The Sun, The Moon, and The Stars

***Two Days Ago***

After her breakfast, an unexpected, but welcome, courtesy of Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle began her first full day in the palace. She had a stomach full of food and a heart full of eagerness. Twilight waved to guards as she trotted through the winding corridors, but nothing deviated Twilight from her goal. At last, Twilight had reached the staircase leading up to the solar wing.

*Here we go...* Twilight thought as she mentally prepared herself to journey up the long case of stairs.

It wasn't too bad, really, trotting up the stairs to the solar wing. There were windows every ten steps that allowed Twilight to catch a glimpse of the city of Canterlot far below her. It really was a breathtaking sight. Twilight eventually reached the top. Out of breath, she half walked and half crawled towards her destination, Princess Celestia's office.

"F...Finnaly..." Twilight gasped as she reached her hoof towards the door that stood between her and the princess.

Twilight have the door several loud knocks. A second later, the princess' voice answered.

"Come in."

Twiligh accepted the invitation, and she opened the door. Celestia looked up from her desk and gave her a surprised expression.

"Twilight?" She asked. "Uh... Good morning, Twilight."

"Good morning, Princess Celestia!" Twilight said cheerfully as she trotted into the office.

The princess looked uneasy as Twilight approached her desk. She subtly tried to hide her face behind a large stack of proposals and ledgers, but Twilight had already reached the desk.

"W-What can I do for you, Twilight?" Celestia asked as she pushed the papers to the side.

"I was hoping to spend some time with you in the study." Twilight answered truthfully. "You know, like we used to when I was a little filly. It would be a lot of fun. Don't you remember? Sitting in a sea of books... Endless knowledge and learning... Come on. What do you say?"

Celestia hesitated before answering. Her cheeks flushed red, and her eyes darted back and forth between the carpet and Twilight's eyes.

"You... do not remember?" Celestia asked softly.

Twilight cocked her head and gave the princess a confused look.

"Remember what?" She asked innocently.

Celestia exhaled a sigh of relief as she stood up from her desk. All of the worry in her face had dissipated, and it was replaced by the warm, motherly smile Twilight knew and loved.

"Never mind that, Twilight." Celestia said as she wrapped a wing around Twilight's back. "I would love to spend the day with you."

Twilight beamed. Her smile stretched from ear to ear as the princess guided her out of the office.

"Go on ahead, Twilight." Celestia called out as Twilight made her way to the stairs. "I will join you shrortly. There is but one more task I must complete before I join you."

Twilight nodded her head and continued walking. Celestia smiled to herself as she made her way back to herself. She took one last look at the latest defense proposal. All it needed was her signature. Then, it would be signed, approved, and legitimate. Wielding an quill dipped in ink, Celestia wrote her name and title on the document, finalizing the proposal.

"Excellent..." Celestia said as she placed the quill in the holder. "Now, onto-AH!"

Celestia screamed in fear as she came face to face with her younger sister, Princess Luna.

"Is thou going somewhere?" Luna asked with a smile on her lips.

"L-Luna..." Celestia gasped as she tried to control her breathing. "Do... Do not surprise me like that..."

Luna chuckled as she took a step closer towards her elder sister.

"Why doth thou avoid the question, Tia." Luna asked. "Where art thou going? Thou hast many more proposals that need thine undivided attention."

"I am going to spend some time with Twilight." Celestia stated. "I promised to join her in the study."

Luna nodded her head as her eyes skimmed over the surface of Celestia's desk.

"Uh-huh... And what else ist thou planning to do with Twilight, dear sister? Might it have anything to do with that ring thou gave her the previous night?"

Celestia's cheeks burned bright red. Luna frowned as her suspicions were been confirmed.

"Tia..." Luna snarled angrily. "Thou knows my heart yearns for that of Twilight Sparkle! Why doth thou pursue her in this way?!"

Celestia looked at the floor before looking back towards her sister.

"I... I think I am in love with her, Luna..." Celestia said softly. "Although I am not brave enough to admit such a truth, I love her. That is why I used the ring the way I did..."

"I am in love with Twilight Sparkle!" Luna protested. "I loved her first! Her heart is to be mine!"

Celestia glared at her younger sister and stomped her hoof.

"What if she chooses me?" Celestia asked coyly. "What then, sister? I can win her heart with or without an enchanted ring."

"Ha!" Luna scoffed. "We shall see, my dear sister... I have given Twilight a special gift as well. Once she sees the true power I can give her, Twilight will surly love me."

Celestia growled frustratingly as she pointed a hoof towards the door.

"Remove yourself from my office at once, Luna."

With her ears flat against her head, the younger princess trudged towards the door. She looked back just in time to see a mischievous grin form on Celestia's face.

"Close the door, if you don't mind..." Celestia said. "I have a date to get ready for."

***Celestia***

The princess raced down the corridor towards the study.

*Oh no...* Celestia thought to herself. *Twilight must have been waiting for over six minutes! I hope she is not upset with me...*

Celestia stopped just outside of the door leading into the study.

*Alright... This is it, Tia. You can do this. No ring... No wrongful seduction... Just be you...*

Feeling more confident than ever, Princess Celestia opened the door with the magic from her horn, and she walked inside. Twilight was on the floor, occupied with a tome she had picked off of the shelf marked History. Twilight looked up from her book at the sound of the princess' hooves.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I got started without you..." Twilight said as she quickly closed the book.

"No, Twilight." Celestia said as she shook her head. "The fault is mine. I had... a bit more work to do than I anticipated, but that is all taken care of, now. Tell me, what is it you were reading?"

Twilight held up the cover of the historical tome to show to the princess.

"It's a copy of Predictions and Prophesies." Twilight states with increasing interest. "I had a copy just like it back at my home in Canterlot. It's how I found out about Nightmare Moon and the Elements of Harmony...."

Celestia looked at the page Twilight was currently on. There was not any words, only a single picture. It was a picture of Nightmare Moon. Celestia glared at the picture. Then, Nighrmare Moon winked. Celestia gasped and backed away.

"What?" Twilight asked. "What is it?"

Celestia didn't answer she looked back at the picture, but it was as if the picture never moved.

*Luna is mocking me...* Celestia thought angrily. *She is trying to disrupt my date with Twilight, but it will not work!*

"Nothing, Twilight..." Celestia said as she laid down next to the purple mare. "Everything is fine. I just... thought I saw something. What else is in this book? I have not read Predictions and Prophesies for quite some time."

Twilight beamed as she flipped several pages ahead.

"Well, there was this one I found about-"

Celestia's hoof stopped Twilight's flipping.

"How about this one?" Celestia asked, pointing to the page she had stopped Twilight on.

Twilight peered at the page and cocked her head.

"Lovely Sun." Twilight read aloud. "A prophecy for the day to day..."

When all the warmth to the sun, you give,

In the sun's rays of love, you will live...

"I've never seen that one before." Twilight said as she read back over the verse. "What does it mean, princess?"

Celestia chuckled as she draped a gentle wing over Twilight's back like a warm quilt.

"What do you think it means, my most faithful student?" Celestia asked with her glowing smile. "That prophecy is a personal favorite of mine."

Twilight pondered this.

"Maybe it means... When we show our appreciation to the sun and all the warmth and light it gives, then the sun will continue to do so?"

Celestia nodded her head as she laughed.

"Yes, Twilight... That is a good answer, but it is not the entire response."

Celestia pointed to the end of the verse.

"See... There, it says 'rays of love'... What this verse is trying to say is-"

Celestia's last words were interrupted by the loud growling of her own stomach. Celestia turned her head to his the embarrassing red hue in her cheeks.

"Oh my..." Celestia said as her stomach growled again. "It seems in the lateness of my work, I neglected to eat this morning..."

*Damnit!* Celestia cursed silently. *I was so close... SO CLOSE! I could almost tell her my true feelings...*

Celestia quickly stood and turned towards the door to hide her personal shame.

"I am sorry, Twilight..." Celestia said as she made her way towards he door at a brisk pace. "We must continue another time."

*I must eat before I starve!*

Twilight watched with a saddened look on her face as Celedtia dissapeared from the study.

***Luna***

The princess of the moon watched from the shadows. A wicked grin creeped onto her face as she watched Celestia rise and storm out of the study, leaving Twilight alone and vulnerable.

*Now, it is my turn!*

Twilight was unaware as the princess materialized out of the shadows and began strutting towards her. Luna leaned forward until her lips were just a breath away from the unsuspecting Twilight's ear.

"Boo."

Twilight let out a sharp scream as she figuratively jumped out of her skin. This extracted a hail of laughter from Luna, followed by a cold stare from Twilight.

"Oh, Twilight Sparkle..." Luna said as her laughter slowed to a chuckle. "Refrain from giving me such looks... I only meant to tease. What is it thou art reading?"

Luna already knew very well what she was reading, but Twilight didn't need to know that she knew. Twilight's glare softened, and she turned her attention back to the book.

"This is Predictions and Prophesies." She explained. "I was reading it with Princess Celestia, but..."

"But what?" Luna asked in a mocked tone. "Hath she left you?" Doth she leave thou to sit idle with none to call company?"

Twilight shook her head.

"No, it wasn't like that at all. She just got hungry."

Luna frowned. Twilight wasn't as upset over Celestia leaving as she had hoped.

"Well... May I join thou in my sister's stead?" Luna asked softly.

Twilight smiled with a nod of her head.

"Sure! Want to look at some of these prophecies with me?"

Luna eyed the prophecy on the page, Lovely Sun. Her eyes narrowed.

"I have a prophecy to show you..." The princess said as she took the book from Twilight.

Twilight watched with interest as Luna flipped several pages forward, then several pages back. Finally, she stopped on a prophecy and showed it to Twilight.

"Restless Nights..." Twilight read aloud.

Embrace the moon, embrace her tight.

Should you kiss the moon, she will make your night.

It was the picture that followed the verse that caught Twilight's attention. It depicted a pony in a rather compromising position with a dark blue alicorn.

"What... doth thou think?" Luna asked carefully.

Twilight looked back and forth between the prediction and Luna.

*Now is my chance!*

Luna slowly leaned forward until her lips brushed against Twilight's ear. The purple mare quickly jumped to her hooves, avoiding Luna's lips.

"I think I need to go to the bathroom..." Twilight said uneasily.

Then, she raced out of the study, leaving Luna alone with the verse. The princess looked down at the tome and glared.

"Thou doth win this time, sister... But this is only the beginning..."

***TO BE CONTINUED***