Chapters “I’m so sorry! I’ve missed you so much, big sister!” Luna rushed over to Celestia, her teary eyed sister drawing her into a close embrace while the six Elements of Harmony watched their reunion. Luna ignored them, nuzzling into the familiar warmth and scent she’d missed the last thousand years.
Still, it wasn’t the same. Celestia towered over her now. Luna should have been nestled into the crook of Celestia’s neck, feeling her sister’s own muzzle pressed lovingly against her back. She should have been able to open her eyes and see the shapely curves of the elder alicorn’s haunches. She should not have to stand up in order to even reach the collar of Celestia’s peytral.
She looked down at herself, stepping back from Celestia as she took in the proportions of her own body. No long, graceful legs. Her neck, shorter and harder to stretch out to look back. Her cutie mark was intact, thank harmony! But her tail was so… solid.
“Sister?” Luna looked up at Celestia, starting to tremble as she realized just how thoroughly she had been reduced.
“Shh… we’ll find out what happened when we get home, Luna,” Celestia told her softly. “For now, I’m just glad to have you back. So very, very glad.”
The next several days were spent in a hurricane of activity. There were celebrations, visits to new cities, visits to old cities that had been mere settlements when Luna had been co-regent. Introductions to nobles, to descendants, to officials and courtiers, updates to court protocols, and visits to doctors.
And so, so many doctors!
By the time Luna finally had a night to spend in peace, she’d been poked, prodded, inspected, and probed in every way that she could have imagined, and several that she couldn’t before they’d been introduced to her.
She still wasn’t confident that that was how you were supposed to take a pony’s temperature, but the guards had reassured her that it was all part of the standard procedure while they pried her pint-sized body off of the doctor who had failed to properly prepare her for what was about to happen.
Luna scowled at her old regalia, kept in place behind glass until she was ready to try wearing it again.
It had better not take another twenty years! She grumbled to herself.
There was a hoof at her door, horseshoes ringing softly against the heavy wood.
“Thou may enter, sister!” Luna called out.
Celestia opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her.
“How are you feeling, Luna?”
“Very small, sister. In many ways,” Luna admitted. She turned to look out the window at the setting sun.
“Do you think We could try tonight? She is Our responsibility, after all.”
“If you wish. Though it may be better for you to wait, until you’ve returned to -”
Luna’s horn had started to glow already, her indigo aura flickering as she stretched out to her charge. She could feel her bond with the moon, the magical pathways altered over her long absence. Her sister’s aura suffused them by now, warm and comforting even as it pressed in close, suffocating Luna’s own reduced magical flow.
Luna scowled, focusing harder, her horn flaring as she pushed herself harder. She was getting closer, could feel the cool surface of her moon in the distance. She closed her eyes to block out the sweat, grunting from the exertion. Her horn started to flicker, and then sputtered out.
Luna opened her eyes, panting heavily as she looked to see what progress she’d made.
The moon had barely even crested the horizon, let alone risen.
“It’s going to take some time, sister,” Celestia said gently, stroking her back with a hoof. “Until then, I am happy to let you recover your strength.”
The elder alicorn closed her eyes, her horn serenely glowing with amber light, and the moon rose to its appointed place effortlessly.
Luna heaved a sigh larger than she was, and crawled up onto her bed with a scowl.
“‘Tis Our punishment, is it not? No more able to earn the love and respect of our people than We are deserving of it.”
“You are very deserving, Luna,” Celestia sighed, climbing up next to the diminutive filly. “You always have been, and you have always had it. From me, as well as our people. And you’ll have your power back soon enough. I spoke with Doctor Stable earlier, and he’s confident that you should be back to normal within a few moons. He estimates that with each lunar cycle, your magic will recover as though you’d aged a full year as a pony. Your body should recover at a similar rate, as well.”
“Ah, wonderful! A full year of ponies thinking We are ‘playing hookie’ from your school.” Luna snorted, snuggling up against her sister. “At least it won’t be a decade or more.”
“I’ve had the Captain inform his subordinates of the situation.” Celestia turned to groom Luna’s mane gently. “You’ve only just returned, Luna. Take some time to reacquaint yourself with Equestria. Much has changed, while you were gone.”
“Indeed. A new Princess, for example,” Luna grumbled. “One whose domain impinges upon mine own.”
“Cadance is the Princess of Love, Luna. You still have the night, and you have the realm of dreams - her love is for the waking world.”
“And what of the rest of Our domain, Sister?” Luna asked her, turning her head to nuzzle against Celestia’s powerful neck.
“The rest of… Luna, you’re distracting me.”
“The rest of Our domain, sister.” The filly smirked up at her older sibling. “We have the night, yes, but what of those who enjoy it? So often, they would save their love-making for Our hours….” She returned to her nibbling, stroking a wing along her sister’s side.
“That isn’t Cadance’s… Luna, please, stop that!” Celestia opened her own wing, pushing Luna away from her.
Luna rolled over, not offering any resistance to being tumbled hooves over barrel until she hit her pillows. She rolled herself back onto all fours, eyes wide as she stared at Celestia as though the larger mare had struck her.
“Sister?”
“I’m sorry, Luna,” Celestia sighed, shaking her head. “It’s just that… you’re *so* young right now! I’m not comfortable being… intimate… with a filly.”
Luna’s ears folded back, and she looked down at the mattress.
“We are not a filly though, Sister! This is Our body, not Our mind! That is no younger than the day We….” Luna swallowed hard. “No younger than the day We left.”
Celestia climbed off of Luna’s bed, turning to face her little sister… now so very little.
“I’m sorry, Luna. I know that you mean no harm, but right now, I can’t help but look at you and feel… like a mother, more than a sister. And certainly more than I can feel what we had.”
“I… We are the ones who should be sorry, Sister.” Luna sighed, hanging her head. “We have missed thee so, and in so many ways, it is easy to forget all that has… changed.”
“And I have missed you, sister.” Celestia stepped close again, leaning in to place a chaste, motherly kiss at the base of Luna’s horn. “Things can be back to normal… soon. In all ways, I hope.”
“As do We, Sister.” Luna tried to smile until Celestia had left her room. Once the elder alicorn had done so, she let herself cry for all that she’d lost.
Second Cycle, Waxing Moon
Luna made her rounds of the palace, hanging bouquets of lavender from the wall sconces.
“If We cannot enter the Dream Realm Ourself, We can still ensure that it is a more pleasant place for those around Us.” The filly, a bit larger than when she returned, but still obviously recovering her power, frowned as she noticed that the cleaning staff had missed one of the bouquets she left up the night before. It had wilted and dried during the day, and now draped rather pathetically from its sconce. She pulled it down, replaced it with a fresh one, and turned to go back to start the east wing.
As she walked, she idly considered the dead flowers in her magical grasp. It was a pity, really. So much time and effort on the part of the gardeners. The energy of the soil, the rain, the sun, all transformed into such fragile beauty, only for a single night to exhaust the magic of its scent.
Luna looked up over the wilted bouquet as she heard voice up ahead of her, hushed and whispering. She stepped behind a suit of armor, and cast a spell to stretch her senses out. Burglars in the castle? Spies? Some sort of conspiracy?
“You’re sure nopony comes down this hallway?” Luna recognized the whispering voice; one of the new palace maids. An excellent choice for a spy; nopony paid them much attention, nopony questioned them being anywhere, even she or her sister’s quarters! Who was the other agent, though?
”Nopony, trust me!” Raven? Her sister’s secretary? Luna’s eyes widened as she realized the importance of this discovery. If Raven were conspiring against Celestia, it could be disastrous! ”Even the guards never come down here. Only Princess Luna, and she’s already hung the flowers up, so she’s done now.”
Oh, somepony was certainly done! Luna scowled darkly, an expression of malice entirely out of place on the filly’s face.
”All right, if you’re sure. I just know you’d be in so much trouble if anybody found out about us!”
”It’s okay, sis.” Raven had a sister? Don’t worry about it. We can meet here until you get to move out.”
Luna’s expression softened, and her cheeks colored as she heard the sounds of two ponies kissing, of a maid’s uniform falling to the floor. Thinking quickly, she stepped out of hiding and walked down the hallway, intentionally stepping heavily so that the two could hear her. She heard them gasp, and then the telltale sounds of scrambling to gather discarded clothes. As she stepped out to the end of the hallway, she turned to confirm her suspicions.
Raven’s eyes were opened as wide as they could be, her pupils practically dots. She smiled shakily, fastening her collar with her magic and stepping to the side to conceal her sister, a beige-furred filly only a few years older than Luna appeared, from the Princess’ sight.
“P-Princess Luna! W-what a surprise to see you down here!”
“Our rounds are taking Us longer tonight than usual. Our thoughts distract Us; indeed, so addled are We that the entire night will likely seem imagined when Our sister raises the sun.” Luna smiled, yawned theatrically, and gave a conspiratorial wink. “Might We recommend that the two of you continue your tour of the castle with the Observatory of the Northern Tower? We are given to understand it has been largely abandoned since Our sister’s apprentice left for Ponyville. It shall surely become quite dusty if none of the cleaning staff ever go up there.”
“Th-thank you, Princess!” Raven stammered. Luna turned to continue back towards the east wing, a new spring in her step as she renewed her eavesdropping spell for a moment.
”That was so close! Maybe you were right about this being too risky.”
”Well, this spot is… but do we dare disobey a direct order from the Princess? The Observatory probably needs a very thorough cleaning, and I’m not sure I could find it on my own yet….” Raven’s sister giggled, then the dark-haired secretary herself, and the two of them darted off into the hallways.
Luna cancelled her spell, beaming as she disposed of the wilted arrangement of flowers and picked up her final batch of fresh lavender. She only had the east wing left to hang.
Her sister’s wing.
Perhaps she would stop to have a chat once she had finished her duties for the night.
Doing so took Luna a matter of minutes, and she made her way back to the door to Celestia’s chambers. She knocked politely at the door, and waited for a response, hoping she hadn’t yet gone to sleep.
“Enter!” The door glowed for a moment and swung open to reveal Celestia laying on cushions in front of her fireplace, closing the book in front of her.
“Good evening, Sister,”.Luna said as she stepped inside and inclined her head towards the elder alicorn. “We hope that We are not keeping thee awake?”
“No, not yet, Luna.” Celestia looked back over her shoulder to grace her sister with a smile. “Is there something you would like to talk about?”
“A few minor matters, actually,” Luna admitted. She stepped inside, closing the doors, and laying down next to Celestia on her cushions. “I would appreciate it if you let Captain Armor know that We plan to spend some evenings in the observatory on the North Tower, and that We would rather not be interrupted at those times. The telescope there is a more modern than mine own, and so it would be best to acquaint Ourself with the differences.”
“Of course, Sister. We would be honored to share an evening with thy pupil.” Luna smirked, casting a glance up at her sister. “Perhaps thou might join us?”
“Luna, do I have to worry about you seducing everypony I know?” Celestia asked her dryly.
“Well, you could try keeping me too busy to think about your dear student that way.” Luna reached up with a wing to stroke it along her larger sister’s side. “We were younger than I look now when we first laid together; have things truly changed that much during Our absence?”
“Yes, Luna,” Celestia sighed. “Yes, they have. For one thing, I’m no longer that young myself. For another… I am the Princess now. If I wanted, I could order anypony to lay with me. You, Twilight, Captain Armor, Raven? Any of you.”
“But thou are not that kind of pony, Sister. Besides, are We not your equal? If you ordered such a thing, We could simply refuse if We did not wish it ourselves. Further….” Luna nuzzled the base of Celestia’s jaw. “I’m the one trying to seduce you, not the other way around.”
“Please, Luna… not yet. At least give me until you’ve grown to a full pony’s size.”
“Very well, Sister.” Luna kissed her tenderly. “A time to look forward to helps immensely.”
“Have you anything else to do tonight?”
“No; Our dream magic is a few weeks off yet, it seems, and so Our duties are quite light. Do you wish anything of us?”
“If we can keep it chaste… do you mind remaining by my side? It’s been too long since I’ve had a pony to cuddle with while reading.”
“With pleasure, Sister.” Luna settled in under Celestia’s wing as the elder alicorn opened her book again, She smiled to herself when she recognized the book as a novel from before her banishment, and quickly began reading along with her sister.
Author's Note
FYI: Raven appears in-show as an earth pony in Ponyville several times, but the only time she appears in Canterlot she's a unicorn. I'm choosing to believe that there are two nearly identical ponies, and that Raven is the unicorn.
Luna stretched out in her bed languidly, looking as much like a cat as a pony as she worked out a night’s worth of stiff joints. Hopping down to the floor, Luna effortlessly lifted her brush from the nightstand and brought it over to begin brushing out the luminous, flowing mane that she’d gotten back just days before.
The indigo alicorn smiled into the mirror as she worked; she looked much more herself these days, though still only about the size of most ponies. Not large enough for Celestia to be comfortable, she was sure, but on her way.
Once she had finished preparing for the night, she left to start her rounds changing out the lavender. On her way past, she glanced up at the North Tower, where she could see flickers of lantern light, and smiled warmly. She made a note to check in on the two lovers when she began her other rounds.
Luna’s dream magic had begun working again at the same time her mane had regained its ethereal luster. She still continued her ritual of hanging fresh lavender every night, but it was a relief to finally be able to intervene directly when ponies had bad dreams. It was just best to keep down the amount of work she had to do in the castle, before she ventured out into the rest of Equestria.
Once she had finished with the flowers, she returned to her own chambers, settling in to her bed and closing her eyes to meditate. Shortly, her magic reached out to open the veil between worlds, and Luna’s consciousness slipped into the Dream Realm.
Within the starry void of the Dream Realm, Luna began strolling casually down the faintly glowing path that led through the passing dreamscapes. She glanced at Raven’s, a pleasant enough looking dream about being the co-judge along with Celestia at a baking contest. The next to pass by was the dream of Plover Brush, Raven’s sister, doubtless cuddled up with her big sister in the North Tower. Her dream, like those of so many young ponies in love, was rather more carnal in nature. Luna smiled smugly to herself, certain that Cadance couldn’t have done much better, and then moved along.
Fortunately, the dreams of Equestria seemed fairly calm. The land was still peaceful enough that, except for a few dreams about Nightmare Moon that would be too risky to interfere in directly, the worst she was finding were standard anxieties about life. Bills, relationships, class tests… those , she was certain, would pick up as the school year progressed. Nothing that required her intervention, though there were a few she could smooth over. Just before she could decide between a stallion afraid his wife was having an affair and a filly struggling between two different crushes, she heard a faint whimper off in the distance.
Like a flash, Luna was off, galloping across the starry skies towards the sounds of distress. Though slightly smaller than a full-grown pony, this was her Realm, and so she covered leagues of distance in the waking world with each hoofbeat in the dream. She raced past Ponyville, Detrot, Fillydelphia, Baltimare, all the way to Manehattan before she slowed down, starting to pay attention to individual dreams so she could find the single source of pain floating amongst teeming swarms of mundane dreams both good and bad.
The whimpering was louder now, a mare, afraid and in pain. Luna’s horn flared to life, and she blasted a path through the dreams obscuring her target. They swarmed off, like gnats fleeing a disturbed basket of fruit, and Luna leaped into the portal that remained.
On the other side of the portal, Luna found herself inside a closet, watching the scene in front of her. A grown earth pony mare, her coat orange and mane a rusty red, was curled up on a gargantuan bed that made her look like a filly. The impression was only made stronger by the towering stuffed toys surrounding her, each one easily the size of a grown manticore. A soothing voice crooned in a disembodied, sing-song voice in the darkness surrounding the bed.
Little filly pretty, Let Daddy pet your kitty. He knows you’re bad, he knows your sin, But forgives you if you let him in!
Luna’s fur bristled as the tone became more menacing. A heavy hoof beat at the bedroom door, like thunder rolling through the night. The mare on the bed shivered and pulled her blankets up over her head, exposing her cutie mark, a simple bowl of soup emblazoned on her flank.
Little filly falling, Your Daddy’s come a-calling. Open the door, let him inside, Or else he’ll beat your rotten -
”Enough!” Luna bellowed, the door to the closet bursting open as she sprang out into the room proper. With a powerful beat of her wings, she was on the bed next to the cowering mare.
“Oh no, nononono! I can’t have friends over!” She wailed under the blanket. “You’ve gotta hide, before -”
The main door, tall as the palace spire, slammed open as though it had been bucked in. On the other side, a towering, drunken, misshapen thing of a pony loomed tall into the night. A miasma of alcohol, cheap nachos, and musky arousal wafted into the room as the leering stallion stepped in.
“Wake up, Venus!” It crooned in a thunderous baritone. “Daddy wants to play!”
Luna glared up at the monstrous mockery of ponykind, and put a hoof gently on Venus’ withers. The Princess’ horn flared with actinic blue light, and the horror was gone.
In its place, on the floor, dwarfed by the bed and other furnishings, was the stallion himself, reduced to his normal proportions.
“It is safe, Venus. Look at thy tormentor for what it truly is.”
Reluctantly, Venus’ orange muzzle poked out first, then bright amber eyes, blinking in shock first at the lack of a monstrous stallion to torment her, and then at the blue-furred alicorn who was speaking to her.
“Wh-who are you?”
Luna winced internally; of course most ponies wouldn’t recognize her yet.
“We are Princess Luna, Sovereign and Protector of the Dream Realm. Thou hast nothing to fear in Our presence.”
“Princess?!?” Venus quickly scrambled out from under the covers, prostrating herself before Luna. “W-why are you here?”
“We are here because the Dream is Our duty, and thy fear called to us. As I said, Venus, look upon thy tormentor, now monstrous only inside.”
Venus crawled over to the edge of the bed as she was told, and looked down at her father, slumped over in a drunken stupor by the side of the bed. She looked back up at Luna, putting together what the Princess had told her.
“This… this is just a dream?”
“A dream of memories no filly should hold,” Luna confirmed, gently stroking Venus’ back and making herself speak less formally. “But know this; you survived what happened to you. You have come out of it stronger, no matter how hard that thing tried to break you. If it ever returns, just remember what it truly is, and remember that you are stronger than it could ever be.”
“I-I’ll try, Princess. Thank you, for saving me.”
“‘Tis Our duty, fair Venus. One which We have had to neglect for far too long. May thy dreams be pleasant for the rest of the even’. Go ahead, and leave this room and its terrors behind thee.”
With that, Luna dematerialized, returning to the Dream Realm proper, but not before making a few adjustments.
Venus, now properly sized for the bed and toys surrounding her, climbed out of bed and around the drunken memories that had tormented her. Curious, she stepped out into the light beyond her bedroom door, just beginning to hear the voices beyond it.
“Welcome, to the Twenty-Third Annual Canterlot Soup Celebration!” An announcer called out, as Venus passed into the pleasant dream beyond.
Back outside of Venus’ dream, Luna shook herself out. A thousand years gone, and still the deepest horrors of her realm remained. She started back towards the path home, staggering a bit as she did. Pausing, she closed her eyes to regain her balance.
”Surely thou did not think thy magic was up to such tasks without a cost yet,” she chided herself. At least there did not seem to be any other nightmares of that scale remaining for her to deal with tonight.
Standing tall, Luna opened her eyes again, picked another, easier dream to assist in, and went back to her night’s duties.
Author's Note
Unauthorized guest appearance by Venus Springs
Fourth Cycle, Gibbous Moon
Throughout the next month, Luna spent most of her time reordering the Dream Realm. After her long absence, much had begun to go wild, and it took time and effort to restore some semblance of normalcy. Between sorting things out and resolving the nightmares that she could find through chaos, she was approaching the point where she didn’t have the time to tease her sister as much.
Fortunately, she still found time for other pursuits. Raven and Plover were both proving to be excellent company during times when they were off-duty at the same time Luna was. Tonight, Luna and Raven were sitting on opposite sides of a chessboard, a glass of wine in front of each, the game reasonably even at this point.
“And how are thee and thy sister doing lately?” Luna asked, moving her bishop out to threaten one of Raven’s knights.
“Very well, Princess,” Raven nodded, hiding her smile behind her wine glass. “We’ve been able to relax more, now that we don’t have to worry about being caught somewhere. It’s such a relief, even to just snuggle without worrying that somepony will notice us holding tails.” She moved her prince out to block the path to her knight. Luna raised an eyebrow, but claimed the piece without hesitation, taking a drink of her own wine as she wiggled it in the air.
“A sloppy defense, Raven! Quite surprising.”
Raven winked, moving her knight out of the way to threaten Luna’s princess.
“There’s always method to my madness, Princess. And you’re in check. How are your efforts to restore the Dream Realm going?”
“Quite nicely, thanks.” Luna brought a pawn out, claiming the threatening knight. “We should have things straightened out before We take raising the moon over again.”
“Glad to hear it. And how about things with your sister?” Raven asked.
Luna raised an eyebrow, but kept her response even otherwise.
“Celestia is glad that she should be able to turn over control of the Moon soon. Any weight that We can take off of her withers is a boon, as thou knowest.”
“I mean like how Plover and I are doing,” Raven clarified. She brought her rook into position, threatening Luna’s Princess in a square flanked by threats from both of Raven’s bishops. “Checkmate, Princess.”
Luna stared down at the board for a moment, cocking her head, and then refilled her wine glass.
“Thou art the only pony besides Our sister who beats Us at this game,” she observed, taking a sip.
“She taught me to play,” Raven admitted. “And it helps that I don’t concern myself with your rank, across the game table. She taught me that too.”
“When service at Our sister’s hoof is a daily thing, it must be less intimidating,” Luna allowed.
“And you are dodging my question, Princess. I know about the relationship that you and Princess Celestia had before your banishment. She’s noticed that you’re spending less time with her in the evenings; is something wrong?”
Luna sighed and shook her head.
“Nay, not truly. We have been busy in the Dream Realm lately, and should spend more time in the waking realm caring for Our duties here, no doubt.”
“She’s not worried about your duties, Princess. She’s worried that you’re upset with her over something. Maybe the fact that your relationship hasn’t recovered as quickly as you wanted? Celestia’s concerns, Princess, not mine,” Raven added, raising a hoof at the sharp look she got from Luna. “She would bring them to you herself, if she wasn’t afraid of making things worse, I’m sure.”
Luna frowned, then finished her wine and laid back on the cushions with a dramatic sigh.
“Thou’rt the elder sister, between thee and Plover. Did you ever let thy worries about thy relationship being discovered keep the two of you apart?” Raven nodded slowly, putting together her conversations with Celestia and what Luna was asking about now.
“Only on specific occasions,” she allowed. “But I did deal with the same worries Celestia is.”
Luna raised her head, indicating for Raven to continue.
“When Plover first said she loved me like more than a sister she was way too young. I wasn’t worried that we might be caught at the time, but that she was only interested because we were so close and she hadn’t looked for another filly or colt more her own age... and, you know, 'not her big sister.' I was in college at the time, and she didn’t even have her cutie mark yet! I didn’t want her to commit herself to some sort of a relationship with me when she hadn’t looked for anypony else. And I was worried about the fact that I wanted a relationship with her,” Raven admitted.
“Because of her youth?”
“Exactly. I was worried that my attraction was a sign of something wrong with me. That I wasn’t interested in her, but in fillies her age. Between them, those fears kept us apart more than anything else could.”
“And yet, now thou’rt her ‘partner,’ I believe the polite term is,” Luna observed.
“Still ‘sister,’ until we move in together and become ‘housemates,’” Raven corrected her with a smile. “Well, now she’s five years older, tried to have a relationship that didn’t work out, and is pretty much an adult making an adult decision, not a filly. And I’m still just as smitten with her as I was the day she confessed to me, so I know it’s her, and not just underaged fillies.”
“You think Our sister has similar concerns?”
“Somewhat. She’s worried that you’re going through a second coming of age,” Raven explained. “And that you’re just turning back to a familiar comfort, when you might regret it later.”
“We have many regrets, Raven,” Luna laughed. “Seducing Our sister will never be one of them. And the idea that she may have prurient desires for foals? The past four moons are proof enough she does not.”
“I know, Princess,” Raven agreed. “But you’ve just got to give her a bit more time. You’ve already grown into a fine young mare; I’m sure she’ll be more amenable soon. I’ll just let her know that you’ve been busy with the Dream Realm, like I thought.”
“Hmm. What did Plover do, that let thee know she was ready?”
“Well, the breakup with this earth pony from Ponyville who looked almost exactly like me was a hint,” Raven chuckled ruefully, lifting her wine glass magically to finish it off. She refilled it, pouring out the last of the bottle and leaving it for whichever maid cleaned up in the morning to get. “She also had this way of letting me know exactly how ready she was. That filly can do things with a soda bottle that are obscene.” She shivered as she thought about some of those early ‘hints.’
“Mayhaps We shall ask her for advice then,” Luna smirked, getting up to her hooves. “For now, I must return to my duties, and you need a good night’s sleep before my sister wakes to begin her own.”
“Indeed. Thank you for the game, and the wine!” Raven opened the door to her room politely, and Luna stood to leave her alone for the night.
Raven took off her collar and trotted over to her bed. She turned out the lights and settled in under the covers… before her yellow aura formed around the empty wine bottle and slipped it underneath with her.
The next morning, Raven was next to Princess Celestia at breakfast, working with the diarch to arrange her schedule for the day while they both enjoyed the pancakes she’d made herself.
“I think if we can trim five minutes off the meeting with the Weather Secretary, we can just slip in the extra time we’ll need for your personal correspondence, Princess.” Raven nodded and penciled in the changes.
“Raven, my personal correspondence is never five minutes,” Celestia chuckled, glancing over as Luna walked down from one of the towers to go to her room. Celestia frowned at her sister’s drooping eyelids and mane.
“Would you care to join us for breakfast, sister?” She asked. “I could have a plate for you in just a few moments.”
“Thank you for the offer, Sister,” Luna yawned, snagging a banana from the bowl of fruit on the table, and a few other pieces trailing behind her in her magic. “But We believe We will retire for the morn.” She considered the banana for a moment and then nodded, bringing up an apple to start eating on her way, letting the banana float towards the back of the trail following her.
“Have a pleasant day!” Luna smiled and flagged her tail, standing up tall. Celestia and Raven watched as she nearly skipped out of the room, apparently energized by starting her meal.
Or, Celestia realized, by exactly where the banana had gone after Luna let it drift towards her tail. The elder princess’ eyes widened just before Luna snapped her tail back down into place, concealing the bright yellow ‘tail’ that had just disappeared between two entirely different lips than normally intended.
Raven’s clipboard fell to the breakfast table with a clatter, and the normally professional unicorn mare was sweating bullets as Celestia’s face slowly rotated from Luna’s disappearing posterior and her assistant’s face. Raven smiled slowly, trying to seem as innocent as she could as she quickly filled her mouth with pancake.
“I think we should use those extra five minutes to discuss the conversations you and my sister have been having on your chess nights,” Celestia said dryly, shaking her head and taking a long drink of her coffee.
Somehow, she just knew that today was going to be a long day.
Luna stood out on her balcony, watching Celestia lower the sun. She closed her eyes as the great star sank beneath the horizon, and took a deep breath to center herself.
Tonight, she claimed what was hers again.
Her horn flared to life and she reached out, following alongside Celestia’s magical channels until they diverged from the path to the moon to follow the sun westward. Then, on her own, Luna reached out to her old prison, stretching through the Dream when the distance in the waking world became insurmountable. Tens of thousands of miles of silent, frigid space constricted, becoming a mere hoofspan in the Dream Realm and letting Luna touch her old charge for the first time in far, far too long.
For a moment, it was overwhelming. Feeling the moon again, its powdery, dusty surface, the craters and ravines carved by untold ages of meteor strikes, asteroids, and other cosmic debris pounding into it unhindered. The knowledge that she held dominion over the night, the tides, the stars, everything that she had been barred from for so long. A simple stone, yet so much more.
With tears in her eyes, Luna raised the moon. As it crept above the horizon, her magic flowed away from it, stripping away the glamour of the skies to reveal the cosmos beyond. Her magic danced an ancient dance, one she had performed countless times before; if she was a little rusty, if some of the stars and nebulas had drifted during her absence, Luna could not care. Where her magic paused, planets were revealed, and moons, glimpses of the beyond to inspire her ponies always to keep reaching further. Where it swirled, nebulas painted the night skies, promising further mysteries to be solved should ponykind ever exhaust those nearer it. The sky glowed brighter than it ever had during Celestia’s tenure as its keeper during these hours, and across Equestria, even beyond it, astronomers marveled at the details they could make out more clearly than ever before, entire galaxies visible from some of the far-off peaks of the Griffon Kingdoms.
For the first time in over a thousand years, the true glory of the universe that had given its ponies the power to dream was revealed. Luna felt that beauty echo throughout her nocturnal realm, sweeping away the most minor nightmares that lurked waiting for her and replacing them with awe and inspiration.
Luna breathed deeply, returning to herself and gazing upon her charge. She smiled broadly, satisfied that once again she could return to her true purpose.
Celestia circled through the night sky, marveling at her sister’s work again, and then wheeled back towards the balcony she stood upon.
“It is beautiful, sister,” Celestia smiled warmly. Luna wasn’t fully recovered yet, not quite at her full stature, but she was clearly the Princess of the Night now, clad in her silver and sapphire regalia. “I’ve missed this, and you, for far too long.”
“As have I,” Luna smiled. She flapped her wings once, lifting herself up to kiss Celestia on the lips. Celestia started to rear back in surprise, but Luna followed her, lowering her hind legs to stand with her barrel against the elder alicorn. Luna probed Celestia’s lips with her tongue, and with a soft moan, the solar diarch parted her lips as permission.
Luna took the opportunity and ran with it, plundering her sister’s mouth hungrily. Celestia’s wings tried to spread and wrap around her smaller sister, but Luna was quicker, her own dark wings pressing the lighter ones into place and embracing Celestia within them.
“Tonight, Sister, thou’rt mine ,” Luna purred as their lips parted. “All you need do is say the word.”
“Luna,” Celestia started, only to moan as Luna’s horn began to glow and stroked along her stomach and hindquarters.
“You needn’t worry about me, Sister. You’ll have no doubts that I mean what I’m saying.”
“Can we at least get to the bed?” Celestia laughed, pushing Luna back playfully. “On the balcony is hardly appropriate!”
“Afraid that the guards might learn something, Sister?” Luna teased.
“Afraid that the press might,” Celestia corrected her. The elder sister closed her eyes and cast a spell. With a flash of light, the two were gone, reappearing above Celestia’s bed and falling back onto the cloud-cushion on top of it, Celestia on her back beneath Luna as their lips crashed together again.
Horns glowed, each alicorn removing the other’s regalia as they made out. Breaths of air were stolen greedily when their lips had to part to allow their peytrals through. A thousand years of pent up passion fought to be released in minutes, the two most powerful and refined ponies in Equestria reduced to stifled moans while they groped, stroked, and nipped at each other’s bodies.
Eventually, Luna stood above her sister, looking down into eyes that positively glowed with love and desire.
“Thou’rt beautiful, Celestia,” Luna murmured, leaning down for a less fevered kiss. “I have missed you, all of you, for so long. If you’ll let me, I would show you how badly.”
“Only as much as I’ve missed you, my Moon.” Celestia stretched out her hooves towards the four corners of the bed though, and Luna quickly summoned shackles to all of them, chaining her sister spread-eagled with bonds forged of stardust and moonlight.
“We shall see,” Luna teased, an impish gleam in her eyes as she leaned down to begin trailing kisses down Celestia’s throat. She nipped and nuzzled her way along the twitching muscles and pulsing veins and arteries beneath Celestia’s pearly white fur.
“Celestia Solus Invicti,” Luna crooned. “Bringer of warmth and light to Equestria. The eager plaything of her little sister, the former convict. Is that what’s held thee back, sister?” She stepped down off the bed, nuzzling down to Celestia’s chest and belly, getting a bit rougher with her nips as she reached the places her sister’s regalia would hide.
“N-never been ashamed of you, Luna!” Celestia gasped as her sister’s hoof found its way between her hind legs, tracing all around her swollen labia but never quite touching them. “I just mmph!”
Luna smirked up at Celestia as she summoned a long gag into her elder’s mouth.
“We never thought so, though We would not have blamed thee for it. No, sister, you were not ashamed of Us. ‘Twas thyself you were ashamed up, was it not?” Luna nuzzled into her sister’s blissfully soft fur, relishing the warmth of her Sun’s embarrassment and arousal. “Ashamed that a grown mare such as thee, Princess of the land, wished to feel her little sister’s lips meet hers in an obscene kiss. Ashamed that thou wished to be made a tool of pleasure. Ashamed that thou wished to be made to beg, to mewl, to plead like a whore?” Luna kissed one of Celestia’s nipples, suckling at the gentle mound like a foal at her mother’s teat.
Luna’s horn glowed, and Celestia gasped around her gag as she felt her sister’s magic sinking into her flesh, tricking her body into preparing for the near-foal nursing her. Milk flowed into Luna’s mouth, and the younger Princess drank greedily.
“Mmm… thou’rt delicious, sweet Sister!” Luna grinned up at her, then traded nipples, stepping over Celestia’s bound form and intentionally swaying her own slick, eager sex within inches of the alicorn’s nose before she took a mouthful of milk from the other breast. Celestia’s gag vanished, only to be replaced by Luna’s mouth, sharing the thick, creamy product of Celestia’s own body with the elder.
“Thy foals shall surely share thy love of cake, Sister,” Luna teased her, licking the faint trickles of milk that had escaped their mouths away. “The royal bakers would go to war for such sweet cream, and We may have it straight from the tap, whenever We wish.”
Celestia blushed fiercely, her cheeks glowing a rosy pink as Luna began to truly play with her body. The Lunar Princess massaged her teats magically, coaxing more milk into them as she taunted her willingly bound prisoner.
“Mayhaps We should get a cat,” Luna mused. “A good castle mouser, perhaps. And train her to ask nicely when she wants a treat? Wouldn’t that be a sight for the court; the Princess’ cat bringing her a mouse and settling in to nurse like a foal.” A sway of Luna’s horn, and the shadows of the room coalesced, bringing forth a wispy feline that settled in at one of Celestia’s teats and did just that.
“Or we could open the door to this chamber, invite in thy guards to plant a foal within thy womb. Would thou like that, Sister? A foal that we might raise as our own? No way to know which of our staff sired himself on thee, after all. Mayhaps a faint resemblance, but otherwise, the Solar Slut would have nothing to distinguish the father by amongst her many, many partners. Couldst thou imagine the scandal?”
Celestia moaned shamelessly as a shadow-foal took up her other teat, imagining exactly what a scandal it would be. The last time she’d taken a mate had scandalized the nobility when she announced she was with foal; not knowing who the sire was? It would probably kill half of them, and send the other half into a frenzy of speculation that would still be going on in the history books a thousand years after.
“And whilst the nobles spread rumors of debauched bacchanals, here we would be, in our little den,” Luna crooned, finally making her way between Celestia’s thighs. “Thy beloved little sister muzzle deep beneath thy gravid belly.”
With that, she sank her tongue and muzzle into Celestia’s eager sex, breathing in her musky, desperately hungry scent and drinking in the taste of her arousal. Celestia cried out, hoping that her sister had cast a soundproofing spell at some point. Four powerful legs pulled at their bonds, trying to pull together to embrace the source of her pleasure but held fast, leaving Celestia helpless. Then, Luna pulled her slick, dripping muzzle out of Celestia’s sex and took a deep breath. She dove back in, blowing that same breath up into Celestia’s body.
Celestia’s eyes went wide as she felt Luna’s breath pass through her deepest barriers, taking phantom form within her womb, swelling it with the illusion of coming life.
“Is there anything thou wouldst love more,” Luna panted as she drew back, grinning up above her sister’s swelling stomach, “than to be thy little sister’s broodmare?” She plunged her muzzle back in, tongue eagerly exploring depths that had gone untouched by mare or stallion for far, far too long, and with the expertise of centuries of illicit love behind it.
Celestia screamed as her climax took her, her body rocked by fantasy and flesh, orgasm washing over her like a tidal wave. She didn’t know what she was saying, if anything, as she begged and cried and moaned for more.
Luna continued her efforts, drinking her sister’s fluids as they gushed forth, soaking her muzzle and dripping down her chest. She played Celestia’s quivering cunt like a master soloist whose instrument sang with pleasure. Finally, when her sister’s cries became more ragged, their pitch tinged with the faintest edges of pain, she drew back, leaping up over her illusions to settle on Celestia’s chest and kiss her hotly.
Celestia met the kiss weakly, savoring her flavor on her sister’s tongue and lips, an addictive treat she’d long ago broken herself of, only to dive headlong back into her vice.
Then she froze, as she heard a hoof knocking at her door.
Luna looked down at her playfully, wriggling against her chest, smearing Celestia’s fur with the younger alicorn’s arousal.
Celestia shook her head desperately, pleading with her eyes for Luna to send them away.
Luna nodded smugly, clearly having no intent to do so.
“Please?” Celestia whimpered.
“Trust me,” Luna mouthed back to her.
A moment passed, Luna giving Celestia the chance to decide. It felt like an eternity, but in all likelihood mere seconds passed before Celestia turned her head away from the door, blushing fiercely.
“Come in!” Luna called out.
The door glowed briefly, then opened to admit… Raven, who stuck her head in just a little. She paused briefly, shocked at the scene of her apparently pregnant employer being nursed by two illusions, but recovered swiftly.
“Princess, I’ve taken the liberty of clearing up your morning appointments for tomorrow, and of giving your guards a few assignments on the other end of the castle. But you should probably consider that they’ll be back shortly, and that this door was not made to hold up to the Canterlot Royal Voice.”
“We shall take it under advisement, Raven. Thank you,” Luna said dismissively. “We shall begin our nightly duties post-haste.”
“As you wish, Princess.” Raven ducked out, closing the door behind her, and Luna cast her soundproofing spell.
“You didn’t… the entire castle knows now!” Celestia gasped, staring up at Luna, shocked.
“Only those who already knew; your personal secretary and a single maid who is very discrete,” Luna promised. “And now, no matter how loud you are, nopony will hear the heights I drive you to.”
Luna released the spells that she’d cast on Celestia, the nursing illusions vanishing and swollen belly returning to normal, though her teats remained swollen with milk.
“However, first I have my own duties to attend to.”
“What?”Celestia asked her.
“After all, we are royals, and our obligations to the land come before our own wishes. I’ve put off my patrol of the Dream Realm long enough tonight.”
“Luna, you can’t be -”
“Farewell, Sister. If you need anything before I can return….” Luna smiled wickedly and leaned in close to her sister’s ear. “Just call the guards.”
With a flash of blue light, Luna teleported elsewhere in the palace, leaving Celestia bound to her bed, in a soundproofed room.
Celestia lay there, stunned at having been abandoned, and then started to laugh hysterically.
“Oh, Luna - this is what I get for making you wait to grow up again!”
