Falling asleep slowly, I was looking at the dim stripe of light, which came out from under the bedroom door. It was past midnight, but the pony has not gone to bed yet, carried away by TV. According to sighs and moans, which could be heard, Luna was skipping from channel to channel and came upon “Babylon” or there was “Playboy” on “NTV” again.

Should I ask her to turn it off and go to bed? Why, what the crap? She is an adult mare, if she does not like that, she will change the channel herself.

The noises behind the door got more intense. Finally I got up, made my way to the door and opened it a little.

”Luna?”

She turned her ear towards me, her eyes were still glued to the scene on TV. The television set stood sideways and I could not see what had caught the alicorn’s attention.

”Turn the volume down. There is no need for our neighbours behind the wall to become overexcited”

The new sigh was heard in the room, but this time it was real and not from the film. My beloved pony had to turn her eyes away from the show, she took the remote control and pressed the required button with a pencil.

”Thank you. Good night. Celestia and I are waiting for you in the dream, try to find us”

Luna turned towards me, her emerald eyes have sparkled in the twilight. Having kissed her hoof, she blew me a kiss. I returned it with a tender smile and went to my bed again.

***

In the winter forest one could see a long way off. Leafless trees stood, wrapped in their snow-white attire, looking like brides on their wedding day. The forest was asleep, waiting for the spring to come.

The alicorn’s hooves were crunching on the crust of the bright blinding snow faintly. Her graceful white body was in amazing harmony with the snow-clad forest. Walking among the trees, the alicorn was turning her ears, in the hope of hearing something beside the heartbeat and the sound of her own steps. She sighed. Light clouds have flown out of her nostrils and mouth. Having raised her head, she cast a sad glance at the bright blue sky. But even the midday heat of the summer sun was not able to melt the winter inside Celestia’s soul.

Her keen ears caught a new sound, the alicorn looked round, sensing the danger instinctively. Someone large was following her trails slowly. The peace of this forest has been never disturbed by anyone. Celestia strained herself involuntarily, turning around to face a mysterious enemy. Her heart began beating faster and her long horn glimmered slightly. She was ready to defend herself. The unexpected spy was sure in his impunity. He was going towards Celestia without making any effort to hide himself. Snorting nervously, Celestia prepared several protective spells, which were able to stop the typhoon and the snow slide. There was a glimpse of a yellow spotted back among the trees. According to the sound of footsteps, the guest was now within a length of a jump. The bushes moved. The head of a cat showed itself between the branches. It took the alicorn one glance to recognize the species of the fastest cats. One could not make a mistake of it, seeing the typical black stripes, stretching out from the eyes and along the cheeks. These cats were found in Equestria too and they were known to eat lost ponies from time to time.

”The cheetah?” - Celestia questioned in a whisper, as if she was talking to herself - “How?”

”Lairy” - having looked the horse over with an intent glance, the predator crawled out of the bushes - “It was not easy to find you this time, Your Majesty”

”Aren’t you a human?” - Celestia took a step back.

”In the dreams I am a werecat. The cheetah is my alternate form. And it was easier to enter your dream in this form, than in the human form. Then it was absolutely impossible to force my way through to you”

”Force your way through? How do you know me? Prove that you are Lairy or I will uncover your true essence” - having narrowed her eyes, Celestia lowered her head, pointing the bright glimmering horn to the animal.

”Piece of cake” - the cat stared at the alicorn defiantly - “Your name is Celestia. You hired me to save your sister Luna from a pervert. Yesterday you were crying, looking at happy Luna inside my memories. And you called me insolent, because I was kissing her pushier than any stallion. Is that enough?”

”Yes, you convinced me” - having canceled the spell, Celestia stood up straight, proudly and gave a kind snort - “At least I am not waiting for you to claw my croup anymore. Nevertheless it is quite unexpected to see you as an animal and in my personal dream. I could have set you aflame”

”The worst of what you could have done was to throw me hard out of your dream” - the cheetah licked the claws on his fore paw - “At that, you would not have heard the good news and, probably, would have deprive yourself of the joyful meeting with your sister”

”Luna? Is she here somewhere?” - Celestia looked around - “No, I do not feel anyone else...”

The cheetah caught the strand of colorful fly-away mane with his paw and now was sniffing it thoughtfully.

”When I was falling asleep, Luna took a great interest in television. But she promised to come. I think we should wait for her”

”Tele... what?” - the alicorn asked, taking her mane away with a move of her leg.

”Television is the main entertainment in my world. It is also the main source of information, based on the living, talking pictures. I did not know what Luna was watching in the middle of the night, but she liked it”

”I see it is interesting there, in your world. I wish I could see those pictures and the Earth world in general” - Celestia was walking along the path slowly. The cheetah was following her, staying a little behind.

”I guess, when Luna comes back home, she will be telling you about everything she experienced in my house for a long time”

”Who knows? Maybe she will not. Luna used to not talk a lot to me”

”Celestia, I know that we are in the dream, where everything is possible. But don’t you think that the weather here is somewhat inappropriate? The sun is heating above, as in Africa, and there is winter under our feet” - the cheetah flipped the loose snow with his paw.

Having stopped, the alicorn curved her neck, bending closer to the cheetah. Their muzzles were right up against each other now.

”Lairy, I going to tell you something that no one else knows. And I am telling you this because you are alien, the laws of Equestria do not apply to you and you will not tell this anyone except for, maybe, Luna”

The cheetah stood, examining a bright face of Her Majesty. Suddenly Celestia realized that she was not getting enough attention from Lairy. The animal treated her without any piety, he was calm and even, as is she were... an ordinary mare. He did not care about the power of the princess. He called the ruler of Equestria by her name dauntlessly, mentioning “Your Majesty” rather in simple politeness.

”How does Luna live with this barbarian? Yes, I remember, she lives very happily. However, my sister has always perceived the royalty differently. All of that was tedious, boring and unpleasant burden for her.”

”Since I had exiled my rebelled sister to the Moon, there was eternal winter in my soul. It has been lasting for more than nine centuries already” - the alicorn smiled bitterly - “I can only hope that Luna’s return will melt all this ice around me”

Author - Lusilie

Lairy caressed Celestia’s cheek with his paw tenderly. She could see sincere sympathy in the animal’s amber eyes. Having turned away, the light princess kept walking in silence. She felt ashamed of that moment of weakness.

”And at our first meeting, I was crying on my knees before him. I did not mean to move him to pity, oh no. I was really scared for Luna. I would have agreed to do almost anything to rescue her”

The forest thinned gradually and turned into an endless snow-covered plain. The cheetah looked around, being accustomed to the search for potential victims, but did not find anyone except for Celestia. He grinned, having imagined how he could bring her down to the ground, thrusting his fangs into an elegant neck.

”I know, what are you thinking, Lairy” - the alicorn said calmly - “Because this is in your nature. And I also know, that you will not do the thing, you are thinking of”

”I will not” - having stretched himself, the predator lied down on the snow - “I wonder, why Luna has not come yet?’

”That will be a pity, if she does not come at all”

”What if she had the same trouble as me, forcing her way through here?”

Celestia thought of it. Her horn flashed out for a moment, bright goldish waves of magic swept over the sky and the land. Having reached the horizon, they faded.

”Alas, there is no one. I removed all my defenses to make it easier for her just in case. Admittedly, many other guests may come, but I will send them on their way. If you understand what I mean”

”I understand. I could eat some of the guests, probably, if you do not mind”

”I do not mind. However, it will not be a pleasant view for me. Besides, eating exterior essences in the dream can have a negative effect on your energy to the point of worsening state of your health in reality” - Celestia warned him with care.

”I heard about it. And while we are waiting for Luna, tell me, is there any progress in solving the problem how to bring Luna back to your world?”

”There is. But since it concerns all three of us, I would like to tell about it in Luna’s presence”

”Say, does your sister tend to make dramatic appearances?” - Lairy waved his paw to the sky.

Celestia saw a little white cloud, which was approaching them quickly. And there was beautiful Luna reclining on the cloud, filled with grandeur. Having flown down, she stepped on the snow gracefully and gave her transportation a slight kick of her hind leg. The cloud vanished with a soft “puff-f” sound.

In a dream Luna looked as charming as she did in reality, but only now Lairy could witness the magical beauty of his special pony. Her lush mane and tail with blazing speckles of constellations, surrounded by blue aura, were swaying gently in the rhythm of a powerful magical flow. The alicorn’s movements were leisurely, harmonious. Her eyes were shining brightly with conciliation.

”Sister?..” - Luna’s melodic voice sounded.

Celestia was walking towards her slowly. It seemed that every step through the thickness of time and space caused a titanic strain in her. Finally, she stopped. The white horn touched the blue one and a spark began to shine between them. At first it was goldish, but it turned dark-blue quickly and then faded.

Having sat down, Celestia hugged Luna and pressed sister to her chest tightly.

”Luna, my dearest Luna! I was pining for you so much!” - Celestia was crying her eyes out, kissing the baffled dark princess’ muzzle. Her tears falling into the snow were sizzling like drops of molten metal. The snow was melting and a new grass was sprouting on those spots. Having hugged Celestia uncertainly, Luna gave the cheetah, which was sitting nearby, a glance of inquiry above her shoulder. But the cat made a puzzled face and threw up his paws. As if he was trying to say “What can be done? You have not seen each other for a thousand years”

”Ah, Lairy, come, share our happiness. Thanks to you we could have met each other at last!” - without waiting for an answer, Celestia picked the cheetah up by her magic, drew him nearer and hugged the cat together with Luna.

”Tia, o-of, let me go already, lest our meeting will be too heated” - Luna was panting gaspingly in the hot embrace of the Sun Princess.

”Oh, come on” - the alicorn flapped her wings, sweeping all the company with a cool breeze.

”In that case, I AM VERY GLAD TO SEE YOU TOO, SISTER!” - The Princess of Night announced, kissing the forehead of Celestia.

”Oo-oh-h, I have not heard this famous “Canterlotish” for so-o-o-o long!” - the ruler of Equestria moaned blissfully, kissing her sister and the cheetah one after another - “This are the best news, and the greatest happiness in my life for the last nine hundred years! Lairy, what are you doing?”

”The same thing as you, but in my own fashion” - the cheetah was licking Celestia’s muzzle.

”We have been living apart for a thousand years, so we would be standing in each other embrace for a hundred years more?” - Luna jested.

”You convinced me, the life-long imprisonment in the royal embrace is cancelled” - the Princess of Day laughed, having released the captives.

”Am I right in m suggestion, that this is our friend Lairy here with us, in the form of a cheetah?” - Luna wondered, spreading her crumpled wings.

”Yes, he said that it was easier for him to enter my dream in this form” - Celestia explained.

”Ah, I exactly headed for the flash of your magic to find you. Without those two waves across the land and the sky, I would have been roaming about various dreams for a long time”

”I am going to bring the defense back, but so that you can pass through it” - Celestia released the waves of magic again. Then she made several steps back and stood motionless with her glimmering horn pointed to the sky. The sun faded away, winding flashes of Aurora Borealis blazed up in the starry sky. The voice of the white alicorn resounded in the universal silence.

A thousand years of grief,
Loneliness and despair
Have passed at last and I
Can sing and laugh, I swear!

A hundred nights and no sleep
Led frozen heart astray.
All my thoughts were of one,
You could not see at day.

Having taken wing, Celestia became a dark silhouette against the sky, illuminated by northern lights. Her voice was gaining strength...

I banished sister to the Moon,
The place of gloom and cold,
So blinding was the pride of mine.
It was my gruesome fault.

The lights faded, having given way to the big yellow moon. A host of dark craters combined into a symbolic image of the pony’s head with horn.

I was consumed by state affairs,
Forgot about my kin.
The family was split apart
And still I have not seen

Having descended slowly to the dark princess, the light one clang to her and hugged, looking her in the eyes.

A thousand of grey days...
Fake smiles became my shell.
How can I atone?
Luna, I beg you,
Tell!

Kneeling before you now,
I hope you will forgive...
Now at last I learned
Kindness from all the grieve

The sky became bright as if before the sunrise. The craters on the moon disappeared.

The harmony now reigns supreme!
The spring bloomed in my heart!
Two luminaries share one dream
They can’t be set apart!

There was a bright day, lit by the Sun and the Moon, again. The snow was melting quickly and the fertile soil was breathing with warm vapours. The alicorns stood motionless, hugging each other and contemplating the awakening of the nature.

”Happy new spring, Celestia” - the cheetah purred, shifting from one paw to another. The grass was growing like crazy and it was tickling his foot-pads

”It is so beautiful here!” - Luna stirred and licked Celestia’s nose - “Sister, your singing was amazing. And the show to celebrate my return turned out to be per-hoofed”

”Gee, I hope you do not think, that I have prepared it beforehand” - the blush adorned the white pony’s cheeks - “All of that happened on the spur of the moment”

”But...”

”Celestia is right. Things like that are created whole-heartedly and in a breathless rush. I know it by my own feelings” - the cat arched his back and stretched himself - “Let us go for a walk in this new dream”

”Lairy, would you like to fly?” - Luna offered

”And don’t you worry about patching your hide after that?” - the cheetah waved his clawed paw.

”My magic is working in dreams. It will be new experience for you”

Having lifted Lairy by the means of telekinesis, the alicorn held him balanced for some time, then turned upside-down, curled him up into a ball, fiddled with him as if he was a toy.

”How was that?” - she asked, having put him down on his paws.

”Gr-rhm” - the cat shook himself all over - “I feel dizzy, but it was interesting, I agree”

”Luna, you amaze me more and more every minute” - Celestia sighed. Alicorns and the cheetah were flying above the verdant forest.

”And I am amazed by Lairy” - the dark mare laughed - “His attitude towards me there, in the real world, is just charming. Without any magic”

”I saw that”

”When?”

”Last night Celestia demanded an explanation of why she was not able to find you in the dream, and I showed her my memories” - the cheetah spoke up, lying in the glimmering blue field of telekinesis.

”Yes, Luna, Lairy showed me your games in the ruins. And I am very glad, that you have found such a good friend. There is a lake underneath. Let us quench our thirst and discuss our plans”

”The grass is so tasty here!” - Luna grazed with admiration.

”Yes, and a couple of tasty ponies are on the shore” - growled the spotted cat out, lapping the water.

”Tasty ponies”? Hey, pony-eater, do not scare me, or I will be afraid of you for real!” - Luna was outraged.

”Well, he is not to eat us. There would be no point of it. His humor is sarcastic, that is all” - Celestia plucked a little reed and pilled its leaves off - “Lairy, here is an advice for the future: you should have a substantial meal before bed, so your predatory self would not be hungry in the dreams”

”But I know that there is an inverse relation too. If I stuff myself in the dream, I will wake up full in the real world” - the cat yawned, showing his fangs, and licked his chops.

”Well, come here” - the white alicorn lied down on the sandy shore. Having waited for her companions to lie next to her, she drew two circles with the reed - “These are our worlds, the Earth and Equestria. Having examined the descriptions of different worlds thoroughly, I found out that artificial reflecting surfaces appear sooner or later in every world. Lair, is there something like this in your world?” - Celestia conjured a mirror in golden casing.

”Yes”

”Yes, there is a big clear mirror hanging on the wall in Lairy’s house” - Luna confirmed.

”It is excellent. Mirrors are the most ancient means of travelling between worlds. If a mirror is tuned well it can be serving as a connecting portal for a long time”

”Hm-m, “Alice through the looking glass”...” - Lairy combed his whiskers.

”What did you say?” - Celestia inquired.

”Humans have hundreds of legends and fairy-tales about mirrors. I just recalled the name of one of them”

”They are not just fairy-tales. Through the looking glass one can find a broken mirror portal, or a portal tuned wrong, or that portal can lead one way and its exit, the second mirror, can be destroyed. Such portals are very dangerous, their behavior is unpredictable. Anything can crawl out of them and if someone falls in, then there is almost no hope of returning. However, let us get back to our task” - Celestia connected the both circles, she drew, with a straight line - “In that case we need the magic power of the moon to open the portal”

”Sister, I cannot control the moon, my magic do not work in Lairy’s world. I am powerless on the Earth” - the dark princess informed sadly

”I was not talking about you controlling the moon, Lunnie” - Celestia smiled - “I just meant the night luminary of the Earth itself. Then, we will be able to open our portal on the full-moon night”

”We will have to wait two weeks or something. The moon of the Earth is quite new now” - the inhabitant of the Earth, who has been silent until that, put in.

”In this case, Lairy, if it is okay with you, may my sister live in your house for a while?”

”I do not mind, Your Majesty. I quite like your sister”

”He likes you a bit too lively” - Celestia muttered towards Luna good-humouredly. The sister looked down shyly and lowered her ears.

”Is it possible for someone not to like such a beauty?” - the cheetah drew the heart on the sand with just one move of his claws.

”So, we have two weeks...” - Celestia chewed stem of the reed a little - “Our worlds are different and the flow of time can be different too. I have a guess how to test it. Lairy, count to ten and throw your paw out”

Ten seconds later the cheetah’s claws clinked against the alicorn’s golden hoof-shoe.

”We threw our limbs out simultaneously. It is encouraging. A track of time in our worlds is almost identical. I do not have any questions at this moment. Do you?”

”I have... why... am I so cold?”

Ponies examined the cheetah cautiously, having noticed the drastic change. The cat crouched, became grey, he looked half-ghostly somehow, his paws were tucked under him and he was shaking visibly.

”Is he freezing?” - Luna touched Lairy’s forehead with her lips - “I think, that I know the reason. Tia, please, warm him. I will come back soon” - and she disappeared.

”Warm him”?..” - the alicorn repeated thoughtfully. She had never happened to warm cats, let alone the big ones. Or did Luna really become strange? Although, what wouldn’t she do for her beloved sister?

Having stood above Lairy, Celestia lied down upon him carefully, trying not to press her weight against him. She embraced the cat with her wings and began to warm his muzzle with her breath. The cheetah calmed down, his shivering stopped, the coat was gaining saturated yellow colour gradually.

”Did he fall asleep?” - Luna materialized nearby.

”Yes”

”That is good. Let him sleep” - Celestia stepped aside and Luna conjured a warm blanket upon Lairy with care - “Let’s talk. We have a lot to tell each other”

***

Far away, on the border of a dream, a dark-purple cloud was lying. It was small, trembling, weak like a torn away shred of a starry sky, lost on the ground. And something was drawing it to Princess of Night inevitably. They have been together for almost a thousand years, until a ridiculous concourse of circumstances separated them.

The cloud was crawling towards the conversing alicorns. In the bright daylight it did not even look like a cloud, but rather like a vague blurry shade. Having touched Luna’s tail, the shade merged with it.

Author's Note

1) This book is being translated from Russian. It is not reccomended to use google translator to read it, because many beautiful moments will be lost that way.

2) The usual request is to feel free to point out any errors in the comments. We are also looking for the regular beta reader.

3) Be patient, the translation is a slow process.