Princess Luna looked around the Lunar Forge, a plane of existence held within the parameters of the dreamscape, and the only forge in the world that was capable of making living, breathing stars. "This place really is cluttered!" she said aloud. Over the years following her banishment, Luna's star factory eventually turned into a storage room for Celestia. It was true that she couldn't enter the realm of dreams, but the Forge was, in a sense, an anomaly.
"I think it's wonderful!" Twilight Sparkle was with the lunar Princess, a normal routine that the couple practiced for quite some time. The purple alicorn was fascinated with everything astronomical, and like any nerd obsessed with the stars, ogled over everything in the room. "After all," the purple mare nuzzled her lover. "It's where we shared our first kiss!"
2 months ago, Luna would be afraid of even sharing feelings with another, and honestly is still having a hard time opening up. However, Twilight was an exception. The events they both went through proved that they were meant to be together. At least, that's what they agreed upon.
"Luna?"
The lunar Princess smiled. "Yes, my love?"
"How did you build the Lunar Forge? It isn't a dream, but it isn't exactly real, either."
Its origin story was... interesting, to say the least. "Starswirl the Bearded found fascination in the stars that I created, but back then, back... before Nightmare Moon happened, I used pure magic to make the stars." Curiosity piqued, the mare listened in, eager to learn all about this place. "He was so eager to learn how my and my sister's magic worked, and he thought that if he got the spell he was working on just right, then Alicorns would no longer be scarce."
"Starswirl's journal!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Precisely. Your ascension is the direct result of studying my lunar magic."
The purple alicorn nodded academically, which was just too adorable to Luna! She would turn her head just slightly, and her eyebrows would furrow and her gaze would turn distant, but still completely focused. You are just too cute when you're thinking! Luna thought.
"That explains these," she flapped her wings for emphasis. ",but not how this place started."
"You are right, my eager student!" Luna teased, eliciting a small giggle from Twilight. "Ahem, One night, Starswirl wanted to study the making of stars closely, so i took him to the dreamscape. It was all very interesting, if i recall..."
Starswirl sat within the aetherial plane that Princess Luna referred to as the Dreamscape, and was awestruck! All around him flew portals and doors of all shapes and sizes, all leading to the dreams of slumbering ponies both young and old. There was no word to describe the feeling he had. "Luna, is this truly what the dream realm looks like?"
She chuckled at the unicorn's curiosity. "Yes, Starswirl. Thyne Star Crafting is far more impressive on a grander scale however!"
"Can you show me?"
A moment's pause. "Yes."
Using the aetherial magic from the dreamscape, the alicorn's horn glowed brightly with a midnight aura. Suddenly, a beam shot forth, summoning a door that looked different from the thousands of others. This one was made of pure starlight, and had no real shape to define. With another flick of her horn, the door flew open, revealing what looked like a replica of Starswirl's own observatory, just on the outskirts of Canterlot Village. Drunken with awe, the pony took in this new room, this new realm. "This is absolutely incredible! Every inch, every small speck of dust, exactly how i remember!" His eyes grew as big as dinner plates, absorbing everything in front of him. There in the corner were his research notes ironically on star patterns. The perch for his pet owl, Archimedes hanging just above his desk, still adorned with fresh ink pots, parchment, and quills.
Twilight sat down, listening to this story the entire time. Her eyes are just as big as his were! Luna thought.
After the story, the Princess was doubtless that the purple mare before her had questions. Sure enough, her lover's voice spoke up. "Did you ever show him how to make stars? What exactly is this place? How do you make stars? Do you still use raw magic, or is the Lunar Forge helpful now?"
"One question at a time, Twilight!" she chuckled. "First, let us start with what this place is." she paused, clearing her throat, getting ready to teach her "faithful student". "What do you know of daydreams, my little pony?" the Lunar Princess asked.
Twilight only turned her head sideways curiously, almost not understanding the question. "Well factually speaking, it's known as a series of pleasant thoughts that distract one's attention from the present." She gasped. "Can you enter daydreams too?!" The purple alicorn's smile grew tenfold.
"*Chuckles* Yes, love! Though, they are an enigma even to me." She picked up a silver bell, a small piece of jewelry once attached to Starswirl the Bearded's infamous hat and began inspecting it. "It's not unlike a dream, yet it has no real place within this realm." she set the bell down again atop a small desk. "That is why my sister can access it. It's a solid plane, not like the ethereal one just outside its doors. This room is tangible; You actually breathe and move."
Then, Luna smiled devilishly. "As for making stars, I believe you'll find out soon enough, Twilight Sparkle." This earned a high pitched squeal and a tackle from her lover.
This is going to be perfect! I get to learn how Luna, the Princess of the night, makes stars! Princess Twilight excitedly thought. Of all the gizmos and gadgets in the room, the Forge itself didn't look all that special. Frankly, it looked more like an alchemist's lab than an actual forge. Well, looks can be deceiving... Twilight thought, recalling her first encounter with Zecora. "Is this it?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, I know it isn't much." Luna said, turning flasks, and inspecting others for any damage. The setup was simple for most laboratories. It consisted of 3 Erlenmeyer flasks, each accompanied by a tube leading to a central basin, presumably where the components come together to form a star. From there, the process clouded itself in mystery. Before beginning, Luna levitated a set of vials filled with various liquids and powders over to the station, again inspecting each and every one for damage. I want to make this star special for her... the alicorn thought. She glanced over to her ever present companion, still not believing that she found somepony to love. Oh, twilight! You are the only one in all the years i have lived that truly understood me! Her eyes began to gloss over. To think that this all started with a dream. It's ironic, isn't it? The mare of my dreams was discovered in the same place dreams are made of.
"Luna, are you alright?" Concern held the purple mare's face hostage, noticing her lover on the brink of tears.
"Y-yes, I'm fine my little Twilight." She wiped away her traitorous tears with a smile. A moment's pause. "I-I just still can't believe I found the mare of my dreams." Her smile grew when the mare before her began to blush.
"O-oh, well I, um..." A hoof silenced her. The blush grew crimson and red-hot now.
"Shh, Twilight Sparkle. We are about to begin."
Curiosity replaced her blush. " 'We?' " Luna nodded. "B-but, I don't know how to make stars! What if I mess up? What if-" Another hoof silenced her.
"I promise you, 'tis not as difficult as you think! What is the expression- 'It's a lot like riding a bicycle'?"
"N-not quite, Luna." She chuckled awkwardly. Sometimes, Twilight forgets how out of touch with modern linguistics the mare really is. "The term 'riding a bike' isn't really the best slang to use, Princess. Maybe 'it's like baking a cake' is a better term. I haven't really done any major experiments with this sort of magic, or alchemy. Both?" Twilight asked, curiosity still lingering behind her voice.
Luna chuckled. "The method may seem like alchemy, but I assure you Twilight, it is all possible through special magic."
While staring at this mare before her, closer than anypony has ever been to learning her secrets, a thought crept up. Nopony outside of My sister and loyal subject, Starswirl the Bearded, has ever come this close to me before. Why? Why is she so close to me? Could it be due to the Elements of Harmony "Cleansing" me of Nightmare Moon? No, if that were possible, I would be swooning over all of them. What makes you so special? What do you have that others don't? Why do I...like you...Love you? Do I know what love is?
"Luna, are you alright?" Concern washed over Twilight's face.
"W-why, yes Twilight, I am fine." Was she really that obvious? "Why do you ask?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "You just seemed... deep in thought."
"Yes, yes, I am fine Twilight Sparkle." Twilight never broke contact with her astral blue eyes. "I assure you, everything is fine. I was just, um... Thinking of what we should make first! I was thinking maybe a small white dwarf."
"Okay, if you say so" She pried her eyes from Luna's, letting her get rid of the breath she unknowingly held hostage.
After regaining her focus on the task at hand, Luna rummaged through the several vials before her, studying each one in detail, almost like one would when deciding on an outfit to wear to an event. This event however, was the most important the Princess of the Night has ever faced to date. "Are you ready to begin, my 'faithful student'?" she tried to mimic her sister's melodic and matronly voice.
"Faithful Student?" Twilight smirked.
"I-I, um, y-yes? Is that okay?"
She shook her hooves. "It's fine, Luna! I was only joking!"
Luna blushed. "O-oh! Yes, that was very funny, ha ha."
An awkward silence once again passed over the room. "Well, let's begin shall we?" She hovered 3 vials over to the lab in her midnight blue aura. The Princess turned to her lover, and began to explain what was in the vials. "In these vials contains magical essence. In other words, the 'star dust'." she chuckled on the inside. Where philosophers got the silly name, I still haven't a clue! "Let's begin with setting up the station. First, we adjust the- Twilight, are you taking notes on all this?"
A sheepish grin gave Luna all the answer she needed. "Anyways, We first need to adjust the well." with her magic, Luna turned a knob just below the basin all the tubes led to. Upon inspecting further, Twilight never noticed all the extra attunement items found below the Alchemy station. A small crystal orb sat just below, and started to shrink when Luna turned the knob. "What this does adjust the size of the star. No doubt you have guessed that the orb is the vessel for the star to be contained in." Next, the Princess touched the spear with her horn, earning a spark that brought the vessel to life. It glowed with a swirling energy, almost like those of a crystal ball. "What I have just done is prepare the vessel for magical harnessing and containment." Now the real fun begins!
"Are you ready to make some stars tonight, Twilight Sparkle?" Luna smiled warmly. It truly was an experience worth remembering. And, just like Starswirl, the mare before her, became all the more nervous. "Fret not, young alicorn! 'Tis truly a wondrous experience!" Her smile only brightened. I wonder if you would be proud, Starswirl...
Her smile as bright as the stars she made was all the encouragement Twilight needed. With a quick nod, she stepped closer towards the alembics and vials. "*sighs* Okay, what do i do, Luna?" She hovered the vials from earlier, trying to make out what exactly was inside them.
"Well, as you said, 'tis much like baking a cake!" She turned on the burners with her magic, and poured the liquids in the separate flasks. "With a little bit of practice," once one of the liquids was heated, it turned into a more ethereal and blue swirling color, much like Luna's mane. "A lot of patience," She swirled the liquid around, then proceeded to add some sort of flakes to it, from one of the other vials still adorned on the shelf. ", and a bit of experimentation," The other two glowed a different ethereal color, and the Princess proceeded to add various substances to them. Once satisfied, she opened the valves that poured all 3 liquids into the basin, puffing up sparkly white smoke. After all 3 liquids were combined, the sphere below glowed, and sucked the new substance into it, flashing into a bright white light. "What you make will truly be remarkable." Twilight's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, in awe of the newborn star. "Would you like to hold it?" Luna asked.
"I-can I?" she shuffled her hooves around, anxious to hold the star. With a quick nod, Luna pried the white light from the sphere, causing it to hover in her magic.
"Go ahead." she nudged the star towards the purple alicorn. "I assure you, it's quite safe." With hesitation, she grasped the star in her own magic, bringing it closer to her awestruck eyes. Holding it was... strange. It's like her magic recognized it, but was equally confused by it. "Judging by the confusing look on your face, it's strange to hold?" Luna chuckled, receiving an embarrassed blush from her lover. "Oh, no! It's nothing to feel embarrassed about. It was strange my first time holding one, too."
After months of hard work and magical research, their contraption was finally made in the replica of Starswirl's study. Perceiving the realm of stars as nothing more than her friend's workplace was a nice gesture, but it still didn't include the more physical aspects of actually making the star. Luna still used her magic, but within that room her magic was actually visible, and its impacts plain to see. The star crafting station started out much like all the young unicorn's experiments did- he asked how it would actually look if a normal pony were to make a star. With that one question, they both poured their time and effort into creating a functional forge for the balls of gas.
"What do you wanna call it, Starswirl?" A young Luna asked.
"Hmm, i haven't really thought much on a proper name, have I?" He smiled at the alicorn standing beside him, eager as ever to just be near the unicorn. He stroked the stubble of his future famous beard, deep in thought. "Well Luna, I think we should call it 'The Lunar Forge'."
If smiles could cause supernovas, Luna's would destroy the universe! I can't believe he would actually want to name something after thine own name!The mare thought. Though she would never admit it, Starswirl played a small part in actually making the small lab to serve their purpose. Luna was an eager student, but ever the humble pony. "So, how do we start it?" Though it was her magic and her realm that constructed all before the two, it didn't mean she understood what the contraption did.
After a brief explanation, Starswirl motioned for her to come closer. She may have conjured the components and put them together, but it was all done under close supervision of her friend. After all, it was based on a theory he invented. "Are you ready to make some stars?" he asked with vigor, levitating a few bottles of starlight over to them.
"There, now you just need to- Oh my, yes! You've done it!" Trials and experiments finally made everything possible for Starswirl to study the creation of stars.
Peeking through her wings now covering her face in fear, Luna saw a bright white orb. It felt different from any other light. It felt...Warm, almost like a completely different category of light altogether! "I-i made that?!" She asked, bewilderment written on her face. After a scholarly nod from her friend, she bounced around shouting to the heavens that she did it! She made a physical, real, star! It wasn't magic, well technically it was, but this magic was physical! Tangible! Touching it wouldn't let it dissolve or wither away, it was there!
Clearing her reminiscent mind, Luna turned to the present once more, eager to hear Twilight's input on the new star. "So, what do you think?" she asked, shuffling her hooves nervously.
"It feels... Strange, yet somehow, it feels like a good strange." The midnight alicorn tilted her head curiously. "It's almost like a tiny little sun, but lighter. It's bright, and yet calming. And to believe it's still made of magic..." She was expecting a little more giddiness out of her lover, but then again, making her first star was always the proudest moment she had in the Lunar Forge. Hopefully it will be second proudest after tonight. She thought.
Luna let Twilight study the newborn star for a little longer, still smiling at the unbearably cute "Study face" she put on. "I'm sorry to cut your observations short, but we really must prepare it for the journey into the constellations." She pouted a bit, but understood that the star needed to be with its brothers and sisters. "Um, Luna, how do the stars actually become part of your night sky anyways?"
"Let's not worry about that right now, Twilight. I believe it is your turn to make a star!" Luna smiled from ear to ear, eager to see what creation her lover would make!
"B-but I-" A hoof cut the purple princess' train of thought short.
"Do not worry, Twilight Sparkle. I am here to guide you."
With hesitance in her step, the purple mare approached the lab, and began to levitate various liquids and powders to eye level, much like Luna did when making her star. The hardest part of deciding what to use was the fact that Luna didn't even have one label on any of the vials! "Um Luna?" she asked. "How am I supposed to know what to use?"
"Go with whatever your heart desires, young one!" She beamed.
Heeding Luna's advice, she picked the colors and materials that closely resembled the shine a star gives off. Next, mimicking Luna's steps, she turned on the burners and continued to add various liquids and materials to the glowing auras. Once done, she emptied the basin. You know, maybe if i add a bit of my magic, it'll add that special touch... The purple alicorn thought. She slowly moved her horn to the newborn star, and sent a spark to it. At first nothing happened, but then a puff of smoke, sending the two lovers into a coughing fit. After the smoke cleared, the orb was like nothing the two had ever seen! Inside the orb swirled around a purple, smoky color, and shined as bright as the North Star!
Luna had no words to say, and just stared at the orb, her ears folded back and her eyes as big as dinner plates. "Oh no! I hope I didn't ruin your Star Forge!" No response, save for a few surprised squeaks.
"I-if you want to escort me out, I understand." Her ears drooped, and the mare stepped away from both the star and her lover. I didn't mean to...
"I-it's..." words finally came, but only a few.
"I-I'm really sorry! Please don't be mad!" Tears were starting to form.
"Beautiful!" The purple alicorn's ears perked up.
"You really think so? Because I wasn't sure if Mmph!" Thoughts and words were interrupted with the most passionate kiss yet from Luna. Regretfully(maybe), it sent her into a blathering state, unintelligible to the most common of tongues.
Luna blushed, and shied away very cutely. I can't believe I managed to fluster her! I just hope I'm not pushing too hard or too far...
"In all my thousand plus years, I have never been given a greater gift from a lover. It is both unique, and lovely! Using pure magic in the process? Why haven't i thought of that before?"
"Y-you really think so?" words finally formed from the still blushing purple mare.
"Well, I did just kiss you, didn't I?" She smiled back.
Author's Note
Sorry for the longest wait ever! I hit a rough patch and just now got out of it! As always, comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated.
