“Oh, my beloved little moth!” Luna called out in her sing-songy happy voice, carrying several color swatches of deep purple and indigo. “What do you think of this color for my suit?” The alicorn rounded the corner and stopped, her jaw hanging open at the sight of her fiance facing a mirror and standing quite a bit taller than she had mere hours ago. “What the…?”
Twilight’s eyes lit up in shock. “I can explain, it's... uhhh... a glamour! I wanted to see what I’d look like if I was taller than you!”
The sudden stop, the look of panic still on her face after her explanation, coupled with the twitching primaries told Luna that her fiance was being less than truthful. “Really? Then you wouldn't mind if I undo your glamour so you can get back to your original form, right?”
“No!” Twilight took a step back and tried to look more relaxed. “I mean, why bother? I was just about to dispel it anyway so.”
“Twilight, though I may no longer be the bearer of the Element of Honesty, I’d like to think I’ve still got a sharp eye for this kind of thing.” The blue alicorn took a step closer. “Please, tell me what’s going on.”
The lavender alicorn’s shoulders slumped and for a second she considered lying to Luna again. But Twilight knew she would see right through her and besides, they were about to get married shortly. Lying to her future wife made her feel especially guilty. So, despite the fact this wasn't going to end well, she decided to just tell the truth. “This is how tall I actually am.”
“Now Twilight, I said enough with the lies. How can you expect us to-” Noticing Twilight’s stern expression bereft of the obvious tells, Luna stopped. “You are serious? How? Why?”
Twilight sighed and plopped down on the cold dressing room floor. “Since my ascension, I have grown very quickly and I didn't want to be considered a freak. When we started dating, I kept it up out of habit, only allowing myself to appear as though I was growing slowly. Then you admitted how much you enjoyed being the big spoon-” Luna blushed furiously at that but remained silent. “-I didn't want to ruin anything so I just… kept doing it.”
Luna’s blush redoubled, but rather than say anything, the smaller alicorn merely circled the larger alicorn, eyeing her up. “Are you...” Twilight whispered. “Are you mad at me?”
When Luna made her way around her, she caught sight of the biggest puppy dog eyes Twilight could muster. For a moment Luna’s frustration waned and threatened to vanish but her curiosity was too strong, she had to know.
“Stand still for a second,” Luna commanded, retrieving a tape measure from nearby cabinet with her magic.
“Please Luna, we don't have to do this. Just let me finish and everything will go back to the way it was,” Twilight pleaded.
“We can't go back Twilight, now that I know the truth… Stars above, you are over a foot taller than me and…” The mare quickly measured her own height from hoof to shoulder and measured the same on Twilight. “That's not just because of your horn, you are enormous!”
Luna quickly scuttled back around in front of Twilight and jammed her nose up into her fiance's, a fierce expression on her face. “Spread your wings!” she ordered.
“Luna, please, we-” Luna’s eyes narrowed dangerously, drawing a sigh from Twilight. Reluctantly, she extended her wings only to earn a sharp ‘tsk’ from her fiance. Knowing better than to fight it, she simply extended her wings completely, her feathers brushing up against the walls on either side of the room. “Happy?”
After a few seconds to measure and remeasure, Luna double-checked the length of her own wingspan and growled angrily. “Your wings are bigger by nearly a foot and half and…” Luna ran a hoof across the well muscled and powerful wings, a shiver running down her spine at the feeling of such raw power. “Are quite strong, I bet you could carry me on your back and still fly with ease.”
Twilight gulped, noting the lusty undertones in Luna’s voice. “Luna, can we please get back to the wedding preparations, you said you had some colours you wanted me to see?” she asked pleadingly.
“Hoof wrestle me!” Luna’s face was back up against Twilight’s, though this time the lavender alicorn didn't step back, instead she merely sighed in defeat. Something she was apparently becoming quite good at.
“Do I have to?”
“Yes!”
“Augh, fine. But there's no table in here so I guess we will have to do it later.” Luna’s horn lit and with a flash she was gone, within seconds she was back, and in possession of a table large enough for two alicorns to hoof wrestle on. “Or you could do that.”
Luna quickly got into position, her hoof raised and waiting for Twilight’s. “You know the rules, right?”
Twilight groaned and moved into position. “Yes, I've had to referee a few of Rainbow and Applejack’s little competitions.”
Their hooves met, this time without the tantalizing electricity of two lovers, something Twilight noticed and Luna ignored. “Ready? On three.”
“If this will make you happy then fine, I'm ready.”
Luna counted down slowly, gauging her opponent while she flexed her own muscles that she had worked so hard on. “Three.” Her memory flashed with all the muscle-bound earth ponies she had beaten. “Two.” The dragons she had managed to corral into an honest game and even a few minotaurs that had fallen to her strength. “One.” Twilight was young and apparently stronger, but Luna had experience and a millenia of training! “Go!”
Luna instantly threw her full strength into the act, hoping to crush her fiance quickly and regain some of the dignity that she had lost when she realized just how small she truly was in comparison to the larger alicorn. Twilight however held firm, her face scrunching up under the intense strain, her hoof trembled and for a moment Luna thought victory was close. Twilight’s hoof was slowly but surely being pushed to the table, only for the other mare to suddenly grunt in effort and push back.
For a split second Luna nearly gave up, so startled that this quaint ‘little’ librarian even had the strength to push back against her unstoppable advance. Redoubling her strength and bearing down, Twilight’s gains slowly vanished. A smile of victory spread across Luna’s face and she poured on what little muscle she had held back, pushing Twilight’s hoof until it was nearly touching the table.
The very second Twilight’s hoof was about to hit the table Luna looked up, prepared to congratulate her soon-to-be-wife on a close loss, only to notice the strain she had seen earlier. The bulging neck muscles and exertion evident on Twilight’s face did not extend to her leg nor shoulders. Her muscles beyond her neck were simply loose, relaxed.
All contrary to Luna’s own, corded and bulging from her hoof to her back. Every muscle she could call to the task was tight and firing on all cylinders, but Twilight’s limb appeared as though she was doing nothing more strenuous than lifting a cup of tea.
Luna didn't even feel when Twilight’s hoof touched the table and their hooves separated, her mind distant, her gaze vacant.
“Oh darn, I lost. Now can we please go back to picking out a color for your suit, the ones you had with you looked nice,” Twilight said, making a grab for the color swatches Luna had dropped.
“I want a rematch and this time you are going to try as hard as you can.” Luna fixed Twilight with an intense glare. “Got it?”
“Luna please, you almost hurt me the first time, you are much too strong.”
“Twilight Sparkle, if you don't have a rematch with me right now and try your absolute hardest, I'm calling off the wedding.”
Twilight opened her mouth to speak only to stop, noticing the intense look in the eyes of her fiance. “You… you are serious.”
Luna merely snorted.
Twilight sighed once more, an act she was growing quite tired of doing. “Fine.”
Luna quickly moved her hoof back into position and waited for her more reluctant partner. Once they were both ready, Luna glanced up at Twilight’s tired eyes and nearly stopped right there, the guilt nearly overcoming her. No, I have to know! She thought to herself.
“On three, ready?” Luna asked, Twilight nodded and the countdown begun. “Three, two, one, go!”
Luna instantly went on the offensive once more, hoping to overcome the larger mare, knowing Twilight would use a much more patient tactic. Almost instantly she met resistance the likes of which she didn't see the last time. A minute ago Twilight was a resistant, but beatable opponent, now her limbs were iron and her will absolute. Luna gritted her teeth and put everything she had into her hoof, channelling her inner earth pony magic into her limbs in order to push through, only for her increased effort to be met with the same impossible resistance of her first attempt.
Now on the defensive, Luna shifted and tried to bring her strength to bear once more, only to feel her hoof slam into the table within the split second she started adjusting her stance. Her mouth hung open and she stared at the other alicorn across the table. Twilight’s face was sullen, and apologetic, her physique however, was anything but. Huge corded muscles rippled up and down her limb and her shoulder seemed to have doubled in size within seconds, massive muscles flexing into being, only to relax within moments and seemingly vanish.
“How? Did… What?” Luna whispered, dumbstruck.
Twilight pointed her horn down at the table and teleported it away, she had recognized it as the display table that was at the entrance of Rarity’s boutique. Making a quick mental note to apologize, she looked over to the wide eyed and defeated Luna. She winced when she saw the hurt and confusion in the other mare’s eyes.
The lavender alicorn moved a little closer and took Luna’s hoof in her own. “There, there it's okay.” She smiled weakly, hoping to cheer her fiance up. “It's just a game.”
“How?” Luna pulled her hoof from Twilight’s grasp.
Twilight’s smiled faltered. “For the same reason I’m taller than you. Ponies nowadays are on average almost a foot taller than ponies during the age when you ascended which is due in part to genetics and better eating habits. Not to say your eating habits were bad, mind you! It's just today’s food has faced a two thousand more years of artificial selection to make it much more nutrient dense. Never mind the more advanced enchanting techniques that ensure it stays fresher longer.”
“Are you saying just eating your greens made you stronger and taller than me?” Luna huffed indignantly.
Twilight’s ears pinned to the back of her head. “No, that's not just it! Ascension multiplies everything the pony had already and I was already taller and stronger than the average mare from your time. Celestia and I have been discussing our findings and if our calculations are correct, I should end up a foot taller than even her.” Then, in a voice much smaller, she added, “And almost a foot and a half taller than you.”
Luna’s mouth opened to speak several times but she always closed it before any words came out. After nearly a minute of pained silence, Twilight reached out and extended a hoof towards the smaller pony. “Luna, what’s wrong?”
“Twilight Sparkle, I challenge you to a duel!” the mare shouted, leaping back to her hooves suddenly.
“Augh, you can't be serious!” Twilight got up as well, not noticing how much her bulk made her tower over the smaller alicorn.
Luna, however, instantly took note of this and took a step back, her wings flared. “I’m dead serious! What say you, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Luna this has gone far enough! Cut out this competitive nonsense and let's talk about this like adults!” Twilight puffed out her chest and took a step forward.
Luna took an awkward, stumbling step back as she panicked in the face of a much larger, more dominant mare in the room. Most of her quailed at the sight of her angry fiance, but a small itty bitty part of her relished the feeling of smallness and security that came with the role reversal. She quickly squashed that feeling.
“T-T-Twilight Sparkle! I challenge you to a duel to be held at the Day Guard’s training grounds right now! The fight will be with whatever weapon you desire. Only your hooves, your weapon and telekinesis can be used to win. The first to land a critical strike wins, do you agree?”
Twilight stood there silently, wondering what had gotten into her fiance. She knew Luna loved taking on the tough alpha mare persona in public but this… this was something else entirely. “What are your terms?” she asked.
“I... uhm.” Luna tapped her chin. “The winner gets unlimited kisses from the loser forever! Even in public!” Luna smirked, Twilight was much more conservative with her public displays of affection than Luna and the darker alicorn congratulated herself on her stunning bit of wit at hitting two birds with one stone. “So, do you agree?”
Twilight shook her head and laughed. “You were so serious there for a second! Don't scare me like that. I thought you were gonna say something like… well not like that anyway!”
“That doesn't sound like an answer. Oh and you have to fight as hard as you can! No more faking defeat to make me feel better.”
“But when it's over, no more silly competitions, alright?”
Luna rubbed her chin and pretended to think about it for a few seconds. “Alright.”
“Do you want me to teleport us over there right now?” Twilight said, extending her hoof to the other mare.
Luna slapped the hoof away from her and hastily stood up tall. “No, I can do it. You may think your newfangled way of teleporting is better but the old ways work just fine, thank you.”
Twilight retracted her hoof and frowned. “If that will make you happy...”
Luna ignored her, having begun to gather her power for a long range teleport, mana swirling about her horn as she prepared enough to traverse the distance. Twilight merely shrugged and vanished in a flash of purple, appearing across Canterlot in an open training area, devoid of anypony save for a pair of lunar pegasi chatting idly on a nearby bench.
Twilight recognized the pair instantly and waved, the bat ponies blinked for a second before exchanging a glance and waving back. The lavender mare stood poised at the center of the training ground, waiting for her fiance to arrive. Slowly it began to dawn on her that Luna wasn't going to arrive any time soon and with a roll of her eyes she made her way over to the now quiet pair of bat ponies.
“Hi, Quill Shadow, Midnight Oil. What are you two doing out here?” Twilight smiled warmly at the mares.
The bat ponies exchanged one last nervous glance before looking back to Twilight and both leaning in conspiratorially. “We were hoping to catch that new Solar Guard, Bright Lance, while she was training,” Quill Shadow, the smaller, slightly more round mare said, much to her partner’s horror.
“You were supposed to make up an excuse, not tell the princess about our little crush!” the slightly more angular, taller bat pony said in horror, punching her partner’s shoulder.
Quill Shadow merely rolled her eyes at that. “Like I could lie to the princess. Honestly Midnight, I’m pretty sure that's a crime.”
Twilight merely smirked, holding back a laugh. “You know, I think I saw her placed on guard duty outside Celestia’s room.” The two mares stopped exchanging punches and looked up at Twilight with sparkling eyes. “And the shift doesn't rotate for another hour, if you hurry you might catch her.”
The pair grinned, one a little more mischievous than the other. “We gotta ask though, princess, why are you suddenly so much taller?”
The alicorn sighed. “This is how tall I actually am, I usually wear a glamour.”
Midnight frowned but Quill laughed, only to be shut up when Midnight hit her again. “What? I mean I wear a glamour for that weird birthmark and you wear one for that weird-mph.” Midnight’s hoof pressed firmly into her partner’s mouth, a huge blush across her face.
“The princess doesn't need to know about that kind of thing. Now come on Shadow before we miss her.”
With hoof still in mouth, the other mare merely rolled her eyes and waved goodbye to Twilight. The princess giggled, a hoof to her mouth, watching the pair leave. Those two are adorable, who would have thought the cutest bat ponies in the Lunar Guard would be a maid and a bureaucrat. All those guards have such over dramatic names like Shade Wing or Night Wing. Twilight stopped and thought about it. There are a lot of bat ponies with ‘wing’ in their name. I wonder if it's some sort of tradition or has to do with how deadly serious they all are.
As if on cue, the sound of feathered wings interrupted Twilight’s musings, bringing her attention around and up to see a very annoyed and panting Luna. She was covered in a lot more cake than she had been five minutes ago.
“What happened to you?” Twilight asked, extending a hoof to the weary alicorn as she came in for a landing.
The midnight alicorn landed gracelessly, feathers flopping in every direction as what appeared to be bits of fondant clung to them. Luna let her legs splay ungainly and her butt rest firmly on the ground. “Miscalculated, ended up in a bakery, after that I teleported over Canterlot and made a controlled glide here.”
“Controlled glide? You mean that tumbling half fall you were in?” Twilight asked incredulously.
Luna merely grunted and picked herself up, apparently having enough time to reorient herself once more. “Let me call an attendant to rid ourselves of these baked good remnants and we will duel in a moment, my love.”
“Oh there's no need for that, just hold still.”
Luna lifted an eyebrow but otherwise didn't move. In a flash of magenta light all the bits of baked goods clinging to her coat were gone. Slowly the alicorn appraised her now clean body and gasped.
“How did you-? Nevermind. Choose your weapon!” Luna smirked, spreading her hooves wide and getting into a battle stance.
Twilight wearily got into her own stance, one that was much less widespread and relied on her wings being flared and ready while her hooves were much closer together, allowing her to move in any direction quickly. “I'll choose my bo staff.” Then as an afterthought, Twilight added, “Oh and we should probably undo any offensive enchantments we may have on our weapons, just in case.”
Luna nodded. “I concur.”
Twilight lit her horn and reached forward with her hoof, drawing a deceptively thin, nearly six foot wooden stave into existence. Withdrawing the plain-looking weapon from the extra dimensional pocket, Twilight gave it a quick twirl before laying it on the ground and beginning to work at turning off the numerous enchantments.
Luna had long since lit her horn and was in the middle of intense concentration. After a moment longer to steady herself, she unleashed a surge of energy. Twin pillars of darkness suddenly rose from the dark alicorn’s shadow, forming into a pair of dark long swords with blades of the purest obsidian. The handles were a vibrant silver color, the cross guard a thin crescent moon bent towards the tip of the blade, allowing a clever wielder to catch an opponent’s weapon. Besides their vibrant black and silver colors, they were relatively plain and unadorned, a stark contrast to the rest of Luna’s more dramatic arms and armor. Clearly these blades were not made simply for show.
Once she had withdrawn her own blades, Luna laid them on the ground before her, getting to work on dismissing the more nasty enchantments. The likes of which would do everything from shocking an opponent who was caught in the crossguard to poisoning any individual touched by the blade with an incurable affliction born of a rare and special moon flower, to the last and most deadly enchantment that would permanently blind anyone who stared too long at her blades, except Luna. Casting her magical vision across her blades one last time, Luna nodded and drew them once more into her telekinetic grasp, and back into her ready stance.
Twilight, however, merely lay on the ground in the same position she was in when Luna had drawn her blades. “Having trouble with your enchantments, dearest?” Luna teased, relaxing her stance once more.
Twilight’s tongue slipped out of the side of her mouth as she focused on her staff. After nearly a minute she stood back up. “Did you say something Luna?”
The darker alicorn cocked her head. “I asked if you were having trouble disabling your enchantments.”
“No no, it just takes time to disable all of them properly.” Twilight got back into her strange stance, wings flared while Luna merely looked confused.
“Three enchantments shouldn't take that long.” Luna smirked. “Are you sure you are not just lacking in experience?”
“Three? Oh I suppose in your time three would have been the limit. Mine had forty seven individual offensive enchantments on them.”
Luna gaped, nearly dropping her swords in shock. “F-f-forty seven?”
Twilight shrugged. “I would have put on more but once you get into almost two hundred total spells, then the matrices tend to get a little tangled.”
Luna blinked twice, clamping her gaping mouth closed and readying herself once more. That doesn't matter, fancy enchantments mean nothing in the face of centuries of experience in combat! “Ready?”
“Just a sec.” Twilight spun her staff around a few times while hopping back and forth, using her powerful wings to make the short hops fast and controlled, drawing a confused look from the other alicorn who remained firmly rooted on the ground. After a few more short hops the mare settled back into her stance and nodded. “Ready when you are.”
“Begin!” Luna rushed towards the other mare, one sword in close to her right while the left was further out, pointing downwards at the lavender mare.
Twilight pumped her wings once while pushing off the ground with her hooves, sending her up and to the left. She brought her stave down in a swift downward strike. Luna moved one blade to deflect. When blade and staff met, her concentration waned and she was forced to stop her momentum. Grunting, Luna put all her concentration into blocking the stave. For a split second it nearly pushed Luna’s long blade down into her own head.
“Rrgh!” With a mighty push the alicorn shoved the staff back. The wooden pole suddenly stopped resisting, sending Luna’s sword flying through the air. It clattered across the training area, coming to rest a good thirty feet from its owner. There was no way anypony could flip the direction of the field so quickly. That was absurd!
Luna’s shock and confusion was met with a sudden downward stroke of Twilight’s staff. Feathers fluttered somewhere to her right. With the staff flying directly at her face and her opponent near, Luna deftly rolled to the left, smacking aside the staff, jumping back into her stance. All to receive a sudden powerful blow to her back right leg, hobbling her.
A growl of defiance slipped from her mouth and she spun to meet her attacker. She caught only a glimpse of the staff spinning towards her face from the other side. Forced to choose between another powerful kick and a staff to the face, Luna reached for the wooden staff. A pang of pain from her leg robbed her of a critical amount of concentration, leaving the staff with more than enough momentum to surge towards her face. Desperately, the mare tried to bring up her other blade once more, but by then it was too late.
“Do you yield?”
Luna sighed, not taking her eyes off the staff floating a mere inch away from her face. “Yes…”
Twilight glided into a landing and instantly began mending Luna’s leg. “I didn't hurt you, did I? I thought you would roll out of the way. Stars above, I'm the worst girlfriend in Equestria!”
Luna retrieved her blades and quickly dismissed them before looking down at her now painless leg and fretting fiance. “No no, it's fine Twilight, really. Where did you learn to fight like that? I've never heard of such a strange style. Your telekinesis was amazing, how did you reverse the momentum so quickly?”
The lavender mare, however, was far from done and was busy scanning Luna’s entire lower body for any sign of damage. “Celestia taught me how to defend myself when my magic is low and all I have left is telekinesis. It was also a great way to force me to learn on my hooves and taught me how to think quickly.” She squinted at a seemingly random spot on Luna’s upper leg before shaking her head and looking up at the alicorn.
“As for how I beat you so quickly... That was just a passing interest of mine when I looked up ancient fighting styles. Yours has been obsolete for almost nine centuries. Oh, and the telekinesis spell I and you use are different. It was rewritten by Blinding Dawn about a hundred and fifty years ago, allowing for a much greater range of utility than yours.”
Luna visibly shrunk, her limbs pulling in closer to her body while her wings drooped. “I had assumed my experience would win for me, I never even considered you, who had none, would even stand a chance. What a fool I've been.”
Twilight grimaced and slid in close to the other alicorn. “Don't feel too bad dear, I had more experience than you thought, it was a simple miscalculation.”
Luna turned to the larger alicorn and frowned. “What experience? You said you never fought in any battle even if Celestia trained you.”
“That's true, but with my status as Celestia’s student, there came a number of threats and Celestia always said the best way to keep me safe was to train me to be ready for anything, while making everyone else think I am harmless.”
“My sister said that? I guess after all these years, she finally learned subtlety and got away from her old method of simply putting walls of buff stallions between every enemy and her.”
“Yes, well now that this is done, can we please go back to picking out colors at Rarity’s boutique?” Twilight asked, her eyes pleading better than her mere words.
“Neigh! My honor has been besmirched thrice over, I demand another duel, this time a magical one! I assume my sister would not wish to taint you with the knowledge of the forbidden arts and secret magic, something I have in spades!”
Twilight merely gave her a withering stare and turned to point at her flank. “My talent is magic, and you promised you'd stop this nonsense. I can see this means a lot to you, so if you can even name a spell I don't know how to counter, then I will concede defeat.”
Luna withered, knowing full well she was testing the limits of her love’s patience. But her own confidence soared at Twilight’s remark, not dissuaded in the slightest by the other alicorn’s determination.
“Melf’s Acid Arrow!” Luna proclaimed confidently.
“Wind Wall,” Twilight responded instantly.
“Hydro Surge!”
“Wall of Heat, or a simple fireball.”
“Cloud Kill!”
“Eternal Breath.”
“Eternal Breath? What in Equestria is that?”
“Pretty much what the spell sounds like, allows the user to not need to breathe for the duration of the spell.”
“Hmm, Moon Flame!
“Silver Guard’s Reflect.”
“Damn.” Luna stomped her hoof. “Acid Storm!”
“Diamond Body.”
“Ha! Diamond Body doesn't stop acid, you lose Twilight Sparkle!”
The lavender alicorn lifted one eyebrow and cocked her head for a second, looking at Luna as if she had grown a second head. “What?”
“Diamond Body was updated after your banishment by Blue Bolt to include defence against cold and acid.”
“Really?” Luna asked, to which Twilight nodded sagely. “Drat.”
“Hmm…” While Luna grew more and more desperate, her pacing became more and more like stomping with each passing second, meanwhile Twilight rubbed her ear with a hoof, trying to work out an irritating clump of earwax that wouldn't stop bothering her.
“Aha! Hoof of Death!” Luna proclaimed triumphantly.
“Death ward.” Luna deflated like a balloon that had its air slowly let out, sinking to the ground in a heap.
“Bleak Marrow’s Horrid Wilting?”
Twilight blinked, extracting her hoof from her ear and pausing in thought. As the seconds ticked by Luna’s confidence grew until it was shattered once more. “In theory a simple summon water spell would overpower Bleak Marrow’s Horrid Wilting, but Granit Skin or Tranquil Bubble would work as well.”
Luna remained motionless, staring at the ground, her intense concentration nearly burning a hole through the ground. After nearly a minute of silence, Twilight sighed heavily. “Do you give up, Luna?”
The darker alicorn raised a hoof. “Just wait a moment, I’ll think of something.”
After another minute in which Twilight finally managed to unlodge the offending earwax, Luna finally spoke, “I got it!” Suddenly she frowned. “No wait, nevermind.”
“Luna, please would you at least tell me why this matters so much to you?” Twilight lay down beside the other mare, her big doe eyes doing a better job at pleading than her words.
“I… give up, you win.” Luna’s wings sagged at her sides, reluctantly she leaned on the larger alicorn, allowing Twilight to drape a wing over her side, pulling her in close. “This is all so strange. I liked you because you were so small and I felt like I had somepony that needed protection.” The alicorn withered slightly. “Protection I apparently didn't need to give.”
“Really? Because I thought it was the other way around.”
Luna raised her eyebrow and looked up at the larger alicorn. “Explain.”
Twilight scratched her head with a hoof. “You were so small back then, after recovering from the nightmare, and you were so frightened by just how little you knew about the modern day. I began to like you during all our time spent in secret, teaching you history, catching you up on modern customs and our many hours spent watching scary movies in my bed.”
“But I…” Luna seemed ready to say something but stopped, looking down at the ground and pawing it gently with a hoof, her mind deep in thought. “Maybe I have been thinking about this all wrong. I know it's not done this way anymore, but in my time a clear alpha needed to exist for all relationships, couples, herds, et cetera. I thought I was that alpha. I guess I was wrong all along.”
“Luna, we don't need to stick to some antiquated set of ideas on what makes a couple.” Twilight gently raised Luna’s chin, their eyes meeting once more. “I love you and that's all that matters.”
Luna smiled gently. “Oh, how my little moth has grown, I remember when you could hardly say those words aloud, let alone in public.” Twilight blushed fiercely and began stammering, but Luna quickly put a hoof to her lips. “Shh, I know what you are going to say and I agree, my beauty is utterly enchanting.”
Twilight’s blush grew and her stammering continued until she forced herself to take a breath and stop. “You know you are lucky your little teasing is so adorable.”
Luna merely flashed the larger mare a cheeky grin, wiggling a little closer under her mate’s wing. After a long, and comfortable silence Twilight finally worked up the nerve to speak again. “So... Where does this leave us?”
“Simple, you are the alpha, other than that nothing has changed.”
“Luna, I told you we don't have to-” The soft glow of Luna’s magic shut Twilight’s mouth before she could continue.
“I know. But it is what I grew up with and lived with for nearly two thousand years. Maybe one day I will see things your way, but for now it is what I need.”
“Fine… are you sure you are okay with this though? It's quite the sudden change.”
Luna sighed, resting her head on Twilight’s hooves. “My ego and my past have almost ruined my chance for true love, maybe it's for the best that I learned to let you ‘wear the pants’ as it were… Did I get that one right?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yes dear, although that's more of a minotaur saying than that of a pony.”
“Good! Then we must leave post haste!” Luna extracted herself from under her mate’s wing and stood triumphantly. “We have wedding plans to change!” Without looking to see if her mate was following her, Luna spread her wings and took off.
Twilight merely laughed and launched into the air behind Luna, firing off a quick teleport to close the distance. “We are not changing the floral arrangement again.”
Luna scoffed. “But we must! It does not matter how many hours it will take, this wedding is going to be perfect~!” Her voice gained a sing-songy tone again. Twilight just groaned.
“Don't you start that again!”
“The kind of which I’ve dreamed since I was young~”
Luna giggled, continuing to sing until the magic of harmony swept Twilight up into the song and them both flew into the slowly setting sunset.
Celestia smirked, watching the pair fly off into the distance, her perch atop a hidden balcony overlooking the training yard. It provided her a perfect vantage point to watch the pair as they sang and flew, diving up and down and intertwining for a moment of perfect harmony. It made her heart warm and a smile came to her face.
“Can't believe that old bat had nothing.” Discord grumbled, crossing his arms and stomping back and forth.
“Times change Discord, a lesson both you and Luna have now learned.” She turned around and looked the draconequus in the eye. “I hope.”
“Yeah, yeah. Here’s your stupid deed.” Discord snapped his fingers, instantly a roll of ancient paper fell onto Celestia’s outstretched hoof.
She glanced at it once before she rolled it up and whisked it away to a personal pocket dimension. “Thank you Discord, this little bet has been productive and enjoyable.”
“Hmph. Well, I will get you next time, just you wait, Tia.” He coiled his body and prepared to leap from the balcony, only to stop and spin his head around. “I must ask though, what do you plan on doing with that deed?”
Celestia smiled faintly, watching the retreating pair as they slowly vanished, diving behind a tower and finally disappearing from her view. “Equestria has its first queens in over two thousand years. Queens need something to rule over and a regular wedding gift simply wouldn't do, the entire Everfree though, that might just be enough.”
“Oh, you cheeky little devil. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother, you are a far better agent of chaos than I am... sometimes,” Discord said with a smirk.
Celestia’s smile faltered somewhat before she turned from the God of Chaos. “I don't know what you are talking about.”
“Oh, you know exactly what I am talking about, you cheeky minx, I bet you knew this type of thing was going to happen all along!” Discord floated after the retreating alicorn, the princess’ cheeks becoming redder by the second.
“Maybe if you win the next bet I will tell you something else I know will happen.”
The faint twinkle in the white alicorn’s eye ignited the chaos god’s curiosity and something else he didn't think could be ignited. “Oooh, what’s the next one? Can Applejack not eat apples for a whole week? Can prince Blueblood not be insufferable for an entire fortnight? Oh, oh I got a better one.”
Celestia rolled her eyes. “Oh no, I have a much more interesting wager in mind.”
The alicorn’s sly grin and seductive wink stopped the chaos god short and for once in his life, Discord was speechless. For about three seconds anyway, then Celestia teleported away after casting him one last longing look and batting her eyelashes at him.
With her gone, the draconequus grabbed his head in both hands and gave it a squeeze, forcing out a great plume of steam from his ears. “Now that's my kind of wager! Wait up for me Sunny Bunny, imma comin!” A distant trumpet sounded and with a resounding snap of his fingers, Discord vanished as well.
The wedding of a princess is always an extravagant affair, and the wedding of two is doubly so, made quintuply more important when they are getting married to each other no less. That was why they were getting married in relative secret as neither party wanted their wedding to be a public affair. Though initially Luna had insisted that a royal wedding had to be a grand public affair, she was ultimately convinced otherwise.
Twilight’s security concerns and desire for privacy won out in the end and Luna was definitely persuaded by Twilight and not because Pinkie had talked Twilight into inviting four hundred ponies to the reception.
The ceremony itself was different from what all other ponies, save for Princess Celestia, had ever seen. The ritual dance of devotion was the most enchanting thing anypony had ever seen, though the duel that followed was a close second. It stayed so even when the members of the audience realized that this was little more than another type of dance and they weren't actually fighting, much to Rainbow Dash’s disappointment and Fluttershy’s relief.
Fluttershy pulled on her dress, straightening it out as she shifted in her chair, ensuring the rest of her legs hadn't fallen asleep during the dance. So enchanted had she been by the intricate twists, turns and aerial antics that she had hardly noticed her right foreleg falling asleep and the rest of her legs nearly following suit.
She winced as feeling slowly returned to her limb. She shook it gently, feeling the nerves slowly wake up, igniting the sensation of pins and needles up and down the limb. So focused had she been that she hardly noticed Rarity leaning in, until the other mare’s face was only a few inches away.
“Eep!” Fluttershy nearly tumbled off her chair had Rarity not caught her in a glow of magic, depositing her back on her seat.
“Sorry to startle you dear. I was hoping to ask you something.” Rarity blushed, looking around and hoping she hadn't made a scene. The other ponies, not involved with taking down the stage and setting up for the ritual of binding, were in their own conversations, oblivious to everything else.
Fluttershy straightened her dress once more and sat back down, ensuring she wasn't laying on her legs again. “Um, okay, what did you want to ask?”
Rarity leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “I was just wondering if the dance was some sort of pegasus… thing.”
“Thing?”
Rarity shrugged. “Like something pegasi do, sorry darling, I don't know how to put it.”
“That's okay.” Fluttershy looked up, her mind drifting off to the history lessons she remembered from school. After a few moments of silence, Fluttershy sighed. “I don't think so, unless it's not something they teach in class.”
“Oh, I just assumed with all the flying and diving…” Rarity trailed off, then in a lower tone added, “Do you think we could do something like that at our wedding?”
Fluttershy blushed, clutching Rarity’s hoof tighter. “I don't know. Maybe if Twilight casts the wing spell again, we could.”
“We simply must do something like that, if not the flying, then the dancing part.” Rarity swooned, falling into Fluttershy’s embrace and cozying up under the pegasus’ wing. “It's soo romantic!”
Fluttershy’s burning cheeks robbed her of her ability to speak and so she merely nodded. As they watched the burly earth pony assistants finish breaking down the last of the stage, the pair wiggled closer together, immensely thankful for the enormous chairs that linked together so easily, making the pair as comfortable as the most luxurious of couch.
“Rarity, do you by chance know how to cast a glamour like the one Twilight used to wear?” Fluttershy whispered.
“Hmmm… I'm sure I could learn, but whyever would you want to do that? You are absolutely perfect the way you are darling.”
Fluttershy blushed furiously. “I thought that maybe I could be the little spoon sometime… if that's okay with you.”
The image of a tiny Fluttershy wrapped in Rarity’s limbs came unbidden to the unicorn’s mind and her heart nearly gave out from the sheer adorableness of it all. She decided right then and there that she would learn this spell and she would have her tiny Fluttershy.
“That would be more than just okay darling! That sounds perfect!” The pair kissed briefly before going back to watching the earth ponies work, comfortable in each other's embrace.
A short distance away a similar conversation was occurring between a pair of much newer, less experienced lovers.
“Do you need more tissues Pinkie?” Starlight asked, squeezing Pinkie’s hoof a little tighter.
Pinkie just nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks in great rivers, matting her fur and ruining what little makeup she had worn. Starlight smiled weakly and summoned up another box of tissues. A strange spell, but one she was thanking herself for learning more and more with each new wave of tears from her girlfriend.
With new tissues in hoof, Pinkie brought them to her nose and blew mightily, handing the soggy mess back to Starlight. “Thanks Glimmy.”
Starlight’s muzzle scrunched up in disgust, taking the wad of tissues in her magic and teleporting them to an increasingly large pile somewhere in the Badlands. “Don't worry about it Pinkie. But why are you crying this time? Not like there's anything wrong with that…”
Pinkie shook her head, assuaging Starlight of her worries. “I just noticed their outfits match so well and what it must mean for their relationship… it's, it's, just so beautiful.” Pinkie’s eyes watered once more, tears flowing down her cheeks.
Starlight plucked a few more tissues for the mare, though she was hardly paying attention anymore, her eyes studying the outfits of the two mares directing their assistants around.
Twilight had ditched the dress Rarity had made for her and chosen a solid black suit with silver buttons and dark turquoise trim, matching Luna’s darker colours quite well without standing out too much from Twilight’s own mane and coat colours. Starlight knew the suit was originally intended to be worn by Luna, but a quick resizing, a little magic and some subtle shifting of the colors and the suit fit Twilight perfectly, both in shape and purpose.
Likewise Luna’s dress had originally been intended for Twilight, glamoured Twilight to be exact, meaning it had to be sized up considerably as well. While that was happening, Luna had elected to add more frills, more gems and shift the coloration a few more shades purple. The very utilitarian dress of simple purple had been transformed under her hooves into an extravagant piece of clothing fit for a queen. The entire thing looked like the sky in twilight, the gems sewn into the fabric twinkling softly in the right light.
Twilight’s suit was a perfect match for the larger alicorn but it also only became something truly special when it was close to Luna’s, the same went for the night princess’ dress. They were fabulous on their own, but became truly outstanding only when together, it was a very moving thought and Starlight couldn't help but dab her suddenly wet cheeks.
“See what I mean?”
Starlight sniffed. “I do Pinkie.”
The pair drew closer, not needing to speak a word as they exchanged a quick kiss and nuzzle, hidden as they were in the relative dark of the low lights.
While the final preparations were being made for the binding ceremony, another much older couple was in the middle of a hushed conversation of a very different nature.
Night Light frowned. “I still don't think this is fair, I thought our bet had been a joke for crying out loud.”
Twilight Velvet hushed her husband. “Keep your voice down dear.”
Night Light grumbled and crossed his forehooves. “Who would have thought the princess would change her name.” Night Light shook his head. “Ridiculous.”
Twilight Velvet rolled her eyes and leaned against her husband. “It's not really that ridiculous. Back then their naming conventions usually didn't include second names, nor did they have family names, so when she agreed to take our little Twilight’s…”
Night Light sighed. “... She had to change her name to fit the Sparkle part as Luna Sparkle doesn't sound very good, but Lunar Sparkle does,” he repeated robotically. “Still, it doesn't make sense. She's a princess! Why would she go through all the trouble over a silly name? I didn't take up the Sparkle last name and we worked out fine.”
“Because she is a devoted and compassionate pony who knows how much family means to Twilight.” Twilight Velvet hooked a hoof into Night Light’s crossed forelegs.
The stallion gulped and looked away from his wife. “But still, it's one of the elder princesses, don't you think she'd want to keep something like her name unchanged?”
The mare was unperturbed and merely leaned more against her despondent husband. “She loves our Twilight so much she changed a part of herself that had remained unchanged for millennia. It’s a sign of devotion that any mare or stallion would envy.”
The stallion gulped and remained rigid, not yielding an inch to his cuddly wife, for about thirty seconds anyway, then he melted into her embrace. “You know you’re right, I guess I just put so much stock into the worth of a name that I didn't even think there could be a reason for a change.”
A soft smile slowly melted away the stallion’s gruff look, his gaze wandering to the smile of absolute joy spread across her daughter’s face, talking idly with Lunar Sparkle as the last bit of preparation was done in order to start the last ritual that marked the end of the ceremony.
“Would an old couple doing something like that have the same meaning though?” He smirked. “I’m asking for a friend.”
Twilight Velvet slapped her husband's shoulder and smiled back. “That depends, is the stallion in this mystery couple doing it just because it seems like a popular thing to do or has he put real thought into it?”
“I guess we will see. What do you think of Midnight Sparkle?”
“Kinda tacky.”
“Hey!” The stallion ruffled the mare’s mane. “I put real thought into that, I’ll have you know!”
The mare smacked away his hooves and went about fixing her mane. “Leave the naming to me, Mister Midnight Sparkle.”
The stallion’s face instantly grew red. “Is it really that bad?”
“Oh hush you, I was just teasing. But really, how about we talk about it later? I think they are about to start.”
As if on cue, Twilight strode to the center of the stage, looking out over her gathered friends and family and what little Luna had of both. Their numbers intermingled semi-randomly to ensure Luna didn't feel left out, having less guests than her soon-to-be-wife.
“Thank you all for staying with us, I know this is a little longer than you probably thought.” A small round of polite laughter sprung up. “But I can assure you that this is the last step and within the hour the real party will start!”
“Wooooooooooo!” Pinkie and Starlight called out in unison.
Twilight giggled. “Thank you, now I believe Luna had something to say.”
Luna stepped forward timidly until she was under Twilight’s wing, then she stood tall, and proud. “I know this is not the way you are used to doing things, but I appreciate your patience. It means so much to me to see you all here with us through this journey. Now without further ado, let us begin, beloved?”
Twilight nodded, willing a small spark of mana to come from her horn and to fall to the ground where it lit up a several rings that encircled the stage, all glowing with the same light as her magic. Luna quickly followed suit, the second set of circles coming into being intertwined with Twilight’s own. The gathered ponies gasped and awed as a small ripple of power emanated from the couple.
The pair separated, then faced one another. “I love you.” They whispered to each other.
Twilight nodded, taking a step forward, followed by Luna taking a deep breath. Both extended their wings and drew a powerful font of magic into their horns until the entire room was awash in the combined light of their magic.
Everypony could feel the wave of power rolling off the pair, putting them on edge, despite knowing there was no malign intent behind their power. Slowly Twilight’s horn shone brighter and Luna bowed her head, allowing the other mare to lean in and touch their horns together. For a second nothing happened, then all at once two small swirling tornadoes of energy emerged from each other's horn. The colors of the miniature tornadoes were the same as their magic, but with each passing second that changed, drawing in the other’s magic until their colors slowly intermingled and then switched entirely.
The entire time this was happening, the couple stared into each other’s eyes, the love that passed between keeping the other steady and their concentration perfect. When the colors of the tiny magical storms had switched completely, they powered down their horns, letting the magic blow away until it was gone. As one they closed their eyes and held them shut until the spell completed.
Their eyes flickered open slowly, the room having returned to its natural light as the magic waned and finally vanished. Teal eyes stared into magenta ones. This time, however, the light purple irises shone back at Twilight, the teal orbs returning the night princess her look.
Far from perturbed by this change, they both smiled and lit their horns, revealing their magic had traded colors along with their eyes. Twilight took a small step back, despite her urge to simply kiss her mare.
However, there was one last thing to say. “Would you be mine, Princess Lunar Sparkle?”
Luna smiled. “It would be my honor, Princess Twilight of House Sparkle.” She dipped into a low curtsy, lifting her skirt slightly with her magic.
“Then come here already,” Twilight whispered huskily.
“As you wish,” Lunar Sparkle whispered back.
Their lips met and with a kiss the next chapter of their lives began.
Author's Note
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Editing done by the wonderful everfree pony!
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