The next morning:

Theo was the first of the two to awake, his eyes still heavy and head still a little cloudy. “Mm…” He mumbled, blinking to adjust his vision. He felt a warmth against his back and a small smile came across his face, unconsciously pressing himself back into it. “Perfect…” He purred softly, his eyes slowly closing again.

It was only a few moments later when he remembered where he was, and his eyes shot open. His entire body tensed up and he teleported himself out of the bed, unceremoniously dumping himself onto the floor. Had he not already been red, his blush would have been noticeable right away. “Nope!” He said loudly, his mind still reeling from being forced out of sleep.

“Nnn… wha?” Luna mumbled, her arms squeezing empty air. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around, soon finally seeing Theo on the floor. “Th-Theodore? What are you doing on the floor?”

“W… we were cuddled up.” Theo said quietly. “I.. I freaked out…”

“Ah. I can…” Luna sighed, letting her arms fall to the bed. “I can see why you would do that.”

Theo now looked downcast, “I’m sorry…” He said quietly. “I… just… didn’t want…” He mumbled.

Luna shook her head, standing up. “I told, you, I understand. I might have had the same reaction, had I woken up first.”

“Right…” He said, standing up as well, “I… I’m going to…” He started in a quiet voice

“You take the first shower.” Luna said…

(The next day)

…”I’m going to go lower the moon and such.” She continued, before heading out of the room.

Theo let out a long sigh, closing his eyes and running his hands through his thick mane. “Damn it all…” He muttered as he walked into the bathroom, slowly stripping down. His body aching in ways he had forgotten.

He turned on the water, putting it to the hottest it could be. For some reason, even after all this time, heat calmed his nerves more than anything, it helped him think clearly. He stepped into the stream of water, letting his body get soaked. The hot water caused his aching muscles and joints to relax and he let out a pleasant sigh.

“Oh gods… Celestia, why can’t you be here with me? You’d make everything so much clearer…” Theo sighed to himself. “I… I don’t understand any of this. I thought… I thought I could only love you like this… I thought…” He shook his head, bracing himself against the wall, “Gods… I don’t understand anything… I… is this just lust? A-am I slipping backwards?” He questioned the air.

He let out a sniffle, “Am… am I just… did I ever change?” He shivered at the thought, the hot water doing nothing to warm him. No, no he needed somepony else with him. It was so cold and lonely without either of them. “What am I supposed to do about this… about... her…” He muttered, watching the water flow down the drain. “I… I swore I’d see you both safe… but why does it feel like I just make things worse… always so much worse…” He laughed weakly, his eyes closing.

“You… you always told me that love is what you and I shared… such happiness, and joy. Absolute care and unending comfort. It was always for you… but now, Luna too? Why didn’t it feel wrong, not even for a second? I… I was mere seconds from…” He whimpered, “And it didn’t feel wrong… it felt like… like it was supposed to be.”

Theo leaned against the wall, “Why…?” He mumbled, shaking even more now. It was several moments before he felt the strength to stand again. “M… maybe I’ll talk with Luna… sh… she might know what to do…” He sighed.

(Yet again, the day after)

“Ugh, what do I do?” Luna grumbled, her head in her hands. The paperwork just kept piling up… as two ponies, she and her sister could handle it, but as one… “It’s just too much.” She said, vocalizing her thoughts.

“Maybe… if I had Theodore to help me?” She questioned, glancing up as if expecting a response. “Wonderful… and now I’m talking to myself.” Luna sighed, rubbing her eyes.

Tired of looking at seemingly-endless amounts of paperwork, she indulged herself, and swept it all to the floor, relishing the flutter and spread of papers. It was nothing a simple cleaning spell wouldn’t fix, anyway.

Her thoughts turned back to Theodore, despite her attempts to keep them away from him. It was just… she couldn’t stop thinking about him… about how he was finally back.

About how Celestia had nearly killed him.

How she had enjoyed sleeping with him each night… and waking in the middle of all of them, just to slide over and cuddle him.

Luna sighed again, but this one was far less sad. “Oh, Theodore…” She whispered, now deep enough into her daydreaming to see him… see his muscular body, his perfect face… those soft, strong hands… rubbing along her back, her wings… sliding further down, massaging her flank, and then slipping between and spreading her p-

“Wuuah!” Luna cried out, jerking upward in her chair, her face purple from the blush currently on it. “I… d-damnit!” She shouted, slamming her fist onto the table. “I can’t think like that… not about Theodore! He…” She groaned, looking at the new crack in the solid wood desk. “He’s like a brother to me… right?”

(You know the drill)

“She… she’s like a sister to me. Right?”

Theo let out a sigh, he was fighting back his thoughts. Everytime he lost that battle it always went straight to Luna, her soft body, how she felt pressed against him, how it would feel to just… lay her down… and show her his lo… He shook his head, no, no this wasn’t the place for those thoughts. But still they didn’t fade, his struggle only made the images and thoughts more vivid. In order to haul himself back into reality, he reached out and gently brushed Celestia’s cheek. “Gods… I feel so strange, my sweet… so, so strange.” He laughed quietly. “If only you were awake…” His voice quivered for a moment.

“Maybe then, it wouldn’t be so hard. You and I… we’d already be curled together, basking in warmth… but… what of Luna, then? Why does she deserve to be alone, while you aren’t?” He sighed, looking up to the ceiling.

“Why… why is she alone? She’s so beautiful, just like you… both goddesses of true beauty.” He closed his eyes, “It’s so hard, Celly… I can’t leave either of you alone… I don’t want to, I want to be with you both… to make up for everything, in every way. I know what I want… but why am I so scared of it? So scared… of what will happen if I tell her how I feel?” He looked down towards Celestia for a moment, “I just… really hope you’ll understand my feelings… I don’t want to hurt you again…” He shook his head, leaning down and giving her head a kiss. “I hope you come back to us soon…”

Theo stood up, walking towards the door, “I’ll… come back tomorrow.” He promised the unconscious alicorn before he left. “I love you, Celestia…”

“I love you, Celestia!” Luna said, giving a happy moan as she sank into the deep, hot bubble bath. “Ohhh, you had such good ideas when you had this castle built… especially the baths.” She giggled, sitting down on the built-in seat and putting her arms up over the rim, leaning back.

“Haaah… I needed this. It’s just… It’s so hard without you here, Sister.” Luna said, her tone sobering. “I… I can’t believe you did this for a thousand years… so much paperwork, so many idiotic nobles, and the change between day and night, dear gods! I feel as though I’ll collapse, every time…”

She glanced at the door… she’d made sure to lock it after Theo had come in the first time, just to be safe. “And then... he left you.” Luna added, her voice seeming to echo for even longer in the large, empty room.

The lunar Princess sank a few inches further into the bath, shivering as the hot water made her so very warm. “Would you be mad at me, right now? About… Theodore and I? I feel like you would be, and that makes me so much more nervous.” She said. “But… I need to do something about this. I must, and it has to be done soon.” Luna nodded to herself, sitting back up.

“It has to happen before you wake… we need to talk.”

(Noon of the seventh day)

“We need to talk.” Luna said, stepping into the room that held Celestia and Theo.

Theo’s eyes darted to Luna, “A-about what?” He asked.

She locked the door behind her, making an audible click ring in both pairs of ears. “Us.”

His eyes widened for a moment. “O-okay.” He muttered, motioning her to come sit down beside him.

Instead, however, Luna sat on the foot of the bed, slightly off-center. “Theodore… we can’t keep doing this. Avoiding each other all day, only to sleep in the same bed, feeling horrible about… earlier this week.” She told him, looking into Theo’s eyes.

Theo moved closer, “I know we can’t… B-but I don’t know what else we can do, I… I don’t… I can’t hurt Celestia any more than I already have… b-but I don’t want to hurt you, either.” His voice quivering.

“You’re not hurting me… if anything, you’re hurting yourself, Theodore.” Luna said, her tone gentle. “We can’t wait any longer to solve this.”

“How do we solve it then?” He was now beside her, holding her hand. “Just… let go?” He squeezed her hand lovingly. “Gods… Luna…”

“You can let go if you think that’s the… the right choice.” Luna said, her voice breaking in the middle before picking back up.

His hand cupped her cheek, gently pulling her head in closer to his. “I love you so much…” He whispered, she could see the tears forming in his eyes as he kissed her cheek. His warmth flooding her entire body as she was soon pulled against him and squeezed tightly.

“Th-Theo… is it wrong? To feel like this… about you…” Luna whispered.

“Y-you’re asking the wrong pony… i-it hasn’t felt wrong at all…” Theo replied, caressing her cheek. “W-why should it?”

“Because… we’re like brother and sister. A-and because you’re in love with my actual sister.” She pointed out.

“I’ve… I’ve really been thinking about that…” He said, “It… always just looped back to… I… I really don’t want you to be lonely. And… I feel that… this is the best way to make sure of that. I love both you and Celestia… in just the same way, now. I…” He choked on his words, sniffling back tears.

Luna suddenly giggled, wiping both of their faces. “Look at us… crying about being in love…” She said. “It’s… we’ve been so stupid. Theodore…”

“Yes, Luna?” He smiled at her.

“Do… do you really think I’m beautiful?” She asked, pulling him into her lap, and putting their faces more onto the same level.

“Yes!” He said right away, “You’re absolutely stunning! I… I haven’t really stopped thinking about you for the past week…” He admitted.

“Even compared to Celly?”

“You’re both absolutely perfect.”

Luna blushed brightly, before hugging Theo tightly to her. “Theodore… I need you to do something for me, now.” She said.

“Anything.” Theo said, looking up at her with a bright smile. “Just say the word.”

“K… kiss me.” Luna said, nearly losing her nerve.

Theo wasted no more time, and his lips touched hers in a flurry of passion. It was amazing, it was perfect, it…

“Uuughhh… what… L-Luna? Theo?” Celestia mumbled, now sitting up and awake, looking straight at the two with a shocked look on her face… for all of about three seconds, before she fainted dead away and flopped back onto the bed.

Theo peeled back from Luna’s lips and nearly dove down beside Celestia, “S-She was j…” He choked out, glancing between Celestia and Luna. “Oh gods…” He muttered.

And then he fainted.

Luna struggled to make sense of what had just happened… before she put her head in her hands and groaned. “You two… had better wake up soon!” She growled. “....And that does not count as a suitable kiss!”

Author's Note

Heh, we're putting these out fast, I honestly hope that you guys don't think it's degrading the quality though.