With a wide smile on her muzzle, Luna happily watched the falling snow from her window. It wasn't that she was enchanted by the dance of the snowflakes alone, but it also reminded her that her favorite holiday was fast approaching: Hearth's Warming, a time where she could spend time with her sister and their friends, reminiscing on the days before her banishment and after her return, and consume all the food she desired without anypony raising an eyebrow.
Well, almost all. Luna still had no desire to eat copious amounts of cake or any other sugary goodness like her sister.
She spun on her hoof and shouted, "Tia, sno—" She quickly covered her muzzle in embarrassment when she realized that it was not even dawn, and because of it, more than half of the castle residents were still deep in their sleep, including Celestia.
"Oops," she muttered to herself and giggled like a foal. She pressed her muzzle against the cold window again and let herself be taken again by the dance of the snowflakes, her mind wandering how much work had been needed to make every single one of them.
As time passed by, she couldn't help herself anymore. Without much effort, Luna snuck out of the castle and threw herself on the ever-increasing pile of snow. Even though she was greeted with a cold shock by the impact, she didn't mind it too much. She had been away for far too long to be bothered by such inconvenience.
Without much hesitation, aside from a couple dives into the deep snow, she started to build a snow fort strong enough that her sister could not demolish it, even if the royal guard charged with her. And for that, she also needed to create weapons that would smite her f—
"Good morning, Luna," a soft voice said, but the shock sent Luna over a small snow wall that she had filled with snowballs of various sizes.
Celestia giggled.
"You're evil," Luna said flatly after she had managed to lift herself from the frozen ruins.
Celestia smiled. "Breakfast, Luna. It's your favorite: blueberry pancakes and maple syrup."
Luna grinned.
"I still don't understand how you can eat that, Luna. Everytime I try, everything gets sticky to the point where even my eyebrows get stuck to my butt."
"Your…"
"It's a joke, Luna."
Luna nodded. "Maybe try not to eat with your butt then? We did learn to eat with our mouths." She tried to stifle her laughter, but as Celestia looked at her without breaking the faintest smile, Luna lost it. She fell back into the frozen ruins of her to-be fortress and started laughing uncontrollably.
"Funny," Celestia said in a deadpan voice. "We'll see who has the last laugh then." She flared her horn and picked up one of Luna's snowballs. With a magical push, the aforementioned ball met its target, splattering all over Luna's muzzle.
However, Celestia's victory was only short-lived. As hard as she was laughing, she immediately stopped upon seeing a dark figure standing in front of her, a dark shine glimmering in the pony's eyes. Celestia gulped.
"If it's war you want, then a war you shall get, sister," Luna said in an unearthly, detached voice.
"Luna?" Celestia asked in a trembling voice. As soon as the sound of her voice subsided, she felt a cold ball hit her muzzle.
"You're dead," Luna announced triumphantly.
"Wounded," Celestia countered.
"Dead," Luna argued. "Directly in the nose."
"So," Celestia started. "If that counted as a direct hit, wouldn't that mean you should be dead too?"
"That doesn't count! I… uh… I was ambushed!"
"Like you wanted to ambush me?"
"That's different," Luna pouted. With a quick flick of her horn, another snowball collided with Celestia's muzzle. "There! I won!"
Celestia jumped up and swung her horn towards the grounds, erecting a set of loosely-packed snowballs. She knew that if she packed them too tight, she could end up injuring Luna, and from what she had felt earlier, Luna was careful as well. It was just two silly sisters enjoying the first snow of the year, like they had both forfeited their royal titles and reverted back to their foal selves.
And like foals, the two started chasing each other, occasionally shoving the other into the snow. As they continued with their shenanigans, Luna realized that it was late in the afternoon, indicating that they've not only skipped breakfast, but also missed lunch as well. She stopped and turned her head to her sister. "Tia?"
Pow! A ball of compressed snow hit her in the nose, momentarily disorienting her.
"Gotcha!" Celestia proclaimed triumphantly and trotted toward Luna, a smug smile adorning her muzzle. "A precise shot between the branches. I'm so good! I should aim higher, to be honest, and sprinkle some snow between the wing too. That'd be—"
"You got me, Tia." Luna rubbed her nose. "I wish you'd be a little bit more gentle…"
Celestia's smile waned as she covered her muzzle with her hoof. Worried, she breathed, "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! I didn't know! Are you okay?"
Luna nodded. "Still, ow."
"I'm still sorry…" Celestia looked up. "Maybe we should return to the castle. I don't know about you, but skipping meals wasn't one of the smartest thing I did today, and I wouldn't mind some sweet, delicious carrot cake."
"Of course you wouldn't," Luna replied flatly, a hint of mockery in her voice.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Celestia shot back.
"Nothing," Luna replied with a quick glance towards the snow-white flanks, followed by a giggle. "I guess you really like your cakes."
Celestia's face flushed with various shades of red. "Stop staring at my flank!"
Luna fell onto the snow and started rolling in laughter. It didn't help that Celestia's expression was deadly serious, nor the fact that she was blushing even harder than before. Luna's laughter abruptly ended with a shriek when Celestia dumped a large quantity of snow on her sister.
"That's what you get for staring at my butt," Celestia deadpanned.
Luna groaned. "I never said that it looked bad…"
Another loosely-packed snowball collided with Luna, leaving Celestia giggling. "Hush, or you're getting another one of these."
"What? I can't even say that I like your—" Luna abruptly stopped and looked up. With a smile on her face, she jumped from Celestia and galloped a short distance away, where she stopped dead with her eyes closed and her lips puckered. She was waiting.
Celestia followed suit, but unlike Luna, she was in no hurry to reach her sister. She took her time, and a minute later, she reached the still-motionless Luna.
Celestia shook her head. "Luna, what has gotten into you?"
Careful not to move any other part of her body, Luna pointed her hoof up. A white fruit and a set of meaty leaves revealed to Celestia what kicked Luna into such frenzy.
"Mistletoe?"
Luna nodded.
"Silly Luna," Celestia mused. "We're not foals anymore…"
"So? A thousand years ago we weren't foals anymore, either. And yet we still… um… I mean…"
"That was a thousand years ago, Luna... Times had changed, and…" Celestia sighed. "You know what? You win. But just this once."
"You're no fun," Luna groaned.
With a smile, Celestia watched Luna close her eyes and pucker her lips again. And like she had promised, Celestia leaned forward and pressed her muzzle against Luna's, only to move away almost instantly.
Luna opened her eyes and scratched her mane. "What the hay was that?"
"A kiss, Luna. As you had wished."
Luna rubbed her nose. "That was… a kiss? Tia, you kissed better even when we were foals. I swear that there will be no fun in this in the next thousand years…"
"You wanted a kiss, Luna."
"And not… whatever that was…"
Celestia sighed. "Do you think it's too late to exchange my sister? I really wouldn't mind having a brother for a while…"
As much as Celestia amused herself with that monologue, Luna wasn't too impressed by it. The overly-dramatic glare made Celestia be fully aware of it.
"Very well, Luna. What pony could possibly resist such an unimpressed face?" Celestia giggled. "But you have to admit; it was funny."
Luna cracked a faint smile. "Just slightly."
"Slightly?"
Luna happily nodded. "It was so bad, I was kind of amused."
"Good," Celestia replied with a chuckle. "Because that was one of the better ones."
"Good grief," Luna said with a cringe. "Now I want to exchange my sister for something else… Mayhaps for a teddy bear?"
The pair looked at each other and burst into laughter that took a while to die down. Still smirking, Celestia took a step forward, closed her eyes, and pressed her muzzle against Luna's again. But unlike the last time, she didn't back away, but allowed herself to soak in Luna's warmth.
After what felt like forever, Celestia opened her eyes and found herself staring into sapphire-colored counterparts. When she realized what had happened, she abruptly broke the kiss and aimed her sight to the powdery, white ground. "Luna, I… I didn't mean to… I'm sorry."
"Tia?" Luna asked in a worried tone.
Celestia gazed at Luna and then back to the ground. Without saying a single word, she trotted away from Luna, and shortly after, her trot turned to gallop before she disappeared in a flash of golden light.
Luna shivered. Without being engaged in the playful chase with her sister, she realized that she was cold and soaking wet from their snow fights. Even though she knew fully well that neither she nor Celestia could die, they were not immune to the common cold.
Her body trembled again, reminding her that she was in dire need of a hot shower, followed by warming up in front of the fireplace. She giggled. Maybe Tia will join me like every year? But… from what had just happened… I should talk to her first.
She closed her eyes, lit her horn, and disappeared from the snowy, hoofprint-ridden outskirts of the small forest behind the castle. She reappeared in the hallway of their castle.
Before she took a well-needed and deserved shower, she headed straight for Celestia’s room. As much as she tried to recall her sister acting like this, she couldn't, at least not after her return from banishment.
She pushed opened the door to Celestia's chambers. "Tia?" she asked timidly, but there was no response. A quick glance towards Celestia's bed showed that it was undisturbed, as well as her work desk. It was clear that Celestia wasn't here. She took a moment to think, lit her horn, and teleported to the kitchen, then the Canterlot Library, and lastly to the tower study room, but all yielded the same result.
Half an hour, a hot shower, and a visit to the kitchen later, Luna parked herself in front of the fireplace and start gnawing on the overly-sweet candy canes she had swiped from the kitchen. While Celestia was still absent, Luna wasn't too worried. She knew that Celestia would come find her once she was willing to talk. With that thought in mind, Luna wrapped herself in a warm blanket and lost herself in one of the books she had taken from the library.
Some time later, Luna's ears perked. She turned her head. "Ye— Tia? I thought you wouldn't show up!" She paused for a moment as the silhouette approached her and hung her head. "Tia? Is there something wrong? Was it something I said? Something I did? What—"
"It's not you," Celestia replied in a raspy voice. "It's something from a thousand years ago. Something I should’ve said back then, but… It's far too late now."
"I'm afraid I don't understand…"
Celestia sighed. "It… it really doesn't matter, Luna. What happened, happened, and maybe it's better that way." She looked at Luna, noticing a red-and-white cane sticking from her mouth. "So, it was you who stole all of the candy canes. Do you have any more?"
Luna shook her head. "Last one."
"Oh," Celestia replied disappointingly.
"Here, have half of mine," Luna said and with the sweet stick still in her mouth, leaned closer to Celestia.
"Luna…"
"Take it or leave it, sister," Luna replied with a smirk.
"Very well," Celestia said and bit into the sweet cane, just inches away from Luna's muzzle. She could feel the warm breath, and the minty scent teased her nostrils. She paused for a second to enjoy it, but soon, she felt Luna's muzzle pressed against hers.
Confused, Celestia jumped away. She looked at Luna to explain herself, but Luna just silently pointed at the small bouquet of leaves and white fruit suspended just over Celestia's head. Celestia smirked. "Curse of the mistletoe again, huh?"
Luna nodded.
"Very well then." Just like Luna before, Celestia closed her eyes, puckered her lips, and waited. A few seconds later, she felt a hoof brushing away her ethereal mane, followed by a gentle kiss. She could feel a hoof lean against her chest and a playful nip on her lower lip.
Luna knew.
Celestia opened her mouth and gave in. She had no need or want to hide her affection towards Luna anymore. She felt Luna push even further, sending Celestia onto her back with Luna on top, both giggling like foals.
"This got a little bit out of hoof, Luna."
Luna happily nodded in agreement but gave no indication that she wanted to move from the warm body. Quite the opposite: instead of moving away from her sister, Luna leaned forward and gave Celestia the proper, long kiss of a lover, shattering any remaining thoughts that this was just a game like they had played as foals.
When the kiss broke, the two ponies gazed at each other, both waiting for the silence to be broken.
"You knew," Celestia whispered after a while.
"Suspected," Luna replied. "I still remember a faint voice from a thousand years ago. With Nightmare Moon taking control, I could barely hear it, but it was still there. You called my name, and you said something I couldn't make out. Until today.
"A thousand years is a long time, and not many ponies make it that far, and I could count them all on my hooves, and I would still be left with spares. With that, and since you didn't want to break the kiss the first time… I had to know."
Celestia smiled.
"So… what do we do now?"
"I may have an idea," Celestia said, and she snuck her hoof under Luna's wing, causing it to shoot up and tinting her face red. "Hold tight, Lu." Celestia giggled, flared her horn, and teleported both of them into her chamber.
* * *
With her magic of raising the sun dimming down, Celestia took another step towards the cold window, admiring her own reflection and the reflection of a curled-up Luna sleeping in her bed. Celestia breathed onto the window and kissed the fog that condensed on it.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a thousand years, she felt like a boulder had finally rolled off of her heart. One less secret that she needed to keep from the pony that she loved the most. She must have imagined this scenario a thousand times over, how, or even if, she could tell Luna how she really felt about her.
However, even in her wildest imagination had it crossed her mind that it wouldn't take much more than a superstition and a foal's game to find herself sharing the bed with the most beautiful pony she knew. She looked at Luna and smirked. With the worst bed mane I know of, she thought to herself. She stepped onto the bed and ruffled Luna's wings.
Luna opened her eyes and smiled. "You know, I'm blaming you for this…"
Celestia giggled. "Of course you are. I think it's safe to blame you for everything else that happened last night."
"Like?"
"Hmm. You want me to tell you or to show you?"
"Show," Luna replied with a smirk. "You can never be too sure."
Celestia pressed her muzzle against Luna's, only to swiftly withdraw.
"That's it?" Luna asked in a disappointed tone when Celestia backed away.
"It's… Lu," Celestia murmured. "For a thousand years, I wanted to tell you… I mean…. I wanted to say…" Celestia fell silent for a moment. "It's funny; I'm a thousands of years old princess, ruler of Equestria, and yet here I am, struggling with a simple sentence. I mean, what I'm trying to say is—"
However, Luna stopped listening. She leaned forward, wrapped her hooves around Celestia's neck, and kissed her deeply. "Tia, you’ve always talked too much," Luna whispered when she broke their kiss. She paused for a moment and smiled. "I love you too, Princess Sunbutt."
"I'll get you for that, Lu," Celestia replied with a smirk.
"Oh no! I'm doomed!" Luna lifted her blanket and cringed. "Help! I'm trapped underneath this magical object and can't escape! Oh, woe is me! Whatever should I do?" She looked at Celestia and the blanket again. "It seems that there's room for two ponies under it. Careful you don't get trapped as well!"
Celestia couldn't help herself but to giggle at her sister's silliness. Without needing to be told twice, Celestia slid under the warm blanket, wrapped her hooves around Luna, placed her head on Luna's chest, and listened to the soothing beat of her sister's heart. "Luna?" she murmured.
"Hm?"
"I wish you knew how happy am I right now."
"Mmm… mhm."
Celestia looked up and stole another short kiss from Luna. "And Happy Hearth's Warming to you…" she said, a mischievous smile forming on her muzzle. "Moonbutt."
