flanks…

A hungry smile pulled at her lips as she threw everything she had into her wings.

—————————————

Celestia paced up and down her balcony, wings settling and resettling, eyes never leaving the small town in the not so distant south and the just barely visible castle it now contained.

It wasn’t that she was worried, nor was she annoyed. Luna was her own mare after all. If she wanted to stay out all night, it wasn’t Celestia’s place to say otherwise. She wasn’t Mother and had no right to demand Luna be home at any particular hour. Still, it would have been nice if she’d bothered to let her know. All it would have taken was a short note. A few lines of ink on a scrap of paper and a bit of messenger-fire.

No, it wasn’t that at all, it was…

Celestia stopped, squinting at a spot just above the horizon. Dark as she was, Luna could be difficult to spot against the early twilight sky. After a few seconds, all the tension that had built along Celestia’s back melted, and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It was her; everything was fine.

The closer Luna got, the clearer she became, and the more of her Celestia could make out. All that tension started creeping back in. She remembered that armour and the events that always surrounded its donning.

It was all she could do not to fly out to meet her.

The moment Luna’s metal shod hooves struck the stone floor, Celestia rushed to her, questions and fears ready on her tongue. She didn’t get to voice a single one. Before she could even open her mouth, Luna was upon her, lips pressed against hers in a fierce kiss that stole Celestia’s initiative and left her reeling on her back hooves.

She nearly lost herself in the embrace, her thoughts made sluggish by the motions of Luna’s strong lips against her own. Her eyes closed against her will, leaving her nose to fill the sensational void. The delicate medley from Luna’s scented soap was missing, replaced entirely by her natural musk tinged with a heavy dose of sweat.

None of that could overcome their location, standing on an open balcony for all the world to see. It was stupid and dangerous. They were easily visible for miles, and no pony would mistake them for anyone but themselves.

When they finally parted, Celestia fell back to her haunches, dizzy and gasping for breath.

“L—Luna?”

Her sister didn’t respond, already grasping the dark-steel helmet in her magic and casting it aside, letting her mane flow free once more. In those few seconds of inaction, Celestia finally had a chance to take in Luna’s appearance.

Scratches, dents, and other signs of battle marred her plate mail. Thankfully, none of it appeared to be more than surface damage, but that did little to put Celestia at ease. She had been in a fight, a fight in which she had been struck multiple times and with a great deal of force. Her thoughts galloped through all the possibilities, all the creatures and conspiracies that could stand against her sister long enough to do so much damage, only to be cut short.

Once more, Luna surged forward, mashing their muzzles together in a violent kiss. Celestia let out a muffled yelp as she lost balance, toppling backward. Luna was unfazed, never letting their lips part as she followed her down, straddling her as she continued the kiss.

Celestia tried to protest, to get Luna to stop, but parting her lips only paved the way for Luna’s tongue to slip inside.

She had been brash before, taking small liberties when she was certain they would go unseen, but this was a whole different level. A quick peck on the cheek or surreptitiously brushing a wing along Celestia’s flank was a far cry from making out under the open sky. Anywhere else and Celestia would be more than thrilled at her aggressive passion, but not there. Not now.

Her hooves pushed against Luna’s barrel, only to slide off the smooth curves of steel.

Pulling her muzzle up and away, Celestia finally broke the kiss, though Luna remained unswayed, simply moving on to pepper kisses along her jaw.

“Luna! W—”

“Hydra…” Luna gasped between her desperate kisses, moving toward Celestia’s exposed neck. “Acres… All safe.”

“I…” Celestia groaned, losing her train of thought as Luna nipped just behind her jaw. Her head rolled to the side, giving Luna that much easier access. “I… Oh stars, Luna.”

When her eyes reopened, she was staring up at the dark blue sky, Luna’s stars still clearly visible despite her sun waiting just below the horizon. The dim light gave her no comfort. They were still completely exposed, and if they didn’t see to their duties soon, ponies would start looking for them.

Celestia’s chest tightened at the thought, depriving her of air and forcing her breaths into desperate pants in counter time with Luna’s. She couldn’t get out more than the first syllable of her sister’s name, much less anything that resembled a protest. Luna wasn’t helping, trailing her lips and tongue down Celestia’s throat to the hollow of her neck.

Mother’s mane, she wanted to just let it happen. To revel in Luna’s savage lust. She’d even dig out those ridiculous lacy, pink socks from Hearths Warming if she thought they could do anything to drive Luna even the smallest degree further.

But not here!

They needed to move inside. That was all, just a few feet, just enough to get off the balcony, and she’d let Luna do whatever she wanted, beg her not to stop. One word. Tell her to hold off long enough to move inside. Just one word.

“St—” Luna’s hoof brushed over Celestia’s stiff nipple, her eyes rolling back in her head. “—ars!”

Spurred on by the moaning cry, Luna’s hoof massaged the hard nub. Growling, she nipped at the skin over Celestia’s collarbone.

The last of Celestia’s breath fled as she writhed in an effort to escape from beneath her sister and reach the doorway. Her struggles were for naught, the movements only succeeding in carrying the spicy scent of her own arousal to curl around her nose.

Luna’s hoof slipped further down to brush her engorged clit.

Celestia bucked, hindlegs catching Luna’s armoured stomach and throwing her off to crash against the castle wall, sending chips of marble and mortar flying through the air. She bit a hoof to muffle her screams, the other slipping between her clenched hindlegs in a futile attempt to stop the flow from her marehood as she curled into a tight ball, spasms shaking her whole body.

She was slow in recovering, limbs twitching and uncooperative. Two false starts left her panting, torso raised but flanks still on the cool stone. Taking her time, Celestia found her hooves. Once there, she let her head hang, taking three deep breaths. With each inhalation, her composure returned, until everything that wasn’t calm and collected was shoved behind her mask. Certain of her control, she raised her head.

Luna leaned against the far wall, rubbing the back of her head as she stared up at Celestia. Ears attentive, eyes wide, she appeared more confused than hurt despite the new concave shape of her abdominal plate. She made to speak and stand, only for Celestia’s magic to bind her muzzle and hooves, dangling her upside down and off to the side. Squirming and protesting at first, Luna gave up with an annoyed snort. It was no less than she deserved at the moment. Even then, it almost wasn’t enough.

Marble shards and dust coated the balcony floor, a decent sized gouge in the stonework a few hoofs above where Luna’s head had been.

Celestia cast the cleaning spell to scour away any trace of what had just happened. She considered the wall next and, unable to recall any spells for shaping marble, sealed all the bits she could against it, hiding the damage behind an illusion until she could see to it properly.

With a satisfied nod of her head, Celestia turned back to Luna and got an adorable pout that tugged at her heart. She forced a frown. It was not easy, the small muscles rebelling against her. What else could she do? If she let her guard down now...

Rending her eyes from Luna’s face, she trotted inside, Luna in tow.

With as much grace as she’d bound her, Celestia dropped Luna onto her bed, releasing her bindings, and began to cast again. Outside, the heavens changed, the stars going out as the moon fell below the horizon and the sun rose above it. The whole affair lasted seconds and lacked for flair and creativity, a choir done because it must, with no passion or care put behind it.

Luna, now sitting on the edge of Celestia’s bed, stared at her, concerned. “Tia, I—”

Was all she got out before Celestia let go of her restraint and pounced in a reverse of what had happened only minutes earlier. Luna flopped back against the stiff mattress, no less off guard than Celestia had been. She gave in quicker, though, returning the kiss without reserve or hesitation.

This time, however, Celestia was able to speak.

“Never! Ever! Do anything like that again!” she shouted between kisses. “Do you have any idea how stupid that was?!”

Her horn reignited, tearing off Luna’s armour piece-by-piece to reveal her sweat matted fur beneath. Celestia was furious and should have been more so. Luna’s dirty, smelly fur was getting all over her bed, and in a minute, all over her. She’d just taken a shower not two hours prior, spent nearly a half-hour with maids brushing her down, and now she was going to have to do it all again herself and hide it, lest it be noticed and they think her not satisfied!

The peytral came off, and Celestia buried her nose in Luna’s chest, licking at her sweat stained fur and inhaling the pungent fragrance that was her. Drawing her pinions over Luna’s shoulders and barrel, she traced the lines of her sister’s hard, corded muscles, reveling in their every movement beneath her coat.

“Any pegasus could have spotted us! Do you have any—” Celestia couldn’t finish, growling as she ran her muzzle up Luna’s neck to bite down on her ear and press their barrels together. Her mind blanked, lost amid the torrent of sensations. Helpless, all she could do was grind against Luna in the hopes that something would find its way through the blind lust driving her.

Celestia barely noticed when their positions flipped, Luna rolling her onto her back, only caring when she tried to pull up. Hooking her forelegs behind Luna’s head, Celestia didn’t let her go far, forcing her back into another kiss and stretching a curtain of wings over Luna’s back.

Luna broke the kiss, once again moving to nibble at Celestia’s neck just behind her jaw.

“… hiding in a cloud as they watched…”

Grasping Celestia’s hindleg in her field, Luna hooked it behind herself. The hot moisture of Luna’s sex pressed against Celestia’s inner thigh, grinding it into the already soaked white fur.

Luna bit hard on Celestia’s shoulder, groaning and grunting as she worked her hips, her swollen lower lips folding back and forth with each motion, her hard clit tracing jagged lines up and down Celestia’s leg, edging closer and closer to Celestia’s own burning slit.

“Watch… eyes… Oh stars!”

Luna arched her back, straining against Celestia’s grip on her head and driving her hips forward. In an almost ephemeral kiss, their exposed clits brushed together.

Celestia’s eyes rolled back in her head as her own back arched and a cry of euphoria poured from her lips. Luna’s teeth dug back into her shoulder, muffling her own cry, hips thrusting again and again until she was completely spent.

Luna collapsed, Celestia cradling her head with forelegs while her wings splayed across the bed. Luna’s wings followed suit, blue feathers draping over white.

With the last of her energy, Luna shifted her pinions, meshing them as best she could between Celestia’s. For minutes, neither moved, too exhausted to do more than listen to each other’s slowing breaths, than to feel each other’s heartbeat slip into a calm, steady rhythm.

The first to speak was Celestia, kissing the top of Luna’s head before whispering, “You need a bath.”

—————————————

Twilight’s forehooves worked their way down her belly, brushing over her cannons and thighs. Eyes still closed, her mind wandered back to much earlier in the night, when Luna’s wing had pulled her in tight, and she’d let her head rest against Luna’s strong, muscled shoulder. She hadn’t noticed the firmness then, nor the graceful strength of her wing, but she did now.

It was nothing to imagine Luna dancing outside that armour, the subtle shift and bulge of contracting and relaxing muscles as she moved. Maybe she could teach Twilight how to dance where her other teachers had failed. She’d be more attentive to the lessons at least.

Twilight’s mind drifted further, crafting scenes of her neck crossing with Luna’s, leaning into the taller mare, listening to the beat of her heart as she was lead through a slow waltz.

Her hoof found her marehood, caressing the already parting lips.

She giggled as they reared up together, wrapping forehooves over shoulders and using each other to balance. Their barrels pressed together, hearts beating in perfect rhythm. Luna continued to lead, her warm voice whispering instructions directly into Twilight’s ear.

Her other hoof joined the first, sliding down her belly to the hard nub just starting to peek from her pulsing folds.

With her wings taking steady strokes, Luna maintained her own balance as she spun Twilight, their hooves never losing contact. She stopped Twilight’s twirl, grasping her from behind and sliding hooves across her chest. Their cheeks touching, the scent of lavender and thyme filled Twilight’s nose and fogged her mind.

Her breath started coming in pants as all the relaxation from earlier was undone. Biting her lip, Twilight worked her hooves faster. The sharp ache in her muscles and compounding exhaustion forced her to take short breaks, gasping for breath before throwing herself back in.

Their dance continued, turning slow circles over the floor as Luna’s hooves moved down, brushing lightly over Twilight’s perky nipples. Her head fell back against Luna’s shoulder, exposing her neck for the elder princess’ lips. A warm kiss made her shiver just as Luna’s hoof found Twilight’s marehood.

Her face contorted as she reached her peak and didn’t stop. Twilight bucked and grunted climaxing and sending more water over the edge to splash against the floor.

She continued to twitch every few seconds afterward, but it wasn’t long before her exhaustion finally took over and she was swallowed up by a deep sleep, filled with visions of a dark goddess teaching her things she’d only ever read about in bad romance novels.

—————————————

Celestia’s bathroom was filled with steam from the recently finished shower, highlighting the warm beams of sunlight streaming in through the frosted glass windows. One of those beams fell across Celestia’s back, making her already white coat and feathers seem to glow.

Lounged on the floor, head resting on outstretched legs, wings unfurled like sails at her sides, Celestia let out a happy little groan as Luna picked through her feathers, using lips, teeth, and tongue to straighten and align any that had slipped from their proper place.

“… finally accepted its defeat, turning tail to flee back into the forest.”

Celestia chuckled through a groggy moan. She’d only half paid attention to the story, picking up the important points, far more focused on simply staying awake under Luna’s delicate ministrations.

She’d hesitated when Luna suggested it. Once upon a time, long, long ago, when they were alone in the world, it had been common for them to preen each other’s wings. To spend the waning hours after sunset in the quiet practice. It had survived their coronation no better than the rest of their grooming habits. More recent, and vivid, were the memories of the last time the palace hired somepony to preen her wings, and of subsequently drafting a law that required professionals to be licenced. Her wing had twitched at the mere thought.

But it was Luna, and, in the end, that was what really mattered.

A hiss steamed from her lips when Luna plucked a loose feather.

“Sorry.”

“No. No, it’s,” Celestia rolled her wing, “it’s better now.”

Luna’s own wing fell across her back, massaging it as she returned to her work. Silence settled comfortably between them, broken only by an occasional moan from Celestia when a skewed feather was righted, relieving the almost imperceptible pressure. It wasn’t until Luna finished the first and was stepping over Celestia to start on the second that she spoke again.

“I am ready to listen whenever you decide to speak.”

Celestia kept her ears from tensing, holding them as loose and relaxed as ever. “It’s nothing.”

Luna tugged at the first feather a bit harder than necessary, causing Celestia to flinch and hiss. “Your back disagrees.”

Glancing over her shoulder, Celestia watched Luna’s muzzle start in at the base of her wing. She considered deflecting the question. It wouldn’t be hard; there were innumerable minor issues that she could claim were weighing on her mind. If it had been anything else, something not directly related to Luna, she might have done it too.

With a sigh, she said, “A letter arrived while you were out.” Luna hummed curiously, but didn’t interrupt her work, so Celestia continued, “From Cadance.”

Luna lifted her head, petting the small patch of properly aligned feathers with her hoof. “And what did your niece have to say this time?”

“Our niece would like to speak with us. Since she omitted the exact topic, it is safe to assume that it is personal in nature.” Luna’s only response was to return to preening. Celestia remained silent for a few seconds, but could not regain her relaxation from moments before. “I don’t like this, Lulu.”

Luna finished slipping a long secondary into place, wetting it between her lips as she pulled back. “You should have said so before I started.”

Celestia turned to glare at her sister. “You know what I mean.”

Rolling her eyes, Luna shrugged. “What would you have me say?”

Defeated, Celestia resettled her head between her forelegs, staring at the bathroom door. “That you have thought of a solution to all our problems.”

“I have thought of a solution to all our problems.”

“Cute.”

“I have always considered myself ‘devilishly sexy’, but cute will do, I suppose.”

Celestia half-snorted half-laughed, then turned to face her again. “Are you saying you have a solution?”

“Of course. ‘Tis rather simple, all considered.” She paused for dramatics. “We leave.” Celestia stared at her, mouth agape, only for Luna to roll her eyes. “I am not suggesting we do so, but ‘twould solve all our problems. ‘Twould not be difficult either. There are many lands left wild.” Luna nuzzled into Celestia’s back, pressing into the tight muscles there. “Just you and me, together… alone, with nopony to bother us. Like it used to be.”

Celestia could see it too. A cabin at the edge of a woods, open plains of grass and wildflowers beside. No ponies for miles. No more stress. No more hiding… Celestia shook her head. “No. It wouldn’t work.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

Celestia almost smiled as the name slipped from her lips… almost. “Twilight.”

“She is rather tenacious, is she not.”

“Like you would not believe.”

Their conversation fell quiet, and Luna returned to preening, but it lacked the comforting effect it had previously carried. After a minute, Luna spoke again. “Have you decided how you will respond?”

“Much the same as I have since…”—Celestia’s smile grew for a brief moment—“us. But I am certain that she is starting to grow curious, if not hurt. It is unfair to cut her out of our lives with no explanation.”

“It would have been easier if you had never adopted her in the first place.”

“Somehow, it never occurred to me that I would need fear my niece discovering that I found the love of my life,” Celestia said with a snort.

Luna blushed hot against her wing, mumbling incoherently before saying, “We could always banish her.”

“Oh? And where would you recommend?”

“I do not suppose the Crystal Heart is large enough?”

“No…” Celestia smirked. “How’s the moon this time of year?”

Celestia yelped as Luna plucked a perfectly healthy feather.