“Neighpon? You really think sending me to the technological leaders of the world would be a good idea? I still use an abacus for long division, Tia.” Luna replied to her sister as they spoke in Celestia’s room.
“Oh, you’ll be going to the countryside. They may be more traditionalist than you to be honest. The people of ‘Old Neighpon’ also treat the moon with more reverance than Equestria does the sun. I may be using that to our advantage in asking you to go… It would also be much easier for you to go, as it’d be a three month trip. You’ve always been better and speaking with Warlords than I and every time I leave for diplomatic trips for longer than two weeks the nobles start acting up.” Celestia explained. Luna hummed in thought for a moment.
“I don’t know... I used to know the language, but after a millennia it must have changed significantly. Traditions warp as well, I may cause offense as I have caused confusion in Equestria and if memory serves I could cause bloodshed by simply using the wrong title.” Luna replied, a little worry in her tone. Celestia smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I thought of that, so you’ll have a skilled linguist who is very knowledgeable of their current and previous culture and tradition. She’s never been, however, so hopefully you can treat it like a little vacation for the both of you while you aren’t working.” The alabaster alicorn answered. Luna sighed but nodded.
“Very well, I assume I need to leave by tonight?” She asked. Celestia nodded.
“You’ll be taking a train, it’s the only form of transportation that goes that far and not even you or I could fly the distance in one go. It’s so far away their day and night cycle is almost reversed.” Celestia replied. Luna nodded.
“That much hasn’t changed at least. Alright, I’ll see you for dinner and then I’ll head out. I better go prepare.” She said. Celestia stood and nuzzled her across the table, earning a smile from her younger sister. It was all the thanks she needed at the moment.
“You’ll meet your expert upon arrival, she’ll be on a different train. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, I always keep my dragonfire network open.” Celestia said. Luna smiled and nodded, leaving the room. She wasn’t particularly tired, but now that she thinks of it taking a nap at the very least would give her a head start adjusting to a new time zone. Especially one that’s nearly opposite.
The nap managed to last until dinner time, during which the diarchs spoke extensively about what exactly the trip was for. Neighpon wasn’t technically part of Equestria proper, but it was still considered part of the nation and Celestia wouldn’t let their brethren in the east feel like they aren’t cared for when they’re in need. Many of the warlords are currently feuding, to the point where Old Neighponese refugees have started taking refuge in Neighpon proper to escape it. Most of them have agreed to meet with a Princess and nothing else to chaperone negotiations to end some of them.
“What if peace cannot be maintained, or only some of the warlords will end the bloodshed?” Luna asked as they sipped tea long after the meal itself had been finished.
“Then I leave it up to your own judgement and the judgement of your expert to decide where our support lies. If there is civil war within Old Neighpon and peace cannot be established without bloodshed, then w will minimize the bloodshed by being precise. If necessary, you’re authorized to go back to some of the old ways. If any blood is to be shed, I want to be sure it is the blood of those who would force others into adding to the river.” Celestia explained. Luna noticed how much it pained her to say those words. Long gone were the days of the Warrior Princesses, the sun and the moon cutting swathes through armies.
“While I may have much less aversion to the old ways than you, sister dearest, but I have come to love and value the peace Equestria is known so proudly for. I’ll do everything I can to keep the waters clean.” Luna said, finally getting up to leave. Celestia nodded and stood as well.
“I will see to your court, then, officially announce the trip. Do watch out for your expert, if things should come to violence she is more than capable of protecting herself… but she’s rarely done so in the form of war.” Celestia cautioned with worry heavy in her tone. Luna raised an eyebrow.
“Who is this expert? The fact that you haven’t given me a name tells me you wish it to be a surprise.” She asked. Celestia smiled and cocked her head.
“Perhaps.” Celestia replied simply and stood to leave. Luna just rolled her eyes and turned to leave to the station.
“Be careful Lu, if things get very ugly… don’t be afraid to get out of there. We aren’t fighting for the lives of all we rule here, aid can be given just a day or two after it is called.” Celestia said. Luna stopped and turned to see that Celestia had stopped at the door leading to the main hall and was looking back at her.
“If the moon turns black, you will know that something dire has happened and aid will be required right away.” Luna said softly. Celestia nodded slowly and stepped through the door. Luna was a little apprehensive about this trip now. Celestia never gave such ominous warnings as this before, and there was no humor in them.
She didn’t know anything she didn’t tell Luna, otherwise she would have told her. If She were to put her hoof on it, though, then she’d bet that her older sister had a very bad hunch. Her hunches were never wrong. She pushed it from her mind as she made her way to the train station.
There was a retinue of royal guards, and another of night guards, waiting for her on the train. As soon as they were situation the train took off, it was the fastest she’d ever seen a train go! It must have been one of the newer steam powered machines. Since she had just recently napped she was nowhere near tired enough to sleep the ride away, it would be taking the rest of the day and most of the next after all. Instead of sleeping for the first half of the trip she was happy to find that many of the guard had brought little games and such. She even managed to have a not too terribly awkward game of strip poker with four of them. It was rather amusing seeing how the usual stoic and imposing guards looked without their armor. She was even happy to be out of her regalia and never actually put them back on after losing a few rounds.
“Princess, we’ve passed Neighpon proper, it’ll only be another hour until we arrive at the old station.” One of the guards roused her from her sleep. She nodded and received a nice breakfast with a good strong cup of coffee. It was early morning, the sun hadn’t even risen yet. She made sure to cast her magic out to the moon to make sure its trajectory around the world was on course and waited out the last few minutes of the ride.
“We can’t accompany you any further, there are warriors that will take up your escort that are loyal to the ruling warlord of the area, and he is loyal to the crown. They’ll take you as far as the edge of the province until you’re handed off to the next one. Beyond this escort, though, you’ll have to negotiate your own.” The captain in charge of her escort explained as the train slowed. Luna nodded her head.
“Thank you for your service, all of you. I would have been dreadfully bored without you all here. Don’t fear for my safety, however… not even the sun itself could strike me down, remember?” She said to the retinue. She flinched at her own attempt to diffuse worry, but luckily none of them reacted poorly to it. Nightmare Moon jokes were still terribly too soon afterall. They all bowed to her in respect, and she gave them a small dip back, as the train’s doors opened and she stepped out.
The small station was fairly busy, Luna could clearly make out the many refugees fleeing and overstuffing trains heading to Neighpon proper. She nodded as a small group of three ponies in traditional black samurai armor stepped up to her immediately.
“Excuse my use of this language, it is not the best at this time.” The one with the rin in the helmet said, clearly the one in charge. She nodded to him and smiled.
“I’m afraid if I attempted to speak your language it would be a terrible butchery, yours Equestrian is more than intelligible.” She replied. He nodded, apparently he understood it better than spoke it.
“The other Princess is already waiting.” He continued. Luna raised an eyebrow at that. Other Princess? Her expert was Twilight, then. Of course it was Twilight, who else would be an expert on all things history? She didn’t know the young alicorn was fluent in Neighponese though, let alone an accomplished linguist.
“Thank you, let us be off then.” She said. The group nodded and they fell into step with her. Ponies looked and gaped, but never stared for long as they had their own busy days to go through, but it was like there was an invisible wedge ahead of them dividing the crowds. These samurai had even more authority here than most of the royal guard did in Equestria it seemed. Only the honor guard and night guards spooked people this much.
Luna smiled as she saw her expert. Twilight was sitting at a table with a cup of what appeared to be tea, conversing with an older mare that had an identical helmet to the leader of her own group on the table. Twilight’s voice was almost indistinguishable from the others as they spoke perfect Neighponese. Luna herself couldn’t quite make sense of it, many of the words were similar but they were obviously strung together differently. She didn’t think Twilight would be smiling if she were really talking about ‘the dancing of cattle who bleed from their eyes’.
“Twilight Sparkle, it’s a pleasure. Tia didn’t enlighten me as to who exactly I was meeting, hopefully this will be a good time to get to know each other better.” Luna called out and smiled as the alicorn looked over.
“Princess Luna! Good, you made it! I’m looking forward to it, as well as my first official act of diplomacy as a princess.” The younger alicorn replied, saying something in Neighponese to her guard and standing. They hugged quickly, but when Twilight made to step back Luna held her for a moment.
“I don’t know if Celestia told you, but this may not be purely diplomatic. Bloodshed is a very real outcome during this trip, it’s our job to reduce the amount of it…” She said quietly to Twilight before letting them pull apart. Twilight’s smile had faded but she nodded.
“Celestia made sure I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. I was actually talking to Lien here about the state of things. There’s a total of seven warlords feuding, five of them have agreed to negotiate. The other two are currently in all out war, which is where most of the refugees come from. One clan, the Mayonaka clan, are avid followers of you. Specifically Nightmare Moon. They see her manifestation as the avatar of their deity Tsuki-Yomi rather than you. The other clan, the Nikko clan, worship the sun and see Celestia as the deity Amaterasu. ‘Origin of all that is good and mother to us all’. They recognize you as Tsuki-Yomi like most of the other clans do, while the Mayonaka clan believe that the only way to free their god is by slaying the mortal flesh that binds her.” Twilight explained.
“Mayonaka are foul Shokan-Shi! They summon Yokai in the name of their mistress Nightmare Moon! They have started attacking more than just the Nikko clan, which is why there are so many refugees.” Lien practically snarled, the samurai’s Equestrian was much better than her samurai’s.
“It’s the reason why so many clans are feuding, some of them support the Mayonaka Clan, or at the very least do nothing about them, while the rest are trying to defend the Nikko or their own people. One of them, the Senso clan, are just trying to take advantage of the chaos to etch out more land from their neighbors.” Twilight continued.
“Yokai? That can’t be good…” Luna hummed.
“We should leave, my Princesses. The morning is young, if we are to make it to the estate by nightfall we need to leave.” Luna’s Samurai said. The others nodded, Lien returned her helmet, and they started walking. They were mostly silent as they walked through the little village around the old station, but once they hit open road again Luna couldn’t take the silence. Not after such a long train ride.
“So Twilight, I’m impressed by your mastery of the language. I didn’t know you were a linguist.” She asked the other alicorn. Twilight perked up at the praise.
“Well, to be honest, it was very easy to me to learn. My studies these past years have been mostly focused on the research, discovery, and creation of Glyphs. I’ve written three volumes of the Glyph Dictionary, so I’m pretty well versed with them. Neighponese as a written language is a pictographic one, so it was really like more glyphs to me. The spoken language is strung together similarly as well. My pronunciation was honed down by practice. I’m also fluent in every other pony language, Zebracian, Griffon, Draconic, Old Equestrian, New Neighponese, and Thestral.” Twilight explained. Luna blinked, that was very impressive.
“Amazing, and how did you acquire the title of expert on the culture?” Luna asked, trying to learn more about her new companion.
“That kinda comes with the territory really. I’ve studied the entirety of Equestria’s recorded history, which branches off into the different pony cultures beyond the continent itself. When I learned of this trip I brushed up of course.” The younger alicorn answered. Luna smiled.
“You’ll have to update my knowledge then, it’s all terribly out of date…” Luna started, but the conversation tapered off as they passed through a small village. All of the ponies out and about there would stop and bow incredibly low, practically laying on the ground in prostration, and mutter what Luna assumed to be prayers to ‘Tsuki-Yomi-Hime’.
“The Kowtow, do you know what it is?” Twilight asked. The act was thousands of years old, she probably assumed Luna already knew what it was. Which was correct. Luna nodded and inclined her head respectfully to the ponies every now and then. She knew that no response was to be expected, but even in a foreign place she didn’t like shows of respect to go unacknowledged.
“If memory serves, the honorary suffix of ‘Hime’ means princess correct?” Luna asked. Twilight smiled and nodded.
“Most of us still recognize your crown here, Princess Luna. We of the Asa clan will always be your allies.” Lien said. Luna nodded as they continued walking. It took a few hours of walking, but they managed to reach their destination before the sun had fallen too far in the sky. All along the way, the two princesses chatted with their guards and caught up on their own lives.
A beautiful manor came into view as they walked, it had a small village built around it and its walls. As they neared, many of the townsfolk waved and called out to the guards like old friends, but then bowed in reverence to the princesses as they were noticed. The trot through the oriental villa was quick and they met a humble little recession at the gates of the manor.
“Welcome, friend princesses! You honor me and my people with your presence!” A young stallion in the fanciest garb called as they approached. He clearly wasn’t nearly as fluent as Lien was in Equestrian, but it was more than acceptable. Both parties bowed low to each other when they met.
“The honor is ours! I presume you are lord of this house?” Luna asked as they rose. The stallion smiled and nodded before throwing a hoof out to their escort.
“I am Lord Eiko, I am glad my mother brought you safely. I would not trust another warrior with such a task.” He replied. Lien snorted, Luna and Twilight raised their eyebrows and glanced at her.
“Alright, let’s get inside. There have been Kage sighted in the area recently, I’d rather not put our security to the test.” Lien saide, walking into the gates. Eiko nodded and motioned for the equestrians to follow.
“We have a feast prepared in your honor, Princesses, and we have readied a room for you and a guard detail in case you need assistance. As a token of our thanks for coming to end this fighting, we have also provided you with lavish gifts to feel more comfortable in our country. Dinner will be ready in two hours’ time, and we may discuss more then.” Lord Eiko explained as they walked. They nodded and the group stopped.
“My Mother will show you the room, and I will make sure you will have a servant to call upon if you require aid. It has been a long journey for you, we have a lovely bathhouse if you wish to unwind before your meal.” The Lord continued. Luna and Twilight shared a glance.
“That sounds lovely.” They said in unison.
“I will take care of it, my lord.” Lien said with a little bow. Eiko gave her a toothy grin when she bowed slightly and nodded.
“Then, princesses, I will see you at dinner.” Eiko said with another bow. They both bowed low again in response and most of the guard detail followed him down one corridor. Lien lead them down another corridor and showed them a rather lovely room. It had two beds large enough for even Celestia to sprawl out on, a smaller basin with a standing curtain for a quick bath, a lavish wardrobe, and various other ornate furnishings. Luna took in a deep breath and smiled, the way the wind would blow through the open window with the sounds of nature calmed her already. She was almost giddy to see how it was at night!
“Wow, I think I might have to re-furnish the library. This is incredible…” Twilight said softly, more to herself. Luna giggled and turned to Lien as she used her magic to place what luggage they had in the room.
“Lien, would you be so kind as to show us the bathhouse? In my time, there was no greater way to relax than the bathhouses of Neighpon.” Luna asked. Lien smiled and nodded.
“I’ll assume you don’t want a simple bath then, would you like me to have them give you a full treatment?” The elder samurai asked. Luna smiled and shook her head.
“Not tonight, just the spring should be fine. If they have private baths that may be best, foreign royalty sharing a bath with townsfolk would be a horrific mangling of traditions if memory serves.” Luna replied. Lien hummed and nodded.
“As you wish, princesses. I’ll send a runner ahead, and once you’re ready to go I will escort you.” The samurai said with a smile. Luna and Twilight nodded in thanks and the samurai slid the door closed.
“For being a thousand years behind, you’re handling yourself rather well I should think.” Twilight giggled as she stepped into the room proper and looked at the beds. Each of them had a few outfits laid out on them. There were lovely robes, a few lavish kimono, even a couple more ‘casual’ looking pieces. One that caught their eyes, though, was a pair exquisite silk garments. They weren’t quite kimono, or dresses, or anything really. It was something similar to what a hostess and a popular traditional Neighpon restaurant would wear, though only if that hostess was also an empress.
The slightly smaller one for Twilight was a regal crimson with gold trim. The silk actually looked like gold, too, and it came with a matching set of golden sandals that laced up most of the legs and a mane-stick to keep a traditional bun in place.
The other one was a little more lavish, more like a kimono but not nearly as baggy or flowey, was just a shade darker than Luna’s own coat and trimmed in silver. This one had proper sleeves down the forelegs and simple silver sandals, but the icing on the cake for this one was a beautiful star motif in silver along the edges.
“If it weren’t an insult to force payment for these, I’d give that stallion a fortune for these…” Luna almost whispered as she very carefully picked hers up in her magic. Twilight giggled, slipping into the simple robe they were provided with.
“Well then, we’ll have to thank him at dinner. For now, though, I have cramps that only a hot soak can get rid of. Shall we then?” The younger alicorn asked. Luna chuckled and nodded, slipping into her own robe. They slid the door open to find Lien standing ready next ot the door.
“Alright girlies, time to get all pretty!” The old samurai said with a little laugh, earning a giggle from the two.
“I am very pleased to find our escort to be such good company. Lead on, young one!” Luna exclaimed, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at the old mare. She seemed about to say something in retort before remembering that the princess had at least a millenia on her. She just shrugged and continued on. They idly chatted, Lien explaining some rooms or introducing the odd lord or servant they passed, while they made their way to the bathhouse. By now the sun was just below the horizon.
Before they entered the bathhouse proper, she took a deep breath and threw her magic out to her moon. It was nearing morning in Equestria, even though night was only just falling now. She double checked the trajectory of her moon and gazed up to look at her stars. Even in the day she could see them clear as night, and smiled. So far away from Equestria, she saw a side of her night she didn’t get to see quite so often.
“Apologies, I was just making sure everything in the night sky was in order before we see it.” Luna said with a smile a she looked back down to see Twilight and Lien giving her curious looks. Twilight smiled and nodded, but Lien’s eyes widened.
“So you really are maiden of the stars…” She said softly. Luna snorted and flipped her mane.
“No, I’m afraid not. I just carry around the night sky in my hair because it looks pretty.” She smirked. Lien seemed to freeze in fear that she had caused offense, but at Twilight’s snort and Luna’s smile she loosened up a bit.
“Princess, isn’t that actually why you do it?” Twilight asked. Luna stuck her tongue out and stepped past them.
“Only half the reason…” She mumbled, earning a little snicker from the other alicorn. Lien just shook her head and led them to the front door.
“The staff have been warned of your arrival and a private area has been prepared. Refreshments are available on request, but please don’t lose your appetite before dinner. And especially keep light on the sake, my son will practically try to drown you with it.” Lien warned with a smile. The two nodded their thanks and entered.
The temperature change was significant, but not enough to dampen their robes. They walked up to the front desk and Twilight spoke with the mare behind the counter for a few moments before she personally led them off into a corridor.
“She says that this room is reserved specifically to entertain lords and ladies from allied provinces, I assured her that it would be more than good enough for a pair of princesses.” Twilight explained. Luna nodded.
“Honestly I wouldn’t care if it was a hot hole in the ground, I just want a nice soak.” She replied, earning a little giggle from Twilight. The receptionist didn’t speak as she open the door and bowed low to the ground. The two bowed low in return and stepped inside. It was a little antechamber with room to put clothes and belongings in. They swiftly disrobed and moved on into the next room. It was a rather lovely looking waterfall, not particularly large, and it seemed to be much cooler than the air.
They both detected glyphs on the track that fed the waterfall and Luna could only assume Twilight also figured out they were there to cool the water magically. They both stepped into it, Luna couldn’t help but giggle as Twilight made a cute little yelp at how cold it was. Luna felt her hairs standing on end from it, but it would take water much colder than that to bother her. The moon wasn’t exactly a warm place afterall.
“Ok! I’m awake now!” Twilight breathed. Luna just gave an amused hum and nuzzled the younger alicorn on the neck. Twilight yelped again, but smiled and returned it.
“Much better, thank you!” She laughed, though Luna caught the little blush.
“After you, my dear.” Luna said, trying to use something between a playful and sultry tone. Twilight snorted as Luna threw a hoof out to the next door, but her tail did flick as she passed.
This night just got a little more fun. How far could she tease young twilight before it got uncomfortable? She was rather close with her friends and Luna had personally seen some things between them that were downright lewd- though those only after the drink had been flowing.
A rogue thought slipped through her idea that dropped her smile into a frown as she followed Twilight to the door.
Does she even think of me as a friend? Of course she thinks of you as a regular friend, but a friend like the other elements?
The thought was brushed aside by the wave of steam that hit them as Twilight opened the door. They stepped through into the room proper and Luna was delighted to see it open to the night sky. The only way she could describe this place was if the best Neighpon painter from her time had gone to every hot spring in the country and was then asked to paint the best of it all into one.
“Apparently, the Haru clan have even better springs than this. Natural ones, carved out of caves. The Asa are second only to them though, and I can see why.” Twilight explained softly. Luna snorted and decided to continue her teasing.
“Almost as pretty as you are.” She said and nuzzled into Twilight’s mane for just a second. Twilight spun around quickly, flushed up from more than just the heat, and Luna couldn’t keep a straight face. Twilight just relaxed a bit and rolled her eyes.
“Oh geez you too? I swear, never let me get you in a room together with Rarity when she’s drunk. She almost got me into bed with her once!” Twilight exclaimed, though the way she flushed up after that and clapped a hoof to her mouth told Luna that she hadn’t meant to say that aloud.
“It’s fun to find what makes your friends tick no? And I mean to harm in it. Who knows, maybe I want to get you into bed with me as well.” Luna replied snarkily, though she immediately furrowed her brows. Why was she blushing when she said that? Twilight nearly paled and replied by jumping into the water.
“Oh sweet stars above I needed this…” Twilight breathed when she broke the surface a moment later. Luna chuckled and joined her much more elegantly.
“Please tell me if I offend you or it gets too uncomfortable. My sense of humor is often at the mercy of the context in which it’s implemented. Sharing a bath with a pretty mare is a pretty powerful context.” She said, sticking her tongue out to the other to try and confer that she’s just teasing. Twilight rolled her eyes and unfurled her wings as she leaned into the seat with a sigh.
“I’ll take that as a ‘give me your worst’ then.” Luna said. Twilight just snorted and closed her eyes. Luna raised an eyebrow, not even any sort of attempted to talk her way out of it? Either this spring was making her so relaxed she couldn’t fight it, or she really was challenging the princess of the night. Or both.
She saw twilight’s eyes shoot open as the elder princess slid right up into Twilight’s side, the wing was even open to admit her already. She made sure to wrap her own wing around the other and pull her close. Twilight made a little squeak and Luna nuzzled in right under her jaw, earning a little laugh from the elder alicorn.
“If you keep making noises like that I’m going to start thinking you’re enjoying this.” Luna said before sighing deeply. Twilight just rolled her eyes, but surprisingly she made no effort to push her away.
“Yeah well you’re actually kinda comfy.” The younger alicorn replied. Luna looked up at her, a sly smirk on her own face, and managed to catch the blush.
“Twilight Sparkle, I was expecting you to be a sputtering mess by now. I must say I’m impressed, though you have to know I accept this as a challenge.” Luna said, a low chuckle escaping her lips as Twilight rolled her eyes again.
“Do you forget, the one creature that could bring you low aside from your sister is the very mare you’re teasing?” Twilight challenged back, a little mischievous spark in her eyes. Luna practically squirmed at it, Twilight was fighting back! It was always more fun when they fought back!
“Maybe I had just underestimated you- or let you win. I wasn’t particularly focused at the time I must admit. A little batshit crazy if you ask me.” Luna retorted, earning a snicker at her language. She made her next move then, as Twilight was going to reply.
“And I’ve grown quite considerably sinnnn-~” Twilight started, but was cut off as she was caught off guard by Luna planting a little kiss along her jawline, and then another.
“Not strong enough it seems, my dear.” Luna whispered into the mare’s ear before giving it the tiniest of nibbles. The way it caused Twilight’s entire body to shiver brought quite a bit of satisfaction to the alicorn of the night.
“You know, Dash does the same thing when she gets really drunk. She does it a lot harder.” Twilight replied, a bit shakily at first. It gained confidence and it was Luna’s turn to be surprised as Twilight swiftly bit Luna’s ear and twisted.
“Like thish!” She said triumphantly around the ear. It was Luna’s turn to make cute noises, and she couldn’t hold back the shudder. She swiftly responded with a flick of her tail, wrapping it around Twilight’s under the water and pulling. Not hard enough to seriously hurt, but just enough to hurt in all the best ways. The yelp she was rewarded with meant her ear’s freedom and she was going to make Twilight pay for it.
It was just a little nip on the neck, right where the jawline started, but the effect it had on Twilight caught Luna a little off guard. The heated intake of breath, the way her wing and forelegs rather tightly gripped Luna’s shoulders. Her face was practically beet red at this point.
“Oh dear, was that a moan my dear? I’m afraid I’ve gained the upper ho-” The elder alicorn almost managed to get out, but was interrupted as she was pushed against the edge of the spring and Twilight’s lips were on hers. Both of their wings shot out then. Luna very quickly got over the surprise and couldn’t help a little noise escape as she made to deepen the kiss. It was at that moment that she decided Twilight was as cruel as Nightmare Moon when she wanted to be.
Before she could deepen it, Twilight swiftly pulled back and looked at her. Luna was worried for just a moment and it seemed like the mare’s eyes went through shock, horror, panic, and realization all at once. Only a moment, though, as just after that the younger mare smirked.
“What was that about having the upper hoof?” She asked innocently. Luna couldn’t help but shiver at the sound of it. Where the hell did that come from? She just kinda stared at Twilight a moment. She really didn’t know how to react to that. Luna had to admit, she had been thinking of doing the same thing as a bit of a coup de grace if necessary, but that was far more than a little playful kiss. There was passion in there, and Twilight’s eyes betrayed her as they started to show panic again at Luna’s dumbfounded reaction.
“I… suppose I concede the night to you, my dear.” Luna managed to get out without stuttering. This was new, the way she could barely even speak. Her mind started racing, but Twilight’s giggle brought her out of it.
“Hah! Victory! Now, are you going to let go of me so we can be ready for dinner or are we going to sit here until you think of a different way to try and beat me?” The younger mare asked playfully. Her voice wavered a bit in the middle of it, though. Luna’s confusion softened for now, Twilight was uncomfortable. She let the mare go and slid a pace away.
“I apologise… I never expected you to thrash me so thoroughly.” The princess of the night said, though her little smirk returned. “In either regard.” She added. That earned the blush she was waiting for. Twilight couldn’t hide it at the moment so she chose to flee out of the bath and shake herself of the immediate water dripping off of her.
“We better get going, I’d hate to be late.” Twilight said, clearly not wanting to face Luna at the moment. Luna snorted. This was going to be a fun trip afterall.
Luna: 1. Twilight: 1.
Author's Note
I don't know if it's my new record for chapters in general, but it's definitely a record for the largest first chapter that's for sure. Hope you guys enjoy!
Of course I was going to write a Twiluna after such a fun Twilestia.
The Light of the Moon, Reflecting the Burning Sun
Luna was humming to herself, deep in thought as she gazed up at her moon, standing in the hallway of the manor near their room. It was open to the air, of that she was grateful, the smell of the night helped her think. She was in the lovely outfit that was found on the bed and she was waiting outside for Twilight, she had insisted Luna go on ahead of her but she wouldn’t leave the younger mare to walk the halls alone.
That younger mare just so happened to be what she was thinking about, too. She continued humming her tune as unbeknownst to her a sweet little smile formed on her lips as she thought. She thought about the teasing she did, Twilight’s reaction to it. She was impressed how well she held up, and even got one up on her for a while there!
However, that kiss wasn’t part of that little game. If it was just a kiss then she wouldn’t still be thinking about it like this. Ignoring the kiss itself for just a moment, the way Twilight reacted to the little playful nips and just right before. She was getting a clear reaction from the mare, one she hadn’t actually expected. She attempted to diffuse it by teasing some more, and then Twilight kissed her. Not only just kissed her, but pushed her against the edge of the pool like a predator! Luna couldn’t help but shiver at the memory of it. It felt… nice.
And then afterwards, the look in her eyes certainly didn’t spell ‘Hah! Gotcha!’ in the slightest. For a good few seconds, or perhaps it was more? She honestly had no idea. She was… distracted. For a good few seconds or more, those eyes held all the panic and emotion of ‘Dear gods did I really just do that?’. Luna had to admit her recovery was splendid, only the eyes gave it away.
She couldn’t help but flap her wings a few times like she was nervous. This was digging up some old thoughts and feelings she’d brushed away before long. Before she could start thinking too much on it, though, she heard the sliding door open and close. She looked over, that little smile still plastered on her face, and found Twilight smiling back. She looked…
“Hi Princess…” She said simply, though the tone was the opposite of simple. Luna could detect the little hints of Twilight’s current cocktail of emotion right now. There was an underlying sultry tone in it, most likely meant to continue the game of teasing. There was also a strong layer of nerves in there. Two layers, actually. One an ambient feeling, barely expressed, probably about how the dinner could go wrong for some reason or another. The one in the foreground, however, was very clearly directed at her.
Luna couldn’t help but be impressed again, They locked eyes and they both had small smirks, their expressions almost like that of how lovers look when they tease each other. Such a confident outer facade, but once again the mare’s eyes had just the smallest flash of panic in them as Luna stepped closer. She put a hoof under the mare’s chin and smiled.
“Are you sure you want to keep playing this game my dear? Methinks you aren’t ready for what it may lead to.” Luna said, the sincerity in her tone betraying the smirk she still held. Twilight ever so slightly leaned into the hoof before her smirk widened.
“And risk making this evening boring? Why, I’d rather share it with a beautiful mare like you. You do look absolutely stunning, if I do say so myself.” Twilight started, before pulling a little case from where Luna had missed it lying on her back.
“But not pretty enough. I suppose you may have this, I bought it back in the village when I got off my train. I didn’t have much intention of wearing it to be honest, but I thought it looked beautiful and I absolutely had to have it. I think it would finish your look perfectly.” She continued. Luna quirked an eyebrow as the case opened. Her eyes widened slightly. It was a simple but beautiful silver crescent moon tied to what looked like a black silk necklace with tiny beads of onyx scattered throughout.
“Twilight I… wow. Are you sure? I’d be happy to return it after the dinner…” She said, dropping the game for just a moment. This looked so well made, even for something so simple, it can’t have bene cheap. Twilight just rolled her eyes.
“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure, Princess. I may or may not have thought of you when I bought it. I’d be insulted if you tried to return it, honestly. But…” Twilight replied, ending with a mischievous smirk as she plucked it from its case with her magic and gently laid it in place around Luna’s neck and gently pulled her mane through it without messing it up.
“We can make it a piece in our little game. I suppose I would be less insulted if you returning it meant you concede to me.” The younger alicorn practically whispered in her ear as she did so. Luna’s smirk returned as she replied by planting a cute little kiss on Twilight’s snout.
“Deal. Thank you, truly…” Luna started, letting sincerity to the foreground long enough for the appreciation to be seen before her eyes returned to their mischievous twinkle. “But I do warn you, my dinner manners are horrifically out of date. With how lovely you look I may just forget where I am.” She continued, accentuating the threat with a little kiss to the mare’s ear.
“You wouldn’t dare!” Twilight scoffed. Luna just giggled ominously and started walking. She wouldn’t actually, nothing so blatant at least, but Twilight didn’t need to know that. She did just raise the stakes, afterall.
The dinner was magnificent. There were quite a few things Luna had never even heard of in front of her, but she was happy ot sample them all. Even the odd thing out she didn’t actually enjoy she was able to appreciate the effort that went into it. The ponies of Neighpon commonly ate fish and other seafaring creatures, and while Luna was no stranger to an omnivorous diet there was just something about a still wiggling octopus that made it a little hard to get down.
She was actually surprised how much Twilight sampled, she figured the much younger mare would be more averse to eating anything not strictly vegetarian. Like a true diplomat, though, she kept an open mind and found polite ways to express that she wasn’t a fan of something. Celestia was impressed by her once again, Celestia had taught her well in the ways of a gracious politician.
They chatted more about the state of the land and learned more about the seven clans. The Asa clan, the one housing them right now, were an economic powerhouse in the area and technically remained neutral in the feuding but have explicitly stated that they would not tolerate open warfare anywhere near their borders or their allies. The only clans they weren’t allied with were the Mayonaka clan and the Kage clan.
The Kage clan studied dark arts and were often shunned for the ‘bad juju’ it brought. Luna and Twilight neglected to mention that the two of them happened to be experts in dark magics as well for obvious reasons. They were granted protection and freedom to practice their dark ways by the Mayonaka clan, who were trying to enter open war with the Nikko clan.
The Nikko clan had strong ties with Equestria in the form of Celestia, who they worshipped as their primary deity. The Mayonaka clan sees their practice as blasphemy and are currently trying to turn more clans against them. Mayonaka and Kage are the only ones that don’t seem to have any interest in avoiding bloodshed and would not be attending the meeting.
The Senso clan are a clan of warriors and see any chance to join in some good fighting as a reason to fight, though Lien explained that they could usually be placated by little tournaments, nonlethal duels and various war-like activities. Worst case scenario they could always settle things with a duel. The Senso clan were fierce, but Eiko was currently the most accomplished warrior in the clans. Followed closely by the Haru warlord and her champions of all people.
The Haru clan were generally pacifists, people after Fluttershy’s own heart if she was being honest. They cared about nature and hated fighting. They were one of the most adept clans at doing it, though. Rarely did they ever raise a weapon, they almost never needed to. If they couldn’t talk a warlord down from starting a war then nobody could. Each and every one of them above the age of thirteen were deadly with their own hooves, though, and even more so with their trained weapons of choice. They sided with the Nikko clan and their allies, however, and were protected fiercely for it. There were no better healers and shamans in the country. Chi healing was a rare and powerful art.
The Fuyu clan were the last of the seven involved and, unlike the Mayonaka clan, revered Luna herself as the goddess Tsuki-Yomi and saw Nightmare Moon as the corruption it truly was. They were the only clan to maintain the old traditions, in Luna’s name nonetheless, and were opposing the Mayonaka clan almost as harshly as the Nikko clan were. They were not allied with the Nikko clan and their allies, however, which is one of the things they planned to rectify on the way to the meeting.
That would have to wait, however, as the night was still young and the dinner table began flowing with the rice wine known as ‘Sake’.
“Princess Luna, if I may be so bold as to say, you look incredible in that outfit. Upon hearing of your return, I had it commissioned specifically for you and waited for the day I may gift it to you. Upon Princess Twilight’s ascension to the throne, I had that one made as well. I have another for your sister as well, upon your return in three months’ time I would kindly ask it to be brought to her.” Eiko explained a few drinks in. Luna smiled at the compliment and was actually a little surprised.
“These were made for us specifically? Pardon any insult for asking, but why?” Twilight asked, taking the words right out of her mouth. Eiko grinned and threw back another cup of sake.
“I am, as you call it, ‘filthy stinking rich’. The easiest way to show my love and reverence is to throw money at the object of my reverence. What better way then to give something that can only add to one’s beauty?” Eiko replied, Twilight snorting as she translated the saying for Luna’s sake.
“Stop flirting with the Princesses, Eiko, I am still your mother!” Lien snipped with a smile from Eiko’s right side, raising a foreleg as if to smack him on the head. Eiko flinched form it, but grinned at his mother before turning back to them. Luna gave Twilight a sideways glance, Twilight paled. Good, she recognized that glance.
“Oh it’s quite alright, we are rather dashing mares afterall. This one specifically I can’t help but gawk at sometimes.” Luna said with a shit eating grin as she extended a wing to Twilight’s shoulder. She made sure to make it seem like she was just placing it on her shoulder, however she very intentionally let her feathers brush ever so gently along the mare’s spine. The shiver she barely noticed brought a little smirk as Eiko laughed. Twilight responded by downing her drink, coughing a little at the sudden burn.
“Speaking of drinks, I don’t suppose you have anything stronger? I’ll have to introduce you to hard equestrian liquor if not.” The princess of the night continued, letting her wing fold back to her side. Eiko chuckled and Lien groaned.
“I’ll go get some then…” The old mare said, obviously unenthused. Luna couldn’t help but clap her hooves together.
“Splendid! May I ask what it is?” She asked. Eiko nodded and refrained form filling his cup again.
“It is called Baijiu, hopefully it stands up to your liquors.” The young lord replied. Twilight ears stood straight up.
“Princess… I’ve heard that stuff literally peels paint…” The young alicorn said softly. Luna gained a very ominous grin as she looked at Twilight.
“Oh, well then I guess we’ll have to try it together then.” She said. Twilight’s pupils shrank for a second as she shook her head.
“Oooohhhnonono I am not drinking that stuff.” She protested. Luna snorted and leaned in close to whisper into her ear. She kept a relatively serious expression so as not to embarrass her student. Yet.
“Well then, if you make me drink alone, I might just get a little bitey.” She whispered and made sure to blow a bit of hot breath into the ear for added effect. Twilight just stared at her now empty plate for a few seconds, her tail flicking idly, before she smirked and looked sideways at her.
“It may just be that last cup talking… but fuck it, why not?” The young mare replied. Luna blinked. That wasn’t the kind of thing she ever thought she’d hear Twilight say. A second later she was holding her stomach laughing while Twilight was busy explaining she had just had a funny reply to a poor joke Luna made to the lord.
Lien returned with two ornate glass bottles meant to look as if it were some sort of crystal. Maybe it was crystal. She poured generous portions for the two and left the bottle, producing another for herself and her son. Luna grabbed hers with a wing, Twilight doing the same with her magic, and they shot each other a look.
They were both suddenly not so eager to drink this stuff.
“I think the hair in my nose literally just disintegrated…” Twilight whispered.
“Well, I hadn’t realized my sinuses needed clearing but apparently so. Either that or there’s now a hole in my face.” Luna added. They both snickered at each other before downing their entire portions in one go.
“Chikushou I’m glad I’m not their mother…” Lien mumbled in wonder at them. Both her and her son were staring at the two, as were the few servants currently in the room. Twilight let out a long wheeze of a cough, but managed to keep it at that. Luna, however, managed to keep it in. Her voice betrayed her as it came out almost as a pained rasp.
“Wow, even stronger than it smells…” She wheezed. The other two laughed heartily at that.
“You grabbed the good stuff, right mother?” Eiko asked. Lien nodded. Luna took a large drink of her tea and quickly snuck down one of the lovely dumplings that had yet to be cleared from her plate to help settle the fire inside of her now.
“How strong was that exactly?” She asked, recovering enough to hold a relatively steady tone. Lien snorted.
“About 69 percent.” The old mare replied. Both princesses kinda froze at that. Luna grinned.
“Not the strongest thing I’ve ever had then. Moonlily Dream is the equivalent of ninety percent, fermented from a flower that takes a century to bloom and the dew that coats it in the early dawn of morning. Enhance it with mana water and you can get a dragon drunk with it.” Luna explained, pouring herself another glass. She offered the bottle to Twilight, though she very furiously shook her head. She refused to open her mouth, it seems, as if she would spill her stomach should she try to speak. She rubbed her wing on her back again, though this time to calm the mare a bit rather than to tease. Twilight leaned into it and, after a moment, opened her mouth to follow Luna’s lead in not letting that settle on top of her dinner.
“That sounds too strong for even my blood. Are you alright Princess Twilight?” Lien asked. Twilight let out a breath and nodded her head.
“I’m afraid I’m not nearly as much as a drinker as my companion here, but a challenge is a challenge.” The younger mare replied. Her speech was starting to slur just a little bit, and the mare was moving her head a little more expressively than usual.
“I’ll make sure to have my secret recipe tea sent to your room for when you return, it’ll make sure you don’t ruin your lovely outfits.” Lien said. Twilight inclined her head, though the way she almost hit her snout on the table told of her intoxication.
“I fear I have had a sip too many, mother. I will retire before I start babbling like an idiot.” Eiko slurred out, standing. Twilight was miraculously still able to translate for Luna in her state. Lien nodded.
“I should turn in as well. Will you two be alright heading back to your room without me?” The old mare asked. Luna replied by downing the half of her cup of Baijiu in another go.
“I will now.” The princess of the night replied with a smirk. Lien just rolled her eyes as she left and said something she assumed was along the lines of ‘children these days’ if what she’s picked up so far was accurate. “Come on then, dear, let’s get you to bed.” She continued, helping Twilight to her feet with her wing. Twilight giggled and snuggled into the appendage as Luna gently guided her out as the servants bowed to them and began cleaning up.
“Hey, you ever wondered what it’d be like if it wasn’t all a game?” Twilight suddenly asked as they reached the door. Luna snorted as she opened it, but she couldn’t stop her traitorous mouth from saying what was on her mind.
“You have noooo idea…” She mumbled. Twilight’s ears flicked, though. Hopefully she didn’t hear it.
“Hey! You’re the one who got me drunk, you have to deal with me now!” Twilight exclaimed when Luna rather unceremoniously dumped the younger mare onto her bed and turned towards her own as she removed her outfit with careful magic. Luna looked back and saw the mare hopelessly trying to wiggle out of her shoes. She just snorted and walked back over and began carefully helping the mare undress.
“Ah-ah! No magics!” Twilight playfully scolded when Luna tried to just pull it all off with telekinesis. Luna’s eyes narrowed as Twilight giggled lowly.
“And here I thought you were too far gone to keep playing my dear.” She said as she booped the mare’s nose with a hoof before pulling the silk off of the mare with her hooves. Twilight just let out a nasally giggle and let Luna do all the work. The second the last piece was folded on the wooden rack near the bath for cleaning, Luna was surprised as a rather strong set of forelegs and wings pulled her onto the bed.
“You never answered my question young mare! Have you ever thought about what it’d be like if this wasn’t a little game we were playing?” Twilight slurred. Luna just giggled and shifted so she wasn’t so uncomfortably smooshed into the bed.
“You’re drunk, my dear.” Luna said, dodging the question. Twilight giggled again.
“And you’re pretty. I’m the element of magic, nice to meet you.” Twilight replied, earning a little snort from Luna. “Now answer the question.” She continued. Luna hummed. She was about to give another sultry answer, probably something along the lines of a purred ‘well what if I have?’. She was interrupted by Twilight putting a hoof over her mouth and giving her a bit of a serious look.
“For realsies Luna, no games… I didn’t drink that much to get up the courage to ask if you’re not going to give me a real answer.” The young mare said rather seriously, hardly even a slur in her tone. She met Twilight’s eyes and there was that cocktail of emotions again. This time there wasn’t even an attempt to quell them. Nervousness about asking what she did, fear of what the answer might be, uncertainty of what she should even be feeling at this point. Luna’s eyes softened and she pulled Twilight’s hoof away with her own.
“My question is are you sober enough to remember my answer, then?” Luna asked. Twilight’s eyes darted to the table next to the bed, where a still warm cup of tea sat. She quickly levitated it over and downed it, taking a deep breath afterwards.
“Wow… natural herbs, a bit of a mana infusion, clear of mind spell, purify poison spell…” Twilight hummed to herself as she looked at the empty cup before replacing it.
“Now who’s dodging the question.” Luna smirked, booping Twilight’s snout again. Twilight puffed out her cheeks as they turned red.
“Sorry, got distracted. I’m pretty sure I’ll remember it now.” The young mare under her retorted. Luna took a deep breath and nuzzled into Twilight to get more comfortable.
“Twilight Sparkle, I have thought of it since the day you called me your friend.” She said simply.
“What?” Was her reply. Luna chuckled and nuzzled deeper into Twilight’s coat, embarrassed now.
“You have to understand, I am still a traditionalist. You gave me just about everything back the day you freed me from Nightmare Moon. You gave me my life, you gave me my freedom. More importantly, however, you gave me my sister back. I would have given your life for me if you asked. Hell, if you would have asked me, in the middle of court, that you wanted to ravish me I would have simply told everyone to leave and lifted my tail.” Luna explained. She smirked as she could feel the warmth of Twilight’s flush spreading down her neck at that.
“Almost everything… until nightmare night. That day, Twilight Sparkle, you gave me back my crown. My people learned to love me again, all because of you. If you were to ask me for my moon, I would have given it to you. If you would have asked for my people, I would have given you my crown with a smile. I… would have even struck down my sister if you asked, though if you ever did I would have to strike down the imposter because you’d never do such a thing…” Luna continued, unable to help herself from squeezing Twilight ever so slightly. She hadn’t thought about this in years…
She hadn’t dared, for fear of what might come of it.
“That day, Twilight Sparkle, you earned my heart. So, you could say I’ve thought about it quite extensively to answer your questions…” She finished, finally looking up to meet those eyes. She felt herself pale, Twilight hd tears running down her cheeks. The look in her eyes couldn’t be more jumbled if even Discord tried to mix it up. Twilight’s grip on her had long since faded, so she slowly sat up and back from the stunned alicorn. Twilight hadn’t broken their gaze, though. Luna still couldn’t decipher the expression.
With a heavy sigh she made to turn and return to her own bed. As soon as she broke her gaze, though, Twilight let out the tiniest of little gasps and suddenly Luna was in a tight embrace.
And they were kissing again. Definitely kissing again. They both seemed to melt into it at about the same time, Luna let out a little noise and tried to deepen it again. Part of her expected Twilight to stop it there again and cruelly reveal that it was all part of the game again.
Their tongues begged to differ.
Luna let herself be pulled down onto the bed proper, halfway lying on top of Twilight as the kiss deepened. Luna could feel her wings extended almost fully, her heart fluttering as they twitched. The kiss broke for just a second as she had to focus to force them to cooperate again, and she was punished dearly for it. The gentle kisses on her jaw caused an involuntary flick of her tale, and suddenly Twilight was on top of her. Their roles reversed, Twilight dived back down to resume where they left off. She didn’t get far, however, as Luna broke the kiss and start kissing down Twilight’s jaw. She remembered the spot from before and left Twilight a much shaper nibble. The reaction was much the same as last time, though hint of copper in her mouth left her a little worried. She didn’t actually mean to hurt her! A quick glance confirmed the tiniest bead of blood forming.
Before she could express her worry, however, she met Twilight’s gaze. There was so much fire in those eyes she almost whimpered at the intensity. Twilight’s heavy breaths fell over Luna like the sauna, suddenly she wondered if they had just fallen asleep in the hot spring.
“Luna…” Twilight started, hear voice heavy and a little shaky. Luna almost whimpered again at the tone, no that heat was definitely coming from Twilight. And herself. Definitely the both of them. “If I really don’t remember this night in the morning, I’m going to have to watch it in your head…” The younger mare breathed. Before Luna could reply, Twilight was on her again. Luna felt Twilight shift so that was was almost completely on top of her, the younger alicorn’s wings spreading out a bit almost in anticipation. Twilight pressed herself close, tightening her grip on Luna. Luna could only press herself into Twilight as well. Luna was a little unsure as to what Twilight meant exactly, but then they pressed even closer and it all became oh so clear.
The sharp intake of breath.
The heat turning to pure fire.
Author's Note
I don't know why I decided to have this little flirting game with them, but it's a whole lotta fun to do. I also couldn't help myself with the Twiluna, it is a romance story after all. Prolonging it would have just been filler! My plans are to make a lovely little adventure out of it, but who knows if it'll come to that. As per usual, I have no idea where this is going. Hopefully you'll join me for the ride.
Hope you enjoyed!
