The Night's Veil

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Prologue

The Night's Veil

An Unexpected Guest

“We thank thee Twilight Sparkle. Thou hath helped us learn some of the modern ways. It means a lot to us for you to show such kindness despite knowing what we formerly were.”

“Heh, it was nothing Princess Luna. Just trying to help is all.”

“We don’t see it as nothing Twilight Sparkle. We are greatly humbled by one as kind as you."

Luna leaned in close to Twilight’s face, and pressed her lips against Twilight’s for a mere second before pulling away.

“We hope to see you again dear friend.”

Twilight didn’t say anything, and watched as Luna took off in her chariot back to Canterlot, leaving a flustered and confused unicorn.

Twilight Sparkle stared at the page of text in front of her. The scene ran through her mind over and over like a broken record. It’s been a week since Nightmare Night and Princess Luna’s visit to Ponyville. She had spent the night with Celestia’s sister, showed her how to be more socially approachable, and befriended the princess. They had fun together that night, playing games, scaring a few ponies, and Luna had even taken the time to tell her more about Starswirl the Bearded. No doubt it was a wonderful night for both of them, but what transpired before Luna left was… different. Twilight could still feel her dark lips against hers as she brushed her hoof gently across her own lavender lips.

“Twilight, are you okay?”

She snapped out of her stupor and pulled out of the playback of her mind, noticing her small purple and green assistant standing in front of her.

“Oh, uh, yeah Spike. I’m fine.”

“Yeah, that’s why you been staring at the same page for the past ten minutes right?”

Has it really been ten minutes? Wow, I didn’t even notice…

Twilight sighed. Her assistant knew her too well.

“I just have some things on my mind, Spike. It’s nothing to worry about.”

She gave a small smile, trying to reassure her baby dragon, but he wasn’t convinced.

“If it’s keeping you from reading then something is definitely wrong.”

He knew her much too well.

“I’m fine Spike. You know how I’m always thinking about… stuff.”

She was certainly thinking about stuff. It was stuff that made her heart race, and filled her inner eye with a starry mane and a pair of beautiful teal eyes.

“Uh huh, whatever you say then Twilight. I’m hitting the hay. See you in the morning,” Spike said, still doubtful of her answer, but his sleep was a bit more precious to him, to Twilight’s relief.

She stood up on her hooves and hugged her friend.

“Goodnight Spike. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Yeah, yeah,”he said breaking away from her, “Jeez Twilight, getting all mushy on me and stuff.”

Twilight giggled, seeing that he was just being a typical young male dragon.

“Okay Spike, good night.”

“Night.”

Twilight waited as she heard his small steps going up the stairs and heard a door close. She didn’t want to be caught zoning out again and risk having more questions come up, but Spike was probably already sleeping, so maybe she could try to sort out what was going on with herself.

We hope to see you again dear friend.

“Ugh!” the unicorn huffed, throwing her head back hearing Luna’s voice echo in her head. She made her way to a small desk that sat in the living area of her tree home. She plopped her rump down onto the seat, throwing her head down onto the oak desk.

She had no explanation for why she had these thoughts of her mentor’s sister, but that innocent, naïve kiss had undoubtedly set something ablaze in her. The feeling consumed her thoughts, and it was now interrupting her own studies and readings. Even running simple errands had become a straining task. She couldn’t go anywhere without hearing Luna’s name, and the same scene would replay itself over and over again.

It was even worse during nighttime. She had caught herself on many occasions looking out her bedroom window, looking out toward the moon, hoping to see Luna flying in the night air by random chance. Sometimes she had even swore that Luna had spoken to her some nights, calling out to her. It was unrealistic, as she fully knew that Luna was in Canterlot, but then a barrage of questions would swamp her over-analytic mind.

Why did she want to see Luna again?

Why did Luna kiss her?

Why didn’t she have any answers?

Twilight groaned, the sound muffled by her face on the table. Twilight Sparkle was a smart unicorn, but she couldn’t see the obvious answer, but how could she? This had been the first time in her young life she had experienced such emotions and thoughts.

What is going on with me? I spend a night with Luna and now I can’t get my mind off her! What the hay is wrong with me?!

Twilight slammed her hoof on the desk, frustration taking hold of her. Was she ill or had she been afflicted with a mental illness? There had to be an explanation for all this madness within her. She was not one to have questions and not know the answer to them. There were always answers out to be found, answers for every question, so where could she find these answers?

The unicorn’s head flew up in sudden clearance. An excellent and obvious idea came to her.

My books! I’m sure I have something here that can explain what’s wrong with me!

Books held the answers to everything for Celestia’s star pupil. If anything would know, her wonderful pages of text and knowledge surely would. She quickly trotted over to the plethora of manuscripts that sat idly on their respective shelves. Books of different sizes and colors were before her, but a book on a pony’s emotions would be easy to find for this organized mare, as she had so dutifully had her books in perfect Dewey Decimal System arrangement.

Her small horn lit up with magic, levitating a multitude of books in front of her. One by one she studied the titles, skimmed through their contents, and laid them carefully aside if they did not meet her requirements.

“Let’s see… hmmm… Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine,” she said aloud, looking through its pages, “This won’t do.”

She moved onto the next one.

“The Pony Nervous System… no… Gah! I don’t even know what exactly I’m looking for!”

She continued.

“No.”

And another.

“No.”

And another.

“No!”

She continued until only a towering stack of books laid at her side, none giving any insight to what she was experiencing.

Twilight couldn’t explain her feelings and thoughts, thus had no premise to search for. There were books on the inner workings of ponies and how emotions are regulated through the brain, but none did she come across about having a sudden infatuation with another pony. She took her pile of books and put them back onto their dusty shelves, disappointed that even her trusted tools had failed her.

She plopped herself on the floor in defeat. She was now at a complete loss for everything. If only Luna hadn’t given her that wonderful gentle peck on her mouth, she wouldn’t be having this problem. Twilight looked off into a window that was a distance from her, seeing a full moon giving off its luminous glow over Ponyville. She stared at it and wondered if Luna could see the state she was in. Something inside her wanted to scream out into the night about how she felt. She wanted to let the world know that Luna was on her mind constantly and that she actually…

“I like her.”

As if a sudden bolt of lightning hit her, she finally realized what she was feeling while she looked at the moon. She wasn’t sick or developing some type of mental illness, but she simply just was smitten for Princess Luna. It all made sense to her now, her heart racing, her mind consumed of her starry mane, her sudden desire to now see her, it was all because she liked Luna, and maybe, just maybe…

“No... I don’t love her.” Twilight said to herself before the idea teased her. She couldn’t love Luna, she was a princess, and she was a simple student of Celestia, but did she even know if this was love? It was another question that she couldn’t answer.

Ding!

As she did earlier, Twilight was thrown back out of her mind, and quickly turned her head to the clock that hung over the door. The clock had struck midnight to Twilight’s surprise, letting time escape her once again.

“Oh Celestia! I better get to bed.”

Now that she thought about it, she was actually more tired than she thought. Her eyelids felt heavy and her mind felt slow, no doubt from all her confusion and thoughts of such a beautiful alicorn. Twilight made her way to the stairs, and hoof by hoof went up the incline. Her body felt heavy, making it even more apparent that she was truly exhausted. She quietly opened the door to her room, welcomed by the sound of loud snoring. Spike was curled up in his bed, sleeping and peaceful, twitching here and there in his deep slumber. Twilight couldn’t help but smile at the scene and would join him soon enough.

Twilight climbed up onto her bed and rolled over onto her back, her tail hanging over the side of the bed. She turned her head to her window near her bed. Moonlight rays poured into her room, soothing her mind and body.

I wish I could just see you again Luna. I have to know what I’m feeling…

Her eyes fluttered, trying to stay awake as darkness was beginning to take hold of her. Her body relaxed, her mind stopped, and the last thing she saw was the beautiful moon with its shimmering stars as they looked down upon her, and one last thought escaped her before she surrendered herself to dream filled sleep.

"It looks so beautiful," she whispered as she finally dozed off.

"Why thank you Twilight Sparkle."

Her purple eyes immediately shot open, the warm calling of sleep leaving her as quickly as it came. Her heart stopped in a sudden mix of shock, fear, and excitement. She turned her head slowly, still laying on her bed, but her muscles were like ice. What was before her was a pair of teal eyes looking down at her, her dark regalia shining in the moonlight from the window, and a very sheepish smile spread across the alicorn's face.

"Hello Twilight Sparkle. How art thou?"

Chapter 1

The Night's Veil

Her Request

Twilight immediately opened her eyes, gasping for air. She lifted herself up, looking around desperately for Princess Luna, but she was nowhere to be seen. She looked over to the window and was met with another one of Celestia’s beautiful sunrise that she saw every morning. The dark night that she had just seen moments ago vanished. She threw herself back onto her bed, throwing her foreleg over her head in frustration as the realization sank in.

It was a dream?! I'm having dreams now?!

She really couldn't believe it. Twilight figured she must have fallen asleep, still under the impression that she was awake, and dreamt Luna had shown up in her room. It was already bad enough for this poor mare that she couldn't even gain a bit of relaxation without thinking about Luna; but now even her once peaceful sleep was being consumed by her?

Twilight groaned, uttering curses that most would be shocked to hear from her mouth. She was so confused. How would Luna show up in her room in the middle of the night, all the way from Canterlot? Why would she dream such a thing? She had more important things to do than see and think about a dull unicorn like her. Twilight flailed her arms in complete and utter disarray; she looked like a small foal throwing a tantrum.

"Ugh! Why is this happening to me?! I have feelings for her, fine, I admit it! But why in the name of Celestia can't I just have one day without thinking about her?! Just one?!"

Twilight immediately threw her hoof into her mouth, slowly turning her head. She had completely forgot that there was another resident that slumbered in the same room with her, and she basically just spewed out her secret for any pony to hear. She turned her head more, expecting a baby dragon with his mouth agape, or holding back uncontrollable laughter, but she was met with neither. She was actually met with nothing. Spike's bed lay bare; blankets folded and pillow nice and fluffed as if it never had been slept in.

If Spike’s not sleeping in his bed, then where . . . ?

Her motherly instinct kicked in, making her forget for a moment about her inner troubles. She was now wondering where her Spike was. She could tell from the sun's position that it was still very early morning, and it was not of Spike's nature to be up this early; especially for one who valued his sleep like Filthy Rich values his bits.

Twilight got out of bed and made her way to a mirror that was placed adjacent from her bed, inspecting her mane. It was frizzy and random strands of her purple mane stuck out. She would fix it later; currently she was more concerned by the whereabouts of her baby dragon.

She made her way to the door of her bedroom. Thoughts of the apparent dream tried to pry their way through her mind, but she ignored them. Her hoof pushed the door open and a very pleasant aroma filled her nostrils. It smelled of hot oats with what seemed like a hint of berries.

Is Spike actually cooking breakfast? And it actually smells good? I guess I’m still dreaming.

She descended down the stairs; the wonderful, mouth watering scent teasing her nostrils and mind. It was welcomed, giving her some relief from her prior intruding thoughts about a certain alicorn that she would not name for the sake of her sanity. It was also pretty surprising that: one, her assistant was up so early, and two, he was cooking a breakfast that actually smelled quite appetizing.

Wow, I wonder what got Spike going today? Must be a meeting with Rarity or something.

That was usually the only time he actually started doing things like cooking breakfast, but this was pleasantly different. Usually when the dragon would cook his confections or whatever they were, it always ended with the home filled with smoke and smelling like burnt wood. This actually smelled like . . . recognizable food for once.

She trotted to the kitchen, closing her eyes and taking a good big whiff of the food that filled the kitchen. Such a wonderfully delectable smell it was. Twilight would really have to thank Spike for this... if it was actually him who made it. Twilight opened her eyes, expecting to see some amazing dragon at the small stove cooking away, but this was not so. Spike was sitting at the round oak table that stood in the middle of the kitchen, shoveling spoonfuls of oats into his mouth.

"Oh hey Twilight!" the dragon exclaimed, taking notice of her, "You gotta try this stuff! I don't eat oats much, but this is is amazing!" He failed to notice her mouth hanging open in complete bafflement.

"Spike!” Twilight exclaimed. “Did you make that?"

"Heck no!” he said, taking in another spoonful of the brown goo, with spotted in red and blue from the berries she smelled earlier. “I couldn't cook to save my own tail, you know that."

Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Then who?"

"Oh, hello Twilight,” said a voice behind her. “I was wondering when you would wake."

At the sound of her voice, her body stiffened noticeably, freezing it in place. She knew that wonderful - and now terrifying - voice from anywhere. Reluctantly, Twilight slowly turned around, praying to Celestia it wasn't who she thought it was.

Holy horseshi-

A pair of teal eyes stared into Twilight’s with a gentle smile, as she was suddenly picked up by Luna and embraced tightly, flailing her from one side of her her shoulder to the next. Twilight could feel an intense heat rise within her face. Luna hugged her tightly, crying out in joyful banter. "Oh how I missed thee Twilight Sparkle!” she cried out joyfully, hugging her tightly. “You have no idea how much we-I mean I- have wanted to see you!"

Twilight was lost within her own world right now, now only feeling Luna's dark, soft fur against hers, making her heart race faster than a sonic rainboom. After a few more moments of Luna hugging her and telling her how much she missed her, she finally released the extremely blushing mare.

Luna quickly took notice of the dark shade of lavender and crimson on Twilight’s cheeks. "Are you alright, Twilight?"

"I... uh... wha... bluh?" Convoluted words was all she could sputter out. Her mind was now in shambles and pieces, failing to comprehend what was happening.

"Twilight? What new language is this you speak?" Luna asked, wondering what new type of lingo she had to learn now.

She had to get out of here. Anywhere but here in front of Luna. Her eyes darted around, thinking and looking for somewhere to go, somewhere to just think about what was all going on.

Back to the room! The shower! Yes! Go! Go!

"I..uh.. err...Igottatakeashowerpleaseexcuseme." Twilight said, slurring her words together quickly as she sped back upstairs with speed that would put Rainbow Dash to shame.

Luna watched as her sister's student ran back upstairs, hearing the door slam above. She turned to Spike, wondering if this was normal for her friend. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Spike waved his claw nonchalantly at her. "Yeah, she'll be alright, it's just Twilight being Twilight."

Luna looked back in the direction that Twilight had so hastily taken off to mere seconds ago. She wasn't so sure if that was Twilight just being Twilight, but she didn't know how her sister's student acted on a daily basis. She decided just to take Spike's word for it.

"Hey, um Princess, if it's not too much trouble, you think I could get some more of those awesome oats you made?" Spike asked, holding out his bowl with a sheepish smile.

Luna turned around once more, returning Spike's smile with her own. "Of course, dear Spike. Would you like blueberries, raspberries, or both?”

"Both please!"

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Twilight repeated to herself as beads of hot water from the shower head splashed against her equine body.

For the past twenty minutes, Twilight had sat on the floor of her shower, scolding and scorning herself. She couldn't believe what she had just done, running away from Luna like that. Her feelings and fear had took hold of her again; and she hated it. She didn't mean to just flee from her, and potentially make her feel awful, but she couldn't risk having Luna figuring out the truth with her extreme blushing she did earlier.

But why? Why am I running away from this?

The answer to that question was simple. The fear of rejection and unworthiness. Luna was a princess, a goddess of the night. What was she? A simple unicorn who had been lucky enough to become a student of Princess Celestia and an Element of Harmony. She was not beautiful, majestic, and regal like Luna. She was out of her league, and she rather save herself from the inevitable pain that would surely come of her confessing her feelings to Luna, or Luna figuring them out herself. Either way spelled out heartbreak in the end, and Twilight didn't know if that was something she was willing to experience.

The very thought of Luna rejecting her wrenched her heart, tying it in a knot. She could never have Luna, and if it meant containing and burying her emotions for the mare, then she would do it.

The hot water continued pelting against her now hung head. At least this could take her mind off such a depressing truth. Twilight did always enjoy a hot shower. It seemed to calm her in times of extreme stress and anxiety, but also gave her a clear mind to think, a time she was now taking advantage of.

I can't keep going on like this. I have to tell some pony or I'm going to go crazy!

But what pony knew the most about this kind of stuff? It had to be one of her friends no doubt, but who? She went through a mental list.

Let's see, Applejack?

Applejack was by far the most honest pony she knew, testament to her being the very element of it, but what did she know of feelings such as hers for Luna? She had never seen Applejack with a special some pony or even speak about one. It was always about her orchard and business. Applejack had no time to dabble in such things. Twilight crossed her off, simply seeing that Applejack wouldn't have a lick of an idea of how to go about this.

Rainbow Dash?

Now there had been rumours of her pegasus friend in Ponyville, ones that made her sound very...promiscuous. She didn't know if this was true or not, but knowing Rainbow, she probably would just laugh at her, telling her how sappy it was to like the alicorn. She crossed her off the mental checklist.

Fluttershy?

She was a good candidate, but she would probably be too nervous and flustered if she even mentioned the fact that she fancied Luna.

How about Pinkie? Wait, why would I even consider that option?

Pinkie barely made sense to her as is. Talking to her about Luna was not something that would work at all. She checked her pink friend off immediately, leaving only one left.

Rarity!

The answer was so obvious! Rarity seemed to have an affinity for romance and would always talk about her dream stallion, despite what happened at the Gala with Prince Blueblood. Maybe Rarity could listen to her and give her some advice on how to bury these emotions, or better yet, be rid of them. Twilight made a mental note in her mind to visit her white unicorn friend today.

Knock! Knock! "Hey Twilight, you okay in there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" she called out to the muffled voice of the dragon outside the restroom door, "I'll be out in a minute! Is the princess still here?"

"Yeah, she's downstairs reading. I was just making sure you’re not having one of your episodes again."

Twilight grimaced, not wanting a certain memory coming back and reminding her of her moments of insanity over such a small issue.

But was this any different?

Was Twilight making something so trivial as liking Luna into something much bigger than it was? She suspected so, and she knew it needed to be fixed, and it began with apologizing to Luna for so rudely leaving her. She was still her friend, and she wasn't going to let her pesky feelings get in the way of that. Twilight had defeated Nightmare Moon and even the god of chaos, Discord. She could surely overcome her infatuation to spend time with a friend that was the very cause of it.

Right?

With new found confidence and determination, Twilight lifted herself from the wet floor of her shower, turning the faucet off and ceasing the soothing hot water that had soaked her body earlier. She climbed out and levitated a towel towards her and dried her fur off. Next, she summoned a brush towards her, combing and straightening out her mane and tail. She was a bit embarrassed that Luna had seen earlier how unkempt she was, now that she was seeing for herself what a mess she had looked like. Twilight finished grooming herself, looking in the mirror one last time to make sure she looked presentable.

Okay Twilight, let's just go down there and see why our FRIEND is here. Just stay calm.

Twilight smiled at her visage.

She could do this.

Right?

Stepping off the final stair, Twilight Sparkle was back again in the living area, and as Spike said before, there was Princess Luna, laying on the floor reading a book she surely must've taken from her library. Twilight couldn't help but admire how beautiful Luna appeared with the early morning sun's rays that poured through her window and onto Luna's dark coat. It gave it a glossy look, and with her sparkling mane and tail, it seemed to just compliment her overall perfection.

Okay, focus. Just act- be- her friend.

"Hello Princess Luna," Twilight greeted, calm as ever.

The alicorn turned her head and smiled seeing her friend again. Her long horn lit up and closed the book in front of her. "Hello Twilight,” she greeted. “Did you have a pleasant shower?"

It was an awkward start to such a conversation, but Twilight understood that Luna was still fairly new at this, though her speech had greatly improved in just a week's time. There seemed to be virtually no more of Luna speaking in a third-person aspect.

"Heh, yeah it was fine." She figured she might as well just come out and apologize from the get go. "Sorry about running away so quickly to do so. I just never expected to you to be here is all. I'm not used to ponies seeing me so unruly."

Luna put her silver hoof to her mouth, chuckling a bit. "Of course Twilight. I was afraid that I've frightened you off, but Spike said this was-” she paused, cocking her head, “-normal behavior of yours?"

Twilight deadpanned inside. She could only imagine what Spike had told her, probably making her look like some dysfunctional, insane unicorn. "Well, not exactly princess,” she chuckled nervously. “Just having a rough morning, I suppose."

"As we all do, at times."

Twilight let out an embarrassed laugh and decided it was time to change the subject. "So Princess-"

She was stopped as a silver booted hoof was lifted. "Please Twilight, just call me Luna.” She gave a small weak smile. “We are friends, and as such, you have no need to address me with such formality."

Twilight's heart did a little leap. It wasn't much, but for Luna to give her permission to just use her name without her royal title was simply... nice. To her it was like an unspoken gift from her secret beloved alicorn.

"Okay, then. So what brings you here? I don't recall Princess Celestia telling me anything of you visiting - I mean, not that I mind, but was just wondering was all."

Luna stood up from her resting position and walked towards the shelves of books, putting the one she was reading back in its respective place.

"Of course my friend. It's true that I didn't give any forewarning when I came here last night, but I seemed to have forgotten that ponies don't usually stay up as late as I do."

Last night? She was here last night?! So that wasn't a dream!

Good thing that Luna was turned around looking for a new book, or she might have seen Twilight's jaw dropping to the floor.

"You... you were here last night?!"

"Yes, I was,” Luna continued nonchalantly, looking through more books. “Now that I think of it, I probably should have knocked first." Luna turned around to face the surprised unicorn. "Twilight, are you alright?"

Twilight quickly closed her gaping mouth, making herself appear a bit more weird once again within less than an hour. "Uh, yeah, I'm perfectly fine,” she said, trying to clear her head. “I just didn't know you came last night. Have you been here since?"

“Yes,” Luna answered, quickly nodding her head. "I wanted to speak to you last night, so I went up to your room and found you lying on your bed complimenting my night, which was not something I hear a lot. I thanked you and asked how art thou...ugh...forgive me Twilight. I been practicing modern lingo but I still get a bit mixed up in the old way."

Twilight was shocked on realizing that she actually saw what she thought was a dream earlier. Still, she was actually quite impressed with how quickly Luna had adapted to modern language, even through the small slip ups. "It's okay Prince- I mean Luna. You actually made a lot of my progress in my opinion."

Luna gave a cheerful smile, appreciating the comment. "Thank you Twilight. It means a lot to hear that from our dearest friend."

... dearest friend.

The phrase triggered the accursed scene of Luna kissing her once more in her mind, teasing Twilight with its wonderful past reality. Quickly, she pushed it out of her mind, determined not to look any more eerie that she had already displayed this morning.

"Heh,” she chuckled nervously. “It's, uh, no problem Luna."

"Once I asked how you were, you seemed to have fallen under a sudden slumber,” Luna continued. “I tried waking you, but I figured that you were simply exhausted. So since then I have waited down here reading most of your wonderful texts. I even took the liberty of making breakfast for your young assistant and you, well, until you had saw the need for a shower."

"You mean to tell me that I fainted?"

"I think so Twilight. You must have been very tired," Luna said with a strange smile that Twilight couldn't explain what for. Of course, she knew it wasn’t because she was tired but from sheer shock. She decided against telling Luna the real reason why she apparently fainted, letting Luna believe that she was simply tired.

At least that explained why she had thought it was a dream, but now another question had to be asked by the knowledgeable student. "I guess so, but then why were you here in the first place, Luna? Did something happen in Canterlot?"

Twilight could only think that be the only reason why such a regal such as herself would bother coming all the way from Canterlot. Was there an accident or some type of underlying evil that required the elements once more?

Luna beamed, seemingly like she had been waiting for the question to arise. "No, my sister has everything under control and Equestria is safe. I have come here on my own accord, having a request to ask of you - if, of course, it's not too much trouble."

"Of course Luna,” Twilight quickly answered, always willing to help a friend, especially for Luna. “You can ask me anything you want."

"Twilight..."

Luna paused as if she was searching for something within her mind, while Twilight's curiosity filled with anticipation of whatever the alicorn wanted to ask her.

"Yes Luna?" She stretched her neck a bit, the suspense now overtaking her.

Princess Luna looked straight into Twilight’s eyes and finally made her request.

"I ask of thee to go on a date with me."

Chapter 2

The Night’s Veil

A Very Big Mistake

“You want me to go on a date with you?!”

Luna smiled, a bit amused and surprised at Twilight’s shock. “Yes Twilight. Very much so, if that is alright with you.” She didn’t understand what was so shocking about such a request. It was just a date after all.

“OhmygoshIcan’tbelievethisyou’reaskingmeonadate...” Twilight rambled, gasping through her barrage of words.

Luna cocked her head, barely making out any word that her friend was making. What is this new language she speaks so often now?

Suddenly, she noticed the unicorn starting to wobble a bit and sway side to side as if she had drank too much cider. Her purple eyes became askew, and she abruptly fell to the wooden floor with a hard thud, passed out in front of Luna.

“Twilight!”

A silver hoof knocked on the wooden door of Twilight's bedroom. Luna waited as she heard the sound of a small dragon make his way to the door. It flew open to the sight of Spike holding a feather duster and some dust covering his purple face. "Let me guess,” he sighed, “the giant thud downstairs was Twilight right?"

Princess Luna simply nodded. She had Twilight on her back, unconscious, and had brought her up to her room so that she could lay her on her bed. "I'm afraid so Spike, but don’t fret. She is fine and I suspect she will wake in a couple hours or so." She started to make her way into the bedroom.

"That’s Twilight for you," Spike said as he made his way to his lifelong friends bed and Luna laid her gently on it.

Her horn lit up and magically pulled the lavender blanket over Twilight, making sure she was completely covered except for her head. Spike made sure that her head was positioned perfectly over the pillow, giving maximum comfort until she awoke again.

"So, care to explain all this Princess?” Spike asked, motioning his arms toward Twilight. “Did something fall on her head again or something? Oh, I bet something did, didn’t it? I keep telling her that she needs to listen to Pinkie Pie about-"

Luna lifted her hoof and the dragon silenced himself. They may have been friends, well more like acquaintances, but he knew that his princess still stood before him and he would show her due respect - though Luna wasn't one to enforce the fact she was a princess. She just wanted to be treated like any other pony but she was grateful that Spike decided to quiet himself so she could explain.

“Let’s go downstairs,” she said simply. Spike only nodded, as they walked down the stairs back to the main section of the library. Both sitting down on the couch, Luna continued.

"I asked her out on a simple date and then she fainted for some unknown reason. I hope this is not normal behavior of hers that you spoke of earlier, for I even know that ponies do not faint when asked a simple question such as this,” Luna stated. “Do you happen to-” she stopped suddenly, noticing Spike’s agape mouth and shocked expression. “Why does your mouth hang, dear Spike?”

It took a moment before Spike came back to his senses. “A simple request?!” Spike exclaimed. “Princess, you just asked her on a date!”

“Yes, and . . .?” Luna said nonchalantly, oblivious to where this was going.

“That means you like Twilight, right?” Spike asked.

"Of course I do,” she responded, clearly not understanding what he meant by the question. “We are friends, why wouldn't I like Twilight?"

Luna watched as Spike face-clawed himself and looked at her with a sheepish smile, obviously nervous for whatever reason. "I mean,” Spike tried again, “do you like, ya know, like like her?"

Luna still didn't understand what the dragon was talking about. How could a pony doubly like another pony? They either liked them or not and Luna was now growing a bit tired and confused. "Spike, please speak sense,” Luna huffed, a sense of annoyance showing through her voice. “I do not understand how one likes another pony two times. I been gone a thousand years and never heard such a term in my time. Be forward with me and tell me what you mean."

Spike let out a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his head, the feather duster still in his other hand. "Are you in love with Twilight?” Spike said, putting emphasis on the word ‘love’.

“Love?” Luna felt an intense heat in her face as she heard the word 'love'. The word sent a slight pain through her heart but she didn't dare acknowledge it, fearing what would happen if she did. How could Spike say that when she never gave any indication to having such a feeling? "Spike, I asked her on a date, not her hoof in marriage. Why do you believe that I am in love with my sister's student?" she asked, raising her brow in confusion.

Spike looked just as confused as her now. "Then why did you ask her on a date, Princess?"

"Isn't that what it's not called when one friend wishes to spend time with another? I only desired to go out and have friendly fun. How does this indicate me being in love?"

Spike shifted on over to her, now sitting a closer to her and looked up into her eyes "Princess, no disrespect, but I think you don't understand what a date means."

Luna looked down at the baby dragon, now even more confused. "Explain," she simply said.

"When you ask some pony on a date, it means that you have, well... feelings for them,” he tried explaining, obviously a bit reluctant to.

"Feelings? What feelings do you speak of?" Luna asked.

"You know, feelings that are more than just friendly. Haven't you ever had a crush or loved some pony before Princess?"

She heard the word again and another pain went through her heart, a bit stronger than the last. She had loved once before, but she rather not remember the pony as it brought back only a painful memories. Ones that led her down a dark path long ago. "I have, but I fail to see-"

She was interrupted by Spike, obviously becoming a bit disgruntled at how slow Luna was making sense of this.

"A date is between two ponies that love each other, Princess."

Luna's heart stopped as she heard this revelation. Back during the time before her banishment, a date was asked between friends for social gatherings and festivities, not one of romance and love. How things have changed so dramatically for her, but now another revelation came to her. Princess Luna now knew why Twilight had acted so eerie earlier and ran off from her. It explained her strange rambling and her fainting. Luna now knew the one thing that Twilight had tried so hard to keep from her.

She has feelings for me.

Fear now gripped her heart, fear of what this could mean. She didn’t love Twilight nor had any feelings beyond that of a friend and she had probably put Twilight under the impression that she did. What would Twilight do if she told her that it was a simple misunderstanding and she had no interest in her? Luna knew well what heartbreak felt like, and she didn’t want to see Twilight suffer such pain simply because she was too ignorant to know what dating actually meant. Luna knew she had just made a horrible, ignorant mistake. A very big mistake.

If I tell her that I do not love her like she does me, then she will surely hate me and will not desire to be my friend anymore... but I can’t lose my friend! I can’t be alone again!

That was her biggest fear. For so long she had been alone; stuck on a cold, isolated rock with no pony to talk to nor no pony that could comfort her. It was just her, and every single waking moment on her lonely moon was torture beyond measure. Even when she came back and was freed from her alter ego, no pony wanted to be her friend, still fearing her as Nightmare Moon. It wasn’t until Nightmare Night that she finally had a friend, and she found that friend in Twilight. She couldn’t lose her... she would be lost without her.

She suddenly felt a small gentle tug of her mane, snapping her out of her reasonable fear. She looked down to see Spike now standing right in front of her with a look of seriousness on his purple face with one simple, horrifying question.

"Do you seriously love her Princess?"

Luna panicked. This wasn’t what she wanted at all. She only loved Twilight as a friend, not a lover. This was just a misunderstanding, a very big misunderstanding. What was she to do? “Well, no,” she confessed. “I . . . I do not love her.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Then why did you ask her on a date?”

Luna sighed. If she told Spike that she didn't, no doubt he would tell Twilight and she would hate her for unwittingly toying with her fragile emotions. Luna couldn't have her best friend hating her.

Yet, she couldn’t lie about something as big as this. “Well,” she started to explain. “In my time, before becoming . . . possessed the way I was . . . a date used to mean any casual get-together, a time to have fun.” She bit her lip. “I didn’t know it had changed.”

A long pause followed as it dawned on both of them the tough situation they were in. “Oh wow,” Spike breathed. “This isn’t good. This is not good at all.”

“You’re telling me,” Luna said, rubbing a hoof on her forehead.

Spike stood up. ‘I’d better tell Twilight before this gets any worse,” he said, walking toward her bedroom.

This was the last thing Luna wanted to happen. “No!” she shouted, stopping Spike dead in his tracks. “Thou must not - er, you can’t tell her about this misunderstanding.”

“Well, what are you going to do?” Spike asked worriedly. Luna thought for a long minute. Only one idea came into Luna’s mind.

“I’ll pretend to love her.”

Forgive me, sister.

She despised herself. She knew this was wrong, wrong on so many different levels. She was willing to lie to Twilight, pretend she loved her, just so she could keep her as a friend? No doubt this wasn’t to hurt Twilight or fool with her in any way, but Luna knew what heartbreak felt like, and it could drive even the most kind and innocent pony into a darkness that one may not be able to break free of.

She knew this all too well.

Meanwhile, Spike looked like he had just been hit with a pan. “You’re going to lie to her?! Why not just tell her the truth?!”

“Spike,” Luna said, pleading for justification. “I asked her on a date without knowing what it truly meant - and she believes that I feel the same way as she does toward me. She will hate me if she knows I do not feel the same, and I wish not to hurt my friend.”

“She won’t get hurt feelings,” Spike tried to reassure her. “I may not know that much about romance, but what you’re saying will do more damage than good. She would appreciate the honesty rather than you lying to her.” Spike started to walk away, in the direction of upstairs. “I’m going to tell her, and you’ll see everything’s gonna be just-”

Before he could even finish his sentence, Luna’s magic took hold of him and threw him towards her, meeting her face to face while he floated in mid-air. “Spike, I beg you not to tell her. Let me take her out on this date and I will return her feelings so she may be happy and I may-” She started to get misty-eyed. “-keep our friendship.”

Ponies believed that her and Celestia were perfect, not capable of really doing no wrong, especially tricking one into thinking that they loved them when they really didn’t. She may have been a goddess of the night, and other things, but if only Twilight could see how far from perfect she was. Luna couldn't turn back now lying to the assistant about her false love. She would just have to play the part and keep a certain pony from finding out about it. Luna would have to.

“Fine, fine!” Spike groaned, giving up. “I won’t say a word - but I don’t know how you’re going to pull this off without her noticing.”

Luna didn’t know how she was going to pull this off either, but regardless, she would find a way. It was terrible of her to really be doing this but desperation could make ponies do things that they would have never considered.

“I don’t know Spike...but I’ll find a way. Just... just don’t speak a word of this to Twilight. I’d rather tell her myself. It is all I ask of you.”

Spike rubbed his head. He already had a minor headache just thinking about all this scheming and trickery that he was about to partake in with Luna, against his better judgement. “I already said I wouldn’t say a word. Just...” his voice cracked. “Just don’t hurt her, alright?”

Luna now felt immense guilt that she had now made Spike keep this lie she would play, so she simply nodded, obviously seeing that he was not pleased with her at all.

“Well, I’m going back upstairs...I’ll see you later, “ he said flatly and left, not even giving Luna a chance to utter a word to him.

A few seconds later, he returned, remembering something very important.

“Oh, before you leave, could you tell me the recipe of those oats you made earlier?” He waited for an answer but none came. He turned around, expecting to see Luna still there considering what she had done. He didn’t hear the door open or close, but there was no alicorn in the room.

Luna was gone.

A throbbing pain thrashed her mind, sending it into shocks of discomfort.

“Unngh,” Twilight groaned, the pain waking her out of dead sleep.

Her eyes fluttered open, slowly revealing her purple eyes to the world once again. She felt warm and tried moving her legs under her blanket to stretch, but they seemed stiff and sore. She turned over onto her back and looked at the ceiling, wondering how she was now in her room and why her poor head was in such pain. It felt like some pony had taken a brick and smashed a side of her head with it. She rubbed her temples with her hooves, still in her resting position. Her mind seemed to be in a daze and she found it difficult trying to remember how she got up here.

Princess Luna...

She heard the name echo in her conscious. It was such a wonderful name to hear but there was more to it than that. There was some type of nagging, persistent feeling that was tugging at her heart, trying to tell her something important about her beloved princess.

Twilight broke away from her inner pondering for a moment and carefully brought herself up, looking around her room. Everything was normal and she slowly was beginning to remember something about Luna.

“I have a request.”

Twilight rubbed her head gingerly some more. The pain was fading but a few shocks of discomfort still shot through her thinking brain. Twilight remembered that Luna asked her something, but what it was, she didn’t know. The only real thing she did know that she was looking at Luna one minute in her living room, and then the next minute, she was now waking in her room. It was almost deja vu of this morning.

The bedroom door suddenly opened, her attention now turning to it. Spike walked through the door, holding an immense tub of ice cream and scooping it out, throwing the icy good right into his mouth, obviously enjoying its sweet flavor.

“Spike?”

The dragon quickly turned to her, realizing that his lifelong friend had finally awakened from her small, unconscious ‘nap’. His face turned a slight shade of red of embarrassment.

“Oh you're awake...this isn’t what it looks like.” Spike said nervously with a sheepish grin, quickly hiding the tub of ice cream behind his back.

Twilight had already seen it and even if she hadn’t, the pink smudges across his lips was definitely a tell-tale sign. Her assistant knew that she didn’t take too kindly to him eating too much ice cream, in fear that he would suffer a major stomach ache and then deal with his constant groans and whining. Normally she would have scolded him, telling him the effect of consuming so much and the consequences it would have on his digestive system in great, complicated detail. Instead, she had something more pressing to ask him than why he was eating ice cream.

“Spike, where’s Luna?”

That’s all she wanted to know. It was all she cared about for now. Twilight knew for a fact that she was just speaking with the princess just but a moment ago, but then, why was she in her room?

“Oh Luna? She left about an hour ago. She said she had some things back in Canterlot to take care of, yada yada, princess stuff.” he replied, a bit stunned that he didn’t receive the expected scolding that he knew he deserved.

“What are you talking about?” Twilight looked around the room. “I was just talking to Luna a few minutes ago.”

Spike smiled amusingly seeing that his friend was forgetting a few details. “Then explain why you’re in your bed then.”

She had no clue. Her mind wasn’t giving an explanation as to how she was in her bed, especially since she was just downstairs talking to the princess.

“I... I don’t know. I was just downstairs and Luna asked me something but I can’t...remember.”

“Bwahahaha!” Spike laughed as he began rolling over the floor, dropping the tub of ice cream onto the floor. Twilight face flustered in unknown embarrassment and in a bit of mild anger.

“What’s so funny?!” she said as she slammed her front hooves on her sheet. If anything annoyed this mare, it was whenever her dragon found something funny at her expense. She hated the fact that she couldn’t remember much about how she ended up in her room and what Luna had asked her, and now was being ridiculed for it.

Spike spoke through his fit of laughter, “You really...oh my gosh this is rich... you really don’t remember what Luna asked you?”

“No,” Twilight retorted, “and I don’t appreciate you laughing about it.”

Spike quelled his fit of laughter and stood back up. Tears seemed come from his green eyes from such amusement. “Don’t get your mane in a bunch Twilight. Just kind of funny that you can’t remember Luna’s little question is all.” Spike said, letting a few giggles escape him as he picked up the ice cream from the floor.

“Well then, how about you help jog my memory then and actually help me,” the unicorn said in annoyance.

Spike hopped up on the side of her bed with the ice cream, throwing another scoop of it in his mouth seeing that Twilight didn’t really care for the time being.

“Okay then,” Spike said with a grin,”You don’t remember how you got up here right?”

Twilight simply nodded.

“And nothing about what Luna asked you?”

“Yes Spike, I already said this.”

Spike snickered. “Well, you weren’t just talking to her a few minutes ago.” He smirked slyly. “She left after she carried you up here which was an hour ago. You’ve been out cold for the past hour because you fainted.”

The gears in Twilight’s mind began to push and vague images were starting to appear to her inner eye. She saw Luna speaking to her and she could actually remember certain sensations. There was a cold feeling and then one of panic. Twilight’s heart began to pump a bit faster as she was slowly coming to the realization that she did faint, but for what reason? Was she sick, or maybe just light headed because she didn’t eat breakfast this morning? “I fainted? Why in the hay would I faint in front of Luna? Was I sick? Am I sick?” A hoof went to her forehead. “I don’t feel like I’m ill.”

Spike could only shake his head. “It’s a wonder how you became Princess Celestia’s student.”

Twilight grimaced at the comment but decided against pursuing what that meant. She only wanted to know why she passed out. “Spike, cut the sarcasm please. Just tell me why I fainted.”

Spike obeyed and gave her the answer that would surely send her into immediate shock, maybe even causing her to faint once again, though Spike hoped against it. He didn’t want to watch over a unconscious unicorn all day long. He was a busy dragon and had things to do, ponies to see, places to go. Well, that’s the way he viewed it at least.

“Okay you asked for it. You fainted because Princess Luna asked you,” he paused as he tried to contain his laughter once more. ”She asked you on a date.”

A date?

Twilight’s body went completely cold and her heart began to beat erratically and a dreadful feeling swept over her. She felt like her stomach just fell into some bottomless pit within her as she was beginning to realize that Spike was telling the truth. Slowly, memories began to come back to her and she now heard the request quite clearly.

“I ask of thee to go on a date with me.”

The pain in her head that tortured her earlier was instantly gone as she recovered from her short episode of selective amnesia. Her body was no longer sore, but consumed with a cold, almost fearful feeling. Twilight now knew what happened and why she was now in her room. Princess Luna asked her out on a date, a wonderful offer for one such as her and the feelings she retained for the alicorn. She remembered the joy that sprang within her and the overwhelming astonishment accompanying it. Overwhelming to the point that she became light headed and blacked out. Luna must have carried her up to her room and laid her down on her bed so she could rest and then left to attend her duties.

Oh no! I fainted in front of her because she asked me on a date?! She..she probably thinks I’m some type of foal! How could I have let that happen?! Why didn’t I just say yes?! I blew it!

Her mind scorned her and her heart wrenched inside. She could only imagine how Luna must have thought of her after seeing such a reaction. She was the student of Princess Celestia, expected to take on anything in stride and poise, and a simple offer of a date dropped her out of consciousness? It was far from a simple offer of course, especially for a mare that held such intense feeling after a simple kiss from the adored princess of the night, but the now horrible reality that she had reacted such a way over an offer any pony would jump at was setting in, making her actually wanting to cry.

Twilight threw her hooves to her face as she began to feel tears well up in her eyes.

How? How did I blow such a chance! She probably wants nothing to do with me now! Probably found some other pony to go out with, one that doesn't act so... so... idiotic!

Her bottom lip began to tremble but she held in her sudden shame and sadness. The thought of never seeing Luna again was crushing her, though this was a bit overboard to think such a thing.

“Twilight, are you okay?”

Spike noticed the sudden change and now felt a bit guilty for taking any kind of amusement of his friend’s earlier action. He didn’t mean to make her feel bad but he also didn’t know how much she wanted that date either. Spike was a smart dragon, no doubt about it, but even he secretly knew that Twilight had some type of interest in Luna. It was pretty obvious over the past week to see it, especially when he woke up in the middle of the night because of her calling out Luna’s name in her sleep. He knew that she liked Luna and decided not to bring it up and play dumb, knowing full well that Twilight would never admit something like that to him; maybe to her friends Rarity or Fluttershy, but not him. He scooted over to Twilight and poked her foreleg as they covered her face from being seen.

“Hey, I’m sorry Twilight. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad.”

Twilight knew Spike wasn’t trying to make her feel bad and it wasn’t him doing it. She knew Spike was a joker and sometimes a smartass, to put it so crudely, but it was all in good taste. It wasn’t Spike causing this, but herself. Her mind was unforgiving as her own conscious ridiculed and belittled her.

What pony faints when being asked out?! Not a NORMAL one...except for Twilight Sparkle!

Hot tears were starting to roll down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away. She hated crying in front of others.

“Twilight, if it’s about the date-” Spike began, but was quickly interrupted.

“I don’t want to hear it Spike. I already know she regrets asking me so you don’t have to tell me, okay?” Twilight said, trying to hold herself together. She had already resigned herself to the false truth of Luna seeing her as a fool and never wanting to even speak to her again.

“No she doesn't.”

Twilight looked at him, moving her hooves away from her face. “And how would you know that?”

Spike wanted to tell her that Luna admitted that she actually loved Twilight, but the princess had already said that she rather tell Twilight herself, if of course Twilight accepted the date.

“She told me before she left that she would...” he paused, trying to make this small white lie a bit plausible, “She would wait for a letter from you if you still wanted to go on a date with her and if you said yes, she would pick you up when the time is right.”

Spike clearly knew that’s not what Luna had said, but he knew enough that Luna wanted this date, as did Twilight, so a little lie in the name of goodwill wouldn’t hurt.

Twilight’s heart immediately lit up from her momentary sadness.

“Did she.. did she really say that?”Twilight asked hopefully.

Spike smiled, seeing Twilight’s sadness quickly leave her. “Yep, so you probably should get writing that letter because I’m not writing it. I could imagine what mushy stuff you would put it anyways,” he stated in a playful tone.

Twilight seemed to glow now with sudden relief and happiness, and immediately threw the sheets off her. “Thanks Spike! I’ll get right to it!” she exclaimed, hugging her dragon friend.

“What did I do?”

Twilight didn’t care nor respond. This joyful news that he had relayed to her was enough to thank him for. She quickly broke the embrace and dashed through her bedroom door, leaving a proud and amused Spike sitting on her bed.

There was no time to waste.

Twilight sat at her desk, pulling out a blank piece of parchment in front of her and some black ink. She placed them neatly in front of her and summoned her quill with her magic. She didn’t need Spike to write this for her, for this was something she wanted to do, needed to do.

But there was one problem.

How do I start this?

It was a first for Celestia’s protege. She had never had trouble writing a letter before. She always knew what she wanted to say in it and written her letters with ease...well... had Spike write her letters with ease.

Now it was different.

She tapped the quill against her chin as she tried to think through her wall of writers block.

How should I do the greeting?

She was so used to using ‘Dear Princess Celestia’ as her greeting that this was alien to her. Never had she before written a letter to Princess Luna, especially a letter accepting a date from some pony.

Dear Princess Luna?

Should she put the title with her name? The alicorn did say that that she could just address her as Luna, but what about through a letter? Would she take offense without her royal title, or would she take even more offense if she did since she had already been told that there was no need. Twilight sighed, knowing she was probably overthinking everything, but she needed it to be perfect.Twilight already felt that she was lucky enough that Luna would still want to her date after her earlier fiasco, so she needed to be absolutely flawless and actually try to be a normal, calm, collected and mature pony. She dipped her quill in the ink and began writing, making her decision.

Dear Luna,

It sounded right to her. It sounded natural and friendly. She decided to just stay with Luna without the title. Luna had asked her out on a date so Twilight figured that some formalities could be left out, but what now? What would be the body, the bulk of such a letter? She simply couldn’t say ‘Yes, I would love to go on a date with you’ and end it there. It was too simplistic and lacked any real emotion.

This has to be perfect and by Celestia, I’m going to make this perfect!

With her inner declaration, she finally began her letter.

Dear Luna,

Twilight stared at what she wrote thus far. She didn’t even think about what she was writing, but after her mental declaration it seemed to just flow out of her. She deemed it appropriate, seeing that she felt that there was an apology in order, even if Luna didn’t really seem to mind according to what she got from Spike.She just wanted to be clear that she was not this...eerie... on a regular basis to her princess.

Twilight continued:

Anyways, I am writing to you seeing that you requested a letter from me concerning the date you asked me earlier that I failed to answer, and my answer is yes. I would love to go on a date with a pony such as yourself, if you’re still available of course. I know how being a princess of Equestria has its duties and keep one pretty busy, so if you had to cancel for some reason, I will completely understand.

I look forward to your response.

Love,
Twilight Sparkle.

“No!”

Twilight set the parchment aside from her, deciding that she would get rid of it later. She brought her hooves to her temples and rubbed them in frustration.

Why did I just write that?!

The letter was perfect. It wasn’t too simple but it was still brief and to the point. It was perfect to Twilight until she signed it off with ‘Love, Twilight Sparkle.’ She didn’t know why she wrote that and didn't even mean to.

I need to be more careful.

Twilight liked Luna. She knew this too well and her feelings reminded her of it, but love? Just like last night, she didn’t want to go as far and say she actually loved Princess Luna. Love was too intense of a word to use. Twilight was simply interested in Luna, nothing more.

At least, that’s what she told herself.

She sighed and began to rewrite the letter onto a new piece of parchment. She made sure it would be neat and flawless, as her strive for perfection knew no bounds when it came to letters.

Thank Celestia Spike isn’t writing this.

Spike had already made it clear several minutes ago that he wouldn’t write this letter with the impression that it was going to be sappy. If he had written that send-off, no doubt he would never let her live it down, so she was actually grateful that he wasn’t the one writing this. She came to the last bit of the letter and made sure she wrote the correct send-off she wanted.

Sincerely,
Twilight Sparkle

Twilight set the quill in the bottle of ink and re-read her letter ten times over. She checked for any and all types of errors, but of course there were none.

She couldn’t help but smile as she read over the line that told of her acceptance. It seemed official to her now. She was actually going to go on an actual date with Princess Luna tomorrow night if everything on Luna’s side was still good and kept her open. The unicorn felt almost an overwhelming joy at what tomorrow night would bring with such a wonderful pony. Twilight looked around, making sure there was no Spike around, for what she was about to do would definitely send him into another fit of laughter. After determining that there was no dragon around, still upstairs probably gorging on ice cream, she hugged herself and squee’d in happiness.

I’m going on a date with Luna! I’m going on a date with Luna!

She chanted the sentence in her mind and it sounded sweeter and sweeter the more it rang through her head. It was so surreal that this was actually happening to her. For the past week, her feelings and thought have tortured and teased with images of Luna, making her go nuts, but now they would finally have release. A date with her Princess Luna was all that ran through her mind now and she absolutely loved it.

A rumbling was heard; Twilight ripped her mind away from Luna to find out where it was coming from. She looked down at her stomach, realizing that her body was telling her that she was hungry as her stomach rumbled again. She hadn’t had breakfast due to her shock of Luna’s presence, but now she was really wishing she hadn’t ran off, at least before she had some oats that Spike had praised Luna of.

I better get something to eat. I’ll have Spike send this later.

With her her decision made and her perfect letter ready for viewing, Twilight left her desk with a big grin across her face. The possible reality that she would be going on a date with Luna was really setting in and all she could do was smile. She set off into the kitchen to satisfy her hunger as she let her mind wander into bliss, unaware that Spike was making his way downstairs.

“Hey Twilight, you down here?”

There was no answer. Spike grabbed his stomach in pain as the ice cream he had consumed earlier was coming back to haunt him. He knew what the consequence was for eating too much, but how could one simply not have too much? Spike viewed ice cream as Celestia’s gift to pony kind; and though he was no pony, there was nothing saying a dragon couldn’t enjoy it as well.

I really need to start listening to her about this ice cream junk.

Spike groaned as he felt a sharp pain shoot through his stomach again.

I really hope she has a spell for this...

Spike slowly made his way down the stairs until he was off the last step. If Twilight was writing that letter, then she had to be at her desk writing it. He made his way to the oaken desk, expecting to see the librarian scribbling away onto a piece of parchment - but was met with an empty desk with no Twilight.

Great...

Spike was already having trouble walking since his stomach kind of bulged out from his earlier consumption and his small stomach was still trying to digest. He was really hoping that she would have been there so she could somehow end his torture. Spike went over to the desk and climbed into the chair. He figured if she hadn’t written the letter yet, she would surely come to do it and no doubt see him in his pain. The dragon saw two pieces of parchment in front of him but didn’t bother even looking at their contents, too engrossed in his self-induced torture.

That’s the last time I eat that much ice cream again.

Spike knew that was a false statement, but he knew it definitely be a long while before he eats that much ice cream again. Stomach pain was by far the worst for him. He would rather have a headache or even hay fever. There had been times he rather endure one of Pinkie’s random songs for an entire day than this.

He let out a long sigh. Spike would simply wait for Twilight and she would help him. She was a lot of things, but not cruel, and she wouldn’t let her number one assistant suffer... hopefully.

Spike looked over back to the two parchments that sat idly on the desk, his curiosity now being piqued. He stretched his neck a bit, careful not to move his body to induce more stomach pain and saw two letters that had been written.

Wait, she already wrote her letter?

Spike didn’t expect Twilight to write it so quickly and promptly, but what else should he have expected? It shouldn’t have been a surprise to him, but he really didn’t want her to actually begin writing it so quickly. Any other time he wouldn’t care - but now that he knew that Twilight was being played right into a lie, he really was hoping she would procrastinate a bit, though it was him who encouraged to write the letter. He was just trying to cover his real emotions and turmoil within him; playing the role of typical Spike. That whole time that he seemed laid back and even being a smartass was all just a cover up. Now that he was seeing this letter, he was really thinking if he should continue covering the truth.

I really should tell her...

But how?

He already promised the princess he wouldn’t and he didn’t really want to know what Luna would do to him if he went against his word, but what about Twilight? Spike felt like he was sacrificing his best friend’s trust just so Luna could save a friendship that she feared to lose. What about his friendship with her? What if this all goes wrong and Twilight learns that he was in on it the whole time? Surely she would be furious with him to say the least, possibly stripping him of being her number one assistant.

But she seemed so happy.

He hadn’t forgotten when Twilight realized that she had fainted before Luna and how. . . broken she looked, until he told her that Luna’s offer of a date was still on. If he told her the truth, then she would return to the same state but even worse, and he never wanted to see Twilight that way.

Spike sighed as he stared at the letters, resigning himself. He didn’t agree with what Luna was doing, he actually loathed it, but if it made Twilight happy then he would deal with it. Luna was an alicorn anyways, she would make it work without hurting Twilight... hopefully.

Spike looked at both letters. They read the exact same thing, everything except the sign off. He failed to really pay attention to it. He was a bit confused that Twilight had decided to write two letters but she did many eerie things, he had simply gotten used to it.

Which one do I send?

He looked back and forth to each of them and with Twilight not able to point to the right one, he was at a loss. He didn’t know which letter to send, but seeing the affectionate sign off on one, he could infer that this was meant for Luna.

What about the other? He studied it some more, confused why the sign off was changed from ‘love’ to ‘sincerely.’ It definitely wasn’t on purpose; he knew that Twilight wouldn’t write two copies of a letter on purpose with just the sign off change. Maybe . . .

Did she mess up?

It was possible. There had been times Twilight have written a single letter multiple times - and being the perfectionist she was, she was always determined to write a letter that was flawless. Then again, it was surprising that it had only taken two drafts to write one of the most important letters of her life so far. He continued eyeing the letter until a sudden idea came to his mind.

Send it to Celestia.

Yes! It was a brilliant idea. Princess Celestia was Twilight’s mentor and Luna’s sister. If she saw this letter, she would surely confront Luna about it and more than likely make Luna divulge her lie. Celestia could stop all this - and what made it better, this whole ordeal would be over before it could begin. It would spare Twilight’s feelings and leave him out of the fire - so to speak.

Brilliant!

With that, he rolled both parchments up and blew out his green fire, sending them away to their recipients.

He could only hope that he was doing the right thing.

Chapter 3

The Night’s Veil

Chapter 3

Knee Deep

Princess Luna laid on the bed inside her chambers. She had cancelled all her meetings with politicians and aristocrats today, not near in the mood to deal with their constant complaining and ass kissing. They would only drive her patience with their requests, petitions and/or grievances, and she couldn’t be held responsible for what she would do if she lost it. She would rather avoid that situation all together.

Right now, she had another situation she had to deal with, one she held far more important than even her own royal duties and her subjects.

Twilight Sparkle.

Luna sighed as she thought about the unicorn. An image in her mind began to take shape. She could see the lavender mare with her big purple eyes, showing her inner innocence and loving character. Twilight was a happy mare, one surrounded by friends who loved her just as much . . .

And then there was her. The alicorn who was once Nightmare Moon, bent on overthrowing her sister and have everlasting night, but was redeemed by the Elements of Harmony. The one who everypony once feared, and some still did. The one who came to Ponyville in search of friends and none would offer their hoof to her, except Twilight. The one who had just betrayed her friend’s trust.

Luna covered her face in her hooves.

By my sister’s name Twilight, why must you have feelings for me?

But she knew this wasn’t Twilight’s fault. How could she fault her friend for feelings she couldn’t possibly control? Feelings of romance and love were not some cognitive process in the mind that one could go over and decide in the end that they loved that certain pony - it was just a natural feeling, one that could surprise even the most cold hearted equines. She knew this very well. Twilight loved her, whether she wanted her to or not, but Luna did not share the same emotions.

She couldn’t.

Not because she was bound by some oath or pact, but the fact that Twilight was Celestia’s student. Even if she did share her feelings, no doubt her sister would take issue with it. Luna was very aware of the the relationship that Twilight and her sister held. An unbreakable bond of a mother and daughter, so to speak, and any type of romantic involvement with Twilight would surely cause conflict.

What am I thinking? I’m worrying about if I ever loved her, when I should be worried of Celestia finding out what I’m doing!

Luna let out a heavy sigh. If her sister ever found out that she had lied about loving Twilight, no doubt she would launch her straight back to the moon. Celestia would never let harm come to her student, and if any pony dared to try...well, she really didn’t want to let her mind wander to those possibilities.

I wonder what Celestia would’ve done in my position.

The alicorn grimaced and turned over, stuffing her face in her pillow. She knew exactly what Celestia would’ve done - and as much as she didn’t want to admit it, she hated it. She hated the fact that she knew her sister would’ve done the right thing and said the truth . . . unlike her. Celestia always did what was right and she was perfect for it, while she was flawed and naive like some small foal.

Was this jealousy of her sister? Perhaps. But when you live in the shadow of such a seemingly flawless being, how could you not be? Granted, Luna knew what ill feelings could do to her and she kept them in check. She loved her sister above all else and would not let bitter emotions come between them . . .

Not again.

Luna turned onto her back once more and looked up to the ceiling. Her head was beginning to throb slightly, and her stomach was doing flips inside, threatening to make her vomit her breakfast. The guilt and stress was almost too much to take, and it was beginning to take a toll.

Maybe I should just tell the truth...

It was a simple yet hard decision to make. She could end up losing her one and only friend, especially since she would have to admit to lying in the first place but now that Luna was really thinking about all this with a clear head, this little scheme of hers could only end one way and she rather not get to that.

She had to tell the truth. She just had to.

Her decision was made. Luna got up from her bed and summoned her regalia and crown. She knew full well that she could lose her one and only friend - but the more she thought about it, she rather still have the chance of regaining her friendship than completely destroying her heart and Twilight hate her for the rest of eternity. The princess began to make her way to the door, set in her choice.

I have to tell her and hope fo-.

A small green flame appeared before her followed by a puff of smoke. A rolled up parchment appeared and fell to the floor. Luna stopped and looked down at it.

What is this sorcery?

Curiosity now piqued, she picked it up with her magic, wondering who would send any type of mail to her today.

Must be something concerning today.

That’s all she could guess. She had to admit, it was a bit unusual for her to dismiss her court for the day - but she had her reasons; none she had to explain to her subjects. She began undoing the red tie that bound the letter, guessing that it had something to do with her actions today. The parchment unrolled itself, and Luna began to read the letter.

Dear Luna,

First, I would like to apologize for my earlier reaction to your offer of a date. I can assure you it was not my intention to act so foalish. I usually don’t suffer from events such as that, just your request threw me a bit off guard. I hope that I didn’t offend you in any way. Anyways, I am writing to you seeing that you requested a letter from me concerning the date you asked me earlier that I failed to answer, and my answer is yes. I would love to go on a date with a pony such as yourself, if you’re still available of course. I know how being a princess of Equestria has its duties and keep one pretty busy, so if you had to cancel for some reason, I will completely understand.

I look forward to your response.

Love,
Twilight Sparkle.

Luna’s entire body went cold and her mind turned to mush and confusion. She read the letter over and over, taking in every sentence and every word.

Date . . . Love . . . Twilight . . . No, no, it can’t be. Why . . . ?

She studied it carefully, reading it again . . .

And found something odd about what the letter said.

...you requested a letter from me...

She didn’t recall ever requesting a letter with her response. In fact, this was the last thing she wanted right now.

Spike.

That was it. It had to be. Spike must’ve have told Twilight that she wanted to hear back from her about the date, and that she requested a letter to give her an answer. Luna was now really regretting getting the dragon involved in this, but one thing was certain: he was definitely keeping his mouth shut.

To make it worse, the way Twilight signed it off put her stomach in knots.

Love,
Twilight Sparkle

Luna levitated the letter to her bed, setting it gently down with her magic. She felt more than terrible for what she had done - telling her the truth now was only going to make it far worse for her. Twilight was now under the impression that she was going to take her out on some romantic date - and she would have to be the one to tell her that she lied and never intended a date for romance.

By my sisters name... please let us still be friends.

That’s all she wanted now. Hopefully Twilight could forgive her deceit and they could just go back to being friends.

That’s all she could do... hope.

The alicorn made her way for the door again, dreading the flight to Ponyville. She didn’t know how she was going to say it or tell her, but she knew this was the only way to undo her mistake before it blew up into something much worse.

Luna opened the door that led outside, but stopped when she realized there was somepony at the door.

Somepony she knew all too well.

“Hello Luna,” the white alicorn said, standing at the doorway.

Luna eyes went large and she stopped breathing for a few moments. It almost felt like the remnants of her sanity were plummeting through the ground. Of all the ponies she didn’t want to see right now, here she was, standing in front of her - especially after musing over her several moments ago.

She tried to quickly gather herself. “Hello Tia, my dearest sister. How are you?” she said with a nervous smile.

By my stars sister, what are you doing here?!

Celestia didn’t seem too amused. In fact, she looked deathly serious, like Luna had committed some terrible crime. “I’m fine,” she said, her voice somewhat stern. “May I come in? I would like to speak to you in private, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, uh, of course Tia. Please come in so we may speak about, uh . . . whatever’s on your mind.”

Celestia made her way in and Luna closed the door behind her. Today was just not her day. She needed to clear up things with Twilight - and seeing Celestia was only making it harder. It only reminded her of Twilight and how absolutely furious her sister would be if she found out about this whole situation.

“So sister, what do you wish to speak to me about?”

Celestia turned around, still holding a straight face. “Why did you dismiss your court for the day, Luna? I’m getting all kinds of complaints from ponies that were supposed to see you today, and they demand to know why.”

Luna’s eyes shifted from left to right.

Because I lied to your student.

“I-err- wasn’t feeling well.” she said, rubbing the back of her neck. “I been having the most terrible cramps in my stomach, and I simply couldn’t run my court today because of them.” Luna put on the cheesiest smile she could give and held her stomach, hoping that Celestia would buy her story.

“You sure that was it Luna? Cramps?” Celestia questioned, raising her brow in mock surprise.

By my moon, she knows I’m lying! Does she know what I did?! How could she?!

But before she could even try to come up with some other answer, Celestia spoke. “Or does it have something to do with this?”

Celestia’s horn lit up and a piece of parchment, exactly identical to the one that was sent to her, appeared before her and unrolled, revealing it’s contents. Luna only took one quick skim of the letter, and knew exactly what it was without even finishing it.

She knows.

She began to shake violently and her knees wobbled. Her heart pounded and her mind went static; fear welled up in her. “I...I...” she stuttered. Luna had no clue what to say. Celestia now knew what she was up to; she had to know if she had the same letter . . .

But why were there two letters? Why did Twilight send one to her and her sister? Question after question ran through her head; none that she could answer. There was only one thing she did know.

She was royally bucked.

The parchment vanished. “Celestia please let me explain all this! It was just a misun-” she was interrupted by a golden hoof at her face.

“Luna, there’s no need to explain anything to me,” Celestia said sternly. “I’ve already figured out what’s going on here myself.”

This was it. Celestia knew that Luna had lied about her feelings for Twilight and she was here to bring retribution for her student. How did she figure it out? Luna didn’t know but she could see that her sister somehow knew. Why else would she be talking to her in such a serious and almost dark tone and that dead look of seriousness if she didn’t?

“Please Tia, just let us explain!” Luna begged, letting the royal ‘we’ slip out.

Celestia stared at her, looking right into Luna’s teal eyes. An eerie silence fell between them. Luna began to breathe rapidly; her body beginning to go into panic mode. They kept staring at each other and Luna could feel the tension growing between them . . .

That is, until Celestia began to crack a smile.

It started as a small smile, trying to be held back and within seconds, the white alicorn busted out in laughter.

“Luna, I swear you get worked over the smallest things,” Celestia said through her laughter. “You are simply too easy to fool.”

Luna’s face flushed. A mix of immense relief, confusion - and a bit of anger - swept over her. “What’s... what’s so funny sister?!” she said. “I thought you were-”

“Upset? Angry? Furious?” Celestia said, still smiling at the petrified Luna. “Really Luna? To think by now that you would’ve learned that I love to joke with you.” Her laughter kicked back in. “You really need to lighten up.”

Luna knew that Celestia loved to jest with her, but she could never tell when. There had been plenty of times that her sister had told her things that seemed true, and ended up as false to only get a good laugh out of it - usually at her expense.

“But what about the letter? Are you not upset for what I’ve done?” Luna asked in confusion. Did her sister approve what she was doing to her student?

Celestia’s laughing waned down enough to reply. “Upset? Luna, why would I be upset that you asked my student out on a date?” She chuckled. “I mean, if you’re talking about closing your court for the day, then no, especially for something like this.” She made the letter appear as a reference. It disappeared again.

She doesn't know the truth.

Luna knew she had two choices. She could either tell the truth, clear this up right now and risk her sister’s anger, letting her know that this was just some giant misunderstanding due to her inexperience with the modern language - or pile on the lie she had already started.

I can’t lie to my own sister. It’s already bad enough that I lied to her student...

“Tia, there’s something that I must tell you.”

Celestia smiled brightly. “Of course Luna, go ahead.”

I must tell her. I have to... I have- why does she have to smile like that?

Her sister’s smile burned into her brain, and it made her heart plummet into her stomach. She seemed so happy for her, even though she was under the false impression that she actually liked her student . . . that way. Celestia had asked a few times in the past about her having some special somepony, and she would always tell her she had no interest in getting involved with another romantically... not after last time.

I..I can’t... I can’t!

“I... I forgot,” she whimpered.

She didn’t have the heart to do it. That smile of Celestia’s wouldn’t let her. She didn’t want to see her sister’s happiness leave and turn into one of probable disgust. Luna loved her sister too much to see that.

Celestia chuckled at Luna’s nervousness. “What’s the matter Luna? Has my student consumed your mind where you can’t even remember what you wanted to say?”

Luna smile sheepishly, while inside she was cringing. “I apologize sister; I seem to have much on my mind concerning Twilight.”

There’s a lot concerning Twilight that you have no clue about.

“I understand Luna. Love can do many things to the mind, especially if it’s over a beautiful mare like Twilight.”

The dark alicorn’s heart wrenched hearing that damned word.

Celestia walked over to her until she was face to face with her sister.. “So, tell me about this date that you have planned?” Celestia said with a sly grin. “I can only imagine what you would have in store for my student, considering you rule the night.” She paused. “We both know what happens under the veil of darkness.”

Princess Luna’s face blushed, knowing full well what Celestia was talking about. “No,” she admitted. “I... I don’t have anything planned, I’m afraid.”

“Wait, you didn’t plan any of this out?” Celestia cocked her brow. “Was this a spur of a moment kind of date?”

“I suppose,” Luna said reluctantly, not knowing if that was the appropriate response to such a question.

“Well, we can certainly fix that.”

“What do you mean sister?”

Celestia smirked, taking satisfaction in Luna’s innocent question.

“I’m going to plan your date for you.”

“No!” Luna quickly objected. “I mean-uh- no. I would like to do this on my own, if you wouldn’t mind Tia.”

Luna didn’t want to get her sister involved in this whole fiasco, too. It would only make things more complicated than they already were, and she wasn’t really confident in what Celestia’s idea for a date was. She really had no clue what her sister did for fun. She had only known the Princess Celestia that sat on her throne, ever-wise and powerful.

“Aww c’mon Luna, I insist,” Celestia pleaded. “Besides, this would be your first date and I want to make sure you two have a great time together. Pleeease little sister?” She was now giving big puppy eyes.

Luna couldn’t deny her. Where had her determination gone? She was making this situation so much worse by now letting Celestia unwittingly become involved in this lie.

“Fine I suppose... but I must write Twilight a letter first to-” she paused. There was no turning back now. She had to go through with . . . whatever she was going through with. “-to let her know when I shall come get her.”

“Oh, that can wait Luna,” Celestia said, waving her hoof nonchalantly in the air. “Write to her tonight; we have much planning to do.”

Celestia quickly made her way to the door, looking as happy as some small filly getting her cutie mark.

“I’ll cancel the rest of my meetings today and you and I are going to go out and make some reservations. I know some really enjoyable places that you two could go out to,” she said with a grin that rivaled a certain pink mare’s.

Luna could only nod. In a way, she was now wishing she actually did love Twilight - so she could be happy with her sister and actually be excited to plan a date of romance - but instead she was filled with dread and disgust. Everything was snowballing and it was now too late to stop it. With Celestia now involved and her not having the guts to tell her the truth, Luna would have to play along and descend deeper into her veil of lies.

“Very well sister. Let us go and I’ll write Twilight tonight.”

They both exited out her chambers and went outside. The sky was illuminated by Celestia’s bright sun, and there was not a single cloud in the sky. The day beamed with happiness. They both unfurled their wings, ready to take flight off into Canterlot and make preparations.

“You ready to plan the most wonderful date, little sister?” Celestia asked teasingly.

Luna cracked a smile, trying to hide her inner loathing and anxiety. “Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

Lie after lie... I deserve to be banished back to the moon.

Maybe she did, but she would have to think more about it after she was finished with her sister. For now, she would act normal, whatever that was for a pony in her position.

“Of course, Luna.” Celestia looked out to the sky then back at her. “ Well, let’s get going then, shall we? I know the first place that we’re going to go check out.”

Luna sighed under her breath. “What would that be dear sister?” she asked, trying to prolong her last few moments of dread.

Celestia chuckled once more, almost with an embarrassment hidden underneath it, clueless about the inner working of her sister and the distress she was in. “Why, the bar, of course.”

Luna raised her eyebrow, never hearing of such a place and asked only one question before they both flew off into Canterlot and planned the reluctant date.

“What’s a bar?”