Fangs and all

~2 weeks later~

Luna sighed, her blue eyes cast to the floor as if seeking out answers in her crystalline reflection. "Come on, you knew this was coming." Twilight admonished slightly, holding out a hoof. Lifting weary eyes to her friends face, she offered a weak smile, taking the mares offered limb and using it to pull herself up.

"I guess I did." She said wearily, her normally ethereal blue mane gone limp and was the same shade it was when she returned from banishment. Even her coat had taken on signs of her minor depression, the fur lax against her sides and gone a deeper shade, mirroring her mood.

Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled gently. "Hey. Come on, it's alright." Luna looked up from her mirrored self on the floor with the most pain any pony had ever seen in her eyes.

"Is this what I have become?"

Twilight opened her mouth to make a response but the night diarch cut her off. "A mare who's afraid of her own sister? A Princess who's afraid of the kind and benevolent sun representative? I am an Avatar, but I am a weakling." The lavender pony did not hear her mutter "and a cowardly mother who was too afraid to take care of her own foal." Twi was already concentrating on something else the younger of the original alicorns had said.

"First of all, you aren't a weakling. Or a scaredy cat. And second, what's an Avatar?" Luna looked up in disbelief at the confused expression Celestia's student had. It was written clear on her muzzle.

"Celestia's never mentioned what an Avatar is to you? Not in all your years of learning?" Twilight gaped for a moment, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

Luna sighed and mentally prepared herself for this speech, which had ironically enough, been given to her by their mother and father, Galaxia and Cosmos. And Celestia had received as well. She suspected that Cadence was enlightened too, so it seemed fitting that she give this speech to Twilight.

"Oh, would you look at that, it's way past time to go!" The lighter of the two said. "We better get going!" She zipped out the door, leaving the other bewildered as they stared after the pony they were about to give a speech to.

"But!" She gaped, then shrugged. "Darn student of my 'beloved'-" She clamped her hooves over her mouth in horror. "Wait. Wait." She told herself, hyperventilating. "No. There is no way you can turn into that ni-." Her mouth was once again blocked by a hoof. But this time, it wasn't her own. "Mmph!" She looked down to see a curious Nova removed his hoof from her mouth, then put it back, thinking it was a game to plug the speaking hole with your hoof. She stared, nonplussed.

"Tphhlippht?" She called, loud as she dared. He had increased speed and was moving forward and back automatically, smiling up at her brightly. Popping inside, the Element of magic's jaw dropped and her pupils shrank to pinpricks against the massive white expanse of her eyes.

"Omigoshomigoshomigosh!" She expelled in one rush, sounding remarkably like an excited Rainbow Dash. Except, she wasn't excited, she was purely and completely mortified. Her adoptive son- well technically she hadn't signed the papers yet but still- was shoving the whole of hoof in Luna's mouth and she just stood there. Blinking.

Twilight grabbed his hoof with unnatural speed and stared wide-eyed at Luna. "Uh..." was all she could manage to say. Said princess herself had an expression that was similar in appearance if not colors. Twilight slowly, put Nova down, and lowered her head to his level. "Hey, buddy, I realize its fun to play with holes-" She winced at her own usage of course language while Luna, recovering from the sudden violation of her royal space, snickered, and she snorted before continuing. "Nova, go ahead and find Spike, maybe he'd like to play with you."

The foal nodded before trotting off, the bright and gay gait he adapted bringing a smile to her face. She turned to the cobalt co-ruler, and her expression turned friendly. "Come on, lets go before any other distractions come along."

Luna nodded and finally emerged into the bright afternoon sun's warm inviting glow. She squinted and quickly cast a spell to help her eyes adjust. After flying to Twilight's under the beautiful cover of darkness and staying in the dim castle for 14 days or so, she wasn't used to her sister's sun beating down on her blue coat. Ponies quickly took notice of the larger than life mare that had emerged from the crystalline tree, and as a result, many came up, bowing only slightly before standing up and asking how her day was going. She smiled uneasily, despite having spent the holiday named after her more vengeful self trying to clear her name she still felt uncomfortable with the citizens of Ponyville, who eventually treated her like one of them.

How long ago that eventful Nightmare Night had been she did not know, countless lunar cycles had passed since then. She was distracted again when a slightly accented voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Princess Luna. How nice to see you again." She looked up to be met with warm brown eyes. Standing in front of her was a smiling colt, old enough to attract a ladies eye and clearly from Trottingham, with his brown patches and white coat. He had a devilish look about him, she noted, and a gold ear loop attracted her attention. She raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, we have met? I do not believe I would associate myself with such a-" She resumed her regal demeanor and looked him up and down, evidentially displeased. "-ruffian." She said, for lack of a better word. His face fell and he turned away, eyes closed as he pushed through the crowd. The crowd in question dissipated, some shaking their heads sadly as they glanced in the stallions direction, and more then a few sent glares at her.

"What have I done wrong?" She questioned softly. Her brow furrowed as she thought back, but could not remember him. She glanced up to see Twilight staring the opposite direction of the spurned colt and she turned to see four ponies standing there, evidentially a family. There was a pinkish mare with a purple mane and a trio of diamonds as her cutie mark.

She was standing defensively next to a light purple unicorn mare with a golden mane and gold eyes. She was staring after the colt with a hopelessly forlorn expression. The other two were a little more mature, but the brown earth ponies jaw was clenched rigidly and the pegasus mare with the eye disorder was making threatening motions with her hooves at the Princess. Evidentially the colt was special to their family.

She bit her lip. 'What have I done?' Slowly, head hanging, she took off to Canterlot sadly with heavy thoughts on her mind. She could hear from the extra beats of wings that Twilight had joined her, but she did not trigger the conversation. Even Twilight was angry. She sighed, and looked ahead, wearily climbing upwards through the air to avoid several clouds and a pegasi weather team. It was getting late in the day, the last time she had seen anywhere was around 3:00.

The city and high spires of Canterlot were up ahead, and with winter drawing near, the night drew closer with each wingbeat. Panting, Luna made it to the second tower away from her private stargazing tower, the one she used to shape the stars on. Twilight, without a word, relaxed for a minute to regain her strength, then jump flew to the next tower, and so and so on. Sighing, Luna walked inside.

She located her sister rather easily, as her instincts told her, /Go for the kitchen, she'll be there/. Once there, her mouth began watering as she walked through all the delectable treats. No wonder Tia spent most of her time in here. Avoiding the staff for she did not want to be unnecessarily bothered, she made her way to the farthest pantry, the one nopony really went to for sweets and turned the doorknob with her magic. It was really a unicorn only pantry as most earth pony hooves couldnt get a grip on the metal without some effort and the brass was smooth and well polished so pegasi wings did not have an effect.

The door creaked open to expose a nearly bare cupboard. Luna's pupils shrank in surprise and she tentatively took a few steps down the stone stairwell. She had removed her horseshoes at the door and now walked softly among the crumbs of many past sweets. Taking a deep breath, she gulped then nervously called out. "T-tia?" Something shifted in the dark gloom, closer to the back. She lit up her horn almost immediately.

Then recoiled in horror. A tearstreaked, crumb covered face stared at her, through her, blankly as if she was not there. "Celestia..." Her sisters usually pastel billowing mane had shortened and reverted to its original pink and hung in clumped strands as if she had been crying on them. Slowly, Celestia showed signs of registering Luna's appearance. Her eyes brightened visibly in the darkness and she perked up, if slightly.

"Lulu?" Then the less distraught of the alicorns turned serious. The door closed behind her and she telekinetically brought her horseshoes to her. Stepping into them she quickly lit the lone lantern hanging above with a vengeance.  Blue light coated the room as crumbs were pushed into a pile, broken glass shards reunited themselves to form several cake covers, and all the remaining sweets were organized neatly. All that was left was her sister.

She turned and in her eyes Celestia saw something that looked much like her student when she went on a organization rampage. Frightened, the alabaster mare gulped. And her own body began to swirl with a cobalt aura. Her tears and crumbs were breezed off her face easily, her mane was neatened into the cut it had been in when she was much much younger, around 1000 years ago.

Her tail tidied up as well and her mane began warming up to a nice temperature. That took care of the clumped strands and Lulu smiled, satisfied with her work. The pantry- and her sister!- looked neat again. Then she owed her head, ready to say the same words she had on return from banishment. "I'm sorry. I didnt mean to rage at you. Its just.... my son."

The now more regal Celestia bent down to look into Luna's eyes. "Hey, don't worry. I overreacted when I heard there was an heir. I'm just worried someone like Blueblood or his father would assume control of the throne if they found out that the real Royal family had a-" Celestia searched for a better word, but could find none. "had a... bastard.. child... then we'd be kicked off the throne and egotistical maniacs like Blueblood and High step will take over. They are both unicorns, after all."

Luna glared at Celestia. "And It did not occur to thou that we are might alicorns, we have the strength of earth in our hooves, speed of flight in our wings, and the core of magic within us all in our horns, but you did not think we could have defeated two of a race lesser then our own?" Celestia hung her head and reminded Luna of the mystery colt from earlier, the one who had walked away from her dejected. Who was he anyway? She wondered.

"You're right, Luna.. I didn't think. I panicked. Would you like to know why?" Sapphire eyes met magenta. She nodded in curiosity. "Because... Blueblood is not of High steps family." Her eyes widened in shock.

"But he... looks so much like them..." Was her only comment.

Celestia shook her head in disgust. "Thats why they chose him. When I saw High Step and Orchid prancing around with Blueblood, I wanted to throttle them for... adopting him. The reason? He... He's mine."

*Thwack* Celestia glanced up to see a comically stretched jaw reaching the floor. She followed it up to her sisters visage and watched fearfully as tiny pinpricks of black slowly swelled up into the cutest thing you have ever seen. Big baby blue irises dominated most of Lulu's eye area and she tackled Celestia in a hug.

Somewhere back in Ponyville

Suddenly Pinkie felt the urge to hug everyone white in the town. She zipped over to Fluttershys place and near squeezed Angel to death. Then with a feat of extraordinary bouncing hugged Surprise.

And then she smiled.

"Thats it for now every pony!"

*WINK WINK*