Love and Conquerors

Twilight was in a long, shimmering purple dress, split down the side, exposing so much of her thighs that Luna and Celestia could make out the lowest point of her cutie mark. As always, she was gorgeous, her tall, slender alicorn body perfectly framed by the cut of her dress. Twilight never seemed to realize just how beautiful she was in the dresses Rarity made for her. In Twilight’s mind, Celestia suspected, she was still the studious unicorn girl with bedhead and bags under her eyes. Even after her royal ascension had make her statuesque and curvaceous, Twilight never seemed interested in flaunting her body… and she never seemed to realize when Rarity’s dresses did the job for her.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna,” said Twilight Sparkle, nodding solemnly as the royal sisters stepped into the map room. “It’s an honor to receive you. I hope that your travel here was comfortable?”

“Yes, very much so, Princess Twilight,” said Celestia, stifling a laugh at Twilight’s formal tone. “The royal chariot is a bit breezy, but on a day as fine as today it is a lovely trip.”

“Then make yourselves comfortable,” said Twilight, gesturing to the chairs arrayed around the table. “Anything you need, just say the word and the castle’s staff will provide it.” The royal sisters took their seats at the table, and Twilight sat between them. “So what’s the latest from Canterlot?” she asked. “Your capital city is my hometown, as you know, and it’s such a jewel of culture. Have you had the chance to take in anything new and exciting?”

“Well, my schedule is a bit odd, of course,” said Luna, “But as it happens, I…” She put her hand to her face, concealing a smile that was growing ever wider. “I was… was, er…” Luna let out a brief spasm of laughter, slapping one hand onto the crystal table. “Twilight Sparkle, what game are you playing?” she asked, with delight on her face. “You are a delight as always, but you are so formal today!”

“Yes, I’m intrigued,” said Celestia. “The formal invitation, the way you welcomed us… that darling little suit that Spike was wearing when he let us in… you’re putting on quite a show for us, Twilight, and I’m bracing myself for some kind of punchline!”

Twilight stayed tight-lipped for a moment, turning her gaze between Celestia and Luna as a purple blush began to color her cheeks. “Ahh, I’m sorry!” she finally said. “I was just… just trying to be, you know… a princess!”

“Twilight, you are a princess,” laughed Luna. “What will prove it to you, if not your wings, your horn, and your castle?”

“I know,” mumbled Twilight, “But not the way you are! The two of you have protected and guided Equestria for centuries. You have all this experience as leaders and diplomats and I’m just trying to catch up. That’s why I tried to do this social call the ‘right’ way. The way one royal would host another at her castle. I was hoping you would come by, see what I was doing, and… sort of…” Her blush deepened. “You know, grade me.”

Princess Celestia found this particularly amusing. While Luna merely chuckled, Celestia burst into an absolute fit, tears welling in her eyes as she laughed breathlessly. “Oh, Twilight, my best, most faithful student,” she gasped, “you have not changed.”

“That's the problem, though,” groaned Twilight. “I still feel like a filly, sitting on the throne of a princess. There's still so much for me to learn, and…” she raised her hand, cutting off what she assumed would be Celestia's interjection. “And I know, I know, there’s always more to learn, I'll always be learning… but I just want to get to the point where I know what I'm doing.”

Celestia sighed patiently, giving Twilight Sparkle a loving smile. Twilight’s insecurity, as always, was adorable; she was such a hardworking, knowledgeable, competent pony, but she was always driven to do better. And when she felt she wasn't up to snuff, she would fumble and ramble and seek approval…

Honestly, it was the young princess’ worst character flaw. But it was also an opportunity for her mentor to swoop in and offer comfort.

“Twilight,” said Celestia, “be at ease. You are a princess, Twilight Sparkle. Hold your head high, for you are worthy of your station, and you do Equestria proud.”

The look of gratitude on Twilight’s face made Celestia’s heart soar. Deep within her mind, Daybreaker shared those feelings. The blazing mare would prefer that Twilight were a bit more confident - a proud and powerful equal to the mighty princess of the sun - but even she couldn't deny that Twilight’s vulnerability was charming.

“Thank you, Celestia,” said Twilight. “I know I… have a lot to be proud of. But if there's anything you would change about the way I greeted you… either of you… then I'd welcome the input.”

Luna rose from her seat, spurred to action - in part - by the subconscious urging of Nightmare Moon. Ever the opportunist, Nightmare Moon was eager to seize on Twilight’s emotional vulnerability… and when you really thought about it, taking advantage of Twilight Sparkle’s emotional state was barely evil at all. After all, Luna’s ultimate goal was to romance Twilight, to warm her body with her embrace and banish her fears into the darkness. If capitalizing on Twilight’s insecurities helped her reach that goal faster, what was the harm?

“Young Twilight,” said Luna, placing her hand on Twilight’s, “my long absence from Equestria has taught me - among other things - that being bound to the old way of doing things can be a great hindrance. You are a young princess, a modern princess, and you can make your own way. With your wisdom and judgment, I know - we know - that you will make the right choices.”

“Aww, geez,” sniffled Twilight, “if I'm a full-fledged princess, why am I getting all mushy?” She stood from her chair and embraced Luna, pulling her into a warm, soft embrace. Luna returned the hug, placing her hands on Twilight’s lower back… and resisting the urge to grasp her butt. Nightmare Moon was fighting hard for the idea, but Luna kept her hands steady.

Daybreaker, meanwhile, was white-hot with jealousy. Seeing someone else comforting Twilight Sparkle was too much to bear - and worse, it was a mare who might actually be able to compete for Twilight Sparkle’s heart. Neither Daybreaker nor Celestia had ever seriously considered that Luna had designs on Twilight… but if Luna did win her over, she could have Twilight forever. Twilight and Luna could spend their immortal lives together, and Princess Celestia would be stuck on the outside, watching them embrace, seeing them kiss, and listening to the sounds of their lovemaking.

Burning with righteous fury, but calm and regal on the surface, Princess Celestia rose from her seat and put her hands on Twilight’s shoulders. “Luna is right,” she said. “You have exceeded our every expectation. You have done things that my sister and I could not. And with or without ‘traditional’ decorum, the magic of friendship makes you an exceptional diplomat.”

“Thank you, Princess Celestia,” said Twilight. She turned herself around, slipping out of Luna’s embrace and wrapping her arms around Celestia. “I love you two, and your respect means so much to me…”

Celestia and Luna both felt their hearts flutter at the words “I love you”... but they were achingly aware that it had been addressed to both of them. Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon began making plans to get Twilight alone… but there was only so much either of them could do, buried so deep in the subconscious.

“Well, now that we’ve broken the ice,” said Celestia, “Let’s all just relax, shall we? I’d love to just have a chat with you, Twilight; ever since you left Equestria, it seems as though all of our in-person meetings are about some terrible crisis.” She sat down, and the other two mares followed suit. “Luna,” said Celestia, “When Twilight was a student, she and I would talk long into the night, over tea and far too many snacks. Back then I was raising the moon, of course, so I had to stay up a bit later than usual…”

Celestia paused, her brow wrinkling. Now that she reflected on it, that had been a somewhat cruel thing to say - if only because Luna was present. Emphasizing the closeness of her and Twilight’s relationship, and explicitly referencing the time that Luna had been banished from Equestria… to Luna’s ears, it might sound as though Celestia were trying to exclude her. Where did that come from?

It came from Daybreaker, of course; her aggressive jealousy, filtered through Celestia’s conscious mind, was whittled down to mere passive-aggressiveness. Luna, who loved her sister, thought she detected the passive-aggressiveness, but was willing to give Celestia the benefit of the doubt.

Nightmare Moon also loved her sister Celestia, but she did not suffer insults lightly. She knew, with certainty, that Celestia was trying to push her away from Twilight. This was unacceptable; Celestia had the advantage, and they both knew it. If Luna was to win, she needed to push back hard… but even though Nightmare Moon was fired up, Luna’s conscious mind was barely aware of the struggle that was taking place. Nightmare Moon pushed and prodded at Luna’s mind, trying to fight back just a little bit…

“You know,” said Luna, “I think that you and I have much in common. We are both outsiders, in our own way. If you wish to learn about courtly manners, I could certainly instruct you… and in return - since I still have much to learn about the modern era - perhaps you could teach me how mares live their lives today. I have spent so much time catching up on current events and modern technology, and I still know very little about things like courtship and sex…”

“Luna?!” gasped Twilight - though she seemed amused, rather than offended.

“Do you not think we had such things in the old days?” laughed Luna. “Come now, Twilight, we are three grown mares. Three friends. And friends discuss such things, do they not?” Luna smiled deviously, although she was surprised at herself for being so forward. Nightmare Moon, though, was pleased; making Twilight flustered was a risky gambit… but it seemed to be paying off. Her wide eyes and blushing face were terribly cute, which caused a steeper buildup of arousal in Luna’s loins. And the more aroused Luna became, the more power Nightmare Moon could exert over her actions.

“Well… I get left out of a lot of those discussions, I think,” said Twilight, who was visibly thrown off balance by the topic at hand. “I never had all that much experience, and… I was always pretty busy with research and, you know, adventures… I think the girls know I can’t contribute a lot to those discussions. They’ve offered to set me up with someone nice, but… well, I’m as busy as ever now that I’m a princess.”

“Twilight, if I may…” said Celestia gently, “I understand why you might feel the need to throw yourself wholly into your work, even if it means denying yourself pleasures. But you must be a mare as well as a princess, and a mare needs love. A mare needs to be touched.” She placed her hand on Twilight’s. “If you deny yourself that for too long… well, things that you repress have a way of coming out.”

Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon both had a private laugh. Princess Celestia was more right than she knew.

Twilight, meanwhile, was retreating into herself, squirming at all this talk of intimacy from her gorgeous mentor and her equally lovely sister. “Refreshments!” she said, louder and more panicky than she’d intended. “Yes, I have… cakes, pastries, tea, little sandwiches… oh gosh, you must be famished, both of you! Neither of you warned me that being an alicorn would triple my appetite…” Laughing awkwardly, Twilight magically rolled a serving cart over to the table and set out plates and cups for the three of them.

“Tea?” said Twilight. “I’ve been trying out new blends, and I found one I think you’ll both like a lot! Dark, just a bit spicy… I don’t know if you’ve heard of ‘golden thistle,’ but the flavor is unique…” She poured them each a full cup, and Luna lifted hers for a sip.

“This is delightful,” said Luna. “You know what would make it perfect, though?” Her horn flashed, and a small bottle of brown liquor appeared out of nowhere.

“Oh!” said Twilight, as Luna topped off her cup without even asking. “I don’t suppose this is typical of diplomatic meetings, is it?”

“No,” said Celestia, smiling as she watched Luna fill up all three teacups with liquor. “It’s more of a girls’ night thing.” Inside her mind, Daybreaker was pleased; Luna was throwing her a lot of curveballs, but a little alcohol would help Daybreaker rise to the surface.

“All right,” laughed Twilight, sipping her spiked tea and recoiling slightly at the bite of the booze. “Girls’ night!”

Luna pumped her fist, and dusted off the Royal Canterlot Voice for a triumphant yell. “GIRLS’ NIGHT!”

“No, you are misremembering,” said Celestia. “I was by far the wilder one, Luna. Was it not I who streaked through the halls of the old castle?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” said Luna, pouring another splash of liquor into her teacup. They were all a few drinks in, reaching the point where - even with an alicorn metabolism - they were growing noticeably tipsy. “But it was I who dared you, sister. I surely would have done something wilder, if you had been bold enough to escalate…”

“You... streaked?” asked Twilight. “Like, ran naked?”

“That is indeed what it means to ‘streak,’” said Celestia. “Are you finding it difficult to picture?”

Nightmare Moon did not care for the idea of Twilight picturing Celestia naked. Luna’s arousal - and her mild inebriation - was giving Nightmare Moon a more direct line to Luna’s mouth, so she spoke through it. “Perhaps you find it easier to imagine me streaking,” she said, “or dancing nude beneath the light of my moon? I have done the latter, when the stresses of my station became too great to bear. That was how I released tension, back when I was a bit more wild…” She put a finger to her lips, giving Twilight a sultry look. “Of course, since I am ageless, and eternally youthful, there is no reason I could not become wild again…”

“I think what my sister is getting at, Twilight,” said Celestia, “is that you need a form of stress release, as you adjust to being a princess. A way to loosen up. Perhaps we could make this girls’ night a regular event? We could schedule the next one for… two weeks from today?”

Luna gripped the edge of the table, trying to keep her face from visibly scowling at her sister. “You must have forgotten, Tia,” she said, “that I will be visiting the Crystal Empire during that time. It would hardly be a ‘girls’ night’ if it were just the two of you.” She drained her teacup, swallowing the hard liquor in a loud gulp. “Besides,” she said, “I have an even better idea. A pleasant dream is wonderfully restorative, Twilight Sparkle. I could come to you in your dreams, every night if you wish, and show you what is possible in the realms of imagination…”

Twilight was speechless; she wasn’t the best at picking up signals, but even she could tell that something was up. All this talk of nudity, of getting her alone… She lifted a little cake to her face, trying to fill her mouth so that she’d have an excuse not to talk - but it slipped from her fingers and bounced off her cleavage, leaving a smear of sweet white cream on her breasts and the front of her dress. Luna and Celestia both seized on the moment, leaning towards Twilight and extending a hand to clean the surface of her breasts. “Let me get that for you,” they said, at nearly the same time.

And just for a moment, their anger at one another got in the way of their arousal. They silently stared daggers at one another, and Twilight seized on the moment to stand up from the table. “It got on my dress!” she declared. “There’s some stain remover in the hall closet, I’m just… going to grab it… I’ll be right back…”

Twilight strode purposefully out of the room. She practically had steam pouring from from her ears; she’d never been the center of such intense attention… and from the princesses, no less! She needed just a second to cool off, and this little stain was as good an excuse as any…

Meanwhile, back in the map room, Celestia and Luna were scowling at one another, seething with frustration. As soon as Twilight was out of the room, Celestia rose from the table, fire flashing in her eyes. “Luna, you are making our host uncomfortable,” she spat.

“I?” said Luna, rising from her seat. “I am making her uncomfortable? I do not recall broaching the subject of streaking.”

“You proposed some kind of… secret dream liaison,” said Celestia, getting in Luna’s face. “If you are jealous of my bond with Twilight Sparkle, sister, this is a vulgar way of showing it.”

“Jealous!” scoffed Luna. “Of course I must be jealous. How very telling that you always assume I am jealous of you. It speaks volumes about the size of your ego!”

“My ego is… not the issue here, you… you…” Celestia’s face felt hot. She felt hot all over, in fact. Something inside of her was rising to the surface. It started in her chest and spread to her limbs - soon it was just beneath her skin…

And Luna was feeling much the same thing… although the feeling that spread through her body was Colder. Darker. A grim sense of focus, of unwavering purpose, was filling her mind; she’d felt it before, a thousand years ago, and she knew it was still a part of her. This other self, this dark half… there was no stopping it now. Darkness poured from her mane as the transformation…

But the darkness was met with a wave of intense heat - because Celestia had transformed at the same moment. Now Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon, both fully in control, were staring each other down.

“Oh, wonderful,” groaned Nightmare Moon. “Letting out your dark side, sister? What is this about?”

“Twilight Sparkle is mine,” growled Daybreaker. “That is what this is about. I can tell you have designs on her, but I have known her longer. I have loved her longer.” She snorted, and her fiery mane blazed brighter. “So stand aside, sister. No more talk of dancing nude. No visits to her dreams. I will have Twilight Sparkle this very night, and you may do whatever you wish as long as you stay out of our way.”

“Your ‘claim’ on Twilight Sparkle expired some time ago, sister,” said Nightmare Moon. “If you loved her for so long, why did you not act? I will not leave her waiting like you did, sister, and that is why I am the better mare.”

“I am more than ready to act on my feelings now,” said Daybreaker. “And if that means roughhousing with my dear sister, so be it.”

Nightmare Moon stepped back, grinning, with darkness gathering in the palms of her hands. “Very well,” she said. “I think we are overdue for a rematch.”