In the mystical land of Equestria, Princess Luna's stars sparkled in the sky as did the moon bathe the Earth below in its soft and pale light. Across most of the peaceful nation, the equines were dreaming many wondrous and beautiful things as they slumbered. However, the mood atop the magical mountain city of Canterlot was much different. For bright sparks of colorful lights and blazing fire could be seen above the Royal Sisters Castle in celebration for once again the Grand Galloping Gala had arrived. The ponies were ecstatic that this amazing once a year event was happening once more and the atmosphere couldn't be happier.
However, not everyone shared this enthusiasm and once particular mare was just such an example. Her coat was a pristine white the color of snow and her mane that seemed to flow in an ever-eternal breeze shown all the soft colors of the rising sun. It was none other than the Monarch of the sun, the wise mother of all her little ponies, and one of the original bearers of the legendary elements of Harmony; Princess Celestia.
She wore the same smile of serene grace and gentle love as she always did while the party-goers attempted to mingle with whom they deemed to be a goddess. Her outward appearance was deceiving as her head began to fill with turmoil and regret now that she had begun to finally have respite from the daily stresses of ruling her beloved nation. Why? Why must these thoughts plague me once again? Haven't I given enough to protect the peace? Enough to seek my own peace amid the storm.
For you see, Celestia became of ruler out of the people's need and not of her own desire to seek power like other rulers. Before she was a leader, she was just another mare with her own life and her own dreams. Dreams she had to forfeit when she took the crown upon her head. Now that she had 3 other alicorns to help lessen the daily burden, she started to remember just what it is she had sacrificed. The only thing she ever truly desired and the sole reason why she excelled at being the motherly figure she was to all her little ponies. Celestia dreamed of the elated joys of being a mother.
The years had taken their toll on her heart and her beloved dream. Long ago in the past whenever she has any form of peace, it was shattered by the threats of mad, power-hungry, dark tyrants. From the capture of Tirek to the overthrow of the dark sorcerer Sombra or the first time the sisters wielded the elements against the mad Discord the world she lived in just wasn't a safe place for a foal.
The situation became even more desperate after she was forced to banish her only anchor and cherished sibling into the moon for a entire millennia. If that wasn't a trial, then imagine having the sovereign duty of raising a celestial body every day as you knew she was trapped in that orb of pale light. Doing this to start the night with the rising light and to end it with a setting finale for a thousand years without end. It was a miracle that Celestia retained any sense of sanity after repeating this same routine for so long while always knowing that she couldn't hear her sister's bold voice, see the cosmos that gently flowed through her billowing mane every day, or smell the comforting scent of lavender the princess of the night always wore as she embraced her north star.
I'm just happy to have her back. Life in this world without her was like being a sunflower with no sunshine to help it grow and make those who see it smile. Like how a bird would miss the open sky, how a fish would miss the depths of the sea, or how a mother would miss her child. She sighed as she once again found herself stuck on the same topic of regretting what never was. Enough of this sorrow! I should smile for real show them that I..... I..... Oh who am I kidding?!? I can't stand here and pretend that I am content when this is not the truth. Perhaps if I go into the garden and see the masterpiece of my Lulu's sky that I never could recreate, I'll be able to clear my head.
She then cleared her throat loud enough for the nobles crowded around her to hear her and said,"Excuse me, I have enjoyed spending this time with you my little ponies but I wish to stroll the gardens to be with my own thoughts."
Hearing this, almost all of the nobles dropped into a bow as one of them said, "Of course, your majesty! You only need say so."
She breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank You. I wish you all a pleasant rest of your evening."
As she made her way out of the ballroom entrance into the garden, her midnight-blue opposite noticed her leaving and thought to herself, How odd..... Tia is always the life of the party. She wears that smile but I know my sister well enough to know it isn't sincere. I suppose I should follow her and see just what is ruining what should be a delightful evening for her. After all, what are sisters for if they cannot at least listen when their loved ones are in pain. With this she went to the nearest balcony and took flight to seek out her hurting companion.
Celestia finally found herself in her favorite portion of the garden that lay just east of the infamous maze the element bearers once traversed to save their nation when the god of chaos, Discord; had returned to once again haunt the land. It was nestled in a thick cope of trees that seemed unattractive to the eye. After pushing her way through the shadows of the trees she came to a clearing where a beautiful white gazebo stood with all kinds of blossoms around it's edges but these were no ordinary flowers. They were perhaps the rarest of their kind in Equestria; Umbran Aura Lilies. These lilies were quite special seeing as they never opened their blooms except on the clearest nights when the moon's rays shone softly upon them and when they did, they gave soft glows of color to rival the moon's light. Colors of cascading violets, sky-blues, and pulsating whites.
All around the precious flora buzzed little fireflies who possessed their own unique colors of soft amber, light greens, and rusty oranges. They all gathered just to have one sweet taste of the rare flowers delectable nectar before they could seal themselves to wait for the perfect night to awaken their petals from their slumber. The light from the insects abdomens only added to the breath-taking spectacle of living light as they danced in the air all around the Solar Princess.
As she began to walk towards the structure, she slowed herself for a moment to observe what swam beneath the still, calm water of the pond next to the steps of the entrance. Gazing upon the soft white lights that gracefully circled under the surface with their tails proudly on display in all their glory were three Nova Koi who looked as if they were stars among a dark ocean abyss. Celestia gently brought her unfurled wing to the surface and with the softest of touches; tapped the water sending uniform but gentle ripples in the water. In response to the foreign but familiar force, the koi began to swim in perfect concentric patterns around her appendage. Always more than eager to show one of their caretakers their ability to move through water as if it was the sky above.
This action brought a soft smile to her lips as she parted ways from the aquatic performers and continued to make her way to the gazebo. Upon reaching the inner center of the ornate craft she looked to see the carefully constructed viewing port in the roof put the lunar body in all it's beauty at the center. Surrounding the edges of the view were intricate and unique etchings of silver that lined the inside. This metal did wonders to make the already humbling light of the sun's counterpart all that much more awe-inspiring as it's reflective surface coated the inner roof with exquisite patterns.
While she admired the handiwork, she noticed a singular yellow firefly muster enough courage to investigate the large living creature that was now in it's home. It danced around for a moment before deciding to land on the best seat in the house; Celestia's snout. The mother of ponies soon went cross-eyed as she attempted to look at the innocent creature perched there as it just remained still. The firefly quite enjoyed the warmth of the furry object it chose to rest on as it occasionally flapped it's wings in bliss but the furry object was having difficulty remaining composed from the constant sensation.
Having mastered the art of perfect timing, the little ball of light deliberated that this twitching was not a good sign and once again took to the air. Unfortunately, the monarch's muzzle could not be saved from what was to come as with a mighty sound like that of a strong gale, she sneezed. Indeed, the sound of a very loud and dry sneeze could be heard by anyone near this section of garden. Recovering from her brush with the worst of all bodily reactions, she vigorously shook her head to clear this abominable dust away from her precious nostrils.
Just as she finished, she heard a familiar voice exclaim, "Bless the Sun! Or in this case you."
She turned to see the mistress of the night in all her beauty looking at her with a gleeful smile and a hoof on her snout trying to hold back the infamous contagion of giggles. Contagious they most certainly were as said giggles became chuckles, chuckles became chortles, chortles became snorts, snorts became quiet laughter, quiet laughter became roaring laughter, roaring laughter became cackles, and finally cackles became tearful, gut-busting bellowing. The disease finally came to an end as they both took a deep breath in to relax their sore sides.
"Ooohhh Lulu! How being able to laugh together and at one another like sisters always makes my day!" She exclaimed.
Luna simply smiled as she looked around her personal garden remembering that it was her favorite older sibling who had it made and maintained not long after she was sent away to the stars because she needed something to remind her of what it was that she once had while her star remained lost.
"I see you have come to enjoy the subtle glow of the flora and fauna who call this light home as much as I do." Celestia smiled back at her sibling.
"Its hard not to when it reminds you of the one you love most in the world." Without saying another word, the two approached one another and sat on their haunches as they lovingly wrapped all their limbs with wings included around one another.
They both sighed in complete comfort at being imprisoned in their counterparts' embrace. It was the protector of dreams who broke the veil of silence and the soft chirping of the crickets.
"Sister....... Tia, what is wrong? What could've caused you to be upset so much that you had to leave the very same party that you enjoy hosting every spring?" They pulled apart only so much as to gaze into one another's eyes to which Celestia was having a hard time accomplishing the very simple task. Should I tell her?
Before she could chalk up a response Luna added, "Please don't say nothing because I once said the same to you before I watched a thousand years of days and nights pass from my prison home."
Celestia lowered her head knowing her sister spoke naught but the truth. "I'm sorry little Lulu. I left the party because old memories came back to me and my thoughts brought back a desire that often has made me wish that I never accepted this regalia."
Luna glanced at her sister questioningly. "Pray tell. What sort of desire?"
" A wish I had forgotten about until recently. For now with our beloved Twilight and Cadence ruling by our sides, our duties have become less hard to do. Especially since Twilight and her friends now wield the elements like we did so long ago and we no longer have to fear war or annihilation from a dark force." She paused as Luna remained silent for her to continue. "I wish to know the ultimate joy of being a mother. To watch as a tiny, innocent life grows and transforms into the greatest it can be. To laugh with that child, to cry with that child, to care for their wounds as if they were my own, and to love them with every piece of me. To love them with every fiber of my being, every drop of my soul, and with every beat of my heart."
Celestia then looked to the moon as a solitary tear crept down her muzzle as Luna looked downwards with her mind in complete thought over her sister's words. The supposed deity of the sun's thoughts became wild and frantic at the younger alicorns reaction. I shouldn't have dumped all of this on her. I am the elder one. I'm not allowed to be putting these burdens upon her shoulders! Does she think that I don't love her anymore now that I want a child? What have I...... She opened her eyes from her grief as she felt the Lunar Princess's hooves gently grip her face.
"What if I told you that for some time that I have had the same thoughts lurking in my own head?" The white alicorn's ear than perked up in surprise to her sibling's response. "Ever since I returned from my exile, I have been walking the dream realm to save young colts and fillies from their inner-most fears. I gave them wisdom and the means to face their own fears without the help of another. I wish to do the same for a child of my very own. I wish to teach them all the hidden beauty the night has to offer and make them feel safe in both worlds whether it be this one or the dream one." A soft blue wingtip extended up to Celestia's face and wiped her tear away tenderly.
The bigger alicorn leaned into the smaller's hooves and smiled as she coiled her forearms around the royal blue ones. "I'm so relieved to hear this come from you Lulu. You truly are the greatest blessing of a sister to have in this old mare's life."
The moon ruler smiled softly. "We're both old."
The two shared a light-hearted chuckle at the bad joke. This time the elder mare broke the quiet. "Soooo....... if we both want the same thing and we do this, we do this........?"
"Together."
"Together?"
Luna then brought her sister head down to hers and leaned her forehead against Celestia's. "Together."
After remaining in this position for several minutes the midnight alicorn parted and stood up; as did her sister. "Well, as much as I'd love to hang talking about how old and senile we're becoming these days, there are children whose nightmares they need to defeat." Luna then stood and unfurled her wings; using them she began to hover. Celestia giggled at her sister's witty humor before smiling sweetly.
"Goodnight....... my littlest Lulu."
"Goodnight....... my dearest Tia." The blue one then gave a powerful flap of her wings and took to the skies towards her tower in the castle walls.
Celestia was left alone to her thoughts and she started walking back towards the Gala ballroom. I hope those found a way to mix it up again this year. I wonder if Discord brought that charming green friend of his again. Guess I'll just have to find...... Her thoughts were suddenly cut off as she heard rustling in the bushes behind the gazebo. "Hello? Is somepony there?" More rustling continued as if in response to her question. Whatever was in those bushes didn't want to reveal itself and all the solar princess could think of was one thing. I'm not the only one in this garden anymore.
Author's Note
Well, here it is..... MY FIRST STORY!
I think everyone enjoyed the heart to heart moment between Celestia and Luna 
But just what lies in the bushes?
Find out next time!
I hope you all enjoy this little escapade of mine.
Sincerely,
Commander Ziro
