Thy Namesake

A week passed before Celestia could finally stop blushing and look her subjects in the eye properly. If her strange behavior had been noticed, no one had dared comment on it. Except her sister, Luna, who knew the Sun Princess better than anyone else in Equestria. Even after being banished to the moon for a thousand years, Luna knew that particular tinge of pink that graced her sister's cheeks all too well. Her sister was probably in some sort of personal dilemma, undoubtedly locked in a battle of wills with herself, which she always lost.

Approaching Celestia would do nothing but incur the wrath of her infamous flames, as she knew all too well. Her sister would come to her when she needed, if she needed, if she could not find a solution on her own. Luna would provide her with unbiased reasoning and logic, as she had always done and would continue to do for her sister. Celestia always did harbor this unrealistic and justic moral code of ethics, even when, or rather, especially when it came down to matters of personal interest.

And so the Moon Princess found her patience.

She need not wait long, however. The end of a very restless week for Celestia brought the Solar Princess to her sister's end of the Celestial Castle. The nighttime air surrounding the wing was calm and serene, yet did nothing to quell her anxiety as she knocked on the gold-trimmed solid black oaken doors marked with a cresent moon waxing.

"Enter," came Luna's soft reply. She had just poured herself a glass of white wine, which she did not indulge regularly. She summoned a second glass and poured for her visitor.

"Luna, I need your help," Celestia cried in exasperation as she trudged through the doors.

Luna offered a warm smile as she looked up from pouring to greet her sister. "I was wondering when you would find your way to me."

Celestia hadn't been surprised that her sister had caught on to her worries. Luna was always instinctively tuned in to her emotions. She took a seat on her sister's lavacious bed adorned in black linens with white trim. At the top of the canopy sat a giant half moon spelled to illuminate the ceiling with moonlight and countless stars, creating the light for the giant expanse. With a heartfelt sigh, Celestia let her eyes wander in awe of the beautiful illusion.

"So, what seems to be troubling you, Sister?" Luna asked as she settled next to Celestia, handing her sister the second glass as she sipped from her own.

"It's.. Twilight," Celestia bit her lip in hesitation and swirled the wine in her glass.

"Oh?" Luna sat upright in sudden panic. "Has something befallen our youngest Princess? Is she ill?"

"No, no," Celestia calmed her worried sister. "Nothing like that."

Luna pursed her lips and glanced at Celestia expectantly. Her sister was not smiling, nor did she have that excessive praise in her eyes that she normally held when discussing her most prized pupil. Nor had she taken a sip of her wine yet. Odd, indeed, considering her sister was the one that favored the beverage more than she.

"So what has happened to our Twilight, then?" Luna prodded further.

Celestia feigned a chuckle at the sentiment of 'our Twilight.' This would be a difficult conversation to have, but she needed to give it. She needed someone to listen to her impudent mind and give her the clarity she currently lacked. She took a sip of wine to stall for time, choosing to savor the flavor on her lips perhaps a bit longer than she should have.

"I-," She tried, then stopped. She took a deep breath and calmed herself before dipping in the water, "I had planned to deliver the news of our negotiations with the Yak-Yaks in the north," Celestia started, looking anywhere but her sister.

"Yes? We had promising results, as I remember," Luna replied calmly and patiently.

Celestia nodded. "When I arrived at.. I couldn't.. And I had searched the entire castle..."

"Is she missing? Should we send guards to search for her?"

"No, nothing like that at all-"

"Then please, Celestia, what is your concern?"

Celestia fidgeted with the glass under her sister's critical stare. "I saw her- well, found her, so to say- in her rooms, and she was, well, she was-" She finally decided she could no longer take the anxiety, either. She took another taste of wine, closed her eyes, then blurted, "She was pleasuring herself and I stood and watched."

"Oh, Celestia," Luna sighed in relief, to Celestia's bewilderment. "Is that what has plagued your mind as of late? You merely walked in on a private moment. Anyone could have made the same mistake."

Celestia shook her head and absently traced the rim of her glass. "No, I didn't just walk in. I watched from behind a cracked door. And that's not all," Celestia turned away to place her glass on the bedside table and hid her face in her hands, "She was calling out my name. My name, Luna! My student was pleasuring herself to my image and I stood there and watched!"

Luna remained quiet and surveyed her sister as she spoke.

"I couldn't look away! And to make it worse, I- I can't stop thinking about it, even now, after a whole week has passed! I can't get the vision of her out of my mind. I feel.." She struggled to find the right words, "Embarrassed. Ashamed. Confused. Betrayed by my own thoughts. Perplexed. I feel-"

Luna ran a soothing hand down her sister's back and urged her to calm the storm. "Sister, you were in shock. You are not a voyer for not being able to quickly process the situation and move accordingly."

Celestia turned to her sister, desperation shimmering in her eyes as she was finally able to meet the loving gaze Luna gave her. "That's not my only concern, Luna. Why can't I stop seeing her? Why can't I unhear how she muttered my name- my name! Why me? Why would she even bother with fantasizing about someone like me!"

"It is rather obvious how much she adores you, my dear Sister. The entire kingdom can plainly see that," Luna stated matter-of-factly. "Have you not witnessed the fervor with which she regards you? Have you not seen how excited she gets when you are near? Do you not know how she strives to perfect herself and her talents for your attention? Twilight Sparkle simply adores you."

Celestia shrugged away from her sister and stood, perhaps to hide the blush that crept to her face. "B-But, she fantasizes about me."

"Yes, feelings of adoration quite often can and will manifest into something... More to be desired. Is that a problem?" Luna narrowed her eyes in introspection. Her sister could be so daft sometimes. "I am certain that more than half of Equestria has fantasized about you at least once in their lifetime."

Celestia rounded on Luna and scoffed, "Of course it is a problem! I am her mentor! I am her teacher! I am-"

"Celestia, you have not been her teacher for some years now. I believe you relinquished that title when she surpassed the role of student and harnessed the power of a true Princess," Luna replied, taking another heavy sip of wine, "Our equal."

Celestia crossed her arms and raised her shoulders and stood in a more appropriate manner. "Yes, well. Still. It's not proper for one so young to develop-"

"Twilight Sparkle may be young, but not so much so that she cannot develop her own sexuality and explore it. With or without your knowledge of her doing so." Aha, Luna smiled to herself.

Luna had a point, Celestia surmised. Twilight was a Royal Princess now, fully coronated and with her own powers to rule over. Somewhere, somehow along the journey, Celestia had missed the part where Twilight had outgrown her assumptions of her as the student she always cherished. And now, Celestia had been thrown headfirst into that evidence. She conceeded to Luna's words.

"I.. Suppose," she replied after a moment of silence.

"Besides," Luna offered a sincere smile. "If she has not acted on the more primative desire of her affections for you by now, surely you know her well enough to assume she would not do so in the future?" She stood and walked to her sister, once again handing her the glass of wine she left abandoned on the table. If there was ever a time Celestia needed a drink, this was it.

Celestia accepted it and mirrored Luna in taking a larger sip. "That's not what I'm worried about."

"Then what exactly are you worried about? That is the second time tonight you have insinuated a deeper concern to your worries."

"I.. I don't know..." She lied. She was thankful for her sister's advice, but there were still some things she hadn't worked out herself. Like the way she was starting to shiver in anticipation whenever her mind conjured Twilight withing on her bed, begging for Celestia's mercy so willingly. She supressed a shiver even now, and turned the rest of her glass to the star-studded ceiling.

"Then I suggest you find the answer, my Sister."